Dragon Raja 3; Chapter 492: Divine Punishment (5)

Dragon Raja 3

That was why, all these years, she had never feared. No matter how difficult the missions were, or how much pain she endured, she could bear it all. All she had to do was become a useful person. As long as she remained useful, her contractor would never abandon her. Even if she was stranded ten thousand meters above the ground, he would come to her in flames to save her.

“Good evening, long time no see,” the boy said, removing her flight helmet, gently stroking her hair, and kissing her cheek. “You did well. You’re my little girl, after all.”

He then let go, tossing Zero from the sky. Moments later, a white parachute blossomed beneath him. He hadn’t forgotten to fasten her parachute.

“Hello, Dr. Herzog. Long time no see, I hope you’ve been well,” the boy called out, looking at Herzog, who was also floating among the clouds. The boy’s youthful face bore an ancient grudge, as if it had been etched into him across the ages.

The full moon bathed the clouds in silvery light, illuminating the boy’s monstrous, winged body. His enormous shadow, hundreds of meters long, stretched across the clouds like a demon straight out of the Solomon’s Key.

Herzog had no thoughts to spare for Zero as she left the battlefield. Under the boy’s gaze, he trembled, a deep fear taking root in his soul. He himself was a demon, yet he was now terrified of another demon.

He recognized that face! That boy! That child who had been locked at the end of the corridor for ten long years! It was from this boy that Herzog had collected vast amounts of data, nearly destroying him in the process, before deciding to discard the boy, now a useless experiment. For years, Herzog had believed himself to be the sole survivor of Black Swan Bay, convinced he had consumed the worth of every single person there. But this boy had survived—another ghost from Black Swan Bay!

“It’s you! It’s you! It’s you!” Herzog screamed, pointing at the boy in a shrill, panicked voice. “You’re… Lu Mingfei?”

“No, no, that’s my brother—a useless fool who can only make sarcastic remarks,” the boy smiled, the giant membranous wings behind him stirring up a storm. “I’m Zero. Just call me Zero, like before.”

In western Tokyo, the citizens taking refuge on the high ground all noticed something strange in the sky. The clouds were swirling like a vortex, but an intense light seemed to pierce through the storm, as if there was fire burning above the clouds.

“UFO! UFO!” A chubby little boy in the crowd pointed at the sky and shouted. It was clear they were Chinese tourists, speaking in fluent Mandarin.

“Mingze, get back here! Look after Jiajia! Stop shouting nonsense! UFO? That’s all superstitious nonsense!” his mother scolded, then her face turned worried. “I wonder if your brother managed to escape? Can he swim?”

“Of course he can! All the Lu family members are great swimmers!” the father confidently replied.

“Damn… what’s going on?” The vice principal rushed to the rooftop, staring intently at the glowing clouds. “The elemental distribution is completely chaotic! What could possibly disrupt natural elements like this?”

“There is no related information in the database. I am unable to answer your question,” Eva responded mechanically.

Everyone from the Gear Department rushed to the windows, looking out at the dense lightning tearing through the clouds—a clear indication of a massive energy reaction.

The intense electromagnetic interference rendered all monitoring devices useless, as if it were a solar flare. At that moment, no one could track what was happening in the clouds—not even satellites in space, which were blinded by the spectacular auroras over Tokyo, caused by high-energy particles colliding with the atmosphere. Whatever was behind the clouds was radiating unknown, incredible energy toward both the sky and the earth.

“It really feels like the end of the world,” muttered Researcher Mathur. “I wonder if it’s the Christian apocalypse or the Hindu one?”

“What does it matter whether it’s the Christian or Hindu apocalypse?” Deputy Director Carl stared at him, confused.

“If it’s the Hindu apocalypse, we’re fine. But if it’s the Christian one, I might need to reconsider my religious beliefs,” Mathur replied. “I’ve always aimed to get into heaven, after all.”

Purple lightning repeatedly struck the ocean’s surface, while a black, light bomber flew through the forest of lightning bolts. The energy storm was wreaking havoc on all electronic systems, forcing the pilot to fly manually, which only a daredevil would do in such conditions.

Fortunately, Mai was exactly that kind of pilot—for a ninja, risking one’s life was just part of the job.

“The princess has landed safely, but her knees are completely ruined. I’ve already received her,” Enxi’s voice came through the headset. “It was a close call, but the boss arrived just in time.”

“Of course, he arrived on time. Isn’t she his favorite assistant? His personal little helper. The princess bought enough time, but even if she hadn’t, he would have forced his way out,” Mai coldly replied. “Anyone he decides shouldn’t die, never dies.”

There was a moment of silence on the other end. “Do you think… his plan included the death of that mute girl?”

“I don’t know. But back at the Meitsuji Station, I had a perfect chance to kill that mute girl. If I had pulled the trigger then, it would have broken the key to the White Empress’ resurrection, and we wouldn’t have had to pay such a high price. But the boss didn’t give the order to shoot,” Mai said softly after a long pause. “I think, at that moment, he just didn’t want her to die. No other reason—just didn’t want her to.”

“Can you make it in time?” Enxi changed the subject.

“I’ll push the engine to its max and just barely make it!” Mai cranked the power up, and the bomber suddenly accelerated, darting over one tidal wave after another like a swift swallow.

“The moon is beautiful tonight,” Lu Mingze said, gazing up at the full moon in the sky. “It reminds me of the ocean.”

It truly looked like the ocean—clouds surged beneath his feet, reflecting the moonlight in a serene silver. He didn’t even need to flap his wings; he merely spread them, and the winds lifted him above this sea of clouds.

Though he took on a holy cruciform shape, his figure was grotesque and terrifying. His entire body was covered in gleaming scales, which shimmered like bronze or even gold. Sharp, curved bones protruded from his body like blades, and his steel-like muscles shifted beneath his scales, while his entire skeleton emitted faint cracking sounds. Only his face, bathed in the moonlight, remained peaceful. The initial hatred had vanished from his expression—he looked like a child strolling by a lake, suddenly gazing up at the moon.

Compared to Herzog, who had a dragon’s tail, Lu Mingze was the ultimate monster, a mixture of human and dragon, angel and demon, boy and beast—all combined into one form.

Around him floated dragon-shaped Death Servitors. The newly dead priests and Oni Clan warriors obeyed his command, brought to life again, though merely as mindless puppets. Yet, even so, they formed a formidable flying army.

Indeed, he had come with an army at his back.

“There are so many beautiful places in this world she never got to see. So many beautiful things she never had the chance to do. Like kissing, like falling in love… She thought the most beautiful scene in the world was a sunset in the mountains, and she fell in love with the man who took her to see it,” Lu Mingze sighed softly. “Humans are truly foolish, don’t you think? Dr. Herzog, now that you’ve successfully evolved into a dragon, you must understand well—about the true nature of the world, about the value of power, and about the stupidity of humanity.”

Herzog didn’t dare answer.

He was a newborn dragon, the successor of the White Empress, yet in the presence of this monster, he couldn’t bring himself to speak.

“My brother is really sad, and that makes me a little sad too,” Lu Mingze said, touching his chest. “Even though I think he’s so foolish, his emotions still affect me somewhat. After all, he is my brother.”

“When I’m sad, I want to kill someone,” he added. “Killing a dragon wouldn’t be a big deal.”

“Who are you? Who are you? What are you? What are you?” Herzog finally broke through his fear, screaming in a hoarse voice.

“I’m Zero, didn’t I already tell you?” Lu Mingze smiled. “As for what I am, I think you’ve already figured that out.”

“It’s you! It’s you! It’s you!” Herzog roared again after a brief silence, his expression crazed. “You’re him!”

“Alright, alright, can you stop shouting? Yes, I’m him. Does that make you feel better?” Lu Mingze rubbed his forehead, seemingly unable to tolerate the hysterical yelling. But even his own voice was far from pleasant, each word resonating like the tolling of a giant bronze bell.

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