For a time, everyone who didn't use "Dark Space" Nen abilities was shining brightly.
However, the "Pressure Assault" was unstoppable, and it kept accumulating.
Finally, at a certain moment, things took a sharp turn downhill.
Sanbica and Menchi were, almost simultaneously, overwhelmed by the last straw.
In their dazed minds, a "Dark Crown" suddenly erupted above their heads!
This had never happened to anyone other than Germain before!
And the "Dark Crown" was now truly resting on Sanbica and Menchi's heads.
Dark thorny spikes pierced into their minds, causing them to grimace in pain.
Their attacks and defenses slowed, and they were soon surrounded by more "Little Nautiluses."
Even though their companions rushed in to defend, they couldn't prevent the terrifying event from unfolding.
A twisted vortex appeared beside Sanbica and Menchi.
In the blink of an eye, both were sucked into it and vanished without a trace!
"Sanbica!"
"Menchi!"
Bisky, showcasing her "True Form," reached out in a shout, but she couldn't even grab the corner of their clothes!
Had they disappeared?
Were they taken away, or... did they die?
What would happen after being pulled into that "twisting vortex"?
The uncertainty and unease about the result only sped up the accumulation of pressure within everyone. Even their breathing became quicker.
Germain heard the shout, but he didn't look back. Instead, he continued fighting the "giant nautilus."
If he let it pass through him, his teammates would fall into an even more desperate situation.
A Cleaver, a Firearm, a flamethrower, a spiral cane, and a katana—these all hovered around him, controlled by five "Nen hands."
Many of the "small nautiluses" that tried to surround Germain were destroyed within this all-encompassing, fully automated attack sphere.
Germain gripped the hilt of the Sacred Moonlight Sword with both hands, donning the contempt armor with a black base and white bones, and charged forward, enduring the foul stench that rushed at him!
Puff, puff, puff...
The "Beast's Embrace" rune lit up brightly, and the contempt armor blocked the massive tentacles' sudden strikes!
The "Silver Halo" made him appear as a battle angel, fierce and fearless.
Boom!
The green holy light instantly pierced the "giant nautilus's" shell, reaching its flesh!
Germain could tell he had hit a sensitive spot because, despite it not being able to scream, the creature launched even more fierce and rapid attacks!
Boom!
The creature exploded its own shell in retaliation!
With a loud crash, countless shell fragments scattered like shrapnel, flying in all directions!
Germain used his Sacred Moonlight Sword to destroy the incoming fragments and finally saw the true form of the "giant nautilus" after its second phase.
Its body stretched out, and atop the numerous tentacles was a grotesque and eye-catching head, covered in many eyes, resembling that of a spider.
This otherworldly beast was glaring at Germain!
But Germain showed no fear. He released a powerful aura, like a roaring tide, standing ready to face it head-on.
Come on, attack me!
Outside the main battlefield, in the secondary battlefield, the battle continued.
"Ah—"
Knuckle shouted loudly, swinging his fists wildly. His target was no longer the nearby "Little Parrot Nautilus."
He had been forced to wear the "Dark Crown," and just like the "Twisted Whirlpool," it took him away!
Morel's water and mist arrived too late, unable to stop his disciple's sudden disappearance!
In anger, he poured his fury onto several nearby "Little Parrot Nautiluses."
Clearly, they were all things that could be killed, yet the "pressure assault" easily pierced their mental defenses!
That made it the third person.
What was worse, those who wore the "Dark Crown" would also worsen the mental and spiritual chaos of those around them.
It was like a domino effect, with things getting worse and worse!
Even the most foolish person would have figured it out by now. And it was Ging who had thought of this.
He shouted to the others.
"When the 'pressure' hits a critical point, it forces you to wear the 'Dark Crown.' And once you wear the 'Dark Crown,' the 'Twisted Whirlpool' will come!"
"The 'Dark Crown's torment,' this is something that has happened to Germain countless times. We need to solve it using Germain's method!"
"The 'Twisted Whirlpool' is a new situation, and we must avoid it!"
"Either we defeat the 'Little Parrot Nautiluses' in front of us and stop their 'pressure assault,' or we must keep our mental strength steady when crossing the critical point!"
"If the result isn't the 'Dark Crown,' but instead the 'Silver White Halo,' then we're unlikely to be pulled into the 'Twisted Whirlpool,' and we'll even get a boost to our bodies and minds!"
Bisky, Morel, and Shizuku all understood what Ging was saying, since they had seen the example with Germain.
But while it was easy to say, how were they actually supposed to do it?
Was the 'Silver White Halo' really so easy to trigger?
It turned out, it wasn't.
After that, Shizuku and Morel became the fifth and sixth people to wear the "Dark Crown" and get taken away by the "Twisted Vortex."
The dominoes kept falling!
Bisky had always stayed by Shizuku's side. When the "Dark Crown" and "Twisted Vortex" appeared, she reacted even faster than Shizuku.
Maintaining her "True Form," she forcefully pulled Shizuku away, trying to get them both away from the "Twisted Vortex."
However, the pull of the "Twisted Vortex" was incredibly strong.
They didn't even manage to float very far before being sucked back in.
"Is this what Germain feels like usually?" Shizuku squinted one eye, looking like she was in pain.
She could feel the "pressure torment" caused by the "Dark Crown."
"I feel like I'm getting closer to his heart," she added.
Bisky turned back in surprise, "At a time like this, you're saying that... Wait, you..."
"Bisky, its target is me. It's fine."
Shizuku broke free from Bisky's hand and was immediately sucked away by the "Twisted Vortex."
"Shizuku?!"
Their bond had always been strong. A year of close companionship wasn't in vain.
Not to mention, she couldn't imagine facing Germain without Shizuku. The thought of Shizuku disappearing without a trace was overwhelming.
In that moment, even Bisky's mind was thrown into chaos.
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