Feeling the blood boiling within her body, Najenda's face was pale to the extreme. From childhood to adulthood, she had never experienced such pain, nor had she even heard of it!
The Godslayer who plunders the Divine Authority of gods...
This was how Cerydra had introduced herself earlier. Najenda had originally scoffed at the description, but after feeling the energy rapidly surging within her body, her worldview completely collapsed.
Do gods actually exist in this world?
Najenda felt they did not.
The reason Najenda was able to attain the rank of General within the Empire, aside from her outstanding personal abilities, was her pragmatism. She did not believe in legends of ghosts or deities, believing only in what she saw with her own eyes...
Since birth, although Najenda had heard legends regarding gods, she had never witnessed one. Furthermore, whenever she investigated those so-called legends, she never discovered any useful information.
It was either some lost Teigu or Shingu held by malicious people causing trouble, or some powerful Danger Beasts...
In short, Najenda did not believe that gods existed in the world!
If they didn't exist, then what was this inside her body?
When that Golden Blood entered Najenda's body, her soul felt as if it had directly detached from her physical form, arriving at a place enveloped in scalding gold.
Where is this?
Just as this thought surfaced in her mind, a colossal divine body appeared before Najenda's eyes...
Without a doubt, this was a god!
That majestic frame radiated a presence far exceeding that of an ordinary human at all times, something even a legendary Super Class Danger Beast could not possess.
The unprecedented sight caused Najenda's eyes to widen; she dared not make a sound, nor did she dare move even an inch!
In the next second, that deity lowered its head, looking down at the tiny Najenda.
Confusion, terror...
Countless emotions were churned together in Najenda's mind, to the point that this heroic female General completely lost her original perception of the world.
The majestic god extended a palm at this moment, and a mark resembling a scale manifested before the woman's eyes. Subsequently, Najenda's consciousness vanished...
In reality, watching Najenda as blood seeped from her body, the light atop Cerydra slowly dissipated.
"Whew, the conversion seems much more difficult than it was for Esdeath. Is it because Esdeath is too strong?"
In Cerydra's heart, Esdeath was equivalent to the pinnacle of humanity in this world; converting her was naturally effortless. But what she hadn't expected was that converting Najenda would be more than five times as difficult as Esdeath!
"It seems I'll have to be a bit more careful when using the Authority of Law in the future..."
People who are too weak are not suitable to be converted into Chrysos Heir, as Cerydra must pay a great price to use the Authority of Law, which was somewhat taxing even for her, a Demigod.
But even so, compared to the world of Amphoreus, it was much simpler—at least Cerydra didn't have to use her own life to engrave the laws upon the world...
Well, this wasn't the world of the Scepter System after all; she didn't know how much she could change the world even if she sacrificed her life.
"Lord Imperator!" Esdeath's voice rang out from the side. "What should be done about this green-haired man? Do I need to move and finish him off?"
Despite Najenda being a General from the Empire and having met a total defeat at her hands, Esdeath had no objection to her becoming a Chrysos Heir.
First, it was Lord Imperator's decision.
Second, Najenda was a Teigu User.
Lastly, in the previous battle, Najenda had indeed caused her injury and even helped her obtain greater power!
There was no way Esdeath would oppose such a person joining their side... provided the other party was truly willing.
If any thoughts of betrayal arose, then Esdeath wouldn't be blamed for being ruthless!
"Ah, this fellow..."
Lubbock. In the original work, he was a member of the protagonist's group who joined the Army because he loved Najenda, and joined the Rebel Army for the same reason.
Although he had a habit of peeping, he was single-minded toward his true love. If Cerydra were to grant him a Peerage, it would certainly be "Dux Amoris," right?
In the original work, Lubbock seemed to use a thread-based Teigu, but now... he was just a slightly stronger ordinary soldier, temporarily without any value.
However, lacking value now didn't mean he wouldn't have any in the future.
Through her Authority of Law, Najenda had already seen the fictional Talanton created by Cerydra; she believed the woman would make the right choice...
And if this future "Dux Amoris" truly loved Najenda, he would inevitably make the same choice!
If these two could join her side, then the "five named characters from the original work" required by the System would be mostly completed.
If they didn't join, Cerydra wouldn't go soft just because the opponent was from the protagonist's group... Mercy was reserved for the subjects of Imperator, and for those who were useless or even a threat to her, mercy was unnecessary!
"Leave him for now. Though he's weak at the moment, who knows if he might become a powerful aid in the future?"
Flicking her cape, Cerydra stopped looking at the two captives lying on the ground and walked toward a nearby passage with a wave of her sleeve.
"Let us continue our operation, Dux Alptraum..."
"Since the Empire has already moved against us, it's about time they learn of the situation on our side."
"Dux Alptraum, can you unify the Northern Region at the fastest possible speed?"
Regarding Cerydra's question, Esdeath gave a faint smile and spoke confidently: "Of course I can!"
"Very good!" The corners of Cerydra's mouth curled upward. "Once the entire North is unified, we shall advance eastward as a collective!"
"The East is the true great sea; Dux Gladiorum should like the scenery there very much, wouldn't she?"
As the words fell, even Esdeath could detect an indescribable tenderness contained within Cerydra's tone...
★ ★ ★
Within the Imperial Palace of the Empire.
"Completely... wiped out?"
Upon receiving the news brought back by the scouts, a look of panic clearly appeared on Honest's face.
What happened to that woman Najenda? Why was she defeated so thoroughly?
In Honest's impression, Najenda herself was extremely gifted and talented. Logically, even if she failed, she shouldn't have been completely annihilated, unless...
The opponent was too strong?
"Why has the strength of the Northern Tribes become so great? They were clearly subjugated just half a year ago..."
Honest's gaze narrowed. No wonder no useful intelligence had come out of the North during these six months; the news must have been blockaded by certain fellows!
Fortunately, he had now obtained critical intelligence; he absolutely could not continue to sit by and watch the threat of the Northern Tribes grow.
"Pass down the order: immediately assemble all available armies within the Empire. We must not let the threat in the North expand any further!"
"Yes!"
Just as Honest thought the matter would end there, another messenger rushed in frantically, even tumbling several times on the floor before crawling to Honest's feet.
"What is the matter that you are so flustered? Can't you be more elegant? This is the Imperial Palace, what's the rush?"
Honest originally intended to scold the man, but the soldier suddenly spoke, and the content even made Honest realize something was wrong.
"It's bad, Minister!"
"The Rebel Army has suddenly launched attacks on multiple Noble territories within the Empire. Many regions have already fallen!"
Pffft!
The instant the soldier delivered the news, a bloody hue erupted from his neck. His panic-stricken head fell directly to the floor, scaring those around him into backing away several steps.
The Minister, who had been elegantly eating a chicken leg, had now become hideously contorted, with veins bulging on his forehead.
"I knew things wouldn't be this simple!"
"So the Rebel Army had already reached a cooperation with the Northern Tribes long ago. No wonder I received no news until now!"
"Go call someone! Get Syura back here for me, as fast as possible!"