"You…"
Chisei Gen wanted to say something, but the words were lodged in his throat like a fishbone.
He knew the man before him was threatening him, and it was the most blatant kind of threat, direct, unapologetic, and brutally simple.
Right now, he wanted nothing more than to use the blade in his hand to slit the man's throat and watch the blood drip from his body one drop at a time. Unfortunately, he could not do it. For the first time in his life, Chisei realized that the hand holding a sword could feel so unbearably heavy.
"Come on…"
"Don't look so miserable."
"Let's sit down and talk this through."
Jovian patted Chisei on the shoulder, then took a cigar from inside his coat. He clipped it, lit it, and placed it between his lips before taking several deep drags. Clouds of smoke poured from his mouth and washed over Chisei.
Chisei's already grim expression grew even darker.
"How about this? I'll give you a choice."
"You can cut me down right now. After that, I'll give you three minutes to run."
"Because three minutes later, five F-22s stationed six miles away will level this building."
"Then this will escalate into an international incident. It doesn't matter how I die. As long as I die in your country, it'll become an act of war. Of course, before the fighting starts, there'll be the endless political wrangling I hate so much. God, that would be boring."
"So you can relax, because I won't allow this to turn into that kind of tedious political theater."
"To prevent that, I prepared three nuclear warheads in advance. Each one is a hundred times more powerful than the two dropped in 1945."
"In other words, as long as you can move as fast as one of the Saints from Saint Seiya, you'll definitely be able to outrun my nukes."
"Doesn't that sound fun?"
"Anyway, good luck."
Jovian stared at the murderous Elephant Turtle without showing the slightest fear. He continued smoking his cigar and even blew the smoke directly into Elephant Turtle's face.
"You're insane…"
Chisei's hand trembled. The lunatic in front of him had prepared three megaton-class nuclear bombs, and judging from what he had said, those three bombs were already somewhere inside this very city.
"Whoosh…"
"Boom…"
Seeing Chisei begin to waver, Jovian imitated the sound of a nuclear missile launching, falling, and exploding.
"It'll all be over in a flash. We'll all die together."
After reenacting the bomb's entire flight, Jovian gave Chisei an innocent smile.
"What exactly do you want?"
Chisei drew a deep breath, sheathed his sword, and questioned Jovian.
"Let me think…"
"My throat suddenly feels a little dry. Aren't you going to offer me a drink first?"
Jovian suddenly found his throat uncomfortable. He needed something to wet it.
Chisei said nothing. He simply led Jovian toward a private bar inside the building reserved for senior executives.
The moment Chisei entered the bar, every bartender immediately straightened and bowed in greeting.
Jovian glanced at the muscular bartenders, all of whom looked more like underworld enforcers, and merely gave a disdainful smile. He did not take them seriously at all.
"What do you want to drink?"
Chisei turned and looked at Jovian.
It was the first thing he had voluntarily said to Jovian since the man had mentioned being thirsty.
"Whatever's most expensive."
Jovian sat down without hesitation. He always wanted the most expensive option, not necessarily the best one.
After a brief silence, Chisei ordered one of his men to bring out a bottle of Yamazaki.
The bottle had barely been opened when Jovian's sharp sense of smell caught the rich, mellow aroma unique to single malt whiskey.
"Here."
Chisei personally poured him a glass. The liquor was clear and gleamed like amber. It could hardly be called a mere drink. It was a work of art.
"Gulp, gulp, gulp…"
Jovian picked up the glass and drained it in several large swallows, instantly destroying the elegant atmosphere.
"My verdict? Not as good as bourbon."
After finishing the glass, Jovian considered the flavor for a moment and delivered his assessment.
The corner of Chisei's eye twitched uncontrollably. An eighty-million-yen bottle of whiskey was somehow inferior to ordinary bourbon that could be found anywhere?
"You people make drinking far too pretentious."
"We prefer blasting rock music, grabbing a bottle of bourbon, and drinking straight from it."
Jovian lit another cigarette. This time, it was not a cigar, just an ordinary cigarette.
Chisei remained silent, but he had finally understood something. It did not matter what kind of liquor he served this man. Jovian would never appreciate its flavor because he did not drink to savor it. All he cared about was the rush.
Likewise, Chisei understood something else. The man before him might not understand what dragon blood truly represented. He simply believed he needed to possess that power, so he had come to take it.
Chisei also understood that Jovian was determined to obtain the power of the dragon race, and no one could stand in his way.
The man was an eagle, and another eagle stood behind him.
In his eyes, these so-called dragons were not dragons at all. They were nothing more than insects.
"Now, let's discuss the real issue."
Jovian leaned back against the couch, smoking as he looked at Chisei. His tone was extremely casual, as though he were chatting with an acquaintance.
"Choose someone else. I can give you anyone except Erii. She is the one person you cannot have."
Chisei had never imagined he would one day be forced to lower himself this far.
He could wield a blade without fear and strike at an immortal Dragon King. He could cut his way through an encirclement by the Oni Clan and walk out alive. Yet before this seemingly unremarkable man, there was absolutely nothing he could do.
"You seem to have misunderstood me. I'm not someone who will settle for just anyone."
"If all I wanted was a test subject, I could simply cooperate with Cassell College. It wouldn't matter whether I had to deal with that Anjou fellow or the Secret Party. Neither of them could stop me."
"No matter how fast Anjou's Yanling is, it isn't faster than my supersonic missiles. No matter how hot Yanling: Royal Blaze burns, it isn't hotter than my nuclear bombs."
"The truth is, your people cannot survive in the light. You can't allow six billion people to discover that a group of lizard people has been living among them all this time. The moment I expose you, you'll lose every advantage you possess."
"And since I ignored them and came directly to you, I think you should understand why."
Jovian remained calm. He had been calm from the beginning.
Chisei fell silent.
Jovian was right. The dragon race could not survive in the light. The moment the public learned the truth, the resulting chaos would resemble the witch hunts of the Middle Ages.
"Chisei Gen, I'm giving your people an opportunity."
"Don't prove yourselves useless after I've gone to the trouble of offering it."
Jovian looked at Chisei with the solemn expression of someone offering heartfelt advice.
Although Chisei said nothing, the bartenders surrounding them could no longer hide their resentment. They glared furiously at Jovian.
"Oh, that reminds me. I suddenly remembered something."
"Chisei, raise your head and take a good look at the men around you."
"Remember their faces, because before long, all of this might become history."
"Oh, right. I seem to recall that you have an enemy called the Oni Clan. Don't worry, they'll disappear soon too. Nuclear bombs believe in equality."
"And should the bombs fail to eliminate them, I'll simply increase the yield."
Jovian fearlessly looked around at the pack of snarling attack dogs surrounding him.
He also decided that he would have to put the Japanese government back in its place. It had not been that many years, yet people here already dared to glare at him. Apparently, not enough mushroom clouds had been planted.
"Can you guarantee Erii's safety?"
Chisei frowned deeply. He had never experienced such helplessness before, but he had no other choice.
"That's an interesting question."
"If I can't guarantee her safety, can you?"
"Between the two of us, who is strong and who is weak? You don't seem to understand the situation."
Jovian smiled faintly at Chisei.
Chisei inhaled sharply, then turned to the men beside him.
"Bring Erii down."
"But…"
The expressions of his subordinates immediately changed.
"Don't make me say it again."
Chisei's words sounded less like an order and more like a plea.
At some point, his right hand had clenched into a fist. His fingernails dug deeply into his palm, and crimson drops of blood fell one after another onto the floor.
"Remember to put some iodine on that. Otherwise, it might get infected."
Jovian was a very kind man. Seeing Chisei's injured palm, he smiled and offered him some friendly advice.
Chisei desperately wanted to punch Jovian, but he could not.
"Gulp, gulp, gulp…"
Jovian proceeded to drink the entire bottle of whiskey in front of Chisei. Once he had finished, he casually left Genji Heavy Industries and returned to Cadillac One, which was parked outside the building.
More than half an hour passed. Only after Jovian reminded Chisei once again did Chisei finally escort a beautiful red-haired young woman dressed as a shrine maiden to Jovian's vehicle.
"I thought you might change your mind at the last second and take Erii away from this miserable place."
"If you were really that brave, I'd think more highly of you. Of course, I'd still blow up Genji Heavy Industries afterward."
Jovian smiled faintly at Chisei. Had Caesar been in his position, he would already have taken the girl and fled to the other side of the world.
Caesar would never care whether his family ended up eating a missile.
"You…"
Chisei glared at Jovian. It was the bravest thing he had done all day.
He then ignored Jovian and looked at his beloved sister, Erii. His eyes were filled with guilt and reluctance to let her go.
"Erii, take care of yourself."
Erii did not speak. She merely nodded, then wrote "Okay" in the small notebook she carried.
"It's time to leave, my girl."
Jovian raised the window and ordered the driver to start the engine.
In the end, Chisei and his men were left standing where they were, watching Cadillac One slowly drive away.
No matter how exceptional Chisei's bloodline was or how fast he could move, he could never catch the slowly departing Cadillac One.
Inside the car, Erii was completely unlike the nervous and restrained Chisei. She resembled a curious little squirrel, fascinated by everything around her.
She constantly looked through the window at the passing scenery. To her, everything outside was fresh and exciting.
"Did your brother explain everything to you?"
Jovian looked at Erii, who was like a child discovering the world for the first time. A trace of sympathy appeared in his eyes as he asked the question.
Erii nodded when she heard him. She then took out her notebook and showed him what she had written.
"I heard everything…"
"This is a medical examination, right?"
"I'll follow all your instructions!"
Her handwriting was delicate and graceful, just like the girl herself, making it pleasant to look at.
"A medical examination…"
Jovian muttered to himself. He had not expected Chisei to explain the situation to Erii that way, but since that was the story he had chosen, Jovian saw no reason to correct it.
Afterward, Jovian continued resting against the soft seat while Erii silently watched everything outside through the window.
Then the entire vehicle suddenly jolted violently.
"What happened?"
Jovian opened his eyes and questioned the driver and bodyguard sitting in front of him.
"General, it appears that someone has blocked the road ahead. They don't seem friendly."
The bodyguard's face had turned pale.
Roughly a hundred yards ahead of them were dozens of motorcycles and more than a hundred people armed with various weapons. They looked like members of an outlaw biker gang.
However, the bodyguard knew that they were no ordinary bikers. He could see a faint yellow glow flickering in their eyes.
Jovian sighed and pressed a button beside his seat.
A concealed panel immediately opened, revealing a passage connected directly to the trunk.
Jovian reached inside with practiced ease and pulled out a metal case.
"General, what are you doing?"
The bodyguard's expression changed drastically when he saw the case.
"Open the sunroof."
Jovian issued the order.
"Yes, sir…"
After a brief hesitation, the bodyguard obeyed and opened the sunroof.
"Get down and cover your head with both hands."
Jovian opened the case and its compartments. In only thirty seconds, he assembled something resembling a rocket launcher.
The warhead mounted on it looked particularly alarming.
Jovian hoisted the launcher onto his shoulder and pushed his upper body through the sunroof. At the same time, he called down to Erii beneath him.
Erii did not say a word. She immediately obeyed, curling herself into a ball on the seat.
"Surprise, motherfucker!"
Laughing loudly, Jovian fired the weapon from his shoulder.
The instant the missile launched, Jovian ducked down and shielded Erii with his body.
At the same moment, the missile crossed the distance and reached the bikers blocking the road.
"BOOM!"
A massive pillar of fire surged into the sky.
The terrifying explosion thundered across the area.
The enormous shock wave lifted the massive Cadillac One from the road and hurled it dozens of yards through the air.
As for the people blocking their path, they vanished without a trace, along with several hundred yards of the bridge beneath them.
Jovian did not have many hobbies.
He just fucking loved explosive yield.
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