Madam, I like you.

　Mo Yankong watched the battle between Tatsumi and Night Raid in the courtyard and asked with interest, "Hill, what do you think good is, and what is evil? Where is the line between the two?"

　She replied in a calm and low voice, "I'm sorry, I'm in a state of confusion right now. The question you raised requires a certain level of logic to analyze, and I probably don't have the ability to think that way right now."

　"Just say what you are thinking right now."

　"What everyone considers evil is evil, and what everyone considers good is good. But companions, relatives, and friends should not use such perspectives to judge what is good or evil."

　Mo Yankong crossed his arms and nodded, "That's a pretty direct answer that I like. In my eyes, good and evil are one and the same, without any boundaries. Most people consider justice to be the majority versus the minority. Murder, robbery, and injury—crimes in the eyes of ordinary people must have reasons, and the result is always someone benefiting, just like this sadistic family."

　"To them, your night raid is evil, while they are showing mercy to outsiders."

　"So I don't like to categorize others as good or evil. That's simply a perspective constrained by human morality. What I value is perspective. Everyone has their own perspective, and any organization formed by humans must also have its own ideology. I hate anything that has a shifting perspective."

　-

　Clang clang clang!

　The collision of weapons sent out fierce sparks, and three figures ran back and forth in the courtyard. Tatsumi, holding a long sword, fought with the two ace killers of Night Raid, Akame and Brand.

　A green-haired young man descended from a silver mesh woven from imperial artifacts in the sky. He stood firmly on the mesh, watching the fierce battle in the courtyard. He couldn't help but sigh, "What an amazing guy! He can actually stand up to the combined power of Brand and Akame. His strength is probably not inferior to the boss."

　Next to him, a Gothic girl holding an anti-material sniper rifle nodded in agreement: "I agree. The only bad thing is that such a powerful guy is our enemy. No matter what, we can't let him go, otherwise he will become a big trouble in the future. Lubbock, since you are back, it means that you

　The nest has been built."

　Lubbock chuckled and said, "Of course, the next step is the shepherd's job."

　"Hmph, I thought it would be an easy job. Really, staying up late is very harmful to a woman's skin." The girl held the anti-material sniper rifle in both hands. The huge gun body, the cold and hard steel formed a sharp contrast with the girl's pink gothic dress. The muzzle moved down and aimed at Tatsumi who was fighting fiercely with Akame and Brand below.

　Lubbock was shocked and asked, "Hey, they're fighting pretty fiercely, Myne, I hope they won't get hurt by mistake."

　"Probably."

　"Then we have to choose the right time."

　Marin glared at Lubbock impatiently. "Lubbock, could you please stand further away and not disrupt my concentration? The only chance I'll accidentally hurt you is if I can't help but shoot you. You understand what I'm saying."

　Lubbock laughed dryly, "Y-yes, then I won't bother you anymore, Miss."

　-

　"These two guys are really tough. One is extremely fast, the other is extremely strong and has strong defense. My sword just now clearly hit that guy's armor but it didn't even leave a scratch." Tatsumi's body moved between the samurai sword and the spear, concentrating on dealing with the attacks of the two and secretly groaning. He forced Akame back with a sword, and then turned around to block Brand's steel spear.

　Keng!

　The powerful force made Tatsumi's hands numb. The long sword in his hand that he brought out from the village and used to kill dozens of dangerous species had more than half of its blade broken in this short ten-minute confrontation, and its effect was no greater than that of a steel stick.

　Behind him, Akame, who was forced back by Tatsumi, stepped forward quickly, and the demon sword Murasame aimed at Tatsumi's neck. The sharp blade cut through the air with a sharp sound, quickly and accurately, aiming to kill with one blow.

　"Don't try to succeed!"

　Tatsumi, sensing the danger behind him, used his hands to create ripples of energy to strengthen his arms, forcing Brand back while dodging the slashes of the katana.

　"what!"

　Brand was secretly shocked by Tatsumi's strength. He was wearing an imperial weapon, and his own strength was increased several times, but it was still not inferior to Tatsumi.

　Swish!

　Tatsumi felt a chill on the back of his head. The demon sword Murasame had cut off a little of his hair. If it had gone in one centimeter further, it would have cut his scalp.

　"How dangerous! I was almost hit by this dangerous weapon!"

　Tatsumi swung Brand away with a sword, and glanced at Akame behind him and screamed with lingering fear.

　Akame and Brand surrounded Tatsumi from the front and the back, and the atmosphere was solemn.

　Tatsumid had to admit that he had overestimated his own strength and even underestimated this so-called professional killer group.

　"Well, why don't we just forget about what happened tonight and just pretend nothing happened?" Tatsumi asked weakly, raising his hand. Dealing with two people was already fraught with danger, and Tatsumi couldn't guarantee that he would be safe if a third person took action.

　Akame swung his katana and said expressionlessly, "Although you are not our target, since you have become our enemy, you must be destroyed."

　"That's amazing, young man. You've been able to hold out for so long against the combined might of Akame and I. Your strength is no less than any general in the empire." Brand praised silently. The most important thing was that Tatsumi could contend against two top users of the Imperial Artifacts without even using any of them. What would happen if he let the tiger go back to the mountains?

　They didn't know who Tatsumi was or which organization he belonged to, but since Tatsumi had said he wanted to defeat Night Raid, there was no doubt he was Night Raid's enemy.

　There has always been only one way to deal with the enemy during the night raid, which is to ruthlessly eradicate them, even if it means hurting innocent people.

　This is also the reason why the night raid can survive in the imperial capital until now.

　"You were a young man with great potential. It's a pity that you died here." Brand commented calmly.

　boom!

　The gunshot was the signal, and the three night raid killers attacked at the same time. Each of them had a serious and sharp look in their eyes, flashing with murderous intent.

　"ripple!"

　Tatsumi, who vaguely felt something was wrong, growled, and ripples wrapped around his body, stimulating his body's potential. He dodged the laser while taking the initiative to attack, swinging his sword with all his strength at Akame, trying to eliminate an enemy and break through the crisis in front of him.

　Akame didn't expect Tatsumi to be so decisive, combining speed and strength. Facing the long sword that he swung with all his strength, she only had time to raise her hand to defend herself.

　Keng!

　The metal rang, and the sword in Tatsumi's hand broke into two pieces. After all, it was just an ordinary weapon and could not compete with the imperial weapon made from the body of a super dangerous creature.

　Author's message:

　Main's imperial weapon fires lasers.

　The power is probably enough to vaporize a human body.

　Chapter 171: The Arrogant Beast

　"It's the critical moment! Damn it!" Tatsumi felt upset. He didn't expect this and instead lost his balance due to excessive force.

　Tatsumi thought it was bad news, and barely managed to dodge Brand's piercing dragon spear from behind with his superior physical fitness. But after losing his weapon, he was quickly forced into a corner of the courtyard by the clever coordination of the three imperial weapon users.

　"Don't you think this is an unfair victory? How about giving me a weapon and we start over?" Tatsumi concentrated several times and smiled apologetically.

　Brand approached with his spear in hand and said coldly, "We are assassins. We have no intention of playing a game of strength competition with you."

　"Destroy." Akame held the demon sword Murasame in both hands, her red eyes cold and indifferent, and walked towards Tatsumi.

　After another round of attack and defense, they confirmed that Tatsumi had fallen into the range of the nest and stopped pursuing him.

　The Imperial Artifact Master, Lubbock, who had been observing, stepped out from the shadows, pulling at the silver thread with one hand and saying carelessly, "It's finally time for me to take action. Unfortunately, you've already entered my lair. The outcome will be decided."

　Chi Tong and Brand retreated, and when they looked at each other, they could see the relaxation in each other's eyes. They won this battle because they had the advantage of time, place and people.

　Normally, if anyone faced Tatsumi alone, they would be defeated.

　"What did you say?" Tatsumi asked in confusion, holding a half-broken dagger. He had little experience in actual combat, and even less experience fighting humans. He didn't realize that Akame and Brand were intentionally forcing him into a corner of the courtyard.

　As soon as Lubbock raised his hand, countless silver threads lit up near Tatsumi's body, crisscrossing and forming a dragnet that surrounded Tatsumi's body. Tatsumi could no longer move.

　"I only need to pull one of these 'Boundary Threads', and your body will be cut into hundreds of pieces. Once you step into my lair, no one can leave safely." Lubbock declared proudly.

　"These are... lines."

　Tatsumi took a step forward in disbelief, and his body was entangled by hundreds of silver threads.

　"ripple!"

　Tatsumi hurriedly activated the ripples, transmitting them to the silver threads, instantly illuminating the entire nest. The nest was a trap set by Lubbock using hundreds of silver threads. Any creature that entered it would be captured when the nest activated. Like a three-dimensional spider web, prey could not escape, leaving no room for movement within the nest.

　Tatsumi's wave power cannot burn the imperial weapon made from the body of a super dangerous species.

　Lubbock stretched out his right hand, and the gauntlet-shaped imperial weapon gradually retracted. Dozens of silver threads bound Tatsumi's body, cutting through his clothes and embedding deeply into his muscles. The silver threads also wrapped around Tatsumi's neck, preventing him from breathing or speaking.

　Without being able to breathe, Tatsumi lost the ability to control the ripples.

　“Ah…ah…”

　Tatsumi struggled in pain, but he couldn't pull out the silver thread that was cutting into his flesh.

　Silver thread is known as the "boundary thread" and its sharpness is no less than that of an ordinary knife blade.

　"Good night then."

　Just as Lubbock was about to use "Kai Dansen" to cut Tatsumi into pieces, something strange happened. The wall of the mansion was crashed, rubble flew everywhere, and Leone, a member of the Night Raid, appeared in front of everyone, lying on the ground covered in blood.

　Sayu, a girl with long black hair, walked out of the broken wall, grabbed Leona's neck with one hand and lifted her up. She smiled and said to the people in the night raid, "Um, could you please let Tatsumi go? Otherwise, I will break her neck."

　Chi Tong's eyes were fixed: "Leona!"

　Lubbock yelled angrily, "You bastard! What did you do to Leone?!"

　"Calm down!" Brand held Lubbock's shoulders and shook his head.

　As the Night Raid members were anxious, they saw Leona, who was being strangled, smiling miserably and saying in a weak voice, "Move...move."

　With just two words, the Night Raid members could understand what she meant.

　Sayou was stunned: "You are quite stubborn. You want to exchange your life for the enemy's life. She is your companion, right? How about reconsidering it?"

　Akame held the demon sword Murasame in her hand, taking a fighting stance, and muttered expressionlessly, "Destroy."

　"Red pupils..."

　Marin raised her sniper rifle and said decisively, "Lubbock, do it!"

　Seeing the reactions of his companions, the dying Leone forced a satisfied smile.

　Tatsumi alone was already a problem enough, and now there was another formidable enemy. If Tatsumi was allowed to escape and join forces with Sayu, then having Leona on the night raiding side wouldn't help.

　Lubbock gritted his teeth and was about to use the imperial weapon [Thousand Changes - Mating Beast] in his hand to strangle Tatsumi.

　"Wait." Sayu spoke again, throwing Leona's body back to the Night Raid members. "Let me give you a piece of advice. Tatsumi is a person valued by the master. If you kill him, I'm not sure what the consequences will be if you anger the master. I'm returning her to you as a sign of my sincerity. I emphasize again, let Tatsumi go."

　Anyway, Mo Yankong said that the members of the Night Raid should not be killed, so he might as well do them a favor.

　Master? And a master?

　The darkness in the Night Raid grew thicker. Maine raised the Imperial Tool in her hand and snorted disdainfully, "Our Night Raid's greatest enemy is the Empire. I don't know who your master is, but compared to the Empire, he's nothing. One more isn't too much. Thank you for returning my companion, but we won't let him go."

　"Go ahead, Lubbock."

　"..."

　"Lubbock?"

　Everyone in the night raid looked back in confusion and saw that Lubbock's body was stiff in place, with a blood-red shadow covering his body, like blood plasma, with strange eyes flowing on it.

　Just as Lubbock used silver threads to restrict Tatsumi's movements, his body was covered and controlled by shadows.

　The Apostle of the Dead River, the Beast of Pride, possesses the special ability to materialize shadows.

　"The body...can't be controlled." Lubbock explained with difficulty, and waved his hand again. All the silver threads were retracted into the arm guard, and Tatsumi's body was put down.

　Akame and Brand moved forward at the same time, intending to personally deal with the threat of Tatsumi.

　The shadows gathered into hundreds of spikes, surrounding Chitong and Brand like a wave.

　Chi Tong was forced to retreat, and Brand chose to

　Fight the thorn of arrogance.

　ding ding ding-

　Countless spikes pierced Brand's armor, pushing him back but unable to penetrate the armor's defense.

　The shadows gathered into a face, gritting its teeth in a very human way at the sight. It was arrogant and would not allow any being other than Mo Yankong to be above it.

　Waves of shadows covered Brand's body, trying to find the cracks in his armor and invade his body.

　boom!

　A laser shot at the shadow next to Brand, dispersing all the shadows in the surrounding area.

　The imperial weapon [Romantic Turret Pumpkin] can convert spiritual energy into a high-pressure shock wave. The shock wave will rub against the air to form a high temperature, making the shock wave look like a laser.

　The sudden bright light scared the arrogant beast away, and it stopped chasing and moved Tatsumi's body back to Sau's side.

　Author's message:

　The ability of arrogance is almost the same as the ability of arrogance in "Fullmetal Alchemist".

　Chapter 172 Recovering the Imperial Tool

　“Cough cough... cough cough cough!”

　Tatsumi, who was dragged back by the shadow, coughed violently and breathed in the hard-earned air in big gulps, leaving a bright red mark on his neck. Fortunately, his neck did not have many muscles, so it was not directly cut off by the "Kaidan Thread". His hands and feet were not so lucky. Years of exercise and the influence of ripples made his body tendonous, and the "Kaidan Thread" cut him with dense scars.

　"Sayu!? Is it really you? How come you are here?" Tatsumi, who had come back to his senses, looked at his companion who saved him in astonishment. They were from the same village and had originally planned to go to the imperial capital together to seek opportunities to make a name for themselves. However, they were attacked by robbers and separated on the way.

　Tatsumi hadn't thought they'd meet again in the Imperial Capital. After all, they were headed to the same destination, but he hadn't expected to meet under such circumstances.