Stella: "There's quite a crowd. I thought this was a rescue mission, why isn't anyone taking action?"
Saeko Busujima: "Rei Ao has already gone ahead."
Akame: "Yes, he's infiltrating the Imperial Capital."
At this moment, Rei Ao stood atop the center of the Imperial Palace, overlooking the city. With a surge of energy, he amplified his voice and shouted:
["Night Raid's Mine, your comrades sent me to rescue you. If you can hear this, shout out your location!"]
His voice roared like a dragon's cry, echoing throughout the entire Imperial Capital. In an instant, the city was roused from its slumber as lights flickered on and soldiers began shouting.
The members of Night Raid were left speechless, and even the chat group participants were taken aback.
Stella: "Is this... infiltration?"
Mai Sakurajima: "Uh, Rei Ao said it was an infiltration when he left."
Ayame Yomogawa: "This…"
Everyone was stunned by Rei Ao's method of "infiltration," feeling both amused and shocked. Inside the Imperial Capital, from the lowliest soldiers to the Emperor himself, everyone was awakened. The city was soon ablaze with light as soldiers formed ranks, searching for the source of the noise. Unfortunately for them, no one thought to look up where Rei Ao hovered above the palace.
Inside a special prison cell in one of the palace's wings, a girl with pink twin-tails and a matching pink dress sat in the corner—Mine, the captured member of Night Raid. She was filled with despair.
Captured by the Empire, Mine held onto the hope that her comrades would come for her. But the Empire had anticipated this, laying a trap to lure Night Raid out, setting a web of defenses all around the capital. Even the seemingly fragile girl guarding her cell was a powerful Teigu user.
"Hey, Night Raid member," the black-haired girl standing outside the bars said, her voice cold. "Have you seen my sister?"
"…?"
Mine looked up in confusion. The slender girl in the sailor uniform, with a sword at her waist, stared at her intently. After realizing the girl was talking to her, Mine asked, "Your sister?"
"Her name is Akame," the black-haired girl said nonchalantly, mentioning a name Mine knew all too well.
"!!!"
Mine's eyes widened. "You're Akame's sister?!"
She had never heard Akame mention having a sister before. Wait—if this girl was Akame's sister, maybe she'd show her some mercy?
Feeling a flicker of hope, Mine approached the bars. "If you're Akame's sister, what's your name? I'm Mine."
"Kurome," the girl replied flatly.
Mine's eyes brightened. She saw an opportunity for negotiation.
"Since you're Akame's sister, could you let me go? I can take you to see her!"
"…"
Kurome stayed silent for a moment before asking, "Are you and my sister close? Do you think she'll come to rescue you?"
"Yeah… Akame will definitely come to save me," Mine replied, her voice tinged with sorrow. "But it's really dangerous, so you should let me go to protect your sister!"
However, what she saw next was Kurome's twisted smile.
"Hehe, so my sister will come, huh?"
"Great, I'll get to kill her with my own hands."
"?!"
Mine was dumbfounded. This wasn't the response she had expected. Why did Akame's sister harbor such a murderous intent toward her?
She felt her last shred of hope slip away. Falling from heaven to hell in an instant, Mine's despair deepened.
["Night Raid's Mine, your comrades sent me to rescue you. If you can hear this, shout out your location!"]
The deafening voice echoed through the palace, shaking the very ground.
"Was that an earthquake?!" Mine gripped the iron bars in shock. That voice—it was calling for her! Someone really had come to rescue her, but why were they being so loud? Weren't they just giving themselves away?
She turned to Kurome and asked, "Is this part of your plan too?"
She assumed it was an Imperial ploy to lure out Night Raid. However, Kurome tilted her head, looking genuinely puzzled.
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"Huh?"
Kurome's expression didn't seem fake, leading Mine to wonder if her rescuers were actually real. She thought for a moment before taking a deep breath and shouting at the top of her lungs, "I'm here!!!"
"Oh, there you are," Rei Ao smirked as he locked onto Mine's location.
"Looks like I can complete the trade easily. Time to begin the 'infiltration.'"
"What the hell is that?!" Leone shouted as she saw a red dot in the sky rapidly growing larger.
In just the blink of an eye—
"!!!"
—a massive, nearly 100-meter-tall creature soared over the Imperial Capital. Its vast wings blocked out the sky, its long, muscular tail swayed menacingly, and its sharp claws gleamed with a deadly edge. Its massive body was covered in crimson, fire-like scales, and with each breath, flames flickered, casting the skies in a fiery glow. Atop this behemoth was a dragon's fearsome head, snarling as it exhaled waves of fire.
~~~
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