Dragon Raja 3; Chapter 154: Night of Wind and Tide (4)

Dragon Raja 3

He had heard of mermaids—every Japanese person had. They were one of the most famous mythical creatures in Japanese folklore. However, Japanese mermaids were different from the European ones. The European mermaids described by sailors were beautiful sea maidens with fish tails; their upper halves appeared human, while their lower halves were cold fish tails. They would expose their alluring upper bodies, using enchanting songs to lure sailors, only to drag them into the deep sea to drown. In contrast, Japanese mermaids lacked even the allure of the upper body. They were hideous creatures with bulging eyes and mouths full of sharp teeth, with red comb-like flesh folds on their chests and snake-like tails. Their bones and fat were valuable as medicine, and their bodies were said to be incorruptible, remaining as fresh as newly caught bluefin tuna even after being buried for a thousand years. Eating mermaid flesh could either grant immortality or transform one into a monster.

In the twenty-ninth year of the reign of an ancient emperor, fishermen caught a mermaid in the waters of Kamagawa. In the twelfth year of the Kansei era, a mermaid’s young was caught near Osaka Nishihori, and many people witnessed it. Historical records described its cries as resembling the wailing of a baby. Archaeologists had also excavated mermaid-shaped mummies from Heian-era tombs, wrapped in layers of brocade and held in the arms of the tomb’s master. All evidence pointed to a time in the distant past when mermaid-like creatures inhabited the coastal waters of Japan, though they had never invaded the land in large numbers.

Until tonight, when mythical creatures suddenly trespassed into the human world.

“The description on eBay said that since the Tokugawa Shogunate, the Kuroishi Residence has guarded Atami’s peace like a samurai, being the symbol of Atami,” Su Enxi turned her head to look at Kimura. “Is that true, Mr. Kimura?”

Kimura took a deep breath, “There is such a saying—that the Kuroishi Residence is like a nail, pinning down a malevolent dragon that wants to climb ashore and cause chaos. The Kuroishi Residence is said to suppress Atami’s feng shui, and as long as it stands, Atami will remain safe and fortunate.”

“Let that legend continue then. Tonight, the Kuroishi Residence will not fall, and Atami will be unharmed,” Su Enxi smiled as she handed her phone to Kimura. “The responsibility of protecting this city lies with you. When I tell you which button to press, press it. And don’t press the wrong one.”

The mermaid tide was surging into the fishing harbor beside the cliff. The searchlights on the breakwater turned off, leaving the sea in darkness. The people in Atami had no idea about the mermaid invasion—the only witnesses were Su Enxi and Kimura on the cliff.

The huge waves slammed the mermaids heavily against the sides of the ships. The mermaids dug their sharp claws into the wood, pinning themselves firmly to the hull. As the previous wave receded and the next hadn’t yet arrived, they wriggled their long tails to climb up. When the second wave crashed down, newly arriving mermaids clung to those that had come before. Unable to reach the hull themselves, they grabbed their companions’ scales to climb upward, provoking the furious retaliation of the mermaids below. These ferocious creatures fought among themselves as they climbed, severed limbs falling into the sea. Fortunately, the fishermen had already evacuated, and the harbor was empty.

The red-masted ship anchored at the center of the harbor, called the “Flying Whale Maru,” was a research vessel. The cabin always housed a few white dolphins, used for tracking whale migration. Sensing impending doom, the white dolphins struggled to leap out. Several grayish-blue figures silently entered the cabin, and the sails were torn loose by the waves, covering the cabin completely. Kimura could only see the sail violently shaking, with the faint cries of the dolphins in the wind. He could imagine the brutal slaughter taking place beneath that sail, but he was powerless to help the poor dolphins. Against the savage mermaids, Hiroshi Kimura was nothing more than prey waiting to be hunted. Soon the white sail was stained red, and blood flowed out from beneath it. The other mermaids, who were a step too late, missed out on the tender dolphins and instead stormed into the fishing boat cabins. The ships that had just returned to the harbor had not yet unloaded their catch—sharks, tuna, and marlins, each two to three meters long, were helpless in the face of the mermaids. The mermaids embraced the large fish from behind, their sharp claws piercing the sides of their bodies, ripping out bloody nerves. The fish, though not dead, lost all ability to resist, left entirely at the mercy of the mermaids. In groups of three or five, the mermaids latched onto the fish’s neck, sucking the fresh blood.

It was a bloody feast. The mermaids slaughtered every living thing with abandon, and once they crossed the breakwater, they would feast on human blood next.

“Press ‘1’,” Su Enxi said.

Kimura pressed the ‘1’ key, and a blinding explosion erupted in the fishing harbor. A dozen fishing boats were engulfed in flames, serpent-like black shadows scattered by the blast, some directly torn in two. Not only were the boats filled with explosives, but also with a large amount of sulfur. The acrid smell of gunpowder mixed with sulfur wafted up to the cliff. The mermaids, struck by the explosion, paused in their feast, looking around warily, their golden eyes full of reptilian malice. One mermaid spotted the Kuroishi Residence on the cliff and immediately let out a baby-like wail, prompting hundreds of mermaids to lift their heads, their eyes shining bright as molten gold. They seemed to have realized that someone was watching them from the cliff and that the attack had come from there.

Su Enxi suddenly rose from the hot spring, slowly walking towards the edge of the cliff, with Kimura following closely behind, holding the umbrella. Su Enxi lifted the rain cover, revealing a large firework already set up at the cliff’s edge. She handed a silver lighter to Kimura, smiled, and said nothing.

Kimura understood her intent, and though he knew this was akin to setting himself on fire, he was the butler of the Kuroishi Residence. Unconditionally obeying his master’s orders was his duty. He lit the firework fuses one by one with the lighter. The lighter was windproof, emitting a blue flame that remained steady even in the rain-laden gales. The flames shot up into the sky, and splendid fireworks bloomed in the night, some like golden chrysanthemums, some like purple waterfalls, others bursting into bright white dots forming the constellation Orion or Sagittarius. Su Enxi stood daintily amid the lights, her eyes meeting the hundreds of pairs of golden eyes in the fishing harbor.

“Now you can see me more clearly, right?” Su Enxi laughed softly.

The mermaids screamed shrilly, revealing rows of razor-sharp teeth, then dove headfirst into the water, swiftly crossing the docks to approach the cliff—they seemed to be intent on attacking the Kuroishi Residence.

More and more mermaids gathered near the harbor, and to completely annihilate them, Su Enxi used herself as bait.

Kimura stood silently behind Su Enxi. Despite the hellish sight before him, he somehow felt calm. At this point, he had no choice but to believe in Su Enxi—the mysterious girl holding the fate of all Atami in her hands. Kimura was grateful that the owner was not the reckless, spoiled heir he had imagined. She had clearly calculated everything in advance; “strategizing from a distance” fit her perfectly. Such a person should indeed wear the expensive Christian Dior number two suit and Christian Louboutin black and red high heels, standing unyielding in the face of crashing waves, her slender hands moving heaven and earth.

“Now press ‘2’,” Su Enxi said calmly.

“Yes, Miss Enxi,” Kimura said as he pressed the ‘2’ key. Truth be told, he had been eager to see what kind of ace Miss Enxi was holding.

At the deepest part of the harbor, a ship sounded its horn, and the lights on the bridge came on. The helm was empty, yet all the equipment was operating automatically. It was a warship—an American Navy Perry-class frigate, with the hull number of the US Seventh Fleet painted on it, bearing the name “USS St. Louis.” The St. Louis let out a white mist, breaking free of its anchor and leaving the dock. It began to fire as it sailed—its Phalanx CIWS, capable of firing 4,500 rounds per minute, and its 76mm rapid-fire cannon unleashed deadly flames upon the approaching mermaids. The roar of the Perry-class frigate shook the cliff, and one fishing boat after another, along with the mermaids, sank into the sea.