"Roar!"
Within the Imperial Capital, the sound of dragon roars kept coming, piercing through the battlefield, as if roaring into everyone's heart.
Budo looked over there with surprise in his eyes, but he also sensed that it was Kaede's aura, so he didn't bother with it much.
At this time, Budo looked at Akame, who was constantly charging and killing as if she didn't care about her life. Truth be told, at first, he even wanted to directly attack and kill Akame, but in the end, Akame ignored him and killed her way into the Revolutionary Army.
Although he didn't know why, Budo saw clearly that there was not a trace of light in Akame's eyes; she had already fallen into the abyss of despair.
However, what made Budo happiest was the giant behind him, the Supreme Throne!
The Little Emperor finally did not disappoint him. Before Budo's eyes, it was as if he saw the Empire rising again, and with his help, even surpassing its past glory!
The Little Emperor was also startled by the constantly resounding dragon roars, but since Budo said it was Kaede, the Little Emperor didn't worry about anything anymore.
"Sister..." Akame also seemed to be awakened by this dragon roar, and then, as if she had lost her mind, she ran toward the direction where the dragon roar came from.
"General Najenda, surrender. I know you chose to betray the Empire back then because of its corruption. Now, I guarantee that the Empire will not be as corrupt as before. Please, lend me your strength!" the Little Emperor said.
Najenda sighed. At this point, how could she not see that they had been utterly defeated? Even without Esdeath and Kaede, Budo alone was enough, and with that Supreme Throne, it was impossible to fight. Because Budo could rely on attrition to wear them down sooner or later, but once the Little Emperor arrived with the Supreme Throne, the situation became clear immediately.
They, the Revolutionary Army, had lost. Najenda also wanted to retreat and withdraw the army, but the leader of the Revolutionary Army ordered a fight to the death. And Najenda had spent years in Night Raid; her prestige within the Revolutionary Army was far from enough to make the Revolutionary Army listen to her orders.
What could she do?
A trace of disappointment flashed in Najenda's eyes—disappointment in the leader of the Revolutionary Army. Even though the situation was already so clear, he still issued such an order.
But Najenda could only comply. If she accepted surrender, she might be killed by the people around her the next moment. It would be better to die in battle, which could also establish the Little Emperor's authority.
Hoping that what the Little Emperor said was true, a look of determination flashed in Najenda's eyes.
However, the next moment, something unexpected happened to Najenda.
A portion of the surrounding Soldiers actually knelt down.
"Surrender, we surrender!" The Soldiers' eyes were wide open, filled with fear.
And once this surrender began, it could no longer be stopped. Like a virus, it spread everywhere; they threw down their weapons and knelt down.
At this moment, they didn't want to listen to any orders; they only knew that the huge Teigu could blast hundreds or thousands of people to death with one shot. How could they possibly fight against such an existence!
People are selfish; their minds were dominated by fear, and they naturally chose the outcome most favorable to them.
Najenda widened her eyes. A moment ago, she was still thinking there was no way to surrender, and the next moment, this scene played out before her...
"Cough, cough! Cough, cough!" Overwhelmed by the rage surging within her heart, Najenda coughed violently and then fell from her horse.
Looking at the sky, which had been turned gray by the flames of war, Najenda perhaps understood.
Even if the Revolutionary Army succeeded, perhaps it wouldn't achieve the result she wanted. The behavior of this group of Soldiers made Najenda understand that they were essentially no different from those corrupt officials in the Empire; it was just that those corrupt officials had obtained power, while they had not.
Furthermore, the nation newly established by the Revolutionary Army certainly wouldn't be able to subdue all the cities at once. Once the Empire was defeated, those guys would definitely start a war; not one of them would pass up the opportunity to become emperor.
This land would inevitably be engulfed in the flames of war the moment the Revolutionary Army launched its revolution.
...
And within the Imperial Capital, Kaede had already awakened, a pair of crimson red eyes gleaming.
Looking at her own crystal-clear hands, Kaede was a bit amazed by her current power. It was definitely a rebirth; well, it seemed it was originally like that, everything except her appearance had changed.
"Is it complete?"
Suddenly, the Blood Demon Dragon King's voice came into Kaede's mind.
"Yes."
"Then let's bring it to a final conclusion. Also, don't feel guilty for having thought about killing Akame. In the end, didn't you still let go of everything and save Akame?"
"..."
Then, that's it, you don't need to worry about the consequences of the Blood Sacrifice.
Mm, see you next time. Kaede nodded and said.
...
The Dragon King was silent for a moment, then said, It's better if the two of us don't meet.
After speaking, the Dragon King fell silent.
Kaede was silent, her mood a bit down. She understood that the Blood Sacrifice was not without side effects; rather, those side effects had all been blocked by the Dragon King.
Just like the Dragon King's pair of Dragon Pupils, they were the result of blocking the aftereffects of the second Blood Sacrifice. Kaede now understood what those aftereffects were: a bloodlust.
And the side effects this time were definitely much stronger than the second time, but Kaede couldn't help at all. She couldn't even share the burden with the Dragon King; or rather, she didn't know how to help the Dragon King carry it.
Kaede looked at the people below and realized that she was actually floating in the air, with a phantom of a giant dragon swimming around her body.
Slowly, Kaede controlled herself and landed on the ground.
Sister!
Kurome was the first to rush over and throw herself into Kaede's arms, tears streaming uncontrollably from her eyes.
Sister, Sister, Sister! Kurome cried and called out, as if she wanted to let out all her grievances.
Mm. Kaede felt her eyes sting. She hadn't thought much at the time, even having a death wish, and in a moment of impulse, she had almost made it so she would never see her adorable sister again.
Sigh. Esdeath and Koujo Shizuka were watching from the side. Esdeath turned her head away with an annoyed look on her face; she had wasted so much sadness, but still, this was a good outcome.
Koujo Shizuka just squinted her eyes and smiled, looking at the General who was irreplaceable in her heart.
Sister... At this moment, Akame finally arrived. Seeing Kaede holding Kurome, her heart finally relaxed, her eyes reddening.
Kaede was stunned for a moment, let go of Kurome, looked at Akame, and walked toward her expressionlessly.
Eh? Kurome also looked at Akame. As Kaede walked toward Akame, Akame turned her head away, as if she didn't dare to look at Kaede.
At this time, Kurome also followed. She had a premonition that the three sisters might be reunited once again.
What should I do? Sister is walking over...
Sister has no expression on her face, is she angry?
Ugh, Sister, I was wrong...
Akame tilted her head, not daring to look at Kaede's face, inwardly hoping that her sister would punish her. That way, the guilt in her heart would be a little lighter.
Afterwards, Kaede walked up to Akame. Seeing Akame with her eyes closed, wearing an expression of resignation as she waited for punishment, Kaede suddenly felt it was a bit funny.
Akame, do you know you were wrong?
Yes, Sister, I was wrong. Without refuting, Akame nodded. Sister, please punish me! Kill me if you want.
As she spoke, Akame's body trembled. Yes, the person she was most sorry to was the sister in front of her. If she died at her sister's hands, perhaps it would be the best outcome.
Kaede didn't answer. Looking at Akame, she sighed inwardly. She understood how Akame felt at this moment; it was definitely not easy.
Kaede also felt a sense of irony in fate. If Akame didn't have that innate sense of justice, the three of them would have lived well in the Empire. If Kurome hadn't been brainwashed, Kurome would have followed Akame to the Revolutionary Army, and she herself would have followed.
The reason she had stayed in the Empire was simply because Kurome needed more care than Akame. The Empire was too dangerous, and Kaede couldn't rest easy regarding Kurome.
Akame didn't hear Kaede's voice, her heart remained still, waiting for that strike from Kaede.
However, Akame felt an arm appear around her waist. The next moment, a force came, pulling her, who was completely off guard, directly into a warm embrace.
Akame opened her eyes in surprise, looking at the pity on her sister's face. Her heart felt bitter again; why wouldn't she punish her even now?
Kaede's other hand stroked Akame's hair, her eyes filled with a tenderness she herself wasn't aware of.
If you've had enough, come back. Sister has been waiting for you to come back.
Sister, your little sister is also waiting for you to come back. Kurome walked to the side of the two and said softly.
Akame opened her mouth, wanting to make a sound, but she couldn't. The intense emotions in her heart buried her completely.
She had treated them like this, yet they didn't blame her.
Her eyes were already bright red, and she could no longer hold back her tears. She buried her head into Kaede's arms, no longer repressing herself, and burst into tears.
Kaede stroked Akame's hair, her eyes filled with pity.
Kurome also came over and patted Akame's back, afraid that Akame might choke on her crying.
Sister...
Kurome...
I... I... I... am back. Choking with sobs, her voice becoming hoarse, Akame finally said this sentence amidst her crying.
In that instant, Kaede's eyes became so soft they seemed like they could drip water, her eye sockets reddening. How long had she wanted to hear this sentence? Perhaps she had dreamed of it...
Kurome couldn't help but shed tears as well. How long had she and Kaede waited, how long... finally, they could be together again, finally.
As if they had agreed upon it, Kaede and Kurome opened their mouths at the same time.
Mm, welcome back.
Welcome, back.
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