Underground Hub
West District - Underground Hub Ruins
This is one of the dead zones that have been completely erased from the Paradis map.
The entire area resembled a buried hell. The hundred-meter-deep pit was sealed off layer by layer, and the pipes were corroded like withered bones. The fossilized corpses on the walls seemed to be whispering, creating a suffocating silence.
Today, this place has finally met its "terminator".
At the top of the cliff, Kakuzu placed his palms on the ground, his Chakra Threads extending into the earth like a spider web.
"Target area locked."
"The structure is a spiral-enclosed mine shaft, with a total depth of 128 meters."
"Sensing indicates the presence of twelve individual giants underground, and—residual traces of their intelligence."
Hidan was currently swinging back and forth on the rusty bridge like a mad monkey, with a steamed bun in his mouth.
"Twelve? Hehe, I'm going to take them all tonight!"
Kakuzu gave him a cold glance. "These are not ordinary Titans."
According to records, Marley once attempted to seal the 'fragments of consciousness' of five intelligent giants here in order to recreate the 'Divine Realm'.
Hidan's eyes lit up when he heard this.
"Does that mean... these freaks can talk, howl, and think?"
"That's what makes it so exciting to actually kill people!"
Ten minutes later.
The two slid down the abandoned well into the deepest part of the hub.
The shadows were deep, and the space was as silent as a tomb, until the moment they landed, the entire mine suddenly...
"Thump... thump... thump..."
Deep within the pipe, a metallic vibration, like a heartbeat, echoed.
Crimson patterns appeared on the black pipe walls.
Immediately afterwards, twelve gigantic shadows crawled out simultaneously. Their skin was grayish-white, their pupils were distorted, and they uttered low murmurs like walking corpses:
"... to the gods... to the blood..."
"... Kill... kill me..."
"... Pain... He is still watching..."
Hidan licked his lips. "It sounds like a death wail!"
Kakuzu 'Chakra Threads trembled violently. "These giants must be beings whose consciousness is sealed; their physical bodies died long ago, but their spirits remain."
Their souls... no longer belong to this world.
"Old man, how did you know?"
Hidan asked with a surprised expression.
"Just guessing, after all, they don't look quite right."
Kakuzu stared blankly at the giants and said coldly.
Hidan trembled with excitement. "Then I'll give you a 'complete cleanup'!"
"Jashin Technique - Triple Blood Ring Formation!"
He bit his finger, pressed it to the ground to Hand Seals, and three layers of blood-red ring patterns exploded from beneath his feet, surrounding the twelve giants.
However, the next second--
The giants let out a unified roar, their bones deformed, and their flesh fused together!
They pulled and merged within their own flesh, eventually forming a colossal monster:
Fusion · "Afterimage of Will"!
It stands twenty meters tall, with two arms and six claws, and three mouths chanting from a crack in its abdomen, like some ancient god groaning in its death throes!
Hidan was completely dumbfounded. "Fuse?! There are combination techniques like this!?"
Kakuzu calmly made his move:
"Wind Release: Crushing the Great Scythe!"
The high-pressure wind blade transformed into a giant crescent moon, slashing down diagonally and severing one of the fused giant's arms!
Fire Style: Searing Migraine Flame Bullet!
Flame bombs erupted from the other side, heading straight for the giant's chest!
But the next moment-
The fused entity flung off its severed limb, forcefully Kakuzu two of Kakuzu's techniques, and its body began to repair and rebound!
"It can absorb Chakra techniques?"
Kakuzu narrowed his eyes. "This is bad."
The giant threw a powerful punch, Kakuzu used Chakra Threads to pull himself away and dodge. Hidan, however, took the blow head-on and was embedded in the rock wall!
But Hidan burst into wild laughter:
"Ah, that feels amazing!! I've almost forgotten this kind of pain!!!"
"Jashin Technique: Five Rings Spirit Offering Spell!"
Hidan leaped off the wall, spitting out a mouthful of blood, and set up a five-ring formation on the ground!
He clasped his hands together and murmured in his sleep:
"With my spirit as a sacrifice, with your pain as a seal, I offer this to my Lord—"
The next second, five black shadows rose from behind him, like the avatars of Jashin, and pounced on the fused giant!
The fused entity emitted a tearing shriek!
At the same time, Kakuzu shouted:
Earth Release: Mountain-Splitting and Wall-Breaking Seal!
"Lightning Release: Lightning Array Binding Chains!"
The ground rises up into rock walls, like a tiger pouncing on a mountain!
A lightning array appeared above, Chakra formed locks that descended from the sky, tightly binding the fused body's six arms!
Hidan seized the opportunity:
"It's my turn to be the grand finale!"
"Jashin Technique - Nine Lives Seal - Curse Slash!"
Wielding the "Blood Scythe - Bloodstained Fang," he slashed nine times, each strike leaving a bloody mark!
As the nine Cursed Seal settled, he suddenly leaped up and shouted:
"Final Curse - Blood Realm Ashes!!!"
The nine blood seals exploded and merged into one, forming a massive blood ring that shattered!
The fused giant unleashed a piercing scream, its entire body beginning to collapse and melt!
Kakuzu's masks converge, unleashing the final strike:
"Fire Style: Searing Migraine Flame Bullet - Final Form: Blazing Core Lotus Explosion!"
The fire lotus ignited the giant's chest cavity from within.
Boom!!!!!!
The entire underground mine has completely collapsed!!
Flesh and blood, shattered bones, and remnants of spirit were all annihilated!
A few minutes later, beside the ruins.
Hidan leaned against a collapsed pillar, panting, his body covered in blood.
"Ha... now that's what you call a fight."
Kakuzu coldly inspected the mask. "One of the water-attribute properties is destroyed, but the others function normally."
"The fused entity was completely annihilated, its shattered soul obliterated."
"Current progress of global integration: 38%"
Hidan grinned. "Two more matches, Night God will be able to stuff this damn world into his pocket."
Kakuzu: "Next target, District 14, 'Primordial Slumber Ground'."
Hidan blinked. "Ymir?"
"The legendary 'ancestor' of giants?"
Kakuzu silent, only slowly gazing towards the center of the map.
A sealed-off restricted area, with four words written in blood:
[The Seat of Origin]
A few hours later.
The Survey Corps' temporary command post.
The intelligence in Hange's hands had barely landed when the images of the bunker explosion and the remains of the giant's corpse were astonishing.
"Those two... cleaned up the entire nexus?"
Armin frowned. "And there's no assistance whatsoever."
"We still cannot analyze the spellcasting structure of one of them, and we also cannot analyze the elemental attack used by the other."
Erwin said in a deep voice, "They are not reinforcements."
"They are the execution squad under the command of the gods."
Just then, a messenger soldier entered, holding a new bounty order.
"Kakuzu, Hidan, mission objective phase three completed."
"The military has awarded him the title of 'Special-Class Giant Hunter' and activated full-scale resource support."
On the other side, Kakuzu calmly accepted the bounty scroll.
Hidan, licking a fresh bun, asked, "Is this all-you-can-eat?"
Kakuzu glanced at him. "You can exchange it for intelligence and supplies, and you even get a bounty!"
Hidan grinned immediately. "Then I'll have to kill a few more."
"What's the next target?"
Kakuzu gazed into the depths of the map.
"The Fourteenth District - The Sleeping Place of the Core of the Intelligent Giant"
"It's time for the shattered soul of the primordial giant Ymir."
Hidan licked his lips and swung his scythe:
"I can't wait to see this 'beginning of the world'."