That towering figure was someone Ronin had also seen in the manga.
It was Beyond.
Isaac Netero's son—the man who had spent decades embedded in Kakin, laying the groundwork for his return to the Dark Continent.
Beyond should have been over two meters tall. He had long black hair and a thick beard that hung down to his chest.
There were also two scars on his face, crossing into a huge X shape. But instead of making him look savage or hideous, they gave him a wilder edge.
As Beyond walked toward Ronin, he let out a hearty laugh.
But when that laughter reached Ronin's ears, it only made him frown. During his fight with Chrollo, he had already guessed that Beyond had entered the game.
He just hadn't expected the man to come here in person.
"So you really did notice? Haha! Heroes really do come young these days. Well? Want to work together? I imagine you already knew about me, didn't you?" Beyond didn't come too close, but as he spoke, the aura around him had already fully opened up.
When Ronin looked at him, he felt as if an enormous eye had slowly appeared behind Beyond.
And on closer inspection, that so-called eye was entirely formed from Beyond's aura.
Looking even more carefully, Ronin could see that Beyond's aura was slowly shaping itself into words, while a soul-shaking power gathered inside that giant eye.
Ronin had seen this huge eye in the manga too.
But at the time, it hadn't appeared on Beyond himself. It had appeared inside the mouth of Beyond's descendant, Longji.
Over the decades, Beyond had left behind many bloodlines, and those descendants seemed to all be tools.
They were beings that could be called curse-offerings.
Every one of them carried a curse left behind by Beyond, and those curses were aimed precisely at Kakin's princes.
Now that an even larger "Eye of Curse" had appeared behind Beyond, Ronin had no choice but to become cautious.
He shifted his gaze away from the giant eye and looked back at Beyond himself.
In Beyond's eyes, he saw the confidence of someone certain of victory, as well as a stubborn forcefulness that would never stop until his goal was achieved.
The corner of Ronin's mouth pulled into a smile.
"I refuse."
His answer to Beyond was only those words.
It didn't matter why Beyond wanted to recruit him. It didn't matter what Beyond could promise him. It didn't even matter what shocking information Beyond might be able to offer.
Ronin's answer remained those simple words.
Beyond's wild smile didn't fade at all when he heard Ronin's reply. Instead, he laughed even louder.
"Why? I can tell you're a man with ambition. And I can help you fulfill that ambition!"
Ronin looked at Beyond and gave a simple answer.
"One of the things I, Ronin, love most is saying no to guys who think they're strong."
Beyond's smile froze for an instant.
Then it bloomed again.
"Interesting! But my answer is the same: I refuse!"
"So there's nothing to discuss?" Ronin raised both hands in front of his chest, ready to form hand seals at any moment.
"Not exactly," Beyond said seriously, nodding. "I can give you three choices. If you reject all three, then there really will be nothing left to discuss."
"What are they?" Ronin was still wary of Beyond.
Besides, continuing to fight right now was extremely disadvantageous for him.
Although he still had about half of the chakra in his Strength of a Hundred Seal, enough to handle the next battle, the drain on his Sharingan's ocular power had already reached its limit. If he kept using it, there was a real chance of permanent damage.
There was also another important point: he had too few allies right now.
On the contrary, whether it was Abachi and the others who had yet to make it back, or Kurapika, all of them could become burdens in the coming battle.
And the Scarlet Eyes in the treasure vault behind him still hadn't been put away. If Beyond's side got to them first, taking the Scarlet Eyes back from him afterward would not be easy.
"Say it." Ronin's expression turned solemn.
"First, swear that as long as I'm still alive, you will never set foot on the Dark Continent," Beyond said, giving the first condition.
Just like the condition his father had once given him.
Ronin's face darkened, and he shook his head immediately.
"Impossible."
Although he didn't have an especially intense desire for the Dark Continent, he had no intention of letting anyone restrict his actions.
The corner of Beyond's mouth lifted slightly, as if to say, I knew it.
Then he raised a second finger.
"Second, give me your eyes."
Killing intent had already appeared in Ronin's eyes.
"Are you dreaming? Or are you messing with me?"
Beyond didn't answer. He simply gave the next condition.
"Third, hand Kurapika over to me. Since you won't cooperate with me, let Kurapika cooperate with me in your place."
Ronin frowned.
He wouldn't agree to this one either. He just didn't understand what Beyond's purpose was in doing this.
What trait did Kurapika possess that made Beyond think he could replace Ronin?
"I can do it."
Kurapika's weak voice came from behind Ronin.
He had already regained consciousness, but the earlier scene of him confronting Ronin was still lingering in his mind.
His heart was now full of guilt. If his own life could be exchanged for Ronin's freedom, then he was willing.
"Shut up."
Ronin had absolutely no patience for Kurapika right now.
Although Kurapika had only said those hurtful things earlier because he was being influenced by a Nen ability, Ronin knew those words had probably been building up inside Kurapika for a long time.
The ability affecting Kurapika should not have been capable of making him say things he had never thought before.
It was more like guidance. Suggestion.
"What? That won't work either?" Beyond still wore that same confident expression, as if victory was already in his grasp.
"Why?" This time, Ronin didn't refuse immediately. Instead, he asked for the reason.
"He's useful," Beyond replied, giving an answer that was practically nonsense.
"Is there no fourth option?" Ronin didn't follow Beyond's words. Instead, he asked a question of his own.
"What?"
"Cooperation," Ronin said, voicing his idea. "Joining your team is impossible. I don't trust you. So why not hire me like a mercenary instead? You choose to employ me, and I choose to cooperate with you. I think that would benefit both sides, and it should be something both of us can accept."
"No." Beyond shook his head. "Cooperation is meaningless. Under a cooperative arrangement, my ability won't take effect on you."
Ronin's fingers twitched slightly.
"I see. Then it looks like there really is nothing to discuss."