"It's over."
Clink!
Glancing at Cornelia and Wave and giving them a slight nod, Akame flicked the blood from Murasame's blade. The sword slid back into its sheath with a crisp chime.
"Kaguya! Damn it, this isn't over yet. We'll settle this later..."
Leaving behind those harsh words, Yuzuru Yamai supported Kaguya—whose abdomen had been blasted open by Wave—and bent her knees before leaping backward, rapidly widening the distance.
With only a shallow cut on her leg from Murasame, Yuzuru had clearly not yet realized that the curse was already spreading.
"Kotori, the AST garrison base has been attacked. The Spirit response unit has been completely wiped out. Origami Tobiichi hasn't been found..."
Carrying her severely wounded and unconscious twin sister on her back, Yuzuru continued ascending into the air while pulling out her phone to contact the Fraxinus.
Though she hated Akame and the others for injuring her sister, saving her took priority.
"Where is Shido? Kaguya is hurt."
She spoke urgently—then suddenly froze midair.
Her eyes turned bloodshot, veins bulging crimson. Blood began to seep uncontrollably from her nose and mouth.
"What... is this? It was only a single cut..."
Her entire body went limp. Her mind grew hazy with overwhelming drowsiness.
In the final moment before losing consciousness, Yuzuru saw dense black curse marks spreading across her body, faint purple-red particles flickering along their surface.
"Seven seconds. Quite a robust life force."
Akame sheathed Murasame at her waist and spoke with what almost sounded like admiration.
Teigu: One-Cut Killer · Murasame.
Aside from its ultimate killing technique, it offered no enhancement to physical strength, no energy projection, no large-scale area attacks.
Its sharpness and armor-piercing capability were, in fact, among the lowest of similar Teigu.
Yet its single-target lethality was absolute.
Once it cut flesh—no matter how small the wound—the curse poison would spread from the point of contact and swiftly lead to death.
Unless the injury was confined to a limb and amputated before the curse reached the torso.
You could say its upper limit was not high—but under the right conditions, its power was far from trivial.
Not to mention this was a reforged and enhanced version, further empowered by Honkai-infused curse toxins.
For ordinary lifeforms whose fundamental nature had not undergone transcendence—especially carbon-based organisms—a cut to the torso was effectively a death sentence.
The Yamai twins still lacked refinement. They had once been human before becoming Spirits through receiving Sephira Crystals. Most of their spiritual power was still sealed within Itsuka Shido's body. They were far from their complete forms.
As for complete immunity—only two in this world could likely achieve it.
The Spirit of Origin, a pure magical lifeform.
And Tohka Yatogami, a pure Spirit formed directly from a Sephira Crystal.
Neither possessed the essence of carbon-based life.
The other Spirits, though extraordinary beings, were still fundamentally human. If struck by Murasame—even if they suppressed the curse with full spiritual power—they would suffer greatly.
"Enduring Murasame's curse for seven seconds... I suppose that counts as top-tier combat power in this world. The previous enemies were far too weak—DEM, AST..."
Still clad in Grand Chariot, Wave walked over to Akame, arms folded, stroking his chin thoughtfully.
"DEM, AST... Yes, that seems to be the proper designation. They don't appear to be the same organization. When we fought them, I could clearly sense differences in their tactics, equipment, and team atmosphere."
"Save the analysis for later, Wave."
Knocking lightly on Wave's deep blue helmet, Cornelia pulled out a purple-red Honkai Cube and tossed it onto the ground.
Buzz—Crack crack!
Using the high-density Honkai crystal as a medium, the violet structure rapidly proliferated, reorganizing and aggregating into a towering cone-shaped crystal nearly ten meters tall, standing amid the shattered runway.
"Now we just upload the copied data."
Turning her head, Cornelia looked toward the orange-haired woman emerging from the AST server room.
"Seryu, data extraction complete?"
"Of course. Catch, Boss!"
From dozens of meters away, Seryu hurled a slender object while flashing an "OK" gesture.
Behind her trotted a small, round-bodied white dog resembling a plush toy.
"Then the mission is complete."
Cornelia pressed the black USB drive in her hand. Instantly, violet light flashed. The USB transformed into a seamless purple crystal and slowly merged into the Honkai crystal transmission tower.
As the official AST data center for Tengu City, this base contained nearly ninety percent of the world's accessible information.
Although certain cutting-edge technologies and classified materials remained out of reach, Roboute did not require absolute knowledge. He only needed to assess the world's true capabilities.
"Sister, Wave, my assigned area has been cleared."
While the crystal tower continued operating, Kurome—faint blood stains on her face, Yatsufusa sheathed at her hip—skipped over and threw herself into Akame's arms.
Behind her stood Bols, masked and broad-shouldered.
"Vice-captain, mission accomplished."
...
Meanwhile, inside the emergency intensive care ward of the AST Tengu City base.
A place the Jaegers had ignored and deemed unworthy of slaughter.
On the hospital bed, Origami Tobiichi's life was slipping into its final countdown. Outside, screams and explosions rang close at hand.
She desperately wanted to help—but her body, riddled with IV tubes, could not muster even the slightest strength.
Not long ago, powerful drugs with severe side effects had restored her consciousness. At her superior's request, she had given a statement regarding her first encounter with Esdeath.
But once the Jaegers invaded, the base descended into chaos. Gradually, even the medical team responsible for her care disappeared.
Without her attending physician and proper treatment, Origami's awareness once again began to fade.
I haven't avenged Father and Mother... Am I going to die like this? I... I'm not reconciled...
Her eyelids grew heavier and heavier as she muttered silently.
Then—
A genderless voice echoed beside her ear.
"Do you desire power?"
Origami, whose consciousness had already begun to blur, felt as though she had grasped a lifeline.
In a final flash of clarity before collapse, her body stirred.
"Of course... I do."
Origami Tobiichi stretched out her trembling arm and forced her lips apart.
"But... who are you?"
"Who I am... does that truly matter? Answer me. Do you crave power? Power that bows to no one—absolute power? Even if it means becoming the very thing you hate most?"
Sensing the voice drawing closer, Origami forced her eyes open.
Within the blinding white light, she saw a blurred silhouette, as though smeared over with mosaic distortion.
In that instant, her breathing grew ragged. Already gravely injured, the acceleration of her heartbeat pushed her body to its absolute limit.
Clenching her teeth, Origami answered.
"I crave it. I crave power—the power to fulfill my wish. No matter what happens, no matter what I must sacrifice, I want it!"
"Very well. I accept your wish. If you desire power, then reach out and touch it."
A pure white Sephira Crystal, radiant with dazzling light, appeared before Origami.
Watching her arm reach out without the slightest hesitation, the "Phantom" seemed to smile faintly.
"Go on. Try it."
As the crystal fused into Origami's body, the Phantom vanished without a trace.
"Ahhh—!"
The Sephira Crystal merged with her.
Already on the brink of death, Origami's body began to undergo a violent transformation as Spirit power poured into her.
Her agonized scream pierced through the walls of the intensive care ward.
"W-What's going on?"
Kurome stared in astonishment.
"Wave, that was your assigned sector, wasn't it? Don't tell me—"
She took a step back, casting a suspicious glance at Wave and increasing the distance between them.
"Wave, don't tell me you've awakened the same kind of fetish as Captain. I didn't know you were this kind of person..."
"Kurome, hold on, hold on! What kind of look is that?! This has nothing to do with me! I didn't do anything!"
Though his expression was hidden behind his armor, one could easily imagine Wave's utterly dumbfounded face.
"I cleared that area completely! There was just one dying girl in the ward—she was practically dead!"
"Dying? Hmph. Wave! I think you're just a pervert! Swayed by a pretty face and forgetting your comrades!"
"Uh..."
"Boss, should we go check it out?"
Akame's thumb rested against the guard of Murasame. The crimson blade slid slightly from its sheath—her meaning unmistakable.
"No need. The mission is complete. Let's regroup with the Captain."
Grabbing Akame—whose gaze clearly intended to finish the job—Cornelia covered her face helplessly.
Suddenly—
Boom—!!
The reinforced concrete structure, built to military standards, could not withstand the shock of a Spirit's manifestation.
Visible cracks spread across the building like a web.
Less than a tenth of a second later, with a sharp crack, several fractures burst open and raced outward in all directions.
In the sky, a pure white figure instantly drew the attention of Cornelia and the others.
"Hmm. Figure, face, strength—quite impressive. No wonder Wave showed mercy."
Akame's thought process always ran at a peculiar angle. Just moments ago she had intended to kill the girl. Now she was stroking her chin in evaluation.
"Wave. Big pervert," Kurome said expressionlessly.
"I'm not! I didn't! She was really about to die!"
Wave flailed his arms in exasperation.
Against all logic, even with a formidable enemy appearing overhead, the Jaegers somehow managed to maintain a strangely cheerful atmosphere—thanks entirely to Wave.
To be fair, Origami's appearance was undeniably striking.
Especially the white hair.
Within the Empire, a trend favoring silver-white hair had long since spread. No one quite knew how it began. Among all variations, white hair paired with crimson eyes was the most popular.
In the sky, Origami now floated like an angel.
A pure white wedding dress draped over her body. Above her head hovered a ring formed from white strands of light, resembling a golden halo.
Below her chest, angular golden armor components gleamed sharply.
"I'm alive..."
Raising her hands, Origami stared at her arms encased in white gloves. Her palm pressed against her chest, where the Sephira Crystal had fused.
She could feel the immense power coursing within.
"So this is... a Spirit... With power like this, how could ordinary humans ever defeat it?"
The realization that she had become the very existence she once despised twisted her lips into a bitter smile.
"But—"
In the next moment, her expression contorted with deep-seated hatred.
"Efreet. Snowstorm. All Spirits. I will kill every single one of you. For my parents. For Captain Ryouko and everyone else. For all those harmed by Spirits!"
"And when it is over, I will take my own life to atone for becoming a Spirit."
Pressing her hand tightly over her heart, Origami made her vow.
Her once vacant eyes gradually regained focus as she looked down at the devastated garrison base below, engulfed in flames.
"Who are they? And what is that crystal tower?"
On the ruined runway, the towering purple-red crystal structure beside the six members of the Jaegers stood out starkly.
"Are they military?"
Seeing Cornelia and the others clad in iron-gray uniforms, Origami hesitated, uncertain of their identity.
The Sephira Crystal had not informed her of what had happened. When she lay dying in the hospital bed, she had no idea who attacked the base.
Her instinct, shaped by experience, was that a Spirit had assaulted the facility—especially since she could sense spiritual energy not her own lingering nearby.
"Boss, do we fight?" Wave asked quietly, standing still.
"There's no need anymore. Legion Commander Roboute has replied. The Astartes Legion... has arrived."
Opening her eyes, a flash of violet light passed through Cornelia's gaze as she looked up at the sky.
Boom boom boom boom—!
Countless fragments of disintegrating orbital satellites fell like meteors from the heavens.
In an instant, the world's satellite information relay systems collapsed.
Then came the beams.
Massive columns of light, as though piercing heaven and earth.
Shadows filled the sky.
The warships were colossal beyond comprehension. Endless cold gun barrels adjusted their angles. In the next moment, more beams lanced downward, staining the atmosphere a blazing crimson.
...
Elsewhere, the mosaic-like Phantom—hiding in some concealed corner—suddenly understood.
"This isn't the world's leyline system mounting a defensive reaction at all."
"This is an invasion war."