Port Beiyo – Eastern Coastline
Rain splashed down in sheets, washing the docks in glistening silver.
The harbor was swarming—military patrols, cloaked nobles, black-market information brokers, and Hunters from across the world.
Because moored there like a floating mountain…
Was the Black Whale.
The ship that would carry the 14 Royal Princes of Kakin—and Kaen—across the sea toward the Dark Continent.
And more importantly…
Toward the war of thrones.
⸻
👥 Entering the Lion's Den
Kaen, dressed in a traveler's cloak, walked calmly past the check-in guards. His aura was completely suppressed, wrapped by Mora's barrier Nen: Whisper Cloak, which distorted perception of any tagged entity.
"They won't see us," she whispered beside him. "Not until you want them to."
Selva was already aboard, infiltrating the middle decks under the guise of a maid.
Renzu remained in the shadows, collecting intelligence from a dozen different factions.
And Kaen… Kaen simply walked.
The King was now among lions.
⸻
🛳️ Boarding the Black Whale – A Ship of Secrets
Inside, the ship was a kingdom unto itself—nine decks, each separated by wealth and class.
• Tier 1 – The Princes and their guards
• Tier 2–3 – High-class officials and chosen Hunters
• Tier 4–6 – Regular passengers and middle-class
• Tier 7–9 – Criminals, outcasts, "unwanted cargo"
Kaen had no official invitation.
But a single flash of the scroll Chrollo gave him, and the guards stepped aside, pale and confused, as if a memory had just overwritten their instincts.
"You're expected," they mumbled.
"Prince Tserriednich left instructions…"
Kaen's eyes narrowed.
Tserriednich. Again.
⸻
🧠 The Mind Palace Responds
Back in Kaen's mind, the throne chamber flared red.
"Your name is now circulating among the most dangerous minds alive," Selva's mental projection warned.
"We must prepare for assassination attempts before we even reach open waters."
Kaen sat on the throne of thought and summoned a new construct:
Memory Engine: 'Echo Trace'
Allows Kaen to "tag" any hostile Nen intent sensed and track its origin, emotion, and Nen signature like a GPS trail inside his mind.
He activated it—and three red dots appeared in his mind immediately.
"They've already begun hunting us."
⸻
🗡️ First Assassination Attempt – The Corridor of Blades
That night, as Kaen moved toward Deck 2's gathering hall…
He passed through a darkened corridor.
Too dark.
He paused.
Whshhhhhhhk—
Ten glowing needles shot from the shadows.
But Kaen's aura pulsed like a heartbeat of thunder, and the air itself seemed to twist.
Reality Frame: 'Vector Lock'
The needles froze mid-air, bound by imagined physics Kaen forced into existence for three seconds.
"I see you."
A figure dropped behind him—shrouded in insect-like armor, wielding claws coated in aura poison.
"You shouldn't be here, outsider."
Kaen turned slowly.
"I go wherever kings are made."
He struck once.
Velocity Grasp. Palm of Echo Trace.
The assassin's body spasmed, memories burned from his Nen directly into Kaen's mental archives.
Kaen saw it all:
• Who hired him: Prince Zhang Lei
• What for: To test the "unknown King."
• What he feared: Tserriednich.
⸻
👑 In the Prince's Presence
On the highest deck, in a room draped in velvet and bones…
Tserriednich meditated.
And then—he smiled.
"He's here," he whispered to Theta. "The other King."
He opened his eyes. The Nen beast above him shuddered, sensing Kaen's rising influence.
"I'll welcome him.
Before I dismantle him."
⸻
🧨 Ending Scene – Message in Blood
Kaen returned to his temporary quarters.
On the mirror, written in what could only be Nen-inked blood:
"The Palace has no room for more than one King.
Leave now. Or rot below."
Kaen smiled.
And he carved a response with his aura, etching it into the wall with controlled fury:
"Then let the throne grow taller.
I will stand alone.
Or the palace will fall."
⸻
📚 TO BE CONTINUED in Chapter 37 – Thrones Within Thrones