"As you live you lose reasons and hope. But as you keep on going, you pick up new reasons and hope."
— Asta, Black Clover
<><><><>
~ If you like the story, please leave a review :)
~ Push the Story forward with your [Power Stones]
<><><><>
BOOM!
A golden beam of energy erupted before Dr. Stylish and his companions, halting their escape.
"Damn it! It seems they won't let us go that easily," Dr. Stylish growled, his face contorted in frustration.
"Dr. Stylish, we will protect you!" his two bodyguards, declared, standing before him.
"No, no, no. You two can't possibly withstand so many Teigu users," Dr. Stylish said, shaking his head. He seemed to be contemplating something drastic.
He hesitated for a moment, then pulled out a syringe filled with a strange liquid, a crazed look in his eyes.
"Secret technique number two... it seems I have no choice."
He plunged the syringe into his arm, injecting the liquid into his body. His form started to distort and bubble ominously.
"It's coming... it's coming... it's coming..."
"This is the ultimate fashion!" he screamed, his voice a mixture of madness and triumph.
Dr. Stylish's body rapidly expanded, growing into a grotesque giant, dozens of meters tall.
"Magnificent!"
"As expected of Dr. Stylish!"
his two bodyguards gazed up at the transformed Dr. Stylish, completely oblivious to the danger they were in.
"You are valuable nutrients! Become one with me!" Dr. Stylish roared, grabbing his two bodyguards and stuffing them into the gaping maw that had appeared on his monstrous form.
After a sickening crunching sound, Dr. Stylish's body grew even larger, reaching a hundred meters in height.
The Night Raid members stared in shock.
"He's a monster!" Chelsea exclaimed.
"How disgusting!" Mine grimaced.
"I'm quite interested in his corpse," Kurome commented, her eyes gleaming with morbid curiosity.
She was considering whether to add this giant to her collection of corpse puppets.
"He's just a big oaf with too many weaknesses. Watch this!" Roy scoffed, unimpressed by Dr. Stylish's transformation.
"Secret Art: Ice Thousand Armed Kannon!"
He raised his hand, and a chunk of ice materialized in the sky.
The ice expanded rapidly, transforming into a colossal Kannon statue, a thousand meters tall.
The Kannon statue moved, its countless arms reaching towards the hundred-meter tall Dr. Stylish.
Compared to the Kannon, Dr. Stylish was like a mere child.
A barrage of punches rained down on him.
Dr. Stylish looked up in terror, his screams echoing through the battlefield.
"I still have so many human experiments to conduct! I can't die here!"
But his pleas were cut short as the Kannon's fists obliterated him.
When the dust settled, a massive crater, a kilometer wide, marked the spot where Dr. Stylish had stood.
There was no trace of the giant, only some unidentifiable liquid remaining.
The Night Raid members were awestruck by Roy's overwhelming power.
The thousand-meter tall Kannon, unleashing a relentless barrage of punches...
It was a display of brutal beauty, leaving them speechless.
"A-Amazing..."
"He's... so strong!"
"As expected of Roy-sama!"
...
Roy looked around, making sure everyone was safe. "Is everyone alright?" he asked.
"We're fine!" they replied.
"Roy, that was incredible!" Leone exclaimed, throwing her arms around Roy's neck. "You were amazing!"
"Haha, it was nothing," Roy said modestly, though a hint of pride flickered in his eyes.
The others were speechless.
A thousand-meter tall ice giant was "nothing"? What would he consider a real challenge?
Just then, a gust of wind swept through the area.
A Danger Beast resembling a flying fish appeared in the distance.
"Look, what's that?" Mine pointed towards the sky.
"Don't worry, it's Boss. She's back," Roy said with a smile.
As the flying fish Danger Beast approached, they could see Najenda standing on its back, accompanied by a cloaked figure.
"Yo! It seems everyone is alright!" Najenda greeted them, jumping off the Danger Beast with her companion.
"Boss, you're finally back!"
"Welcome back!"
"Boss, who's that with you?"
...
The Night Raid members chattered excitedly.
Najenda smiled. "Alright, let me introduce you."
She pulled back the hood of the cloaked figure, revealing a man with blue hair, horns, and a neatly pressed white suit.
"This is the new Teigu I received from headquarters: Speed of Lightning: Susanoo."
"A humanoid Teigu? Amazing!" Leone exclaimed.
The others also stared at Susano'o in awe.
"Now, now, let's not get distracted. I received a warning from the oracle at headquarters about a potential danger here, so I rushed back," Najenda explained, then looked around at the traces of battle. Her eyes widened as she saw the kilometer-wide crater.
"It seems the battle is over, but it must have been quite intense."
The Night Raid members, understanding her unspoken question, looked at Roy.
"Haha, don't worry, Boss. We're all fine! That's all that matters," Roy said with a dismissive wave of his hand.
"Indeed," Najenda agreed, not pressing further.
"Since the enemy managed to find us here, this base has been compromised," she continued. "So, everyone, pack your things. We're leaving tonight."
"Yes!"
They quickly gathered their belongings and boarded the flying fish Danger Beast, heading towards a new location.
...
After traveling a safe distance, Najenda landed the Danger Beast.
"Eh? Boss, there's nothing here!"
"Are we camping in the wilderness? No way... I want to take a hot bath!"
"Me too..."
Mine and the others complained, seeing the barren surroundings.
"Don't worry, everyone. We'll have a new base soon," Najenda reassured them.
"I'll show you the special ability of my new Teigu."
"Special ability?"
The Night Raid members were confused.
Roy sighed inwardly. He knew that Najenda's so-called "special ability" was just household chores.
"Susano'o, do your thing!" Najenda commanded.
"Yes, ma'am!" Susano'o replied, then got to work.
He started by cutting down trees and building a house. Within a few hours, a large, comfortable house was constructed, much to everyone's amazement.
If ordinary workers had been tasked with this, it would have taken them at least half a month.
Susano'o then prepared a delicious meal in no time.
The Night Raid members enjoyed the feast, then retired to their rooms for a good night's rest.
<><><>
Peaceful days returned.
Roy spent his time with Kurome and Akame, hunting Danger Beasts and gathering ingredients.
He also teased Mine and Chelsea, enjoyed lap pillows from Sheele and Leone, and generally reveled in the company of his new companions.
<><><>
Meanwhile, after Dr. Stylish's unauthorized attack, Esdeath discovered his disappearance the next day.
She also found that some of the research materials in his lab were missing.
Following the trail left by Dr. Stylish, she found Night Raid's hideout, but it was already abandoned.
Esdeath returned to the Capital, disappointed.
However, she didn't know that not all of Dr. Stylish's research materials had been taken.
Some of the remaining materials and Danger Beasts were now under the control of Syura, the son of Minister Honest.
Syura was as cruel and depraved as his father, if not more so. He was also lecherous and arrogant.
Using his father's influence, he committed all sorts of atrocities.
He possessed the Teigu "Dimensional Formation: Shambhala," a spatial teleportation device.
After taking control of Dr. Stylish's remaining humanoid Danger Beasts, he sent them to attack merchants and civilians around the Capital.
His goal seemed to be to lure out Night Raid.
...
A few days later, Najenda gathered everyone in the meeting room.
"Our target this time is a new type of Danger Beast that has been appearing around the Capital," she announced.
"They mostly travel in packs, and some even possess intelligence. They're incredibly strong and attack everything in sight."
"Many martial artists who tried to challenge them have been defeated."
"Although the Jaegers and the Imperial soldiers are constantly fighting them, their numbers haven't decreased."
"So, our mission is to eliminate these Danger Beasts."
The Night Raid members discussed the mission.
"Even the Empire's full force couldn't eliminate them. It doesn't seem like a trap," Mine commented thoughtfully.
"To put it bluntly, this mission is helping the Empire. Any objections?" Najenda asked, lighting a cigarette.
"According to Boss, those Danger Beasts must be eliminated," Akame declared, readily accepting the mission.
"There's a special reason for this. Even if it means helping the Empire, it's necessary," Sheele agreed.
"Well, I don't mind helping the Empire, but I hope we don't encounter any Imperial soldiers," Leone said with a shrug.
Everyone stared at her as if she were an idiot.
"We're Night Raid, Leone. Of course, we'll operate at night when the Imperial soldiers are resting," Najenda said, rolling her eyes.
Leone finally understood and blushed in embarrassment.
"Sigh, risking our lives to eliminate Danger Beasts in the Capital? Shouldn't we leave this to the Jaegers? You guys are so naive," Chelsea commented, leaning against the wall with her arms crossed.
Everyone was silent for a moment.
"Chelsea, you're wrong. You're just... lacking in vision," Roy said with a chuckle.
"Eh?" Chelsea looked at him, confused.
"Who said this mission is about helping the Empire?"
Roy smirked. "The Empire will be ours soon. Eliminating these Danger Beasts is helping ourselves."
The Night Raid members' eyes widened in realization. Even Najenda hadn't considered that.
"So, helping the Empire is helping ourselves?" Chelsea asked, understanding dawning on her.
"Exactly," Roy confirmed with a nod.
"Since everyone agrees, let's form teams and begin the mission," Najenda declared.
"Sheele and Mine, Akame and Leone, Lubbock and Bulat, Roy and Saeko..."
"Wait, wait!" Kurome suddenly interrupted.
"I want to be on Onii-chan's team!" she declared, clinging to Roy's arm.
"Kurome, don't be so selfish," Akame scolded.
"I don't care. I want to be with Onii-chan," Kurome insisted.
"Let her be on my team," Roy said, gently patting Kurome's head.
After becoming a Devil, Kurome had become quite attached to him, even more so than to Akame.
"Fine," Najenda sighed.
"Then Chelsea, you'll be with Saeko."
"Yes!"
Najenda assigned them their areas of operation.
...
That night, Night Raid set out.
To save time, Roy and Kurome spread their Devil wings and flew to their designated area.
They landed on a barren, rocky mountaintop.
"This should be the place," Roy said, his senses detecting the presence of several Danger Beasts.
"They're over there, Kurome. Let's go!"
"Yes, Onii-chan!"
They quickly reached the Danger Beasts.
There were three reptilian creatures.
"Onii-chan, leave them to me," Kurome declared, drawing her Teigu
"Okay, good luck," Roy encouraged her with a smile.
Kurome smiled back and charged towards the Danger Beasts.
The three creatures were quite strong, possessing the power of Middle-Class Devils, but they were no match for Kurome.
Within moments, she had slain them all.
Just then, a flying-type Danger Beast approached from the distance.
"It's Esdeath!" Roy recognized her instantly.
Esdeath also noticed them and steered the Danger Beast towards them.
He felt a headache coming on. How was he going to explain this?
Well, I guess it's time to come clean.
Boom!
As the flying Danger Beast reached them, Esdeath jumped off, landing with a powerful impact that created a large crater.
"Roy, I've finally found you again! I'm not dreaming, am I?" Esdeath exclaimed, her cheeks flushed as she stared at him.
She rushed towards Roy and embraced him tightly.
"Uh..." Roy awkwardly patted her back.
Kurome, however, wasn't happy about her brother being hugged by another girl.
"Let go of Onii-chan!" she shouted, pushing Esdeath away and standing protectively before Roy.
"Kurome, Roy is my beloved. I won't hold back, even against you," Esdeath declared coldly, drawing her sword and pointing it at Kurome.
"Hmph! I won't let you have Onii-chan!" Kurome retorted, drawing her Teigu.
Her strength was now comparable to Esdeath's. She wasn't afraid.
A tense standoff ensued.
Roy quickly intervened.
"Esdeath, calm down. And Kurome, you too..."
He pulled Kurome behind him, and she obediently sheathed her Teigu.
Esdeath also calmed down.
"Roy, Kurome, why did you leave the Empire?" she asked, wanting to understand their sudden departure.
"Haven't you figured it out yet, Esdeath?"
"We're Night Raid," Roy revealed.
"I only joined the Jaegers to bring Kurome back."
"I see... Night Raid..." Esdeath murmured, her expression hidden by her hat.
Then, she looked up with a smile. "Well then, I have no choice but to capture you."
She moved to attack.
"Wait, Esdeath..." Roy stopped her.
"I know I can't convince you to leave the Empire..."
"But for those of us who believe in strength, it doesn't matter who we serve, right?"
Esdeath nodded in agreement.
She was a general in the Empire simply because she enjoyed the thrill of battle.
"In that case, let's have a battle tomorrow, right here. Night Raid versus the Jaegers," Roy proposed.
"If we win, you'll submit to me."
"And if you win, we'll submit to you. How does that sound?"
Esdeath grinned confidently. "Very well. I accept your challenge."
She was incredibly confident in her strength.
Moreover, she believed in survival of the fittest, the strong ruling the weak.
This kind of battle was exactly what she desired.
Roy had proposed this challenge because he didn't want to waste any more time.
His mission in this world was almost complete.
<><><><>
Support & Read 18 Advanced Chapters. Ahead of the rest!
https://p-atreon.com/dragonnx
(Just remove the hyphen to access Patreon normally.)
Apply this discount code : C8BD2
There is 9 Exciting Fanfics already available on my Patreon!