Dragon Clan: They're all insane, and you still want me to slay dragons?

Page 143

"It doesn't feel like me, it's more like Angers or Chu Zihang. Is this really not adapted from Angers' experience?"

Gao Kui looked up, recalling the story of Angers he had heard—the legendary dragon slayer's tale had circulated among hybrids for centuries. Of course, some details were not revealed.

As for Chu Zihang, if Chu Tianjiao had not been found, he would most likely have become a vengeful ghost like Angers or the Styx Boy, Gao Kui had no doubt about that.

But what about yourself?

Gao Kui did not believe that he, as a person, could compare with Angers, Chu Zihang, or even the vast majority of mixed-race people and ordinary people.

Angers and the Styx Boy are acutely aware of their predicament and the near impossibility of revenge. They will feel fear, and then overcome that fear.

Every time they brandished their swords and bared their claws at their enemies, they were risking their lives, fighting tooth and nail. They didn't have multiple lives, nor were they immortal, but they went without hesitation.

That's what courage and responsibility are all about.

Gao Kui knew clearly that he had never experienced fear in the past, nor did he have any psychological activities such as weighing pros and cons, being wary, or having the instinct to protect himself.

"It has nothing to do with Angers. This is the story of a lion, the experience of a lion living on the South African plains."

Mai paused for a moment, then said, "The reason you feel that the Styx boy is not like you is because you haven't had someone to give you courage yet."

“Oh, I’ve suddenly turned from a lion into a monkey again.” Gao Kui complained habitually, then added, “I’ve heard someone say something similar before, but I’ve forgotten who said it to me.”

"Has anyone told you that? That proves that everyone acknowledges you have the heart of a lion."

You might feel that you lack true courage and are a failure as a person. But at least you're not as cowardly as the original Styx Boy, are you?

Courage is something imprinted on a person's soul, something that is destined to be either present or absent, much like Conqueror's Haki in One Piece.

Destiny has ordained you to be king, and no matter how many worries and fears you may have in the future, you will still awaken the heart of the lion king and become a true king.

Fate dictated that he wouldn't have it. Even if he received countless acts of kindness in the future, even if others fed him hand-to-hand, he would still be nothing more than a cowardly lion like Solo, possessing only a physique and occasionally displaying power, but whose essence remained unchanged.

"Don't mention fate to me, I don't like that word." Gao Kui warned Jiu De Mai in a deep voice, like a cat whose tail had been stepped on.

"Even if fate decrees that you will possess everything, become the supreme lion king, and gain the mating rights to an entire pride of lionesses, is that all there is to it?"

Even over the phone, Gao Kui could clearly hear the alluring quality in Jiu De Mai's voice.

"I just don't like it." Gao Kui's tone was cold and firm, revealing a sense of anxiety, or rather, a rebelliousness similar to Caesar's.

Caesar said that the Gattuso family were a bunch of beasts who would always take away what he treasured in the name of his own good, and then give him things that the family considered invaluable but which he completely disregarded.

In his past, when Gao Kui was living in a daze, he didn't really understand Caesar. Isn't that what parents and family are all about?

Now Gao Kui felt the same way as Caesar.

Both the Father and Emmanuel supported him, but not completely, just as no parent will fully "support" their child. They always expect their children to give up something and then develop in the direction they expect.

They call this process growth.

For Caesar, there were few things he needed to give up, only "independence and self-will." By giving up his ego, he gained everything.

From a rational perspective, Gao Kui once considered Caesar's rebelliousness as childish and pretentious. Now that the same problem has befallen him, Gao Kui has come to a complete understanding of Caesar.

Caesar had only one path to take, while he had two.

One path was the path of the glorious king, which was his original destiny. If he simply nodded, he could immediately become the glorious king, return to the position of God, and preside over the Last Judgment to destroy the world.

The other path is the Lion King's path prepared for him by Immanuel. It may be somewhat bumpy, but it will be a legendary life full of ups and downs. Money, love, glory... everything that people dream of is within his reach. In the end, he will pat his butt and ascend to godhood, saying, "I regret it. I will not destroy the world. I will establish a new covenant with the world."

So what's the cost?

It is independence and self-will that allow you to reap all rewards by letting go of your ego.

Just like everything the Gattuso family prepared for Caesar, both options were paths with incredibly bright futures, but this arrangement was bound to cause Gao Kui to resist.

He wanted a sense of self, an independent will, and free will.

Gao Kui only wanted the power of "choice".

Ironically, this power is the hardest to possess when facing the Father and Emmanuel, because they are God, and everything, both internal and external to the logic of all things, is in God's control.

Do you think this is a coincidence? No, it's God's arrangement, a predetermined destiny, or, in magic terms, a forced choice.

Gao Kui, no longer so fixated on distinguishing between the true and false in the world, has a new worry: he has to discern at every moment which things are fate and God's arrangement.

As a human, he is destined to be unable to distinguish between them. When mortals try to think about it, God laughs. To understand clearly, one must ascend to godhood, but ascending to godhood may very well lead to the loss of the nascent humanity and self that Gao Kui is born with.

Mai Shude heard the rebellious spirit in Gao Kui's words, which was very similar to that of Caesar, and said, "Why must you refuse the Lord's arrangement? You just need to nod, and a sexy, hot, beautiful, and rich lioness will immediately rush from Saitama Prefecture to Tokyo and pounce on you."

Gao Kui calmly asked, "So you are also the lioness that Emmanuel prepared for me?"

“No, it was my own choice. Boss asked me, if I were a lioness, and had to choose between Solo and the Styx Boy as my mating partner, who would I choose? I said I would choose the Styx Boy.”

"It may not be your own choice; you know who your other boss is."

This is the dilemma Gao Kui faces. If God makes you believe that it is your own choice, you will never realize that it is God's arrangement, because everything is God's creation.

Even though Gao Kui, as the Son of God, has not yet ascended to godhood, he is the Creator, not the created. Neither the Father nor Immanuel can completely control him, but they can control everything around him.

"Logically speaking, isn't the Styx Boy far more charming than Solo? It's perfectly reasonable for me to choose you."

“This is a forced choice. You actually have a third option: to choose neither Solo nor the Styx Boy, but to follow your own preferences and will, and include other lions in your selection pool before making a choice.”

"But my dear, no one in this world can have true free will."

Shokuto Mai sighed slightly and said, "On a grassland of several hundred square kilometers, there may only be a few dozen male lions. If you exclude those that are too old or too young, there is almost no room for selection."

The same applies to lions, and the same applies to humans.

It has been estimated that a person may actually meet about 29.2 million people in their lifetime, and among these nearly 30 million, they will fall in love with about 20,000 members of the opposite sex at first sight.

But is that really the case? I believe that the vast majority of people will meet far fewer than 2920 million people in their lifetime, perhaps only a few million, or even a few hundred thousand. Taking into account the appropriate marriageable age, social status, and roughly compatible personalities, the final number of people available for selection may be as small as single digits, or even lacking the right to choose altogether.

There are five billion people on Earth, and the vast majority of them choose from only a handful of potential partners. That is the freedom of the vast majority of people.

This is my current situation. As a male lion, you are superior to the other one, and superior to all other male lions on the savanna. If I want to mate and continue my bloodline, why wouldn't I choose you?

“Very rational.” Gao Kui expressed his admiration for Jiu De Mai’s rationality.

"So what reason do you have not to choose me? What reason do you have not to choose everything Lord has prepared for you?" Mai Shude once again went straight for the point.

“The reason is that the other path that God Jehovah has prepared for me seems much better.” Gao Kui’s tone was calm, seemingly unmoved.

Mai Shude's expression froze completely. So, after saying all that, even though I was practically ready to pounce on him, the lion opposite me was still a god, not a god with rich humanity.

"Kidding."

"I knew it……"

"But it's not entirely a joke either."

Gao Kui turned around and looked out the window at the chaotic scene in Shinjuku. Yuan Zhisheng was clinging to the outer wall of a skyscraper. He was lucky enough to be stopped from falling any further.

"You might think I'm worrying unnecessarily, after all, I'm not a god, and they have countless ways to make coincidences that are favorable to them happen around me, tempting me to make the choices they expect."

But one thing will never change: I am not a created being, but a creator. They cannot directly arrange everything for me.

I can choose the path that God Jehovah wants me to take, or I can choose the path that Emmanuel has prepared for me, or I can switch back and forth between the two, or I can choose neither of them at all.

But whatever decision I ultimately make, it will be my own choice.

Gao Kui's eyes showed no confusion or bewilderment, but rather a stubbornness and rebelliousness similar to Caesar's, and a persistence and pursuit of independence as a "person".

So you're not going to choose me?

"Let me finish what I'm doing first."

Flowers bloom in seasons, and so do lions' mating seasons. A significant number of territorial male lions miss their mating season because they are busy expanding their territory, patrolling their domains, and driving away nomadic lions.

"How long will it take?" Mai Shude was prepared to wait three to five years.

"It may take three to five hours, or it may take three to five days, but I must resolve all the issues at Genji Heavy Industries."

Mai Shude paused for a moment, then suddenly laughed: "After saying so much, you're still tempted, but that's normal, it's puberty."

I thought you were going to emulate Huo Qubing, the Marquis of Champion, and vow that you wouldn't have a home until the Xiongnu were defeated.

Gao Kui solemnly introduced: "Fun fact: Huo Qubing left behind offspring before he died."

Mai Shude continued to giggle, like an old hen. Gao Kui, annoyed, snapped, "You're such a nasty woman!"

Mai Shude stopped laughing and said into the phone, "I have a long-term rental suite at the Park Hyatt Hotel, right next to your old one. Once I'm done with things here, I'll take Makoto Aso back to Tokyo. Whenever you want to become an adult, come find me at the Park Hyatt Hotel."

Furthermore, the kidnapping of Aso Makoto and the attack on the Hebi Hachika family were committed by the Demon Clan.

Chapter 172 Bow

"The Fierce Ghosts?"

Gao Kui was slightly taken aback. What was this thing?

Mai Shude laughed and said, "I remember you really like Kamen Rider?"

"Oh~"

After just a brief explanation from Mai Shutoku, Gao Kui understood exactly what the Demon Clan was. Almost every installment of the Kamen Rider series adheres to the core premise established by Shotaro Ishinomori: enemies and allies share a common origin.

Showa Riders were all cyborgs, sharing the same origin as the villainous monsters. Heisei Riders removed the cyborg setting, but the Rider system in each series is still intricately connected to the monster faction.

Thus, the origin of the Demon Clan becomes clear: it is likely an organization that split off from the Hebi-Hachi family. Only another Hebi-Hachi family could stand against the Hebi-Hachi family in Japan.

Why didn't you tell me everything?

Gao Kui had a gut feeling that Jiu De Mai knew far more than he had said: "Tell me everything, and I'll immediately take up my sword and wipe out all the villains to save time and energy."

Gao Kui still preferred to cut the Gordian knot.

"Because I would rather you be the Lion King than a god who judges the world."

The plan to eliminate Ultraman was devised by Zoffy, and Mai Shutoku, like a Baltan alien who answers every question, chuckled and sold out Emmanuel's scheme completely.

“Sub-adult male lions are driven out of the pride by the lionesses, so almost every male lion goes through a period of wandering.”

During their nomadic period, male lions hone their hunting and fighting skills, mastering various abilities. Once these instincts have been honed to perfection and their physique and mentality have truly matured, nomadic male lions will form alliances, invade prides, challenge the old king, and claim the crown of the new king.

A lion cannot become strong without the trials of wandering, and the same is true for you, my dear. How can you become a person without experiencing life?

Don't you want to prove that you are still outstanding as a human being? Don't you want to prove that, stripped of your divinity and status as a saint, you are still worthy of being liked by anyone simply as a human being?

Emmanuel dug a pit for Gao Kui, and Shude Mai told Gao Kui where the pit was and why she didn't want to tell Gao Kui all her little secrets.

Gao Kui didn't dislike the feeling of being honest but not completely honest. The long-legged older sister had opened her heart to him, allowing him to peek into the clear lake and enter the forest that others could never enter.

"You convinced me."