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Just as Esdeath began to lose ground, her remaining team wasn't faring any better.
After the Three Beasts were slain, only Run, Wave, and Dr. Stylish still stood behind Esdeath.
The three of them were up against Sheele, Najenda, and Akame.
Sheele alone was already overwhelming—one person was enough to tip the entire fight!
Had they faced anyone but Sheele, the trio might have found some footing.
But against her, Wave's Teigu armor might as well not exist—count that as a direct loss of one fighter. How could they possibly win?
Worse, Najenda and Akame kept striking from the flanks. The three could only grit their teeth and endure.
"Then there's only one option left!"
Seeing the writing on the wall, Dr. Stylish chose to go all in on the spot—he jammed a massive injector into his own neck.
"Here it comes, here it comes, here it comes! Ultimate fashion! Ultimate power!"
Under the boost of the stimulant, Dr. Stylish's once-skinny frame swelled like mad—
a giant as tall as a mountain rose on the battlefield.
"So this is Dr. Stylish's trump card?"
Najenda glanced at Akame, whose slash hadn't even broken the skin of the giant, and her gaze hardened.
"Looks like… that's our cue."
"Since Leone already made her choice, I can't hesitate either."
"Hurry back, '830'—Susanoo!"
[Secret Art — Malefic Spirit Manifestation!]
Pure-white life energy surged forth, racing along the linkage device between Najenda and Susanoo, straight toward his location!
A figure wrapped in white radiance shot out from the Capital, hurtling toward Najenda's position.
Najenda knew exactly why Akuto hadn't killed Susanoo outright and had sealed him instead.
Akuto was setting the stage.
With Susanoo sealed, she could still forcibly activate him—
but the price was casting her secret art twice in a row.
Even a single use would ravage Najenda's lifespan; in her whole life, she could have used it maybe three times.
Now, after two consecutive activations, Najenda's vitality was scraped down to nothing.
Thankfully, she'd prepared for this. She immediately used one of Akuto-sama's Break-Rank Pieces.
Blood-red energy poured into her, and her life force snapped back to full in an instant.
What shocked Najenda even more—
not only was her vitality fully restored, but the arm she'd once lost had grown back, the skin smooth and soft like a newborn's!
Staring at the arm she'd thought gone forever, at that tender, newborn sheen—Najenda's feelings twisted into a knot.
"They're called 'Break-Rank Pieces'… but no matter how you look at them, they're devil pieces. Just existing there, they pull on your faith and your heart by design."
Right as she was muttering about Akuto's way of baiting them into submission and depravity, Najenda felt a violent surge of bloodlust.
She looked toward the source—and saw Akame, wrapped in blood-hued curses and venom.
Blood-red sigils coiled over Akame's body, and every stat she had exploded upward.
"Akame used her secret art! Is she buying time for Susanoo's arrival?"
"She still refuses to use a piece, even now… that iron will of hers is something else."
"But it also proves that, in Akame's heart, Murasame's secret art is no longer the absolute finisher. Akuto's piece has replaced it as her last resort."
Realizing Akame was going all out, Najenda swiftly shifted tactics.
"Akame! Switch targets with Leone! You stall Esdeath. We'll take this giant Danger Beast down ASAP!"
She flashed a prearranged hand sign to Mine watching from afar.
An instant later, Akame and Leone swapped opponents.
Akame dashed for Esdeath; Leone bounded for Dr. Stylish's titanic Danger Beast form.
In terms of matchups, both Leone and Akame were fine against Esdeath.
But for a giant Danger Beast, Leone was the better pick—
Murasame couldn't pierce that hide, but Leone's brute strength could tear it apart.
With Najenda's signal received, Mine kept Dr. Stylish in her sights.
While Akame faced Esdeath alone, Mine finally finished charging her cannon.
"A body that big? You're just asking to be target practice!"
"Blow him apart—Pumpkin!"
"BOOM!"
A golden beam tens of meters wide lanced in from the horizon, striking Dr. Stylish's massive body head-on.
Under absolute firepower, his flesh began to vaporize at speed.
[Ame-no-Murakumo — Slash!]
As Mine blasted Dr. Stylish, Susanoo finally arrived—bringing a colossal Ame-no-Murakumo down on him!
And then—
"BOOOOM!!!"
A golden destructive ray shrieked in from afar!
It knocked Susanoo's Ame-no-Murakumo swing off course and collided with Mine's beam mid-air!
The two light waves wrestled in the sky—dead even.
"Impossible! Mine's shot packs super-class Danger Beast firepower!"
Najenda snapped her gaze to the direction that ray had come from—
and saw a dragon-shaped Danger Beast as huge as a mountain.
…Great. Judging by that standoff, their opponent really was a super-class Danger Beast.
(For maximum-hype reads, go to Faloo!)
"Thud!"
A petite figure was flung over from the super-class Danger Beast's back and landed beside Esdeath.
"General Esdeath, I am Kurome. By Governor Akuto-sama's order, I've come to assist."
"It's been a while, Onee-sama~"
The high-school girl in black tights gave a neat curtsey to her elder sister.
Seeing Kurome, Akame's emotions swelled—
so she greeted her with a slash.
Under normal circumstances, with Akame in her secret-art state, Kurome should never have been able to block.
But to Akame's surprise, Kurome matched her speed and parried the blow!
Ignoring puppet support, Akame outclassed Kurome—it wasn't even close.
Yet even with her secret art active, she hadn't been able to suppress Kurome.
There was only one explanation.
"Kurome… don't tell me you've already…"
The thought that Akuto might have already laid hands on her little sister made Akame's brows knot tight.
Kurome, seeing that mix of tension and worry, couldn't help a different kind of smile inside.
Too late to fret now, isn't it?
With a small scoff, Kurome pinched the hem of her skirt and offered her greeting.
"Onee-sama, Akuto-sama asked me to convey his regards."
"And I've also brought you a gift from Akuto-sama."
"Manifest—Super-Class Danger Beast, Tyrande!"
Kurome raised Yatsufusa high.
A black-violet radiance tore open the ground—and a second gigantic, dragon-type Danger Beast clawed its way up from below!
Just as she'd said: to help her "capture" Akame, Akuto had gifted Kurome a few… presents.
Like the earlier super-class beast Dezdaguru, and now this Tyrande!
In the original timeline Kurome also had a super-class Danger Beast—but sadly, only a skeleton.
After she absorbed a Break-Rank Piece, Akuto granted Kurome several upgraded puppets.
With the power of Phantom Beast Fabrication, he infused the "super-class skeleton" and the Teigu Demon's Embrace with life, then restored their flesh and power.
The two super-class Danger Beast puppets before Akame now were absolutely on par with the living ones.
"Tyrande, huh? Sounds like Kurome's already… tamed one of those super-class beasts?"
Esdeath's lips curled into a bloodthirsty smile—her anticipation to meet Akuto only grew.
"Damn it… so this is Governor Akuto-sama's aim?"
Unlike Esdeath's excitement, Akame was deeply anxious about her sister falling into Akuto's hands.
And yet, at the same time, she felt a sliver of relief—
Relief that Akuto didn't intend to be their enemy.
Relief that a man with such power and reach might truly let the people live well.
Her only unease was that Akuto was far too lustful.
She'd already accepted a piece, and still he deliberately sent Kurome to force her into using it!
From the moment she accepted that piece, Akame had prepared herself—
once the Minister died or the new Empire rose, she would present herself to Akuto.
Who could have guessed Akuto would be this impatient, using Kurome to push her buttons?
[No… it's not impatience. It's just his wicked sense of fun.]
[The only comfort is that if Kurome used Akuto-sama's piece, her health is probably fixed by now.]
So Akame both resented and thanked Akuto; both wished to offer herself to him and felt miffed by his pressing methods.
Mine had even told her that Akuto specifically told Kurome not to take off her black tights when serving him, and that—
Just hearing Mine's description had made heat race through Akame's body.
Thinking of how Akuto would likely have her and Kurome serve him together in the future, even steady-hearted Akame couldn't help the faint blush on her cheeks.
Judging by Kurome's arrival with two super-class beasts, Akuto's aim was to make every member of Night Raid use a Devil Piece.
In other words, he'd tuned the difficulty so high that unless everyone used a piece, there was no way they'd clear this trial.
Decision made, Akame steadied her breath.
"Kurome… since you've already chosen, then… your Onee-sama will join you."
If Night Raid had to use the pieces today, then before she became wholly Akuto-sama's woman, she had one last duty to finish—
She must kill Esdeath.
A person like Esdeath must not—cannot—exist in the newborn Empire.
Yet just as Akame reached for her piece, Esdeath brought her hands together.
Fierce ice element surged from her palms and froze the world itself.
[Secret Art — Mahapadma!]
Esdeath had already witnessed two enemies empower themselves with some special "tool," and she'd long prepared for the chance that Akame would do the same.
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(End of Chapter)
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