014. You should take a good look at your current surname.
Standing at the factory entrance was a man known as the "Dragon King," whose appearance was in stark contrast to the imposing title. His features were exquisitely delicate, almost otherworldly, with eyes and brows that carried an alluring charm, and a faint, lazy smile at the corner of his mouth. This smile was neither greasy nor repulsive; rather, it exuded an indescribable hazy beauty, like a flickering lamp amid a misty night.
Yet, Seigo Toyokawa dared not relax for a moment; his nerves were taut and alert.
"Who would have thought," the Dragon King began slowly, crossing his arms and tilting his head slightly as he gazed at Seigo, his smile deepening, "that a former top student of Kassel Academy would marry into a branch of the Sekkihachi family."
"And you even know about the Ghost Faction’s covert movements. Someone must have told you."
"No need to guess—I know who it is," Seigo replied coldly.
"But that you’d be willing to do some errands for the Sekkihachi family—that’s truly lamentable," the Dragon King said with a chuckle.
Seigo snorted coldly. "What does that have to do with you?"
"You Ghosts are like rats in the street, everyone wants to beat you down."
"Even if I stayed at Kassel Academy, I might end up taking out your pack of lost dogs while on a mission."
The Dragon King chuckled lightly, remaining rooted to the spot, his smile never waning but growing more seductive.
"You don’t understand."
His voice lowered, carrying a strange, hypnotic tone. He seemed reluctant to dwell on the subject and quickly shifted gears.
"The things inside this factory are just fragments. Even we cannot decipher any secrets from them."
"You Sekkihachi fools hope to find answers here? How laughable."
He sighed softly before continuing.
"We’ve tried many times but made no breakthroughs. Eventually, we downgraded their importance."
"Until today, when we placed this here."
Seigo replied icily, "That’s only because you’re useless."
"Just because your Ghost Faction can’t do it doesn’t mean the Sekkihachi family can’t."
The Dragon King paused, then burst into laughter. His voice echoed through the factory ruins with an eerie undertone. After three full seconds, he slowly reined in his laughter, his eyes twinkling with mockery.
"Seigo, 'we Sekkihachi'—you actually claim to be one of us?"
Shaking his head as if hearing a grand joke, he added, "Have you looked at your surname? Toyokawa... Toyokawa!"
He stretched the last syllable with a hint of scorn.
"Not even counted among the Outer Five Families, let alone the Inner Three."
"The Toyokawa family is merely an independent branch expelled from the Sekkihachi clan. Your bloodline has long been impure—soon you might not even qualify as a half-blood."
A meaningful smile curled at his lips.
"With the instability of your bloodline, it won’t be long before you’re forced to join us, won’t you?"
Seigo’s voice was icy. "Shut up."
"Oh?" The Dragon King raised an eyebrow, feigning surprise. "Strange—why so worked up?"
He sighed playfully. "Don’t tell me you care?"
Seigo’s face darkened ominously, but the Dragon King acted as if oblivious and continued.
"You know well in your heart that there’s no Toyokawa blood in your veins."
"Since your wife’s death, only one person of your generation still carries Toyokawa blood."
The Dragon King stepped closer, lowering his voice as if to implant his words directly into Seigo’s mind.
"If you won’t bear to see your daughter follow in her mother’s and grandmother’s footsteps, perhaps you should join us."
His tone was almost compassionate, as if sincerely concerned for Seigo.
"The reason I’m wasting words with you here, even showing up myself, is to prevent you from going astray."
"You were a top student at Kassel Academy, standing among those closest to the ‘truth’ in this world."
"But if your daughter continues down this path, she will end up consorting with ghosts."
A faint, enigmatic smile played on the Dragon King’s lips as he stared into Seigo’s eyes, enunciating each word carefully.
"The Executive Department will be very interested in this matter."
"And there are some who would be eager to reopen old wounds—to retry you for that ‘unauthorized union with a high-level half-blood’ back in the day."
The air suddenly stiffened.
Seigo’s gaze turned ice-cold, golden pupils blazing like an ignited cold flame. His eyes locked onto the Dragon King’s with unmasked murderous intent.
Yet the Dragon King showed no fear, still wearing that lazy, seductive smile, lips curling slightly as if enjoying the unfolding drama.
"Heh..."
He chuckled softly, eyes full of amusement. Without any defensive move, he merely tilted his head.
"After all these years, your eyes are still so beautiful..."
Before he finished,
Boom!
Seigo exploded into action!
In an instant, his figure became a blur, and a violent shockwave burst between them.
Word Magic—‘Instantaneous’
Sixty-fourfold speed!
In less than a tenth of a second, Seigo was already close to the Dragon King!
A business card twirled on his fingertips, its sharp edges reflecting the golden gleam of his eyes, sending a cold glint straight for the Dragon King’s throat!
Whoosh!
But just as the card was about to slice through the Dragon King’s neck, a smile suddenly appeared at the corner of the latter’s mouth.
"Impulsiveness is not a good habit."
He turned his head gently.
His movement was slow, even leisurely, yet strangely precise, evading Seigo’s lethal strike.
The razor-sharp edge of the card grazed his neck but didn’t even disturb a single strand of hair at his ear.
Seigo immediately flipped his wrist; the card bounced off his fingertips, its edge instantly changing direction to slash at the Dragon King’s eyes.
"Enough."
The Dragon King raised his hand, lightly pinching with two slender fingers.
Snap!
The card was firmly caught, no matter how hard Seigo pushed, it couldn’t advance an inch.
Their golden eyes met, and the air froze into a deathly silence as if trapped in ice.
The Dragon King gently tightened his grip, causing the sharp card to bend slightly, producing a faint scraping sound.
Seigo did not show surprise; instead, a smile curved his lips.
Just as the Dragon King was about to speak, suddenly—
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Gunfire shattered the factory’s silence, bullets pouring toward the Dragon King.
Almost simultaneously, several oddly shaped grenades rolled onto the ground, their shells clinking softly as they tumbled.
The Dragon King’s pupils shrank; his wrist twitched slightly. With a sudden surge of strength, he crushed the card between his fingers, shattering it into countless tiny shards that rained down like a storm toward Seigo.
At the same moment, Seigo ignited his word magic ‘Instantaneous’ once more!
Buzz—
In a flash, Seigo retreated, deftly dodging every fragment.
The next second—
Boom!
The grenades exploded on impact, unleashing a powerful shockwave that swept through the factory, dust and flames intertwining once again.
Through the thick smoke, Seigo turned without hesitation and sprinted at full speed toward the exit.
The Dragon King’s expression darkened; he reached out to intercept, but Seigo’s speed surged again, creating enough distance before the Dragon King’s hand could grasp him.
"Heh heh."
The Dragon King chuckled softly, his figure vanishing like a phantom with a blink.
Outside, Sekkihachi family elites had already stormed the factory. At the same time, the drone of helicopter rotors filled the sky overhead.
Black gunships extended heavy weaponry from their sides, their dark barrels aimed squarely at the factory.
Numerous Sekkihachi elite troops rapidly closed in from all directions, forming a tight encirclement.
"Quick, seal all exits!"
"Don’t let the target escape!"
The Dragon King withdrew his hand slowly, standing in place with a half-smile as he watched the gathering members of the Sekkihachi Kanto branch.
"Interesting."
He glanced at Seigo’s fleeing back and whispered,
"You will come back."
In the next moment, his figure broke through all the blockades in an instant, disappearing beneath the broad daylight.