This was exactly his deputy, the minister's nominal ally, and the second-in-command of the Path of Peace, Bolic.
Although this man was stupid, his power was absolutely not small. He was also famously afraid of death, and had even recruited an Imperial Arm user to protect him around the clock… yet someone like that had his head cut off in the time it took to turn around.
Now even the Cult Leader couldn't help but feel his scalp go numb, if the person in front of him wanted to kill him, it would probably only take an instant, right?
Whether you're the emperor of the Empire, the chief minister, the head of a religion, or a rebel leader, no matter how much land you control or how many troops you command, once your head is cut off, everything comes to nothing. A thousand schemes aren't worth a single blade.
This was the unique intimidation of the strong in a high-martial world.
"Alright, now you don't need to struggle or rack your brain to maintain balance anymore."
Iori said to him kindly, "See? I chose for you. Aren't you going to thank me?"
"…Thank you."
The Cult Leader's eye twitched violently as he spoke in a dry voice. "Now I really have no choice… What does the Revolutionary Army plan to have the Path of Peace do? If you want us to openly rebel, we're not prepared in any aspect. I won't let my believers go die."
"Who said you had to choose the Revolutionary Army?"
"But now that Bolic is dead, the minister definitely won't have the will to keep controlling the Path of Peace. He will..."
"He'll go accompany Bolic," Iori thought for a moment. "Depends on my mood."
The Cult Leader, "..."
This handsome man's mind stalled a little. Rationally, he knew the man before him was somewhat insane, yet his biological instincts made him unable to resist believing him.
There were rumors that he could read minds. It wasn't quite that exaggerated, but he really could tell truth from lies… and from start to finish, Iori had been completely frank, so straightforward it was absurd.
"Then what exactly is it… Don't tell me you alone are your own faction?"
The Cult Leader murmured, "You want to oppose an Empire with a thousand years of foundation and a Revolutionary Army fueled by the anger of the people?"
"Why not? With one person, smash the hell out of the entire world!"
Killing Bolic not only left the Cult Leader with no room to choose, it also netted Iori an Imperial Arm.
[The Mysterious: Adayusu]
This was a long-handled scythe-type Imperial Arm. The curved blade over a meter long looked imposing, but was very hard to use in real combat. Honestly, it wasn't anywhere near as handy as a spear or a great saber.
As for its ability, that was also a mystery. The Imperial Arm user protecting Bolic hadn't even managed to release a move before Iori instantly killed him… though interestingly, Iori discovered that this scythe gathered an unusually large amount of free spiritual particles, far more than other Imperial Arms.
So he tested it on Danger Beasts and found that its physical killing power was average, but it came with a very subtle "curse" effect.
The reason it was called subtle was that the curse was extremely unstable. Sometimes it slowed the opponent's movements, sometimes it made wounds bleed endlessly, sometimes it caused the enemy to feel terror… Although there were many types, only one curse took effect at a time, and it was completely random, totally uncontrollable.
Additionally, Iori noticed that individuals with strong vitality also had high resistance to curses. Against Danger Beasts above the second level, this Imperial Arm basically had no special effect at all.
If that were all it had, then Adayusu would be nothing more than a piece of chicken rib to Iori.
However, Iori instinctively felt it wasn't that simple. Perhaps it was the unusual amount of spiritual particles that caught his interest, prompting him to seriously study it in depth.
Soon after, he discovered a very interesting phenomenon, something probably only he in the entire world could notice, this scythe absorbs a certain amount of spiritual particles after killing living beings.
In a cultivation fantasy setting, it would be roughly equivalent to a soul-binding demon weapon, just without directly capturing entire souls in such an exaggerated way. It could only bind a small amount of soulless fragments and free spiritual particles.
And it was precisely these particles that made the scythe's properties extremely complex, randomly inflicting curses on whatever it cut.
However, the scythe had no soul-nurturing effect. It simply stored them and couldn't allow the internal spiritual energy to grow on its own, so the particles would continuously dissipate over time.
When a type of spiritual particle completely dispersed, the corresponding type of curse would also disappear. In theory, if it went a long time without harvesting new soul fragments, it would just turn into a somewhat sturdy ordinary scythe.
The world of Akame ga Kill basically had no methods for cultivating the soul or spirit. From ancient times to the present, probably no one had ever known this weapon's true ability.
They only thought its attributes were unpredictable, which was why it was given the name "Strange and Bizarre."
It wasn't very useful, but it still counted as an unexpected bonus. Iori put it away, either to give to a subordinate later, or to use as a "dry battery" in an emergency.
He had considered deeply developing the scythe's abilities. After all, the performance of an Imperial Arm also depended on the user, and he was absolutely the most suitable person in the world for Adayusu.
But thinking it over carefully, Iori already had a Zanpakuto. Didn't that have far greater potential than this bargain-bin Grim Reaper scythe?
Rather than spending effort developing an Imperial Arm, it was better to chat with his sword spirit from time to time and dig into the Zanpakutō's potential.
After all, Iori had only achieved Shikai not long ago and had only comprehended three techniques so far. Maybe he could go even further.
———
On the Path of Peace trip, Iori could be said to have nominally subdued the Cult Leader. But he knew that to truly make someone like the Cult Leader follow him, brute force alone wasn't enough, and he was willing to spend more effort on him.
Unlike Imperial Arm users like Wave and Seryu, the Cult Leader didn't have much combat power, but he was an excellent administrative talent. And among the powerholders in this world, very few genuinely cared about people's livelihoods and future development.
Compared to the minister who had ability but used it all to satisfy personal desires, and the Revolutionary Army that borrowed troops from foreign races, the Cult Leader's way of thinking could absolutely be called "far-sighted."
Even if Iori could pacify the world like the first emperor, he was destined to be unable to pour massive amounts of energy and time into governing. So he needed people like Najenda and the Cult Leader to share the burden.
If Esdeath's personality weren't so extreme and hard to subdue, having her lead troops to intimidate all directions would actually be a pretty good choice.
After returning from the Path of Peace, Iori continued his work of "killing corrupt officials and beating up local tyrants" across the land. In the process, he combined kindness with authority.
The "Rakshasa Demons" and the five Imperial Arm users grew more and more convinced of him. Especially hot-blooded youths like Wave, once he realized that Iori was working for the benefit of the people, he began to admire him from the bottom of his heart.
Bols, who had originally been anxious, also discovered that Iori was merely forceful in style, but his character and personality were actually very good, far better than his former superiors. With his wife and daughter now safely in a secure area, he cast aside his worries and wholeheartedly followed Iori.
No need to mention Seryu and Run. Only Stylish still held reservations, but Iori hadn't had much hope of recruiting a research maniac like him to begin with, so he didn't really care, people like that were destined to only be collaborators, never subordinates.
Those samurai also deeply felt the vastness of a great domain and the immense accumulation of the Empire's thousand years during this journey.
Iori didn't think that just because he had taught them something, they would obey him unconditionally forever. Every time they confiscated property, he would set aside a portion of the wealth as their reward.
These wandering swordsmen from an island nation had never seen anything like this, and they were all extremely grateful to Iori.
Since many of them had no homes or jobs to return to, they even thought about not going back to their homeland at all and instead settling in the Empire with Iori.
After going back and forth like this a few times, the force that Iori had originally forced together became increasingly united. It already looked quite decent, just lacking a proper large-scale battle to test their combat strength.
That opportunity came quickly. Because the Rakshasa Four Demons never returned, Minister Honest had already realized that the assassination plan had failed. Iori and Syura weren't as easy to deal with as he had thought, they were clearly beyond his control.
And Iori's various actions had already caused panic among many governors and lords. In recent times, more than ten local powerholders, all frontier governors, had written to inquire. When they collectively raised objections, even Honest had to consider their opinions.
If Iori were allowed to keep causing trouble, these people would definitely think it was Honest's instruction, using this sharp blade to cut them down one by one, and in fact, Honest had indeed benefited from it.
The minister felt guilty like a thief, and the frontier lords were also uneasy. They really had secretly communicated with the Revolutionary Army, and there was a certain tacit understanding between both sides at the upper levels.
It wasn't to the point of fully supporting the Revolutionary Army, but holding their troops back at critical moments and watching how the situation developed… that was still possible.
Suspicion filled the space between the minister and the local powerholders. At a time like this, if he couldn't "sacrifice his own kin" and kill Syura and Iori, Honest would lose the support of many people, something extremely important to him.
On top of that, Night Raid had been stirring up chaos in the capital recently, and his bodyguards, the Rakshasa Four Demons, were gone as well. Feeling extremely insecure, the minister made a decision.
He recalled Esdeath, who was currently fighting foreign races on the northern border.
"Great!"
The minister didn't know that while he was contacting Esdeath, someone had openly walked into his study, skillfully opened a hidden compartment, and saw the secret letter inside. After reading its contents, he couldn't help but clap in praise.
What perfect timing.
He quickly returned to his own forces, called Bols, Run, and Seryu, three absolute loyalists, to follow him, then had Wave temporarily lead the unit stationed here to wait for their return.
So where did he take them next?
The answer was Night Raid's headquarters.
A rising star of the Imperial military, bringing his Imperial Arm users to visit the most elite force among the rebels, and not a single person raised an objection~
"At this time of night… what are you doing? Are these people your subordinates?"
Najenda, woken up by the signal in the middle of the night, came out with her trusted subordinates to meet the enemy, only to find an old acquaintance. Her shock even carried a hint of being grumpy from just waking up.
"You'd better have a legitimate reason."
"The autumn air is crisp. It's the perfect time for hunting. I've come to invite the general to hunt together in the northern border."
"Hunting?"
Najenda was a bit confused, but she could guess there was an implication.
"What's the prey?"
"The Empire's northern Great Wall, the strongest Imperial Arm user..."
Iori grinned. "The Ice Queen, Esdeath!"
"But she commands a great army outside… You have intel? You know when she'll be alone?"
Najenda sucked in a cold breath. "If Night Raid goes all out plus your elite forces, then indeed..."
"Not enough. No matter how many ordinary Imperial Arm users you have, it won't be enough. You do have a few good fighters, but in this battle, you can't be the protagonists."
"…Then why did you call us?" Najenda frowned deeply.
Iori just smiled. "Because even the most exciting story needs an audience to become a legend!"
Esdeath, born of a northern warrior race. As a barbarian with no background whatsoever, she became a general at sixteen or seventeen.
Now just twenty years old, her status in the military system was second only to General Budo, and she commanded the most elite border army.
There was no other reason she could achieve such feats, she was simply incredibly powerful.
Whether physical condition, combat skills, or battle instinct, Esdeath had reached the absolute peak. Even without an Imperial Arm, she was a top-tier expert. With sheer presence alone, she could tame Danger Beasts that were theoretically wild and untamable.
And as an Imperial Arm user, she was also one of the rare heroes who had completely mastered her weapon, broken through its limits, and evolved it to an entirely new realm.
Firmly believing in the law of the jungle, survival of the fittest, she took every battle seriously and was very hard to scheme against.
All of this combined created the combat power ceiling of this world.
If there was one flaw, it was that she became too immersed in battle. When encountering strong opponents, she could easily get fired up, battle maniacs were like that.
Although in theory, General Budo and she were Imperial Arm users of the same level, honestly speaking, there was indeed a gap in terms of setup and oppressive presence.
Still, as strong as Esdeath was, she hadn't reached a transcendent level. There was still the possibility of defeating her. Otherwise, Najenda wouldn't have seriously considered how to assassinate her.
Her Imperial Arm, 'Demon's Extract', excelled at large-scale destruction. When fully unleashed, it could even affect the weather. It was undeniably powerful, completely ignoring human-wave tactics, even an army of a hundred thousand would be crushed.
Ordinary Imperial Arm users were nothing more than fodder to her.
However, when facing truly powerful opponents, she couldn't achieve total suppression. If multiple top-tier Imperial Arm users joined forces and used proper tactics, there was a chance to defeat her.
For example, Bulat and Akame of Night Raid, the biological Imperial Arm Susanoo at Revolutionary Army headquarters, and General Budo of the Empire, these were all opponents Esdeath couldn't defeat quickly. Some would even require her to go all out.
When Najenda fled the Empire before, she had been pursued by Esdeath. She and her two subordinates, three Imperial Arm users in total, were easily defeated.
With her subordinates desperately covering her retreat, Najenda, despite her own considerable strength, had to give up an arm just to survive, her combat power permanently reduced.
She had a very direct understanding of Esdeath's strength. In her original estimation, the Revolutionary Army would need to gather tens of thousands of troops plus elite Imperial Arm users like Night Raid to defeat Esdeath, and that was a conservative estimate.
Considering that Esdeath herself was also a military commander commanding what might be the most elite army the Empire had, the difficulty of killing her on the battlefield went without saying…
When Iori proposed this "hunt," Najenda's first reaction was to seize the opportunity and go all in.
If Iori's intelligence was accurate and they could intercept Esdeath after she left her army, then the Revolutionary Army absolutely couldn't let this chance slip by.
As long as they prepared enough experts and attacked with preparation against the unprepared, even Esdeath could, but Iori proposed a one-on-one duel with Esdeath, which left her extremely surprised, one could even say "shocked."
'Is there something wrong with your head?' The female general's eyes were filled with doubt.
"I never knew you were this naive… this hot-blooded."
Though she didn't understand it at all, in order to seize the opportunity, Najenda still agreed to have Night Raid join this hunt.
In her view, Iori was certainly very strong, but definitely not Esdeath's opponent. Once he realized the gap in strength, he would naturally abandon a warrior's pride and choose a "righteous gang-up" instead!
Three Imperial Arm users on Iori's side plus the full Night Raid, along with the elite warriors from the Far East and reinforcements sent by the Revolutionary Army, such a powerful force dealing with a lone Esdeath or one with only a few subordinates still had a decent chance of success.
At present, these people had all been transferred to the northern border by Iori using Shambhala. Everyone was dressed warmly, camping along Esdeath's inevitable route, waiting for the Ice Queen to arrive.
And during these days of waiting, Najenda had been trying to persuade Iori to change his mind.
"Have the Hekatonkheires (Seryu's dog) and Bulat take the main attack, Leone fill the gaps, Mine and Bols provide long-range fire support, Run scout from the air, everyone else assist and restrain, and you and Akame deliver the fatal blow at the critical moment!"
Najenda truly lived up to her reputation as a veteran. In such a short time, she had already figured out the abilities of Bols and the others and made tactical arrangements accordingly.
It had to be admitted, if they used her strategy, the chances of victory were really high. Probably no one in the entire Akame ga Kill world could stand against such a powerful and targeted lineup.
"With your bizarre movement technique and Akame's Murasame, there's absolutely a huge chance!"
"Indeed," Iori nodded. "But I have a plan with an even higher chance of victory."
"…You still refuse to give up."
Najenda couldn't understand it. "We're setting an ambush specifically for when she leaves her army, isn't that precisely to gang up on her? If you wanted a duel, you could've just challenged her openly from the start. She definitely wouldn't have refused!"