IW: Chapter 230 - Supreme Imperial Arms? If I unleash a fully manifested Susanoo, how will you respond, Your Excellency?
"Is Your Majesty planning to declare war on the Empire?"
Enkidu felt a wave of uncertainty. Bai Ye's sudden intensity made him wonder if the King truly intended to launch an all-out assault against the Empire. If a full-scale war broke out now, it would be a critical, high-stakes gamble for their forces.
Truthfully, Enkidu had always been deeply uneasy about Esdeath. Her lethal combat prowess was matched only by her cunning; if she ever decided to turn her blade against them, she was dangerous enough to pose a legitimate threat to Bai Ye himself. Because of this, Enkidu believed it was vital to sever her ties to her homeland once and for all. Only the complete destruction of the Empire would permanently untether Esdeath from it.
Besides, shattering the Empire was exactly what the Hairan Empire had been striving for since its very inception.
For generations, ever since the founding of Hairan, the two empires had been locked in a relentless border war. Initially, the first and second kings of Hairan had held a decisive advantage on the battlefield. However, once the Empire developed their Imperial Arms and mastered their use, the tides of war shifted, trapping both superpowers in a tense, protracted stalemate.
It wasn't until recently, under the rule of the current old emperor, that Hairan finally saw a crack in the enemy's armor. The Empire was rotting from within due to severe political corruption and internal strife. While Hairan wasn't in perfect shape either, they were in a far better position to capitalize on the chaos than their fractured rivals.
"See for yourselves," Bai Ye said smoothly, cutting through Enkidu's thoughts as he slid a confidential letter across the table.
Enkidu scanned the parchment. As his eyes flew over the lines, a flicker of genuine shock crossed his face. Subconsciously, he passed the intelligence report over to Esdeath. He hadn't expected Night Raid to make their move so incredibly fast.
"Tsk. I honestly thought a woman like Najenda would choose to go down with the sinking ship of the Revolutionary Army," Esdeath scoffed, looking over the letter with a disdainful smirk. "But then again, once a traitor, always a traitor. If you can defect once, a second time comes easy."
The secret dispatch was a formal inquiry from Najenda. She was probing into the details of her previous conversation with Bai Ye, subtly testing the waters regarding his grand strategy for the future.
While Najenda hadn't explicitly bent the knee to Bai Ye's vision just yet, her calculated questions made one thing abundantly clear: her resolve had officially begun to fracture.
Just like that time in the Empire.
"As if you haven't betrayed anyone!"
Enkidu pouted. After Esdeath said that, it made him even more wary of her.
Since she herself said that if one can betray once, they can betray a second time.
Then if Najenda could, why couldn't Esdeath?
This made Esdeath pause for a moment. So, she dug her own grave, huh?
"Hehe, I already said it. If he can't defeat me, I won't submit to him!"
Esdeath made no secret of her desire to usurp authority.
When she was in the Empire, she was actually in a cooperative relationship with the Empire.
She wanted opponents, and the Empire could provide a better stage for her to display her abilities. It was the same with Bai Ye, but their terms of cooperation were different.
"What's there to argue about? Enkidu, gather the troops and prepare to attack!"
Bai Ye did not want to see the two continue to argue here.
Picking up the letter from Minister Honest of the Empire that was placed nearby, Bai Ye grinned. He didn't expect this guy to try to make peace with him so early.
But then again, Esdeath had already been brought over by him. If he remained indifferent, it would seem a bit unreasonable.
After Bai Ye received this letter, he merely glanced at it and casually discarded it to the side.
Bai Ye had already decided that the Empire must be dealt with, and the Minister must be killed.
Should he negotiate terms and give the Minister and his people a chance?
"After resolving the Empire, it'll be about time to talk to that guy over there."
It just so happened that the world of Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba had also merged.
Bai Ye had already planned to find that guy after dealing with the Empire's matters.
"The northern barbarians have been defeated. It seems I've even eliminated an enemy for you."
Listening to Bai Ye's words, Esdeath knew exactly who Bai Ye was referring to.
Speaking of which, it seemed she had solved quite a few problems for Bai Ye.
"Those guys have no backbone at all. Only the Revolutionary Army would choose to cooperate with them, and even concede so many benefits!"
When Bai Ye read the manga back then, he felt that the Revolutionary Army was incredibly incompetent. He didn't even know how they managed to win.
Their victory was purely due to the Queen being dumbed down and given a love-struck brain, along with various unreasonable protagonist halos.
Although the Empire was in a slump at that time, it was not something the Revolutionary Army could deal with.
They chose to cooperate with the northern barbarians, but the northern barbarians were thoroughly dealt with by Esdeath. Later, if it weren't for the love-struck brain and unreasonable power-ups, the Revolutionary Army would have actually failed.
"Just a bunch of pushovers. I would have annihilated the Revolutionary Army after I returned!"
Oh?
Is that so?
Bai Ye wondered what kind of expression she would have if she knew she died because of a love-struck brain.
"By the way, I have something!"
"Speak."
Bai Ye looked up at Esdeath with some confusion. From her tone, Bai Ye had a feeling she was going to talk about that matter?
Thinking about it carefully, it seemed Esdeath could only be talking about that matter, right?
But it looked quite serious.
"I want to fall in love!"
Besides dealing with the Revolutionary Army, another reason Esdeath returned this time was that she wanted to fall in love.
She believed she was of appropriate age and it was time to find a suitable romantic partner.
She didn't need to worry about the Revolutionary Army for now.
So, her love life needed to be put on the agenda.
"There's no need to tell me about private matters like wanting to fall in love!"
He had already guessed that Esdeath most likely wanted to fall in love, but Esdeath didn't really need to tell him about wanting to fall in love.
"Your Majesty is younger than me, right?"
"..."
What?
Just because he was younger than her, did she have to set her sights on him?
If he remembered correctly, Esdeath did have a criterion that her partner should be younger than her. Bai Ye was indeed younger than her, but that didn't mean she could control him.
At the same time, he absolutely did not possess a pure smile.
The other few criteria, however, he did meet.
Firstly, valuing future possibilities and hoping to be trained by a general-level figure. He was already stronger than Esdeath, so he naturally met this point.
Secondly, hunting Danger Beasts bare-handed. He could also do that.
Growing up not in the Imperial Capital but in a border region. That's right, the Hairan Empire was on the border of the Empire. So, looking at it this way, it seemed he met three and a half of the five points. There was one and a half that he did not possess.
"I'm merely including Your Majesty in my considerations."
Seeing Bai Ye remain silent, Esdeath explained. In her opinion, she was merely including Bai Ye within her scope of consideration, and nothing else would be as Bai Ye imagined.
Indeed, Esdeath wanted to fall in love and felt Bai Ye was a good target, but she felt she couldn't control him. She wanted to be in control in a relationship.
"Before falling in love, let's conquer the Empire first!"
Bai Ye rubbed his forehead in distress, complaining inwardly.
Ugh.
So, he was just within her scope of consideration, huh? What a shrimp-headed man!
"I understand. Leave the Revolutionary Army to me. I originally came back to deal with the Revolutionary Army anyway!"
A sinister smile flashed across Esdeath's face. She was eager to fight the Revolutionary Army. Although Night Raid seemed to be outside the attack range now, what if Night Raid went back on their word?
Of course, the current Esdeath no longer needed Night Raid as an opponent.
Before defeating Bai Ye, she had no interest in other enemies.
"You can deal with whoever you want. Just don't use your abilities on our own people. Also... kill fewer people. Of course, if they keep resisting, then kill them!"
After defeating the Empire, these people would become their own. Bai Ye did not want Esdeath to kill all of them.
So, Bai Ye also reminded Esdeath to be careful and not act like before.
"Tsk, if I couldn't beat you, I would definitely kill you!"
Esdeath openly expressed her desire to kill Bai Ye without any reservation.
Ever since she was defeated by Bai Ye, she felt constantly controlled by him.
Whenever she had an idea, Bai Ye would jump out and stop her, which made Esdeath feel very uncomfortable.
"Being controlled is a bit annoying, but at least it's better than no one controlling you."
"Are you my dad?"
"I can be."
"..."
Esdeath was speechless for a moment.
When Bai Ye said that, she remembered her time in the tribe. Although her father usually didn't control her, it was indeed as Bai Ye said.
A wild beast without parental protection could only arm itself with all its might to prevent itself from being harmed.
Anyone could bully her outside, so she had to become stronger. This was her nature, and it was also the only way Esdeath could protect herself after losing everything.
But she couldn't quite accept Bai Ye's statement.
Until finally, after being retorted by Bai Ye, Esdeath couldn't utter another word.
What did he mean, "I can be"?
"I just want to remind you that a person with power but no restraint is no different from a beast. If you can't restrain yourself, then external interference is needed. If you continue like this, you will lose yourself."
Bai Ye meaningfully reminded her. If one were to look at Esdeath's subsequent development in the anime, she would most likely go berserk.
Of course, provided she didn't get a love-struck brain.
"Hehe, so when the day comes that I defeat you, you can expect to be collared by me!"
Esdeath was silent for a moment, then decided that when she defeated Bai Ye in the future, she would personally put a collar on him and repeat what Bai Ye had said to her.
"I'll be waiting."
Bai Ye looked at Esdeath's retreating figure and murmured.
She truly was his sharpest dagger now. He should think carefully about how to use her, rather than letting her fall in love.
Although Bai Ye didn't want to interfere, it was better for Esdeath not to fall in love before he resolved this matter.
After instructing his subordinates to gather the army, the spies within the Hairan Empire also began to act.
Because war was inevitable.
No one expected that after subduing Esdeath, the Hairan Empire would act so quickly against the other side.
As the news spread, the shocked spies quickly relayed the information to those people.
Esdeath would accompany the Hairan Empire's forces. She would be responsible for subjugating the Revolutionary Army, while Bai Ye would personally lead the Sea King Crusade in the final general assault on the Empire.
"Shura, it seems we can't stay here any longer!"
Wild Hunt.
Dorothea looked at Shura in a somewhat dishevelled state. They had been in a state of being hunted down these past few days.
Due to Bai Ye's ascension to power and Wild Hunt's previous evil deeds in the area, Bai Ye immediately issued a warrant for their arrest after taking over, and they had been evading the Hairan Empire's pursuit recently.
Now, they even heard that the Hairan Empire was going to attack the neighboring side. Once the other side was conquered, the places they could hide would become fewer and fewer.
Given Shura's identity, Dorothea felt it was time to leave the Hairan Empire and return.
Moreover, when they followed Shura back then, Shura had boasted that following him back would allow them to enjoy themselves and even do whatever they pleased.
That's why Shira was able to find so many 'like-minded' individuals along the way.
Now, they hadn't even truly enjoyed themselves, yet they were being relentlessly pursued.
If they didn't go back now, this team might as well disband. After all, it was Wild Hunt being chased, what did it have to do with Dorthea?
"Let's go back. The old man has called me back too."
Shira took one last look at the ground beneath his feet. Since he decided to surpass his father and leave the Empire to travel around, he now felt he was ready to return.
Moreover, the Hairan Empire was no longer a place where he could continue to stay.
If they stayed any longer and were caught by the enemy, they probably wouldn't even have a chance to escape, because the current Hairan Empire was extremely terrifying.
Revolutionary Army.
When they learned that Esdeath was still the one pursuing them, that old feeling of fear resurfaced in their hearts.
Originally, they had wanted to act sooner.
But unexpectedly, the Hairan Empire acted even faster than them.
"Should we still attack the Empire?"
The choice now presented to them was to attack the Empire.
"Attack what? If we attack the Empire again, won't we be wiped out?"
Esdeath was coming. If they still went to deal with the Empire, unless they were out of their minds, no one would actually do that, right?
"Then let's deal with Esdeath. Night Raid can join us."
Fortunately, there was good news: the Hairan Empire had split its forces.
The combination of the Revolutionary Army and Night Raid shouldn't have much trouble dealing with Esdeath.
"If they also attack the Empire, then the Empire probably won't fight us now. Let's just deal with the Hairan Empire first!"
"We can take a look at the Supreme Teigu first!"
In fact, they had always heard rumors about the Supreme Teigu.
It was just that they had never seen it. Perhaps they could use this war to see what the Supreme Teigu truly was.
Then they could also strategize against this Supreme Teigu.
In the Empire, Minister Honest was also in a panic. He was furious about the Hairan Empire's sudden attack.
He had clearly shown goodwill.
Yet the other party showed no mercy and directly launched an attack.
He preferred them to return defeated!
"Admiral Budo, we'll have to rely on you next!"
"Hehe, this old man knows!"
Although Budo didn't get along with Minister Honest, there was nothing he could do. The Hairan Empire was about to attack, so what else could he do?
"That's good!"
Minister Honest breathed a sigh of relief when Budo agreed.
At the same time, upon hearing the news of his son's return, he immediately rushed home. When he saw that his son had brought back some women he had presumably snatched from somewhere, a hint of gloom flashed in his eyes.
What time was it?!
He was still thinking about women?
However, the women he snatched back seemed to be of good quality!
Minister Honest took a look, and a wicked thought arose in his heart, but the next second he lost interest. He absolutely had no mind for anything until the Hairan Empire was repelled.
"Shira, you should have made some progress these past few years, right?"
The Minister looked at Shira, then turned his gaze to Shira's companions. After a long time, it seemed Shira had indeed grown.
It seemed that the upcoming battle could also rely on Shira.
"Don't worry, dealing with that Emperor is simple. He only defeated one general!"
Listening to Shira's arrogant words, the Minister couldn't help but curl his lips. He wondered where Shira got his confidence.
If Esdeath was really that easy to deal with, he wouldn't have cooperated with Esdeath.
But from Shira's words, he understood that the other party was confident, which made the Minister somewhat look forward to what would happen next. Perhaps... they could really win?
Although he himself was a bit unwilling to believe it, as a person, one always had to hold onto a glimmer of hope.
"Leader, should we go?"
Night Raid.
Maine took the secret letter from Najenda's hand. After seeing the content, her mood was also somewhat unpredictable.
She actually didn't want to risk her life for the Revolutionary Army anymore.
"Let's go."
"But..."
Hearing Najenda say she was going, Maine immediately became anxious.
Hadn't they already decided to leave?
After receiving Bai Ye's letter, Najenda had already decided to prepare to leave.
Since they were already preparing to leave, why did they still need to go?
"I want to save those innocent people!"
It was the higher-ups who proposed it, and the corrupted ones were all those guys, having little to do with the people below.
Within the Revolutionary Army, there were many who were willing to shed blood and sacrifice their lives. They were fighting to change the Empire, and this time, Najenda could already imagine how the leader of the Revolutionary Army would incite them to fight the Hairan Empire.
She didn't want to see their deaths, so Najenda wanted to go and stop this from happening.
Just as Bai Ye said in the letter, after defeating the Empire, these people would all become part of the Hairan Empire. He had also already ordered Esdeath not to indiscriminately kill the innocent.
He said that, but Najenda was still a little hesitant to believe Esdeath. After all, she had worked with her before, and Najenda naturally knew how cruel Esdeath's methods were when dealing with enemies.
It was precisely because she couldn't tolerate Esdeath's cruel methods that she had decided to leave the Empire!
Therefore, without Bai Ye's suppression, she doubted whether Esdeath would follow Bai Ye's will to do things, so she wanted to keep an eye on Esdeath on the battlefield.
"I understand."
Maine was originally a bit displeased, but after listening to Najenda's explanation, that hint of displeasure in her heart disappeared.
She knew all too well that the Revolutionary Army still harbored true idealists—people genuinely dedicated to the cause. It would be a tragedy for lives like theirs to be pointlessly thrown away, making Najenda's hesitation entirely justified.
"Bes, are you absolutely certain you want to come along?" Bai Ye asked, a flash of genuine curiosity in his eyes. He was admittedly surprised by the man's insistence on accompanying him back to the front lines. "Witnessing the violent collapse of your own homeland is a cruel thing to endure."
As a high-ranking civil official of the Empire, was Bes truly so resolved to follow him and watch his world burn? Or was he plotting some desperate gambit right under Bai Ye's nose?
"Does it really have to end like this?" Bes asked, the bitter smile on his face never wavering. It had remained frozen there ever since he learned that his country was the next target on the chopping block.
Bes had once been naive enough to believe he was embarking on a diplomatic mission to secure an ally. He had never expected that, from the very beginning, the monster sitting before him had already been eyeing the Empire as prey.
"It was always going to end like this," Bai Ye replied smoothly. "I don't recall ever giving you false hope, did I?"
If Bai Ye remembered correctly, he had been entirely transparent about his ambitions. Why the man still clung to such fragile illusions was beyond him.
"No... it was just me, desperately harboring foolish hopes," Bes sighed, a heavy blanket of melancholy settling over his shoulders. He had never truly envisioned the day the grand Empire would fracture, let alone that he would be the one guiding its executioner.
Yet, as he looked at the reality of their impending annexation, a strange, conflicting sense of relief washed over his heart. If the Empire was destined to die, it was far better for it to fall on a grand battlefield, swallowed whole by a powerful, worthy adversary—rather than slowly rotting to death from the inside under the corrupt thumb of Prime Minister Honest.
"Perhaps."
Bai Ye didn't shatter Bes's illusion. It seemed fine to let him believe that the Empire was destroyed because of the Minister.
"Father."
Nifu stood by, looking at her father's weary expression. For a moment, she felt as if her father had aged a lot.
Her father, who had always wanted to change the Empire, would ultimately have to watch the Empire fall.
"It's nothing."
Bes shook his head, his thoughts drifting far away.
As the Hairan Empire mobilized, hundreds of thousands of troops pressed towards the Empire's border.
A vast, dark expanse, with no intention of concealing their movements.
"They're here..."
The border guards looked at the vast, dark expanse, and a feeling of not daring to be an enemy arose in their hearts.
"Your Majesty, let's attack the city."
"No, don't cause meaningless deaths here."
Bai Ye looked straight ahead, and under his deliberate control, Conqueror's Haki pressed towards the soldiers in the city ahead.
In just a moment, those people had no ability to resist at all and all fainted on the ground.
Seeing this scene, everyone in the Hairan Empire was shocked.
"Your... Your Majesty, they all collapsed?"
"Tie them all up, confiscate all their weapons, and leave some of the Sea King Crusade to guard them."
"Yes!"
Although they didn't know what method Bai Ye used to directly make the border soldiers faint.
But after Bai Ye's move, everyone's morale instantly soared.
"You didn't use your full strength in our last battle, did you?"
Esdeath stared intently at Bai Ye, a hint of frustration in her heart.
She had originally thought that Bai Ye had only luckily dodged her moves, and that she might not necessarily lose if they fought again.
So, deep down, she had always been unconvinced. The reason she hadn't continued to challenge Bai Ye was because she wanted to become stronger and improve some of her deficiencies in physical combat before challenging Bai Ye again.
Next time, she was coming with the certainty of victory, but now it seemed that Bai Ye hadn't used his full strength when he fought her either!
"Next time, use your full strength when you fight me!"
"Can you stop fixating on me? Don't forget what I told you before!"
Bai Ye was exasperated.
Was Esdeath a battle maniac or a masochist?
She couldn't even beat him when he wasn't using his full strength, and next time she wanted him to hit her with even stronger force.
What!?
Don't pity her just because she's a delicate flower?
Peerless Esdeath?
"Do you know what it means to respect your opponent?"
Respect!
That's what Esdeath wanted!
"Alright, next time I'll definitely use my full strength!"
Good.
You said it yourself.
Since Esdeath said so, Bai Ye felt a little embarrassed not to agree to her.
Seeing Bai Ye agree, Esdeath was satisfied and stopped talking.
Using Conqueror's Haki in this way, they advanced all the way without any losses, directly reaching the Empire's heartland, only a step away from the Imperial Capital.
Esdeath also split off from Bai Ye here. She already knew the location of the Revolutionary Army headquarters, so she naturally had to lead her army there.
At the same time, Minister Honest was now pacing anxiously in the Imperial Capital.
He never expected that the Hairan Empire's army would face no resistance at all, directly reaching the Imperial Capital without a single loss.
"Minister Honest, the Hairan Empire's people have arrived!"
"They've already... reached the Imperial Capital?"
Minister Honest tore a piece of meat into his mouth, but eating it felt like chewing on wax.
His favorite food in his life, at this moment, not only failed to bring him any joy, but it didn't even lessen his anxiety by half.
"Abandon the defenses of the Imperial Capital, let's go directly to the Imperial Palace!"
The Minister pondered for a moment, then immediately made a decision.
He couldn't stay here, or he would surely die.
His Teigu could forcibly destroy another Teigu, but he knew very well that the people of the Hairan Empire didn't use Teigu.
His Teigu was ineffective against them, and the fact that they could kill their way here without any losses made the Minister naturally suspicious. But even if there was some exaggeration, it fully demonstrated their strength.
So, the Imperial Capital was undoubtedly unsafe, but it might be safe near the young Emperor.
First, there's Budo and the elite Imperial Arms users he recently assembled, along with Shura's Wild Hunt, plus the Supreme Imperial Arm and a force of elite soldiers and generals. Their survival rate there is actually higher.
"I understand!"
The butler immediately made arrangements, but Shura was somewhat puzzled: "Father, why don't we just go out of the city and fight them? Those guys only fought some trash before, are we just going to let them destroy the Imperial Capital like this?"
Shura was actually a bit unwilling in his heart.
After all, if the Imperial Capital was destroyed by the other side like this, how would he go about snatching the women of the Imperial Capital later?
As expected of the Imperial Capital, the quality of the women is high. Isn't this much better than being outside?
Are all of these to be given to the Hairan Empire?
"Are you out of your mind? Are we staying here to resist the elite of the Hairan Empire? And the Revolutionary Army, how long do you think they can last? Once Esdeath comes to support, what are we going to do?!"
Minister Honest rebuked him, and his gloomy gaze made Shura dare not say anything more for a moment.
"If you can't defeat him later, use the Dimensional Array to transfer that guy to an alien space from which he cannot return!"
Minister Honest, Shura, the Young Emperor, Budo, and Esdeath.
These five strongest Imperial Arms were once all controlled by them. Now that Esdeath has left, Shura's Imperial Arm has a very high possibility!
Originally, Minister Honest's Imperial Arm also belonged to the royal family, but because the Young Emperor had the Supreme Imperial Arm, it was given to Minister Honest.
It's just a pity that his Imperial Arm cannot be used against Bai Ye, but Shura can.
"Don't worry, no matter how strong that guy is, what then? If we can't defeat him, can't we banish him?"
A wild smile flashed across Shura's face, and he patted his chest, indicating that he would take care of this matter.
This was also the reason for his previous confidence.
Anyway, if he couldn't beat Bai Ye, he would just transfer him away. Whether it was Esdeath or Bai Ye, once they were in that alien space, they shouldn't even think about coming back.
"Najenda, why did you betray us?!"
Revolutionary Army.
The leader and high-ranking officials looked at the members of Night Raid in disbelief.
Night Raid, which they had originally thought would be a help, now watched everything unfold with indifference.
The beautiful dreams that the leader and high-ranking officials once had were shattered at this moment.
"Sorry, I gave them a choice in the end. It seems everyone preferred to see the unification of the continent, and the other party also promised not to abandon our Night Raid after this matter."
Looking at the furious gazes of the leader and high-ranking officials, Najenda stepped forward to take responsibility for this matter.
Although the words were perfect, in the end, this was still a betrayal, and she really had nothing good to say.
"Hehe, do you think that guy will just let you go? An assassin is an assassin; it's impossible to stand in the light in this lifetime!"
Even at this moment, the leader still wanted to disgust the other party.
He never expected that the dog he raised would end up biting him.
"It's better than a foreseeable outcome."
Maine looked at the leader with a hint of disgust.
At this point, he still had to keep saying these things.
"Hehe, no need for pleasantries, I'm already impatient!"
A sinister smile flashed across Esdeath's face.
She was already eager for slaughter.
She just watched them keep chatting here.
But what was there to talk about with dead people?
"Esdeath, remember what you promised Bai Ye before!!"
Seeing this, Najenda quickly said.
She was still thinking about Bai Ye's previous promise not to kill, but after she finished speaking, Esdeath's expression also became a bit displeased.
She had thought that once she was out of Bai Ye's sight, she would no longer be controlled.
But she never expected Najenda to directly bring up Bai Ye's words.
Hehe.
Has this guy not completely submitted to Bai Ye yet, but is already becoming Bai Ye's lackey?
A cold smile flashed across Esdeath's face, but she didn't say much. Then, she would just kill these people.
After dealing with the Revolutionary Army, she would definitely have a good fight with Bai Ye.
"It seems the Imperial Capital is already under attack, Boss."
Leone looked towards the Imperial Capital in the distance. In fact, the Revolutionary Army's headquarters had never been very far from the Imperial Capital.
Coupled with the Hairan Empire's attack this time, the Revolutionary Army had intentionally moved closer to the Imperial Capital.
So now, the two sides were actually quite close. From a high vantage point, one could see that the Imperial Capital was currently under attack.
"Let's finish up here quickly and then go over."
Najenda did not want to see mutual slaughter, and at the same time, she wanted to see the moment the Empire would be revitalized.
"Hehe, the Emperor holds the Supreme Imperial Arm. He will lose, and then all of you will die. At worst, we'll just leave, but as traitors, you will absolutely not be tolerated by the Empire!"
The leader of the Revolutionary Army couldn't help but let out a cold laugh as he listened to their conversation.
In his opinion, the Empire had a great chance of winning.
After all, the legendary Supreme Imperial Arm could suppress an era.
At worst, they would no longer be the Revolutionary Army and would choose to leave the Empire. Anyway, besides the Empire, there were other places they could go.
But Najenda and the others were different. Their Night Raid would be hunted down by them later, and they would not be tolerated by the Empire. Plus, after this failure, the Hairan Empire would not want them either.
So, these traitors would definitely suffer terribly.
Thinking of this, a crazed smile couldn't help but flash across the leader's face. He had already seen Night Raid's fate!
"Esdeath, why don't we cooperate? After all, you want to defeat that man, right? We cooperate, and then we take the opportunity to kill the Emperor. You take control of the Supreme Imperial Arm and eliminate Bai Ye!"
The leader of the Revolutionary Army did not know that controlling the Supreme Imperial Arm required royal blood.
And he was still fantasizing about cooperating with Esdeath. As long as Esdeath cooperated with them, then they would first deal with Night Raid, and then take advantage of the Empire and the Hairan Empire being severely weakened.
Perhaps they could rush in and wipe out both empires in one fell swoop.
And after these words were spoken, Najenda instantly looked at Esdeath nervously. If she really wanted to cooperate, then perhaps...
"Hehe, do I need to cooperate with you bunch of good-for-nothings to defeat that guy?"
Esdeath laughed.
Why does everyone want to cooperate with her?
Are you qualified?
That's right!
She did want to defeat Bai Ye, but Esdeath was much smarter than the leader of the Revolutionary Army.
She knew very well that the Supreme Imperial Arm was not something she could control.
Likewise, she would not cooperate with such a person!
"Indeed, the Revolutionary Army is no longer what I imagined!"
Bulat, Sheele, and Chelsea, who had been somewhat wavering, had also thought well of the Revolutionary Army in their hearts.
After all, before the Revolutionary Army, no one took them in, and they had also encountered a lot of injustice, so facing the Revolutionary Army here inevitably caused them some internal torment.
But after seeing the faces of the Revolutionary Army's leader and high-ranking officials when they were pushed to the brink, they suddenly realized that some things seemed completely unnecessary.
"Esdeath, you will regret this!"
The leader of the Revolutionary Army said bitterly.
Esdeath was not going to cooperate with them, so he had no choice.
Most of the Imperial Arms had been given to Night Raid, but Night Raid had pulled a betrayal on them!
Yes!
At that time, they had indeed planned to abandon Night Raid after using them.
But Night Raid, you can't betray us!
Without them, your Night Raid would have been gone long ago.
"Hehe, I am the victor. The barking of the defeated is truly irritating!"
After Esdeath finished speaking, she was not going to continue talking to the other party.
In her opinion, it was almost time. In this situation, she had to rush to the Imperial Capital. Perhaps Bai Ye really wasn't a match for the Supreme Imperial Arm?
Even she wasn't sure...
"Hehe, don't think that only you have Imperial Arms!"
A crazed smile flashed across the Revolutionary Army leader's face. Although Night Raid had been equipped with Imperial Arms, this did not mean that they would not keep some for themselves!
Since they had originally chosen to abandon Night Raid, they naturally had to have a backup plan!
Since they wanted to fight to the death, then who would live and who would die today was still undecided.
Esdeath was not invincible; wasn't she also defeated by Bai Ye?
Bai Ye could defeat Esdeath, so why couldn't he?
"Your Majesty, why is the Imperial Capital undefended?"
Enkidu led the large army and quickly broke through the Imperial Capital's defenses.
The guards here surrendered quickly, not holding out for long at all.
They also seemed to feel that they had been abandoned.
"They must have given up defending here. First, round up all the nobles in the city for me, then surround this place. Anyone who leaves will be killed immediately!"
With Bai Ye's command, led by the Sea King Crusade, the Imperial Capital was directly surrounded.
Bai Ye brought out a group of nobles and killed them all in front of the common people. This was also to win over the common people of the Empire.
"Everyone, the long-standing oppression of the Empire will be ended by our Hairan Empire!"
As the nobles died one by one under Bai Ye's butcher knife, a glimmer of hope flashed across the faces of those numb people.
This country needed blood to cleanse its sins!
Among the crowd, when Tatsumi saw Sayo and Ieyasu among the people being executed, he became incredibly excited.
Originally, he, Sayo, and Ieyasu had set out for the Imperial Capital together, but a cruel twist of fate had separated them along the way.
Upon his solitary arrival, Tatsumi had refused to leave the city, choosing to take up odd jobs and survive within the capital's walls solely to ensure that if his childhood friends ever made it, they wouldn't find themselves alone. But as weeks bled into months with no sign of them, a dark, suffocating dread had begun to take root in his mind. He had secretly started to fear the absolute worst.
Yet here they were, standing right in front of him.
Tatsumi's heart hammered against his ribs, the sheer, explosive joy of seeing Sayo and Ieyasu alive making it almost impossible to maintain his composure. But beneath the rush of relief, a baffling question nagged at his conscience—why on earth had they sworn allegiance to the foreign Hairan Empire?
"Your Majesty, the defense surrounding the inner palace has been tightened significantly," Enkidu reported, stepping into the chamber and breaking Bai Ye's train of thought.
Hearing the update, Bai Ye cast a casual glance out the window toward the towering spires of the royal palace, his mind rapidly calculating the enemy's parameters.
The Supreme Imperial Arm, Shikoutazer?
A faint, mocking smile touched Bai Ye's lips as the puzzle pieces fell into place. He finally understood why his forces had been able to march into the heart of the Imperial Capital with such laughable ease. He had honestly expected a brutal, bloody resistance at the city gates.
But this was it?
The lack of a challenge left Bai Ye feeling distinctly underwhelmed. It was clear that Prime Minister Honest was absolutely terrified. Without Esdeath anchoring the front lines, the capital's military might had been hollowed out, leaving the corrupt regime with nothing but a desperate, final insurance policy.
They truly believed that relying on the legendary, city-level weapon of the First Emperor would be enough to neutralize his threat.
Bai Ye's eyes flared with an ominous, cosmic light as his power began to churn beneath the surface.
If I unleash a complete, Sage-Chakra-infused Perfect Susanoo, back it up with the Sage Art: Gracious Array, and top it off with the full destructive output of the Tenseigan Chakra Mode... how exactly do you plan to respond to that, Your Excellency?
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