Dragon Raja 3; Chapter 404: Road of Demons (3)

Dragon Raja 3

Chime nodded. “I can’t remember the rest clearly; that period of memory is very blurry. I only know that the police concluded that the multiple female high school students killed in the town were victims of the same murderer, who had already left, so the serial murder case ended there.”

“What do you mean?” Caesar didn’t understand.

“I killed a total of fourteen girls, made their corpses into waxed human statues, and placed them in the deepest underground chamber of the school. I sewed Kabuki costumes for those dead bodies and imitated women in front of them. This matter was considered by the Yamata no Orochi as crimes committed by Death Servitors, so my brother was sent back to the town to execute a cleanup mission. That night, in my brother’s eyes, I killed the fourteenth girl. When he found me, I was in the basement working on the corpses, wearing women’s clothing and singing.”

Chime said softly, “My brother pierced my heart with his sword. He threw my corpse into a deep well, permanently sealed the well cover, and then buried the entire well. I think it’s because, in his eyes, I had become a demon. He was afraid the demon would come back to life; even burning me wouldn’t put him at ease. He had to see my bones lying at the bottom of the well.”

Everyone shuddered involuntarily. More terrifying than such atrocities was the fact that Chime spoke about these gruesome events as if discussing someone else’s affairs, with a calmness bordering on indifference.

“I know what you’re thinking. You’re wondering if I’ve gone mad. Clearly, I killed so many people, yet when I talk about it, it’s as if it has nothing to do with me. But I truly don’t feel that I was the one who killed those girls. That period was like a nightmare to me. In the nightmare, I was very happy. My charm conquered every girl in the school. I finally wouldn’t embarrass my brother. I invited them to watch the stars by the river; they shyly came. I held their hands, and they accepted. Then I slit their throats in one stroke at their happiest moment. Before their most beautiful expressions could even solidify, I made them into statues, preserving their most beautiful side. In the dream, I thought there was nothing wrong with that. Until someone called me from outside the dream. I suddenly realized my brother had returned; he came home to see me. I turned around abruptly, instantly returning to reality. But before I could embrace my brother, I ran straight into his blade.”

“When I woke up again, I was on a huge stage. A beam of light shone down on me from above. I was wearing the costume of Princess Kaguya from ‘The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter,’ with long hair and elaborate makeup. There were no wounds on my body, but the pain of being stabbed in the chest seemed to linger. I sat on a luxurious chair, surrounded by girls dressed in kabuki costumes, all very beautiful. It seemed I had just taken a nap, and my attendants were waiting for me to wake up. Suddenly, I couldn’t distinguish between reality and illusion. I felt like I was still in that basement filled with corpses. I couldn’t tell whether those girls were dead bodies or living people. Then Osho came up and embraced me, congratulating me on my rebirth. Those girls and the Oni Clan cadres seated in the audience applauded vigorously. They were so excited, as if they had just watched a thrilling performance. Osho announced to everyone that he had found the true heir of the Inner Three Families—that was me. I was to lead the Oni Clan into the future. They were moved to tears. I asked Osho what was real and what was fake. Osho simply said, ‘Welcome the awakening of the Emperor.’”

“So you remember all these things, but you think some happened in a dream, yet they became reality?” Chu Zihang asked.

“Yes. The serial murders felt like a dream to me. Everything in the dream was vague, except for the faces of those girls and the moments when I killed them—they were clear. In the dream, I seemed to become another person. Killing was not something terrifying to me; it was a kind of beauty. I would feel ecstatic at the moment when the girls’ dying smiles had not completely faded, and despair and fear had just appeared. Seeing the blood spurt out also excited me,” Chime said. “But when I later recalled that state, especially thinking about how I once sang to those standing corpses in that damp basement, I felt both terrified and disgusted, and I couldn’t help but vomit each time.”

“So you don’t deny that you killed those girls?” Caesar asked.

“I can’t deny it. I remember every detail clearly. If I hadn’t done it myself, who could have implanted those details into my mind?” Chime said. “It’s like there’s an evil spirit hidden in my body, and that evil spirit awakened and controlled me. The truly glamorous and enchanting one is actually that spirit; as for me, I’m just an ordinary person.”

Lu Mingfei shuddered quietly. This reminded him of that night during the car chase at Ebisu Garden Place. A certain burning spirit awakened from his timid and cowardly shell. Unparalleled arrogance and killing intent drove him as he drove the Lamborghini, ramming one motorcycle after another into the walls. At that time, he didn’t care about casualties. He felt offended, and if these insignificant beings dared to offend him, then they deserved to die! It didn’t matter if he killed them all!

That was definitely not his own will; it was the will of Lu Mingze. That’s why he shone like molten gold, while the real Lu Mingfei was just an ordinary person.

The drawbacks of the deal had finally been exposed. Half of his body already belonged to Lu Mingze. He didn’t know when he would act according to Lu Mingze’s will.

“Did he ever trade anything with you?” Lu Mingfei asked cautiously. “I mean, the evil spirit inside your body.”

Chime smiled indifferently. “I’m not trying to shirk responsibility. I am the evil spirit; the evil spirit is me. The evil spirit is another state of mine; it is one with me.”

He misunderstood Lu Mingfei’s question, but Lu Mingfei also got his answer. Chime had never conversed with that “evil spirit.” The so-called “evil spirit” was not the same kind of entity as Lu Mingze.

“So you hate Osho so much because he drew out the evil spirit inside you. When he went to the mountains to find you, he was actually looking for the evil spirit in your body,” Chu Zihang said.

“Yes, and I couldn’t refuse his temptation. He created an insurmountable barrier between me and my brother. From that day on, my brother was no longer my brother; between us stood the relationship of a demon slayer and a demon,” Chime said. “He ruined my life, turning me into his ‘Dragon King.’ If I want to escape his control, I must kill him. Otherwise, no matter where I flee, he can find me. Last night, I thought I had succeeded; I thought I had shaken him off… But I was wrong. He cannot be shaken off. We two evil spirits are destined to walk together.”

“Do you believe there really are immortal demons in this world?” Caesar turned to Chu Zihang. “I mean Osho.”

“Although my rational mind tells me that ghosts shouldn’t exist in this world,” Chu Zihang said slowly, “what I’ve seen has already gone beyond the scope of human understanding.”

“He will come for me. It doesn’t matter where I hide. No one in this world can kill him, not even me,” Chime said softly. “He has also taken back the power he gave me.”

“What do you mean?” Caesar asked.

“The sound of those clappers—that’s his means of controlling me. He can use it to make me enter the ‘Evil Spirit’ state. In that state, I possess bloodline abilities; my confidence and willpower surge. ‘Ruri’ is actually the name of that evil spirit. He can also use the clappers to put the evil spirit to sleep, turning me back into Chime. With my current strength, I can’t even grip a sword hilt. If he finds me here, I can only wait for death.”

“Lu Mingfei also reacted when he heard that clapper sound, but he didn’t seem to switch states!” Caesar said.

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