The next day, at noon.
The previous night had been bitterly cold, but the daytime heat was scorching.
With no certainty about the size of the wasteland, the team set out immediately.
After all, it is impossible to replenish supplies in this kind of environment. If it weren't for Ashi's storage space ability, even if they could deal with the Gatekeeper's threat, they would die here due to lack of food and water.
Not to mention those seriously injured members of the team. After all, without the medical supplies and equipment, they would definitely not survive with those severe injuries.
With most of the team wounded, their progress was slow.
However, there is still enough food and water in the Nen Space, so there is no need to worry for at least a week.
…
Several days passed.
The team still hadn't left the wasteland, and the food and water dwindled day by day.
But compared to supplies, Moses is more worried about the possible repercussions of Spudimen's death.
He didn't know the full extent of the Gatekeepers' background, which was why he had these concerns.
But once you worry about something, it will always come true-
That evening.
While the team was moving, an overwhelming, suffocating pressure suddenly descended.
Several powerful Auras approached from behind.
Everyone in the team had a tense expression, and Moses, who had been leading at the front, instantly flashed to the rear of the team and looked in the direction where the Auras came from.
Under his watch, a tall, slender figure dashed across the wasteland at incredible speed, entering their line of sight in mere moments.
The newcomer stood about three meters tall, covered in flame-like fur, with narrow eyes and an elongated black nose. Its arms hung like bamboo poles past its knees, and terrifying Nen surged around its body.
Obviously, it is another powerful magical beast.
This magical beast's name is Promeshi.
As a fellow member of the Gatekeeper Clan, the reason it came here was of course to seek vengeance for Spudimen's death.
"So you're the one who killed Spudimen?"
Promeshi rushed into everyone's sight at lightning speed and locked onto Moses, who had the strongest Aura, at a glance.
No evidence was needed.
After all, some truths were undeniable at first glance.
Facing Promeshi's interrogation, Moses confirmed that the other party was also a member of the Gatekeeper Clan.
He did not respond to the question. In silence, he conjured his black sword.
Seven.
That was the number of powerful Auras he could sense.
But this red-furred magical beast seemed to be the fastest of them all, which was why it had charged ahead first.
From this, it was clear that the Gatekeepers had no concept of coordinated combat.
That was at least some good news.
Seeing Moses remain silent, Promeshi didn't care.
Because by the time it had finished its question, it was already prepared to attack.
Whoosh-
As its Aura surged, a sharpened bone spike as thick as a baby's arm materialized in an instant, and in the next, it pierced Moses's forehead.
This kind of attack came without any warning and was impossible to guard against.
By the time the others barely registered what had happened, the bone spike had already struck Moses.
Promeshi's expression was cold, his eyes filled with indifference.
However-
The indifference in its eyes was quickly replaced by surprise.
The bone spike that had struck Moses's forehead shattered into fragments the very next moment.
"You…!!!"
Promeshi's expression changed, and it stared at Moses with its slightly widened eyes.
Isolation...
This was the innate ability of their Gatekeeper Clan.
'Why could this human use it too?'
While Promeshi reeled in shock, Moses's expression remained calm. In a flash, he appeared right in front of Promeshi and swung his blade.
A cold gleam of steel sliced through the air.
Before Promeshi could even react, he felt the long-lost pain.
"How… is this possible!?"
A look of astonishment appeared on Promeshi's face.
And then-
That look of astonishment was split cleanly in half.
Promeshi followed in Spudimen's footsteps and was cut in half by Moses's sword.
The other six Gatekeepers rushing toward the scene from afar witnessed Moses cutting Promeshi down with a single slash. Each of them was shaken, with their faces twisting with disbelief.
However-
Without even a moment to mourn over Promeshi's death, Hercules, a member of the Gatekeeper Clan known for his strength, immediately rushed to the battlefield.
Moses glanced sideways at Hercules, who was as massive as a dinosaur, and swung his sword once more.
The slash that could perfectly counter the [Isolation] instantly cleaved Hercules in two as he charged forward.
There's no time to grieve for Hercules either, for the next to appear was-
The third Gatekeeper.
…
One minute later.
There are seven more corpses on the desolate land.
Everyone in the field looked at the seven bodies in a daze.
Even having seen it with their own eyes, they couldn't fathom how these seven Gatekeepers, who exuded extraordinary Aura, had been slaughtered like pigs by Moses.
But Moses had no intention of waiting for them to process things naturally, so he urged them to hurry and leave.
If circumstances had allowed, he wouldn't have wanted to kill the Gatekeepers at all.
Even if Perception had given him a generous reward after the battle, he wouldn't have hunted these Gatekeepers down for it.
In his view, regardless of the Gatekeepers' motives for isolating the passage between the Dark Continent and the Six Continents, their actions had ultimately been beneficial to the human race.
Therefore, if the Gatekeepers were gone, Lake Mobius, where the Six Continents were located, would probably become the next habitat for the creatures of the Dark Continent in no time.
On another note-
Moses hoped these corpses would serve as a warning to the Gatekeepers.
Leaving the Gatekeepers' bodies there, the team continued on their way.
…
Several more days passed after that.
Under the scorching sun of the wasteland, the scattered corpses of the Gatekeepers showed no signs of decay.
Rustle-
A faint set of footsteps approached from afar.
A hunched, elderly figure slowly made his way to the Gatekeepers' remains.
The figure was that of an extremely old human being, with a hunched body and a face like withered bark.
If Moses had been present, he would definitely be able to find similarities between this human's facial features and that of Zeno of the Zoldyck Family.
This human being-
Was none other than Zigg Zoldyck, who had once teamed up with Netero and Linne to challenge the Dark Continent.
He lowered his head and looked carefully at the dismembered corpses of the Gatekeepers with his murky eyes. A strange expression that seemed neither smiling nor crying slowly emerged on his old face.
"Good… good… good!"
Zigg muttered to himself.
…
Meanwhile-
After spending about a week, Moses and the others finally walked out of the wasteland.
Soon after, Moses realized one thing.
They were now just one step away from their journey home.