The sudden turn of events was something no one present had anticipated.
The wheat awn had flown at an extremely fast speed, so fast that even Law hadn't been able to react.
From this, it seemed to be an ability imbued with the characteristic of 'certain hit'.
Law's teammates, led by Machi, all looked panicked, while Netero's side wore serious expressions.
It was probably... a Post-Mortem Nen.
If the Masked Man's Nen was that strong, the Nen left behind after its death might have reached a terrifying degree.
In a critical moment, people often can't think of too many things.
They had forgotten about Law's ability to exorcise Nen.
The Post-Mortem Nen attached itself to Law's cheek, transforming into a black-and-red anchor-shaped pattern, like painted-on lacquer.
Compared to the reactions of others, Law, as the person concerned, remained very calm.
He could feel the presence of the mark, but besides that, there was no other sensation.
"Don't be nervous, this is nothing," Law said very calmly.
"How can we not be nervous!? That Masked Man's Nen was so strong!"
"Yes, but it really is nothing."
Law extended his index finger and pressed it on the anchor-shaped mark.
The White Smoke Font, which hadn't appeared in a long time, prompted as usual, asking whether to absorb it.
'It doesn't look like a Post-Mortem Resentment, but the White Smoke Font is giving a prompt...'
Earlier, Law had caught a glimpse of the incoming wheat awn and noticed it was different from past resentments he had seen.
But since the White Smoke Font gave a prompt, then in essence, it was still a resentment.
'Whatever, I'll just absorb it.'
At Law's thought, he activated the White Smoke Font's absorption function.
Swoosh!
Suddenly, a wave of Nen Fluctuation burst fiercely from between Law's fingers.
Like a spring effect, his index finger, pressed against the mark, snapped back. The Nen Fluctuation dispersed into a strong wind, pushing the unprepared crowd back a distance. Only Law remained unaffected, standing in place.
The sudden gust startled Netero and the others, who instinctively opened their Aura Nodes and covered their bodies with Nen.
The strong wind appeared and disappeared just as quickly.
By the time Netero and the others had steadied themselves, the area had returned to calm.
Law stood still, but his mind had sunk into the consciousness space of the White Smoke Font.
The energy gauge, which he hadn't paid attention to for a long time, had increased by about 5%, reaching approximately 15%.
The crowd, observing the contemplative Law, quickly gathered around.
"Law, are you okay?"
Law's mind returned to reality, and he shook his head. "It's nothing. The exorcism just caused a bit more of a stir than usual."
"So it really was a Post-Mortem Nen?"
"Yes, but it was easily removed. There's no impact."
"..."
Shiro looked at Law's index finger with considerable envy, 'Such a simple method of Nen Exorcism, applied in the Six Continents, would be an incredibly overpowered skill that would guarantee a life of ease without worry.'
"No wonder Ging was always so worried about you playing Greed Island."
He suddenly remarked.
'Why is he bringing up something he shouldn't have...?'
Ging shot Shiro a glare, a bit helpless.
The lingering effect of the Masked Man's death was just an inconsequential episode.
However, information regarding the [Death Pattern] was also buried in the darkness along with the Masked Man's demise.
Even the person involved, Sanbica, hadn't noticed the true reason the Masked Man had targeted her.
From her perspective, she only thought the Masked Man had been wary of her ability.
Afterwards, Kuro thoroughly disposed of the Masked Man's corpse.
The captured Core Energy was set aside.
Although they now knew its function, they didn't have the so-called vehicle, so its usefulness was somewhat limited.
Unless they could figure out how to convert the energy from the Core Energy into electrical or thermal energy, then they could utilize it immediately.
After the episode passed, Law and Netero continued their earlier topic: whether to abandon the mission of apprehending Beyond and his group.
The Hunter Association's team had suffered significant losses, with several main combatants dead. With such a lineup against Beyond's team, they would essentially be throwing their lives away.
Netero was also well aware of this, so when Law spoke bluntly, he not only refrained from arguing but also agreed with Law's point of view.
Nevertheless, there remained a lingering sense of unwillingness inside him.
Was he really going to retreat with his tail between his legs without having accomplished anything?
Under these circumstances, he couldn't just blame his bad luck.
If he were to rely on wishful thinking, perhaps Beyond's side might also encounter setbacks.
'If Beyond's team also suffered losses...'
'But was that even possible?'
Meeting Law's probing gaze, Netero asked himself internally.
...
That possibility Netero was trying to convince himself with…
Maybe it existed.
The neutral zone had failed. The bronze mechanical lifeforms were rioting.
These obvious changes led Beyond and his group to decide to return to the surface.
Before their operation, their distance from the Hunter Association's team hadn't been too great, and there was a high chance they might encounter the Masked Man.
It wasn't entirely about luck, though.
Part of the reason they avoided the potential threat of the Masked Man was due to Mascher's death.
Of course, there was also an element of luck involved.
It could only be said that the Hunter Association's side was relatively more unlucky.
Beyond's team never encountered the Masked Man, and the bronze mechanical lifeforms alone were no match for Golem's overwhelming firepower.
The team advanced unimpeded, leaving the Hunter Association's team far behind.
However, they encountered the Scarecrow.
Golem's firepower was strong enough to tear through any obstacle for the team.
But the disturbance caused by the firepower coincidentally attracted the Scarecrow.
When the Scarecrow appeared at the other end of the passage, Beyond's team was at the opposite end.
The ground between them was littered with the long, broken remains of bronze mechanical lifeforms.
"Humans? No," Curly said, pushing up her mosquito-coil glasses as she looked at the suddenly appearing Scarecrow.
"Hmm? It looks like a scarecrow."
Beyond rubbed his chin and said seriously, "We can't rule out the possibility that it's one of the Calamities."
His suggestion immediately sharpened his team members' focus.
Not that all dangerous creatures on the Dark Continent could be classified as Calamities.
Rather, the things included in the Calamity list were those that humans themselves considered extremely dangerous.
In reality, even if Beyond hadn't speculated as much, the others could vaguely sense a certain crisis from the Scarecrow.
The two sides looked at each other in silence.
After a few moments, the Scarecrow suddenly moved.
But Golem moved faster than the Scarecrow, decisively raising his barrel and unleashing a barrage of firepower at the Scarecrow.
Nen Bullets flew over the bronze mechanical lifeform remains on the ground and struck the Scarecrow in an instant.
Instantly, the Scarecrow's body, along with the clothing wrapped around it, was shredded into pieces by the Nen Bullets, which fluttered within the passage.
"..."
Seeing this, Golem ceased his attack.
Witnessing this, the group exchanged bewildered glances.
'Was that it?'
However, the Scarecrow didn't disappoint them.
The floating fragments, as if pulled by countless invisible strings or as if time was rewinding, all flew back together, reconstructing the Scarecrow's form.
...
Somewhere in the Dark Continent, an enormous black disc was flying through the air.
Directly ahead, an even larger flying Magical Beast was heading towards the black disc.