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Inside the palace.
Dead silence.
The ministers all exchanged nervous glances, their bodies trembling.
Even the young emperor had collapsed back into his throne, pale and powerless.
Tap… tap… tap…
But then—steady, synchronized footsteps echoed from the distance.
From every direction, countless figures rushed in.
"Master, looks like all the palace guards are here," Esdeath said as she strode up beside Edgar, her long, shapely legs moving with confidence.
"Perfect timing," Edgar replied with a faint smile. "One minister like Honest isn't enough to make an example of. Kill the chicken to scare the monkeys—only when these nobles understand how things stand will they make a choice when cornered."
Under his watchful eyes, the endless tide of guards quickly surrounded the palace.
At their front stood a huge, broad-shouldered blond man clad head-to-toe in armor—General Budo, one of the Empire's strongest warriors.
Right now, his face was twisted with fury. He normally had no interest in court politics and never bothered to attend meetings. But today… things had gone too far.
"Rebels! Come out and surrender now, and maybe I'll let you keep your lives!"
Budo's voice boomed across the courtyard.
Still, he didn't dare act recklessly—the emperor was in the enemy's hands.
Edgar eyed him and shook his head. "The Empire's strongest? Doesn't look like much to me. Esdeath, clear out the small fry first."
"Understood, Master," Esdeath said coldly.
She raised one hand toward the sky and lightly clenched her fingers.
Vmmm!
A bone-chilling cold spread rapidly across the heavens.
In the blink of an eye, the sky darkened.
Under everyone's gaze, a massive sphere of ice—like a falling meteor—came hurtling down from above.
"W-What the hell is that?!""Run! Move, now!"
The gathered guards stared in horror at the incoming ice.
"That's… Esdeath's Teigu…"
Budo was the only one who stayed calm, but his face was grim.
If Esdeath had joined the rebellion, things were far worse than he thought.
He couldn't waste any more time—his Teigu, Adramelech, flared to life.
Crackle!
Blinding arcs of lightning surged from his body, spreading in every direction.
Lightning condensed around his armor, forming a visible suit of thunderous protection.
Even for Budo, facing Esdeath meant fighting at full power.
BOOM!
The ground beneath him exploded as he launched himself like a bolt of lightning straight toward the falling ice.
CRAAASH!
The impact sent ripples through the air, visible to the naked eye.
Shards of ice blasted outward like cannon fire, tearing through everything in their path.
Screams echoed everywhere—countless guards were crushed into unrecognizable pulp.
Through the storm of ice and smoke, a flash of lightning burst forward—straight toward Edgar.
BOOM!
Edgar casually swatted the lightning aside with one palm, shattering it instantly.
The scattered bolts scorched the ground with ease, punching holes through solid stone.
A gust of wind swept the smoke away.
Budo emerged from the carnage, bathed in crackling light, stepping over corpses without a scratch.
"To block Adramelech's strike… You're clearly no ordinary man," Budo said, his eyes narrowing with a hint of caution.
One Esdeath was bad enough. Now there was another monster standing before him.
"Esdeath, watch over them," Edgar ordered before stepping forward.
Budo frowned and shouted to the survivors, "Everyone else—attack!"
The remaining guards, moving on pure instinct, began to charge—
—but Esdeath simply lifted her hand again.
"Master said the small fry are mine."
Cold surged from her palm.
"Absolute Zero."
Vmmm!
Invisible frost swept through the entire area.
The guards felt their blood freeze solid. Their limbs stiffened instantly.
They struggled desperately, but it was useless.
Crack… crack… crack…
Thick ice crawled over their bodies, sealing them completely.
In just a few breaths, every surviving guard was frozen solid.
Budo swallowed hard.
Esdeath's eyes softened as she gazed at Edgar's back, brimming with worship and devotion.
This was the power her Master had given her. Before, she could never have frozen so many targets so precisely without touching Budo.
By now, Edgar stood right before Budo.
Budo took a deep breath. He'd wanted to test Edgar's Teigu with the guards first, but that plan was useless now.
If that's the case…
He would just have to end this quickly, so he could focus on Esdeath afterward.
CRACKLE!
Adramelech roared to full power—thunder raged around him like the wrath of a god. The ground exploded beneath his feet, leaving a crater of scorched earth.
"Nice toy. I'll be taking it," Edgar said, eyes lighting up.
Power on par with a high-ranked demon—if it could be studied and mass-produced, it'd be worth the effort.
He raised one hand, and a demonic spear appeared out of thin air.
"So that's his Teigu? Looks like a ranged type," Budo thought.
Lightning flashed around him, and he shot forward like a thunderbolt.
The ground collapsed in his wake, shockwaves rushing toward Edgar.
"Good momentum… but too slow," Edgar said coldly, pulling the trigger.
A blinding blast of magic flared, sending ripples through the air.
In an instant, the beam tore through Budo's lightning armor, piercing straight through him.
"..."
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