Chapter 25: The Swamp
In the forest outside the imperial capital, a figure swiftly moved between the trees.
"I can't flee toward the headquarters; that would expose everyone."
Leone stopped, her two beast ears twitching. After discerning the direction, she ran toward the swamp deep in the forest.
"Come after me if you dare, you monster."
Leone gritted her teeth. She had been running for two hours, yet that faint, lingering sense of threat remained.
Two minutes after Leone ran off, Su Xiao arrived at the spot where she had been.
He could only roughly sense Leone's direction. Leone was fleeing in panic, with no time to cover her tracks.
From the footprints and broken branches, he could determine her exact location.
After confirming Leone's escape route, Su Xiao quickly followed. He had long known the enemy had detected him; now, the two were in a predator-prey relationship.
The final outcome would depend on whether the prey was cunning or the hunter more experienced.
As he advanced, Su Xiao felt the air grow damp, the smell of decaying vegetation thick in the forest.
His foot sank as he stepped into a patch of mud.
"This is... a swamp?"
Pulling his leg out of the mire, he became more cautious.
Swamps were dangerous places. Ordinary mud swamps were manageable; even if he fell in, he had ways to escape. But quicksand-like mud-water swamps were deadly.
Such swamps could swallow a person in less than five seconds. The more violently one struggled, the faster they died, because the water was mixed with thick mud. Swimming to survive in a mud-water swamp was a fantasy.
No matter how skilled a survival expert, if they fell into a mud-water swamp, they would give themselves a quick death to avoid the agony of suffocation.
Some might wonder why anyone would knowingly walk onto a swamp.
If a swamp were visible to the naked eye, it wouldn't be dangerous. Most swamps have a layer of dry soil on the surface, formed by the sun baking the top layer.
Sometimes, wind blows leaves onto the swamp, creating natural traps.
Su Xiao cut down a five or six-meter-long branch from a tree, about as thick as an arm.
Holding the branch in one hand, he ignored the swamp.
The best way to traverse a swamp was to find a long branch. That way, even if he fell in, he could grab a leverage point to pull himself free.
Though holding a long branch in his left hand while wielding a blade in his right looked ridiculous, it was nothing compared to life and death.
His foot sank again, and Su Xiao's leg plunged into another mud swamp.
As he stepped in, he clearly felt the suction of the mire.
He thrust Dragon-Slaying Flash into the ground, leaning his body to yank his leg out of the swamp. But his shoe remained behind, his right leg covered in mud.
Su Xiao's face darkened. The enemy's chosen battlefield was a real pain.
"Just wait until I catch you—I'll throw you into the swamp and drown you."
Continuing to track the enemy's trail, after about half an hour, a line of muddy footprints came into view.
The enemy had also fallen into the swamp, and judging by the marks, they had gone in completely.
Su Xiao felt a secret satisfaction, thinking, "You had it coming too."
Leaving a single muddy footprint behind, Su Xiao's foot sank again.
*Squelch.* Half of Su Xiao's body plunged into the swamp—another mud swamp.
"Damn it."
A minute later, Su Xiao struggled out of the swamp, his face ashen. This time, he would leave two muddy footprints as well.
The chase continued. Ten minutes later, a red signal flare shot up from not far ahead.
*Boom.*
The red flare exploded, leaving a cloud of red dust in the air.
"Calling for reinforcements, huh."
Su Xiao hurried toward the location of the flare. Two minutes later, he spotted the enemy, but he couldn't make out their face—they were covered head to toe in mud.
"Did I kill any of your relatives or friends?" Leone asked directly upon meeting.
"No."
Su Xiao tossed aside the wooden branch. If he handled this cautiously, Leone wouldn't be a problem. He had the advantage against close-combat brawlers like her.
Leone gritted her sharp teeth—fangs that appeared after beast transformation.
"Since I didn't kill any of your relatives or friends, why are you chasing me so relentlessly? We've circled the imperial capital twice—over a hundred kilometers. Is it just because I glanced at you?"
Leone's furry beast claws creaked as she clenched them. Her identity hadn't been exposed in the capital, and she thought Su Xiao didn't recognize her.
"Leone, core member of 'Night Raid,' Imperial Armament: 'Beast King Transformation: Lion King.' Born in the slums, survived by stealing as a child. At fourteen, apprenticed to an old monk at 'Imperial Fist Temple.' At sixteen, obtained her Imperial Armament. At seventeen, joined the Revolutionary Army. At eighteen, passed the selection to become a 'Night Raid' member."
A smile curled at the corner of Su Xiao's mouth.
"Want to know more?"
Leone stared blankly at Su Xiao. Some of that information, she didn't even remember herself.
Before entering the world of Akame ga Kill!, Su Xiao had reviewed all the materials he had compiled. Not just this—he even knew Leone's measurements.
"In that case, it's either you die or I die."
Leone wiped the mud from her face, her eyes like those of an enraged lioness.
"Not 'you die or I die'—it's 'you die for sure.' Ah... finally, I can speak freely."
Su Xiao had been holding back for two days. Though he wasn't a chatterbox, after pretending to be part of the Dark Division, the most he said was "Mm," "Okay," or "Understood."
After venting, Su Xiao fell silent. Pale blue arcs of electricity clung to the surface of Dragon-Slaying Flash.
Since strengthening the blade, he hadn't fought a life-or-death battle. The fight with Esdeath was half-hearted, and the giant wolf only took two strikes—neither showcased the blade's true sharpness.
The blade hummed. Su Xiao stomped the ground, sending dead leaves flying. In less than two seconds, he was in front of Leone.
Su Xiao's Agility attribute was 24 points. To Leone in her beast form, this speed wasn't fast, but Su Xiao didn't rely on speed and strength to defeat strong enemies—he excelled at technique + swordsmanship, with strength and agility as the foundation.
The long blade cut through the air, a blue light streaking past. Leone instinctively met the blade with her claw—her usual move.
After beast transformation, Leone's palm pads were extremely tough, capable of blocking even some Imperial Armaments.
A whistling sound came as Dragon-Slaying Flash's razor-sharp edge seemed to tear through the air.
Just as the palm pad was about to touch the blade, Leone felt a stinging pain in her palm.
Her beast instinct told her that if she continued, she might lose that furry claw.
But it was too late to retreat. Leone had no choice but to brace for defense.
The blade of Dragon-Slaying Flash met Leone's palm pad. Upon contact, the hardened membrane on her palm was instantly sliced open.
*Pfft.*
Crimson blood sprayed into the air, half a furry claw starkly visible in the blood.
*Thud.* The half-claw fell to the ground. Leone stepped back, clutching her severed hand.
"How... can it be so sharp."
*Drip, drip.*
Blood dripped onto the dead leaves. The forest was dead silent.