A gigantic fist fell from the sky, smashing into the ground like a meteor. The immense force made the solid earth ripple outward layer by layer like liquid. Those seemingly small ripples instead stirred up waves dozens of meters high.
The revolutionary army, which had already completely surrounded the palace and was about to capture this core of power, was blown away in unknown numbers by that single punch. From afar, they looked like ants swept up by a tornado…
In the end, amid the howling winds, a massive figure like a small mountain rose and stood tall. Draped in a majestic cloak, its entire body covered in incomparably hard armor, it was clearly an armor-type Imperial Arm, just like 'Demon's Extract' and 'Grand Chariot'.
The difference, however, was that its image was not that of a "general," but that of an even more authoritative, utterly unassailable "emperor".
And in terms of size, it was countless times larger, a literal steel mountain… It was indeed armor, but not something the user wore. Instead, it was something the user "operated."
"What is this?!"
Esdeath's expression immediately changed. From those two attacks just now, she had felt an unimaginable level of power. In terms of sheer destructive force, it even surpassed both her and Iori.
"Could it be… an Imperial Arm hidden by the royal family through the ages? Iori, you knew about this all along, didn't you?"
Her beautiful eyes locked onto Iori, and then she smiled boldly, full of confidence. "Thanks for handing this prey over to me!"
"Be my guest." Iori spread his hand slightly. Before his words had even fully fallen, Esdeath had already leapt down from the city wall and charged straight toward the massive steel giant.
At the same time, that royal Imperial Arm continued to attack the revolutionary army around it. Tens of thousands of troops meant nothing to it.
Whether Imperial Arm users or ordinary soldiers, there was hardly any difference, none of them could threaten this supreme ultimate weapon.
In just a few dozen seconds, the most elite forces of the revolutionary army were completely crushed. Their previously arrogant bearing, as if a change of dynasty was just moments away… was instantly reversed.
But in the end, they could not allow this monster to continue rampaging, at the very least, Iori would not permit it to cause massive casualties among ordinary civilians outside the revolutionary army.
Pop!
A gigantic ice pillar burst up from the ground, bracing against the giant's chest and suppressing it. Immediately after, a tall, ice-blue figure descended, summoning countless ice spears that poured down like a torrential rain.
Wave, Bulat, and the other powerful Imperial Arm users who had already rushed nearby subconsciously halted their steps when they saw the sheer might of the queen's attack.
"With her here, we probably won't even be needed…"
Although the massive Imperial Arm was temporarily suppressed on the surface, Iori, who was watching, knew this was only the beginning. The destructive power of that Imperial Arm went far beyond this.
In fact, if not for the operator's lack of maturity, even Esdeath going all out would have had great difficulty defeating it.
A nation-destroying, offense-and-defense, large-scale annihilation Imperial Arm, this was the ultimate trump card the First Emperor had left for his descendants.
It was said to be the earliest and strongest Imperial Arm, both the origin and the pinnacle, known as the "Supreme Artifact."
Legend had it that it possessed power comparable to that of the gods (not an exaggeration, judging by its destructive force), and only those with imperial blood could use it.
The reason General Budo had always firmly believed that once the young emperor came of age the Empire's situation would stabilize was precisely because of this Imperial Arm, an emperor who possessed the power to annihilate an entire nation single-handedly was enough to plunge any rebel into despair.
Of course, no matter how powerful an Imperial Arm was, it was still an inanimate object. As long as they could find a way to prevent the young emperor from entering the "Gundam" cockpit, the battle could be resolved from the outside.
But he did not do so. And at this moment, watching the revolutionary army suffer massive casualties, he narrowed his eyes slightly.
Now the revolutionary army's upper ranks should be feeling enough fear, and be deeply shaken by the power of the "Gundam"…
Unlike the original story, where nearly all high-end combat power was wiped out and the revolutionary army had no remaining rivals, they now still faced a huge threat known as the "Masked Death God · Aizen Iori."
In the original story, secure and untroubled, they sent the young emperor to the guillotine to please the people. But this time, in order to counter Iori, they would probably place their hopes on the 'Shikoutazer' and work to turn the young emperor into their puppet, wouldn't they?
For Iori, this was… A very good thing.
Using force to pacify a chaotic age would inevitably cause many fence-sitters to hide themselves away. They would not confront Iori head-on, but they would still harbor resentment, dreaming of returning to that beautiful era when they could act without restraint.
If there were no banner, these people would be a rabble, but at the same time, they would also be tumors scattered across the entire country.
They were unwilling to accept things, yet they would not take any action. They would only silently wait for Iori's lifespan to come to an end (under normal circumstances, no one would imagine the emperor to be immortal).
Then, once Iori died, they would become active again and reclaim the power that originally belonged to them.
This was the normal process. It was just that they did not know that someone's lifespan could not be judged by common sense…
This hidden force undoubtedly needed to be eradicated. But like rats, they were good at hiding. To eliminate pests, one could only make them unable to resist coming out on their own.
Ordinary bait was not attractive enough. But what if the revolutionary army controlled the old dynasty's emperor and used the supreme Imperial Arm to gather allies?
Forget after Iori's death, even while he was still on the throne, there would probably be a large group of reckless remnants choosing to support the young emperor, wouldn't there?
What banner could be more imbued with "righteous legitimacy" than this?
Do everything you can to accumulate power, like moths gathering around a light, all just to overthrow the shadow of the "Death God".
Then, at the necessary moment, Iori could wipe out this flickering flame with a single flip of his hand~
———
Screams, wails, shouts, scoldings… all kinds of sounds mixed together into battlefield noise. The revolutionary cadres who had survived the supreme Imperial Arm's firepower coverage raised their heads in despair, staring at the giant whose height they could not even measure.
They could not understand it. Their minds had stopped functioning, unable to accept the reality before them, unable to understand how things had turned out this way.
Just moments ago, they had clearly held an absolute advantage. They were about to take the palace and change the dynasty. Yet in the blink of an eye, their most elite force had been crushed by unreasonable brute force, and the revolutionary army had instead become the hunted…
That they had been able to oppose the court for years and ultimately lead an army to break into the Imperial Capital was, to a large extent, due to exploiting the Empire's strategic mistakes. But it had to be admitted that the revolutionary leadership did have real ability.
They had made thorough preparations, winning popular support, turning armies, allying with foreign tribes, uniting disgraced nobles suppressed by Honest.
Their power had continued to grow. And when the variable known as Iori appeared, their actions had also been cautious and reasonable. Even if they failed to win him over, they did not push Iori to become their enemy.
While showing goodwill to Iori, they had also actively contacted the Path of Peace, hoping to clarify the hidden relationship between Iori and the sect. They were merely brushed off by that scheming sect leader.
After learning that Esdeath had been subdued by Iori, they even incited the northern foreign tribes to march south to restrain Esdeath, weaken Iori's potential power, and ensure that the revolutionary army still held the dominant position in cooperation.
…They really had done everything they could, and the situation had indeed been developing step by step in their favor.
Now, nearly half of the governors and prefects across the realm were their people. Of the remainder, half were under the control of the Path of Peace (Iori).
As for the rest, they were sitting on the fence. They absolutely could not be considered enemies, they might not like the revolutionary army, but by comparison they hated Iori even more.
At worst, the revolutionary army would weaken their power. Iori, on the other hand, might very well take their lives.
Those vermin who were especially sensitive to political winds had no hesitation at all on such major issues. They chose the revolutionary army based purely on self-interest.
Thus, the revolutionary army expanded at an unimaginable speed. Even so, they did not become reckless. After the northern foreign tribes were defeated, they immediately reorganized their elite forces and marched on the capital, intending to end this war through a decapitation strike.
Judging from Iori's usual style of conduct, he was a purely "good person" who genuinely cared about the people. If the world were at peace, he would not proactively start a war, and that would leave no chance for Esdeath to intervene.
They had considered all aspects and formulated the most efficient battle plan.
By all logic, they should have been able to smoothly overthrow the Empire, then use conciliatory means to bring Iori and the Path of Peace on board and unify the realm.
But who could have imagined that when they led their troops to attack the palace, damn it, the palace actually "stood up".
This surviving senior cadre saw it clearly. That massive steel giant had not emerged directly from underground. Instead, it had destroyed part of the palace complex, clearing away the obstacles covering its body, and then stood upright from within some enormous cavity.
Such a terrifying thing had been hidden in the palace, yet no one had discovered it… Well, of course. Who would ever suspect that the "ground" beneath their feet was actually the ceiling of a hangar?
The revolutionary army had not failed to consider that the royal family might have hidden forces. But honestly, they had still underestimated the First Emperor from a thousand years ago… This thing was simply not on the same artistic level as other Imperial Arms.
Despair, absolute despair...
This revolutionary cadre considered himself a hero of the age. Within the organization, he ranked among the top three, perhaps even above Najenda, who commanded the Night Raid squad. This time, he had even served as the frontline commander and had nearly achieved an unparalleled merit.
Yet even so, when facing an enemy that could destroy streets with a single blow, easily wipe out an army, cause thousands of deaths and tens of thousands to collapse in an instant… and which had no discernible weakness at all, he still fell into deep despair, utterly unable to imagine how one could fight such a monster.
The revolutionary army had planned for so many years, amassed hundreds of thousands of troops, and it seemed all of it would be buried in the hands of this steel giant…
"Power is authority", this really was unreasonable.
However, just as he closed his eyes to await death, a steep ice mountain rose from the ground, blocking the Shikoutazer's pursuit.
Then ice spears filled the sky, raining down like a storm and washing over the steel giant. Crisp cracking sounds rang out in dense succession, and the giant's movements slowed.
It was Esdeath.
The revolutionary cadre's feelings were extremely complicated. He had not expected that the one to save him at the critical moment would be a former Imperial general, a current and future rival… But no matter what, perhaps only a powerhouse like Esdeath could contend with a royal Imperial Arm.
Then, this cadre witnessed the ultimate collision of violence against violence. Every exchange between the two sides was accompanied by shockwaves that shook the earth. The thunderous booms forced the remaining troops on the battlefield to cover their ears in agony.
Meteor-like ice mountains falling from the sky, energy beams piercing the heavens, fist winds sweeping across the entire palace, dozens of hundred-meter-long ice spears forming out of thin air…
This was a battle beyond common sense. Ordinary soldiers would die on the spot if dragged into it, and even average Imperial Arm users could not intervene. The disparity in strength could crush any ambition.
One could believe that anyone who witnessed this battle with their own eyes would, like the current revolutionary cadre, completely abandon their former lofty aspirations and feel that simply surviving this horrifying asura battlefield would be enough.
As time slowly passed, the situation gradually tilted in Esdeath's favor, because that steel giant seemed to be under some restriction. Despite having a humanoid form, it could not move freely.
Just operating its arms and head was already its limit, let alone complex movements… From start to finish, it had not even been able to leave its original position.
In contrast, Esdeath's movements were far more agile. She created solid ice walls to block the giant's fists, used massive ice spikes to restrict its actions, and easily dodged the lethal beams.
It was clear that the giant had been designed according to the standards of "war." Its attack patterns were broad and powerful, each move capable of causing massive destruction. But that seemed unable to deal with an agile opponent like Esdeath.
No…
To judge the royal Imperial Arm as weaker than Esdeath on this basis would be far too hasty.
Judging by combat style, this steel giant should be paired with some powerful single-soldier Imperial Arm users as escorts to restrain agile enemies like Esdeath, creating the space needed for the giant to fully exert its power.
Secondly, this giant should also have a mobile mode, otherwise, were those two legs just decoration?
In the end, Demon's Extract had the strongest user in history, while Shikoutazer was precisely the opposite. Its current user might be the weakest in a thousand years…
This time, Esdeath would win, or so this cadre judged.
However, just as he regained his spirit, a bolt of lightning suddenly fell from the sky, blasting the unprepared Esdeath away.
"Damn it!"
Seeing General Budo intrude onto the battlefield, the cadre's heart turned cold.
The "escort" had arrived.
At lightning speed, it was difficult for anyone to dodge, let alone when being suddenly attacked in the midst of a fierce battle.
Even Esdeath had not detected it in advance. Only her combat instinct warned her that something bad was about to happen, but she had assumed it was some hidden move from the steel giant. It was only when the hairs on her body began to sting that she hurriedly constructed a layer of ice shield in the sky.
Although it barely weakened the power, she was still knocked off the ice pillar and crashed awkwardly toward the ground.
Naturally, the steel giant would not let this opportunity slip. The young emperor, already seeing red, did not hesitate and smashed down with a punch. All Esdeath could do in midair was barely extend her hand.
BOOM!
The thick ice layer exploded into countless fragments. That punch slammed solidly into the ground. Steam sprayed from the joints straight into the sky, terrifying like the roar of an evil dragon.
The ground, like liquid, was churned into layered waves, and countless bricks, tiles, and other building debris were swept up and flung outward.
The revolutionary army, already suffering heavy casualties, took another huge loss. The wounded who had not yet managed to retreat were almost all blown far away… On this land, the figures of rebels could no longer be seen. Only the gigantic mech symbolizing imperial authority stood tall beneath the setting sun.
That single punch nearly cleared the field.
Hoo…
A light breeze passed. On a half-toppled ice mountain, a masked figure suddenly appeared, holding a tall, beautiful woman in a bridal carry.
"Cough… to actually be saved by you… cough, put me down."
As the one being protected in a classic hero-saves-the-beauty moment, Esdeath showed no coyness at all. Iori complied readily and set her down.
"That was really close… Who would have thought that the Empire's grand general would resort to a sneak attack!"
The Ice Queen's sharp gaze turned to a point in the air. Immediately after, Budo's burly figure descended, landing squarely on the shoulder of the Shikoutazer.
This extremely pure soldier wore a trace of shame on his face, but his attitude did not waver in the slightest.
"As a warrior, such behavior is naturally disgraceful. But as a soldier, no matter what methods are used, the Emperor's safety must be protected. And toward rebels like you… there is no need to speak of morality!"
"Rebels…"
Both Iori and Esdeath were somewhat speechless.
Not that they objected to the label itself. It was just that things had reached this point, yet Budo was still saying this, making it seem as though the two of them were somehow in the wrong.
In a world where the winner is king, what was the point of talking about 'ruler and subject'?
"Budo, open your eyes and look around. The Empire is already finished."
Iori said calmly, "Even if you block us here, so what? The Imperial Capital will still fall. The Empire is destined to end… All your efforts right now are pointless."
"You think you already have victory in hand?"
Budo was not persuaded at all. Instead, he looked down from above and said, "His Majesty is always His Majesty. He is the legitimate heir of this nation."
"My family has served the emperors for generations, and every generation has regarded serving the emperor as the highest honor."
"Today, no matter how rampant the rebels are, I will escort His Majesty out of the city!"
"Does that have any meaning?" Iori frowned slightly.
═❀═❀═❀═❀═❀═❀═
[email protected]/AmbitiousTranslator
🥳Joining P@treon keeps me motivated and eager to work diligently, so please consider joining.🥰 You can access upto 20 advance chapter through P@treon.