Dragon Raja 3; Chapter 443: The Sword of Damocles (3)

Dragon Raja 3

Caesar had kept his Kamaitachi field open the entire time, so his hearing was even sharper than Chisei’s. Long before the tsunami approached, he had sensed something unusual. The creatures in the soil, snakes and insects, were making terrifying noises, fleeing westward. Stray cats on the street were also running westward. Most people wouldn’t hear their footsteps, but in Caesar’s ears, it sounded like a herd of frightened wild horses. There was no time to warn anyone. As soon as he and Chu Zihang ran out of Takamagahara’s side gate, they heard the thunderous roar of the waves. Just seconds later, the tidal wave swallowed Kabukicho.

In those few seconds, they barely had enough time to jump onto the abandoned motorcycles by the roadside and follow the stray cats, speeding toward the higher ground in the west. They raced up the slope, the tide chasing them from behind, a thrill even more intense than anything Caesar had ever experienced from sailing.

The god was awakening, and only the awakening of a god could trigger such dramatic changes in the geological and weather conditions. The sea breeze carried an eerie sensation, as if the shadow of the god had already engulfed the city.

They drove onto the elevated highway toward Ikebukuro. Below, the sea surged onto the road, swallowing the grass in an instant. Tall trees trembled in the water, like rice seedlings freshly planted in a paddy field.

The roar of a motorcycle gang came from behind—a group of high-powered motorcycles was chasing after them. They had been spotted. The Oni Clan was riding through the streets of Shinjuku, hunting down the Yamata no Orochi officers who were responsible for the evacuation. Caesar and Chu Zihang had just broken through the blockade.

“You’re all so slow!” Caesar twisted the throttle, pushing the VTX1800 to its limit. The engine roared as the bike accelerated, its headlight trailing like a shooting star across the elevated road. Chu Zihang was tightly on his tail.

Dozens of motorcycles accelerated simultaneously, and the hunt officially began. The riders crouched low on their bikes, resembling leopards in full sprint. They dragged long blades beside them, sending sparks flying as the metal scraped against the ground.

This was the attack posture of light cavalry. Light cavalry would lie flat on horseback to reduce their exposure to enemy attacks. The tip of the blade would hang low, but at the last moment, they would lift the blade, using the momentum of the horse’s charge to deliver a fatal blow.

But in this day and age, couldn’t these riders just shoot them?

Kamaitachi returned the sound of their heartbeats, pounding like war drums. The riders’ heart rates approached 300 beats per minute, a rate that would tear apart the heart muscles of any ordinary person.

These were no ordinary Hybrids. They had taken evolution drugs to activate their dragon blood. They hadn’t yet mutated into Death Servitors, but the bloodthirsty genes had already taken over their minds. They didn’t use firearms because the sensation of a blade tearing through flesh satisfied their predatory instincts.

Caesar and Chu Zihang exchanged a quick glance. Blood Rage activated, their blazing blood coursing through their veins, enhancing their physical abilities.

Their speed had reached 150 kilometers per hour, the limit for two-wheeled vehicles. The motorcycles trembled slightly, teetering on the edge of control. But the Oni Clan was still closing in. They had come fully prepared, riding the largest-displacement motorcycles available. The blades lowered slightly, ready to strike at any moment. The gap between them and Chu Zihang was now just a few bike lengths. Suddenly, Chu Zihang jumped onto his seat and leaped high into the air, like a kite with a broken string, blown backward by the gust. The Oni Clan riders sped beneath him.

The speed difference was too great. Chu Zihang only needed to stay airborne for a second, and the riders would have passed several meters ahead.

His out-of-control racing bike flipped into the group of motorcycles, crashing head-on into one rider. Two bikes slid across the ground, sparking brilliantly.

Chu Zihang closed in, his long blade flashing as the riders passed by, sparks flying in the rain. Even after taking evolution drugs, the Oni Clan officers could still match Chu Zihang’s blade after he had activated Blood Rage. They had the advantage in numbers.

Lightning struck the distant sea, illuminating the riders’ faces. Pale, as if bleached by the storm, but their pupils burned with a fiery golden glow. These were not humans—they were beasts in human form, more frenzied than Sakurai Akira in his berserk state.

They feared nothing. They had already obtained the god’s fetal blood, which allowed them to overcome the barriers of evolution. Now, they could freely use the evolution drugs and squeeze out every last bit of their potential.

Even in such a situation, Caesar had no intention of stopping to rescue Chu Zihang. He sped onward. The riders immediately split into two groups—one continued chasing Caesar, while the other stayed to surround Chu Zihang.

Ahead, a black sea appeared, waves surging. The elevated highway had collapsed here, as if cut cleanly by a blade. At the speed Caesar and the riders were going, if they didn’t brake now, they would plunge into the sea.

Caesar had already seen the break, but he still charged forward.

Caesar began to decelerate, and the Oni Clan riders did the same. Sparks flew as brake pads and wheels screeched. Blades crossed from both sides, slashing toward Caesar’s neck. He ducked to avoid the strikes, but he was surrounded by motorcycles, and at the same moment, countless blades were aimed at his neck. Caesar lay back on his seat, relying solely on Kamaitachi to detect the sound of the blades slicing through the air. He successfully dodged several attacks, but the blades still left wounds on his body.

At that moment, they all charged over the edge of the broken highway, just as Caesar had planned! The riders’ attention had been entirely on him. By the time they noticed the break, it was too late to stop!

They plunged toward the sea together.

Caesar kicked off from the footrest and leaped into the air. After activating Blood Rage, his jumping power was as astonishing as a kangaroo’s. A heavy motorcycle was falling right behind him, and that was the springboard Caesar had been waiting for! He intended to step on the falling motorcycles to jump back onto the elevated highway. He had only one chance, and he couldn’t afford to make a single mistake.

The crazed riders tried to swing their blades even in midair, but with no footing beneath them, the speed of their slashes was affected. Caesar ascended in a flurry of silver light—the silver chains on his leather jacket swirled in the air like the armor of an ancient general, or like the golden chains on a belly dancer. He rolled through the air while firing, his twin Desert Eagles spitting fire like a two-headed dragon.

“Chu Zihang!” Caesar called out.

King’s Blaze was ready at that very moment. A massive fireball illuminated the far end of the long bridge, and the blast of hot wind blew away the riders near Chu Zihang. They writhed in the flames, like evil spirits struggling in the sulfur springs of hell, all falling toward the water below.

Caesar grabbed onto the steel bars protruding from the broken edge of the highway and, with great effort, climbed back onto the road. The dangerous aerial leap had drained his strength. He watched as the riders struggled in the water, carried away by the vast black waves. He pulled the trigger, and two empty magazines dropped toward the water below.

Finally, they had a moment to catch their breath, to take in the sight of this city, which had suddenly transformed into a sea. Layers of dark waves crashed against the rocky buildings. The highway lay beside the ocean, and the “beach” was littered with the wreckage of cars and motorcycles, with the seawater washing over the asphalt repeatedly.

Lightning struck the sea, one bolt after another, giving them glimpses of the distant landscape. Asakusa Temple had disappeared, and only half of the Wako Department Store remained. Pink Hello Kitty figures stood in the water—once used by stores to attract customers—now only their pink cat faces peeked out of the water, staring blankly at Caesar and Chu Zihang on the elevated bridge. The city had fallen into utter chaos, yet there was a kind of grim beauty to it, like a scene from a post-apocalyptic world.

“This is absolutely insane!” Caesar muttered.

At that moment, from east to west and from north to south, all the advertisement screens in Tokyo lit up. Their photos reappeared on the screens, reflecting in the water like a beautiful mirage. Then, the image changed to a belly dancer in black silk, swaying seductively, her curves and expressions filled with desire…

“Damn it! Don’t plug the Vice Principal’s portable hard drive into the system! Are you crazy? We’re broadcasting this to all of Tokyo!” An old man’s enraged voice echoed through the night sky, and the image returned to normal. Hilbert Ron Anjou, in a formal suit, appeared on the screen.

“This missing persons alert is for Caesar Gattuso, Chu Zihang, and Lu Mingfei. No matter where you are, after seeing this message, report to the Tokyo Meteorological Bureau immediately. You’ve had enough fun in Tokyo—it’s time to get back to work!”

Caesar and Chu Zihang exchanged a glance and let out a long sigh of relief. After being disconnected for so long, they finally heard the cold and intimidating voice of the principal again, and the disjointed and inappropriate behavior of the Vice Principal. It felt like a weight had been lifted from their hearts.

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