Tonight, Alice joins the hunt.

That is, all the powerful beings in this world who possess supernatural powers rebel against the empire—humans in this world don't have a systematic cultivation system. Basically, they temper their bodies, train their qi, and then use certain modifications or secret rituals to make their bodies tough and agile, with the limit being roughly the level of being able to defeat a thousand men.

To take this opportunity a step further, one must sign a contract with a rare artifact called Imperial Arms, created by the first emperor of this empire, in order to acquire the power of creatures known as Dangerous Species in this world and as Monsters or Demons in other worlds.

[It's really just a rudimentary genetic surgery.] Alice thought to herself.

She could easily deduce that since this Imperial Arm was essentially a genetic weapon created by the first emperor of this empire from the essence of dangerous species they had defeated, the first emperor must have left behind corresponding countermeasures. It's even possible that each emperor possessed the most powerful weapon.

Even assuming the emperor lacks a countermeasure or the most powerful Imperial Arms, a thousand years of rule would be enough to accumulate immense power and create countless loyal guards whose loyalty is ingrained in their very bones. This would mean that a global rebellion by supernatural beings would become a joke.

then……

Then Alice had a real headache.

She did indeed act swiftly before news of the manor's destruction broke. She swept through several large cemeteries in the surrounding area, creating a decent number of undead soldiers, but their quality... was really just so-so.

After all, living people exert force through nerves and muscles, while a skeletal frame needs magic and curses. However, she had little magic at her disposal before the snowball started rolling. A massacre and a blood sacrifice could solve the problem. But before she could act, her cautious nature led her to gather intelligence on the kingdom, and she wisely abandoned this tempting plan.

His manor wasn't far from the capital; to rush in like this... he'd probably be utterly crushed before the snowball even started rolling! Besides, this empire wasn't even on the verge of collapse, let alone doomed. His hasty intervention would likely make him a convenient target for public anger. And then, everyone would pin the blame on him, making the country even more impregnable!

[Headache.]

Alice rubbed her head, lost in thought.

Her body is inhabited by Arya, the offspring of an imperial noble. Theoretically, she could use this identity to establish connections with the imperial high command, then gradually lay the groundwork to crush Esdeath upon her return from the north—if she had three months to prepare, she certainly would have done so.

But did she have those three months?

Obviously not.

Esdeath's return to the Imperial Capital from the northern battlefield would definitely not take more than a week. And in a week, no matter how much maneuvering he did, it was impossible to raise a force from the enemy's base that could directly confront her.

After all, while most people in this world are ordinary people not much different from Earthlings, the important figures are all incredibly capable fighters. Even those who aren't skilled fighters have capable bodyguards and protective gear. The idea of ​​wiping out a large group with a single curse, like in the modern world of Transformers, is pure fantasy. And controlling and brainwashing them is naturally even more difficult.

The chance of winning by directly confronting them head-on is zero.

Therefore, adopting some roundabout strategies becomes a necessary measure.

That's why she's here, below this city—a remote city east of the capital. Unlike other cities protected by the empire's military forces, this city is controlled by a religion called the "Way of Tranquility." Its doctrines are utterly absurd, somewhat like Japanese Buddhism... or perhaps the White Lotus and Red Lotus sects.

While it's unclear why the imperial high command would allow the city to be controlled by a nonsensical religion, there's no doubt that this is Alice's chance—her only chance before any unforeseen changes occur.

—Unbeknownst to anyone, hordes of the dead had already climbed the city walls under the moonlight.

..........................................

Honestly, the world-building of Kill! is... mind-numbing.

But the votes are the same on both sides...

Section Twenty-Nine: Today's chapters will not be divided.

There are many complicated reasons why Alice didn't go to the capital.

In fact, even if this country were perfectly stable, powerful, and united, she would still have plenty of ways to bring it down, leaving Esdeath with no leverage upon her return, forcing her to fight only under her rules. After all, while there are many strong individuals in this world, they know nothing about magic.

Ignorance of magic means a lack of means to deal with it.

Like Alice in several modern worlds—was the power she displayed truly immense? No, not really. In terms of sheer firepower, it couldn't compare to the combined output of any single nuclear superpower. Yet, she could single-handedly subdue the entire world because the other side simply had no idea how to counter her unfathomable methods.

If there's no way to deal with it, the outcome will be utter collapse at the first touch.

Just like a topic that is often discussed in some literary forums—suppose that one day, Earth's civilization collides with a magical civilization of the same level of development, and the two sides go to war, who will win and who will lose?

The answer is actually quite simple: whoever strikes first wins. While Earthlings, lacking magical knowledge, can wipe out the enemy's land with destructive weapons and biological viruses before the enemy can even react, the opposing side, lacking mechanical and electronic knowledge, can mind-control all high-ranking officials and cause human society to explode before Earthlings can even react. Ultimately, this is due to a severe information gap between the two sides.

Earthlings don't understand what curses and manipulation are, so naturally they don't have the means to counter them.

—The beings from other worlds don't understand nuclear fission and cellular genes, so naturally they wouldn't prepare any countermeasures.

If both civilizations knew each other inside and out from the beginning, they could probably wage a protracted war for thousands of years until they both became highly technologically advanced and magical, or until they were both reduced to ashes by ultimate weapons and walked hand in hand on their way to the underworld. But if one side knew nothing about the other, then naturally the side with the information advantage would strike first and crush the other.

Alice held the upper hand over this empire, leaving the latter only able to retaliate passively after she exposed herself. Even if the mortals of this world were physically strong and mentally resilient, she could easily use her knowledge to concoct a genuine undead plague virus in a short time, instantly transforming the world's atmosphere from 'Imperial Glory' to 'Biological Crisis' or even 'Zombie Heroes'. However, when she intended to do so, the emperor of this country gave her a major headache.

That's right, it's that young emperor who's at most ten years old this year, clueless and almost completely ignorant of the concepts of family, country, and the world. He himself doesn't possess much power, but the title of emperor is a huge problem for him.

This empire has existed for far too long.

So much time passed that history became stories, stories became legends, and legends became myths. And the origin of this myth lies in the one who once unified the entire world, the King of Kings who ruled over all realms. The first emperor, whose name is no longer remembered, yet no one can deny that he was the king of the world!

The emperor is the Son of Heaven… This saying is utter nonsense in some short-lived dynasties, but it holds real significance in this true thousand-year empire. Because the original 'emperor' truly unified the world, truly accomplished that unprecedented feat, and was universally acknowledged. Therefore, even if he knew nothing of magic, this very concept automatically holds a supreme position within the mysticism of this world.

The word "emperor" became the source of all magic, especially since the first emperor of this thousand-year-old empire followed the example of Qin Shi Huang on Earth, carrying out the burning of books and burying of scholars alive, but doing it even more thoroughly, to the point that no one in the world knows the history before this thousand-year-old dynasty. All magic in this world that requires manipulating concepts cannot bypass the concept of 'emperor'.

If you can't avoid it, you'll naturally be subject to its control.

This resulted in the person sitting on the throne in the capital, although a minor, acting like a true emperor when faced with Alice's information magic. With a single word, he could decide the fate of heaven and earth, repel all evil, and be impervious to all laws. And not only him, but also a large area around him and those close to him were affected.

Esdeath was a trusted minister of the emperor. Therefore, she was naturally included in the scope of coverage.

[Damn it! If I could use magic from other systems, or have a powerful enough magical artifact... I would have sent this idiot to his grave with a magic cannon long ago, instead of wasting my time here!] Alice thought angrily, watching her necromancer assault team silently climb the city gate and disintegrate into a deadly poisonous mist that spread rapidly outwards with a slight explosion. She secretly vowed revenge.

This empire... must perish.

Even if it's not completely finished yet, we still have to find a way to make it self-destruct on the spot and spiral into the sky.

Otherwise, as long as the emperor is alive or hasn't lost his legitimacy, her magic—the kind she can only use after analyzing the world's system—will be greatly diminished against the emperor's subjects. This would be a fatal weakness in her battle against Esdeath.

[Even if you can break all spells with a single word, so what! You're still human, and you'll still die! Even the real First Emperor of the East, who could break all spells and was immune to all evil, was still smashed into a pancake by a sorcerer with a giant iron spike—do you really think magicians are helpless without magic!?]

She was deep in thought when, just as she was thinking, the city gates before her quietly opened. A group of guards, poisoned by the dead and sealed within their bodies, collapsed to the ground, and Alice was able to pass through the city gate beneath the towering walls.

She wasn't the kind of novice spellcaster who would simply send undead wielding swords and engaging in melee combat through sheer numbers. To her, the undead were essentially inferior versions of robots. Due to their pitifully calcium-based structure and somewhat limited mana supply, these skeletal skeletons, or skeletons with flesh attached, were actually slightly weaker than human bodies with flesh and blood. However, they possessed one advantage that flesh and blood could not match.

That's because they're obedient enough! Even when immersed in highly toxic, acidic, or magnetic storm environments, as long as their structure remains largely intact, they will definitely follow the instructions they receive and complete the mission without any compromise!

And naturally, a walking poison gas bomb from a zombie is far more effective than a skeleton soldier in armor. Even those skeletal soldiers who have rotted away to the point of being nothing but bones have other uses in her hands.

Alice clapped her hands gently.

Behind her, hundreds, even thousands, of skeletal soldiers slowly emerged from the shadows with a 'crackling' sound of bones grinding together. Black, cursed flames burned in their eye sockets. They held various types of light and heavy rifles!

Developing a mimicry program for close-quarters combat is far more complex than developing a shooting system that involves 'walking, aiming, and pulling the trigger.' Furthermore, equipping skeletal soldiers with gas packs and sprayers could eliminate even the 'aiming' step to some extent.

After all, the technology tree of this world is so strange. Although it generally maintains the style of the late Middle Ages, it actually has guns and cannons from the early 20th century. For Alice, the most troublesome metallurgical and chemical processes are already in place, so it's not difficult to make an armory out of her own.

So she happily wrapped herself in a full-body chemical protective suit equipped with a non-powered exoskeleton, then put on an unattractive but highly effective self-circulating black gas mask and its accompanying compressed air cylinder. With a flick of her finger, her army began its advance.

And just as she had predicted, the mortals of this world simply wouldn't have any contingency plans for something like 'a bunch of skeletons wrapped in a cloud of poison gas stealing into the city and bringing warmth' in the dead of night. It wasn't until her legion stormed into the city, wiped out a block, and finally encountered a group of unlucky patrolling soldiers that gunfire and alarms roared through the city.

................................................

Alice's army advanced, while the resistance suffered defeat after defeat—they were beaten on the head before they even knew what was happening, and even the best-eyed Order warriors could not see the undead and skeletons in the dark, greenish-black clouds.

They couldn't even get close to the poison cloud—not because they were afraid, but because these fanatical religious cult members were driven by a madness to fight to the death. However, even the fanatics knew to avoid losses, because they simply couldn't survive ten seconds after rushing into the poison cloud.

The undead didn't need highly precise vision; they only needed to hide within the poisonous clouds, advancing towards the Great Temple in the city center while suppressing the forces of the Tranquil Path with barrages. Their pace wasn't fast, but their advance wasn't slow either; large numbers of Order warriors were felled, yet their firepower wasn't sufficient to mount a strong enough counterattack.

Ultimately, I had to pick on the weakest link. This city had the weakest defenses and lacked any significant political standing. Of course, for such a mere cult to control the city so easily, there must be powerful figures in the empire backing them, perhaps even a minister himself. But right now, I didn't have many options.

Alice thought to herself that, protected by a large number of undead and skeletal soldiers holding riot shields, she needed to stay at the flank of the core of the poison cloud zone—she was both a spellcaster and a commander, and without the help of a signal base station and auxiliary computing engine, it was impossible for her to run far away. And since she had to stay with her cannon fodder army, ensuring her own safety was of paramount importance.

However, my arrangements don't seem to be of much use...

She glanced at the sparse barrage of comments from the resistance fighters, and with a thought, she drew upon a portion of her computing power to estimate the distance between herself and the central temple in the city center. While constantly calculating time and space, she also analyzed the current situation.

This city must be captured because it needs a large industrial base as its foundation to expand to a sufficiently powerful scale in a short period of time. The undead can temporarily replace the robots, but what's lacking are raw materials and basic infrastructure—meaning at least a smelting plant is necessary.

Esdeath would only need seven days to return from the Northern Region, but two days had already slipped through her fingers after completing her initial preparations. Time was running out; the capital was too powerful, and the surrounding towns were too rudimentary. After some deliberation, only the city before her remained as an option. Even this city, she had conducted considerable research before the war, gathering general information on the powerful figures in the Path of Peace and making some basic preparations.

however……

[The intelligence said that the leader of the Path of Tranquility could perform all sorts of miracles and even predict the future, so why are all the methods I arranged beforehand useless?]

She frowned, a few unpleasant thoughts flashing through her mind. In that instant, she suddenly sensed something amiss in the airflow behind her; a faint breeze seemed to stir within the poisonous cloud!

—An assassin!?

Alice's eyebrows twitched violently. Without thinking, she rolled forward, and several skeletal warriors protecting her immediately turned their guns and unleashed a barrage of bullets at the area behind her!

'Puff—'

With a sudden gust of wind, a visible column of wind arose from where Alice had been standing. The surrounding poisonous clouds were instantly dispersed, creating a large hole, and in the very center of the hole, a slender figure wielding a giant scythe was clearly visible.

He spun his giant scythe, easily deflecting the barrage of bullets fired by the skeletal soldiers. As more soldiers turned their guns, he stomped the ground and charged towards Alice's location like an arrow released from a bow!

The live chat suddenly stopped.

"Teigu?" Alice continued to retreat, and two exceptionally strong zombies suddenly rushed out from the side, shielding her with riot shields. The girl's voice then came through her breathing mask, and the air around her vibrated slightly due to the special frequency of the syllables in her words.

A tiny black flame flickered at her fingertips, and vanished into thin air in an instant.

The next moment, the two human shield zombies shattered before her eyes!

"That's right! I am the Teigu user, the wielder of the Teigu Shadow Scythe, the Kikitos of the Anning Path!" The tall, thin figure emerged from behind the shattered zombies, the giant scythe he wielded carrying a strong aura of slaughter—his gaze swept over Alice's figure covered by her hazmat suit, a knowing look in his eyes.

"I know you." The man's eyes held an all-knowing confidence. "A petite figure, yet you wield an army of the dead. You are the wielder of the Imperial Arms, Hachifusa, aren't you! The Empire's assassin, Kurome!"

He said this, raising his giant scythe as if he wanted to say something more.

He was completely unaware of the black flames that were rising behind him.

..........................................

I slightly modified this guy from the original work who was killed in one hit.

Section 30: Once a move is made, there's no going back.

The flames engulfed him, just as the waves submerged the rocks on the beach. Yet the rocks are rocks precisely because they survive even after being submerged by the tide.

Imperial Arms: Shadow Scythe.

The name itself suggests that this scythe's power is related to shadows. Therefore, the moment the flames engulfed the tall, thin man, the omnipresent shadows under the moonlight also swallowed the dark flames.

Where could he be hiding?

—【Instruction, Option Six, Execute Immediately】

A thought flashed through Alice's mind, then transformed into outward-expanding brainwaves, precisely and swiftly traversing the air and arriving within the bodies of several undead bodies not far from her in a matter of microseconds. Immediately following, the pre-arranged activation device was activated!

'boom--'

Explosion, scorching heat, and a raging wind—approximately fifteen liters of handmade liquid explosives were simultaneously detonated under Alice's will. Thanks to the witch's calculations, the directional blasting effect was enough to level an entire city block in an instant. The explosion destroyed everything within a hundred meters in a flash. The destructive storm raged, and the airflow and impact canceled each other out, creating a vortex of air right where Alice stood, like an island in the sea!

A massive tornado, fueled by explosives, the witch's computational power, and mathematical formulas, was created. It stretched outwards from the city, carrying countless sharp bone fragments and deadly poison! The Imperial Arms user who had retreated into the shadows amidst the fiery onslaught was instantly ejected from the shadows the moment the tornado formed, then torn to shreds by the tornado's outer walls, riddled with holes by projectiles of deadly poison!