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The Akame ga Kill world.
Under the fierce assault of the "outside reinforcements," the battle had raced toward its final act.
The Undead King, Ainz Ooal Gown, opened with a super-tier spell that instantly annihilated thirty thousand soldiers, sending the remaining seventy thousand into a panic, scattering like frightened rats.
His second spell followed—a blinding flash of world-ending magic that obliterated the Empire's ultimate weapon, the Nation-Protecting God Machine, into nothing but ash and fragments.
That sheer, world-shaking display of power left the realms of the multiverse stunned beyond belief.
No one doubted it now—Ainz Ooal Gown could erase the entire Empire if he wanted to.
And yet…
How would the Undead King fare against the apex predator of the Akame world—Esdeath, the empire's strongest and most terrifying general?
The ultimate clash that everyone across the worlds had been waiting for was finally about to begin.
Riding her dragon, Esdeath descended from the clouds and landed on the battlefield. She had watched every second of Ainz's rampage through the light screen.
For someone who had never known defeat, the chance to face a true equal made her blood sing.
Even knowing the lich's power was immeasurable, she showed not a flicker of hesitation.
She dropped from the sky, blade raised, eyes blazing with fighting spirit.
"Woooahhh!!!""She's here! Esdeath's here too!!""The Empire's strongest… no, the strongest in the entire world!!"
"She's the one who single-handedly raised the world's power ceiling by several levels!""The Ice General who freezes time and bends the climate itself—Mahapadma and Ice Storm Commander-in-Chief—she's terrifying!""She's a woman who can take on an army of a million, alone!""If anyone can challenge that monster of an Undead King, it's Esdeath!"
People across the countless worlds couldn't contain their excitement.
At this point, it wasn't about Empire versus Night Raid anymore.It was about one thing only—the clash of titans.
"Esdeath is strong, no doubt," murmured Gojo Satoru in the Jujutsu Kaisen world, "but Ainz is on a whole different level of existence. That's a fundamental power gap."
"Freezing time is impressive," said Reborn from the Hitman Reborn world, frowning, "but what's the point when your enemy's already dead? Even if she freezes him solid, how do you kill something that's not alive?"
"Wait, look!" shouted Natsu and Naruto at once, spotting the red gem glowing in Ainz's chest. "That thing in his belly—it might be his weak spot! Smash that and maybe he's done for!"
"Are you kidding?" scoffed Vice Admiral Tsuru, Fifth Hokage Tsunade, Zhang Chulan, and Kagaya Ubuyashiki from the Demon Slayer Corps, shaking their heads. "A being like that wouldn't leave his weakness in plain sight."
And they were right.
That red orb wasn't a weakness—it was a World-Class Item, an artifact of unspeakable power.
One of its effects?It shattered any weapon that dared to strike it.
As the multiverse's strongest watched in anticipation, eager for the showdown between Esdeath and the Undead King—
Something completely unexpected happened.
On the Imperial capital battlefield displayed in the light screen—
Ainz merely glanced at Esdeath.
Then, to everyone's surprise, he turned away and looked toward another corner of the battlefield—where Kurumi Tokisaki stood.
"My mission target is already eliminated," Ainz said coolly. "If you want, I can take care of your target as well."
This time, both Ainz and Kurumi had their own separate objectives in the Akame world.
Ainz's target had been the God Machine.
Kurumi's?Esdeath herself.
"No need, Mr. Ainz," Kurumi smiled, her tone sweet yet firm. "I'll handle my own affairs."
"Then I'll leave it to you."
Ainz didn't argue.
"What's that supposed to mean, bones?" Esdeath narrowed her eyes, murder in her gaze.
"Exactly what I said," replied Ainz evenly. "Your opponent isn't me. It's her."
The multiverse: "???"
Wait, what?!
After all that hype and speculation—Ainz wasn't even going to fight Esdeath?!
The one facing her was actually… Kurumi Tokisaki?!
"Not necessarily," said Bai Yue Kui from the Ling Cage world, analyzing calmly. "These missions are assigned by the mysterious list-maker, but Esdeath can still choose who to fight. And if Kurumi loses… Ainz won't just sit back and watch."
Sure enough, the dominatrix general who never let her prey escape wouldn't simply let Ainz walk away.
Even after he refused the fight, Esdeath charged forward—
Only for a gunshot to ring out.
Bang!
Esdeath's eyes narrowed. Her instincts screamed—she sidestepped, the bullet missing by inches.
She turned sharply, glaring at the one who dared shoot her.
"That won't do, Esdeath-nee~," Kurumi said, smiling as always. "Your opponent… is me."
In her right hand, an antique long rifle.In her left, a matching flintlock pistol.
And behind her, a massive clock floated in midair.
Her golden left eye gleamed, its iris ticking like the hand of time itself.
This was her Angel—her power as the Spirit of Time—
Zafkiel, the Clockwork Emperor of Time.
If she wanted Esdeath's attention, she had to prove she was worth it.
And she just did.
"She actually attacked first?!""Kurumi's going after Esdeath! My two waifus are fighting—what do I do?! Help! Send popcorn!!"
The gentlemen of the multiverse went feral again.
But most were focused not on the fanservice, but on the sheer mystery of Kurumi's power.
That clock, those guns—they weren't ordinary weapons.
"Those firearms, and that giant clock… they must be tied to a special ability," said Erza Scarlet from the Fairy Tail world, her eyes sharp.
"Something to do with time, maybe?" guessed many others.
"Esdeath-nee," Kurumi purred, resting her rifle on her shoulder and aiming the pistol forward. "If you don't fight me first, you'll never get your turn with Mr. Ainz."
"…Fine," Esdeath said after a moment, nodding.
She had seen Kurumi's abilities through the light screen before.
Not as overwhelmingly strong as Ainz, perhaps, but still—a warrior capable of suppressing ten thousand soldiers in an instant.
Definitely worthy as a warm-up.
"I just hope," Esdeath said, lips curling into a predatory smile, "you can make this last a while."
She raised her hand—
And the air grew cold.
[Crossover Battle: Tokisaki Kurumi vs. Esdeath]
Countless ice spears shot out in an instant, tearing through the air like lightning.
Facing Esdeath's overwhelming assault, Tokisaki Kurumi did something that no one — not a single soul across the multiverse — could have predicted.
She raised her left-hand pistol, pressed the muzzle to her own temple, and pulled the trigger.
Zafkiel—First Bullet!
Across the worlds, everyone watching froze.
"Huh?!" "What the—?!" "She's lost it! Kurumi's gone completely insane!" "Did she just… shoot herself?!" "Even if she can't win, shouldn't she at least try first?" "Yeah, there's no need to go for suicide straight off the bat!" "Well, I mean… if the alternative is getting shredded by ice spikes, maybe that's the less painful way out…"
The weak and ordinary viewers could only gape in shock.
But among the true powerhouses of the multiverse, the reaction was much calmer.
Based on everything Kurumi had shown so far, none of them believed she would ever actually take her own life.That bullet must have had a special effect—some kind of powerful buff.
"As expected."
When Kurumi suddenly vanished from where she stood, the strongest across all worlds nodded knowingly.
"So that shot boosts her speed?"
Marvel's Quicksilver and DC's Flash both raised an eyebrow.
"Not teleportation."
From another world, Saiki Kusuo silently corrected them.
"It's time acceleration," murmured Sakuya Izayoi of Gensokyo. "She's speeding up her own timeline—making it look like teleportation."
Zafkiel—Second Bullet!
In an instant, Kurumi appeared behind Esdeath and fired again.Her bullet, which could slow the target's time, cut through the air at point-blank range—
—but Esdeath's instinct was monstrous.
An ice shield materialized the moment she sensed danger, blocking the shot.
"Ara~ what sharp reflexes," Kurumi chuckled.
Bang!
The First Bullet fired again, instantly pulling her out of range as a wave of ice spikes tore through where she'd been.
"If possible, I'd really love to just have a nice chat with you, Esdeath-san."
"Once you're in my interrogation chamber," Esdeath replied with a smirk, snapping her fingers, "we'll have all the time in the world to talk."
Thunder cracked as a mountain of ice came crashing down from above.
Zafkiel—Seventh Bullet!
Kurumi raised her antique musket and fired upward.
The next moment, to the utter disbelief of countless witnesses across the multiverse—
—the massive iceberg froze midair.
It simply stopped, suspended against every law of physics.
Only after Kurumi calmly stepped out from its shadow did it resume falling, slamming into the ground below.
"Wh—what the hell was that?!""Kurumi—my waifu—what did she just do?!"
Their shouts of disbelief echoed through countless worlds.
"Time!" "That was time manipulation!" "Confirmed—Tokisaki Kurumi can control time itself!" "The iceberg froze midair because its time was stopped!" "It's just like Esdeath's Mahapadma—but even stronger!"
The multiversal elites grew solemn.
Time is king. Space is sovereign.Those who master either are forces to be reckoned with.
Compared to Esdeath's once-per-day time freeze, Kurumi's control over time was far superior.Her only limitation—the effect required her bullets to hit the target.
"So that's it," Esdeath said with a knowing smile. " You're a time manipulator. Impressive… but if your bullets can't hit me, what good is that power?"
"Oh my, I've been found out?" Kurumi said sweetly, still smiling.
"Get ready. I won't give you another chance to fire."
Esdeath lunged, her movements blurring into a storm of deadly speed.Kurumi was forced on the defensive, taking hits here and there—but each wound rewound itself in seconds.
Zafkiel—Fourth Bullet: Time Reversal.
The two entered a fierce stalemate.
In raw combat strength, Kurumi was clearly outmatched.But with Zafkiel's power and the endless time energy supplied by her "City of Devouring Time," she held her ground.
"Esdeath-san, you're really strong," Kurumi said cheerfully. "But how about this?"
At that moment, she unleashed a spatial quake.
Boom—!
Reality itself trembled.The ground split, the air rippled, and a massive explosion rocked the battlefield.
"She triggered a spatial quake on purpose? She's insane!"
Back in her own world, Kotori Itsuka clenched her teeth.
"Wait, was that an earthquake?""Did that time girl just cause an earthquake?!""It's like Whitebeard's quake powers!"
Across the seas, the Whitebeard Pirates stared in awe.
"Gurararara! What an interesting young lady!" Whitebeard roared with laughter.
Back in the war-torn capital of the Akame ga Kill world—The sky filled with smoke and dust.
Kurumi didn't hesitate. She raised her pistol and fired again.
Zafkiel—Fifth Bullet: Foresight!
"Found you."
After glimpsing a fragment of the future, she aimed into the smoke and pulled the trigger.
Zafkiel—Ninth Bullet: Mind Link!
In an instant, all the information Kurumi had gathered about the multiverse flowed into Esdeath's mind—including the real reason she had come to this world to recruit Esdeath for the Multiversal Archivist.
"What's happening? Is the fight over?" "Esdeath isn't moving—did the quake injure her?" "No! Kurumi's bullet finally hit!""Her time's been stopped!" "Then why isn't Kurumi finishing her off?"
Confusion rippled through the spectators.
Then, to everyone's astonishment—
"So," Kurumi said softly, standing before the frozen Esdeath, "what do you say, Esdeath-san? Will you accept?"
"Conquering the multiverse…" Esdeath whispered.
"With your strength, you shouldn't be trapped in a single small world," Kurumi smiled. "There's a much bigger stage waiting out there."
"…Very well."
Suppressing her excitement, Esdeath extended her hand.Under countless watching eyes, the two shook hands.
The battle was over.
"Wait—what?""Huh?! Just like that?!""They're… teaming up?!"
The multiverse erupted in disbelief.
Back in Esdeath's world—
"Everyone from Night Raid," Kurumi called out cheerfully, "it's all settled. Esdeath-san won't be your enemy anymore."
"Najenda," Esdeath said, her tone calm but resolute, "our feud ends here. This country's yours now. I've found a bigger battlefield."
Her eyes gleamed with longing.
"And you, Tatsumi… if you want, I could take you with me."
"Wha—?! No no no, I'm good!"
Tatsumi waved his hands frantically.Going off with Esdeath? That was suicide!
"What a shame," she sighed.
"Well then, everyone—our mission here is complete. Until we meet again."
A dazzling light enveloped Kurumi, Esdeath, and Ainz Ooal Gown.In the next moment, the three vanished.
Only when they were gone did the Night Raid members finally breathe again.
"The Imperial Arms are destroyed, Esdeath's gone… guess that's it, huh?" Lubbock exhaled.
"Not yet," Najenda said firmly. "Those corrupt ministers still need to pay."
"Night Raid—move out!"
"Right!"
The light curtain flickered, and the scene ended.
It was a perfect conclusion.
As everyone across the multiverse was still reeling from the shocking turn of events—
A new title appeared:
[No. 8 – The Straw Hat Pirates: The Awakening of the Warriors of Liberation]
The next story… began.
Starting with nothing but a barrel—where life and death hang by fate!
"..."
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