"Lord Nar."
A rough-skinned man in his forties rushed over, clutching a freshly printed photograph. "We've found a lead," he said respectfully. "Sir, this photo was pulled from hotel surveillance. The man was seen entering just before Murphy was assassinated."
He passed the photo over.
"There's also footage showing him killing the elevator attendant," the man continued grimly. "No disguise. Clear as day."
Nar's face twisted with fury. "Roger! What the hell are you standing around for? Mobilize the men—capture him immediately!"
Roger hesitated, visibly troubled. "My lord… there's something else. We found another body in the presidential suite. It's Sandro."
Nar's eyes narrowed. "Who the hell is Sandro supposed to be? We're dealing with Murphy—the fourth son of Lord Monroe himself! Don't waste my time with nobodies."
"I understand, sir, but…" Roger's voice dropped to a whisper. "Sandro was a Floor 200 contender in the Sky Arena. Five straight wins. He had enough strength to challenge a Floor Master."
Nar froze, then turned slowly toward Roger. His fury was still simmering—but there was caution now, too.
He understood the implication. The killer didn't just assassinate Murphy—he took down a powerful Nen user. Which meant this wasn't some low-level grudge. This was deeper. Political. Possibly even connected to Monroe's other sons in the power struggle for inheritance.
After a long silence, Nar shifted his tone.
"Very well. Issue a bounty. Make it high. Spread the target's face across the black market. I want everything on this killer—background, affiliations, Nen abilities. And I want it fast."
Roger bowed and hurried off.
Elsewhere, deep within the city of Guardiola, a sprawling villa buzzed with the quiet luxury of old money and quiet violence.
Lord Monroe, head of the Monroe Family and one of the Ten Elders, lounged in a steaming hot spring. His grizzled frame was half-submerged, surrounded by beautiful women attending to his shoulders.
Footsteps echoed against the polished tile.
"Lord Monroe," a middle-aged man said as he entered, holding out a phone. "Call from the Teiro estate. It's about Young Master Murphy."
Hegel opened one eye lazily. "Murphy? Hah. Probably stirred up trouble in the Sky Arena again. Did he break the wrong bones or flirt with the wrong woman this time?"
He chuckled, not the least bit concerned. Murphy had always been the ambitious one—violent, greedy, reckless. And Monroe didn't mind. To rise to the top of the underworld, you had to be the most ruthless of them all. If his sons wanted to fight for his throne, so be it. Let the best monster win.
He took the call with a casual smile.
"This is Monroe—speak."
As the voice on the other end spoke, Hegel's face slowly drained of amusement. Then color. Then warmth.
By the time the call ended, his hand was trembling with rage. Without a word, he hurled the phone across the room. It shattered against the stone wall.
"Damn it!"
The hot spring hissed as he rose, water sloshing.
"Summon the Yin Beasts," he growled. "I want them deployed to the Sky Arena's Teiro Hotel immediately. Await my command."
His eyes burned with fury. "I'm not letting this slide. I want the one who killed Murphy—and I want his entire bloodline erased."
"His family. His friends. Everyone he's ever cared about—wipe them all out. Burn them from history. Let their deaths honor Murphy."
"Yes, Lord Monroe."
The butler turned to leave, but Monroe paused. "Wait," he said suddenly, voice low.
"What are my other three sons doing lately? Send someone to investigate."
"…Yes, my lord."
Meanwhile, Vega returned to the Sky Arena as if nothing had happened.
He slipped into the crowd and bought a ticket at random. Just another face in the stadium.
Murphy's death? Old news. A warm-up.
After the last battle, Vega had confirmed something important—ordinary Nen users didn't even qualify to fight him.
And the so-called Ten Elders? Only a handful of them were true threats. The rest relied on the Shadow Beasts to maintain their grip on power.
Vega grinned beneath the edge of his hood.
Let them come.
He would take care of the Beasts first.
Then, one by one, he'd bring down the Ten elders.