The Second Clash Between the Stubborn Father and Son, Born Again and Again

"One minute and forty-two seconds, Young Master. You are eighteen seconds short of passing."

When Roy finished his breakfast and pushed open the doors to the training room, Illumi had already taken a step ahead of him, undergoing his electrotherapy.

The boy heard the commotion and, despite his hair standing on end from the shock, forced himself not to collapse... as if he were doing it just to catch a glimpse of him.

Once he saw him, his eyes rolled back, and he fell over stiff as a board.

From one minute and thirty-five seconds to one minute and forty-two seconds, one had to admit that Illumi had made progress.

But compared to Young Master Roy... Luke had truly seen things these past few days. He could only say that the passing grade set by the Family Head was an absolute insult to this young master's rate of improvement. He was truly like a "rocket," constantly shattering his perceptions.

Roy said nothing, stepping directly over Illumi's "corpse." He neatly stripped off his vest, revealing exquisitely sculpted muscles with beautiful definition.

"My apologies, Young Master." Luke bowed to him, his movements steady and practiced as he thrust the baton forward.

Electric arcs surged like spilled mercury, piercing Roy's flesh. The stinging pain and numbness traveled from the soles of his feet straight to his crown, as if the electricity were trying to shock his very soul out of his body.

However... It's not so bad. Roy held his breath, clenched his teeth, and fought to keep his consciousness from slipping away.

Time passed... two minutes... three minutes... three and a half... Seeing it head toward four minutes, Luke hurriedly switched off the electric baton.

"It's been four minutes, Young Master. We cannot continue." Luke was afraid... The Zoldycks were the heavens to every butler in the house. He had never anticipated this situation, and even in Silva's instructions, Silva had never foreseen such a scenario. Consequently... once Roy held out for too long, Luke lost his composure for lack of a contingency plan, not knowing how to proceed.

"Continue." Since he had no answer, Roy provided one for him. Seeing Luke hesitating and afraid to step forward, he simply snatched the baton, flipped the switch, and began shocking himself.

Soon... he could feel that it wouldn't be long before his body adapted to this intensity, and then, he would become immune to the current, no longer suffering from fainting spells.

The facts developed exactly in the direction Roy had anticipated.

That heart-piercing sting began to wane... the numbness wrapping around his body also began to fade... four minutes... five minutes... six minutes...

Until ten minutes had passed and he was certain his body had adapted to the intensity... Roy tossed the baton to Luke and sat down right on top of Illumi.

"Hmph..."

Illumi let out a muffled groan, his body twitching slightly.

Roy acted as if he hadn't noticed, gesturing for Luke to bring over a bottle of water. He drank half himself and poured the rest onto the "seat" beneath him.

"Dig a new hole and bury him."

If the younger brother is heartless, the older brother cannot be unrighteous.

That little brat Milluki was pooping in the pit again; it was a miracle he still had the energy to run around.

Roy regained control of his body, stood up, and made room for Luke.

Luke respectfully replied, "Yes."

He carried Illumi away.

When Illumi finally drifted back to consciousness, he didn't find Roy "hugging a tree" in the garden; there was only Luke nearby, fanning him.

The boy swallowed to moisten his throat, which felt like it was smoking, and asked, "How many seconds this time?"

"One minute and forty-three seconds."

That glance back at Young Master Roy counts as one second, Luke added silently to himself, answering truthfully.

"Where is he?"

"Young Master Roy didn't faint this time." Luke glanced at Illumi cautiously.

The boy was clearly stunned. It took him a long while to come back to his senses. He simply closed his eyes and smeared some dirt to bury half his face in the pit, leaving only his nostrils exposed to the air, barely maintaining his breathing.

If Illumi must exist, why must Roy also exist? Clearly, he had been quite ordinary before... Illumi felt as though he had been betrayed.

He forced himself to calm down, recalling his father's words: even the strongest person has weaknesses, and if you are killed, you die.

Even if one is resurrected through some means, it is merely a matter of killing them again.

Therefore... be patient, be calm... Since he is younger, he is destined to have more room and time for improvement.

The earth seemed to echo Illumi, as if comforting him—as if it were his mother rather than Kikyo... It waved a hand to summon a cool breeze, stirring a heatwave that drifted through the window toward the boy practicing "Sun Breathing" in the training room.

Roy split the heatwave in two with a "Setting Sun Turn."

[System: Physique +0.2]

Right now... the sun was setting behind the mountains. The gains from two sessions of "Ten Thousand Swings" were visible to the naked eye... As his "Swordsmanship" improved, Roy let out a breath. He pointed his fingers like a sword, tracing from the tsuba of Snow Walk along the spine of the blade to the tip, lost in thought...

A swordsman's blade is not a dead object; it is the swordsman's limbs, their lover, their everything...

Just as Urokodaki Sakonji had warned him before he began practicing: one must consecrate the blade, cultivate a bond with it, and never abandon it in the wilderness unless one has lost their life.

Roy decided that from today on, he would oil Snow Walk himself. After all, there was no reason to let someone else maintain one's wife.

At seven in the evening, the sunset officially drew its curtain, and the night took the stage.

Ordering Gotoh to prepare dinner, Roy had a plan in mind. He took Snow Walk and strolled through the corridor, walking unhurriedly toward the warehouse.

"Caw—" A few crows flew past, dropping a few black feathers. Passing the main gate of the manor, Roy paused, squinting at the man walking toward him, and called out respectfully, "Father."

Silva was dressed in a sharp, black combat outfit, his long, silver-white hair draped behind him. From a distance, he looked like a lion under the moonlight, imposing without even trying.

He paced over, looking down at Roy from his height, and asked, "What day is it today?"

"Saturday."

"What day is the test?"

"Sunday."

"You remember well."

"I dare not forget."

"You are about to reach the pinnacle; what is there left that you dare not do?"

"Before I defeat my father, I must remain cautious."

"Heh heh heh... Hahaha..." Silva let out a low, suppressed chuckle that grew in volume, eventually erupting into a wild laugh as his white hair danced violently in the air!

With his hands shoved into his pockets, he said nothing more and strode past Roy, yet it was as if everything had already been said. He reached out to catch the woman lunging toward him, swept her into his arms with a single motion, and vanished in an instant.

In the silent corridor, only a few lingering traces of restless energy remained, serving as a reminder to Roy—

He would need to wear earplugs tonight if he wanted to get any sleep.

That night.

Pushing open the Gate of Cognition adorned with the demon mask.

Roy returned to the world of Demon Slayer, carrying the Asauchi provided by Urokodaki Sakonji, and headed deep into Mount Sagiri to practice his blade work as usual.

The wind was fierce and the snow heavy...

Urokodaki Sakonji, never one to shy away from hardship, would correct the details of his stance, footwork, and sword angles every single day, but today he noticed... this disciple who had reignited his desire to teach was making far more mistakes than usual.

He simply pressed down on Roy's hands, flipped his wrist, and snatched the Asauchi away.

The old Water Hashira stared intently at Roy: "Is something wrong? If your mind is not at peace, stop practicing."

"I cannot hide anything from Master's keen eyes. I was actually planning to ask for a day off to rest and recuperate." Roy did not deny it and smiled.

"Reason."

"I need to save my energy for a battle!"

"With whom?"

The youth took a deep breath and said with unprecedented seriousness: "With my arrogant father!"