Arthur suddenly opened his eyes and gripped his forehead in pain. "That bastard, Zhang Yong..."
Then he looked ahead, where Zhang Yong was still hanging in front of him, and his eyes narrowed slightly.
Suddenly, the ground trembled, dust fell from the ceiling, followed by the shouts of the guards.
"There's an aerial attack on the south side of the palace! We suspect it's the rebel group!"
Arthur looked at Zhang Yong mockingly. "She's your friend, isn't she? We'll go deal with her."
Arthur withdrew with the others and exited the room but his smile did not fade. As he walked through the dark corridor, his green eyes gleamed with cunning.
'No matter how I think about it, this is clearly a trap. But what is Zhang Yong after? Even if he and that girl suddenly show up like this, it's impossible to conquer an entire empire,' Arthur thought as he analyzed.
Upon reaching the palace roof, a skirmish had already begun with a large group of people—nearly a thousand—all fighting their way into the fortress, possessing superhuman strength.
Pink shots were fired from a flying manta ray in the sky, atop which stood a girl with pink hair. That was Mine.
But suddenly, her eyes met the gaze of Arthur, who had appeared on the roof.
Arthur smiled and ordered, "General Esdeath, you can bring her down."
Arthur's voice was calm, but it carried an undeniable tone. Esdeath, standing beside him, nodded coolly. "You don't need to tell me what's obvious."
She raised her hand toward the sky. A giant ice pillar shot from her palm, tearing through the air like lightning toward the flying manta ray.
"Tch!" Mine cried out, jumping aside at the last moment, but the manta ray wasn't lucky enough. Its right wing shattered under the icy assault, and the beast began crashing toward the ground.
Shura looked down and let out a long whistle. "What a painful fall. Hey, isn't that… old man Gensei?"
Hearing the name, Esdeath smiled with ecstasy. "I've heard of him. I never imagined a martial artist like him would be here."
In his day, Gensei was called the strongest of his era, even before Budo himself appeared. This ignited a fighting desire within Esdeath.
But Arthur was not interested. His green eyes watched the scene with meticulous detail, but his mind was occupied with something else.
In a moment, a soldier came running to deliver news. "The Emperor and the Minister are under attack!"
At the same time, from the location of the Imperial Throne Room, the ceiling exploded and a tall shadow appeared, soaring in the sky.
{Mission Failed}
Arthur looked at the window that popped up before him and cursed, "Damn it, now I have to cross over to the next reset. Zhang Yong, if you're after the Emperor..."
Arthur's final words faded into the air as dozens of ice spikes exploded into his body, tearing him to shreds.
The sky turned black, and a pulling force began to bend reality, time, and the world itself.
At that same moment, Arthur opened his eyes. He was now running down the corridor. He had returned to the moment he had just left Zhang Yong's cell
He gripped his forehead and rubbed it gently. 'The return point is getting shorter and shorter. I cannot afford to fail.'
Arthur looked at the group and ordered, "Stop. This is just a diversion by the rebels. Their true target is the Emperor and the Minister in the Throne Room."
Everyone fell silent for a moment, then Esdeath turned to him with gleaming eyes. "No matter how foolish they are, they can't reach the Emperor that easily. What makes you so sure?"
Arthur did not smile this time. His green eyes flickered coldly. "I have my intuition," he said simply, then pointed toward the corridor leading to the inner hall. "Shura , Dorothy, you will come with me to the Throne Room to set an ambush. Esdeath, deal with the rebels and then join us."
Esdeath turned to Arthur with a sharp gaze, but she did not object. "I don't like taking orders from you, but fine. Don't blame me if you end up hanging from the palace walls as corpses."
Arthur didn't reply. His mind was working at lightning speed, calculating every possibility, every step Zhang Yong might take. 'This time, I won't let you escape.'
As Esdeath departed to confront the rebels, Arthur led Sierra and Dorothy through the dark corridors of the palace toward the Throne Room. The distant sounds of battle echoed in the corners, but Arthur remained focused.
In the Throne Room:
The young Emperor sat on his golden throne, holding his golden scepter, while Honest gnawed on a large piece of meat beside him.
"Commander-in-Chief Arthur, why do you enter without permission?" Honest asked, his mouth full, meat juice dripping down his chin.
"Danger is coming, Minister," Arthur said coldly, then gestured to Sierra. "Get ready. He'll be here any moment."
At that moment, the great doors of the Throne Room burst open violently, and Zhang Yong stood on the threshold, his body still bleeding from the wounds of torture, but his blue eyes shone with determination.
"Arthur..." Zhang Yong whispered in a hoarse voice, gripping his blood-made sword. "I've come to end this."
But Arthur did not seem bothered this time. His sinister smile widened. "Indeed, it's time." Then he nodded to shura. "Now!"
shura revealed the Teigu Shambhala in his hand, and a strange purple light exploded from the ground, turning the palace floor into a vortex of strange symbols.
In the blink of an eye, the Throne Room vanished around them, and instead, everyone found themselves standing on a barren land on a deserted island, surrounded by blue ocean waters stretching to the horizon.
As for Zhang Yong, he realized the plan immediately. His eyes met Arthur's. "A deserted island... you want to isolate us here?"
"Oya, we have guests here." Suddenly, a voice came from among the surrounding trees. At that moment, Dr. Stylish stepped out before them, holding in his hand a small device resembling a button.
"Impossible! Didn't you die?!" Zhang Yong looked at Stylish with a shocked expression.
"Oh, I am stylish. A stylish person like me wouldn't die so easily." At that moment, he raised his hand and pressed the button without hesitation.
Rumble!
The ground suddenly split open, and dozens—no, hundreds—of semi-human monsters began emerging from hidden tunnels beneath the island. Some were human-sized, others were giant reaching up to five meters tall, with deformed bodies and red eyes gleaming with bloodlust, while others exceeded twenty meters.
Dorothy laughed boastfully. "These monsters were created using my knowledge along with Dr. Stylish. They are the product of our research. You won't survive, you filth!"
Zhang Yong's eyes darted rapidly, analyzing the situation. "Arthur, you really leave nothing to chance..." he said, adjusting his grip on his sword.
"Of course not," Arthur replied. "But admit it, even if you knew my plan, what can you do now? shura, take us back."
shura chuckled wickedly and raised Shambhala in his hand. "Right aw—"
But before he could finish his sentence, Dr. Stylish moved with lightning speed.
Stab!
Dr. Stylish stabbed Sierra's neck with a sharp needle, causing shura to die and fall to the ground before he even realized what had happened.
Dr. Stylish picked up the Teigu Shambhala from Sierra's pocket, then looked at Zhang Yong.
At that moment, both Dorothy and Arthur were shocked, while Zhang Yong grinned savagely. "Thank you for bringing the doctor here, Arthur."
The doctor was part of his plan. The Mantra of Six Desires—a technique with six branches governing the six desires: smell, hearing, sight, speech, touch, and thought.
By using the desire of thought, it could weaken inner demons for a period. But by gathering all the desires, a person could create a miniature consciousness—essentially a version of themselves that could be implanted into a dead body to control it temporarily, not permanently. It was similar to possessing a soul fragment, but for a shorter duration.
That was what possessed Dr. Stylish's body, but Zhang Yong had not guaranteed it would last long. However, by merging it with the Soul Stake from the Puppets Path, he managed to keep it attached to his main soul, forming something like a dissociative dual personality—the first unaware of the second.
Arthur had no time for shock. His green eyes widened as he rapidly analyzed the situation. "Dorothy, kill the Doctor now!" he shouted, but Dorothy had already lost her balance after seeing shura fall to the ground.
Zhang Yong did not waste the opportunity. "Void Path – Earth Fold!"
He vanished from his spot, appearing directly behind Dorothy, his blood-made sword gleaming under the sunlight.
Swing!
Dorothy's head separated from her body before she realized what had happened, her blood spraying like dark mist onto the sand.
"Damn it!" Arthur cursed internally. 'This time too... everything is going according to his plan!'
'Even if I die here, I will return to a point before this disaster... but how many times will I fail before I find a way to kill him?'
Zhang Yong moved and killed Arthur immediately after.
Ugh!
Arthur suddenly opened his eyes, finding himself standing in the Throne Room, with Zhang Yong about to break through the door.
'This time... I returned to here?' he whispered, pressing his forehead. 'So the return point is indeed getting shorter... but I still have a chance.'
This time, he would not repeat the same mistake.
At that moment, the great doors of the Throne Room burst open violently, and Zhang Yong stood on the threshold, his body still bleeding from the wounds of torture, but his blue eyes shone with determination.
"Arthur..." Zhang Yong whispered in a hoarse voice, gripping his blood-made sword. "I've come to end this."
But Arthur did not smile. His gaze burned with caution. "Sierra, do it now!"
Sierra revealed the Teigu Shambhala in his hand, and a strange purple light exploded from the ground, turning the palace floor into a vortex of strange symbols.
In the blink of an eye, the Throne Room vanished around them, and instead, everyone found themselves standing on a barren land on a deserted island, surrounded by blue ocean waters stretching to the horizon.
Just as before, Zhang Yong realized Arthur's goal. "A deserted island... you want to isolate us here?"
"Oya, we have guests here." Suddenly, a voice came from among the surrounding trees. At that moment, Dr. Stylish stepped out before them, holding in his hand a small device resembling a button.
"Impossible! Didn't you die?!" Zhang Yong looked at Stylish with a shocked expression.
Arthur clicked his tongue. 'This bastard wants to act? I won't let him!'
"shura, quickly kill Dr. Stylish!" Arthur ordered in a flash, before the button could be pressed.
shura was shocked when he heard this, his face full of disbelief, but he still obeyed quickly.
Before the Doctor could press the button, Sierra moved with lightning speed and broke Dr. Stylish's neck.
As soon as he did so, shura raised Shambhala and prepared to transport everyone, leaving Zhang Yong on the island.
But in an instant, Zhang Yong used Earth Fold and kicked the pendant into the air.
Arthur watched the scene with wide eyes. Time seemed to slow to a stop. The pendant spun slowly in the air, sunlight reflecting off its purple surface.
'No...!'
His only thought was that if the pendant fell into Zhang Yong's hands, his entire plan would be over. He wanted to keep his cards until the end, but it was no longer possible.
Dark energy rose from his body and quickly extended in the form of a black arm toward Zhang Yong.
In an instant, Zhang Yong, who was about to catch Shambhala, was suddenly punched mid-air. It was a punch completely invisible to him, as if the air had compressed and exploded in his face.
Zhang Yong steadied his stance mid-air and landed safely on his feet. At the same time, Shambhala seemed to be falling toward Arthur.
He immediately used Earth Fold and teleported directly toward Arthur, swinging his sword.
Suddenly, an invisible force grabbed Dorothy beside him and pulled her between him and Arthur. Dorothy took the cut, leaving enough time for Arthur to grab Shambhala, and a portal opened beneath them.
The surroundings changed rapidly, and they appeared in the sky above the empire, plummeting toward the ground.
They fell rapidly toward the earth, the wind whistling in their ears. Arthur held the Teigu Shambhala tightly, his green eyes blazing with triumph.
He looked down at the ground below and smiled. "Good night, Zhang Yong. When we meet again, we will fight to the last breath." As soon as he said that, he plunged deep into the air, disappearing through a purple door beneath him.
"Tch!" Zhang Yong clicked his tongue, and his black wings extended behind his back as he descended slowly.
"This will complicate things further," Zhang Yong whispered as he drifted slowly toward the ground, his black wings slowing his descent.
Below him, the empire was ablaze with a fierce battle between his men and the palace soldiers.
But his eyes widened for a moment , old man Gensei, and the others... they had died before Tatsumi and the others!
He should have expected this. Even in the original story, Gensei and the others couldn't fight against Night Raid.
Then he turned his gaze further away, where a pillar of ice stood in the distance. Mine was fighting Esdeath.
'Tch. My original plan was to eliminate the young Emperor to erase any chance of the Shikoutazer appearing, but in this situation... I must either free Night Raid or kill them and absorb their souls in the process.'
Zhang Yong looked hesitantly, uncertain of what to do. It was clear that Mine could not defeat Esdeath, and it was essential for Tatsumi to be the one to destroy the Shikoutazer—and in his current state, that was even more impossible.
There was a chance that eliminating Arthur would free them, but he had disappeared. And if he didn't help Mine, if Esdeath gathered with the others, Zhang Yong would have no chance.
"I have no choice... I must free them first."
Zhang Yong dismissed his wings and forced his body into a rapid descent.
He fell directly toward Tatsumi, pulled his fist back, and swung it toward Tatsumi's head. "Wake up!" Zhang Yong shouted.
But Tatsumi evaded the attack skillfully and leaped backward rapidly, his eyes void of any expression, staring at Zhang Yong.
"There's no use talking, they are completely under Arthur's control," Zhang Yong thought as he prepared to fight.
At that same moment, he heard the sound of an icy explosion in the distance. He turned to see Mine being thrown away by Esdeath, her body covered in wounds.
"No time to save her now... I have to deal with Night Raid first."
Quickly, he used his blood control technique, where droplets of his blood turned into fine threads extending from his fingers. He waved his arms and created a web of threads in the air that shot toward the Night Raid members, trying to immobilize them without killing them.
But Akame was faster. She suddenly vanished from her spot and appeared before Zhang Yong with the Murasame sword.
Swing!
He cut off his connection to the blood threads and pulled his blood sword to block the strike, but the force pushed him back.
He planted his feet in the ground and regained his balance, his blue eyes blazing with determination as he rapidly analyzed the situation.
"If I can't free them... I'll have to kill them," Zhang Yong whispered in a low voice, adjusting his grip on his blood sword.
At that moment, he heard another explosion. He looked toward the source to see Esdeath, while Mine lay unconscious on the ground, her body covered in frost. Esdeath was walking toward her, seemingly ready to finish her off.
"A bad situation..." Zhang Yong felt the pressure mounting. Before him stood the controlled Night Raid members.
He shouldn't allow Esdeath to kill her, but in his current situation... Suddenly, his eyes gleamed with an idea.
He decided to act quickly. Using Earth Fold, he vanished from his spot, appearing directly behind Tatsumi.
Swing!
A swift strike from his blood blade struck Tatsumi's back, but it wasn't fatal. In an instant, he grabbed Tatsumi by the neck and placed the sword around his throat.
"Esdeath!" Zhang Yong called out loudly. "You'd better intervene before you lose Tatsumi!"
Knowing her feelings for him—bordering on obsession—she would certainly not allow him to die.
Nevertheless, Esdeath was not the type to let her emotions influence her decisions.
Esdeath continued her walk indifferently, her high-heeled shoe raised above the unconscious Mine's head. "Kill him if you wish," she said in a voice as cold as the North Pole. "Just know that you will die moments after him."
Zhang Yong pressed his lips together. 'Miscalculation.' He realized his tactic had failed. His eyes flickered rapidly as he analyzed the remaining options.
He threw Tatsumi aside and, using Earth Fold, appeared above Esdeath, recovering his stance.
Esdeath smiled with absolute delight when she saw him. Her gaze indicated one thing.
'I've fallen into a trap!'
"Mahapadma!"
In an instant, the surroundings turned blue, and time and space froze. No one could move—everyone except Esdeath herself.
Esdeath walked toward him slowly, each step of her heels echoing on the blue ice that covered the world. "You survived last time despite the damage to your body. I wonder if you'd come back if I pierced your head this time."
Esdeath gripped her rapier and prepared to pierce Zhang Yong's head, but suddenly, Zhang Yong's eyelid moved.
It seemed as if reality was torn apart around his body, and the blue surroundings returned to normal, with one difference.
Esdeath's sword was cut into pieces, while Zhang Yong stood with a stern expression on his face. On his head, two horns grew, curving upward above his head. His eyes had turned red, with a clear intent to kill shining through them.