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

Farrell was overjoyed, but she didn't dare to show it too obviously. She only raised her voice slightly and then secretly clenched her little fist.

The elf saw this and couldn't help but feel a little more melancholy...

And so, everyone had their own worries, and the gears of time turned once more, bringing us to the evening of the second day.

The daytime celebrations were already quite lively, and everyone had expended a lot of energy. Naturally, people had to tone it down a bit in the evening, but it was still packed with people, befitting the name of the "Royal Capital".

The four of them still agreed to meet at the library entrance. The usually bustling area was deserted at this time. When Iori arrived as agreed, under the moonlight, they could only see two figures holding hands affectionately, seemingly chatting about something, occasionally letting out silvery laughter.

"Huh? When did you two become so close?"

Iori stepped forward to speak with her, and the girl who turned around was none other than the elf and Farrell.

The elf smiled calmly: "You wouldn't understand girls' friendships today."

Farrell glanced at the elf with amusement, then looked meaningfully at Iori: "We had some misunderstandings between us before... strictly speaking, it was one-sided misunderstandings by someone, but now it's cleared up, and we have no conflict in this regard."

"Oh? What misunderstanding?"

"It's about interpersonal relationships... Okay, okay, I won't say anything more, don't glare at me like that."

"cough!"

The elf cleared his throat, about to say something to smooth things over, when he suddenly noticed that Iori's gaze was full of teasing, and he couldn't help but take a deep breath.

"I apologize for my previous rashness. In fact, after getting to know her better, I think Miss Farrell is a very interesting person, both lovely and... In order to cheer on Miss Farrell, I've decided to lend her a hand tonight!"

"Huh?" Iori was stunned. "How can you help? Is that even possible?"

You can't just tie a piece of wood to the appraiser's bed, can you?

"Of course, it's to pave the way for her, to lure away some clueless guys, and to create a festival night where only Farrell and someone else are alone!"

"Oh!" Iori's eyes lit up. "Great, that sounds very feasible!"

"Mr. Iori, Miss Elf... thank you!"

With tears in her eyes, Farrell sincerely thanked the two of them. As the elf wiped away her tears, the two exchanged a glance and nodded knowingly.

Yes, this is a rare opportunity for Pharrell, but isn't it the same for the elves?

Forcibly pulling Iori away to prevent Yosuke from causing trouble certainly created an opportunity for Farel to be alone... From another perspective, the elves can also be alone with Iori now!

"I really can't express how excited I am. I've been looking forward to this opportunity ever since... um!"

Perhaps she was too immersed in the role, as Farrell's cheeks flushed red, and she was clearly quite agitated. The elf held her hand, but his eyes were secretly looking at Iori.

Yosuke, who had just arrived here, witnessed all of this.

He paused for a moment, then looked at the appraiser, the elf, and his good friend Iori in turn, and a thought suddenly popped into his mind:

This looks like a complete mess!

That's right, it definitely is!

Miss Farrell invited the three to the festival, probably intending to take the opportunity to confess her feelings to Iori. The elf must have sensed this, which is why she intervened to stop them...

Oh no! If this continues, Iori's situation will...

Yosuke felt that the majority of the blame for how things had turned out this way lay with the oblivious and womanizing Iori, and that no one else was to blame. However, as his good brother, he couldn't just stand by and watch Iori face such a tragedy.

But what to do?

How can we defuse this awkward situation?!

If Iori goes with Farrell, the elf will be sad, and vice versa.

If this drags on, the situation will definitely get worse!

No! We must act immediately!

But how exactly to do it... Don't give up, use your brain, Yosuke Shimazaki!

As a seasoned player who has conquered countless lovers in the game, you must be able to think of a peaceful way to resolve this obstacle!

It's nothing more than a bold conversation option!

That is--

"Get out of the way, all of you! Release Aizen!"

Yosuke Shimazaki stepped out of the darkness, raised his hand and pointed at Iori, his loud voice immediately attracting the attention of the three.

Faced with those surprised gazes, Yosuke, feeling uneasy, felt his heart tighten, but he still mustered his courage and shouted, "Iori, come with me to enjoy the night view!"

"...No, what did you say?"

—That's right! It's that kind of naturally clueless buddy who often appears in these kinds of situations in visual novels, specifically there to stir up trouble!

Since choosing either option will hurt the other person, let's simply eliminate this problem altogether and directly undermine its very premise!

To rescue Iori from this chaotic situation, Yosuke Shimazaki, with unwavering courage, declared his stance to the two girls:

"I won't give it to you—Iori is mine!!!"

"..."

"..."

"..."

Chapter 265: Akame, From Assassin to Grim Reaper (4K)

After many days, Iori has finally returned to the empire he has always been loyal to!

—I have no choice but to come back. If I stay in "Uncle in Another World" any longer, Iori feels like I'm going to be assimilated.

Yosuke's thought process is peculiar enough, but he also has a certain artistic style buff. Whenever he's around, he always manages to do all sorts of things that are both funny and exasperating... This is not Iori's style at all!

Worried about being "stained" and afraid that she might not be able to resist killing someone... After visiting the festival with the fairy, Iori tells Yosuke that she is going to find a legendary labyrinth and that they might not be able to meet for a while. In reality, she has traveled back to "Akatsuki" to refresh her mind in various ways.

Arriving at the ever-growing palace, listening to reports from Najenda, Chelsea, Sera, cabinet ministers, and others in turn, and deciding on a whole host of important matters that could not be handled by others... His Majesty, almost overwhelmed by paperwork, gradually calmed his turbulent emotions amidst the tedious and monotonous work of writing.

The Greater Grail has stabilized its main branch and is currently developing four branch branches simultaneously. Sera's calculations suggest that a large amount of magical power will be released on the day of success, enough to activate the "Heaven's Cup," meaning that there will be one more spot for the materialization of souls.

The Akame sisters are doing well, and Kurome's mental state is improving faster than expected. She's now able to face her past with equanimity and is beginning to have a more positive attitude towards life and the future. Here, we must thank Sera; her suggestive magic, as a form of benign guidance, played a crucial role, proving to be even more professional than a psychologist.

Kurohime's ability to recover relieved a lot of pressure for her sister, making her feel much more relaxed. She even offered to go to another world to help Iori "like Esdeath," but he refused.

Iori visited the Seireitei not long ago. The Seireitei is now a large and well-structured organization with Esdeath and Beatrice in charge, as well as a group of ordinary members with considerable strength. It is not lacking in combat power.

Even if Akame were to return, it would only be icing on the cake...

"In comparison, there is actually another option that is more suitable for you and more beneficial to me, but..."

"What are you worried about?" Akame asked seriously.

Iori thought for a moment and said, "It's more complicated than the world Esdeath chose, and there are more strong people. Even I couldn't reach the top and still have to be subordinate to others."

"Is that all?"

Akame breathed a sigh of relief, her tone relaxed: "I thought it was going to be much more dangerous, but it turns out it's just like this... Have you forgotten what my background is?"

When we met, one of us was a bounty hunter without a home, and the other a heartless assassin controlled by the Empire. Even if we had to lie low in the new world for a while, would it be more unbearable than before?

“That’s true.” Iori stroked his chin. “Hearing you say that reminds me of the past… so much has changed.”

"what do you mean?"

"all."

Iori smiled: "I've changed, you've changed, and so have Kurohime, Najenda... even the whole world, but everything is moving in a positive direction, which makes me feel a little proud."

"Then you should have more confidence in yourself, shouldn't you?"

Akame smiled slightly: "I don't know what you're doing in that world, but I believe you must have your own ideals and beliefs, and it would be great if my insignificant power could be of any help."

After all, you... would never stand against the people, would you?

In Bleach, Iori doesn't intend to be a good boy. After all, there are cunning old foxes like Monk and Yhwach, so he can't let his guard down. But he does have his bottom line and won't become the kind of person Akame hates.

Therefore, when Iori met the gaze of the girl with long, straight black hair, there was no hesitation or evasion in her eyes.

"Then I'll have to trouble you. Lend me your power, Akame-san."

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

Akame symbolically knelt on one knee to pay her respects, but the two could only remain silent for a moment before bursting into laughter, breaking the serious atmosphere.

"Since you've already made your decision, then let's leave this 'Heaven's Cup' to Kurome and send her to Soul Society as well."

"So it's called the Soul Society... It does sound very dangerous."

Akame shook her head: "But there's no need for Kurome's matter. She's already familiar with her current living environment and interpersonal relationships, and she'll definitely not adapt well to being suddenly thrown into an unfamiliar place. Besides, she needs to gradually wean herself off her unhealthy dependence on me and return to a slightly more normal sisterly relationship... It's a good thing to be separated for a while."

“That was something I hadn’t considered,” Iori nodded.

"Once I've finished dealing with state affairs, I'll take you to the Soul Society... Of course, we need to be prepared before then."

"Prepare?"

"Your current body is in the form of a 'physical body,' right? But because of the special rules there, your body must be transformed into one that is in the form of a 'soul,' that is, a spiritual body. Your clothes and weapons also need to be transformed... Don't worry, I will personally teach you how to do it."

After Iori finished speaking, her eyes flashed as she looked at the "Murasame" pendant on Akame's waist, a subtle expression appearing on her face.

"what happened?"

"It's nothing, I just suddenly felt that your arrival was too cruel to some people."

Iori chuckled, "'One-hit kill' and 'second-level kill,' and both are female assassins and sisters... someone's role is in jeopardy~"

-

The idea of ​​"one-hit kill" is obviously a joke!

Literally, the effect of the demon sword Murasame seems to be stronger than Soi Fon's Zanpakuto, but in reality, the two cannot be compared at all.

The ability of the Teigu Murasame is a deadly curse that kills upon contact with blood. It mainly targets the physical body and is not a conceptual ability. In the anime, Esdeath cut off her hand in time to stop the curse from taking effect.

Soi Fon's "Suzumebachi" is a Zanpakuto that can affect both matter and spirit particles simultaneously, making it a semi-rule-based Zanpakuto—as for why it's only "semi"... well, she was criticized by Aizen after all.

In fact, if Murasame hadn't been tainted with a bit of "curse" and wasn't purely a material toxin... then it would have been no different from an ordinary Asauchi to the Grim Reaper.

Akame's most relied-upon weapon in the past is now just a katana that can be cursed after she arrives in Soul Society. It is far less powerful than "one-hit kill". It is estimated that the negative effects of the weapon are not a concern for those at the Seat Officer level.

In comparison, the "Thunder Emperor Gauntlets" that Iori gave her were more practical.

Of course, Akame was also baptized by the Third Law, and her soul strength far surpasses that of ordinary souls. As long as she adapts to the environment of Soul Society, she can possess spiritual pressure at the level of a vice-captain. Her swordsmanship and combat experience are also quite good, so she can definitely not be called a weakling.

If she can turn Murasame into her own Zanpakuto in the future and further master its Shikai, then she will be a top-tier vice-captain.

—This is a very subtle power structure.

Although the most common rank divisions in "Bleach" are Captain, Vice-Captain, and Seat Officer, just like the Emperor, Admiral, and Vice-Emperor ranks in One Piece, there are no strict thresholds. They vary greatly and cannot be generalized.

In theory, anyone who masters Bankai is qualified to become a captain, also known as "captain-level".

But in reality, the Soul Society is a very complex place. At the beginning of the original story, even the bottom-ranked captains like Tosen, Soi Fon, and others, who were criticized for being weak, could easily defeat Renji and Ikkaku, who had mastered Bankai. The difference in strength was so great that there was no suspense at all.

This fully proves that the captains who can truly stand alone in the Gotei 13 are all extraordinary individuals, and it's not enough to just have Bankai. (Of course, if there's really no one left, there's nothing that can be done, like the Seireitei after the bloody battle...)

Therefore, "Captain-level" is a very broad concept. Those who have just entered the Bankai realm are not fundamentally different from first-class vice-captains, and may even be defeated by them...

Among Iori's close friends, Esdeath is probably the only one who could undoubtedly become a captain in Seireitei!

Characters like Beatrice and the Elf Girl fall somewhere between vice-captains and "captains," and due to their power systems, their overall strength may not be comparable to the top vice-captains in "Bleach."

As for Akame, she started further ahead than these people, and even with the support of the Third Law, she is still weaker in terms of raw strength.

However, she's an assassin-type fighter, specializing in extreme speed, so in a real fight, things might not be so simple...

Ultimately, there are many factors to consider in actual combat, and it cannot be determined by simply comparing data, especially when comparing across different worlds.

Putting aside these things that could easily lead to a vicious cycle of debate, Iori successfully brought Akame to Soul Society, but instead of placing her in Seireitei, he took her to Rukongai.

He is now the captain of the Third Division, which is considered a high-ranking position in the entire Soul Society. Above him are only the Captain-Commander and the 46 Chambers. Even high-ranking nobles cannot treat him arrogantly and must show respect for a strong person.

Meanwhile, Yuuki thrived in the 13th Division. After being promoted to vice-captain, she became Ukitake Jushiro's right-hand woman, handling all matters in an orderly manner and gaining considerable popularity within the division.

Looking at it this way, Aizen and his sister have become very important figures, whereas not long ago (in the timeline of Bleach), they were just Bleach students from Rukongai... This strong contrast further highlights their legendary status.

As Iori's status within the Gotei 13 rises, the siblings will inevitably attract more and more attention, and the clothing store and their mother-in-law's side will certainly be noticed.

Logically speaking, it should be others who try to please the mother-in-law, and no one should dare to risk angering the captain of the Third Division to scheme against a harmless old woman... But Iori knows that the world is full of all kinds of unintentional accidents, so he dares not be careless.

The reason for bringing Akame was twofold: firstly, as a former ace assassin who is extremely sensitive to killing intent, she is capable of protecting the grandmother and the little girl Nemuru.