068 (Vol 4) HxH: Tombbound Power

The Dark Continent is a land ruled by a single law—the law of the hunt. There's no mercy here. Only predators and prey.... a cycle of death with no end in sight.

Here, even the land itself—trees, soil, the air—can consume living beings to nourish itself. Nothing is ever safe.

Just as Ronnel flew through the canopy and barely advanced, a sharp sense of danger flared in his chest.

"Tch… I knew it wouldn't be easy crossing this forest."

No plant that thrives on such blood-soaked ground could be anything but hostile.

Drip.

A blood-red drop, nearly the size of an egg, suddenly fell from above. Ronnel sidestepped, and the drop splattered on the ground with a wet crack, instantly releasing a thick stench of blood.

Ronnel wrinkled his nose and immediately blocked his sense of smell.

"That's not just any blood…"

He looked down. A hole the size of a football had formed where the drop hit—hard to imagine, considering it came from something so small.

He could feel it: if that had hit him, it wouldn't have just burned—it would've drained his blood dry, like some parasitic battlefield.

That was reason enough to accelerate.

...

Swish—swish—swish!

But speeding up only made things worse.

Blood droplets rained down from the branches overhead in rapid succession. Scarlet light filled the sky, falling like a storm. Ronnel's field of view was drenched in red.

This wasn't a metaphor.

It was actual blood rain. And it was deadly.

"Yep… welcome to the Dark Continent. Every step here wants you dead."

Ronnel activated his En, giving him precise awareness of each droplet's position. No matter how dense the rain, he could weave through it—like dodging stars in Zeno's Dragon Dive.

Back when Netero and Zeno attacked the East Gorteau palace, that move filled the sky with energy dragons. Gon and the others had managed to dodge it. Compared to that, this was manageable.

Still, Ronnel figured this blood rain was designed to punish anyone charging straight ahead using void-type footwork—fast, linear, easy to predict. A perfect trap.

So whether on the ground or mid-air, you weren't safe. Every direction was a kill zone.

But Ronnel wasn't just anyone. He could fly freely and twist through the air, adjusting his body on a dime. This kind of setup couldn't lock him down.

Still... if blood rain and cursed soil were all the Dark Continent had to offer, that would be underestimating it.

This place doesn't allow hope.

Only by fighting tooth and nail can you force a path forward.

...

After dodging a few waves of blood rain, the towering red trees seemed to realize their trap wasn't working. The droplets stopped falling.

But—

Whoosh! Whoosh!

Just as Ronnel pushed forward again, sharp blood-red leaves shot from the branches with the speed of bullets.

Each leaf was coated in a dark red sheen. They sliced through the air with the force of compressed wind—deadly and fast.

Ronnel didn't even try to block them. He knew better than to touch that blood glow.

Still, compared to the dense rain, these were easier to dodge.

But then came the twist.

Two leaves flew at him from different directions—front and back. Ronnel dodged them both, but instead of falling, the leaves collided behind him.

BOOM!

They exploded on contact, scattering random blood droplets in all directions.

The threat level had just spiked. These weren't just projectiles—they were traps.

Leaves were now colliding mid-flight to generate chaotic sprays of blood from unexpected angles.

There was no way to predict when or where it would happen.

Before long, the forest canopy lit up with collisions. Crimson droplets splashed everywhere, drawing crimson webs across the air.

...

"What the hell did I ever do to you guys?" Ronnel muttered, dryly. "I'm just passing through, you know…"

But the blood trees had made it clear—they weren't letting him go in peace.

"Alright then," Ronnel sighed. "You want war?"

He wasn't the kind to just take a beating.

[Rising Sun].

Feitan's signature group attack. It conjured a burning orb with solar-level temperatures. Against blood-soaked trees, it was the perfect counter.

But Ronnel had come prepared.

Before unleashing Sun, he'd also activated [Pain Packer], another of Feitan's skills, providing full immunity to extreme heat.

He had even modified the activation conditions using his Encyclopedia Points so it no longer required him to lose his mind in rage.

A small, glowing sphere formed in front of him—bright red, growing rapidly.

Ronnel didn't look up.

He simply ducked his head forward, weaving through the blood-filled air.

Then—

FWOOM!

The orb shot into the sky and burst into brilliance. Its surface shimmered, and the temperature soared to 6,000 degrees Celsius—the surface temperature of the actual sun.

The world ignited.

...

Zzzzzz—!

Blood droplets caught in the sun's path shriveled and hissed like water on a hot skillet, evaporating instantly.

The air cleared.

The pressure lifted.

The sky blazed with light, casting warmth on this desolate stretch of forest for the first time.

And Ronnel? He didn't slow down.

He pressed forward—through the light, through the silence, through the hellfire. The blood trees wilted beneath the sun's wrath.

And the path ahead opened.