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

She reached out and touched the wound on her neck and found that although the location was not good, the cut was not deep and did not cut her throat and artery.

Was it a mistake?

No, that sword was strange and precise, with enough power to cut through the entire ice wall, but it just grazed her neck... It would be too much of a stretch to say that it was a coincidence. It could only be that it was done intentionally under Iori's control, saving her life.

As for why Iori did this...Esdeath still doesn't know.

When the Ice Queen came to her senses, the cold air in her body started to flow automatically, and in an instant a layer of white frost covered the wound, stopping the bleeding in a rather rough way.

When she touched her neck, she felt something was wrong. She subconsciously reached behind her, but her hands were empty. Turning around, she found that her beautiful ice-blue hair had been cut off and scattered on the ice. Only the hair between her shoulders and ears was left.

Of course, Esdeath is not an ordinary woman. She doesn't care much about her hairstyle. Instead, she is more concerned about another issue, and her thinking is a bit strange:

"You didn't kill me...are you looking down on me?!"

"..." Iori's eyebrows moved, and a half-smile appeared under the mask. For a moment, he didn't know how to answer.

In Esdeath's eyes, it is natural for the strong to bully the weak, and it is also natural to kill the opponent in battle. For her, if she defeats an opponent and leaves him alive, she will definitely torture and abuse him both physically and mentally, completely crushing his will and turning him into a dog that can only wag its tail and beg for mercy.

Judging from her own experience, she didn't think that surviving was a good thing.

When she thought of the criminals who had been tortured by her until their personalities collapsed, she wondered if she would become like that.

hiss!

Even though Esdeath was very confident in her willpower and would never be defeated by physical torture, she shuddered at the thought of the possibility.

So, she had made up her mind that she would rather commit suicide than let Iori control her!

However, Iori's next words were beyond his expectations: "Put down your butcher knife and become my subordinate, Esdeath!"

"……What did you say?!"

The female general's first reaction was that it was impossible. Although she chose to join the imperial army and nominally pledged allegiance to the young emperor, she was actually an independent armed leader of a warlord nature. Her relationship with Minister Ernest, the real power holder of the empire, was only a cooperative relationship, not a master-servant relationship.

It's true that she advocates the idea of ​​the survival of the fittest, and she also recognizes the basic logic of "the weak follow the strong". In fact, many of her subordinates were subdued by her force and then completely conquered by her leadership charm.

But she herself does not intend to follow this law of the jungle, because the only natural right of the weak in this cruel world is to choose "death".

If you are not afraid of death, you can just refuse Iori's invitation.

Esdeath was certainly not someone who feared death, and was about to mock Iori immediately, but the boy said in advance: "Don't you want to go one step further and gain even greater power?"

"——?!" The female hunter took a deep breath and cleared all her thoughts. Only Iori's words remained in her mind.

More powerful power - of course I want it!

That is what Esdeath has been pursuing all along!

"Although we have different positions, I have no ill will towards you."

Iori said seriously: "Because in this era of cannibalism and evil, you can always limit your interests to the battlefield, only abuse your enemies, and never target unarmed civilians - this is already very rare."

It's ridiculous that a cold-blooded warlord like Esdeath should have been purged, but she was well matched by her peers... In "Aka Kill", she is actually a powerful figure with a conscience!

At least, this guy really has no interest in bullying ordinary people, and he won't suddenly say "I don't eat beef". Killing people always has a legitimate reason (from her point of view).

In fact, from her ability to command the army, we can also see that a general who can make his subordinates willing to die for him can never be a scum like Sheila. He may be a villain, but he will also be a villain with great personal charm!

"After all, talents are hard to come by... I can give you a chance."

Iori looked down at Esdeath, their eyes met: "Put aside your pride, follow behind me, and clear the obstacles on my way forward!

As a reward, when you have made great contributions, I will give you the opportunity to challenge me again!"

"……Really?"

Unexpectedly, Esdeath was actually moved!

In the eyes of others, Esdeath, who had reached the pinnacle of the world at the age of only 20, was undoubtedly an enviable and feared genius. However, Esdeath herself knew that as she became more and more powerful, there were fewer and fewer opponents who could fight her.

Before meeting Iori, it had been a long time since I had a battle that could make my blood boil.

Perhaps, in the next two years, she could still regard General Bud as an opponent, and she had no doubt that she could defeat him...but what about after that?

For a practical genius, it is undoubtedly despairing to have no suitable opponent to hone himself.

Top-notch imperial weapon users are hard to come by, super-dangerous species are almost extinct, and the few that remain are hidden and hard to find...

She is too powerful for this world!

But today, Esdeath has a new choice:

The man in front of her who could easily defeat her definitely possessed strength that surpassed General Bud or the super dangerous species, and would be a peak that she would be unable to surpass in a short period of time!

Isn't this the trial given to her by God?

One failure does not mean anything. A warrior is not truly defeated until he surrenders in his heart!

And in exchange for this opportunity, the price paid is nothing more than loyalty, which is simply a bargain.

It was nothing to surrender to the other party, because as long as she surpassed Iori in the future, she would be able to "tame" her monarch in turn.

By that time, Esdeath will only be more powerful and domineering than Iori, and will turn this man into her dog, making him regret it forever!

"it is good!"

Esdeath smiled with full of self-satisfaction, without any doubt about her choice.

And Iori also smiled slightly under the mask: He could guess what Esdeath was thinking, but he was not worried about it. After all... the gap between them would only get bigger and bigger. If Esdeath was too persistent, she would probably fall into the abyss of despair!

-

"see it?"

“I see, it’s Lady Esdeath…Ah, Lady Esdeath actually lost!”

"What? This is impossible!"

"Damn it... Look, that guy beat Lady Esdeath to her knees. I'm afraid he wants to take her back to have sex with her--"

-

-

PS: I was busy going home today, so it’s a bit late, and I wrote it a bit hastily. Please bear with me for now, and I will continue to update for you tomorrow~

Volume 67: The White Moonlight of the All-Seireitei: Chapter : I Always Like to Hear

"As a lackey of the empire, Esdeath has committed numerous crimes that are unforgivable. However, the world is in chaos now, surrounded by evil, and the people are worried about being destroyed. The people are in urgent need of help. Therefore, in troubled times, severe punishments should be used, and a great man should be used to do the unthinkable!

For today’s matter, I will just cut off my hair in lieu of my head and wait and see how it works~”

Iori let out a long breath and glanced at the dazed people: "I've finished speaking, who's in favor and who's against?"

"...I...I?"

"Ok?"

The boy's eyes suddenly became sharp, but his tone remained gentle: "It's okay to talk about it. I always like to hear criticism."

"Not that I have any objection."

The one who spoke was the current owner of [Devil Haunted], the tough guy Brad. He looked at the short-haired Esdeath standing proudly beside Iori, and then looked back at Iori.

"I just... didn't quite understand what you just said. Can you please say it again? What does cutting off one's hair instead of one's head mean? I've never heard of it before!"

"That's a famous story from my hometown. What does it mean exactly..."

Iori thought for a moment and laughed, "Translated it means -

[What, you are not convinced? ]"

"..."

Everyone was speechless. Brad turned his head and looked at the icy hell hundreds of meters away. The battle that lasted less than three minutes had completely changed the terrain here. The two men in front of him looked like humans, but they were indescribable monsters inside.

"No, I am convinced."

Even Brad, who has always been a very strong-willed person, does not want to conflict with Iori at this time, especially since the two sides are in an alliance. There is no need to push such a powerful ally to the opposite side.

As for the fact that he recruited the Empire's lackeys into his fold...see clearly, that's called abandoning darkness for light!

In this way, even the strongest imperial weapon user becomes an ally. Is there anything that can make people feel more at ease than this?

"You have a big fist, so I'll listen to you."

——Brad made the final summary. No one, whether it was the members of the Night Raid or the imperial weapon users under Iori, dared to raise any objections after witnessing the battle scene just now.

Especially Bruce and others, who were won over by Iori by various means. If they regarded him as their boss, benefactor, and teacher before, now they are looking at him as some kind of "inhuman" existence.

As for whether it was a longing for God or a fear of the devil, Iori didn't care... maybe it was a mixture of the two.

The [Three Beast Warriors] were unwilling to accept the defeat at first, but after Esdeath officially announced that she had joined Iori's army, the three Teigu Users, led by Vali, lowered their proud heads.

They are Esdeath's private army and have no loyalty to the empire. Some of them admire Esdeath's power, while others are conquered by the Ice Queen's spirit, but in any case they will completely obey the orders of the Huntress.

Iori didn't pay much attention to these [Three Beast Warriors]. Although he had subdued Esdeath, he didn't intend to directly manage the military forces under her name - he had neither the relevant experience nor that much energy.

In terms of military affairs, Iori has always believed that professional matters should be left to professionals.

After all, this is a supernatural world where personal force can crush the army. As long as Iori ensures that his power is above that of Esdeath, he will be able to control the overall situation without having to worry about the people below colluding to rebel.

"Esdeath, you don't need to go to the imperial capital. Return to the North to integrate your army and intimidate the foreign races. You don't need to intervene in the chaos in the interior for the time being."

Iori did not shy away from the Revolutionary Army and gave Esdeath a direct order: "But you must always be prepared. When the time comes, I will transfer you to the Imperial Capital."

"what?"

"Wait a minute, Iori you—"

"…You're just going to let me go back like this?"

Everyone was shocked, and Esdeath was also surprised: "What if I change my mind after returning to the army? Won't I take some precautions?"

"Precautions?"

Iori spread his hands and said, "Drugging or writing a blood oath? Don't be ridiculous. Are you the kind of person who would be bound by such means?

Our master-servant relationship is based on the difference in strength. As long as you don't give up the idea of ​​surpassing me, you will never betray me.

In this case, why should I be on guard against anything?"

"You are really confident."

Esdeath pulled down the brim of her hat, and the corners of her mouth curled up: "Although it is true."

"...Iori, I have something to discuss with you, would you mind giving me a favor?"

Nadezhda, who had remained silent from beginning to end but had been staring at Esdeath, suddenly spoke and invited Iori to come aside for a detailed discussion.

Iori followed suit and didn't let anyone get close to her, giving Nadezhda the opportunity to be alone.

"This is beyond my expectation. Being able to defeat Esdeath is already an unparalleled feat, and making her truly submit... I'm afraid it would be difficult to do even if the first emperor was resurrected."

Nadezhda came up and complimented Iori first, but what she said was sincere. She was truly shocked by the strength shown by Esdeath, and Iori, who was even more extraordinary... was completely an extraordinary existence.

She had always believed that she could reduce and even out the gap in combat power through strategy and deployment, but for the first time she realized that there was a truth in this world:

Some monsters are so powerful that it makes no sense!

"You have already recruited many imperial weapon users and commanded a very elite army. Now you have Esdeath as external aid... Although you are only a general in name, your actual influence has surpassed that of General Bud. You are truly the number one person in the imperial army!"

Nadezhda came from a military background. She knew very well that the garrison armies in various places only looked large in size, but were actually bloated and had mediocre combat effectiveness. The only two armies that could really fight were Bud and Esdeath.

Among them, the Esdeath Legion, which often fights on the border, is superior.

It can be said that gaining Esdeath's loyalty is equivalent to having the strongest general and the most elite army at the same time!

Minister Ernest committed atrocities, murdered the previous emperor, supported a puppet, and used all kinds of despicable means to eliminate dissidents, but why did he still stand firm?

Because he has Esdeath as his strong support!

Holding the emperor hostage to control the princes is only part of the reason. "Justice and public opinion" lies in strength!

He controls the center internally and has the support of a large army externally. Who of the opposition parties can shake his power?

For the same reason, although Ernest was angry with everyone, he never attacked General Bud, because he was also the strongest imperial weapon user and had military power in his hands.

Strictly speaking, Bud has the ability to overturn the table, but... a gentleman can be deceived by his own tactics.

Nadezhda is an extremely talented military and political talent. Although her worldview was repeatedly shattered today, she was very keenly aware of the opportunity after sorting out the existing intelligence:

"You have dealt a series of blows to the local powerful factions, which has created a huge rift between them and Ernest. Now Esdeath has jumped ship to join you and supports the minister's three pillars:

Bureaucracy, military power, and emperor - you have cut off two of them!

If you want, you can destroy Ernest's followers almost instantly! "