How could he anchor a soul to an object and how could he have that soul keep its Nen? Or how could he separate a soul from its Nen?
Roman wasn't trying to mass produce post-mortem monsters.
He didn't want to make something go through death just to become stronger and keep it alive through its soul.
Roman just wanted to survive death himself, to tap into post-mortem power.
So he sent Menchi away to explore the catacombs alone, to find hidden rodents for him to feed this skeleton, and to fill the purple jar with.
There were still a number of rodents they hadn't encountered. Rodents that didn't try to trip them into traps.
Rodents that operated the traps they avoided.
While Roman began experimenting with the skeleton.
The skeletons Nen and soul were the most powerful
he had felt before, rivaling himself.
Age wasn't the defining feature of soul strength. But strength itself.
Coupled with a terrifying ability, Roman didn't fear knowing the skeleton could only act on either plagued intruders. Or intruders threatening to destroy the coffins, and Roman didn't want to harm the skeleton or the coffins.
Though as he experimented and watched the skeleton slay dozens of creatures.
Roman found the cause of the skeletons' remaining soul and Nen to be a feature of the plague itself.
Meanwhile post-mortem Nen could exist without a user or its soul.
This was frustrating for Roman because when he studied the jester's bead. He found the soul of the bead wasn't special, but the bead was. It had a unique property to preserve a soul.
This discovery made him search for materials that could do such a thing. Hoping it wasn't the cause of a Nen ability.
Thankfully he found the material, something an ancient civilization used to make with a mix of several materials.
Though this was no different than a body, and this plague also acted like a body.
Housing Nen and Souls.
Though Roman could only confirm this if he opened one of the coffins to see if the skeleton before him was unique. Or if all the other corpses had intact souls and Nen.
The coffins themselves had special properties blocking even his soul's vision and sense. But he speculated it had something to do with the skeleton.
Of course this meant fighting the skeleton head on.
The real way other hunters learned of the skeleton's abilities and hinted about its danger.
And Roman was preparing to learn the same way.
Preparing himself, with Menchi beside him.
He didn't want her to be involved. But if she didn't try to open the coffin or destroy the area. The Skelton wouldn't touch her, even if she inhibited the Skelton.
So she could be very useful at virtually no risk.
Flaring their Ren, Romans aura was becoming illusionary. Soul like.
With Menchi's aura reflecting her hair, turquoise.
The air trembled, but the coffins remained still.
Roman cloaked not only in Nen but his emitted cloak.
Likewise Menchi held her kitchen knives supercharged with hot and cold.
Roman reached out to a coffin below him. Finding a groove with his hand, and slowly revealing what was inside.
Just then the skeleton reacted, gazing at Roman intimidatingly.
An energy encompassing the room revealed itself to Roman and only Roman.
Hastily compressing upon him, but its force was much weaker than he remembered showcased on the rodents.
There was no plague within him to boost the skeletons' powers.
Still the force was immense, overkill for the rodents but just right for a strong Nen user.
Roman was wavering under the force but resisted non-the-less until a visual plague energy exited the coffin he was opening.
The plague was imbued with Nen, its original, powerful form.
As it broke free from its coffin, it tried to spread.
Attacking Roman and Menchi, but the original energy suppressing Roman let off.
Focusing on the plague, evidently having priorities.
But before Roman could relax and watch the show, a hand from the coffin reached out.
Roman watched, but this caused the skeleton laying down to tremble.
While the skeletons ability fought in a battle of domination with the Nen imbued plague.
The skeleton stood up and approached the coffin below Roman.
The coffin Roman was holding open, a coffin that had a body come to life.
A body that was trying to escape its coffin.
Causing Roman and Menchi to raise their guard further.
But the skeleton didn't want the body to come free. The skeleton was slow, but the body was even slower.
Reaching the coffin, the skeleton didn't attack Roman or Menchi, but placed a hand on the coffin.
The act looked weak and slow, but Roman felt a force much greater than he imagined or could even resist.
Letting go of the coffin's lid the skeleton slammed it shut, keeping the body within and stopping more of the plague to leak.
Roman glanced at the skeleton with great concern, it was much more formidable than he predicted.
Though he wouldn't act unless need be. Silently watching the skeletons ability suppress the plague and consume it.
The skeleton had eerily never moved from the coffin's lid, standing a meter away from Roman.
Consuming all of the plague, a plague that Roman now knew killed the living and raised the undead.
A zombie virus!
It was unlikely that the body in the corpse had post-mortem Nen keeping it alive, or rather undead.
Not something unknown to the hunter world, with even many variants existing.
The most disastrous one being from the dark continent, though not many knew of its existence.
But even that one was contained.
The skeleton meanwhile began to radiate a red plague energy.
"Why must you mess with the dead." A deep voice came from the skeleton's skull.
Pausing for a moment, surprised by the voice Roman responded. "To defeat death."
By now Roman knew the skeleton was special, it had its own Nen that fed on the plagues Nen.
Different from the body's in the coffins, it didn't have its own energy. But was full of the plague's energy.
"Then leave or face it." The skeleton didn't want to deal with Roman and waste its precious energy.
But if Roman was gonna keep messing around the skeleton had no choice.
Though Roman had already figured out what he needed, and saw a method to defeat death with the help of this skeleton.
Signaling for Menchi to retreat and not intervene.
Roman launched forward slamming his fist against the skeletons skull.
Bang*
The skeleton was slammed backward like a ragdoll but it wasn't damaged in the slightest.
Standing up again, a force already suppressing Roman amplified returning to its full force and a stream of red plague shot out of the skeletons jaw.
Though it knew better. It knew Roman hadn't used any abilities yet. His true strength, unknown and hidden.
Unfortunately this action of Roman's, hinted at a possible ability usage, so it focused. Awaiting retaliation.
But nothing came, making the skeleton keep increasing its vigilance.
Meanwhile the plague entered Romans body and began spreading. Attempting to take control of the body, and rid Roman of his life.
Roman didn't resist as he lost control of his body, but his conciseness didn't waver, retreating into his soul.
Roman waited patiently, feeling the anchor on his soul weaken until finally breaking.
He was considered dead now. And a new energy attempted to embrace him. On, death energy.
Though that's when Roman acted, staying with his now dead body, he manipulated his still remaining Nen to activate.
The emitted cloak covering his body pulsed and his body escaped all of the invaded plague.
Entering a soul form resyncing with his soul, they did not reattach, or reanchor.
But synced, Roman could leave his body through his soul at any time.
Roman's soul could devour other souls and sync into other bodies if he imitated them and forced their bodies into a soul form to finish the syncing process.