What? The Emperor is Dead?!

Cough, cough... Syura spat, covered in dirt and blood, clutching his severed arm. "Those bastards dared to leave me buried under this rubble…"

He grimaced, trying to hold his wound together. "At least they didn't lose my severed arm. Dorothea's alchemy should be able to reattach it. Dorothea! Izou! Where the hell did you all go? Guards! Get over here, now—"

His voice was filled with expletives, cutting through the air. Selene, watching this scene with mild interest, asked rhetorically, "So this is Syura?"

Even without having met him before, the dark skin, the massive cross-shaped scar across his face, and his aggressive, violent demeanor could only belong to one person: Syura, son of Honest.

"Yes... it's him," Dorothea responded, bowing her head as she stood by Selene's side, too scared to even breathe heavily.

"Well, that's convenient. He can join Honest. After all, crimes that warrant the extermination of an entire family can't be complete without his offspring."

At that moment, Syura finally noticed Selene and Dorothea standing not far from him. He wobbled to his feet, screaming, "Damn you! Dorothea! Didn't you hear me calling for you? Hurry up and reattach my arm! I'm the lord here!"

Shing!

A cold metallic sound rang out, and in Syura's shocked gaze, the remaining stump of his arm was suddenly severed, blood gushing out uncontrollably.

"Aaaaghhh!" Syura screamed in agony as the pain shot through his body, his twisted expression turning even more monstrous as the realization hit him.

"You seem to misunderstand your situation," Selene remarked coldly.

Syura, his voice barely able to form coherent sentences through the pain, howled, "Damn you! Do you even know who I am?! How dare you! I'll kill you! I'll rip you to pieces and feed your flesh to the dogs!"

Desperate and barely holding onto consciousness, Syura activated his Teigu: Habilidades, creating a purple dimensional circle at his feet. This Teigu was the source of his arrogance and confidence—his ability to teleport away from danger.

But...

Buzz...

"Wha—?! Why am I still here? Why isn't Habilidades teleporting me away?!" The light flickered, but nothing happened. Syura's maniacal expression froze.

The next moment, Syura looked down and saw that his Teigu, Habilidades, was missing. It was now in Selene's hand, as she casually toyed with it.

"Spatial lock. You see, controlling space happens to be my specialty."

Syura was stunned for a moment, and then, with a feral scream, he lunged at Selene. "Give Habilidades back to me!"

But before he could even get close, he was sent flying backward by a powerful blow—not from Selene, but from Dorothea.

Cough, cough... Syura spat out blood and screamed, "Dorothea, you traitorous wench! You're turning against me?!"

"..." Dorothea remained silent, her face devoid of emotion as she stepped forward and bit down on Syura's wrist.

"You... you dare—" Syura's words were cut off as his muscular frame began to rapidly wither before his eyes. His strength drained away, his body collapsing like a discarded heap of flesh and bones.

With Syura lying lifelessly on the ground, Dorothea knelt before Selene.

"Well done. Your loyalty is noted..." Selene said coolly, acknowledging Dorothea's submission. "Now, take Syura and lock him up with Honest. Make sure he doesn't die—I still have use for him."

"Yes, my lady!" Dorothea replied, her voice trembling.

"Good. You may leave." With a flick of her wrist, Selene tossed Habilidades into her storage space and began walking toward the Imperial Palace.

As Selene walked through the corridors of the palace, her enhanced hearing picked up the sound of explosions, the roar of thunder, and the clashing of weapons. The cries of warriors and the screams of young girls reached her ears.

The chaotic symphony of battle seemed to excite Selene even more. "It's time to bring this show to an end."

Pressing a finger to her temple, she issued her commands. "Leiva, it's me. I'm authorizing the immediate deployment of the Imperial Guard to lock down the entire capital."

"Alex... yes, restart the mission to eliminate Night Raid. Clear out all remaining Revolutionary Army forces both inside and outside the capital."

"Hmm? Akame insists on joining the operation? Very well, grant her permission... What about Cornelia? Still healing, I see. Understood. Begin the operation."

Arriving at the Emperor's bedchamber, Selene was greeted by a group of palace attendants who immediately knelt before her.

Struggling to suppress the smile forming on her lips, Selene kept her expression neutral and asked, "Where is His Majesty?"

One of the attendants guided her inside, pointing toward a small, silk-covered body beside the throne. The attendant fell to his knees, tears streaming down his face as he cried out, "Your Excellency, the Emperor... he has passed away!"

"What? The Emperor is dead?!" Selene feigned shock, her face displaying a dramatic expression of disbelief.

"One of the assassins disguised himself as Minister Honest and tricked us into leaving. That's when the assassin struck, killing the Emperor!" the attendant explained tearfully.

Selene sighed deeply, shaking her head as she turned to leave the room.

Though her expression was appropriately solemn, her departure from the chamber without the traditional three kneelings and nine bows was a significant breach of royal protocol. After all, the death of an Emperor demanded a grand display of mourning. Yet Selene, showing only a sigh of resignation, broke all decorum.

Of course, no one dared question her actions. The attendants, too, knew what this meant—the death of the Emperor marked the extinction of the royal bloodline. The Empire would soon change hands.

As Selene reached the palace gates, scorched black by Budo's lightning, she turned back and issued another order. "Take care of His Majesty's remains... and make sure none of the assassins escape."

Crack! Boom!

The night sky was lit up by a massive thunderclap. Lightning snaked across the heavens, the force so intense that ripples spread through the clouds, shaking the atmosphere.

Looking up at the stormy skies, Selene frowned slightly. "Advent of Thunder Emperor, Budo's getting desperate, it seems."

"The assassin... that must have been Chelsea with her Teigu, Phantasmagoria: Gaea Foundation. But to think Budo would go this far... well, I suppose it makes sense. With the Emperor dead, he has every reason to be enraged."

Suddenly, an orange beam of light pierced the sky.

"Oh? So it's Pumpkin, then. Budo, it seems fate is not on your side tonight..."

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