Gilberda spat blood and dropped to her knees, completely losing the ability to move.
Her golden hair spilled messily over her shoulders, its shine dulled.
The same dimness had settled over her eyes.
"So this... is the power of a Shingu? To think it could actually bring me down..."
If not for Merraid's insects, that strike would have split her clean in two!
After defeating Gilberda, Nahashu immediately released the Water Dragon Sword's ability.
His long hair rapidly withered as though it had lost its vitality, shrinking back to its original length.
Cold sweat instantly broke out across his forehead, and his breathing grew ragged all at once.
That was the side effect of the Water Dragon Sword.
Although it could greatly enhance his combat power, once the effect ended, his body would be hit with intense exhaustion.
It was a special ability meant for one decisive gamble, and if he failed to defeat his opponent while using it, he would be the one who paid with his life.
The three-minute limit had not been reached yet, but considering that this was only the first enemy they had encountered, he needed to preserve enough strength for the battles that would come after.
The earlier he released it, the lighter the side effect would be. With luck, he might fully recover before the next fight arrived.
"The finishing blow..."
Nahashu held the Water Dragon Sword and walked behind Gilberda.
There was neither joy nor sorrow on his face as he raised the blade and aimed it at the blond maid's pale, exposed neck.
In her current state, he did not even need to use his full strength to cut her head clean off.
But just as he was about to strike, a black figure appeared behind him without a sound.
Nahashu noticed a little too late.
By the time he realized someone was behind him, it was already too late to turn around.
The newcomer had clearly aimed for the exact moment after he released his ability, when his body had weakened.
"You did something quite cruel to my subordinate, didn't you?" Merraid smiled darkly.
She pressed her fingers together like a blade and drove her hand straight into Nahashu's back, grabbing his heart from behind.
Because his heart was being held, Nahashu's entire body froze.
He held his breath, his eyes opening as wide as they could go.
Was this where he died?
For that instant, Nahashu lost the ability to think.
No one was unafraid of death.
He was no different.
What mattered even more was that if he died here, then Poney and Gin would have no chance of surviving either.
"Damn it..."
"Heh."
Suddenly, Merraid laughed softly and loosened her hand, pulling it back out.
Just like Gilberda when she collapsed powerlessly, Nahashu fell to both knees, feeling his heart pounding, feeling the proof that he was still alive!
He could not understand why she had spared him.
Merraid looked at the blood on her hand and smiled. "You must be wondering why I didn't kill you just now, right? But that isn't quite how it works. I may not be holding it directly anymore, but your heart is still in my grasp."
A fierce stag beetle crawled onto the tip of her finger.
She explained, "I left this little one's larva on your heart."
"What?!" Nahashu's expression changed.
Now he finally recognized who stood before him.
The insect user.
The leader of Oarburgh.
Merraid Oarburgh!
'She left an insect inside my body?'
Nahashu frowned, watching the eerie woman with caution.
"What are you trying to do?"
At his questioning tone, Merraid shook her head.
"No, no. That's not right."
She slowly raised one hand, shaping her fingers to mimic the pincers of a stag beetle.
In the next instant, Nahashu's face twisted.
He clutched his chest and collapsed in agony.
The sensation of having his heart carved open made him feel as though death would be mercy.
"Ugh..."
The pain was so intense that he could not even scream.
All he could do was tremble, drenched in sweat.
Seeing him reduced to that state, Merraid smiled coldly. "Do you understand now? I'm the only one allowed to ask questions here."
She snapped her fingers casually.
A black tide of insects gathered together, forming a grotesque and terrifying throne behind her.
She crossed her legs and sat upon it, the sight beneath her skirt faintly visible.
"Now then, boy. How many people came with you this time?"
Nahashu gritted his teeth and glared at her with cold eyes.
"Who knows?"
"I see. So you're brave. No matter what I do, you won't betray your companions, is that it?" Merraid did not seem angry.
"Hmph." Nahashu snorted, and that alone made his attitude clear.
A wicked smile appeared on the woman's face.
...
At the castle's two sides...
Guy, Tsukushi, and Cornelia were moving separately.
Guy attacked alone from one side, while Tsukushi and Cornelia formed a pair.
With his Shingu, Thousand-Layered Clothes, Guy's infiltration was completely silent and did not alert anyone.
But things were different on Tsukushi and Cornelia's side.
From the moment they entered the castle, they were repeatedly attacked by all kinds of insects.
Tsukushi's Prometheus was a gun-type Shingu.
Against a swarm of insects, single shots powered by gunpowder were far too limited in killing power, so they had to rely mainly on Cornelia.
Fortunately, Cornelia's Powder King was well-suited for wide-area attacks.
With a single punch, the terrifying wind pressure could blast the insects away.
Or she could tear up the floorboards and crush them beneath the debris.
The problem was that it consumed her heavily.
Her arm had already been left with some lingering damage from the previous mission, and now her repeated use of Powder King was making that arm harder and harder to bear.
Her muscles were gradually losing strength.
"These bugs are disgusting!!! Seriously, where the heck is the enemy?!" Tsukushi was on the verge of tears.
As a girl, there were always things she was bad at dealing with.
Insects were definitely among the worst.
"That's it! I can't take this anymore! Cornelia-nee!"
With that shout, Tsukushi pulled the Air Blade from her pocket.
When Cornelia saw her take it out, she could only feel a little helpless.
Still, this was probably the perfect time to use it.
She quickly retreated to Tsukushi's side and nodded. "Then I'll leave it to you."
Tsukushi gave a firm nod and gripped the Air Blade.
Insects crawled toward them from above, below, left, right, and every other direction.
Tsukushi's gaze turned resolute as she shouted, "All of you just die already, you disgusting things!!!"
Whoosh—!!!!!
The compressed wind blade spread outward in overlapping rings with the motion of her slash.
Cornelia was so scared that she dropped straight into a crouch.
One of the wind blades flew almost right over her head, leaving her back drenched in cold sweat.
The invisible sickle-like gale swept through the insect tide.
The insects were swallowed by the storm and scattered like a receding wave.
After a brief delay, they were sliced apart and fell to the floor in pieces.
"..."
Cornelia loudly voiced her complaint.
"That was dangerous! I almost got turned bald by you!"
"Eh? S-sorry."
"Quick, check my hair! Did I lose any?"
"Mm... no, it's still as thick as before."
"Haa..."
After confirming it again and again, Cornelia finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Then she looked at the wreckage scattered across the floor and sighed. "Still, it really is powerful. No matter how many times I see it, it's terrifying."
"Yeah."
Tsukushi looked at the small hilt in her hand.
She agreed, "Yeah. Just looking at it, no one would ever imagine it could be this powerful. The Science Division really is amazing! They made my silencer too."
Prometheus could control the trajectory of its bullets according to the user's will, but the sound of the shot and the muzzle flash would still expose the shooter's position.
Originally, Prometheus should have been perfect for assassination, but because of those flaws, it became easy to detect instead.
The silencer not only eliminated the sound of a gunshot, it could also hide the muzzle flash, meaning she would not reveal her position even in the dark.
"Then should we keep going?" Tsukushi asked with a smile.
But she soon noticed that Cornelia did not respond. Instead, Cornelia was staring ahead with a grave look.
Tsukushi followed her gaze, and two figures appeared in her field of vision.
It was Merraid and Cassandra.
At that moment, both women were staring at Cornelia and Tsukushi with gloomy eyes.
"Hey, Dora," Merraid narrowed her eyes slightly, her tone unkind. "Don't you think that move just now looked familiar?"
Cassandra's face was filled with hatred as well.
She gritted her teeth and said, "There's no doubt. Invisible slashes, like a sickle wind... it's the same kind of move that man used!"
Tsukushi swallowed.
The hand gripping Prometheus felt a little stiff.
No.
It was not just her fingers.
Her whole body was stiff!
The moment she saw those two women, instinctive fear tightened every muscle in her body.
She had not noticed how they appeared at all.
This was bad.
These two were very bad news.
There was no way she and Cornelia could win against them alone.
At the same time, Cornelia also felt the situation growing troublesome.
Their mission was not meant to be a direct fight.
They were mainly responsible for interception, containment, rescue, and support.
She had not expected to run into the enemy's main force.
Strange.
Shouldn't these people be fighting at the front?
Or retreating through the rear that Akame and Kurome were responsible for?
For them to appear at the side was far too strange.
Cornelia did not consider the possibility that her companions had already been defeated.
Because she trusted their strength completely.
Akame aside, Nahashu was the strongest among them.
There was no way he could be defeated in such a short time.
Even if the opponent was the thousand-year-old assassin society whose reputation had spread through the underworld.
Then the only explanation was that the enemy was trying to flee through the side.
Thinking that, Cornelia abandoned the idea of retreating and said to Tsukushi, "We have to hold them here until reinforcements arrive!"
Tsukushi was afraid, but a mission was a mission.
She nodded lightly, then raised Prometheus and aimed it at Merraid and Cassandra.
Merraid looked at the two girls in front of her, her expression tinged with a hint of intoxication.
"Not bad. The blond one is very pretty, and the other one has a body that looks very fun to play with. If this were any other time, I would definitely take good care of both of you."
But...
Right now, she was in a very bad mood.
"Girl, your name is Tsukushi, right? Let me ask you something. Was the thing in your hand responsible for that invisible slash just now?"
"Ugh."
Tsukushi hid the Air Blade behind her back.
Then she replied, "No comment."
"I see. What a pity. Then I'll have to treat you as someone connected to that man and give you the cruelest treatment imaginable."
The moment Merraid thought of Gilberda's condition, her anger became impossible to suppress.
Even if the one in front of her was a cute girl, it made no difference.
"The blond one is yours, Dora."
"Yes, Lady Merraid!"
Cassandra received the order.
Two long blades were suddenly drawn from somewhere.
She charged straight at Cornelia, swinging both blades as every strike aimed for a vital point.
Cornelia calmly used her armguard to block.
But the moment she clashed with Cassandra, she suddenly noticed something that shook her.
Her eyes locked onto the long blades in the twin-tailed maid's hands, and her pupils trembled violently.
"That's... Akame-chan's Kiriichimonji!"
"And the other blade is Kurome's weapon!"
Cornelia's expression changed, anxiety immediately rising across her face.
She burst with strength and knocked Cassandra back, then pressed forward herself.
Under Powder King's amplification, her fists carried terrifying force, making it difficult for Cassandra to resist directly.
Suppressing Cassandra, Cornelia shouted, "What did you do to Akame and Kurome?!"
Boom!
"Answer me!"
Boom!
Boom!!
Cassandra felt the frightening impact coming through her blades and saw the shadow of a companion in the girl before her.
This girl... had strength comparable to Gil's?
No.
That was not it.
The secret was the armguard.
It was probably something similar to the blades in her hands—a weapon like a Teigu or Shingu.
These blades could make wounds bleed endlessly, and that armguard's ability was most likely some kind of strength amplification.
The Empire's assassins all had their own unusual tricks.
Tsukushi fired three shots at Cassandra.
The three bullets curved in from different directions, tracing three arcs.
Cassandra was about to knock the bullets aside with her blades, but three black afterimages flashed through the air and collided with the bullets, deflecting all three shots.
Merraid had intervened.
She took a few steps forward, still holding her black umbrella despite being indoors.
"Your opponent is me, Tsukushi-chan."
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