Sayo was not overly worried about Tatsumi. Although he generally did not return at night,
she could still see him every morning during training.
Yorii Tsugikuni led the way ahead, remaining quiet the entire time.
In fact, whether before or now, he had never been much of a talker.
A Sudden Change, a Clash with Night Raid
When he had been very young, people had once mistaken him for a mute because he spoke so little.
It was only after he grew a little older that things changed.
Although he had said nothing to Tatsumi, that did not mean Yorii Tsugikuni did not care about his disciple.
On the contrary, even though Tatsumi had shown no obvious abnormalities lately,
Yorii Tsugikuni could tell that he had clearly been somewhat absentminded.
It was as if he had something weighing on his mind.
Did something happen to Tatsumi at Aria's home?
As he slowly headed back, Yorii Tsugikuni fell into thought.
For some reason, he had always felt that there was something wrong with Aria's family.
There were too many contradictions surrounding them.
Boom!
The three of them slowly made their way back, and in the silent streets, only the wind could be heard.
But the silence did not last long before it was completely shattered. A flash of light flared, followed by a tremendous explosion.
"That was where we live."
"What happened?"
Yorii Tsugikuni looked at the flames rising in the distance after the explosion. He froze for a moment, then immediately charged toward them without hesitation.
He had a feeling that something had gone wrong there.
Sayo and Ieyasu asked no questions. They followed behind Yorii Tsugikuni and hurried toward the scene as well.
On the street.
Tatsumi held Aria in his arms as he frantically dodged a terrifying beam of light.
Watching the beam blast a massive boulder into pieces, he could not help but feel a chill run through his heart.
"Tatsumi, put her down."
"Today, no one can stop us from killing her."
Leone stood beside Mine, frowning at Tatsumi, who stood protectively before Aria.
If Tatsumi had not been protecting her, they would have already killed this false girl whose hands were stained with sin.
"Don't even think about it! I will protect Lady Aria."
"As long as I'm here, no one will hurt her."
Tatsumi stood firmly before Aria, but facing the three people opposite him, he had no confidence at all.
None of the three were easy opponents.
One possessed extraordinary swordsmanship, one had terrifying strength and agile movements, while the weapon held by the third was enough to make one's blood run cold.
"Leone, move aside."
"Since this brat isn't afraid of dying, let me finish him."
Mine raised her Imperial Arm, Pumpkin, and aimed at Tatsumi. They had delayed this mission long enough.
If they could not kill the target before them quickly, they would inevitably attract even more trouble.
That was something Mine did not want to see.
Hearing Mine's words, Leone shook her head and stepped aside.
Though she admired Tatsumi, she understood what mattered more.
Pew!
Mine did not hesitate at all.
The instant she locked onto Tatsumi's presence, the Imperial Arm Pumpkin in her hands activated.
The beam Mine fired was incredibly fast. From activation to reaching Tatsumi, the entire process took less than a blink of an eye.
Watching the sphere of light shoot toward him, Tatsumi instinctively wanted to dodge.
But in the end, he chose to remain where he was, because he knew that if he moved aside, Aria behind him would surely be killed.
The moment danger arrived, Tatsumi made the difficult choice to stand his ground.
Am I going to die?
But I haven't made anything of myself yet. I haven't brought enough change to my hometown.
As the sphere of light flew toward him, Tatsumi's eyes were filled with unwillingness.
He had only just arrived in the Imperial Capital. There were still so many things he wanted to do.
Yet all of it was about to come to an end.
Clang!
An incredibly sharp sound of a sword being drawn exploded through the dark night.
The beam that had been fired at Tatsumi, its intense heat warping the air, abruptly split in two just before him.
It was a flash of sword light that split the beam apart, cutting both the air and the beam cleanly in half from beginning to end.
At the same time, it saved Tatsumi.
Mine held the Romantic Cannon, still steaming in her hands, and stared in disbelief at the young man standing before Tatsumi with a sword in hand.
The fact that he could cut even the Romantic Cannon's beam in half was difficult for Mine to believe.
Her first thought was that the sword in the young man's hand was also an Imperial Arm.
"It's you... Yorii Tsugikuni."
Just as Mine stared blankly at the suddenly appearing young man,
Leone cried out in surprise.
Having met Yorii Tsugikuni before, she recognized him at once.
It was not because Leone had such a good memory, but because the markings on Yorii Tsugikuni's forehead were far too distinctive to forget.
"Brother Yorii, you finally came."
"They killed Father and Mother, and now they want to kill me too. Aria is so scared."
Seeing Yorii Tsugikuni appear, Aria hurriedly ran behind him.
With tears in her eyes, she pointed at Leone and the others, her voice full of fear and sorrow.
"End it!"
Seeing Yorii Tsugikuni cut apart the beam, Akame, who had remained silent at the side, stepped before him.
She did not waste any words. In an instant, she drew her Imperial Arm, One Hit Kill Murasame, and slashed at Yorii Tsugikuni.
In Akame's eyes, there were only friends and the dead. There was no third kind of person.
To her, Yorii Tsugikuni was preventing them from killing Aria, which made him an enemy of Night Raid.
Why would she hold back against an enemy?
Moreover, having just witnessed Yorii Tsugikuni slice through Mine's attack, Akame had classified him as a formidable opponent.
Therefore, she brought out all her strength.
Clang!
Clang, clang!
Clang, clang, clang!
Standing in place, Yorii Tsugikuni showed no change in expression as he faced Akame's incoming slashes.
He merely placed his hand on the hilt of his sword.
Akame's attacks were fast and tricky, and she held nothing back. Every swing of her sword whipped up fierce gusts of wind, while the shockwaves from her attacks snapped the surrounding trees in half.
In contrast, Yorii Tsugikuni faced Akame's volcanic assault like a lake without a ripple.
No matter how swiftly Akame attacked, a gentle swing of his sword was enough to easily block her strikes.
Furthermore, the angle of every blow was perfect, deflecting Akame's sword aside.
It was not that Yorii Tsugikuni did not wish to use his full strength against Akame's fierce attacks, but that he still had doubts in his heart.
Until he understood what had happened, he felt that fighting was meaningless.
A False Family, Yorii Tsugikuni's Stance
"Why did you kill Aria's parents?"
"Do you really think life is worth so little?"
As he casually deflected Akame's fierce attacks, a rare trace of anger appeared on Yorii Tsugikuni's usually calm and gentle face.
"We're out of time. Those Imperial lackeys are closing in on us."
"Move aside. I'll deal with him."
Mine stood on high ground, looking at the Security Force and Imperial soldiers converging on their position in the distance. Her tone grew urgent.
What should have been a smooth mission had become complicated because of Yorii Tsugikuni's appearance.
Seeing that Akame still could not end the fight, Mine began aiming the Romantic Cannon, "Pumpkin," at Yorii Tsugikuni.
Hearing Mine's words, Akame slashed once more, then used the rebounding force to retreat.
The instant Akame moved away, Mine activated the Imperial Arm Pumpkin.
A beam of light shot straight toward Yorii Tsugikuni.
The instant the beam was fired, its high temperature warped the air.
The intense light revealed everyone's expressions, which had been concealed by the night.
But although Mine's attack was fast, Yorii Tsugikuni, who had possessed the Clear World since birth, was even faster.
Before Mine's attack had even crossed the air, Yorii Tsugikuni had already disappeared from the spot with Aria and Tatsumi.
Boom!
Mine's attack struck the spot where Yorii Tsugikuni had been standing and exploded instantly.
The hard ground cracked apart beneath the blow, and mushroom-shaped clouds of dust rose from the earth.
Countless fragments of stone shot in every direction.
Like bullets, they smashed the surrounding plants into disarray.
"Are you determined to continue?"
Yorii Tsugikuni looked at Mine. His tone had shifted from faint anger to coldness.
Looking at the members of Night Raid before him, Yorii Tsugikuni took a step forward.
With Yorii Tsugikuni's movement, the entire ground seemed to tremble violently. An invisible current of air swept outward from him in every direction, while the aura of a primordial beast erupted fiercely from his body.
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