Chapter 119

So... should we choose to kill Esdeath?

But then she felt it was a bit wasteful, Nadjeshda fell silent, pondering how to deal with Esdeath's problem.

"As for Esdeath, Clara might try to persuade her to join..."

Upon hearing Nadjeshda mention Esdeath's question, Clara quickly stood up and said that Esdeath was actually easier to persuade than the others.

Because of the dog-eat-dog mentality, Esdeath, as the loser, didn't have any objections to the stronger person who defeated her, so it was easier for her.

Therefore, persuading Esdeath was much simpler than persuading the other members of the Jaegers who had their own beliefs.

However, Clara wasn't to persuade Esdeath to join the Revolutionary Army, but rather to join her own side.

"Persuade Esdeath to join us? Is that even possible?"

Nadjeshda was stunned when she heard this, and her first reaction was that it was absolutely impossible to do.

No one understands Esdeath better than her; that girl's strength and personality cannot be judged by human standards.

"Maybe it's possible, so Clara wants to give it a try."

Clara didn't make any guarantees, but she was still somewhat confident.

"If she could really join us, that would be great. It would greatly increase the chances of overthrowing the empire."

Although she felt it was unlikely she could persuade Esdeath, Nadjeshda couldn't help but think that if she could join, the overthrow of the Empire would be just around the corner.

Because of the robots, the Revolutionary Army advanced faster on the battlefield, and with their capture of Esdeath, she suddenly felt that... the success of the revolution was just around the corner.

"Then let's give it a try. If it doesn't work, we'll Mr. Svarog to get rid of her completely."

Nadjeshda decided to let Clara give it a try, even though it was highly unlikely to succeed.

But it wouldn't have much of an impact; they could deal with Esdeath later anyway. She was actually quite worried about either keeping Esdeath alive or handing her over to the Revolutionary Army headquarters.

Death might be the best outcome; Esdeath is too dangerous.

The meeting lasted for quite a while before it ended. Everyone agreed that it would be best to persuade the Jaegers if possible, since some of them were family members or friends of the Night Raid members.

For example, Kurome...

Even though Akame says she doesn't care and is willing to kill her sister, it's clear that deep down she still cares about her sister.

If there's even the slightest chance, I'd still like to give it a try; I'll only resort to drastic measures if I absolutely can't persuade them.

None of the Jaegers were bad people; they had their own ideals and ambitions. But ultimately, they were just on different sides, so it was impossible to just let them go.

"Hateful!"

"Still too weak."

In the private room, Esdeath tried to struggle against the handcuffs on her hands, but even when she tortured her wrists until they bled, she still couldn't break free from their control.

Not only that, but even the control over the ice has completely lost its effectiveness.

Even the body was constantly in a weakened state; this magical handcuff was even more terrifying than the Imperial Arms.

Even the same type of Imperial Arms cannot control her.

Esdeath didn't resent anyone for this; she just felt that she was not strong enough and that she was simply too weak to be captured.

Given the chance, she will continue to grow stronger as before and defeat her opponent again.

It seems I've had too peaceful a life these past few years, and haven't met anyone I can seriously challenge. My training has even become a bit lax.

We should work harder to become stronger.

But...

"This long-lost feeling of powerlessness is... it's just amazing..."

Although she was defeated by someone else, Esdeath now had a goal to strive to surpass, and this feeling excited her.

Just then, the door suddenly opened... and a timid-looking white-haired little girl walked in, causing Esdeath to stop what she was doing.

"You actually sent such a young girl here. After so long, doesn't Nadjeshda dare to come and see me in person?"

Esdeath glanced at the girl before her, not noticing no other person, and couldn't help but smile sarcastically. Even in her current state, Nadjeshda still didn't dare come in person.

Ridiculous...

Although she didn't know what would happen next, Esdeath didn't care.

At worst, it will be death.

The strong determine the fate of the weak; if she fails, she becomes weak...

Even death is normal. The weak have no right to decide their own fate. If you want to control your fate, you have to become stronger than anyone else.

Esdeath was somewhat surprised that the girl in front of her did not seem to be afraid of her. Instead, she walked up to her and squatted down.

"Um... General Esdeath, the law of the jungle... the strong dominate the weak, you said that, right?"

Clara hugged her cheeks, her voice soft and sweet, but what she said surprised Esdeath.

What does this little guy mean...?

"Okay, so what do you want to say?!"

Although she had doubts, Esdeath did not deny what she had said.

After all, that's just how the world is.

"So now that Clara is the winner, can she decide your fate?"

"?"

Esdeath was about to say something when, in the next moment... Svarog appeared behind Clara.

Looking at the familiar Mechanical Construct before her, Esdeath suddenly realized that the steel mechanical creature that had defeated her was actually the Teigu of the little girl in front of her.

This is really hard to accept!

I was actually defeated by a girl like that.

"So that's how it is. I never expected to be defeated by your Imperial Arms. The strong decide the fate of the weak. What are you going to do... I have nothing to say..."

Having understood the situation, Esdeath no longer took Clara's seemingly cowardly appearance seriously.

Teigu is part of Teigu users, and Svarog's strength also represents Clara's strength, so she has nothing to be angry about losing to the little girl in front of her.

For Esdeath, there is no right or wrong in this world, only strength and weakness.

Weakness is the original sin; this is what her father taught her from childhood.

Especially after she returned from hunting and discovered that her entire tribe had been wiped out by a northern tribe, she became even more convinced that the only way to survive was to become strong.

Any painful experience can only be attributed to one's own weakness.

Even if Clara killed her now, she wouldn't hold a grudge, since she was simply no match for Clara.

The weak deserve to be bullied or even killed by the strong. Those Danger Beast, humans, and hundreds of thousands of alien races that she killed were weak, so they deserved to be killed by her.

It's the same if you are killed by someone else.

Because of weakness...

"Really? In that case... General Esdeath, would you like to be Clara's pet?"

Clara seemed to have been waiting for this sentence. She reached out her small hand and placed it on Esdeath's head, uttering a sentence that surprised Esdeath completely, as if she were patting a dog's head.

Subduing this sadistic queen in front of her is no easy task; it was a decision Clara had considered many times.

Although I felt a little out of place, a sense of anticipation also arose in my heart.

Wouldn't it be interesting to let a queen like Esdeath experience what she often does to others?

"You..."

Upon hearing this, Esdeath was stunned, and when she tried to do something, she found that she had lost the ability to resist.

This little girl dared to talk to her like that; she was truly audacious. But she quickly calmed down, which is one of the fates of the loser.

Esdeath had never imagined she would encounter such a thing; she was always the one who made others grovel before her like dogs, licking her boots.

The cycle of karma has come full circle, and today it has turned to me.

"Think it over carefully, General Esdeath. If you die, you have nothing left. As long as you live, you still have a chance to become stronger and then take revenge."

"Clara can ask Mr. Svarog to be ready to challenge you anytime, how about that?"

The girl didn't mind Esdeath challenging her again; having lost the first time, there was even less chance of her beating Svarog next time.

So it doesn't matter, let's use this as a condition.

As long as Esdeath has a battlefield to hunt and fight on, she doesn't care who she serves.

She was no loyal subject of the empire.

She joined the Empire simply because it happened to provide her with a battlefield and a platform for killing.

These are not things that cannot be provided...

Chapter 57 The Aeon of Sheepe's Harmony

"You're not going to kill me?"

Esdeath ignored Clara's insults and simply looked up, staring coldly into the girl's eyes.

Judging from her tone, she wasn't planning to kill her; instead, she was giving herself a chance to try.

"If you agree, Clara won't let Mr. Svarog kill you, as long as you promise..."

Clara withdrew her little hand, her tone very serious.

Although Mechanical Construct are available to assist, establishing Mechanical Empire still requires a significant manpower. With Esdeath's help, things become much easier.

As for fighting and killing, even if you don't like it, you can't do without it.

Even in the final stages of an empire, after its collapse, there will always be ambitious individuals seizing territory and vying for supremacy. Moreover, there are numerous other ethnic regimes and Western nations...

The chaos that follows the fall of the empire will only intensify.

This is essential at the end of any great unified dynasty.

The Three Kingdoms period at the end of the Han Dynasty, the Northern and Southern Dynasties, the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period at the end of the Tang Dynasty, and the separatist regimes in various regions at the end of the Yuan, Ming and Qing Dynasties all illustrate this point.

On the contrary, the original anime and manga depict the Revolutionary Army's establishment of a new country in a very simplistic way. How could the division of the various factions be so simple?

Only through true unification can we achieve this.

Not only this ancient civilization with a thousand-year history, but also the neighboring countries around the empire, the kingdoms to the west, the southern islands and the northern tundra.

Even the uncivilized island nations of the East could completely unify the world!

"Oh..."

She harbored no hatred for this humiliation; compared to the losers who fell into her hands, it meant nothing.

But the young girl in front of me is a bit too confident.

"If you're not planning to kill me, I hope you won't regret it later."

She acknowledged that the robot behind Clara was powerful, but instead of killing her now, she gave herself a chance. Hopefully, Clara won't regret it.

This defeat reignited Esdeath's desire to become stronger.

"So you agreed?"

"..."

Esdeath didn't want to admit it, but she didn't deny it either.

Although she was never afraid of death, she longed to become stronger and crush her formidable enemy. Not killing her immediately must have been the thing she regretted most.

And what happened before wasn't entirely unacceptable. When they defeat their opponent again, repaying them tenfold will only be more satisfying.

"If you don't say anything, Clara will take it as General Esdeath's agreement."

Clara reached out and patted Esdeath's head again, as if she were petting a dog.

She had no intention of seriously trying to win her over, because that was simply impossible; Esdeath's beliefs, ingrained since childhood, were not so easily changed.

In short, as long as she remains stronger than him, she won't be two-faced until she officially defeats Mr. Svarog.