At this moment, Ren was in his Bankai state, dominating all things. He exhaled lightly, already feeling this planet under his command, just as the Bankai incantation proclaimed: "All creation, return to me." All things and phenomena were dominated by him.
He then implanted the rules Najenda set into everyone's brains like an iron law, a thought imprint across the entire world. He didn't concern himself with the world's people, but Najenda's rules could indeed guide it toward a new development, away from its current ugliness and filth. Finally, for those who deserved to die, he issued a simple dominant command: "Violators, hang yourselves." All of this happened within a single minute.
The golden Imperial Armor and Star Eyes faded. Najenda and the others looked at Ren suspiciously. Mine even blurted out her doubts.
"It's done? But you didn't do anything; shouldn't you overthrow the imperial rule first?"
Ren glanced at her small stature and scoffed. "Heh, your meager knowledge limited your thinking."
Mine looked down, instantly understanding Ren's hidden meaning, her face flushing with anger and shame. "You guy! I'm still young! I'll still grow!"
Tsk, you grow yourself? It's not as practical as me helping you with my hands.
Ren didn't pay much attention to her, instead turning to Najenda. "I've already implanted your rules into the minds of everyone in this world as a thought imprint. As for those who should die, violators will commit suicide. If you don't believe me, go to the streets and see. There should be quite a few noble lords starting to commit suicide, and maybe even the Little Emperor is gone."
"What?" Najenda's heart shook. She never imagined Ren's "changing the world" would take this form. The few Night Raid members exchanged glances, all finding it hard to believe. Without another thought, they immediately ran out to witness the situation.
Kurome genuinely marveled at Ren's methods. "Master really did something so amazing!"
Ren ruffled her short hair and chuckled, "Your Master is very amazing, you know."
"Ugh!" These words made Kurome subconsciously think of last night's commotion, and she shyly lowered her head.
"Stare..." Akame stared intently at Ren's hand.
"..." Sensing something, Ren placed his other hand on her head. Akame immediately showed a comfortable expression. The two of them, acting like hamsters, made Ren not know whether to laugh or cry. It seemed that after they reconciled and talked all night, their positions had changed. Kurome no longer clung to the Empire, and neither did Akame. Ultimately, it was because they knew Ren wanted to change the Empire.
"Are they your new toys?" Esdeath asked, crossing her arms and raising an eyebrow.
"What are you talking about? They're going to be my subordinates from now on," Ren retorted.
"Heh." Esdeath was noncommittal; even she herself was just one of his toys, so what right did she have to say more?
*****
"Ren, did you really do something... something that amazing?" March 7th deliberated for a while before asking softly.
"Are you trying to say I'm heartless?" Ren sensed she didn't mean that.
"No, it's just that implanting mind imprints in people... isn't that a bit too severe?" March 7th gently tapped her index finger.
Ren sighed and slowly explained. "March-chan, you're too naive. The darkness of this world can't be solved in a short time. The decay of human hearts is everywhere, not just in this Imperial Capital. Even the Revolutionary Army in this world is just another group of people who want to become nobles. I've seen Najenda's rules; they're very humane. I can remove these mind imprints at any time. It's just that the people of this world need to experience a peaceful life. When this habit forms, it won't be too late to remove them."
"Hmm…" March-chan pondered Ren's words seriously. A moment later, she looked up, scratching her hair awkwardly: "Sorry, Ren, I misunderstood you."
"It's fine. On the contrary, I really like this kind of March-chan."
"Eh!" Facing her surprise, Ren gently explained: "Because March-chan is so kind and pure, I didn't want March-chan to misunderstand, so I explained."
"Hehe, I'm not as good as you say." March 7th, praised sincerely, felt her cheeks flush and her heart sweet.
*****
Nami sighed inwardly watching this scene. Ren's gaze was clearly doting! Although she herself had been lost in that doting last night, unable to extricate herself.
After a while, the Night Raid girls returned, each with complex expressions. They had obviously witnessed what Ren described: the Little Emperor was dead, General Budo was dead, and many noble high officials had committed suicide. Even among ordinary people, there were many suicides.
Najenda couldn't help but look at Esdeath. Within the Imperial Capital, Esdeath's troops, as well as the Jaegers, had already begun dealing with these matters. Soon, Esdeath would likely ascend as the Empress of the Empire. With the existence of the mind imprints, her work would also be very simple.
"I didn't expect it to be achieved so easily…" Chelsea pursed her lips, her emotions difficult to calm. If the rules they had jointly formulated were enforced in everyone's hearts, then the future would surely be beautiful, right? She really wanted to see such a future.
"I'll have a chance to bring you back to see it again." Ren winked at her.
"You heard my thoughts?" The sudden conversation startled Chelsea.
"I can do something similar to mind-reading."
"Huh? What a perverted ability! Don't eavesdrop on me!" Mine immediately jumped behind Sheele, agitated.
"Ah, this…" Sheele also looked troubled. It's mind-reading, not X-ray vision. Hiding behind me won't help.
"Tsk, Little brother's ability is really amazing. Is it some Imperial Arm that's even more supreme than the Supreme Imperial Arm?" Leone looked curious.
"It's not an Imperial Arm. Never mind, let's fulfill our promise first." Starlight flashed in Ren's eyes. With his current ability, dominating a few people was instantaneous. In an instant, information flooded their minds.
"Ah! Master is from the Otherworld!" Mine jumped out from behind Sheele, pointing at Ren and shouting. But then she reacted, her pretty face flushing: "How can I not say Master's name! Wow, why is it still…" Feeling like she was about to blurt out that shameful word again, she quickly covered her mouth.
Ren smiled playfully: "You are now under my control. Without my permission, you can only call me Master."
"Yo! Master Little brother, is there anything you need my help with?" Compared to Mine's shyness, Leone, on the other hand, boldly wrapped her arms around Ren. The power of her Imperial Arm had been deactivated; her lion eyes, ears, and claws had all disappeared. Her body was perfectly healthy and muscular, yet it was exceptionally large, soft, and elastic as it pressed against him.
Ren, who usually accepted all advances, paused for a moment before naturally wrapping his arm around her exposed waist.
!!! An unaccustomed warmth and tingling sensation spread throughout Leone's body. Leone suddenly wanted to break free, but unfortunately, she had already been completely caught by Ren.
"Coming and going as you please isn't that easy."
"There's nothing left here. We're going back. I'll leave the Imperial Capital to you, Esdeath." Without another word, Ren directly confirmed their return.
March 7th waved: "See you next time." Nami and Honghong also waved goodbye.
After everyone left, only Esdeath remained, her hand on her lower abdomen, a smile that shouldn't be there on her lips, wondering what she was thinking.
*****
"This is the Otherworld!" Akame and the others had also returned with Ren. At this moment, Ren was still holding Leone's slender waist. Her face flushed, and she quickly said, "Master Little brother is holding onto me. You're not thinking of doing something here, are you?"
She thought Ren wouldn't be so bold. Who knew Ren would directly place both hands on her navel. "What? You want to try?" He spoke with his mouth close to Leone's ear.
"Hey! Don't bully Leone!" The pink-haired girl directly separated the two. Mine glared at Ren, baring her teeth like a protective puppy.
Ren clicked his tongue: "Look, Leone isn't even in a hurry. Why are you?"
"How is that possible? Leone clearly resisted!" Mine pouted. She turned to look at Leone, but found Leone staring blankly with a red face! What was going on?
Ren chuckled. His gaze fell on Najenda's mechanical arm and eye patch. "Take off your eye patch."
"...Yes." After a moment of hesitation, she still complied. After taking off the eye patch, her right eye was a hollow, dark void. "Esdeath destroyed my eye," Najenda said with a bitter smile.
That night, she had also heard the commotion between Ren and Nami. She understood that Ren was a man of strong desires and power. His willingness to accept them in a quasi-transactional way was mostly because they were women, not because he valued their assassination abilities. Bulat and Lubbock had not received such transactional terms. But she knew her own body best. Without a right arm and right eye, no one would be interested, right?
Hearing her thoughts, Ren caressed her cheek and whispered, "Don't belittle yourself. Even without your right eye and right arm, I'm still interested in your body." Ren was very honest. Even in such a state, Najenda remained a valiant woman.
"However, I don't agree with my people living in such a state," Ren said, tapping her mechanical arm. The parts instantly disintegrated. The others hadn't yet figured out what was happening. A golden light flashed. A golden arm grew from Najenda's shoulder. Golden orbs of light also condensed in her eyes, looking like new eyeballs. After the golden light dissipated, a brand-new, pristine white arm appeared. New eyeballs also appeared in her eye sockets.
"Consider it a benefit for my own people; I don't want my people to be missing limbs."
"Is it real? Najenda's arm and eyes have grown back!" Mine and the others gathered around in astonishment. Each of them either poked Najenda's new arm or waved their hands in front of her right eye.
Najenda only felt a warmth. Then, blurred colors gradually appeared in her right eye. Slowly, the colors became clearer. Amidst slightly dazzling light, she clearly saw the curious faces of the others. Intuition returned to her right hand. She looked at her fair right hand and gently clenched her fist. It felt just like her own arm. The excess Primal Energy affected her body. Her short white hair grew, transforming into beautiful, waist-length silver hair. Her skin, which had been slightly rough from long-term combat, became even more radiant. She felt like her younger self. She even thought it was a dream.
The Empire began to live under new rules. Her damaged body had been restored to youth. All of this was bestowed by the man before her. "Thank you, my Master." Her gaze became more resolute. This was a heartfelt address. She was certain that Ren would be the man she followed for life. From now on, Najenda's body and soul would belong to Ren.
"This body is much better—young, beautiful, and full of vitality. You don't need to wear a serious face all the time when you're with me." Ren only smiled faintly. For him now, these were trivial matters. He didn't mind bestowing favors upon his own people. Whether it was to increase loyalty or goodwill, he could do it effortlessly.
"It's even better than Gaia Foundation! How did her skin become so smooth?" Chelsea was very curious. The others were also curious.
Ren half-jokingly said, "If you want to know, come find me late at night."
"Huh?" Chelsea scratched her fingers, dazed.
"!!!" Mine instantly became alert, shielding the others in front of her, looking as if she would absolutely not let him succeed. She didn't notice the subtle intentions of the few people behind her.