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"Cough cough... Hahaha! As expected of a true powerhouse! This is exactly what makes fighting interesting!!!"
Esdeath slowly stood back up and wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth, her face filled with excitement after finally encountering a worthy opponent.
"Oh? You actually managed to stand back up after taking that flick from me? Your perseverance really is impressive."
Kaito looked at Esdeath with genuine admiration.
She was obviously severely injured, yet she still stood there as if nothing had happened.
Honestly, Kaito felt that if their positions were reversed, he probably wouldn't have been able to get back up himself.
After all, all his power had come far too easily.
In just a single year, he had gone from an ordinary person to a Golden Immortal Grandmaster.
So talk about some "invincible heart" or a true strong person's mindset?
That stuff was basically nonsense to him.
Kaito could openly admit that he was afraid of death.
That was why he always respected people who truly weren't afraid to die.
Just like when he first met Kagaya, he treated him very politely instead of acting arrogantly.
"Hmph. Ever since I was little, I've suffered injuries far worse than this countless times."
"But it seems my life is finally reaching its end."
Esdeath calmly recounted her past as a trace of nostalgia flashed through her eyes.
She might've been crazy, but she wasn't stupid.
The gap in power between them was simply too massive.
There was absolutely no chance she could win.
Even so, Esdeath still raised her saber one final time and charged toward Kaito with her last attack.
Clang!!!
"As expected... kill me."
Esdeath looked at Kaito, who had stopped the tip of her blade using a single finger, and spoke with a relieved smile.
"I don't remember ever saying I'd kill you. Besides, didn't you say it yourself? If I won, then you'd become my... um... that..."
At that point, Kaito deliberately put on a shy expression and lowered his voice awkwardly.
Esdeath froze briefly after hearing that, then carefully looked him over.
He was handsome.
His smile was bright.
He clearly wasn't from the Empire, nor was he part of the other races. He probably grew up somewhere near the borderlands.
He was stronger than her.
And he could go hunt Danger Beasts together with her.
Wasn't this basically the perfect partner?
Thinking that, a faint blush unconsciously appeared on Esdeath's face.
"Hehe... so that's how it is. Alright then. From now on, I belong to you."
"Should I call you Master?"
Esdeath sheathed her saber and looked at him teasingly.
Right afterward, she directly pulled Kaito into an embrace and pressed his face firmly into her chest.
"Hehe, calling me Master is a little too embarrassing..."
"But since it was your idea, I guess I can't exactly stop you, can I?"
Off to the side, Rimuru pouted while staring at Kaito, who was very obviously enjoying himself, with complete disdain.
"Kaito-sama, everything's been taken care of! What should we do next... uh... never mind! I just remembered I still need to clean up the battlefield, so I'll get going now!"
Gobta rushed over while shouting, but the moment he got close enough and saw Kaito glaring at him viciously, his entire body trembled.
'Oh no.'
'I interrupted Kaito-sama during a good moment.'
'I'm dead.'
'Everybody knows Kaito-sama is petty.'
'Who knows how he'll mess with me this time.'
'Please don't let it be Shion's cooking!'
"Alright, get over here. Why are you running away? You're making it sound like I'm planning to mess with you later."
Using tremendous willpower, Kaito forcibly raised his head and spoke irritably to Gobta.
"You literally just admitted it..."
Gobta quietly muttered with a helpless look.
Hearing Gobta mumble that under his breath, Kaito burst out laughing.
Looks like he'd traumatized Gobta too much in the past.
Now that he was actually telling the truth, the guy didn't believe him anymore.
Thinking that, Kaito shook his head helplessly.
"How many Imperial soldiers are left?"
"Ah, um... around 120,000 are still alive. Some were killed by their enemies, and some refused to surrender and got killed."
Hearing that, Kaito looked surprised.
"The barbarians were that fierce? They actually managed to kill that many of Esdeath's soldiers?"
"Uh... cough cough... about 75,000 were killed by us..."
Gobta scratched his head awkwardly as he explained.
After all, considering the current relationship between this enemy general and Kaito-sama...
The remaining Imperial Army had basically become allies now.
Killing that many of them...
"They died because they were weak. It's only natural for the weak to be eliminated by the strong."
Esdeath showed no dissatisfaction after hearing that.
Only a trace of sadness flashed through her eyes.
Some people might think that because Esdeath believed the strong should dominate the weak, she wouldn't care about her soldiers.
But that was actually completely wrong.
Esdeath treated her subordinates extremely well.
She even ate together with ordinary soldiers.
Any rewards she received would also be shared among her troops.
That was precisely why her army possessed such terrifying combat strength and unwavering loyalty toward her.
Kaito also noticed the sadness hidden in Esdeath's eyes.
A faint smile appeared on his lips as a familiar cluster of green light emerged in his right hand once again.
The light cluster transformed into countless green particles that scattered across the battlefield.
Then...
The dead Imperial soldiers slowly sat back up one after another, all wearing confused expressions.
"T-This... Master can even do something like this?!"
Esdeath stared at her resurrected soldiers in shock.
"General! Thank goodness you're alright! I thought you had..."
Liver hurried over from the distance with excitement written all over his face.
The worry in his eyes finally disappeared after confirming Esdeath was unharmed.
"Liver, I'm fine. But from today onward, this man will be my new liege."
Esdeath pointed toward Kaito as she spoke.
Liver immediately dropped to one knee, placed a hand over his chest, and respectfully shouted toward Kaito:
"Esteemed Sir! Since General Esdeath has pledged her loyalty to you, then from this day forward, you are also my liege!"
"Hehe, rise. I accept your loyalty."
"Thank you, Sir!"
Liver respectfully stood back up and moved behind Esdeath.
"What about the other two?"
"They died and weren't resurrected."
"I see..."
Esdeath glanced toward Kaito after hearing that, but she said nothing further.
Since Kaito chose not to revive them, there had to be a reason.
She wouldn't question the decisions of the strong.
She would simply obey them.
The real reason Kaito didn't revive those two was because, in the original story, they genuinely weren't good people.
Liver could still be forgiven.
But Nyau and Daidara truly deserved to die.
That cross-dressing freak Nyau collected women's faces as a hobby, while Daidara was also a complete pervert.
People like that shouldn't be allowed to contaminate the Jura Tempest Federation.
[Host, aren't those Primordial Demons even more perverted than they are? Why don't I see you rejecting them?]
'Hmph, can they even compare to my adorable Primordials?'
[I'm speaking objectively, Host!]
'Urusai!'
"Esdeath, gather your army. We're going for a stroll through the Imperial Capital."
"Yes, Master!"
"Liver, did you hear the order?"
"Yes! I'll relay it immediately!"
Once Esdeath's army had fully regrouped, Kaito pulled out a megaphone and shouted loudly:
"Very good! Our top priority right now is..."
Everyone immediately focused their attention on Kaito atop the platform, eagerly waiting for his next command.
"Our top priority is... sleep! I'm tired, and now I'm going to bed!"
"HA?! *n"