"An empire, huh…"
"Never thought I, Budo, would one day shatter the gates of another empire's capital in this fashion. Truly, fate works in mysterious ways."
Budo drew back his distant gaze.
He swept a look over the gathered palace guards—closing in, yet too wary to rush him.
Unable even to communicate by language, Budo saw no need to say more.
Life or death—it all depended on their fate.
He took a deep breath, his whole body bursting with even more golden lightning.
Harnessing the force of the electromagnetic field, he slowly lifted himself into the sky.
In that moment, whether it was the soldiers of the First Imperial Guard Legion below, the hundreds of thousands of citizens in the southern district, or even the emperor and ministers watching from the castle atop the hill—
All of them could clearly see a brilliant golden radiance, dazzling as the sun itself, shooting out arcs of lightning as it rose into the night sky, dimming stars and moon alike.
Up in the heavens, Budo himself felt a bit vexed.
He had originally planned to loudly declare his identity to the whole city, then have the emperor come forth and surrender.
But then it struck him—none of these people could even understand what he said!
So now he felt rather awkward.
Yet he had already risen into the sky. Doing nothing at all was not an option.
Since total annihilation was off the table, intimidation would have to suffice.
Lightning flickering around him, Budo's gaze swept across the mid-slope of the mountain.
And at the far eastern end of the slope stood another golden-domed building. Its two triple-tiered spires served as its entrances, marking it clearly as some sort of grand hall.
Budo immediately chose it as his target.
He raised his right hand high, lightning surging and coiling thickly along his arm.
The next instant, Budo swung his arm down toward the hall.
At once, a massive bolt of lightning tore through the night sky above the imperial capital, splitting apart the starry darkness.
Emperor Molt's face turned ashen as he stared in despair at the bolt streaking toward him.
[BOOM!!!]
A deafening crash resounded across the capital, accompanied by a blinding flash of golden light.
High above, beneath the stormclouds, Budo narrowed his golden brows as his gaze fell upon the grand hall.
The structure remained unharmed, wrapped tight in countless living vines brimming with leaves and branches, which had intercepted the lightning strike completely.
His eyes then fixed upon the figure standing on the rooftop, staring back at him with unflinching resolve.
A slender elf woman, skin pale, hair golden, eyes a soft green, and ears tapering long and sharp.
She wore a strange robe woven from branches and leaves, adorned with many blooming flowers. In her hand gleamed a longbow of radiant green light, its string already drawn, an arrow of pure verdant energy aimed directly at him.
At the same time—
Budo turned his gaze away from the apostle of the goddess Wareharun.
He now looked toward another figure, bathed in golden radiance, who was tearing open the storm clouds he had summoned and slowly descending.
The man was massive, clad head to toe in golden armor, wielding two enormous golden axes, his face fierce and menacing.
And not only him—
On his other side, yet another figure wreathed in golden light broke through the dark storm clouds and landed.
This one too wore golden armor, but in his hands he held a long golden spear.
Unlike his brutish counterpart, his build was normal, about 1.8 meters tall, his features more refined, and even carrying a faint smile.
"Outsiders, you will have to come with us."
Mabel Forn spoke in a gentle tone to Budo and his three companions.
Yet the latter only stared back at her, expressionless.
"Heh, looks like they really can't understand us. In that case, seems we'll just have to use force~"
Mabel Forn chuckled lightly.
...
"Major General Budo, they should be the magicians mentioned in the intelligence reports."
A colonel beat his wings and flew to Budo's side to remind him.
"Mm, judging by their aura, they're about on par with a Major General. You all should be able to handle them."
"So? Want to fight, or should I take them all myself?"
Bathed in lightning, Budo folded his arms across his chest and left the choice to them.
After all, if these "magicians" truly possessed strength comparable to Major Generals, then for Colonels like them, it would indeed bring considerable pressure.
Of course, if they managed to win—aside from the merit they'd earn—their own strength would also grow.
The Colonels exchanged glances.
Then, one by one, they broke into smiles.
Because in each other's eyes, they all saw the will to fight.
They were all elite officers who had survived layer upon layer of selection to join the main battle corps!
From the very beginning, they had accepted the resolve to die in a foreign world.
Coming here with Budo was a gamble, yes—but also an opportunity!
[BOOM!]
Suddenly, Mabel Forn lifted her radiant golden spear. It transformed into a dazzling, razor-sharp golden ray, blasting straight toward them.
The explosive whistle as it tore through the air instantly signaled the start of battle.
Seeing this, Colonel Mas didn't waste words. He instantly shifted into his hybrid beast form.
Beneath his gray-black wings, two powerful arms sprouted, ending in five fingers shaped like bird talons.
He wielded no weapon. His sharp, curved talons blurred into swift afterimages, striking with precision against the incoming golden spear tip.
[CLANG!!!]
The metallic crash echoed like thunder, blasting rippling shockwaves through the surrounding air.
The "Demi-Goddess" Mabel Forn felt the power transmitted through her spear and showed a flash of surprise.
On the other side—
Colonel Ottovan and Colonel Mina, both with pure white wings sprouting from their backs, soared upward.
They rushed simultaneously toward the rooftop of the Elder Hall, where the apostle of the goddess Wareharun stood.
[Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—]
The apostle loosed arrow after arrow, each one condensed from green light, her firing speed blindingly fast.
Yet the two colonels danced through the dense storm of arrows, not a single shaft able to touch them.
At the same time—
Granham could no longer restrain the battle lust burning like fire within him.
He charged forward through the howling wind, cleaving down at Budo.
Budo's face remained expressionless as he calmly watched the golden axes descend.
In the next moment—
The lightning serpents coiling around him burst into blinding radiance.
At the same time, his right arm transformed into a golden meteor that ripped through the air.
At a speed so fast Granham had no chance to react, it struck the golden chestplate forged for him by Duncan, the "God of Smithing."
[BOOM!]
[CRACK!]
The chestplate splitting apart across his torso.
His body hurtled like a beam of light.
...
[Boom!!!]
A dazzling golden beam plummeted from the sky, crashing into a building deep within the black district.
Within a radius of more than 100 meters, every surrounding structure was obliterated, torn down like rotten wood before an axe.
"Pfft—!"
Amid the wreckage, Granham spat out a mouthful of blood in agony.
His face was filled with disbelief as he stared at the hole torn open in his golden armor, and at the charred pit burned into his chest beneath it.
"Is… is the gap really this wide?"
Granham was utterly dazed.
At that moment, a brilliant golden glow appeared overhead.
Lying in the ruins, Granham squinted upward.
There he saw Bude, lightning serpents coiling all around his body, floating above with eyes of absolute authority fixed upon him.
"Heh… you can't kill me. It's useless."
Feeling his wounds knitting and his pain fading at a rapid pace, Granham pushed himself up, glaring back without a shred of fear.
Their gazes collided in midair.
Though Bude couldn't understand what the man was saying, he could clearly sense his aura recovering fast.
"A powerful self-healing ability? Hmph. That's rather like a Zoan awakened user," Budo thought.
"Then let's see where your limits truly lie!"
"Not good!"
Every hair on Granham's body stood on end.
And in the very next instant—
Budo, transformed into golden lightning, appeared right in front of him.
His speed was so great that Granham couldn't even react.
With a single crushing kick, Budo sent him hurtling skyward.
[Boom!]
Granham's golden-armored back bent like a shrimp's shell, a visible conical shockwave forming behind him.
In the blink of an eye, he had been launched 300 meters into the air.
But Budo pursued like a falling star.
His face cold, he appeared right behind Granham.
Hands interlaced into a hammer, he brought them crashing down upon the still-intact golden armor of his back.
[Boom!]
A storm burst forth, lightning roaring, the air around them seemingly sucked dry in an instant.
A terrifying blast wave erupted outward with blinding electric light.
"Urrrgh—ahhh!!!"
Agony exploded across Granham's back, forcing a scream from his throat.
Then, his body plummeted once more toward the earth.
But Budo had no intention of letting up—once again he streaked down as a bolt of golden thunder, intercepting him below and kicking him away.
Again and again—
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