"Bulat, are you all right?" Akame asked.
She had already noticed that blocking those two attacks had taken a considerable toll on him.
"Haha, I'm fine. I still have plenty on me left. Go and free Tatsumi."
"Understood."
Trusting her companion, Akame immediately separated from Bulat and ran toward Tatsumi.
She glanced around cautiously, searching for Esdeath, but could no longer see her.
Akame struck the ice dome twice with Murasame, opening cracks in its surface.
She then turned the sheath around and hammered those cracks several times until the dome broke apart.
"Tatsumi, we're leaving!"
A rare smile appeared on her face.
"Don't touch Tatsumi!"
Esdeath forced Bulat back with a sudden burst of power and rushed toward Akame.
Akame had no time to react before a kick struck her shoulder.
The narrow heel of Esdeath's boot pierced straight through it.
"Gah!"
Akame cried out as the heel pinned her against the wall.
Esdeath caught Tatsumi by the collar and lifted him with one hand.
"You planned to use Tatsumi to threaten me? You filthy assassin. I'll kill you now."
She raised her ice sword toward Akame's heart.
Before she could thrust it forward, Tatsumi grabbed her arm.
"Wait! Stop!"
"Tatsumi?"
Esdeath had not expected him to protect an assassin from Night Raid.
Her first thought was not that there might be something suspicious about Tatsumi.
Instead, jealousy immediately flared inside her.
"Why are you stopping me, Tatsumi? Don't tell me you've fallen for this assassin!"
Before he could answer, Esdeath encased him in ice.
Akame's expression changed.
Why had Mine stopped providing support?
Could it be that they had been attacked as well?
...
Boom!
The enormous weapons container shot from the Dragon Ship toward the cliffs along the shore, propelled like a missile by its engines.
"There you are, villains of Night Raid!" Seryu shouted. "Mr. Wave, you handle the blonde woman with the huge chest. I'll take care of the little girl!"
"Right, leave her to me. Be careful."
Wave focused on Leone. Because of Seryu's description, his eyes unconsciously drifted toward her chest.
'The blonde woman with the huge boobs...'
It really was huge!
Leone entered a fighting stance, and the movement made it sway.
Wave had never seen anything of that size before.
'It can move that much?'
He was honestly impressed.
Leone seemed amused by being called the blonde woman with the huge chest, but Mine was furious at being called a little girl.
"Who are you calling a little girl, you idiot? I'm still growing!"
She raised Pumpkin and unleashed a barrage toward Seryu.
Seryu dodged from side to side while waiting for the weapons container to arrive.
Wave drew a combat knife and moved in front of Leone.
"Sorry, but I can't let you pass."
His unexpected politeness reminded Leone a little of Tatsumi.
She grinned and her Teigu was already active.
With the speed of a wild animal, Leone closed the distance and lifted Wave over her head before he could react.
"Ora!"
She slammed him into the ground.
The impact cracked the surface beneath them and left Wave feeling as though every bone in his body had come loose.
'What kind of strength is this?'
That was not the physical power of an ordinary woman.
Even Captain Esdeath did not seem this outrageous when relying on brute strength alone.
She was barely human!
That thought made Wave finally notice the ears on top of Leone's head.
'Ears?'
They were not part of her hairstyle.
They were real animal ears!
'Wait. Is this woman a Teigu user?'
He had let his guard down.
Wave thrust his knife toward Leone. He was not trying to injure her, only to create enough space to escape.
Leone smiled, revealing sharp fangs.
She opened her mouth and caught the shining blade between her teeth. With a little pressure, she bit it into pieces.
Then she punched Wave in the stomach.
His eyes rolled back, and he collapsed unconscious.
Losing focus in the middle of a battle should have gotten him killed. He survived only because he was not one of Night Raid's targets.
"I'll help you, Mine!"
With Leone joining the fight, Seryu immediately found herself at a disadvantage.
Animal King: Lionelle.
Leone's Teigu allowed her to transform into a beast, greatly increasing her physical abilities and healing.
Even severe wounds such as damaged eyes or severed limbs could eventually recover.
With her animal-like strength, Leone was more than capable of fighting Seryu's heavily modified body at close range.
Bending steel with her bare hands would not have been difficult.
Seryu now had to deal with Leone constantly pressing her at close range while Mine fired shots powerful enough to damage even her reinforced body.
Her expression became increasingly dark.
She even began considering whether to activate her final weapon.
A powerful bomb had been implanted inside her head.
Known as the Fivefold Revolving Furnace, it was designed to destroy both Seryu and everyone around her.
Should she use it here?
Had the situation already become that hopeless?
Seryu struggled to defend herself from Leone while continuing to avoid Mine's shots.
Fortunately for her, the battle had shifted so heavily in Night Raid's favor that Mine no longer felt endangered.
As a result, Pumpkin's output remained relatively low.
The fight settled into a difficult stalemate.
Then, without warning, a massive pillar of ice rose from the Dragon Ship.
Bulat's and Akame's presence weakened rapidly.
Leone and Mine looked toward the other battlefield in alarm.
"Did Bulat and Akame lose?"
"This is bad."
They could not continue wasting time with Seryu.
They needed to reach their companions immediately.
"Leone, let's finish her at once!"
"Right!"
A cough came from behind them.
Wave slowly forced himself back to his feet, his eyes burning with determination.
"I won't... let you hurt my companions!"
He drew the sword from his back and held it in front of him.
"Carnage Incarnate: Grand Chariot!"
Dark purple armor covered his entire body.
Compared to Incursio's heavier design, Grand Chariot had a smoother, more streamlined shape that gave it a darker and more aggressive appearance.
Once equipped with his Teigu, Wave was completely different from before.
He appeared in front of Leone almost instantly and caught her transformed fist with one hand.