Alchemists do not need self-cultivation

“Not bad. We found over a dozen boxes of steam guns and about three thousand samurai swords in your Junjo.” Isaac looked at Maeda with a hint of sarcasm. “I need an explanation for this.”

Maeda's face started to betray his unease.

He had considered that Isaac might eventually find out, but he didn't expect it to happen so quickly.

Actually, these weapons were supposed to be transported out of the city before, but before Juncheng could leave, Isaac brought people to seal off the city. They could only order their men to delay for a while, trying to hide the weapons in a place temporarily.

Ideally, it should be hidden until the search is over, since a place as large as Iwato Station is not easy to search. Three days is only enough time to get a general idea of ​​what's going on.

However, they underestimated the fact that Isaac had directly targeted several Juncheng vehicles.

"I advise you to give me an explanation now, Lord Maeda," Isaac said sternly, staring at the tense Maeda. "Otherwise, you'll miss your chance."

There's no need to explain this; the truth has already been revealed.

At this point, Isaac continued, "Of course, I would be happy if you would give me a list of those stupid rebels; maybe you could survive."

"This……"

Itagaki, who was sitting behind him, could no longer sit still. He stood up and roared, "No way! Have you forgotten what the General instructed us to do?"

Swish!

The shadow beneath Isaac's feet suddenly lengthened, turning into spikes pressed against his throat.

"Well……"

“I don’t want to be interrupted when I’m speaking. Can’t you see I’m chatting with your lord?” Isaac said calmly.

The spikes that had formed from the shadow returned to Isaac's feet and became shadows again. Itagaki retreated to his position with lingering fear.

The people in the room stared at Isaac in horror. Having never seen anything like it before, they all thought Isaac had cast some kind of sorcery.

"What's your decision, Maeda?"

"I……"

boom!

Suddenly the ceiling of the room cracked open, and a person wearing a straw hat fell down from above, drawing a samurai sword from his waist and slashing at Isaac.

"Foolish act," Isaac said, preparing to finish off the sudden assassin.

However, just as he was about to make a move, Chise Todo stepped in front of Isaac and raised her knife, clashing it against the assassin's.

After exchanging blows for several rounds, the two retreated simultaneously to create distance between them.

The assassin, who had fallen to the ground next to Maeda, said, "Lord Maeda, please run away now."

"Did you take down that Isaac who killed me?"

"Try your best."

Isaac looked at the assassin as if he had heard a joke and sneered, "Hey! Did I hear that right? You think you can kill me? I'll make you lie in a coffin with that wonderful dream right now."

Just as Isaac was about to activate his alchemy, Chise rushed out again and grappled with the assassin, their knives flashing at incredible speed. Sparks flew everywhere.

“...You always rush ahead of me, which makes me very embarrassed,” Isaac said helplessly.

Chapter 442: A Thousand Lifetimes and the Assassin

Watching the two fighting each other, and then looking at Maeda rushing towards the door, Isaac wasn't actually in a hurry. He had already locked onto the aura of these people from the very beginning.

Chise Todo continued fighting the assassin, her katana flashing as she launched a full-force attack. She clearly intended to kill him.

In contrast, the assassin used all his moves to defend, showing no intention of attacking at all.

Isaac carefully observed the assassin. He wore a straw hat but not a mask, revealing the face of a middle-aged man. His swordsmanship was superb, but he deliberately avoided Qian Shi's vital points.

But every move Qian Shi made was filled with killing intent.

"Um? Do you need my help?"

"No need, please rest assured, Lord Isaac." Qian Shi stood in front of Isaac, looking earnestly at the assassin wearing a bamboo hat before him, "I will definitely protect you."

"...Thank you very much."

Isaac looked at Chise, whose face was filled with determination, and felt somewhat helpless.

She really doesn't understand her own strength. She knows that if she makes a move, this assassin could be lying dead here in no time.

"You keep fighting, I'll deal with those guys."

He then prepared to leave and find Maeda and the others who had escaped.

"I won't let you escape!" the assassin roared, dodging Qian Shi in an attempt to block Isaac.

But Chise reacted quickly, grabbed his clothes, and swung his knife at his head.

clang!

The attack was blocked without any surprise.

By this time, Isaac had already disappeared without a trace.

The assassin silently lowered his knife and asked in a low voice, "Qian Shi, do you really intend to draw your sword against me?"

"You taught me before that the most important thing for a samurai is loyalty." Chise looked at the middle-aged man in front of her and raised her sword once more. "Now, all I can do is kill you, you traitor, with my own hands."

"I see, then..."

He pulled down his straw hat, and his eyes sharpened.

"Let's get started."

clang!

With a loud bang, the two men's swords clashed once again.

------

"Ha ha……"

Maeda ran around his manor, and because he hadn't exercised for years, he was already out of breath after just a few steps.

Having witnessed Isaac's strength, he didn't believe the assassin could kill the man; he only hoped to buy time to escape.

The entire Iwato Post Station is now under blockade by Amestoris's army. We can no longer escape through Junjo Castle; we can only use horses to find opportunities through gaps in the defenses.

"We have to hurry, if we get to the stables now..."

"Maeda~ Why are you running so fast?"

The terrifying voice sounded behind him, followed by a wall rising up in front of him to block his way.

"you……"

“I think you seem to understand your situation, but you still harbor a sliver of hope that you can escape.” Isaac smiled, walking towards Maeda, whose eyes showed fear. “Who sent you to support the rebels? Amaterasu Okimasa?”

As Isaac approached him, Maeda retreated until he was blocked by the wall. Knowing he had nowhere to go, he lost his mind and suddenly roared as he charged at Isaac.

"what!!!"

"Never mind, I already know without you asking."

Isaac smiled and walked straight past Maeda, who was charging towards him.

thump!

Maeda, who had been yelling and shouting, lost his composure the moment Isaac passed by him, then swayed a few times and collapsed to the ground.

"Then, it's time to clean up the rebels here."

The cleanup of the lord's manor was swift; once he sensed everyone's presence, Isaac's shadow had already filled the entire estate.

Before anyone could even run out of the lord's mansion, they were stabbed through the neck by a dark figure that appeared out of nowhere.

The commotion was so subtle that even the citizens outside the mansion, and even the guards at the gate, were unaware of what had happened. Everything occurred silently.

However, the lord's manor has already begun to reek of blood.

Not long after, the shadow returned to Isaac's body once again.

“‘Prid’s’ abilities are really useful,” Isaac chuckled, looking at the shadowy figures swirling around him. “I wonder if he can absorb the abilities of other artificial beings as well.”

The man in the bottle created seven androids. Four of them, including the previous president King Bradley, have been destroyed by Isaac. The remaining ones are 'Sloth' who was frozen by Violet, 'Greed' Glide who is missing and whose whereabouts are unknown, and 'Gluttony' who is currently tied up in the laboratory in Eastern City.

The other two are alright, but Gratoni's False Gate of Truth is a good thing, and Isaac would really like to get his hands on it if he could.

After the matter was resolved, Isaac sensed that the assassin and Qian Shi's aura still lingered in the room above.

"They're not finished yet, are they? It's been going on for so long."

Back in the room, sure enough, the two were still fighting.

Knife marks were visible all over the surrounding floor and walls, indicating that the fight had been extremely fierce.

Chise was slightly out of breath, but the knife in her hand did not stop.

"Hey, how much longer are you guys going to fight?"

"I apologize, Lord Isaac..." Chise stepped back to Isaac's side, somewhat dejected, "It is my incompetence..."

“Well, your swordsmanship is already quite good for your age, but this person seems to be even more skilled,” Isaac said, looking at the assassin in front of him.

The assassin's expression turned serious when he saw Isaac return; he had already guessed that those who had escaped were probably killed.

Since the mission failed, there is only one option left.

He quickly jumped toward the window, intending to escape the place.

Bang!

Isaac reacted quickly and conjured a wall to block the window, and the assassin crashed into it.

Before he could even react to what was happening, Isaac had already rushed in front of him and punched him in the stomach, knocking him unconscious.

"Is this your enemy?" Isaac asked, pointing to the assassin lying on the ground.

Qian Shi's eyes were somewhat confused as he looked at the assassin on the ground, seemingly lost in memories.

After a long while, she nodded.

"Yes."

“He can’t be killed by you yet, because most of the people who know the truth have already been taken care of, so I have some questions for him,” Isaac said, lifting the assassin lying on the ground.

Qian Shi looked at him and felt a sense of relief for some reason.