Botobai had no choice but to step off the Black Whale and see it for himself.
As a mber of the Hunter Association, he couldn't dismiss such a serious danger just because it ca from Nasubi. Not without verifying it. Especially when the man had provided no direct evidence—only claims.
And Botobai didn't trust Nasubi. Nor did he trust Beyond. But his impression of Ging Freecss remained relatively positive.
The five of them passed through the corridor and exited the Black Whale.
A wave of corrosive air struck them imdiately.
They had to circulate more aura to reinforce their Ten and counteract the toxic atmosphere.
Nasubi pointed downward. "The ship is just below."
With that, he leapt.
He landed on what was referred to as a small boat—though in truth, it wasn't small at all. It only looked that way when compared to the Black Whale. By the Human World's standards, it could easily be classified as a luxury cruise liner.
The others followed one after another, jumping down onto the deck.
Nasubi took the captain's seat and began steering. Ron and the other three took their places around the vessel. Aside from Ron and Beyond, the others had never seen the sea beyond the Human World.
Beyond had already been here before. This wasn't his first venture into the Dark Continent. While Ron had been regularly fishing recently and was sowhat familiar with these waters.
Ron studied him.
On the surface, Beyond didn't resemble Netero much. His appearance, his conduct—none of it seed similar. But deep down, Ron could feel it. At their core, Beyond and Netero were the sa kind of person.
The type who would pay any price to reach their goal.
To face the Chira Ant King, Netero had implanted the Poor Man's Rose into his own chest, linking it directly to his heart so he could die along with the King and take the old era with him.
Right now, Beyond was the sa. He had only one thought in his heart: to reach the Dark Continent.
Collaborate with Kakin. Be watched by the Hunter Association. He didn't care. None of that mattered to him.
The engines rumbled to life.
The cruiser surged forward at high speed.
But the noise stirred sothing beneath the surface.
Predators.
They mistook the vessel for a giant fish and moved in to hunt.
Bang!
A massive fish slamd into the side of the cruiser, jolting the entire vessel violently.
"We need to deal with them," soone said. "This isn't a reinforced ship—it's just a normal cruiser. A few more hits like that and it'll fall apart."
Ron and the others exchanged glances. Then each moved to one side of the ship—front, back, left, right.
Ron positioned himself near the stern.
A massive dorsal fin cut through the waves.
Ron activated his ability.
"Aka."
She appeared instantly, demon blade Murasa in hand. She leapt to the water's surface, focusing aura into her feet to keep balance atop the sea.
Slash!
A single arc of her blade.
Murasa pierced the fin, and its ability activated at once.
A powerful cursed venom spread through the fish's body. Within monts, it was dead.
Against sea creatures like these, using Aka was the most efficient option. Their huge bodies made them easy to hit. They weren't smart enough to avoid attacks. And while physically strong, they weren't strong enough to survive a clean strike. If Aka hit them, they died.
The corpse quickly attracted a feeding frenzy.
Predators sward, tearing into the body and ripping flesh from bone.
But that brought another problem.
The scent of blood spread, drawing even more sea life to the area.
And yet, leaving those attacking the ship unchecked wasn't an option.
As the swarm thickened, Ron and the others found themselves overwheld with work.
But the situation wasn't without benefit.
With so many creatures gathered here, it was likely they'd lure out the thing that had been drawn to the Black Whale in the first place.
For the Black Whale, that would be a win.
Ging appeared above the waves.
Botobai raised one hand. A Nen bullet flew from his fingers, striking the water and exploding instantly.
The nearby creatures were shredded into pieces.
Beyond used a different technique. His aura didn't kill—it simply drove the creatures away.
Aka ran and leapt across the sea. Wherever she passed, the water turned red.
Suddenly, the sea creatures panicked.
As if startled by sothing, they scattered in all directions, abandoning the feeding grounds entirely.
"It's here," Nasubi said grimly, eyes focused ahead.
Ron and the others paused and moved toward the bow.
And then they saw it.
A colossal form surfaced, rising like a mountain above the waves.
"An octopus?" Ron's brow furrowed slightly.
The creature resembled an octopus—massive head, long suction-cupped limbs—but everything about it was grotesquely scaled up.
Its aura was strange, reminiscent of the twisted creatures that had appeared aboard the Black Whale.
"So this is why the Black Whale was targeted?"
Ron glanced at Nasubi.
If that was the case, then the one responsible for drawing it in… was Nasubi himself.
Two scarlet eyes broke the surface, locking onto the cruiser with a steady red glow.
"This thing qualifies as disaster-class," Beyond said. "On the Human World's side, there are natural limits. Creatures can't grow this big. But beyond that… there are no such restrictions."
"Gigantification is a valid evolutionary path," he continued. "And compared to more complicated monsters, giant ones are usually easier to deal with. Their abilities are straightforward."
There was a flicker of excitent in Beyond's eyes as he stared at the enormous octopus.
"It's been a while since I stretched my legs."
"I'll take this one."
And with that, he dashed across the sea, speeding toward the beast.
He reached it in seconds, gathering aura into his fist and striking out.
Boom!
The next instant, Beyond flew back even faster than he had charged in.
Ron stared for a mont in silence.
When Beyond had said those words, Ron had genuinely assud he had a plan.
Apparently not.
"We'll go together," Nasubi said, rotating his neck with a crack as his gaze sharpened.
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