Chapter 157: Developing Believers from Scratch x Roy Appears at the Hashira Meeting
A well-deserved reputation.
"Killing is never the goal; it is merely a means to solidify one's reputation."
When people mention "assassins," they think of "Zoldyck," they think of the "World's Number One Family of Assassins"... Using "fame" as a way to "gather Faith"... Roy gradually understood. Anyone who leaves a "name" in this world is subtly nourished by "Faith."
Just like Netero founding the "Shingen-Ryu" school... the Spiders committing high-profile crimes to be designated as a Class-A bounty group... even Ging creating Greed Island might have had similar intentions.
"I understand." His doubts cleared, Roy's brow smoothed, and he bowed.
Maha waved his hand.
Roy turned and walked away, bathed in sunlight, leaving a long shadow in the mottled corridor.
Tap... tap...
As his footsteps faded into the distance, a leisurely voice drifted on the wind, catching up to the boy. "Page seventeen of the book. It has what you're looking for."
Roy paused, then started walking again, exiting the main gate and heading straight for the mountain forest.
Deep in Kukuroo Mountain, by a pool of water.
The young butler had been waiting, blade in arms, for half a day.
At a certain moment, he pushed up his gold-rimmed glasses and respectfully said, "Young Master."
Roy walked over, crunching on fallen leaves. He looked Gotoh up and down, staring at him deeply... which made Gotoh slightly uncomfortable.
Flustered, Gotoh wondered what the Young Master's stare meant. Did I do something recently... that dissatisfied the Young Master? His heart began to race with anxiety.
Fortunately, before he could overthink it, Roy withdrew his gaze. Seeing the shimmering light on the water under the sun, Roy reached out, conjured his training blade, picked up a stream of water, and began to demonstrate the "Water Breathing."
"Watch closely."
Water light and sword light flashed in the depths of Kukuroo Mountain. Gotoh took a light breath, coated his eyes with a layer of "Nen," and activated Gyo, focusing intently on capturing Roy's movements. Soon...
From "Water Wheel" to "Twisting Whirlpool" to "Constant Flux"... even Roy's original "Phantasmal Sword: Mirrored Sun Kagerou" were broken down and demonstrated one by one...
Gotoh watched silently. At a certain point, he drew his own blade and began to dance along with Roy, just as he and Tanjiro had once followed Tanjuro in learning the "Hinokami Kagura." Master and servant practiced swordsmanship by the lonely pool deep in the mountains until the sun went down and night fell... only then did they stop.
[Notification: Receiving grace, repaying with life.]
[Detected one "Believer." Please conduct the "Ordination" ceremony immediately to accept him under your command.]
[Believer: Gotoh (Note: Loyalty Overflowing)]
[Physique: 217]
[Aura Output: D+ (9754/10000)]
[Potential Aura: C- (1745/100000)]
Whoosh~ The wind was torn apart as Roy sheathed his sword, blowing past the boy.
Gotoh stopped his movements, placed his right hand over his chest, knelt on one knee, and bowed solemnly. "Thank you for the teaching, Young Master."
Roy heard the panel notification and stared at him blankly. Thoughts swirled in his mind, recalling... that night, the young butler telling him he would be a shooting star guarding his "Sun," even setting a "Vow and Limitation." A warm current surged in his heart, and he instantly realized—Gotoh had been waiting for him all along!
He had long possessed all the conditions to become a devout believer... It wasn't until Roy learned of "Believers" and "Faith Power" through "Cognition" that the "Believer Panel" was automatically activated.
"Young Master... you don't need to look for me. I will become ash on my own." The butler's gentle smile from that night was still vivid in his mind. Roy snapped back to reality, raised his hand, and tapped the training blade on Gotoh's left and right shoulders. He asked gently, "Gotoh, will you follow me forever?"
"I could ask for nothing more." The young butler looked up. "You jest, Young Master. Unless you cast me aside, I am yours."
[Notification: "Ordination" ceremony complete.]
[Believer "Gotoh" bound.]
[Faith Power: 1 point.]
It appeared... the same category that was on the Sandworm's panel.
Roy's eyes flickered. He gently patted Gotoh's shoulder. "Rise."
"Yes, sir."
The young butler stood up, holding his sword. He glanced at the sky and followed Roy out of the forest to prepare dinner.
"Breathing Styles don't necessarily require a sword. I asked you to use a sword just to get familiar with the rhythm. Once you've mastered it, you should stick to your own habits. Use 'coins' if you must; don't go against your own 'Nen Type'..."
The Young Master's orders will be carried out. Gotoh thought, reappearing later pushing a food cart into Roy's bedroom.
Early spring nights came early. By 7 PM, it was pitch black.
The room was lit. The boy sat at the dining table, reading the Record of the West Continent. Gotoh, seeing this, didn't make a sound, afraid to disturb Roy. He placed the dinner before him lightly.
Tonight's dinner was a beef burger with seasonal vegetable salad, plus the obligatory milk... aiming for nutritional balance.
Roy took a bite of the burger without looking up. As he ate, he spread the book on the table, turning to the page Maha had mentioned, reading carefully. The first thing he saw was a line of small text...
"On the Correlation between 'Nen Abilities' and 'Faith'"
[As I mentioned before, [Gods] feed on [Faith]. [Faith] makes Them exceptionally powerful.]
[According to our understanding of "Nen Abilities" as outcasts, we usually develop our own Nen step by step through the inherent process of [Ten], [Zetsu], [Ren], and [Hatsu]. The concept always remains on excavating our own [Self].]
[But [Gods] are different. Or rather, [Gods] and the [Believers] who worship Them are different from us outcasts. They can use [Faith] to pry open [Nature's Authority], thereby mobilizing the "Power of Nature" to aid them in battle.]
[On my eighth day in the Dark Continent, I infiltrated the Duchy of Samir, which worships the [Storm]. I had the privilege of witnessing how the believers of [Storm] fight...]
[Internally, they are divided into different [Classes] in a pyramid structure. By consuming [Holy Water] made from magical beast materials compatible with nature and mixed with Faith, they pry open [Nature's Authority] and gain [Divine Power] enhancements. They are several times stronger than "Nen users" of the same rank who have not consumed [Holy Water]...]
[Regarding [Nature's Authority]... for [Class Holders] who have consumed [Holy Water], they can generally apply [Nature's Authority] to themselves in two ways...]
[One: Directly mobilizing the [Power of Nature] to attack others. I once saw an "Emitter" belonging to [Storm] mobilize the [Wind] to accelerate their "Nen bullets"...]
[Two: Assimilating the [Power of Nature] into oneself. For example, the same "Emitter" could also consume the [Wind] to temporarily increase their "Aura Quantity," thereby increasing their "Nen Output"...]
[Because we have been cut off from the Dark Continent for too long, most of us passively follow the second method. That is... some famous Nen users, without knowing the information, passively consume "Fame" or "Faith," which is why their strength far exceeds others...]
Chew... chew... Roy ate his burger, engrossed. Thinking of [Nature's Authority], a phrase automatically popped into his mind: Fighting against heaven is endless joy!
Using Faith, through a medium of a "Magical Beast most compatible with a certain part of Nature's Authority," to pry open "Nature's Authority"... this might be the true face of a [God]!
So... what did Great-Great-Grandfather mean by telling me to read this page?
Roy looked to the end of the page...
[Therefore, after knowing all this, I suddenly realized that only a [God] can fight a [God]. Since He, [Storm], can become a [God] through Faith, why can't I?]
[He steals Nature's authority, I steal His authority. We're all thieves, so what right does He have to hunt me down?]
[I refuse to accept it!!!]
Okay... Roy instantly understood why the [Unknown Existence] was targeting him... It turned out Grandpa Zzigg was starting a revolution in someone else's Divine Kingdom. Who could tolerate that?
A certain fruit farmer (Hisoka) didn't lie; "Conjurers" are all a bit... nutty!
Reaching the bottom of the page, Roy nearly choked on his burger. He grabbed the milk, gulped it down, and exhaled, momentarily speechless.
Gotoh handed him a napkin at just the right moment. Roy took it, closed the book, and wiped his mouth slowly. He leaned back in his chair, staring blankly at the night outside the window. He understood... what Maha meant.
The old man was telling him the origin of the [Curse], and... how to fight the [Curse]. That was...
Borrowing Grandpa Zzigg's words: [Only a [God] can fight a [God].]
"From now on, I must also develop believers, build my own Divine Kingdom, and establish a 'Monotheistic' nation!"
What to believe in?
The boy lifted his chin slightly, looking at the high-hanging moon, waiting only for the dark night to pass and the red sun to leap forth. The corners of his mouth turned up. He had his answer.
Creeak~ After dinner, Gotoh pushed the cart out and closed the door for Roy.
"Caw!" Goldie spread its wings. After Roy recovered some Nen, it also enjoyed a "Beef Burger." Belly round and bulging, it flapped its wings and flopped onto the soft bed, clutching its stomach and panting...
Reminding Roy it was time to sleep.
Dong~ The wooden grandfather clock in the corner chimed the hour.
Roy rubbed his temples. Remembering that Giyu Tomioka had sent a crow to summon him for a meeting, he took a quick shower, climbed into bed, and fell asleep immediately... intending to rest in the Cognitive World first, restore his spirit, and then go.
Soon, the boy entered dreamland.
As usual, he passed through the multicolored dream tunnel, arrived at the familiar Sea of Cognition, stripped off his shirt and shoes, and swam vigorously in the sea for an hour. Having adjusted his spirit to its peak, he dressed, reached out, and pushed open the "Demon Slayer" gate.
The familiar sensation of falling...
[Notification: "Life Energy" +2 +3 +2 +2...]
Roy returned to the Demon Slayer world. Unhurriedly following the crow, he dispatched a few demons along the way and arrived at a valley hidden by wisteria flowers.
The valley wasn't large; in fact, it was quite small and obscure... In the original story, its specific name wasn't even mentioned. As he approached... following the crow's flight, a figure appeared on a thick wisteria tree at the entrance.
Half his face covered, wearing the Demon Slayer Corps uniform, a black hood on his head, and a black and white mask on his face. He squatted in the tree, seeming to have waited for a long time... seeing a young boy approaching from afar, a training blade at his waist, dressed in white, fiery red hair swaying in the wind, sun-and-mountain earrings dangling, walking slowly.
He immediately pulled a scroll from his chest, opened it, compared the image, jumped down from the tree, and hurried forward to meet him.
"Demon Slayer Corps [Kakushi], by order of the Master, welcome Lord Eiichiro Kamado!"
"Kakushi"... likely the logistics division of the Demon Slayer Corps responsible for cleanup.
"Mm." Roy smiled and nodded at him. "Let's go."
A swamp appeared beneath his feet, and he sank into the ground. When he reappeared, he was already amidst the wisteria flowers...
"This..." Murakami Kenya opened his mouth, stunned for a long moment, then shouted frantically, "Lord Eiichiro, slow down... Without me leading the way, you won't find the Master's estate!"
However, the boy took seven turns and eight bends, and every time he appeared, he was at the correct fork in the road... He seemed even more familiar with the route than this "liaison officer" responsible for the Ubuyashiki family's external contacts... It was like seeing a ghost!
En: Can locate others through "aura"... [Hashira], like [Demons], the stronger they are, the thicker the "aura" they emit...
In just a few breaths, the swamp surfaced outside a secluded courtyard.
The boy appeared, followed by the panting Murakami Kenya who was chasing relentlessly. He looked ahead... Above the courtyard, nine different colored auras floated majestically...
Quiet "White"... Lively "Pink"... Calculating "Black"... Irritable "Red"... Innocent "Gray"... Gentle "Green". Diverse and varied, as colorful as could be. And yet...
Except for two of them, they all contained a unified tinge of "skeptical" "Blue"...
Clearly, regarding Kagaya Ubuyashiki convening the "Hashira Meeting" and exceptionally inviting a "Non-Hashira"... there was both doubt and curiosity.
"Huff... huff..." Murakami Kenya finally caught up, shouting at the top of his lungs, "Lord Eiichiro Kamado has arrived!"
Creeak~ The double wooden doors opened... Dozens of gazes instantly shot towards him...
The boy wore a faint smile. He took a step forward, a swamp appearing beneath his feet. When he reappeared, training blade in hand, he was already in the courtyard. He looked up... and saw the other "Hashira" besides Giyu Tomioka and Gyomei Himejima...
Flame Hashira, Kyojuro Rengoku... Sound Hashira, Tengen Uzui... Mist Hashira, Muichiro Tokito... Love Hashira, Mitsuri Kanroji... Serpent Hashira, Obanai Iguro... Wind Hashira, Sanemi Shinazugawa, and... Insect Hashira, Shinobu Kocho...
"He's so handsome!" A pair of sparkling green eyes reflected the image of Roy suddenly popping out of the ground. The Love Hashira blurted out.
Immediately, Roy felt a wave of hostility lock onto him... coming from Obanai Iguro, who was perched in a pine tree in the courtyard!
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