Follow me for the rest of your life

In a mere instant, the two figures were already within arm's reach.

"As expected of you!"

Admiration showed on Lin Luo's face.

Esdeath's strength was unquestionably greater than Budo's.

"You're fighting me, and you still have the luxury of taking it easy?"

"One careless move could cost you your life."

A savage glint flashed through Esdeath's eyes.

Even if he was her ideal man.

She took combat seriously.

Clang!

Her Sabre slid from its sheath, carving an icy arc through the air as it slashed toward Lin Luo's neck.

Boom!

A deafening roar rang out.

Fist met blade!

Visible ripples spread in every direction.

The Three Beasts in the distance blanched, their ears ringing and their minds going completely blank.

Crack!

The Sabre snapped. Caught off guard, Esdeath flew backward like a cannonball, smashing a three-meter-long crater into the ground in the distance.

"How is this possible?"

Clutching their ears, the Three Beasts stared at the sight in utter disbelief.

In a single exchange, Lady Esdeath's Sabre had broken, and she had been sent flying.

They could not recall ever seeing Lady Esdeath in such a sorry state.

Was this man really human?

Could he be some Super Danger Beast wearing human skin?

"So strong. You really are so strong."

Esdeath spoke excitedly, casually tossing away the broken Sabre in her hand.

It had been so many years since she had last experienced the feeling of being overwhelmed by sheer strength.

Without a sound.

A thick layer of solid ice spread across the ground around Esdeath.

Even the temperature throughout the palace began to plummet.

Though it was the height of summer, it felt as if they had fallen into an ice cellar.

"Move farther back!"

Lin Luo gave Akame and the others an instruction without turning around.

They immediately nodded and swiftly put some distance between themselves and the fight.

Seeing this!

The Three Beasts also moved at once.

They knew exactly what it would look like when Esdeath unleashed her full strength.

[Origin +10]

"So this is the Demon's Extract?"

Feeling the chill, Lin Luo smiled. "Come on, then. Let me see what it can do."

"Don't worry. You will!"

Esdeath gave him a cold, alluring smile!

The next instant!

Lin Luo and Esdeath moved simultaneously.

Their figures converged.

The entire hall seemed to have become a frozen wasteland. With a casual wave of Esdeath's hand, countless ice spikes rained down on Lin Luo.

But these!

To Lin Luo, they might as well not have existed.

He did not bother defending himself. He strolled along as if walking through a garden, letting them strike him.

Ice spikes capable of piercing steel could not even penetrate his clothes.

“What Imperial Arms could possibly grant that kind of defense?”

Esdeath frowned, thoughts racing through her mind. In that case...

Rumble!

Najenda and the others, who had already left the palace, felt the sky suddenly darken.

They instinctively looked up, and their pupils contracted sharply.

A gigantic block of ice the size of a small mountain was hurtling down like a meteor.

Crack! Crack!

The palace collapsed, the ice threatening to crush everything beneath it.

Bang!

A tremendous, muffled impact sounded.

Esdeath's gaze sharpened.

Her killing move, powerful enough to destroy a giant Danger Beast, had been stopped by a single hand from Lin Luo.

He stood firmly in place, without the slightest tremor.

It was as though the enormous mass of ice weighed nothing in his hand.

"What about your Mahapadma? Use it."

Lin Luo tightened his fingers. Countless cracks spread across the iceberg before it exploded with a thunderous crash.

He knew that to bring someone like Esdeath into his fold, he had to let her exhaust every means at her disposal and defeat her utterly.

As for her supposed ability to freeze space and time, he was not afraid.

After all, even the evolved Incursio could overcome its effects.

Let alone him, who stood far above it.

"What are you talking about?"

Esdeath raised an eyebrow. "I don't know any move like that. Where did you hear about it?"

"Hm?"

Lin Luo froze for a moment, then understood.

Of course. At this point in time, Esdeath probably had not developed that move yet.

Chapter 23: Follow me for the rest of your life

"Forget it. None of that matters!"

When Lin Luo gave her no answer, Esdeath did not dwell on it. "You're strong enough to warrant my full power."

Hum!

The sound reverberated, and Esdeath's aura transformed completely.

Dark clouds blanketed the sky, and the vast Imperial Palace seemed to turn unbearably cold.

"What... is this?"

Najenda and the others looked on in shock.

Even Akame and Leone, who had become Devils, grew solemn.

Had Esdeath altered the weather all by herself?

Before their eyes, Esdeath raised one hand. Her white military uniform fluttered as an invisible power burst forth.

"Ice... Cavalry!"

Whoosh!

Almost instantly, mist spread throughout the Imperial Palace. The bitter chill seemed capable of freezing everything.

Bang!

Bang!

Bang!

Thunderous booms suddenly erupted throughout the Imperial Palace, sending dust billowing into the air.

On the ground, ranks of half-human, half-horse Ice Cavalry stood in neat formation.

Thousands upon thousands moved together like an endless tide, each wave greater than the last.

Even beyond the Imperial Palace, the ground began to tremble.

Seen from afar, their ruthless killing aura soared into the clouds, their momentum vast and boundless.

"W-what are those things?"

Every guard in the Imperial Palace stared in stupefaction.

An army tens of thousands strong had appeared out of thin air?

"I originally prepared this move for war. This is my first time using it."

Esdeath was slightly out of breath, but her eyes shone ever brighter. "Come. Witness my peerless army."

Rumble!

The tens of thousands of Ice Cavalry moved in perfect unison, like a surging torrent.

In a single instant, they launched an overwhelmingly powerful charge at Lin Luo.

At that moment, the entire Imperial Palace shook.

Terrifying pressure swept toward Lin Luo with the force of an avalanche.

"Master, be careful!" ×2

"Lord Demon..."

Akame and the other two all paled.

One person was an army!

This truly was a one-person army.

With power like this, was Esdeath really human?

Before that army of tens of thousands, Lin Luo seemed as insignificant as a speck of dust.

"Not bad. In this world, you truly are an existence beyond the norm."

Lin Luo stood where he was, making no unnecessary movements. He merely raised his hand.

Hum!

A brilliant Magic Circle spread across the entire sky. Terrifying fluctuations of Magic Power seemed to shake the heavens.

The next moment!

Heaven and earth changed color.