The older Suzuki's fingers traced Rin's face, her touch gentle, almost reverent.
Her expression—a twisted mix of love and madness—curved into a devilish smile as she turned to face the Imperial Convoy.
The soldiers tightened their grips on their weapons.
The Consorts stood frozen, watching with a growing sense of unease.
And then—she spoke.
Her voice was refined, elegant, carrying the tone of an empress addressing her subjects.
"I am Chinen Suzuki... from a time where the Hoshimi Empire has fallen."
A cold silence spread through the convoy.
Confusion flickered in the soldiers' eyes.
The words themselves were simple, but the meaning behind them was earth-shattering.
She wasn't from this world.
Or rather—not from this time.
The realization sent a sharp wave of dread through the gathered nobles and warriors.
Suzuki—the real Suzuki—staggered back, her breath catching in her throat.
Her heart pounded violently against her ribs.
Because she understood.
Even before the others could piece it together—she knew.
This woman… this twisted, sorrowful version of herself…
She had been her.
The older Suzuki's arms wrapped around Rin from behind, pulling his unresisting body into her embrace.
Her voice was almost soothing—but beneath it lay a deep, unbearable grief.
"In that time… I failed to protect the person I loved."
All eyes turned to Rin.
He stood there, lifeless, hollow—nothing but a puppet.
The older Suzuki's hold on him tightened.
Her lips trembled, but her eyes remained cold.
"Rin saved me from my illness. He became my light. And I… I loved him from that moment on."
Her gaze swept across the convoy—scanning their reactions.
Rei's hands had curled into trembling fists.
Miharu's breathing had grown unsteady, shaken.
Akane, always composed, always in control—had gone utterly still.
And Suzuki—the real Suzuki—looked like she wanted to collapse.
The older Suzuki continued.
"I won him over. I became his. And for a time… we were happy.
But then… the darkness came."
A deep, suffocating pressure filled the air.
Her voice wavered, but her eyes burned with unforgiving hatred.
"A force so terrible, so all-consuming, that it threatened to swallow not just the Hoshimi Empire—but the entire world."
The soldiers shifted uncomfortably.
Their instincts screamed at them that this was no ordinary madness.
This was the voice of someone who had lived through ruin.
"He alone stood against it."
A faint tremor ran through her fingers as they clutched Rin closer.
"He alone fought."
Her tone turned accusatory, sharp as a dagger.
"And when he fell... it was because of them."
Her cold, seething glare turned toward the Imperial Convoy.
"Because of the foolish officials of the Empire. Because of their selfishness. Because they let him fight alone."
Her voice rose, thick with raw, undiluted rage.
"They let my Rin die!"
The very air seemed to vibrate with the weight of her fury.
The soldiers visibly recoiled.
The Consorts—all four of them—couldn't breathe.
Rei felt like her blood had turned to ice.
Miharu's heart ached in her chest.
Suzuki shook her head violently, her hands clenching at her robes, as if trying to deny what she was hearing.
And Akane, for the first time, felt something akin to fear.
Not for herself.
But for Rin.
The older Suzuki's breath came out ragged.
And then—she smiled again.
A cruel, horrifying smile.
"But this time…"
Her fingers ran through Rin's hair, her grip possessive.
"I won't let him die."
The older Suzuki lifted her gaze.
"I am Azure Empress Chinen Suzuki."
A declaration of absolute authority.
"And I have come to take back what is mine."
Her hand tightened around Rin's wrist.
Her eyes glowed with a terrible, twisted devotion.
"He will not walk that same path again. I will not allow it."
A dark, suffocating aura rose from her body, filling the air with oppressive malice.
Her next words rang like a death sentence.
"Which is why… every single one of you must die.
So that my Rin will understand.
That this world isn't worth saving."
The silence that followed was deafening.
The entire Imperial Convoy stood frozen, trapped beneath an overwhelming sense of impending doom.
And then—
Suzuki, the real Suzuki, finally moved.
Her voice came out in a shattered whisper.
"You're wrong."
Tears burned at the edges of her eyes, but she didn't look away.
Her hands shook, but she clenched them into fists.
"Rin… isn't yours."
The older Suzuki's smile faltered.
Suzuki stepped forward, her breath unsteady, but her resolve unwavering.
"And I won't let you take him."
The other Consorts snapped out of their trance.
The older Suzuki's expression darkened.
And then—she laughed.
"You think you can stop me?"
The air trembled.
The ground cracked beneath her feet.
And Rin—lifeless, empty-eyed Rin—remained silent in her grasp.
The battle for his soul had begun.
The battlefield descended into chaos.
The frontline soldiers were hurled away like ragdolls, their bodies twisting mid-air under the weight of an invisible force. The moment the Azure Empress waved her hand, they had already lost control of their bodies.
The snap of bones echoed through the camp as bodies crashed into the ground, broken and lifeless.
And she laughed.
A beautiful, eerily elegant laugh—like a noblewoman enjoying a pleasant evening at court.
Her twisted smile widened as she spread her arms.
"Now then, be good citizens of the Hoshimi Empire…"
Her eyes gleamed with sadistic delight.
"And die for the sake of your Empress!"
A surge of dark, corrosive mana twisted around her fingers, forming into a second forbidden-tier spell.
A spell that would wipe out the entire convoy.
The commanders reacted instantly.
"Stop her from casting!"
A barrage of Supreme-tier spells erupted from the Imperial Magicians.
Flames roared, lightning cracked, winds howled, and the ground split open—
All aimed directly at her.
For a moment—**just a fleeting moment—**there was hope.
But then—
She laughed again.
The azure glow in her eyes flickered—
And with a single wave of her hand, every spell shattered.
The destructive magic meant to obliterate her dissolved like mist.
She stepped forward, unscathed.
Her mad gaze swept across the battlefield, amusement flickering across her face.
"Come now… I thought you were all loyal subjects of the Empire?"
She tilted her head, voice mocking, cruel.
"Then why don't you die for the sake of my love?"
A soldier lunged at her with his sword raised—
But before the blade could strike, his body twisted unnaturally—his limbs bending the wrong way—
And then—snap.
His neck broke in an instant.
His body collapsed like a discarded puppet.
One after another, every warrior who dared approach met the same fate.
Their heads twisted, their spines shattered—each death as effortless as flicking a speck of dust from her sleeve.
The Consorts watched in horror.
"Monstrous…" Miharu whispered, her voice barely audible.
Suzuki was frozen, her breath shallow. Her hands trembled, watching as her own face—her own future—became something so utterly horrifying.
Rei clenched her fists. This wasn't just an enemy.
This was someone who had loved Rin—enough to lose herself to madness.
Akane, for once, was silent.
The usual smug, calculating glint in her eyes was gone—replaced with something far colder.
A low murmur spread through the soldiers. Fear.
The Commander gritted his teeth.
"Stay back! Ranged attacks only! Do not—DO NOT—engage in close combat!"
They had seen enough.
Anyone who got too close died instantly.
The headmaids moved swiftly, pulling their mistresses away from the battlefield.
"Mistress, we must retreat!" Emi urged, gripping Akane's arm.
But the Consorts didn't move.
They couldn't.
Their eyes were locked on him.
Shimuzu Rin.
Still standing beside her. Still lifeless.
Still… gone.
The commander's voice cut through the madness.
"Slowly retreat! Prioritize protecting the Consorts and the Crown Prince!"
The Imperial Carriage—**where Crown Prince Kazuo sat—**was already being escorted away.
But the four Consorts stood firm.
Their minds screamed at them to run.
Their hearts refused.
Suzuki's hands clenched.
"This isn't right," she whispered.
Miharu's lips pressed into a thin line.
Rei's **body shook—**not from fear, but from pure, unrelenting fury.
And Akane…
Akane, who had always played the game of politics, who had always stayed two steps ahead—
Had never felt this powerless before.
Not when it came to him.
They watched as Rin stood motionless, unresisting, as the woman claiming to be his Empress continued to destroy everything in her path.
The final thread of restraint in their minds snapped.
No.
No more.
Rin wasn't hers to take.
And if she thought they would just stand here and watch—
Then she had underestimated them.
In the midst of the chaos, four determined women pulled Officer Tsutomu aside.
The Consorts—Miharu, Rei, Suzuki, and Akane—all knew where they stood. They had no intention of abandoning Rin.
And Tsutomu, though a soldier bound to duty, couldn't ignore the intensity in their gazes.
They needed a plan.
Rin was the key. They had no one else capable of facing the Azure Empress Suzuki head-on without instantly dying.
The Empress wouldn't kill Rin. Despite the destruction she caused, she had no intention of harming him. That meant he was their best weapon against her.
They needed to wake him up. But first, they had to separate him from the Empress.
The first priority was to force a reaction from the Azure Empress—something that would break her composure and draw her away from Rin.
That's when all eyes landed on Suzuki.
She tensed.
"Absolutely not," she muttered, already knowing what they were about to suggest.
Akane smiled, wickedly amused. "Oh? What's worse? Dying of embarrassment or losing Rin forever?"
Suzuki visibly flinched.
Rei and Miharu exchanged glances. Akane, despite her usual manipulative nature, had a point.
The Empress Suzuki was, in the end, Suzuki herself.
Obsessive. Possessive. Deeply in love with Rin.
And if there was one thing she couldn't stand…
It was being humiliated in front of him.
Suzuki reluctantly agreed.
Her job was to make herself look as ridiculous as possible—to say things that would provoke the Empress' obsessive tendencies.
If it worked, the Empress would become distracted, flustered, and emotional.
That alone would be enough of an opening for their next move.
While Suzuki held the Empress' attention, Miharu, Rei, and Tsutomu would move in.
Miharu and Rei—the two most combat-capable—would swiftly grab Rin and drag him back to safety. Tsutomu—trained in battlefield tactics—would cover them, ensuring they weren't interrupted. The goal was simple: get Rin back.
Once Rin was separated, the Empress wouldn't be able to remain calm.
She would be forced to act.
And when she did, the Imperial Convoy would unleash everything.
All the mages, all the archers—every available force would strike her the moment she tried to reclaim Rin.
Akane knew this would work.
After all, she was Suzuki, too.
And she knew exactly how an obsessed woman would react when someone tried to take her Rin away.
Officer Tsutomu, ever formal and disciplined, sighed deeply.
This was madness.
But it was also logical.
Shimuzu Rin, the same man who should have been arrested for seducing the Consorts, had just saved the Advanced Squad at his own expense.
The same man who shouldn't have mattered was now their only chance at survival.
Tsutomu straightened. "I do not approve of this plan."
Akane raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"
He exhaled sharply. "That said… it is our best option. We will proceed."
The Consorts nodded.
It was time.
The plan was in motion.
Suzuki was unceremoniously pushed onto the top of a carriage, her heart pounding.
The Imperial Commander, still issuing orders, turned sharply at the sight of the Consorts still present. His shock was evident.
The Head Maids, watching their mistresses risk their lives, looked on with deep concern.
And then—Akane acted.
With a flick of her wrist, enhancement magic surged, amplifying Suzuki's voice across the battlefield.
Her voice rang out clear and sharp.
Akane, ever-smug, leaned in with an amused tone.
"Now, now, Suzuki~ If you do well, I might just tell you a little secret about Rin."
Suzuki's eyelid twitched.
She hated that smug expression. She hated that Akane was calm when the rest of them had been despairing over Rin's execution.
But most of all—she hated that Akane was right.
There was only one way to pull this off.
Suzuki inhaled sharply and then shouted out to the Azure Empress.
"You! The so-called 'Empress'! I have something to say to you!"
The Empress stopped.
The barrage of spells halted, soldiers instinctively freezing at the unbelievable sight.
Slowly, the Azure Empress placed one hand on her hip, the other over her lips, her expression refined yet dripping with malice.
A dark amusement danced in her eyes as she tilted her head.
"Oh my, my… what could my little self possibly want?"
Then, with a mocking smile, she added:
"Are you here to beg me to return Rin? I'm afraid that's not how this works.
Finders. Keepers."
That was enough to send a ripple through the Consorts.
Akane's smug expression faltered for the first time.
Miharu and Rei, who had been waiting for their chance to act, momentarily lost their composure.
Even Tsutomu—**ever the professional—**had to force them back to focus.
But Suzuki, standing tall, gritted her teeth and fought back.
"You claim to love Rin?" She scoffed. "Then let me remind you of all the embarrassing things you did in his name."
And so, the verbal assault began.
"Shall we start with your diary?" Suzuki said sweetly.
The Empress blinked.
"You know, the one where you wrote Mrs. Shimuzu Suzuki over and over and over again?"
The Empress' smile stiffened.
Had her younger self really just—
Suzuki continued mercilessly.
"Or how about when you used 'training' as an excuse to visit the White Flower Palace?" She crossed her arms. "As if anyone believed you were actually working hard. We both know you only went there to spend time with Rin."
A muscle twitched in the Empress' jaw.
Suzuki wasn't done.
"And let's not forget your absolute disaster in the kitchen."
That one hit hard.
"You were trying to impress Rin, weren't you? But instead, you nearly poisoned yourself—"
"SHUT UP!"
The Empress snapped.
She turned sharply to Rin, gripping his face, as if desperate to make sure he hadn't heard any of it.
But Rin, emotionless and unmoving, simply stared forward—unaffected.
That made it worse.
The Empress' fury exploded.
She whirled back toward her younger self, her refined elegance shattering into raw rage.
"You—brat! How dare you humiliate me in front of Rin—!"
Suzuki merely crossed her arms, smirking.
"What's wrong, 'Empress'? Embarrassed?"
The battlefield stood frozen.
The sight was beyond comprehension—
Two Suzukis.
One relentlessly berating the other.
The other hurling furious slurs back.
The sheer absurdity of the situation left everyone in utter awe.
And in the background, while the Empress was fully distracted—
Miharu, Rei, and Tsutomu moved.
The real mission had begun.