"I won't interfere," Noah said. "This isn't my part in your fate. You can think of me as a mountain or a lake. I may occasionally help a passing traveler, but I don't deliberately harm anyone. Most of the time, people bring misfortune upon themselves."
"Then I'll find my companions on my own!"
Tatsumi lifted Nyau's body onto his shoulder and glared at Noah for a moment.
"You have incredible strength, and you can do so many things that ordinary people can't. If I had power like yours, I wouldn't hide from responsibility the way you do. I'd use it to fight for what's right!"
After forcing those words out through clenched teeth, Tatsumi hurried away.
Noah stared at the empty doorway for a moment.
'He really is passionate.'
Then his attention shifted.
'Hm? Why did Esdeath suddenly start moving?'
She was heading toward Tatsumi.
That was strange.
Noah had used Appraisal on him and examined everything he carried. There should not have been any tracking device on his body.
Esdeath did not look as though she knew for certain that Tatsumi had escaped either.
Could it be intuition?
A woman's sixth sense?
Tatsumi was heading toward Akame, and Seryu was about to lose. If Esdeath caught up with them in a place like this, Akame might not be able to escape.
It was becoming troublesome.
Noah decided to prepare another option while continuing to observe.
...
Tatsumi ran toward the rear deck with Nyau's body over one shoulder and Scream hidden inside his clothes.
Since Noah had shown no interest in the Teigu, Tatsumi intended to bring it back to Night Raid and strengthen the Revolutionary Army.
Clang!
Clang!
Thud!
When Tatsumi arrived at the rear deck, he immediately saw Seryu kneeling on one knee with a furious expression.
Akame stood before her with Murasame pointed at her, clearly holding the advantage.
Tatsumi grinned and shouted, "Akame!"
Hearing the voice of the companion who had been taken away in public visibly shook her.
Akame turned toward the passage in surprise and saw Tatsumi standing there.
Before she could respond, Seryu, who had not yet lost the ability to move, pressed something on her body.
A series of vibrations spread through the ship.
Tatsumi realized what was happening.
"You—!"
Before he could finish, an enormous weapons container smashed through the deck from below and flew upward.
Seryu immediately rushed toward it and pressed her back against the container.
She spread both arms, and the sides of the weapons pack opened in response to her movements.
"Hahahaha! Justice will be carried out!"
Her face twisted into an unsettling smile as she prepared to draw the Judgment of the Ten Kings from the weapons pack.
At that moment, she sensed a fatal threat.
Seryu immediately abandoned the movement and dove behind the container.
Almost simultaneously, a powerful shot struck the enormous weapons pack.
Both Seryu and Mine, who was firing from a concealed position, clicked their tongues.
"A sniper? Damn it, she interrupted me!"
"That woman's instincts are ridiculous," Mine complained. "She noticed my shot before I even fired."
Leone, who was standing nearby to protect her, could not resist teasing her.
"You've been missing a lot lately. Is it that time of the month?"
Mine silently turned Pumpkin's barrel toward Leone.
The embarrassed anger on her face and the seriousness in her eyes made Leone immediately raise both hands.
"Wait, I'm sorry. Bad joke, all right?"
"Hmph!"
Mine flicked her twin tails aside and aimed back toward the deck.
Seryu then noticed Tatsumi carrying Nyau. She assumed Nyau had been injured and that Tatsumi was helping him.
"Tatsumi, don't come any closer! It's dangerous here!"
Hearing an enemy show genuine concern for him left Tatsumi with mixed feelings.
Akame was also surprised, though she soon relaxed slightly.
At least Tatsumi had not been treated cruelly after being captured.
She ran straight toward him.
"Akame!" Seryu shouted in alarm.
She assumed Akame intended to attack the weaker Tatsumi or use him as a hostage.
Seryu tried to move, but another sniper shot struck the deck directly in front of her, blowing open a hole.
It was both a warning and a threat.
"Damn it."
Akame moved closer to Tatsumi and reached out, intending to support him.
At that moment, a terrible chill ran down Tatsumi's back.
Ice spikes burst from the deck and raced forward, carefully curving around Tatsumi before attacking Akame.
The attack came too suddenly for her to evade properly. Akame could only raise Murasame and block with the flat of the blade.
The speed and power behind the ice were far beyond what she expected.
The impact drove her backward across the deck.
It was difficult to believe that such overwhelming force had come from someone who had not even appeared yet.
Click.
Click.
The clear sound of heels against the deck announced the arrival of the Ice Queen.
Everything beneath Esdeath's feet froze as she walked.
Her gaze moved from Akame to Seryu, then briefly toward the distant sniper's position before she stepped in front of Tatsumi.
"You tried to harm the man I love. Night Raid truly deserves its reputation as the most troublesome organization in the capital." Esdeath smiled coldly.
"I don't particularly enjoy praising my enemies, but consider this respect my farewell gift to you."
Akame stiffened beneath the pressure of her bloodlust.
Even Mine, far away from the deck, felt as though every muscle in her body had locked in place when Esdeath glanced toward her.
"So strong..."
"She's terrifying!"
It was a murderous presence that seemed impossible to possess without killing hundreds of thousands, perhaps even millions, of people.
This woman truly was the strongest in the Empire.
Their group could not defeat her.
'Don't let your intentions show, Tatsumi.'
The boy remembered his earlier mistake.
Even though Esdeath stood directly in front of him with her back completely exposed, he made no attempt to attack.
He knew it would fail.
Even Nyau had been capable of instantly countering him at close range. Esdeath was many times stronger than Nyau.
Tatsumi forced himself to remain calm and kept every thought from appearing on his face.
Then Esdeath spoke to him in a gentle voice.
"You're safe now, Tatsumi. As long as I'm here, no one will be allowed to hurt you."
She gave him a beautiful smile before turning back toward Akame, her face becoming cold once again.
"As for you, Akame, you and your companions will all die here today."
The moment she finished speaking, Esdeath vanished.
At the same time, a dome of ice formed around Tatsumi and sealed him inside.
She had probably created it to protect him.. but Tatsumi did not feel protected!
'Damn it! Now I'm trapped again!'
He punched the ice wall, but it did not move at all.
Instead, pain shot through his fist.
"It's so hard..."