Lin Ran handed Divine Abyss to Akame, who stood stunned beside him. An immense amount of energy flowed back into her, and she closed her eyes, a little intoxicated. The feeling of growing stronger was simply wonderful.
Looking at Akame's little expression, tempting enough to lure someone into crime, Lin Ran could not resist giving her another physical examination.
Blushing, Akame punched Lin Ran twice. That big scoundrel spent every day thinking about taking advantage of her!
"Let's head back first! That purple energy on these Danger Beasts is very strange. Hunting them alone is still dangerous for you. Wait until tomorrow, when I can take human form again, then we'll come out to hunt Danger Beasts."
"All right, I'll listen to you. But what is that strange energy? Why have I never seen it before?"
"I'm not sure either, but if this energy has infected most Danger Beasts, it'll be very dangerous for the Empire."
"That Super Danger Beast just now should originally have been only a Special Class Danger Beast. With that energy's help, it forcibly broke through to become a Super Danger Beast. If those Super Danger Beasts become infected by this energy, their destructive power will probably rise to a level no one can match."
"How could this happen?" Akame asked in disbelief. Lin Ran stroked her little head. Akame herself had not noticed that ever since obtaining Divine Abyss, she had become increasingly dependent on Divine Abyss.
"It's fine. With me here, even a Super Danger Beast would just be serving itself up on a platter!"
After returning to the little river near the base, Akame went into the river and caught another two fish. Lin Ran was speechless. Just how much did she love eating fish?
That night, Akame suddenly sat up. Not just Akame-Bulat also sprang out of bed and looked toward the woods outside the base.
"Some rats have snuck over! They might be those bounty hunters. Here are your combat orders: leave none alive!" Seeing everyone had arrived, Boss explained the situation directly, then assigned their tasks. Everyone hurried outside the base.
Watching Akame's retreating figure, Bulat was somewhat shocked. How had her physical abilities increased so drastically?
Once they reached the forest, everyone split up, and Akame charged toward a group of bounty hunters.
"Yo! Isn't this that assassin on the wanted poster? Night Raid's base really is around here! We're rich! We're rich!"
"Yeah, boss, this chick's pretty good too! How about we have some fun!"
"Sure. Be careful when you do it. Don't damage her bo-"
Before the leader could finish, the three stared in horror at the three headless bodies standing where they had been. How could she possibly be so fast? That was the final question the three had.
"Let's leave these small fry to the girls," Lin Ran said cheerfully. As his words fell, a golden beam shot into the distance. It was Mine's Teigu. With a thought, Lin Ran transferred straight into the Blade of Devouring on Sheele's wrist.
Sheele blinked blankly, not understanding why Divine Abyss had suddenly come over.
"It's nothing. Akame's already finished on her end, so I came to check on you."
"Oh, oh! We're done here too. Can we go back and catch up on sleep?" Sheele tilted her little head. Lin Ran could not help feeling black lines cover his face. Sheele's airheadedness had to be terminal. Outside of combat, she was a complete ditz.
"System, can this Blade of Devouring devour the power of Danger Beasts and feed it back to its wielder?"
[Yes, but the effect is not as good as Divine Abyss's main body.]
"Okay! As long as it works. If the effect isn't as good, we'll just kill a few more."
Before long, Akame came looking for him, glaring huffily at Lin Ran as he chatted with Sheele. Suddenly feeling a little guilty, Lin Ran hurried back into Divine Abyss.
"Next time we go hunting Danger Beasts, bring Sheele and Mine along. Those clones of mine can also devour the power of Danger Beasts and feed it back to their wielders."
Akame nodded in a tsundere manner, then went with Sheele and Mine to gather at Boss's location.
After they returned to the base, Boss called everyone together for a meeting and also explained the origins and functions of Teigu to Tatsumi.
After hearing about the tremendous power of Teigu, Tatsumi looked at Boss expectantly, hoping to be given one too. Everyone laughed mercilessly.
"Take it slowly. Given enough time, you'll naturally come across a Teigu that suits you. There aren't any Teigu at the base right now. I sent all the Teigu we captured before back to the Revolutionary Army's headquarters."
Tatsumi nodded excitedly and voiced his naive idea.
"Tatsumi! Powerful as Teigu are, they still can't bring the dead back to life. Those who have died can never return. I hope you'll face reality, or you might lose your life because of this."
Tatsumi lowered his head without a word. Bulat patted his shoulder.
With a thought, Lin Ran took human form.
Everyone's gaze immediately focused on Lin Ran. Like someone in desperate straits catching a glimmer of dawn, Tatsumi clutched his sleeve tightly.
"Tatsumi, the dead cannot come back to life, and that isn't a bad thing. Everyone dies. That's the natural order. What we need to do is accomplish what lies within our abilities before we die. The stronger you are, the more you can accomplish. If you'd been strong enough, those bandits wouldn't have separated you from your friends, and perhaps you could have changed their fate."
"In this rotten Empire, at every moment, there are people suffering torment and hardship just like your friends! If you do nothing but wallow in the grief of the past, you'll be betraying the promise you made together!"
"I understand, Lord Divine Abyss!" Tatsumi wiped away his tears and spoke firmly. At that moment, everyone could feel his desire to become stronger.
"Good. I'll find a Teigu that suits you. Until then, do everything you can to keep growing stronger."
Early the next morning, when Akame got up, Bulat and Tatsumi had already started training. Every muscle in Tatsumi's body was trembling. It looked as though they had been at it for a while.
"We've confirmed Zank the Beheader's general area of activity. Tonight, everyone moves out to carry out justice on heaven's behalf!" Boss declared with a touch of chuunibyou. Hearing this, Lin Ran nearly curled his toes hard enough to carve out a three-bedroom apartment.
Since they had an operation that night, everyone only trained a little during the day to ensure they would be in peak condition that evening.
As night fell, the six raced over rooftops and walls, arriving at the target area.
Just as Lin Ran had expected, Zank the Beheader singled out Tatsumi as his first target. The difference was that Akame noticed immediately.
"Don't rush. This guy's a good whetstone. Let Tatsumi fight him first. Once Tatsumi can't hold out, you can step in," Lin Ran said, stopping Akame from making a move.
The two then stood on a rooftop, quietly watching as Zank the Beheader lured Tatsumi into a plaza.
After a fierce bout of fighting-fine, Lin Ran admitted it. Tatsumi was a total noob. In less than five minutes, he was about to croak.
Akame leaped down. Upon landing, she became a blur, severing both of Zank's two-handed swords with a single slash, then cutting off his head with another beneath his stunned gaze.
This was Akame's current strength. Her terrifying physical abilities, combined with Divine Abyss's ability to cut through anything, made her dozens of times stronger than when Lin Ran first met her.
She picked up the Teigu on Zank's forehead, the Five-Sight Omnipotent Observer. The next instant, the Teigu vanished into thin air! Akame looked at Divine Abyss. Lin Ran felt a little guilty. Naturally, he had recycled the Teigu, selling it to System.
"Are your injuries serious?"
"It's fine. These little wounds won't kill me," Tatsumi said with a grin, struggling to his feet as the desire to grow stronger burned ever hotter in his heart.