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[Shut-in Angel: "A newbie?"]
[Shut-in Angel: "Rules are rules—newbie, post a pic!"]
[I Don't Wanna Eat Monsters: "Yeah, yeah, newbie pic!"]
[Poison Island: "Kinda late for someone new to be joining."]
[Old Mage: "Or maybe it's just the group. Ever since I joined, my bedtime's been getting later and later. sigh.jpg"]
[Blizzard from Hell: "Modern society's bad habits are rubbing off on you, Frieren. Though I guess elves don't really suffer from staying up too late, right?"]
[Old Mage: "Still get sleepy, though."]
[Blizzard from Hell: "Fair point."]
[Ice Witch: "What is this place? Voices inside my head? You vermin must be part of the Revolutionary Army, skulking about in the shadows. Why not show yourselves?"]
[Shut-in Angel: "Newbie, follow the rules. Just focus on posting a pic, think about it, then send it!"]
[Ice Witch: "photo.jpg"]
[I Don't Wanna Eat Monsters: "Wait, it worked?! That's exactly how they tricked me when I joined! rage.jpg"]
[Shut-in Angel: "Hehe, just teaching the newbie how cruel the world can be. sneaky.jpg"]
[Ice Witch: "?"]
[Ice Witch: "That's supposed to be my picture?"]
[Poison Island: "Got her! Don't worry, though. We're not bad people. This is just a chat group. You were randomly invited—lucky you."]
[Blizzard from Hell: "Don't get too hung up on the details. The answers you're looking for are in the group files. Check those out first, then come back with questions."]
[Old Mage: "Hey, Fallen Angel, you know where the newbie's from?"]
[Shut-in Angel: "How would I? I'd need a name to look them up first! And stop calling me Fallen Angel!!"]
[I Don't Wanna Eat Monsters: "A name, huh? After getting scammed once already, I bet the newbie's on guard."]
[I Don't Wanna Eat Monsters: "If it were me, I'd be hiding in my shell right now."]
[Shut-in Angel: "@Shepherd, Rosen, do you know who this newbie is?"]
[Shepherd: "I've got a hunch, but… guess I'll just ask directly."]
The words "Ice Witch" and "Revolutionary Army" stirred a memory in Rosen, reminding him of a certain classic dark-fantasy anime.
But hunches weren't proof.
[Shepherd: "@Ice Witch, what's your name?"]
If he was right, she wouldn't brush him off with something like, Why should I tell you?If she did, then he guessed wrong.
As for the "photo," well—2D and 3D were worlds apart. Nothing to be done but make an educated guess.
[Ice Witch: "Interesting. So there are countless parallel worlds beyond my own?"]
Imperial Borderlands.
Snow and wind tore at the army camp.
Inside a freezing tent, where the temperature was well below zero, a woman stood casually in nothing more than a crisp white officer's uniform. Esdeath's lips curved into the faintest smile.
If the group's "files" weren't lying, she was caught up in something truly strange.
She flicked back her long silver-blue hair, her icy eyes sharp enough to freeze a man in place.
Slender though she was, her presence radiated overwhelming dominance. To approach her was to risk being turned into a statue of ice.
Fresh from crushing the border tribes and about to return to the capital, she'd stumbled into this bizarre phenomenon.
And truthfully? She was intrigued.
Another world… might be far more interesting than the Empire.
As she thought it over, her gaze fell on the so-called group prompts.
"Ice Witch" clearly meant her.For someone who wielded the power of ice, the title was fitting enough.
[Ice Witch: "Esdeath. General of the Empire's border forces."]
[Shut-in Angel: "E-Esdeath?! You mean that sadistic queen?!"]
The moment Esdeath named herself, Gabriel nearly fell out of her chair.
Rosen, on the other hand, remained calm. His guess had been right.
Esdeath—the Empire's top general, and the strongest antagonist of Akame ga Kill!
Officially a side character, yet more popular than either main lead.
[Shut-in Angel: "One last check—@Ice Witch, you're really that ice-wielding Teigu user?"]
[Ice Witch: "What's there to doubt? And why do you sound like you already know me?"]
[Shut-in Angel: "Holy crap, it is Ice!"]
[Blizzard from Hell: "It's not all of us—just Gabriel and Rosen. And you've probably noticed the videos in the group files, right? Those are from our worlds. Information leaked out, maybe quantum theory stuff, and somehow your world got recorded as an anime."]
[Bad Woman: "And wouldn't you know it, those two happen to be viewers of that anime."]
[I Don't Wanna Eat Monsters: "So if Gabriel and Rosen already know, that means Esdeath has her very own anime, huh?"]
[Shut-in Angel: "Hey! I found the files. @Ice Witch, I've got a video of you. Do you want me to keep it private for just you, or let everyone watch?"]
Villain or not, Gabriel figured she had to be fair.
[Ice Witch: "Send it. Do as you like with the rest."]
Esdeath was nothing if not bold. Raised from childhood with a brutal worldview, she didn't care in the least about her actions being "exposed."
What fascinated her was the idea of seeing herself from another world's perspective.
She wanted to watch.
Gabriel quickly uploaded Akame ga Kill! to the group files, tagging it with the "Ice Witch" label.
Esdeath opened the file, and the silent viewing began.
"..."
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