Early the next morning. Night Raid Base.
Lubbock, on night watch at the Night Raid base, was anxiously sensing his surroundings from his room using [Infinite Uses: Crosstail].
"...Someone's coming?! The weight of those footsteps..."
Realizing the footsteps sounded like Leone, Lubbock immediately rushed out of the room.
As expected, he saw Leone covered in blood. He finally let out a sigh of relief.
"Sis, you... *Sigh*..."
Seeing Leone's exhausted state, Lubbock swallowed the reprimand he was about to give.
Leone's actions had caused all this, but seeing her in such a miserable state, how could he say anything?
"Hahaha, just a small accident. But..."
Leone, panting heavily, forced a laugh.
"I finally managed to escape back."
"Don't move. I'll help you back to the base and get you patched up."
"Thanks..."
The moment he supported Leone, Lubbock almost buckled.
*Damn, Sis. You're heavy.*
"Leone?"
Detecting the commotion outside, all the Night Raid members, except for the still-unconscious Mine, ran to the edge of the base with their Teigu.
Oh, except Bulat and Tatsumi.
But Bulat had grabbed [Roman Artillery: Pumpkin]. As a former soldier, he was trained in firearms. Considering it might be an enemy invasion, he grabbed a spear and also slung Pumpkin over his back.
"Thank goodness! You're not... well, this doesn't look 'not-okay' either."
Looking at the blood still seeping from Leone's wounds, Bulat sighed.
"Lubbock, let me. After I help Leone inside... no, let's treat her wounds first."
Akame, meanwhile, frowned as she looked at the trail of blood Leone had left.
"Aside from the noise, this blood trail makes you too easy to follow. I'll go cover the tracks... By the way, Leone, were you followed?"
"Hmph. Those two brats wanted to use me to find our base. Too bad I saw right through them. I took a massive detour and circled around for ages before coming back. If they can *still* find this place..."
"I'll eat this mud right here at my feet!"
"Oh, is that so?"
Just as Leone finished speaking, an icy, indifferent voice reached everyone's ears.
"Alright. You can start eating."
?
??
???
Hearing that voice, Bulat immediately yanked [Roman Artillery: Pumpkin] off his back.
He had only heard that voice for two or three minutes, but he would never forget it.
It was—the voice of the man who stole his Teigu!
Just by holding the Teigu, Bulat could feel the energy in [Roman Artillery: Pumpkin] surging.
*I see. In my subconscious, I've already categorized this guy as 'an opponent we can't possibly beat'?*
*Danger. Immense danger.*
Watching the two cloaked figures emerge from the shadows, everyone immediately went on high alert, ready for battle.
When Leone heard the voice, she didn't even bother saying anything.
She already knew they planned to use her. And they were already bitter enemies. The chances of them attacking the base were already high.
Questioning them now would only make her look like more of a clown. Rather than that, what Leone should be doing was...
"Everyone! I'm leaving it to you!"
After shouting that, she forced her body to run, choosing to retreat from the battlefield.
Most of her combat power came from the beast transformation of [Lion King: Lionelle]. Without her Teigu and injured, she was useless on this battlefield.
Rather than distracting her comrades by making them worry about her, it was better to retreat immediately so they could fight without reservations.
"Hey, man. What's the meaning of this?"
Lubbock broke out in a cold sweat, forcing a wry smile as he looked at Aaron and Kiana, who had already drawn their Teigu.
"If you're here to be guests, this attitude seems a little... off, doesn't it?"
"Ha. Your Night Raid hideout isn't easy to find. I had to resort to this. As for being guests..."
"Oh, I have no intention of being a guest. You've attacked me twice now, and I still haven't killed any of you. Thinking about it, that doesn't seem right, does it?"
"Hand over all your Teigu, and I might consider leaving. Otherwise..."
"Ha. It would be rude to say any more."
Although Aaron didn't finish the sentence, everyone in Night Raid present, except for Sheele, knew exactly what he meant.
*If we don't hand over the Teigu, he'll just take them by force. And as for what happens to Night Raid after that...*
*—The killing intent rolling off him says it all!*
*Mine and Leone are out of commission. Bulat definitely can't beat him in close combat—hell, Bulat couldn't beat him *with* his Teigu. Charging in with a standard-issue weapon is just suicide.*
*Bulat can only provide support fire with [Roman Artillery: Pumpkin]. My combat power isn't great. The only ones who can fight on the front lines are Akame and Sheele.*
*But Sheele's combat power isn't good either. [Extase] is sharp, but if the enemy is fast, it's too hard for her to land a hit.*
*Her secret technique, the flash from the metal, might be useful, but... the power gap is just too big.*
*The only one left who can fight him head-on is Akame. But one of them has [Spectator] and can predict her movements, and the other has [Demon Armor: Incursio], which can block the cursed slash of [One-Cut Killer].*
*This is bad. I can't see a way to win.*
*We don't have enough fighting power!*
*Even if Miss Najenda were here, it wouldn't be enough!*
*And she only left less than twelve hours ago!*
*I have to find a way. Stall for time.*
"Look, man... about handing over the Teigu... okay, you've got us in a tight spot. We can discuss giving you the Teigu. But... are you sure that's *all* you want?"
Lubbock adjusted his mindset, his brain spinning rapidly.
"Night Raid only has a few Teigu left. Instead of just taking ours, I've got an idea..."
"The Empire has formed a special Teigu user combat squad. If you and I team up, we could totally annihilate them. *Then*, we can hand over our Teigu. It won't be too late."
"The Teigu will be yours eventually anyway. If you just hold off for now, you'll gain several extra fighters. How about it? That's a good deal, right... Whoa!"
Before Lubbock could finish, Kiana had already started firing at him and the others with [Ivory].
"Do you... take us for idiots?"
"Trying to use us as your pawns, even now. This time, I'm... really... pissed!"
.....................