Maha's Past and Charity in Meteor City (Two-in-One)

A path opened up in the colorful Dream Passage, where a hazy dream atmosphere surged...

Roy stepped in, one foot in front and the other behind, and in an instant it was as if the world had changed, and he had entered a gray, misty world.

According to Enmu's understanding of "dreams," the Unconscious Realm of ordinary people is completely incapable of manifesting anything substantial. Only those with a strong "self-awareness" might be able to add things to their "dreams," such as... Rengoku Kyojuro's core of flame symbolizing "Flame Breathing"... Silva's bookstore... Kastro, driven by a strong desire, manifesting Gotoh and pressing it down on him...

Compared to them, Roy looked up at the hazy gray fog, stretching as far as the eye could see, clearly...

Compared to his great-grandfather Maha, who directly manifested a small world through "self-awareness," Rengoku Kyojuro, Kastro, and even his father... are all far inferior!

Those with strong Nen Ability are not necessarily people with unwavering willpower. On the contrary, people with unwavering willpower are powerful regardless of whether they possess Nen Ability!

Roy stepped into the swirling wind, the ground covered with withered leaves rustling softly.

Maha's thin body stood not far away under a dead willow tree. The willow tree seemed to have been struck by lightning years ago, and part of its trunk had been carbonized into lightning-struck wood.

Roy's nostrils twitched; he could even smell a "burnt" odor. Closer, he noticed a small flame burning quietly on it, its burning time unknown, reflecting the endless cemetery below—a scene of desolation... deathly silence...

One yuan... two yuan... ten yuan... one hundred yuan... one thousand, ten thousand, one hundred thousand... one million... ten million!

Countless tombstones stretched to the horizon, overflowing the view. Maha... stood with his hands behind his back before the foremost tombstone, his back to Roy, and said, "This is the price of walking the path of ' Faith '."

The words, spoken lightly by Maha, carried a weight as heavy as a thousand pounds, pressing down on Roy's heart, leaving him speechless. The Sun-Earring Boy walked silently to Maha's side, watching as Maha stretched out a thin, bony hand and rubbed against the tall tombstone before him, on which was inscribed...

[Brook Sael, my closest brother and comrade-in-arms. Born in West Sebles, 1874 (Continental Calendar). Died in Frost-Foot Valley, 1957.]

[A great warrior... a pioneer of resistance... loyalty was his defining characteristic... fearlessness was the epitome of his life...]

[--1957, Maha Zoldyck]

Roy gradually realized something, his gaze following Maha's rise and fall, as he listened intently as Maha recounted the life story of this "Brook Sael".

The old man said, "You're right, he used to be my top general."

"And him... she... it..." Maha's withered hands caressed one tombstone after another, slowly moving through the Stele Forest, as if traveling through the past, carrying Roy's narration of one by one... Randall, Mike Young,

Rion, Bellucci... they were the ones who followed him in forming groups, organizations, and political parties, eventually choosing Frost-Foot Valley as their settlement, gathering Abandoned People, resisting Magic Beast, and searching for a way out under the dual attack of [God] and [Calamity].

This is a story Roy has never heard before...

It also belongs to the Zoldyck, including him, and traces back to their roots!

"The world only knows that when one person becomes a god, even a chicken or a dog will shed their status Abandoned People and officially establish themselves on the Dark Continent... But what most people don't know is..."

Maha stopped in front of the last tombstone on the right in the first row, gently stroking it. Unlike the other tombstones, this one had a faded photograph on it... The photograph was quite old, even showing some wrinkles, but it couldn't hide the gentle, bright, and smiling beauty of the woman in it...

Maha stopped and said quietly, "Failure is the silent majority, and... it will continue throughout one's life."

Then, turning his head to look at Roy, he said, "Come here and meet your great-grandmother."

,,...[·,1895,.1957,.]

With a solemn expression, he slowly stepped forward... gave a respectful bow, straightened his back, and recalled the dream he had under the willow tree in the courtyard years ago. His grandfather, Jager, had been insisting on going to the Dark Continent, but Maha had dragged him to the willow tree and beaten him half to death. He took a breath and said, "Great-grandfather, Grandpa Jager has been here before, hasn't he?"

"Did he... see Great-Grandma?"

Maha didn't answer. He hunched over, squatted down, and pulled away a few weeds in front of the tombstone. "I didn't call him. He insisted on barging in."

"[The Game of the Dead] allows you to increase your combat power by collecting 'items',"

"Back then, he managed to sneak in using only a ' Slumber ' card..."

Like his style... Roy crouched down and helped Maha pull weeds from the side of the tombstone. "Grandpa, Father, do you know?"

"Have no idea."

Roy remained silent.

Maha, supporting his aching back, stood up. He looked up at the gray fog that filled the sky, a sense of loneliness and sorrow permeating the air. After a long pause, he said, "I think you should come and see."

"Because I followed the same path as my great-grandfather, right?" Roy then stood up.

Maha did not answer.

The Sun-Earring Boy gazed at the Stele Forest, picked up a withered leaf that had fallen in the wind, and said absentmindedly, "So, all these people were killed because they followed my great-grandfather?"

"No,"

"Yes, martyrdom."

"?!"

Millions of people martyred?!

Roy suddenly turned his head to look... Maha's gaze was deep and unfathomable, "The victor is king, the loser takes everything from the loser."

The old man paused, looking intently at the Sun-Earring Boy: "There's no turning back on the path of ' Faith.' Even if you or your Believer want to switch sides halfway, the other side won't believe you, so..."

Maha calmly said, "The simplest way is—to kill!"

"They... and... he... she... it... In the battle of Frost-Foot Valley, they chose to self-destruct, sacrificing their lives to preserve..."

"I am this spark."

When one person attains enlightenment, even their chickens and dogs ascend to heaven; when one person fails, the entire nation... perishes...

The intense pain, appearing as a deep gray-black, emanated from the Nen Qi naturally emanating from Maha's head...

Roy opened his mouth, but was speechless and choked with emotion.

He couldn't imagine the sheer scale of the martyrdom of millions; he just stared blankly at Maha... Suddenly, it dawned on him why, at his age, he still loved watching cartoons—perhaps... only a sliver of the joy from his childhood could slightly alleviate the intense pain and guilt that had been buried deep within him.

These Negative Emotions tormented him, constantly reminding him that millions had died because of him... Roy even thought that if it were him, he probably would have gone mad!

And this... is the price!

"Whoosh~" A gust of wind blew by, causing the gray mist to swirl...

Roy remained stunned for a long time, his throat dry. After a long silence, he finally regained his focus and tried to say, "Great-Grandpa, perhaps I can help you."

Sunlight can Dispelling Darkness... Perhaps this property of the sun can help alleviate some of Maha's pain...

But the old man flatly refused, saying, "It's what I should do."

He said, "I called you here just to ask you something."

Maha looked Roy straight in the eyes, "Are you sure you still want to go down this path?"

"Didn't Great-Grandpa say that since he's gone, there's no turning back?"

"No, you do." Maha interrupted Roy abruptly, "You're just starting out. If you set up ' Vow and Limitation,' swearing to abandon your ' Faith '..."

"And the price?" the Sun-Earring Boy suddenly asked. "What is the price?"

Maha remained silent... Roy gazed at the boundless Stele Forest of steles, and in that silence, he understood everything.

He said, "Great-grandfather, you know I'm a petty person, I can't bear to see others die because of me... If it comes down to sacrificing the lives of Believer, and I have to choose between a long pain and a short pain, I'd choose the long pain, at least... the suffering will come later."

"Are you going to follow my path and go down this dark road?" Maha frowned.

The Sun-Earring Boy chuckled, and two suns seemed to ignite in his bright eyes. "No, Great-Grandpa... I am the sun..."

Roy winked at Maha: "Where are the 'dark' roads under the sun?"

"If it really comes to the end, defeat is inevitable..." The Sun-Earring Boy's expression turned solemn. "I will self-destruct!"

He said decisively and without hesitation, "I'll drag everyone down with me!"

Maha was taken aback... The Sun-Earring Boy's black hair swayed, his expression calm, just like when he first entered the Dark Continent, calling himself "Thunder," full of youthful vigor, recalling the past... those glorious years, looking back, so many sighs...

His expression was rather lonely; he waved his hand and said, "I know, get lost."

"Yes." Roy stepped back, bowed deeply to the boundless Stele Forest steles, then nodded slightly to Maha before turning and walking towards the entrance of the passage... Just before leaving, he suddenly stopped, as if remembering something, and turned back to say, "Great-Grandpa, from now on, I don't intend to use the name of 'Zoldyck ' in my actions."

Maha raised an eyebrow, Sun-Earring Boy said frankly, "I don't want others to say that I'm strong because I'm Zoldyck, not because of who I am."

Maha was taken aback, then bent down, took off his shoe and threw it at him, laughing and cursing, "If you've got the guts, then Zoldyck live in your shadow!"

"Heh heh... that's exactly right!" Roy dodged the attack, strode away, and Youyou tossed out a remark. "Great-Grandpa, just you wait and see."

In an instant, he left the dream and disappeared from Maha's sight.

"Sizzle~" On the old willow tree, which had been struck by lightning, flames burned quietly.

Beneath the tree, before countless tombstones, the gaunt old man picked up his shoes, put them back on, and silently watched the Sun-Earring Boy's not-so-tall figure disappear. He stared blankly for a long, long time, then placed his right hand on his left shoulder, covering the delicate white hand that had touched the boy's back, and said gently, "Betty, you saw that, didn't you?"

A soft laugh rang out from behind Maha, followed by a pair of slender arms encircling his waist... If Roy hadn't left, he would have recognized the woman at a glance; she was the gentle woman in the photograph on his great-grandmother's tombstone...

Betty Zoldyck rested her smooth chin on Maha's shoulder, rubbing her face against his, and said, "That kid's just like you, Maha... a stubborn mule too."

"Betty always has a good eye for people, Maha, that kid is definitely yours!"

"Brother Brook seems to like him very much, my lord. What is the young master's name?"

"I bet his surname Zoldyck, hahahahaha..."

Tombstones fell one by one... graves were dug open one by one... figures crawled out... swarming... towards Maha...

The old man stood before a massive army, his eyes narrowing into slits as he smiled, "Roy... he's my great-grandson... Roy Zoldyck!"

"Whoosh~" A gust of wind blew by, raising a cloud of noise... Having left Maha's Dream Domain, Roy stood with his back to the colorful Dream Passage, gazing at the azure "Sea of Cognition," where numerous gates stood silently awaiting his favor...

Without lingering, the Sun-Earring Boy reached out and pushed open the door, entering the world of Demon Slayer.

Meanwhile, in the Hunter world.

Taiyi, accompanied by Kastro, traveled several times, making a stop at Yorknew City, and the next day at noon, they took a taxi and arrived at the outskirts of Meteor City.

The driver was clearly knowledgeable; as soon as Kastro mentioned that he was going to Meteor City, he immediately recognized the information.

He remained silent and asked no questions, acting as if he had never seen Roy (Taiyi) and Kastro before. He took the money, dropped them off at their destination, stepped on the gas, and drove off faster than a rabbit, completely ignoring the fact that he'd never seen them before. Truly, as the saying goes...

"What kind of cat would rummage through the trash?"

Those who specifically request to come to Meteor City... are mostly up to no good. They're either human traffickers or not, but they're pretty much at it.

Roy (Taiyi) easily sensed the driver's thoughts through [Edo Tensei], a gentle smile always playing on his lips. He politely thanked the driver, then looked up... at Meteor City, encircled by a towering electric fence stretching for miles...

This land, abandoned by the world as garbage, is precisely because of its cruelty that it has been able to "breed" a host of spiders, such as Chrollo, Uvogin, Nobunaga, and Feitan, as well as elite Nen user, including "Toilet God of War" Hisoka.

We never refuse anything, but don't try to take anything away from us either.

The spider's whispers seemed to linger in my ears.

Roy (Taiyi) saw two heavily armed men in black standing guard in front of an iron gate, holding his neck and looking at him suspiciously...

The Sun-Earring Boy said gently to Kastro, "Let's go."

With his short, neat white hair, Kastro followed closely behind Roy (Taiyi), mimicking Gotoh's posture by staying half a step behind. He had carefully considered this position... it was just right—not too presumptuous, so as not to anger his master, yet also allowing him to protect his Young Master behind him in case of danger... it was all carefully considered!

"Tap... tap..."

The master and servant strolled leisurely through the mountain of garbage, approaching the iron gate at a leisurely pace.

The two men in black guarding the entrance exchanged a glance, reached into their suit jacket pockets, and then casually placed their hands diagonally downwards to their lower left abdomens. They shouted sharply, "Halt!"

The two men on either side blocked Roy's path!

Who is it?

Do you have proof?

Meteor City isn't truly a lawless place; the so-called "unclaimed" status only applies to powerful nations like V5.

They have vast lands and abundant resources, so naturally they look down on this place. But... for gangs, for human traffickers, for drug dealers, for criminals, for all the ill-intentioned "villains" and gangs, this place is nothing short of "paradise"!

Therefore, Meteor City is actually backed by a complex group of people. Many districts are nominally managed by the "Council of Elders," but who is behind the Council of Elders...? Roy (Taiyi) wasn't interested and didn't want to know, so he truthfully replied, "No one."

The two men in black tensed up. "What are you doing? You should know!"

Human trafficking, drug trafficking... there has to be one... Kastro leaned forward slightly towards Roy (Taiyi)...

Sun-Earring Boy, dressed in a robe, holding a scripture, and with a Sun Pendant hanging from his chest, exuding a somewhat sacred air, smiled and said, "Renting a room, making an offering."

?!

The two men in black were stunned, looking Roy (Taiyi) up and down, as if they had seen a ghost!