The Iron-Blooded Empress Falls into Cattle

The grand coronation hall within the Imperial Palace of the Elysium Empire had been drenched in blood only days earlier. Yet now, on the eve of the coronation, every trace had been meticulously erased. The pools of blood on the floor had been scrubbed clean, and the corpses of her siblings had long since been removed. A fresh crimson carpet had been laid, golden candelabras blazed with light, and the empire’s banners hung magnificently from the towering pillars. Everything had been arranged with such pristine dignity that no one could possibly recall this had once been a slaughterhouse where seven members of the imperial family had met gruesome deaths.

Yuriathenes Arcadia von Elysium sat upon the throne. Her platinum-blonde hair cascaded all the way to her waist, and her cold, ruby-red eyes gazed down upon the hall. The imperial regalia, embroidered with crimson and black gold, clung perfectly to her slender, voluptuous figure, while a massive ruby crown—looking as if it had been steeped in blood—gleamed atop her head. At twenty-four years of age, the young empress radiated the absolute authority of one who could never be defied.

Hundreds of nobles and vassals gathered in the hall held their breath as they stared at her.

A trembling voice broke the silence first. It was thick with fear. The man’s lips quivered, cold sweat beading on his forehead. He had been the loyal retainer of the fifth prince—the one Yuriathenes had personally slain with her own ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠hands. Now he knelt with his forehead pressed so tightly to the floor it seemed glued there.

Voices rose, mingling obedience and terror. The nobles’ faces were deathly pale. Some kept their heads bowed low, unable to meet her gaze. Others clutched their own knees with shaking hands. They all knew the truth: this beautiful empress had ruthlessly eliminated all seven of her siblings to seize the throne. And they knew that the slightest hint of defiance before her could mean their heads would roll next.

Yuriathenes slowly opened her mouth.

Her voice was cold and clear, utterly devoid of emotional tremor.

The hall froze in an instant. Several nobles’ shoulders trembled faintly. Some clenched their teeth, others squeezed their eyes shut. Yet no one dared object. Those with the courage to do so no longer existed in this world.

Yuriathenes did not smile in satisfaction. She simply looked down at her vassals with those icy eyes. Their fear, their obedience, their desperate loyalty—all of it was only natural to her.

The weak die. She had learned that brutal truth to the marrow of her bones since the age of twelve. Born the youngest imperial princess, she had always been the most likely to be discarded. Her mother had been poisoned the moment she gave birth, and her siblings had treated her as nothing more than a disposable pawn. She remembered it all. That was why she had resolved to become the strongest. And in the end, she had proven it in the cruelest ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠way possible.

She raised her hand, and the royal guards drew their swords in unison. A massive golden magic circle bloomed across the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠floor of the hall. The enthronement ceremony was reaching its climax.

All of this belongs to me. An empire bought with the blood I spilled. A throne built atop the corpses of the siblings I killed.

At that exact moment, the light of the magic circle suddenly turned a deep, bloody crimson. Yuriathenes’s eyes narrowed slightly.

Before she could react, the crimson light surged violently around her body. The world twisted. A sensation like space itself being torn apart ripped through her entire being.

Her words were cut short. Her body vanished completely. And in the real world, time froze entirely.

Damp, filthy, nauseating air.

Yuriathenes lay completely naked on the cold iron floor of a cage. A thick black collar encircled her neck, and magic-glowing shackles bound her wrists and ankles. Her platinum hair spilled across the floor, and her flawless body was now exposed to the chill air of an unfamiliar place.

She did not hesitate for even a single second.

Her cold voice echoed inside the iron cage. Yuriathenes rose to her feet at once. Murderous intent blazed in her ruby eyes. She was the Iron-Blooded Empress who had survived countless betrayals and traps throughout her life. She had no intention of crumbling over something like this.

She declared it in a low voice and thrust both hands forward, drawing up every ounce of mana in her body. Her magical power was the strongest in the empire. A single burst should have been enough to shatter the iron cage into pieces.

A powerful wave of mana erupted from her fingertips. But before it could even touch the bars, a red light flashed from the black collar around her neck. The spell was completely nullified. No—it was not simply canceled. It was sucked back in reverse.

“……?!”

Yuriathenes’s eyes widened. She tried again, exploding her mana even more violently. This time she gripped the bars with both hands and pulled with all her physical strength. The muscles in her arms swelled taut. The Iron-Blooded Empress’s body was a weapon trained just as rigorously as her magic. These iron bars should have been easy to break.

She ground her teeth and twisted the bars with everything she had. At that instant, the collar and shackles simultaneously unleashed a searing electric shock.

Zzzzzzzt——!

“……Kh?!”

The electricity tore through her entire body. It was not mere pain. It felt as if thousands of needles were stabbing her nerves at once—an excruciating agony. Her legs gave out. Her knees slammed against the iron floor with a sharp clang. Her spine shuddered violently, and her vision flashed white.

“This…… this is……!”

Yuriathenes clenched her teeth and forced herself back up. She was not one to submit to pain. Once more she tried to summon her mana, once more she exploded her physical strength.

Zzzzzzzt——!

This time the electric shock was even stronger. The impact burst simultaneously from her neck, wrists, and ankles, absorbing her immense mana and racing up her spine straight into her brain. Her body trembled uncontrollably. A suppressed groan slipped from between her lips.

“……Khh……!”

For the first time, she truly realized her body was no longer under her control. Her mana was sealed, and her own strength had become a weapon that attacked her. The stronger she was, the more that strength was converted directly into pain.

Laughter erupted from the surroundings.

Yuriathenes ground her teeth and lifted her head. Rage and shock swirled in her crimson eyes. The weakness, the humiliation, the helplessness she had despised her entire life were now slowly seeping into her own body.

She urgently summoned her status window.

Yuriathenes felt her fingertips begin to tremble. She had not yet fallen into despair. But for the first time in her life, the realization that she faced a situation beyond her own power carved a sharp crack deep inside her chest.

She muttered in a low, icy voice. The only response was the laughter of the people in the market and the countless gazes that stripped her like merchandise.

The Iron-Blooded Empress was now tasting true helplessness for the first time—as the highest-grade cattle, stripped of all human rights, in a world that looked exactly like her empire.