"Tap... tap..." The sound of footsteps gradually faded... The silhouette of the young boy disappeared in an instant...
Maha took the tissue handed over by Tsubone and wiped his mouth, glancing at Roy. He saw Roy finish the entire bowl of mushroom soup and scoffed, "You're not saving any for him?"
Roy tore a piece of baguette and wiped the bowl clean, countering, "Is there a need? He's not coming back."
"Heh heh," Maha, satiated, lay down on the rocking chair and closed his eyes, murmuring, "Tell Wutong to be harsher. The kid's had it too easy, it won't be good for his growth."
Roy acknowledged softly, finished his food, and turned his head to glance out the window. As his "True Eye" activated, he silently observed Illumi from inside out, top to bottom.
[Name: Illumi]
[Loyalty: Overflowing Loyalty]
[Note: Has long reached the "devotee" status]
[Current Constitution: 1324 (Note: Can open the fivefold Gate of Trial)]
[Manifested Nen Amount: C+ (70,000/100,000)]
[Potential Qi Amount: B (850,000/1,000,000)]
[System: Operation]
[Note: Can achieve manipulation of others through "Nen Nail"]
[Evaluation: C+ (Can temporarily boost to B- in Full Concentration state)]
[Note: Comparable to an ant Master General, Illumi has reached the level of an ant Master General, still a step away from the pinnacle; currently on par with Kate level, far inferior to Nephelpito, Shaiapouf, and Yupi...]
Roy timely withdrew his gaze and took the tissue handed over by Tsubone, leisurely sending a Nenryoku through the deeply connected "Line of Causality" between himself and Wutong—
"Don't hold back, just make sure to leave him with a breath..."
The slow Nenryoku rode the wind towards the mountainside...
In the butler villa on the mountainside, taking Kurajing upstairs to Wutong's bedroom, noticing the bedroom door was open, he saw...
A slender man, as usual, dressed in a clean and tidy tailcoat, holding a handkerchief, meticulously cleaning a handgun. He glanced back at her, adjusted his gold-rimmed glasses on his nose, and smiled, "Morning."
Kurajing suddenly halted her steps, responding with a soft affirmation. For some reason, she felt as though this "rival" of hers had emerged anew like a cicada shedding its shell, grown wings, to soar in the sky away from the mundane!
"Cicada... cicada..." Trees swayed outside, cicadas chirping in waves... The girl stood at the door, less than five meters from Wutong, yet she felt as though a massive chasm separated them, making it near impossible to see a way across!
"You're different now..." Kurajing, after a moment of silence, looked deeply at Wutong.
The butler, wiping his [Infinite Handgun], gently said, "Am I?"
He glanced at the mirror, noticing nothing but deeper hair color and tighter muscle lines. There seemed to be no change, but... his beard, which had taken much effort to grow, seemed shorter, perhaps because of a "sleep"...
Wutong smiled, "Perhaps."
Then, with a "click...", he pulled back the slide, aiming at the figure swiftly darting towards the butler villa from outside, "Yes, young master."
"Bang~" He pulled the trigger!
"Whoosh~" Suddenly, a Nen Bullet spewing fire pierced the air, grazing by Illumi's earlobe, and shot towards a large tree behind him!
Before the boy could look back, "Boom!" A loud explosion!
Like a thunderclap, within an instant, the tree was blasted to ashes!
This was no longer a "Nen Bullet" but rather a "Nen Cannonball"!
Just judging by this power...
Deep within Kukuroo Mountain, beside a clear pond, Netero chuckled at Silva, "Not inferior to you at all..."
Silva remained silent,
The tall man's body remained at the lake's edge, his sharp eagle-like eyes reflecting the scene of the tree being consumed by the sky-bound Nen Bullet. As his gaze flickered, he suddenly remembered something his father Zeno had once told him—
"That boy Roy not only intends to defeat you, but he also wants Wutong to surpass you..."
At that time, he thought it nothing but a laughable jest, but now, seeing it realized... he truly intended and did exactly that!
Silently, an overwhelming sense of crisis and anxiety surged within, causing Silva to clench his fists uncontrollably...
The man maintained his composure, avoiding looking at Netero, "No matter how strong Wutong becomes, he's still a Zoldyck, it's less worrying than Beyond."
"Exactly," came a gust of wind as a head of flamboyant white hair appeared...
Zeno, with hands behind his back, limped alongside Silva, watching the explosion, and softly said, "As long as he lives a day, he remains a butler of the Zoldyck, not to be compared to someone else's son."
Netero: "..."
Why didn't the old man kick you to death?!
The "strongest human in the world" dropped his old face, forehead wrinkled with a few black lines...
Like a mute gourd, he stayed silent, pretending not to hear and glanced again towards the butler villa...
Amidst the explosion, a "whoosh~" of a "Nen Nail", veiled by the Nen Light, suddenly emerged from the shadows of the trees. It bypassed Wutong's line of sight, aiming directly at the back of his head,
But a "ding~" was heard!
As Illumi leaped onto the window sill, he saw his sudden attack, directly slapped away by Wutong with [Ten], lightly flicked off!
'[En]?' Illumi looked at Wutong with surprise.
Earlier, without being present, Wutong had already pinpointed his position, mercilessly firing a shot, coupled with his counterattack just now that knocked away the Nen Nail... The boy squatted on the window sill, feeling the Nen wave radiating from Wutong...
This was something the former Wutong couldn't have done!
"Poof~" The Nen Nail knocked away by Wutong embedded into the wall...
The butler, back facing Kurajing and facing Illumi, bowed and said, "Young Master Illumi, please forgive my offense. The young master commands me to spare you a breath, please understand."
"Spare my life?!" "Boom!" A surge of savage, cold, emotionless [Ren] exploded forth!
Kurajing immediately felt a powerful Evil Thought wrapped in endless fury sweeping in... like cold, venomous snakes baring their fangs at her, terrifying her into unconsciously stepping back a couple of steps, cold sweat pouring down...
"Screech—" Killing intent startled the birds into flight!
It seemed as if countless black birds, shrieking, scattered with Illumi's cascade of black hair swirling wildly, fleeing towards the sky!
Wutong bore the brunt, faced the killing intent without flinching, only silently gripping the [Infinite Handgun], softly advising Kurajing, "Go back, this is no place for you."
He then took a light step forward, suddenly a pure and soft, yet not lacking in strength and sharpness [Ren], shimmering with gentle red light like a meteor's long trailing tailflame, formed a Telekinesis Wall in front of Kurajing, pulling her out of her stunned fright...
The girl came to her senses, deeply looked at both Wutong and Illumi, turned, and without looking back, headed downstairs to her room... Wutong was right, this was a battle she couldn't partake in,
Previously watching the young master and master fight from a distance, she felt nothing... but now... Kurajing, flipping her high ponytail, sensibly descended the stairs, silently clenching her small fists, secretly vowing: 'One day, I'll catch up to them!'
"Boom!" [Ren] collided with [Ren],
After Kurajing left, as if all restraints vanished!
Wutong understood Illumi's anger, but the young master commanded; he could only silently apologize, lifting his foot, stepping forward once more...
"Crunch~" The floor began to crack with his toe as the center...