It seems that Night Raid's plan has succeeded...
Gently lifting the silk-painted blanket draped over her, Selene, dressed in a black casual outfit, slowly stood up. "...Looks like it's time for me to act as well."
"Miss, what's going on... Did your plan work?" Sebas, who had been silently standing by, asked upon hearing Selene rise.
"Indeed. The Honkai energy particles I secretly attached to the young emperor have reacted... The emperor has lost his life."
"And since he had no heir, and the other royal family members were slaughtered by Honest, this means the imperial bloodline has officially ended!"
Walking to the edge of Airmonda's back, Selene rubbed her forehead as she blew into the cold wind. With a snap of her fingers, a magnificent suit of armor—silver and light, with blue underlining—instantly materialized around her body.
As high-altitude winds whirled around her, Selene's brilliant white hair and blue-tinted skirt fluttered in the breeze.
Gazing toward the capital, her crimson, diamond-shaped eyes revealed no emotion. "Now, none of you are of any use to me anymore..."
The "you" Selene referred to included many—Revolutionary Army, Honest, Night Raid, and even Budo...
With a clap of her hands, a space gate, glowing with purple light, slowly opened midair. Selene stretched lazily before saying, "The fruit known as the Empire is finally ripe for the picking..."
"Sebas, Alyssa, Esdeath, let's go... Night Raid's movements have been faster than I expected."
...
"Your Majesty!!!"
Lightning flickered as Budo smashed through the palace doors, his expression dark and furious as he strode inside. "Your Majesty, come with me... Your Majesty?! Your Majesty!!!"
Seeing the young emperor's lifeless body lying on the floor, blood seeping from his nose and mouth, Budo's words caught in his throat.
Glancing at the black cat darting away, Budo knew it was likely the assassin in disguise. But he chose to check the emperor first.
Bang!
He flung aside a nearby table and knelt by the emperor, desperately checking the small wound on the emperor's neck. His worst fears were confirmed—the emperor was dead.
Budo stood frozen, his mind numb as he muttered, "The emperor... has died, which means the royal bloodline... has ended."
"Aaaaahhhh!!! Noooooo!!!"
Whether as the Empire's Grand General or as a soldier, Budo had always been an exemplary figure, the very model of a perfect military man.
He adhered strictly to the ancestral command: A military officer must never interfere in political affairs.
Rigid and incorruptible, he served the Empire with unwavering loyalty, making him the most devoted subject to the emperor. Even when the emperor was a powerless child, Budo treated him with the same reverence, earning Honest's mockery as a "stubborn old fool."
Compared to the Empire's other nobles and officials, Budo was a rare breed—an honest man.
Fighting back tears of regret and grief, his eyes bloodshot, Budo gently gathered the young emperor's body, instructing a nearby palace servant to guard it.
Step.
Sensing the special electromagnetic signal from his Imperial Arm, Adramelech, attached to the fleeing black cat, Budo strode out of the palace, planting his foot on the ground with such force that the earth cracked like a spiderweb beneath him. Brilliant blue lightning crackled around him.
Dealing with Honest could wait. There was only one thing on Budo's mind now—revenge for the emperor!
"No matter who it is, I will grind them to dust—even if it costs me my life!!!"
His Imperial Arm, Thunder God's Rage: Adramelech, granted Budo the power to control storm clouds and summon devastating lightning strikes over a wide area. Those struck were left paralyzed, unable to move.
As Budo roared, dark clouds quickly gathered above the palace, with bolts of lightning flashing between them. Guided by the storm, Budo's body shot through the air like a lightning bolt, chasing after the fleeing black cat.
Meanwhile, amidst the thunderous sky, Chelsea, in her cat form, darted through the palace's nooks and crannies.
"Good thing I ran quickly... So that's the infamous Grand General Budo? What terrifying power... I think he spotted me. I need to change forms immediately!"
Hiding in a secluded corner of the palace, Chelsea transformed back into her human form, preparing to change her appearance.
The major weakness of Chelsea's Imperial Arm, Gaea Foundation, was that the user had to hold it to activate its power. This meant she had to return to her original form before transforming again.
Suddenly—Boom!
"Aaaahhh!!!"
A bolt of lightning struck Chelsea with perfect precision, and with her weak constitution, she immediately lost control of her body.
The next moment, an even larger lightning bolt struck right in front of her, causing the lavish palace structure nearby to collapse into rubble, sending up clouds of dust.
Footsteps echoed heavily as Budo's grim, thunderous face appeared before Chelsea's eyes.
"I've found you, rebel!"
Budo... damn it, am I really going to die here? Chelsea thought, wide-eyed with despair. Paralyzed by the electric shock, she was utterly helpless.
"Now, as the Grand General of the Empire, entrusted by the late emperor, I hereby sentence you... to death!" Budo declared, raising his massive Adramelech, glowing with lightning, and bringing it down.
Whoosh!
...
On the other side of the palace.
"Die, Honest!"
"Watch out, Prime Minister!"
"Damn it!" Seeing the incoming arrow of light, Honest grabbed a nearby guard and used him as a human shield.
Thud!
The armor was pierced instantly, as though it were made of butter. The guard in front of Honest was killed on the spot, blood splattering everywhere.
Watching the arrow continue its deadly path toward him, Honest's pupils shrank in fear. In that moment, he truly felt the cold hand of death. "I don't want to die..."
Clang!
Suddenly, a gleaming, ornate silver gauntlet appeared from thin air, intercepting the arrow just inches from Honest's face, crushing it into fragments.
"Relax... I wouldn't let you die that easily."
With an icy and arrogant voice, purple light flickered before Honest. A black void tore through the air, and to Najenda's horror, countless glowing purple particles began to converge.
The next moment, a three-meter-wide purple portal opened.
From it, stepped a familiar, yet terrifying figure—graceful and slender, yet exuding overwhelming power.
"The Grand General, Selene von Habsburg!"
"Najenda... it's been a while."
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