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

That is the guardian of the afterlife, the guide of souls, and the judge of all sins;

No one has ever seen his true face, for he always wears a dark mask that symbolizes eternal sleep;

Legend has it that he will protect the peace of all the dead, but only pure souls can enter his kingdom. Those who have committed serious crimes in their lifetime will be burned by his wrath and fall into the desolate and boundless desert, wandering there forever...

-

【CG has been refreshed】

[Imperial General Star: Masked Grim Reaper]

Style value +6

-

-

PS: Sorry, the Chinese New Year is much more troublesome than I thought... It's a little less, so please make do with it o(╥﹏╥)o

Volume 70: White Moonlight of the Seireitei: Chapter : When Death Comes Knocking at the Door

"My Lord, the letter from that gentleman has been placed in your study."

"Thank you for your hard work, please step back."

"Yes~"

The silver-haired old butler respectfully took his leave, and the burly man in casual home clothes turned and walked towards his study.

The manor covers a large area and the mansion itself is quite magnificent, almost comparable to Minister Ernest's residence, but the styles of the two are very different.

Simplicity and firmness are the basic colors here. Although the owner of the mansion is unattainable in terms of reputation and power, there are unexpectedly not many gorgeous decorations here, and famous paintings and works of art are rare. Instead, rows of knight armor are displayed in the corridors and halls, adding a layer of solemnity.

There were no trees planted outside, just flat grass, making the towering mansion look like a solitary mountain standing there.

Rather than being a noble manor, it is more like a military fortress...

But if you know the name of the owner of this place, then everything becomes reasonable:

Imperial General Budd!

In the empire's military system, senior commanders were collectively referred to as "generals". They were divided into different classes based on their seniority and merits, but there was no substantial superior-subordinate relationship.

The only difference is the "Grand General", which is a special official position that is nominally higher than all generals and commands the troops of the entire country!

This position is not permanent and is only temporarily appointed in emergencies. It is usually held by members of the royal family or relatives by marriage, and will be immediately taken back once the war is over.

Bud was an extremely rare case in that he had no blood relationship with the royal family but was given the position of "General".

There are three reasons:

Firstly, the Budd family has served the emperor and performed their duties faithfully for generations, never made any mistakes, and always maintained a military style. They have not been corrupted by thousands of years of prosperity. They are as reliable as a rock and are deeply trusted by emperors of all generations.

Secondly, before Esdeath was born, Bud himself had always been the true "strongest", and all the evildoers inside and outside the empire were deeply afraid of his reputation.

The third and most important point is that the late emperor trusted him very much and even appointed him as the "Commander-in-Chief of the Guards."

——This position can almost determine the life and death of the emperor, and it has always been entrusted only to the most loyal confidants.

When the late emperor was ill and had a premonition that some conspiracy was brewing, he promoted Bud to the rank of "General", the supreme commander of military officers, and asked him to support his son to ascend the throne.

In fact, Bud did a great job. If the war on the border had not been unfavorable, he would have been forced to lead his troops on an expedition... It would not have been so easy for a minister to murder the previous emperor.

When Bud returned, everything had changed. Not only had the late emperor "died of illness", the queen also died of excessive grief, and even the original crown prince died inexplicably...

Ernest is so fast!

This bloated guy was politically aggressive and didn't even give Bud a chance to fight back:

He is the only son left by the late emperor, you have to acknowledge him!

Budd knew very well that there was something fishy about the death of the previous emperor, and the process of the succession was full of blood and rain. As the biggest beneficiary, Ernest must have been involved in all his conspiracies and tricks.

But he can't help it!

Budd could have "cleared the court", at least he had the qualifications to try, but his family's ancestral teachings held that military generals should not interfere in politics, and the late emperor did not leave him anything like a secret decree, so he could not take direct action against Ernest.

Even more, if he were to become an enemy of Ernest, the young emperor might think that he was a treacherous minister who persecuted loyal officials and officials...

The current little emperor is the only legitimate descendant of the late emperor. As a subject, Bud cannot violate the authority symbolized by this bloodline.

Therefore, although he was aware of the corruption of Ernest and others, he did not interfere directly, but used his authority to protect officials with a conscience.

It is precisely because of his rigidity and inflexibility that the minister is so unscrupulous... After all, Ernest does not need to follow any rules.

Of course, Bud is also a living person, not a machine. His patience is limited. As the situation continues to deteriorate, the general has realized:

He is going to make a decision that goes against his ancestors!

He would personally eliminate the minister and his cronies, and would never regret it even if the little emperor wanted to behead him afterwards!

However, in order to resist foreign aggression, one must first stabilize the internal situation. Even if one wants to deal with Ernest, it must be done after suppressing the rebellions in various places. Otherwise, it will give the revolutionary army an opportunity to take advantage.

The letter received today came from a former minister who assisted the late emperor for decades and had a high prestige in the civil service system. Later, he retired due to old age.

After Ernest came to power, he eliminated dissidents. There were many corrupt officials in the court, but the potential influence of the former ministers was still there.

Since Budd planned to kill Ernest, he had to consider how the central government would operate after eliminating the minister's party. As a soldier, he naturally could not manage it (and the young emperor might very likely want to kill him).

The task of rebuilding the center can only fall on the shoulders of this former minister. With such a loyal old minister assisting him, General Bud can finally rest assured.

Everything is for the future of His Majesty and the Empire. As long as the bloodline of the late Emperor can be passed on, even if he has to transform into a Shura, he will...

"Ok?"

When he reached the door of the study, Bud was slightly startled and his eyes narrowed, but he quickly turned the handle and entered the room.

What is incredible is that in this study room, which belongs to General Bud and no one in the mansion dares to enter without permission, there is a strange man dressed in mysterious clothes sitting there at this moment. He is looking at something with relish, with his legs crossed on the table in a very impolite manner.

"It's funny, today I didn't remember having a reservation for guests, but a stranger sat in my chair."

The man walked step by step to the table, looking down at the uninvited guest from above. Flashes of electricity emerged from the wide cuffs of his home clothes on both sides, filling the closed room with a faint smell of burning.

"Please don't misunderstand me. I am indeed your guest, but I was not invited."

"I know who you are."

General Bud looked calmly at Iori. Although this was their first meeting, he had heard of the imperial star who had been in the limelight recently. No, now we should say shameless traitor——

"So, are you ready, General Izo?"

--boom!

There was a flash of lightning, and at the moment of movement, the sleeve of his right hand tore apart, revealing the heavy and solid dark armor covering the strong muscle lines. General Bud's powerful punch came straight towards Iori's head, but was blocked by an ordinary palm without armor.

Snapped!

Tiny arcs of electricity then dissipated, illuminating the dark mask and Bud's resolute face.

He actually caught it with his body—the general's eyes moved slightly.

But Iori nodded secretly: Not bad.

"Izou... I don't like this name, just call me Iori."

"There is a common name for uninvited guests, and that is 'thieves'!"

Bud increased his strength, and powerful electric currents burst out throughout his body. The strong wind alone made the entire study messy.

"No, I'm different from those ordinary people. Although I didn't receive an invitation, I already had a reservation... It was reserved for every baby when it was born. It's absolutely fair to everyone."

Iori stood up and smiled: "That's me - 'Death God'!"

"Want to be my god of death?"

A rare smile appeared on General Bud's stern face, but it soon turned into a hard smile as hard as rock and cold as steel: "How shameless!"

boom!

He didn't worry at all that this was in his own room. On the contrary, when General Bud released the electric light all over his body, the closed environment became an excellent execution platform. No one here could escape Bud's judgment!

...In fact, Iori, who was enveloped by heavy lightning, never thought of escaping.

"Duan Kong!"

——Zheng!

An invisible barrier appeared in front of Iori, and the thousands of lightning bolts that bombarded it were ruthlessly bounced off, quickly detonating the entire room!

Whoosh!

General Bud flew out from the smoke and tore off his casual clothes in mid-air. He was only wearing an ordinary shirt inside, with only metal arm guards wrapped in lightning on his arms.

But as he swung his hands, the arm guards collided with each other, a thick beam of lightning shot into the smoke, and different parts of armor appeared on General Bud's body one after another.

By the time he landed on the grass outside, a set of all-round defensive armor had been assembled, making his figure look like a standing iron tower.

"I see. It is possible to directly summon other parts... This type of imperial tool seems to use subspace technology, right?"

A question came from a distance, but General Bud, who was serious and cautious by nature, did not answer, and he himself was not very clear about it.

When the first emperor made the imperial tools, the country's national strength was at its peak and it inherited many magical technologies from the previous era, so the abilities of many of the imperial tools seem quite incredible today.

For example, the "core" of a biological imperial weapon. As long as this thing is not destroyed, the biological imperial weapon can be reborn continuously and is almost immortal... This is something that even the super dangerous species themselves cannot do!

In addition, there is the automatic summoning and wearing function of armor-type imperial equipment. It does not seem to be an ability of the dangerous species itself. It must be a function specially added during the design for the convenience of the user.

However, all such black technologies have been lost, and even the Far East Island Country has not inherited it... But at least the finished product is here, so there is still hope.

Iori walked out of the thick smoke unscathed, and looked at the [Thunder God's Wrath·Admiller] on General Bud's body, squinting his eyes with interest.

"Evil Ghost Haunted, Noble Chariot, Thundergod's Wrath... If we collect these three sets of armor and study them together, can we reverse engineer this space technology?"

Volume 71: The White Moonlight of the Entire Soul Society: Chapter : Right here in the Qianqing Palace!

Bud didn't know what Iori was thinking, otherwise he would have been furious, because no one had ever dared to desert when fighting him.

At the same time, the explosion just now has attracted the attention of the guards. Well-trained soldiers have swarmed in from all parts of the mansion and surrounded the place.

"Stop."

Unexpectedly, the general raised his hand to stop his men: "Stay away, this man is not someone you can handle, I must punish him personally. It will be very dangerous to stay within the range of Adramelech."

"Wise judgment."

Trapped in the enemy camp, Iori was not panicked at all, and his tone was as natural as if he was meeting an old friend.

"But this is meaningless, because I have no ill will towards you, my Excellency. I came here just to make a suggestion to the general."

"You sneaked into my house, stole my private letters, and yet you claim you have no ill will towards me?"

Bud obviously didn't believe Iori: "You should wait until I put you in jail, and then you can explain it slowly."

A man in heavy armor took a step forward. Just such an ordinary action made the surrounding atmosphere become "restless". A strange feeling crawled through everyone, making their hair stand on end.

The powerful guards retreated quickly. They knew that this was the prelude to the general's preparation for a serious battle. Once he opened fire, the surrounding area would become a sea of ​​thunder and lightning, and no one would be allowed to get close!

"Sure enough, it's impossible to convince a soldier with words."

Iori drew out Tensougumo, looking as if he had expected this: "Fortunately, I know a thing or two about fists, kicks, and swords."

-

"Huh...huh..."

The vast grassland turned into a scorched earth, and the area within a radius of hundreds of meters became a restricted zone for life. Even the soldiers who were loyal to Bud only dared to watch the battle from the outermost perimeter.

The source of all this, the great general Bud, who enjoyed an outstanding reputation in the army, was now in a defensive posture, nervously paying attention to the enemy while breathing heavily, apparently having consumed a lot of energy.

On the contrary, Iori standing at the other end did not show any injuries or signs of fatigue on his body. Except for his cloak being slightly damaged, he did not look like he had just experienced a battle.

“As expected, he is a warrior on par with Esdeath. In terms of destructive power alone, he is probably even stronger than Esdeath. He is also a master at using imperial tools… He just lacks some courage and variety.

That kind of straightforward move is very suitable for fighting on the battlefield, but it is a bit clumsy to use against me."

"...You have fought with Esdeath?" Bud asked with interest. "She is not a woman who will show mercy. To her, fighting is like beasts devouring each other. A hunter will never let go of his prey, but you are standing here... Does that mean she lost?"

"Lost." Iori did not hide anything, and was even too frank. "In my opinion, the performance of your two imperial weapons is equal. The destructive power and speed of Thunder are even higher. But if you fight to the death... If nothing unexpected happens, you are no match for Esdeath."

"In other words, that little girl is stronger than me?" Bud was a little unconvinced, but he also knew that Iori had no reason to lie to him.

In fact, he knew that [Admiller] and [Magic God Appearance] were elemental manipulation imperial tools of the same level. Strictly speaking, the practical value of [Admiller] was even higher than that of [Magic God Appearance].

Because every imperial weapon has a hidden threshold for use. No matter how excellent a weapon is, if no one can use it, or if it is extremely harmful to the user... its value will definitely be greatly reduced.

——Just like [Noble Chariot] is theoretically an upgraded version of [Evil Ghost], it will not be eroded by dangerous cells and fighting will, but it is obvious that the upper limit of [Evil Ghost] is much higher than the former.

Among the many imperial tools, the requirements for using [Admelech] are relatively high, but it is still possible to achieve, and there are no obvious shortcomings after mastering it.