A man among dragons, building a mysterious ancient church.

Chapter 318 Kazama Ruri was bent over by the King?
Fate is unpredictable; it's like the most mischievous child, capable of illuminating the most distant star on a lost night, or bringing together two people who have been living parallel lives for years at a crossroads.

Aso Makoto once again served tea to visitors in a side hall of the old temple, but this time the visitors looked quite similar to the previous ones.

The last visitor, Genjiro, had a delicate and handsome appearance. This time, the visitor, Ruri Kazama, is even more beautiful than Genjiro. She is not only delicate but also has a touch of allure.

The way she accepted and served the tea carried a gentle and graceful feminine charm, forcing Asou to repeatedly remind herself that she was a boy, a boy, not a sister, not a sister...

Kazama Ruri stared at Aso Makoto in disbelief, unable to comprehend how this Bishop Aso had managed to do it.

Why does this Bishop Aso exude such captivating charm?

Kazama Ruri boasts that she has observed no fewer than 100,000 women, drawing on the strengths of each to cultivate her current charm, with an allure in every gesture that surpasses even that of a woman.

However, his charm is merely external beauty, which cannot compare to the natural, inner charm of Makoto Aso.

Even without Aso Makoto making any movement or wearing any makeup, an extraordinary charm emanates from him.

The two stared at each other in silence. The side hall was quiet for a moment, with only the steam from two cups of tea wafting around the beams.

Aso Shin, under Kazama Ruri's intense gaze, couldn't withstand it even with his good composure: "Ahem."

"!" Kazama Ruri suddenly woke up: "Private horse race, my apologies."

Aso Makoto secretly breathed a sigh of relief: "Kazama-san, you're too kind. May I ask what brings you here?"

Strangely enough, when I was traveling with Erii, I heard from Taro Inuyama that Ruri Kazama, the "Dragon King" of the Oni Clan, had attacked but was driven back.

Therefore, Aso Makoto hurriedly had Nuwa take Erii away, and rushed back to handle the related matters himself.

After joining forces with the Snake Clan to destroy two secret strongholds of the Demon Clan, they still couldn't find Kazama Ruri. But today, Kazama Ruri actually came to them on her own.

He also said that the previous incident was just a misunderstanding, and that he just wanted to see the true strength of the Old Days Church. After realizing how powerful the Old Days Church was, he proposed that they cooperate.

These words left Aso completely bewildered. A misunderstanding? Cooperation?

The second-in-command of the Demon Clan came to our door seeking cooperation? What was the point of fighting with Taro Inuyama and his group last time? Was he simply curious about the strength of the Old Church, so he went there specifically to get beaten up?

If it were anyone else, Aso Makoto would definitely not tolerate it. He would make sure the other party knows the power of a Sequence 4 expert, and even more importantly, he would make sure the Old Church is not an existence that outsiders can easily test.

The problem is that Kazama Ruri's effeminate appearance is far too similar to Genjiro's! To an outsider, it's obvious they're practically brothers.

If Kazama Ruri and Genjiro are brothers, then wouldn't Erii also be his sister?
Despite the fact that Kazama Ruri was suspected to be another brother of Erii, Aso Makoto still served Kazama Ruri tea in the side hall.

I just want to see what the relationship is between Kazama Ruri, Genjiro, and Erii.

Kazama Ruri opened his mouth. What was the purpose of his visit? Oh, he was so captivated by Bishop Aso's extraordinary charm that he even forgot about his business for a moment.

Asking Aso Makoto now about how he exudes such extraordinary charm would be slightly offensive. It would be more appropriate to ask him after the two of them have worked together once.

With this in mind, Kazama Ruri finally became serious, and the effeminate look on her face lessened considerably: "I hope to cooperate with the Old Church and join forces to eliminate the King of the Demons."

A coalition? When Genji came last time, he also thought of joining forces with the Old Church to get rid of the Demon Clan. It's not that you two look alike, but your thought processes are so similar, you must be brothers, right?

And what about eliminating the king?

Aso Makoto's mind was instantly filled with words like 'rebellion,' 'treason,' and 'usurpation,' but he needed to be careful, as it might be some kind of conspiracy by the Demon Clan.

For example, if someone were to gain the trust of the Tokyo Diocese under the guise of assassinating the king, and then betray the diocese at the crucial moment of the operation, the Tokyo Diocese would be in serious trouble.

But if it's true, and Kazama Ruri harbors murderous intent towards the king, that could be used.

Once the King is killed by Kazama Ruri, the Demon Clan will be thrown into chaos. At that time, the Tokyo Diocese will seize the opportunity and surely scatter the ashes of the Demon Clan.

Based on the two considerations above, Aso Makoto chuckled lightly, pretending to be uninvolved: "Kazama-san is joking. We and the Oni Clan are enemies."

"Seeing your internal strife, wouldn't it be better for us to seize the opportunity to strike and wipe out the Fierce Ghosts?"

The implication is clear: why should I help you usurp the throne?

Ruri Kazama knew that empty words wouldn't be enough to gain Makoto Aso's complete trust and cooperation, so he offered his biggest bargaining chip: "It's very simple."

“It is precisely because Bishop Aso is hostile to the Oni Clan that I came to him. I can make a promise to Bishop Aso.”

"Once your sect helps me completely kill the King General, the entire Fierce Ghost Clan will be at your sect's mercy to wipe out."

"To show my sincerity, I can provide you with information on all of the Oni Clan's bases in Tokyo, as well as half of their bases in Osaka, once you agree to cooperate."

“Bishop Aso can verify this first. Once it’s confirmed, we’ll join forces to eliminate the King, and then I’ll present you with the final information on the Demon Clan.” Aso couldn’t bring himself to refuse. Was this what a mole was? He sold out the entire Demon Clan just to kill the King?
Now Aso truly understood: Kazama Ruri genuinely wanted to kill the King, and probably hated him to the extreme. It wasn't about usurping the throne or vying for power among the Demons.

So, what exactly did the King do to Kazama Ruri? What made her hate him so much that she was willing to betray everything to kill him?
Aso Shin casually glanced at the delicate and graceful Kazama Ruri, wondering if... Kazama Sō had been bent over by the King?!

Hmm, Aso seems to understand Kazama Ruri's hatred a little now.

What do you understand?! Kazama Ruri felt very uncomfortable. Why did Asou Makoto's gaze suddenly become so strange?
"Ahem." Asou Shin coughed lightly to cover up his strange thoughts: "Kazama-san, I have a question. I wonder about you and the head of the Snake-Headed Hachike, Genjiro?"

"!" Upon hearing this name, Kazama Ruri's eyes flashed with murderous intent, and the pressure of imperial blood spread out, covering the entire side hall.

Aso Makoto's expression darkened. A faint crimson moon hung high in the sky, and the boundless darkness and moonlight poured down, completely obscuring all of Kazama Ruri's oppressive aura.

The other party's reaction confirmed that Kazama Ruri and Genji were indeed related, and were very likely brothers, but had a grudge against each other.

Regardless of the occasion, Aso Shin would never allow Kazama Ruri to run wild at the old temple! The sudden arrival of the crimson moon forced Kazama Ruri to regain her senses.

"What is this?!" Kazama Ruri's golden eyes narrowed in disbelief. Was this the power of a diocese bishop from the Old Church?
Is this just a regional bishop? How terrifying must the Old Church as a whole have been?
Kazama Ruri finally understood why no force in the global mixed-race community dared to obstruct the Old Church's missionary work.

"Sorry, I lost my composure." Kazama Ruri quietly extinguished his golden eyes. He wasn't surprised that Asou Makoto had seen through his relationship with Genjiro; their appearances were so similar that it was impossible to hide it.

Kazama Ruri lowered her head, her bangs slightly obscuring her eyes. The previously murderous and extremely evil demon now resembled fragile glass that could shatter at any moment: "I was once killed by my brother."

"I was thrown into an old well. The bottom was icy cold, and I was all alone. There was no one else there, until..."

As Kazama Ruri finished speaking, she raised her head again, her bangs no longer concealing the murderous intent surging in her eyes: "Ever since I climbed out of that ancient well, I have decided to take revenge on my brother!"

"This is a family matter of the Yuan family. No matter how powerful the old church is, it has no right to interfere, right?"

The narrative, lacking context and focusing solely on consequences, displeased Aso Makoto. It was so incomplete that it couldn't even be considered proper gossip. However, he did receive confirmation from Kazama Ruri that he and Genji were indeed brothers.

As for Kazama Ruri, how about we ask Genjiro another day? I really want to know the whole story.

Why did Genjiro want to kill Kazama Ruri? Judging from the outcome, Kazama Ruri didn't die, and it feels a bit strange that the brothers turned against each other.

Just as Aso Makoto was about to say something more, he suddenly received a phone call. The caller ID showed "Genjiro".

Ah, Aso Makoto looked at Kazama Ruri in front of him, then at the caller ID on his phone, and sighed at the cruel twist of fate.

Kazama Ruri reacted so strongly just by hearing Genji's name; who knows what kind of trouble she'll cause at the old temple when she finds out it's a call from Genji himself.

So Asou didn't tell her anything, but gave her a look and, with Kazama Ruri shrugging as if to say "go ahead," answered the call: "What did you say? Princess Kaguya discovered Ince Zangwill!"

"Right in Shinjuku, Tokyo?!"

"Okay, I'll be right there!"

Since it involves wanted criminals from the old church, Aso Shin has no interest in the Genji brothers' scandal at this moment, and he's even less concerned about whether Kazama Ruri will kill the king.

Her top priority was to deal with Ince, as required by the church.

“Bishop Aso.” Kazama Ruri stood up as well. He wasn’t deaf; even though he couldn’t hear what was happening on the other end of the phone, he could still hear Aso’s exclamation.

Ince Zangwell, the apostate wanted by the old church in various dioceses recently, is actually in Shinjuku, Tokyo?

No wonder Aso Shin, who had been calm since he came in, became so impatient.

Furthermore, in his panic, Aso Makoto revealed the name of the Snake-Headed Eight Families' AI, 'Princess Kaguya,' so the number of people who could have contacted Aso Makoto by phone is very limited.

“Bishop Aso, if you don’t mind, could I also come along to help? Helping to capture Ince is a small token of my sincerity before we start our cooperation.”

To avoid any accidents, it's best not to bring Kazama Ruri along, lest she run into Genji and cause another incident. Aso Makoto waved his hand: "Thank you for your kindness, Kazama-san, but it's not necessary for now."

"If we really can't handle it, then we'll ask Kazama-san for help again."

Seeing Aso's immediate and hasty refusal, and his eagerness to avoid trouble, Kazama Ruri became even more certain that the phone call she had just received was made by Genji himself!

Haha, it's a rare opportunity, under such circumstances, to see that dear brother, how could he possibly miss it?

“Bishop Aso, please take me with you. As a token of my sincerity, I am willing to unconditionally provide you with information on all the strongholds of the Oni Clan throughout Japan.”

Aso Makoto, who had already gotten up and was eager to leave, couldn't help but stop in his tracks.

"Follow."

(End of this chapter)