Akame ga Kill: Starting with Dual Kamui-Chapter 141: Suzuka’s Eccentricity

"Ah..."

Suzuka let out a strange sound.

...

Blayn frowned slightly. What's with this woman?

"Suzuka has some rather... unusual preferences," Mez said with a pained expression. "But more importantly, Lord Blayn, Lady Esdeath—why are you attacking us? We haven't done anything to offend you, have we?"

"It's simple—we're enemies of Prime Minister Honest," Blayn replied indifferently.

He wasn't in the mood for idle chatter, so he got straight to the point. "I'll give you two choices: submit or die."

"That's not much of a choice..." Mez muttered.

"I understand, but I'm curious—why are you two opposing Prime Minister Honest?"

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Ibara, still not daring to move, cautiously asked the question.

"What a waste of words."

Without hesitation, Esdeath kicked Ibara to the ground. He tumbled forward, only for the sharp heel of her boot to press against the back of his head.

Sten, watching from the side, couldn't help but marvel. As expected of General Esdeath—just as ruthless as the rumors say.

Struggling to lift his head, Ibara quickly conceded, "I... I surrender!"

Immediately after, Sten and Mez followed suit.

After all, if they wanted to live, they really had no other choice.

Only Suzuka remained defiant.

"If I refuse... would Lord Blayn—"

"Then I'll kill you. Simple as that."

Before she could finish, Blayn cut her off with a cold, matter-of-fact response.

Already aware of Suzuka's peculiar tendencies, he wasn't surprised by her behavior.

"Alright then..."

Suzuka looked a little disappointed. "I guess I'll just have to follow along."

And with that, the Four Rakshasa Demons had officially submitted to Blayn and Esdeath.

Blayn wasn't worried about them rebelling—after all, the best way to keep them in check was to put them under Esdeath's command.

Her subordinates, like the Three Beasts, were fiercely loyal to her, not out of fear, but genuine devotion. When it came to earning unwavering loyalty, Esdeath had a way with people.

"Your first task is to eliminate Bolic. This should be an easy job for you."

Blayn ordered the Four Rakshasa Demons to take care of Bolic.

While Bolic himself wasn't a powerful fighter, eliminating him was still necessary. He wasn't just a mole planted by Prime Minister Honest within the Path of Peace—he was also spreading drugs within its ranks.

If left unchecked, countless civilians would eventually become addicts.

No matter what, drugs had to be eradicated.

"If we complete the mission, will Lord Blayn grant me a reward?"

Suzuka's face flushed slightly.

Her words could easily be misinterpreted, but Blayn knew exactly what she meant—she was looking for punishment.

"I have no interest in that kind of thing. If you really need it, you can ask Esdeath to help you."

Blayn responded flatly.

"I'm not interested either."

Esdeath replied just as coldly.

She took pleasure in crushing her enemies with overwhelming power and trampling their dignity, not in indulging someone's masochistic tendencies.

...

Not long after, Suzuka returned—carrying Bolic's severed head.

Along with Bolic's guards, anyone who had witnessed the Four Rakshasa Demons' assassination attempt had been eliminated.

Chaos erupted within Bolic's mansion.

"Lord Blayn, please humiliate me to your heart's content~"

Suzuka placed a hand on her cheek, looking at Blayn expectantly.

"...I'm not going to do that."

Blayn sighed as he walked toward her.

Then, just as he approached, a sharp slap landed across her face.

Smack!

The sound echoed through the air.

Esdeath's expression immediately darkened. Without hesitation, she stepped forward—it was her turn to deal with Suzuka.

She didn't use a weapon, nor did she activate her Teigu. Instead, she simply beat Suzuka down in pure hand-to-hand combat.

She made sure not to inflict any serious injuries, but the beating was still harsh.

Of course, for someone like Suzuka—one of the Imperial Fist Temple's top martial artists—recovering from ordinary wounds was no problem.

After taking a severe thrashing from Esdeath, Suzuka lay still for a moment before getting up as if nothing had happened.

Esdeath had successfully vented her frustration.

Suzuka, on the other hand, looked absolutely thrilled.

A win-win situation.

At the same time, Suzuka made an interesting discovery—provoking Blayn seemed to be the most effective way to anger Esdeath.

Lord Blayn and Lady Esdeath each have their own unique ways of punishing people... and both are amazing.

Suzuka felt like she had just found the most enjoyable experience possible.

...

Ibara and Sten stood off to the side, watching with speechless expressions. If it had been them, they definitely wouldn't want to be on the receiving end of Esdeath's wrath.

"Suzuka looks like she's really enjoying herself," Mez chuckled.

Amid the bizarre scene, Bolic's severed head lay discarded on the ground—completely out of place in the lively atmosphere.

...

After handling the Four Rakshasa Demons and Bolic, Blayn and Esdeath left, with the Four Rakshasa Demons following closely behind.

As for the Path of Peace, Blayn had no plans to intervene for the time being.

His priority now was to gradually weaken Prime Minister Honest's influence.

To speed up the process, Blayn and Esdeath had the Jaegers, Three Beasts, and Four Rakshasa Demons split up and operate separately, efficiently dismantling the forces surrounding the Prime Minister.

Everyone in these three teams was either a Teigu User or possessed strength equivalent to one. There was hardly anyone in the Imperial Capital they couldn't assassinate, making their operations highly successful.

It wasn't until Honest had lost a significant number of subordinates that he finally took notice.

However, he remained oblivious to the fact that Blayn and Esdeath were behind it. Instead, he assumed the Night Raid had resumed their rampage in the capital and immediately summoned Esdeath to the Royal Palace, urging her to take action against them.

Esdeath, keeping up her usual composure, maintained her act in front of Honest, ensuring he remained completely in the dark.

Meanwhile, the headquarters of the Akatsuki organization had been completed.

Its influence had already begun spreading into the Imperial Capital, using Esdeath and Aria's mansions as temporary bases.

Both estates were spacious enough to accommodate a large number of people, with Esdeath's mansion being the most secure.

By now, nearly all of Akatsuki's combat personnel had arrived in the Imperial Capital, leaving only a small number of guards and research staff back at the Seiga Cavern headquarters to continue developing new medicine.

The latest formula significantly reduced side effects while maintaining a similar level of power enhancement as before.

...

"Commander Blayn, these three insisted on coming with us to the Imperial Capital, so we brought them along."

A soldier led three individuals forward.

They were none other than Tatsumi, Ieyasu, and Sayo.

"You came to the capital to make a name for yourselves?"

Blayn immediately recognized them. Among the villagers he had encountered, these three had left the strongest impression on him.

After all, they never stopped talking about the Imperial Capital.

"That's right! We're grateful to you, Mr. Blayn, for helping our village overcome its hardships, but we can't just stay there forever. If we don't move forward, our village will eventually end up in the same situation again."

Tatsumi spoke with unwavering determination.

"Not bad."

Blayn admired their ambition, though he knew all too well that the Imperial Capital was far more dangerous than they could imagine.

Just then, an idea crossed his mind.

"I can help you with this, but first, tell me—are you planning to enlist in the army?"

"Yes! My dream is to serve the Empire and rise through the ranks."

Tatsumi answered without hesitation.

"We've trained hard for years just for this opportunity."

"I want to enlist as well, but since we're new here, we don't know much about the rules," Ieyasu added, with Sayo nodding in agreement.

"You don't need to worry about that. I can introduce you directly to Great General Budo."

Blayn spoke casually.

"G-Great General Budo?!"

Though it was their first time in the capital, Tatsumi and his friends had long heard of General Budo's reputation.

Due to their village's isolation, however, they were unaware of Esdeath's rise to prominence and still believed Budo was the Empire's strongest warrior.

Hearing that Blayn had a direct connection with such a powerful figure only deepened their admiration for him.

"Well, if you're fine with it, I can take you to meet General Budo right now," Blayn continued. "Whether he takes an interest in you or not will depend entirely on your own abilities."

"I understand! Let's go right away!"

Tatsumi could hardly contain his excitement.

Ieyasu and Sayo weren't quite as mentally prepared, but with Tatsumi so eager, they had no choice but to steel themselves and follow along.

...

Blayn led Tatsumi, Ieyasu, and Sayo to the Royal Palace, with Esdeath by his side.

Prime Minister Honest was still unaware of Blayn and Esdeath's actions, allowing Blayn to move freely within the palace.

Without hesitation, he brought the three newcomers directly before Great General Budo.

"Blayn, why are you here with Esdeath?"

Budo, known for his stern demeanor, frowned as soon as he saw Esdeath standing beside Blayn.

Unaware of the current relationship between the two, he still viewed Esdeath as Prime Minister Honest's trusted enforcer—an enemy.

"He's my lover. Why wouldn't I come with him?" Esdeath responded without hesitation.

"Lover?"

Budo's expression turned somewhat strange.

Though he hadn't interacted much with Esdeath, he knew for certain that she was not only immensely powerful but also incredibly proud.

"First, he's my lover. Second, I lost to him recently, so I'm no longer aligned with the Prime Minister," Esdeath stated matter-of-factly.

She made no effort to hide the truth from Budo, as Blayn had assured her that Budo was trustworthy—at the very least, he would never stand on Honest's side.

Hearing this, Budo was momentarily stunned and instinctively turned to Blayn.

"What she said is true," Blayn confirmed with a nod.

"...Alright."

Budo had no choice but to accept it.

Originally, he had considered Esdeath the greatest obstacle in eliminating Prime Minister Honest. But now, not only had Blayn dealt with her, he had even "turned an enemy into his wife."

Budo couldn't help but reassess Blayn.

If Esdeath had lost to him, then chances were he wouldn't be a match for Blayn either...

"I actually came here for something else. These three want to enlist in the army. Would you be willing to test their potential?"

Blayn gestured to Tatsumi and his companions.

"I can, but I require them to train under me for at least ten days before I can properly evaluate them," Budo replied.

He was surprisingly agreeable with Blayn.

"If they're fine with it, then so am I," Blayn said.

After all, this wasn't some fantasy world where talent could be measured instantly just by placing a hand on a stone tablet. Ten days was the bare minimum needed to gauge their growth potential.

Naturally, Tatsumi and his friends had no objections.

...

Over the next several days, Tatsumi, Ieyasu, and Sayo remained with Budo for training.

Meanwhile, Blayn and Esdeath had nearly completed their preparations.

Aside from a few Teigu Users stationed at the Royal Palace, nearly all of Prime Minister Honest's elite fighters had been dealt with—either recruited or eliminated.

Now, only one step remained.

Storm the palace.

...

By this point, even if Honest had been oblivious before, it was impossible for him to ignore what was happening.

He had lost too many subordinates at an abnormal rate, and Esdeath, whom he relied on the most, barely seemed to be taking action.

Today, he would finally get his answer.

Blayn led Esdeath, Seryu, Kurome, and a dozen other Teigu Users straight into the Royal Palace.

While Budo disliked seeing the sanctity of the palace violated, he understood that Blayn and his group had come for Honest. As a result, he ordered the Royal Guard under his command to stand down and personally headed for the Prime Minister.

With the guards neutralized, the few Teigu Users defending the palace were no match for Blayn's forces.

The group cut through their opposition with overwhelming force, quickly reaching the chamber where the young Emperor and Honest resided.

However, upon arrival, Blayn saw only Honest.

The young Emperor was nowhere to be found, and the other officials had already fled.

"Esdeath... You...!"

Honest's voice trembled slightly.

Although he had already begun to suspect Esdeath, seeing her standing before him as an enemy still shocked him.

Of all people, she should have been the least likely to betray him.

What the hell had happened?!

Before he could gather his thoughts, the towering figure of Great General Budo strode into the chamber.

With both Esdeath, the Empire's so-called "strongest," and Budo standing against him, Honest felt an uncontrollable shiver run down his spine.

...

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