Northern frontier of the Empire.
A large-scale army was marching along a snow-covered road.
Cavalry flanked both sides, while the center consisted of infantry armed with swords and halberds, along with archers and crossbowmen. At the rear, dozens of packed siege weapons were being hauled.
The troops were well-ordered and highly spirited, their armor polished to a shine—clearly an elite force from a feudal era.
At the center of the formation rode a tall woman in a white military uniform.
Her long, ice-blue hair draped over her shoulders. Her figure was imposing, her features exquisite, and her snow-white skin gleamed like crystal—radiating an irresistible allure.
Yet she exuded a powerful aura of dominance. A single glance would bring to mind a few simple words: queen, sadist, battle maniac.
"Unidentified invaders appearing near the capital?"
Esdeath glanced at the report delivered by the messenger and sneered, slightly intrigued.
The capital was located deep in the empire's inland core. It was hard to imagine a scenario where it would come under siege.
"A peasant uprising? No... If that were the case, the Teigu users and the Imperial Army could handle it. There's no need for me to return..."
"Could it be... the Revolutionary Army? Or perhaps a kingdom's army?"
She pondered briefly.
If it were the Revolutionary Army, then it would indeed be worthy of her intervention.
Unfortunately, the messenger knew nothing more. He simply conveyed Honest's order—return immediately.
"Let's go. Increase march speed to 4."
Esdeath gave a cold command. Her soldiers immediately straightened up and quickened their pace.
"Tch, Revolutionary Army?"
"If that's the case, then Akame might be there too?..."
Behind Esdeath was a petite girl dressed in a school uniform similar to Akame's, with black hair and black eyes.
She sat on horseback, arms full of snacks, occasionally popping one into her mouth.
Hearing that they were returning to the capital, Kurome felt a bit secretly pleased.
Partly because the capital had a better variety of snacks.
The bitter cold of the northern frontier had nothing decent for a foodie like her.
Another reason was the chance to finally end things with Akame herself.
Although they were sisters, they stood on opposing sides. She couldn't forgive Akame for betraying the Empire and joining the Revolutionary Army.
Each sister wished to personally execute the other.
Click—
Kurome picked up the long blade at her waist and studied it for a moment, deep in thought.
"Sister, if you became part of Yatsufusa, would you never leave me again...?"
...
Esdeath's army continued their march south.
Along the way, they received many more messages.
They came with orders from Honest, the young emperor, and various nobles—urgently demanding Esdeath's swift return.
The language was increasingly anxious. Within half a day, they encountered seven or eight messengers.
Esdeath grew more puzzled.
She couldn't get any meaningful information from the messengers.
She only knew that the enemy invading the capital was incredibly powerful.
They came from another world, declaring war on the Empire in the name of world conquest.
Just a few dozen people had nearly wiped out the Empire's main army.
"Declaration of war? Someone dares to declare war on the Empire?"
"Interesting. World conquest? I heard their leader is called 'Commander'?"
Reading the report, Esdeath's lips curled into a smile.
She'd seen many people who wanted to overthrow the Empire, and many who disobeyed it.
In the end, all of them were thoroughly crushed by her—physically and mentally.
But a lunatic declaring outright that they wanted to conquer the world? That was a first.
These proud and arrogant types made for the best toys.
She especially loved the feeling of trampling mighty opponents beneath her feet after conquering them.
Whether it was Teigu users or barbarian generals—
Now, an otherworldly commander had shown up, which made Esdeath a little excited.
"Overestimating themselves."
Kurome and the adjutant beside her glanced over the report, showing little interest.
They had followed Esdeath through countless campaigns and had never known defeat.
Forget the Empire—Kurome didn't think there was anyone on the entire planet who could defeat Esdeath.
"General Esdeath is invincible. No one could be her match."
The soldiers whispered with pride.
To be fair, Esdeath treated her subordinates generously—she often distributed bounties from the emperor and ministers to the troops.
As a result, she was immensely popular within the Imperial Army.
"That's right, invincible!"
Soldiers echoed one after another.
They paid no mind to the so-called invaders described by the messengers.
Then—
Vmmm—
BOOM—
A resonant hum echoed from the sky.
Everyone suddenly felt a chill in their hearts, as if a massive danger was approaching. The already cold air dropped several more degrees.
Kurome instinctively looked up and stared at the sky.
"The sky?!"
"What's that thing in the sky?!..."
The hull of the Eternal Snowfall slowly pierced through the clouds.
Its dark gray body blocked out the sun, casting a massive shadow over Esdeath and her entire army.
...
Confusion.
The army's first reaction was confusion.
They couldn't comprehend what the flying object was or where it came from.
Instinctively, they raised their weapons to give themselves a sense of security.
The cavalry's horses, more sensitive to danger, neighed and tried to scatter.
Esdeath frowned, gazing up at the starship.
"Tch, so that's Esdeath?"
In the command bridge, Jeanne Alter looked down at the woman in white military uniform with interest, itching for a fight.
"Come on, Master, let me fight her. It's only interesting to challenge the strongest of this world."
"Hold on—you planning to go fight fifty thousand soldiers? Are you sure your Noble Phantasm is enough?"
Setsuna rapped Jeanne Alter on the head.
"Be careful. Esdeath's troops are strong. Even we can't handle too many at once..."
"Their combat skills are even higher than the Imperial Guard. Don't underestimate them!"
Najenda, still traumatized from past battles, warned them seriously.
"..."
"Locals should just watch and learn."
Setsuna patted her and Akame on the shoulders.
Click—
One of the starship's lower turrets rotated, aiming at the army below.
"Scatter!!!!"
A strong sense of danger flared in Esdeath's heart. She shouted a command loudly.
At the same time, she dismounted and pressed both hands to the ground, causing an ice wall to rise in front of her in an attempt to block the incoming attack.
But in the blink of an eye, before anyone could react—
Screeeee—
BOOM—!!!
The turret completed its charge. A red-black energy blast surged forth.
Esdeath reacted quickly, but it was meaningless.
The super-graviton cannon fired at the speed of light. It was a true interstellar weapon—no mere Teigu could stop it.
RUMBLE—
The super-graviton blast struck the front of the army, gouging a massive crater into the earth.
Every soldier within its range was instantly disintegrated at the molecular level—not even ash remained.
Then, the red-black beam swept forward like an eraser over the marching troops, annihilating everything in its path.
The soldiers could never have imagined that one day, armed with spears and bows, they'd be pounded by a spaceship.
In an instant, the army was thrown into complete disarray.
After a single blast, all that remained on the battlefield was a deep trench—no wreckage, no corpses.
Esdeath barely managed to dodge, rolling to the side of the road.
She looked up, staring at the towering starship in the sky.
"Who are you? The invader of the Imperial Capital?"
Her usually icy gaze now held a hint of shock.
No wonder the ministers had been so desperate to call her back.
This... this was an alien invasion?!
She felt a sudden unease—this was an opponent beyond all reason.
"Darling, shall I go take care of her? She looks a bit stronger than your average Teigu user."
Mio asked softly.
"No."
Setsuna shook his head, eyes fixed on Esdeath below.
"For a sadistic queen who loves to dominate others—we, of course, have to beat her down to her knees and capture her ourselves."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
40 Advanced Chapters Available on Patreon:
Patreon.com/DaoOfHeaven