Chapter 73: One Against Many

"Stop acting like you're some kind of god!"

Feeling humiliated, the masked man flew into a rage.

No matter what kind of Teigu their opponent was using, they had three Teigu Users and three Shingu Users on their side.

The power gap between Teigu Users was usually not that significant. If the six of them couldn't take down a single Teigu User, they would be nothing but a joke.

Unless, of course, their enemy was someone like General Esdeath—the Empire's undisputed "strongest," a warrior in a league of her own.

In the original story, Najenda once stated that to defeat Esdeath, at least ten Teigu Users—including Akame—would be needed, along with an army of over 50,000 elite soldiers.

Yet in reality, even that wasn't enough.

Aside from Akame, who used Murasame's secret technique to amplify her strength with its deadly curse, the rest of the Revolutionary Army's Teigu Users couldn't even stand against Esdeath in direct combat. As for those so-called elite soldiers? No matter how many they had, they were useless.

After enduring relentless attacks, Esdeath was only defeated when Akame forced her to turn herself into ice dust using Murasame's unavoidable death curse—proving beyond doubt why she was called the strongest.

Clearly, the masked man and his group had categorized Blayn as just another ordinary Teigu User.

After all, there was only one Esdeath. If every Teigu User were as strong as her, the Empire would have crumbled long ago.

"This brat is way too cocky—he actually thinks he can take on all six of us at once."

A burly man wielding a hammer-shaped Teigu scoffed.

"I heard this kid's a real pretty boy," a plump woman holding a horn-shaped Teigu added. "What a shame he's wearing a mask. I just love 'taking care' of handsome young men."

"You mean feeding him to your Danger Beasts, don't you?" the burly man quipped.

"Well, what choice do I have?" The woman giggled seductively. "I can't bear to let my babies go hungry. Though, to be fair, I did feed them once before coming here."

"Enough with the chatter. Cripple his arms and legs first—make sure he can't fight back!" the masked man ordered coldly.

At his command, the other two Teigu Users grew serious, moving in unison to attack Blayn.

"Commander Seryu, we should help Commander Blayn!"

Watching Blayn prepare to fight back, Kurome seemed to have made up her mind.

At this point, there was no turning back. If Blayn lost, they would all be implicated and executed.

In that case, she might as well risk everything.

She couldn't die yet.

Not until she had killed her sister with her own hands!

"Kurome, do we really have to do this...?"

Kelly asked in a low voice.

It wasn't just her—aside from Kurome, none of the Assassination Unit members had fully made up their minds.

"Or what? Are we just going to stand here and watch Commander Blayn get overwhelmed and killed? After that, we'll be next—there's no escaping death. Maybe this is betrayal, but if we all die, then what's the point?"

Kurome voiced her thoughts.

She had made her decision faster than the others because her feelings for Commander Blayn were different.

"...You're right."

"As expected, Kurome is calmer and smarter than us. My mind is a complete mess right now."

"Either way, it's death. We might as well go all in. At least, in all my time with Commander Blayn, I've never been this happy."

...

Kurome's resolve, along with Blayn's fearless defiance, made the others waver even more.

"If you've already made up your minds, then fight!"

Seryu's voice was filled with conviction. "Master always said that these 'evil' people don't represent the Empire. We are upholding justice, not betraying it! If anything, we're purging the filth from within!"

Her words struck a chord with everyone.

Even if they weren't the most persuasive, they provided just the justification they needed to push forward—enough to ease the subconscious weight of betraying the Empire.

Seeing that the Assassination Unit was about to intervene, the masked man's heart sank.

"Damn it!" He hastily ordered, "Quick! Finish this as fast as possible!"

As a Trap Teigu user, he wasn't suited for direct combat, so he remained in the back, coordinating the fight while using his Teigu to harass Blayn.

The first to attack was the burly man wielding a hammer-shaped Teigu. He charged in and swung his weapon down with immense force.

Blayn instantly raised his Gunbai Uchiwa to block the strike.

Got him!

The burly man sneered, certain of his victory.

His Teigu had an incredibly powerful ability—absolute penetration. No matter how tough an opponent's armor was, it would pierce right through, completely ignoring all defenses. Even blocking with a weapon wouldn't negate its effects.

On top of that, its destructive power was immense. A weaker Teigu could be shattered by a single blow.

However, the next moment, the burly man's grin vanished.

Blayn stood completely unscathed.

As disbelief flashed across his opponent's face, Blayn's lips curved into a smirk.

"Uchiha Return!"

With an internal shout, a violent storm erupted, sweeping toward the enemy.

This windstorm was far stronger than before—on a completely different level from the previous trap-based attacks.

No matter how lethal an enemy's Teigu was, regardless of penetration abilities, the Gunbai Uchiwa could absorb and redirect it, making it the perfect counter to the hammer's power.

Its only real limitation was that it couldn't defend against attacks coming from multiple directions at once.

"Gaaahhh!!"

The burly man's clothes were shredded by the raging winds, his body torn open in multiple places, with exposed bone visible in some areas.

He tumbled backward, barely managing to stabilize himself by driving his hammer into the ground.

That single strike had already cost him dearly. One or two more would spell his death.

Just then, multiple flying Danger Beasts suddenly appeared in the sky.

Summoned by the plump woman's horn-shaped Teigu, the creatures dove toward Blayn in unison.

Their speed was astonishing, and some launched attacks mid-flight—feathers, bone spikes, energy blasts—forming a near-impenetrable barrage from all directions.

At the same time, additional traps materialized out of thin air, further complicating Blayn's situation.

"Koro!"

Realizing the danger, Seryu immediately commanded Koro to protect his master.

The massive Koro leaped in front of Blayn.

But Blayn was already gone.

He had teleported directly in front of the burly man, swinging the Gunbai Uchiwa to finish the job.

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