Hui Guo Rou swallowed hard.
He watched in silence as Xiang Nan locked eyes with Beyond; the pressure rolling off Xiang Nan was in no way weaker than Beyond's. Judging from Xiang Nan's expression, he wasn't intimidated in the slightest—and he had no intention of backing down.
Their terrifying auras tangled through the palace… the scene was downright frightening.
Beyond took a step forward. The stone tiles beneath his foot cracked, and a chilling smile crept across his face.
On the other side, Xiang Nan lowered the brim of his hat with one hand; in the palm of his other, a silver scalpel glinted into view…
Originally, according to the plan Hui Guo Rou and Beyond had cooked up, they would invite Xiang Nan here and try to cow him. If that failed, they'd eliminate him or use some method to seize control by force. Both of them understood that, in the crisis facing Kakin—and themselves—the linchpin was Xiang Nan. The Republic of Padokea mattered far less. Even if killing Xiang Nan triggered a chain of consequences, they'd already burned the bridges behind them.
But Xiang Nan's confidence far exceeded their expectations, and his grasp of the situation was razor-sharp.
Most of all, it felt like he had already anticipated that he and Beyond were ready to go for the kill.
On top of that, no outsider really understood Xiang Nan's ties to the "Multiverse." Looking at him now… could he actually be confident he could handle—or even defeat—Beyond?
With a clash about to break out, Hui Guo Rou instinctively glanced at Beyond.
At that moment, Beyond looked like an enraged lion about to pounce, seemingly ruled by fighting spirit. But Hui Guo Rou knew very well that beneath Beyond's "bruiser" façade was a meticulous, cool head. He wasn't going to throw a punch just because he felt like it. This was mostly to frighten Xiang Nan and see how he'd react.
"These two… they're unquestionably in the top tier of the world's strongest Nen users," Hui Guo Rou thought.
On paper, of course, Beyond shone brighter than Xiang Nan—he'd once ventured to the Dark Continent, and as Netero's son he was still within his "prime," terrifyingly strong.
But Xiang Nan was no simple figure either.
This man from the Nameless Town hid too many secrets… He was a national decision-maker with a deep, calculating mind. Not only could he play Kakin like a fiddle; even the V5 had to tread carefully around his maneuvers. He disposed of Pariston with ease and single-handedly altered the current world order—the influence of the Nameless Town and the Multiverse on the human world.
As for raw power, judging by his performance in the recent Yorknew incident, he at least steamrolled Pariston. His true ceiling was unknown, but his intellect was certainly no weaker than Beyond's.
"Alright, alright… you two… we're grasshoppers tied to the same rope. If we start fighting among ourselves, aren't we just handing the V5 a free win?" Hui Guo Rou rubbed the ring on his finger and suddenly changed tone, lifting a hand to play peacemaker.
The line gave Beyond a neat way to step down.
Beyond was the first to pull back his aura. From the cold focus in Xiang Nan's eyes, he could tell the man really did have the means to kill him—even if he didn't know what Xiang Nan's trump card was. If he really died here, all his dreams would go up in smoke.
"Xiang Nan… don't get the wrong idea—we don't mean anything else. You should understand just how… thorny the situation is for us right now," Hui Guo Rou said with a smile.
As for how Xiang Nan had run rings around them "getting something for nothing" while Kakin spent years pouring in manpower and money—well, they could only choke it down and admit defeat. Xiang Nan was the only one who could solve their problem.
When it's time to bow, you bow. For people like them, there are matters where face simply doesn't matter.
Seeing Beyond withdraw his aura, he refilled a glass and tossed it back. Xiang Nan also knew when to stop.
He sat back down.
The saber-rattling tension vanished at once—like the signs they were about to brawl a moment ago had been an illusion.
Xiang Nan truly didn't fear Beyond—for a simple reason: he had a way to kill him. If he injected raw Altana—the planet's life force—into Beyond's body, then no matter how tough Beyond's physique was, without resistance the terrifying Dragon Vein energy would tear his flesh apart and kill him on the spot.
What's more, after so long absorbing Altana, Xiang Nan's body had begun to undergo a faint, uncanny "change."
Even against Beyond, he liked his odds—and not by a little.
If it really came to a fight… he'd almost look forward to it.
But from the start, Xiang Nan had understood the game Beyond was playing: the two of them were never going to come to blows. Even without Hui Guo Rou stepping in, Beyond wouldn't actually strike. This "character" is sharp—he lay low in Kakin for years, plotting to remove the shackle that is Netero, and using Kakin's momentum and aims to achieve his own goals. A man like that has first-rate patience, brains, and technique.
Hardly a reckless hothead.
As for Hui Guo Rou… the fat man had a guardian-type Nen beast at his side, which made him dangerous—but Xiang Nan didn't take him seriously.
"Let's be frank… Kakin's goal is to join the V5, become a superpower, and sit at the top of the human world," Xiang Nan said, glancing at Hui Guo Rou before turning to Beyond. "And you just want to set foot on the Dark Continent again. Netero and the V5 barred you because they're afraid you'll open Pandora's box and bring immeasurable disaster to humanity."
"The Chimera Ant affair is only a step along the way… what you're after is the end result."
"Now that the plan's been exposed… you might as well drop it."
The words were a bombshell.
"Drop it?" The fat on Hui Guo Rou's cheeks quivered.
They'd plotted in the shadows for so long, poured in so much effort—just give up?
"With help from the 'Multiverse'… Kakin can still become a V6. And you can still set foot on the Dark Continent again. As for further expeditions, I've already sounded out Netero… This isn't about whether the Hunter Association or the V5 'agree' anymore—it's that… they'll have to accept it. The situation has moved beyond what individuals or nations can change."
"I'm not joking," Xiang Nan said evenly. "In my view, the threat from the Multiverse far surpasses the Dark Continent. What we've seen is only the sprout. If humanity wants to survive, we must tap the Dark Continent's resources and power; otherwise… this world will be destroyed sooner or later."
"Maybe… they don't believe that yet. But as wave after wave of enemies from the Multiverse descend, they'll come to understand."
"I can leverage the 'Multiverse'… to help you reach your goals faster and more safely. Do you understand?"
"That's what I came to Kakin to tell you."
"…"
Beyond and Hui Guo Rou exchanged a look.
"The initiative lies with me, which also means… the way things proceed will work to your benefit."
"No need for theatrics. The shackle Netero put on you… I can help remove it. And Kakin should be grateful—to latch onto our Republic of Padokea. Thanks to me, you can board the 'Multiverse' ship; the future returns will dwarf whatever you've put in…"
Xiang Nan said.
"Hahahahaha!"
"Haha…" Beyond laughed, then suddenly fixed his gaze on Xiang Nan and changed tone. "What you mean is… you intend to save him, don't you?"
He meant Netero.
"That's right," Xiang Nan replied calmly, without hiding it.