Chapter 36: I

I am the tail of Death God Albergh… the Unchanging Hammer, guiding you to the Underworld!

Daniel, wait…!

Boom!

In the blink of an eye, a sturdy old man in a butler’s uniform flew backward, his face still filled with disbelief.

You take that long to chant? Who’s going to wait for you?

Melard, already dressed in a maid’s uniform, silently retracted her half-extended hand, the remaining “wait” only escaping her lips long after.

Chelsea, following her cue, sprinted dozens of meters away and pried Albergh’s only male butler off the wall, then quickly explained the current situation to his dazed mind.

Clap, clap. Jia Ji clapped his hands and began gesturing wildly at the tall, handsome old butler, whose legs were still trembling as he stood up.

You there—Sebastian, right? Go brew me a pot of tea. Oh, and one for Esdees too.

Watching the intruder treat the base like his own home, Daniel’s face visibly flushed from anger, turning from red to pale, his fists clenching and unclenching—until he saw Esdees tap her cup lid, then silently limped off to brew tea without a word.

What a bully!

Chelsea groaned inwardly and rushed to support the wounded old butler, body and soul broken.

…………

I am the dual eyes of Death God Albergh—the Unchanging Light shall watch over you—

Barbara, don’t…!

Boom!

An old woman wrapped head to toe in bandages flew backward along the same path, her two daggers held before her chest shattered into countless fragments.

Familiarity breeds contempt—Melard opened her mouth to speak, then swallowed the rest. Chelsea sighed and went to drag her instructor back.

…………

I am…

“Miko, wait!” x4

“Boom!”

Albergh’s four professional assassins exchanged glances, each seeing the same helplessness and shared understanding in the others’ eyes.

As before, after several hours, another maid joined Esdees’s retinue.

“That should be all, right?”

Melard nodded weakly; her eyes, once sharp, now held a hollow, existential dread. What kind of assassins were under her command? Couldn’t they even judge an opponent’s strength?

One by one, sent off—and now, in two days, they’re all prisoners.

“There are still some off-the-books personnel scattered outside—they only return at specific times… the base now holds only us.” Melard spoke softly, with nothing left to hide—she was simply outmatched, that was all.

“Then you understand the situation now… we should discuss what to do with you.”

The butler Daniel, the instructor Barbara, and the leader Melard—these three were Albergh’s core. The apprentice assassins Chelsea and Miko were unexpected bonuses.

“I know very well—all of you here are not good people… good. We don’t need virtuous souls—we need people like you, skilled at killing.”

“Work for us!”

Those who’ve killed know: killing is easy, saving is hard. But if we’re to change the world, we must save its people. TMD, save, save, save!

How do you turn killing skills into saving methods?

Simple: kill everyone who’s beyond saving.

The rest will naturally wait for me to save them!

They can only choose to be saved by me!

To achieve this, I must build my own core team.

The future revolutionary army has Night Raid; the Empire has its assassination unit. To seize the initiative before the plot begins, to possess power capable of easily tipping the world’s balance, I cannot lack a military foundation—or elite combat strength.

Even if, four years from now, Esdees is stronger than in the original storyline, she still cannot fight the entire world alone.

It’s very likely this will happen: “Esdees, you think your martial prowess lets you seize the Empire? If we all charge you at once, do you really think you can kill every single Imperial Artifact user? When your mana runs out, you’ll meet your end too!”

She arrives with titles: Frontier General, commander of vast armies, beloved by the people, incorruptible, the greatest under heaven, invincible in battle, undefeated in war—even the reigning Emperor is a helpless child. How could she lose? It’s impossible to lose!

Yet somehow, she plays this perfect hand into absolute ruin. The will of this Zhan Chi world is truly cruel to the mind.

Even at the final battle, Esdees has not a single ally beside her—she fights alone, exhausted, and dies.

【Great Goddess: Hey everyone, a question】

【Great Goddess: Suppose you’re a frontier general who can fight ten thousand alone. For years you’ve waged war for the nation, eliminating border threats so foreign tribes dare not invade. The court’s corrupt ministers dare not oppress the people, and the common folk adore you… under these circumstances, how do you end up losing your head?】

【Forever Seventeen: …Only you could ask such a question. I’d never think of it in a lifetime.】

【Xia Na: Feels like the Emperor should be me.】

【Angel After Death: Meteor strike?】

【Yin-Yang Eye Girl: Is it because of love?】

【Great Goddess: Bingo! Yinzhi got it right—swap the genders and that’s the correct answer.】

“Hmph. Who’d be that stupid?” Esdees was also in the group chat, sneering at this absurd question.

“Exactly—who? What do you think, little Esdees?”

Jia Ji couldn’t hold back his retort—he’d never before revealed Esdees’s future so fully.

“…Me?”

The girl’s eyebrows lifted. Beneath her icy-blue willow-brow eyes, wide with disbelief, her straight nose wrinkled slightly, her thin cherry lips pressed thin. She repeated her question.

“You’re saying that person is—ME?!”

“Who else? Me?”

Jia Ji rolled his eyes and threw back his own words from two days ago. Instantly, he felt refreshed, cheerful—as if the world had grown beautiful again.

“…Heh.”

Esdees now understood: when one is furiously angry, one sometimes laughs involuntarily. An aura of chilling, terrifying dread settled over everyone, like being watched by a Super Dangerous Species.

“Why would this happen?”

She suddenly asked.

“Because of love-struck stupidity.”

Unexpectedly, Jia Ji lightly tapped the smooth forehead beneath Esdees’s neat bangs—with a crisp, clear sound.

He dropped those words and turned on his heel, sprinting away. Qi surged explosively from his toes, and he vanished at a speed no one could react to—truly audacious.

“Stop and explain yourself!”

The girl’s graceful form, clad in a tight-fitting military uniform, accentuated every curve—youthful yet already alluring. Now, it erupted with the roar of a rampaging beast, chasing after Jia Ji.

“What a brave soul!”

The remaining few sighed in unison.

When danger strikes, Esdees is most reliable. When no danger exists, Esdees is most dangerous.

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(End of Chapter)