The reason he served Honest and other powerful figures was simply because he needed them to provide funding and privileges, using that to push his research forward.
Because of this, Mr. Stylish didn't have any conventional sense of morality or ethics. If necessary, he could even treat himself as experimental material. Everything was for the pursuit of "art" and "aesthetics."
Or rather, that was what he used to think…
But today, at this very moment, Mr. Stylish suddenly realized that he wasn't as "pure" as he had believed.
Fear, unease, terror, reverence… all the weak emotions that belonged only to humans, which he thought he had already discarded… were now all surfacing from the depths of his heart.
What frightened him wasn't power or authority, but the difference in the level of life itself.
Iori had merely stopped concealing his presence and let it flow out naturally, yet that alone filled Mr. Stylish with dread. It was like the difference between a tiger and a rabbit.
In just a few dozen seconds, amid an awkward silence, Mr. Stylish rediscovered what it felt like to be "human," and firmly settled on one thought from the bottom of his heart.
He could not die.
Especially not at the hands of this person.
It sounded ridiculous, but to Mr. Stylish, there were many different kinds of death. And if the Holy King before him were to act… it would be like crushing an ant with a finger, with no beauty to it at all.
If he had to die, then Mr. Stylish at least wanted to choose the way himself.
"I am willing to offer Your Majesty my eternal loyalty!"
He didn't even ask "why", why, while clearly serving as a cabinet minister, was he being threatened like this for no reason?
Because he knew the key point wasn't Iori's motive, that was something he couldn't change.
Even if Iori simply disliked him for no reason, he would still have to accept that reason.
What mattered was what kind of answer Iori wanted.
And so, when faced with the multiple-choice question Iori gave him, he decisively backed down…
Smart guy, Iori waved his hand, looking somewhat bored.
What followed was simple. As the price for Iori sparing his life, Mr. Stylish agreed to three conditions.
From now on, whether openly or in secret, he could only use heinous death row criminals or dangerous beasts as experimental subjects, and every research result had to be reviewed before being officially applied.
To be honest, Iori had originally planned to kill him. But as the saying goes, those who understand the times are wise. Since Mr. Stylish had taken the initiative to swear loyalty, Iori hesitated briefly and decided to keep him.
After all, the supercomputer was a product of Chaldea. The data it stored, from quantum theory down to basic mechanics, all used the physical parameters of the Type-Moon world.
And the fundamental parameters between different worlds were slightly different, especially since extraordinary powers existed…
Therefore, the "Crown (supercomputer)" needed a large amount of training and reference data to successfully establish a large model belonging to the Akame ga Kill world before it could formally begin work.
Originally, this would have been a very tedious task. But now that he had recruited Mr. Stylish, he could just have him carry out the numerous foundational experiments and then hand the data results over to Iori (of course, he couldn't let anyone else know the true purpose of the throne and the crown).
This was basically the same as finding himself a laborer.
Later, he should find a way to obtain Mayuri Kurotsuchi's experimental data too, then establish another large model of the Soul Society centered on the "Reishi system".
———
After settling matters with the Minister of Finance and the Minister of Science in just a few words, Iori quickly summoned the Minister of Foreign Affairs Najenda, the Minister of Military Affairs Esdeath, and the Minister of Religion, the leader of the Path of Peace.
These three weren't the most loyal to him. Two of them could even be considered more like allies.
But there was almost no chance of betrayal, especially after Iori had demonstrated his strength and methods.
Their original positions had already completely slipped into that of "subjects."
Back then, Iori still needed to persuade Najenda with reason and emotion. But now their superior-subordinate relationship was clear, and Najenda had already accepted Iori's position from the bottom of her heart. The same was true for the leader of the Path of Peace.
Only Esdeath was different. From beginning to end, she had always been Iori's "diehard loyalist," with the obvious precondition that Iori's strength remained greater than hers.
The task Iori gave Najenda was to establish an intelligence organization.
Previously, in order to involve Najenda in governance, Iori had given her the position of Minister of Foreign Affairs to increase her political weight… but later he realized that had been his own assumption.
In the cabinet systems of modern society, the Minister of Foreign Affairs was naturally a very important position. But in Akame ga Kill, it was different.
That was because the empire was surrounded by barbarian tribes and small nations, all of which were crushed by the empire's strength. There simply weren't many diplomatic relations to manage.
Without political entities capable of equal dialogue, the role of diplomacy naturally couldn't stand out.
It couldn't be said to be unimportant, but it couldn't compare to finance, internal affairs, military, and similar departments.
So Iori planned to make use of Najenda's strengths and have her concurrently manage the intelligence organization, "Let's call it the Imperial Comprehensive Investigation and Statistics Bureau!"
Iori added, "There's no need to lurk in the shadows. This is purely a data collection agency."
"For example, properly investigate and compile statistics on things like the population of each province and county, age distribution, farmland area, proportion of civil servants, gender ratios, distribution of disposable income… things like that."
"In short, I want to know exactly how many people, how much land, and how much income the empire really has… not data that's been altered by local elites and officials, but the real situation!"
"I… I understand!"
The one-eyed female general's expression became serious. She understood that although this task sounded tedious and unrewarding, in reality it meant confronting the entire conservative faction.
As long as the data collection could be completed smoothly, then whatever reforms the new empire carried out afterward would have sufficient data support.
However, the level of resistance from influential local figures… was easy to imagine.
That was precisely why Iori had also called the religious leader and Esdeath.
The Path of Peace would serve as eyes and ears to investigate and verify the real situation. And if they encountered more serious resistance, even armed conflict… then it would be Esdeath's time to appear.
Although the Ice Queen didn't mind fighting, she found the earlier tasks too tedious. No matter how she looked at it, it was like using a battle axe to kill chickens.
She didn't think a bunch of local tycoons and old nobles could produce any strong opponents, so she was quite resistant.
Afterward, she proposed a condition. If it was met, she would obediently lead troops to "suppress bandits."
"I can feel it… you've gotten stronger again."
The Queen of Ice looked at Iori with a gaze that was hard to tell whether it was envy, jealousy, admiration, or appreciation.
"It's only been a few days, yet it's like you're a completely different person. I can't even see your back anymore. I can only vaguely sense the difference… tell me, what exactly did you go through?"
How should one put it? It was no surprise at all that Esdeath would ask this question. In fact, it was only natural.
There was probably no one in this world who desired power more than Esdeath.
But this involved many secrets, so naturally Iori couldn't tell her everything, especially with others present.
"Then I'll change the condition~"
Esdeath took a deep breath. A blazing fire of battle rose in her ice-blue pupils.
"Fight me again… I, Esdeath, challenge the Holy King of the Empire, Aizen Iori!"
"Alright. But you know the rules. If you want to understand what power is, then use your own body to experience it!"
———
At the Imperial Guard training grounds beside the palace, fully armed soldiers cleared the area and guarded all sides, sealing off the inside from the outside.
Powerful figures of the empire stood scattered across the surrounding stands, either whispering to each other or remaining silent, yet all of them watched the field with heavy gazes.
The fact that General Esdeath of the empire had challenged His Majesty the Holy King had not been deliberately concealed.
Instead, it was allowed to spread. Almost all high officials, generals, and nobles had learned this shocking news.
Some said Esdeath was too wild to be tamed and wanted to challenge the Holy King's authority.
Others said the Holy King feared Esdeath's military achievements and influence, and was trying to eliminate this threat, or use a defeat to damage her prestige.
After all, the fact that Iori and Esdeath had fought before was only known to a few Imperial Arm users. In everyone's eyes, Esdeath was still an undefeated powerhouse.
Although the Holy King had shown unmatched strength, he might not necessarily be able to suppress Esdeath… at least not easily.
Gods must not bleed.
Once they showed a battered appearance before others, it would cause the ambitions of mortals to grow wildly, coveting the throne high above.
If the Holy King, who ruled the empire with absolute strength, were to lose to Esdeath in terms of force, or suffer significant injuries… then for those monsters and demons unwilling to remain dormant, it would be a silent bugle call.
Conversely, those who hoped this country would be saved, or who stood to benefit from the new empire's system, were extremely worried about such a thing happening.
Because of this, whether it was the upper ranks of the former Revolutionary Army or the emperor's personal military confidants, from cabinet ministers to religious priests, everyone was watching this battle.
Unexpectedly, as one of the participants, His Majesty the Holy King had no intention of handling this behind closed doors.
Instead, he openly allowed others to watch, only stating he wouldn't be responsible for their safety. If they were caught in the aftermath, they could only blame their own bad luck!
The common people naturally knew nothing. Those who came to the training ground were all prominent figures, such as the newly empowered Minister of Foreign Affairs Najenda, former Night Raid member Akame, the Minister of Finance, as well as members of the Path of Peace and the Revolutionary Army…
All together, there were over a hundred people, divided into four or five factions. This was actually considered good. Any dynasty was just as complicated when it was first founded.
However, it was worth mentioning that once everyone gathered, it became obvious that almost all powerful Imperial Arm users and elite troops were either Iori's direct subordinates or supporters.
Other factions had also gathered a few Imperial Arm users and controlled some troops… but their strength was completely disproportionate.
No wonder they cared so much about this duel. In a sense, it was also a challenge of "military power" against "royal power."
Only if a rift appeared between Esdeath and the Holy King would these remnants of the old era have a chance to stir up trouble.
'Boring!'
Esdeath glanced sideways at the stands, her eyes full of disdain.
She was a pure soldier and had no interest in politics. But she wasn't stupid. She clearly understood what these people were thinking, so her expression was extremely cold.
These vermin probably had their brains filled with rotten things. No matter what happened, they had to connect it to power struggles… or rather, in their understanding, people at the level of Esdeath and the Holy King would never do anything meaningless. It must be related to the ownership of royal power.
Otherwise, why risk themselves personally?
This line of thinking couldn't be said to be wrong, but it only made Esdeath want to laugh,
Rats and insects that spent their lives fighting over rotten meat could never understand the logic of the strong.
Things they considered incomparably precious were things Esdeath could pick up just by lowering her head. What she pursued was a realm they could never touch.
"Sorry, I didn't expect this many people to show up. I clearly warned them… could it be they misunderstood something?"
Iori glanced around and helplessly spread his hands. He had kindly reminded these people that they might be caught in the aftermath of the battle.
That was basically telling everyone except first-rate Imperial Arm users to stay far away… but it seemed not many people had that kind of self-awareness.
Could it be they misunderstood the destructive range of him and Esdeath?
"You did this on purpose, didn't you?"
Esdeath sounded a little unhappy. "You don't seem to value your duel with me very much. You're even using it as a tool to intimidate these people."
"Just a side benefit." Iori said calmly. "I'm taking this very seriously."
With that, Iori raised his hand and slowly removed the mask from his face.
"!!"
Including Esdeath and Akame, everyone present, whether they knew the inside story or not, was shocked.
The "Emperor" had always appeared wearing a mask and had never revealed his appearance. This filled everyone with both awe and doubt, though none dared test him due to the overwhelming difference in strength.
They never expected to see the emperor's true face on an occasion like this.
What was going on… he wasn't severely disfigured, nor did he have any inhuman features. He clearly looked like a normal person. So why had he always covered his face?
Aside from a few individuals, no one could understand the reason. And after their initial shock, when they calmed down and secretly observed Iori, they all froze again.
'So young!'
'Such a handsome youth!'
Judging purely from his appearance, he looked only sixteen or seventeen. His features were clear and refined, and the resolute determination in his brows gave him a presence most youths lacked.
Countless people in the empire had speculated about the emperor's appearance, but probably not a single one had imagined him looking like this.
Rather than a ruler who suppressed a nation and drove the world before him, he looked more like the perfect knight or prince from a legendary novel.
Surprised as they were, they didn't dare stare at Iori for long. Most only glanced a few times before looking away. Only Akame, Chelsea, and a few others looked more intently… Iori naturally didn't mind.
"Your body…"
Esdeath asked in surprise, "When did that happen?"
She was shocked that Iori now had a physical body, but at the same time she became more excited and even more curious about what changes had happened to him.
"Not long ago." Iori smiled slightly. "Thanks to someone's help, I was able to undergo a complete transformation."
'Someone's help?'
Esdeath subtly glanced toward a spot in the stands. A white-haired, red-eyed girl wearing a fur coat was watching with concern.
"That woman? She just appeared out of nowhere and was immediately given a high position by you. I thought she was your lover, but she's some kind of witch instead?"
"Watch your words, Esdeath."
Iori looked straight at her and spoke in a commanding tone. "Toward her, you should learn respect, because in the cabinet, she represents my authority."
"…Hmph!"
Esdeath's voice turned cold. "You're sounding more and more like an emperor. But have you forgotten our relationship?"
"I obey orders only because you are stronger than me!"
"Talking about 'authority' is ridiculous. In this empire, aside from you, there is no one who can make me bow my head!"
"No, even you… are no exception!"
Before her words had even fully settled, Esdeath had already raised her right hand high. The sky instantly darkened as thick clouds completely covered the sun.
The atmosphere churned with biting cold winds. Fine ice crystals began drifting through the air, and the entire Imperial Capital was shrouded in freezing cold, instantly entering deep winter.
And this was only the beginning. A thick layer of ice also formed beneath Esdeath's feet out of thin air and rapidly spread outward.
In the blink of an eye, it covered the entire training ground. People in the stands fled in panic.
A few overweight individuals couldn't escape in time and had their feet frozen in place, visibly beginning to turn into ice statues.
Seeing this, the nobles who had come to watch were all horrified and began regretting why they had so casually come to watch the excitement.
Aside from the Imperial Arm users and combat-oriented figures, most bureaucrats wanted to leave immediately and return home to take shelter, some even wanting to flee the Imperial Capital altogether.
What they didn't know was that this wasn't even Esdeath's limit. It could only be considered her getting slightly serious.
If the Ice Queen went all out, she could completely create a polar storm comparable to the northern frontier.
That would be a true heaven-and-earth level disaster. No matter where they fled, it would make no difference.
The reason she didn't do that was because large-scale attacks were useless against Iori and would only waste energy.