The puppets controlled by "March of the Dead: Yatsufusa" perfectly retained their combat abilities from life and could even act autonomously.
Although the number of puppets directly weakened Kurome's own strength, there was no denying that Yatsufusa was a tremendously powerful Imperial Arm.
If Kurome could obtain the corpses of both Wood and Esdeath, even without any Imperial Arms, she could potentially become the strongest being in this world.
Of course, that was purely hypothetical. With the sheer strength of individuals like Wood and Esdeath, the odds of Kurome defeating them were slim to none.
Even now, the puppets Kurome controlled with Yatsufusa were far from ordinary characters:
Natala: A childhood friend of Akame and Kurome, and a fellow assassin in their unit. He was incredibly skilled and now serves to protect Kurome during combat.
Doya: A northern tribal assassin skilled in dual-wielding pistols. While confident in life, she was crying and screaming when Kurome killed her.
Wall: A renowned bodyguard proficient in defensive techniques, killed by Kurome while protecting a client.
Apeman: A super-dangerous beast, lacking intelligence but immensely powerful.
Henter: A survivor of a nomadic tribe who fell victim to Kurome's cunning traps. She claimed this was her proudest achievement.
Rokugou: A former Imperial general and former colleague of Najenda. He was assassinated after his plans to defect to the Revolutionary Army were discovered.
Death Tagool: A super-dangerous beast used as material for crafting Imperial Arms. This gigantic creature was found hibernating in a cave and killed by Kurome.
Kaiser Frog: A massive amphibian dangerous beast with powerful digestive acids in its stomach.
If anyone argued Kurome was the strongest Jaeger after Esdeath, few would disagree.
A glance at her puppets reveals their extraordinary caliber. They were either super-dangerous beasts, materials for crafting Imperial Arms, rare warriors from exotic tribes, or even a former Imperial general.
Before becoming puppets, each of them had been a major figure in their own right. Now, they were reduced to mere tools in Kurome's hands.
Without considering the enhancement provided by her Imperial Arm, the individual strength of Kurome's puppets was comparable to the members of Night Raid or the Jaegers.
If Kurome ignored her physical limitations, she could theoretically challenge the entire Night Raid alone.
Beyond her puppets, one must not overlook Kurome herself. While not as strong as her sister Akame, she was still a formidable assassin.
Her strength had been forcibly enhanced through drug injections. Unless decapitated or struck through the heart, even lethal injuries were unlikely to kill her.
Summoning all her puppets at once placed a significant burden on Kurome, so she only summoned Natala, Doya, and the super-dangerous beast Apeman to fight Akame.
Faced with her younger sister, Akame was conflicted and hesitant to fight. In contrast, Kurome was determined to kill Akame and turn her into one of her puppets, allowing her to stay by Kurome's side forever, just like Natala.
Indeed, the remaining slot in Kurome's Yatsufusa was always intended for her sister, Akame.
Under attack from both Apeman and Doya, Akame struggled to defend herself. While directly attacking Kurome, the host, would have been the most effective strategy, Natala protected her relentlessly, making it nearly impossible for Akame to break through.
As the battle dragged on, Akame grew increasingly anxious.
The longer this fight continued, the worse it would be for them.
After all, this was the Imperial Capital, not their home turf. Who knew how long Tatsumi could hold off Esdeath? And if the other two Jaegers, Seryu and Dr. Stylish, arrived, their situation would become even more dire.
"Akame, come over here!" Wood's voice called out. Though she wasn't sure what he had planned, Akame trusted her ally deeply. Without hesitation, she made her way to Wood.
Seeing this, Kurome, who had been calm and collected, began to panic. She had great confidence in Yatsufusa, but she had also witnessed the earlier battle between Wood and Esdeath.
Even in her arrogance, Kurome knew she couldn't defeat Wood. If he were freed, even her entire puppet army might not stand a chance.
When Akame moved toward Wood, Kurome ordered Apeman to intercept her.
What Kurome didn't expect was that just as Apeman's massive body was about to block Akame, a large chain suddenly wrapped around Apeman's ankle.
With a powerful burst of strength, Wood, who was still restrained by chains, pulled the chain taut with his legs.
"ROAR—!"
The chain tightened around Apeman's ankle, and to the shock of both Kurome and Akame, the massive super-dangerous beast—easily weighing several dozen tons—was yanked off its feet and toppled to the ground!
"Stop staring! Cut this chain for me!" Wood shouted to the stunned Akame.
His words snapped Akame out of her shock. She immediately raised her blade, Murasame, and slashed at the chain now lying before her.
Though the chains binding Wood were incredibly thick, they were no match for the sharpness of Murasame. With a crisp clang, one of the chains binding Wood's leg was severed.
As Akame prepared to cut the chain on Wood's other leg, Kurome, along with Natala, rushed forward, wielding Yatsufusa.
Faced with Kurome's attack, Akame was forced to defend herself. She was reluctant to harm her sister, and Natala's presence made the battle even more challenging.
"It seems I can't rely on anyone else. I'll have to rescue myself," Wood muttered in frustration, glancing at the remaining chains anchoring him to the walls.
Fortunately, with one leg freed, he now had more mobility.
Using his freed right leg as a pivot, Wood stomped on the ground with tremendous force, creating a large crater.
"ARGHHH—!"
Wood pulled with his left leg, causing the chain binding it to stretch taut. The wall-mounted spike securing the chain began to creak and groan under the strain.
With one final burst of effort, the spike embedded in the wall was ripped free, flying out like a cannonball and leaving a deep hole in the floor.
Now with both legs freed, Wood wasted no time and began pulling at the chains around his neck.
Though the process was painful and caused brief choking sensations, he repeated the action several times until the spike anchoring the chain was finally torn free.
Having broken free of the outer cage and several chains, Wood regained basic mobility.
However, when he tried to use his full strength to break the remaining chains wrapped tightly around his body, he found himself at an impasse.
These chains seemed different from the others. Each time Wood exerted force, it felt as though the chains absorbed his strength.
"Stop wasting time with them! I can feel Esdeath's presence getting closer. Just carry me out of here!
If Esdeath gets here, none of us will escape!" Wood shouted.
Hearing this, Leone and Akame exchanged a glance before nodding. They both disengaged their respective opponents—Wave and Kurome—and regrouped.
Susanoo knocked Bols aside with his weapon, and Run, after hesitating for a moment, surprisingly chose to let them go. Taking advantage of this, Leone hoisted Wood onto her shoulders and dashed out of the mansion.
Kurome and the others attempted to pursue them, but at that moment, a mysterious fire broke out across the mansion. A girl in Victorian attire, sucking on a lollipop, tossed a torch aside and disappeared into the onlookers.
When Esdeath returned to her mansion, she found it engulfed in flames. With a wave of her hand, ice surged forth, extinguishing the fire instantly.
Looking at the soot-covered members of the Jaegers, Esdeath's face was filled with anger.
She could have arrived earlier, but Tatsumi had intercepted her, tricking her into going to a false battle location by claiming the fight had moved. Thinking she could outpace Tatsumi, Esdeath had rushed ahead—only to realize she had been deceived.
By the time she returned, Wood and the others had long since escaped.
Although none of the Jaegers had died, this first encounter between Night Raid and the Jaegers had been a clear loss for Esdeath's team.
Not only had their prisoner, Wood, been rescued from under their noses, but her mansion had also been set ablaze. It was a direct insult and challenge to Esdeath.
Previously, Esdeath had not taken Night Raid seriously, especially without Wood. But Najenda's carefully planned operation had now ignited Esdeath's competitive spirit.
As the Jaegers bowed their heads in apology, Esdeath said coldly:
"There's no need to apologize. I understand the situation. No one could have anticipated that they would dare to disguise themselves as me.
Nor did I expect Tatsumi to be part of Night Raid. This mistake is as much mine as it is yours.
But this changes everything. Najenda, I won't underestimate you again.
If I find your base of operations, I'll make sure you understand the severe consequences of angering me."
Esdeath, while a sadist, was also a capable general who acknowledged her own mistakes. Her charisma as a leader was why she had such loyal subordinates like the Three Beasts.
At this moment, Seryu and Dr. Stylish, who had been delayed by their patrols and experiments, finally arrived. Seeing Esdeath's furious expression, they couldn't help but feel nervous.
Esdeath wasn't inclined to blame Wave and the others, who had fought valiantly but were ultimately outmaneuvered. However, she saw Seryu and Dr. Stylish's absence as negligence.
Noticing her displeasure, Dr. Stylish quickly spoke up to offer assistance:
"I may be able to help locate Night Raid's base.
Although I wasn't involved in the fight, I had already suspected Tatsumi and conducted some research. Using the latest technology I've developed, I've identified clues to their location.
They were in such a rush this time that they failed to erase their tracks like usual. With my devices, I believe we can pinpoint their hideout soon."
Hearing this, Seryu eagerly added:
"Please allow me to participate in this operation. Not only to atone for my failures but also to eradicate these evildoers completely!"
Esdeath, not wanting to waste time, turned to Wave and the others.
"You've just been through a tough battle. You can stay and rest, but if you feel up to it and want to join the operation, I won't stop you."
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