Because that world was merciless.
"Gulp!"
Utaha Kasumigaoka's hands trembled as she clutched a water glass, struggling to calm herself.
She had abandoned her attempt to write, too shaken by the broadcast.
She couldn't believe her editor, Sonoko, could slaughter people with such ease.
The Sonoko she had once seen hesitate to kill a snow wolf was now summoning storms, shredding soldiers with wind blades, scattering their remains like a gruesome rain.
"Is this still the same person?"
The one struggling the most was Eriri.
She had seen Tomoya Aki's body split in half, but even that hadn't prepared her for the battlefield's brutality.
Curled under her blanket, she trembled uncontrollably.
Thoughts of being held in Rei Ao's protective embrace flashed in her mind.
Unable to resist, she crept out of her room, tiptoeing into Rei Ao's.
Slipping into his bed, she sighed softly.
"Ah"
The faint scent of Rei Ao's presence lingered in the room, calming her.
What she didn't know was that in the living room, someone was watching.
Sayuri saw Eriri sneak into Rei Ao's room.
"This"
She hesitated, unsure whether to intervene.
They were young and alonesurely, this could lead to something improper.
The battle for the imperial capital was intense on the surface but ultimately one-sided.
Night Raid's clash with the Jaegers was balanced, but Shizue dispatched Dr. Stylish and his undead-like creations with ease.
Ayame and Kajika quickly defeated Run and turned their attention to mowing down soldiers.
The tide shifted entirely in Night Raid's favor.
Even Mai and the others adapted to the chaos, unleashing their true powers.
Even Yumiko and the others found themselves leveling up, growing stronger amid the carnage.
The Empire, deprived of both Budo and Esdeath, was like a wild dog with no fangs.
The Minister, trapped in a ring of fire, panicked.
"How how is this possible?!"
"So many new Imperial Arms users? And all of them are unfamiliar!"
He tried to escape the flames but screamed as his skin and fat sizzled.
"No! This can't be happening! I can't die herenot before the Revolutionary Army even arrives!"
Eyes bulging, the Minister roared in desperation:
"Your Majesty, it's time to act!"
Sitting on the high tower, Sui cast a disdainful glance at the Minister.
"So, that's the 'Minister' Akame and the others spoke of? Truly disgusting."
Rei Ao chuckled.
"Disgusting, yes, but I still have plans for him."
He turned his gaze toward the imperial palace.
"First, though, we need to deal with the 'Ultimate Imperial Arms.'"
Suddenly, the entire city trembled.
"What's happening?"
Everyone paused, looking toward the source of the disturbance.
The imperial palace shook violently.
With a deafening crash, a colossal steel giant emerged from the shattered walls.
"Do not panic! I am here!"
The giant's speakers amplified the Emperor's voice as he appeared in the massive machine.
Seeing the "Ultimate Imperial Arms" at last, the Minister's face lit up with joy.
"Ha! You're all doomed!"
He cackled madly, tears streaming down his face.
"That's the 'Ultimate Imperial Arms: Shikoutazer!'"
His mood soared to its peak as the tide seemed to turn.
He knew the Empire had to win.
This was the Empire's first and strongest Imperial Arm, the origin of all others.
The Ultimate Imperial Arm was the pinnacle of all Imperial Arms, referred to as the "Ultimate Arms."
Legend claimed it possessed power comparable to that of the gods.
It could only be wielded by someone of imperial blood.
"The Ultimate Imperial Arm?"
Najenda furrowed her brow.
This was the legendary weapon Rei Ao had mentioned in the chat group.
"Hahaha! Your Majesty, kill them, kill them all!"
With the Shikoutazer supporting him, the Minister regained his arrogance.
The blubbery man stood up, shaking his folds of fat in excitement.
Whoosh!
The flames surrounding him scorched his skin again, making him yelp.
"Wait! No, save me first! Your Majesty, please save me!"
He flailed about, realizing that if he wasn't saved, he'd be roasted alive.
"All invaders of the Empire, surrender now, and you shall be spared!"
The young Emperor tried to negotiate.
He truly didn't want to kill anyone; he was just a child, after all.
But the Minister scowled, unhappy with the Emperor's soft approach.
"Your Majesty, they're heinous criminals, Night Raid assassins! You must execute them all!"
The Minister's paranoia wouldn't let him rest until they were all dead.
""
"Fine! Shikoutazer, kill all intruders!"
As the Emperor was a puppet under the Minister's influence, he obediently activated the Shikoutazer.
"Damn it! That thing's huge!"
With a deafening roar, Mine blasted one of the monstrous dog-shaped Imperial Arms into pieces.
Even with Sheele and Chelsea's assistance, defeating that regenerating abomination had been challenging enough.
The thought of dealing with something as massive as the Shikoutazer made her face pale.
Esdeath, meanwhile, observed the Ultimate Imperial Arm with interest.
She'd never seen it before.
"Should I step in?"
Rei Ao glanced at her and chuckled.
"I can see you're itching for a fight."
Esdeath's smile was unrestrained. She truly loved battle.
Rei Ao shrugged.
"When Tohru and the others return, you can spar with them. As for this toy, let me take care of it."
Without waiting for a response, he vanished from the tower in an instant.
"Who are you?!"
The young Emperor's voice trembled as a figure materialized in front of him.
He was preparing to use the Shikoutazer to destroy his enemies when Rei Ao appeared out of nowhere.
"A puppet Emperor, just a child No wonder the Empire ended up like this."
Rei Ao's tone was calm but sharp.
"???"
"I am not a child! I am the Emperor of the Empire!"
The boy's pride flared, his voice rising.
The Shikoutazer's eyes glowed red.
Its mouth began gathering energy, forming a powerful beam.
Buzz!
The light cannon fired.
A searing beam of energy streaked across the battlefield, obliterating everything in its path.
A distant skyscraper was pierced through and collapsed in seconds.
The power was overwhelming.
Even Akame and her team were stunned by the sheer destructive force.
"He's dead, right?"
The Emperor's voice was shaky, his forehead dripping with sweat.
Killing someone for the first time left him rattled, but he reassured himself that it was for the Empire.
"Ah, what a pity. I'm not dead."
The calm voice echoed again, freezing the Emperor in place.
His eyes widened as Rei Ao reappeared unscathed.
"How how is this possible?!"
The Emperor screamed in disbelief.
"Since you attacked me, it's only fair I kill you now."
Rei Ao didn't care about the boy's age or his pitiful situation as a puppet.
Raising his hand, he clenched his fist.
Below, the Minister sneered at the sight.
"Hah! You think you can damage the Shikoutazer? Its defenses are impenetrable! No Imperial Arm can break it!"
His confidence in the Ultimate Imperial Arm was absolute.
But that confidence shattered in the next moment.
The air around Rei Ao seemed to freeze.
Suddenly, he unleashed his punch.
"BOOM!!!"
The air cracked with a deafening roar.
A massive shockwave radiated from Rei Ao's fist, ripping through the atmosphere.
Dust clouds billowed. Trees and buildings were torn apart.
The force shattered rooftops and created a terrifying vacuum that sucked in everything nearby.
High in the sky, a colossal tornado formed, swallowing even the clouds.
Soldiers screamed as they were swept into the air, disappearing into the vortex.
Yumiko and the others clung to nearby structures to avoid being blown away.
When the chaos finally settled, Mine brushed her disheveled hair aside, her expression stunned.
Sunlight poured through a crack in the sky, drawing everyone's gaze upward.
"What the hell is that?"
Mine swallowed hard, trembling as she stared at the rift in the heavens.
A massive fissure split the sky, stretching into the horizon, its edges glowing with searing light.
"Is that human power?"
The Jaegers' leader, Wave, murmured in disbelief, his will to fight utterly crushed.
The atmosphere itself had been split in two with a single punch.
Chapter 144: Revolutionary Army's Surprise
One punch split the atmosphere in two.
Will had no idea what kind of person could achieve such a feat.
Even General Budo, revered for his immense strength, had never exhibited such overwhelming power that it left others utterly hopeless.
BOOM!
The Shikoutazer, now missing half of its body, collapsed to the ground.
The earth shook violently as the massive machine fell.
"Tch, the so-called Ultimate Imperial Arm... this is all it amounts to?"
Rei Ao stood atop the wreckage of the Shikoutazer, his gaze full of disdain.
He hadn't even used any special abilitiesjust a single punch.
Yet, the so-called Ultimate Imperial Arm couldn't withstand it.
One strike, and it was reduced to scrap metal.
The young Emperor, piloting the mech, was obliterated, leaving not even a trace.
Rei Ao silently agreed with Velzard and Velgrynd's earlier assessment: this world, aside from its women, lacked anything truly interesting.
"Hmm?"
Rei Ao's gaze shifted as he noticed something intriguing.
"Die!!!"
Despite the battlefield being gripped by shock at the devastating power Rei Ao had just displayed, one figure stood outtwisted and maniacal.
The deranged Seryu Ubiquitous snarled with unrelenting bloodlust as she charged toward Chelsea and the others.
Her bio-beast Imperial Arm, Hekatonkheires, transformed into a monstrous form, lunging straight at Sheele.
"In the name of justice, I sentence you evildoers to death!!!"
Seryu's voice rang out, fervent and filled with self-righteous conviction.
She truly believed herself to be the embodiment of justice.
For Rei Ao, this scene was almost amusing.
He remembered that both Sheele and Chelsea had died at Seryu's hands in another timelineone devoured by her bio-beast, the other beheaded by her blade.
It was as though the "lines of fate" were forcing history to repeat itself.
"Sheele, look out!"
Mine's voice rang out in warning, her expression frantic.
Her Pumpkin Cannon was already primed, but the reaction time was too short.
"!!!"
Sheele barely managed to raise her Imperial Arm, Extase, to defend herself.
Meanwhile, Chelsea, weaponless and panicked, could only stare in terror as Seryu's blade came hurtling toward her.
Death seemed inevitable.
WHOOSH!
Suddenly, a chilling current surged across the battlefield.
"Huh?"
Chelsea blinked, confused.
Seryu, who had been mere steps away from her, froze in place.
Her entire body was encased in crystalline ice, as was her monstrous bio-beast, Hekatonkheires.
CRACK! CRACK!
A split second later, cracks spread across the icy surfaces.
With a loud shatter, both Seryu and her bio-beast crumbled into countless frozen shards, scattering across the ground.
They were dead.
"..."
Everyone turned their gaze to Esdeath, assuming she had been the one to act.
However, the general stood motionless, showing no signs of involvement.
No, it was Rei Ao.
He had casually intervened.
With the battle still raging and a certain celebration waiting after the dust settled, he wasn't about to let his trade partners die.
Both Sheele and Chelsea seemed to understand who had saved them.
But Rei Ao offered no explanation.
Instead, he turned his attention to the Minister, who was still trapped within a circle of flames.
In a single gesture, the fire dissipated.
"D-d-don't come any closer!!!"
The Minister stumbled backward, his face pale with terror.
He was so frightened that he wet himself, urine pooling at his feet.
Rei Ao wrinkled his nose in disgust.
What an utterly pathetic sight.
A vortex of green wind swirled around the Minister, lifting his corpulent body into the air.
"No! No! Don't let go!!!"
The Minister screamed in terror, flailing his stubby legs.
Soldiers below looked up at the commotion, only to see their leader dangling helplessly in the sky.
"Trash belongs in the dump."
Rei Ao's voice was calm but merciless.
The wind holding the Minister aloft vanished.
"AAAAAAAHHH!!!"
The Minister's screams echoed as he plummeted toward the ground.
The wind roared past him, the earth rushing up to meet him at terrifying speed.
His heart pounded wildly, sheer terror consuming him.
THUD!!!
The sound of his impact was sickeningly loud.
The Minister's body crumpled upon hitting the ground, breaking apart like a grotesque doll.
Blood and gore splattered in all directions.
Around him, soldiers froze in place, staring in shock and disbelief.
The Ministerone of the Empire's highest-ranking figureswas dead.
Their morale shattered.
Rei Ao took to the sky, unfurling massive dragon wings that cast an imposing shadow over the city.
His cold gaze swept across the imperial capital as though surveying his domain.
In truth, that was exactly how he saw it.
He was ready to "play emperor" for a while.
[The Emperor and Minister are dead!]
[From now on, I am the new emperor of this empire!]
[Those who defy me will be executed without mercy!]
The declaration echoed across the capital, reaching every corner.
The air seemed to freeze.
Every soldier halted their battles, their weapons lowering as shock overwhelmed them.
The emperor and the ministerboth gone.
Why continue fighting?
Fearful for their lives and stripped of their fighting spirit, many soldiers dropped their weapons, falling to their knees in surrender.
"Is... is it over?"
Leone crushed Bols' head with a single claw, emerging victorious in her battle. But the sudden death of the empire's leadership left her stunned.
"Surrender."
Akame pointed her blade at Wave, standing near his Imperial Arm, Grand Chariot.
"Surrender, huh..."
Wave gave a bitter smile beneath his helmet.
"That might not suit me."
With those words, he plunged his hand into his chest, piercing his heart.
Akame watched silently as his lifeless body crumpled to the ground.
Elsewhere, Najenda stood motionless, gazing into the sunlight breaking through the clouds.
