"Not good!"
Seeing Budo unleash such a large-scale thunder strike in anger, Esdeath's expression immediately changed. If all these lightning bolts really hit, the entire palace would probably be reduced to ruins!
Esdeath naturally would not allow this to happen. This was their future home. How could they let old man Budo cause destruction? She immediately activated her power, Demon's Extract, and a huge ice dome, like an eggshell, quickly formed above the palace to block the strikes.
As for Aria and the others, Esdeath had no intention of protecting them. They caused this mess, so they had to be taught a lesson. Besides, with their strength, there was no worry they would be truly wiped out.
Boom!!!
Finally, under the horrified expressions of countless people, the lightning struck. The speed of lightning, ice shards scattered, fierce winds roared, and the ground shook violently. The entire imperial capital descended into chaos!
"Ieyasu, are you alright?"
Using Cutter of Creation Extase to block flying ice shards and debris, Tatsumi was filled with shock and shouted to his equally battered companion Ieyasu nearby.
"I'm fine, Tatsumi. Damn it, what kind of monsters caused this?"
"We haven't found that bastard or Sayo anywhere. The explosion seemed to come from the palace. Let's go check it out!"
Still shaken and extremely worried about Sayo's safety, Ieyasu suggested to Tatsumi.
"Alright, let's go immediately!"
With a flash of determination in his eyes, Tatsumi agreed without hesitation.
Like Ieyasu, he was even more concerned about Sayo's safety. If she had been caught in that explosion, it would be terrible. Although they knew rushing there was dangerous, they couldn't care about that now.
Having made their decision, the two no longer delayed and quickly pushed through the panicked crowd toward the palace…
…
"Lord Sora, is something wrong?"
In the underground secret passage, Spear, following Sora, asked with a puzzled look when he suddenly stopped.
"Ah, I saw something interesting!"
"That Aria girl is quite capable, huh? She actually pushed Budo to that extent, hehehe…"
Sora seemed very pleased, speaking while chuckling to himself.
Spear was confused and didn't understand what Sora was talking about. Meanwhile, the little maid Sayo ahead blushed and looked hesitant. Using her ability, she had clearly seen what happened outside.
Sayo thought that Aria was really shameless. Remembering how she had been deceived by her before, the girl felt a wave of embarrassment…
…
"Cough cough… Seryu, are you alright? Where's Aria? I'm going to kill her!"
As the dust settled, the huge figure of the twin-winged fire dragon appeared. But unlike its usual majestic and domineering appearance, it was battered and charred from the lightning strikes. At the critical moment, Kurome had summoned it to protect herself and the others.
"Cough cough… I'm fine. Aria should be fine too. I saw her running toward us earlier."
Shaking her head to clear it, Seryu tidied her disheveled clothes and replied.
"Hmph, Kurome, I heard what you said just now. Who do you want to kill?!"
Crawling out from under the twin-winged fire dragon's wings, Aria pouted at Kurome with displeasure. That guy just arrived two years earlier than her, what's so great about that?!
"You brat, I'm going to kill you!"
Dissipating the battered twin-winged fire dragon and the titan ape, Kurome gripped her March of the Dead [Yatsufusa] and swung it at Aria.
This useless girl couldn't even cut an old man who was about to be buried! And she had been told not to come over, yet she deliberately drew danger toward Kurome and Seryu. Such a hateful and useless person deserved to be cut down with one stroke!
Clang!!!
Seeing Kurome actually dare to strike her, Aria immediately crossed her blade in front of her body, furious.
"Damn you, Kurome! Don't think you're better than me just because you have that broken sword your master gave you and a few puppets. If you come any closer, I'll make you taste the power of my Poison Fang!"
Almost face to face, Aria shouted angrily at Kurome.
The girl was also a bit furious inside, thinking, "You despicable Kurome! You couldn't beat Old Budo, yet you dare to be so fierce with me? I should have been sneakier with you earlier!"
"Hehehe… Aria, you make me so scared. Even if your broken knife is vicious, so what? You, weak and incompetent, want to cut me? Dream on!"
Kurome sneered disdainfully at the angry Aria.
Although she admitted Aria's broken knife was quite troublesome, just like her sister's weapon Red Slash—once injured by it, even she couldn't remain unscathed. But with Aria's limited skills, Kurome really didn't take her seriously. She was not like Budo, that big fool who just stood there letting her slash him again and again!
"You…"
Aria was furious but had no retort.
So the two girls exchanged blows and insults, while Seryu watched dumbfounded as they started fighting among themselves…
"Hey… you two are quite spirited. Since that's the case, I'll use you to practice on later."
Esdeath's voice suddenly appeared beside the two girls, pressing Kurome and Aria's heads together, leaning close to their ears with a wicked smile.
"Lady Esdeath…"
Hearing Esdeath's voice, the two girls simultaneously thought, "Oh no," and dared not continue fighting. They mechanically turned their heads to look at Esdeath's radiant smile, shivering all over.
They knew the temper of this super sadistic queen well. The happier she smiled, the more miserable their fate would be. The two glared fiercely at each other, blaming all the faults on the other.
"Well, there's still a lot to do today. Your 'reward' will be discussed after we get home. For now, let's go check on that old man Budo."
Seeing Esdeath let them off for now, Kurome and Aria both breathed a long sigh of relief. But thinking about the queen's "reward" later, they felt uneasy again.
As for the little thoughts of these two girls, no need to elaborate. Next, under Esdeath's lead, the four women approached the imperial general Budo lying on the ground.
He looked extremely weak, making one wonder if the legendary General Budo was some kind of one-time-use product—firing once and then collapsing.
Ahem, actually General Budo was mighty. Even if hit ten or eight times, it wouldn't be a problem. But now his whole body was purple, clearly poisoned to the bone…
"Aria, your poisonous fang is really something. Even the legendary Budo can't resist it."
Looking at the pained expression on General Budo's face, Esdeath's eyes sparkled with delight, smiling wickedly.
Although she didn't strike herself, the empire's strongest legend was knocked down by her three little darlings she trained. Esdeath felt a great sense of accomplishment and satisfaction.
"Hehehe, no, no, Lady Esdeath…"
Waving her hand and speaking humbly, Aria's nose was almost in the air with pride. Seryu shrugged without comment, while Kurome looked displeased, itching to slash again.
"Hahaha… old fart, what empire's strongest? I don't think so!"
"Remember this: the one who defeated you is me, Aria!!! I will be your lifelong shadow, an existence you can never surpass! Hahaha…"
Stepping forward, Aria placed a small foot on Budo's body, hands on her slender waist, laughing wildly. Her endless vicious words stabbed into old Budo's heart like sharp blades.
"You… pfft…"
Such humiliation! Budo's lifetime of glory and fame across the continent was shattered by a cunning, vicious, and shameless girl. It was simply…
Well, Budo couldn't even describe his feelings now. Already heavily poisoned, now his anger and blood pressure surged. His eyes rolled back, he spat old blood, and fainted…