The empty syringe fell to the ground as Stylist's body began to twist and distend.
"Lord... Stylist?"
The most horrific transformation occurred in his lower half; a mass of flesh erupted, weaving into bundles of muscle that gradually coalesced into a towering form, rising higher and higher. The head of this massive body was replaced by Stylist's own upper torso. In this moment, he too transformed, his muscles bulging until they shredded his lab coat. His hair turned bone-white.
"This is the ultimate style! I will become a Demonic Beast and destroy you all!"
Stylist shouted in ecstasy. He looked down at his three subordinates and reached out a colossal hand, snatching all three at once.
"Let's become one together!!"
No matter how much the subordinates struggled, it was futile. A large maw opened in the monster's torso, and he stuffed all three inside. The sickening sound of crushing bone and rending flesh echoed as the monster's body swelled even more violently.
"What is that thing?"
"Disgusting."
Mine grimaced; she loathed things like this.
The monster now stood 60 meters tall. One of its arms had hardened into metal, and several fluid-transporting tubes sprouted from its back. This was Stylist's proudest masterpiece.
However, he still looked unsatisfied, muttering to himself.
"Still not reaching the level of an ultimate Teigu... then I'll just have to use you all as nourishment!"
Susanoo dodged a metallic fist slamming down, his weapon striking back. But the hardness of this thing was no joke; the attack only created a shockwave without causing any actual damage.
The monster's other hand swiped down, forcing Susanoo to continue evading.
"What's wrong? Human-form Teigu, come and hit me!!!"
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
With every attack, the monster left a massive crater in the earth, making the ground itself tremble.
"I have to join the fight too."
Tatsumi didn't know if he could help much, but he couldn't leave Susanoo to face such a dangerous foe alone.
But as he was about to move, his cloak was pulled from behind. Tatsumi turned his head—it was Akame, carrying her sword.
"Tatsumi, take me with you."
"Akame..."
He saw the determination in her eyes and gave a firm nod.
"Then let's go! Hold on tight, Akame!"
Tatsumi carried her on his back, his hands supporting her thighs. He lunged toward the giant monster.
"What are you two doing? If you're still dizzy, come into my stomach to wake up!"
Stylist noticed Tatsumi and Akame approaching and slammed his hand down. Tatsumi leaped into the air; Akame drew her sword from behind him and slashed, but it was so hard it only produced sparks.
"Useless! You can't damage me; even Murasame's One-Cut Killer is garbage here!"
Bang!
A beam of energy blasted the monster's face. Stylist glanced over irritably and saw it came from Mine's rifle. She was sniping from Najenda's Air Manta.
"You brat..."
Bang!
Another shot knocked the monster backward. Sheele rushed out from the flank; she was so exhausted she couldn't swing her scissors for long, but she had another way.
"Extase!!"
A blinding light neutralized Stylist's vision and left him dazed. Sheele shouted through her sweat:
"Go, Akame and Tatsumi!"
"You damn brats!"
The monster's metal arm swung wildly but was intercepted by Susanoo. Under the radiance of Extase, Tatsumi carried Akame along the monster's belly and threw her directly toward Stylist's position.
"It's over, Dr. Stylist!"
The light from Extase faded, and Stylist regained his sight. But all he saw was Murasame's blade cutting across his throat, accompanied by Akame's cold voice.
"Eliminate."
"There are... still... so many experiments... I wanted to do..."
"Damn it... how could I... be so... careless..."
Stylist felt a pang of regret—regret for coming here directly. He should have dealt with that staff member first...
But no matter how much he regretted it, he had to take it to the grave. Black markings began to spread from the cut on his neck across his body, killing the mad scientist who had performed countless experiments on human subjects.
As the monster's massive body collapsed to the ground, everyone let out a sigh of relief. The dawn light began to wash over the land, warming everything.
On the Air Manta, the remaining cloak fluttered in the wind, revealing a girl with orange hair, a bow on her head, and a lollipop in her mouth.
"We searched Dr. Stylist's residence, but there is no concrete evidence as to whether he is missing or not."
"Report: all important documents and equipment remain in the laboratory."
Hearing the reports from Bols and Run, Esdeath pondered for a moment before reaching a conclusion.
"Then he didn't run away. He was killed."
"His upgraded army is also nowhere to be seen; they were likely destroyed in battle."
Esdeath said nothing more, left her seat, and walked out. She leaned against a pillar, watching Seryu cleaning her gun in the garden outside.
"How are you feeling after losing Stylist?"
"I'm fine. Although the materials he left in the lab can't be used for upgrades or improvements, they are enough for maintenance."
"I see."
Esdeath noticed Seryu biting her lip, trying to suppress her pain. But no matter how hard she tried, tears still fell.
"If you are ever injured or broken, just come to me. I will always be here."
"Yes, Doctor!"
Tears fell along with Seryu's sobs. she hugged herself in pain, her voice choked.
"My parents... my master, and now my benefactor... all of them, the people I loved, had their lives stolen by evil."
"Seryu..."
"Commander, I am so angry... I want to destroy all evil!"
Esdeath stepped forward and pulled Seryu into a hug.
"If you stay by my side, I will fulfill that wish. I swear it."
"Commander..."
"I will use my strength and my life... for you and for justice."
"Good."
From a hidden spot in the distance, Asahi watched it all in silence. He let out a heavy sigh. The Jaegers and Night Raid—opposites, yet strangely similar.
In the Jaegers, it felt even heavier. Everyone had a dark corner in their heart, except for that young man, Wave. Past grievances, necessity, unwillingness... so many things haunted the members of the Jaegers (except for Wave, of course. That guy brought seafood from his hometown just the other day, saying his mother sent it).
He looked at Seryu resting in Esdeath's arms. Seryu's brand of "absolute justice" was entirely illogical in practice. If she persisted like this, only two ends awaited her. One was to be destroyed; the other was to destroy herself. Neither was a happy ending. The first was somewhat consoling—at least she would die with her faith in justice intact. The second was harder to say; traveling a long road only to find it leads to a dead end. When Seryu realizes the absolute justice she always believed in doesn't exist, she will surely collapse and destroy herself.
The current phase was when her spirit was at its weakest. Seryu could still realize what "justice" truly meant and correct her path, but if left for much longer, everything would become irreversible. Even so, making her understand would be an incredibly difficult process.
Asahi now had two choices: "Save" or "Don't save."
He thought for a moment and then mocked himself. Pretending to weigh the pros and cons was truly irritating. As long as he was true to his heart, that was enough.
As he had said before, he couldn't manage the billions of problems in the world. But if a problem was placed right in front of him and he didn't "meddle," Asahi wouldn't be himself anymore.
"Honestly, how long am I going to keep lying to myself?"
"Who told me to choose this job in the first place?"