"A Teigu!"
Leone stared at Wave in surprise.
Since Seryu did not carry a Teigu, she had assumed Wave was not a Teigu user either. She had been completely wrong.
He was the wielder of one of the rare armor-type Teigu.
The difference between his current strength and what he had shown earlier was enormous.
"If I keep getting beaten that easily, the Captain might actually kill me," Wave said, his tone becoming serious.
Most of the pirates and aquatic Danger Beasts he had fought at sea were enemies that could not be reasoned with.
Since coming to the Imperial Capital, he had struggled to fight humans with the same intensity.
If he used his full strength from the beginning, most opponents would be crushed before they had any chance to surrender.
Wave roared and launched a rapid barrage of punches.
Leone crossed both arms in front of her head, but hundreds of blows struck her body in a matter of seconds.
Even in her Lionelle transformation, Wave's fists were difficult to withstand.
Her expression tightened as she endured the relentless attack without finding an opportunity to counter.
This was Grand Chariot, an improved version of Incursio.
Both its defense and the physical enhancement it gave its user surpassed the older armor.
Leone coughed up blood.
While continuing to endure Wave's punches, she forced herself through the pain and built momentum for a spinning kick.
Wave saw the movement clearly and avoided the leg sweeping toward his jaw.
He thought the opening had decided the fight and moved to finish her, only to see Leone smile.
Her first attack had missed, but she still had another one.
Her transformation gave her more than animal ears. It also gave her a tail.
The tail, as hard and fast as an iron whip, struck Wave directly across the helmet.
The armor protected his face, but the impact still passed through it and left his head spinning.
He had failed to account for the tail.
Mine immediately took advantage of the opening. She moved forward, deliberately placing herself in greater danger, which caused Pumpkin's power to increase.
The Teigu converted her mental energy into a powerful blast and struck Wave directly, sending him flying.
Leone noticed something important, however.
Armor-type Teigu usually disengaged automatically once their users became too weak to maintain them.
Wave had taken two heavy blows, yet Grand Chariot remained active.
They had not defeated him yet.
"Mine!"
"Leave it to me!"
The pink-haired girl aimed Pumpkin at Wave while he was still in the air.
Before she could fire, a sudden sense of danger forced her attention elsewhere.
Seryu was aiming a cannon almost as large as an artillery piece directly at her.
"Justice Mountain Cannon!"
The long-barreled weapon was clearly powerful enough to destroy Mine's body completely if it struck her.
With no other choice, Mine abandoned her chance to finish Wave and turned Pumpkin toward Seryu.
"You want to compare firepower with me? Fine. I'm not afraid of you!"
Faced with a direct threat to her life, Mine's emotions rose sharply.
Pumpkin absorbed far more mental energy than usual, and the weapon began glowing from the density of the power gathering inside it.
Both of them fired at the same time.
One side launched a concentrated beam capable of piercing nearly anything.
The other fired a shell designed for breaking through fortified walls.
The beam passed straight through the artillery shell, leaving a small hole in its center without losing much power.
It struck the ground beneath Seryu. The resulting impact tore apart her body and threw her high into the air.
The damaged shell also exploded, spreading flames across the surrounding area. Its shock wave caught Mine's lighter body and swept her away.
"Mine!"
"Seryu!"
Leone jumped and caught Mine before she hit the ground.
While they were still in the air, she smiled and praised her. "Nice shot, Mine."
"Hmph. Of course it was. More importantly, we need to reach Akame and the others."
"Right. Leave the traveling to me. You recover while I carry you."
"Thanks."
Mine looked exhausted.
Teigu already placed a significant burden on their users, and Pumpkin consumed its wielder's mental energy directly. That made its attacks even more draining.
This opponent had not been weak, and Mine had spent a considerable amount of energy.
They might also have to face Esdeath next. Anything could happen.
Even so, they had to continue.
This was the path they had chosen!
...
Wave caught Seryu before she struck the ground, but the earlier attack had affected him more than he realized.
Although he managed to hold onto her, he lost consciousness for a moment.
The impact of their landing woke him again.
"Seryu!"
Wave hurriedly looked down at the girl in his arms.
The sight made his face turn pale.
Her injuries were severe. Both arms and both legs were gone, and there was a large opening in her abdomen.
Could anyone survive that?
No.
A normal person could never live through injuries like these.
Wave had seen enough dead bodies to understand that there should have been no way to save her.
"Damn it!"
He struck the ground with his fist.
"Night Raid! Do you enjoy killing people that much?"
"Wave..."
He froze.
"Mr. Wave... Cough, cough!"
Seryu weakly called his name.
"Seryu?"
Wave carefully laid her down and adjusted her position so she could rest more comfortably.
"Don't worry, Mr. Wave. I'm not going to die. A normal person probably couldn't survive injuries like these, but I'm different. Seventy percent of my body was already mechanical. Take me back to Dr. Stylish... please."
After saying that, Seryu lost consciousness.
Even though most of her body had been modified, she still needed blood rather than machine oil.
Losing too much could put her into shock like anyone else.