As waves of Revolutionary Army soldiers charged toward her, Esdeath calmly tied her sleeve to stem the bleeding from her severed arm. With her remaining right hand gripping her saber, she swung toward the advancing troops.
The temperature in the air plummeted instantly. A bone-chilling cold erupted from the ground, sending massive ice spikes surging forward. The spikes pierced through the Revolutionary Army soldiers and their horses, impaling them like skewered candied fruit.
"Only the strong have the right to survive! This is a battlefield for the strong—trash should stay out of the way!"
With a single attack, Esdeath decimated over a third of the Revolutionary Army's remaining forces.
Seeing the carnage Esdeath unleashed and the sight of Tatsumi lying in a pool of blood—his body partly "dragonized" and Incursio deactivated—Akame flew into a rage. She glanced at her Imperial Arm, One-Cut Kill: Murasame, and without hesitation, slashed her own hand with its deadly blade.
Murasame, a blade imbued with a deadly curse, kills anyone it cuts by spreading a lethal toxin throughout their body, no matter how minor the wound. Yet Akame willingly inflicted its bite upon herself.
The emotional shock of seeing Tatsumi down triggered Akame's resolve, allowing her to activate Murasame's secret art. Normally, this ability requires the death of someone close to the wielder, but her intense emotions fulfilled this condition.
Imperial Arms are mysterious artifacts, their inner workings largely unknown. As Murasame cut into Akame's hand, black markings spread from the wound, crawling across her body like tattoos. These curse marks, normally fatal to enemies, now enveloped Akame entirely.
As the wielder of Murasame, Akame was spared immediate death. Instead, the curse strengthened her, granting her a massive boost in speed, strength, and overall power. However, the curse came at a steep price: prolonged exposure could lead to permanent paralysis or death.
With newfound strength, Akame disappeared in a blur, reappearing before Esdeath in an instant. Her blade slashed downward, forcing Esdeath—who raised her saber to block—back several meters.
"Looks like keeping you alive until now was the right choice. First Tatsumi, now you. One after another, you've managed to stir my blood and ignite my desire to fight.
"Since I encountered Wood, you're only the second person to make me feel true danger. Let's settle this once and for all!"
Faced with Akame, now resembling a demon with her cursed black tattoos, Esdeath was exhilarated rather than intimidated. With no path of retreat left, she embraced the fight, just as she had always done in her dangerous hunts. Either she would prevail as the stronger one or die trying—there was no middle ground.
Believing in the same creed that only the strong deserve to survive, Esdeath was ready to stake her life on this battle.
Akame charged, and Esdeath met her head-on. Meanwhile, Bulat and the rest of Night Raid, knowing their own limitations, joined the fray, determined to do their part.
"Over there… That overwhelming commotion and this aura… Could it be Esdeath?"
Having faced Esdeath numerous times, Wood had developed a keen sense for her presence. His Imperial Arm, Frost Knight, was especially sensitive to ice-based powers. As he scaled a mountain, he immediately detected the presence of Demon's Extract.
When Wood and his group, carrying the captured emperor, hurriedly descended into the plain below, the sight before them left everyone stunned. Even the battle-hardened Wood couldn't help but feel shaken by what he saw.
The world of Akame ga Kill! might not boast the same power scale as the Pirate World or the universes of Mushoku Tensei and Re:Zero, but the scene before them spoke volumes about the sheer intensity of the battle.
A vast plain stretching nearly ten kilometers had been transformed into a frozen wasteland. Ice pillars and jagged spikes jutted from the ground, each telling a tale of devastating destruction.
Upon closer inspection, it became clear that this wasn't just an ordinary ice field—it was a graveyard. Corpses of Revolutionary Army soldiers were impaled on ice spikes or encased in frozen sculptures, preserved as if in their final moments.
The sheer scale of the icy battlefield revealed the ferocity of the fight.
"Where are Akame and the others? They should be okay, right?"
Seeing the devastating aftermath, Mine's face filled with worry. The Revolutionary Army's losses were appalling, but her thoughts were consumed with concern for her comrades in Night Raid.
Esdeath's power had wrought such massive destruction. Though Night Raid members were strong, they were up against a foe of such magnitude…
"They're still alive," Wood said, his voice steady. "I can sense their life force. But calling it 'alive' is generous—barely clinging on is more accurate."
Chapter 451: The Final Incursio!
Wood extended his Kenbunshoku Haki, achieving a sniper-like effect akin to those in the Pirate World, allowing him to detect and observe distant individuals. Guided by his heightened perception, Wood and his companions quickly arrived at the main battlefield, where they found the gravely injured members of Night Raid.
In the final battle, through the combined efforts of Night Raid, Akame's Murasame ultimately pierced Esdeath's body. However, before the curse could spread throughout her, the fearless Esdeath used her abilities to freeze herself entirely. She chose to end her life on her terms, shattering her body into countless shards of ice that scattered into the wind.
With Esdeath's death, Night Raid had reached their limit. The toll was devastating. Lubbock and Sheele had suffered critical injuries—one lost an arm, the other a leg, leaving them permanently maimed. Bulat and Najenda were both unconscious—Bulat from deadly poison and Najenda from the life-draining toll of her Imperial Arm, Susanoo.
Leone's Lionelle had been destroyed during the battle with Esdeath, leaving her severely wounded with damaged internal organs. She was slumped on the ground, coughing up blood and barely hanging on.
But the most critical conditions were those of Tatsumi and Akame, both of whom had used their Imperial Arms' secret techniques. Akame, though conscious, had lost all sensation in her lower body. When Wood and his companions arrived, they saw her dragging herself across the battlefield, using her arms to crawl toward the bloodied form of Tatsumi.
Tatsumi had been the first to fall, impaled through the chest by Esdeath's blade. Even Akame and the others had believed him dead. However, when Wood lifted Tatsumi, he discovered a faint warmth still lingering in the boy's body—a weak pulse of life remained.
Examining the wound closely, Wood, a seasoned swordsman, quickly deduced the truth. The blade had missed Tatsumi's heart by less than a centimeter. For a warrior of Esdeath's caliber, such a "miss" could only mean one thing: she had held back.
Despite her sadistic, battle-crazed nature, Esdeath had displayed a softer, almost romantic side. Even in her final moments, she couldn't bring herself to deal a killing blow to the boy who had captured her heart.
Seeing the dire state of Night Raid, Mine and Chelsea were overcome with grief. Even Kurome, who harbored hatred toward her sister Akame, couldn't suppress the pang of sorrow upon seeing her sister's condition.
Lubbock and Sheele's injuries were severe but survivable with proper treatment, though their disabilities would be permanent. Bulat and Najenda might recover, but their lifespans had been drastically shortened. The situations for Akame, Tatsumi, and Leone, however, were dire—though they were still breathing, it was unlikely they would survive the day.
The Empire had fallen. The corrupt Prime Minister Honest and General Budo were dead. The young Emperor was now a prisoner. Even their greatest enemy, Esdeath, had been defeated.
By all accounts, Night Raid had accomplished their mission of toppling the Empire. But the price was staggering: the Revolutionary Army had lost nearly a million lives, and now even Tatsumi faced death.
To Mine and Wood, their Night Raid comrades were more than allies—they were family. The weight of their loss bore down on them like a crushing burden.
"Bring Tatsumi, Akame, and everyone else together," Wood said calmly. "There's one last thing I must do."
Mine and Chelsea exchanged glances, immediately understanding his intentions.
"You're going to use the power of Heart of God again, aren't you? But you said before that if you used it one more time, you'd die!" Mine cried out. "And even with Heart of God, you can't save all of them!"
Both women held deep feelings for Wood, and the thought of losing him was unbearable. Yet they couldn't bring themselves to argue further—how could they choose between the man they loved and their cherished comrades?
"If I rely solely on Heart of God, it won't be enough," Wood replied. "That's why I'll use the secret technique of Frost Knight again. With its power of 'evolution,' I should be able to amplify the healing effects further."
Before he could finish speaking, Mine clung to his dragon-scaled arm, tears streaming down her face. "No! I won't allow it! If you do this, you'll die, Wood!
"And if they knew you sacrificed yourself to save them, how could they live with that? They wouldn't agree to it!"
For Mine, saving her comrades was important, but not at the cost of Wood's life. He had already done so much for Night Raid. She couldn't bear the thought of him dying for others, even now.
Wood gently stroked Mine's head. "It's alright, Mine. I've already made peace with this. Back when I fought the Shikoutazer, I thought I was going to die.
"But I survived. And now, I understand why—it's so I could be here, at this moment, to save all of you."
He smiled softly. "Trading my life to save everyone I care about is more than worth it. It's a happy ending. There's no need to feel sad or hesitate."
Before Mine could respond, Wood struck her neck with a precise hand chop, rendering her unconscious. Chelsea, watching the scene unfold, stepped back cautiously, tears streaming down her face.
"I can't stop you," Chelsea murmured, her voice trembling. "But let me stay awake. Let me witness your final moments. I won't let you leave this world without someone watching over you."
Unlike Mine, Chelsea didn't want to be deprived of the chance to say goodbye. Raising her hands in surrender, she made no further attempt to intervene.
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