In this life-or-death moment, Golem's mind raced, his reflexes surpassing their usual limits.
Aura erupted from his body in an instant—perhaps too late for escape.
But every wisp of Aura he released could block part of the attack, buying him a fraction more safety.
Though he didn't yet know how the swarm would strike, Golem instinctively treated their assault as lethal.
Since the insects were targeting the closest person, the unlucky Golem was in grave danger.
At this moment, only one thought filled his mind: survive!
Every pore in his body violently expelled aura, forming massive waves of aura in an instant.
The insects seemed fragile—the first one that touched Golem's surging aura shattered instantly.
Like a crushed mosquito, its tiny body disintegrated into nothingness, barely noticeable.
The next moment, a towering pillar of flames erupted!
This insignificant little insect, in that split second, unleashed destructive power beyond imagination.
The explosion from just one bug produced a fireball as powerful as a high-grade bomb!
As if its entire body had been condensed from explosives—no one would believe such devastation came from a mere insect.
And this was only the beginning.
Dominoes—if the first piece is toppled, the fall of that first piece will cause the second to fall as well...
And so on.
Though only the first domino is pushed, the rest will inevitably follow.
Until the very last one collapses.
These swarms of insects bore an uncanny resemblance to dominoes.
The death of the first insect was not the end, but the beginning.
In the blink of an eye, one after another, the insects burst apart under the intense heat and flames.
Giant fireballs rose one after another!
At first glance, they resembled volcanoes spewing endless magma, a sight that sent chills down the spine.
In an instant, Golem's vision was engulfed by a sea of raging fire, the merciless flames dominating his sight.
The rapidly rising temperature didn't affect him—what truly posed a threat were the explosions occurring one after another at close range!
"Boom! Boom, boom..."
Deafening explosions echoed through the skies, as if countless fireworks were igniting right beside their ears.
When the flames licked at his thick Aura, they were only delayed for the briefest moment.
Then, with terrifying ease, the fire burned through his Aura as effortlessly as if it were a sheet of paper.
....
On the other side, Akira's expression shifted slightly, his gaze involuntarily sharpening.
Since arriving in the Dark Continent, they had encountered many creatures, but this was the first time they had faced something so bizarre.
In terms of sheer offensive power, these swarms might not match the Purple Bees of the Purple Forest.
The Purple Bees were not only incredibly fast, but their stingers were razor-sharp and devastatingly powerful.
Their strength was obvious at a glance.
But these insects were different.
Even with the naked eye—let alone using Focus—there was nothing remarkable about them.
It was only when they closed in on Golem and their speed suddenly changed that people realized something was wrong.
As it turned out, these insects weren't just fast—they could also produce explosions comparable to high-powered bombs!
Compared to the massive Sandworms or the swift Purple Bees, these explosive insects finally gave Akira a true taste of the Dark Continent.
That eerie, unpredictable feeling of the Dark Continent!
Here, any bizarre creature could appear, and no one could predict what might happen next!
Recalling the Flame Sunflowers and Cloud Beasts they had encountered earlier, Akira realized that ever since entering this grassland, the threats they faced were on an entirely different level.
If the previous dangers had been understandable, mostly relying on conventional physical attacks, then as they ventured deeper into the Dark Continent and reached this grassland, the creatures they encountered were no longer so "simple."
They became more bizarre and unpredictable, their methods of attack far more varied.
....
This was bad!
Seeing this, Muheer and the others' pupils constricted simultaneously, cold sweat breaking out on their backs.
After witnessing Golem being swallowed by the flames, they could already imagine the outcome!
But now was not the time for grief or worry.
Because the distance between them wasn't great—the entire team was still roughly maintaining formation.
Golem had taken the brunt of the attack, but that didn't mean the rest of them were safe!
In that instant, everyone acted without hesitation. Some stomped the ground hard, propelling themselves backward.
Others used their Nen abilities to escape the area as quickly as possible.
However, for most, the flames spread faster than they could flee, like a tidal wave about to engulf them.
Suddenly, a surge of intense pink aura and a thick column of water appeared on the scene.
Psychic-type move—Teleport!
Water-type move—Hydro Pump!
A moment later, everyone found themselves standing together on a patch of grass in the distance.
"Huh? What just—?"
Muheer steadied himself, glancing around, his hands trembling slightly.
The scene before him felt surreal.
They had been on the verge of being swallowed by the inferno, only to blink and find themselves safely far away.
The one capable of such a feat—
The shaken group turned their gazes toward Akira, their hearts still pounding with lingering fear.
Thank goodness for Akira intervention!
Yet Akira himself was staring at the devastated patch of land ahead.
It could hardly even be called grass anymore.
After the clash of flames and Hydro Pump, the once-lush field had been reduced to a scorched expanse billowing with black smoke.
The intense heat from the explosion had incinerated the surrounding grass as well—had it not been for the Hydro Pump, the damage would have been far worse.
For a brief moment, the air itself seemed to boil from the raging flames, the oxygen content in the area plummeting.
It created a suffocating sensation, making normal breathing difficult.
Even from a considerable distance, waves of scorching heat still washed over them.
"Cough! Cough!"
"What the hell kind of bugs are these? How are they this strong?!"
Golem staggered to his feet, coughing, his face still pale with shock.
"I really thought I was done for."
He patted himself down, scanning his surroundings before finally letting out a relieved sigh.
Truth be told, Golem had been incredibly lucky.
Had anyone else in the team been the one to face the swarm head-on, Akira would have had to intervene much sooner.
Because Golem was the only member wearing double-layered protection.
The outermost Safety Suit was now charred and tattered, the Divine Script on it rendered useless.
Clearly, it was beyond repair.
Beneath it, his usual robotic armor bore varying degrees of burn marks, but none had penetrated—nothing serious.
Combined with Gardevoir's timely Teleport, Golem had managed to survive mostly unscathed.
"Hohohoho! Surviving a near-death experience means good fortune awaits!"
"This also serves as a reminder—when dealing with creatures of the Dark Continent, no matter how small or harmless they may seem..."
"You must always proceed with caution!"
Beyond laughed heartily, easing the tension among the group.
At least the outcome was favorable—no one had been harmed, and the incident had served as a wake-up call.
As he spoke further, Beyond's expression grew increasingly stern, warning everyone not to take their lives lightly.
On the Dark Continent, recklessness was no different from suicide!
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