Chapter 178: The Zoldycks Assemble x The Sun in the Heart
"Vanessa Siren... Kohler Spencer..."
Roy lay on his bed, replaying the dream, silently committing these two names to memory. In his mind, he pictured the dog and the snake-person—humanoid magical beasts different from humans, yet possessing partial human characteristics. He couldn't help but think of the Chimera Ants...
Besides the Queen, the Royal Guards (Youpi, Neferpitou, Shaiapouf), and many Squadron Leaders including Meruem himself, possessed humanoid traits like Vanessa and Kohler. They were... Intelligent Species!
And they all had the potential to become Believers!
Unfortunately... [Generalized Dream Gate] was limited by his own aura quantity and couldn't be opened frequently. The number of people he could pull in was currently limited to two... So, to hold a formal ordination ceremony for Vanessa and Old Kohler, he would have to wait at least... a week for the cooldown to pass.
Roy glanced discreetly at his panel... [[Generalized Dream Gate] Cooldown: 1/7 (Days)]
He exhaled lightly, shaking off the ethereal feeling. He rolled out of bed, but the moment his feet touched the floor, he sat back down abruptly, his soul visibly trembling!
Unnoticed, a wave of dejection... decadence... negativity... and depression had welled up from the depths of his heart. Like a twisting shadow snake, it climbed his chest and constricted his heart, leaving him breathless for a moment!
"What's happening?" Roy gripped the edge of the bed, biting the tip of his tongue, using the pain to force himself to stay calm. He immersed his mind, immediately activating [Eye of Revelation]... looking straight at those "dark and depressing" negative emotions... Fwoosh~ Two suns ignited in his ink-black pupils...
Dispelling confusion... seeing through illusions... Then, scene after scene unraveled before him...
Images of Vanessa and Old Kohler struggling to survive and support their families, the accumulation of their past negative emotions, exploded in his heart!
Roy realized instantly... this was the backlash from [Nature]!
Grandpa Zzigg had written in the Record of the West Continent... [Using "Faith" as a medium to seize the Nen abilities of others will inevitably incur a backlash from [Nature].]
Since he had converted Vanessa and Old Kohler into believers and accepted their tribute, the price... these negative emotions were [Nature's] counterattack!
"So depressed... don't want to do anything... why am I even alive... might as well die..."
Whoosh~ A gust of wind blew, lifting the corner of the curtain... In the dim moonlight, Roy visibly transformed from a vigorous youth to a lifeless husk. Leaning against the headboard, collapsed on the bed, he wilted like a frost-bitten eggplant!
No wonder... Benjamin Frederick had fallen from a praised Security Knight to a depraved Archbishop toying with young girls... Nature's backlash was enough to erase a person's personality and destroy their reason!
Countless suicidal thoughts flooded his mind in an instant... Watching his hand uncontrollably reach for "Snow-Walker," attempting to slit his own throat...
Roy took a deep breath and simply opened his heart, allowing all the negative emotions to rush towards his chest... where his [Visualization Object], the core of his [Nen]—the Sun—resided!
Sizzle~
So hot!
So hot!
So blinding!
It is... the Sun!
The negative emotions went from ecstatic, thinking victory was imminent, to being instantly melted in less than a second.
As the "shadow" faded... and the depression dissipated... Roy regained his reason. He immediately pulled his hand back, clutching the edge of the bed, gasping for air, his back sticky with cold sweat...
"That was close!"
"Did I just dispel the backlash myself?"
The boy looked up, sitting dazed for a moment. As the corner clock chimed Dong...
5:00 AM. A sliver of white appeared in the thick darkness, the herald of dawn dispelling the night!
[The Sun in the Heart: Utilizing the property that "the sun dispels darkness," as long as the Host's Nen ability is strong enough and aura quantity sufficient, all "filth" and "curses," including [Nature's] backlash, can be purged...]
The panel notification echoed...
Roy snapped back to reality, rubbing the "curse" on the back of his hand, a realization dawning—
He no longer needed to find an "Exorcist." He was the Exorcist. Any "Nen" he labeled as "Malicious Nen" would be illuminated and destroyed by the "Sun in his Heart"!
If he couldn't destroy it... it only proved... "My aura quantity isn't enough yet. At least... far from that of a [God]..."
Gloom gone, morning glow rising... This time, Roy stood up, feet firmly on the ground. After a simple wash, he sat at the dining table and opened the Record of the West Continent to read... Soon, Gotoh pushed the food cart in, arranging a sumptuous breakfast. Roy sipped his cream of mushroom soup and turned to page 7—[Further Conjectures on "Faith"]. Suddenly, his ears twitched. The chair opposite him was pulled out, and a thin, dried-up old man sat down.
"This old man thought he'd be collecting your corpse today," Maha said, taking a bite of a bacon sandwich.
"Indeed... Grandfather, you don't say. I was actually sad for a few seconds there." White hair flowing, shadows writhing, a man walked in with his hands behind his back. The eight characters "A Kill a Day / Active for Life" were emblazoned on his chest. Without asking, he pulled up a chair next to Maha, sat down, and spooned some steamed egg into his mouth.
"Oldest Master... Great Master..." Gotoh bowed hurriedly. His eyes darted, seeing another person enter. "Master."
Silva, hands in his pockets, expressionless, sat next to Roy. He snatched the spoon from Roy's hand, along with the bowl of cream of mushroom soup in front of him, and shoveled it into his mouth. He said coldly, "Reckless!"
"Your punishment is no food for today!"
"Great-Great-Grandfather... Grandfather... Father..." Roy's heart warmed. He took a deep breath. "You... knew?"
"Didn't know. This old man just came to collect your corpse. A pity you didn't die..."
"Grandfather, should I just beat him to death now?" Zeno suggested.
Maha glared. "Shut up!"
"Yes, sir."
Slurping soup, eating meat, chewing bread... Four generations of Zoldycks gathered in Roy's bedroom...
Silva said nothing, waving Gotoh away to prepare more food. A moment later, finishing the soup, he put down the spoon and scrutinized Roy. "Explain. What happened?"
Zeno slowly pulled out a napkin to wipe his mouth... Maha washed down the last bite of his sandwich with milk, sighing wistfully, "Getting old... teeth aren't what they used to be..."
Roy shrank into the corner of the table, organizing his thoughts. He scratched his head and said truthfully, "I accidentally became an 'Exorcist'... that's all..."
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