It was a bit of a disappointment not to find the minister.
However, today's gains were already quite good. Aoki glanced at the people in the palace and then disappeared silently.
Not long after.
Bud led his guards to the location. After an investigation, his expression turned extremely grim.
"He actually has this kind of ability!"
Looking at the bloodstains at the palace entrance, Bud's already serious face became even more somber.
Transformation, space travel, and strength enough to kill the Four Demon Rakshasa in a short time.
Where did this powerful figure come from?
Why did he break into the palace at night?
Could it be someone from the rebels?
A member of the night raid?
Could it be that he came to assassinate His Majesty?
Thinking of this, Bud could no longer restrain himself and strode towards His Majesty's bedchamber.
On the surface, the enemy had left, but no one knew if he had truly left or had changed his appearance and hidden among the crowd, continuing his treacherous schemes.
A moment later.
The sleeping young emperor was awakened.
The civil officials, led by the minister, and the military officials, led by Bud, gathered together.
"General Bud, assassins have appeared in the palace! Four of my top men have died protecting it. As the commander of the Imperial Guard, haven't you neglected your duty?"
Minister Ernest was the first to challenge.
The Rakshasa Four were his private army, his strongest force at the moment. Their unexplained deaths were a significant loss for him.
Bud glanced coldly at Ernest: "Assassins appearing in the palace is indeed my responsibility, but the Rakshasa Four should never have been in the palace in the first place!"
Ernest was unconcerned: "They were protecting me. You know, the rebels have been looking for an opportunity to assassinate me. I can't afford to be without protection!"
Bud said nothing more, turning to look at the young emperor.
"Your Majesty, this assassin is extremely troublesome. He possesses both the ability to change his appearance and the ability to teleport. Even I cannot capture him!"
The young emperor was startled: "Even the Grand General can't do anything?"
Bud nodded solemnly.
"If we were to fight him head-on, I would certainly be able to kill him. However, he possesses abilities similar to the Imperial Arms Shangri-La; I cannot capture him!"
He then glanced at the minister.
As far as he knew, Shangri-La was still in the Empire's hands, currently likely held by the minister.
The young emperor stood up, waving his hand: "Grand General, do not worry. It's just an assassin; we will definitely find a solution!"
He then looked at Ernest.
"Minister, do you think this is acceptable?"
Ernest took a bite of meat and exclaimed, "His Majesty is truly brave! A wise and benevolent ruler indeed!"
Bud frowned, asking directly, "Minister, where is Shangri-La? To kill that assassin, we need Shangri-La's power!"
Ernest, still eating, mumbled, "Shangri-La has been used on a very important mission and is not currently in the capital."
In fact, he had entrusted Shangri-La to his son, Sheila, sending him to search for talent around the world.
Now that Sheila was not within the empire's borders, he had no way to produce Shangri-La.
Bud's expression was serious: "What could be more important than the safety of the palace, the safety of His Majesty?"
Ernest was unfazed by his accusations.
"This mission was issued before the assassin appeared, General. Protecting the palace and His Majesty is your responsibility; this is a dereliction of duty!
And what about my four men? They have already given their lives to protect the palace!"
Bud looked at the Emperor: "Your Majesty, I hope to be by your side to protect you for the next few days until the assassin is dealt with!"
"Then I entrust this to you, General!"
The young emperor readily agreed.
He trusted his ministers most, but he also trusted the General implicitly.
The General's family had been responsible for guarding the palace and the Emperor for over a thousand years.
Ernest narrowed his eyes.
He didn't want others to have too much contact with the emperor.
However, the threat of assassins was real, and if the young emperor died, it would indeed be very troublesome.
...
Kurohime sat in the room, silently waiting.
These days, she had been familiarizing herself with the power Aoki had given her.
She discovered that she had not only gained near-immortality and eternal lifespan, but also everlasting energy, no need for sleep, and the ability to see in the dark.
Some abilities were even more terrifying than the Imperial Arms.
Stopping her chaotic thoughts, Kurohime looked out the window.
Aoki had been gone for a long time.
Although she knew that with Aoki's strength, it was almost impossible for him to encounter danger, she was still somewhat worried.
That was the Imperial Palace!
Not only were there the Empire's most elite troops and the Imperial Guard led by General Budo, but also masters from the Imperial Fist Temple, dangerous species raised by Imperial Arms, and so on.
The number of powerful individuals was countless, making it arguably the most dangerous place in the world.
Just then.
Buzz!
An invisible wave swept across, and suddenly a figure appeared in the room.
Hei Tong's eyes lit up: "Aoki, you're back!"
Aoki nodded slightly, glancing around the room: "Nothing happened, right?"
"Everything's fine!"
"That's good!"
Aoki said, "I have some things to do. Do you want to stay here, or come with me?"
"I want to come with you!" Hei Tong replied without hesitation.
Aoki placed his hand on Hei Tong's shoulder, reminding her,
"Don't resist."
"I know."
Before Hei Tong finished speaking, she felt a blur before her eyes and found herself in an unfamiliar space.
It was Aoki's "space teleportation,"
she immediately realized; she had experienced it several times in the past few days.
Hei Tong looked around and found the space to be very empty, with only a house and some supplies next to them; the rest was completely empty.
No!
It wasn't entirely empty.
There were four people!
Hei Tong looked closely, a surprised expression on her face: "These are... the Four Demon Rakshasa?"
Aoki said, "I encountered them at the palace today and dealt with them while I was at it."
Hei Tong lightly kicked the Four Demon Rakshasa, a faint smile on her face.
The Four Demon Rakshasa were formidable figures in the world of slaughter, yet Aoki "casually" dealt with them.
They probably never imagined their end would be like this.
Aoki carried the Four Demon Rakshasa to a special room.
The room was spacious, but the walls were covered with shackles.
He placed each of the Four Demon Rakshasa inside, then bound them with chains made of steel bars as thick as an adult's arm.
This way, even if the Four Demon Rakshasa gained Upper Moon-level power, they wouldn't be able to break free.
After preparing, Aoki picked up a scalpel.
"Well then, let's begin the experiment. Let me see what secrets the power of the Dangerous Species holds."
Although he couldn't compare to Tamayo, he was still a genuine doctor.
This was one of the reasons he chose "doctor" as his first half-star profession.
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