"Knock...knock...knock..."
"Young master, it's me."
"Come in."
The door was pushed open, and Wutong walked in with a serious face, closing the door behind him. He nervously glanced at Roy, who was sitting cross-legged on the bed, and said, "Young master, someone is spying on us!"
A moment ago, while packing their luggage, the young butler felt as though he had been "transparent" for a moment, and immediately realized the situation, checking Roy's safety first.
"It was me." Roy didn't intend to hide it from Wutong.
Smiling, he looked at the butler, who was clearly stunned for a moment, and said, "I guess your next question is going to be 'how did you do it?'"
Wutong: "...."
Roy: "Don't be surprised,"
This time, he used [En] solely on Wutong, and the familiar feeling of being "spied on" was instantly applied.
The young butler experienced it once again, feeling as if a voice had been dragged out from his heart and exposed under the glaring sun. He smiled bitterly and said, "Young master, please spare me."
"Hehe~" Roy waved his hand, "You know now, go back to sleep."
"Yes." Wutong pushed up the glasses on his nose, turned around, and closed the door.
"Creak~" As the door closed, Roy's smile instantly disappeared. He glanced coldly out the window, "You too, go back to sleep!"
Illumi hung upside down outside the window like a spider, staring straight through the glass at Roy, "You care about me."
Roy: "..."
Illumi: "If you didn't care about me, why would you spy on me? So, you must care about me!"
"I knew it. You..."
"Bang!"
A figure flashed by, and in the blink of an eye... the foolish Mamen Beans became a star in the sky and vanished.
Roy lowered his fist, cursed under his breath, "Bad luck!"
With a "swish~," he pulled the curtain closed, shutting out both Illumi and the nightscape of Saba City. He turned over and got into bed, turning off the bedside lamp.
The night grew deeper.
After a fierce battle with Botobai, he had quietly upgraded his skills.
The physical exhaustion and mental fatigue washed over him like a tide, and soon, Roy instructed Jinx to wake him if necessary, and he drifted into a daze.
The familiar sensation of falling returned...
Beneath his feet was a vibrant passage of dreams, leading to the blue "Sea of Cognition."
Roy rolled up his pant legs and, as usual, waded into the shallow waters, letting the waves wash over him, slowly moving towards the "Demon Slayer Gate." He turned his head to glance at the "Gate of the Dark Continent" standing nearby.
The pitch-black door was etched with intricate and ancient patterns, locked tight to seal the world beyond, like a "Curse" that had sealed his life, urgently awaiting Roy's "breakthrough"!
The young man stood silently before the door for a long time, then turned and pushed open the gate of the Demon Slayer.
Two days passed,
When Roy opened his eyes again, he found himself in a grove of wisteria flowers...
Evil Ghosts feared two things, the sun and these wisteria flowers.
Mount Fujikasane served as the final selection ground for the Demon Slayer Corps because of the wisteria flowers covering the mountain, confining all sizes of Evil Ghosts for the examinees to "hunt" or "be hunted"!
Roy picked a cluster of wisteria flowers, sniffed their fragrance, the pure aroma invading his senses as they glimmered with a purple light... With a flick, the petals fell, carried by the wind forward...
There stood the final entrance to the selection, a series of stone steps leading directly to the mountaintop shrine.
Roy gripped his Shallow Strike in hand, the sun and mountains dangling from his ears, climbed step by step with a leisurely pace, each step leaving a footprint, a transformation with every step... Faces flashed through his mind, with Sabito, Makomo, Shinsuke, Fukuda, Watanabe, Shimizu...
As his consciousness drifted, he activated [Deception],
Within a few breaths, he stood at the mountaintop, raising his eyes to see the two "Hashira" on either side and the man in the middle with a frail figure and light-colored eyes...
The young man paused for a moment, expressionless, then continued walking. One step, he turned into Watanabe, two steps, into Shimizu, three steps, into Fukuda, four steps, into Shinsuke...
He moved forward with every transformation, carrying the expectations of his senior brothers and sisters, together with their "last wishes," towards Ubuyashiki Kagaya.
Amidst the rising calls of amazement... under the gaze of terrified eyes... against the roaring night wind...
He became Yashiki... became Makomo... became Sabito... became Urokodaki Sakonji... until——
Reaching three meters in front of Ubuyashiki Kagaya, he returned to his original appearance, smiling as he greeted Tomioka Giyu, "Good evening, Brother Giyu."
Tomioka Giyu looked deeply at the young man. It had been only two days since they last met, yet he had managed such a shocking feat... He opened and closed his mouth, finding himself at a loss for words. Finally, he slightly raised his chin and nodded at Roy.
"Namu Amida Butsu," Gyomei Himejima intoned a Buddha chant, his large hand moving the Nen beads. Just now, he almost... raised his bowl-sized fist to attack Roy... Changing with every step, apart from "Blood Demon Art," Gyomei Himejima couldn't think of any other possibility...
Only when he got closer did he detect the absence of a "ghost" scent on the young man, and considering they were surrounded by the endless wisteria flowers of Mount Fujikasane, he withheld his hand....
"Eiichiro, good child, you are even more outstanding than your master and senior brothers said."
"Eiichiro, this is our Lord."
"A pleasure to meet you, Kamado Eiichiro."
Roy, neither humble nor arrogant, extended his right hand towards Ubuyashiki Kagaya under the introduction of Tomioka Giyu, who had just come back to his senses.
Tomioka Giyu stayed silent. Gyomei Himejima furrowed his brows, seriously "examining" the youth... The great master's proficiency in "Breathing Technique" was refined. Through "Sense," he captured that between Roy's words and actions, there was only... equal respect, yet no trace of admiration or reverence for the Ubuyashiki family.
"You're not here to join the Demon Slayer Corps..." Gyomei Himejima stated in a muffled voice.
Roy glanced at him and candidly said, "Correct, I am here solely for revenge for my senior brothers."
"What about after that?" Gyomei Himejima's hand, which was moving the Nen beads, paused, asking directly, "You won't follow our Lord's orders."
Roy noticed that Ubuyashiki Kagaya had been contemplating his outstretched right hand and honestly replied, "I have never been anyone's subordinate before, not in the past, not now, nor will I be in the future."
Having said this, the young man ignored Gyomei Himejima and looked quietly at Ubuyashiki Kagaya...
This man, who sacrificed his family as bait to lure Muzan into a trap, deserved respect. But to bow and submit, to follow orders... Sorry, the Zoldyck knees were made of iron, they could not bend.
"Lord." Gyomei Himejima turned his head to look at Ubuyashiki Kagaya...
Tomioka Giyu silently looked at Ubuyashiki Kagaya as well...
The group of examinees who came for the selection watched Ubuyashiki Kagaya in awe as well...
Coming back from his thoughts, the man softly looked at the boy and asked, "You'll keep slaying demons, won't you?"
"Yes, but not endlessly." Roy said calmly, "To eradicate evil completely, I am here with one purpose only, to kill all the Evil Ghosts in the world, including...."
"Kibutsuji Muzan."
Once he is dead, there will naturally be no more demons to slay...
Ubuyashiki Kagaya's gaze shifted, he extended his hand to shake Roy's, and smiled, "Alright."
No more words...
He turned and signaled to Amane, who presented a scroll, "This is what you wanted... information on all Evil Ghosts the Demon Slayer Corps has collected over the years. I hope it proves useful to you."
"No rush." Roy unsheathed his sword, not taking it, and turned into the confined "ghost pool,"
"Let me return after I slay the demons, then I will accept it."
With a long sword drawn, turning into a "Red Blade" in a second, flames surged out in two seconds, as the young man twirled a sword flower, lighting up the dark night....