Dragon Raja: Lu Mingfei finds a Freylian

"Disgusting and insane." Caesar's face showed undisguised disgust after hearing this. "This kind of theorist should just be killed. Since you thought of it, why don't you do it? You and your brother are royalty among the hybrids. You are the closest to gods among the White King's bloodline. You can kill whoever you want."

The smoke from the pipe swirled slowly in the air.

Kazama Ruri lowered her head, and the stray hairs on her forehead fell down with the movement, covering the left half of the boy's face, which had been washed clean, as well as the right half of the female ghost's makeup, which still had red marks.

“I’ve killed. More than once,” he said. His fingers tightened around the scabbard once more, this time more so than before, his knuckles bulging against the cherry-red scabbard. “But I’ve never succeeded.”

He raised his head. On that face, half a pure white-haired boy and half a ravaged female ghost, deep within those eyes flowed a genuine, bone-deep emotion—fear—completely incompatible with his bloodline and identity.

“At first I refused to obey him and resisted fiercely. I slit his throat, the truth is, the blade went in through his left carotid artery and came out the right, enough to kill any human being in a few seconds. He died, lying in a pool of blood, clutching his neck, twitching once and then motionless. I knelt down beside him and reached out to remove the mask from his face, the mask I had never seen him take off before.”

"But when my fingertips touched the edge of the mask, I realized that it was actually growing out of his face. I pulled hard and tore a piece of his skin open. Underneath the mask was another mask. Behind the mask was not a human face, but bloody subcutaneous tissue, exposed muscles and fascia. I was so scared that I dropped the knife and ran away."

"But the next morning, he appeared before me wearing the exact same mask, smiling, asking me if I slept well the night before. It was as if nothing had happened."

A profound, deathly silence fell over the room.

Caesar couldn't utter a single word. Chu Zihang also remained silent.

If Tachibana Masamune gives the impression of a shrewd schemer whose every move can be reviewed, analyzed, and understood, then the King Sho gives the impression of something entirely different.

A ghost that is indestructible, which can be killed and then stand back in front of you the next morning as if nothing happened.

Chapter 788 Eliminating the King

"How do you want to cooperate?" Chu Zihang asked.

"To kill a god, we must first find it. But we know neither its current form nor where it hatched. It could be a piece of broken bone, a deformed eight-headed dragon embryo, or it could look no different from an ordinary human. If we guess wrong, we won't even have a chance to make a move; if we guess right, we might not be able to kill it."

"Why not go in the other direction?" Kazama Ruri's expression suddenly changed.

Something that had been dormant within him awakened, like a knife that had been wrapped in brocade for many years finally being drawn from its sheath.

He stared directly at Caesar, a boy who was as graceful as a female ghost on stage and as carefree as a prodigal son off stage, and suddenly a sharp edge that could almost cut people burst forth.

"Let's kill the one who wants to resurrect God first."

"Get rid of Tachibana Masamune?" Caesar asked.

“No, first and foremost, it is the King.” Kazama Ruri stood up, carrying the long sword with its cherry-red scabbard, and walked to the center of the room. She stepped barefoot onto the rush tatami mats, each step extremely steady.

Just now, when he knelt before the dressing table, his figure was wrapped in a scarlet robe, making him look slender and fragile; now, standing in the center of the room, the light of the paper lantern cast his long shadow on the white wall behind him, suddenly revealing an aura of imperial blood that was the same as that of Genjiro.

“He wants to resurrect God, so we must stop him. But I can’t disobey the King’s orders. Among the demons, the vast majority believe in the King, just as believers believe in their prophets. Between me and the King, they would unhesitatingly side with the King. But if the King dies, the situation will be completely reversed.”

“Once the King dies, I will be the supreme leader of the Fierce Ghosts. Based on my understanding of him, I can uncover his entire plan to resurrect the God. Every hiding place, every laboratory, every backup plan hidden in the shadows. Then I will follow those clues to find the God, and kill him before he truly awakens, while he is still just a writhing, multiplying skeleton.”

"After that, I will formally discuss cooperation with Kassel College. What the Demon Clan wants is very simple: for the Demon Clan to replace the Snake-Headed Eight Families and become the new Japanese branch. We will help you maintain the mixed-race society in Japan, but we will never do anything like the Snake-Headed Eight Families's isolation system, there will be no breeding hell, and there will be no more evolution drugs that turn living people into dead servants. As for myself, I will step down from the position of leader of the Demon Clan."

“I want to become a real Kabuki actor. You can monitor me anytime, and kill me if my bloodline goes out of control. This is my own request. Just please don’t send me to some isolated island prison. A Kabuki actor, without an audience, has no joy in living.”

"Sounds good. A dragon king of the Felguard offers to help us kill the god, then abdicate and go to perform. After it's done, all we need to do is be his supervisors," Caesar said slowly. "But why should we trust you? Maybe all of this is just you using us to get rid of the king so you can inherit the Felguard. Once you become the leader, the first thing you'll do is resurrect the god and seize its power. My family members could do the same thing."

“You can only trust me,” Kazama Ruri replied without the slightest hesitation or further explanation, “because you won’t find any other allies in Japan.”

He walked to the dressing table, took a black folder from the drawer, and handed it to Chu Zihang.

There were no markings on the folder cover, but you could feel the weight of the thick stack of papers inside when you held it in your hand.

"This contains detailed records of Wang Jiang's research into evolutionary drugs and his human experiments, including the time, location, subject number, drug batch, and observation results. Every single detail is meticulously documented. Even if these materials were submitted to the courts of any country governed by the rule of law, they would be enough to sentence him to death several times over. By handing these over, I am essentially cutting off my own escape route. Once they are made public, I will immediately be branded a traitor within the Ghost Clan, and Wang Jiang's followers will hunt me down at all costs."

“As friends of justice, I know you won’t harm someone who doesn’t deserve to die. So I’m handing over the reasons for killing me to you as well. If I ever show any signs of betrayal in the future, you can release this file and my identity at the same time. You don’t need to do it yourself; plenty of people will take care of my body.”

Caesar took the folder, opened the first page, and lingered on it for several seconds. Then he closed the folder and handed it to Chu Zihang.

"Why do you want to cooperate with us?" Chu Zihang took the folder but didn't open it immediately. "Don't you still have those men outside the door?"

“I don’t believe there are unkillable people in this world.” Kazama Ruri looked down at her hand on the hilt of her sword. “I also don’t believe that the King is some kind of ghost. He should be an extremely rare hybrid with some kind of extremely strong regenerative ability, an ability that is almost resurrection, but ‘almost’ does not mean ‘is’. Slitting his throat didn’t kill him, perhaps because his regenerative ability is close to that of dragons, or perhaps because his physical structure is completely different from that of ordinary people.”

"But no matter what, he must have some fatal weakness, I just haven't found it yet. I don't know how strong he really is, but someone with near-resurrection abilities must have an extremely strong defensive instinct. To assassinate such a hybrid, we must find an assassin who is a match for him."

“My subordinates are efficient, but they’re not high-ranking enough. You’re different. You are the most elite specialists in the undergraduate program at Kassel College. You even have the feat of personally killing a dragon king—Jormungandr, the king of the earth and mountains. Before that, no one believed that anyone other than the King of Bronze and Fire could be killed among the first-generation races, but you did it. In Japan right now, you are the only people I can find.”

"Our chance may only come once. The Snake Clan has already torn apart the Demon Clan's network of power, and the King has gone into hiding, his defenses so tight that even I find it difficult to track him down. I must set a trap that will force him to step into it even if he becomes suspicious, in order to capture and kill him. As for his resurrection ability, I am not afraid. After he falls, I will personally guard his corpse. He will resurrect as many times as he wants, and I will kill him as many times as he wants, until he becomes a pile of cells that can never be pieced back together into a human form."

Caesar whistled softly.

“This is really not something a sentimental Kabuki actor would say,” he said.

“Kill him, and I’ll be free.” Kazama Ruri rose proudly, her crimson robes unfurling behind her. “For freedom, I’d kill even a god, let alone a mere ghost crawling out of the ashes of Black Swan Harbor? I’m not like my brother. I don’t understand if justice truly exists in this world. Perhaps justice really is like a moth drawn to a flame, forever chasing the light, and forever having its wings scorched by the flames. But I want freedom. I want to be free to sing and dance on this stage of the world. I was born for this. I’m willing to die for it.”

Her face was still as gentle and kind as a good woman's, but at this moment, Kazama Ruri was radiating light. Her majesty even surpassed that of her older brother, who controlled all of Japan's yakuza and was known as Amaterasu.

Genjiro's majesty is like the sun, bright and righteous, shining upon all things; Kazama Ruri's majesty is like karmic fire, a raging flame that rises from the abyss of oppression and is powerful enough to burn the oppressor to ashes.

"Although I haven't decided yet whether or not to cooperate with you, I really can't help but applaud," Caesar remarked.

Kazama Ruri placed the long sword back on its rack, placed her hands by her sides, and bowed deeply to Caesar and Chu Zihang.

“Then I’ll take my leave. I hope to shake hands with you both next time we meet,” he straightened up and added, “I also hope to see Sakura again. I look forward to seeing him again; he has lion-like eyes.”

Chapter 789 The Treacherous Younger Brother, the Benevolent Older Brother

"So eager to leave?" Caesar was somewhat surprised. He still had a long list of questions on his mind: the exact location of the Well of Bones, the possible weaknesses of the King, and the molecular formulas of several drugs in the evolution medicine file that he hadn't had time to examine closely.

“I’ll have to ask that next time. Before long, the execution bureau of the Snake-Headed Eight Families will have the Kabuki Theater surrounded like an iron barrel. My respected brother will probably be there in person to join the roundup.” Kazama Ruri’s speech quickened, a stark contrast to her calm and composed demeanor when she was telling the story earlier. “If we keep dragging this out, we’ll just have to continue our conversation in the Snake-Headed Eight Families’ private prison.”

"Has the intelligence on the Ghost Clan deteriorated to this extent? You're supposed to be the number two, yet your hiding place was so easily discovered?" Caesar was taken aback.

In his mind, the Demon Gang was an underground organization that had been fighting under the nose of the Japanese underworld for decades, so their secrecy should be impeccable.

Moreover, Ruri Kazama's performance at the Kabuki-za Theater was a public event, so public that long lines formed at the ticket windows and major newspapers published advance notice in their culture sections. If Genji had really wanted to arrest him, he could have done so long ago.

Why tonight of all times?

He paused for a moment, then the answer came to him on its own.

Tonight is the premiere. Genji patiently waited until the premiere ended before taking action, giving his younger brother a complete stage.

The relationship between the academy and the Snake Clan, and between them and Genjiro, hangs in a gray area between opposition and subtle cooperation.

If Genjiro were to stumble upon them in a VIP box at the Kabuki-za Theater, secretly meeting with the second-in-command of the Oni Clan, it wouldn't be something they could easily brush off.

Moreover, the relationship between the brothers Genjiro and Genjiro is probably not very good. Genjiro has never mentioned having such a younger brother in any occasion. Although Kazama Ruri never says a bad word about his older brother, his words clearly reveal that Genjiro has always regarded him as a dangerous demon.

Therefore, he would rather come to Caesar and Chu Zihang, two rivals he had only dealt with a few days ago, to join forces, than knock on the door of his own brother who controlled the entire Japanese underworld.

"As long as there are media reporters present, all secrecy is a joke," Kazama Ruri laughed.

"Media reporters? Where did these media reporters come from?" Caesar was dumbfounded.

"A newcomer who has won praise from critics and veterans alike is premiering his newly adapted mythological play at the Kabuki-za Theater. This is a sensational event in the Kabuki world, how could there be no reporters present?" Kazama Ruri pulled out an iPad that had been prepared beforehand from under the dressing table, swiped a few times on the screen to bring up a news page, and handed it to Caesar.

The entire routine was fluid and graceful, having been rehearsed countless times.

"The cultural journalists present today include those from Asahi Shimbun, Yomiuri Shimbun, Bungei Shunju, and CNN. Tomorrow morning, my photo will be all over the headlines of the cultural sections of major newspapers, and CNN's website will put the news on tonight. Look, it's already up there."

Caesar took the iPad.

On the screen, the international edition of CNN News prominently featured the headline "Kabuki no Hana" (The Flower of Kabuki) along with two images.

The first picture is a close-up of Kazama Ruri on stage, dressed as Izanami, with a plain white robe, loose black hair, and two chilling blood-red lines at the corners of her eyes. Under the lamplight, she is beautiful to the point of being terrifying.

The second picture is a panoramic view of the central private room on the second floor. He and Chu Zihang are dressed in pure black kimonos, holding white paper folding fans, sitting upright, looking exactly like two cultural enthusiasts who have flown all the way from overseas to Tokyo to appreciate traditional art.

The caption reads: "Kabuki enthusiasts from Europe watch a performance in a VIP box." The humpback whale, sitting in the same box to Caesar's left, is completely stripped bare, not even a shred of its clothing remaining.

Caesar felt a "buzz" explode in his head, as if a large bell had been struck on his head.

He stared at Kazama Ruri's appearance for hours and still couldn't tell if she was male or female, but Genjiro couldn't possibly not recognize his own younger brother. After washing off the heavy makeup, that face was almost a carbon copy of his own.

This news was published as the headline on CNN's international edition, and it has most likely already been moved to the front page of major Japanese news websites. The specialists in charge of public opinion monitoring at the Snake-Headed Eight Family would certainly not have missed it.

The subtext of the news is so simple it requires no interpretation: the Kassel College's representative to Japan secretly met with high-ranking members of the "Fierce Demon Gang" in a private booth at the Kabuki-za theater, where they had a pleasant conversation. Now, no matter how many mouths they try to use, they can't clear their name.

"You hired the CNN reporter, didn't you?" Caesar threw the iPad back at Kazama Ruri, his eyes practically pinning her to the wall.

“No, that’s not it. However, taking photos is strictly prohibited during Kabuki performances. Only photographers officially authorized by the Kabuki-za Association are authorized to photograph the stage and audience seating during this time, and they provide the photos to various media outlets.” Kazama Ruri smiled as she took the iPad, gently placed it on the dressing table, and casually patted the neatly folded white robe. “That photographer, well, we’re quite familiar with each other.”

Caesar's lips twitched.

He recalled the image of himself sitting in the private room, fanning himself with a folding fan, a scene now being watched by countless eyes on numerous news websites around the world, accompanied by the headline "European Kabuki enthusiast," and being forwarded into the college's internal group chat, where the old bastard vice-principal, with a cigar in his mouth, was chuckling and commenting on it.

The mastermind behind all of this was standing right in front of him, smiling as he tossed him the car keys.

"You're brothers, how come your personalities are so different? Compared to you, your brother is simply an innocent little angel!" Caesar wanted to roar out loud, but he felt that roaring at this moment would lose all meaning, so he could only suppress his voice and throw these words out like a dagger.

"We have to find a way to finalize our cooperation, otherwise where do you get the guts to get on my pirate ship?" Kazama Ruri laughed, showing no remorse, and tossed the car keys to Caesar. The keys drew a silver arc in the air.

Caesar reached out and caught it, his palm touching the cool metal and the Land Rover's signature square silhouette.

"A dark green Land Rover SUV is ready for you in the underground parking garage. If I were you, I'd run there right now. My brother's car is probably already halfway there. The Snake Clan has people who keep a close eye on all the major news websites; their sense of smell is sharper than a hunting dog."

Before the words were finished, a sharp screech of brakes came from outside the Kabuki Theater.

Almost simultaneously, the roar of a helicopter rotor tearing through the air exploded overhead. The sound traveled from afar to near in just a few seconds, then hovered low above the Kabuki Theater, the wind whipped up by the rotors causing the purple curtains hanging outside the windows to flutter wildly.

Someone rappelled down from the helicopter along a rope, their combat boots slamming heavily onto the roof of the Kabuki-za Hotel.

Chapter 790 The Little Girl Returned from Hell to Find Me

Without a second thought, Caesar snatched the keys to the Land Rover and rushed out. His black kimono haori billowed backward in the wind, then swelled up abruptly in the draft at the corner of the corridor, like a black flag that suddenly unfolded and then abruptly closed.

Chu Zihang followed closely behind, clutching the stack of file folders and folders on the tatami mat in his hand. His steps were quick and steady, with each step almost perfectly spaced, and his shoes made only a very slight friction sound as they brushed against the wooden corridor.

The two sprinted through the winding corridors, only to find that all the sentry posts that had once been guarded by black-clad bodyguards were now empty.

The wall lamp was still on, its cold white light shining forlornly on the empty wall, so quiet that it seemed as if no one had ever stood there.

Just moments before, the corridor was lined with guards in black suits, and Caesar remembered them bowing in unison perfectly. But now, there wasn't a single person in sight.

The demons' forces completely withdrew without Caesar noticing, like mercury silently seeping into the cracks of the ground, leaving not a trace.

More than one corridor was empty.

The dressing room they bumped into as they rushed around the corner had its door wide open. The long table inside, laden with champagne glasses and crystal fruit platters, was still there, but the crew members who had been drinking champagne and chatting around it had all vanished. The dressing room door was also wide open, with a dozen dressing tables lined up in a row, each with its light bulb still lit, but the chairs were all empty. The backstage passageway flashed into view for a fleeting moment.

Along with them evaporated, the paper lanterns, gauze curtains, colorful flags, and cold fireworks launchers on the stage also evaporated.

The entire Kabuki-za was stripped bare in a very short time, leaving only an empty shell of a theater. The cushions in the audience seats may still have some body heat left, but the audience had long since dispersed.

Tonight's performance seemed no different from any ordinary show that had ever been performed at the Kabuki-za Theater, a show that had made people cry their hearts out, a dream from beginning to end.