Chapter 237: Wood Style: Silent Strangling Jutsu x Maha's Imperative Initiative
Only those in the mire yearn for the sky; only those in the dark yearn for the light. Little Maddie died, Mrs. Nora died, and Old Mark died too... Their family was finally reunited, but...
Roy couldn't find it in himself to be happy. One part madness, three parts bloodlust, five parts anger, seven parts frenzy, ten parts slaughter... condensed into three soul-stealing pitch-black tomoe that slowly crept into the corners of his eyes...
At this moment, the boy wanted to eat someone, to swallow Andrew Cooper whole, just like that beast, the "Liger"!
The last shred of reason remaining in his heart was completely lost as his [Ferocity] was triggered... Roy glared with blood-red Sharingan, looking coldly...
Caw caw~
A crow suddenly flew to the treetop, flapped its wings, and dropped a black feather...
The moment they met the boy's man-eating eyes, brimming with profound killing intent, Andrew Cooper and the bald Rungon, who had been constantly guarding him with his shield, only felt their vision blur. When they recovered... the trees vanished, the rocks vanished, the bird calls, the beasts, even the wind blowing through the forest and the clouds drifting in the sky, along with the sun radiating sunlight and illuminating the earth, all vanished completely...
Andrew Cooper dropped his grinning facade and secretly exchanged a glance with Rungon. He didn't expect that... in just an instant, the land beneath their feet had changed into another world, another realm!
As far as the eye could see in this world, everything was blood-red, including the great sun suspended above Roy's head, which should have appeared radiant. It was dyed by killing intent, forcibly draped in a blood-stained cloak, transforming into a Blood Sun!
"Mental pollution?"
"Or soul erosion?"
With a solemn expression, Andrew Cooper readied his hand crossbow. Unlike the [Infinite Pistol] that Frank Bege carried year-round, this "Nen Tool" not only had a rapid-fire function but inherently possessed the effect of [Amplifying] power... This was undoubtedly quite compatible with a Nen user like him who specialized in "archery"...
"Playing tricks. Andrew, I'm protecting you. Shoot him with peace of mind!" With [Deflect] in hand and Rungon by his side, it was [Absolute Defense]... This was the absolute confidence he placed in the [Round Shield] he held!
"Alright." Needless to say, a second before the bald man finished speaking, Andrew had already gathered his [Nen] and pulled the trigger of the [Hand Crossbow]... One arm, two arms, three arms, four arms... In the blink of an eye, eight arms materialized, and the [Hand Crossbow] also multiplied into eight...
Whoosh... whoosh... whoosh...
A volley of shots from eight different directions pierced the air, shooting towards Roy like lightning...
At this moment, Andrew Cooper perfectly displayed his Nen ability... [Deformed Hecatoncheires]. His body "Transmuted," losing its human shape...
"I see,"
"As it should be,"
"Because he is fundamentally not human, he cannot empathize with humans..."
Roy lowered his eyelids and smiled ferociously... A muddy shoal suddenly appeared beneath his feet, instantly dodging all the arrows flying towards him. When he reappeared, he abruptly materialized in front of Andrew, behind the bald, burly man... Rungon!
"Huh?" An exclamation of surprise escaped Rungon's mouth.
Losing sight of the boy, the bald man initially thought he was an "Enhancer" since he displayed swordsmanship. Then... seeing him change tactics and pull them into an illusion through "mental pollution," he assumed he was a "Manipulator"... Next, stepping on the shoal, he displayed the [Swamp Space]... Rungon turned around, raised his shield to smash, and blurted out, "Specialist!"
Bang! The round shield hit its mark in one strike...
Instantly smashing the Roy who had Transmuted into Andrew, causing his head to bleed!
The force was fierce. Clearly a [Conjurer] Nen user, yet he could cross categories and display strength not inferior to an [Enhancer]... Roy gave the bald man a deep look, and with a Bang, exploded!
Using the [Substitution Jutsu] learned at the Ninja Academy, he seized the opening when Rungon turned, bypassed the shield with a finger, and tapped his forehead...
[Genjutsu: Infinite Void]!
Buzz~
Invisible ripples spread outwards...
Creak~ The "Gate of Cognition" burst open. Roy stood in the Sea of Cognition, backed by the entire Demon Slayer world. With a point of his finger, he transformed the world's information into a billion, ten billion, a hundred billion, a trillion... streams of information, and poured them all into Rungon's brain in 0.01 seconds...
Rungon only felt as if something exploded in his mind!
He froze, his pupils losing focus!
"Rungon, what are you doing?"
Whoosh... whoosh... whoosh... Another volley of "Nen Arrows" wrapped in [Shu] shot towards Roy!
The closer the distance, the easier it was to fire instantly... Andrew Cooper frowned and glanced at the "frozen" Rungon. Losing his protection, he experienced the taste of "danger" for the first time. Involuntarily reaching back, he took advantage of the "Nen Arrows" flying over to block Roy's movement space and quietly distanced himself from him.
Unfortunately...
"Where do you think this is?"
"And who do you think you are?"
The Genjutsu extended beneath his feet. Caw~ Another crow's cry...
The boy, whose single finger had fried the bald man's brain, glared with those blood-red eyes. He neither dodged nor evaded, letting the Nen Arrows pierce his body as if plunging into water ripples. He indifferently grabbed at Andrew... Moving forward when he should be retreating, Andrew's consciousness urged him to create distance, yet... his body defied his will, driving his feet to constantly approach Roy...
Until he completely overlapped with Roy's body...
Andrew looked sideways, showing an expression of terror for the first time. He stared blankly as... his neck split, and another Andrew forced his way out, reaching out his arms to hug his head...
Murmuring madly: "Good head... the scalp must be very white too... very smooth... I wonder how popular it would be if I peeled off this skin of yours and made it into a chamber pot..."
Andrew's face turned pale, and he roared, "Get out... get out of my body!"
While speaking, he drove his four arms, discarding even the hand crossbows, and threw punches straight at Roy!
This made Roy feel somewhat "sad". "You are me, and I am you, why be such a stranger?"
[Wood Style: Silent Strangling Jutsu]... Activate!
As the fists approached, Andrew suddenly found he couldn't move... The man looked down at his feet. From who knows where, vines snaked and stretched out, arriving first despite moving later, binding him firmly... In an instant, he lost all ability to resist. Only a mouth and a pair of disbelieving eyes remained to express his inner horror and panic...
One... two... three... four... five!
Andrew's brain fried. He had lost count of how many "Nen abilities" the young man had displayed, and he genuinely started doubting his life...
"This is right, very right,"
[En] released. This time, without obstruction, the [Heart Worm] broke through Andrew's Nen aura and invaded the man's heart. Immediately capturing intense terror and despair, it greedily devoured them. Seemingly unsatisfied, it mumbled, urging Roy to work harder...
With blood-red burning deep in his eyes, Roy affectionately stroked Andrew's head and nodded in deep agreement. With a thought, he summoned Solar Eclipse and, right in front of Andrew's face, began to peel his skin...
"You... I warn you not to mess around!"
"I am a member of the security force!"
"So?"
"So what? Damn Blasphemer, release me quickly... maybe I'll plead with the security force for you, spare your life, and even reward you with an 'Admission Pass'!"
"Then I must thank you in advance," Roy drew Solar Eclipse with a Clang, and with one slash, sliced open Andrew's scalp. "Ah—" A heart-wrenching scream echoed...
Blood spurted out, splashing all over the boy's face. He stuck out his tongue and licked it. Sweet, very sweet. He greedily raised his hand for another slash, smiling obsessively: "You already said I'm a Blasphemer, so..."
"Since I've already blasphemed against God, one more like you makes no difference..."
Hand raised, blade fell, and another piece of scalp was peeled off... Repeatedly...
Once... twice... three times... Roy completely lost his reason. Just like the "Liger" that had devoured Mrs. Nora earlier, through [Genjutsu], he repeatedly peeled skin, pulled tendons, and scraped meat, forcibly maintaining Andrew's consciousness, making him feel this agony, this pain, over and over again... It was even more agonizing and painful than when Kakashi encountered Itachi, who had already defected from the village and joined the Akatsuki, and was forcibly dragged into the [Tsukuyomi] dimension and killed ten times...
Ten times... twenty times... thirty times... seventy times... one hundred times...
Until Andrew was completely numb, his brain, just like Rungon's, could no longer bear it, lost the ability to process the body, and exploded with a boom!
Only then did Roy wipe the blood from his face, exit [Ferocity], and dispel the [Genjutsu Dimension]. With a backhand slash each, he chopped off Andrew's and Rungon's heads...
[Prompt: "Life Energy" +50]
[Prompt: "Life Energy" +57]
Thump! The headless Andrew and Rungon fell straight down from the thick tree trunk...
Upon receiving the panel's prompt, Roy's eyes regained clarity. He raised his hand and summoned the flask tied to Andrew's waist into his hand. Looking down, a red glow suddenly surged deep in his eyes. With another glance, he shot out two scorching lasers, completely melting and erasing the corpses Andrew and Rungon left in this world, without leaving a single trace...
Only then did he open the flask's cap, letting three transparent dead souls slowly drill out...
"Thank you..."
A soft whisper, full of gratitude...
Old Mark, Mrs. Nora, and the person in the middle extended a hand, holding a little girl with dull, dry grass-like hair. They bowed to Roy, and then, before Roy could react, they turned into three streams of light and vanished into his body in the blink of an eye...
Whoosh~ A desolate wind blew leisurely. Silence enveloped the Uzuki Forest at this moment...
In the vast forest, without Andrew, without Rungon, without Old Mark, and without Mrs. Nora, only Roy remained. He closed his eyes, experiencing their joys and sorrows, their joys and sorrows in life, as several prompt sounds echoed incessantly in his mind...
[Prompt: "Life Energy" +8]... This is Old Mark. [Prompt: "Life Energy" +7]... This is Little Maddie. [Prompt: "Life Energy" +120]... This is Mrs. Nora, who lost all hope, embarked on the path of darkness, and transformed into [Post-Mortem Nen]...
Roy carefully comprehended, taking turns to transform into "him," "her," and "her." In an instant, it was as if he had aged ten or twenty years... His closed eyes did not open for a long time...
"I'm leaving, thank you, big brother..."
In the Unconscious Domain, Little Maddie faced Roy, waved her hand, and slowly dissipated... Her eyes were bright, completely devoid of the slightest attachment to this world. It left Roy silent for a long, long time...
"So, child, what exactly do you want?"
"Me... Of course, I want to be a light that brings hope to others..."
"But before that," Roy opened his eyes sharply and gripped the sword in his hand tightly, "Let me first make this world feel what pain is!"
The boy transformed into Andrew Cooper's appearance. Gazing through the deep forest at Bandle City, which was not far away, his ears twitched as he received the game prompt... [re: Game of the Dead, closed]
His consciousness dimmed, knowing the "stay" time was up...
He then opened his eyes again, returning to the Hunter World. Pushed by a tentacle extended by the [Demon Eye], he was sent out the door. Bang~ The airtight door forged from refined steel closed heavily. In the dim basement at his feet, yellow chrysanthemums bloomed splendidly. A faint, elegant fragrance caught by a clear breeze swirled into Roy's nose...
The boy took a greedy sniff, finally finding a trace of reality. He remained silent, took a final look at the airtight door, turned around, and walked along the ghastly green, gloomy tunnel towards the exit...
Creak... The iron grated door opened. The scar-faced and one-eyed guards, one on the left and one on the right, bowed to Roy and said, "Two hours and thirty-seven minutes,"
"Young Master, you stayed half an hour longer than last time..."
Roy exited the iron grated door, paused his steps, slightly raised his chin, and watched the setting sun cast a ray of light... He gave a soft "Mm," and without saying a word, lifted his foot again, leaving the basement with a desolate figure.
Tap... tap... The footsteps gradually faded away...
The scar-faced and one-eyed guards watched the boy leave, silently exchanging a glance. The latter, as usual, took his phone out of his pocket to report upwards.
"I understand." Zoldyck family castle, second-floor bedroom. Silva squatted by the window, massaging Kikyo's soles, frowning as he hung up the phone.
The woman lay on the bed with a large belly, accompanied by an experienced female doctor in her forties, constantly nursing her... According to her, barring any accidents, her water would break in these two days.
It really is, "Very soon."
"What's very soon?" Kikyo hummed. "Are you talking about Killua?"
Silva nodded silently. It was Killua... but also Roy. This time... it was half an hour longer than the last time. The boy's rapid growth had already left him and his father... far behind. At the very least, the man had to admit that at that stage, he couldn't last as long as the boy.
"Soon... I've looked forward to him for ten months..." Kikyo gently hugged her belly. The monitor on her face flashed with red hearts and tenderness. It was also... happiness...
Happiness that Little Maddie could never experience, and never had the chance to experience...
At seven in the evening, transitioning from spring to summer, the days were getting longer.
In the mottled corridor of the castle, filled with the aura of time, one could see the path clearly even without turning on the lights.
Roy came out of the basement and walked all the way to his bedroom. At a certain moment, he stopped in his tracks and saw a dry, shriveled little old man by that familiar dim little room.
He seemed to be enjoying the breeze, appreciating the sunset, or waiting for someone. He turned his head to look at him and said, "Come here,"
"Let this old man touch your head."
☆☆☆
-> 20 Advanced chapters Now Available on Patreon!!
-> https://www.pat-reon.co-m/c/Inkshaper
(Just remove the hyphen (-) to access patreon normally)
If you like this novel please consider leaving a review that's help the story a lot Thank you