So far, the Black Serpent of Slander had demonstrated five abilities.
"Malice Mask," "Malice Absorption," "Killing Intent Shockwave," "Super Regeneration," and "Darkness Warp."
Each of the latter four abilities required it to consume the malice inside one of its cysts.
The Black Serpent of Slander had nine cysts, which meant it had plenty of resources to use those four abilities.
However, once a cyst was emptied and turned transparent, it became fragile and easy to destroy.
Gelman had seized the opportunity to destroy two of them, leaving the Black Serpent of Slander with only seven segments of malice and further weakening its combat power.
The Black Serpent of Slander had clearly realized what Gelman was trying to do.
After blasting Gelman into the swamp mud, it reared up most of its body and looked down from above with its slit pupils.
At the same time, the tail on its lower body swayed back and forth over the spot where Gelman had fallen.
What it had to do was simple.
It would keep swatting Gelman back down into the depths of the mud with its tail, like a game of whack-a-mole, every time he tried to swim back up.
That way, the Black Serpent of Slander could maintain the upper hand and slowly wear Gelman down to death.
But something happened that it hadn't expected.
It sensed a powerful surge of Nen Energy rising from the depths of the swamp like a tower thrusting up from the ground.
At first, it thought it was Gelman, so it tensed, ready to lash out with its tail.
But when a pair of furry, razor-sharp claws ripped through the muddy surface, it realized its mistake.
Chaos Roar burst through the mud!
It was a giant skeletal frame draped in long, black fur, yet it