"Angry?" Honest laughed as if hearing the funniest joke. "So what if you're angry? What are you going to do about it? Do you think I'm afraid of a little girl like you?"
"You're nothing but a fat pig, and you dare to speak so arrogantly," Kaguya said coldly.
The mention of "fat pig" immediately darkened Honest's face, flames of fury flickering in his eyes. Being called a "fat pig" was his greatest taboo, and anyone who dared to say it had been personally butchered by him.
"My apologies," Kaguya said with a mockingly apologetic tone. "I shouldn't have called you a fat pig."
"Now you want to beg for forgiveness? It's too late!" Honest sneered, his smile full of malice.
"No, I shouldn't have called you a fat pig because that would be an insult to pigs. You're far filthier and more disgusting," Kaguya taunted.
"You're asking for death!" Honest roared in rage.
The dragon raised its massive head and unleashed a beam of light from its mouth, hurtling toward Kaguya.
"A filthy creature like you shouldn't be allowed to pollute the world," Kaguya raised her hand calmly. "So, it's time for you to die."
Golden light gathered in Kaguya's hand, forming a colossal blade of energy, crackling with arcs of lightning. The air hummed with its immense power.
With a swift, decisive motion, Kaguya brought the golden blade down.
Golden Wheel Reincarnation Explosion.
The white beam of energy from the dragon was effortlessly sliced in half, splitting into two beams that shot off in opposite directions.
"What?!" Honest was utterly horrified. He tried to twist his bloated body to dodge, but it was too late.
BOOM!
The golden light flashed, followed by a thunderous explosion that echoed across the battlefield. The shockwave, like a roaring tidal wave, spread in all directions. The very ground shattered into dust, trees were incinerated, and even the clouds above were blown away.
It all happened in an instant, yet it felt like an eternity.
When Akame opened her eyes, she found herself in Kaguya's arms, but she didn't push her away. She was too stunned by the scene before her.
The battlefield looked like it had been struck by a meteor. The ground was flattened, the landscape scarred with craters and smoldering wreckage. The once-mighty Supreme Teigu, which had transformed into a dragon, now lay in two massive pieces on the ground. Beneath it was a deep trench, stretching to the horizon, a rift so vast it seemed endless.
The strongest Teigu in the world had been utterly destroyed with ease.
"It looks like it's over," Kaguya muttered, a bit bored. "All that talk, and in the end, he was just an arrogant fat man. I've never been that arrogant, and I could've wiped him out ages ago."
Akame, still in shock, stared at Kaguya. She knew Kaguya was powerful, but this was beyond anything she had imagined. To think that Honest, with the strongest Teigu, had been defeated so easily—it was unbelievable.
"Is it really over?" Akame asked quietly, still unsure as she gazed at the ruins of the Imperial capital.
Ever since joining Night Raid, Akame had fought tirelessly to bring down the Empire. But the Imperial Army had always been overwhelmingly powerful. Even Night Raid, one of the strongest groups in the Revolutionary Army, had struggled against them. Over the years, many comrades had fallen, familiar faces disappearing one by one, never to return from missions.
And now, with Honest—the source of so much suffering—defeated, Akame felt a strange sense of disbelief.
"It's not quite over yet," Kaguya chuckled lightly, turning her head. "You've been watching the show long enough. Isn't it time you made an appearance?"
"Of course you noticed me, dear," a voice came from the shadows.
Akame's eyes widened as she immediately pushed away from Kaguya, gripping her sword tightly, her face tense with caution. Emerging from the shadows was none other than the Empire's strongest general, Esdeath, her long, icy blue hair flowing elegantly as she stepped forward.
"And who is this?" Esdeath asked with a playful smile, glancing at the tense Akame. "Is she your lover, dear?"
"She's the one who's your lover!" Akame shot back angrily.
"Indeed," Esdeath replied with a seductive smile. "I am her lover."
"You're disgusting," Akame said, pointing her sword at Esdeath.
"Disgusting?" Esdeath chuckled. "What's so disgusting about a consensual relationship? Besides, little one, by the looks of it, you've never even been in love, have you?"
"That's none of your business," Akame blushed slightly.
"Ah, that explains it," Esdeath said with a mischievous twinkle in her eyes. "Love can be quite the experience, you know. Why don't you give it a try? I could even lend her to you for a bit, as long as you return her to me afterward."
"Only a pervert would want something like that!" Akame huffed.
"Excuse me, may I interrupt for a moment?" Kaguya cleared her throat, stepping forward. "I'd like to clarify something: I'm not an object, so I'm not available for loan."
As soon as Kaguya finished, she realized she had essentially insulted herself.
Esdeath, however, seemed unfazed by the strange phrasing. She let out a laugh, saying, "You can't understand it until you've experienced it. But once you do, you'll be hooked."
"Hooked?" Akame blinked in confusion, her mind briefly flashing to memories of her sister Kurome, entwined with Kaguya in bed, their bodies tangled together. The thought sent a flush of heat through her.
Suddenly, a noise from nearby snapped Akame out of her thoughts, her senses returning sharply.
"Who's there?" Esdeath's eyes gleamed with cold intent, her voice turning icy.
"It's me," came a weak, raspy voice. A blood-soaked figure crawled out from beneath the rubble—it was Honest, his once-bloated face now contorted grotesquely by his injuries. "Esdeath… help me…"
"Is that so?"
Esdeath's lips curled into a smile as she gracefully walked toward him. To everyone's surprise, she raised her foot and slammed it into Honest's stomach, sending him flying back.
"An ugly, filthy pig dares to interrupt me?" she sneered.