"Crack, crack~~~"
That eerie sound came from the pitch-black tentacle again, accompanied by a grating scrape like bones slipping out of joint. Then it plunged into Ron's body again.
"Black Conversion Domination!"
[The system has denied access!]
"Black Conversion Domination!"
[The system has denied access!]
"Black Conversion Domination!"
[The system has detected a troublemaker attempting to force access. Executing purge command.]
The instant that command was issued, the pitch-black tentacle embedded in Ron's body abruptly stiffened. Then, starting at its tip, it crumbled section by section into fine dust, like ashes scattered by the wind, leaving not even a trace behind.
"Swish~~!"
Linlin did not hesitate. The instant the tentacle shattered, she swung her blade, Napoleon wrapped in Haki, precisely slashing at the mass of black mist still slowly writhing behind Ron.
The blade landed with a dull boom. The black mist was violently knocked away and slammed into the inner wall of the Golden Nine-Tailed Fox Demon. Like a flattened shadow, it slowly slid down the surface.
"Hey, Ron!"
There was a rare urgency in Linlin's voice. Her gaze swept over Ron's back, then his entire rigid body. "Are you all right?"
She had seen that tentacle pierce him twice with her own eyes, but unsettlingly, there was no blood, no wound.
"Rumble~~~"
At the same time, five enormous figures descended from the sky, landing heavily from five directions and surrounding the Golden Nine-Tailed Fox Demon.
The ground shook violently the instant they landed, and rings of dust spread outward.
Five pairs of scarlet eyes lit up in the dim light, like five pairs of deep, dark lanterns, all locking onto the same target.
Ron did not move. His body remained in its previous posture, as though something invisible had pinned him there.