Starting with One Piece, a Multiverse Simulation

Tatsumi, standing to the side, was clearly stunned by the drastic change in Chelsea's appearance. No wonder Wood and Lubbock often told him that women are born actresses.

If he hadn't known the whole story beforehand, he would have truly mistaken Chelsea in front of him for Esdeath herself!

Upon entering the mansion, the Imperial soldiers guarding the gate were somewhat puzzled as to why General Esdeath had suddenly returned, but they dared not ask any questions and could only bow and nod in salute.

Esdeath maintained her aloof demeanor, leading Tatsumi past the guards and then, under Tatsumi's guidance, heading straight for the place where Wood was imprisoned.

Because it was nighttime, the time when "night raids" were most frequent, and because Esdeath was not at the mansion, the "hunters" responsible for guarding Wood changed from Will and Kurome to four people.

Besides Will and Kuroko, Ran and Borus were also in the room at the moment.

When the four saw Esdeath bring Tatsumi in, they looked somewhat puzzled, because they had just received orders from Esdeath that she would be leaving the mansion that night and that they should keep a close watch on Wood.

But Esdeath, who was supposed to leave the mansion, is now standing in front of them. Could it be that something has changed?

"Open the iron cage holding Wood; I have something to say to him."

Although Will and the others were somewhat puzzled—Esdeath had come to persuade Wood to surrender that morning, and now she wanted to speak to Wood in close proximity—they couldn't say anything due to Esdeath's imposing presence and could only obediently comply.

This is not to say that Will and his companions were not wary at all, but rather that they probably did not expect that there would be Imperial Arms in the world that could completely mimic the appearance of a human.

Moreover, Tatsumi was with her. Even if she could impersonate General Esdeath, she couldn't possibly impersonate Tatsumi as well, could she?

In short, Tatsumi's presence around Esdeath greatly increased the credibility of Chelsea's impersonation of Esdeath. Unfortunately, what Will and the others didn't know was that Tatsumi was also a traitor.

After opening three layers of iron cages, Chelsea and Tatsumi came to Wood's side.

However, when Chelsea saw the large chains binding Wood and his bound limbs, she frowned deeply.

She had expected Wood to be under close surveillance, but she hadn't anticipated that he would be guarded to this extent.

The chains binding Wood's limbs and neck were manageable, at least they were thick enough to be cut. But the chains wrapped around Wood's body, one after another, were so thick that Chelsea's scalp tingled.

Good heavens, the iron chain was as thick as her arm. She had never seen such a thick chain before. If it were wrapped around her several times, she wouldn't be able to break free. The weight of the chain itself would be enough to crush her!

"Help me unlock his chains again; I want to spar with him one more time."

The number of shackles on Wood was somewhat beyond Chelsea's expectations. If she didn't help Wood lighten his burden, he wouldn't be able to break free when a real battle broke out.

Chelsea knew Esdeath was a battle maniac and was also aware that she was resentful about the outcome of the previous battle, so she imitated her tone and said such a sentence.

Logically speaking, Esdeath would indeed name such a person and release Wood to spar with him again; Esdeath is capable of doing such a thing, and Tatsumi, who was standing nearby, also thought there was no problem.

Strangely, after hearing what Chelsea said, Will and the others did not do as they had done before. Instead, they all looked at Chelsea and began to surround her.

Given the current situation, even a fool would know that they may have given themselves away.

Chelsea couldn't figure it out. Her tone and behavior just now should have been very much in line with Esdeath's personality, so she continued to struggle and said, "What's wrong? Didn't you hear what I said? I want you to unlock his chains."

Despite being surrounded, Chelsea's tone remained firm and arrogant, which was simply Esdeath's personality.

"Stop hiding it. You're not General Esdeath at all, are you?"

"Don't you know? The keys to the chains on Wood are with General Esdeath herself. We, the guards, only have the key to the outer cage."

Upon hearing Will's words, Chelsea immediately showed a knowing expression.

No wonder he thought he had disguised himself perfectly, so why did he suddenly reveal a flaw? It turns out that's where the problem lies.

The people who would appear here and intend to rescue Wood could only be from the "Night Raid," so it's normal for Will and his team to surround them.

Chelsea has no fighting ability whatsoever. Now that her identity has been exposed, she is very likely to be hunted down before Akame and the others can make a move. So at this critical moment, Tatsumi did not hesitate to draw the short sword from his waist and stand in front of Chelsea.

"Idiot Tatsumi, this guy isn't the real Esdeath, but a fake that might be created using a Teigu."

Seeing Tatsumi blocking his way, Will assumed that Tatsumi was also kept in the dark, so he kindly reminded him.

After all, it's normal for ordinary people not to understand the abilities of Imperial Arms. Not to mention ordinary people, even those who are also Imperial Arms users had never imagined that there were Imperial Arms that could imitate other people.

Chapter 426 The Sudden Outbreak of Chaos

Tatsumi comes from the countryside and doesn't seem very bright, so it's quite normal that he was deceived.

After all, even they, as elites, were almost fooled by the other party's superb acting skills!

It must be said that if it weren't for the last flaw the other party revealed, they really wouldn't have realized that the General Esdeath in front of them was actually a fake.

The other party had such a good grasp of their words, actions, and mindset that they were all caught off guard.

"You're the idiot, aren't you, Will? Haven't you realized yet? Tatsumi is clearly in cahoots with this guy!"

Kuroko is usually very quiet and is a typical emotionless girl. However, she becomes very talkative when she is criticizing or mocking Will.

As if to verify that what Kurohime said was true, Tatsumi's next words to Chelsea also confirmed his identity.

"Chelsie, go outside and send a signal first. I'll hold these people off for you."

Chelsea's disguise was exposed so suddenly that neither she nor Tatsumi had expected it.

But given the current situation, they have no choice but to bite the bullet and go for it.

Akame, Susanoo, and Leone were already lurking nearby, ready to support Chelsea and Tatsumi at any time.

Upon seeing Chelsea's signal, they naturally realized that their plan had been exposed. The original plan needed to be changed, and now they had to force a breakthrough.

"Tatsumi, I considered you a friend, but I never expected you to lie to me like this!"

The two longswords clashed in mid-air, scattering sparks everywhere. Will was furious.

After joining the "Hunter", Will felt that one of the luckiest things was meeting Tatsumi, who also came from the countryside and had a compatible personality.

The other members of the "Hunter" were either emotionless or crazy, but he could only get along well with Tatsumi, and he truly regarded Tatsumi as a friend.

The simpler and more innocent a person's personality, the angrier they will be when betrayed, just like Tatsumi who was deceived by the daughter of a wealthy businessman. At this moment, Will is also full of anger.

"Will, I truly consider you a friend and have no intention of being your enemy."

I believe that through what happened to Wood, you should have realized that we, the Night Raid, are not the lawless villains that the Empire describes us to be.

The others in the night raid were much the same as Wood—a good bunch. The Empire was corrupt and dark; what we were doing was helping it dispel that darkness!

During their time together, Tatsumi naturally learned what kind of person Will was, and if it weren't for their different stances, he naturally wouldn't want to fight him.

"I am a soldier of the Empire. Obeying orders is my duty. There is no way I would collude with a bunch of assassins like you."

Tatsumi, since you firmly believe that what you're doing is right, then show me your true strength.

Today, I won't hesitate to show you mercy out of friendship. The outcome of this battle will be the answer to our question!

Upon hearing Tatsumi's words, Will's face showed a hint of struggle, but this struggle was quickly replaced by determination.

The two didn't say anything more, but stepped back and stood facing each other, gripping their Imperial Arms tightly and letting out loud roars!

"Possessed by Evil Spirits - Manipulated Armor!"

"Asura Incarnation: Noble Chariot"!

Two young men, both from the countryside, simultaneously let out a roar from their very souls, and two rising storms instantly enveloped them.

Tatsumi's Imperial Arm "Demon's Embrace" is a full-body white armor, and his weapon is the matching spear "Redback Shrike".

As for Will's Imperial Arm "Noble Chariot", it is also an armor-type Imperial Arm, with a dark blue color scheme and a cooler appearance than "Demon's Embrace".

With its deep blue main color, smooth lines in the armor, and a cape behind him, he looks like a handsome hero.

The "Noble Chariot" also has a matching weapon, a longsword-shaped weapon called the "Seven Star Sword".

It's quite a coincidence that "Noble Chariot" was originally developed as an armor-type Imperial Arm based on "Possessed by Evil Spirits".

As a new type of armor-like Imperial Arm, "Noble Chariot" possesses a more robust outer armor that can effectively resist attacks from cursed swords, giving it a significant advantage in close combat. It can even counter Akame's Imperial Arm—the cursed sword Murasame.

Moreover, even in terms of performance and mobility, the "Noble Chariot" is far superior to the "Demon-Possessed" that served as its prototype.

However, while the 'Noble Chariot' is superior to its prototype in performance, it does not have the transparency ability of 'Possessed by Evil Spirits', nor does it have the evolution ability of 'Possessed by Evil Spirits'. However, it also lacks the corrosive side effects of 'Possessed by Evil Spirits' on the holder.

In general, these two armor-type Imperial Arms each have their own advantages and disadvantages. Therefore, based on these two armor-type Imperial Arms, Wood's "Winter Knight" became the third armor-type Imperial Arm.

The 'Winter Knight' combines all the features of the 'Noble Chariot' and the 'Demon Possessed'.

In terms of performance, as the last armored imperial weapon to be manufactured, its sturdiness and performance are no less than those of the "Noble Chariot" because it also incorporates a large amount of rare metals.

However, simply using rare metals to create Imperial Arms would cause the Imperial Arms to lose the evolutionary power and the power of transparency, such as "Demon Possessed".

Therefore, in order to seek a breakthrough, the original craftsmen added another material to this Imperial Arms: "Skasa," a super dragon-type dangerous species with a high compatibility with the millennium-old cold iron and a danger level comparable to the dragon-type super dangerous species "Tyland."

That is why the third armored Imperial Arm, combining the characteristics of "Noble Chariot" and "Possessed by Evil Spirits," was born.

There are reasons why no fourth, stronger armor-type Imperial Armor was ever created.

Although the elite craftsmen had incredibly creative ideas and went through countless hardships to create the Imperial Arms "Demon God's Descent: Winter Knight", this Imperial Arms, just like its name, is like "demon god's descent", and almost anyone who wears it will die!

There are indeed Imperial Arms users who have a good compatibility with this Imperial Arm, but the main problem is that the side effects of this Imperial Arm are just too great.

To gain immense power, one must naturally pay an equivalent price; the law of conservation of energy applies in many situations.

While the user of the Imperial Arms gains power, their body is also corrupted by the power of the dragon-type Danger Species "Tyland".

The "Noble Chariot" will not corrode the user's body because it does not contain any dragon-type dangerous materials.

Now that the "Winter Knight" combines the characteristics of the two Imperial Arms mentioned above, while the Imperial Arms are powerful, its side effects are naturally amplified many times over!

Gaining great power comes at a price. The 'Winter Knight' was crafted to be incredibly powerful by the artisans, but its side effects, which were far more outrageous than 'Possessed by Evil Spirits,' were something no one could bear.

Almost everyone who tried to use this Imperial Arms found their blood completely frozen shortly after use, their bodies turning into large blocks of ice from the inside out.

Even the most robust man cannot last more than three minutes after using this Imperial Arm.