I Got Killer Queen in Hunter x Hunter ?!

The Second Prince extended another invitation to Melody.

The Sixth Queen had no objections—in fact, she was happy to lend Melody to the Second Prince. The message delivered with the invitation included a promise to help her locate the missing Tenth and Eleventh Princes.

By the time Joey received this intel, the Second Prince had already stationed one of her private soldiers with the Sixth Queen, and Melody had gone to Tier 2.

Coincidence?

Obviously not. Joey didn't believe in that many coincidences.

This was clearly a planned move by Tier 2, meaning they had anticipated how his side would act.

There had to be an element of guesswork—after all, they couldn't know exactly how much Joey knew about Tier 2. But if he knew anything, the simplest and most effective method to expose that information would be through the Sixth Queen.

Their move also showed they understood the relationship between Melody and the rest of the Hunters.

They didn't even need to investigate. Just lump all Hunters together and you could reach the same conclusion.

Clearly, their aim was to prevent any disturbance to the quiet of Tier 10—prevent its secrets from being exposed.

They must have also realized it was impossible to secretly retrieve the corpses of their private soldiers from Tier 10.

And they were right. Joey couldn't monitor Tier 10 with En due to his clone's limitations—but Kurapika had taken over that job.

If anyone attempted to breach Tier 10, Kurapika would sense it instantly.

"So what now?" Joey rubbed his temple.

Without Berrilent to trigger things, the only hope was the Sixth Queen—but now she was blocked too.

He had no more roundabout options.

"Your identity is probably exposed enough in the lower tiers. Just go loud," Kurapika suggested—an idea that caught Joey off guard.

Joey had considered that strategy: publicly exposing himself and making a direct move.

But his concern had always been the safety of Tier 12—he'd draw attention to it and invite danger.

If Kurapika was suggesting it now, maybe he had a countermeasure—or a reason to take that risk.

Also, if Joey did go loud, he'd lose access to Tier 12 completely.

The Royal Army would certainly lock it down, and not even the Eleventh Prince's Nen ability could help him get back in.

Joey shook his head.

There was another problem. If he came into the spotlight, it would be much harder to lift the curse on the Twelfth Prince.

Kurapika quickly understood his hesitation and smiled faintly.

"You misunderstood. I don't mean using your real identity—I mean use a disguise. Let your clone impersonate someone and cause the disturbance in Tier 10.

Since Berrilent won't make a move, why not have someone impersonate him?"

That struck Joey like lightning.

All the people in the lower decks who knew his identity were mafia members.

And if he remembered correctly, none of the mafia factions were backed by the Second Prince—the closest alliance was with the Seventh Prince.

Using the Second Prince and Queen's reactions, they could gauge how much Tier 2 actually knew about the lower levels.

Joey's eyes lit up.

He'd always been suspicious of the Second Queen.

Kurapika's plan was the perfect way to test her.

There was only one assumption—that Berrilent really was one of the Second Queen's men.

Joey felt confident Berrilent didn't work for the Second Prince.

Her private soldiers were almost entirely Kakin's non-citizens, and she was revered by them.

Joey didn't know why, but he did know this:

Non-citizens of Kakin were not allowed to leave the country.

That made them ineligible to become licensed Hunters—

So if Berrilent seemed like a seasoned Hunter, it was likely he had received a special assignment that placed him undercover in the Thirteenth Prince's guard.

Regardless of who he really worked for, this plan offered more gains than risks.

Of course, it would also expose his clone's disguise ability.

But Joey weighed the risk and reward—and nodded. "Let's do it."

To have the clone impersonate Berrilent, Joey needed to physically return to Tier 1.

They'd also need a target.

Originally, the plan was to use the incident to let Joey quietly exit Tier 1—but with him personally going back up, that approach was no longer viable.

He'd be directly involved.

And if the Royal Army got on his case, it could interfere with his deal with the Third Prince.

On Tier 3, Joey had found another hidden Royal Army warehouse.

But storming it wouldn't be easy.

Perhaps because of recent events in the lower decks, security around the warehouse had intensified.

So instead, Joey decided to investigate the V·VIP area first—then return below to continue studying the Royal Army's logistics.

He had another theory:

The warehouses on Tier 5 and Tier 3 were in parallel positions.

If so, Tiers 4, 2, and 1 might have warehouses in those same spots.

And the spot for Tier 1 was located right inside the V·VIP zone.

That made it unavoidable—Joey had to go there.

With the plan set, Joey returned to the room where Fugetsu and Kacho were.

At 11 p.m., Fugetsu opened a doorway to the Twelfth Prince's room in Tier 12.

Joey stepped through, re-infused his clone with aura, and began reshaping its features.

Kacho and Fugetsu quietly returned to Tier 3.

Perfect support team.

Shortly after they left, Joey and Kurapika met with Sakata, who was still in Tier 12.

"You're sure there's a Second Prince private soldier's body in Tier 10?" Sakata asked again, trying to confirm.

"Yes. Absolutely." Kurapika was firm.

"But why would they be there?" Sakata asked the core question.

"That's exactly what we need to find out by infiltrating Tier 10," Kurapika replied smoothly—he wasn't about to give up sensitive intel on the Second Prince.

"Do you suspect the disappearances of the Tenth and Eleventh Princes are related to the Second Prince?" Sakata stroked his chin. "Got any solid proof?"

"No."

If they had proof, they'd have already called the Royal Army to raid Tier 10.

"So what do you want from me?" Sakata gave them a serious look.

"My mission with the Third Prince kicks off tomorrow. I don't want any unnecessary complications."

In his view, the Third Prince's agenda came first.

As for exposing Tier 10 or finding corpses—that could wait.

"We need a fall guy. And it's also a chance to show off my and Hisoka's skills," Joey said.

As he spoke, a figure emerged from around the corner—shoulder-length curly hair, same face:

Berrilent.

But Sakata knew the real Berrilent shouldn't be here—he should be in Tier 13, guarding the Seventh Queen.

He looked again—and understood.

"This is a fake!" Sakata gasped.

"You're framing Berrilent!" he realized, stunned.

Even the clone mimicked Berrilent's small habits perfectly—every subtle movement.

It was obvious Joey had studied him thoroughly.

"Incredible ability," Sakata muttered.

"Yes. And Berrilent is suspicious," Joey added, without elaborating.

Sakata didn't need an explanation. He'd always had doubts.

"So who's the bait? And what's the actual plan?" Sakata was intrigued now.

He was starting to understand what Joey and Kurapika were doing.

And he knew—if they could prove the Second Prince had private troops in Tier 10, it'd cause huge problems for her.

That would only benefit the Third Prince.

But as Joey and Kurapika stared at him, Sakata suddenly caught on.

"Me?"

"No. Your partner—Hasuto." Joey looked exasperated.

Sakata was too valuable—he was the key link to the Third Prince.

Sending him in would be a mistake.

And besides, he already knew the plan.

Hasuto didn't.

That ignorance would make the setup more convincing.

Sakata nodded. "So, Berrilent attacks Hasuto, and Hasuto flees into Tier 10. That it?"

"Exactly."

"Fine. I assume you didn't even need Hasuto to know the plan—you just wanted me to come up with an excuse to get him out of Tier 12, right?"

"Correct." Joey nodded.

"Alright then. When do we start?" Sakata didn't even ask about the risks.

Joey hadn't expected such easy approval.

Ideally, he'd never involve Tier 3 in this.

More knowledge = more risk for Joey.

But he had no better option.

He knew Hanzō also had a clone ability—from the manga.

But in reality, he couldn't confirm it or use it.

If he could, Hanzō would've been the perfect decoy.

Still, keeping Tier 14 out of it was a win.

That prince's ability was still unknown—limiting interaction minimized risk.

Now all that was left was to wait.

Sakata moved fast.

At 1 a.m., Hasuto yawned and left Tier 12's rooms, stepping into the hallway.

It was quiet.

He'd been assigned to return to Tier 3 and deliver intel.

He didn't question the task—he'd done plenty of similar courier runs.

Tier 12 wasn't their territory.

Delivering intel face-to-face to the Third Prince—or from Tier 3—was safest.

Midnight didn't matter. In this job, timing was everything.

Hasuto was feeling pretty good—he'd awakened Nen just yesterday.

It still amazed him.

Even if he'd only seen a seed bloom into a flower, it filled him with excitement about the future.

He figured if he trained his ability to suit the Third Prince's needs, he'd rise in the ranks quickly.

Maybe never reach Sakata's level, but definitely above the average guard.

Then—footsteps echoed behind him.

Hasuto turned—and saw Berrilent standing in the hallway.

With a kitchen knife.

"It asked me to," Berrilent said, voice eerie, as he closed in.

Hasuto's nerves tensed.

He'd seen this kind of thing before.

He wasn't helpless—his hand shot to his waist, where a pistol was holstered.

But Berrilent moved faster.

The knife flew from his hand—just as Hasuto drew his gun.

Clang—gunshot followed.

Then came Hasuto's cry of pain, and the sound of a gun clattering to the floor.

Berrilent already held a second knife—aimed squarely at Hasuto's chest.

He strode forward, steps heavy with deadly intent.

(End of Chapter)