Undercurrents in the Ship's Cabins

First tier, royal residential quarters, the twin princes' private suite.

The doors and windows had all been reinforced for soundproofing. Only a dim floor lamp remained on in the room.

Katz stood in the middle of the carpet and looked back at his pale-faced sister, Fugetsu.

"Have you locked onto the passage's coordinates?" he asked quietly.

Fugetsu clenched her fists and nodded.

She pushed her spatial Nen ability to its limit. Transparent ripples spread through the air, and a portal to the third-tier freight corridor slowly took shape.

The corridor was crowded and had the weakest security. The siblings had chosen it as their escape point.

"Let's go."

Katz grabbed his sister's hand, and they stepped through the portal one after the other.

The next instant, they appeared in the dim freight corridor on the third tier.

Opening long-distance portals one after another had drained Fugetsu. She staggered and nearly fell.

Katz immediately moved in front of her, scanning the length of the corridor.

The cold emergency lights flickered. There were no patrolling soldiers in sight.

Just as they were about to hide in an unused cargo container, two sets of unhurried footsteps came from around the corner.

Katz went rigid and instinctively pushed his sister into the shadows.

But the newcomers had already sensed them.

The short Feitan stopped, his golden slit-pupiled eyes settling coldly on the gap beside the container.

"Come out."

His rasping voice echoed through the empty corridor, devoid of warmth.

Shalnark adjusted his glasses. Their identities flickered across his phone screen.

"Tenth Prince Katz and Eleventh Prince Fugetsu. The only royal twins in the Succession Contest trying to escape the Black Whale."

Knowing they could not hide, Katz stepped out of the shadows and kept Fugetsu firmly behind him.

"Phantom Troupe. What do you want?"