Rising Rays of the New Century: Tale of the Japanese Empire

The End of the Golden Banquet and a New Threat

From the rooftop garden of a department store, a man watched people come and go. They had formed a group of demi-humans who were plotting a challenge to the Japanese government and were working in the dark under the surface. Finally, they were about to take action.

"...This is the dawn for the Demi-Human Liberation Front."

The man belonged to a race recognized by the Japanese government as the strongest among the officially recognized demi-human races. Therefore, those around him feared his bloodline. And they played with his blood for fun. And the man was ashamed of his race who lived in fear of the public eyes, without fighting against prosecution from the world.

"I am the blood of the noble dragon."

In the year 2112, the man's revenge is about to begin.

. . .

Ryuji's Home, Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture

The world is entering summer vacation. Yokohama Hisui Gakuen High School, which Teru attends, is also scheduled to officially go on summer vacation in August. Right now, Ryuji is staring at the virtual display on his PC in his living room. A message from his parent's home was displayed there.

'...I've been fooling around, but I guess grandfather finally got fed up with it...'

It was in the name of his grandfather, Enishi Hasena, and it told him to be sure to return to Suwa, the family's home, during the next summer break.

"Hah..." Ryuji sighed. Then he spoke to Teru standing in the kitchen.

"Hey... Teru. Actually... there is a place I want you to come to with me this summer."

"...?"

Teru paused in preparing the dinner and turned to him. Ryuji explained that he had been ordered by his home to return.

"I want you to come with me to my hometown, a demi-human community called the Dragon King Village in Suwa, Nagano Prefecture. I've always turned them down, giving them some reasonable excuse, but this year they insisted that I come. If you don't want to, I won't force you..."

Ryuji had no intention of forcing her. But Teru's answer was obvious. She smiled softly and spoke in a gentle tone of voice.

"I would never refuse a request from you, Ryūjin-sama. If it is your command, I will go anywhere."

"Thank you..."

The Dragon King Village in Suwa, Nagano Prefecture, is a demi-human community that ordinary people rarely enter. The founder of the village and his family, the Ryūjin, are said to be at the forefront of a number of powerful long-lived races, and they were on the Japanese government's watchlist.

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National Police Agency, Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo

A meeting by the Public Security Police was being held in the conference room of the NPA, an organization that coordinates all police agencies in Japan. A huge virtual screen was projected on the wall, and the moderator, a man, was explaining to the participants of the meeting. All of them were public security police officers, and they were looking at his presentation with serious eyes.

"According to the Invasive Foreign Species and Demi-Human Act, demi-humans are classified into five grades: Class 1, Semi-Class 1, Class 2, Class 3, and Class 4. The standard for classification is their threat level, and there are three races that are recognized as the highest level, or Class 1, demi-humans with the power to topple a nation. Of these, only the Ryūjin exists in Japan (officially)."

The topic of discussion was the demi-humans. On the screen, there was a chart showing the classification of the demi-humans and a satellite photo of Suwa in Nagano Prefecture.

"Ryūjin in Japan consists of one family with seven members who have the ability to transform into a dragon capable of flying in the sky. As you all know, this is the Hasena family, the ones who run Hasena Agriculture, the largest agricultural company in Japan.

They are the family that is solely responsible for the food supply of the metropolitan area, and in addition to the power that could destroy the country, they are one of the wealthiest and most powerful families in the country. The community they govern is also one of the government's most vigilant targets. In addition, the Hasena have intermarried with other powerful races, increasing their power as an individual."

The demi-humans, with powers beyond human understanding, are not only a target of protection for the Japanese government but are also watched under scrutiny since they are wary about the threat that could destroy their nation.

"In recent years, there have been reports of the existence of a group of demi-humans calling themselves the Demi-Human Liberation Front. The relationship between this group and the Dragon King Village is unknown at this time, and we do not have a clear picture of what it is, but we are currently continuing our investigations into this group as well."

In addition, the Public Security Police have received a number of troublesome cases in recent years. There is information that an unidentified demi-human group is being organized in secret. Although they have not yet been active publicly, the very existence of a demi-human clique could be a threat to humanity.

For the Japanese government, which has a large number of demi-humans, the control over these demi-human groups was positioned as something that could even determine the very existence of the nation. At the time, no one expected that in the year 2112, their fears would actually come to bare their fangs.

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Invasive Foreign Species and Demi-Humans Act: Demi-Human Classification

Class 1: Demi-humans with enough power to topple a nation.

- Ryūjin (Dragon God)

- Elf

- Vampire

Semi-Class 1: Demi-humans with special abilities that can cause damage in a wide area.

- Tengu

- Rakshasa

- Kaminari (Lightning)

- Inugami (Canine Lord)

- Enma (Flame Demon)

Class 2: Demi-humans with the special ability to cause harm to an unspecified number of other people.

- Kamaitachi (Sickle Weasel)

- Jujutsu (Hex)

- Fairy

- Fox Spirit

- Gorgon

- Yuki-Onna and Yuki-Otoko (Snow Demons)

Class 3: Demi-humans with the special ability to affect a specific individual.

- Satori (Mind-Reading Monkey)

- Butterfly Spirit

- Lorelei

- Midas

Class 4: Demi-humans with only additional physical features and no special abilities.

- Most of the beastmen that cannot transform