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"Let's begin!"
"Come on, get down here and have some fun with me!"
After saying that, Kaito thrust his hips forward and jumped directly off the rooftop, plummeting toward the streets below.
Seeing Kaito already leap down, everyone hurriedly followed after him.
"Run! There's a war going on!"
"Damn it! I still haven't hidden my valuables!"
"Out of the way, you filthy commoner!"
One terrified noble shoved a woman to the ground before coldly stepping over her body as he fled.
As Esdeath's army clashed with the forces guarding the city gates, the sounds of shouting, clashing steel, and gunfire continuously echoed throughout the Imperial Capital.
"T-This is bad... Esdeath has rebelled!"
Just as the young Emperor and Honest were waiting together with numerous high-ranking officials for Esdeath's triumphant return, an Imperial Guard suddenly stumbled into the palace hall while shouting in panic.
"What nonsense are you spouting?! Have you lost your mind?!"
One official glared at the soldier with disgust, clearly not believing a single word.
How could General Esdeath betray the Empire?
She was one of the Empire's greatest heroes.
Why would she ever rebel?
Compared to the others, Honest at least retained some sense of caution.
With a grim expression, he coldly asked:
"Explain yourself clearly. What exactly happened?"
Although he also found it difficult to believe Esdeath would betray them, he still needed to understand the situation first.
"Gulp... G-General Esdeath has rebelled! She's currently leading the two hundred thousand soldiers of the Northern Army in an assault on the city gates!"
"The gates are about to fall! Chaka-sama ordered me to request reinforcements immediately!"
The Imperial Guard swallowed nervously and reported with a face full of fear.
"Nani?! Esdeath really betrayed us?!"
After hearing the soldier's confident report, Honest had no choice but to believe it.
After all, no soldier would dare lie about something like this unless they were tired of living.
"Minister, isn't General Esdeath a hero of the Empire? Why would she betray us too?"
The young Emperor, still unable to grasp the seriousness of the situation, looked at Honest beside him with confusion.
"Your Majesty, we can discuss those matters later."
"The highest priority right now is informing Great General Budo immediately. Only he can stop Esdeath!"
Hearing the Emperor's question, Honest forced out a stiff smile as he answered.
"Alright then. Issue the order."
"Command Great General Budo to lead the Imperial Guards and eliminate Esdeath."
"That should solve everything, right, Minister?"
"Your Majesty's decision is most wise."
Honest immediately nodded with satisfaction.
The soldier who received the order quickly ran toward the Imperial Guard barracks within the city.
In reality, there was no need to notify him at all.
Sensing that something was wrong, Budo had already assembled two hundred thousand Imperial Guard soldiers ahead of time.
"Have you learned what happened yet?"
Budo asked his adjutant beside him with a serious expression.
"T-The scouts reported that... reported that..."
Seeing the adjutant hesitate so badly, Budo immediately frowned.
"What exactly did they report?"
"They reported that General Esdeath has rebelled!"
"She's currently leading troops in an assault against the Imperial Capital's gates!"
"What?!"
Even Budo, who almost never lost his composure, couldn't help shouting in shock after hearing those words.
"How could this be...? No, His Majesty is in danger!"
Suddenly thinking of the young Emperor still inside the palace, Budo immediately turned toward his adjutant.
"You will lead twenty thousand men to the palace immediately and reinforce its defenses."
"And you, sir?"
"I'm going to personally kill Esdeath, the Empire's traitor!"
Golden lightning continuously crackled around Budo's body as murderous intent filled his face.
"Yes, General!"
Seeing this, the adjutant hurriedly accepted the order before immediately turning to rally the troops.
Watching his adjutant leave, Budo suddenly felt an overwhelming sense of exhaustion.
The Revolutionary Army.
Foreign tribes.
Corrupt nobles and officials.
And Honest, the true culprit who had pushed the Empire into its current state.
Now even Esdeath, one of the Empire's pillars, had chosen betrayal.
Originally, Budo had planned to eliminate Honest after crushing the rebels.
But now he finally realized the Empire itself had already reached the brink of collapse.
"Former Emperor... perhaps the Empire truly cannot survive this disaster..."
"Your Majesty, allow this old servant to protect you one final time."
"After this... I fear you'll only be able to rely on yourself."
After quietly muttering to himself, Budo slowly raised his head once more, determination filling his eyes.
At this point, he no longer cared whether he lived or died.
All he wanted was to eliminate one final great enemy for the Emperor he served.
"Men! Follow me and annihilate Esdeath's rebel army!"
"Show them that the Imperial Guards are the strongest military force in the Empire!"
"OOOOOOHHHHHH!!!"
Hearing Budo's command, every soldier raised their weapons high into the air and roared passionately.
...
Pfft...
Esdeath casually pulled her sword free after skewering a City Guard soldier.
Looking at the endless stream of City Guards and Security Forces charging toward her, impatience flashed through her eyes.
If she weren't worried about harming innocent civilians within the city, she would've wiped them all out with a large-scale attack long ago.
"Wahahaha! There are so many people!"
"Let me show you the power of [Dragon Impact]!"
Milim swung a gigantic pendulum-like weapon while laughing excitedly.
A chibi version of Rimuru was even drawn onto the massive weapon.
As Milim wildly swung the enormous pendulum left and right, the surrounding City Guards were continuously blasted into the sky.
Everywhere she passed, only corpses remained, the fallen soldiers having died from the impact after crashing back down.
"Wow, Milim! Your giant pendulum looks so cool!"
Just as Milim happily continued her rampage, Ramiris suddenly flew over beside her with sparkling eyes fixed on the huge weapon.
"Wahahaha! Rimuru made this for me personally, you know!"
"Isn't it awesome?!"
Milim proudly lifted the giant pendulum while showing off to Ramiris.
"I want one too!"
Hearing Ramiris say that, Milim rested the pendulum over one shoulder and proudly placed her other hand on her waist.
With a smug grin that revealed her tiny fangs, she cheerfully declared:
"Hehe! This is one of a kind!"
"You're too late, Ramiris! Wahahaha!"
"Aww... why?! That's so unfair!"
Hearing it was unique, Ramiris immediately looked disappointed.
"Ramiris, even if you had one, you wouldn't be able to use it."
"It's almost a hundred times bigger than you."
Without anyone noticing, Kaito had already arrived beside Milim and Ramiris together with Night Raid.
"Kai-chan!!!"
The moment Milim saw Kaito, her smile instantly widened.
She immediately tossed aside the giant pendulum and pounced straight toward him.
Looking at Milim's innocent smile, Kaito couldn't help revealing a doting grin himself.
Then...
"Milim, I already saw through your plan long ago!"
"Die!!!"
Kaito instantly pulled out Abyss and smashed it toward Milim without the slightest hesitation.
"Damn it, Kai-chan actually saw through me...!"
Milim looked unwillingly at Kaito, who had already drawn Abyss.
But now that things had reached this point, she could only fight seriously.
Without hesitation, she immediately pulled out Gaze and swung it directly toward Kaito...