Chapter 180 Blocking

The beautiful woman walked out of the dust cloud holding the harp, but she was untouched by the swirling debris.

The woman had short, neat black hair, with strands at her forehead and ears neatly pulled back and secured by a small silver ring. Her delicate face was adorned with thin, arched eyebrows, and a crimson mandala flower was drawn at the center of her smooth forehead.

She wore a white silk long-sleeved inner garment, with intricate embroidery of a red flower near the cuffs. Over it, she donned a sleeveless, form-fitting red tunic, with an embroidered red bird with outstretched wings across the chest.

A wide sash cinched her slender waist, and a flowing red pleated skirt adorned her lower body.

The woman stood still with her eyes closed and lips gently pressed together. Her skin was deathly pale, yet she didn't exude weakness. Instead, her short hair gave her an air of sharp elegance.

In her hands, she held a harp made of stone, with reliefs of flowers and plants carved on it. Upon closer inspection, one can see that the reliefs are exquisite and vivid.

The group looked at the woman walking out of the palace with different reactions. Their eyes first lingered on the woman's beautiful face for a moment, then swept across the rare stone harp, and finally fell on the gem pendant hanging on the woman's chest.

A fine blue gemstone bead was threaded through a silver cord, connected to a silver clasp shaped like an ancient bird totem. Below it, a diamond-shaped silver frame engraved with ancient script held a dazzling sapphire.

Upon seeing the appearance of this pendant, the name 'Stargie's Tears' popped up in everyone's mind...

The bird-head totem clasp, the diamond silver frame, and the blue sapphire were three defining characteristics of Stargie's Tear. Anyone searching for it could easily find references online without needing to read ancient texts.

'Why was Stargie's Tear here?'

'And why was it in the possession of this woman?'

'This place is clearly an ancient ruin.'

What they saw and experienced along the way initially overturned Law and the others' belief that this was Stargie's tomb. However, when the woman wearing Stargie's Tears appeared, their idea that this was an ancient ruin was shaken again.

The unique stone harp, the unique style of clothing, and the dazzling gem pendant made Law, who had memorized a lot of information some time ago, feel a chill in his heart.

'This woman with her eyes closed is not a modern person...'

'If this is really Stargie's tomb, and if the only entrance had remained sealed for centuries, then the brittle, long-decayed skeletons we found in the corridor and stairway proved one thing…'

'For hundreds of years, perhaps longer, we were the first visitors here.'

'Then, who is this woman who walked out of the collapsed palace?'

Everyone, not just Law, reached the same chilling conclusion.

'She was a dead person.'

A person who had been dead for who knows how many years, but whose body was preserved so perfectly that she could even walk, hold a heavy stone harp in her hands, play music, and even use Nen!

'Fall back!'

This was the first action taken by everyone after they understood the situation.

As they retreated quickly, they stared at the surging black Nen behind the woman, which formed vague humanoid figure, with a hint of chill.

Atomu, the one responsible for collapsing the palace and drawing her out, retreated faster than anyone else. This behavior contradicted his previous confident words.

His intention of not letting Uncle Bill and the others give up was very obvious now. When facing an unknown enemy, it would only be beneficial to bring more people with him. Even if they were cannon fodder, they could serve a purpose.

This was his plan, and it was quite sinister.

Despite his bulky frame, Atomu moved swiftly, making a beeline for the sealed stone door. As he ran, he kicked down two stone pillars and, with a powerful palm strike, he shattered them mid-air.

Boom!

The two stone pillars broke into several pieces and flew towards the stone door, making a loud noise.

The broken pieces of stone pillars completely blocked the stone door. Now, if they wanted to leave the hall, they had to spend time clearing the remains of the stone pillars.

"Atomu, you…!" Uncle Bill's furious roar echoed through the chamber as the others, who had previously wanted to leave, now wore grim and dark expressions.

Biscuit glanced at the expressionless Atomu and looked relatively calm.

With her strength, no matter what strange things the woman did, she could break through the wall and leave the hall at any time.

However, judging by the thickness of the hall's walls, even if Uncle Bill and the others were uninjured, they didn't have the capability to break through quickly.

Realizing Atomu's intention and the eerie opponent they were about to face, Uncle Bill and the others' expressions grew so gloomy it seemed as if water might drip from them.

"Kill that woman and it will be over."

Atomu, who stood in front of the stone door, used Ren, and abundant Aura surged from his robust physique, exuding a very intimidating presence. This was his true strength.

He believed that his power, physique, and speed surpassed everyone else present, and that he could prevent those present from leaving the hall, thus forcing them to face the undead woman.

If Uncle Bill and the others tried to stall instead of fighting, Atomu still held the absolute advantage, as he could survive until the final moment and then decide his next move accordingly.

His actions blocked Uncle Bill and the others' retreat, leaving them with only two choices: fight and survive, or delay and die.

If Uncle Bill and the others hadn't intended to quit, Atomu would not have done so, but would have hidden himself until the last moment, whether by slacking off or playing along.

Before all obstacles were cleared, he would not deliberately harm anyone, nor would he go out of his way to save anyone.

If they can survive, that's their ability. Since they have the ability, they are qualified to enjoy the spoils.

'So insidious.'

Law quickly saw through Atomu's intention. From the way Atomu broke the stone pillars and destroyed the palace, to his speed faster than anyone else present, and the powerful Aura he exuded when he stood at the stone door, it undoubtedly demonstrated his dominance.

If Law could see through it, then Uncle Bill and the others could too.

Once a Hunter sets their sights on a prey, they will always make full use of available resources, even if it means patiently waiting for the perfect moment.

'Things are getting interesting, but it's also a good opportunity to test that kid's abilities.' Biscuit leisurely stepped back. The mysterious woman, which is wearing ancient clothes, was undeniably the key figure that had pushed the situation to such extremes.

While retreating, Biscuit observed Law's reaction. After seeing that Law was still very calm, her evaluation of him went up another point.

Staying calm is a very important quality, whether in handling situations or during battle.

The sudden turn of events left Uncle Bill and his group unable to stay calm, as their escape route had been cut off, and they did not have the ability like Biscuit to create an escape path for themselves at any time.

In contrast, Law remained composed.

With the comparison, Biscuit felt a little satisfied, but what she didn't know was that, Law's calmness stemmed from his own ability to escape whenever necessary.

In fact, although Law thought that Atomu's actions are insidious, he also didn't want Uncle Bill and the others to back down. Having more people means having advantages. On this point, he agreed with Atomu.

However, Law would not use force to make Uncle Bill and the others stay, unlike Atomu, who had left no room for choice.

Because of this, Law wouldn't use God Hand to break Atomu's setup.

"Atomu, you are really good at hiding yourself!"

Uncle Bill gritted his teeth, then gathered with Aya and the others in a defensive position. They moved away from both the eerie woman and Atomu, stopping in a strategic location before activating his Nen Ability, Hacker's Methods.

His Nen Ability wasn't intended for the undead woman, but was aimed at Atomu.

Seeing this, Atomu just smiled coldly.

At the same time, the woman, who walked out of the palace, slowly opened her eyes, revealing flawless blue pupils.

Instead of black Nen, a crystalline, radiant glow flickered within her gaze, which was extremely beautiful.

Unfortunately, those sapphire eyes looked empty and lifeless.

She is indeed... a dead person.

She retained an otherworldly beauty, yet it was accompanied by an undeniable flaw, the absence of life.

After the woman opened her eyes, her slender fingers swiftly plucked the harp strings, and a descending glissando filled the hall, resonating with an unsettling melody.

Sound of Seven Verses: Forming, Glissando!

The black Nen behind her surged, splitting into seven humanoid figures formed entirely of black Nen.