Dragon Raja 3; Chapter 478: The Jester (6)

Dragon Raja 3

“But Japan is so vast, how could I find Bondarev? That didn’t stump me. He sank the Lenin in the Sea of Japan, so he wouldn’t just leave it unattended. He would need to constantly monitor the Takamagahara trench. Based on my experience, he was most likely aboard a small boat equipped with a sonar system, patrolling the area where the incident occurred. So I got myself a one-man fishing boat and started patrolling the same area. Finally, an opportunity arose, and I locked onto a boat. I suspected Bondarev was hiding on that boat. However, his bloodline might have been far superior to mine, and I might not have been able to defeat him in a direct confrontation. So I sprayed the boat with a submachine gun, turning the cabin into a sieve, and only then did I board to search. And guess what? I found a dead body in that cabin, with a face that looked just like a Japanese person’s.”

“I couldn’t be sure it was Bondarev, but a black notebook I found at the scene helped me confirm his identity. That notebook recorded the entire process of resurrecting God, along with my research findings. Bondarev wanted to inherit my legacy. He wanted to devour me, and by doing so, he would grow stronger. But the outcome was that I devoured him. I remained at the top of the food chain. I then studied Bondarev’s body and was surprised to find tattoos covering his back. It was then I realized why he had disguised himself as a Japanese person—he wanted to infiltrate the yakuza, as the oldest families in the underworld held the secrets of God. I also found a videotape, on which Bondarev had recorded the hatching of ancient dragon embryos in the lower hold and how they turned human beings into monsters one by one.” Herzog smiled. “That guy was truly incredible. I can’t compare to him—he was the real madman!”

“I found Bondarev’s base in Tokyo, a small, rundown old apartment. Half of it had been converted into a lab where he stored the ancient dragon fetal blood he obtained from the Lenin. There was also the preliminary product of the evolution drug. I was overjoyed. He had done all the work and paved the way for me to ascend to the throne of the world. How could such a great plan not reach its conclusion? My dear comrade Bondarev, I will finish the work you left behind! But my most important research wasn’t in that apartment. Do you know what my most important research is?” Herzog looked at Chime’s blank eyes, smiling joyfully. “My proudest creations are your brother, codenamed π, you, codenamed ω, and your sister, ξ, who is preserved as a frozen embryo.”

“Erii…” Chime rasped.

Although he had never directly interacted with Uesugi Erii, he harbored extreme loathing toward her. He felt that she was the person his brother had found to replace him, someone his brother used to fill the void and alleviate his guilt by showering her with affection. This made him feel even more isolated.

Chisei also couldn’t fully explain his feelings toward Erii. In some ways, Erii did replace Chime, but how could Chisei so easily allow someone else to replace the younger brother who had been by his side for so many years?

Then there was Erii’s dependence on Chisei, a reliance stemming entirely from their shared bloodline. She was distant and cold toward most people, but her trust in Chisei was unconditional. Chisei was the second most important person in her life, the first being not Tachibana, who pretended to be her father, but rather some coward who had mistakenly stumbled into her life.

It turned out they were all from the same source. Erii… was his sister! One shock after another left Chime’s mind blank.

“Yes, yes, Erii, she is your biological sister. You monsters are indeed siblings. How else could so many super hybrids suddenly appear in this world? You are all part of a monstrous family. Isn’t that a delightful surprise? Though, scientifically speaking, you can’t be considered triplets. I created thousands of embryos with the same genetic source as you, and you two were just the better-developed ones, so I took you. The rest were left behind in that great fire, serving as fuel.” Herzog smiled indifferently, the deaths of thousands of lives meaning nothing to him. “Bondarev sent you and π to be raised in the mountains. You are the heirs of royal blood. Though created in a lab, your value to the Yamata no Orochi is unparalleled.”

“Bondarev went to Black Swan Bay not only to seek the ancient dragon embryo but also to find you. He killed all the other creations and took only the two of you because you were useful to him. With your help, he could rise to the highest ranks of the Japanese underworld. The Yamata no Orochi would elevate you due to your bloodline. To resurrect God, neither I nor Bondarev had enough power alone. We needed the support of the factions. I perfected Bondarev’s plan. I had two royals in my hands, so I gave one to the Yamata no Orochi and the other to the Oni Clan. That way, I could simultaneously wield the power of both organizations. Of course, I also needed two identities, as the teacher of both of you.”

“The Yamata no Orochi, after obtaining your brother, and the Oni Clan, after obtaining you, were both ecstatic, believing it was a gift of fate that the royals had reappeared in the world—a sign of their families’ revival. That’s when the war between the Yamata no Orochi and the Oni Clan began. Humans are so foolish. If you want to drive them to war, just tell them it’s a glorious era and let them envision a bright future. That’s what Napoleon, Bismarck, and Hitler did.” Herzog spread his hands elegantly. “Everything after that unfolded naturally, like an arms race. Both the Yamata no Orochi and the Oni Clan poured their manpower and money into the project of finding God. All I needed to do was give a little push at the critical moment. I am the teacher of the royals, and with your high status, mine naturally followed. That’s how I controlled both sides simultaneously. Clever, isn’t it? The greatest strategists in history have all done it this way. There’s no need for brute force. If your methods are subtle enough, fools will follow you and even sing your praises.”

“It’s you! It’s you!” Chime screamed, losing control. “Because of you, my brother didn’t believe in me!”

Herzog shrugged. “Yes, I had to send you to different organizations, so of course, I had to create a rift between you. You two loving each other wouldn’t have been good for me. But you can’t blame it all on me. Bondarev hid you two brothers too well. By the time I found you, you were already thirteen years old, living and depending on each other. If it weren’t for that, I would have separated you from the beginning, which would have been better for my plan. Then you wouldn’t be so sad today. Oh, by the way, I know you both dislike that drunken foster father of yours, but in a way, he was an okay guy. During those ten years when no one sent any child support, he still gave you meals and a place to sleep.”

“If this is enough to make you lose control in anger, would you like to hear something even more infuriating?” Herzog observed Chime, who was utterly devastated, with great interest. From Black Swan Bay to Tokyo, he had always been a devil who toyed with people’s hearts. Just like many years ago when he showed so much love and affection to little Renata, only to leave her in the fire without hesitation, letting her burn to death. After all, he was leaving the icy Arctic, and there would be many flower-like girls by his side. He no longer needed that little Arctic poppy to keep him company.

Herzog cleared his throat: “Actually, you and your brother are exactly the same. You are not some ‘ultimate evil Oni’ at all.”

“What did you say? What… what are you saying?” Chime jerked his head up suddenly.

“I said you are not some ‘ultimate evil Oni.’ Your bloodline is very stable. Have you never found it strange? You are completely different from other Oni. You’ve never shown any physical mutations, and when you kill, it’s not out of bloodlust but as if you’re possessed.” Herzog spoke slowly, ensuring that Chime heard every word of this painful truth. “Almost every child at Black Swan Bay underwent corpus callosotomy surgery. This surgery, originally used to treat epilepsy, was modified by me to create split personalities. The surgery severs the corpus callosum between the two hemispheres of the brain. Those who undergo the procedure think with two separate hemispheres, meaning each hemisphere harbors a different personality. Typically, one side stores a noble, righteous, and moral personality, while the other stores a violent, selfish, and beastly personality. The signal to switch personalities is a special sound I learned from the indigenous tribes of Central America. I brought out your violent, selfish personality and then hypnotized it, making you appear to your brother as a madman and an evil Oni.”

“He’s such a just young man. Even though he loved you deeply, he still felt he had no choice but to kill you.” Herzog glanced at the dying Chisei, his smile tinged with mockery.

Chime coughed up a mouthful of blood onto Chisei’s chest, his entire body convulsing in pain.

“Your brother was under my control the whole time, but you almost broke free. I didn’t expect the boy’s personality inside you to be so resilient. Even Ruri’s personality couldn’t suppress it and even teamed up with it to try to kill me. You caused me a lot of trouble, and so did those friends of yours from Cassell College. They nearly ruined my plan. You blew up the breeding pool I had hidden beneath Genji Industries, and your friends rampaged through my building, guns blazing like a pack of crazed rats. They even managed to steal my most precious experimental subject. So, I had to stage the scene at Tokyo Tower, where I killed one of my identities, dispelling your brother’s doubts about me and igniting your final battle. Watching you both, tears streaming down your faces as you slashed at each other, it was like watching a great drama unfold,” Herzog laughed heartily. “You Japanese are as foolish as the legends say. Even today, you’re still trapped in your so-called code of honor, unaware that power and authority are the only eternal rules in this world.”

He glanced at his watch. “The time is nearly here—the moment to witness a miracle. Can you hang on for a few more minutes? Don’t be in a hurry to die. You will have the honor of witnessing the greatest evolution the world has ever seen. Today, the ancient path to the underworld will be completed, and I will have walked the path from humanity to dragonhood.”

Herzog suddenly pulled away the rain cover from the elevator platform, dramatically twirling it like a magician revealing a trick. Under the cover was a girl with long hair resting on a pillow. She lay there, her empty eyes silently gazing at the night sky. Her soaked taffeta white dress clung to her youthful body, revealing her curves, with the faint color of her skin visible beneath.

“Though you two are such important pieces on the board, combined, you’re not worth as much as your sister. Compared to ξ, both you and π are merely side products of the experiment!” The old man, who appeared so elegant and aristocratic, did something utterly shocking right in front of Chime. He lifted Uesugi Erii and fiercely tightened his grip around her slim waist, kissing her delicate lips, greedily licking her expressionless but beautiful face with his tongue.

Upon closer thought, it wasn’t surprising. The so-called aristocratic demeanor that Herzog displayed could never suppress the deep-seated greed buried within him. Though he was old, he was still filled with covetousness for the splendor of the world. A man who craved power often also craved beauty, but for the sake of larger goals, he could restrain himself. Now, there was no need for pretense, and no one could stop him anymore. All the greed he had deeply suppressed was now exposed. The girl who always wore a miko outfit had been created by his own hands, growing up under his watch, maturing like a tempting fruit, though it could not be picked. Now, as he was about to ascend the throne, and with the girl about to be sacrificed for the great evolution, he decided not to miss this last opportunity to enjoy her youthful beauty.

A greedy man is greedy for everything, especially a vile one.

Herzog cradled Erii in his arms and walked toward the box containing the quartz capture chamber. Suddenly, he froze. The lid had been opened, and the box was empty. Only fragments of the quartz capture chamber lay on the ground, and the precious Sacred Remains had been reduced to a mere bone fragment.

“You… you killed God?” Herzog stared wide-eyed at Chime, his face full of disbelief. He could not comprehend how anyone would kill God, how someone could simply give up the White Empress’ legacy and the throne of the world.