Boom——
The "Turbid Black Arrow" struck deep into the swamp behind Germain and the others, erupting with a terrifying explosion!
Mud blasted high into the sky!
A gaping black hole, like an abyss, formed in the swamp, and it would be a long while before the rebounding mud covered it again.
Germain didn't look back at what had just happened—instead, he turned his head, focusing intently on the next move of the "Snake-headed Giant."
After landing, the "Snake-headed Giant" raised its right arm, and all four of its "Malice Cysts" began writhing like unborn children moving in the womb.
At the heart of its core—the entire field of "Longevity Food Nitro Rice"—it devoured the malice and killing intent saturating the rainforest.
All of that energy was absorbed by the Malice Cysts, and soon, all four were fully engorged.
Revitalized to its full strength, the "Snake-headed Giant" shifted its golden, vertical pupils toward Germain—and in that instant, it activated three abilities in rapid succession.
First, the "Snake-headed Giant" used "Dark Warp" to instantly appear behind Germain.
Germain reacted quickly—but still, the "Snake-headed Giant" extended a finger faster, pointing directly at him.
Just like with the "Chaos Roar," Germain was frozen in place, completely immobilized!
Then, the "Snake-headed Giant" swung its left arm, raised the "Crimson Bow," and nocked the "Turbid Black Arrow."
Once again, the light of the entire world was swallowed up. Darkness fell. Vision blurred into obscurity.
This was a combo meant to utterly crush Germain.
But suddenly—a piercing golden light streaked across the sky!
It was like a golden spear, slamming into the Snake-headed Giant's left arm. The explosion of aura forcibly nudged the "Crimson Bow" and "Turbid Black Arrow" off-target, just slightly!
Startled, the Snake-headed Giant tried to re-aim its shot—but then it felt a sharp pain shoot up from its ankle.
As it turned out, the moment Germain was paralyzed, Bisky had also made her move.
With a brief charge-up, she struck the Giant's ankle with a "Shingen-ryu Fist" that exploded on impact!
The Giant's ankle visibly caved in under the blow!
It realized it couldn't wait any longer, so even without a precise aim, it still fired the "Turbid Black Arrow"!
Even if it missed, the explosion's shockwave alone could still hit Germain nearby and deal heavy damage!
But just as the "Turbid Black Arrow" left the bowstring, barely flying for a second, it suddenly veered off course with a screeching sound!
This time, it was Shizuku who made a move.
She raised her "Blinky," and Blinky's wide mouth tried hard to suck in the "Turbid Black Arrow" from the side.
Even though Blinky couldn't really swallow it, the strong suction was enough to pull the arrow off its path and slow down its speed.
The "Snake-Headed Giant" was shocked and suddenly realized the danger wasn't just from Germain—but also from this group of humans.
At the same time, Germain's "Champion Physique," "Runes," and "Positive Traits" were running at full power.
Thanks to Ging, Bisky, and Shizuku's interference, Germain was able to use that brief moment to break free from the "forced paralysis" caused by the Snake-Headed Giant's finger.
He immediately flashed out of his spot, moving at lightning speed, and grabbed Shizuku around the waist from nearby before sprinting away.
Shizuku understood and turned off Blinky's suction right away.
BOOM—
The "Turbid Black Arrow" exploded behind them, sending a powerful shockwave and waves of muddy sludge crashing down like a quake!
Holding Shizuku, Germain dashed to a safe distance, then turned around—just in time to see the Snake-Headed Giant tangled in a fierce battle with Ging and Bisky.
Ging took the chance to shatter a transparent "Malice Cyst," but now he was being chased off by the Snake-Headed Giant's swinging fists.
Bisky was also attacking the giant's ankles, insteps, and toes—gathering strength and throwing punches with a force that reminded one of Chairman Netero!
Germain set Shizuku down, patted her head, and said, "Thanks." Then he charged toward the Snake-Headed Giant.
Shizuku was a second behind, but quickly followed after him.
At that moment, the Snake-Headed Giant caught Ging mid-air with its right hand. Its fingers clenched tightly, trying to crush him!
But from the golden light shining through its fingers, it was clear Ging was doing everything he could to avoid that brutal ending.
Bisky, meanwhile, was struck by the giant's tail. She was sent flying like a pebble skipping across a lake, bouncing along the swamp and kicking up ripples with each hit.
Still some distance away, Germain raised the "Sacred Moonlight Sword" high above his head and swung down a blue crescent slash!
Boom—!
A terrifying strike! It landed squarely on the Snake-Headed Giant's right foot—the one Bisky had been wearing down for a while. With a sharp crack, the giant's foot was cleanly severed at the ankle!
One of the two feet supporting that massive body was gone. The Snake-Headed Giant immediately lost balance, wobbling sideways.
Ging used that moment to fire a "Nen Blast" that pierced through several of the giant's fingers that were gripping him. He broke free and flipped through the air.
Realizing things had taken a turn for the worse, the Snake-Headed Giant had no choice but to use the stored energy from its final "Malice Cyst."
"Dark Warp!"
In an instant, the Snake-Headed Giant vanished from sight. That mountain-sized figure reappeared far away, near the growth site of the "Longevity Food: Nitro Rice."
Germain told Shizuku to go find the flung-away Bisky, while he ran over to Ging and regrouped with him.
"It only has three 'malice cysts' left now."
Ging had clearly figured out the purpose of those "malice cysts," which was why he targeted them.
"Also, I noticed — every time it tries to charge up energy, it flies toward the area where the Longevity Food Nitro Rice grows. Looks like that core zone is very important to it."
"Too bad we can't destroy the Nitro Rice growing area unless we absolutely have no other choice. If we did, the whole mission would lose its purpose."
"Then let's find a way to use that area instead," Germain said. "The combo it just used on me — if it wants to use that kind of attack on any of us again, it'll need to burn through all three remaining 'malice cysts.'"
"At that point, it'll definitely try to go back to the Nitro Rice area to recharge. That window will be when it's at its weakest."
"But if it decides not to attack and just stays near the Nitro Rice to defend and counter, then we'll have control of the situation."
Sure enough, just as Germain finished speaking, the "Snake-headed Giant" started "Malice Absorption" again, drawing in dark energy from the Nitro Rice growth zone.
All three "malice cysts" filled up quickly.
It looked like the "Snake-headed Giant" had reached the same conclusion as them — it was pacing back and forth near the Nitro Rice zone, clearly unsure of what to do.
In the end, it chose to spend the power of one "malice cyst" to use "High-Speed Regeneration," healing the damage to its fingers and ankles.
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