After flying out of the mansion at high speed, Kai kept kicking the air, covering great distances with each "step", until, after a while, he reached a point about 15 kilometers away from where the five spiders were. Even though they were now separated by several kilometers and some were moving while others seemed to remain still, all of them advanced at an incredibly slow, almost imperceptible yet constant pace.
"Could they be in some kind of vehicle?"
Kai asked himself in a low voice upon landing on the surface of the sea, feeling somewhat apprehensive about the possibility of hiding such a large vehicle. Based on the distance between the spiders and how they were moving, they would need at least a few dozen kilometers of space; worst of all, it was still completely invisible to the satellites, no matter how carefully he checked the area.
"It's highly likely, master…" Sage, who flew beside her master like a loyal companion, commented in a serious tone, to which Kai replied just as seriously while conjuring a card between his fingers.
"All right, we'll see soon enough. [Shadow Cloak] On!"
Upon activating the card between his fingers—which, apart from the typical golden Aura Script pattern, featured the image of a black cloak that seemed to vanish into darkness—the card turned into a burst of light that ended up enveloping him entirely. It became a black, hooded cloak that shrouded him completely before vanishing after a few moments, as though it had never been there to begin with.
Shadow Cloak was quite a powerful card, though it came with some complications. As long as he wore the cloak, he remained invisible and undetectable, even to Tomoko's quirk, and that also applied to any other entity that might be covered by it. However, in exchange, his aura was severely restricted, allowing him to use only 5% of it, and preventing him from using abilities like [En] and similar techniques.
Additionally, while wearing the cloak, he couldn't afford to be touched; most importantly, he could not draw attention in any way or arouse suspicion of his presence. Otherwise, the ability would deactivate instantly. For example, if he opened a door in front of someone, that person would immediately suspect the presence of an invisible being, which would shut the card's effect down right then and there.
On the other hand, if he avoided any of those three conditions, the card would remain active indefinitely, with aura consumption so low it was almost negligible. Moreover, he could use it up to 30 times a month, making it a valuable ability for when he needed stealth—such as when he went "hunting".
Under the silvery moonlight, Kai sped across the water, heading in a straight line toward where the spiders were. But after a while, once he was only about 10 kilometers from the nearest spider, Kai suddenly found himself enveloped by a dense fog that, even to his senses, seemed to materialize out of nowhere. This made him stop short and urgently question his trusted assistant through their mental link, as that terrible premonition he felt on the island came back to him.
[Sage, what's going on? Where did this fog come from?]
[I'm not sure, master. I couldn't detect it before it formed, and the satellites can't see it. Worse still, I'm losing the connection. It's highly likely that if we keep going, we'll be cut off entirely.] Sage answered solemnly, flying next to her master, who could only take a deep breath before speaking in a grave tone.
[These people are too "capable"… We can't continue without information. Let's move forward, but stay alert and try to steal anything you can from these security systems. They'll be incredibly useful for improving security back home.]
[Understood, master. I'll leave the servers running with a backup system and focus fully on uncovering the secrets of these systems.] Sage answered seriously as her beautiful wings lit up in different colors. Kai nodded in satisfaction, then shot forward while replying through their mental connection.
[Perfect, let's go!]
As Kai advanced over the sea, the fog grew ever thicker, almost entirely blocking the moonlight and leaving everything in a silent, almost sinister darkness. Just then, a powerful bolt of lightning ripped across the sky, accompanied by a resounding thunderclap that seemed like some kind of start signal, triggering a violent storm that churned the sea.
[Master, I just completely lost the satellite connection, and in the last image I managed to receive, there was no sign of a storm.] Suddenly, Sage reported in a heavy tone, while showing Kai a holographic screen with the last image recovered from the satellite.
[… Let's keep going.]
Seeing the image, Kai muttered gravely and picked up speed. But the waves quickly began to rise dramatically, making it much harder to continue. He had to "climb" them using only his physical strength and a small portion of his aura, until, unexpectedly, he saw something that left him dumbfounded.
"You've got to be kidding me…"
Kai muttered in astonishment upon spotting a wave over ten meters high rushing toward him. Quickly he focused, sprinting toward the wave with all his might before jumping into the air and kicking off at high speed multiple times, lifting himself over it. Upon seeing even more monstrous waves forming, Kai decided to stay airborne, but the powerful winds and driving rain made it harder than ever to keep steady in the air.
The storm was devastating, unleashing hurricane-force winds that made it nearly impossible for Kai to remain aloft, accompanied by blinding rain that pelted his face, growing worse by the second. Eventually, a towering wave reached the blue-eyed boy's position. He tried to dodge it by kicking the air, but the unrelenting wind thwarted him, hurling him like a leaf straight into the monstrous wave.
While technically the water shouldn't have affected his [Shadow Cloak], the impact was so brutal that it was stripped from his body, causing it to deactivate. Kai found himself in the water, trying to kick hard enough to break free, but the currents were merciless, dragging him deeper into the depths.
For the first time in his new life, Kai felt powerless in the face of nature's wrath. As he was battered by the water, he watched a colossal lightning bolt strike the sea, producing a spectacular light show that resembled the fury of a vengeful god. It fully captivated Kai's attention, and he stopped struggling, letting himself sink while gazing, almost hypnotized, at the endless barrage of lightning slamming into the sea.
[MASTER!! We have to get out of here!!!]
Panicked, Sage "shouted" through their mental link, snapping Kai out of his trance. He bit his tongue, and his expression turned determined and tinged with madness.
(You think you can get rid of me that easily?!! You'll have to try harder than that!!!)
With a predatory grin, Kai spoke to himself as he focused both his aura and Haki in his right hand. This caused his fist to shine like a beacon of light with a dark violet glow, sparking with terrifying electricity of the same color. At that moment, he unleashed one of the most powerful punches he could muster, creating a colossal explosion.
(Electric Collapse!!!)
The impact was so immense that Kai shot into the air, leaving behind, for a few moments, a massive "void" at the point of impact. A dense cloud of steam rose upward, followed by a colossal geyser of hot water that surged into the sky, streaked with purple lightning, its light show rivaling that of the storm itself.
While airborne, Kai mimicked Bakugo's typical flying posture a little, then produced two brutal explosions in his hands using his purple electric aura, propelling himself forward at blinding speed. At that moment, he summoned the [Shadow Cloak] card once more.
"[Shadow Cloak] On!"
The card once again turned into light and surrounded him, conjuring the black cloak. After a while, Kai began to notice the dense fog thinning out, as well as the storm, gradually giving way to a calm scene gently lit by the moon. After landing on the now much calmer water, he quickly headed toward the spiders' location.
[I saw death for a moment…] As he moved across the water, Kai remarked through his mental link with Sage, who responded with obvious lingering fear in her tone.
[That was really dangerous, master… the power of nature is no joke…]
Hearing Sage's comment, Kai could only nod in agreement. At the same time, a certain unease showed on his face, keeping him silent for several moments as though he were seriously considering something. Then he asked in an incredibly somber tone.
[…How much control over nature do you think they have…?]
Hearing her master's question, Sage fell silent, quickly understanding his apprehension. After all, it was almost certain that this brutal storm was a "defense system" belonging to the place they intended to reach—a place that became more terrifying by the second, conjuring in their minds a vision of something that might well be invincible.
[…I think we'll soon find out, master… If they send someone to look for you, that means they're aware we're here…] After a moment, Sage spoke in a weighty tone, and Kai could only nod silently. However, just as he was about to say something, he stopped short, as if paralyzed.
[Sage… am I seeing things…?] Kai asked incredulously, addressing his trusted assistant, who replied in a similar tone.
[That doesn't seem to be the case, master…]
Though the storm had been truly terrifying and, at the same time, mesmerizing, what lay before them went several steps beyond that. It was an enormous, crescent-shaped jungle island that appeared to be made entirely of tightly intertwined roots, with no sand or rocks in sight. Meanwhile, the sky was perfectly clear, and an immense full moon shone overhead, prompting Kai to comment, his heart inexplicably racing.
[But we weren't supposed to have a full moon tonight…]
[Indeed we weren't, master… and I still can't connect to the satellites…]
Surveying the surroundings bathed in silvery moonlight—granting unusually sharp visibility—Sage responded in the same grave tone, her wings flashing myriad colors that changed at a bewildering speed. Kai merely sighed and spoke, his tone heavy.
[Let's go.]
Extremely cautious, Kai extended his Observation Haki to its full range—his only detection method available under [Shadow Cloak]—as he advanced toward the island. He could quickly sense about ten "voices" on it. Luckily, they weren't as formidable as the five from the scientists' incident, but they were by no means weak either. If he had to compare, they were around Aizawa's level.
By the time Kai set foot on the densely interwoven roots serving as solid ground, he stood absolutely still, on high alert, the [Magnetic Force] card at his fingertips ready to be activated at any moment. He feared the roots themselves might detect him, but after several minutes without anything happening, he let out a sigh of relief and communicated mentally with his trusted assistant.
[They didn't detect us…]
[Yes… it's a relief they're not as infallible as we thought.] Sage answered in a tone of palpable relief, prompting Kai to shake his head and speak in a serious voice.
[It's far too early to relax. It's possible they have detected us but decided not to make a move yet, waiting to gather information about us.]
[That's certainly possible… Should I move ahead and scout, master?]
Sage asked gravely. Although there was a maximum distance she could be from her master, it was still greater than the maximum range of Kai's Observation Haki, so it would be useful. Moreover, Haki wasn't particularly precise, so a visual would help. Kai, after considering it briefly, nodded.
[That's a good idea. Scout around a bit, but be extremely careful. Meanwhile, I'll try to mark this place as a point for Magnetic Force.]
[Understood, master. I'll be as cautious as possible.]
Sage answered quickly and seriously. In front of Kai, a holographic screen in [In] state came to life, showing images of him—it was real-time footage of what the beautiful fairy saw—then Sage shot off into the island's interior.
Watching Sage disappear among the thick jungle growth, Kai began moving carefully toward the trees, focusing entirely on the "voices" he perceived in the surrounding area. They seemed to range between the level of an average pro hero and that of someone moderately strong, like the Hero Killer.
Though it was a relief that they weren't all on the same level as those five, they were far from insignificant. Even the ones he could sense would be extremely troublesome if they showed up in a city. Unlike the Nomus, these "voices" felt "solid" and "truly strong," which left him somewhat apprehensive about the true military capabilities of this "organization."
***
You can support me on patreon.com/lordanl and get up to 10 advanced chapters.