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The fact that they didn't rush in to fight the rebels already showed great composure.

Upon seeing this, Caesar's lips curled up slightly.

She has succeeded in what she did; public outrage has been brought to the forefront, and it won't be easy for it to come down... It won't stop until the resistance is completely wiped out!

"Quiet, people of the North."

Krystal once again demonstrated her ability to control the situation. Her voice was like a clear melody, instantly silencing everyone as they waited quietly for the Empress to continue.

“I know you are angry and very dissatisfied with the resistance, but anger and dissatisfaction alone are meaningless, because the resistance has declared war on us, just like the empire did in the past.”

Kerudela slowly rose from her throne and walked step by step down the steps to the wooden platform where several rebel assassins were being held.

All eyes followed the Queen's every step; they dared not blink, lest they miss this historic moment…

Soon, the queen arrived at the side of the assassins, and the attendant beside her quickly handed her the longsword.

bass--!

Before the deceased could even raise his sword, Kerudela flashed forward and drew his sword. The sound of the blade being drawn echoed throughout the entire imperial city, immediately imbuing the surrounding air with a chilling aura.

"There was a time when the empire also wanted to kill us."

"Among the endless mountains, a million-strong army surged forth like a tidal wave, determined to annihilate the Northern Kingdom. Under the flashing lightning, General Bud fought with all his might, vowing to turn the Northern Kingdom into a wasteland. In the deathly silence of the night sky, the Imperial assassination squad emerged from the darkness, determined to cut down the sun of the Northern Kingdom... But now, they have all turned to dust."

"The rebels, like the Empire, fear us as they fear the 'Law,' as they fear the rising sun in the north... for I am Cerrida, I am the Empress."

As Krystra finished speaking, a deafening cheer erupted around them. No one had expected their empress to be so bold as to compare herself to the sun of the North…

How magnificent!

"Long live Her Majesty the Empress! Long live Her Majesty the Empress!"

All those words ultimately converged into a declaration of loyalty to the Empress, echoing throughout the entire imperial city.

This time, however, Krydella simply raised her hand and silenced all the sounds.

"If you have any last words, tell me now... and then face my judgment!"

Faced with the powerful Crydella, the rebel assassins were completely terrified. Under her terrifying aura, none of them dared to look Crydella in the eye or even make a sound.

“Very well, since there are no objections, then I will personally wield my sword and sever the alliance between the two sides.”

"From this day forward, the Northern Kingdom and the Rebel Army will have no further dealings; they will be eternal enemies!"

Swish-!

With a single sword strike, the heads of several rebel assassins fell to the ground. Unfortunately, there was no Newton here, nor would anyone grasp the law of universal gravitation through the impact of a falling object…

Meanwhile, in the crowd below the stage, Barbara and her three disciples were already covered in sweat. Chelsea even touched her neck worriedly, as if she were the one performing on stage.

"Luckily, we made the right choice, otherwise we'd probably be the ones with our heads rolling by now, right?"

Kerritt & Hazel / Akame ga Kill!: Chapter 77 Dreams Beneath the Radiance

"Awooo—!"

With a cute cry, a huge mountain rose up from the ground.

No, perhaps it wasn't a mountain at all, but a living creature, a small earth beast that Crydela named Arabi.

Now that he has the ability to change his body shape, he can use it as a means of transportation to travel to the south.

Although slower than the Golden Blood, this was still enough to achieve Cerlydella's plan. Caesar's desired victory wasn't just a blitzkrieg of directly capturing cities, but also a psychological war that put immense pressure on the enemy.

A powerful figure once said that the best way to defeat someone is to make them feel fear first. Then, without you having to lift a finger, they will defeat themselves.

Caesar intended to use his advantages to instill great fear in the southern empire and the rebels!

Keludela remained unhurried and composed.

The Earth Beast, with a body the size of a mountain.

Several thousand imposing Qianyan soldiers.

Hundreds of thousands of resolute-faced soldiers from the Northern Kingdom.

And the terrifying murderous aura that permeated the air.

Crydella sat on the back of the earth beast in the manner of an empress, constantly radiating her presence.

When such a powerful army marches out of the northern capital, all the people of the north will come to watch and cheer with earth-shattering applause.

"Long live Empress Kerudela!"

"Victory is certain! Victory is certain!"

Cheers rang in her ears, and Krydera greeted her supporters.

Anyone whose gaze fell upon the Queen blushed, and many even shed tears of excitement—all due to their overwhelming joy.

＼o／＼o／＼o／＼o／＼o／

Although her reign was short, Empress Crydela's rule over this land had reached an unparalleled level.

Even if Numasekha, the former prince of this land, wanted to raise an army to rebel again, no one would respond; they would only look at him with strange eyes and then quickly report to the Northern Kingdom's palace.

What awaits Numasekhar now is only the principle of "respect for the dead"...

Moreover, as special individuals and close associates of Empress Crydella, Hazel and Esdeath naturally also had a place on the back of the Earth Beast Arabi.

"Huh, what's that?"

Just as Haeseon was responding to the people of the Northern Kingdom, the appearance of several figures suddenly caught her attention, even causing Haeseon to show a surprised expression.

"Lord Sword Banner...where is he?"

"It seems to be right next to Her Majesty the Queen... right on that huge monster!"

A nun was leading a large group of children at the back of the crowd, many of whom were standing on tiptoe, searching for Her Majesty the Queen and the Sword Banner Lord.

"Ah, is that Her Majesty the Queen? She's so small and cute! She's even smaller than us!"

"That's right! I never imagined that someone so small could become an empress. I want to be an empress someday!"

"Haha, Mine, you'd be more suited to be the Queen's maid!"

The children's voices weren't loud and were quickly drowned out by the surrounding crowd, but Krydela and Heather's hearing was at least at the demigod level, so they were naturally able to gather this information.

Aren't these the children from the Golden Welfare Home? I didn't expect that the nun would bring them out as well.

With just a glance, Krystal spotted Mine and the Akame and Kurome sisters in the crowd. At first, when she heard the praise, Krystal's lips curled into a slight smile, but it quickly faded.

These kids are really outspoken, saying whatever comes to mind. But considering their young age, let's let it go.

Krystra: "...Ha! It's just a child's innocent joke. I don't care at all, not at all!"

Out of sight, out of mind. Krystra simply waved to the crowd and then turned to look in the other direction.

But Hazel was different. As the one who had taken Mine, Akame, and Kurome to the Golden Welfare Home, she had secretly visited them with some small gifts.

So, the black-haired beauty looked at the small fish fry that had not yet grown up with gentle eyes and waved her palm lightly.

It was both a greeting and a farewell to the children, since after this battle, neither Krydela nor Hathein would likely have the chance to go to the Golden Welfare Home again.

But the future of the Northern Empire may still depend on these children…

All Krystal and Hathaway can do now is to etch their images into everyone's eyes, leaving a glimmer of hope for this terrible world of Zanpakuto.

Even if the hope is slim, it still exists and will one day shine with true light!

Just like Onpharos, even if Crydela and Hathaway die, the seeds of hope will take root and sprout, and people will continue on... until the true dawn arrives!

As the northern army completely departed, the surrounding crowd gradually dispersed, but everyone wore a smile.

But the children at the Golden Welfare Home showed no sign of leaving; instead, they stared blankly at the departing soldiers…

"As expected of Lord Sword Banner, even though she's a girl, she's so elegant and handsome..." Akame's expression was calm, but her eyes shone with an unusual light, as if she had found her purpose in life. "In the future, I also want to become a person like Lord Sword Banner!"

“Then I will assist my sister and become her adjutant!” At this moment, Kuroko put her arm around Akame’s shoulder. The two sisters smiled at each other, everything understood without words.

The Golden Welfare Institute provides guidance for the children's studies, and the two sisters have a clear understanding of their own abilities. Kurome is more intellectually gifted than Akame, while Akame is stronger in combat, making them a perfect complement to each other.

However, Mine is a bit different. Her physical condition is obviously not very strong. She usually only performs in the middle to lower range in physical fitness tests. It seems that she suffered a lot when she was a homeless person, so much so that she has not recovered yet.

"Ugh... I don't care! Don't even think about abandoning me and running away!"

From the very beginning, little Mine's gaze was fixed on Crydella. The opponent's proud and upright demeanor was indeed a perfect shot that hit Mine's strike zone.

This was the first time she had ever met someone like Cerudela, and she was filled with envy for her.

After all, Mine herself was just a mixed-race person with Western ethnic ancestry, and she usually wandered the streets. If it weren't for meeting Hathaway, she probably would have died on the street long ago.

To repay Hazel's kindness, Mine wanted to help her make the North a better place and allow more children like herself to live happy lives.

The Empress…

It was indeed too far removed from her current self, but that didn't stop Mine from harboring fantasies about it.

"One day, I will stand at the pinnacle of the North!"

"To become an empress like Cerlydella!"

Kerritsu & Hazel / Akame ga Kill!: Chapter 78 - The Supreme Imperial Arms Deployed

Kerudela has assembled an army of nearly 700,000 in the North, along with several thousand Golden Descendants and Thousand Rock Army soldiers. Judging from this, it seems she intends to wipe out the Empire and the Rebel Army in one fell swoop.

Faced with such a terrifying army, the Empire could not possibly do nothing... rather, they had made the best and most thorough preparations.

In the imperial palace, the court officials and the young emperor had all arrived, awaiting the start of the upcoming meeting.

"As expected, after waiting for so long, that guy Crydella has finally attacked... Now it's our turn to fight the rebels. Although I don't know what those guys are thinking, it's definitely not going to be anything good."

Ernest maintained his indifferent and aloof attitude, as if the fate of the empire had nothing to do with him, even though he was the emperor's minister.

"Are we really sure it's okay to prepare so casually, Dad?"

The minister's son, Sheila, looked rather grim, because the empire had long since lost its elite forces and was utterly incapable of supporting the impending war.

They couldn't even provide adequate logistical support!

So how should this battle be fought?

“That’s true, Sheila.”

Ernest stood beside the young emperor, his eyes sweeping over the civil and military officials below the stage, and surprisingly, he blurted out the truth.

"The Empire's situation is extremely dire. General Bud is dead, several elite generals have been killed, and even the captain of the assassination squad has been brutally murdered... Without a doubt, the Empire has reached its most critical moment!"

"If we continue to allow those treacherous traitors in the north to advance southward, I'm afraid our empire, which has lasted for a thousand years, will also disappear into the annals of history?"

The court officials were all taken aback, for none of them had ever seen Ernest so pessimistic... In other words, was the impending fall of the kingdom truly real?

"Then what shall we do?"

It's unclear who asked the question at this particular moment, but although their voice wasn't loud, it reached the ears of everyone present.

"That hits the nail on the head!"

Ernest didn't care who raised the question, but it gave him the opportunity to continue his plans.

"Your Majesty, given that the Empire is currently in dire straits, I humbly request that Your Majesty use that legendary power!"

The legendary power?

Most people look blank when they hear these words. Although they are subjects of the empire, they know very little about the internal affairs of the empire... After all, most of them are parasites!

However, a small number of veteran officials, at this moment, widened their eyes and uttered the name in trembling voices.

"Could it be the legendary Supreme Imperial Arms?"

"That's right, it's the legendary Supreme Imperial Arm, a supreme weapon said to possess abilities comparable to gods, and only those with imperial blood can wield it!"

When the Supreme Imperial Arms were mentioned, the minister's expression immediately became exaggerated, and even his eyes became moist.

"Your Majesty, countless soldiers of the Empire have already given everything for this country. Even if it takes a hundred or a thousand times more, the soldiers would still want to save this country."

"But having such thoughts alone cannot save the empire. The disparity in strength between the enemy and ourselves is too great. If we continue to send soldiers to the battlefield, I'm afraid our empire will eventually have no subjects left."

"This is my incompetence. I am unable to eliminate all hidden dangers before the crisis arrives... Therefore, I can only humbly request Your Majesty to intervene!"

Ernest's tears streamed down his face as he spoke as if he truly cared about the lives of his soldiers.

But at this moment, no one dared to disturb him. Even Sheila, the minister's son, simply turned his head away from Ernest and dared not utter a word to interfere.