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Chapter 124: Dangerous Void Bugs
In the exact spot where Honoka had just been standing.
A twisted, unrecognizable gray insect appeared out of thin air. It resembled a leech, seemingly burrowing out of the void itself. Judging by its size and shape, it was nearly identical to the twisted black runes they had just seen on the stone stele!
Konan reacted instantly.
This was the "gray monster" the Clan Head had spoken of.
It had invaded this alternate dimension from some unknown place, eroded the inscription, and used the stone stele as a host.
It appeared silently and without warning.
If she hadn't learned Sage Mode and sensed the disturbance in natural energy, she truly might not have detected this strange bug burrowing out of the void.
Honoka was lucky; Konan had pulled her away just in time.
The Clan Head, however, who had been standing there in a daze, did not share that luck.
Gray, worm-like creatures, as if entering an unpopulated land, burrowed in and out of his body. Wormholes appeared one after another on the surface of his skin.
Strangely, not a drop of blood flowed out.
Looking into one of the wormholes, one could see directly into the interior of his body.
But inside, there was no longer red flesh and blood. Instead, there were countless gray worms twisting frantically. Densely packed, layered upon one another, piled together—it was utterly horrifying.
His brain, his abdominal cavity, his mouth, his nose—every part of his body was stuffed full.
Alex watched this scene in shock.
Thank goodness he hadn't been too quick with his hands earlier and pasted himself onto the stone stele to copy it. Who knew if these bizarre bugs would have chewed him to pieces?
However, this Clan Head was out of luck.
There was definitely no saving him like this.
Anyway, this guy deserved to die. As a Great Noble in this barbaric era, he couldn't possibly be a decent person. Konan had planned to kill him after using him anyway.
As for whether Tenten would be sad over the death of a clan leader she had only met a few times, who knew?
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"
Konan launched a massive fireball directly at the Clan Head, who had been devoured until only a skin remained.
Boom!
The three-meter-diameter fireball exploded.
Raging flames erupted with a whoosh, engulfing the Clan Head completely. His skin and remaining limbs sizzled in the fire, emitting plumes of black smoke.
However.
The gray worms seemed unaffected, moving freely within the flames, burrowing back and forth.
They couldn't be burned at all.
Konan abruptly grabbed Honoka and leaped away together.
In the next instant, dense clusters of bugs squeezed out of the void in the very spot where they had just been standing.
It was terrifyingly eerie. It was as if the void behind them was connected to a horrific insect nest.
And it wasn't just where they had been standing.
Throughout the entire alternate dimension, massive numbers of bugs were drilling out of the void.
They came in various shapes. Some looked like leeches, others like centipedes, scorpions, and so on.
Konan's expression was grave. Sheets of white paper, emitting a chilling cold, swept rapidly through the surrounding swarm.
But it was useless.
They were like phantoms; the paper passed straight through their bodies without causing any harm.
Just as the Clan Head had said—they couldn't be hit.
Konan, enter Sage Mode, quickly!
Nestled in her chest, Alex immediately transmitted Senjutsu Chakra.
The moment it entered her body, Konan's Sage Mode activated instantly.
With a wave of her hand, a swath of white paper, ten times colder than before, whistled through the air. Wherever it passed, the void froze.
Centering on herself, she used Ice Release created with Senjutsu Chakra to spread layers of ice outward in all directions. In mid-air, the insect swarms attacking from all sides were instantly frozen solid.
However, before Konan could sigh in relief.
A sudden change occurred.
The frozen bugs actually crawled out of the ice layer in a bizarre manner.
It was as if the ice didn't exist!
They were just moving slower; it was evident that the Ice Release created with Sage Art had some effect on them. But the effect wasn't significant—it couldn't freeze them completely.
Seeing this, Alex's heart skipped a beat.
These bugs are too defying! Even Senjutsu can't hit them or cause damage?
Are these Void Bugs really this tricky?
Since they drilled out of the void, he decided to name them "Void Bugs."
Konan's expression was heavy.
They couldn't be hit, couldn't be restrained, their numbers were vast, and they always burrowed out of the void silently. Let alone ordinary people, even average Kage-level powerhouses—if they couldn't sense the disturbance in natural energy—would probably only realize something was wrong once the bugs were already crawling out of their bodies.
Ordinary Ninjutsu and Senjutsu were ineffective, so that left only one option.
When in doubt, use Sealing Jutsu!
Alex flew behind Konan. Taking advantage of the bugs being only halfway out of the ice layer, he directly used the Soul Sealing Technique.
His paper body shot out a beam of purple light, enveloping one of the gray worms.
Hmm???
It actually has no spiritual consciousness!!
The Soul Sealing Technique had no effect!
Alex was astonished.
In this world, everything—as long as it was a living, moving being—had a spiritual consciousness. The difference was only in size and intensity. Humans had complete spiritual consciousness, condensed into a soul. He had studied insects like ants before; they also had spiritual consciousness. Although weak and chaotic, it definitely existed.
But the gray bug before him didn't have a shred of spiritual consciousness inside.
It was completely an empty shell.
What exactly are these things? And where did they come from?
However, Sealing Jutsu truly lived up to its reputation as the bug of the ninja world.
Although Alex's Soul Sealing Technique couldn't complete the seal, the bug, enveloped by the purple light of dense sealing power, clearly stiffened and stopped twisting.
The power of sealing was indeed mysterious; it could actually affect these quasi-corporeal bugs.
Konan naturally knew what was happening behind her.
She hurriedly said to Honoka, "Use the Adamantine Sealing Chains!"
Honoka paused for a moment but immediately understood Konan's meaning.
Swish swish swish!
Nine golden chains shot out from her back, plunging straight into the insect swarm.
The bugs were instantly skewered by the golden chains like kebabs, completely losing their vitality.
However, there were too many bugs, and they were too dense. Compared to the swarm, nine golden chains were just a drop in the bucket.
Honoka tried to shake the skewered bugs off the chains.
But unexpectedly, the moment they detached, they instantly returned to normal.
"Lady Konan, what should we do?"
She looked anxious, unsure of how to cope.
More and more bugs were crawling out of the frozen layer. If they stayed any longer, her nine chains probably wouldn't be able to hold them back.
Konan grabbed Honoka and flew into mid-air. "Quick, use the Adamantine Sealing Chains to protect the area around our bodies."
Honoka quickly followed the order.
The nine golden chains wound into a circle, enveloping them inside.
Barriers of light flickered in the gaps between the chains. Like Kushina restraining the Nine-Tails, she used dense sealing power to form a closed barrier.
Seeing that the insect swarm couldn't break through the sealing barrier, Honoka let out a huge sigh of relief.
This was exactly why Konan always kept her close—just in case.
Honoka's own strength wasn't high, but the Adamantine Sealing Chains were incredibly powerful and could counter many strange and bizarre things.
Konan had fused with the Uzumaki bloodline, but it had been for a short time. She still needed a while for the Chimera power to fully stimulate the deeper powers of the Uzumaki bloodline, such as the Mind's Eye of the Kagura, Heal Bite, and the Adamantine Sealing Chains.
"Lady Konan, we should leave quickly. The swarm is growing larger, and I'm afraid my Chakra won't last much longer."
"Mm." Konan nodded.
But her gaze was fixed on the black stone stele in the center.
They couldn't have come to this alternate dimension for nothing. That stone stele seemed very special; they had to take it for research.
"Honoka, use one golden chain to wrap around the stone stele and bring it with us."
"Okay!"
Honoka nodded. Suddenly, a golden chain shot out from the outer golden circle.
However, the moment it touched the stone stele, the stele instantly disintegrated into powder.
"Lady Konan, this..."
Konan stared intently at the powder dissipating in mid-air and spoke quickly, "Quick! There's a black flake in the dust. Grab it!"
Swish!
The golden chain wrapped around the black flake that was falling downward and retracted instantly.
With the item in hand, Konan didn't delay any longer.
Dragging Honoka under the protection of the Adamantine Sealing Chains, she charged recklessly through the insect swarm.
They flew rapidly to the exit, flashed through it, and left this danger-filled alternate dimension.
═════ To Be Continued ═════
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