030 (Vol 4) HxH: Tombbound Power

When Nugui, the only outsider present, suddenly collapsed into unconsciousness, His Majesty Nasubi—or Tenshou, as Ronnel called him—finally dropped the act.

His usual cryptic way of speaking, that vague "gray tone" he was known for, vanished.

In this situation, there was no longer any reason to hide.

"Strictly speaking, there shouldn't be a soul in this world who knows the truth of this matter..." he muttered, though the surprise in his voice was still genuine.

Of course, you told me all of this yourself—from your own memories.

Ronnel didn't say it out loud. Even after confirming Nasubi's true identity, he still found it a little hard to believe.

The man in front of him was both Nasubi... and not.

The name of the body was Nasubi but the soul inside belonged to someone else: Tenshou, a prince of the Kakin Empire from the previous succession war.

Everything started with that earlier succession battle... and the Zhenlin Pavilion incident.

...

Back then, the throne war in Kakin had ten princes in total.

Among them, Nasubi was the Ninth Prince. Tenshou, whose name Ronnel had just spoken aloud, was the Seventh, like Luzurus.

That war took place in Zhenlin Pavilion, which gave the princes enough space to use any method they saw fit. It quickly devolved into brutal infighting.

Nasubi, Tenshou, and several other lower-ranking princes didn't have the strength or resources to compete with the elites. So, they did the only thing they could.

They formed an alliance.

The Seventh, Eighth, Ninth, and Tenth Princes joined forces.

Among them, the Eighth was known for being impulsive and short-tempered—reckless, really. The Tenth was the youngest and even more naive.

Together, they were manipulated by the cunning Seventh Prince, Tenshou, and the calculating Ninth, Nasubi.

In every skirmish, the weaker princes—like the unfortunate Eighth and Tenth—were pushed forward as cannon fodder. While Nasubi and Tenshou were sometimes injured, they always kept their core strength intact.

Then came the appearance of the Guardian Spirit Beasts, summoned through the Egg in the Pot ceremony.

With them, the battlefield shifted again—and so did the rules.

Some masters started to grasp the nature of Nen. From then on, everything changed.

Sudden deaths, shadowy disappearances, even internal sabotage—the throne war turned from a game of politics into a blood-soaked survival match.

At first, Tenshou didn't think much of Nen. Too obscure, too time-consuming to learn. He dismissed it outright.

But fate had its own plans.

One night, during a pivotal moment in the succession, Tenshou was attacked by an assassin—a skilled Nen user, far beyond the level of any ordinary bodyguard.

Tenshou nearly died.

But his guards managed to pull him from the brink.

He not only survived the ambush—he awakened.

His Aura Nodes opened from the shock, and in time, he naturally awakened a rare and potent Nen ability...

Eternal Soul.

...

While Tenshou was still recovering and adjusting to this newfound power, chaos erupted.

A prince mishandled his Guardian Beast, triggering a mass riot among the spirit beasts.

Nasubi, sensing the opening, seized the opportunity.

After months of quietly accumulating power, he struck hard and fast—elevating himself above all his rivals in an instant.

With the Eighth and Tenth Princes injured or distracted, and Tenshou bedridden, Nasubi seized total control of their coalition.

He turned it into a fortress of iron—centralized command, disciplined hierarchy. A war machine.

Then came the purge.

One by one, Nasubi eliminated the other princes, some of whom were already weakened. He showed no hesitation, no mercy—only intelligence, cruelty, and cold calculation.

Eventually, he turned on his own allies.

Before the others could react, Nasubi crushed them. All twelve.

And then he came for Tenshou.

Tenshou had put up a valiant resistance, even from his hospital bed—but it wasn't enough.

Nasubi entered the room personally, leaving his soldiers outside. Only one trusted confidant stood at his side—the final witness to the end.

Even if Tenshou somehow summoned the strength for a last counterattack, Nasubi was prepared.

Standing beside the bed, Nasubi finally told the truth.

"The assassin who nearly killed you... wasn't from the upper princes," he said calmly. "He was one of mine."

"I embedded him among the elite ranks and sent him to kill you under the pretense that it came from above."

"If he succeeded, I would've consolidated the coalition under my banner."

"And if you lived? You'd be too injured to stop me anyway. Either way, I win."

Those were his final words to Tenshou.

He turned to his confidant and gave the order.

"End it. Send him off."

...

But something unexpected happened.

Tenshou didn't react with anger.

He didn't scream or curse or spit blood in fury.

Instead... he smiled.

A faint, unexplainable smile that made Nasubi pause.

Just for a moment.