The battle for points was forced to a halt.
In the face of the storm, humanity's petty squabbles were not worth mentioning.
In a dark corner of the cabin, the eccentric man's iconic pin-face gradually emerged. The first thing he did upon opening his eyes was to search all around for a certain figure.
He had dozed off for a bit because he had consumed too much Nen, but unexpectedly, he had lost his big brother...
Illumi didn't find Roy in the captain's room. He stared out the window with those vacant eyes, not hesitating for a second...
He revealed his hand-knives and dug fiercely at the deck. Under the confused and astonished gazes of the others, he dove down. When he reappeared, he suddenly emerged at Gotoh's feet, having broken through the deck, his head poking out to silently watch the storm ahead.
"Young Master Illumi?" Gotoh jumped, almost stepping on him. It was a good thing he had sharp eyes, or this day next year would have been his death anniversary.
"Whoosh~" The wind grew tighter, the waves surged, and the "Neptune" creaked and groaned from the rocking.
Roy danced against the storm, as if carrying a great mountain on his back. Every swing of his sword was exceptionally difficult, far beyond what the child's play at the waterfall could compare to.
"Fourth Form: Striking Tide... Fifth Form: Blessed Rain After the Drought... Sixth Form: Twisting Whirlpool..."
The seawater, guided by his blade's tip, condensed into pillars of water, continuously resisting the storm's erosion. Flashes of the blade appeared from time to time... shining brilliantly in this dark, special environment.
It was visible even through the windows.
"Where is that blade's light coming from?" Yusuke and Kite had just entered the cabin not two minutes earlier, but now they rushed out again, leaping onto the cabin roof. They stared intently... the boy, single-handedly wielding his sword, battled the storm alone, fearless... It was truly too shocking!
"Is that even human?"
"So this is how he always trains his sword..." Yusuke's mouth fell open. Kite silently gripped his own samurai sword.
He had once listened to Ging's teachings and clearly remembered him saying: "Humans are products of nature. No matter how strong they become, it is difficult to challenge nature's might."
"A flood... a drought... an... earthquake... all can bring unimaginable disasters to mankind."
"Therefore, one must respect nature and not fantasize about conquering it. Only then can one accurately find one's place in the world."
'But... Master, there are always those who are unconvinced...' Kite's gaze locked deeply onto Roy. He couldn't help but wonder, if it had been him back then who heard Ging's words, what would he have thought? He'd probably have scoffed at it.
The blade's light, linked with the water's power, continuously struck the storm. The pouring rain left welts on people's skin with every drop, let alone on Roy, who was constantly on the edge of the storm...
The boy's stamina was declining rapidly, and his breathing gradually became heavier. When he raised his sword again, each slash was heavier than the last. But his spirit was sharp, and the two suns in his eyes grew brighter and brighter. His mouth opened and closed unconsciously, murmuring softly, "Almost... just a little more..."
As... "Seventh Form: Piercing Rain Drop... Eighth Form: Waterfall Basin... Ninth Form: Splashing Water Flow..." were unleashed one after another, he vaguely felt as if he had grasped something. But when he tightened his grip, that spark of inspiration slipped through his fingers. Unresigned, he raised his sword again, "Water Breathing, Tenth Form: Constant Flux." He drew water from his surroundings, forming a water dragon that roared as it charged into the sky!
"Roar~" The boundless dark clouds were stirred by the water dragon, and an opening was torn in them....
A ray of light shone through. The red sun climbed above the sea horizon, half above and half below, a mirror image. The morning rays scattered, illuminating Roy's face. The corner of the boy's mouth turned up slightly. "Got it."
His hand relaxed, allowing the cane-sword to fall vertically, stabbing toward the sea's surface. The instant the blade's tip touched the water... ripples spread out from him as the center...
In the blink of an eye, they radiated outwards... Wherever they passed, all things became still, as if the pause button had been pressed for an instant, losing their ability to move...
["Water Breathing, Eleventh Form: Illusory Sword: Water-Mirror Blaze"]
"Omm..."
The wind and rain stagnated. The swaying "Neptune," as the ripples swept over it, simultaneously fell silent.
On the bow, Gotoh and Illumi; on the cabin roof, Yusuke and Kite; on the deck, the astonished Captain Maxim looking over, as well as Kurajing, the bandaged man, the snake charmer, the boy with the bow, and even the rats hidden in the storage room at the bottom of the ship—at this instant, all were frozen!
They only felt the world before their eyes blur for a moment, and then all color faded away, leaving only a red sun and a sea-mirror to accompany it, lingering for a long time.
[Note: "Illusory Sword: Water-Mirror Blaze," an original illusory domain created by the host after observing the fusion of water and sun. Unleashing the sword can paralyze an opponent for 0.1 seconds, causing them to fall into the "Sea-Sun" illusion and briefly lose the ability to think.]
"Pop~"
After 0.1 seconds..
The ripples receded, the illusion shattered, the world reappeared, and the wind and rain returned...
Suddenly, a huge wave struck. The "Neptune's" hull tilted, sending a few candidates flying.
Only then did everyone snap back to their senses, realizing something was wrong!
"What was that just now?"
"I think I lost consciousness for a second!"
"You too? I thought it was just me... Scared me to death, I almost thought I was going to see my dead great-grandma!"
"What great-grandma, wasn't it the sun and the sea?"
The clamor resumed... Kurajing was hunkered down in a remote corner, frowning as she looked out the window..
The storm was still raging, but an opening had been torn in the dark clouds, with rays of light faintly shining down... Was it man-made?
"That's right, it must have been that guy!" Yusuke came to his senses, his gaze locked on Roy.
As a ninja, he had come to participate in the Hunter Exam to find the "Dream Scroll."
According to the elders in his clan, the scroll recorded many incredible ninjutsu, including "genjutsu" that could confuse people's minds!
Yusuke suspected that, given his own skill, his brief loss of consciousness must have been because he was caught in a "genjutsu"!
"Step... step..." The boy sheathed his sword, treading on the wave crests, and returned unhurriedly.
The storm whipped his black hair into a messy, disheveled state, but no one dared to underestimate him because of it...
Gotoh, Illumi, Kite... Gaze after gaze converged on him.
Roy leaped onto the bow and glanced at Maxim. "Keep staring blankly, and we'll really be heading into the storm."
"Oh... oh..." The old captain snapped back to reality and yelled at the top of his lungs, "Gus, hard to rudder!"
"Everyone else, with me, grab the sail ropes!"
"Aye!"
The "Neptune's" sails billowed. It veered to the right, avoiding the storm and going around it...
A moment later, the wind and rain gradually subsided. Illumi tilted his chin up, silently watching Roy. Noticing Roy's gaze sweep over, his head shrunk back, and he simply slipped under the deck, disappearing from sight.
With no land, out at sea, perhaps only hiding beneath the deck could give him a faint sense of security.
Roy noticed this but couldn't be bothered with him. He took the branch Gotoh handed him and continued fishing, tempering his Nen ability. The panel prompted...
["Swordsmanship" +70... "Water Breathing" +50...]
[Current]
["Swordsmanship": Lv3(160/10000→230/10000)]
[Water Breathing: Introductory (78/100) → Mastered (28/1000)]
A small accomplishment.