Someone from the Dark Continent X the Great Debt Owed to the Sword Path

This year marks the twentieth anniversary of Mr. Jager's passing.

Gotoh added at the end.

Twenty years... No wonder Netero came. Roy forked a piece of bacon and popped it into his mouth, glancing listlessly out the window and saying, "Gotoh,"

"Young Master, please speak."

Have you met Grandpa Jager?

Twenty years have Youyou, and he is still not here, but the Gotoh.

The young butler's thoughts drifted, and he carefully recalled, "I've met him once."

He adjusted his glasses and said truthfully, "Back then, Holl and I were both apprentice butlers." He had a room full of figurines, was rather thin, and very approachable, always smiling... He even gave Holl and me a piece of candy each, which he supposedly made himself, and it was quite delicious...

Gotoh recounted their encounter in detail, while Roy ate his breakfast and listened quietly. Suddenly, he remembered the [Medal of Courage] that Netero had given him when he participated in the Hunter Exam in the Zevil Island. He said it was... a keepsake from his grandfather Jager before his death... Roy raised his hand and took the medal, which was branded with an "axe and ears of wheat," and examined it carefully, forgetting to eat for a moment.

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

"Um?"

"The soup's getting cold." After Gotoh finished speaking, she noticed that Roy was staring thoughtfully at the [Medal of Courage] and reminded him.

Roy silently came to his senses, flicked his wrist, and put the medal back into the drawer. Before the soup cooled completely, he scooped up a spoonful and slowly drank it.

While drinking, he didn't forget the important matter and asked, "Have you prepared the medicine I asked you to?"

The means to Anti-Conjuration are now in hand; it's time to fulfill the promise I made to my father, Tanjuro.

"The doctor has already provided a treatment plan, and I'll set off to pick it up shortly." Gotoh said solemnly, "At the latest, the Young Master will see me tonight."

"And another thing," Gotoh looked on cautiously.

"Explain,"

"Yes." The young butler's expression turned serious. "Holl called and mentioned something... a Evil Cult has suddenly emerged on various continents, incubating followers in different places, which has attracted the attention of various countries, including the Hunter Association."

Roy paused, his hand gripping the spoon still. He looked up, and Gotoh, having sorted through the intelligence, said in a deep voice, "Among them is the one the Young Master met... Guzman."

"Really?" Roy's face was icy. "Book the tickets. I'm going to kill him."

"No need," a gust of wind blew by, and a scrawny old man appeared across the table. His head was almost completely bald, but two stray hairs stuck out. It was Maha.

"I've gone to call your grandpa." The old man skillfully took the soup bowl, and without using a spoon, he gulped down the soup, drinking it all down in one go. Only then did he breathe a sigh of relief and say with lingering satisfaction.

Grandpa... Roy remembered meeting Zeno at the mountain gate just now, and fell silent for a moment.

Maha glanced at him sideways. "What, do you insist on settling your score yourself?"

Having his thoughts read, Etan admitted, "I did have that idea. I failed to kill him with one strike back then, and he got away. I've been thinking that one day I'll get my revenge."

"Then you still have a chance."

"It's just an avatar, killing it is fine... there'll be another one." Maha said indifferently.

Roy frowned; it seemed his great-grandfather knew something.

Sure enough, "You think you're the only smart one?"

The old man said quietly, "Someone... has come down."

Down... down... Roy was horrified. Where else could he get down... besides the Dark Continent!

"Now you're scared?" Maha forked a piece of bacon and threw it into his mouth. He didn't mind eating Roy's leftovers and simply ate his fill, clearing the table clean. Just now, he tossed his fork into the empty plate with a "whoosh."

Roy remained silent. The Sun-Earring Boy gently touched the [Curse] mark on the back of his left hand. After a moment, he sighed with emotion, "Great-Grandpa is joking... I'm just scared."

"But not to the point of losing one's composure,"

"I just didn't expect that the other party wouldn't even give me eight years. They're in such a hurry, it's like... Grandpa Jager did something to Him that displeased him..."

"Hmm..." Upon mentioning Jager, the grandfather and grandson remained silent. Maha, having eaten half his fill, slumped into his chair, turned his head to look out the window. The red sun leaped out, the morning glow turning from red to white, radiating sunlight that warmed the earth. With a step, and in another glance, he appeared outside the door, in the mottled corridor.

"Come with me..."

With a creak, the door opened, and Roy silently followed the old man.

With one hand behind their back and the other in their pocket, bathed in the warm sunlight, the two Zoldyck Family Ancient Castle, making their way towards the training room...

At one point, she saw Kikyo, heavily pregnant, being carefully strolled in the garden with Tsubone's help... The man was not there, and clearly... the woman was on edge, noticeably more nervous than usual.

Roy,

"How long has it been since you practiced your sword?"

The corner has been reached, and the entrance to the training room is not far away... Maha stopped, hands behind his back, squinting at Kikyo's protruding belly, and suddenly asked.

The glowing lights converged, Cane Sword appeared, which Roy firmly grasped in his hand. The Sun-Earring Boy gently stroked the blade, feeling the [Eclipse]'s exhilarating emotions, and truthfully said, "I just practiced last night."

"There's another decent opponent, a sparring partner."

"In a dream?"

"Yes, in a dream."

"I see..." Maha turned to look at him, and said calmly, "You have a sparring partner, and you practice diligently, so why are you still so bad?"

Roy was startled, then his hand went empty. Looking down again, he saw that the [Eclipse] had fallen into Maha's hands in the blink of an eye, and he was quietly playing with it in the sunlight... The Sun-Earring Boy came back to his senses and was speechless for a moment.

The old man before me said nothing, yet it seemed he said everything... He played with the [Eclipse], silently speaking as if to say, "Look, the knife you cherished as your life, was so easily taken away by me."

"And you say you cherish it?"

His effortless grace in every gesture left Roy speechless.

"I didn't see it clearly, Great-Grandpa, could you let me see it again?" How did he manage to snatch the knife away so subtly and quietly?

Roy bowed respectfully, then blinked and the blade flashed again. [Eclipse] let out a whimper, as if it had suffered some injustice, and fell back into Roy's hands, strongly denouncing its inner dissatisfaction.

Maha clapped his hands as if he had done something insignificant, then sat up straight by the window, basking in the sun. "What difference does it make whether you look or not? Even if you do it ten thousand times, you still can't hold on."

Roy fell silent, gripping the Eclipse silently and bowing his head.

A sharp pain shot through his forehead as Maha poked his brow with a finger. "Thank goodness... you idiot!"

"How could your father have given birth to such a blockhead like you?"

Do you feel endless gratitude for the [Sword Path] you practice?

"Boom!" A thunderclap seemed to rise from the ground! Maha's words echoed in Roy's mind like a resounding bell!

The Sun-Earring Boy stood there, stunned, all his previous confusion about the [Sword Path] and his frustration and anger at having his [sword taken] gone!

Then, as if snapping back to reality, the first image that came to mind was of a disheveled middle-aged man atop a snow-capped mountain, praying and throwing a punch with deep gratitude for his own great kindness towards Martial Arts... A glimmer of light gradually appeared in his eyes!

Noticing the Sun-Earring Boy's unusual behavior... Maha retracted his finger, a hint of satisfaction flashing deep in his eyes. He snorted coldly and said, "Although Netero isn't a likable kid, he was able to create the [Shingen-ryu] and comprehend his own Martial Way. His title of [Strongest Human] isn't undeserved."

"He has his invincible path, and you should have yours. Obsessing over the Path of Faith while neglecting your [True Self], neglecting the very thing you need to make a living... Roy, that's putting the cart before the horse!"

"Boom!" More and more "thunderous words" struck the Sun-Earring Boy's heart...

The parasites that had clung to Roy's path of Sword Path were forcibly wiped away, allowing his eyes and sword heart to become clear and lucid, reviving him from his deathly stillness...

This is what everyone says. Roy knew very well that his great-grandfather didn't understand swords; in his [training], the giant wreathed in Thunder wielded a hammer!

But... Martial Way, Sword Path, or Hammer Path... each path is different, yet they all lead to the same goal... ultimately, they all cannot escape the word "gratitude"!

"Thank you, humanity, for forging the sword."

"Thankful that the world has Swordsmanship,"

"I'm grateful I learned swordsmanship."

"I'm grateful the sword chose me..."

I was wrong, utterly wrong...

A wave of enlightenment washed over him... Roy's eyes suddenly ignited like two suns, and at that moment, he gently stroked his sword, murmuring to himself, "Actually, I've always used you as a tool."

He bowed again, sincerely paying homage to the Eclipse as a gesture of apology.

A deep, ancient sword hum echoed... [Eclipse] rang out of its sheath on its own... With a swift movement, it circled and danced around Roy, completely at ease... The grievance of being forcibly taken away by Maha was gone.

It couldn't speak, but Roy truly heard it speak. It felt what Roy felt, saw what Roy saw, heard what Roy heard, and followed Roy's will. In that instant, it seemed to have its own life.

However, that was far from enough. Roy scooped up the [Eclipse] with one hand and grabbed it back. He nodded slightly to Maha, then flashed out the window and sat cross-legged in the garden. Under the Great Sun, bathed in its glow, he closed his eyes, placed the sword across his knees, and began to meditate.

Suddenly, a series of footsteps sounded...

Illumi, with his long, flowing black hair reaching his waist, walked slowly over and stopped beside Maha. He stood there, keeping the old man company as he watched his older brother fall into deep thought. A ripple appeared in the Sun-Earring Boy's empty eyes, and he tilted his head to ask, "What is he doing?"

Why can't I understand it?

Maha: "So, he's the older brother, and you're the younger brother."

Illumi deeply agreed, then slowly shook his head. "No, he was my beloved older brother, and I was his beloved younger brother. Great-grandfather... you forgot about love..."

"You!" Maha glared, then kicked Illumi again, sending him flying...

Visible to the naked eye, it transformed into a shooting star on the horizon.

In the blink of an eye, he vanished!

"What is that?!"

"If you dare utter another load of nonsense, I'll beat you to death!"