Help, how do I make negative space outline like in the image I attached??

How do I make it so that the connecting parts are erased? I want it like the image I attached. I'm coming over from Procreate so I lowkey have no idea what I'm doing. I tried the Pathfinder but it either screws everything up, or tells me that they need to be filled. I also have tried making selection masks and erasing in those but it doesn't work. A lot of the things I tried also screw up the arrow paths.