Chapter 336: A New Empire (Final)

"So, that's how it is. The first emperor was truly remarkable, but also quite tragic." With his research into the supreme imperial weapon, alongside other imperial weapons and the knowledge obtained from Dotya, combined with the power of the Op-Op Fruit, Daniel Davis' understanding of imperial weapons had taken another leap forward.

The empire's first emperor was indeed exceptional, gathering the nation's best resources to create the imperial weapons. However, his later decisions were tragic. In a bid to prolong his empire, he executed all the top craftsmen and alchemists of the time, and destroyed all the information about making imperial weapons and advanced technology. As a result, even after a thousand years, the empire's technology level was inferior to that of the past.

This situation reminded Daniel of the concept of isolationism, and the stagnation of technological progress during feudal times for nearly two thousand years. He thought back to the First Emperor of Qin in Qin's Moon; by supporting him and Qin's unification, Daniel sought to avoid such a future, imagining how another version of history might have built the Great Wall into outer space over two thousand years.

Despite the importance of China's Four Great Inventions, they were largely neglected throughout history. Those emperors hailed as brilliant strategists often focused on nothing more than consolidating their own power. From that perspective, the First Emperor of Qin truly stood out. If there hadn't been the suppression of other schools of thought in favor of Confucianism, history could have turned out differently. At the very least, Qin supported mechanical arts, while Confucianism stifled intellectual diversity, leaving society stagnant.

"Next, it's time to execute the young emperor." The young emperor was originally supposed to be executed alongside Prime Minister Onest and the others, but Daniel needed his royal bloodline for research on the supreme imperial weapon, so he couldn't kill him right away. Ordinarily, royal families wouldn't have such thin bloodlines, but Onest had systematically wiped out other members of the imperial family to consolidate power.

Daniel didn't personally handle the emperor's execution, leaving it to Najenda. Although the young emperor wasn't inherently evil, having been misled by Onest, his status as emperor meant he had to die. Even after learning the truth, Najenda could only carry out the execution to pave the way for a new empire.

The young emperor came to terms with his fate quickly. During his imprisonment, he had learned the dark truths about the empire. His only request before his execution was that his death could spark the rebirth of the nation, and Najenda agreed to this.

The new empire was, in name, led by Esdeath, though she primarily managed the military. The political side of things was mainly handled by Najenda. According to Daniel's original plan, Najenda would become the first prime minister of the new empire.

Esdeath, meanwhile, would take the throne as the new empress. Daniel himself couldn't claim the throne. Despite his power, he lacked the reputation that Esdeath had. She was known as the empire's strongest general, even among the revolutionaries, while Daniel was largely unknown. If he sought to become the new ruler, the opposition would be far greater, and the new empire would struggle to take root. Reputation mattered in these times.

However, Daniel didn't mind. In fact, Esdeath wasn't particularly keen on ruling either. She only accepted the throne for the sake of the empire's stability.

As for the new government's structure, after much discussion with Najenda, Esdeath, and others, they ultimately abandoned the idea of a democratic system. The empire's current state wasn't suited to democracy. The failure of historical figures like Wang Mang, whose advanced ideas were too far ahead of their time, was a lesson. If Wang Mang hadn't been so forward-thinking, he might have stood a chance against the chaos of his era.

In the Qin's Moon world, Daniel had also refrained from intervening too much in political matters for similar reasons. National progress is different from personal advancement. While Daniel could personally make leaps in development—such as reaching the moon with ease in the Qin's Moon world—a nation couldn't progress so rapidly.

For example, even though Daniel had helped Tony Stark unlock a wealth of interstellar technology, they hadn't shared that knowledge publicly. Revealing advanced technology before humanity was ready would only lead to chaos. Not to mention, in the Marvel Universe, with its countless villains, the risks of such technology falling into the wrong hands were too high.

If Daniel wished, he could easily accelerate humanity's evolution using technologies from the Umbrella Corporation. In the Marvel Universe, biological enhancement was a highly advanced field. The Kree were masters of genetic engineering, and the Sovereign, with their unparalleled energy and genetic technologies, were so formidable that even the Kree feared them.

The Sovereign determined one's status through genetics, creating a society where one's life path was predetermined at birth. However, thanks to their advanced gene editing, there were no poor or weak citizens in their society. Coupled with their powerful unmanned spacecraft technology, they conducted wars without risking any lives. Their battles were akin to video games, with remote-controlled ships fighting in space. If a ship was destroyed, they simply switched to another control panel.

Daniel admired the Sovereign's technology, particularly their remote-control systems that had no range limitations. It was the ideal tool for warfare. However, he had no desire to provoke them recklessly, as their petty nature was well-known. They had created Adam Warlock to retaliate for stolen batteries. Their unique energy technology also made it impossible for Daniel to infiltrate their planet undetected, even with the mystical portal.

In the Marvel Universe, despite the Ancient One's departure, Daniel was still only free to act on Earth. Conquering the cosmos was a distant goal. The universe held too many secrets, and while figures like Thanos, Ego, and Mephisto appeared powerful, they were nothing compared to the true powerhouses lurking in the shadows.

"You're smart. I'll spare you." After some thought, Daniel decided not to kill Dotya, who stood before him with a respectful expression. Instead, he chose to let her serve the new empire.

Dotya wasn't exactly a good person, but her expertise in alchemy was undeniable. In some ways, she surpassed even Dr. Stylish. Killing her would have been a waste.

If not for Dr. Stylish's numerous atrocities and his unacceptability to Night Raid, Daniel might have kept him around too. His modifications, such as the Ten Kings Judgment, were impressive.

But since Dr. Stylish was dead, Daniel would have to settle for Dotya. Unlike how he treated the Jaegers or Night Raid, Daniel wasn't lenient with Dotya. He placed a Nen vow on her, binding her to his will.

Daniel had many methods of controlling people, but hypnosis was the most common. Hydra excelled at this, though the side effects were significant. It worked well for combatants but wasn't ideal for researchers, whose greatest asset was their mind. Even Hydra avoided using forced hypnosis on their scientists.

Similarly, mind control using the Mind Stone had its drawbacks. It could be broken with enough force, making it unreliable for certain individuals. The Mind Stone was powerful, but most people couldn't fully harness its potential.

The other option was the Unforgivable Curses from the Harry Potter world, particularly the Imperius Curse. While effective, it also risked damaging a researcher's intellect. That left Nen's vow and restriction, which could be imposed on others as well. Since this world lacked any Exorcists capable of lifting such restrictions, Dotya had no hope of breaking free, especially given Daniel's vastly superior power.

Dotya specialized in body modification. In the original story, after Shira's death, she caused significant trouble for both Night Raid and the revolutionary army with her skills.

"Kelly, are all the members gathered?" Inside a hidden underground base on the outskirts of the capital, Daniel addressed the group of over thirty black-clad figures, all standing rigidly before him. The leader, a stern-faced young man, stepped forward.

"Yes, sir. All nearby members are accounted for," Kelly replied respectfully.

"The empire's situation is clear to all of you. Normally, your group wouldn't be allowed to continue, but thanks to Akame and Kurome's pleas, you now have two choices: stay and serve the new empire, or abandon your current identities and live as ordinary people."

Daniel paused before continuing. "Of course, I'll take care of your physical issues. While I can't fully restore you, I can extend your lives significantly."

These people were members of the Empire's Enhanced Assassination Unit. With the fall of the empire, their purpose had vanished. Daniel sympathized with them, and after Kurome's request, he decided to integrate them into the new regime's underground forces.

Most of these members were junior to Akame and Kurome, except for Kelly, who had been their peer. Despite being the weakest of his generation, Kelly had survived numerous missions, while his stronger comrades either died in battle or were retired due to injuries.

Kelly's survival instinct was reminiscent of Murata from Demon Slayer, who outlived many of the Hashira despite their strength. In the final battle against Muzan, Murata survived while many powerful fighters perished.

In a similar fashion, Kelly eventually rose to become the leader of the Enhanced Unit, while Kurome was promoted to the Empire's elite assassination squad. After Akame defected, Kurome took over as the leader of the elite unit.

However, like Chelsea's revolutionary assassination squad, Kurome's team suffered heavy losses after every mission, with only the leader surviving each time.

"What else can we do but stay?" Kelly and the other

 Enhanced Unit members quickly made their decision. Trained as assassins, they had no other skills. Aside from following orders and killing, they knew nothing else.

In the original story, Kelly was ultimately killed by Akame. Despite her hesitation, Kelly had begged for death. His body had long been worn out from the enhancements, evident in his prematurely aged appearance.

Unlike Kurome, who had received preferential treatment to keep her as leverage against Akame, Kelly had not been so fortunate. His condition reflected the toll taken on his body.

Daniel remained silent for a moment, understanding the grim reality of their situation. He promised to treat the Enhanced Unit better in the future, allowing them to retire rather than be eliminated.

There would always be a need for assassins, and the empire's instability had created an endless supply of orphans who could be trained for the role.

"Since you've made your decision, let's start with treating your bodies. Dotya, they're all yours." As a master of body modification, Dotya was equally skilled in healing. Just as a doctor could be an expert in poison, Dotya's expertise in modification extended to treatment.

"This blade, Kiru Ichimonji... It's practically on par with an imperial weapon." While Dotya tended to the Enhanced Unit members, Daniel inspected Kelly's weapon, the Kiru Ichimonji, a Shingu—a weapon nearly as powerful as an imperial weapon. Its effect was simple but deadly: any wound caused by it could not heal.

This weapon was said to be modeled after Akame's Murasame, the one-hit-kill sword.

Originally, Kiru Ichimonji had been Akame's weapon when she was still part of the empire's elite unit. The sword played a crucial role in many of her victories, including against formidable foes like Gozuki and Meleard.

Due to its effect of causing wounds that never healed, Kiru Ichimonji weakened enemies over time. When Akame defected, the sword was lost during the ensuing battles, but she had managed to seize Murasame.

Five hundred years ago, the empire had produced many Shingu weapons, but most were destroyed due to their severe side effects. The ones that remained were those with milder drawbacks, and among them, Kiru Ichimonji stood out as one of the few without a significant downside. In terms of power, it could easily be considered an imperial weapon.

All Shingu were modeled after imperial weapons. For example, the Shingu Prometheus, a revolver, was based on the design of the imperial weapon Pumpkin.

Prometheus was a revolver capable of performing intricate gun techniques, and its bullets had the unique ability to curve mid-flight, making it a formidable weapon in battle.

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