[178] : the Emperor Enters the Battlefield, Mika vs Susanoo!

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"Mine!" Najenda whispered, her voice filled with grief as she watched the distant lightning strike from the shadows of the forest.

She had always held high hopes for Mine.

After all, Mine had inherited Pumpkin, Najenda's former Teigu.

In a way, Najenda was Mine's mentor.

She knew that despite Mine's often-prickly demeanor, she was a calm and collected assassin in battle, a truly skilled professional.

But now, she was gone. There was no chance of survival after such a devastating attack.

Tears streamed down Najenda's face. She would never show such vulnerability before her subordinates.

As their leader, she had to project strength and composure.

But here, in the solitude of the forest, she could allow herself this moment of grief.

After a brief period of mourning, Najenda regained her composure.

"Akame and the others can't continue fighting; they need to retreat."

"As for the mission…I trust Mine's abilities."

"But they're trapped; they can't retreat easily. In that case…" Najenda's expression hardened with resolve. This was precisely why she had come.

"Susanoo, Manifest!" Her voice echoed through the forest, reaching Susanoo's ears.

Recognizing his master's voice, Susanoo knew this was the moment he had been waiting for.

"Understood!"

"Aaargh!" A surge of power erupted from within Susanoo, accompanied by a terrifying aura.

This was a special ability possessed by all biological-type Teigu:

Berserk Mode.

However, Susanoo's Berserk Mode was unique, far surpassing that of other biological Teigu.

It was called Magatama Manifestation.

Magatama Manifestation could only be used three times.

Each activation consumed one-third of the user's life force, amplifying Susanoo's power exponentially. After three uses, the user would perish.

The immense power came at a steep price.

Upon activation, Susanoo gained three special abilities:

...

Amatsuyu, Yata no Kagami, and Yasakani no Magatama.

Amatsuyu was an incredibly long, powerful spirit sword capable of devastating attacks.

Yata no Kagami was a massive mirror worn on Susanoo's back.

Yasakani no Magatama granted Susanoo incredible speed.

"Yasakani no Magatama!" Susanoo instantly appeared before Wave, slashing at his armor with Amatsuyu.

...

The blow shattered Wave's armor, sending him crashing into a wall.

"Wave!" Tatsumi, Run, and Seryu, alerted by Susanoo's transformation, shouted in concern.

But Wave was in no condition to respond.

And the battle raged on.

Run, having dodged Lubbock's threads, saw Wave being struck and shouted his name.

But before he could react, Susanoo appeared behind him.

"Run, look out!" Tatsumi, maintaining his Transparent World, had seen Susanoo's movement.

But he was too fast, even for Tatsumi to react in time.

By the time Run heard Tatsumi's warning, he had already sensed Susanoo's presence.

The sheer force of his approach created a gust of wind that sent shivers down Run's spine.

"Damn it!" He quickly turned, shielding himself with his wings and arms.

But it was too late. He was struck with earth-shattering force, crashing to the ground.

Susanoo landed, his assault continuing without pause.

He appeared before Koro, slicing the biological Teigu in half with a single stroke of Amatsuyu.

He then kicked Seryu, sending her flying into the forest.

In moments, the Imperial Guard's four Teigu users were down, leaving only Tatsumi.

"Wave! Run! Seryu!" Tatsumi roared in fury, unleashing a torrent of lightning.

Bulat, already weakened by the repeated electrical shocks, collapsed, unable to move.

Tatsumi appeared before Susanoo. He had to stop him before he could harm his comrades any further.

"Argh!" Knowing he was no match for the berserk Teigu in his normal state, Tatsumi activated his skills, pushing his power to the limit.

Although Transparent World allowed him to anticipate Susanoo's movements, his body couldn't keep up.

He had to unleash his full power.

"Crash!" As Tatsumi's power surged, a wall crumbled, and Akame emerged, sent flying backward.

She landed gracefully, her gaze fixed on the source of the impact. "Be careful, there's a stronger one inside," she warned.

Night Raid, who had been preparing to surround Tatsumi, turned their attention to the compound.

Six figures emerged from the dust cloud, four of them radiating a powerful aura.

"Sister, are you trying to escape?" Kurome stepped forward, a sinister smile on her face as she addressed Akame. "I'm disappointed."

Ignoring her taunts, Akame turned to her companions. "Be careful. That's Kurome from the Empire's assassination unit.

Her Teigu is 'March of the Dead: Yatsufusa'."

"It allows her to control corpses, summoning them to fight alongside her."

"Those three beside her are her puppets. They're incredibly strong. Don't underestimate them!"

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"Kurome…isn't that Akame's younger sister?" Leone asked, her voice filled with concern.

Night Raid remembered. They exchanged glances, their expressions a mix of apprehension and sympathy for Akame.

A battle between sisters—how tragic.

"That's right. I am her sister, and I will kill her!" Kurome declared, her eyes burning with hatred.

"Traitors to the Empire will be punished by death!" She raised her Teigu, preparing to unleash its full power.

In the previous battle, she had only summoned three corpses.

That was her limit for maintaining her own combat abilities while controlling her puppets.

It was also her strongest form in a one-on-one fight.

This was the form she used against Akame.

But now, she was facing a group battle.

And for that, she needed to unleash Yatsufusa's full power.

"Wait!" A sharp voice cut through the air just as the two sides were about to clash.

Sheele and Bulat looked up in surprise.

"It's him!"

It was Mika.

Sheele and Bulat's eyes widened with apprehension. They hadn't forgotten their previous encounters with him.

"Who is he, Bulat?" Leone asked urgently, staring intently at Mika.

The moment she saw him, her danger sense blared. Even though he wasn't releasing any aura, she felt a terrifying presence, like a bottomless abyss.

Just looking at him made her legs tremble.

"He's the one I told you about, the one Mine and Sheele encountered—the one with power rivaling the Empire's strongest."

"He's also the one I suspect is the current Emperor." Bulat couldn't help but smile wryly.

What a night! Just as they had gained a slight advantage, two more boss-level opponents had appeared.

"What?! The Emperor?!" Night Raid stared at Mika in disbelief.

The current Emperor was the one who had publicly executed Minister Honest, overthrown General Budo and General Esdeath, and seized the throne.

He was also the one who had unleashed that devastating flame sword that split the capital in half.

Such an individual naturally attracted attention.

But Mika ignored them. He was looking at Susanoo, a smile playing on his lips.

"I'll handle this one."

He was intrigued by Susanoo, specifically, Susanoo in his Berserk Mode.

His normal form, while powerful, didn't interest Mika.

Only the berserk Susanoo was worthy of his attention.

How strong was he?

About as strong as Esdeath, Mika estimated.

In the original story, Susanoo in his Magatama Manifestation was evenly matched with Esdeath, perhaps even slightly stronger.

It was Susanoo who forced Esdeath to unleash her ultimate technique, Mahapadma, which ultimately led to her defeat by Akame.

He was truly formidable.

Having chosen his target, Mika approached Susanoo, pulling his hands from his pockets and stretching.

As he passed Tatsumi and Kurome, he said softly, "I'll leave these ones to you."

Then, he vanished, reappearing instantly before Susanoo.

He placed a hand on Susanoo's face and pushed him back.

"Boom!" A sonic boom echoed through the air as Mika and Susanoo vanished.

"Argh!" Startled by the sudden sound, several people covered their ears.

But Akame and Bulat remained motionless, staring at the spot where Susanoo had been moments before.

"He's gone…The Emperor's speed is incredible! If he had targeted us…" Bulat trailed off, but Akame understood his unspoken fear.

"Since His Majesty has taken that one away, it's our turn!" Kurome's grin widened as she raised her blade.

This time, no one could stop her.

"Come, my companions! Let's execute these traitors!"

With Yatsufusa, she summoned four more corpses to join her puppets.

"It's a shame we're so close to the palace, and within the capital itself. Otherwise, I'd love to summon that one," she said with a chuckle.

The "one" she referred to was the corpse of the Super Danger Beast - Death Tagool,

Its destructive power was immense, capable of leveling the capital.

After all, even living Super Danger Beasts possessed city-destroying power, some even capable of toppling nations.

In a way, this world wasn't ruled by humans, but by Danger Beasts.

Even without summoning Death Tagool, Kurome's current puppets were a formidable force.

She had summoned:

Doya, an elite assassin from the northern tribes.

Wall, a renowned bodyguard specializing in defense.

Apeman, Danger Beast.

Rokugou, a general who had betrayed the Empire.

Henter, a survivor from a foreign land, and one of Kurome's proudest creations.

And finally, Syura and Mez, two of the Four Rakshasa Demons she had recently acquired.

She had also once controlled Natala, her former companion.

However, after Airmid's treatment helped her overcome her twisted mindset, Kurome had released Natala from Yatsufusa, allowing him to rest in peace.

Even so, with the addition of Syura and Mez, Kurome was now stronger than ever.

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