Almost as soon as he saw Tongue of Theft rise from the ground like a towering spire, Gelman reacted.
He rubbed the Hunter Badge, first materializing the Greedy Antler Helmet and Contempt Armor for himself. He donned them, replacing his original hunter's tricorn hat and black robe.
Then he materialized his final Grudge Memory—Dark Nautilus.
Grudge Memory: Dark Nautilus couldn't recreate the original's combat strength, but it still had Master-level defense. It was the perfect shield.
Gelman pointed at Tongue of Theft. "I'll deal with this one."
"You deal with that one." He pointed at Rift of Joy.
The division of labor was clear, and everyone agreed at once.
As for how to defeat Rift of Joy, Ging, Biscuit, Morel, and Shizuku had already come up with a few ideas. They just needed a brief discussion.
With Dark Nautilus hovering in the air as cover, Gelman crossed the Electric Veins, which had bulged up from the ground and crackled with electricity, and charged toward Tongue of Theft.
Dark Nautilus, like a floating battleship, rammed straight into Tongue of Theft.
Tongue of Theft's round-tipped tentacles, wrapped in lightning, lashed viciously against Dark Nautilus's thick shell, its largest target.
But it soon realized that the attacks had little effect.
So it tried a trickier approach, reaching its tentacles toward the one gap in Dark Nautilus's shell and plunging them into its flesh with wet, squelching sounds.
Squeee—
In the next moment, a brilliant flash of electricity lit the area as brightly as day!
The piercing buzz was almost unbearable!
Gelman endured it, calmly moving through the residual current and swiftly reaching the area beneath Tongue of Theft.
From its lofty position, Tongue of Theft quickly spotted Gelman, clad head to toe like a medieval knight.
Antler helmet, black-and-white armor, glowing green greatsword—it