After the welcome ceremony ended, it was supposed to be the time to assign a mentor for Tatsumi. However, the meeting was interrupted when Lubbock sensed enemies infiltrating the Night Raid base.
"How many intruders, and where are they now?"
"According to the signals from my barrier, there are eight in total. They are all very close to the base."
This wasn't a major crisis yet, so Najenda remained calm as she handed out the emergency mission.
"I commend them for sniffing their way here. They are likely assassins from nearby tribes who managed to track our movements. Kill them; leave no survivors."
"Understood!!"
In an area of dense trees and natural greenery, several figures were flying through the air, weaving between the trunks. The enemies might not have been strong, but because the secret of the base was at stake, the entire Night Raid team was deployed to be safe. Tatsumi went along as well, with the added purpose of gaining more real-world combat experience.
As long-time teammates, the others didn't need to speak a word; they communicated through glances and quickly split up. This time, Bulat was in charge of supervising Tatsumi.
"You still haven't learned how to fight in a group, have you?"
"No, sir!"
"Treat today as a training session; don't push yourself too hard. First, you must absorb the experience from this battle."
"Also, you can call me 'Big Bro' or 'Handsome.'"
"Understood, Big Bro!"
Tatsumi felt that calling another man "Handsome" was a bit weird, so he chose "Big Bro," which felt more intimate.
"Good! That sounds great!"
Bulat was a bit excited. Although this mission was trivial to him, the feeling of mentoring a junior wasn't bad at all.
"In exchange, I'll show you something truly magnificent."
"Incursio!"
Bulat pressed his hand to the ground. A dazzling halo appeared, and within that light, the silhouette of a mythical creature emerged. Power formed bands that wrapped around his body, then tightened and transformed into the familiar suit of armor Tatsumi had seen on the first night he encountered Night Raid.
The design of the outer hard armor bore some resemblance to the spears of the Capital's soldiers, lined with a thin white inner suit that clearly defined his muscular frame. There was also a matching white cape. On his back was a spear with a red tip.
"Whoa!! Incredible!"
"Impressive, right? This is my Teigu, Incursio."
"I don't know much about it, but it's amazing!"
Tatsumi didn't know exactly what a Teigu was, having only heard the other members mention the term in passing.
"This thing isn't just about looks. Let's go—witness the true power of a Teigu."
"Yes!"
…
In an open clearing by a small stream, Akame stood facing three of the infiltrating assassins. These men had dark skin and wore no armor, leaving their upper bodies bare except for a brown scarf. Instead of standard swords, they wielded scimitars.
"That's one of the faces on the wanted posters."
"It seems the Night Raid base is very close."
"She's quite cute."
"Looks like we can have some fun after we kill her."
"Just remember not to mess her up too much."
Facing the crude remarks of the three assassins, Akame showed no emotion. Her bright red pupils focused forward; in her eyes, these men were already dead.
Slash!
Her speed was so great that the three assassins couldn't even track her, as an arc of blood painted the air. Akame was already behind them, her sword clicking back into its sheath.
"You were far too careless in enemy territory."
"So... so fast..."
The two who had been talking earlier died instantly as their throats were slit. The remaining one clutched his bleeding neck, his face pale with horror, which then turned into madness.
"You bitch, even if I die, I'll take you with—ack!!"
"Something is spreading from my heart!"
The man thought as he died. The last thing he saw were strange black patterns appearing all over his body, snatching away his life.
"The curse... from the wound..."
"One strike is enough to kill you."
All three assassins were dead. Akame left only that single sentence before departing.
On another side, an assassin was running along a small path through the forest.
"They are focused on others. But we've confirmed that the Night Raid base is right here. That information is worth much more."
He kept running, completely unaware that his movements were being tracked by Mine through a pink monocle on her left eye and a sniper scope.
"You've run quite far, haven't you?"
Behind Mine, an assassin appeared, intending to ambush her. But Mine didn't even care, continuing to take aim. The assassin rejoiced, leaping forward to swing his blade.
"Caught you!"
But before the blade could strike, the assassin was split in two. It turned out Mine wasn't alone; Sheele was hidden nearby to protect her. In Mine's opinion, these assassins were so pathetic that even without Sheele, she wouldn't have been worried.
"Forgive me."
Withdrawing her giant scissors, Extase, Sheele flicked the blood away.
"Nicely done, Sheele!"
"As for you... I don't even need to aim!"
Mine raised her gun, Pumpkin. Light gathered at the tip of the barrel and erupted into a heat beam. It burned through the foliage from above. The fleeing assassin only had time for one pathetic scream before being vaporized.
"Nice... Bullseye."
"The more pressure I'm under, the stronger Pumpkin's firepower becomes."
Looking at the smoke rising from the shot quite a distance away, Mine proudly complimented herself.
Leone also saw that smoke. At this moment, she had transformed into her beast form, sitting atop a large assassin. Her beastly hands were still stained with blood.
"That must have been Mine's Pumpkin."
"I don't know why she likes using such a complicated Teigu. Not like me—just turn into a beast and attack. So simple."
Inside a cave system, Lubbock pulled on thin threads from the device on his arm, Cross Tail.
"I wondered why the resistance was so weak..."
"...turned out to be a girl."
The dark-skinned female assassin was held tightly by thin threads crisscrossing the cave. She had tears in her eyes, her voice pleading.
"Please spare me! I'll do anything!"
"Dream on. I know a guy who died from that 'seduction' move once."
His arm moved slightly. The female assassin went still, dropped to the stone floor by the thread system. Lubbock turned away, but ultimately couldn't resist glancing back at the woman's face. He could only scratch his head and sigh.
"Aaaah... what a waste! She was so cute!"
"I hate being in this situation."
Though he had "coldly" refused her, in his heart, Lubbock was still lamenting. Her looks weren't bad at all; if she weren't an enemy, he would have invited her out to "foster some feelings."
Back with Tatsumi and Bulat, Tatsumi had just finished killing one assassin. Since they weren't very strong, it didn't take much effort.
As for Bulat, he was surrounded by six enemies at once. Aside from the initial eight, someone had called for reinforcements, and they were now targeting him. They circled him to disorient him, then all six leaped high to attack simultaneously.
"Big Bro!"
Even though he knew the armor could withstand the assassins' attacks without a scratch, Tatsumi couldn't help but shout in worry.
The spear in Bulat's hand began to spin at extreme speed. Surpassing Tatsumi's expectations, Bulat didn't take them out one by one; he killed all the assassins mid-air. What hit the armor wasn't blades—only blood.
"Incredible..."
"Is this the power of Night Raid?"
Not long after, everyone gathered together. Bulat gave Tatsumi a thumbs-up, his smile revealing glistening teeth.
"Not bad, Tatsumi."
He scratched his head in embarrassment. Compared to the others, he still had a long way to go.
"But Big Bro... can a person without a Teigu win against someone who has one?"
Witnessing the power of these objects called Teigu, this question had taken root in Tatsumi's mind. As they headed back, the others began to discuss it animatedly. Akame remained silent, but most agreed that unless a fool was using the Teigu, a normal person would almost always lose in a direct confrontation.
"Every Teigu possesses a unique ability, so they are all powerful, whether they are offensive or supportive types. For offensive types, it's obvious. For supportive types, an opponent must somehow counter that special ability to have even a chance of winning."
That was Bulat's analysis.
Would you like me to continue with their return to the base, or shall we check in on Asahi and Ieyasu's arrival at the village?