Boom! ~
The commotion from General Budo and Esdeath's battle was immense, affecting a very wide area. Within several hundred meters centered on the two of them, it was a world interwoven with thunder and ice.
The ground was covered in chilling ice, and the sky was filled with rolling thunderclouds, enveloping the battlefield where they fought. The deafening roars echoed through every corner of the entire Imperial Capital.
From afar, the battlefield looked as if a terrifying natural disaster were occurring. Even the physically powerful Imperial Guards were unable to approach.
This was the shock brought about by the battle of the two strongest individuals in the Empire.
"What a breathtaking battle!"
Honest looked at the scene created by Esdeath and General Budo's battle and couldn't help but exclaim. Then his face darkened, and he said in a deep voice, "It seems they won't decide a winner anytime soon. You all should start moving now."
"Yes, Minister!"
Behind Honest stood four figures—two men and two women. They were the highest-ranking martial artists from the Imperial Fist Temple, elite experts from within the temple, and also Honest's personal executioners.
The four were known as the 'Four Rakshasa Demons,' and each possessed the ability to freely manipulate their bodies. They represented the peak of non-Imperial Armament users' strength, capable of rivaling Imperial Armament users even with their bare hands. They were one of Honest's trump cards.
Honest's plan was simple: to have the Four Rakshasa Demons seize control of the Emperor while General Budo was away.
That way, even if Esdeath were ultimately defeated, it would make General Budo hesitant to act.
Although in Honest's view, the possibility of Esdeath's defeat was small, it was always wise to be fully prepared.
Imperial Palace.
The Four Rakshasa Demons, carrying Honest's orders, swaggered into the Imperial Palace, encountering almost no resistance along the way. The few who tried to stop them were easily dealt with.
However, when they arrived at the palace where the Emperor—Naruto—was, they encountered another group trying to 'fish in troubled waters.'
"Hm?"
As the four approached the palace, the wheat-skinned girl walking in front suddenly froze, then immediately shouted to the three behind her, "Be careful, it's a trap!"
The three immediately stopped and quickly retreated to create distance. Looking closely, they discovered that the corridor ahead was filled with barely visible threads. The wheat-skinned girl walking in front was already completely entangled in the threads, unable to move.
"Is it an Imperial Armament?"
Among the Four Rakshasa Demons, a bare-chested man with a stitched forehead looked at the threads blocking their path. Instead of showing tension, he spoke with some excitement. "Is it a contingency left by Admiral General Budo, or some other unexpected enemy?"
"Who cares who it is!"
Another burly, bearded man shouted excitedly, "Anyone who dares to stop us—just kill them all."
"You two, don't be careless."
The slender woman among the Four Rakshasa Demons, wearing skirt-pants and boots, suddenly spoke, reminding them, "I've heard of this Imperial Armament. It should belong to a member of the assassin group Night Raid. They are a troublesome bunch; even the Minister finds them quite a headache."
"Oh, oh, I've been found out."
At this moment, a lazy voice came from above. "To be able to discover and recognize my Imperial Armament, it seems you are not ordinary people either."
The four suddenly looked up, only to see a green-haired young man dressed in green, wearing mechanical-looking gloves on both hands. He had appeared above the corridor at some point. Squatting on the threads that filled the corridor, he vigilantly looked down at them, his gaze finally landing on the wheat-skinned girl bound by the threads as he sighed. "Too bad—only caught one."
"Caught?"
The wheat-skinned, twin-tailed girl named Mato couldn't help but smile when she heard his words. Immediately after, she twisted her body, strangely breaking free from the sharp threads binding her. Then, with incredible speed, she leaped up and instantly jumped behind the green-haired young man. Wrapping her hands around his neck in an embrace, she softly whispered in his ear, "You're right—but you're the one who got caught!"
"How is that possible!"
The green-haired young man slightly turned his head, looking incredulously at the woman embracing him from behind. His threads were sharper than blades. How had she broken free without a scratch?
"Of course, it's because—"
The twin-tailed Mato seemed to understand his confusion. Her hands, wrapped around his neck, slowly tightened as she giggled, "My skin is very smooth! ~"
…
The green-haired young man felt more speechless than suffocated when he heard her explanation. If "smooth skin" could allow someone to break free from threads sharper than blades, what was the point of his Imperial Armament?
However, the greasy sensation on his neck immediately made him understand the real reason—it was sweat.
This woman could secrete an oil-like sweat from her skin, acting as a lubricant and allowing her to break free from his threads completely unharmed.
"Oh, you figured it out?"
The twin-tailed girl saw his gaze and immediately understood that he had guessed her ability. Then she giggled. "Hehe, but it's too late! ~"
As she spoke, her hands tightened further around his neck, turning his face purple as his eyes began to roll back.
Yet the young man, already suffocating, had a faint smile playing on his lips.
Clang! ~
Just as the girl wondered why he was smiling despite dying, a sharp clang suddenly rang out from behind her.
A strong sense of danger made her decisively release him and quickly retreat, but she was still cut on the arm by the sudden sneak attack.
"Fortunately, the wound isn't deep," she thought—
"Mato, quickly cut off your arm, or you'll die!" her companion suddenly shouted.
"Eh? ~"
The girl looked at her wounded arm in confusion, only to find strange curse marks rapidly spreading from the wound. By the time she reacted, the curse had already spread from her arm to her neck. A powerless sense of suffocation filled her body, and she instantly collapsed to the ground.
"What is this…?"
Struggling to lift her head, she finally saw clearly who had cut her—and then stopped breathing.
"Lubbock, are you alright?"
The black-haired, red-eyed girl holding a drawn longsword stared expressionlessly at the remaining three Rakshasa Demons while asking the young man she had saved.
"I'm fine."
The young man named Lubbock twisted his neck, glanced at the deceased Mato below, then smiled and thanked her. "Thanks to you, Akame."
"Hmph, idiot!"
Below, the bearded Juten glanced at Mato's corpse and cursed disdainfully. Then he looked warily at the longsword in Akame's hand. "That sword is the cursed Imperial Arm 'One-Cut Killer,' Murasame. Even a scratch is fatal!"
"Akame—a former Imperial elite. I've heard her name too."
Suzuka, the remaining woman among the Rakshasa Demons, spoke calmly. Then she looked at the two beside her and asked, "What should we do? Retreat?"
"Although I really want to fight Akame—"
The slender man, Ibara, looked at her, then stepped forward and lightly hooked the sharp threads blocking the way. Sighing, he said, "Cross Tail—we can't cross these threads without getting scratched like Mato did."
"Heh! ~"
Lubbock immediately showed a triumphant smile, then turned to Akame and asked, "How's it going inside?"
Not long ago, they had heard that Admiral General Budo was going to arrest Minister Honest and immediately realized this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
Originally, they planned to secretly assassinate Honest, but at Lubbock's suggestion, they split into two groups: one to assassinate Minister Honest, and the other to seize the Emperor while General Budo was away.
He and Akame were part of the team responsible for capturing the Emperor.
"Najenda and Leone have already dealt with the Emperor's guards," Akame replied. She paused slightly before continuing, "But Najenda said the Emperor seems different from before. She's currently talking to him."
"Eh? Talking?"
Lubbock was stunned for a moment, then frowned. "What's there to talk about with a puppet emperor controlled by the Minister? Just grab him and go! Big Sister is really—"
"Lubbock, I heard that! ~"
Before he could finish, the palace door opened. A white-haired, one-eyed woman with a mechanical right arm walked out.
It was Najenda, leader of Night Raid.
She looked up at Lubbock's stiff expression and smiled. "You were complaining about me, weren't you?"
"No, absolutely not!"
Lubbock immediately raised his hands. "My loyalty to Big Sister is absolutely—"
"Shut up."
Najenda cut him off without hesitation. Then she looked at the remaining three Rakshasa Demons. "You're the Minister's subordinates, aren't you? Go back and tell him that we've taken the Emperor. If he wants to rescue him, then three months from now, bring the final Imperial Arm hidden within the Imperial family and exchange it with us on the mountain west of the Imperial Capital."
Without waiting for a response, she waved at Akame and Lubbock. "Let's go!"
They leaped down, followed Najenda out the window, and retracted the threads behind them.
The three Rakshasa Demons immediately gave chase, but when they reached the window, they saw only a giant manta ray-shaped Danger Beast rising into the sky.
Najenda and the others stood on its back.
Alongside them stood a blonde, burly woman—and Naruto.
"This is truly…"
The three Rakshasa Demons watched them fly farther away, their expressions grim.
The two men wondered how to explain this to the Minister.
Suzuka simply smiled faintly. "You can push the responsibility onto me and let me bear the Minister's punishment."
She even showed an expectant expression.
On the back of the Special Grade Danger Beast, Almondo—
Najenda sat cross-legged in front of Naruto, looking at him with a complex gaze.
"Well, Your Majesty, let's continue our conversation."
"Of course."
Naruto also sat cross-legged before her. Then he asked calmly, "But before that, I have a question. Why did you become the leader of the infamous 'Assassin Group,' Najenda?"
She, like Esdeath, was once one of the Empire's most promising generals, praised for her 'fearsome courage and strategy.'
She once went on an expedition to the Southwest border with her colleague and good friend Esdeath. After witnessing Esdeathand her Three Beasts' bloodthirsty massacres and atrocities against the foreign people and their army, she could no longer tolerate it. Deeply feeling the darkness of the Empire, she joined the Revolutionary Army, and was then crippled in her right eye and right arm by Esdeath, only narrowly escaping with the cover of her comrades.
Naruto had seen a scene of himself receiving Najenda in 'his' life experience, so when he saw her, he recognized her identity at a glance.
Although the impression wasn't deep, he remembered that General Budo had a very high opinion of her, believing her to be a more valuable and excellent general the Esdeath.
It was precisely because he 'recalled' these things that Naruto was willing to talk to her, and even actively allowed himself to be 'kidnapped' by her. Otherwise, with Naruto's personality, even if he couldn't defeat these 'assassin group' villains, he would choose to die together rather than let them capture him.
Najenda smiled faintly.
"Night Raid—the 'Assassin Group' you speak of—is a secret unit established by the Revolutionary Army to overthrow the Empire's rule. And I, as its leader, am working toward that goal."
She held his gaze steadily.
"I wonder if this answer satisfies you, Your Majesty?"
"I see."
Naruto nodded.
Then he looked at her seriously.
"Then tell me—after overthrowing the Empire… can your Revolutionary Army truly make this world better than it is now?"
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