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"No need to thank me." Alex waved it off casually.
These girls were all coming with him to Orario to join a familia. As their captain, of course he wanted his people to be as strong as possible.
"I can feel it." Akame suddenly opened her eyes and rose from the bed. "Someone's getting close."
She might still be young, but she had already walked through more battlefields than most adults. The faintest disturbance was enough to put her on edge.
Cornelia and Myo stood at the same time.
"We feel it too."
"Relax," Alex said, arms folded across his chest. "Fight with everything you've got. As long as I'm here, none of you are dying."
What he really wanted to see was simple.
How would the weapons he forged measure up against a real Teigu?
Would they win, or shatter?
And if they failed, where were the weak points?
Only through real combat could he refine his Forging and Divine Forging Arts further. Practice was truth.
"I'll be watching from the shadows," he added. "Go all out."
With a soft snap of his fingers, his body dissolved into the void and vanished.
If Alex fought seriously, Gozuki wouldn't stand a chance.
But this wasn't his battle.
"Understood." Akame nodded firmly, gripping her blade, Murasame.
Cornelia and Myo were already in position.
The next second, light footsteps approached from outside.
The wooden door slid open.
Gozuki stepped in.
"Akame. Cornelia." His voice was low and cold. "You've disappointed me."
"You knew exactly who Myo is. And you still made this choice."
"Have you forgotten everything I taught you?"
Behind him stood Guy and Green, shoulder to shoulder, expressions complicated.
They had finally seen the scene they dreaded most.
"Akame. Cornelia." Guy's voice turned heavy. "Apologize to Father. Kill Myo here and now."
His eyes pleaded with them.
If they obeyed, maybe Gozuki would forgive them.
"Apologize?" Akame lifted her gaze and stared at Gozuki without fear. "He should be apologizing to us."
"For all these years, what has he done to us? He knows it better than anyone."
"I've just finally woken up."
Cornelia nodded beside her.
"We're human. Not tools built for killing."
Especially after what happened in Longxi Village.
That memory would never fade.
"So that was your purpose when you came back last time." Gozuki's eyes shifted to the blade in Akame's hand. "What, you plan to raise your sword against your father?"
"Don't forget."
"Everything you are, I gave you."
His patience snapped.
He drew his weapon.
The Teigu—
One-Cut Killer: Murasame.
Moonlight streamed through the window, washing over him. The long blade gleamed cold and lethal in his hand.
"Father!"
"Akame must have been misled. Please, calm your anger!" Green dropped to his knees, pleading desperately.
He knew Gozuki's strength.
And he knew the terror of One-Cut Killer: Murasame.
One scratch.
Certain death.
"Kneel," Gozuki said flatly.
Killing intent poured from him like a storm.
"Stop talking!"
Myo moved first, swinging the sword Alex had given her.
Clang!
The simplified Sword of Promised Victory crashed against One-Cut Killer: Murasame. Sparks exploded at the point of impact.
The recoil forced Myo back several steps.
Gozuki didn't move an inch.
"With that level of power, you think you can beat me? Naive."
"Now!"
Akame shot forward at full speed, her blade cutting through the air. Cornelia flanked from the other side.
The three girls attacked together.
No holding back.
"What do we do?" Green bit his lip. "Are we really supposed to fight Akame?"
He couldn't bring himself to make that choice.
"We don't have one," Guy said through a tight breath. "Move, Green."
He was just about to activate his Imperial Arm, Thousand-Layered Robe, when—
An invisible force spread around them.
Before they could react, both he and Green were swallowed by space itself.
"What is this?!"
Green instantly summoned his ministerial tool, Rattlesnake. The massive whip-like weapon lashed outward, ready to strike.
"Relax," a calm voice echoed through the void. "I just invited you to watch something."
Alex sat cross-legged in midair, looking at them casually.
These two weren't weak. They could become valuable members of his familia.
If they were unrelated strangers, he'd already have killed them.
"You're the one who changed Akame," Green snapped. "What did you do to her?!"
He lashed Rattlesnake straight at Alex.
Alex raised a hand.
He caught the whip effortlessly.
And crushed it.
The so-called ministerial tool shattered like brittle glass in his grip.
"This is just a warning," Alex said calmly, his voice carrying an undeniable divine authority. "Next time, I kill you."
Green stood frozen in shock.
His weapon—
Destroyed with one hand?
Was this a joke?
Guy was no better. His mind was reeling.
Satisfied with their reaction, Alex continued, "While they fight… you two can sit back and enjoy the show."
That was the real reason he had dragged them into this empty void.
"..."
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