As a member of Night Raid, Leone knew very well about the Imperial Arms wielded by the Empire's generals. Thunder God's Wrath: Adramelech was the Imperial Arm of General Bude, the Empire's top general.
"Thunder God's Wrath: Adramelech..." Bulat, who had once been an Imperial general, was likewise very familiar with Budou's Imperial Arm.
It could be said that any soldier of the Empire knew about General Budou's Imperial Arm.
"That shrine maiden escaped from beneath General Bude's Imperial Arm?" Bulat began taking the matter seriously as well.
At first, it had only been because Akame wanted to find someone. Since it was a friend's request, they naturally had to put some effort into it.
But in the end, it had merely been a private matter. Now, however, it had clearly risen to the level of official business.
If that shrine maiden had been able to escape from the Empire's top general, then that alone demonstrated her strength.
The Empire's top general was not a position just anyone could hold. At present, the Empire had two strongest individuals, and both were top generals. To become one, one undoubtedly had to be among the Empire's strongest.
General Bude fully deserved his reputation as the strongest. Escaping from the hands of the strongest—put bluntly, that was the kind of thing one could brag about for a lifetime!
After all, if it had been someone incompetent, they would have been reduced to scraps by the general's first strike.
"That's right. If I didn't see wrong, that shrine maiden blocked General Bude's first attack and immediately left. General Bude didn't pursue her in the end and simply departed instead," Leone said calmly.
"That shrine maiden seemed to be called Hakurei Reimu. That was what I heard from the people nearby. The other one who liked wearing masks was called Hata no Kokoro. That Kokoro was also very formidable. She practically held back a biological Imperial Arm that could regenerate endlessly all by herself."
Leone's words shocked everyone.
Biological Imperial Arms were even more troublesome than ordinary Imperial Arms. Unless their cores were destroyed, they were not truly defeated. This was especially true for biological Imperial Arms like Koro, which could endlessly regenerate. As long as its core was not hit, it was no big deal.
Akame's One-Strike Kill - Murasame, for instance, could inflict a lethal curse poison with a single cut, one with no cure. But that Imperial Arm was completely useless against Koro, so even Akame found Koro extremely troublesome.
Of course, if they dealt directly with its owner, Seryu, she would probably be killed instantly.
"Oh, right. The man traveling with them was called Koizumi. Well, I cheated him out of some money for drinks before. If he sees me next time, he'll probably refuse to let that go. What a pain." As she said this, a trace of embarrassment appeared on Leone's face.
Bulat and the others simply rolled their eyes at Leone. They all knew what she was like.
Since nothing serious had happened, their Boss usually turned a blind eye.
Akame's pupils suddenly contracted, and a look of surprise appeared on her face.
"...Koizumi..."
Akame could not help placing her right hand over her heart. For some reason, hearing that name filled her with an indescribable joy, as if she had been searching all along and had suddenly found what she sought. Yes, that was exactly how it felt.
Had she been looking for him all this time? No... Ever since she woke up that morning, this name had lingered in her heart, keeping it restless. Yet when she heard Leone say that name, she calmed down.
The instant she heard it, she even felt a surge of excitement.
If Akame had not always been so composed, she would have jumped three feet into the air already.
"What's wrong, Akame? Is that person the one you're looking for?"
Although they found it strange that their friend had suddenly wanted to find someone like this, Leone and the others would still do their best.
If it really was him, then they needed to find him. And they could not afford to overlook such a powerful fighter. The Revolutionary Army was short on talent right now. If they could recruit someone this strong, overthrowing the Empire might become much easier in the future.
Thinking of that, Leone and the others all turned their eyes toward Akame.
After a long while, Akame slowly looked at the others and gently nodded.
Successful Retreat
Hata no Kokoro pulled Koizumi through the air toward the outskirts of the Imperial Capital. Halfway there, she noticed someone following them from the ground and accelerated.
After all, Kokoro was a Servant. Though she might not have been as strong as Reimu, she certainly had genuine ability.
Leone's tracking did not escape Kokoro's notice. Instead, it caused her to flee the Imperial Capital even faster.
There was no need to worry about Reimu at all. As long as Reimu could escape the Imperial Capital, she could use the connection of their contract to find Koizumi. Thus, Koizumi was not worried about Reimu either.
"Was someone following us just now?" Perhaps due to Remilia's power, Koizumi could vaguely sense someone tracking him from the ground. At the same time, Kokoro had accelerated, confirming his suspicion.
"That's right. I don't know who it was, and there was no hostility, but we must leave this place now. We can't let anyone follow us." Kokoro rarely said so much in one breath, causing Koizumi to glance at her again.
"That's true..." Koizumi gave a bitter smile. It seemed he really would have to live as a fugitive.
"What a shame... The masks are gone..." As she spoke, the mask on Kokoro's face changed into that of an elderly woman.
At the same time, Kokoro's tone became exceedingly weak, making one feel pity for her.
Koizumi smiled helplessly. This girl cherished her masks deeply, which was rather troubling.
There was nothing to be done. What else could they do if they could no longer remain in the Imperial Capital? Besides, they still did not know where this world's distortion had appeared.
They could not act recklessly just because Reimu and Kokoro were not weak. This Singularity might even produce some dark horse.
Koizumi had always believed in being cautious and not acting rashly. Moreover, he only had Reimu and Kokoro, two Servants, on his side. If someone resorted to human-wave tactics, he might truly be in trouble.
That was why Koizumi had his own reasons for choosing to leave the Imperial Capital. After all, if possible, who would want to leave?
He had only just barely managed to get familiar with the place, yet he was already being driven away. It was simply outrageous!
"Don't worry. No matter where we are, as long as we have materials, we can make masks. As long as there are people around, we can sell them. Don't worry, Kokoro..." Koizumi's lips curled slightly as he comforted Kokoro.
"...Thank you... Master!"
Kokoro's voice was full of excitement. Clearly, her mood was gradually improving.
Koizumi quietly watched Kokoro, and as though she shared a telepathic connection with him, she turned her gaze toward him.
Their eyes met as though sparks of lightning shot between them, stirring bursts of crackling energy.
Kokoro quickly turned her face away. However, perhaps it was merely an illusion, but Koizumi seemed to see her smile. It left him blank for a moment. Did I see that wrong?
But Koizumi quickly recovered. He had seen plenty in his time, after all. Kokoro's small change would not leave him stunned for long. He was merely surprised.
"By the way, Reimu should be all right, right? Just now..." Even with Kokoro's help in escaping the Imperial Capital, Koizumi had sensed the lightning in the sky. That powerful energy had made him tense.
Although Koizumi knew Reimu was strong, he could not stop himself from worrying.
"That energy was strong... but... it wasn't a match for the poor shrine maiden."
Kokoro spoke calmly, with no trace of concern.
In the past, Kokoro had lost her Mask of Hope, causing her emotions to run wild and the residents of the Human Village to lose hope. Reimu, as the resolver of the incident, had fought Kokoro before. Reimu was very strong—Kokoro could say that with certainty. Reimu had resolved incidents all the way here, so there was no way she would suffer a humiliating defeat in a place like this.
"That's good..." Koizumi sighed inwardly in relief.
Since even Kokoro said so, Reimu would undoubtedly be fine.
After all, Kokoro, who had fought Reimu before, was more qualified than him to judge Reimu's strength.
"Then... let's find a base first... Master, do you have any ideas?"
Kokoro spoke slowly, sweeping her gaze over Koizumi.
"We can't go too far from the Imperial Capital. I have a feeling there's something wrong with it. That energy just now was absurdly excessive. And I'm worried about Seryu as well. For now, let's find a hidden place near the Imperial Capital and use it as a base. As for anything else, we'll wait until we reunite with Reimu and ask for her opinion before deciding."
Koizumi also understood that one person's opinion was ultimately only one person's opinion. It would be better for everyone to decide together.
Kokoro silently nodded and brought Koizumi down into a part of the forest.
Koizumi landed steadily on the ground. At some point, Gungnir in his hand had dissolved into particles of light.
He stared at his hands for a long time, and the excitement brought by Gungnir's appearance gradually subsided.
Back in Fuyuki, he had a Master-Servant contract with the young mistress, so he could use her power. But now the young mistress had disappeared, yet he could still use it. What was going on?
Could it be that the young mistress had not disappeared and was still alive?
That was possible. Vampires were a race with tenacious vitality. How could she have been killed so easily?
There was another possibility: although the young mistress had been killed, her power still resided within his body.
And since he could summon Reimu and the others, that proved there was some kind of bond between them.
He had read in Chaldea's books that if one formed a bond with a corresponding Servant, one might be able to summon the Servant with whom that bond had been formed.
But how had he formed this so-called bond with them?
What if they were sleeping inside his body?
The young mistress and Yakumo Yukari had not been summoned by him deliberately, yet they had appeared on their own. That alone was strange.
So...
What if they had been sleeping inside his body from the start? Then it would make sense that he could summon them.
Thinking that, Koizumi could not help placing his right hand over his chest, as though he wanted to feel his heartbeat.
"What's wrong?" Kokoro naturally noticed Koizumi's unusual behavior and turned her gaze toward him.
Koizumi gently shook his head. Kokoro might not know about this. Reimu might know. From Yakumo Yukari's tone, it was clear that she and Reimu had a close relationship. The young mistress might know as well, though probably not much.
Just as Koizumi was pondering the matter, Reimu's figure appeared in the sight of Koizumi and Kokoro—Reimu had successfully retreated!
Training, Part One
Koizumi, Reimu, and Kokoro successfully withdrew from the Imperial Capital and established a base nearby.
The base was located in a dense forest not far from the Imperial Capital.
There were only three of them anyway. They could retreat at any time, so even if an army discovered them, there was nothing to worry about.
Besides, the most dangerous place was often the safest. Who would have thought they were still near the Imperial Capital?
At that moment, Reimu was dejected over having made a losing deal.
Meanwhile, Koizumi and Kokoro were conducting a very important experiment.
Looking at the fierce earth dragon before him, Koizumi could not help swallowing. He knew Kokoro was nearby, but...
There was no helping it. This was Koizumi's first time facing a Danger Beast alone. It was impossible not to be scared.
But... if he did not want to burden Reimu and the others in the future, he had to overcome this no matter what.
That was right. Koizumi had come here to build up his courage and improve his strength.
Ever since Koizumi learned that he could possess the power of those contracted to him, he had had this idea. Unfortunately, when he first thought of it, the young mistress had already disappeared. After that, he had barely had the time.
Back in the Imperial Capital, Ouka had seen him alone and tried to seize the opportunity to capture him.
If he had not suddenly used the young mistress's power, he would have become a burden to Reimu and the others.
So this time, he had to become thoroughly familiar with the power inside him. Now that he finally possessed the strength to protect himself, there was no way he could become Reimu and the others' deadweight.
Koizumi was no longer the same person he had been at the beginning. The old him had no purpose, no meaning in life, and understood nothing. He had seemed to emerge from nothing, only to return to nothing again.
But now, Koizumi had a purpose for action and a goal worth striving for, so—
Koizumi's eyes grew resolute. At the same time, some power within his body seemed to respond, beginning to stir.
Pink light formed into a spear and slowly appeared in Koizumi's hand, its tip pointed straight at the earth dragon before him.
As though sensing the hostility ahead, the earth dragon's already savage face became even more ferocious. It let out a roar that seemed to shake space itself, mixed with dragon breath, while a dragon claw swept toward Koizumi with lightning speed.
It was an attack that an ordinary person could never react to, but to Koizumi, it seemed abnormally slow.
His originally black eyes had turned blood-red. Beneath the perception of those crimson eyes, even speed that ordinary human eyes could not catch became unusually slow. This was Remilia's power.
He felt his blood boil as the power of a vampire fermented within his body.
Then, like a phantom, Koizumi's body rushed to meet the dragon claw. In the next instant—
The pink spear roared like a giant dragon, its tip stabbing straight into the opponent's palm.
"Pfft!"
Blood sprayed out like a fountain, and the earth dragon let out furious roars. Damage to a single claw would not make it give up. Beasts were like that—the more severely wounded they were, the more dangerous they became.
A cornered dog would jump over a wall. Human armies also understood that one should not pursue a desperate enemy too closely.
The giant dragon before him clearly belonged to that type. Even wounded, it could not be underestimated in the slightest.
Ordinarily, Koizumi might have made that mistake. But in his vampire state, he could see the opponent's condition clearly. It was dangerous. He could not lower his guard even a little. This was the powerful sixth sense granted to him by the vampire race.
Just as Koizumi expected, a roar like thunder erupted, and a shadow swallowed him.
This was the earth dragon's desperate final struggle. It stimulated its potential and increased its speed, appearing before Koizumi in the blink of an eye as its remaining dragon claw came down upon him.
The dragon claw had already reached above Koizumi's head, yet he showed no concern.
"Noble Phantasm, release! Vast Killing Array - Scarlet Nevernight!"
Koizumi put away Gungnir and spread his hands. Enormous crimson spiritual energy erupted from his body.
In an instant, a massive red cross shot into the sky. The violent sound was like a nuclear explosion, and the terrifying shockwave tore apart the ground within dozens of meters around Koizumi, while the sky itself seemed stained with a layer of blood.
Gradually, the red cross faded away, revealing Koizumi's figure.
Before you continue