The Roman numeral clock in the plaza struck eleven.
Dark clouds blanketed the sky, and raindrops pattered against the ground.
Lubbock carried Mine as he hurried toward the outskirts of the Capital. Carrying someone naturally slowed him down.
However, with the aid of Cross Tail's threads, he swiftly swung between the buildings.
"Mine, can you still hold on?"
Lubbock was breathing heavily. Physical endurance was not his strong suit.
Carrying someone placed an enormous burden on his stamina.
Mine's body was secured to him with numerous threads. She no longer had the strength to hold onto his shoulders.
Rain dripped onto the goggles on Lubbock's head, and his green coat snapped violently in the wind.
"I'm fine. That guy was off. He had already discovered Sheele and me."
Mine had long since figured it out. The flaws in the guards' patrols had been deliberately staged for them.
Lubbock remained silent. He also felt that something was wrong, but now was not the time to think about it.
His boots crushed puddles as he sprinted through the city.
One kilometer behind them, Uesugi Ryu followed at a distance, his hood drawn low.
Mephisto's wings tore through the rain, Lubbock's figure reflected in its Sharingan.
A gust of wind lifted the edge of Uesugi Ryu's hood, revealing his sharply defined jawline.
He licked the raindrops from his lips and turned into a nearby alley.
...........
Night Raid Hideout, Outskirts of the Capital
Thunder rumbled, perfectly matching the mood inside Night Raid.
Sheele had been captured alive. Mine was injured. Extase and Pumpkin had both been taken by the enemy.
Night Raid only had six Teigu users to begin with. Losing nearly a third of them at once was a devastating blow.
"Clones. Blinding light. A weapon similar to the Shingu Kiriichimonji, which prevents wounds from healing. The powerful and bizarre defenses of a transformed Danger Beast."
Najenda analyzed the abilities Uesugi Ryu had revealed based on Mine's report, her expression grim.
Esdeath would soon be returning to the Capital.
Now, such a powerful enemy had appeared as well.
For both Night Raid and the Revolutionary Army, this was terrible news.
The meeting room door opened.
Akame and Tatsumi walked in.
Everyone's eyes turned toward them.
Tatsumi pressed a cotton swab against the vein in his left arm.
His blood type was O, so they had drawn some to transfuse into Mine.
Najenda asked,
"Akame, how is Mine?"
Akame's nails dug into her palm, and Murasame trembled faintly at her side.
"Very bad. The wound is still bleeding."
"The transfusion can't keep up with the blood loss. If this continues, Mine... will die soon."
Her cool voice echoed through the room.
Veins bulged on the back of Tatsumi's hand, and his eyes trembled uncontrollably.
Najenda fell silent. She lit a cigarette.
The tip glowed in the darkness of the room.
After a brief pause, she said,
"Can she hold on for two days? Headquarters may have a solution."
"And relocate the hideout immediately."
The possibility of Sheele revealing Night Raid's location was not zero.
Once someone fell into enemy hands, all intelligence had to be considered compromised.
Tear stains marked everyone's faces.
No one could calmly accept the possibility of losing a comrade they had lived and fought alongside.
Najenda's words were harsh in the deathly silence, but no one objected.
Tatsumi finally lost control.
"What about Sheele? Are we just going to abandon her? She's our comrade!"
Najenda crushed the cigarette beneath her metal fingers and looked up at him.
"Calm down, Tatsumi. Since the enemy captured Sheele alive, they've definitely prepared a trap for us."
"I never expected Uesugi Ryu to hide his strength so well. A merchant with that kind of power."
Rain battered the windows more intensely.
Tatsumi's expression darkened, and just as he was about to speak again, everyone's attention shifted at once.
More precisely, to the wall behind Najenda.
Uesugi Ryu suddenly appeared, leaning casually against it.
"That's not very nice. I came here in good faith."
Akame's hand rested on Murasame's hilt, her eyes fixed on him, ready to draw at any moment.
Lubbock and Najenda, however, remained remarkably calm.
"Let's hear your terms."
Najenda did not even turn around.
Her voice was icy.
With Sheele absent, one seat sat empty.
Uesugi Ryu walked over and took it without hesitation.
He leisurely surveyed everyone around the table.
A faint smile curled his lips as he looked at Najenda.
"Four Teigu, including Incursio. In exchange, I'll return both your people and your property. No one has to die."
The demand was outrageous.
Four Teigu were enough to support a powerful organization.
But negotiations always began with inflated offers.
Najenda sneered and rejected him immediately.
"If that's your sincerity, then forget it. We'll simply train new Teigu users."
Bulat stared at Uesugi Ryu.
He could sense absolutely no presence from him.
Akame felt the same. As a professionally trained assassin, she was highly sensitive to killing intent and aura.
Lubbock discreetly studied him, Cross Tail's control gauntlets still on his hands.
"I reinforced the barrier, and there wasn't any reaction at all. So it's just an illusion after all."
Uesugi Ryu rubbed his chin as he looked at Najenda's outwardly tough demeanor.
"Really? Is there still time? Esdeath will be back in the Capital soon. Perhaps I should negotiate with her instead."
Tatsumi gripped the table so tightly his knuckles turned white.
He kept his head down, suppressing his emotions.
This was a negotiation. Any outburst would only weaken their position.
Uesugi Ryu looked at Najenda with amusement.
"General Najenda should know Esdeath's methods better than anyone."
"I'm sure she'd be delighted to receive information on Night Raid, along with a... living hostage."
Najenda narrowed her single eye.
The enemy knew far more than she had expected.
Esdeath was an expert interrogator.
If Sheele fell into her hands, death would be a mercy.
"Two Teigu, excluding Incursio. That's our highest offer."
"Night Raid doesn't have that many Teigu."
Najenda's voice remained firm, though her fingers trembled slightly beneath the table.
Impatience flashed across Uesugi Ryu's face.
"Let me make one thing clear."
"What you've lost are two experienced Teigu users."
"Three Teigu, including Incursio. That's my bottom line."
Najenda frowned and refused to budge.
"We'll rescue Mine ourselves. If you want Incursio, then there's nothing to discuss."
"Two ordinary Teigu, plus financial compensation."
Incursio was Night Raid's symbolic Teigu.
More importantly, it was the Revolutionary Army's trump card against Esdeath.
Even if Najenda agreed, the higher-ups never would.
"Rescue her?"
Uesugi Ryu chuckled mockingly.
"With me here, she won't survive another hour."
His eyes locked onto Najenda's lone eye, as though piercing through her.
"Here's a free piece of information. As long as the user is nearby, the blood poison worsens. If I want, I can kill her at any moment."
"Or would you like to test whether that's true?"
Tatsumi and Leone were instantly furious.
They glared at him as though they wanted to carve him into pieces.
Najenda hesitated.
After a long silence, she ignored everyone's stares and folded her hands on the table.
Looking directly at Uesugi Ryu, she said calmly,
"Do as you wish. As assassins, dying for the mission is only natural."
Uesugi Ryu did not act immediately.
He truly could do it.
But seeing Najenda's expression, obtaining Incursio was clearly impossible.
Extase and Pumpkin were unsuitable for him anyway.
He had already tested them. Their compatibility was poor.
Rather than letting them gather dust, it would be better to convert them into useful combat power.
He raised three fingers.
"Three Teigu. One of them must be Water Dragon Possession."
"And one thousand gold. That's my final offer."
Najenda leaned back in her chair and shook her head.
"We don't have Water Dragon Possession."
Uesugi Ryu immediately understood.
The deal was essentially done.
Once Najenda gave ground, the rest would be easy.
He spread his hands casually.
"Then go take it."
"Esdeath's Three Beasts. You know exactly what I mean."
"Sheele will remain as collateral. Bring me Water Dragon Possession, and you can have her back."
Surprise flickered across Najenda's face.
Uesugi Ryu changed sides faster than the weather.
One moment he was threatening to hand Sheele over to Esdeath.
The next, he was plotting against Esdeath's own subordinates.
Esdeath and the Prime Minister effectively ruled the Empire.
Few dared offend them.
Realizing something, Najenda asked cautiously,
"Whose side are you on?"
"Nobody's."
Uesugi Ryu swept his gaze across the room.
"Teigu. Shingu. Secret arts from the eastern and western kingdoms."
"If the price is right, I'm willing to work with you."
A faint smile touched Najenda's lips.
She suddenly understood who the strange omen from headquarters had referred to.
Curiosity gleamed in her eye.
"Even against Esdeath?"
Uesugi Ryu grinned.
A dangerous, almost sinister smile.
"Twelve Teigu, and I'll kill her for you."
Najenda laughed awkwardly.
The Revolutionary Army probably didn't even possess that many Teigu in total.
"Then let's forget about that."