Chapter 86: The Final Battle!

"At any rate, humans change over time based on their actions. Truth be told, at the end of the day, equality is just a fantasy. And most of us go through life denying the fact that we live in a meritocracy."

— Kiyotaka Ayanokōji, Classroom of the Elite

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Just then, Esdeath suddenly pointed her sword towards a nearby pile of rubble.

"Whoever's hiding there, Come out now, or I'll attack."

Roy and Kurome also turned their attention to the rubble. They, too, sensed someone hiding there.

"Impressive. I thought I was well-hidden. As expected of the Empire's strongest," a man's voice said as he emerged from the rubble. He wore a hooded coat, his face obscured in the shadows.

He hadn't planned to get involved in their conflict. In his mind, having Esdeath eliminate Night Raid would be beneficial. He didn't consider the possibility of Night Raid winning.

"Now that you know our secret, you're not going anywhere," Roy declared coldly.

He instantly recognized the man as Syura, the son of Minister Honest.

Roy had already marked this man for Death.

In the manga, Syura was a depraved individual who had orchestrated the assault and murder of Bols's wife and daughter while they were visiting Bols's grave.

He had also set his sights on Kurome. And to top it off, he was the son of the corrupt Minister Honest.

For all these reasons, Syura was a dead man walking.

"Oh?" Syura sneered, looking down at Roy with disdain. "You think you can stop me?"

"Teigu, [Shambhala], activate!" he shouted.

A purple magic circle appeared beneath their feet.

"Trying to teleport us away? How amusing..." Roy scoffed.

He knew teleportation magic. Even if Syura managed to teleport them, Roy could easily teleport back.

Moreover...

"Too slow!"

Roy swiftly scooped up Esdeath and Kurome, carrying them out of the magic circle's range before it could activate.

Shambhala's activation time was too slow. Although it only took two or three seconds to teleport, it was still an eternity in a battle against Roy.

Esdeath had fallen victim to it in the original story only because she was unfamiliar with the Teigu's ability.

Syura was taken aback, but Roy didn't hesitate. He appeared before Syura in a flash.

His ice rose sword sliced through Syura's neck without mercy.

"!!!" Syura gasped, his eyes wide with disbelief as his body was instantly encased in ice.

Esdeath stared at Roy's ice rose sword, a mixture of surprise and excitement in her eyes.

He could control ice, just like her.

She had chosen well. Her gaze intensified.

Sensing her intense stare, Roy turned to her. "Esdeath, you can go back now. No matter the outcome tomorrow, we'll be together, won't we?" he said, his voice filled with confidence and a hint of tenderness.

Esdeath smiled and nodded. "Indeed."

She summoned her dragon Danger Beast and flew away.

Roy and Kurome returned to the Night Raid hideout.

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When the other Night Raid members returned, Roy informed them of his agreement with Esdeath.

They were stunned.

Najenda frowned.

She knew Esdeath's strength better than anyone.

A direct confrontation with Esdeath was a risky move, in her opinion.

However, before she had returned from headquarters, she had received orders to respect Roy's decisions.

This put her in a difficult position.

Of course, those orders were Roy's doing.

He had been controlling the leader of the Revolutionary Army from the start.

When he first arrived in this world, he had set his sights on the Teigu.

Teigu were powerful weapons. Esdeath's Teigu, "Demon's Extract," and Akame's Teigu, "One-Cut Killer: Murasame" were comparable to Sacred Gears, and the other Teigu were also on par with powerful artifacts.

Roy had taken control of the Revolutionary Army to turn this world into his own domain.

Once he figured out how to create Teigu, he would have access to an endless supply of powerful weapons.

This would be crucial for the development of the Lucifuge Clan.

In the end, Najenda agreed to Roy's plan.

The other Night Raid members didn't object either. They knew how strong Roy was.

And even without Roy, Akame and Kurome together could potentially defeat Esdeath.

...

...

The next day, Night Raid set off for the designated battleground.

Esdeath and the remaining Jaegers were already waiting for them.

The Jaegers were a sorry sight now. Seryu and Dr. Stylish were dead, and Kurome had defected to Roy's side.

Only Wave, Run, and Bols remained.

Night Raid, on the other hand, was at full strength.

Not only were all the original members alive, but they also had Kurome, Saeko, and Roy. Even Najenda had joined them.

"Yo, Esdeath, you're early," Roy greeted her with a smile.

"I couldn't wait to defeat you and keep you by my side forever," Esdeath replied, her cheeks slightly flushed.

"Oh? You're quite confident, Esdeath."

"Let's discuss the rules then."

"Since you only have three members, I'll also send out three. We'll have one-on-one matches."

"And finally, we'll have our duel. How does that sound?"

"No problem," Esdeath agreed without hesitation.

To her, the outcome of the matches between their subordinates didn't matter.

Her battle against Roy would decide the victor.

But some appetizers before the main course wouldn't hurt.

"Bols, you go first," Esdeath instructed.

"Yes, Captain!" Bols stepped forward.

His Teigu was "Rubicante," a flamethrower-like weapon that could unleash inextinguishable flames and even launch magma.

Its trump card was a large-scale self-destruction, incredibly powerful but also destructive to the Teigu itself.

"Who wants to fight him?" Roy asked the Night Raid members.

"I..."

"I'll do it!" Akame declared, interrupting Bulat.

Bulat shrugged and stepped back.

"Alright, Akame, you're up. Remember, no killing," Roy reminded her.

He didn't dislike Bols. He wasn't inherently evil, so there was no need to kill him.

Akame nodded and stepped forward.

Perhaps it was fate, but Akame, just like in the original story, faced Bols.

However, this time, Bols, didn't have Kurome's corpse puppets to support him, and Akame was far stronger than before.

The outcome was predictable. Within moments, the match was decided.

Akame's blade was at Bols's neck. A slight nick, and Bols would be dead.

"You win the first round. Wave, you're next," Esdeath said calmly, unfazed by Bols's swift defeat.

"Yes, Captain!" Wave acknowledged.

Wave's personality was similar to Tatsumi's, and his Teigu was a replica of Incursio called "Grand Chariot."

Although its performance was inferior to Incursio, Wave's strength was recognized by Esdeath.

Seeing Wave step forward, Bulat immediately volunteered.

"I'll take this one."

"Go ahead," Roy nodded.

Both of them wielded armor-type Teigu, and Grand Chariot was modeled after Incursio.

This was a battle of fate.

However, in terms of raw power, Bulat had the edge.

Wave was still young, and Incursio's performance surpassed that of Grand Chariot.

As expected, Bulat emerged victorious.

Run, the last remaining member of the Jaegers, stepped forward.

"Then I'll be the next challenger," he declared, activating his Teigu and taking to the sky.

His Teigu was "Mastema," a pair of white wings that allowed him to fly and launch feather projectiles. Its trump card could reflect projectiles.

With his aerial advantage, it was difficult for ordinary fighters to reach him.

"I'll handle this. He's in the air. Only I can reach him," Mine declared confidently, holding up her Teigu, "Pumpkin."

Roy, however, shook his head. "No, Mine. His Teigu can deflect ranged attacks. It completely counters your Pumpkin."

Mine was unconvinced.

"Don't worry. We'll leave this to Kurome," Roy said, patting Mine's head and turning to Kurome. "Kurome, you're up."

"Yes, Onii-chan!" Kurome replied happily.

She was eager to help Roy.

She activated her Devil wings and took to the sky.

Compared to Run's Teigu, her Devil wings were far more agile.

Without his aerial advantage, Run was quickly defeated.

"Clap, clap, clap!"

"What an exciting battle! This is far more entertaining than the martial arts tournament," Esdeath praised with a smile.

"Now, it's our turn."

Roy stepped forward with a grin.

"Go, Roy!"

"Roy, defeat her!"

"Onii-chan, you can do it!"

...

...

The Night Raid members cheered for him.

"Then let me experience your strength," Esdeath said, drawing her rapier and pointing it at Roy.

Roy summoned his ice rose sword.

In the next instant, they both vanished.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Clash! Clash! Clash!

The two swordsmen clashed, their blades a blur of motion.

Esdeath's swordsmanship was honed on countless battlefields, a purely lethal style with immense power behind every strike.

Roy's swordsmanship, however, was a culmination of various styles, incorporating the strengths of each.

His movements were efficient and precise, each strike carrying devastating force.

His mastery of Breathing Styles further enhanced his swordsmanship.

Their intense duel amazed the onlookers.

"They're so strong! I can't even see their movements!"

"Their swordsmanship alone is incredible, and they haven't even used their Teigu yet!"

"If Roy uses that ice giant technique from before, he should be able to defeat Esdeath."

"They both use ice!"

...

Esdeath, realizing that her swordsmanship was no match for Roy's, leaped back, creating distance between them.

"Your swordsmanship is truly impressive, Roy," she admitted with admiration.

"Haha, yours isn't bad either, Esdeath-san," Roy replied with a smile.

"Then how about this..."

Esdeath waved her hand, conjuring countless ice spikes that shot towards Roy.

Roy chuckled.

"I can do that too!"

"Ice Breathing, First Form: Flocking Ice Blades!"

He swung his sword, unleashing a barrage of ice projectiles that flew towards the incoming spikes like a flock of birds.

The ice projectiles and spikes collided.

A cloud of ice mist filled the air, but neither attack could overcome the other.

Esdeath leaped into the air and snapped her fingers.

A massive ice sphere, about a hundred meters in diameter, materialized above her, blocking the sunlight.

She then sent the ice sphere hurtling towards Roy like a meteor.

Roy smirked and raised his hand.

"Secret Art: Twilight Snowfall!"

The ground shook.

A massive ice mountain erupted from the earth, intercepting the falling ice sphere.

Crack! Crack! Crack!

The tip of the ice mountain pierced the sphere, shattering it into countless pieces.

Esdeath then conjured a massive ice pillar and thrust it towards the ice mountain.

However, the ice pillar shattered upon contact with the mountain, like an egg hitting a rock.

Esdeath's ice was no match for Roy's. It was on a completely different level.

Esdeath landed, realizing that her ice attacks were ineffective.

"Roy, you truly are strong. It seems I'll have to use my trump card. I developed this technique just for you," she declared, her eyes filled with determination.

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This was the first time Esdeath had encountered an opponent who could match her strength. Neither her swordsmanship nor her ice attacks could defeat Roy.

However, during their first encounter, frustrated by her inability to catch Roy, she had developed a new technique.

It was Mahapadma.

In the original story, Esdeath had created this technique to prevent Tatsumi from escaping.

This time, she had developed it to capture Roy.

Roy, hearing her words, understood her intentions and prepared himself.

He knew about Mahapadma. It wouldn't be difficult to counter it.

Esdeath's Mahapadma could freeze time and space within a radius of several dozen meters.

He could simply escape the area of effect before she activated it, just like Akame had done in the original story.

Or he could freeze himself.

He estimated that Mahapadma's time-stop effect lasted for less than five seconds.

So, as long as he could withstand Esdeath's attacks for five seconds, he would be fine.

Roy chose the second option.

As Esdeath charged towards him, Roy smirked and uttered a few words.

"Secret Art: Millennium Ice Prison."

This technique was originally meant to trap others, but this time, he used it on himself.

He was instantly encased in ice.

Esdeath activated her trump card.

"Mahapadma!"

Time and space froze. All movement ceased.

Even the birds flying in the sky were frozen mid-flight.

Only Esdeath could move freely.

However, seeing Roy encased in ice, she was momentarily stunned.

She had to break the ice to harm him.

Realizing this, she didn't waste any time.

She conjured an ice spear and thrust it towards Roy.

But it was useless. The ice spear shattered upon contact with Roy's ice, like an egg hitting a rock.

Esdeath frowned.

But before she could think of another solution, Mahapadma's time-stop effect wore off.

Roy, though unsure what had just happened, knew that Esdeath's trump card had been ineffective against him.

"How did you counter my technique, Roy?" Esdeath asked, confused.

This was the first time she had used Mahapadma, yet Roy had encased himself in ice beforehand, as if he had anticipated her move.

And Mahapadma could only be used once a day.

Roy deactivated his ice prison and chuckled at her question.

Could he tell her that he knew about her technique beforehand?

"I just had a feeling," he replied with a shrug. "I didn't know what was going to happen, but I sensed danger."

"A feeling, huh?" Esdeath wasn't satisfied with his answer, but there was no other explanation.

"Since your trump card couldn't defeat me, does that mean I win?" Roy asked with a smile.

"Hmph! If you want me to admit defeat, you'll have to beat me," Esdeath declared, her pride unwavering as she pointed her sword at Roy.

It seemed he had to completely defeat her to conquer this woman.

"Very well," Roy sighed dramatically.

He held out his hand.

"Secret Art: Ice 9-Dragons."

Nine massive ice dragons materialized in the sky, roaring silently.

They encircled Esdeath, ready to strike.

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