Chapter 127: Herzog: I Am Already Invincible! (Lunar New Year Day 2!)

Beneath the Red Oni River, inside the Nibelungen known as Yomi Hirasaka.

A massive bronze pillar, stretching to an unseen height, stood within. It was engraved with countless intricate and mysterious characters, recording the war history of millions of years ago and the fate of the rebel army.

This was the copper pillar the Black Emperor had used to execute the White Emperor. He had once chained her to it, subjected her to six centuries of torture until she was on the verge of death, then cast her into a submarine volcano to be reduced to ash, before devouring those ashes to reclaim the power he had previously bestowed upon her.

It was just that he had missed one detail, allowing a human named "Izanagi" to steal a bone of the White Emperor, enabling her bloodline and life to continue, thus giving birth to the mythology of Japan.

And now, right here on this bronze pillar, the "God" who had once awakened was pinned down once again.

Unlike the King of Bronze and Fire who had appeared half a year ago, Norton had displayed his ferocious and massive dragon form, like a god or a demon—terrifying yet possessing a stern beauty.

In contrast, the "God" before them seemed underdeveloped, her body gaunt and skeletal. Her eight cervical vertebrae grew from different parts of her torso, twisted and grotesque, like a failed genetic experiment.

The only part of her body that drew attention was her tail.

There, a bone protruded from beneath the scales, moon-white in color, giving off an incomparably sharp sensation.

This was the Ame-no-Murakumo-no-Tsurugi, the divine artifact said to have been retrieved from the tailbone of Yamata no Orochi, the only thing capable of surpassing the ancient alchemical weapon, Ame-no-Habakiri.

But even with such formidable weaponry, the "God" had lost. She had been defeated by her own bloodline descendants, who had pinned her eight heads down with eight black spears, leaving her unable to move on the copper pillar.

Only those eight pairs of dragon eyes still flickered with the dim light of a dying candle, proving that this great creature was still alive.

At this very moment, in a ruin not far from the pillar, Kazama Ruri sat on the shattered ground. His chest was pierced by the Spider-Cutter, and his white kimono was stained crimson by the blood constantly seeping out.

As for Gen Yasushi, whom he held in his arms, he was also on the verge of death, his heart having nearly stopped.

He raised his head, blood-tears sliding down his pale face as they fell. His strength and warmth were rapidly fading from his body.

Both he and Gen Yasushi had failed, perishing together in the tragic farce of fratricide.

Just then, footsteps echoed in his ears. He saw the man wearing the court noble mask walking slowly toward them, carrying a speaker, followed by Erii, who held a long blade and wore an expressionless face.

Immediately after, a melodious piece of music drifted from the speaker, echoing through the Red Well. It was Tchaikovsky's ballet, "Swan Lake."

As the volume increased, the melody became increasingly grand and imposing, as if mourning the fratricide between the brothers.

Gazing through the mask at the dying twins on the ground, the man let out a light laugh, then placed the smart speaker on the ground and began to dance gracefully, ignoring the icy, disgusted glare from Kazama Ruri.

His movements were highly skilled; every beat was precisely hit. His spins were light and lively; even the most rigorous ballet master would have been conquered by this man's dance.

The only flaw was that this piece of music should have been sorrowful and desperate, yet he danced with such triumph, looking utterly overjoyed.

"Wang Jiang... no, who exactly are you..."

Kazama Ruri tightened his grip on Gen Yasushi, speaking weakly, as if he might fall unconscious at any second.

Hearing his words, the man's dance steps came to a sudden halt. He turned around gracefully, walking forward while removing his mask to reveal a triumphant, smiling face.

Kazama Ruri had never seen this face before, but he knew this person was Wang Jiang—yet he was far more than just Wang Jiang. He was the one who had orchestrated this entire scene; he was the true mastermind behind it all.

"Although it might seem strange to say this, this is indeed our first true meeting, so please allow me to introduce myself."

"My name is Johann von Herzog. I am the Patriarch of the Katana-Eight Families, Tachibana Masamune; I am the Wang Jiang of the Fierce Ghost Sect; and... I am the God of this world's future!"

The silver-haired man, Herzog, spoke, much like many villains reaching the finale, beginning to recount the various schemes and layouts he had executed all these years.

For instance, Gen Yasushi was never a "Ghost," and there was nothing wrong with his bloodline. The reason he had gone on a killing spree years ago was merely because his brain had been affected by the "Broken Bridge" surgery, and then Herzog had used hypnosis to manufacture a second personality, controlling its emergence through the sound of wooden clappers.

Beyond that, Herzog had used similar methods to simultaneously manipulate two shadow-warriors, playing the roles of Tachibana Masamune and Wang Jiang respectively, directing the various conflicts between the Katana-Eight Families and the Fierce Ghost Sect...

"Haha... Hahahahaha————!!!"

By the end, Herzog began to laugh out loud.

As someone about to ascend to the throne of God, he should have laughed with more restraint.

But he couldn't help it; he was simply too happy. He couldn't control the corners of his mouth or his white teeth, which were spread wide like an open pomegranate.

He had won! He had already won!

Having hidden until the very end, not only had he killed the intruder who had disrupted his plans, but all the preparations he had made had gone exactly as expected.

Now, victory was within reach. With just one final step, he would fulfill his heart's desire and become a being comparable to that supreme "God"!

But before that, he had to do one thing.

Herzog walked over to Gen Yasushi and Gen Yasushi, kicked the two brothers to the ground, drew the Spider-Cutter, crushed Gen Yasushi's heart, and then used it to shatter Gen Yasushi's heart as well.

Even for "Emperors" like monsters, there was no chance of recovery from such fatal wounds.

Oh... there was one person who might have been able to, but he had died not long ago!

Herzog's mouth curled into a manic arc. He took the wooden clappers from his robe and began to strike them, manipulating Erii to release 【Spirit Word: Judgment】 at maximum power, tearing the Yamata no Orochi's body to shreds, leaving only the Ame-no-Murakumo-no-Tsurugi and a single ugly embryo struggling to fly out.

It looked like an incomplete embryo; its bloated head bore a single massive eye. What looked like a tail was actually a spine wrapped in flesh.

Its ribs protruded from the flesh layer; presumably, when it parasitized a host, it used these thin, sharp ribs to insert into the host's spine, manipulating that body.

Herzog stepped forward excitedly, kneeling on the ground like a pilgrim, his hands trembling as he picked up this ugly embryo, looking at it as if it were the most beautiful thing in the world.

This was the key—a key that could allow him to become a God. He only needed to find a suitable vessel, and he would be able to ascend to the throne of God!

Of course, this vessel could not be himself. Transplanting this segment of remains directly into his own body would undoubtedly be a foolish act.

After all, that being was comparable to the supreme White Emperor; in her eyes, humans were as lowly as dust. Placing a parasite inside his own body would only result in that being possessing his corpse—the former Susanoo was the best example of this.

Therefore, Herzog needed a vessel to help him take the fall, to bear the erosion of the White Emperor's will. Only after filtering it would it be his chance to ascend to the throne of God.

And that perfect vessel, he had prepared twenty years ago.

"Bang, bang, bang—"

The sound of the clappers rang out again. Erii walked forward with a blank expression, receiving the embryo from Herzog's fanatical and expectant gaze.

Next, everything went exactly as described in the original story. The moment Erii touched the embryo, that ugly segment of the embryo acted like a shark smelling blood, parasitizing her.

White silk threads wrapped around the girl, like a massive silkworm cocoon.

Herzog was still not satisfied. He dragged the bodies of Gen Yasushi and Gen Yasushi closer, letting the white threads swallow them as well, using their Emperor blood to make the "God" about to be resurrected even more powerful.

At the same time, he inserted the prepared blood transfusion tubes into Erii's main artery and his own neck. Through the blood exchange machine, the two began to swap blood.

Just like that, with blood as the medium, after Erii's filtration, the White Emperor's blood—now devoid of will—entered Herzog's body.

His pupils grew brighter and brighter; his eyes seemed to flow with molten lava. White threads began to grow on his body, and his skin gradually became smooth and supple, glowing with an infant-like redness.

Time passed, and from within the white cocoon Herzog had formed, a pure white claw tore it open from the inside.

"Power! This is the power of a God!"

In his blazing golden pupils, a pair of white dragon claws were reflected. Herzog roared at the sky, venting the joy and madness of his fulfilled wish.

Immediately after, he flew into the sky, reaching the bottom of the clouds in this Nibelungen.

White-purple lightning flashed from time to time, illuminating his white scales. The wings behind him flapped slowly, creating a gale, hovering between heaven and earth like a massive cross, the reflection on his scales illuminating the darkness.

Soon, with the flow of power in his blood, his perspective changed; he seemed to be able to see the flow of elements.

Red fire, blue water, black earth, and white wind... these four basic elements, aside from spirit, flowed violently through the sky and earth. The chaotic elemental storms caused wind and rain, tsunamis, and altered the entire environment.

So this was the power of the Dragon Clan; they could see the essence of the world directly, and thus control the world by controlling the elements.

And now, he could do all of this, and even more!

"I am already invinc..."

Hum——————!!!

Amidst a deafening hum, a terrifying force suddenly descended from above, like a hammer of Thor crashing down, striking him—the God—from the sky.

At the same time, a mocking laugh rang in his ears.

"Idiot!"

(End of Chapter)