Chapter 178: Unexpected Development
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'What's going on?'
'Is the transformation over?'
Aoki was stunned and glanced at the system panel.
Ultimate Form (0/100).
Really!
Aoki quickly did the math.
It takes about ten seconds from when the skill activates to when it ends.
"This isn't even as durable as Ultraman!" he muttered to himself.
However, if you can unleash the power of level 40 at level 1, what's there to complain about?
While 10 seconds might not be enough for a drawn-out battle, it's more than sufficient to change your fate at critical moments.
Another mystery had also been solved. The progress bar behind "Ultimate Form" functioned like "anger" or "energy." Only when full could the skill be activated, and after use, it required a recharge.
The recharge time? About three days.
"Hua La La!"
The chaotic sound of footsteps echoed from above.
Aoki looked up.
"You're only arriving now? Budo and the Guards have really been slacking off."
He had pierced through the mountain and destroyed the palace. It would've been strange if the people outside hadn't reacted.
In fact, the response was slower than he had expected.
A group of armored soldiers stood above the cave entrance, cautiously peeking down.
Aoki was about to teleport away but paused, a thoughtful look crossing his face.
Where did these soldiers come from?
He had been to the palace several times.
While he wouldn't claim to know it like the back of his hand, he did have a decent understanding of it.
But he had never seen this type of armor before.
Did Budo transfer these people from outside?
However, their strength was far below that of the Guards. What was the point of mobilizing them?
As he pondered, he overheard a conversation from above.
"What happened?"
"Sir, the palace suddenly collapsed here. When we arrived, we found a deep pit below, and there's someone inside!"
"There's someone in the pit?" A beautiful woman with short silver hair appeared at the entrance. She wore an eye patch over her right eye and had a mechanical arm on her left. She exuded competence and authority.
"Najenda?"
Aoki was stunned.
Najenda, standing at the cave entrance, froze for a moment before also showing a surprised expression.
"Aoki?"
In a flash, Aoki appeared next to Najenda, startling the surrounding soldiers, who instinctively raised their weapons.
"Stop, he's not an enemy!"
Najenda quickly ordered the soldiers to lower their weapons, then looked at Aoki in amazement. "Aoki, why are you here?"
"Shouldn't I be asking you that?"
Aoki glanced at the soldiers, then asked, "Has the Revolutionary Army overthrown the empire?"
"Yes, thanks to you," Najenda replied.
Aoki realized something. "How long have I been gone?"
Najenda replied seriously, "You've been missing for almost a month and a half!"
"A month and a half?!"
Aoki was genuinely surprised.
It seemed that the blood fusion and body transformation had taken longer than expected.
Luckily, he was a demon.
If he had still been human, he likely would've starved before the transformation was completed.
Najenda looked down at the cave, her eyes scanning the area. "I can't believe there's such a huge cave here. We've controlled the palace for over a month and never noticed it!"
"Not many in the empire know about this place," Aoki replied.
Najenda had several questions on her mind but chose to stay silent, her gaze shifting away.
"We've been searching for you for over a month. We scoured the entire capital but couldn't find any trace of you. We didn't expect you to be in the palace all along."
"Searching for me?" Aoki raised an eyebrow, surprised. Did the Revolutionary Army really value him that much?
Najenda said seriously, "You made a great contribution to overthrowing the empire so quickly. We certainly couldn't stand by and let you vanish without reason."
Although Aoki wasn't too concerned, her words were indeed quite comforting.
"I'm sorry to trouble you. By the way, how's everyone doing?"
He subtly emphasized the second "you."
Najenda caught on and replied, "It was a tough battle, but thankfully, everyone made it through safely."
Aoki couldn't hide his surprise.
No one died during the night raid?
He hadn't expected them to perish, but he had been worried something might have happened to them.
After all, the deal promised by the night raid hadn't yet been fulfilled.
He originally planned to hunt down super dangerous species before the war began.
But instead, he overslept.
He thought he was going to lose out, but unexpectedly, the situation had taken a sudden turn.
Still, was it reasonable?
"What about Esdeath? How did you manage to kill her?" he asked.
Najenda's expression became serious, and she shook her head. "Esdeath isn't dead."
"Esdeath isn't dead?"
An absurd thought crossed Aoki's mind: "Did you capture her alive?"
Najenda shook her head. "How could Esdeath be captured? In fact, we didn't even fight her."
"What do you mean?" Aoki grew even more curious.
"Esdeath disappeared at the same time you did, and she hasn't resurfaced since."
Najenda said this solemnly.
They had long suspected that something had happened between Aoki and Esdeath.
But now, it seemed their guess was wrong.
Aoki appeared to know nothing about Esdeath's whereabouts.
The fact that both of them disappeared simultaneously was, in reality, a coincidence.
"Disappeared?"
This answer took Aoki by surprise.
Esdeath must have left on her own accord.
In this world, the only person who could truly threaten Esdeath's life was Akame.
More than a month ago, even Aoki had been close to that point.
However, judging by Najenda's words, it was clear that they knew nothing about Esdeath's disappearance either.
How could Esdeath, a war fanatic, miss the grand battle between the Empire and the Revolutionary Army?
What could she possibly be doing?
Najenda added, "For the past month, finding Esdeath's whereabouts has been one of our priorities, but we haven't turned up anything."
To the new nation, Esdeath was no longer just a "hidden threat."
As long as she was alive, the country would never truly be at peace.
Aoki wasn't surprised by this.
Humans may be the dominant species in this world, but they are far from having full control over it.
There are still many dangerous species outside the cities and vast uninhabited areas.
Some secret realms are even considered death zones for humans.
If Esdeath didn't want to be found, no one would be able to track her down.
The real question was, why did she disappear?
"What a pity."
Aoki felt a twinge of regret.
He had really hoped to bring Esdeath along.
With his current strength, combined with the full force of the night raid, he stood a good chance of dealing with those four super dangerous species.
But with Esdeath's help, it would have been even safer.
After dealing with the super dangerous species, it would've been the perfect time to settle his conflict with Esdeath.
For him, it would've been a win-win.
Unfortunately, Esdeath's mysterious disappearance had caused his plan to fall through.
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T/N: There is a patreon for this work, and any new work I add will be dropped there first. check it out for an early access of 40 chapters.
Patreon link:- patreon.com/ANelite
And also:
Imperial weapon = Teigu
Teigu = Imperial weapon