The giant fish opened its enormous maw.
Its densely packed teeth gleamed like rows of sharp blades in the dim forest.
Everyone prepared for battle—Kurapika's Chain had already shot out, arcs of electricity had sprung from Killua's fingertips, and Nen had condensed around Gon's fists.
Then—
"Splash—"
The giant fish flicked its tail and dove into the riverbed.
The deep-green river churned several times before returning to calm.
The giant fish vanished.
Everyone: "..."
"Did it run away?" Gon tilted his head.
"It probably dove to the bottom." Kurapika's Scarlet Eyes flickered faintly as he sensed beneath the water. "Strange... its life signs have disappeared. Either it's hiding very deep, or... it's waiting."
Leorio swallowed.
"Waiting for what?"
"For us to cross the river." Killua kept his hands in his pockets, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly. "This fish is smart. It knows it can't beat us head-on, so it's hiding and waiting for us to expose an opening."
Everyone stared at the hundred-meter-wide river before them and fell into a quandary.
The river was too deep to see the bottom. The current was too swift, its roar deafening. Ordinary swimming was out of the question, especially with a level-120 giant fish hiding beneath the surface.
"Genos, can you fly across?" Leorio asked.
Genos's optical lenses scanned the river.
"I can carry two people across, but I would need to make four round trips. Furthermore, if the giant fish attacks during flight, I cannot handle both flying and combat simultaneously."
"What about the riverbed?" Kurapika asked. "Is there anywhere we can stand?"
Genos scanned for a while.
"There are roots of the King of All Trees on the riverbed, stretching across it like a bridge. We can step on the roots to cross. However, the roots are three meters