"You're here."
"Yes, I'm here."
"You look confident."
"And if I'm not?" Roy drew Yukizashi from its sheath and stared deeply at Silva. "Would Father go easy on me?"
"No. I'll only strike harder." Silva's hand paused on the soft whip, then he rose to his full height. The killing intent roared like an ocean, crashing toward Roy.
Roy gripped Yukizashi with both hands, remembering Urokodaki's teaching. His feet rooted as if nailed to the floor, unmoving, his thick black hair whipped up and back by the force.
He could barely keep his eyes open...
Crackle~ Electricity danced. The camera in the corner flickered red, transmitting the scene.
Early morning, Kikyo sat upright with a hand at her waist, taking tea under Zippone's care. A few meters away, Mikey lay belly-up in the garden wearing a frilly lolita dress, a butler tending ointment to his skin.
A few curious butterflies fluttered by. Hitting the training room was like striking an invisible wall—they fell one after another...
Illumi saw it clearly. That was the effect of overwhelming killing intent knocking them out cold.
Then the wind pouring into the room stopped. A whip shadow burst the "air" with a crack and snapped straight toward Roy's chest.
Fast. Too fast. So fast that when Illumi glanced away at the butterflies, by the time he looked back, the whip was already on Roy.
'Serpent Alive?'
With his increased physique, Roy's Serpent Alive had reached Proficient.
The moment he entered Silva's killing intent, he had already invoked [Gyo], faintly seeing that the whip held a trace of Serpent Alive's flavor.
As Urokodaki said about swordsmanship, the blade is but an extension of the arm—so too was Silva's whip. A thrown whip was a hand blade. If it hit, it would be far worse than a torn layer of skin.
Closer!
Roy could smell the lethal aura rising off the whip.
He stayed calm, telling himself to hold his ground. Hands firm on Yukizashi, just like his daily Ten Thousand Strikes in the snow country. One Iaijutsu cut. As the whip's tip neared his chest, he slashed down.
Clang—
The tip of the blade screeched through the air, Yukizashi drawing a circle, arriving after but striking first, perfectly intercepting the whip and holding it away from his chest.
Boom— A mountain-crushing force hit him. The attack didn't pause from Roy's cut, only slowed a heartbeat before slamming into his chest again.
Roy felt like a hundred-ton truck had struck him head-on. Yukizashi nearly flew from his grip as his whole body was hurled across nearly ten meters of corridor, smashing into the stone wall at the corner.
Crack... crack... The wall splintered into a spiderweb pattern around him.
Pain erupted. Sliding down the wall, blood dripped from his mouth. Even one blow had shaken his organs.
"Why didn't you dodge?"
This test's focus was [Zetsu].
Zetsu specialized in suppressing aura and enhancing the five senses.
Using Zetsu to avoid attacks was exactly what Roy should have done...
"Why should I dodge?" Roy wiped the blood from his mouth, tightened his grip on Yukizashi, and asked Silva, "If Father is testing me..."
"Then I should measure Father as well. It's… the most basic courtesy."
'Liar. You just want to hit back.' Illumi shrank deeper into the corner like a coiled viper, eyes blankly locked on Roy. Outwardly calm, but inwardly a storm—far less composed than he appeared.
From childhood, they were taught: assassins aren't brutes. Kill only those you can kill. If you can't, don't take the job. Taking a mission beyond your ability is suicide.
To Illumi, Roy was courting death.
"Do you think your life is that hard, or that because you're my son, I won't kill you?" Silva's cold gaze pierced him.
Roy didn't speak. Truthfully, he simply hated being struck without striking back.
Facing an enemy—even his father—he had to defeat him head-on. Roy had to admit, he'd deceived Urokodaki. He knew he was far from Silva's match now, but he refused to skitter like a mouse.
"At least touch his sleeve."
He didn't answer Silva's question, nor did he acknowledge Illumi. Roy invoked [Zetsu], sealed his aura nodes, heightened his senses. His eyes focused, feet stepping into Mastered Shadow Step. Before Illumi's eyes, he vanished.
Whoosh— A whirlwind burst through the training room. When he reappeared, dozens of Roys wielding Yukizashi, sun-and-mountain earrings flashing, leapt at Silva with an overhead cut.
"Sun Breathing, First Form: Dance of the Fire God!"
Fwoosh~ Blade tips sparked flames, dozens of fiery rings descending.
Silva's nostrils flared. The heat brushed his face. A cold smile curved his lips...
"Zetsu combined with Shadow Step and Limb Flex is a good choice, but..."
"Only Shadow Step is barely worth seeing."
The man stood immovable, no visible action. Just a flick of the wrist—another whip strike, this time raising howling gusts. Faster, harder, countless whip shadows flashed, blurring Illumi's eyes.
Whap... whap... whap... One Roy after another was shredded, leaving only one, again sent flying, crashing through the window into the garden.
Mikey, who had been lying still, jolted awake, sat up with a start, staring blankly at Roy crumpled on the ground. A stray drip of snot ran from his right nostril.
"Young master." The butler with quick wits scooped Roy up and ran off.
In the training room, Silva stood with his back to the broken window. "Continue," he rumbled.
Illumi peeked again. Beneath the willow tree that had witnessed generations of Zoldycks, a staggering figure pushed himself up on his sword...
He looked wretched, glass having cut his forehead open, blood splattering half his face.
"Cough... cough... That whip's heavy, Father. How about we make a deal..."
"You concede now and we'll call it off..."
"Heh heh... sly kid, playing games with his dad..." In the dim little room, the old man rocked in his chair, amused.
Beside him stood Zeno, [En] active.