Hunter x Hunter : Germain Joins The Hunt

In Germain's original plan, he intended to use either his own blood or that of his enemies to soak the Tachi Thousand Shadows and activate its special ability to gain a power boost.

But now, with a pool of blood readily available and spread across the ground, he certainly wasn't going to let it go to waste.

The tip of the blade drank in the blood, and a dark red aura shimmered around it like a ribbon, coiling along the blade and then wrapping itself around Germain's arm.

He and the Tachi Thousand Shadows had become one, achieving the state of unity between man and weapon.

Whoosh—

The palm-sized "Bloodthirsty Spores" surged forward like a swarm of piranhas, causing ripples to spread across the blood pool.

Germain sheathed the Tachi Thousand Shadows only to draw it in an instant!

"Iaijutsu: Draw Slash!"

A crescent-shaped slash of dark red energy sliced through the blood pool and swept toward the approaching "Bloodthirsty Spores."

Crack-crack-crack—

The sound of shells splitting echoed one after another. And then, silence returned.

Germain sheathed the blade once more.

Nearby, Ging, Bisky, and Shizuku had been on high alert, bracing themselves for the "Bloodthirsty Spores" to attack their faces. Yet, to their astonishment, everything suddenly went still.

Moments later, the countless "Bloodthirsty Spores" floated to the surface of the blood pool, each one neatly sliced in half.

Such precise slashes, such incredible control…

Germain had grown even stronger.

The group felt a mix of awe and relief.

They were amazed at how quickly he had progressed; compared to when they had first entered the Ancient Labyrinth City, his strength had increased significantly.

And they were relieved that he was their ally. His newfound strength gave them greater confidence in the upcoming battle against the "Bloodthirsty Apostle of Pain."

"Let's move," Germain's low voice pulled everyone back to reality.

Before them stood a massive, jellyfish-like creature drifting in the night sky, its tendrils swaying ominously. It was waiting for them to make their move.

Now was not the time to lose focus.

Germain reminded everyone of a key point before stepping into the blood pool, making his way toward the "Bloodthirsty Apostle of Pain."

The group scattered to avoid becoming concentrated targets of attack.

Germain strode through the sea of flames created by burning the "reeds" he had set ablaze, heading directly beneath the "Bloodthirsty Apostle of Pain."

Don Freecss's Journey to the New World: Eastern Fragment clearly documented the method to defeat the "Bloodthirsty Apostle of Pain."

It was effectively a strategy guide he had left behind, detailing the creature's weaknesses. Even if there were slight differences in the actual situation, the information was incredibly valuable as a reference.

What Germain needed to do now was get as close to the "Bloodthirsty Apostle of Pain" as possible. The creature couldn't maintain its floating state indefinitely.

If Don Freecss's records still held true, then the creature would eventually descend.

As Germain approached, carefully planning his next moves, the "Bloodthirsty Apostle of Pain" launched an attack against the four remaining lifeforms inside the "Fog Wall Barrier."

A massive vine roared through the air, crashing down toward Germain with overwhelming momentum!

Up close, Germain realized just how enormous the vine was—it was as thick as any stone pillar in the "Ancient Labyrinth City."

The colossal vine, brimming with ferocious power, descended toward Germain with crushing force.

Germain swiftly dodged to the side, and the vine slammed into the blood pool, sending dark red waves surging like the curtain of a magician's stage.

But when the magician's curtain fell, it was Germain's turn to perform his act.

"Draw Blade Slash!"

With a single dark red slash, accompanied by a sharp crack, the massive vine was cleanly severed in half!

Amid the splashing of blood and the sound of the severed vine crashing to the ground, Germain continued his march toward the "Bloodthirsty Apostle of Pain."

With just the corner of his eye and the extended range of his En—now reaching a radius of 100 meters—Germain confirmed that the other members were still safe.

Germain shifted his focus entirely to defeating the "Bloodthirsty Apostle of Pain." This was the top priority.

Finally, as expected, the "Bloodthirsty Apostle of Pain" seemed to regain its connection to gravity. Slowly but surely, it began descending, like a twisted, floating island being pulled downwards.

A faint smile appeared on Germain's face. It seemed the records of Don Freecss still held their validity.

What came next was something he was all too familiar with—targeting specific body parts for destruction, just as he had done repeatedly in Bloodborne!

Boom!

The "Bloodthirsty Apostle of Pain" crashed down, sending a tidal wave of blood surging in all directions.

Thick roots plunged into the pool of blood, greedily absorbing the flesh and blood to restore its strength.

Seizing the opportunity, Germain sprinted forward. His dark-red blade sliced through the blood wave rushing to engulf him, splitting it in two as he dashed through the gap.

He reached the base of the Apostle's thick roots!

Countless smaller tendrils, like the tentacles of a jellyfish, lashed out from every angle, stabbing toward him.

Germain dodged skillfully, his movements fluid and unpredictable. In mid-air, he executed a spinning maneuver and unleashed a circular slash of dark-red light.

Slash! Slash! Slash!

The obstructing tendrils were severed one after another, none escaping his strikes!

Germain leaped onto one of the thick roots, landing on its slippery surface, and propelled himself upward like a bullet!

He soon saw the connection point where the thick roots met the Apostle's main body. It pulsated like blood vessels, tirelessly absorbing flesh and blood.

Sensing the danger Germain posed, more tendrils emerged from the shadows, aiming to skewer him.

But this time, Germain ignored them completely.

He relied on the greenish-blue "Substitute Armor" covering his body to endure the stabs and strikes. Before the armor shattered completely, he finally reached the root's connection point!

With a sharp motion, he drew his blade. The sword was unsheathed, and a slash like a dragon tearing through the sky followed.

Hiss—

The root connection was severed by "Tachi: Thousand Shadows". Blood and flesh gushed out like a fountain, spraying everywhere!

Using the curtain of blood as cover, Germain dodged the pursuing attacks of countless fine tendrils. With a soft splash, he landed back in the blood pool.

Sheathing his blade, he calmed his breathing. The overwhelming killing intent that radiated from Germain, like a crimson aura, was retracted.

At the same time, his three companions, who had reached the same conclusion, each used their own methods to sever the root connections of the "Bloodthirsty Apostle of Pain" from different angles!

"Part Destruction Achieved!"

After a brief moment of silence, a deafening roar erupted from deep within the petals of the "Bloodthirsty Apostle of Pain."

"ROAR—"

Germain felt his entire body's blood boiling uncontrollably. A sudden shockwave hurled him into the air, and a tide of blood, surging like a collapsing mountain, engulfed him completely.

Gulp, gulp—

In the dark red, foul-smelling world of the blood pool, Germain was swept away by countless chaotic currents, shooting him off into the distance.

When everything finally calmed down, he emerged from the bloody waters, soaked and battered. Gasping for air, he realized that the tides had pushed him far from the "Bloodthirsty Apostle of Pain."

Wiping the blood off his face with his hand, he grabbed onto a nearby "reed" for support and slowly got to his feet. That's when he noticed something had changed in the "Bloodthirsty Apostle of Pain."

The "Second Phase" had begun.

It now resembled a fully bloomed flower. However, the vivid crimson petals concealed countless sharp fangs and a deep, gaping maw, all aimed in a single direction.

Germain extended his "En" immediately, but instead of radiating outward in all directions, it focused like an arrow, aiming straight at the direction targeted by the "Bloodthirsty Apostle of Pain."

A concentrated "En" sacrificed its wide-area sensing capability but allowed for pinpoint accuracy and the fastest detection of a specific target.

Germain sensed it—the "Bloodthirsty Apostle of Pain" was targeting Bisky and Shizuku, who were huddled together.

He opened his eyes but didn't rush blindly toward them. Instead, he charged directly at the "Bloodthirsty Apostle of Pain" itself.

Logic dictated that the distance was too far. By the time he arrived, the attack would be over. It was better to take this chance to close in on the Apostle.

He could only hope that Bisky and Shizuku would evade the attack in time.

Boom—

In the next moment, a crimson beam of light burst from the Apostle's maw, sweeping toward Bisky and Shizuku's position. It carved through an entire pool of blood before colliding with the "Wall of Fog Barrier," stopping its advance.

Germain dashed like lightning toward the Apostle, using the sharp shapes of his En intermittently to probe the situation near Bisky and Shizuku.

Before he could sense their aura in the aftermath of the crimson beam's destruction, his eyes caught a glimpse of a giant, beautiful feminine figure floating in midair.

It was the "Breath of the Archangel."

Currently, only Germain and Bisky could use the "Breath of the Archangel." The other two in their group had permanently lost its healing protection.

This meant Bisky must have used it.

The crimson beam must have seriously injured Bisky.

Either Bisky herself or Shizuku had been forced to activate the "Breath of the Archangel" to heal her wounds.

In an instant, the "Breath of the Archangel" ended, dispersing into a breathtaking display of glowing fireflies that vanished into the air.

Finally, Germain managed to detect the auras of both Bisky and Shizuku. Realizing they were unharmed, he silently let out a sigh of relief.

At the same time, he had closed in significantly on the "Bloodthirsty Apostle of Pain."

The Apostle had noticed him now. Its massive, petal-like head swiveled, and its horrific maw locked onto Germain, preparing to fire.

In the next moment, a brief hum was followed by the devastating release of another crimson beam from the Apostle's mouth, aiming straight at Germain.

But Germain didn't dodge or retreat. He needed this shot.

Donning the "Greedy Antler Helmet," his unusual appearance became even more bizarre. He burned the last of his "Spider Silk Lasso," permanently consuming it to cloak his entire body in a Defensive Barrier.

Boom—

The crimson beam tore through the night sky, split the waves of blood, and struck Germain's Defensive Barrier dead-on, exploding in a cascade of radiant light!

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