Chapter 31 : Beast Hunter and Critical Strike!!!

Germain swiftly arrived at a sober realization.

The fluffy black feathers served as both armor and shield, indicating that the area concealed beneath them likely held the creature's vulnerability.

Concealed within the Lord of Crows were eyeballs extending from its head to its abdomen. They clustered together like tumors, intertwined with mucus.

Once identifying the weakness, the next step was devising an attack strategy.

As another eyeball shuttered on the creature's abdomen, simultaneously, a new eye opened on Germain's left arm.

They formed an eerie pair, their unsettling gaze fixed unwaveringly on Germain's face.

"Pressure +5."

Germain remained composed, yet discerned something amiss.

The spontaneous appearance of eyeballs on his arm indicated certain conditions were being met.

If there were no conditions, he would have likely transformed into "Danzo without bandages" by now.

So, what were the conditions?

Soon, clarity dawned upon him.

Having stared into the eyes of the Lord of Crows for a prolonged period, its curse might have been transmitted to Germain akin to a germ through visual contact.

But why the left arm specifically? Why not the right arm, chest, or thigh?

The answer possibly lay in the fresh wound inflicted by Hisoka a few days prior.

Despite his robust constitution, the wound had yet to fully heal within such a short span.

The curse of the Lord of Crows' eyeballs seeded germs into Germain's new wound through their gaze, taking root within his left arm.

Even if he hadn't encountered the creature's torso, he would have still incurred the curse by locking eyes with the ones on his left arm.

That was the truth.

Amidst the writhing sounds, Germain observed a third eye "blossom" on the same arm, nearly confirming his suspicions.

"Pressure +5."

Without hesitation, Germain shut his eyes, breaking eye contact with the Lord of Crows.

He could lower his head, but he knew that in times of crisis, people instinctively rely on their sight to understand the situation.

Since it's impossible to completely control these instincts, the best course of action was to close his eyes entirely.

Of course, that didn't mean he was giving up the fight.

With his eyes shut, Germain's "En" sharpened, heightening his awareness of his surroundings. His movements became more fluid and precise.

Using memory and sound, he calculated the distance between himself and the Lord of Crows. Then, he pulled a small sphere from the folds of his hunter's black robe and tossed it with precise aim.

The small sphere landed near the Lord of Crows, releasing a dense cloud of smoke that spread rapidly.

Germain learned this trick from his previous encounter in the Dry Valleys.

Instead of using tiny explosives, which could only damage a portion of the beast's body, he thought, why not use "poison"?

He'd spent a hefty amount of money to acquire this tiny gas bomb.

However, the Lord of Crows was far more intelligent than the creatures from the Dry Valleys.

As the poisonous mist surrounded the Lord of Crows, it paused, then spread its wings.

With a loud screech and a powerful push from its claws, the massive creature shot into the air.

It sensed the danger of the poison gas and quickly evaded it, immediately launching a counterattack.

Like a massive battering ram, the Lord of Crows swept low to the ground, aiming to slam into Germain and knock him aside.

But Germain had anticipated this. He feigned not dodging and shifted aside at the last possible moment.

As the Lord of Crows swooped down, the firearm in Germain's left hand vanished. In an instant, his hand shot out, gripping tightly to the Lord of Crows' talons. 

The bird pulled back, attempting to fly away, but it took Germain along with it. Up into the sky they went, the Lord of Crows looping and twisting in an effort to shake him off.

But Germain's grip was ironclad. He wasn't letting go.

Germain knew the Lord of Crows had a vulnerable spot—its belly, hidden beneath its dense wings. The best time to strike would be when the creature was in flight. 

With his other hand, Germain elongated the Cleaver's saw blade with a swift click, then drove the serrated edge into the Lord of Crows' abdomen, puncturing its skin with a sickening squelch. Blood or pus—he couldn't tell which—splattered all over him.

"Critical hit! Pressure -10."

The wound was deeper than Germain had anticipated, clearly benefiting from his ability to target beasts. 

Germain's ability, "Beast Hunter," meant that he was more effective against creatures like the Lord of Crows, with a greater chance of causing critical damage.

The Lord of Crows let out a horrible scream as it lashed its beak towards Germain's head, aiming to crack his skull open and feast on his brain.

But Germain had no intention of letting that happen. He yanked the Cleaver out of the Lord of Crows' abdomen while still holding tight to the creature's claw with his other hand.

With a swift motion, Germain swung through the air, narrowly avoiding the Lord of Crows' razor-sharp beak.

He seized the opportunity and switched his Cleaver into a Firearm. Raising the barrel, he fired directly into the Lord of Crows' bloody abdomen at close range. The deafening blast made his ears ring, but the impact caused the creature's wound to visibly widen.

The Lord of Crows shrieked and thrashed violently in pain.

It suddenly raised the claw that was gripping Germain's left hand, hoisting him upward. Then it folded its wings tightly around Germain, squeezing him like a vice.

Together, they spiraled downward toward the ground.

Germain's upper body was crushed against the Lord of Crows' festering belly.

The sensation of sticky fluids and shifting eyeballs filled his mind as his body pressed against the creature's decayed skin.

Despite the nauseating feeling, he opened his eyes and saw the Lord of Crows' beak descending towards him once more.

He twisted his head to dodge, but the beak still pierced his right shoulder with a sickening crunch.

"Argh!" Germain couldn't help but cry out as pain shot through him.

The Lord of Crows pulled back its beak to strike again, but as they neared the ground, it released its grip, spreading its wings to regain balance.

However, Germain wasn't about to let the Lord of Crows recover without taking advantage of its vulnerability.

He was plummeting toward the ground, but despite the pain in his shoulder and the disorientation from the spinning fall, he reached out with both hands and gripped the Lord of Crows' feathers.

Using his upper body strength, he pulled himself onto the creature's back.

The Lord of Crows soared back into the air, furious that Germain was still clinging to it. Rather than shake him off, the creature let out a piercing cry, summoning a swarm of multi-eyed crows to attack Germain from behind.

The crows tore at Germain's back with their sharp beaks and claws, drawing blood and shredding his clothing.

Despite the brutal assault, Germain kept his focus.

He held onto the Lord of Crows' feathers with his right hand, while with his left, he plunged into the wound he had created earlier with the Cleaver and gunfire, pushing deeper into the torn flesh.

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