A Corner of Maha's Nen Ability × Clone × Swamp

The "Testing Gate" can be seen as a symbol of the Zoldyck's belief in [absolute power].

In the original story, Gon, Kurapika, and Leorio struggled immensely, and even with the help of Zee, they trained for several days before barely managing to push open one of the doors, which gives a glimpse into the difficulty.

"Whoosh~" A gust of wind grazed Illumi's cheek as the Sun-Earring Boy stood alone with his back to the wide-open door...

Roy casually shoved his hand into his pocket and walked straight past him into the room...

"Come with me." Gotoh respectfully bowed to the Sun-Earring Boy who seemed lost in thought, then pulled Kurajing along and led her toward the Butler Villa.

With a loud bang, the "Testing Gate" slammed shut, its support gone.

This effectively separated the two brothers, one inside and one outside the door, into two different worlds...

Zee watched from the side, shaking his head inwardly... In the morning, he had overheard some casual conversation on the radio, saying that... having a powerful father or older brother in the family is certainly a good thing, but it also means that the younger generation or sisters are inherently "shorter".

"What's that saying again?" Canary touched his receding hairline, which seemed about to fly off, and then he remembered.

[Having benefited from the legacy of their fathers and elder brothers, they are also destined to live in their shadow...]

2

"Whoosh~" The mountain breeze in early spring was still a bit chilly...

Illumi's empty eyes seemed to finally regain focus. He turned and pushed open the "Testing Gate," following them inside. This time, he only opened one door... no longer trying to be brave...

"Young Master... Young Master..."

Before the stone steps leading straight to the summit... Kastro, with his white hair flowing down his shoulders, noticed Roy and Illumi walking towards him, one on each side, clearly separated by a clear line...

He bowed to the two of them.

After some time apart, the Sun-Earring Boy had grown darker and stronger, enduring the hardships of guarding the mountain every day... Kastro, however, looked energetic and vigorous, his eyes fixed intently on Roy's back, his pupils burning with fighting spirit!

"Young Master, I've become stronger," Kastro, raising his chin slightly as he looked intently at Roy. "Please bear witness for me, today I will defeat Gotoh Wutong here!"

Illumi, a step behind Roy, raised an eyebrow... Roy, leaning on his Cane Sword, was clearly a step shorter than Kastro, yet he was a head taller, even appearing taller than him when standing on his tiptoe... He didn't stop, simply smiling as he patted Kastro's shoulder, brushing past the Sun-Earring Boy's shoulder as he walked towards the summit...

"Tap... tap..." The sound of footsteps, carried by the wind, gradually faded into the distance...

Illumi glanced at the stunned Kastro, then followed. The foolish little brother seemed to have finally caught Nii-san brother's "sore spot," and quickened his pace to walk alongside him, saying, "I told you not to bring people back casually, but you didn't listen."

Roy remained silent.

Illumi glanced at him. "The infighting is their own fault."

Roy didn't look at him, as if he hadn't heard.

Illumi: "My father said that assassins must act alone; bringing someone with you increases the risk."

This situation is your fault.

"Step..." After climbing the last stone step, the ancient Ancient Castle of the Zoldyck Family, which has been passed down for hundreds of years, came into view.

Roy finally stopped, glanced at Illumi, pointed to the large willow tree in the garden, and calmly said, "I'll give you two choices... hang it up yourself, or..."

The Sun-Earring Boy lightly tapped his Cane Sword on the ground, as if striking Illumi's heart, and narrowed his eyes, saying, "I'll hang you up there!"

Illumi:

He stiffened his neck, glared at Roy... and stared at him for a while before walking towards the willow tree.

He passed Luke, passed Kikyo, passed Silva, passed... Milluki, who was lying on the ground with his belly exposed, having just been electrocuted and Milluki his breath, kicked him over, leaped up into a tree, hooked his toe, and simply hung upside down under the willow tree.

The butler in charge of giving Milluki a massage and therapy cried out in a panic, "Young Master Milluki!"

The quiet garden was instantly thrown into chaos...

Luke buried his head in his ostrich... Kikyo stroked her belly, her eyes only on the baby inside, seemingly oblivious.

Only Silva and Roy stood separated by a chaotic scene, gazing at each other...

The father and son watched quietly for a while, then went their separate ways.

"I'll be waiting for you in the practice room at eight o'clock tomorrow morning."

Silva walked with Kikyo's help, he spoke these words.

Roy remained expressionless and silent, walking straight to his bedroom...

After entering the main gate, turning the corner, and entering the corridor, I paused, and looked up to see a thin, bony figure quietly basking in the sun by the window...

The Sun-Earring Boy took a deep breath, quickened his pace, and greeted him respectfully, "Great-Grandpa."

"Hmm... you're back?"

"You're back."

"Hands out."

Roy obediently showed the back of his hand...

The "Curse" of counting down the seconds of "lifespan" was uttered, and Maha grabbed him with one hand!

Then... in a daze, Roy seemed to see a giant surrounded by black Thunder, wielding Cape Hammer, wearing Cloud-Stepping Boots- piercing boots, with a blue face and fangs, its mouth opening and closing, spewing out clouds and mist, aiming at the "Curse," carrying boundless Thunder, and striking down with its hammer!

"Break!"

"When"

The world is broken...

Roy felt dizzy and disoriented. When he came to his senses, he looked at Maha... The old man was holding his hand, frowning as he stared at the countdown mark, lost in thought...

"Are you afraid?" After a long while, the old man asked quietly.

Roy answered truthfully, "I'm afraid."

It's like having a time bomb hanging over your head, knowing it's bound to explode... the more you watch, the more scared you get...

But, sharing happiness is better than enjoying it alone... The Sun-Earring Boy smiled and said with relief, "I'm afraid, and he should be afraid too, otherwise..."

Wasn't I just being afraid for nothing?

Roy looked at Maha with a carefree expression and said, "Don't laugh at me, Great-Grandpa, but I think His biggest mistake was not killing me right away, and as for me..."

"I will absolutely not give him any 'time' or 'opportunity.' If I can kill him with one stab, I will stab him a hundred, a thousand, ten thousand times... until..."

"Chop Him into mincemeat!"

"At that time, He will probably be afraid."

"Hmm..." Maha listened quietly, but surprisingly didn't refute Roy. He released Roy's hand, looked up at the bright sunlight streaming through the window, and said softly, "Your grandfather said you're ambitious, and if you're going to be one, be a [God-Slayer Hunter]. This old man thinks... that's a good title!"

He narrowed his old eyes and sneered, "What? You allow His deity to humiliate my grandson, but my grandson isn't allowed to cut off His head?"

That doesn't make sense!

"So, does that mean Great-Grandpa agrees to let me go to the Dark Continent?"

"When did I agree to that?" Maha turned around and glared at him. "If you dare to go, this old man will go up and break his legs first, then come back and break yours!"

Roy:

For a moment, he didn't know what to say. He shrugged and looked out the window. The man, leaning on his Kikyo, was taking a walk and would occasionally glance in their direction. He chuckled self-deprecatingly and said, "Perhaps even Great-Grandpa won't need to lift a finger."

"Don't blame your dad, he's just a blockhead. He hit you because he loves you." Maha, hands behind his back, bounced slightly and said, "Back then, I beat your Grandpa Jager much harder than him..."

That's true, he almost dragged Jager under the tree and beat me to death...

"Spare the rod and spoil the child. We don't play those 'civil' games in our family. Let's just get physical."

Just like when Illumi pierced the back of Kijuro's head with Nen Needle nail, and Milluki hung him up and whipped him?

Like father, like son; with such a family tradition, the problem must be traced back to its roots... Roy looked at Maha speechlessly and joked, "Great-Grandpa's words are true, actually..."

Maha glanced at him incredulously. "You think you can beat him?"

Roy pressed down on his Cane Sword, and truthfully said, "I can't beat them... but,"

The Sun-Earring Boy narrowed his eyes. "If he thinks he can knock me down with three lashes like last time, it won't be that easy!"

"Gaaah!" The Golden Crow spread its wings to cheer on Roy!

Maha seemed to finally notice it, gave a sneer, and turned to Silva, saying, "You heard everything? Give him a good beating tomorrow!"

The old man's voice wasn't loud, but the Nen Qi he spoke carried far... Silva's calm gaze fell on Roy, and he nodded silently.

Roy:

He lifted his foot and walked away, disappearing in an instant.

"Hehehe..." A faint, aged laugh echoed through the air, carrying a hint of relief and reassurance...

The sunlight shone on the Sun-Earring Boy, outlining him into a human-shaped halo...

Roy feigned anger, took three steps at a time, and rushed back to his bedroom. He tossed the Cane Sword with a flick of his wrist, and it landed precisely on the knife rack, just past "Snow Walk".

He didn't even take off his clothes, just lay down on the soft bed...

With his mind relaxed, he began to read the "information" provided by Ubuyashiki Kagaya of reality.

After searching for a few Demon, I lingered a little longer on one of them, planning to catch up on a nap before lunch to wash away the fatigue from my journey, and also... collect another wave of "Life Energy" before eight o'clock tomorrow morning.

"Hiss~..." Soon, a faint snoring sound began...

Roy closed his eyes, covered his face with the scroll, and fell into a deep sleep. Soon, he passed through the colorful Dream Passage and arrived at the familiar Sea of Cognition. Without stopping, he pushed open the door of "Demon Slayer" and went inside.

[Hint: "Life Energy" +3 +4 +2 +5...]

One, two, three, four... With intelligence in hand, plus the location of [Circle] to capture the Demon spirits...

Two nights passed, and Roy easily killed four Demon. With a little time left, before the night faded, he arrived at a town about fifty miles northwest of Mount Sagiri, the place where Tanjiro encountered his first Demon after passing the selection—the "Clone Demon"—was causing trouble!

The "Clone Demon," also known as the "Swamp Ghost," can traverse "space" through "swamps" and prey on young girls... In battle, it splits into three to fight together...

This was Roy's primary target during his trip.

Before Clone "Hand Demon" unleashed "Arm Regeneration," Roy was walking alone through the deserted streets of the town late at night when he stopped and smelled a nauseating "ghost" odor!