Viruses, which are the smallest in shape and the simplest in structure, can silently destroy the bodies of various organisms.
They are an invisible, deadly weapon.
During their journey through the Dark Continent, Moses and his team had once witnessed a giant bird, which is several times larger than a passenger plane, slowly descend from the sky, struggle, and then collapse to the ground, dead. Its feathers fell off at a visible rate.
After Sanbica's examination, the group learned that the giant bird had died from a virus...
This showed just how vicious the 'viruses' of the Dark Continent could be, posing a deadly threat even to the apex predators of the food chain.
However, Moses wasn't sure whether the virus Sanbica had collected and studied could pose a threat to Sulfur.
Now-
He had simply delivered the virus into Sulfur's body. All that was left to do was wait.
Just like waiting for Kyoka Suigetsu to bloom, he had to wait for the virus to take over Sulfur's body.
But he didn't know how long it would take.
Based on common sense, a virus takes time to invade and wreak havoc.
That would definitely take longer than the five minutes required for Kyoka Suigetsu.
However, this virus taken from the Dark Continent might possess power beyond common sense.
Until then, they couldn't attack again. Instead, they had to protect themselves until the virus showed its effects.
Moses retracted his sword and quickly retreated.
Using the virus against Sulfur was a spur-of-the-moment strategy, so Biscuit and Kanzai weren't aware of it.
Moreover, since Sulfur understood the common language, Moses couldn't explain this plan to Biscuit and the others in front of Sulfur.
"Kanzai, Hisoka, Bi... Sister."
Moses called out their names one by one, drawing their attention.
Then, he raised his left hand, pointed at Sanbica outside the battle circle, and then pointed at his black sword and the wound on Sulfur's neck.
Since they can't communicate verbally, Moses had to rely on gestures to convey his message.
When Biscuit and Hisoka saw the series of gestures Moses made in a short time, a glimmer of understanding flashed in their eyes.
Pointing at the black sword and then at Sulfur's wound…
The gesture pointing at Sanbica undoubtedly referred to the virus.
It was easy to understand the message Moses was trying to convey through these gestures.
'Then there's no need to rush to attack.'
Biscuit silently raised her hand to wipe away the blood from her chin.
Earlier, when the red-furred magical beast had sent her flying, she had sustained significant internal injuries.
If it weren't for her strong physical constitution and the fact that the red-furred beast had focused its attention on Moses, she might have been severely injured.
This was the pressure she faced in battle.
Now, being able to adopt a purely defensive strategy was actually a good thing.
'A virus, huh♤...'
Hisoka narrowed his eyes, feeling a bit of anticipation for the outcome.
But before that, he couldn't afford to get hit by that red-furred beast...
Kanzai, struggling with his severe injuries, got up from the ground and also saw Moses's gestures.
"???"
A string of question marks immediately appeared above Kanzai's head.
'What does that mean???'
He endured the pain, his eyes wide as he stared at Moses, unable to decipher the meaning behind the gestures.
However, Moses didn't have time to pay attention to Kanzai's reaction, as Sulfur was already charging at him again.
'Am I the only one in his eyes...? Does this guy want something from me?'
Seeing Sulfur rapidly approaching, Moses raised an eyebrow and quickly retreated.
In order to wait for the virus to take effect, he couldn't risk counterattacking or launching an offensive. Instead, he planned to use his Shadow Shift to kite Sulfur.
It was precisely because of the confidence Shadow Shift gave him that Moses now felt little pressure in battle, leaving him with enough energy to ponder Sulfur's motives.
'Could it be that he's after the Nitro Rice?'
As Moses retreated backwards, he thought of this possibility.
'It was highly likely that this red-furred magical beast had seen me harvesting the Nitro Rice. That's why it had come after him.'
Sulfur had no idea what Moses was thinking. He let his anger fuel his life force, his body transforming into a red streak as he struck at Moses.
Boom!
The overwhelming surge of life force slammed into Moses.
Faced with such a powerful attack, Moses was naturally helpless… or more accurately, his shadow clone was powerless to resist.
Accompanied by a deafening roar, the shadow clone Moses had swapped in earlier was shattered into a mist of blood and flesh under Sulfur's assault.
'Again with this move!'
Sulfur abruptly stopped and looked back.
The blood and flesh scattered in the air instantly turned into black particles before dissipating.
After several exchanges, Sulfur realized that the human who could resist Hellbell had a cloning ability, as well as the ability to swap places with his clones.
But it doesn't matter.
Sulfur's body was enveloped in a powerful Aura, and the life force continuously released from his body enhanced his sensory abilities.
As the scattered black particles disappeared into the air, Sulfur's senses immediately locked onto Moses, who was now a hundred meters away.
'It won't take long.'
Sulfur's gaze was cold as his body once again transformed into a red streak, charging at Moses with incredible speed.
Seeing Sulfur approaching again, Moses calmly continued to retreat, maintaining distance.
When Sulfur closed in and launched his attack, Moses activated his [Pseudo-Fist That Listens to the Heart] state, his body swaying like a willow in the wind as he continuously dodged Sulfur's storm-like attacks.
Once Pseudo-Fist That Listens to the Heart could no longer handle the pressure from Sulfur's onslaught, Moses would decisively use Shadow Shift.
Boom!
The shadow clone he swapped in was once again 'killed' by Sulfur.
Sulfur's cold gaze swept over the black ink-like substance splattering into the air.
After several rounds of venting, his anger had subsided somewhat, replaced by a calmer mindset.
One fact was certain.
He could kill all the humans here, but they couldn't do anything to him.
So there is no need to rush.
What the Gatekeeper Race lacked the least was-
Time!
Sulfur's gaze shifted and he looked at Moses not far away.
Boom!
He stomped the ground and charged at Moses once more.
No matter how many times it took, it didn't matter. After all, he had all the 'time' in the world.
The red streak, radiating scorching heat, swept across the pale Bone Burial Ground, fearlessly closing in on Moses.
Then, another round of intense offense and defense began.
Around them.
Kanzai used his Tiger Stripe healing ability to quickly recover from his injuries.
If it weren't for this self-healing Enhancement-Type Ability, he would have been knocked out of the fight long ago.
As he healed, he watched Moses's kiting tactics and realized that his earlier worries had been unnecessary.
Therefore, there was no need to recklessly charge in like before.
"What's up with that monster?"
Seeing Sulfur relentlessly pursuing Moses, Kanzai felt a wave of confusion.
On the other side, Hisoka and Biscuit also noticed Sulfur's obsession with Moses during the battle.
From calling out Moses earlier to now chasing him down, what exactly did this sudden magical beast want?
'If you can 'persevere', then there will be nothing for me to do♧.'
Hisoka casually put away his deck of cards and looked calmly at Moses, who is bearing the pressure alone.
Since Moses could handle kiting the magical beast by himself, there was no need for the others to interfere and risk disrupting his rhythm.
Given the current situation, Hisoka's decision to decisively 'sell out' his teammate was undoubtedly the correct one.
Until the 'virus' showed signs of taking effect, it was best to maintain the status quo.
Biscuit, with her wealth of experience, could also see this.
She had been injured by Sulfur's charge, but it didn't significantly affect her combat ability.
However, in this situation, she really couldn't afford to act recklessly.
'Is the key to victory 'time'...'
Biscuit frowned, unable to determine whether Moses could hold out until the virus in Sulfur's body took effect or if Sulfur would break through Moses's kiting tactics before the virus could act.
Until the process became clearer, it seemed she could only stand by and wait.