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After the Revolutionary Army was defeated, the Empire wasted no time sweeping up the surrounding territories. In one decisive push, it unified the entire continent at last.
Next came the Church of the Path of Peace. Alex chose not to suppress or eradicate it. Instead, he brought it into the fold.
The Path of Peace was elevated to the status of state religion, and its leader was appointed as Imperial Preceptor.
Of course, the church still needed internal cleansing. The vice-leader, Borick, for instance, was a spy planted by the Minister to control the church from within.
Then there was Holimaka, an Imperial Arms user and Borick's ultimate enforcer.
Once these remnants of the Minister's influence were purged, the Path of Peace officially became the Empire's national faith.
As for the old Royal Fist Temple, Alex ordered it wiped out entirely.
Among the Rakshasa Demons, only Suzuka and Mez were spared due to their relatively lighter crimes. The remaining two, Sten and Syura, were executed.
The Three Beasts under Esdeath were also all put to death.
Dr. Stylish, Minister of Industry, was executed as well.
There was no reason to keep him around anymore. The Revolutionary Army had someone capable of using the Imperial Arms God's Hand: Perfecter, making Stylish completely replaceable.
In addition, former Capital Guard captain Ogre and the executioner Zank were exposed for their countless crimes and publicly executed.
As for Seryu, the so-called "dog girl," Alex let her live.
Her understanding of justice was twisted, but she genuinely treated ordinary people well.
After Ogre's atrocities were revealed, Seryu no longer believed in him like she did in the original story. Instead of wanting revenge for her teacher, she wished she could personally cut down that monster.
In the end, Alex reassigned Seryu, along with Suzuka and Mez of the Rakshasa Demons, under Esdeath's command. The three of them became the new Three Beasts.
At this point, aside from the Minister's son Syura, who was still overseas, every destabilizing factor in the Empire, and every villain from the original story, had been eliminated.
The nation entered a new era. Development surged forward, prosperity spread everywhere, and the Empire marched steadily toward a golden age.
The young emperor soon issued another decree: all Imperial Arms scattered across the world were to be recovered.
Anyone who provided information would be richly rewarded.
Out of the forty-eight known Imperial Arms, thirty-nine had already been reclaimed. Only nine remained unaccounted for.
Syura and his five subordinates each possessed one, totaling six.
That meant three Imperial Arms were still missing.
To copy every Imperial Arms, Alex paid a steep price, mobilizing the entire Imperial military to search city after city.
The hunt lasted half a month.
At last, the final three Imperial Arms were found.
Now all that remained was for that brat Syura to deliver the remaining six right to their doorstep.
Alex wasn't in a rush. He focused on governing the country instead.
One new policy after another flowed from his pen and was handed to the young emperor for implementation.
Though numerous, these policies served just two core purposes.
First, to solidify imperial authority, even using the state religion, the Path of Peace, to preach the supremacy of the throne.
Second, to favor the common people, suppress the nobility, and balance the conflict between the two classes.
Under these measures, the Empire only grew stronger by the day.
Another week passed.
Just as Alex was starting to lose patience, Syura finally returned from the western continent.
By now, the Empire ruled the entire eastern continent, including the overseas islands. The moment Syura set foot on imperial soil, his movements were detected and reported.
Upon hearing the news, Alex immediately dispatched Esdeath, her new Three Beasts, members of Night Raid, and even the Hunters from the original story.
Almost every Imperial Arms user was mobilized to wipe out Syura.
That guy was, without question, one of the most disgusting characters in the original story. He had to die.
After entering the Empire, Syura quickly learned that his father, the Minister, was dead.
He flew into a rage and swore to kill Alex in revenge.
Before he could act on that oath, he was surrounded by dozens of Imperial Arms users led by Esdeath and Najenda.
The battle was a one-sided slaughter. There was no chance to resist.
In the end, everyone was killed except for the alchemist Dorothea.
Her life was spared on Alex's orders. He wanted her knowledge of alchemy.
Alchemy in this world was rare and incredibly valuable.
The six Imperial Arms were sent back to the capital, and the Empire finally gathered all forty-eight once more.
Alex couldn't wait any longer. He immediately copied all forty-eight Imperial Arms.
Naturally, biological Imperial Arms couldn't be copied directly. Instead of duplicating their bodies, he copied their weapons.
Take Lightning Flash: Susanoo for example. Alex forced him into a berserk state, then copied the weapons manifested in that form: the Kusanagi Sword, the Yata Mirror, and the Yasakani Magatama.
The Kusanagi Sword possessed unparalleled offensive power.The Yata Mirror could block any attack and even reflect it.The Yasakani Magatama granted extreme high-speed mobility.
Any one of these weapons alone could rival an Imperial Arms.
Yet all three were concentrated on a single humanoid biological Imperial Arms. The result was terrifying.
In the original story, only someone like Esdeath could kill Susanoo.
No one else stood a chance, not even General Budo.
After copying all the Imperial Arms, Alex distributed the unclaimed ones according to merit.
Since Tatsumi never inherited Brand's Imperial Arms, because Brand had survived, Alex granted him a different one instead.
His two companions were also assigned Imperial Arms of their own.
The Empire had never been stronger.
After the imperial relics were distributed, Alex had Doteria brought before him and ordered her to write out all the alchemical formulas from memory.
At first, Doteria resisted. She knew that if she complied, it would mean certain death. As long as she refused, she was safe.
But she underestimated Alex. With a simple enchantment he'd learned from Merlin, combined with an illusion, Doteria was completely under his control, like a puppet in the hands of a little emperor.
Under Alex's command, she wrote down every formula and even gave him a piece of the Philosopher's Stone she carried.
Satisfied, Alex executed her without hesitation once he had what he wanted.
In the following days, he immersed himself in the study of alchemy, seamlessly merging it with his forging techniques.
Five days later, the young emperor formally abdicated, offering the throne to Alex.
Alex accepted.
Thus, Alex, a prince from a different clan, ascended the throne as Emperor, taking the title Martial Emperor. With the change of leadership, the old empire had effectively ceased to exist. From now on, the empire bore the surname Lin.
But what no one expected was that on the very day Alex ascended, General Budo returned.
He had come to stop Alex from becoming emperor.
Budo knew perfectly well about Alex killing the ministers and controlling the young emperor, but he had turned a blind eye. He was stubborn, believing that military generals shouldn't interfere in court politics. As long as the young emperor still ruled, he didn't care how Alex wielded power. After all, weren't the ministers doing the same thing before?
Compared to the ministers, Alex was far better. He knew how to govern, how to strike down corruption, and had even restored and unified the empire, ruling over the entire eastern continent.
So, as long as Alex had no ambitions for the throne, Budo was willing to let him manipulate the young emperor unchecked.
But now, with Alex ready to claim the throne, Budo could no longer stay silent. His loyalty was to the imperial bloodline, not to Alex.
Seeing Budo move, Esdeath's face lit up with excitement.
"Do you intend to fight him?" Alex asked her.
"Of course," she replied, drawing her sword. "I don't like the idea of the empire having two 'strongest' generals. There can only be one!"
Alex smiled slightly. With just a snap of his fingers, he cast a barrier spell that trapped Budo's army, leaving Bude alone. In his eyes, there was no need for the troops to die here.
Now, it was time for a duel between Esdeath and Budo.
All the imperial relic wielders present were buzzing with anticipation. Today, the empire's two strongest generals would finally face off.
Standing beside Alex, Heiyuan turned to his sister Chiyuan. "Sister, who do you think will win?"
Without hesitation, Chiyuan replied, "Esdeath."
"Why?" Heiyuan asked, puzzled.
"Because she's His Majesty's woman," Chiyuan said, her gaze flicking toward Alex.
Both sisters had been enhanced by Alex's divine fire, which had dramatically increased their strength and physical abilities. Chiyuan knew that Esdeath, as Alex's partner, had surely received the same treatment.
Alex's faint smile acknowledged her words. After enhancing Heiyuan and Chiyuan, he had privately strengthened both Esdeath and Najenda as well.
Esdeath now was not just a master of magecraft and forbidden magic, but also trained in martial energy, reaching the pinnacle of sword mastery. Even without her imperial relic, Bude was no match.
Bude, seeing his army immobilized with a single snap, was stunned. But as the empire's top general, he quickly composed himself. Alone or not, he would prove himself the strongest in the empire. Even Esdeath didn't faze him—she was just a girl, and no matter how strong, could she surpass him?
He was supremely confident.
Esdeath, sensing his confidence, couldn't hide a thrill. The stronger the prey, the more fun the hunt.
In an instant, she swung her sword. Her style, Sword God Flow, emphasized speed above all.
Budo's eyes widened. Her speed was incredible. He activated the mechanical arms on his forearms, sending faint currents through his body to enhance his cells, increasing his speed—a technique akin to the "Chidori" from another world.
In a flash, his speed skyrocketed.
They clashed immediately, sword against fist, the collisions echoing like thunder. Most of the onlookers, except Chiyuan, Heiyuan, Brand, and Najenda, could barely follow their movements, only catching glimpses of afterimages flashing back and forth.
"He's on the defensive! Esdeath is amazing!" Heiyuan exclaimed.
Everyone turned to her, as they couldn't see the battle clearly themselves. Seconds later, a loud crash rang out. Budo was sent flying, spitting blood in shock.
How could this girl be so strong? She hadn't even used her relic, yet had subdued him with pure skill. Impossible.
Esdeath's lips curved in satisfaction as she watched him struggle. "So much for General Budo, praised to the heavens!"
"You…" Budo spat blood again, anger and disbelief warring on his face.
"Enough of holding back," he growled, flying into the sky. Electricity surged over his body like he was gathering a spirit bomb. The clear sky darkened instantly as storm clouds formed, lightning drawn toward him as if by magnet.
Soon, a massive sphere of lightning pulsed between his hands.
Esdeath didn't flinch. Raising her sword, she pointed it at him, a silent provocation.
Budo's face darkened further as he summoned more lightning, the sphere growing to about three meters in diameter.
"Take this blow, and I'll admit you're stronger than me!" he roared, hurling the lightning toward her.
Trying to goad her into dodging, he underestimated her.
"This your strongest? Pathetic," Esdeath sneered.
In the next instant, she channeled her martial energy and swung her sword. The terrifying blade cut the lightning sphere in half, tearing apart the clouds above, revealing blue sky and sunlight once more.
"..."
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