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

In comparison, [The Demonic Appearance] is something of another level, which is completely negative to the extreme... Before Esdeath appeared, no one had even succeeded in mastering it. Ordinary people would be driven crazy by the crazy will within it once they came into contact with it!

Being able to tame the [Demon Appearance] and perfectly integrate it means that Esdeath has become a super dangerous humanoid species, and the potential in her body can be comparable to or even surpass the original prototype!

As the heir to a large family with a long history, how could Bud not know what this meant? He had already been mentally prepared to be surpassed by Esdeath.

Now that he had gotten confirmation from Iori, he could only sigh, "It was too fast."

The Ice Queen is only twenty years old now. Even according to the growth stage of ordinary humans, her physical functions have not yet developed to the peak. In other words, she is still in the rising stage... The young are really to be feared!

But then again, although Esdeath is scary, she is still within Bud's "scope of understanding", but Iori completely goes against Bud's common sense.

It's okay to have all kinds of strange abilities, but how did this guy manage to master both swordsmanship and physical skills, and possess such great strength while being extremely agile?

Generally speaking, a truly strong person will not have any obvious weaknesses, but will basically have some emphasis. After all, human energy is limited, while the path of martial arts is endless. Only by investing time and energy in the areas in which one is most talented can one improve one's strength with maximum efficiency.

However, through the previous fight, Bud was surprised to find that Iori had no "focus" and no weaknesses!

What makes people despair is that no matter which aspect of his qualities, Iori can firmly suppress him... This is an overall gap that cannot be bridged by tactics or moves.

If you say that Iori can defeat Esdeath, General Bud will choose to believe it.

"I didn't expect... I didn't expect that there would be such a master in the revolutionary army." Bud looked at Iori in disbelief, "How could someone like you be unknown before?"

wrong!

The man's eyes changed, and he frowned as he thought for a moment. Suddenly, he realized, "If Izang is just a pseudonym, then you are actually... the Faceless Man? The wanted criminal who assassinated many important people?"

Iori said nothing, but just looked at him calmly, and this reaction made Bud further confirm it.

"You are faceless, but you have extraordinary agility. You and the Faceless Man both choose to attack local officials and wealthy merchants. You have the same stance and inclinations... It's ridiculous that Ernest would put a dangerous man like you into the imperial army. Now it has backfired."

General Bud's eyes darkened. "It seems that we can't let him do whatever he wants. Otherwise, the empire won't be able to survive until Your Majesty comes of age."

"I didn't expect that the general is actually a loyal minister!"

Iori said in a surprised tone: "I thought you were an accomplice of the minister."

"what?!"

Bud's face suddenly changed. Even though he couldn't beat Iori, he would never allow others to insult him.

"Don't lump me in with that kind of bug!"

"Really? But I think you and the minister work well together."

Iori smiled and said, "Being in this position, with the ability but doing nothing, I watched helplessly as the ministers eliminated dissidents and controlled the government, causing the situation to deteriorate to this point. In name, I said I would protect those loyal ministers, but in reality, those people were driven out of office one after another, or even assassinated.

What is the difference between your behavior of being a figurehead and joining Ernest?"

"asshole!"

The man clenched his fists, and lightning flashed from his heavy armor again. The violent arcs of light showed his excited heart.

"Of course, Ernest must be eliminated, but your revolutionary army is no good either. Only by suppressing all the traitors can the empire prosper again!"

He seemed to have already decided that Iori was a member of the Revolutionary Army... but Iori was in no mood to explain.

After hearing these words, the boy immediately asked back: "Can you do it?"

"what?"

"You may be able to defeat the Revolutionary Army, but are you confident that you can defeat me? And how confident are you against Esdeath?

If you succeed in defeating all your opponents, can you wipe out the darkness from top to bottom in the empire?

Can you make all the people put aside their hatred and stop opposing the empire, so that everyone has a job and food to eat?"

"..."

"Of course you can't, because you know that the root of all this is not the revolutionary army, nor the people, but in the imperial capital, within those high palace walls!"

Volume 72: The White Moonlight of the Entire Seireitei: Chapter : Budd’s Rejection (Happy New Year)!

"As long as...as long as Your Majesty takes charge of the government, everything will be fine."

"Can you make the young emperor trust you? Do you dare to say that he will become a wise ruler in the future?"

"..."

"Look, all these things are beyond your ability. The only thing you can do is to take people to kill Ernest immediately - even if this can't change anything, at least you have made a small contribution to this era."

Iori smiled happily: "But you can't even do this, because you are a 'loyal minister'!"

He mentioned this word specifically, pronouncing it with great force, but it was hard to tell whether it was sarcasm or emotion.

To be honest, objectively speaking, Bud is just a loyal warrior who can't tell priorities. Anyone with a little political wisdom will shake their head when seeing him.

However, despite the ridicule, Iori could understand people like Bud to some extent:

Just like the story of the elephant and the stake, although it is an illogical fable, the moral of the story is quite real.

People are always bound by their own cognition. For Bud, "loyalty" is not only a compliment, but also a rule and common sense that must be followed.

The "loyalty" in his mind was also very complicated. It was towards the emperor, to his ancestors' teachings, and a little bit of personal conscience... which resulted in his rather embarrassing political stance.

He knew that this was wrong, and he also knew that he had the ability to stop it, or at least reduce the power of the ministers, but he couldn't do that. He was like an elephant pinned down by a small wooden stake, seemingly huge and strong but without an independent will.

It can be regarded as a weakened version of the ideological stamp~

"You are destined to watch the empire go to ruin in helplessness and pain. Your bravery alone cannot change anything. In the end, you can only turn yourself into firewood and be buried with the empire!"

Iori's words undoubtedly hurt Bud. He remained silent, neither refutating nor attacking, and the electric light on his body gradually dimmed.

His expression was still firm and serious, but Iori knew that it was something like a "mask". Having been trained to be a "loyal and capable general" since childhood, he had to be a rock that could not be shaken by external factors. He could only maintain this expression to conceal his inner feelings.

"...You go."

After a long while, Bud said with difficulty, "There is no point in continuing this battle. I can see that you have no intention of fighting to the death here, but I will not be swayed by your words either."

"You are really stubborn~" Iori stared at Bud, and finally couldn't help but persuade him, "If you are willing, everything will be different."

"..."

"Minister Ernest must die. Whoever seizes power will not tolerate this guy and will definitely use his head to calm the people's anger.

But the little emperor was different. Everyone in the country knew that he was just a puppet and that he himself had not been overly extravagant or cruel to the people. "

Iori rarely persuaded seriously: "If you are willing to cooperate, I can promise you that in the future, as long as the little emperor behaves well, his life safety will be guaranteed."

Of course, he didn't make the promise randomly.

Because he really values ​​Bud, not only in terms of strength and status in the army, but also because of a matter of extremely far-reaching impact to consider.

It should be noted that Iori will not be able to stay in this world for a long time in the future to govern the country, and a large amount of power must be decentralized, but this creates a problem:

Esdeath is too powerful in the army!

The only commander-type talents Iori has are Esdeath and Nadezhda. In a world like "Aka Kill" where force is respected, even if the two have equal status, Esdeath must be more powerful, not to mention that she has the most elite border troops under her command.

It's not that they were worried that she would rebel or play some Chenqiao mutiny trick - before her own strength surpassed Iori, she had no interest in anything except becoming stronger.

But her existence itself will have a subtle influence on the atmosphere in the army. Iori is worried that when she comes back one day, she will find that the army has become Nazi!

——Okay, now I have learned the real-life version of Bankai~

The purpose of winning over Bud is to reduce Esdeath's influence and use his calmness and conservatism to counter the Ice Queen's extraordinary courage.

It is a good thing for the army to remain vibrant, but it is not good without steady generals.

But Iori knew from the beginning that his hope was slim. General Bud was more difficult to deal with than anyone else. If he wanted to gain his loyalty...

"Your Majesty...will not fall from the throne."

After Bud finished speaking, he seemed to feel that his words lacked momentum, and quickly added: "I will protect the empire!"

"...Then can I take it that you refuse?"

Iori Shinnosuke said: "What a pity... the bloodline of the emperor that has been passed down for thousands of years will be cut off from now on."

"—!"

Bud shuddered, knowing that this was Iori's verbal offensive, but he couldn't help but imagine that if he let go of his pride and cooperated with the Revolutionary Army, then...

"In that case, let's stop here for today."

In the end, Iori was unable to wait for Bud's response and sighed in his heart, but soon regained his normal mood.

He has done his utmost, and if they meet on the battlefield in the future, he will never give the other party a chance.

"Although it's stupid, it's not funny... I hope that when this drama comes to an end, you can still carry out your will at this moment and be buried with the Millennium Empire."

After saying that, Iori planned to leave without any hesitation - he was very busy!

Now, he not only has to fight against local tyrants in various places, but also has to maintain contact with Nadezhda and Esdeath, and monitor the actions of the high-ranking officials of the Revolutionary Army and the Empire... He really can't do it all.

The fact that he could come in person to persuade Bud was already an extra favor to him, let alone further requests. Anyway, Iori would not behave so humbly in order to recruit the other party.

"May you finally get what you want~"

-

After entering autumn, the situation in the entire empire took a sharp turn!

Originally, in order to appease members of their own faction, the ministers issued an edict in the name of the emperor, establishing a new official position above the governor, "provincial governor", responsible for coordinating the military and political affairs within the province. They also allowed counties to recruit local militias and organize their own troops to suppress bandits and rebels, in order to reduce the pressure on the imperial army.

In addition, the minister tried his best and actually collected several imperial weapon users, and formed a military police force of nearly a thousand people with them as the core, named [Wild Hounds].

He did all this to suppress the momentum of the revolutionary army and Iori, and at the same time to win over local powerful figures - the position of provincial governor is almost like that of a local emperor, and it would be difficult for the revolutionary army to come up with more tempting chips.

However, the development of the matter was completely beyond the minister's expectations. The powerful groups in various places did accept the title of governor and did recruit troops, but they did not suppress the revolutionary army as he had expected. Instead, they kept their own troops and kept away from the revolutionary army.

Some people even surrendered to the enemy directly!

The provincial governor system had not been implemented for long. Just as autumn began, the revolutionary army had already raised its flag in various places and began to officially launch a rebellion!

At the same time, Iori's prestige among the people also rose. After the revolutionary army revolted, he openly raised the slogan of "clearing the court" and fought everywhere with his elite men, removing those governors and county magistrates one by one like a sharp razor.

He used the influence of Anning Dao among the people to collect intelligence and publicly executed those officials who had committed serious crimes. He also lured and appointed officials who were clean or had only committed minor crimes, so that they could appease the people and restore production.

During this process, many landlords and powerful people jumped out to support the governor in opposing Iori, but Iori was not merciful and always dealt with such guys severely.

For a time, Iori's name as the "God of Death" spread throughout the empire, and his image in the hearts of the people became more and more mysterious and taller~

In addition to large forces such as the Empire, the Revolutionary Army, An Ning Dao, and the Masked General, which have begun to take action, the small organizations affiliated with them are also extremely active.

Take [Night Raid] for example. Nadezhda has been winning frequently in the confrontation with [Wild Hounds] in the imperial capital recently. She is going crazy!

The Teigu Users and the two Rakshasa demons under Iori also served as the tactical core time and time again to determine the final victory, and gradually grew into a tacit and powerful elite team, which was not inferior to the [Night Raid] at all.

Just as the situation in the empire was in turmoil, worrying news came from the north:

The northern ethnic groups officially declared war on the empire!

Volume 73: The White Moonlight of the Entire Seireitei: Chapter : Akame withdraws a message

"Hey, fresh vegetables~ tender greens~ come and have a look!"

"Miss, this is our local specialty. You can't buy it anywhere else."

"Look at this mask. Isn't it very lifelike?"

……

In the bustling market, Akagi did not dress up, which was rare. She appeared in a public place with dignity. She looked at the street scenes on both sides while carefully avoiding passers-by, feeling very emotional.

"Five days ago, this place was quite deserted. I didn't expect it to become so prosperous."

"Is this what you call prosperity?" Iori looked around and was very disapproving.

"This town is in a great location. It's next to a canal and has a flat terrain. It's a good place to be a cargo hub. It's just beginning to revive and will become more and more popular in the future."

"Incredible... It's only been a short time, it's like two different worlds." Akame couldn't help but look at Iori with a hint of admiration in her eyes, "You're amazing to be able to do this so easily."

"Me? I didn't do anything." Iori shook his head, "This is all 'natural evolution', don't put the credit on me."

"But wasn't it you who drove out the tax collectors and the imperial army here, and wiped out the bandits and pirates nearby?"

Chi Tong smiled calmly: "If it weren't for this, how could they do business here?"

"I just did what a 'qualified court' should do." Iori didn't think it was anything special, "It's all because of my peers."

The territory he conquered was not small, but due to manpower and time constraints, he basically ruled but did not govern it, and at most he allowed An Ning Dao to exert his power.

However, he still accomplished some of the most basic things, such as forcing local officials and wealthy merchants to sell the grain they had hoarded at a fair price, eradicating the underworld gangs that controlled river transportation, and taking care of the bandits entrenched on the surrounding roads.

He really didn't do anything remarkable. He just provided a "safe and stable environment", and then the market prospered naturally without any deliberate guidance.

Of course, they are just starting out now, and as the scale of trade expands, many conflicts of interest are bound to arise, which need to be regulated in advance... But that is not Iori's business, he plans to let professionals formulate relevant trade regulations in the future.