The moment Shulricov gave his answer, his entire demeanor changed.
His hand darted to his waist, yanked out the gun, and in the same motion, bullets screamed from the muzzle toward the man behind him.
It all happened in the blink of an eye.
The target didn't die immediately but staggered back several steps, wounded.
But Shulricov didn't stop—he kept firing in rapid succession.
Chaos exploded inside the room.
Yet the person being attacked wasn't one of the princes' private soldiers, as Kurapika and Joey had expected. It was someone else entirely—a guard under the 13th Prince, and more importantly, someone from the Hunter Association, just like them:
Bellyrant.
Shulricov had clearly succumbed to the Twelfth Prince's nen beast.
He kept screaming even as he fired:
"It begged me! This is all because it begged me!
If I just did what it asked, it promised to show me its precious treasure!"
They had anticipated Shulricov might snap eventually—but not this soon. More than that, what shocked Joey and Kurapika was his chosen target.
Why Bellyrant?
For the Twelfth Prince's nen beast to mark someone, it meant Bellyrant had once harbored murderous intent toward Momoze.
But why?
As a Hunter, Bellyrant's mission should've been the same as theirs—to protect the princes, maintain balance, and ensure they reached the Dark Continent alive.
Unless—he had another mission.
A mole?
Not a true Hunter… but a piece placed by the royal family itself?
The 13th Prince was dead—so whose piece was he?
Which upper prince did Bellyrant belong to?
And what was his nen ability?
Was it possible Bellyrant had been one of the assassins from earlier?
Joey and Kurapika locked eyes—reading the same suspicion in each other.
Had this guy really been hiding under their noses all this time?
Was it because they'd focused too much on tracking hidden nen users?
Or because—they'd let their guard down when they found out he was from the Association?
Probably both.
Joey's hand moved toward his holstered gun. As suspicious as Bellyrant was, the immediate threat was still Shulricov.
This was the perfect moment to eliminate him.
Once he was out of the picture, Hisoka could focus on keeping an eye on Bellyrant, and Joey and Kurapika could head to the 4th Prince without fear of betrayal.
But someone beat them to it.
A bullet struck with surgical precision—not from Joey or Kurapika—but from Sakata, the Third Prince's guard.
Ever since the assassinations started, Sakata had stayed on full alert.
Even after Satobi was taken by the Royal Army and blamed for the killings, Sakata never let his guard down.
So when Shulricov fired that first shot, Sakata had already drawn his 9mm and was aiming.
As Shulricov ranted and kept pulling the trigger, Sakata squeezed his own—face expressionless.
In the storm of gunfire, a bullet tore into Shulricov—just like that man drained dry by White Snake.
And as his corpse crumpled, the room began to calm.
Sakata walked over to the phone and dialed:
"This is Sakata, Private Guard of the Third Prince.
First Prince's soldier Shulricov opened fire inside the Twelfth Prince's quarters.
I'm filing murder charges and requesting his immediate arrest."
"Investigation units will arrive at Area Twelve within ten minutes. Secure the scene."
The High Court responded instantly.
And they weren't alone—guards from the Fourth, Fifth, and Ninth Princes also stepped in as witnesses, verifying that Shulricov had initiated the attack.
That his bullets only hit Bellyrant? Nobody even bothered to acknowledge it.
Joey and Kurapika hadn't needed to lift a finger.
Their eyes locked on Bellyrant—who, despite being only lightly wounded, looked visibly shaken. When his eyes glanced toward Momoze's quarters, there was fear.
Joey realized something.
Maybe Bellyrant wasn't an assassin.
Maybe—he'd just been targeted by the nen beast.
As a member of the now-defunct 13th Prince's squad, he might not have fully accepted his new assignment.
If his heart had never aligned with Momoze, then it made sense the nen beast would act.
Unlike Biscuit—who had worked with Kurapika and truly embraced her role as Momoze's guardian.
That's why she wasn't targeted.
But Bellyrant?
It was only a matter of time.
Joey didn't approach. They still lacked enough information.
Five minutes later, the Royal Army arrived. Shulricov's head was a bloody crater.
From his ear crawled a small spider-like nen beast—proof enough that no physical evidence would be left behind.
He had clearly fired first—making his death squarely the First Prince's responsibility.
As the army withdrew, they delivered another announcement:
The First Prince had been summoned for questioning.
Sakata accepted the outcome.
Everyone knew it wouldn't truly harm the First Prince. But it was something.
Due to the time lost handling the incident, Kurapika only awakened Nen in two more guards before calling an end to the day's session.
By 11:30, most had been dismissed.
Joey and Kurapika followed Danking toward the Fourth Prince's district.
Meanwhile, inside the First Prince's chambers—
Wearing his soldier's disguise, Prince Benjamin entered and shifted back into his true form.
"Looks like Shulricov couldn't hold out after all."
He raised his palm. A new star appeared there—representing Shulricov's Nen ability.
"But he managed to activate it at least," Barusamilco noted. "Sakata and the Third Prince's men have filed formal charges. Our strategy needs tweaking."
"Yes," Benjamin nodded. "Dealing with the Ninth Prince's beast was never going to be easy."
"Unlike the Eighth Prince's useless creature, this one might be retaliatory.
I can't rely on intel gained by others.
I need to face it personally, so I can raise a perfect Outsider."
Outsider—a beast raised from scratch, capable of devouring another nen beast in one move… but only if raised under perfect conditions.
Any deviation—any second-hand intel—would create a weakened Outsider, risking failure.
Against the Sixth and Eighth Princes, that had worked. They posed no danger of counterattack.
Benjamin had been planning to strike at the Sixth Prince today—once Joey and Kurapika headed to the Fourth Prince's chambers.
He would've tied up Izunavi using intel as bait, creating an opening.
But now—thanks to Shulricov—those plans were delayed.
As for the Ninth Prince? Still too many unknowns. Even Shikaku—the spy Benjamin planted—was out of reach.
He needed a new angle.
That angle… might lie with the Second Prince.
A curse ability… and now she was seeking out Melody.
Looks like she, too, had been shaken by what had happened in Zone Nine.
"If we can't act directly, then let's pull back.
Let those narcissists and degenerates scrap among themselves for a while."
Benjamin gave the order.
Barusamilco had no objections this time. He simply nodded.
Joey's first sight upon entering the Fourth Prince's room was the guardian beast, looming silently behind the prince.
And then—a smile.
Not cold. Not forced. But warm… so warm it made Joey's skin crawl.
He couldn't explain why. Just instinct.
It felt like the prince could see right through him.
No pleasantries. The prince gestured for them to follow him to the dining hall.
Only Tita walked at his side.
Her face was as unreadable as ever. Just a single bandage on her cheek.
Joey guessed she had received his warning—and hadn't made a move.
They sat. Dishes arrived.
The prince cut into his steak gracefully, smiling.
"Old friend," he said suddenly. "Even now, you're not ready to drop the mask?
You think I'd harm you?"
Those two words—old friend—sent icy fingers down Joey's spine.
Too many implications.
"How'd you recognize me?"
"Do you think I tried to have you killed?" the prince replied smoothly.
"Didn't you?" Joey's voice stayed steady.
"Of course I did.
But only because you're one of the few people I acknowledge."
"Or… did you really change, like they said?"
Joey now knew for sure—he'd been recognized.
That old, discarded name:
Kira Yoshikage.
"I've always been myself."
But as he spoke, the guardian beast's neck extended suddenly toward him.
It stopped—hovering. Watching.
"What do you say?
Business again? I heard Zailo found some fresh goods in Meteor City.
NGL is stabilizing too—might be time to open shop again."
He carved another bite of steak. Ignored Kurapika completely.
Servants had already closed the door.
Joey felt off. Deeply off.
Was Kira really close friends with this monster?
Seemed like it.
"What? Not interested in the clean life anymore?" the prince grinned mockingly.
"We're not here to negotiate," Joey said flatly. "He is."
He gestured toward Kurapika.
His En had already filled the room the moment the doors closed.
If the prince knew who he really was, and still dared to meet them alone—this was their chance.
"Want to talk about your connection to Morena?
I thought you were into her because of her hands."
Another bomb.
Joey was stunned.
He'd seen Morena's photos—scarred but undeniably beautiful.
But now… was that real?
Was there actually something between Kira and Morena?
If so, the First Prince's fake profile had accidentally nailed the truth.
Still, Joey didn't know how or when he'd been exposed.
"What do you want? Power, wealth, women?
You had it all working for me.
I always meant for you to lead the Ei Ei Family."
A heavy offer.
"I'm not interested," Joey replied.
"Then it's him, huh? What do you want?"
The prince's voice stayed calm.
But his aura thickened—dark, malicious, and ancient.
Joey hadn't felt anything like it since Neferpitou.
Pitou was terrifying.
But this? This was pure evil. Devoid of other purpose.
Something was forming in that aura. Something living.
Joey and Kurapika exchanged a glance.
No more stalling.
"What I want is simple.
Blood. For blood."
Kurapika's eyes turned crimson.
A chain lashed forward—straight for the Fourth Prince.
"THIS is what you call persuasion?!"
Joey gaped.
Kurapika had promised to negotiate—and now he was trying to kill the guy?!
Still, he didn't hesitate.
A swarm of bees burst from Joey's aura, hurtling toward the prince's guardian beast.
Tita stared, stunned.
She'd thought they had a plan.
Turns out—they were just maniacs like Salgov.
But before the chain could strike—
A crab-legged nen beast, covered in tumors, materialized from the Fourth Prince's aura and blocked the attack.
And the guardian beast?
It roared to life.
Joey's bees dropped mid-air—dead before impact.
Each one struck the ground—and morphed back into coins.
Above both the prince and his guardian—
storm clouds gathered.