Ten minutes later.
After explaining the situation to Najenda, and learning that a large Dangerous Beast had appeared near Night Raid's base, Najenda immediately took action.
To facilitate their operations, Night Raid's base was established in a dense forest not too far from the Imperial Capital, a place travelers would never normally pass by.
However, if a powerful Dangerous Beast were to appear and threaten the capital's safety, the Imperial Capital's Guard Corps would be dispatched to subjugate it.
To avoid unnecessary trouble, Najenda made a decisive move and sent Tatsumi along with another member of Night Raid — the wielder of the Teigu One-Cut Killer: Murasame, Akame — to deal with the situation.
"That Dangerous Beast… it doesn't seem like a living creature."
Peering into the distance from a safe location, Akame observed the giant white rabbit's movements and spoke hesitantly, "I don't sense any life force. It looks more like an empty shell. How strange."
"What should we do then?"
Looking at the increasingly expanding area of ice, Tatsumi asked anxiously, "Should we go back and call for reinforcements?"
The reason Najenda only sent Akame was because her Teigu, Murasame, truly lived up to its name — a genuine one-hit kill. As long as it made even the smallest cut on the target's body, the curse of instant death within the blade would invade the injured person's flesh.
Among the 48 Teigu, Murasame was also one of the top-tier weapons.
It was with this very Teigu that the founding emperor of the Empire once slew multiple super-class Dangerous Beasts — beings believed impossible for humans to defeat — and then used their materials to craft new Teigu.
Therefore, against a target that could potentially be a top-tier Dangerous Beast, Akame alone was more than sufficient.
Even if Tatsumi had underestimated the target's strength and it truly possessed the power of a super-class Dangerous Beast, as long as Akame found the opportunity, she could still deliver a killing blow.
But only on the premise that the target was a living being.
If the opponent was a puppet or corpse — entities that had no concept of life — the curse of instant death would naturally have no effect.
Against such opponents, Murasame would be nothing more than a particularly sharp blade.
However, in the face of Tatsumi suggestion, Akame shook her head.
"In this kind of extreme cold, probably only Bulat with Demon Armor: Incursio could fight it. Anyone else in Night Raid would be frozen instantly upon approaching," Akame said. "But Bulat isn't at the base right now. We should observe for now."
Though many Teigu users had strong physical capabilities even without relying on their weapons, the human body still had its limits.
Without proper tools or preparation to resist extreme cold, even someone like Akame — a top-tier assassin even without her Teigu — could lose her life in an instant.
Akame narrowed her eyes slightly, keeping her gaze on the figures clashing around the giant white rabbit.
Clearly, although Night Raid couldn't handle this Dangerous Beast, there were others who could.
And even before they had arrived, someone was already fighting it.
Though the distance prevented a clear view, Akame could still guess the identity of the person by their manipulation of ice and their combat stance.
"It's Esdeath."
Her hand gripped tightly onto the hilt of Murasame. Though her face showed no expression, her eyes reflected an unprecedented seriousness.
"Esdeath?"
Tatsumi was immediately shaken.
As a boy from a mountain village, he hadn't known much about Esdeath before. But after learning that she was very likely Yoshino sister, he began gathering intelligence on her.
The more he learned, the more wary he became of the Empire's general.
Even Najenda — once Esdeath closest comrade — had said that it would take at least ten Teigu users and fifty thousand elite soldiers to wear her down. That practically meant Esdeath could be considered a walking super-class Dangerous Beast.
But why would Esdeath be here?
A thought flashed through Tatsumi mind, and his gaze shifted once more to the nape of the giant white rabbit's neck.
Though still quite distant, the current vantage point offered a clearer view than before.
That flicker of green swaying in the wind looked familiar to him.
"Could it be… Yoshino?"
Hearing his mutter, Akame turned to look at him. "Yoshino?"
"The one controlling that rabbit-shaped Dangerous Beast… is very likely Yoshino."
Though he was hesitant, by the time he voiced this guess, he was already eighty percent certain.
Akame gaze lingered on him for a while. She seemed deep in thought but didn't refute him.
Over these past few days, Night Raid had continuously stirred up trouble in the capital, all to lure Esdeath out and create an opportunity for Tatsumi to take Yoshino away.
But Esdeath had stubbornly stayed by her sister's side, never leaving her unattended, impervious to any outside interference.
Yet now, she appeared in the forest outside the capital. It clearly wasn't just to subjugate a Dangerous Beast.
Considering that Yoshino also possessed an artifact capable of controlling ice...
"The artifact you mentioned… could it be that thing?" Akame pointed at the giant white rabbit in the distance, a trace of speechlessness in her eyes. "Tatsumi, it seems you don't know your fellow villager as well as you thought."
Tatsumi scratched his head awkwardly, flashing a sheepish grin.
But he couldn't really be blamed for that.
After all, he had never pressed her for details, and Yoshino never went out of her way to explain things.
Back in Tam Village, their life had been tough but never truly perilous, so Yoshino had rarely shown her powers. In his eyes, he had always thought she could only do some basic ice manipulation.
"So this isn't a Dangerous Beast showing up. It's just a sparring match between the two sisters."
Akame released her hand from the hilt of Murasame and said plainly, "Let's go. This has nothing to do with us. They'll leave once the fight is over."
"Please wait."
"What is it?"
"I… I don't want to miss this rare opportunity," Tatsumi said seriously. "These past days, Yoshino has been confined in the general's mansion. We haven't even had a chance to meet. Now that the chance is here, I want to go talk to her."
"Esdeath is here."
"I know." Tatsumi answered without fear. "But I'm Yoshino fellow villager. Even if she's Yoshino sister, she doesn't have the right to stop me from meeting her."
"..."
Akame didn't respond right away. She just stared at him.
Normally, Tatsumi would've looked away under this kind of pressure.
But this time, he met her gaze head-on.
As if sensing his resolve, Akame didn't forcibly drag him away in the end.
"I'll go with you. If you really can bring your fellow villager back, the Boss would be happy to see that too."
Her hand once again rested on the hilt of Murasame.
"If anything unexpected happens, I'll buy you some time."