Chapter 148: A Glimpse of Maha's Nen x "Clone" and "Swamp"
The "Testing Gate" can be said to be the symbol of the Zoldyck family's belief in [Absolute Power].
In the original story, Gon, Kurapika, and Leorio had to train with Zebro for days, exerting every ounce of their strength, just to push open a single gate. That alone shows its difficulty.
Whoosh! The wind from Roy's palm brushed past Illumi's cheek. My foolish, dear little brother stood alone, his back to the wide-open gates.
Roy withdrew his hand, shoved it casually into his pocket, and walked past him without a word.
"Follow me," Gotoh bowed respectfully to the vacant-eyed boy, who was lost in thought, then pulled Kurapika along, leading her towards the butlers' quarters.
BOOM! Without the force holding them, the "Testing Gates" slammed shut.
It separated the two brothers into two different worlds, inside and outside the gate.
Zebro watched from the side, shaking his head. That morning, he'd heard a segment on the radio discussing family dynamics. It said that having a powerful father or older brother is certainly a good thing, but it also means the younger siblings are destined to be overshadowed from birth.
What was that saying again? Zebro rubbed his receding hairline. Ah, yes... "To enjoy the shade of a great tree is also to be destined to live in its shadow..."
Whoosh... The early spring mountain wind was still cold.
Illumi's empty eyes finally seemed to regain focus. He turned, pushed open the first Testing Gate—not forcing himself further—and followed.
"Young Master... Young Master..."
At the foot of the long stone staircase leading to the summit, Kastro, his white hair now shoulder-length, saw Roy and Illumi approaching, one after the other, keeping their distance.
He bowed to both of them.
After not seeing him for a while, the boy had gotten darker and stronger, weathered by the wind and frost of guarding the mountain. But Kastro looked full of vigor, his eyes burning with fighting spirit as he looked past Roy!
"Young Master, I've gotten stronger," Kastro said, lifting his chin and looking at Roy seriously. "Please bear witness. Today, I will defeat Butler Gotoh right here!"
Illumi, walking a step behind Roy, raised an eyebrow. Roy leaned on his cane sword. Even standing one step lower than Kastro, he was a head taller. In fact, even if he stood lower still, he would seem taller. He didn't stop walking, just smiled and patted Kastro's shoulder as he brushed past him, continuing up the mountain.
Tap... tap... His footsteps faded on the wind.
Illumi glanced at Kastro, who was frozen in place, then followed Roy. My foolish, dear little brother seemed to have finally found a "sore spot" to poke at his big brother. He quickened his pace to walk shoulder-to-shoulder with Roy. "I told you not to bring random people home. You didn't listen."
Roy remained silent.
Illumi glanced at him. "Now there's infighting. You brought this on yourself."
Roy ignored him, as if he hadn't heard.
Illumi continued, "Father said an assassin acts alone. Bringing one extra person adds one extra risk. This situation is your responsibility."
Tap. They reached the final step, the centuries-old Zoldyck castle looming before them.
Roy finally stopped. He turned his head, looking at Illumi. He pointed a finger at the large willow tree in the garden and said calmly, "I'll give you two choices... Hang yourself up there, or..."
The boy gently tapped his cane sword on the ground, as if tapping directly on Illumi's heart. He narrowed his eyes. "...I'll hang you up there myself!"
Illumi: "..."
He stuck out his neck, glaring at Roy. After a staring contest, he turned and walked towards the willow tree.
He walked past Luke, past Kikyo, past Silva, past... Milluki, who was lying on the ground, belly exposed, catching his breath after a shock session. Illumi kicked Milluki over, leaped into the tree, hooked his feet over a branch, and hung upside down.
The little butler massaging Milluki cried out in panic, "Young Master Milluki!"
The quiet garden instantly descended into chaos.
Luke buried his head like an ostrich. Kikyo stroked her belly, eyes only for the child within, oblivious to everything else.
Only Silva looked across the "chaos" at Roy.
Father and son watched each other quietly for a moment, then went their separate ways.
"Tomorrow morning at eight. I'll be waiting for you in the training room," Silva said as he supported Kikyo on her walk.
Roy expressionlessly said nothing and headed straight for his bedroom.
He entered the main door, rounded the corner, walked down the long corridor, and paused. Looking ahead, he saw a thin, withered figure sitting quietly by the window, sunbathing.
Roy took a deep breath, quickened his pace, and bowed respectfully when he reached him. "Great-Great-Grandfather."
"Mm... you're back?"
"I'm back."
"Hand."
Roy obediently held out the back of his hand.
The "curse," counting down the seconds of his life, was exposed. Maha grabbed his hand!
Suddenly... Roy, in a trance, seemed to see a giant wreathed in black lightning, holding a storm hammer, wearing cloud-treading boots, with a face like a green-skinned demon and terrifying tusks. Its mouth opened and closed, exhaling clouds and mist. It aimed at the "curse" and, carrying boundless thunder, struck down with the hammer!
"SHATTER!"
CLANG!
The world shattered.
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.
"Scared?" Maha asked softly after a long while.
"Scared," Roy answered truthfully.
It was like having a time bomb strapped to his head, knowing it would definitely explode. The closer the time came, the more terrifying it was.
But misery loves company. The boy smiled, a relieved look on his face. "I'm scared, but It should be scared too. Otherwise..."
"Wouldn't my fear be for nothing?"
Roy looked at Maha with a carefree expression. "Don't laugh at me, Great-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 stab It once, I'll stab It a hundred times, a thousand times, ten thousand times... until..."
"I chop It into meat paste!"
"By then, I imagine It will be scared."
"Hmph..." Maha listened quietly, surprisingly not contradicting Roy. He released his hand and looked out the window at the bright sunlight. "Your grandfather says your ambition is big. 'God-Slayer Hunter'... this old man thinks... it's a good title!"
He narrowed his old eyes and let out a sharp laugh. "What? A god is allowed to bully my grandson, but my grandson isn't allowed to chop off Its head?"
"There's no such logic!"
"So, Great-Great-Grandfather, you agree to let me go to the Dark Continent?"
"When did I agree?" Maha glared at him. "If you dare go, this old man will go up there, break Its legs, then come back and break yours!"
Roy: "..."
He was momentarily speechless. He shrugged and looked out the window. The man supporting Kikyo occasionally glanced their way. Roy gave a self-deprecating laugh. "Maybe you won't even need to lift a finger, Great-Great-Grandfather."
"Don't blame your father. He's just a block of wood. Hitting you is his way of loving you." Maha clasped his hands behind his back and bounced on his heels. "Back in the day, I beat your Grandpa Zzigg much harder than he beats you..."
True. He almost beat Zzigg to death under that tree...
"Hitting is affection, scolding is love. Our family doesn't play those 'civilized' games. Physical action is simpler."
Just like Illumi sticking needles in Killua's brain, or Milluki hanging him up and whipping him?
The apple doesn't fall far from the tree. Family traditions start at the root... Roy looked at Maha speechlessly and joked, "You're right, Great-Great-Grandfather. Actually..."
"I love Father too. Since you said so, tomorrow I'll beat him to death!"
Maha shot him a skeptical look. "Can you beat him?"
Roy rested his hand on his cane sword and answered truthfully, "No... but,"
The boy narrowed his eyes. "If he thinks he can knock me down with three whips like last time, it won't be that easy!"
"Caw!" Goldie spread its wings, cheering for Roy!
Maha finally seemed to notice the bird. He chuckled and turned his head toward Silva. "Did you hear that? Tomorrow, whip him hard!"
The old man's voice wasn't loud, but carried by Nen, it traveled far. Silva's calm gaze fell on Roy, and he nodded silently.
Roy: "..."
He turned and walked away, disappearing in an instant.
"Heh heh heh..." An aged laugh echoed faintly, carrying a hint of relief and reassurance.
The sunlight outlined the boy's figure in a halo of light.
Roy "feigned anger," taking three steps in two to return to his bedroom. He tossed his cane sword, landing it perfectly next to Snow-Walker on the rack.
Without taking off his clothes, he lay down on the soft bed.
Relaxing his mind, he conjured the scroll of "intelligence" Kagaya Ubuyashiki had provided and began to read.
He found a few demons, lingering on one in particular. He decided to take a nap before lunch to shake off the fatigue of travel, and... collect another wave of "Life Energy" before 8 AM tomorrow.
Hss... yah... Soon, soft snores were heard.
Roy closed his eyes, covering his face with the scroll, and fell into a deep sleep. He quickly passed through the multicolored dream tunnel, arrived at the familiar Sea of Cognition, didn't stop, and pushed open the "Demon Slayer" gate.
[Notification: "Life Energy" +3 +4 +2 +5...]
One, two, three, four. With the intel in hand, plus En to locate the demons...
Two nights passed, and Roy easily slew four demons. With a little time left before dawn, he arrived at a town about fifty miles northwest of Sagiri Mountain. In the original story, this was where Tanjiro encountered his first demon after passing the Final Selection—
The "Swamp Demon" was wreaking havoc!
The "Swamp Demon," also known as the "Split Demon," could use "swamps" to traverse "space" and kidnap young girls to eat. In battle, it could split into three bodies to fight together.
This was Roy's primary target for this trip.
"Split bodies" plus "spatial swamp"... With the "Hand Demon" dropping "Limb Regeneration," Roy, alone in the deep night, walked down the deserted streets of the town. Suddenly, he stopped, smelling the nauseating scent of "demon"!
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