Dragon Clan: Force me to be reborn and slay dragons

Chapter 276 Don't worry, I won't let you die a quick death, Herzog
Eight ferocious dragon heads rolled to the ground, leaving only the deformed and bloated huge body twitching unwillingly, but unable to lift the hideous human figure on its back.

Countless pale fleshy buds were wriggling at the severed neck. The monster was not dead yet; it was still urging the cells in its body to repair its broken body.

The half-dragon boy pressed his hand against the jagged joints of his long tail and plunged the Kusanagi Sword into the back of the Yamata no Orochi, pinning it firmly to the ground.

The Ame no Habakiri swept through the air, its demonic flames evaporating the falling raindrops, severing the long tail connecting to the Ame no Kusanagi sword, and then piercing straight into the spine of the monster below!
The terrifying black flames spread wildly, burning through the spinal cord and scorching the internal organs, gradually extinguishing the remaining life force of the Yamata no Orochi.

"Bang bang bang bang-!!!"

The eight broken necks thrashed wildly at the ground in excruciating pain, then tried to swing around to hit the person on their backs. Blood gushed out and dissipated into mist in the high temperature, but it did nothing to harm the boy.

Lu Mingfei plunged his twin swords into the back of the Yamata no Orochi, his golden eyes flashing with a cold light.

At this moment, he seemed to have entered some kind of mysterious state. In modern terms, it would be like someone who had been killing fish at RT-Mart for ten years, and whose heart had become as cold as the knife in his hand.

Even a centipede with a hundred legs doesn't die easily, let alone an octopus like the Yamata no Orochi, which is at the top of the food chain. He held it down firmly, not giving it a chance to struggle or escape.

The monster beneath his feet began to struggle less and less, but his golden eyes grew brighter and brighter.

Suddenly, an intense temptation surged from below him, as if the dying monster had become Liu Maoxing's luminous dish, causing an uncontrollable appetite to well up in Lu Mingfei's heart!
Just like when he heard the Yamata no Orochi chanting dragon patterns and trying to drag him to his death, the thought of "cancel" arose in his mind. This time, it was as if a voice was playing in his mind on a loop: "Eat it, eat it, eat it."

Golden light shone from the golden eyes, and the dragon king's blood, which the Oni Clan and Herzog had been dreaming of and longing for, flowed up the white bone blade under the pull of an invisible force, seeping little by little into the hideous right hand covered with black scales.

A scalding heat flowed from my right arm, gradually spreading throughout my body, giving me a feeling of comfort as if my Ren and Du meridians had been opened, and a tingling, warm sensation spread through my limbs and bones.

The black dragon scales on its body stretched out and then snapped shut, and the blood mist in the air seemed to be attracted by this movement, gradually converging towards Lu Mingfei.

The thunder subsided, leaving only the howling of the wind and rain, and the roaring lava from Mount Fuji.

As the amniotic blood within the Yamata no Orochi continued to drain away, its enormous dragon body gradually withered, and its struggles became almost nonexistent.

The white silk threads seemed to be summoned, slowly wriggling forward, getting closer and closer, trying to wrap the person and the dragon together.

However, the next second, the Ama-no-Murakumo and Ama-no-Habakiri, which had pierced the headless dragon's body, suddenly unleashed a tremendous force, actually cutting the deformed and shrunken body of the Yamata no Orochi in two.

"Snapped--"

The body, its interior completely corroded by black flames, collapsed helplessly to either side. Its enormous heart had been cut open, but not a drop of blood flowed out; all that remained was a mutilated embryo hiding within the ventricle.

The embryo is shaped like a tadpole, but the difference is that its long tail is actually a spine wrapped in flesh, and the ribs protrude and the flesh is dancing wildly, which are presumably the tentacles that control the host's movements.

Its swollen head had a huge single eye, and its golden vertical pupil was staring at the knife-wielding man with fear, hissing as it did so.

Those are sacred remains!

That's the real White King!
The records of the Snake-Gi-Hachi family, passed down for ten thousand years, have already explained everything: the true god is neither the Yamata no Orochi nor a colossal beast as large as a mountain.

The true God is the sacred remains!

It is not a skeleton in a mural, but a parasitic life form that can enslave living things!

In ancient times, the two Yamata no Orochi that Susanoo, Amaterasu, and Tsukuyomi killed were merely bodies controlled by it, its dwelling place!

We can never kill it without figuring out its true nature!

And coincidentally, Lu Mingfei's strongest race in StarCraft is the Zerg.

"Superise!"

He grinned, revealing sharp teeth, his smile menacing.

The relic was terrified. Like a spring, it suddenly leaped out of its damaged dwelling and rushed toward a white cocoon not far away.

This was a backup plan it left behind when it realized it was under attack. Inside was an intact body. As long as it parasitized the body of that bloodline, it would still have a chance to escape!
The sharp ribs flared wildly in the air, trying to fly faster, fast enough to escape the clutches of the bloodthirsty demon behind them, fast enough to burrow back into the cocoon and hide again.

It's near, it's near!
The enormous dragon eye on its swollen head burst with ecstatic joy, and its protruding ribs were poised to burst forth, waiting to pierce the flesh of the spare shell and pierce the spine to complete the parasitism.

However, just as the hideous parasite was about to touch the white silk thread outside the cocoon, a thunderous explosion rang out in the sky, and its struggling body suddenly froze, unable to advance any further.

The ecstasy in his enormous single eye turned to despair, and the Holy Remains slowly lowered his head, looking at the tip of a white bone sword protruding from his body.

This is the Kusanagi that was born from it. It should have used this divine sword, which was powerful enough to sever the world, to kill all the bloodline and replenish itself. However, at this moment, this sword has dragged it into an abyss of no return.

The withered ribs futilely pried at the white bone sword, still unwilling to give up and try to reach out to touch the host it had already prepared.

However, its organs, which were only half-developed, had been shattered by the aftershocks of the divine sword piercing through it, making its chances of successfully resisting extremely slim.

Lu Mingfei, wielding the Kusanagi Sword, intercepted the Sacred Remains in mid-air with the speed of a sword strike, arriving after the opponent's attack. He then slowly sheathed his sword, his golden eyes scrutinizing the strange-looking object with undisguised disdain.

"How ugly."

He knew very well that this ugly, tiny thing was essentially the White King's transformation device; only through it could a White King be created.

Strictly speaking, the Yamata no Orochi from earlier was not the true White King. It was merely an evolved form parasitized, modified, and controlled by the Sacred Relic. It needed to continuously devour bloodline descendants to replenish itself before it could evolve into the true White King.

Still burning with raging black flames, the Ame no Habakiri drew a black arc in the air. The demonic flames attached to the blade landed on the huge dragon's body, slowly eating away at the flesh of the Yamata no Orochi like a malignant tumor, gradually exposing its dark golden bones to the air.

The demonic flames dripped down, gradually spreading along the dragon blood on the ground.

Even though it was only a half-finished product, Orochi had already reached the threshold of becoming the Dragon King.

This is his spoils of war; he can't possibly leave it to anyone else.

The relic possessed extremely tenacious vitality; this fatal wound was merely a minor setback for it, and it continued to struggle relentlessly.

Lu Mingfei ignored it, slowly digesting the dragon king's fetal blood he had just absorbed. The black dragon scales covering his entire body sometimes closed and sometimes flashed with a translucent gold, and his pair of golden eyes became even more dazzling.

In the distance, beside the Iron Dome, a giant water reservoir's surveillance camera, which had narrowly escaped destruction, was still working, transmitting footage from the Ghost Camp—a scene powerful enough to shock the entire hybrid society—to Herzog's screen.

The demon, who always faked his death to escape, had a ferocious expression as he looked at the inhuman boy on the screen and the holy remains impaled on the sword by the one he had just beaten. His expression was a mixture of anger and fear.

He was furious that his meticulously planned scheme of more than ten years had completely failed, and he was terrified of the ghostly and frightening boy.

Herzog knew he had lost all his resources and had no chance of making a comeback, and that the boy and the organization behind him would never let him go.

He had to escape!

After taking one last hateful look at the massive dragon body, which was already half burned, Herzog turned around and prepared to pack his things and run away.

However, the moment he turned around, he heard the familiar sound of a wooden clapper coming from the radio.

Herzog's figure suddenly froze, as if the sound of the clapper had cast a spell on him.

He drew his knife from his waist, stepped back to the control panel, and tried to stop that damned broadcast.

However, it was no use at all; the sound of the clapper remained as clear as ever, so clear that it made one want to vomit.

Just as he was about to ignore the damned clapper and make a hasty escape, a cheerful young voice suddenly came through the loudspeaker, sounding like a reunion with an old friend after many years:
"Long time no see, Dr. Herzog."

Herzog suddenly stopped, not because he remembered who the voice belonged to, but because the fact that the other party had spoken meant that negotiation was possible.

If the identity of the other party is unclear and one's own forces have been completely depleted, it is best not to act rashly.

It should be noted that this water storage well and the underground Iron Dome Temple system were all under his control. For someone to be able to hack in silently, they must be no ordinary person.

"Who are you?" Herzog frowned, his voice flat, trying to appear calm and composed as if everything was under control.

"You can't even recognize my voice anymore? That's really heartbreaking." The boy's voice suddenly took on an exaggerated sadness, as if he were forcing a laugh.

Hearing such a blatant change in tone, Herzog felt a sense of foreboding.

He quickly scanned his mind for people whose age matched the voice, people he had interacted with before, and who spoke Chinese.

At the same time, he said apologetically, "After all, I am already an old man nearing eighty. Although my mind is still quite sharp, my memory is no longer as good as it was when I was young."

His intention was to persuade the person hiding behind the scenes to stop playing tricks and directly reveal their identity so that everyone could sit down and talk.

Unexpectedly, after he declared himself old and frail, the other party suddenly laughed, a laugh filled with sarcasm:
"Your lying skills are as adept as ever, Herzog."

Hearing that the other party no longer used honorifics, Herzog understood that the visitor was an enemy, not a friend, so his face darkened, and his voice took on a dangerous tone:

"Who are you anyway?"

"You'll see when you look back." After the boy finished speaking, the clapper sound from the loudspeaker stopped, and the control room returned to silence, with only Herzog's heavy breathing remaining.

He first twitched his ears, but didn't catch anything unusual, and then slowly turned his head.

nobody.

The same scene appeared on more than a dozen screens: a fiery red sky, icy rain, a headless dragon's body burning with black flames, and white silk threads and red translucent cocoons covering the mountains and plains.

But the one missing was that boy who looked like a ghost.

Herzog's pupils contracted sharply, and before he could react, a deafening roar came from above.

“Boom, boom, boom, boom—!!!”

Several layers of reinforced concrete floor slabs were violently chiseled through, and a long, curved, crimson blade, ten fist-length in length, slammed into the ground in front of Herzog, blocking his escape route.

Smoke and dust filled the air, and pebbles flew everywhere. Herzog's heart sank to the bottom.

He recognized the knife; the guy who called himself Batman had used it to cut off all of Yamata no Orochi's heads.

Looking at the alchemical blades, now completely crimson after being bathed in the blood of the Dragon King, Herzog quietly raised his hand, intending to press the pre-set detonation button.

However, the next second, an incredibly heavy force descended from the sky. His aged body could not withstand the terrifying gravity. His knees slammed heavily to the ground, and he fell to his knees, his back bent, and he prostrated himself on the ground, unable to even lift his head.

Herzog was horrified. This was Genjiro's Word of Power: Royal Authority. Why...?

"Tap tap tap——"

Clear footsteps echoed from the shattered buildings. Someone emerged from the swirling dust, pulled out the Ame no Habakiri that had cleared the way, and approached Herzog, who was kneeling on the ground.

"Old dog, you've really been on my radar for a long time."

Lu Mingfei looked down at Herzog, who was bowing to him like a broken-backed dog, his voice calm but containing a raging fury.

Herzog struggled to lift his head, trying to see the person's true appearance, as he was used to looking down on all living beings from above. How could he raise his head and look up at the supreme being?

Herzog could not see it, but he could hear the hoarse cries of the relic and the sound of its ribs striking the Kusanagi sword as it struggled.

That was what he longed for day and night, now so close yet so far away, and even looking up at it was a luxury.

Faced with death, he abandoned all dignity and ambition, revealing his inner cowardice and weakness, and pleaded in a low voice, wanting Lu Mingfei to spare his life.

"Spare me, and I can serve you. I possess knowledge and research achievements that rival those of Kassel College. I can help you ascend to the throne of the world!"

"You?" Lu Mingfei looked disdainful. Although he disliked Kassel College, it was, after all, a dragon-slaying organization with a long history. Herzog was just an ambitious man blinded by greed; what merit did he have to help her ascend to the throne of the world?

When Herzog saw that he didn't believe him, he quickly began to describe his grand ideas and research results that were far ahead of most of his peers. In order to save his life, he even revealed his biggest secret.

It turns out that the series of actions—blowing up Black Swan Harbor and bringing the royal blood embryo to Japan to plan the resurrection of the White King—were all instigated by a man named Bondarev. Moreover, it was Bondarev who told him how to bring forth the complete White King and how to steal the White King's power.

Lu Mingfei's golden eyes shone brightly, and with the power of the newly acquired Spirit Element Monarch, he made Herzog tell him everything he knew.

From serving the Third Reich to establishing roots in the Red Empire to research genetic warriors, and finally to plotting against Japan, there were far too many conspiracies, schemes, and dirty tricks involved.

The more Lu Mingfei listened, the deeper his brows furrowed, and his killing intent almost materialized.

In particular, when he learned that most of Herzog's scientific achievements, including pontine splitting surgery and clapper sound hypnosis, were obtained from an experimental subject named Zero, his murderous intent almost set the entire base ablaze.

Herzog, whose mind had already been corrupted, felt a murderous intent that felt like a thorn in his back, but he couldn't stop and continued to recount past secrets.

For example, he once joined an organization called the Far North, which searched for the super civilization created by the ancient intelligent race, the Hibernians, in a certain land in the Arctic. Once found, they could lead Earth's civilization into a new era.

He told almost everything he could, but Lu Mingfei knew that Herzog was still hiding something.

It wasn't that the old dog wanted to hide it; rather, his memory had been tampered with.

The only person capable of doing this, without a doubt, is Bondarev, who set up this game for Herzog and was easily killed by a burst of bullets.

A profound insight told Lu Mingfei that the guy was highly suspicious.

Unfortunately, years have passed, and Bondarev has long since disappeared, hiding somewhere to spy on Japan's developments. Now that this incident has happened, it will probably not be so easy to bring him out again.

But that's alright. We'll deal with whatever comes our way. If Bondarev dares to show up, we'll make sure he doesn't come back alive.

Right now, the most important thing is to resolve Erii's problem as soon as possible.

As for that old dog, someone else will take care of it.

Several broken steel bars flew over, clamped around Herzog's kneeling body, and dragged him upwards, crashing and slamming his way through the air.

As he howled back to the ground, before he could even catch his breath, he heard that demonic voice, as if it were talking to someone.

"He's in your hands now. Do with him as you please."

With just one sentence, he was sentenced to death.

The immense weight that had been pressing down on him had vanished. Herzog, his body still secured by steel bars, trembled as he forced his head up toward the direction from which the sound came, trying to salvage his life.

However, when he looked up, he saw that the demon, who had returned to human form, had gone far away, leaving only a girl with an expressionless face holding an umbrella, standing in place and gazing at him silently.

The girl had light golden hair, a delicate face like an iceberg, and light blue eyes that shot out a gaze that was as cold as ice.

She looked familiar, but Herzog couldn't remember where he had seen her before.

But soon, his gaze fell on the bald teddy bear the girl was holding, and memories from twenty years ago suddenly flooded back.

"You...you are...Renata?!"

Herzog could hardly believe his eyes.

Of course he remembered the girl named Renata. She was the only bright spot in the endless snowfield, so cold that it made one want to curse God, a vibrant little flower that could lighten one's mood just by looking at her.

All the children in Black Swan Harbor underwent pontine splitting surgery, turning from little flowers into specimens, except for Renata, who was left behind and kept alive.

She was the favored child, and even received a gift from him, which was that teddy bear.

But in the end, he decided to blow up Black Swan Harbor, leave that damned snowfield, and embrace a world with more and more beautiful little flowers, letting the little flower named Renata accompany Black Swan Harbor in its destruction.

She should be dead.

She should have perished in that massive explosion.

How could she possibly be here?! How could she possibly be here?!
Herzog almost roared inwardly, but he maintained the same gentle smile as before, trying to soften his voice:

"Long time no see, my little Renata, you've become more and more beautiful."

This was his habit in Black Swan Harbor; every time he saw this little flower, he would praise it, saying how beautiful it looked that day.

But back then she hadn't fully grown up yet; she was just a little baby. Now, she's as beautiful as an elf who stepped out of the snow.

But the sweet smile that used to bring joy and make people feel like they were in springtime was no longer on her face.

This little spring flower has transformed into a winter snow lotus, exuding a chill from the inside out.

Zero didn't answer, looking at Herzog as if he were a dead man.

Herzog was enraged at being so scorned by the little flower he used to destroy so easily. He wished he could break free of her restraints right now, pin her to the ground, and teach her a lesson in manners.

But he couldn't do it.

At this moment, he felt as if he were wearing a straitjacket made of steel, lying on the ground unable to move. Rainwater seeped into his eyes, ears, nose and mouth, making him feel more disheveled than ever before.

Just as he was hoping to speak up again and ask Renata to come and help him escape, a bolt of lightning in the sky illuminated the earth and cast a slender shadow beside him.

Herzog's pupils dilated sharply; it was the shadow of a boy.

At that moment, he finally remembered whose voice the boy had heard on the radio earlier was.

It was that Zero, his first and most important experimental subject.

"Impossible, impossible!"

"You should be dead!"

Herzog refused to believe his own judgment. Subject Zero should have been ruined, should have perished in the Black Swan explosion, how could he still be alive, even appearing beside him unharmed?!
"boom!"

A leather shoe stepped on the back of his head, burying his face in the muddy ground. Muddy water filled his nasal cavity and blocked his trachea, overwhelming him with a strong feeling of suffocation.

The boy's voice, mingled with the sound of wind and rain, reached my ears:

“That’s my girl. Who gave you permission to add a prefix to her name?”

The pointed leather shoes stepped on Herzog's head, letting him enjoy the loving embrace of Mother Earth. Only when his struggling strength subsided did the boy release his foot, allowing him a moment to catch his breath.

"Cough cough—" Herzog coughed violently, spitting out dirt and sewage, trying to turn around to see if the person behind him was a human or a ghost, but his neck was not as flexible as the Yamata no Orochi's and he couldn't turn around at all.

However, the boy very considerately went around to the front, without looking back at Herzog who looked like a stray dog, and walked towards the girl with the umbrella with light and elegant steps.

Herzog looked at the boy's back and couldn't reconcile the image of this aristocratic young man with that of the broken boy bound to a cast-iron deckchair by straitjackets and belts.

But the cruel truth told him that it was the zeroth test subject he had once manipulated and tormented at will.

He watched the boy and girl approach.

The raindrops seemed to automatically avoid the boy.

The girl still held the umbrella over the boy's head, exposing herself to the rain.

The next moment she was pulled in again, and the two of them shared an umbrella.

Herzog then saw the boy's face clearly. Sure enough, he looked exactly like Zero, with delicate features that were almost frail, and straight, jet-black eyebrows. His handsome face carried an indelible air of nobility.

"What are you?!" he rasped, wanting to know what precious opportunity he had missed back then.

"Since you have asked so sincerely, I will mercifully tell you."

The boy raised his hand, and behind him, the surging Tama River churned with giant waves, while silver-blue specks of light streaked towards them like shooting stars.

"I originally planned to extract your soul, turn it into a living spirit, and soak it in a cesspool, but the thought that someone like you could eke out a living in this way makes me feel disgusted."

So, you should just die.

As soon as he finished speaking, hundreds of silver-blue specks of light fell from the sky toward Herzog, seemingly beautiful, but actually harboring deadly intent.

Those are not fireflies, but the executioner of the dragon race in ancient times—the Ghost-toothed Dragon Viper.

These are carefully selected juveniles, only the size of a finger. They are not as efficient at eating as adults, but they are guaranteed to tear their prey to shreds.

"No, get away, get away!" Herzog screamed, realizing what he was about to face, and tried to roll away to swat the deadly little fish away.

But dressed in a steel straitjacket, he was like a fish on a chopping board, completely at the mercy of others.

Just like twenty years ago, bound to the steel operating table, that uncompromising, aloof young man.

"No! Help! Let me go! I was wrong! I was really wrong, please forgive me!"

Herzog was surrounded by silver-blue light, and every inch of his flesh was being torn apart. The pain that struck his soul almost overwhelmed him.

Unfortunately, the Ghost-toothed Viper couldn't understand what he was saying. They only knew that the prey in front of them was fresh enough, and although it didn't taste good, they weren't picky eaters.

I'm going to eat, eat, eat!!!

Herzog's piercing cries echoed through the night sky, almost comparable to the roaring waves of the Tama River.

"Don't worry, I won't let you die a quick death." The boy under the umbrella spoke calmly, but his words were filled with boundless malice.
"Don't you dream of becoming a god and ascending the throne of the world?"
Although your dream is now shattered, out of consideration for our past acquaintance, I can help you realize part of it.

For example, more developed pain receptors, an unwavering will that never faints, and a body with limited regenerative abilities…

Tormented by excruciating pain to the point of near madness, Herzog felt the stinging pain in his body intensify instantly upon hearing this. However, this supermodel-level pain, which was enough to make anyone faint instantly, could not put him to sleep immediately, and he died in a coma.

You must remain conscious and feel yourself being swallowed up little by little.

"You demon, you damned demon, you should go to hell! I should have been there long ago... Waaah!"

He roared as if to curse, but a small silver-blue fish darted into his mouth and devoured his tongue in the blink of an eye, rendering him speechless.

Looking at the blurry figure enveloped in silvery-blue light, the boy shrugged, put his arm around the girl's slender shoulder, and turned to leave.

"Let's go, let's go. There's nothing interesting to see. What a disappointment."

The girl holding the umbrella glanced at him. Her icy blue eyes held little warmth, but a barely perceptible curve appeared at the corner of her lips, like the melting of the millennia-old ice and snow on Mount Fuji, or the blooming of snow lotuses on the glacial tundra.

"What are you laughing at?" The boy noticed the corners of her lips turning up and brought his face closer to hers.

"Tell me so I can laugh too."

The girl looked at him, her smile fading: "I thought of something happy."

(End of this chapter)