You are very strong, but my painting style is better than yours!

Outside the window, Iori squatted on the edge of the eaves. He wasn't so malicious as to spy, but his keen ears could still hear strange noises coming from inside the room... He had never hated his excellent senses as much as he did now.

At this moment, Iori, who had never touched tobacco in her two lives, suddenly had an urge to light a cigarette and look up at the sky...

It would be very awkward if I showed up now, wouldn't it?

Why don't we leave for a bit?

Just as Iori was hesitating and making up her mind to leave this awkward place, her expression suddenly changed, and she fell silent for a moment.

He glanced back at the unsuspecting Akame, then turned and silently descended.

Then, on the street fifty meters from the hotel entrance, a masked bounty hunter stood brazenly in the middle of the road, drawing the attention of passersby who avoided him.

Before long, the number of pedestrians on the street quickly decreased, and in the end, only a dozen or so Imperial Hounds dressed in plain clothes and a squad of armored soldiers surrounded Iori.

"The original plan was to hunt down a traitor, but I never expected to run into the infamous 'Faceless One' before that."

The leader clearly had no experience in the previous pursuit of Iori, and was quite confident given the large number of his men.

"Your value far exceeds that of a mere assassin... What, I've heard that the Faceless Ones are elusive and their greatest skill is stealth and invisibility. Aren't you planning to run away this time?"

"You are lucky. This time, I have a valid reason to decide to confront this head-on."

Iori showed no sign of tension at being surrounded: "Besides, I never ran away—it was just a victorious retreat."

As a true gentleman, I have a duty to protect beautiful things.

"Don't run away?"

The leader looked astonished: "Gentleman... what are you protecting?"

Iori drew his sword and swiftly slashed down the assassin who had sneaked up behind him to launch a sneak attack. The splattered blood droplets scattered in the wind, instantly adding a touch of bloodiness to the air.

"A young girl's modesty!"

Chapter 17: Which girl doesn't dream of love?

The fine steel sword sliced ​​through the cold wind, cleaving a spear in two with a short, sharp clang, and then severed the opponent's shoulder as well. Even the hard bones could not withstand this seemingly ordinary strike.

"what--"

Zheng!

With another swing of her sword, Iori parried the longsword that came from the side. She shifted her feet and vanished into thin air. The person in front of her immediately lost his balance. Then a crossbow bolt shot out, hitting the longsword soldier who had no time to dodge. He was shot right in the chest, his eyes widened, and he fell to the ground, motionless.

The crossbowman who had mistakenly killed his comrade had no time to regret it, because Iori immediately appeared two meters to his right, turned around, accelerated, and kicked him away!

"Everyone, don't panic! He can teleport, back to back!"

The leader was extremely anxious. In less than ten seconds after the battle began, he had already lost several of his men, almost all of whom were defeated in one or two moves. He could not make full use of his numerical advantage and was being led by the nose by the Faceless One.

“Spatial movement?” Iori shook her head. “【Instant Step】is not such a high-tech thing. I’m just a little faster than you guys.”

Before the words were finished, Iori's figure appeared on a rooftop thirty meters away. An assassin who was hiding there, holding a rifle and intending to snipe Iori, suddenly stood up and moved sideways three meters like a spider on the rooftop, just avoiding Iori who appeared there.

However, he didn't get a second chance. Just as he drew his dagger to defend himself, Iori had already swept past him. A cold, steely gleam flashed suddenly, and the gunman's head lolled to the side, lifeless.

"Hmm? This is the Emperor's... oh, the Minister's Gear."

Iori, who had intended to leave, suddenly stopped, picked up the strangely shaped silver-white sniper rifle, examined it, and confirmed her earlier guess.

The technology tree in the world of "Akatsuki no Akatsuki" is quite skewed. Some people use guns, cannons, and lasers, while others wear armor and charge into battle on horseback. It's not surprising to find a rifle here. What's strange is the rifle's unique shape. Its specific structure is unclear. It looks like it was forged from a single piece. The slender barrel is silver-white and has markings that look like scales.

According to Iori's observations, such special weapons are generally either Imperial Arms or Imperial Arms.

The so-called "Imperial Arms" were forged by the first emperor who founded the empire a thousand years ago, using the power of the world, the most precious metals and the most powerful dangerous species (monsters) as materials, and with incredible technology.

There are only forty-eight pieces in total, each with a unique and powerful force that cannot be copied, and they are known as "Teigu".

As for the "Minister's Tool," it was a poor man's scaled-down version that later generations tried to imitate but could not achieve, and it was far less valuable, but it was still much better than ordinary weapons.

For Iori, the Imperial Arms and the Servants' Arms are rare items in this world that gather a large amount of spiritual energy, and she cannot give up the opportunity to obtain them.

However, Imperial Arms are rare and many are collected by the Empire and other major powers. Iori has been adventuring here for so long, but he only has one. On the other hand, he has collected three Imperial Arms.

"With you, that makes four items."

Beneath the mask, Iori smiled slightly, then looked at the enemies gathered back to back on the street.

They were probably terrified by Iori's unpredictable speed, and no one dared to run away alone, fearing that they would become Iori's prey. They could only stick together for warmth and try to hold out until the main force arrived.

This judgment is undoubtedly correct, because even if they split up, Iori's efficiency would be enough to wipe out most of them; forming a defensive formation would actually allow them to hold out for longer.

If Iori hadn't happened to know "Kido".

"You rulers..."

-

The people in the hotel had long since fled in terror. When the girl with long, straight black hair emerged from the deathly silent hotel, a dozen or so corpses lay scattered on the empty street. Besides the messy bloodstains, there were also burn marks on the ground, indicating that a rather fierce battle had taken place there.

Akame wasn't surprised. In fact, she had noticed the unusual activity outside a long time ago, but she was "not in good condition" and couldn't figure out what was going on. So she observed inside for a while, and only came out after confirming that the battle was over and the victor was someone she knew.

"Hey, long time no see~"

When Iori saw Akame come out, he waved as a greeting, then continued to bend down and plunder the valuables of these imperial lackeys, his movements very natural.

“Iori…”

Akame's expression was complex as she called out the name meaningfully, her gaze somewhat evasive.

She might be the only one who knows the "Faceless One's" real name; Iori stayed behind out of politeness after their first encounter.

Akame always found this bounty hunter strange. He could have killed her, but he deliberately let her go, which was completely different from the viciousness described in the Imperial wanted poster.

They met a few more times after that, and inexplicably their relationship became a mix of "acquaintances" and "frenemy friends." Akame gradually realized that Iori was not a bounty hunter in the ordinary sense, and that what drove him was not just money.

From Iori's actions, Akame could vaguely sense an unwavering "will".

Only now, after deciding to defect from the Empire and join the Revolutionary Army, did she begin to understand Iori a little better:

He's also trying to change this cruel world in his own way!

"Thank you...you've been protecting me all this time, haven't you?"

"No, I was just spotted by accident, so I just started a fight here."

“…Let’s just leave it at that.”

Connecting this to her earlier behavior in the room, Akame roughly guessed why Iori refused to admit it—it was probably for her sake.

This made Akame's face flush slightly, and she felt a little ashamed, but being a former assassin, she quickly regained her composure. Then, a warm feeling welled up inside her, and she sincerely thanked Iori: "Even so, thank you for your help."

"If you feel bad about it, you can treat me to a meal sometime in the future."

Iori stopped what she was doing, dusted off her clothes, and stood up: "I heard you recently changed jobs?"

"Changing jobs... that's not entirely wrong."

Akame instinctively gripped the katana at her waist, her voice heavy: "I can no longer point my sword at those innocent people... The darkness of the empire is deeply rooted. As long as it exists, the people will suffer one more day. I can no longer aid and abet evil!"

Snapped!Snapped!Snapped!

Iori clapped her hands: "As a brainwashed tool assassin, it's truly remarkable that you were able to awaken your own independent will... But have you decided where you're going? It's not the Revolutionary Army, is it?"

“They are indeed a revolutionary army. I believe only they can overthrow the empire… Do you have a different opinion?”

The two had been friends for a long time, and Akame naturally noticed Iori's amused tone.

"It's nothing. I just wanted to confirm: do you simply want to overthrow the empire, or do you want to save those poor people suffering in misery?"

"Of course it's for the people!" Akame answered without hesitation.

"I guessed so."

Iori nodded, then changed the subject: "But what if the Revolutionary Army becomes 'another empire' in the future? What do you plan to do then?"

"...Another...empire?" Akame was stunned.

"Yes."

Iori said slowly, "The first emperor pacified the chaotic world and brought long-lasting peace and tranquility to the people, and on this basis, he established a thousand-year empire."

I don’t believe the empire was ever so corrupt and cruel from the beginning. It was once prosperous, harmonious and peaceful, and the future promised to the people by the revolutionary army was no different. It’s just that time has changed everything.

"So, Akame—do you think the Revolutionary Army can withstand the erosion of 'time'?"

"..."

Chi Tong frowned, but quickly relaxed.

"Perhaps not, but without overthrowing the empire, nothing can be discussed."

Even if the revolutionary army changes its nature in the distant future, I am willing to strive for it, even if it only brings the people fifty or a hundred years of happiness!

“...A remarkable ambition.”

Iori was quite approving: "The Revolutionary Army may be degenerating faster than you think... Of course, it is also possible that it will correct itself and return to the right path. After all, who can say for sure what the future holds?"

I just want to remind you that the final result may not be what you truly want. Perhaps one day in the future, you will have to destroy what you have been fighting and working hard for all this time.

Akame, may your blade remain as sharp as ever, even then…

"This... Iori, you..."

The black-haired, red-eyed female assassin became uneasy: "Do you know something? Tell me, what exactly is the future—"

"I am not a prophet; no one can predict the future."

Iori smiled nonchalantly and turned to leave.

But then he suddenly remembered something and turned around with some curiosity: "You looked at me a little evasively just now... or rather, shyly, why?"

"Well!"

"What, were you thinking of me when you were having a wet dream?"

bass!

The demon sword Murasame was drawn, and Akame stared intently, only to find that Iori had vanished without a trace—just like every time they had met before.

"That guy... I'll definitely teach him a lesson next time we meet!"

The girl rarely showed such a lack of composure, but thinking about Iori's question and what had just happened in the room, an unnatural blush still flashed across her puffed-up cheeks...

Chapter 18: I love watching pretty high school girls fight!

Iori is caught between the Empire and the Revolutionary Army, and objectively speaking, neither side likes her.

In the original work, although the revolutionary army did indeed aim to overthrow the imperial rule, it did things such as using land to win over foreign peoples and borrowing troops from them.

"Yes," said Iori, who was Chinese in her previous life, "I've seen this episode in history books."

It's not that you can't do it. There are many examples in history of foreign tribes turning the tables, but there are also examples of them successfully controlling the situation. After all, what's the point of a verbal agreement? As long as you have a strong army, you can easily go back on your word. In general, it depends on who has the better skills and tactics.

However, in Iori's eyes, the Revolutionary Army did not seem to be a group with ideals and ambitions. They did not have a clear governing ideology, only a slogan to overthrow the empire, and even their slogan was not as catchy as the Great Teacher of the Wise...

Its rapid development was essentially similar to the great uprising at the end of the Qin Dynasty:

The people have suffered under the empire for far too long!

As a rebellious force, the revolutionary army's ability to govern has yet to be proven, but the people, who have been oppressed to the extreme by the empire, are already impatient. They may not know much about the revolutionary army, but they have chosen to support this group simply because they hate the empire.

Therefore, the future fate of the revolutionary army—whether it will be a swift defeat or a triumphant rise—is truly an unknown.

In Iori's personal opinion, he had never heard of any leaders in the revolutionary army similar to Liu Bang or Zhu Yuanzhang, and he was even unsure whether Zhang Jiao or Li Zicheng existed, so he was generally pessimistic...

Even so, when conflicts arise between the two sides, Iori will still stand on the side of the Revolutionary Army, or more accurately, on the opposite side of the Empire.

After all, while the Beiyang government was not a good thing, it doesn't mean the Qing Dynasty shouldn't have been overthrown!

The empire ruled for a thousand years, surpassing any feudal dynasty. One can imagine how deeply ingrained the people's awe of it was. Without overthrowing it, nothing else matters!

Moreover, from its own perspective, Iori also needs the Imperial Arms and other precious resources controlled by the Empire.

Let's wait and see!

As a Shinigami (death god), Iori has an extremely long lifespan, giving him ample time to observe the development of this world.

Ultimately, however, he is neither a god nor a creator, and therefore does not need to bear any additional responsibilities; he only needs to follow his heart.

After parting ways with Akame, Iori didn't leave immediately but continued to monitor her pursuit of the Imperial assassins. Thanks to the advantages of his spirit form, neither side detected his presence; sometimes he could even observe their expressions at close range.

The only problem is that spiritual pressure is slowly being depleted. Although it is much slower than before thanks to scientific support, it is still becoming unbearable over time.

If he wants to return to Soul Society to restore his spiritual pressure, the tedious process of adjusting the flow of time is secondary. What's more troublesome is that he needs at least a day to recover. Even at the same flow rate, it will take at least a day and a half after he returns to Akame ga Kill!

With such a long interval, it will be very troublesome to find Akame and the others again. After all, judging from this trend, the girl with long black hair will probably not be able to hold on for long, and the final outcome will be played out in the next two days.