An Overwhelming Gap; Koku Shibo Gets Serious / A Fierce Late-Night Battle; A One-Sided Rout

Just as expected.

Along with a rapid series of footsteps, a burly figure appeared before Yorii Tsugikuni.

By the faint glow cast by the red lanterns of the pleasure district,

he could clearly make out the newcomer's appearance.

The man was clad in a suit of armor that looked exceptionally sturdy at a glance.

He tightly gripped an exaggerated red-bladed spear as he charged toward Yorii Tsugikuni with overwhelming momentum.

Beneath the triangular helmet, two eyes left faint yellow glimmers in the darkness, their gaze cold.

Like a predatory dragon staring at its prey.

The white cape behind him billowed relentlessly in the air, snapping loudly in the wind.

But this was only the beginning.

Immediately afterward, a razor-sharp flash of cold light abruptly appeared where Oka had just been sent flying.

That cold light was not especially fast.

Yet the aura it gave off was extraordinarily chilling.

It was a terrifying presence that could cut through anything, sever anything, and be stopped by nothing.

As though anything in this world was no more durable than paper before it.

Merely seeing it

made one's heart tighten and sent chills through one's entire body.

But.

This still was not the end.

A girl wearing a sleeveless, form-fitting combat outfit paired with a black short skirt suddenly emerged from the shadows.

Long black hair, a delicate upturned nose, lightly pursed red lips, and a pair of crystalline eyes like rubies.

All of those features combined

into a beautiful young girl with an exquisite, charming face. Yet there was no warmth in those eyes.

Instead, they radiated bone-deep coldness.

Under the flickering light of the night sky, her straight, slender, fair legs swayed beneath her short skirt, adding a touch of alluring temptation.

Yet the red-handled long blade in the hands of this girl, who otherwise looked so beautiful, transformed her entire image into that of a ruthless killer.

Curse, misfortune, gloom, coldness, darkness.

The onlookers nearby instantly felt as though they had been targeted by a venomous snake when they saw the long blade in the girl's hand.

A murky, poisonous aura continuously seeped from the blade, making them deeply uncomfortable.

Absolute Gap, a Serious Yorii Tsugikuni

In only the span of a breath or two,

Yorii Tsugikuni had already been surrounded by Imperial Arms Users.

Imperial Arms Users, Imperial Arms Users, Imperial Arms Users—nothing but Imperial Arms Users.

Looking around,

every enemy, before, behind, left, and right, was an Imperial Arms User.

Among them were even such beings as One Hit Kill Murasame and All Things Severed Soul, weapons whose offensive power could be called extreme.

All Things Severed was said to be capable of cutting anything in the world. Due to its immense hardness, it could also be used for defense, and it could emit a large, dazzling light as cover.

As for Murasame, there was even less need to explain.

He could not allow even the smallest cut on his body, or he would die.

There was even less need to mention Demon's Possession. As long as its user was somewhat cautious, even breaking through its defenses would not necessarily be easy.

And someone wielding the Romantic Cannon was sniping from afar.

Yorii Tsugikuni's current situation could truly be described as surrounded on all sides.

On a rooftop not far from this street,

Nadjeshda watched the scene before her with an icy expression.

"If you choose to stand against us,"

"then I'm afraid you'll have to forgive us."

Her nearly inaudible voice came from Nadjeshda's lips.

She had already tried to recruit this suddenly appeared expert from the Security Force, but there had been no result.

"You again?"

Akame looked at Yorii Tsugikuni, who stood in front of Oka, and frowned slightly.

She had encountered the young man before her quite a few times.

"Mr. Yorii Tsugikuni, please step aside."

Seeing Yorii Tsugikuni appear, Leone, who had rushed over from behind, spoke to him with some impatience in her tone.

This time, they had mobilized everyone. Besides the four of them, other members were assisting from the sidelines.

Thus, even in the face of the powerful Yorii Tsugikuni, Leone was not worried that they would be unable to defeat him.

"Sorry."

Yorii Tsugikuni did not say much. He shook his head.

He could not simply stand by and let Oka be killed by Night Raid before him.

Looking at the shattered walls and the panicked crowd around him, Yorii Tsugikuni's opinion of Night Raid changed once more.

They acted in the name of justice, but had they not also brought chaos?

He did not like this method of using killing to stop killing.

The instant Yorii Tsugikuni made his stance clear,

a great battle was on the verge of erupting.

There was no such thing as warming up.

When Night Raid fought, their first move was a killing move.

There was no probing.

In an instant, the members of Night Raid who had surrounded Yorii Tsugikuni attacked.

Akame, the black-haired, red-eyed girl in a black short skirt, was the user of One Hit Kill Murasame and a former ace assassin of the Empire's assassination unit.

Brood, the powerfully built user of Demon's Armor, was a former Imperial soldier known for having slain a hundred men.

Sheele, the purple-haired, purple-eyed user of All Things Severed Soul, had been born with a talent for killing.

The user of Lion Beastification could transform into a beast and drastically increase her physical abilities, renowned for her agility and strength.

Every one of these Night Raid members who wielded Imperial Arms was capable of taking on at least a hundred opponents alone.

Yorii Tsugikuni faced the joint assault of four people.

Moreover, he could sense someone watching him from some distant corner. It was likely Mine, the girl with that strange weapon.

Yorii Tsugikuni had not encountered such an intense battle in a very long time.

The last time had probably been when he faced that person.

Without saying anything further, Yorii Tsugikuni looked at the five people before him and gently rested his hand on the hilt of his Nichirin Blade.

Unlike the earlier fights, which had merely been sparring,

this time, Yorii Tsugikuni was serious. He could feel killing intent from the Night Raid members before him.

He did not wish to strike others casually, but that did not mean he would allow himself to be captured without resistance.

"Sheele."

Akame fixed her eyes on Yorii Tsugikuni and let out a sharp cry.

Both hands gripping Murasame tightly, she drew her right foot half a step back, making a faint sound against the ground.

At Akame's call, the group, who had worked together for a long time and possessed perfect coordination, immediately sprang into action.

Sheele, the purple-haired girl with glasses wielding All Things Severed, lowered her head slightly and bent forward. A cold white light gleamed off the lenses resting on her nose.

This girl, who was usually somewhat absentminded and clumsy in her daily life,

possessed astonishing talent and exceptionally sharp instincts in battle.

Her slender, long legs stomped heavily against the ground. Dragging the giant shears behind her, she looked like a nimble purple butterfly amid the neon lights of the pleasure district, carrying cold killing intent and a tragic beauty.

She charged toward Yorii Tsugikuni behind Akame.

Following after her was Brood, completely clad in the armor of Demon's Possession.

Although this soldier, known as the Empire's Hundred-Man Slayer, charged out alongside Sheele, his direction was completely different.

The sharp spearhead of Crimson Buteo in his hand let out a piercing shriek through the air.

It blocked Yorii Tsugikuni's retreat.

Behind Brood's charging figure,

Akame had already vanished. Like a venomous snake, she sought an opportunity to deliver Oka the final blow.

As for Leone, she was like a fierce tiger out hunting, waiting for an opportunity.

In only a moment,

the four had precisely assigned their roles.

They completed their pincer attack on Yorii Tsugikuni.

This extraordinary degree of coordination was a vital reason why Night Raid had always succeeded in its missions.

But this time,

they had clearly chosen the wrong opponent.

The first person Yorii Tsugikuni came into contact with was naturally Sheele, the girl with glasses. The qualities of All Things Severed meant that whether attacking or defending, Sheele could handle it well.

So when the group coordinated,

she was the most suitable choice to lead the charge.

But the instant Sheele closed in on Yorii Tsugikuni and prepared to swing All Things Severed in her hand,

Yorii Tsugikuni, who had remained standing in place without expression, slowly raised his head from the shadows, the red markings on his face concealed within them.

His calm, rippleless eyes met Sheele's purple pupils in midair.

There were no fierce sparks between them. Instead, a profound sense of despair gnawed at her from the depths of her heart.

What kind of eyes were those?

He was clearly only a young man not much older than them.

Yet those deep, dark eyes seemed to have seen through every facet of the world, filled with ancient weariness and indifference.

Merely meeting Yorii Tsugikuni's gaze,

Sheele felt as though she had experienced every painful suffering in the world.

Even Sheele, pure-hearted and always free of distracting thoughts in battle, could not help but tremble inwardly.

Midnight Battle, One-Sided Crushing

A young face, an ancient soul.