Lord of Souls

V5's leaders soon learned that their investigation team had been wiped out, leaving only one survivor.

He seemed to have witnessed some terrifying scene and had gone mad.

He kept muttering something indistinctly.

Outsiders could only hear one word: ghost.

This state of dementia is incurable, but fortunately, a special Nen user extracted some blurry images and pictures from his memories, pointing directly to one person.

Hazy.

In the fragmented information presented by memory, V5 heard the warning spoken by Oboro, and a very strange 'thing'.

As a result, those who used Nen nearly suffered brain rupture and loss of consciousness.

That kind of 'thing' is terrifying to ordinary people, even just a glance at it can easily cause them to lose their mental balance.

Although the 'thing' was in the form of a human, it looked more like a 'ghost' that did not belong to the human world. Its whole body was shrouded in a ghostly mist, and the clothes or robes on its body were not clothing, but were completely condensed from a wisp of smoke.

As for the face... it's more like a floating 'mask'.

Looking into those bright eyes, your soul will naturally tremble.

That thing was undoubtedly 'Oboro', but it didn't look like a human... It was also the 'scene' that appeared in the eyes of this crazed assistant when the incident happened.

Inside the V5 headquarters building.

Several leaders gathered to discuss matters concerning the Oboro and the Fills Family.

"Since the last time we exchanged interests with the Fills Family, we have made some progress in the political arena of many countries by using the Fills Family's channels. From the current point of view, Long is becoming increasingly uncontrollable. I suggest that we close the net as soon as possible and eliminate the Fills Family to prevent future troubles."

"Furthermore... considering the Fills Family's vast plans and shrewdness, before closing in, I suggest we thoroughly investigate our own internal affairs... I suspect that our people may have also been infiltrated."

"A telling point is that we originally planned to take over NGL and East Gorteau, but the Fills Family seemed to have known this in advance. Before we did, they contacted politicians from multiple countries and even got some national leaders to express their support for providing humanitarian aid and rebuilding for these two practically defunct regions. While we were, on the surface, a joint organization, even if we wanted to establish outposts and bases in NGL or East Gorteau first, we had to consult with the other smaller countries within the Mitene Union. But without exception, we failed... This shows that the Fills Family acted much earlier than us and knew where my weaknesses lay..."

"Such a confidential matter must have been leaked by someone."

Inside the room, amidst the oppressive atmosphere, murmurs of discussion arose.

Normally, these leaders could communicate remotely using devices.

But this time the matter is different; they themselves came, which shows how much importance they attach to it.

"We should eliminate the traitors first... This is a very costly task, and it takes a lot of time. We also need to do it discreetly enough so that the outside world doesn't know about our internal chaos," another person chimed in.

This wasn't the first time they had clashed with the Fills Family, or rather, with Oboro.

"Let's put the Fills Family matter aside for now... You've all probably seen the information about Oboro's abilities." Among the leaders, a brown-skinned woman wearing glasses interjected, changing the subject, "Compared to the Fills Family, what's more troublesome is him as a person."

"His sudden change of attitude now must mean he's more confident in dealing with us... If before he used the international situation to blackmail us, now... it's most likely due to his personal capabilities."

After these words were spoken, the group fell silent for a moment.

"The report provided to us by the current Hunter Association president, Ging Freecss, while not guaranteed to be 100% accurate, compared with the information we had previously collected regarding Oboro, almost certainly suggests... that he possesses the ability to manipulate souls. Whether it's the information sent by Beyond's men or Ging Freecss's deductions, Oboro's current personal danger is immeasurable... Ging Freecss suspects that Oboro can strengthen himself by absorbing souls, a point witnessed and corroborated by Hunter x Hunter involved in the Chimera Ant incident. Ging Freecss's report shows that, individually, Oboro's current threat surpasses that of the Chimera Ant King... and even in the entire Hunter World, there is no one who can suppress him one-on-one."

"He said he would kill us... he wasn't joking, he really could do it."

"..."

The Chimera Ant King's terror stems solely from its strength and inherent racial advantages.

But ants have no understanding of the human world.

But Oboro is different.

He is human... He knows the human world inside and out. If you put him on the opposite side of all humanity, that alone makes him ten or a hundred times more dangerous than the Chimera Ant King.

Because the Fills Family is capable of so many things.

"What did that guy named Jin say?"

On the table, an elderly man with a solemn expression asked.

They were well aware that Oboro coveted the position of president of the Hunter Association... Not only did Netero not choose Oboro, but they also wouldn't let Oboro succeed.

The current power of the Fills Family is already enough to make V5 very wary. If Oboro takes control of the Association, wouldn't he be even more arrogant?

"He advised us not to act rashly... not to have a direct conflict with the Fills Family, we can't win. His suggestion was to send Long to the Dark Continent, to make her leave the human world," the woman said calmly.

"Ridiculous!"

The old man gave a sarcastic laugh.

Five superpowers would lose to a gang? "But it's been so long... Oboro hasn't been seen at all. He didn't return to the Hunter Association after leaving East Gorteau. I originally thought he'd cause trouble with that Ging Freecss over the chairmanship, but now he's so quiet..."

"That Ging Freecss is quite capable. I don't know what he did, but he managed to quell the turmoil within the Association in just a few days."

Other leaders spoke.

"In short, my suggestion is to first clean up our internal spies... continue to investigate intelligence about Oboro, and when the time is right, then carry out the operation to wipe out the Fills Family. At that time, the primary goal is to first purge the leaders of the Republic of Padokea and their factions, giving the Fills Family no time to react... The subsequent plans will not be communicated to anyone except a few of us in any formal document or procedure; they will all be temporary, on-site deployments and responses."

"I second that."

Agreed!

Several people then expressed their opinions in turn.

The plan targeting the Fills Family was thus finalized.

Within the human camp, no one is allowed to defy the will of V5, as it would disrupt the balance they have painstakingly created.

Sizzle...

Then, the leaders were about to leave.

The microphone on the table then made a sound.

"I'm sorry, gentlemen... something has happened!"

A sound came from the device.

This caused the leaders' expressions to change slightly.

Their meetings are normally not to be disturbed... The fact that they were suddenly interrupted means that something unusual happened! It must be very serious.

Then, the television in the room automatically turned on, playing images and sound.

It was a live broadcast! When the leaders saw the massive crowds and the chaotic scene on the screen, along with a magnified image of one person, their faces turned green!

They saw Nasubi Hui Guo Rou! And... by Beyond!

Meanwhile, on the high platform, in front of thousands of people of the Kakin Empire, Beyond was giving a passionate and inspiring speech.

The content of what was said was deafening to the leaders of V5, leaving their heads buzzing.

Dark Continent!

This is a global live broadcast!

The Kakin Empire has been turned upside down.

They had just started figuring out how to deal with the Fills Family when, unexpectedly, an even more troublesome family appeared.

"This is a difficult situation... Should we give in?"

Just as the leaders were in a daze, a very discordant voice suddenly rang out in the room.

The group was startled and turned around abruptly, only to find that there was now an extra person on the table.

He was wearing a black suit and sunglasses.

It was... Oboro herself.

"What are you spacing out for? Didn't expect me to appear in front of you? Or do you not recognize me?" Long smiled slightly. "That shouldn't be the case. You should see this face of mine often in your dreams... It's all too familiar to you."

As he spoke, Long casually picked up a few sheets of white paper in front of him, glanced at them, and said, "As expected of V5, not only have you thoroughly investigated the internal structure of the Fills Family, but you've even investigated my teammates in such detail..."

"..."

Silence reigned.

The leaders were all dumbfounded.

This is the headquarters of V5.

How did Oboro get in? "Sit down, let's have a good talk." After saying that, Oboro threw away the white paper in her hand, took off her sunglasses, revealing a pair of cold eyes, and said.

Bang bang bang...

Among the leaders, the older man reacted immediately, slamming his hand on a red-lettered button on the table.

However, no alarms sounded.

The old man was stunned.

"It's gotten that serious?" The blonde woman on the side took a deep breath and said with a pounding heart.

She was referring to the extent to which the Fills Family had infiltrated V5.

The fact that Oboro was able to appear here indicates that she was working with someone inside the organization, who knew the time of their meeting and helped her get through. This shows that the Fills Family's informants not only reach the lower levels of V5, but also high-ranking officials... and those officials are not low-ranking.

"What do you want to do?!"

Someone is questioning.

Some quickly regained their composure, showing no fear of Long. "Even if you kill us, it won't matter... We are merely agents of five countries. Within the V5 organization, even if we die, each country will still send representatives. It will just be a hassle to reorganize V5's current structure and kick all your people out. V5's strength lies in its five countries, not in five individuals... or a certain group. Unless the countries are destroyed, you still have no power to resist."

Clearly, these people had no interest in having a proper talk with Oboro.

"Hmm... you're right."

Long nodded, then a strange light flashed in his eyes, emitting an eerie glow as he stared directly at the other person.

As Long gazed at him, the man suddenly aged, his skin began to wither... as if decades of life had vanished in an instant.

My hair turned white and gradually fell out.

Even my teeth are starting to loosen...

"Did you know that the soul is the symbol of an individual's spirit, and the spirit and flesh are closely connected... The goodness or badness of the spirit will trigger a series of reactions in the flesh, just like in your case. Your body has undergone corresponding changes because of the decay of your soul..."

Long Yun spoke casually.

The other leaders standing nearby were all terrified.

"When the soul perishes, your flesh and blood vitality also wither away."

The words fell.

One of the leaders, who had been so composed just moments before, collapsed to the ground, lifeless, resembling an elderly man in his twilight years, long confined to his sickbed.

Then, Oboro looked at the other leaders.

"Your confidence stems from the belief that even if the Fills Family were to incite a global war or riot, it wouldn't threaten the foundations of your respective countries, right?" Oboro tapped the table with her finger. "Yes, there are still many things the Fills Family cannot do right now."

"But... just because the Fills Family can't do it doesn't mean I can't."

"You control all of humanity... but I control... the soul!"

After he finished speaking, several wisps of black smoke-like soul material suddenly surged from Long's body and rushed directly into the bodies of the leaders.

The group of people convulsed for a moment, and then their breathing changed.

A few seconds later, everything returned to calm.

Everyone's face was expressionless.

"Can we sit down and have a proper talk now?" Long smiled.

"Of course, my supreme lord."

The leaders stretched their stiff limbs, exchanged glances, and then bowed to Long.

Half an hour later, Long walked out of the meeting room with light steps.

As he passed through the space, the lights flickered incessantly, and billowing black mist rose up, filling every corner of the building... No one in the V5 headquarters, whether high-ranking or low-level staff, could hide, because the black mist would follow their scent and seep into their bodies through their mouths and noses, and then other souls would take over their physical bodies.

Possession.

From the outside, the V5 headquarters appears majestic and imposing, with its towering building still standing tall in the city center. But inside, it is completely dark.

After the black mist disappeared, the aura of everyone working inside V5 changed, becoming somewhat sinister.

His movements and expressions were unnatural... everything about him was eerie.

But nobody cares anymore...

They knelt down to respectfully bid farewell to Long's figure.

When an external soul occupies a person's body, rejection will occur; in other words, it has a time limit.

Even with Oboro's abilities, he can only maintain it for about a week... then these souls will die along with their bodies.

But that's enough.

"Master of the family."

When Long reached the lobby on the first floor, a group of accomplices who had been waiting there immediately swarmed around him.

They were 'insiders' cultivated by the Fills Family.

From a few dozen at the beginning, it has increased to nearly two hundred now. Although it still accounts for a minority in the overall size of the V5 organization, it can play a key role at this time.

"There's only one week left... In one week, the five major powers will react and launch their own investigations. However, to avoid detection, they will likely keep the news under wraps. Whether you can seize this opportunity to rise to power depends on yourselves... Also, they need to fill the vacancies within V5 with new personnel, and some of our people will also be brought in... Perform well. But first, you must be able to evade V5's investigation and clear your names... Later, the family will also make some arrangements to help you."

Long said something to the leading official.

"Yes."

The latter responded.

Then, a locked door opened.

Long wandered out alone, and before she had gone far, she disappeared using teleportation.

The building was only temporarily sealed off, and it was only one of the main buildings of the V5 headquarters. However, Oboro didn't need to control so many people; a few leaders would be enough.

A week is enough time to write a lot of articles...

As for the Kakin Empire... a good show is unfolding right now.

After returning from East Gorteau, he had already made a trip there in advance to mark the eye positions.

This is the day we've been waiting for.

Some old scores need to be settled.