With the ability to transform, I am a judge.

Seeing Susanoo relentlessly dominating Budo and instantly recovering from any injuries he sustained, Tatsumi couldn't help but cheer on this extremely high-level battle.

But unlike the still adorably silly Susanoo, several intelligent people, including Najenda, could see that Susanoo's condition was gradually declining.

The life force provided by Najenda is about to run out, and Susanoo, having used his secret technique, will have little fighting power for the next three days.

They had to retreat quickly, but Bud was a real problem because no one could turn their backs on him—that would be fatal. In other words, someone had to be willing to die to cover their retreat!

"The blood-red color is deep and cold."

"A thousand miles of ice."

A chillingly indifferent voice rang out, and a crimson aura instantly enveloped the entire street, causing everyone within it to change their expressions drastically.

An overwhelming sense of crisis arose as a figure appeared in the blood-red mist, and then Bud and the others were frozen in blood-red ice.

Although judging from the lightning swirling around the ice, Bud would be free in three seconds at most, there was no doubt that he was restrained!

The pink figure glanced back at Najenda and the others. Her appearance surprised everyone; she was calm and indifferent, yet as beautiful as an angel. Her casual clothes made it seem as if she wasn't there to fight at all.

"..."

Without a word, everyone could understand what the beautiful girl meant: she wanted them to go first.

Although it's inappropriate to have a stranger cover your retreat, Najenda isn't the kind of person who flaunts absolute righteousness, not to mention that this mysterious being who suddenly appeared is terrifyingly powerful!

"Go! Everyone retreat!"

"The Eight-Foot Jade Curved Jewel".

Susanoo, who had used supersonic speed to retreat into the entrance, suddenly collapsed to the ground, unable to move his body at all.

Brand immediately carried Susanoo on his back. Everyone silently glanced at the pink-clad girl's back before heading into the laboratory.

The crimson ice was shattered by the towering lightning pillar, and a figure flew into the sky. Bud, with a grim expression, looked at the pink-haired girl on the ground.

With his hands slowly clenched, the pitch-black thunderclouds began to churn, and Bud's Imperial Arms technique was ready.

"Who exactly are you? I've never heard of such strength before... and you even have ice abilities. You feel like a carbon copy of Mad Esdeath."

“...Icarus.”

Faced with the girl who suddenly spoke, Bud subconsciously uttered a "Huh?", clearly not understanding what she meant.

But the girl clearly wasn't going to waste words with him. She slightly raised her delicate hands, and a magnificent iceberg began to form...

“My name is Icarus, now you know… may I ask you to die?”

PS: This is the second update today. There will be another chapter tonight.

Section 306, Chapter 299: Killings and Accidental Killings

Chapter 299: Kills and Accidental Kills

On one side, thick, dark clouds gathered overhead, with lightning flashing within them; on the other side, blood-red hues filled the air, and crimson icebergs rose abruptly from the ground.

Yang Liping's calm voice sounded quite sarcastic, as if Bud was an ant that could be crushed at will, not worth mentioning at all, which made Bud's eyes flash with cold light.

"Hmph! You dare to be so arrogant just because you managed to freeze me once by sneak attack."

The lightning bolts dancing in the clouds grew brighter and brighter, and Bud's aura gradually increased, spreading a dangerous atmosphere.

Will and his group had already gone to pursue Night Raid and his men. Yang Li did not stop them, as Najendan and the others could handle these guys.

The most troublesome thing is General Budo above us, whose [Thunder God's Wrath - Admiral] is a natural elemental Imperial Arm that is suspected to be [Demon God's Manifestation - Demon's Tempering].

Moreover, in terms of destructive power alone, Thunder is arguably the strongest in nature, and we must not let it pass, otherwise one or two people will really be left to die in the night raid.

"Thieves who colluded with Night Raid, even if they escaped, it doesn't matter. Someone of your caliber must be eliminated!"

Bud's resolute and cold voice echoed in the air, making the soldiers gathered nearby feel a longing for him.

This is what a true man should be like, a spirit that is not found in ordinary people. It made Yang Li feel a slight pang in her heart, for she too had once been a true man...

"Take this move, and die a glorious death... Thunderous Shot!!"

The dark clouds suddenly paused, and with Bud's roar and the falling hands, a thick pillar of lightning descended from the sky.

It was at least a hundred meters thick at first glance. If nothing unexpected happened, this strike could flatten a quarter of the capital city. The impact force after colliding with the ground was predictable.

Although the First Experimental Laboratory of the Imperial Capital is located at the junction of the inner and outer city of the Imperial Capital, it is actually very close to the edge of the Imperial Capital, which also serves to conceal its true nature.

But at this moment, the location of the laboratory allowed Bud to be completely uninhibited, without worrying that the capital would be in serious trouble because of his full efforts.

"...Snow-covered mountains at dusk."

Layer upon layer of blood-red icebergs rose from the ground, their calm sound far less deafening than the thunderous roar, yet it penetrated the ears of Bud and the surrounding soldiers.

The iceberg covering the mask, spanning over a thousand square meters, firmly protected Yang Li in the center, while the lightning bolts released diagonally downwards directly struck it.

The icebergs collapsed and shattered in an instant, but countless new blood-red icebergs were immediately generated, clearly blocking the output of the lightning pillars.

The collapsed and shattered iceberg, under the high temperature brought by the thunder's impact, turned into a faint blood-red mist, which temporarily obscured Yang Li.

The raging lightning and firepower were so fierce that even the majestic icebergs gradually became overwhelmed, collapsing and disappearing in large swathes.

Thunder Shot, as Bud's signature move, is naturally extraordinary, excelling in both burst damage and sustained output.

The scene, resembling a natural disaster, rendered everyone watching speechless.

Back in the Imperial Palace, Ernest clenched his fists, determined to master the Supreme Imperial Arms; its power remained as captivating as ever.

Meanwhile, the bartender on the other side of the capital city, watching this scene, gripped something tightly in his hand—something Yang Li had entrusted to him for safekeeping.

If he keeps this item until all the Contractor missions are completed, he can obtain unimaginable extra mission rewards, and might even become a Contractor himself...

Being a worker seems wonderful, but it's never as enjoyable as being a contractor. If it weren't for the mistake he made on his first mission, he wouldn't have been content to just be a worker.

But now the opportunity has arrived. If he can survive until the final battle and then return the item representing his comradeship, then he will be the one who has completed all the tasks assigned to Yang Litong and others...

Suddenly, Bud, who was unleashing his ultimate technique with all his might, froze. He heard the sound of wind breaking above him, as if countless clouds were being torn apart by strong wind pressure.

A massive, blood-red ice pillar fell, its lowest point resembling a fist, sharp and angular, bursting with artistic flair.

With pink wings fluttering, Yang Li pressed her hands on the very end of the icicle, using the speed of her fall and her own strength to flap her wings and increase her speed.

The lightning bolts vanished silently, and the dark clouds that released them were torn apart by the wind pressure. Bud, who was in mid-air, had no time to dodge.

Instinctively, he raised his arms to block the air above, but the immense pressure caused Bud's body to tremble, and his arms immediately broke with a crisp sound.

Bud's strength and size, compared to the giant ice pillar falling from the sky, were like an ant trying to topple an elephant; ultimately, he was overestimating himself.

With a deafening roar, the ice pillar crashed to the ground, so hard that even describing it as penetrating three-tenths of an inch into the earth would be an understatement.

Bud's figure had completely disappeared from sight. Yang Li, who was squatting on top of the ice pillar, was panting heavily. The huge iceberg and the majestic ice pillar were quite a test of her physical strength.

If Bud had been more cautious and hadn't used that target-like finishing move directly, Yang Li would have definitely run out of stamina very quickly.

She's not much better now; she only has about 25% of her strength left. Although the 'Godslayer Curse Power' doesn't consume a lot of energy, she only has about 50% left.

You have killed Imperial General Bud.

Ignoring the half-collapsed Imperial Capital Laboratory, Yang Li looked at the battle notification that had just appeared, confirming that Bud was dead.

However, that excellent Imperial Arms was probably crushed into a small pancake along with Budo, which made Yang Li sigh – what a waste…

[You killed Will, a former member of the Hunters.]

"???"

Yang Li stared blankly at the second notification that followed: it seemed that honest Will was dead, crushed to death by the blast wave of her attack...

She didn't know what to say, because Will was indeed a rare good person, yet he died in the aftermath of the attack. Could it be that he was crushed to death by the collapsing laboratory?

Based on the kill notification, Yang Li released the blood-red chill again and began to use the chill to invade the underground ruins.

Now that Will is dead, I'll gladly accept his Imperial Arms...

With this in mind, Yang Li began a delightful digging journey using the ice drill bit he had created.

While Budo's Imperial Arms is also very good, it doesn't suit Yang Li's aesthetic sense, and the probability of it turning into a pancake upon a direct impact is extremely high.

Will's Teigu might still be intact, unless he also used his scimitar to take the impact of the ice pillar.

After a rapid excavation, Yang Li discovered a dark blue scimitar in a narrow space where a secondary collapse was imminent, after digging about ten meters into the ground.

Will had vanished without a trace; only a corner of his clothing remained, covered with at least several tons of junk.

"No buying, no killing... no, may there be no killing in heaven, Amen."

PS: 1. This is the third update today.

2. Does Yang Li's ice pillar attack look familiar? Please refer to Iron Man fighting Thanos in Avengers: Infinity War...

Chapter 307, Section 300: The Revolutionary Army Approaches the Capital

Chapter 300: The Revolutionary Army Approaches the Capital

After Bud died near the laboratory, the entire capital was plunged into great fear and chaos, and the last guardian of the common people also perished.

Thanks to the efforts of General Wu of the Bude faction, the chaos in the capital was finally quelled. However, another piece of news that followed caused everyone's expression to change drastically.

The revolutionary army's million-strong force has arrived near the Great Forest outside the capital, and they may soon gather and attack the capital.

With Bud dead and the army leaderless, the conscience officials, seeing Ernest completely ignoring everything, had no choice but to take charge of the army's deployment, having now lost their protector.

(Bud has always protected officials of conscience. Although he did not confront Ernest, he preserved a few sparks of the empire.)

The regular army was at the forefront, while the Imperial Guards guarded the city walls of the capital. A curfew was immediately imposed on the outer city to restrict civilians from going out.

The smoke of war has already risen, and a battle that could influence the course of the world could break out at any moment. The empire has no way out.

Instead of launching a rash attack, the imperial generals observed the situation and immediately dispatched their own scouts to investigate, with assassins naturally being indispensable as well.

Unfortunately, both the assassins and scouts quickly lost contact after arriving near the enemy's lines, and the situation on the revolutionary side became strange.

Fortunately, the revolutionary army stopped, which gave the capital time to prepare; otherwise, they probably wouldn't have had time to even deploy their troops.