The Nobleman Leias / Instant Kill

A pair of blood-red eyes filled with savagery stared at Lia and Lie, while a huge, gaping maw roared at them.

Lia involuntarily stepped back. Seeing the enormous Danger Beast, despair filled her heart.

Then Lia stood in front of her sister and spread her arms. Though terrified, she resolutely shielded Lie behind her. She knew this was her duty as an older sister, so despite the tremor in her voice, she shouted, "Lie, run!"

"Big Sister... I... I don't want to run away alone!"

Lie knew her sister intended to sacrifice herself so that Lie could escape, but no matter what, she could not do that.

Clearly, the sisters were very close. No matter what happened, neither would abandon the other.

Behind Lia, Lie tightly hugged her sister and forced herself not to look at the Danger Beast.

She knew she was terrified, and she knew her legs were trembling at that very moment. But she also knew she absolutely could not abandon her sister and run away, so she made herself stop looking at the horrifying beast.

Because she was afraid—afraid that if she looked at that terrifying Danger Beast, she would be unable to stop herself from running.

She knew she could not do that, so she could only use this method to avoid the fear in her heart.

As long as she was with her sister, she believed that no matter how much fear she felt, it would vanish in an instant.

Lia immediately grew anxious. She could not let anything happen to her sister, for that was her duty as an older sister. Seeing that Lie would not listen to her made her even more frantic.

However, it was already too late for her to say anything, because the Danger Beast's attack had arrived.

Lia and Lie hurriedly clung to each other and shut their eyes, their bodies trembling violently.

Yet the pain they had imagined never came. Instead, a roar of extreme agony suddenly rang out. Before Lia and Lie's eyes, the mighty Danger Beast crashed to the ground, while two figures gradually emerged from the darkness in the distance.

Watching Lia tightly protect her younger sister, Akame was briefly lost in thought. Back when she had been in the assassination unit, she had protected Kurome in the same way. But Kurome now... perhaps she no longer needed Akame's protection.

Still, seeing this scene made a wave of sorrow rise uncontrollably in her heart...

The Empire's brainwashing had been too thorough. Kurome would never listen to Akame.

If Akame could have persuaded Kurome to leave the Empire so easily, perhaps their relationship would still have been as close as that of these sisters. Unfortunately, the relationship between Akame and Kurome had already grown this cold.

"You did very well. As an older sister, you must protect your younger sister properly..."

Akame looked seriously at Lia, her tone filled with praise.

Lia froze slightly and looked at Akame with a dazed expression, only able to nod gently.

Lie also stared blankly at Akame and Koizumi, confusion filling her eyes.

The dinosaur Danger Beast struggled on the ground. A particularly savage gash covered its body, and its blood had already dyed the earth red.

Koizumi held Gungnir in his right hand, his crimson eyes fixed upon the dinosaur Danger Beast.

"How low. You couldn't even block a single strike from me. I thought the Danger Beasts here would be stronger."

Koizumi lightly flicked Gungnir in his hand, mockery appearing on his face.

Inevitably, Koizumi had taken on some of a vampire's arrogance. After all, this power had been inherited from Remilia, and vampires naturally possessed a lofty attitude because of their bloodline. Remilia herself was famously proud, so Koizumi could not help carrying that arrogance when using this power.

At least in Koizumi's eyes, his bloodline was far more noble than that of a Danger Beast. It was only natural for him to feel such superiority.

Akame could not help glancing at Koizumi, doubt flickering in her eyes.

Strange. Why did Koizumi give off a completely different attitude whenever he used this power?

Simply looking at Koizumi made Akame feel as though she were seeing a blood-red world, with an aura of Bloodlust rushing toward her.

Akame tightened her grip on One-Strike Kill - Murasame at her waist. Koizumi gave her the same feeling as the resentful aura of those slain by Murasame. This was not power or an aura a human should possess, but that of a nonhuman.

But Koizumi was clearly not a nonhuman, so what exactly was going on with him in this state?

Doubt continued to flicker in Akame's eyes. Honestly, she could not understand Koizumi's current condition at all.

At the same time, Chelsea, who had been flying overhead, swiftly descended and suddenly transformed back into human form.

Chelsea could not help looking warily at Koizumi, her body trembling slightly.

The pressure from Koizumi's aura was overwhelming. Someone like Chelsea, who lacked normal combat ability, could not handle him at all, so she could only tremble like this.

Noble Reias

At this moment, Reias and his lackeys arrived before Koizumi, with Danger Beasts trailing behind them.

Their levels were low, so they were easy to capture? No, Danger Beasts were not that easy to tame. Some scientists had probably developed medicine capable of subduing certain Danger Beasts. Otherwise, this would not be possible.

Besides, there were actually some Danger Beasts that could be domesticated. The Revolutionary Army headquarters had tamed Danger Beasts as well. Traveling back and forth to headquarters was troublesome, so flying-type Danger Beasts came in handy.

These flying Danger Beasts were extremely convenient, so many people chose to capture them.

However, the instant many of them saw Akame, including Reias, their expressions changed drastically.

"Black hair and red eyes... it's Akame of Night Raid!"

Reias was, after all, a demon from the Imperial Capital and quite famous there. Night Raid was also a notorious group of assassins in the Imperial Capital; it could be said that everyone in the Empire knew of them.

Of course, among all the people on Night Raid's wanted posters, Akame was the most famous.

Her black hair and red eyes could be recognized at a glance. She was easier to identify than anyone else in the Imperial Capital.

Thus, the moment Reias and his lackeys saw Akame, they were all shocked and immediately backed away.

To them, Akame was like a death god who came to claim their lives, making their hearts panic.

"That's right... it really is Akame... black hair and red eyes!"

One of Reias's lackeys pointed at Akame while slowly retreating.

"Are they the mission targets? Well... they should be. At least, they're the only ones who would come here at this time." Koizumi rolled his eyes and pointed Gungnir at Reias and the others.

"They're the ones who threw you into this forest, right? They said they wanted you to taste despair?"

Koizumi looked at Lia and Lie, a smile appearing at the corners of his mouth.

Lia and Lie were both startled by Koizumi's appearance, because he truly looked terrifying.

His teeth were sharp and protruding. He looked like a monster that drank human blood, and his glowing crimson pupils alone made people's hearts tremble. One might even scream from fear just by looking at him.

But Lia and Lie forcibly suppressed the fear in their hearts and nodded wildly.

The young man who had seemed like a prince charming to them now looked like a demon. At that moment, they hated the handsome and elegant noble boy to the bone. What elegant noble? He was simply a demon that devoured human flesh and bones.

At least, that was how Lia and Lie saw Reias now.

As for the hateful lackeys at his side, who acted like bootlickers, they were equally unforgivable.

Like master, like servant. If those at the top were already rotten to this extent, how could those below be any better?

And it was clear that Koizumi intended to avenge them, so this was the time to nod as hard as they could.

Thus, Lia and Lie nodded frantically, their eyes filled with hatred as they looked at Reias.

All their initial gratitude toward Reias had vanished without a trace, leaving behind only intense hatred.

Koizumi nodded slightly. His crimson eyes turned toward Reias and his lackeys, while Gungnir's spearhead aimed at them. Enormous spiritual power erupted from his body, tearing apart the surrounding earth.

Akame could not help staring deeply at Koizumi before taking several steps back. Koizumi was very strong—at least stronger than she was...

The sheer scale of his aura cast waves of shadow over her heart. At the very least, Akame could not achieve that.

Seeing this, Reias's legs began to tremble. At the same time, he shoved the lackeys beside him forward.

"Hurry... hurry up and kill them! You came from Huang Quan Temple! You won't lose to that man, will you? And there are so many of you. That Akame is only one woman—don't tell me you can't even handle one woman."

Reias directly ignored Chelsea, because she looked utterly useless.

The people Reias had brought this time were experts from Huang Quan Temple. Huang Quan Temple had always been a place that trained elites, and Akame's father, Gozqi, had also come from Huang Quan Temple. Those who trained there generally underwent harsh training.

However, even among those from Huang Quan Temple, there were different ranks. The few men beside Reias were probably not particularly strong. The truly capable ones from Huang Quan Temple had generally been selected by the upper echelons.

Huang Quan Temple had always maintained a cooperative relationship with the Empire. Its experts would usually serve in Imperial positions.

Meanwhile, Huang Quan Temple disciples would selectively become guards for various noble families. Of course, some would join the Revolutionary Army as military officers, but unfortunately, all the experts had been snapped up by the Empire's upper ranks. Those from Huang Quan Temple on the Revolutionary Army's side were likely the lowest tier. From this alone, one could see just how large the gap in strength was between the Revolutionary Army and the Empire.

Speaking of this, the Revolutionary Army leader's judgment really had to be mocked.

Akame, Bulat, Leone, Mine, Sheele, Chelsea, Lubbock, Najenda, and Susanoo—Night Raid had so many talented people, yet they were stationed in a place like this as assassins instead of being sent to the battlefield.

The value they could bring on the battlefield would definitely be greater than the value they could bring as assassins!

And their goal was actually only to assassinate the minister. Yes, killing the minister might indeed reduce the Empire's corruption somewhat, but as an enemy nation, wouldn't it be better if the other side remained even more corrupt?

That way, peasant uprisings would rise one after another, and the Empire would be destroyed even faster.

If, in the end, the minister died and the Empire instead recovered from its decay and grew ever stronger, then what the hell would you be fighting for? Were you aiding the enemy or trying to overthrow the Empire? Could you be any less ridiculous?

Therefore, whenever Koizumi considered the Revolutionary Army's situation, he could not help feeling utterly speechless.

Though Koizumi was not clear on the Revolutionary Army's combat strength, he knew that Akame and the others were extremely powerful.

Wasn't it a waste to use combat strength this high merely as assassins?

And had anyone ever seen an empire overthrown solely by a group of assassins? If such an empire could be toppled by assassins alone, then why had they still not reached the Imperial Capital after all this time?

Since they could not even reach the Imperial Capital, why not let Akame and the others properly demonstrate their worth on the battlefield first? Compared with assassins, fierce generals capable of taking an enemy commander's head amid thousands of troops would obviously make better use of Akame and the others' value.

Instant Kill

"Hurry... hurry up and kill them! You came from Huang Quan Temple! You won't lose to that man, will you? And there are so many of you. That Akame is only one woman—don't tell me you can't even handle one woman."

Reias's words left Koizumi speechless. "Can't even handle one woman"—was he sure there was nothing wrong with that statement? Akame, that woman? That wording was a little inappropriate. In terms of strength, Akame was basically two men.

Of course, he was not talking about her personality, but her strength. Akame was simply too strong; ordinary men were no match for her.

The guards all drew their swords and surrounded the group in a fan-shaped formation. The leading man pulled out his longsword, vicious light gleaming in his eyes as he said harshly, "Even if you can kill a first-class Danger Beast, how can those stupid creatures compare to humans? And Akame is a wanted criminal. Though she is strong, how can she compare to elites of Huang Quan Temple like us? I advise you two to surrender immediately, or we will attack!"

"You're talking so much because you're afraid of us, aren't you? If you're really that tough, then come on. I'd like to see how many moves an elite of Huang Quan Temple like you can last against me." Blood-red lightning slowly emerged around the Gungnir in Koizumi's right hand. That spiritual power seemed capable of destroying the surrounding space itself, and it was extraordinarily powerful.

Unfortunately, this so-called Huang Quan Temple elite might not yet have realized how terrifying an enemy he had chosen.

But that was normal. Not everyone could clearly see just how powerful their enemy was.

Although this was Koizumi's first time killing people, there was no doubt about the strength he possessed. Even if he ultimately could not bear to kill them, he still had enough ability to survive. At the very least, beating them until they could no longer care for themselves would be easy.

Koizumi flashed forward and appeared before Akame, his crimson eyes carrying an aura of Bloodlust as the corners of his mouth curled upward.

"Koizumi..." Akame watched him as she drew the katana at her waist.

Koizumi slowly raised his right hand and stopped Akame's movement. This was his battle!

"Leave it to me. I'm used to training with Hata no Kokoro. I may be used to killing Danger Beasts, but at least let me practice killing people."

Akame froze slightly upon hearing this, then smiled and lowered One-Strike Kill - Murasame.

Koizumi charged forward with Gungnir in hand. Just as he had said, he intended to use real combat today to test his strength. Until now, he had only fought Danger Beasts and Hata no Kokoro, and those had not been life-and-death battles.

Up to now, Koizumi had never experienced true slaughter, so he felt it was necessary to take action personally.

It would be too wasteful to have Akame make a move. Koizumi believed he needed to handle this battle himself.

With only a flash, the guards felt their vision blur, followed by a sudden, agonizing pain in their chests.

What was more, after some of the guards merely saw a blur before their eyes, a gash appeared across their necks.

Blood burst forth, and several guards were slaughtered by Koizumi before they could even hold on for a few seconds.

Koizumi's expression did not look good, but the blood-colored flush on his face concealed it instead.

Combined with the blood-red color on his face, Koizumi gave off an even more bloodthirsty feeling at that moment.

Excitement slowly welled up in his heart. The corners of Koizumi's mouth lifted slightly, and the discomfort of killing someone for the first time quickly vanished. After all, he was currently in the form of a vampire. Killing people was nothing to him.

If Koizumi had returned to his normal human state to fight and kill, he probably would not have recovered for several days. After all, normal people needed time to adapt after killing someone for the first time.

"So... this is what killing feels like... it doesn't seem too bad..."

Koizumi lightly licked the blood from the corner of his mouth, and the magical power erupting from him rose another level. Akame felt the pressure on her shoulders grow heavier, while Chelsea found it increasingly difficult to breathe. This man isn't going to go berserk, is he!?

Forget it. I should focus on catching that man first... Reias seems to have slipped away already.

With that thought, Chelsea instantly transformed into an eagle and flew in a certain direction.

Akame stared at Koizumi, her shock impossible to conceal.

No way, this man's strength had increased again. Akame did not know whether Koizumi's power came from an Imperial Arm or something else, but she could not have mistaken the oppressive pressure of that aura.

This man had merely killed a few people for the first time. Why had his strength increased as well?

What Akame did not know was that the amount of power Koizumi could use was actually limited. Though he possessed Remilia's power, the strength he could unleash was restricted because he could not fully control it.

Killing humans for the first time and tasting human blood for the first time had caused Koizumi's vampire nature to undergo another transformation, allowing the vampire power he could unleash to increase once more.

Thus, the power Koizumi released rose another level, and naturally, his strength increased as well.