"Huh?"
The sudden voice left Mine stunned. She saw the dragon's claw pause in front of the broken wall.
[Jump on.]
"???"
Mine finally realized it was the dragon speaking. And it was speaking 'to her'!!!
It seemed to be saying it had come to rescue her.
A dragon rescuing a princess? What kind of absurd dream was this?
Setting aside the bizarre idea of a dragon rescuing someone like in a fairytale, Mine glanced at the terrified soldiers and civilians beyond the crumbling palace walls. Her lips twitched.
'What kind of "stealth" is this?'
[Oh, and bring the girl behind you too.]
Realizing she was being addressed, Kurome immediately moved to draw her Teigu, 'March of the Dead: Yatsufusa'. But before she could act, an overwhelming force pressed down on her.
Boom!
The iron bars shattered, and the immense pressure overwhelmed Kurome, who was already physically weakened by the drugs. She collapsed, unconscious.
"Uh..."
Mine stared, dumbfounded.
[What are you standing around for? Carry her.]
"Oh... right, okay!"
Mine snapped out of it and quickly rushed over to hoist Kurome onto her back. She walked to the edge of the broken wall and nervously gulped as she looked at the giant dragon.
"Well, whatever happens, happens!"
Gathering her courage, she jumped onto Rei Ao's dragon claw.
"Stealth mission accomplished. Time to go."
Rei Ao flapped his massive wings, creating a scorching windstorm that knocked the gathering soldiers off their feet.
"It's flying toward us! Are we really safe?"
Seeing Rei Ao flying toward them, Leone activated her Teigu, 'Lionelle', her muscles swelling, and her eyes transforming into those of a beast. She even sprouted beast-like claws. With her heightened instincts, she sensed overwhelming danger.
"Demon Armor: Incursio!"
Bulat also activated his Teigu, 'Incursio', preparing for battle. Meanwhile, Lubbock trembled as he pulled out his Teigu.
"Don't make any sudden moves!"
Najenda stopped them from attacking. Facing such a powerful dragon, she too felt immense pressure, but she had no choice but to trust Akame and Rei Ao's companions.
A hot gust of wind blew over them as the crimson dragon approached. But suddenly, it began to shrink... until the dragon's form completely vanished.
Rei Ao descended from the sky, one person in each arm. He casually dropped them both.
"Ouch!"
Mine groaned as she hit the ground.
"Mine!"
Sheele immediately knelt beside Mine to check for injuries. Other than the small fall, Mine seemed unharmed.
…
[Ding! Trade complete!]
[Ding! You have obtained "One-Cut Killer: Murasame"!]
Rei Ao dusted off his hands.
"The trade is complete."
But Akame's attention was entirely on her unconscious sister, Kurome.
"Kurome!"
Akame cried out, rushing over. Meanwhile, Mine, rubbing her sore head, shot Rei Ao a glare for dropping her. Then she remembered something.
"Oh, right, Akame. This girl, Kurome, said she's your sister. Is that true?"
"..."
Akame was silent for a moment before nodding.
"Yes, she's my younger sister."
"Really?! But she said she wants to kill you!"
The others turned their shocked gazes toward Akame.
"..."
Akame bit her lip. She had already anticipated this outcome when confronting her sister.
…
"Night Raid! So, it really is you!"
Suddenly, a thunderous voice boomed from above.
Boom!
The next moment, a powerful figure descended from the sky, shattering the ground upon impact and sending dust flying in all directions.
As the dust cleared, a golden-haired man with a faux-mohawk, clad in heavy armor, emerged. His arms crossed, he coldly scanned the group.
"You've attacked the Empire. None of you will leave here!"
"General Budo!"
Najenda's eyes widened in alarm. As she feared, all the commotion had attracted this loyalist general.
"Najenda, traitor of the Empire, you will face judgment."
Najenda, a former general of the Empire, was well known to Budo.
"Heh, the Empire has long since rotted from the inside. A regime that exploits its citizens deserves to be overthrown."
Najenda sneered, discreetly signaling the others, especially Rei Ao's group, to prepare for battle.
She could already hear the Imperial army surrounding them. They needed to escape quickly.
But...
She noticed Rei Ao and his companions casually standing to the side, watching the scene unfold as though they were enjoying a show.
Rei Ao noticed her gaze and shrugged.
"Don't look at me like that."
"The trade is complete, so this has nothing to do with me anymore. Do as you please."
"???"
Night Raid was dumbfounded.
You stirred up this whole mess, summoned the strongest enemy, and now you're saying it has nothing to do with you?!
What kind of help is that?!
Budo glanced at the four unfamiliar individuals. They weren't on the wanted list, so he focused on Night Raid instead.
The dragon that had just invaded the Imperial Capital must have been the ability of one of their Teigu.
"Night Raid, surrender to the Empire."
Budo's gaze was icy as crackling electricity surged over his armor. This was the power of his Teigu, 'Adramelech: The Demon's Wrath'—an armor-type Teigu capable of summoning powerful lightning attacks.
For example, at this moment, Budo raised his hand, enveloped in lightning armor, and dozens of lightning bolts began to gather in the sky above, like the wrath of the heavens themselves.
If those bolts struck, the outcome would be catastrophic. Likely, only Bulat in his Incursio armor would survive the attack, while the others would be gravely injured.
~~~
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