They've already fought their way through the Holy Grail War, and you still call them dragons?

Gen Chisheng's mind fell into unprecedented chaos, his tangled thoughts like the chaotic battle between swords and horses on the battlefield. Even Shirou's previous shocking remarks were far less shocking than this one.

Because among the Snake Eight Clans, "God" refers to the White King, the source of their Japanese mixed-race bloodline, and the Supreme Mother Goddess Izanami recorded in Japanese mythology.

Many of the gods' secrets have been kept secret by the Sheqi Eight Clans with all their might until now, especially the secret that "the gods are not actually dead, and her bones and blood are still sealed at the end of the Yellow Springs Road by the ancestors of the Sheqi Eight Clans."

Even the Secret Party knew very little about the history of mixed-race people in this land. Before Lord Mayek, a Secret Party elder, visited Japan in the late 19th century, the Secret Party did not even know that mixed-race people existed in this island nation.

The Fragments of the Ice Sea, preserved by the Secret Party, record that the White King once launched the largest rebellion in dragon history, turning a third of the dragon race into rebels, but was ultimately defeated and destroyed by the Black King. The Black King impaled her on a bronze pillar and cast her into the depths of the icy sea, where she remained frozen for six epochs, until the White Emperor's power finally withered.

The Black Supreme then sank the White King and the bronze pillar into an underwater volcano, reducing them to ashes. The Black King devoured the ashes and regained the power he had once bestowed upon the White King, believing that he had completely wiped out the White King and her bloodline.

Therefore, the secret party has doubts about the identity of the White King's bloodline of the Japanese mixed-race people.

However, the Sheqi Eight Clan recorded a different secret history on the family wall paintings:

During the six epochs of frozen time, a human named Izanagi sneaked into the icy prison of the White King, reached a contract with the White King, obtained the "Holy Grail" and "Holy Remains" bestowed by the White King, and became the first generation of "Emperor" and "Parasitic White King".

Thus, the first hybrid of the White King's bloodline was born.

The so-called Holy Grail refers to the White King's genes, and the Holy Remains are the White King's bones and blood.

Unfortunately, the White King is not a benevolent person. The treasure she bestowed upon humanity is simply to allow them to preserve her genes (the Holy Grail) to prevent her from being utterly slain by the Black King. Meanwhile, she secretly plans to devour all of her descendants upon her resurrection, restoring her to her full power with the combined power of the Holy Grail and the Holy Relic.

Izanagi, who obtained the Holy Grail's remains because he coveted the White King's power, was afraid of the White King's revival, but he could not destroy the White King's holy bones and blood with his own power, so he gave birth to three descendants: Amaterasu, Tsukuyomi, and Susanoo.

Amaterasu was ordered to rule Takama-ga-hara, the kingdom of gods, Tsukuyomi managed the kingdom of night, and the ocean was given to Susanoo to manage. They jointly worshipped and sealed the bones of the gods for generations.

The descendants of Amaterasu multiplied to form the Genji family, the descendants of Tsukuyomi were called the Uesugi family, and the descendants of Susanoo were called the Tachibana family. These are the bloodlines of the three upper families of the Snake Eight Families, and directly inherited the source of the White King's "Holy Grail" bloodline.

As the "Emperor" of the current generation of the Snake Eight Clan, Minamoto no Chisei is also known as "Amaterasu" by his family members. This is because his family is descended from Amaterasu, a direct descendant of the noble deity. He is the Amaterasu of the present generation.

In comparison, his father Tachibana Masamune's bloodline is not strong. He does not have royal blood and is not qualified to be called Susanoo. He is just a patriarch who succeeded in taking office by relying on his "political achievements" and the support of his adopted son.

Gen Chisei's thoughts lingered for a moment on his mission of "as a descendant of Amaterasu, he should seal the secrets of God."

Finally, it fell on the huge and inexplicable mystery of "How did Emiya know about 'God'?"

"Mister Emiya... that's not a funny joke. No matter who you heard our family's secrets from, that's not a reason to arbitrarily accuse a mafia organization. If you don't have sufficient evidence or you were simply misleadingly serving as a mouthpiece for someone else, then I suggest you retract what you just said. I can pretend I didn't hear it."

Yuan Zhisheng's tone became stern.

This is what he said on the surface, but in fact, it is definitely impossible to pretend that he had not heard of it. He needs to discuss this matter further with his father to find out why the family secret was leaked.

According to the previous investigation of Emiya's experience, it is impossible for a person like him who has no connection with the family to know the secrets of God.

"No, this can't be said to be a random accusation. Rather, many signs have already shown that this gang is suspicious."

Emiya's demeanor was clearly more relaxed than Minamoto's. He picked up his spoon and took a sip of the sea eel broth before continuing, "This Aoi-ya is related to the case I've been investigating... Minamoto-san, you've probably heard of the 'Odin Incident,' right?"

"Of course I have heard of it. Otherwise, how else would I know the name of Lord Emiya?"

Gen Chisheng looked surprised, he never thought that a small gang could be related to the Dragon King-level incident far away on the mainland. He decided to calm down for the time being and continue to listen to what new words Emiya would come out of his mouth.

"You should also know that the Chen family, which completely vanished that day, actually had a close relationship with Odin. After a joint investigation by the Shenzhou families, all signs indicate that the Chen family's secret experiments were also involved in a Deadpool trafficking chain from Japan to Shenzhou."

"One end of this transaction chain points to a certain gang in this country. I suspect that Aoiya is secretly responsible for this."

Gennosuke nodded slightly without changing his expression, but did not say anything immediately. When Emiya said this just now, he still did not point out what exactly these had to do with "God".

However, when it came to the organization that Emiya mentioned, Gennochi suddenly thought of a suspect. If what Emiya said was true, then the most suspicious organization behind the scenes should be the Oni Clan.

The pursuit of the ghosts to evolve into gods will definitely involve bloodline experiments and produce a large number of deadpools. In this case, the probability of collusion with the Chen family in Shenzhou is not zero.

Could it be that the organization that Emiya mentioned, which covets the gods, is...

Soon, the highlight that Genjiro had been waiting for arrived—Emiya changed the subject immediately, revealing the secrets one after another:

"After the Odin Incident ended and the Chen family fell, the forces behind the scenes didn't stop their actions. They even tried to eliminate me—an attempt that was, of course, futile. Not only did they fail, but it actually exposed their plans in Japan, with Aoi-ya being one of those pawns."

"The reason I say it's related to your 'God' is because their goal is most likely to start a Holy Grail War, and the key to this is obtaining the fragment of the 'God' inherited by your family."

Emiya's association of the Holy Grail and the Divine Body wasn't forced. In the Type-Moon world, the gods themselves possessed powers comparable to those of the Holy Grail. As a product of the Third Law, the Holy Grail could connect the path to the Source, and the gods were inherently connected to the Source.

"Emiya Miyu" in "Magical Girl Illya" is a combination of these two characteristics. She has the physique of a "divine child" that is close to that of a god, and she is also the innate and complete "Holy Grail" that can fulfill wishes indiscriminately.

If this is the case, then it is not impossible for the divine body and divine fragments to serve as the core structure of the Holy Grail.

"!"

Gennochi had no idea how Emiya intended to use this forced connection to drag his family into the investigation of Aoi-ya, but the talk of "Holy Grail" and "Fragments of God" had a different meaning to him:

The demons have discovered the place where the "God" is sealed, and they are preparing to seize the White King's sacred remains! They are willing to start a war among the White King's descendants!

He couldn't help but clench the teacup in his hand, and a slight crackling sound spread along the edge of the cup.

The history of hostility between the Eight Snake Clans and the Fierce Ghost Clan was filled with bloody slaughter. If the lives lost during this long period were piled up, their blood would probably flow into an endless river of blood. Everyone on both sides hoped that the other would be annihilated as soon as possible...

But if he really had to face this fateful confrontation, Yuan Zhisheng always felt that it came too suddenly.

"... Gen-san, you may not quite believe or understand what I'm saying about the Holy Grail War, and its specific connection to the Fragments of God."

Emiya's words lingered in his heart, suddenly freeing Minamoto from his deep sense of fate. "But I must say, if your family investigated the person behind Aoi-ya, they would surely know that what I said just now was true—"

"Don't say any more, Lord Emiya! I can still understand and listen to you at this level."

With Emiya's surprised look asking, "What on earth did you understand?", Minamoto no Chisei immediately put down his cup and cutlery. He quickly stood up from his standard sitting position, intending to leave immediately.

"Sorry to excuse me. This is a serious matter, and whether to investigate or not is not a one-time decision. I'll contact you later."

Gen Chisei, who had always condescended to accompany Emiya, abandoned his casual and laid-back attitude. In the blink of an eye, he transformed back into the noble young master who was second only to the emperor in the family.

So Yuan Zhisheng, who had just stood up, clapped his hands. A few seconds later, he saw the crowd bowing and waiting outside the door. He picked one person and said,

"Sakura, come and take a seat. Chat with Lord Emiya for me. If there are any plans for the rest of the schedule, please proceed as planned. You will accompany Emiya instead. I have something urgent to do and need to go back to the family."

We must find out who revealed the family secret to Emiya and whether the Oni Clan really did that.

Chapter 138 Herzog Begins a Battle of Wits with the Air

The office of Tachibana Masamune, the head of the Snake Eight Families.

Gen Chisei didn't even have time to change out of his executive bureau's black windbreaker. He walked through a wooden carved screen and came across several beautifully framed Ukiyo-e paintings. Some of them depicted the magnificent snow scene of Mount Fuji, while others depicted singing and dancing geishas.

These pendants, which are full of the aesthetic of Showa-style old men, make Gen Chisheng quite bored.

His eyes quickly swept over the surrounding decorations, and finally fell on the large solid wood desk in the office area. The tabletop was polished as smooth as a mirror, and documents of all sizes were placed in rows on the table. The documents symbolized the direct management of the entire Sheqi Eight Families over countless external gangs, comparable to the supreme power of the "Shadow Emperor".

It is also behind this table, the old man with a serious air, Tachibana Masamune, who holds the power tightly.

The old man had a straight nose and deep eye sockets, like a foreign old man, but he had pure black pupils. Tachibana Masamune pursed his lips and was serious. He reviewed the documents carefully and seriously...

In Yuan Zhisheng's eyes, this old man has been like this for many years. If it were not for his diligent attitude and real achievements, he would not have been able to gain the support of the family heads and take the throne of the patriarch.

"You're back so early. I thought you, Chisheng, would have more in common with young people like Emiya Shirou." Tachibana Masamune didn't take his eyes off the documents when he spoke. It seemed that he was indeed very busy.

Gennochi was not impressed by Tachibana Masamune's tone. The older generation was always like this, thinking that any arrangement made for the young people would definitely have a good effect. However, they did not know that young people nowadays prefer to gather in small groups of three or two, and talk about different interests and hobbies from a distance.

He sat down on the dark leather sofa opposite the desk without any hesitation and answered directly without much hesitation.

"We do have a lot in common. Too much, I should say... Dad, Emiya can even talk to me about the secrets of God. Tell me, can I still continue this conversation?"

pat.

Tachibana Masamune put down his work on the approval of documents. The pen in his hand slipped from his fingertips and rolled several times on the desk. "What happened?"

Gennochi briefly recounted the entire day's performance and conversation between Emiya and him from beginning to end.

"It's strange, isn't it? It's normal for you, the head of the family, and me, the 'Emperor', to reveal the family's top secrets completely, but how did Emiya, a half-blood with no connection to the family, know about it?"

Tachibana Masamune also looked surprised. "You also said that Emiya thinks the Oni Clan is about to go to war with us and seize the Divine Corpse?"

"Yes, the fierce ghosts also know the secrets of God. They even think that the Yellow Spring Road leading to the God's bones is the road to becoming a god. After walking this road, they can become gods (pure-blooded dragons). That's why they are so fanatically searching for God."

"In addition to getting information from his family, Emiya may also have learned it from the Demonic Clan. But if Emiya is from the Demonic Clan, there is no need for him to come and remind me, the Emperor of the Snake Eight Clans."

Tachibana Masamune also nodded slightly.

"Ever since the first three noble sons of our ancestors, the path to the underworld, leading to Purgatory in search of the Mother Goddess Izanami, has always been sealed. The power of God is not something that can be easily obtained. It is both a power that reaches the heavens and a trap set by God."

"What happened to Susanoo proved this point. We must not repeat the same mistake, nor leave any chance for the demons."

According to the secret history of the Eight Snake Clans, among the three noble sons born to Izanagi, the youngest son Susanoo was bewitched by the Holy Corpse. He could not resist the desire for power and merged with the Holy Corpse, resulting in the dragonization phenomenon and became the "White King Yamata-no-Orochi".

At that time, Amaterasu and Tsukuyomi had to sacrifice themselves, release the simulated Word Spirit Guixu and Word Spirit Shiva Karma, use the ancient mythological city called "Takama-ga-hara" as the coffin of the White King, and bury the entire Takama-ga-hara and the White King at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean.

Up to now, no one has found the exact location of the ancient city of Takama-ga-hara. If an unmanned submersible equipped with high-definition cameras and sonar systems is sent to conduct an underwater search, a brightly lit underwater ancient city will be relatively conspicuous, and the search will not be difficult.

But the ocean is too vast and boundless, and the cost of searching and maintaining deep-sea submersibles is enormous. Moreover, the Eight Snake Clans are not as fanatical about pursuing gods as the Ghost Clan... Instead of spending a lot of money to challenge a difficult search, it would be better to not find anything.

"...But things are different now. If the demons have any clues about Takama-ga-hara, they will most likely dive down first to search for the burial place of the gods."

Tachibana Masamune said with a serious expression, "It is indeed necessary to investigate the movements of the Oni Clan. We have been unable to deal with them for so many years. Aoi-ya may be a breakthrough to change the status quo."

Genshisei, who was sitting on the sofa, was incredulous. "Dad, do you believe what Emiya said? Don't you think Emiya's source of information is strange?"

"No matter how suspicious Emiya's words may be, we cannot pin our hopes on our enemies—the Oni—being able to remain calm and not plot any harm."

Tachibana Masamune sighed, "Besides, although Emiya Shirou is neither a member of the family nor a member of the Oni Clan, there is still a situation that can explain the mystery surrounding him."

"What's going on?" Yuan Zhisheng sat up straight.

"Emiya Shirou... This person might be the lost royal bloodline of our Snake Eight Clan."

"What!?"

Tachibana Masamune uttered a shocking conjecture, "Chisheng, I once said that you are not weaker than Emiya, and vice versa. Emiya, who can slay dragons and kill gods, cannot have a bloodline lower than the 'Emiya'."

"The information we found about Emiya's family is suspicious, isn't it? If Emiya is the 'Emiya' who was adopted by someone else, then everything makes sense... In other words, Emiya's situation may be similar to yours, Chisei."

"Similar to me..." Yuan Zhisheng seemed to be muttering to himself. He suddenly felt that reality was a bit magical. How could he suddenly have another family member who was also an "Emperor"?

"Yeah, there are so many coincidences, not to mention—he and Eri both have red hair."

In the office, the two of them simultaneously thought of a red-haired girl who had been locked up in the intensive care unit playing games for years - the head of the Uesugi family, the only remaining bloodline of the Uesugi family, Uesugi Eri.

----

That night, inside an underground building secretly built in a remote mountain forest area.

"This is definitely not a coincidence!"

Someone in a corner of the building let out an anxious growl that no one could hear.

The interior style of this underground building is cold and depressing, with no light from the outside world able to penetrate. A faint smell of disinfectant permeates the air, mixed with a damp and cold smell unique to the underground, which is nauseating.

Across the dimly lit corridor, you can glimpse the spacious laboratory inside. Huge floor-to-ceiling glass divides the laboratory into two areas. Various advanced but outdated instruments and equipment are placed on one side, and the flashing indicator lights and humming machines never stop.

Next to it was a device that looked like a huge transparent coffin, filled with a biomass solution that reflected fluorescent light. Several clones with exactly the same body shapes and appearances were suspended in the liquid, their outlines vaguely visible.

A masked man stood in front of the device, and the growling voice came from his mouth.

The masked man gently removed the mask on his face—a Noh theater mask with a smiling face of a noble, pale complexion and bright red lips—revealing the face of an old man with a straight nose, deep-set eyes, and facial lines as clear as if carved by a knife...

Exactly the same face as Tachibana Masamune!

"It's been more than ten years, more than ten years! Why did you choose to ruin my plans now?"

The old man, suspected to be Masamune Tachibana, seemed to be venting his anger at the deserted laboratory.

His real name was Jung von Herzog.

In his early years, he was a brilliant genetic scientist, obsessed with the occult and joined the "Far North" to pursue the Holy Grail. Later, due to the war of the last century, he was captured after his homeland was defeated and was ordered to the "Black Swan Port" in the Arctic Circle to study the unheard-of dragons and hybrids...

No! These are not the main points, they are just the past that has long disappeared!

Herzog's clearest memory of Black Swan Harbor was in 1991, when a man named Bondarev suddenly arrived at Black Swan Harbor and told Herzog, who at that time did not know the truth about the dragon clan's history, everything about the dragon clan.

Bondarev also brought the bad news that the Black Swan Port project had been abandoned by the authorities. Herzog's research could not get any funding. Instead of waiting to die, it is better to give up all these and join him in exploring how to use dragons to step into the throne of God.

Only then did Herzog realize what kind of weird things his research subjects were. At the same time, he was also tempted by the beautiful blueprint of the "god-making plan" described by Bondarev.

The two quickly reached a cooperation, destroyed Black Swan Harbor and escaped, taking away the three most promising experimental subjects, namely the young Gennochiyo, Gennochime, and Uesugi Eri who was in the embryonic stage.

However, midway through, Bondarev suddenly stabbed Herzog in the back, leaving him seriously injured and nearly dead.

However, the latter managed to survive and had plastic surgery to become a Japanese. He lurked in this island country for a while and successfully counterattacked, taking back three experimental subjects, his own research notes, and the spoils - the complete program of resurrecting the White King recorded by Bondarev.

In this way, Herzog took over everything from Bondarev, and even entered the Snake Eight Families through the identity of "Tachibana Masamune", step by step ascending to the position of patriarch, and finally learned the secret of the White King hidden in this ancient Japanese family. He was only one step away from resurrecting the White King and seizing the throne of God!

Everything was going so smoothly and wonderfully, but it was ruined by a sudden accident!

The anger on Herzog's face gradually faded, but anxiety took the opportunity to climb onto his face...

Shirou Emiya, the same red hair, at least royal-level bloodline, a suspicious adoptive father who died inexplicably young, and a family background of unknown origin.

This is definitely not a coincidence... This person is very likely Bondarev's experimental subject.