Dragon Raja 3; Chapter 277: A Friend of Justice (13)

Dragon Raja 3

“Shit! Is this mind control?” Caesar murmured in disbelief.

“No, it’s not mind control. Look at the ground beneath the Death Servitors!” Chu Zihang pointed out.

The marble floor was slowly cracking under an immense pressure. What kind of weight could shatter a marble floor? Several tons? Tens of tons? And what would it feel like for bones to bear such a weight?

Caesar realized the truth—the Death Servitors weren’t submitting voluntarily but were being crushed by a massive increase in their body weight. Their weight had multiplied in an instant, making it nearly impossible for them to even lift their arms. If they didn’t lie prostrate, their spines would snap.

This was Yanling: Kingship, sequence number 91—one of those abilities that had surpassed human understanding.

No one could remain standing within the domain of Kingship without the permission of the wielder. Those within the domain would be subjected to dozens, even hundreds of times the normal weight. Blood would burst from the lower parts of their bodies, and the brain would suffer from severe blood loss. To avoid brain hemorrhage, the only choice was to kneel, or even bow. But even bowing wouldn’t guarantee survival—when the power of Kingship intensified, the wielder could crush the bones of anyone in the domain, leaving their corpses flattened against the ground. Despite the name “Kingship,” it wasn’t a regal conquest but an oppressive, merciless application of gravity, crushing enemies slowly and relentlessly.

This was Chisei’s plan: to gather the Death Servitors in the center of the hall and suppress them with Kingship, then set the hall on fire. Gen used the hilt of his blade to shatter an oil lantern, spilling the clear oil across the room. Chu Zihang tossed blocks of C4, like soap bars, into the corners of the hall. Known for its stability, C4 wouldn’t explode even if shot at, but prolonged exposure to high heat would cause it to detonate in a few minutes. The resulting fire and shockwave would turn this entire floor into a roasting pit. Finally, it was time for the fire punch to make its entrance. Chu Zihang grabbed the flamethrower from his back and swept its ten-meter-long jet of flames across the oil-soaked Death Servitors.

The fire roared to life, leaping as high as two men. The Death Servitors couldn’t move at all, forced to endure the scorching flames. Their pale faces burned, their black hair ignited, and even the parts of their bodies that still resembled human chests and delicate collarbones were engulfed in flames. The Death Servitors let out screams that humans couldn’t hear, causing Caesar’s brain to ache. He thought of the witches from the Middle Ages, weeping as they were burned at the stake. When it came down to it, humans could be just as cruel as these bloodthirsty beasts—the difference was that humans used methods that looked a bit “cleaner.”

“Go… quickly!” Chisei staggered and collapsed into a pool of blood.

Chu Zihang sheathed his long sword and rushed to pull Gen up from the blood. A glance at Gen’s face filled him with dread—Gen was on the verge of collapse. His heart was pumping furiously, trying to keep his failing body alive, and dark purple veins bulged from beneath his skin. No wonder Gen had hesitated before deciding to use this powerful Yanling. Such an ability placed an immense burden on the body; Kingship drained all of the user’s vitality in an instant. The higher the level of the Yanling, the greater the toll on the body. Legendary Yanling like “Rhein” would kill the user upon release—the wielder could only survive for fractions of a second in their own domain.

“Go, quickly!” Gen repeated.

Suddenly, Chu Zihang understood what Gen meant. If Gen couldn’t hold on, the domain of Kingship would collapse, and the Death Servitors would regain their mobility! Before Chu Zihang could react, he heard rapid gunfire behind him—that was Caesar covering their backs! He didn’t need to look to know that a Death Servitor was lunging at him, and Caesar had opened fire to suppress it. Chu grabbed Gen and rolled, just as a massive fiery serpent descended. The Death Servitor, freed from the effects of Kingship, launched a deadly attack, completely ignoring the fact that its body was engulfed in flames. Its sharp claws grasped Gen’s leg, and Chu Zihang heard the sickening crack of bones under immense pressure. The Death Servitor’s grip was so strong it could leave handprints on steel.

Suddenly, Chu Zihang realized something had been placed in his hand—it was the hilt of Kumogiri! In that critical moment, Gen had handed over his treasured sword, a blade he rarely parted with. Chu shifted to a reverse grip, swinging the blade in a wide arc around Gen to pierce the Death Servitor’s arm. The blade sliced cleanly between two arm bones, cutting through muscle like bamboo. Chu leaped forward, stepping into position, and brought the sword down on the creature’s chest, striking a shower of sparks. Then, with his left hand, he drew his last Sten submachine gun and fired it point-blank into the Death Servitor’s chest.

“Get him to the elevator!” Caesar shouted as he sprinted over, firing his “Westward Watch” in rapid succession.

The Death Servitor’s grip had fractured Gen’s leg bone. Once the Dragon Bone form was deactivated, Gen wasn’t indestructible. Chu Zihang hoisted him onto his shoulder and started dragging him toward the elevator. All three of them were utterly exhausted, their hearts pounding so violently it felt as if their chests would burst. The ground trembled as a massive Death Servitor pushed through the mercury-laced smoke. Its upper body was as hulking as a bear’s, and it had likely been a powerful man before its transformation. Dragon blood had only further stimulated its muscle growth, causing its shoulders to swell abnormally, and its arm span resembled that of a gorilla. Most alarmingly, it held two gleaming long blades in its claws! It had picked up the swords that Chu Zihang had discarded in the fire, advancing in the serpentine manner of a Snake God. There were records of Death Servitors wielding weapons before, as they sometimes retained human skills, but never had they seen one display such masterful swordsmanship. Its serpentine body swayed and spun the twin blades around itself, forming an impenetrable defense.

Caesar drew out the antique hunting rifle from behind him, its length impressive—the barrel alone was around 180cm long. He extended it smoothly, positioning himself just outside the range of the serpent-man’s spinning blades, but the barrel was already close to its chest.

With one swift strike, the serpent-man severed the front third of the gun’s barrel. With a thunderous boom, the rifle still fired, propelling the serpent-man back into the flames, while Caesar was forced to stagger back due to the recoil.

“Who still uses swords to look cool in this era?” Caesar tossed the antique rifle aside and pulled out his shotgun. “Are you some kind of joke character?”

The ground trembled once more, and a massive shadow descended from above. A steel beam, weighing several tons, crashed into the floor, sinking a few inches deep and sending up a cloud of dust as tall as a person. The ceiling and walls began to crack, and jagged fractures spread rapidly along the inner walls. Even the reinforced floors couldn’t withstand the shock of the tremors. This new wave of seismic activity exceeded an intensity of eight on the Richter scale. Flames roared in every direction, and the intense light and dust obscured their vision. Wooden sculptures of Buddha, hanging on the walls, turned into blazing fireballs as they fell, and the iron shrine fixtures turned red-hot. These artifacts, passed down through generations in the Yamata no Orochi clan’s old shrine, had lasted for over a thousand years—until today.

Caesar, covering their rear, had ceased firing. The flames now separated them from the Death Servitors, and any gunfire would only give away their position. They moved low to the ground, crawling through the thick black smoke, stepping lightly to avoid alerting nearby enemies. Serpents are highly sensitive to ground vibrations, with their ventral scales serving as perfect sensors. Snake charmers don’t command snakes with their flutes but with the rhythms they tap out on the ground with their feet. These serpent-like Death Servitors likely had similar abilities, which was their only concern. The flames, smoke, and heat had disabled the serpents’ keen sense of smell and infrared detection. With their poor eyesight, it was nearly impossible for them to detect Caesar and the others through the blinding fire.

Series Navigation

<< Dragon Raja 3; Chapter 276: A Friend of Justice (12)Dragon Raja 3; Chapter 278: A Friend of Justice (14) >>