Because of Fingel and the Maserati vanishing together, the planned Michelin three-star Robuchou dinner had to be changed. The two old men argued the whole way, as if replaying grudges from decades ago.
In the end, led by Uesugi Yue, they arrived at a narrow alley behind the University of Tokyo. The old buildings carried the Showa-era style, low brick walls and faded signs lining the road, the air filled with the scent of soy sauce and bone broth.
"Shadow Emperor Ramen? That's quite the name," Ange said bluntly, pulling out a plastic chair and sitting under the noren.
"How many yakuza dreamed of tasting a bowl cooked by the former Shadow Emperor himself?"
"Shut it! Stop twisting words to jab at me. This is just a shop for students nearby. I never ran it under the Shadow Emperor name."
Yue turned on the dim yellow lamp, flipped the "Closed" sign, the small TV screen and silver pot lids glowing softly. "And thanks to you, Ange, I've barely had a single customer tonight."
Ange, head bent over his phone, tapped a message to Norma requesting Fingel's coordinates. "And you blame me for empty seats? Yet I came here, and my student disappeared. Seems we're even."
"You dragged a student into this so-called Holy Grail War that smelled wrong from the start," Yue reclined in a small rocking chair. "Now he's gone. Why don't you fight yourself? Make a wish for 'a world without dragons.' Your revenge dream realized without lifting a finger!"
But instead of arguing, Ange grew grim.
"You can't be serious… you didn't really believe that nonsense about the Grail granting wishes, did you?"
"No," Ange shook his head, eyes fixed on the phone screen. "I just received word from the Academy. Fingel's disappearance wasn't normal… Don't ask how I confirmed it so fast."
The report from Norma showed surveillance of Fingel and the Maserati. Fingel never left the car, but after a brief static disruption, the vehicle vanished. No camera caught it leaving.
It was as if it had been erased.
"…Nibelungen?"
The word made Yue bolt upright. "What did you say?"
"My student may have fallen into a hidden Nibelungen inside Tokyo." Ange's voice was heavy.
"He never left the car. The Maserati couldn't just disappear unseen. The only answer is Nibelungen. So tell me—this city, no, your Sakurai Eight Houses—what are you hiding? The Grail War being staged here isn't without reason, is it?"
Yue fell silent, then sighed.
"You guessed right. Beneath Tokyo lies its mirror world. Our ancestors called it Yoru no Shokuhara—the field of night feasts. Once its gates are opened, yokai and spirits of the dead return to the surface."
Those "yokai" were actually ancestors of the Eight Houses, warped by brutal transformations. Their current state was unknown.
Ange nodded. "Your country always spoke of Hyakki Yagyō—the parade of a hundred demons. Humans by day, yokai by night. So your Nibelungen was always partially open?"
"That was long ago. Our ancestors sealed the gate, leaving only ghost stories." Yue poured sake into two cups. "But with this unheard-of Holy Grail War… something has stirred beneath the surface again."
"Then one last question. Nibelungen cannot be made by humans alone. Without ancient dragons, it's impossible. So who built yours?"
"God," Ange said coldly, recalling Odin's link with the Grail.
"Yes. God." Yue nodded, but his answer shocked Ange. "We call her Izanami, the supreme mother. In myth, she died and descended to Yomi, chasing Izanagi to the slope of Yomotsu Hirasaka until the boulder sealed her away. Our family calls it the 'Well of Hidden Corpses,' the true entrance to Yomi, sealed for generations. If she ever escaped, this land's bloodline would face its end."
Ange's eyes narrowed. "Not Odin, but Izanami… a goddess. So this is the root of your clan's bloodline? Then your dragon lineage, the dragon king is…"
"Why ask?" Yue drank. "Surely your Secret Party has long suspected."
"The White King! So it was true. You used 'god' as a disguise so no one outside would know." Ange was stunned.
"Yes. But it has nothing to do with me. I cut ties with that family long ago," Yue paused. "Except for my son, the one who became emperor."
"…Wait. Did I hear that right? You, who ran off to play ramen shop priest, actually have a son?"
The conversation turned, Yue proudly boasting of his excellent son who cared for his father—something lonely Ange could never understand.
"I wouldn't know," Ange drained his sake. "Just as you don't understand the changing times."
"Mocking me? I use a smartphone now! I'm not some clueless relic!"
"That is progress, Ramen Priest. Though I suspect you didn't buy it yourself—someone must've been paying your bills." Ange already knew the deeds on this street were under Yue's name, but the taxes alone exceeded ramen shop profits.
"That was Aga's doing. I told him to stop. Totally unrelated!" Yue smirked. "The phone was a gift from my son! He promised to visit me at night whenever he could!"
But before he could dial his son's number, a sudden text arrived. His hand clenched tight.
The message read: Genji Heavy Industries under attack by the Mōkizu crowd! Enemy Servants deployed!
—
Minutes earlier, at Genji Heavy Industries HQ.
Late night, the skyscraper shone with lights. Moonlight gleamed on the glass walls, Roppongi's skyline hazy beyond. Workers hustled down circular corridors with files in hand. None noticed the scraping of scales deep in the elevator shaft.
Ever since he'd listened to Yue's advice, Gen Isshin had resolved to convene the clan heads.
His plan was to "request" the resignation of Tachibana Masamune, the disgraced clan leader, currently under "house arrest" awaiting judgment.
Unexpected yet natural, the clan heads unanimously supported Gen Isshin as successor—the authority of "the emperor's" bloodline unquestionable.
As for Masamune, opinions varied—he could "die of illness," be "sent overseas," but none wanted a public trial. He had cultivated an image of diligence these three years; collapsing it overnight would stain the Eight Houses.
And as Masamune's adopted son, Gen Isshin's succession would be clouded with suspicion if a scandal erupted.
He insisted on a gentler resolution.
But before that could be settled, urgent news arrived from Kansai. "What?! Kantō branch attacked you?!"
The two branches—Kantō and Kansai—were under direct control of the clan head. With Masamune confined, Gen Isshin handled affairs.
"Yes! Minister Azuya Meiji himself! He claimed HQ was captured and ordered us to march on it! We refused—so they opened fire!" Gunfire echoed down the line.
"Absurd! HQ is fine—how could it be captured?"
But just as he said it, alarms blared through the building—the signal of enemy invasion!
(End of Chapter)
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