The ink-like resentment swirled over Pitou's body a few times, then materialized into the pitch-black Terpsichora.
Inky threads descended from Terpsichora's steely fingers, attaching themselves to Pitou's corpse.
[Do not let this man approach the King.]
[Therefore, kill!]
Within that pure resentment, there was only this single belief. Thus, manipulated by Terpsichora, Pitou's corpse slowly rose like a true puppet.
Strands of black Aura wafted over her mud-smeared face. Her eyes were completely dark, not like black holes, but rather like perfectly round black orbs, unnervingly terrifying.
Boom!
A sudden clap of thunder roared from within the churning dark clouds.
And at the moment the thunder sounded, Pitou's corpse moved. It was still the same monotonous pounce. Though she had lost both arms, she still had her teeth.
Bite through his neck.
That thought was easily discernible from the rapidly moving corpse.
Resentment with such obvious fluctuations had long been flagged by the White Smoke Font.
As Pitou's corpse lunged, Law spun around sharply, his expression calm. He extended his right hand, his touch gentle like a lover's caress, softly covering Pitou's face.
Then, the muscles on Law's arm instantly bulged, veins standing out beneath his sleeve.
With a violent swing, he slammed Pitou's body firmly into the ground.
Crash!
With a tremendous sound, the ground cracked like a spiderweb.
Immediately after, tiny sparks flickered between the fingers of Law's hand, erupting without warning into a pillar of fire that swallowed Law's palm and Pitou's head, shooting skyward.
The firelight, so close at hand, illuminated Law's face.
As the fierce flames leaped, Law looked down at Pitou's pathetic corpse and muttered softly.
"Without hands, what can you do?"
'White Smoke Text: Activate!'
That incredibly pure and terrifying resentment instantly transformed into a trickling stream, flowing into Law's body.
Simultaneously, the slowly increasing Nen Categories numerical value began to rapidly climb in increments of 0.01%.
'Huh? This rate of increase...'
Focusing on the numerical value in the White Smoke Font, even Law, with his iron will, couldn't help but be startled.
Having possessed the White Smoke Font for so long, during his years traveling with Linne, he had absorbed resentment under the guise of a Nen Exorcist, and had even absorbed Nen from two pieces of the Dark Sonata. But this was the first time he had seen this phenomenon.
'Was it because the quantity was so immense that it had to be absorbed in this trickling manner?'
Law wasn't sure, but he was pleasantly surprised.
Ever since breaking through 80%, the increase had been painfully slow. The current rate felt like hitting [777] on a slot machine.
And so, Law waited patiently. Even after the fire had burned out, the numerical value continued to rise.
By now, Pitou's head had become a charred mass. Law's right hand, under the protection of a full application of [Grass Jelly], had not sustained any localized burns.
The Terpsichora that had manifested above Pitou was now collapsing, reduced to just a fragmented body.
Several minutes passed. Law absorbed all the resentment, and the Nen numerical value finally settled at 90.89%.
He had broken through 90%...!
Before the final promotion threshold, this breakthrough also allowed Law to sense certain changes.
Suddenly, a voice echoed in Law's mind… Pitou's voice, searing into his soul.
[Do not harm the King!]
[Do not harm the King!]
[Do not harm the King!]
Like echoes in a valley, the voice reverberated incessantly in Law's mind.
'Is this the side effect of absorbing too much resentment?'
Law looked down at the corpse with the charred head, shaking his head slightly. By merely gathering his mental focus, he easily eradicated the side effects brought by Pitou's pure and powerful resentment.
Compared to the Mirage Tick of the Dark Continent, or the Hellbell...
This level of mental attack, Law didn't even consider it a threat.
And so, the final echo left behind after Pitou's death was thus erased by Law.
"Nearly 91%."
Law raised his hand and clenched it tightly, feeling the changes in his body, a slight smile appearing at the corner of his mouth.
"Thanks for the meal."
Offering thanks to the completely lifeless Pitou, he then stared at her body. For a fleeting moment, he even felt a strange desire.
'If the resentment was such great nourishment, what about the body itself?'
The thought involuntarily surfaced but was immediately suppressed by Law.
Compared to her Chimera Ant identity, Pitou's appearance and demeanor were more like a human's. So, Law truly couldn't cross that internal line. Besides, he had already obtained the great nourishment of the resentment...
Law quickly averted his gaze, looking towards the direction the King and Netero had departed.
After a moment, he looked down at his left shoulder.
'At this point, there's no need to rely on the [Divine Script] to suppress it any longer.'
With this thought, Law tore open the left sleeve, revealing the smooth-cut surface of his left shoulder, covered in obscure, complex characters.
To suppress the [Calamity] brought back from the Dark Continent, he not only had to seal the arm into the book with a restriction but also rely on the power of Divine Script. This meant constantly allocating a portion of his Aura to maintain the suppression.
Now, Law deeply felt the effects of breaking through 90% and believed it was no longer necessary to consume Aura to maintain the Divine Script's effect.
'Erase!'
He pressed his hand against the smooth cut, wiping away the inscribed Divine Script, then retracted his hand as if shocked.
Instantly, dozens of thin, pin-like, elongated unknown substances, resembling the parasitic horsehair worm, emerged from the cut area revealing flesh and bone.
After those black-and-white tendrils poked out, Law channeled his Aura, simply and brutally forcing the tendrils back inside.
"Hah, that's much easier."
Law exhaled. The Book of God Hand automatically manifested. The white veins on its cover, pulsing like a breathing light, gradually darkened.
"As long as you behave, I'll keep my promise."
Law watched as half of the white veins on the book's cover turned black, then dismissed the book.
That last sentence was directed at the still-slumbering Kuro.
'Next, I need to get there before Netero is defeated...'
Having made his decision, Law intended to head south, the direction the King and Netero had taken.
At that moment, a powerful surge of Nen erupted from somewhere in the palace.
Law raised an eyebrow, stepped onto the air, and quickly arrived atop the highest tower. He then saw the source of the Nen fluctuation: the Royal Guard, Youpi.
Knov was severely injured. Kite's arm was broken. Morel had lost his pipe.
Also, Zeno was simply evading Youpi's attacks. The situation seemed unfavorable.
Seeing this, Law immediately hesitated.
If he went down to deal with Youpi, he might miss the crucial moment, potentially leading to Netero's death. But if he went directly south, Morel and the others would be in grave danger, and Ging's fight with Pouf's duration was unknown.
Ultimately, a fire nearby must be dealt with first.