Turned around and thrust towards Roy's neck!
The carotid artery on the neck is the most vulnerable part of the human body. Apart from piercing the heart, it's one of Illumi's favorite moves.
Roy sensed the wind sound, didn't turn his head, and similarly counterattacked with a hand blade, except...
Compared to Illumi, he infused his hand blade with "Nen."
Aside from the basic Four Major Principles—"Ten," "Zetsu," "Ren," and "Hatsu"—Nen abilities have evolved into many advanced applied techniques.
For example, enhancing perception with "En"...
Enchanting objects with "Shu"...
Concealing one's aura with "In"...
And strengthening the body with "Ken"...
Currently, Roy hasn't formally learned these applied techniques, but that doesn't stop him from gathering Sense into his hand blade to temporarily enhance its sharpness.
The result is very remarkable.
A technique similar to "Snake Life"...
As the two blade lights alternated and flashed... Illumi's attack was intercepted, and he swiftly retreated...
He hid himself in the shadows of the corner, raising his left arm defensively against Roy, but his right hand couldn't stop trembling...
Too hard...
The killer's instinct drove him to immediately perform a defensive counterattack, yet the attacked party seemed uninterested in him.
After all... Roy believed himself to be human, and humans... cannot be compared to dogs, especially a sneaky dog lurking in the shadows.
"Tap... tap..."
The soft-soled running shoes on his feet lightly sounded on the ancient weathered stone floor.
With his back to Illumi, Roy shook his hand and continued forward, as if he had swatted a fly mid-journey, disappearing from Illumi's view and arriving at the training room.
The afternoon sun shone through the large windows onto the floor, still scorching, a perfect time to practice "Sun Breathing."
Roy wouldn't let a couple of dogs affect his mood, much less delay his training.
With a misstep, he began Dancing.
After that, a strange scene often appeared in the Zoldyck Family's training room.
A young man in tight-fitting short attire began to "dance" day and night, constantly provoking the Zoldyck Family's nerves.
"Is he still dancing?"
"Yes, still..."
"Has he fallen behind in daily training?"
"No..."
On the tiger-skin-covered couch, Silva held his chin with one hand, listening to Tsubone report on Roy's recent training situation, lost in thought....
Under Tsubone's shocked gaze...
He stood up, imitated Roy's movements, and struck a few poses.
First "Sword Dance," then "Clear Blue Sky," followed by "Raging Sun," "Fire Wheel," "Burning Bones, Summer Sun"...
When the final dance, "Sun Halo Dragon Head Dance," ended... Silva standing in place, deeply experiencing it, remained motionless for a long time.
Beside him, Tsubone stood quietly, saying nothing.
"Good" self-awareness incessantly reminded her that, as a dog, and especially for a dog loyal to the Zoldyck family for decades, she must never bark thoughtlessly when the master is contemplating.
Yet, even so, she couldn't conceal her surprise. For this was the first time she saw the Patriarch imitating someone else... And this someone was his son, whom he'd deemed had limited potential.
"Sigh..."
A breath of turbid air was exhaled...
About five minutes later, Silva finally moved again.
He sat back down without expression, waved his hand... Tsubone tactfully withdrew....
"Creak~" the heavy wooden door shut.
The voice coming from inside made the old steward who had just stepped out shiver.
"Tell Roy to organize and send his insights on these movements."
The tone allowed no objection....
Tsubone: "...."
She stood quietly in front of the door for a moment, touched her chest with her right hand, and saluted.
That evening, she found Roy soaking in the training room.
Upon learning the news, Roy showed no surprise. He merely paused in his actions, glanced upstairs at the master bedroom, and chose... to refuse.
"Sun Breathing" was his trump card, the resource he drew from his understanding of the world through Nenryoku. Out of respect for Tanjuro and protecting his own privacy, he could not and would not teach it.
Moreover, the more he practiced "Sun Breathing," the more he realized how little he understood about it.
During four hours in the afternoon, he danced around twenty times, but only immersed himself in the practice once or twice, with the rest of the time wasted.
So how could he have the time and energy to teach others?
Furthermore, that's not the attitude of someone who seeks help... even if it's his father.
"I think I should have the right to refuse." Roy wiped the sweat from his neck and decided to be straightforward.
Tsubone hesitated for a moment, clearly not expecting a refusal, after all, it wasn't just anyone, but Silva, the current Patriarch of the Zoldyck Family.
Instinctively she asked: "May I have a reason for the refusal?"
Roy laughed... he narrowed his eyes, taking a serious look for the first time at this Nen user of the same type as himself. With "The Wallflower," she could manifest various rides... seemed so trained she was dazed....
"A reason?" Roy draped a towel over his shoulder, looking up at her, mocking: "Since you consider yourself a dog, you should be aware of being a dog..."
"So... it's best not to meddle in the master's affairs."
Tsubone: "...."
Stunned on the spot.
She seemed cursed, unsure whether to leave or stay, finally left sullenly.
She, as in the original story, wasn't concerned with any of the Zoldyck Family's children except Killua.
Naturally, Roy wasn't polite with her; he mentally prepared for Silva visiting.
Surprisingly, a few days passed without word, as if the episode never happened. Tsubone made no further mention, and Silva never brought it up again. Surprisingly... during this time, father and son even met face to face.
It wasn't until Wutong returned healed that Roy vaguely received some news.
"She cut herself three times, now she's recovering..."
The young steward, while attending to Roy's dinner, pushed up his gold-rimmed glasses and said: "She got off easy."
"If it were me, I'd directly commit suicide for offending the Young Master."
Well... you're more intense....
Roy, at the moment, found himself at a loss for words....
Only sighing, this is very Zoldyck.
After all, in this family, stewards were universally acknowledged as property, death soldiers, dogs... Even if Roy naively thought otherwise, they would still consider themselves as such, even taking pride in it.
This can be seen from the batch of people eager to become part of the Zoldyck's steward villa.
So, Roy simply changed the topic, asking Wutong:
"Have you made any progress on what I asked you to do?"
Upon noticing the lowered efficiency of "Dancing," Roy pondered thoroughly and analyzed three reasons for it.
First, "Sun Breathing" is essentially a "Sword Dance" and requires a sword for it.
Second, he lacks the method of "Full Concentration" training.
Third, there's no esteemed teacher guidance.
The latter two would have to be pursued in Roy's own world of understanding.
But the first point...
With a clang, Wutong drew a Samurai Sword from his waist, holding it with both hands, presenting it.
"No news on the Nen Device you've requested, but... there is a high-quality Samurai Sword in the warehouse."
"What's it called?"
"Yubashiri."