In all my time, I had never directly opposed the Emperor.@@novelbin@@

I had considered it. Perhaps an assassination attempt would be worth a shot—test it out, and if it worked, great; if not, rewind time and try again. But the Emperor was the mid-series final boss. He wasn’t someone you could defeat easily.

Even if I managed to confront him alone, the moment the situation was discovered, everyone in the palace would descend upon me.

…I had already tested the palace’s response times. I’d detonated bombs openly and infiltrated an airship docked briefly for maintenance. While I managed to escape, it was far riskier than being on the battlefield.

On the battlefield, I had allies holding the line, forcing the enemy to divide their attention. In the capital, it was different. If I were the sole traitor, every soldier in the capital would pursue only me.

Even if I succeeded in killing the Emperor, the chances of me escaping alive were slim. Sure, rewinding time countless times might eventually yield success, but the circumstances would inevitably change during each attempt.

Ultimately, I never directly fought the Emperor.

Was the Emperor’s swordsmanship superior to Lucas’s? This question was often debated among players. If the Emperor’s skill matched that of the Swordmaster, then Lucas, who had defeated the Swordmaster, was arguably stronger than the Emperor.

Of course, as the “final boss,” the Emperor’s stats were inflated in the game. Even when the fight concluded, cutscenes often portrayed the victory as the Emperor holding back rather than being defeated outright. Balancing mechanics aside, it was hard to reconcile such stats with the in-game lore.

And then—

“Guh…!”

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