When it comes to humanity's exploration of the Dark Continent and the journeys between the Dark Continent and the Six Continents...
Spudimen would not interfere.
Because the Dark Continent's ecosystem requires the imagination of humans from the Six Continents… it needs the Calamities born from that boundless imagination.
Only in this way can the phenomenon of 'Biological Explosion' on the Dark Continent be suppressed.
Otherwise, no matter how unimaginably abundant the Dark Continent's resources were, they would still be overwhelmed by the giant creatures spawned from Biological Explosion, let alone the swarms of organisms with terrifying reproductive speeds.
For the Dark Continent, only frequent Calamities could maintain a stable cycle.
Under this premise, allowing some 'modern humans' to step beyond the threshold and see the true world with their own eyes was more beneficial than harmful.
But this time was different.
There are humans who actually dare to tamper with the 'Guide'.
That alone was bad enough, but under the influence of some unknown force, they had also created a monster that could severely disrupt the Dark Continent's delicate balance.
Based on the current situation, Spudimen had decided to 'eliminate these humans'.
And so, it set up this trap known as [Whisper of the Wind].
Countless wind blades gathered in one place, relentlessly slicing into Moses and the others.
The Stone Wall Task Force suffered the most serious damage, as several Emitters were shredded into bloody fragments of flesh and bone by the dense wind blades.
But the Hunter Association wasn't faring much better. Non-combatants like Ponzu and Nono were bleeding heavily from multiple wounds.
If their injuries are not treated quickly, even if they can barely block the attack from the dense wind blades, they would still bleed to death.
Among everyone, only the strongest, Moses, Biscuit, Botobai, Ging, Kanzai, Ginta, Golem, and Marione, could ignore the pressure of the wind blades.
And because of that, they were the only ones with the capacity to notice Spudimen's presence.
"Gatekeeper, Spudimen..."
Moses's gaze locked onto the figure beyond the storm of blades, immediately understanding the situation.
The strong light that burst out from the Guide and the area filled with wind blades, all of it was Spudimen's doing.
'Was this because we tried to not pay 'the price'...?'
Without time to think about the reason, Moses's eyes turned cold, and a bright Aura surged around his right hand, instantly conjuring his Black Sword.
He didn't care about the fate of Beyond's team, but he refused to let his own teammates die under this relentless storm of blades.
So when he realized that the dense wind blades was Spudimen's doing, his first thought was to shut him down.
[Super Speed: Cannon]
Moses instantly poured a large amount of Aura into the Black Sword, causing the Black Sword to grow larger at a speed visible to the naked eye.
Then, with the sudden surge of Aura poured in, the enlarged Black Sword tore through the wind blades in its path and shot straight toward Spudimen.
Spudimen watched the massive Black Sword hurtling toward it with indifference, not even flinching as it aimed directly for its face.
The next moment-
The Black Sword, infused with terrifying amount of Aura, struck what seemed like an invisible barrier in front of Spudimen.
With a sharp sound, the Black Sword, that was stabbed on the transparent barrier, crumpled against the barrier like a crushed soda can. Then, it turned into motes of light all over the sky and dissipated.
And from start to finish, Spudimen didn't even move its eyelids.
Judging by this, its confidence likely stemmed from that inexplicable barrier that effortlessly blocked Black Sword.
'A defensive Emission-type ability...?!'
Seeing the Black Sword being blocked so easily, Moses's heart tightened slightly.
If there was one Nen Category that could maximize the value of Manifested Aura, it would undoubtedly be Enhancement-Type.
Enhancers already possesses powerful offensive and defensive capabilities, and once they have the upper hand in Manifested Aura, they will basically be an invincible existence.
But what kind of Nen Ability can produce a headache-inducing effect under the premise that their Manifested Aura has an absolute advantage?
Moses's answer would be an 'Absolute Barrier-Type' Emission Abilities.
Just like Spudimen's ability now.
That near-impenetrable Emission-Type barrier, reinforced by his monstrous Manifested Aura, created a shield with near-absolute defensive power.
When facing such an enemy, simply breaking through the defense wasn't the only issue to consider.
Moses felt very troubled for a moment, but in order to prevent the dense wind blades from continuing to harm his teammates, he had to make the Gatekeeper focus on him as soon as possible.
With that thought in mind, Moses conjured the Black Sword again, and swiftly maneuvered through the storm of wind blades, charging straight at Spudimen.
Seeing this, Botobai and the others also followed and left the area ravaged by the wind blades.
They basically agreed with Moses's opinion and concluded that this wind blade area was Spudimen's doing.
Then, as long as they could keep Spudimen occupied, they can get rid of this wind blade area.
As for the possible consequences that may arise later-
They had no room to consider that right now.
A group of elite Nen users surged out of the wind blades area, all aiming their attacks at Spudimen.
Faced with such a lineup, no Nen User in the world could remain composed.
But Spudimen can.
With his keen eyesight, he could naturally gauge the strength of these individuals.
Especially Moses, who was at the forefront. His power had reached a level that demanded Spudimen's attention.
As for the rest-
They were nothing more than winged ants. They are essentially still ants, not worth mentioning.
"Salvation, sacrifice... These are among the few commendable traits of humanity."
Spudimen's expression remained cold, but there was a hint of fluctuation in its tone.
"Very well. I shall grant your wish."
Before its words even faded, Spudimen raised its index and middle fingers, and a flame-like Aura ignited at its fingertips. Then, he drew a line in the air with it.
This gesture seemed to serve as an activation command.
As its fingers swept horizontally, the vast storm of wind blades that had blanketed the area abruptly contracted, shrinking down to the size of a basketball court in the blink of an eye.
Then, in an instant, it shifted its focus… engulfing Moses and the others who had dared to move against him.
Sssshhhhk—!!!
The condensed storm of wind blades lashed out with terrifying frequency, relentlessly slashing against the Aura Defenses of Moses and the others.
Likely due to the compressed area, not only had the density of the wind blades intensified, but their individual cutting power had also surged dramatically.
The moment the assault began, Moses immediately sensed the heightened lethality of the wind blades.
However, thanks to his overwhelming Manifested Aura, even if he only maintained his Ken in normal form, he could still easily withstand the barrage.
But the same could not be said for the others.
The relentless onslaught of wind blades not only halted Kanzai and the rest in their tracks, but also destabilized their Ken, which should have been as solid as bedrock.
Within mere seconds-
Even Kanzai and Botobai, who are top-tier Enhancers, were actually cut by the wind blades.
Some visible wounds began to appear on their bodies, with blood seeping from the gashes.
If even Enhancers were struggling under this compressed wind blades, the others, who are non-Enhancers, stood no chance.
Even Golem and Marione, who are members of Beyond's team, were no exception, their bodies sliced open by the wind blades.
However, Golem's robot body was too huge, which resulted in the dispersion of the strength of its Aura Defense, leaving it riddled with countless gashes.
In an instant, except for Moses, everyone else who went to attack the Spudimen was injured and bleeding.