Just as the black sack was about to be thrown over Kaguya's head, she suddenly turned around, giving her assailants a gentle smile as she said, "It seems I've been underestimated."
The attackers were momentarily stunned, not expecting Kaguya to notice them. They then lunged at her even faster, thinking she was just a girl—a pretty girl at most.
However, they had no idea what they were really up against.
With a dull "thud," Kaguya casually swung her snow-white arm, and they were sent flying as if hit by a truck. Their chests caved in, blood spurting out as they were flung into the air like broken kites, only to crash heavily onto the ground, lifeless.
"Hmm?" Kaguya frowned slightly. She noticed something strange—she hadn't used much strength, yet they were instantly knocked away and killed.
What was going on?
Kaguya gently clenched her fist, her clear eyes narrowing slightly. Could it be...?
Under Leone's fierce attacks, the soldiers were being thrown around like ragdolls, completely overwhelmed. The ground was littered with their bodies, and the soil was stained crimson with blood.
In just a short time, Leone had single-handedly wiped out the entire troop. The survivors fled in panic, like dogs with their tails between their legs.
"P-Please, don't kill me!" The once-arrogant young man didn't even finish his sentence before Leone stomped on his face, distorting his formerly handsome features and causing blood to trickle from the corners of his mouth. His speech became slurred and unclear, making him look like a pitiful clown—a stark contrast to his earlier arrogance.
"What should we do with this guy?" Leone asked, stomping on him a few more times and grinding her foot into his face, causing him to scream like a pig being slaughtered.
"Just kill him. A scumbag like this is just wasting food by staying alive," Kaguya said indifferently, not paying the man any mind, as if he were nothing more than a pest.
"N-No, don't!" The young man, realizing he had kicked a steel wall, panicked. "Don't kill me! I have money, lots of money! I can give it all to you, just don't kill me! I'll do anything you want!"
By now, all his previous arrogance had vanished, and he was nothing more than a pitiful wretch, begging for his life.
Leone picked up a sword from the ground and pressed it against his neck, smiling as she squinted. "Sorry, but we're not interested in money, so you can just go ahead and die."
"N-No, no, aaah!" Feeling the cold steel against his neck, the young man struggled frantically, screaming in terror as he wet himself.
Just as Leone was about to plunge the sword into his neck, a dark figure suddenly shot towards her with lightning speed.
With a sharp "clang," Leone's sword collided with the incoming attack. She felt a powerful force surging through her arm, strong enough to make even her, with her enhanced strength in beast form, struggle to maintain her footing. She was forced back several steps before she could steady herself.
Leone's pupils contracted as she realized that her sword had been sliced in half. A small cut appeared on her cheek, and a trickle of blood ran down her face. She quickly looked up in the direction of the attack.
In the distance, a large group of people was approaching, moving towards them in a mighty wave. Leading the group was a man wielding a large black scythe, with fresh blood still dripping from its blade. It was this man who had attacked Leone.
Behind him stood a middle-aged man, clearly of higher status. He wore a hat, a long robe, and held a book in his hand, giving him a pretentious air of righteousness.
"Uncle, you're finally here!" The young man, now completely panicked, scrambled up from the ground and ran over to the middle-aged man, crying and sniffling as he complained, "It's these people! They beat me up and threatened to kill me. Please, Uncle, avenge me!"
Why does this scene seem so familiar?
"So you've finally shown yourselves. I was beginning to think you'd stay hidden forever," Kaguya said as she walked forward with a calm smile. "Lord Bolic."
The man before her, if Kaguya was not mistaken, was indeed Bolic. She had seen his portrait before, so she recognized him easily.
Bolic paid no attention to his useless nephew and instead greeted Kaguya with a sycophantic smile. "Your Highness, Princess, I apologize for this. I didn't know you had arrived. Please forgive me for not welcoming you personally."
"Princess...?" The young man was stunned, unable to process what he had just heard. How could the girl he had randomly encountered on the road be the Princess? It was just too absurd.
"Oh, really?" Kaguya responded with a faint smile. "Didn't you already send someone to greet me? You can ask him about it."
As Kaguya's gaze landed on the young man, cold sweat broke out across his back. The sudden realization hit him like a ton of bricks. If he wasn't mistaken, the silver-haired girl before him was Kaguya, the strongest princess in the Empire. Her power was so overwhelming that even the Empire's strongest general, Esdeath, couldn't defeat her.
Moreover, it was said that tens of thousands of people had died at her hands. She was a true executioner, often referred to as the "Undead Princess." The name alone implied that anyone who crossed her ended up as one of her many victims.
"I-I..." The young man stammered, his fear and shock rendering him speechless.
"My deepest apologies. He is my nephew, and he is truly immature," Bolic said, bowing apologetically. "If he has offended you, I humbly ask for your forgiveness on my behalf."
"Oh, really?" Kaguya toyed with a lock of her hair, smiling lightly. "But your welcoming party of fifty or sixty thousand soldiers really made me feel honored."
Bolic's pupils suddenly shrank at Kaguya's words.