Meteor City never believes in tears. It only believes in fists and power.
Uvogin was humbled. Nobunaga was humbled as well. There was nothing to say when one was simply outclassed. If they had any regrets... the two of them looked back at the silent Chrollo with a twinge of remorse. They regretted not listening to him.
Thud... thud... The heavy, rhythmic sound of footsteps echoed through the air.
Kastro dragged them along like dead dogs. Sarasa looked distraught, clutching Chrollo's small hand as if it were her only lifeline. She looked at him imploringly as they followed. "Chrollo, you know them, don't you?"
"You must have a way to fix this, right?"
'What way could I possibly have?' Chrollo thought, his face darkening. Intelligence? Strategy? Vision? In the face of absolute strength, it was all... meaningless.
He remained silent. He recalled the warning Boss Berus had given him yesterday: "Tell those little brothers of yours to stay away from Street 4 for a while. I've received word that some truly powerful individuals are about to arrive."
He had naively asked, "Are they even stronger than Bolton or Elijah?"
The answer was: "Much stronger."
Berus had patted his shoulder and looked at him with a heavy gaze. "Kid, you've seen how dangerous those Nen users are. I can tell you for a fact now that Meteor City isn't just a trash heap—it's a testing ground and a playground for certain people. One Bolton dies, and more, stronger Boltons will pop up. And the people standing behind them... are entities I wouldn't dare touch."
After that, Berus had kicked him out, unwilling to say more out of fear. But if someone like him was terrified... it was clear that the waters behind Meteor City were too deep to see the bottom.
"I can't promise you anything, and I don't have the power to stop this. If you trust me, don't rush. Watch my lead," Chrollo said, squeezing Sarasa's hand and placing a finger to his lips, signaling her to stay quiet.
The group followed Kastro across the plaza, through the massive gates, and into the prayer hall. Unlike the True Lord's cathedral, this hall—having survived temperatures of nearly ten thousand degrees—was vast and empty. At the far end, a single figure dressed as a priest held a broom, methodically sweeping the floor.
"Praise the sun," Kastro said as he reached Roy. He tossed Uvogin and Nobunaga aside with a casual flick of his wrists. Then, he grabbed a rag and began cleaning the windows nearby.
Chrollo, Sarasa, Pakunoda, and Shalnark exchanged looks of utter confusion.
Silence filled the hall, broken only by the sound of the broom and the occasional screech of the rag against glass. The children, including the incapacitated Uvogin and Nobunaga, couldn't help but swallow hard. They were so tense they could hear their own heartbeats.
Eventually, Roy seemed to notice them. He looked over with a smile. "Sit."
He pointed a finger at the floor in front of Chrollo and Sarasa. Suddenly, life sprang from nothing.
Small holes cracked open in the stone floor, and saplings burst forth. They grew rapidly, branches weaving and knotting themselves together. In the blink of an eye, several wicker chairs had formed, sitting quietly before the group.
The four children—and the two on the floor—stared with wide eyes, their brains momentarily stalling.
Screech... screech... The rag continued to groan against the glass.
Ignoring their shock, Roy tossed his broom into a corner. He traced a finger through the air, utilizing his Wood Style to create a wooden table, followed by several more chairs and teacups.
He sat across from them and tapped a finger toward the cups. A stream of water flew from his fingertip, filling the cups and emitting a gentle steam. This was the elemental transformation of his aura—Water Style.
"My master told you to sit. Did you not hear him?" Kastro's cold voice snapped them out of it.
Shalnark's legs gave out, and he plopped into a chair. Pakunoda and Sarasa followed suit. Finally, Chrollo took a deep breath, forcing himself to stay calm as he sat down.
[SYSTEM: Your "Potential Believer" Uvogin... has witnessed your power and is awestruck. Loyalty +5...]
[SYSTEM: REMARK: Loyalty is born from awe.]
[SYSTEM: Your "Potential Believers" Nobunaga and Sarasa... have witnessed your power and are awestruck. Loyalty +5...]
[SYSTEM: REMARK: Loyalty is born from awe.]
[SYSTEM: Detecting "Potential Believers" Chrollo, Shalnark, and Pakunoda. Loyalty +5...]
[SYSTEM: REMARK: Loyalty is born from awe.]
Roy, in the guise of Taiyi, smiled and poured tea for the group. "Forgive Kastro's rudeness," he said warmly. "If you hadn't come here to cause trouble, he wouldn't have raised a hand against you."
"It's my fault!" Uvogin struggled to sit up, propping himself on his elbows. He shouted with every bit of strength he had, coughing up a spray of blood that stained his chest. "It has nothing to do with Sarasa and the others! Priest, if you want to kill someone, kill me!"
"Uvi!" Sarasa jumped up, but Chrollo's hand firmly pressed her back down.
The boy with the bowl cut moved faster than her. He pushed back his chair and bowed deeply to Roy. "Father, I want to join your church!"
"And them... and her... all of us!" Chrollo pointed at Sarasa, Pakunoda, Shalnark, and finally Uvogin and Nobunaga. He spoke with absolute conviction. "We all want to join! Please, accept us!"
He remained in a deep bow, his head tucked low.
The empty hall fell into a sudden, sharp silence.
Sarasa, Pakunoda, Shalnark, Uvogin, and Nobunaga all stared at Chrollo in disbelief. Cold sweat poured down Chrollo's temples. He didn't speak or look up, waiting like a prisoner for Roy's verdict.
Tick... tock... Time felt like a hammer beating against his heart. Roy didn't even need to use his Heart-Consumption bugs to read the boy; his En picked up everything.
"I have a friend," Roy began, his voice melodic. "He's reckless and doesn't like to listen. One day, he insisted on picking a fight with someone I knew was dangerous. I tried to stop him, but I couldn't."
"He ended up in serious trouble. So..."
"I had no choice but to swallow my pride and pretend to join that dangerous person. I brought my friend along too, thinking that if I became an ally, that person wouldn't hurt him anymore. Right, Chrollo?"
A faint crimson crept into Roy's eyes. He smiled and reached out a finger to tilt the boy's chin up. Three pitch-black tomoe spun slowly in his pupils, reflecting Chrollo's own shadow. "Am I right?"
Forced to look into the Sharingan, Chrollo felt the world spin instantly. When his vision cleared...
He realized he was holding a black plastic bag. He opened it, only to see Uvogin's severed head staring back at him with dead, unblinking eyes.
A shrill, terrified scream tore through the hall. "AHHHH!"
In a black sedan driving from the capital airport toward Kukuroo Mountain in the Republic of Padokea.
A playful chuckle escaped someone's lips.
"Heh. Cunning little spider..."
The young butler driving looked back in confusion. "Master? What spider? Is there one in the car?"
"Not in the car."
Through shared vision, Roy watched as Taiyi gave the dishonest Chrollo a small "lesson" via Genjutsu, harvesting another five points of loyalty through sheer terror.
He rolled down the window to watch the scenery blur past. In the distance, the rolling peaks of Kukuroo Mountain were visible. He stretched lazily. The car came to a steady stop with a soft screech in front of the massive gates.
Accompanied by Gotoh, Roy nodded to Zebro, who had hurried forward to greet him. Roy took a deep breath and pushed. Five sets of doors swung open, and he walked straight inside.
Boom! The five doors, weighing 64 tons, slammed shut, cutting off Zebro's view. The gatekeeper, who seemed to have lost yet another patch of hair in the last few days, murmured to himself, "The young master has improved again..."
He thought he glimpsed a pair of hollow, lifeless eyes behind the gate... the second young master.
"So you finally decided to come home." Inside the gate, Roy had barely taken a step when the scent of his annoying brother hit him.
Illumi stood with his arms crossed, leaning against the Trial Gate. He watched Roy expressionlessly, seemingly unaware of the leaf that had fallen onto his head. It looked like he had been waiting for a very long time.
"Was a week really that long?" Roy asked, glancing at Gotoh.
"Well..." Gotoh looked nervously between Roy and Illumi, then turned his gaze to the sky. "The weather is certainly lovely today."
Roy's eye twitched. He kicked Gotoh in the rear, then brushed past Illumi's shoulder. As he did, he tossed him a wooden nail.
"A birthday present for you."
Illumi blinked and caught the nail in one hand. He watched Roy walk away and shouted at his back, "My birthday is in November! It's only May!"
"Do you want it or not?" Roy called back.
"I want it!"