"Shut up, you reckless, stupid pig!"
"Drop your weapons and kneel immediately, or you will all die!"
Aria roared at Guard Captain Ogre like a mad dog. Her frantic, almost hysterical defense of her Master left everyone present completely stunned.
Ogre froze, his thoughts spinning wildly.
A few seconds later, a look of sudden "enlightenment" spread across his fleshy face—as if he had just uncovered the truth of the universe.
"Hahaha! Young Miss Aria, you've suffered terribly!"
Ogre slapped his thigh and spoke with absolute confidence. "I, Ogre, have served as a Guard Captain in the Imperial Capital for many years. What kind of situation haven't I seen?"
"You must have been coerced by this white-haired rebel through extremely cruel means!"
"To protect your life, you had no choice but to pretend to obey him—even insulting our Military Police to prove your 'loyalty'!"
The more he spoke, the more convinced he became of his own brilliance.
He slammed his longsword against his chest armor and roared righteously,
"Do not fear! With me—'Ouka the Ghost'—and the Imperial Capital Military Police here, even if the heavens themselves descended, I would still rescue you safely!"
"Young Miss Aria, endure just a little longer! We'll tear this bastard holding you hostage to pieces immediately!"
Hearing Ogre's self-righteous and utterly clueless speech, Aria nearly choked on her own breath.
Her entire body trembled with rage, her nails digging painfully into her palms.
Coerced?
Pretending?
Pretending, my ass!
"You brainless pig! Do you even have a—"
She tried desperately to explain, only wanting him to stop talking and stop provoking her supreme Master.
"Enough."
A lazy yet icy voice descended from above her.
Aria's body stiffened instantly, as if time itself had frozen. She shut her mouth at once and pressed her forehead to the ground, not daring to breathe too loudly.
Uchiha Tobirama stood with one hand in his pocket, rubbing his brow in mild annoyance.
Are the brains of these low-level officers stuffed with something useless?
With imagination like this, it's a waste they aren't writing novels.
"What's the point of explaining to an insect that doesn't understand human speech?"
Tobirama glanced indifferently at Aria.
"When an insect blocks your path, you crush it. The more you explain, the more you lower yourself."
"Insect…?"
Ogre's expression darkened instantly.
In the entire Imperial Capital, aside from the highest nobles and generals, who dared to call "Ouka the Ghost" an insect?!
"You arrogant bastard who doesn't know what's good for you!"
Completely enraged, Ogre raised his longsword and pointed it straight at Tobirama.
"All units!"
"Open fire!"
"Turn this white-haired rebel—and those Night Raid remnants—into scrap!"
"Fire—!"
With his command, chaos erupted.
Gunshots thundered in unison.
Heavy crossbows loosed their volleys.
A dense storm of bullets and steel bolts tore through the air, completely sealing every possible path of escape.
Najenda and the others, still immobilized behind Tobirama, felt a flicker of despair.
Unable to move, unable to resist—how could anyone survive this?
However—
Facing the overwhelming barrage, Tobirama didn't even blink.
"Lightning Release."
He calmly uttered the words.
In an instant, terrifying power erupted outward with Tobirama at its center.
No hand seals.
No preparation.
Not ordinary lightning, but pitch-black thunder infused with pure destruction surged forth, flooding the ruins of the manor.
The storm of projectiles vanished the moment they touched that black lightning—erased completely.
The thunder swept forward without mercy, engulfing the charging soldiers.
The battlefield fell silent almost instantly.
When the light faded, only scorched ground remained where the Military Police had stood moments earlier.
A hot wind blew through the courtyard, carrying a faint burnt scent.
Behind him, the four members of Night Raid were utterly frozen.
Mine and Leone stared wide-eyed, unable to process what they had just seen.
Najenda inhaled sharply, her scalp tingling.
What kind of power was this?
Standing still—doing almost nothing—and hundreds of armed soldiers were gone.
At the very back, having narrowly survived due to distance, Ogre stood drenched in cold sweat.
His longsword slipped from his grasp and clattered to the ground.
His legs shook uncontrollably.
"What… what kind of monster are you…?"
His voice trembled, barely forming words.
This was supposed to be a routine arrest.
So how had it turned into this?
Even the Empire's strongest generals—General Budo or General Esdeath—surely couldn't unleash such destruction so casually.
"Master!"
A young girl in a Military Police uniform rushed into the ruined courtyard, a small dog-like creature at her side.
It was Ogre's disciple—Seryu Ubiquitous—and her biological Teigu.
"Master! I sensed the disturbance and hurried over—what happened—?"
Her words died in her throat.
She stared at the scorched ground, the empty space, then at the white-haired man ahead.
Understanding dawned instantly.
"This is evil… absolute evil!"
Her expression twisted into fanatical rage as she pointed at Tobirama.
"How dare you slaughter the Military Police who uphold justice! You criminal!"
"Koro! Prepare for battle! We will eliminate him in the name of justice!"
The creature beside her roared, its body rapidly expanding into a massive, muscular beast.
"Seryu! Stop!"
Ogre shouted hoarsely, grabbing her arm.
His face was pale, his eyes filled with despair.
"Master?" Seryu stared at him. "We must enforce justice! I'll cover your retreat!"
"It's useless…"
Ogre shook his head and gave a hollow laugh.
"Retreat? That's naïve."
"Against a monster like this, we don't even have the right to turn our backs."
"If we try to run, we'll disappear in the next instant."
He tightened his grip on the longsword, forcing himself to stand firm.
"At this point, the only thing left is to fight."
"Fight?"
Tobirama's voice sounded again, calm and faintly amused.
He looked at the master and disciple as if observing insects trapped in boiling water.
"You're right about one thing."
He slowly raised his hand, pointing toward them.
"Today, none of you are leaving."
"However…"
His lips curved into a cold smile.
"With trash like you, do you really think you're qualified to talk about fighting for your lives in front of me?"