Illumi, King Bradley, and Greed stood on the periphery.
Ahead were Potebai and Ginta, and at the very front were Maha Zoldyck and Netero.
"It actually swallowed it…"
Illumi's expression was grave. Even Maha Zoldyck's ultimate move couldn't break it, which showed how incredibly tough its body was.
The black lines on its body were probably a measure to prevent its form from shattering during combat, and its defensive power surely couldn't be underestimated.
Though it presented a significant challenge, there was still a chance of victory.
Illumi's left eye glowed red, and the Ouroboros Mark emerged.
With this eye—the Strongest Eye—none of its weaknesses could remain hidden.
"Humans…"
Its body, supported by a large number of black lines, rose up, its pure white eyes looking down upon those standing before it.
"A species never before experienced."
Its gaze swept over everyone present, devoid of any emotion, merely observing.
Just as humans look at clouds in the sky or rocks on the ground—not out of curiosity, not because they want to see, but simply because they are there.
"Capable of using human language, what… what thing are you?"
Netero said in a deep voice, successfully drawing its "gaze," and it lowered its head to look at Netero.
"I belong to no species, yet I can be any species."
Its voice was calm and natural, as if it had always been so.
Immediately, it lowered its head to look at its hands, wrapped in pitch-black lines, and tried clenching them.
"This body, after all, is too worn out."
It looked down at the seven people present. Its gaze swept past Greed and King Bradley without lingering, as if they didn't exist at all.
Finally, its gaze settled on Illumi.
"A youthful body. Present it before me."
Illumi's expression instantly turned peculiar. He understood that the "you" it spoke of referred to himself.
"A thing that crawled out of a coffin, demanding my body."
Illumi's expression gradually turned cold. His arm transformed into a blade, and the Strongest Shield and Strongest Eye activated simultaneously, while a large amount of aura covered his body.
King Bradley and Greed also unleashed their abilities.
Potebai and Ginta remained silent, but were also poised for action.
"It possesses self-awareness and can speak human language, which means it's an intelligent being."
Netero lowered his eyelids, his expression grim. With intelligence, it was no longer a simple dangerous creature.
"It has 120 weaknesses on its body, simply like a novice with no combat experience."
In Illumi and King Bradley's eyes, the opponent's body was riddled with flaws, yet it constantly exuded a sense of oppression.
Originally, the plan was to find its core during Netero's fight with it, but since it had swallowed the core, they could only confront it directly.
"Rumble…"
Just as Illumi was about to make a move, the dark red walls surrounding the city suddenly grew taller again.
The thick, black-red tentacles forming the walls frantically grew, twisting and writhing, all converging towards the sky above their heads.
Accompanied by intense tremors, countless black-red tentacles, several meters in diameter, rose again from beneath the surrounding walls at the city's edge.
"What does it want to do?"
Ginta frowned deeply, scanning the city's surroundings. Black-red tentacles continuously rose from the city's edge, encircling the entire city and raising the walls.
Not only that, those tentacles continued to extend towards the sky above their heads.
"Whoosh whoosh whoosh…"
When a large number of tentacles "grew" to a height of over a hundred meters, they intertwined, sealing off the entire city from the outside inwards, forming a dark red hemisphere.
"The sky is covered!"
Inside the armed helicopters in the sky, pilots and soldiers alike were in a panic. Searchlights illuminated the sky, only revealing densely intertwined tentacles.
"Does it intend to trap us all inside?"
Potebai gazed at the twisting, intertwining tentacles that covered the sky, his voice grave.
"Rumble…"
Suddenly, the very ground beneath their feet began to tremble violently.
Immediately after, continuous black-red tentacles rose from the ground, like towering trees.
"This is… a cage!"
Illumi looked around and found that these black-red tentacles were rising everywhere within the city, causing countless houses to collapse.
One moment it was a city of civilization, now it had become a forest covered in "large trees."
"Bang bang bang…"
A dense burst of machine gun fire erupted; it was the military's armed helicopters shooting at the sky and the suddenly appearing tentacles.
Meanwhile, Illumi and the others remained motionless. Rather, they were waiting—waiting for the opponent to initiate the attack.
"Before we begin, I have a question for you."
Netero suddenly stepped forward, looking at the pure black figure, and spoke in a low voice.
"Where… do you come from?"
However, it merely glanced briefly at Netero. With a "boom," a large number of tentacles shot up from beneath its feet, attacking Netero and the others.
"Is this… disdain for communicating with us?"
Netero was not at all surprised; the moment it spoke, he understood that the thing was not a living being.
"Hoo…"
From Netero's body, an aura erupted like a storm, making his sleeves flutter.
Golden aura rose from his body, expanding and spreading, forming a colossal entity: a several dozen-meter-tall 100-Type Guanyin Bodhisattva.
"Whoosh whoosh whoosh…"
A large number of black-red tentacles sliced through the air, tearing through the storm, and struck at Netero.
Just as the two sides were about to make contact, Netero moved. His actions were as if slowed down a hundredfold, graceful in posture, and executed with crisp precision, leaving streaks of afterimages.
"First Hand!"
Netero's expression became serious. He pressed his hands together, then lowered his right palm, silently striking out a palm straight ahead.
However, in the eyes of Illumi and the others, all of his movements were completed in an instant, as fast as lightning, leaving no time for reaction.
Even the figure that couldn't be called a living being couldn't react in time.
"Boom!"
The golden giant palm instantly struck its body. With a loud crash, it was sent flying backward as a black streak of light.
"Roar!"
A dragon's roar resounded. From behind the several dozen-meter-tall golden Guanyin statue, a hundred-meter-long blue-black giant dragon appeared, instantly catching up to the retreating black streak of light.
"Buzz~"
The dragon's mouth opened wide, and a blue-black energy orb coalesced within it, firing out towards the receding black figure.
But just as the energy orb was about to hit the black figure, a tentacle shot out from the ground, rushing towards the energy orb.
"Boom!"
The energy orb was prematurely detonated. Only a portion of the aftershock swept over the black figure's body, but this minor damage was entirely irrelevant to it.
"Weakness found!"
Ginta and Potebai's figures suddenly appeared on either side of the black figure, their arms enveloped in vast amounts of aura, as they punched towards it.
"Swish swish…"
However, a large number of black lines suddenly emerged from the black figure's body, wrapping around the arms that the two men had struck with.
Before their astonished eyes, the black lines lifted them high into the air and suddenly flung them towards the blue-black giant dragon that was closing in from behind.
"This is bad!"
Potebai and Ginta's faces both showed alarm. If they were hit by that giant dragon, it would be no laughing matter; they didn't possess such durable bodies.
"Ginta!"
At the crucial moment, Potebai shouted at Ginta. At the same time, he twisted his waist, raised his left fist, and punched towards Ginta.
"I got it."
Ginta nodded slightly, also raising his other fist, and powerfully slammed it against Potebai's fist.
"Bang!"
The moment their aura-wrapped fists connected, a small ripple of aftershock exploded outwards. Using this force, both men immediately shot backward to their left and right.
"Whoosh whoosh…"
As they slid backward, both men dug their feet into the ground, carving two deep furrows. At the same time, they gripped the black lines wrapped around their hands with both hands.
"Got you."
Potebai and Ginta exerted force simultaneously, gripping the black lines and running in the opposite direction, pulling the retreating black figure back.
"Chairman!"
Potebai yelled out. A golden light flashed in Netero's eyes, and the giant Guanyin statue behind him brought its hands together.
"Clang!"
The golden giant palm slammed the black figure into its palm. The sound was like a mighty bell, similar to the ringing of a temple bell in the early morning.
"Buzz~"
The blue-black giant dragon reappeared behind the Guanyin statue. Aiming at the clasped Guanyin palms, it unleashed a blue-black energy orb.
"Boom!"
The moment the energy orb made contact with the golden giant palm, a blinding white light erupted. The immense power caused the ground to crack and stones and dirt to fly.
"Ugh…"
A furious wind swept outwards. Illumi and the others maintained low stances, raising their arms to shield their eyes, preventing sand from flying into their eyes.
"Is it dealt with?"
Potebai and Ginta raised their arms, still wrapped in black lines, and gave a strong tug, finding no response.
Their expressions hardened, and they once again gripped the lines tightly, violently pulling the figure out of the dust cloud. They gathered a vast amount of aura in their right fists and punched fiercely towards the figure that was flying towards them.
With a "bang," Potebai's fist accurately struck its face, but…
"What!"
To Potebai's shock, the opponent simply took his punch directly to the face, completely unharmed.
"Thud!"
A punch even heavier than the last struck Potebai's abdomen. Potebai instantly bent over, mouth agape, eyes wide, uncontrollably spitting saliva.
More black lines released from its body, wrapped around Potebai's neck, and lifted him into the air.
"Potebai!"
Netero and Ginta's eyes both narrowed, and they rushed towards them.
"Boom boom boom…"
However, a large number of black-red tentacles suddenly emerged from in front of them, attacking both men and blocking their assistance.
"Ugh…"
Potebai struggled to breathe, his legs flailing wildly in mid-air. His hands gripped the lines wrapped around him, pulling with all his might, trying to snap them.
"Hiss hiss…"
A black-red tentacle emerged from the ground behind him, piercing towards the center of Potebai's back.
"Clang!"
A metallic clang echoed. Its pure white eyes also briefly paused in surprise. The black-red tentacle stabbed at Potebai's back, yet it couldn't pierce through him.
"Heh…"
Potebai, who had been struggling with all his might just moments before, now revealed a smile. Then, the muscles in his arms swelled, and with a "snap," he tore apart all the lines wrapped around his neck.
"Whoosh!"
A sound of rushing air. Potebai looked up as Ginta descended from the sky.
"Boom!"
Ginta knelt with both knees on the black figure's shoulders, slamming it fiercely into the ground, sinking its legs below the knees into the earth.
"Roar!"
Ginta and Potebai both heard the dragon's roar and immediately retreated from its side.
"Swish!"
The blue-black giant dragon brushed past them.
The moment the black figure made contact with the blue-black giant dragon, it raised its arms. With a "bang," the giant dragon collided with its arms, and the ground shook.
The ground "boomed," forming a gigantic circular crater from the impact.
"Buzz!"
Light once again gathered in the dragon's mouth, an energy orb poised for launch.
"It's enough. I have fully experienced your power."
At this moment, Illumi and the others clearly heard its voice. Unlike before, its voice was now closer to that of a normal human.
"Boom boom boom…"
Just as the energy orb was about to be fired, hundreds of black-red tentacles suddenly erupted from the ground, wrapped around the dragon's mouth, forcing it shut.
"Boom!"
With a loud crash, the energy orb detonated inside the dragon's mouth. The massive blue-black dragon body jolted, then slowly began to dissipate, starting from its head.
"It forcefully shattered Maha Zoldyck's ability."
Illumi watched this scene emotionlessly, his left eye intently focused on the pure black figure, searching for an opportune moment to strike.
Suddenly, the figure turned its body to face him, and their gazes met.
"Boom!"
Illumi's eyes narrowed. The ground beneath the opponent's feet exploded, and its body rushed towards him at a speed indiscernible to the naked eye.
The moment the opponent made its move, Illumi's Strongest Eye had already provided various optimal attack and defense routes and postures.
As Illumi analyzed the opponent's attack movements, the black figure arrived in an instant, delivering a punch to his abdomen.
"It's useless. Under this eye, all your attacks are seen through."
The moment the pure black fist was about to strike Illumi's abdomen, Illumi crossed his arms, blocking his stomach.
"Thud!"
The moment of impact, his body immediately transformed into a black streak of light, and with a "boom," it slammed into a wall.
But the opponent clearly wasn't going to let him off so easily. It pursued him again, stomping its foot onto his face.
The wall "boomed" and shattered from the powerful impact, and Illumi's body was sent flying backward again, collapsing several walls along the way.
"Hmph…"
Illumi rose from the ground with a soft hum. Thanks to the Strongest Shield, he had only suffered a slight internal tremor; it wasn't even considered a minor injury.
"Ninety-Ninth Hand!"
Netero's voice sounded from behind him, and a golden Guanyin giant statue suddenly appeared in mid-air behind the black figure.
Accompanying Netero's movements, a large number of golden giant palms, in various directions and different attack combinations, struck towards its body.
"Boom boom boom…"
The ground also suddenly trembled, and a large number of black-red tentacles burst out of the earth, meeting Netero's attack.
"Thud thud thud…"
The moment each black-red tentacle made contact with a golden giant palm, it was instantly pressed into the ground, ground into powder.
But the ground continuously spawned more black-red tentacles, which ceaselessly fought against Netero's golden Guanyin giant statue, being continuously shattered, their offensives relentless.
🚨 Note : Consider to Support this Story on Patreon.com/Flokixy to access +200 advance Chapters and To Support The Daily Update