An evil, dark, and greedy desire surged into Roy's heart through the flesh buds, using Nen and flesh as a medium...
It urgently waited for Roy to find a host, plant it, and let it take root and sprout.
But he had only ever heard of techniques being mastered by people, never of people being controlled by techniques... Roy had a faint feeling that if he really followed the flesh buds' urging, indiscriminately scattering them and recklessly absorbing the flesh and vitality of others for his own use, he might lose control of himself and fall into an uncontrollable state even before facing the backlash of [Nature].
That did not align with his path... nor was it what he envisioned in his heart...
The youth, with the red sun overhead and draped in the rosy clouds of dawn, expressionlessly shook his hand and said, "Go back!"
With a whimper, the flesh bud curled up with its long tentacles, turning into a stream of Nen that surged back into Roy's body, as obedient as a dog on a leash!
The stream of Nen murmured like a babbling brook, instantly burrowing under his skin... All of Muzan's innate talents had been fully extracted.
Roy exhaled softly, steadying his mind, and finally turned his gaze toward the [Life Energy], [Power of Faith], and the negative emotions absorbed from Kokushibo, Nakime, and Muzan...
Roy's eyes gleamed sharply. He forcibly suppressed the urge to level up right now, and a sudden realization dawned in his heart—
The harvest was far richer than he had imagined, simply because... he had killed a [God]!
He had killed the [God] who single-handedly forged the empire of demons and ruled the night!
Although this [God] lacked strength and acted cowardly without any divine dignity, the empowerment of his demon blood gave Muzan the absolute right to dominate all demons... Every demon worshipped him, obeyed him, and desperately craved more of his blood and favor. Thus, he naturally became the faith of all demons, their one and only!
Roy suddenly recalled the conversation he had with Netero in the Numere Wetlands during the Hunter Exam... "What kind of Hunter do you want to be?"
"A God-slaying Hunter."
The youth reached out to pinch a ray of sunlight, smiling faintly. "From now on, I am one."
He took a step forward, blending into the morning glow, and instantly teleported two thousand meters away. After absorbing Nakime's [Infinity Castle], Roy had taken another step forward in the path of space-time.
Flash, flash, and another flash... Like a fleeting shadow, he vanished and reappeared. After half a day, he emerged from a secluded alley and merged into a bustling market. It was the very same market he had passed through when he first brought Tanjiro down the mountain to seek a master... Looking up, he could see Mt. Sagiri, its sunlight obscured by perennial mist!
"Selling wine!"
"Home-brewed rice wine, smells amazing... Hahaha, young man, you must be thirsty. Want a few ounces?"
"A few ounces... won't be enough," Roy smiled, stopping in front of a wine stall. He reached into his pocket, pulled out a bag of silver coins, and handed it to the owner. "Boss, I'll take all the wine you have."
"All of it?" The owner might have looked lean, but his muscles were well-defined. Carrying poles and wine vats year-round had given him plenty of strength.
His eyes widened. Instead of rushing to take the money, he slapped his large hand against the two massive wine vats in front of the stall. "Young man, I'd love to sell it to you, but these are two full vats of wine. You won't be able to carry them back all by yourself."
"Just sell them to me. I have my ways."
"Are you serious?"
"I am."
The owner looked at Roy skeptically, reaching out to tuck the bag of money into his shirt. He asked curiously, "Heh, I'd like to see what kind of way you have."
As he spoke... the youth before him didn't seem to make any grand movements. He merely smiled faintly and waved his hand over the wine vats... The two massive vats suddenly vanished, just like a magic trick. The wine stall owner was instantly dumbfounded, and even the neighboring pork butcher and steamed bun vendor fell completely silent!
[Sumeru Mustard Seed] activated.
Roy collected the wine, tossing it directly into his mustard seed space. He then waved at the owner and said, "I'm off."
Then, he turned and disappeared into the crowd. Only his fiery red hair could be faintly seen swaying in the wind, exceptionally conspicuous...
"A god?!"
"A god!"
A moment later, someone suddenly shouted excitedly at the top of their lungs.
The wine stall owner finally snapped back to his senses. His knees went weak, and he dropped to the ground with a thud...
Where there was one, a second followed. More and more people noticed that red hair, swarming over and falling to their knees... This made Roy smile wryly. He unfolded his figure and used [Light] to escape once again. This move only cemented his identity as a [God], instantly triggering screams of awe and pushing the already bustling market to a peak of uproar!
Amidst the hazy, warm sunlight, Roy felt this wave of devotion and worship. The panel's notification sound then rang out... chiming rapidly like rain hitting banana leaves, informing him... that everyone who recognized him had silently become his potential believers, urgently waiting for him to grant them a ceremony to make them official.
Roy felt grateful for this, and also a bit fortunate... With intertwined emotions, he finally bypassed the massive crowds and stepped into the territory of Mt. Sagiri.
With his appearance, the sunlight he brought with him pierced through the dense mist, forming a fog bow bridge. At the end of the bridge... Urokodaki Sakonji, who was currently leading Sabito and Makomo in their chores, digging up wild spring vegetables, felt something in his heart. He straightened his back and turned to look...
Roy's red hair swayed. Draped in a garment woven from the morning glow, he took a step and leaped onto the bridge. He walked slowly, carrying a gentle smile and endless longing as he strolled over...
Deep within Mt. Sagiri, the soft thuds of several hammers slipping from hands and hitting the ground could be heard... followed immediately by the excited shouts of Shinsuke, Fukuda, Watanabe, and the others!
"It's Eiichiro!"
"Master, Eiichiro is back!"
Thump, thump, thump... One, two, three, four, five, six... Suddenly, over a dozen small wooden puppets brushed past Urokodaki Sakonji's shoulders, sprinting wildly toward Roy.
The old man's temples were graying, his silver hair swaying in the wind. Holding Makomo with his left hand and with Sabito by his right, he let his disciples rush forward... He just watched silently, his trembling lips curling into a kind smile.
He waited until the youth, swarmed by Shinsuke, Fukuda, Watanabe, and the others, approached. He looked up slightly at the young man, who was now nearly half a head taller than him, and said, "You're back... It's good that you're back..."
"Yes."
With a wave of Roy's sleeve, two vats of wine landed gently on the ground. The lids opened, releasing a rich, intoxicating aroma...
The youth's gaze swept over everyone one by one. He smiled and said, "Fortunately, I did not fail my mission. I've come to drink with my senior brothers and sisters."
"You guy!" Shinsuke immediately leaped onto Roy, throwing an arm around his shoulders. "We're not stopping until we're drunk!"
"Right! Not stopping until we're drunk!" That was Fukuda... "Not stopping until we're drunk!" That was Watanabe... "Not stopping until we're drunk!" That was Shimizu... "Alright!" That was Sabito... "Then Master and I will go prepare the food. Eiichiro, we'll make your favorite fish!" That was Makomo.
A group of wooden puppets and a vibrant youth laughed... talked... and walked together on this rare, sunny afternoon... Being amidst them made Urokodaki Sakonji feel several years younger, as if... he had found the drive to live vigorously for a few more years.
'This is good... truly good...' Sixty years of life flashed before his eyes. Urokodaki Sakonji returned to the cabin, preparing and cooking the fish. In his entire life, he had never felt as carefree, comfortable, and happy as he did today...
So much so that,
The nearly sixty-year-old man unknowingly drank too much and got drunk. He didn't even realize when Roy left; he just passed out with a smile on his face.
He was helped onto the heated bed by his disciples, Shinsuke and Fukuda, and fell into a deep sleep...
Snoring sounds arose. The sun slanted to the west. From morning to evening, they had been drinking for nearly an entire day.
Roy took one last deep look at Urokodaki Sakonji, bowing solemnly to him before stepping outside. Outside the door... a male and a female puppet, as if sharing a telepathic connection, were already waiting in the small fenced yard.
"Leaving already?" Sabito still had a scar at the corner of his mouth. Even though Roy had previously used [Shu] to grant him a [Puppet Body], the fox-masked youth still retained the composure and authority of an eldest senior brother.
"Yes." Roy nodded slightly. Muzan was dead, and the evil demons that plagued the world were gone. The only ones left were Yushiro and Tamayo, who were good. From now on, people could live normal lives without fearing the fall of night and being devoured by demons. But... that was only for the Demon Slayer world, only for the people living in it. As for him...
Roy looked earnestly at Sabito and Makomo. "I still have my own path to walk."
"Do you have to go?" Makomo suddenly spoke up, gathering her courage to look at Roy. "Eating together, drinking together, practicing swordsmanship together, and playing together... isn't that nice?"
"It is, of course it is..." Memories of the past surfaced. Roy lowered his eyes slightly and said, "I also really love the days spent with my senior brothers and sisters, but..."
The [Curse] on the back of his left hand ticked away like a clock... "I still have a mission left uncompleted."
"What mission?"
"Makomo!"
Sabito gently patted the girl, then looked up, smiling warmly at Roy. "Tanjiro mentioned that your father once told him... you belong to the world. Thinking about it now... your father was right."
"A guy like you, Eiichiro, cannot remain stagnant!"
Clang! The fox-masked youth suddenly drew his sword and pointed it at the sky. "Go!"
"Go forge your path!"
Roy paused, his pupils reflecting Sabito's figure, shimmering with rippling light...
"Thank you, Senior Brother, for teaching me, understanding me, and accepting me." The youth bowed deeply to Sabito, to Makomo, and to Shinsuke, Fukuda, Watanabe, and Shimizu, who had silently stepped out of the house after hearing the commotion... and even to Urokodaki Sakonji, who was lying on the heated bed inside, pressing his lips together as old tears streamed down his face.
He straightened his back, his body turning into fluorescent light. With a faint smile, he melted into the fog bow and disappeared...
Leaving behind only a lingering sentence that drifted with the wind, echoing endlessly...
"If I have the time in the future, I will reunite with you all in this world."
The youth pierced through the dense fog, flying into the sky with the light. Finally, he added in his heart, 'By then, the god will be dead and the curse lifted. I suppose I'll be able to stay a few more days...'
Flying, flying... The light flew, the wind chased... His field of vision grew wider and wider. The little figures residing in the puppets grew smaller and smaller, until they became dozens of black dots deep within Mt. Sagiri, swallowed by the gathering mist until they could no longer be seen... Roy took a deep breath, calming his emotions. He looked up at another large mountain not far away. Hesitating, he descended from the sky and landed on a tall birch tree, taking no further steps forward.
"Eiichiro, could you wait a moment, so I can pick a Blue Spider Lily for Uta?"
The mountain was right beneath his feet. The wooden cabin, situated in the forest in a triangular layout, was visible in the distance... Roy's heart stirred, skipping half a beat in an unusually slow rhythm. He felt a mystical connection... as if he heard the murmurs transmitted to him from the realm of the dead by Yoriichi Tsugikuni.
"How long?"
"One night."
"When the spider lilies are in full bloom tomorrow, please offer one to her on my behalf. The location is..."
"I know," Roy looked past the courtyard, deeper into the mountain, where a few faint blue shadows were swaying. They indeed didn't look vibrant enough yet... He smiled and replied to Yoriichi Tsugikuni, "Teacher, rest assured. I won't let it look shabby for Master's wife."
"Thank you..."
The murmurs faded... Roy stood at the top of the birch tree, remaining silent for a long while. He flipped down, casually found a bluestone, and lay on it. In the blink of an eye, having promised Yoriichi Tsugikuni to return tomorrow, he fell into a deep sleep in no time.
Just like before, through deep sleep, he returned to his cognitive world.
This time,
The youth stepped out of the Demon Slayer Gate without stopping, walking straight through the colorful dream corridor and returning to the Hunter world.
It was midnight, still nearly two hours away from four in the morning.
The pendulum of the wooden grandfather clock in the corner was swinging, waiting to strike the chimes... Roy woke up on the soft bed, groggily opening his eyes. He looked at the ceiling of the Zoldyck family castle, filled with the aura of time. His ears twitched... and he turned his head to look...
Beside the desk, at some unknown point, a shriveled, scrawny old man had appeared.
He looked as if he had just returned from a late-night stroll with his bird. He sat casually straddling the chair, looking at Roy and saying, "You guessed right. This bedroom of yours was also once Zigg's bedroom."
Grandfather Zigg... Roy looked thoughtful.
Maha rested his elbow on the back of the chair, propping up his chin as he asked, "Have a nightmare? I've never seen you wake up at this hour."
"Great-grandfather, were you spying on me?"
"What are you saying... I was helping you chase away a peeping tom." Maha said with a half-smile, "Illumi just left."
Roy's face darkened. He had indeed forgotten to let Xiao Jin out last night... He did a kip-up, sitting up on the bed, and looked at Maha with an indifferent expression. "Great-grandfather, you wouldn't mind having another granddaughter, would you?"
'He needs to be castrated... that shitty brother!'
"Suit yourself," Maha rocked the chair, making it creak as if treating it like a rocking chair. He said nonchalantly, "Tell me, what happened?"
Such anomalies don't happen without reason... The old man rolled his eyes upward, looking deeply at Roy. "What did you do in your dream?"
"Nothing much." Roy fell silent for a moment, then spread his hands. "Just killed a god."