Chapter One Hundred Eighteen: Mahapadma Beheaded a Second Time

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Seeing Bulat lying on the ground, Tatsumi dispelled Incursio and went to his side, standing there in silence.

“Big brother, thanks to you, I won. I’m sorry. If I hadn’t held you back, you wouldn’t have... I’ll become stronger. I’ll keep training the way you taught me, and I’ll definitely master Incursio. So... so—”

Tatsumi clenched his injured left hand. His body trembled violently, and he choked out, “So it’s all right if I cry for a while now, isn’t it? Big—brother. Aahhhhh—”

Countless tears streamed from his eyes. Tatsumi collapsed beside Bulat and burst into uncontrollable sobs.

“Bulat... he...” Lubbock slowly approached the familiar face, scarcely able to believe what he was seeing.

“Tatsumi, what happened? With Bulat’s strength, how could this have happened?” Leone’s eyes were filled with grief, and her voice was somber.

A fresh sheen of sorrow welled in Akame’s eyes. Not long ago, she had seen Sheele’s corpse. Mine was missing, and now another comrade had left them.

“Big sis, Lubbock, Akame... It’s all because I was too weak. I was always holding Big Brother back. If it weren’t for me, he could have killed Liver much sooner and wouldn’t have been pierced through by the poisoned blood and died from the venom.” Tatsumi’s voice trembled as he spoke.

“Liver? Do you mean Bulat’s former superior? How did he end up with Esdeath, and why did he fight Bulat?” Leone wiped away the grief in her eyes and forced herself to regain her composure.

“This isn’t the time to talk. Bring Bulat and the enemy’s Imperial Arms. We need to return to the base and notify the boss as quickly as possible. I don’t know how long Little Qi can hold out.” Akame turned away so that no one would see the tears in her eyes.

“Tatsumi, didn’t I tell you this when you first joined Night Raid? For people in our line of work, dying at any moment is nothing unexpected. Didn’t you join us with the same resolve? Don’t disgrace Bulat. Let’s go.” Lubbock patted Tatsumi on the shoulder in consolation.

“I’ll definitely become stronger, Big Brother.” Tatsumi gritted his teeth and rose to his feet. After gathering the Imperial Arms, he and the others carried Bulat and ran toward the base.

...

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“I’m truly curious. What exactly is your Imperial Arm? I’ve never heard of an Imperial Arm possessing so many different abilities.” Esdeath was covered in dust and fine cuts.

Although the battle with the youth had initially left her at a disadvantage because of his overwhelming speed, she had controlled the upper hand ever since. No matter how fast he was, most of her attacks still managed to injure him. That said, they did little more than leave one or two shallow or deep marks on his body.

His recovery was astonishingly powerful as well. No matter how severe his injuries, he could recover from them in an extremely short time. His methods of attack were varied and bewildering, leaving her scarcely any time to blink. None of his attacks were ever repeated. Though their power was inferior to hers, some were so strange and unexpected that they were extraordinarily difficult to guard against.

“You’re simply ignorant. By now, we’ve both gained a clear understanding of each other’s strength. I may not be your match for the moment, but you can’t hold me here.” Qi smiled as he spoke.

Esdeath could suppress him not only through her control of ice; even in close combat, she was in no way inferior. She truly lived up to her reputation as someone who loved war and had been tempered on the battlefield. Though she had always crushed her opponents with overwhelming force, that did not mean she lacked practical combat experience.

“Oh? Are you planning to run?” Esdeath smiled exhilaratedly. It had been a long time since she had enjoyed such a satisfying battle.

“Don’t put it so unpleasantly. It’s merely a strategic retreat. And I have to admit, you’re extremely powerful, but your control over ice is far too crude. Perhaps you’ve been invincible for too long. Even such crude attacks have probably been more than anyone else could withstand.” Qi’s spiritual power had fallen below thirty percent. It was time to retreat.

“The wailing of the weak. Before me, you cannot simply escape because you wish to.”

“Then give it a try.” Qi grinned and prepared to shoot into the sky.

“Mahapadma.”

A look of satisfaction tinged with regret appeared at the corners of Esdeath’s mouth.

The world stopped—or, more accurately, the space-time around Esdeath froze. Even she could use this ultimate technique only once a day. Within the motionless flow of time, she alone could move. Everything else had come to a standstill, including Qi, who had been about to spread his wings and fly.

“What? He can still move, if only slightly?” Esdeath suddenly halted. Within this frozen space-time, there was unexpectedly a second moving object.

Qi watched helplessly as his body remained utterly still in the absolute cold. No matter how hard he tried, he could not move even an inch. Then he activated the power of his bloodline. Silver radiance burst from his left eye, and a peculiar sensation surged through his mind.

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His body regained a little strength, but in this world of absolute ice, that tiny amount of power was almost useless. At most, he could slowly take one step—one step slower than an ordinary person could manage.

In this space where everything was frozen, he sensed nothing behind him and failed to notice the ice sword raised above his head. He realized it only when the blade was about to strike him. Once again, the head that attracted so much hatred was chopped off.

The freezing vanished. The surrounding environment and objects began moving normally again, including the enormous head that had been sent soaring into the sky.

“You’re simply too weak. Even if you managed to cause me a little trouble, you could never escape death.” Esdeath reached out, intending to seize the head in her hand.

“General, be careful! As long as this boy’s head hasn’t suffered fatal damage, he can still revive.”

The sudden warning came from the lecherous middle-aged man who had guided Esdeath there. Somehow, he knew this highly classified information.

“What?”

Esdeath was momentarily stunned. In the next instant, the head inexplicably floated into the air, dodging the clawing strike of her right hand. It opened its mouth toward her slender neck and spat out a diamond dagger. The dagger was already less than an inch from her fair skin.

...

Yet Esdeath still had not reacted. She had just used Mahapadma, and the exhaustion it caused was tremendous. It was understandable that she had failed to respond in time.

“Boss, the base has been exposed. Esdeath has already attacked. Qi is holding her off for the moment.”

When Akame and the others returned to the base at full speed, they found Najenda waiting grimly at the entrance, silently smoking.

(Only one more vote, and I’ll be going home tomorrow night. The day after tomorrow, I’ll be sent up the mountain. I’m torn over whether to include this vote, since time may be running short, but I still want one.)

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