Time passes.
Two months later.
With the Guide's assistance, the Purple Smoke safely crossed the boundary of the Dark Waters.
When they arrived at this sea area, they passed one uninhabited island after another along the way.
These islands are large and small, and one of them is where the Gatekeeper is located.
Having returned to this equally treacherous sea, Moses had no intention of returning the island where the Gatekeeper is located.
Instead, he plans to continue controlling the Guide to directly cross the Uncharted Waters and return to the Six Continents.
That way, there is no need to accept the Calamities forced upon them by the Gatekeeper.
While Moses could technically use the [Counterpoint Cornerstone] to resolve the Calamity, it is better to save if possible.
This is another value that Kyoka Suigetsu play in this voyage.
After making up his mind, Moses no longer hesitated and asked Morel to monitor their course closely, ensuring they steered clear of the Gatekeeper's massive landmass.
…
A week later, the Purple Smoke sailed smoothly.
Now that they had gone so far, they don't have to worry about the Gatekeeper's problem anymore.
As for the next contact-
Moses had no plans to return to the Dark Continent anymore.
This journey had made him acutely aware of how insignificant humans were in the Dark Continent.
Like dust in the wind, they had no means of resistance, and can be easily swept away at any moment.
In the end, Ging's initial perspective had been correct.
The reason why the human civilization has not been destroyed until now is purely because of luck.
Even though the Dark Continent 'needed' humanity in some way, it didn't change humanity's fragile position.
Moses understood this.
Since he had no intention to go to the Dark Continent again, there was no need to consider future interactions with the Gatekeeper.
Even if the Gatekeeper took offense of this incident and punished the next humans who ventured to the Dark Continent, that was no longer Moses's concern.
In many ways, his deepened understanding of the Dark Continent had aligned his views with Netero's. He does not want any more humans to try to open the door to the Dark Continent.
…
The Purple Smoke cut through the waves, wind whipping against its hull.
Moses stood at the bow, gazing calmly at the distant horizon where sea met sky.
The return voyage had been far smoother than expected, which greatly reduced the tense atmosphere.
Although there is still a thorn of doubt pricking at his heart, this outcome was already more than Moses could've hoped for.
'Let's just avoid the Calamity that the Gatekeeper warned us about...'
Facing the sea breeze, Moses thought to himself.
This decision was the result of discussion among everyone and it was also the result he wanted.
"Huh-!?"
Suddenly, Moses's eyes changed, and almost the next moment, he turned around and looked at the Guide, who was also on the deck.
At that moment just now, he felt that Kyoka Suigetsu placed on the Guide had suddenly disappeared.
As he looked over, he saw that the black tendrils covering the Guide's body withered and disappeared at a very fast speed, and even the Eye of Sight shrank and withered before disappearing into thin air.
This sudden change was only visible to Moses, so the others on deck remained unaware.
But soon-
Moses's abrupt surge of Nen drew their attention.
"What's wrong?"
Sensing the surge of Nen from Moses, his nearby teammates were unsure what was happening.
However, the vigilance honed in the Dark Continent had them immediately assume defensive stances despite the confusion.
Moses didn't have time to explain to his teammates. He mobilized his Nen to conjure the Black Sword, and then flashed to attack the Guide, who had dispelled the effect of Kyoka Suigetsu.
In fact, he didn't know why Kyoka Suigetsu were suddenly lifted, but based on the situation, his priority was eliminating the Guide.
However-
Even though Moses acted very decisive, he was still a step too late.
The Guide, who had broken free from the illusion, suddenly transformed into a flame-like mass of Nen.
Then, before Moses could strike, the flame-like mass of Nen transformed into a blinding light, ten times brighter than sunlight, instantly engulfing the entire Purple Smoke.
Except for Moses, everyone else was unaware of what had happened before their vision was completely swallowed by the radiance.
Before they could even react, the sea, the sky, and the sound of waves that had surrounded them vanished within the scope of the light.
In its place was a barren wasteland, devoid of even a single blade of grass.
The strong light, which the Guide had transformed into, had instantly transported them to this desolate land.
The strong light lasted only about two seconds before rapidly fading away.
Moses was the first to open his eyes. He suddenly realized that he was not on the Purple Smoke's deck, and his heart skipped a beat.
Before he could even assess the situation, Ken: Bone-Plated Armor covering his body suddenly trembled violently.
At this time, invisible wind blades slashed against his reinforced Ken: Bone-Plated Armor, but due to the sheer density of his Aura Defense, the attacks only caused rippling distortions across its surface.
At the same time, the others who had been transported alongside Moses were also assaulted by the barrage of wind blades.
Enhancers like Kanzai and Botobai fared relatively well, as their innate durability allowed them to withstand the barrage unharmed.
But those Emitters from the Stone Wall Task Force, who were responsible for supplying Golem's ammunition, weren't so lucky.
Before they could even process what was happening, they were shredded into pieces by the unseen wind blades.
Moses's team didn't fare much better.
Cheadle, Menchi, Shizuku and the others had been on deck a few seconds ago, and because of Moses's sudden action of conjuring the Black Sword, they had already activated Ken as a precaution-
Because of this, they managed to avoid injury in the sudden assault.
However, Nono, Ashi, Karura, Cluck, Sanbica and Ponzu, who were more inclined to supporting roles, were caught off guard and suffered severe injuries.
Although they used Ken to strengthen their defense the moment they felt the cuts, it was already too late. Their bodies were slashed in multiple places, and blood gushed from the wounds.
Even Hisoka wasn't spared.
Before the incident happened, he had been in the ship's cabin, idly toying with his playing cards.
As a result, he too was struck by the first wave of wind blades, and within seconds, his clothes were drenched in his own blood.
The source of the wind blades was unclear, but they relentlessly assailed Moses and his group.
Beyond the range of the wind blades, a figure with black horns and slender and bent lower limbs was looking indifferently at Moses and his group, who were being attacked by the countless wind blades.
This figure was none other than the Gatekeeper, Spudimen!
This sudden turn of events was undoubtedly Spudimen's doing.
However, the reason why Spudimen suddenly attacked Moses and his group was not because Moses and the others were trying to avoid the price of 'accepting the Calamity'.
Rather, it was because-
Moses had created a monster and had glimpsed a fragment of the world's truth.