It must be said that although the empire was corrupt, the officials, nobles, and the royal family were quite wealthy. The training ground was enormous, capable of holding tens of thousands of people, and it was lavishly decorated with all sorts of equipment, leaving people in awe.
Now, only Sora, Esdeath, and General Budo remained on the training ground, while the others watched from the periphery
Although Sora and Esdeath's exact strength was unknown, General Budo's reputation as the empire's strongest was no exaggeration. Witnessing a battle of this level, even the young emperor and the minister were filled with excitement and anticipation.
Removing his cloak, General Budo stood in his majestic armor. Sora couldn't help but feel a bit small in front of this towering figure…
Esdeath stood beside Sora. At eighteen, her appearance and stature were almost identical to her original depiction. Although she hadn't yet fused with the Demon's Extract, her queenly aura was even more pronounced than in the original.
Her right hand resting on the hilt of her rapier, Esdeath was trembling with excitement. General Budo's reputation was known to every citizen of the empire. The thought of hunting down the man known as the empire's strongest filled the fully unleashed sadist Esdeath with unparalleled excitement and thrill!
"To be honest, you two are the most outstanding and powerful young people I've ever seen. Even without a test, I could deem you qualified!"
Looking at Sora and Esdeath, General Budo's expression was filled with admiration. He continued:
"However, since becoming the empire's strongest, I've rarely had the chance to fight. I can't even remember the last time I encountered opponents who could ignite my fighting spirit."
"So, even if it's just to satisfy my unquenchable thirst for battle, I will go all out this time! Are you both ready?"
As the empire's strongest general, Budo hadn't fought in years—not because he couldn't or didn't want to, but because he hadn't encountered any opponents worthy of his strength.
But this time was different. Both Sora and Esdeath had earned the recognition of the empire's strongest, deemed worthy opponents!
"Hehehe… old man, I can't wait any longer!"
Brimming with fighting spirit, Esdeath drew her rapier with a wicked smile.
"Ahem, General Budo, don't take it the wrong way. Esdeath doesn't mean any disrespect."
"Although you could easily handle both of us, why don't you play with Esdeath first? If she fails, I'll step in."
Since they would be working under this man in the future, Sora didn't want to offend Budo now.
As for not being a match, that was all nonsense. Although Esdeath might not be Budo's equal without her Demon's Extract, under Sora's training, her strength far surpassed her original self. Even if slightly weaker, it wasn't by much.
As for Sora himself, he hadn't been idle all these years. If he went all out, whether it was the empire's strongest or the continent's strongest, they would all be nothing but trash in his eyes!
So, letting Esdeath fight Budo alone was merely to satisfy her sadistic desires and let her have some fun.
Nodding, Budo didn't take this as an insult.
Others might not know, but as the empire's strongest, he was well aware of the terrifying strength of these two. If he acted all high and mighty, demanding they fight together, it would just be asking for trouble.
"Hehehe, old man, here I come!"
Having reached her limit of patience, Esdeath couldn't wait any longer!
With a bloodthirsty and cruel smile, her long, athletic legs pushed off the ground, and with her rapier in hand, she shot towards Budo like a cannonball.
Serious and not daring to be careless, Budo's eyes gleamed with intense fighting spirit.
Facing the oncoming Esdeath, Budo stepped back with his left foot, the sheer force cracking the granite floor of the training ground. Without any intention of dodging, he threw a powerful punch!
Under the astonished gazes of the onlookers, Esdeath's rapier tip clashed with Budo's iron fist!
BOOM!!!
The deafening sound, like thunder, shook the entire training ground. Shockwaves radiated from the point of impact, sending debris flying and the air itself seemed to explode, as if trying to devour everything in its path!
This was just a tentative strike; neither Budo nor Esdeath had used their full strength. Their breathing remained steady, and they were evenly matched, neither gaining nor losing any advantage.
"Hahaha… Amazing! Amazing!"
"Finally, I've found an opponent who can make my blood boil besides my beloved!!!"
"Again, more! More!!"
With a twisted smile of excitement, Esdeath had completely entered her berserk mode, fully immersed in the immense joy of battle.
"Hahaha, good!"
On the other side, Budo also laughed heartily, his joy beyond words.
A worthy opponent is hard to come by, and even this usually stern and rigid man was now boiling with excitement.
The flames of battle in both their hearts had completely erupted. Without a moment of hesitation or pause, they charged at each other again.
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
Sword shadows and fist marks collided and intertwined continuously.
The deafening sounds of collision, the sparks flying everywhere, and the expanding shockwaves made the originally vast training ground seem so small, groaning in pain under the relentless clashes of these two powerful humans.
As the Empire's strongest, Budo had undergone decades of training, his body as tough as diamond, even more terrifying than a super-dangerous beast. Each punch he threw carried the force of thousands, directly shattering the thin air!
Esdeath, having been taught internal energy by Sora and having fought countless battles over the years, had also tempered her body to incredible strength. Her seemingly slender arms could withstand Budo's massive iron fists.
Of course, Esdeath wouldn't directly clash her body with Budo's. Except for her beloved, her body wouldn't be touched by any other male creature!
The Western sword in her hand would be turned into scrap metal every time it collided with Budo's iron fists, but it would fully restore itself by the next strike. In a way, the Western sword Sora made for her was even stronger than so-called Teigu!
"Big Sis Esdeath, go! Go!"
"Defeat that old man, Big Sis is the best!"
"Big Sis is so cool, stab him! Stab him!"
…
Not only were the two inside the training ground fighting with boiling blood and forgetting everything else, but the people outside were also watching with great excitement and admiration.
Under Sora's guidance, these once so-called well-mannered noble ladies' guards had also lost all sense of propriety, waving their fair and tender arms and shouting without any semblance of decorum. The proud young lady, Mine, blushed deeply and quickly distanced herself from these crazy girls, pretending not to know them.
The girls' cheers and support made the officials and ministers nearby furious. What kind of nonsense were they shouting? Calling the Empire's strongest, General Budo, an old man and telling them to stab him? It sounded like bandit talk!
Some officials stepped forward to reprimand the guard girls, but these lawless girls only listened to their master, Sora, and Big Sis Esdeath. They stuck out their tongues and made faces at the officials, continuing to shout and cheer without paying them any heed.
The officials' faces turned red with embarrassment. They were important ministers of the Empire, yet they were being ignored and mocked by a bunch of girls. They were about to order the guards to arrest the girls.
However, the next moment, something happened that made the officials' jaws drop!
"General Budo, go! Go!"
"Defeat that woman, General Budo is the best!"
"General Budo is so cool, kill her! Kill her!"
…
Well, this was the voice of the young emperor, waving his scepter, his tender face filled with excitement as he imitated the guard girls and shouted.
Hearing the guard girls cheering for Esdeath without any decorum, the young emperor, who had grown up in the palace, had never found anything so interesting before, so he excitedly imitated them and cheered for Budo.
However, there were 60 guard girls, each with a high decibel voice, while the young emperor was alone and usually pampered. How could he outshout these crazy girls? His voice was completely drowned out, and the girls laughed at him. "Minister…"
Turning around, the young emperor looked pitifully at the minister, who was still munching on meat.
There was no way he could outshout them alone!
"What are you all looking at? Hurry up and cheer with His Majesty!"
The minister's chubby face twitched. If anyone else had made the young emperor so upset, the minister would have ordered them to be executed. However, these guard girls were Sora and Esdeath's people, and he considered them comrades and good friends, so he naturally wouldn't do that. Instead, he roared at the officials who were still dumbfounded.
"Ah? Yes, Minister!"
"General Budo, go! Go!"
"Defeat that woman, General Budo is the best!"
…
With the addition of the officials' strange voices, the young emperor felt more confident and finally smiled again, turning around to join in the shouting…