"Where is my sister?" The girl, who bore an eight-tenths resemblance to Arichi, had somewhat hollow eyes and clenched fists. "I must find that treacherous sister—"
The Imperial Capital was gone. With the capital gone, according to the missions they had undertaken, the Emperor and ministers must have been killed.
Her place of refuge was no more. Her sole obsession now was to find the sister who had abandoned her and betrayed them alone.
She had heard that her sister had joined the Revolutionary Army, but the Revolutionary Army was in the Southern Province, and the Southern Province was so vast that finding one person was like searching for a needle in a haystack.
Kurome walked out of the Imperial Capital like a zombie, her dark eyes devoid of luster, filled with emptiness.
Ever since her sister's betrayal, she had continuously stimulated her body with drugs to become stronger, which was strengthening herself by overdrawing her life force.
She had been taking medicine to alleviate the pain caused by the drugs.
The medicine on her body could only sustain her for half a month. After half a month, she would rapidly lose her physical functions and die.
"The Imperial Palace, huh." A young man with righteous eyes on the other side gazed at the ice mountain in the center of the Imperial Capital and sighed.
"Is it truly over? The Empire—"
He had just arrived at the Imperial Capital and witnessed this mythical scene.
He had once served in the Empire's army. However, even though he had served on the border protecting many citizens and even saved generals multiple times, he remained just a common soldier. The generals did not want to promote him.
Disheartened, he returned to a small fishing village in the Eastern Province.
It wasn't until he received Divine Blessing from a deity and then witnessed the birth of a Religious State under the power of a deity that he realized the Empire was doomed.
This left him somewhat bewildered, so he rushed to the Imperial Capital to see what was happening.
Everything he encountered on the way was incredibly beautiful, and his loyalty to the Empire gradually vanished.
"Chariot" Wave stroked a black sword at his waist.
He actually understood that the Empire's officials were corrupt, which was why they were unwilling to promote him despite his distinguished military achievements, because his stance was contrary to that of those officials and nobles.
What he protected was not the Empire, but the people of the Empire.
"From now on, I will fight for justice and beauty.
"The Imperial Capital is very chaotic right now, I am needed." Wave activated his Imperial Arm, a black armor appearing on his body, flashing with lightning as he leaped into the Imperial Capital.
Eastern Province.
Holy Capital Jerok.
At this moment, Jerok was even more prosperous than it had been a few days prior, with large-scale construction underway on the outskirts of the city.
Because more and more people were gathering here, the size of Jerok was completely insufficient to accommodate so many people, so the citizens voluntarily petitioned for the expansion of the Imperial Capital.
Merchants, workers, designers, the entire society was mobilized.
Only a few Church priests were coordinating the enthusiasm of the people.
Because all these houses being built belonged to the people themselves, the people were so fanatical.
Building houses was allowed, but the city layout had to be supervised by the Church.
At the same time, the Religious State's first bank, the Holy Capital Bank, was established.
The bank was built by Sima Wei Zhi, who was in charge of the economy. All merchants had to be uniformly regulated by the bank for their commercial activities. The merchants not only did not object but were very willing.
After all, the merchants who could stay were not those black-hearted individuals who wouldn't rise early without profit.
In the Church, "So strong, truly so strong. My skill 'Commercial Kingdom' almost encompasses a portion of the power of half of the Religious State's citizens."
Sima Wei Zhi raised her arm, and the entire Church trembled slightly, her eyes half-closed, looking exactly like a little fox who had stolen a chicken.
"I already tested my strength outside the outskirts of Jerok earlier.
"When I punched down, the entire ground formed a six-hundred-meter meteorite crater, and groundwater surged out, forming a small lake, directly changing the terrain."
"This kind of continuous strengthening without needing to train 'effort values' like the two Butterfly Seniors is truly perfect for me."
Her basic abilities were growing daily under the Divine Blessing of her skill, although each day only increased by about ten points.
It would take at least half a year to meet the upgrade conditions.
There are gains and losses, of course. This kind of unearned upgrade speed certainly cannot compare to Butterfly Senior, who can quickly gain "effort values" simply by experiencing combat.
"Oh? Does Wei Zhi mean she's stronger than me?" Shinobu Kocho's eyes narrowed into lines, her expression gentle.
"Gulp, no, no, how can I compare to Lord Butterfly? I just suddenly gained power and got a little bit inflated, which is quite normal, isn't it?"
Sima Wei Zhi shivered all over. Every time Butterfly Senior showed such a smiling expression, she definitely had something mischievous in mind. It looked gentle, but it was actually a manifestation of her dark side.
If she had really said, 'Maybe I'm really a little stronger than Butterfly Senior~', then she would have been on the ground the next moment.
Butterfly Senior wasn't known for her strength, but for her miraculous medical skills. However, while possessing medical skills, her swordsmanship was also not bad.
And her? She was simply a stack of superimposed power. Once she left the domain of her skill, she would immediately reveal her true form.
"Is that so~" Shinobu Kocho nodded with a smile. If they were to truly fight, she certainly couldn't be an opponent for Sima Wei Zhi, who received power from the citizens in a country's commercial sector.
But one should know the relationship between seniors and juniors, after all, I was Lord Xia Wei's first batch of dependents.
She was actually feeling a bit anxious in her heart.
She understood very well that she came from a low-level world, and the world's level determined the limited potential her body, originating from a low-level world, could achieve.
She couldn't compare to the dependents from more powerful worlds, even if they were her juniors.
Therefore, she continuously delved into her most proficient areas, striving to maintain her growth rate as much as possible.
Otherwise, if she fell slightly behind her juniors, she would only be able to use the "senior" identity to show off in the future.
Sima Wei Zhi watched Butterfly Senior still smiling, sweat instantly breaking out on her forehead. She quickly changed the subject: "Holy Son, what about you? What stage have you reached? I can't tell how strong you are at all right now."
Holy Son's exquisite face trembled slightly, trying to maintain her expression. Every time Sima Wei Zhi was drenched in sweat because of Butterfly Senior's dark smile, it was truly too amusing.
Can't laugh, can't laugh out loud. I am the Holy Son, the Holy Maiden, the leader of the nation, I cannot do anything undignified.
"Me, my power? My basic abilities have all reached over eight hundred now."
"Because the people of the entire nation share a bit of power with me, even if each person only gives a tiny bit, based on feeling alone, I can use the Divine Blessing 'Holy Light' to cover the entire Jerok."
"According to the actual dependent level, it should have reached around Lv. 5. If the entire Empire were unified, it should be able to reach Lv. 6 or Lv. 7. If the whole world were unified, reaching Lv. 9 wouldn't feel difficult."
Although she was very strong, she understood very well that such power only existed within the nation she led. Outside the nation's boundaries, these powerful abilities would disappear.
"I'm really envious—it's completely my superior skill." Sima Wei Zhi was full of envy.
"You are truly a born ruler." Shinobu Kocho couldn't help but feel how abnormal Holy Son was now.
Under specific circumstances, Holy Son could be said to be the strongest among all dependents.
At this moment, a familiar voice sounded in their ears.
"To have changed half the Empire in such a short time is commendable."
Xia Wei slowly appeared before them, slightly surprised as he looked at his three beautiful dependents.
The aura of divinity? A situation similar to Esdeath's has appeared?