I, Budo, Will Take Esdeath's Head Within Three Days

At this moment, chaos reigned within the spacious hall. The civil officials were hysterically advising the young emperor.

Their eyes were bloodshot, as if they might collapse in the hall at any moment.

"Your Majesty! Stop listening to Honest's words; he is nothing but a traitor!"

"Your Majesty! The empire is already on the brink of destruction!"

"Your Majesty! The divine being who descended over ten days ago has already begun overthrowing the empire! The southern provinces are nearly entirely fallen!"

"Wake up, Your Majesty! Even General Esdeath, who was suppressing the northern tribes, has turned against us!"

"In just a few days, the northern provinces will be like the southern ones—completely lost. Your Majesty!"

"Please command Grand General Budo to eliminate this treacherous Honest! Otherwise, the empire will truly fall within days!"

The civil officials opposing Honest roared in desperation, their faces filled with a despairing determination to die if necessary.

The empire, which had been stable fifty years ago, had fallen into such disarray in just a few decades.

The Revolutionary Army emerged within the empire, inciting rebellion in various cities. In less than thirty years, they had captured half of the cities in the eastern provinces.

However, after the young emperor ascended the throne, he fully heeded the advice of the sycophant Honest, plunging the empire into utter corruption within just ten years.

The loyal ministers' words never reached the young emperor's ears.

How despairing this was.

Even more despairing was that the gods themselves seemed unable to tolerate the empire's corruption. They manifested miracles and sent a divine incarnation to overthrow the empire.

The loyal ministers were well aware of this. Their spies had reported the descent of the divine being in Kyoroch on the very day it occurred.

The people there now entirely regarded the empire as their enemy.

Everywhere the followers of the God of Justice went flourished like a paradise, filled with peace and prosperity—lands that the current empire could never reclaim.

The young emperor, never having experienced all his civil ministers opposing him, sat uncomfortably on his throne, breaking into a cold sweat.

A sharp rebuke suddenly pierced the chaos.

"Utter nonsense! You treacherous officials are deceiving His Majesty again. The empire is flourishing, the peace of the capital is evident to His Majesty, and there is no sign of impending collapse!"

The young emperor, hearing the familiar voice, immediately felt reassured.

Minister Honest strode into the hall, exuding confidence, his hands clasped behind his back.

"Your Majesty, I apologize for being late."

The young emperor wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. "Minister Honest, where have you been? Why are you so late?"

Feigning respect, Honest replied, "Forgive me, Your Majesty, for alarming you."

"Honest! You treacherous minister deceiving the emperor! I'll kill you!"

A loyal official burst forward, drawing a dagger in a hysterical attempt to attack Honest. But before he could take two steps, a bolt of lightning struck him, reducing him to charred remains.

Boom!

Crackle—

"No fighting in the hall; do not disturb His Majesty."

The thunderous voice came from Budo, who stood at the forefront. His Teigu, crackling with lightning, shimmered ominously as he spoke in a low, steady tone. His face alone betrayed the nature of a blindly loyal man.

Honest flinched, startled by the chaos, and instinctively pulled out a handkerchief to wipe the cold sweat from his face. Half of it was genuine fear; the other half was the knowledge that the empire was teetering on the brink of collapse.

His eyes glinted with malice as he looked toward the civil officials, who glared at him with murderous intent, ready to pounce at any moment.

"Imperial Guards, what are you waiting for? These treacherous officials dare to commit violence in the hall and threaten His Majesty! Drag them out immediately!"

Budo gave a low wave of his hand. "Guards, remove them and lock them up. They dared to disturb His Majesty—await his judgment later."

"Ahh! Let go of me! Honest, you traitorous minister!"

"Your Majesty! Please wake up! The empire is falling!"

As about half of the civil officials were dragged away, those remaining were the sycophants and flatterers that Honest had promoted.

The young emperor, still shaken, looked toward Honest with lingering fear. "Minister Honest, is what they said true? Did the divine being who performed miracles truly intend to overthrow the empire? And did General Esdeath really betray us?"

Honest straightened his posture and said confidently, "Your Majesty, do not believe the lies of those treacherous officials."

"This empire, passed down through generations, is the divine order itself! How could a god possibly overthrow the empire?"

"As for the rebellion in the southern provinces, it is merely the Revolutionary Army and the heretical sect of Path of Peace using a few lost Teigu to stir up chaos under the guise of miracles."

"We only need to form a small team of Teigu users to completely annihilate them. Please entrust this matter to me, Your Majesty."

Hearing this, the young emperor sighed in relief and nodded. "I see."

"Indeed, this empire, passed down through generations, represents the divine order."

His throne itself was the operating platform of the Supreme Teigu, the National Defense Machine God, which only those of royal blood could wield.

"With Minister Honest, I feel reassured. But why would General Esdeath betray us?"

Feigning nonchalance, Honest scoffed. "Hmph, it must be because she holds command over a million troops and believes she can claim the throne for herself."

"The empire's strongest warrior is not limited to the traitorous Esdeath. Grand General Budo's strength surpasses hers."

At this point, he glanced at Budo, who stood stoically, arms crossed, his expression as impassive as ever. It seemed that apart from imperial orders, no words could reach him.

The young emperor nodded. "Yes, Grand General Budo's Teigu, Thunder God's Rage, is indeed formidable. Surely, Grand General Budo can quell Esdeath's rebellion."

Honest eagerly nodded. "Exactly, exactly! Therefore, I ask Grand General Budo to bring back Esdeath's head for His Majesty."

Budo let out a cold snort. "Hmph. Esdeath? Anyone who betrays the empire will be torn apart by my thunder!"

"But if I leave, who will ensure His Majesty's safety?"

Honest quickly replied, "The empire's assassination unit is always protecting His Majesty."

As soon as he finished speaking, a girl who bore an eight-tenths resemblance to Akame appeared at the hall's entrance. Following her was a handsome young man with white, wing-shaped Teigu.

They were joined by another sudden figure—a youth with a cruel, scarred face and a defiant, savage demeanor.

"Heh heh heh. My Teigu is the only spatial Teigu, Dimensional Formation—Shambhala . If anyone can ensure His Majesty's safety, it is me!"

Budo glanced at the young man and said, "A spatial Teigu user, huh? In that case, I shall make the journey. Within three days, I will bring back the traitor Esdeath's head for His Majesty."

After Grand General Budo left the great hall, Honest gathered all the Teigu users he could currently command, along with the executioners from the Imperial Capital's martial arts organization, Imperial Fist Temple.

Honest stood tall and proud before the throne, spreading his arms with a look of satisfaction.

"Your Majesty, these are the powerful Teigu users and the Imperial Fist masters, who are as strong as Teigu users, all loyal to you."

"First, Teigu user Run, wielder of the Thousand-Mile Flight—Mastema, currently serving in the Imperial Capital's police force."

A handsome young man knelt on one knee before the emperor, bowing his head. "I am Run, Your Majesty."

"Next, Kurome, a member of the Imperial Capital's assassination unit, who slays those guilty of unforgivable crimes. Her Teigu is March of the Dead—Yatsufusa."

Kurome lowered her head, speaking as if she were describing someone else. Perhaps she had grown used to such introductions.

"Then we have the Imperial Capital's genius scientist, Dr. Stylish, Teigu user of Glorious Hands of God—Perfector."

Dr. Stylish, dressed in a white lab coat, bowed deeply to the emperor. "Oh, oh, what an honor! To think I could stand before His Majesty!"

"Next, Bols, a soldier who made great contributions in the empire's fire brigade."

The tall, masked man knelt on both knees, his voice timid as if overcome by stage fright. "My Teigu is Purgatory's Invitation—Rubicante, Your Majesty."

"Following that, we have the masters of the Imperial Fist, who once fought Teigu users evenly matched: the Four Rakshasa Demons!"

Honest gestured toward four individuals of varying shapes and sizes.

These executioners of the Imperial Fist were Honest's hand-picked personal enforcers, responsible for eliminating ministers who opposed him.

However, with the empire now on the verge of collapse, they were of little practical use. Instead, they would serve as tools to help him gather wealth from the Imperial Capital during its final days.

"Your Majesty, I am Sten."

"I am Suzuka, Your Majesty."

"My name is Mez, Your Majesty."

"I am Ibara, Your Majesty."

"And lastly, my son, Teigu user of Shambhala, the spatial Teigu: Syura."

The young man, his face marked with a ferocious scar and a rebellious demeanor, gave a slight bow. "Hahaha, rest assured, Your Majesty. As the son of my father Honest, I will devote myself to leading these elites to slaughter every enemy of the empire without exception."

Honest spread his arms, wearing a face of righteousness, and declared loudly, "Indeed! Everything we do is for the people of the empire, Your Majesty!"

The young emperor nodded, deeply moved. "Minister Honest, you are truly indispensable to the empire. Having a loyal and capable minister like you is a blessing for the empire."

Honest bowed deeply. "It is only our duty to serve."

"Then, Your Majesty, I shall now proceed with the mission."

The young emperor nodded. "Very well. Minister Honest, your health is not great—please do not overexert yourself."

As Honest turned to leave, his face was filled with satisfaction—not because of the emperor's concern, but because of the pleasure of knowing the emperor was nothing more than his puppet.

...

In a secret passage within the palace known only to Honest:

"Hahaha! What a foolish young emperor. Syura, my son, it will be up to you to make a trip next. Do whatever you can to slow the empire's collapse, so I can transport all of the Imperial Capital's wealth out of here."

Syura grinned, his expression bloodthirsty as he licked his lips. "Don't worry, Father. In my eyes, this so-called God of Justice is nothing special. I've infiltrated Kyoroch City countless times, and they never even noticed me."

"Gods aren't that impressive, and I've already gathered plenty of intel."

"I know who their three strongest individuals are. They just wield things similar to Teigu, glowing objects that look like glass spheres."

"They must have found some lost records from the empire about Teigu manufacturing and are pretending to be divine envoys to play tricks on people."

"All we need to do is take down those three individuals, and then assassinate that so-called god. After that, everything will be fine. Hahaha!"

Syura laughed loudly at the thought. He had seen the so-called incarnation of the god from a distance—a little girl.

In his opinion, whether it was taking advantage of the earlier celestial phenomenon to stir up trouble or simply being a Teigu user from some obscure corner of the world, it was nothing remarkable.

Though she appeared mysterious, she seemed no different from Esdeath or Budo in terms of strength.

And who was he? He was the only spatial Teigu user. Opportunities for assassination abounded for him. Given enough preparation, even figures like Esdeath or Grand General Budo would be no more than sitting ducks.

Honest smiled with satisfaction. "With a son like you, I can rest easy. I'll leave everything to you. In the meantime, I'll secretly move all the treasures and Teigu from the imperial treasury."

This foolish son of his—he was perfect for testing the so-called God of Justice.

If Syura died, so be it. He could always have another son. But if Syura actually managed to kill the god, Honest could continue as the empire's minister without interruption.

"Then I'll be off, Father," Syura said.

He took out his pocket-watch-shaped Teigu, Shambhala, activated it, and with a flash, disappeared from Honest's sight.

Honest clasped his hands behind his back and strode toward the imperial treasury at the end of the secret passage.

Meanwhile, the Imperial Capital's team of Teigu users had been assembled. Syura, as the leader, led four Teigu users and four Imperial Fist masters—fighters on par with Teigu users—straight toward their assassination targets.

...

In Kyoroch City, on the other side.

Furina had received information from the Heavenly Principle, learning that the Imperial Capital had formed a team of Teigu users aiming to assassinate Clorinde and Wriothesley.

The message also included the exact locations of the Teigu team members.

The supreme Heavenly Principle was truly omnipotent—nothing in either the Teyvat world or this one could escape his notice.

Furina immediately summoned the seven members of Marechaussee Phantom, the newly-formed team derived from Night Raid.

The seven arrived and knelt on one knee before her.

Najenda spoke first. "Lady Furina, have you summoned us for a mission?"

Though the Marechaussee Phantom was newly established, it was clear that their role would be pivotal in the empire's rapid decline. They were bound to take action against the empire's Teigu users.

Najenda was well aware that the empire's Teigu users numbered no less than ten.

While there were only 48 Teigu in existence, and many had been lost over the millennia, the empire still controlled the majority of them.

Furina mimicked the way the Lord Heavenly Principle himself had led meetings in her quarters and snapped her fingers.

A water mirror appeared in front of her, displaying the images sent by Noah.

The water mirror showed a group heading toward a city already under the control of the God of Justice.

Their discussion revealed their intent to assassinate all the city's leaders as they passed through each one.

Akame's expression changed dramatically upon seeing the young girl in the water mirror who bore an eight-tenths resemblance to herself. Her voice trembled slightly.

"Kurome..."

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