Chapter 76: The Establishment of the “Akatsuki” Organization

"I—I do!"

"Me too! As long as the Commander doesn't mind that I'm not very strong."

"Commander Blayn is right. Loyalty isn't just about blind obedience."

...

After carefully considering Blayn's words, Kelly and the others finally broke free from their dead-end thinking.

They had already seen the dark side of the Empire with their own eyes. Once or twice, they might have dismissed it as a coincidence, but they had witnessed far too many instances. And these atrocities had nothing to do with the rebels—it was the Empire's own officials who brutally oppressed the lower class.

Compared to those corrupt and tyrannical officials, they would much rather follow Blayn.

Changing the Empire from within was fundamentally different from what the Revolutionary Army aimed for. The rebels wanted to overthrow the Empire entirely, something they found difficult to accept.

"Then it's decided. Kurome, what about you? What do you want to do?"

Blayn turned his head to ask Kurome.

Kurome smiled slightly.

"Of course, I'm willing. As long as I can stay with Commander Blayn."

Her straightforward response made several people gasp softly.

Kurome really knew what she was doing—there was no need for anyone to tease her about it.

"Alright, collect the Teigus and Shingus from those guys. Then check if anyone among us is compatible with them," Blayn instructed.

When he killed the three Teigu Users, he had been careful not to damage the Teigus. Even in the life-and-death struggle between the Imperial Army and the Revolutionary Army, both sides deliberately avoided destroying Teigus during battle—they were too valuable and useful.

Not to mention Teigus, even the Shingus from the three Shingu Users had been carefully preserved by Kelly and the others.

Having more Teigu Users and Shingu Users would be a huge advantage for the "Akatsuki" organization they were about to form.

"Understood."

Since they had already decided to follow Blayn in establishing a new group, they naturally understood how important it was to strengthen their ranks with more Teigu and Shingu Users.

"Later, pack up your things. We can't stay in this base any longer. We'll find a hidden place outside the Imperial Capital to set up a new base—one completely free from Saikyuu's control," Blayn continued.

He already had a rough plan: they would use the lair of the Super-Class Danger Beast, Death Tagool, as their base—the Seiga Cave.

It was a well-known danger zone, but no one knew that Death Tagool had already been killed by him. Now, the Seiga Cave were actually one of the safest places, aside from the occasional Danger Beast lurking nearby.

As long as they weren't facing a Super-Class Danger Beast, there wouldn't be much of a threat.

"Alright, but there's one problem—what about our supply of drugs?"

Kelly and the others immediately thought of this issue.

Without the drugs, their abilities would decline significantly, and they would suffer unbearable withdrawal symptoms.

"That's easy. We'll take the experimenters with us. They're only working for a paycheck—just offer them a higher salary than before," Blayn said casually.

The real headache wasn't the researchers but the drugs themselves. The Assassination Unit had been on long-term drug regimens, leading to irreversible side effects. The withdrawal symptoms were so severe that quitting was impossible.

Blayn's solution was to gradually reduce their drug intake. While this would weaken them somewhat, it would at least mitigate the side effects.

Otherwise, according to the researchers, if they continued at the original dosage, the entire unit wouldn't survive beyond five years—they would age prematurely and die.

Now, Blayn would only allow them to use substances with trace amounts of the drug to stave off withdrawal, similar to what Kurome did. It was just enough to prevent severe reactions.

As for combat, he absolutely wouldn't let them go back to taking those highly concentrated white pills like before.

…

They simply disposed of the bodies of those sent by Saikyuu, acting as if nothing had happened.

They had no intention of drawing attention to themselves. It was better to wait until the Akatsuki Organization was fully established and settled before making any moves.

When Blayn offered the lab technicians a generous salary, nearly all of them agreed to go with him.

Mainly because they didn't have much of a choice.

Of course, Blayn didn't force or threaten them.

It was just that once Blayn led Kurome and the others in breaking away from the Imperial Assassination Unit, the unit would automatically disband, leaving the technicians unemployed. Finding another job as good as this in the Imperial Capital wouldn't be easy.

Besides, the salary Blayn offered them was even higher than before.

As for money, Blayn had no shortage of it—hunting countless Danger Beasts had already made him rich.

There were still a few lab personnel who were reluctant to leave, mostly because they feared for their lives. After all, defecting from the Imperial Assassination Unit alongside Blayn was a dangerous move.

But what they feared even more was being silenced. Now that they knew too much, they couldn't shake the feeling that refusing would get them killed.

In reality, Blayn had no intention of silencing anyone. However, given the Empire's ruthless nature, it was understandable why they thought that way—getting silenced for knowing too much was just the norm.

"Let's all try these Teigus and Shingus. Whoever is most compatible with one will be the one to use it."

With that, Kurome placed the three Teigus and three Shingus on the table.

One by one, the others stepped forward to test them out.

Kurome and Seryu, already possessing Teigus, didn't need to participate.

In the end, only one girl showed strong compatibility with the horn-shaped Teigu.

For the other two Teigus, the best candidates had only average compatibility. They could use them, but not to their full potential.

Even so, a Teigu—even one not used at full power—was still far superior to a Shingu, making it more than sufficient.

As for the Shingus, they didn't have strict compatibility requirements, so they were simply given to whoever handled them best.

"The preparations are nearly complete. Next, we head straight to the Seiga Cave—that will be our new base," Blayn announced to the group.

Although the Seiga Cave were quite a distance from the Imperial Capital, the horn-shaped Teigu had the ability to summon flying Danger Beasts, significantly reducing their travel time.

Since the deaths of the masked man and his subordinates had yet to be reported, the Empire's guards wouldn't try to stop them as they left.

At that moment, Blayn turned his attention to the System Shop—he was about to redeem the Red Cloud Robe, the symbol of the Akatsuki Organization.

Since the organization was named "Akatsuki," the Red Cloud Robe was a must.

(40 Chapters Ahead)

p@treon com / PinkSnake