Leaden clouds gnawed at the full moon, yet they could not devour the decadent brilliance of the Capital.
Even though it was already close to ten at night, the Capital was still bustling.
Lights blazed everywhere, and entertainment districts were packed to the brim.
For places like the red-light district, business was only just beginning.
At this point, it had been less than four days since Uesugi Ryu had arrived in the world of Akame ga Kill!.
Uesugi Ryu sat in his study, holding a thick encyclopedia of Danger Beasts.
His gaze did not linger on the fierce and imposing creatures.
Instead, it settled on a picture whose art style was completely different from the others.
He tapped the fluffy feline creature in the illustration with his finger, his pale fingertip making a soft scraping sound against the page.
"A Third-Class Danger Beast, Magpanther?"
"It looks just like a kitten. Pretty cute."
Uesugi Ryu smiled faintly, then flipped the page and suddenly thought of a certain someone.
"Akira would probably like one. I'll catch one as a gift and keep it in the manor someday."
Mephisto stood nearby, tearing into a bloody leg skewered on an iron rack.
Its beak ripped continuously through flesh and sinew.
Danger Beast meat was packed with nutrients.
Combined with the wide variety and unique flavors, Mephisto, as a true carnivore, had completely lost itself in the feast.
Uesugi Ryu rubbed his temples and slowly closed the book.
Night Raid would come for him sooner or later.
He was simply waiting for the rabbit to enter the snare.
To avoid scaring them off, he had deliberately tampered with the guards' patrol routes.
In the original story, the assassins sent were Mine and Sheele.
Uesugi Ryu had even chosen a secluded location to avoid the possibility of a long-range attack.
"Teigu. What wonderful things."
"But why would a weapon have compatibility issues?"
Leaning back on the sofa, Uesugi Ryu closed his eyes in thought.
"Or perhaps the Empire possesses some kind of soul-preservation secret art, and the Danger Beasts used as materials never truly died."
"Incursio erodes its user. In the end, Tatsumi really did straight up transform into a dragon."
"The soul of the Super Danger Beast Tyrant took over Tatsumi's body.."
"Souls, or perhaps remnants of consciousness, preserved through special means?"
A dark vortex appeared above Uesugi Ryu's left palm.
A trace of anticipation flashed in his eyes.
"Souls.. I know a little about them."
........
Three kilometers away, atop a clock tower.
Mine wore a high-tech pink monocle over her left eye.
Images of the manor continuously refreshed across the tactical lens.
The display zoomed in and out repeatedly as Mine searched for weaknesses.
After a long while, she lowered the lens and said in frustration,
"Damn it. What a crafty bastard."
Sheele was breathing onto her glasses and wiping them clean under the moonlight.
Her eyelashes cast trembling shadows across her cheeks.
Mine was responsible for infiltration plans.
The only thing Sheele truly excelled at was killing.
After putting her glasses back on, Sheele pressed a finger to her chin and said with an adorably blank expression,
"Then why don't we just kill our way in? I'll protect Mine."
Mine sighed helplessly.
If they just bulldozed their way through, what kind of assassins would they be?
"Sheele, just rest."
"Leave the infiltration to me. I refuse to believe these guards can stay alert forever."
With that, she put the tactical lens back on and resumed her surveillance.
Nearly half an hour later, Mine finally smiled smugly.
"Got it. As expected of me. No matter how perfect the setup, there's always a flaw. Sheele, let's go."
Sheele nodded, her expression instantly turning serious.
She grabbed the massive pair of scissors beside her, Extase, and quickly followed Mine.
The two moved together, slipping into the manor during a shift change in the guard rotation.
Mine and Sheele hid behind a wall.
Mine peeked around the corner.
Seeing an empty hallway, worry flashed across her face.
"Tight security outside, loose security inside. Could this be a trap?"
Heavy footsteps echoed.
Gore stepped out of a nearby room.
Straightening up, he adjusted his suit and grumbled unhappily.
"Damn that Night Raid. I haven't had a proper night's sleep in three or four days."
With that, he slowly walked toward Mine and Sheele's hiding place.
Gore's shadow reached the gilded wallpaper before he did.
Mine stared at the massive silhouette stretching across the floor.
She caught the strong scent of tobacco mixed with blood.
As the bear-like man brushed past the vase concealing them, a single strand of Sheele's purple hair drifted silently to the ground.
"Three... two..."
Just as Mine silently counted down to one, Gore suddenly stopped.
Sheele's scissors had already cut across the throat of his shadow.
But the man merely scratched the back of his neck and muttered to himself before disappearing around the corner.
Mine released her finger from Pumpkin's trigger and rushed with Sheele toward the mahogany door.
Sheele knocked softly.
A deep male voice sounded from inside.
"Come in."
After confirming the target, Sheele shoved the door open.
At the exact moment the hinges turned, the moon vanished behind the clouds.
A handsome young man dressed in noble attire, holding a glass of red wine, appeared before Sheele.
Her expression remained blank as her eyes locked onto the target.
Pumpkin's barrel began to glow.
Sheele became a blur, charging straight at Uesugi Ryu.
The massive scissors snapped open.
The gleaming blades instantly sliced the young man seated in the chair clean in two.
An odd sensation came through her hands.
The young man dissolved like a mirage.
"Sorry..."
Before Sheele understood what had happened, her instincts took over.
She swung her scissors up in front of her.
Clang!
Metal screeched.
Uesugi Ryu's pale violet katana slammed into the center of Extase, showering the room with sparks.
Uesugi Ryu stared at the bewildered Sheele, a strange smile curling across his lips.
Sheele bent both legs to absorb the force.
The wooden floor beneath her feet shattered instantly.
(Presence activated. Intelligence check against Sheele.)
(Our Intelligence check succeeded. Mental resistance check failed.)
(Presence failed to activate.)
Uesugi Ryu had forgotten.
Sheele was naturally airheaded.
She felt no fear when facing enemies.
Presence was practically useless against her.
With a twist of his wrist, Uesugi Ryu deflected Extase to the side.
"Sheele!"
Pumpkin lit up brilliantly in Mine's hands.
A barrage of energy blasts screamed toward Uesugi Ryu.
He leapt backward to evade, casting Mine a curious glance.
Sheele was temporarily freed.
However, instead of attacking, she cleanly abandoned her teammate.
She turned, shattered the window, and jumped down.
Uesugi Ryu made no move to pursue her.
His brilliant golden eyes fixed directly on Mine.
He did not activate Presence.
After all, Pumpkin's defining trait was that its power increased the greater the danger.
Mine's strength was almost entirely concentrated in her Teigu.
Using Presence would only buff her weapon.
Uesugi Ryu lowered himself into a forward stance, his blade angled toward the floor.
The instant Mine met his gaze, her pupils shrank to pinpoints.
An overwhelming sense of danger washed over her.
Even her silky pink hair seemed to stand on end like a frightened cat.
Yet a triumphant smile spread across her face.
Pumpkin blazed with dazzling light.
The sound of shattering glass was swallowed by the thunder of Pumpkin's cannon.
Its pure white radiance turned the room blindingly bright.
A terrifying shockwave swept directly toward Uesugi Ryu, annihilating everything in the bedroom.
He kicked off the ground.
His body arced backward, falling through the shattered window.
The brilliant beam ripped through the walls and expanded into the night sky.
Its dazzling light was impossible to miss.
Seryu, who had been stationed nearby in the plaza, naturally heard the commotion.
A cute little dog wearing a collar stood beside her.
It was the biological Teigu, Hekatonkheires.
Excitement flashed in Seryu's eyes as she looked toward the distant manor.
Sensing its master's emotions, Koro turned to face her.
"Koro, let's go!"
Koro nodded lightly.
The next second, the tree they had been hiding in snapped apart.
Both girl and dog shot toward the manor at incredible speed.