"The Demon Emperor's Ascent."

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Since Leone had become a demon, she was now strong enough to be Akame's sparring partner.

That gave Minato some free time, so he started going through the books.

These were all books he'd ordered the Emperor to bring him.

They were part of the palace's most treasured collection.

Not only did they include the methods of crafting Teigu, but also various martial arts styles from around the world.

[Origin +6]

[Origin +7]

As the system messages kept popping up, Minato was quite pleased.

Each book didn't give much Origin, but there were a ton of them—more than enough to feast on.

Just then, voices echoed from a palace hall in the distance.

"Boss, we're Night Raid, aren't we going a little overboard showing up here like this? Don't you think so, Sheele?"

"What's the matter, Mine?"

"What's the matter? Everything's the matter!"

"Mine, calm down a bit. You saw the situation—no one even tried to stop us."

"Yeah, but that's what's so weird about it!"

Hearing the voices, Akame and Leone paused their training.

"Are those the new members Boss mentioned?"

"Probably!"

They exchanged a glance and turned in the direction of the voices.

Minato also closed his book and looked up.

As expected, he saw two familiar figures.

It was Sheele and Mine—both from the original Night Raid.

Looks like the whole Night Raid crew is slowly gathering.

He wasn't sure if Chelsea had joined the Revolutionary Army yet.

As for the other guys... eh, he wasn't interested in men anyway.

"You must be the new members! I'm Leone, nice to meet you!"

"I'm Akame, hello!"

Leone and Akame walked up to greet them.

"I'm Mine. Nice to meet you both."

"I'm Sheele. Hello, senpai."

With Najenda doing the introductions, the four of them quickly got comfortable with each other.

"Alright, now that we've met, let's get back to training."

Minato spoke up, "You all need to get a good grasp of your new class powers ASAP."

"Yes, Master!"

"Got it, Master!"

After replying, Leone and Akame went back to sparring.

"He's so cool!"

Only now did Mine notice Minato—and she couldn't help but sneak a peek at his handsome face.

So that's the demon everyone's talking about?

He doesn't look dangerous at all...

Staaaare—

Meanwhile, Sheele kept her expression blank, giving away nothing.

Elsewhere, Najenda's eyes had gone wide.

M-Master...?

She stared at Leone in disbelief.

She'd only been gone a little while, and Leone had already... completely surrendered?

Did it really have to happen that fast...?

The next day—

The entire Imperial Court was thrown into chaos.

Under Minato's control, the Emperor had issued a series of shocking new orders.

First, Minister Honest was stripped of all his duties—replaced by Najenda.

General Budo's former position? Taken over by Akame.

Leone was appointed Governor of the Capital, and given full authority over the city's defense forces.

Only three appointments, but they were enough to completely overhaul the Empire's power structure.

Naturally—

Countless ministers and nobles protested furiously.

Never mind the positions—just the backgrounds of Najenda and the others were problematic enough.

That day, none of them even left the palace.

As for the now-former Minister Honest, he didn't even show up for the morning assembly.

And so—

Everyone in the court was anxiously waiting to see what Honest would do next.

They knew this sly fox, who'd ruled the Empire from the shadows, wasn't about to go down without a fight.

That night—

While the city slumbered in darkness, the palace halls blazed with light.

"You're saying Honest invited me to dinner?"

Minato, seated on the throne with a book in hand, raised an eyebrow.

"That's right. Just now, in fact."

Najenda nodded. "Didn't expect him to move this fast."

"Not surprising. The entire court is watching him. If he doesn't act soon, he's finished."

Minato closed his book and stepped down from the throne. "Alright, let's go. It's time we settled this."

Hearing that, Akame and the others quickly followed behind.

Once outside the palace—

The streets were strangely quiet tonight.

Shops on both sides had closed early, as if the whole city could sense something was off.

"Master, someone's watching us."

Akame leaned in and whispered, "Should I take them out?"

"Let them watch if they want."

Minato chuckled casually and kept walking with the girls, heading toward Honest's residence.

Honest's power and influence were plain to see—the size of his estate was comparable to the palace itself.

The place was crawling with guards—posted every few steps. It was locked down tighter than a fortress.

"We're really just gonna walk in like this?"

Mine stuck close to Minato, gripping her Pumpkin Cannon tightly like it was the only thing keeping her safe.

"Why not?"

"But... there's only a few of us."

"Relax. We stormed the palace yesterday without even the two of you."

Minato smiled as he stepped inside. "And honestly, we're just dealing with a few Teigu users, that's all."

"Right, Honest?"

Just then, a tall man in lavish robes appeared, walking toward them with a big smile on his face.

"Haha! Lord Minato, you're absolutely right."

Honest's face beamed with fake enthusiasm. "That's why I don't want to be your enemy."

"I don't know how you managed to control the Emperor, but how about we join forces?"

He desperately wanted to kill Minato on the spot.

But after learning some of the details about yesterday's events, he knew this was his last chance.

"And what makes you think you're in any position to bargain with me?"

Minato said with a smirk. "Just because you're a former minister?"

"I've got more than that."

Honest clapped his hands—and shadowy figures started appearing around them.

Several others stepped up beside Honest, clearly his bodyguards.

"Lord Demon, these men are all high-ranking officers in the Imperial Army."

Najenda muttered under her breath, "And those guards around him—they're the Four Rakshasa Demons. Plus, there's former City Guard Captain Oka. All of them are top-tier fighters."

Minato blinked slowly and turned to Honest.

"So this is your big move?"

"Of course!"

Honest grinned.

"Even if you've got the Emperor under control, without my cooperation, the whole Empire will descend into chaos."

"Judging by the way you act, I'd say that's something you care about... right?"

He wore the smug expression of someone who thought he had it all figured out.

After all, no one knew the Empire better than he did.

"I suggest you accept the Minister's offer."

Oka sneered from the side. "And give me back my position as City Guard Captain—or else..."

CRACK!

Before he could finish, a bolt of blue lightning came crashing down on him.

BOOM!

The ground shook violently.

Oka didn't even get the chance to scream—his entire body was turned into a hunk of smoking charcoal.

The whole courtyard fell deathly silent.

Every one of Honest's men—officials and officers alike—stood frozen in shock.

What the hell just happened...?

"....."