Negotiations failed.
But for Lubbock, this outcome... he'd already expected it.
They clearly weren't idiots. Even the girl, who had seemed naive before, could see the plan was unreliable. The chances of them falling for it were basically zero.
"*Sigh.* So we have to fight in the end..."
Lubbock sighed.
"I really do think we could get more Teigu if we teamed up."
"Well said. But without any trust between us, an alliance like that is obviously impossible."
After transforming with [Demon Armor: Incursio], Aaron spoke, his voice cold.
"I don't trust you to obediently hand over your Teigu later, and you don't trust someone who showed up at your door to steal them. In that case... what's the point of all this useless talk?"
"You've stalled long enough. Now—make your move, members of Night Raid."
As his voice fell, both Akame and Aaron vanished from sight.
From the start, Akame had been focusing her mind, preparing to strike.
As Bulat's comrade, she knew that once he equipped [Demon Armor: Incursio], he was basically immune to the curse of [One-Cut Killer].
So her plan was—a preemptive strike against Kiana behind Aaron. Take one of them out, then gang up on the man who defeated Bulat.
Unfortunately, everyone in the Imperial Capital knew the effect of [One-Cut Killer]. Knowing this, Aaron would obviously not let Akame move freely.
In his eyes, of the five people on the field, Sheele's [Extase: Omnislice] was half a threat, Bulat holding [Roman Artillery: Pumpkin] was one threat, and Akame was one threat. Lubbock's threads and Tatsumi, who had no Teigu, were basically no threat at all.
And although Bulat's [Roman Artillery: Pumpkin] was already charged with terrifying energy, no matter how strong its firepower, he was only a temporary user. He definitely couldn't wield it as smoothly as Mine.
Even if Bulat's accuracy was good, Kiana's Kaslana Bloodline had awakened to the third stage, and her [Spectator] could predict enemy movements. The difficulty for Bulat to take her out with one shot was too high.
As for Aaron's side...
Well, watching Aaron effortlessly overwhelm Akame in close combat, Bulat was starting to get a headache.
*This kid. He was able to overwhelm me with that explosive secret technique even when he didn't have a Teigu.*
*And now that he has [Demon Armor: Incursio], he can easily suppress Akame even without using that explosive Teigu???*
As a highly skilled warrior, Bulat could, of course, see that Akame's combat technique was far superior to the black-haired young man's.
But the problem was, with the statistical gap and her Teigu rendered ineffective, Akame, with only her skills, was being severely countered.
The opponent could just wave his spear around wildly, and as long as he was fast enough, he could graze Akame's body.
Meanwhile, every time Akame found an opening to attack, the man easily dodged.
Less than ten seconds into the fight, Akame was already showing signs of defeat.
Seeing this, Sheele, who hadn't been able to keep up, glanced at Bulat and rushed forward. She activated the secret technique of her Teigu, [Extase: Omnislice], letting the metal erupt in a blinding flash.
The moment Sheele glanced at them, Bulat and Lubbock, who had been fighting alongside her for so long, reacted instantly.
Bulat aimed the cannon at Aaron and fired the energy beam.
Lubbock, having confirmed Kiana's position, pulled his [Realm-Cutting Threads] and formed them into a spear, hurling it at her.
In an instant, the light blinded everyone.
Akame, who had been forced into a corner, understood Sheele and the others' plan the moment the light flashed.
Evading at top speed, Akame dove to the ground, dodging the terrifying blast.
At the same time, Aaron, who had remained in place, was struck squarely by Bulat's blast thanks to their coordinated attack.
"Did we... get him?"
As the light faded, Lubbock stared at the figure in the smoke and dust, a drop of cold sweat rolling down his forehead.
"Doesn't look like it."
"No, don't be so modest."
Aaron emerged from the smoke, empty-handed, and made a gesture with his right hand.
"You were *this* close to actually taking me out."
"Hahaha... 'this' close..."
Looking at the scratches on Aaron's armor, Lubbock was speechless.
*With such a massive danger-boost, Bulat's cannon blast didn't even seriously injure him???*
*Hey, hey, hey... I don't remember [Demon Armor: Incursio] being *this* tough. What happened?*
From the start of the fight, Aaron had used [Spirit Command—Focus]. That was why he could so easily suppress Akame, who was far superior in both technique and experience.
No other reason. His speed, offense, and evasion were just massively boosted. He had crushed her with pure stats.
As for that cannon blast...
Honestly, it wasn't enough to kill him, but it really could have seriously injured him.
After all, in Bulat's eyes, Aaron's appearance was a "massive danger."
But just before the flash, Aaron had seen Lubbock throw his thread spear.
Because of that, he had decisively used [Spirit Command—Wall], reducing all damage he took to 25% for a short time!.
At the same time, he had thrown the Neuntote from his hand, intercepting Lubbock's spear that was aimed at Kiana.
As for what Kiana was doing...
"Sheele!"
Tatsumi, who had been on the sidelines waiting for a chance, panicked when he saw Sheele collapse in a pool of blood.
"When did...!"
"...Just now. The moment Sheele used her secret technique, the young lady who had been attacking me and Bulat must have realized how troublesome that technique was... Heh. No wonder you didn't dodge."
Lubbock stared at Aaron, his body trembling.
If Aaron had wanted to dodge that blast, he could have.
But he gave up that chance to block an attack for his companion.
And at the same time, the agile white-haired girl didn't dodge the attacks because she had already locked onto Sheele as her first target.
The two of them hadn't exchanged a single word, but their actions were perfectly coordinated, as if they had planned it all in advance.
One defended, one attacked. In the end, their surprise attack didn't take out an enemy. Instead, Night Raid was blinded by the light, unable to save Sheele, and lost a member.
Ha, what a mess... Why did things turn out like this?
Back when that guy fought Bulat, things weren't this complicated. I could even handle the little girl.
But now...
One small mistake, and those black and white pistols of hers will take our lives?
How can we fight this?
There's no way to fight this at all!
............................