confirming that Esdeath was no longer in sight, Aoki slowed his flight and looked down.
The world was completely covered in ice and snow, desolate, cold, and savage.
He strained his eyes and finally spotted two small villages in the distance.
Finding a place that could barely be called a road, Aoki swooped down, landed, and glanced back in the direction he had come from.
"What a madwoman!"
Esdeath was a very complex person.
She possessed exceptional military leadership skills, leading an army that could be considered the strongest in the empire. Coupled with her formidable personal strength, she was virtually invincible.
Esdeath was very kind to her subordinates and the common people, often distributing the gold and silver bestowed upon her by the emperor to her men, forbidding them from harassing the people or accepting bribes.
She suppressed numerous invasions by foreign tribes, achieving numerous military exploits and earning the title of national hero.
In fact, Esdeath did have a large following within the empire.
However, she also adheres to the law of the jungle, loving war and slaughter. Might makes right, devoid of compassion and pity. Her hobby is torture and interrogation; she is domineering, cold-blooded, and ruthless.
Esdeath cannot be judged by ordinary moral standards.
Perhaps, it's most appropriate to view her not as human, but as a sword.
Esdeath is a sharp, bloodthirsty Demon sword, capable of saving lives, protecting the innocent, and expanding territories, but also capable of wounding herself if she's not careful.
"Speaking of which, Esdeath is a super masochistic Ace. I remember reading somewhere that every Ace hides a heart that yearns for Esdeath. If I were strong enough, could I train Esdeath to be..."
Aoki abruptly stopped this dangerous thought.
Forget about all that nonsense; he doesn't have the power for it anyway.
Aoki shifted his attention from Esdeath to ponder the current state of the world.
Esdeath's survival meant the Empire hadn't completely disintegrated.
The Empire was the most powerful nation in the world, with a history spanning over a thousand years.
Currently, under the Minister's leadership, the entire Empire had become corrupt, dark, cruel, and bloodthirsty, rapidly teetering on the brink of collapse.
It's worth noting that Esdeath was an ally of the Minister.
Esdeath used the Minister's influence to create opportunities for herself to fight and kill, while the Minister used Esdeath's strength to consolidate his rule.
This world possessed a special type of weapon called Imperial Arms.
To maintain long-term rule, the Empire's founding emperor mobilized the entire nation, using materials from Super Dangerous Demons, rare metals like Orichalcos, and numerous lost secret techniques to create forty-eight unreplicable weapons.
These were the Imperial Arms.
However, during a war hundreds of years ago, some Imperial Arms were lost and scattered among the common people, shaking the Empire's rule.
In this era, ministers held sway behind the curtain, manipulating the young emperor and seizing control of the court, leading to complete collapse and widespread rebellions.
Aoki wasn't concerned with the Empire's problems, but he was very interested in Imperial Arms.
He raised his left hand; the silver flower on the back of his hand had dimmed considerably, its stored energy depleted, and it was unknown how long it would take to recharge.
"Should I use this time to collect a few Imperial Arms?"
Thinking of Imperial Arms, the first one that came to Aoki's mind was the Manipulating Armor, Demon Possession.
Tatsumi's Imperial Arm, inherited from Brand.
Made from the muscles of the Super Dangerous Type Tyrande, it boasted excellent defense and significantly enhanced physical attributes.
There was also Esdeath's Demon Manifestation, Demon's Essence, Akame's One-Hit Kill, the Demon Sword Murasame, and so on.
"Demon's Essence has already been absorbed by Esdeath. Even if I kill her, I'll most likely perish along with her. Demon Possession, on the other hand, sounds good."
Aoki's expression shifted, and he thought of another Imperial Arm.
Initially, and also the strongest Imperial Arm, it was inherited by the imperial family and was a guardian machine god that only members of the royal bloodline could use—the Supreme Throne (Note 1).
Even the young emperor, with no experience in its use, could easily destroy an entire city with a single strike, and a few casual attacks risked the collapse of the entire imperial capital.
Aoki silently pondered his next move.
Now that he was in this world, even if he couldn't solve the problems, he should at least make good use of its resources.
He was invincible in the Demon Slayer world, but that might not be the case in other worlds. " To achieve one's goals, one must first have the right tools. "
Without sufficient strength, even if he discovers an opportunity to break through his predicament, he may not be able to obtain it.
The excitement of traversing worlds gradually cooled, and Aoki's thoughts became clearer.
"Two things are most important: first, leveling up; second, attempting to acquire an Imperial Arm."
The people of this world are strong.
Perhaps they can support the "King of the Others" to continue leveling up.
However, this still requires some experimentation.
An Imperial Arm can solve his problem of insufficient attack power.
The regenerative abilities of Demons are powerful, coupled with spatial teleportation and bat wings, making his survivability extremely strong, but his destructive power is severely lacking.
If he obtains a suitable Imperial Arm, his strength will greatly increase.
However, using an Imperial Arm is not so simple.
Imperial Arms depend on compatibility; if the compatibility is incompatible, it cannot be forcibly used.
Moreover, the compatibility of each Imperial Arm is different.
Some Imperial Arms have been sealed away for many years, and no one has met the requirements.
"After thinking it over, I feel that the most suitable one for me is the Supreme Throne!"
Aoki muttered to himself.
First of all, he should choose the best.
In terms of destructive power, Imperial Arms like Cross Tail are simply not in the same league as the Supreme Throne.
Secondly, the Supreme Throne's usage requirements are very clear: royal bloodline.
For others, this is an impossible condition.
However, Aoki could try.
He even immediately thought of two methods.
The first was to use his Perfect Mimicry ability to simulate the bloodline of a royal member.
He wasn't sure if he could do it,
because he didn't know how the Supreme Throne distinguished bloodlines.
The second method was to turn the young emperor into a Demon and devour him.
However, turning him into a Demon might damage his bloodline.
"Let's go to the Imperial Capital first!"
Aoki put aside his thoughts.
The Imperial Capital was the center of power, and also the best opportunity to obtain Imperial Arms.
His primary target was the Supreme Throne.
But if there was an opportunity, he could also try to collect other Imperial Arms.
Because Imperial Arms have a huge burden and consume a great deal of resources, normally each person can only use one Imperial Arm, but he wasn't afraid of getting injured, so he might be able to use several.
After confirming his direction, Aoki quickly left.
His destination wasn't the Imperial Capital, but a village he had seen earlier.
He didn't even know the direction of the capital.
He needed to ask someone for directions first.
Note 1: Some translations use "First Emperor's Throne," but I feel "Supreme Throne" sounds better.
Ps..
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