"Ah!"
While the two hesitated, Usamen, controlled by the killing intent, suddenly roared, his eyes wide with fury as he glared at Akira and the other two.
His features were now twisted, his bloodshot eyes filled with murderous intent, devoid of any clarity.
Veins bulged on his face, neck, and other parts of his body, his skin visibly turning red.
Like someone who had lost several rounds of a game in a row, he was boiling with rage.
With that roar, Usamen's aura first paused, then erupted with an overwhelming force!
Under the influence of the killing intent, Usamen displayed strength far beyond his usual capabilities!
But such overexertion took a heavy toll on his body.
If he remained in this state for too long, his body would collapse under the strain.
This sudden change immediately drew the attention of the others, but most had no energy to spare.
They were already struggling to suppress their own killing intent, with nothing left to give.
Many were even sprawled on the ground, veins throbbing on their foreheads, using every ounce of strength just to maintain a sliver of clarity.
Usamen stomped the ground, and countless crimson strands of Aura surged beneath him, sending dust flying into the air.
"Whoosh!"
The next moment, Usamen appeared right in front of Beyond, his blood-red eyes glaring as if he wanted to devour him.
At the same time, Usamen swung his right fist, driving it toward Beyond's head, with torrents of Aura swirling around his knuckles.
His Aura was already blood-red, and now he had concentrated half of it into his fist.
The color grew even more vivid and deep, the scarlet hue nearly solidifying, exuding a terrifying pressure.
The terrifying punch tore through the air with a sharp crack.
Beyond, directly in its path, grimaced, his rugged face darkening.
Though the punch was powerful, it was nothing to Beyond.
What troubled him was how quickly the killing intent was spreading.
Before they could even discuss the best course of action, one of their teammates was already attacking them under its control.
This mind-affecting ability was truly horrifying!
How much time had even passed?
Yet they were already nearly puppets of the killing intent, their every move controlled by it.
Beyond's heart tightened—this Twin-Tailed Snake was proving to be a formidable foe.
With abilities like this, no wonder nearly all of the Migration Bureau's team had perished back then.
Most of them must have succumbed to the killing intent and slaughtered each other!
Beyond's expression darkened as he sidestepped, moving countless times faster than Usamen.
There wasn't even a blur—it was as if he had always been standing in that spot.
Usamen, unable to react in time, remained frozen in his punching stance, but his target was already gone.
Beyond lowered his eyelids and casually swung a hand chop, aiming straight for Usamen's neck.
The crimson Aura enveloping Usamen's body was as fragile as paper, easily shattered by Beyond, and the hand chop landed precisely on his neck.
The force penetrated the safety suit, reaching the back of his neck.
"Thud!"
A sound like a bell rang out, followed by Usamen's eyes rolling back as his body involuntarily collapsed forward.
In an instant, all his strength seemed to drain away, and his consciousness plunged into complete darkness.
"Thump!"
Usamen's burly frame hit the ground, his eyes rolled white, devoid of any awareness or movement.
Faced with this situation, Beyond's approach was the most appropriate.
Other teams wouldn't have bothered much or exerted effort to hold back.
Killing an affected teammate outright would have been a common response.
"Haa~" Beyond exhaled softly.
Then, his pupils contracted, and his expression changed drastically once more!
In that instant, a surge of killing intent inexplicably appeared within him, like weeds running rampant and growing wildly inside his body.
The bell's toll could now affect him too!
It seemed the bell's effect was also related to duration.
Just because there was no initial impact didn't mean it couldn't take effect.
If they remained in this situation, the possibility of being overwhelmed by killing intent still existed.
In mere moments, Beyond felt his mental state rapidly shifting, veering uncontrollably toward agitation.
He wasn't alone.
On the other side, Ging was experiencing the same thing.
One moment, Ging was relishing Pariston's pained expression; the next, his face darkened.
Like Beyond, an inexplicable surge of killing intent had emerged within him, swelling rapidly with time.
Almost instantly, both of them turned their gazes toward Akira.
Akira was the team leader, and all major decisions rested with him.
Now was the time to make a choice.
First, the team could retreat first and proceed cautiously later.
This was a relatively safe approach, but it had its flaws.
What if they left, but the killing intent continued to affect them?
Second, they could subdue the Twin-Tailed Snake in a short time—perhaps eliminating the source would free them from their predicament.
Whichever option they chose, the final decision lay with Akira.
Akira glanced at the two, a flicker of understanding rising in his heart.
Indeed, even S-rank experts weren't immune to the Twin-Tailed Snake's bell.
Still, they fared much better than A-rankers.
If they noticed something amiss and withdrew in time, they could minimize losses.
Any creature below S-rank entering this place likely wouldn't even have a chance to escape.
There was no denying the potency of the Twin-Tailed Snake's bell.
Their team was among the elite of the Six Continents, with each member a powerhouse in their own right.
Yet, the Twin-Tailed Snake could dismantle them in a single encounter.
Aside from the three of them, the rest would be helpless, left to await their doom.
But this wasn't their fault—just moments ago, Marshadow had shared a crucial piece of information.
Marshadow had discovered that the Twin-Tailed Snake's bell attacked on a soul-deep level!
This was why earplugs, Aura, and other methods were ineffective.
They weren't even on the same plane of existence.
This revelation strengthened Akira's confidence in his own hypothesis.
Ever since he arrived in this world, he had only encountered two types of things related to the soul.
The first was Zed, who sold his soul to the Demon King in exchange for a chance at resurrection.
The second was the Harp Movement he encountered beneath the Flarestone Island, whose effects were tied to the soul.
These two had one thing in common—both were connected to the Demon King.
It seemed that whenever the word "soul" was mentioned, it would inevitably be linked to the Demon King.
Thus, he grew increasingly convinced that this Hellbell Snake had intricate ties to the Demon King.
A thought flashed through Akira's mind, and two figures materialized before him.
They were none other than Gardevoir and Gengar!
Gardevoir's purpose was clear. Her mesmerizing eyes glanced at the fallen Usamen before she closed them.
A crisp, melodious chime rang out—its elegance a stark contrast to the Hellbell Snake's sinister tolling.
One was a healing bell from heaven.
The other was a bell of destruction from hell.
Wisps of Aura drifted from Gardevoir's body, weaving into three-dimensional musical notes in the air.
The notes, accompanied by a staff, took on vibrant colors, soaring toward everyone like dancing rainbows.
Normal-type move—Heal Bell!
As the Aura-infused chime merged into their bodies, the blood-red Aura clinging to them faded rapidly, as if bleached away.
Finally, it reverted entirely to its original hue.
The bloodshot eyes of the group also returned to normal, clarity gradually filling their gazes.
The chime seemed to carry a magical power, not only dispelling their negative conditions but also erasing the murderous intent lurking in their hearts.
Ever since the Harimu Ruins, Akira had known better than to underestimate the various support moves of Pokémon.
Their effects might not seem overpowering in games, but in reality, they could play a crucial role.
As for moves like Protect and Substitute, which were already vital in games, they became nothing short of divine techniques in reality.
The same went for Heal Bell.
Its effect was to cleanse negative statuses.
Yet the scope of what counted as a "negative status" was vast.
Curses, paralysis, poisoning, burns… confusion or being controlled—all fell under this category.
Even illnesses could be cured with Heal Bell, functioning similarly to the Hope Herb.
While Gardevoir's task was to undo the effects already inflicted on the group, Gengar's role was to ensure they wouldn't suffer further.
Gengar's crimson eyes stared into the void as if it could see the incoming chimes.
"Geeeeen~"
Licking its lips, Gengar let out a mischievous chuckle before eagerly opening its maw wide and inhaling deeply.
To an outsider, it might have seemed like it was merely gulping air, but in truth, it was sucking in the Hellbell Snake's chime along with the strange black mist within.
Once inside Gengar, the black mist was converted into experience points.
Just like with the Dark Sonata, the unknown black mist from the Hellbell Snake became nourishment for Gengar.
In an instant, the eerie chime haunting the group vanished, leaving only Gardevoir's soothing melody lingering in the air.
A few breaths later, everyone's condition fully stabilized. They gasped for air, relieved to still be alive.
Muheer braced his hands on his knees, sweat pouring down his face as his complexion visibly worsened.
"Thank goodness… thank goodness we made it."
After catching his breath, Muheer finally uttered these words, his tone filled with the relief of having narrowly escaped death.
He had genuinely felt himself teetering on the brink of life and death.
Had the bell's influence continued much longer, his consciousness would have completely vanished before long.
Becoming nothing more than a mindless puppet of slaughter!
Even Pariston's perpetual fake smile had vanished, replaced by an unusually grave expression as he said solemnly:
"Indeed, we nearly died just now."
As the most psychologically astute among them, Pariston possessed the deepest understanding of mental state fluctuations.
He could claim complete mastery over his own psyche, effortlessly controlling every shade of emotion.
Yet what just occurred represented one of his rare moments of losing control.
A murderous impulse had suddenly taken root in his heart—no matter how hard he tried to suppress it, he could only watch helplessly as the bloodlust spread.
'Perhaps...'
Pariston's head drooped, shadows swirling in his eyes as a thought flashed through his mind like lightning.
Such effects couldn't possibly be caused by ordinary means.
This might have touched upon the soul itself.
As the former Vice-Chairman of the Hunter Association, Pariston was privy to many secrets—including matters concerning the soul.
Anything involving the soul was never a problem easily resolved.
Yet Akira's Aura Beast had restored the entire team's condition with just a casual technique...
Pariston lifted his head slightly, stealing a discreet glance at Gardevoir. He could tell the creature hadn't expended much Aura at all.
For it, this had been a trivial matter.
'As expected of Akira' Pariston mused silently.
The longer he spent with Akira, the more he came to appreciate the man's terrifying capabilities.
Even now, he found it difficult to believe such a monstrous human truly existed in this world.
Akira was omnipotent—calmly handling any situation while always producing the optimal solution.
'Perhaps across all history, past or future, only Akira could reach such heights'
'And that's precisely why he is Akira!'
Unaware of Pariston's inner thoughts, Akira was currently focusing his attention on the distant trees.
With the team's condition stabilized, it was time to address the root of their troubles.
The Twin-Tailed Snake seemed to be making unusual movements.
...
At the grassland's central area stood several scattered trees of similar appearance.
On the tree nearest to Akira's group, a Twin-Tailed Snake reared its upper body proudly, tongue flickering.
Its vertical pupils remained fixed on the humans as its bifurcated tails swayed rapidly, producing two opposing yet exceptionally clear chimes.
Yet contrary to its expectations, the creatures below showed no signs of descending into madness—instead returning to normal.
Never since its birth had such a thing occurred!
The Snake's irritation grew, causing subtle changes in its tail chimes.
These chimes weren't meant to affect enemies.
They served to summon its kin!
Suddenly, Snake heads emerged simultaneously from the other trees before slithering down toward the gathering.
Only one Twin-Tailed Snake had confronted Akira's group earlier.
When gathered together, not only would their chimes' power increase exponentially—
They could also unleash their true abilities!