Hunter x Hunter: War of the Anime Worlds

Tonight the vast sea lies quiet beneath a sky overflowing with stars.

No bright moon can be seen.

The surging waves have calmed a little; were it not for the brutal fight now raging inside the ship's hold, this would be a scene worth lingering over.

Dressed in a black‑and‑crimson one‑piece, Vice props her cheek on one hand, the corner of her mouth curved in a morbid smile.

She would love to join the game herself and sate her own "desires," yet because of Goenitz's plan and the arrangements made in advance, she must suppress the urge and hide with Mature for the time being.

Of course, they do not intend to flee for good; they are merely staying in the shadows.

If Rugal should lose—if he falls to Kyo Kusanagi—the ship will explode. Afterward she and Mature must board again to confirm whether Rugal is still alive.

To Goenitz, after all, Rugal is nothing more than a test subject, one with definite research value. Goenitz is eager to see just how far the man can go once blessed with Riot of the Blood.

No one doubts Rugal's talent as a fighter. Looking back across previous tournaments and the world's famous martial‑arts schools, his strength is surely near the pinnacle of what any human can reach.

But his weaknesses are just as obvious.

Vice's thoughts are cut short by approaching footsteps.

She turns her head into the sea breeze toward the sound.

A figure steps from the shadows of the lower deck, bathed in starlight beside her.

"Hmm?"

The dangerously alluring red eyes of Vice gleam with amusement; one eyebrow lifts.

She had assumed it would be her companion Mature, but there is no way Mature could arrive so quickly—the real show in the hold has only just begun.

"I know you… the Ace of the Team Flying Brigands…"

Vice lowers her hand and playfully raises a finger toward the trench‑coated man. "Interesting… How did you get out here?"

Everyone who boards, once inside the cabin, loses their freedom and is forced into Rugal's deadly game.

"The leaping, cruel smile…"

Xiang Nan slowly utters a title—the judgment Beishi once gave this character.

Mature and Vice are like motion and stillness. Although Mature, wielder of Beast Power, seems the more active, in daily life she is the quieter one and often stands behind Vice when with Rugal.

Thus Vice is the truly "lively" one.

"Are you talking about me?"

Vice's eerie smile, her short scarlet hair, only heightens her wild, unsettling charm. She sways her hips and steps forward.

"It seems you know me, though we've never met. Looks like you're one of the 'Reincarnators,' hm?"

"Reincarnator?"

The term makes Xiang Nan ponder. It must be similar to how, in Hunter × Hunter, NPCs called detected players "Nameless," a way within The King of Fighters setting to guess at a player's identity.

"Not many fighters entered this tournament, yet we still have people like Kyo Kusanagi and Chin Gentsai. Rugal, though, was hoping the powerful Reincarnators hidden around the world would show up to become his trophies. His wish seems unfulfilled—you're the only fish that took the hook, and you haven't even joined the game. So disappointing." Vice draws closer. "The commotion in South Town a while back… that was you people, wasn't it?

"So many suspects, yet only you came to the tournament.

Where are the others—wiped out by the military?"

"I see."

Xiang Nan smiles faintly.

This KOF tournament is clearly a trap aimed at players.

"Overconfidence isn't wise. Rugal thinks he's the hunter and Reincarnators are prey? We'll see who's who." He meets her gaze, seemingly unworried by her advance.

"So between you and me—hunter or prey?"

Vice's tone turns almost ecstatic.

"I don't have a masochistic streak."

Xiang Nan shrugs. Vice is a combat maniac; Beishi described how she revels in torturing her targets mid‑battle to satisfy her twisted thrill—a truly dangerous foe.

"I was upset about missing the game, but before I leave, let me take my pleasure with you. You must be here for me, right?" Vice licks her lips and lunges.

Xiang Nan stands unmoving as she grabs him as though he had no time to dodge.

Vice clasps his waist, ready to heave him into a throw—yet when she strains, the man stands rooted like a boulder. Her expression changes; she looks up at the trench‑coated figure inches away.

Bent forward against him, she finds his eyes looking down, aloof.

"Your strength is impressive, the burst power too… but is this the Orochi force?" Disappointment flickers in his cool gaze.

"You—!"

Veins bulge on Vice's hands as she feels resistance.

A sharp clap of air snaps between them; Xiang Nan steps back.

"What's wrong?" Vice says smugly, raising her hands so torn shreds of fabric drift from her fingers.

Xiang Nan inspects the ragged sleeves she has ripped away.

"Frightening… not just arm strength, grip as well," he thinks. She had tried to rip his arms clean off in that instant. He had not guarded with Nen, yet his coat, custom‑made by the Republic of Padokea military, was not easily damaged—she did it bare‑handed.

"Fractures, huh…"

Without Nen defense, her raw power has left bloody grooves on his arms.

"Don't run!"

Vice charges, laughing wildly. "Where's that spirit of yours?!"

Xiang Nan meets the laughter, Nen flaring; a razor‑edged scalpel appears in his hand.

Vice's Orochi power now evaluated, he feels prepared.

Mid‑sprint, she sees the Nen aura and her pupils contract; her body freezes, her attack forcibly broken off.

The Nen he releases is saturated with violent malice, chilling her limbs, plunging her into an ice‑cold dread she cannot will away.

Under that aura she hallucinates: the starry sky and dark sea vanish.

Only darkness remains—an enormous cocoon of black enveloping space, its source the man before her.

It is as though black streams surge from him to the heavens, turning the world into a black hole.

"Wh‑what… is this…?"

Her mind blanks, pupils quivering.

Boots click as the man strolls over, idly twirling the scalpel's gleam.

"Given this point in the storyline, you story characters have plenty of room to grow; your true power is far from awakened. Kyo's crimson flames can one day burn all, Iori's purple fire may warp space—but right now they haven't mastered such might.

That includes you and Mature with your Orochi blood.

"Time is short—I can't enjoy your performance. I'll simply take your Orochi power. It's valuable, but in your hands it can't be fully drawn out… rather a waste."

Standing before the woman locked by Nen pressure, Xiang Nan lifts her bronze‑tinted chin so she must look up at him.

He smiles faintly; the other hand flashes like lightning.

Moments later he withdraws his Nen.

With a thud Vice's body falls behind him, blood spreading beneath her.

Even in death her eyes stay wide with shock.

Gazing at the dark sea under the night sky, Xiang Nan listens to the voice in his mind:

[System: Ding! Hidden quest complete. You have acquired Shard of Riot of the Blood. Spend dimension coins to fuse?]

"Yes."

[System: Ding! Story character eliminated. World strategy progress unlocked—current completion: 1 %.]

"World strategy…?"

A thought stirs in Xiang Nan's heart.

~~~

Patreon(.)com/Bleam

— Currently You can Read 120 Chapters Ahead of Others!