Chapter 412: Tatsumi: It Seems I've Carried All the Burdens...

"If this continues, it could be pretty unfavorable for Wood," Akame, who had been quietly observing the battle, suddenly spoke up.

Her words drew a puzzled response from Tatsumi, who couldn't help but ask, "Why? Wood seems to be defending against all of Bulat's attacks just fine."

Tatsumi was genuinely confused. From his perspective, the fight looked evenly matched, and Wood's performance had been stellar thus far. Why, then, did Akame suggest that the situation wasn't in Wood's favor?

"There's no denying that Wood is very strong," Akame explained, "and even though he seems to be holding his own against the invisible Bulat, you need to take a closer look. Tatsumi, if you watch carefully, you'll notice that Wood's offensive drive has weakened compared to how aggressively he attacked at the start. Since Bulat became invisible, Wood hasn't launched any proactive attacks.

"It's evident that Bulat's invisibility has robbed Wood of his target. Even if Wood is stronger, he's forced into a defensive position now. He can only react to Bulat's attacks, and it's hard for him to take the initiative since he can't locate Bulat. Attacking recklessly would only expose openings for Bulat to exploit."

It wasn't Akame who answered Tatsumi this time but Leone, who was standing beside him.

"But even if that's the case, Wood could still remain undefeated, right? So why did Akame say that it's an unfavorable situation for him?" Tatsumi's curiosity knew no bounds, and he continued to probe further.

"Are you an idiot? How could you compare a restful state with the kind of tension that Wood is under?" Mine chimed in, her voice dripping with her usual sharp sarcasm.

"In his invisible state, Bulat can rest whenever he wants, strike whenever he pleases. He's conserving energy. On the other hand, Wood has to remain constantly on high alert, always bracing himself for an incoming attack. Even if they're evenly matched in terms of skill, the mental exhaustion that Wood is experiencing is very different. No matter how strong a tiger is, there will always be a moment when it dozes off. That's why Akame said Wood's situation is unfavorable."

Due to her Teigu, "Roman Artillery: Pumpkin," Mine was intimately familiar with the toll of maintaining a high state of vigilance. Without strong mental fortitude, anyone facing such pressure would soon break, making mistakes or losing composure.

Hearing Mine's explanation, Tatsumi instantly understood. It was similar to his first assassination mission, the time when he faced the demon Oka.

"What you all said isn't wrong," Lubbock suddenly added. "But there's one point I disagree with: saying the situation is unfavorable for Wood? Watch closely—for him, these kinds of difficulties aren't a big deal. Wood is a born warrior, a pure combat maniac. Believe me, he'll find a way to turn the tables soon. I think Bulat's about to lose."

Unlike the rest of Night Raid, who all seemed to believe that Wood was at a disadvantage, Lubbock knew better. He had seen it many times—if Wood found himself in trouble, it never lasted long. Lubbock was confident that the tide would soon change, and Wood would take over the fight. The stronger the challenge, the more focused Wood became.

Typically, when fighting Wood, it looked like a one-sided beatdown, but the fight could drag on since Wood loved to toy with his opponents. But if things ever appeared to be against Wood's favor, that was when you knew the battle was about to end—because that was the moment when Wood was actually starting to get serious.

Lubbock knew this from personal experience. Many times, as a child, he'd tried to catch up to Wood, thinking he was finally getting close, only to find, much to his frustration, that the gap between them was insurmountable. Wood always pretended to be struggling for longer than necessary, then quickly ended it when he felt satisfied.

It was as if to validate Lubbock's words—a drastic shift in the battle occurred shortly after. The surrounding temperature plummeted. Wood, standing there in his armor, seemed to draw all the cold into himself. Frost formed at his feet and rapidly spread across the entire training ground.

It was noon, but Night Raid felt a biting chill creep over their bodies as if they'd suddenly been plunged into winter. The floor beneath them soon froze into a thick layer of ice, and snowflakes began to fall from the sky.

"It's a pity that this world lacks magical elements," Wood muttered. "Just relying on my Teigu limits what I can do.

"Still, for now, this level will do just fine.

"Bulat, I see you now. It's time to end this."

With those words, Wood exploded into action, his feet shattering the ice beneath him as he lunged forward at supersonic speed.

To Bulat's shock, Wood wasn't bluffing. His trajectory was aimed directly at him.

"Hundred Ghost Sword Style: Single Slash—Snow Maiden!"

In this icy environment, Wood's attack drew power from his Teigu, and though it lacked the magic it could have been bolstered with, it reached half the potency of a true magic sword strike.

The ground split as a massive blue crescent sword wave slashed out, carrying the cold winds with it. Bulat tried to fend it off with his spear, "Red-backed Shrike," but the force bent his weapon. Ultimately, he was flung back like a cannonball, smashing into one of the Night Raid hideout's buildings, and upon impact, his hidden form was revealed.

The battle had ended too quickly, leaving Tatsumi and the others stunned. Only Lubbock wore a knowing smirk, as if to say, "I knew it."

Bulat, who had released his Teigu, stood up mostly unscathed. Accepting his defeat graciously, he laughed heartily and extended a hand to shake Wood's.

"I guess even when I violate my principles and resort to such underhanded means, I still can't beat you."

Bulat admitted his loss readily. Even after using tactics he usually avoided, including his Teigu's invisibility, he found himself unable to best Wood.

"Bulat, what exactly happened just now? How did Wood manage to find you at the end?" Tatsumi asked. His question echoed the curiosity of everyone else. The battle had changed so quickly that they hadn't even had time to discern what had happened.

"I think it was the breath I exhaled," Bulat replied, pointing at Tatsumi. "Like what you're doing right now—haven't you noticed anything?"

With Bulat's prompt, Tatsumi and the rest quickly realized. Humans breathe, and because of body heat, in frigid temperatures, their breath creates visible mist.

"Incursio" allows for perfect invisibility and complete concealment of one's presence, but it cannot hide one's breath. Wood had created an icy environment with his Teigu, not just for show or to enhance his sword skills but also to force Bulat to reveal himself.

"But can't the mist from one's breath be controlled if you're careful?" Leone speculated. "If Bulat had noticed quickly enough, maybe he could've continued fighting?"

Leone tried controlling her own breathing, realizing that if she took shallower breaths, her mist wasn't as apparent. Perhaps Wood wouldn't have noticed her.

"It still wouldn't have mattered. The snow falling from the sky and the ice beneath our feet are my eyes as well."

Wood caught a snowflake in his hand and stomped the ice below him, his meaning immediately clear to everyone. Besides the visible mist of Bulat's breath, snowflakes landing on his body would have given away his position—after all, Bulat wasn't truly disappearing. Additionally, any movement would leave footprints in the accumulating snow.

Previously, Night Raid knew Wood was strong, but now they had a far more concrete understanding of how formidable he truly was.

"So even Wood, who's this powerful, still isn't a match for that Esdeath?"

Tatsumi's question echoed what everyone else was wondering. They had heard from Najenda that Wood was the only person to have faced Esdeath and survived with his body intact. They also heard from Lubbock and Akame that after that battle, Wood had collapsed from exhaustion and was unconscious for an entire day.

Before today, it was all just stories. But now, after seeing Wood's abilities, they found it hard to imagine that someone could actually pose a threat to him. Esdeath really was that monstrously strong?

"Esdeath is incredibly powerful. Her Teigu is far superior to those of other users, and her personal strength surpasses ordinary humans. She's an all-around warrior with no apparent weaknesses.

"When we fought, I still had some abilities I hadn't used yet, but I could sense that she, too, was holding back."

Wood's words left the Night Raid members in a somber mood. Given what Wood said, it was no wonder Najenda had cautioned them against acting recklessly. If they encountered Esdeath alone, they were likely doomed.

Later that evening, when Najenda returned to the hideout from the Revolutionary Army headquarters, her cigarette almost fell from her mouth upon seeing the state of the place—broken walls and debris everywhere.

Feeling the cold still lingering in the air, Najenda's mind immediately went to Esdeath's Teigu, suspecting that their hideout had been compromised and Esdeath had attacked.

With an uneasy heart, Najenda dismounted from her flying Danger Beast, hurrying into the hideout. Yet, what she saw was Wood and the others lounging in the living room, each occupied with their own thing, chatting and laughing without a care.

"Can someone tell me what happened here while I was away?" Najenda lit another cigarette, watching her comrades as she spoke.

"It's all Leone's fault. She kept thinking about challenging Esdeath after hearing how strong she was. To help her understand the gap between her and Esdeath, I had to spar with her myself. After hearing about the spar, Bulat, Akame, and the others insisted on joining in. And, well, that's how the place ended up like this." Wood's explanation was casual, and as he spoke, Leone and the others went slack-jawed.

Wasn't this supposed to be a joint responsibility, and now he was dumping all the blame on them? When did he become so good at shifting blame?

"It's all Tatsumi's fault. He kept asking about Wood's Teigu, so I wanted to test it out."

"Tatsumi was always asking who the strongest member of Night Raid was..."

"Yeah, it's all because of the newbie..."

Najenda's face grew darker as everyone kept pointing fingers, blaming Tatsumi. In the meantime, the boy in question lay in bed, nursing his wounds, happy to have such dependable comrades. Little did he know that his supposedly trustworthy teammates had already stabbed him in the back numerous times.

Poor Tatsumi—only a few days after recovering, Najenda ordered him to fix up the damage to the hideout. Though he couldn't figure out how he had offended the Boss, he did notice that his comrades seemed much friendlier than before. Even Mine, who used to constantly berate him, had toned down her teasing recently.

"I went to the Revolutionary Army headquarters to gather more information on Esdeath," Najenda began.

"According to reliable sources, the Northern tribes have mostly been subdued, and the Minister has been urging her to return to the Capital. So, Esdeath has sent her elite subordinates, 'The Three Beasts,' ahead of her.

"Apparently, Esdeath only heard brief mentions of an assassination group in the Capital and seems to be underestimating us. But this gives us an opportunity. The Three Beasts have served under Esdeath for years and are just as ruthless. They are powerful Teigu users. If we can take them out before Esdeath returns, it'll be akin to cutting off one of her arms. It'll make dealing with her later that much easier."