Running into Bruh was a pleasant surprise for Akira, saving him the trouble of searching.
But there was another surprise.
After meeting Bruh, a new incubation bar appeared in his mind, progressing steadily.
Considering the Unown he'd incubated at the Stone Giant Cave—the ruins of the Bone Clan—Akira guessed this new bar likely meant another Unown.
Though it was clearly hinted that collecting all types of Unown would bring a surprise, Akira still couldn't muster much enthusiasm.
The goal was just too far off.
He believed there were twenty-six unique humanoid species on the Dark Continent, having already encountered two.
But the Dark Continent was vast.
Twenty-six species? It might take years to gather them all. Fantasizing about it now was pointless.
Instead, Akira was more curious about whether the Kurta clan's settlement on the Dark Continent would bring him another surprise.
Soon, Bruh led Akira to his team.
This team was a Kurta clan scouting unit, with a full roster of ten members led by a captain and a deputy.
Since the clan needed supplies to survive, the scouting team was responsible for gathering resources and surveying the surrounding area.
The Dark Continent was fraught with dangers, with terrifying disasters lurking everywhere, so not just anyone could join the scouting team.
Generally, being selected meant your strength ranked among the clan's best.
Most were robust men in their thirties or forties—the peak of physical fitness.
Bruh was an exceptional talent of his generation, qualifying for the scouting team in his early twenties.
Akira could also tell Bruh was extraordinary.
Despite being barely twenty, his strength had already reached S- rank.
A small glimpse revealed much—the Kurta clan on the Dark Continent was far from weak, at least far surpassing those on the Six Continents.
After all, surviving and thriving in such a place required formidable skills.
The scouting team's average strength was S- rank, representing the clan's highest combat level.
The strongest was the captain, the only S-rank powerhouse in the team.
"Hmm... would you mind describing the appearance of this clansman you mentioned?"
The captain was a middle-aged man with stubble on his chin and a scar across his forehead, eyeing Akira warily.
He was much older than Bruh—almost twice his age—and naturally more experienced.
He knew full well that the person before him might be human... or might not be.
When faced with the unfamiliar, caution was never the wrong choice.
As the captain, he was responsible not only for his team but also for his people.
There was no way he would casually bring an unknown "person" of unclear origins to their hidden settlement.
Akira smiled faintly, saying nothing more.
It was only natural for them to be wary, and he didn't believe mere words would make them understand.
So he decided to simplify things.
For example... having Diancie use its psychic abilities to slightly alter their perception.
Nothing too drastic—just enough to make them realize he meant no harm.
A flash of pink light flickered past, and Bruh and the others' eyes momentarily glazed over before quickly clearing again, as if nothing had changed.
Enke, the stubbled captain, gave Akira a friendly nod and spoke.
"If that's the case, then let us take you back with us."
"I'm sure our people will be happy to meet you."
Instead of agreeing right away, Akira declined first.
"No rush."
"There's still one person missing. I'll bring him here first."
.....
After a fierce battle, the Hunter Association had made significant progress.
Compared to the battle-hardened hunters—each with their own well-coordinated and formidable Nen Abilities—the Blackthorn Gorillas' combat prowess seemed mediocre.
At first, their decline wasn't obvious, but as time passed, their disadvantage became increasingly apparent.
The clearest evidence was that the battlefield was littered only with the corpses of Blackthorn Gorillas—not a single human had fallen.
Of course, injuries were unavoidable, but with timely treatment, no one suffered severe wounds.
And certainly no deaths.
Everything was progressing steadily, with the Blackthorn Gorillas retreating step by step, clearly struggling to hold their ground.
BAM!
Botobai's massive frame bulldozed through the gorillas, each casual punch unleashing devastating shockwaves.
The Blackthorn Gorilla that had been fighting him earlier was already dead, and with no "gorilla" left to restrain him, he was like a wolf among sheep.
Unstoppable.
The gorillas' pride—their black thorns—were utterly useless against him, striking his body as if hitting solid steel.
They couldn't even break his defenses.
"Botobai-sama is incredible!"
"Go, Zodiac Dragon!"
Witnessing this, the hunters cheered from the rear, and for a moment, the battlefield seemed to become Botobai's solo performance.
A faint smile flickered in Cheadle's eyes.
As the combat pillar of the Twelve Zodiacs, Botobai's strength was indeed nothing to scoff at.
As part of a collective, she couldn't help but feel proud of his outstanding performance.
Botobai himself remained composed, steadily "dispatching" one gorilla after another at his own pace.
Then—
A terrifying aura surged from the depths of the rainforest, spreading across the battlefield and enveloping everyone present.
The pressure was overwhelming, as conspicuous as a bright lamp in the dead of night.
It weighed on their hearts like a mountain, and the joy they had felt moments ago vanished without a trace.
In its place, a heavy gloom settled over them.
Botobai's pupils trembled as if he had discovered something unbelievable, his heavily painted face darkening with intensity.
He had originally thought there were no stronger beings left on this island, but to his surprise...
Indeed, even in this imagined continent, one must not let their guard down.
Who knows what might appear in the next moment?
Just like the owner of this aura before him—its presence was no weaker than his own.
If a fight broke out, he likely wouldn't gain much advantage.
Botobai closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and spoke in a low voice.
"Everyone, fall back!"
"This battlefield is not one you can step into!"
In an instant, Botobai tensed his arms, his muscles bulging as thick, refined Aura erupted from his body.
The meticulously honed Aura surged skyward like a waterfall descending from the heavens, forming a sea of energy.
The ground beneath Botobai's feet couldn't withstand the pressure—not even a crack could be heard before a crater formed.
The surrounding land within a ten-meter radius sank as if struck by an earthquake, followed by a sudden gale of wind.
Before anyone could react in shock, the crushing weight pressing on their shoulders abruptly lightened, the pressure vanishing instantly.
This was Botobai's aura clashing with the enemy's, indirectly relieving the burden on the others.
Cheadle gave Botobai a deep glance before turning and shouting, "Everyone, retreat!"
Naturally, no one resisted, obeying the command and stepping back.
Cheadle then called out to a few others, sending them to the left and right sides of the island to seek help from Jonah and the others.
She worried that Botobai alone might not be enough.
With all three of them working together, the situation would be far more secure.
If nothing unexpected happened, the owner of this aura was likely the ruler of this island.
"ROAR!!"
A fierce roar erupted from the depths, its bone-shaking intensity piercing through hearts and tightening chests.
By now, the group had retreated a considerable distance, leaving only a faint glimpse of Botobai's broad back.
At this moment, his silhouette seemed like an unshakable fortress, a sturdy gate blocking all danger.
Botobai stood motionless, then suddenly opened his eyes as if sensing something.
A sharp glint flashed.
Above the rainforest, a massive figure abruptly appeared, plummeting down like a meteor.
"BOOM!!"
The enormous body crashed down, crushing trees and the earth beneath it in an instant.
Dust billowed, thick smoke spreading across the field, yet it couldn't obscure the monster's form.
The creature stood about five to six meters tall, covered in black fur, its upper limbs grotesquely muscular—clearly a giant black-spined gorilla.
Botobai's lips twitched. Though he found the situation absurd, there was no time for hesitation now.
He stepped forward with his left foot, arms poised in a combat stance.
The enemy was massive, but their auras were evenly matched—no need for excessive fear...
The colossal black-spined gorilla pounded its chest, then swung a palm the size of a human directly at Botobai, aiming to crush him in one strike.
At the critical moment, Botobai sidestepped left, narrowly dodging the attack, then slashed down with a hand-chop wrapped in Aura.
"THUD!"
Yet the Aura-infused strike was effortlessly blocked by the creature's fur—astonishingly tough.
Botobai's brow furrowed, his eyelids twitching involuntarily.
Only now did he realize—the gorilla's fur was composed of countless tiny black spines.
And its hardness was far superior to that of an ordinary Black Thorn Gorilla.
Without sufficient Aura, even breaking its defense would be impossible.
Just now, he had used 30% of his [Ken], only to be blocked by its fur.
"Roar!"
The Black Thorn Gorilla was furious, and countless black thorns shot out simultaneously.
Like an inescapable net, they enveloped Botobai.
This single barrage of black thorns alone surpassed the combined strength of all other Black Thorn Gorillas.
Botobai's expression darkened, and he had no choice but to unleash a more intense [Ren] to try and block the thorns.
Seeing this, the Black Thorn Gorilla extended both hands and launched an even more ferocious attack.
An indestructible body, extraordinary speed, and unpredictable large-scale black thorn attacks.
This left Botobai feeling overwhelmed, making it difficult for him to deal significant damage to the Black Thorn Gorilla in a short time.
Either go all out, risking severe injury, and use [Ko] to strike a vital point.
Or adopt a delaying tactic, waiting for the other two to arrive and take it down together.
Without much thought, Botobai chose the latter—clearly the best option.
As expected, Jonah and the other were already on their way.
The more Botobai dodged, the more frenzied the Black Thorn Gorilla became, its eyes growing increasingly bloodshot.
The aura it emitted grew even more violent, its rationality teetering on the edge of collapse.
At a certain critical point, the Black Thorn Gorilla roared and unleashed countless black thorns—far denser than before!
Botobai's alarm bells rang loudly as he frantically retreated, his steps swift as the wind.
Yet, he couldn't escape the wide-ranging attack.
At the last possible moment, Botobai closed and opened his eyes, only to find himself inexplicably outside the attack range.
As if he had teleported.
At the same time, another figure appeared beside him, gazing at the massive Black Thorn Gorilla with keen interest.
Behind them, Cheadle's pupils constricted as she stared at the suddenly appearing figure, momentarily speechless.
Botobai rubbed his eyes, his expression full of disbelief, and exclaimed.
"Chairman?"
Akira raised a hand in greeting. "Yo, looks like the battle's at a stalemate."
The newcomer was none other than Akira.
He had come to take Kurapika away, to let him see his clansmen on the Dark Continent.
And to check on the progress of the advance team.
Coincidentally, he stumbled upon the battle between the Zodiac Dragon and the gorilla.
At the same time, upon arriving on the island, a new incubation bar appeared in his mind.
Though its progress was slower than the previous one.
"Captain?"
"Chairman?"
Upon Akira's appearance, the people behind him addressed him in two ways.
One group, led by Muheer, were the old team members who called him "Captain"—a more intimate term.
The other, led by Cheadle, were Hunters who addressed him as "Chairman."
Akira nodded in acknowledgment.
For now, the priority was dealing with the giant gorilla.
In the next moment, Akira's figure flickered, and he suddenly appeared above the Black Thorn Gorilla, slamming his right hand downward.
"BOOM!!"
The gorilla's head caved in deeply, its eyes rolling back as consciousness completely faded.
Its massive body collapsed to the ground with a thunderous impact, kicking up another cloud of dust.
Silence fell instantly, the air thick with awe.
Botobai, along with the hunters who had never seen Akira in action before, were left slack-jawed and wide-eyed.
They never expected Akira could effortlessly handle the Blackthorn Gorilla that even Botobai struggled with—just by casually making a move.
This was... the prowess of the world's strongest!
This was the undisputed number one among humans.
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