Looking at the woman who had just arrived in the room, Cocytus quickly understood who she was.
" So she is the most powerful woman in this world! Budo is an excellent fighter ... for a human! If she is stronger than him, it is obvious that no human in our old world would have had the strength to defeat her. ''
"Esdeath-san… you're back. " Honest remarked. "I didn't think you would get home so quickly from the Northern Kingdom. ''
" Let's say I encountered some unexpected events. ''
'' Jaldabaoth ? '' Said Makoto.
Advancing toward the emperor, Esdeath knelt on the ground as she affirmed.
"Greetings, Emperor! To answer your question, I affirm that I have, indeed, met the so-called Jaldabaoth! As far as I can see, the news of his conquest of the Northern Kingdom has already arrived so far. ''
" This is not the only kingdom that has been destroyed by this demon. " Honest retorted. " In the space of a few weeks, he ravaged two countries, while a third decided to become a vassal country! If this continues, it seems obvious to me that he will soon come to us to attack us. ''
Eating a piece of meat, he stared at Esdeath, before asking.
"Esdeath-san … do you think you can beat him? ''
Remaining silent for a few seconds, Esdeath finally confessed.
'' No ! Jaldabaoth seems more powerful to me than I am. ''
Hearing this, the guards in the throne room began to moan in surprise and fear, realizing that no one seemed to be powerful enough to defeat the demon that threatened mankind. However, remaining perfectly calm, Esdeath declared.
"However, we still have over a month until Jaldabaoth arrives! This gives us time to practice. ''
Staring at Makoto, she asked.
"Emperor! I would like to ask you a favor. ''
'' What favor ? ''
"I would like to assemble powerful soldiers and form an elite group! It is with this group that I plan to fight Jaldabaoth, when he comes here."
"Because you think this will allow us to kill Jaldabaoth? " Budo asked.
'' Who knows ? " Esdeath questioned, showing an amused smile. " However, this demon has challenged me, and I intend to fight it. ''
"Mighty warriors? " Honest repeated, starting to think. '' Easier said than done ! We can muster a few, but there's no telling us they'll be up to the task against Jaldabaoth. ''
"For that, I have the perfect challenge for them." Esdeath assured. '' Night Raid. ''
'' Night Raid ? ''
''Yes ! We will fight them, kill them and take their teigus! The soldiers who survive this fight will be worthy of the fight of Jaldabaoth and we can use the teigus we have earned to train other soldiers! What's more ... ''
Staring at Budo and Cocytus, she declared.
"I have a feeling that other soldiers will be happy to team up with us."
Simply remaining silent, Cocytus realized that the only pleasure Esdeath could feel was fighting strong opponents. But with Demiurge as her opponent, Cocytus doubted that she could become powerful enough to force him into a serious fight.
"Esdeath-sama! You are back! Fortunately god has heard my prayers."
Having left the throne room, Esdeath was in the company of Liver, Daidara and Nyau. Waiting for her in the courtyard of the castle, two other people had come to them. The first was a woman dressed as a nun, while the second person was a man with long blond hair, with canines sticking out of his mouth. Also among the elite soldiers of Esdeath, Priesca and Nosca were two powerful fighters. However, while Priesca had been by Esdeath's side for years, and had gotten her teigu for so long then, Nosca had only been working for Esdeath for a few months and still hadn't gotten a teigu that was compatible with him, still doing of him the weakest soldier of the Five Beasts.
" As if I needed god to survive a battle." Esdeath retorted.
"My apologies, Esdeath-sama. " Priesca apologized, pretending to pray. " However, it is always better to appeal to god, to avoid any misfortune. ''
''What happened ? " Nosca wanted to know. "I have heard that you have crossed paths with an overpowered being. ''
'' It was nothing. '' Retorted, Esdeath, passing between the duo. "This man… no, this demon… we can say he is… a challenge. ''
'' A challenge ? ''
Smiling, Esdeath said.
" It had been a long time since I had the motivation to train. ''
'' Train? " The five people behind her wondered.
'' Sure ! As much as it pains me to admit it, Jaldabaoth is actually a stronger opponent than I am! However, if I train seriously before he comes here, I think I would be fit to host him! And to prevent other demons from interrupting our fight, I'm counting on you and your future teammates to fight them. ''
"Esdeath-sama! Unfortunately, I doubt this war is possible. " Priesca informed her.
'' Hmm? " Esdeath wondered. '' What do you mean ? ''
"Hearing that the land of Submason managed to be spared by Jaldabaoth, by becoming a vassal land to the demon, many nobles in the land have expressed their wish to do the same! They declare that they do not want to participate in a war lost in advance, and put pressure on the emperor to sign a peace treaty with Jaldaboath before he declares war. ''
Hearing this, Esdeath put on a displeased face. Then she asked.
'' Do you have the names of these nobles? ''
'' Yes ! There is even the former minister, Chouri, who is part of this group. ''
"In that case, I have a mission for you. ''
Lying on her bed, Scheele stared at the ceiling of her bedroom. Having numerous bandages surrounding her abdomen, while two of her sides had been broken, the young woman had been forced to stay in bed since she had woken up. Showing a blank stare, she felt weak. She had lost her fight, was injured and, above all, she no longer had her teigu.
Kill was the only thing she could do. So, looking at the ceiling, she wondered if she could still stay with Night Raid, if she was now unable to kill a single person, if she no longer had her teigu.
Being on top of a hill, Pandora was observing the surroundings, trying to detect even the slightest hint of magic, he finally heaved a sigh.
"Nothing here. ''
Being behind him, while looking south, CZ finally declares.
''Nothing neither. ''
Immediately, Pandora made the hologram of a map of the empire appear and began to hatch part of an area.
" The man who attacked Regina-chan claimed he had a master! If it was, we should feel its energetic power if it was around. ''
" He hides his power ". CZ said.
"Yes, that could be a possibility! However, even though our Ladyyyyyyyy is able to conceal her immense magical power, we can still feel an ounce of energetic power constantly emanating from her boooooooody! So I doubt that a person is really capable of fully concealing all of their magical power! We are several groups to have surveyed almost the entire kingdom, in search of him! So if we haven't found hiiiiiiiiiim, he's hiding in another realm! And in this case, Demiurge-san will have the best chance of finding him. ''
Remaining silent, Cz suddenly sensed a movement in the distance. Also hearing the noises of hooves, Pandora approached and saw a coach crossing the expanse of desert they were in, while being escorted by a group of soldiers.
'' Oh ? A royal carriage. " He asserted, seeing the means of transport.
However, royal coach or not, he saw it stop, when five people appeared in front of the means of transport, stopping its advance. Then, within seconds, the soldiers who escorted the coach ran towards the five intruders, who appeared to be bandits. And that was when the bloodshed began.
" The humans of this world really like to kill each other a lot. " Pandora remarked.
'' Are we going back to Nazarick? " Cz asked, not being disturbed by what she was seeing.
Thinking for a few moments, Pandora suddenly recognized a face.
" He, I saw his face in a book. ''
Dropping to her knees, Spear tried to put pressure on the wound Daidara had just given to her abdomen. Trembling with fear, as her body grew cold as she shed blood, she could only stare at the corpses on the ground, which were the soldiers whose mission had been to escort her father to the capital city. They were all Imperial soldiers, trained to fight whole groups of brigands. Yet in one attack, the huge man in front of her had managed to kill them.
"Who… Who is he? ''
Laughing, Nosca grabbed a piece of body before putting it over his face. Opening his mouth, he let blood run inside his throat, as the metallic taste made him moan with pleasure. Assuring everyone that he was destined to become a true vampire, he spent his time drinking the blood of his victims and feeding on their organs, stating that it made him stronger. However, what he really adored was the corpse of a beautiful woman. A corpse that he could rape as much as he wanted, without hearing the slightest noise or the slightest complaint.
"There is nothing better than a corpse."
Seeing him do it, Nyau grimaced and asserted.
"You have strange tastes. ''
" I forbid someone like you to tell me that. ''
Just shrugging, Nyau walked over to Spear before crouching down in front of her. Then, smiling broadly, he declared.
"Onee-san… the fact that you are only injured by an attack from Daidara-san shows how resilient you are! However, I think you will regret being still alive, while I take the skin off your face. ''
Seeing him pull out a knife, Spear let out a cry of fear, before attempting to flee. However, grabbing her by the hair, Nyau already brought the blade to her face.
"Come on, don't be the kid, Onee-san! If you don't move I promise it won't be too painful. ''
"Hey, what are you doing? " Nosca roared, dropping the piece of corpse he was holding. "She is the only woman in this escort! I want to rape her corpse. ''
"Huh? So what ? I just want the skin on his face! I'll leave the rest to you. ''
'' No way ! I hate when you do this! When I rape a corpse, I want to admire its perfect face! The last time I raped a corpse, whose skin you tore off, I took no pleasure! So I'm going to kill her, rape her, and then you'll take the skin off her face. ''
'' Out of the question ! If I have to wait until you are finished, the skin on her face will have hardened and it will lose its beauty! I have to take advantage of her still alive to get it. ''
Growling, hearing them, Daidara ordered.
'' Hurry to come to an agreement! Because if I still have to hear a dispute about it, I warn you that I behead her and that I crush her skull! There will be no jealousy. ''
Meanwhile, receiving a kick in the stomach, Chouri was thrown to the ground. Standing up with difficulty, he stared at Liver and Priesca who were standing in front of him. Praying, Priesca looked up at the sky.
" God, have mercy on this innocent soul and allow him to purge his sins. ''
'' You ? " The old man wondered as he seemed to recognize the duo. "You are… elite soldiers from Esdeath. ''
'' Indeed." Liver agreed, politely greeting the man. "Former Prime Minister Chouri, please know that I have immense respect for all the things you have accomplished! It's sincere. ''
" So ... So why? ''
'' It's simple ! I am carrying out the orders given to me." Liver replied simply, directing his hand to his neck.
However, feeling his instinct for survival kick in, Liver suddenly took a step back, before feeling a projectile pass through his abdomen. Surprised, his four comrades turned to him, as he pressed his hand to his wound, from which blood was flowing. Still, managing to stay calm, he looked up to see who was responsible for the surprise attack. Standing in front of the small group, Pandora and CZ stared at them, while wearing masks, hoods and capes, in order to protect their anonymity.
Having recognized Chouri's face, Pandora, not being able to contact Galadriel and have her answer in time, decided to intervene in this massacre, while believing that saving a former minister could allow her lady to use him later, to more easily obtain the satisfaction of the public, when she is the queen of the country.
Having let CZ shoot, he had been surprised to see Liver jump to the side in time, as he realized that his heart had been aimed. Not moving completely dodging the bullet, the captain had moved so that the projectile pierced his abdomen, without touching any vital organ. If he managed to survive the next battle, he could have his wounds healed.
"Oye, who the fuck are you? " Daidara roared, stepping behind the duo.
"Want you play heroes? " Nosca asked, stepping in front of them.
Soon, the duo found themselves surrounded by the Five Beasts, who began to display unhealthy smiles, hoping that the newcomers would prove more resilient than the soldiers they had just killed.
"I will gain a lot of experience by killing you. " Daidara assured.
'' There is a woman among them. " Nosca asserted, seeing CZ's long hair. "If we can kill her, I'll leave the other girl with you. ''
''Perfect. Nyau said.
" The poor souls." Priesca pityed, resuming her prayers. "Say they will die stupidly trying to play heroes! I hope they don't suffer when we kill them. ''
However, being perfectly calm, Pandora began to applaud Liver, before affirming.
"I'm really impressed with your performance, Liver-san! Usually people don't even have time to figure out who killed them first when Cz-chan takes aim at them! Managing to survive one of her shots shows that you are no ordinary human. ''
'' You know me ? " Liver wondered.
'' Sure ! You are one of Esdeath-san's elite officers! Since she is known to be the strongest person in this world, it is obvious that we were interested in her soldiers, before attacking her. ''
'' Attack her ? ''
Squinting his eyes, Liver asked.
'' Who are you ? ''
"Oh, what a rude I am. ''
Bending down then, as if greeting an audience, he asserted.
"My name is Paaaaaaandora! I work under the orders of the witch queen. ''
"The witch queen? ''
''Yeeeeeeees ! The person who is destined to defeat Jaldabaoth and then control the world. ''
"JALDABAOTH? " Daidara and Nyau repeated, while having no trouble remembering the name of the demon who had dared to face Esdeath.
Immediately, understanding why he was scared of the two people in front of him, Liver began to cry.
"Daidara! Nyau! Priesca! Your teigus! Use your teigus. ''
'' What?" The trio wondered.
"These guys! They are not normal." Liver asserted. " They came to us, without us feeling their presence! This ability to approach us silently ... they must be members of Night Raid! No, I'm sure they work for someone else! Someone else more dangerous than Night Raid! Above all, we must not let our guard down in front of them. ''
Hearing this, Daidara twirled his ax in his hands, Nyau grabbed his flute, and Priesta positioned a rosary in front of her.
"Pandora-san?" Cz asked.
'' Teigus." Pandora assured.
Using telepathy, he gave orders to the sniper.
" I'll attack them head-on and distract them, while you cover me with your shots! When they're all on top of me, you'll wait until the right moment to stop shooting and rescue the survivors of the carnage! As soon as you collect them, you will teleport to Nazarick. ''
" Our Lady will be happy to have them? ''
''Maybe ! If not, we can always kill them later! Use this to teleport yourself. ''
Grabbing a ring he had on his finger, he entrusted it to Cz, before declaring.
"Even though this attack is not an order of our lady, we must not disappoint her in any way. ''
"Aye! " Cz agreed, before aiming at Daidara.
Seeing a projectile hitting him, the man positioned his teigu in front of him for protection. However, hitting the metal of his ax, the magic bullet created a powerful shock upon impact, which forced the man to take a step back.
'' That ... ? ''
Continuing to shoot, Cz allowed Pandora to run towards Daidara, and find himself in front of him, before he could see him.
'' That ... ? ''
'' Level 35! You have a lot of brute force, but ... that's it. ''
However, feeling a strong light, Pandora jumped back. Standing in front of Daidara, Priesta brandished her rosary in front of her, which emitted a strong light.
'' SAINTAMARY! " Priesca said, hands in prayer position. " The teigu that produces a light so pure that demons are burnt. ''
Amplifying the light from her teigu, she made Cz stop shooting, as she positioned her hand in front of her eyes. Feeling some inconvenience on her skin, which was not protected by her clothes, Cz understood that the light did indeed cause burns, which must be fatal for normal humans. However, her defensive power allowed her to withstand the might of the teigu, while only taking some damage. However, seeing her stop shooting, Daidara parted her teigu before throwing it at her like a boomerang.
'' You are dead. ''
However, striking an icy body, the teigu fell to the ground, under the stunned gaze of Daidara and his companions. Having changed his body, Pandora's Actor had assumed the appearance of Cocytus and had used the resistance of his body of ice, to withstand the attack of his opponent, without receiving the slightest damage.
'' What ... ? ''
'' A monster ? ''
"It's time for me to know precisely the powers of your teigus." Pandora asserted, raising a foot.
Kicking the ground hard, he froze it around his foot. Spreading at full speed, the ice moved towards the Five Beasts who immediately jumped to avoid freezing, when the ice slipped under their feet. Landing on the ground, they had the impression of finding themselves on an ice rink, while Padora had transformed the place into a landscape of ice.
"The power of Esdeath-sama? " Nyau wondered.
'' No ... he surpasses her. " Liver retorted.
Rummaging immediately under his clothes, he took out vials, filled with water.
'' He must be killed ... immediately! He is far too dangerous. "
Breaking his vials, he released the water in them. Then, grabbed his ring finger, who began to shine, which allowed him to control the liquid that dripped on his hand. Stopping to fall to the ground, the water droplets took on the appearance of arrows that shot towards Pandora. Remaining perfectly still, Pandora only breathed in a large amount of air. Then, when the water arrows were close enough to him, he released a cloud of icy air. In contact with the frozen air, Liver's attacks immediately froze, and fell to the ground, having had no chance to hit the body of the ice monster.
'' Something else ? " Pandora asked.
'' NYAU ! PRISCA! '' Cried Liver.
Immediately, Priesca made her teigu glow and used the strong light produced to blind Pandora.
" Be burnt alive, demon of satan. ''
However, being much stronger than Cz's, Cocytus' body received virtually no light damage. To tell the truth, Pandora found herself much more embarrassed by the intense light than by the burns. Seeing him stand still, Nyau stayed behind Priesca, before starting to play a melody with his flute, in order to paralyze Cocytus' body.
Feeling his body go numb a little, Pandora now knew the powers of the four teigus users in front of him.
" A sharp ax that acts like a boomerang! A ring that controls water! A rosary that can create divine light! And a flute, whose melody allows you to control the body of those who listen to it! I wonder which ones might interest mein Lady! On the other hand, I wonder if I should kill them or leave them envious so that they work for Nazarick. ''
Seeing him stand completely still, due to the light and the music, Daidara cast his teigu again at him, while Liver created new arrows of water. Hitting Cocytus' body, the combined attacks created a shock so powerful that Pandora felt his feet slide back two inches ... and that was it. There was not the slightest hint of impact on the shell of Cocytus' body, let alone any wounds. In fact, there was no evidence that he had just taken the combined attack.
"This is ... is this a joke?" Daidara asked, as he managed to catch his teigu which came to him.
" He took the attacks without flinching. " Nyau asserted.
Then, moaning in fear, he saw Pandora raise an arm before summoning a battle ax. Not appearing to be affected by Nyau's teigu at all, Pandora whirled the weapon over his head, so quickly, that his opponents felt gusts of wind build up. Then hitting the ground with his weapon, he managed to shatter the ice as well as the ground and created a crevasse. Feeling the ground shake beneath their feet, Nyau and Priesca fell to the ground, while Daidara twirled his arms to keep his balance. Feeling a drop of sweat run down his face, Liver saw how dire the situation was. They couldn't win against this monster. At least not with brute force. Only negotiation could save them.
Waiting for the ground to stop shaking, Pandora rested his weapon on his shoulder, before asking.
"Who wants to come to me? ''
He got no response, as the four teigus users retreated in fear. With a weary sigh, Pandora asserted.
"Gentlemen and ladies, if you don't want to come to me, I would be obligated to come to you. ''
Meanwhile, looking at Pandora in surprise, Spear had almost forgotten her pain, while she was stunned by her performance.
'' Su ... Sugoi.''
"Hey! We're going. ''
Walking towards Spear, Cz was pulling Chouri's body, by his clothes. Seeing her walk towards her, Spear grabbed her shattered battle spear, before attempting to stand up. However, feeling her wound getting worse, she dropped to one knee, while wincing in pain.
'' Don't move! " Pleiad ordered her, starting to grab her arm. '' We're going. ''
"Because you think I'm gonna let you go? ''
Turning around, Cz positioned her gun in front of her and used it as a shield, to block Nosca's punch. being smiling, Nosca looked confident in winning against Cz.
"You're not bad with a gun! However, in melee, I'm sure that's not the case. I'm way too close to you for you to use your gun. ''
With several punches and kicks in this way, he forced the Pleiad back, while they still used their weapon for protection.
''What's up ? " Noscula asked her. " Can you do nothing more to protect yourself? That's what it costs to fight against the Five Beasts! You, I will eat your insides, and become even stronger! And then I'll take care of your Witch Queen, or whatever! If I drink his blood and rape his corpse, I might become a real vamp ... ''
He didn't even have time to finish his sentence when he saw Cz tilt her head to the side to avoid a punch. Then, grabbing his arm, she gave it a powerful punch, which broke it in two. Cz might not have as powerful attack power as Lupusregina, but she was twice as strong as Nosca.
" AHHHHHHHHHHHHH ! "
Seeing the man take a step back, she grabs the handle of her gun, with both hands, before using it as a baseball's bat. Being unable to react in time, Nosca was punched in the face, and was thrown several back. Falling to the ground, he had enough time to understand what was happening that he felt Cz's feet crush his abdomen, before tucking the tip of his gun into her mouth.
'' HMMMMMMM? ''
'' Do I have permission to kill him? " Cz asked.
" He has no teigu. " Pandora asserted." And it is out of the question that a man, who enjoys drinking the people of his congeners, rubs shoulders with our Laaaaady! Authorization to kill him granted. ''
Then, before Liver could do anything, a bang was heard, as Nosca's skull exploded.
Level power:
Esdeath: 51
Dijon: 48
Bulat: 39 (+ 1)
Mine (with teigu): 37 (45 max)
Akame: 35
Leone: 35
Daidara : 35
Sheele: 34
Seryu: 32 (Koro, 44 max)
Ieyatsu: 32 (+7)
Sayo: 32 (+ 8)
Lubbock: 30
Tatsumi: 28 (+ 2)