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Chapter 173: The Ritual
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In a still dark room hidden somewhere in the black whale specifically constructed under Natsubi's orders just for a specific purpose. Natsubi stood in the middle of the room with another person right next to him.
Camilla who took a long shower she dearly needed after being held prisoner in a room for a week and she couldn't do a thing, her Nen proficiency was too low to break the cuffs, and she wasn't an enhancer in the first place.
She's just too weak, her physical strength and her Nen and she realized that though a bit too late. In the end, the only reason she's alive and actually won the succession is luck, her ability of course also contributed a bit.
She was still confused about how things turned out this way, 'just what happened when I was away' She wondered frowning, an expression that couldn't leave her face.
Spending a week in a darkroom could do that to someone. She cried and pleaded in desperation to the darkness before her. She slept in a puddle of her own piss and crap.
She didn't expect Benjamin would try to kill her but even when he did and died as a result, in her view, it was self-defense. However, she also didn't expect that his loyal subordinates would ignore that and do such a thing to her.
'The world is truly unjust.' She thought standing behind Natsubi and looking around. She looked at the coffins surrounding them forming a circle around them, fourteen coffins to be exact.
"There is a price for everything." Remarked Natsubi while stroking his long strangely shaped mustache.
He continued, "And there is a price for the state of our homeland today. There is a price for the power we hold and the power our next generations will hold.
There are also benefits but for too heavy of a price. In every coffin here lies what remains from your brother and sister. There lie their souls and guardian beasts that can function no more.
That is the price we have to pay for our power and for your power to be permanent. Most importantly, this is a necessary step to make the seed urn work again, to allow our next generations to flourish, you understand right?"
Camilla frowned even more looking at the fourteen coffins. There are fourteen princes that participated in the succession contest yet here lies fourteen coffins.
She questioned cautiously. "I understand. But what is the extra coffin for? There is supposed to be a winner of the contest, right?"
Natsubi let out a small smile hearing that as his guardian beast appeared beside him. "It's for me. The next ritual will make you much stronger and decide the future of our home. However, there are a few things that need to be done before that."
He turned around slowly as his emotionless face resurfaced and uttered the next words. "I want you to swear here and now that for as long as you live, you'll continue to hold the Kakin's legacy in your hand and only seek to do what benefits it.
You'll protect our home to the best of your abilities and you'll never do anything that can endanger it. You'll continue the Kakin empire's traditions and you'll make sure the next succession contest happens and a new hope is born, swear."
Camilla at least let out a sigh of relief knowing that the last coffin is not for her and knowing how weak she is, she wouldn't disobey his orders.
However, the fact that everyone around her has died or will die is starting to take a toll on her mind, something she didn't think would happen.
Now, she can see her future flash before her as she heard his words and realized the consequences of holding all of that responsibilities on her shoulder. "I swear."
A smile returned to Natsubi's face hearing that. "Good, know that you'll be held responsible for that promise because if you go against it, you'll pay the price.
This is the price we have to pay for our greed and desires but this is for the good of our land. I don't know what kind of ruler you'll be but I know you'll do good for our land. Nugui will tell you everything you need to know as well as guide you until you grow more."
Natsubi walked to the last truly empty coffin. He saw his father do the same, a curse but a necessary one. The coffins don't really need to have a body inside, as long as the contestant dies, the ritual can take place.
He rested in the coffin before his guardian beast closed the coffin just like every other coffin. Camilla watched all of this puzzled and still baffled by everything happening around her. Her state of mind at this point is a mess.
She was but a moving puppet. Natsubi's guardian beast disappeared appearing as if he entered the coffin with Natsubi and only the latter knows what's happening inside, his death.
The ritual is supposed to start the moment he dies and it did even though there is a variable he didn't take into account. The fact that there is another successor still alive.
The successor who just appeared in the room unnoticed and before even Camilla's guardian beast can react, the latter was no more. Instantly, her vulnerable brain was completely destroyed without making a sound.
She looked fine still standing in the middle of the room, she was however dead. Yasuo appeared in her place with an extra coffin also appearing. He used his space manipulation to directly teleport her inside of it as he just waited for the ritual to start.
He waited with Medusa clinging to his back and looking around from above his shoulders. The ritual was much simpler than what Yasuo thought it would be.
What looked like some kind of smoke flew from each coffin and flew towards his guardian beast, fumes with varying colors depending on which coffin they came from.
Medusa seems to find that particular fume tempting as she opened her small mouth for it to go inside which she didn't need to do as the fume enveloped her for a minute.
Yasuo allowed this to happen while using his amplification domain to observe the process. He closed his eyes feeling a new sense of enhanced control over Medusa, something he found interesting.
Natsubi probably already had control over his guardian beast in contrast to the princes who can't even sense them, he already went through the ritual which has quite a few benefits.
And here is Yasuo reaping the benefits without the respective consequences and responsibilities. His already obedient Medusa became even more obedient, more under his control.
A portal opened not far from him with Illumi walking out from it. He seems to already know what to do as he walked directly to the coffin where Camilla's body is placed.
He opened the coffin and lifted Camilla's head slightly before bringing three pitch-black needles from his clothes and focusing his Aura into them.
They appeared like a monster whose hunger knows no bounds as they continued to devour his Aura endlessly. He only inserted them in her head once they seemed satiated.
After which, Yasuo who was focusing his Aura on his hand forming a dark purple explosive orb walked next to her and used negative rose on her until she was completely healed.
Only then did she stand up looking extremely normal like nothing happened though her guardian beast could no longer be seen next to her which could be excused as her gaining more control over it and retracting it after the ritual.
Yasuo's restoration allowed her memory to remain even after destroying her brain, memories that can help Illumi a lot as his ability is quite strange, "Act as you'd normally act after what happened today. Also, everything happened normally, we were never here."
That was just one of the orders he gave her and as long as she has the necessary abilities and memories, she will be able to deliver though Yasuo will need to keep his eyes on her to make sure everything goes as planned and Nugui don't notice anything.
And so, the Zoldyck family took over an entire nation without anyone else knowing. They teleported directly after that without Nugui noticing anything due to Yasuo using his control domain to make sure nothing goes out of the room during the process.
Yasuo disappeared afterward with no one knowing where he went. The hunters on the ship had to deal with a lot for the past week, so much death and casualties.
It was certainly an interesting week with the number of deaths surpassing 40 thousand people, most died in the fifth tier where the strangest incidents happened, an incident they still couldn't find who's responsible for it.
The Zodiacs had a lot to deal with, that was too much for anyone to take, an abnormal week. The same couldn't be said for the Dark Continent Expedition Team, a team comprised of Beyond Netero's assembled team of Temp Hunters and mercenaries for the expedition towards the Dark Continent.
They only have their own job so they didn't interfere in the happenings around the ship at all, they remained hidden not bothered by the scent of blood around.
Except for Ging who couldn't help but frown after getting the shocking news. He joined the team because he thought Yasuo would also join and to keep an eye on Pariston.
So imagine his surprise when he found out Yasuo didn't join the team. He was only able to let out a sigh of relief after knowing that he will join them later and he also wanted to explore the dark continent with a capable team.
He dreams of exploration and of having a goal he can go after all the time and well, he's always after something. The dark continent was a dream of his for a long time, this is his primary goal and exploring Yasuo's goals is a side quest.
Yasuo wouldn't appear anywhere near the ship until it reached its first destination, the new continent, an island located in the Untamed Waters of Lake Mobius, and thus outside of the territory colonized by mankind.