Three minutes earlier.
"Now, I, Budo, as the Great General appointed by the late Emperor himself, hereby sentence you... to death!!"
Zzzzt... Crackle!
Thick, thumb-sized bolts of sky-blue lightning erupted from both of Budo's fists, splitting the air with explosive force. With a flash of electric fury, the Thunder God's Rage · Adramelech crashed downward like a pile driver, empowered by his overwhelming strength.
At that moment, time seemed to slow in Chelsea's eyes.
Did she regret it? No. Not at all. Ever since she killed that corrupt governor who oppressed the common people—ever since the entire Oarburgh assassination syndicate was annihilated—she had already accepted her fate.
Looking up at the towering Budo, whose killing intent bore down upon her prone form, Chelsea thought quietly to herself:
"Well... if I'm going to die, then so be it. Trading my life for that foolish emperor's is worth it. To be personally hunted down by one of the Empire's two strongest generals—Budo himself—what a way to go."
Suddenly—whoosh!
"Another accomplice?!" The instant the orange beam shot toward him, Budo sensed it sharply. In one smooth motion, he pivoted his strike, standing his ground, meeting it head-on.
"That Teigu... Romantic Battery · Pumpkin. Is that Najenda's doing? Hmph. You rebels truly underestimate me. None of you are leaving here alive!"
As he spoke, the thunderous domain surrounding the Thunder God's Rage · Adramelech expanded violently. Chelsea, who had just begun to recover from paralysis, was struck once again by the electric storm radiating from his body.
Her body was far too fragile—a fatal limitation for an assassin like her.
"Rebel—die!" Budo roared, seizing the split-second as Pumpkin's beam dissipated. Lightning gathered between his fists as he slammed them downward with full force.
Boom!Crack crack crack!!
Sky-blue lightning flared violently in front of Budo, the sheer energy discharging into the ground below. The shockwave shattered the earth, sending web-like fractures sprawling outward in all directions.
Chelsea was gone—literally. Her body turned to ash the instant the lightning struck, then was pulverized into dust beneath Budo's hammering blow.
"Traitor... now it's your turn!"
Having executed the assassin who had slain the emperor, Budo leapt toward the watchtower from which the orange beam had been fired. The ground beneath him shattered under the pressure of his jump, leaving a massive crater.
"Damn it! What's that guy doing? Such a good opportunity, wasted!" On the watchtower, Mine cursed under her breath as she watched through her high-powered scope.
She didn't understand the paralyzing effect of Budo's Teigu. From her perspective, Chelsea's movements had simply looked sluggish—almost as slow as hers. She wondered how such a fragile girl had even made it to the front lines.
A spy, maybe? she thought briefly.
In this altered timeline shaped by Selene's influence, Mine and Chelsea had never met. She didn't know her, but still muttered a brief lament for a fallen comrade before focusing once again.
Through the scope, she watched as the towering, armored, blond man—after obliterating her ally—suddenly turned his gaze directly toward her.
In that instant, every hair on her body stood on end. The sheer, raw killing intent that surged from his eyes was something she would remember for the rest of her life.
Run! Run now, or I'll die!
Without hesitation, Mine vaulted over the tower's parapet, pushing off hard from the battlements and leaping in the opposite direction.
A heartbeat later—BOOM!
A deafening thunderclap tore through the air as the watchtower was blasted clean in half by Budo's lightning strike.
As her feet hit the ground, Mine rolled several times to absorb the impact before rising to her feet, clutching Pumpkin in its sniper configuration—maximum output mode—and darting away at full speed.
But Budo wasn't about to let his prey escape.
CRACK-BOOM!
A beam of lightning as thick as a barrel streaked toward the fleeing girl.
Danger! Danger! DANGER—!
The suffocating sense of death closed in around her. Mine instantly realized—this opponent was unlike any she had faced before.
"Lightning... tall, blond male... Is this the Great General Budo the Boss spoke of?" she thought grimly.
Escape was impossible. Which meant—she would fight.
"Pumpkin... remove all limiters!"
Turning sharply, Mine's eyes blazed with resolve. A massive orange beam erupted from her weapon, far more powerful than any she had fired before.
BOOOOM!!!
The lightning from Adramelech clashed violently against the beam from Pumpkin. In that instant, it was as if the entire world split into two hues—sky-blue and orange—each dominating one side of the battlefield.
"Pierce him... shoot through!!" Mine roared.
The Romantic Battery · Pumpkin could convert spiritual energy into devastating energy blasts. Once its limiters were removed, its output increased exponentially—its power scaling directly with the user's desperation in the face of mortal danger.
And Budo... was by far the strongest opponent Mine had ever faced.
Vmmmmm!
"Hmm?" Budo's eyes widened in mild surprise as his lightning was shattered by the pink twin-tailed girl's blast.
Crossing his arms before him, Budo didn't dodge. Instead, he braced himself—ready to take the full brunt of the massive orange beam head-on.
BOOM!
Though he held his ground, the immense force still hurled Budo backward nearly a hundred meters, smashing through countless walls and pillars before he crashed into the debris of a side hall.
From the smoking ruins, the Great General emerged—armor scorched and steaming, short blond hair singed with streaks of black.
"I thought it was Najenda's doing... but to think a little brat like you could give me such a surprise. Hmph. Very well—then I shall fight with my full strength!"
With that, Budo unleashed the full might of Adramelech. Controlling the lightning in the storm above, he drew it toward himself, defying gravity as his body rose higher and higher—until he hovered amidst the churning thunderclouds.
As Budo poured out his power, the sky above the Imperial Palace grew darker and heavier. Bolts of lightning crackled across the heavens, illuminating the night in blinding flashes.
"Advent of Thunder Emperor!!!" Budo bellowed, his voice echoing across the city.
Countless bolts converged under his control. In mere seconds, an enormous sky-blue sphere of plasma materialized above him.
It was Adramelech's secret art—by condensing and compressing pure lightning energy, it created a massive plasma orb with catastrophic destructive power.
Vmmmmm... crackle crackle! Sparks of brilliant blue danced across the orb's surface, filling the air with the acrid stench of ozone.
Below him, Mine lifted Pumpkin and aimed straight at the hovering general. There wasn't the slightest trace of fear in her eyes.
She poured every last ounce of her spirit into her weapon. Even as blood trickled from her nose and mouth, even as her vision blurred, she refused to stop. Her mind was fixed on a single thought—to bring Budo down.
To sever one arm of the Empire. To claim victory for the Revolutionary Army. To uphold Night Raid's ideals. To make sure the Empire's tyranny would never again crush people like her.
Even without the emotional drive tied to Tatsumi, this Mine's willpower was unbreakable.
Crack... crack...!
Pumpkin was pushed far beyond its limit. Fine cracks spread rapidly across its blackened frame.
"Die!" Mine screamed.
In the next instant, the muzzle of Pumpkin blazed with light and expanded—the resulting beam a massive orange column, tens of meters wide, that tore into the sky.
BOOOOOOOM!!!
RUMBLE... RUMBLEEEE—!!!
The blinding light erased all other colors; the deafening roar swallowed all sound. For a fleeting moment, the entire Imperial Capital was illuminated as bright as day.
Countless citizens poured into the streets, staring blankly toward the palace. The brilliance of the explosion rendered them speechless.
This was the Imperial Palace—the very heart of the Empire.
When the light finally faded—
Crunch... crunch...
The sound of footsteps—like boots crushing shards of glass—echoed faintly.
"Budo... you can't rest just yet. Come now, awaken again. Swear your loyalty to me... and fight for me once more."