Tobirama looked down at her from above.
A cold, contemptuous laugh escaped his lips.
"A guard?"
It was as if he had just heard the most ridiculous joke in the world.
He raised a slender finger and pointed past her—toward Aria, who was trembling uncontrollably behind him.
"With trash like this? Swine worse than nobles?" Tobirama said flatly. "Do they even deserve to have Us as their guard?"
The disdain in his voice was undisguised.
Akame froze for a split second.
Even the Empire's elite generals treated Night Raid as a serious threat. Yet the arrogance in this man's eyes was absolute—he neither feared the Count's household nor acknowledged her presence.
She lowered her blade slightly, confirming that he was not affiliated with the guards.
"Since you are not a guard, leave immediately," Akame said coldly.
"This noble family used recruitment as a pretense to lure villagers here, then subjected them to torture and poisoning. Their crimes are unforgivable."
She raised her blade again.
"This is a battlefield. If you don't want to die, leave."
Her words were concise, merciless, and final.
Tobirama did not move.
Instead, his brow lifted with faint interest.
He began to clap—slowly and deliberately.
Clap. Clap. Clap.
The sound echoed through the corridor.
"So they slaughtered commoners?" Tobirama remarked lightly. "Disgusting, indeed."
A faint curve appeared at the corner of his mouth.
"Still… you killing that pair of bloated pigs just now?"
"That was a good deed."
He looked at Akame with open amusement.
"Enforcing justice on behalf of heaven. How admirable."
Akame did not relax.
She raised Murasame again, its tip pointing straight past him.
"The execution isn't finished," she said icily.
"The young woman behind you is the final target. Move."
At those words—
Aria's legs gave out.
She collapsed to the floor with a dull thud, panic completely overwhelming her.
"Save me…!" she cried hoarsely. "Please… I don't want to die!"
Her voice cracked as she clutched desperately at Tobirama's robe, trembling from head to toe.
Akame frowned.
This sadistic noble, who had reveled in slaughter, was now reduced to this?
Tobirama glanced down.
He placed a hand on Aria's head and spoke calmly.
"Quiet."
The single word was enough.
Her sobbing faltered, fear rooting her in place.
"With Us here," Tobirama continued lazily, "no one takes what belongs to Us."
He raised his head again.
His gaze fell on Akame, relaxed yet overwhelmingly oppressive.
"As you can see," he said, gesturing casually,
"This person is under Our protection."
"We are not finished dealing with her."
"So We won't allow you to end her life."
Akame's eyes instantly turned glacial.
Killing intent surged without restraint.
"Understood."
She shifted her stance, tightening her grip on the hilt.
"You are an enemy."
"For sheltering the target, you will be eliminated."
No more words.
Akame vanished.
Boom!
The stone floor exploded beneath her feet as her body turned into a streak of black lightning, surging straight toward Tobirama's throat!
Too fast.
Even elite Teigu users would struggle to track her at full speed.
Tobirama didn't even remove his hands from his pockets.
He spoke calmly.
"Come."
"Attack freely. If We retreat even half a step—this is Our loss."
The arrogance was absolute.
Anger flashed through Akame's eyes.
One-Cut Killer: Murasame!
A single scratch meant certain death.
"Die!"
She appeared at his side and slashed horizontally toward his neck—no hesitation, no excess movement.
Clang—!
Sparks erupted.
Akame's pupils shrank violently.
Blocked?!
Tobirama stood exactly where he had been.
His body hadn't shifted in the slightest.
He had merely raised his right hand.
Two fingers—index and middle—had calmly pinched the blade.
"The force is too light," Tobirama said, yawning faintly.
Akame recoiled instantly, retreating before launching a relentless assault!
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Blade light formed a suffocating silver web.
Neck. Heart. Tendons.
Attacks from every blind spot—every impossible angle.
And yet—
Tobirama never moved.
Each strike was caught.
Each edge stopped.
Ding.
Clang.
The cursed blade that terrified the entire capital was reduced to something harmless in his grasp.
"Huff… huff…"
Akame retreated over ten meters, gasping.
Her hands trembled violently, numb from recoil.
Her opponent's clothes weren't even disturbed.
A monster.
Blocking her full-power assault with two fingers—without taking a single step.
Even the Empire's strongest general could not do this.
What… is this man?
Akame knew ordinary attacks were meaningless now.
If she didn't risk everything, she would die here—and fail the mission.
"I must… end this."
She inhaled deeply.
When her eyes opened again, dark markings spread across her skin as a terrifying aura poured from Murasame.
Her final trump card.
Even at the cost of her life.
The killing intent in the air plummeted.
Tobirama sighed.
"Honestly…"
He looked at her with faint disappointment.
"That expression really is dangerous."
His left hand emerged from his pocket.
The deep, ominous tomoe within his eyes flickered faintly.
"We can't allow this."
"If Our future plans are ruined," he added lazily,
"that would be terribly boring."