Dragon Raja: Lu Mingfei finds a Freylian

Genji looked out at the sea. A small boat cut through the waves, and a girl with long, dark red hair stood quietly at the bow. As the corpse-guarding creature lunged forward, she drew her cherry-red longsword and swung it casually, silently splitting the charging monster in two. Her movements were as childlike as a child's scribbles, yet they carried an absolute, unwavering resolve.

Words of Power: Judgment.

She pressed herself against the sea, and her domain expanded. The raging ocean, centered on her, instantly calmed, then froze! Moonlight streamed down, and the ice spread, sealing the corpses and waves within its range into crystalline frost. She hummed a song, her gaze vacant, like a deity looking down upon the mortal world.

The iceberg lifted her up, then suddenly sank, like a giant ice cross, cutting through the seawater and plunging into the abyss.

Yuan Zhisheng leaned helplessly against the winch, watching the rapidly expanding frozen area, watching the corpses struggling and solidifying in the ice, watching the last hope of the three lunatics sink into darkness along with the iceberg.

He lit the cigar Caesar had given him and took a deep drag. He felt a pang of nostalgia for those noisy fellows.

Three thousand meters deep. The inertia of the nuclear explosion's shockwave dissipated, and the Trieste's hull groaned under the strain, cracks spreading. Chu Zihang was no longer able to unleash the Monarch Flame.

Even more terrifying, the screen showed that the last and largest wave of undead hordes, unaffected by the nuclear blast, was forming a black vortex of death, rapidly approaching from below. At the center of the vortex was a colossal black dragon shadow, clad in ancient armor, with billions of vipers swimming between its ribs.

The Corpse King raised its head and roared silently, its golden pupils burning like giant candles. Ghost-toothed vipers swarmed out, crawling all over the hull of the deep-sea submersible.

"It's a pleasure to meet you and Caesar," Chu Zihang said, his golden eyes dimming.

“Senior brother, me too,” Lu Mingfei murmured, looking at the unconscious Caesar and then at Chu Zihang.

The porthole collapsed under the combined force of the viper's frenzied gnawing and the pressure of the deep sea. Icy, high-pressure water rushed in, and Lu Mingfei felt as if the air in his lungs had been instantly squeezed out, his ribs throbbing with pain. Countless vipers with golden eyes surged towards his face with the current.

The last glimmer of golden light in Chu Zihang's eyes flashed, and he wanted to detonate the remaining Monarch Flame within his body, to perish together with the enemy.

An extreme, chilling cold, seemingly capable of freezing even the soul, descended from the sky.

A massive iceberg, shaped like a cross, carrying an overwhelming will to cut through everything, pierced through the seawater and plunged straight down. It forcefully suppressed the impending eruption of the sovereign flames, froze the surging seawater, and even solidified time.

The Dragon Skeleton Guardian looked up, the shadow of the ice spear reflected in its golden pupils. It curled up, trembling slightly. The Ghost-Toothed Dragon Viper darted back frantically.

Lu Mingfei was on the verge of oxygen deprivation and death, his consciousness fading. But amidst the overwhelming chill and unparalleled sharpness, he caught a familiar scent.

Perhaps a familiar face from a past life. It's as if an old friend has returned, traversing the icy sea.

The icy seawater rushed into his mouth and nose, and the suffocation and pressure made Lu Mingfei's vision go black. Through his blurred vision, a dark red figure was rapidly approaching, cutting through the chaotic currents.

Who?

Driven by his dying instinct, Lu Mingfei used his last strength to paddle desperately toward the figure. The girl's long hair spread out like seaweed in the water, obscuring her face. She glanced at Lu Mingfei and reached out to place a thick diving helmet on his head.

With a soft click, the mask locked.

Fresh air, carrying the sweet scent of citrus, filled his lungs. Then, Lu Mingfei felt a gentle force coming from below him, and the girl carried him, rising rapidly towards the increasingly bright, shimmering sea.

Chapter 447 Frillian: Someone is orchestrating everything behind the scenes

Half an hour before Lu Mingfei and his group had their accident.

The steam from the miso soup rose slowly, turning into almost invisible wisps under the pale light. Frillie sipped it slowly, her thoughts drifting back to Kuroda's last words.

"Young Master is unaware of the entire plan."

“There are other forces dominating within the family.”

"Inuyama Rin"

She put down the soup bowl, her fingers lightly touching her cuff, where the burned-out communicator had once been hidden.

If Genjiro wasn't the mastermind, then who was?

The internal factions within the Snake Clan are complex, and the rift between conservatives and radicals is no secret to the academy. The Executive Director, Genjiro, belongs to a more enlightened faction, but not everyone agrees with his ideology.

Especially in this deep-sea operation.

Frillie recalled her conversation with her mentor, Flamel, before setting off. The usually drunken old man was unusually sober for once, and he said, "The things hidden at the bottom of the sea by the Snake Clan are much older than they admit. And someone wants to bring them to light again."

At the time, she thought her mentor was referring to the "god" in the burial ground. But now, she thinks it might be more than that.

Meanwhile, in the central control room of the Sumeru Throne.

Genjiro stared at the green dot on the screen representing the Trieste, which was slowly descending into the dark depths of the sea.

"Young Master, depth 7800 meters, everything is normal," the crow reported.

“Keep monitoring. Report any unusual activity immediately,” Genjiro’s voice was weary.

He rubbed his temples, his gaze sweeping over the staff in the control room. Some faces were familiar, others from other departments of the family. The personnel deployment for this operation wasn't entirely under his control; it was a direct order from the patriarch, Tachibana Masamune.

"Young Master," Yasha whispered, "a message has come from Kuroda that Lady Frilian has noticed."

“As expected,” Genji said calmly. “She is an A-level specialist from Kassel College and a student of Flamel. It would be strange if she didn’t even have this much awareness.”

"Then what's our plan?"

“Continue,” Genji interrupted him, “but remember, her safety is paramount. No matter what happens, you cannot harm her.”

"But what if she tries to leave?"

Yuan Zhisheng remained silent for a moment.

"Then let her leave."

Both the yaksha and the crow were stunned.

"Young Master, this is not appropriate."

"This is my order as the Director of the Executive Bureau," Yuan Zhisheng's voice suddenly turned cold. "I will take full responsibility for any problems that arise."

A brief silence fell over the control room, broken only by the hum of the instruments.

VIP room.

Frillie had finished her meal. She got up and walked to the window, looking out at the dark sea.

The lights of the Sumeru platform outlined a cold, hard silhouette in the night, while the lights of Tokyo Bay in the distance resembled scattered stars. Beneath this seemingly calm sea, a storm was brewing that could potentially reshape the entire hybrid world.

Her fingers traced a light line across the glass, and her magical perception spread out like ripples. The energy flow she could "see" was even more active than before. Not just on her level, but throughout the entire Sumeru platform, and even further beneath the sea, there were unusual fluctuations.

An ancient being is awakening.

“Ghost-toothed Dragon Viper,” Frilian murmured to herself.

Flamel's warning echoed in his mind: "Those little things are both keys and guards. When they awaken, the door will open."

The door. The door to the burial site.

No, that's not all.

Frillie closed her eyes, unleashing her full magical vision. She could see things invisible to ordinary people: beneath the surface of the sea, countless points of light were converging, surging from all directions toward the coordinates where the Trieste was diving.

It's not just the Ghosttooth Viper. There are also thousands of Corpse Guardians gathering.

“It wasn’t an accident.” Frilian opened her eyes, her emerald pupils gleaming faintly in the darkness. “It’s a summons. Someone is about to hold a ritual in the deep sea.”

She finally understood. Her confinement wasn't to prevent her from witnessing an accident, but to prevent her from interfering with the ceremony.

If a representative from Kassel College discovers that the Snake Clan is performing a forbidden ritual in the presence of a representative from Kassel College, Frilline has the right to immediately stop it and may use force if necessary.

But if she "happens" to be unaware due to a communication failure, or if she "unfortunately" dies in an accident, then the Snake-Headed Eight Families can accomplish what they want without anyone witnessing it.

"There are other forces dominating within the family," Kuroda's words were confirmed.

But did Genji know? Was he kept in the dark, or...? Frillie shook her head. There was no point in dwelling on that now. Whether Genji knew or not, the ritual had begun, and something in the deep sea was awakening.

Lu Mingfei, Caesar, and Chu Zihang were still inside that fragile submersible, descending towards the center of the ceremony. She had to do something.

In the corridor, Kuroda leaned against the wall, seemingly on guard duty, but his heart was in turmoil. He remembered Inuyama Nashi's parting words.

“Frilian always seems nonchalant, but she actually values ​​life more than anyone else,” Inuyama Rin said in a video call, with the Kassel College library in the background. “If she’s angry, it must be because someone has done something unforgivable. Kuroda-kun, if you encounter her on a mission, please protect her.”

Kuroda clenched his fists. He had grown up in the Snake Clan since childhood, and loyalty was ingrained in his very bones. But this time, he felt an unprecedented wavering.

The orders from patriarch Tachibana Masamune, the contradictory attitude of young master Genjiro Minamoto, the secret operations of the radical faction within the clan, and what was happening underwater. He vaguely knew what it was, and that was why he was even more terrified.

"Captain," the young team member asked in a low voice, "Is this headquarters specialist really just an academy representative? I always feel that the way she looks at us doesn't seem like that of an ordinary person."

Kuroda did not answer, because he felt the same way.

Frillie's eyes were too calm, a calmness unbecoming of someone in grave danger. It wasn't the fearlessness of ignorance, but the composure born of knowing everything. It was as if she had already witnessed far worse situations and emerged from them.

Inside the VIP room, Frillie retrieved a pen-shaped object, its surface engraved with patterns, from a hidden compartment in her suitcase. It wasn't a weapon, nor a communicator. It was a gift from her mentor, Flamel.

“If you encounter a problem that can’t be solved by conventional means,” the old man said, drunk at the time, “use this. It will give you a ‘surprise’.”

Frilian studied it for a long time before she could barely understand the principle behind it: a directional energy release device based on alchemy that could temporarily disrupt the surrounding energy field.

For a hybrid race reliant on dragon blood and the power of words, this was tantamount to a temporary ability stripper. But she had never used it. Firstly, because it was unnecessary, and secondly, because the side effects were unknown. Instructors like Flamel were always unpredictable. But now, perhaps it was time.

Frillie gripped the silver pen and walked to the door. She needed to test the guards' reaction speed and verify Kuroda's words. More importantly, she needed to know the extent to which the Snake-Headed Eight Family was willing to go if a conflict were to occur.

She pressed the call button by the door. A few seconds later, the door opened. Kuroda stood in the doorway, his expression as usual: "Ms. Frillian, is there anything you need?"

"I feel a bit stuffy and would like to go up on deck for some fresh air," Frillian said calmly. "Is that alright?"

"I'm sorry, ma'am. The young master has ordered that you remain indoors for your safety until the deep-sea operation concludes."

What if I say no?

"Please don't make things difficult for us, ma'am. We're just following orders."

Frillie looked at Kuroda and suddenly laughed.

“Okay,” she said. “Then I’ll just walk around the room.”

Frillie turned and walked back inside, as if the earlier probing had never happened. But in that instant, her fingers twitched, and a nearly invisible thread of magic floated out and attached itself to the doorframe. This was an extension of her perception magic, allowing her to "see" movement within a certain range outside the door.

The door closed.

Frillie returned to the window and closed her eyes. In her magical vision, she "saw" Kuroda stand outside the door for a few seconds, then gesture for one team member to stay while she led another to the other end of the corridor. His heart was pounding. Not from nervousness, but from making a decision.

Frillie opened her eyes.

“It seems you were telling the truth, Kuroda-kun,” she murmured to herself. “Well then, I should prepare my ‘surprise’ as well.”

Chapter 448 Masamune Tachibana: Kill Frilline

Sea of ​​Japan, Sumeru platform.

Tachibana Masamune stood in the center, the hem of his linen robe motionless in the gentle breeze from the ventilation system. Behind him, nine pale blue eternal lamps cast swaying shadows on the alloy wall. This lighting was modeled after the lanterns offered at a shrine, deliberately adjusted to a dim light that could illuminate a human figure but obscure the face.

"The hatching rate has reached the threshold." The old man in the dark patterned haori bowed and said in a very low voice, "The Corpse Guardian swarm has begun to peel off from the trench rock layers, and its number exceeds the estimate by forty percent."

Masamune Tachibana's gaze fell on the main screen. In the 3D sonar image, the Trieste looked like a speck of silver falling into an abyss.