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At this point, his overall strength had already surpassed Luo Hao's.
In terms of sheer destructive power, he could probably wipe the surface of the planet clean.
Placed in Little Garden, that level of power would rank him among the very top of the Five-Digits—just one step away from becoming a planet-destroying Four-Digit.
"Keep pushing," Alex muttered, clenching his fist, excitement blazing in his eyes. "Once I reach planet-destroyer level, I'll be able to help Luo Hao deal with the Last King. That'll finally repay the kindness she showed me."
From an ordinary person who had only just joined the group to the strongest one in it—
Alex had achieved all of this in just a few short months.
Among everyone, the two who had helped him the most were Hestia and Luo Hao.
He would never forget what he owed them.
Repaying them was simple enough.
For Hestia, he would help her expand her Familia and make it the strongest in all of Orario.
For Luo Hao, he would help her slay the Last King and end the fate that doomed every Godslayer to die by that monster's hand.
After leaving the training grounds, Alex headed to the royal bathhouse and treated himself to a long, relaxing soak.
Standing in the pool, he glanced at his reflection rippling across the water and noticed something new.
His once pitch-black hair had turned gold.
Not just any gold—it was the same color as divine flame.
His black eyes had shifted to a deep crimson.
His physique looked more perfectly proportioned, his features sharper and more handsome than before.
Right now, every inch of him screamed a single word—
Perfect.
"…Seriously? I turned into a blond?" Alex ran a hand through his hair, clicking his tongue in annoyance. "Damn it."
He withdrew the divine power suffusing his hair, and the golden strands faded back to black.
"Yeah. That's way better." He nodded in satisfaction.
…
The next morning, Alex stepped out of the bedchamber.
Akame and Kurome froze the moment they saw him.
"What?" Alex asked, puzzled.
"Your Highness," Kurome blurted out without much reverence, "you look even more handsome today!"
"Do I?" Alex chuckled. "Must be because I've been sleeping well lately."
Kurome's words pleased him more than he cared to admit.
After all, no man disliked being told he was good-looking, just as no woman disliked being called beautiful.
That was human nature, and even someone as powerful as Alex was no exception.
"So good sleep improves your looks…" Kurome nodded seriously, as if she'd just learned an important life lesson.
Akame, meanwhile, felt completely speechless. That was obviously a lie.
Still, she didn't call him out on it. He was a prince, after all.
Over the past month, Akame had personally witnessed the changes in the Imperial Capital.
Compared to how it was before, the city now felt like heaven.
With Will leading the Guard and Lubbock heading the Military Police, the capital was being run with ironclad order.
Criminal gangs, corrupt officials, and rotten nobles had all been wiped out.
There were no dark corners left in the capital. Whenever ordinary citizens faced injustice, all they had to do was go to the Guard or the Military Police, and Will or Lubbock would stand up for them.
As a result, officials and nobles no longer dared to bully commoners.
In short, the capital could now be summed up in eleven words:
Fairness! Fairness! And damn it, even more fairness!
Because of all this, Akame felt nothing but admiration for Alex.
This man—handsome and imposing—had changed the capital, changed the Empire, and was slowly changing the entire world.
Night Raid had now completely cut ties with the Revolutionary Army.
After Najenda learned that the Revolutionary Army had been secretly colluding with the Noble Alliance, she lost all faith in them.
She turned around and devoted herself fully to Alex's cause, helping him reshape the world.
Alex looked at Kurome and suddenly asked, "Kurome, are you still taking the medicine?"
Kurome nodded. "Yeah. I tried quitting, but it didn't work. My body can't live without it anymore."
Akame's eyes grew moist.
All these years… her little sister must have suffered so much.
Alex, however, smiled calmly. "I'll help you get rid of the toxins in your body."
Akame tensed instantly. "Will that hurt her?"
When the sisters had reunited, Akame had already arranged for a full medical examination.
The doctors had concluded that Kurome's body had developed a severe dependency on the drugs. Removing them could cause irreversible damage—or even death.
Seeing Akame's anxiety, Alex reassured her with a grin. "Relax. Kurome's too cute for me to ever hurt her."
After a brief hesitation, Akame chose to trust him.
Alex brought Kurome to a quiet place and sent a thread of divine flame into her body.
His divine fire now carried the attributes of Hestia's sacred flame—the origin of human civilization itself.
It could burn away anything, even the laws of humanity.
Of course, it could also cleanse the body and make it stronger and healthier.
Once inside Kurome, the divine flame incinerated all the drug toxins, then began reinforcing her body.
At the same time, Alex cast healing arts and recovery magic on her.
Driven by divine power, these spells were effectively miracles.
The overwhelming regenerative force restored Kurome's battered body completely, leaving no trace of damage behind.
Alex withdrew the divine flame and turned to Akame. "Your turn. I'll strengthen you too."
The next moment, the divine flame flowed into Akame's body as well.
By the time he finished reinforcing her, Kurome slowly opened her eyes.
Feeling her fully restored body, Kurome cried out happily and threw herself into Akame's arms.
"Big sis! I'm all better!"
Akame didn't even have time to check her own enhanced body. She was already overwhelmed by joy at her sister's recovery.
The two sisters clung to each other, crying as they poured out all the pain and hardship they'd endured over the years.
Watching them, Alex felt a warm sense of healing himself.
Back when he'd watched the anime, it had genuinely hurt.
Things started out fine, and then suddenly—one character died every episode. By the end, you were completely numb.
Now that he'd changed that tragic fate and reunited Akame and Kurome, the satisfaction was indescribable.
After calming down, the sisters stepped in front of Alex and bowed deeply, sincerity written all over their faces.
"Thank you, Your Highness. From this day on, we swear eternal loyalty to you."
"Good." Alex nodded in approval. "Very good."
Saving them hadn't been for nothing. He'd earned the unwavering loyalty of both sisters.
With their talent, plus the strengthening he'd given them with divine flame, they would surely become true powerhouses in the future—strong enough to fight alongside him across countless worlds.
…
Outside the capital's gates.
A clean-cut brown-haired boy gazed up at the towering city walls, lost in dreams.
He had traveled all the way from the borderlands to make a name for himself here, to earn wealth and glory and bring it back to his village.
That boy was none other than the protagonist—Tatsumi.
Thanks to Alex's reforms, the corrupt nobles in the capital had been purged.
As a result, Tatsumi never encountered Aria's twisted family.
He wasn't swindled out of all his money by Leone either.
More importantly, his two companions, Sayo and Ieyasu, were still alive. They hadn't suffered the horrific fate they met in the original story.
Not long after the three reunited in the city, they were surrounded by a group of military police.
Leading them was Lubbock.
"So you finally showed up," Lubbock said after giving them a once-over. "Come with me."
"Hey, wait a second!" Tatsumi drew his sword immediately. "What are you doing? Why should we go with you? We haven't done anything wrong!"
His two companions also tensed up, ready to fight.
Lubbock sighed. "You're not in trouble. His Highness the Prince wants to see you."
"…What? The prince?" Tatsumi and the others froze.
The highest authority they'd ever met was their village chief.
They'd just arrived in the capital, and now a prince wanted to see them? It sounded unreal.
"You're lying," Tatsumi said warily. "We're just nobodies. We don't even know the prince."
At that moment, Will arrived with the Guard.
Seeing Lubbock, he asked, "What's the Military Police doing here? Don't disrupt public order."
Lubbock shrugged and pointed at Tatsumi. "The prince wants to see him. This kid doesn't believe me."
The moment Will heard the word "prince," admiration flashed in his eyes.
He turned solemnly to Tatsumi and the others. "If His Highness wants to see you, then it's real. In this capital, no one would dare use the prince's name to lie."
"…R-really?" Tatsumi hesitated, finally starting to believe it.
"Absolutely," Will replied with a firm nod.
"Then… we'll go with you," Tatsumi said, sheathing his sword and turning to Lubbock.
"If you'd done that earlier, we wouldn't have wasted so much time," Lubbock muttered, waving to Will before leading the three toward the palace.
Tatsumi was confused.
Wasn't he supposed to meet the prince?
Then why were they entering the imperial palace?
He got his answer soon enough.
The prince… actually lived in the emperor's own bedchamber.
What the hell?
At that moment, Alex was in the middle of instructing Akame and Kurome in swordsmanship when he saw Lubbock bringing people in.
"What's going on?" he asked.
"..."
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