Dragon Clan: Force me to be reborn and slay dragons

Chapter 253 The Assassin Who Moved Faster Than Time, But Old Tang Was Unaffected!

At the Ganryu Research Institute, Shinnosuke Fujiwara rubbed his aching neck and entered the last set of data into the terminal. After a long day of working like a slave, he finally got a break.

Neither Kassel College nor the Snake Family has the typical Japanese workplace culture, so there's no need to go to an izakaya (Japanese pub) for business after work.

"Shinnosuke, are you going out to prostitutes again tonight?"

The white-haired mentor's voice came from behind, carrying the knowing, witty tone typical of the elderly.

The old professor adjusted his gold-rimmed glasses, his gaze behind the lenses carrying a profound meaning:
"Although you are still young, you should take care of your health. Back in my day, I was just as playful as you are, but unfortunately, time waits for no one."

Caught off guard by his advisor, Fujiwara Shinnosuke's ears instantly burned. Adhering to his persona, he frantically packed up the lab equipment, his eyes catching sight of several senior students, well-versed in Japanese customs and culture, listening intently. He hurriedly explained:
"Professor, you've misunderstood! I just..."

His explanation was drowned out by a burst of laughter, so he grabbed his coat and fled.

Time is tight and the task is heavy; there's no time to mess around with these Angers lackeys.

Latest intelligence: The young master is at a host club called Takamagahara in Shinjuku. He must find the young master as soon as possible and try to take away the emperor who is hiding there.

Fujiwara Shinnosuke turned into a dark alley, and after making sure he had shaken off all possible eyes and ears, he lifted the hidden manhole cover.

A damp, cold wind carrying a faint smell of disinfectant wafted over – thanks to Japan’s advanced drainage system, the sewers here are far more spacious and cleaner than their European counterparts.

More than half an hour later, Fujiwara Shinnosuke stopped in front of a very well hidden suspended iron staircase.

He leaped up, grabbed the extremely well-hidden suspended iron ladder, and climbed to the top in a few quick movements.

The cast iron manhole cover overhead was rusty, with peeling edges, indicating that it had been used recently.

He pushed hard, but it wouldn't budge.

"rise!"

He took a deep breath, tensed his shoulder and back muscles, and tried with all his might to push it away, but the manhole cover seemed to be pressed down by a huge boulder, and it didn't budge.

But you can hear the clanging of the chains.

Damn...

Fujiwara Shinnosuke cursed inwardly, "Who locked the manhole cover? Are they afraid it will be stolen?"

As a Japanese person, he certainly knew that Japanese people were just as enthusiastic about stealing manhole covers as Gypsies were about cheating, swindling, and robbery.

But why lock the doors in nightclubs? Is it to prevent burglaries from happening inside?

Fujiwara Shinnosuke had a toothache. As an assassin, he pursued a one-hit kill, so his speed was unbelievably fast, but his strength was his only weakness.

Are we going to return empty-handed again?

The baby-faced assassin was somewhat unwilling to accept defeat; after three consecutive failures, he was truly ashamed to face his Roman masters.

After trying again and confirming that he couldn't pry it open, Fujiwara Shinnosuke had to find another way.

If the underground route is blocked, then the sky will be the way; assassins don't use the traditional main entrance.

Thinking this, he jumped back into the ground and strode away.

Unbeknownst to him, about ten seconds after he left, a blond young man in a white suit and a flamboyantly dressed gray-haired gigolo appeared on the second basement level, their gazes falling simultaneously on the iron lock that clearly showed signs of being moved.

“I thought the Ghosts would be more composed.” Fingel lowered his voice, his face, marked with three lip prints, was stern, and he held a shotgun in his hand, looking as if he had just fought his way out of the Perfume Forest.

Caesar did not respond, and the domain of the Word of Power: Kamaitachi silently unfolded.

Unseen wind spirits silently slipped into the manhole cover, flying along the pipe. The sound of their flapping wings echoed in the quiet darkness, capturing all the sound waves from the sewer.

Caesar quickly discerned the movement beneath his feet.

"How are you? Are you still there?"

Fingel held his shotgun, aiming the muzzle at the cast iron manhole cover.

Caesar shook his head and put away the Desert Wings in his hand: "They've already left. This road is blocked. They must have moved to another place."

The opponent was very fast, and the Kamaitachi only had time to catch the echoing footsteps in the sewer.

Fingel nodded upon hearing this, then turned and made a safe gesture towards the surveillance camera hidden in the darkness in the corner: "If you ask me, we should electrify this manhole cover. If someone gets close, it will trigger an alarm and start discharging electricity. That way, we could have captured a prisoner without lifting a finger."

Caesar didn't want to answer such an unrealistic question. After telling Fingel to stay there and not move, he took the elevator and went upstairs to find Chu Zihang.

Knowing that the Ghost Clan would come to snatch people, Chu Zihang had already taken countermeasures. He not only emptied the third and fourth floors of everything that could make a sound, but also installed several cameras in the basement and dozens of pinhole cameras in other places in Takamagahara that could be infiltrated.

The main feature is that it is watertight.

He originally wanted to hide a few Claymore mines underground, but Lao Tang dissuaded him, saying that it was too extreme and might accidentally blow up his teammates and innocent bystanders.

Previously, the surveillance was kept in shifts by Chu Zihang, Yabuki Sakura, and Sakurai Kogure, and any slight movement would be immediately detected.

Just now, Chu Zihang was still staring at the surveillance screen, thinking about who the girl he had forgotten was. The moment he noticed the abnormality in the manhole cover on the second basement level, he sent a message to Fingel and Caesar via real-time communication, asking them to go down and check.

On the third floor, in a VIP private room reserved for male escorts, Old Tang's fingertips unconsciously rubbed against his wine glass.

He also received the message, but it was only a warning and not a successful intrusion. He did not act rashly and continued to drink with Ryoma Kaoru.

Ryoma Kaoru watched as he sipped his drink for a while, leaving only a third of it. She was a little dissatisfied, but seeing his slightly furrowed brows, she also sensed that he had something on his mind.

She leaned closer, her alluring body almost pressed against his: "You seem distracted. What are you thinking about?"

The woman's breath brushed past his ear, carrying a faint fragrance.

Today, Ryoma Kaoru came to patronize Lao Tang's business as usual, but compared to watching the male escorts perform energetically in the booths on the first floor a few days ago, Lao Tang took the initiative to bring her to the third floor tonight.

This is a private room that only high-class male escorts can have, and Lao Tang has only been in the business for three days at most, so it's obvious that he's someone with connections.

But Kaoru Ryoma didn't care. As long as she got this person's body and soul, he would naturally be open and honest when the time was right.

A couple of days ago, Lao Tang was a little reluctant to be alone with her, but today he was acting out of character. I thought something new was going to happen, but he just dragged her to a private room to sing, drink, and eat fruit.

He barely uttered any cheesy pickup lines, nor did he drink much alcohol; he was like a fish being raised in a pond.

"No, I was just moved by your song, and it reminded me of my younger brother."

Old Tang glanced at the Japanese-style private room on the side, where Genji was discussing male-style flower arrangement with Humpback Whale.

If anything unexpected happens, he will strike at top speed and annihilate the thief in an instant.

Ryoma Kaoru was puzzled. She had just sung "Love Story," which was about romance and featured Romeo and Juliet. How did you come to associate it with your brother?
She put her arm around Old Tang's, and with her other hand, she pinched his chin, forcibly turning his gaze back from the other side.
"What a coincidence, I also have a younger brother named Soichiro. He heard that I come here to look for you every night instead of going home, and yesterday he even went out of his way to find someone to teach you a lesson."

"Really? What a thoughtful younger brother." Old Tang nodded slightly. "To avoid worrying your family, you should come to places like this less often."

Ryoma Kaoru narrowed his eyes upon hearing this, then trapped his arm in the abyss, tightening his grip on his chin slightly: "That's not what I want to hear."

"What do you want to hear?" Old Tang didn't look at her directly, to avoid discovering the earphone hidden in his left ear.

"Aren't you curious about Souichirou..." The young lady of the Ryoma family stopped mid-sentence, "Tell me about your brother. Mine is hopeless."

"My younger brother is very well-behaved." When talking about his brother, Old Tang instantly perked up and straightened his back.

Although he didn't have many memories of his younger brother, Old Tang tried his best to apply every positive word he knew to him, describing him as something extraordinary. Ryoma Kaoru felt a little unreal: "Do you have any pictures of him? Let me see."

Old Tang wanted to shrug, but with his arms trapped in the cage, he could only shrug: "I got lost when I was a child, and after being adopted, I went to America across the ocean."

Ryoma Xun's clothes trembled slightly, a tingling sensation spreading through him: "So your next stop is China, to find your younger brother?"

"Yes." Old Tang nodded. He had clearly said that the next step was to take him to Constantine, so he wouldn't go back on his word.

"I see." Ryoma Kaoru seemed to understand something, and didn't ask any further questions. He encouraged Old Tang to sing a few songs so that the fruit platter that was served later wouldn't be completely eaten.

Upstairs, Caesar pushed open the door of the Yorozuya, only to be met with Chu Zihang's cold, murderous gaze.

At this moment, the person guarding the monitor in the lobby on the fourth floor had changed to Sakurai Kogure.

Sakura Yabuki has already put on her specially made combat suit, which is tight and close-fitting, showing off her beautiful curves to the fullest.

But no one would look at her with blasphemous eyes, after all, she was covered with hundreds of shards of metal blades, thin as cicada wings, that would kill the moment they touched her.

When Lu Mingfei and Lao Tang broke into Genji Heavy Industries to rescue people, she used these metal blades to create a metal storm to block the incoming bullets.

The metal blades she threw out at the time were not retrieved in time, and the ones she is wearing now are a gift from Mai Shude.

Chu Zihang held the demon sword Murasame in his arms. After Caesar arrived and replenished his equipment, the two of them got up at the same time and walked towards the outer room, with Ninja Sakura following closely behind.

Sakurai Kogure, who was monitoring the situation, moved her lips slightly, as if she wanted to say, "I entrust the safety of Lady Chiyo to you all," but before she could utter a word, the door had already closed.

……

Thick clouds swallowed the last ray of moonlight, leaving only neon lights flowing across the Tokyo night sky.

An assassin dressed in a black combat suit and wearing a mask that revealed only his eyes leaped down from the sky and landed silently on the roof of the Takamagahara building, which has a drop of nearly ten meters.

The assassin in black observed for a moment, then grabbed the fourth-floor eaves, preparing to jump off the third-floor terrace.

That huge terrace connects to the summer moon on the third floor, representing the four seasons. As long as one keeps a low profile, one can easily sneak into Takamagahara without attracting any attention.

Just as he let go and fell, the hairs on the back of his neck suddenly stood on end.

A cold light flashed through the fourth-floor window, and almost simultaneously, the muffled sound of a silenced pistol rang out.

"puff--"

The bullet pierced through the paper-covered wooden window and hurtled towards the falling black figure.

The shadowy figure's pupils contracted sharply the instant it sensed the impending danger, and then its golden eyes ignited instantly, unleashing an invisible domain almost in a split second.

The world froze in an instant.

The bullet hovered half a meter from his temple, its spinning tip creating ripples in the air.

Fujiwara Shinnosuke touched the roof with his toes, and his whole body plummeted and changed direction like a bird with broken wings. The bullet grazed his mask and drew invisible ripples in the night sky!
"boom!"

The dark figure landed, and the potted plants on the third-floor terrace shattered with a crash. Fujiwara Shinnosuke rolled to absorb the impact, and caught the continuous gunfire above him—the Desert Eagle, still loud even with a silencer installed.

He knew who the attacker was just by the distinctive gunshot.

A cold smile played on his lips as he deftly dodged the incoming bullets, a hint of smugness flashing in Fujiwara Shinnosuke's eyes.

No matter how accurate your marksmanship is, in the realm of zero time, these bullets will crawl as slowly as snails.

"Young Master, we're on the same side, don't shoot!" He wanted to say that, but he couldn't. Fujiwara Shinnosuke rushed towards Natsuki.

Now that he's been exposed, he's not going to pretend anymore. He'll take the emperor away before his abilities reach their limit.

Can't find an old one, and can't even grab a young one?
Clang—!!!

With a sharp clang, the paper door in the summer moonlight suddenly shattered.

Chu Zihang, wielding the demon sword Murasame, hurtled through the air, the chilling blade reflecting a rainbow of light amidst the neon lights.

This Iai Slash was as fast as lightning. If it were Fujiwara Shinnosuke in his normal state, he would have no confidence in avoiding the "Kassel College Invincible in Close Combat" slash. He would have had to swing his sword to counter it, and might even have been cleaved away by the slash due to insufficient strength!

However, within the perspective of Time Zero, the direction of the demon sword was clearly discernible, and the slightest change in the young swordsman's burning golden eyes and handsome face could not escape Fujiwara Shinnosuke's eyes.

The assassin in black calmly sidestepped, his hand slashing precisely into Chu Zihang's carotid artery.

But just as the opponent was about to collapse, those golden eyes that never went out suddenly flashed with a sharp light!
Without the slightest hesitation, Chu Zihang unleashed his second burst of blood!

Chu Zihang stood up again, his body limp. He gritted his teeth and swung his sword once more, the blade even faster than before. Unfortunately, within the extremely unfair Time Zero Domain, he still couldn't hit his target.

Fujiwara Shinnosuke delivered a whirlwind kick, sending the swordsman flying. Before he could finish him off, the sound of shattering glass suddenly came from above.

Caesar leaped down from the sky like a god descending from heaven, his twin guns spitting fire, seven bullets forming a deadly net to block movement, but in the realm of zero time, it became a slow-motion silent film.

Fujiwara Shinnosuke swept past the barrage of bullets like a ghost, violently bursting out of the Summer Moon Room and heading straight for the Spring Cherry Blossom Room where Genji was.

Sensing the commotion, Genji, who was having a pleasant conversation with the humpback whale, suddenly drew her long sword from under the table.

That frail, thin body suddenly twisted, and the blade flashed like a snow-white ribbon across the sky amidst the cherry blossoms, but in the assassin's eyes, it was laughably slow.

"too slow!"

Fujiwara Shinnosuke curled his lip in disdain, and in a flash, he was behind Minamoto no Wakana, holding a vial of anesthetic that could instantly overturn a whale, and plunged it directly into the back of her neck.

Just as the gleaming needle was about to fall, the wall on the right suddenly exploded!

"boom--!!!"

The brick wall was broken, and wood chips were flying everywhere.

A man with comically shaped eyebrows burst through the wall, as fierce as a tiger and as swift as a leopard. In Fujiwara Shinnosuke's suddenly narrowed pupils, a hand reeking of alcohol precisely gripped his wrist.

"Got you!" The man with the bushy eyebrows grinned, his gleaming white teeth resembling the scythe of death, filling Fujiwara Shinnosuke with terror.

"How is this possible!?" Fujiwara Shinnosuke's shock froze beneath his mask. He clearly saw the bald man and the sword-wielding boy beside him still moving slowly, but why—

This man's movements are completely unaffected by time zero?!
Could it be that he is also a possessor of Time Zero?!

As he wondered what was happening, the fist carrying the scent of a daughter rapidly enlarged in his vision; the simple, unadorned straight punch carried the power to shatter mountains.

Amidst the explosive roar of his fist tearing through the air, Fujiwara Shinnosuke forcibly twisted his body, veins bulging on his forehead, his Time Zero domain almost pushed to its limit, intending to rely on his proud speed to devour the man with the bushy eyebrows.

However, what made him despair was—

Old Tang is unaffected!

"boom!"

Fujiwara Shinnosuke only had time to raise his hand to block before a sharp pain struck him. His arm was shattered the moment it touched the heavy punch, and then the powerful straight punch seemed to have no weakening at all, slamming straight into his chest.

With a loud "crack," he spat out thick blood that soaked his mask, and then flew out like a tattered sack.

In the distance, Chu Zihang, who had just been kicked away, had just landed, and Caesar had just rushed into Xia Yuejian. Before he could join the battle, he saw a black shadow "whoosh" past him and fly straight off the terrace toward the street.

(End of this chapter)