With the ability to transform, I am a judge.

Who is under the most pressure right now? Without a doubt, it is the Night Raid, lurking in the shadows of the capital. The forces behind it have suddenly abandoned all pretense of concern and launched a war like madmen.

This made Najenda sense something ominous; something must have happened, but she had no way of verifying it, so she could only lie low and speculate.

As the revolutionary army's intelligence gathering organization, Night Raid also served as an assassination unit during the final battle, with their targets being figures such as ministers and the young emperor.

Najenda is currently undecided and can only order everyone in Night Raid to cease all assassination activities. First, she needs to determine whether the Revolutionary Army is still the Revolutionary Army…

"Let's all behave ourselves for a few days. The situation is too strange. Perhaps something dramatic has happened within the revolutionary army."

Najendan sat in the main seat of the hall, her arms crossed and her face tense. Even with her intelligence, she couldn't figure out what was going on.

If she could, she wouldn't even want to get involved in this mess anymore. The situation on the Revolutionary Army's side was unclear, while Bud was also starting to make preparations in the capital.

Even without Esdeath, Bud is no easy opponent. The entire Night Raid team would have to pay a price to take him down.

But Najenda didn't want that, because she had already been through it once, and she didn't want her close friends to suffer casualties as well.

If Yang Li were still alive, she wouldn't be so troubled now, because Yang Li would have a high chance of easily dealing with that tough nut, Bud.

If all else fails, use that spatial imperial artifact to set a trap and throw Bud away. I don't believe he can get back from the southernmost point of the continent in a few days.

"Boss, then we..."

"Take care of your own trivial matters first, and rest for a few days. Even if the revolutionary army marches at the fastest speed, it will still take ten days."

Najenda got up and walked out of the base, with Susanoo following closely behind her. She was going to investigate on her own.

—Excessive sexual activity leads to disaster; castration is the permanent cure—

Inside the vast void beneath the imperial palace in the inner city of the capital, Dr. Fashion, wielding various bizarre tools, was working at an accelerated pace with a frenzied expression.

He had just learned of the Revolutionary Army's war, and Minister Ernest ordered him to speed things up and work with his assistant to crack the DNA map within the Supreme Imperial Arms.

The first emperor must have used his blood as a condition to activate the Supreme Imperial Arms, which is why there is the restriction that "only those who possess the blood of the imperial family can pilot the Supreme Imperial Arms".

Dr. Fashion's assistant, Dortya, an expert in bio-alchemy, explains that this is a message passed down through bloodlines, and only those who possess a portion of it can activate it.

At Minister Ernest's request, the protection of the Supreme Imperial Arms was to be removed, the DNA pattern inside replaced, and some orthodox alchemy brought from the ruins used.

Minister Ernest's goal was not simply to manipulate the young emperor and thus control the entire Supreme Imperial Arm; his target was actually the Supreme Imperial Arm itself.

One can imagine that if Minister Ernest truly controlled the Supreme Imperial Arms to the point that he himself could pilot it in battle.

So at that time, what a miserable end would the mere puppet emperor have, after all, he was just a little puppet.

"Cool! How stylish! Miss Dortya, what do you think should be done with this place?!"

Dr. Fashion looked at the last line of defense in front of him. Even with the little bit of alchemy he had obtained from Yang Li, it was not easy to break through it.

However, for Dr. Fashion, who specializes in mechanical engineering, this is not a difficult problem. The most crucial issue is how to replace the blood sample inside after removing the protective gear.

"Huh? Changing the blood sample... Leave that to me. You take off your protective gear first, and I'll go make the preparations."

Seeing Dr. Fashion handling the Supreme Imperial Arms with such fervor, Dortya shook her head speechlessly and walked towards her temporary experimental table on the other side.

She gently pressed her right hand on her lower abdomen. The bomb inside was a death warrant, but if she hadn't been useful, she might have died that night.

Dortya chuckled self-deprecatingly. She was truly afraid of death; otherwise, she wouldn't have needed to rely on twisted alchemy to constantly plunder life force.

Although she has the figure of a young girl, she is over a hundred years old, a true BBA (BMW, Benz, Audi)! Although Yang Li knows people who are even more BBA than her…

Looking back, the upper half alone was at least fifty meters tall, and the majestic form made Dortya's heart tremble.

She came into contact with the strongest and first Imperial Arm, something many people coveted, but none of them could obtain it in the end, because someone had already orchestrated all of this.

Whether intentional or not, Dortya deeply felt that the woman was cunning and scheming, managing to arrange things like this in just a few months...

Secretly discarding the minister's blood sample, Dortya picked up a small cup of blood; this was the crucial step.

"Okay! The final protection has been breached, but it will close again soon. Place the blood sample inside!"

"...They've arrived."

Dortya, holding the cup that felt like it weighed a ton, used the elevator to reach a fixed height and then casually erased the blood record of the first emperor.

With the contents poured in, the final step of the plan was complete, and from then on, it was no longer Dortya's or Dr. Fashion's business...

PS: This is the second update today, one more to go.

Chapter 296, Section 303: Bud's Special Guard

Chapter 296: Bud's Special Guard

Undercurrents were already swirling throughout the capital. General Bude, the empire's strongest general and one of the two remaining pillars of the empire, was unusually confused for a moment.

In the vast training ground, the valiant Imperial Guards were training with great enthusiasm. Everyone knew that General Bude was here, so no one dared to slack off for even a moment.

If the Imperial Guards trained here are truly elite troops, crucial to the survival of the empire, then the other troops throughout the empire are no different from ragtag armies.

As for the guards who are nominally protecting the capital, they are the worst of the worst. Most of those scum are vampires who suck the people's money and know nothing but how to make money and exploit the people.

To counter the current overwhelming and unstoppable revolutionary army, the Imperial Guard here is indispensable; it is the empire's last remaining force.

The armies throughout the empire are ineffective, and the current battle reports reflect this; those local forces are not even capable of providing any resistance.

Rotten from beginning to end—this is the current state of the capital, almost impossible to reverse or change, because it has rotted to the core.

The worst of the worst is the worst, and that's why the revolutionary army can gain the support of the people. The empire is truly on the verge of collapse, just waiting for the so-called great trend to give it a push...

As a veteran minister of three generations, Bude had even served the grandfather of the current young emperor, making his seniority incredibly high.

Furthermore, even as he gradually entered old age, he remained at the peak of his strength, making his power no less than that of Ernest. Yet, he still did not stop Ernest's actions.

He has always upheld the tradition that military generals should not interfere in politics, in order to prevent other military generals who would replace him from using the power of the army to usurp his position after he retired from the military.

Although he was old-fashioned and rigid, Bud did stick to his principles, and even the current young emperor couldn't sway him.

From the very beginning, he was loyal to the empire, not to the puppet emperor. If the royal bloodline had not been dwindling, he would not have allowed the emperor to remain secure on the throne.

The revolutionary army's objective was clear: to defeat the empire and establish a new dynasty in its place.

Bud would never allow such a thing to happen, but he and his Imperial Guard alone might not be able to withstand the offensive of the entire Revolutionary Army, after all, there were quite a few high-ranking Imperial Arms users on both sides.

To prevent the Imperial Arms users from being divided and defeated, Budo directly issued a military order, summoning all Imperial Arms users from all over the empire to the capital.

The cohesion of high-level combat power is essential. Bud knows he is not truly invincible; he is old now, and even Akame, the ace assassin of Night Raid, can threaten him...

That bug-level Imperial Arms was something even he had to be wary of; one wrong move and he could die under that cursed sword.

Desperate to prevent the rebels from making a desperate gamble, Budo gathered all the Imperial Arms users together and began deploying them to target the Imperial Palace.

Even if it were a night raid with almost all members being Imperial Arms users, they wouldn't be able to easily breach the Imperial Capital. A thousand-year-old kingdom is not so simple.

At least a five-person Imperial Arms user squad, as a special formation of the Imperial Guard, is always by Bud's side to face the decisive battle that may come at any moment.

The remaining four or five Imperial Arms users were stationed inside the Imperial Palace to prevent any accidents from happening to the young emperor, ensuring that the last imperial bloodline would not be broken.

"Will, why aren't the Teigu users from the lab here?"

Bud looked at the four-man team in front of him. His imposing figure exuded an extremely terrifying pressure, causing Will, the honest man in front of him, to catch his breath.

It's no wonder that Bud spoke in a blaming tone. After all, this was the first time he had given Will a mission, but he failed to complete it. These Teigu users were more problematic than he had imagined.

"Um... before I could say anything, that lady kicked me out and then closed the lab door, so I couldn't get in."

Will, an honest man from the countryside by the sea, blushed because he had been kicked to the ground, while Bud frowned after hearing the story.

He knew Will's abilities; after all, he admired the young man who was the first to report to him, both for his style and personality, and immediately put him to a test.

Will, who possesses the armored Teigu [Shura Incarnation: Noble Chariot], is still quite far from being the strongest in the Empire, but his strength is already remarkable.

Although this armored Teigu lacks explosive power, its comprehensive enhancement to the user, combined with Werner's well-rounded and top-notch combat abilities, makes it a formidable weapon.

If Will were to encounter the Night Raid assassins now, even if Brand, the pillar of Night Raid, and Akame were to team up, they wouldn't be able to defeat him.

Will's overall strength is too outstanding, like a low-end version of Esdeath, only weakened in some aspects.

Will, who is inherently honest and simple, was instantly elevated to the level of a successor in Bud's mind because of his character and strength.

Although his personality wasn't suited to be a general, those qualities can be cultivated, but his simple and kind heart is the most precious.

This being, who is only below the pinnacle of the world, was actually defeated with a single kick. Even without using an Imperial Arm, it's just too outrageous.

Even Bud himself wasn't confident that he could incapacitate Will with a single blow if he made a sudden move. It seems there must be something fishy about this!

"Will, call the remaining three over here. Come with me to the First Experimental Laboratory in the capital."

"Yes!"

Upon receiving the order, Will immediately straightened his back, saluted, and then ran quickly towards the base.

A short while later, Will, with a blue scimitar hanging at his waist, and three other figures stood not far behind Bud, and began to advance at his command.

After leaving the Imperial Guard's garrison, Bud and his entourage, traveling in two carriages, sped towards the First Experimental Institute in the Imperial Capital.

Bud is feeling a bit uncertain because he's not sure about the situation there, nor does he know the strength level of the being he's about to face.

It's unclear, but it's incredibly strong, strangely so. If that person is Esdeath, or the girl who disappeared with Esdeath during the night raid, then things are in trouble.

Esdeath's possibility is slim. That woman is not one to stay still. She would be bored to death if she stayed in the laboratory all day. She would never be able to stay idle.

But if it's the girl who hurt him before...

Bud will definitely prioritize eliminating her, as that girl poses a significant threat to the current empire.

Although it's unclear why the girl wouldn't reunite with her comrades instead of hiding in the Empire's laboratory, this might also be part of the night raid plan.

They rode at breakneck speed and arrived at the laboratory. He looked at the tightly closed door without saying a word.

Will, who was about to jump off the carriage, suddenly saw General Bud raise a hand, his gaze fixed on a different direction from the laboratory.

There's a golden retriever and a green retriever there...

"...Night raid."

PS: Third update today, all done. Time to slack off... going to play a couple of rounds of PUBG.

Chapter 304, Section 297: A Critical Night Raid