From the moment the book acted to when Stargie's Nen was pulled out, everything happened too quickly and suddenly.
That mass of Nen, vaguely bearing Stargie's features, looked more like a... soul!
Seeing Stargie, as if petrified, the Nen covering her body rapidly fading, the group was shocked.
Law flashed to Stargie's side.
At that moment, Stargie's body went limp, as if all strength had been drained, collapsing.
Law quickly reached out his left arm, catching Stargie.
The moment he touched her, a deathly, cold sensation transferred up his arm.
Law's pupils contracted. While remaining wary of the book, he quickly assessed Stargie's condition.
'No signs of life...'
"Sheila, take Stargie."
Law's expression darkened. He called over Sheila, who was closest.
Sheila immediately came over and took Stargie from Law.
The moment she touched Stargie, her expression changed, sensing it too.
'How could this happen?'
'In just an instant, Stargie...?'
The teammates further away, not yet knowing Stargie had no life, saw Law and Sheila's expressions and had a bad feeling.
Connecting it to the rapid fading of Stargie's Nen and the disappearing harp...
'Impossible, right?'
'Stargie, whose combat ability was arguably superior to Ging's, had died from a casual point of that suddenly appearing book?'
Without informing his teammates of Stargie's condition, Law immediately expanded his Domain, moving Sheila and Stargie to a corner of the room, far from the battle circle.
Then, he looked at the book, his eyes filled with cold killing intent. The Nen flowing around him surged wildly.
An Aura capable of causing creatures to panic radiated from Law's body, filling the room within a second.
The primary target of that Aura was, naturally, the only enemy in the room… the book.
Yet, facing Law's overwhelming Aura, the book stood like an unyielding reef, utterly unresponsive.
The teammates in the room, feeling Law's radiating Aura, all had solemn expressions.
That Aura contained both killing intent and anger.
Therefore, the ominous feeling about Stargie seemed increasingly clear.
"Law, should we attack?"
Uvogin had been ready for a while, just waiting for Law's order to charge.
"Attack!"
Law didn't hesitate.
Stargie's condition highlighted the book's threat.
Regardless of how powerful the book was, now that it had intruded into their base, the only course was to swarm it and focus fire to take it down immediately.
As for whether this book was a Mender, Law no longer considered it.
Because they had no room to retreat.
Hearing Law's order, Uvogin, who had been impatiently waiting, charged first.
His bear-like body exuded a powerful, robust Aura, like a layer of armor shrouding him.
He reached the book, but the book didn't move to dodge.
"Huh?"
Uvogin hesitated. In that brief moment, he sensed no risk.
So, despite his doubt, he maintained the attack, throwing a punch at the book.
His entire Nen, in that instant, concentrated into his fist. Then, it squarely hit the book.
But this punch failed to budge the book an inch... it was all sound and fury.
His fist pressed against the book, and Uvogin froze.
The sensation from his fist was like sinking into a quagmire.
Looking closely, his fist hadn't hit the book, but a mass of light-gray, gel-like substance.
It seemed the Nen and force from his punch had been instantly absorbed by this gel, which the book had summoned abruptly.
Understanding the reason, Uvogin cursed inwardly. He tried to pull his hand back, but his fist was stuck to the gel... his first attempt failed.
Simultaneously, Uvogin became alert, wary of a counterattack.
Strangely, the book didn't counterattack at all.
Uvogin, though puzzled, had no time to dwell on it. He pulled his hand back again.
This time, the suction on his fist vanished, and he pulled too hard, sending his whole body flying backward to slam into the wall with a dull thud.
Due to the apartment's mechanics, its sturdiness was assured... it could be used as a training ground, so no worry about destroying the room.
"Uvogin, you okay?"
Nobunaga called out to Uvogin sliding down the wall.
"Fine."
Uvogin responded, quickly getting up.
The high defense of an Enhancer was evident here... even after taking such a heavy impact, he was unharmed.
"Be careful. This thing is tricky."
Uvogin warned.
Actually, no warning was needed... the others were well aware.
But they had seen Uvogin's failed attack and found it strange that the book hadn't counterattacked at such an opportune moment.
Normally, withstanding an enemy's attack so easily was the perfect chance to counter.
After Uvogin withdrew, the teammates with long-range attacks focused fire on the book.
But the combined attack, powerful enough to overwhelm even an Enhancer, couldn't cause a ripple. It was all absorbed by a mirror the book had casually summoned.
Long-range attacks were ineffective, so the close-quarters fighters charged again.
Nobunaga led the charge, flashing before the book. His long sword unsheathed, he drew a sharp blade arc towards the book's top, intending to split it in two.
In response to Nobunaga's sword, the book merely raised a thin black hand, which then abruptly transformed into a rusty, stinger-shaped long sword.
It raised the sword in an upward parry, and the slender, rounded blade easily cut the notoriously hard Vein Stone long sword in half.
"Wh-What...!"
Nobunaga's expression drastically changed. His wide, astonished eyes reflected the book's second thrust, aimed at his face.
Just then, Nobunaga vanished, replaced by Law, who appeared before the incoming stinger sword.
Law had used the Emission-type characteristic of his Domain to swap himself with Nobunaga in the nick of time.
Facing the rusty sword heading for his face, Law dared not take it lightly... after all, it was a deadly weapon that could cut a Vein Stone sword in half.
He raised his hand, condensing his Domain in front of his palm, and met the thrusting sword.
Unexpectedly, the Domain's usual stagnating effect didn't work at all, allowing the sword to thrust straight through.
The event was sudden, but Law's combat experience was vast. Unflustered, he simply spread his fingers, letting the book's sword pass through the gap.
Simultaneously, the White General appeared behind him, swinging its blade at the book.
Just as the blade was about to hit the book's crown, the book suddenly vanished without warning.
The White General's sword hit the apartment floor, creating fine cracks.
"Gone...!"
Biscuit, Buhara, and Ging, charging from three directions, found only air.