The Advancing Uvogin and Nobunaga × Kastro's Growth

"Hehehe... How wonderful..."

"The friendships formed during our youthful years are the purest and most beautiful, just like today's sunshine, warm and comforting, making you want to doze off."

In the small courtyard behind the prayer hall of the church, Daniel Lauren, as always, leaned against a tall pillar with a small stool, basking in the sun with his eyes closed... His ears, which were not yet deaf, clearly heard the conversation of the group, and in a daze, he seemed to have returned to the passionate years of his Sun-Earring Boy, when he held a scripture in one hand and a sword in the other.

However, this scripture is the Bible, the sword is a Western sword, and the person... is no longer the same person. Now he is old and frail... He can no longer hold the sword, nor does he want to recite the scripture. He only says, "Please, Lord, grant me grace," and let him pass away soon so that he may go to heaven.

It's a good end to his mediocre life...

"You should try to persuade them." A fragrant breeze wafted from a corner of the corridor.

A young woman emerged, her Renzi veiled by a light gauze. Wearing a wide-brimmed hat as black as ink, she walked gracefully towards them... She imitated the old priest, leaning against a pillar and gazing up at the Great Sun in the sky, saying calmly, "Those children are too stubborn; they'll suffer sooner or later."

However, in Meteor City... suffering a loss means... death!

"You can't teach him..." Daniel Lauren's crow's feet were deep and rugged, a testament to his weathered life, but one day the sun would shine on him. He quietly savored this moment, smiling as he said, "Humans are born with a certain baseness..."

"You try to talk to him, but he won't listen. Only..."

"You'll only understand when something really happens."

"I've investigated their background," Renzi said, seemingly agreeing.

The old priest's eyelids twitched slightly, Renzi frowned her beautiful brows. "In the end, there was no result. The other party appeared out of nowhere, with no background or origin. All we know is... he worships the sun and has a servant named Kastro, who does seem to have some connections."

The woman stroked her chin and said to herself, "It's said that this Kastro used to fight in the Heavens Arena, but one day he suddenly disappeared, and no one has heard from him since. Now it seems... he's been converted..."

"Hehehe..."

"Having no secrets is the biggest secret." Daniel Lauren leaned against a marble-clad column, chin slightly raised, looking at the sun. He opened his eyes, the sunlight so bright it made him squint again, and then murmured, "The sun is good... There's no room for darkness under the sun..."

Similarly, darkness cannot contain it either.

Renzi remained silent. The old priest, with his keen insight, foreshadowed her prophecy... Since Roy and Kastro moved into 4th Street, the master and servant had never killed a single person. Even those with ill intentions were merely given a simple lesson and driven away. But...

4th Street has never been a safe place, it never has been, it never will be... based on the investigation over the past few days...

Renzi noticed, both openly and secretly, that many people were watching 4th Street, the Pale Church, the Priest named "Taiyi" inside, and his attendant, Kastro, all eyeing them with predatory intent!

Among them were members of the Council of Elders, people from certain factions, and even... someone who gave her a headache and was difficult to deal with, like... the one who was on drugs!

Renzi suddenly recalled those ghastly green eyes, and the twisted darkness suppressed beneath the other's calm face. Her chest heaved, and her heart began to race uncontrollably...

Just then, Daniel Lauren looked over with a smile, "If you're really worried, go check it out..."

Renzi snorted coldly, turned around and left. "Your Excellency, don't forget, I'm Mortician. The more people die, the happier I am."

She forced herself to say, "Don't misunderstand, I went there... to collect their bodies."

Before Daniel Lauren could even smile, she lifted her skirt and disappeared into the courtyard like the wind.

Only the old priest remained, basking in the sun, muttering to himself... Yes... Yes...

A moment later, his head drooped, a snot bubble appeared on his nose, and he dozed off...

Meteor City West District, 4th Street.

The Porridge Stall was open once a day, and each person received a piece of bread... With the help of the chef, and the help of several young housekeepers carefully selected and sent by Gotoh at home, they were responsible for maintaining order.

Kastro accompanied Roy to clean inside and out, weeding, mopping the floor, and also to count and organize the materials needed for repairing the church, such as "stone," "wood," and "paint." The Sun-Earring Boy, with his beautiful long silver hair, moved swiftly, busy inside and out, and looked somewhat like a Gotoh.

"You've worked hard." This was the Young Master's praise for him.

To be loyal to one's duty and to be devoted to the Gotoh... This is Kastro's self-imposed requirement.

He carried a hoe as if it were a sword, maintaining the "Breathing Style" 24 hours a day. With each stroke of the hoe, he precisely dug up a patch of turf. He was completely absorbed in his work, carefully feeling his physique and energy being slowly but powerfully propelled forward by the "Breathing Style." A continuous stream of energy surged from his body until a noise came from the Porridge Stall, which made him frown, stop what he was doing, and gently exhale.

"Looks like someone's come here to cause trouble again!"

"Young Master is kind-hearted and won't hold it against you, but you all don't know what's good for you..."

Then don't blame him for being ruthless; he's just looking for a way to vent his pent-up energy!

The Sun-Earring Boy snorted coldly, shouldered his hoe, and slowly walked to the Porridge Stall. There he saw two men and a woman, along with Chrollo, Shalnark, and Pakunoda, whom he had met before, confronting the butlers who were in charge of distributing soup and maintaining order. In fact, the burly, bear-like savage in front of him, shirtless and wearing only a strip of animal skin around his waist, grinned and had already exchanged a punch with his friend... the butler, Zhishu, whom he had met at the Butler Villa.

Kastro slammed his hoe heavily on the ground with a dull thud, then looked past Uvogin and Nobunaga at the three people behind him —Chrollo, Shalnark, Pakunoda— and said, "I didn't expect it to be the three of you."

The Sun-Earring Boy's silver hair shone brightly in the sunlight. "Praise the sun."

"What? You didn't die last time, so you're not satisfied this time and want to come here to die?"

Chrollo met Kastro's cold gaze, keenly sensing the killing intent in the Sun-Earring Boy's tone. He swallowed hard, stepped forward, and respectfully bowed, saying, "Praise the sun."

You've misunderstood.

Chrollo leaned forward, pointed at Uvogin and Nobunaga, and then gestured for Pakunoda to quietly move Sarasa aside. He said earnestly, "I would like to ask you to teach them a good lesson. As long as they don't die, you can do whatever you want with them."

Uvogin, Nobunaga:..

Startled.

The former realized what was happening and immediately sprang to life, grabbing Chrollo by the collar and lifting him up. "What do you mean?"

"Boosting the enemy's morale while diminishing our own..." Chrollo, you dare to be a traitor?

As for... what happens to traitors... <The Cleaning Squad> has already given the answer... clang!

Without a word, Nobunaga drew his sword... The rusty katana scraped against its sheath, producing a teeth-grinding hissing sound... He gripped the sword with both hands, holding it horizontally in front of him, the tip gleaming coldly, pointing directly at Chrollo...

Kastro raised an eyebrow, watching the scene with indifference. At a certain moment, his ears twitched, and he faintly heard a Nen Telepathy from the depths of the church... The Sun-Earring Boy glanced at Chrollo, and without making any move, the hoe in his hand suddenly slashed through the air, creating a spark. It was both slow and fast, and it hit Nobunaga's samurai sword that was pointing directly at Chrollo.

"Clang!" A crisp sound was heard!

Nobunaga felt a powerful force rushing down the blade. Before he could even react, his hand split open, blood gushing out. And... the blade itself was knocked away by a hoe from Kastro!

[Flame Breathing - First Form - Shiranui!]

The sudden attack instantly froze the surrounding air!

The hoe, wreathed in flames, spun around once more before being hoisted onto the Sun-Earring Boy's shoulder... Kastro stepped forward.

Having already witnessed the power of the swordsman, the Shalnark and Pakunoda flanked Sarasa, taking a step back.

In the blink of an eye, Chrollo Uvogin a daze. After he came to his senses, he solemnly released Chrollo's collar and, together with Nobunaga who had picked up his sword again, faced Kastro, his eyes filled with intense fighting spirit!

"Old man, can you still hold a knife?"

"I told you, if you call me old man again, I'll chop you up!" Ignoring the blood spilling from his hand, Nobunaga gripped his sword tightly, squinting at Kastro... The silver-haired Sun-Earring Boy's flaming strike was so fast that Nobunaga hadn't even reacted, clearly... a ruthless character!

"Be careful, his strength... is very strong!"

"Haha... isn't that perfect?" Uvogin clenched his fist, cracking it with a loud "crack," and laughed heartily like a bear. He glanced at the same man, took a step forward, and threw a punch!

With his black hair flying wildly, he shouted, "My strength is not weak either!"

As he spoke, a pair of iron fists, accompanied by a whooshing sound, tore through the air and struck down with tremendous force!

Kastro's bangs danced along his forehead as the wind from the punch blew, and in that instant he judged that the savage in front of him, wrapped in a strip of animal skin, was quite strong!

Unfortunately... [Mortal] and [Thought] are ultimately different... Without the opening of the Aura Nodes, the body cannot receive the tempering of "Nen Qi" for even a day!

Furthermore, thanks to the gift from Roy, Kastro has now fully mastered [Total Concentration - Regular Mode], therefore...

Although Uvogin considered Kastro a formidable opponent and went all out from the start... his iron fists were halfway through their attack when Kastro's seemingly effortless "Tiger Bite Fist" struck his knuckles, sending him flying backward!

"Hiss!" As he flew through the air, pain chased after him... Uvogin gritted his teeth and gasped for breath, then slammed his fist into a nearby pile of garbage. In all the fights he had ever been in, this was the first time he had been beaten so badly!

"Hahaha... That was exhilarating!" His fists trembled... his knuckles groaned... but his adrenaline showed no signs of abating... As Uvogin rose again, a flash of gleaming light slashed through the air...

Just as Kastro threw a punch, sending Uvogin flying, before the old force had dissipated and the new force had been generated... Nobunaga shrewdly seized this opening, swung his katana horizontally, and thrust it into Kastro's armpit, aiming for his heart with a sharp, straight stab!

A soft sound suddenly rang out!

"Bite!"

The blade tip struck like a boulder... Despite having already penetrated to the heart of Kastro, Nobunaga exerted all his strength but couldn't break through Kastro's skin, or even... touch his clothes, before being dragged into the mire by Nobunaga force!

"What the hell is this?!"

Some people are born with the ability to see "Aura," while others are not... Among a group of young spiderlings, in the original story, only Machi can see Aura. It was because of this that Renzi discovered that she had a pair of beautiful eyes that made people envious, and then... after Sarasa's death, she was introduced to [Mist Forest Valley] to learn Nen Ability.

[Entanglement]: A technique for wrapping "Nen Qi" around the body.

The milky-white Nen Qi seemed to be subtly turning "fiery red" due to learning [Flame Breathing]. Kastro had been wary of Nobunaga all along, and the moment Nobunaga drew his sword, he used [Entanglement] to protect his heart and block Nobunaga's attack!

The Sun-Earring Boy remained calm and composed, just as in the original story, Uvogin the mob, undeterred by bullets, guns, or even RPGs.

The bombs struck him without causing the slightest injury, leaving Sarasa, who was being held back by the Shalnark and Pakunoda, completely dumbfounded!

"Little Gold... Ashin... Monster... He's a monster!"

No wonder Kuroro didn't want him to come... No wonder Shalnark Pakunoda remained silent... You all knew all along, didn't you?!"Sarasa suddenly realized, staring blankly at Chrollo...

Chrollo lowered his head and remained silent. He couldn't learn by being taught, but he mastered practical skills with just one instruction.

The Sun-Earring Boy, his black hair still unkempt, stood quietly to the side, silently watching... Uvogin, Nobunaga, get up, smash again, stab again, and then... get sent flying by Kastro... until...

The two collapsed to the ground, utterly exhausted. Kastro grabbed one of their heads with each hand and dragged them deeper into the church. Only then did Chrollo say to Shalnark and Pakunoda, "Let her go."

He glanced again, then silently followed Kastro...

"Can I not go?" With a swift movement, Sarasa jogged to catch up with Chrollo.

The Shalnark and Pakunoda exchanged a glance.

The latter, puffing out her ample bosom, said without turning her head, "You don't have to go."

With a quick step, he caught up with Sarasa...

The Porridge Stall was soon empty except for the chivalrous Shalnark. Facing the Zoldyck, including those who had exchanged a punch with Uvogin without being at a disadvantage, he involuntarily shrank back and cried out, "Wait for me!"

He slipped away quickly, fleeing the soup Porridge Stall, and followed...

"Tap... tap..." The sound of footsteps echoed in the wide church square.

Nobunaga and Uvogin, one on each side, were dragged along by Kastro, leaving two shallow drag marks on the ground.

The swordsman, now sprawled out and beaten into Pig-Head, his sword gone, his clothes torn, revealing a tuft of chest hair, lay there like a dead dog. He managed to move his throat and hoarsely asked, "Can I ask you a question?"

"Just give me a quick death before I die."

"Explain."

Why can't my knife cut you?

"Because of recitation."

"Read?"

"Right."

"Hahaha... No wonder!" Uvogin roared with laughter in a hoarse voice, then spat out a mouthful of blood, his body convulsing...

"So it turns out I didn't lose to you, I lost to 'thought'..."