A faint breeze stirred as the Rabbit-man's muscular body crumpled lifelessly, its weight flattening a patch of grass beneath it.
Two gaping holes now marked its skull and chest, blood steadily oozing from both.
Since the Rabbit-man's weak points weren't immediately obvious, Decidueye had fired two arrows—targeting the most likely vital spots: the head and heart.
As expected, striking these lethal areas ensured instant death.
After rigorous training, Decidueye had now ascended to S- rank.
Dispatching a Rabbit-man that hadn't reached S-tier was effortless.
Watching the Rabbit-man collapse abruptly, Ging tilted his head slightly, catching only a fleeting shadow on the branches.
'That Aura Beast from before...'
'It's unnervingly elusive. If it shot an arrow at me from the shadows, even I might struggle to react in time.'
Seeing how swiftly Decidueye had dealt with the Rabbit-man, Ging couldn't help but muse inwardly.
He had glimpsed Decidueye before in the Purple Forest—not fully, but as a shifting shadow.
Though Decidueye rarely made appearances, it had left a lasting impression on Ging.
Because Decidueye possessed extraordinary archery skills and an elusive movement style,
Ging felt it was a born assassin in the making.
In fact, Decidueye was similar to Jun—both utilized shadows to shift their positions and were highly skilled in assassination techniques.
The only difference lay in their attack methods.
Jun specialized in close combat, while Decidueye excelled in long-range attacks.
However, one thing was certain: both were perfectly suited to be assassins, either of them capable of surpassing the Zoldyck family.
The Rabbit-man's collapse eased the tension in everyone's hearts, their expressions instinctively relaxing as the crisis was resolved.
At the same time, the others returned to the group with Pekotero.
Though she had taken a slap from the Rabbit-man, Pekotero's current condition wasn't heavily affected.
Most of the credit went to Meowth's safety suit, which had absorbed much of the impact.
The originally indestructible safety suit, reinforced with divine inscriptions, had finally sustained damage.
A gaping hole the size of a palm fan appeared at the point of impact, leaving a large breach in the suit.
The remaining force was blocked by Pekotero's instinctively activated Gyo, circulating through her body.
Though Pekotero looked somewhat disheveled—his safety suit smeared with muddy dirt and a few blades of grass—
her aura remained steady.
Under the group's Focus-enhanced gaze, her Nen was still vibrant.
Pekotero brushed off the dirt and thanked Meowth, who stood beside Akira.
"Meowth, thank you for the suit."
His words were completely sincere.
He knew that without the safety suit, he would have either died or suffered severe injuries.
The Gyo he had mustered in that instant wouldn't have been enough to withstand much damage.
Meowth's face flushed with embarrassment as he was about to scratch his cheek with a paw then he realized his helmet was in the way and awkwardly said.
"It's Meowth's pleasure, nya~! I love it when others appreciate my work. There's more where that came from, nya!"
With that, Meowth pulled out another safety suit and handed it to Pekotero.
Though the suits had strong defensive capabilities and some self-repair properties, one this badly damaged wasn't fit for reuse.
Fortunately, Meowth always carried plenty of spares, so supply was never an issue.
Since Pekotero's original suit was ruined, it was best to replace it with a new one.
Just as Pekotero finished changing and the group prepared to move forward again, the distant trees began vanishing one after another without explanation.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!..."
It wasn't a widespread disappearance—only the trees directly ahead of them along a straight line were vanishing.
Then, the ground began to tremble rhythmically, like the beat of a drum.
Even through the safety suits, they could feel the vibrations, a tingling sensation traveling from their feet to their brains.
If they closed their eyes and ignored everything else, it almost felt like a foot massage.
But as time passed, the tremors grew more violent.
Combined with the disappearing trees, it was as if some massive creature was approaching.
What had been a pleasant tingling soon turned into painful torment.
The earthquake immediately put everyone on high alert, their gazes involuntarily snapping forward.
Clearly, the trembling of the ground was most likely related to the disappearing trees ahead.
After a few moments, something seemed to be approaching, and the group could vaguely make out its outline.
A massive, pitch-black mass, like fog, "floated" onto the trees, and in an instant, the once lush and leafy trees were completely devoured.
The speed was so fast that only those within the S-rank range could clearly see it.
The others could only catch a glimpse of a dark shadow before the trees vanished without a trace.
Beyond gasped, his round eyes fixed intently on the distance as a chill crept up his spine.
Though he couldn't quite discern what it was, one thing he was certain of—this thing was definitely not easy to deal with.
In just a blink, such a massive tree had been completely consumed—it was truly unimaginable.
Fortunately, Akira was with them.
If things took a turn for the worse, they could retreat into the Network Space.
On the other side, Ging had also spotted the "black fog."
Frowning, he pondered silently.
'Unclear... Could it be something fog-like? Or perhaps an enormous swarm of insects...'
A glint flashed in Akira's eyes as he stood at the forefront of the group, calmly watching the unknown entity rapidly approach.
Seeing that the leaders remained motionless, the others had no choice but to stay on high alert where they were.
A few more moments passed, and as several more trees disappeared, the group finally saw what the "black fog" truly was.
With many of the trees in this direction now gone, their field of vision widened, allowing them to see the full extent of the phenomenon.
Not far away, an inexplicable "black ocean" had appeared, starkly contrasting with the lush forests on either side.
The vast "ocean" stretched endlessly, seemingly without boundaries.
Wherever the "ocean" passed, the towering trees vanished without a trace.
This eerie sight sent a chill down everyone's spines.
Though they couldn't see beneath the "ocean," they could guess that the undergrowth had likely been completely cleared as well.
The "ocean" was like a corrosive tide—anything it touched would instantly dissolve into nothingness.
Even more unsettling, the "ocean" undulated like waves, rising and falling with the terrain.
And yet, this terrifying "ocean" was advancing precisely toward Akira and the others.
As it drew closer, its true identity was finally revealed.
It was an enormous swarm of insects.
The insects were pitch-black, as dark as ink.
If it were nighttime, spotting them would have been nearly impossible.
They were all of the same species, with nearly identical features—each had a pair of translucent, delicate wings.
This was how they could fly.
Their heads bore compound eyes, much like those of flies, allowing them to see more clearly.
Atop their heads were long antennae, constantly twitching as they advanced.
Their mouths were equipped with sharp mandibles—the very tools that had devoured the trees and everything else in their path.
These formidable mandibles could easily crush even steel, making it seem as though nothing was beyond their ability to chew through.
Each insect had six legs, and their bodies were covered in a metallic, glossy exoskeleton that appeared incredibly sturdy.
Though each body was small, their segmented limbs were ringed with bulging muscles.
The muscles were so swollen that crimson veins protruded visibly across them.
Just by looking, it was clear their explosive power must be immense.
Akira narrowed his eyes slightly, observing the staggering number of insects before him.
Judging by appearance alone, they resembled ants—mutated ones, to be precise.
But these were far from ordinary ants.
Not only did they possess hard exoskeletons and formidable biting strength, but the most troublesome aspect was their sheer numbers.
As the saying goes, "Enough ants can kill an elephant."
Leaving aside whether ordinary ants could achieve such a feat, Akira was certain these ants absolutely could.
In a single encounter, an elephant—bones and all—would vanish instantly, more effective than even the strongest venom.
These ants… seemed like an excellent tool for disposing of corpses.
The thought crossed Akira's mind, but he quickly dismissed it.
After all, he had no need for such methods.
He could simply toss anything into the Digital world—why bother with these [All-consuming Black Ants]?
The name [All-consuming Black Ants] was information Akira had learned through his Pokedex Ability, finally putting a name to these creatures.
At that moment, everyone realized an awkward problem.
Their current position lay directly in the path of the advancing swarm.
Should they move aside?
Pariston watched the rapidly approaching [All-consuming Black Ants] and murmured.
"…What terrifying insects~"
"If these things latch onto you, you'd probably vanish from this world in an instant, wouldn't you?"
As he spoke, an unreadable glint flickered in Pariston's eyes.
He rubbed the back of his head and added cheerfully,
"Ahaha, seems like a pretty interesting way to die. Not many get to experience vanishing in a split second, right?"
He raised a finger excitedly, but the others unanimously ignored him.
After spending so much time together, they knew exactly what kind of person Pariston was.
Though he had toned down his antics somewhat for this expedition to the Dark Continent, he still occasionally had his "episodes."
Watching the others pretend not to hear him, Pariston's fake smile widened briefly before settling back into neutrality.
Despite his theatrics, everyone knew his words weren't wrong.
Those unknown insects were undeniably dangerous.
Most of the group likely wouldn't even be able to resist before being devoured entirely.
As they spoke, the already trembling ground suddenly intensified, shaking so violently that the weaker members struggled to stay upright.
But this time, the disturbance had nothing to do with the [All-consuming Black Ants]—the epicenter was clearly underground.
Just as the tremors peaked, they abruptly ceased.
A collective unease gripped the group as they instinctively retreated backward.
When violent tremors suddenly stop, seasoned veterans from the Six Continents knew exactly what it meant—
Something massive was about to erupt from below!
BOOM!!
Sure enough, moments after the group retreated, the ground blanketed by the [All-consuming Black Ants] exploded outward.
A thick, elongated body burst into view, like a colossal rod thrust up from the depths.
The sudden impact dealt significant damage to the All-consuming Black Ants, with powerful shockwaves flipping many of them over.
A gaping abyss-like maw lined with sharp teeth swallowed a massive swarm of All-consuming Black Ants whole.
At the same time, countless ants were directly crushed into fragments, leaving limbs and remains scattered across the ground.
The long, dragon-like formation instantly collapsed, with shattered bodies and limbs mixed with blood splattering onto the earth.
Even more were reduced to ashes on the spot.
A massive "hole" suddenly tore through the once-unbroken "ocean," disrupting the All-consuming Black Ants' advance.
In addition, clumps of dirt and powdered dust filled the air, mingling with the countless remains of the ants, drastically reducing visibility.
Despite this, everyone could still clearly see what had suddenly appeared.
It was an extremely bizarre-looking creature.
Its body resembled that of an enormous serpent—thick, sturdy, and incredibly long.
Even with much of its body still buried underground, the exposed portion alone stood over ten meters tall.
How much more remained unseen was still unknown.
Moreover, its surface was covered in a shell-like substance, giving it formidable defensive capabilities, like a tank capable of reckless rampage.
Its body was also marked with distinct segmented stripes.
Though its shape resembled a giant serpent, Akira's Pokedex Ability revealed its true identity.
It was actually a monstrous earthworm!
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