"...I'm coming for you..."
Though Merraid's gaze was filled with lust, and her voice was soft and seductive, devoid of any killing intent, in that instant, Najasho felt his entire body tremble. The dragonization effect of the Water-Dragon Sword had granted him a heightened sixth sense, and the overwhelming feeling of being targeted by a super-danger beast was one he'd never forget.
Run! We need to flee right now, or we'll all die.
Casting aside his pride, Najasho shouted, "Retreat, everyone!" He stomped hard on the ground, propelling himself in the opposite direction, running with all his might.
"You're not behaving, are you... A hunt, huh? I like it!"
With that, Merraid lightly stroked her lips with her sharp, purple-painted nails, and in the blink of an eye, her figure vanished from sight.
...
Watching as their leader indulged in her 'game' of playing the big bad wolf chasing after the little rabbits, Babara turned to glance at Daniel.
"Why are you here? Where's Chelsea? And why did the boss come back?"
"With all this commotion, of course, I had to come and check it out. As for Chelsea, she's back at the camp with the main force."
"The boss just returned from the western border. Judging from her frustrated look, and the intel Chelsea gathered by infiltrating the Empire's garrison, it seems that Esdeath has already repelled the invasion from the Western Kingdom..." Daniel mused.
"But, speaking of which, what's going on with the Western Kingdom lately? Their behavior has been so strange. They've always ignored us revolutionaries, but in the past few years, they've been oddly inclined to cooperate with us, even launching an attack on the Empire themselves..."
"It's too suspicious!" Daniel furrowed his brows in thought.
"Enough with your overthinking, Daniel! Doesn't living like that make you tired?" Babara interrupted impatiently.
Despite having been rejected when he confessed his love to Babara in their youth, Daniel's affection for her hadn't waned in the decades since.
"Fine, fine... Let's drop it for today. However, I do think the boss should capture a few of them alive for interrogation."
As the topic shifted, Daniel's gaze followed Merraid as she pursued her quarry.
"Hmph! You've already made up your mind, so why ask me? But... capturing a few prisoners to disgust that old fool Gozuki isn't a bad idea either..." Babara muttered, as she continued bandaging her wounds, agreeing with Daniel's proposal.
"Let's go... I'm sure the boss has already finished by now. This mission has been dragging on for too long."
...
BAM!
"Come at me, you monster, if you dare!"
As he ran, Najasho gritted his teeth. The Water-Dragon Sword's three-minute boost had ended, and he had reverted from his dragonized state.
Even with the special drugs supplied by Dr. Stylish numbing the pain, the intense exhaustion gnawed at Najasho's body and mind, slowing his pace.
Najasho knew he had become a burden to his team, their only hope of survival now resting on the trap that Green had prepared.
If that didn't work, his only option was to stay behind and fight, giving his comrades a chance to escape.
Green! You better not fail me now!
He glanced at a marking on a nearby tree and thought silently.
Suddenly—Squelch!
A sharp purple claw pierced through Najasho's chest, his blood splattering into the air.
"Sorry, I never go easy on men... Besides, what did you just call me?" Merraid's seductive figure appeared like a phantom behind Najasho.
As blood dripped onto the damp, leaf-strewn ground, the rest of the "Seven Elite" looked on in horror. Their eyes widened, and they cried out, "Najasho!"
They had promised each other they'd survive together, grow rich together, yet the first to fall was their strongest, their No.1!
"Najasho! I... I'll kill you!" Poney, his childhood friend, lost control of her emotions and screamed as she lashed out with a vicious kick aimed at Merraid's lower body.
-
"Poney!" Gritting her teeth, Cornelia also halted her retreat. With a loud shout, she activated her Shingu, [Crushing King], which unleashed a massive wave of air pressure as her fist barreled toward Merraid's face.
"Why resist… hmm? Surrendering to your big sister wouldn't be so bad, would it? I promise to let you experience the utmost pleasures of this world…" Merraid smiled, her voice filled with an eerie, seductive tone, as she easily blocked both Poney and Cornelia's combined assault. With overwhelming strength, she effortlessly restrained them.
"End you!"
With a sharp clang, Akame's blade, Murasame, glinted as she leaped toward Merraid, her movements like a streak of lightning aimed directly at the assassin's vulnerable neck.
Seeing Akame's imminent strike, Merraid released Poney and Cornelia, who collapsed unconscious, and calmly muttered, "Squirm, my pets."
Suddenly, a dark, buzzing hum filled the air.
The blade's path was interrupted as black specks coated its surface. Akame realized, to her horror, that a swarm of insect-like creatures had attached themselves to her weapon and body, immobilizing her.
"These are… insects?!" Akame's eyes widened in shock.
"Correct! I can control insect-type Danger Beasts at will," Merraid said with a wicked grin. "Now, rest, little one. Your big sister is here to take care of everything."
With one smooth motion, she delivered a swift chop to the back of Akame's neck.
Thud!
With a dull sound, Akame collapsed, her sword slipping from her fingers as she fell unconscious.
"Allow me to introduce myself properly. I may not wield an Imperial Arm, but I can control insects as easily as I breathe," Merraid announced, her voice laced with danger as she gently laid Akame's unconscious form on the ground. Her predatory gaze then turned toward the last remaining member of the Elite Seven.
"You monster! Ground Spikes!" Guy roared, his fists slamming into the earth.
The ground trembled as a series of sharp, jagged spikes erupted, tearing through the forest floor and racing toward Merraid. Guy, intent on buying time, manipulated the earth to create barriers between Merraid and the fallen members of the Elite Seven, giving them a chance to escape.
"Tsukushi, take them and go!" Guy shouted, his voice strained.
"But, Guy… you…"
"Just go! If we all stay, we'll all die! At least some of us need to survive!"
Tears welled in Tsukushi's eyes as she obeyed. With a glance at the battlefield, she swiftly picked up Akame, carrying her on her back. Then, with Cornelia and Poney under her arms, she disappeared into the forest without looking back.
Guy coughed up blood, his vision starting to blur. "Damn it… Naha, you're gone, and now, without even Green here… as the last man standing, I can't run away…"
He was already gravely injured. His Shingu, Rare Suit, gave him control over the earth and allowed him to tunnel through it. However, it could not create earth from nothing, and extended use, especially in his condition, had taken a heavy toll on his body. The bloodstains spreading across the white bandages wrapped around him told the story of a body pushed to its limits.
At the very least, he would ensure his death was not in vain.
"I'll hold her off right here! Ground Spikes!"