You are very strong, but my painting style is better than yours!

If I call on my believers to join this brutal fight, they will be the first to be sacrificed, and even if they win, they will pay a heavy price.

Although the empire is corrupt, the border troops and the central guards are still powerful. If An Ning Dao fails... do you know how the empire treats "cults" and "traitors"?

The revolutionary army is much gentler towards the people, but they have not yet demonstrated their means of governing the country. Even if they gain control of the country, they will not be able to restore the destroyed farmland and cities in a short period of time. After all, no one can create food out of thin air, and the lives of the lower-class people will not change immediately... If the war drags on for a long time and the young and strong suffer heavy casualties, it will make the surrounding ethnic minorities become disloyal.

What should I do in this situation?

The only thing I can do is to protect more believers and preserve more vitality."

"But you turned a blind eye to what Bolick did?"

"It is foolish of me to be fooled by Berrick's rhetoric. Besides, this is a necessary sacrifice for the stability of the overall situation!"

"I see. Now I understand what kind of person you are. Even though you're a little weird... you're a good candidate for use."

Iori nodded and suddenly said, "Wait here for a moment, don't walk around, I'll go buy you a gift."

"……What did you say?"

Before he could finish his words, the leader blinked and Iori had disappeared, leaving him alone in a daze for a moment.

"How is this going?"

He originally wanted to leave, but when he saw his bodyguards and followers fainted on the ground, he thought about it seriously and decided to stay where he was.

Sure enough, Iori did what he said and quickly returned to the hall and threw a spherical gift to the leader.

The ball rolled to the leader's feet, leaving a trail of blood. Even though the leader was well-informed, he couldn't help but be horrified when he saw the face clearly: "Berlik!"

This is none other than his deputy, the minister's nominal ally, and the second-in-command of Anning Dao, Bolick!

Although this man was stupid, he was definitely powerful and was notoriously afraid of death. He recruited an imperial weapon user to protect him around the clock... Such a man was beheaded in the blink of an eye!

Now even the leader couldn't help but feel a chill down his spine: If the man in front of him wanted to kill him, it would probably only take a moment, right?

No matter whether you are the emperor of an empire, the prime minister, the leader of a religion or the leader of a rebel army, no matter how much territory you control or how many troops you have, everything will be in vain if your head is chopped off. A thousand plans are not as good as one sword!

——This is the unique deterrence of the strong in the world of high-level martial arts!

"Okay, now you don't have to worry about it or try to find a balance."

Iori said to him very kindly: "Look, I helped you choose, why don't you thank me?"

"……Thanks."

The leader's eyes twitched violently, and he said in a dry voice: "I really have no choice in this case... What does the revolutionary army intend to let An Ning Dao do? If they want us to rebel actively, we are not prepared enough in all aspects. I will not let my believers die."

"Who told you to choose the Revolutionary Army?"

"But now that Berlik is dead, the minister certainly doesn't have the determination to continue to control Anning Road. He will--"

"He'll go accompany Berrick," Iori thought for a moment, "depending on my mood."

Leader: “…”

The handsome man's brain was a little sluggish. His reason told him that the man in front of him was a little crazy, but his biological instinct made him believe it.

Rumor has it that he can read minds, and while that's not that far-fetched, he can definitely tell the difference between truth and lies... and Iori was honest and forthright from beginning to end, to an outrageous degree.

"Then what exactly is it... Could it be that you are the only one in the camp?"

The leader murmured, "Are you going to fight against an empire with a thousand years of history and a revolutionary army that has capitalized on the anger of the people?"

"No way?

I will defeat the whole fucking world by myself!"

Volume 61: The White Moonlight of the Entire Seireitei: Chapter : Hunting Target: Esdeath!

Killing Borik not only deprived the leader of his options, but also allowed Iori to obtain an imperial weapon:

【Strange and strange·Adayaus】

This is a long-handled sickle-shaped imperial weapon. The more than one-meter-long curved blade looks majestic, but it is difficult to operate in actual combat. To be honest, it is not as convenient as a spear or a broadsword.

As for its ability, it is also a mystery, because the imperial weapon user who protected Berrick was killed instantly by Iori before he could even use his moves... But what's interesting is that Iori found that there were a lot of free spirit particles gathered on this sickle, far more than other imperial weapons.

Then he tried some dangerous stuff and found that the physical killing power of this thing was average, but it had a very subtle "curse" effect.

The reason why it is subtle is that this curse is extremely unstable. Sometimes it slows down the opponent's movements, sometimes it makes the wound bleed profusely, and sometimes it causes the enemy to panic... Although there are various types, only one curse is effective at a time, and it is completely random and cannot be controlled at all.

In addition, Iori also noticed that individuals with strong vitality also have high resistance to curses, and this imperial weapon has basically no special effect on dangerous species above level two.

If it were only this extent, then [Adayus] would be nothing more than a useless thing to Iori.

However, Iori intuitively felt that it was not that simple. Perhaps the unusual amount of spirit particles aroused his interest and made him study it seriously and in depth.

Then he discovered a very interesting phenomenon, and he was probably the only one in the world who could see it:

This sickle will absorb a certain amount of spirit particles after killing a creature!

If placed in the fantasy world view, it is probably similar to a magic weapon that can capture souls and spirits, but it is not as exaggerated as directly absorbing the entire soul. It can only restrain a small amount of fragments without self-awareness and free spirits.

It is precisely these spirit particles that make the properties of this sickle extremely complex, and will randomly curse the objects it cuts.

However, this sickle does not have the effect of nourishing the soul. It simply stores it and cannot make the spiritual energy inside grow on its own, so the spiritual particles will continue to dissipate over time.

When a type of soul particle completely dissipates, the corresponding type of curse will also disappear. In theory, if no new soul fragments are harvested for a long time, it will become a relatively hard ordinary sickle.

In the world of "Zan Aka", there is basically no method of cultivating the soul or spirit. From ancient times to the present, no one probably knows what the true ability of this sword is. People only think that its properties are unpredictable, so it was given a "weird" name.

Although it was of little use, it was still a pleasant surprise, so Iori kept it and would either give it to his subordinates or use it as a "dry battery" in an emergency.

He had also thought about further developing the capabilities of this sickle. After all, the performance of the imperial weapon depended on its user, and he was definitely the most suitable person for [Adayus] in the entire world.

But if you think about it carefully, Iori already has a Zanpakuto, doesn't it have greater potential than this beggar's version of the Grim Reaper's Scythe?

Instead of spending time developing imperial tools, it would be better to chat with the sword spirit more often and tap into the potential of your Zanpakutō.

After all, Iori has just started learning and has only learned three moves. Maybe he can go further.

-

An Ningdao and his party, Iori nominally conquered the leader, but he knew that if he really wanted someone like the leader to follow him, it was not enough to just use force to force him, and he was also willing to spend more time and effort on the leader.

Unlike imperial weapon users like Will and Seliu, although the leader does not have much combat power, he is an excellent management talent. Moreover, among the powerful people in this world view, few truly care about people's livelihood issues and future development.

Compared with the capable ministers who spent all their time satisfying their personal desires, and the revolutionary army that borrowed soldiers from foreign ethnic groups, the leader's thinking can definitely be described as "far-sighted."

Even if Iori could pacify the world like the first emperor did, he was destined to be unable to devote a lot of energy and time to governing the country, so he needed people like Nadezhda and the leader to share the pressure.

If Esdeath's personality wasn't so distinct and difficult to tame, letting her lead the troops to intimidate everyone would actually be a good choice.

After returning from Anningdao, Iori continued his career of "killing corrupt officials and beating local tyrants" in various places. In the process, he used both kindness and force. The "Two Rakshasa Demons" and the five imperial weapon users became more and more convinced of him, especially the passionate young man like Will, who admired Iori from the bottom of his heart after realizing that Iori was working for the interests of the people.

Borus, who was originally worried, also found that Iori was only strong-willed, but his character and personality were very good. Compared with his previous boss, he was much better. In addition, his wife and daughter were in a safe area now, so he put aside his worries and followed Iori wholeheartedly.

There is no need to say much about Sai Liu and Lan. Only Mr. Fashion still has reservations. However, Iori had no hope of winning over such a scientific research fanatic, so he didn't care much - this kind of person is destined to only cooperate but not be conquered.

During this process, the warriors also deeply felt the vastness of the territory and the wealth accumulated by the empire for thousands of years... Iori did not think that he could make them obey him unconditionally just because he taught them. Every time he confiscated their property, he would give them a portion of the wealth as a reward.

The ronin who came from the island country had never seen this before, and they were all very grateful to Iori. Because many of them were originally homeless and unemployed, they thought about not returning to the island country and just following Iori to settle down in the empire.

After several trips back and forth, Iori's army, which was originally forcibly put together, became more and more united and looked quite presentable, but there had not been a proper battle to test their combat effectiveness.

But soon they had this opportunity, because the four Rakshasa ghosts had not returned yet, and Minister Ernest had realized that the assassination plan had failed. Iori and Sheila were not as easy to deal with as he thought, and were beyond his control.

Iori's actions have caused panic among many governors and lords. During this period, no less than ten local powerful people have written to inquire about the matter, all of whom are provincial governors. When they collectively attack, even Ernest has to consider their opinions.

If Iori was allowed to continue making trouble, these people would definitely think that it was Ernest's instruction, and he wanted to use this sharp blade to kill them one by one - in fact, Ernest did benefit from it.

The ministers were guilty, and the provincial governors were also a little scared:

They really had communicated with the revolutionary army in secret, and the top leaders of both sides had a certain tacit understanding!

It doesn't mean we fully support the revolutionary army, but we can keep our troops in place at the critical moment and watch how the situation develops...it's still possible.

There was a lot of suspicion between the ministers and the local powerful groups. If Ernest could not "sacrifice his relatives for the sake of justice" and kill Sheela and Iori at this time, he would lose the support of many people, which was very important to him.

In addition, the recent [Night Raid] in the imperial capital has been very serious, and his bodyguards, the Four Rakshasa Ghosts, are finished again. The minister, who feels very insecure, made a decision:

Recall Esdeath who is fighting against foreign races in the north!

"Okay!"

The minister didn't know that while he was contacting Esdeath, someone openly entered his study, skillfully opened the secret compartment, and saw the secret letter. After reading the contents of the letter, he couldn't help but applaud.

You really get what you want!

He quickly returned to his troops and called on three loyal followers, Porus, Lan and Seliu, to follow him, and then asked Will to temporarily lead the troops to stay here and wait for them to come back.

Where did he take his men next?

The answer is [Night Raid] Headquarters!

The rising star of the imperial army, with his imperial weapon masters, visited the most elite force among the rebels, but no one raised any objections~

"What are you doing at this hour of night? Are these people your men?"

Nadezhda, who was awakened in the middle of the night by the signal, led her beloved generals out to meet the enemy, but found that it was an old acquaintance, and was a little grumpy in her surprise.

"I hope you have a valid reason."

"It's been a nice autumn recently, and it's a good time for hunting. I'm here to invite you to hunt in the north."

"hunt?"

Nadezhda was a little confused, but could guess that this was a hint.

"What's the prey?"

"The northern wall of the empire, the strongest imperial weapon user—"

Iori grinned, "Ice Queen Esdeath!"

"But she is leading the army outside... Do you have any information about when she will be alone?"

Nadezhda gasped: "If all members of the Night Raid were added with your elite troops, then it would indeed be—"

"Not enough. No matter how many ordinary imperial weapons you have, it won't be enough. Although you have some good fighters, you can't be the protagonists in this battle."

"...Then why did you call us?" Nadezhda frowned.

And Iori smiled and said: "Because even the most wonderful story needs an audience to become a legend!"

Volume 62: The White Moonlight of the Seireitei: Chapter : Have you seen my true strength? (The third update)

Esdeath, who was born into a northern fighting nation and was a barbarian without any roots, became a general when she was sixteen or seventeen years old. Now, she is only twenty years old. Her position in the military system is second only to General Bud, and she controls the most elite border troops.

The reason why she was able to achieve such success was nothing but her immense power!

Whether in terms of physical fitness, fighting skills, or combat instincts, Esdeath has reached top levels. She is a top-notch master without relying on imperial weapons, and can tame dangerous species that are theoretically wild and difficult to tame with her spirit (physical) alone.

As a user of imperial tools, she is also one of the few heroes who has completely mastered the imperial tools, broken through the shackles, and evolved to a new level!

They firmly believe in the law of the jungle where the strong prey on the weak, so they take any battle seriously and are not easily outmaneuvered.

The combination of these factors creates the combat effectiveness ceiling of this world.

The only shortcoming is that he gets too involved in battle and easily loses control when facing a strong opponent - that's what war maniacs are all like.

Although in theory the Imperial General Bud is a user of the same level of imperial weapon as her, to be honest, there is indeed a gap in the setting and the sense of oppression.

However, although Esdeath is strong, she is not transcendent and there is still a possibility that she can be defeated. Otherwise, Nadezhda would not have seriously considered how to assassinate her.

Her imperial weapon [Magic God Appearance] is extremely good at large-scale killing. Its full output can even affect the weather. It is extremely powerful. It can be said that it completely ignores the human wave tactics. Even a legion of 100,000 people will be crushed by it!

Ordinary imperial weapon users are nothing more than ordinary soldiers to her.

However, when fighting against truly powerful opponents, she cannot completely crush them. If there are multiple top-notch imperial weapon users besieging her, they will have a chance to defeat her as long as they use the right tactics.

For example, Brad and Akame in [Night Raid], the biological imperial weapon Susanoo at the Revolutionary Army headquarters, and General Budd of the Empire, these people are not people that Esdeath can defeat quickly, and some of them have to try their best to win.

When Nadezhda escaped from the Empire, she was chased by Esdeath, and she and her two subordinates, a total of three imperial weapon users, were easily defeated by him. Under the desperate cover of her subordinates, Nadezhda, who was quite powerful, had to sacrifice an arm to survive, and her combat effectiveness was greatly reduced from then on.

She had a very intuitive impression of Esdeath's strength. In her original conception, the Revolutionary Army must gather tens of thousands of troops and add elite imperial weapon users such as [Night Raid] to defeat Esdeath - this was still a conservative estimate.

Considering that Esdeath is also the commander of the army and controls what is probably the most elite imperial army in existence, it is easy to imagine how difficult it would be to kill her on the battlefield...

When Iori proposed this "hunt", Nadezhda's first reaction was to seize the opportunity and go all in!

If Iori's information is accurate and can stop Esdeath from leaving the army, then the Revolutionary Army must not miss this opportunity.

As long as we prepare enough experts, even Esdeath can...

But Iori proposed to fight Esdeath in a duel, which surprised her, even "shocked".

Are you crazy? The female general's eyes were full of suspicion.