I Got Killer Queen in Hunter x Hunter ?!

As Hasuto stepped out of the room, Joey's clone followed, cloaked under the illusion of Mirage.

Taking Hasuto down would've been child's play for Joey's clone. Even though Hasuto had awakened Nen, the gap in power between them was immeasurable.

But Joey didn't want to eliminate him—he needed to force Hasuto into Tier 10.

The best method? Using kitchen knives to cut off his retreat.

That tactic was borrowed from Palm.

Hasuto's counterattack was within Joey's expectations. He could've prevented Hasuto from drawing his gun at all—

But Joey intentionally delayed the strike, letting the gunshot draw as much attention as possible.

Only then could the situation in Tier 10 be properly exposed.

Everything unfolded according to plan—

With the flying knife sealing his path, Hasuto had no choice but to crash into the sealed Tier 10 door.

Just as he hit it, the guards outside the princes' rooms turned toward the disturbance.

Two doors even swung open—private soldiers emerging from the rooms of the Ninth and Sixth Princes.

Hasuto felt the pressure mounting behind him and instinctively shouted for help.

Joey's clone, disguised as Berrilent, acted possessed—shouting loudly: "It asked me to!"

The scene was eerily familiar to those watching.

Not long ago, there had been a similar attack in this corridor—committed by one of the First Prince's private soldiers.

That incident also involved Tier 12.

Now the pursuer was from the Third Prince's camp—but also stationed in Tier 12.

And the attacker—recognized as Berrilent, a known Hunter and the Thirteenth Prince's bodyguard.

"Capture him," ordered a voice.

The Ninth Prince had stepped into the corridor.

Why was he awake and in full formal wear at this hour? No one knew.

But Joey instantly sensed danger.

That danger became reality within seconds—as the Ninth Prince mimed drawing a bow.

An actual bow and arrow materialized in his hand.

Was he crazy?

Joey's first reaction.

Especially since the Sixth and Seventh Princes had also appeared in the corridor,

And both Tier 12 and Tier 11 doors had opened—Kurapika and Sakata stepped out of one, while a private soldier from Tier 2 stationed with the Sixth Queen emerged from the other.

If the Ninth Prince used his ability now, it would be witnessed by many upper-tier princes.

A massive strategic blunder.

And Joey knew the Ninth Prince wasn't stupid.

He'd also heard him say: "Capture him"—not "kill him."

Then it clicked.

The Ninth Prince's Nen allowed him to swap the soul of a struck target with that of his private soldier.

He wasn't trying to kill Berrilent. He wanted to trap his soul, and plant a soldier in his place.

A mental flash:

Berrilent was important to the Ninth Prince.

Important enough that he'd risk revealing his Hatsu just to capture him.

But this was a problem.

The Berrilent they were targeting was Joey's clone.

What would happen if it got hit by that arrow?

He didn't know.

But he did know one thing:

If the Ninth Prince locked on, the arrow would hit. No escape. No block.

He couldn't let that lock happen.

But how?

Nen pressure was already building around the Ninth Prince and those nearby.

If Joey's timing was right, he had less than one second to act before his clone got marked.

A second? Not enough.

Screw it.

Joey chose to dispel the clone—abandoning it entirely.

The goal was already achieved.

Even if the fake Berrilent vanished, suspicion would still fall on the real one.

But right as Joey began to release the clone—and just as the Ninth Prince prepared to aim—

The real Berrilent burst from Tier 13's room.

Joey's brow furrowed.

He had personally confirmed Berrilent's status via Ladybug and Biscuit before the mission.

According to Biscuit, Berrilent was asleep.

From the moment of the gunshot to the chaos in the hallway, Joey had calculated at least two to three minutes of safe time before the clone might be exposed.

That was crucial—just enough for the clone to follow Hasuto into Tier 10 and vanish.

But the Ninth Prince's sudden appearance had already ruined the timing.

Now Berrilent's arrival maximized the risk of the clone's exposure.

The plan was unraveling—

But instead of panicking, Joey paused.

Because the moment the real Berrilent appeared, the Ninth Prince's aura wavered—

His bow disappeared, and the threat subsided.

With no further obstacles, Joey's clone kept pursuing Hasuto—now close to the entrance of Tier 10.

Nobody else could act in time.

Joey's clone followed Hasuto into Tier 10 unhindered.

Meanwhile, the real Berrilent saw his doppelgänger—but didn't chase.

Instead, he shouted: "Alert the Royal Army! The Seventh Queen has been assassinated!"

His words hit the crowd like a stone thrown into still water—rippling out in waves of chaos.

Joey froze.

That… hadn't been part of any plan.

Targeting a prince was understandable.

But the Seventh Queen?

Joey couldn't wrap his head around it.

She had no strategic value.

She'd remained secluded in Tier 13, mourning her son, isolated and uninvolved.

Why kill her?

And why did it happen now, right after Joey's operation?

The timing was too convenient.

Something didn't add up.

No one besides Berrilent had exited Tier 13.

Even Biscuit had been silent—no word, no movement.

A bad sign.

Joey expanded his En, stretching it without hesitation toward Tier 13.

And immediately, he sensed something wrong.

No life signatures.

None at all.

"What…?" Joey's expression darkened.

Only two possibilities:

Either everyone had vanished, or everyone had been killed.

But with Biscuit present—someone Joey had just messaged—that second possibility was unthinkable.

Only one answer made sense:

Someone had used a space-type ability to remove everyone from Tier 13.

But what kind of ability could relocate even Biscuit so easily?

He had to investigate Tier 13 personally.

Long-range En wouldn't give definitive answers.

Yet Berrilent stood right in the way.

And Joey noticed his stance—it was a clear signal.

He wouldn't let anyone enter Tier 13.

The facts confirmed it.

A private soldier from Tier 2 tried to approach Berrilent to check on the Seventh Queen…

And Berrilent blocked him at the door.

"Until the Royal Army arrives, no one is allowed inside Tier 13," Berrilent declared.

His aura flared—resolute and unyielding.

The Tier 2 soldier backed off, clearly frustrated.

He cast a glance at Joey and the others, then quietly returned toward Tier 11.

The Sixth Queen had no intention of getting involved either.

Seeing the chaos, she ordered her guards to close Tier 11's doors.

During all this, Joey noticed something else:

Melody was gone.

Inside Tier 11, only the short Hunter Ginny was present—exchanging signals with Kurapika.

Joey didn't know what message was being passed,

But it was clear—Melody's safety was in question.

Ever since her Nen ability had been revealed during the last banquet,

She could no longer operate in the shadows.

Joey now suspected the Second Prince had a specific use for Melody.

And it wouldn't be good.

Besides, Melody wasn't a fighter.

She was more suited for intel, not combat.

At least, that's how Joey saw her.

On top of everything else, they still hadn't resolved Izunabi's issue.

Now they had to worry about Melody too.

They both glanced toward the Sixth Prince—

Izunabi was standing beside him, and his expression told the whole story.

He looked spaced out, as if brainwashed.

Something was seriously wrong.

But not everything was grim.

Inside Tier 10, Hasuto had stumbled upon a long-dead body slumped against the wall.

He turned quickly—only to see that Berrilent had vanished.

Hasuto immediately stopped and took up a guarded stance.

A few moments later, the Ninth Prince's men arrived at the entrance to Tier 10.

They peered in and saw Hasuto on edge—and the corpse by the wall.

"Tier 10 has been sealed for some time. Why is there a body inside?" the Sixth Prince asked upon arrival.

A sad expression crossed his face.

"Why is there so little love in this world? Why must misfortune always visit those closest to us?"

Joey, hanging back from the crowd, heard the Sixth Prince's lament—

And saw every private soldier near him mirror his sorrowful expression.

Floating near them were tiny, jet-black humanoid nen beasts, radiating oppressive grief.

And yet… that sorrow made everyone around them sympathize with the Sixth Prince.

It was subtle. But powerful.

Until a voice broke the mood.

It was the sleepy-eyed Olaw, a private soldier sent by the First Prince to monitor the Sixth Prince.

"There's a photograph beside the body," he pointed out.

A critical observation.

That photo was used in the curse ritual against the Twelfth Prince.

From where he stood, Joey could see faint black nen threads emanating from it—post-mortem aura.

Destroying the photo wouldn't lift the curse,

But it had been a core component of the curse's trigger.

And even now, days later, the nen still clung to it.

The strength of the curse was terrifying.

Such was the nature of nen after death—more obsessive, more powerful.

"Where's Berrilent?" someone asked—a guard from Tier 12.

He looked into Tier 10 but saw no sign of him.

Joey, watching silently from afar, gave a mental thumbs-up to the nameless grunt.

He had already dismissed the clone the moment it slipped from view.

With the real Berrilent now present and Tier 10 exposed, the clone had served its purpose.

Now it was time to throw all suspicion onto the real Berrilent—

And link the whole Tier 10 incident to the Second Prince.

She would go down with him.

(End of Chapter)