"If someone told you to lay down your weapon and surrender, even if it was someone you were very close to, you wouldn't do it, would you?" The boy fell silent for a while before finally speaking.
The armored man could not help but nod, his tone carrying a little more agreement.
"You're right. If something went against my principles, then even if someone close to me stood before me, I would never lay down my weapon for them. After all, a real man cannot surrender to his enemy."
"...Yes." The boy nodded lightly, and the complicated emotions on his face eased somewhat because of those words.
"Then come on. I still need to catch you and report back to General Liver."
As he spoke, the armored man raised the polearm in his hand and pointed it directly at his opponent.
"General Liver... Now that you mention it..." Hearing those words, the boy muttered to himself. An inexplicable glint flickered in his eyes, as though he were pondering something.
"Then here I come—boy!!"
As he spoke, a sharp whistling sound tore through the air, forcibly interrupting the boy's thoughts.
The boy defended himself rather awkwardly while frantically complaining.
"Attacking without even introducing yourself first—is that a real man's style too?"
"I see, that's what you're hung up on. Then—I'm Bulat! Bulat the Hundred-Man Slayer, wielder of the Imperial Arm Demon Armor: Armor Manipulation!" After all, he was not someone who had to hide in the shadows. There was nothing wrong with announcing his name.
However, Bulat did not stop attacking while introducing himself. The polearm named Belvac moved with astonishing speed in his hands, while the boy gradually began to fend off his attacks.
"Oh, so you really aren't an ordinary warrior."
Bulat's gaze was razor-sharp, and the speed of his attacks did not slow in the slightest.
There was still a faint trace of hesitation on the boy's face, and his sword clearly lacked resolve.
"You can't fight properly while hesitating like that. Keep this up, and I'll catch you!"
Bulat could feel the hesitation flickering in the boy's eyes. He did not know why, but one thing was clear: the boy before him did not seem to want to fight him.
Not wanting to waste what could have been a fine battle, Bulat reprimanded him.
The boy froze for a moment. Then his eyes became firm.
His right hand swung his sword again and again, sword shadows flashing all around. Bulat immediately felt pressure bearing down on him.
His opponent had already reached general-class strength and might even be stronger than him. This was only a brief exchange, so nothing could be determined yet, but from the pressure the other party gave him, there was no doubt that he was a worthy opponent.
But why would such a powerful warrior do something so sneaky and petty?
Bulat could not understand it, but he would probably find out after capturing and interrogating him.
Still, whether he could capture the other party at all seemed to be a problem...
Beneath his armor, Bulat wore a smile brimming with fighting spirit. Earlier, as a warrior, he had not wanted his opponent to fight him while hesitating. As a result, he had made the other party stronger, which might be considered a dereliction of duty.
But since it was his own mistake, he would deal with it himself and take the other party down. Otherwise, he would be unworthy of his status as an Imperial general.
With that thought, Bulat wasted no words and swung Belvac at his opponent once more.
The Fierce Battle
The two weapons collided, sending waves of air surging outward.
Bulat's brows furrowed slightly beneath his armor, and a trace of gravity appeared on his face.
Remaining deadlocked like this was not a good thing. At least, that was what Bulat thought.
The enemy before him was no weaker than he was, perhaps even stronger, because—
"There's another weapon on your back, isn't there...? That weapon belongs to you too, but—"
For some reason, Bulat had been constantly concerned with the other weapon strapped to the boy's back.
If his instincts as a warrior were correct, the weapon on the other party's back was the key.
"The thing on my back cannot be taken out under any circumstances. At the very least, I can't use it against you."
As the boy said this, a solemn expression surfaced on his face, while the hand wielding his weapon did not pause.
Naturally, their battle attracted quite a few people. The guards of the estate only dared watch from the side.
This was not a battle they could interfere with. They would probably be dragged in and killed the moment they got close.
"So strong... As expected of Big Brother. Even I, as I am now, would find it difficult to defeat him, and..."
The boy's brows knitted tightly together. The attacks from his hand did not slow at all. If he relaxed even a little, he would probably lose. Despite having a human body, Big Brother was still this strong, and...
"There must be something hidden within this Imperial Capital. Otherwise, it couldn't have boosted Big Brother's strength by so much."
As the boy thought this, he reached for the weapon on his back several times.
But after a certain man's figure surfaced in his mind, he abandoned the thought.
He could use it against anyone, but he absolutely could not take out that weapon against this man alone.
And once he took it out, he would be completely exposed, because...
Thinking of this, the boy's gaze swept over Belvac in Bulat's hand, and he gently shook his head.
If two identical Imperial Arms appeared, the entire Empire would probably turn its attention toward him.
Now was not the time to expose himself. Even if his opponent was Big Brother, he still had to do what he needed to do.
With things so intense over here, Koizumi and the others naturally could not sleep either. Koizumi himself had barely lain down before being awakened by the noise.
He slowly walked out of his room with a dead-fish expression, feeling thoroughly annoyed.
A whole string of unpleasant things had happened lately. Was he cursed to clash with this Imperial Capital today?
"What's going on?" Ieyasu and Sayo seemed to have only just fallen asleep before waking up as well.
The repeated clanging made it impossible for them to sleep peacefully, so they had no choice but to come out and ask what was happening.
"Mr. Koizumi was woken up too?" Sayo could not help looking toward Koizumi, though she seemed to have almost no energy left.
Anyone could tell with one glance. Her eyes kept opening and closing, making it obvious that she was exhausted.
Koizumi nodded helplessly and sighed. "That's right. The noise outside is too loud."
Could there be an intruder? He had heard Seryu say that the assassin organization Night Raid was extremely rampant in the Imperial Capital.
While Koizumi was wondering about this, Aerya slowly walked up to the three of them.
"I'm sorry for disturbing you three honored guests." Aerya's face was filled with apology.
Koizumi and the other two hurriedly shook their heads. After all, the other party had taken them in, so they could hardly make demands over something like this.
"It's fine. It's just... what exactly happened? The noise outside is quite loud..."
Of course, Koizumi was merely curious. He really was just curious. Reimu and the others were not by his side, and he did not want to get involved in trouble. Although Aerya had helped him, he still had to know his limits when helping others.
"It's an intruder. Someone ran into our backyard, and we don't know what they are trying to do, but an Imperial general has already gone to stop them."
Aerya explained slowly, as if she were not worried at all about someone breaking into her home.
"An Imperial general? A single intruder actually brought out an Imperial general? It seems the Imperial Capital is very strict about public security." Koizumi could not help being slightly stunned. Was it not a little excessive to send a general after just one intruder?
Come to think of it, where was the Imperial Guard? Wasn't this supposed to be their responsibility?
How strange... Koizumi's brows furrowed slightly, though he did not care that much about it.
"Yes. The Empire never had any rebellions before, but recently, a traitor named Akame emerged from the Imperial Assassination Squad. That is why the Empire takes such matters very seriously. Even a single intruder is treated with great importance."
Aerya seemed to notice the confusion in Koizumi's eyes and explained with a smile.
Koizumi nodded in realization. So that was it. They had become this vigilant simply because someone had betrayed the Empire.
Kurome's older sister would probably have a hard time from now on...
Koizumi silently thought to himself. Hopefully, Kurome would be able to bring her sister back.
"How about we go help, Sayo? Maybe the Imperial general will notice us and bring us straight into the army."
Ieyasu suddenly spoke with shining eyes, turning his gaze toward Sayo beside him.
Sayo scratched her head, a troubled expression appearing on her face.
"Would that be alright? What if we disrupt things and accidentally let the intruder escape?"
Although Ieyasu had great confidence in his own strength, Sayo was very calm. The Imperial general was currently trying to capture an intruder. If they accidentally caused trouble, then it would not be a merit but a mistake.
Koizumi gave Sayo an appreciative glance. It was good for Ieyasu to have confidence, but he also needed to remain calm. Sayo's ability to stay composed like this was indeed a good thing.
Compared to the hot-blooded Ieyasu, Koizumi appreciated Sayo more.
She knew her own strength and did not act based solely on reckless passion. That was good.
"We're strong, Sayo!" Ieyasu said, appearing exceptionally confident.
"But we've never fought an Imperial general. How can we know how strong we are compared to one? We only think we're strong." Sayo spoke very calmly.
"We've also met General Esdeath, the Empire's strongest. We should understand the gap between us."
"That's true..." As if recalling their previous meeting with the Empire's strongest general, Ieyasu immediately deflated.
"Sayo is right. Let's get some rest first. There's an Imperial general here, and this is the Imperial Capital. We don't need to butt into things blindly..." Koizumi said, waving his hand as he headed back toward his room.
After watching Koizumi return to his room, Ieyasu and Sayo looked at each other in bewilderment.
Aerya revealed a gentle smile and slowly said,
"You should get some rest too. Staying up late is not good, especially for you, Sayo. It would be such a shame if that beautiful black hair of yours turned white from staying up late."
Listening to Aerya, it seemed as though she had an extremely fanatical pursuit of beautiful hair.
Sayo could not help placing her right hand on her hair, her expression stiffening slightly.
The next moment, the two thanked Aerya repeatedly before each returning to their rooms.
Akame's Stirring Heart
The boy leaning against a tree could not help letting out a breath of relief as he sheathed the sword in his hand.
He had almost drawn the attention of the other generals just now. If he accidentally drew Esdeath here, things would have been disastrous.
But then again, who had saved him just now?
That was right. The boy had been unable to escape on his own. Bulat was not weak to begin with, and he had also received a boost.
However, in the middle of their fierce battle, numerous scarlet light bullets had appeared behind the boy.
After the light bullets forced Bulat back, an unfamiliar yet pleasant voice sounded beside the boy's ear.
"Leave this place quickly! You'd better leave the Imperial Capital too! Fighting an Imperial general in the Imperial Capital is completely idiotic!"
The boy froze slightly before quickly choosing to heed the words of the person who had helped him.
Although this might mean trusting a stranger too easily, the boy still chose to trust his instincts.
"Are you still there? The person who saved me just now?" The boy called out to his surroundings, his tone carrying a trace of doubt.
After a long while, only the boy's voice echoed around him, as if he were the only one there.
The boy's brows furrowed slightly. Just as he was about to continue shouting in all directions—
"Instead of wasting time talking to me here, you should hurry and find your friend."
"Akame is heading toward the Imperial Capital. You should hurry and reunite with your old friend Akame."
As the voice fell silent, the boy's eyes immediately lit up. Akame was heading toward the Imperial Capital!
The next moment, the boy nodded with determination and headed in another direction.
If Akame was coming to the Imperial Capital, then he only needed to continue waiting near it.
On the outskirts of the Imperial Capital, within the border forests ten kilometers north of the city, lay deep mountains rarely visited by people due to the vast, endless woods.
Halfway up the mountain stood a tall house hidden beneath dense branches and leaves.
Inside one of the rooms, a black-haired, red-eyed girl slowly woke up, pressing her right hand against her head.
"Strange... Koizumi...?" The black-haired, red-eyed girl frowned slightly. That name bothered her.
After shaking her head, the girl slowly rose from the bed and walked outside.
"Akame, it's rare for you to wake up so late today."
As she passed through the hall, a valiant-looking woman whose entire right arm was mechanical spoke teasingly.
The black-haired, red-eyed girl—Akame—blushed slightly, then quickly concealed it.
Before you continue