"Milluki."
When Kaizen walked into the lounge, he found Milluki furiously tapping away at a game console.
"Hold on a sec!"
Milluki didn't even glance up when he heard Kaizen's voice—completely absorbed in the screen.
Then—
Boom!
A loud explosion erupted from the console.
Milluki exhaled in relief.
"That boss was no joke. Almost failed the mission…"
He turned slightly toward Kaizen. "Good evening."
Kaizen sat down beside him and glanced at the screen, only to realize the display didn't look like a regular game at all. It resembled a live feed.
Combined with what Milluki had just muttered…
"Cousin Milluki, are you commissioning a hit through this?"
"Exactly."
A smug grin spread across Milluki's face.
"It's one of the abilities I developed. I can remotely control a machine via the internet to track and eliminate a target. Explosives, poison, you name it—it all works."
He clearly took pride in his setup.
"Not bad," Kaizen replied, looking away from the screen.
It wasn't quite what he had expected—but it worked.
The ability wasn't weak, per se. It just wasn't that impressive either.
Kaizen could achieve something similar using Altan's abilities. And when it came to hacking and tech, Altan was top-tier—comparable to the best in the world.
Milluki's power did have some practical value for assassination work: high efficiency, zero need to show up in person, and the potential to target multiple people at once.
When it came to pure volume of contracts fulfilled, Milluki probably outpaced Illumi, Kaizen, Zeno, and Silva.
But there was a glaring issue—
That body of his.
It was a huge liability. Like Kaizen in the past, before his physical strength caught up with his aura.
Actually, Milluki's condition was worse.
At least Kaizen had been stronger than an average chimera ant brute back then. And for someone at his level of Nen, Kaizen's body wasn't considered weak.
Now that gap had been completely closed.
Milluki, though? If he stayed inside Zoldyck Manor forever, sure, it wouldn't matter much. Few people could ever break in.
But outside? He'd be in trouble fast.
"With my personality, I couldn't develop something like that," Kaizen admitted. "Still, your ability could be a useful addition to the Zoldyck assassination toolkit."
"Grandpa Zeno, Silva-san, Illumi and I—we all focus on personal strength."
"Killua will probably walk that path too."
"But not everyone in the family has to be the same."
Kikyo and Silva might not be thrilled with Milluki's 'unorthodox' methods—but Kaizen didn't see a problem.
...
"When did you become a Nen user, Kaizen?" Milluki asked.
"Before I left the manor for the first time."
"You awakened Nen that early? You weren't even ten then, right?"
Kaizen nodded. "Yeah."
"Tch. Father, seriously… If it hadn't been for that mission I had to do with you, who knows how long it would've taken before he told me about Nen."
Milluki sounded annoyed.
"Starting early has its benefits, but so does starting later. It's not a huge difference," Kaizen said evenly.
"True, but Nen is such a fascinating thing. If I'd started earlier, I could've enjoyed it sooner. I feel like I wasted years doing nothing."
Milluki sighed, then changed the subject.
"Hey, Kaizen, you took the last Hunter Exam with Killua and Illumi, right?"
"Yeah."
"I heard you hired another examinee to rough up Killua?"
"It wasn't really about teaching him a lesson—it was just a fight," Kaizen replied calmly.
Milluki rolled his eyes.
"Killua's got talent, I'll give him that. I can't compare. But this brat had the nerve to act all high and mighty when he got back."
"He's not even a Nen user yet! I already am!"
"If it weren't for Dad stepping in, I swear I would've put him in his place."
"Anyway… stabbing Mom? Not cool."
Milluki let out a long sigh.
"And I missed my chance to discipline him. Once he learns Nen, I probably won't be able to beat him anymore."
He sounded genuinely disappointed.
Kaizen could tell.
Once Killua learned Nen, he'd probably surpass Milluki in personal combat before long.
"You and Illumi… man, if Killua doesn't get checked soon, he'll be unbearable."
He leaned in.
"So, Kaizen… who's stronger right now? You or Illumi?"
Kaizen shook his head.
"Hard to say. We haven't fought seriously, so I can't be sure. At our level, there are too many variables."
And that was the truth.
Still… if he did fight Illumi, Kaizen had a strong hunch he'd come out on top—though he didn't know all of Illumi's abilities.
But his own powers were far more adaptable.
...
Not long after, two figures entered the room.
One tall and one short. One elegant, the other flamboyant.
Kikyo walked in wearing her signature pink gown and palace-style hat, eyes hidden behind her ever-present blindfold.
Kaizen and Milluki rose to their feet.
"Aunt Kikyo."
"Mother."
She gave a small nod, her smile stiff.
"Kaizen, you're here."
"Come along to the dining hall. Everyone else will be here soon. The kitchen's nearly done."
"Okay."
The four of them headed into the nearby dining room.
Once seated, Kikyo turned toward Kaizen.
"Kaizen, can you tell me about the last Hunter Exam?"
"Of course."
Kaizen gave a brief summary—skimming over his own role and Illumi's, and focusing instead on Killua's experience.
He knew that's what Kikyo wanted to hear most.
As Kaizen spoke, Kikyo's expression shifted with every turn of the story.
Then—
Footsteps echoed from the hall.
Zeno and Silva entered.
Killua wasn't with them.
"Where's Killua?" Kikyo asked.
Silva glanced toward Milluki.
"He's in the butler's quarters."
Zeno took the main seat at the table.
...
After dinner, Kaizen returned to his quarters. Once inside, he reached toward the wall, drew a circle with his finger, and a hidden door appeared.
He pushed it open and stepped through.
Inside, Ponzu sat cross-legged on the floor, deep in meditation.
"Captain."
"I brought you something to eat."
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Fanfic is completed on patreon.com/FanficsHub (1047 chapters in total)