Hecatoncheir was filled with killing intent, ready to chase down the enemies who hurt its master.
But just as it was about to pursue—
it suddenly sensed something was wrong.
There is a connection between a biological Imperial Arm and its user.
That's why when Hecatoncheir roars, Seryu can understand it.
And now—
even in its berserk state—
it could clearly feel:
its master's life was rapidly fading.
After all—
taking a D-rank Noble Phantasm hit head-on—
the fact that Seryu didn't die instantly was already a miracle.
If it chose to chase the enemies—
it might succeed…
or might not.
But one thing was certain:
its master would die.
Kill the enemy—
or save the master?
Hecatoncheir made its choice instantly.
It gently picked up the barely breathing Seryu—
and rushed toward the capital—
as fast as it could…
yet not fast enough.
Meanwhile—
Kiana had no time to care whether they were still being chased.
She could feel it clearly—
her reckless teammate—
was in terrible condition.
Riding a high-speed, enhanced motorcycle—
was not something an untrained person could handle.
She didn't know how Ji Ran managed it—
but it had clearly worsened his injuries.
After Ittō Shura ended—
his body had already been bleeding heavily.
And now—
feeling her back becoming wet—
Kiana knew:
he was barely holding on.
The enemy…
The mission…
None of that mattered anymore.
Her teammate's life came first.
She had to reach a nearby town—
and find a place for him to recover.
"Damn it… why is this world so dangerous?!"
"We've been here for less than five hours!"
Meanwhile – Imperial Capital
After inspecting the murdered noble family—
Oka confirmed:
This assassination…
was once again the work of Night Raid.
Based on the investigation:
Zank's deathThe noble family's deaths
…happened at nearly the same time.
Which meant—
Night Raid likely split into two groups:
One to deal with ZankOne to assassinate nobles
"…Tch. These rats are getting bolder."
Though he called them rats—
Oka knew very well:
Compared to Imperial Arm users—
his guard unit were the real rats.
In the past—
Night Raid was bold—
but rarely split forces in one night.
But now—
They split upThey targeted Imperial Arms
"…Are they preparing equipment for new recruits?"
Oka frowned.
"Big move… they're planning something big."
This escalation—
was different from before.
"…This is bad."
"I need to report this."
Not because he felt responsible.
Someone like Oka—
who abused power and took bribes—
didn't care about others.
The real reason?
He knew exactly what kind of people were killed.
That noble family—
had tortured commoners.
They weren't good people.
And coincidentally—
neither was he.
If Night Raid was now aggressively targeting people like that—
then sooner or later—
he might be next.
And dead men don't talk.
"…When Seryu gets back, I'll ask her what happened."
"…Hope she didn't run into trouble chasing those injured Night Raid members."
Seryu…
If you die—
this will be very troublesome for me.
"Captain! Bad news!"
A guard rushed in, panting.
"Seryu's Imperial Arm… brought her back…"
"…How is she?"
"She's dying!"
"Her face is completely deformed!"
"And her Imperial Arm is weakened too!"
Oka's expression instantly changed.
"…Damn it!"
"I should've stopped her!"
Originally—
he planned to send her to meet Dr. Stylish later—
But now—
he had no choice.
He had to contact him immediately.
"Stylish…"
"Don't let me down this time…"