Last night. The Imperial Capital. Dr. Stylish's Laboratory.
Inside Dr. Stylish's laboratory, a cloaked, uninvited guest suddenly appeared, visiting a place he hadn't been to in a long time.
"It's been a long time, Dr. Stylish."
"That voice... Oh, it's Syura."
Dr. Stylish, who had been organizing his experimental data, turned at the sound of the voice he hadn't heard in so long. A strange smile crossed his face as he looked at the visitor.
"It has been a while... Oh my? You've certainly become more of a man, haven't you."
"Haha, Doctor, you know I don't like those kinds of jokes—though for you, I suppose it isn't a joke, is it?"
Tossing back his cloak, Syura flopped onto the sofa with a wicked grin and looked at Dr. Stylish.
"So, what's new? Anything fun happening in the Imperial Capital? I heard you joined that special team Big Sis Esdeath put together."
"Heh, I was planning to capture that Night Raid crew and use them as test subjects. Unfortunately, the Captain grossly underestimated my combat abilities."
Seeing his old friend appear before him, Stylish certainly wasn't going to keep sorting data.
"I did ask that little girl, Seryu, to grab me some test subjects if she could, but she doesn't pull enough weight within the Jaegers."
"Tomorrow, Captain Esdeath plans to use two Teigu users to lure Night Raid out. They've been quiet for a month now, so I think there's a high probability they'll show up."
"Even if they know it's the Captain's plot, they should still go all-out to kill the two Teigu users acting as bait before trying to retreat. If you're looking for fun, that's probably your best bet."
"Hmph, good info—but it's not free, is it?"
"What are you talking about? Owing the Minister's son a favor isn't a bad thing."
Pushing up the glasses on his nose, a cold glint flashed in Dr. Stylish's eyes.
"Of course, if you really want to help, find a chance to dump that Night Raid bunch on Captain Esdeath."
"Oh? Listening to you, it sounds like you've actually grown attached to the Jaegers."
Syura sounded slightly surprised by Dr. Stylish's words.
"Your plan sounds like you're trying to help the Jaegers, doesn't it? I honestly never thought you'd have an idea like that."
"Heh, while the Jaegers were founded by Captain Esdeath, they're still inextricably linked to the Minister. This country... heh, in the end, the Minister calls all the shots. As one of the Minister's subordinates, in a sense, it makes my life easier elsewhere."
Stylish chuckled coldly as he said this, then shook his head with a slight laugh as he saw the obvious anger on Syura's face.
"Don't be so angry, Syura. I've simply sided with the victor."
"Ha! I'm going to surpass that old man of mine one day, and when that time comes..."
"—And when that time comes, it won't be too late for me to swear loyalty to you."
"Tch. Looks like nobody takes me seriously. How boring. I'm leaving."
Before leaving the lab, Syura turned back and asked Stylish.
"You don't mind if I take those test subjects you've got stashed in the suburbs for a little fun, do you?"
"Oh, by all means, take them. After all, I can't ask for your help and give you nothing in return, can I?"
*Heh, you can have those failed mixed Danger Beasts. I was wondering how to dispose of that trash anyway.*
*Huhuhu, even though that kid Syura is angry, as a chaos-seeker, he'll definitely act according to my plan the moment Night Raid appears in front of him.*
*And those people in Night Raid are all top-tier fighters. Once Captain Esdeath is done interrogating them, it shouldn't be hard for me to ask for one or two as test subjects.*
*Just thinking about the future...*
*Ha, it's so thrilling.*
.....................
One minute ago
After learning the Jaegers' plan and route from Stylish, Syura...
—of course, decided to head to the battlefield early and set up an ambush for Night Raid.
He had no grudge against them, but as someone who lived for amusement, did he need a boring reason to have fun?
No!
He just wanted to see people suffer, to use their pain to satisfy the 'desire' in his heart.
Thus, relying on stealth and presence-concealment techniques he'd learned abroad, he successfully avoided detection by Kiana and Aaron in the forest.
Of course, he only managed this because he forced himself not to focus on those two Teigu users, who gave off an immense sense of pressure.
Even an arrogant man like Syura wasn't stupid enough to charge in head-on when he knew he was outmatched—what was the difference between that and suicide?
He knew perfectly well that the moment he made a move, he would expose his presence and be detected.
And those two... if he fought them, he'd probably be dead in minutes.
*A man and a woman. The way the woman looks at the man is... oh, I get it.*
*Seeing a cute couple become desperate fugitives, only to be defeated and tortured to death by Big Sis Esdeath... wouldn't that be the ultimate high!*
*In that case...*
—[Shambhala], activate!
[Shambhala] possessed spatial-transfer capabilities, allowing it to instantly teleport people within a certain range to pre-marked locations. This ability alone ranked it among the top of the 48 Teigu.
Syura had arrived in the area much earlier than Aaron and Kiana, so he'd already set up numerous markers. Now, estimating Esdeath's approximate location, Syura instantly teleported Aaron and Kiana right on top of her.
As the Teigu activated, Syura seized the flash of light as his chance to escape.
Syura was arrogant, but he knew his limits. As an unidentified Teigu user, if he stuck around, the two Jaegers members, Kurome and Bols, would just treat him as an enemy.
He was here to watch a show, not to be an actor risking his own life to entertain others.
*Ha, that energy fluctuation not far off... looks like Big Sis Esdeath is right where I estimated.*
*Now, let's see what interesting things are about to happen.*
After the light faded, Kurome and Bols immediately rushed into the forest.
But it was too late. Syura had already planned his escape route. No matter how fast Kurome and Bols reacted, they couldn't stop him.
As one of the elites of the assassination unit, Kurome was naturally experienced in investigating clues and details.
A quick glance at the footprints left in the forest was all she needed to make a judgment.
"There are... some traces left here. Two sets of footprints, one large and one small. That means there were two people here just now..."
"But that's not right. There's another set of footprints here. Logically, there should have been three people. But where did they go?"
Bols, on the other side, saw the footprints Syura had left and made a quick decision.
"Little Kurome, regardless, right after these people vanished, an energy fluctuation flared up where the Captain is. If I'm not mistaken, those three must be fighting the Captain right now."
"That doesn't make sense either, Mr. Bols. If they were hiding here, they should have ambushed the two of us."
Kurome drew Yatsufusa, still in its sheath, and spoke with confusion.
"Even if Night Raid knows Yatsufusa can control eight puppets, and even with the puppets' strength, our force here is far weaker than the Captain's."
"Wouldn't ambushing us two have a higher chance of success than suddenly teleporting to ambush the Captain's group?"
"Then the answer is simple. Those two... and that third person... they aren't on the same side. Heh, there's a plot here."
After a moment's thought, Bols made his decision.
"Little Kurome, let's abandon the plan. We were supposed to be the bait, but since there's trouble on the Captain's end, I think we should regroup with them."
"In any case, if the Captain is tied down, and we get attacked, they might not be able to reinforce us in time."
"Mmm... I'm confident in Yatsufusa, but what you say makes sense, Mr. Bols."
A light sigh escaped Kurome as she scanned her surroundings, a chilling smile spreading across her face.
"Big sister, I don't know if you're nearby, but I'll let you go for now."
"Next time, I'll definitely find a chance for us to be together~"
......................
The other battlefield
On the battlefield, everyone noticed that Esdeath had already launched an attack on the enemy with icicles.
As Esdeath's subordinates, Wave, Run, and Seryu all knew that her icicles were not only incredibly fast but also devastatingly powerful.
Furthermore, because these icicles were creations of [Demon's Extract], they were not only sharp enough to rival some Teigu, but their ice properties could also cause a moment's hesitation in an enemy's body upon impact.
High-speed attacks combined with a slowing effect on hit—this move made it easier and easier for subsequent attacks to land after the first one successfully slowed the target.
The three, having witnessed this move before, immediately turned their full attention to the white-haired girl they had yet to capture.
In their minds, Esdeath's victory over there was guaranteed. Now...
—they were fighting three-on-one. If they couldn't take down this girl before Esdeath finished her opponent, it would be way too embarrassing.
But just as the three focused their minds, they suddenly heard Esdeath let out a surprised sound.
"Hm?"
Run, having the best view from the sky, immediately turned to look at the armored man facing Esdeath.
He was better off not looking. The moment he saw the man's movements, he froze.
That man had been forced back by Captain Esdeath's assault, but...
—those nimble evasive maneuvers were just too absurd!
From Run's perspective, Aaron was using incredibly bizarre dodging maneuvers, perfectly avoiding every icicle Esdeath threw at him.
Despite the extreme speed of the icicles, not a single one had managed to land a hit.
*That speed... no, it's not a matter of speed.*
If it were just speed, Wave, when equipped with Grand Chariot, wasn't that much slower than this Night Raid member.
But when Wave fought Captain Esdeath, he was never able to dodge her attacks so effortlessly.
*Is it his reaction time and dynamic vision...*
*Yes, that's the only way to explain how he can pull off such rapid evasions.*
Just as these thoughts flashed through Run's mind, he suddenly felt a sense of crisis.
Although he managed to dodge in time, the bullets that followed had already pierced the Teigu wings on his back.
*How...?!*
*That firing rate! That's not a firing rate a normal firearm should have!*
Although Run quickly stabilized himself in the air, he was still shaken by that instantaneous attack.
It wasn't that Run was a coward, but that shot had truly shocked him.
Seryu, after Dr. Stylish's modifications, possessed combat power far beyond her past self.
When [Magical Beast Transformation: Hekatonkheires] coordinated its attacks with Seryu, the girl-and-beast duo could unleash even greater power.
With the addition of Wave, who could ignore most normal Teigu and had vastly increased strength and speed, the white-haired girl was facing three powerful enemies.
Yet even while facing three strong opponents, she had still managed to spot his momentary lapse and seize the opening to shoot him.
*No, if Wave and Seryu hadn't reacted immediately, I might have been hit by even more bullets.*
*Just now, I thought only the armored man was trouble. Turns out this little girl is also a monster?*
*It's two-on-five, and we're... evenly matched?*
*Night Raid... when did they get monsters like these???*
On the other side, as Aaron dodged the icicles, he briefly checked on Kiana.
Although Kiana was facing four opponents, the moment she noticed Aaron's attention drift, Kiana used [Perfect Attunement] to convey to Aaron that he didn't need to worry about her.
This wasn't Kiana being stubborn. As far as she was concerned, the enemies in front of her truly couldn't threaten her life, at least for the time being.
After becoming a modified human, Seryu could switch between various weapons in combat.
But this time, she had chosen the 'Enma's Spear of Justice', which, despite its name, was actually a giant diamond-tipped drill.
Against an ordinary person, this weapon was an unstoppable force.
But against Kiana, a combat genius whose bloodline had undergone a second awakening, Seryu's drill was just too slow.
She didn't even need to use [Spectator] to read her muscles; she could easily dodge the attacks from both Seryu and [Magical Beast Transformation: Hekatonkheires].
And while Run was far from the battle in the sky, Kiana didn't feel he was much of a threat either.
According to the intel Aaron had given her, Wave's feathers weren't particularly lethal. While his trump card, 'Deus's Feathers', could reflect projectiles, [Ivory]'s firing rate was too fast for Run to react and activate it in time.
Kiana was facing four enemies, but to her, only Wave was a genuine threat.
Because Wave was clad in armor, she couldn't use her future-sight to read his muscles and predict his next move.
Because Wave's armor was significantly faster than the [Demon Armor: Incursio] Aaron was using, Kiana had to focus the majority of her attention on him.
But at the same time, the Jaegers members surrounding her, while acting as her attackers, had also become her shields.
Because they were in a high-speed melee with her, Seryu couldn't use her two types of missiles—she'd risk blowing up her own teammates.
Likewise, Run couldn't just fire his feathers wildly. Kiana was moving too fast. If Run unleashed his Teigu's feathers like a carpet bomb, the most likely outcome would be turning Seryu, the least defended person there, into a porcupine.
From Aaron's perspective, Kiana should be fine, at least until the enemy figured out her attack patterns.
*As for my side...*
"Ha. You dare to look away in front of me? It's been a long time since I've had this feeling."
Noticing that Aaron was actually checking on his companion while dodging, Esdeath lunged, stabbing her sword at his gauntlet.
Esdeath's sword wasn't a Teigu, but as a General of the Empire, she wouldn't be caught using standard-issue soldier gear.
This rapier, custom-forged for her by the Imperial blacksmiths, may have lacked special abilities, but its power was on par with a Shingu, and in some respects, even approached that of a Teigu.
With just that one thrust, Aaron, unable to dodge in time, sensed that her blade might actually breach his defense.
*Against a master like this, I still have too many openings.*
*In that case—I can't afford to conserve mental energy!*
[Spirit Commands—Wall, activate.]
Just as Esdeath's attack was about to hit Aaron, Aaron activated the Wall effect, reducing the incoming damage to one-fourth.
The blow that might have pierced [Demon Armor: Incursio] was instantly reduced to a mere scratch.
"Hm? Interesting."
Finding her attack repelled, Esdeath was knocked back by the impact. But instead of annoyance, a smile appeared on her face.
"I've heard that [Demon Armor: Incursio], as the prototype for Grand Chariot, possesses the ability to 'Evolve'. But because this function doesn't trigger for just anyone, the artisans of the past modified the subsequent Grand Chariot into armor that provides a stable, stronger enhancement."
"But looking at it now, it seems [Demon Armor: Incursio]'s upper limit is quite a bit higher."
"Interesting. This is very interesting."
Staring at the enemy before her, Esdeath actually, deliberately, retracted the killing intent she had been emitting.
"Boy, I can sense that you haven't had any systematic training. Your movements, your experience... they're far too lacking. But with training, you could become so much stronger."
"I'll ask you one more time. Will you join my side? If you become my subordinate, I can make you stronger. And over there... heh, your lover seems to be in no danger, but she is, after all, up against three of my finest subordinates."
"Sooner or later, she will show an opening and be struck down by them. But if you and she choose to join the Empire, I can see to it that your crimes are pardoned."
"And be your dog, right?"
"Dog? No, my subordinate."
"Is there a difference?"
Gripping the Neuntote in his hand, Aaron said coldly.
"General Esdeath dotes on her subordinates, giving all the spoils of war to her soldiers and officers. That's why your army's morale is always so high."
"That's truly commendable. But in your heart—do you really see them as 'subordinates'?"
Recalling what Esdeath had done when she activated the [Ice Cavalry], Aaron already knew the answer.
When conditions allowed, Esdeath would arrange for her subordinates and their families to be evacuated from the [Ice Cavalry]'s range.
But in that final moment, Esdeath had lost control. The rampaging Teigu power had swept the entire Empire, dragging even those people into a battle for survival.
Protecting the Empire, caring for subordinates, defending the people—these were all things Esdeath *would* do.
But they were just her means, not her end.
This woman was a battle-crazed maniac, born for conflict. Even if Aaron wasn't a Tester for the System, even if he were just a regular transmigrator, he would never want to serve under someone like this.
"Ha. I don't know what you're talking about, but I can take that as a 'no,' correct?"
Rejected again, Esdeath's eyes gradually grew even colder than before.
And then—a fanatic battle lust and a powerful aura exploded from her body.
"This is even better! Worthy opponents are few and far between. Now, let us joyfully slaughter one another!"
[Spirit Commands—Focus, activate.]
Facing Esdeath's sudden burst of speed, Aaron had no choice but to activate Focus while his Intuition effect was still active, further boosting his accuracy and evasion.
Purely in terms of speed, Aaron was more than a step faster than Esdeath.
But while his speed had increased, his technique had not.
Even after sparring with Kiana for nearly a month and a half, his skill was insufficient to handle a martial arts master of Esdeath's caliber.
But at the same time, Esdeath wasn't having an easy time either.
Although she was using her martial skill, experience, and the ice from Demon's Extract to suppress Aaron, she was surprised by the level of resistance she was meeting.
At this point, short of using her 'secret technique', she was practically fighting at full power.
But even at full power, not only had she failed to overwhelm her enemy, but his reaction speed was... still increasing?
*Heh. [Demon Armor: Incursio]'s 'Evolve' ability... it's actually allowing him to increase his combat power even while facing me?*
*What a powerful Teigu. And from the looks of it, his compatibility with it is extremely high.*
*This kind of enemy—is just too much fun!*
*So fun that I'm almost hesitant to kill him.*
*He really can become stronger. If I give him more time, the next time we fight, I might experience even greater pleasure.*
*However...*
Glancing at the other battle, Esdeath chose to suppress that feeling for now.
Even if she didn't want this delightful battle to end, she had to consider her subordinates.
If she just let these two go, they might become a threat to her subordinates in the future.
She was quite fond of those subordinates, after all.
*Even if I'm going to let this boy grow, I can't just let him walk away.*
*I'll beat him down first, then consider my options.*
*Should I use my secret technique here?*
*Or perhaps...*
Esdeath, all while trading blows with Aaron at high speed, was already lost in thought.
*The Wall and Intuition effects are about to end.* Aaron could feel the stinging pain from his body. He could only lament how overpowered Wall was when combined with [Demon Armor: Incursio].
[Demon Armor: Incursio] already had extremely high defensive properties, and Wall quadrupled them. This meant his defense in his normal state was over a hundred times greater than it would be without the Teigu or Spirit Commands.
But even so—in the recent exchange, he hadn't managed to inflict any effective damage on Esdeath.
The Neuntote had a long reach, but in a zero-range melee, it was ill-suited for Aaron's average technique—a polearm simply lacked agility.
But if he abandoned his weapon and used his fists...
His agility would increase, but with the reduced range, Esdeath's evasiveness became even more effective.
The few attacks that had landed had merely torn Esdeath's uniform, leaving a few bloody scratches on her pale skin—but the damage stopped there.
Forget seriously injuring her limbs or vital organs; she had only sustained superficial wounds.
Every time Aaron tried to use the Neuntote's sharp blade to cut into Esdeath, she would react in time.
*Not fast enough. Do I have to use 'that' here?*
*No, it's not time for that trump card yet. Unless...*
"Ah, this is getting a little boring. I do enjoy this kind of life-or-death exchange, but you are absurdly tough."
Looking at Aaron, who was catching his breath, Esdeath suddenly leaped back, taking the rare initiative to create distance from the opponent she held in such high regard.
"But, whatever. It's rare that I create such a secret technique. It seems a waste not to use it."
"You are a man worthy of this move. That I am forced to use it should be a source of pride for you."
*Heh, is it coming?*
Seeing Esdeath make that move, Aaron immediately began his counter.
[Spirit Commands—Focus, Wall, Guts, activate.]
As the three Spirit Commands activated simultaneously, Aaron felt his consciousness nearly blur.
*That consumed a lot of mental energy... plus the drain from [Demon Armor: Incursio]... is my mental energy already down to 50% or so?*
*But now, the opportunity is here.*
Esdeath had created two secret techniques. And because Aaron was a transmigrator, he knew all about this information that others didn't.
And now, he had a way to break this attack.
The reason Esdeath had created distance was that this unmastered technique not only consumed a massive amount of mental energy, but also required a small amount of time to complete the starting motion and gather power.
Therefore, the instant Aaron saw Esdeath complete that starting motion, he activated his own hidden killing move.
[Ittou Shura, activate!]
"[Mahapadma]!"
As Esdeath's cry echoed across the battlefield, the Teigu energy within her body erupted.
Demon's Extract. This Teigu normally only required the user to drink a small sip of the blood to gain powerful ice abilities.
But Esdeath had drunk the entire rest of the cup. The Teigu energy within her was naturally incomparable to any mere [Ice Teigu] user.
And because her internal energy was so strong, she was able to create this ultimate technique capable of freezing time and space: [Mahapadma].
Looking at the frozen world before her, Esdeath chuckled softly and walked leisurely toward her enemy.
"Your defense is indeed outstanding, but even you won't be able to take a heavy blow to the neck, will you."
"I specifically learned grappling techniques for dealing with heavily armored opponents. So this time..."
"—We'll talk about 'after' once you've survived this, boy."
With one blow, Esdeath would use a special attack technique to strike Aaron's vital point, knocking him out of his transformation.
That's how it should have gone.
At least, in Esdeath's plan, that's how it should have gone.
But just as she casually threw that punch, Esdeath's arm was suddenly grabbed and held tight by an arm covered in grotesque armor.
"Ha. Caught you, Esdeath."
Before Esdeath's eyes, Aaron, who should have been wearing [Demon Armor: Incursio], had changed. The [Demon Armor: Incursio] armor itself had undergone a bizarre transformation, becoming far more vicious than before.
In Esdeath's eyes, the normal [Demon Armor: Incursio] was just a powerful set of armor, not particularly special in appearance.
And according to Imperial records, when [Demon Armor: Incursio] encountered a user with extremely high compatibility, it would enter a more powerful state, one that resembled the deceased Tyrant, with a cross-shaped dragon pupil appearing on the mask.
But now, the [[Demon Armor: Incursio]] before her was completely different from the one described in the records!
Although the original armor was still visible on the unknown Teigu user, the mask on his face had twisted into a grotesque, carapaced visage.
From beneath this twisted mask, his eyes glowed with a terrifying purple light.
And on his limbs, razor-sharp blades had emerged from his fists and feet.
Even Esdeath, who had survived countless battlefields, found herself momentarily stunned by those terrifying eyes.
*...No, I froze time with [Mahapadma]!*
*Run, Wave, Seryu, and that white-haired girl... they're all frozen. So why?!*
*Wait, [Demon Armor: Incursio] can adapt to its environment. Don't tell me... after fighting me for less than a minute, it adapted to Demon's Extract's ice power?*
*His adaptability... no, my ice power never did much damage to him. The ice imbued in my rapier was minimal. Even if his compatibility with [Demon Armor: Incursio] is high, there's no way he could evolve a resistance to freezing from just that!*
*What in the world happened?!*
Esdeath's judgment was not wrong.
It was clearly impossible for Aaron to have evolved a resistance to freezing in that instant.
Aaron knew he wasn't some novel protagonist; he never thought he had any protagonist plot armor.
Someone without plot armor couldn't hope to pull off a last-minute evolution like Tatsumi did.
So, a month ago, after he and Kiana decided to stay in this Empire, he had secretly made a choice.
During that month, after sparring with Kiana for a day, he would tell her he was going to the Imperial Capital to scout for information the next day.
He did go to the capital for intel, but on the way back, Aaron didn't return immediately to the small village he and Kiana had found. Instead, he found a forest free of Danger Beasts to prepare for a potential future enemy.
The strongest person in this world was Esdeath. If Aaron stayed in this world, the probability of facing her was just too high.
With Night Raid crippled by him, he couldn't count on Night Raid and the Jaegers to take each other out, leaving him to pick up the pieces. So, before he faced Esdeath, he had to have a way to counter her secret technique, [Mahapadma].
In the original story, Tatsumi had relied on [Demon Armor: Incursio]'s adaptive ability, instantly evolving a resistance to ice to break [Mahapadma].
Aaron didn't think he had that kind of terrifying adaptability. So, if a sudden evolution was off the table—he would have to grind it out with time.
Every time he went to that secret training spot, he would don [Demon Armor: Incursio], then activate Ittou Shura to force the use of his Meta-Morph Factor, gaining access to that ice power.
After gaining the ice power, he would repeatedly attack his own body with it, using this method to build his resistance.
During this time, to ensure he could maintain this state for a bit longer, he would expend a portion of his mental energy to use [Guts] once.
Then, after a minute, he would use a second [Guts] to restore his body to perfect condition.
This training method was not without its costs. Every time Aaron returned to their residence on his motorcycle after this secret training, he would fall into a deep sleep from excessive mental energy consumption.
But in Aaron's eyes, he had only spent a few minutes. In terms of time, a few minutes was basically no time at all.
But over the past half-month of training, he had used this method to greatly increase his resistance to ice while wearing [Demon Armor: Incursio] and using the Meta-Morph Factor.
At first, when he hit himself with the ice power, the outer armor would indeed freeze for several seconds.
But now, after activating the Meta-Morph Factor, Aaron could forcibly resist most external ice-based attacks.
Esdeath, of course, had no way of knowing that the man before her had spent the last fifteen days exhausting his power to train his ice resistance, all to fight her.
Of course, as a powerful warrior, Esdeath would not be shaken by this.
But just because Esdeath wasn't shaken, didn't mean...
—that she didn't have an 'opening' right now.
Reacting in an instant, Esdeath didn't try to pull her arm free. Instead, she stabbed with the rapier in her other hand, aiming directly at his throat.
*Even the toughest armor can't completely ignore this blow.*
*If you want to trade injuries—then I, who am striking a vital point, will definitely come out on top.*
But just as Esdeath thrust her blade, Aaron had already made his move.
The original mask suddenly split open, revealing a mouth. As Aaron opened his jaws, filled with sharp, beastly teeth, he bit down on Esdeath's rapier, forcibly halting her attack.
*CRACK!*
To Esdeath's utter disbelief, he shattered her weapon with his teeth.
At the same time, Aaron pulled on Esdeath's arm, drawing her into his embrace like a pair of lovers reunited after a long separation.
"You, don't tell me you're...!"
"Ah, just as you guessed. The beautiful General of the Empire... I never thought I'd get the chance to hold someone like you in my life. So now..."
"Let's have a hug, Esdeath."
If this had been ten seconds earlier, Esdeath would never have been so easily 'pulled into his embrace'.
But during the fight, Esdeath had grown accustomed to Aaron's combat rhythm.
Although Aaron was still slowly evolving, in Esdeath's perception, his speed and strength hadn't increased by much.
But now, Aaron, having activated Ittou Shura and used the Meta-Morph Factor it provided, had far surpassed his previous self in strength and speed.
The combat rhythm Esdeath had grown used to was shattered.
And in terms of pure strength, she couldn't break free from the man in front of her.
All her techniques, all her experience, in the face of this absolute brute force, were now useless.
From the very beginning, Aaron had never intended to fight a weapon battle with Esdeath to the end.
He knew his skills would never catch up to these battle-hardened veterans.
If he wanted to win, he needed the element of surprise, and he had to play to his strengths while avoiding his weaknesses.
The only advantages he had over Esdeath were his physical stats and the intel advantage he'd gained from his transmigration.
If he relied only on his physical stats, even if he caught Esdeath off guard, she could still turn the tables and kill him.
Using that intel to formulate a plan with the highest chance of success, to complete that final checkmate, was what he had to do.
And now, no matter what, Esdeath—locked tightly in Aaron's embrace—had to admit that she was in deep trouble.
Aaron's embrace wasn't like Ainz Ooal Gown's 'hug' of that one girl, leaving her arms free to move. That was too dangerous.
To prevent Esdeath from struggling, Aaron had completely pinned her arms to her sides.
No matter what terrifying techniques Esdeath possessed, with her arms bound and her body pressed against his, none of them were usable.
Even as Esdeath desperately created countless ice blades, trying to pierce his body, Aaron's Meta-Morph Factor not only massively boosted his defense, but his ice resistance also weakened the blades' power.
And just in case, he had also activated the Spirit Command, Wall.
Even when Esdeath, in a last-ditch effort, slammed her knee into Aaron's groin, she couldn't make him loosen his grip, though he did feel a twinge of pain.
Ten seconds passed. Esdeath heard the bones in her body begin to scream.
Twenty seconds passed. Esdeath's consciousness began to fade.
She had unparalleled combat skill, vast experience fighting powerful foes, and a nearly invincible Teigu.
But when her Teigu's abilities were rendered ineffective, and her opponent used brute force to nullify her skills, her rich experience was useless.
After thirty seconds, every bone in Esdeath's body had been crushed to pieces by Aaron.
As Aaron released his arms, Esdeath, like a fragile young woman, fell limply to the ground.
....................
The three subordinates, who had long since noticed Esdeath was trapped by Aaron, didn't just react now.
The effect of Esdeath's [Mahapadma] had long since passed. The moment the three of them (and [Magical Beast Transformation: Hekatonkheires]) realized Esdeath was trapped, they had immediately prepared to rescue their captain.
But just as they were about to move, Kiana suddenly increased her firing rate and firepower.
The girl who had been on the defensive this whole time was now launching an all-out assault on the three of them.
Seryu, who had been able to block the bullets with her metal drill, suddenly found that—the bullets were completely different from before.
And Run, in the air, was now completely suppressed by [Ivory]'s increased firing rate.
He was having trouble just dodging; with his mind fully focused on evasion, he had no chance to provide support fire.
Meanwhile, on the ground, every time Wave tried to rush past and interrupt Aaron, he would be cut off by Kiana's [Ebony].
It wasn't that Wave was afraid to die; he had already decided to charge in, even if it meant taking an injury.
But when he saw [Magical Beast Transformation: Hekatonkheires] get sent flying by a single shot from the enemy's black pistol, Wave decided... it was probably better not to charge in recklessly.
[Magical Beast Transformation: Hekatonkheires] was much heavier than he was, and it had been sent flying over ten meters by the impact of that one shot.
If he were hit by that, he would not only be seriously injured but also sent flying.
In a situation where every second counted, if he got knocked away, it would be all over!
And right now, while he was here, the white-haired girl was still using that incredibly powerful black pistol to target him.
If he got knocked away, who would be next?
Run, with his high mobility in the air, was completely pinned down by the white pistol, unable to do anything.
And Seryu, who was frantically trying to hit the enemy but couldn't... Wave felt it was better not to have high expectations for her.
Most of Seryu's power as a Teigu user came from her biological Teigu. With [Magical Beast Transformation: Hekatonkheires] knocked out of commission for some unknown reason, Seryu couldn't even change her equipment.
Using the 'Enma's Spear of Justice', that oversized drill, Seryu's accuracy was shot, and her evasiveness had plummeted.
Wave even suspected that the white-haired girl was *deliberately* leaving Seryu alive and not finishing her off.
After all, if Seryu was in danger, Wave, who valued his comrades, would have to go rescue her.
And every time he went for a rescue, Wave would reveal an opening. When the enemy seized that opening...
—that would be the moment of Wave's defeat.
*Damn it, it's four-on-one, so why are WE the ones in a desperate situation!*
*And her gun's power suddenly increased... is that her Teigu's ability?*
*Thud.*
Before Wave could find a way to break the stalemate, the three of them heard a soft, dull sound.
They all instinctively turned their heads toward the noise.
And then...
—they saw a sight they would never forget, a sight they could never accept.
Esdeath, who in their eyes was invincible, had fallen limply to the ground, like a fragile young woman.
"Captain!" *3
Kiana, of course, paid no attention to what was happening on Aaron's side.
She knew that while Aaron could be reckless, right now, there wasn't a trace of anxiety in his heart.
In that case, she was certain he wasn't in a desperate situation yet.
So, what she needed to do was lessen his burden.
The instant the three were distracted, Kiana made her choice.
The reason her bullets' power and firing rate had suddenly increased was that she had used *that* power.
The power that Aaron didn't want her to use.
In the past month, Aaron had spent half his time making trips to the Imperial Capital.
When Aaron was gone, Kiana would secretly leave their residence, find a place, and use the power she had gained after her second bloodline awakening.
[Meta-Morph Factor]. This was the term that appeared in the System's skill description after Kiana's bloodline awakening level had been raised a second time.
Kiana didn't bother with the long explanations in the term's description. All she knew was that this power could make her stronger.
She didn't, of course, immediately use the Meta-Morph Factor to transform—she didn't know the consequences, and without knowing, she didn't want to make Aaron worry.
But not transforming didn't mean Kiana couldn't use the Meta-Morph Factor at all.
Relying on her incredible talent, after three days of thought and experimentation, she finally figured out a method.
She would channel the Meta-Morph Factor only into her hands. Using this enhancement, she could inject that 'power' into her hands to increase the firing rate and output of [Ivory] and [Ebony].
Of course, if she only used a little, her body wouldn't change at all.
But she discovered that if she used too much, while her power increased dramatically, her hands would transform into Honkai Beast claws.
For the next ten-plus days, Kiana spent all her time adapting to this power.
Of course, she had long since calculated Aaron's round-trip time to the capital. So, every time, she would return to the house before he got back and pretend to be taking a nap.
There were, of course, several times when she had *actually* fallen asleep, but regardless, she had gradually adapted to this terrifying power.
Even without a partial beast-transformation, she could rely on the property of [Ebony] and [Ivory]—[Bullet power is proportional to the intensity and flow of power injected]—to inflict massive damage on her enemies.
All she lacked was an opportunity.
An opportunity where all three opponents were distracted.
The instant they looked away, Kiana unleashed the Meta-Morph Factor she had been holding back in her hands.
Without giving the three a chance to react, Kiana raised [Ivory] and fired a full barrage at Run's body and wings.
This time, the distracted Run had no way to deal with the bullets, which were now enhanced in both power and speed.
As the bullets tore through his wings and body, Run, wracked with intense pain, fell from the sky like a bird with broken wings.
Although Kiana had avoided his vital points because she didn't want to kill him, Run was clearly out of the fight for a while.
Seeing Run get hit, Seryu glanced at Wave and then charged directly at Kiana.
"You villain! Go to hell!"
She knew she was no match for Kiana, but now was not the time to hold back.
*If Wave can get the Captain out of here... then even if I die at the hands of this villain, as long as Captain Esdeath recovers, she won't be tricked by the enemy's plot next time. She will definitely kill those evil villains of Night Raid!*
*In that case—isn't it worth it?*
*I'll die, but justice will be served. For me—that's the greatest honor!*
*It's a little sad I can't continue to dispense justice, but now...*
"Villain, villain, villain! I don't remember doing anything wrong!"
Seeing Wave abandon his comrade and rush toward Aaron, Kiana's eyes turned cold, and she aimed her gun at Seryu.
"You were the one trying to kill us from the start. I've been hesitating this whole time about whether it's right to kill you, but now..."
*If it's to protect him...*
"I won't hesitate anymore!"
As Seryu swung the giant metal drill at her, Kiana deftly dodged the blow and aimed [Ebony]'s muzzle directly at Seryu's back.
*BANG!*
Lying on the ground, Seryu looked at her own lower body, which had been blasted away, and lost the last vestiges of her consciousness.
*Damn it, my consciousness is fading...*
*The final power Dr. Stylish gave me... in the end...*
*I can't let it go to waste!*
"Wave! Hurry!"
"Seryu!"
Looking at Seryu, who was now only a torso, Wave felt an uncontrollable rage burn within him.
Run was seriously injured. The Captain was dead or alive. Seryu was definitely not going to make it.
*This is all because I was too weak.*
Seeing Aaron standing there, his [Demon Armor: Incursio] having deactivated from exhaustion, Wave leaped high into the air, concentrating all his power into his right foot as he kicked down at Aaron.
"You Night Raid villain! You deserve to die!"
"Ah, I'm not actually with Night Raid. And by the way, Esdeath... I'm not any younger than you are. 'Boy'? My ass."
Looking at Wave descending from the sky with terrifying force, Aaron, his transformation gone, immediately activated the Teigu he already had equipped on his belt, [Lion King: Lionelle], and entered his beast form.
Of course, this time, Aaron didn't activate the trump card [Lion Never Perishes]; he just entered the normal beast form to boost his power.
But against an enemy of this level... well, Wave was actually still pretty strong.
But compared to Esdeath, he was still lacking.
[Spirit Commands—Valor, activate.]
"Whale-Slaying Tyrant Fist!"
Aaron slammed his fist directly into Wave's right foot.
Relying on the last few seconds of his Wall effect and the freshly applied Valor, Aaron tanked the full force of the kick and, with the power of the Whale-Slaying Tyrant Fist combined with Valor...
—he sent the murderous Wave flying right out of his sight.
......................