A.N: So, first thing's first. This is not an entire chapter dedicated to Kinpatsu's back story. No, we're getting into the Hunter x Hunter portion of this prologue. That means, we're almost done with the prologue, folks. I hope you enjoy this chapter. Because truth be told, this is one of my favorites in awhile.
Chapter 20: Welcome to Whale Island
The old, grizzled, ex-Rakuen soldier, rubbed the back of his head, thinking about how he was going to explain all of this. Not just to the people of the kingdom that would have been his enemy in another life, but also to all of these other folks who were not even from his world. "I guess, I should start with a little bit of background, to give you others some insight." Kinpatsu began. "I doubt that most of you know much about mine and the Grandmaster's world."
"I suppose that would be preferable." Sojiro nodded in agreement.
"I have actually been pretty curious about the Grandmaster's world." Ruby Rose admitted. "It would be great if you could tell us all about it."
"Yes, please tell us all about your Avengers-esque world!" Izuku Midoriya excitedly exclaimed, nerding out at the thought of an entire world being filled with people who's basic role was to be the Avengers...people who could fight the battles that others never could.
Kinpatsu looked at Izuku in disbelief. "Er...right, anyway." He said. "First, our world the World of Watchers, is divided up into three sections. The first section is a massive patch of lawless land known as the Kingless Land. It's filled with Watchers who did not wish to live in either kingdom. It's a sort of no-man's land but also...a man's land at the same time."
"That brings me to the more important parts of our world." Kinpatsu continued. "In our world, two kingdoms reign supreme. There is the Kingdom of Menou, which is where your Grandmaster and his friends are from."
"Indeed, ruled by His Majesty, King Chitsujo, Lord of Order." Noriko nodded.
"He who holds the blood of our greatest hero!" Shogo added in his usual boisterous tone.
"It sounds like a lovely place." Weiss Schnee offered.
"Oh it is, we are not just a kingdom, we strive to be a community, a family. Our society is built on encouraging the people to serve each other through acts of charity and kindness of their own volition." Noriko explained.
"That sounds awesome!" Asta exclaimed. "Everyone there sounds super nice!"
Shuya smiled. "It...really is," he admitted, "I love my homeland...we all do. "
"There's not a single person in Menou who would not fight and die for their fellow citizens, not just our glorious king." Shogo added.
"Anyway," Kinpatsu got back on track, "there is Menou, and then there is my former homeland, Rakuen. Ruled by His Majesty, Lord Konton, twin brother to King Chitsujo and Lord of Chaos."
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, Lord of Chaos?!" Yang Xiao Long exclaimed in shock.
"...He sounds pleasant." Yami Sukehiro deadpanned.
"Lord of Chaos just sounds like a villain name, doesn't it?" Izuku muttered.
"Izuku," Sojiro spoke up, "if you categorize friends and foes based on something so simple, you're not going to make it far as a hero."
"Eh? I'm sorry, Grandmaster, I didn't mean…" Izuku trailed off at the sight of Sojiro's kind and reassuring smile.
"Chaos itself is not inherently evil, just like how darkness itself is not inherently evil." Sojiro explained. "Think of it this way, In every movement that ever created positive change, the process itself was chaos. No matter how peaceful the movement itself is."
"That may be true," Blake Belladonna acknowledged, "but Lord of Chaos, Grandmaster? Someone who'd willingly hold a title like that…"
Sojiro sighed. "I honestly don't know all the specifics. I didn't even know that Kaishi was building a second kingdom for Konton to rule over. For the longest time, people in Menou debated who would rule over Menou after Kaishi's retirement. Would it be the fiery and passionate, but kind and compassionate Chitsujo? Or would it be the wise but ambitious Konton?"
Sojiro chuckled at the memories. "Back in the day, both boys had their pros and cons as men and as heirs. I couldn't go through a single day without hearing palace servants attempting to quietly debate about who would make a better king."
"If I had to guess, I'd say Kaishi was trying to prove that both of his sons would make fine kings, and that they would cooperate and keep each other in check." Sojiro wondered out loud. "If that was the case, it was a noble cause. And besides, I helped raise and train those boys. I'm well aware that both men were capable of becoming fantastic rulers."
"Well, if the Founding Emperor was planning that...he failed miserably." Kinpatsu bluntly noted, making the younger Watchers glare at him. Kinpatsu glared back. "Don't glare at me, you brats, I'm right. You know I'm right"
"Peace," Sojiro said to his comrades, surprisingly calm in the face of that insult against his dearly departed friend, "please, continue Kinpatsu."
"Well, like I said, the Founding Emperor failed miserably. Ironically, it was that failure that eventually drove me to flee from Rakuen." Kinpatsu explained.
"I'm...not sure I understand." Asta admitted.
"I think I do." Oscar Pine admitted. "Sir Kinpatsu...something happened that made you lose faith in your king, didn't it?"
Kinpatsu chuckled. "Sharp lad," he complimented, "I'll get to that."
"When I was a younger man," Kinpatsu got back on track, "I joined the army the first chance I got. Back then, like every other soldier, I was a true patriot of Rakuen, one hundred percent devoted to the king and country. Lord Konton had a lot of flaws...but if there was one thing that I still truly respect the man for, is that he is every bit as charismatic as his father."
"After all, you'd have to be pretty charismatic to inspire enough loyalty to declare war and conquer the entire universe." Kinpatsu grimly added.
"WHAT?!" Izuku exclaimed at this.
"It's true," Sojiro sighed, "shortly after my group began our journey as Travelers, Konton and Rakuen declared war on Menou...and four very powerful worlds."
"His own brother?!" Yang was outraged. "That son of a bitch declared war on his own brother?! How could he do something like that?!"
Kinpatsu snorted. "Quite easily, apparently." He noted. "Lord Konton had apparently been planning this for centuries...though I've been out of the loop for awhile, I don't know how that war is going."
"It has plunged those four worlds into chaos, obviously." Noriko glared at Kinpatsu. "But other than that, I'll have you know our kingdom and our allies are beating Rakuen's forces back. We're winning so far."
Kinpatsu then smiled, surprising everyone. "Good, that's good." He said, chuckling at Noriko's expression. "I told you not to glare at me, there's no reason to. I haven't been involved in Rakuen for years. Hell, I wanted out as soon as I discovered just what Lord Konton had planned for the universe."
"And what exactly does this Konton have planned for the universe, Mr. Kinpatsu?" Ruby asked curiously.
Kinpatsu chuckled at Ruby's way of addressing him. "I like the sound of that, 'Mr. Kinpatsu.'" He said before his face fell. "Unfortunately, I really can't tell you...any of you."
"Can't or won't?" Yang forgot her outrage at Konton to glare at Kinpatsu for that comment. It hit a bit too close to home for her at the moment.
Sojiro and Ruby shot Yang a warning look, making the brawler realize that she had made something of a knee-jerk reaction. "Er, sorry Pops, force of habit." She said sheepishly, sincerely ashamed of falling back on some old habits.
"Ah, no worries," Kinpatsu waved Yang off, "I get it. I'd be a little suspicious if a guy who claims he used to work for an evil overlord said he couldn't tell anyone about the evil overlord's evil plans. Anyway, why don't I show you why I can't really tell you."
Kinpatsu then opened his mouth and stuck out his tongue. "...I don't get it." Asta said bluntly. "What does your tongue have to do with why you can't tell us?"
"Whoa," Luck Voltia spoke up after a surprising silence, "I'm sensing something super evil on that tongue."
Noelle Silva squinted at Kinpatsu's tongue and gasped. "Luck's right, there's some sort of weird markings on his tongue in the shape of a circle...with an 'x' in the middle...like a seal!"
"Got it in one, Kiddo." Kinpatsu nodded with a smirk. "This seal prevents me from revealing any secrets about my kingdom. Trying to talk about it will cause me immense pain. And if I try to force myself...well, it could kill me. And I've got a lot of living left to do."
Sojiro could not believe what he was hearing. Konton, how could you? You'd put a seal that dangerous on your own subjects?
"He got that idea from the Ninja World." Noriko realized. "That's...that's too horrible! Does he really not care what those seals do to the people they're on?"
Kinpatsu shook his head. "If he did, he wouldn't have given the order." He pointed out before gesturing to his eyepatch. "And while we're on the subject of seals, there's one on this eye as well. It's why I wear this eyepatch. Normally, I'd be able to see out of both eyes just fine. But, the bastard who put that seal on my tongue also put a different seal on my eye."
"Same guy did that? He sounds pleasant." Yami sarcastically noted.
"What does this particular seal do, Kinpatsu?" Oscar asked curiously.
Kinpatsu sighed. "This seal actually is used to keep surveillance on me." He revealed. It allows someone who forms a connection with the seal to see everything that I see. It's why I keep my eye covered with an eyepatch. Whoever's trying to see through my eye...well, they're not going to see anything."
"Is there any way to remove the seals?" Shuya asked.
"I mean, I could gouge out my eye, sure, and cut out my tongue." Kinpatsu shrugged. "But, one's super painful and the other will cause me to bleed to death. Yeah, no thanks."
"...Fair enough." Shuya shuddered at the morbid solutions.
"Truth be told, these seals were exactly why I didn't go to Menou after leaving Rakuen." Kinpatsu admitted. "I knew I'd be immediately interrogated about my kingdom's secrets...and of course I couldn't afford to have Rakuen see what I was seeing in Menou, I couldn't do that to the people there, especially knowing what I know."
"That's a shame, if Chitsujo had known of your situation, he would've gladly made an exception." Sojiro promised.
"See, you know that, but I didn't." Kinpatsu sighed.
"Mr. Kinpatsu," Ruby spoke up, "why did you leave? What in the world caused them to put those seals on you?"
Kinpatsu nodded. "I was getting to that." He admitted.
"Like I said, I was once a faithful soldier, a true patriot like everyone else in the Rakuen Army." Kinpatsu reminded them. "And I had the strength to back up that patriotism. See, I was once a much stronger man."
"Because you had both arms, right?" Magna Swing asked.
"...Yes, exactly that." Kinpatsu nodded. "Truth be told, I'm only at about 10-20% of my full strength, now that I've only got one arm."
"Anyway," Kinpatsu continued, "in Rakuen, our kingdom is a military of meritocracy. The strong are given positions of power, and the weak follow their orders. Of course, there is Lord Konton himself at the top. Then there's his elite guard: the Nine Dark Circles. And then there are the Circles' Courts, handpicked soldiers that serve them personally."
"And below all of them are the kingdom's Nine Branches, which are basically nine divisions of soldiers." Kinpatsu explained. "And commanding those nine branches are the 72 Pillars, 72 incredibly powerful officers who command Rakuen's army in the field. Among the 72 Pillars are 63 Branch Officers of varying titles, and 9 Branch Kings."
"Umm...not that I don't appreciate the history lesson, Pops, but what exactly does all this have to do with you?" Yang asked.
"Simple, I was going to become one of the 72 Pillars." Kinpatsu revealed. "I was praised as one with tremendous potential. Lord Konton himself recognized my strength, promising me that if I kept working hard, I could one day become one of the Circles."
"I'm going to go out on a limb and say that was where things went wrong for you." Yami bluntly noted. "Usually, when guys reach this point in the story, they're about to reveal how things went wrong. You're no different, right?"
Kinpatsu chuckled. "Yeah, you're right." He said.
"Here's the thing," Kinpatsu once again got back on track, "when you become a high-ranking person in Rakuen...you're entitled to learning certain secrets. The kinds of secrets that would get me killed by this damn seal on my tongue if I started blabbing now."
"What happened?" Izuku asked.
"I was about to be promoted to one of the Pillars. And in preparation, I was brought to the king to learn the secrets of our kingdom. He told me everything, his plans for universal domination, how he had been preparing for all of it, for all these centuries, and how he expected me to buy into his plans." Kinpatsu revealed.
"And you disagreed, didn't you?" Ruby immediately realized.
"I was a patriot of my kingdom. I believed in orders. I believed in loyalty to my king." Kinpatsu solemnly admitted. "However, I am still a man with morals of my own. I am more than just my homeland. I am more than just loyalty to my king."
Kinpatsu sighed. "I had always believed Lord Konton to be a just man, and if he were to declare war on our brother kingdom, Menou, I believed he would have had a just reason for it, and that alone would've been enough for me to lay down my life as a soldier of Rakuen for his sake."
"But when I heard of what he was planning to do after taking over our world...and the things he had done in preparation for this grand conquest of his...I lost all faith in him. I felt no pride in my homeland after hearing all of that."
"And so, I pleaded to Lord Konton, trying to appeal to his better nature, telling him that there were more peaceful ways to take command of the universe."
"But when I realized he had no intention of budging...I snapped. I screamed at him. Cursed him. Called him the devil in mortal flesh. And he just sat there, giving me the most twisted smile I had ever seen from a man before. And by the time I had finished saying my piece, I realized what he had done to me."
"What did he do?" Asta asked.
"He trapped me." Kinpatsu revealed. "Lord Konton...he tells prospective officers in his army the truth as a test of loyalty. And if we fail...we die. I had heard stories of men and women who were going to be officers who died on missions outside of Rakuen. I only realized afterwards that those same men and women had failed this test like I did and what I thought was their fates had been a cover-up. At that moment, I honestly thought I was going to die."
"But he didn't kill you." Sojiro pointed out. "Why?"
"Lord Konton began to laugh, and he told me: 'if you feel that strongly, Kinpatsu, then perhaps you should flee? To Menou in fact, where you can tell my brother all about my plan. We'll give you a day's head start, and then the Circles will hunt you down.'"
"He did that? That's sick!" Blake said outraged. "You can't hunt someone down like an animal like that!"
"Why were you different from all the others?" Vanessa Enoteca asked curiously. "What made you so special that your fate got to be different from theirs?"
Kinpatsu shrugged. "Who's to say? A whim? Maybe for his own amusement? Or maybe the king had plans for me, even though I wanted nothing to do with him any longer." He wondered out loud.
"Anyway, at that moment, I panicked. I ran as fast as I could, trying to reach Menou before my head start ran out and I was hunted by the Circles. I was halfway to Menou before that head start ended...and it still wasn't enough."
"Seriously?" Ruby could not believe that. Even as fast as she was, there was no way someone could catch up that quickly.
"Before I knew it, I was set upon by two of the Circles. One stood by and laughed while the other beat me within an inch of my life. I lost my dominant arm to that one, and now I can't swing Taiyomaru like I used to as a result. And then, as I laid broken and bleeding from that Circle's attacks...the other Circle came upon me and placed the seals you saw on me."
"When I finally woke up, I was being nursed back to health by a monastery set up within the Kingless Lands." Kinpatsu revealed. "I was bedridden for a month before I could move again, such was the extent of my injuries."
"God," Finral Roulacesse could hardly believe such brutality. And this was a guy who had once had holes put into him by his half brother.
"I quickly caught onto the seals, and I realized that even if I did escape to Menou, they would be able to spy on them through me. I couldn't do that to Menou or its people, knowing they were not the enemy now." Kinpatsu solemnly admitted.
"So, as fate would have it, the monastery's head priest was a former Traveler, who had wanted to live out his retirement helping the people of the Kingless Lands." Kinpatsu revealed. "He took pity on me, so he taught me the secrets of travel between worlds, and I eventually ended up in Asta's world, to live out the remainder of my days quietly."
"And instead, I end up dealing with an enemy that was long thought to have been erased from existence." Kinpatsu lamented. "Sheesh, what a fine mess I've gotten myself into. All of this because I screamed at my own boss one damn time."
"Well, even if that's true, maybe it's a good thing you're here." Ruby offered.
"I'm not sure I follow, Kid." Kinpatsu raised an eyebrow at Ruby's statement.
Ruby gave the grizzled man a gentle smile. "Mr. Kinpatsu, you saved our lives. If it weren't for you, we'd have been killed for sure."
"Maybe you think your life was ruined because you stood up to your king, but I disagree." Ruby admitted. "In spite of all you've lost, look at all the good you've done and now have the potential to do."
"You stood up for what you believed was right, not caring about the consequences. You were willing to run to an enemy kingdom because you knew that was right. And even after you had to run away from everything, you didn't hesitate to save all of us when we were in trouble. And now...you're going to help us take down the Cult."
"For whatever it's worth, I think you're exactly where you need to be right now, Mr. Kinpatsu." Ruby said kindly.
Yang smiled instinctively at her little sister's big heart. Kinpatsu looked at Ruby in shock before chuckling. "I've spent so long thinking that my fate was a curse, I never even once saw the possible benefits." He acknowledged. "Perhaps it is time I start looking at it from a different perspective?"
"Kid, thanks," Kinpatsu then smiled genuinely at Ruby, "and you're right, I am going to help you guys take down those Cultists. I may not be a soldier to any country, but I am still a man who can't stand seeing villains like them do whatever the hell they want. I may have only one arm to give, but I'll give it freely to help in this war."
"Splendid, your help will certainly be welcome, Sir Kinpatsu." Sojiro said with a satisfied smile. "With your strength, I'm definitely far more comfortable taking on the Cult while our otherworld allies train to reach this level."
"So, what is next, Grandmaster?" Izuku asked curiously. "I believe you mentioned something about one last world, yes?"
Sojiro nodded. Everyone leaned in to listen intently about what the plan was. "When my team came here, we discovered that there were four immediate worlds in the vicinity. There's no doubt that the Cult of the End will be targeting the fourth world next. We need to go to that world, warn the people, and try to gain their support for the fight."
"So this is how you guys have been doing it." Yami noted, folding his arms. "It still seems surreal. That something like this is actually possible."
"You get used to it, Captain Yami." Noriko assured the Magic Knight Captain. "The universe is massive, far more massive than you could ever imagine."
"So, will we be moving as a small group like before?" Izuku asked curiously.
"Indeed, my reasoning from before still stands. The larger the group, the greater the chance of us being treated as an invasion force, especially now that we now have the Black Bulls with us." Sojiro said.
"Oi, mind if I speak up for a bit old man?" Yami asked.
"Speak freely, Yami." Sojiro responded.
"You should consider allowing more of a larger group." Yami suggested. "It's pretty clear to me after what happened at the capital that you don't have the manpower to fight them in such a small group. And a confrontation with them is inevitable in this last world."
"I really wish that weren't the case." Noriko muttered.
"Now, I'm not saying have a small army." Yami acknowledged. "Because you're right, the last thing you want is for the people of this world to think you're attacking them."
"That being said," Yami continued, "I think we can afford to send a few more people with you, to add just a bit more manpower."
Sojiro hummed in acknowledgement at this. "You bring up a fair point, Yami." He said. "I suppose as long as we don't overdo it, it should be fine."
"Obviously, myself, Noriko, and Kinpatsu will be going." Sojiro said. "I need my personal nurse, and Kinpatsu's presence should tip the scales to a more balanced state as long as we don't run into any Cardinals."
"Izuku, Asta and Ruby will be joining us as well. I intend to keep my promise to train those three." Sojiro continued.
Sojiro then looked at the rest of the group. "Now then, any volunteers?" He asked. "I think we should go for...ten people total, including the ones I had already listed."
"Allow me to accompany you, Grandmaster." Weiss raised her hand. "Ruby is my partner and friend...someone needs to look out for her."
"Thank ya, Bestie!" Ruby said chipperly.
Noelle huffed. "I'll be going as well," she volunteered, turning red, "n-not because I'm worried about Asta's wellbeing or anything."
"I think I'll be going too." Yami grinned. "That last fight I had with that swordsman ended way too damn early for me to really understand just how strong these Cultists are."
"I should go too, I need to look out for my little sister, after all." Yang grinned.
"That's ten, guess I'm left out this time." Blake sighed.
Sojiro looked at Qrow and Oscar. "Do either of you have any objections to this? Ozpin, what about you?"
Ozpin took over Oscar's body, much to the shock of the Black Bulls, who did not exactly have the best experiences with bodily possession. "Oscar and I should stay here." Ozpin said. "It's clear to me that Oscar still doesn't have the strength to handle my power yet, so I'd like to train with him a bit longer."
Qrow sighed. "And as much as I'd love to come with you instead of Yang to look after Ruby...honestly, it's better I don't come with you."
Sojiro frowned at this. "How do you figure, Qrow?"
"Sir...my Semblance is bad luck." Qrow said. "As in, I cause bad luck. But I can't really control it. As in, it affects friend and foe alike. If I come with you guys...God only knows what will happen to you because of me."
Sojiro frowned at this. Of all things, he never would've expected Qrow to have such a depressing attitude about himself. He then gave Qrow a reassuring smile. "Very well," he said, "however, when I return, you can count yourself as one of my students."
"Eh?" Qrow looked at Sojiro in surprise.
"It's clear to me that you need lessons in controlling your Semblance, Qrow." Sojiro noted. "So, let's see if we can change that. That way, you no longer have to worry about being some sort of bad luck charm for your friends and family."
"If you think you can do it, feel free to try, I won't stop ya." Qrow sighed. "But Oz and me...we tried to control it for years, even back when I was part of Team STRQ…"
"Well, now I'd like to try and help you control it, it's that simple." Sojiro firmly told him.
"Hold, Grandmaster, I noticed you didn't list my name in the party." Shogo spoke up, actually sounding somewhat hurt.
"That's because I want you to take a break, Shogo." Sojiro told him. "You've been fighting very hard lately. Take a load off, and spend some time sparring with the others here. That way, while I can't really train the rest of these people, they can at least start to improve before we return."
Shogo grumbled at this. "I wanted to do something a bit more heroic though." He whined.
Sojiro chuckled at Shogo's behavior. "Shogo," he said to the younger man, "you will have plenty of chances to fight the bad guys, that I promise you. However, I need you to do this for me. I can't train the rest of the group until we've returned. I need you to do the same through sparring with them."
Shogo's expression brightened at the thought of being useful to Sojiro like this. He gave a mock-salute to the grandmaster, his giant smile returning in an instant. "As you command, Grandmaster!" He said cheerfully.
"Geez his mood swings like a pendulum." Finral noted.
"Alright, with all of that squared away, we'll make our way to this final world." Sojiro said. "I give you but two commands, fight hard when you have to, and stay alive. Let's all return to this place together."
With that, Sojiro's newest 'Landing Party', so to speak, rose from their seats. Sojiro stepped away from the group. He quickly spoke the incantation and the golden path opened up before everyone. "The rules are the same as always. Stay behind me, and you will stay on the path. Fall off, and there will be no returning for any of you."
"Falling into eternal darkness. Nothing about that sounds pleasant." Weiss muttered.
"All the more reason to stay close and behind me." Sojiro reminded her.
With that, the rest of Sojiro's group filed in behind the old man. "Best of luck you three." Blake said to her teammates.
"Do your best, Captain Yami sir!" Magna Swing added. "Same to you, Asta, Noelle!"
"We'll be back before you know it!" Asta gave Magna a thumbs-up.
With that, the ten-man team entered the portal, which quickly closed behind them. "So," Jaune Arc spoke up, addressing Shuya, "what happens after they visit this world?"
Shuya shrugged. "Hard to say," he said, "most likely we'll be making preparations to make our alliance permanent and actually come up with a plan of action to drive out the Cult before they're allowed to continue their plans."
"Do you really think it's possible for four different worlds to cooperate like this, common enemy or not?" Lie Ren asked curiously.
"I mean, Lord Chitsujo and the Alliance fighting against Rakuen are proving it right now." Shogo said with a smile. "Granted, your worlds, and whatever this world is...they're vastly different from the worlds that Lord Chitsujo is working with."
"I'll admit this much, we citizens of Menou...we're hopelessly optimistic." Shuya chuckled. "We choose to believe in the universe's potential for good...so we'll put our faith that these worlds will answer the call to fight...especially for survival."
Meanwhile, Sojiro's group was quick to arrive in the new world. They immediately took note of the ocean that was laid out directly in front of them. "Oh, cool we ended up on the beach." Asta excitedly noted.
"Hmm," Sojiro quickly took in his surroundings, "it would appear, we've actually ended up on an island of sorts."
Sojiro sighed. "Well, this is going to make things a bit more difficult."
"Eh? Why's that?" Izuku asked.
"How the blazes are we going to explain to the locals that we just...showed up here on their island out of nowhere."
Yami heaved a sigh at this. "Yeah, that is going to be a problem." He acknowledged. "Well, hope you're good at improv, old man."
"We'll figure something out." Sojiro said with a sigh. "If this island is inhabited, I'm sure they have ships going in and out of harbors. We'll just have to say we hitched a ride on one of those boats."
"So what then, we just pray that this is a popular tourist destination?" Kinpatsu asked. "Even if this island is inhabited, if it's some out of the way place, no one's going to believe we just hitched a ride to Nowhere Island."
"That's not very nice," Ruby pouted, "I'm sure we're on Somewhere Island."
"Hey, here's an idea, why don't we actually find the residents of this island?" Weiss suggested with a deadpan expression on this face.
"I'm...actually amazed none of you even thought of that yet." Noelle added, before smiling at Weiss. "Though I do appreciate you thinking of that...Weiss was it? It seems you and I are going to get along more than anyone here."
"Great minds think alike...Noelle, right?" Weiss smiled right back.
"EH? Have I been replaced?!" Ruby sobbed.
"Umm...excuse me?" At that moment, a new voice spoke up.
Everyone froze and face-faulted at the same time. They were all so caught up in their own problems, that they did not even consider someone finding them first.
They turned to see a little boy in green with spiky black hair and a confused expression on his face. "Are...you all lost?" He asked.
Sojiro quickly regained his composure and laughed nervously. "That we are lad." He said.
"Kinda weird you'd get lost here." The boy noted. "I mean, I've never seen you around here, so I'm going to say you're tourists."
This made the group fall silent. "And people rarely visit Whale Island," the boy continued, "kinda weird you'd be tourists here...and still, how do you get lost here when the harbor is so close to town?"
"Well, Ruby was so excited, she ran off to sight-see...by the time we caught up to her, she had gotten us lost." Weiss immediately improvised an excuse.
Ruby's mouth dropped open at being made the idiotic scapegoat of this whole story. The boy then shrugged and smiled. "I guess that checks out." He said. "You must be full of energy to be excited about coming to a place like this. It's a pretty small island, ya know. Not much to do other than fish and hunt."
Trusting kid. Kinpatsu raised an eyebrow at the boy's response.
"Well, how about I take you all back to town?" He suggested. "Although, if you don't mind, we're going to have to stop by my house, first."
"We'd hate to impose." Sojiro said.
"No way," the boy's smile widened, "you seem like nice people, so I'd like to do something nice for you. Besides, I'm sure Aunt Mito wouldn't mind either, or Granny."
Sojiro nodded. He was never one to turn down generous hospitality. "Very well, young man, I suppose we'll accept your offer then." He said. "What is your name?"
"I'm Gon, Gon Freecss," Gon introduced himself, "you all can introduce yourselves to me on the way back to my place."
Meanwhile, in a small little cottage, a tall, fair-skinned woman with hazel eyes and shoulder length hair was calmly prepping tonight's dinner. She heaved a sigh, noting how quiet the house was, except for the news blaring in the background. "I tell that boy he's allowed to go hunting, and at this point, he's not going to be back until dinner." She sighed again. "And he promised me he'd start on his homework before dinner…"
The woman's attention was then drawn to the news. "We have just received an update on the loss of contact with the Begerosse Union." The anchorman said. "Fair warning, please steady yourselves. This information is quite grim."
"We have discovered that the loss of contact with the Begerosse Union was due to an attack from unknown enemies." The anchorman revealed. "Currently, we know nothing of the attackers. No terrorist groups or other countries have taken responsibility for the attack."
The anchorman paused before continuing. "We still have nothing on the death toll either. As far as we know, there are no refugees from the Begerosse Union that have spoken out about the attack. And...it seems that the team of Crime Hunters that had been sent into the Begerosse Union to investigate the attack...the Hunter Association has lost contact with them."
The woman's eyes widened at this. "What in the world is happening there?" She wondered out loud. "An entire team of Crime Hunters...vanished?"
"I am also just now learning that world leaders across the world are seriously considering martial law." The anchorman said. "If the leader of your country chooses to introduce martial law, please remember to cooperate for your own safety. Meanwhile, we will continue to provide new information on the Begerosse Union's fate."
The woman hummed at this. "I guess...I should be glad that Gon is not a hunter anymore...even though I know he loved it so much."
"Aunt Mito!" She perked up at the sound of Gon's voice.
"Ah, speak of the devil." Mito Freecss said with a small frown.
"Gon," Mito walked over to the sound of her nephew's voice, "when I told you that you could go hunting, I never said you could stay out this long. You promised you'd do your homework before dinner. How can you possibly make a dent in it now at this point…"
Mito trailed off when she saw that Gon was not alone. Sojiro gave Mito a polite wave and smile. "Ah, you must be his Aunt Mito," Sojiro said, "I apologize for imposing like this, it's just that your nephew was insistent that we accompany him to his home."
Mito looked at the group of ten standing behind Gon and sighed. Seriously, this boy…
Mito then smiled at Gon. "Honestly, Gon, you'd bring every stray animal home at the rate you're going." She noted. "Well, I suppose I'll just have to prep more for dinner."
"Oh, you don't have to." Sojiro said, with the rest of the group nodding in agreement.
"No, no, I insist." Mito smiled politely. "Honestly, we've got so much food in this house that'd go bad otherwise. You would not believe how much I had to stock up on before this boy came home. I...kinda overdid it."
"Let me help you, Ms. Freecss." Izuku stepped up. "I help my mom quite a bit in cooking. If you're really going to make dinner for all of us, you should let me help you."
"That's very generous of you, sweetie." Mito smiled. "What's your name?"
"Izuku Midoriya, Ms. Freecss." Izuku said politely.
"I'll help too," Yang quickly stepped up as well, "I've also got plenty of experience in the kitchen helping out dad back home."
"Two of you should be enough." Mito nodded. "Anyone else, and you've just got too many cooks."
"Best of luck you two, Aunt Mito's a slavedriver in the kitchen." Gon snickered.
"Then you know what I'm going to ask you to do as well, right Gon?" Mito gave Gon a smile that had the chill of death behind it.
"Er...right, I'll get started on my homework, Aunt Mito." Gon said nervously.
Gon went into the living room. Izuku and Yang quickly followed Mito into the kitchen to help her with dinner. This left the remaining eight members of the group to stand awkwardly by the door. "I think I'll just go out and smoke." Yami said, stepping outside.
"You got an extra? If so, I think I'll join you." Kinpatsu followed Yami.
At that moment, the remaining six heard a cry of frustration in the living room. It was Gon. Weiss, Noelle and Noriko sweat-dropped. "Must be tough homework." Noriko noted.
With their curiosity piqued, Ruby and Sojiro entered the living room to see a little wrinkly old lady laughing at a visibly frustrated Gon, who was hunched over books and papers. Ruby immediately recognized that Gon was reading school textbooks, just by looking at the title. "Tough homework problem, Gon?" Ruby asked.
"Y-yeah," Gon rubbed his spiky hair, "man, why'd they have to pour on math in addition to that 10,000 word report?"
Ruby gave Gon a sweet smile and sat down next to him. "Well, let me see what you're doing, maybe I can help."
Ruby took a moment to read over Gon's math homework. Sojiro chuckled and smiled at Ruby's behavior. She really was a sweet girl. Ruby nodded in understanding. "Okay, Gon, I think I have an idea of how to make things easier for you."
"Really?" Gon was surprised at this.
"The key," Ruby told him, "is to look at these math problems from the perspective of something you like and understand. What do you like to do, Gon?"
"...I like fishing." Gon replied.
"Oh, perfect, this problem deals with angles, so let's try something like this: If you cast your line at a perfect 60 degree angle, and then comes down at 80 degrees, what would the angle it lands at?"
"What?"
"Think of it like a triangle, Gon." Ruby said patiently. "It goes straight up at 60 degrees, and then comes down in an arc of 80 degrees. What is the third angle?"
Gon remained silent. Ruby kept her patient and understanding smile. "I'll give this one to you for free," she said to him, "a triangle always adds up to 180 degrees."
Gon then started adding the numbers in his head. "Well then," he said, 60+80=140. Okay, so that means I'd have to subtract that from 180, right?"
Ruby nodded. "Okay, so 180-140...that would be 40 degrees!"
Ruby nodded again and smiled. "That's exactly right, Gon."
"Wow, so just...try to apply something I like to math problems to make it easier?" Gon asked.
"Exactly, you should never feel like you have to only think about the answer from how they word the question. Find a way to think about the question and its answer with something you understand." Ruby explained. "My dad taught me this trick when I was a little girl struggling with this kind of stuff."
Sojiro chuckled. "My word, Ruby, I can't help but wonder if you'd make a better teacher than a warrior." He said good-heartedly.
"A warrior?" Gon perked up at this. "How strong are you, Ruby?"
"Heh, pretty strong," Ruby said, blushing in embarrassment, "though I'm definitely nowhere near as strong as Grandmaster Sojiro...or Captain Yami and Mr. Kinpatsu, too."
"Cool…" Gon said, with stars in his eyes.
"Gon, focus on your homework!" Mito yelled from the kitchen.
Gon yelped at this and returned his gaze to his homework. Sojiro and Ruby laughed in amusement. "Sorry, Gon, it seems we got you in trouble." Ruby noted.
"We can talk about that kind of stuff over dinner, when you're not doing your schoolwork." Sojiro promised.
"Don't worry, Gon, I'll help you with the rest of your math problems." Ruby promised.
"Can you help me with this big report I've got to do too?" Gon asked.
Ruby laughed nervously. "That I can't do. Something tells me it's super personal, and I know nothing about your life." She pointed out, making Gon whimper in defeat.
Two hours later, a great feast was ready, courtesy of Mito Freecss, Izuku Midoriya, and Yang Xiao Long. Several plates of various meats, vegetables and fruits, all brought together on a large table. "This looks so good!" Ruby said with a cheer.
"Izuku, Yang, Ms. Mito, you three have truly created something fantastic." Sojiro commented.
"Some of you will have to eat in the family or living room." Mito pointed out. "My apologies. We don't normally have company this large."
"No need to apologize, we're the ones who ended up imposing...even if Gon did say it was okay." Sojiro noted.
"Hmm, actually, why don't we all eat in the family room? There's enough space there, and I frankly would like to talk to you people as well." Mito admitted.
"Oh? Is there something wrong, Ms. Mito?" Noriko asked.
"I just wish to try to get to know the people my dear nephew decided to bring home this time." Mito chuckled. "I've definitely never seen you around Whale Island before."
And so, the party convened in the family room to enjoy this great feast. And boy, was it great. Something Asta was quick to exclaim. "So good!" Asta yelled. "Oh man, these might actually be better than Sister Lily's potato-themed dishes!"
"...Potato-themed?" Weiss looked at Asta in confusion.
"He grew up a commoner," Noelle explained, "so, he had some rather...plain dishes growing up."
"Oh? I didn't realize we had nobility in this house." Mito immediately caught onto Weiss and Noelle's noble statuses. "My apologies you two, this probably isn't as nice as what you're used to."
Noelle and Weiss gasped, realizing they had probably come off as arrogant and spoiled to Mito. "Oh, nothing like that, Ms. Mito, we promise." Weiss said.
"Yes, in fact, yours, Izuku and Yang's cooking is actually just as good as my servants' cooking." Noelle added truthfully.
"Well thank you, you two, that's very kind of you to say." Mito told them with a friendly, motherly smile.
"Now then," Mito continued, "who exactly are you people, and why are you here?"
Sojiro's group looked at each other. Remembering their plan, Sojiro responded. "Well," he said, "the younglings are actually students of mine. Yami, Kinpatsu, and myself are taking them on a training trip. Somewhere remote and out of the way where we won't be disturbed. So, we chose Whale Island."
"Hmm, this is a good place to do it." Mito admitted. "Ging loved training here in his younger years, back when he lived here. He used to tell me that no one bothered him that way. Well, except for me that is."
"That's because Ging had to save you sometimes when you got lost in the woods." Mito's grandmother pointed out, making Mito turn red in embarrassment.
"Ging?" Noriko repeated that name.
"Ah, Ging Freecss, my cousin. He's Gon's father." Mito said.
"Oh, and where's Ging now? Shouldn't he be with his son?" Sojiro asked.
Mito scoffed at this. "Oh please, Ging couldn't be bothered to raise Gon when he was a baby. No way was that going to change."
"Aww, come on, Aunt Mito, even if you were right about a lot of stuff about Ging, he's not that bad a guy." Gon said in defense of his father.
"Gon, you don't even call your father 'father.'" Sojiro pointed out.
"Well, he wasn't exactly around to raise me, so Mito's right about one thing, he's not much of a father." Gon chuckled. "Honestly, as far as I'm concerned, Mito's the only parent I've got and need."
"I hear you," Yang smiled before sighing, "I actually ran into my long-lost mom recently...can't believe a part of me actually wanted to forget my super stepmom for her."
"Sheesh, what a weird family dynamic." Noriko muttered.
"So, tell me, Grandmaster Sojiro," Mito returned to the subject at hand, "after this training trip, what exactly do you intend to do?"
"Well, we'll probably continue traveling and training." Sojiro shrugged.
Mito looked at Sojiro like he had grown a second head. "That...might not be a good idea. What with everything that is happening to the Begerosse Union." She pointed out, as though it were common knowledge.
Sojiro looked somewhat nervous at this. He had no idea what was happening. "Right, that is true, I suppose." He tried to play it off.
Thankfully, Gon came to his rescue. "Mito, what's happening to the Begerosse Union?" He asked.
"Gon, I've had the news on all day ever since the incident first came up. Have you really not been paying attention?" Mito looked at Gon in shock.
Gon pouted. "I think it was you who wanted my attention devoted to my homework at 100%, right?"
Mito's mouth dropped open at this before sighing. "Fair enough," she said with a sigh, "I did tell you that."
Mito sighed. "Gon, the Begerosse Union has completely gone dark...well, that doesn't seem to be accurate now." She noted. "From what I've heard...it really sounds like that the Begerosse Union has been destroyed by...something."
All ten members of Sojiro's party were immediately put on guard by this. No. They were too late. This had to be the Cult's doing.
"Something?" Sojiro raised an eyebrow. "You'll have to forgive us, we haven't really been able to keep up with the news lately either...what with the traveling."
Mito nodded. "Well, that's the thing, there's still not much information. According to the newscasters...there have been no refugees to tell what happened. And, apparently they sent in Crime Hunters to investigate what happened...none of them have been heard from since."
"God…" Izuku muttered, immediately realizing what was happening.
Mito looked at Sojiro. "Grandmaster," she said, "if you really plan to continue traveling, I must advise against it. A lot of nations across the world could very well go under martial law soon, and with that, we'll probably be asked to stay in our homes for our own safety, at least until we have to evacuate somewhere."
"I...see…" Sojiro muttered.
Ruby was nearly hyperventilating as she began to realize just how bad this actually was. Oh Gods, she thought to herself, they've already wiped out an entire country. Oh Gods, have they already done the same to Atlas? Mistral? Vacuo? Oh Gods, what about Vale? DAD!
Ruby then felt someone grip her arm. She looked to see Izuku giving her a reassuring smile. Ruby's eyes widened. Izuku...he had actually noticed her distress and was now trying to calm her down without making a scene. She calmed down. It was easy to calm down when she had such a caring friend looking out for her. She smiled back at Izuku.
Mito sighed. "Anyway," she said, "if you are leaving Whale Island, you'll want to do it soon, before things get so bad you can't do anything. Although, I doubt you'll find any boats willing to take you out. This is a small fishing island, after all, and the fishermen can't afford to be away from these waters too long, since fishing is their livelihood."
"You'll have to wait until tomorrow until any passenger boats return." Mito said solemnly.
Sojiro folded his arms. Damn it, of all places to end up...and the Cult is already beginning to purge this world. This is bad. This is really bad.
"There's really nothing we can do, Ms. Mito?" Noriko asked.
Mito chuckled humorlessly. "Well, unless you can swim a tremendous distance, you have to wait here. There's just no choice. But passenger ships will continue to run until they're no longer allowed to. That's just how it is here."
"Hmm, then we should probably leave tomorrow and return to the...dojo." Sojiro noted, still playing up the group's cover story.
"Yes, that's for the best." Mito smiled sadly. "I'm sorry you all had to come all this way, only to have to go back. Things are just getting really bad out there."
"No, it's no trouble." Sojiro assured her. "Thank you for your concern, Ms. Mito, and for feeding us as well. This food is delicious."
Dinner was soon finished. "Oh man that was one hell of a meal." Asta groaned, holding his comically inflated belly.
"Disgusting…" Noelle face-palmed before blushing.
God, I'm going to have to cook that much for him if we ever...no way! I do not want to marry that idiot and dote on him like a housewife! No way! No way! No way!
Ruby was gazing at Noelle in confusion. "What's up with her?" Ruby wondered out loud.
Noriko chuckled before taking one last sip of her water. "Oh, she's probably not being very honest about her feelings." She said in a very matter of fact tone.
Ruby was now looking at Noriko in confusion. Meanwhile, Izuku and Yang stepped back into the room, having finished helping Mito clean the kitchen. "Are you two finished?" Sojiro asked, receiving two thumbs up in response.
"Good, we should probably be leaving now." Sojiro pointed out.
"Oh? Leaving so soon, Grandmaster?" Mito stepped out of the kitchen.
Sojiro smiled. "You've been very gracious, Ms. Mito, but we can't really impose any longer."
"You won't at least consider sleeping here?" Gon asked.
Mito sighed. "Gon, as polite as it is to offer that, you know we don't have room for ten people to sleep here. I'd point you to an inn…"
"We unfortunately do not have money to pay." Sojiro admitted. "We'll simply camp outside. It's important for the students to learn how to survive in the elements as well, yes."
"Ha! You consider Whale Island 'the elements', Grandmaster?" Mito asked.
"Compared to what they've been through, no." Sojiro admitted. "However, I don't think it's necessarily wrong to give them something a bit easier so that they focus on keeping good habits while surviving in the wild."
"I suppose that's true too." Mito acknowledged.
"I also promised to train them as well." Sojiro added. "We need some wide open spaces for that."
This made Gon excited. "Ooh, ooh, can I come and watch?"
This made Sojiro's party freeze. If this kid saw what they could actually do, he would find out for sure they were not of this world. Thankfully, Mito came to their rescue, unknowingly. "I believe you have homework to get back to, Gon." She reminded him.
"B-but Mito…" Gon whined.
"No buts, mister." Mito said to him. "Compared to everything else you've been through, homework should be nothing."
"But it's something to me!" Gon countered.
"Gon, you should listen to Ms. Mito." Sojiro told him. "After all, a boy your age needs to make sure he's both strong and wise. Strength and wisdom are two of the three musts for a man."
Gon grumbled. "If you say so, Grandmaster." He conceded, surprising Mito. Sojiro must be quite the charismatic old man to get Gon to listen that easily.
"Say your goodbyes for now, everyone." Sojiro ordered. "We'll try to stop by and say some proper goodbyes before we leave the island tomorrow."
"See ya, Gon." Ruby waved at him. "Don't forget my advice on your math. It won't trouble you again that way."
"Thanks for the great meal, Ms. Mito." Asta said politely.
As all ten members of Sojiro's party filed out of Mito's home, Gon's mother figure then found herself thinking of something that seemed odd to her. Wait...if they have no money, how do they expect to pay for passage out of Whale Island? Maybe he meant they only have money for passage off the island?
"Mito, could you at least check what I've done so far. I think Ruby helped me out a ton with my math." Gon cut Mito out of her thoughts.
"Did she now?" Mito smiled. "Well, it looks like I owe her a thank-you when that group stops by to say their goodbyes tomorrow."
Meanwhile, as Sojiro's group made their way out into the forest for a remote place to train, Kinpatsu spoke up to the old man. "A shame that we were too late." He noted.
"Indeed," Sojiro sighed sadly, "we...can't do anything for the dead, only prepare for the next battle to make sure that doesn't happen again."
"An entire country…" Izuku shook his head in disbelief. "They took down an entire country...Japan...and Clover Kingdom were almost the same…"
"I just can't believe how easy they made it look." Weiss muttered. "Nearly every developed nation has a military, doesn't it? No matter how strong these Cultists are, they shouldn't be able to take down an entire country so quickly that the rest of the world doesn't even know what happened."
"This should give you all an even better idea of just what kind of monsters we're dealing with." Noriko grimly noted. "From what I read from the textbooks, it was the same last time they were active, right Grandmaster?"
Sojiro nodded. "Like I've said, they're locusts. They swarm and devour everything in sight until there's nothing left. Unfortunately, we just have to accept the sad reality that in some cases...we'll be too late to do anything."
Izuku clenched his fists. Sojiro smiled sadly at Izuku. "You probably hate hearing that the most, huh?" He noted. "I'm sorry, Izuku."
"Don't feel like you have to apologize to me, Sir." Izuku shook his head. "I guess...I'm just trying to understand what it is that drives people to commit genocide on the entire universe. It's...nearly unforgivable when people commit genocide on a race or ethnicity. But the entire universe?"
"I know, lad." Sojiro nodded. "Listen, when we wrap up our business here...I'll tell you all the truth. I'll tell you everything about the Cult and what they're planning to do. I promise."
Elsewhere, a lone boy with snow white hair was calming walking through the quiet streets in a town on the mainland, chatting away on a cellphone. "So, you will actually be there, right?" He said into the phone. "Dock 17, 6 AM, sharp. Don't think I didn't watch your speech to the Hunters Association during the election. You better not be up late at night doing that you gross perv."
The boy took a moment to listen to the other man's response. "I wouldn't have to say that kind of stuff if you weren't doing that kind of stuff, idiot. You admitted to doing it, too."
The boy then chuckled. "Well, all the same, it'll be great to see you both again. Kurapika's coming as well, right?"
He listened to the man on the other end's response. "Ah, so that's a definite yes from our old, scarlet-eyed pal." He smiled upon hearing the response. "That's good, after all that business with the Phantom Troupe, I was starting to worry he'd want nothing to do with us any longer, you know?"
The boy then noticed a few men crowding in front of him. He narrowed his eyes. "Hey, listen, I've gotta hang up now." He said. "There's some folks who seem a bit too interested in me."
"Don't worry," the boy smirked at the phone after hearing the response to that statement, "you should know by now a bunch of thugs can't do a thing to me. You just focus on getting to the docks at 6 tomorrow, got it?"
The boy chuckled at the man's irritated response. "Yeah, yeah," he brushed him off, "I'll see you and Kurapika then, Leorio."
The boy then hung up. "So, gentlemen, anything I can help you with?"
"Don't you think you're a little young to be wandering the streets alone at this hour, little boy?" A brutish thug at the front of the gang-clearly the leader-responded.
The boy shrugged. "I don't really think age is much of an issue in my case. To me, weaklings shouldn't wander the streets at night, alone or in a group."
The boy then gave the gang a cocky smirk. "It's you lot that shouldn't be wandering the streets at this hour." He claimed.
"You little…" The leader snarled.
"Anyway, I'm amazed thugs like you are actually walking around like this, when apparently the world's slowly coming to an end, what with everything that has happened to Begerosse." The boy continued. "Don't tell me you're actually taking advantage of this."
"A little danger never stopped us." The leader claimed. "And besides, a fit kid like you...you'll fetch a nice price where we're taking you."
"Oh? Human traffickers, huh?" This caught the boy's interest. "You want to know a secret? I'm an assassin. And frankly, your lot disgust me."
"Ha! An assassin, you? Yeah, maybe you play pretend, little boy."
The boy chuckled. "Well, let it be known I tried to warn you idiots." He mused. "But, just for the record, you're the ones who tried to pick a fight with the member of the Zoldyck Family."
The boy's fingernails extended until they became claws. His eyes became filled with bloodlust. Each member of the gang turned white with fear. They all knew the name Zoldyck. They were a family of assassins. This kid...oh God, they really picked a fight with the wrong kid. But it was too late.
Killua Zoldyck vanished from sight before reappearing behind the traffickers. He then calmly dropped five still-beating hearts to the floor. The thugs all gasped, feeling the holes in their chests. They all turned to look over at Killua in fear before they all collapsed one by one.
Killua sighed. His bloodlust vanished as his mannerisms returned to that of a relaxed and playful boy. "Sheesh," he said," I really didn't want to kill anyone today. Well, at least it was just a bunch of human traffickers...nobody's going to miss guys like them."
Killua then continued walking through town. "I need to focus on what's important."
"Gon, I'll be there soon." He promised, intent on staying at Whale Island for one reason and one reason only.
To look after his best friend in this coming time of crisis that had even his grandfather and father concerned.
Meanwhile, in Begerosse, a new team of Hunters was sent to investigate the cause of the Begerosse Union suddenly proverbially going dark. With the disappearance of the Crime Hunters team that had been sent in earlier, it was clear that this was a far more dangerous situation than the Hunters Association had originally believed.
So this time, they sent in War Hunters, Hunters who specifically dealt with matters of war. These War Hunters would discover who exactly had declared war on the Begerosse Union, and then they would figure out who the Hunters Association should support, or if they should simply remain neutral. They would find the perpetrators of this act of war.
At least, that was the plan. What they never expected was for the perpetrators to come straight to them.
The team of War Hunters froze in place as they watched a bald, dark-skinned man with strange markings on his face like tally marks, wearing a black, hooded cloak, calmly striding towards them, flanked by three individuals concealing their identities with similar black cloaks.
"Identify yourselves!" The leader demanded.
This made the dark-skinned man scoff. "Don't make demands of me, trash. You have no right to do so."
Before the leader could yell at the leader once more, the dark-skinned man continued to speak. "No, do not speak." He said. "Simply die...in the name of our god."
And with that, the man vanished via Vanishing Walk. In an instant, the War Hunters found themselves gaping in shock as they felt parts of their body separate from them. The Dark-skinned man reappeared behind them, holding out his hands. There was no blood, no indication that his hands had ripped into the War Hunters, even though it seemed so obvious that they were the culprits. In fact, there was barely any blood from the injuries of the War Hunters. It was as though the parts of their bodies simply vanished from existence…
And with that, the War Hunters began to collapse, one by one, killed by this mysterious man's devastating attack.
"Amazing as always, Cardinal." The cloaked individual in the middle complimented.
"Their only use is nourishing our god with their tragic ends and the emotions they feel as their lives come to a close." The dark-skinned man responded. "Beyond that, they are just rats. Rats that tried to hitch a ride on the ship to salvation, but must now be drowned."
"As poetic as always, Cardinal." The one to the right complimented.
"Waste not your time flattering me, you fools." The Cardinal told them. "Spend your time planning out your next acts of servitude to our god. Or do you intend to deny him his nourishment? I will have to deny you your lives if that is the case."
"Of...of course not, Sir." The one on the left assured him.
"Good, then tell the Acolytes and Deacons to scatter, to begin their attacks on the rest of this rat-infested world." The Cardinal ordered.
"Aye, Cardinal." With that, the Cardinal of Denial's Bishop Triad vanished from sight.
"As for you," the Cardinal continued, pointing the palm of his hand outwards, "I must ask that you not spy on me. It is quite rude. Such a sin...is punishable by death."
With that, the Cardinal thrusted his palm forward. A figure moved out from the shadows. Behind where the figure had been before, a hole suddenly appeared in the walls of a ruined building. There was no debris from the blast. Like the pieces of the dead Hunters' bodies, it was like the parts of the wall that had been destroyed were simply erased from existence.
A gruff man with a scruffy beard and a dirty, cap heaved a sigh at being found out. "Ah damn," he complained, "and here I thought I was doing such a great job hiding…"
"Rats cannot hide from me." The Cardinal claimed. "I will...deny all those who deny my god. For their deaths will bring him nourishment."
Ging Freecss, the father of Gon Freecss, heaved a sigh. "Well, I guess it is better this way." He acknowledged. "I've got questions...questions I can only find answers by asking you directly."
"And the thing is...when something piques my interest, I don't give up on it." Ging smirked. "So, let's begin the questioning, crazy bastard."
A.N: Right off the bat, we've got a fight between Ging Freecss, arguably one of the strongest characters in Hunter x Hunter and the Cardinal of Denial.
Beyond that, this was actually one of the most wholesome chapters I've written in a while. Ruby being a big sister to Gon. Izuku being a sweet boy by helping Mito cook, and by seeing Ruby's distress and quietly comforting her through it all to avoid any embarrassment during dinner. I absolutely love the way I'm handling these characters, especially the RWBY ones (if you know me, you know of my current gripes with canon RWBY, so you definitely know I like how I'm handling the RWBY cast so far).
I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, where we're building up to something that's pretty big. See you all next time! Stay safe and healthy!
