At the Imperial Palace in the Capital, upon the southern gate's towering platform nearly a hundred meters high.
Rows of magnificent regalia symbolizing the Empress stood in perfect formation. Below the white stone staircase, hundreds of gold-armored Imperial Guards, each wielding a long-handled power axe, stood at attention.
Selene leaned lightly against the carved balustrade adorned with engravings of various Super-class Danger Beasts. Her scarlet diamond-shaped pupils gazed far into the southern horizon.
Accompanied by the deep resonance of drums and horns, a vast black dragon-like formation of soldiers extended from the Imperial Guard barracks in the Upper City to the heavens above South Lake Avenue—an endless tide of marching troops stretching as far as the eye could see.
Under the midday sun, a gentle breeze brushed across her cheeks with faint warmth. Selene felt a rare sense of comfort. Standing at such a height and overlooking the land—it truly felt wonderful, provided one wasn't afraid of heights.
"Your Majesty, General Esdeath requests an audience," an attendant reported.
As for Sebas, he was likely busy reviewing the redesign plans for his master's palace.
"Esdeath? Let her in."
"As you command."
Tap, tap—
With crisp footsteps, Esdeath, clad in her white officer's uniform, ascended the marble steps under the gazes of the attendants and the gold-armored guards, before kneeling respectfully behind Selene.
"Your Majesty."
"Rise, Esdeath. According to what I know of you, this southern campaign to purge the rebel forces may well be this world's final large-scale war..."
Dressed in her white, gold, and violet ceremonial robes, though without her crown, Selene turned to face her. "...Do you have no thoughts about it?"
Standing three paces away, Esdeath straightened and replied calmly, "Of course I have thoughts, but I can join the march at any time... I came here today for another reason—to report certain news."
"Oh? What news?"
"Najenda is dead."
Esdeath's tone carried a trace of regret. "Ever since her defeat, she had long fallen into a death wish. In the end, she was killed in prison—by Akame of the Imperial Assassination Unit."
"Akame, huh... fitting, in a way," Selene mused. "Najenda's rebellion nearly wiped out Akame's own elite team back then. It's only right that their story ends this way."
"What of her body?"
"I took it upon myself to see her buried," Esdeath said softly. "After all, she was a comrade once. There's no need to continue disgracing her corpse."
Selene nodded approvingly. "Very well." It was, indeed, the most fitting end for Najenda.
Ordinarily, as a traitor, Najenda's corpse would have been decapitated and displayed at the border as a warning to all.
"Esdeath, you came at the right time. Walk with me—I have questions for you." With that, Selene swept her ornate gown behind her and began strolling through the high pavilion. Her crystal-gold high heels rang out in crisp, rhythmic clicks, the sharp echoes carrying through the spacious chamber with each step.
"As you command." Esdeath followed a few steps behind, matching her Empress' pace.
"Little Esdeath, we've known each other for nearly ten years now, haven't we... Tell me, do you still think you can defeat me?" Selene asked playfully, her back turned.
The sudden affectionate address made Esdeath pause, slightly taken aback. But soon, a faint, reminiscent smile touched her lips.
"Your Majesty jests. I've long since abandoned that thought. From the time I first set foot in the Capital, I've always been at Your Majesty's side. The number of times I've challenged you... I can no longer remember. But I've never once won. You always toyed with me effortlessly."
Indeed, for a battle-hardened warrior like Esdeath, sheer strength was everything. If you didn't subdue her by force, she'd never truly acknowledge you.
The only reason she now stood before Selene with such composure and humility... was because she had been beaten into submission countless times since her youth.
"I'll give you an offer—eternal life. The chance to fight forever by my side. Will you accept?" Selene said suddenly.
"Eternal life?"
Esdeath blinked, momentarily stunned. But then, realization dawned. For the past decade, Selene's appearance hadn't changed at all.
The people around her—Sebas, Arisa, Liver, Kinshasa, even that loudmouthed Hak Foo—and perhaps even the gold-armored Imperial Guards standing watch here, were no longer truly 'human' either.
"That's right—eternity," Selene said, halting her steps and glancing back at Esdeath. "The price is simple: from that moment on, your life will belong entirely to me. If I wish you dead... a single thought is all it takes."
"I accept." Before Selene could finish speaking, Esdeath once again knelt down, placing one hand over her chest and bowing deeply.
"Accepting, hmm? A clean and correct choice... but—" Watching Esdeath so readily lower her proud head filled Selene with a subtle sense of satisfaction.
"...It's not time yet. Once this world is fully unified, the Authority of Ice shall be yours."
Leaning back against the fine silk-covered steps, Selene extended her hand. With a flash of violet light, an Imperial Arm resembling a complex three-dimensional gear apparatus materialized in her grasp—Infinite Uses · Cross Tail.
"Esdeath, if I recall correctly, you're a descendant of the Partas tribe—the clan famed for hunting Danger Beasts, correct? Tell me, how much do you know about the legendary Super-class Danger Beast, the Dragon King of the Eastern Sea—the Cross-Tail Dragon?"
"The Cross-Tail Dragon... Forgive me, Your Majesty, I've only heard tales. It's said to be the mightiest of all Super-class Danger Beasts, capable of obliterating an entire city with a single strike—said to embody the very wrath of nature itself. Beyond that... I know little."
"Wait—Your Majesty, you don't mean to say it's real, do you?!" Esdeath's eyes widened, her expression lighting with eager anticipation.
"Yes. And compared to the legends... it is far stronger."
Selene drew from Cross Tail a nearly invisible filament that gleamed under the lamplight with a chilling sharpness. "This thread is crafted from the hair of the Cross-Tail Dragon itself. Its fibers are not only unimaginably durable but also sharper than any blade."
"Here—these records contain the dragon's information. Read them." As she spoke, Selene's hand glowed with purple light again. With a gesture, the Complete Book of the World · Rongo Rongo floated gently toward Esdeath.
"Open the inner section—you'll find the records written by the Empire's First Emperor."
"..." Esdeath's breathing quickened as she turned the pages of Rongo Rongo. As a descendant of the Partas tribe, her passion for hunting powerful Danger Beasts was rivaled only by her thirst for battle.
The Cross-Tail Dragon—Dragon King of the Eastern Sea—was the highest known rank of Danger Beast, a Super-class entity residing amid the storm clouds above the eastern ocean. A true dragon.
Yet its appearance differed from that of Tyrant or other draconic species—it was said to be a chimera-like fusion of many creatures: antlers like a deer, head like a camel, eyes like a rabbit, neck like a serpent, belly like a giant clam, scales like a fish, claws like an eagle, forepaws like a tiger, and ears like an ox.
Its body was so vast that it blotted out the sky and veiled the sun.
...
After quickly reading through the entries about the Cross-Tail Dragon in Rongo Rongo, Esdeath's eyes blazed with unrestrained excitement. She raised her head and declared, "Your Majesty, I've decided—I won't be going south after all. I'm heading east!"