Dragon Raja 3; Chapter 387: Night of the King’s Assassination (3)

Dragon Raja 3

That was why Jörmungandr would kill her brother without hesitation to strengthen herself—not because she didn’t love her foolish brother, but because his continued existence violated the laws of dragon civilization. As the more intelligent sibling, she had to devour him to complete her great evolution. Only by evolving into Hel could she grasp the reins of the world and guide the future of the dragons. But her foolish brother didn’t understand any of this. Fenrir, the Dragon King, was like a human child. He should have eaten his sister to fulfill her final wish, and Jörmungandr wouldn’t have minded being devoured by her brother. But instead, he carried her in his mouth like a little dog, filled with both anger and fear, seeking revenge against the entire human world while desperately wanting to flee.

The strength of the Dragon Clan was ensured through this extreme form of evolution. Anything and everything could be sacrificed on the altar of evolution, including those human virtues that poets had endlessly praised—kindness, mercy, humility, temperance, chastity, and even love itself. On the altar of evolution, such emotions were consumed by the ever-burning flames.

Lu Mingfei’s head began to ache, a splitting pain as though it were about to crack open. In the depths of his mind, the devil recited ancient commandments:

“Taste this wine, just like tasting the essence of power—bright red, like blood.”

“Those who oppose us shall die; this is our law.”

“Without power, anyone would feel inferior, like a stag without antlers, with no place in the herd.”

“No one remembers the dead, and those who are forgotten are as good as dead.”

A massive darkness enveloped him, and he shivered in the cold rain. When he had first heard Lu Mingze say these things, Lu Mingfei had instinctively felt fear and rejection, but he hadn’t grasped the terrifying logic hidden behind those words. The boy who claimed to be the devil had been instilling in him a bloodthirsty, power-above-all philosophy, teaching him step by step to wield power and enjoy its sweetness. At some point, that logic had already wormed its way into his mind… When he had grasped the Seven Deadly Sins, hadn’t he also, like a furious king on his throne, unleashed wrath and death upon any enemy who stood in his way?

Now, as he listened to Tachibana and Osho, he could easily understand the deeper meaning behind their words, because he had already learned this. Lu Mingze had long since planted these bloody doctrines into his mind.

The whole notion of devils was a lie—Lu Mingze must be something related to the Dragon Clan. The devil’s bargain was a conspiracy! He couldn’t accept any more of Lu Mingze’s gifts, or the final bill would be something he could never afford to pay!

“Ordinary women don’t interest me, but your daughter is an exception,” Osho said calmly.

“A fragile child, her life flickering like a candle—why would she catch your attention, Doctor?” Tachibana’s voice remained steady.

“When I concluded that only one in a hundred thousand people exposed to dragon blood could survive, I was immensely proud to be that one in a hundred thousand. But it turns out, that one-in-a-hundred-thousand chance didn’t just apply to me—it also applied to your daughter.”

“So what?”

“No matter how potent an evolution drug is, it ultimately only produces Death Servitors. You know that as well as I do. This isn’t because the drug’s formula is incomplete, but because it has already surpassed the limits of genetics. The true evolution drug is an alchemical substance, with the core ingredient being the blood of an ancient dragon, especially the blood of a god’s fetus. Once we obtain that fetal blood, you and I will have the chance to create the perfect evolution drug. And who would this drug be used on? It must be someone who can withstand the toxicity of dragon blood.” Osho chuckled softly.

“You think I’d use the perfect evolution drug on my daughter to turn her into the perfect dragon?”

“Perfect evolution is the ultimate transformation where one retains their intelligence. Even if she evolves into a dragon, she would still be your daughter. With her loyalty to you, she could help you destroy the world. Isn’t that why you’ve raised her all this time?”

“So, if you get your hands on the god’s fetal blood, will you use it on yourself?”

“Seems like that would be the safest choice. I had considered trying it on Chime, but that boy is too hard to control. Beneath that girl-like appearance is the heart of a venomous snake!”

Caesar and Chu Zihang exchanged a glance. How Osho evaluated Ruri wasn’t important. What mattered was that Osho clearly lacked trust in Ruri, which alone gave Ruri a motive to eliminate him. In this situation, the cooperation between the College and Ruri would become even more crucial.

“So, what is your proposal? You don’t intend to marry my daughter, do you? Sorry, you’re a bit too old for that,” Tachibana said calmly.

“I know that many years ago, Yamata no Orochi began exploring the location of the Well of Bones. In modern Japan, only a powerful family like Yamata no Orochi has the resources to excavate such ancient relics. In other words, you have the best chance of finding the god, but even if you obtain the fetal blood, with your current knowledge, it would be difficult to create the perfect evolution drug. You’ve only been relying on the research materials I left behind. As a student, you’re quite competent, but to create a perfect evolution drug, you still need your teacher’s help.”

“And who would the evolution drug belong to?”

“Naturally, it would be evenly split. The finished product would be divided equally between you and me.”

“And then both you and Erii would evolve into pure-blooded dragons?”

“Yes, that way, I can shed my half-evolved state, and your daughter won’t have to die young. Of course, if I fail to complete the evolution, you’d be even happier, wouldn’t you? Then you could seize the world’s throne. After all, you have a daughter with pure dragon blood. She can already destroy half of Tokyo; by then, she could easily slice through Mount Fuji.”

“Sounds fair.”

“It has to be fair. The god is about to awaken. Before things spiral out of control, we still have time to work together once more.”

“You risked exposing yourself to meet with me because you’re certain I’d accept these terms? You believe that as the head of Yamata no Orochi, after fighting you for ten years to claim the throne of the world, I now have no choice but to share that throne with you as the god awakens?”

Osho laughed heartily. “My dear friend, Major Bondarev, have you been acting for so long that you’ve lost sight of who you are? You can’t even remember who you truly are anymore.”

“And who am I?” Tachibana asked.

“You are a more cunning liar and ambitious schemer than I am. You’re a sly fox who would even team up with wolves to achieve your goals. You’re the most human embodiment of the Dragon Clan’s philosophy that I’ve ever met. The thirst for power and strength runs through your veins. You usurped the power of Yamata no Orochi, and the structure of Japan’s underworld can be decided by a mere meeting between you, your student, and your daughter. Your student follows your orders, and your daughter, a mute who will never say no to you, is completely under your control. My dear comrade Bondarev, for thirty years, you’ve never stopped waging war in the realm of power, just like when we fought side by side at Black Swan Bay! That’s perfect—you and I are the same kind of people! As long as the reward is great enough, we’re willing to pay any price. After thirty years, the opportunity to reach the world’s throne is once again in front of you! Would you really give it up? Devils like us, do we even dare hope for salvation from a god?”

Tachibana was silent for a long, long time. He stood by the window, head lowered as if in repentance. Lightning illuminated his white shirt, making him look like a ghost draped in a burial shroud.

“Yes, you’re right. After committing so many unspeakable acts, how could we expect salvation from a god?” After a long pause, he lifted his head and smiled faintly. “We should talk about our deal.”

Chisei removed his earpiece, no longer wanting to listen. Every word exchanged in that conversation caused him pain, as though he were standing in the depths of hell.

There wasn’t only one way to eavesdrop without emitting radio waves. Another method was the most primitive: a wired listening device. A thin wire transmitted the sound from the Special Observation Deck to the Iron Tower building, where it was then relayed to Chisei’s earpiece via a transmitter.

To install a wired listening device required access to Tokyo Tower’s internal systems, but for the head of Yamata no Orochi, that was not impossible.

“Boss! Boss, don’t act impulsively!” Crow blocked his way.

Chisei pushed him aside with little effort, causing Crow to stumble into the water. Crow didn’t dare defy him. At this moment, Chisei was like an angry supreme lord of the underworld, resembling Fudō Myōō standing in a temple.

“Yasha,” Chisei said softly, extending his hands.

Yasha hesitated for a moment, then retrieved the Kumogiri and Dōjigiri swords from their cases, crossing them on Chisei’s back. He reached back to test them—the hilts were in the perfect position.

“Wait for me here.” Chisei walked across the empty plaza toward Tokyo Tower, the rain drenching his long coat. He silently raised the collar to shield himself from the cold.