It seemed Night Raid's plan had succeeded...
Pushing aside the silk-painted blanket draped over her, Selene, dressed in black nightgown, slowly stood up. "...Then, it's time for me to move."
"Milady, what's wrong... Has your plan succeeded?" Sebas, who had been quietly waiting by her side, asked upon hearing the movement.
"Yes. The Honkai energy particles I secretly attached to the Young Emperor's body have reacted... The Young Emperor has lost his life force."
"And since he left no heir, and all other members of the royal family were slaughtered by Honest, this means the Imperial bloodline is now completely extinct."
Walking to the edge of Air Manta's back, Selene brushed the cold wind from her forehead. With a snap of her fingers, a magnificent battlesuit of silver-white armored accents with azure minidress enveloped her body in an instant.
Her dazzling white hair and ghostly blue skirts fluttered in the high-altitude currents.
Gazing toward the Imperial Capital, Selene's crimson, multi-faceted pupils showed no emotion. "Now, none of you are of any use to me anymore..."
That 'you' included many— the Revolutionary Army, Honest, Night Raid, and even Budo himself.
With a casual clap of her hands, vmmm~, a violet-hued spatial gate opened slowly in midair. Selene stretched lazily and murmured, "The fruit called the Empire... has finally ripened for harvest."
"Sebas, Arisa, Esdeath—let's go. Night Raid's actions were faster than I expected."
...
"Your Majesty!!!"
Lightning flashed as Budo smashed through the palace doors, his expression grim as he strode inside. "Your Majesty, please allow me to escort—Your Majesty?! Your Majesty!!!"
Seeing the emperor lying motionless on the ground, blood seeping from his mouth and nose, Budo's words froze in his throat.
Out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of a fleeing black cat. Though he suspected it might be the assassin in disguise, Budo chose first to check on the emperor.
BANG!
Flipping over the nearby dining table, clinging to a shred of hope, Budo crouched beside the Young Emperor and examined the small wound on his neck. But the results shattered that fragile hope completely.
He froze, stunned, muttering blankly, "His Majesty... is dead. That means the Imperial line... is ended."
"AAAAAHHHHH—!!!"
Whether as the Empire's Great General or simply as a soldier, Budo had always been the model of loyalty and discipline—a paragon of the perfect warrior.
He had always upheld his ancestral rule: A general must never interfere with politics.
A man of rigid honor and steadfast devotion, Budo served the Empire with pure, unshakable faith. Even when the emperor was young and powerless, he had never wavered in respect—earning from Honest the mocking nickname "stubborn old relic."
Compared to the corrupt nobles and ministers, Budo was a rare beacon of virtue within the decaying Empire.
Suppressing his grief and guilt, his eyes bloodshot, Budo gently gathered the emperor's body and ordered the nearby attendants to guard it well.
Step!
Sensing the electromagnetic trace of Adramelech lingering on the fleeing black cat, Budo strode out of the hall. With a mighty stomp, the ground beneath him cracked like a spiderweb, and arcs of blue lightning erupted around him.
At this point, punishing Honest was no longer a concern. Budo had only one thought left—
"To avenge the Emperor!"
"No matter who you are—even if it costs me my life—I will grind you to dust!!!"
Teigu: Thunder God's Rage · Adramelech, a Teigu capable of summoning and controlling lightning through storm clouds. It can unleash wide-area attacks and paralyze enemies struck by its bolts.
As Budo's roar echoed through the heavens, black clouds swirled above the palace, thunder crackling wildly within.
Guided by his storm, Budo shot into the sky, pursuing the black cat's trail at blinding speed.
Meanwhile, amidst the booming thunder, Chelsea—now in the form of the black cat—darted swiftly through the palace corridors.
"Thank goodness I ran fast... So that's Great General Budo, huh? What terrifying power... No! He definitely glanced my way just now—I need to change form, fast!"
As she spoke, Chelsea reverted to human form in the shadow of a palace corner, preparing to change her disguise.
The Teigu: Phantasmagoria · Gaea Foundation, possessed one critical flaw—its user had to hold the Teigu to maintain the transformation. In other words, to change forms, one had to revert to human form first.
Suddenly—BOOM!
"Ah—!"
A bolt of lightning from the heavens struck Chelsea squarely. Her already frail constitution failed her; her body went numb, losing all control.
The next instant, an even larger pillar of lightning slammed down in front of her. The luxurious palace beside her crumbled instantly, collapsing into rubble and dust that surged into the sky.
Then came the heavy footsteps—slow, deliberate, echoing through the thunder and smoke. Budo's grim, storm-darkened face appeared before her eyes.
"Found you, traitor!"
Budo...! Damn it, am I going to die here...?
Chelsea's eyes widened in despair. Paralyzed, she could only watch as her death approached.
"Now, I, Budo, Great General of the Empire by decree of the late emperor, hereby sentence you... to death!"
Raising the thunderous hammer of Adramelech, arcs of lightning spiraled around his arms as he brought it down with crushing force.
SWOOSH!
...
Elsewhere in the palace—
"Die, Honest!"
"Lord Honest, look out!"
"Damn it!" Seeing the incoming arrow of light, Honest yanked a nearby guard into his path.
Splurt!
The guard's armor was pierced clean through, the radiant arrow slicing through him like butter. Blood sprayed in all directions as the corpse collapsed before Honest.
Through the gory haze, the arrow of light continued its deadly trajectory straight toward his face. Honest's pupils contracted to pinpoints—he could feel death itself closing in. "I... don't want to die!"
Clang!
A silver-white gauntlet, ornate and engraved with intricate sigils, tore through the air from nowhere—catching the arrow in mid-flight. With a flick of its fingers, the arrow shattered into radiant dust.
"Don't worry... I would never let you die so easily."
With that cold, imperious voice, violet light erupted before Honest. The air split open with a shriek, and before Najenda's wide, horrified eyes, countless crimson-violet particles gathered in the air.
Moments later, a circular spatial gate roughly three meters wide unfolded, humming with power.
From within stepped a tall, graceful figure—one Najenda both recognized and feared.
"The Great General—Selene von Habsburg!"
"Najenda... It's been a while, hasn't it?"