The moment Ryker finished speaking—
The world changed.
A vast surge of darkness spread across the horizon.
It rolled in like storm clouds, swallowing the sky.
The ground trembled beneath it.
"Damn it."
Ryker's expression sharpened.
"The source has awakened."
"It's trying to consume the entire continent."
"We move now," Killua said instantly, eyes blazing.
"If we hesitate, it's over."
Ryker didn't respond.
He was already moving.
The Thunder God's Judgment Blade flared in his hand as he shot forward toward the source.
Behind him, Gon, Killua, and Biscuit followed without hesitation.
They vanished into the dark mist.
The deeper they went—
The heavier the air became.
Each step carried more pressure.
Each breath felt thinner.
The darkness wasn't just surrounding them.
It was feeding on them.
"Careful."
Biscuit's voice cut in sharply.
She pivoted and released a surge of Nen, forcing the surrounding darkness back.
"It's not physical."
"It's fused with the land itself."
"We can't fight it directly."
Killua frowned.
"Then how do we stop it?"
"It's spreading too fast."
Ryker stopped.
Turned.
His eyes locked onto them.
"We don't have time to hesitate."
"I can feel it."
"The source is accelerating."
"The continent is already collapsing."
He turned forward again.
His voice hardened.
"We reach it together."
"That's the only way to stop this."
Then—
A roar.
Low.
Ancient.
It rolled through the darkness.
The mist parted.
Something emerged.
Massive.
A colossal form made entirely of darkness.
Its body stretched across the sky like a living shadow.
Its presence alone crushed the air.
Ryker's heartbeat spiked.
This was beyond anything before.
"Careful."
"That's not just a creature."
"That's the source itself."
"A fully awakened manifestation."
Biscuit's expression tightened.
"No wonder we couldn't detect it properly."
"It's fused with the entire continent."
Killua clenched his fists.
"So how do we fight something like that?"
Ryker's answer came without hesitation.
"We go inside it."
"We reach the core."
"And destroy it from within."
Silence.
Then—
Resolve.
"Got it."
They moved.
All four surged forward, pushing through the crushing darkness.
But the moment the creature roared—
Their bodies stalled.
Even moving became difficult.
The pressure tore at them from every direction.
"This thing…"
Killua grit his teeth.
"It's the source of everything."
Ryker understood.
Completely.
This was no longer an enemy.
This—
Was the Dark Continent itself.
Given form.