However, he merely raised one hand and blocked the burly man's double fists. In a head-on clash, he didn't show the slightest sign of strain.
"Huh? One hand!"
Iori using just one hand to fight seemed to be taken as a form of contempt. With his pride wounded, rage drove every muscle in the man's body.
His entire frame visibly swelled by a full circle, erupting with brute force comparable to that of a Danger Beast.
The burly man named Sten had veins bulging at his temples. "You bastard, are you looking down on me?!"
At some point, a fist the size of an ordinary person's had already pressed into Sten's left chest.
[Hakuda: Ikotsu]
Bzzzz!!!
Skin tough enough to withstand blades, muscles as hard as granite, bones more reliable than refined steel… a body tempered through countless trials, capable of defending against all attacks, yet at this moment it was as fragile as tofu.
Invisible force churned through Sten's body, raising clearly visible spiral ripples. The crushing punch ignored his surface defenses, twisting and shredding every bit of tissue it touched.
In an instant, centered on the fist, most of the burly man's chest was overtaken by spiraling wrinkles, and his eyes were instantly dyed red.
Bang!
Only now did the sound of air tearing apart ring out. As if he had just realized what happened, Sten was sent flying, smashing through a corner of the wall and falling silent.
The remaining two demons hadn't even had time to step in and surround him, one companion had already been killed in a single exchange.
"Yes, so what?"
Iori moved faster than he spoke. Only after punching Sten to death did he say calmly, "You want me to respect you, are you worthy?"
"Monster!"
The girl, Mez, didn't think twice and immediately turned to flee.
Faster than Suzuka, killing Sten with a single punch, this terrifying speed and power were far beyond the Rakshasa Four Demons' imagination. Even though the strongest among them, "Ibara," hadn't made a move yet, Mez didn't think the outcome would be any different.
'What kind of monster is this?! A humanoid super Danger Beast?!'
Of course, she didn't know that Iori himself had accumulated massive base stats through CG, and that daily training and combat kept pushing him further. Combined with the talent [Perfect Shinigami], his level of mastery in Hakuda (hand-to-hand combat) far surpassed that of a normal vice-captain.
…Though he still couldn't compare to old man Yamamoto, who could punch a Hollow mask to death in one blow.
Mez was the youngest of the Rakshasa Four Demons and also the least senior. She treated this purely as a job, including killing on orders, and wasn't some kind of psychopath to begin with.
So when she encountered an enemy completely beyond her limits, and saw a stronger companion get instantly killed, choosing to run was only natural.
A few hundred a month, ah no, the Minister really did pay a lot, but you have to be alive to spend it!
However, Mez didn't get far. The one who always took pride in her agility ran into someone utterly unreasonable this time,
To Iori, who used Shunpo to appear in front of her, Mez looked like she was throwing herself straight into his arms. And with perfect gentlemanly manners, Iori gave her a spinning kick.
Bang!
Mez rolled away like a bird with broken wings and slammed hard into the ground. Before she could even react, she coughed up a large mouthful of blood.
'I didn't see it at all! How is he this fast, what is he, a ghost?!'
"Wait! I don't want to die!"
The girl struggled and shouted, "I know many of the Minister's secrets, you'll definitely be interested!"
"Hm?"
Iori hadn't expected a professional assassin to give in so easily, and was a bit surprised.
That was because he hadn't put himself in her shoes. Mez really was a professional assassin, with principles and backbone. Against other opponents, even in defeat she wouldn't surrender easily. But Iori… had already completely shattered her pride and composure.
Just like villains bowing before Dio, humans submit to things that transcend their understanding.
Facing the trembling Mez, Iori showed no pity for her looks. He casually fired a white lightning bolt that shocked her unconscious, then turned his head to look at "Ibara," who still hadn't attacked or fled.
"Why are you just standing there watching?"
"…Sorry, I accidentally got too absorbed."
The man, bare-chested and wearing a wicked grin, stared at Iori with eyes that seemed ready to spit fire.
"Amazing… ohhh… amazing!! Such concise and powerful boxing, such beautiful kicks, and that breathing that never once fell into disorder… ohhh, perfect!
Strange techniques, unbelievable movement, monstrous strength that doesn't match your appearance… how many wonderful things do you have? You're a treasure trove, I'm so excited I can't take it anymore!"
"...Huh?"
"Come on! Hit me! Attack me with your strongest move!"
The man laughed madly and leapt forward with incredible speed toward Iori.
Iori, "???????"
Since coming to Akame ga Kill, this was the battle that made Iori feel the most "chilled to the bone," but the result was still no surprise.
Even though Ibara was known as the strongest of the Rakshasa Four Demons, and through body modification and martial training could perfectly control every muscle and joint, even making his body hair as hard as steel needles, he still lost to Iori without any suspense.
The reason was simple, a pure gap in strength.
The Rakshasa Four Demons strengthened their bodies by consuming the flesh of Danger Beasts and tempering themselves with secret techniques, turning their physical bodies into weapons and developing all kinds of bizarre and vicious moves.
When ordinary people fought them, a single mistake could lead to defeat because of those incomprehensible movements and unexpected attack methods. After all, no normal person would think that fingernails or body hair could become lethal weapons.
But Iori's martial arts lineage came from the Shino Academy of Spiritual Arts, tracing back to old man Yamamoto's "Genryu." This style pursued "pure, simple, and unadorned power," the complete opposite of the Rakshasa Four Demons.
Of course, this wasn't to say that "Genryu" was inherently superior, but rather that its firm and straightforward combat style suited Iori perfectly, a Shinigami with high base stats, all-around development, and virtually no weaknesses.
For him, there was no need to think about how to counter the Rakshasa Four Demons' techniques. He just had to fully unleash his own advantages and crush them head-on.
And it was through effortlessly wiping out the Rakshasa Four Demons without injury that Iori suddenly understood something.
In the original story, Aizen's 'Kyoka Suigetsu' was always considered an extremely broken ability, but judging from Aizen's behavior after fusing with the Hogyoku, perhaps what he truly wanted was "absolute power," not the ability to toy with others.
Because this kind of flawless strength is truly intoxicating.
———
After the assassination attempt, per their agreement, Iori handed over Ibara's and Sten's corpses to Mr. Stylish. To him, these were extremely rare experimental materials and would keep him satisfied for quite some time.
Suzuka, the first one Iori defeated, had her chest nearly split open by Iori's sword finger, even injuring her heart meridians. Yet astonishingly, she survived, and for some reason wanted to stay by Iori's side.
Clutching her chest, she told Iori that "the shadow of death I felt in that moment was the most exhilarating experience of my life," and begged him not to hold back in the future, insisting he punish her more.
"Being the general's dog is the greatest honor of my life!"
"But Big Sister Esdeath is amazing too, how should I choose? I'm so conflicted~"
Iori honestly didn't know what to say.
He already knew from the original work that she was a top-tier mas*chist, but he hadn't expected it to be this severe… he could only marvel at the Empire's diversity.
It really did seem like whenever a dynasty was nearing its end, all kinds of worldview-shattering things appeared. Was this what they meant by "when a nation is about to fall, monsters emerge"?
As for Mez, the girl surrendered quickly, without psychological burden completing her change in allegiance, and brought Iori some information,
"Berlick of the 'Path of Peace', this man appears to be the cult leader's right-hand man, but in reality he's a spy planted by the Minister."
"He's been helping the Minister keep tabs on the Path of Peace, restraining believers from contacting the Revolutionary Army. Sooner or later, he'll become a serious internal threat to you!"
"Us?" Iori asked back. "Who do you mean, the Revolutionary Army?"
"Um… aren't you an undercover agent for the Revolutionary Army, sir?" Mez blinked and asked cautiously.
"Who said I'm with the Revolutionary Army?" Iori sneered.
'Undercover? Have you ever seen an undercover agent who aims straight for the boss's seat from the start?'
"Then whose side are you on?"
Mez was confused. From all the information she'd encountered, Iori was clearly hostile toward the Empire's elites, yet he wasn't with the Revolutionary Army, so what was he?
"In times of chaos, the weak must cling to the strong to survive. But the strong don't need to care about anyone's opinions, they just need to clear obstacles and keep moving forward."
Iori sat behind the desk, leaning back in his chair, and glanced at her calmly. "So tell me, which side do you think I'm on?"
"!"
Mez dropped to one knee, staring intently at the patterns on the carpet, and said with utmost respect, "My lord is naturally the strong one. Please allow me to follow you from this day on, until this body perishes!"
"…Heh."
Iori wasn't actually trying to scare her. Seeing her so terrified, he couldn't help but chuckle.
"Don't be so afraid. I'm not some temperamental killing maniac."
"I consider myself a very tolerant superior. I never demand heartfelt devotion from my subordinates. On the contrary, I allow you to have your own thoughts, to pursue your own interests, and I will reward you generously."
"Using intrests and rules to bind people is far more reliable than emotion and morality."
"And I only require two things..."
"Ability and obedience!"
"I don't care whether your souls are loyal, so long as your bodies can be used by me!"
———
"How has Kurome been lately? Is her health okay?"
"She's recovering very well. Thanks to the antidote you gave us. It's just that she occasionally sees hallucinations of the people she killed… she's a bit mentally exhausted. Still, thank you no matter what."
"Time smooths everything over. With you always by her side, I believe Kurome will be able to adapt to a normal life."
At the agreed time, Iori used Shambhala to move to a contact point near Night Raid's headquarters. After exchanging intelligence with Akame, they naturally started chatting.
Different people required different attitudes. In front of his subordinates, Iori balanced kindness and authority, but toward a pure idealist like Akame, a true fighter who devoted herself to the shadows for the sake of the people, his demeanor was much gentler and friendlier.
He himself wasn't some saint, but that didn't stop him from respecting people like her, such as Gudako, who maintained her original intentions through countless loops, or Najenda and Akame, who would brave fire and water for the people.
Cooperation is cooperation, exploitation is exploitation, personal feelings are personal feelings.
'…Huh, why is it that all the people he has a good impression of are beautiful women…? This must be a coincidence!'
"Speaking of which, we've been short-handed lately. Kurome mentioned wanting to help me…"
"That won't do. It took so much effort to put the blade down, once she picks it up again, it won't be easy to stop."
Iori frowned slightly. "You're not unaware of this. But judging by you, it seems you're wavering. Why?"
"…Headquarters said that experts like Kurome are hard to cultivate, and they're urgently lacking combat power. And she wouldn't need to go to the battlefield, she'd only be responsible for protecting high-ranking officers."
Akame hesitated rarely. "Kurome came from an assassination unit and is very familiar with the Empire's methods."
"She really is suitable as a bodyguard… and there aren't many high-ranking officers in the Revolutionary Army. If they were assassinated, it would undoubtedly make future uprisings much harder."
"So you gave in?"
After hearing this, Iori found it amusing. "I thought you were struggling with something serious, turns out it's this kind of rhetoric… Some people are good at dumping macro-level responsibility onto individuals, as if the whole situation will collapse if that person doesn't make a sacrifice."
"But in reality, the world keeps turning no matter who's missing. No one is indispensable."
"Turn it around, are your ideals really so fragile that they'd fail without the sacrifice of one little girl?"
"…You're right."
The confusion in Akame's eyes gradually faded, replaced by sudden clarity. "You're right… Kurome's current state isn't suitable for combat. I'll refuse them."
"That's more like it!"
Iori nodded with a smile. "Kurome can also be considered one of the tragedies created by the Empire's darkness. She's a victim too, and the only person she relies on in this world is you."
"If you asked her directly, she'd probably agree to go to headquarters as a bodyguard, because it would help her beloved sister. But for her, can that really be called happiness?"
"Akame, you're a very righteous person, willing to sacrifice yourself for the greater good. But you must remember, Kurome is also one of the many weak people who need your protection."
"Upholding justice and protecting family don't conflict. Showing favoritism toward them is only natural."
"You really leave me no way to argue…"
Akame smiled in relief and turned to look at the bright moon and stars outside the window, her mind drifting as she said softly, "Come to think of it, since the first time we met, I don't even know how many times you've helped me."
"You always brushed it off with jokes before, but even now I still don't understand, why do you treat me so well?"
'I wasn't joking before. It really is because I like long black hair, just kidding. That's only half the reason at most.'
Honestly, it was probably the good impression left from watching the anime in his past life, and then, after actually interacting with her, Iori developed a favorable view of her cool yet elegant swordsmanship, her occasionally airheaded but earnest personality, and her seemingly cold but deeply loyal heart…
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