Chapter 28: The First One (Fourth Update, Dedicated to Alliance Leader 'Su Xiaochun~')
In the world of Akame ga Kill, Su Xiao most wanted to fight three people: Esdeath, Akame, and Kurome.
All three were skilled in swordsmanship and bladework, and fighting opponents of a similar type would allow his own blade skills to grow faster.
Twirling the Dragon-Slaying Flash in his hand to form a flash of blade light, Su Xiao slowly walked toward Akame and the others.
"Mine, create distance and cover me. Tatsumi, take Brand with you and retreat first."
Akame spoke as she slowly stepped forward to meet Su Xiao.
Mine immediately ran far away without hesitation. Tatsumi hesitated for a moment, but after seeing Brand's severe injuries, he decided to leave first.
Noticing their actions, Su Xiao produced a black grenade in his hand.
This was something he had obtained in the Ghoul world and had never used before.
He pulled the pin on the flashbang and tossed it toward the group, then immediately covered one ear with his hand and closed his eyes.
*Boom!*
A sonic boom rang out. The explosion of the flashbang wasn't powerful, but it produced a blinding light, a deafening roar, and high-intensity sound waves.
The intense light would temporarily blind the enemy, the roar would cause ringing in their ears, and the high-frequency sound waves would disrupt their nervous system.
Akame and the others clearly didn't know what a flashbang was. Except for Mine, who was far away, everyone else was caught.
Akame staggered slightly, holding Murasame horizontally in front of her to guard against a sneak attack.
At that moment, Akame's vision was filled with overlapping afterimages, her ears rang loudly, and a dizzy, lightheaded feeling set in.
*Pfft.*
*Bang!*
The sound of a severed limb and the gunshot from the Romantic Artillery rang out simultaneously.
"Big... Big Brother?"
It was Tatsumi's voice. Akame's heart burned with anxiety—what had happened?
When Akame's vision cleared, the scene before her ignited a flame of rage within her, though her face remained expressionless, her eyelids lowered.
Brand's arm and half of his shoulder had been severed. A deep, bone-reaching slash wound appeared on Tatsumi's chest. If not for Mine's covering fire, both would have already fallen to the blade.
"Bury."
Akame shouted softly and charged forward. Su Xiao's concentration was at its peak.
The Imperial Armament 'Murasame' that Akame wielded was said to guarantee a kill with a single cut. Su Xiao was not sure if this one-cut-kill effect would work on a contractor.
Based on information from the original story, Murasame's curse poison was effective even against Esdeath, so it might work on him too.
He could not afford to be hit—not even a minor cut.
Gripping the Dragon-Slashing Flash tightly, Su Xiao met Akame's charge.
Once they closed in, there was no wasted movement; each strike aimed for the other's vital points.
*Clang, clang, clang.*
A web of blades appeared before them, gleaming sword light crossing, edges clashing, sparks flying. A brutal close-quarters battle began.
*Clang.*
Blocking Akame's downward slash, Su Xiao tilted the Dragon-Slashing Flash to the side, guiding Murasame away from his body.
*Ssshhh.*
The blades scraped against each other, producing a sharp sound that traveled far.
Akame, rich in combat experience, immediately stepped back and swung her sword with both hands toward Su Xiao.
*Clang.*
This strike was powerful and heavy. Su Xiao raised the Dragon-Slashing Flash in front of him, blocking it flawlessly.
After the initial exchange, Su Xiao sensed that Akame's physical condition was similar to his own. Her combat experience was extensive, but her blade technique was inferior to his.
He activated Cyan Steel Shadow Energy, and faint blue arcs of electricity spread across the surface of the Dragon-Slashing Flash.
"Electricity?"
Akame noticed this and immediately retreated. Electricity could be conducted.
After stepping back a few paces, she checked her arm—no numbness.
"Not electricity."
Akame charged forward again.
*Clang, clang, clang.*
Both were blade masters, so the fight would not last long; life or death would be decided quickly.
The Dragon-Slashing Flash in his hand slashed at high speed, Su Xiao's pupils narrowing as he searched for Akame's opening.
Murasame swept past his side, the sharp blade grazing close to his shoulder. One mistake meant death—nothing was more thrilling than this.
Watching two people fight in a movie or show was completely different from being in the middle of a real battle. The enemy's whistling blade, the shifting steps of combat, the gradual drain of stamina. The feeling of the Dragon-Slashing Flash in his hand, the shock transmitted to his palm when blades clashed.
The fight continued, but then a sense of being locked onto emerged.
It was Mine!
Su Xiao unleashed a full-powered slash to suppress Akame, then spun and delivered a straight kick to her soft abdomen.
*Bang.*
Akame held Murasame horizontally in front of her, her feet dragging across the ground as she slid far back. Her insides churned violently, and she felt like vomiting.
*Swoosh~*
An orange laser shot toward Su Xiao's head. He quickly turned his head, and the laser grazed past his ear, the heat reaching his cheek.
Su Xiao glanced at Mine in the distance. She had been his primary target initially, but she had run too far, forcing him to choose Brand instead.
As for killing Akame from the start, he had never considered that. Not because he did not want to, but because he could not.
If Akame were so easily killed, she would not be the ace of the Night Raid.
Moreover, Su Xiao had a suspicion that, compared to Tatsumi, Akame might be the true protagonist of the story.
"Big Brother, are you okay?"
Tatsumi and Brand sat slumped nearby, both severely injured. Su Xiao had only struck once.
"I am fine. Just an arm. Akame might not hold out much longer."
Brand's words were surprising.
"How? They seem evenly matched."
"No, that guy was wary of Akame's Murasame. He is used to it now. Tatsumi, help me up."
Brand struggled to his feet and pulled a small syringe from his inner clothing.
"What is that, Big Brother?"
"A stimulant."
Brand injected the stimulant into his body, tore off some cloth, and roughly wrapped his shoulder wound.
"Evil Fruit Entanglement."
A wide-backed short sword was thrust into the ground. In an instant, Brand was encased in a suit of iron-gray armor—a full-body set.
A long spear appeared in Brand's hand, and his steps steadied.
"Big Brother... you..."
"The drug is working. I can fight for about five minutes."
The stone slab beneath Brand's feet cracked as he charged into the fray.
*Clang.*
Akame barely blocked Su Xiao's slash, her arm aching. The enemy's blade technique was stronger than hers—she had realized this early on.
A tall figure rushed into the battle. With one arm, Brand swung his long spear in a horizontal sweep, forcing Su Xiao back.
"Brand? You..."
"It is fine. I can support you for five minutes. With Mine's help, dealing with this guy should not be too hard."
"You used that drug?"
"Yeah."
Akame's eyes dimmed slightly. That stimulant caused irreversible damage to the body, drastically shortening one's lifespan.
"Do not worry about that. My combat power is less than half of what it was. I can only cover you."
Brand and Akame exchanged a glance, then both rushed toward Su Xiao.
Facing both Akame and Brand at once, Su Xiao felt the pressure, especially with Mine watching from a distance.
"I will have to use that move."
Su Xiao took a deep breath. The blue light on the Dragon-Slashing Flash surged, his mana dropping by thirty points per second.
Holding the blade with one hand, he advanced toward the enemy, the muscles in his right arm slightly bulging.
"Akame, fall back!"
Brand sensed the danger immediately and halted his forward momentum, but even so, both were already close to Su Xiao.
To Brand, Su Xiao now felt like a razor's edge—sharp to the extreme, as if no defense could withstand this strike.
Brand instinctively stepped in front of Akame and raised his spear.
*Ssshhh.*
The long blade fell. A blue afterimage lingered in the air as Su Xiao leaped back to recover his breath.
"Brand, are you okay..."
*Thud.*
A body, severed from the upper half into two pieces, hit the ground. Only then did blood begin to gush out.
"The first one."
Su Xiao's gaze shifted to Akame. She was the second.
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