Inside the laboratory, Herzog's expression grew heavier with anxiety, his entire face darkening as though it were about to drip water.
Over and over, memories from more than a decade ago replayed in his mind.
In those memories, Bondarev introduced himself as a KGB major, standing tall and dignified, with neatly combed iron-grey hair. During his time at Black Swan Port, Bondarev often wore a dark grey officer's uniform with a "Red Banner" medal pinned on his chest.
He looked every bit the soldier, but from their very first meeting, Herzog had felt that this man, like a cunning fox, was treacherous and difficult to handle. Herzog had even suspected the "KGB" identity might have been a fabrication. And now, it was clearer than ever—how could someone like that be killed so easily and carelessly?
The doubts only intensified...
In truth, Herzog had an even worse suspicion.
It was precisely when Bondarev appeared at Black Swan Port and revealed the truth about the dragons that the governing authorities suddenly withdrew their support—cutting all resources and abandoning the entire research base.
That meant everything from that moment onward had been a carefully laid trap, designed by Herzog's enemies to ensnare him. A chessboard, meticulously set up, with even government decisions falling under the enemy's control.
That man—Bondarev—had planned everything from the start, manipulating Herzog into stepping onto the board. And even when Herzog had succeeded in killing him, that had likely been part of the plan all along.
"So that's how it is..." Herzog muttered to himself, then nodded slightly in realization.
Bondarev was so confident everything was still under control because he had stolen Herzog's research and cloned the experimental subjects—spending years nurturing an even more perfect being than Embryo ξ (Uesugi Erii)...
Emiya Shirou! A stable, powerful hybrid capable of safely and reliably killing dragon kings!
During the Black Swan Port experiments, Herzog had created tens of thousands of identical embryonic clones. Among them, his three proudest works were the siblings Genji Raito and Genji Raiko, and their younger sister Uesugi Erii.
The first two were unquestionable royal-blood hybrids, but even they paled in comparison to Erii—his most flawless "White King Holy Corpse Vessel."
But Erii had one fatal flaw compared to Shirou: though her bloodline was powerful, it was unstable. Hers surpassed "royal"—she carried the higher-tiered "oni" blood.
That overly potent lineage made her naturally capable of using Dragon Speech. Any spoken word could unintentionally trigger the most dangerous of all command-words—sequence 111 in the Kotodama list: "Judgment," an order that leads all life to death.
Because of that unstable bloodline, every use of her powers risked triggering a violent rampage or complete degeneration. To maintain her health, the Orochi Eight Families had to bear enormous costs—regular treatments using a rare serum extracted from fetal Dead Apostles.
And to produce this serum, Herzog needed large-scale human trafficking and Dead Apostle embryo cultivation—hence, he had taken full advantage of his identity as "Tachibana Masamune," tapping into Japan's underworld to ensure a steady supply.
That yakuza identity had given him immense convenience and power… but also came with enormous risk.
If these inhumane experiments were ever exposed, it would become the greatest scandal the Orochi Families had ever faced—and "Tachibana Masamune" would be finished.
"Very clever, Bondarev… You actually investigated Aoiya!"
Herzog once again donned the Noh mask with a serene, smiling court noble's face. Yet beneath it, the resurfacing of old shadows made him feel an unfamiliar panic.
His enemy's chess piece was already at his throat. If he didn't act soon, checkmate was inevitable.
But… calm down. There's still a way out.
Times had changed. Today, he held an army of yakuza and black-market agents under his control—more than enough to be considered an unshakable force.
Bondarev… even if you've returned from hell, you won't destroy the plan I've spent years perfecting!
——
Meanwhile, in the dark, damp underground, Xia Mi was crawling through the shadows, laying out an alchemical circuit according to Norton's handbook "Underground Leyline Engineering Manual."
It felt like performing delicate surgery on a fallen mountain-sized giant—one whose body spanned the entire Tokyo underground. The terrain constantly shifted from soil to rock, and rivers flowed like capillaries through the dark—wet, complex, and tangled.
Even with her innate gift as the "King of Earth and Mountain," this job was exhausting.
"I quit! I'm not doing this again, no matter what you say! I'm the King of Earth and Mountain, not some mole!"
Seeing that she had only completed a third of the circuit, Xia Mi nearly fainted. And this didn't even include the dozens of Heroic Spirit blueprints yet to be constructed!
Fuming with frustration, she scurried back to the original central chamber.
"Norton! You have to summon a helper for me!"
She was furious—and made it clear she wouldn't continue unless help arrived.
Norton's reply came cold and fast through the mercury screen.
"Who, exactly, do you think could help you? Constantine and I are both buried in the Heroic Spirit project. We're not free either. Or are you planning to quit now and just wait for Odin to awaken and destroy all our work?"
"…Well, there's still… Fenrir! He's free, right? He's also the King of Earth and Mountain! He works ten times faster than I do!"
She struggled for a while before squeezing out that uncertain name.
"Fenrir? Seriously? His size alone draws too much attention. And are you sure he even understands the task? Or is he just going to stand around drooling while you mess up the commands?"
Norton was skeptical. Among the original species, they all knew each other's quirks.
Though he wasn't as familiar with Fenrir as Xia Mi was, Norton knew that dumb dragon wasn't made for brainwork—just fighting, destroying, killing, and zoning out.
Giving him technical work meant Xia Mi would have to micromanage every move. But she herself wasn't exactly a technical genius—her command might fail at any moment.
"Who says I'll mess up?!"
Fuming, Xia Mi nearly stomped on the alchemy array that maintained the remote communication.
She knew Norton liked to show off his alchemy skills, but this was no reason to insult her dignity as the Earth and Mountain Queen!
"Oh? So you won't mess up? Great! I'll open a new dimensional gate, and you'll open your side in China's Nibelungen. I'll send Fenrir over to help you. But if anything goes wrong during the Holy Grail War… I'll consider it your fault!"
"Fine! Go ahead and log it! Like I care!"
Xia Mi huffed. She figured Norton was just being overly picky again, nitpicking every little thing… while she, the amateur, remained completely unaware of the danger she might unleash.
"I'm not worried about you changing your mind! I'm worried about you messing it all up!"
Norton shook his head. He wasn't afraid of betrayal—he was terrified of that genius duo: Jormungandr and Fenrir.
If something unexpected happened during the Holy Grail War, he'd be too busy to clean up their mess.
"To be honest, I'd rather let Shirou take Fenrir's role and work with me. That'd be way better than dealing with you!"
Norton recalled how Xia Mi once thought Shirou might be Constantine in disguise. Though he'd confirmed otherwise, he still had to admit—Shirou was a one-of-a-kind alchemy genius.
Jormungandr? She was nothing!
Xia Mi's mood instantly soured. She raised a tiny fist and growled, "Hey! Since Shirou's not your real brother and you're not even close—why do you talk about him like you're best buds? He's a Japanese guy, isn't he? Shouldn't he be a descendant of the White King?"
But at that moment, Norton immediately shot back:
"Impossible. Shirou can't be of the White King's bloodline. He might not even be a Japanese hybrid… because his kotodama is 'Heaven and Earth as the Furnace.'"
"Eh?!"
Xia Mi instantly understood—too shocked to argue.
It was simple: "Heaven and Earth as the Furnace" was a kotodama specifically aligned with alchemy. That meant Shirou's bloodline had to come from the lineage of the Bronze and Fire King.
White King bloodlines, by contrast, focused on mental powers—like "Dream Tapir" or "All-Things Forest."
Though original species couldn't reproduce, they could infect other beings by granting dragon blood—thus creating hybrids through genetic transmission. The source of each hybrid's bloodline determined their inherited kotodama.
And that was something you couldn't fake.
"So… you think Shirou's actually Chinese?"
(End of Chapter)
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