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039 (Vol 2) HxH: Tombbound Power
🕑 Added 2025-02-10 06:00:09 +0000 UTCMachi's entire body radiated a menacing aura, signaling just how bad her mood was.
Sitting beside her, Kortopi instinctively shifted away, trying to avoid her wrath.
"Calm down, Machi~" Shalnark suggested as he pulled out his remote-controlled phone.
"All electronic devices are down. Something's definitely happening. The boss is next door, and our job is to protect him."
"Tch, I know that! I'm not going anywhere," Machi snapped.
Shalnark let out a small sigh of relief. Arguing with an angry woman was pointless, just getting Machi to stay put was already a win.
Meanwhile, Milluki was busy communicating with Ickshonpe, trying to troubleshoot the situation—
Bzzt—
Suddenly, the screen flickered back to life.
A man with silver-white hair and dark golden eyes appeared on the monitor.
Hardly anyone recognized him, but the figure tied up behind him in a cross-like position was all too familiar.
"Wait... Isn't that Chairman Netero?!"
"Who the hell is this guy? Why does Netero look like he's been captured?"
"What kind of power is that? It doesn't look like aura!"
"What's happening?! Someone explain!!"
A heated discussion erupted among the onlookers. But before anyone could make sense of the situation, the silver-haired man began to speak.
"The world... It's been a long time. We are the Shadows."
His voice was calm, yet carried an unsettling weight.
"We have captured Netero and taken control of Heavens Arena. At dawn, we will execute Netero and the hostages."
Jed folded his arms and delivered the statement as if it were mere routine.
The moonlight bathed him, Netero, and the fallen warriors in an eerie glow. The power of resentment surrounded them as they stood atop Heavens Arena.
"Shadows? Who the hell are they?"
"I've never heard of them. Do they think they're tougher than the Phantom Troupe?"
Inside a dimly lit corner of Yorknew City, Feitan squinted at the television screen. The murmurs of the crowd irritated him.
"Tch, a bunch of posturing fools."
"But they did capture Netero~" Phinks teased, enjoying the moment.
"That's the chairman of the Hunter Association, the strongest man in the world," he added with a grin.
"So what?" Feitan scoffed. "They probably used some kind of restriction and vow that cost them their lives."
Even so, deep down, he knew this wasn't just a matter of life-sacrificing conditions. The enemy's power was different—it wasn't something that could be explained by normal aura techniques.
...
Meanwhile, inside the Hunter Association headquarters…
Beans stared at the screen, cold sweat dripping down his face.
Most people had no knowledge of the Shadows, but as the association's secretary, he did.
And so did Pariston, who stood quietly in his office, observing the situation unfold with a seemingly amused expression. Despite his usual warm smile, his eyes darkened with intrigue.
The Shadows were an underground faction that once operated within the Hunter Association, carrying out secretive, unsanctioned missions. Their actions eventually became too extreme, drawing the ire of not just the Hunter Association, but V5 as well. Ultimately, they were wiped out by Netero himself.
Their existence, along with all records of their deeds, had been erased—sealed away in a document known as the Black Report.
And now, that very book was Jed's target.
"At five o'clock tomorrow morning, the Black Report will be made public. Until then, I will remain with Netero."
Contained within the book were records of classified missions carried out on behalf of V5—missions that exposed the dark underbelly of the world's governance.
If its contents were revealed, the chaos would be unimaginable. The legitimacy of V5 and the Hunter Association would be questioned, their authority destabilized. The carefully maintained balance of power could crumble, possibly even leading to another world war.
But Jed and his followers didn't care.
He wanted retribution. He wanted Netero dead. He wanted those who had wronged them to suffer. And most of all, he wanted the world to see the bloodstained history upon which the Hunter Association and V5 had built their power.
After Netero eradicated the Shadows, their innocent descendants were relocated to a secluded village. But some believed that merely being born with the blood of 'sinners' was a crime in itself.
Unbeknownst to Netero, those descendants were secretly executed.
The survivors—like Gaki, Shura, and Rengoku—were the ones who managed to escape the massacre.
Jed, standing alongside them now, had already made his move.
"In addition," he continued, "to prove that I'm not bluffing, allow me to demonstrate my power."
He lowered his hands and smirked, his gaze shifting slightly to the side.
The camera followed his line of sight—
And suddenly, a figure materialized in midair.
A voice rang out, lighthearted yet unmistakably firm.
"Seriously… You two are really going to cause trouble for everyone."
Three figures descended from the sky, instantly pulling the audience's attention away from the mysterious organization and its ominous Black Report.
Inside Heavens Arena, at the heart of the martial arts tournament, the battlefield was set.
