Perhaps-
This voice in his mind was also part of the 'illusion'.
Of course, Moses could not respond to the wish expressed by the voice.
Not to mention that this might be a trap based on an illusion, he, who has a deep understanding of Vows and Limitation, understood the essence of equal exchange best.
Ignoring the sudden voice in his head and doing his best to disregard the omnipresent gaze, Moses glanced at the Brion, who were gradually approaching, and turned around and jumped down without hesitation.
Until he found a way to break free from the 'illusion', meaningless actions had to be avoided.
Therefore, in response to the hostility shown by the Brion, Moses chose to retreat.
Free-falling from the sky, Moses landed on Black Sword, stopped steadily one meter from the ground, then jumped to the ground and grabbed the black knife in his backhand.
'Let's try Zetsu...'
After quickly scanning his surroundings and looking up to confirm that there was no immediate threat, Moses immediately closed his Aura Nodes and entered Zetsu state.
As the Aura lingering around his body disappeared without a trace, everything around him remained the same.
Moses accepted this outcome calmly.
If even his Nen Exorcism Ability couldn't break this situation, then the possibility of finding a breakthrough through Zetsu is indeed hopeless.
Moses calmed his mind, reopened his Aura Nodes, and released his Aura to cover his body again.
'They're chasing me.'
Raising his gaze upward, Moses saw figures standing at the edges of the rooftops.
Moses had no intention of engaging with the Brion head-on, so he immediately chose a random direction and began running.
After navigating countless turns, the space before him suddenly opened up.
Slowing his pace, Moses realized he had arrived at a plaza-like area.
The flat ground was irregularly covered with thin green vines as fine as wires, resembling a green net spread across the earth.
At the center of this net was a dense clump of grass emitting a green glow.
Moses stared at the grass, his heart stirring.
'Could it be...?'
'Herb for All-illnesses?'
A flicker of surprise passed through Moses's eyes.
After standing there for a while, Moses finally decided to approach the glowing grass for a closer look.
He held the Black Sword in his hand, forging layered Aura Defense on his body, and then walked step by step towards the grass emitting green glow.
As the distance closed, Moses saw the leaves resembling those of fragrant herbs.
The leaves were a translucent emerald green, with threads of glowing light flowing within, giving them an almost surreal appearance.
'If the legendary Herb for All-illnesses existed only within this ancient labyrinth city-'
'Then this peculiar cluster of plants in front of me was likely the real Herb for All-illnesses.'
'But this is an illusion-'
Moses stopped a few meters away from the glowing grass, his face showing hesitation.
Trapped in an unknown illusion where he lacked control, every step he took felt like walking on thin ice.
Now, faced with this mysterious cluster of grass, Moses's thoughts were tangled in uncertainty.
Should he do nothing, or should he delve deeper into the secrets of this place?
Moses's cautious nature made it difficult for him to make a decision for a while.
In the end-
Moses still didn't want to just sit still and wait for death.
Maintaining extreme vigilance, he slowly approached the grass.
A few seconds later-
Moses reached the grass and lightly lifted one of the jade-like herbs with the tip of his Black Sword.
With barely any effort, the sharp blade cleanly severed the herb.
Moses withdrew his sword but didn't immediately touch the glowing plant, which seemed to be Hope, and instead observed it carefully.
But at that very moment-
Figures emerged from all directions of the open space.
Countless Brion silently stepped out from the maze-like passages, gathering around and encircling Moses in the center of the clearing.
Moses looked at the Brion that surrounded him, but he didn't panic.
Because he could easily escape the encirclement by using his Black Sword's ability to fly into the air.
'This is getting more and more confusing.'
Shifting his gaze away from the Brion, Moses looked back at the glowing herb resting on the Black Sword.
'Merely plucking a single herb had triggered the sudden appearance of so many Brion.'
'From this, it is very likely that this herb is Herb for All-illnesses.'
'But-'
'This is an illusion.'
'And I had no idea what the real Herb for All-illnesses looked like.'
Moses frowned slightly, and seeing Brion closing in on him, he prepared to use the Black Sword to break free from the encirclement.
However, before he could step on the Black Sword, that mysterious voice spoke again.
"This is what you desired."
Hearing what the voice said, Moses froze for a moment. Before he could react, the scenery distorted and shifted once more.
The next instant-
Moses first heard the endless roar of waves, and then he saw the sunlit beach and shimmering ocean.
'Here is…!?'
His heart surged with shock as Moses instantly recognized this beach, as it was the open cave where the Purple Smoke had once been anchored.
At that thought, Moses suddenly turned around, only to see his companions scattered across the sand, lying motionless.
And in an open-air cave farther away, the Purple Smoke stood quietly in the shadows.
"…"
Staring at the scene before him, Moses remained silent, then lowered his gaze to the Black Sword in his hand.
On the Black Sword's blade, a single glowing green herb swayed gently in the sea breeze, but it seemed to be rooted in the blade and did not fall down even though the sea breeze blew.
Moses silently observed the radiant herb on his blade, the sound of crashing waves filling his ears.
Then-
A stream of information suddenly surfaced in his mind.
Just like when he received the rewards from Perception, this information popped up out of nowhere in his head like data transmission.
'Hmm?'
After receiving this information, Moses's eyes flickered slightly, and the dividing line between reality and illusion in his mind gradually blurred.
This inexplicably appearing information turned out to be about the origins of Hopes and Calamities, as well as the true identity of that 'voice'...
'A Wish-Granting Machine?'
'No-'
'It should be said that it is the power of wishes itself.'