The war with the Empire had ended. The Northern Army had utterly crushed the Empire with overwhelming force. The Revolutionary Army hadn't even had the time to join the battlefield before witnessing the conclusion of the battle, rendering them completely too terrified to provide any support.
Cerydra leaped down from Wild Flute's head and landed directly on Shikoutazer's heart.
"I've avoided the fatal spots and specifically inflicted a piercing wound meant for living creatures... This should be enough to end it, right?"
Within Cerydra's perception, the life force inside Shikoutazer was rapidly fading. Like a candle in the wind, it could completely extinguish at any moment.
That represented the Little Emperor's life. The previous attack had not caused much damage to Shikoutazer itself; instead, all of its force had poured directly into the Little Emperor's body.
As an ordinary, young human, the Little Emperor possessed supreme status but lacked the corresponding physical resilience. There was no way he could survive.
Therefore, Cerydra simply gave him a swift end, allowing the Little Emperor to meet his demise while still unconscious...
"And next comes the time to claim the spoils of war!"
The Empire's Shikoutazer looked brand new even after a millennium. She wondered what method had been used to preserve it, or if this Imperial Arms possessed self-cleaning capabilities.
Regardless, with the Little Emperor's death, the First Emperor's bloodline was completely severed. It would be impossible for anyone else to use Shikoutazer in the future...
Except for Cerydra!
The Authority of Law was simply a bug. Cerydra had already obtained many useful things through Equivalent Exchange, and the restrictions of Shikoutazer could naturally be resolved with the Authority of Law as well.
Once she handed this Imperial Arms over to someone trustworthy, the Northern Country would surely prosper!
Cerydra simply opened Shikoutazer's cockpit and began to handle this weapon of mass destruction.
As for the other side, she wasn't worried at all. After all, her other body, Hysilens, and Dux Alptraum, Esdeath, were not to be trifled with. There was hardly anyone in the world capable of dealing with them.
Cerydra felt completely at ease letting them handle the rest of the matters.
—
And just as Cerydra had anticipated, Hysilens quickly led her forces to take over the entire Imperial Capital. The city's defending forces offered absolutely no resistance and surrendered immediately.
After all, with the incredibly powerful Shikoutazer already fallen to the ground, how could these ordinary soldiers possibly put up a fight?
They only earned a meager monthly wage, so why risk their lives?
The Empire was already gone. They had 8-year-old elderly mothers above them, and 80-year-old children below them, so they certainly couldn't be buried alongside the Empire. Who would take care of their families then? Cao Cao?
How could they dare to die!
Precisely because the soldiers held this kind of attitude, the transfer of power within the Empire proceeded very smoothly. No one dared to step forward and object at this critical juncture.
Meanwhile, things were progressing just as smoothly on Esdeath's side.
All the defending forces had left, which meant that the current Imperial Capital was a treasure chest brimming with wealth. As long as the chest could be opened, everything inside would belong to the Northern Country.
"If nothing unexpected happens, this should be the treasury, right? But why..."
Looking at the ornate doors ahead, Esdeath placed her right hand over her heart.
Feeling her suddenly accelerating heartbeat, Esdeath realized that something inside was calling out to her.
"I am already a Chrysos Heir, and my strength is several times greater than those Imperial Arms Users. How could an Imperial Arms possibly attract me?"
During this time, Esdeath had seen many Imperial Arms Users and Imperial Arms.
If asked what the most powerful Imperial Arms was, she would definitely answer Shikoutazer. After all, given its massive size and the fact that Her Majesty the Empress had to deal with it personally, it was unquestionably the strongest Imperial Arms, bar none!
But if asked what the second strongest Imperial Arms was, she would probably have to think about it for quite a while before helplessly answering that she didn't know.
Because in Esdeath's eyes, apart from Shikoutazer, the rest seemed to make no difference at all.
Although they all possessed some special powers, as long as Esdeath took them seriously, it was absolutely impossible for any Imperial Arms User to be her opponent. Therefore, Esdeath felt that Imperial Arms were meaningless; they were far too weak!
But now, a peculiar fragrance seemed to waft from behind the doors, directly stimulating Esdeath's nose and causing her to stand frozen in place for a long time.
Esdeath didn't know how to describe this scent, but she understood one thing very clearly...
It was calling to her!
"What exactly is it?"
Esdeath effortlessly pushed open the treasury storing the Imperial Arms. Her gaze then rapidly swept across the room before finally settling on a wine pot...
"Are you the one calling me?"
"It clearly looks like a pot of wine, but its essence is an Imperial Arms?"
A thoughtful expression appeared on Esdeath's face. She didn't understand what was going on at all, and even if she wanted to ask someone, there was no way to do so.
After all, the person who knew about the Imperial Arms in this treasury was already dead. It was Minister Honest, whom she had just killed. How could a dead man spit out information?
"If I had known, I would have kept him alive first. Did I kill him too quickly after all?"
Esdeath felt a bit vexed but had no other choice. She simply walked slowly to the side of this Imperial Arms and reached out her hand toward it.
The blue-haired girl noticed that whenever she focused her gaze on this Imperial Arms, its attraction to her grew stronger and stronger, as if it were... something she was missing?
"What should I do? Should I drink it or not?"
Even though Esdeath was the first person to enter the treasury, her identity was Dux Alptraum of the Northern Country. Her duty mandated that she hand these items over to Her Majesty the Empress, but her instincts were urging her to take action immediately...
Rationality and instinct intertwined at this moment, making Esdeath particularly conflicted and completely unable to make a decision.
It wasn't until a black figure arrived behind her and a familiar voice echoed in her ears that Esdeath finally woke up from her own world.
"What's wrong, Blue Fish?"
"Apologies, Lady Hysilens, I spaced out..."
Unable to make a decision, Esdeath recounted everything she had just experienced to Hysilens, immediately drawing the other woman's attention.
Even after becoming a Chrysos Heir, Esdeath could still be attracted by Demon's Extract? It seemed this truly was her Mandate of Heaven!
"I contacted Lady Imperator just now. If you find a suitable Imperial Arms in the treasury, you can use it at any time. We still have to face another enemy next, the Revolutionary Army, so naturally, it is for the best if we can increase our combat power."
"I understand!"
Since she had Lady Imperator's permission, Esdeath no longer had any worries. She opened the wine vessel and drank all of its contents...
"Ugh... Cough!"
In an instant, the wine cup fell to the ground. An expression of agony appeared on Esdeath's face, her movements even more exaggerated than in the original work.
She could feel two forces battling inside her body, and it was precisely this clash that caused Esdeath to experience intense pain.
Thus, under Hysilens's surprised gaze, Esdeath's body underwent another transformation.
Two sharp blue objects protruded from the top of the girl's head, looking exactly like horns... If a girl similar to Cyrene were to see this, her eyes would definitely light up, right?
And from behind the girl, a long tail grew out just like that, causing her to completely lose her human form and turn into a half-dragon!
Esdeath, here and now, ushered in a new form...
Perhaps because the raw material for this Imperial Arms was a dragon species, it caused Esdeath's transformation to head in the direction of a dragon.
The Abyssal Dragon Hidden in Ice.
Esdeath: Frieren Alptraum (Freezing Nightmare)!
===
TN: Before anyone says something, Frieren Alptraum was inspired by Macula Marius' dialogue from GBF.