The head of "Tongue of Theft" had vanished without a trace, replaced by a pitch-black tray that burned like a torch.
Floating above the tray was a glowing blue sphere, and within it was a fierce golden vertical pupil.
Its arms and legs were made of thick, heavy stone, as if it were clad in an indestructible suit of armor.
In its right hand, it wielded a long-handled, square-headed warhammer.
In its left hand, it held a massive shield.
It stood tall and imposing, like a titan descending upon the battlefield.
Boom—
"Tongue of Theft" raised its warhammer and shield. The moment they clashed, a burst of sparks erupted—then twisted into a roaring Thunder Dragon!
The Thunder Dragon coiled in the air before diving down at Germain, lightning crackling and hissing as it struck with terrifying speed!
At the same time, "Tongue of Theft" struck its weapons together once more, as if fueling the Thunder Dragon's might.
Boom—
The instant the warhammer and shield collided, an intense flash of white light swallowed the entire underground cavern, bright enough to burn the eyes.
Even the golden vertical pupil of "Tongue of Theft" was forced to shut for a brief moment.
Germain felt a sharp sting in his eyes, his vision overwhelmed by dryness and pain, forcing him to close them as well.
He had no choice but to rely purely on En and his sharpened reflexes to fight in this blinding world.
The deafening roar and sheer destructive force surged toward him—he dodged in an instant, leaping through the air!
Boom—
The Thunder Dragon tore through the ground, blasting out a massive crater, but ultimately struck nothing but empty space.
As the white light faded, "Tongue of Theft" suddenly sensed an imminent threat approaching!
Its golden pupil snapped open, locking onto a fast-moving shadow—Germain!
Despite keeping his eyes shut, Germain had already positioned himself right in front of the golden pupil!
The Sacred Moonlight Sword shot upward in a fierce arc—
A Moonlight Slash followed instantly!
Shiiing—
A massive shield suddenly extended from the side, as if it were an impenetrable wall, blocking the incoming crescent-shaped blue arc!
The force of the impact sent Germain flying backward from the shockwave!
At the same time, a war hammer swung toward him, crackling with lightning chains as it smashed down!
If everything went according to plan, Tongue of Theft would use the war hammer to slam Germain against its shield like driving a nail into wood—reducing him to a scorched pile of flesh and blood!
The terrifying power of the thunder could severely injure or even annihilate Germain's body!
However, its golden vertical pupil watched in disbelief as Germain, agile as ever, narrowly dodged the hammer's devastating blow!
He even used the lingering force of the shockwave to propel himself forward like a kite, landing right on top of the shield!
No matter what, it was like trying to swat a fly—he just couldn't be hit!
Germain still refused to open his eyes, not knowing when Tongue of Theft would unleash that blinding white light again.
He had to be prepared for anything.
Seizing the opportunity after bypassing the shield, Germain sprinted along the Tongue of Theft's stone left arm, his target—the golden eye atop the torch!
Tongue of Theft frantically shook its stone arm, but it couldn't shake off the tiny, mosquito-like Germain!
Germain skillfully adapted to each tremor, leaping with precision and always landing on a stable foothold along the stone arm.
No matter what, he simply refused to be thrown off!
Realizing this, Tongue of Theft had to try something else.
From the cracks between its stone arm, arcs of electricity crackled to life, ghostly and erratic, shooting toward Germain!
At the same time, the war hammer and shield clashed once more, filling the underground cavern with a deafening explosion and another blinding flash of white light!
But Germain had been prepared—his closed eyes ensured he didn't lose his vision, though his eardrums ached terribly, and beads of blood seeped from his ear canals.
In that brief moment, he became both deaf and blind—falling into a world of darkness and silence.
The only thing he could rely on was the outline he sensed through En and his honed reflexes.
Instead of panicking, this made his mind even sharper, fully immersing him in the world of Nen.
Lightning wrapped around him like shackles, binding his Contempt Armor and Greedy Antler Helmet, trying to drag him down, trying to restrain him!
But in the next moment—he broke free with a sharp burst of force!
With a powerful kick, Germain leaped off the stone giant's left arm, soaring into the air!
Holding the Sacred Moonlight Sword in a reverse grip, the illusion of Chaotic Roar surrounded him, as if it had swallowed him whole!
A monstrous beast, covered in pitch-black fur and white bones, stretched out its claws to either side—grabbing the stone giant's arms, locking them in place!
The golden slit-pupil eyes widened in shock, staring at the enemy now right in front of it!
Germain's explosive attack, powered by both Chaotic Roar and Sacred Moonlight Sword, shot straight into the torch, piercing through the golden eyes!
BOOM—!
A blinding explosion shattered the golden eyes and the torch in an instant!
Shards of stone scattered like broken glass, embedding into the walls and ground with sharp cracks!
Tongue of Theft never expected the battle to turn around in an instant—only to be completely obliterated!
The massive stone giant's body, once a solid form, stood silent for a moment before finally crumbling into dust!
Its war hammer, shield, limbs, and torso all collapsed into fragments, returning to the earth.
After delivering that overwhelming strike, Germain landed smoothly on the ground, finally exhaling a long breath of heat from his chest.
His Rune Circuits activated at high speed—converting the damage from his Critical Strike into healing energy, restoring his body!
Within moments, every wound—including his ruptured eardrums—was fully healed.
The battle against Tongue of Theft was over.
And he had won.
As the echoes of the underground cavern rumbled around him, he opened his eyes—only to see the shattered remains of Tongue of Theft, now reduced to dust.
At the same time, the projection of the Hunter Badge notified him that he had obtained a Thunder Warhammer and a Teleport Lantern.
Germain had no time to focus on his new loot. His eyes quickly shifted to another battlefield within the underground cavern.
His companions were still fighting.
Earlier, the Tongue of Theft had entered its second stage of transformation, undoubtedly with the help of Fissure of Ecstasy.
Otherwise, there was no way it could have easily taken over the body of the Stone Titan.
Likewise, the Fissure of Ecstasy also benefited from the Tongue of Theft.
The strikes from the warhammer and shield had sent out two bursts of blinding white light, illuminating the entire underground cavern and effectively hindering the intruders' movements.
This was the combined power of Fissure of Ecstasy and Tongue of Theft.
However, despite their teamwork, Bisky and Morel had managed to seriously wound the Fissure of Ecstasy.
They had severed many of the electric current veins that spread throughout the underground.
They had realized that the Fissure of Ecstasy was using these circuit-like electric current veins to absorb power and manipulate the cave's terrain.
Once they understood this, the more electric current veins they cut, the weaker the Fissure of Ecstasy became.
Shizuku stayed on the sidelines, using her Blinky to absorb the Lightning Serpents that tried to ambush Bisky and Morel.
As for Ging, the reckless Nen user, he had already thrown himself straight into the core of the Fissure of Ecstasy the moment the first white light from the warhammer and shield filled the cavern.
BOOM—
The ground shook violently once again, making it feel as if the underground cavern would eventually collapse.
Bolts of lightning surged from the cracks, and along with them, a figure was thrown out—charred black and smoking.
It was Ging.
He crashed into the distance, most of his clothes burned away, coughing violently.
Amid the rumbling echoes, the long, narrow section of land that had split the underground cavern began to rise, towering upward like a massive pillar.
The second phase of "Fissure of Ecstasy" had been forced into action!
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