With the ability to transform, I am a judge.

The capital was shaken, the imperial palace was shaken, the empire's strongest man had died so suddenly, without any apparent cause of death?

Minister Ernest was the first to disbelieve it. He felt that even if he were assassinated, that guy would still be alive and well; he was a creature with vitality comparable to a super dangerous species.

News of praise came from the Revolutionary Army, stating that killing Esdeath was of great strategic significance to the Revolutionary Army, and expressing regret over their own sacrifice...

The moment after reading it, Najenda slammed the envelope on the table, her mechanical arm nearly crushing it, her face horribly grim.

"This, this is impossible! She's clearly the strongest among us!"

Tatsumi looked incredulous; the sight of Yang Li's death, and the sight of that towering, blood-red longsword, had left a deep impression on him.

"People die when they are killed... Nothing is absolutely impossible. We are always killers in the shadows, and sooner or later we will die in the dark corners."

Brand had a grim face, his body except for his head was completely wrapped in bandages. This time, his injuries were so severe that he was unable to even resist Tatsumi.

The thought of his comrades (?) who had worked together for peace all along dying to cover his retreat filled Brand with an uncontrollable murderous intent.

Hill's expression didn't change much; she just sat alone in the corner, looking dejected. Mine, on the other hand, locked herself in her room and didn't come out.

Throughout this entire operation, she was utterly useless, and in the end, she almost endangered her companions. And now…

The hall was filled with the smell of alcohol. Leone, who was usually carefree, didn't say a word, just buried his head in drinking the wine that Yang Li had brewed himself.

While Yang Li may not be able to drink alcohol, her other skills are enough to dazzle countless people.

Brewing is just a talent and a habit. In the past, when I worked on commissions with a few like-minded friends, I would personally cook a meal and bring out a bottle to celebrate the occasion.

After the night raid began, Yang Li would occasionally brew a bottle, and now he had accumulated five bottles, which were now unclaimed.

Tatsumi crouched in the corner, sword in hand. In that moment, he finally understood and recognized his job: to be killed meant to die...

Akame sat expressionlessly at the table, taking big bites of curry while saying, "It's not good, not as good as the one Yan made before."

"By the way, where did Lubbock go?"

"Lubbock? That guy went to the capital, saying he was investigating the newly discovered clues to see if there was any news about Esdeath... Right now, the only one who knows where Yan is is probably Esdeath, whose fate is also unknown."

Tatsumi and Brand exchanged questions and answers, and a heavy atmosphere filled the night raid. No one was in the mood for a mission anymore.

Although they had gained a lot this time, killing several Imperial Arms users from the Empire's side and recovering their Imperial Arms intact, they also suffered casualties on their side.

With someone sacrificing themselves for the first time, it's difficult for morale to recover in a short time; at least, there's absolutely no way that Kuroko could calm down.

She grabbed Yabu and headed out of the base, but was stopped by Chelsea, who had been watching her closely. The quick-witted Chelsea naturally knew who had the best relationship with Yang Li during the entire night raid...

"Kuro-telephoto, where are you going?"

"Go to the capital, kill the ministers, eliminate the root of the empire's corruption, and let the empire fall directly."

Kuroko's expression was extremely serious, or rather, she had no expression at all, and her thoughts were completely unanalyzable.

Silence descended upon Night Raid. Black Eyes glanced casually at Red Eyes by the table, then turned to walk towards the door, only to be stopped by Chelsea once again.

“You can’t go, that’s suicide… You should inherit everything Yan has: her will, her ambition, and her hope to live.”

"Yan certainly doesn't want to see you die, die in such a pointless way."

This time, besides Chelsea, even Najendan stood in the way at the door. They couldn't afford to lose another comrade; the continuous news of deaths would crush the team members' spirits.

For both emotional and rational reasons, Najenda would not allow Kurome to go to her death. Even though Esdeath is no longer in the Imperial Capital, there is still the Imperial Twins, which is an insurmountable gap.

"so what should I do?"

"Huh?"

Chelsea was shocked to find that Kurohime had an expression that looked like she was about to cry, which was extremely rare for Kurohime, who was always cute and expressionless.

Strands of black hair on her forehead obscured her eyes, and glistening tears welled up in her eyes for a moment before slowly sliding down her cheeks.

"I won't allow her to leave me! I absolutely won't allow it... even if it means turning her into a doll, I absolutely cannot let her leave!!"

"She saved me, gave me a second life, and now her blood flows in my veins!"

"The feeling of approaching death is so lonely. Will death itself be even lonelier? I can't leave her alone..."

The choked voice abruptly stopped as Kuroko was hugged from behind by Akame, her shoulder-length black hair being gently ruffled.

For Kurome, the whole world is irrelevant; she only cares about the important people around her. The others from Night Raid are somewhat of an exception, but her sister Akame and that person are undoubtedly the most important...

Kuroko began to cry softly, and Akame hugged her as they squatted on the ground, curling up together. The atmosphere during the night raid became even more oppressive.

So where is Yang Li now, whom everyone is so worried about?

------Dividing line------

Inside a dark little temple in the capital, spider webs hung high on the Buddha statues, and a figure huddled in a corner, with bright red blood dripping down from the entrance.

It's easy to see that this person, after suffering severe injuries, walked step by step into this place, eventually collapsing in the corner.

Although the damage was transferred in time by using the puppet, the overuse of the Imperial Arm [Dimensional Array: Shangri-La] caused all the internal injuries to erupt.

This was even more serious than the last time 'Berserk' was used. If it weren't for the fact that 'Berserk' wasn't used this time, Yang Li might have died on the spot.

Esdeath was thrown to the southernmost tip of the continent by her Imperial Arms. Heaven knows when that equally severely injured girl will be able to return to the Imperial Capital.

Even Yang Li dared not directly confront the power of death. She could feel the deathly force even from a distance of one kilometer, but she did not receive any news of Esdeath's death.

That monstrous woman is definitely not dead!

Because he simply didn't have the strength to use the Imperial Arms technique, Yang Li had no choice but to throw Esdeath to the southernmost tip of the continent; otherwise, she might be floating in space right now.

Even so, she looked like she was about to die. If she used the secret technique of a space-type Imperial Arm, she would still ascend to heaven on the spot.

"puff……"

Blood mixed with tiny ice shards spurted from Yang Li's mouth; the chill within her body was now completely uncontrollable.

Life is slowly being worn away, her tender pink wings tremble gently, and perhaps she will die helplessly in this small place?

Of course, if someone doesn't keep their promise...

PS: 1. This is the first update today. As usual, I plan to update three times today. If possible, I'd like to make up for the chapter I owe...

2. Regarding the extra chapters owed in October, I personally feel it's better to make up for them in October. It's not good to keep delaying them like this.

Chapter 273, Section 279: The Next Step – Infiltrating the Capital's Powers

Chapter 273: The Next Step - Infiltrating the Capital's Powers

Yang Li, who had been lying on the ground, struggled to her feet, then leaned against the wall and looked at the shadow in the doorway. Someone was coming.

With her pink hair and wings gone, Yang Li, in her most primal and natural state, hid in a corner, watching the clown mask gradually approach.

Standing a few steps away, Yang Li could sense the shock emanating from the bartender.

"Big boss? You are... could it be... Esdeath?"

"Don't play dumb with me. You were the one who helped come up with the plan... Pfft!"

Seeing Yang Li coughing up blood, the bartender quickly stepped forward, took out a small bottle, and placed it in Yang Li's hand.

This is a top-tier blue item he prepared in advance. It can greatly restore health and remove abnormal status effects. The value of this bottle is astonishingly high.

To be honest, if it weren't for Yang Li's plan, which ultimately brought in far more benefits than it cost, the bartender would have run away long ago.

The bottle was opened, and Yang Li did not hesitate. She immediately tilted her head back and drank the entire potion, the blood from the corner of her mouth sliding down her fair neck.

The medicine was very effective; Yang Li's pale face quickly regained its color, and the immense cold energy was expelled from her body by the medicine's power.

The temperature suddenly dropped, and the bartender couldn't help but tighten his clothes. He noticed that the small puddle next to him was frozen.

"Thank you, I feel much better. It's really not easy to get out of that half-dead state."

After struggling to get up from the ground, Yang Li, with her back against the wall, felt that she could breathe more easily.

She really didn't want to experience that feeling of ice crystals in her trachea again; it was just too uncomfortable.

Yang Li casually took out six balls and tossed them out, where they were hurriedly caught by the bartender.

"The Imperial Arm [Quick Throwing Mesh - Great Pitcher] is yours. With this, even if the plan fails, you can complete the mission and escape safely."

"But I don't want to leave so soon. I haven't witnessed the completion of your plan yet, and I also want some of the mission rewards."

Yang Li and the bartender exchanged a glance and laughed simultaneously; the game had finally begun.

It's really nothing serious; it's just that Yang Li has targeted two people and is using them to seize something...

That thing is absolutely top-notch in this world!

Yang Li's hair had subtly turned white. Seeing the change in her appearance, the bartender instinctively asked a question…

"I've never seen this character before. Which anime is he from?"

Tokyo Ghoul.

The bartender nodded subconsciously, then thought for a moment: Are there any girls with long white hair in Tokyo Ghoul?

Before he could ask any further questions, Yang Li's casual remark completely shocked him.

"The female version of Kaneki Ken is Kaneki Ken."

"Holy crap, is this for real?!"

Ignoring the extremely shocked (and existentially questioning) guy behind him, Yang Li tidied up the small temple and then slowly walked out of the place.

Yang Li's injuries were far from fully healed, but she didn't want to leave them like this. She wanted to find a place to recuperate and make proper arrangements before Esdeath returned.

"Boss, what are you planning to do next?"

The bartender's voice came from behind. Yang Li waved his hand lightly, looked at the floating subtitles in front of him, and left without looking back.

"So, I'll first infiltrate the imperial palace's forces in the capital and look for a second target."

[Due to the judge's actions significantly impacting the plot's conclusion, the second phase of Main Quest (I) has been changed!]

Original mission:

Main Quest (1): Overthrow the Empire (Second Stage)

Task Difficulty: LV.20

Mission Brief: Do everything in your power to completely overthrow the thousand-year-old empire!