In a flash, Minamoto Chisei felt like he'd pieced it all together—
No wonder Eriyi had vanished so silently, without a trace.
No wonder this person could appear out of nowhere, unnoticed by anyone.
No wonder, despite her young appearance and barely developed frame, she could effortlessly overpower him—a seasoned fighter—ignore the effects of "Royal Dominion," and unleash multiple *kotodama*…
It all made sense… A Dragon King had set its sights on the Sheqi Bajia!!
Which of the four Dragon Monarchs was she? When did she awaken? When did she arrive in Japan? When did she fixate on Eriyi? Was someone pulling the strings behind her? Did the Academy or the Secret Party know about this?
Terrifying possibilities flooded Minamoto Chisei's mind.
Nearby, Tachibana Masamune seemed to reach the same conclusion, his face twisted with unspeakable dread.
Meanwhile, Uchiha Hikari had no clue the father-son duo was spiraling into such wild theories.
Her ability to shrug off "Royal Dominion" was simple: she had no Dragon Clan blood. She was just an ordinary human, completely disconnected from the hybrid world. Against someone like her, the No. 91 *kotodama*, "Royal Dominion," which only worked on hybrids, was less useful than a basic offensive *kotodama*.
Of course, in the Dragon Clan world, someone with *zero* dragon blood was practically a rare species…
"So…"
Hikari glanced at her shadow clone covering her flank, then turned to the "father and son" pinned against the wall by Susanoo. Her gaze locked onto Tachibana Masamune, and she activated "Yasaka no Magatama."
Her eyes fluttered shut.
Her consciousness sank rapidly.
Fragmented images flashed through Hikari's mind—
Born in a Moscow orphanage…
Trained as a KGB agent…
Returning to Black Swan Bay after the war with Third Reich gene tech, researching dragon genetics and test-tube babies…
The Christmas Eve fire, the ancient dragon embryo, the sinking of the *Lenin*…
Faking an identity within the Inner Three Families, infiltrating the Sheqi Bajia…
By her calculations, Tachibana Masamune was actually older than Shimura Danzo, and as a modern person, his experiences were far richer. Logically, Hikari shouldn't have been able to "view" his entire life in mere moments. But as she probed, she found his memories oddly… thin. Especially the earlier parts, where gaps and inconsistencies stood out.
It was like… a film reel that had been heavily edited and cut.
During this, Tachibana Masamune's face contorted in pain. With his throat pinned, he couldn't even scream to vent his anguish. The sight drove Minamoto Chisei wild with rage, his dragon blood surging as he struggled against Susanoo's massive grip, but to no avail.
After a long moment, Hikari opened her eyes, a strange glint flickering in them.
"Interesting…"
Having read the source material, she knew Herzog could create something called a "Shadow Warrior" to act as a stand-in, a sacrificial pawn for different scenarios. So the Tachibana Masamune before her wasn't necessarily—no, *definitely* wasn't—his true self. This was just a manufactured puppet.
But the *Dragon Clan* series never fully explained how "Shadow Warriors" worked.
Now, though…
Hikari was starting to get it.
These so-called "Shadow Warriors" weren't just random people handed a script to play a part. The memories she'd just seen in Tachibana Masamune's mind were nearly identical to the story "he" would confess to Minamoto Chisei two years later in the original timeline!
Those weren't Herzog's memories—they belonged to "Bondarev, former KGB agent"!!
Hikari even glimpsed a scene in Tachibana Masamune's "memories" where he infiltrated the Mengguizhong's Osaka headquarters to assassinate the "King General."
Logically, since both "Tachibana Masamune" and the "King General" were Herzog's aliases, there'd be no need to stage such a battle with no audience—neither of the Minamoto brothers could've seen it.
So…
There was only one explanation—
Tachibana Masamune's memories had been meticulously crafted and implanted!
In his own mind, he genuinely wasn't Herzog. He believed he was Bondarev—a man who'd served in the KGB, survived the destruction of Black Swan Bay, and infiltrated the Sheqi Bajia as Tachibana Masamune, clawing his way to the top as Patriarch, always walking on thin ice.
"Could Herzog have the ability to weave memories for others?"
"A *kotodama*? Or some advanced medical tech, like Black Swan Bay's 'brain bridge severance surgery'?"
"If this Tachibana Masamune has a sense of 'self,' how does Herzog control him? Like hypnosis in anime, using trigger words to activate mental suggestions?"
"The human brain… it's a fascinating thing."
In that moment, Hikari found herself deeply intrigued by Herzog.
Lost in thought, she released Susanoo's grip.
She decided to dig deeper into Tachibana Masamune's mind and use him to lure out the real Herzog.
On the other side, the second he broke free, Minamoto Chisei lunged forward, fist raised—only to have his wrist seized by Hikari's shadow clone. With a swift shoulder throw, she slammed him to the floor, twisting his arms behind his back.
*Thud!*
As this happened, Hikari's real body turned, looking down at Minamoto Chisei's golden pupils with her Sharingan. "You should be grateful you're Eriyi's brother, so I won't kill you… for now. But you'd better wise up. Idiots don't get to live long."
"You've got twenty minutes to figure out how to talk to me properly—and to brace for the consequences."
With that, Hikari turned and walked back.
The guards and Execution Bureau agents eyed her warily, glancing at the two Patriarchs sprawled on the floor. None dared make the first move, instead parting to clear a path for her.
The fiery trail left by her "Heavy Cannon Slash" minutes ago still burned fiercely, casting a faint golden-red glow on Hikari's hands and hair.
At the corridor's corner, Hikari formed a single hand seal, dispelling her shadow clone.
Then she strolled back to Eriyi's room.
…
When Eriyi saw Hikari return, she visibly relaxed.
And when, twenty minutes later, a bandaged Minamoto Chisei appeared in the hospital room, the girl finally let go of her worries completely.
"…Hello, Uchiha Hikari-san."
Minamoto Chisei glanced at Eriyi before turning to Hikari, his expression complex. "I'm Minamoto Chisei, currently acting as Patriarch of the Sheqi Bajia, speaking with you now."
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