Wood Release: Silent Killing Bind × Maha's Commanding Initiative

Only those trapped in the mire yearn for the sky, only those in darkness yearn for the light. Little Matty died, Lady Nora died, and Old Mark died too... Their family was finally reunited, but...

Roy couldn't feel happy at all. A touch of madness, a dash of bloodlust, a dash of anger, a dash of insanity, and a dash of bloodlust... all transformed into three captivating, jet-black tomoe, slowly creeping up to the corners of his eyes...

At that moment, the Sun-Earring Boy wanted to eat people, like that Liger " from before, and devour Andrew Cooper alive!

The last vestige of reason remaining in his heart was completely lost as his [Ferocity] was unleashed... Roy stared coldly at them with his blood-red Sharingan...

"Giggle~"

A crow suddenly swooped down from the treetop, flapped its wings, and dropped a black feather...

Upon first meeting the Sun-Earring Boy's deep, murderous eyes, Andrew Cooper and the bald-headed Longergon, who had been protecting him with his shield, felt a blur before their eyes. When they came to their senses... the trees vanished, the stones vanished, the birdsong, the beasts, even the wind blowing through the forest, the clouds drifting in the sky, and the sun, which shone brightly and illuminated the earth, all disappeared...

Andrew Cooper dropped his playful demeanor and exchanged a furtive glance with Longergon. He hadn't expected that... in just a moment, the land beneath their feet had transformed into a completely different world!

This world was filled with blood, including the Great Sun hanging above Roy's head, which should have shone brightly but was stained with killing intent and forcibly covered in a bloody cloak, turning into a Blood Sun!

"Mental pollution?"

"Or is it soul corruption?"

Andrew Cooper solemnly raised his Hand Crossbow. Unlike Frank Becky's [Infinite God Spear], this "Nen Artifact," while possessing a rapid-fire capability, also had an [Amplification] effect... This was undoubtedly a perfect fit for Nen user like him who excelled at archery...

"Don't play tricks, Andrew. I'll protect you. Go ahead and shoot him!" With [Deflection] in hand and Longergon by his side, it's [Absolute Defense]... This is the absolute confidence he has in the [Round Shield] he holds!

"Alright," needless to say, Andrew had already gathered his [Nen Qi] and pulled the trigger on the [Hand Crossbow] a second before the bald man finished speaking... one arm, two arms, three arms, four arms... in the blink of an eye, eight arms materialized, and the [Hand Crossbow] also materialized into eight...

"Whoosh... whoosh... whoosh..."

A salvo, firing from eight directions, pierced the air and hurtled towards Roy...

Andrew Cooper perfectly showcased his Nen Ability at this moment... [The Deformed Hundred-Armed Demon], Transformation himself single-handedly, losing his human form...

"I see,"

"That's how it should be."

Because they are not human, they are incapable of empathy...

Roy lowered his eyelids and grinned menacingly... Suddenly, a mudflat appeared beneath his feet, allowing him to dodge all the arrows flying towards him. When he reappeared, he suddenly appeared in front of Andrew, behind the bald, burly man, Longergon!

"Huh?" A surprised exclamation came from Longergon.

The bald man lost sight of the Sun-Earring Boy, initially assuming he was an "Enhancement" Swordsmanship, after seeing him switch allegiances and use "mental pollution" to induce hallucinations, leading him to believe he was a "Manipulation"... Then, a mudflat appeared beneath his feet, revealing a [Swamp Space]... Longergon turned around, raised his shield, and slammed it down, exclaiming, "Special ability!"

"Bang!" The Round Shield struck the target...

In an instant, Roy, who had transformed into Andrew, was smashed on the head, leaving him bleeding profusely!

The force was immense. Despite being a [Conjuration] type Nen user, he was able to transcend categories and display power comparable to [Enhancement] type users... Roy gave the bald man a deep look, and then exploded with a "bang!"

Using the [Substitution Jutsu] he learned at the Ninja Academy, he seized the opportunity when Longergon turned around, and with a flick of his finger bypassing the shield, struck him between the eyebrows...

[Illusion Jutsu: Unlimited Void]!

"Buzz~"

An invisible wave spread out...

"Creak~" The "Gate of Cognition" opened, and Roy stood on the Sea of Cognition, his back against the entire Demon Slayer world. With a flick of his finger, he digitized the world into billions, tens of billions, hundreds of billions, trillions... streams of information, which were then poured into Longergon's brain in a mere 0.01 seconds...

Longergon felt as if something had exploded in his mind!

The person froze, their pupils losing focus!

"Longergon, what are you doing?"

"Whoosh... whoosh... whoosh..." Another volley of "thought arrows" wrapped around [Zhou] shot towards Roy!

As the distance closed, instantaneous attacks became easier... Andrew Cooper frowned and glanced at the "stunned" Longergon. Without his protection, he experienced the feeling of "danger" for the first time. He involuntarily reached back and, taking advantage of the "mind arrow" flying over to block Roy's movement space, quietly created distance between them.

Unfortunately...

"Where do you think this is?"

Who do you think you are?

The Illusion Jutsu spread beneath his feet, and with a "caw," another crow cawed.

The Sun-Earring Boy whose bald brain had been burned by a single finger stared with bloodshot eyes, neither dodging nor avoiding, letting the mental arrow pierce his body as if immersed in ripples of water. He indifferently reached out and grabbed Andrew... Andrew should have retreated, but his consciousness urged him to create distance. Yet... his body defied his will, driving his feet ever closer to Roy...

Until, his body completely merged with Roy's.

Andrew squinted, his expression one of terror for the first time, staring intently... as the neck split open, another Andrew forced his way out, reaching out to embrace his head.

He muttered frantically, "What a head... Your scalp must be so white and smooth... I wonder how popular it would be if I peeled off this skin and made it into a chamber pot..."

Andrew's face turned pale, and he roared, "Get out... get out of my body!"

As he spoke, he used all four arms, abandoning even the Hand Crossbow, and threw punches straight at Roy!

This made Roy feel somewhat "sad." "You are me, and I am you, why are you being so formal with me?"

[Wood Release: Silent Binding Technique]... Activate!

As the fist drew near, Andrew suddenly found himself unable to move... The man looked down at his feet, where vines had sprung up from nowhere, winding and stretching out, binding him tightly... For a moment, he lost all ability to resist, leaving only his mouth and a pair of incredulous eyes, expressing the horror and panic in his heart...

One... two... three... four... five!

Andrew's mind was fried; he'd lost count of how many different Nen Ability the Sun-Earring Boy had displayed, and he was beginning to question the meaning of life...

"That's right, absolutely right,"

[Circle] emerged, this time without obstruction. [Heart Bug] broke through Andrew's Nen Qi, invading the man's heart. It immediately sensed intense terror and despair, and began to devour him greedily. Seemingly not satisfied, it muttered and urged Roy to exert more effort...

Roy's eyes burned with a bloodthirsty light. He stroked Andrew's head, nodded in deep agreement, and with a thought, summoned Eclipse. Right in front of Andrew, he began to peel off his skin...

"You... I'm warning you, don't do anything reckless!"

"I'm a member of the Security Corps!"

"So what?"

"So what? You damned God-Slayer, let me go... Maybe I'll plead with the Security Corps and spare your life, maybe even give you an ' Entry Permit '!"

"Then I must thank you in advance," Roy said with a clang, drawing Eclipse and slicing open Andrew's scalp. "Ah--" A heart-wrenching scream rang out...

Blood spurted out, splattering all over the Sun-Earring Boy's face. He stuck out his tongue and licked it; it was sweet, very sweet. Greedily, he raised his hand and slashed again, grinning foolishly. "You said I'm God-Slayer, so..."

"I've already blasphemed against God, so what's one more?"

With a swift movement, the knife falls, and another piece of scalp is peeled off... This continues repeatedly...

Once... twice... three times... Roy completely lost his mind, just like the "Liger" that had devoured Lady Nora before. Using [Illusion Jutsu], he repeatedly skinned, pulled out tendons, and tore flesh from Andrew's consciousness and making him feel this pain again and again... It was even more agonizing and painful than when Kakashi encountered Itachi, who had already betrayed the village and joined the Akatsuki, and was forcibly dragged into the [Illusion Space] and killed ten times...

Ten times... twenty times... thirty times... seventy times... one hundred times...

Until Andrew was completely numb, his brain, like Longergon's, could no longer bear it, lost the ability to process his body, and exploded with a bang!

Roy then wiped the blood from his face, withdrew from [Ferocity], dispelled [Illusion Space], and with a backhand slash, beheaded Andrew and Longergon...

[Hint: "Life Energy" +50]

[Hint: "Life Energy" +57]

"Bang!" Andrew and Longergon, headless, fell straight down from the thick tree trunk.

Roy received the notification from the panel, his eyes regained their clarity, and with a wave of his hand, he grabbed the wine flask tied to Andrew's waist. He then looked down, a sudden surge of red light flashing in his eyes. With another glance, he unleashed two blazing laser beams, completely melting and erasing the corpses of Andrew and Longergon from the world, leaving not a trace...

Only then did he open the lid of the wine jug, allowing three transparent Undead to slowly emerge...

"Thanks...

A soft whisper, so much gratitude...

Old Mark and Lady Nora each extended a hand, took the hand of a little girl with straw-like hair, bowed to Roy, and then, before Roy could react, transformed into three streaks of light and instantly disappeared into his body.

A Youyou, bleak breeze stirred, and silence enveloped the Uzuki Forest at that moment.

In the vast forest, Andrew was gone, Longergon was gone, Old Mark was gone, and Lady Nora was gone. Only Roy remained, closing his eyes and experiencing their joys and sorrows, their lives, while several notification sounds rang in his mind one after another...

[Hint: "Life Energy" +8]... This is Old Mark, [Hint: "Life Energy" +7]... This is Little Matty, [Hint: "Life Energy" +120]... This is Lady Nora lost hope, turned to the dark side, and became [Post-Mortem Nen]...

Roy pondered deeply, transforming into "he," "she," and "she" in turn, and in an instant, he seemed to age ten or twenty years... His eyes remained closed for a long time...

"I'm leaving now, thank you brother..."

In the Unconscious Realm, Little Matty waved to Roy and slowly dissipated... Her eyes were bright, yet she showed absolutely no attachment to this world, leaving Roy silent for a very long time.

So, child, what do you really want?

"Me... of course I want to be a light that brings hope to others."

"But before that," Roy opened his eyes sharply, gripping the knife tightly, "Let me first let this world experience what pain truly is!"

The Sun-Earring Boy, now appearing as Andrew Cooper, peered through the deep forest at the distant Bandle City. His ears twitched; he heard the Game notification... [re: The Game of the Dead, Close]

My consciousness dimmed, and I knew my "stay" time was up...

He opened his eyes again, back in the Hunter world. A tentacle reached out from his [Demon Eye] and pushed him out the door with a "bang!" The airtight steel door slammed shut. In the dimly lit basement at his feet, yellow chrysanthemums bloomed brilliantly, and a delicate fragrance, carried by a gentle breeze, swirled into Roy's nostrils...

The Sun-Earring Boy took a greedy drag, finally finding a semblance of reality. He remained silent, giving one last look at the airtight door, then turned and walked along the dark, eerie green passageway towards its entrance.

"Creak..." The iron gate opened, and two figures, one Scar-Face One-Eye, bowed to Roy, saying, "Two hours and thirty-seven minutes."

"Young Master, you've stayed another half an hour longer than last time..."

Roy stepped out of the iron gate, paused, slightly raised his chin, and watched the setting sun cast a ray of light... He gave a soft hum, said nothing more, then lifted his foot and left the basement with a desolate figure.

"Tap... tap..." The footsteps faded into the distance...

The Scar-Face One-Eye man watched the Sun-Earring Boy leave, exchanging a silent glance with him. The latter, as usual, took out his phone from his pocket and reported to his superiors.

"I understand." In the Zoldyck Family Ancient Castle, Silva squatted by the window, massaging Kikyo's feet, then frowned and hung up the phone.

The woman lay in bed, heavily pregnant, with a female doctor in her forties beside her, constantly watching over her... According to her, barring any unforeseen circumstances, her water would rupture in the next day or two.

Really, "Very quickly."

"What's fast?" Kikyo grunted. "You mean Killua?"

Silva nodded silently. It was Qi... and even more so Roy. This time... it lasted another half hour than last time. The child had grown up so fast that he and his father had been left far behind. At least, the man had to admit that he couldn't last as long as the Sun-Earring Boy at this stage.

"Is it coming soon...? I've been waiting for it for ten months..." Kikyo gently hugged her belly, the monitor on her face flashing red hearts and tenderness, and also... happiness...

It's a happiness that Little Matty will never understand, nor will she ever have the chance to experience.

At seven o'clock in the evening, as spring transitions into summer, the days become longer.

Even without lights, you can see the way through the weathered corridors of the ancient Ancient Castle, which are filled with the marks of time.

Roy left the basement and walked towards his bedroom. At one point, he stopped and saw a withered old man next to the familiar, dimly lit little room.

He seemed to be enjoying the breeze, admiring the sunset, or perhaps waiting for someone. He turned his head and glanced at him, saying, "Come here."

"Let the old man pat your head."