I, Uchiha Hikaru, have joined the chat group.

Chapter 184 Esdeath Returns (Part 2)

north.

Snow and wind swept across the sky.

A tall, blue-haired military girl in military uniform sat before a mountain of corpses and a sea of ​​blood, before whom knelt a northern barbarian prince, led by a dog leash, like a wolfhound.

"Ha, is this all the so-called 'Hero of the North' is all they've got?"

"Boring."

boom--!

The military princess seemed to have grown tired of the situation. She casually ended the life of the northern prince with a kick, then rested her chin on her hand and looked at the messenger who had just been brought over by the three beast warriors.

"What, does Ernest have some new orders this time?"

a few days ago.

A messenger sent by Ernest had arrived in the North, ordering her to halt the offensive and immediately return to the capital. However, she was then engaged in fierce battle with the Northern prince and ignored the order.

In any case, the complete annihilation of the northern barbarian tribes will be a matter of just a few days.

Whether she went back a few days earlier or later, it didn't make much difference to her.

Unexpectedly...

"...Oh? Such a thing actually happened in the capital? Not only ministers, but even that stubborn old General Bude was murdered?"

"Well, there's nothing we can do about it. After all, they're all too weak. In this world, the weak have no right to decide their own life or death..."

As they were talking.

Esdeath stood up from her chair, her azure eyes gazing towards the Imperial Capital: "But, as a strong person, I'm really looking forward to fighting you... that black-haired, red-eyed girl."

As the last sentence fell.

The blizzard suddenly intensified, forming a white vortex around the blue-haired military girl. The temperature within a kilometer radius seemed to drop several degrees in that short instant, causing the generals, including the three beast warriors, to unconsciously shrink their necks, feeling as if their faces were being cut by knives.

The pool of blood on the ground quickly froze into ice, resembling a rose blooming in the snow.

"Pass on my order: rest in place for three days, then return to the capital!"

……

The distance between the capital and the northern border is several thousand kilometers.

Without "Shangri-La" or "Mostima", even Esdeath's elite imperial troops could only travel slightly faster than ordinary strongmen.

On the contrary, the revolutionary army, having quietly developed in the south for more than ten years, managed to muster over 100,000 troops even with the change of plans, and marched swiftly towards the capital, engaging in fierce battles with the Imperial Guard stationed near the capital.

Well...

This scene was quite spectacular.

Aside from the world of Akame ga Kill! and the ancient world of Dragon Raja, it's rare to see scenes of hundreds of thousands of people fighting on a single battlefield.

Uchiha Hikaru sat on the Flying Nimbus and watched for a whole day, even starting a group live stream to broaden the horizons of Bulma and the others.

[Bulma: Wow, is this Mr. Brand's Revolutionary Army fighting against that corrupt Imperial Army? It looks so grand... even in the movies it's hard to compare.]

[Bulma @ Anonymous: By the way, Hikari, Kikyo and I have already met with Inuyasha and the others. We've almost completed the collection of the Shikon Jewel shards from both sides, except for the one in Hōkisen's hand. However, the black pearl in Inuyasha's eye has lost its effectiveness and can no longer take us into the Underworld… Do you have any clues?]

[Nameless: ...No. I might have to ask Sesshomaru.]

Bulma: Okay... then can Kikyo and I come over to your place?

[Eri: Erii wants to go too!]

[Anonymous: You'd have to ask Mr. Brand about that.]

[Brand: Well, there's a war going on in my world right now, and even I can't guarantee I'll survive... If everything goes smoothly, I'll invite you all over.]

Bulma: Is that so...?

midair.

Uchiha Hikaru suddenly became curious about a question—

If she's in a group member's world and that member is killed by someone else, then... what will happen to her? Will she be forcibly kicked back to her original world, or will she be able to stay there normally but never be able to return once she's gone?

The answer to this question is actually very important.

but……

There's no way to try it.

Furthermore, Hikaru Uchiha would try her best to ensure the survival of the group members, so that she could stay in their world a few more times. Perhaps if a member she disliked and who had committed numerous evil deeds joined the group in the future, she could investigate this aspect...

Incidentally.

Uchiha Hikaru also inquired about Tanjiro's situation in the group chat.

[Iron-Headed Kid: ...Thank you so much, Miss Hikari, for helping me find Master Neko-sensei to be my teacher. Master Neko-sensei is truly amazing! I can already feel the "ki" it's talking about. It's a little similar to the breathing technique taught by Master Urokodaki, but much more refined and pure.]

[Nameless: Hmm... Did the Cat Sage discuss the drawbacks of the breathing technique with you?]

[Iron-Headed Kid: I think I've had that before...]

The biggest drawback of "Breathing Techniques" lies in the "Marks" that result from overuse. While these marks can greatly enhance the user's strength, they also burn life force and shorten lifespan. This is similar to the physical exhaustion that occurs when a user of an Imperial Arms overuses their Imperial Arm.

Uchiha Hikaru himself had never encountered this problem.

However, if Tanjiro continues to practice the "breathing technique," he will inevitably face the problem of the mark.

I wonder if the Cat Master has any way to eliminate the side effects of this ability...

……

Although the fall of General Bude left the Imperial Guard leaderless.

However, thanks to the solid fortifications of the ancient capital and their unique advantages as defenders, they managed to withstand the first few waves of attacks from the revolutionary army, causing the battle to reach a stalemate for a time.

During this period of time.

Uchiha Hikaru infiltrated the palace once again and met with the young emperor.

Then, armed with the secret order personally signed by the young emperor, they found Dr. Fashion in a hidden outpost in the northern suburbs of the capital.

Speaking of which...

This guy is actually somewhat like Orochimaru's alternate-world counterpart.

Both are research prodigies in the field of biological sciences, both have moral values ​​that are significantly lower than those of ordinary people, and more importantly, both are quite perverse...

However, compared to the relatively weak Orochimaru, Dr. Fashion's research team was significantly larger. He was already quite famous during the reign of the previous emperor, and was thus recruited by the late emperor to become a specially authorized high-level research talent of the empire, responsible for the research and development of new weapons and dangerous species, as well as the "Super Soldier Modification" project.

For example, in the original story, Seryu once asked him to perform mechanical modifications on her and obtain the weapon system "Ten Kings' Judgment" named after the Ten Kings of Hell, which once put Mine, who had the "Pumpkin Turret," in a difficult battle.

And there are actually quite a few soldiers like this in the Imperial Army.

At this time.

Dr. Fashion seemed to think that Uchiha Hikaru wasn't fashionable enough, and treated her somewhat indifferently.

Can……

When Uchiha Hikaru briefly demonstrated the power of the Mangekyou Sharingan and used the "Eight Thousand Spears" to instill in him the idea that he should consider himself an emperor, Dr. Fashion's attitude underwent a 180-degree change. He began to fawn over her and lead her on an inspection tour of the base.

"...Are these the materials you used for your body modification experiments?"

Deep within the stronghold.

Uchiha Hikaru frowned involuntarily as he looked at the row of jars in front of him filled with green nutrient solution, soaking all sorts of human and dangerous organs.

"Yes."

Dr. Fashion nodded, a hint of smugness in his expression: "The Empire regularly sends me criminals to experiment on, and these are the samples taken from them... My dream is to create equipment like the Imperial Arms and perfectly integrate it with the human body, but I haven't achieved that yet."

"..."

understood.

It seems that Dr. Fashion wants to create a "Dragonized Tatsumi".

Uchiha Hikaru didn't care much about this guy's "dream".

After all, the Red Empire in this era is full of scoundrels. You could say that if you dragged all the powerful and wealthy people into the lab, innocent people might get hurt. But if you pick one out of every two people to throw in, there will definitely be some who slip through the net. As long as Dr. Fashion does a good job of quality control on the experimental materials and doesn't just randomly grab ordinary people to synthesize and modify, then there shouldn't be a big problem.

after all……

That mad scientist next door is lusting after her every day, at least Dr. Fashion isn't that extreme...

"You'd better stay here quietly for the time being and don't go out unnecessarily."

"Pack up what needs to be packed now. The empire's rule is coming to an end, and the master of the capital will change... When that time comes, you just need to be loyal to me and find another place to continue your research."

Uchiha Hikaru said to Dr. Fashion.

"Eight Thousand Spears" could make Dr. Fashion acknowledge her as its master, but it couldn't change this guy's personality.

In the original timeline, he could have lived to the end, been recruited by the Revolutionary Army as a special talent, but due to greed, he wanted to devour the entire "Night Raid" crew alone—along with his modified army—resulting in his own defeat and death. If he acts recklessly again this time, even Uchiha Hikaru might not be able to save his life.

"...Yes, Lord Guang."

present.

Hikaru Uchiha left Doraemon and Kosmia at Dr. Fashion.

Dortya is also an academic talent with extensive research on body modification, which is perfect for her to exchange ideas with Dr. Fashion... She's not worried about whether the two of them will cause any unexpected trouble when they get together. Anyway, the imprint has already been placed, so whether it's probing their memories or draining their power, it's just a matter of minutes.

After giving a few brief instructions, Uchiha Hikaru left the base first, using the Flying Technique to fly high into the sky and overlook the battle situation outside the city.

Just then...

A cold wind blew from the side, causing Uchiha Hikaru to shiver involuntarily and squint slightly as he looked north.

Within sight.

It was a blurry mountain range, and an endless plain.

"Is the wind picking up?"

……

"Grenda, Lady Najendan, something has happened!"

Inside the revolutionary army barracks.

Glenn, the revolutionary leader, along with several high-ranking officers including Najendan, heard the scouts' report.

"...This morning, we discovered a large number of cavalry, numbering at least nearly ten thousand, on the plains hundreds of miles north of the capital. They are marching rapidly toward the capital...They may arrive near the capital by tonight at the latest! If we cannot prepare defensive fortifications in advance, the current siege force may suffer a severe blow."

"north……"

"Could it be that woman has returned?"

Although the name was not mentioned directly.

But the revolutionary army cadres clearly knew who "that woman" was, and their expressions changed in different ways.

"No, according to our previous intelligence, wasn't Esdeath sent to subdue the northern barbarians? They have a very capable leader there. Normally, it would take at least a year to end this war. How could it be so quick..."

"That's Esdeath, after all."

Najendan sighed: "For her, all conventional wisdom is meant to be broken."

"...If it really is her, then we're afraid we'll be in trouble."

Glenn looked up at the white-haired woman beside him: "Najenda, could you please invite Ms. Uchiha Hikaru to come and meet me? I'd like to speak with her in person..."

Najendan hesitated for a moment, then said, "I'll give it a try."

……

evening.

On a plain a hundred miles from the capital.

The cavalry returning from the north clashed with several detachments of the revolutionary army stationed there.

Cavalry has an absolute advantage over infantry. In just the first wave of attack, the revolutionary army's position was torn open, and they suffered heavy casualties.

especially……

Among these cavalry units, in addition to ordinary heavy cavalry, there was also a very special type of Ice Knight. Not only did they possess extremely strong physical abilities, but they were also impervious to swords and spears. Even if their arms were cut off, they could quickly regenerate and charge back into battle, which greatly shocked the revolutionary army.

"...It's her!"

"This ability to manipulate ice and snow...that's Esdeath!"

Amidst a horrified gaze.

The military princess, dressed in full armor, rode out from a path cleared by the cavalry. With a casual wave of her hand, numerous ice blades formed in mid-air and mercilessly swept across the revolutionary army's position, causing massive casualties in the blink of an eye.

Blood splattered everywhere.

But Esdeath seemed to have little interest in it.

"I'm not here to see you... Go and call that black-haired, red-eyed girl out!"

"...Who is that?"

The revolutionary army general commanding this detachment was somewhat bewildered.

Given his status and position, he is not qualified to know anything about Uchiha Hikaru.

Esdeath was unaware that the person she was looking for was not a Revolutionary Army cadre. Just as she was about to use some special methods to torture and extract a confession, she seemed to suddenly sense something, abruptly looked up at the sky above her.

there.

The black-haired girl slowly descended from the sky, landing in front of the two armies. She then slowly raised her head and opened her beautiful, fiery eyes:

"Are you looking for me?"

(End of this chapter)