Leone was scared to death at this moment.
Today, she was on night watch at the base; everyone else had gone on a mission.
She had originally planned to hunt some wild game in the forest to taste, but unexpectedly, she saw a golden gate appear in the sky above the forest.
This gate was not far from the ground; she could even climb up a tree and leap to reach it.
She initially thought it was a Teigu User with a gate-type Teigu here, so she stealthily came to investigate. If this Teigu User was from the Empire, she would quietly eliminate them.
So she squatted on a tree branch, waiting. Just as she expected, a person walked out of the gate—
No, it should be a God.
Just a glance at Him brought forth a vision in her mind that nearly made her see her parents, whom she had never met. That enormous character for "God" made her nose bleed and she fainted directly.
When she woke up, she was about to leave this place when she saw that God standing not far away on the ground.
He occasionally looked up at the sky, then muttered words she couldn't understand at all.
She was so terrified that she huddled on the tree branch, afraid to make even the slightest sound, until dawn arrived, and her legs were numb and senseless.
Then that God spoke to her, telling her to come down immediately, or else Divine Punishment would descend from the heavens.
This scared her so much that she rolled off the tree branch. It wasn't that she didn't want to jump down, but her legs were numb from squatting.
"I didn't mean to peek! Please don't kill me! I haven't lived enough yet! Great God! I'll do whatever you ask! Please, please don't kill me!"
Leone had no doubt about the other party's identity as a God, because whenever even a tiny ill thought crossed her mind, it felt like she was going against the world, as if she would vanish completely in the next moment.
This feeling was something she had never experienced since becoming a Teigu User.
Xia Wei appeared in front of Leone, watching her constantly wailing, and stroked his chin.
In this world, his favorite characters were actually not Akame, nor Mine, but Sheele, Leone, and Chelsea.
"Shut up. Say one more word and Divine Punishment will come."
Leone covered her mouth with both hands, swallowing frantically, then cautiously looked up.
She swore her guts were absolutely huge; if they weren't, she wouldn't have joined Night Raid to become a professional assassin.
But facing the being in front of her, she felt no resistance from her soul—not that she didn't want to, but she simply couldn't produce any.
What met her eyes was a face so handsome it didn't seem human. His light golden eyes were filled with indifference towards all things, yet also carried a contradictory hint of warmth, and his black hair was slightly long.
She swore that even if a single strand of hair fell from this being in front of her, it would be more powerful than all the Teigu combined.
"Hey! Ah—"
Leone hadn't even looked closely when her body suddenly felt lighter, and she floated off the ground. Before she could even scream, no sound came out. No matter how much she tried, she couldn't make a sound.
It's over, it's over, I'm going to die. I didn't die during the missions to assassinate those nobles, but I'm inexplicably dying at the hands of a God who descended from the sky.
Xia Wei held Leone's chin: "Hmm—"
Perhaps it was because he had too many beautiful women around him. Although Leone's appearance was quite good, she didn't rank high in his current impression. Even over ninety percent of the little angels were more beautiful than Leone.
"...."
Leone trembled, her mind a blur, no longer understanding what the God in front of her wanted to do to her.
"Your appearance is quite ordinary, isn't it—"
Leone's eyes turned into cartoon dot eyes. Eh—after she came back to her senses, her cheek twitched. I'm really sorry for being so ordinary-looking!
Am I going to be subjected to Divine Punishment just because I'm ordinary-looking?! Is God too capricious?!
Xia Wei nodded: "Yes, most Gods are very capricious."
Leone swallowed, her thoughts audible.
But He hasn't killed me yet. Does that mean He doesn't intend to kill me?
Xia Wei chuckled: "Who said Divine Punishment necessarily means death?"
Leone sighed in relief, feeling completely drained.
But then she heard:
"Because death is too cheap. In most cases, it's a fate worse than death."
"Then you might as well just kill me!" Leone retorted with a sudden burst of courage.
"Alright."
"I was just making a comment, please don't take it seriously—"
Xia Wei laughed: "Hehehe—you're quite interesting."
Before this, who among those who met him wasn't utterly respectful, even prostrating themselves?
Only an uncultured, even ill-mannered, wild child would act like Leone.
Yes, Leone was originally a wild child, surviving until now by swindling and deceiving.
Or rather, an orphan who could survive in the fallen and corrupt Empire would have been eaten clean to the bone early on if they weren't wild.
An ill-mannered wild child doesn't necessarily mean they are bad people; they are merely forced to be so for survival. In such a world, kindness must be armed with sharpness, otherwise, it will only be devoured completely.
"Don't move, let me see." Xia Wei held Leone's chin, his light golden eyes emitting a faint glow.
"See—see what? My chest or my bu—"
Just as Leone was about to say something, she saw those golden eyes emit a captivating light. Under those eyes, her soul seemed to be pierced through, and the words in her mouth instantly froze. Cold sweat trickled down her temples.
"Hmm—although your soul is not pure, it is relatively clean, possessing the light of becoming a hero, but lacking the potential to become one."
"Suffering—sadness, resentment towards the world, and the accumulated sins from swindling and deceiving."
Everything in Leone's soul was laid bare and thoroughly examined by Xia Wei.
"Hmm—evaluation: You wish to be a blade of justice, but the blade will wear down and break from repeated clashes, and your destiny will reach its end."
Although Leone was illiterate and a wild child, she wasn't stupid; she understood the meaning.
Although she was an assassin, she did righteous deeds, but an assassin is an assassin. One who walks by the river often will eventually get their shoes wet; she would die on a mission one day.
She had long come to terms with it. Even if she miraculously survived until the Revolutionary Army overthrew the Empire, they would be the first to be discarded. A new country would not allow the existence of former 'black hands.'
"Although the light of your soul is not very dazzling, it's already quite good in this world. Having survived from childhood until now as a virgin, yes, I am very pleased with you."
"Take this." Two Divine Blessing seeds appeared in Xia Wei's hand and were pressed into Leone's chest.
Leone hadn't even fully recovered when she plummeted downwards, then landed on the ground.
"Ow! That hurts!" Leone instantly rolled over, rubbing her chest. The next moment, she froze; that God had disappeared.
"—It's glowing—" Leone looked at her hands, and at the same time, a flood of information appeared in her mind.
"God's Protection, 'Strength,' 'Flight'—"