Chapter 40: Synthesis (Fourth Update, for ‘~:Little Dragon ‘Good Boy’︷’)
The Lightning-Flame Susanoo was a humanoid biological Imperial Arm, primarily responsible for caring for its master and serving as a guard.
Najenda had obtained the right to use this Imperial Arm after returning to the Revolutionary Army headquarters this time. Susanoo was still in the adjustment phase; otherwise, it would have been inseparable from its master.
The reason Najenda came to the basement was to find that young girl in charge of the Imperial Arms. The girl was specifically responsible for managing the Imperial Arms, but when she reached the girl's room, Najenda found she wasn't there. The bedding in the room was neatly arranged, leading her to believe the girl had gone to the basement for routine inspections.
After all, the Imperial Arms were stored in the basement, and a morning check was mandatory.
When she reached the entrance to the basement, Najenda encountered Su Xiao.
Fate was truly peculiar. Najenda discovered Su Xiao, who had infiltrated the headquarters, yet she paid for it with her life.
Susanoo stood in front of Najenda. Upon seeing her injuries, Susanoo realized that his master was about to die.
"Susanoo… final order, hold him off…"
Najenda's raised arm fell heavily to the ground, and Susanoo collapsed as well. When the master dies, a biological Imperial Arm loses its power.
By the time the notification from Reincarnation Paradise appeared, Su Xiao had already picked up the treasure chest dropped by Najenda and run far away.
Although Susanoo was an Imperial Arm, Su Xiao didn't even glance at it.
The Revolutionary Army headquarters was like a hornet's nest that had been viciously stabbed. Shouts, alarms, and the horns of army assembly blended into one.
Running quickly through the corridor, Su Xiao searched for a window. Finally, after running over ten meters, he found one.
With a crash, he broke through the window and charged headlong toward the forest a few hundred meters away.
"The enemy is over there! Everyone, pursue at full speed!"
The partially assembled army surged forward, forming an inverted U-shape to surround Su Xiao.
But how could these ordinary soldiers be faster than Su Xiao? Although they were closer to the forest, by the time Su Xiao was about ten meters from the tree line, only a few dozen soldiers stood in his way.
Su Xiao charged straight at them, ignoring the long weapons in the soldiers' hands.
As he reached the soldiers, he activated the skill 'Sanctuary' attached to the blue pendant.
Sanctuary (Active): Quickly forms an invisible shield to block attacks. Shield durability equals 70% of the holder's maximum health, lasting 10 seconds.
A transparent shell of light appeared around his body. Ignoring the soldiers' attacks, he swung the Dragon-Slaying Flash rapidly.
Pfft, pfft.
Blood sprayed. Su Xiao only attacked, not defending. The shield generated by 'Sanctuary' blocked all attacks from the soldiers' long weapons.
Clang, clang…
A series of sharp sounds rang out. The soldiers attacking him felt their palms go numb from the impact.
In just one exchange, the shield's durability dropped by more than half, showing the terrifying power of a military formation.
Of course, this was directly related to Su Xiao's all-out offensive.
Wherever Su Xiao passed, screams and wails filled the air. He carved a bloody path through the dozens of soldiers—a path of escape.
With one slash killing the last soldier in front of him, Su Xiao rushed into the forest. The shield's durability was down to just two points.
Rapid footsteps sounded behind him. Over a thousand soldiers had formed a battle formation.
If Su Xiao had been even a few seconds slower, he would have been surrounded by the formation, and then there would have been no chance of survival.
"Thief, don't think you can escape!"
A young man wielding a long blade followed Su Xiao into the forest. The youth held a fiery red longsword, its temperature quite high.
Over a thousand soldiers also pursued into the forest. By now, the sky was faintly brightening.
"What is this…"
A long-haired beauty with a lollipop in her mouth walked out of the Revolutionary Army headquarters. She wore headphones and a British-style uniform.
"Chelsea, quickly track the enemy. The situation is still unclear, but I just heard Najenda's scream."
An elderly Revolutionary Army member hurried over. This was a high-ranking official of the Revolutionary Army.
"Sigh~ I've only been back for less than an hour."
"Stop the nonsense. Najenda may have been killed."
Chelsea's pretty face stiffened.
"Najenda was killed?"
Chelsea found it hard to believe.
"It's not clear yet. Go quickly. Your tracking ability is the strongest. You must catch the enemy. Don't bother with capturing him alive—just bring back the corpse."
"Understood."
Chelsea opened her portable makeup case, a few cosmetics pinched between her fingers.
Bang.
A puff of white smoke, and Chelsea turned into a small calico cat. That's right, a cat.
Chelsea was an Imperial Arm user of the Revolutionary Army. Her Imperial Arm was Transformation Freedom: Gaia Foundation, which allowed her to transform into anything at will.
"Be careful."
The elderly Revolutionary Army member advised.
The transformed calico cat nodded, twitched its nose, and wagging its tail, walked into the forest.
In the forest.
Su Xiao moved swiftly between the trees. This time had been truly dangerous. Infiltrating the Revolutionary Army headquarters was no easy task. His perception had slackened for a period, otherwise this wouldn't have happened.
To be honest, it was just bad luck. He had only been mentally exhausted and dazed for a moment, but at that very moment, Najenda had shown up.
All that was in the past. Su Xiao had now successfully escaped, and the pursuing army couldn't catch up.
One thing bothered Su Xiao: a young man was chasing not far behind him. The youth had an ordinary appearance, but the blade in his hand was quite good.
Sensing the distance to the army, Su Xiao slowed his pace slightly, maintaining a speed that kept the army from catching up but allowed the young man to follow.
The escape began. Two hours later, the pursuing army had vanished without a trace, and the young man's pace also slowed.
Su Xiao suddenly stopped, holding the Dragon-Slaying Flash as he looked behind him.
"Heh, heh, you, thief, finally out of steam."
The young man was gasping for breath, pointing his fiery red longsword at Su Xiao.
"Foolish."
Su Xiao stomped the ground beneath him, sending mud flying. Before the mud could even land, he had already reached the young man.
The youth instinctively raised his blade in front of him. Su Xiao's forward charge abruptly stopped. With a sidestep, his figure appeared beside the young man.
The young man's mouth fell open, as if he couldn't believe what he was seeing. His gaze clearly said, "Is this even possible?"
Pfft.
The Dragon-Slashing Flash pierced straight through the young man's side ribs, entering from one side and emerging from the opposite shoulder.
"Impossible…"
The young man fell to the ground with a thud. No treasure chest appeared.
Being an Imperial Arm user without even World Source meant he was probably a weakling who had just obtained the Imperial Arm. The Revolutionary Army's strong were all in the Night Raid unit.
Although the young man didn't drop a treasure chest, the Imperial Arm fell to the ground.
Su Xiao picked up the Imperial Arm to check its attributes and nodded in satisfaction.
In the world of Akame ga Kill, killing an Imperial Arm user allowed direct seizure of the Imperial Arm. However, such Imperial Arms couldn't be taken out of the derivative world. If the affinity matched, they could be used within this world and automatically converted into World Source upon returning to Reincarnation Paradise.
To obtain an Imperial Arm that could be taken out of the Akame ga Kill world, one needed to kill the Imperial Arm user and obtain it from the treasure chest they dropped.
Putting away the longsword, Su Xiao continued forward. After running for so long, he was also very tired—both physically and mentally exhausted.
After traveling for another three hours, Su Xiao was completely safe. At this distance, the Revolutionary Army's forces couldn't possibly pursue him. During this time, he had not only covered his tracks but also swam across a river to mask his scent.
Using the map obtained from the Third Dark Division, Su Xiao found a small town.
This place wasn't too far from the imperial capital. The town had a considerable population but wasn't prosperous. The residents' lives were somewhat strained.
Finding an inn in the town, Su Xiao checked in and took a bath. Although still fatigued, he felt much fresher.
Sitting on the bed, Su Xiao took out the Imperial Arms he had obtained this time—a total of six.
He had acquired five from the Revolutionary Army's basement and one from killing the pursuing young man.
Su Xiao took out the Imperial Arms from his storage space as well, preparing to begin synthesis.
"Just what will come out of this? Don't let me down."