At this moment, when Kiana heard that woman's incredibly arrogant words, her first thought was—*I'll punch a few holes in this woman first.*
But she could feel the sniper who had fired that shot, still locking onto her and Aaron from the forest.
If she made a rash move, the hidden opponent would definitely pull the trigger without hesitation.
*Tch. Hiding like a coward.*
"Oho, little sister over there. I suggest you don't use your Teigu."
Seemingly sensing a slight energy fluctuation from Kiana's Teigu, Leone immediately 'reminded' her.
"My partner... isn't as good-natured as this big sis, you know."
*Activating Illusion takes time. At this close range, they've already locked onto me. If I try anything, I'll definitely be interrupted.*
*The situation is terrible. But why...*
*—I can feel that after Aaron heard what that woman said, he suddenly... relaxed?*
*These two are strong enemies, right?*
*You're in a weakened state, right?*
*Don't tell me you're planning to do something crazy again!*
"Ha. You just said Esdeath couldn't possibly be nearby, right?"
Exhaling a breath, a smile suddenly appeared on Aaron's face.
"That's a real shame."
"You... Do you even understand the situation?"
Seeing Aaron suddenly relax, Leone felt a trace of unease.
*Something's wrong. Why did he relax *after* finding out Esdeath isn't here?*
"I'm in a weakened state right now, so you two think your chance has come?"
*Don't tell me... he still plans to...!*
"But..."
"Just because I'm weaker, doesn't mean *you've* gotten stronger, you two from Night Raid."
Connecting to his storage space, Aaron pulled out a javelin he'd bought while infiltrating the Imperial Capital and used Knight of Owner to turn it into a D-rank Noble Phantasm.
The javelin Aaron had bought and the guns Kiana used were actually previous-generation standard-issue weapons phased out by the Imperial army.
Although their performance wasn't as good as the Empire's new equipment, these standard weapons used Teigu technology, making them much stronger than ordinary weapons.
From the beginning, as he was talking, he had been using his sensory abilities to perceive the surroundings and the enemy's location.
Mine was, without a doubt, a genius sniper.
But at the same time, because she was a genius sniper, Aaron was able to sense her location based on the fact that she was locked onto him.
From materializing the javelin to turning it into a Noble Phantasm, it didn't even take a second.
Leone, who hadn't seen how Aaron produced the weapon at all, sensed something was wrong and lunged at him.
But as she made her move, Kiana, having already sensed Aaron's intention, pulled the trigger, firing a bullet that pierced straight through Leone's body.
Simultaneously, Mine, sensing Aaron's action, fired an energy blast from Pumpkin.
It had to be said, having kept her focus on Aaron, her reaction was a step faster than Leone's.
She immediately tried to dodge, but unfortunately...
"Da... mnit..."
Although she had attacked quickly and dodged in time, her movement was still too slow.
The Noble Phantasm-enhanced javelin stabbed into Mine's left shoulder, easily piercing her shoulder blade and muscle.
At the same time, Mine, who still had the physique of a normal person, was struck by Aaron's immense strength and the weapon's terrifying piercing power, pinning her to a large tree by her left shoulder, temporarily neutralizing her.
On the other side, facing the energy blast from Mine, Aaron didn't move much, simply taking out the key-sword for [Demon Armor: Incursio].
"[Demon Armor: Incursio]."
After transforming with [Demon Armor: Incursio], Aaron didn't attempt an uncertain dodge. Instead, he relied on the armor's defense and took the hit head-on.
"Hah... That still hurt. Roman Artillery is definitely an excellent Teigu, and its user is a true genius sniper."
"It's just a shame. You're courting death, and you didn't stop your partner from courting death with you. So I'm afraid I can't hold back."
After transforming, Aaron could clearly feel the strength still draining from his body.
Even though Ittou Shura hadn't consumed as much power this time, the side effects were still there.
Forcibly donning [Demon Armor: Incursio] was already pushing Aaron to his limit.
In this state, he couldn't even manifest Neuntote and could only fight with the Teigu's key-sword.
"You bastard... you did that to Mine!"
Relying on the healing ability provided by her Teigu, Leone took the bullet and suppressed the injury within a single breath.
"Relax, she's not dead. She really is a genius. When she noticed my movement, she managed to fire and even partially dodge. That's how she avoided a strike aimed at her heart."
"But if her injuries aren't treated immediately, at best, she might be left with permanent after-effects that stop her from ever fighting again. At worst—bleeding to death isn't impossible."
Aaron stared coolly into Leone's furious eyes and continued.
"You seem to think that because Esdeath isn't nearby, *I* should be more worried?"
"Wrong. If Esdeath isn't nearby, *you're* the ones in danger. Because from the very beginning..."
"—You were never my match."
"Hand over your Teigu and submit to me, and I might consider letting you take her to be healed. Of course, if you insist on fighting me head-on, I won't object."
"Now, make a choice."
"Do you charge in and get destroyed by me?"
"Or do you choose to swear fealty to me?"
"Ha... What I hate most... is being threatened like this!"
Hearing Aaron's words, Leone shot forward like a cheetah, vanishing from her spot.
The next instant, as if by teleportation, Leone appeared behind Aaron, clasping her hands together and hammering them toward his back.
"I'll destroy you fast! Then I'll take the Teigu and Mine back to be healed!"
"Sigh. Stubborn..."
As he said this, Aaron made no move to dodge.
And just as Leone thought she was about to succeed...
—Kiana, who had been standing by as if waiting, flew in from the side and kicked Leone hard in the face, sending her flying.