Rubedo was not happy. She was even furious. She hated her role as a soldier, even though she quickly became a lieutenant. And hER anger had been created because of the actions of A person: Seryu.
Because of her, Rubedo was currently in a tree, hidden in plain sight, while she was dragged here to "get rid of Night Raid". However, despite having waited for hours, nothing had happened, and Rubedo was starting to feel cold.
" Don't worry, Ruru-chan ! Tonight we will capture Night Raid ! I promise you ! ''
Roaring with rage, remembering Seryu's words, Rubedo wondered how she was going to make the young woman suffer, as soon as she had permission to kill her.
Feeling her demonic aura, while he was hidden in another tree, Sebas sighed. He really wondered if entrusting this mission to the young girl was such a good idea. She was like a time bomb.
Nonetheless, having some sort of chess set in front of him, he seemed to be setting the pawns, so as to create the situation of this world, since Nazarick had appeared in this world.
"In the north, it's been a long time since Demiurge took control of the countries that are at war with the Empire ! So, no problem on this side ! Regarding Night Raid, this group includes humans that we could qualify as powerful ! However, they are in no way a threat to us! At most, two or three Death Knights would be enough to kill them all ! The same goes for the elite troops of this city! If Rubedo had the permission of our lady, she could destroy this capital without any problem ! Finally, we only have a few pawns left to drop to win the game. "
Seeing that there were only five white pawns left on the board, Sebas declared.
" The emperor, the prime minister, the nobles of this city, Esdeath and… Budo. "
Having heard of the second general of the Empire's army, Sebas wondered if he could be as powerful as Esdeath.
"According to Demiurge, this woman's power is above level 50 ! If this is also the case for this man, then they would be able, by putting themselves together, to easily be able to defeat a pleiad ! You will have to be wary of these two! For now, these are the most powerful enemies we have yet to defeat! However … !
He then looked at a pawn on the board which, strangely, was red in color.
" There is another enemy: the one who attacked Lupusregina ! For the moment, impossible to know who he is and what he wants! However, he is powerful and from what he said he works for someone! Is this person more powerful than Galadriel-sama ? If this is the case, we will have to review our entire plan. "
Thinking for several more minutes, Sebas ends up shaking his head, before finding himself ridiculous. Why did he have to think so much ? Afterwards, it was certain that Galadriel, the great mistress of Nazarick, already had hundreds of plans in advance to defeat anyone stupid enough to dare to fight her. Sebas was convinced that she would regret the actions of this man in just a few days.
He, for his part, had to ensure that Rubedo could continue to rise in rank within the army. However, thinking back to their reason for being hidden in trees, Sebas wondered if it was a good idea to take on Night Raid when he could become potential allies of Nazarick.
"It will be better not to kill them, if we have to fight them ! And with Seryu and Rubedo, it's not going to be easy. "
Suddenly, hearing footsteps, Sebas resumed his seriousness, to see figures in the distance.
Heaving a bored sigh, Aura showed how much she had found her last mission too easy. The target to be shot had been killed with a Mine shot, while Aura had slaughtered a dozen guards who thought they could easily kill her.
" Once again, it was boring ! In the end, you didn't need Mare and me. "
Seeing her walk quietly, as they crossed a park, Mine turned to her, before screaming.
"Hurry up, idiot ! We are still in enemy territory! Soldiers can come at any time. "
" So what ? " Wanted to know Aura. " Even if an army arrives, we will be able to make it disappear, right ? "
" Stop overestimating yourself. " Mine growled. " You may have successfully completed your first missions without the slightest problem, but there are enemies in this city who surely have enough strength to defeat you. "
Wanting to laugh, hearing this, Aura simply sighed in fatigue, knowing full well that she or Mare would be enough to destroy the capital and defeat Esdeath. For their part, remaining silent, Mare and Scheele just watched as Mine continued to yell at Aura, who pretended not to hear anything.
" Compared to your brother, you are much calmer." The young woman remarked.
Still a little shy about the fact that everyone still took him for a girl, Mare squirmed a little uneasily before declaring.
" Aura has always been like this ! And that's why I respect him so much! Compared to me, he's brave and always says what he thinks! Even though we are twins, I am sometimes jealous that he can interact with other people much more easily. "
" I don't see why you should be jealous of this. " Scheele retorted. " You too have a lot of quality! As well as a lot of courage! Would a cowardly person come and join Night Raid, knowing that they would have to fight against the army of an entire country ? "
Honestly, Mare was in no way afraid to fight against the Empire's army, knowing that he could defeat it with no worries. The humans of this world were in no way adversaries that could frighten a Nazarick Guardian.
" Mare, we are happy that you're part of Night Raid. "
" Hum ? " The dark elf wondered, looking at Scheele.
" Your brother and you, you are valiant warriors ! And the fact that Najenda gives you missions proves that she trusts you! You are true members of Night Raid! So you are part of our family. "
" Your family ? "
Strangely, hearing Scheele, Mare felt her words sounded like Galadriel's. Often times, Nazarick's mistress had claimed that Nazarick's Guardians were members of her family, despite Mare and the others feeling inferior to her. As a result, Mare could roughly understand what Scheele wanted to talk about and decided not to say anything.
"I only have one family ! And no matter what, I would never betray her for a bunch of humans. "
" Hey, here we go." Mine cried, getting ready to run again.
However, barely had she time to do two meters that two figures jumped from a tree to land in front of her.
" Night Raid ! " Seryu cried, while Koro was on her shoulder.
Staring at Scheele, she nodded.
" Yes ! It's the same face as on the wanted notices! You are Scheele de Nigh tRiad! And judging by the teigu the other girl is holding, I'm guessing the other three are Night Raid soldiers too. "
Starting to smile cruelly, Seryu cried out.
" I am very happy to have waited for you, because, this evening, I could massacre you, in the name of justice. "
"Who is she ?" Wanted know Mine. " I didn't even feel his presence. "
"Great, another boring person who wants to fight us. " Thought Aura, almost wanting to yawn. " I don't even want to tire of killing her ! However … "
Staring at Koro, she wondered what he was.
"This girl has a strange animal ! No matter how cute he looks, I'm sure this dog isn't normal. "
" You want to fight against us ? " Scheele wondered, grabbing his teigu. " Are you really sure? After all, there are four of us. "
" What do you think ? Anyway, there are four of us too ! Allies of justice, show yourself. "
There was a heavy silence. Waiting a few seconds, the members of Night Raid couldn't help but be surprised, not seeing anyone appear.
" Euh ... are you really accompanied or is it a trick ? "
Losing her smile, only to blush with shame, Seryu finally turns to the trees behind her, before screaming.
" RURU-CHAN! What are you doing ? The bad guys will go away if you don't do anything to stop them. "
A growl was immediately heard. Then finally, the quartet saw Rubedo come down from her tree, while also blushing with shame. Behind her, Sebas and Yuri appeared in turn. Seeing them appear, Seryu twirled her arms around, while shouting.
" Ruru-chan, you're mean ! Because of you, I was ridiculous. "
Groaning again, Rubedo found it extremely difficult not to grab Seryu's neck to break her neck. Raising her gaze a little, she stared at Aura and Mare who seemed a little surprised to see her here. Then she saw Aura trying not to laugh, after hearing the Rubedo nickname Seryu had given her.
Humiliated, Rubedo could only look away, while asserting.
" I don't know this girl. "
" Eh ? " Seryu wondered. " Who does he have, lieutenant? Have you lost your memory? You are a member of justice. "
" SHUT UP ! "
Not really knowing what was going on, Mine finally made up her mind. Seizing Pumpkin, she aimed her gun at the quartet, before firing.
" Hum ? " Rubedo wondered, seeing the attack coming towards her.
But already, Sebas intervened in front of the attack. Then, using only one hand, the butler struck the laser beam, with the back of his hand, and deflected its path to the side. Then staying still, it still didn't move, even when the laser hit a tree, causing an explosion. For her part, not feeling the gusts of wind shake her hair, Mine took a step back, horrified by what she had just seen.
" Impossible ... He deflected it ? "
" Miss ! " Said Sebas." Let me tell you that it is very rude to attack an opponent while she is in the middle of a discussion with another person! Next time, be patient enough for Rubedo-sama to finish speaking before attacking her. "
" Not worth it, Sebas ! " Rubedo retorted. " Anyway, even if her attack had hit me, I wouldn't have felt anything. "
" What does that mean ? " Wanted to know Scheele. " Does this man have a teigu? "
" Oh my God ! " Said Aura, pretending to be distraught. " If all these people have a teigu, we might get killed. "
Smiling upon hearing this, Seryu nodded.
" Yes, you're right ! Today, justice will conquer evil. "
" Say the word "justice" once again and I swear that… " Began Rubedo.
" KORO ! " Seryu shouted, ignoring her completely. " Show them our power. "
Immediately, the animal's body increased tenfold, as it took the form of a huge humanoid dog over two meters tall.
" What is that ? " Wanted to know Mare.
" An organic teigu. " Including Mine.
" It's exactly that. " Seryu nodded, while grabbing two guns. " And now we are going to you… "
" UNBELIEVABLE ! "
Surprised, everyone looked at Aura, who had climbed onto Koro's shoulders. Examining it everywhere, the dark elf seemed to be in euphoria.
" A dog that can turn into a killing machine? This is the best type of animal I can find ! I must capture it. "
" As if I was going to let you do it. " Seryu roared, shooting her.
Doing a simple back somersault, Aura dodged the projectiles without a hitch. Then, hardly had she time to put a foot on the ground, than she heard in her head.
" MESSAGE ! "
" Yes ? " She asked, accepting a telepathic call from Mare.
" What do we have to do ? Are we really going to fight Sebas-san and the others ? "
Reflecting on this, Aura asserted.
"Our mission is to make sure Scheele and the tsundere come back alive ! As for Rubedo, I believe Gadriel-sama asked him to become a high ranking army officer! And if she manages to capture us, that's promotion for her! In that case, let's just beat up and see what will happen. "
For his part, also asking himself several questions, Sebas ends up ordering Yuri.
" Yuri ! I'm not sure Rubedo-san can control her strength ! So, during this fight, it is we who will mainly fight. "
" Do we have to kill these two girls, Sebas-sama ? "
" We will see. "
Then, for a few seconds, the eight people just looked at each other. Annoyed by this, Seryu let herself be controlled by her murderous urges and ended up shooting Scheele. Having no problem stopping the projectiles by shielding herself behind her huge scissors, the young woman then looked up to see Koro fall towards her, jaws wide open.
" Devour her, Koro ! "
Nonetheless, kicking the animal in the jaws, Aura had no trouble pushing it back violently, fixing part of its head.
" Whoops ! " Cried the elf, noticing that she had just beheaded the animal. " It is much more fragile than I thought ! What a pity ! "
However, recovering to move, Koro rose to its feet, and Aura noticed that it regenerated its face. And within seconds, Koro had no more injuries. Noticing this, Aura's smile reappeared as she asserted.
" I want it ! "
" You… " Seryu roared, aiming at her with her guns.
However, before she could shoot, she turned her gaze a little to see Scheele right next to her, with her scissors wide open, ready to slice her in half.
" What ? "
On the verge of killing her, Scheele was surprised to close her scissors over an extremely hard material. Positioning herself in front of Seryu, Yuri had positioned one of her fists in front of her and felt Scheele close her scissors on her strong armbands, which managed not to get cut.
" What ? " Scheele wondered, surprised at the strength of Yuri's wards.
" Scheele, don't move." Mine ordered her, firing several bullets at Yuri.
Again, Sebas positioned himself in front of Mine. Then, his hand raised, he managed to catch each of the super-sonic bullets, in the palm of his hand.
" Impossible !" Mine roared.
" Your shots are not bad. " Assured Sebas, letting the bullets fall at his feet. " However, their potency is still not enough to hurt me at all. "
" Who is this man ? " Mine frightened, taking a step back. " He's got ... He's got the same power as that woman. "
Closing his fist, Sebas then leaps towards Mine, ready to strike her.
" Let's see if you manage to stop this punch. "
He was so fast that Mine didn't even have time to back down. All she could do was position Pumpkin in front of her like a shield. Controlling his power, Sebas struck the weapon and even though he hadn't struck with all his might, his punch made Mine retreat several meters.
Gritting her teeth, she then brought one knee to the ground. Scared to death, she was even more terrified to see Sebas standing in front of her again, fixing her with a serious and frightening look.
" Who ... Who are you ? "
" Are you really a member of Night Raid ? " Asked the butler.
" What ? "
" You say you want to save a country, with a force as weak as yours? Listen to me, if you really want to achieve your goal, I really advise you to get stronger! Because otherwise, you won't stand a chance!. "
Unable to answer him, Mine then saw him lift his foot in the air before lowering it towards her face, in order to crush her skull.
" I will die ? Am I really going to die here ? "
However, as Sebas was about to touch her, he felt huge roots wrap around his body and immobilize him in an instant. Looking up, the butler saw Mare, who had just hit the ground with her staff.
" It seems you don't know when to give up! You are pitiful! "
" Who is pitiful ? " Mine roared.
Despite the fact that her body continued to shake with fear, the girl managed to get to her feet before jumping back. Then, directing Pumpkin towards Sebas, she declared.
" Even if we have to fight against gods, we will continue to fight for the good of the world, even if we must die! Because if we don't, no one will and the whole world will let people get killed without reacting ! We are Night Raid. "
Listening to him silently, Sebas then let her touch him with a laser beam. Backing up a few yards, he remained standing nonetheless, with just a few burns on his clothes.
" Your gesture is heroic, young girl. " Assured the butler. " But I repeat: you will never be able to achieve your goals if you don't get stronger! Do you want to protect everyone ? Learn to toughen yourself up. "
" In this case, I would become stronger. " Mine assured, starting to shoot again.
For her part, having fun like a child, rather than a serious fight, Aura jumped back to dodge each of Koro's attacks, who tried to engulf her in its huge jaws. And, every now and then, she hit it so hard that part of its body disintegrated. Then waiting a few seconds, she saw with joy the organic teigu stand up, without the slightest injury.
" HAHAHAHA! You are so funny, as an animal! If I can get you, I'll ask my lady if I can have you in my collection. "
" So make fun of us. " Seryu roared, not liking to be ridiculed like this at all. " KORO, ARM ! "
Immediately, Koro's little arms took on the appearance of a gorilla's. Then, leaping in the air, the teigu pointed its huge arms towards Aura and moved towards her to punch her. Continuing to smile, Aura also decided to punch the dog's fist. A shock wave was felt as Seryu saw both fists hit each other with equal force.
" She stopped Koro's attack ? "
For her part, continuing to smile, Aura congratulated herself.
"I know better and better how to control my power ! If I had hit it with all my might, I would have made him fly for miles. "
Hearing sounds of fire, the elf turned to see Seryu shoot. Immediately, Aura grabbed Koro's arm and pulled it in front of her, to use its body as a shield.
" Koro ? " Seryu frightened, seeing his projectiles pierce the body of her teigu.
" Your dog is really awesome. " Aura asserted. " Don't worry, when I kill you, I'll take care of it. "
" Go to hell ! " Seryu roared, running towards her, while grabbing two daggers.
" I will kill you in an instant. " Assured Aura, grabbing her whip.
Nonetheless, passing between the two girls, Scheele was stepping back, while Yuri hit her fist with a multitude of punches. Finding himself in a defensive position, Sheele made sure not to be hit directly by the overpowering punches of the Pleiad.
Then, the instant Yuri slowed down her attacks, she managed to find an opening and opened her scissors. Pulling back to avoid being sliced in half, Yuri wondered if Scheele could hurt her with her weapon, if she decided to let herself be attacked. Preferring to stay serious, she dodged another attack from Scheele, before striking her weapon.
Standing still, while watching the two women fight, Rubedo turned her gaze to the left to see, Aura hit Koro again. Then, looking to her right, she saw Sebas jump to avoid being captured by the plants of Mare, while taking the shots of Mine. Quickly, she found that she had been completely ignored. And she hated it.
" OYE ! " She cried out, while making a dimensional portal appear next to her.
Surprised, everyone saw the young succubus pull a huge golden ax out of the dimensional vortex. Appearing to weigh at least two hundred kilograms, the weapon was easily lifted by the succubus, who used only one hand.
Then, staring at her opponents, she declared.
" I will show you the difference between you and me. "
Then, looking at Yuri and Scheele, she made a quick movement with her arm, which managed to create a sharp wind, which rushed towards the two women. Immediately jumping back, the Pleiad dodged him without a problem. Trying to imitate her, Scheele reacts a moment too late. Slashing everything in its path, the sharp wind hit one of Scheele's arms and cut it in half in an instant.
Seeing blood spurting all over the place, while half of her arm fell to the ground, the young woman could not help but cry out in pain.
" AHHHHHHHH ! "
" SCHEEEEEELLLEEEEEE ! " Mine frightened.
Turning to her, Rubedo rushed towards the sniper. Seeing her do it, Mine shot her several times. Not even bothering to dodge her shots, Rubedo took them without a hitch and kept running until she found herself in front of Mine.
" That … ? "
" Sayonara ! " Giggles Rubedo, lowering his ax towards Mine, in order to cut her in half.
This was without counting the intervention of Mare who created a real plant shield around Mine. Striking at the huge roots, Rubedo's ax severed a huge chunk of it. Nevertheless, the shield was sword enough to keep the edge of the weapon from hitting Mine.
Despite her failure, Rubedo put on a smile similar to Seryu's. Having had no real challenges since joining the army, she relished in advance the fight she was going to do against the Dark Elves. She really needed to calm her murderous urges caused by Seryu.
For her part, looking at Rubedo, Aura put on a half-amused, half-worried face.
'' Looks like your girlfriend is a little out of hand, don't you think ? "
Unable to answer her, Seryu's face was purple, while Aura's hand squeezed her neck so tightly that Seryu felt like she was going to crush her neck. And under the elf's foot, Aura crushed Koro's head hard enough to keep her from getting up.
'' So what am I going to do with you, justice's girl ? "
Without waiting for a response, she grabbed one of Seryu's arm and gave it a violent knee that shattered it to pieces. Wanting to scream in pain, Seryu couldn't utter a sound because of her crushed throat.
" Are you not screaming ? " Aura questioned, pretending to be surprised. " In this case, I continue. "
And within seconds, she also destroyed the young woman's second arm, which almost passed out from the pain.
" What happened to you, Justice's girl ? Yet it seemed to understand that you were going to kill me! Is your justice then weaker than me ? "
Seryu tried to say something, but due to her situation, she was unable to say a word.
" Hum ? " Aura wondered, loosening her grip on her throat a little. " Do you want to say your last words ? "
" Koro… " Say softly Seryu. " BERSERK MODE ! "
Immediately, Aura felt her foot move, as Koro's body doubled in size. Then one of its hands gripped the elf's leg.
" Hum ? "
In an instant, Koro threw Aura's body with all its might and slammed it into a tree. Pulverizing the tree trunk, Aura's body continued to fly before collapsing to the ground, while performing various rolls. But no sooner did she stop, when Aura was struck again by Koro's huge body, which fell on top of her, crushing her under its enormous weight.
Roaring, the huge dog then grabbed one of Aura's arms before throwing her into the air. Following her by jumping, Koro opened its jaws before swallowing her in a mouthful. Seeing her enemy disappear into her teigu's stomach, Seryu immediately smiled with joy, while asserting.
" HAHAHAHA! I defeated Night Raid! Yes, justice has won. "
However, a momentary noise was then heard. Gritting its teeth, Koro made a strange face, while moaning in pain. At that moment, Seryu felt like saw something moving in its stomach and was hitting the teigu from the inside.
" Impossible … "
At that moment, Aura's hand pierced Koro's body, while she pulverized its stomach. Creating a hole large enough for her to fit through, she came out of the teigu's stomach, the instant it dropped one foot to the ground.
Her body completely covered in drool and gastric juice, Aura looked disgusted.
" Erk, it's disgusting. "
Unable to stop backing away, seeing her still fit to fight, Seryu was even more so while noticing that Koro's attacks had only bruised her a few times.
" Level 44 for your dog and level 32 for you. " Aura noticed. " Not bad at all ! But very insufficient! It's a shame. "
" Who are you, you monster ? "
" Your worst nightmare. " Aura assured, displaying a sadistic smile, while taking a step towards her.
Nonetheless, wanting to protect its mistress, Koro let out a huge roar before rushing towards the elf. Performing another jump, Aura seemed amused to see the teigu destroy the ground by hitting it.
" Since it's a weapon, I really wonder what would happen if my lady brought him some magic. "
For her part, getting up with difficulty, Scheele stared in horror at her arm which was on the ground. Before she could even figure it out, Rubedo had cut it off in an instant. Wanting to know where she was, Scheele saw her walking serenely towards Mine, while blocking each of her shots with her battle ax. Seeing this, Mine was almost shaking and, seeing one of her shots get stopped again, she couldn't help but turn and start running away in anger.
Smiling sadistically, Rubedo rushed over and kicked her, which pulverized her right leg. Feeling her femur shatter, Mine let out a cry of pain, while falling to the ground.
Seeing her in trouble, Mare aimed her staff at Rubedo. However, with a kick, Sebas blocked the weapon against the ground, to prevent Mare from using it.
Then, hearing noises of shock, Scheele turned to see Aura continue to jump back to dodge Koro's attacks. For her part, having a whistle in her mouth, Seryu was calling for reinforcements, which would complicate Night Raid's situation.
" I think it's over for you. " Yuri remarked, while walking towards Scheele. " If I were you, I would surrender immediately! This will prevent unnecessary deaths. "
Staring at the pleiad, Scheele could only grit her teeth. However, lowering her gaze, she finally raised her arm remaining in the air, while pointing her teigu towards the sky.
" You have won ! I surrender ! "
However, at that moment, an intense light was released from her weapon, blinding Yuri, who immediately took a step back. Also blinded by the light, other people felt their eyes burn or moaned. Too focused on Mine, Rubedo was one of them and found himself unable to see.
" Miserable human ! "
Crawling to the ground, Mine understood that the light was coming from Scheele and tried to stand up while using her weapon as a crutch.
" I have to go ! No question of dying here. "
" MINE ! "
Running towards her, Scheele was frightened when he saw her injured friend.
" Are you OK ? "
" Yes ! But we have to go quickly. "
" You won't go anywhere. "
Having reacted in time, Sebas had closed his eyes when Scheele had tried to dazzle him. Having quickly located the two girls, he rushed towards them, before hitting Scheele's stomach. Feeling like she had been hit by a rifle cartridge, Scheele flew a few yards, dropping her weapon, before collapsing to the ground.
" SCHEELE ! "
Getting ready to strike Mine, Sebas was hit by a kick that also knocked him to the ground. Having arrived in time, Aura and Mare had protected Mine.
" Take advantage of this diversion to flee, quickly. "
Immediately, before Mine could react, Aura hugged her like a princess, which made her blush a little, as Mare grabbed Scheele's body. And in an instant, the two elves rushed to flee.
Seconds later, being able to see again, Rubedo had many veins visible on her forehead, due to her rage.
" Humiliated ! Was I humiliated by a human ? "
Getting ready to run to kill Scheele, she stopped when she saw Sebas getting up, while dusting his clothes.
" The situation went better than expected. "
" What ? "
" We are still alive, just like the members of Night Raid! As a result, we don't have to worry about it. "
" More … " Yuri started, coming towards the duo, while holding a pair of giant scissors. " We have recovered a teigu. "
" The plan went as I wanted. " Sebas remarked. " By hitting this girl hard enough, I knocked her out while forcing her to drop her gun! Then Aura pretended to knock me out before deliberately giving up this teigu! With him in our possession, Rubedo-san will surely be congratulated. "
For her part, being a little far from the trio, Seryu was sitting on the ground, her arms twisted in all directions. Still shaking with fear at Aura, she couldn't help but cry in fear and shame.
" Why ? Why ? Why ? Justice had to win. "
Level power :
Esdeath : 51
Dijon : 48
Bulat : 39 ( + 1 )
Mine ( with teigu ) : 37 ( 45 max )
Akame : 35
Leone : 35
Sheele : 34
Seryu : 32 ( Koro, 44 max )
Lubbock : 30
Ieyasu : 28 ( + 3 )
Tatsumi : 28 ( + 2 )
Sayo : 27 ( + 3 )