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

Simplicity and sturdiness are the basic colors here. Although the owner of the mansion is unapproachable in terms of prestige and power, there are surprisingly few gorgeous decorations. Famous paintings and works of art are even rarer. Instead, rows of knights' armor are displayed in the corridors and halls, giving it a solemn feel.

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

It's more like a military fortress than a noble estate...

But if the name of the owner of this place were known, then everything would make sense:

Imperial General Bude!

In the empire's military system, senior commanders are collectively referred to as "generals," and different ranks are distinguished based on seniority and merit, but there is no substantial superior-subordinate relationship.

The "Grand General" is different; it is a special official position that is nominally superior to all generals and commands the entire nation's military forces!

This position is not permanent; it is only temporarily appointed in times of emergency, and is usually held by members of the royal family or relatives of the empress. Moreover, it is immediately revoked once the war ends.

Bud is an extremely rare exception, being granted the title of "Grand General" despite having no blood relation to the royal family.

There are three reasons:

Firstly, the Bud family had served the emperor faithfully for generations without ever making a mistake, and they always maintained a military style, uncorrupted by a thousand years of prosperity. They were as reliable as a rock and were deeply trusted by emperors of all generations.

Secondly, before Esdeath's birth, Bud himself was the true "strongest," and all the demons and monsters inside and outside the Empire deeply feared his reputation.

Third, and most importantly, the late emperor trusted him greatly and even appointed him as the "Commander-in-Chief of the Imperial Guards".

This position, which practically holds the emperor's life and death in its hands, has always been entrusted only to the most loyal confidants.

When the late emperor was suffering from illness and sensed that some conspiracy was brewing, he promoted Bude to "Grand General," which is the highest commander of military officers, and put him in charge of supporting his son to ascend the throne.

In fact, Bude did an excellent job. If it weren't for the unfavorable situation on the frontier, he would have had to lead his troops on a distant expedition... and it wouldn't have been so easy for ministers to murder the previous emperor.

By the time Bud returned, everything had changed. Not only had the late emperor "passed away," but the empress had also died from excessive grief, and even the original crown prince had died mysteriously...

Ernest is so fast!

This outwardly overweight fellow was politically aggressive, giving Bud no chance to retaliate:

This is the only son left of the late emperor; you can't deny it!

Bud knew very well that there was something fishy about the late emperor's death, and that the struggle for the throne was full of bloodshed. As the biggest beneficiary, Ernest was certainly involved in all of this.

But he had no choice!

Bud could "purge the court of corrupt officials," at least he had the right to try. However, his family's ancestral teachings held that military generals should not interfere in politics, and the late emperor had not left him any edict or similar document, preventing him from directly taking action against Ernest.

Furthermore, if he were to become Ernest's enemy, the young emperor might even perceive him as a treacherous minister or powerful figure who persecuted loyal officials...

The current young emperor is the only legitimate descendant of the late emperor, and as a subject, Bude cannot disobey the authority symbolized by this bloodline.

Therefore, although he was aware of the corrupt practices of Ernest and others, he did not directly intervene, but instead used his authority to protect the officials of conscience.

It was precisely because of his rigidity and inflexibility that the ministers acted so recklessly... after all, Ernest did not need to follow any rules.

Of course, Bud was a living, breathing human being, not a machine; his patience had its limits. As the situation continued to deteriorate, the general came to his senses:

He's going to make a decision that goes against the wishes of his ancestors!

He personally eliminated the ministers and their cronies, and even if the young emperor wanted to behead him afterward, he would never regret it!

However, internal stability must come before external resistance. Even if we were to deal with Ernest, we would have to do so after the rebellions in various places were quelled. Otherwise, it would give the revolutionary army an opportunity to take advantage of the situation.

The letter I received today came from a former minister who had served the late emperor for decades and was highly respected within the civil service. He later retired due to old age.

After Ernest came to power, he eliminated his opponents, and there were many scheming and corrupt people in the court, but the potential influence of the former ministers still existed.

Since Bud intends to get rid of Ernest, he needs to consider how the central government should operate after removing the ministers' faction. As a soldier, he naturally cannot manage this (and the young emperor is very likely to kill him).

The task of rebuilding the central government could only fall to this former minister. With such a loyal old minister assisting him, General Bude could truly rest assured.

Everything is for His Majesty and the future of the Empire. As long as the bloodline of the late Emperor can continue, he would gladly become a demon—

"Ok?"

As he approached the study door, Bud paused slightly, his eyes narrowing, but he quickly turned the handle and entered the room.

Incredibly, in this study that belonged exclusively to General Bud and which no one dared to enter without permission, there was now a strangely dressed man sitting there, looking at something with great interest, his legs crossed rather rudely on the table.

"It's really funny. I don't remember having any reservations for guests today, yet a stranger is sitting in my chair."

The man walked step by step to the table, looking down at the uninvited guest. Flashes of electricity emanated from the wide sleeves of his pajamas, filling the enclosed room with a faint smell of burning.

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

"I know who you are."

General Bud remained calm, gazing indifferently at Iori. Although this was their first meeting, he had heard of the recently rising imperial general. No, now he should say, a shameless traitor—

"So, are you prepared, General Izang?"

--boom!

With a flash of lightning, the moment the action began, the right sleeve of his clothes tore open, revealing heavy and sturdy dark armor covering strong muscle lines. General Budo's powerful punch was aimed straight at Iori's head, but it was blocked by an unarmored, ordinary hand.

Snapped!

The faint arcs of electricity dissipated, illuminating the black mask and Bud's resolute face.

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

Iori nodded inwardly: Not bad.

“Izo... I don’t like this name. Please call me Iori.”

"Uninvited guests have a common name: 'thieves'!"

Bud increased the force, and powerful electric currents surged throughout his body, the force of which alone made the entire study a mess.

"No, I'm different from those ordinary people. Although I didn't receive an invitation, I already made a reservation... It's reserved for every baby at birth, absolutely no deception."

Iori stood up and smiled slightly: "That is me—'Death God'!"

"You want to become my Grim Reaper?"

A rare smile appeared on General Bud's stern face, but it quickly turned into the hardness of a rock and the coldness of steel: "How arrogant!"

boom!

Without any regard for the fact that they were in their own room, the enclosed space became an excellent execution platform when General Bud unleashed his full-body electric power. No one could escape Bud's judgment here!

...In fact, Iori, who was shrouded in heavy lightning, never thought of escaping.

"Duan Kong!"

——Zheng!

An invisible barrier appeared in front of Iori, and all the lightning bolts that struck it were mercilessly deflected, thus quickly detonating the entire room!

Whoosh!

General Bud emerged from the smoke and tore off his civilian clothes in mid-air, revealing that he was only wearing an ordinary shirt underneath, with only his arms covered in metal arm guards wrapped in lightning.

But as he waved his hands, the arm guards collided, and a thick bolt of lightning shot into the smoke, while different parts of General Bud's armor appeared one after another.

When he landed on the grass outside, a full-body protective suit of armor had been assembled, making him look like a towering iron tower.

"I see, so it can summon other parts directly... This type of Imperial Arm seems to utilize subspace technology, right?"

A question came from afar, but General Bude, a man of strict and cautious nature, did not answer, besides, he himself was not entirely sure.

When the first emperor created the Imperial Arms, the country was at its peak and had inherited many amazing technologies from the previous era, so many of the Imperial Arms' abilities seem quite incredible today.

For example, the "core" of a biological Imperial Arm can be continuously regenerated as long as it is not destroyed, making it almost immortal... This is something even a Super Dangerous Species cannot do!

In addition, there is an automatic summoning and wearing function for armor-type Imperial Arms, which doesn't seem like a capability of the Danger Species themselves. It must be a function that was deliberately added during the design process to make things easier for the user.

However, such advanced technologies have all been lost, and even the Far Eastern island nation has not inherited them... But at least there are finished products here, so there is still hope.

Iori emerged unharmed from the thick smoke, squinting with interest as she looked at the [Thor's Wrath - Admiral] weapon on General Bud.

"Possessed by evil spirits, riding noble chariots, wrathful Thor... If we collect and compare these three sets of armor, could we reverse engineer this space technology?"

Chapter 71: Right here in the Qianqing Palace!

Bud had no idea what Iori was thinking, otherwise he would have been furious, because no one had ever dared to slack off during a fight against him.

Meanwhile, the explosion had already caught the attention of the guards, and well-trained soldiers had swarmed in from all parts of the mansion, surrounding the area.

"Stop."

Unexpectedly, the general raised his hand to stop his subordinates: "Stay away, everyone. This person is not someone you can handle. I must deal with him personally. Staying within the range of [Admirer] will be very dangerous."

"Wise judgment."

Despite being trapped in enemy territory, Iori remained completely calm, speaking as naturally as if she were meeting an old friend.

"However, this is meaningless, because I have no ill intentions towards you. I have come to visit you only to make a suggestion to the General."

"They sneaked into my residence and stole my private letters, yet they claim they meant me no harm?"

Bud clearly didn't believe Iori: "I'll put you in jail first, then you can explain yourself."

The man in heavy armor took a step, and this simple action made the surrounding atmosphere "restless." A strange feeling crept over everyone, making their hair stand on end.

Knowing the danger, the guards quickly retreated. They knew this was the prelude to the general's serious battle, and once he unleashed his full power, the surrounding area would become a sea of ​​thunder, allowing no one to get close!

"As expected, it's impossible to persuade a soldier with words alone."

Iori drew her Heavenly Cloud Sword, looking as if she had expected it: "Fortunately, I also know a little about fist fighting and swordsmanship."

-

"Huh...huh..."

The vast grassland turned into scorched earth, and the area within a radius of several hundred meters became a no-man's land. Even the soldiers who were loyal to Bud only dared to watch the battle from the outermost edge.

The source of all this was General Bude, a highly respected figure in the army, who was now in a defensive posture, anxiously watching the enemy while panting heavily, clearly having expended a great deal of energy.

In contrast, Iori, standing on the other end, showed no signs of injury or fatigue. Apart from a slightly torn cloak, she did not look like she had just been through a major battle.

"As expected of a strong person who is on par with Esdeath, in terms of destructive power alone, he probably surpasses Esdeath. His skills in using Imperial Arms are also superb... but he is slightly lacking in boldness and versatility."

That straightforward style of fighting is good for maneuvering on the battlefield, but it's a bit clumsy against me.

"...You fought Esdeath?" Bud asked with interest. "She's not a woman who shows mercy; to her, fighting is like beasts devouring each other. A hunter never lets his prey go, but you're standing here unharmed... Does that mean she lost?"

“I lost.” Iori didn’t hide anything, even being overly frank. “In my opinion, your two Imperial Arms are evenly matched in terms of performance, with Thunder having a slight edge in destructive power and speed. But if it were a life-or-death duel between you two… if nothing unexpected happens, you would not be a match for Esdeath.”

"So, that little girl is stronger than me?" Bud was somewhat unconvinced, but he also knew perfectly well that Iori had no reason to lie to him.

In fact, he knew in his heart that [Admiral] and [Demon Manifestation] were elemental manipulation Imperial Arms of the same level, and strictly speaking, [Admiral] was more practical than [Demon Manifestation].

Because each Imperial Arm has a hidden threshold for use, even the best weapon will be greatly reduced in value if no one can use it or if it poses a great danger to the user.

Just like the [Noble Chariot] is theoretically an upgraded version of [Haunted], and is not affected by the erosion of dangerous species cells and fighting will, but obviously the upper limit of [Haunted] is much higher than the former.

Among the many Imperial Arms, the requirements for using [Admiral] are relatively high, but it is still possible to achieve them, and there are no obvious drawbacks once mastered.

In comparison, the [Demon Manifestation] is on a completely different level, being utterly negative to the extreme... Before Esdeath appeared, no one had even managed to master it; any ordinary person who came into contact with it would be driven insane by the mad will within!

Being able to tame the [Demon Manifestation] and perfectly fuse with it means that Esdeath has become a humanoid super dangerous species, and the potential within her body can be compared with or even surpass the original!

As the heir to a long-established family, how could Budo not know what this meant? He had long been mentally prepared to be surpassed by Esdeath.

Now, it has been confirmed by Iori himself, who simply remarked, "Too fast."

The Ice Queen is only twenty years old. Even by the standards of ordinary human growth, her physical abilities have not yet reached their peak. In other words, she is still in her growth phase... She is truly a force to be reckoned with!

However, while Esdeath is terrifying, she is still within Bud's "comprehension range," but Iori completely defies Bud's common sense.

All sorts of amazing abilities are one thing, but how did this guy manage to master both swordsmanship and physical skills, possessing formidable strength while also being incredibly agile?

Generally speaking, true masters don't have any obvious weaknesses, but they will all have some strengths. After all, a person's energy is limited, but the path of martial arts is endless. Only by investing time and energy in the area where one is most talented can one improve their strength most efficiently.

However, after the exchange just now, Bud was surprised to find that Iori had no "focus" and no weaknesses!

What's truly disheartening is that, in every aspect of his abilities, Iori can consistently outclass him... This is an overall gap that cannot be bridged by tactics or techniques.

If you were to say that Iori can be the Goddess of War Esdeath—the General of the Buddo Terracotta Army, I would choose to believe it.

"I never expected... I never expected there to be such a master in the Revolutionary Army." Bud looked at Iori incredulously. "Someone like you, who was previously unknown?"

wrong!

The man's expression changed, and he frowned as he pondered for a moment. Suddenly, it dawned on him: "If Izo is just an alias, then you are actually... the Faceless One? The wanted criminal who assassinated so many important officials?"