Chapter 52: Battlefield of Love and Chaos
"Could you two stop staring at each other?" Kurumi Tokisaki, standing nearby and watching the pair, was visibly displeased. She was clearly right there, yet Eric was lost in thought staring at another woman!
Esdeath's queenly side flared up: "Heh, I can feel power surging through me—stronger than ever before. Is this… the power of love? I advise you to stay away from Eric . He's mine." Esdeath believed wholeheartedly that her newfound strength came from love, and she took the opportunity to declare full ownership of Eric .
Silently muttering in his mind, "No, that's from the system," Eric glanced at Esdeath's panel:
[Physique: 5.5 Stars]
[Martial Arts: 6 Stars]
[Swordsmanship: 6 Stars]
[Armament Haki: 1.5 Stars]
[Observation Haki: 5 Stars]
[Conqueror's Haki: 2 Stars]
[Devil Fruit: 8 Stars]
[Bond Level: 4 (Kindred Spirit)]
[Overall Power: 7.5 Stars]
Thanks to the increased bond level, Esdeath's full strength had been unlocked. She had even learned Armament Haki and awakened her Conqueror's Haki, boosting her overall power by 1.5 stars, reaching 7.5 stars—one more than Chiron. She was now on par with Katakuri, truly worthy of being called the Empire's strongest general.
Seeing the argument between Kurumi and Esdeath intensify, Eric quickly stepped in between them. "We're all companions, stop fighting."
"Eric -~ You promised we'd always be together, didn't you? You're not planning to go back on your word, are you?" Kurumi wrapped her left arm around Eric 's right, her right hand gripping a rifle. It felt like if he even dared to say "No," a bullet would greet him. However, all of Eric 's attention was now on his right arm—'She… touched me!'
"Heh, using Eric 's past words to tie him down—is that because you lack confidence in yourself? I don't blame you, since your opponent is me, little shorty." Esdeath proudly pushed out her chest, looking down on the relatively petite Kurumi with her height advantage.
'At least it's not like being looked down on by the Empress…'
Crack—like the sound of shattering glass… or a thread of reason snapping.
"I'm still growing! I'm going to get taller!"
"That doesn't change the fact that you're short right now."
"Grrr!" Kurumi let out a threatening cat-like sound and turned to Eric . "Do you prefer someone petite and gentle like me, the perfect girlfriend? Or someone tall and violent like her—a savage brute?"
"Uhh, I…" Eric hesitated, unable to give an answer. He thought silently to himself: 'You're not exactly gentle either, Kurumi-…'
"Right? You like someone excellent like me, with queenly elegance, don't you?" Esdeath flicked her long hair back with one hand, fully displaying her stunning figure.
Her long legs encased in boots, that irresistible slice of thigh revealing the "absolute zone," her golden ratio body, at least D-cup breasts accentuated by her motion—all paired with a face fit to win Miss Universe. The sight was… overwhelming.
"Ouch ouch ouch…" Kurumi yanked Eric 's right ear, dragging his gaze back to reality.
"What, trying to distract the judge now? Affecting the outcome?" Esdeath's expression darkened. She had been happy from Eric 's intense gaze—only to be interrupted by another woman yanking his ear.
"Well… we're all companions, and we've been out for a long time. If we don't go back soon, the others might come looking for us." The ever-cautious Eric tried to de-escalate.
"Hmph, fine then, let's go." Esdeath, always decisive, dropped the matter. But in her heart she thought, 'I never expected to be swayed by someone else… Eric , I will definitely win your heart.'
Esdeath believed that falling in love seriously was a time-consuming affair—not something to rush. Aside from making Eric fall deeply for her, she also had to drive off any other women trying to get close to him… like catching a mistress… or another mistress… or another…
"Ah…"
"Hm? What's wrong?"
"I forgot to buy food. We need to go get ingredients."
"Ara, otherwise Akame might get angry."
"Aka… me?"
"Ah." Another soft exclamation. Eric remembered the cause of Esdeath's previous death, and looked over at her.
"No need to worry—it's all in the past," Esdeath said nonchalantly. Having nearly died twice, such things now seemed fleeting.
"It might sound like an excuse, but she probably isn't the same Akame from your timeline—more like a parallel version. She was seriously wounded at fifteen during a mission and summoned here by me. This Akame is only fifteen. The one from your world must've been at least seventeen, right?"
"Hm? True," Esdeath nodded, then continued, "Don't worry about me. I've already lost twice. This time, I won't live solely by my desires. Besides, gaining power from falling in love with Eric … it's not a bad feeling." Esdeath seemed genuinely happy about gaining strength through loving Eric .
"Ara ara, even your life philosophy changed. Death really is a terrifying thing~" Kurumi spoke teasingly. After all, she had lost all her memories and didn't know her past self very well, though her personality hadn't changed much.
"Hmph, sled." Esdeath ignored Kurumi's sarcasm and used her ice to form a sled for transporting the groceries. Perhaps facing death had softened her just a little.
"You're finally back! Akame wanted to go look for you. We barely convinced her not to. Don't make us worry like that," Da Vinci approached and then noticed a new face. "Hm? And who is this?"
"This is Esdeath, our newest companion," Eric happily introduced her to the group.
"Esdeath… General…" Akame was visibly shocked to see her, and Esdeath too recognized the girl who, in her past life, had ended her.
"What's wrong? Akame, do you know her?" Kullikay asked.
"Yeah. In the Empire I used to serve, she was the youngest and strongest general. She alone could stand against tens of thousands of troops."
"Damn…" Kullikay gasped. "If someone else said that, I might not believe it. But if Akame says it, it must be true." Akame's blunt honesty had already earned deep trust from everyone.
"Yo, Akame. Who would've thought we'd end up on the same side in this world? I never imagined such a thing," Esdeath walked up and initiated conversation.
"…? I've always been part of the Empire's assassination squad, and you were always in the military, right? Different systems, but both working for the Empire?" Akame asked innocently.
"…I see. That's fine then. So you're not the same person." Esdeath, who paid close attention to detail, also noticed this Akame felt different. She stood differently. With that, she was able to treat this Akame like a twin of the one she knew. Though she said it didn't bother her, her heart found a little peace: 'As long as it's not the same person.'
Eric also observed their conversation. Seeing their final expressions, he let out a quiet sigh of relief.
"Well then, to welcome our new companion—Esdeath! Let's have a feast!"
"A feast…" The word alone made foodie Akame drool.
"Akame, stay out of the kitchen," Eric grabbed her before she could sneak in to help—and steal bites.
"Go take a break. Leave it to us. Polky, come help. You need to learn how to cook, got it?"
"Ehh~ Boss, you're the worst." Polky was unwillingly dragged along to help.
"Eric 's cooking? Then I'll join too. Cooking together sounds like a sweet date experience."
"Ara, then how about we compete to see who makes the tastiest dish? The winner gets to monopolize Eric for three days. The loser can't interrupt them for any reason during that time."
"A cooking competition of love? Sounds fun, I'm in! But the bet will be for just one day. I don't cook often, so I'll set the rules. Besides, I can't go three whole days without seeing Eric . One is my limit."
"Hmph, already thinking of failure? Fine by me. I'll make you admit defeat and bow to my delicious cooking."
"Ugh… Boss… Can I go now?" Polky, frightened by the battlefield-like atmosphere between the two, tried to escape.
"Of course… not." No one escapes the crossfire.
(END CHAPTER)
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