The phantom, hovering between reality and illusion, resembled snow or jade, standing about ten meters tall with the faint outline of armor.
The phantom held a long blade, its indistinct face featuring hawk-like eyes.
Before deciding to stay in the Slu Tribe's dwelling, Law had considered creating a Nen Beast purely for combat, similar to Netero's Guanyin, to overcome the lack of wide-area destructive power.
Perhaps it had been two years now. Due to the high difficulty, Law still hadn't fully materialized a large Nen Beast and could only barely construct a phantom between reality and illusion.
Although removing intelligence reduced the difficulty of creating the Nen Beast, its large size meant perfect formation would still take time.
However, based on the results of two years of effort, it still possessed some destructive power.
The jade-white humanoid phantom stood silently behind Law, while the Bone Nightmare and Bone Minotaur showed no reaction, coldly staring at Law as if he were merely prey.
The phantom didn't frighten the Bone Nightmare and Bone Minotaur, but it shocked Biscuit and Tonpa.
'What is that? Such strong Aura fluctuations.' Tonpa thought, inwardly alarmed.
Biscuit raised an eyebrow, staring at the jade-white phantom behind Law, 'It was an offensive-type Nen Beast similar to Chairman Netero's, though it was unclear whether it was purely energy-based or had a physical form.'
Having seen many things, she wasn't overwhelmed by an unfinished Nen Beast, but Law hadn't mentioned this to her. Its sudden appearance truly surprised her.
After all, she knew Law had spent almost all his time on Ren to break through as quickly as possible. She didn't expect he still had the extra focus and energy to construct a large Nen Beast.
As she marveled, she saw the Bone Nightmare move again.
It was still the same monotonous charge, aimed at Law dozens of meters away.
As the Bone Nightmare moved, Law also acted… simply raising his blade and slashing down. The jade-white phantom mirrored his movement.
The phantom blade abruptly struck the Bone Nightmare and Bone Minotaur.
The broad blade easily sliced the Bone Nightmare and Bone Minotaur in two. Simultaneously, a circle of light lit up along the blade, emitting ripples that washed over the Bone Nightmare and Bone Minotaur.
Silently, the bisected Bone Nightmare and Bone Minotaur seemed instantly shredded into fine debris by countless tiny blades, scattering across the ground.
After seeing the result, Law quietly dismissed the jade-white phantom and stored Shin back in Kuro's space.
Tonpa's mouth hung open, his face full of shock.
The longer he was exposed to Nen, the deeper his understanding became. Precisely because of this, he was always stunned by Law's new developments.
He felt he was steadily walking fast, but when he looked up, a disaster star had instantly reached the horizon.
Biscuit looked at the Bone Nightmare and Bone Minotaur turned into fine debris, pressing her lips together in silence.
'Incredible attack power.'
Although there was a difference between a blade and a fist, reducing them to debris with one slash was still somewhat exaggerated.
Law was quite satisfied with the test results… he just wondered how it would perform against Nen Users. Of course, he couldn't use Tonpa or Biscuit as test subjects.
He walked over to Biscuit and Tonpa and said, "The trouble's resolved. Let's go."
Before the words could fully settle, the sharp sound of clattering bones echoed from behind them once more.
The group's expressions shifted instantly. They spun around to see the Bone Nightmare and Bone Minotaur, which had just been reduced to debris, already restored to their original forms… and at an alarming speed.
"Maybe we should just run?" Tonpa suggested nervously.
He believed that facing something this unstoppable, fleeing is the wisest choice.
"Can you keep up?" Biscuit shot him a sidelong glance, her tone pointed.
Tonpa's face paled and he said quickly, "On second thought, eliminating such a menace is a noble cause! We should deal with it here!"
He hadn't considered that. After all, if they were being chased, he'd be the slowest in the group.
Biscuit shook her head slightly, her gaze fixed intently on the Bone Nightmare and Bone Minotaur, 'If even being turned to dust couldn't stop it, what else could we possibly try?'
"The Void's weakness is mental attack." Law stated suddenly.
Biscuit immediately looked at him, "Aura Intent?"
"Yes. Let's try it together. If it doesn't work, I have other methods." Law replied calmly, his eyes still on the Bone Nightmare and Bone Minotaur.
If even emotion solidified into tangible aura had no effect on the creature, then their only option would be to find a way to immobilize it and escape.
There were still options… for instance, having Kuro transform into a harp and playing the seven-verses melody obtained from Stargie.
Action followed thought… this was the current reality for Law and Biscuit.
The Aura Intent of master and disciple surged behind them like shadowy claws, lashing out toward the Bone Nightmare and Bone Minotaur.
The creatures, poised to charge, was struck by the wave of Aura and abruptly halted its movement. Its hollow eye sockets seemed to devour Law and Biscuit whole.
Its mechanical charging motion had finally encountered a fatal error.
By channeling Aura, they amplified their emotions, constructing an Aura of intent. At sufficient intensity, it could frighten ordinary people into insanity.
Now, used against the Bone Nightmare and Bone Minotaur, it was meant to instill fear and drive them away.
However, the Bone Nightmare and Bone Minotaur didn't turn to flee.
Instead, it simply stopped moving altogether, as if transformed into a museum exhibit.
Law and Biscuit exchanged a glance, uncertain of the situation but considering a retreat.
After a silent exchange of looks, they began backing away slowly, simultaneously gesturing for Tonpa to follow.
"Where's Bruna?"
It was only then that Law realized Bruna wasn't with Tonpa. He quickly scanned the area and spotted her curled up against a rock wall in the distance.
'I forgot… the Buru Tribe is highly sensitive to the emotions of intelligent beings. She must have been affected by the Aura we just released.' Law thought apologetically.
To shake off the Bone Nightmare and Bone Minotaur, he hurried to Bruna's side, then glanced back at the motionless creatures.
'Still not moving. Good.'
Law picked up Bruna, and together with Biscuit and Tonpa, they left the area.
In the darkness, the Bone Nightmare and Bone Minotaur stood like statues, utterly still, unaware of what had transpired.
'It was nearly immune to physical damage, possessing an unreasonable restorative ability… or perhaps 'reversion' was a more fitting term.'
'Was the Bone Race truly this unstoppable? Or were this Bone Nightmare and Bone Minotaur particularly unique?'
Only after putting distance between themselves and the creatures did Law have the mind to ponder this.
If even Aura Intent was ineffective, he would have to resort to other means.
Still, part of him wanted to eliminate the Bone Nightmare and Bone Minotaur. But reducing it to debris only for it to restore itself defied all logic.
Unwilling to waste more energy and time on it, they had no choice but to avoid it.
That said, if not for the inherent danger, the Bone Nightmare and Bone Minotaur would make excellent 'combat training dummies'.