055 (Vol 4) HxH: Tombbound Power

Beyond had as much confidence in Ronnel as he did in himself.

But because Ronnel held control over the fourth-dimensional apartment and was a critical part of the mission, Beyond still had Victor keep a close eye on him—just in case.

Once the ship made of dark sea stone was stowed away and everyone's positions were finalized, the entire team kicked into action with mechanical efficiency.

The logistics staff returned to the apartment, ready to fulfill their support roles.

Meanwhile, the combat team stood along the coast, gearing up for the next phase of the operation.

"First up, our target is the longevity food, Nitro Rice. Honestly, this is my first time approaching from this direction, so I don't have a clear picture of the terrain here."

Beyond began addressing the entire team, briefing them on the mission ahead.

"But one thing's for sure: the Dark Continent is unbelievably dangerous. Every step we take must be calculated. Our top priority—above all else—is survival."

"There's also a natural rule here: 'Next to poison is the antidote.' Every glimmer of hope is shadowed by disaster."

"You've all been briefed on the two-tailed snake, Hellbell, that lives near Nitro Rice. For now, the safest approach is to cut off your hearing."

"As the team leader, I'm not weak. So if I face Hellbell myself, I'll test firsthand whether deafening myself protects me from its effects. And if it doesn't..."

He paused, turning toward Ronnel with a calm, matter-of-fact tone.

"Ronnel, if I can endure the hellish ringing, pretend I never said anything. But if I lose control, consumed by killing intent—then once you're clear of danger, stop me."

"Even if it means killing me on the spot. Got it?"

His tone was as casual as if he were discussing lunch.

But Ronnel knew he meant every word.

"I will~" Ronnel smiled. The way Beyond spoke reminded him a little of Chairman Netero.

"Alright. I'm counting on you."

Among everyone present, Ronnel was the only one strong enough to keep Beyond in check if necessary.

Beyond gave him a nod, then turned back to address the team, their expressions sobering once more.

"According to records from the ferry hall, while Nitro Rice isn't abundant, it's not exactly rare either. But in the swamps ahead, there's more than one Hellbell lurking."

"And this swamp covers a wide area. So, we'll split into four groups and advance in different directions from left to right. Each team will maintain a set distance from the others."

"That way, we don't interfere with each other, but we can still provide support or rescue if anyone runs into trouble. The logistics team will calculate the spacing. Three groups will each take a direction. Ronnel, you okay going solo?"

"No problem at all," Ronnel replied. Beyond's plan suited him perfectly.

Acting solo meant he could stay close enough to the others for safety, but still have plenty of freedom to maneuver—and maybe even pocket any rare finds along the way.

Not that he was expecting much. This area had already been explored by other nations. Anything truly valuable would've been documented by now.

And Nitro Rice was the only treasure on record here. That alone spoke volumes about its rarity.

After all, this was just the coastal edge of the Dark Continent. Finding something like Nitro Rice here was already miraculous.

Beyond the swamp—where Nitro Rice and Hellbell resided—there were surely more undiscovered treasures. But based on past expeditions, no team had made it beyond that swamp without getting driven back by Hellbell.

...

With the plan finalized, the teams took a short rest before splitting up.

Following the calculated spacing relayed through their earpieces, the groups moved in an arithmetic sequence formation and disappeared into the jungle, spreading from left to right.

"I'll go ahead. Ping me if anything comes up," Ging said, tapping the comm device that Ickshonpe had personally modified for him.

"Same goes for you. Let me know if you need help," Ronnel replied with a smile.

Ging waved and led his team into the forest from the far right.

Beyond and Pariston each took a team and disappeared into the woods on the left flank.

Soon, Ronnel was the only one left standing on the beach.

"Alright then… let's officially start this, Dark Continent."

He rolled his wrist and gazed at the dense forest ahead, a smirk playing on his lips.

"I finally made it here. I really want to see what kind of surprises old man Togashi left waiting for me...!"

But just as he was about to move out, a magnetic voice echoed in his ear:

"Ronnel-san, please proceed to the right…"

The coast was deserted, but the voice had been clear.

"Victor's ability… Must be some kind of real-time message delivery system for field command," Ronnel mused with a grin.

He didn't overthink it and simply followed the instruction, heading off in the designated direction.

...

Inside the fourth-dimensional apartment, the once-empty main hall was now filled with equipment.

Most striking were the four massive display screens in the center, each showing live feeds of the squad leaders—Beyond, Ging, Pariston—and Ronnel, alone.

Surrounding those were smaller screens arranged in neat clusters, each corresponding to the other members of the combat squads.

Each team's formation was shown in full: the captain in front, members fanned out behind at different angles—just enough to give the logistics personnel inside the apartment a complete 360-degree overview of the battlefield with zero blind spots.