The slaughter began without warning.
The moment Renner finished speaking, dazzling flashes of blades lit up the hall as invisible slashes tore through the air.
In an instant, dozens of nobles were reduced to a rain of blood before they even realized what had happened.
A figure clad in golden armor stood beside Renner, who wore a black dress.
Each held a blade, harvesting lives at a pace like cutting grass.
Golden-tinged blood seemed to boil within their bodies, magic condensing into armor that wrapped around them.
As if there were no limits, their presence continued to surge with every kill, their power rising at a speed visible to the naked eye.
By the time the nobles realized what was happening, a quarter of those in the hall had already been slaughtered.
Only then did the remaining nobles react.
Run… they had to run…
There was no time to think about why. Their only thought now was to escape this place.
"Help! Someone save me!"
"Spare me, spare me! I'm a noble, I can pay a ransom…"
"Run! Go inform the army!"
"Ah!"
Screams echoed throughout the hall.
Under Gazef's protection, the Second Prince and the others watched the scene unfold, their faces pale.
"What is going on? Why is the Bloody Emperor here? And why has Renner become this strong…"
"Was this planned all along? But that shouldn't be possible. They shouldn't have even met…"
The Second Prince's mind raced, but no matter how he tried to piece it together, he could not understand how the situation had turned into this.
Just moments ago he had been discussing with Renner how to protect the Kingdom. How had things become like this in the blink of an eye?
Renner's killing was clean and decisive, without the slightest hesitation. She moved through the hall like someone strolling through a garden, almost giving the unsettling impression of something beautiful.
The Second Prince could not imagine what had happened to cause such a drastic change in Renner.
And cooperating with the Bloody Emperor… was she not afraid he would betray her afterward?
Unlike the Second Prince, who was desperately trying to think things through, the First Prince trembled the entire time while hiding beside Gazef, not daring to move even a step away.
He might have been arrogant and prideful, but that did not mean he was stupid.
Faced with death, the First Prince finally abandoned his pride and chose survival.
"The Kingdom… the Kingdom is finished…"
Watching the massacre, Ramposa III muttered to himself as he collapsed onto the floor.
"Your Majesty… it's not time to give up yet. As long as you are safe, the Kingdom still has hope."
Holding his sword, Gazef helped the king to his feet. As he spoke, his eyes constantly scanned the surroundings, searching for an opportunity to break through.
Though his heart was full of confusion, Gazef now had only one thought.
He had to escort His Majesty to safety.
"Has he become stronger again…"
Gazef's expression grew extremely serious as he looked at the figure in golden armor.
Compared to their last encounter, the Bloody Emperor's strength had clearly increased again.
Without the assistance of Blue Roses this time, he would likely be defeated within just a few exchanges.
And with Princess Renner present, whose strength was no weaker than the Bloody Emperor's, the situation could not possibly be worse.
"Your Majesty."
Marquis Raeven hurried over from the side, his already pale face now even whiter.
"The hall has been sealed by a barrier. We must find a way to escape."
Raeven glanced around. In just a short time, most of the nobles in the hall had already died. Only a small number of the stronger nobles were still resisting.
The remaining nobles had gathered together, barely managing to fend off the attacks of the Bloody Emperor and Renner.
"Escape? How? Their speed is too fast."
The Second Prince stopped thinking, slapped his forehead, and gave a bitter smile.
The Bloody Emperor and Renner were simply too fast. Aside from Gazef, no one here could even follow their movements.
"We surrender."
The Second Prince proposed his plan.
In the current situation, both resistance and escape were practically impossible.
Even the Bloody Emperor alone was far beyond what they could handle. Not to mention his monstrous sister.
Monster. That title really wasn't wrong.
The Second Prince thought helplessly, doing his best to keep himself calm.
Whether noble or commoner, once dead there is no difference.
In this world, only death is truly fair.
He could only gamble now. Judging from the current situation, he had to bet that Renner had no intention of killing them.
"This…"
Hearing that, Marquis Raeven, who knew Renner's true nature, instinctively wanted to object. But when he opened his mouth, he found he had nothing to say.
"Let's do as Zanac suggested."
In the end, it was Ramposa III who spoke, settling the matter once and for all.
After ruling for so many years, he might have been somewhat indecisive, but he was not foolish.
Just as the prince had said, this was the only option left.
The group stopped moving and simply stood there, silently watching everything unfold.
Time passed second by second. As the last few nobles were cut in half despite their desperate resistance, the slaughter finally came to an end.
The Bloody Emperor lowered his sword, the boiling blood inside his body gradually cooling.
Now completely drenched in blood, he truly lived up to his name, like an emperor born of blood itself.
"Unbelievable. You actually managed to perfectly replicate my abilities."
After casting a cleansing spell and restoring his appearance, the Bloody Emperor turned to look at Renner beside him, clearly surprised.
"Well, I am a genius after all~"
Renner tilted her head slightly. Then she lifted the hem of her bloodstained dress and gave an elegant noble's curtsy.
She was not lying. She truly was a genius.
But not that kind of genius.
Renner possessed the rare class [Genius], an extremely unusual Job Class.
The [Genius] class allowed its holder to transform into any other basic class or standard class.
Long before revealing herself, Renner had already used the [Genius] class to transform herself to match the Bloody Emperor. That was why her techniques earlier had been identical to his.
"You really are a monster through and through."
The Bloody Emperor said it bluntly.
To be honest, he did not like Renner very much.
Whenever he tried to read her thoughts, it felt as though he had walked straight into a spider's web. The feeling was deeply unpleasant.
Before encountering Nazarick, the Bloody Emperor had even considered killing her. If he could not control her, then destroying her would be safer.
Unfortunately, after receiving a Message from Naohara-sama, that opportunity disappeared completely.
"If we're talking about monsters, who here isn't one?"
"The blood of the Supreme Beings flows within us. In a sense, we are family now~"
Renner spoke gently, pretending to think about it. If one ignored the severed limbs scattered beneath her feet, the scene might almost have looked peaceful.
"What an honor~ but I'm not a monster like you. I'm human."
The Bloody Emperor replied casually before starting to walk forward.
"Human?"
"With such power and such long lives, can we really still call ourselves human?"
Renner followed after him, sounding almost wistful.
"Whether humans are inconvenient things or not doesn't matter. If I say I'm human, then I'm human."
"I was human before, I am human now, and I will be human in the future."
"You don't need to test me like this."
The Bloody Emperor glanced at her, his eyes carrying a clear warning.
"Oh my, why would I do something like that~"
"As humans who share the same bloodline, let's work hard together from now on to serve the Supreme Beings."
Renner paused briefly before continuing with a bright smile, as if speaking to herself.
"That would be for the best."
The Bloody Emperor replied flatly.
The two of them walked toward Gazef and the others at a leisurely pace, as if taking a stroll.
Seeing their wary expressions, Renner spoke first.
"Father, and my two dear brothers, congratulations on making the correct choice."
"The Empire was always destined to swallow the Kingdom. That outcome cannot be changed. So please accept reality and give up resistance. That way everyone can survive."
Renner did not want to kill them.
Part of it was due to their blood ties, but the main reason was her elder brother.
From earlier probing and from the intelligence gathered during his time as an adventurer, she had learned that the Supreme Being named Naohara had a rather easygoing personality. Perhaps even more… humane than expected.
Her brother had once gifted Naohara-sama a land deed. That fact weighed heavily in Renner's mind.
The Supreme Being might not care, but as a subordinate she had to consider every possible factor.
After careful thought, Renner ultimately chose to spare them.
"I… accept."
Ramposa III let out a long sigh and spoke softly.
Under the circumstances, the fact that they were still alive was already a blessing.
"It's over…"
Watching the scene before him, the Bloody Emperor could not help but sigh.
Despite some unexpected developments, the Empire had ultimately succeeded in annexing the Kingdom.