No matter how skilled the Emission-type teleportation technique, moving always leaves some trace.
But the book entity's disappearance left absolutely no trace.
That meant it wasn't an Emission-type super-speed teleportation ability, but rather a Conjuration-type spatial ability.
Only this explanation made sense for the book's sudden vanishing.
Ging, Biscuit, and Buhara, who had halted their charge, warily scanned their surroundings.
Not to mention Biscuit and Buhara, Ging, who understood spatial abilities thoroughly, immediately determined that the book had used a spatial ability to disengage and promptly warned his teammates.
As for Law, he simply released his En, covering the entire room.
But if the book had used a spatial ability to disengage, then En was useless.
The book's disappearance brought a brief calm to the arena.
The non-combatants, carrying Stargie's body, had retreated to the furthest corner of the room.
The combatants remained on high alert, ready for the book's reappearance.
Among them, Nobunaga stared blankly at his broken blade, still finding it hard to accept reality.
That hard Vein Stone long sword had been cut in half by a smooth, rusty weapon, like cutting tofu.
Nobunaga immediately thought of Law's Shin. That sword was rusty too, but it used its blade to cut people. The book's weapon, however, was less a sword and more a long stinger.
"Law, I can't sense it at all."
Tonpa stood outside the battle circle, his expression grave.
Law nodded at Tonpa.
He too maintained his En but sensed no presence of the book.
Presumably, the entity had used its ability to enter another space.
After several exchanges, their impression of the book was that it was deep and inscrutable.
Strangely, the book's counterattacks had been weak, and whether attacking or counterattacking, it showed no killing intent, not even any fighting spirit.
Otherwise, when Uvogin's attack failed, if the book had counterattacked, Uvogin would have been dead or severely injured.
Of course, that was assuming Ging hadn't pulled Uvogin into his Game Space in time.
Overall, the book indeed showed no fighting spirit at all.
If it hadn't taken Stargie's Nen right at the start, it would have seemed harmless.
Law had the combatants remain alert and went to check on Stargie.
By then, the support members, including Shiro and Sanbica, were all with Stargie.
They gathered around Stargie, their expressions grim.
No matter how skilled their medical techniques, they couldn't heal a dead person.
Seeing Law approach, Sheila's eyes glistened with moisture. She choked out, "Law, Stargie she..."
Not only Sheila showed sadness... the others did too, including Bruna, who lay beside Stargie's cold body, her large black eyes shedding tears one after another.
While the combatants had been fighting, the support members had confirmed Stargie's death.
"I know."
Facing everyone's gaze, Law crouched down, looking at Stargie's lifeless face, his fists clenching involuntarily.
"Knov, Tonpa, go get the Silkworm Pearl and the Sea Mirror."
Hearing Law, Knov and Tonpa nodded simultaneously and went to the room where the Silkworm Pearl and Sea Mirror were stored.
The book had vanished some time ago and hadn't reappeared, but no one could be sure it had left.
This was the psychological pressure caused by the book's ability to freely enter and exit the Hide-and-Seek Dimension.
Originally, the apartment was an absolutely safe place, giving everyone a sense of security. Now, the book's appearance cast a shadow over their heads.
While Knov and Tonpa fetched the Silkworm Pearl and Sea Mirror, Law instructed Nique to go to the planting area and pick a stalk of Nitro Rice.
Nique complied, quickly returning with a stalk.
Law took the Nitro Rice from Nique and placed it in Stargie's hands.
The Nitro Rice radiated vigorous life energy, slowly flowing around Stargie's body via her hands.
Even so, it was hard to dispel the deathly Aura around her.
Watching, the others still didn't understand what Law intended.
When Knov and Tonpa returned with the Silkworm Pearl and Sea Mirror, and they saw Law use his ability to fashion the Sea Mirror into a coffin, they understood.
Law planned to use the cold-emitting Silkworm Pearl and the hard Sea Mirror to make an ice coffin to hold Stargie's body.
Already adept with his ability, Law quickly crafted the ice coffin and placed Stargie inside.
"She will come back."
Law looked at Stargie inside the ice coffin.
The others said nothing, silently watching Stargie.
The Silkworm Pearl's cold would perfectly preserve Stargie's body, and the Sea Mirror found in the undersea ruins could perfectly seal the cold inside the coffin.
Though the book was gone, Law didn't let his guard down.
…
Time passed under everyone's watchful eyes.
A few minutes later, the book's presence appeared again out of thin air.
Not in this largest room, but in the room where Kuro and Coo were.
Law reacted quickly, reaching that room first.
Ging and a few others followed.
Entering the room, Law saw the book holding its branch-pen, piercing Coo's abdomen.
Kuro was frozen mid-pounce, suspended in the air, unable to move.
He couldn't move, couldn't make a sound, as if bound by invisible, enormous hands, unable even to turn to smoke.
All he could do was show a contorted expression of rage.
"M-Mender..."
Coo struggled to lift her head, her face full of shock as she looked at the book before her.
The eyeball on the book's cover was just a doodled black circle, precisely why it felt so eerie.
It looked down at Coo's abdomen, more precisely, at the branch-pen piercing through it.
Along the pen's shaft, a faint, almost invisible light was flowing back up into the long, thin black arm and then into the pages.
Law watched this scene and heard Coo's address for the book.
Regardless of how powerful this so-called Mender was, Law launched his fiercest attack at it without fear.
But the Mender still showed no fighting spirit. Or rather, its arrival in the apartment had never been for killing.
So, as Law moved, the Mender vanished again, like a TV being turned off, its body converging into a thin line with a pop and instantly disappearing.
Law's attack hit nothing... his pent-up anger had no outlet.
As the Mender left, the ability restraining Kuro also vanished.
Freed, Kuro rushed anxiously to Coo, nervously checking her condition.
"The child?"
Kuro's body trembled.
"T-Taken... taken away..."
Coo said, barely breathing.