Historical Revision—The Night Raid Rebellion

"Tch, how ironic. The palace that Budo is destroying after the Emperor's death is now the one I have to protect," Selene muttered to herself.

Considering the palace was already hers, Selene felt a responsibility to safeguard her property. Minor destruction—such as a few palaces, courtyards, or gardens—didn't bother her much, but Budo and Mine's massive energy clash was different. They were shaking the very foundations of the palace!

Arriving swiftly at the scene, Selene erected a semi-enclosed virtual barrier just as the two unleashed their full power against each other. The barrier restricted the destructive force of their duel to a radius of about 100 meters.

Why only a semi-enclosed barrier? It wasn't necessary to fully enclose it—after all, the primary impact of Budo and Mine's clash was high up in the sky. It was only the residual waves that affected the ground, but even those waves carried a terrifying power that exceeded most people's imaginations.

Though their battle took place hundreds of meters above the ground, the intense heat generated from their clash instantly set the surrounding lawns, gardens, and trees ablaze. Fountains evaporated, and stone structures cracked under the pressure of the high temperatures.

As the light from the impact faded and the shaking subsided, Selene deactivated her barrier and descended to the center of the battleground where Budo and Mine had clashed.

A wave of scorching heat hit her as she landed. The scene before her looked as if someone had erased everything with a giant eraser. The entire area was reduced to a massive, charred crater, radiating with red-hot cracks and littered with yellow-white shards of glass formed by the extreme heat.

Creak creak...

Her silver boots crunched against the crystallized glass particles that had once been part of the ground. Selene could sense that both Budo and Mine's life forces were slowly fading.

"Fate truly works in strange ways... did they both end up perishing together?"

At the center of the scorched battlefield, a large figure kneeled amidst the rising heat, becoming clearer as the smoke dissipated. It was none other than Budo.

His body exuded the faint smell of roasted meat, and his flesh was riddled with deep wounds, oozing fresh blood. His once golden hair was now mostly burnt away, and he looked pitifully battered.

The heavy armor that had protected Budo's upper body had been completely obliterated. His skin was charred black, his right arm severed from the shoulder, and his left hand had sunk deeply into the scorched earth, clutching the broken remains of his Teigu, [Adramelech], scattered around him.

"[Pumpkin]'s final strike is easy to dodge, but you, Budo, chose to take it head-on like the stubborn old fool you are," Selene remarked dryly.

In the original story, Budo had acted the same way. Knowing full well that [Pumpkin]'s power increased based on the user's crisis level, he could have easily won by closing in on Mine for close combat. But instead, he chose to face her final attack head-on, resulting in mutual destruction. Budo, ever the man of integrity!

With a shake of her head, Selene approached Budo. He had already lost consciousness, hovering on the brink of death. Only the faint rise and fall of his chest indicated that he was still clinging to life.

"But... you've done your duty to the Empire, haven't you, Budo? Well then... rise again. Serve me, fight for me!"

Budo, with his unwavering loyalty and perfect soldier-like nature, was far too valuable for Selene to let die.

Buzz...

Selene raised her hand, and a pure white sphere of light materialized in her palm, radiating a soft, healing glow.

"Healing spell!"

The sphere expanded, enveloping Budo's shattered body in a soothing light. Within a few breaths, his condition stabilized. The bleeding stopped, his wounds began to close, and the charred skin peeled away, revealing fresh flesh beneath. Even his severed right arm began to regenerate with soft crackling sounds.

"Soon, Budo will be fully restored..." Satisfied with her work, Selene turned her gaze forward. "Isn't that right, Mine?"

"How... how is this possible..." came a hoarse voice as a weakened Mine staggered out from behind the ruins of the battle.

Covered in blood, her royal guard uniform was in tatters, leaving her exposed. Her once vibrant pink twin tails were now loose, dull, and reeking of smoke. She coughed violently and collapsed onto her knees, holding her head with one hand as she struggled to stay conscious.

"You... you're the other Great General, Selene!" Mine croaked, her blood trickling from her nose and mouth, her vision fading.

"Yes, that's me," Selene said as she stopped right in front of Mine, looking down at her condescendingly.

"We... we were just being used, weren't we?" Mine spat, glaring up at Selene with disdain. "You... you're the one behind everything. You're the so-called imperial figure, using us to eliminate Honest! And now... now you're going to take his place, seize control of the court yourself, aren't you, Duchess?"

"Aren't you afraid I'll make your death painful for speaking to me that way?" Selene replied coldly.

"Hah... you aristocrats are all the same... You'll never change..."

Before Mine could continue, a loud thud interrupted her.

Sebas landed next to Selene, holding two severed heads in his hands.

"Milady, except for General Esdeath, who's still... enjoying herself, the other rebels who infiltrated the palace have been executed. The remainder have been captured."

With that, Sebas tossed the two heads onto the ground, and they rolled right in front of Mine. She immediately recognized the green-haired head.

"Lubbock!" Mine screamed, her voice filled with grief and rage.

Ignoring Mine's furious gaze, Selene calmly issued her next orders. "Sebas, summon the imperial chroniclers. Tell them to bring their tools."

"As you command."

A short while later, two elderly historians dressed in dark robes were escorted before Selene by Sebas.

Upon seeing Selene, the two old men immediately fell to their knees, bowing deeply. "We pay our respects to the Great General!"

"Rise," Selene gestured for them to stand. "Did you bring your tools?"

"Yes, yes, we have them!" They fumbled with their robes, hastily pulling out ink quills and the parchment they used for recording significant events in the Empire's history.

"Good... I'll dictate, and you will write. Is that clear?"

"Y-yes!" The historians hurriedly nodded in agreement.

"Imperial Year 1024... Imperial Minister Honest, in collusion with traitors, caused a rebellion in the south, leading to an infiltration of the palace by southern rebels. The rebellion was led by the traitor, former General Najenda, and included accomplices such as Lubbock and Mine... the rebel group known as the Night Raid. Despite the valiant efforts of the imperial guards, they were overwhelmed due to leaked security details. The rebels penetrated the Emperor's sleeping chambers..."

Selene paused and continued with a solemn tone.

"...leading to the Emperor's death."

Mine, hearing this, gritted her teeth and cried out, "You think this will clear your name, Selene? You're no better than any of us—"

Thud!

"I have bigger plans than that." Selene silenced her by pressing down on her head, forcing her to kneel.

"...This event shall be recorded as—'The Night Raid Rebellion!'"

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