There was no communication, no exchanged glances.
After a brief moment of mutual acknowledgment, the indigenous humans of the Dark Continent and their rescuers, Law and Biscuit, threw themselves wholeheartedly into the fight.
The Bone Lizards swarmed like a tide, moving through the darkness. Shadows swept through with the sound of wind, and claws scraped violently against the hard rock of the cavern floor.
In a daze, it felt like an army of aliens charging across the rocky terrain, carrying with them a pure, overwhelming intent to kill.
Law, holding his sword, didn't recklessly charge into the heart of the Bone Lizard's formation.
He first tested the waters with a few exchanges, roughly gauging the lizards' lethality and defensive hardness. Then, he drove straight in, swinging his blade to carve several channels through the swarm.
The bone armor on the Bone Lizards was astonishingly hard. Even without Nen enhancement, it displayed defensive capabilities that could withstand attacks from Nen Users.
However, compared to their defense, their offensive power was relatively weak.
With this basic assessment, Law diving into the lizard swarm felt like fish swimming in water.
Law's actions and responses were a testament to Biscuit's training. What the disciple could do, the master could do as well.
The master and disciple, man and woman, charged into the lizard swarm, instantly overturning large sections of it.
The Bone Lizards knew no fear. Even as Law and Biscuit displayed terrifying offensive power, the lizards relied on their overwhelming numbers, continuously throwing their companions' lives into the fray.
Yet, no matter how numerous the Bone Lizards were or how insane their attacks, they lacked basic coordination, their rhythm chaotic.
In no time, the surrounding ground was littered with Bone Lizards' corpses, and the battlefield shifted from the rocky ground to a mountain of bodies.
At this point, Law and Biscuit had to watch their footing. Unlike the lizards, who charged forward without regard, if either of them accidentally caught a foot in the gaps between corpses, it could lead to a disastrous misstep.
Two or three lizards charged forward on all fours. The one at the front was shoved to the ground by those behind. Immediately, it was trampled underfoot by several other lizards trying to climb over it. As it struggled to rise, more lizards behind it added their steps.
Amid the relentless onslaught, that trampled lizard was actually stomped to death, highlighting the swarm's ferocity.
With a flick of his wrist, Law's rust-stained blade always found the simplest trajectory to strike the Bone Lizards' heads. accompanied by dull thuds, the lizards' skulls shattered, and they fell dead.
After killing over a hundred, Law gradually mastered the optimal output conversion rate for dealing with the Bone Lizards.
How much Nen to inject, how much force to use.
From the highest fluctuating limit, he slowly reduced it to the critical point, striving to waste not a single bit of Aura or strength while easily eliminating the lizards.
This extremely 'stingy' approach in combat seemed to have become Law's habit.
Perhaps it was because, in every past battle, he had been outnumbered. So, during combat, he often focused not on how to powerfully obliterate the enemy but on maximizing the conversion rate to extend his endurance.
This approach was quite mentally taxing, but in the long run, it would inevitably nurture an excellent habit… one that would also become a unique form of combat art.
The Bone Lizards' attacks were completely ineffective. Soon, the pile of corpses beneath their feet grew higher, giving Law and Biscuit the advantage of high ground, forming a favorable defensive and offensive position.
It's often said that the first burst of energy is the strongest, followed by decline and exhaustion, but this didn't apply to the Bone Lizards.
Ten minutes passed, and the high-intensity battle gradually tightened Law and Biscuit's nerves.
Subtly, a sense of pressure emerged, mainly because the lizards' assault showed no signs of weakening, as if their numbers remained vast.
Biscuit chose not to transform, as that would make it harder to control her strength, leading to wasted energy and unnecessary stamina loss.
Fortunately, her combat prowess in her loli form was sufficient to handle the Bone Lizards.
The prolonged battle seemed likely to drag on. Law sensed the never-diminishing activity in the darkness and briefly glanced at the human formation's situation. Though people were falling from exhaustion, there was no sign of collapse.
'Can't rush. We have to take it slow.'
Law thought to himself, suddenly stabbing Shin into the mountain of corpses beneath his feet. He decided to stop using the sword.
Realizing the human formation's resilience was strong, Law didn't define this battle as a race against time.
Since the formation could hold, they would slowly whittle away the Bone Lizards' swarm, minimizing risks.
With this shift in mindset, Law abandoned his sword and switched to using his hands.
The consequence was a reduction in killing efficiency, but it allowed him to conserve his Aura, as he no longer needed to extend it over the sword.
Just then, a Bone Lizard launched a sneak attack from behind Law, using its innate instinctual sharp claws.
Even without turning, Law already detected the ambush from the sound of wind.
He sidestepped slightly, avoiding the lizard's claw strike while extending his right hand to gently press against its forehead.
The motion was as gentle as a parent checking a child's temperature.
Yet, that gentle gesture erupted with cold lethal intent.
Without any visible exertion from Law, the lizard suddenly collapsed, lifeless.
After dispatching the lizard with a single palm strike, Law abandoned his defensive stance and descended the slope of the corpse mountain.
His hands moved like fluttering butterflies, precisely striking the hard bones of the Bone Lizards.
Silently, like spring rain nourishing the earth, his gentle palm strikes killed the lizards with almost imperceptible movements.
This killing technique originated from Linne's school, condensing Aura into needles that penetrated past the bones, then detonating inside to cause fatal damage.
The advantage was reduced Nen consumption. Moreover, with masterful Ryu, it could be effective even against Nen Users' defenses.
Biscuit, who is battle-hardened and immensely experienced, handled herself with ease. While fighting, she noticed Law had changed his approach, and the technique he used after abandoning his sword wasn't from the Shingen-ryu school.
With her keen eye, she recognized that the school Law employed was quite advanced and represented the opposite extreme of Shingen-ryu's forceful style.
'How much has he grown these years?' Biscuit wondered, punching down an attacking lizard.
She had to admit, compared to Shingen-ryu techniques, the soft techniques Law was using now were better suited for the current situation.
Moreover, she admired the combat aptitude he displayed.
As she marveled at Law's growth, unbeknownst to her, Law was actually thinking about Netero's 100-Type Guanyin Bodhisattva.
'If Netero were here, with one summon of the 100-Type Guanyin, these Bone Lizards lacking Aura Defense would...'