The severed limbs of the "Snake-headed Giant" were rapidly regenerating. The flesh at the broken ends writhed like boiling water.
At the same time, its massive body had moved close to the "Nitro Rice Longevity Food Growth Site," taking the chance to absorb the "malice" being drawn from the area.
"Looks like it chose the second possibility you mentioned," Ging said with a grin, stroking his thick beard.
Just then, Shizuku brought back Bisky, who had been knocked away in the earlier clash.
Bisky, a textbook beauty-lover, was wearing her specially-modified princess dress — designed just for battle during their time on Greed Island.
Despite the fierce fight, her dress remained intact, its flexibility showing through. Even the dirt and mud on her body was shaken off easily with a burst of aura.
Still, the way she looked now… she did seem a bit like a princess down on her luck.
Germain cast her a concerned glance.
Bisky waved it off and said, "I'm fine. The swamp may be dirty and smelly, but it has its perks."
"For one, when I landed, the thick muck cushioned the fall. Unlike earlier fights, I didn't feel like my whole skeleton was about to fall apart."
Shizuku adjusted her black-rimmed glasses and pointed at the "Snake-headed Giant" standing guard near the Nitro Rice site, unmoving.
"What do we do now?"
She wasn't sure if she had figured out the creature's ability herself, or if Bisky had explained it to her while they were on the way.
Ging replied, "It still has three cysts left. If we destroy them all, it'll be as helpless as a lamb waiting for slaughter."
"I'll draw its attention," Germain said. "You guys find a way to destroy the cysts. If I approach it head-on, there's no way it can ignore me."
The group thought for a moment and all agreed to the plan.
Germain would definitely bear the greatest risk.
But in the end, in this battle against the "Champion-level Mutants Fusion," who could truly avoid risk?
So, Germain, holding the "Sacred Moonlight Sword," confidently approached right under the "Snake-headed Giant's" nose.
Night fell, and the blue glow particles scattered like fireflies. Germain was like a person holding a torch, walking through the darkness, standing out vividly.
The golden vertical pupils of the "Snake-headed Giant" shifted as he moved.
However, it quickly noticed the other three humans, who were quietly preparing to act.
But the hum of the "Sacred Moonlight Sword" in Germain's hand prevented the creature from tearing its gaze away from him.
The four of them realized this and tried to distance themselves as much as possible.
The "Snake-headed Giant" became increasingly uneasy. Its vertical pupil's field of view was limited, and it couldn't keep all four humans in sight at once.
It had to keep turning its serpent-like heads, but it could only focus on three of them at a time. There would always be one person who would momentarily escape its sight.
If the "Snake-headed Giant" didn't have the amoeba-like perception ability of something circular, the four humans would have rushed at it by now.
As the distance between the four grew, the situation became even worse for it, increasing the demand for its ability to sense them in an instant.
The "Snake-headed Giant" understood that they were trying to wait for the black-robed man to attack, and then strike at its "Malice Sac" from the side or behind.
Once that happened, without the "Malice Sac," it would lose most of its offensive and defensive capabilities, and could only rely on its physical body to retaliate.
That would put it at an absolute disadvantage.
The "Snake-headed Giant" couldn't just sit and wait.
It couldn't sit idly by, but it had to endure for a while, waiting for the right moment.
And soon, that moment came.
When it realized the four had stepped into a certain range, it finally made its move.
The "Snake-headed Giant" used up three "Malice Sacs" in one go.
It let out a terrifying, high-pitched scream in all directions. The sound was so sharp and high that it pierced the ears!
At such a close distance, the scream immediately filled everyone's ears.
It didn't cause much physical impact on them.
Their ears ached a bit, but after using Nen to defend, it just turned into a muffled, mixed sound.
However, the scream had the power to create illusions and damage the mind.
The moment everyone heard the "malicious scream," the fears buried deep within their hearts—memories or fantasies they dreaded—were all pulled to the surface, appearing before their eyes like clouds or phantoms.
Nightmares invading reality.
Shizuku saw herself dying in the darkness, surrounded by strange corpses.
Germain and Bisky stood on high ground, but merely glanced at her coldly before turning and walking away, abandoning her here.
Bisky saw herself standing before a mirror, touching her wrinkled face.
She could no longer reverse the passage of time; old age had finally caught up with her, finding her no matter where she hid.
Ging first saw his wife, barely clinging to life on her sickbed, then their child in the cradle, and finally, he saw himself.
He fell from a cliff and sank into the sea, pushed further and further away by the waves, drifting away from the coastline of the dark continent.
Germain saw only darkness, which lasted a full five seconds before a light finally appeared.
He realized he was standing on a slope covered with wild grass and flowers. In the night, a bright full moon rose, only to turn blood-red.
This scene again.
Germain reached out his hand, and the blood moon grew larger in his view, as if it was getting closer, yet his fingers could never touch it.
He was the first to wake from the illusion.
Germain calmed his mind while checking the current situation.
The "Snake-headed Giant" had just consumed three "Malice Cysts" in one breath, standing near the "Longevity Food Nitro Rice Growth Area," absorbing "Malice."
Germain, Bisky, and Shizuku were positioned in different directions, all at a considerable distance from Germain.
However, Germain's mind transcended the physical distance and felt their inner struggles, pain, regret, anxiety, and fear…
If they continued like this, letting their minds spiral out of control, the pressure they accumulated would surely shatter their sanity, plunging them into madness and chaos.
Germain closed his eyes, took a step forward, and moved toward the "Snake-headed Giant."
At the same time, his aura reached the minds of all the beings present.
"I am here."
Even if surrounded by endless darkness, swept by the violent winds of malice, dragged into the abyss, powerless to resist, it didn't matter.
Because I am here.
Such a firm thought spread through everyone's hearts, and also revealed itself in the "Snake-headed Giant's" mind.
The "Snake-headed Giant" realized that things might take a turn for the worse.
Ding—
Columns of light burst from Germain, Bisky, and Shizuku, enveloping them.
Then, silver-white halos appeared above their heads.
The three opened their eyes. There was no more confusion or fear in their gazes. Only resolve, fearlessness, focus, bravery, and excitement remained.
The light linked them with Germain, and their Nen were offered to him. It felt like the most natural thing.
They would push him to the legendary position.
The Contempt Armor fell off Germain's body, and the greedy antler helmet and sacred moonlight sword vanished.
Darkness surged, and a pure Nen black outfit enveloped his entire body.
But above his head, the silver-white halo still floated, and from his back, with a soft sound, a pair of brilliant silver wings grew.
The "Snake-headed Giant" looked on in horror at this scene.
He felt the sudden surge of Nen and also sensed that Germain had locked onto him with killing intent.
Bang—
Germain took another step, causing the ground to crack and shatter, but his figure had already disappeared from its original spot.
The "Snake-headed Giant" could not keep up with this speed, and it panicked, looking around in all directions.
In the next moment, Germain appeared beside the "Snake-headed Giant," his silver-white wings spreading, allowing him to soar into the air.
The "Snake-headed Giant" felt the chilling fear from the sudden shock.
Black clothing surged and flowed, crawling towards Germain's fingertips, merging with his entire arm to form a pitch-black spear.
At this point, the three "Malice Sacs" on the "Snake-headed Giant" were fully charged.
It quickly emptied one of them, attempting to use "Dark Warp" to create distance.
However, Germain had already raised the black spear, and the tip shot forward!
Boom—
A burst of black light erupted!
The "Snake-headed Giant's" towering snake heads and upper body seemed to be bitten by an invisible giant beast, instantly vanishing.
Germain withdrew the spear, glanced down briefly, then stretched his silver-white wings and turned, flying away.
The "Snake-headed Giant" behind him shattered explosively, breaking into countless stone fragments that fell and sank into the nearby swamp.
********
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