The Mender came without a trace, went without a shadow, moving freely within the supposedly impenetrable Hide-and-Seek Dimension.
Both possessing spatial abilities, the Mender seemed free of any restrictions, like a void walker.
Spatial abilities are extremely rare and are usually used for storing items... Nen Users who can use them effectively in combat are rarely seen.
Not many Nen Users can develop spatial abilities in the first place, and those like Ging, who can use them in battle, are even rarer.
But even a Nen User of Ging's caliber had to bear significant restrictions when developing such an ability.
Compared to that, the Mender's displayed spatial abilities were outrageously powerful.
Perhaps it did have restrictions, such as waiting several minutes after entering its space before reappearing.
But for Law and his team, that was unknown.
In the room, Coo lay on her side, unconscious.
Her Nen had been completely exhausted, she had been worn down by Kuro for so long, and crucially, being pregnant had diverted the little Nen she had recovered.
So, when the Mender's branch-pen pierced her abdomen, her condition dropped to rock bottom, even to a critical state.
She fell unconscious right after saying her last words.
Coo's fainting panicked Kuro... he scrambled.
Unable to watch, Law kicked Kuro away and examined Coo's injuries.
The abdominal wound was bloody, blood gushing out. Fortunately, the Mender's pen wasn't thick, so the injury wasn't immediately fatal.
However, Coo's condition was critical... she could die at any moment.
Law quickly took out some Grass Jelly, carefully measured the amount, and applied it to Coo's wound.
Grass Jelly could even restore severed limbs and organs, so treating a puncture wound was certainly within its power. However, it also had the effect of restoring a small amount of Nen.
Therefore, Law had to be precise with the dosage.
Too little, and the treatment wouldn't be complete.
Too much, and Coo would recover too well, turning it into a threat.
In short, he had to keep her alive.
Kuro, sent flying by Law's kick, scrambled back and saw Law treating Coo. His tense emotions eased slightly.
Meanwhile, Ging and the others entered the room one after another, but not all of them. Several stayed in the other room to protect the support members and Stargie in the ice coffin.
Arriving at the scene, they saw the injured, unconscious Coo.
Before they could ask, Law explained what had just happened.
Hearing Law's words, the expressions of Ging and the others darkened.
No one would feel good about such a thing.
It was like hiding in a room with closed doors and windows, haunted by a relentless ghost.
In that situation, it wasn't just emotions... psychological pressure would remain at its peak.
"What was that thing?"
Shiro checked Coo's injuries, his mind full of apprehension for the book.
"A Mender, similar to a Nen Beast, conjured by ancient humans. According to Coo, the Mender's ability is to 'give birth to all things' and also to 'contain all things'. It seems that was no exaggeration."
Law released his En, covering the entire room.
The Mender could freely appear in the Hide-and-Seek Dimension. He, and everyone present, could not be careless.
"So, it was sent by ancient humans to attack us?" Shiro frowned deeply. As soon as he finished, he realized something was wrong. "No, wait. You said 'ancient humans'. That thing couldn't possibly have 'lived' until now."
Ging's eyelids lowered. "It's Post-Mortem Nen. Strengthened by death."
"Correct. For details about the Mender, we'll have to wait for Coo to wake up." Law looked silently at the unconscious Coo, then said grimly, "For now, we don't know the Mender's motive for attacking us. But before she lost consciousness, Coo said her child had been taken."
"Hmm?"
The expressions of those present changed slightly... they didn't understand.
Thinking of Stargie's current condition, Law unconsciously bit his thumb. "When the Mender acted against Stargie, it seemed more like it was extracting her soul. So, both Stargie and Coo's unborn child might still be alive."
"Of course, that's my speculation. To know more, we'll have to patiently wait for Coo to wake up."
Suppressing his anger towards the Mender, he tried to calm himself as much as possible.
Stargie's death was an irreversible fact. But if there was any possibility of bringing her back, he wouldn't miss it.
Ging said gravely, "But the most immediate problem is that the Mender can come and go freely in the apartment. The worst-case scenario is we find a way to deal with it and get picked off one by one."
"Hey, why say something so ominous!"
Shiro glared at Ging, feeling such words were unnecessarily demoralizing.
But it was an unavoidable fact.
"Ging is right."
A cold glint flashed in Law's eyes. "You've all seen the Mender's abilities. We need to prevent future incidents. From now on, no sleeping in separate rooms. We must always have someone on watch."
He clenched his fists. "Once things settle down, we will rescue Stargie!"
Everyone's faces were solemn.
The aftermath of the incident had passed... two hours had elapsed since the Mender's disappearance.
Coo had not yet woken up, and the Mender seemed to show no further signs.
Nevertheless, given the Mender's spatial abilities, everyone in the team remained tense.
It was an uncomfortable situation, but unavoidable.
Waiting for Coo to wake, Law used stored Vein Stone to craft a new long sword for Nobunaga.
However, Nobunaga asked Law to make two more long swords as backups.
His reason: in this damned place, no matter how hard the blade, it could be broken. Going on like this, he'd develop a psychological complex.
Rather than pursuing quality, it was better to have more blades to prolong his combat time.
Acceding to Nobunaga's request, Law made him two extra Vein Stone swords.
The result was that Nobunaga now wore three long swords at his waist. Anyone unaware might think him a three-sword style swordsman, but in truth, a swordsman dedicated to Iaido would never touch three swords.
After dealing with Nobunaga, Law called Knov aside alone.
"Law..."
Knov's mood was quite bad at the moment.
Law noticed this, but this wasn't the time to cater to Knov's feelings. He got straight to the point. "Knov, this might be asking a lot, but I still hope you can improve the Hide-and-Seek Dimension's ability as soon as possible."
The words might sound somewhat accusatory, but Knov knew that wasn't Law's intention. He took a deep breath and solemnly agreed. "Okay. I will do my best to improve it so the Mender can't breach the barrier."
Honestly, the Mender running wild in the apartment had hit Knov hardest.
In the past, he might have sunk into depression.
But he didn't want to disappoint Law, so he quickly pulled himself together.
Hearing Knov's words, Law paused briefly, then shook his head. "Uh, that's not what I meant..."
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