Chapter 236 : Aurora??

The coldness slowly began to invade their thoughts.

Germain felt like his mind had stopped for a moment, but he quickly snapped back to reality.

"They're here."

They had planned to stay awake all night, guarding against the "enemy" that had finally arrived.

Everyone tightened their expressions, preparing for what was to come.

Now, it was a test of both body and mind.

The fragmented moon quietly hid behind a dark cloud, watching the events unfold without interference, as the sky grew even darker.

Amid the eerie, haunting cries of "Wooo wooo wooo," the cold grew even more terrifying as an invisible creature silently enveloped the area.

In the blink of an eye, from behind the grey-white rocks and through the gaps of the motionless, lumbering giants, long strips of snow-white fabric emerged.

These strips of fabric whipped into the air in the suddenly howling cold wind, revealing a grotesque face!

Hollow eyes, rotten teeth, faces twisted like pale skulls, bodies drifting like smoke...

They were vengeful spirits, corrupted beings—those who, after being infected by the "Immortality Disease," had broken free from their empty shells. 

They could never find peace again, fearing the light and only able to roam in darkness, endlessly wandering in despair.

The vengeful spirits, ranging from the size of dragons to as small as mosquitoes, had no true form but brought cold and disease with them!

Without any hesitation, they passed through the empty shells of the giant beasts, exhaling breath that turned to frost.

"Wooo wooo wooo—"

Soon, they noticed Germain and the others and felt a sense of jealousy toward their warm bodies.

Living beings... they had bodies. They could embrace one another for warmth, walk in the sunlight, and freely experience the world around them... but why?

Why did they get such happiness, while we can only race against time, forever being pitiful creatures?

"This is so unfair!"

"You should be like us!

We will freeze your body, tear your soul out of that flesh, and drag you, screaming, to be with us, suffering forever!"

"This is how other vengeful spirits treated me before, and now I will do the same to other creatures!"

The vengeful spirits screamed loudly, charging forward. In an instant, the entire dark world was filled with twisted, grayish, piranha-like creatures!

"Be careful," Germain warned. "Never let your guard down."

Everyone stayed alert.

Just as the words were spoken, a giant praying mantis-like vengeful spirit, about three meters tall, flew toward them. It swung its cold, sharp scythe toward Germain!

To deal with these formless vengeful spirits in the wild, there are only two ways: one is to create a large area of sunlight, and the other is one method—

Nen, which is the natural enemy of vengeful spirits!

A chill hit them as Germain drew his meat-sawing knife. He swiped his left hand across the rusty blade, and Nen surged, covering it!

This was a technique called "Shu."

He swung his knife, and when it clashed with the mantis spirit's scythe, it was as if he had sliced through tofu. The scythe was sliced in half with a hiss, turning into light smoke!

With a snap, the meat-sawing knife twisted, and Germain swept it across, instantly destroying the mantis spirit's body!

"Ugh, ugh, ugh—"

More vengeful spirits surged forward. Surrounded by spirits from all sides, Germain fought his way through, swinging his meat-sawing knife as though cutting vegetables.

The spirits scattered like smoke!

However, the cold still slowed his movements.

After a moment, frost began to build up on his fingers. When he tried to curl his fingers, it felt like the gears of a machine were stuck.

His skin reddened and swelled, his head spun, and his breathing became rapid.

These were symptoms of the "Immortality Disease."

In the map drawn by Don Freecss, the red areas and scattered red dots all indicated the dark nests where the vengeful spirits hid to avoid the sunlight.

In the wild, over a quarter of the area was occupied by them.

They could be hiding in caves, behind stones, beneath the grayish earth, or among the sparse vegetation.

Before nightfall, they could only curl up in these places, waiting for the moment they could break free.

When the night fell, it would be their time to dance wildly. It was the time they were most free!

If an outsider accidentally enters or touches these nests during the day, there is a chance they will get infected, but at this stage, it is only the incubation period.

However, once night falls, the vengeful spirits emerge from their nests. When they touch an outsider's body and tear at their soul, this process speeds up.

At this point, the "Immortality Disease" will progress very quickly.

Yet, Germain's breathing, though initially quickened, soon calmed down. Looking at his swollen fingers, they miraculously began to shrink.

Not only that, a warm sensation started to rise within him, warding off the cold.

The "Herbal Medicine for All Illnesses" he had injected earlier began to take effect.

Now, with no more worries, Germain unleashed his Nen, pushing the vengeful spirits back. He rushed forward, slashing with his Cleaver, cleaving them apart!

"Ugh, ugh, ugh—"

They swirled around, not giving up on torturing the living body and soul!

Germain's "Hunter's Badge" was already extremely effective at restraining vengeful spirits, and these spirits—mere collections of resentment—were no match for his Cleaver. Every time his saw-like blade struck, they shattered.

But unfortunately, they were immortal. Germain's Nen attacks could only destroy them temporarily. Before long, they would regenerate.

If he could kill them and use the "Hunter's Badge" to absorb their resentment, it would be a feast for Germain.

Indeed, the first mantis vengeful spirit he crushed began to gather its scattered soul fragments, soon reassembling itself.

With a loud scream, it lunged at Germain from behind.

Without even looking back, Germain swung his Cleaver again, the cold gleam flashing through the darkness like lightning!

Sizzle—

The mantis vengeful spirit vanished once more.

"Ugh, ugh, ugh—"

More vengeful spirits surged in. Although they had no physical form, the cold and illness they brought were real attacks.

Whenever Germain felt his hairs stand up or was surrounded by cold, it was a clear sign that vengeful spirits were near. This was undeniable.

What he needed to do was use his Nen to push the spirits away and then use his Nen-wrapped meat-saw blade to shatter them!

Just when it seemed like he would be stuck battling the immortal vengeful spirits forever, they suddenly froze in place!

Then, they all inexplicably left Germain and, crying out, flew towards the night sky, heading far away.

All the spirits around Germain vanished in an instant.

Had they fled?

Or was it something else...?

He looked in the direction they were escaping, and it turned out to be the same direction as the group of giant beasts marching silently.

At the edge of the night sky, a strange, full, grayish-white light surged into the darkness, like a special kind of aurora.

Was it in that direction...?

Germain turned around, about to tell the others, when he saw two people from the group, who had also finished dealing with the spirits, standing with pale faces.

The "Herbal Medicine for All Illnesses" had helped them resist the spirits' disease and cold, but it couldn't completely block the way they were tearing at their souls and minds.

Shizuku and Menchi both had pale lips.

They unconsciously rubbed their heads, feeling a dull pain in their temples.

If Germain could see their "stress" as a number, he would definitely notice it had increased significantly.

Ging and Bisky also felt uncomfortable, but their strength was much greater, and their willpower was more resilient.

Compared to that, they weren't as affected as Shizuku and Menchi.

"Are you alright?" Germain asked.

He looked at Shizuku, feeling she seemed feverish, a little dizzy.

Menchi frowned. "I'm fine, just felt a little lightheaded earlier. I'm better now."

"I'm not feeling too well," Shizuku said honestly. "I need to rest for a while."

"Then let's take a break," Germain said.

Ging scratched his head, looking at him in surprise. "You don't seem to be affected at all?"

Even he, after being attacked by the vengeful spirit and having it pass through his chest, felt down and shivery.

But Germain seemed perfectly fine.

"I'm just used to it," Germain answered.

"Used to it?" Ging was surprised by this answer.

"Ah..." Bisky, after hearing that, slapped his forehead and then pointed at Germain. "This guy has been 'tortured' more than once."

"What we just went through was nothing more than building up some 'pressure'. For him, that's just an everyday thing. Every time he comes to the Dark Continent, he has to face this kind of mental trial."

"If he gets through it, he gains 'virtue'. If not, he gets 'tortured'."

"I see," Ging finally understood. "He really has gotten used to it... Looks like I'll have to get used to it soon, too..."

Bisky looked at the two, Menchi and Shizuku, who now seemed droopy and much less lively than before. "My suggestion is the same as Germain's—take a break right here."

Both she and Ging had seen the aurora-like light earlier, which had still not faded.

They knew what it was—their target.

However, rushing straight into it now wouldn't be a wise choice.

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