T/N: After chapter 364, August is not supposed to go to Akame ga Kill, but instead to a world with a strong CN mythology. However, due to a lack of interest and dislike from many readers, the author chose to abandon the idea of continuing that volume, though the effects of that world are still felt.
In short, that world was powerful enough to recognize August as an outsider.
And the powerful beings who could control fate and destiny, capable of creating and destroying worlds, threw August into the void and killed him repeatedly until he used the Super Gacha Draw he obtained earlier in chapter 364 to escape.
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Who am I?
Where am I?
What is this place?
These were the first thoughts that crossed August's mind as he regained consciousness.
But soon after, a wave of intense pain washed over him, every fiber of his being trembling with agony. His memories then began to flood back. After being transported to that strange world, August had only just met some people in passing. Before he could do anything of significance, Fate discovered him.
Fate in that world is the embodiment of Heaven's Will.
In its hands, the world undergoes cycles of creation and destruction, each era being crafted and obliterated over and over again. During this process, outsiders occasionally appear, but none have been spared. Fate sees this world as its domain, where everything is under its control. It allows no anomalies, especially not someone like August is an uncontrollable and unpredictable variable.
Without giving him time to react, Fate forcibly ejected August from the world.
Thrown into the Void, a place of endless nothingness, August faced death countless times. He eventually used a rare Super Gacha Draw opportunity, trading it for a slim chance to escape. Even so, he barely survived, on the verge of fading into oblivion.
The Void is not a place ruled by concepts like lust or gluttony. It is a unique realm beyond all worlds, much like the dimensional gaps between the underworld and the human world in High School DxD. It's a realm of absolute desolation.
For the first time, August tasted the true terror of death.
Though his strength had grown formidable, he was still far from achieving true immortality.
Struggling to sit up, August took in his current state—his body severely damaged. There was no doubt in his mind that if he had been even a moment later, he would have died for certain. Although he had a soul-binding contract with the World Tree Sapling, preventing his soul from being entirely destroyed, regaining his body would require the sapling to grow into a fully mature World Tree. Given the time it would take to nurture even a small world, it was beyond what words like long could describe.
So, even though using the Super Draw was a heavy price, August had no choice.
He could now sense that his body was almost crippled, with a strange, consuming energy from the Void still lingering inside him, gnawing away at his very essence. To recover? Impossible, unless he rid himself of this energy first.
This truly was a life-and-death situation, and on top of that, he was in an unknown world—one that felt extremely dangerous.
As for the small world connected to him, August couldn't access it either. His magical powers were drained, leaving him unable to even open the gateway.
In the past, his magic reserves had been so vast that he never realized just how crucial magic was to his existence. Now, stripped of his magic, he was painfully aware of its importance.
The only bit of good news was that the amount of Void energy within him wasn't large. August could slowly wear it down using the power of his original sins. Once that energy was dealt with, healing his physical wounds would be relatively simple.
It was at this moment that August began to survey his surroundings. He found himself inside a rather large tent.
He was lying on a military cot, with a small table not far away. On the table sat a glass of water.
More importantly, August could sense several auras nearby. Although he couldn't use his Observation Haki, as the embodiment of original sin, his sensitivity to the presence of sin was unparalleled.
No matter who someone was, even the most virtuous person would carry some degree of sin on their soul.
"Have I been… rescued?"
August glanced around, starting to piece together what might have happened. After his hasty escape from the Void, it wasn't as though he'd simply fallen into a room. More likely, he'd crashed somewhere outdoors and been rescued.
"Oh? You're awake now, huh?"
A voice broke the silence. August looked up and saw a beautiful woman standing before him.
She was dressed in a uniform resembling a navy officer's, and her long, ice-blue hair cascaded down almost to her ankles. There was something about her that August found eerily "familiar." This was a killer, a far cry from any virtuous soul.
"And you are?"
August struggled to turn his body. He had never felt so weak or in so much pain before.
"Esdeath."
"I found you during my march yesterday. You were severely injured. Were you attacked by Danger Beasts?"
Esdeath's voice was gentle as she spoke, her gaze filled with an odd hint of care.
August was momentarily stunned. Esdeath? Danger Beasts? Was this the world of Akame ga Kill?
What a twist! Out of all the anime worlds, this was the one where members of the protagonist's team dropped like flies, practically one per episode. In the end, even the protagonist didn't survive.
(Note: In the anime, only Akame and Najenda are left alive. The manga, though, offers a more rounded conclusion.)
"Ah, yes, I did run into some trouble. Thank you so much for saving me. Otherwise, I might have been devoured by beasts," August replied, grateful but cautious.
"It's nothing, really. A small matter," Esdeath said casually.
"My name is August. I owe you for your kindness."
"Nice to meet you. I'm Esdeath."
August couldn't help but feel confused as he looked at Esdeath, who spoke to him in such a soft and caring manner. This wasn't the ruthless dominatrix he remembered.
"You don't have any external injuries," Esdeath continued, "but there's some unknown energy inside you that's slowly destroying your body. I'm sorry, but I can't help with that."
"It's fine. I know what's causing it, so no need to worry. I just need some time."
"You can heal yourself?"
"Sort of."
With the power of his original sins, August could gradually wear down the Void energy within him, though the process would take a long time.
Esdeath nodded in understanding, though she still harbored some doubts. August's condition was far too strange. His body was incredibly strong, almost unnaturally so. Even though he had been unconscious in the freezing snow, he hadn't suffered any severe consequences.
In fact, Esdeath had sensed a faint threat from him, which was part of the reason she brought him back. Such a powerful man intrigued her.
And when she got a closer look at August's face, even someone like her, who had seen countless handsome men, was momentarily taken aback.
Young, mysterious, seriously injured yet still powerful—he was beginning to check off many of her personal preferences.