Inside one of the palace halls.
A gentle breeze swept through, sending ripples across the sea of blue flowers as the leaves brushed together with a soft rustling sound.
Esdeath stood there, deep in thought.
Investigating Uesugi Ryu's identity had been simple enough. A profit-driven merchant.
Not long ago, he had been targeted by Night Raid, yet had driven them back through his own strength.
Afterward, Night Raid had carried out multiple assassinations in the Capital, leaving many victims behind.
The only truly suspicious thing about him was his overwhelming strength.
Esdeath had fought him personally.
His combat experience was extensive. He was absolutely not some rookie fresh out of the gate.
The aura surrounding him was not something built in a day or two.
Uesugi Ryu's past had to be far from ordinary.
Liver's investigation showed that he had taken over his family business four years ago, at the age of eighteen.
As for what came before that, the records were vague, containing only a brief note that he had traveled with merchant caravans.
The details of those experiences were unknown.
Esdeath could hardly drag in a few of Uesugi Ryu's subordinates for interrogation.
Still, she did not particularly care about his identity.
If he truly was an enemy, that would be even better.
"I hope you won't disappoint me..."
Esdeath gazed into the distance, lightly brushing the severed strands of hair near her ear.
...
"Still not coming out? What is he doing in there?"
A raven perched atop a towering building.
Its eyes were lively, and a distinctly human look of confusion crossed its face.
Chelsea's Teigu, Shapeshift: Gaia Foundation.
True to its name, it could transform its user into both humans and animals.
Taking the form of a bird made it easy to observe targets from above.
Yet even after all this time, Uesugi Ryu had still not emerged, and Chelsea was starting to feel something was off.
"The horse is still in the stables, and there aren't any signs of flying Danger Beasts either."
Chelsea scanned the area.
Security around the palace was extremely tight, and flying Danger Beasts patrolled overhead.
While she could transform into a Danger Beast herself, infiltrating recklessly would be far too dangerous.
After a moment's thought, Chelsea decided against it.
"I'll keep watching a little longer. With Bulat there, things should be fine."
Mephisto emerged from a nearby shadow and walked over to Chelsea.
Noticing the approaching shadow, Chelsea immediately turned back in alarm.
When she saw that it was merely a large and unusual raven, she relaxed.
She did not pay it much attention and spread her wings, preparing to leave.
"Beautiful lady, what are you looking at?"
Chelsea froze instantly.
A deeply unsettling feeling crawled up her spine.
A talking crow was strange enough, but that line felt far too targeted.
Chelsea nearly jumped out of her feathers and immediately flew away.
Mephisto watched her go without pursuing.
He had simply thought this fellow bird looked rather intelligent.
"Huh? Has my charm stopped working?"
"Forget it, forget it. Time to get back to work."
After muttering to himself, Mephisto left as well.
After landing, Chelsea quickly transformed into a small cat.
Pressed against a wall, she remained on high alert.
"It didn't follow me. Was it just a coincidence? What rotten luck."
Only after a while did Chelsea cancel her transformation.
When she returned to human form, even her pink hairpin was crooked.
She pulled a lollipop from her pocket and popped it into her mouth, her pale fingers gripping her compact tightly.
"No way that giant crow took a liking to me, right?"
After letting out a sigh, Chelsea looked down at her Teigu.
"From now on, when I transform into animals, I'm never choosing a female again. Absolutely never."
On the outskirts of the Capital, snow drifted gently through the air.
The temperature was several degrees below freezing.
Though not far from the Capital, the nearby village looked bleak and desolate.
Chouri's convoy was steadily making its way toward the Capital.
Night Raid followed from a distance, quietly waiting for their enemies to appear.
"Akame, aren't you cold?"
Tatsumi looked at Akame, who was wearing only a sleeveless black vest. Snowflakes had already collected in his brown hair.
"I'm not."
Fine snow settled atop Murasame's sheath as Akame shook her head.
"Akame's physical condition is exceptional. She grew up in the mountains. This kind of weather is nothing to her."
Lubbock tightened his green coat as he explained.
Akame turned to Najenda curiously.
"Boss, which Teigu did you promise to Uesugi Ryu?"
Najenda flashed a smug smile.
"Not a Teigu. Some ancient alchemical knowledge."
"Alchemical knowledge?"
Akame and the others repeated in confusion.
"That's right. Didn't he mention before that he'd be willing to trade for knowledge as well?"
Najenda nodded and continued.
"It's all ancient material from long-lost eras. Most of it is fragmented and extremely difficult to understand."
"He won't be able to achieve anything with it anytime soon."
"Compared to a valuable Teigu, this stuff is practically worthless."
"When he wants more, the initiative will remain in our hands."
Tatsumi suddenly understood.
"That's brilliant. But I doubt he'll agree so easily."
Najenda exhaled a puff of smoke, her gaze fixed on the convoy ahead.
"He agreed surprisingly quickly."
"With all those strange abilities of his, he might be an alchemist himself."
Hidden wires woven through the snowy curtain suddenly trembled, shaking loose the accumulating frost.
Lubbock's expression changed as he said in a low voice,
"They're here. The wire indicates three people. It should be the Three Beasts."
Akame gripped her sheath and rose to her feet.
Najenda looked expectantly at Susanoo.
Ever since obtaining this Teigu, she had not yet witnessed his true strength.
"Akame, Susanoo, let's go."
Two humans and one Teigu leaped from the rooftop and charged toward the convoy.
Bulat had already equipped Incursio and was hiding near the convoy using its invisibility.
Leaning against a nearby building, he watched the approaching trio.
His pupils contracted, and surprise flashed across his face.
"General Liver?"
There was no time for further shock.
The Three Beasts had already attacked.
Daidara swung his arms and hurled his giant axe.
The weapon tore through the air with a shrill whistle, instantly cleaving the lead guards in half.
Blood sprayed everywhere as Spear quickly raised her spear to block.
But an ordinary spear could never compare to a Teigu.
Just as Spear was about to be killed, Bulat's spear shot forth like a crimson meteor.
The moment Red Back Shrike collided with the spinning axe, the snow within five meters exploded upward.
Metal screamed as the axe buried itself deep into the frozen earth, the shockwave snapping a nearby pine tree clean in half.
Having attacked, Bulat was forced out of invisibility.
He wasted no time.
While Daidara was momentarily unarmed, Bulat slammed his foot into the ground.
His spear ripped through the air, descending straight toward Daidara.
"Bulat?"
Liver reacted instantly.
Blue light flared from the ring on his hand.
Melted snow instantly condensed into four slender water blades that shot toward Bulat.
The water blades struck his armor with a rapid series of sharp impacts, halting his charge.
The giant axe flew back.
Bulat twisted aside to avoid it.
Daidara reached out to catch his returning weapon, a ferocious grin spreading across his face.
"You bastard, you look pre..."
Before he could finish, Susanoo burst in from the side.
The enormous club-like weapon in his hands suddenly extended countless blades, its rotating chain edges tearing through the freezing wind.
Susanoo spun, the weapon shrieking through the air as it slammed directly into Daidara.
The moment it tore into flesh, boiling blood mist erupted.
Both of Daidara's arms and most of his chest were instantly shredded apart.
Fragments of bone and chunks of flesh rained onto the snow like grisly hailstones.
He let out a horrific scream as the tremendous force hurled him away.
His massive body crashed into the snow, half of his shattered heart exposed to the freezing air.
Daidara's death was even more gruesome than that of the guards he had just slaughtered.
Only then did the giant axe finally arrive, piercing straight through Susanoo's abdomen.
But as a biological Teigu, such an injury was trivial to Susanoo.