Chapter 42 The Real Mastermind Comes Knocking

Lately, Tokyo was in the middle of the rainy season. The weather would be fine one moment, and then raindrops would fall without warning. Amidst the fine, shattering mist, the old man stood before the young members of the Kanto Branch. He looked at Inuyama贺 with a helpless expression, his tone even matching the one he had used before.

However, a chill spread upward from the bottom of Inuyama贺's heart, and cold sweat instantly drenched his back.

He had not witnessed the death of Tachibana Masamune with his own eyes, and he was the last of the family heads to arrive. By the time he got there, Tachibana Masamune's body had already been dealt with.

If it were in the past, he might have suspected that the intelligence was wrong, or that Tachibana Masamune might not actually be dead, having escaped through a faked death.

But now, his mind was filled only with what that girl had said.

Herzog was exceptionally skilled in genetic research. He had personally cultivated many people and once owned an entire embryo laboratory. He himself might not have been particularly strong, but his greatest ability was that he possessed numerous ghouls.

The appearances of these ghouls could even be made identical to his, and no one knew how he controlled them; it was almost like the avatars in Japanese mythology.

Moreover, the girl had stated bluntly that the one she killed was most likely just a clone, since Herzog would never place himself in danger.

Therefore, they might still see Tachibana Masamune appear in the future. There was no need to be surprised; it was not a corpse rising from the dead, but perhaps just a new clone.

At the time, when Inuyama贺 heard these words, he thought them absurd. He completely disbelieved that such a thing could happen—how could such genetic technology exist in this world?

Yet now, the living Tachibana Masamune was standing right before him, and he was forced to ponder whether this absurd thing was genuinely real.

"A-ga, why aren't you speaking?" Tachibana Masamune spoke slowly, his voice gradually lowering. "What, do you not believe me?"

Inuyama贺's brain raced, but before he could figure out how to explain, Tachibana Masamune spoke first: "Your expression has already betrayed you. Did Erii say something to you?"

"I understand." The old man nodded, suddenly raising his hand. The next moment, those serpentine monsters immediately acted as if they had received some command, shooting toward Inuyama贺 like sharp arrows.

Inuyama贺 had no choice but to retreat. However, at some unknown point, the young men of the Kanto Branch had surrounded him tightly. If not for his Spirit Speech being *Instant*, he probably would have long since blended in with the pile of corpses on the ground.

Yet even *Instant* could not save his life; it merely bought a little time.

These crazy young people did not even make a move themselves; they merely watched the serpentine ghouls pounce and slaughter him, their gazes mocking, as if they were watching an interesting show.

"I didn't want to kill you, but it can't be helped. You know too much." Tachibana Masamune sighed softly. "It seems things are much more troublesome than I imagined. But it doesn't matter; at worst, I'll just replace all the family heads."

Hearing this, Inuyama贺 felt a thunderclap explode in his mind. He finally had to believe that what the girl had said was probably the truth.

Unfortunately, he likely wouldn't have the chance to tell the other family heads.

Yet at that very moment, a crisp girl's voice rang out, startling everyone present:

"Replace all the family heads? Does that include me?"

Looking toward the sound, they saw that atop the corner of the street, a girl was quietly sitting on the eaves. She was dressed entirely in black, almost merging with the night, save for her dark red hair fluttering in the wind.

No one knew when she had been sitting there; not a single person had discovered her, not even those serpentine monsters whose five senses were far sharper than those of humans.

At the sight of the girl, Tachibana Masamune's pupils constricted violently, his face filled with disbelief, as if he simply could not fathom why she would appear here.

Tang Xi, however, waved at him with practiced familiarity: "Patriarch, good evening. It's been a few days since we last met. How have you been lately?"

Tachibana Masamune's expression became extremely unsightly. He retreated without a word, and Asuya Akasu seemed to realize something, stepping in front of him.

Tang Xi let out a "tsk" of dissatisfaction: "Why are you leaving the moment we meet, without even saying hello?"

"Forget it, it seems you didn't like the last welcoming gift, so I'll give you another one this time." As she spoke, Tang Xi drew Gungnir and threw it backhanded.

Gungnir tumbled as it flew toward Tachibana Masamune, resembling a purplish-black streak of light.

Just like last time, Tachibana Masamune struggled with all his might, changing his position, attempting to block it, and even trying to hide behind others, but it was useless—completely useless.

Gungnir's speed was not fast, yet it was unstoppable. It simply pierced quietly through Tachibana Masamune's chest, so quietly that it didn't make a single sound, because death was originally such a quiet affair.

Everyone stared blankly at this scene. The young men of the Kanto Branch watched with their own eyes as Tachibana Masamune died before them, yet they dared not make any move, nor did they dare to resist.

Because the terrifying oppressive might displayed by the girl made it almost difficult for them to breathe, and even just standing was a formidable task. As for the serpentine ghouls, they cowered flat on the ground, the suppression from deep within their bloodlines robbing them of even the slightest will to resist.

"Boring." Tang Xi shrugged, raising her hand with the intent to recall Gungnir, but the next moment she froze.

Because Gungnir made no movement at all, lying quietly on the ground. Tang Xi could clearly sense that the connection between her and Gungnir was being interfered with by some indescribable, bizarre force, and even...

Gungnir was summoning her. Tang Xi was currently operating Erii's body, yet Gungnir was summoning her...

A strong sense of unease welled up in her heart. With no time to worry about anything else, Tang Xi manipulated Erii to jump down from the eaves, running straight toward Gungnir; she needed to figure out what on earth was happening.

And then, at that moment, the rain suddenly grew heavier, and bean-sized raindrops poured down. Amidst the wind and rain, the entire world seemed to become distorted. Even the distant neon-lit commercial street was entirely obscured by the wind and rain, as if the world suddenly distanced itself from them.

Interwoven with the sound of the rain was a bizarre sound of footsteps.

To call those footsteps bizarre was because they did not sound like human footsteps, but rather like several fine steeds leisurely stepping into a porch.

A storm, fine horses, a horseman... What was approaching seemed to be an ancient monarch, carrying a thick aura of death, causing the entire world to twist with his arrival.

Everyone was filled with apprehension and anxiety. The ghouls' heads were pressed flat against the ground, yet their bodies were still trembling, as if they sensed that death was imminent.

The young men of the Kanto Branch instinctively huddled together. They, too, felt the unease. These bloodthirsty, murderous outlaws felt fear welling up from the depths of their hearts for the very first time, though they themselves did not even know what they were afraid of.

And as those footsteps drew closer, Tang Xi's expression finally turned grim.