The Time for a Coup Is Near!

The two girls dressed in the Empire's assassination unit uniforms were none other than Cornelia and Akame.

"This time, I will kill Najenda and avenge Father and everyone... using Father's [Murasame]!" Akame's eyes were cold as she pressed a finger against the hilt of the blade, its sharp edge gleaming faintly. Her voice dripped with killing intent.

"Yes, revenge!" Cornelia's voice trembled slightly with excitement at the thought of facing their enemy again. The painful memories of that day came flooding back.

Two years ago, in the Empire's southern provinces, after it was confirmed that Najenda had betrayed the Empire, Gozuki and the five remaining elite members of the Empire's assassination unit decided to carry out an "assassination."

Following the plan, Green used high-powered explosives provided by Selene to eliminate a large portion of Najenda's forces.

Therefore, when they stormed the camp, it was surprisingly easy, as they faced little organized resistance. However, they had grossly underestimated the strength of Najenda's high-ranking officers.

With two Imperial Arms users (Chelsea and a liaison officer from the Revolutionary Army), Najenda's two deputies, and Najenda herself, there were five Imperial Arms users on their side.

On Gozuki's side, only he had an Imperial Arm, while the other five disciples wielded Shingu.

Due to Selene's war of annihilation against the northern barbarians, Esdeath had not personally gone to subdue the rebellious Najenda as she had in the original story. Instead, Esdeath had headed north to take revenge on her father's killer, Numa Seika, who was captured by Hak Foo.

As a result, Najenda narrowly escaped what would have been a crushing defeat, but this left Gozuki and his team to bear the brunt of the fight.

Najenda may have seemed weak—her two Imperial Arms deputies were quickly slain by Esdeath, and she herself lost an eye and her right hand in an instant—but that was only in comparison to Esdeath.

As a general of the Empire, Najenda wielded the Imperial Arm Pumpkin, a gun-type weapon that could convert mental energy into shockwaves. The more danger the user faced, the more powerful it became.

With its ultimate ability to remove its power limiter, Pumpkin's destructive potential ranked among the strongest of the Imperial Arms.

Unfortunately, Gozuki's group had lost the element of surprise due to the explosion and found themselves at a disadvantage in terms of strength, leading to the failure of their assassination attempt.

In the desperate battle that followed, Gozuki held off Najenda's ferocious onslaught, while Poney and Tsukushi sacrificed their lives to kill the Revolutionary Army liaison officer, who wielded a flute-type Imperial Arm.

Meanwhile, Najenda's two Imperial Arms deputies targeted Cornelia, Akame, and Green.

Soon after, Gozuki was defeated and killed by Najenda, but before his death, he threw the [Murasame] to Cornelia and Green, telling them to escape with Akame.

In the end, Green heroically stayed behind to cover their retreat, blowing himself up in the process.

The once 'Elite Seven' assassination unit was now reduced to just Cornelia and Akame...

Remembering this, Cornelia's fists clenched so tightly that her knuckles turned white, her fingernails digging into her palms and drawing blood.

As the leader, ranked No. 3 in the assassination unit, Cornelia felt utterly useless. She hadn't protected her younger comrades like Najasho and Guy had. Instead, they had to protect her, allowing her to survive.

"Najenda, I will kill you!" Cornelia vowed with burning determination.

Suddenly, creak—

The sound of the palace door opening broke the silence, and the guide spoke up, "Ladies, this way, please."

"Oh, thank you..." Cornelia snapped out of her self-blame, shaking off her thoughts. She grabbed Akame's hand, and the two of them followed the guide through a series of palace doors, entering the heart of the Palace of Springs.

Walking through hallways elevated tens of meters above the ground, they could see everything spread out before them.

The magnificent palace corridors stretched endlessly into the distance, filled with Baroque-style architecture, fountains, flower beds, and pavilions.

"So, this is what noble life is like... This must be what Najasho and Guy dreamed of," Cornelia couldn't help but fall into her memories once again...

But at that moment—clang!

Two massive battle axes collided in front of them, casting enormous shadows that blotted out the light.

A deep, metallic voice filled the air, "Halt. State your business!"

"So big... so tall..." Akame craned her neck, looking up at the towering figures. She could barely see their full form.

Standing before them were twelve soldiers, each at least three meters tall, wrapped in golden power armor, with crimson cloaks draped over their shoulders. They held massive, single-bladed battle axes and towered over the two girls like statues.

"We are here under orders from the General," Cornelia said.

"Drop your—hm?" The leader of the golden giants was about to ask them to surrender their weapons when he suddenly paused. "Understood."

"The General has permitted you to enter." With that, the leader waved his hand, and the golden guards stepped aside, pushing open the heavy doors to the central hall for Akame and Cornelia.

...

Cornelia and Akame exchanged a glance, both swallowing nervously. They tried to straighten their backs and steel their nerves.

Even someone as stoic as Akame felt a twinge of fear. After all, their last meeting with Selene had left a deep impression on her, physically and mentally.

The vast difference in power and authority, the towering palace that made humans feel so small, the intimidating giant guards, and the overwhelming strength of the one who ruled this palace...

How could they not be nervous?

"Sister Cornelia, you go first..." Akame said quietly as she stared up at the grand, towering palace before them.

"...Alright."

The two walked together, cautiously making their way through the vast hall toward the golden throne at the far end.

"Greetings, General!" As they neared the throne, Cornelia pulled Akame down with her, both of them kneeling respectfully.

"Oh, you've arrived. No need for formalities... Here's the intelligence on Najenda."

Without wasting words, Selene stood up from her golden throne and gestured. Immediately, a dossier compiled by Leiva floated before the two girls.

"As for the death of your mentor and foster father, Gozuki, I offer my condolences once again. Though he wasn't under my command for long, he was still one of my people. I will ensure his death is avenged."

Selene sighed, stepping down from the throne to place a comforting hand on their shoulders.

Though inwardly, Selene didn't care about Gozuki's death in the slightest, she knew the importance of appearances. Sometimes, crocodile tears were necessary.

This kind of hypocrisy had become second nature to Selene, an instinctive reaction.

After helping the two to their feet, Selene continued, "Take this information and study it. It will help with your revenge."

Turning her head, she called out, "Alyssa!"

"Present!" came the prompt reply.

"Prepare to escort them back to the capital."

Preparation was complete. The time for a coup was near!