"Light, in the name of Lumiris, bestow protection! Heal!" After Bulat completely finished off Liver, Takeru quickly summoned his staff and healed him...
Feeling the light rapidly repairing his body, Bulat quickly stood up. After adjusting his emotions, he turned around with a smile and gave Takeru a thumbs-up.
"Alright, gather the spoils. We need to leave." Seeing that he seemed to have regained his spirit, Takeru said softly.
Then, Takeru put down the axe-type Teigu, took Liver's ring-type Teigu, and used water control to quickly send the ship back to the mainland. When it was about time, Takeru and the others swiftly disappeared from the ship.
As for the aftermath, Takeru and the others couldn't be bothered. The most important thing now was to return and report on the battle.
...
In the blink of an eye, two more days passed. During these days, Takeru and the others spent their time training.
Apart from Takeru's side, the capital also took action. For example, Esdeath, having lost the Three Beasts, took new actions, planning to recruit a group of strong individuals to form a special force.
On Takeru's side, one morning, Najenda bid farewell to everyone, preparing to send the Teigus confiscated from the Three Beasts, along with Koro, to the Revolutionary Army's headquarters.
Regarding this, Takeru didn't say much, except he still hadn't handed over the Spectator to her. Najenda acted as if she had forgotten about it and didn't bring it up.
"Akame, I'll leave things to you during my absence. The battle strategy is: Everyone, do your best!" Najenda, carrying several Teigus on her back, said seriously to Akame.
"I understand." Hearing her words, Akame quickly nodded.
"..." Hearing her words, Takeru was stunned but said nothing more.
"Boss means for everyone to do their respective duties. It's fine." Seeing Takeru's expression, Bulat also showed a smile and gave Takeru a thumbs-up.
Seeing Bulat's demeanor, Takeru didn't know why he suddenly thought of a certain green jumpsuit-wearing bowl-cut...
After bidding Najenda farewell, everyone once again threw themselves into intense training.
...
"Liver, Nyau, Daidara... you lost. That means you were too fragile. The strong prey on the weak… it's the natural order. You hopeless, damn subordinates. Since it's hopeless, I'll avenge you." Before the tombstones, Esdeath spoke softly.
"My new Teigu-wielding subordinates should arrive today. I heard they're a cunning bunch. Let's play with them a little." Then, Esdeath murmured to herself and left the cemetery.
'My name is Wave. I'm a seafaring man who once fought in the Empire's Navy. This time, the Empire's Special Police summoned me, which is considered a promotion. This is my first time coming to the big city. To avoid being looked down upon, I specifically put on my best, coolest clothes.'
At the capital's city gate, Wave showed a confident smile as he thought this. Behind him, he carried a huge backpack with many fish heads sticking out.
However, as he passed, people around couldn't help but whisper. In the eyes of the capital's residents, Wave's attire and the large bag of fish looked extremely rustic.
"Country bumpkin!"
"He's a country bumpkin..."
'I don't know if it's an illusion, but I feel everyone is looking at me. Could the customs here be different from back home?' Noticing people's strange gazes, Wave also began to wonder if something was wrong with him.
However, having seen blood, Wave wouldn't be intimidated by people's odd looks. After some self-encouragement, he quickly headed towards his destination.
"Alright, the people inside should be my future colleagues. First impressions are important. Can't let them look down on me." At the door, Wave, with his huge fish bag, did some mental preparation, then opened the door.
"Hello, everyone! I'm transferred from the Empire's Navy..." As soon as he opened the door, Wave enthusiastically prepared to introduce himself, but then he saw only a man wearing a mask, looking like a criminal, sitting at the long table. He immediately froze.
"Sorry, wrong room!" Quickly closing the door, Wave felt his heart racing.
"Is this the interrogation room? Give me a break!" Clutching his chest, Wave still showed a hint of panic. But when he took out the note instructing him to gather here and confirmed it was indeed this room, he was stunned. Then, realizing that person might be his colleague, his expression became even more rigid.
"H...Hello!" With the mindset of not provoking him, Wave entered the room again and chose the seat farthest from the masked man.
As Wave sat down, the masked man also turned his gaze towards Wave. This action immediately made Wave feel as if time was dragging...
He didn't have to wait long. Kurome, dressed in a schoolgirl uniform, walked in. Seeing Kurome's arrival, Wave let out a sigh of relief.
As for Kurome, she calmly glanced at Wave, then directly walked to the opposite side, pulled out a chair, sat down, and took out her special 'snacks', enjoying them as if no one else was around.
"Hello, I'm Wave..." Feeling uncomfortable under the masked man's stare, Wave quickly went to Kurome's side, wanting to break the silence.
"I won't share these snacks with you." Seeing Wave, Kurome directly protected her snacks, looking warily at him.
This action instantly made Wave even more rigid.
'This girl is weird!' He could only apologize and return to his seat.
Not long after, another man with glasses and somewhat effeminate behavior walked in. It was Dr. Stylish.
"Oh my, at first glance, you look like a country bumpkin, but you're quite handsome. I'll train you well. Please take care of me." Dr. Stylish noticed Wave as soon as he arrived, speaking to him while batting his eyelashes.
'He's taken a liking to me!' Seeing this situation, Wave was beginning to despair, 'What kind of demons and monsters were these inside...'
"Hello, everyone. Looks like I'm the last one." After Dr. Stylish entered, the final member soon walked in. It was Ran, a handsome man with golden hair.
"Hello, pleased to meet you. I'm Wave." Seeing that Ran seemed normal, but having been through the previous few, Wave held no more hopes.
"I'm Ran. Pleased to meet you too." Hearing Wave's words, Ran also replied politely.
Hearing Ran's words, Wave's mood improved. Excitedly shaking Ran's hand, he inwardly sighed, 'Finally, a normal person had arrived.'
"Everyone, I've made tea." At that moment, Bols, the first to arrive, brought out several cups of tea and said to everyone.
"Sorry. Although I was the first to arrive, I was silent. I'm shy and terribly nervous. But I'm probably the oldest. It's absolutely no good to go on like this, right? As fellow Teigu users, let's get along well. I'm Bols, from the Incineration Unit." Bols first served everyone tea, then nervously said to everyone.
Hearing his words, Wave was shocked throughout. Seeing his burly build, terrifying mask, and three prominent scars on his body, all while he said he was shy, gave Wave a strong sense of incongruity.
Dr. Stylish, after hearing Bols' introduction, silently sized him up. However, his taste wasn't for this type of fierce-looking man...
Just as everyone was getting acquainted, the door opened again. A masked woman walked in.
"What are you all doing here?" Esdeath, wearing a mask, entered and asked everyone aggressively.
"Hey, hey, we were called here to gather!" Hearing Esdeath's question, Wave immediately stood up, but was directly kicked flying by Esdeath.
"Rebels have assassins too. Don't let your guard down at any time." After kicking Wave away, Esdeath said calmly.
Then she moved towards Ran's position, launching several rounds of attacks at him. However, Ran reacted quickly, dodging and blocking Esdeath's attacks.
At that moment, Bols, seeing his comrades being attacked one after another, threw a punch at Esdeath's back.
However, Esdeath seemed to have eyes on her back, quickly identifying his attack. She even grabbed his attacking arm back and performed a shoulder throw, slamming him to the ground.
Taking advantage of Esdeath throwing Bols, Kurome also raised the sword in her hand and launched a fierce attack on Esdeath. After several flashes of light, Kurome also distanced herself from Esdeath.
"Even if it's just a joke, I won't hold back." Kurome said calmly.
"So that's the Teigu, Yatsufusa? Truly sharp." The mask kept shattering, revealing Esdeath's face completely.
At this time, she showed a pleased expression.