Chapter 158: Syura: I Went on a Rampage with My Old Man!
"Is this Tyrant's blood? It's simply too beautiful!"
Inside the research institute, Dr. Stylish gazed at the small vial of crimson blood brought by Mahiro, holding it in her hands as if cradling a rare treasure, her eyes shining brightly!
Even the two mounds on her chest couldn't stop trembling wildly.
She couldn't be more excited!
This was the first time in her life she had seen the blood of a Super Danger Beast!
Just holding it in her hands, even through the vial, she could feel the boundless power!
"Minister Yotsuba, where on earth did you obtain this?!"
"Never mind where I got it. Just tell me—can you integrate this thing's evolutionary traits into the Enhancement Drug?"
Where else could this vial of blood come from? It was simply extracted from the information body of Incursio.
Incursio itself was a treasure weapon created from Tyrant's juvenile form.
To be honest, if the juvenile form was already this monstrous, the adult form was simply unimaginable—probably on the same level as the Cloud Dragon, right?
"Of course! It's absolutely marvelous!"
Dr. Stylish danced with joy as she spoke: "But Minister Yotsuba, if we integrate it into the drug, there might be a risk of beastification. Tyrant's genes possess extremely strong corrosive properties, you know."
"No matter. As long as you can produce it, I'll handle any side effects myself. But there's only one requirement—I need this drug to be able to repair lost organs."
He realized Sumire was right.
After all, he possessed the ability of "Restructuring and Regeneration"—if anything went wrong, he could just overwrite the information body...
But this made him feel a sense of unease.
If he always maintained this kind of mindset, perhaps one day he would lose all reverence for life and become completely indifferent, wouldn't he?
Watching the mad scientist's busy figure, Mahiro chose to stop thinking about it and turned to leave the research institute.
After all, today was the day to attend court and have an audience with the Little Emperor.
...
In the main hall of the imperial palace.
The civil and military officials had already gathered, with the Little Emperor seated upon the throne.
"Your Majesty, General Nakagide and General Hermi have rebelled and appear to have joined forces with the rebel army!"
"What?! The brave and battle-hardened General Nakagide actually..."
"The rebel army is forming a terrifying force..."
"If we don't implement appropriate measures soon, the Empire will..."
Upon hearing that more generals had rebelled, the officials panicked, disregarding the Little Emperor's presence as they discussed anxiously below, creating chaos.
How many instances of general rebellions was this now?
First there was former General Najenda, then scattered military rebellions, and now General Nakagide and General Hermi...
If this continued, the consequences would be absolutely unimaginable!
"There's no need to panic!"
Suddenly, the Little Emperor rose from the throne, waving a hand grandly as she declared in a resonant voice:
"They're merely southern forces that can be dealt with at any time. If the rebels dare to gather, then we'll annihilate them in one fell swoop!"
The Little Emperor's authoritative voice echoed through the main hall of the imperial palace.
Her words acted like a powerful stimulant to everyone present.
Through the tempering of time, the once young and immature emperor had grown, now possessing the dignity of an empress.
"Your Majesty is right! We still have General Budo and General Esdeath. As long as we have these two, the Imperial City is secure, and the empire is safe!"
"Indeed, not only that, we also have the secret guard forces and Minister Yotsuba!"
"Yes, yes! If the rebels dare show their faces, they're doomed!"
In an instant, the atmosphere in the grand hall was completely reversed.
While it appeared to be blind obedience to the Little Emperor's will, it wasn't without reason.
After all, these two generals were truly formidable figures who could "hold a pass against ten thousand soldiers"—especially Esdeath, whose strength might have already surpassed General Budo's.
Capable of single-handedly annihilating entire foreign armies, such power was truly terrifying.
"Hahahaha, as expected of Your Majesty, truly calm and composed indeed."
A rough voice suddenly echoed through the court hall, followed by the appearance of an obese figure chewing on a strip of meat as he swaggered forward.
"Oh, Minister. You're late today."
Upon seeing Honest's arrival, the Little Emperor immediately relaxed his dignified posture, settling back into the throne while offering Honest a slight smile, then pulling out a magic artifact from his robes to fiddle with.
He appeared completely uninterested in handling court affairs.
"Can't be helped, Your Majesty. This old minister was tied up with official duties and just resolved them."
Honest spoke in an extremely perfunctory tone, completely unconcerned.
However, the next moment, Honest immediately shed his casual and lazy demeanor, his expression turning serious and fierce.
"But Your Majesty is correct—mere rebels are nothing to fear! The thieves right under our noses are the real problem!"
"Those damned rats not only assassinated Captain Ogre, the Imperial Guard's finest officer, but also killed Jamal, a law-abiding merchant! Most importantly, these damned bastards didn't even spare my relative Iokal!"
"Regarding Night Raid's reckless actions, as the head of both the Imperial Guard and the Assassination Squad, Minister Yotsuba, don't you have anything to explain?!"
Honest suddenly turned on Mahiro, who had remained silent until now, viciously tearing at the steak in his hand.
"Explain? What do I need to explain?"
Mahiro smiled faintly, slowly stepping forward. "It's true that Night Raid killed people, and I've issued warrants for their arrest. But don't you have any idea what these three actually did? Does it have anything to do with how you described them? You fat pig."
"If Night Raid hadn't acted quickly, I would have taken care of these three scumbags myself."
At these words, all the officials in the court hall collectively gasped. Publicly refuting the minister, even insulting him as a fat pig?!
Though rather fitting, this was dangerously audacious!
Hearing this, Honest's face immediately darkened, his teeth grinding fiercely.
But before he could speak, Mahiro's voice drifted over again.
"Oh, and one more thing—even His Majesty hasn't questioned me about these matters. Who do you think you are to interrogate me here? Don't you know your place, you fat pig? Then—"
"If you want Night Raid's heads, go catch them yourself! Don't waste my time with your blabbering, you gluttonous trash."
"You bastard! How dare you speak to me like that?!" Honest's face flushed crimson with rage, his eyes glaring furiously at Mahiro below.
"What? Got a problem with it? Come down here and settle it with me if you're not convinced! Or I can go up there—don't think the Emperor's protection will stop me from teaching a fat pig like you some manners!"
Mahiro grew angrier as he spoke, eventually striding forward as if ready to engage in a royal palace brawl with Honest.
"Ahem, my dear ministers, let's not make a scene." The Little Emperor on the throne cleared his throat gently.
"Both of you are pillars of our empire. Why get so worked up over mere thieves? Minister, you indeed have no authority over the secret security department—that's my direct command, you mustn't overstep your bounds."
"And Minister Yotsuba, you should watch your words too. No personal attacks, even if Minister Honest is quite overweight and might have high blood pressure, blood sugar, and cholesterol. You still can't call him a fat pig."
Though the Little Emperor attempted to mediate, her words subtly favored Mahiro. The final remarks especially felt like twisting knives in Honest's chest, making him nearly cough up blood in fury!
Yet he had to swallow his anger, forcing a benevolent smile as he replied: "Hehe. Your Majesty, this old minister is in good health, none of those ailments you mentioned afflict me."
"Is that so? Then Minister, you should take good care of yourself. Eat less daily to lose weight—after all, the empire and I still need your support. Regarding your relative Iokal's matter, I share your sorrow, but don't you still have a surviving son? Take comfort."
The Little Emperor's words carried genuine concern, her expression utterly innocent, leaving Honest no outlet for his rage except to convert it into appetite. Tearing into a steak, he respectfully responded: "Thank you for Your Majesty's concern, this old minister will remember."
"Now then, my dear ministers, what strategies do you propose regarding the 'Night Raid' rebels lurking in the Imperial City?"
Under the Little Emperor's inquiry, all officials in the court exchanged uncertain glances. General Budo stood nearby with closed eyes, conserving his energy.
"Minister Yotsuba, I wonder..."
"Wait, Your Majesty! This old minister has a proposal!"
Just as the Little Emperor sought Mahiro's opinion, Honest abruptly interrupted: "I suggest recalling Esdeath. I've heard the northern barbarian suppression is nearly complete. I believe General Esdeath would gladly take on this mission upon her return."
"General Esdeath... not a bad choice. But wouldn't that conflict with Minister Yotsuba's responsibilities?"
"Not at all, Your Majesty! Quite the opposite. We can have General Esdeath establish a new department specifically for pursuing Night Raid. This wouldn't conflict with Minister Yotsuba's duties but would help share his burden. Moreover, this old minister can recall my son Syura to form a support unit assisting General Esdeath."
Honest spoke with great emotion, putting on the appearance of solving the emperor's worries.
However, whether it was Mahiro, the Little Emperor, or even General Budo, they all saw through this fat pig's intentions.
It was just that the other party's arguments were reasonable and well-supported, leaving the Little Emperor with no way to refuse.
In the end, she could only cast a pleading look toward Mahiro, wanting to hear his thoughts.
"I have no objections."
Mahiro suddenly spoke up: "Since this dead fat pig... oh no, Prime Minister Honest is so interested in 'Night Raid,' then let him handle this matter."
"Very well."
Although she didn't know what this big brother Yotsuba intended to do, she still nodded in agreement and said:
"Then issue my decree! Immediately recall General Esdeath. The pursuit of 'Night Raid' will be jointly managed by General Esdeath and Prime Minister Honest!"
And so, in today's court session, Honest unusually received the treatment of having his proposal accepted.
Little did he know, Mahiro had been waiting for this exact moment.
He had been coveting the dimensional Teigu Shambhala in the possession of Prime Minister Honest's son, Syura.
Go overseas to pursue Syura?
Only a fool would do such time-consuming and laborious stupid things. It would be better to use Honest's own hands to recall that idiot son of his.
However, after the morning court session concluded.
"Unbearable! That damned Yotsuba Mahiro! How dare he insult me! Damn it, the recent stress has caused my weight to increase so much!"
In his luxurious palace-like mansion, Honest frantically devoured the food before him.
It could be said that Honest completely lived up to his "fat pig" nickname, with an astonishingly fast eating speed that would even make sisters Akame and Kurome admit defeat.
"Haha, you're just eating too much, old man."
Sitting across the dining table was a tall, thin young man with brown-black skin.
He had an X-shaped scar on his cheek, looking just as ferocious as Honest.
Upon closer inspection, one could see they shared the same hair color, and their faces were about fifty to sixty percent similar.
"Syura, sending you out to travel a few years ago seems to have made you capable of standing on your own now."
Looking at the somewhat composed young man before him, Honest offered slight praise.
This young man before him was none other than his son, Syura.
The reason he had proposed establishing an additional police department in the imperial palace was precisely because he had called his son Syura back.
Originally, he had been wondering how to get the Little Emperor to agree to his suggestion, never expecting that his idiot relative Iokal had already paved the way for him.
What was even more unexpected was that damned brat Mahiro would actually agree to his proposal!
This way, once Esdeath returned and they formed a main force to cooperate with his son Syura, they would eventually be able to completely erode Mahiro's secret security forces!
Just thinking about this made Honest feel much more cheerful.
However, Syura completely failed to notice his father's intentions and just continued speaking to himself:
"Ah, I did travel to many places and discovered that our empire's technology is actually the most advanced among all nations. Whether it's the frozen lands in the north or the southern islands, they're all too backward and impoverished—they can't even manufacture firearms!"
Syura's face was filled with disdain.
"If we're talking about civilizations second only to our empire, it should be the western foreign ethnic kingdoms. We often see many interesting items brought back from there."
Honest wiped off the grease with a napkin while sharing his perspective.
"Yes, they have strange cultures like alchemy and such, not too far behind our empire."
"Unfortunately, I didn't have time to visit the eastern barbarian island nations and the southern seas before receiving your message, Father. I immediately used my Teigu, the Dimensional Formation: Shambhala, to teleport back to the Imperial City from the southern islands thousands of miles away!"
Syra said regretfully.
"Then how did you fare with the task I assigned you—recruiting capable talents during your travels?" Honest asked with a serious expression.
"Don't worry, Father, I completed it properly."
"That's good. It wasn't in vain that I specially applied for a special police department for you and Esdeath to co-manage in front of His Majesty. After the meal, take me to see their capabilities."
Honest smiled with satisfaction.
But Syura was taken aback, his face instantly lighting up with excitement.
"Hey, Father, you're not joking, are you? You're really pairing me up with that woman Esdeath?!"
"Of course. You must work hard and cooperate well with Esdeath to help me completely bring down that damned brat Mahiro!"
Just recalling the court affairs made Honest grit his teeth in anger.
"Rest assured, Father, leave it to me."
Syura clenched his fists, his body trembling slightly.
It wasn't out of fear—but excitement!
He had heard of Esdeath's renowned beauty even before leaving the empire, but he hadn't had time to claim that woman before departing the Imperial City.
Never did he expect he'd now have the chance to get close to her—he was determined to conquer this woman!
After the meal, the two arrived at the empire's colosseum.
Due to Prime Minister Honest's arrival, all spectators had been cleared out. In the center of the arena stood over twenty death row prisoners, and facing them were three men and two women—the five talents Syura had recruited during his world travels.
According to Syura's introduction, the first to act was the samurai-like swordsman Izou. Calmly chewing on a blade of grass with his eyes closed, he suddenly drew his beloved sword.
In flashes of blade light, the five prisoners before him were instantly torn to shreds.
Such dazzling swordsmanship was truly eye-catching.
The second to act was the glasses-wearing girl in a bunny girl outfit, Cosmina—a songstress deemed guilty by the witch trials of a western nation.
She constantly held a strange microphone. With just a loud shout into it, piercing sound waves erupted, killing all the death row prisoners surrounding her in an instant.
Yet, from her restless eyes, one could see the girl's mischievous nature.
To put it simply, she's a bitch.
The third girl, also from the Western Kingdom, had an elegant killing method.
She would embrace death row inmates from behind, bite their necks, and quickly drain them into dried corpses.
As for the remaining two men, the one who looked like a clown was named Champ, carrying six iron balls; the other was a former pirate named Enshin.
His weapon was a curved blade capable of creating vacuum blades out of thin air, almost like Mahiro's modified Kiriichimonji!
The five of them nearly wiped out over twenty resisting death row inmates in just one or two moves each.
These individuals were less like "talents" Syura recruited from around the world and more like villains who committed every imaginable crime, making them truly birds of a feather.
"You've really gathered quite a hand, and they're all wielding Teigu," Honest exclaimed in amazement.
"Except for Izou, everyone else has one, and I collected these Teigu from all over the world. These few are among the world's top-tier experts! Much stronger than the Four Rakshasa Demons from the Imperial Fist Temple under your command, old man."
Syura's smile appeared somewhat peculiar.
"Hmph, Syura, that's quite the adorable provocation."
"It's not provocation, because I'll use them to help you eliminate the troubles that bother you, dad," Syura said with full confidence.
"That would be best. As long as they can kill him, we can fabricate as many charges as we want against that brat!"
Honest said viciously.
Once Mahiro was dead, he could control the public opinion direction of most imperial ministers, leaving the Little Emperor helpless!
As for General Budo, that stubborn fellow wouldn't get involved in imperial politics at all.
"Is that so? Dad, you're underestimating me too much. The opponent is just some wet-behind-the-ears brat. Just watch me perform!"
Syura didn't take the rumored Mahiro seriously at all, instead feeling that Honest had grown old and his methods were no longer what they used to be.
Moreover, their group of six possessed five Teigu between them, and even Izou without a Teigu was no less powerful than a Teigu user!
With such strength, who in the entire Imperial City could possibly resist them?!
"First establish your special police force. I'll place the Four Rakshasa Demons near Esdeath. But if you ever provoke the head of the Secret Security Department, Yotsuba Mahiro, your only option is to eliminate him completely, otherwise you'll just create trouble for me!" Honest snorted coldly.
Dealing with "Night Raid" was never his real goal—Mahiro was his true target!
As for pests like "Night Raid," they could be crushed anytime!
"Such despicable behavior. Following you around really takes its toll. But whatever, it's just for fun anyway."
A sinister smile appeared on Syura's vicious face.
Having grown up believing no one could withstand his father, who manipulated the entire empire single-handedly, Syura didn't particularly care.
The only one who required caution was the ice beauty Esdeath—her extreme sadistic personality made her quite difficult to get his hands on!
However, challenges are what make conquest worthwhile!
Unfortunately, Syura completely misjudged the strength of his opponents.
Whether it was Mahiro or Esdeath...
...
Northern border.
A biting cold wind howled through.
Though the northern border was already a land of extreme cold, the blizzard currently raging was unprecedented across the entire north.
Pervading frost coated the ground, the massive town was completely frozen solid, trapping all the alien tribes within!
In excavated pits, countless corpses were buried, each frozen into ice sculptures as if divine punishment had descended from heaven, chastising them for invading the empire's borders.
And at this moment.
Upon the throne of the alien tribes.
The queen general Esdeath, clad in a white military uniform with flowing blue hair, sat cross-legged.
Clatter!
The chain in her hand jerked, its other end shackled to a completely naked man.
The man knelt on the ground like livestock, repeatedly licking the tip of Esdeath's pure white boots.
"Is this the northern champion? Hmph, utterly disgusting. Die."
Esdeath looked down at the man, her eyes filled with disgust and hatred, then abruptly kicked out, the sharp toe of her boot piercing straight through the man's temple.
The man collapsed instantly.
The remaining blood stained the tip of Esdeath's pure white boot crimson.
Unfazed, she pressed her boot onto the dead man's head, as if venting her inner hatred.
Though she was a woman who believed in survival of the fittest, she still possessed her own joys and sorrows, and understood matters of love and hate like anyone else.
Many years ago.
She originally belonged to the Partas Clan, living in the northern borderlands hunting Danger Beasts, and she was the chieftain's daughter.
From childhood, she was taught how to hunt Danger Beasts.
But one day, when she returned to her tribe dragging a hunted Danger Beast as a young girl.
She found the place in ruins, her entire tribe wiped out by invading northern alien tribes, even her father brutally murdered.
From that moment on, she firmly believed that only the strong could survive in this world, yet a small seed of hatred was deeply planted in her heart.
Now, after all these years, her great vengeance was fulfilled.
But her heart felt little satisfaction.
Instead, she thought the northern alien tribes that destroyed her homeland were nothing special...
So insignificant and weak.
Tap!
Esdeath suddenly rose from the alien throne and walked to the edge of the high platform, overlooking the frozen landscape below.
Liver-led Three Beasts and thousands of soldiers knelt at the queen's feet.
"Is there no enemy who can satisfy me?"
Esdeath seemed to be asking others, yet also questioning herself.
Over the years, she had fought campaigns north and south, nearly all surrounding alien tribes had been defeated by her!
But in the end, she realized one thing.
"Indeed, in this world, the only one who can satisfy me is you... Mahiro!"
She recalled that man who stood like an insurmountable chasm, forever beyond her victory.
From starting as a common soldier to now growing into a position equal to hers, he seemed like a man born just for her!
Thinking of this, a wanton smile already spread across Esdeath's face.
Although she had just received His Majesty's decree ordering her to return to the Imperial City immediately to report back, she could hardly restrain herself from appearing in the Imperial City at once to see that man!
"You will always belong to me!"