A thin layer of white fog hung over the sea in the early morning light. The mountains and forests of Island No. 10 were shrouded in clouds and fog. The island was considerable in size; a thorough investigation would take several hours, even with their team spread out.
Standing on the beach, Oboro nodded to Gabwich. The latter approached Saiyu, placed a hand on his shoulder and activated his ability.
The Mind Link took effect. Gabwich repeated the process with Gel, linking all eight team members through mental communication.
"Spread out, but be careful," Oboro ordered as team leader. "If you see anything suspicious, don't act alone. Report your location and we'll regroup first."
"Understood." Menchi and the others quickly dispersed, their forms fading into dark shadows among the trees.
Oboro paid no attention to the two Zodiacs as he disappeared into the jungle. Only after he was gone did Gel turn to Saiyu with a cautious look.
"You don't have a hidden agenda here, do you?" she asked coolly. The question stemmed from Saiyu's earlier admission that he was under Pariston's command, and they all knew what kind of person the Vice President was.
"Listen," Gel continued, remembering their conversation on the boat when Oboro had apparently found out something about Saiyu. "We just don't want you to be a wild card in this operation. We don't want to make enemies. Whatever the Vice President told you, think carefully about the consequences of your actions."
"Pariston and I are not allies," Saiyu replied, seeming to miss her point entirely. He swung his staff over his shoulder. "He is the Vice President, when he issues orders through the Association, I must cooperate. That's all there is to it." He followed Oboro's path into the jungle.
Gel fell into a thoughtful silence. Her analytical skills weren't up to Yorkshire's, but since Saiyu had explained himself, she would have to let it go for now.
---
"I've reached the coast on the other side. Nothing unusual on the way."
"Same here. Just the usual wildlife. Nothing special, let alone new species. Haven't even seen many dangerous beasts."
"Looks like the intel was wrong."
"Hahaha Perfect! I was right, completed a three-star mission without lifting a finger!" Anthony's laughter echoed through their mind-link.
After entering the forest, Oboro hadn't ventured deep into the interior. Instead, he'd found a fallen tree trunk and sat down on it. He'd known from the beginning that the probability of creatures from the Dark Continent existing on this island was minuscule, less than one percent.
They had been brought here by human hands.
His suspicions had been confirmed.
As time passed and the sun rose, the morning chill began to dissipate. The fog, however, grew thicker, giving the landscape an otherworldly quality.
"Where is Gel?" Menchi inquired.
Gel wasn't just a poison hunter, she was an accomplished coroner and pharmacist with extensive experience in wilderness exploration. Her knSaiyuedge of medicinal plants made her conclusions especially reliable when it came to environmental assessment.
"We found no trace of any new species, neither hidden nor open," Gel reported.
"Captain, what's our next step?" Menchi asked Oboro. "Should we make another sweep?"
"Captain?"
Menchi's surprise at Oboro's silence was cut short when every member of the team, including Oboro himself, suddenly lost their mental connection.
The telepathic link was gone.
There was only one explanation: something had happened to Gabwich.
Oboro sat quietly, a blade of grass between his teeth. After a moment, a figure emerged from the mist to his left, approaching him slSaiyuy.
"Pariston played it well, even managing to fool V5," Oboro remarked, turning to the newcomer with an amused expression.
"How do you know of my connection to him?" Saiyu fixed Oboro with a dark stare.
"Which 'him' do you mean?" Oboro spat out the blade of grass and smiled. "Pariston or beyond?"
The Saiyu's face hardened. "You seem to know everything."
"Indeed." Oboro rose from the trunk and met the other's gaze directly. "The others will be here soon. You don't have much time. Tell me your true purpose for coming here."
Given the circumstances, Saiyu's appearance was clearly aimed at him.
"Join us." Saiyu's expression remained blank as he spoke.
"Who?" Oboro's half-smile did not waver.
"Beyond." Saiyu stared at Oboro's smug face with growing impatience. "Beyond Netero wants you in his Dark Continent expedition team! You want to go to the Dark Continent, don't you? The only thing stopping you is the Chairman".
Oboro's apparent omniscience, as if he'd predicted everything, made Saiyu, who'd hoped to take control of the situation, feel thoroughly outmaneuvered.
"Is this also Pariston's idea?" Oboro asked, curiosity evident in his voice.
"We're just cooperating. Like I said, this is Beyond's invitation."
"I'm not interested," Oboro replied simply.
Two tigers could not share the same mountain. He and people like Beyond could never work together; their personalities were too strong, neither willing to give in to the other. Such a partnership would only lead to chaos.
And if Beyond had sent Saiyu with this message, he must have been confident in his ability to make others submit to his will.
"Are you sure?" Saiyu spun his staff, releasing a surge of aura.
"You're going to attack me?" Oboro's surprise seemed genuine.
"Since you refuse, there's no need to keep up appearances."
As Saiyu's mental energy flared, three differently shaped monkeys materialized around him, one perched on his shoulder, another hanging from his arm, and the third clutching his thigh.
These were the components of his telepathic ability: the Seeing Monkey, the Hearing Monkey, and the Speaking Monkey. An attack from these three would deprive their target of the corresponding senses, a truly troublesome ability.
What puzzled Oboro was Saiyu's boldness while Gel was still on the island. According to the Ten Commandments of the Hunters' Association, even a Zodiac couldn't escape the punishment of murder if discovered. But Saiyu's intent to kill was unmistakable.
He clearly had a backup plan.
"I see."
At that moment, Oboro reviewed everything he knew about the mission and noticed several suspicious elements. The investigation team of the Kakin Empire was also on its way to the island.
By now, they had probably landed after slipping past V5's security.
This meant that the Kakin Empire's "investigation team" was actually a group of assassins sent by Beyond to assist Saiyu and silence anyone who refused their offer.
The trap was set long ago.
Gel and the others would not arrive in time.
They would blame the Kakin Empire for his death.
Perfect.
"How utterly foolish." Oboro sighed as the pieces fell into place.
Saiyu took a fighting stance.
"You're just a puppet, after all, you and Beyond are being manipulated by Pariston, used as his pawns," Oboro sneered. "Though explaining that to you would probably be beyond your mental capacity."
He pulled his hands out of his pockets and spread his arms wide, flashing a predatory grin. "Not that I care, since I won't face any consequences for killing you, this should be fun!"
"What do you think your chances are of winning?" Despite Oboro's casual tone, his presence radiated absolute confidence.
"It's fifty-fifty between us!"
Saiyu would not underestimate Oboro's strength. Judging by the difficulty and success of his past missions, Oboro was at least on par with a Zodiac in terms of fighting ability. But Saiyu was just as confident in his own fighting skills. Even if he couldn't defeat Oboro immediately, Beyond's assassins would ensure Oboro's death as soon as they arrived.
After all, everyone involved in this operation was an elite fighter.
They had prepared extensively.
This was a hunting party with Oboro at the center!
"Hahahahahaha"
Oboro's laughter rang out, full of genuine joy.
"Fifty-fifty, how interesting. Seeing your confidence, I'm really looking forward to this fight. Come on, start, I can't wait." A cold wind swept the white mist over Oboro's form as he beckoned to Saiyu, excitement clear in his voice.
He had reason to be excited.
Since he had broken through to become a sub-world class Nen user, his power had changed, but he hadn't faced an opponent of equal strength.
Perhaps he hadn't felt truly threatened in a long time.
As a combat-oriented member of the Zodiacs, Saiyu presented a rare opportunity to test himself.
Nearly a year ago, Oboro had been confident that his skills would warrant a position among the Zodiacs, if only his qualifications weren't lacking.
Even now, he had no real measure of his fighting ability.
Beyond's schemes and Pariston's manipulations had inadvertently given him exactly what he wanted.