"And what's the price that falls on you?"
"Will it endanger your life?"
Betty's hand, looped around Roy's arm, tightened as she looked on nervously,
On the side, Brook Sell, Severus and the others opened their mouths several times, wanting to say something, but after struggling for a long while, chose to shut up...
[Resurrection]was, for them, without a doubt an enormous temptation... but if it meant sacrificing Roy's life, even if it only cost him a tiny bit of his lifespan, Brook Sell and Severus exchanged a look, and there was already a decision in their eyes... that was absolutely not what they wanted.....
Silence filled the small room at this moment.....
No one spoke, and the air pressure in the room instantly turned heavy, so heavy... it was suffocating.....
Deep within Kukuroo Mountain, by that clear pool, Silva and Netero faced each other in silence, each releasing their En and fixing their Gaze on Roy,
Separated by a single wall, Illumi leaned against the door with his arms folded, quietly waiting,
Looking across the entire Zoldyck estate, perhaps only Killua, who was still in his ignorant phase, remained completely oblivious, snuggling against Killua and sleeping soundly....
How to choose, what to choose? To dedicate his life and save millions, or to ignore it, simply break his word and give up?
The TV hanging on the south wall captured the scene inside the small room,
Killua held Killua in his arms, electronic eyes flashing as he controlled the camera and aimed it at Roy,
Unfortunately, he still couldn't see even a trace of struggle or difficulty in choosing on the boy's face.
With his head of interwoven silver and gold hair, Roy spread his hands and said calmly, "Great-Grandpa, you're giving me too much credit. I'm not a Saint, I can't do something that harms myself to benefit others......"
The boy spoke cleanly and decisively, and the color of the Nen feedback above his head proved he wasn't faking it,
Although the crowd of dead souls stared at him eagerly, faintly having guessed, when they actually got this answer, quite a few people's Emotions inevitably dipped; some even knelt down and wailed, plunging from heaven to hell in an instant, crushed by despair.....
However, even so, no one begged Roy. On the contrary, after a few seconds of silence, people like Brook Sell and Severus broke into smiles at Roy and said, "That's the right choice."
Roy felt a warmth in his heart, turned his head to look at Betty again; this great-grandmother whose face was forever frozen in her youth gave him a firm nod, silently encouraging him... you did nothing wrong.
The boy's tone shifted, and one line dragged everyone from hell back up to heaven: "I think you misunderstood. What I meant is, it doesn't affect me. The price is borne entirely by the[Vessel]. He's the one who has to pay with his life."
Right after, the room fell silent again, and even the wails came to an abrupt halt.....
After a while, Zeno froze for a second, then was the first to react. He swung his fist back, ready to teach Roy a lesson... this brat had better remember to finish his sentences. But he never expected that,
Before his hand could touch Roy, he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his butt, his body smashing through the glass as Maha's swiftly raised foot sent him flying into the sky: "You bastard, if you break my grandson, you're paying for it?!"
"I....." In his dazed confusion, Zeno cut a ragged line across the sky.....
Deep in Kukuroo Mountain, Netero let out a chuckling "ho ho," shading his eyes with his hand as he looked up, then tilted his head toward Silva and said, "Your old man's gone....."
Silva's face didn't change in the least; he didn't even bother to glance up at the sky, simply said blandly, "If he's gone, he's gone. Roy will resurrect him."
Netero: "....."
He was obviously stunned for a moment,
Then, coming back to himself, he planted his hands on his hips and laughed loudly: "Ho ho ho... having resurrection really is something, huh...."
It really is something!
"You all heard him," Maha swept his Gaze around, letting his eyes pass one by one over Brook Sell, Severus and the others, then reached out and patted Roy on the shoulder, saying, "He's my grandson, and from now on, he's also your king. If you want to be resurrected, then put your Faith in him."
"Boom!" The dead souls led by Brook Sell and Severus—every last one of them—fell neatly to their knees, right hands over their chests, respectfully bowing to Roy as they said, "Your most loyal and devout Brook Sell / Severus / Blake Shaw... pays his respects, Your Majesty......"
All of a sudden, a cascade of panel notification sounds, like rain beating on banana leaves, rang endlessly through Roy's mind.....
[Notice: Detected "pending follower" count: one, two, ten, one hundred, one thousand, ten thousand, one hundred thousand... urgently awaiting Host's confirmation.....]
[Detected current "pending follower" status abnormal; unable to supply corresponding Power Of Faith to Host. Host must resurrect them first, then confer titles]
[Note: Detected current "pending follower" reserve of "Power Of Faith" is: 178,473,213.8 points, already exceeding the maximum capacity the Host can bear]
[Suggestion: Host should carry out resurrections with a plan in place, to avoid... losing himself......]
One point seven billion?! Roy's body trembled ever so slightly; as his mind surged, a sharp gleam flashed across his eyes!
Maha stood on his left, Betty clung to his right. Looking down, he saw the mass of dead souls kneeling in a black sea before him... just like those endless gravestones he'd seen in Maha's dream... in this moment, he only felt his blood surging and his spirit soaring, a smile uncontrollably curving up at the corner of his mouth....
"Rise, all of you, rise....."
By now, it was already past five; dawn had broken... a red sun peeked over the horizon, revealing a sliver of its arc and casting ten thousand rays of morning glow....
Through the window frame, it draped Roy in a robe of rosy clouds and set a crown of the rising sun upon his head......
Roy lifted his hand lightly, stirring up a few streams of clear wind that swept forward, helping Brook Sell, Severus and the other leaders to their feet... amid a chorus of respectful voices... "Thank you, Your Majesty~"
Then, the dead souls rose,
Their Spiritual Bodies, bathed in the morning glow, shed their decadence and despair, leaving only expectation and hope......
"Gururururu...." Their stomachs growled with hunger...
Now that things had come to this, Roy turned his head toward Maha and said, "Great-Grandpa, let's eat first."
In the corridor, the soft sound of a dining cart rolling over the stone floor drifted in. Having waited a while, Tsubone got the hint and called softly through the door, "Old Ancestor, young master, breakfast is here....."
Maha and Betty exchanged a look, then turned and chuckled ho ho at Brook Sell, Severus and a few others: "You lot won't be getting a bite of hot food, but it's fine. Just wait till my good grandson resurrects you....."
Hammer dropped,
Seeing Maha finally loosen up, Roy smiled, Betty smiled, and Brook Sell, Severus along with the countless dead souls all smiled in unison.....
Everyone said together, "Thank you, Your Majesty...."
Then, they turned into a breeze of mnemonic Nen, and without Maha needing to take the initiative to recall them, they voluntarily flowed back into his body and disappeared.....
At this moment, "creak~" the door opened,
Tsubone pushed the dining cart in,
Roy pointed a finger, unleashed[Wood Release], and manifested a dining table and a few chairs, setting them by the window frame. Without even turning his head, he called out toward the doorway, "Don't make me call you. Get in here yourself."
"Gururururu...." Through the open door, Illumi followed behind Tsubone, his long black hair smooth and sleek. He found himself a chair and sat down, still wearing that catlike face no one could bring themselves to like,
With those stark black-and-white dead-fish eyes, he stared at Roy and said, "I'm booking a slot in advance. When I die, don't forget to resurrect me."
"You know, I want to stay forever....."
"Shut up!" Roy flicked his hand, snatched up a baguette and stuffed it into Illumi's mouth... the foolish Mamen Beans blinked a few times, and actually swallowed the rock-hard baguette into his stomach. Only then did he turn his head toward Maha and say, "Great-Grandpa, look at him."
Maha chuckled ho ho, deliberately pretending not to see, ladling a spoonful of tomato egg soup into his mouth as he muttered to himself, "Getting old... gotta drink something soft to feel comfortable......"
Then he tossed Illumi back to Roy,
The stubborn little brother, having not gotten the answer he wanted, was as mulish as a donkey,
Staring Roy down as if to say that if Roy didn't agree, he'd just drop dead on the spot... Roy really had no way to deal with him, so he glared back and said, "We'll talk when you can beat Wutong."
Illumi picked up his knife and fork: "When's he waking up?"
"Today!"
"Sss-rip..." came the sound of a blood cocoon being torn open.....