Chapter 27: Don't Go
Outside the forest, beside a small stream.
A handsome young man with green hair, wearing a green windbreaker, opened his eyes.
"To actually detect the Realm Severing Thread, what terrifying perception."
Lubbock began retracting his threads. After pulling back Leone, who was covered in knife wounds, Lubbock's face was filled with rage.
"This bastard!"
Seeing that Leone's upper body was already bare, Lubbock quickly took off his windbreaker. Although he usually seemed lecherous, at this moment he would never take advantage of Leone.
"With this amount of bleeding, this is bad."
Lubbock, who knew nothing about medicine, was anxious but helpless.
"It's... it's fine."
Leone woke up. The regenerative power of her Imperial Arm, Lion King, was no joke.
"Big sister Leone, you..."
Seeing the anxious Lubbock, Leone, her face covered in blood, forced a smile.
"Losing an arm under that man's blade and still surviving is already lucky."
Leone raised her severed arm; now only a small stump remained.
"How could I forget something so important? We're the 'survive a near-death experience and heal up' combo."
Lubbock picked up the severed arm beside him, which he had retrieved with his threads. Using Cross Tail, he could control the threads to stitch the arm back on. Paired with Leone's regenerative ability, the two were a perfect combination, fully capable of recovering from severed limbs.
"Not bad, my good partner."
Leone's smile was strained. She recalled the previous battle, where she was like a mindless beast, completely helpless against that sharp blade.
After helping Leone stitch her arm back on, Lubbock stood up.
"Big sister, rest for a while. That bastard hurt you this badly; I have to go and have a word with him."
Lubbock's smile was meant to comfort Leone, but inside, he was already burning with rage.
But Lubbock hadn't taken two steps before he felt his pant leg being grabbed.
"Big sister..."
"Don't go. You'll die. It doesn't matter how badly I'm hurt. Consider this your big sister begging you: don't go. Whatever you do, don't go.
That man tracked me for over a hundred kilometers. No matter how I tried to escape, I couldn't get away. Once you're locked on, it's over. It's complete despair."
Lubbock's head drooped.
"But..."
"Unless all of us gang up on him, there's no way to win without casualties."
Leone tightly gripped Lubbock's pant leg.
"I understand."
No matter how unwilling Lubbock was, he couldn't leave with Leone begging like this.
"What about Akame? Isn't she on your team?"
"After we both saw your distress signal, we split up. She went to support Bulat. They encountered enemies over there—Esdeath's Three Beasts."
"Is that so? Then I'm relieved..."
Leone suddenly thought of something and, enduring the intense pain, sat up.
"I encountered that man while searching for Esdeath. That man said something to Esdeath earlier, which means he's connected to her.
The Three Beasts are Esdeath's subordinates, so this operation was ordered by Esdeath."
Leone's mind raced, but someone else was thinking faster.
"Is that guy one of Esdeath's subordinates? If all this was ordered by Esdeath, then will he go to support the luxury cruise ship?
Not very likely—definitely!"
Lubbock and Leone exchanged a glance.
"How many of our people are at the luxury cruise ship in the capital's port?"
Leone looked at Lubbock.
"There's Bulat, Tatsumi, Akame, and Mine."
"Mine went too?"
"Yeah. Boss was a bit worried, so he sent extra reinforcements."
"With Mine's long-range fire support, it should be fine, right..."
Leone was still uneasy and tried to stand up.
"Hey, hey, big sister, don't do anything reckless. It's not too far from here to headquarters. I'll take you back first, then go support."
Lubbock moved to stop her, but Leone pushed him away.
"Don't let me become a burden. I know my own physical condition. There's no way I can support; I'd just be dead weight. Go support immediately. I can make it back to headquarters on my own."
Lubbock thought for a few seconds, then nodded. If he refused any longer, it would be an insult to Leone.
"I understand. Here's a distress signal. If the retreat doesn't go smoothly, be sure to call for help."
"Yeah, I won't push myself."
Lubbock left, looking back every few steps. After Lubbock left, Leone fell to her knees with a thud.
With a *wah*, Leone spat out a large mouthful of blood.
Raising her trembling hand, Leone saw faint blue arcs of electricity flickering in the wound on her palm.
"What the hell is this? Electricity?"
The intense pain from all over her body nearly caused Leone to faint again. Using her claws, she climbed a towering tree and lay on a thick branch, breathing heavily.
The energy of Azure Steel Shadow was no joke. If Leone dared to deactivate her Lion King state, she would be in for a 'treat' that would make her question her existence.
...
At the port outside the capital, a massive luxury cruise ship slowly docked.
The ship was already in shambles. The bodies of the Three Beasts were laid out in a row, and Tatsumi was supporting the heavily injured Bulat.
"We've finally docked. Good thing Mine was there to support, or it would have been dangerous."
Bulat, who had survived a brush with death, breathed a sigh of relief. This man, who had died in the original story, survived this battle thanks to his teammates' fire support.
Mine was a lively girl with pink twin-tails, her pink dress very eye-catching.
From her attire, it was clear Mine wasn't a melee fighter; she was a sniper + artillery.
That's right, sniper + artillery. Her Imperial Arm was quite special.
Romance Artillery: Pumpkin. A gun-type Imperial Arm that didn't fire solid bullets but converted mental energy into shockwaves. Calling them shockwaves, in Su Xiao's view, was more like lasers.
The more dangerous the user's situation, the more powerful Romance Artillery: Pumpkin became. If an enemy got close, Romance Artillery: Pumpkin wasn't a gun anymore—it was a cannon, a laser cannon~, one that could fire continuously while sweeping side to side.
With Mine's support from Romance Artillery: Pumpkin, Bulat, relying on his Imperial Arm and his own strength, took down the Three Beasts.
Although Imperial Arms had differences in strength, the strength of the user also determined how much of that Imperial Arm's potential could be unleashed.
The luxury cruise ship slowly docked. Akame and Mine, who had been waiting on the shore, stepped forward.
"Your fire support was really timely, Mine."
Bulat, who had escaped death, grinned. Though he was burly, there was something a bit gay about him. Leone had always suspected Bulat was a homosexual.
"Uh, it's... it's fine. I'm a shooting genius."
Mine shuddered. Bulat's grin made her shoulders shake.
"Did you collect the Imperial Arms?"
Akame spoke. Akame was a girl with long, straight black hair, and her crimson eyes were the origin of her name. Though Akame was an assassin, she was usually a bit airheaded.
"All collected. Three in total. A good haul this time."
"Then let's hurry and retreat. Lubbock just sent word that enemies will be here soon."
Akame and her group headed toward the port.
"Killing people and taking their Imperial Arms before leaving? That's not very nice, is it?"
A figure walked in from outside the port. The newcomer held a sharp blade in one hand, its edge straight and still stained with blood.
Su Xiao scanned the people present, his gaze quickly locking onto Akame. She was the opponent he was about to face. The others were either injured, long-range fighters, or not very strong.