"When Thunder Meets Magic."

-----

-----

"These guards… there's more and more of them."

In the middle of a ruined square, Akame stood at the front, gripping her demon sword Murasame in her right hand as she casually wiped the blood from her cheek.

Leone and Najenda were flanking her, both of them covered in bloodstained clothes.

The area around them was soaked in red, the ground littered with dismembered limbs and blood-splattered remains.

Everywhere you looked, corpses lay sprawled in bloody puddles.

And right at the center of it all was Minato—completely spotless. Not a drop of blood on him. Not even a wrinkle in his clothes.

"M-Monsters…"

The soldiers stared at the four of them, their faces full of fear. The hands holding their weapons were visibly trembling.

"So this is Night Raid… That's just not fair…"

One of the commanders looked at Akame, his voice shaking.

She was a straight-up killing machine.

Her movements were like a ghost's. Before they could even react, dozens of bodies had already hit the ground.

Minato and the three girls slowly moved forward.

And with every step they took, the soldiers instinctively backed away.

No one dared make a move.

Clack. Clack. Clack.

Suddenly, the sound of countless footsteps echoed from all directions, like a tidal wave crashing in.

Shadows filled the area—people swarming in from every angle. It was impossible to see where they ended.

"Whoa, whoa, don't tell me… did they send out every guard in the palace?" Leone asked, her scalp tingling.

This many people...

Even if they just threw themselves at them one after another, they could crush them with sheer numbers.

She turned to Minato. "Hey, Demon Lord, don't you think it's about time you stepped in?"

"Yeah, I think so," Minato nodded, glancing around. "Looks like all the small fry are here."

The moment he said those words, the entire square froze.

Dust that had been kicked up into the air suddenly stopped moving, like it was suspended midair.

It felt like even time and space had come to a halt.

Boom!

In that instant, Minato's ruby-red eyes shimmered with a flash of light.

A terrifying surge of magic burst out of him, rolling outward like a silent tidal wave.

No sound. No warning.

The soldiers—whether scared, excited, or sneering—froze with whatever expression they had at that moment.

In the distance...

The endless waves of reinforcements also turned into lifeless statues.

The whole square, along with the surrounding buildings, looked like a frozen painting.

Everything had stopped.

"What… just happened?" Najenda and Leone's eyes widened, completely stunned.

Thud. Thud.

It felt like just a moment… or maybe a thousand years.

Starting from Minato and the girls, the soldiers all collapsed like dominoes.

Then it spread outward in waves, like a scythe cutting through a field of wheat.

In just one instant—

Almost ten thousand palace guards dropped to the ground.

And what was even scarier—

The sky churned, winds howling in all directions. Even the weather had changed because of the magic.

"W-What is this…" Najenda and Leone both twitched as they stared blankly.

They couldn't even think straight anymore.

They'd imagined all kinds of scenarios of how Minato would deal with the army—

But never this.

He didn't even lift a finger.

Ten thousand soldiers. All down.

Even if it had been ten thousand pigs, it should've taken more effort than that.

Akame took a deep breath and said in awe, "So this… is your magic, Master?"

"That's right."

"This is just the basic stuff. You'll be able to do it too someday."

Minato nodded.

It was basically a magical version of Conqueror's Haki.

Useless against stronger opponents, but perfect for clearing out mobs.

"I'll work hard, Master!"

Akame nodded seriously, full of determination.

Just from that short fight, she'd already grasped a bit of magic's potential.

If the timing weren't so bad, she'd probably have whipped out a magic book and started cramming on the spot.

"Alright, let's keep moving."

Minato had just said that when he suddenly paused and turned his head.

A tall, muscular man with blonde hair, blue eyes, and gleaming armor was striding toward them.

"General Bude!" Akame tensed up.

The man was wielding the Imperial Arms Wrath of the Thunder God—one of the Empire's two strongest warriors.

Seeing him, Najenda and Leone instantly went on high alert.

Every cell in their bodies was screaming danger.

Minato, on the other hand, just smiled as he looked at the man's armor.

Nice stuff. He wanted it.

Not for himself, of course—but it'd help his subordinates power up faster.

"How did you do that?" Bude stopped walking and stared at Minato, eyes full of wariness.

"Leave the Imperial Arms, and I'll spare your life."

Minato said calmly, "After all, crushing an ant without damaging the body is just... inconvenient."

Bude froze for a second—then realized what he meant.

This guy was mocking him.

"You've trespassed in the palace. That's a capital offense!"

Bude's face twisted into a snarl. "Don't think just because you've got one Imperial Arms, you're invincible!"

Rage flared in his heart. This arrogant bastard—who the hell did he think he was?

Boom!

In the next instant, the ground beneath his feet shattered as he launched himself forward like a bolt of lightning, thunder cracking around his arm.

Clang!

Akame had started to draw Murasame—only to sheath it again just as fast.

Minato had already stepped forward.

With a casual flick of his hand—

BOOM!

A deafening explosion rocked the air.

Waves of force rippled out, visible to the naked eye.

Najenda and Leone's expressions changed—they suddenly felt numb all over, their minds going completely blank.

"Hmph!"

Bude grunted as the wave of energy smashed into him, sending him flying backward.

His boots plowed two deep trenches into the ground, scraping for over ten meters before he stopped.

"What the hell are you?" he muttered, arms trembling.

It was the first time anyone had blocked his Imperial Arms barehanded.

The guy's body didn't even look that buff, but the power in it was unreal.

"What kind of Imperial Arms are you using?" Bude asked carefully, trying to gather intel.

"I'm not using any," Minato replied honestly. "But I gotta say—you're a bit stronger than I expected."

"You bastard!"

Bude's eyes blazed with fury, his face twisted in rage.

Crack!

Blinding lightning danced across his armor.

He let out a thunderous roar—

And the lightning surged, forming a solid armor of crackling electricity.

In just one breath—

Bude had entered his strongest state.

"....."