In fact, Asahi didn't just have one flaw, but two. Calling them flaws isn't quite accurate, they're more like minor inconsistencies. No one noticed these details, except for the Stylist.
"You were all very clever to erase your scents to avoid being tracked. But it's useless against the upgraded soldiers I created!"
At this moment, Stylist was walking along a trail in the forest. He wasn't alone; he was accompanied by three subordinates. One was a muscular man in skin-tight clothing whose owl-like eyes darted around incessantly. Another was crawling on the ground—though human, his mouth and nose resembled a platypus, constantly sniffing the air. Finally, there was a girl with unusually large ears that twitched continually to catch every sound.
"From the very beginning, I found that staff member highly suspicious. For a mere servant, he was far too calm when facing us."
"That guy is quite skilled; he left almost no trace. But his accomplice wasn't quite as careful."
Stylist thought to himself that if he hadn't eavesdropped on the conversation between Tatsumi and Asahi, he wouldn't have made such a significant "harvest."
"Bingo!"
"Finally, I've found Night Raid's secret base!"
Stylist reached the end of the trail, elated to see the structure in the distance—the very base where Tatsumi and the others were staying.
Inside, the members of Night Raid remained blissfully unaware of the approaching danger. They had just finished a celebratory feast to welcome Tatsumi back.
Akame, Sheele, and Mine had already returned to their rooms to sleep. In the banquet hall, Bulat lay on a sofa, Tatsumi was foaming at the mouth on the floor from drinking too much, Lubbock had his head tilted back, completely dead to the world, and Leone had just woken up from a nap.
Feeling groggy, she navigated through the mess they had made. Still smelling of alcohol, she planned to take a quick bath to freshen up. However, as Leone stepped out, what greeted her wasn't the familiar open-air hot spring, but three men in black bodysuits who looked like total perverts.
"What the—"
Crash!
They immediately slammed her against the wall. In that split second, she managed to transform using her belt, Lionelle; otherwise, even if she hadn't died, she would have been knocked out of the fight for quite some time.
"Damn it, why did so many enemies appear out of nowhere!"
Lubbock was jolted awake by a warning from Cross Tail and hurried to rouse Bulat and Tatsumi. The three quickly split up to wake the others.
The ceiling cracked open, and a pervert in a black bodysuit blocked the hallway. The man stared at the startled Lubbock, the metal claws on his hands gleaming.
"Enemy. Kill."
Slash!
Lubbock jumped to dodge. Thin metal threads whipped out, tightening around the pervert's neck, snapping it backward. He flicked his hand, tightening the coils even further.
However, this move had no effect on the man. He simply twisted his neck back around to glare at Lubbock. The claws in his hand swung once more, cutting across Lubbock's body.
"One has been taken down."
Outside, the unusually long ears of the girl twitched, and those words were her report to Stylist. He spoke arrogantly.
"My upgraded soldiers are very tough. People lose if they treat them like ordinary humans."
"Lord Stylist, that man has not been taken down yet."
"What?"
Lubbock hadn't been defeated because he had managed to weave his metal threads into a piece of armor over his abdomen just in time to block the strike.
"Surprising, isn't it? This thing has many ways to be played with."
"For example... this!"
The threads intertwined, forming a spearhead that pierced the pervert's chest. He fell motionless.
Before he could celebrate the kill, Lubbock was startled by a commotion. Behind him, at least a dozen similar perverts were sluggishly advancing.
"For... forgive me... I'm not good at dealing with crowds..."
Lubbock turned tail and ran, with the perverts behind him spurred into a high-speed chase.
Slash! Slash! Slash!
The mob was sliced into a rain of blood by Akame and Sheele, splashing across the floor.
"Just as expected, Akame."
"Sheele, go find Mine quickly."
"I understand."
As Sheele glided away, Akame warned Lubbock. There were still enemies ahead, and they were no pushovers.
"My name is Toby. I challenge you, Akame."
Toby extended two blades from his forearms, leapt onto the wall, and lunged toward Akame. He thrust his leg out, and another blade sprouted from the sole of his foot.
Screech!!!
A bone-chilling grinding sound erupted along with a shower of sparks. Akame lowered her center of gravity, her blade clashing against Toby's. She spun and slashed at his back, but the sensation was not that of cutting through flesh.
Without needing to think, she knew her opponent was a modified human; his body was no longer human at all, which was why Murasame's curse had no effect. This was a deliberate arrangement.
Lubbock wanted to help, but he had his own opponents to deal with: two massive hulks covered in metal crashed through the ceiling. Because they weren't made of flesh, his Cross Tail couldn't easily cut them.
The battlefield had now spread outside.
Bulat swung the staff in his hand, coordinating with Tatsumi to clear out Stylist's soldiers surrounding them. A massive man appeared in front of them.
"Bro, let me handle him!"
"Tatsumi, be careful! He—"
Tatsumi had already charged, his fist striking the giant man. Like Akame, he felt that this wasn't normal flesh, but something more like steel.
Boom!!
"Thinking of close combat? You're out of luck meeting me, Kakusen!"
He was slammed into the ground by Kakusen's fist, letting out a faint cry of pain. This guy's strike was as heavy as a sledgehammer. Luckily, Bulat quickly knocked away the surrounding foot soldiers to come to the rescue, pulling him away before Kakusen could land a second blow.
"Tatsumi, this guy must be modified. You can't treat him like a normal opponent. Leave him to me; you go deal with the others."
"But..."
"Haha, I've just recovered; I'm looking for a proper opponent too."
"Yes, Bro."
Tatsumi hesitated for a moment but ultimately chose to trust his older brother figure. Bulat smiled confidently. Even without Incursio, he was still Bulat!
"Who the hell are you? No Teigu? Let the guy in the armor fight; I'm not interested in you."
"Bulat. But you can call me Handsome. Even without a Teigu, I can still beat you to a pulp easily."
So what if he didn't have a Teigu? Before officially using Incursio, he had been a top-tier soldier of the Empire, capable of sweeping through enemy ranks with just a spear in his hand. A mere modified human couldn't scare Bulat.
"If you're so willing to die..."
"Too much talk. Come!"
He didn't have a spear, but he had an iron staff. The staff swung down from above, forcing Kakusen to raise his arms in defense. To his surprise, it was a feint; the staff twisted and curved, striking the man's ribs. The force was so great that even a modified being like Kakusen stumbled. The tip of the staff then slid upward, striking his chin and leaving him dazed.
Bulat's striking speed was dizzying; the iron staff aimed solely at vital points. A rhythmic "thud-thud" sound echoed like a drumbeat.
Mine and Sheele had also cleared a path outside with a shot from Mine's rifle. The foot soldiers pounced like wolves but were cleanly cut down by Sheele's Extase, limbs flying in all directions. Behind her, precise shots provided cover, allowing her to slaughter with full force. The metal hulks appeared here as well.
These enemies might have troubled Lubbock's Cross Tail, but with Extase's properties, their iron skin was as brittle as an eggshell—one cut and they shattered.
"You perverts! Is it really that hard for a lady to just take a bath?!"
Near the hot spring area, Leone shouted in frustration. Behind her, the men in bodysuits were already piled into a heap.