In the blink of an eye-
Kyuki, who had attacked in fury, was sliced in half by Moses with a single slash.
Such overwhelming strength thoroughly intimidated the remaining members of Beyond's team.
Kyuki's upper body lay on the rocky ground, her expression frozen, though a faint trace of confusion could still be seen in her eyes.
Moses stood with his back to Kyuki's bisected body, not even bothering to glance back to confirm the outcome of the fight. He simply lowered his hand slowly, dismissing the black blade in his grasp.
"Beyond is dead."
His gaze swept over each member of Beyond's team one by one, and then Moses slightly restrained the Aura lingering around him and said calmly: "But you don't have to die."
"Huh?"
Hearing Moses's words, the expressions of the members of Beyond's team changed slightly.
Muherr, the captain of the Stone Wall Task Force, a mercenary group who worked purely for money, stared intently at Moses and asked, "What do you mean by that?"
"I mean you should surrender."
Moses glanced at Muherr, who had spoken up.
Having defeated Beyond in an instant and then decimating Kyuki with a single slash-
This was the leverage Moses held to force this group of people to surrender.
A flicker of hesitation passed through Muherr's eyes.
Anyone with a discerning eye could see that the situation was extremely dire, and if they continued fighting, the only outcome would be their gradual annihilation.
The only difference was how many they could drag down with them.
Muherr hesitated, lost in thought, and the others did the same.
Some wavered, while others were already tempted...
After all, before Moses returned, none of them could have imagined that someone as powerful as Beyond would lose so decisively.
For them, this outcome was like the final straw that broke the camel's back.
It also forces them to consider the consequences of opposing Moses.
Would they surrender for a chance to live, or end up like Kyuki on the ground...?
"I surrender."
After a brief silence, one of Beyond's subordinates, who had taken the Chimera Ants to Beyond back then, was the first to speak up.
All the members of Beyond's team turned to look at their comrade who had surrendered first, and soon, they too made their decisions.
"I'd rather face that dragon from earlier than fight this monster."
Someone muttered under their breath before also choosing to surrender.
When faced with the certainty that continuing the fight would only mean pointless death, most people wouldn't refuse the second option Moses offered.
The biggest reason was simple-
Moses's strength far surpassed theirs.
Seeing that the people in Beyond's team make the most rational choice, Moses nodded slightly.
If the members recruited by Beyond were all mercenaries like the Stone Wall Task Force, then Moses wouldn't have hesitated to kill them all.
After all, mercenaries were a group that worked purely for money. They live on the edge of a knife all year round, so if they died on a job, they had no one to blame but themselves.
With Muherr and the others surrendering, the Zodiacs also felt this was the best possible outcome.
"This place is very dangerous. We should retreat as soon as possible."
With the conflict resolved, Moses looked up at the distant sky, where fist-sized black shadows dotted the horizon.
He knew these shadows were huge flying creatures, and any of them could descend upon the rocky mountain's airspace at any moment.
However, he wasn't particularly worried about their group being targeted. Rather, he just wanted to avoid any potential dangers.
During his time in the Dark Continent, without the convenience of [Shadow World], which served both as a means of travel and a refuge, Moses had witnessed even more incomprehensible ecological phenomena.
Leaving aside the existence of beings with bizarre abilities, the most striking were the huge creatures-
They were constantly engaged in hunts, whether as predators or prey. Even in the skies, battles between flying creatures were a common sight, with blood raining down like a crimson storm upon the land.
And this blood, falling from above, would inadvertently nourish other lifeforms below.
Moses found this never-ending cycle of predation both baffling and perplexing. He couldn't help but wonder how these Dark Continent's behemoths even grew to such sizes.
It seems that their 'growth rate' is completely different from the ordinary creatures he knew of.
In any case, to avoid being caught in the crossfire of these flying creatures, Moses buried Beyond and Kyuki within the mountain before immediately leading the group away from the rocky terrain.
…
A few days later.
The group arrived at a swamp.
The Guide hadn't issued a warning, but that didn't mean the swamp was free of danger.
Compared to open plains or sparse or dense forests, areas like swamps, where it was impossible to tell what might lurk beneath the surface, are the most dangerous.
Moses didn't recklessly lead the group into the swamp. Instead, he let his teammates discuss whether to cross it or take a longer detour.
In the end, they chose to take a longer detour.
Compared to the time and effort spent on the return journey, the Zodiacs still prioritized minimizing risks.
Moses accepted their decision without hesitation and led the group away from the seemingly ordinary swamp.
Muherr and the others remained with the team as prisoners for the time being.
Seeing how cautious the Hunter Association was when making decisions, they couldn't help but think that even with a monster like Moses, who could kill a huge creature with a single strike, would still maintain his reverence for the Dark Continent.
'No wonder the Hunter Association had managed to secure a Hope so quickly…'
As Moses's team left, bubbles began rising from the damp, muddy swamp.
Pop.
The bubbles burst, revealing countless eyeballs with nothing but whites.
They seemed to be stuck in the swamp, silently watching the direction in which Moses and the others had departed.
…
Time passes.
A week later.
Moses's group arrived at a sparsely vegetated plain.
This type of terrain has the lowest danger level, as the open visibility allowed the team to detect threats immediately.
In order to find this route, they had spent an extra week on their return journey.
But this decision was necessary.
Moreover, their daily supplies were still sufficient, giving them the leeway to operate this way.
From this perspective, Nen Space used for storage is really an essential ability for exploring the Dark Continent.
The team stepped onto the plain and advanced in one direction under the guidance of a Guide.
They walked for nearly half a day.
Along the way, they didn't encounter any noteworthy creatures. Instead, amidst scattered rocks, they discovered a pile of pink crystals, each no larger than a thumbnail.
This unexpected discovery really made Biscuit and Rat Jewel very happy.
But soon-
Rat Jewel, who had only received one pink crystal, gradually lost its smile.
In the end, it was Moses and Shizuku who gave their shares to Rat Jewel, and the latter finally showed a bright smile again.
That night-
The team found a huge boulder on the plain and set up camp beside it.
By the next morning, they were already on the move again.
They didn't know how long it would take to return to the Six Continents. Maybe three months, maybe half a year-
This timeframe depended on the choices they made regarding their route.
A gentle breeze swept across the plain.
The vastness of the land stretched as far as the eye could see.
This environment, where the horizon can be seen at a glance, eased the team's travel stress.