The panel closed…
[Notice: There is one minute left before the game ends. Countdown…]
[59…58…57…]
Roy received the warning and knew he was almost out of time. He waved, telling Libery Garcia to take the still-unconscious boys and girls and leave.
Those poor kids—treated as Edmond's "toys"—definitely couldn't go back to Bandel City. But Libery had made contacts during years on the run; he had ways to shelter them. Roy let him handle it.
Then Roy lifted his gaze, staring hard toward Bandel City. As the countdown hit zero, his consciousness was yanked away—
his figure faded, vanishing from the Uzugatsuki Forest.
When he opened his eyes again, he had exited Re: Game of the Dead, left the Dark Continent, and returned to the familiar Hunter world. A tentacle from the Magic Eye gently nudged him out of the sealed chamber.
Regretfully, Roy no longer saw any silhouette in that massive pupil, nor heard a single voice—like the earlier whisper and the figure that looked like Grandpa Jegg had all been illusion.
But Roy knew they were real.
Bang— the airtight door slammed shut.
Beside it, yellow chrysanthemums bloomed, their fragrance filling his nose.
Roy stood facing the sealed door for a while. Then he crouched, plucked a petal, and chewed it slowly—letting the bitterness and astringency slide down his throat.
Only then did he feel a shred of "reality" return.
He straightened, drew a breath, turned, and walked out of the passageway—leaving the underground.
…
"Four hours, fifty-three minutes, twenty-seven seconds. Sir—Young Master broke his record again."
At the mouth of the corridor, the iron gate opened. Scarface and One-Eye escorted Roy out, watched him disappear, and—like always—reported the game duration to Silva in full.
"Beeep—"
The call ended.
Silver hair hanging to his waist, Silva had finally managed to lull Killua to sleep after dinner, settle Kikyo, and come down to the training room to move his body. Hearing the report, he only said flatly:
"I know."
With a casual flick, he threw a straight punch into a heavy bag.
Pff— a soft sound.
His fist punched straight through the bag. Sand spilled out in a flood.
Without turning around, Silva said:
"You were looking for me?"
"Creak—" The half-closed door was pushed open from outside.
A boy stepped in—same dazzling silver hair, shining even brighter than Silva's under the moonlight. He leaned against the doorframe and stared at Silva without a word.
Silence filled the training room. Somewhere a lost bird chirped—chi——as if calling for its flock or its mother, and dropped a feather as it fled.
Silva raised an eyebrow, retracted his fist, and turned.
He looked at Roy calmly. "Or… are you ready?"
As he spoke, Silva stepped forward with his right foot. Aura stirred inside him, on the verge of pouring out—
the brief stillness before a storm.
Roy's gaze met his. He didn't answer. Instead, he dropped a name:
"Edmond Sander. Do you know him?"
Silva paused. "Of course."
So it was you…
Roy narrowed his eyes. "Dad—did you do evil in the game?"
"I gave you the guidebook. You didn't read it?"
"I did. Not all of it."
Silva nodded mildly, then looked at Roy and smiled.
"So what?"
"You're questioning me?"
BOOM— Ren erupted.
A brutal, tyrannical wave of aura slammed into Roy like a tidal bore—turning the room into an ocean of force. In that instant Roy felt like a tiny boat that could be overturned by a single swell.
Elsewhere—
In the garden next to the castle, Zeno stopped mid-walk and snapped his head toward the training room.
In a west-side bedroom on the first floor, Illumi—mid-wig styling in front of a mirror—shivered, ruined the hair without caring, and vanished in a blur. His door banged against the wall in the wind.
And in the dim yellow room, an old man's amused voice drifted out:
"Stubborn son, cursed dad—what a perfect tragic duo… hehe. Betty, we've got a show."
A slap followed, and the rocking chair quieted a little.
Back in the training room—
Silva's aura had become a sea.
With every second, the windows rattled. Crack—crackle— spiderweb fractures spread across the glass.
Silva stared at Roy.
Roy stared back.
Father and son, separated by a doorway, locked in silence—lightning seemingly snapping between them.
"I just want an answer," Roy said. His feet were planted like roots, silver hair blown backward by the gale of Ren. His face tightened, but he didn't change color.
"Dad. Just answer: yes, or no."
Silva's mouth hooked into a restrained grin.
"Want the answer?"
"Beat me first."
BOOM— The word "first" dropped and the Ren surged harder.
The floor cracked outward from Silva like a shockwave, racing under Roy's feet as if to swallow him into hell.
"…Fine."
Roy looked at Silva once—deeply—then ignored the fissures. His body glittered into light.
He light-formed, dissolved into moonlight, and drifted away toward his own room, vanishing from the training room in a blink.
Silva's Ren stopped.
In that instant, he'd felt something slippery—like he couldn't grab Roy's "body" at all.
He narrowed his eyes, watching Roy's moonlit trail disappear.
"…This kid is getting harder and harder to read."
Zeno emerged from the shadows, arriving right behind him.
"Why didn't you tell him?"
A white mane swayed; Zeno glanced at Silva.
"What are you hesitating about?"
Silva was quiet for a long moment. Then he looked out into the cool, dew-heavy night over Kukuroo Mountain.
"I don't know. Maybe…"
His voice dipped.
"Maybe I'm scared."
"Scared?!" Zeno's eyes bulged. "You did evil in the game?"
"No."
"Then what are you scared of?"
"Not that," Silva said, eyes narrowing. "I'm scared the people we know… are doing evil."
"It's just a game. What does it matter?"
Silva's gaze cut sideways. "Dad, do you believe that?"
Zeno fell silent.
After a moment, Silva walked out, leaving Zeno behind.
"You can't dodge it forever. Sooner or later… you'll answer him."
"Then it depends on whether he's got the ability!" Silva's eyes flashed. "Either way—I won't lose."
Zeno gave a low laugh and disappeared into shadow.
…
Night, 9:00 PM. The clock chimed.
Roy stepped out of moonlight into the castle's long, age-worn hallway—and found Illumi leaning against the wall, half his face swallowed by shadow.
"I thought you two would fight," Illumi said, arms crossed, those dead, empty eyes fixed on Roy. "If you get hurt, I can take care of you."
"While Gotoh is still asleep."
"No need." Roy casually opened Gotoh's panel.
[Follower: Gotoh (loyalty overflowing)]
[Status: evolving…]
[Physique +1 +1 +1 +1…]
[Current: 435 → 924 (still rising)]
[Manifest Aura: C → C+ (still rising)]
[Potential Aura: C+ → C+ (still rising)]
[Type: Emitter]
[Initial ability: Coin Hypothesis]
[Embrace ability: awakening…]
[Awakening progress: 27%]
[Evaluation: C+]
[Note: Now top commander tier, pushing toward B]
Roy's eyes flickered red. Then he quietly checked Illumi.
[Illumi (loyalty overflowing)]
[Physique: 873]
[Manifest Aura: C (45,781/100,000)]
[Potential Aura: B (980,000/1,000,000)]
On pure numbers, Illumi had already been overtaken by Gotoh.
Roy grabbed Illumi's head, rubbed it hard, then let go.
"You need to work harder."
He brushed past Illumi toward his room.
Behind him, Illumi snapped, "What do you mean?! Are you blaming me for not being able to help you beat Dad?"
Roy paused, snorted, and waved two fingers without turning around.
"Don't say dumb stuff."
"Beat Gotoh first, then talk."
Illumi froze.
…
At Roy's bedroom door stood Tsubone.
Roy nodded. He stripped off the too-tight training clothes until he was in just shorts, then sat at the table.
Tsubone rolled in a cart and began serving with the same precise thoroughness as ever.
"New clothes have been ordered. They'll arrive tomorrow morning."
"Got it." Roy chewed a piece of steak. "Talk. Any news these past few days?"
"There is," Tsubone said, pushing up her glasses and pulling out a small notebook. "Two items, related to you—worth your attention."
"Go on."
"First: Hisoka Morow. According to Holl's agent in Meteor City, he's been seen there. His direction…"
She glanced at Roy carefully.
"…seems to be toward the district you're in."
"Already?" Roy drank milk, then immediately shared the information to Taiichi through their soul-link.
Meteor City, the pale church.
The young priest, Bible in hand, spoke without turning around to the silver-haired attendant practicing Flame Breathing in the courtyard:
"Torou. Come back to my side."
The moment he looked up—
Scarlet hair, slicked back, slowly walked into view from the street…
~~~
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