"General Grayson, your car is ready."
The moment Jovian stepped off his private jet, his men had a vehicle waiting to take him to the headquarters of the Yamata no Orochi.
It was a Cadillac One built to the same specifications as the limousine used by the President of the United States.
Cadillac's crown-and-shield crest represented more than a century of prestige. With eight-inch armored doors and nearly five-inch-thick ballistic glass, the limousine offered unparalleled protection. Even if attackers unloaded AK-47s directly into it, they would not be able to penetrate its defenses anytime soon.
When the door opened, the luxurious leather interior was no less impressive. It resembled a mobile palace more than an ordinary limousine, a symbol of America's global power.
"Drive."
Jovian settled into the rear seat and leaned back against the soft leather. The space between the front and rear seats was so generous that even after crossing his legs, he still had plenty of room. No matter how he chose to sit, he could stretch out comfortably.
"Yes, sir."
At Jovian's command, the limousine slowly pulled away.
Meanwhile, at Genji Heavy Industries, the clan chiefs of the Yamata no Orochi had gathered inside the company's headquarters tower.
The atmosphere was grim, and a faint sense of murderous tension hung in the air.
"What do you all think about this General Grayson?"
As everyone sat in silence, a slightly hoarse voice finally broke the oppressive stillness.
"He did not come in peace."
The speaker was an elderly man wearing a loose kimono. He clearly regarded Jovian's arrival with hostility.
"Even if his intentions are hostile, we cannot afford to offend him. He represents something on an entirely different level."
Someone reminded the old man that Jovian's importance went far beyond whether he was human or a Hybrid. More importantly, he represented the military, specifically the military of the most powerful nation in the world.
Hybrids might possess extraordinary abilities, but they were still creatures of flesh and blood. They could not stand against endless armored columns, much less weapons capable of unleashing destruction on the scale of a natural disaster.
They had understood that truth ever since 1945, when enormous mushroom clouds rose into the sky and terrible fire illuminated the world.
Those were not weapons that flesh and blood could resist.
Silence fell over the room once more.
Everyone present was intelligent enough to understand what had been said and what it implied.
"Could this be connected to Cassell College?" someone asked.
He suspected that General Grayson's arrival might have something to do with Cassell. Although Cassell College had been established by Europe's Secret Party, it was located in the United States. It was entirely possible that the two were connected.
"We haven't received any useful information from Cassell. This may have nothing to do with them."
In fact, they had immediately contacted their people at Cassell for confirmation.
Everything at the college remained peaceful. The entire campus was celebrating the death of a Dragon King and the outstanding performance of its newly promoted S-rank student. No one there seemed concerned about anything happening in Japan.
"That only makes this more troublesome."
Learning that Cassell was probably uninvolved brought them no relief. Instead, their brows furrowed even deeper.
If this had nothing to do with Cassell, then they had no idea who stood behind Jovian or what faction had sent him.
"Leave this matter to me."
As the clan chiefs remained deep in thought, the young man who had been silent until now finally spoke.
In a meeting reserved exclusively for clan chiefs, the man in the black trench coat looked absurdly young. He appeared to be somewhere in his twenties.
Yet the moment he spoke, the old men, all of whom rigidly respected age and seniority, immediately fell silent. Not one of them objected. Their silence served as tacit approval of his proposal and demonstrated the weight and status he held among them.
In a society so obsessed with age and rank, only overwhelming strength could allow someone to break the rules.
"Very well. I'll leave this matter to you."
The man seated at the head of the room finally spoke.
According to the traditions of the underworld, that seat belonged exclusively to the organization's High Patriarch. In other words, the man sitting there held more authority than anyone else in the room.
Once the High Patriarch had spoken, every clan chief fell silent. All they could do now was obey his command.
Elsewhere, Jovian was still on the road.
To be honest, the traffic was getting annoying.
"General, I've contacted the local police. Someone should arrive soon to clear the road for us."
The bodyguard in the front seat appeared to notice Jovian's impatience and quickly spoke.
"Mm."
Jovian nodded without saying anything else.
A short time later, the wail of police sirens reached his ears.
His escort had arrived.
"General Jovian, the Superintendent General of the Metropolitan Police wants to know whether you are free this evening. He hopes to host you personally."
After a brief conversation between the local officers and Jovian's secretary, the secretary turned around and relayed the invitation.
"I don't have time."
Jovian's answer was immediate and decisive.
"Understood."
The secretary politely declined the invitation before passing along the official's response.
"He said that whenever you have time, he will be ready to receive you."
"Fine."
Jovian gave a slight nod, indicating that he had heard him.
With the brief interruption over and police motorcycles clearing the way, Jovian's limousine proceeded unhindered toward Genji Heavy Industries.
"He had the police clear the road for him? That's quite the spectacle. I guess that's what you'd expect from a general."
By the time the limousine arrived at the entrance to Genji Heavy Industries, the young man who had volunteered to handle the situation was already waiting.
Another young man standing beside him muttered under his breath.
"Sakura, Crow, come with me to greet our guest."
The young man headed straight toward Jovian's limousine.
His two followers, one man and one woman, remained close behind him.
When he opened the limousine door and saw how young Jovian was, he froze.
"What?"
"You think I'm too young?"
Jovian turned slightly and smiled at the equally young man standing outside.
"No."
"You are a general of an entire nation. I assumed…"
The young man tried to explain himself.
He truly had been caught off guard. He had expected Jovian Grayson to be at least fifty years old, perhaps even older.
Instead, the man sitting before him was far too young, young enough to defy common sense.
"You became a clan chief at a young age too, didn't you?"
Jovian smiled at him, stepped out of the limousine, and adjusted his clothes. He looked down at the young man before him with an amused expression.
"My apologies. That was rude of me."
"General Grayson, my name is Chisei Gen. I will be showing you around Genji Heavy Industries."
After hearing Jovian's response, Chisei bowed slightly, introduced himself, and apologized.
"Then let's get moving."
Jovian smiled and nodded. At the same time, his eyes swept over the two people standing behind Chisei.
"The girl is lovely. Young and beautiful. Are you free tonight?"
Jovian smiled at Sakura as he asked the question.
"Uh…"
No one had expected the commander of all U.S. forces stationed in Japan to have such an outgoing personality.
Jovian might have been enjoying himself, but everyone else suddenly found themselves in an awkward situation, especially Sakura.
She looked toward Chisei, silently asking how she was supposed to answer.
Chisei remained silent as well.
He had no idea how to respond to Jovian. The man's position was too sensitive, and mishandling the situation could cause an enormous political crisis.
Judging by Jovian's carefree attitude, Chisei even wondered whether the general might order American soldiers to exchange fire with the Japanese Self-Defense Forces if someone managed to put him in a bad mood.
"No interest? Forget it."
"Mr. Gen, lead the way."
When Sakura continued hesitating without answering, Jovian smiled and gestured for Chisei to proceed.
"All right."
Chisei froze for a moment.
For a second, even he could not tell which of them was supposed to be the host.
Jovian had no intention of waiting for him. With his hands clasped behind his back, he walked straight through the entrance of Genji Heavy Industries.
Chisei and his companions exchanged glances before hurrying after him.
"What does Genji Heavy Industries usually manufacture?"
"Are you a defense contractor, or do you focus on civilian products?"
Jovian walked ahead of Chisei with his hands behind his back, behaving like a senior official conducting an inspection.
Poor Chisei, the actual master of Genji Heavy Industries, followed behind him like an assistant, answering every question Jovian asked.
"We operate in both sectors."
Chisei gave a carefully polished answer.
He did not dare speak too freely in front of Jovian. If he accidentally revealed something the general was not supposed to hear, the consequences would become extremely troublesome.
This was not a problem they could solve through force.
The military power represented by Jovian, and the machinery of violence standing behind him, was far more terrifying than anything the Yamata no Orochi could muster.
"You operate in both? That's good."
Jovian nodded and offered Chisei a compliment.
Then his tone abruptly changed.
"You know, in the past, we mostly focused on oil. Wherever there was oil, that was where we went."
"Then there was the business of saving the world. You know how it is. There are too many terrorists out there. You kill one group, and another appears immediately afterward. It's honestly a real headache."
Jovian continued speaking in a way that left Chisei uncertain about his meaning.
Chisei could not tell what Jovian was trying to imply, but his sharpened instincts were already warning him that something was wrong.
"To put it simply, everything comes down to energy. Whoever controls the energy controls the world. Their word becomes law."
"But controlling energy requires power."
"Fortunately, we have plenty of power, and ours is exceptionally strong."
"That gives us the opportunity to control every source of energy available."
"But oil will eventually become obsolete, and there is no such thing as having too much power."
Jovian continued speaking while Chisei listened in silence.
Chisei knew that everything Jovian was saying made sense. What he did not understand was what any of it had to do with him.
"For years, we have been searching for new forms of energy and new sources of power."
"Persistence finally paid off. I found exactly what we needed."
Jovian seemed moved by his own speech.
He took out a handkerchief and dabbed at the corners of his eyes, even though they were perfectly dry and not a single tear had formed.
"Congratulations on discovering a new source of energy and power."
Chisei gave Jovian the flattery he clearly wanted. At this point, he had no better option.
"Aren't you curious about what kind of energy and power I found?"
Jovian looked at the man flattering him and smiled.
"What kind of energy and power did you discover?"
Chisei followed his lead and asked the expected question.
"I found the energy and power known as dragons."
Jovian smiled faintly at Chisei as he answered.
Silence.
Boom!
Chisei did not speak, but the instant Jovian finished his sentence, he felt a crushing pressure descend upon him.
It was difficult for Chisei to believe that such overwhelming pressure could come from someone who might have been an ordinary human.
Then again, he had never truly believed Jovian was ordinary.
A man who had become a general at such a young age was almost certainly a Hybrid, and his bloodline might be no weaker than Chisei's. He could have come from another hidden family, or perhaps he was some sort of experimental super-Hybrid created in secret.
"Dragons…"
"I don't understand why you came to a small organization like ours in search of this power. We do not possess the power of dragons."
Chisei lowered his head as he spoke.
"But every one of you is a dragon."
"There is a very interesting power flowing through your veins."
Jovian calmly explained why he had sought out Chisei and the others.
"Please speak plainly. Why exactly have you come to us?"
Chisei narrowed his eyes and directly questioned Jovian's objective.
"I heard that you have a younger sister with an exceptional bloodline."
"How about lending her to me for a little research?"
Jovian saw the seriousness in Chisei's expression and stopped speaking in riddles.
Boom!
The instant Chisei heard Jovian mention his sister, an astonishing pressure erupted from his body.
A razor-sharp katana appeared in his hand as though from nowhere, and he pressed the blade against Jovian's neck.
"Calm down, Clan Chief Gen."
"I have assets positioned above your airspace."
"I doubt any of you have forgotten what happened in '45."
"This really is a beautiful city."
"You wouldn't want to see it reduced to ashes, would you?"
Jovian raised one finger, casually pushed the katana away from his neck, and smiled at Chisei.
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