The Buddha said: All living beings transmigrate through the "six realms," also known as the [Six Paths] or [Six Destinies], which are divided into....
[Hell Realm]... [Hungry Ghost Realm]... [Animal Realm]... [Human Realm]... [Deva Realm] and... [Asura Realm]!
The [Asura] are those without heaven, without earth, without restraint, without bonds, yet lacking in heavenly virtue. They have green faces and bared fangs. By nature, they are often wrathful and fond of conflict. They reside on Mount Sumeru, or are scattered by the seaside, or lurk beneath the sea. They are born from cultivating the ten good deeds in past lives, but having overwhelmingly strong habits of anger, arrogance, and doubt... Their most notable feature is—
Multiple arms!
"You didn't know this either?"
In the corridor, by the window eaves.
Maha looked dangerously at Zeno. Multi-armed Asura, the Hundred-Type Guanyin, the heart-source of Buddhism... The moment Roy revealed his four arms, Maha immediately thought of Isaac Netero. It just so happened that the kid had just returned from the Hunter Exam. To say... that damned bastard hadn't contacted the kid, or even said something to him... He, Maha, wouldn't believe it!
A bead of sweat labeled 'Wronged!' dripped from Zeno's forehead. He opened his mouth, wanting to say he really didn't know beforehand. But, as soon as he met the old man's gaze, he simply shut his mouth. He knew deep down... no matter what else he said, the old man wouldn't believe him anymore. He was also muttering to himself... 'Did Isaac Netero really tell Roy something he shouldn't have?'
His white hair flared, and Zeno suddenly recalled the joke Isaac Netero had made time and time again... "How about you let me adopt Roy?"
His heart couldn't help but freeze!
He blurted out, "Grandfather, it must be Isaac Netero's doing!"
'As expected...' "I knew it!" Maha snorted noncommittally. "We'll just watch for now. Later... I'll settle the score with him!"
"Hoo-la~" Three swords in hand!
[Scorching True Intent] combined with [Ken] enveloped the blades... "Yukibashiri" and "Staff-Sword" turned red, ignited, and blazed with a surging, fiery light. The edges of the blades slowly began to shift toward a terrifying "white." The "Short-hilt" was held lightly in Roy's third hand, overflowing with a glistening watery light, tranquil and peaceful, the complete opposite of the "fire's" tyranny...
It was inexplicably bizarre, yet looked strangely harmonious... giving people an indescribable feeling.
"Is this your trump card?"
"Pa~" Silva's whip lashed out. Roy's free hand manipulated the magnetic field, forming a [Magnetic Field Shield] to temporarily block it. Then... the battle was as if the "fast-forward" button had been pressed, instantly shifting into the "fast lane"!
"Sun Breathing · First Form · Round Dance... Eighth Form · Flying Wheel Kagerou... Water Breathing · Third Form · Flowing Dance... Seventh Form · Drop Ripple Thrust...."
With three swords in hand, Roy no longer restricted himself to one breathing style. Instead, he directly activated both "Water" and "Sun" breathing styles, frantically hacking and slashing at Silva!
Flames... watery light... they merged into one, sweeping down like a flood... "Water" and "fire," originally incompatible, were now coexisting in opposition and unity. Reflected in Illumi's empty, vacant pupils, the foolish little brother watched the "whip's shadow" and the "blades' light" crazily intertwine.....
He unconsciously swallowed. For a moment, even using [Gyo] couldn't keep up with Silva's and Roy's speed!
Fast!
Even faster!
Roy attacked with three arms, leaving the fourth free to control the magnetic field. Sometimes attracting, sometimes repelling, he disrupted Silva's offensive rhythm. With his mind split four ways... he gradually descended into a battle frenzy!
'Impressive swordsmanship, wildly imaginative ideas, and supported by four arms...'
Silva dealt with the youth's attacks unhurriedly, his eyes filled with admiration. His mouth, however, was as cold as a block of ice, his words belying his heart as he said indifferently, "If this is your trump card, then it ends here today!"
"Nen," fully released!
"Boom!" A loud explosion, as if something had detonated in Roy's mind!
A warning flared in the youth's heart. His swords paused. Silva seized the opportunity, and one whip sent him flying backward. While still in mid-air, he locked onto Silva below... The man's silver hair, which hung to his waist, flew upward, and his entire body was filled with a savage and tyrannical Nen aura. In that instant, his presence—
Suddenly climbed, and erupted forth!
Enhancement and Emission types weren't like Conjuration, Transmutation, or Manipulation, which were fond of so many flashy things... Silva's whip sending Roy flying was all about the "beauty of stats"!
"My power is greater than yours,"
"My aura amount is greater than yours,"
"My understanding of Nen is also greater than yours,"
"So, son, tell me... how can I possibly lose?"
Unless... a [Mechanics Kill]!
"Heh heh heh... Zeno, what do you think would happen if I whipped him three times?" Maha glanced at Silva, then at Roy, who had been sent flying and had just crashed to the ground. For some reason, the two hands behind his back were getting a little... itchy.
Zeno: "..."
"..."
He lowered his head, mimicking Silva's words, "Grandfather's power is greater than his, and his aura amount is also greater than his, so... if you really want to fight Silva, I also don't know how you could possibly lose..."
"Tsk~" The old man smacked his lips, seeming to enjoy that... He focused his voice into a line, as if speaking to Silva, or perhaps to Zeno, or even to... the disheveled Roy climbing up from the ground, saying mysteriously, "There's a reason for 'the great path is simple'... Techniques are like life. You don't add, you subtract...."
'Subtract anxiety, subtract internal friction, subtract unnecessary relationships, focus on the matter at hand, the person before you, and pursue the ultimate "specialization"... Is Great-Grandfather telling me to simplify?'
The web of his hand had been split open by Silva's last whip. Blood dripped "tick... tick....." down his skin onto the ground... Roy leaned on his staff-sword, panting heavily, his brow furrowed. He chewed over Maha's words repeatedly, and a realization struck... he suddenly remembered what he had once...
Said when teaching him "how to blend with nature": "Learn, imitate, then create, and walk your own path..."
He slowly realized his own problem!
'I... have nothing of my own!'
'The "Breathing Styles" are borrowed from Demon Slayer, [Magnetism] is borrowed from Meritonio's Nen ability "Iron-Stained Bipolarity," the "four arms" are from the Hand Demon, the "swamp space" is from the Clone Demon, [Deception] is from the "Man-Faced Ape"....'
'I have too many, too many techniques, and I'll have even more in the future... When that time comes, which one should I use? Or... will I fall into a "paralysis of choice," and because I don't know which technique to use, my enemy will seize the initiative and force me into a dead end?'
'Subtract... I must "subtract"....'
His furrowed brow relaxed, and his heavy breathing gradually stabilized. Roy took a deep breath, looking up at the sky... His eyes brightened. He had an answer.
Fusion!
I must fuse these various, cumbersome "techniques" together!
Simplify!
'Why not...'
'Start with the most familiar [Magnetism] and [Sword]!'
'The tiger in my heart sniffs the rose, and not seeing is its own kind of fortune...' Roy's form shifted, reverting to his original appearance, and the extra arms at his ribs retracted. He simply tossed away the Staff-Sword and Short-hilt, letting them stick into the ground in front of him. He held only "Yukibashiri," sinking into the most basic "Iai" stance... His feet spread into a lunge, sword resting at his waist. At a certain moment, he lightly closed his eyes...
He converted all of his "Nen" into "magnetism," forming [Ken] and adhering it to the blade. He drew the sword violently, slashing toward the sky!
Then, he swiftly sheathed the blade....
He said softly, "[Gravity Blade · Rising Dragon]."
In broad daylight, a purple magnetic force transformed into a giant dragon, baring its fangs and claws as it soared into the sky. It broke through the atmosphere, snatched a meteorite in its maw, and turned to dive straight back down...