The Testing Gate could be said to be a symbol of the Zoldyck family's belief in [Absolute Strength].
In the future, in the original story, the trio of Gon, Kurapika, and Leorio would expend enormous effort and still only manage to open the first gate after several days of special training with Zebro's help. That alone showed its difficulty.
"Whoosh!" The force of the palm strike flew past Illumi's cheek. The boy stood alone, his back to the wide-open gate.
Roy retracted his hand, casually stuck it in his pocket, and walked straight past him.
"You, come with me." Gotoh bowed respectfully to the boy, whose eyes were vacant as if lost in thought. He then pulled Kurajing along, leading her toward the butler's villa on the side.
"Boom!" The Testing Gate, no longer held open by force, slammed shut heavily.
It instantly separated the two brothers, one inside and one outside, into two different worlds.
Zebro watched from the side, shaking his head secretly. Just this morning, he had heard a casual bit of gossip on the radio. It said that having a powerful elder or older brother in the family was certainly a good thing, but it also meant that the younger generation or siblings were inherently "shorter" by a head.
How did that saying go? Zebro rubbed his receding hairline, and then he remembered.
'While they enjoy the protection of their elders' legacy, they are also destined to live forever in the shadow of their elders.'
"Whoosh!" The early spring mountain breeze was still a bit cold.
Illumi's hollow eyes finally seemed to regain their focus. He turned, pushed open the Testing Gate, and followed. This time, he only opened one gate... no longer trying to force it.
"Young Master... Young Master."
At the foot of the stone steps leading straight to the summit, Kastro, with his white hair draped over his shoulders, noticed Roy and Illumi arriving one after the other. They walked on opposite sides, clearly distinct.
He bowed to both of them.
Having not seen him for some time, the young man was tanner and stronger. Guarding the mountain daily, he had been weathered by the wind and frost. Yet, Kastro looked full of life and vigor. His eyes, burning with fighting spirit, looked past Roy.
"Young Master, I've gotten stronger," Kastro said, his chin slightly raised, looking at Roy earnestly. "Please be my witness. Today, here, I will defeat Butler Gotoh!"
Illumi, a step behind Roy, raised an eyebrow. Roy leaned on his cane sword. Even though he was one step lower than Kastro, he was still a head taller; even looking down, he seemed taller. He didn't stop walking, merely laughing as he patted Kastro's shoulder and brushed past him, heading for the summit.
"Tap... tap..." The sound of footsteps, carried by the wind, gradually faded into the distance.
Illumi glanced at Kastro, who was frozen in place, then lifted his foot to follow. The foolish little brother finally seemed to have grasped his big brother's "sore spot." He quickened his pace to walk shoulder-to-shoulder with him. "I told you not to bring people back randomly. You didn't listen."
Roy remained silent.
Illumi glanced at him. "Now there's internal conflict. You brought this on yourself."
Roy didn't look at him, as if he hadn't heard.
Illumi: "Father said assassins must act alone. One extra person means one extra risk. This situation is your responsibility."
"Tap..." He stepped onto the last stone stair. The Zoldyck family's ancient castle, passed down for hundreds of years, came into view.
Roy finally stopped. He had time to turn his head and glance at Illumi. He pointed to the large willow tree in the garden and said calmly, "Two choices. Hang yourself up there, or..."
The boy lightly tapped his cane sword on the ground, a motion that seemed to strike Illumi's heart. He narrowed his eyes. "I'll hang you up there!"
Illumi: "..."
He stiffened his neck, glaring at Roy. They stared at each other for a moment before Illumi lifted his leg and walked toward the willow tree.
He passed Luke, passed Kikyo, passed Silva, passed... Milluki, who was lying on the ground, belly up, recovering from an electric shock. Illumi kicked him over, leaped into the tree, hooked his foot on a branch, and hung upside down.
The young butler giving Milluki a massage shouted in panic, "Young Master Milluki!"
The quiet garden immediately descended into chaos.
Luke buried his head, playing ostrich. Kikyo caressed her belly, her eyes only for the child inside, as if she hadn't noticed.
Only Silva looked at Roy from across the "chaos."
Father and son watched each other quietly for a moment, then walked away.
"Eight o'clock tomorrow morning. I'll be waiting for you in the training hall."
Silva said this while supporting Kikyo on her walk.
Roy was expressionless and said nothing, walking straight toward his bedroom.
He entered the main door, rounded the corner, and entered the long corridor. His footsteps paused. He looked up and saw a shriveled, thin figure sitting quietly by the window, basking in the sun.
The boy took a deep breath, quickened his pace, and approached, greeting him respectfully, "Great-grandfather."
"Hm... you're back?"
"I'm back."
"Show me your hand."
Roy obediently held out the back of his hand.
The "curse," counting down his "lifespan" second by second, appeared, only to be instantly grabbed by Maha!
Then... in a daze, Roy seemed to see a giant wreathed in black lightning, holding a meteor hammer, wearing cloud-stepping boots, with a green face and fangs. With every breath, he inhaled and exhaled clouds. He aimed at the "curse" and, wielding boundless lightning, swung the hammer down!
"Shatter!"
"Clang!"
The world broke apart.
Roy felt the world spin. When he came to, he looked at Maha. The old man was holding his hand, frowning at the mark that was still counting down, lost in thought.
"Are you afraid?" after a long while, the old man asked faintly.
Roy answered honestly, "Yes."
It was like having a time bomb on his head, knowing it would definitely explode. The closer it got, the more afraid he became.
But, joy shared is joy doubled. The boy smiled, relieved. "I'm afraid, so 'It' should be afraid too. Otherwise..."
"Wouldn't I be 'afraid for nothing'?"
Roy looked at Maha with ease. "Don't laugh, Great-grandfather, but I think Its biggest mistake was not killing me instantly. And I..."
"Will absolutely not give It any 'time' or 'opportunity.' If I can kill It with one stab, I'll stab It a hundred times, a thousand times, ten thousand times... until..."
"I've chopped It into mince!"
"By then, It will probably be afraid."
"Hmm..." Maha listened quietly, but surprisingly, he didn't refute Roy. He let go of his hand, looked up at the bright sunlight outside the window, and said faintly, "Your grandfather said you have a big heart, that if you were to be a Hunter, you'd be a [God-Slaying Hunter]. This old man thinks... that title isn't bad!"
He narrowed his old eyes and sneered, "What? 'It' is allowed to bully my grandson, but my grandson isn't allowed to chop off Its head?"
"There's no such logic!"
"Does that mean Great-grandfather agrees to let me go to the Dark Continent?"
"When did I agree?" Maha turned and glared at him. "If you dare to go, this old man will first go up and break Its legs, then come back and break yours!"
Roy: "..."
For a moment, he didn't know what to say. He shrugged and looked out the window. The man was supporting Kikyo on her walk, glancing over here from time to time. Roy gave a self-deprecating laugh. "Perhaps there's no need for Great-grandfather to act."
"Don't blame your father; he's just a block of wood. Even when he hits you, it's out of love." Maha clasped his hands behind his back and rocked slightly. "Back then, I was much harsher when I beat your grandfather Zigg..."
That was true. He had nearly beaten Zigg to death under that tree.
"Beating is affection, scolding is love. Our family doesn't play those 'civilized' games. It's simpler to use our fists."
'Like Illumi sticking a needle in Killua's head, and Milluki hanging him up to be whipped?'
'The upper beam is not straight, so the lower beam is crooked. The family style is like this; you have to look at the 'root'.' Roy looked at Maha speechlessly and said jokingly, "Great-grandfather's lesson is right. Actually..."
"I love Father too. Since you've said so, I'll beat him to death tomorrow!"
Maha glanced over, not believing him. "You can beat him?"
Roy put his hand on his cane sword and said honestly, "I can't... but,"
The boy narrowed his eyes. "If he thinks he can take me down with just three whips like last time, it won't be that easy!"
"Gao!" The Golden Crow spread its wings, cheering Roy on.
Maha finally seemed to notice it and smiled faintly. He turned his head to Silva. "Did you hear that? Tomorrow, whip him hard!"
The old man's voice wasn't loud, but infused with Nen, it traveled far. Silva's calm gaze fell on Roy, and he nodded silently.
Roy: "..."
He turned on his heel and left, disappearing in an instant.
"Ho ho ho..." An old laugh echoed faintly, carrying a trace of relief and reassurance.
At that moment, the sunlight hit the boy, outlining his figure in a halo of light.
Roy, "feigning anger," returned to his bedroom in a few large strides. He tossed his cane sword, and it landed perfectly on the sword rack, right next to Yukibashiri.
Without taking off his clothes, he threw himself onto the large, soft bed.
His mind relaxed, and he materialized the "intelligence" provided by Ubuyashiki Kagaya to look through it.
He looked for a few Demons, his gaze lingering on one in particular. He planned to take a nap before lunch to recover from the fatigue of the journey and... while he was at it, gather another wave of "life energy" before eight o'tomo morning.
"Sss... yah..." Soon, faint snoring could be heard.
Roy closed his eyes, covering his face with the scroll, and fell into a deep sleep. Soon, he passed through the colorful dream passage, arrived at the familiar Sea of Cognition, and, without pausing, pushed open the "Demon Slayer" gate and walked in.
[Notification: "Life Energy" +3 +4 +2 +5...]
One, two, three, four. With intelligence in hand, coupled with using [En] to capture the Demons' locations...
Two nights passed. Roy easily slew four Demons. Taking advantage of the little time left, he arrived at... a town about fifty li northwest of Sagiri Mountain, the place where the first Demon Tanjiro encountered after the Final Selection—
The "Clone Demon"—was wreaking havoc!
The "Clone Demon," also known as the "Swamp Demon," could "Teleport" through "Swamps" to capture young girls to eat. When fighting, it would split into three to fight together.
This was precisely Roy's most "cared for" target for this trip.
"Clones" plus "Space Swamp"... With the Hand Demon having dropped "Arm Regeneration" before, Roy walked alone in the dead of night through the town's empty streets. At a certain moment, he stopped, smelling a nauseating "Demon" stench!