Nique didn't mind being called a coward afraid of death.
In his view, staying alive was more important than anything else.
If you think the enemy is strong and you can't win, you should simply avoid them.
Misjudgment doesn't matter, losing some things doesn't matter.
Nothing is more important than escaping death.
When that terrifying Aura swept through the area, Nique simply retreated.
As if erasing his presence, he calmly and indifferently left the scene, leaving behind a group of Chimera Ants staring in astonishment at the human emerging from the forest.
'You all should run now.'
'That person is a monster. His strength probably isn't inferior to the Royal Guard.'
These words of warning only surfaced briefly in Nique's mind.
It wasn't that he didn't want to warn them… he just didn't want to draw that person's attention.
Ultimately, the main goal was still to escape death. As for the lives of his fellow ants... oh, what was that?
Thus, Nique silently prayed for them: 'I hope you guys survive.'
One Chimera Ant disappeared from the scene, but the others had no mind to pay attention to it.
They all watched that human as if looking at a Royal Guard of formidable strength.
The newcomer was Law.
After searching tirelessly for Dafifi and Ponzu with no success, he instead heard the commotion, rushed over, and found them.
He saw Dafifi in dire straits and Ponzu lost in fear and confusion.
The Chimera Ants didn't move, but Law did, walking towards Dafifi.
The forest fell silent, leaving only the sound of Law's footsteps.
Right in front of the many Chimera Ants, Law walked unharmed to Dafifi's side, entering their encirclement.
"Can you hold on?" Law asked.
Dafifi finally snapped back to reality, letting out a sigh of relief as he smiled bitterly. "Not very optimistic."
Law glanced at the stunned Ponzu, then said to Dafifi, "Pull out the spikes. I'll handle your arm."
Before the words finished, Law suddenly moved, slashing off what remained of Dafifi's right shoulder.
Dafifi's body trembled slightly, but he didn't react excessively.
The surrounding Chimera Ants watched, confused.
As he severed the shoulder, the ability of God Hand activated, along with its conditions.
Law then sealed Dafifi's severed arm and shoulder into the book for preservation. After that, he tore off a small piece of Grass Jelly, infusing it into Dafifi's wound to help stop the bleeding.
"Pull them out."
Law retracted the book.
Dafifi nodded, then with one burst of effort, forced out all the spikes from his body. The accompanying consequence was losing a significant amount of blood.
Seeing this, Law tore off another small piece of Grass Jelly, crushed it into powder, and with precise control, dispersed it into Dafifi's wounds.
Right in front of the numerous Chimera Ants, Law treated Dafifi's injuries.
At that moment, the Chimera Ants finally snapped out of the Aura's intimidation.
For the lower-tier soldier ants, commands ultimately overrode instinct.
Breaking free from the Aura's intimidation, the soldier ants began to move.
A Chimera Ant that had burrowed underground suddenly erupted from the earth behind Law, its pincer claws aiming to tear off Law's head.
A soft squelching sound rang.
Law seemed to do nothing, yet the head of that soldier ant behind him instantly shattered into pieces. The corpse fell from the air to the ground.
"Did you see that...?"
Piper communicated with the other Squadron Leaders via telepathy.
It was then that they noticed Nique was nowhere to be seen.
However, the enemy's strength left them no time to dwell on that.
The snake-woman Capuas and the crocodile-man Batta both responded to Piper's question. They barely managed to see it because Law's movements were so fast, they appeared as if he hadn't moved at all.
"This human is strong!" Batta said gravely.
"It doesn't matter. Just like before, let the cannon fodder wear him down, then find an opportunity to attack," Piper said coldly.
Capuas didn't speak, her eyes fixed on Law's every move.
As the Squadron Leaders communicated telepathically, the soldier ants, momentarily stunned by the Aura, launched their assault.
Among the remaining hundred-plus soldier ants, over a dozen Officer-level Chimera Ants were still mixed in.
"Duck."
Looking at the Chimera Ants closing in, Law said calmly.
Dafifi and Ponzu didn't hesitate to crouch down.
The White General suddenly conjured behind Law, swinging its white longsword in a horizontal slash forward.
An Aura Slash shot out, slicing the fifty-plus Chimera Ants charging at the front cleanly in two. Its momentum unabated, it severed a large swath of trees.
Crash, boom!
The Chimera Ants struck by the blade fell. The severed trees also toppled one after another, creating rumbling crashes, instantly clearing a large area.
After slashing forward once, Law turned slightly and delivered another horizontal slash behind him.
Another sweeping Aura Slash cut down the fifty-plus Chimera Ants from the other direction, also felling a large number of trees.
With just two slashes, a relatively dense section of forest was carved into a vast, low, circular clearing.
Including the Officer-level Chimera Ants, over a hundred Chimera Ants were not spared, each cut in two.
However, Chimera Ants varied in height. Some had their heads split, dying instantly. Some were cut across the chest, others across the neck, so these Chimera Ants didn't die immediately.
Nevertheless, they were effectively incapacitated.
Piper, Batta, and Capuas, the three Squadron Leaders, were farther away and thus managed to dodge in time.
But the scene of devastation made their nerves taut.
Ponzu stared dumbfounded at the scattered remains of Chimera Ants surrounding them, still not fully processing what Law had done.
Dafifi simply watched Law silently. Although he already knew Law was strong, having a reference point made his understanding clearer.
Against this group of Chimera Ants, Dafifi had to fight meticulously without a single mistake. Yet, Law had swept them all away with thunderous force in just two moves.
Without comparison, there's no sense of disparity...
In the distance, Nique stood at the edge where the sword aura had wreaked havoc, right at the border of the fallen trees.
He gazed into the distance and murmured, "See? Smart people live longer."
With that, he turned and headed towards the nest.
He had seen Law's two slashes, so he silently applauded his own wise choice.
Staying there would have been truly foolish.
That's what he thought.
In the clearing, Law didn't dismiss the White General. Instead, he stepped past Dafifi and Ponzu, strolling towards the three Squadron Leader Chimera Ants not far away.
His Domain extended from his body, forming a circular territory covering a five-meter radius around him.
With each step Law took, the fallen Chimera Ants not yet fully dead were drawn into the Domain, their heads crushed as if by an invisible hand.
Even without using Gyo, Law could clearly see the vibrant Aura emanating from the three Squadron Leaders.
For Nen Users, both their Potential and Manifested Aura capacity can be increased and enhanced through later training.
In terms of Manifested Aura alone, the Aura on these three Chimera Ants had already faintly touched the level of a Double-Star Hunter. Upon closer observation, there was still room for growth.
Given more time to train, reaching the level of a Triple-Star Hunter based on Manifested Aura alone wouldn't be a problem.
'These three are probably Squadron Leader level. So, what level have the three Royal Guards' Manifested Aura reached?'
Law pondered silently, his killing intent manifesting.
Assuming the Queen was currently giving birth to the King, she likely had no energy left to spawn more Chimera Ants.
Meaning, killing one now meant one less later.
In Law's eyes, these three Squadron Leader Chimera Ants were already dead.
Watching Law approach with clear intent, Piper's face twitched slightly. His eyes instantly turned red, filled with a fierce killing intent.
He couldn't stand this feeling of being treated as prey. His legs, bearing mountain goat genes, tensed like drawn bowstrings, propelling his body forward like a lightning bolt aimed straight for Law's vitals.
Then, under the horrified gazes of Batta and Capuas, Piper's head was plucked off...
Everything seemed so effortless and simple.