"No, no, no, this time I'm serious—I'm not joking.
Mr. Wood is truly a charming man, so I won't let go so easily."
Chelsea was known for her mischievous nature, often teasing her companions and friends. But this time, she wasn't joking. To her, Wood genuinely was an incredibly charming individual.
It was easy to forget that Chelsea had once had a mentor and close comrades in her squad. But they had all perished during a mission, leaving her to survive alone. Even in their final moments, her mentor and comrades refused to betray her existence, ensuring her safety.
Since then, though Chelsea joined other squads, she never truly found people she could consider her "partners."
Wood, however, was different. He was someone who repeatedly risked his life for his comrades, someone who even surrendered himself to protect a few children. While such actions might seem foolish to others, Chelsea found them rare and admirable.
Behind his playful and flippant exterior lay a heart more tender than anyone else's. Though he rarely spoke of it, his actions showed how deeply he valued his comrades.
Wasn't such a man undeniably captivating?
Chelsea's bold statement left everyone momentarily stunned. The pink-haired tsundere looked like she wanted to say something snarky, but before she could, Lubbock, who had been enjoying the drama, suddenly turned serious.
"Leone, you didn't clean up your tracks during the retreat, did you?"
Hearing Lubbock's question, Leone and the others froze before awkwardly admitting, "You're giving us way too much credit.
The enemy was already stronger than us, and we had to carry Wood during the retreat. Escaping successfully was already lucky enough—how could we have had time to clean our tracks?"
Leone, Akame, and Susanoo had barely held their ground against Wave and the others during their escape. Without Chelsea setting the mansion ablaze to create chaos, they might not have made it out at all. Cleaning their tracks while fleeing was simply impossible.
"The barrier I set up outside the base has been triggered. I don't know if it's wild animals or enemies…"
Lubbock's report caused Najenda to tense up immediately. Under normal circumstances, a triggered barrier wouldn't have been a major concern. But given the current situation, it seemed far too suspicious.
Leone and the others had only just returned from the capital, and now the barrier outside their base had been triggered?
Could it really be a coincidence?
Boom!
Before Najenda could respond, a violent tremor shook the ground beneath them, and their hideout was suddenly bombarded with heavy artillery.
Even without Lubbock's confirmation, it was now obvious: the barrier had been triggered not by wild animals, but by pursuing enemies.
Another volley of artillery shells rained down, blowing the roof off their hideout. The Night Raid members quickly jumped outside to avoid being caught in the destruction.
As another round of shells approached, Mine raised her "Pumpkin" and began firing into the sky, expertly intercepting each incoming projectile.
When the Night Raid members reached the rooftop, they finally saw their attackers.
Standing there were Esdeath, with her iconic blue hair and arms crossed, as well as Wave, Kurome, Seryu, and Dr. Stylish.
Run and Bols, still recovering from their injuries, were absent from this mission.
At first glance, it seemed the Jaegers were outnumbered. Including Esdeath, they were only five in total, while Night Raid boasted nine: Wood, Tatsumi, Mine, Najenda, Susanoo, Leone, Akame, Lubbock, and Chelsea.
Numerically, Night Raid had almost double the manpower of the Jaegers.
However, numbers alone didn't guarantee victory. Night Raid had its own limitations. Chelsea had negligible combat ability, and Wood, now weakened to less than a tenth of his original strength, was little more than a liability. In terms of combat-ready fighters, Night Raid only had seven.
While seven against five still appeared advantageous, the Jaegers brought more than just themselves.
Kurome, for instance, had her "March of the Dead: Yatsufusa", which could summon seven highly capable puppets. Each one of her puppets was as strong as a seasoned fighter, and by old Tatsumi standards, he'd struggle to take down even one of them.
Seryu's "Corruption: Hekatonkheires" was a biological-type Imperial Arm capable of independent combat and regeneration. Her own body, extensively modified by Dr. Stylish, boasted advanced weapon systems named "Ten Kings' Judgment" and packed overwhelming firepower.
Dr. Stylish, despite his lack of direct combat ability, excelled at creating modified soldiers. This time, he brought his "Stylish Army", an assortment of enhanced subordinates with varied capabilities, named after chess pieces:
-Gold and Silver: A trio specializing in reconnaissance, using heightened senses of sight, hearing, and smell.
-Knight: Doroma, a skilled assassin adept at ambushes.
-Rook: Toby, a fully mechanized combatant devoid of pain.
-Bishop: Jasan, a highly defensive fighter wielding a massive sword.
-Pawn: Numerous foot soldiers responsible for the initial artillery bombardment.
Of the five Jaegers present, only Wave seemed to lack backup forces, as both Esdeath and the other three had brought their own subordinates.
But Esdeath herself didn't need underlings. Her trump card, "Ice Cavalry", allowed her to summon an army of ice soldiers on par with seasoned fighters.
"Najenda, it's been a while. I never thought you'd be hiding out in such a remote place after our last meeting.
But I wonder, will your luck hold out this time? Can you escape me again?"
Reunited with her former colleague, Esdeath was visibly pleased. Najenda, however, showed nothing but seriousness. Glancing at Wood, she saw him shake his head bitterly, prompting her to issue her orders: "Don't engage them head-on. Look for opportunities to escape separately and regroup at the designated location."
Clearly, Najenda's glance at Wood was to gauge whether he had the strength to hold off Esdeath. If Wood could have done so, they might still have had a fighting chance.
After all, while the enemy had superior numbers, Night Raid wasn't defenseless.
But Wood's current state, with his hands bound and his Imperial Arm missing, left him with less than a tenth of his original strength. Facing Esdeath was out of the question—merely surviving was a challenge.
Without anyone to restrain Esdeath, they had no chance of victory. Hence, Najenda chose to order a tactical retreat.
Staying together would only get them captured in one fell swoop. Splitting up increased the odds of some escaping.
The Jaegers and Night Raid represented opposing ideals—one for the Empire, the other for the Revolutionary Army. Even though some members were former friends, comrades, or even family, there was no room for sentiment. The battle erupted almost immediately.
Wave confronted Tatsumi, Kurome sought out Akame, and Seryu initially targeted Mine. Mine, intent on avenging Sheele, was ready to face her. However, before she could act, Wood, despite his bound hands, bit onto her collar and dragged her away, flinging a green-haired Lubbock toward Seryu instead.
"She's not your match. Lubbock's best at dealing with women. Leave her to him."
Facing the crazed Seryu, who reached into Hekatonkheires' mouth to retrieve a weapon larger than herself, Lubbock shot a glare at his troublesome ally. Still, despite his grumbling, Lubbock dutifully engaged Seryu, using "Cross Tail" to bind her and drag her to a different battlefield.
It was clear to anyone that the current situation wasn't favorable for Night Raid. Even if everyone attempted to escape separately, the survival odds for some members were incredibly slim.
And among those with the lowest chances of survival was Wood's current trio.
Chelsea might possess some assassination skills and show no hesitation when it came to killing, but her combat ability was barely above that of an ordinary person. Mine was a capable fighter, but as a sniper, she required protection in a retreat scenario. Without cover, her abilities couldn't be utilized to their fullest potential.
As for Wood, in his weakened state with only a fraction of his original strength, he could potentially handle ordinary foot soldiers but stood no chance against a member of the Jaegers.
Meanwhile, Wave and Tatsumi clashed in an intense battle of armored combat, the two Imperial Arm users showcasing their strength and skill. Akame and Kurome engaged in a fierce sibling rivalry, one fighting for her comrades and the other for her own twisted resolve.
Lubbock faced the frenzied Seryu, employing his trademark binding techniques against her mechanical enhancements. But against Seryu's heavily modified body and the sheer power of Hekatonkheires, even Lubbock struggled.
Leone, on the other hand, squared off against Dr. Stylish, who had grotesquely transformed himself with some unknown enhancement. His body swelled to monstrous proportions, resembling an aberrant beast. Having consumed several of his own subordinates in the process, he now fought Leone in a brutal, physical showdown.
As for Esdeath, her original intent had been to target Wood and settle their grudge. But after realizing Najenda was the leader of Night Raid, she shifted her focus. To Esdeath, eliminating Najenda was the key to securing Wood's submission.
Wood, meanwhile, couldn't help but marvel at Najenda's prowess. Despite her usual claims of being weak, she displayed remarkable hand-to-hand combat skills, rivaling even Leone. Her abilities were befitting of her status as a former Imperial general.
In addition, Najenda's new biological-type Imperial Arm, Susanoo, far exceeded Wood's expectations. During the mission to rescue him, Susanoo had already demonstrated his strength, holding off two Jaegers simultaneously. His combat capabilities rivaled those of the late Bulat.
But what Wood hadn't anticipated was that Susanoo's power still had untapped potential.
When Najenda activated his secret technique, "Manifestation of Calamity," by sacrificing a portion of her own life force, Susanoo's strength temporarily surged to a level capable of matching Esdeath.
Now, Susanoo's appearance had transformed drastically. His upper clothing had been shredded by the immense power radiating from him, revealing bulging muscles and a massive red magatama embedded in his chest.
The magatama served as the core of his berserk state, drawing on Najenda's life force to fuel his overwhelming strength.
In his berserk form, Susanoo wielded three divine techniques:
-"Ame-no-Murakumo Sword" – A colossal spiritual blade with devastating offensive power.
_"Yata Mirror" – A reflective defense that could repel attacks.
-"Yasakani Magatama" – A technique that enabled high-speed mobility, making him nearly untouchable.
With his combined offensive, defensive, and regenerative abilities as a biological-type Imperial Arm, Susanoo in this state was akin to an unstoppable war god.
However, such immense power came at a cost. The "Manifestation of Calamity" technique could only be used three times in a user's lifetime, as each activation consumed a significant portion of the user's life force. After three uses, the user would die.
To hold off Esdeath, Najenda had already sacrificed enough life force for two uses of the technique in this single battle.
Under Susanoo's onslaught, Esdeath found herself momentarily on the defensive. The towering warrior's Ame-no-Murakumo Sword slashed through the air, forcing Esdeath to evade with rapid precision.
Esdeath retaliated with a powerful strike, slicing off one of Susanoo's arms. But as long as his core remained intact, Susanoo's biological regeneration kicked in, and the severed arm regrew within moments.
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