Stepping out of the palace-style dining hall, Gozuki and his five subordinates all appeared somewhat dazed, as if they had just escaped a calamity by sheer luck.
The tearing pain across his flesh constantly reminded Gozuki of what he had just faced.
That terrifying aura—so dreadful it made his very soul tremble—made Gozuki realize how laughable his previous plans had been.
Under Honest's command, he had once assessed the difference between his own strength and Selene's, deciding on an ambush, intending to assassinate her with the cursed poison of Murasame. But now, thinking back on it, that plan was nothing short of suicide.
Now that he had already chosen to submit, he could no longer waver or try to play both sides.
He would use Najenda's head as his offering of loyalty.
The mere thought of Najenda filled Gozuki with hatred. It was because of her that his hard-trained Elite Squad of the Imperial Assassination Unit had nearly been annihilated.
Under the violet radiance Selene had bestowed upon Liver, the scene of Daniel, Babara, and Najenda meeting replayed vividly in his mind like a film reel. It was crystal clear.
Those bastards from the Revolutionary Army and the Oarburgh Assassination Syndicate had used Najenda's personal documents to infiltrate the local garrisons, presenting false military orders that forced the stationed troops to stand idle and watch.
Indeed, the Elite Squad members were, in Gozuki's eyes, merely his messengers, his tools to seek greater power and influence... not something he couldn't give up.
But to train those children, Gozuki had spent years of effort. After so much time together, even if it had been a dog, he would have grown attached—let alone humans.
If their deaths had meaning—if they had value equal to their loss—he wouldn't have minded. But this? Dying because of a traitor's leaked intel? And the ones who died were his two most talented disciples? Worthless. Completely worthless.
The effort and the outcome were utterly mismatched.
"Cornelia, let's return and rest for now. Our next target... Najenda's head. Hm? Akame, what's wrong?"
Her eyes unfocused, Akame muttered blankly, "Father... Nahashu and Guy's deaths... were caused by betrayal from within the Empire's upper ranks... Then what are we, really?"
"These things aren't for us to think about. Just do your duty and fulfill the missions the Empire assigns you. Akame, why are you having such thoughts?" Gozuki asked in surprise, his voice tinged with suspicion.
"Even so... are we really doing the right thing? We've become tools of the higher-ups. Weren't we supposed to fight for the smiles of the people?" Akame seemed entranced, continuing to speak to herself.
"The Upper City is so prosperous, and the Duchess' Mansion is so magnificent... But everywhere else we've gone, people's lives are miserable. So many resent the Empire..."
This time, even the four surviving Elite Squad members were stunned. The first half of what Akame said could be chalked up to grief and confusion over losing comrades—but the latter half? That was dangerous talk.
In their eyes, assassins had one principle—obedience. Obedience. Absolute obedience.
"Enough! Be silent, Akame!" Gozuki barked harshly. "What you should be doing now is sharpening your blade and cutting down Najenda to avenge your comrades!"
"Akame, I understand your feelings... but right now, you're not qualified."
With that, Gozuki turned his gaze toward the shadowed corner of the corridor.
An assassin's instincts told him something was watching from within the darkness.
It must be someone capable of hiding within shadows, he thought silently.
"Our top priority now is to take Najenda's head."
...
Meanwhile, elsewhere in the Duchess' courtyard—
"That was everything the assassin named Akame said," Liver reported respectfully from behind Selene.
"Akame's ideals... admirable, but far too naive. And coming from an executioner like her, such words sound rather strange."
Setting down the recording device that had captured the Shadowkhan's surveillance feed, Selene frowned slightly. For some reason, this all felt oddly familiar—an uncanny sense of déjà vu she couldn't quite explain.
"To have such thoughts—she's no longer a qualified assassin. Her blade has grown dull," remarked the former Imperial iron-blooded general, Liver, with a faint sigh.
"An assassin should not think too much. An overactive mind often means their loyalty is wavering."
"Shall this old servant..." Liver began, raising his hand and making a familiar throat-slitting gesture.
"No, no, Liver... don't be so bloodthirsty. Let's wait and observe for now. This could turn into quite the interesting show. We'll just sit back and watch the fish bite."
"As you command."
For reasons he could never quite explain, Liver always felt his mistress was excessively cautious—too fond of meticulous planning, always following her preordained schemes, rarely breaking them by choice.
Intrigue and manipulation came as naturally to her as breathing. She lacked the fiery recklessness one might expect from someone her age. As long as no one provoked her directly, she remained as immovable as a mountain—calm, calculating, unshakable.
Ironically, it was he and Sebas, the so-called old bones, who tended to act more impulsively.
Still, Liver thought to himself, so be it. Her will was absolute. He could only offer suggestions; all final decisions rested in her hands.
After all, being overly cautious wasn't necessarily a bad thing...
...
While Selene and Liver were discussing how best to send Honest on his way peacefully—
Bzzzz~
A space gate bathed in violet light slowly opened in midair. Emerging first was the impeccably dressed arm of a man in a black butler uniform, followed by a stern, silver-haired face lined with age.
"Sebas?" Selene tilted her head in mild surprise. The timing didn't match any scheduled reports, and there hadn't been any major incidents on her end... Could it be that the project she had assigned to Dr. Stylish had reached completion?
Upon seeing Selene's ever-radiant figure, the rigid lines on Sebas' face softened visibly.
"Milady, the Honkai Energy Stabilized Augmented Soldier Project you assigned to Dr. Stylish has made significant progress," he reported, bowing respectfully.
"The Honkai Energy Stabilized Augmented Soldier Project?" Liver's expression shifted from confusion to delight as realization struck—he understood the potential power such stable Honkai-based enhancements could grant the human body.
"Sebas, bring me Dr. Stylish's compiled research data," Selene said, her tone rising slightly in excitement.
As her will resonated, the surrounding air warped. Space itself split apart, and a shimmering, prismatic rift expanded before them.
"...On second thought, forget it. Let's go there directly."