"Just a single casual strike..."
Botobai murmured, dazed, staring blankly at Akira standing atop the Blackthorn Gorilla.
Before this, he knew Akira was strong, but that strength had never been concretely demonstrated.
Even now, it still wasn't fully quantified, but Botobai realized one thing:
Akira's growth rate was terrifyingly fast!
He still remembered the first time he heard the name "Akira"—just two years ago, during the Moros Ruins expedition.
It was Pyon the Rabbit who had mentioned him.
And it was during that same incident that Akira nearly single-handedly defeated two S-class criminals from The Seven Deadly Sins—Envy and Wrath.
From then on, he rose to prominence, advancing unstoppably until his name became known across all six continents.
Now, no one knew where his limits lay.
His strength was such that even the Dark Continent—dubbed Humanity's Forbidden Zone—couldn't hold him back.
He came and went as if it were his own backyard.
Truly worthy of being their association's chairman.
Botobai had now fully grasped Akira's overwhelming power—far more impactful than any words could convey.
Glancing at the stunned Botobai, Akira took a step forward and instantly appeared before the crowd.
Many unfamiliar faces were among them, but there were also plenty of familiar ones—like Muheer, and others.
"Captain, how has your recent exploration been going?"
Muheer, usually cold-faced, finally cracked a smile as he asked with concern.
The old team members were always worried about Akira's progress.
Even though they knew nothing in the Dark Continent could hinder this man's advance,
they still couldn't help but care.
Not out of worry for Akira, but to know whether he was still pushing forward.
Though they lacked the ability to follow him, they placed their hopes for the Dark Continent entirely on their captain.
What they couldn't achieve, they entrusted to him.
In their hearts, no obstacle could stop Akira.
He was like a banner, representing humanity's relentless conquest of the Dark Continent!
This meant the Dark Continent wouldn't remain Humanity's Dead End—humans had the right to set foot on that land.
And perhaps... even conquer it!
Akira, unusually, smiled faintly. "Don't worry, I'm still moving forward."
Though only a month had passed since their last meeting, it felt much longer.
No matter what, they were comrades who had explored together—a bond no one else could match.
This team would also become his strongest foundation, with the potential to shine brilliantly again in the future.
Even now, Muheer and the others were involved, assisting with the Imaginary Continent project.
Swish—swish—
Two rustling sounds came from the thickets on either side—the sound of fabric brushing against leaves.
Then, two figures emerged one after another, drawing everyone's attention.
The newcomers were Jonah and Ryder, arriving to lend their aid.
Jonah was still carrying that large blade, while Ryder's appearance differed somewhat from Jonah's.
If Jonah was a robust man, exuding masculine hormones with his solid, powerful muscles, then Ryder appeared much leaner—a wiry man with sharp, piercing eyes.
Yet their strengths were on par, with little difference between them, both being leaders of the elite soldiers.
Upon arriving, the first thing they noticed was the fallen black-spined gorilla lying on the ground, a glimmer of understanding flashing in their eyes.
In truth, even before arriving, they had heard an unusually loud thud, akin to the earth itself trembling.
Thus, they had already formed some conjectures, but for thoroughness' sake, they had still proceeded toward the source.
Only... it seemed they had only guessed half of it?
Exchanging a glance, they both spotted Botobai standing there in a daze, as well as Akira at the forefront of the crowd.
Had that man come in person?
Not daring to delay, Jonah and Ryder quickly approached Akira's side, bending deeply at the waist in a respectful bow.
From any perspective, they held Akira in the highest regard.
After all, strictly speaking, their consciousnesses were controlled by Nihilego.
Such reverence was only natural.
Witnessing this, Cheadle lightly adjusted her glasses, a glint reflecting off the lenses.
Her eyes brimmed with certainty.
If before she had only been 80% convinced, now she was almost certain her thoughts were correct.
She knew the personalities of these two elite soldier leaders well—usually, they barely spoke a word to anyone.
Yet, upon seeing Akira, their first reaction was to bow deeply.
This was impossible for her to overlook.
Akira flicked a subtle glance at Cheadle, letting her think what she would—after all, he had no reason to deliberately hide anything.
Only then did Cheadle belatedly react, asking, "What brings you here this time?"
Logically, Akira should have been on the distant Dark Continent.
Had something happened to prompt his sudden arrival?
Could it be that he had sensed Botobai was in a stalemate and rushed over from thousands of miles away?
That seemed utterly impossible, didn't it?
Akira instinctively glanced past Cheadle and the others toward the direction where the ship was docked.
Kurapika and a portion of the group belonged to the ship-guarding unit and hadn't followed onto the island.
"I came to take Kurapika for a task. Happening upon the stalemate in battle, I simply resolved it."
His original plan had only involved retrieving Kurapika—he hadn't expected to stumble upon a new surprise upon arrival.
Namely, the newly spawned breeding strip on this island.
As for what Pokémon the breeding strip would produce, Akira currently had no clue.
But it was most likely a Grass-type Pokémon.
After all, this island wasn't particularly large, with rainforests covering much of its area, so Grass-types were the natural probability.
Delving deeper, it might be related to creatures like monkeys or gorillas.
After sensing the aura around him, he concluded that the fallen gorilla had been the strongest creature on the island.
Hence, this conjecture.
Grass-type, and a gorilla.
Hmm…
The more he thought about it, the more it resembled Rillaboom, a Pokémon he had already obtained.
Akira reined in his thoughts, exchanged a few casual words with the group, and then—
Just as mysteriously as he had appeared—vanished.
The next moment, he materialized aboard the Hunter Association's ship, right beside Kurapika.
"Kurapika, are you ready?"
A voice suddenly spoke beside him, startling Kurapika into immediately activating his Aura and entering a combat stance.
Only when he saw that it was Akira did Kurapika relax, unclenching his tightly balled fists.
"So it's you, Akira."
Letting out a sigh of relief, Kurapika finally processed Akira's words, his spirits lifting instantly:
"Has... the time finally come?"
Kurapika's voice was quiet, and he couldn't help but tense up, feeling an inexplicable mix of excitement and nervousness, like someone returning home after a long absence.
Though they were strangers, the thought of meeting clansmen who shared the same bloodline still filled him with joy.
Akira nodded and said, "That's right. I've already met a few of them. Next, I'll take you to where they live."
Hearing Akira's confirmation, Kurapika felt another surge of happiness and naturally hesitated no longer.
After briefly instructing the ship's crew, he followed Akira and left.
...
Somewhere on the slopes of a volcano in the Dark Continent.
Search team leader Enke, Bruh, and the others were waiting for Akira.
Due to the influence of supernatural mental manipulation, none of the ten felt anything amiss.
Instead, they obediently waited for Akira to bring Kurapika to them.
A flash of white light appeared, and the figures of Akira and Kurapika materialized before the group.
As the light faded, everyone got a clear look at their appearances.
Akira, of course, was someone they had seen not long ago, but what drew their attention more was Kurapika.
Or rather, the highly distinctive robes he wore.
With just a little careful comparison, one would notice that the details of Kurapika's clothing closely resembled those of Bruh and the others.
Enke hesitated slightly before addressing Kurapika in the Kurta clan's language.
"Are you... one of our clansmen?"
Hearing the familiar yet foreign words, Kurapika froze for a moment, overwhelmed by an indescribable emotion.
His heart was a whirlwind of conflicting feelings.
Looking at these unfamiliar faces speaking in a familiar tongue, his vision blurred, as if he were seeing the clansmen he had once lived alongside.
But alas, the dead were gone.
No matter how similar, these people could never truly be the clansmen he had known...
At this thought, Kurapika couldn't hold back—his eyes reddened slightly, and his irises shifted from black to red.
The dazzling, radiant Scarlet Eyes were unmistakable, fully displayed before Enke and the others.
Seeing those unmistakable Scarlet Eyes—akin to an anti-counterfeiting mark—Enke clapped his hands together, completely certain that Kurapika was indeed their clansman.
Language could be learned and imitated.
But these eyes were impossible to replicate.
After all, the Kurta clan's Scarlet Eyes weren't like the Sharingan from Konoha, which could be transplanted and used at will.
Seeing Kurapika's subdued emotions and the faint glimmer of tears in his eyes, Enke couldn't help but grasp his hand sincerely and say.
"Child, you've suffered all this time."
"Welcome home!"
Hearing this, Kurapika found it even harder to suppress his emotions, barely managing to hold back his tears.
The others gathered around, looking at Kurapika with concern in their eyes.
Even now, Bruh and the rest still believed Kurapika was a clansman who had gone missing from their group.
Unbeknownst to them, Kurapika was a clansman from the Six Continents.
Yet Enke's words weren't entirely wrong—by sheer coincidence, they had struck upon the truth.
Ever since the annihilation of his clan, Kurapika had been living in guilt and self-blame, his heart consumed by hatred.
His days could hardly be called good.
The home that once belonged to him had long since vanished.
If he hadn't met Gon and the others later, he might have continued down an extreme path indefinitely.
But now, Enke's words seemed to offer him a new home—a wandering child had found a new place to belong.
Akira, standing nearby, didn't interrupt but quietly allowed Kurapika to vent his emotions.
Once they reached the settlement, they would likely learn about Kurapika's origins.
After a while, Kurapika's condition improved somewhat, and he trembled slightly as he said.
"Thank you..."
Enke replied heartily, "No need for thanks. We're family now. Come, let's take you home."
On the way, Akira and the others learned that Enke and his group had ventured out to scout for dangers in the surrounding area.
Enke whispered, "I suppose you already know about the terrifying battle that took place in that area a couple of days ago."
"It was horrifying—like the heavens and earth were splitting apart. A vast stretch of land was completely destroyed."
"According to the elders, it was the manifestation of a forbidden entity from the depths of the continent."
Seeing Enke deliberately lowering his voice, his face filled with lingering fear, Akira couldn't shake the sense of déjà vu...
Wasn't he talking about him?!
That earth-shattering battle was the aftermath of the fight between Zygarde and the Snake Lord's avatar.
He hadn't realized that the battle had also frightened the Kurta clan here in the volcanic region.
But thinking about it, the scale of the battle was indeed massive—even the volcanic region must have felt the tremors.
Not to mention the Snake Lord's colossal, "sun-and-moon-devouring" form floating in the sky, which they had likely seen from afar.
And so, inexplicably, he had become the forbidden entity in Enke's stories.
Hmm...
In terms of power, he could indeed be considered a forbidden existence.
Hearing Enke's explanation, Kurapika's breath hitched, and he stared blankly at the distant expanse of barren land.
Though it was quite far away, the devastation was so extensive that even from a distance, the aftermath was clearly visible.
Yet, Enke claimed this apocalyptic scene was the result of a battle.
For Kurapika, who had spent his life on the six continents, this was nothing short of a fantasy.
He couldn't even begin to imagine how enormous a creature would have to be to cause such destruction.
Just how terrifying must its power be?
But...
For some reason.
As Kurapika stared at the vast, ruined battlefield—where entire mountain ranges had collapsed—he felt an inexplicable sense of familiarity.
Had he... seen something like this before?
Kurapika frowned, crossing his arms, but couldn't recall what it was.
Something about a terrifyingly destructive creature?
Lost in thought, Kurapika happened to glance at Akira, who stood calmly beside him, and a flash of realization struck him.
That's it!
The one who blasted through the Trick Tower during the Hunter Exam, destroyed an entire island... and turned the forest in front of Killua's home into a scene resembling a meteor impact—the unstoppable force of destruction!
Wasn't that none other than Akira, standing right beside him?