Hunter x Hunter : Germain Joins The Hunt

When the Poisonous Mist Centipede nearly drove its entire head into the exposed flesh of a larger bug, it abruptly pulled back, its antennae twitching in Germain's direction.

Bloody pieces of flesh dripped from its gruesome mouthparts onto the ground.

Has it already detected him? Germain glanced at the lantern at his feet, which now read "cooled down." Instead of retreating, he decided to press forward toward the centipede.

The Poisonous Mist Centipede used its antennae to test the air, sensing something unfamiliar. When it saw Germain approaching, it hesitated briefly before climbing down from the bug it had been feasting on.

Germain knew he had to act quickly. He materialized a Firearm and a Cleaver and darted to the side, maneuvering around to the centipede's left.

The centipede's vision was weak; it relied mostly on its antennae to track movement, which meant it was slow to react. 

Germain took advantage, raising his Cleaver and swinging it down hard on one of the centipede's enormous legs.

"Thwack!"

The blade, not particularly sharp, sank into the joint of the leg, as if he were chopping through a pig bone. The leg snapped, sending the centipede into a frenzy of wild thrashing.

It roared like a beast, its mouthparts snapping, and twisted its segmented body to bite at Germain. He saw its open jaws, still slick with blood, and smelled the sickly metallic odor. 

Without hesitation, he grabbed his Firearm, aimed at the centipede's mouthparts, and fired.

"Bang!"

The shot blasted off one of the centipede's mandibles. It recoiled in pain, its slender limbs flailing wildly as it howled in rage.

After firing, Germain didn't linger. He backed away, creating a wide distance between himself and the centipede. It was the right move.

The centipede's violent shaking caused a loud rattling sound, reminiscent of a snake's warning. It then released a dense cloud of black, poisonous mist—enough to bring down a creature as large as the bug it had been feeding on.

"I figured you'd pull something like this..." Germain muttered, anticipating the centipede's move.

The poisonous mist was not only a hunting tactic but also a defense mechanism. However, the centipede's poor eyesight and the thick mist interfered with its antennae, leaving it struggling to regain its bearings.

Germain pulled out a remote-controlled bomb from his backpack, took a deep breath, and hurled it into the dense, toxic mist. The bomb vanished into the darkness, and Germain waited for the faint thud of its landing before pressing the detonator.

A loud "Boom!" echoed through the valley, and a burst of orange flames lit up the night sky. The sudden explosion silenced the valley as smoke and dispersed toxins mingled in the air.

Germain took a few cautious steps back to avoid the drifting poisonous mist. As the smoke cleared, he could make out the silhouette of the poisonous fog centipede. 

The creature was massive, easily the size of a train, and it had flipped over, its segmented body curled into a flattened coil. Dark, viscous blood oozed from the jagged wound caused by the bomb.

The valley was quiet for a moment, but then the centipede's countless legs began twitching, like a cockroach trying to right itself. 

Germain tightened his grip on the handle of his Cleaver, resting his clenched fist on his hip as he tilted his head. "Looks like it's not going to be that easy, huh?" he muttered.

The Dark Continent was rumored to be home to fearsome creatures, but human ingenuity wasn't to be underestimated, especially when it came to weaponry. 

Humans had a fighting chance here, as long as they didn't encounter anything too extraordinary. Germain's bomb was one of the most reliable weapons he could carry, yet it had only managed to wound part of the centipede's limbs.

He contemplated his options. Should he risk going into the poisonous mist to finish off the creature with the Firearm and the Cleaver? He had a gas mask, but was it enough?

Before he could decide, he heard a distant flapping sound overhead. "What now?" he grumbled, looking up to see another giant beast soaring across the river valley, heading straight toward him.

A moth with gray-brown scaly wings hovered in the air, its size surpassing all expectations. When it spread its wings, it was slightly larger than a Poison Mist Centipede.

The centipede's tentacles whipped through the air, as if sensing that death was approaching. Desperate to protect itself, it writhed, trying to release more toxic mist.

However, it had already exhausted a significant amount of poison to fend off a swarm of Tentrioids and Germain earlier. And now, it faced a new threat: the Storm Ripple Moth, which had a unique way of handling the poisonous mist.

The moth took to the sky, flying beyond the reach of the poison. It flapped its wings deliberately, creating a strong breeze that easily dispersed the toxic mist.

The moth was in no rush to attack; instead, it kept fanning its wings, producing powerful gusts that blew away the poisonous mist. 

The pattern on its wings resembled the eyes of a beast, giving it an intimidating appearance.

The centipede continued to emit its poison, but each attempt was met with the same result: the whirlwind from the Storm Ripple Moth swept the mist away. With every cycle, the centipede's poison production weakened.

Germain, observing the scene, finally understood the food chain's dynamics.

The Tentrioid evolved a camouflaged shell to hide from predators. The Poison Mist Centipede developed its toxic defense to prey on Tentrioids and deter the Storm Ripple Moth. 

But the moth, a step above the centipede in this food chain, evolved scaly wings to generate powerful winds, allowing it to disperse the centipede's poison and eventually prey on it.

Germain had gradually figured out the key to surviving in the Dark Continent.

Beyond staying calm and relying on his "Nen" abilities, weapons from the human world, and other resources, he could also exploit the existing food chain.

The Storm Ripple Moth used its wings to disperse the Poison Mist Centipede's toxic cloud, creating a brief opening for Germain.

He grabbed the climbing rope from his backpack—originally meant for scaling the valley cliffs—and swiftly moved towards the Storm Ripple Moth and the Poison Mist Centipede.

As he drew closer, Germain spotted his moment. With a swift throw, he launched the climbing rope, the hook at its end catching firmly around the neck of the Storm Ripple Moth.

With a powerful yank, he brought the enormous creature crashing down toward the ground.

Taken by surprise, the Storm Ripple Moth couldn't recover in time. Germain's sneak attack sent it hurtling like a meteorite straight into the Poison Mist Centipede below!

*BANG!*

The impact was colossal, sending a cloud of dust and debris billowing into the air as the two massive beasts collided.

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