"Clap, clap, clap——!"
As the sound of Dr. Stylish's clapping echoed through the air, waves of modified soldiers surged from all directions, encircling Tatsumi and his group, who had been preparing to retreat.
However, upon realizing that their opponents were merely these small fry modified soldiers, Tatsumi and the others couldn't help but feel their tension ease.
Their opponents weren't members of The Jaegers or Esdeath—thank goodness.
While they didn't know what cards Dr. Stylish might have up his sleeve, they reasoned that, at best, he was just another Teigu user.
On their side, even if they excluded the missing Wood and his team, as well as Najenda, who had returned to the Revolutionary Army headquarters, they still had Akame, Bulat, Lubbock, Leone, Sheele, and Tatsumi—six people in total.
Dr. Stylish only had himself and Seryu as Teigu users. How could a six-on-two matchup possibly go wrong?
Even if Dr. Stylish had his so-called "Stylish Squad," Tatsumi had already experienced their level. Though superior to the average soldier, they fell far short of the standards of Night Raid or The Jaegers.
Even without his Teigu, Bulat should easily handle those "Stylish Squad" members with his sheer strength.
The ordinary modified soldiers were simply no match for Tatsumi and his team. Though they were numerous, their numbers dwindled rapidly as Tatsumi and the others cut them down like weeds.
As the carnage continued, the mindset of Tatsumi's group began to shift. They started to believe that Dr. Stylish's previous confidence was nothing more than an act.
With such a weak lineup, not only was stopping their retreat impossible, but even protecting his own life seemed like a tall order for Dr. Stylish.
Even as his small army of underlings was steadily eradicated, Dr. Stylish remained calm and composed. But when Leone and Akame made a sudden dash to eliminate Dr. Stylish himself, he finally acted.
Leone's punch was blocked by a massive, canine-like appendage from Seryu's Teigu, while Akame's Murasame was intercepted by a hollow-eyed, black-haired boy wielding a long blade.
When Leone's attack was halted, Sheele, armed with Extase, stepped forward. Her plan to cleave the canine Teigu in two was interrupted by several bullets that came flying at her eyes from tricky angles, forcing Sheele to use her massive scissors to block them.
Enemies facing each other, Sheele's severed arm was Seryu's doing, and Seryu had been holding a grudge against Sheele, the "sinner" who had repeatedly escaped her grasp. The two launched into an immediate, heated battle.
Leone, meanwhile, engaged in a brutal brawl with Seryu's biological Teigu,Hekatonkheires. Both combatants possessed exceptional regenerative abilities: Leone had the TeiguLionelle, and Hekatonkheires had its built-in restoration mechanisms. It was a clash of endurance.
Akame, on the other hand, seemed uncharacteristically distracted. Her strikes, parried by the black-haired boy and even deflected with relative ease, lacked their usual sharpness. Her unsteady state led to near-disastrous situations where she was almost caught off guard by lowly modified soldiers. This oddity puzzled Tatsumi and Bulat, who couldn't understand what was happening.
"Akame, what's wrong? Are your wounds not healed yet? Or did you not eat enough today?" Tatsumi asked after firing a blast that eliminated several enemies, his voice tinged with concern.
"That person by Dr. Stylish… the sword he's holding is Demon God Manifestation: Winter Knight..." Akame replied in a flat, almost emotionless tone.
Hearing this, Tatsumi, Bulat, and Lubbock all wore expressions of shock.
When the implications of her words sank in, Lubbock was the first to voice his disbelief.
"You must be mistaken, right? Wood's Teigu,Winter Knight, is a unique item. Aside from him, no one should be able to wield it!"
The legend of Winter Knight was well-known, and as one of Wood's closest friends, Lubbock knew more about it than most.
"Do you really think I wouldn't recognize a Teigu used by my own comrade?" Akame shot back coldly.
Lubbock fell silent. Anyone who knew Akame understood she didn't joke or lie. Since Wood had been captured, Winter Knight had indeed fallen into enemy hands.
"Hmph. Even if that guy is holding Winter Knight, there's no way he's actually using it. At most, he's swinging it around like a regular sword. After all, it's not a weapon just anyone can use!" Lubbock muttered, clinging to denial.
Driven by doubt, Lubbock decided to test the waters. Using Cross Tail, he sent a web of razor-sharp wires toward the black-haired boy.
To his surprise, the boy deftly evaded the attack. As the wires grazed his face, they tore through the bandages concealing it.
What was revealed stunned everyone.
When the black-haired boy's face was exposed, Tatsumi and the others were stunned into silence.
Dr. Stylish's twisted sense of aesthetics had led him to alter the boy's appearance for what he considered "perfection." As a result, the face revealed beneath the bandages bore a striking resemblance to someone they all knew very well.
Seeing the black-haired boy's face and recalling his weapon, Tatsumi and his comrades were instantly filled with a mix of shock and fury.
The TeiguWinter Knight wasn't an ordinary weapon anyone could use—it had practically become Wood's signature weapon.
And now, at such a critical moment, someone who looked like Wood wielded it. There could only be one explanation.
"Impossible! This has to be a lie! That guy must be a fake—he's only holding Winter Knight like a regular sword. It's not even in its released form!" Lubbock exclaimed in disbelief, his voice shaking.
The suggestion of what this meant was too horrifying for Lubbock, who usually appeared carefree but held a deep bond with his comrades. Of everyone in Night Raid, his closest relationship had been with Wood. They were childhood friends who had joined the army together, defected to the Revolutionary Army together, and survived countless battles side by side.
To accept that Wood had been killed, mutilated, and transformed into this abomination was too much.
"Manifestation of the Demon God: Winter Knight!"
As if to shatter any lingering hope, the black-haired boy raised the blade under Dr. Stylish's command. With a roar, the surrounding air erupted with icy winds as a fierce ice dragon, Skasa, materialized behind him, roaring into the battlefield. The ground beneath them froze instantly, covered by a thick layer of ice.
And when the cold subsided, there he stood—a figure clad in a gleaming blue suit of armor, wielding a crystalline blue longsword: Wood's Teigu in its fully released state.
Seeing that armor, that weapon, and that stance, Lubbock could no longer contain himself.
"You bastard! I'll kill you! I'll kill you!" Lubbock roared, his fury exploding. His voice trembled with anger as he glared at Dr. Stylish, eyes brimming with murderous intent.
If Wood had died in battle, Lubbock could have accepted it, mourned him, and honored his memory. But to see his comrade desecrated like this was beyond intolerable. It was a desecration of everything Wood stood for.
"You've turned him into a puppet, you monster!" Lubbock shouted, his rage overflowing.
"Oh? How do you like my masterpiece?" Dr. Stylish said with a smug grin. "This is my latest and most exquisite creation—my ultimate work of art. Isn't it magnificent?"
Dr. Stylish's words only fueled their hatred. Lubbock wasn't the only one fuming; Tatsumi and Akame both stepped forward, their weapons drawn, their intent clear.
"You're going to pay for this!" Tatsumi shouted, his voice filled with anger as he charged at Dr. Stylish.
But before he could get close, the modified Wood moved like a shadow, effortlessly intercepting him. His speed was unmatched as he closed the distance in an instant, clashing with Tatsumi.
Akame followed close behind, her blade aiming straight for Dr. Stylish. But, just like Tatsumi, her attack was blocked. The modified Wood moved with an unnatural precision, countering her blade and knocking her back with a swift, brutal strike.
"Clang——!"
The sound of weapons clashing echoed through the battlefield. The modified Wood parried both Murasame and Tatsumi's spear with his crystalline blade. Then, with a single fluid motion, he delivered a devastating kick to Tatsumi, sending him flying across the battlefield like a cannonball.
As Tatsumi crashed into the ground, Akame continued her assault, but the modified Wood was relentless. With a swift punch, he sent her tumbling as well.
Tatsumi and Akame were both thrown aside like ragdolls, their bodies skidding across the frozen ground.
Before they could recover, Lubbock unleashed Cross Tail, his wires slicing through the air in a deadly web. However, the modified Wood responded with perfect timing, conjuring an icy barrier around himself. Though the wires slashed through the ice, they bought him enough time to evade.
"Bulat! Now's your chance!" Lubbock shouted.
Bulat, already poised and ready, charged forward with a roar. He wielded his Shingu,Tiger Roar Spear, its tip glowing with energy. Leaping into the air, he brought the spear down with all his might.
"Clang——!"
The sound of impact reverberated like a thunderclap. Despite the overwhelming force of Bulat's attack, the modified Wood managed to block it, his blade meeting the spear in a fiery clash of sparks.
Even so, the impact forced the modified Wood backward, his feet carving deep trenches into the frozen ground as he slid nearly ten meters away.
"Not bad," Bulat muttered, gripping his spear tightly. His arms tingled from the impact, but he refused to let up.
"Still as tough as ever," Bulat said, breathing heavily. "But I can't believe someone like him could have been taken down."
Through their brief exchange, Bulat noticed something off about his opponent. Though the modified Wood's fighting style and techniques were eerily familiar, they lacked a certain fluidity—a certain soul. It felt mechanical, devoid of the spark that made Wood who he was.
"This thing… it's just a shell," Bulat muttered to himself, gripping his spear tighter. "He's not the same anymore."
Despite the overwhelming odds, the group stood their ground. The real Wood might have been unbeatable, but this wasn't him. This was just a puppet—a hollow replica. And that gave them hope.
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