'They were wiped out instantly. No matter what, at least I must protect Aria-san!' Watching from afar, Tatsumi sensed the terrifying combat power of Takeru and the others. Kind-hearted, his first reaction was also to protect the 'kind-hearted' Aria.
Simultaneously, Leone, while Takeru and the others were carrying out the kills, infiltrated the mansion and directly confronted the head of the household.
"Sp... spare me... I have a daughter!" Choked by Leone's grip around his neck and lifted up, the master pleaded in pain.
"Don't worry, you'll be reunited over there soon!" Facing the nobleman's pleas, Leone spoke with a calm expression.
"You're going after my daughter too... have you no mercy?" Hearing Leone's words, the noble stared at her in shock.
"Mercy? I really don't understand what you mean!" Hearing the noble talk to her about mercy, Leone's expression grew even darker, 'He engaged in deeds more vicious than demons, yet urged others to have mercy and spare him...'
"Miss, hurry over here!" Meanwhile, a guard, seeing the situation was dire, quickly led Aria towards a separate warehouse.
"What's happening!" Aria, who had been about to rest, had to follow the guard and flee due to his actions.
"In any case, get to the separate warehouse first. It should be safe there!" Although the situation was critical, the guard appeared loyal and devoted.
"Found you!" At this moment, after searching around, a panting Tatsumi also found Aria and the others about to enter the warehouse.
"Tatsumi!" Seeing Tatsumi arrive, Aria looked at him.
"Perfect timing. We plan to escape into the warehouse and wait for the security forces. You go hold them off during this time!" Seeing Tatsumi, the guard immediately ordered him without hesitation.
Compared to themselves, sending Tatsumi to his death caused him no psychological burden.
"Huh? That's asking too much!" Hearing the guard's words, Tatsumi exclaimed in shock.
At that moment, Takeru and Akame had already arrived in front of the warehouse.
Seeing Akame and Takeru, both radiating killing intent, Tatsumi, remembering the kindness he received from Aria, gritted his teeth, drew his sword, and blocked their path.
"Not a target!" However, facing the newly determined Tatsumi, Akame showed no intention of engaging. With a light jump, she stepped on his head, leaped over Tatsumi, and rushed straight for the target.
"Damn it!" Seeing Akame rapidly approaching, the guard pulled out a machine gun and opened fire on her.
Noticing his actions, Akame quickly dodged. After a series of evasive maneuvers, she swiftly closed in on the still-firing guard.
"Eliminate!" With cold eyes, Akame mercilessly sliced open the guard's abdomen. The guard then collapsed in a pool of blood.
The next moment, Akame walked directly towards Aria, her cold gaze fixed on this noble young lady who appeared cute on the outside but harbored a mind comparable to a demon's.
"Eliminate!" Raising her longsword high, Akame delivered a ruthless slash.
With the splatter of blood, under Aria's gaze filled with extreme unwillingness and resentment, she fell to the ground, lifeless.
"Damn you, you demons! Why kill innocent people!" Seeing this scene, Tatsumi angrily launched an attack at Takeru. Originally, he wanted to go rescue Aria, but Takeru naturally wouldn't let him disturb Akame and directly intercepted him.
With just two strikes from his staff, Takeru forced Tatsumi to kneel on the ground. Tatsumi was too weak now.
With Takeru slightly increasing his speed, Tatsumi could only kneel. Takeru then pointed the sharp tip of his Priest's Staff at Tatsumi.
"Wait a moment!" Suddenly, Leone stepped forward, looking calmly at Tatsumi.
"This young man helped me once, so I want to repay that favor!" Leone stated directly.
Hearing Leone's words, Takeru put away his staff. After all, Takeru hadn't intended to kill him from the start… it didn't fit his persona.
"Ah, you're that person from back then...!" Hearing Leone, Tatsumi belatedly realized, as Leone looked somewhat different now.
"That's right, I'm the beautiful older sister from back then!" Hearing him, Leone chuckled and finished his sentence.
"Young man, did you just say 'why are we killing innocent people'? After seeing this, can you still say the same thing?" Leone pointed towards the warehouse.
Then, she kicked the warehouse door open. Instantly, a scene akin to a living hell flooded Tatsumi's vision, causing his breath to catch.
"What... is this!" Tatsumi stared at the scene inside in horror.
"Using sweet words to lure people from outside, then subjecting them to their favorite tortures, playing with them until they die… that's the true nature of this family!" Leone explained directly.
"Sayo!" Suddenly, among the people, Tatsumi recognized a familiar figure… a companion who had left the village with him.
"Hey, Sayo... Sayo, is that you? Sayo!" With a trembling voice, Tatsumi was afraid to approach.
"Do you know someone here? How pitiful!" Seeing this, Leone just leaned against the doorway with her arms crossed, speaking nonchalantly.
"Was all this done by this family?" Seeing this, Tatsumi spoke in disbelief.
"Correct. The guards turned a blind eye, so they share the guilt!" Leone stated without hesitation.
"Tatsumi, is that you, Tatsumi?" Suddenly, a voice called out from inside a cage. Perhaps hearing Tatsumi's voice and him calling Sayo's name, a man covered in blood spoke up excitedly.
"Ieyasu!" Seeing the blood-covered man, Tatsumi's pupils constricted.
"We were invited by a woman. But after having a meal together, we lost consciousness. When we woke up, we were locked up here. Then that woman tortured Sayo to death!" Ieyasu spoke in pain.
"Takeru, can you still save him?" Seeing there was actually a survivor inside, Leone looked at Takeru.
"I'll do my best! Light, grant thy protection in the name of Lumiris! Heal!" Hearing her words, Takeru quickly 'charged up' for a moment, then chanted the incantation to heal Ieyasu.
Soon, green light enveloped Ieyasu, and his body began to slowly repair.
Seeing this, Tatsumi hurried towards the cage. Through the light, he could clearly see Ieyasu's body rapidly recovering.
He then quickly drew the iron sword from his back, broke the cage, and nervously helped Ieyasu up...
However, suddenly, Ieyasu, whose injuries had been healing, vomited a mouthful of blood.
"What's wrong!" Seeing this, Tatsumi exclaimed.
"He's in the terminal stage of the leprosy disease. The mistress of this house had the hobby of making people take large doses of drugs and writing about it in her diary for enjoyment!" Seeing this, Akame stated directly.
"Yes, I know my body well. What makes me happiest is being able to see you in my final moments. And also, Sayo... she never yielded to that awful woman until the very end...!" Ieyasu said with a smile.
On Takeru's side, hearing Akame's words and seeing Ieyasu seemingly on the verge of death, he thought for a moment, stopped the healing, and began to gather energy again.
"Hmm? Takeru, can you still save him?" Seeing Takeru's actions, Leone asked in surprise.
"Please, I beg you to save him. If you can save him, I'm willing to do anything for you!" Hearing Leone's words, Tatsumi knelt before Takeru, his eyes filled with pleading.
Takeru, after gathering energy for a moment, raised his staff once more: "Grant thy protection in the name of Lumiris! Purify!"
Soon, a light once again showered down on Ieyasu. This time, it wasn't green light, but a very pure blue light that felt cleansing.
The blue light entered his body, purging the viruses within in places invisible to the naked eye. After about a minute, Ieyasu vomited blood again. This time, it was black blood with a strong, foul odor.
Then, Takeru ceased his actions, appearing fatigued.
The reason Takeru healed Ieyasu was simply the suspicion that there might be a side quest involved. Moreover, most importantly, it caused no harm to himself and conveniently helped build his persona.