[Conditions… the host must fully analyze the principles of a "physical object" before it can be "dematerialized," temporarily converted into aura, and brought into the cognitive world…]
[Note: "Reverse Conjuration" must follow the "equivalent exchange" principle… because physical objects differ in "mass," "structure," "properties," and "complexity," the corresponding aura cost of conversion also differs…]
"Whoosh—" As Roy and the others left, seawater surged back in, pouring down and washing over everything, filling in the trenches on the seafloor…
With the ruin-church gone, in the Ferry Bureau's underground lab—specimen [54-714-01], the twisted "braided-rope" survivor—its brow-eye closed, and the projected images vanished.
At the same time, the TV in the Hunter Association's volleyball room—mounted on the south wall—fizzled out with a zzzt, becoming pure static.
Wing pushed up his glasses and let out a breath, inexplicably feeling a sense of relief.
As if the moment those scarlet eyes with three tomoe stopped looming in front of him, the danger was gone—only lightness remained.
Before, training under his master, he'd lived for the day he could find Roy and fight him again. Now…
Maybe he didn't need to anymore.
A father knows his child; a teacher knows her disciple. Bisky rubbed his head, not exposing him—then turned to Netero to discuss Roy's Sharingan and how to counter it.
Their final consensus: they would have to face Roy directly and be "illuminated" by the illusion themselves to learn what it truly did.
"Hohoho…"
The younger wave really was crashing down on the older. The kid's growth was so fast he could even exchange blows with Ging—sure, fake Ging wasn't the real one, but being able to trade moves calmly, even press him with sword skill and that strange eye…
Netero stood up, itching to move. He flicked a hand—snatched a volleyball from the basket—
thump, thump, thump, dribbling it like a basketball.
He shot Bisky a grin. "One round?"
Bisky rolled her eyes. "No time!"
Her twin golden ponytails swung. She grabbed Wing and hauled him toward the door.
She'd just found intel on a rare gemstone—why would she waste time on Netero's childish "steal the ball" game?
BANG! The volleyball-room door slammed shut.
In an instant, only Bean and Netero remained, staring at each other.
"Beep… beep… beep…"
A phone rang.
Bean patted his pocket, pulled out his phone, glanced at it. "It's the Ferry Bureau."
Netero's expression tightened. He took the call.
"Hello—"
"Heh-heh-heh… old man, I heard the 'victim' who went in and out of the Dark Continent with you back then… has woken up?"
The voice on the line wasn't the Ferry Bureau's.
It was familiar—and yet strangely distant. A voice Netero would never forget in his lifetime.
Netero narrowed his eyes. "Beyond Netero…"
…
Kakin Empire, the Capital Spanto.
At the south end of Tulip Boulevard—near the royal palace, the heart of power controlled by the Hui Guo Rou family—stood Beyond's private luxury estate.
Soaring spires… vintage window frames… and gardens manicured by dozens of gardeners. Every detail radiated aristocratic elegance and indulgence.
Before a massive floor-to-ceiling window on the second floor, an "old" man and a youth stood together—one holding a phone, the other holding a handkerchief. On the east wall hung a giant TV, frozen on a frame reflecting Roy, Ging, and Razor…
Pariston, dressed in a fine suit patterned in yellow-and-white stripes, was entranced—wiping Roy's handsome face on the screen, the one with the Sharingan.
"Roy Zoldyck… you never disappoint. Incredible… I love that cold, clean look…" "Ah… wait for me… soon… I'll see you very soon… heh-heh-heh…"
His suppressed chuckle echoed. He put away the handkerchief and pressed his face against the screen, cheek to cheek with Roy's reflection.
Nearby, the black-and-white chessboard they'd played earlier had long since been completed. Compared to before, there were now a few extra pieces—most importantly, a king and a queen had been added.
Beyond hung up and glanced at him. His face resembled Netero's, but was noticeably rougher; his beard twitched as he grinned. "You saw it. You're not the only one improving."
"I know… I've always known…" The blond youth drew his knees together, tongue slipping out as he licked along the screen—up Roy's jawline, all the way to his crown. "That's why I have to break him… that's why I have to… kill him!"
Beyond gave a noncommittal "hm." "Alright, stop spazzing out. Your pieces are complete, your advanced techniques are all there—but if you can't handle those eyes…"
"I'll get killed again, right?" Pariston finished for him, smiling with a wicked charm. "Doesn't matter. I've got lives. I've got time. I can afford to play."
"Can you?" Beyond tossed a thick stack of documents at him. "Read this."
Pariston caught it, lowered his eyes.
"Baldwin Hui Guo Rou's Theory of Faith."
His brows knit. "This is…?"
"Can't read?" Beyond's gaze hardened. "Faith… is also the secret behind Hui Guo Rou's rise."
Pariston's eyes flashed. He gripped the papers tighter.
…
Yorbian Continent, Seaside City.
"Whoosh—" the sea split open. Figures burst up and landed on the deck.
The ship assigned to pick them up rumbled as the engine kicked on, carrying them back toward shore.
Roy and Gotoh trailed behind Razor, Ging, and Elena—thanks to "Water Breathing," they caught up fast, even surfacing ahead and boarding first.
Roy immediately spun a thread of aura into Heat, evaporating the water from his clothes. His black hair whipped back in the wind as he leaned on the railing, staring out at the ocean.
Tap… tap… footsteps approached.
Ging walked over and set his elbows on the rail beside him, watching the waves rise and fall.
"What are you thinking about?"
Roy's eyes darkened slightly. "The future… my little brother…"
That skeleton's sigh still rang in his ears. It had recognized him instantly—and even pierced the future, calling out "Ai," the being residing in the not-yet-born Alluka… Nanika.
It could foresee the future, turn matter into emptiness—its body was just bone, yet it kept a sliver of mind and casually dragged an entire ruin-church into nothingness. How strong had it been in life? Compared to so-called "gods," where did it stand?
"My son's being born too," Ging said lightly, smiling. "Maybe he and your brother will be good friends."
"And then what?" Roy glanced at him. "My brother plays sidekick while your kid plays 'tadpole finds dad'?"
"Don't make it sound that ugly. I'm just letting him find the meaning of his life while he searches for me."
"And is that what you want—or what Vivian wants?" Roy thought of the cold-faced woman he'd seen in Ging's past. Her empty, indifferent eyes had left a deep impression.
Ging fell silent.
After a moment he said, "This is why I hate mind-readers."
He raked a hand through his hair, side-eyeing Roy. "Still… pity we didn't get the reverse-conjuration method."
The skeleton… the tapir's corpse… they'd been right there, and yet slipped away. Ging couldn't help feeling a sting of regret.
Roy didn't answer.
He patted his waist. With a clear sword hum—clang—Snow-Walk slid free. The blade flashed, catching the sun and throwing a bright arc of light across Ging's face.
Gotoh, Razor, and Elena—who'd raised her blue-glowing screen to log things—looked over.
Roy traced two fingers along Snow-Walk's hilt, down the guard, along the blade to the tip… then flipped his hand.
Snow-Walk decomposed—right in front of Ging, Razor, Gotoh, and Elena—into clusters of "aura-light." Roy guided it with a thought, and it vanished into his palm—
Reappearing in his cognitive world.
Just like that—
It disappeared from everyone's sight.
"Reverse conjuration?" Elena's brow snapped tight. She blurted it out.
Roy finally glanced at Ging. "Right back at you. I also hate self-important people."
"Just because you can't do it doesn't mean nobody can."
Snow-Walk was gone. Only an empty scabbard remained at Roy's waist.
A dry, unhidden snort sounded. Razor narrowed his eyes and shot Ging a mocking look.
Ging blinked, then laughed, shaking his head. "You're right. Then this trip wasn't wasted."
He patted his chest, fished around, and pulled out a crumpled sheet of paper, handing it to Roy.
"So—Zoldyck heir. Want to make a trade?"
Roy unfolded it and scanned.
"A Methodology for Deconstructing 'Divine Scripts'."
His eyes sharpened.
Ging smiled. "You're a Zoldyck. You've probably studied Divine Scripts."
His gaze flicked meaningfully to the Infinite gun tucked against Gotoh. "With Divine Scripts, a paralyzed man can stand. A blind man can see. A dog can talk like a human. Lightning can strike from clear sky. Snow can fall in midsummer. And more than that…"
"It can serve as a carrier for Nen."
A tool: something humans can't do directly, but can do through an intermediate "mechanism."
With Divine Scripts, a child can wield a "Nen tool" and contend with adults, weather, sickness—performing things that look impossible.
Roy's thoughts surged. He knew Ging was underselling it.
In canon, Ging used "Divine Scripts" to build the card framework for Greed Island and then pour all kinds of absurd Nen into it.
Famous cards like A Patch of Coastline, Breath of the Archangel, Ruler's Blessing, Accompany, Pregnancy Stone, Witch's Rejuvenation Medicine…
The value was staggering.
"Deal." Roy didn't hesitate. He pulled up his panel and immediately extracted Reverse Conjuration, wrapped the info-stream in aura, and tapped Ging's brow with one finger.
The full method poured into Ging's mind.
Ging extended his right hand. "Pleasure doing business."
Roy took it.
Their hands clasped—until a sailor poked his head out of the cabin and shouted, "Dinner!"
Roy and Ging exchanged a brief smile. They ate a rich seafood meal on the ship, returned to the hotel, and split to their rooms.
…
"Young master, call me if you need anything." Evening had come; the sun was sinking.
Roy sent Gotoh to rest. With a thought, he summoned the Golden Crow and let it roll around on the soft bed.
He showered, changed into a loose robe, turned on the lamp, and began studying Divine Script Structure, deepening his understanding.
He could see it clearly now: with Divine Scripts, he could "enchant" his Nen into a tool—or even mass-produce Nen tools.
These wouldn't be like ordinary ninja tools. With his Nen as the base, they'd be far stronger and far simpler to use—just pour in Nen (or chakra), and you'd get effects that looked miraculous.
He got so absorbed that he only noticed his fatigue near midnight. Night dew was heavy outside the window.
He rubbed his brow, lay down in his robe, told Goldie to keep watch, and closed his eyes.
"Hsss…" soft snores.
The familiar dream tunnel appeared beneath his feet.
Beyond it: the blue Sea of Cognition. On the shore stood Snow-Walk, planted upright in the sand.
Roy rolled up his pants, let the tide wash over his ankles, walked over, pulled Snow-Walk free, slid it into its scabbard—then stepped past the Demon Slayer gate and stopped before the "Naruto" door marked with an eye.
He stood there quietly a moment… then pushed it open and stepped through.
When he opened his eyes—
He was in Konoha. As usual, he split off a clone to go to school.
But today, at the Academy, a "Guest" had appeared—uninvited.
The moment the man showed up—wearing a Hokage hat and white robes over red armor, hands behind his back—
His gaze snapped onto Roy like a hook.
~~~
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