With Murasame swirling in her grip, Akame stepped forward slowly toward Bulat and the others.
"Your burial awaits."
The words had barely left her lips when an immense killing intent erupted from her, radiating outward like a crushing wave.
From a distance, Mine, who had witnessed everything unfold, felt her heart seize violently. Trembling, she took a step back in terror. "No way... in less than half a minute—Lubbock and Lubbock's partner, both..."
Thud!
Crossing his arms in front of him to block Cornelia's Crushing King, the Lieutenant absorbed the impact and used the recoil to widen the distance.
Suppressing the churning pain in his gut, he shouted, "Mine! Get a grip—pull back and cover me!"
As he spoke, the Lieutenant reached into the pouch on his belt and drew out a white metallic mask, snapping it onto his face.
Teigu: Power Surging · Balzac, a mask-type Teigu capable of unleashing 100% of the wearer's latent potential.
"Leone, don't you dare slack off! If you hear the commotion, get back here immediately for backup!" As the Teigu activated, a metallic clicking sound rang out, the mask molding to his face. His eyes flared crimson, forming a glowing cross-shaped pattern.
"Bulat, you can turn invisible—stay close to Mine and prepare for a retreat at any moment."
"But, Uncle Tennyson, what about Lubbock...?" Mine hesitated, her voice shaking. She couldn't bear to abandon her comrade.
"No 'buts'! This is the upper district! Don't get bogged down—finish it fast and fall back!" With that, the former Imperial officer named Tennyson vanished from sight.
Boom!
Enhanced by Balzac's potential boost, Tennyson's physical abilities skyrocketed severalfold. Moving with lightning speed, he overpowered Cornelia in their contest of strength, sending her crashing backward.
Breaking free from the brief struggle, Tennyson flexed his arms—the wrist blades extended with a metallic snap. Leaping high, he brought down a crushing strike straight at Akame.
As Najenda's former adjutant and a veteran of the Gozuki purge, Tennyson wasn't stupid enough to try trading blows barehanded with Murasame.
Clang!
Steel met steel, sparks exploding violently.
Ding!
Deflecting Akame's horizontal slash with his left blade, Tennyson twisted his arm to parry, then struck out with the right in a swift, deadly counter.
Zing! The grinding clash of metal shrieked through the night.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Because of Tennyson's relentless close combat, Mine didn't dare unleash Pumpkin's full power. Every time Akame found an opening, another orange beam would shoot in to disrupt her assault.
It was maddening—each time she moved in for the kill, her attack was broken off by a flash of interference. The frustration gnawed at her.
Taking advantage of a brief gap, Akame backflipped away, her crimson eyes locking on the distant sniper harassing her. The killing intent in her gaze deepened.
Sooner or later, you'll die too.
Suddenly—
"Assassins! It's Night Raid! Fire the signal flares! Notify Captain Ogre! Summon the Imperial Guard!"
Clatter-clatter-clatter—
The Imperial Security Division had finally noticed the chaos. The sound of armored boots and clanking metal filled the air as squads of heavily armed soldiers surged forward like a tidal wave.
"Kill—!!"
Countless signal flares shot into the sky, and the thunderous cry of battle echoed through the city. Bells and drums sounded across the upper and middle districts, reverberating throughout the entire Imperial Capital.
In an instant, the entire city seemed to shake. Lights blazed to life everywhere, illuminating the night as bright as day.
From above, one could see the Imperial Palace gates swinging open, and from the southern outskirts, the Imperial Guard poured out in mass formations—columns of fully armed soldiers marching across the elevated causeways that connected directly to the capital's heart, flooding toward the upper district like swarming ants.
"Damn it!" Tennyson's expression darkened—the worst-case scenario had come true.
The mission had been meant to be quick and clean. But in the upper district—even near the outer woodland perimeter—the reaction speed of law enforcement far surpassed that of the middle or lower districts.
If things went wrong here, it would be like kicking a hornet's nest.
The Imperial Security Division wasn't sluggish or corrupt here—they fought like men avenging blood debts, cutting down anyone in their path.
Opening!
A veteran like Akame didn't miss it. With a feint to draw Tennyson's focus, she suddenly lashed out—a vicious kick aimed straight between his legs.
But Tennyson, in his heightened Balzac state, reacted instantly. His dynamic vision and speed were amplified far beyond normal.
He countered with a punch, fist and kick colliding in a thunderous impact.
Bam!
"Crushing King!"
At that moment, Cornelia seized her chance and lunged from behind, driving her fist into Tennyson's waist.
"Akame, together—ugh!"
But just as she spoke, a furry claw struck her from the side, sending her crashing into the ground—it was Leone.
"Lieutenant, what the hell's going on?! I was gone for one minute and you've turned this place upside down!"
Dropping to one knee, Leone glared at Tennyson, her expression grim. Behind her stood Sayo and Ieyasu, both pale and shaken.
Without wasting words, Tennyson nodded at her. "Good timing, Leone. Prepare to retreat."
"Where's Lubbock?" Leone demanded.
"Cough... Boss, I'm here... cough, cough." Pushing away the rubble that had buried him, Lubbock staggered out, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.
"Cough... lucky I wove a steel-thread armor set from Cross-Tail beforehand. Otherwise, that punch would've finished me off." Clutching his chest, he forced a wry smile as he made his way to Leone's side.
"Tennyson, we need to move! More enemies are closing in!"
Slash!
At the manor's gate, Bulat—encased in his iron-gray armor—stood firm, his Neuntote dancing in a crimson blur as he carved through the charging Imperial Security Division soldiers.
The air was filled with the sickening sound of steel piercing flesh and the dying screams of soldiers. Bodies piled up at Bulat's feet, the ground slick with blood.
Whoosh!
A bright orange beam pierced through a soldier climbing the wall. Beside it, Mine huffed in irritation. "If Lubbock's alive, then get over here and help already! You had me worried for nothing!"
Hearing that, Lubbock twitched his lips. "How kind of you to care, Miss Mine..."
Despite the sarcasm, his hands moved swiftly. With a flick of his gloved fingers, countless silver threads extended outward. Reacting to subtle vibrations, he rapidly manipulated them, tightening the air-drawn web.
In seconds, the gate was sealed off by a mesh of steel-like filaments. Several soldiers who charged too fast were sliced apart, their armor and flesh severed cleanly in an instant.
The horrifying scene made the remaining soldiers hesitate, their courage faltering.
"Alright, time to fall back," Lubbock said, dusting off his hands casually.
"Don't think you're escaping, you Imperial traitors!"
Having taken a brutal blow from Leone, Cornelia knelt on one knee, clutching her bleeding waist. The pain had crippled her, but she still forced herself upright, hatred blazing in her eyes.
She drew a small injector from her belt.
"Cornelia—"
Quick as lightning, Akame snatched it from her. Supporting her wounded comrade, she said quietly, "I've already lost everyone... I can't lose you too."
"This time, we can't finish them all. Next time." Akame's tone was calm, though her grip on Murasame was tight.
"But... I can't accept this!" Cornelia rasped, her voice trembling with rage. "That man over there—I'll never forget him. Najenda's traitorous adjutant!"
"You bastard! How dare you insult General Najenda!"
Though Cornelia's accusation was technically true, none of Night Raid saw it that way—especially not Mine, who had inherited Najenda's Teigu.
"Mine, don't—" Lubbock tried to restrain her with his Cross-Tail threads, but she broke free and leapt down.
"I'll be right back—once I've killed those two!"
Ignoring their shouts, Mine took aim with Pumpkin. This time, she didn't bother holding back. Channeling her fury, she poured her mental energy into a single massive blast.
"Hmph! You talk like we're the villains—you damned executioners!"
"Akame, go! Don't worry about me!" Cornelia shouted urgently, seeing the orange energy sphere growing at the barrel's tip.
"No—we'll survive this... huh?" Akame pulled out a violet-red, diamond-shaped crystal, about to crush it.
Then she froze.
Amid the growing roar of Pumpkin's energy build-up, Akame heard another sound—a metallic, distorted voice, echoing closer and closer from above.
It carried a chilling mechanical resonance, as if announcing judgment itself.
"Get down!"
Akame looked up—and saw a massive black figure plummeting straight toward her from the sky.
BOOM!
The enormous shadow slammed into the manor courtyard with no attempt to slow its fall. The ground fractured, smoke and dust erupting outward as webs of cracks spread like lightning.
A split second later, Mine's colossal orange beam roared forward, the four-to-five-meter-wide blast lighting up the night sky like dawn.
The distance between them vanished in an instant.
"Weak."
CLANG!
The towering black giant raised a golden-winged sword, surrounded by spiraling violet-red Honkai energy. With one mighty swing, he cleaved through the beam itself.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The scattered energy bolts exploded across the estate, obliterating everything in their path—except for the area behind the black giant, which remained untouched.
"Astartes warriors—by Selene's name, advance!"