Chapter 59: Having the Same Eyes

Naturally, he had a strangely twisted body.

Seen from afar, it looked like a large, slender wolfhound, but a closer look revealed that it was absolutely not a dog.

To have changed to such a degree is simply a redemption; it is truly too miserable.

That was the body of a human female, forcibly twisted into the shape of a dog.

Precisely because the human shadow was so strong, even though he was no longer human, he could not become a dog.

I knew it at first glance. I knew it.

Although Sora only glanced at the photo attached to the document, he still understood.

That terrifying "dog" had become so obvious, even bearing traces of "Kiyohime."

"Answer me. What exactly did you do to her, what did you steal!?"

Sora witnessed Kiyohime, grabbing Atram by the chest to interrogate him. Do.

"!?

However, Atram was choked and trembling; even though his head hit the floor several times, he still answered, "I don't know."

At this, Sora frowned and continued to press him.

"You don't know? Before the suspicious death occurred, before you made a request to Alba, did you not see the ghost of Kiyohime?

Didn't you ask Alba because you saw your wife had completely changed like this?!?"

"When I saw her, she looked just like she did when she was alive!!

If I had known you had become such a monster, I would have had the Association invite a Martial Arts expert like you from the very beginning!!"

Facing Sora's sarcastic questioning, Atram immediately retorted, making Kaito widen his eyes.

I was surprised that the dog was Kiyohime, but it was not entirely unexpected. On the contrary, I thought the story that was a lie, "I saw Kiyohime's ghost, so I had a Hunter escort me," became credible.

The reason she had Kiyohime protect her before she suffered any harm was not only because she had a feeling Kiyohime would give birth to her, but also because it was better for her ghost not to retain her human form, let alone what she looked like when she was alive; Kaito understood that it was because she was a mutant and had undergone a great transformation.

By this stage, I thought he was unsightly and still lying, but Atram's face turned pale, and he twitched all over in fear. The sound of his denial also rang out at an absurdly high pitch, and furthermore, the roots of his teeth seemed misaligned due to the cold.

No matter how I looked at it, I felt he was not calm enough to lie.

Perhaps he clung to a meaningless lie precisely because he was extremely terrified and confused, yet he could not tell a coherent lie.

The ghost of Kiyohime I saw was exactly the same as she was in life, and I knew she would be resentful, so I immediately asked her to be his bodyguard, but I didn't feel any danger, so from the beginning, I strongly requested an excellent Nen User. Atram's claim that he didn't exist made more sense than Kaito's initial explanation, and it also illustrated the current state of Sora's arrogant self-esteem collapsing in response to Sora's words and questions, making him feel panic. Fear. Come.

Atram really did not know that Kiyohime had undergone such a terrifying metamorphosis.

But then another mystery emerged.

If Atram's claim was true, then Kiyohime was still human until half a year ago, and a strange "blank" was born again.

Six months from when Atram was hired to when Kiyohime's funeral was held.

A year and a half after Kiyohime died, until Kiyohime's ghost appeared.

Like them, the half-year "blank period" until Kiyohime abandoned her human form to become a dog also had no explanation.

I don't know about the interruption when Atram first joined the job, but in the year and a half before Kiyohime's ghost appeared, she didn't realize at all that she was being used, and even after her beloved husband died, she still maintained a close relationship with him. It can be considered the timing when Kiyohime discovered the truth in broad daylight. But if that were the case, by this time love should have turned into hate from the inside out, and the image should have changed from human to dog.

There must be something.

The Kiyohime who had been idle for a year and a half appeared before Atram, but the reason she did not immediately strike back, and the reason she abandoned her human form in that half-year period, was undoubtedly. Although he was convinced the timing was right, Kaito did not know more.

Jin glanced at such a disciple.

Regarding Kiyohime's purpose, the sins of Atram and Alba, and those disciples who did not reach the core of this request, those eyes were neither disappointed nor surprised.

On the contrary, he seemed envious.

What Atram and Alba did, Kiyohime being snatched away, Jin might not yet be involved in a mind that cannot imagine such thoughts, and those associated with it. Perhaps I was just jealous.

"... Well, yes.

Shall we change the question then?

Hearing Atram's words, Sora's eyes brightened even more.

Even in the distant heavens, Sora stared at the azure Atram like an unfathomable Abyss, tightened his chest further, leaned over him so as not to shift his gaze, and Sora asked.

"What happened to the child?"

Atram and Alba's breathing stopped noticeably for a moment.

Questions like "What did you steal?" were nothing more than a foolish hope.

The moment I realized that dog was Kiyohime, that was the first thing I thought of.

"... About what..."

"Don't be angry at this time... You and Kiyohime had a child... Perhaps you had a daughter, didn't you?

If you think this way, you can usually explain all the strange blank periods that have been a mystery until now."

So, at this time, Atram was still struggling, but he tightened his neck again, wanting to shut his mouth, and Sora began to speak indifferently.

Abandon the faintest hope, prepare for the worst possibility in your mind, accept it, and question it.

"Knowing that Kiyohime's Nen Ability is a matrilineal Parasitic Nen Ability, you wanted to use her daughter to replace Kiyohime, didn't you?

I don't know what kind of girl Kiyohime was. But even if she was a simple and easy-to-use person, if she had been locked in this room since childhood, raised as an assassination tool, and did not come into contact with human values, it would be easier to use than an adult woman with a talent and a clearly established self. It is obvious.

Hearing Sora's words, Atram, who had already been drained of blood, took another step back, and Alba's face turned pale, cold sweat dripping from his face as he took a step back.

But it could not go any further. Kaito's remains turned into a rifle-crazy clown-crazy Slot Machine; this was because I stuck it to the tip of his nose.

"I won't let you run away; I still don't quite understand, but I knew from the beginning that you were also an accomplice.

It's time, put your belly down. If you look at 'that,' you will understand that there is no room left to escape."

Kaito pointed his rifle at him and glanced out the window.

Due to the influence of Alba's Barrier, the Inugami were still drifting around the mansion, unrecognizable, and due to Sora's Dirty Musou, their numbers had been greatly reduced.

However, Kiyohime's anger was that she stood on the enemy's side, and rather than the reduction in numbers, the bloodthirstiness of the Inugami was incomparable.

Even if she had escaped Sora's pursuit, Atram Gariasta, Alba, and Kiyohime had no intention of letting her get away.

Even so, they had no intention of pleading guilty, and all of them shifted their gazes away from Sora and Kaito, remaining silent.

Confession is merely a form of selfish self-defense, and it is unpleasant, so neither Sora nor Kaito cared about the fact that the two said nothing.

However, Sora had no intention of letting her run away; simply to buy time, Sora opened a pair of deep and beautiful eyes, with which she could see through everything and drag it all out, continuing her words.

"So, during the half-year period from the discovery of Kiyohime's pregnancy to the delivery, I used Alba's suggestion ability to confine her, while ensuring no one knew 'I haven't seen Kiyohime lately.'"

"To you, your daughter is not your child; it is just a tool, so you could never give her a household registration."

Atram and Alba's reaction to Sora's question, "What happened to the child?" I do not understand if there is an explanation for the mysterious blank period.

However, the conjecture that appeared merely as Sora's question unraveled the doubts and suspicions that had been entwined around him.

Lies are rare; the simpler they are, the harder they are to expose.

If you forge a stillbirth, no matter how clever the forgery, precisely because it is a forgery, complex lies pile up, and even a small failure will trigger the exposure of those lies.

In that case, it would have been more convenient to say "the child does not exist" from the beginning, because there would only be one lie to tell.

Atram obliterating his daughter's existence, not letting her live for a single moment, even on paper, is probably about that much.

The six months from Kiyohime's disappearance to her death were just the time from when she learned she was pregnant and reported it to her husband until the delivery.

Assuming Kiyohime died immediately after childbirth, she was confined at about three months of pregnancy. I didn't know I was pregnant in the early stages of pregnancy, so I'm sure my stomach wasn't big enough yet to tell at a glance that I was pregnant.

If Kiyohime was confined immediately after learning she was pregnant from the test drug, then no one except those under Atram's breath would have noticed she was pregnant.

"... Well, if you are confined, then you are dead, come for revenge immediately!"

"Yeah, that's why you were actually under house arrest instead of imprisoned, right?"

"Kiyohime is definitely more powerful than you in terms of ability, so if Kiyohime understood your true purpose and recognized you as an enemy, that would be it. That's why I told them, 'If something happens to the baby in your belly, it will be difficult, so don't do anything, don't go out, lie down.' This guy Atram said?"

"If you say that, you won't be sad even if you think I'm overprotective, so you voluntarily withdrew, didn't you?"

Alba pointed his rifle at Kaito, denying Sora's conjecture with a pale face, either replacing Atram, who was being strangled and unable to breathe, or simply to escape his own sin in an ugly way. However, Sora just smiled faintly as if mocking him. He immediately corrected and added to his conjecture.

Hearing the revised content, his face turned even paler, and he fell silent; this was too lengthy an affirmation, and although the mystery of the six-month blank period before Kiyohime's death was completely solved, nothing was clear. It was just a fact that made my heart ache.

"... Why did the ghost only appear a year and a half after Kiyohime died?"

Kaito pressed the muzzle against Alba's throat, covering his mouth, only spitting out offensive words.

I knew this mystery from the beginning; the disgust and the aftertaste are the worst, and I didn't even want to think about it, but I couldn't look away and pretend I didn't know anything from the start.

"Taking poison is just a disgusting mindset, just sympathy and pity," Kaito asked, intending to use it as an energy source to strike him hard.

"I don't think that period had any special significance. Didn't Kiyohime just realize that the way she raised her daughter and treated her was strange at that time?"

"It might be a prejudice, but I don't know if Kiyohime from Meteor City has common sense about things like birth registration and regular check-ups, and I don't think she would raise a child alone, so she couldn't resist herself. Isn't there a nanny taking care of everything?"

"It's not uncommon for a father to be completely uninvolved in childcare, so you might notice that an environment where he doesn't go out for a year and a half and only interacts with a limited number of people is strange. If done well, I might have had to set up such a time period, and I might not even have noticed the strangeness of the environment."

"... Ah, maybe it's because I didn't give my daughter a birthday that I found it strange, maybe it took me a while to give up on the expectation that I wouldn't. If so, the reason that period is incomplete is whether it was cut a little better or worse."

This time, shifting his gaze to Kaito, Sora casually spoke his conjecture.

It was a near-delusional speculation without any basis, but neither Atram nor Alba opposed Sora's words.

Even if it was just water on a hot stone, as long as there was a little excuse or room for healing, exaggerated 100 times, like breathing, both of them were silent. The conjecture probably reached the point where there was no room for such things.

Sora's gaze returned to the stupid, cunning man who didn't say a word; if he remained silent, everything would pass, just as a storm would pass. Come.

And she, still riding on horseback, no longer tightened Atram's collar.

Atram had not reached the point of being unable to breathe, but he had gotten rid of the intense pressure that announced he would break his neck at any moment, let alone suffocate.

Sora gently covered Atram's face with both hands, turning his averted face toward his own direction.

Compared to when he tightened his chest, he was so gentle that even Atram could have shaken him off, but he was unable to move.

There was no shaking it off at all; I couldn't even resist, continuing to stubbornly turn my head.

The movement of Sora's fingers stroking my cheeks and neck... the movement of those fingers that seemed to draw irregular lines was eerily terrifying.

His instinct rang an alarm bell; if he resisted poorly, if he moved again, he would die, and Atram responded obediently, turning around.

The deep blue eyes of the guillotine blade itself, which dragged his life to the guillotine, reflected Atram, asking him indifferently.

"... This is the important part."

"I'll ask again. Daughter, what happened to the child?"

Atram did not answer.

Open your eyes. I know that if I don't answer, I will be in danger of my life, but I understand that even if I answer, I will lose my life, even if only for a few seconds; I remained silent just to live a little longer.

Sora sympathized with her frustration and looked at Alba for a second, but his reaction was exactly the same.

Hearing such a reaction, Sora sighed deeply, helplessly guessing again "the reason why Kiyohime's appearance changed in the six months since she appeared as a ghost."

"... Kiyohime, it's been half a year, and you still can't give up on him. Or perhaps he didn't really understand your purpose?"

"If you appeared and begged or threatened him, Kiyohime must have hoped you would raise her daughter well."

"But to you, your daughter was just a tool. No matter what others said, Kiyohime was just an annoying thing because I didn't consider or ask for other uses. So I used Alba again to hide my daughter from Kiyohime."

"Kiyohime, who was separated from her daughter and driven out of the mansion, because she knew of your daughter's existence but did nothing, and the person related to Inugami killed you, I don't know if it was because he was the person I tried to use to kill for revenge, or if it was because he was indiscriminately and properly intending to harass and threaten him, but frankly, I don't mind."

"... Hey, Atram. When you learned that the person related to you was killed by Kiyohime's Inugami, what did you think?"

If the mystery of the year and a half that Kiyohime appeared as a ghost after her death was clarified, and if the reason for Kiyohime's appearance before Atram was known, then Kiyohime's appearance would change from human to dog. I can understand why.

I don't know if the anger and hatred for a husband who didn't give his beloved daughter a human life and treated her life as a worse tool than himself was intentional, but she turned her from a person into a beast. I guess.

That's what I thought.

But Sora's imagination and conjecture did not end there.

Because he saw her up close, the transformed Kiyohime, and because he saw her "eyes," he understood.

Her hatred for Atram, the ancestor's every time and teeth and Devil, what time to the child.

And, Atram trembled all over, making a rattling sound, but he did not answer.

Despite this, Sora kept asking.

"... Kiyohime manipulating the Inugami implies that my daughter, the God of Dogs, received the teeth, hair, and legacy, but—reply, stomach, hey, stomach, don't you think? My impression was that my daughter would unconditionally inherit it, but didn't you realize there might be other conditions?"

"As expected, I didn't think the baby would use my Nen Ability, so I thought it wouldn't matter if it wasn't used before I could remember, but based on the premise, perhaps my plan was wrong. Are you worried?"

"Huh? If that's the case, what would you do?"

"What did you do to that baby girl, a tool who could do nothing but cry?"

"What did you do to your daughter, who most likely doesn't have the value you wanted?"

"I don't know if she inherited Kiyohime's Nen Ability, but what did you all do to my precious daughter?"

There was no answer to Sora's question.

However, Kaito gritted his teeth and pressed the muzzle of his rifle harder against Alba's throat.

"You all...!!"

Just saying that much left me speechless.

I wanted to scream in anger, but I was too furious to speak.

A man who from the very beginning raised his own daughter as a tool, knowing she hadn't inherited what he wanted... "Inugami," one cannot expect him to raise his own daughter well as a human being.

Rather than me deciding not to inherit, if the probability was high, even if nothing was done, I had wasted a year and a half on "raising a child," and it is too easy to imagine him venting his anger on his daughter because he killed his own kin.

Even if he didn't act that childishly, if he judged that the probability of inheritance was high, he wouldn't wait long to say: "I won't expect her to use her ability until she can remember."

Putting Atram aside, Kaito finally understood why Alba was so afraid of Kiyohime.

He was not just an accomplice in isolating Kiyohime from her surroundings until she gave birth to a daughter and separating the ghost Kiyohime from her daughter.

It is highly likely that this man, at Atram's request, opened the Root of a one-and-a-half-year-old infant, awakening her as a Nen user.

To see if she really didn't inherit the Inugami, and if not, to make her learn other abilities.

The possibility of slowly opening the Root is unimaginable.

It is important to calm down and see if one's Root is being opened one by one.

First of all, Atram wanted to use it as soon as possible, and if it couldn't be used, it should be disposed of as soon as possible.

In that case, Alba had only one way to open his daughter's Root...

I hit it with my own Aura, forcing it open.

Even in healthy, strong adults, this method is unlikely to succeed. Even without hatred and Malice, if an immature person uses it, the target's body will be harmed, and even if successful, the person opening the Root must control their Aura and master "Ken." Life Energy leaks, leading to weakness throughout the body.

However, just like opening the Root slowly, if the mind is disturbed, "Ken" can never be completed.

This is more likely to succeed than slowly waking up an infant. Because it can only act on instinct, the instinct will surely understand that if it does not keep the overflowing Life Energy inside the body, it will die, and it will put on a "Mantle."

But conversely, if it cannot put on a "Mantle" in a short time, the child, who has no physical strength to begin with, will lose Life Energy and easily die.

... Such recklessness is unspeakably stupid.

Putting aside Atram, who is not a Nen user and only knows of the existence of Nen Ability, Alba should have been able to understand.

I don't know if Alba pointed out to Atram that this method was nothing but stupid and barbaric, but given the current situation, there is no room for sympathy for Alba.

Even if I pointed it out, I am well aware that I only incurred Kiyohime's resentment by doing so.

The excuse that you cannot disobey your employer does not hold up.

Although not for combat, it is not that a Nen user cannot defeat an ordinary person like Atram. Even if I couldn't stop myself from wanting to do it, if I didn't do it, I should have been able to refuse. I don't want to.

But what he didn't do was that Kiyohime's daughter didn't care if he succeeded in surviving or failed and died.

Perhaps because of this, Sora gave up on Atram and Alba, who were not answering, sighed deeply, let go of Atram's hand, and stood up.

Just like that, I didn't say anything to Kaito and the others, and walked out alone with long strides.

"! What are you doing!?"

Kaito shouted at Sora, who was trying to open the glass door they had fallen into, and grabbed Sora's arm.

"I will stop Kiyohime."

Without hesitation, as if to say that he didn't care about these two culprits, nor did he care about Ging and Kaito, Sora said firmly, trying to open the glass door again, but Kaito stopped him, grabbed his chest armor, and shouted.

"Are you stupid!?"

I understand your sympathy for Kiyohime, but you should be the one who knows best what "that" has become!!

"That" itself is no longer a monster of hatred and revenge!! This is not something our language can understand; when we attacked the Inugami, we admitted that we committed the same crime as these guys!!

... No matter the circumstances, no matter what kind of trash these guys are, once they hurt people, we can no longer save them. "That" is... not treated as a human named "Kiyohime," but killed as a "monster." Hunter, this is the only mercy you can get!!"

Rather than saying it to Sora, it was more to convince himself; Kaito shouted and appealed with a painful and sad expression.

A long time ago, to save a child who entered the Fox Bear's territory, I remembered the day the Fox Bear that hurt the child was dealt with.

It wasn't bad either. I wanted to save them both.

But his status as a Hunter didn't allow it. That day, to protect his own child, he cut down the Fox Bear. Even though he didn't know the situation, he also hit the ignorant child and left him without parents. I remember scolding him and blaming him that day.

The "Root" I wanted to stick to that day and the "position" I chose didn't match, and I was in a bad mood.

I think I remember it because the situation was the same as that day, and even more disgusting than that day.

"Idiot, this is fine!!"

Until I was grabbed by the collar and pulled by my own hair, hitting my head.

"!?"

Since I was still holding it in my chest, I could only pull my neck back a little, so he pulled Kaito's hair hard towards himself, and his head hit near the counter, and stars scattered in his vision.

The eyes I saw between the stars were very similar.

The moment I felt the worst that day turned into the best.

No matter how much intimidation, rejection, or harm, he would not let go of the Fox Bear's child.

... Sora's blue eyes, filled with tears, were very similar to Gon's that day.

Everything about her was sudden; I didn't expect this blow to be so sudden, and almost all the secrets were seen through, but because Kiyohime didn't run away, Atram just looked at me with a resentful gaze. While Sora was blaming them, Ging, who didn't care, was also dumbfounded.

Kaito decided to use his head to ram, and sure enough, Sora did not use Nen, but I also did not use Nen to act as a rearguard.

In front of Kaito, whose eyes were still flashing with stars, the culprit who caused Kaito's miserable state stomped their feet with enough force to destroy the floor.

"Stupid is fine too! Or rather, that's right! I saw it up close, so I know 'that' is the best, I understand Kiyohime's state the best!!

I know, so I have to stop her!!"

"Hm?"

When Kaito looked up at Sora, who was still trembling all over, Sora suddenly relaxed his tension, looked down at Kaito with clear blue eyes, and said:

"……Rather than that, what do you know? Do you mean you know?

I have already seen children who have lost their home and the people waiting for their return, wanting happiness, yet their hearts are eroded by hatred to the point of guilt; although I know that is nothing but revenge, I have tied myself too tightly, I cannot stop the ladies, but…… I have seen crazy heroes driven by revenge, putting the cart before the horse, trying to destroy with their own hands what they truly want, what they want to do, and what they want to protect.

…………So I knew at a glance."

Sad, guilty tears soaked his eye sockets.

However, that overly straight will was like a flame, illuminating the light in his eyes.

Too similar. They have the same eyes.

That day, the young girl with the same eyes as Gon answered quietly.

"Kiyohime…… is different."

The reason I decided to stop Kiyohime and protect her.

"She is different. The people I have seen…… are not driven by hatred or revenge. Her eyes are not like that.

Completely different. I know eyes that are the same as hers! So I know what Kiyohime truly wants to do!

Kiyohime is almost crazy now, but she still hasn't forgotten why she is so crazy and broken! I haven't lost anything!!

But this is not enough to lose the moment you kill these scumbags!! That is why I must stop her now!!"

Screaming like a child throwing a tantrum. Her face was crumpled and twisted, but the tears gathering in her eyes still did not overflow.

Tears of guilt could not Extinguish the Fire in his eyes.

I did not hesitate. I was not afraid.

Just because I want to dilute my guilt is not a superficial motive.

It has nothing to do with your own guilt.

It is just that I want to protect it, I want to save it, so it is a very simple and direct will.

That was the "Root" Kaito wanted to pierce, just like the child that day.

"... What did you see?"

Kaito saw a vivid scene, the same brilliance he had seen long ago, and was simply speechless; Ging finally spoke.

He leaned against the Wall of the corridor and said lazily.

"I am not as gentle as Kaito, so I have no intention of stopping you from doing anything reckless, but I don't want you to get caught in the crossfire.

Sora, what is the basis for this statement of yours?"

Hearing the words "I am not as gentle as Kaito," Kaito was a bit surprised, thinking: "Who the hell are you talking about?"

No matter how one thinks about it, this disciple who has been with Sora for a long time knows that he is going to replace the speechless Kaito to stop Sora's reckless behavior.

However, at the same time, Kaito also discovered that this man was also showing intense curiosity, to the point of being out of place.

He didn't say anything while surprised because Kaito was worried about him.

Seeing Kiyohime so angry and broken, why couldn't Sora say "no"?

Kaito wanted to know whose eyes Kiyohime's were the same as.

With the same gaze as Gon, Sora shifted his line of sight to Ging and answered immediately.

"It's me."

At this answer, everyone was speechless again.

Looking at Ging, who had widened his eyes, Sora remained straight; those eyes were very similar to his son's, yet different. Watching him, he answered.

"Kiyohime is crazy. Broken, it's too late.

【Text segment unclear/corrupted in source】.

But she doesn't care about revenge. She hates Atram and Alba and holds a grudge, but considering her true purpose, it doesn't matter. Whether these guys are dead or alive is a trivial matter that Kiyohime doesn't care about.

……Kiyohime is just 【Text segment unclear/corrupted in source】.

The reason I want to kill these guys is not because I hate them, but because if I don't kill them, I cannot get my daughter back, and I cannot protect her.

That is why I am obsessed with killing, but I can't do it at all; I don't even know if my daughter is safe because of Alba. I want to protect my daughter, I want to protect her, but it might already be too late. This anxiety is driving her crazy, destroying her fragile sanity, and now she is about to put the cart before the horse.

That is why I must stop Kiyohime. You must remind yourself of what you are forgetting and losing.

Otherwise, even if she kills these people, Kiyohime will not stop!

If her purpose turns into revenge, killing these guys might make her disappear in satisfaction, but she has forgotten her purpose; even if she doesn't understand, if she hasn't lost it, killing these guys is the worst. I, who have lost my memory for a long time, must kill; only the "means" remain.

If that happens, even if I don't remember, the murder that should have been just a "means" to a "purpose" will be dominated by the illusion of "I must do this," and it will turn into indiscriminate killing and wounding…… a "Disaster" becomes herself.

……So I have to remind her.

Even if it means making her realize the worst fact that it is already too late."

Facing Sora's words, Ging raised his eyebrows in disgust and dismissed his thoughts with one sentence.

"This is meaningless."

Kaito thought the same.

If Sora is right, it would be better to kill Kiyohime now.

Kiyohime's daughter might have died long ago.

The aura emitted from the forcibly pried-open dantian could not be blocked; she must have died of exhaustion.

If that were not the case, then Atram and Alba are not fools, even though they are heretics.

Kiyohime's goal was clear from the beginning: to be a daughter. If she had been able to communicate with her as a normal person back then, she should have been able to use that daughter as a means to negotiate with and threaten the ghost. Material.

This current situation, which cannot end without seeking outside help, is telling the story of my daughter's life and death.

The material for negotiation and extortion no longer exists.

This is why Sora's words are meaningless yet beautiful.

It is impossible to believe that the girl, who was so mad that she wanted to abandon everything about being human to protect herself, would meet such a cruel end.

If it stops, it is due to despair. In that case, she might as well be dead, still believing that her daughter might be alive.

Yes, Kaito thinks so too.

However, unlike Ging, I cannot say it out loud.

Even he himself is unwilling to think that this is meaningless.

"This is not meaningless."

I do not think this is meaningless.

At least, it is not meaningless to Sora.

"'Murder' and 'murder' are completely different."

Fortunately, Kiyohime's purpose has shifted to 'revenge'. In this way, her actions will not stray from the realm of 'murder'. Once the goal is reached, it will naturally stop, and she might feel better.

However, if he forgets his purpose, loses it, and only the means remain, Kiyohime will not stop until he exhausts his own breath. This alone makes sense.

"... more important than anything."

Walking up to Ging, Sora is twisted, broken, and even mad; he looks straight at Ging with clear eyes and says simply.

"Ging.

Can you kill for Gon?"

"!?"

Faced with this question, Ging widens his eyes, then laughs.

"... Hahahahahaha!!

... Ah, so that's it.... Then, I must stop it."

Atram and Alba do not understand the meaning and intent of Sora's question, nor do they understand why Ging suddenly laughed happily, watching the two's interaction like aliens.

A leap in logic they could never understand.

However, Kaito understands, letting out a satisfied exclamation like a teacher: "... Ah."

Sora does not want to stop just for the sake of Kiyohime.

He stops her, hoping that Kiyohime will not suffer in vain for Kiyohime's daughter, and also hoping that he will not pile up his own sins in vain.

This is because, no matter the circumstances, Kiyohime's actions are unforgivable "murder," and the cause is her daughter.

Even if he didn't mean to, all Kiyohime has done is impose the legitimacy of "murder" upon himself, thereby shifting the responsibility onto his own daughter.

This is why we must stop.

Beyond avenging himself, it doesn't even count as an outburst; for the daughter who is no longer by his side, he doesn't even remember her. No.

Kiyohime has unknowingly imposed his own sins onto the daughter who should have been the victim, making her the perpetrator.

Because Kiyohime's madness stems from her mother's love, and her daughter is nothing more than a pitiful victim, Sora chose to find meaning in reminding her of the purpose she is losing, rather than simply killing Kiyohime.

Once you understand this, you can no longer call it "meaningless."

Even if it is an act of making Kiyohime face the cruelest reality... even if it has become so ruined and dirty that it cannot maintain its original form, that is the love that is the root of Kiyohime's madness. Thinking that reminding him is meaningless is wrong, because this is undoubtedly precious and shining.

But Ging still says.

"... Ah, if it is 'that,' then I must stop it. If it is 'that.'

Sora. After all, what you are trying to do is meaningless."

"Hmm?"

"! Mr. Ging!?"

Perhaps Sora's question was truly stuck, as Ging is still holding his stomach and laughing.

Ging ignores the two's reactions and continues to speak while laughing.

"Ah, I mean, why didn't you notice? Is it because the 'Inugami' you know is slightly different from the 'Inugami' here?"

"Hmm?"

Hearing this, Sora raises his voice with the same tone as before, but the displeasure in his voice and expression disappears, replaced by confusion and doubt.

Likewise, Kaito also cannot understand what Ging wants to say and asks: "What do you mean?"

"Sora, you might have said it yourself. During the day, when the Inugami told me that this might be inherited from the maternal line, he said, 'The important thing about Nen is bias and self-suggestion.'"

That's right, Nen Ability greatly influences the power and effect of the ability user's mindset. Assumptions and self-suggestion are both our greatest weapons and our greatest weaknesses.

That is why many people set restrictions, not only to improve the precision of their abilities but also to prevent the precision from fluctuating too much.

It is not an unstable ability that changes power according to the atmosphere of the place, but as long as the conditions are met, obtaining a stable power that can be maintained at a minimum level in any situation or mental state is basic.

This is why I basically cannot flexibly restrict. I mean, if it is ambiguous and loose, then restricting it is meaningless.

Especially an ability like Kiyohime's 'Inugami' that has been passed down for hundreds of years; it is completely unrelated to human emotions and mental states, a complete system.

"Yeah, that's right. Then what should we do...!?"

Ging's story is too natural for those who possess Nen Ability, especially for Sora and Kaito who have long since mastered their own personal abilities; I don't know what to say. Sora suddenly widens his eyes, turns around, and stares at the Inugami floating through the glass, Kiyohime groaning and muttering at him.

"... Kiyohime, how do you still have 'Inugami'?"

Following Sora's muttering, Kaito also turns his head back, and the same doubt emerges in his mind.

"That's right. First of all, it's strange that Kiyohime still has the 'Inugami' ability.

If 'Inugami' is a parasitic Nen Ability, then it is impossible for it to be inherited by a ghost as 'Dead Nen' itself. The person who inherits it does not necessarily die and become a ghost. That is exactly what I mean."

Even if the condition for inheriting the "Inugami" is not matrilineal, and even if there are other conditions, once Kiyohime dies, the inheritance of the "Inugami" will naturally cease.

After Kiyohime dies, the conditions for inheriting the Inugami disappear; once the restrictions are lifted, it is possible for Kiyohime to use it as a personal Nen Ability, but no matter how much he enhances it with the spirits of the dead, this number is, after all, unreasonable to use with the Inugami, and the Inugami is also a reminder of the dead.

That is a kind of restraint for dealing with the Inugami in daily life; the self-suggestion of "I've been using it for hundreds of years, it's fine" is also a form of restraint, so I can handle it. If there were only a few, Kiyohime would certainly lose at that number."

Ging speaks on behalf of Kaito and Sora regarding their observations and thoughts.

"Yes. Because Nen Ability itself has a great deal to do with the mindset of the person possessing the ability, the restrictions for using it stably are ambiguous."

"If it continues for hundreds of years, the conditions for its inheritance will be firm and not overly complex."

"Just as the game of telephone becomes more distorted the longer it goes on, even if there are few people, the constraints of inheritance will change; if the inheritance is cut off because of this, that would be even better."

"If, at the moment the inheritance terminates, the hunger and hatred of the Inugami are likely to strike at us, then it is best to keep the inheritance conditions simple so they are not distorted."

"……Kiyohime is merely issuing instructions."

Looking outside, Sora mutters to himself again.

Although he understands that this area is the Residence, he cannot enter the Residence no matter what.

"……Although his appearance has completely changed, he did not utilize that 'appearance'."

She is nothing more than a 'Control Tower'."

"Yes."

Ging takes over Sora's monologue.

"... No way..."

Kaito, also looking at the soaked Kiyohime, who is an ominous Chimera of dog and human, mutters.

"... I thought I was a dog-god user, which is why I turned into the appearance of a dog, but thinking about it carefully, there is no reason for it."

Hating Atram and Alba, or helping her daughter, is not a reason for Kiyohime to stop being human and turn into a dog.

Like a dog, you might not have the desire to kill people in a cruel way using your own hands, using your fangs.

Kiyohime did not take any action to utilize her appearance.

Even if she died, even if she became such a terrifying figure, Kiyohime only played the role of a "Control Tower" for commanding and manipulating the Inugami.

Kiyohime is still manipulating the Inugami that should not have been handed over.

If certain conditions are met, it should automatically activate. A Constraint system.

Commander, dog.

... Reaching this point, it is conceivable.

Ging says.

"The Inugami received a proper inheritance."

"That is why Kiyohime dog..."

Even if completely destroyed, even if driven mad, it will never lose the thing that shines.

Even if you abandon all human dignity, it speaks of unconditional love itself, still protecting for the sake of protecting.

"That's right, Sora. Not just the 'killing' you mentioned, but also the 'killing' you mentioned; if you commit it, if you want to stain it with your own hands, Kiyohime will abandon humanity and become a dog. I became..."

Perhaps Kiyohime's own lineage is a Transmuter or a Conjurer.

Kiyohime, who has become the existence of ghost Aura itself, changed her appearance, changed the nature of her Aura, and intervened by integrating herself into the "Inugami" ability.

By becoming the Inugami herself, Kiyohime has already controlled the ability she could not control.

Even if his status rose to that of a Nen user due to his death, this "Inugami" cannot be completely abandoned. If it were just removed, the current successor would certainly be attacked by the Inugami immediately after removing it, and most importantly, the Inugami is your greatest enemy. Father.

So I had to fall into the "Inugami" Nen Ability system, break the chain of command, and control myself.

If I didn't do this, I would be used as a tool, or my ability would go out of control with some kind of beat. In order not to kill anyone, to say I killed myself, to protect myself, to protect myself, I stopped being human.

So I am certain.

This is not Kiyohime's ability. Kiyohime lost her "Inugami" a long time ago.

That is the inherited 'daughter' Inugami!!"

Her dying words were not directed at Sora or Kaito.

Ging turns to look at the two who had been trying hard to remain silent, his face pale, not saying unnecessary words, not digging his own grave, a firm assertion.

Kiyohime's daughter is still alive.

... But this is not the only way to salvation.

"Return, return, return, return, return, return!!"

If she became a part of the daughter's Nen Ability, Kiyohime, who was given Aura by her daughter, should be the one who understands her daughter's happiness best.

But outside the Residence, she opens her eyes, her eyes bloodshot, continuing to scream resentfully for her daughter to be returned.

Because she is now imbued with her daughter's Aura, even if separated by Alba's Barrier, she can know her daughter's state.

Kiyohime forgot her own purpose, heartbroken to the point of madness, not because he wanted to save his own daughter, but because he was afraid that it was already too late to escape reality.

She went mad because she was constantly facing the cruel reality that her daughter is still alive but not safe.

... Like a dog, buried alive, with food in front of it, hungry to the limit.

"You!! What on earth did you do!?"

Finally, most of the mysteries were solved, and Kaito shouted out the last remaining mystery.

The mystery of why Atram and Alba had a bad relationship and remained silent was also solved.

The reason I decided to remain silent was not because I was waiting for the storm to pass, but because Sora misunderstood the core of the matter without knowing it. My own.

From their perspective, they thought it would be more convenient if they thought their daughter was dead. Sure enough, after dealing with the Inugami and Kiyohime, he probably intended to stick to saying he knew nothing about the daughter.

In fact, they have not yet spoken of the existence of a "daughter".

This is just speculation, there is no physical evidence, and if you are told there is no such fact, there is almost nothing you can do.

What's more, the premise that "my daughter is dead" is wrong, so no matter how I look, I cannot find any evidence.

Up to this point, although he understood, Kaito did not comprehend.

Ging likely did not know either. It was hard to imagine.

The reality was that a mother who had abandoned everything for her daughter had already gone mad, having almost lost the purpose of becoming her daughter, who was most important to her.

I cannot understand or imagine a situation where I am still alive but not safe.

"... What are you talking about!?"

The silence was broken.

Perhaps out of desperation, because he realized he could no longer remain silent or deceive himself, Atram exploded with what he had been bottling up until now, slammed a fist onto the floor, his pale complexion turning bright red, and roared.

"Yes!

What is it!? Not to mention you killed them, you are still alive, so others have no reason to talk about you!!

If you understand, then do something about that monster!"

"No..."

Kaito was speechless at his rather innocent provocation.

Ging frowned and said, "I indeed have no right to speak on this matter, but just because you are a parent, you have no right to treat your child as a tool! Are children the property of their parents!" he shouted.

However, Atram immediately responded to Ging's words.

"What are you talking about? Tool or not, children are the property of their parents."

It seemed so natural; he looked at Ging pitifully, as if saying, "Don't you know?"

Although I was speechless, I understood.

Atram Gariasta did not give up.

Because he believed his argument was legitimate, he was furious, thinking Ging's words and actions were nothing more than unreasonable accusations.

"Children are troublesome, weak, and stupid creatures; they cannot survive unless their parents protect them. It is ridiculous to give them rights and dignity."

A creature that would easily die if I did not take measures is overrated even as property. If you don't do anything, at least inorganic matter won't break or cause trouble.

And a child's duty is to grow into the performance their parents want; I want to make my daughter my loyal, capable instrument.

What kind of future do parents want for their children? Do not impose your complacent humanism on others. I feel sick."

"That's right! What you do to your daughter has nothing to do with me, someone else!

So stop involving me, Atram!!"

Returning to that line that had been completely shelved, I did not know what to say; in the past, I was a child born and raised under the protection of my parents.

However, Atram sneered at Alba, who was still too terrified to retort.

"Involved?

The resentment you bought is yours, Alba. Do not push the responsibility onto me."

"Yes. I agree with you."

Alba was about to refute Atram's most nerve-wracking reasoning, but a voice intervened before that.

Sora looked at Kiyohime outside the glass door and said faintly.

"I am not involved. This is the result of your choices, Alba.

You too, Atram."

The Atram reflected in the mirror had his face twisted with disgust, but Sora still did not look.

She just kept staring at Kiyohime through the glass and continued speaking.

"Your argument is far from a provocation, but even if it were true, your daughter is not your sole property. She is also Kiyohime's daughter, and it is her responsibility to grow up in the way Kiyohime wishes her to grow. Right.

... And choosing which 'duty' to follow depends on the child's will as a human. You have no right or reason to interfere."

"The dead have no right to interfere with the living, don't you think? I am here to stop you, don't say stupid nice things, hurry up and kill that monster!! The employer's order is—can you not hear me speaking!?"

Atram shouted at his rebuttal after affirming his unreasonable argument, but Sora laughed while turning her back to Atram.

"What's wrong!?"

"Isn't it strange? I am your employer, so what? Of course, I am employed by you, but I came here because I was employed voluntarily, just like Alba over there. I will not break the rules again when I feel like it.

The relationship between employer and employee is essentially equal because it is based on the Equivalent Exchange of labor and reward. If you want them to listen to your orders, the first thing you should do is give them a fair price, right?"

While laughing as if to ward off the angry voice of Atram, she first explained the reason for her laughter.

Admittedly, his current state was that Atram had put a collar on him and held him with a leash, but it was a very simple fact that he could remove the collar at any time, not Atram.

Atram, who had not noticed such a simple and clear fact until now, was never a fool; facing this fact... Sora, really, Kaito had rebelled and betrayed him. His complexion turned pale again.

Now, power and money were meaningless here. Sora and the others were the strong ones; he understood that he was the overwhelmingly weak one, kept alive by the mercy of the other party.

His heart was completely broken; Atram had only one thought in his mind, which was how to survive through obsession and worship.

However, no one here showed mercy or gave him time to answer his thoughts.

"First of all, Atram.

How do you define 'death'?"

Sora asked, still keeping her back turned.

But I was not looking for an answer. Sora spoke without doubt.

"If a corpse can no longer interfere with the living, that is a kind of salvation.

But the living cannot stop interfering; the dead always involve us unilaterally and violently, unless we die again and completely forget them. Even so, they will not listen to what I say, they will not give me answers, and they will not change.

In my view, even if Kiyohime and I parted ways, as long as we could understand each other a little, we would still be living a normal life."

For once, she lowered her eyelids and spoke softly about "death."

Behind her lowered eyelids, there was a girl who, although she had found the "answer," was still unilaterally bringing humiliation upon herself.

"Don't you know?"

Compared to Sora, who did not listen to the voice saying "I ask because I don't know" and kept crying and laughing, Kiyohime was cute.

Therefore, Sora opened his eyes and said with a smile.

I gripped the cheap Ballpoint Pen in my right hand once more.

"That's too bad, Boss.

To me, Kiyohime and you are in the same category of 'living,' so setting aside the dead who cannot be changed, if there is a way to change them, I want to help them, so I am canceling this request."

Sora, who had finally turned around, said this to Atram with a refreshing smile, as if he were pronouncing a death sentence.

Even if they were knocked down, Atram and Alba would still shout, "Wait!"

Sora ignored these words and turned his gaze back to the glass door.

"Ah, let us see you in it."

I raised my right hand and thrust the Ballpoint Pen into the glass door.

A mass-produced Ballpoint Pen will not break thick glass, and if the glass were to break, the Ballpoint Pen would shatter.

I could not pierce the glass.

But she said, it was piercing something else deeply.

A void in the sky.

Sky sky to sky from.

Possessing heavenly beauty, azure eyes.

"This is 'death'."

The Barrier of Alba covering the mansion was too simple and fleeting. Vanished died.