Using FGO to Open the Anime World

Although Koizumi said he didn't know Kurome, for some reason, Koizumi and Kurome didn't seem like strangers at all when they spoke.

Feeling the warm breath from Koizumi's mouth, Kurome's cheeks couldn't help but flush slightly, but she still explained.

"It's because I participated in the Imperial Assassination Squad member selection before. Although I wasn't chosen, I still have military status in the Empire. Even if my sister betrays the Empire, the law won't punish me. They don't dare to hurt me, so they only dare to throw small stones..."

Koizumi was speechless. Because I don't have military status in the Empire, so they dare to swing wooden sticks and hoes to hit people?

Forget it, let's pretend I didn't say anything. I feel like the more I talk, the more explosive my mentality becomes.

I have a feeling of wanting to cry. What else can I say? Isn't this just discrimination?

But then again, don't just stand there and silently endure just because they only throw small stones at you.

As if sensing Koizumi's gaze, Kurome paused slightly, then revealed a warm smile.

"Thank you for your concern, but it's normal for them to feel angry about my sister betraying the Empire. It's normal for them to do this. The Imperial Army can't randomly attack the people. This is a decree that His Majesty the Emperor once issued, so I can't do anything!"

"So you just stand there and let them attack you? You're too stupid!"

Koizumi felt a burst of indignation at this. If it were him, Koizumi would definitely give them a shot of Gungnir.

"Hehe..." Kurome couldn't help but scratch her head, giggling foolishly.

This made Koizumi feel speechless. I'm not praising you, you idiot!

"Mr. Koizumi!" At this moment, Aerya, Ieyasu, and Sayo, who had come out of the military registration office, also noticed this.

So they hurried forward, but the moment Aerya saw Kurome, a solemn expression appeared on her face.

She pretty much already knew what was happening...

"This is Miss Kurome, the sister of that Imperial traitor, Akame..."

Speaking of this, a hint of hostility flashed in Aerya's eyes. Even Ieyasu and Sayo showed strong hostility after hearing Aerya's words. Although they didn't know what was going on, the other party was the sister of an Imperial traitor.

Koizumi's heart sank. He finally understood what the strange atmosphere he had felt since he first went out on the street was all about.

It stemmed from a kind of fanatical loyalty. Koizumi could feel that everyone present had a blind loyalty to the Empire.

Not only these people in the Imperial Capital, but even Sayo and Ieyasu, who had just come to the Imperial Capital from the countryside.

Just hearing that Kurome was the sister of an Imperial traitor—but Kurome hadn't betrayed the Empire—he still had a strong hostility towards Kurome. It was like a subconscious feeling...

I've been to the Imperial Capital before. The Imperial Capital I saw wasn't like this.

The lives of the people didn't seem so rich, and everyone seemed to have a dark cloud floating over their heads. The atmosphere was very dull, but it was still lively during the day. The only difference from the current Imperial Capital is that the Imperial Capital's people's loyalty to the Empire was definitely not this fanatical!

There's something wrong here!

Chapter 48 Esdeath

At this moment, Koizumi protected Kurome behind him. Even Aerya, Ieyasu, and Sayo were regarded by Koizumi as people who should be vigilant. Their fanatical loyalty to the Empire made it impossible for Koizumi to regard them as his own.

Sure enough, the distortion that exists in this world is related to this Empire. He had come to the Empire twice, and the difference between the people before and after was very large. So, what exactly is going on? It seems that the contact with Night Raid that Reimu mentioned before is necessary. After all, Night Raid is responsible for assassinating high-ranking Imperial officials. In that case, they must have a lot of contact with the Empire, and there is a lot of information about the Imperial Capital.

If he could contact Night Raid, he should be able to get a lot of information.

After all, according to Reimu, Night Raid belongs to the Revolutionary Army. The Revolutionary Army exists to overthrow the Empire, so such a large force should also have a lot of information. He can use this information to find the location of the Singularities.

Hmm... Reimu seems to be a little useful after all. At least she did a good job on this matter!

Koizumi had to admit that this was the only time Reimu had been useful since she followed him to this Singularity. As expected, that shrine maiden was still very capable on the road of selling herself. She actually picked such a powerful buyer.

Hehe, but then again, if Reimu knew that I said that about her, she would probably be pissed off.

Kurome couldn't help but reveal a timid expression. For some reason, she seemed very timid without her sister.

Well, should I say that she hasn't experienced anything cruel, so she has this kind of personality?

Compared to the other party, Koizumi had experienced death, so his mentality was much better than hers.

Even if Reimu and Hata no Kokoro were not by Koizumi's side now, Koizumi would not feel any fear.

As expected of a little girl in a greenhouse... Koizumi couldn't help but sincerely sigh for Kurome.

"Mr. Koizumi, please don't protect the relatives of traitors, okay?" Although Aerya had a smile on her face, it made Koizumi feel a chill in his heart. It wasn't that the other party's strength was higher than Koizumi's, but another deeper feeling.

Accurately speaking, it was cruelty in her personality, which was why Koizumi felt heartbroken.

"She's my friend. I should have told you that. Although I've forgotten the corresponding things, I can't stand seeing my friend being bullied," Koizumi said lightly. He had already prepared to summon Gungnir to fight.

It wouldn't matter if he made another scene in the Imperial Capital. It wasn't the first time anyway.

If that didn't work, he would probably have to use Command Seal to summon Reimu and Hata no Kokoro to his side to help.

With Reimu and Hata no Kokoro around, Koizumi was very confident that he could leave the Imperial Capital unscathed.

Although Koizumi felt very guilty for dragging Reimu into this kind of battle again.

After all, he was inexplicably dragged into this, which to some extent could be regarded as him dragging his feet.

Koizumi had been trying to avoid dragging Reimu and the others down, but he didn't expect to be unable to escape it.

He clearly already had the corresponding strength, but he was inexplicably dragged in. He didn't know why his memory disappeared inexplicably. This was really speechless.

Suddenly, a chill filled the surroundings, and a trace of confusion appeared on the faces of the people.

Aerya seemed to have thought of something, her face suddenly changed, and a strong fear rose in her heart.

Only one person in the entire empire could create such a chilling aura.

The coldness pricked at Koizumi like needles with just a touch; it was the very definition of bone-chilling.

Kurome couldn't help but wrap her arms around herself, shivering slightly, completely unable to adapt to the cold.

"So, different experiences really do lead to significant personality differences from the original, huh? But that submissive streak is still the same as ever. I never expected to meet you under these circumstances; this reunion is just utterly disappointing, Kurome..."

A clear, cold voice accompanied the sound of footsteps, slowly approaching. A figure, more ice-blue than anything else, came into Koizumi's view.

Even meeting her for the first time, Koizumi had to admit that the person before him made an extremely profound impression.

Silver-white long boots, a blue and white military uniform, sky-blue hair cascading down her back, and a smile on her face that was both stunning and terrifying.

A bewitching smile, yet her eyes held a frightening excitement.

Her presence was that of a general, a queen, an assassin, even... a Danger Beast!

The moment he saw her, alarm bells rang wildly in Koizumi's mind. His instincts screamed that the woman before him was exceptionally dangerous, and he absolutely could not confront her head-on. Even with a vampire's powerful life force, he would only be tortured to the point of mental collapse.

Clenching his teeth, Koizumi didn't take a step back, simply watching her advance.

Who is this person? He had never seen her before. She must be a high-ranking member of the empire, because only such an existence could give him such an intensely dangerous feeling.

Behind the woman were three high-ranking officers with several stars on their shoulders. They were all dressed in black, undoubtedly the woman's confidants.

"You are?" Kurome, with her limited strength, naturally couldn't sense the danger emanating from the woman, and just looked at her blankly.

Do I know her? Why would she say that? Kurome was puzzled.

However, the woman's exceptionally striking ice-blue color gave Kurome some ideas.

Despite sometimes appearing ditzy, Kurome wasn't stupid.

"Here, take this. It's your Teigu. From now on, you'll be by my side, and my orders are absolute. If there are people you can't leave behind, bring them to the Imperial Palace!"

As she spoke, she handed a Katana to Kurome. The moment Kurome grasped it, she felt an extraordinary sense of comfort; the Katana seemed to be calling out to her.

Subconsciously, Kurome tightened her grip on the Katana.

"This Teigu is called March of the Dead: Yatsufusa. Remember it well! You should already know its abilities."

The ice-blue-haired woman's voice was exceptionally cold, as if devoid of emotion.

The surrounding people looked at her with awe, and Aerya made no attempt to hide her fear.

But Ieyasu and Sayo looked at her with respect and excitement, as if they had met her before.

"Okay!" Kurome nodded emphatically. Although she was slow to react, she knew that the person before her was a general of the empire.

"Come to the Imperial Palace after you've taken care of your affairs, and just give my name!"

"My name is—"

"—Esdeath!"

Chapter 49: Kurome's Excitement

"My name is—"

"—Esdeath!"

The moment the ice-blue female general spoke those words, almost everyone except Koizumi and Kurome bowed, as if overwhelmed by her presence.

Even Koizumi couldn't help but take a deep breath. From their actions, it was clear that Esdeath held a very high position in the empire. Since he hadn't been in the empire for very long, Koizumi didn't know that Esdeath was the empire's strongest general. He also knew nothing about the other strongest person in the empire.

He didn't even know that the one who had intercepted Reimu that day was General Bude, one of the empire's strongest.

So, facing Esdeath, Koizumi only felt that the aura around her was exceptionally powerful, giving him an unusually dangerous feeling. Other than that, he had no other thoughts, but that was understandable, as Koizumi didn't know her identity.

However, if Koizumi didn't know, Kurome certainly did.

After all, Kurome had once wanted to participate in the Imperial Assassination Squad's selection process. Although she had failed, she still had imperial military status, so Kurome and the others knew many things that ordinary people didn't. Koizumi didn't belong to this empire, or even this world, so naturally he wouldn't know Esdeath's identity.

But Kurome, as a member of the empire, couldn't possibly be unaware of things that even ordinary people knew, so she was very clear about Esdeath's identity. Although she had never met her, she could deduce it from her striking ice-blue hair.

Even though she was somewhat prepared, she still couldn't help but take a deep breath when she actually heard Esdeath announce her name.

The empire's strongest general, Esdeath, had personally come to have her join her ranks, and had even personally chosen a Teigu to give her. Kurome suddenly felt like it wasn't real.

It was like something she had been seeking had suddenly fallen into her hands for no reason.

That was currently how Kurome felt, and in fact, it was normal to feel that way.

However, compared to the joy of being able to join Esdeath's ranks, Kurome's worries were more pronounced.

Traitor Akame had betrayed the empire, and she was being promoted in the empire. But what if one day she had to go and eliminate her sister?

Kurome suddenly felt a deep sense of confusion. Should she raise her sword against her sister? Or should she choose to stand by her sister and betray the empire? Kurome seemed to be suffering from a choice phobia, agonizing over what to do.

And so, facing Esdeath, Kurome simply stood there, motionless, as if stunned.

In reality, Kurome was hesitating over whether she should obey Esdeath. Although Esdeath had said that her orders were absolute, Kurome also had stubborn parts to her, and that stubbornness was not ordinary. It was the kind of stubbornness where once she had decided on something, she would stick to it like a dead principle, and wouldn't listen to anything else.

Unless you could enter Kurome's heart, starting by breaking down her defenses, and make her change.

Otherwise, Kurome would never make the slightest change.

As if seeing through Kurome's struggle, Esdeath slowly walked towards her, looking directly at her.

"Are you thinking about Akame?"

"My sister..." Kurome's tone was hesitant, as she considered whether to plead with Esdeath.

However, before Kurome could continue, Esdeath revealed an excited expression.

"Akame is a rare opponent who can fight me. I remember once she entered a non-human realm to barely fight me. But last time we met, she was barely on par with me in her normal state. If she hadn't been flustered by her eagerness to leave, she probably could have lasted longer. I guess she went somewhere else to train herself after that, and her strength has increased. It's a pity, though. If she hadn't been rescued, I would have taken Akame down."

Saying this, Esdeath's ice-blue eyes focused on Kurome.

"Don't worry, Akame is still alive, but it's hard to say about the future. If you want Akame to live, work hard to become stronger. Become strong enough to find Akame before me and capture her alive. If she becomes your trophy, then you can do whatever you want with her. Of course, I won't interfere. At least as your superior, I won't be so tasteless as to plunder my subordinates' trophies."

Esdeath smiled as she said this.

"What do you think?"

Kurome's black pupils seemed to ignite with flames as she stared directly at Esdeath, without the slightest fear.

That's right, as long as she captures her sister before Esdeath, then as her own trophy, she has the right to decide what to do with her sister. She just needs to keep her sister by her side forever!

Thinking of this, a glimmer of hope appeared in Kurome's eyes.

At the same time, a strong sense of gratitude appeared in Kurome's eyes as she looked at Esdeath.

Without Esdeath, she probably wouldn't have found a concrete path. Although her previous conversation with Koizumi made her understand that she could find her sister and resolve everything with words.

But Esdeath would undoubtedly not allow her to do so. She would kill her sister before she could. So, before persuading her sister with words, she still needs to become stronger, strong enough to find her sister before General Esdeath and defeat her, and then persuade her.

However, Kurome would not thank Esdeath, because the other party wants to kill her sister.

Kurome puts the feelings between herself and her sister first, always first.

Sensing the fiery fighting spirit in Kurome's eyes, Esdeath was also in a good mood. However, out of kindness, she still had to remind Kurome, "It will be very difficult for you to catch up with Akame as she is now, because Akame now also has the ability to compete with me for the title of the Empire's strongest. Perhaps Akame will show mercy to you out of sisterly affection, but the gap between the two of you is still vast, understand?"

Kurome nodded heavily, "I understand, so I hope the General will train me!"

"Oh!?" A hint of surprise flashed in Esdeath's eyes, but thinking about it carefully, it was only natural.

Kurome is still very weak now because she hasn't undergone formal training. However, if she wants to become stronger, Esdeath can say that she has thousands of ways to help Kurome.