Passing through a quiet village where there was no celebration or cheering, the young Emperor seized the opportunity to cry out for help as passersby walked by.
"If you rescue me, I can grant you endless gold and silver treasures, even make you a minister or a general!" he shouted.
At first, many passersby thought the boy was delusional. However, upon noticing his attire and the scepter in his hand—items unmistakably belonging to the Emperor—they cautiously approached Wood's group to confirm.
"Is he truly the Emperor of the Empire? And is it true that Honest has been killed?" one villager hesitantly asked.
Wood, seeing no point in lying, nodded. The young Emperor's loud cries had already attracted enough attention to make hiding the truth impossible.
Wood's main concern now was how to deal with the situation. If the villagers decided to rescue the Emperor, would they have to kill them all?
"Lord Wood, what should we do? If we simply flee, these people might betray our whereabouts later," Kurome said calmly as she unsheathed her sword, her expression ice-cold. "To ensure our safety, I suggest we eliminate them all."
As a former assassin in the Empire's elite forces, Kurome didn't differentiate between nobles and commoners. If the situation demanded it, she wouldn't hesitate to kill.
Sensing Kurome's killing intent, the crowd that had gathered around them quickly grew nervous. An elderly man stepped forward and spoke hurriedly, "Please, sirs and madams, you've misunderstood us. We don't intend to rescue the Emperor or oppose you.
"We only wanted to confirm the truth of what we've heard. If it's true that Honest is dead and the Emperor has been captured, we'd be happy to host you rather than stand against you."
Hearing the old man's explanation, Wood's group finally understood. The village was far from the capital, and news of Honest's death and the Emperor's capture hadn't yet reached them.
Had they known earlier, they would have celebrated, just like the other villages.
The young Emperor, now gagged to prevent further outbursts, sank into true despair. For the first time, he realized how poorly he was regarded by the people of his own empire.
Captured alive and paraded like a trophy, he had expected outrage and fear among the citizens. Instead, they celebrated. It was a bitter revelation that underscored just how poorly he had ruled—or been perceived as ruling.
To be fair, the young Emperor wasn't inherently evil. His naivety and ignorance had been weaponized by Honest, who manipulated him as a puppet. At ten years old, he had neither the wisdom nor the strength to stand against the corrupt minister.
But for Wood, Mine, and the others, the Emperor's circumstances didn't change the fact that he bore responsibility for the atrocities committed under his rule. The world was harsh, and even a child had to face the consequences of their actions.
Justice demanded accountability—not just for the Emperor but for Honest and the countless lives their actions had destroyed.
Meanwhile, as Wood and his group fled the capital, having defeated Shikoutazer and captured the Emperor, the Revolutionary Army headquarters was embroiled in a heated battle with Esdeath.
Though a battle maniac, Esdeath wasn't a reckless brute. As a famed general of the Empire, she possessed considerable strategic acumen.
Facing tens of thousands of elite Revolutionary Army soldiers and over a dozen Imperial Arms users, including Night Raid, even Esdeath found herself pushed to the limit.
After her Ice Cavalry was decimated, she unleashed a devastating blizzard, a technique designed to store and amplify her Imperial Arm's energy. The storm buried nearly 100,000 Revolutionary Army soldiers in a single strike.
Surrounded by Imperial Arms users, including Najenda and Akame, Esdeath then deployed her ultimate technique—Mahapadma, a time-freezing ability. With it, she escaped the encirclement unscathed.
The Revolutionary Army claimed victory, having driven Esdeath away, but their losses were catastrophic. Over 100,000 soldiers had perished, and several Imperial Arms users had fallen.
If such a price had resulted in Esdeath's capture or significant injuries, it might have been worth it. However, despite being exhausted and sustaining minor wounds, Esdeath had escaped relatively unscathed.
To make matters worse, just a day after the battle, Esdeath returned to the battlefield, fully recovered.
Her relentless assault claimed another 100,000 Revolutionary Army soldiers and two more Imperial Arms users before she withdrew once again.
Despite their preparations to prevent Esdeath's escape, her time-freezing ability proved too overwhelming. In a frozen world, no one could stop her from leaving.
This pattern repeated itself. Despite their superior numbers, the Revolutionary Army found themselves worn down by Esdeath's unyielding onslaughts.
At first, the Revolutionary Army managed to send wave after wave of reinforcements against her. But as casualties mounted, they were forced to conscript inexperienced recruits to fill their ranks.
Even the Imperial Arms users, once able to suppress Esdeath, now found themselves on the defensive.
Esdeath's strategy was simple yet devastating. She turned the Revolutionary Army's numerical advantage into a liability, grinding them down with successive battles until they had nothing left.
The Revolutionary Army, despite its size and resources, found itself helpless against a single, relentless foe.
Esdeath, a lone general, was gradually turning the tide of the war, one battle at a time.
If things continued at this pace, the entire Revolutionary Army headquarters being completely depleted by Esdeath was almost inevitable.
"At this rate, when Esdeath attacks again, we won't have any forces left capable of suppressing her."
Inside the Revolutionary Army headquarters, Najenda announced this grim assessment to the gathered leaders, her face heavy with worry. The participants in the meeting all wore similarly somber expressions.
Esdeath's tactics were simple and straightforward. She would come to exhaust their resources in waves and retreat before her own strength ran out. Since the Revolutionary Army's headquarters was stationed here, they had no choice but to endure her repeated assaults.
Even though the Revolutionary Army had made preparations many times, Esdeath's Mahapadma time-freezing ability rendered all of their efforts futile. It wasn't until after several encounters that Najenda and the others fully understood the terrifying power she possessed to freeze time.
"So, we should have listened to me and evacuated the headquarters earlier. If we had, we wouldn't have ended up like this."
"Shut up, idiot! Do you think Esdeath would have just let us leave if we tried to retreat? And if we can't even handle Esdeath, how do you plan to overthrow the entire Empire?"
"Yes, Esdeath is incredibly strong, but don't forget that we've managed to force her into desperate situations before. As long as we can find a way to overcome that time-freezing ability—"
"Enough with the nonsense! If we could overcome that ability, we would've killed her already! How do you plan to stop someone when time itself is frozen? With your bare hands?"
As the Revolutionary Army leaders began to argue uncontrollably, Najenda rubbed her temples in frustration. To calm them down, she spoke again: "If Wood were here, he might be able to do it."
"Wood's strength is already enough to match Esdeath, and his Imperial Arm Winter Knight has an extremely strong resistance to ice-based abilities. No matter how powerful Mahapadma is, it's ultimately an ice-element ability. With Wood's ice resistance, he might be able to withstand it. Even if he can't completely nullify it, the time he remains frozen will certainly be shorter than anyone else."
Hearing Najenda's words, the Revolutionary Army leaders once again showed expressions of hope.
"Then what are we waiting for? Quickly get Wood to return to headquarters to support us! While the capital is important, if the headquarters is lost, even overthrowing the Empire won't matter, as the nation will descend into chaos without leadership."
Seeing the hopeful expressions of the Revolutionary Army leaders, Najenda showed a look of hesitation.
She had only mentioned Wood as an example, hoping to prevent the Revolutionary Army from losing morale entirely. But now it seemed her words had backfired.
Leone had said before that they left a letter for Wood, but after several days with no response, it could only mean they had encountered some delays or obstacles.
While Najenda was unsure how to respond, Bulat suddenly spoke: "Even if we summon Wood now, he likely won't make it in time."
"Based on Esdeath's previous attack patterns, she'll strike again by this afternoon at the latest. And as General Najenda mentioned, we no longer have the forces to suppress her. This will be our final chance."
"Besides Wood's Winter Knight, there's another Imperial Arm that might work against Esdeath's Mahapadma. Although it may not be as effective, it's worth considering."
While speaking, Bulat turned his gaze to Tatsumi and continued: "Tatsumi, you must have noticed it as well. Esdeath's Mahapadma affects you far less than it does anyone else. That's why you're always able to recover before anyone else."
Hearing Bulat's words, Tatsumi nodded belatedly. Until now, he had thought it was simply due to his own unique talent. But listening to Bulat now, everything began to make sense.
"Incursio is made from the materials of the super-dangerous dragon-type beast, Tyrant. Its invisibility ability isn't true invisibility but a form of environmental adaptation.
"Even in a frozen time, Incursio's adaptive ability can still function. The problem is that your mastery of the Imperial Arm isn't strong enough yet, which is why you can't fully negate the effects of Mahapadma."
"So the solution is simple," Bulat continued. "Let me use Incursio. I'm more familiar with its abilities than anyone. I might be able to counter Esdeath's Mahapadma. Although I can't defeat her in a one-on-one fight, I can disrupt her time-freezing ability and stop her from escaping. That would give all of you a chance to take her down."
Hearing Bulat's suggestion, hope returned to the faces of the Revolutionary Army leaders. At this point, they had no other options.
"No! I won't agree to this!" Tatsumi suddenly interjected. "Bulat, you told me yourself that if you used Incursio again, it would kill you! Wood saved you before—why would you risk everything now?"
"Tatsumi, you can't deceive me," Bulat said with a soft smile. "I know you've been training hard since my 'death.' I also know you sparred with Wood using Incursio. Wood himself said your compatibility with Incursio is far greater than mine ever was."
"If even you can't use Incursio to counter Mahapadma, then I definitely can't—unless…"
Bulat's voice trailed off, and his gaze darkened.
Tatsumi's expression changed. "Unless you're planning to use that!"