Dragon Raja 3; Chapter 82: Road to the Underworld (6)

Dragon Raja 3

“Everyone here is part of our family. I have tried my best to take care of you, hoping that everyone could live a good life, and you have also taken care of me. Without your efforts, I would not have survived as the head of the family for so long,” Tachibana Masamune said, gesturing for everyone to sit down.

“Another rainy day, it brings back memories!” Masamune also sat down. “Many years ago, when I first came to Japan, it was raining like this when the plane landed. The wind was cold and damp, chilling me to the bone.”

He paused for a moment, then continued, “Many here know that I was not born in Japan. Being chosen as the head of the family was an unexpected honor. However, in the past ten years, I must admit my considerable shortcomings. I believe all of you are well aware that during these years, we have lost much territory and many compatriots. Every year, I attend numerous funerals, wearing black kimonos and sunglasses to hide my grief. Post-war Japan has grown more prosperous, and the family has flourished along with it, but our enemies have also grown stronger, and I have failed to crush them.”

“These aren’t your faults, Masamune-sama. In fighting against the Oni Clan, you have led us from the front. Without you, our situation would have been even more perilous,” the head of the Fūma family said.

Masamune gestured for him to stop comforting him. “Today, I want to tell you a story. The protagonist of this story is named Akira.”

Chisei was slightly taken aback.

“He was born into the Sakurai family, a perfectly normal child in many ways. However, at the age of five, he was found to have an unstable bloodline, in other words, he was an ‘Oni.’ After the detection, he was no longer one of us but became someone we monitored. He was sent to a boarding school deep in the mountains of Kobe, and he never left until he was twenty-three. He was such a lonely child, visited once a year, not by his parents but by the family enforcer. He never had a girlfriend, never tasted birthday cake, never went to an amusement park, and never had a graduation trip. I’m sure you can all understand how much he desired these things, but because he was an Oni, he could never have them,” Masamune’s voice echoed like an ancient bell. “One day, someone gave him a drug, claiming it could purify his blood, give him power and freedom. Tell me, how could such a young man resist that temptation?”

“He injected the drug into his body, awakening the dragon blood within. He did gain power and freedom, but it lasted only fifteen days. After fifteen days, he was erased by the Execution Bureau. The head of the Execution Bureau, Chisei, personally carried out the execution,” Masamune sighed. “During those fifteen days, he raped and murdered many women, venting his desires as though trying to make up for all he had been deprived of.”

“What do you think of that young man who died?” Masamune scanned the room. “Do you despise him? Hate him? Look down on him? Or do you feel pity, sadness, shame?”

No one answered; among the Yamata no Orochi, this was a perplexing question.

“I just feel sad,” Masamune said softly. “He was one of our family members. He made a mistake, and he was executed. But he was still one of us. As the head of the family, do I have the right to despise or hate him? I just feel… very sad.”

“Masamune-sama… this has been the curse of our family since ancient times,” the head of the Sakurai family said.

“Yes, each of us carries this curse, passed down with our bloodline. To outsiders, the dragon’s blood might seem something to be proud of, but it is also a devil. It makes some of us strong but destroys others. You are gathered here today because you are fortunate to have stable bloodlines. But imagine if you were born like Akira, then each of you would be on that monitored list, waiting to be eliminated. But I cannot change the rules that have existed since ancient times, because we cannot allow the dragon blood to erode our family. The Yamata no Orochi have existed since ancient times to guard the dragon’s gate and prevent the Dragon Raja from being resurrected in this world!”

“Yes!” All the younger members bowed.

“Next, I want to ask you a question: who gave Akira the dangerous drug? The analysis from Iwanami Institute has been completed, and the drug indeed has the effect of activating dragon blood. It was developed to help Hybrids evolve into true dragons. So, who has been trying to abandon their humanity and evolve into dragons all these years?”

“The Oni Clan?” After a long silence, the head of the Ryoma family spoke quietly.

“And who has been competing with us in the underworld? Who instigated those gangs that used to depend on us to betray us? And who has been encroaching on our territory over the years?” Masamune continued asking.

“The Oni Clan!” the head of the Fūma family replied.

“Yes, it’s the Oni Clan. Only the Oni Clan, who, like us, inherited dragon blood, could challenge us. Because of the Oni, we cannot let go of our swords for even a moment! Every gang that goes against us has the Clan behind them, and it’s also them who have continuously tempted those with unstable bloodlines, luring them into depravity. Because of the Oni, we must strictly monitor every child with unstable bloodlines. The enforcers’ blades are stained with blood because we cannot afford the risk of leaving any fallen behind! We fear they will fall into the Oni Clan’s hands!”

Masamune raised his voice like a thunderclap. “In Japan, we have only one enemy, and that is the Oni Clan! But why have we been unable to eradicate them all these years?”

Silence filled the hall.

“Because the Oni Clan is, in truth, our own kin,” the head of the Sakurai family sighed softly after a long while.

“Yes, because the Oni Clan are indeed our kin, sharing the same blood as us. Every Oni among them was born from our family. Your children could become Oni, and the purer their dragon blood, the more powerful they are, the more likely they are to become Oni. The Oni Clan is the shadow of the Yamata no Orochi; we cannot kill our own shadow. As long as we continue to propagate generation after generation, there will always be new Oni among our descendants. Oni gathering together is what forms the Oni Clan. This Oni Clan has followed behind the Yamata no Orochi for a thousand years—it is our destiny!” Masamune paused here. “It is time to sever that fate, and someone must do it.”

His voice had been full of vigor, like a great bell, but it became calm and unassuming when he spoke the last sentence, as if it were a casual remark. Those who knew the head of the family well would understand that the more casually Masamune spoke, the firmer his determination was. This meant that he had already thought this through countless times and had reached a final conclusion. In this moment, he was like a seasoned warrior who had unsheathed his sword, with his killing intent completely concealed and serene.

“Is Masamune-sama planning to declare war on the Oni Clan?” the head of the Inuyama family asked. “Setting aside whether we could win such a war, some in the family would see this as no different from killing our own kin. Not all of the Oni Clan are fallen; many of them are simply unstable Hybrids. Leaving them no path to survival… is that right? After all, they are still our blood relatives.”

“The Oni Clan indeed shares our blood, but can they truly be considered our kin? They chose the path of dragons. To them, dragons are perfect beings, the emperors of the world, and humanity should grovel at the feet of such perfect creatures, accepting their slavery. That is the natural law of competition—survival of the fittest! But we chose the path of humans. In our eyes, dragons are devils, enemies we must shed our blood to eradicate! Can the servants of dragons and the protectors of humanity truly be called kin?” Masamune raised a hand and pointed to the sky. “The Oni Clan—they are the root of all evil, all sin! Only by completely erasing the Oni Clan can there be true peace and tranquility!”

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