Chapter 17

[Void Step]

Stealthily, walking in the air above the ground, I made my way across the yard towards the temple.

Standing above the throne in front of the azure crystal, I could see some carvings around the place where it was embedded. And below me, on the throne, sat a muscular ape with white hair all over his body, probably their leader, with a height of around 2 meters, sleeping peacefully. Near its leg was a huge spear, and a few apes too lay in deep slumber.

As I kept observing the carvings around the crystal, while the characters were completely foreign to me, the phrase "From naught thou cameth, to naught thou shall return", began popping up in my head. On a closer look, the arches aren't a doorway and are just a design, so I left after observing everything.

[I thought there might have been some people on this island.]

A sense of disappointment washed over me, and while I believed that finding this was better than nothing, apart from the phrase that resounded in my head, my exploration wasn't that fruitful.

*Yawn*

As it was getting close to noon already, I decided to descend the mountain. Making my way back to the edge of the plateau, I could sense and hear that some of the apes had started waking up.

*Whoosh*

A huge spear came flying toward me at breakneck speed, jolting all the apes into consciousness. Barely dodging it by a hair's breadth as I was standing in the air, I swiftly descended to the ground for better footing.

*Growl*

*Roar*

All the apes atop the plateau immediately made a battle cry as they awakened from sleep.

*Thud*

*Thud*

*Thud*

With an open palm, all of them began beating their chests rhythmically before they charged at me.

*Swish*

Using both my daggers, I instantly pierced five apes in the chest, leaving a gaping hole with blood slowly dripping from the wound.

"Fuck"

Standing on the edge of the mountain, I said to myself.

[Armament Haki]

I immediately coated my legs with Armament Haki.

[Rankyaku]

I sent several wind blades toward the apes, attempting to delay them, as the power behind my kick wasn't powerful enough, I was undecided.

[Jump or risk being caught]

My mind was torn between the two choices. With the strength of their limbs, the choice of going back down the same way I came was instantly thrown out the window.

While individually, most of the apes are much weaker compared to me, but the sheer number of them will prove to be a headache if I start battling them, or, as the saying goes, "Apes together strong."

[Void Step]

Using the shortcut way, I immediately descended the mountain in a blink of an eye.

*Boom*

*Thud*

*Thud*

As I reached the ground, some unfortunate apes that weren't able to stop in time came crashing down after me. And since they were unable to cushion their fall, with them bleeding out of several orifices, they instantly fell to their deaths.

Looking back up the mountain, I could see several apes swinging on anything they could hold onto, be it rocks or branches, and they quickly descended from the mountain. And within five minutes, most of them would reach the ground.

I was not waiting around for any of them, so I immediately left the place. As I made my way through the jungle, I could hear the sound of birds and animals fleeing.

As I approached the clearing where the stone cube and the tiger resided, I made my way around it, taking a longer route yet close enough to not lose my trail and trying my best to avoid the tiger.

"To hell with this Island."

The imposing tiger, with its blood-red aura on full display, stood in my way.

[Observation Haki]

[Armnament Haki]

With my two daggers hovering beside me, ready to get into a battle, I unleash my arsenal too. If I am unable to make my way forward, it would spell certain death for me.

[Dominators Push]

Several trees in front of me were uprooted as I sent a wave of attack in front of me in an attempt to make the tiger lose his foothold. But, to my surprise, it is still firmly rooted to the ground.

[Leave.]

I heard a roaring voice inside of my head.

[Is this a mental attack or am I hallucinating?]

Unsure of where the voice was coming from, I thought to myself.

*Roar*

Another resounding roar came from the tiger before I heard another voice in my head.

[I said leave. Do not die prematurely like your predecessors.]

The tiger walked past me as if it were attempting to block the apes from chasing me further. Taking this chance, I swiftly left the place and made my way back to the shore.