Full Counterattack

In a remote corner of the Imperial Capital, there was a slum known as "Slam," a place that was a stark contrast to the rest of the capital—a hell compared to the heaven elsewhere. Crime was rampant in this slum, and for the orphaned children living there, survival often meant resorting to theft, scams, and any trick they could use to get money.

Among them was a young girl named Leone, about eleven or twelve years old. Over the years, her physical strength had far surpassed her peers, and her skills in deception and pickpocketing had reached a high level.

Leone had short, shoulder-length blonde hair and striking golden eyes. At the moment, she was holding a money pouch she had just stolen from a noble on the bustling streets of the capital, a smug smile on her face as she admired her handiwork. She looked quite adorable, despite her actions.

She quickly ducked into a narrow alley and opened the pouch, her eyes widening at the sight of gleaming gold coins. Leone nearly let out a shout of joy.

"Today was a huge score! This much money will last me for months!" she whispered excitedly.

After checking that no one was watching, she stuffed the money pouch into her clothes and happily made her way back to the slums.

However, when she returned, something felt off. Normally lively and noisy, the slums were eerily quiet today. Even the dilapidated streets were deserted, with no one in sight.

Sensing danger, Leone instinctively wanted to flee, but the thought of her friends kept her from running. She gritted her teeth and hurried deeper into the slum.

It wasn't long before she heard commotion up ahead. Rounding a corner, she saw a group of Imperial Capital guards, dressed in light armor, rounding up the slum's residents. Nearby, several mutilated corpses were laid out, their deaths brutal and violent.

Leone's sharp eyes recognized many familiar faces among the bodies. Her heart sank when she saw a particular figure—a small girl who had been her closest friend in the slums. The sight shattered her composure.

"No… no…" she muttered as tears streamed down her face.

Her cries caught the attention of both the guards and the remaining slum residents. And then, some of the residents, desperate to save themselves, turned on her.

"There she is! That's Leone! Lord Ogre, we weren't lying to you!" one of them shouted.

"Yes, she's the one you're after! Please, spare our lives!" another pleaded.

But their betrayal did nothing to save them. Instead, it became a death sentence. The leader of the guards, a sinister-looking middle-aged man called Ogre, glanced at Leone and smirked. His cold eyes confirmed that the blonde-haired girl was indeed their target.

Earlier, the Imperial guards had received orders from the palace to capture two specific girls—Leone, the golden-haired, golden-eyed girl from the slums, and a purple-haired, purple-eyed girl named Sheele from the lower town. The slums were their first stop, with the lower town next on the list.

Hearing the cries of the residents brought Leone back to her senses. She quickly realized that the guards were here for her. Though she didn't know why she had become a target, it didn't matter anymore. After seeing her friend's lifeless body, she had already made up her mind—she would fight the guards to the bitter end.

But she didn't yet have the power to take revenge. Glaring at Ogre and the guards with hatred, as if trying to burn their faces into her memory, she turned and fled, running as fast as her legs could carry her.

Unfortunately, her small frame couldn't outrun a whole squad of trained guards.

Having identified their target, the guards no longer had any use for the remaining slum residents. Ogre gave the order to execute them all, then led a group to chase after Leone.

It didn't take long for them to catch her. At the same time, the slum residents were slaughtered to the last. These guards, far from protecting the capital, were little more than ruthless executioners. Such was the state of the corrupt Empire.

After a short time, Ogre and his men easily captured their second target, Sheele, in the lower town. With both girls in tow, Ogre made his way back to the palace.

Ogre had long been aware of the power shift in the palace, and he knew about the eight Reincarnators who now occupied it. That was why he had been so eager to capture Leone and Sheele personally—he hoped to earn favor and rewards from these powerful newcomers.

While Ogre escorted Leone and Sheele to the throne room, Eriri and her companions had already arrived ahead of them. Thanks to Eriri's powers, they remained completely hidden from sight. Even if they had thrown a party right there in the palace, no one would have noticed.

The Reincarnators, meanwhile, continued their casual conversations near the throne, blissfully unaware that death was just a step away.

"Eriri-sama, shouldn't we deal with them now?" Rias asked casually, eyeing the Reincarnators. Despite knowing that some of them were stronger than her, Rias felt no fear. With so many powerful allies around her, there was no reason to be afraid of a few Level 3 Reincarnators.

"No need to rush. There's a good show coming up soon. Besides, they can't escape from us," Eriri replied, smiling.

Her consciousness had already spread across the entire Empire, and she was fully aware of the situation with Leone and Sheele. She also knew that Chelsea and others, who were farther from the capital, hadn't yet been affected.

Eriri had no intention of immediately rescuing Leone and Sheele from Ogre. After all, their destination was the throne room anyway. With her there, nothing could harm them, no matter what.

Before long, Ogre arrived at the throne room with Leone and Sheele. Both girls had their hands bound behind their backs. Leone's face was filled with frustration and despair, while Sheele seemed more confused, not understanding why she had been brought to the palace.

Seeing them, Mine and Akame couldn't help but gasp.

"It's Leone! And Sheele!" they exclaimed.

Even though Leone and Sheele were only eleven or twelve years old, their features were still recognizable. They looked just like their future selves, albeit younger and more innocent. That made it easy for Mine and Akame to identify them.

"Sister, should we save them now?" Mine asked Eriri eagerly.

Though she didn't know Leone and Sheele personally, she had learned from the memory images that Sheele was destined to be her closest friend in the future. She couldn't stand the thought of them being in danger.

"Don't worry. Just sit back and watch the show. I've placed protection spells on both of them. No one can harm them," Eriri said, gently ruffling Mine's hair.

Hearing this, both Mine and Akame relaxed, settling in to watch what would unfold next.

Ogre knelt before the throne, addressing the Reincarnators respectfully. "My lords, I've brought you the two targets."

"Good. You've done well. You may leave," said the long-haired female Reincarnator standing beside the throne, her tone indifferent. She glanced briefly at Leone and Sheele before turning her attention back to the Reincarnator captain on the throne, her expression shifting to one of sycophantic flattery.

"Captain, how would you like to handle these two fate-bearing children?" she asked.

The Reincarnator captain remained in his slouched, arrogant posture. One leg was crossed over the other, his right hand propped under his chin, while his left hand tapped rhythmically on the armrest of the throne—a perfect picture of a man basking in his own sense of superiority.

"My targets are Esdeath and Akame. You all can deal with these two kids," he said dismissively.

Their mission was to eliminate all the major fate-bearing individuals in this world, with greater rewards for taking down those with stronger destinies. Esdeath and Akame, in particular, had far more significant destinies than others, even more than the main protagonist, Tatsumi.

While the captain could have taken all the targets for himself, he didn't mind sharing the lesser ones with his team. As the leader, he was willing to let his teammates have a bit of the action.

"I understand," the long-haired female Reincarnator said happily. She then turned to the others. "Since the captain is only after Esdeath and Akame, we can split the rest of the fate-bearing children among ourselves. The stronger ones can choose first. Any objections?"

"No objections. I agree with your plan," said a ponytailed female Reincarnator, puffing out her chest proudly.

She was the third strongest in the team, just behind the captain and the long-haired woman. Though she had only recently reached tier three, she was still much stronger than the other Reincarnators, who were only at tier two, stage nine.

With the two strongest agreeing, the rest of the team had no choice but to accept.

"Then it's settled. I've already chosen my first target, so Leone and Sheele are up for grabs," the long-haired Reincarnator said, glancing at the ponytailed woman.

"They're not my targets either," the ponytailed woman replied with a grin, a hint of rivalry in her tone.

Their discussion made it clear they were treating Leone and Sheele like mere goods, completely disregarding the fact that these two were powerful fate-bearing individuals. To the Reincarnators, they were nothing more than walking points for their mission.

"Damn it! They're actually talking like that!" Mine gritted her teeth in frustration. Through their conversation, she had learned that she was also one of their targets, and being treated like a disposable asset angered her to no end.

"Heh, since none of you want them, I'll take Leone," said a bald male Reincarnator with a wicked grin. He licked his lips as he stared at Leone, a gesture that made Eriri and the others cringe in disgust. They all averted their eyes to "cleanse" their sight of the unsettling image.

"Seriously, could you stop with that creepy face? We've told you a hundred times already," the two female Reincarnators said in disgust, but then added, "Fine. Go ahead and deal with Leone."

"Alright, alright," the bald man said nonchalantly, completely unbothered by their revulsion. He approached Leone, drawing his massive axe from his back.

He was a rough-looking man, his face marred by a long scar, and the huge axe on his back added to his fearsome appearance. Seeing him approach with a sinister grin, Leone couldn't suppress the growing fear inside her.

"Stay away from me! Don't come any closer!" Leone shouted, her body trembling as she slowly backed away.

"Heh, don't be scared, little cutie. Just become my points, alright?" The bald Reincarnator's voice dripped with mockery, his eyes cold and devoid of any real emotion.

Without hesitation, he swung his axe down toward Leone, his eyes gleaming with bloodlust.

But just as the blade made contact with her head, something unexpected happened.

Instead of slicing through her, the axe was violently repelled by a powerful counterforce. The sheer strength of the rebound sent the axe flying back, smashing into the bald Reincarnator's body. Blood sprayed from his mouth as he was thrown across the throne room, crashing to the ground in front of the throne.

The once smug Reincarnator was now on the brink of death, his body ravaged by the very weapon he had swung. All of this had happened in an instant, leaving the others in shock. A Level 2, Stage 9 Reincarnator had been reduced to a near-dead state in mere moments.

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