Giles and Kincaid, as the sole survivors of the Voyage Group team, returned to the New Continent in defeat.
Elsewhere, the Hunter Association's team, Beyond's team, and Law's team were still traversing the Dark Continent.
At the ruins, the night breeze was slightly cool. Stars gathered like a stream in the sky, but many moving black clouds occasionally obscured the starlight.
The giant black disc hovered in the air, like a motionless backdrop.
Starlight covered the earth, all things quiet.
On a flat area of the ruins untouched by the explosions, Netero was on high alert.
The threat from the ten Masked Humanoids was no joke.
However, the sudden appearance of the Scarecrow had somewhat relieved the pressure.
The principle that 'the enemy of my enemy is my friend' did not apply in their current situation.
Netero's gaze shifted between the Scarecrow and the Masked Humanoids. At that moment, he had no desire to engage at all... he just wanted to break free as soon as possible.
He had roughly determined a direction to break through, but the Scarecrow's sudden appearance had made him pause for the moment.
Netero didn't move, and neither did the Scarecrow nor the Masked Humanoids.
It seemed the Scarecrow's intrusion had made the Masked Humanoids feel threatened, or perhaps they were content to wait and thus remained still.
None of the three sides moved, making the atmosphere strangely tense.
However, including Netero, all three sides had their Auras tightly wrapped around their bodies, in an optimal state for both attack and defense.
Netero's feet shifted slightly on the ground, a hint of self-restraint in his movements.
His position was the most awkward.
If he didn't move, he didn't know what the Scarecrow and the Masked Humanoids would do next.
If he moved, he feared becoming the joint target of both.
The Masked Humanoids alone were already a handful... adding the Scarecrow made it impossible.
For now, he could only hope that the Scarecrow would act first, clashing with the Masked Humanoids.
And Netero's hope was not in vain. Two minutes later, perhaps their patience had run out, a probing attack from the Scarecrow completely shattered the delicate atmosphere.
The flock of crows agitated.
Jet-black crows materialized out of thin air, swarming together, circling the Scarecrow, then like a celestial maiden scattering flowers, flying off in all directions.
The ten Masked Humanoids were positioned all around, and the Scarecrow's attack was indiscriminate, even targeting Netero.
As the crows approached, the Masked Humanoids acted. The patterns on their masks glowed brightly with Nen, instantly summoning an array of illusory figures.
Some resembled tigers and lions, others insects and birds.
Some roared silently, others bared their fangs and claws.
Seeing the Scarecrow act first, Netero smiled silently.
Nen surged, golden light faintly appeared behind him, transforming into a solemn Guanyin.
By now, the Scarecrow's offensive and the Masked Humanoids' defensive postures were established, making it difficult for them to also focus on Netero, who had summoned the golden Guanyin.
However, they were still drawn to the solemn, majestic golden Guanyin.
Then, they saw the human leap lightly onto the Guanyin's hand.
Fling!
The Guanyin, in a palm-striking motion, hurled Netero away.
Before the crows could collide with the Masked Humanoids' manifestations, Netero shot into the distance like a shooting star.
After flinging Netero away, the golden Guanyin dispersed into scattered golden specks, leaving the Scarecrow and the Masked Humanoids to watch helplessly as Netero escaped.
After a brief pause, the crows and the Masked Humanoids' manifestations finally collided.
The tiger-lions, insects, and birds turned from illusions into physical forms, instantly dispersing the attacking crows.
As the first wave of offense and defense concluded, only the Masked Humanoids and the Scarecrow remained within the arena, while Netero was already safe.
"..."
The Scarecrow looked at the direction Netero had fled, then at the Masked Humanoids who had easily crushed its attack.
For some reason, it felt like it had washed itself clean and then willingly delivered itself to their doorstep.
Netero's escape had been too decisive, his speed too fast. The Masked Humanoids knew they couldn't catch up. Resigned, they could only turn their attention to the Scarecrow.
Feeling the hostile gazes of the Masked Humanoids, the Scarecrow could only be on guard. To preserve itself, it wouldn't simply surrender.
On the other side, Netero shot through the night sky like a meteor.
Given his physical strength, landing at this speed would inevitably cause injury.
So, before landing, he timed it perfectly, summoning the golden Guanyin again. The gentle double palms enveloped him, perfectly neutralizing the momentum.
After landing unharmed, Netero turned to look back.
From his position, he could no longer see the Scarecrow and the Masked Humanoids, only the black disc hovering in the night sky.
"Thank you, and take care."
Netero murmured lightly to himself, then turned and left.
He still didn't know the fate of his teammates, but as long as that disc was there, this place was not safe.
Netero sprinted across the ruins, trailing long lines of dust.
His direction was opposite the disc.
About thirty minutes later, he abruptly stopped, looking at the figures ahead.
Unexpectedly, it was Cheadle and her group.
"Chairman!"
Seeing the Chairman, the group all showed excited expressions.
They had been able to come and meet Netero because, first, Cluck's ability showed Netero was alive, and second, they had seen a distant, fleeting golden light that pointed the way.
Thus, they had headed towards where the golden light had vanished, encountering Netero coming from that direction.
Netero looked at Cheadle and the others. A light appeared in his eyes, then quickly dimmed.
He flashed to the group and said, "Let's leave this place first."
Cheadle suppressed her excitement and nodded.
Finding Netero meant finding their pillar. Their next move, for the moment, was less important.
Without much conversation or delay, the Hunter Association's team headed for the outskirts of the ruins.
Elsewhere, the Scarecrow had unfortunately become a captive of the Masked Humanoids.
Though its strength was not weak, it was outnumbered, overpowered, and captured alive by the ten Masked Humanoids.
Originally, when the Masked Humanoids had surrounded Netero, they had also intended to capture him alive, but the inexplicably appearing Scarecrow had become the scapegoat.
The Scarecrow was a phantom... its freedom should be hard to restrain, but the Masked Humanoids had appropriate means.
One Masked Humanoid manifested a centipede that bound the Scarecrow.
Then that Masked Humanoid took the Scarecrow up to the disc. Only it knew what awaited the Scarecrow there.
The other Masked Humanoids, meanwhile, entered the ruins from various directions.
The Hide-and-Seek Dimension.
The flicker of the golden Guanyin reflected in the night sky had also been captured by the little fox Nen Beast.
But based solely on the fleeting golden light, Ging and the others watching the feed couldn't tell what it was.
On the other hand, Law was still somewhat melancholy.