Swish—!
A sharp sword stroke cleanly sheared away the leaves just above Shirou's head. He could feel the cool breeze gently brushing his scalp.
"It's pitch-black down there; I doubt he'd hide here," one guard muttered irritably as he glanced at the shadowy bushes.
"Over there—!"
Suddenly, a shout rang out from the distance. Immediately, the soldiers turned and hurried toward the voice.
Shirou lay flat on the ground, silently letting out the breath he'd been holding.
His back had sustained grievous burns from the explosion, drenching him in blood. Though the wounds hadn't yet crusted over, the darkened blood blended perfectly into the night, making it indistinguishable from the muddy ground. Ironically, the very injury weakening him had just saved his life.
Wings, huh?
Emerging cautiously from the bushes, Shirou quickly surveyed his surroundings and considered his options.
He couldn't project Incursio to fly out, but climbing trees could serve nearly the same purpose. At least for now, the guards wouldn't be able to easily catch someone moving swiftly from tree to tree.
He had to leave quickly. If he delayed any further, the Jaegers would arrive, and his chances of survival would vanish entirely.
With determination, Shirou grasped his reverse-blade katana tightly and swiftly climbed up a large tree, carefully ensuring no soldiers were nearby to spot him. Even if he was detected, ordinary soldiers couldn't match his agility in the trees. Still, remaining undetected was preferable to avoid further complications.
Thanks to his impressive physical capabilities—and plenty of experience from his childhood—Shirou easily scaled to the treetop.
There's the capital.
From atop the tree, Shirou's vision broadened immensely, allowing him to quickly locate the Empire's brightly illuminated city amidst the darkness of the forest. His exceptional eyesight made finding his way simple.
Cough—!
Yet his injuries continued their relentless torment, forcing him to grit his teeth tightly as he leaped carefully from branch to branch. Below him, guards occasionally noticed falling leaves but saw nothing when looking upward.
The darkness, it seemed, was finally on Shirou's side.
...
Clutching his wounded abdomen, Shirou quietly slipped through the shadows into one of the Empire's many alleyways. The corrupt Empire was notoriously lax in security; Shirou easily knocked out two guards atop the city walls and slipped into the capital unnoticed.
If it weren't for the Empire's possession of Teigu, such negligence would have doomed them long ago.
Trusting his memory, Shirou quickly located a hidden passage in a narrow alley that would lead him directly toward Night Raid's forest base. Once inside, he activated its self-destruct mechanism, causing it to collapse silently behind him, leaving no trace on the surface streets.
Yet, upon arriving—
What the hell… happened here?
Shirou stared, horrified, at the nightmarish scene before him.
Night Raid's base had been obliterated by enormous, crater-like impacts, the raging flames engulfing everything in sight.
Countless corpses of Stylish's infantry lay scattered across the ground amidst chunks of shattered ice.
This had clearly been the site of a catastrophic battle. No area remained untouched, and the stench of blood overwhelmed Shirou's senses.
The place resembled hell itself—bodies everywhere.
...
"Susanoo, was it? Next time, I won't let you escape so easily," Esdeath murmured coldly, standing calmly amid the devastation. With a flick of her western sword, she scattered fresh blood onto the scorched earth.
When Esdeath had attacked Night Raid's base, Najenda had already left to rendezvous with the Revolutionary Army, leaving her absent from the battlefield.
Of the replica Incursios Shirou had provided, only Bulat, Akame, Leone, and Tatsumi could wield them effectively.
The appearance of four Incursio armors had initially shocked Esdeath and exerted immense pressure. But aside from Akame and Bulat, none of the others could even touch Esdeath.
Even Leone and Tatsumi, though armored in Incursio, couldn't match Esdeath's combat tempo. It wasn't merely their physical speed—it was their lack of battle instinct and experience compared to Esdeath.
Esdeath changed her attacks effortlessly mid-strike, overwhelming their defenses before they could even react. Their bodies might keep pace, but their minds lagged far behind.
Only Akame, formerly of the Empire's elite assassination squad, and Bulat, a former general, could somewhat match Esdeath in combat.
Meanwhile, Esdeath's infantry and her summoned ice knights had forced the other Night Raid members into desperate fights of their own. Alone, the infantry were manageable, but combined with Esdeath's ice knights, they left no chance for the others to aid Akame and Bulat.
Suddenly, during the intense battle, a strange, colorless wind swept across the field.
Stylish's infantry and those not protected by Incursio collapsed instantly.
Esdeath, however, stood unaffected, untouched by the mysterious attack.
The tide turned dramatically. The infantry fell, but Esdeath's ice knights continued their relentless assault.
Forced to choose between engaging Esdeath and protecting their defenseless allies, Night Raid fought frantically. Even worse, Esdeath's western blade had inexplicably become sharper, easily cutting through Bulat's armor whenever he lowered his guard.
Just as Esdeath and Dr. Stylish confidently assumed victory was inevitable, Najenda arrived, swiftly descending from above atop a bird-type Danger Beast.
Without hesitation, Najenda invoked her trump card, [Magatama Manifestation].
From the sky descended a formidable blue-haired man whose mere presence briefly unsettled Esdeath herself.
Yet, instead of confronting Esdeath directly, the summoned warrior immediately swept away all the Night Raid members, vanishing into thin air.
Caught completely off guard, Esdeath didn't even react in time to use her ultimate move, [Mahapadma], to freeze him in place.
Even if she had, it likely wouldn't have mattered; by the moment Esdeath understood his intentions, Susanoo had already leaped skyward, beyond her immediate reach, even through frozen time.
BOOM—!
An immense explosion erupted violently beneath Night Raid's base, engulfing the area in flames, consuming Esdeath entirely.
Instantly, the surrounding forest became a sea of fire.
Ever since its construction, Najenda had strategically placed massive amounts of explosives beneath the base, planning for exactly such an eventuality—to deliver a crushing blow to any enemy who dared attack their hideout.
Yet, even as the flames surged skyward, Najenda sighed softly to herself. She knew an explosion like that would never be enough to defeat Esdeath.