From a distance, the colossal object flying high in the sky was indeed a mountain.
It appeared to fly slowly, but in reality, it was moving very fast. Its massive size just created a visual illusion.
Only when the distance closed somewhat could one see that the behemoth was not purely a mountain.
More accurately, it was a giant oared ship carrying a 'mountain'. The gigantic oars on the left and right sides of the ship's hull could stir wind and thunder as they moved. Numerous visible electric snakes danced wildly upon them.
However, even more accurately, it didn't seem to be just a giant ship carrying a mountain, but a super-large flying magical beast.
Because, at the bow of the ship, there was clearly a head resembling that of a western dragon. As the giant ship flew, one could see two long streams of white smoke and steam constantly being expelled from the dragon head's large nostrils.
From far away, it looked like a mountain.
From a closer distance, it looked like a mountain-carrying ship.
But the truth was... a super-sized magical beast.
Although its structure was unbelievable, the signs of life movement displayed by the dragon head undoubtedly indicated its identity.
The majestic ship-like body of the Dragon-Ship Beast tore through the clouds, heading in the direction of the Ancient Labyrinth City.
Within the labyrinth city, neither of the two sides in the standoff had noticed the distant Dragon-Ship Beast in the sky. However, Tonpa's group inside the Four-Dimensional Apartment did.
The little fox Nen Beast [Unseen Things] had a wide field of vision, which allowed it to capture the figure of the Dragon-Ship Beast in the distant sky.
However, due to the viewing distance and a lack of exceptional eyesight, it was difficult to make out the general appearance of the Dragon-Ship Beast.
Because of this, when Tonpa's group discovered the Dragon-Ship Beast, they were all taken aback and startled.
"What is that thing?"
Nique, who was maintaining his Nen output, exclaimed in surprise.
In the image transmitted by the little fox Nen Beast, the Dragon-Ship Beast appeared as a palm-sized black shadow. But everyone, with a basic sense of distance, could roughly discern the size of that shadow.
Specific measurements were certainly impossible to analyze. The only thing certain was that it was extremely large!
While the others marveled at the true identity of the black shadow, Tonpa was frowning and racking his brains, feeling that this scene was somehow familiar.
"It seems... I've seen this somewhere before," Tonpa muttered to himself.
'What could it be?'
He couldn't recall immediately, but it was definitely a very unpleasant experience.
Tonpa had that feeling.
"We need to notify them!" Shiro said.
"Right."
"I'll go."
Tonpa, with a thorn stuck in his heart, volunteered.
No one objected, and Knov sent Tonpa out of the apartment.
The established entrance/exit was at least two kilometers away from where Law and the others were currently located.
Tonpa crawled out of the black hole entrance. Due to the great distance, he couldn't see Law and the others.
However, he was now closer to the Dragon-Ship Beast, allowing Tonpa to finally see the beast's general appearance.
Upon seeing it clearly, a look of horror slowly spread across Tonpa's face.
"It's the Mountain Ship!"
Tonpa blurted out the name of the Dragon-Ship Beast.
Actually, this name was given by Law. As for its real name, they didn't know.
"This damn thing again!"
Tonpa finally recalled the terror of being dominated by the Mountain Ship that day. Cursing angrily, he rushed toward Law's location at his fastest speed.
He wasn't sure if Law and the others could see the Mountain Ship. Regardless, he had to get to the scene and return to the Hide-and-Seek dimension with them.
At the labyrinth ruins site.
Dice Nose sensed a threat, a potentially fatal one.
Although the human side hadn't made a move yet, it only prolonged her time to linger on the brink of death.
'These humans... are simply incomparable to those worthless ones outside. Also, all escape routes are completely blocked, leaving no way out. And what exactly happened to Ancient Claw and the others?'
The three tails behind Dice Nose remained in combat posture.
Her initial line of thought was how to kill all the humans present. Feeling utterly hopeless, she shifted to breaking through the encirclement.
Thinking it over, the only thing she could rely on was her own ability… Charm.
If she focused solely on control, the chance of a successful breakthrough would increase, but it could only target the opposite sex.
'The suitable target would be...'
Dice Nose subtly observed the positions of everyone present, ultimately locking onto Giles as the target.
She felt Law and Ging were dangerous, so she'd bypass them. Uvogin and Nobunaga were positioned too close together, and the effect of Charm on multiple targets would be greatly diminished, so she'd have to bypass them too.
Therefore, the remaining target she could choose was Giles.
"What did you do to my companions?" Dice Nose asked, both thinking of a plan and engaging in meaningless probing conversation.
The starting point of her probing was what she considered the least likely event, so the language she used was the not-so-fluent common language of the Six Continents.
"In my belly."
Kuro, in his black panther form, lifted a foreleg and patted his abdomen.
"..." Dice Nose's face turned cold. She hadn't expected such an answer and was skeptical of this attitude.
Law then released an Aura-shaped palm to pat Kuro on the head from a distance, signaling him to keep quiet.
Kuro winced in pain, lowering his head slightly with a wronged expression.
At that moment, Giles said with intense killing intent, "Law, please do not interfere."
Law glanced at Giles but didn't respond. Giles took this as tacit approval.
Hearing Giles' words, Dice Nose's eyes narrowed slightly, feeling this was the best scenario.
Her main concern during a breakout was being attacked from both sides. But if it were a one-on-one fight with Giles, there was a high possibility of controlling him, after which she could execute her breakout plan.
Presumably, with a hostage in hand, the human side would certainly hesitate for fear of harming their own.
Giles tightened his grip on his staff, slowly shifting his right foot forward, beginning to assume an attack posture.
In contrast, Dice Nose was also preparing for battle.
Both sides, in their own self-assured way, thought this would be a one-on-one duel.
The problem was...
'I never agreed to that.'
Law looked at Dice Nose and Giles, thinking silently to himself.
Just then, Tonpa's voice came from the distant direction behind them.
Only the sound was faintly audible… what Tonpa was shouting couldn't be made out clearly.
"That's Tonpa's voice," Biscuit said, turning to look in the direction of the sound. Being in the labyrinth passages, she naturally couldn't see Tonpa rapidly moving across the tops of the labyrinth buildings.
"What's that idiot thinking? Shouting like that will only attract the Brions around here."
Kuro mercilessly criticized. In the current team, only he could comfortably call Tonpa an idiot.
"There must be a reason."
Law frowned slightly. Based on his understanding of Tonpa, if Tonpa was doing that, there must be a compelling reason for it.
"I'll go up and take a look."
Sensing the importance of the situation, Law said this and immediately stepped into the air, ascending to the top of the building.
Upon reaching the rooftop, Law hadn't yet seen Tonpa, but instead noticed the behemoth flying in from the sky first.
"Hmm?"
Law focused his gaze, his eyes suddenly narrowing.
'It's the Mountain Ship... but why is it coming here?'
Law immediately understood why Tonpa was shouting from so far away, while also being astonished by the Mountain Ship's arrival. After all, when they had seen the Mountain Ship before, it was in the western part of the Dark Continent.