The Great General Wants to See You

Ten minutes earlier.

Under the night sky, Alyssa floated in the sky over the southern banks of the White Wolf River, with Gozuki at her side.

"Gozuki, didn't your students head south? Why haven't we found them yet? Could they already be dead?" Alyssa asked casually.

"They won't be, Lady Alyssa. It's only been two days. I have faith in my disciples..." Gozuki replied confidently.

"Based on what I know, they might still be hiding on the western banks of White Wolf River..."

After escaping from Merraid, Gozuki had spent half a day fleeing to the border between the Northern and Western provinces of the Empire, where Selene's Imperial Guards were stationed. Following some quick medical treatment and borrowing a trained flying-type super-danger beast, they had flown back to the Imperial Capital within a day. Then, after requesting aid from Selene and receiving reinforcements, they arrived at White Wolf River in just a few hours, led by Alyssa.

If Gozuki's body could handle it, they might have moved even faster.

Such speed in pursuit gave Gozuki full confidence. If it had been a week later, even with his confidence, he wouldn't have dared to speak like this.

"Hmm... the western bank has water and plenty of wildlife... and there's an abandoned village nearby. That could be where they're hiding..." Alyssa sorted her thoughts and opened her [World Chronicle] to search for the area.

Once the target was confirmed, Alyssa ordered a large squad of Nightbat Corps (Bat Warriors) soldiers behind her to go and search the location.

Suddenly, in the forest to the northwest, the sound of a distant explosion echoed, followed by a flash of firelight. In the dark, silent forest, it was unmistakably obvious.

"Haha... Lady Alyssa, we've found them! That fire must be the work of my disciple, Green. He's been equipped with high-energy incendiary bombs, courtesy of the Imperial Science Bureau." Gozuki's confidence grew.

"Hmm! Finally, we've found them! Let's go. This is my first mission entrusted by the General... I need to complete it perfectly!"

-

"Nightbat Corps, move out and annihilate all enemies!"

Alyssa tilted her head slightly, and for her, this task couldn't be simpler. The only concern she had was completing it flawlessly.

...

Meanwhile, at the Revolutionary Army camp, much closer to the explosion site, Chelsea clearly heard the rumbling sounds coming from the forest. Soon after, waves of heat generated by the massive forest fire rushed towards them. She looked off into the distance towards the direction where her teacher Babara and seniors were positioned.

"Is something wrong with Master? Should I go and check it out..."

Bringing Gozuki to the skies above the explosion site, Alyssa glanced down at Green and Tsukushi, who were emerging from a simple explosion shelter. She turned to Gozuki and asked, "Gozuki, those two are your disciples, right? I can sense three more life forces inside the shelter, but there are only five... Where are the other two?"

Hearing this, Gozuki instantly had a bad feeling. Someone must have died…

Just then, a voice echoed up to Alyssa and Gozuki from the ground, catching Alyssa's attention and making her raise an eyebrow.

"What a pity. You almost killed me. But this time, I won't hold back. You're all going to die!"

So arrogant? And attacking the people she was supposed to protect? There was no way Alyssa would let that happen.

Looking down at the naked woman below, Alyssa calmly replied, "No, I don't think you'll succeed."

Alyssa's voice wasn't loud, but in the silence of the desolate, ashen landscape, it was like a stone thrown into a still pond, causing ripples to spread.

"Who's there?!"

With Gozuki in tow, Alyssa gently descended to the ground. Ignoring the wary looks from the purple-eyed woman, Alyssa approached Green and Tsukushi, speaking calmly.

"Greetings. My name is Alyssa Benares. I'm here under the orders of General Selene to assist you."

Green and Tsukushi stood there in stunned silence, their gazes fixed on the figure walking up behind Alyssa. Seeing Gozuki, unharmed, walking towards them, Tsukushi rubbed her eyes in disbelief. After all, based on their calculations, even in the best-case scenario, it would have taken Gozuki at least five days to return with reinforcements!

"Green, Tsukushi, where are the others?" Gozuki's familiar voice made Tsukushi's emotions spiral out of control.

"Father! Akame, Cornelia, and Poney are unconscious inside... And Guy, Najasho... they both died so that we could escape..."

Even with a stranger like Alyssa present, Tsukushi couldn't hold back the tears in her voice upon seeing her father come to their rescue.

"What? How could..." Gozuki had expected casualties, but he hadn't imagined that the ones who perished would be the top two ranked members of his elite squad. When Alyssa mentioned sensing only five life forces, he had assumed it would be Akame, the weakest member, who had fallen...

As Gozuki's family had their emotional reunion, Alyssa didn't want to interrupt, but she had her own priorities.

"Now then, let's take care of the enemy first."

Muttering to herself, Alyssa stepped forward until she was about fifty paces from Merraid, who had now donned her purple-black insect armor.

The "Wrigglers"—the title passed down from one leader of the Oarburgh Assassination Society to the next—was a legacy of insect-type danger beasts. According to legend, these creatures were created by an alchemist recruited by the Empire's first emperor over a thousand years ago.

With her body now clad in insect armor, covering her once-exposed skin, Merraid stood silently, her face filled with caution. She had no intention of launching an attack, deeply unsettled by Alyssa's presence.

In Merraid's senses, the girl standing before her was no ordinary opponent. The fear she felt was primal, as though her very soul and bloodline recognized Alyssa as a creature of immense power, instilling a sense of dread that was akin to a lowly beast cowering before a higher being.

Merraid couldn't understand why she felt this way, but the fear was real, pressing down on her like an invisible force, suffocating her.

"Who are you?" Merraid asked slowly after a brief pause. "You're not with the assassination squad, are you? Why—"

"Why does that matter to you?" Alyssa cut her off before she could finish. "Traitors should behave like traitors. I have no obligation to explain anything to you. Perhaps in hell, your 'Death God' will enlighten you."

"Target confirmed—Merraid Oarburgh..." Alyssa calmly closed her [World Ledger] after matching the figure in front of her to the description on the bounty.

As soon as those words left her lips, Alyssa made a slight movement, and the fifty paces between them vanished as if she had teleported.

Crackling sounds filled the air as Alyssa appeared beside Merraid, her fist already swinging towards her chest, wreathed in blue-white lightning.

"Crawling Spear!"

Merraid's reflexes kicked in instantly. The moment Alyssa moved, the enhanced dynamic vision that Merraid had developed through special body training allowed her to catch a faint trace of Alyssa's movement.

Closing her fingers tightly, countless purple-black insects swarmed together, forming a sharp spearhead that thrust forward.

But despite her quick response, Merraid's heart was racing with shock. This was the absolute limit of her dynamic vision, and yet all she could see was a blur!

She could keep up with Esdeath's speed, but this girl—just how fast was she? Where had she come from? The Revolutionary Army's and Oarburgh's intelligence networks had never mentioned anyone like this!

However, that was only the beginning. Alyssa was about to show Merraid what true despair felt like.

Alyssa's lightning-wrapped fist effortlessly collided with the spear made of hardened insects. The electric arcs surged through the layers of insects, instantly frying them. The smell of cooked flesh wafted through the air as the charred insects fell away.

This girl wasn't just fast and strong; her physical capabilities were completely beyond human. Based on the feedback from the insects, Merraid's spear had made contact with Alyssa's skin—it was soft and supple, but somehow impervious to the piercing blow!

These insect-type danger beasts had pincers sharp enough to pierce the scales of super danger beasts, yet they couldn't even scratch her?

"No... I can't fight her. I have to retreat! Is she really human?" Merraid's mind raced with panic, but she was no novice. She was a seasoned assassin, forged through countless battles and killings. The moment Alyssa's fist connected, Merraid used the force of the blow to propel herself backward, quickly adjusting her stance midair.

But as soon as Merraid touched down, Alyssa was already at her landing spot, her fist wreathed in lightning once again, delivering a backhanded punch.

The punch was fast—too fast. Merraid had no hope of blocking it. If she allowed her vital spots to be hit, she'd die!

Knowing she couldn't block the attack, Merraid made a split-second decision. She sacrificed her left arm, thrusting it out as a shield. Layer after layer of insect armor wrapped around the arm, redirecting the tremendous force away from her core.

Crack—Crunch!

The sound of bones shattering echoed as Merraid's left arm twisted and broke, the jagged bone piercing through the skin. She let out a pained grunt, her arm now hanging uselessly by her side.

Despite the excruciating pain, Merraid gritted her teeth, raised her right hand, and shouted, "Crawl forth, Thorn!"

"Hmm?"

Alyssa raised an eyebrow, impressed by Merraid's tenacity. Even in such a desperate situation, she could still launch a counterattack.

But sadly, it wasn't much of a threat. The black-purple spears racing toward Alyssa were hardly worth dodging.

Buzz—Boom!

A surge of violent lightning erupted from Alyssa's body, forming a shockwave that rippled outward. Stones and dirt flew in all directions, and the insect spears dissolved in the lightning storm, melting away into nothingness.

"A lightning-type Teigu?"

"No, it's not…" The soft voice reached Merraid's ears, prompting her instinctive reaction to defend herself.

But with the massive blood loss and pain ravaging her body, Merraid's body couldn't keep up. Even her once-proud dynamic vision failed her, and this time, she couldn't even catch a glimpse of Alyssa's movements.

Boom!

In that moment, Merraid felt a terrifying force slam into her abdomen. Alyssa's punch had landed squarely on her, sending her organs churning as her beautiful face twisted in agony from the overwhelming pain.

"Cough—!"

A mouthful of blood sprayed from Merraid's mouth as her vision tilted, her body launching into the air like a cannonball.

Crash—!

Merraid's body smashed into the exposed rocky ground, creating a web of cracks in the earth that radiated from the point of impact.

The ground erupted into a cloud of dust and debris.

"Lady Merraid!" Cries of alarm erupted from the edge of the battlefield as five figures darted out from the shadows.

Alyssa glanced in their direction and smiled slightly. It seemed all the targets were here.

Taking out her notebook, Alyssa pulled out the bounty list given to her by Selene and compared it with the faces before her.

"Daniel, Babara, Gilberda, Cassandra, Meela... and Merraid."

"It seems all the key members of the Oarburgh Assassination Team are present…"

"Gozuki! Is this girl the reinforcement you brought?"

Seeing their leader's condition, Babara was filled with dread. She even considered sending Myo away for safety, but her words still carried her usual venom as she taunted her old rival.

"Hmph! Babara, don't waste your breath. You won't be jumping around for much longer!" Leading Green and Chikushi, Gozuki slowly approached Alyssa.

"Lady Alyssa, should we join forces..."

"No need." Before Gozuki could finish his proposal, Alyssa cut him off.

"...join forces to... huh? Why, Lady Alyssa? Surely, I'm not so weak... I only sought help because I was injured after being ganged up on..."

"You're too weak..." Alyssa said as she stepped forward, raising her arms towards the sky. "I was merely testing my own capabilities just now, and I've come to a conclusion..."

"You're too weak. You're not even enough for me to test myself against. If that's the case, there's no point in dragging this out."

Green and Tsukushi exchanged incredulous glances, unable to believe what they just heard—even their father was considered weak?

The next moment, Alyssa unfolded her violet-blue wings, which crackled with arcs of electricity. A massive surge of electromagnetic force began to gather, forming several giant violet-blue energy spheres.

"It's over—Void Domain: Electromagnetic Sphere!"

Bzzz—Boom!

An endless flash of white light exploded outwards, accompanied by a deafening barrage of lightning strikes.

...

As the light faded, the earth was scorched black, and the air was thick with the acrid stench of ozone. There was no doubt—the Oarburgh Assassination Team had been wiped out completely!

As if she had merely squashed a group of ants, Alyssa calmly brushed off her hands and said, "Mission accomplished. Let's go. Wake your comrades."

"The Queen... uh, the Great General wants to see you all...…"