HxH: I Will Be Supreme

Oboro's expression changed as he studied the creatures emerging from the forest. Their behavior seemed unusual, carrying an unnatural signature.

"It's not an awakened consciousness," he analyzed. "More like stimulated life force, perhaps some kind of enhancement?"

The horde approaching them included both living and dead animals. The energy emanating from the corpses wasn't normal Nen, it was something else entirely. Weak, but more concentrated, more solid.

"Not post-mortem Nen, similar to resentment, but different" The creatures' roar filled the air as they charged, making the ground tremble beneath their feet.

Oboro prepared to attack but noticed something strange, despite his position at the back, Hisoka drew the first attack. A gray rabbit, moving like a coiled spring, lunged at the magician with ferocious intent.

"They're avoiding me," Oboro realized. "Do they recognize any connection to the Bozwa tribe?"

With a casual flick, Hisoka's cards shredded the rabbit. Both hunters exploded into action, tearing into the horde of beasts.

Even with their enhanced state, the raw power of the creatures was no match for two experienced Nen users. Hisoka's cards found vital points with surgical precision, while Oboro's martial arts unleashed a whirlwind of devastating blows.

Their numbers were the real challenge; they couldn't completely destroy every corpse, allowing some to resurrect.

In the middle of a strike against a green-skinned, tiger-like creature, Oboro felt something at his neck. His hand snapped up and caught a tiny black insect between his fingers.

A shiver ran through him. His body was protected by Ten, but this creature had silently eroded his aura barrier, trying to break through his defenses.

"Move!" he shouted to Hisoka and threw himself into the canopy.

With bungee gum, Hisoka followed. They disappeared into the dense foliage, leaving the slower beasts behind. Minutes later, they emerged on the plain below the mountain.

"Quite a specimen," Hisoka opened his palm, revealing several insects bound by his Nen.

"It consumes your aura," Oboro observed. The insect in his grasp struggled against his Ten, its mandibles working to devour his energy. Even Hisoka's usually impenetrable Bungee Gum showed signs of deterioration.

"Fascinating," Hisoka's grin widened, clearly intrigued.

Thirty minutes later, they rejoined their team.

Kage and Ranse stared at the insects in disbelief. After hearing their report, the implications sank in. If these tiny creatures could erode the Nen of hunters like Oboro and Hisoka, even the strongest user could fall victim to a moment's carelessness.

"East Gorteau's army includes Nen users," Oboro observed. "If they're fighting so much..."

He glanced at the group, but they all shook their heads; no one had seen anything like these insects before. Even their local guide was puzzled. No native species.

"Kage, escort Dama back to the base," Oboro ordered. "Send the photos to the Association and search for similar incidents."

"Understood."

"These creatures are subtle, you can barely feel them consuming your aura. Contain them carefully." He handed over the specimens with a warning.

After Kage and Dama had left through the proper channels, Oboro exchanged glances with Hisoka.

"Similar to berserker enhancement, but with drug-like properties," Hisoka mused. "Those reanimated corpses showed remarkable physical abilities."

Oboro lifted an insect into the moonlight. "This is their true ability."

Unlike the possessed animals, these insects showed signs of awakened abilities, despite their lack of consciousness beyond basic instinct.

"Almost as if they were following orders," Hisoka leaned closer and studied the creature with fascination.

"There is an imposed will," Oboro confirmed quietly.

After dismissing their guide under Ranse's escort, Oboro sat in a tree and watched the captive insects while Hisoka shuffled the cards below.

"This aura resembles The Grudge," Oboro recalled from his memory. The Grudge, a dark counterpart to Nen, born of humanity's negative emotions and corrupted will. Where Nen represented life force, The Grudge channeled concepts closer to death.

He remembered Jade, who had worked alongside Netero as a shadow leader, handling V5's darker operations. Where Netero stood in the light, Jade moved through the darkness, directing assassinations and cover-ups.

After the organization's abandonment and Jade's death at Netero's hands, the impossible happened: resurrection. Those who witnessed the Sky Arena incident spoke of curse-controlled fighters moving like zombies.

Jade's resurrection suggested abilities beyond normal Nen, possibly through the properties of the Grudge combined with intense willpower and some sort of catalyst. But this situation felt different.

"Not quite The Grudge, that wouldn't require such complexity," Oboro reasoned, eyes closed. The insects carried an imposed will, transmitted by some form of energy.

It resembled the post-mortem Nen, but the scale made that impossible. Even if every Bozwa tribesman manifested such power, they lacked the necessary training and will. Post-mortem Nen usually only affected its user.

The idea that any Bozwa could manifest Post-Mortem Nen was absurd. They weren't even Nen users in life, their spiritual energy was untrained and weak. Such abilities should only affect the individual.

After analyzing the evidence and the nature of the Bozwa tribe, Oboro came to a conclusion: the origin of their power transcended the human world.

"The Dark Continent".

His current knowledge formed a limited framework. The human world and the Nen users were well documented, but the Dark Continent remained largely mysterious.

"For ordinary people to wield such power," he muttered. "It must be either a physical artifact or inherited knowledge. If it's based on memory, then degradation over generations would weaken it. An object seems more likely."

He exhaled slowly. "But if it is an inherited technique that retains such power after so many generations, how terrifying must the original have been?"