Dragon Raja 3; Chapter 408: Road of Demons (7)

Dragon Raja 3

But people can never go back, and there’s nothing to regret. Looking back to that time—a young man and a middle-aged man meeting as equals—it’s worth raising a glass in remembrance.

Yet, recalling those days in the mountains, sitting in yoga poses before the campfire with Tachibana, maple leaves gently falling, the starry sky slowly rotating overhead. He looked at Tachibana meditating like a stone statue, and after a long time, mustered the courage to softly ask, “Mr. Masamune, may I ask if you have any children?”

It still tears at his heart.

The wine was finished; he no longer had time to immerse himself in the past. Chisei stood up and walked out of the meditation room.

Crow drew a long sword from the scabbard he carried and presented it before Chisei. “Found at the place where Osho fell. There was nothing else nearby, only this sword stuck in the ground.”

Chisei drew the long sword, his fingertips brushing over the familiar inscription: “In the Spider Mountains, the fierce exorcist hides at night.” This was his sword, Kumogiri; on the special observation deck, he had personally used it to pierce Osho’s heart.

“Osho isn’t dead yet?” His eyebrow raised slightly, half in shock, half in killing intent.

“Not dead? Well, then I’ll kill him myself again. Whether Osho is an evil spirit or a human-shaped earthworm that can reattach itself after being cut into three pieces, however many times he resurrects, Chisei will kill him that many times.

“Passersby saw this sword fall from the sky,” Crow said. “They said only this sword suddenly fell from the sky and stuck into the ground; there was nothing else. There are bloodstains on the sword, and genetic analysis is underway, but the Ganryū Research Institute says it’s difficult to get accurate results. The composition of the blood is completely different from that of humans or Death Servitors.”

“Evil spirit’s blood?” Chisei sheathed the sword.

Crow took out another long sword from the sword bag. Compared to Kumogiri, this sword could be called crude; the scabbard and hilt were still made of unpainted wood, and there was no time to fit a handguard. Only a chrysanthemum pattern was drawn in ink on the hilt.

“This was delivered early this morning from the mountain swordsmith. It’s a gift made by Mr. Masamune for you, to congratulate you on becoming the head of the family. Due to time constraints, they haven’t had time to make the sword fittings. The blade was freshly forged a few days ago,” Crow said. “It’s considered a keepsake; perhaps he knew he wouldn’t return.”

Chisei drew the sword. In the midday sun, the blade emitted a cold gleam, and there was a beautiful wavy hamon along the edge. Although it was still some distance from the work of a master craftsman, it was already a genuine Japanese sword.

“The old man finally made something decent.” Chisei casually swung the long sword, testing its balance.

“Does this sword have a name?”

“Mr. Masamune said he hopes this sword can cut off the head of a god, so it’s called ‘Kamigiri’ (God Cutter).”

“Very well, Kamigiri. I look forward to working with you from now on.” Chisei flipped his wrist and sheathed the sword.

“There’s one more thing. Good news has come from the Red Well. This morning, the Miyamoto family head broke through to the red rock layer. Blood-red water is seeping from the rock, and faint thunderous sounds can be heard inside. This indicates they are approaching the Akagikawa (Red Oni River),” Crow said. “Everything matches the legend of the Well of Corpses.”

“What legend?”

“According to legend, half of the Well of Corpses flows with cold water, and the other half flows with fire. The fire and cold water mix within,” Crow said. “The Miyamoto family head believes that magma and underground water converge in the Akagikawa, which is the source of the thunderous sounds. The magma flows from active volcanoes near Mount Fuji. The magma provides sufficient nutrients for the gestation of the god and also heats the underground water to high temperatures. The recent instability of Mount Fuji is also due to the abnormal elemental flows caused by the god’s gestation. All signs indicate that what we’ve found is indeed the Well of Corpses, except that it’s not a vertical shaft but lies horizontally underground.”

“How long until we can break through to the Well of Bones?”

“About 24 hours.”

“Very good. When the Well of Bones is penetrated, I will be there in person,” Chisei said. “Order the ninjas of the Fuma clan and the Ryoma family head to tightly seal off the area around the Red Well. No one is allowed to approach!”

“Yes!” Crow said. “Are you certain you want to kill the god, rather than capture it?”

“What use is that thing to me?” Chisei said softly. “Whether it’s the Holy Corpse or the god, it’s all a cruel joke played on us by the White Empress. He gave us sacred blood, but it’s that bloodline that has created generation after generation of Oni; he bestowed upon us the Holy Corpse, guiding us on the path to evolve into dragons.”

Crow listened silently.

“The reason the family rejects Oni so much is because Oni are the ones who most desire the power of the Holy Corpse. Those cruel family rules against dealing with Oni are actually not aimed at the Oni but are meant to prevent the resurrection of the god. From the ancient Age of Gods until today, the blood of Oni has always flowed for the god. Our enemy is not the Oni Clan nor Osho, but our own destiny. The ghost of the White Empress resides within our destiny. As long as that ghost is not eradicated, the family and even Japan will always be a mansion built on quicksand,” Chisei said word by word. “We must end that ghost! No amount of blood shed for this is too much! Even if everyone of this generation dies, at least the next generation can have a slightly happier life… So the old man went, now it’s my turn to go!”

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