Three days later, by the little river, Lin Ran lay with his head on Akame's thighs, pondering how to deal with the female general Esdeath. Kill her outright? With Akame's current strength, killing her would be no difficulty. Even if she used her ultimate technique, Mahapadma, to freeze time and space, Akame could draw on Divine Abyss's power to forcibly break free! Before absolute power, the power of a Teigu's rules was a joke.
After turning it over in his mind, Lin Ran decided to wait and see. If she could abandon evil and return to the right path, he could give her a chance. If she remained obsessed with war and slaughtering the weak, Lin Ran would make her the one being slaughtered.
At that moment, inside the imperial palace, Kurome clutched her last box of candy with a conflicted expression. Only a dozen or so pieces remained inside. She reached out her little hand, then reluctantly drew it back.
"Hold back! Hold back! Once you finish it, there won't be any left!" Kurome kept hypnotizing herself, then picked up the ordinary candy she had bought and began eating it. But after tasting the candy Lin Ran had given her, eating this ordinary candy was like chewing wax!
That afternoon, just as Kurome finished the candy Lin Ran had given her and was about to go mad, a familiar voice rang out again. With a whoosh, Kurome raced out of the palace.
When she saw the candy laid out in front of Lin Ran, it was as though Kurome had seen hope for staying alive.
"Yo, you're here!"
Kurome did not answer and instead reached straight for the candy. Lin Ran raised an eyebrow with a smile, then grabbed her clothes and lifted her up just as she was about to touch it.
"What are you doing? Pretending I don't exist, taking my candy right in front of me?"
As Lin Ran spoke, he popped an unwrapped candy into Kurome's mouth. With the candy in her mouth, a happy smile spread across her face.
Lin Ran cheerfully watched the little black-haired loli in his hand. Once she finished the candy in her mouth, he set her on the ground.
"Big brother! Could you give me some more candy?" Kurome asked pitifully. She had no choice; she could not beat Lin Ran.
"Do you know who I am?"
"No, big brother. Could you be with Night Raid?" Kurome asked in return. She had suspected yesterday that Lin Ran belonged to Night Raid. After all, that assassin organization was a thorn in the Empire's heart, and someone as powerful as Lin Ran could not possibly be a nobody. There was only one conclusion: Lin Ran was Night Raid's trump card!
Had Lin Ran known her conjecture, he probably would have given her a thumbs-up.
"No, I'm your sister Akame's man. I approached you to take you away, too."
"Is that so? Then I won't hold back!" Kurome's expression abruptly turned cold, and she slashed straight at him with her Teigu, Yatsufusa. This time, however, her strike carried killing intent.
Smack-smack-smack! The sound of palm striking flesh rang out. Without any ceremony, Lin Ran pinned Kurome across his lap and began disciplining this rebellious girl.
"Do you know what you did wrong?" Lin Ran asked as he spanked her. Kurome's struggles grew weaker and weaker. Before long, her body shuddered, and Lin Ran stared at her in astonishment. Could this little loli have masochistic tendencies?
Kurome's face turned scarlet. She buried her head behind Lin Ran and wrapped her arms tightly around him, unwilling to let him see her current embarrassment. She even ignored the burning pain in her bottom.
Lin Ran set her on the ground and fed her another candy. Kurome obediently ate it, gazing at him through misty, tear-filled eyes.
Lin Ran felt a headache coming on. He stroked her head and placed an entire box of candy in her arms. Only then did the little loli smile through her tears.
"Come with me. That Jaegers organization you formed will be wiped out in a few days."
"Huh? Really? Our boss is really strong," Kurome asked in disbelief.
"Once you see your sister in a moment, you'll know who's stronger. Also, you can't indiscriminately kill innocent people anymore. If you can't do that, you won't get any candy."
"You're such a busybody!" Kurome glared at Lin Ran indignantly.
"Hm? I saved your life and gave you the tastiest candy in the world, and you think I'm a busybody! Then I won't bother with you anymore. Go on, and don't even think about eating my candy ever again."
With that, Lin Ran turned and left, leaving her standing there agonizing for two seconds. In the end, the temptation of candy conquered everything, and Kurome eagerly scurried after him. A hint of a smile appeared at the corner of Lin Ran's mouth.
He brought Kurome outside the city, and the sisters finally met. The moment Kurome saw Akame, she wanted to attack, and Lin Ran gave her little bottom another smack.
"Want another spanking? Call her your big sister. From now on, your sister will be giving you your candy."
"Big sister!" Kurome called softly and reluctantly. Akame did not answer, instead pulling Kurome into her arms.
"System, is there a vending machine that can keep making candy? Preferably one that can transform."
[It is recommended that the host purchase Candy Galore! Insert a Danger Beast's core, and you can freely select the candy you want.]
Lin Ran took a look and decisively spent two hundred thousand Origin Points to buy the vending machine, turning it into the shape of a ring.
Lin Ran's time in human form was up as well. He returned to Divine Abyss and explained to Akame how to use Candy Galore. Akame examined the ring in her hand in wonder, a blush rising to her face, but she still slipped it onto her ring finger without hesitation.
Seeing Lin Ran suddenly disappear again, Kurome looked at Akame in confusion, hoping she could explain it to her. There was also the matter of why her sister had changed Teigu.
"Divine Abyss is this sword's sword spirit. The time he can spend in human form each day is limited," Akame explained, pointing at Divine Abyss.
"Divine Abyss? Is he powerful?"
"Very powerful. He devoured Murasame."
"No wonder he takes your side so much. So he's your Teigu," Kurome said indignantly, curling her lip.
"It's been a while. Let me see whether your strength has improved." Akame assumed an attacking stance and looked at Kurome with a smile.
"Sure. I want to see how strong you are now too, big sister!"
Akame threw a punch, a faint sonic boom ringing out. Shocked, Kurome hurriedly raised her blade to block, only to be sent flying backward by Akame's punch.
Naturally, Lin Ran had instructed her to do this. If they did not make this rebellious little loli realize that her sister had far surpassed her, she certainly would not accept it.
"How is that possible? How can you be so strong?" Kurome asked in bewilderment, clearly unable to understand why Akame's physical abilities were so outrageously powerful.
"It's thanks to Divine Abyss. He can feed power back to me, continuously enhancing my physical abilities."
Akame beckoned, and Divine Abyss appeared in her hand. She slashed, and the sword light stretched a thousand meters before gradually dissipating. Every tree in its path was cut through at the waist.
Kurome was utterly dumbstruck. Was this power a Teigu could possess?
"I know I was wrong, big sister." Kurome lowered her little head as though resigning herself to her fate. Akame smiled faintly, and Lin Ran bought Kurome a Blade of Devouring as well. She was his sister-in-law; of course he had to treat her well.
After learning what the Blade of Devouring could do, Kurome was incredibly excited. No one craved great power more than people like them, who had endured so many tribulations.
"Akame, those avatars of mine do possess great power, but if Night Raid's members ever forget their original purpose and abuse my avatars' power to slaughter innocents, you must also take on the task of cleaning house. Use Divine Abyss to devour and reclaim them."
"Mm, I understand!" Akame nodded. If that day truly came, she would show no mercy, because Divine Abyss had expended his power to condense those avatars for her sake. Anyone who dared betray Divine Abyss's kindness toward her would have only one road left: death!