Akira had a deep impression of this gestation bar—after all, it was the first one divided into multiple segments.
The Dark Sonata had four movements, so this gestation bar was indirectly split into four parts.
Previously, he had encountered the violin and harp movements, so the bar's progress had reached the halfway mark.
But since then, there had been no further developments.
He had assumed it would take a long time to reach the end, as encountering the remaining two movements of the Dark Sonata wouldn't be easy.
The Dark Sonata's whereabouts were notoriously elusive—not something one could stumble upon casually.
So Akira hadn't forced the issue, adopting a "let it be" attitude instead of staying in the Six Continents.
Instead, he turned his attention to the Dark Continent, where opportunities were more abundant.
Who would have thought that while he was on the Dark Continent, this gestation bar would suddenly spring to life, surging forward as if electrified?
So...
Akira tilted his head slightly, looking toward the distant treetops with a hint of surprise as an idea took root.
Could those "Hell's Bell," capable of spreading killing intent, be the Dark Sonata?
Or perhaps those eerie snakes shared the same origin as the Dark Sonata?
At this moment, Akira suddenly recalled a theory from Earth—a fan's speculation about the Twin-Tailed Snake's "Hell's Bell."
Some suspected that these so-called Hell's Bell were somehow connected to the Dark Sonata.
Back then, he had only skimmed the theory without giving it much thought.
But now, it seemed that person might have been right?
Aside from both attack methods involving eerie sounds, the original work's description of the Twin-Tailed Snake's "Hell's Bell" also provided some clues.
In the original work, each of the five known calamities was given an epithet—likely assigned by the Migration Bureau.
But they could also be seen as clues left by Yoshihiro Togashi, the author of Hunter × Hunter.
Readers could only grasp fragments of the five calamities, so naturally, he would embed key information within these snippets.
The facts proved that although the information provided was scarce, it still offered valuable intelligence.
For example, Ai's title was [Desire-Dependent Entity - Gaseous Lifeform], which revealed two key characteristics.
First, it was related to desire—perhaps possessing strong personal desires or capable of influencing the desires of other creatures.
Secondly, it is a Gaseous Lifeform—though it possesses life, it exists in the form of gas.
The introduction of the Hellbell Snake also contains crucial information.
The original description in the text reads: Hellbell Snake, a demonic creature that spreads killing intent.
The first point to note is "Hellbell," which indicates its primary method of attack is a terrifying bell-like sound, as if emanating from hell.
The second is the term "demonic creature."
The word "demonic creature" is rarely used in Hunter x Hunter.
Typically, peculiar creatures are referred to as "magical beasts."
The only time this term is used is in reference to the Hellbell Snake.
This choice of wording seems deliberately intended to highlight the snake's distinction from other creatures.
Coincidentally, legend states that the Dark Sonata was a musical composition created by the Demon King.
"Demon King" and "demonic creature"—even just from the wording alone, there seems to be a significant connection.
Perhaps this so-called demonic creature was either created by the Demon King or corrupted by it.
If that's the case, then it would explain why the gestation bar reacted in the presence of the Hellbell Snake.
Because the Hellbell Snake has some connection to the Dark Sonata.
The Hellbell Snake is linked to the legendary Demon King.
The more Akira thought about it, the more plausible this theory seemed.
The most crucial piece of evidence was the undeniable fact that his gestation bar was currently progressing.
Suddenly, Akira recalled the strange gaps in Jin's memories.
As a powerhouse who had reached the threshold of SS-class obstacles, Jin had displayed no trace of his usual dominance when faced with the Hellbell Snake.
Instead, he had fled in panic.
Even the most critical part of his memory had vanished, leaving behind only an eternal sense of terror.
It seemed that whenever he tried to recall the specifics of what had happened, all he encountered was boundless dread.
No ordinary creature could induce such a reaction, especially given Jin's considerable strength.
But what if it was a creature tied to the Demon King?
Then the situation would be far less predictable.
The fact that Jin was so terrified of the Hellbell Snake only further proved that the snake was no ordinary being.
Akira inwardly drew a sharp breath, somewhat startled by his own deductions.
If these conjectures were true, then all the lingering questions would be resolved.
But before he could investigate further, he needed to deal with the immediate crisis.
Following his gaze, a figure abruptly materialized on a branch identical to the one depicted in the mural.
Despite the considerable distance, Akira could still clearly make out the appearance of the unknown creature.
On the thick, sturdy branch coiled a bizarre Snakeine creature.
Its body was densely covered in strange patterned scales, interwoven in such a way that, at a glance, they resembled countless eyes.
Its elongated form rose slightly, the triangular shape of its head signaling its lethality.
Strangely, rope-like tendrils extended from its triangular skull.
Within its gaping maw, two long, needle-like fangs glinted faintly, wreathed in tendrils of black energy.
It seemed to be hissing, its jaws wide open as it faced Akira and the others, adopting a hostile stance.
Clearly, it had noticed the intruders in its territory.
Moreover, Akira thought he could vaguely see wisps of black mist swirling around the Hellbell Snake.This added an extra layer of mystery to the Two-Tailed Snake.
Apart from the unknown black mist, its most striking feature was its forked tail.
What should have been a single tail inexplicably split into two, each ending with a large spherical object.
These spherical objects grew naturally from its body, forming part of its anatomy.
The eerie chimes originated from these two spheres, as if they contained bells inside.
With the slightest flick of its tails, the two spheres would shake rapidly, emitting terrifying chimes incessantly.
The unsettling chimes from outside continued to ring, while the gestation bar in Akira's mind steadily progressed.
Perhaps because the "Hell's Bell" Two-Tailed Snake had two tails, the transmitted chimes clearly fell into two distinct types.
These two chimes differed drastically in style, as if they couldn't possibly come from the same creature.
One was clear and piercing, with extreme penetrating power, like a soprano practicing her vocal scales.
Not only was this chime bright, but it also came at a rapid pace, reminiscent of the bells used to ward off zombies in horror films.
Just listening to this series of chimes made one's heart tighten involuntarily, inducing uncontrollable tension and emotional distress.
The other was completely opposite.
This chime was deep and heavy, exceptionally slow in tempo, carrying a sense of stagnation as thick as the surrounding swamps.
Merely hearing this oppressive chime gave people the illusion of sinking into quicksand.
Falling endlessly into an abyss with no hope of escape, doomed to remain trapped forever.
At the same time, Akira detected something amiss in this heavy chime.
It contained a trace of icy killing intent!
This murderous aura not only inspired terror but could also mentally infect living beings, rapidly turning them into mindless killing monsters.
Akira's expression shifted slightly as he glanced at the others around him.
In just these few moments, some had already been significantly affected.
Fisherman Usamen had somehow removed his headband, his eyes wide with crimson veins spreading across the whites.
His emotions were gradually spiraling out of control!
Under the influence of Hell's Bell, his rationality was suppressed as the killing intent infected his mind.
If this continued, he would transform into a monster driven solely by bloodlust until self-destruction.
His fists clenched subconsciously as his Aura surged wildly outward.
However, his Aura had undergone a drastic change, no longer its normal pure white or translucent appearance.
Instead, it had become a disturbing blood-red, the crimson hue appearing unnaturally sinister.
Akira could even see wisps of black mist-like substances mixed within the scarlet Aura.
Clearly, the killing intent had affected him, even corrupting his Aura through mental influence.
This was why Usamen's Aura had transformed so drastically, leaning toward the Wrath of the Seven Deadly Sins.
Though Wrath's Aura represented anger, its crimson hue symbolized rage.
Usamen's current Aura was thick and bloody like coagulated gore, inducing intense discomfort at mere proximity.
Many on the field were affected by the chimes, with Usamen being the most severely influenced, followed closely by his good friend Mascher.
Apart from the three strongest individuals who remained unaffected, Muheer was in the best condition among the rest.
This showed that the influence of the killing intent varied from person to person.
Those with simpler minds, like Usamen and Mascher, were more easily affected.
Muheer, as the team leader, served as the strategist, ranking among the most intelligent in the group.
Moreover, years of combat experience had forged an unshakable will, allowing him to remain calm in emergencies.
This was why he was holding up the best.
Even so, his suffering was visibly evident.
Suppressing the killing intent through sheer willpower was impressive—but also incredibly difficult.
Under such torment, every second felt like an eternity to Muheer, his handsome features now twisted in pain.
He could barely maintain his stance, faint crimson flickering around his body.
Though not completely overtaken, it was clear he had lost all combat capability.
Simply resisting the chime's influence consumed all his energy.
The others, too, were surrounded by faint red glows.
The intensity of the glow reflected the degree of their affliction.
The brighter the glow, the stronger the killing intent.
Ging and Beyond exchanged glances before moving to Akira's side.
In situations like this, Akira provided the greatest sense of security.
Ging's expression was grave as he spoke:
"From what we can see, the chime's effect is related to strength. The three of us are among the few who remain largely unaffected."
He paused, then glanced toward the distant treetops and added:
"The Twin-Tailed Snake has two distinct chimes—likely working in tandem to produce this effect."
"But knowing that doesn't help. We need a way to counter it."
Akira gave a slight nod. If he wasn't mistaken, the piercing chime served as an enhancer—
weakening the ability to control emotions.
Then the killing intent within the deep chime took advantage of the vulnerability.
Beyond cast a wary look at the Twin-Tailed Snake and said grimly:
"Our preparations were practically useless."
Naturally, they had taken precautions against the "Hell's Bell" Twin-Tailed Snake—
specialized earplugs designed to block most of the sound.
But as expected, they had barely made a difference.
Though the Snake attacked through sound, there was something else at play—
a direct mental influence on living beings.
Simply blocking the sound was ineffective.
Listening to the chime, Beyond's expression darkened.
"The effect also depends on distance. The closer we get, the worse it becomes."
"Even if the three of us are fine now, moving any nearer would change that."
"So if we want to deal with the Snake, we might have to resort to long-range attacks."
"Eliminating it might snap the others out of it."
Beyond's proposed solution was a ranged assault—
neutralizing the source to save the team.
Ging frowned.
He wasn't convinced this was the safest approach.
Leaving aside whether the Twin-Tailed Snake would be so easily dealt with, what if after defeating the enemy, the team members still hadn't regained their senses?
Akira, sandwiched between them, paid little attention to the other two.
In his view, there were too many ways to resolve the current predicament.
Right now, he was only thinking about one thing.
That was to figure out the true ability of the Twin-Tailed Snake!
Akira didn't believe that mere ringing sounds could make Jin so terrified, to the point of even losing his memories.
So the Twin-Tailed Snake must still be hiding something...
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