[Ding! Your trade request has been accepted!]
[Trade Terms]: "Body usage rights for one time," "Demon God Manifestation: Demon's Extract"
Far away in a rugged, windswept encampment within the brutal frontiers of the Empire, Esdeath stared at the glowing blue interface floating before her eyes.
A shiver of pure, electric exhilaration raced down her spine, and a wild, predatory smile bloomed across her face.
"A challenger who effortlessly disposed of General Budo..." she murmured, her voice dripping with intoxicating anticipation.
"Let's see if you can still keep that arrogant composure after I break you, conquer you, and make you mine."
Without a second of hesitation, she stood up from her command tent, her pristine white military cloak sweeping behind her.
Stepping outside into the chilly night air, she issued a crisp, commanding order to her troops.
"Halt our march. Everyone, make camp and rest here for the night!"
A murmur of confusion rippled through the ranks.
Some of the veteran soldiers exchanged bewildered glances, recalling that Prime Minister Honest had explicitly ordered them to make haste and return immediately to the capital.
But seeing the absolute authority radiating from their general, no one dared to voice an objection.
In the Empire's army, Esdeath's word was law, backed by unyielding loyalty and fear.
Without waiting for the tents to be pitched, Esdeath turned on her heel and strode briskly away from the encampment, venturing deep into the quiet, desolate wilderness until she was entirely alone under the moonlight.
"Show me the strength of the mysterious group leader," Esdeath whispered into the wind, her eyes flashing with a ruthless, battle-hungry fire. "Let's see if you dare to face me."
True to her core philosophy—the absolute survival of the fittest—Esdeath had accepted Haruto's modified conditions without a single flicker of doubt.
To her, the phrase "body usage rights" was nothing more than the natural spoils of war. If she lost, surrendering her body was a fair price to pay for defeat.
But if she won—which she fully intended to—she would claim everything he had, bending the elusive group leader entirely to her absolute will.
[Ding! The trade has begun!]
[Trade content]: Engage in a duel with Esdeath. The winner takes everything!
[Trade terms]: "Body usage rights for one time," "Demon God Manifestation: Demon's Extract"
Click.
The front door swung open, and Mai stood in the entryway, her arms crossed over her chest as she pinned Haruto with a sharp, suspicious glare.
"Another suspicious 'body usage rights' deal, Haruto-kun?" she asked, her tone dripping with mock annoyance and a hint of genuine jealousy.
Haruto raised his hands defensively, offering an innocent shrug. "This one honestly isn't my fault. She's a literal battle maniac from another dimension who insisted on wagering everything on a fight."
Hearing the words fight and battle maniac, Mai's playful annoyance instantly melted away, replaced by a sudden, protective wave of concern for him.
She stepped closer, her expression tightening. "Is this Esdeath person... actually dangerous?"
"She's formidable," Haruto admitted smoothly, a confident smirk touching his lips, "but she's nowhere near strong enough to beat your man."
To reassure her, he stepped forward and pressed a gentle, lingering kiss to her forehead. "Don't wait up for me, Mai. Go ahead and get some sleep if you get tired."
With a soft flash of light, Haruto vanished from the apartment, leaving behind the cozy warmth of home as he departed directly for Esdeath's world.
Meanwhile, across the turbulent expanse of the Empire, the core members of Night Raid were in a state of high alert.
Leona and several other chat group members unceremoniously burst into Akame's room, their faces pale with a mix of shock and acute anxiety.
Word had just reached them: Esdeath, the undisputed strongest general of the Empire and their deadliest enemy, had somehow manifested within their chat group.
All eyes in the cramped room instantly locked onto Akame, temporarily pushing the fact that Kurome was sitting there as a captive into the background.
Najenda, the cigarette-smoking leader of the assassination group, was the first to break the tense silence. "Akame, do you have any idea why Esdeath managed to enter the chat group?"
Akame shook her head slowly, her expression as stoic as ever. "I don't. When I was pulled in, I assumed only members connected to Night Raid were eligible."
Mine let out an exasperated groan, aggressively scratching at her twintails.
"Fantastic! Just peachy. Now our absolute worst nightmare is sharing a digital space with us. What's next, Prime Minister Honest joins the group chat?"
Before anyone could spiral further, Akame calmly turned her head to look at her captive sister. "Kurome isn't part of Night Raid, either."
"..."
Mine instantly choked on her words, realization dawning on her.
Kurome was a lethal assassin serving the Empire, yet she had access to the system just fine. Seen in that light, Esdeath's unexpected presence wasn't quite as impossible as they had initially thought.
Leona's concern, however, quickly shifted to a more pressing, practical fear. Her golden eyes darted around the room. "Forget how she got in—do you guys think Haruto could actually lose to her?"
Najenda crossed her arms, her single visible eye narrowing as she calculated the variables.
"The probability of Haruto-kun winning is overwhelmingly high. Based on what we know of his capabilities, even Esdeath lacks the raw destructive power to match him. Remember, she couldn't instantly eliminate General Budo without a protracted struggle in the past."
Leona's face lit up with a hopeful smirk. "And what about now? Could she have gotten stronger?"
Najenda shook her head grimly. "It's impossible to say for sure. I haven't laid eyes on Esdeath since the day she tore off my arm and took my eye."
"Then we're still walking on a razor's edge," Mine said, her expression sinking back into utter gloom.
"If Haruto loses, Esdeath will become completely untouchable. Akame, aren't you close with him? Can't you just message him and ask if he's actually going to win?"
"Close with him?"
Akame tilted her head, genuinely perplexed by the phrasing.
Aside from that single, world-altering day when they had forged an intimate physical connection, she had only interacted with Haruto for a few brief hours.
Could that really be classified as being "close"?
Mine threw her hands up in exasperation. "You two literally crossed that line, didn't you?! Isn't sleeping together the definition of close?!"
"Mine."
Sheele gently reached out, placing a restraining hand on the pink-haired sniper's shoulder and shaking her head with a mild expression, silently reminding her that the transaction between Akame and Haruto was far more complicated than a standard romance.
Catching the warning look and realizing she had crossed a boundary, Mine quickly clamped her mouth shut and looked away, flushing slightly.
Ignoring the minor squabble, Akame lowered her gaze to her floating system interface. Without a second thought, she tapped out a direct message in the group chat.
"@Haruto, will you win?"
Almost instantly, a reply popped up on the screen, dripping with casual assurance.
"I'll win."
Akame lifted her head, looking around the circle of anxious faces waiting in the room, and flatly relayed the message. "He said he will win."
******
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