"I can't believe you actually came back..."
Esdeath was visibly surprised when she saw Blayn suddenly appear before her. She had assumed he would never return, especially after what happened with Chouri.
"Didn't I say last time? I was only leaving temporarily. I don't go back on my word," Blayn said calmly.
"So you did all those 'good deeds' just to sabotage our plans?"
Despite her words, Esdeath showed no anger or blame.
"I had no choice. Besides, I already told you—we're on opposing sides now," Blayn replied with a hint of helplessness.
Even though there had been some unpleasant incidents between them, the atmosphere of their reunion remained oddly harmonious.
"So, why not join me? You and your subordinates, your friends—if they come to my side, everything from the past can be erased."
As she spoke, Esdeath gave an example. "Liver, Nyau, and Daidara all committed crimes of varying degrees, but now it's as if none of it ever happened."
Blayn shook his head slightly. "That's something I should be saying to you."
Esdeath wasn't surprised by his response.
"If that's how it is, then we'll have to settle this through battle."
Blayn got straight to the point. "You once said that if I proved stronger than you, you'd obey me, right?"
"That's right. Are you saying you want to fight me?"
Esdeath was momentarily taken aback. Was he underestimating her? Or was he truly confident he could defeat her?
"Yes. If I win, you'll follow my will."
Blayn spoke indifferently, but before he could finish, Esdeath cut in. "Fine. But if you lose, you'll stay by my side forever and never disobey my orders. Of course, I'll be considerate of your feelings and won't give you any unreasonable commands."
"Alright, let's do it now. Find a suitable place—we can't just start a fight in the middle of the Imperial Capital," Blayn said seriously.
"I don't mind."
Esdeath responded casually. After all, she was the kind of woman who could bring ruin to the entire Empire without hesitation...
"As long as we stay away from the capital."
Blayn quickly recalled a remote, uninhabited area—one of many places where Danger Beasts roamed.
"Let's go."
Esdeath walked up and grabbed Blayn's hand, pulling him along as she left the mansion. She couldn't wait to defeat him and take full control.
Though she had a habit of tormenting her enemies, she would never do the same to Blayn. She simply wouldn't bear it.
With a bright smile, Esdeath led Blayn down the street. To outsiders, they looked like any ordinary couple—no one would have guessed they were on their way to a duel.
From the shadows, Kurome and Chelsea, who had been secretly watching, were the first to notice Blayn and Esdeath leaving the villa.
As top-tier assassins, they had positioned themselves in Blayn's blind spot, carefully suppressing their presence. Even Blayn and Esdeath wouldn't easily detect them.
"I thought he went to see Esdeath for something important… Turns out it was a date."
Seeing the scene before her, Chelsea muttered in a low voice, "Seriously? He left us at the general's estate just to sneak off for a private date with Esdeath?"
"Yes. The Commander is really mean," Kurome added with a faintly gloomy tone.
"But if you think about it, Blayn was probably worried we'd end up clashing with Esdeath. I've heard about her personality—if she met us and found out who we were, she'd probably attack us on the spot."
Chelsea could understand Blayn's reasoning.
With that, she and Kurome continued tailing Blayn and Esdeath.
Within the Imperial Capital, the abundance of buildings, cover, and the general noise of the city made it easier for them to stay hidden. But once outside the city, things were different—the slightest rustle or disturbance could easily give them away.
Even so, they still decided to follow and see what would happen.
Sure enough, not long after leaving the capital, Esdeath had already sensed something.
"Seems like we're being followed. Are they your companions?" she asked Blayn casually.
She had detected their presence but wasn't sure of their exact location or identity.
"Probably. I'll tell them not to interfere in our duel," Blayn replied.
By now, he had also realized there were two people tailing them. It wasn't hard to guess—it had to be Kurome and Chelsea.
"They…?"
Esdeath picked up on his choice of words.
After all, there was a clear difference in pronunciation between "they" when referring to a mixed group and "they" when referring specifically to women.
A sinister smile crept across her face—twisted yet alluring in its own way.
"No problem. If they want to join in, they're welcome. I'll make sure they understand exactly who you belong to."
"…"
Blayn broke into a cold sweat.
Just from her expression and tone, he could already tell what she was implying.
He'd need to warn Kurome and Chelsea not to do anything reckless.
...
A few kilometers outside the capital, Blayn finally stopped in a vast forested area. The frequent presence of Danger Beasts here meant there were no human settlements nearby.
"This is the place."
After putting some distance between himself and Esdeath, Blayn quickly scanned his surroundings. With the naked eye, it was nearly impossible to spot Kurome and Chelsea.
His Mangekyō Sharingan granted him exceptional perception, but it didn't allow him to see through objects. If they had deliberately hidden behind cover, tracking them down wouldn't be easy.
So instead, he raised his voice and called out, "I know you've been following me this whole time. I'm about to duel Esdeath, so stay out of it. Do not interfere—under any circumstances."
He stressed the last part firmly.
After all, he had never personally seen Esdeath go all out. If she lost control, he couldn't guarantee he'd be able to protect both Kurome and Chelsea at the same time.
To be safe, he needed them to stay out of it.
From the shadows, Kurome and Chelsea remained silent, but in their hearts, they acknowledged his warning.
That being said—if Blayn's life was in danger, they weren't about to just sit back and watch.
"That's no fun. Why don't you let them come out and introduce themselves?"
Esdeath smiled, but there was a dangerous edge hidden beneath her casual tone.
"It's for fairness, of course. This is a one-on-one duel," Blayn replied casually.
Esdeath snorted softly, a confident and arrogant smile appearing on her face. "Then you go first."
Blayn didn't respond. Instead, he immediately entered combat mode, allocating his available System Points.
[Ding! The Host has exchanged "Constitution 165," deducting "System Points 165"!]
[Ding! The Host has exchanged "Ocular Power 80," deducting "System Points 100"!]
[Ding! The Host has exchanged "Strength 50," deducting "System Points 80"!]
[Ding! The Host has exchanged "Agility 50," deducting "System Points 80"!]
It had been quite a while since his last point allocation. Over the past few days, Blayn had been accumulating System Points but hadn't felt the need to spend them—until today.
Now, facing the Empire's "strongest" warrior, Esdeath, he decided to hold nothing back.
Not only that, but he also used his will to don the White Mask, allowing him to wield the Gunbai Uchiwa. The mask's additional +10 boost to all attributes might not be much, but every bit helped.
[Strength: 150 (+10)]
[Agility: 150 (+10)]
[Constitution: 350 (+10)]
[Ocular Power: ? (+130)]
With his attributes nearly doubled, Blayn made it clear that he wasn't underestimating Esdeath in the slightest.
"Hmm? Another new Teigu?"
Esdeath's sharp gaze immediately locked onto the massive flaming fan in Blayn's hand. "Are you using two Teigus at once?"
A flicker of concern crossed her eyes.
She was well aware of the dangers of dual-wielding Teigu. While it would temporarily enhance Blayn's strength and make the battle even more exhilarating for her, she didn't want him harming himself in the process.
Blayn didn't answer. Instead, he vanished in an instant, using spatial teleportation to appear directly in front of Esdeath. At such close range, he activated Kamui, attempting to drag her into its dimension.
With both eyes unlocked, Kamui's spatial distortion was significantly faster than before. Since Esdeath had never seen him use this ability, he was counting on catching her off guard.
Had it been anyone else, they would've been sucked into Kamui before they even realized what was happening.
But Esdeath was no ordinary opponent.
She didn't know what kind of ability this was, but the moment Blayn teleported right in front of her, her expression turned serious, and her cold eyes filled with wariness.
She could feel space distorting around her. Even though it was only for a fleeting moment, her instincts screamed danger.
Without hesitation, Esdeath forcefully retreated, but she wasn't sure if she was fast enough—so she launched an "Ice Bomb" at Blayn, using the recoil to propel herself backward.
Uchiha Return!
Blayn swiftly swung the Gunbai Uchiwa, absorbing the Ice Bomb before converting its energy into a powerful gust of wind that he redirected toward Esdeath.
The sudden blast threw Esdeath off balance.
Blayn took the opportunity to teleport behind her…
Realizing that the Blayn in front of her had vanished, Esdeath immediately deduced that he was either above or behind her. She ruled out the air as the lesser threat and, without hesitation, spun around, reaching back in an attempt to grab him.
If she caught him, she could freeze him instantly with her Teigu's power.
Unfortunately, against the Mangekyō Sharingan, her movement was too predictable.
Blayn activated Intangibility, allowing her hand to pass right through him.
Feeling nothing, Esdeath wasn't surprised—she already knew Blayn had this ability.
Rather than panic, she remained composed, swiftly creating distance between them once more.
"What a thrill! It's been so long since I've had such an exhilarating fight!"
Even though she was clearly at a disadvantage, Esdeath looked absolutely delighted.
After just a single exchange, her perception of Blayn's strength had completely changed.
He was even stronger than she had initially imagined, which only made her more excited.
Since obtaining her Teigu, she had never faced such an evenly matched battle.
The stronger the opponent, the more exhilarated she became—especially when that opponent was her man!
Blayn, on the other hand, wasn't one to talk much during battle.
Esdeath's strength was exactly as he had expected. As the Empire's "strongest," she was not someone who could be taken down easily.
Though Double Kamui's spatial teleportation was fast, it was difficult to make full use of it against someone like Esdeath, whose reflexes and speed were at the absolute peak.
Blayn realized that relying solely on his basic spatial abilities wouldn't be enough—at least, not if he wanted to end this fight quickly.
Which meant... it was time to use Susanoo.
The ultimate power of the Mangekyō Sharingan—one that could overwhelm Esdeath with sheer force.
Thanks to his earlier stat boosts, Blayn felt that he could now barely handle using Susanoo.
He had always known he was capable of activating it, but he had hesitated before, worried that the strain would be too much for his body.
"Susanoo!"
With just a thought, Blayn activated it.
His Susanoo naturally shared the same sky-blue hue as Kakashi's and had a similar appearance.
However, unlike Kakashi—who could summon the complete form immediately—Blayn wasn't yet capable of fully manifesting it. His current Constitution and Ocular Power weren't high enough, and he hadn't awakened the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan.
He started with Susanoo's initial form, where giant spectral ribs wrapped around his body, glowing a deep azure.
A strange, eerie sound filled the air as the skeletal structure materialized.
But it didn't stop there.
Susanoo rapidly grew, and in the blink of an eye, it advanced to its first stage—a towering skeletal upper body that reached nearly ten meters in height.
"...!"
The ominous spectacle instantly put Esdeath on high alert.
...
This novel is now fully translated on P@treon.
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