Dragon Raja 3; Chapter 291: The Last Emperor & The Last KGB Officer (6)

Dragon Raja 3

“Yes! In the family’s myth, Izanami is a deity who despises humanity, imprisoned at the entrance of Yomi. If she returns to the world of the living, she will transform into the Yamata no Orochi and devour the entire world. Three high priests are responsible for suppressing her. They are known by their titles: Amaterasu, Tsukuyomi, and Susanoo. These titles are passed down through generations, and only these three people in each generation can come into contact with the Holy Relic. But it was Susanoo, among the three, who was lured by the Holy Relic and released it from its prison. After merging with the Holy Relic, Susanoo was resurrected as the White Emperor. Amaterasu and Tsukuyomi fought him but couldn’t kill him. At that time, a volcanic eruption caused the sea to surge, the land to split open, and Japan was on the brink of disaster. In the end, Amaterasu and Tsukuyomi used Takamagahara as his coffin, submerging the ancient city and the resurrected White Emperor into the Pacific Ocean,” Koeru said. “Japan was saved, but only a few emperors survived the catastrophe. Their bloodlines gradually degenerated, eventually becoming the current descendants of the White Empress.”

“After the Holy Relic and the Emperor fused, what was born? The White Empress, or something of a lesser rank?” Anjou asked.

“No one knows for sure, but judging by the disaster it caused, it seems even more exaggerated than the Four Monarchs. Let’s just call it a god for now.”

“If such a thing truly awakens… that’s truly a nightmare!”

“Do you want to hear news even worse than that?” Uesugi Koeru asked.

“Can it get worse? What could possibly be worse than the revival of a god?”

“Things can always get worse than you imagine… The worse news is, if the god has indeed awakened, it’s very likely that it’s in Tokyo.”

The wine glass in Anjou’s hand slipped from his grip.

“The original location of Takamagahara was in Tokyo Bay, quite close to modern Tokyo. When dragons initially awaken, they need time to recover their memories and adapt to their bloodline. During this period, they are like human infants, acting on pure instinct. Now, where do you think such a White Empress would go?”

Anjou remained silent for a long time, taking a deep breath. “It would return to the place ingrained in its memory—Takamagahara, like the migration of fish. But there’s no longer a Takamagahara in Tokyo Bay. It would seek out the nearest city… and that’s here! Tokyo!”

He fully understood. Just as the Dragon King Norton wandered aimlessly after his initial awakening, even thinking he was human, and the Dragon King Jörmungandr likely spent a long time confused about whether he was human or dragon, this newly revived god could very well be wandering in human form, following fragments of memory, lost and searching like a forsaken girl. But Tokyo was a metropolis, home to millions. Finding it would be nearly impossible.

“It’s not entirely hopeless,” Uesugi Koeru said. “The one pulling the strings from behind surely knows the whereabouts of the god. He orchestrated its resurrection carefully, so he would naturally know where to find it.”

“Father, at this point, can you tell me the truth? Was it you who wanted to revive the god?” Chisei asked.

“Judging by that gene lab, you might easily think I was the one behind the resurrection of the god. But if I truly wanted it revived, why would I have placed a nuclear bomb on the Trieste to destroy Takamagahara?”

Chisei was stunned. “You were trying to use the nuclear bomb to kill the god?”

“Yes, my true intention was to kill the god, not to destroy Takamagahara. The so-called path to evolution requires the revival of the god, but I couldn’t allow that. Unfortunately, I acted too late,” Tachibana clenched his fists, “the god had already left Takamagahara.”

“Tell me everything,” Chisei urged.

“I came here today with the resolve to take my own life, so I’m prepared to lay everything out.” Tachibana sat upright and bowed deeply. “The story has to begin after my meeting with Herzog. I wanted to steal his research, but I didn’t have enough power. So, I thought I could perhaps rely on the Yamata no Orochi family. Years ago, they had already collaborated with the Germans, and some of the research had yielded results. If I presented all the research data, along with you and Chime, the two super hybrids from test tube experiments, as gifts to the Yamata no Orochi family, they would definitely support my research. After all, few people in this world can resist the allure of power, and Japan was an ideal place to avoid international scrutiny. So, I suggested to Herzog that we relocate the research center. I wanted to bring the critical data and the embryos to Japan. Herzog, however, proposed that we blow up Black Swan Bay.”

“To destroy the evidence?”

“Exactly. Those researchers also knew the secrets of the Dragon Raja. Leaving them alive meant leaving potential competitors.”

“How many did you kill? Dozens? Hundreds? I don’t dare to guess beyond that.”

“Yes, we killed a lot of people. The throne of the world was right before us, and Herzog and I were consumed by greed. When a person is controlled by greed, they are no different from a demon. Killing a few hundred or even a few thousand becomes acceptable. I went even further than Herzog—I intended to kill him too. After blowing up Black Swan Bay, I shot him in the heart. I got what I wanted—I took you, Chime, and the ancient dragon embryo and boarded the Lenin icebreaker, heading for Japan. But during the journey, something eerie happened!” 

Tachibana’s face showed fear, clearly still haunted by the nightmare that had occurred 20 years ago. “Late at night, the crew heard a massive roar coming from the lower deck. When we checked, we found the ancient dragon embryo still quietly suspended in liquid nitrogen. This meant that the embryo had already developed self-awareness, and its cries were invading the consciousness of the crew. We became extra cautious, using more liquid nitrogen and locking the lower deck to prevent anyone from going down there. But the closer we got to Japan, the more obvious the abnormalities became. We were tormented by constant nightmares, and in the dead of night, we were awakened by whispers ordering us to open the lower deck doors. Those without strong wills found it hard to resist the command. Soon, the first casualty occurred—the chief engineer disappeared. Someone saw him enter the control room late at night and take the key to the lower deck. When we inspected the lower deck again, we were horrified. The lower deck was covered in blood vessels and fleshy tendrils, growing like mold across the floor. The liquid nitrogen pipes had been severed. We knew the chief engineer was dead—he had failed to resist the embryo’s influence and released it from its nitrogen prison.”

“The embryo was supposed to develop into an ancient dragon. Why did it turn into some sort of flesh mound?” Chisei asked.

Tachibana shook his head. “Even now, I don’t know. We sealed off the lower deck and welded the door shut. But that didn’t help. Blue-green veins appeared on the walls, merging with the steel. The dragon embryo’s blood was flowing throughout the ship. One by one, the crew were contaminated by the dragon blood. None of them could resist its toxic effects. I was constantly killing Death Servitors while ordering the rest to speed up our journey. Only the family could handle the embryo. We were determined to reach Tokyo at all costs. But when we were just 100 kilometers from shore, I realized it was too late. The embryo had developed a considerable amount of intelligence. It wasn’t going to let us reach land. It wanted to kill us all at sea. I took you, Chime, and Erii aboard a lifeboat. Before leaving, I activated the scuttling protocol and sank the other lifeboats to ensure that nothing, not a single soul or thing, could escape from the Lenin. Every crew member had been contaminated.”

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