A trade of injuries clearly targeted the weak point of God Hand.
This time, Law was the one to give up the opportunity, choosing to evade.
They passed by each other, each drawing a long wake in the rain.
Moments later, Law and Meruem almost simultaneously turned around, charging towards each other, then clashing in close combat.
The dense rain curtain hardly affected them.
Law wanted to use a single slash to remove Meruem's fangs and claws, while Meruem wanted to take Law's life with one strike.
While attacking, both clearly understood the consequences of taking a hit. So while seeking opportunities, they could only avoid each other's lethal moves.
Thus, Law's long blade weaved a curtain of blade shadows, all dodged by Meruem. The attacks Meruem made were also completely avoided by Law.
They went back and forth like this, fist shadows and blade shadows merging into a chaotic mix, yet never touching, forming a rather bizarre scene.
Extreme speed and powerful force, after missing, shook the rain into patches of mist, actually punching a large gap into the rain curtain.
Moreover, the scattered Aura Slashes and fist impacts left deep marks on the surrounding ground, their numbers continuously increasing.
This exchange lasted a full three minutes. As Meruem's needle-like tail clashed with Law's White General, they separated once more.
In the Hide-and-Seek space, sweat beaded on Nique's face.
He saw the exchange between Law and Meruem, having swallowed his saliva who knows how many times.
With his eyesight, he could only see dazzling arrays of fist shadows and blade gleams. And judging from the shattered rain, both Meruem's fists and Law's long blade could probably kill a Squadron Leader with one strike.
Yet in those three minutes or so, who knew how many punches and slashes were thrown? Even more exaggerated, those two hadn't touched each other once in that intense exchange.
It was simply unbelievable...
Nique forced himself to imagine being in that situation and instantly felt his scalp prickle.
He dared swear that in that torrential offensive where not even water could get through, he wouldn't last a second, let alone three minutes. He'd be sliced to pieces or pounded into paste.
"These two monsters..."
Nique's free hand no longer reached for grass but viciously wiped the cold sweat from his face.
He thought, next second, whether Meruem died or Law died wouldn't be strange. Mutual destruction felt even more likely.
"Right, my heart is still with Law."
Nique suddenly remembered this, his mouth twitching involuntarily.
'If Law died, would there be a chance to get the heart back? Or would I be implicated, dragged down directly?'
Thinking this, Nique sincerely and earnestly prayed.
"Hang in there, don't lose!"
Nique, a Chimera Ant, wholeheartedly cheered for Law, a human.
…
Combat Zone.
Meruem coolly watched the calm Law.
In that not-so-brief exchange, he knew Law was far more dangerous than Netero.
To be precise, Law possessed the possibility of killing him, while Netero did not.
That was the decisive difference between the two.
So when dealing with Netero, he could attack relentlessly without psychological burden, even taking countless palms. But against Law, he couldn't do that.
In essence, when needing to consider his own safety and having concerns, even if he spotted an enemy's opening, he couldn't just attack freely.
'Truly unpleasant.'
Meruem muttered inwardly.
That was the feeling of being suppressed offensively while sensing a life threat.
If he hadn't just experienced the storm-like palm strikes of the 100-Type Guanyin, perhaps he wouldn't be able to keep up with Law's rhythm now.
The exhilarating feeling of defeating Netero earlier had long vanished, replaced by a desire to kill Law.
However, he disliked being restrained, it could even be said that he detested it.
Yet even so, he knew how to respond and choose.
He just needed to win, no matter the method, even if it meant lowering his stature...
'Like a protracted offensive-defensive battle on the board, one wrong move loses the entire game.'
'Come to think of it, I've had a similar experience...'
Meruem wasn't stubborn. Once his thoughts changed, he would unhesitatingly implement them.
He found the winning move: drag Law into a prolonged battle until Law's body and spirit, depleted by consumption, made a mistake. Then he could surely deliver a fatal blow without concern.
Even though earlier he wanted to return to the palace quickly to finish that game with Komugi, he would still do this.
Just as if he made a mistake, he would never deny it because of his status as King. On the contrary, he would frankly admit the mistake and correct it.
With this intention, Meruem's desire to attack greatly diminished, indirectly admitting Law's troublesome nature.
In Gungi, each move isn't decided by personal preference but by what one believes is the most correct choice for victory.
Law didn't immediately grasp Meruem's change. Seeing Meruem standing firm like a mountain, Law took the initiative to attack again.
Only after truly clashing did he realize the difficulty of eliminating Meruem.
Against this type of opponent, any strategy was useless. One could only use greater strength to suppress, then win.
Carrying blade gleams, Law closed in, once again unleashing a curtain of blade shadows, enveloping Meruem.
Rainwater shattered once more. The ground was carved with grooves by the blade's residual force.
Facing Law's reorganized fierce offensive, Meruem didn't purely defend. He occasionally counterattacked, but compared to the earlier exchange, his offensive intent was clearly much weaker.
Thus, although a powerful suppression formed, it was difficult to hit Meruem.
Law quickly realized this and instantly understood Meruem's plan: to use the difference in physical fitness and Aura Capacity to wage a war of attrition.
'He already fought Netero earlier, yet he still makes this decision?'
'But I have to admit, in terms of physical fitness and potential Aura Capacity, he indeed has the advantage.'
Law intensified his offense, but Meruem had already changed strategy. After strengthening his defense, Law found almost no openings.
In that battle with Netero, Meruem gained considerable experience, now becoming a sharp weapon against Law.
In the earlier exchange, Law felt he could almost hit Meruem. But now, that feeling completely vanished.
This was the result of making the correct choice.
If Meruem had used the same method against Law as he did against Netero, he would probably have lost his right arm in a few exchanges.
But Meruem saw through the threat from Shin and made changes.
Although it was unclear how long this battle would last, if the trend didn't change, undoubtedly Law would be the first to falter.
Law had rich combat experience and, as if foreseeing the future, saw his own outcome.
While chasing the King with relentless slashes, he contemplated countermeasures.
'I have to use that.'
Law quickly made a decision.
Making the enemy's plans fall through was the key to victory.
Meruem wanted to make this battle a prolonged one. What Law needed to do was not let Meruem have his way.