IW: Chapter 231 - The Susanoo-Clad Great Buddha Shocks the World, Massive Rewards for Solving the Empire's Problems!
"Appease the populace for now. We can settle the local accounts later. First, we take the Imperial Palace."
Bai Ye spoke softly, his voice devoid of any rushed malice. He had no desire to inaugurate his arrival with a mindless massacre. Had his foundation been weak or his supremacy questioned, he wouldn't have hesitated to paint the streets red just to establish a bloody authority. But now? There was simply no need.
By abandoning the outer capital to throw up a desperate perimeter around the palace gates, the corrupt regime had fundamentally admitted defeat.
Worse yet for the crown, Prime Minister Honest's years of unchecked tyranny had completely alienated the populace. The only souls left willing to lift a finger in his defense were the parasitic nobles who had grown fat off his corruption. The common people, on the other hand, likely prayed every single night for an executioner like Bai Ye to arrive and rip Honest's throat out.
How did the old saying go? Could it truly get any worse than this?
Living under Honest's thumb didn't just mean starving nine times in three days; it meant surviving at the absolute whim of monsters. A single sideways glance could get a working man slaughtered on the spot, and any woman unfortunate enough to be born beautiful was bound to be snatched away by the nobility as a plaything. Under the suffocating pressure of such a miserable existence, who in their right mind would willingly choose loyalty to the Prime Minister?
"Understood, Your Majesty," Enkidu nodded smoothly. He turned his gaze toward a nearby square, pointing a slender finger at a trembling crowd of aristocrats. "And what of these? Do all of these remaining nobles need to be executed as well?"These people were wailing and crying, claiming they would offer everything and support the Hairan Empire, and so on.
Enkidu naturally looked down on such spineless individuals.
"Bes, you should know who among these people followed Minister Honest, right?"
"You mean me?"
Bes looked at Bai Ye in disbelief, pointing to himself, even he was a little confused.
Apparently, he hadn't expected Bai Ye to entrust this task to him. Wasn't he afraid that he would line his own pockets and protect some people?
He hadn't even said he would join the Hairan Empire, had he?
Essentially, he was still a person of the Empire, a civil official of the Empire.
"Of course, I trust you."
"..."
For a moment, Bes felt an urge to die for his benefactor.
In the Empire, he was not given important positions because he had offended Minister Honest and was then exiled to a remote, barren land.
But even so, he believed that the Empire was not wrong; it was Minister Honest who was wrong, and it was Minister Honest who had deceived the young emperor, leading to this situation.
Yet now, even an emperor he had just met not long ago surpassed him.
Thinking about how he had previously intended to scheme against Bai Ye, Bes felt an indescribable sense of guilt.
"Enkidu, leave some people to control this area. You come with me."
Bai Ye said, then got up and walked towards the Imperial Palace. Along the way, everyone curiously watched this emperor from the Hairan Empire.
The Imperial Capital had not suffered much attack. After Minister Honest and others abandoned it, all main forces were concentrated at the Imperial Palace. The common people, who had not been subjected to the ravages of war, now had the courage to come out and see.
After all, it seemed the Hairan Empire had no intention of killing everyone in the Imperial Capital.
They had been killing nobles, those nobles who had once oppressed them, one by one, all killed by the Hairan Empire. This inevitably made them feel a bit more favorably towards the Hairan Empire.
At the Imperial Palace.
Although Minister Honest's expression didn't change much, his heart was already filled with immense worry.
From the news coming back from outside, the enemy had effortlessly taken all areas of the Imperial Capital except the Imperial Palace, which was within Minister Honest's expectations.
"They're here."
Budo opened his eyes and looked towards the Imperial Palace gate. The palace gate was pushed open by an invisible force. Following Budo's voice, everyone looked over, only to see two people walk in from outside the gate.
Upon seeing that there were only two people, everyone present was stunned.
"Why are there only two?"
The initial confusion turned into a direct surge of joy. If only two people came, wouldn't they be guaranteed to win?
Minister Honest suddenly felt the scales of victory seemed to be tipping towards him.
"Hey, are you all holed up here? I thought I might encounter an Imperial Arms user on the way!"
Bai Ye looked straight ahead, and upon seeing those familiar faces, he said with some helplessness.
Good gracious.
He hadn't encountered a single Imperial Arms user along the way.
It turned out they were all hiding here.
"Brat, are you from the Hairan Empire?"
Minister Honest was now incredibly relaxed. Looking at Bai Ye in front of him, he had even decided to make him the first to be dealt with.
After all, taking down one or two could alleviate his own pressure.
"How dare you address His Majesty directly?"
Enkidu frowned tightly, looking at Minister Honest with displeasure. This fat pig actually called His Majesty by name.
He had chosen a path to death!
"Your Majesty?"
Listening to Enkidu's words, everyone present caught a piece of information.
The person who came here was actually the Emperor.
The Emperor came here with only one person?
"Haha, so you're the Emperor of the Hairan Empire?"
Minister Honest's eyes darted around, then he subtly signaled Shira. Shira nodded almost imperceptibly, indicating that he understood.
They hadn't expected the Emperor to dare to come over like this.
"Minister Honest, without you, our invasion of the Empire would have been quite difficult."
"..."
Minister Honest was silent for a moment, his face instantly stiff. All the words he had intended to say were stuck in his throat, unable to come out.
What did he mean, without him, the invasion of the Empire would have been difficult?
Didn't that mean the Empire was in this situation because of him?
Exile!
He must be exiled to Lingnan, no! Exiled to another dimension!
"Father, why are you talking so much to him?"
Shira was also losing control now. This was a good opportunity, why did his father continue to talk to Bai Ye about this?
"Shira, I heard you were hunted like a dog in our Hairan Empire. Wild Hunt? Indeed, dogs, to think you actually escaped back!"
At that time, they had indeed pursued Shira and his Wild Hunt.
Now that Bai Ye was in power, it was naturally impossible to allow Shira to wreak havoc in his country.
It was just a pity that they slipped away quite quickly. Although there was no news of Wild Hunt afterward, Bai Ye wasn't overly worried, because Shira couldn't escape. After he disappeared, Bai Ye speculated that he would probably return to the Empire.
Now it seemed, it was exactly as he had thought.
"Heh heh, you bastard, die for me!"
Shira ignored whatever Minister Honest said and directly used Dimensional Array to transfer Bai Ye to another dimension.
Looking at the spot where Bai Ye disappeared, Enkidu was stunned.
What?!
Where is he?
"This bastard looked down on me, and now he's gone to a dimension he'll never return from!!!"
Shira roared excitedly. Seeing Bai Ye transferred to a dimension of no return, he felt a bit disdainful.
So what if he could defeat Esdeath?!
He was still transferred away by him.
Looking at it this way, Esdeath was nothing special, right?
It seemed he could also defeat that general later.
He heard Esdeath was quite good!
Shira licked his lips, suddenly wanting to try.
"It seems the Hairan Empire has failed. Your king has been transferred to another world from which he cannot return. Surrender!"
Minister Honest laughed wildly. He had originally thought it would be difficult to deal with.
It seemed Shira's return had given him quite a surprise.
Giving Shira the Dimensional Array Imperial Arm back then was the most correct decision he had ever made.
Now, with the Hairan Empire having lost its emperor, Enkidu simply couldn't solve the problem. Esdeath's power was strong, but her power came from an Imperial Arm, so Minister Honest wasn't afraid at all.
"Your Majesty!?"
"Why so loud?"
Behind Enkidu, a spatial vortex appeared, and then Bai Ye jumped out of the vortex.
"Your Dimensional Array is useless, isn't it?"
Bai Ye had originally considered whether to prevent Shira from activating this ability.
But then he gave up. He still wanted to test this Imperial Arm. He had left a Flying Thunder God marker and could return at any time. The main purpose was to test Kamui.
Whether he could still sense this place after leaving this space. The result was obvious, Kamui could do it.
As expected of an existence that could even come to Kakashi's mental space from the underworld to give him a power-up, Kamui was indeed a BUG.
"How is that possible? How could you return here?!"
Shira was already panicked. He instinctively wanted to use Dimensional Array again to transfer Bai Ye away.
The moment Bai Ye returned, he truly thought Dimensional Array had no effect at all.
However, before he could continue using it, the hand holding Dimensional Array was directly severed by a sword qi. The Imperial Arm also flew into the air from Shira's hand due to inertia, then fell into Bai Ye's hand.
"So painful!!! You bastard!!!"
Shira's eyes widened. While he was furious, his heart was also filled with dread.
Because without Dimensional Array and with one less hand, he would have no more use to Minister Honest. In such a state, he would surely be abandoned by Minister Honest.
Thinking that he would be abandoned by Minister Honest, he felt his life was over.
"This Imperial Arm is a waste in your hands."
Bai Ye took Dimensional Array, quite satisfied with this Imperial Arm.
Then he raised his hand and turned towards Minister Honest, a suction force pulled Minister Honest over. Bai Ye raised his hand and grabbed Minister Honest's neck. It happened too fast, everyone was caught off guard.
Kurome drew her Yatsufusa, Wave donned Shura's Transformation: Noble Chariot, Seryu's Koro, Run's Thousand-Mile Flight, Dr. Stylish, Bols.
These familiar faces, even though Esdeath had left the Empire, still appeared here, which made Bai Ye lament the power of the plot.
But upon seeing Budo, Bai Ye could understand again.
"This joke isn't funny at all..."
Minister Honest felt a great force on his neck. If he dared to move, he felt he would surely die.
He didn't dare to move an inch.
"Your Imperial Arm is to nullify Imperial Arms, right? That's pretty good, but unfortunately, it's useless against me."
He even knew his Imperial Arm's ability?!
Minister Honest was shocked. Before he could react, the Imperial Arm was taken off by Bai Ye.
"Budo, have you investigated the cause of the young emperor's parents' deaths?"
Using gravity to suspend Minister Honest in the air, Bai Ye took a step forward and asked Budo with a smile.
"What?"
"Let me see the power of the Imperial Arm!"
Bai Ye didn't explain, but looked at the young emperor.
Even if he said more now, it would be futile.
The reason why Talk no Jutsu was powerful was that the targets of Talk no Jutsu were severely beaten before being subjected to it.
So before using Talk no Jutsu, Bai Ye decided to properly test the strength of the Imperial Arm first.
"Your Majesty?"
"I'll protect the Imperial Capital!"
Seeing Minister Honest grabbed by Bai Ye, the young emperor felt as if her parents had been grabbed.
Looking at the young emperor who was already emotionally broken, Bai Ye really wanted to know what kind of expression she would have when she found out that her parents were actually poisoned by Minister Honest?
The Imperial Arm activated.
Everyone's gaze involuntarily converged on the Imperial Arm.
This mecha...
As expected of the Imperial Arm!
"This is the Imperial Arm!"
Not far from the Imperial Capital, Esdeath was looking at the Imperial Arm, lost in thought. She had only heard Minister Honest talk about this thing back then.
Now it seemed it was indeed incomparable to any other Imperial Arm. As expected of the Imperial Arm, which was called the masterpiece of the royal family.
"Will he win?"
Najenda was a little curious. With that size, a casual kick could crush countless people, right?
"Guaranteed win!"
"..."
That confident?
Esdeath wasn't entirely sure what to expect either, but considering that the one piloting the ultimate Imperial Arm was merely the boy emperor, she doubted it would pose a real threat. The kid was simply too small, too weak, and entirely lacking the mental fortitude required to truly master a weapon of that scale.
"The Revolutionary Army has been neutralized. We need to move out immediately," Najenda urged, her voice tight with an urgency she couldn't quite mask.
Now that Night Raid had officially thrown their lot in with the Hairan Empire, Bai Ye had to win. There was no alternative. If things went sideways, they needed to be in position to salvage the situation; under no circumstances could they allow Bai Ye to be captured or cut down by the capital's forces.
"Heh, look at you, practically tripping over your own feet," Esdeath mocked, a sharp, cruel amusement dancing in her eyes as she eyed her former colleague. "And here I thought you'd be dragging your heels, yet you're more eager to get to the front lines than I am."
"Can you shut your mouth and stop being sarcastic for five minutes?" Najenda snapped, finally snapping under the pressure.
From the very moment they joined forces, Esdeath hadn't missed a single opportunity to needle her. Najenda honestly couldn't comprehend what twisted pleasure the woman derived from constant antagonism.
Esdeath merely smirked and fell silent, finding Najenda's explosive frustration thoroughly entertaining. It was one of her few remaining joys. Ever since Bai Ye had placed various restrictions on her movements and behavior, she had been forced to seek amusement wherever she could find it—and breaking Najenda's composure was an excellent pastime.
But her silence wasn't entirely born of petty satisfaction; beneath her arrogant facade, a faint, unfamiliar knot of worry had formed in her chest regarding Bai Ye. She hadn't claimed her victory over that man yet. He wasn't allowed to die by anyone else's hand.
However, before their squad could take another step toward the inner palace, the sky above them fractured.
An colossal entity—towering as high as the Supreme Imperial Arm itself—materialized before the gasping crowd. Its massive, ethereal armor was etched with pulsing, ancient curse marks, and deep within its armored chest, a towering, multi-armed wooden titan began to shift, locking its gaze onto the palace below.
What is this?!
The Imperial Arm didn't seem to have this ability, did it?
Thinking of this, Esdeath and the others also quickened their pace.
Inside the Imperial City.
Compared to Esdeath and the others who were watching from afar, Kurome, Budo, and the others who were watching from a closer distance were now incredibly shocked.
They had originally thought that the young emperor's Imperial Arm was already terrifying, but they hadn't expected Bai Ye to be even more terrifying.
"The Imperial Arm is too dangerous, I'm going to seal you!"
The wooden man, clad in Susanoo, punched directly onto the Imperial Arm, then punch after punch. The fierce impact directly forced the Imperial Arm to retreat repeatedly.
The Imperial Arm is too dangerous?!
So he's going to seal it?
Listen!
Listen to what you're saying, is that even human speech?
Who is more dangerous, after all?
Seeing the Imperial Arm being beaten back repeatedly by Bai Ye, for a moment they couldn't even tell who that sentence was directed at. If Bai Ye, who could say such a thing, was human, they would eat their words!
"Why is this happening? Is the Imperial Arm useless against him too?"
Minister Honest had originally thought that with the Imperial Arm, they wouldn't lose no matter what, but the current situation seemed to make Minister Honest understand that the other party didn't take the Imperial Arm seriously at all.
No wonder Esdeath lost, but according to the returning soldiers, they saw nothing at all, and there was no energy giant.
Either they lied to him, or Bai Ye didn't use this ability when he defeated Esdeath.
And the soldiers had no reason to lie to him, so Minister Honest could only attribute this to the second point.
"What immense power!"
Enkidu looked at Bai Ye with scattered eyes. Although he had already prepared himself not to be surprised by anything Bai Ye had, when he saw Bai Ye's Susanoo, like a god of war, he felt that he had been wrong again.
Always underestimating Bai Ye's strength...
"Run..."
The other members of Wild Hunt exchanged glances. This guy was simply not someone they could deal with.
Anyway, Shira was already useless, and their previous promises hadn't been fulfilled much either.
If they continued to follow Shila now, they would surely die without a burial place. They didn't have much loyalty to begin with, so it was better to run away quickly while Bai Ye had no time to manage them.
Thinking of this, their minds instantly became active.
"Little Bi… is he going to lose?"
Seryu looked at Susanoo with some fear, while Kurome frowned tightly, then relaxed. It seemed she couldn't break its defense at all. If she had this person as her puppet, she believed she could kill her older sister, couldn't she?
Suddenly, a hint of longing appeared in Kurome's heart.
"The Empire is doomed."
Budo murmured. Before today, he had always believed that the Empire and the Hairan Empire had the strength to fight.
But when he saw his country's divine weapon, the Ultimate Imperial Arm, being beaten back by Bai Ye, he finally understood how naive his original thoughts had been.
"You're kidding, right? Is that Bai Ye?"
Esdeath's mouth hung open in disbelief as she looked at Bai Ye, who was standing on top of the Wooden Golem's head.
She had originally wondered if this was also related to the Ultimate Imperial Arm, but no matter how much she thought, she couldn't connect it to Bai Ye, because this ability didn't seem to have any relation to Bai Ye at all.
"Bai Ye?"
Following Esdeath's words, Najenda also looked over. Although she had only met Bai Ye once, she still remembered his face very clearly.
"No way? Is that guy the King of the Hairan Empire?"
Leone's mouth hung open in disbelief as she watched Bai Ye chasing and attacking the Ultimate Imperial Arm.
She remembered that face too clearly.
Wasn't he the one who was taken away by Aria back then?
"You know him?"
Maine asked curiously. From Leone's ghost-like expression, she felt that she seemed to know him.
Speaking of which, this woman didn't trick Bai Ye out of money, did she?
Looking at it this way, she might be killed by Bai Ye later.
Following that gaze, he was quite handsome.
Maine also had this thought in her heart.
"Of course I know him… No, not know him, I've seen him. Didn't I say that three people were taken away by Aria back then? It was him and the other two!"
Leone quickly explained. She finally understood why Aria's family was wiped out and those three people disappeared.
They originally wanted to invite country folks back to torture and kill, but they ended up inviting Shinigami, who directly sent the whole family away.
"He came to the Imperial Capital?"
Akame was stunned for a moment, then she realized something, and her steps quickened.
She really wanted to see if her younger sister was still there, because when she left the Imperial Capital, Akame didn't take Kurome with her, so she always carried a sense of guilt towards Kurome in her heart.
If they could reconcile after the Hairan Empire annexed the Empire, it would be great, provided that Kurome was still alive.
Everyone had different thoughts, but the pressure in their hearts suddenly decreased.
After the Ultimate Imperial Arm was directly smashed into the ground by the Wooden Golem's punch, the Little Emperor finally lost control of the Ultimate Imperial Arm.
At this moment, her eyes were filled with fear.
She struggled to climb out of the Ultimate Imperial Arm, not even daring to look at Bai Ye.
Bai Ye, who had also released his ability, was somewhat bored.
"You're too weak. Under your control, the Ultimate Imperial Arm can't even exert one-tenth of its power!"
Bai Ye pouted, feeling disappointed. He had activated Sage Mode + Susanoo + Wooden Golem, but this Ultimate Imperial Arm made him feel very unfulfilled.
It was like he was all ready for battle, but then it just ended? Who could stand that?
"Your parents were poisoned to death by Minister Honest, yet you allowed Minister Honest to continue harming the Empire. You are at least half responsible for why the Empire has become such a mess."
Bai Ye looked at the Little Emperor. In fact, he didn't have the idea of killing the Little Emperor.
Because she could be controlled, her character could be seen from the anime, and the title of'sad innocence' was enough to prove all of this.
She wanted to become a great and wise ruler like her father, but she listened to Minister Honest in all matters, even if those tyrannical policies were not what she wanted.
"How… how could this be!?"
The Little Emperor, who had just been completely devastated by Bai Ye and hadn't recovered, instantly felt her head explode when she heard Bai Ye's new bombshell news.
Her parents were actually killed by the Minister she trusted the most.
Bai Ye lifted the Little Emperor and walked towards Budo. At this moment, no one dared to move an inch, and as he reached Budo, Esdeath and the others, who had been rushing over, also arrived.
"Sister?!"
"Kurome?"
As soon as Akame and Kurome met, a surge of killing intent instantly erupted from Kurome.
She also drew Hachifusa, preparing to end her sister, but just as she was about to act, she felt a subtle pressure on her body. Bai Ye's imperceptible glance filled Kurome's heart with immense fear, making even the sword in her hand tremble.
How is this possible!?
Kurome's heart was already shocked beyond measure.
She was actually intimidated by a single glance from Bai Ye.
"Now is my time."
Bai Ye said indifferently. Bai Ye didn't want to get involved in the two sisters' grievances. He wanted to thoroughly resolve the Empire's matters first.
Looking at Bai Ye's gaze, Kurome subconsciously nodded. Although she was afraid, she also felt a hint of admiration for Bai Ye in her heart.
"Budo."
Bai Ye's gaze shifted to Budo. Budo was silent for a moment, then said, "I investigated. The Old Emperor and the Empress both died suddenly."
There was no direct evidence to prove that Minister Honest poisoned them.
Even though Budo had suspected that the originally very healthy Old Emperor and Empress would suddenly die one day, he had searched for a long time but found nothing. So, even if he suspected, he couldn't do anything.
The main reason was that the Little Emperor trusted Minister Honest very much, and Budo couldn't do anything about Minister Honest.
"Hey, you can't slander me like that. We are willing to surrender—"
Before Minister Honest could finish speaking, his pupils turned into three tomoe.
"Tell them about how you poisoned the Old Emperor."
Full of lies!
As Minister Honest revealed the truth of the matter, the Little Emperor felt her world collapse.
The person she trusted the most was actually the enemy who killed her parents.
"The Empire has fallen. From now on, everyone is one entity, the Hairan Empire. But before that, we need to clean up the Empire!"
Saying that, Bai Ye directly snapped Minister Honest's neck.
Esdeath, who received Bai Ye's gaze, then threw the previously captured Wild Hunt members in front of Shila, and then all the Wild Hunt members were killed.
The entire Imperial Capital was undergoing a bloodbath, and at the same time, within the Empire's territory, Bai Ye's army and the Sea King Crusade were also eliminating the filth one by one.
Until the Little Emperor looked up at Bai Ye and said with firm eyes, "Kill me, that should be enough of an explanation, right?"
She wasn't afraid of death. She also knew that with the establishment of a new regime, she, who had once been regarded by everyone as Minister Honest's umbrella, simply couldn't survive.
"No, the Ultimate Imperial Arm still needs someone to control it. I am not the Revolutionary Army. If the Revolutionary Army had attacked the Imperial Capital today, you would definitely die. But I am the King of the Hairan Empire. From the moment I conquered the Empire, you, Night Raid, and those remaining Revolutionary Army members who are willing to surrender, as well as the people of the Empire, will all be my subjects. No king would kill his own subjects!!"
If they obey, then they are his subjects!
Bai Ye didn't want to kill the Little Emperor. He could control the Little Emperor. The main reason was that if the Little Emperor died, then no one here could control the Ultimate Imperial Arm. And by letting the Little Emperor live, he could also gain Budo as a fighting force.
So killing the Little Emperor was not beneficial to him. He wasn't the Revolutionary Army, needing to eliminate the old emperor. When the time came, he could take the Little Emperor to the Hairan Empire and imitate Cao Pi and Liu Shan, wouldn't that be good?
"You won't kill me... I?"
As the Little Emperor spoke, she realized that her country had already fallen, and immediately changed her words to ask.
She had originally thought Bai Ye would definitely kill her.
"You really want to die?"
Bai Ye looked at the Little Emperor, and she also shook her head. If one could live, surely no one would want to die, right?
It was just that she had thought Bai Ye wouldn't let her go, so rather than live a life of humiliation, it seemed better to die with dignity.
"Then, for those who survive, I declare this war is over!"
Bai Ye's voice spread throughout the Imperial Capital, and as his voice fell, a booming cheer erupted throughout the Imperial Capital.
The Hairan Empire won!
And this seemed to be the result everyone wanted to see.
The common people had long been tired of the Empire's rule, and the remaining Revolutionary Army members chose to surrender to the Hairan Empire after being persuaded by Najenda.
The high-ranking nobles of the Empire had been completely purged, and Night Raid also got the result they wanted; the Empire was changed, and at the same time, they did not end up being hunted down.
Everything seemed so beautiful.
Looking at the roaring, ecstatic crowds below, the Little Emperor felt a profound, suffocating bitterness wash over her heart. It was a harsh, undeniable reality check: under her governance, the grand Empire had degenerated into an absolute nightmare for its own citizens.
Every single soul on the streets seemed to be fervently cheering for the invading forces of the Hairan Empire.
But... maybe that's for the best, she thought, a heavy sigh escaping her small frame. It seems I was never truly meant to be an emperor. I couldn't surpass you after all, Father.
With that final realization, the Little Emperor completely released the suffocating obsession that had dictated her short life. A strange, unfamiliar peace settled over her; perhaps stepping down and letting the old world burn was the best outcome she could have hoped for.
[Ding! Successfully altered the fates of Sheele, Leone, Lubbock, Chelsea, the Little Emperor, and Great General Budo. Rewarding 6 Gacha Opportunities!]
Six gacha pulls?
A flash of genuine surprise crossed Bai Ye's eyes. He quickly ran the math in his head. Najenda was still drawing breath, meaning her fundamental destiny hadn't shifted enough to count. Akame, Kurome, Wave, and Mine were similarly unchanged from their paths.
Ah, so the system calculates destiny based on the original manga timeline, not the anime adaptation, Bai Ye realized with a faint smirk.
As for the remaining members of the Jaegers, the system apparently deemed them too insignificant to trigger individual rewards. Still, completely rewriting the foundational fate line of the Empire and walking away with a massive haul of prizes was an incredible win.
Without wasting a single second, he silently commanded the system: Use.
[Ding! Six Gacha Opportunities deployed successfully. Congratulations on obtaining:]
Ultimate Imperial Arm: Shikoutazer (Improved Version)
Orichalcum (Divine Ore)
Imperial Arm Manufacturing Secret Art
Moon Breathing (Full Mastery)
Demon Slayer Mark (Improved Version)
Blood Demon Art (Improved Version)
Beautiful. Every single one is an optimized version, Bai Ye thought, his lips curving into a satisfied grin as the foreign energies surged into his soul.
The Improved Ultimate Imperial Arm instantly liquified into a dense, boundless pool of power, embedding itself deep within Bai Ye's energy core. Unlike the original Shikoutazer, which manifested as a colossal, clunky mechanical titan and strictly required a royal bloodline to pilot, this upgraded version could be summoned directly through his own body at any moment, completely untethered by ancestry.
The Orichalcum and the Imperial Arm Manufacturing Secret Art were a perfect, complementary set. This legendary metal and the lost crafting techniques were the exact foundations used by the First Emperor a millennium ago to forge the forty-eight Imperial Arms—secrets that had long since been lost to the sands of time. Now, the power to mass-produce god-tier weapons rested entirely in Bai Ye's hands.
As for the final three rewards? They were apex abilities pulled straight from the Demon Slayer universe, ready to be integrated into his already terrifying arsenal.
Moon Breathing was developed by Kokushibo, and with the Sun Breathing he already possessed, he now had two breathing techniques.
The improved version of the Mark allowed him to not be limited by the lifespan of twenty-five years after activating the Mark.
And the improved version of Blood Demon Art was much more interesting.
He didn't need to become a demon; he could also possess Blood Demon Art, but the prerequisite was to kill those demons, and he would be able to devour the opponent's Blood Demon Art. Looking at it this way, it seems he needs to go find those demons!
What if they were all killed by the Demon Slayer Corps?
Then his improved Blood Demon Art would be useless, wouldn't it?
"Then, all of you, follow me to the Hairan Empire. I will leave some people here to slowly transform this place. As for you two sisters, if you want to fight, I can fight with you!"
Bai Ye was in a good mood, smiling as he looked at Kurome and Akame. If he hadn't been there, the two sisters would probably have started fighting.
And after hearing Bai Ye's words, Kurome shook her head repeatedly, indicating that she wouldn't fight.
Akame also didn't want to fight Bai Ye. On one hand, she couldn't beat him, and on the other hand, her sword...
Now the Empire had been completely overthrown, and they had been annexed into the Hairan Empire. Bai Ye then instructed Enkidu to send someone to notify Yashiki Kagaya.
He was willing to help Yashiki Kagaya kill all the demons, including the demon king named Muzan. In exchange, their country must be incorporated into the Hairan Empire!
"I never thought I'd work with Esdeath one day..."
Najenda murmured, her mood somewhat complex.
She really hadn't expected something like this to happen today.
"Hehe, it should be interesting from now on."
Since being restricted by Bai Ye, Esdeath now needed to find some other fun.
And Najenda was a very good source of fun.
It's just...
Bai Ye should at least give her a chance to find someone to fall in love with, right?
But who could she find?
Esdeath was a bit lost. Was love about being able to control the other person, or letting the other person control herself? This also made Esdeath question her own choice.
She felt like she had fallen into a dilemma.
She glanced at Bai Ye. She felt that he was indeed good, but he wanted to be her father!
"Kurome, I'm really sorry about what happened before. I originally wanted to talk to you..."
Akame was explaining something to Kurome, and among the people here, many were sworn enemies, yet now they could chat here.
Looking at this scene, Bai Ye suddenly realized that he seemed to have changed more than just the Empire.
Byakuya of Akame ga Kill: [The Empire is unified. Next is to solve the Demon Slayer matter. I'm almost done here. Speaking of which, I'll take a few days off recently.]
Naruto Bai Ye: [Oh? I saw you got a lot of good stuff. Speaking of which, how about Susanoo + Ultimate Imperial Arm?]
Byakuya of Akame ga Kill: [Haven't tried it yet, but I'll check later, or you guys can try it!]
The Ultimate Imperial Arm became his own ability rather than an Imperial Arm, just like Demon God Manifestation: Demon's Extract. His counterparts in other worlds could also use this ability.
Pirate Bai Ye: [I tried it, it's really good!]
The form of Susanoo seems to have one more type!
Shinigami: [You seem to have another matter to deal with next, right? Can you survive this?]
Byakuya of Akame ga Kill: [What?]
Shinigami: [You are the Emperor, and your subjects probably want you to expand your harem!]
Byakuya of American Horror Story: [Real name envy!]
Hong Kong Bai Ye: [Damn it!!! Openly having a harem!!]
KOF Bai Ye: ["You're young, kid, so pace yourself. Don't end up having to lean against the wall for support just to walk out of the room, or people will start whispering behind your back that the Emperor of the Hairan Empire is nothing special!"]
Reading the relentless banter flashing across the chat group, a massive black line materialized across the forehead of Byakuya (Akame ga Kill!).
Of all the people to preach about restraint! It was rich coming from KOF Bai Ye, who already had the legendary Mai Shiranui wrapped around his finger and still had the absolute audacity to deflect onto others. 'Leaning against the wall for support? Please, you're clearly projecting your own daily life!' Byakuya thought, rolling his eyes hard.
But as he paused to actually reflect on his own situation... a cold sweat broke out.
The reality of his new position was starting to sink in, and it was mildly terrifying. Ever since he had officially taken the throne, the sheer scale of the political maneuvering around him had reached absurd levels. His newly acquired noble subjects were practically tripping over one another in their desperation to curry favor. They looked ready to aggressively stuff their daughters, nieces, and any eligible female relatives directly into his imperial bedchamber.
And that was before he completely rewrote the fate of the entire continent. Now that he had effectively conquered the capital and absorbed the Empire, the upcoming victory banquets were bound to be an absolute circus.
The thirst for imperial favor was about to get ten times crazier. If he wasn't careful, he really would be the one leaning against the palace walls just to make it to his own morning court sessions!
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