Determination

A week passed since then, Mine would bath herself in the nearby spring, which was surprisingly… Magical? No, no, seriously, that spring has healing properties…

Mine glanced at her arm and tried to move it, it seemed completely alright, she stood up with a bathrobe on her hand.

Mine: Yes! Finally healed!!

Then she went to her room to change her clothes and wore her usual pink outfit, before rushing out from the hideout.

Mine: 'Until my wounds healed, I had to stay at the base and rest. Now I can get back into the fight…!! I have to work twice as hard to make up for the loss of Sheele and Bulat!!'

She reached the training ground and opened the door.

Mine: Anybody here? I need someone to train with!!

She only found Leone sitting on Lubbock as he made normal push-ups, while Billy was standing vertically with a single hands and doing push-ups, obviously this wouldn't be enough, so he even grabbed a boulder and made it stand over his feet in balance as he kept pushing himself.

On top of the boulder there was Akame eating some cooked meat…

Leone: Hey, Mine.

Akame: So you've recovered! That's good!

Mine: What kind of training are you doing, Billy!?

Billy: I already lost my lover once because of my ingenuity, I already lost my previous team because I wasn't strong enough, I already lost Bulat because I was too slow to beat my enemies. I'm not going to stand there and lose someone else! So I am going 100% on this training now!

Mine: Hmm… It's unusual to see you getting sweaty, Lubbock.

Lubbock: There are just the two of us guys in the group now. So, you know, I was thinking maybe I should start taking things seriously.

Billy: Hey Lubbock, start consider yourself a man when you would be able to reach my number of push-ups with just Leone in your back, for me you will be just a woman.

Leone: Hahahaha! Yeah, you can barely do half as many push-ups as Billy, and he is even pretty extreme with it.

Then Najenda entered in the training ground with a big backpack on her back.

Najenda: Oh, you're all he-What the hell are you doing, Billy?!

Well, you know, anyone would be surprised when one can do vertical push-ups with a single hand while carrying a giant boulder on their feet.

Billy: I just made things more extreme… Hey Snake, what's with that getup…?

Najenda: Well, I need to go deliver the 3 Teigu that we confiscated from the Three Beasts and Incursio back at the Revolutionary Army's HQ.

Billy: Alright… And 100, Akame, get down.

Akame: No, it's comfortable here.

Billy sighed and made the boulder slightly jump in the air, before he quickly pushed himself on his feet and held it with a single arm when it fell down.

Then he set down the boulder and got at the side of the training ground to pick up some weighted gadgets to put on, before he lifted the boulder again and started to carry it away, walking really slowly.

Najenda: Hey Akame! I leave the place in your hands, standing orders are "Everyone train!"

From over the boulder, Akame nodded while she was being carried away from a sweaty Billy, this training was used to continuously break his body and then make it get stronger, like a sort of reactive evolution. 

Najenda: But the main reason I'm heading to the HQ will be to secure some new members. I'm hoping they can spare some talented people to replenish our fighting strength, but I'm not holding my breath.

Billy: *Sigh* I'm sorry, if I was faster, then I would be able to save Bulat…

Najenda: The ones you were fighting, the Three Beasts, had the strongest offensive capabilities in the entire Empire, all three of them were eliminated, and their Teigu were recovered. Esdeath's strength may have no equal, but her army has certainly been weakened as a whole due to this.

This will do much to allay the concerns over when the Revolution will take place. You not only saved the lives of half of the people of the ship, but also the lives of thousands of Revolutionary Army soldiers. You're strong and you did well, Billy.

Billy: ...If I am strong, then why I keep losing people…? I don't want to be stronger! I want to be there to help when a friend is in danger!

Leone: ...Hey Billy, I wasn't going to tell you since I didn't want to inflate your ego, but… Bulat said something to me a while back.

"Billy is already strong at such age, and that was just with training, he didn't used any Teigu to help him getting stronger. 

In 5 years, I will believe that he will be on par with the Great General Budo in terms of strength, in 10 years, I think that the entire Empire will need to unite together to have a chance to beat him, and he will surely even surpass his father at his prime in terms of physical strength.

But if he continues for 15 years of extreme training every day, then I doubt there will be someone in the future that is capable of surpassing him, his strength is unnatural and his potential is almost limitless… I look forward to seeing it, when he will reach his prime."

Billy was silent for a while, before he smirked.

Billy: ...Bulat… Goddammit, even when you are not there you make a good speech…

Najenda: Be proud of yourself, Billy, and live on. One day you will be able to use your powers to save someone, and make sure they are safe. But before I go, I have a question… When we got the report about the Ryuusen, we read that the superior part of the ship was "Burned to ashes, together with the corpses". 

Is this what you mean when you said your blade was sealed?

Billy just sighed while he kept walking around the training ground with the boulder on him.

Billy: *Sigh* Yeah, my "Teigu" is Ryujin Jakka, a blade that can emit really hot flames, due to the heat of the fire, the blade needed a seal, however it isn't still at its 100%.

Najenda: You have mentioned you had 2 seals, right?

Billy: Yep, but due to a special reason, I can't use it carelessly. Now I will continue to train…

Najenda nodded and left the hideout with the Teigus, leaving everyone else to train.

[Meanwhile]

Esdeath was in front of three graves, holding a bouquet of flowers, she looked down at the graves and slowly called her subordinates, who couldn't hear her anyway.

Esdeath: Liver, Nyau, Daidara. You guys lost… Which means you were just too weak. It's only natural for the weak to be eliminated… My weak subordinates.

She slowly kneeled and held a wooden cross, representing the grave of Liver, with one hand.

Esdeath: You were so weak that I'll have to take vengeance on your enemies in your stead. 'Will my new Teigu using subordinates be arriving today?'

She started to walk away from the graveyard, deep in her thoughts.

Esdeath: 'An unknown fire-type Teigu, huh? If you were able to easily take care of my Three Beasts, I will look forward for our clash, between ice and fire… Who will win? My cold ice or your hot fire?' Anyway, I don't know much about the people that have come. Maybe I should play around with them?