Everyone in the team saw the iconic golden Guanyin.
"Follow."
Law first calmly surveyed the dark depths around them, then headed towards the golden Guanyin.
The illuminating range of the light algae was limited, so Law couldn't see very far either.
But even without seeing, he could hear the frequent commotion coming from the dark depths around them.
He knew that copper mechanical lifeforms, like goods on a production line, were continuously arriving here at a steady pace.
He headed towards the golden Guanyin, with Ging and the others naturally keeping close behind.
"It's Chairman and the others..." Biscuit's eyes sharpened slightly.
"They must be surrounded, but..." Ging glanced at Biscuit, leaving the sentence half-finished.
He was thinking that the initial sounds didn't seem related to the copper mechanical lifeforms.
But thinking about that now seemed a bit pointless.
At this moment, Netero couldn't afford to be distracted, bearing the assault from the copper mechanical lifeforms.
And at the rear of the team, the battle situation was tense.
The Masked Man stood unscathed, while Ginta knelt on the ground not far away, looking utterly wretched.
His massive fists were now mangled, with broken finger bones faintly visible.
His bear-like chest was a bloody mess, with blood flowing from unknown sources, pooling into a large puddle at his feet.
Ginta's pupils were somewhat unfocused. It was a miracle he hadn't collapsed with such injuries.
Earlier, he had landed several direct hits on the Masked Man, including the one to the back of his head, but none had achieved significant effect.
After several consecutive attacks, his wounds reopened, giving the Masked Man an opportunity, and the entire battle situation collapsed.
Not far from Ginta, Saccho lay face down on the ground, his back sunken in like a basin. His right leg was broken in three places, barely held together by strands of flesh. His vital signs were weak… he might stop breathing any second.
Pyon also lay on the ground. The flesh on her left cheek was torn away, revealing a clearly visible jawbone, and several ribs were broken. She was unconscious.
Cheadle, pale-faced, guarded her and Saccho while administering treatment.
On the field, Dafifi was also drenched in blood, with chunks of flesh torn from his abdomen, buttocks, and waist by the Masked Man.
Although injured, he still had some fight left.
But the current situation was far from optimistic.
Beside him, Menchi held a kitchen knife with one hand, her body soaked in sweat mixed with blood, dripping beside her feet.
Not far from them, Sanbica's chest heaved rapidly. Her mask was already damp, and the visible parts of her face were devoid of color.
It was a sign of excessive exhaustion of stamina and Nen.
In this battle against the Masked Man, their attacks were utterly ineffective. No matter how they coordinated, they were relentlessly suppressed by the Masked Man.
Being unable to break through his defenses would drive anyone to despair.
All they could do was stall, stall, and stall some more.
Thus, as time passed, they paid a heavy price.
Saccho was on the verge of death, Pyon was severely injured and unconscious, Ginta's condition worsened and he could lose consciousness at any moment, Menchi's right arm was severely fractured, Sanbica and Cheadle were over-extended in Nen Consumption...
"Chairman..."
Cheadle looked back towards the front of the team, where she could see the golden Guanyin fighting desperately, while other team members wearily defended against the copper mechanical lifeforms continuously pressing in from the upper levels.
"If this continues..."
Despair surfaced in Cheadle's eyes.
The combat strength allocated to the rear was already top-tier, yet they had been crushed by the Masked Man.
The Masked Man stood silently, his pristine condition seeming to mock Cheadle and the others.
"Death Pattern."
The Masked Man glanced at Sanbica, then looked at the blood-drenched Dafifi.
Having fought for so long, even without thinking, the Masked Man understood one thing.
If he didn't clear the obstacles first, it would be difficult for him to get close to Sanbica.
And now, the obstacles were almost cleared.
Thinking this, the Masked Man charged towards the injured Dafifi.
Watching the Masked Man charge, Dafifi quickly assessed Ginta's condition and his heart sank.
They couldn't rely on Ginta's support anymore, and as for the others...
Dafifi's heart sank to the depths, but he could only face the Masked Man.
Lacking support, within a few exchanges, Dafifi's arms were both severed by the Masked Man.
Then, the Masked Man formed his five fingers together and stabbed into Dafifi's abdomen, before casually flinging him aside.
Dafifi was thrown like a ragdoll to the ground dozens of meters away, rolling out a carpet of blood.
With such injuries, an Enhancer wouldn't die instantly, but he had completely lost his combat capability.
He lay on the ground, lifting his head with effort, only able to watch helplessly as the Masked Man moved towards Sanbica and Cheadle.
'Wh-where are the others...?'
He shifted his gaze, only seeing the team members entangled with copper mechanical lifeforms, and despair washed over his face.
At the front of the team, Netero seemed to sense something.
A momentary lapse allowed the copper mechanical lifeforms to breach a gap, affecting the defensive lines on both flanks.
A chain reaction ensued, and immediately, one member fell.
This phenomenon made Netero's expression grave. He burst forth with Nen, trying to pull the defensive line back together.
However, once a gap formed, it was hard to fill again.
Team members, including Morel, also became aware of the crisis.
"The rear... huh?"
Morel spared some effort to check the situation at the team's rear, and his face changed drastically.
'Damn it, what exactly happened back there?'
"Morel, what are you doing!?"
The urgent voice of a teammate nearby pulled Morel's thoughts back.
"Sorry!"
Morel quickly controlled his smoke soldiers to patch the nearly opened gap.
But anyone present could clearly see the unfavorable situation.
It was like... they were gradually stepping into an abyss!
Soon, not just Morel noticed the situation at the rear… those responsible for the flanks also noticed.
Although no one said anything, seeds of despair quietly sprouted in everyone's hearts.
They could feel the number of copper mechanical lifeforms steadily increasing.
They not only had to defend against the attacks of the copper mechanical lifeforms but also waste energy and strength clearing away their wreckage.
If this entanglement continued, let alone breaking through, the entire team might be consumed by the turmoil at the rear.
Right then, a figure wreathed in white light stepped through the air from the front of the team.
Netero noticed the figure first, feeling shocked, then overjoyed.
"Law...!"
He almost couldn't believe his eyes, utterly baffled as to why Law would appear here.
But this was a good thing!
His gaze met Law's.
Law nodded at Netero, sweeping his eyes over the field to grasp the entire situation.
Seeing the situation at the rear of Netero's team, a slight change flickered in Law's eyes.
Law stepped through the air, and the copper mechanical lifeforms had the ability to fly.
Seeing Law's arrival, hundreds of copper mechanical lifeforms instantly converged into a wave, slamming towards Law in the air.
Law coldly looked at the oncoming copper mechanical lifeforms, unleashed his full Nen, and released his Domain, instantly enveloping Netero's entire team within it.
The Domain passed through the body of every Nen User, causing them all to shudder slightly.
Even the Masked Man couldn't help but halt his steps, looking at Law in the air, who radiated a dangerous Aura.
This was the first time he had felt danger since encountering Netero's team.
The unique Nen Circle of the Domain also enveloped the copper mechanical lifeforms on the periphery of Netero's team.
"Scram."
Law extended his index finger towards the copper mechanical lifeforms below and pressed down.
The copper mechanical lifeforms within the field's range almost simultaneously exploded like fireworks. Along with their crystals, under the watchful eyes of Netero and his team, they turned into fragments.
"This...?"
Association members unfamiliar with Law's strength stared blankly at the scene.
'Wasn't that circle an En?'
'But what just happened?'
'How did he instantly destroy over a thousand copper mechanical lifeforms?'
Netero silently watched the scene before him and finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Destroying all the copper mechanical lifeforms surrounding Netero's team with his field significantly reduced their defensive pressure.
However, Law didn't directly descend in front of Netero, nor did he have time to explain anything to him.
He headed straight for the rear of the team, then descended vertically, intruding into Sanbica and the others' line of sight in a simple and direct manner.
"Tsk."
Law looked at the Masked Man, but his gaze swept past him, landing on the [Core Energy] and the three swallowtail butterflies weaving Nen Threads.