"That's enough for now."
Dismissing the massive field of surrounding ice, Esdeath ended the test without breaking a sweat, clearly still holding back plenty of strength.
Upon hearing that the sparring session no longer needed to continue, Yoshino ice puppet gradually collapsed, transforming into glittering ice crystals that scattered through the air.
Descending slowly and steadily from midair, she glanced around at the devastation surrounding them, looking a bit uneasy.
"Um… the forest turned out like this… is that okay?"
Although neither Esdeath nor Yoshino had gone all out—this test had merely been a probing sparring match—the environment around them had been completely transformed nonetheless.
Both of them possessed power comparable to Danger Beasts of the highest rank. Even if they had held back, the destruction left behind was far from negligible.
Despite efforts to limit the damage, Yoshino ice puppet still transformed a large portion of the forest into a frozen kingdom of snow and ice. Combined with the noise from their battle, the entire area now lay in Champbles.
"This is nothing. The forest outside the Imperial Capital is unclaimed territory. No one's going to complain."
Esdeath, for her part, didn't care at all.
Forget destroying a portion of the forest—even if the entire tens of thousands of acres outside the capital were wiped out, she wouldn't so much as bat an eye.
Right now, something else had her attention.
Staring at the girl in front of her, Esdeath eyes shimmered with amusement, clearly in a great mood.
And indeed, she truly was.
Even though neither side had fought seriously or shown killing intent, a seasoned warrior could gauge an opponent's strength with just a few exchanges by analyzing various factors.
And despite how hard it was to believe, Esdeath found herself unable to completely see through this younger sister of hers.
That enormous white rabbit-like puppet—no matter how she looked at it—was top tier.
Its defense was insanely strong. Perhaps due to some sort of elemental incompatibility, Esdeath attacks couldn't even leave a scratch on its outer shell.
As for offense, there was no need to mention it. The ability to manipulate ice and frost was in no way inferior to Esdeath own Demon's Extract. Just like her, Yoshino was undoubtedly a living, breathing reaper on the battlefield.
Even its speed exceeded expectations. Despite its massive frame, the puppet moved even faster than Esdeath herself.
"If she could go to war with me… this child's potential might not even be beneath mine."
Esdeath chuckled at the image forming in her head—of her and Yoshino charging through battle together.
But she knew full well that being a soldier required more than raw strength. Mental resilience was just as important.
And that was precisely what Yoshino lacked.
A girl who couldn't even bring herself to kill prey—forcing her to take lives on the battlefield would be downright unrealistic.
Even so, with power like this at her command, Esdeath no longer had to worry about her safety.
"Although we still need to do a deeper investigation into the specifics of your abilities, one thing's for certain," Esdeath said encouragingly. "Yoshino, you're really strong. You need to have confidence in yourself."
"Mhm." Yoshino nodded softly.
"Well then, now that we're done here, let's head back."
Leaving the frozen forest behind, the two quickly reached the border between the icy wasteland and the normal woodland, where the Three Beasts were waiting.
As soon as the pair appeared, the Three Beasts rushed forward.
"I never imagined Lady Yoshino power would be this formidable," Liver said respectfully. "If you sisters were to fight side by side one day, conquering the world might not be far-fetched at all."
"That big bunny's defense is no joke! I saw Lady Esdeath attack it multiple times with no effect," Nyau added in amazement. "Lady Esdeath is the Empire's strongest spear, but Lady Yoshino has the potential to become its strongest shield!"
"You both said it all." With everything already covered, Daidara didn't know what else to add and simply nodded in agreement.
Though they hadn't joined the fight—or even had the qualifications to—they had watched the battle unfold and taken in much of what happened.
The way they looked at Yoshino had changed. The condescending air of seeing her as a mere child had faded, replaced by the same kind of reverence they reserved only for Esdeath.
No one would've guessed that Yoshino had been hiding this much power, capable of going toe-to-toe with the Empire's strongest warrior.
Having followed Esdeath for many years, they knew her strength better than anyone. And anyone who could match her was naturally on a whole other level.
"Hehe, well… she is my sister, after all," Esdeath said with a hint of pride.
She normally didn't care for flattery, but hearing her subordinates heap sincere praise on her sister sparked an unfamiliar sense of pride in her chest.
As someone who firmly believed in survival of the fittest, Esdeath had no issue looking after Yoshino forever. But if her sister could grow strong enough to stand beside her as an equal—that would be even better.
Still discussing Yoshino, the group made their way back toward the capital.
But just as they exited the deeper parts of the forest, they spotted a young boy by a nearby river, seemingly catching fish.
Esdeath and the Three Beasts dismissed him as a wandering traveler or a hunter and paid him no mind.
"Yoshino?"
The boy looked up at the passing group and—shockingly—called out Yoshino name.
Instantly, Esdeath and the Three Beasts tensed with suspicion.
Liver was just about to demand to know how some random boy from the wild knew the general's sister, when Yoshino and Yoshino suddenly rushed forward with recognition in their eyes.
"Isn't that Tatsumi? We finally found you!"
Yoshinon looked genuinely happy, as though reuniting with a long-lost friend. "I'm so glad you're safe! Even though I wasn't worried you'd be eaten by Danger Beasts, I was always afraid that your simple-mindedness might get you swindled out of your money and your body by the big sisters in the capital!"
"Ugh…"
Hearing Yoshino words, Tatsumi—who had deliberately set himself in their path, hoping for a "coincidental" reunion—froze awkwardly.
When he'd first arrived in the capital, he really had been conned out of all his money by Leone. And after a series of coincidences, he'd even joined Night Raid.
If this wasn't the first time they'd seen each other since their separation, Tatsumi might've suspected Yoshino had been secretly stalking him.
"Ahem… Yoshino, Yoshino… I'm glad to see you both safe as well."
After a brief moment of awkwardness, Tatsumi quickly put on his usual Honest, straightforward smile.
Even though the encounter had been pre-arranged, the joy of reuniting with someone from home was completely genuine.
"Mhm!"
A genuine smile bloomed on Yoshino face as well, her brows arching adorably. Her already cute face became even more charming.
Watching the cheerful mood between the two, Esdeath frowned in displeasure.
Who the hell is this guy?