Back at the hideout, Zhang Yong sat on his bed, set aside his mask and clothes, and threw himself onto the bed.
Blood was still seeping from his wounds, but a wide smile was plastered on his face.
"I did it... I reached level 52," Zhang Yong said happily. Currently, his level was similar to what he had achieved in the world of Douluo.
But in terms of strength, he was many times stronger, and that wasn't his only gain.
[Status
Name: Zhang Yong
Age: 18
Body: Life-Death Constitution lvl7
Level 52 [17,000,000/1,272]
Strength: 168
Endurance: 311
Agility: 114
Intelligence: 137
Spiritual Energy: 52
Status Points: 57
Emotion Points: 8,191,093
Abilities
Skills. Store. Inventory. Missions
Gambling]
He had gathered many emotion points, and they were still rising. The emotions of the two generals, the guards, and the palace workers, combined with the recent explosion that attracted the attention of the capital's residents – Zhang Yong had collected a massive amount of points. This was his second objective for his repeated attacks on the palace.
...
In the following days, as per the plot, Tatsumi was kidnapped by Esdeath during the tournament that was held.
Meanwhile, the leader Najenda had already left for the revolutionary army's stronghold to deliver Teigu and bring new members for the squad, placing Akame in command during her absence.
Akame was about to issue an order to rescue him, but everyone stopped her, arguing that the palace was full of traps and soldiers, and it would be impossible.
Zhang Yong agreed with this perspective. During his last visit, he had scanned the place; had he not spread his ice to isolate the area, the soldiers would have attended.
"Then, what if one of us goes to scout the situation? Rescuing Tatsumi is impossible if he's surrounded, but finding out his condition shouldn't be impossible," Zhang Yong suggested calmly.
"I'm afraid it will be difficult. There's information that a madman attacked Esdeath and General Budo in the training ground. Because of that, security has been tightened," Lubbock said, his expression serious.
"Is there someone crazy enough to attack the palace alone?" Mine couldn't believe this.
"Naturally, if someone like that could damage the palace and escape, it would make the people lose confidence in the Imperial Palace. Before that tournament, it was announced that the cause of that attack was the collusion of the former Prime Minister Shiri, and his body was hung in front of the palace gate," Leone said, crossing her arms in annoyance.
"That's nonsense. The former Prime Minister was hostile to the current one," Akame said in disbelief.
"That also makes it likely that this was all an attempt by the Prime Minister to bring down an enemy and address the people's distrust of him – killing two birds with one stone," Lubbock said, stroking his chin.
Zhang Yong's eyes widened at that moment. The Prime Minister died? Impossible. He had endured and risked keeping him alive, changing the plot, but in the end... this was no longer just a story. This had become a war.
Zhang Yong had already realized that the one called Arthur was not from this world, and it seemed he had no intention of letting the story proceed naturally.
Zhang Yong sighed softly. "Don't worry. From my knowledge, Tatsumi will return. I Have confidence in him. He also has Incursio. If anything happens, he can always come back."
After the meeting ended, the members left the meeting hall, and Zhang Yong walked alone.
'I need to think of a way. I need to eliminate Arthur. The faster, the better. I won't be at ease knowing he's alive,' Zhang Yong thought, his eyes glinting with killing intent.
He immediately headed to the training ground, stood there holding a wooden sword, and closed his eyes calmly.
The Sword and the Soul.
This relationship could be understood more deeply. The person's relationship with their sword extends from their body, then to a deeper area – their heart – and then to the soul.
Reaching the sword and the body, then the heart, was easy because both were things that could be touched. But conversely, the soul cannot be touched.
If the essence of the sword is cutting, then the soul cannot be cut. If we think about it another way.
The relationship between the sword and its owner is like relationships in general. It begins with a feeling of comfort – the stage of the Sword and Body.
Then it moves to the growth of feelings – the stage of the Sword and Heart, where the heart beats for the sword and loves it.
But what comes after that? What is deeper than these feelings? It was obsession.
'Perhaps this means I must be obsessed with the sword,' Zhang Yong exhaled softly, thinking.
Then he began to swing his sword. The air was a bit cold because it was spring, but as he swung and circulated his sword energy.
At this moment, he passed the Sword and Body stage and entered the Sword and Heart stage. Now, he didn't care about anything except the sword. His thoughts stopped on everything except the sword, and he began practicing the Heaven-smashing Sword technique.
He was trying to find a way to connect the five stances of the single sword, making the movement continuous and unbroken. Then, he wouldn't need to stop his sword energy between stances in battle and could eliminate more enemies with less effort.
Sharp sounds of cutting air echoed as he swung quickly.
As he transitioned between stances, he felt a flash of determination and began swinging faster.
'Yes, like this,' Zhang Yong rejoiced internally, swinging faster as the determination within him grew.
His movements started becoming faster.
'Advance further.'
Zhang Yong seemed focused, not blinking for nearly half an hour since he started.
It seemed as if he was immersed in his sword, his movements beginning to connect. When the movements didn't connect, he changed the formation.
In the end, he settled on 54 different formations and added ten connecting movements between stances.
It seemed as if something was forming before him. His consciousness began to spread, and his five senses operated at their peak.
'A little more... I feel I'm close. Is this enlightenment? It's different from eating the fruit.'
Then a spark began to form, like a thread. Just as he tried to focus on it...
Mine suddenly opened the door forcefully. "Zhang Yong, we need to talk."
Zhang Yong stopped abruptly, the wooden sword in his hand freezing mid-air. The enlightenment he was about to reach vanished like smoke. His blue eyes met Mine's gaze, and it seemed as if he was about to devour her with his look.
"What do you want?" he asked in a hoarse voice, trying to suppress his anger at the interruption.
Enlightenment! The kind that is said to come only a few times in a lifetime! Gone to waste because of this girl's interference! Zhang Yong swore, if it weren't for her role in the world, he would have killed her where she stood.
Mine didn't hesitate. She entered the training ground and closed the door behind her. "I trained with you only once. I want more."
"Now is not the time." Zhang Yong turned his back to her, trying to return to his previous state of focus.
"Training alone won't help. Let me train with you," Mine said, standing directly in front of him.
Zhang Yong's gaze narrowed on her. This girl really wanted her head to fly off today. Then, in an instant, his eyes widened completely. 'What?!... This girl was only at level five days ago, but she's reached level eight?!'
Zhang Yong was secretly shocked but didn't show anything on his face. 'I needed the system to break through many levels, and she can do it easily? Is this what they call natural talent? Why is everyone I meet more naturally talented than me?' Zhang Yong sighed internally.
'If... if it must be done, let's make this training beneficial for us both.'
Zhang Yong calmly crossed his arms. "Alright, if you want to train, come to my room at night."
"Wha-" Mine stood frozen in place, her cheeks clearly reddening. "What... what do you mean by that?!"
'Huh? What kind of reaction is this...' Zhang Yong looked for a moment before realizing. "Ah, no, it's not what you think. I swear. It's just spiritual energy training. It's just that it would be better to do it in a room."
Mine pulled her head back slightly, a look of doubt still in her eyes. "Ah... alright," she whispered in a low voice, but her ears were still pink.
"At midnight. Don't tell anyone." Zhang Yong turned his back to her, his eyes returning to the wooden sword. "Now leave me to train."
Mine stepped back two paces, then stopped. "Why the secrecy?"
,"because i have my own reasons , and do you want to hear their words when they know that you came to my room?"
This answer alone left mine unable to disagree, then she shrugged her shoulders and left the training ground, leaving Zhang Yong alone with his thoughts.
After she left, Zhang Yong picked up the sword again, thinking. 'That feeling of sensory immersion was similar to what I used at the breaking point. It was similar, but I didn't see a point, just a thread. Could this be the 'difference' that Su Ming mentioned?'
Zhang Yong closed his eyes and began to think. He decided to try something similar: activating his five senses all at once.
Spiritual awareness without using mental energy. That means not lowering your defense and constantly raising your senses around you. That should be difficult, but he had no choice but to try.
...
The darkness was thick when Mine lightly knocked on the door. Zhang Yong quickly opened it and pulled her inside before anyone could see her.
"Sit cross-legged," he gestured to the bed.
Mine sat cross-legged, her eyes following his every move. She didn't feel comfortable at all. "What kind of training is this?"
Zhang Yong sighed, thinking, 'Do all teenagers have these problems? No, thinking about it, I never had the chance to act like one.'
Zhang Yong walked towards her, touched her forehead, and transmitted a technique called "Harmony of Sun and Moon."
Then he sat cross-legged on the bed directly in front of her.
"This technique is called 'Harmony of Sun and Moon'," Zhang Yong began explaining in a calm voice. "It's a method of exchanging spiritual power between two individuals. Men's bodies possess Yang, and women possess Yin. The natural principle of the world is the existence of Yin and Yang for balance. Combining them is what forms spiritual energy, but that's when it originates from within, not from without."
This technique worked this way: by exchanging Yin and Yang and internal energy in the Dantian. The principle of breakthrough was gathering enough spiritual energy. In this way, it could be thought of as the person possessing two Dantians, just as the world possesses the sun and the moon.
"This technique... feels strange," Mine whispered, her eyes closed as she tried to focus on the flow of energy within her body, extending her palms forward.
Zhang Yong didn't reply. He was completely focused on regulating the energy between them. His hands were extended forward, his palms facing Mine's palms.
Golden energy (Yang) began to flow from Zhang Yong to Mine, while he received silver energy (Yin) from her in return.
The feeling was strange... like something warm mixing with something cold in his chest.
For the first time since she started training, Mine felt a wave of warmth flood her body. "This... is different from what we did last time. Instead of feeling pain, it's a warm feeling."
"Because this time I'm not forcing my energy in," Zhang Yong said calmly. "Focus on the golden energy entering your body and direct it towards your lower Dantian."
Mine nodded, her forehead sweating from the effort. As time passed, her spiritual energy began to rise noticeably. By dawn, she had advanced directly to level ten. She didn't have much left to reach the Master stage.
In contrast, Zhang Yong didn't benefit much from this session due to Mine's low level.
This training method was more beneficial for those of lower level than those of higher level. But over time, with the talent Mine showed, she would surely catch up to him
He could benefit from her if he used her Human refining furnace using her body and vitality to advance which is something from the demonic path
riginates her hand, Mine's expression was somewhat sad, full of distress. Using the Heavenly Demon Eyes, Zhang Yong saw the blue color of sadness.
"What's wrong?" Zhang Yong couldn't help but ask. It was better to talk things out. It wasn't good for her to carry any regret, or she would develop inner demons, and that would hinder her growth.
"It's just... if I had the ability I have now... maybe... Sheele wouldn't have..." She couldn't finish. She felt helplessness growing inside her.
'Bad. I don't want to be the one to comfort her. I've already done more than I'm authorized to,' Zhang Yong looked at her silently.
For her, she had to get over it on her own. Intervening might cause her to suffer like Tatsumi. Because of preventing his fights, he started doubting his abilities. Every fight he engages in is supposed to develop him so he can eventually find a way to defeat the final boss.
If the same thing happened to Mine... the situation would be disastrous. And with the presence of that person, Arthur, the story wouldn't remain the same.
If Zhang Yong guessed correctly, Arthur was the one who sent Budo, most likely to kill Tatsumi.
The reason Zhang Yong wasn't worried now was Esdeath's presence. At this point, she had fallen in love with Tatsumi and didn't seem aligned with Arthur. This meant she wouldn't allow him to approach and harm Tatsumi. This was the reason for his reassurance. Otherwise, if he lost the weapon and Tatsumi, the end of the world would be catastrophic.
Days after Tatsumi's kidnapping, Akame waited for him in front of the main city gate.
After Tatsumi was brought back to the hideout, he told them all the information he had gathered about the Jaegers, and Lubbock began documenting all their Teigu information.
Zhang Yong occasionally glanced outside through the window.
"What's wrong, Zhang Yong? You keep staring out the window," Leone noticed and commented.
"Hmm?" Zhang Yong turned to her and waved his hand. "Nothing important. I just have a feeling that something is off."
Lubbock raised an eyebrow while still writing in the book. "Maybe you're imagining things. After all, we erased our tracks when we brought Tatsumi. If anyone were nearby, my wires would have alerted us."
"True. For now! A toast to celebrate Tatsumi's return!" Leone said joyfully. It was clear she was looking for any excuse to drink.
Eating and drinking continued for the rest of the day until evening. No one was noisier than Leone, while Lubbock seemed on the verge of tears, and Akame overate gluttonously as usual.
Zhang Yong was in the same room but drank moderately, with Mine sitting beside him – the only two members of the group who weren't eccentric.
'From my knowledge, Stylish will attack tonight. According to the plan , this will be an opportunity to increase both mine and tatsumi's growth' Zhang Yong thought briefly as he drank.
At one point, everyone had fallen asleep, drunk from excessive drinking.
"Well, as much as I appreciate their excessive activity, they shouldn't overdo it," Zhang Yong sighed softly.
Mine looked at Zhang Yong with half-closed eyes. The effects of the drink had clearly started, but she was still trying to stay alert. "You... didn't drink much."
She said as she put an hand on his forearm
'bad , she's drunk'
Zhang Yong shrugged as he put down his cup. "Someone has to stay alert." Then he stood up quietly. "Get some rest today. I'll go for a little walk."
Zhang Yong left the hideout under the faint moonlight. The cold air caressed his face as he breathed deeply.
Tonight, Stylish's attack will happen.
Boom!
The raid on the hideout began. Dozens of genetically modified humans rushed towards the hideout.
The upper side of the hideout exploded, and Tatsumi emerged from the falling dust, jumping into the air wearing the Incursio armor.
Tatsumi began to cut a path through the ranks of the humans rushing towards the hideout.
In front of him stood a huge man with a wide mustache and an even wider smile. On his back hung the Extase scissors.
Seeing the scissors, Tatsumi became extremely angry and rushed towards the man.
Instead of trying to fight him, Tatsumi tried to retrieve the scissors, ending up with wounds on his body.
'Hah, fool. He should focus on killing his enemy instead of trying to retrieve the Teigu,' Zhang Yong couldn't help but sneer internally as he finished off some soldiers on the periphery. 'But it doesn't matter, he is weak against her.'
In an instant, a thin pink beam shot towards the huge man, piercing his forehead. He died immediately.
"She's terrifying. She can control spiritual energy with such precision already. She's naturally talented... From birth, a person's limit is set, but to this degree?" Zhang Yong muttered softly as he began cutting through enemy bodies, advancing towards them.
He had previously given Extase to Doctor Stylish before the attack started, to motivate both Mine and Tatsumi. At least, the feeling of helplessness would decrease for now, and that was beneficial.
Zhang Yong raised his gaze to the sky. Leader Najenda had returned on a flying Danger Beast, accompanied by two other individuals.
Zhang Yong walked calmly towards Tatsumi and Mine. Then, someone jumped from the bushes, targeting Mine.
Mine raised her Pumpkin gun, ready to fire, but in an instant, Leone appeared, grabbed the enemy by the neck, and broke it.
Then Lubbock and Akame emerged from the hideout's direction.
"Good, everyone's here," Akame smiled happily because she hadn't lost another comrade today.
But the joy didn't last. They were quickly surrounded by Stylish's army.
However, the Night Raid members began falling to the ground. When Zhang Yong looked around, it was Doctor Stylish's paralysis gas.
"This is... paralysis poison," Akame immediately noticed and stated.
Everyone fell to the ground. The only one unaffected was Tatsumi because he was wearing the Incursio armor.
Zhang Yong also fell, his arms crossed. "Tatsumi, did I ever tell you that I like showing off?"
Tatsumi turned to him in astonishment, his eyes widening in shock. "What?! This is not the time!"
Poison Path - Poison Vessel.
Zhang Yong stood up calmly, stretching his body. The Poison Vessel: it creates seven poison flasks within a person's body, thus allowing the person to absorb only seven specific poisons.
If they were high-level, weaker poisons wouldn't affect them. If they couldn't withstand it, they would simply die.
He didn't want to use it on a lowly poison like paralysis, but he wasn't going to stay in this world anyway.
"Could you stand from the beginning?" Tatsumi couldn't help but be surprised.
"Nonsense. I just got used to the poison. Think of it as like your armor. The Tyrant has the ability to adapt. It's just similar," Zhang Yong said, supporting the tip of his sword with his hand and gathering sword energy on the edge.
"Good. Let's get rid of them to protect everyone," Tatsumi raised his fists, ready to fight.
Then, suddenly, a body fell from the sky. The dust wave from the impact was enough to send some followers flying into the air. A human silhouette appeared in the middle of the dust.
Zhang Yong recognized him immediately: the Biological Teigu, Susanoo.
Susanoo had peachy skin, hair, and blue eyes. He was tall and seemed to be in his early twenties. His most prominent features were two horns resembling those of a bison, protruding from the sides of his head. He wore a white robe with black clothes underneath.
'This bastard knows how to make an enthusiastic entrance more than me,' Zhang Yong showed an annoyed expression on his face.
"Now, eliminate the enemies, Susanoo!" Najenda declared from above the flying Mantra.
Susanoo's expression was serious. "Understood." He carried a weapon resembling a staff.
With a simple movement from him, blades appeared on the staff's head and began spinning rapidly. His attack powerfully pierced the enemies.
"S-strong!" Tatsumi's eyes widened in astonishment, showing admiration for him.
"Yes, it seems this person is skilled in his work," Zhang Yong smiled and rushed directly behind Susanoo.
Zhang Yong didn't plan to overdo showcasing. After all, in attacks like these, he shouldn't display excessive abilities.
He might have previously explained his abilities as being due to merging with a Danger Beast, but that wasn't an eternal excuse or explanation for everything.
For example, his ice abilities would put him at risk because there was already a very powerful ice user, Esdeath, and the same for fire.
On the other hand, using formless attacks or those relying on death Qi wouldn't raise their suspicions.
As Zhang Yong charged forward, an explosion occurred next to Susanoo's body. When the dust cleared, Susanoo appeared without an arm, covered in injuries. In one second, all his injuries vanished, and a new arm grew.
This was the distinctive feature of Biological Teigu. If you don't destroy the core, it will never die – the most difficult enemy to deal with. If you don't find its core, you are doomed. It doesn't tire, doesn't thirst, and doesn't eat.
"Zhang Yong, Susanoo! There are enemies hiding in the northwestern forest. Eliminate them completely," Najenda shouted from above, heading towards a rocky foothill where Doctor Stylish was located.
"Understood!" Susanoo and Zhang Yong looked at each other and replied, then jumped at lightning speed upwards.
But when they arrived, the scene wasn't very pleasant.
Lumps of flesh began to form one after another, and a body started growing. Two fleshy arms extended, pulling the surrounding followers towards it, and the flesh lumps grew.
The creature grew to a massive size, about 100 feet tall, towering over the forest, taking the form of a doll with an armored body.
A body was centered in the creature's forehead. This was presumably Stylish in the form of a human-type Danger Beast – the pinnacle of his experiments transforming humans into monsters.
Zhang Yong gripped his sword, his arms trembling.
Susanoo noticed and commented. "Are you afraid?"
But unexpectedly, a smile appeared on Zhang Yong's face. "Nonsense. I'm trembling with excitement."
Susanoo, standing beside him, raised his eyebrows. "You enjoy this?"
"Of course. This is a monster worthy of fighting." Zhang Yong raised his sword, calmly extended the other, and opened a split in his flesh.
Bone Path - Bone Control.
A sharp white bone piece emerged from his hand, clearly resembling a sword.
Heaven-smashing Sword - Dragon and Phoenix Piercing the Heavens.
Zhang Yong launched himself in a spiral dash, his swords forming a vortex of golden and purple light.
The attack pierced the monster's skin, leaving a hole in its body, but the flesh immediately began to heal.
Then the flying Mantra appeared, carrying Mine alongside Najenda, firing at the monster.
Zhang Yong sent a mental message to Mine in the midst of this. 'Fire with full force at the forehead where the body is located.'
The creature raised its arm and extended it directly towards the flying Mantra to obstruct it, but Susanoo appeared and struck the arm down away from them.
"Understood!" Mine whispered, firing the spiritual projectile directly at the monster's forehead. It was a cannon shot with a width exceeding fifteen meters.
The projectile pierced the air like an arrow of dense pink light, then exploded upon impact, leaving behind a burning crater and a rising column of smoke.
Zhang Yong's jaw dropped at the sight. 'Ah... damn. I shouldn't have taught her. She's become excessively strong.'
The monster screamed in a distorted human voice, its massive body beginning to sway. The flesh gradually shrank, and it fell to the ground, starting to disintegrate.