Chapter 51: Esdeath's Battle (Part 2)
Eric 's panel:
[Conqueror's Haki: One Star]
The "Unawakened" text had changed to "One Star." Although the attribute was still quite low, it was ultimately the awakening of Conqueror's Haki—without awakening it, he couldn't even allocate points. Looking back to the beginning, both Armament Haki and Observation Haki had their stats marked as zero, but the Conqueror's Haki was marked as "Unawakened."
Kurumi and Esdeath had of course felt this Haki. Though its strength couldn't compare to Esdeath's well-seasoned and overwhelming Conqueror's Haki, it still let the two of them feel Eric 's potential and capacity to become a king.
"Finally ready to show your real strength?" Esdeath released Kurumi. She hadn't truly intended to fight—just wanted to push Eric into revealing his fighting spirit. And look, she had even forced out his potential.
However, the captured Tokisaki Kurumi was a little angry. Though happy that Eric awakened Conqueror's Haki for her sake, it didn't change the fact that Esdeath had taken her hostage.
"Ara ara, since you attacked me from behind, doesn't that give me the right to fight alongside Eric against you?" Kurumi smiled sweetly while pulling out a long and a short pistol. Though her face bloomed like a flower, an intense killing intent burst from her.
"Of course, the more the merrier." Esdeath didn't mind being surrounded. Before she died, she had faced the siege of tens of thousands of Revolutionary Army soldiers and dozens of Teigu users. If not for a twist of fate—being stabbed in the chest by Akame with the broken blade of Murasame—her end could have gone either way.
"Come on, let's fight to the fullest!" declared the battle maniac once again.
"Yes, yes! Once you've drawn your weapon, you must be prepared to be killed! To point your gun at life itself—that's what it means to fight!" Kurumi was getting excited. Back when Kotori appeared, she had gleefully jumped into battle with her flaming form. Seems like she had a warrior's blood too.
"Now, let the slaughter begin. Zafkiel! Aleph (First Bullet)!" Black energy flowed from the Zafkiel's clock face into the gun's muzzle. "Bang! Bang!" Two shots fired—targeting herself and Eric —to accelerate their time.
Kurumi's movement speed became so fast it seemed like teleportation, even making Esdeath feel startled. "Bang bang bang"—Kurumi appeared behind her and fired three shots, which were blocked by Esdeath's summoned ice.
"Accelerating your own time to increase your movement speed?" Esdeath was adept at gathering intelligence and analyzing abilities, especially in combat. She could quickly understand an enemy's strength and capabilities.
"Heh!" Esdeath raised her leg clad in white thigh-high boots and kicked toward Kurumi. A row of ice spikes burst from the ground in a straight line, rushing toward Kurumi and forming a path of frozen thorns.
"Thirty Million Volts: Thunderbird!" A massive blue bird shattered the icy thorns along its path and flew open-beaked toward the Ice Queen.
"Your ability is really interesting—you can actually form animals with lightning!" Esdeath's attacks usually took the form of diamond-shaped ice spikes, freezing, or smashing opponents with giant blocks of ice. She rarely formed animals—except with her ultimate move, Ice Storm Commander-in-Chief.
Esdeath leaped high into the air to dodge the large-area lightning bird.
"Jumping into the air without anything to support you? That's unwise~" Kurumi took the opportunity to unleash rapid fire, nearly matching the output of an entire platoon.
"Not necessarily." Calm as ever, Esdeath created large blocks of ice midair to use as platforms and shields. The bullets shattered against the ice, scattering shards everywhere.
"Grey Ice Horn!" Crouching on one block of ice, Esdeath placed her right hand down. A 3-meter-wide ice spike shot straight down toward Kurumi.
"Hmph!" Kurumi grunted, leaping forward and tumbling awkwardly. White snow clung visibly to her black-and-red Astral Dress. "Unforgivable… for a lady!"
"You're focusing too much on Kurumi!" Eric suddenly appeared above Esdeath, his blade wrapped in lightning and Haki, forming a "Chidori Blade," and slashed hard at her.
Although Eric also had Kurumi's First Bullet acceleration, it seemed his boost wasn't as great as hers. The acceleration probably varied based on the user's base speed—or whether it was cast on oneself.
"I wasn't distracted—I've been watching you." Esdeath blocked the attack with her rapier—but it didn't hold!
Clang! The Chidori Blade sliced clean through the rapier—and Esdeath's right arm—blood sprayed in the air. Eric hadn't expected to actually sever her summoned arm or for his attack to be so sharp.
"A beautiful strike! But not enough!" Esdeath didn't seem to feel pain. She regenerated an ice right arm and, wrapping it in Haki, punched the stunned Eric hard in the abdomen.
Due to emotional fluctuation, Eric couldn't use Observation Haki to foresee the attack. Unable to dodge, he raised his blade to block—but was punched hard in the stomach, sending him flying and spitting blood.
"Eric !" Kurumi flew behind him and caught his body mid-air.
"Dal… (Fourth—)" Kurumi was about to speak and reload her pistol when Eric grabbed her hand.
"Wait, that's enough, Kurumi." Eric stood up from her arms. "It's just a small wound. I'm not a kid. A man is called a man because he endures trials. Kurumi, you wouldn't want me to be someone who always hides behind you."
"Let me handle it." A figure appeared in front of the fallen Kurumi.
"Esdeath… General. This next move is my strongest." Eric stood firm. "Two Hundred Million Volts: Thunder God!" Eric 's body swelled to four meters, forming a small blue giant. (Though in the world of One Piece, four meters isn't really giant—but compared to Eric 's original height, it is.)
Zzzzt zzzzt Electricity crackled across his body. Anyone else would've fled—but his opponent was the battle maniac Esdeath! When she saw Eric unleash this move, a joyous, excited expression spread across her face.
"Thunder Spear!" Concentrating nearly all of his lightning into his right hand, a long spear formed with a dazzling white tip. Eric used his four-meter frame to throw it with all his might.
"Iceberg!" Esdeath also used her full strength to defend—a towering iceberg tens of meters high rose from the ground.
But it couldn't stop the lightning spear. The Thunder Spear burned through the iceberg, leaving a two-meter wide hole with steaming hot water around the edges. It continued forward, still fast, aimed at Esdeath. She jumped left to dodge, but not completely—the spear grazed her right side, blowing away her ice-formed right arm and a section of her side. Esdeath fell flat on her back.
"You… didn't actually want to die, right? But suicide is cowardice—you, proud and strong, couldn't have chosen that. So you hoped to die in battle."
"…Even if that's true…" Esdeath, heavily wounded, hadn't died on the spot. That alone was a testament to her strength. But her voice came out haltingly from the injuries.
"You still have regrets! You clearly had regrets before! Why?!" Eric was confused. She had a chance to live again—why not treasure it?
'Yeah… I really wanted to… fall in love seriously…' Esdeath could only think it in her heart, swallowing the unwillingness.
"Didn't you want to fall in love?! Your requirements for a partner: the most important—value the future's possibilities. Aim to become someone of general level to train themselves—"
"Brave enough to go hunting dangerous creatures with you even unarmed; someone like you, who wasn't born in the capital but in the borderlands—"
"Younger than you, so you can dominate them; preferably with a pure, innocent smile."
Eric listed all five of her conditions in one breath, then asked, "Don't you feel regret? Never even had a proper relationship? You even thought through your ideal partner so thoroughly!"
Kurumi couldn't help but chime in: "Ara, you know her really well."
"…" But Esdeath replied helplessly, "Regret… what's the point? My injuries are already…" As someone who had taken many lives, Esdeath clearly understood—her injuries were beyond saving.
"Just answer whether you have regrets. Anything is possible."
Kurumi joked again: "That sounds like a cult recruitment line." The lady-like Kurumi had taken on the role of comic relief. Indeed, perhaps humor is human instinct.
Having lost all memory related to Tatsumi, Esdeath finally muttered: "I… maybe… just a tiny bit of regret…"
Eric stuffed a Senzu Bean from the system shop into Esdeath's mouth.
Current funds: -20 million Berries.
Esdeath's right side and severed arm instantly regenerated. Fully healed, she sat up sharply and looked at Eric : "Hmph, so you had this planned all along, you little…" Then she recalled her partner criteria:
Possesses Conqueror's Haki—check.
Strong enough to hunt dangerous creatures barehanded—check.
Not even from that world—check.
"…How old are you?"
"Me? 17. Why?"
Though slightly taller than her, that fulfilled the fourth condition too.
Only the fifth was missing. Sigh...
"Since I've always lived by my desires and lost to you, who fights for his comrades, I'll acknowledge you as my master and become your blade."
"No, not my blade. Become my companion." Eric corrected her and reached out his right hand, smiling sincerely—he had finally recruited the Ice Queen.
Bang… This time, Cupid used a Bullet sniper to shoot the bullet of love at Esdeath.
Esdeath suddenly blushed like a shy girl, making Eric freeze in surprise.
[Ding… You have a new message]
[Esdeath's favorability has skyrocketed. Bond level increased from 1 (Normal Friend) to 4 (Kindred Spirit), gaining 6 bond points]
(END CHAPTER)
Friends, if you enjoyed the novel, you can subscribe to my Patreon channel.
Until November 30st, get 30% off both your subscription and the purchase of your novel. Thank you for your support.
Read 40 Chapters In Advance: patreon.com/johanssen10