I Got Killer Queen in Hunter x Hunter ?!

Kurapika returned to Tier 12 around noon, his face drawn and exhausted.

Joey quickly learned that the Ninth Prince's condition had stabilized.

The guardian beast and the curse beast had reached a strange stalemate—both present, yet coexisting without interfering with each other.

But the cost of this balance was that the Ninth Prince had to continuously supply life force and stamina to maintain it.

According to Kurapika, the prince was not in immediate danger.

As long as an exorcist could be found, the curse could be lifted—with the only price being a few lost years from his lifespan.

Of course, during this time, the Ninth Prince could not use Nen.

Activating his abilities would disrupt the balance, and the curse beast—already feeding on him—would gain the upper hand.

If they failed to find an exorcist, the Ninth Prince's life would still be in danger.

Joey was slightly surprised by the result, but not too concerned.

What mattered more was that Kurapika hadn't told the Ninth Prince that they had access to an exorcist.

"You didn't actually think I'd tell him we have someone who can exorcise curses, or that the Twelfth Prince is cursed too, did you?" Kurapika asked, curious.

Joey's expression twitched. These materialization types always seemed able to catch onto the smallest slip.

Kurapika smiled faintly.

"I'm not a child. This succession war is a real war—the higher princes have made that perfectly clear. There's no way I'd trust the Ninth Prince so easily."

"He's not that bad a person," Joey said, stroking his chin.

"Maybe," Kurapika replied, noncommittal.

"I told him the Second Prince's guard wasn't attacked by a Nen beast. That everything he did was an act."

"Fair enough. That ability to manipulate others—it's pretty much common knowledge now that it comes from the Twelfth Prince's guardian beast," Joey shrugged.

The Twelfth Prince's Nen beast had been used too many times. It had practically become the scapegoat Hatsu.

And every time it activated, Tier 12 agents were nearby. Most of the victims had even been in Tier 12 at some point.

At this point, only an idiot would still believe the ability to "ask someone" or "manipulate them" didn't come from the Twelfth Prince.

"People must think that ability makes for a convenient excuse," Kurapika said, his lips curling into a smirk.

"But that's exactly why the Second Prince's guard seems suspicious—he never entered Tier 12, yet he was still supposedly attacked by a beast from Tier 12."

"That alone will make some people suspicious. And since the Twelfth Prince's beast serves as a cover, no one will dare make a move against him—lest they lose their shield."

"Our original assumption made sense," Joey nodded.

"But clearly, the Second Prince has other plans. She wants to use the Twelfth Prince's beast as an excuse—and eliminate the Twelfth Prince in the process."

"Now that the First Prince's people are mostly out of the picture, she's finally making her move."

"I'm also heading to the VVIP zone soon, to swap in for the Third Prince," Joey continued.

"And when that happens, he'll make his move too. Maybe on the Twelfth Prince—maybe on us."

"We're already a big enough threat to him."

Joey had escorted the Shu Wu Wu clan members from the lower decks to the Third Prince.

Joey was the one who swapped places with the Third Prince.

Kurapika had trained multiple guards and soldiers in Nen.

Joey had hidden both the Tenth and Eleventh Princes.

Joey might also have ties to the Gashaya and Ai Yi Yi mafia families—capable of smuggling more men upstairs.

Even the Twelfth Prince's Nen beast was a threat.

Sakata, Hasuto, and the gangsters from below—all of them Nen users.

If they interacted with Tier 12, they risked being attacked by the beast.

The Third Prince knew all this.

And that meant, from his perspective, the Twelfth Prince, Joey, and Kurapika were all liabilities.

Eliminating the Twelfth Prince and exposing Joey's operations—turning Joey and Kurapika into targets of public scorn—that had to be high on the Third Prince's to-do list.

"The Shu Wu Wu clan members we sent up are probably his only weapons that can threaten us," Kurapika added.

"If they could take out the First Prince's soldier Gobendeba, their abilities can't be underestimated."

He clearly agreed with Joey.

The two sides had exchanged too much intel—enough to consider each other mortal threats.

"The key moment is coming," Joey said.

"If the Third Prince's going to make a move, it'll be when I arrive in the VVIP zone with Hisoka. That'll be the turning point."

Joey had always wanted to investigate the VVIP zone.

But its security was just like the royal sector—tight.

Any of his bugs or small creatures sent toward sensitive areas were wiped out before even getting close.

As if some mysterious force protected those parts of the VVIP zone.

He was going in nearly blind.

"I can handle myself," Joey continued, "but your side's a concern too. If the Third Prince acts as we expect, then Fugetsu and Kacho might be exposed. Cancel the plan if it looks risky."

Kurapika frowned.

But Joey shook his head.

"There's no better cover than the Third Prince. Even if it's a trap, I'm going. I'll carve a way out if I have to—especially now that I've got Hisoka with me."

"As for Fugetsu and Kacho, if we disguise them properly, no one will recognize them. That's why I brought Hisoka in."

Joey was banking on Hisoka's ability, Bungee Gum's illusion variant, Texture Surprise.

With it, he could mask Fugetsu and Kacho's appearances perfectly.

Joey wasn't worried about Kurapika handling the Third Prince's team.

What worried him was Hisoka's clone—and the possibility of him telling Kurapika about the Phantom Troupe in the lower decks.

But things had gone too far.

If Kurapika learned the Spiders were in the lower tiers—and that Chrollo had regained his Nen—so be it.

Joey was already tangled in the fight against the Troupe, thanks to Nobunaga.

If Kurapika got pulled in, Joey would just fight alongside him.

Still, Hisoka probably enjoyed hunting alone.

He might not share anything—because Kurapika joining would mean fewer toys for him.

Unless, of course, Hisoka set his sights on Kurapika.

But understanding that psycho's thoughts was never easy.

Lying was second nature to him.

"You'll need to make a run to the lower decks to retrieve Hisoka," Kurapika reminded him.

Sakata was watching both of them.

Joey couldn't let him learn how his powers worked—so leaving behind a Mirage clone for interference was the best play.

His En would still cover the area.

Tomorrow was the second banquet—and it felt like the true day of assassins.

The Royal Army had already collected several corpses this morning.

That intel came from Sakata.

From him, Joey also learned the status of Tier 13 and the full details of Tier 10.

Berrilent had been taken to the Judicial Bureau, under heavy interrogation and surveillance.

As for Tier 13, the Seventh Queen's corpse and the rest of the guards had vanished.

Only Berrilent remained—making him the prime suspect.

To make things worse, one of the princes had filed a lawsuit against him—accusing him of orchestrating the Tier 13 disappearances.

Even if he wasn't guilty, he wouldn't be returning to the royal zone anytime soon.

Tier 10 was being handled differently.

Judicial agents had been stationed in Tier 2, placing the personnel there under 72 hours of surveillance.

The Second Prince claimed she didn't know why her soldier appeared in Tier 10—

And even filed a countersuit against the Tier 10 guards, accusing them of killing her man.

But that didn't hold up.

Forensics had confirmed suicide—and the timeline proved no one from Tier 10 was present during the act.

Plus, the Royal Army had found a photo of the Twelfth Prince beside the body.

Its purpose was unclear—but dying with that photo beside him made the Second Prince look suspicious.

Still, it barely scratched her.

She'd been monitored before.

This was nothing.

Joey could see Sakata's frustration—and he shared it.

The Royal Army played dumb most of the time—but when it came to murder, they followed the law to the letter.

If you had evidence, they'd prosecute.

"Alright, I got it," Kurapika nodded.

"I'll go retrieve Hisoka. But don't forget—working with that lunatic is like bargaining with a tiger."

"Oh, and have you heard anything about Melody?" he added.

Joey shook his head.

"Nothing. Sorry. The equipment I left in Tier 2 got destroyed last night."

He'd planted bugs across Tier 2—giving him an edge.

But last night, when the Second Prince's soldier rushed the Ninth Prince, Joey noticed his Golden Experience constructs being destroyed.

Every destroyed bug had been in Tier 2.

Which meant:

They found them.

"So the Second Prince knows how you got your intel," Kurapika said, frowning.

"And she's still calm enough not to confront you? She's definitely planning something."

"Yeah," Joey agreed.

"From now on, Tier 2 and Tier 12 are basically in a state of war."

He'd known since the bugs were planted just how much intel they could leak.

Even without detailing personnel layout, even just knowledge of curse mechanics or the Second Prince's Hatsu…

That she could keep cool after all this?

Joey had to admit—she was scarier than the First Prince.

"You really know how to make enemies," Kurapika sighed.

"You've pissed off the First, Second, and Third Princes."

"Hey, hey, don't pin this all on me—it's us, remember?" Joey protested.

They'd done all of this together. He wasn't taking all the heat alone.

"Yeah, yeah, we're a team," Kurapika said, raising his hands in mock surrender.

"That's better. And honestly, the First Prince probably wants you dead more than me," Joey smirked.

"I'm off to see Sakata. Gotta lock down the VVIP coordinates. Our rendezvous with Hisoka is at 2 p.m.

We'll wait until 2:30. If he doesn't show—operation's scrapped. We'll assume he's dead in the lower decks."

Joey was decisive.

If Hisoka's clone didn't take his clone's place, Joey would either have to reshape himself into the Twelfth Prince…

Or go in person.

The first? Not happening.

He could stomach a clone in drag—but turning himself into a woman with Golden Experience? Absolutely not.

And the second? Even worse.

He used clones to avoid danger—not walk straight into it.

If he had to go personally, he might as well charge in without disguise.

(End of Chapter)