Chapter 166: Night Raid
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After passing through the forest, a building perched on a cliff appeared before them.
"Is this the Night Raid base?" Aoki asked.
Having reached the maximum level as the "King of the White Walkers," he had finally come to keep the appointment that had been postponed for several days.
Akame nodded. "Yes, this place is hidden well, and there's a lot of delicious food nearby"
Aoki smiled. This was indeed a very "Akame" response.
"Let's go"
Akame led the way forward, followed quickly by Aoki and Kurome. The three of them headed straight into the Night Raid base.
As soon as they entered the door, they ran into a pink-haired girl with twin ponytails.
"Akame, you're back..." Mine started, but then her gaze shifted to Aoki and Kurome behind her, and her expression changed. "Who are they?"
"They're Aoki and Kurome," Akame introduced. "This is Mine, she's also a member of Night Raid."
Aoki glanced at Mine briefly. She was a proud and straightforward girl, who often showed a tsundere attitude towards her companions. But once she made up her mind about her feelings, she was bold enough to act on them.
The imperial weapon she wielded, the Roman Artillery: Pumpkin, was a gun-shaped imperial weapon powered by mental energy. The more dangerous the situation, the stronger its power became.
Aoki thought that this imperial weapon would suit him quite well. It had powerful long-range capabilities, which happened to fill in two of his weaknesses.
"Mine, where's the boss?" Akame asked.
"Boss is—" Mine began to speak but was interrupted by the sound of footsteps approaching.
A silver-haired woman appeared. She was strikingly beautiful, with an eyepatch covering her right eye and a mechanical arm on her right hand.
"Akame, are these two Aoki and Kurome?" she asked.
"Yes, Boss," Akame replied.
The silver-haired woman smiled and extended her hand. "Welcome to our base. I'm Najenda, the current leader of Night Raid."
"I've heard a lot about you," Aoki said as he gently shook her hand.
Najenda had once been a general in the empire and had earned significant respect at a young age. Later, she voluntarily joined the Revolutionary Army with her subordinates, becoming one of its core members.
Though Najenda excelled in strategy, her personal strength was average. She was the previous owner of the Roman Artillery: Pumpkin. After she betrayed the empire, she encountered Esdeath, who crippled her right hand and right eye.
Akame had accepted Najenda's invitation to join the Revolutionary Army.
"Mine, go and notify the others. We'll hold a meeting," Najenda said, then turned to Aoki and Kurome. "Please, follow me."
Aoki, Akame and Kurome followed her into the meeting room. Shortly after, familiar yet somewhat unfamiliar faces appeared.
There was Sheele, the girl with purple hair and glasses, Lubbock with his green hair, and Bulat with his exaggerated crew cut.
Aoki was caught off guard when he saw the boy who walked in with Bulat. Not only Aoki, but even Akame showed a look of surprise.
"Boss, who is he?" Akame asked.
Najenda smiled. "This is our new member, Tatsumi."
Leone, hugging Akame with a grin, added, "While your good friend was away on vacation, we took on a mission and met Tatsumi. After learning about our cause, he decided to join."
Tatsumi quickly interjected, "You forcibly brought me here!"
"It's the same thing!" Leone patted his shoulder heavily. "Tatsumi has great potential and is expected to become a general-level warrior."
Akame looked toward Tatsumi, making his heart tighten.
This was his first time seeing Akame, but over the past few days, he'd heard plenty about her exploits. He knew this girl was the ace assassin of Night Raid.
Perhaps because of all the legends he had heard, those red eyes seemed particularly frightening to him.
"Welcome to Night Raid," Akame nodded slightly.
"Thank you! I'll do my best!" Tatsumi replied stiffly, feeling a sense of relief. However, he couldn't shake off a bit of confusion as he looked to the side.
According to the information he had gathered, Night Raid only had seven members, including him. Who were these two people?
Could they be new members as well? Tatsumi pondered, feeling a sense of familiarity. He scratched the back of his head and smiled, "Hi, I'm Tatsumi. I just joined Night Raid."
Kurome glanced at him but said nothing.
"My name is Aoki, and this is Kurome," Aoki introduced.
"Kurome?" Tatsumi blinked, taking a closer look. She did seem to resemble Akame a bit.
At that moment, Najenda stood up. "Let me formally introduce everyone..."
After the introductions were made, the atmosphere became a little more relaxed.
Najenda didn't waste time and got straight to the point. "Aoki, the main reason I invited you here is to discuss the assassination of the minister and the hunt for the super-dangerous species."
"Assassinate the minister? Hunt a super-dangerous species?" Tatsumi's eyes widened. He had just joined Night Raid, and now he was about to face such terrifying missions?
Aoki nodded, showing he understood. On the way here, Akame had already explained the details to them.
Najenda asked seriously, "How long do you think it will take to assassinate the minister? Do you need our help?"
Aoki thought for a moment before replying, "Two or three days."
For him, the challenge in killing Honest lay mainly in finding him. Although the palace was large, with his abilities, two or three days would be enough to locate him.
Honest wasn't the type to hide easily, and Aoki doubted he'd be scared enough to go into hiding anyway.
"No need for help," Aoki added.
"Two or three days?" Everyone in Night Raid looked visibly shocked.
This was the minister, after all—the de facto ruler of the empire. He resided in the palace, surrounded by extremely tight security.
They had expected that, even if Aoki had the skill to assassinate the minister, it would take significant preparation and time to find the right moment. Two or three days seemed far too short.
That said, while everyone was surprised and confused, no one openly questioned it. On one hand, there was Akame's trust in Aoki's judgment, and on the other, Aoki's string of impressive battle records had built up their confidence in him.
If Aoki could come and go freely from the dangerous Royal Fist Temple, then perhaps he could do the same at the Imperial Palace.
Najenda, after a moment of thought, frowned. "Two or three days? That soon? When do you plan to act?"
The minister's death would throw the empire into chaos, and the Revolutionary Army would need to seize that opportunity. However, the news had come too suddenly, and the Revolutionary Army wasn't yet prepared. If the minister was killed too soon, they might not be able to fully capitalize on the situation.
Aoki glanced at Najenda and guessed what she was thinking. "I'm willing to coordinate with you, but it can't be delayed for too long."
After all, this was a transaction, and Aoki was willing to accommodate them within reason.
Najenda breathed a sigh of relief and nodded seriously. "Thank you."
This was a crucial opportunity for the Revolutionary Army.
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T/N: There is a patreon for this work, and any new work I add will be dropped there first. check it out for an early access of 40 chapters.
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And also:
Imperial weapon = Teigu
Teigu = Imperial weapon