Law suddenly launching a Nen Bullet at Netero had its purpose.
After Nen Bullet with the power of God Hand hit Netero, it transformed into a protective membrane, coating his body like a shield.
Throughout the entire process, Netero remained calm. He glanced down at the Aura membrane covering him, then looked toward Law.
"Just in case."
Law first explained his motive, then pointed to the corpses scattered across the clearing and explained to Netero the reasons for this scene, including the existence of the Voids drifting over the lake.
"The enemies were likely taken out by the Voids."
After giving a rough explanation, Law turned his gaze to the lake. There was no green smoke visible, but just to be safe, he decided to maintain his Domain anyway. Even if it meant burning through Aura for no good reason, the risk was worth it.
Before coming here, he thought there would be a fierce battle, but who would have thought it would turn out like this. All things considered, it wasn't a bad outcome.
"Hmm."
Netero hummed, his face expressionless, and it was unknown what he was thinking.
From Law's brief explanation, only two things stood out to Netero. One was that Void were supposedly from the Dark Continent, and the other was, what basis Law used to determine that Void came from the Dark Continent?
The two stood side by side in silence, both watching the seven Voids floating across the lake.
After a while, Netero suddenly asked, "How do you know about the Voids?"
In fact, Netero had reservations about the origin of the Void. He hadn't outright accepted that the Void came from the Dark Continent, nor had he dismissed the possibility. This was the difference between him and Linne.
Linne's biggest regret in her life is that she had never truly set foot on the Dark Continent, so she was more willing to believe even the slightest hint of a connection.
But Netero was different. As someone who has also been to the Dark Continent, he knows that it is not the destination he is pursuing, so he is not very interested in the Dark Continent and will not lose his judgment because of any one-sided information.
Facing Netero's question, Law answered vaguely: "The place where the Void came out is an ancient ruin hidden underground. There are murals down there with some kind of records, as well as tens of thousands of perfectly preserved corpses."
He didn't explicitly say that the murals revealed the Void's origin, but just shared a few details from that underground space. It was Law's way of concealing the White Smoke Font without outright lying to Netero.
Upon hearing this, Netero simply nodded and did not continue to dwell on this issue.
At this time, Law countered with a question of his own, "Chairman, how much do you know about the Dark Continent?"
"That's a taboo topic." Netero shifted his gaze and tilted his head to look at Law. His expression was calm, and there was nothing unusual about it. He only used the word 'taboo' as the basis for the reminder.
Law stared back openly, and asked as if he didn't understand, "You can't talk about it?"
Netero raised his eyebrows and said calmly: "I don't want to talk about it. Especially with brats like you. I don't want you knowing too much."
Perhaps it was a strange sort of cycle… every decade or so, a new rising star would emerge. The last one was Ging. Now it was Law.
And there is one thing that these two guys vaguely have in common, which is that they are both very interested in the Dark Continent.
Netero could already see that same glimmer in Law's eyes, that deep, dangerous curiosity. It reminded him of a certain faction within the Hunter Association years ago… those few who treated high-risk exploration as their nourishment.
With this in mind, Netero sighed in his heart.
Just over half a year ago, he had used the method of conditional exchange to temporarily deal with Ging, and now… Law has appeared.
"You seem to be forgetting something." Law said seriously.
Hearing Law's meaningful reminder, Netero's brow twitched, and he immediately thought of the bet they made during that volleyball match. He still owed Law a favor. And if Law decided to cash it in now, Netero would have no choice but to go along.
"You little brat." Netero raised his eyes and said, "You want to use that favor here?"
Law chuckled and said, "I always feel that it's a waste to use it here. Besides, it's not like you're the only way I can get that kind of information. There are other sources out there."
Not just Netero. There's Linne, so there were certainly more. Whether through countries or unknown ruins, the paths to knowledge were many.
Law was about to say something when a loud noise suddenly came from the island in the center of the lake. The noise immediately drew both his and Netero's attention.
The prison building on the isolated island in center of the lake suddenly collapsed, like a building block knocked over by a giant hand. A towering plume of dust shot into the air.
"Surprise, surprise…!"
A voice came out from the smoke, booming and mechanical, as though filtered through a megaphone, yet as heavy and rumbling as distant thunder.
It echoed clearly all the way to the lakeshore, reaching both Netero and Law.
Hearing the voice repeating the word 'surprise', Netero's pupils suddenly shrank.
'Ghost Lady's… Surprise Box?'
Netero was in disbelief, but then he saw a massive, box-shaped structure emerging from the dust cloud, the top half visible as it shifted with a low rumble, having just crushed part of the prison.
"Surprise, surprise…!"
The box continued repeating the phrase in an eerily monotone voice as it moved, toppling the prison walls like they were made of paper.
Looking at the appearance of the huge box, Netero's frown deepened.
'From the appearance, it is indeed the Ghost Lady's Surprise Box, but it is not as ridiculously large as it is now, and the Ghost Lady… is indeed dead.
'Could it be... Post-Mortem Nen?'
Most of the Nen Abilities are built upon a framework of Vows and Limitations, but the Nen that is enhanced through death may break away from the limitation of equal exchange and is more likely to obtain a unilateral enhancement.
With this possibility in mind and associating it with the ability of the Surprise Box, Netero's eyes immediately turned solemn.
'Those mutants were probably created by the Surprise Box, so they retain most of the forms of magical beasts, but are able to use Aura.'
As that thought passed through his mind, the huge Surprise Box opened its lid and vomited out a grotesque, pulsating mass of flesh, which is larger than the box itself!
Seeing this scene, Law and Netero's faces changed at the same time, because the appearance of the meat ball was too horrifying.
The meat ball that came out of the Surprise Box was extremely huge and looked disgusting, as if countless human bodies were forcibly mashed together into a meat ball. Various parts of the human body could be clearly seen jumbled together and plastered across its surface like lumps.
After expelling the meatball, the Surprise Box shrank rapidly, reverting to its original size, and plummeted from the sky.
At this time, a Scale Lizard flew towards the falling Surprise Box.
There was a person standing on the back of the Scale Lizard. He reached out to catch the Surprise Box and then drove the Scale Lizard to the shore.
Meanwhile, the deformed, sickening meatball began to move. It twisted once, and suddenly all the human arms on its surface jerked to life, pushing the mass forward.
Then, in a single bound, it launched itself across the lake… straight toward the seven Voids drifting there.
The monstrous meatball soared briefly through the air, casting a massive shadow over the Voids below. A second later, it slammed down with a deafening crash.
Boom!
A large amount of water exploded across the lake, with waves surging in every direction.
Law and Netero had seen every bit of this grotesque display.
The two of them were amazed at the huge ball of meat, and also noticed the Scale Lizard in the air and the man on its back.