Dragon Clan: Force me to be reborn and slay dragons

Chapter 396 The King of the Ocean and Water
Lu Mingfei had never met any members of the Lu family except his father, uncle, and chubby cousin, but he immediately recognized the person who appeared at the end of Friedrich von Long's dream as his own grandfather's grandfather.

He had a braid, was covered in wounds, and looked the most disheveled of the three.

Lu Mingfei didn't know what happened back then, but he was certain that when the first generation of the Lionheart Society was attacked by the Dragon King, the traitor Friedrich was still in China.

So everything in the nightmare was just a tragic scene he pieced together from the information he had gathered.

Some criminals like to return to the crime scene to observe, but Friedrich clearly didn't have the guts to set foot on his homeland, because there was a vengeful man there.

Hilbert Jean Angers!
In the nightmare, Angers is young and handsome, looking no more than thirty years old, and his emotions are more outwardly expressed compared to the other two.

His chest caved in, but his movements were as fast as lightning. In an instant, he appeared in front of Friedrich, grabbed the latter by the neck, and slammed him hard against the ruins.

"Friedrich!"

"Why did you betray us?!"

The young Angers questioned angrily, his bloodshot golden eyes sharp as knives, as if he wanted to tear Friedrich von Long to pieces with his gaze.

However, Friedrich von Long was choked and unable to speak, only able to stare at him in terror, at Menek Kassel and Lushan Yan, and at the figures emerging one after another from the billowing smoke and blood.

The burly Black "Chief," the agile Indian "Tiger," the petite and adorable "Ghost," the most mature and composed member of the original Lionheart Society, "Smoke Ash," the slender and tall "Silver Wing" Viscount Charlotte, the elderly "Iron Cross" Lord Mayek, and...

He and Angers' teacher, the Marquis of Gambet, the "gravedigger".

Without exception, none of them were good-looking; in fact, their appearance could be described as miserable.

The chief, Tiger, and Ash were nothing more than three charred corpses, dragging broken guns in their hands, swaying forward like zombies.

The same was true of Lord Mayek, who, like the Iron Cross Rose, died in the explosion.

The youngest ghost's life was frozen in its prime; her neck was torn apart. Viscount Charlotte, on the other hand, was like a piece of broken porcelain that had been pieced back together. As a sharpshooter, he was nearly torn apart by the Deadpool horde when they got close.

The most pitiful-looking man was Friedrich's teacher, the Marquis Gambet. This usually elegant old man looked as if he had fallen into a high-speed blender, his body covered in blood and gore, with only his eyes still looking at him, filled with deep disappointment.

As he was stared at by those eyes filled with hatred, anger, or disappointment, Friedrich felt the shame he had long since abandoned suddenly return.

At this moment, not only did his body revert to its youthful state, but his mindset and composure accumulated over the years also vanished as if time had reversed.

He lowered his head, trying to avoid the gazes that could burn him to the bone, but instead met Angers' golden eyes, which were like those of an angry lion.

"I didn't betray you, I was just deceived, I was used..."

Friedrich gripped Angers' arm, struggling to break free and force out a single sentence from his throat.

"Lies galore!" Angers roared, veins bulging on his gripped arm, as if he wanted to strangle the man before him.

"Why did you betray us? For power? To survive? Or for that damned wealth?"

Look at the state you've become! A rat hiding in a gutter!

Back then, as the Secret Service's trade representative, he rushed to China, completed the negotiations, and sent back a telegram to notify that the transaction was complete. He signed the "goods" and stamped them with the Secret Service's silver ring to indicate that everything was correct. Only then could the goods successfully cross the ocean and be delivered to the Secret Service's base—the Kassel Estate.

However, the cargo he confirmed ultimately became the culprit behind the downfall of the first Lionheart Society. He was supposed to return to his estate in Kassel, Germany with the cargo, but he made excuses that there were follow-up transactions and had to stay in China to conduct an investigation at the site of the "cargo" in Tongwan City, and then lost contact with the group.

If the situation were different, and he claimed he was misled or used, some people might hesitate.

But this is a nightmare created by the Baku based on Friedrich's deepest fears. In this nightmare, he identifies himself as a traitor, a traitor confirmed by his former comrades.

He himself admitted that he was a traitor and that he indirectly caused the deaths of his Lionheart Society comrades and the leader of the Secret Society. What excuse could he possibly have?

“You know what that dragon corpse is, don’t you, Friedrich?”

As the bloodied and mangled Marquis Gambet approached, a strong stench of blood filled the air, and as he spoke, gushing blood flowed from his exposed gums.

“No, I don’t know. I was just ordered to negotiate and complete the deal.” Friedrich shook his head, trying to explain:

“I’ve confirmed that it really is just a specimen; he’s been dead for over a thousand years!”

"Then why don't you come back?" the young Angers demanded sharply. "Is it because you don't want to come back, or because you're afraid to come back?!"

A sharp pain shot through his neck, and the feeling of suffocation returned. Friedrich felt as if Angers was about to snap his cervical vertebrae.

He tried to pry the young, angry lion's hand off, but compared to this rising star of the Secret Party, the second strongest after Meneke, he, the banker's student and outstanding archaeologist, could only be described as weak, his throat firmly gripped and unable to break free.

But he ultimately managed to secure a chance to explain himself. With all his might, he pried open Angers' fingers, and air flowed back into his lungs through the small gap. He answered with lightning speed:

"The Chinese merchant I traded with said that there was more than just this one specimen in Tongwan City, but also other dragon remains. He said that Western Xia might have been a kingdom founded by a dragon race!"

"If what he said is true, this would be a discovery that would shock the world of hybrids, and we might even be able to obtain more dragon remains."

Menek stepped closer and stared at him: "So, what did you find at the ruins of Tongwan City?"

"The Dragon King, or a relic left behind after the Dragon Clan established its kingdom?"

A flicker of panic crossed Friedrich's eyes. He shook his head and said, "I don't know. Back then, when the Eight-Nation Alliance invaded China, I was also wanted by the Qing government because of the cooperation between the Secret Service and the Revolutionary Party. After leaving Beijing, I went into hiding..."

Back then, it wasn't just the Dragon King's corpse that traveled across the ocean; it was also accompanied by the Empress Dowager's assassins, sent out to eliminate the revolutionaries who were trying to shake her rule, and also to secretly fund the revolutionaries' Lu Shanyan and the Secret Party.

At that time, almost all of Germany's Deadpool and awakened dragons received the Dragon King's summons to the Kassel Manor, preparing to completely wipe out the world's oldest dragon-slaying organization.

However, the dragons' long-planned attack ultimately failed. The great Menek Cassel unleashed a fighting power comparable to the Dragon King, and perished together with the Dragon King.

Upon hearing Friedrich's sophistry, the disappointment in Menek's eyes vanished completely, leaving only a deathly indifference.

He raised his cracked Atkan sword and plunged it into Friedrich's shoulder, pinning him firmly to the wall.

"what--!!!"

Friedrich cried out in pain; he couldn't remember the last time he had been injured or tasted pain.

But compared to the pain, what he found even more unbelievable was that the Lionheart leader, who had always been incredibly kind and loving to his companions and cared for them like a patriarch, would be the first to attack him.

Menek ignored his incredulous gaze, simply standing aside with his broken body, watching him indifferently.

Then, in Friedrich's increasingly terrified gaze, the tiger, charred like a corpse, staggered over, raised its broken rifle, and pulled the trigger.

With a "bang," his right leg snapped off. The full-metal armor bullet tore through his flesh and broke his bones, leaving only a layer of skin connecting his thigh and calf.

Amid Friedrich's screams, the tiger retreated to the side.

Next was the chief, a robust black man who no longer had to worry about being mocked for his skin color, because there were two others present who were just as dark-skinned as him.

He held a shotgun in his hand, but only the barrel was twisted, making it impossible to fire any more shot. So he went around to the other side, and after Angers released his grip on Friedrich's neck to make room, he stabbed forward without hesitation.

The gun barrel pierced Friedrich's left shoulder, and together with the yatkan longsword on the other side, pinned him to the broken wall.

Due to the development of the times, among the original Lionheart Society, only Meneke and Angers were accustomed to fighting with cold weapons, while the others preferred to use more lethal firearms.

Ash's favorite thing was a Kerberus cannon, but at this moment he only had half a barrel, so he simply swung it lightly and broke Friedrich's other leg.

The demon with its throat ripped out stepped forward, raised a rifle, and blasted Friedrich's arm as he tried to pull out the yatkan sword.

Next was Viscount Charlotte, whose gaunt figure seemed ready to fall apart at any moment, yet he held his flintlock pistol steadily, severing Friedrich's left shoulder with a single shot.

Then came Lord Mayek, who took Viscount Charlotte's flintlock pistol, reloaded it, and shattered his other shoulder.

Finally, it was Lu Shanyan's turn. He raised two silver, large-caliber revolvers and began aiming from his intact thigh.

"Feel the pain of betrayal..." Lu Shanyan's voice was low and oppressive, his eyes dull yet still able to pinpoint the enemy accurately:

"Use your body to remember this well!"

After saying that, he pulled the trigger.

"boom!"

"boom!"

"boom!"

"boom!"

"boom……"

Each time the trigger is pulled, the muzzle moves up two inches.

After twelve shots, Friedrich's lower body and abdomen had become a mass of rotten flesh, and all he could utter were inhuman screams.

Having emptied his ammunition, Rojiyama stood beside the demon, his gaze towards his student filled with guilt and sorrow.

Marquis Gambet was an old gentleman, not good at fighting, and as Friedrich's teacher, he did not take the step of killing the traitor.

He simply walked up to the student who was stuck to the wall like a lump of mud and took the Secret Service silver ring from his finger.

From this day forward, he is no longer a member of the Secret Party.

When a teacher scolds his student, it means he believes the student is still salvageable.

Only when disappointed to the point of despair will one remain silent, coldly watching and letting things fend for themselves.

"No, teacher, teacher, please..." Seeing Gambet's resolute turn, Friedrich's last shred of hope was extinguished.

At that moment, he seemed to forget that these people were already dead, and that he had survived by stepping on their corpses, barely clinging to life and hiding for over a hundred years.

But his words of pleading were cut off before he could finish them.

Because a figure filled with boundless hatred reappeared before him.

Angers, his former classmate, friend, and partner.

The Avengers are the most feared now.

"Angers, I..." He still wanted to beg for mercy, but Angers' movements were much faster than he could speak, faster than anyone could imagine. The folding knife sliced ​​through the air, accompanied by a sharp whistling sound!

A long, narrow gash appeared on his only intact chest, his clothes torn by the blade, revealing a gaping wound underneath, from which blood gushed.

Most of the others stopped after one strike, but Angers' hatred for Friedrich was no less than that for Lu Shanyan. His right arm danced almost like a blur, leaving wounds on his former friend's chest.

Each attack was accompanied by the painful questions and overwhelming hatred of the deceased.

Every cut cuts to the bone, causing excruciating pain to the very soul.

This was not an instantaneous death, but a long, public execution-like slow slicing.

Friedrich was pinned to the wall, struggling and howling in agony, trying to escape, but to no avail.

The attacks from former classmates were like a relentless storm, and the disgusted gazes of former teachers, seniors, and partners were like sharp blades piercing from all directions.

His mental defenses were completely destroyed, and fear and guilt overwhelmed him like a flood.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" Under extreme mental and physical torment, he finally broke down completely, screaming with tears streaming down his face:

"It's my fault! It's all my fault!"

"I shouldn't have betrayed everyone! I shouldn't have chosen to live a life of ignominy in the face of death!"

"The Chinese businessman I traded with was also a dragon. He had already found out about me before we met and, together with the Qing government, coerced me into helping them carry out the assassination of the Secret Society."

"I know the specimen in the coffin is the Dragon King. His name is Li Wuyue, the younger brother of Emperor Li Yuanhao of Western Xia, and he is suspected to be the King of the Ocean and Water!"

In his breakdown, he revealed everything, but from beginning to end he was just a pathetic pawn, used and then discarded, never even getting a glimpse into the Dragon King's scheme.

All he knew was that the Dragon King did this to buy time for development, so that the Secret Party wouldn't have the energy or ability to keep an eye on them.

Although the Dragon King did not kill him after using him, he would live in Angers' shadow for the rest of his life, never daring to be exposed to the sunlight.

“What does that Chinese businessman look like?” Angers pressed the knife against his neck.

“I don’t know, he never even showed his face.” Friedrich shook his head. He was taken into custody as soon as he arrived at the negotiation site and has been under the surveillance of the dragons ever since. He never even saw the mastermind behind it all.

The only reason they could deduce that the other party was also a dragon was because Deadpool was in charge of supervising him.

"Useless!" Angers asked again, "Who were you talking to on the phone just now?"

“Frost Gattus…” Friedrich answered almost subconsciously, but he quickly realized something was wrong. How could Angers know who he was talking to on the phone?
"How could you—" he was about to ask when he saw Angers raise his folding knife high.

Friedrich von Long's eyes widened in despair, and with a flash of light, he stabbed down with pinpoint accuracy!
"Pfft-"

The cold blade pierced his heart completely.

(End of this chapter)