"Oh," Razor said indifferently, glancing at Roy. His gaze then shifted, scanning Gotoh, whose face had been beaten into a swollen mess.
Griping the small booklet in his hand, he turned to leave.
The door creaked open and shut. From the hallway outside, a faint voice drifted back: "I'll be waiting."
The man's tall silhouette almost filled the doorframe. Leaving the room, he strolled through the hallway under the dim yellow lights toward his own quarters. On the way, he encountered a man wearing a hood, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed. The man called out to him, "Perhaps he was joking."
Ging nudged the brim of his hat. "Though I'm loath to admit it, I must state that... a person's birth determines the majority of their life's ceiling."
"Gotoh cannot compare to you."
Dragons beget dragons, phoenixes beget phoenixes, and the son of a rat is born to dig holes... Ging had been exploring ruins for ten years. From the legacy of civilizations to individual experiences, he had seen far too much. He didn't want to admit it, but he had to: birth and bloodline decided talent and limits. While there were exceptions, they were merely that—exceptions.
Razor paused and cast a cold sidelong glance at him. "If he weren't a Zoldyck, you probably wouldn't have even asked him to lend a hand."
Ging did not deny it. In the original timeline, Ging would have been the only one to take action for the prison break. At most, Elena would have joined to monitor the battlefield and provide support.
Under the dim hallway lights, Razor stroked the manual for Water Breathing and said softly, "I don't know if Roy was joking, but I know that when you say those words, even you don't sound very confident."
"He is the Zoldyck family's butler, after all... and Roy's confidant." Ging made no effort to hide the uncertainty in his voice as he looked calmly at Razor. "That child always brings something unexpected to the table."
"And you... didn't you also take an interest in him because of that?"
"Indeed." Razor started walking again. Ging remained silent as the footsteps grew distant.
Finally, a door creaked. Razor entered his room and closed the door with a thud.
Only then did Ging look up, watching the soft halos of light surrounding the hallway lamps. He shook his head and laughed softly to himself. 'In the end, who is the one lacking confidence?'
With a flash of movement, he vanished from the corridor.
Night fell, and the neon lights flickered to life.
The small coastal city of Willbes welcomed its most boisterous and bustling nightlife. The streets were filled with heavy traffic and crowds of tourists. Since it was early summer and the weather was warming up, everyone had come out to enjoy themselves.
Having just been released from prison, Razor took a shower to wash away the stench of the cell. Bare-chested, he sat at the desk provided by the hotel and spread out the Water Breathing manual, studying it intently.
From Water Breathing, First Form: Water Surface Slash... Second Form: Water Wheel... Third Form: Flowing Dance... Fourth Form... to Seventh Form...
Until...
"Eleventh Form: Dead Calm."
He mentally reviewed the entire technique.
Flashes of brilliance occasionally sparked in his narrow eyes. After a long while, he closed the booklet. He shut his eyes in deep thought, savoring the feeling. "I definitely owe him a favor for this."
Pointing Gotoh in the right direction was nowhere near enough to offset Roy's gift. This Water Breathing appeared to be a sword technique, but it was actually a secret art that anyone could cultivate!
It could actually change a person's way of breathing. Through specific acupoints and techniques, it expanded the rate at which the body could absorb oxygen, greatly enhancing cardiopulmonary capacity. This triggered faster metabolism and blood flow, aiming to drastically increase physical strength and combat effectiveness in a short period!
It was truly... a stroke of genius!
'If the human body is a reservoir, then Nen is the water within it. A Breathing Style is the nature and flavor of that water...'
'By mastering it, one can use the Breathing Style to add salt or sugar to the water, or make it freeze or boil, allowing it to display different properties and changes...'
'And Water Breathing acts as a seasoning that injects the characteristics of water into Nen. Not only can it increase a Nen user's aura recovery speed, but it can also significantly improve the malleability of Nen bullets in the short term. By utilizing the gentleness of water to stretch, shorten, and reshape Nen bullets, one can create far more attack patterns...'
Razor carefully savored the series of conjectures Roy had written at the end of the book regarding the combination of Water Breathing and Nen. He tried condensing a Nen bullet at his fingertip. It transformed into the number 1, then the number 2... He then stood up and mimicked the movements of Water Breathing. Using his hand as a blade, he began to practice. The Nen bullet at his fingertip constantly changed shape—stretching, shortening, and reshaping—becoming increasingly fluid as he moved.
By the time Razor completed a full practice run, the Nen bullet at his fingertip instantly transformed into a long sword of Nen light. With an inadvertent sweep, he easily sliced the desk in two. The cut was as smooth as a mirror, sharper than a laser.
Razor let out a soft breath, his heart surging like waves, unable to find calm.
[NOTIFICATION: POTENTIAL BELIEVER RAZOR, LOYALTY +5]
In the same hotel, at ten o'clock in the evening.
Over an hour after the fight between Gotoh and Razor, Roy received a panel notification. Ignoring Xiao Jin rolling around on the bed, he spread out a piece of white paper and contemplated the tenets of his cult. Hearing movement behind him, he said warmly, "If you're injured, don't move around. Just stay still."
With a groan, Gotoh regained consciousness. He opened his eyes dizzily and saw that he was lying on the sofa in the young master's room, covered with a blanket. His gaze shifted to the desk. The teenager's back wasn't particularly broad or tall, but it vaguely resembled seven-tenths of the old master's silhouette. In a daze, Gotoh opened his mouth to speak, but only a soft grunt came out.
He had lost... and quite miserably at that. The young butler silently stayed by Roy's side, replaying today's battle in his mind. The opponent was clearly several levels higher in terms of both aura capacity and understanding of Nen.
Unfortunately, neither aura capacity nor Nen understanding could be compensated for through post-natal hard work; they depended more on talent. Gotoh couldn't help but feel a bit despondent. He stared blankly at the ceiling, unable to snap out of it for a long time.
"What, discouraged already?" Roy turned around at the right moment, leaning back in his chair with a smile.
Feeling the warmth in Roy's gaze, the young butler smiled bitterly. "To be honest, Young Master, I am a little."
"Especially the realization that no matter how hard I work, I might never catch up... that kind of despair is quite hard to swallow."
Roy nodded. "Razor is one of the top Emission users. Aside from my grandfather and father, almost no one can beat him in the path of Emission."
"Young Master, I never dreamed of comparing myself to the old masters."
"Why not?" Roy looked seriously at the young butler. "Gotoh, my expectations for you aren't as simple as just beating Razor."
Gotoh was stunned. 'Does the Young Master want... me to fight the master?'
"Young Master, you certainly think highly of me."
"It's you who thinks too little of yourself." Meeting the butler's startled gaze, the boy didn't say much more, only adding meaningfully, "Recover well. I'll handle the other problems for you."
He closed his notebook.
Walking to the window, he watched the deep night illuminated by neon lights. Roy narrowed his eyes and lightly stroked the curse on the back of his hand. Calculating the time, it was finally time to settle Muzan and return peace to the world of Demon Slayer.
The clock struck ten.
The cathedral located in the center of Cherie Street in northern Willbes rang its bell. With a backward flick of his finger, the boy manipulated Magnetic Field: Repulsion to turn off the light.
In the darkness, he silently admired the night view of Willbes for a moment before getting into bed. He instructed Xiao Jin to keep watch, crossed his hands over his stomach, and fell asleep.
As the minutes and seconds ticked by, a faint snoring sound drifted through the air.
Roy entered a dream, stepping onto a multi-colored dream path to arrive at the familiar Sea of Cognition. He didn't linger, pushing open the door to the Demon Slayer world and stepping inside.
"Caw!" A Kasugai crow circled above his head. As he beckoned, it opened its beak and dropped a letter.
[TO BE OPENED BY KAMADO EIICHIRO]
[WE HAVE NOT MET FOR DAYS. ARE YOU WELL?]
[I HAVE ACCEPTED KYOJURO'S PROPOSAL AND SINCERELY OFFER THE POSITION OF LEADER TO YOU. PLEASE TAKE COMMAND OF THE DEMON SLAYER CORPS AND ENHANCE THE STRENGTH OF THE HASHIRA SO THAT WE MAY WIPEOUT THE EVIL DEMONS. PLEASE DO NOT REFUSE. WE SHALL DISCUSS THIS FURTHER UPON YOUR RETURN.]
[UBUYASHIKI KAGAYA, WITH DEEP RESPECT.]
[SECOND YEAR OF THE TAISHO ERA, APRIL 17TH.]
After reading the letter, another Kasugai crow flew from afar with a second message. Roy opened it and scanned the contents. It was from Rengoku Kyojuro, detailing everything that had happened at the Ubuyashiki estate during the two days he was gone.
Roy rubbed his right hand, and a small flame sprouted from his fingertip, burning the letter to ashes.
He brought up his panel. Ubuyashiki Kagaya, marked as a "Potential Believer," showed "Absolute Loyalty." He couldn't help but feel admiration. A man who was willing to use himself, his wife, and his daughters as bait to lead the family to disaster, leaving only his young children to continue the demon-slaying work—all to break the family curse and kill Muzan Kibutsuji. The strength of his resolve and decisiveness was even more intense than Roy had imagined!
Giving up the position of power... for some rulers, or even most people in high positions, that was definitely harder than being killed!
"The Demon Slayer Corps still needs you to preside over it. I have no interest in the position of leader."
In the morning, as the rosy dawn rose and a red sun was about to emerge, the young man wrote a reply. Then, he invoked Wind Breathing, riding the breeze. Combined with his Grandmaster Dark Step, he moved unhurriedly, using En along the way to kill several demons hiding in the shadows, gaining ten points of life energy. Before noon, he arrived once again at the place hidden by wisteria blossoms.
"It is Lord Eiichiro!"
"Report to the Master, Lord Eiichiro has arrived!"
At the Ubuyashiki estate, knowing that Eiichiro had returned, the Nine Hashira had gathered in a rare assembly.
Supported by Amane, Ubuyashiki Kagaya sat near a heater covered with a blanket, soaking in the sun. As the curse worsened step by step, his physical condition visibly deteriorated day by day. Even though spring had passed and early summer had arrived, he still felt cold, occasionally shivering in his fragile state.
A gust of wind blew, swirling wisteria petals. Amidst the excitement of the Kakushi members who scrambled to report, one eventually prostrated on the ground to announce the arrival.
Ubuyashiki Kagaya, along with his wife Amane, their daughters Hinaki and Nichika, and all the Hashira—including Gyomei Himejima, Giyu Tomioka, and Sanemi Shinazugawa—all turned their gazes at once.
In the small courtyard where Roy had once used a hundred-meter blade wrapped in surging flames to pierce the wall, a few falling wisteria petals revealed a clearing. A young man with fiery red hair swaying in the wind appeared, the noon sun directly above him, his face wearing its usual faint smile.
"Namu Amida Butsu..."
"Kamado Eiichiro, we meet again."
"Indeed."
"Eiichiro..."
"Junior Brother."
In front of the corridor, as Gyomei Himejima softly chanted his Buddhist mantra, the Hashira offered their greetings. Some nodded, some watched intently, some smiled, and some watched in silence. Seeing him again, the expressions of the Hashira were varied, though most eyes now held a hint of complexity.
Thud. Following Giyu Tomioka's brief greeting of "Junior Brother" and a short nod, Rengoku Kyojuro, standing at the left head of the Hashira, saw him appear. He pressed his hand against his Nichirin Sword and suddenly dropped to one knee, bowing devoutly. "Kyojuro greets Lord Eiichiro."
The small courtyard fell silent. One could clearly feel the gazes of the others becoming even more complex.
Roy calmly took everything in. With a smile, he raised his hand to help the young man, who was vaguely half a head taller than him, to his feet. With a thought, he opened the Believer panel.
[BELIEVER: RENGOKU KYOJURO]
[SECT: SUN GOD CULT]
[CONSTITUTION: 17→51 (ORDINARY HUMAN IS 1)]
[REVEALED AURA: D (3446/10000) (RANKED BASED ON ANTS)]
[POTENTIAL AURA: D+ (8741/10000)]
[LOYALTY: 540/1000 (ABSOLUTE LOYALTY)]
[EVALUATION: ELITE ANT CAPTAIN LEVEL. AFTER MASTERING [REN], AWAKENS NEN ABILITY. CAN SOLO ALL UPPER MOONS, NOT WEAKER THAN UPPER MOON ONE, KOKUSHIBO.]
His physical constitution had tripled.
"Praise the sun, Kyojuro. All effort deserves its reward. Congratulations on your progress."
"Praise the sun. It is all thanks to your grace, Lord Eiichiro." Rengoku Kyojuro stood up, looking at Roy with gratitude.
Roy patted his shoulder and pulled a thin booklet from his robe, presenting it to him. "This is a gift from the Sun to you. I hope you will not slacken and continue to work hard to step onto the divine path soon."
There is a difference between the "Mortal" and "Nen." For ordinary people, a Nen user who has mastered Nen abilities is no different from a "God."
The booklet contained Roy's development experience regarding Ren and Hatsu, as well as the relevant essentials recorded in the notes of his father Silva and grandfather Zigg. As soon as Rengoku Kyojuro received it, he merely flipped through two pages and became completely absorbed. His devoted and even entranced posture couldn't help but make the others envious.
Just by following Kamado Eiichiro, he gained strength surpassing Gyomei Himejima. What was recorded in that thin book? Was it related to "Divine Power," or something else extraordinary?
Even Muichiro Tokito, the "airhead" who had lost his memory, couldn't help but crane his neck to look.
A light cough suddenly snapped everyone back to reality.
Supported by Amane, Ubuyashiki Kagaya stood up with difficulty. In front of everyone present, he bowed deeply to Roy. "Lord Eiichiro..."