Rumble—!
Thunder suddenly erupted within the dark clouds as a bolt of lightning streaked toward the ground, targeting none other than Grand General Budo himself, standing just outside the Northern Kingdom Capital.
This lightning was no natural phenomenon; it was a deliberate act by Budo, facilitated by the Empire's treasure—his Teigu.
Thunder God's Rage: Adramelech.
A gauntlet-type Teigu worn on the arms, it featured powerful iron pistons capable of summoning and manipulating devastating electricity.
The celestial anomaly occurring above was Budo calling down the heavens to "conquer" his own attack, gathering energy to demolish the capital's walls in a single strike.
"Thunder Cannon!"
By channeling natural lightning to launch his assault, Budo drastically reduced the consumption of his own mental and physical energy—a technique passed down through his lineage for generations. It not only amplified the Teigu's destructive power but also granted him immense stamina, allowing him to dominate in any war of attrition.
A pillar of thunderous light, dozens of meters in diameter, surged from Budo and locked onto Najenda atop the city walls. It seemed her previous words had truly struck a nerve.
Facing the "Empire's Strongest," Najenda dared not relax. Her eyes narrowed as she leveled the Roman Artillery: Pumpkin at the incoming torrent of light.
"Everyone, please follow the plan we arranged. Do not act on your own."
"Rest assured, we won't do anything unnecessary."
"Since Her Majesty the Empress left you in full command, she must have her reasons. We won't let personal grudges interfere with official business."
The surrounding Chrysos Heirs, moved by Najenda's earlier speech, felt their hostility toward her begin to thaw. The logic was simple: As long as you are loyal to the Empress, we are eternal allies.
"I couldn't be more grateful." Najenda offered a thin smile before her tone turned steel-cold. "Leave Grand General Budo to me. I will not lose!"
The racing thunder was nearly upon them, yet Najenda remained motionless in her firing stance, her gaze fixed intently on the super-cannon blast that had expanded to a width of over a hundred meters.
In a split second, Najenda saw it. A faint golden light flickered in her pupils.
"Found it!"
Pumpkin's muzzle shifted instantly, discharging a high-intensity laser.
Compared to Budo's massive lightning cannon, Pumpkin's laser appeared exceptionally slender—the difference between a house cat and a tiger. Ordinarily, such a disparity in scale would leave no doubt about the victor, but the upward curve of Najenda's lips suggested the outcome was anything but certain.
The two attacks collided. The sight that followed left everyone speechless: Budo's gargantuan thunderbolt was shattered into dissipating sparks by Najenda's thin laser.
"Impossible!"
The Imperial side was struck with disbelief. With only one Grand General currently in service, Budo was the undisputed strongest in the Empire. Yet, his fierce assault had been neutralized by a "minor" commander who had turned traitor. The loss of face was staggering.
Even Budo's fury began to give way to confusion. He himself didn't understand what had just happened.
In contrast, after the initial shock, the Northern soldiers and Chrysos Heirs erupted in jubilant cheers.
"As expected of the Dux Benevolentia! Such power!"
"No wonder Her Majesty told us to listen to her. I had my doubts before, but they're gone now!"
"We will surely be victorious!"
While the soldiers cheered, they didn't actually know how she had done it. Only Najenda understood the truth.
As expected, this ability is incredible.
Najenda's expression was one of mild disbelief. As the first Chrysos Heir created after Esdeath, she had received a unique power upon her surrender—one she had rarely used in actual combat until now.
Weakness Insight.
This ability didn't just enhance her vision; it allowed her to identify the critical flaw in an enemy's attack with lightning speed. When striking a weakness, the potency of her own attack was exponentially amplified.
Because she was a former Imperial General, she had rarely fought high-level opponents since her surrender, mostly testing the ability in training.
For instance, during a sparring session with Lubbock, she could clearly see a small red dot appear on his body as he swung his blade. Striking that dot would instantly break his stance and negate his follow-up.
In theory, it was broken. In practice, weaknesses shifted constantly—sometimes several times in a single second—making it nearly impossible to aim.
Against true elites, their reaction speed and ability to change moves only accelerated the shifting of these weaknesses. Fortunately, Najenda had found a workaround: saturation fire. By using Pumpkin's wide-area laser, she could ensure a hit on the weakness even if it shifted, as long as it remained within the blast radius.
"Looking at it this way, Budo, you aren't that strong after all!"
Najenda held the smoking Pumpkin, her smile widening.
"Enough with the petty provocations, traitor!"
Though Budo was still seething, he refused to fall for the taunt.
"That was merely a casual opening move. I thought it would be enough to finish you, but you've surprised me... You've grown stronger, haven't you?"
"I was going to grant you a quick death out of respect for our old ties. Now, it seems that won't be necessary."
"ADRAMELECH—!"
With Budo's roar, lightning ten times more powerful than before gathered in the sky. Budo himself was enveloped in a massive shroud of electricity, transforming into a literal "Man of Lightning."
"Pumpkin can only fire once at a time. You can protect yourself, but what about your army? Can they block my heavens?"
In the next instant, dozens of thunderbolts locked onto the Northern soldiers. If they hit, the army would suffer unprecedented casualties.
But Najenda wasn't about to let Budo have his way. The moment her eyes narrowed, the golden light flashed again, imprinting countless weaknesses into her mind.
"It's true that Pumpkin isn't built for rapid fire... but its sustained output is more than enough to crush you!"
Roman Artillery: Pumpkin: High Output Blast Blade!