Tonight, Alice joins the hunt.

Section 58. The Tightening Net, Part Two

"Excuse me, I'm going out for some fresh air." Akame pressed her chest and walked slowly but firmly away from Brand's bedside. She glanced at Hill, who immediately understood and took over the task of caring for Brand.

“Go ahead.” Hill’s voice was as soft and weak as ever. “I’ll stay here and watch over things. It should… it should be alright.”

"Please." Akame forced a smile from the corner of her mouth, her gaze sweeping over Hill's pale purple hair, lingering for a moment on a flower hairpin at the latter's temple.

[Hill's new hobby, huh? That's fine, at least she still has the energy to dress up. But this flower... is it a violet?]

[How strange, it smells like patchouli even though it's supposed to be a violet. Is it some new variety...? Ugh, I'm really overthinking this.]

A few fleeting thoughts crossed the girl's mind, but they were easily dispelled by the melancholy and anxiety that filled her heart. In the blink of an eye, she completely forgot these fleeting thoughts, nodded to Hill, and walked straight out of the door, leaving the rest room that had caused her so much confusion and distress.

This is the camp, the logistics camp.

When Alice settled the three of them, she specially arranged for a team of String Golems to build them a separate barracks. The surroundings were very quiet, because the nearest human camp was a kilometer away, and in that kilometer distance was the Silent Outpost where the String Golems were stationed.

Akame didn't know exactly how many String Golems Alice had created. All she knew was that from the moment Alice decided to establish a base in that nameless town, the manufacture and expansion of String Golems never ceased. They built factories, felled trees, mined minerals, and forged steel. While the insects' ability to plunder the earth was terrifying, the efficiency of the String Golems was no less impressive.

She watched as Alice controlled these puppets to dig enormous mines, drawing from the depths of the rock a black, viscous liquid she had never seen before. She saw Alice build towering structures, drawing power from the atmosphere and sky with windmill-like blades and mirror-like baffles. She saw new metals and powerful equipment flowing like water from the production lines in factories, and she couldn't even comprehend the slightest principle behind those creations.

If she really defeats those insects, then she should become the emperor.

Akame thought to herself, her gaze sweeping across the empty barracks—several dangling puppets stood quietly in a place she could easily find but would never normally get in the way. She waved to one of them, and the Chosen One immediately activated, took several large strides to her side, and awaited her further commands. Throughout this process, it showed no hesitation and made not a sound.

How powerful!

Such an army, even if numbering only a few, would be invincible against ten thousand.

The girl gently stroked the sturdy exterior of the suspended puppet—it looked like a steel skull, ferocious and cold, yet filled with an odd beauty. The puppet was slightly larger than her, but still well within the range of a normal human. She had no doubt that Alice could disguise the puppet as a living person by giving it a layer of skin, and she had no doubt that Alice was capable of doing so.

Her gaze shifted slightly upwards, landing on the number '37' etched on the golem's right shoulder armor. She knew this signified the 37th generation of the Threaded Golem. She also knew that the 35th generation Threaded Golems could break through the armored beetles' defenses without weapons, and that thirty of them together could even overwhelm and kill dimensional beetles of their own generation on the battlefield!

"I might not be able to defeat these puppets under her command anymore... Even if I could, given her research speed, my power would be meaningless to her in two or three days at most." — The girl sighed, her fingers unconsciously gripping her beloved sword, Murasame. She knew very well that her sword was useless against the insectoids, and also useless against the silken puppets. But if the target were a human, then she would still be the renowned 'one-hit kill'!

Alice's subordinates are not human, but Alice herself is human.

Akame might not last two seconds against her puppet army, but she could kill her with just one blow.

She was incredibly strong, stronger than ever before. Just like Esdeath, who achieved the invincible reputation of the Demon's Essence, the previously obscure Shadow Scythe owed its current glory to her. She made Shadow Scythe, not the other way around. Therefore, even if she dies, no successor to Shadow Scythe could possibly unleash her power… even if she truly controlled this puppet army through Shadow Scythe. Her successors might not be able to achieve what she did.

Therefore, she cannot die, because her legion's weakness lies within herself. If she dies, this legion will become scrap metal, and no successor will be found. And the sword in my hand is the only sword in the world that can be guaranteed to kill her.

She looked at Murasame, a surge of desire rising within her to destroy her beloved sword. Yet she forcefully suppressed it, knowing that the hand wielding the sword determined the direction of the strike.

Najenda should be here soon.

Akame didn't know what Najenda and her group were planning, but when the last support legion arrived, she learned from the followers of the Path of Peace who accompanied the army that Najenda would be coming to the front lines with the leader of the Path of Peace. Because Alice was expanding the puppet army's power while also frantically transferring followers from the interior to the south, now, four-fifths of the followers of the Path of Peace were on this side of the battlefield.

She didn't know why Alice would transfer these believers, who were utterly useless in combat and never assigned tasks on the battlefield, to the south—no, she probably did, but she forced herself to forget her guess. Because this was a secret that shouldn't be revealed, but she didn't know who else knew this secret besides herself.

Najenda may have known, which is why she traveled from the North to the South with her followers. And perhaps that's why Brand revealed the truth about their arrival at this time.

Akame felt her heart tremble uncontrollably. A faint sadness rose from the depths of her soul.

Najenda... I hope you won't stand against the people. Because if you do... I'll have to do it myself...

[...I've ruined you!]

The next moment, a gust of wind suddenly swept across the back of her neck!

'clang--!!!'

What blocked the blade wasn't Akame's Imperial Arm: Murasame, but rather the steel-bound arm of the Threaded Puppet. The gleaming blade reflected the attacker's face, and Akame couldn't help but gasp!

"Black Eyes—!?"

"Long time no see, sister!" The attacker had a slightly similar appearance to Akame, a shorter stature, beautiful shoulder-length hair, and a petite and slender body dressed in a rather unusual sailor uniform. She gripped a long sword that resembled but was slightly different from the Teigu Murasame, and her deep black eyes were filled with madness.

She is Akame's biological younger sister, a blade meticulously trained by the Empire's assassination squad from a young age. Unlike Akame, who was persuaded to surrender by Najenda's words, she has always stood on the side of the Empire. And it is precisely for this reason that she is filled with a morbid killing intent and desire for her only sister.

She was an elite member of the empire, a highly skilled warrior who would always accompany the empire's important figures. And her presence here meant…

Akame flicked the hilt of her sword, and Murasame was instantly drawn. Instinctively, she turned and slashed through several white arrows that came from behind, a sharp cry escaping her throat.

"I command you! Suppress the attackers!"

Several ethereal puppets, hidden in the shadows, suddenly sprang into action, as if they had instantly detected the attackers' movements, and slammed into several shadowy areas. A series of clangs, accompanied by muffled groans and low growls, echoed as several attackers suddenly appeared in Akame's field of vision!

A burly man carrying a flamethrower, a young man in black armor, a winged man, and a girl riding a white behemoth—four in total, plus Kuro-tomi, making five. At the same time, at least thirty tethered puppets suddenly appeared at Akame's shout, quickly overwhelming them with a series of swift close-range attacks!

Akame's command was to suppress, not kill. Therefore, the String Golems, now at their 37th generation, did not use their powerful weapons, capable of annihilating an entire insect swarm in an instant. Their offensive contained a flaw, a flaw Akame had anticipated.

"Why are you attacking here! Kurohime!" She raised the Murasame, unleashing a burst of fighting techniques using the String Puppet, forcing Kurohime to retreat repeatedly. "Having already clashed head-on with the insects, don't you know that the masters of these puppets are the only chance for the people of the Empire to survive this disaster! Why did you attack without authorization!"

“That kind of thing…” Kurohime suddenly brandished her sword, steadying herself while unleashing a series of swift and sharp slashes that struck Murasame’s blade. Her fierce aura and fearlessness in the face of death and injury made Akame, whose killing intent was waning, feel constrained.

"...Who would care!"

'clang--!!!!'

The blades clashed, the powerful impact sending both of them staggering backward. Black Eyes regained her footing before Red Eyes, and her thrusting attack, aimed at Red Eyes, was blocked by the String Puppet.

The blade pierced her body, yet the puppet's movements showed no hesitation. Its sturdy arms, essentially composite alloy, swiftly grabbed the unsuspecting Black Eyes and slammed her into the ground, simultaneously seizing her joints.

then……

The icy longsword suddenly fell, instantly turning the puppet's head into icy dust. Crimson Eyes whirled around, just in time to see countless icy blades swarming in, shattering the tethered puppets that had surrounded the others. And in the center of this encirclement of thousands of ice blades, a haughty and imposing blue-haired woman floated in the air.

Esdeath.

Esdeath, the empire's strongest general.

She swung her outstretched hand downwards, and hundreds of frost-covered sword blades shot towards Akame and every corner where Akame could hide.

This was a fatal blow, unstoppable, yet as the ice blade fell, surprisingly, no fear or dread arose in the girl's heart. On the contrary, she felt a sense of relief.

Ah... Am I going to die here?

[That's... not so bad, actually. Whether it's Arya, Alice, Brand, Najenda... if they were dead, they wouldn't have to worry about these things anymore. It's just a pity...]

Black eyes...

She instinctively looked towards her younger sister. But at that very moment, a sudden gust of wind arose in front of her! A wave of air, like a cannonball, slammed into a meter in front of her, the perfectly controlled force shattering the ice sword without causing her any injury!

【! 】

Akame's eyes widened suddenly. She saw a tall figure appear abruptly beside her—she recognized this person; she had briefly encountered him a few days earlier in the temple of Anning Road. She just hadn't expected... that she would have a second contact with this person in this way.

“A beautiful maiden is like a flower; I cannot bear to watch her wither.” The voice of the Anning Dao Master was clear yet slightly magnetic. His flowing sleeves transformed into a resilient energy shield, blocking Esdeath’s second, casual sword strike. Taking advantage of this opening, he turned back and smiled at Akame. A sudden burst of air propelled Akame towards the camp’s sickroom while simultaneously flinging Kurome toward her companions.

He then turned his head and bowed slightly to Esdeath.

“Anning Road, Cheng Xiao, greets the Imperial General.”

Esdeath pressed down the third wave of ice swords that was about to fall, and raised an eyebrow as she looked at Kurohime, who was being helped up by her subordinates, and Najenda and her group who suddenly appeared near the camp's ward.

“I don’t remember the leader of the Path of Tranquility having this name. But it doesn’t really matter what it’s called.” Her gaze fell on Najenda, as well as Leone and Lubbock who were standing in front of Najenda.

“Long time no see,” her voice clearly reached everyone present. “Najeta, although you are not my target here this time, since you dare to appear in front of me, you won’t be able to escape this time by sacrificing an eye or a hand.”

“It’s been a long time, Esdeath.” Najenda lit a cigarette. She took a deep drag and looked at the Imperial Supreme floating in the air. “Your temper is as bad as ever, but I think our entanglement may not end today.”

Esdeath did not answer.

She simply watched quietly, gazing at the top of the tower at the end of the fortress.

Unbeknownst to many, Alice, wielding the Shadow Scythe, had already reached the top of the tower. She looked at Esdeath, her subordinates, and the Teigu users of the Night Raid assassin group. Outside the camp, tens of thousands of Stringed Puppets had completely surrounded the area!

Chapter 59 Metamorphosis - Part 1

"Should I call you Arya Saint Grey, or should I call you Alice Margot Lloyd?" The Imperial General spoke first, her eyes fixed on the scythe-wielding girl standing silently atop the watchtower, a chilling fighting spirit in them. Her gaze then moved downwards, lightly sweeping over the thousands of tethered puppets.

"All the intelligence I've gathered from every source points to your true name being Arya, Arya Saint Grey—a rare scum of trash among the countless corrupt noble families in the capital. Normally, you wouldn't even warrant the slightest attention from me. But whenever I try to ignore you like a wisp of smoke, my heart tells me—you are my greatest enemy in this life. I absolutely cannot let my guard down against you."

Her gaze was sharp as a knife, and the thousands of trembling ice blades hovering around her revealed the turbulent emotions of their wielder. She scrutinized Alice at the edge of her vision, not wanting to miss even the slightest detail. Yet, even so, all she received was silence.

Alice looked at her without saying a word.

"You seem to have no desire to hide or refute this matter, so perhaps you could give me a reasonable explanation?"

“Five minutes ago, I might have insisted that you call me Alice,” the girl said softly, an ominous black flame igniting on her black scythe. “But now, it makes no difference to me which identity I have. I no longer need a fixed name to anchor my existence, because I… am becoming special.”

I'm not going to give you any explanation.

The black flames on the scythe extended upwards from the girl's hand holding it, covering her body like an elusive veil. They did not burn or dissipate, but simply existed quietly, like a finely woven, exquisite fabric—this was not the power of the Shadow Scythe, but something deeper and darker.

This was a curse, hatred, and resentment. Everyone present could clearly see the hideous faces of countless dead people writhing on the surface of the black mist. Silently screaming, thick black fluid gushed from their empty eye sockets. And that black fluid condensed again on the outside of the mist, gradually transforming into a strangely shaped full-body armor.

If Zheng Zha were here, he would recognize that this armor was the same one Alice wore in the world of Ju-on's memories. Compared to that armor, which only possessed a terrifying appearance and tough material, the armor she was wearing now clearly surged with a much deeper power.

The former is the surface, the latter is the interior.

The former is the shell, the latter is the soul.

Only those with a deep understanding of energy manipulation could comprehend the profound skill hidden within her seemingly effortless gesture. This wasn't a fixed spell, nor did it utilize any auxiliary runes; she shaped unstable energy flames into a specific form without the aid of any tools. This signified an incredibly refined and precise control over energy!

It is energy, not power.

Strength is part of one's own body, while energy is entirely different.

There is a vast difference between simply controlling the internal and strengthening the control from within to the outside, and the resulting difference in power is immense. Undoubtedly, the woman before Esdeath had reached a level Esdeath knew of but had not yet attained. And when this realization clearly entered her mind, she felt her blood boil.

“Since you’re unwilling to tell me, then I’ll have to find the answer myself.” Esdeath took a deep breath, and the thousands of ice blades surrounding her instantly coalesced into a slender, sharp, and exquisitely crafted rapier. Her expression was serious, and the fervor in her eyes almost burned like ice. Dense freezing air emanated from her body, causing the overall temperature of the entire camp to drop by at least thirty degrees Celsius in just a few seconds. The ground began to freeze, frost over, and then layers of small and large ice crystals appeared in the blink of an eye.

Before even engaging in combat, she had already used almost her full strength. The chilling aura, enough to filter out all the regular soldiers, continued to drop in temperature as it rapidly expanded outwards, and fine snowflakes began to fall from the sky. The Night Raid assassins, Esdeath's followers, and other onlookers were forced to seek refuge in the distance.

They retreated nearly a kilometer, during which time neither Alice, Esdeath, nor the thousands of silent puppet soldiers paid them any attention. It was as if they were nothing more than insignificant specks of dust—

—Najenda had initially intended to say something to assert her presence. But she lingered for less than a second before her metal arm began to freeze, and frost began to form around her prosthetic eye. She had to be helped away from the area where the two were fighting, only with the help of her subordinates who sensed something was wrong. The bold words she had intended to utter were frozen in her throat, leaving only a lingering, sorrowful sigh.

'You are all so weak.'

Although neither of them uttered these words, the meaning was clearly conveyed.

Esdeath ignored this minor incident, or perhaps such trivial matters were never even on her radar. She had confidence in her subordinates, believing they could easily handle these filthy rats lurking in the gutter. As for herself, she had far more important things to accomplish.

This will be a fight to the death, and Esdeath doesn't think she has much of a chance of winning.

“Do you know?” She gently raised the slender rapier, the tip pointing towards the girl's brow at the top of the tower. “I’ve felt subtle changes in my body for a little over a week now. I’m getting stronger, and at a rate that exceeds my expectations.”

"Ah... that feeling, it was as if the world itself was favoring me. I only spent one day completely absorbing and mastering the power of the Demon Essence. And I spent another day developing powerful techniques that I could never have imagined before. On the third day, I realized that such powerful techniques required energy that I could hardly accumulate. However, at dawn on the fourth day, on my way back to the capital, I found a nameless little flower that, once eaten, could increase my energy reserves tenfold."

"Whether it's Bud, the ministers, or the emperor, when I returned to the capital, they were all as insignificant as ants in my eyes. I originally planned to kill them all and turn this world into a chaotic hunting ground for me to choose my warriors, but because of your existence, I spared their lives."

She continued speaking to herself, her aura growing increasingly chilling with each word. The girl standing opposite her simply watched quietly, observing her vivid and captivating performance.