'Kuro, you idiot...'
The other teammates had strategically led their Mirror Spirits away, but this fool Kuro had to actively bring his over.
"Law, use that special thing you do to me and really teach this guy a lesson!"
Kuro rushed over quickly.
His reasoning was actually very simple.
Usually, Law could handle him as easily as drinking water. In other words, dealing with his replica should also be very simple.
So, instead of wasting Nen energy fighting the Mirror Spirit, he decided to lead it over to Law.
Regardless of his motive, Law wanted to strangle Kuro right now.
Although he didn't know the specifics of the mirrors, they were ultimately materialized by the Mender.
That meant the replicated Mirror Spirits were all parts of the Mender's separated Nen.
Therefore, even without assistance from Biscuit and the others, as long as they could keep the Mirror Spirits occupied, it was equivalent to preventing a portion of the Mender's Nen from returning to his body.
Law could think of this, and the others probably could too, which was why they tried to pull the Mirror Spirits away.
Of course, the perfectly mimicked and formidable strength of the Mirror Spirits couldn't be discounted either.
But Kuro, this idiot...
Seeing Law's expression, Kuro flinched but still braced himself, transforming into black smoke that quickly scurried into the back of Law's hand.
Truth be told, he didn't find this Mirror Spirit particularly troublesome either. After several exchanges, it was just like fighting his own reflection... neither could hurt the other.
He had observed Coo's situation and reached that conclusion.
However, if he used the method of superior versus inferior, taking down the Mirror Spirit shouldn't be difficult.
Kuro retreated into the back of Law's hand, not daring to make a sound.
Law felt resigned but couldn't do anything about Kuro.
Just as he was about to quickly deal with Kuro's replica, before he could even move, the replica reverted to a mirror and then shattered in mid-air.
"What the hell?"
This inexplicable phenomenon puzzled Law, as he knew nothing about these mirrors.
Nevertheless, it saved him the trouble.
"Huh? Why did it break on its own? Perfect, now I can go help Coo."
Kuro's surprised voice emanated from the back of Law's hand.
"Stay put."
Law prevented Kuro from slipping away and refocused his gaze intently on the Mender.
Seeing Kuro's replica self-destruct, the Mender showed no reaction.
It was simply the Mirror Spirit's mechanism... he had no intention of explaining it to Law either.
The Mender slightly raised the branch-like pen in his hand, and his book-like body turned its pages in response.
Seeing this, Law launched his attack without hesitation.
He knew that each time the Mender turned a page, it was a point of using an ability, and also an excellent opportunity to attack.
Law would not miss this. Before the Mender finished turning the page, he flashed in front of him.
[Dark Extinction]
Among the Nen surging around Law, numerous black streaks appeared.
What was called Dark Extinction was this black Nen, also the dark energy within the White Smoke Font.
Previously, the Dark Extinction energy had granted Law enhanced sharpness properties, enough to penetrate the Mender's defense.
Therefore, if he found an opportunity, there was a high possibility of defeating the Mender.
The page-turning wasn't finished. Law drove his longsword straight in, stabbing towards the flipping pages.
Just then, the Mender moved his arm, using the branch pen to draw a circle in mid-air.
Law's longsword, and even his body, passed straight through the circle. Then, they also passed through the Mender's position, landing about thirty meters behind him.
Law reacted extremely quickly, spinning around.
And just then, the page-turning stopped.
Law had missed an offensive opportunity, and the Mender used his ability again.
A grotesque monster flowed out from the book's pages, materializing onto the ground.
A large, bloodshot eyeball formed the creature's head, with dozens of band-like tentacles beneath it.
Every tentacle was covered in fleshy warts shaped like eyeballs.
If Law could read the characters on the Mender's pages, he would surely know the origin of this monster.
Because the monster's name was… Mirage Tick.
After summoning Mirage Tick, the Mender slowly closed his book and quietly gazed at Law not far away.
Whether during their first encounter or in the current standoff, the Mender always appeared very relaxed.
It seemed he completely lacked the tension and sense of urgency typical of battle.
Perhaps it was because he was confident in victory, or because he inherently didn't possess such emotions, or maybe because he had no clear concept of failure.
After Mirage Tick appeared, its large eyeball stared intently at Law.
Its somewhat deep pupil then began to move.
Instantly, Law keenly noticed an imperceptible tremor at the edge of his vision.
'This is...'
Law narrowed his eyes.
A strange sense of familiarity swirled within his chest.
'So it's an old acquaintance...'
Law curled his lip slightly.
Mirage Tick larvae needed to parasitize a host to activate their ability and strengthen themselves.
But adult Mirage Tick didn't need a host... simply making eye contact allowed them to activate their ability through hypnosis.
The more complex an organism's mind, the more Mirage Tick favored it as a target.
Among all intelligent beings, humans were uniquely beloved by Mirage Tick.
There were actually many beings on the Dark Continent with similar abilities to Mirage Tick.
The reason the Mender chose to materialize Mirage Tick was simply because adult Mirage Tick worked quickly.
Perhaps out of playfulness, the methods the Mender used were all unrelated to swift, decisive action.
First Mirror Spirits, then Mirage Tick.
He seemed to want to watch these humans slowly march towards destruction, while for Law, he intended to capture him alive.
In his view, from the moment he successfully summoned Mirage Tick, the game was already over.
Now, all he had to do was wait.
The Mender looked at Law, standing still.
He was already somewhat impatient to dissect Law's head and search for information unrelated to the current world.
Suddenly, Law's body vanished.
The Mender was startled, only to see Mirage Tick shattered into pieces in mid-air.
As his gaze contracted and turned, a longsword was already upon him.
The Mender abruptly reached out and grasped the approaching sword tip.
In an instant, the black Nen flowing on the sword tip climbed directly onto his hand.
"?!"
Within the Mender's graffiti-like eyes, a fury that outsiders could not see emerged.
The black Nen was tearing his hand apart.
The Mender suddenly emitted his maximum Manifested Aura.
A shockwave carrying Nen rushed out, striking Law.
Law flew backward, inwardly lamenting the missed opportunity.
This pure shockwave Nen hadn't injured him.
After repelling Law, the Mender's gaze turned cold, and he flipped through the pages rapidly.
Meanwhile, Law adjusted his landing posture and saw the Mender just as he stopped turning the page.
Law considered moving, had just steadied himself to charge forward, but then stopped instantly.
"..."
Law looked at the woman flowing out from the book's pages, his expression turning somewhat grim.
'Stargie...'