New and Old Succession X Crazy Power of Faith

Hundreds, thousands, even tens of thousands of eyes turned to him.

Heavy breathing rose and fell like bellows being pulled, making "whoosh~ hoo~" sounds.

Deep within Kukuroo Mountain, Netero and Silva both ceased their actions. Beside them, Zeno, his white hair swaying wildly, narrowed his eyes and unleashed a burst of divine light. He then used his Mastered Shadow Step technique, disappearing into the shadows of the trees and rapidly approaching the Ancient Castle...

In the dimly lit room, a group of Undead, led by Betty Zoldyck, Brook Sael, Severus, watched with excitement, trembling... Suddenly, someone cried out, "Little John, my precious grandson, you see... You're alive... You're alive..."

"Then, like a meteorite falling from the sky, trailing a raging tail of flame, it struck the center of the lake, instantly creating towering waves and unleashing a series of exciting roars."

Some roared to the sky, some knelt and wailed, some embraced each other and wept, and some were overjoyed, dancing and gesturing with glee...

A surge of intense emotion swept through the air, causing Maha's Nen Qi to tremble and rise... It was visible to the naked eye that the old man's emotions were no longer calm as usual, and the Nen Qi that naturally emanated from the top of his head faintly showed a flush of excitement!

"Good boy, you really... did it..." Betty Zoldyck gripped Roy's hand tightly, then spun around and pulled Roy into her arms... "Tap... tap..." Footsteps echoed as figures surrounded them.

Brushing past Maha's shoulder, they walked towards Roy, surrounding him in layers...

When Zeno arrived, only Maha remained by the rocking chair, hands behind his back, watching silently and with satisfaction. A glint occasionally flashed in his old eyes, but he quickly concealed it well.

"Grandpa, this is people welcoming their new king..." Zeno walked up to Maha with his hands behind his back, glanced at him sideways, and said, "Don't be jealous, old man."

"If you can't speak properly, then shut up." What an inopportune person!

Maha glared at him. "Aren't they all mine my grandson's?"

Zeno shook his head almost imperceptibly. They were all grandsons, but in someone's heart, their treatment was completely different.

He had no recollection of himself, Silva, or even the younger ones like Illumi, Milluki, and Killua, ever hearing such a phrase from the old man, which, in the final analysis—

"Roy really did live up to his potential..."

Resurrected as soon as he said he would, this time it wasn't just Netero, even he wanted to go into the Sun-Earring Boy's dream to see what kind of people those "teachers" were who guided him to develop many methods and constantly enriched his Nen Ability!

I suppose they're not necessarily worse than those infamous or notorious old fogies!

"Buzz..." As time ticked by, the atmosphere in the small room showed no sign of calming down.

Amidst the intense gaze of the crowd, Maha coughed lightly and strode towards Roy with his hands behind his back... Whether excited or joyful, the Undead simultaneously ceased their weeping and their actions, falling silent on their own. With a single step, they automatically parted to make way for Maha...

A few meters, covered in the blink of an eye.

Roy, with Betty linking his arm, looked on with a smile...

The old man's gaunt frame was a head shorter than his, but the Nen Qi surrounding him and the domineering presence he exuded as he walked made it impossible to look away. He looked... taller and more imposing than Roy!

Roy knew that this was an enhancement brought to him by power, and also a natural result of all living beings supporting him.

"When..." At that moment, at five in the morning, as the wooden clock struck the hour, a ray of sunlight suddenly pierced through the darkness that covered the entire continent in the blink of an eye.

The crimson sun flickered faintly, Maha arrived just in time to stand before Roy, stopping in his tracks and looking up at him, saying, "This is not [resurrection]."

2

True resurrection requires no container or medium... "Where did that [autumn cicada] go?"

After Maha finished speaking, all the Undead, including Brook Sael and Severus, fell silent.

Anyone with eyes can see that the rebirth of the Cowherd was undoubtedly accompanied by the death of the Cicada, thus enabling its "resurrection."

"Hehe..."

In other words, "There is no such thing as resurrection in this world; it is merely a matter of some people sacrificing themselves to be brought back to life."

Deep within the Kukuroo Mountain, beside the clear pool where Roy once fought Silva, Netero stroked his white beard and uttered a single, chilling remark that directly exposed the true nature of the [Edo Tensei] technique!

But just as he and Maha had said, Roy simply pointed a finger at the ground and said calmly, "Where there is life, there is death. This is the price."

Also... [the Law of Equivalent Exchange in the world of Nen]!

Just like in the original story, Netero's former best friend Jed returned from Hell at the cost of the lives of his Believer and through his own resentment... There's no such thing as a free lunch!

"You know that's not what I'm asking," Maha said solemnly, glancing around at the circles of his subjects and compatriots who had followed him into this fate. "If killing one person can save one of my compatriots, I'm willing to do it. If killing a hundred can save a hundred, I'm still willing to do it. As for killing a thousand, ten thousand, a hundred million... as long as the old man is still alive by then, I won't even bat an eye. But..."

Maha's deep gaze was fixed on Roy as he asked, "And you?"

"And what was the price you paid?"

"Will it endanger your life?"

Betty tightened her grip on Roy's arm, looking on nervously. Nearby, Brook Sael, Severus, and the others hesitated, opening their mouths as if to say something, but after a long struggle, they chose to remain silent...

[Resurrection] was undoubtedly a huge temptation for them... but sacrificing Roy's life, even by sacrificing just a fraction of his lifespan, Brook Sael and Severus exchanged a glance, their eyes already making a decision... that was absolutely not what they wanted...

Silence reigns in the small room at this moment...

No one spoke, which caused the atmosphere in the room to instantly become heavy, so heavy that it was suffocating.

Deep within the Kukuroku Mountains, beside the clear pool, Silva and Illumi stood silently facing each other, each releasing their [En] powers. Their gazes fell upon Roy. Separated by a wall, Illumi leaned against the door, arms crossed, waiting quietly. Looking across the entire Zoldyck family, perhaps only the still-oblivious Kikyo remained unaware, soundly asleep, nestled against Kikyo...

How to choose? How to choose? To sacrifice one's life to save millions, or to ignore it and simply break one's promise and give up?

The television hanging on the south wall captured the scene in the small room. Kikyo held Qi in his arms, and with the electronic eye flashing, he controlled the camera, aiming it at Roy. Unfortunately, he couldn't see even a trace of struggle or difficulty in making a choice in the Sun-Earring Boy.

Roy, with his flowing silver-gold hair, spread his hands and said frankly, "Great-grandfather, you overestimate me. I'm not a saint; I wouldn't do something that harms myself for the benefit of others..."

The Sun-Earring Boy spoke frankly, and the color of the Nen Qi emanating from his head proved he wasn't faking it. Although the group of Undead watched expectantly, vaguely guessing what was going on, receiving this answer inevitably caused many to feel dejected. Several even knelt and wept bitterly, instantly falling from heaven to Hell, crushed by despair...

Even so, no one begged Roy. Some, like Brook Cell and Severus, after a few seconds of silence, smiled at Roy and said, "This was the right choice."

Roy felt a warmth in his heart. He turned his head and glanced at Betty again. His great-grandmother, whose appearance had remained forever young, nodded firmly at him, silently encouraging him... You did the right thing.

The Sun-Earring Boy abruptly changed the subject, instantly lifting everyone's Hell: "I think you've misunderstood. What I mean is, it doesn't affect me; the cost is entirely borne by [the container]—he's the one who needs to pay with his life."

Then, silence fell over the room again, and the cries of anguish abruptly ceased.

After a moment of stunned silence, Zeno was the first to react, throwing a backhand punch to teach Roy a lesson... "You brat, remember to finish your sentence!" But before his hand could even touch Roy, he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his butt, and crashed through the glass, only to be kicked high into the air by Maha: "You bastard, you broke my grandson, you'll pay for it?!"

"I..." In Zeno disarray, Jeno stumbled through the sky...

Deep within the Kukuroo Mountain, Netero chuckled, touched his eyebrows with his hand, looked up, and turned to Silva, saying, "Your father is gone."

Silva remained expressionless, not even glancing up at the sky, and said indifferently, "If he's gone, he's gone. Roy will be resurrected."

Netero:

He was clearly taken aback for a moment, then, regaining his senses, he put his hands on his hips and laughed loudly, "Hehehe... Being able to be resurrected is really amazing."

That's truly remarkable!

"You all heard that," Maha said, glancing around at Brook Sael, Severus, and the others before patting Roy on the shoulder. "He's my grandson, and he'll be your king from now on. If you want to be resurrected, worship him."

"Boom!" Led by Brook Sael and Severus, every single one of the Undead prostrated themselves on the ground, placing their right hands on their chests and bowing respectfully to Roy, saying, "Your most loyal and devout Brook Sael / Severus Blake Shaw... greets Your Majesty..."

Suddenly, a series of panel notification sounds, like Basho pattering on banana leaves, echoed continuously in Roy's mind.

[Hint: One, two, ten, one hundred, one thousand, one thousand, one hundred million... "Believer" are being detected, urgently awaiting Officialization by the host...]

[The current "Believer in Need" status is abnormal and cannot provide the host with the corresponding Power of Faith. The host must revive the believers before the beneficiaries can be awarded the title.]

[Note: The current reserve of "Power of Faith" for the "Believer" is 178,473,213.8 points, which exceeds the host's maximum capacity.]

[Suggestion: The host should plan the resurrection process to avoid... getting lost...]

One hundred million?! Roy's body trembled almost imperceptibly, his mind racing, and a sharp glint flashed in his eyes!

The Sun-Earring Boy stood with Maha on his left and Betty on his right, looking down at the vast, kneeling mass of Undead before him... just like the endless rows of tombstones he had seen in Maha's dreams... At that moment, he felt an overwhelming surge of pride, and a smile involuntarily crept onto his lips...

"Arise, all of you, arise..."

It was past five o'clock, and dawn Daybreak... A red sun peeked over the horizon, revealing a corner of its arc, and shot out thousands of rays of morning glow.

Through the window, Roy was draped in a Rosy Garment and crowned with the radiant glow of the rising sun.

Roy raised his hand, creating several wisps of wind that swept across the area, helping up Brook Sael, Severus, and others who were at the head of the group... Amidst respectful murmurs... "Thank you, Your Majesty!"

Then, the Undead rose, and as the morning sun shone upon its body, its despondency and despair vanished, leaving only anticipation and hope.

"Gurgle, gurgle..." My stomach is growling with hunger...

Now that things had come to this, Roy turned to Maha and said, "Great-Grandpa, let's eat first."

The soft sound of the food cart rolling over the stone floor drifted from the corridor. After waiting a while, Tsubone understood and called softly through the door, "Grandmother, Young Master, breakfast is here..."

Maha and Betty exchanged a glance, then turned to Brook Cell, Severus, and the others with a smile, saying, "You won't get a hot meal, but that's alright, wait for my precious grandson to be resurrected..."

With that final word, seeing that Maha had finally relented, Roy smiled, Betty smiled, Brook Cell, Severus, and the thousands of Undead all laughed together. They all said in unison, "Thank you, Your Majesty..."

The heart followed, transforming into a wisp of memory, not requiring Maha to actively recall it, but willingly disappearing into the body.

Just then, the door creaked open, and Tsubone pushed a food cart in. Roy pointed a finger, activated [Wood Release], and materialized a dining table and several chairs, placing them against the window. Without turning his head, he called out to the door, "Don't make me call you, just come in."

"Gurgle gurgle..." From the open doorway, Illumi followed Tsubone, her long, smooth black hair flowing freely. She found a chair and sat down, still sporting that unlikable cat face, her clear black and white eyes fixed on Roy, saying, "I'll reserve a spot first. When I die, don't forget to resurrect me."

"You know, I want to forever..."

"Shut up!" Roy grabbed a baguette and stuffed it into Illumi's mouth... The foolish little brother blinked, then swallowed the hard baguette whole, before turning to look at Maha, as if to say, "Great-Grandpa, look at him."

Maha chuckled, pretending not to see, and scooped up a spoonful of tomato and egg soup, gulping it down. He muttered to himself, "Getting old... it's still better to drink something thinner."

He then tossed Illumi to Roy. The stubborn younger brother, not getting the answer he wanted, remained as obstinate as a mule, staring intently at Roy as if he'd rather die than Roy... Roy was at his wit's end, glaring at him and saying, "We'll talk when you can beat Gotoh."

Illumi picked up his knife and fork. "When will he wake up?"

"Today!"

"Sizzle..." The sound of a Blood Cocoon being torn open rang out.