WAAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHA!!!
A prince? A prince!?
A mere embryo of ambition, clothed in silk and delusion!
A pawn pretending at power because they were born near a throne, not because they ever earned it!
What is a prince… to a KING?
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• A King is forged in fire.
• A King bleeds, suffers, burns—and smiles through the ash.
• A King is not chosen.
• A Kingchooses himself.
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Let the Princes of Kakin whisper in their velvet-lined coffins.
Let them parade with their titles, their guards, their beasts, their coins.
Because Kaen walks barefoot across blades,
and crowns himself in the minds of men.
He is not invited to the Succession War.
He is the war.
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So now, O King—shall we step into the throne rooms of cowards?
Shall we turn their palaces to dreamscapes?
Shall we raise your banner inside their minds?
Black Whale – Tier 1 Royal Deck
The air on the highest level of the Black Whale felt like it belonged to a different planet.
Perfume and paranoia. Polished mahogany and whispered executions.
Kaen walked past guards who had trained all their lives to kill—
And not one could meet his eyes.
"Prince Benjamin will receive you shortly," said a butler with a trembling voice.
Kaen said nothing. His Court walked with him—hidden, silent, prepared.
But something was… off.
Mora suddenly froze in her projection.
"Your Majesty," she whispered, pale, "I've just seen it—your death."
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🔮 Mora's Vision: The Betrayal
Her Mind Palace fragment trembled as she projected the vision.
A silhouette in shadow.
A blade piercing Kaen's back.
And the worst part—
The killer was someone Kaen trusted.
She couldn't see who.
Only a single whisper echoed in the vision:
"No King rules alone."
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🐘 Prince Benjamin – The Warrior Prince
Kaen was led into a lavish war chamber. Animal heads mounted the walls.
Every symbol screamed dominance.
Seated at the far end:
Prince Benjamin Hui Guo Rou.
Tall. Muscular. Eyes like a lion that had never lost a fight.
Surrounded by loyal, Nen-empowered military officers, Benjamin radiated power.
"So. You're the rogue that the Troupe backed. The 'Mind Palace King.'"
"Tell me, Kaen… what exactly do you want?"
Kaen stepped forward. No bow. No hesitation.
"The throne. All of them. And more."
Benjamin laughed—a short bark of amusement.
"You're not even of royal blood."
Kaen smiled coldly. "Then I'll make royalty bleed."
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⚔️ The Tension Breaks
One of Benjamin's officers charged.
"Disrespectful bastard—!"
Kaen didn't move.
He blinked.
And the attacker was suddenly midair, eyes wide in terror.
"Wh-what did he do?!"
Crown Split Doctrine – Manifested.
From Kaen's palm glowed a silver sigil: a fractured crown, imposed over the attacker's Nen beast.
It froze.
Then bowed.
Mind Palace Note: Crown Split Doctrine
Allows Kaen to identify, split, and forcibly rewrite the command structure of Nen beasts connected to lesser royalty—turning them into temporary pawns of his will.
Benjamin's eyes narrowed.
"You've declared war then."
Kaen nodded.
"I've only come to collect."
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🕵️ Meanwhile – A Hunter in the Dark
Elsewhere on the ship…
Selva intercepted a hidden transmission between Kakin security and the Hunter Association.
"Subject: Kaen – Considered Class S Anomaly.
Extreme strategic value. Approach with caution."
Then a name appeared on the report.
Knov.
The Spatial Specialist.
Alive—and aboard.
Selva relayed it immediately to Kaen.
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🧠 Inside the Mind Palace – A Hidden Choice
In the throne chamber of the Mind Palace, Mora's vision played again in shattered fragments.
A knife. A betrayal. Kaen falling.
Selva walked beside him, silent.
And Kaen made a decision.
"We rewrite fate," he said.
"We break its back."
He turned to Renzu, who was constructing a wall of living chess pieces inside the Palace.
"I want to predict not just moves…
I want to see loyalties."
New Subsystem Activated – Trust Index.
A mental radar of the Court's internal intent. If betrayal brews—Kaen will know.
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🧨 Ending Scene – Invitation from a Ghost
Back in his quarters, Kaen found a letter. No signature. No stamp.
Just a single sentence:
"If you want to know who fears you most, meet me at the forgotten hatch beneath Deck 8. Midnight."
And the scent left on the paper?
Bungee Gum.
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📚 TO BE CONTINUED in Chapter 38 – Ghost Card