Just from this description alone, there wasn't much useful information to glean.
Moreover, the phrasing gave Akira an inexplicable sense of familiarity, as if he had seen something similar before.
After thinking carefully, Akira realized that Unown had a comparable description—something about gathering a set of Pokémon to trigger a surprise.
But compared to the sheer number of Unown, collecting just four calamitous Pokémon seemed much easier.
The question was—what kind of immense power would descend?
A Legendary Pokémon? Or something even stronger?
Were there any particularly powerful Pokémon associated with the calamitous ones?
Akira racked his brain but couldn't think of anything that fit, so he decided to set the matter aside for now.
As he pondered, Tyranitar and Steelix had already finished dealing with the [False Rockflame], and Steelix was now eating.
Crunch! Crunch!
Steelix's sharp metallic jaws bit into the rocks of the [False Rockflame], chewing them as if they were brittle cartilage.
Compared to rare ores, the rocks of the [False Rockflame] didn't grant Steelix any special abilities.
After all, the real power lay in the [False Rockflame] itself, not the parasitic rocks.
Still, after long-term parasitism, the rocks had absorbed some energy, making them beneficial for Steelix to consume.
...
On Mobius Lake,
After a perilous but ultimately safe voyage, the three ships finally arrived at the first island.
This marked a historic milestone for them. Once they disembarked, the logistics team would soon follow.
And thus, facilities were built on this first island, truly marking the beginning of a new chapter for humanity.
"Finally here. I wonder if there are still dangers on the island?"
Cheadle adjusted her glasses, her sharp gaze fixed on the sizable island as she murmured softly.
After all she had witnessed during this time, she was gradually shifting her mindset, growing accustomed to facing unknown dangers.
Whenever encountering something new or setting a new objective, her first thought was always whether there was any risk involved.
Botobai, the Dragon of the Zodiac, crossed his arms, his voice deep as he said.
"Indeed. These past few days have really opened my eyes."
"Just the things we encountered on this short voyage alone had a danger level surpassing creatures from the Six Continents."
"Who knows how much more terrifying the deeper seas—let alone that Dark Continent—could be?"
Botobai used the word "terrifying" because, in his view, it was a place even he had to describe as such.
In fact, when Akira had returned to the Six Continents, he had Porygon-Z record portions of their journey to the Dark Continent.
These records were kept within the Hunter Association, accessible only to those of sufficiently high status.
Aside from entities like the Demon King's Shadow and the Diamond Spirit, Akira believed the rest could be disclosed to others.
Especially to the higher-ups of the Hunter Association, primarily represented by the Twelve Zodiacs.
In Akira's plans, they would later be instrumental in executing certain schemes, much like the current Imaginary Continent Project.
Thus, it was necessary for them to know some information about the Dark Continent.
As a result, both Botobai and Cheadle were aware of some of the horrors of the Dark Continent.
But words were just words—without firsthand experience, it was impossible to truly grasp that level of "terror."
So Botobai still harbored ambitions, dreaming of the day his feet would tread upon the soil of the Dark Continent.
He was one of the Twelve Zodiacs, but before that, he was a hunter.
For most hunters, a vast, mysterious, and unknown continent held unimaginable allure.
Glancing at the silent Botobai, Cheadle's eyes flickered slightly, able to roughly guess his thoughts.
She didn't comment further, however.
Everyone had their own perspective.
Based on comprehensive data, at the very least, she believed humanity currently lacked the strength to set foot on the Dark Continent.
Except for... Chairman Akira!
According to the accounts of those who had returned—especially Muheer—their safe return was entirely due to Akira.
Without Akira leading them, they would have died countless times over.
Perhaps even perished in the depths of the sea before ever reaching the Dark Continent.
Initially, Cheadle had been skeptical, but now it seemed this was no lie—it was most likely the truth.
Soon, the three ships docked, and three teams disembarked simultaneously, excluding those left to guard the vessels.
The island wasn't particularly large, oval-shaped with a long axis and covered in dense tropical rainforest.
This suggested a high likelihood of indigenous life, though whether it posed any danger remained unknown.
After some discussion, it was decided that each team would proceed separately.
Jonah led a squad of twenty elite soldiers advancing from the left.
Ryder took another twenty-strong team of elite soldiers and advanced from the right.
Laird was the leader of the third ship, just like Jonah, both serving as captains of the elite soldiers.
Finally, Muheer led the Stone Wall unit, advancing from the front alongside the hunter team led by Cheadle.
The three units' primary mission was to investigate and eliminate any threats on the island.
As they stepped into the rainforest, a stifling heat immediately enveloped them.
The air was thick with moisture, yet the temperature remained uncomfortably high.
Compounding this, the elite soldiers wore protective suits resembling those of astronauts.
It was inevitable that they would feel overheated and restless.
The rainforest was lush with broad leaves, their vibrant green hues glistening with droplets clinging to their surfaces.
There seemed to be a strange magic in the rainforest—one that made everyone who entered instinctively fall silent, holding their breath in tense focus.
No one in the advance team was ordinary; they all knew exactly what to do and what to avoid.
In an unfamiliar and potentially dangerous environment, making unnecessary noise was sheer stupidity.
After advancing some distance without encountering any threats, the group grew uneasy—had their heightened vigilance been for nothing?
But according to the laws of probability, trouble was bound to strike soon.
Crack.
A middle-aged hunter accidentally stepped on a branch, the crisp sound piercing the silence of the rainforest.
Before he could react, thick vines suddenly shot up from the ground, coiling around him with terrifying force.
The pressure was so intense that his body began to contort under the strain.
"Damn it!"
The hunter hissed under his breath.
Drawing upon his Aura in a life-or-death struggle, he unleashed a burst of Ren far beyond his usual capacity.
The vines creaked and groaned as they were gradually forced apart before finally snapping into several pieces, collapsing to the ground.
The man staggered, one hand clutching his waist—the force had nearly wrenched his back.
"Are you alright?"
"Where's the healing-type Nen user?"
The others quickly rushed to assist
. Fortunately, only the middle-aged hunter had been caught, and his injuries weren't severe.
Aside from the strained back, he bore multiple bruises of varying severity. Had he been any slower, he might have been strangled to death.
"Vines… that sprout suddenly?"
Cheadle murmured, picking up one of the withered vines with a gloved hand.
From the moment it had emerged to its current dried-out state, only a few seconds had passed.
It was truly astonishing.
The real danger lay in their ambush—without knowing the trigger, there was no way to guard against them.
Just as Cheadle frowned in thought, Muheer's elven-like ears twitched slightly.
"Stay sharp!"
"Something's coming!"
Immediately, the group tensed, their Aura flaring to life around them.
Entering a state of Ren meant they were ready for battle.
Had someone used Gyo to observe from above, they would have seen a sea of Nen energy surging skyward from their position.
Among them, Botobai radiated the most Aura, his presence overwhelmingly dominant.
Every member here was an elite among elites—no one below A-rank.
This was why the Hunter Association, despite being smaller in number than the Kakin Empire's expedition force, was formidable—each member was a powerhouse in their own right.
Rustle—
The sound of leaves brushing against each other echoed through the air.
A few moments later, clusters of dark figures swung through the trees.
Yes, they were swinging.
Their thick, powerful arms grasped the vines as they moved in a manner resembling children on swings.
Their movements were incredibly agile, darting through the forest with such speed that they appeared before the group in the blink of an eye.
Cheadle frowned and said gravely, "They're gorillas."
Botobai added, "Not ordinary gorillas."
He could sense that these gorillas were far from weak—this was likely going to be a grueling battle.
The black gorillas approached, their eyes like bronze bells, their upper limbs exceptionally thick and powerful.
In contrast, their lower limbs appeared somewhat slender, likely due to their habit of swinging through the vines.
Their upper bodies, honed from constant use, were densely muscled.
Moreover, they bore sharp, porcupine-like quills that could be actively launched at anyone who came too close.
Each quill was as hard as an iron nail.
These [Black Quill Gorillas] were one of the island's primary predators.
They were also the first real challenge Cheadle and the others had encountered.
The [Black Quill Gorillas] showed no friendliness—the moment they appeared, they collectively lunged forward, intent on defeating the group.
Botobai's painted face twitched slightly as he clenched his fists, rapidly gathering a massive surge of aura around his hands.
[Ken]
In the next instant, Botobai flashed forward, appearing before one of the larger [Black Quill Gorillas].
His fists, enveloped in a brilliant glow, struck with blinding speed, stirring fierce gusts with each punch.
"Boom!"
The [Black Quill Gorilla] was sent flying, its body mangled beyond recognition.
The force of the punch carried through, slamming into the ground and carving out a sizable crater.
Botobai's first punch seemed to press an invisible button, signaling the start of the battle!
"Charge! Don't let these monkeys look down on us!"
"That ugliest one is mine! Just looking at it pisses me off!"
...
The group surged forward in unison, their auras taking on various forms.
Some, like Botobai, relied purely on physical strikes, while others wielded their preferred weapons.
Many unleashed their Nen Abilities, turning the battlefield into a dazzling spectacle of colors and powers.
The [Black Quill Gorillas], however, were no pushovers.
Their bodies were their greatest weapons, each punch packed with force.
They were comparable to skilled Enhancement-type Nen users.
Muheer casually twirled his spear, manifesting it with aura, and knocked down one of the gorillas.
Yet, the creature remained alive, retaliating by firing a barrage of its quills at Muheer.
Dodging was imperative—unless he wanted to expend a great deal of aura defending or end up looking like a pincushion.
Muheer snorted coldly, gripping his spear with both hands and spinning it before him.
The sharp clang of metal rang out repeatedly as he deflected every single quill.
Compared to the dangers he'd faced in the Dark Continent, these gorillas were nothing.
...
Meanwhile, as Cheadle and the others fought fiercely, Jonah's team advancing from the left also encountered obstacles.
Jonah carried a specially crafted broadsword over his shoulder, marching forward with the imposing presence of a dragon or tiger, followed by a disciplined squad of elite soldiers.
After a moment, a glint flashed in Jonah's sharp eyes as he suddenly halted and boomed.
"Something's coming!"
"Stay alert!"
No sooner had the words been spoken than a droning sound approached from afar, gradually growing louder in everyone's ears.
The buzzing noise was extremely irritating, its tones discordant and seemingly coming from multiple sources at once.
In that moment, it felt as though the entire rainforest was filled with this sound.
Seeing this, the elite soldiers remained calm and prepared the specialized guns holstered at their waists.
The average strength of these elite soldiers was not low, but they excelled even more in teamwork.
They also combined technological weapons with Nen Abilities.
After Meowth's upgrades, the power of these weapons had increased severalfold, making them no less formidable.
In the blink of an eye, the source of the buzzing became clear—a massive swarm of giant mosquitoes flying straight toward them.
Each mosquito was as large as a basketball, with some even bigger.
'Mosquitoes growing this large?'
'Truly bizarre.'
Jonah raised an eyebrow, then swung his large blade forward and boomed, "Open fire!"
In the next moment, countless specialized bullets whizzed past Jonah, striking the oncoming giant mosquitoes.
For a brief moment, dark green blood and dismembered limbs mixed chaotically before splattering onto the ground.
Yet this did not seem to intimidate the giant mosquitoes, who continued their fearless advance.
They were desperate to drain Jonah and the others dry.
To them, these Nen users were a top-tier delicacy.