Chapter 411: The Invincible Wood!

"So this is the Teigu that Wood possesses? Other than enhancing his physical capabilities like Bulat's, does it have any other abilities?"

Seeing the blue-armored figure covered in a layer of frost just from standing there, Tatsumi couldn't help but ask his fellow comrades beside him.

Tatsumi hadn't been with Night Raid for long, and seeing Wood in his flowing blue armor with a crystal-clear blue sword, he couldn't gather much more information beyond thinking it looked incredibly cool. So, he turned to the "senior" members for answers.

"Don't look at us. Since I joined Night Raid, this is also my first time seeing Wood use his Teigu.

To be honest, I even forgot that he's a Teigu user most of the time. When we go on missions, he never needs to use his Teigu. He always completes everything smoothly using his own strength."

Hearing Tatsumi's question, Leone shrugged and admitted she knew nothing either. Despite knowing Wood longer, she was in the same boat as Tatsumi.

"Akame joined Night Raid earlier than us. Maybe she knows something about Wood's Teigu?" Bulat looked over at Akame, hoping she would have more information.

"This is also my first time seeing Wood use his Teigu. However, I have heard Boss mention it before.

'Frost Knight—Winter Knight' is like Bulat's 'Incursio'; both are crafted from materials taken from a super-dangerous dragon-type beast.

Wood's Teigu, created from the bones of the Ice Dragon Skasa, which resides atop snow-covered peaks, also incorporates millennium-cold steel from the same mountain range.

Besides enhancing the user's physical abilities, 'Winter Knight' grants its wielder the power to manipulate ice and withstand extreme cold."

"So, it's also a body-enhancing Teigu, just like Bulat's..."

"Yeah, and it has some ridiculous abilities." Akame explained what she knew.

"Are we done with the tactical meeting? Then I'm going to stop holding back now!"

While Akame and others analyzed his abilities, Wood waited without making any moves—after all, this was a sparring session, not an actual fight to the death.

As soon as the others wrapped up their discussion, Wood sprang into action.

The moment he finished speaking, Wood's body, which had been standing still, left only an afterimage, and his body—moving faster than sound—appeared right in front of Tatsumi.

"So fast! I can't even see his movements!"

Seeing Wood move in an instant and suddenly appear before Tatsumi, Leone couldn't help but exclaim in awe.

Their original plan was for Leone and Bulat to hold the frontline, using their strength to engage Wood in direct combat while Akame sought an opening for a decisive blow.

Tatsumi was supposed to adapt to the situation and provide support as needed... Unfortunately, despite the rapid growth of Tatsumi's abilities, there was still a clear gap between him and his comrades, especially since he lacked a Teigu. As a result, he ended up more as a spectator than anything.

Leone and Bulat were chosen to take on the main battle role for two reasons: Bulat had the highest physical capability among the group, while Leone, wielding her Teigu 'Lionelle,' had impressive regeneration and endurance, making her ideal for prolonged fights.

What neither Leone nor Bulat anticipated, however, was that once Wood donned his Teigu, his speed would increase so drastically. Rather than facing off with the strongest combatants, he chose to target the weakest link first—Tatsumi.

In the eyes of Leone and Bulat, Tatsumi was undoubtedly the weakest. But in Wood's assessment, Tatsumi was also the most dangerous, so removing him from the equation first was a no-brainer.

Since they were comrades, Wood did not slash Tatsumi with his sword, instead opting for a clean, powerful punch.

"Clang——!"

However, just as Wood's punch was about to strike Tatsumi's abdomen, Akame dashed forward, appearing just in time to intercept it with her blade, Muramasa.

Wood's gauntleted fist struck Muramasa, resulting in a loud metallic clang that sent shockwaves throughout the area. Even with both hands on her sword, Akame felt an overwhelming force pass through her arms and into her entire body.

While Akame appeared slender, everyone in Night Raid knew that she was a pure brute! All the food she ate never seemed to turn into fat—it seemed to only add to her incredible strength.

Even so, under the impact of Wood's punch, Akame found herself flying backward, her blade pushing back, colliding directly with Tatsumi, who was right behind her.

Both of them were sent hurtling backward like cannonballs, crashing through the wall behind them.

Akame came off okay, sustaining only minor internal injuries from the impact. But Tatsumi, who cushioned her landing, had it far worse—he was certain a few of his ribs had been broken again.

Lubbock was absolutely right—Tatsumi was starting to realize that after this sparring session, he'd be lying in bed for a few more days to recover.

Seeing Akame and Tatsumi both being flung aside, Leone and Bulat launched a pincer attack from behind.

Yet, just as they got within a few meters of Wood, an icy aura suddenly burst forth from him.

The temperature dropped dramatically, and the water vapor in the air condensed into frost before coalescing in one place.

"Boom——!"

"Ding——!"

A massive ice wall several meters high and half a meter thick abruptly shot up behind Wood, blocking Leone's punches and Bulat's spear thrust.

The wall wasn't all that thick, and under Leone's relentless barrage of strikes, it soon collapsed.

However, that brief moment was all the time Wood needed to regain his stance and launch a counterattack.

As the ice wall crumbled, there was an explosive sonic boom, and Wood's figure appeared before Leone once more, launching a powerful punch at her.

Seeing Wood willingly come within her range, Leone didn't try to dodge. Instead, with fighting spirit blazing, she threw a punch of her own.

Fists collided mid-air, causing a powerful shockwave that cracked the ground beneath them.

"Crack——!"

The result of this fist-on-fist clash wasn't evenly matched—the sound of Leone's arm fracturing echoed loudly.

As pain shot up her arm, Leone finally understood why Akame and Tatsumi had been knocked away so easily by Wood. In his armored state, his strength was on an entirely different level.

Despite the pain, Leone refused to give up. She twisted her body in mid-air and launched a powerful spinning kick with all her strength.

Her large, well-built leg sliced through the air, producing an audible whistle. Anyone unfortunate enough to be struck by that kick would surely be sent flying several hundred meters.

"Boom——!"

However, facing Leone's powerful kick, Wood merely extended his arm, effortlessly blocking it before grabbing her by the ankle.

Though it seemed effortless, the impact caused a shockwave. Wood was pushed back slightly, retreating two or three steps.

Yes, only two or three steps—that was all.

"Wood, are you even human!?" Leone couldn't hide her frustration at seeing her full-force kick so casually stopped by Wood.

She didn't have time to say more, as Wood flung her away without any hesitation.

In fact, Wood had initially intended to slam her directly to the ground, but considering this was merely a sparring match and the fact that Leone had often been kind to him, he decided to go easy and just threw her aside.

In the very instant Wood tossed Leone away, his Kenbunshoku Haki (Observation Haki) warned him of incoming danger. The air split with a swooshing sound as something moved towards him.

Wood raised his sword to block, and the clash of metal rang out. The force of the attack pushed him back two or three steps.

But as he looked around, there was no one in sight. However, he had clearly sensed the attack. The Observation Haki didn't lie.

"I see... This must be the secondary ability of your Teigu, 'Incursio.' A perfect invisibility that hides even your presence. It's quite the formidable power.

But you can't hide everything—when you attack me, the airflow shifts, your killing intent leaks, and my sense of threat becomes apparent. These things can't be completely concealed."

Tatsumi, severely injured and forced out of the fight, watched from the sidelines alongside Lubbock, Leone, and Akame.

The latter two had both been sent flying and now sat out, humbled by the realization of Wood's restraint in not hitting them harder. Tatsumi, stubborn as ever, refused to seek immediate medical attention, wanting instead to watch the duel to its conclusion.

Bulat, in Tatsumi's eyes, was a true warrior, and Wood was Night Raid's undisputed strongest. He didn't want to miss out on witnessing this showdown.

Bulat had activated 'Incursio' and used its perfect invisibility to blend into the battlefield. With his Teigu's capabilities, Bulat had completely hidden his presence—even his figure was nowhere to be seen.

Everyone in Night Raid knew that Bulat had an honest and straightforward personality. Although 'Incursio' had the ability to turn its user invisible, Bulat rarely used this ability during combat—it was mainly reserved for stealth operations.

The reason was simple: Bulat disdained the act of ambushes or surprise attacks. He preferred to overpower his opponents with strength and skill, winning through open and fair confrontation.

Yet now, Bulat had broken his usual rule, using the invisibility ability against Wood.

It wasn't that Bulat had compromised his principles—it was simply that Wood was too strong. Bulat knew that he stood no chance of defeating Wood in a direct confrontation.

Nevertheless, his curiosity about Wood's full capabilities drove him to try this approach, aiming to draw out more of Wood's potential.

"Are Wood's words true? I can't seem to perceive any of those cues..."

Hearing Wood's explanation, Tatsumi could hardly believe it. The air currents, the threat perception, and the other things Wood had mentioned all seemed too advanced to Tatsumi.

"That's why you're the weakest one. Look at everyone else—they're all participating in the spar, and yet you're the only one getting severely injured."

Mine never missed a chance to taunt Tatsumi, especially since he was the easiest target.

"Mine, don't be so harsh on Tatsumi. Honestly, how many people can manage all of those things Wood described?

If it were me, I might be able to sense some of the danger when being attacked. Mine, as a sniper, you can probably feel the shifts in airflow, right?

As for Akame, she's probably closest to Wood in this regard and can perceive all of it, right?"

Leone, in an uncharacteristic move, spoke up for Tatsumi. She then glanced over at Akame.

"No, while I can perceive those things, if my opponent were Bulat... I don't think I could.

Evidently, even if you manage to hone those abilities, the opponent still matters. Bulat was simply too powerful for Akame to track while he was invisible. On the other hand, if it had been Tatsumi using 'Incursio,' she felt she could have easily tracked him.

While Akame and the others were chatting on the sidelines, the battle on the field continued.

The sounds of clashing weapons reverberated through the air, and the occasional spark flared up, flying out from different corners of the battlefield.

Though Wood appeared alone in the arena, everyone knew his real opponent was a hidden, powerful figure.

"This is insane! Even though we can't see anything, Wood is perfectly defending against Bulat's attacks and even fighting on equal terms!

The battle seemed like a one-man show starring Wood, but Night Raid knew how dangerous the situation really was. If it were anyone else besides Wood, they would have been defeated by now.