Initially, when the black energy gauge appeared in the White Smoke Font, Law thought it was a way for the White Smoke Font to reserve overflowing vengeful Nen energy.
As time passed, the black energy accumulated, gradually confirming Law's initial guess.
However, through experimentation, Law discovered that this energy gauge was not only for storing overflow energy but could also produce an effect similar to amplification.
By extracting Nen from the energy gauge, Law could break through the upper limit of his Manifested Aura. In other words, transcend the racial framework of being human.
For example, if 10% of Nen was stored in the energy gauge, Law could extract half of it, directly add it to his Manifested Aura, and then use it for defense or attack.
This addition was equivalent to increasing the quantity of Manifested Aura, i.e., amplification.
If the peak Manifested Aura level of the Magical Beast race was 10, the human peak level was around 2.
Law could be said to be at the apex of humanity. However, to raise his level further, unless he found another path, it was absolutely impossible.
Because that was the highest ceiling for the human race.
Therefore, no matter how powerful Law was, his Manifested Aura level could only hover around 2 at best. But by using the Nen from the energy gauge, he could turn that '2' into an 'X'… an unknown quantity.
Depending on the quality of the Nen in the gauge, without a clear reference point, it was impossible to calculate the upper limit.
This ingenious use of the energy gauge was Law's confidence in confronting the Mender, and also why he absorbed Chucu before the battle began.
Without this energy gauge, Law would have had to think twice before actively seeking out the Mender.
Although confident, Law had mentally prepared for a tough battle before it started.
However, he hadn't expected everything to go so smoothly.
The Nen amplification of the energy gauge, combined with Knov's spare apartment key, led to this scene… a single blade piercing the Mender's body.
No matter how formidably others had portrayed the Mender, at this moment at least, he was not invincible.
Sharp gleams flashed through Law's eyes. The streaked black Nen flowed amidst the bright light around him, converging on his legs, his arms, and even the Shin's blade.
He couldn't kill the Mender outright, but he could beat him within an inch of his life.
So, having seized the initiative, he would systematically dismantle the Mender's control over his body.
The key element remained the Nen within the energy gauge.
It could be used for attack or as the energy framework for Divine Script.
'Divine Script...'
The black streaked Nen spread out, expanding the area of penetration while extending towards the ground like vines.
The Mender's eye was pierced by Shin, yet Law could still feel the Mender's gaze.
Even in this critical situation, there was still not a trace of emotional fluctuation in the Mender's gaze.
Crack!
A slow-moving hand pushed the branch pen forward a short distance. An extremely dark spatial crack abruptly appeared out of nowhere, swallowing the branch pen and even the Mender's arm.
"?"
The sudden change made Law's expression shift slightly.
Crack!
Like the sound of shattering glass, the spatial crack spread as rapidly as lightning flashing in the night. It affected the Mender's arm and part of his right side, and instantly spread to Law's arms as well.
Flicker-
Gritting his teeth as his Nen surged, Law vanished from his spot.
The spatial crack spread past. A shower of blood fell from mid-air.
The spatial cracks initially released by the Mender had not disappeared... they remained etched in the air and on the ground, their dark edges flickering with lightning that did not dissipate for a long time.
Law was forced back by the Mender's counterattack. The space he could retreat to was very limited, only about seven or eight steps.
After stabilizing his posture, Law had no energy to check the injuries on his arms. He simply stared coldly at the Mender, who had not moved.
The spatial crack that had started from the Mender's right arm had directly swallowed a large missing chunk from his side.
Coupled with the fist-sized wound pierced through his body, the Mender looked exceptionally battered.
On Law's side, over half of both hands had vanished. Blood sprayed from the smooth, clean-cut wounds.
Also gone was Shin, which he had been holding in his right hand.
In that brief moment, all had been swallowed by the spatial crack.
'I overestimated myself...'
Despite losing both arms, Law remained calm.
He had thought that by successively releasing the Nen from the energy gauge, he could completely suppress the Mender. He hadn't expected to have overestimated the black Nen of the energy gauge.
The suppression effect was there, but insufficient. This allowed the Mender, even in that situation, to sacrifice himself for a desperate counterattack.
Law sighed inwardly, lamenting the loss of Shin to the spatial crack. It had been his weapon for so long, and now it was simply gone.
Pushing aside his regret, Law used his Domain to incorporate a piece of New Grass Jelly he carried into his body.
Within moments, the bleeding stopped. Clusters of pink granulation tissues writhed, rapidly generating new flesh and blood vessels.
New Grass Jelly was a supreme medicine enhanced by adding Grass Jelly, Nitro Rice, and Lichen to the Surprise Box. Considering the enhancement success rate and the scarcity of materials, Law had only produced one piece of New Grass Jelly, using it as a trump card against the Mender.
Now, it had indeed been used.
With the support of Nitro Rice and Lichen, it not only enhanced the speed of limb regeneration from the Grass Jelly but also lacked the side effects of lifespan reduction or Nen consumption. It could be called the strongest healing drug.
Within a matter of seconds, Law's lost arms were restored to their original state. However, Shin, swallowed by the spatial crack, was gone for good.
On the other side, the one-eyed Mender still stood still. The spatial cracks beside him had not continued spreading, but neither had they disappeared. The Mender's side leaned against those extremely dangerous rifts.
Suddenly, the Mender's stick-figure legs gave way, and he knelt on the ground. His book-like body leaned slightly forward.
"..."
Law silently watched the apparently exhausted Mender. He raised his newly restored right hand and condensed a disc-shaped Aura blade.
Whoosh!
The Aura Blade shot forward, striking the Mender's body surface in an instant.
With a soft crack, the Aura blade, lacking the black Nen, only left a faint mark on the Mender's body before shattering and scattering. The Mender didn't move a muscle, but suddenly spoke.
"Where... do you come from?"
"What is that power you possess?"
"And... your name..."
"No... the disharmony isn't your name... it's your existence..."
"You..."
The illogical muttering abruptly stopped.
The Mender's book-like body began to tremble violently. The amplitude was astonishing, even creating a series of subtle afterimages at the edges of his body, like a program being invaded by a virus.
Perhaps it was these physical changes and damage that caused his words to cut off.
Watching this scene, Law took a deep breath and prepared to attack.
He paid no heed to the Mender's words. Now, he just wanted to end this battle as quickly as possible.
Flicker-
Law's figure vanished from his spot. He bypassed the spatial cracks and appeared before the motionless Mender.
In that instant, Law could still feel the Mender's gaze fall upon him.
Nevertheless, Law launched his attack without hesitation.
Within his raised palm, a vortex of Aura, built from streaked Nen, surged forth.
Shush!
He pushed his palm downward, driving the vortex of Aura towards the Mender's body.
Just then, the Mender's body suddenly swelled.
Law's expression changed, but the vortex of Aura had already pressed against the Mender.
Boom!
The vortex of Aura containing black streaked Nen exploded.
The residual force of the explosion pushed Law back. The Mender's swollen body collapsed directly to the ground.
Law retreated swiftly, carefully avoiding the spatial cracks, then steadied himself.
While launching the attack, he had also left a Divine Script seed at the Mender's feet.
[Divine Script: Imprison]
Looking at the swollen Mender, Law raised his right hand and clenched it into a fist.
The Divine Script seed left under the Mender's feet instantly sprouted, rapidly swirling into obscure, unintelligible black characters that formed a frame around the Mender's body.
However, the Mender's body was trembling severely and continued to swell, slowly pushing past the edges of the Divine Script.
Watching this, Law considered whether to reinforce it. However, a subtle sense of danger made him hesitate.
"You... your origin..."
"Th-this power... actually... can... disrupt... bal..."
The Mender's slowly swelling body suddenly expanded several sizes, as if a massive amount of air had been blown into a balloon.
Then, the book began to flip its pages. Vague Aura Masses, each with different shapes, scurried out from the rapidly turning pages.
The Mender's voice was swallowed by the noise of these Aura Masses scurrying about.
At the same time, an air vortex appeared beneath the Mender, silently shredding the Divine Script Law had left behind into fragments.
Law's eyes showed astonishment. His gaze darted between the scurrying Aura Masses and the vortex under the Mender.
"?"
Law's nerves twitched. He instinctively used his Domain.
Boom!
The silent vortex instantly transformed into a roaring tsunami, sweeping outwards in all directions.
The light fragments, even the spatial cracks, were all destroyed by the vortex that had grown to its extreme, pushed further away.
Law's heart jolted. He hurriedly crouched to reduce his surface area.
The terrifyingly extreme vortex rushed past Law with incredible speed, tearing countless fine lines of blood across his body.
Boom!
The vortex swept up everything in its path, including the grayish-white thorny trees, driving them far away with irresistible force.
When Law stood up, everything visible around him had been leveled to the ground.
The ground had lost its radiance, the dancing light fragments had vanished, and the spatial cracks that had been scattered around were gone.
'Everyone...'
Law's heart raced. Just as he was about to search for his teammates, his gaze was abruptly seized by the Mender's current state.
The Aura Masses that had scurried out from the flipping pages flew towards all directions like a meteor shower, their fuzzy outlines faintly discernible.
'What is this?'
Law, drenched in blood, looked up at the ceaselessly darting Aura Masses, his face full of astonishment.
Suddenly, he saw a familiar Aura Mass. His expression changed immediately.
'Domain!'
Without hesitation, Law pinched the Domain's luminous ring into a cylindrical shape. Nen poured into it like waves, causing the cylindrical ring to extend rapidly, enveloping that familiar Aura Mass in the air.
The darting Aura Masses varied in size. The one Law captured was among the smaller ones, about the size of a basketball.
Pulling the captured Aura Mass closer, Law's eyes showed delight upon a closer look.
Vague features of Stargie's face could be seen on the Aura Mass.
In contrast, the Aura Masses still darting through the air also had vague external characteristics.
Law carefully protected the Aura Mass that might be Stargie's soul. Then, as if struck by a thought, a chill ran down his spine.
'If this Aura Mass was the Stargie that the Mender had taken, then the masses flying out of the Mender's body represented...?'
Law looked up again, his gaze towards the darting Aura Masses changing.
He didn't know if this was good or bad, but regardless, it had already happened...
As the Aura Masses continued to fly out, the Mender's body, swollen several times over, gradually deflated.
Law thought that staying longer might be dangerous. Having captured what he believed to be Stargie's soul, he decided to move further away.
But the moment he moved his foot, excruciating pain shot through his entire body.
Only then did he belatedly realize how horribly mangled his body was.
Law frowned, silently enduring the pain. He manipulated a piece of Grass Jelly to incorporate into his body and waited for his injuries to heal.
Just then, two Aura Masses that had flown out from the book suddenly changed course. One headed straight for Law, the other passing over his head.
The outline of the Aura Mass coming towards him was vaguely identifiable as an unknown creature with a wide-open mouth. He had no time to focus on the other.
Seeing the Aura Mass hurtling towards him, Law's first instinct was to dodge, but his body couldn't support the thought.
With no alternative, he flicked a Nen Bullet towards the Aura Mass.
Whoosh!
The Nen Bullet pierced the wide-mouthed mass, nearly causing its form to dissipate.
However, the wide-mouthed mass was exceptionally tenacious. It held onto its nearly shattered form and pounced onto Law.
"Dammit!"
The wide-mouthed Aura Mass tore through Law's Domain protection and burrowed into his body.
Shred!
Law's clothes tore apart. A round stone, wrapped in the wide-mouthed mass, shot out, flying erratically through the air like a headless fly.
'That is...?'
Law touched his unharmed body, then looked up at the round stone wrapped in the Aura Mass, completely unable to grasp the situation.
He had thought the Aura Mass might be targeting Stargie, but it was actually after the round stone left by Chucu.
'My injuries are still healing.'
Law retreated reluctantly, his gaze fixed on the round stone and the Mender, as well as the diminishing number of Aura Masses.
After retreating about ten steps, the Mender stopped turning pages. His body was very deflated, no more Aura Masses flew from the book, and the round stone wrapped in the wide-mouthed mass was undergoing a clear change.
The Nen in its energy state was slowly materializing into a solid form.
The vague outline seemed to be a sphere.
A short distance below lay the silent Mender.
Law watched the change in the Aura Mass and felt his injuries recovering.
'I wonder how the others are doing.'
Law couldn't determine if the operation had been a success or failure.
Vaguely, a nagging sense of foreboding stirred deep within him.
It felt like... something had opened Pandora's Box.