Dragon Raja 3; Chapter 390: Night of the King’s Assassination (6)

Dragon Raja 3

Tachibana couldn’t even see how Herzog managed to slip through his web of blades and embrace him. It felt like magic. He had believed that meticulous planning and careful strategy would compensate for the gap in their bloodlines, but the reality was that Herzog’s advantage was overwhelming.

“You see, Major Bondarev, power is such a beautiful thing. Those who possess it can effortlessly crush their enemies. The bravery of an ant is nothing but a joke to an anteater,” Herzog said, patting Tachibana’s back.

Tachibana’s eyes began to glaze over with the dull gray of death, and with each pat on the back, he spat out large amounts of blood. Herzog finally let go, and Tachibana collapsed to the ground, his shirt soaked in his own blood. Two steel magazines were embedded in his back. Herzog had removed them from the MP5 and used them to pierce through Tachibana’s lungs, hammering them deeper with each pat.

Despite his broken arms, Tachibana clung to Herzog’s clothing, holding him back. His arms were shattered, but his hands still had the strength to grip tightly. Even in his dying moments, Tachibana was trying to keep Herzog close—he hadn’t completed his task yet. His mission was to hold out until Chisei arrived.

“No need to hold me back any longer. As much as I admire you, fate has not destined us to be allies,” Herzog said, placing a foot on Tachibana’s shoulder. With a sharp “crack,” Tachibana’s shoulder bone broke.

Yet still, Tachibana clung to Herzog’s clothing.

“It seems I’ll have to sever your spine to make you let go,” Herzog said, bending down to pick up Tachibana’s discarded long sword. But the sword wasn’t where Herzog expected it to be. He clearly remembered that Tachibana had thrown it there moments ago.

Herzog froze in confusion, and it was then that Tachibana suddenly reached out and grabbed Herzog’s shoulders. It was impossible—his arms and shoulders had been shattered. Someone in his condition should have been completely incapacitated. But Tachibana’s strength was astonishing, and he managed to push Herzog away, rolling over to pick up his dual swords.

Tachibana had stepped on the sword with his foot, keeping it under his control the entire time. Herzog had never had a chance to reach the weapon. Tachibana’s entire body was producing loud, cracking sounds, almost like his bones were shattering—but it wasn’t bone-breaking. It was more like the transformation Chisei undergoes in his dragon-bone state! Tachibana’s bones were locking into place, one by one.

The sword pierced through Herzog’s abdomen, and at the same time, Herzog kicked Tachibana hard in the chest. Both men staggered, barely managing to stay on their feet.

Tachibana reached behind his back and yanked out the bloody magazines, throwing them to the ground. Herzog pulled out the long sword from his sides. The damage didn’t seem to bother him much—what disturbed him more was the sheer terror Tachibana had induced.

Light pierced through the fog, illuminating Tachibana’s form. His chest rose and fell slowly, his skin smooth like that of a young man. His bulging muscles tensed, and the fine scales covering his body clicked together, while the mortal wounds began to heal rapidly before Herzog’s eyes.

“You’ve also consumed ancient dragon blood!” Herzog exclaimed in realization.

“Yes, just last night. I turned myself into a devil. To kill a devil, you must first become one. I found this mysterious fetal blood in the bowels of the Lenin. If my daughter can withstand the toxicity of dragon blood, then so can I,” Tachibana said, slowly standing up straight.

“How utterly insane, Major Bondarev. But I love your madness! With that kind of insanity, we should’ve been friends!” Herzog exclaimed with admiration.

“Doctor, do you still think I’m as crazy as you are?” Tachibana gave a sorrowful smile. “I’m truly here to kill you for love and justice.”

“What a dull joke. Why do you keep repeating it? No man can betray his desires and ambitions. A man who betrays his desires has no reason to live.”

“You wouldn’t understand, of course. You don’t like women,” Tachibana shook his head.

“Women?” Herzog froze.

“Because you don’t like women, you’ll never be a father. You’ll never understand what a father would do, and that’s why you don’t understand why I have to kill you!” Tachibana roared as he charged forward.

“Herzog just struck Tachibana hard! That blow would have killed a normal man, but Tachibana grabbed Herzog’s blade! He’s counterattacking! Incredible! The tide of battle has turned! He’s using the opportunity to elbow Herzog in the face! Maybe Herzog’s mask cracked, or perhaps he hit his eye! Herzog’s letting go of his sword and backing off, and Tachibana is pressing the attack!” Fingal’s voice came through, excited as if he were commentating on a fierce boxing match. “It’s a shame you can’t see this—it’s absolutely explosive!”

He was less than 60 meters from the special observatory, with a good view through his binoculars, fully taking in this life-or-death struggle.

“It’s definitely explosive. By comparison, my and Chu Zihang’s fight with the Vipers in waist-deep water is nothing worth mentioning!” Caesar shouted over the intense sounds of gunfire.

“You still haven’t shaken off those Death Servitors?” Lu Mingfei said, observing the battle at the special observatory through his binoculars. “The old man from the Tachibana family seems to be at a disadvantage; he’s already taken several fatal hits!”

“Are you telling us to hurry up? Since when did fighting through a horde of Death Servitors become easy?” Caesar continued shouting. “The way you’re talking, it’s like you’re asking why we haven’t finished breakfast yet!”

The battlefield was very unfavorable for them. The Death Servitors moved freely under the waist-deep water, while they were forced to shoot blindly. Chu Zihang had tried releasing King’s Blaze, but the Death Servitors just sank deeper into the water to avoid the explosion. He ended up evaporating large amounts of water, filling the garage with thick steam, making it feel like a giant sauna. In the end, they were forced to retreat into the cable tunnel, with the Death Servitors pursuing them. Luckily, they had ample ammunition. Although the Desert Eagle’s large-caliber Magnum rounds couldn’t penetrate the Death Servitors, the impact was enough to knock them back.

Caesar had lost count of how many times he’d fended off the Death Servitors. Whenever a pale, monstrous face flashed in front of him, he fired, and the creature would let out a shrill scream, like the wail of a baby. The tunnel echoed with these eerie sounds.

“Damn it! Didn’t we already destroy that breeding pool? How many more Death Servitor breeding grounds are there in Japan? Do the Japanese treat these things like farmed eels?” Caesar roared in frustration.

“We destroyed Tachibana’s breeding pool, so where did these ones come from?” Chu Zihang shouted back. The gunfire echoed in the tunnel, making everything deafening, and they could only communicate by shouting.

“Is this a trap set by Herzog?” Caesar began to understand. “Could Herzog be trying to kill Tachibana too?”

“Maybe he always intended to kill Tachibana, or perhaps he planned to kill him if negotiations failed. Either way, these creatures were likely meant to deal with Tachibana!”

Suddenly, Caesar noticed the Death Servitors retreating. The cable tunnel was clearing out. The Death Servitors were abandoning their pursuit of Caesar and Chu Zihang. These creatures would never give up fresh blood unless they encountered a cataclysmic event, like an underwater volcano, or were following an overwhelming command.

“Damn it… it looks like someone finally figured out how to control these things…” Caesar muttered.

As the Death Servitors retreated, he heard the faint sound of wooden clappers, monotonous and hollow, like some sort of Native American music. Caesar remembered Lu Mingfei mentioning that Herzog’s clappers made a sound similar to Native American music.

Chisei heard the fierce gunfire, and countless shards of glass rained down from above.

Was Herzog fighting Tachibana? The situation seemed to have changed, and perhaps things were not as he had initially thought. But Chisei had already discarded his microphone, so he couldn’t hear what was happening at the special observatory.

How long could Tachibana last against Herzog in a fight? Tachibana was an old man now. Years of running this vast family had worn him down, making him seem far older than his actual age. He looked like he was already on death’s door.

Even in this moment, Chisei subconsciously worried about Tachibana’s safety. That concern arose in him naturally, without any need for thought.

He had come here filled with immense anger and killing intent, ready to eliminate both the evil Herzog and the traitorous Tachibana. Yet, even when someone becomes your enemy, certain people still remain so important to you that you instinctively feel their pain and anxiety.

Chisei didn’t have time to wait for the elevator. He sprinted up the iron staircase. The height was 250 meters, equivalent to climbing 50 floors. A world-class stair climber could do it in about ten minutes, but Chisei would only need five—no, three minutes! In his dragon-bone state, his muscle strength was tripled.