The old man's voice paused, deeply gazing at the young man: "There is no turning back on the path of 'faith'. Even if you or your followers wish to change halfway, the others won't believe it, so..."
Maha stated calmly, "The simplest way is—kill!"
"They... and... he... she... it... in the battle of Frost Valley, chose to self-destruct, sacrificing their lives to preserve..."
"This ember of mine."
When one person attains the way, even the dogs and chickens ascend to heaven; when one fails, the whole nation... perishes...
The extreme pain manifested as a deep grayish black, the Nen naturally emanating from Maha's head...
Roy opened his mouth but was choked with words, unable to speak.
He couldn't imagine the sight of thousands of martyrs; he just stood dumbfounded, watching Maha... suddenly realizing why he, at his age, still loved watching cartoons. Maybe... just a sliver of happiness from childhood could slightly alleviate the intense pain and guilt buried deep within him...
These negative emotions had been torturing him, constantly reminding him that thousands died because of him... Roy even thought that if it were him, he probably... would have gone insane!
And this... was the price!
"Woosh~" A gust of wind blew, causing the gray mist to stir....
Roy didn't come back to his senses for a long time, his throat dry. After a long silence, he finally regained a bit of focus and tried to say, "Great-grandfather, perhaps I can help you."
The sunlight could dispel darkness... utilizing the characteristic of the [sun] might help Maha alleviate some of the pain...
But the old man firmly refused, "This is what I deserve."
He said, "I called you here just to ask you,"
Maha looked directly into Roy's eyes, "Are you sure you still want to continue down this path?"
"Great-grandfather said it already; once on this path, there's no turning back."
"No, you do have a choice." Maha interrupted Roy abruptly, "You're just starting. If you set 'Constraints and Oaths', and vow to abandon 'faith'..."
"And the price?" The young man suddenly asked, "What is the price?"
Maha said nothing... Roy gazed at the endless forest of tombstones, silently understanding everything.
He said, "Great-grandfather, you know I'm not one to let others die because of me... If I must sacrifice the lives of my followers, and have to choose between long-term pain and short-term pain, I'll choose long-term pain, at least... the pain will come later."
"Do you want to follow the same path as me, into the darkness?" Maha frowned.
The young man chuckled, a bright light igniting in his eyes: "I won't, great-grandfather... I'm the sun..."
Roy winked at Maha: "Where is the 'dark' path under the sun?"
"When it truly comes to the end, destined to fail..." The young man solidified his expression: "I will self-destruct!"
With determination, he said decisively, "I'll take everyone with me!"
Maha was taken aback... The young man's black hair fluttered, his expression calm, just like when he first entered the Dark Continent, calling himself 'Thunderbolt', full of vigor. Reminiscing about those prominent years... many sighs upon looking back...
With a rather lonely demeanor, he waved him off, "Noted, go on now."
"Yes." Roy stepped back, bowed deeply to the endless forest of tombstones, then nodded slightly to Maha before turning to walk toward the passageway... Just before leaving, he paused, remembered something, turned around, and said:
"Great-grandfather, in my future actions, I don't plan to use the Zoldyck name."
Maha raised an eyebrow,
The young man spoke frankly, "I don't want others to say it's because I'm a Zoldyck that I'm strong, instead of who I am."
Maha was taken aback, bending down, he threw a shoe, laughing, "If you have the ability, let Zoldyck live in your shadow!"
"Haha... Indeed!" Roy dodged and walked away, leaving a statement, "Great-grandfather, just watch and see."
In an instant, he exited the dream, disappearing from Maha's sight.
"Sizzle~" On the old willow tree split by lightning, flames quietly burned....
Below the tree, in front of countless tombstones, the frail old man retrieved his shoe, placed it back on his foot, and silently watched as the young man's not-so-tall figure left, gazing for a long, long time. His right hand resting on his left shoulder, covering the gentle white hand that touched his back, he softly said, "Betty, did you see that."
A soft laugh sounded behind Maha, followed by a pair of arms wrapping around his waist. If Roy had stayed, upon seeing the woman, he could immediately recognize her as the gentle woman in the photo on his great-grandmother's tombstone...
Betty Zoldyck rested her smooth chin on Maha's shoulder, nuzzling his face, "That child is just like you, Maha... also a stubborn mule."
"Betty has always been a good judge of character, Maha, that child is truly yours!"
"Brother Brook seems to like him a lot, Master, what's the young master's name?"
"I bet his last name is Zoldyck, ha ha ha ha...."
Tombstones toppled... graves were dug open... figures crawled out... swarming around Maha...
The old man stood before the vast army, his eyes squinted, smiling into a slit: "Roy...he's my great-grandson...Roy Zoldyck!"
"Whoosh~" A gust of wind blew by, kicking up a commotion... Out of Maha's dream realm, Roy stood with his back at the entrance of a colorful dream pathway, gazing across the blue "Sea of Cognition", where all doors stood silently, waiting for his favor...
Thus,
The young man didn't linger,
He reached out to push the door, entering the Demon Slayer World.
Meanwhile,
In the Hunter World.
Taiyi, bringing Haseki Dorou, traveled tirelessly, making a stopover in Yorknew City, and by noon the next day, they took a taxi, reaching the outskirts of Meteor Street.
The taxi driver, clearly experienced, upon hearing Haseki Dorou mention going to Meteor Street,
remained silent, didn't ask much, pretended not to see Roy (Taiyi) and Haseki Dorou, took the fare, dropped them off, and then sped away, acting as if he'd never seen them, driving off faster than a rabbit, truly fitting the saying...
"What kind of good cat roots through the garbage?"
The guys who specifically want to come to Meteor Street...mostly have ulterior motives, if not human traffickers, then very close to it....
Roy (Taiyi) easily captured the driver's thoughts using [En], with a gentle smile on his lips, politely thanked him, and then looked up... at Meteor Street, surrounded by high electric fences stretching endlessly...
This place, discarded by the world as garbage, precisely because of its harshness, can breed figures like Kuroro, Uvogin, Nobunaga, Phinks, and among them the elite Nenryoku user "Bathroom War God" Sisko, just like "raising gu."
"We never refuse anything, but don't even think about taking anything away from us...."
The whispers of the spiders seemed to linger at his ears....
Roy (Taiyi) saw two armed men in black standing guard at an iron gate, stretching their necks, suspiciously looking this way....
The young man softly said to Haseki Dorou, "Let's go."
With short white hair appearing somewhat sharp, Haseki Dorou followed closely behind Roy (Taiyi), mimicking Wutong's stance, staying half a step behind, having specially studied... this position doesn't seem overstepping, won't anger the master, and can promptly shield the young master when danger arises... quite strategic!
"Tap... tap...."
The master and servant strolled leisurely among the towering piles of garbage, slowly approaching the iron gate...
The two black-clad guards at the entrance exchanged glances, hands reaching into their suit pockets, lowered to the left abdomen, and shouted sternly, "Halt!"
Blocking Roy's path from both sides!
"Who are you?"
"Do you have any credentials?"
Meteor Street isn't really an ungoverned place, the so-called "ownerless" is just regarding V5 and those large nations...
Their vast lands and abundant resources naturally overlook this place, but... for gangs, for human traffickers, for drug dealers, for criminals, for all those with ill intentions, it's nothing short of a "paradise"!
Therefore, Meteor Street, in essence, holds a complex mix of influences behind it, with many districts nominally managed by the "Council of Elders", still, behind them... Roy (Taiyi) isn't interested, nor does he wish to know,
Truthfully said: "No."
The two guards in black had a stern look, "For what? You must know!"
Trafficking, drug dealing... it must be one of them... Haseki Dorou leaned forward, moving slightly closer to Roy (Taiyi)...
A boy wrapped in a robe, holding a scripture, with a sun pendant hanging on his chest, imparting a somewhat sacred feel, smiled and said: "Renting, distributing alms."
?!
The two black-clad men stood stunned, sizing up Roy (Taiyi), as if they'd seen a ghost!