The Plague Overlord's gray-white mist looked like a mere cloud, but it moved as fast as a laser. One moment, it was still far off in the distance; the next, it was right in front of them. The eight Lantern Bearers had no room to dodge and were struck by the gray-white mist all at once.
Alice, Hengo, the old martial artist, and Arcane had spared no Ash and fully activated their Lamps, yet the Plague Overlord's gray-white mist still struck and flung them away. Their Lamps dimmed afterward, and their fates were unknown.
The Ghost and the Gladiator hadn't activated their Lamps enough. Two soft pops sounded, as if something had pinched out the Lamps on their bodies. The light faded, and the gray-white mist that had struck them burrowed straight into their bodies.
As for Whitebeard and Night Hawk, who hadn't even had time to activate their Lamps, the gray-white mist invaded their bodies directly.
Shinji, a step too late, stopped in the distance, his expression dark.
He'd miscalculated. The Plague Overlord was strong—stronger than the Breeding Overlord and the Bewitching Overlord he'd fought before!
After all, Lantern Bearers naturally possessed the ability to purify Overlord contamination. So even when the difference in strength was enormous, Lantern Bearers could often escape the clutches of an Overlord.
Take their previous confrontation with the Breeding Overlord on T33. Alice, Hengo, and even the old martial artist had basically been able to exchange blows with the Breeding Overlord by relying on the power of their Lamps.
But the Plague Overlord was completely different. Alice, Hengo, the old martial artist, and Arcane had all fully activated their Lamps, yet they'd still been sent flying in an instant, their fates unknown.
The Ghost and the Gladiator, who had activated their Lamps only weakly,