Dragon Clan: Force me to be reborn and slay dragons

Chapter 278 Dragons Battle in the Abyss, Black Sun Soars in the Sky, Two Emperors Stand Side by Side
The white-haired old man dressed in black was no longer the taciturn man he had been before. This expert and scholar, whom Angers had specially invited to assist him, descended from the sky like an eagle, with an unparalleled domineering aura.

Holding two Japanese swords, he leaped down from above Genjiro and the others, leaving a ferocious yet magnificent white arc in the wind and tide of the night.

The first two corpse guards that rushed at them didn't even have time to roar before their bronze bodies were broken into four pieces in mid-air.

His movements were fluid and incredibly smooth, and the speed of his sword strikes was even faster than that of the swift swordsman Inuyama He. Apart from Genji, no one present could see it clearly.

"I thought the young master was invincible, but... whose general is this?"

Yaksha's eyes widened.

He had never seen such sharp swordsmanship, nor such a fearless fighting style.

The old man charged alone into the horde of corpses, his twin swords whirling like windmills, leaving a trail of severed limbs in his wake.

"A true man should be like this..." Yaksha murmured to himself, gazing at the figure maneuvering among the corpse guards with longing in his eyes.

If he didn't have a clear understanding of his own strength, and if he didn't have the responsibility of protecting his young master as a retainer, he would have really wanted to follow behind and charge into battle.

The white-haired old man single-handedly led away nearly half of the corpse guards who were besieging the winch. He wielded two Japanese swords with ancient patterns, his movements wide and powerful, using offense as defense, stirring up a bloody storm among the corpse guards.

Genji stood on the edge of the sky, looking down. He recognized the knives in the other person's hand and on his back.

That is a "Tang-style sword" cast in ancient Japan in imitation of the shape of Tang Dynasty weapons, an antique that would be enshrined in any museum.

Even he had only seen a few rare and unique swords in the sword museum of the Snake Clan.

The old curator of the sword museum once sighed and told him that because of the defeat in World War II, the family's sword museum was looted by villains, leaving only these few swords.

When Genjiro was reviewing the files of a disgrace of the Snake-Headed Eight Families some time ago, he could clearly see that after killing people and setting fires, the person also stole a lot of valuable property from the family, including those Tang-style swords.

So, this person is actually...

The blade flashed like snow, and the boy cutter drew a shrill arc in the air.

The corpse guard's head flew into the sky, and black blood bloomed into a bewitching flower in the rain.

Yuan Zhisheng frowned, wondering why this old man, whose fate had been unknown for most of his life, would step forward at such a critical moment.

He had severed all ties with the Snake-Gi-Hachi family sixty years ago, so why is he standing up now? Is it to reconcile with his family, or is it because he can't let go of this country?

Are more than sixty years of grievances to be wiped out in this bloody storm?

Yuan Zhisheng couldn't figure it out, nor did he want to. Now, with life and death at stake, he had no heart to worry about trivial matters.

However, while he was wielding his sword to kill the enemy, he couldn't help but glance at the heroic figure of the white-haired old man out of the corner of his eye.

The man named Uesugi Kotsu had already reached the dragon-shaped corpse guardian. He dragged two Tang-style swords and leaped into the air, heading straight for the ferocious dragon head.

"boom!"

With a loud bang, two Tang-style broadswords struck the massive brow bone simultaneously. Under the immense force, the dragon-shaped corpse guard, which had been crushing a snake-shaped corpse guard with each step forward, had its raised head smashed off.

The old man roared like thunder, flipped over and leaped up, and thrust two Tang-style broadswords into the gap between his cervical vertebrae. As Uesugi Kotsugu's muscles bulged and his arms exerted force, the dragon bones made a teeth-grinding "crackling" sound.

With a deafening roar, the dragon's head and body were violently separated!
The massive, decaying dragon body collapsed with a crash, and a hundred or so serpentine corpses that had not yet jumped out of their rib cages fell to the ground, quickly being crushed and letting out sharp roars.

The old man raced across the jagged spine of the dragon's remains, each step precisely crossing the gaps between the bones. His twin blades transformed into silver whirlwinds, sending corpses and limbs flying wherever they went.

Suddenly, specks of silver-blue light appeared between the withered flesh and scales on the dragon's back, leaping out as Uesugi Koshi rushed past and tearing at him from all directions.

These are Ghost-toothed Vipers. They actually used the dragon-shaped corpse guards as their nest, and even managed to break out at this crucial moment.

Thousands upon thousands of small, silvery-blue fish leaped into the air, like a giant net of death enveloping Uesugi.

However, they are too slow!

Uesugi couldn't overcome a heavy stomp, dislocating one of the dragon-shaped corpse's vertebrae. Using the recoil, he soared into the air, throwing his long sword like a javelin!

"puff!"

The Tang-style broadsword struck the gaping maw of the serpentine corpse guard that was lunging forward, piercing through its entire head and forcing its body backward.

Before the corpse even hit the ground, Uesugi Yue had already moved up to it, using it as a leverage point to climb another step, avoiding the swarm of corpse guards and demon-toothed dragon vipers below.

Before he could even land, a sudden change occurred!
The dragon skeleton, which should have been dead, suddenly trembled violently. Its jagged tail, like a giant whip, swept out, tearing the serpentine corpses along its path to pieces. It then swept a foul stench straight at the old man's face!
"Nani?"

As Uesugi Kotsugu pulled his longsword from the corpse guardian's skull, he caught a glimpse of the fatal blow out of the corner of his eye. His pupils contracted slightly, clearly not expecting the dragon-shaped corpse guardian to be so cunning, still able to move even after its head was cut off.

But this thing is a puppet made from a corpse, driven by an alchemical matrix buried deep inside its body. Even if its head is separated from its body, it can still suddenly attack and hurt people, unlike Louis XVI, whose life ends once his head is gone.

"Drink——!!"

In a flash, the old man's arm muscles twisted like coiled dragons, and two Tang-style broadswords drew sharp arcs at his sides.

The moment the blade collided with the bone tail, a deafening sound like metal clashing was produced!
"boom!!!"

A visible shockwave erupted from the point of impact, even blowing away the falling rain. Sparks flew like fireflies, illuminating Uesugi Kotsushi's ferocious face and the broken bone fragments on the dragon's tail.

The residual force of the attack sent both of them flying backwards.

Uesugi Kotsu felt a slight numbness in his tiger's mouth as the two ancient swords, passed down for hundreds of years, shattered inch by inch under the force of the recoil!

The grotesque coccyx was covered with spiderweb-like cracks, the alchemical matrix was damaged, and dark purple marrow fluid seeped out from the cracks.

In mid-air, Uesugi Kotsushi twisted his waist like a hawk doing a somersault, his right hand already drawing two new ancient swords from the sword box on his back, the two swords crossing like scissors—

"Zhi!"

A flash of cold light, and the head of a lunging corpse guard flew into the air.

Uesugi Kotsu stomped heavily on the dragon's chest with his toe, using the recoil to land steadily on the dragon's head he had severed.

The trampled corpse guard's chest collapsed, and it fell into the horde of corpse guards like a tattered sack, disappearing in an instant.

The rain poured down, but the silhouette of Uesugi Kotetsu standing with his sword in hand remained as solid as a mountain. The gale tore at his robes, making them flutter like battle flags.

Those golden pupils swept over the mountains of corpses and seas of blood, their disdainful gaze seeming to say, "That's it? Don't you have anyone more capable?"

Unfortunately, the Corpse Guardians couldn't understand his gaze. Their roars tore through the rain, and these fearless monsters charged forward one after another.

"boom--!!!"

A deafening explosion echoed in the distance. Another floating platform capsized in flames; the remaining law enforcement personnel chose the most tragic end!

The towering pillar of fire engulfed tens of thousands of corpses, illuminating this hellish battlefield.

At the same time, three giant splashes of water erupted on the sea surface, and three dragon skeletons, even larger than before, burst out of the waves. Their decaying bone wings stirred up towering waves, and the entire Sumeru pedestal trembled.

These ancient predators went into battle the moment they saw the corpse of their companion.

Golden flames ignited in their porcelain-like eyes as they lowered their heads and frantically devoured the seawater. The withered cells in their bodies came alive, and the life that had been sealed within their bones by alchemy finally broke free!
The withered muscles coiled around the bare bones like vines, the exposed heart pounded violently in the open chest cavity, and the bulging blood vessels were visible under the skin.

They once again reigned supreme in the form of dragons, yet they carried only withered bones on their wings and bare tailbones, presenting an extremely bizarre "half-alive, half-dead" state.

"Three of them, and they can even transform twice?!"

The raven's throat tightened as he watched the monsters unfurl their tattered bone wings and charge towards the Sumeru throne with silent roars, as if they had already foreseen their fate.

One dragon-shaped corpse guardian had already scratched the Sumeru pedestal all over, and three dragon-shaped corpse guardians with whale-like bodies could definitely destroy the Sumeru pedestal.

"Trouble..."

Genji walked to the edge of the platform with his sword in hand, his gaze drifting toward the white-haired figure standing atop the dragon's head.

And coincidentally, the other person was also looking at him.

The old man's stern golden eyes reflected his tense face.

Uesugi looked up at the young man standing atop the Sumeru pedestal, gripping his twin swords tightly, looking as if he were about to jump down and wreak havoc on the corpse guardian at any moment. His gaze was deep.

That was his son, the continuation of his bloodline.

If he were in that situation, he probably would have already flown away in a helicopter. Forget the Snake Clan, forget the Dragon-Slaying Mission, to hell with them!

But Genjiro wouldn't.

This stubborn fool will not abandon his followers and run away, nor will he break his promise and watch Angers and the others perish in the deep sea. He will fight to the death.

Just like his grandmother...

"So be it." Uesugi Kotsuki suddenly smiled with relief, looking down at the corpse guards below who were ready to devour him, his Tang-style greatsword drawing a perfect circle in the air.

Amidst the torrential rain, the crimson arc of light trailed by the blade grew brighter and brighter, eventually transforming into a pitch-black corona.

Word of Power: Black Sun!
Inuyama He had just rushed out of the command room when he froze on the spot, a look of fear appearing on the face of this well-traveled swordsman.

As an old man who had lived through that era of war, he knew all too well what this power of words meant.

That was a forbidden power comparable to the authority of the Dragon King, the true form of the "Emperor".

Uesugi stood in the center of the black sun, his white hair dancing wildly in the wind, chanting ancient dragon script in a low voice, solemn as if a god or Buddha had descended to earth.

The black sun began to slowly rotate, and the terrifying suction force formed a horrifying hurricane.

The entire Sumeru pedestal began to tremble.

Yuan Zhisheng's golden eyes contracted violently. He had seen records of this forbidden incantation in his family's secret manual, but he never thought he would be able to witness it with his own eyes.

The slowly rotating black hole was devouring everything around it—seawater, corpses, even light.

Debris from the building swirled in the air, and hundreds of corpse guardians were pulled toward death by an invisible hand.

Sensing the threat of death, the monsters dug their claws into the steel shell of the Sumeru pedestal, causing countless snake tails to dance wildly in the hurricane, creating a bizarre and spectacular apocalyptic scene.

Genji had to insert the spider cutter into the deck to avoid being caught in the storm.

"Hold on tight!" Yaksha shouted, clinging tightly to the steel pillar.

"Is...is this really something a human could do?" The raven's voice trembled as he practically clung to the steel railing with his limbs.

Uesugi stood at the center of the storm, his voice reciting the dragon inscription growing ever more solemn and dignified. His golden eyes shone like the blazing sun, and his figure appeared and disappeared amidst the flowing clouds and flames, like a divine king descended to earth.

The temperature at the edge of the Black Sun had reached an alarming level. Several corpses that got too close were swept away by the strong winds and flew toward the Black Sun, turning into crimson lumps of coal as soon as they touched the corona.

boom--! ! !
The black sun suddenly contracted, and the suddenly intensified gale pulled hundreds of corpse guards toward the center of the black sun.

Before they even reached Uesugi Koshi, they were already ignited by the high temperature, just like the others that had already entered the underworld of Hirasaka, gradually carbonizing like red-hot iron blocks.

Uesugi Koshi strolled forward, each swing of his crimson blade raising clouds of white dust.

Those were the burning corpses that were shattered into pieces by the blade, and turned into snow-white ash the instant they touched the edge of the black sun.

The Tang-style broadsword was already glowing red-hot, and the sparks it generated when swung traced a magnificent path in the darkness.

This aged emperor swept across the battlefield like an ancient chariot, leaving behind only ashes like snowflakes in his wake, as if death itself were a projection on earth, burning everything at will.

"This is... the true emperor."

As Yuan Zhisheng gazed at the figure that was invincible among the zombie horde, he realized for the first time with such clarity the gap between himself and the Primarch.

Those who have never reached the summit can never imagine the view from the top, and even if they think they have seen the beauty of the mountaintop, they have only glimpsed the tip of the iceberg.

Erii's use of the Word of Power: Judgment is too superficial, always giving people the feeling of a child wielding a nuclear weapon, far less oppressive than the last Shadow Emperor of the Snake Clan.

But soon he realized that the Black Sun was not a perfect Word of Power; it also had weaknesses and could not be effective against enemies behind him.

The approaching Corpse Guardians launched a surprise attack from behind. Uesugi Kotsushi turned around to block, and Kuroji turned around to instantly burn the onrushing Corpse Guardians into charcoal.

He had no time to clean up the corpses guarding the Sumeru pedestal; he raised his sword and pointed it at the enormous creature that was flapping its wings and coming from the sea.

The three dragon-shaped corpse guardians had noticed the threat posed by Uesugi Yue. They abandoned their attack on the Sumeru Throne and instead pounced on the tiny human.

They surged forward with enormous waves, attempting to extinguish the black sun burning with an aura of destruction, but the seawater evaporated the moment it got close. The high-temperature water vapor mingled with the crumbling white ash of the corpse guardian, staining the Sumeru seat with the colors of blood and white.

Besieged on both sides, he could only attend to one side. Unfortunately, the three dragon-shaped corpse guardians were not close enough to the Sumeru pedestal. No matter how strong Uesugi was, he could not jump into the sea and scatter their ashes under the attack of countless corpse guardians.

The area behind them, which had been cleared, was now surrounded by more corpse guards. They moved swiftly and fiercely, showing no fear despite the large number of their companions dying.

They had too many soldiers. Uesugi Kotsushi killed hundreds of them, but in an instant, the gaps were filled by corpses that rushed up from the seabed.

Seeing that things were not going well, Inuyama He grabbed his sword and was about to rush down to help, but a thin figure had already swooped down from the winch platform in front of him.

Ancient dragon script was chanted from Yuan Zhisheng's mouth, and a sudden, overwhelming pressure, as if the sky were collapsing, pressed the corpse guardians that were perched on the outer shell of the Sumeru pedestal to the ground by the violent gravity, as if they were paying homage to the supreme emperor.

Those Ghost-toothed Vipers that had managed to escape the dark sun and were still hopping around on the ground were crushed to death by the corpse guards.

The corpse guards who formed the encirclement knelt on the ground, leaving only the one who summoned the black sun standing.

Uesugi Kotsushi noticed the movement behind him, and a relieved and joyful smile flashed across his weathered face. He no longer needed to be wary of enemies behind him.

He cleared all obstacles and arrived at the edge of the Sumeru pedestal. The black sun behind him contracted again, and the dragon-shaped corpse guard that rushed in first opened its bloody maw, but suddenly twisted when it was ten meters away from Uesugi Kotsugi.

The terrifying gravitational field of the Black Sun snapped its head off, then instantly charred it into carbon, and with a single cut, it turned into white ash.

Two other dragon-shaped corpses attacked from the left and right, and Uesugi Koshi could only fight one of them.

Faced with a choice between two options, and the possibility of serious injury regardless of which he chose, he did not hesitate to jump onto the headless dragon corpse and use the momentum to rush towards the one that was a little further away.

Upon seeing this, the dragon-shaped corpse guarding behind it opened its mouth and bit without hesitation.

But just as its gaping maw opened halfway, a terrifying force struck, causing its head to crash heavily against the spine of its headless kin the instant its mouth closed.

"Pretty!"

Uesugi laughed loudly as he cleaved the second dragon head in two with a single strike. When he turned around, his legs were already feeling sore, numb, and heavy, but his sprinting speed did not decrease at all.

The last dragon suppressed by royal power is now a lamb to the slaughter.

On the Sumeru pedestal, Inuyama He, Sakura, Yasha, and the others watched in the wind and rain as the father and son below worked together seamlessly to completely annihilate a formidable enemy that could have destroyed the Sumeru pedestal. They were utterly dumbfounded.

"boom--!"

As the last headless dragon body fell, the light of the black sun quietly faded. Even though Uesugi was a pure emperor, he could no longer sustain the consumption of such super-powerful words.

Even without the Black Sun, Uesugi Kotsuki maintained his overwhelming advantage, guarding the edge of the Sumeru pedestal alone, his twin swords repeatedly slashing down the corpses that climbed up.

Behind them, Genjiro also wielded two swords. Father and son used almost identical sword techniques to fight to the death on the same battlefield.

The Tang-style sword is not like the Spider Cutter or the Child Cutter Yasutsuna; it is simply a high-quality antique sword, not an alchemical tool. This priceless treasure has become a consumable item in Uesugi Etsu's hands, which will be ruined in minutes. If an antique dealer saw it, he would probably faint on the spot.

But no one is angry about his wasteful behavior, because the situation has not improved. Dark shadows are moving beneath the sea, and new corpse guards are gathering.

Of the original six floating platforms, only the one beneath their feet remains, teetering on the brink of collapse.

While the two emperors were locked in a fierce battle, good news finally arrived from the command center:
"The Trieste has been successfully recovered!"

"Principal Angers and Commissioner Cheng are on their way!"

"What kind of good news is this?!" Uesugi was exhausted, but too lazy to even complain.

He wiped the blood from his face and raised the dulled Tang-style broadsword once more.

Each swing made his arm heavier, but Uesugi Kotsushi never stopped for a moment.

The more one he kills, the easier it will be for the silly kid behind him to score.

Genjiro's figure flickered not far away, also fighting without stopping for a moment.

The father and son, separated by the massive headless dragon's body, used the same sword technique, their movements mirroring each other, even the arc of their sword swings was exactly the same.

Between the sea and the sky, the two emperors stand side by side.

(End of this chapter)