Having knocked Wave flying with a single strike, Aaron suddenly felt a sharp, stinging pain radiate from his abdomen.
"Tch. Even with [Demon Armor: Incursio] disengaged, your body is unreasonably tough."
On the ground, Esdeath—whose bones had been completely shattered—was manipulating her freezing power to condense a sharp ice spike, attempting to pierce Aaron's body.
However, at this moment, the effects of [Wall] still had a second or two remaining. Naturally, she couldn't pierce his body with her remaining strength.
"Hah, you really don't know how to behave, Esdeath. But that's normal. That's just the kind of person you are."
After drawing [One-Cut Killer: Murasame], Aaron, who had just deactivated his beast transformation, drove the blade directly into Esdeath's abdomen.
"Fighting to the death is your style, so I'll overlook the fact that I didn't have time to finish off the others."
"Esdeath, you are too dangerous. Therefore—you must die."
Watching the curse poison begin to spread across Esdeath's body, Aaron pulled out the blood-stained katana and stowed it in his storage space.
Simultaneously, he took out a fluid storage container and activated [Water Dragon's Possession: Black Marlin] on his finger, plunging his arm directly into Esdeath's body.
As a Teigu that manipulated liquids, [Water Dragon's Possession: Black Marlin] could control any liquid contained within anything it touched.
And all the blood in Esdeath's body had long since fused with the [Demon's Extract] she had consumed.
So, according to Aaron's judgment—this stuff should count as a Teigu, too.
Although time was tight, since he had already killed Esdeath, he figured he might as well drain the blood while he was at it.
As he extracted the blood, Aaron glanced at the expression on Esdeath's face.
Hah. Before the curse poison eroded her body to the point of death, this woman actually wore a satisfied smile.
She really was a war maniac through and through.
On the other side, Seryu glanced at Hekatonkheires, which was completely immobilized in the distance, and then at Run, who could no longer flee the scene. She realized one thing with absolute clarity.
It was too late.
Run couldn't retreat, and Captain Esdeath had been killed.
In that case...
*Run, I'm sorry. Now is the best time to execute justice!*
Just as Kiana casually snatched Run's Teigu, she suddenly felt a terrifyingly massive energy beginning to condense within Seryu.
Previously, when she had prioritized attacking Seryu's Teigu, Hekatonkheires, it was because she sensed that out of the four enemies, Hekatonkheires' regeneration ability was simply too strong.
During the chaotic melee just now, she had been looking for an opportunity to use her X-ray vision to locate Hekatonkheires' core.
After seizing that chance, she used [Ebony]'s powerful output to punch a hole through Hekatonkheires' body and destroy its core in a single shot.
In her view, this woman shouldn't be much of a threat anymore.
Even if she had a self-destruct ability, her Teigu was destroyed, and half her body had been blown away. Surely she couldn't...
"Eh?????"
*Damn, damn, damn, damn, damn! What is up with this energy?!*
"What are you staring at? Run!"
Aaron, having switched Teigu again, immediately activated [Lion Never Perishes] and forcibly triggered the Meta-Morph Factor once more.
His remaining mental energy was barely enough to manage the Teigu; if he had twenty percent left, he'd be thanking the heavens. If he used any more mental focus now, he couldn't guarantee he wouldn't pass out on the spot.
As for right now... *Damn it, Seryu, you lunatic! Run isn't even dead yet, and you're self-destructing?!*
Forget it. To a 'Champion of Justice' pursuing absolute [Justice], she probably felt her comrades would agree with her method of executing justice.
Even if the cost was a comrade's life, Seryu likely subjectively believed that Run would be willing to pay that price.
Activating [Guts] with this scrap of mental energy was obviously impossible.
*Sigh. No other choice.*
*Tank it.*
Scooping up Kiana, Aaron held her tightly against his chest and forcibly drove the Meta-Morph Factor to manifest the Honkai Beast carapace on his back again.
There was no time to leave the blast zone before the explosion concluded, so...
*I'll have to gamble on this one!*
Accompanying the light erupting from Seryu's body, Run, who was right next to her, was the first to be swallowed by the glow.
Subsequently, Esdeath's smiling corpse was also swept into the shockwave generated by Seryu's [Chakravartin Furnace].
Because Esdeath was some distance away from Seryu, the shockwave didn't instantly annihilate her body but instead blew it to a location further away.
As for Aaron and Kiana, who had fled a fair distance, they were naturally caught in the explosion as well.
Held in Aaron's arms, Kiana naturally didn't take much damage.
But Aaron, who had tanked the hit with his body, felt his condition plummet to a terrible state.
Originally, in this battle where he had used tricks to kill Esdeath, he hadn't consumed much power. Normally, he wouldn't have ended up this wretched.
But right at the end, Wave's explosive strike and Seryu's self-destruct... Okay, he had to admit he wasted a second or two to finish off Esdeath.
He truly hadn't expected a 'justice' type like Seryu to blow her own teammate to kingdom come while he was still alive.
However, thinking back on it now, it wasn't strange for a lunatic who didn't even value her own life to do anything at the end of her rope.
To be honest, it was a miscalculation.
As the price for this miscalculation, the carapace on Aaron's back was blown away, and a portion of the flesh on his back was vaporized along with it.
If he hadn't had the trump card [Lion Never Perishes] active—combining his regeneration with the Meta-Morph Factor for a massive boost—he felt his condition might have been even worse.
"...You idiot! Being reckless again!"
Discovering that Aaron had used his body to block the blow, Kiana immediately broke free from his embrace and circled behind him, looking at his body with immense heartache.
Aaron's cloak and clothes had been utterly destroyed. The muscles on his back seemed to have a consciousness of their own, squirming as they continuously repaired themselves.
Although Kiana couldn't see the expression on his face behind the Honkai Beast mask, his back muscles had been vaporized by the enemy—could he possibly be feeling okay in this situation?
Moreover, during the battle just now, Aaron had activated the Meta-Morph Factor multiple times.
According to Aaron's own descriptions and warnings, using that thing too much would definitely cause problems. And now...
"Phew..."
At this moment, Aaron drove [Lion Never Perishes] to its limit, fully restoring the flesh on his back, then removed the carapace mask from his face and exhaled a deep breath of turbid air.
"Hmm, surprisingly, I feel better than before."
"Better my foot!"
Poking Aaron's body lightly, Kiana unsurprisingly saw a flash of pain cross his face.
"You wrecked your body again!"
"Well, I couldn't exactly run away at that moment," Aaron said helplessly, glancing at the battlefield which had been razed to the ground.
"Even if we surrendered, the fact that we killed the Three Beasts would have been discovered by Esdeath sooner or later."
"In that situation, rather than fake surrendering and joining their team, I personally preferred—before they learned our intel—using our information advantage to weaken their forces."
"Of course... wiping out half of the Jaegers' combat power was actually an accident."
*System?*
*Sys?*
*Damn, there are other enemies nearby.*
Noticing the System's 'prompt,' Aaron spoke to the very dissatisfied Kiana.
"Don't make that face. Look, at least there's no blood spurting this time..."
*Splat.*
Before Aaron could finish his sentence, a jet of blood suddenly shot out from a wound on his body.
"Heh, no blood?"
"...Better than being covered in blood like before, right?"
*Splat, splat, splat.*
After Aaron said that, Kiana, standing in front of him, watched with absolutely zero surprise as countless jets of blood suddenly sprayed from his body.
*Wait, what is going on???*
Aaron, looking at his body spurting blood everywhere, was dumbfounded.
*This shouldn't be happening.*
*Although the duel with Esdeath was dangerous, ultimately, I didn't use that much power after activating the Meta-Morph Factor's beast form.*
*I didn't use draining moves like the [Whale-Slaying Tyrant Fist] against Esdeath, and with [Wall] active, I shouldn't have taken much damage...*
*Did Seryu's self-destruct attack just now cause internal injuries?*
*But even internal injuries should hurt. Why don't I feel anything?*
*Weird. Too weird.*
*If this scene were in an anime or novel, it would definitely be a dramatic moment.*
*Forget it, don't think about it.*
"Retreat first, retreat first. We'll talk after we withdraw."
Taking out the motorcycle, Aaron pulled out a towel to wipe off the blood, applied hemostatic spray, and spoke to Kiana.
"There are other enemies around. Let's not waste any more time here."
"...I can't even bother scolding you anymore."
Dropping an angry remark, Kiana hopped onto the motorcycle.
*After all, you guy... even if I say it, you won't listen!*
*Annoying, annoying, annoying! When will you realize that fighting like this does you no good!*
...............
**One Minute Later**
Not long after Bols and Kurome began to move, they saw the massive mushroom cloud in the distance.
To be honest, before the battle started, Kurome and Bols felt their decoy squad might be in danger, while Captain Esdeath's side...
Esdeath was one of the Empire's two strongest generals. If Night Raid had someone capable of threatening Esdeath, how could they have stayed in hiding for a month?
Although they didn't know exactly what happened, the fact that the enemy appeared on Captain Esdeath's side meant the enemy was basically doomed.
They had only chosen to regroup with the main force as a precaution.
However, now that the explosion had occurred, Kurome and Bols exchanged a glance, already reading their teammate's thoughts.
"Little Kurome, I have a bad feeling."
"Same here, Mr. Bols... We need to speed up!"
For the two of them, the last few kilometers wouldn't take much time.
But when they arrived at the scene, they saw... nothing.
On the post-explosion battlefield, the two saw nothing.
A little further away, the small wreckage of Hekatonkheires, having reverted after deactivation, lay on the ground after losing consciousness.
Nearby, they found a corpse.
A corpse that was unrecognizable, yet easily identified by the pair.
The six members of the Jaegers on this mission had completely different physiques.
And this corpse, blown beyond recognition, was clearly a tall...
"It's a female corpse..."
"And... drained of blood."
Looking at the desiccated corpse, Kurome, who instinctively wanted to use Yatsufusa, lowered the Teigu she had just raised, her eyes filled with disappointment.
No matter how much she didn't want to admit the reality before her eyes, she couldn't deceive her heart, which had already reached a conclusion.
The corpse before them was likely the Jaegers' captain, Esdeath.
And that explosion was clearly caused by Seryu, whose body had been modified.
If Esdeath had been mobile, even if she couldn't stop Seryu's explosion, she could have at least left the scene quickly.
But her remains were so desiccated, indicating that before death, Esdeath had been drained of all her blood.
The two knew very well that Esdeath's Teigu was actually the Danger Beast blood fused into her body—[Demon's Extract].
So, if an enemy knew this intel, it wasn't incomprehensible that her blood would be drained.
The person who knew Captain Esdeath's intel... The former Imperial General of Night Raid, Najenda!
*Yes, it's her!*
As General Esdeath's former colleague, she knew Captain Esdeath's fighting style and Teigu abilities. So if she led the team, the Captain would have been...!
"Little Kurome, what do we do now?"
Bols, more rational than Kurome, suppressed his inner grief and immediately spoke to her.
"Run wouldn't abandon a comrade and flee the scene. And if he had disengaged, he would definitely have flown toward us. So..."
"Even Run and Wave... are dead?"
"Everyone... we finally became comrades..."
At this moment, Kurome felt the killing intent in her heart grow thicker.
"Night Raid... and Sister... I cannot forgive you!"
"Little Kurome, there's another thing. Although we don't see the enemy at the scene, they couldn't have gone far in such a short time."
"So now, we need to search the perimeter—after all, even if they defeated the Captain, they must have taken severe damage."
"If we catch them while they're weak, relying on your special Teigu, we might have a chance to avenge the Captain."
"...You're right, Mr. Bols. So now, let's search the battlefield."
Forcibly suppressing her anger and killing intent, Kurome began searching the battlefield with Bols.
Then—they were immediately attacked.
"Target [Bols] spotted... Kurome is here too!"
Night Raid, originally attracted by the explosion to scavenge, frowned slightly upon seeing Kurome walking slowly out from behind Bols.
Everyone knew Kurome's Teigu ability. [March of the Dead: Yatsufusa] could manipulate eight corpses she had killed, including Danger Beasts.
If the remaining enemies were other Teigu users, they might have considered how to deal with them.
But Kurome wasn't a typical Teigu user—her Teigu's nature meant she was the most troublesome enemy in the Jaegers besides Esdeath.
And now, aside from Chelsea, who had the weakest combat power, everyone in Night Raid had lost their Teigu.
Looking at Kurome, whose face revealed terrifying killing intent, a drop of cold sweat rolled down Najenda's forehead.
"Forget it. Everyone, prepare to retreat."
"Boss? Are you serious? They..."
"Of course I'm serious. Run."
*Damn it. There was clearly a fierce battle here just now, ending in an explosion, yet why are Kurome and Bols completely fine?*
*Wait, Kurome and Bols were the decoy unit. If they're fine, it means they didn't participate in the fight...*
*Doesn't that mean the person who got taken out was Esdeath?*
"Sister, you killed Captain Esdeath, didn't you?"
*???*
*Esdeath is really dead???*
*Wait, is this really not a Jaeger plot?*
*That troublesome Esdeath, the one who required tens of thousands of elite soldiers and ten Teigu users to even have a chance of killing, was killed by someone?*
*Could it be that Teigu user couple???*
*Are they already terrifying to that extent???*
As Najenda led her team members to scatter and flee, she still couldn't believe the guess that Kurome had confirmed.
*Absurd. Too absurd.*
*I heard Esdeath's power was on par with Great General Budo, but I didn't expect her to be taken out first.*
*Doesn't that mean the Esdeath Army is effectively neutralized?*
*As long as the troublesome Esdeath and her army are neutralized, then even if we in the Revolutionary Army have temporarily lost some Teigu, we still have a possibility of overthrowing the Empire.*
If the situation allowed, Najenda really wanted to shout 'Hell yeah'!
..........
"Ah, they really started fighting over there."
Seeing that fighting seemed to have broken out again on the battlefield he had left, Aaron took out the binoculars he had bought earlier and began to spectate.
"Stop looking, it's those idiots from Night Raid."
Using [Spectator]'s far-sight ability to glance at the battlefield, Kiana said with a smirk.
"They're being chased by those two Teigu users from the Jaegers."
"Oh, those idiots. Then I can't be bothered. Let them dog-eat-dog."
*Not awake yet?*
[Tester, this System does not require sleep.]
[Alright, as per custom, let's update the mission progress.]
*Good, you're here. Considering those two groups are fighting each other nearby, there shouldn't be anyone besides 'that guy' who can snipe us.*
[Main Mission 1 — Teigu Predator (12/10). Progress detected at 100%. Main Mission complete.]
[Hidden Mission — Kill Teigu Users (3+1+1+3+3+3+1+1+1+1+1+3+1+1+1/???)]
[Ding! Detected that Tester 233 has completed the second stage of the Hidden Mission. Rewards will be issued after the mission progress update concludes.]
*Twenty-five points total this time, huh...*
[After all, the person that 'Champion of Justice' blew up doesn't count as 'your kill.']
*Whatever, it doesn't matter. But judging by your assessment, I successfully extracted Demon's Extract, right?*
[Naturally. Since Esdeath's blood had long fused with Demon's Extract. Of course, this System advises you not to drink it right now.]
*Although I didn't plan on playing that risky, but... is there a reason?*
[Of course, because you aren't crazy enough. That's the nature of this Teigu. Unless you are crazier than the insane consciousness contained within the Teigu, only then can you suppress its consciousness without being driven mad by it.]
[And right now, this blood Teigu contains two consciousnesses. One is the Danger Beast tamed by Esdeath, and the other—is Esdeath.]
[In this sense, Esdeath hasn't completely died; she is still 'alive.' It's just that in the mission judgment, this System considers her dead, so you got the three points for the kill.]
*What a dangerous Teigu... and now it's even more dangerous.*
[But at the same time, this Teigu has become stronger. Because it now fuses Esdeath's consciousness, the moment it merges with Demon's Extract, as long as the user can suppress those terrifying thoughts, they can inherit Esdeath's martial arts and combat experience.]
*Damn, suppress that crazy woman mentally... No wonder you made the blood sound so scary.*
[Also, this System must warn you, Tester 233.]
[It is best to reduce high-intensity combat recently. Your body has developed some issues that aren't easily detected.]
*High-intensity combat, huh... Didn't I go a whole month before encountering the Jaegers?*
*Does once a month count as high intensity?*
[Give me a break. Who was the one who used the Meta-Morph Factor fifteen times in a month? Did you think gaining powerful strength required no price?]
[Previously, you were preparing to face a strong enemy, so this System decided it was best not to interfere. Now that you've solved the most troublesome enemy in this dungeon, this System suggests you rein in your radical mindset a bit.]
*Thanks for that, but the problem is...*
*I almost got screwed over this time. Do you expect me to just swallow this anger?*
[Have you swallowed your anger any less in the past?]
*That was the past.*
[Forget it. All this System can do is offer hints. As for how you act, Tester 233, that is your business.]
[Let's issue the reward for this stage.]
[Skill Enhancement, Skill Acquisition, Equipment Acquisition, Template Acquisition—to save word count, this System won't repeat it. Anyway, your memory hasn't deteriorated to that extent yet, Tester 233.]
[Additionally, since the second stage of the Hidden Mission was completed, there is an extra reward: 'Increased Drop Rate for High-Tier Items.' Also, if you choose Skill Enhancement, you can directly designate a skill to upgrade.]
*Wow, really?*
[Yes. Hidden Missions have special bonuses after the second stage. The third stage has even more bonuses—of course, this System hopes you act within your means.]
*Let me think.*
*In terms of combat power... Phew, after clearing the dungeon, the Kaslana Bloodline won't be usable.*
*But the equipment, skills, and templates drawn, even if strong, might not suit me.*
*And after returning to the Honkai world, I still have to face the Honkai.*
*Just LV2 Honkai Resistance... seems insufficient.*
*Forget it, I'll choose to upgrade Honkai Resistance.*
*System, add points!*
[Skill Enhancing... Loading...]
[Ding! Skill [Honkai Resistance LV2] enhancement level increased.]
[Honkai Resistance LV3 — Description: Guarantees significant resistance to Honkai Energy erosion after the body is corrupted by Honkai Energy. Please rely on dungeon rewards to unlock subsequent skill levels.]
[But I really didn't expect you to give up this chance, Tester, just to continue upgrading Honkai Resistance. You play so recklessly when fighting, yet become so cowardly after the battle ends.]
*What are you saying? Everything I did during the battle didn't deviate from my goal.*
*I fight to survive. When facing enemies I can't beat without risking my life, betting everything to fight is what I consider the right thing to do.*
[Alright, if there's nothing else, this System will leave first. But please note, Tester, you have been away from that world for a bit too long.]
*Hah, is time almost up...*
*Fine, I'll retreat after dealing with that guy.*
Aaron shouldn't have had to fight so hard this time.
After all, although Kurome's Teigu was troublesome, releasing Yatsufusa's power would lower her physical stats.
Even though Kurome's swordsmanship was terrifying even with lowered stats, she couldn't possibly compare to Akame in her complete state.
Aaron only needed to rely on speed to take out Kurome and steal Yatsufusa, and those puppets would instantly become Aaron's most loyal servants.
But this time, he miscalculated.
He truly hadn't expected that Syura, who theoretically shouldn't have returned to the Imperial Capital yet, would ambush him at that location.
But miscalculation aside, Aaron had managed to survive with Kiana without major mishap.
Moreover, having confirmed that the bastard Syura had returned to the Capital, the next step was simple.
Kill that treacherous piece of trash Syura, take his Teigu, and finally find a place to complete the teleportation.
Although Shambhala was far less convenient than the Herrscher of the Void's Authority, the problem was—Aaron couldn't use the Herrscher of the Void's Authority.
A Teigu capable of long-distance instant teleportation was often much more useful than a Teigu that boosted destructive power.
"Hmm, I'll pick this one. Since it says it increases the drop rate for high-tier items, let me see what weapon I'll pull this time."
After Kiana said this, a greatsword fell from the sky and stabbed directly into the ground in front of them.
"Wait, this is...!"
The hilt of this greatsword featured a skeletal design, with a horned skull on one side and a hornless skull on the other.
[Devil Sword: Rebellion (Modified) — Main weapon of Dante, protagonist of the "Devil May Cry" series. Can release power corresponding to the user's strength. Its maximum power is immeasurable.]
[Note: Since the wielder is too weak, subsequent abilities will be displayed in the equipment description once the wielder's strength reaches a certain stage.]
"Huh? Too weak?"
Looking at the greatsword's description, Kiana said somewhat angrily.
"System! Come out and explain! What do you mean 'too weak'?!"
[Ah, Miss Kiana, are you sure you need this System to 'explain'?]
[Well then, since you asked sincerely, this System will mercifully tell you—just how weak you are.]
[Here is footage of this sword's master fighting the legendary Demon Emperor.]
A video flashed through Kiana's mind. Thanks to the System's ability, Kiana finished watching that terrifying battle in an instant.
[This is the strength of this greatsword's master near his peak.]
"...I was wrong... But I feel like the greatsword in his hand and this Rebellion... don't quite match?"
[...That must be your illusion, Miss Kiana.]
"Is that so?"
Picking up the greatsword, Kiana felt she had overlooked something insignificant.
*Whatever. If it's insignificant, why should I care?*
*This sword... is so strong!*
*The feeling it gives me, compared to that Stinky Dad's Judgment of Shamash... hmm, feels like it's still lacking a bit.*
[That is because you are too weak, Miss Kiana, and cannot bring out all of this sword's power.]
*Shut up!*
*I know I'm weak!*
*You don't need to remind me. Seeing how that guy has been subconsciously protecting me, I know this better than anyone.*
*It's because I'm too weak that he treats me as someone to be protected, rather than a comrade to live and die with.*
*And precisely because of this... he wrecks his body like that.*
[...Sigh, this System won't say anything.]
[If there is nothing else, this System is leaving.]
Seeing that Kiana didn't show the usual excitement of finding something new, Aaron said helplessly.
"Not happy even after pulling the grand prize?"
"How should I put it... Since I can't bring out its full power yet, I just feel a bit annoyed."
Putting away the Rebellion greatsword, Kiana muttered softly to herself.
"Besides... dual guns and a greatsword... If Stinky Dad saw this, he'd definitely laugh and say I'm imitating him, thinking I haven't grown up."
*Give me a break. Siegfried wouldn't normally come out to see you.*
*And when he does come out to see you... damn, that's when trouble starts.*
*But forget it, better to keep this hidden. Her knowing these things now would only add to her troubles.*
*Sigh, acting tough for a few minutes only to end up aching all over...*
*This life is really hard.*
.............
In the time that followed, because Esdeath was confirmed killed in action, the special unit Jaegers was completely disbanded.
Following the disbandment of the Jaegers, Syura seized the opportunity. Using his father Honest's influence, he immediately established the organization 'Wild Hunt' to replace the Jaegers.
Wave, who was still recovering in the Imperial Capital, along with Kurome and Bols who stayed by his side, could only watch in utter helplessness as Wild Hunt caused havoc everywhere.
After all, they had no one backing them now. Even if Wave had a temper violent enough to want to hit someone, he was bedridden and useless.
As for Budo, who had successfully met up with Chouri, although he had begun planning how to overthrow Honest, he chose to hold his forces for the time being.
In his view, now that Esdeath was dead, the army's priority was suppressing foreign tribes and rebels.
As for other matters, those could wait.
And because no one could restrain Syura, Wild Hunt was essentially stealing the spotlight during this period... well, 'notorious' might be a more fitting description.
Syura, who had seen Seryu preparing to self-destruct from a distance, retreated without watching the battle to the end—he didn't want to get caught in that terrifying suicide move.
In his opinion, those two should have been blown away on the spot by that brat's self-destruction.
Otherwise—since he had been acting so arrogant for several days, they would have come looking for him long ago.
"Hah, and here I was wondering these past few days how I'd play them to death if those two showed up."
After a day of 'amusement,' Syura returned to his residence, completely relaxing his mind.
"Turns out they never popped up... Heh, looks like they really were blown to bits."
"And those trash Jaegers couldn't take down Night Raid either, letting them all escape. Looks like I'll have to handle it myself in the end."
"I've rested enough these past few days; it's about time to get to work. After all..."
Sensing a presence, Syura suddenly kicked out toward the source of the killing intent.
"—I'm going to surpass my old man! You punk, trying to sneak attack me! A fool's..."
Then, only then, did he see that his abdomen had already been pierced by a blade at some point.
As Murasame was withdrawn from Syura's abdomen by Aaron, Aaron—who had just deactivated [Incursio]—looked at Syura's body, kicked him over, picked up [Dimensional Formation: Shambhala] from the ground, and said grumpily.
"You act so cocky with no ability. I thought you were going to teleport me to the Imperial Palace; you scared me half to death."
"So, were our previous preparations useless?"
Watching Syura being slain so easily by Aaron, Kiana looked at Aaron speechlessly.
"To kill him, we spent three days scouting his residence, calculating the probability of him teleporting us elsewhere, and then carefully sneaking in to assassinate him."
"But he just died this easily??? Then what was all our effort for????"
"Well... how should I put it? Better safe than sorry."
After putting Shambhala into his space, Aaron immediately began calling the System.
*System?*
[What?]
*...Wait, we aren't in danger?????*
[That is correct.]
*This is the Minister's house, right???*
*No one is coming to hunt us down???*
[Nonsense. Syura has been dead for a few seconds; it'd be weird if someone found out already. Besides, this brat is famously bad-tempered. Who would dare disturb him when he comes back to rest after playing all day???]
*Honest, though.*
[That guy went to sleep ages ago. Don't forget, to enjoy life, he's a master of health preservation.]
*I am truly impressed.*
*So all our preparation really didn't come in handy?*
*Wait, if Honest's house is this easy to sneak into, why didn't Bulat kill him back then?*
[First, Honest stays in the Imperial Palace most of the time. He rarely stays in his outside residence.]
[Secondly, the intel brought back by Kurome, Wave, and Bols clearly stated that Night Raid's Teigu had been stolen. And according to Syura, the Teigu user who defeated Esdeath was heavily injured and likely dead.]
[Finally, although someone defeating Esdeath made Honest a bit uneasy, Honest knew that Syura's deduction under normal circumstances wasn't wrong—after all, Esdeath is just that OP.]
[Now that Esdeath is confirmed dead, let alone Honest, even Budo thinks the enemy who fought Esdeath is either dead or crippled.]
[Is it strange for father and son to relax their vigilance at a time like this?]
*Feels like something's wrong... but whatever. You're saying Honest is asleep, right?*
[This System speculates so. At least within the judgment parameters, this System determined no one would discover Syura shortly, hence why I popped up.]
*I see. I have a bold idea.*
*If this bastard Honest dies, then... it doesn't seem to concern me much.*
*But if I off him, countless people can find happiness. It wouldn't hurt for me to act once, right?*
*My mental energy is sufficient. I'll use Incursio to stealth over, then switch to Meta-Morph Factor and punch him to death. There's no one around who can give us trouble anyway.*
*Alright, decided.*
*Let's do something big!*
[No, this isn't that dangerous.]
*Creating chaos right before returning feels dangerous, like setting up a Flag!*
[No, it's really not that exaggerated. Trust in science, don't be superstitious.]
*Science?*
*I transmigrated after dying, and you're talking to me about science?*
[This...]
*Heheh, can't refute that, can you?*
*Anyway, I'm going in.*
"Kiana, find a chance to sneak out the way we came in."
"What about you?"
"After I slaughter a pig, I'll catch up with you."
.............