Bulat's Teigu... was in this guy's hands.
Hearing Leone's words, Mine's gaze gradually turned cold.
Although she usually seemed bad-tempered, she actually cared deeply for her Night Raid comrades.
Ever since Bulat was injured last time, he still hadn't recovered even fifty percent of his former strength. Mine had kept this in her heart all this time.
And now, Bulat's enemy had fought the Three Beasts and seemingly finished them off.
Information about the Three Beasts was relatively public. Mine knew very well that all three were Teigu users.
And this man's current condition was his state *after* defeating three Teigu users.
Mine could even see the cold sweat constantly trickling down the man's neck through her scope.
*Heh. This state usually means he's suffered a serious but not easily visible internal injury, or he's entered an extremely weakened state, to be sweating this much.*
*Hehehe. Looks like he doesn't have much combat power left.*
*Plus, Leone and I are in perfect condition, and that little girl's Teigu over there isn't an offensive type. Our chances of winning are already high.*
*And Akame and Lubbock are nearby. As soon as a fight breaks out, they can rush here to support us at top speed.*
*Finally—we're in the shadows.*
*If we use [Pumpkin] to sneak attack them once and then engage, our odds will be even better.*
"Mine, you know what I'm thinking, right?"
"Of course, Leone—and I'm thinking the same thing."
"Although the Boss told us not to provoke them, in this situation..."
"This opportunity is right in front of us. It'd be a waste to let it go. That said, should we kill them?"
"Just taking the Teigu is fine. That kid Lubbock rated these two pretty high. Killing them... probably isn't necessary."
Cracking her knuckles, Leone's expression grew steadily more dangerous.
"Besides, this kid fought the Three Beasts. It proves that even though he uses ice-based abilities, he's not related to Esdeath."
"He has a problem with both the Empire and Night Raid, but our Night Raid base is secret, after all. The final result is—if we leave him alive, he's much more likely to cause trouble for the Empire."
"Mhm, I'm surprised you thought that much—but then again, those are all secondary reasons, right?"
"That's right. You know me well, Mine."
"Whatever... the reason doesn't matter. Right now, retrieving Bulat's Teigu is the top priority."
Aiming her Teigu at the speeding motorcycle, Mine unleashed a blast powered by her spirit, annihilating the bike on the spot.
"Not bad. They actually dodged that shot."
Watching Kiana's swallow-like agility, Leone's lips curled up slightly.
"I used to think this little girl was just here to fill the numbers, but looking at her now—she's strong, too."
"Yeah. But based on that attack, the man has gotten weaker. If he needs that little girl to help him dodge, his combat power must be nearly gone."
At this moment, Mine was already preparing her second shot.
But just then, she heard the voice from the other side.
"To our friends from Night Raid in there, why don't we just pretend this never happened?"
"Esdeath might be nearby. I don't think you're prepared to face the 'Empire's Strongest,' are you?"
After hearing this, both of them snorted with laughter.
*Heh. Esdeath nearby?*
*It's not like Night Raid is just us. Our informants in the Imperial Capital told us just minutes ago that Esdeath was in the city eating ice cream.*
*She's going to appear nearby?*
*What a joke.*
"Leone, what now? Maybe..."
"It wouldn't be bad to go out and talk to him. I'm actually curious what kind of person can injure Bulat and still make Lubbock think so highly of him."
"What about safety?"
"With [This], do you think I need to worry about safety?"
After transforming using [The King Of Beasts Transformation: Lionelle], Leone whispered to Mine.
"I'll go out first. You watch the situation. If anything looks wrong—just blast them."
"Okay. Be careful."
Watching Leone walk out of the forest, Mine looked at the Teigu in her hands, a strange feeling rising in her heart.
Logically, Roman Artillery's power increases based on the level of danger Mine feels.
But just now, Roman Artillery's output hadn't increased much. From this, it was clear the opponent wasn't giving Mine a strong sense of pressure. This was also why Mine had agreed to Leone's plan.
*The opponent should be in a weakened state. So where is this weird uneasiness coming from?*
...........
A few seconds after Aaron called out, he saw the transformed Leone walk out of the forest.
"Ya, little bro. Looks like your killing intent isn't as strong today."
Like seeing an old friend she'd known for years, Leone wore a hearty smile.
"If you've got something to say, go ahead and say it."
"I've already said it. You don't want to run into a troublesome enemy like Esdeath right now, do you? She needs to be surrounded by multiple Teigu users and tens of thousands of elite soldiers to even have a *chance* of being defeated. Forget you guys, not even the Revolutionary Army has that kind of strength right now, right?"
"Well said."
Closing her eyes, Leone nodded, speaking with great satisfaction.
"A very correct analysis. It's just..."
But then her tone shifted. Leone suddenly opened her eyes, her smile slowly turning into a sneer.
"—Why would you think Esdeath is nearby? You just fought the Three Beasts, right? Is that what you're basing this on, judging Esdeath is nearby?"
"It's just a shame. We in Night Raid have informants in the capital. A carrier pigeon just told us Esdeath is in the city eating ice cream. So sorry, but if she's not nearby..."
"Your little plan to 'use Esdeath to force us to retreat' doesn't seem to be working out."
"I'll give you a chance. Hand over Incursio and [Spectator]. If you do, we *might* let you leave. Otherwise..."
Cracking her knuckles loudly, Leone spoke to the two in an incredibly gentle voice.
"This big sis... is going to have to get rough."