Dragon Raja 3; Chapter 397: Sakura’s Fall (4)

Dragon Raja 3

Two young yakuza members walked by, whispering in lewd tones. “Do you know that girl who takes care of the weapons? She’s so hungry that she’ll do anything if you give her food.”

Chisei hated hearing that, so he angrily stubbed out his cigarette, coldly pushed past them, and headed straight to the weapons storeroom to find Sakura. He wanted to show those two that even a seemingly insignificant girl in the family, responsible for cleaning weapons, would receive the attention of the young master.

The weapons storeroom was located in a remote part of the shrine. Sakura sat in the shadow of the moss-covered walls, cleaning old weapons where the sun couldn’t reach. She was so young and gentle, like a pink cotton candy placed in a delicate box, but she wore oil-stained burlap clothes, with her buttons loosely fastened, exposing the outline of her chest. She didn’t even bother to cover up. So, she was like cotton candy covered in dust, no longer something people would cherish. The youthful beauty of a girl had turned into a cheap sense of desire.

Chisei stood in front of her, silently watching her oil an old sword for five minutes. She didn’t know who Chisei was and didn’t even bother to look up at him. She had been the same way in Afghanistan.

Chisei said, “Hey, would you like to work by my side?” At that time, he had just gained the power to have his own group of followers, or in ancient terms, his own retainers.

Sakura slowly raised her head, her slightly blue eyes filled with a cautious wariness of the world, but she nodded affirmatively and said, “If you give me food, I’ll work for you.”

The two men who had been lingering behind Chisei, afraid to leave, were frightened. They thought Chisei had bumped into them on purpose because they had privately discussed “something the young master was interested in,” so they bowed fearfully to apologize. As the young heir of one of the three inner families, and with his handsome looks, Chisei could have any woman within the Yamata no Orochi, let alone a servant girl who smelled of kerosene.

After all, this type of girl was the cheap kind—one who admitted that she would do anything if you gave her food.

Chisei silently looked at the girl, and suddenly, he felt a vague sense of sadness. But the sadness was sharp like a needle, as if the girl sitting in the shadows, wiping weapons, was another version of himself… If he had not become the young master of the Yamata no Orochi due to his bloodline, if he were still that ordinary student in a remote mountain town, would he also be viewed as some cheap thing? Like the young man had said, “Give him food, and he’ll do anything for you.” Something cheap to be used by those with higher status.

Chisei wanted to grant this girl dignity. He had rarely felt so grateful for his position of power, which allowed him to give this girl dignity.

“Then it’s settled,” he said coldly. “From now on, you’re my subordinate. What can you do?”

Sakura looked at him warily and slowly nodded. “It’s settled. I can only kill. You give me food, and I’ll kill for you.” Chisei was deeply moved. The most valuable thing this girl could offer wasn’t her beauty but some dirty, bloody skill. She believed that was all she had. So, if you gave her food, she would obediently offer the most precious thing she had in return.

“No, I don’t need you to kill for me. I can kill on my own,” Chisei said slowly. “But I do lack a beautiful subordinate. If I have a beautiful girl following me around when I go out, it’ll make me look more impressive. Would you like to be that beautiful girl for me?”

Sakura thought for a long time and said, “But I don’t know what kind of beautiful girl you like.”

“I don’t know either,” Chisei said, a bit embarrassed, but he still extended his hand to her with determination. “But you can try, and you’ll make it work.”

After a long silence, Sakura gently took Chisei’s hand. It was a pair of slender, delicate hands, but rough like sandstone, reflecting the hardships their owner had endured over the years.

“Deal. You give me food, and I’ll be your beautiful subordinate,” Sakura said slowly. In the sunlight, her eyes were as blue as the ocean.

This was the beginning of their relationship. From that moment on, Sakura gradually became the person she was today. Chisei taught her everyday Japanese, and the Fūma clan began training her in real ninja techniques. She learned how to control more precise blades with the wind and mastered various skills in disguise and transformation. Every night, she watched TV dramas, imitating the different characters she saw. When Chisei attended meetings, she dressed in a suit and glasses, playing the role of a secretary. When Chisei traveled, she wore black clothes and white gloves, playing the role of a driver. When Chisei occasionally fell ill, she disguised herself as a nurse.

It wasn’t until much later that Chisei realized how Sakura had turned his casual words into reality. She had become his “beautiful subordinate.” Since he hadn’t specified what kind of beautiful girl he wanted, she learned to play every type, figuring that there would always be one that suited him.

She was that kind of stubborn fool. From the day they made their pact, he had become her everything. Since Chisei liked driving fast, she mastered driving as well.

The flood of memories overwhelmed Chisei’s willpower.

How could he have doubted Sakura, even for a moment? She was his girl. He had given her dignity and status, taught her how to live, and over the years, she had spent as much time on him as he had spent on her. He still had other things, but Sakura had only him.

If you’re a girl who has spent most of your life on one man, how could you bear to betray him? He was her entire life!

What Sakura wanted was his blood. The Death Servitors would follow the scent of royal blood, and the scent would spread through the horde of Death Servitors like pheromones among a swarm of bees, quickly, so that the entire Tokyo Tower would chase after her. That was how he could escape safely.

He was losing something, something that he could never get back. Not long ago, he had prepared himself to do whatever it took for this war, but now he was almost mad with grief over what he had lost… Yes, he had been ready to sacrifice many things, but not this. This was something he could not afford to lose.

“Chisei! Snap out of it! We are your warriors, and it’s our duty to protect the lord and charge into the enemy lines to capture the flag! If a warrior falls, there are more to replace him, but if the lord falls, no one can take his place!” Tachibana shouted, gripping Chisei’s shoulders. “Sakura has fallen, but you are not alone. I will take her place! Get up! Come with me!”

But Chisei couldn’t hear anything. Masamune was right. Before Sakura was torn apart, they still had time to escape. Every minute they delayed was bought with Sakura’s life.

He leaned against the wall, thinking about how Sakura had so easily slipped away from him. She had defied him, and he had always thought she was a bit foolish, sometimes even a bit slow. She was like a silly little swallow, perched in his hand, refusing to fly away.

In truth, she hadn’t wanted to fly away. She wasn’t foolish at all; she just didn’t talk much.

Now, she had finally flown away.

Crow stood in the pouring rain, feeling his body gradually growing colder. The rainwater sapped the heat from his body, his heart too weary to keep beating, and his blood slowly congealed.

“Estimated time to Tokyo Tower is 13 minutes. The storm is affecting our visibility. Please be patient…” The helicopter pilot’s voice echoed in his headset, but Crow took off the headset.

He didn’t want to listen anymore—it was already too late.

At the top of Tokyo Tower, Sakura swayed slightly in the wind, like a soft sapling growing on the hard iron structure.

Below her, the entire tower was covered with Death Servitors, their greenish-grey scales enveloping the structure. Drawn by the scent of royal blood, they had all gathered at the top, their serpentine bodies entangled, every eye fixed on Sakura, standing at the very tip of the antenna.

The antenna was a thin iron structure about ten meters tall, which Sakura had climbed using a grappling gun. Now, with nowhere else to go, she was at the final ten meters. Several Death Servitors had tried to climb up, but they were too heavy. Every time one approached, Sakura calmly pulled the trigger, and the mercury vapor from the explosion created a temporary barrier. But in the outdoor storm, the rain quickly washed away the mercury vapor, and the Death Servitors clawed and bit at each other, fighting for a chance to climb higher.

No weapon could reach the top of the tower. She fought alone, in a desperate situation, with no one able to help her.

The only exception was a solitary gunshot. From a rooftop of a distant building, a sniper fired continuously, offering what little support he could to Sakura. The sniper rifle’s bullets pierced through the mercury vapor, puncturing the throats of Death Servitors one after another, but even piercing their throats didn’t kill them. Occasionally, the Western Watch roared as well, the two gunshots sounding lonely, like a duet between a baritone and a mezzo-soprano, singing across the wilderness.

Lu Mingfei mechanically pulled the trigger, wishing he could fire faster, but if he did, he would lose accuracy. The only weapon capable of reaching the top of the tower was the sniper rifle in his hands. If he aimed better, Sakura would have more time. He couldn’t change the final outcome, only delay it.