Germain, soaked in blood, slowly turned around.
Behind him, a massive, almost unnaturally large full moon hung high in the vast, luminous night sky.
He pressed his lips together, lost in thought for a moment.
It was during the moon's gradual ascent that he finally realized how to draw the Burial Blade.
But what puzzled him was—
Why would such a strange and awe-inspiring sight appear here of all places?
Just as Germain was struggling to make sense of it, another strange turn of events occurred, reminding him that tonight's hunt was far from over.
Rumble—
He turned toward the sound.
To his disbelief, the corpse of the Headless Fairy—something that should have been long dead—twitched.
The giant body shifted a few times, like a fish flopping on a cutting board.
Germain's eyes narrowed, surprise flickering across his face.
It had already lost its head, arms, wings, heart, and most of its life force.
Could it still come back to life?
But his shock quickly faded, replaced by his usual calm composure.
He'd seen far too many bizarre and unnatural things before.
Especially here—in the home turf of the Headless Fairy—nothing was off the table.
Germain wasn't worried.
In his current condition, and now that he had fully grasped the creature's attack pattern, he was confident he could fight three hundred more rounds and still come out on top.
But what happened next…
Proved that the night had only just begun to go off-script.
The headless demon's corpse began to crack and shatter, crumbling into grains as fine as sand.
Carried by an eerie, unnatural gust of wind, the dust spiraled into the night sky.
Germain widened his field of vision. Only then did he realize that it wasn't just this place—elsewhere too, black mist, like smoke rising from a distant fire, was drifting into the air.
One stream came from the shattered stone wasteland.
But far more of it was concentrated around the city where the Mass Grave stood.
It seemed that the monstrous beasts fought by Shizuku, Bisky, Ging, Netero, and Morel were also falling, one by one—their bodies breaking apart, dissolving into dust!
All of the black mist—the Resentment (Post-Mortem Nen) of the defeated—had a single destination.
It was being drawn into the enormous, hollow black vortex that hung above the city.
That vortex resembled a yawning, endless maw, devouring greedily the Resentment of the "guardians" who had once been tasked with protecting this place—but failed.
After what felt like an eternity, a terrifyingly huge, bloated face emerged from the vortex.
Its eyes were narrowed into slits. The mouth hung slightly open. Its cheeks were round, still bearing traces of baby fat.
A suffocating pressure swept across the land—far more oppressive than even the headless demon!
The curse that once perished has been reborn upon this land.
Here, it shall forge a new kingdom of gods, reclaim its lost strength, and return to the Dark Continent... to take revenge on its ancient nemesis!
But in this very moment, it has sensed something... yet still, it refuses to accept its destined death.
It will not sleep again. Even incomplete—
—it will roar out its Resentment once more!
The "Premature Curse of Resentment" let out a furious roar from within the swirling vortex of darkness that seemed capable of devouring the entire world.
The ground trembled.
Chill ran through Germain's entire body like a wave of icy water.
Every breath he took felt like inhaling blades—sharp and agonizing.
It was as if an endless flood of vengeful spirits had once again descended from the gray skies above.
They wailed, screeched, and fell like rain to the earth, latching onto every living thing they touched.
Twisted and spiteful, these curses wrapped themselves around Germain as well.
They bypassed flesh and bone, directly touching his soul—trying to tear it apart!
This time, his Hunter badge was being suppressed by some unknown force, and its usual speed in absorbing Resentment had significantly slowed down.
But Germain stood firm, unafraid.
He swung his arm, scattering some of the spirits, then raised his Burial Blade high and slashed with a dancer's grace.
Shhhh—
The flowing spirits, as fluid as water and as loose as sand, were instantly cut down by the blade. They vanished into thin air, as if they had evaporated.
Breathing heavily, Germain looked up at the vortex.
He stared directly into the eye of the storm—at the strongest enemy he had ever faced in this world.
A demigod.
Even if incomplete… even if born prematurely…
It was still a demigod.
A monster far more terrifying than the Headless Fairy.
An ancient being, with age and power beyond understanding.
Germain had never fought a monster like this before.
He had no information about such a creature, nor could he have known its strengths or weaknesses to exploit.
What he faced was unknown fear — an overwhelming power beyond comprehension.
Soon, he found his whole body trembling.
Germain was not someone without fear; he had always walked alongside it.
But at this moment, what made his body shake, his heart pound, and his breathing quicken was more than just fear.
It was excitement.
Any human, after believing they fully understand reality, would cast away the thrill that comes from facing a terrifying opponent.
Most people think they must abandon that excitement to calm themselves down.
But to surpass one's limits, one must return to their true nature and reclaim that excitement.
It is a necessary force that drove ancient humans to evolve.
Bang!
The ground shattered beneath him as silver wings spread wide.
Germain soared toward the dark vortex.
With his scythe in hand, ascending like a grim reaper descending to the world.
On this land, many survivors remained, each witnessing the scene in their own way.
Netero, the Zodiacs, Bisky, and Palm, along with others observing through communication orbs, watched remotely from the control center as the core fighters battled fiercely...
Especially Netero and his group, who were nearby.
Their enemies were either defeated by them, killed by the wide-ranging assault of the Headless Fairy, or disappeared within the "recycling" caused by the Seed Urn just now.
Yet, their situation did not improve.
They were under the overwhelming pressure of an even more terrifying enemy, barely able to breathe.
Afterwards, the vengeful spirits descending from the sky took the opportunity to invade and erode the mental defenses of most of them, which were already on the verge of collapse.
Because of this, it was difficult to describe the shock they felt when they sensed the fierce aura erupting from Germain, and saw him charge unwaveringly toward the sky.
Many among them believed they knew Germain well, understood him deeply, but at this moment, they felt a strange unfamiliarity.
Though they could not comprehend it, they could feel Germain's madness.
This madness, which normally would bring chaos and disorder, at this moment deeply infected everyone, strengthening their resolve and boosting their morale in the very next instant.
Crossing fear brings change!
Clang—
Silver light suddenly flashed, halos appearing one after another above their heads.
They bathed in a vast white light, dispelling all the surrounding resentments!
Reason returned, and their whole bodies felt refreshed!
*******
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