Your Excellency Is Strong, but My Style Is Above Yours!

Iori said nothing, merely looking at him calmly. That reaction only further confirmed Budoh's suspicions.

"Never showing your face, possessing extraordinary agility, and targeting the same local officials and wealthy merchants as the Faceless One—sharing the same political leanings... How ridiculous. Honest actually let a man as dangerous as you into the Imperial Army, and now he is suffering the backlash."

General Budo's gaze darkened. "I can't let him continue doing whatever he wants. Otherwise, the Empire won't last until His Majesty comes of age."

"I never expected the Grand General to truly be a loyal subject!"

Iori sounded surprised. "I thought you were one of the minister's allies."

"What?!"

Budoh's expression changed drastically. He might not have been able to defeat Iori, but he would never allow anyone to insult him like that.

"Don't lump me together with that kind of vermin!"

"Is that so? But I think you and the minister worked quite well together."

Iori smiled. "You sit in this position, possessing ability yet doing nothing, watching helplessly as the minister eliminates dissidents and monopolizes the court, allowing matters to deteriorate into this state. You claim to protect loyal officials, yet those people are still removed from office one after another, even assassinated—

How is your performance of occupying a post without doing your duty any different from siding with Honest?"

"Bastard!"

The man clenched his fists. Arcs of electricity burst from his heavy armor once more, the violent flashes revealing the turmoil in his heart.

"Honest must certainly be eliminated, but you Revolutionary Army people aren't any better! Only by suppressing every treacherous official and rebel can the Empire prosper again!"

He seemed to have already decided that Iori was a member of the Revolutionary Army... Iori had no interest in explaining.

After hearing that, the young man immediately asked, "Can you do it?"

"What?"

"You may be able to defeat the Revolutionary Army, but are you confident you can defeat me? How certain are you of defeating Esdeath?

Even if you defeated every opponent, could you sweep away all the darkness throughout the Empire?

Could you make the people lay down all their hatred, stop opposing the Empire, ensure everyone had work and everyone had food?"

"..."

"Of course you can't. Because you know the root of all this lies neither with the Revolutionary Army nor with the people. It lies in the Imperial Capital, within those lofty palace walls!"

Budoh's Refusal (Happy New Year!) ### "As long as... as long as His Majesty takes personal control of the government, everything will get better."

"Can you make the Young Emperor trust you? Can you guarantee he will become a wise ruler in the future?"

"..."

"You see, all these matters are beyond your abilities. The only thing you can do is immediately lead your men to cut down Honest—even though that still won't truly change anything, at least it would count as a small contribution to this era."

Iori smiled pleasantly. "But you can't even do that, because you are a 'loyal subject'!"

He emphasized those words heavily, though it was impossible to tell whether his tone held mockery or lament.

To be fair, from an objective perspective, Budoh was simply a blindly loyal warrior incapable of discerning priorities. Anyone with even a little political sense would silently shake their head at him.

But mockery aside, Iori could somewhat understand people like Budoh.

It was like the story of the elephant and the little wooden stake. Though it was an illogical fable, the principle behind it was quite real.

People were always bound by their own understanding. To Budoh, "loyalty" was not merely praise—it was a rule and common sense that had to be obeyed.

And the "loyalty" in his mind was complicated. It included loyalty to the Emperor, loyalty to ancestral teachings, and a small measure of personal conscience... creating his rather awkward political stance.

He knew it was wrong, and he knew he had the ability to stop it—at the very least, he could weaken the minister's power. Yet he could not bring himself to do so. Like an elephant tethered by a small wooden stake, he looked massive and powerful, yet possessed no independent will.

It was a weakened version of a thought seal, too~

"You are destined to watch the Empire collapse in helplessness and pain. All your strength will change nothing, and in the end, you can only turn yourself into firewood and be buried alongside the Empire!"

Iori's words undoubtedly stabbed Budoh where it hurt. He responded with silence, neither refuting him nor attacking. The electricity around his body gradually faded.

His expression remained resolute and stern, but Iori knew it was something like a "mask." Raised from childhood to be a "loyal subject and good general," he had to be a rock unmoved by outside forces. He could only maintain that expression to conceal his heart.

"...Go."

After a long while, Budoh finally spoke in a strained voice. "There is no point in continuing this battle. I can see that you have no intention of fighting to the death here, but I will not be swayed by your words either."

"You really are stubborn~" Iori watched Budoh, then finally could not resist offering a word of persuasion. "If you are willing, everything can become different."

"..."

"Minister Honest is definitely going to die. No matter who seizes power, they will not tolerate that man. His head will surely be used to quell the overwhelming anger of the people.

But the Young Emperor is different. Everyone in the country knows he is merely a puppet. He himself has not lived excessively extravagantly, nor has he committed acts that oppress the people."

Iori rarely spoke so seriously. "If you are willing to cooperate, I can guarantee you that as long as the Young Emperor behaves himself in the future, his life will be protected."

He was not making an empty promise.

Because he truly thought highly of Budoh. It was not merely because of his strength and military status; there was another matter with far-reaching implications to consider.

After all, Iori could not possibly remain in this world to govern it for a long time in the future. He would inevitably have to delegate a great deal of power, but that created a problem:

Esdeath was simply too dominant within the military!

The only command-level talents Iori had were Esdeath and Nadjeta. In a world like Akame ga Kill!, where strength reigned supreme, even if the two held equal positions, Esdeath would inevitably be the stronger presence. Not to mention that she commanded the most elite border troops.

It was not that he feared she would rebel or attempt some Chenqiao Mutiny trick—before her own strength surpassed Iori's, she had no interest in anything other than becoming stronger.

But her very presence would subtly influence the atmosphere in the military. Iori was worried that one day he would return and find that the damn army had turned into Nazis!

—All right, now he had learned a real-life Bankai~

Winning over Budoh was meant to weaken Esdeath's influence, using his steadiness and conservatism to counter the Ice Queen's extraordinary force of character.

It was good for an army to retain vitality, but it also needed prudent generals.

However, Iori had known from the beginning that the chances were slim. General Budo was harder to win over than anyone else. To gain his loyalty...

"His Majesty... will not fall from the throne."

After saying that, Budoh seemed to feel that it lacked force, so he quickly added, "I will protect the Empire!"

"...Then may I take that as a refusal?"

Iori spoke sincerely. "What a pity... The Emperor's bloodline, passed down for a thousand years, will be severed from this day onward."

"—!"

Budoh's body trembled. He knew this was Iori's verbal offensive, but he could not stop himself from imagining it. If he put aside his pride and worked with the Revolutionary Army, then...

"Since that is the case, we will end things here today."

In the end, Iori did not receive a response from Budoh. He sighed inwardly, but quickly regained his usual composure.

He had already done all he could. If they met again on the battlefield in the future, he would never give the other man another chance.

"Though it is foolish, it is not laughable... I hope that when this grand drama comes to an end, you can still carry through with the will you hold now and be buried alongside the Thousand-Year Empire."

With that, Iori prepared to leave without the slightest hesitation—he was busy!

Not only did he need to strike at the local tyrants everywhere, but he also had to maintain contact with Nadjeta and Esdeath, while monitoring every move of the Revolutionary Army leadership and the Empire's upper ranks... He truly had too much on his plate.

The fact that he had personally come to persuade Budoh was already special treatment. Asking for anything more was out of the question. In any case, Iori would never lower himself just to recruit him.

"May you eventually get what you desire~"

--

After autumn arrived, the situation across the Empire suddenly took a sharp turn!

Originally, in order to appease members of his own faction, the minister had issued an imperial decree in the Emperor's name, establishing a new office above the governors: Provincial Governor. They would oversee both civil and military affairs within their provinces. Local prefectures and counties were also permitted to recruit local militias according to circumstances and organize their own forces to suppress bandits and rebels, thereby easing the pressure on the Imperial Army.

Furthermore, the minister used every trick at his disposal and actually managed to gather several Imperial Arms users. Using them as the core, he formed a Military Police Unit of nearly a thousand men, naming it Wild Hunt.

He had done all this to suppress the momentum of the Revolutionary Army and Iori, while also winning over local powerholders—the position of Provincial Governor was practically that of a local emperor, and the Revolutionary Army would have difficulty offering a more tempting bargaining chip.

But events developed completely beyond the minister's expectations. The local powerholders did indeed accept the title of Provincial Governor and recruit troops, but instead of suppressing the Revolutionary Army as he had envisioned, they each built up their own forces and kept out of one another's way with the Revolutionary Army.

Some even defected outright!

Not long after the Provincial Governor system was implemented, just as autumn began, the Revolutionary Army had already raised its banners across the land and formally begun its rebellion!

At the same time, Iori's reputation among the people steadily rose. After the Revolutionary Army's uprising, he openly raised the slogan, "Remove the villainous elements from the Emperor's side," leading his elite men in battle across many regions. Like a sharp razor, he uprooted the Provincial Governors and prefectural governors one by one.

He used Anning Dao's influence among the people to gather intelligence. Officials guilty of serious crimes were publicly executed, while officials with clean records or only minor offenses were recruited and appointed to pacify the people and restore production.

During this process, many landlords and powerful clans stepped forward to support the Provincial Governors against Iori. Iori showed them no mercy, naturally treating such people with the utmost severity.

For a time, Iori's name as the "God of Death" spread throughout the Empire. In the hearts of the people, his image became ever more mysterious and ever more towering~

Besides the Empire, the Revolutionary Army, Anning Dao, and the Masked General, all the major powers began to take action. The smaller organizations attached to them also became unusually active.

Night Raid alone had recently won repeated victories in its confrontations with Wild Hunt in the Imperial Capital. Nadjeta was practically killing to her heart's content!

The Imperial Arms users and the Rakshasa Twin Ghosts under Iori also served again and again as tactical cores that determined the final victories. They gradually grew into a coordinated and powerful elite force, not inferior to Night Raid in the slightest.

And just as the Empire's internal situation was boiling over, worrying news arrived from the north:

The northern foreign tribes had formally declared war on the Empire!

Akame Withdrew a Message ### "Hey, fresh vegetables~ Tender, juicy greens~ Come take a look!"

"Miss, this is a local specialty. You can't buy it anywhere else."

"Look at this mask, isn't it lifelike?"

In the bustling market, Akame was unusually not wearing a disguise. She appeared openly in public, observing the streets on both sides while carefully avoiding the passing pedestrians, her heart filled with emotion.

"Five days ago, this place was still so desolate. I never expected it to become this prosperous."

"This is what you call prosperous?" Iori looked around, quite unimpressed.

"This town is in an excellent location. There is a canal beside it, and the terrain is flat. It is a perfect place to serve as a freight hub. It has only just begun to recover, and it will become livelier and livelier in the future."

"It's unbelievable... How long has it even been? It is practically like two different worlds." Akame could not help looking at Iori, a trace of admiration in her eyes. "You accomplished something like this so easily. You really are amazing."

"Me? I did nothing at all." Iori shook his head. "This was all a 'natural development.' Don't give me the credit."

"But didn't you drive away the tax officials and Imperial Army here, then wipe out the bandits and river pirates nearby?"

Akame smiled softly. "If not for that, how could they do business here?"

"I merely did what a 'qualified government' should do." Iori did not think it was anything impressive. "It is all thanks to the competition making me look good."

The territory he had taken was not small, but due to manpower and time constraints, he mostly governed without truly administering it, at most allowing Anning Dao to do some work.

However, he had still completed several of the most basic tasks. For example, he had forcibly sold grain hoarded by local officials and wealthy merchants at fair prices, eradicated the Yakuza gangs controlling river transport, and dealt with the bandits occupying the surrounding roads.

He truly had not done anything remarkable. He had merely provided a "safe and stable environment," and the market naturally prospered. There had been no need for deliberate guidance.

Of course, this was only the beginning. As the scale of trade expanded, many conflicts of interest would inevitably arise and would need to be regulated in advance... But that was not Iori's concern. He planned to have professionals draft the relevant trade regulations in the future.

Yet even though he was a hands-off boss, the kind who only handled the killing and not the aftermath, this place was still far more prosperous than it had been under the Empire's rule.

The facts proved that as long as one did not blindly stir things up, even merely governing through noninterference could surpass most regimes—he truly hoped Emperor Yang of Sui and Emperor Chongzhen could understand that principle.

"You say that, but it really is amazing."

The black-haired girl's mood was exceptionally good. Since childhood, she had undergone extremely brutal combat training. Most of her life had been spent learning how to kill, and peaceful, harmonious daily life was something quite distant to her.

In truth, she had little real sense of what a "happy life" was, because she had never truly experienced one. Only when she was with her sister could they seek comfort from one another... But that did not stop her from feeling genuinely happy for these people.

She felt as though she were watching all this through a window. Even if she could not become part of it, merely seeing the smiles on people's faces filled her heart with immense satisfaction.

Wasn't this why she had betrayed the Empire, joined the Revolutionary Army, and fought—to let everyone show smiles like these?

One day, children like her would no longer be sent into cruel Shura Fields... As long as that vision could become reality, then the sacrifices and efforts they had made would have value.

"You really are incredible... I'm not talking about fighting.

I have always wanted to save those people suffering in hardship, but I could not do it alone, because I know nothing. The only thing I am good at is killing... Nadjeta told me that killing one evil person could protect ten good people. Only then did I find a reason to raise my blade again.

Nadjeta taught me many things. I believe that after the world is brought under control, people like her can lead the people out of sorrow and build a better country!

But... even Nadjeta cannot compare to you."