The sky was gradually darkening.
This was not only the time when assassins began to be active, but also when the murderer began to be active.
In short, it was best to go home once the sky grew dim; otherwise, you might be targeted by a pair of eyes in the dark, and by then, it would be too late to regret it.
Kaede was walking there with Tatsumi, and she led Tatsumi toward the more secluded places.
However, what made Kaede a little helpless was that there was still no clue by now.
"Tsk tsk tsk! A young couple out for a secret rendezvous? Tsk tsk!" A man wearing grey clothes with a strange accessory on his head looked at the two people who seemed to be taking a stroll, his face twisted.
"This is not the time for a secret rendezvous, oh~" Zank laughed wildly and followed them.
"General, haven't we found him yet?" Tatsumi was a bit anxious.
Could that murderer be killing people somewhere else they didn't know about?
"Don't be anxious, and don't look around," Kaede looked at Tatsumi and said.
"Keep your expression natural, and don't let others see that you're here to look for someone."
"Uh, oh." Tatsumi nodded, then inadvertently saw a figure and was immediately stunned.
"Sayo?" Tatsumi hurriedly turned his head to look over there.
Wasn't that girl wearing white clothes with flowing black hair Sayo?
At this moment, Sayo smiled at Tatsumi and then ran off in the opposite direction.
"Sayo! Where are you going? It's dangerous here!" Tatsumi was stunned.
Thinking of the murderer appearing at night, he couldn't help but feel anxious and followed her.
"Sayo?" Kaede watched this scene from the side.
She didn't stop Tatsumi but quietly hid in the shadows and followed.
Soon, Tatsumi followed 'Sayo' to a very secluded place.
At this moment, 'Sayo' stopped, and Tatsumi, panting a bit from exhaustion, wanted to go up and tap 'Sayo' on the shoulder.
However, at this moment, Tatsumi's eyes suddenly widened.
The intuition trained by Nahash told him that he was in great danger!
Although he didn't know why, Tatsumi trusted his intuition, so he quickly retreated.
"Ugh!"
Blood splattered.
Tatsumi only felt a pain in his body, but fortunately, Tatsumi could feel that he had likely just had his skin cut.
But, why would Sayo...?
Holding his wound, Tatsumi looked again.
This time, he didn't see Sayo, but a man with a twisted face, laughing there as if mocking his weakness.
Suddenly, Tatsumi seemed to understand something.
He widened his eyes and stared at the man.
"Zank the Executioner?"
"Tsk tsk! Delightful, delightful! To think you could dodge that blade! And you know me? Delightful, delightful!" Zank laughed loudly.
"Are you the one just killing people indiscriminately?" Tatsumi asked, staring at Zank with some anger.
"It's me! Delightful!" Zank continued to laugh loudly.
"You! I will definitely hang you on the execution ground tomorrow!"
Zank's laughter seemed to stimulate Tatsumi, making him furious.
The anger from earlier when Sayo was impersonated, combined with his current rage, made Tatsumi choose to attack directly.
His body, like an afterimage, rushed straight toward Zank.
"Tsk!" The corners of Zank's mouth curled up quietly, and the accessory on his head seemed to flicker.
Then, Tatsumi successfully crossed paths with Zank, and in the process, both of them swung their swords.
"Ugh!" At this moment, Tatsumi clutched his stomach, supporting his body with his sword as he half-knelt down.
"Delightful, delightful!" Zank laughed, and then a wound appeared on his body as well, but it was very shallow, far less serious than Tatsumi's.
"So, Tatsumi, you know now, you are still very weak." Suddenly, Kaede's voice appeared in the ears of Tatsumi and Zank.
"Who is it!?" Zank was stunned; he hadn't noticed her at all.
"Yes, General." Tatsumi gritted his teeth, looking at Zank.
He didn't have the strength to send him to the execution ground himself, and he couldn't fulfill Koujo Shizuka's request either.
He, Tatsumi, was still too weak!
Then Tatsumi started to treat his wound, because Kaede had arrived, and there was no need to worry anymore.
Kaede slowly walked out of the shadows, finally arriving in front of Tatsumi and looking at Zank, her eyes looking as if she were looking at a dead person!
Zanku was angered by Kaede's gaze, and judging by Tatsumi's demeanor, he seemed to trust her implicitly.
"Tsk tsk! If I behead you in front of that brat! That brat would be in complete disbelief, wouldn't he! Delightful, delightful!"
"I suppose so." Kaede nodded, then looked at Zanku, "However, you must be able to kill me first, though that is an impossibility."
"Impossible?" Zanku became enraged; the accessory on his forehead began to glow, and a twisted smile appeared on his face.
Now, the target should be seeing the person most important to her! No matter how powerful she is, she couldn't possibly swing her blade at the person she holds most dear!
Just stand there and be obediently beheaded by me!
Such an arrogant person!
Delightful, delightful!!
And who did Kaede see?
Need you ask? Kaede saw a beautiful young girl with flaxen hair; those gentle eyes and that expression filled with doting love left no doubt about her identity.
But, my sister couldn't possibly appear in this world.
A smile appeared at the corner of Kaede's mouth, and then it slowly widened.
"How dare you, how dare you!" Kaede's smile also twisted, followed by monstrous rage. For the first time, all the killing intent on her body was unleashed—not even when she faced Leone had she released it to this extent!
In an instant, both Zanku and Tatsumi felt as if they were in an environment filled with corpses and blood!
And they saw her, the person standing atop the multitude of corpses, Kaede with that furious smile, and they couldn't help but tremble.
Just how many had she killed to accumulate such killing intent? Just how many had she killed to reach a point where, by mere killing intent alone, she could make them see such hallucinations!
A serial killer? Zanku?
Compared to Zanku, perhaps Kaede was more deserving of that title! At this moment, not only Zanku but Tatsumi also had this feeling.
"Tsk! You! Go to hell!"
With no intention of holding back, Kaede appeared before Zanku the next moment. Looking at Zanku, who seemed to be in a daze, her blade unsheathed in that instant, carrying a blinding white light as it struck from above.
"Slash!"
Then Kaede retracted her blade, and the killing intent on her body slowly receded.
Zanku looked at Kaede and smiled crazily, "Delightful! You are in even more pain than I am, aren't you! Delightful! Delightful!!" As he spoke, the accessory on Zanku's head suddenly shattered, splitting in two from the middle.
Even a Teigu could not withstand this strike from Kaede, let alone Zanku himself.
"Delightful! Delightful!" Zanku laughed frantically, never expecting to encounter such a person before dying!
"What are you laughing at?" Kaede's eyes were filled with hostility.
"Delightful! Delightful!!" As Zanku spoke, his body fell backward, the twisted smile on his face slowly becoming calm, and his eyes began to lose focus, "The voices in my ears... they seem to have stopped~ Delightful! Deligh..."
Before he could finish, blood began to gush from the middle of Zanku's body...
"Hmph!" Kaede looked at Zanku's corpse and, thinking of his smile before death, suddenly felt a tightness in her chest and a sense of irritation.
"I have other matters to attend to. Deal with your wounds first, then go back and find Chikushi to help you clean them up." Kaede suppressed the negative emotions in her heart, thinking about how she still had to escort the Little Emperor today, and said this to Tatsumi.
"Ah, yes!" Tatsumi trembled, then nodded, his smile somewhat unnatural.
"Hmm." Kaede glanced at Tatsumi, said nothing more, and turned around. Her figure slowly faded into the darkness, looking so lonely.
At this moment, Tatsumi gritted his teeth and pounded the ground with his fist. Looking at his trembling hands, he opened his mouth, "I... is this... fear?"
"Damn it!" Tatsumi gritted his teeth. Thinking of that desolate, lonely figure, he pounded the ground frantically. He, in the end, simply couldn't help but feel fear!
Kaede's mood strangely calmed down at this moment. Looking at the cold moonlight, she narrowed her crimson eyes.
"Being alone... isn't that... something I've long since... gotten used to..."
"General!" At this moment, Koujo Shizuka appeared at the place where she had been waiting. Looking at the General before her, moonlight spilling onto her face, she looked so serene.
"Yes." Kaede opened her eyes, a trace of exhaustion quietly hidden in their depths.
...
"Kaede, you seem off today." The Little Emperor looked at Kaede and said. As for the Little Emperor's form of address for Kaede, it was naturally requested by her; it wouldn't be fun if "General" was heard.
"Hmm? Do I?" Kaede was a bit stunned. Had she really been that obvious? But that wasn't right; not even Koujo Shizuka had noticed.
"Yeah, it's just a feeling!" The Little Emperor nodded and said.
"Is that so?" Kaede looked at the Little Emperor, feeling a bit strange inside. To be able to have such a feeling... indeed, the Little Emperor's heart was still very pure. She really had to thank the Prime Minister properly~
"Kaede, can we go to some places where commoners stay today? I want to see their living conditions." At this moment, the Little Emperor said.
"Yes, that's fine." Kaede looked at the Little Emperor, seemingly finding a trace of anticipation in his eyes, and couldn't help but smile. Was he not anticipating seeing the scenery he had imagined?
However, it was a pity. Even if Kaede wanted to find the scenery the Little Emperor anticipated, it would likely be hard to find in the commoners' housing area. Therefore, the Little Emperor was destined to be disappointed again this time.
Moreover, the Little Emperor's request gave Kaede a feeling that their plan might actually succeed~
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