Boom—
A wide, thick layer of brown flesh suddenly snapped shut at the center like a triggered trap!
Germain and the others lost their balance instantly, tossed into the air. They were about to fall straight into the massive mouth lined with sharp, fleshy spikes!
"It's like a giant Venus flytrap…"
Like a magician, Germain conjured his Sacred Moonlight Sword from his palm and gave a quick warning:
"Watch out for my slash."
Compared to falling into that spiked mouth, his slash was clearly the bigger danger — but if they wanted to get out alive, he had no choice.
Gon and Bisky tensed at the warning, quickly focusing their Nen and staying alert mid-air. They definitely didn't want to get caught in the crossfire.
Shizuku, on the other hand, stayed calm — she had a strange but unwavering trust in Germain during moments like this.
Germain took a slow breath, gripping the sword's handle with both hands. Then, like swinging a baseball bat, he violently sliced the Sacred Moonlight Sword in a wide half-arc!
BOOM—
In that instant, a wave of blue sword aura, like a falling crescent moon from the sky, cleanly severed half of the massive flesh trap!
BOOM—
The sliced chunk of flesh collapsed into the rainforest like a landslide, crushing trees and sending muddy shockwaves flying everywhere!
The other three managed to avoid the sword aura just in time, landing safely on the ground nearby. They all turned toward Germain.
But Germain didn't retreat — instead, he launched straight toward the giant, flytrap-like monster! He reversed his grip on the greatsword, its tip aimed straight at the mouth!
BOOM—
Pure aura burst out like a cannon shot — a destructive beam of blue light blasted right into the center of the monster's mouth! The shockwave tore it apart, spreading outward like a storm!
Blue light exploded in all directions, as if it were going to swallow everything whole.
After landing his deadly blow, Germain raised the greatsword and slashed through the hot, steaming mix of rain, mist, and mud in front of him, planting his feet firmly on the ground.
The heavy rain still hadn't let up, pouring relentlessly behind him, soaking the remains of a massive plant—its green glow now faded—looking like ruins ravaged by war.
The plant's remains had lost all form. Its parts were fused with mud and debris, impossible to tell what was what.
Putting away his Sacred Moonlight Sword, Germain walked over to the other three and said, "Sorry. I wanted to finish the fight quickly, so I only said one sentence before attacking."
"It's fine," Ging replied, spreading his hands, the beard on his chin dripping with rain.
"In fact, it's probably a good thing. That blast of yours was like a lion's roar—it'll scare off a bunch of enemies that might've come for us."
"A lion's roar also shows strength and attracts lionesses, you know," Bisky chimed in, poking fun at Ging first before turning her surprised gaze to Germain.
"Is it just me, or have you gotten a lot stronger again?"
Ging crossed his arms and said, "You're just noticing now? I sensed it the moment Germain came back to the Ancient Labyrinth."
"My guess is, after returning to the Six Continents, he finally stabilized all the power he gained and refined in the Steep Mountain Range."
"When a Nen user levels up fast, there's always a period of instability—ups and downs. But once that wave passes, that's when their real strength shows."
"I know that much," Bisky shot him a glare. "I've eaten more salt than you've walked roads!"
"Yes, yes, you're a true veteran," Ging muttered with a sideways glance, putting special emphasis on the word veteran.
"Oh? Sounds like you're itching for a fight again!" Bisky flared up the second she saw that smug look on Ging's face and heard the teasing in his voice.
Germain stepped in just in time to cut off the argument. "I've been improving this whole time. But this time… I feel like I'm close to hitting a 'bottleneck.'"
"I know this feeling well—it's what I felt going from 'Elite' to 'Master,' and from 'Master' to 'Champion.'"
Bisky finally ignored Ging, her expression turning serious.
"So what you're saying is… you're just one push away from reaching 'Legendary level,' right?"
"Yes. At least, that's how I feel."
Germain broke through his limits and reached the Champion level at the end of last November.
It's been nine months since then.
Back then, he had a feeling — that moving from Champion to Legend would take far more time than any level-up before.
And just as he predicted, that's exactly what happened.
Now, that long-lost feeling… it's finally back.
Back in his hands.
Back in his chest.
Back in his blood, pounding fiercely.
"I'm honestly jealous of you," Bisky said. "Me and Shizuku are still stuck at Master level, struggling. Ging only just stepped into Champion level, but you're already nearing Legend."
Shizuku shook her head. "I'm not 'struggling.' I don't care whether I reach Champion or not. As long as I can help Germain and all of you, I'm fine."
"But if you become Champion, you can help Germain even more," Bisky replied.
"Oh… I guess that's true… Then I'll try to become Champion too."
"What do you mean 'try to become Champion too'?! This isn't the Hunter Exam! It's way harder than that!"
"That's why I said I'll try," Shizuku said, tilting her head slightly.
Bisky was left speechless by that. Her mouth opened, but no proper rebuttal came out.
She knew it. She felt dumb. Really, this was Shizuku. Trying to use normal logic with her was totally meaningless.
Ging laughed. "Maybe the purer someone is, the closer they can get to their goal… Bisky, be careful or Shizuku might surpass you."
Staying in one place wouldn't help Germain grow.
So, once the scorching rain finally stopped, they set off again.
They didn't know how long they walked.
At one point, while hiding from the rain, they took out some Biskys and snacks to fill their stomachs.
As they waited quietly, a low rumbling echoed from the distance.
At first, they thought it was thunder.
But as the sound kept going and didn't stop, they realized something was wrong.
Germain extended his En.
Then, just as quickly, pulled it back.
"A strong life signal... agitated emotions... clashing aura..."
"I'd say it's probably a fight between mid-sized beasts."
The heavy rain began to ease, and the sweltering steam was quickly drawn away by small creatures called "Blinky," sucking it up like exhaust fans.
Germain pointed in the direction where the rumbling sound was still coming from.
"Shall we go take a look? To keep fighting each other even in scalding, fiery rain—that's probably what they call killing intent, right?"
Ging glanced that way too.
"Germain, are you suggesting that the Twin-Tailed Serpent: Hellbell is somewhere around there?"
"Yeah. Observing it from mid to long range could help us prepare, in case we're forced into a fight later."
Everyone quickly agreed with Germain's suggestion and began heading in that direction together.
********
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