"How could we let her be defeated in front of her own army?" Iori said seriously.
"In the eyes of the soldiers, she is a war god who never bleeds. If that kind of authority is shattered, it will be a huge blow to morale, and there's no guarantee it wouldn't destabilize the situation in the northern borderlands."
"…I really hadn't thought of that," Najenda said in sudden realization.
Right now, the northern barbarians could launch a large-scale invasion of the Empire at any moment. It could be said that it was entirely because of Esdeath and the elite force under her command that the hundreds of thousands of enemy troops were being held in check. If something went wrong, the consequences would indeed be unimaginable.
"You really think far ahead…" The short-haired female general couldn't help but feel ashamed.
Iori, on the other hand, looked quite unconcerned.
He was neither an Imperial nor a barbarian. As an outsider, he held a neutral stance toward the conflict between the two peoples. But considering that his future "base" would mainly be the Empire's civilians, it was only natural for him to guard against the barbarians.
Iori wouldn't project his feelings for his homeland in his previous life onto the Empire just because it had a "unifying emperor," nor would he treat the surrounding barbarians as mortal enemies like the Huns.
He was simply making the most beneficial choice from a personal standpoint.
"I always choose to stand with the people, because in this chaotic world the strong act without restraint, while the weak have nothing to rely on."
When facing Najenda, Iori switched to a different way of putting it, "Even though I'm not an all-powerful god, as an ordinary person, I'm willing to do everything I can to help those weak people who can't see any hope."
"Every tragedy we prevent makes this world a little better, doesn't it? Najenda."
"…Yes," the short-haired female general said in a daze. "It seems I still don't understand you well enough…"
Not far away, Night Raid's Imperial Arm user Lubbock was looking over with a jealous expression, the sound of teeth grinding constantly coming from him. "What the heck, that guy and Lady Najenda look like they're getting along really well… damn it!"
Lubbock, who had openly admired Najenda for a long time, felt extremely sour, though he could also tell that the two were just in sync when discussing things and didn't have any special feelings beyond that.
But when he calmed down, a sudden chill ran through him. He instinctively turned his head, only to see his companion Akame carefully maintaining her bloodthirsty cursed blade.
"K-killing intent?" Lubbock blinked.
Why was there such strong killing intent? The enemy hadn't even arrived yet, and the direction Akame was looking at was…
"Akame seems to have been staring at you the whole time, Iori."
"I've known that for a while."
Iori and Najenda, who were in the middle of their conversation, had naturally noticed such an obvious killing intent as well, but both remained calm and unfazed.
The short-haired female general frowned slightly. "I've never seen Akame pay this much attention to a man. It shows you hold a special place in her heart… shouldn't we pay some attention to keeping our distance?"
"No, this is just right."
Under the mask, Iori revealed a rather playful smile. "If we don't do this, how else will that dense girl realize just how much she cares about me?"
"..."
'This man is impressive in all sorts of ways!'
Najenda suddenly began to worry about her close friend and subordinate. 'A little emotional bunny like Akame running into a big bad wolf like this… yikes!'
"I just hope you won't make Akame sad in the future."
"After all, she's holding a sword," Iori said breezily. "I'll be careful to dodge."
He's already assuming he'll get slashed, Najenda didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
"But even so, I still think facing Esdeath alone is far too reckless."
Getting back to business, Najenda said seriously, her tone solemn. "Even with your strength, challenging Esdeath is pushing it."
"With my strength? Challenging her?"
Iori chewed over those words, and gradually a wild, craze-filled feeling rose in his heart.
Najenda continued, "And besides, she'll probably be riding a tamed flying-type Danger Beast and passing through this area. To accurately intercept her, we'd need to deploy a lot of people for reconnaissance and defense. You need our assistance to begin with."
"No problem!"
Iori stood up and walked out of the tent they were hiding in. "As long as I make her come looking for me on her own!"
"Don't act on impulse!" Najenda chased after him.
"Hah! You make it sound like you know me really well."
"I..."
Buzz!
A sweeping sense of gravity cut her words short. An invisible pressure instantly enveloped the entire camp. From Imperial Arm users to ordinary soldiers, the stronger someone was, the more clearly they could feel this strange, crushing force descending from above.
Even experts like Bulat and Akame wore extremely serious expressions. Though it was their first time encountering this mysterious pressure, that didn't stop them from realizing how powerful its source was. Every one of them looked as if they were facing a formidable enemy.
Iori casually glanced at Najenda, whose face had gone pale. "Have you ever seen my true strength?"
"Roar!"
From the distant sky came a faint yet distinct roar. As the sun drifted westward, a three-headed wyvern-type Danger Beast flew out of the twilight clouds. As it drew closer, a tall woman with ice-blue long hair standing on its back also came into view.
What Iori saw was a female general dressed in a white military uniform, with ice-blue long hair falling all the way to her ankles, so captivating that it was hard to look away.
Unlike Najenda, whose features were upright and whose temperament was steady, Esdeath possessed an aggressively beautiful face and eyes as wild as a wolf's.
Her already tall and shapely figure looked even more proud and commanding when set off by her long military boots, and her downward gaze was filled with an overwhelming sense of dominance.
She hid nothing about herself, this was the composure that only comes with absolute confidence.
As a result, people often focused solely on her identity as the "strongest Imperial Arm user," overlooking the fact that she had only just turned twenty this year and was still a young woman in her prime.
Iori exchanged a distant glance with her. At this range, it was almost impossible to clearly see her face, yet this female hunter still broke into a delighted smile.
She had clearly noticed the camp here and that something was amiss, yet she still guided the Danger Beast over, seemingly unconcerned about any ambush.
"Even though she's called the 'Ice Queen,' she looks more like blazing aggression," Iori remarked.
As she drew nearer and her figure gradually became clearer, his gaze immediately settled on her chest.
Don't misunderstand, it wasn't a sudden surge of lust, but rather his attention was drawn to the dark mark on her fair skin. That was the emblem of the elemental manipulation-type Imperial Arm, [Demon's Extract].
It was said to be forged from the blood of a super Danger Beast that lived in the far north. Everyone who drank that blood was driven mad by the murderous desire hidden within it, without exception.
Except for Esdeath.
She defied all logic by drinking the entire amount of blood, when only a small sip was needed, and then suppressed the lingering spirit of the super Danger Beast through sheer willpower… or rather, Esdeath's own lust for slaughter surpassed it, forcibly taming it!
Even before that, Esdeath was already a rising star among the Empire's generals. After fully mastering [Demon's Extract], she gained complete control over the power of ice and snow.
From single-target offense and defense to manipulating the weather itself, she could do it all, she had truly ascended to an entirely different realm.
In the world of Akame ga Kill, perhaps only the first emperor from a thousand years ago might have been stronger. In the present era, there was likely no one who could compare.
Even in the original story, it took exhausting her stamina through successive battles and then Akame breaking her limits to finally defeat her, which felt a bit like plot armor.
Facing such an opponent, Iori felt a strong sense of anticipation.
Yes, anticipation, completely different from Najenda's unease.
In fact, Esdeath hadn't come alone. On the broad back of the Danger Beast were three other men in black military uniforms, Esdeath's subordinates, the "Three Beast Generals," a combat squad composed entirely of Imperial Arm users, just like Night Raid.
Oh right, Iori's [Two Great Axes] had originally been assigned to an Imperial officer. That man hadn't lived long enough to be taken under Esdeath's command, he'd been casually killed by Iori back when he was working as a bounty hunter.
It seemed that in this timeline, the "Three Beast Generals" had a different member.
But those were minor details. At this moment, they didn't even register in Iori's eyes.
Later, he could just let the old man among the Three Beast Generals go reminisce with Bulat and get all buddy-buddy. The remaining two lackeys could be handled by the others.
"Roar!"
The wyvern-type Danger Beast flew over the camp, letting out a demonstrative roar that made everyone's eardrums throb.
Annoyed by the noise, Iori drew the longsword hidden in its sheath with his right hand. The blade, as beautiful as autumn water and jade, let out a faint, clear, wind-splitting sound in the cold air, like the cry of a dragon.
Under the wyvern's roar, this divine sword seemed displeased. A faint white glow lit up within the jewel on the hilt, and a slender stream of energy slowly coiled around the blade, like a graceful yet imposing dragon.
"Roar..."
The youth held his sword and calmly glanced at the Danger Beast. The roar abruptly stopped. The grotesque creature flapped its wings uneasily as its three heads suddenly began to struggle and argue, as if they had fallen into disagreement. Its body wobbled, surprising Esdeath, who stood atop it.
Snap!
She yanked the iron chain around the beast's neck and lashed it mercilessly with her whip. The specially made whip carried tremendous force, the pain piercing through its thick hide and deep inside, causing the ferocious Danger Beast to let out a pleading wail.
Even so, it still hesitated and refused to land. Esdeath lashed it three more times, and the wyvern grew increasingly restless.
Rip!
A flash of cold light appeared, followed by hot blood spilling across the sky like a fine red rain. Immediately after, a dark shadow fell from above.
BOOM!
First came the massive body, then three enormous heads, smashing into the ground and kicking up dust mixed with blood. The scene was grotesque.
Meanwhile, a white ribbon extended through the sky, it was a slender bridge of ice. Bathed in the glow of dusk, it looked like a ceremonial path welcoming a god.
The queen slid down along the ice, her long hair whipping in the cold wind, with her three subordinates following close behind, truly an awe-inspiring sight.
Najenda subconsciously clenched her fists. "It's finally starting!"
Iori looked up at the scene and casually commented, "So domineering."
'But I don't allow someone this overpowered to exist!'
"Come down!"
Ame no Murakumo swung lightly. The jewel at the end of the hilt flashed with light, and as energy circulated, a pure white arc shot out, roaring as it transformed into a pale dragon. It slammed head-on into the ice bridge, shattering it inch by inch with unstoppable force.
"Hmph!"
Esdeath drew her twin-bladed sabers. Wherever the blades passed, icy white frost froze the air, forming a solid wall of ice that blocked the sword pressure.
At the same time, she flicked her whip with her left hand, wrapping up her three subordinates and flipping off the broken bridge.
Whoosh!
About ten meters above the ground, cold winds surged. The four of them suddenly slowed their descent and finally landed steadily on the ground, completely unharmed.
This display showed Esdeath's extremely high level of control. She was no longer limited to manipulating ice and snow, but had developed all kinds of derivative abilities, like the three states of water.
Even though she wasn't injured, Esdeath felt she'd been given a show of disrespect with that entrance, and she was quite displeased. She flicked her whip and tossed the Three Beast Generals aside, saying lightly, "Take care of yourselves."
"Yes, Lady Esdeath."
The Three Beast Generals acted as if this were nothing unusual. Their leader, the Imperial Arm user Liver, even bowed elegantly like an old butler.
"Our duty as the Three Beast Generals is to protect Lady Esdeath and ensure that you are not disturbed while enjoying battle. Please rest assured."
Esdeath didn't respond. Her ice-blue eyes fixed on Iori as she examined him carefully for a moment, then shifted to Najenda beside him, and to Bulat, Akame, Leone, and the others who appeared one after another around them.
Moreover, her keen instincts told her that even more Imperial Arm users were hidden in the shadows. To encounter so many experts in such a desolate place, this was truly... exciting!
Even though she had fallen into an encirclement, Esdeath wasn't worried in the least. After all, this was a trap she had entered of her own accord.
The Ice Queen had absolute confidence in herself. Even if she were worn down in a series of battles, if she wanted to leave, no one could stop her.
"It's been a long time, Najenda."
Esdeath greeted her old friend. "Last time was when you defected, wasn't it? I heard you joined the Revolutionary Army. I didn't expect you'd be so highly valued, able to mobilize so many Imperial Arm users."
"So, are you planning to keep me here with just these people? You've always liked using strategy to make up for shortcomings in raw strength, but this plan… is a bit naïve, Najenda."
"Then you're mistaken."
Facing Esdeath, Najenda was nervous, but once she steadied herself, she didn't back down at all. She calmly turned to look at Iori. "This operation wasn't planned by me, and all of us, including myself, are just 'spectators.' The real protagonist is this man here..."
"He is your opponent."
"As I thought!" Esdeath wasn't surprised. Her slightly narrowed eyes reflected Iori's figure.
She was a battle maniac, but also an excellent hunter, with a sharp mind and calm judgment. She wasn't just a brute warrior, otherwise she wouldn't have been able to train and command such an elite army and earn their unwavering loyalty.
She had set out after receiving the minister's secret letter, intending to resolve his troubles as quickly as possible during the window before the northern barbarians launched their offensive, then return to the borderlands to continue commanding the war.
So she quickly connected Iori's highly distinctive appearance with the target mentioned in the minister's letter. As a result, the smile on her face grew even more delighted, and dangerous.
"To become my prey and not run away, but instead take the initiative to intercept me? You've got guts!"
Esdeath flicked her long blade. A sharp gust of wind swept away the loose soil around them, causing the already frigid air temperature to plummet.
"It's been a long time since I've met such an arrogant opponent, someone worth crushing!"
Whoosh!
The cold wind lifted Iori's cloak. Beneath the mask were clear, calm eyes. From the moment Esdeath landed, he hadn't said a single word, only scrutinizing his upcoming enemy. For some reason, he suddenly let out a sigh.
"Hm?"
Esdeath immediately noticed the change in Iori's mood, and Akame and the others beside her also looked at him in confusion.