Dragon Raja 3; Chapter 494: Divine Punishment (7)

Dragon Raja 3

“I have my limits too. Dragging this half-dragon, half-human body around, running after my brother, who doesn’t appreciate it. He always thinks the benefits I give him come for free,” Lu Mingze said with a bitter smile. “If I die one day, I’m sure he’ll have a pretty miserable life.”

Herzog watched the boyish-looking creature cautiously, gripping the sharpest sword in the world—Ame no Murakumo—but dared not advance.

Herzog couldn’t be certain of Lu Mingze’s true identity, but one thing was clear: Lu Mingze possessed some of the traits of a Dragon King. The ferocity he had displayed during their battle had left a deep impression on Herzog. Without Ame no Murakumo, the result might have been a stalemate.

Herzog had already won. He shouldn’t give Lu Mingze any chance to counterattack. He just needed to find the perfect moment to deliver the fatal blow.

Where is the greatest weakness of a dragon? Herzog wasn’t entirely sure. After all, this dragon body was newly acquired, and the White Empress’ memories on the matter were vague. Was it the brain, the heart, or perhaps some other special organ?

Herzog examined Lu Mingze’s body, regretting that he hadn’t been able to devour this monster whole. If he could have studied Lu Mingze alive, he would have gained more intelligence on dragons. But given the current situation, studying a dead Lu Mingze seemed much safer.

“You are such a magnificent creature, as am I. In a world dominated by humans, why should we be enemies?” Herzog slithered like a serpent with his dragon tail, slowly circling around Lu Mingze. “This world is vast. We could share it. I need allies to confront the resurrected kings. If my intelligence is correct, the Sky and Wind King and the Ocean and Water King have yet to awaken, correct?”

“Such a generous offer—to share the throne of the world with me? In my memory, Doctor, you were never a generous person,” Lu Mingze smiled. “Your generosity was always limited to giving men liquor and cigarettes, and women stockings and dresses, only to burn them alive in their happiest moments.”

“They were mere humans, like ants. But you, you’re different. You’re a great king, just like me. You have the value to live,” Herzog sweet-talked him, though he was always on the lookout for a moment when Lu Mingze might let his guard down.

A new king would never allow an old one to survive—this was an unbreakable rule.

“Doctor, you didn’t understand what I said earlier.” Lu Mingze spat out a mouthful of blood. “I said, you possess the full bloodline of a king, but inside you have the cowardly heart of a human.”

“How dare a lowly creature like you claim equality with me?” Lu Mingze roared in rage, charging toward Herzog, directly into the sharp Ame no Murakumo.

Herzog impaled Lu Mingze’s heart, but Lu Mingze flapped his wings, carrying Herzog straight into the sky. Herzog, both furious and alarmed, stabbed repeatedly into Lu Mingze’s abdomen with his left claw, trying to tear him apart like he would a Death Servitor.

But he couldn’t. Lu Mingze’s body was far tougher than that of any Death Servitor.

“Doctor, you don’t understand dragons at all. A dragon’s battle is always a fight to the death!” Lu Mingze bit down on Herzog’s carotid artery.

Herzog screamed in pain, twisting Ame no Murakumo, attempting to destroy Lu Mingze’s heart completely.

The freezing air whipped around them as they ascended. The horizon began to curve, and the islands and landmasses shrank rapidly in Herzog’s eyes. Lu Mingze had used his last strength in this flight, taking Herzog up to 30,000 meters, a height beyond the reach of fighter jets. At this altitude, the concept of “vacuum” was starting to emerge. The air was thin, and the density of the elements was reduced to the extreme. This was the limit for dragon flight. No matter how much Lu Mingze flapped his wings, without air, without the assistance of elemental wind, he was powerless.

Lu Mingze’s golden pupils began to dim—an ominous sign that the effects of dragon blood were wearing off. The monster skewered on Herzog’s sword was reverting back to the timid, sarcastic young man.

“What a pity,” Herzog sneered. “You, such a rare creature with the potential to be a king, came here to kill me for a deal with a human.”

Herzog did not fear the extreme cold of the high altitude. Although his flight ability was also restricted in this thin air, he knew that as long as he descended to about 20,000 meters, he would regain flight speed comparable to a fighter jet.

Lu Mingze, however, would no longer have the strength to make it back to the ground. Herzog gripped Lu Mingze’s neck and withdrew Ame no Murakumo from his heart, slashing off both of his wings.

“This is the price you pay for serving humans!” Herzog felt like a dragon’s arbiter.

“It’s not just about the favor my brother asked,” Lu Mingze said, smiling even at this moment. He gazed up at the pitch-black sky, his smile cold. “Originally, in my script, that girl was supposed to die. Once she died, the sacred remains would lose their perfect host, and you wouldn’t have been born. But I changed that script, giving her the privilege to live. It was the first time I altered a story for a human—because she was so foolish, foolish enough to make me not want to see her hurt. But you defied my will! You stole the life I granted her! You despicable defier of fate!”

“All who defy fate will be pierced by burning spears and cast into the deepest pits of hell!” Lu Mingze used the last of his strength to roar, slamming his fists into Herzog’s chest before plummeting powerlessly toward the distant earth below.

Herzog hovered high in the sky, perplexed by the boy’s final struggle, unable to understand its purpose.

Suddenly, Herzog sensed something descending, though he couldn’t hear it—only feel the blinding light. Instinctively, he looked up. Six fireballs streaked across the night sky, plummeting directly toward his head.

Full missile deployment! The heavenly sentinels in near-Earth orbit had launched all their missiles! The six Damocles swords from their launch bays were falling toward his position, engulfing the entire airspace around him. The heavenly sentinels orbit the Earth every 90 minutes, and at this moment, they were once again directly above Tokyo. This was the moment Lu Mingze had been waiting for.

The scorching, high-density metal rods disintegrated mid-flight, forming a dense web of molten metal fragments. The heavens’ wrath descended, leaving no escape.

The meteor shower engulfed Herzog, and the burning spears pierced through his body, causing explosive, rending damage. Despite all his efforts to obtain his dragon form, his body shattered under the impact. His vertebrae burst apart, and his iron-tough muscles were torn asunder by the immense force, sending him plummeting toward the ground. Herzog let out a cry of despair, but it lasted only a few seconds. The Damocles swords drove him straight into the Sea of Japan, puncturing the massive frozen surface. Waves surged, crashing upwards, before falling back as rain. The six Damocles swords, each as powerful as a small nuclear bomb, triggered a massive tidal wave that would reach Tokyo in a few minutes.

At the same time, the tsunami encircling Tokyo began to recede.

As Lu Mingze continued to fall, having lost his wings and utterly exhausted, he could only let gravity drag him down toward the earth. But a black bomber, with its cargo bay doors wide open, descended at nearly the same speed. With the last of his strength, Lu Mingze grabbed the life-saving rope thrown from the bomber. As he climbed into the cargo hold, the bomber pulled up sharply.

“The thousand years are over, and Satan will be released from his prison, to deceive the nations in the four corners of the earth—Gog and Magog—and gather them for battle. Their number is like the sand of the sea,” Lu Mingze recited, standing at the edge of the cargo bay, gazing out over the sea that seemed to be burning.

Ten thousand years ago, the previous White Empress was executed on a frozen ocean. Today, the new White Emperor met the same fate, again on a frozen ocean. History, it seems, repeats itself.

A few minutes later, the blood-soaked boy appeared in the cockpit, sitting in the seat next to Mai. He silently gazed out at Tokyo in the distance.

“Impressive. It truly was a battle of armies,” Mai commented without expression. She knew that her boss didn’t like overly flattering remarks, but this compliment came from her heart.

In the boss’s script, Herzog was destined to die. And so, he did—regardless of his evolution or how powerful his inherited bloodline was. The script was less a plan and more of a curse.

The boy didn’t answer her, still quietly gazing into the distance, with a trace of sadness in his expression. The execution of the newly born White Emperor had brought him no joy. It seemed insignificant to him.

Suddenly, Tokyo Skytree, which had gone dark, lit up again. Like a beacon, it pointed the way. Despite half the city being submerged in water, it still shone brightly, like a Buddhist shrine filled with candles, reflecting in the boy’s eyes like a dim sea of stars.

Mai felt momentarily confused, unsure whether the boy sitting next to her was the boss or Lu Mingfei, or perhaps someone in between. But they were two entirely different people—how could there be a state that existed between the two of them?

She suddenly didn’t know how to talk to him. If it were the boss, she would respectfully await his instructions. If it were Lu Mingfei, she might tease him again with a playful kiss.

In the end, she said and did nothing.

“Please take me for a flight over the city. I want to have a good look… at this city,” the boy said softly.

His voice was gentle like Lu Mingfei’s, a bit melancholic, with a hint of a plea. But his expression was calm and regal, commanding respect without needing to say more.

“Yes,” Mai replied quietly, and the bomber banked in a wide circle, using Tokyo Skytree as its center, flying around the city.

Series Navigation

<< Dragon Raja 3; Chapter 493: Divine Punishment (6)Dragon Raja 3; Chapter 495: Epilogue (1) >>