Chapter 18 How To Defeat The Strong As The Weak

Machi let out a muffled scream as she was thrown dozens of meters through the air before landing heavily on the ground.

Even after she hit the ground, the force behind Cook's throw hadn't fully dissipated. She continued to roll for over ten meters before slowly stopping.

On the ground, there was a red trail of blood, which was extremely eye-catching.

Cook had casually stabbed Machi's thighs twice before tossing her aside like discarded trash.

In just a few seconds, an extremely cruel and cold-blooded scene unfolded right before Law's eyes.

Law had walked through deep forests, crossed swamps and wetlands, climbed steep cliffs, scaled dangerous mountains, and seen ferocious beasts and venomous snakes, but among all these experiences, he had never witnessed something as inhuman and cruel as this.

Treating life like weeds to be trampled, killing for mere amusement!

Cook's ruthlessness shattered Law's worldview.

"Prey should have expressions like that."

Cook looked at Law, who was extremely angry, and an intoxicated light flashed in his triangular eyes. The delicate scalpel he conjured fluttered like a butterfly between his fingers, shaking out bright cold light.

"You know… If power isn't used to kill, then it's meaningless."

The scalpel that Cook was playing with between his fingers suddenly stopped and was held steadily between his fingers.

Staring at Law, whose Aura had surged greatly due to anger, Cook said coldly: "From the moment I came into contact with Nen, I have understood one thing, that is... what should I use my Nen for."

"Ah, yes… it's for killing!"

"So, before I developed my Nen Ability, I would often wonder what kind of Nen Ability could make people utterly helpless, forcing them to suffer before dying."

Cook walked towards Law with a sinister smile and continued, "Until one day, I stumbled upon a book about anatomy. At that time, I finally… finally!"

Cook's voice grew fervent and his expression gradually became intoxicated, but he suddenly stopped, raised his head slightly, and said excitedly: "I finally found it!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he slowly moved his arm in front of him and held the sharp blade of the scalpel in front of his face. The cold light reflected from the shiny blade entered his triangular eyes, which are filled with a bone-deep coldness.

He slowly extended his tongue to lick the blade of the scalpel, calmed down a little, and smiled: "[Resistance is Futile]. This is my Nen Ability. With this scalpel, I can easily cut through the Aura defense."

"The purpose of anatomy books is to help people save lives, not take them." Law said firmly.

Law had come to understand that the man before him was nothing more than a demon in human skin, and there was no reason to spare him.

The anger that filled his heart calmed down at an unimaginable speed, turning into a calmness as deep and still as a bottomless abyss.

The shift from furious rage to absolute composure occurred in the blink of an eye.

This transformation not only stilled the wild surge of Aura around him but also sharpened Law's focus.

Law knew that allowing himself to be consumed by anger would only hasten his demise.

If he fell here, Machi and the others would be buried with him, so not only could he not fall, he also had to eradicate the threat Cook posed.

Noticing the change in Law's demeanor, Cook frowned.

"Your expression... it's wrong. That's not the look you're supposed to have."

Cook gripped the scalpel with greater force, his fingers turning pale from the pressure.

"You seem like someone who reads a lot."

Law stared at Cook calmly, thoughts of how to defeat this man running rapidly through his head.

'The other party's Nen Techniques were obviously more solid than mine, and he had already developed his own Nen Ability. The gap between us was too obvious.'

'To bridge that gap, I needed to provoke him, create an opening, and seize it. Most importantly, I only had one shot.'

If he failed to incapacitate Cook in a single decisive move, Law would have no chance of winning. This is the disadvantage of being the weak to defeat the strong.

If someone wanted to defeat an enemy stronger than themselves, they must be like a scorpion and never release their venomous tail sting unless they are sure of hitting the target. What Law lack now is the venomous tail sting, the decisive weapon to decide the outcome!

'If there is... that's my Nen Ability!'

Law's thoughts were racing, and when he thought of this, he regretted not continuing to try the Nen Ability that stripped off Machi's clothes during his training.

Hearing Law's words, Cook's eyes turned cold. He didn't say anything, but continued to walk towards Law.

"If you're well-read, you've probably come across the phrase... Villains always die because they talk too much."

Watching Cook approaching step by step, Law began to consciously control the Aura surging around his body. The Nen Ability to strip off clothes was probably his only reliance at the moment.

"Heh… Haha…"

Cook suddenly laughed sinisterly. He stared at Law coldly and said grimly, "Are you implying I'm going to die? Interesting, interesting! You know what? I've changed my mind! I'll make you bleed out slowly while you watch me treat Machi. You'll die weeping in despair."

Just from Cook's words, Law felt an intense revulsion and dread at the imagery they invoked. Cook's words were filled with coldness, which solidified one undeniable thought in Law's mind.

He... wants to kill this man with his own hands!

This is the dark side of Meteor City, no, it should be said that this is the dark side of this world.

"You will die, I promise you."

Law clenched his fists tightly, gathered some of his Aura in his eyes, stared at Cook, and announced Cook's fate in an extremely calm tone.

Cook's Aura surged explosively, and like a cheetah, he pounced on Law, whom he identified as his prey, with killing intent.

The conjured scalpel, which could easily cut through Aura, stabbed towards Law's carotid artery like the fangs of a serpent's fang.

'I can see it.'

The Aura gathered in his eyes allowed Law to see Cook's movements clearly.

As the scalpel thrust toward him, Law jumped to the right and narrowly avoided the stab. At the same time, he did not counterattack immediately after dodging, but carefully kept his distance, while his mind kept racing.

'Death from excessive blood loss...'

'A scalpel conjured from imagination, born of a fixation on dissecting humans...'

'An attack targeting the carotid artery...'

'An overconfident, casual approach to opponents...'

These four factors formed based on the other party's words and deeds are combined together in Law's mind, and finally formed into a single realization, which is also the key to victory.

'I can win!'

At this moment, even if the opponent's Nen Ability was much stronger than his, Law had full confidence that he could defeat Cook.

Cook was surprised when the stab that was sure to succeed missed. What surprised him even more was that this inexperienced hadn't seized the opportunity to counterattack after his attack missed.

'Is this growth… or sheer coincidence?'

Halting his forward momentum, Cook stood up straight, and looked coldly at Law, who was now dozens of meters away from him.

When he realized that his attack had failed, Cook had deliberately left a large opening, hoping to bait Law into a trap, but he did not expect Law to let go of this rare opportunity without hesitation.

Cook had a vague sense that something about Law had changed, but the feeling was vague and could not be clearly defined.

However, his Nen Ability granted him an overwhelming advantage, so Cook does not think there is any risk in facing Law.

What kind of trouble can a little brat who can only use Ten and use half-baked Ren cause? As long as he maintains his Ten, Cook knew the little brat can't hurt him at all.

…

Author's Note:

[Resistance is Futile]

Type: Conjuration

Description: Influenced by an obsession with human anatomy and dissection, this ability creates a scalpel specifically designed to incapacitate and kill humans.

The form is a common scalpel on an operating table, which can easily cut through Aura-based defenses, ignoring both physical and Nen-based resistance. It is a conjured scalpel with the significant advantage of 'absolute sharpness'.

Disadvantage 1: The scalpel's blade and cutting surface are small, limiting its range and impact.

Disadvantage 2: It's only effective in the user's dominant hand, reducing flexibility.

Disadvantage 3: The absolutely sharp feature is limited to humans and has no effect on creatures other than humans. Even Nen Beasts are not within the target range.