Illumi, of course, wouldn't guess. The fluctuating Nen around him formed a membrane clinging to his body's surface, and he too was using Ken.
The sand stirred without wind, swept up by the residual force of their auras.
Illumi stomped the ground, creating a cloud of sand that obscured his figure.
The visitor comes with ill intent, no need for further words.
Five pinhead needles, all wrapped in Nen, shot through the sand cloud, arriving before Law in the blink of an eye.
Law retrieved Shin from Kuro's space, swung the sword to deflect the needles, and used the sword's momentum to scatter the sand cloud, but Illumi was nowhere to be seen.
At such moments, those with rich combat experience might instinctively look upwards, assuming the target, having vanished under such circumstances, must have gone airborne.
However, Law didn't even glance up. Instead, he reversed his grip and thrust the sword straight into the ground.
Boom!
The sand beneath his feet surged up like a wave.
A figure flew backward out of the sand wave, landing on the sand from the air, bracing with one hand and carving a clear furrow.
After stopping, Illumi didn't even look at the tear in his clothes and immediately adjusted his posture.
Just then, Law closed in, his long sword thrusting straight towards Illumi's heart.
Illumi's timely posture adjustment gave him the leeway to dodge Law's thrust.
After evading, Illumi swiftly retreated, wanting to create distance.
Law didn't pursue. He raised his sword and slashed forward. Almost as soon as he moved, a majestic General materialized behind him. Immediately after, the General's movements synchronized with Law's, raising its sword and slashing down.
In an instant, a blade of white light descended like thunder, striking towards the rapidly retreating Illumi.
Shoom!
A long, massive fissure instantly split the sand.
Illumi narrowly dodged it, coming to a stop right at the edge of the fissure. His left arm was completely exposed, and the sleeve had been pulverized by the residual force of the slash.
If he hadn't used Ryu to quickly reinforce his defense, his arm would likely have been crippled.
'A direct hit would mean certain death.'
Glancing sideways at the fissure in the sand by his feet, a trace of gravity flashed in Illumi's pitch-black eyes.
The slash missed, which slightly surprised Law, but he didn't mind. Completely unconcerned about Nen expenditure, he teleported several times in succession, closing in on Illumi.
Seeing Law pressing close again, Illumi swung both hands, sending dozens of pinhead needles, all wrapped in Nen, flying towards Law.
Simultaneously, Illumi stomped again, kicking up a large amount of sand to provide cover.
This action clearly indicated his intent to retreat.
Law, discerning Illumi's intention, moved like lightning, deflecting the needles with his sword and charging into the sand cloud without slowing down.
"Do you really think you can escape?"
Law's Aura erupted several times. A few teleports shortened the distance drastically.
Illumi turned, repeating his tactic, firing another several dozen needles while frequently utilizing the desert terrain, kicking up sand to obscure vision.
Perhaps his resolve to retreat was firm. Illumi repeated the tactic three times, solely to hinder Law's pursuit.
Another round of needles and sand cloud.
Law easily deflected the needles but suddenly sensed an anomaly in the sand's flow direction. Illumi had abruptly turned the tables and launched a counterattack.
Creating the false impression of being outmatched and fleeing single-mindedly was to create the one and only opportunity for an attack.
This move indeed aligned with the Manipulator's characteristic of a one-hit kill.
'So, Illumi's goal is to insert a needle into my head.'
His thoughts raced like lightning. Law suddenly sheathed Shin and reached out, accurately grabbing Illumi's left wrist.
The moment their bodies made contact, a gust of wind surged, scattering the sand.
"Huh?"
A flicker of surprise passed through Illumi's eyes, but his right hand didn't stop, the needle held between his fingers thrusting towards Law's head at top speed.
Having decided to counterattack and knowing this was his only chance, he naturally wouldn't rely on just one hand. Both hands held needles.
But he never expected Law would abandon his sword and choose to restrain his wrist bare-handed.
Moreover, the target wasn't his dominant hand, but his left.
'What is Law's purpose in doing this? Just to restrain my movements?'
Even more incomprehensible was abandoning the sword for bare hands.
Judging from the earlier slash executed by the General, it seemed synchronized with Law's movements. If Law sheathed his sword, he likely couldn't launch such powerful slashes anymore.
Illumi had no extra time to ponder the reason. He only thought about inserting the needle into Law's head to win this fight.
As the cold, gleaming needle tip was about to pierce Law's head, a white figure filled Illumi's peripheral vision. It was the ivory-white General, but smaller, human-sized, standing behind Law.
Then, the General's long sword passed through Law's empty left sleeve and slashed at Illumi's right arm.
'So fast!'
His right arm was swept through by a flash of light, followed by a slight tingling sensation. Only then did the word 'fast!' jump into his mind.
In that instant, he didn't need to see it to know his right arm had been severed.
In such a perilous situation, Illumi remained expressionless. He lowered his head swiftly, using his mouth to pick up a pinhead needle hanging near his collar. Then, mustering his strength, he spat the needle towards Law, who was right in front of him.
This was his only chance now, a desperate last stand.
Seeing Illumi mount such a swift counterattack in a hopeless situation, Law had to give him credit. However, it was meaningless.
Law simply opened his mouth and bit the needle.
Illumi's expressionless face finally revealed emotions like astonishment.
At that moment, the Aura in Law's right hand suddenly erupted, forcing Illumi to instinctively gather his Aura to resist.
Seizing this opportunity, Law flung Illumi away. Simultaneously, swift as plucking a star from the sky, he passed by Illumi and extracted his rapidly beating heart.
Thud.
The severed arm, flung into the air, landed on the sand first, quickly staining it red.
Then Illumi adjusted his posture and landed steadily, blood continuously spurting from the stump.
Thump, thump.
Law held the heart in his hand, calmly watching the disheveled Illumi.
"So you didn't intend to kill me."
Looking at the heart in Law's hand, Illumi's demeanor and tone returned to that of a dead man's face.
In terms of creating a false impression to manufacture an opportunity, he had to admit he was utterly defeated. He was indeed stunned by Law's move, the slash that passed through the empty left sleeve.
That was a method of turning one's own disadvantage into an advantage.
However, the fact that Law didn't take his life immediately indicated that Law's original intention wasn't to kill him.
"Correct."
Law tossed the heart into the air, then materialized his book, flipped a page, swiped it through the air, sealed the heart within the page, and dismissed the book.
"Your heart will stay with me for now. Don't worry, your actions so far aren't enough to warrant killing you. So, be grateful for your status as a member of the Zoldyck Family."