Raising My Trash Ability into a Broken SSS+ Rank Skill Chapter 746 Piku, the tax slayer

Yasmine, hearing their desperate pleas, cast a glance at Vritra. Though he remained silent, she arrived at her own resolution.

"Very well, I shall handle him." Yasmine nodded. Considering they were at the demi-god rank, a single thought was sufficient to eliminate several lords.

While she wouldn't be playing nanny, a single act of assistance was permissible.

Having received considerable support from the majority of the dragons, Yasmine solidified her decision.

"Let us first proceed to meet him," Vritra suggested. He felt no need to intervene, confident in her ability to manage the situation with ease.

"Empress, please be cautious! Several lords are accompanying him, and they are all exceedingly powerful!" the guards cautioned. They were aware of Yasmine's formidable strength but harbored doubts about her capacity to confront them all simultaneously.

"Simply guide us to him. I will manage the rest," Yasmine declared, her tone devoid of emotion.

She presented a stark contrast to the demeanor she displayed when with Vritra or her other family members.

Exhibiting the bearing of a true empress.

The dragon guards acknowledged her words and swiftly departed, the blood cart trailing behind them.

...

Within the bustling market, a stout man, whose belly appeared as though he had been carrying triplets for three years, ambled along.

He was conducting his routine patrol, ensuring no citizens were attempting to abscond with their tax payments.

This was Piku, a formidable lord from the beast race, who had recently ascended to the position of the dragon emperor's right-hand man.

Contrary to his concise moniker, he was quite substantial, possessing a visage reminiscent of a hippopotamus, complete with a jaw endowed with considerable biting power.

"Come forth and tender your daily tribute. Seventy percent of your earnings, an additional ten percent as gratitude to the emperor, and five percent for myself, as I undertake the door-to-door collection rather than requiring you to come to me."

Piku boomed, his voice echoing throughout the marketplace.

A collective groan of annoyance rippled through the crowd, yet none dared to voice their dissent.

Despite being dragons, they found themselves powerless against these interlopers and their emperor.

They harbored a deep resentment for that accursed Omega, who had permitted outsiders to infiltrate their realm. All of them despised him.

Naturally, the outsiders sought to extract as much as they could. The readily available labor and the abundant treasures presented an overwhelmingly lucrative opportunity.

"Hmm, little one, approach and remit the modest tax sum. You may add an extra five percent if the amount falls short of the stipulated figure," he added magnanimously.

The populace had no recourse but to comply. A man emerged, moving listlessly, and presented the bulk of his previous day's earnings.

"Hmph, merely this much?" Piku scoffed, raising a leg, thick as a horse's, and bellowing, "Receive Piku's tax-inflicting kick, Tax Shot!"

The man was propelled backward. While not receiving fatal injuries, as a dragon, the impact of a lord's kick was still severe.

The sickening crack of his ribs resounded, followed by a cough of blood.

The onlookers recoiled in fear, but what recourse did they possess? If everyone remained impoverished, who would be left to spend money?

This would inevitably lead to diminished revenue, a vicious cycle from which they were all trapped.

Several others followed Piku, their expressions radiating arrogance.

"Look, sir! What is that in the sky?! Are we under attack?" someone exclaimed suddenly, pointing skyward in alarm.

Piku looked up, his eyes narrowing in suspicion.

Who dared to encroach upon his domain? It seemed someone was courting death.

He observed a magnificent flying cart heading directly towards the emperor's citadel. Had someone truly possessed the audacity to approach the emperor without offering a customary salutation?

Or were they indeed intent on aggression? Such audacious folly seemed improbable.

Regardless, these individuals were unwelcome, and Piku intended to ensure their swift departure.

He retrieved a spear from a storage glyph, aimed it at the swiftly approaching blood cart, and hurled it with all his might.

"Be obliterated by my specialized attack, Tax Spear Bullet!!"

WHOOSH

The spear shot upwards with tremendous velocity, possessing sufficient power to obliterate most dragons, tearing them asunder.

All the dragons in the market gazed upwards with a mixture of pity and hope, praying that the occupants of the cart were significant enough.

Someone whose presence would definitively prove that attacking them was the gravest error of Piku's existence.

They watched with hopeful anticipation.

It was only after launching the spear that Piku noticed the dragon guards escorting the cart, and a flicker of hesitation crossed his face.

'But it is my race that has provided him the most support. Even if I offend someone important, Omega won't hold it against me, right?'

After a brief pause, he regained his composure and bellowed, "No one is permitted to fly above me! All travel must occur beneath my level! Who granted them permission to fly here?"

THUD

The spear impacted the blood cart. However, contrary to everyone's expectations, it did not detonate. Instead, the spear itself shattered into fragments.

The guards were taken aback. They glanced downwards, and then a smirk spread across their faces.

"Kekeke, you corpulent oaf Piku, the ass-eater! Did you relish transforming into a pillar of tax money and shoving it within yourself?" one of the guards jeered venomously.

Finally, they could release theirpent-up frustrations that had been building from being repeatedly defeated by that corpulent pig.

"W- What the hell?!" Piku was utterly stunned, torn between the sight of the cart and the presence of the guards, unsure where to direct his disbelief.

"You despicable curs— huh? That spear… wait, how dare you scoundrels!!" Piku stammered, completely at a loss for words.

It had appeared to be such a fragile cart; how could it possibly have withstood the assault? He was, in truth, quite apprehensive, having just inadvertently struck someone of significant importance.

Yasmine gazed downwards, observing that the individuals lying prostrate on the ground possessed sufficiently keen senses to discern her visage.

"Empress!!" a chorus of exclamations erupted simultaneously, and an immediate wave of elation surged through the crowd.

They began to intone the same phrase in unison, with some even falling to their knees and offering thanks to the heavens.

Piku's brow furrowed as he beheld the exceptionally beautiful, red-haired woman. For a brief instant, he was lost in a state of mesmerization.

However, he swiftly regained his composure upon hearing the clamorous shouts of everyone in his vicinity.

'Empress? Is that truly Yasmine? She has returned?!!' Merely hearing that name sent a tremor through Piku.

She was a formidable threat, excessively so. Even in the past, she had dispatched numerous lords akin to him with little exertion.

His legs quaked, and he nearly stumbled, but feigning an air of bravado, and reassured by the knowledge of substantial backup, he bellowed:

"So it is you, Y- Yasmine, how d- dare you d- defy the laws of this kingdom. None are permitted to take flight h- here, save for the Emperor himself or his elite guard."

His every utterance was punctuated by a fearful stutter, terrified she might launch an attack.

But surely she, too, had heard of Omega's considerable might, so there was no way she would dare to strike, right?

'Ah, yes, she was acquainted with Vritra as well— but hadn't he perished? Therefore, my only concern is her.'

The intelligence regarding Vritra's reappearance had not disseminated; after all, the majority of those who had witnessed the event were already deceased.

"And who might you be?" Yasmine inquired, her frigid tone amplifying Piku's trepidation. He attempted a response, but Yasmine cut him off.

"Never mind that; it holds no real importance. Come along to the palace."

At that moment, a massive hand composed of dust billowed upwards, then swiftly propelled itself towards Piku, inexorably entangling him in its firm grip.

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