Ran turned to look at Esdeath beside him and said with a serious expression,
"Esdeath-sama, the enemy deliberately left clues to lure us into pursuing them here. They must have another objective."
"Is the Imperial Capital's defenses really going to be alright?"
Esdeath's expression remained calm as she explained,
"For the time being, there's no need to worry about the Imperial Capital. The Minister's people will keep watch."
She suddenly turned to the front-left, the brim of her cap casting a shadow over her pale face.
"If you want to fish, you need bait. Empty bluffs are useless."
Stylish's enhanced humans, specialized in sight, hearing, and smell, were scouting ahead.
Their corresponding sensory organs were grotesquely enlarged.
At the moment, Stylish, Kurome, and Bols were gathered behind Esdeath.
Seryu and Wave had gone to retrieve Uesugi Ryu and had yet to return.
Hearing Esdeath's explanation, Ran fell into thought.
"So we're the bait?"
Night Raid's base was the only lead the Jaegers currently had.
Even knowing it was a trap, they had no choice but to walk into it.
Everyone already knew the enemy had a sniper.
Stylish could not shake the feeling that he lacked a sense of security.
After all, from the looks of things, he seemed like the easiest target for a sniper.
"Night Raid. If we capture them, they'd make excellent research materials."
The mountain-like giant Jasan stood beside Stylish, making for a perfect human shield.
Jasan had already undergone body modification, and Uesugi Ryu had further enhanced him with Human Transmutation.
The first test subject, fused with a Rousey Monkey, had shown no side effects beyond some mild beastification.
That flaw had largely been resolved after gathering more data and conducting numerous experiments.
At least, that was true for the Rousey Monkey enhancement plan.
Since Rousey Monkey was only a Level Two Danger Beast, the boost was fairly ordinary for strong fighters.
The second test subject, the Ghoul-transformed one, was still locked in the laboratory.
It remained half-insane and could not be deployed normally.
It also retained an intense craving for human flesh.
Even though consuming Danger Beast meat was enough to sustain it, perhaps the Ghoul instinct was simply too strong.
It was useless as a combat asset, but harvesting Kakuhou to craft weapons had proven surprisingly effective.
High-grade Quinques were no weaker than ordinary Shingu.
Of course, Uesugi Ryu had no intention of sharing that technology with Stylish.
The bald man in sunglasses, Wall, held an unusual shield as he guarded Bols.
The group continued advancing.
The eye-enhanced soldier's multicolored pupils spun wildly like kaleidoscopes.
Suddenly, his pupils contracted sharply.
A dazzling flash entered his field of vision.
"Lord Stylish, something's happening on that ridge!"
Everyone immediately looked toward the distant high ground.
At some point, an opening had appeared in the cliff face.
Through her scope, Mine could clearly see Esdeath's face.
"So that's Esdeath. Even from this far away, she feels dangerous."
Pumpkin's barrel pointed directly at the Jaegers.
"We've been spotted. Perfect."
Mine's lips curled upward as she pulled the trigger.
A brilliant yellow beam shrieked through the air.
Boom!
Smoke exploded everywhere as everyone scattered.
Esdeath, however, stomped the ground and leaped high into the air.
As her ascent began to slow, a slanted ice pillar erupted beneath her.
Stepping on it, she continued climbing skyward.
The wind whipped past her as she held down her cap with one hand, her eyes overflowing with excitement.
"I've finally caught you, little mouse."
Mine's hair stood on end as she fired again.
A fan-shaped orange laser burst from Pumpkin's muzzle.
The blast shattered the rock face, painting a brilliant firework across the sky.
Pebbles rained down.
Mine turned and fled without hesitation.
By the time Esdeath blocked the attack, the shattered ridge was already trembling violently.
She landed inside the hollowed-out mountain.
At some point, the interior had been completely excavated.
Cold air spread through the chamber.
Four massive ice pillars rose to support the collapsing structure.
Looking around, she spotted a deep tunnel entrance nearby.
It was incredibly narrow.
Only someone as short as Mine could probably squeeze through it.
Esdeath frowned slightly.
Night Raid had clearly come prepared.
She turned and left.
There were ways to deal with rats.
Crawling through tunnels after them was beneath her dignity.
Meanwhile, Kurome gripped Yatsufusa and cautiously scanned the surroundings.
Jasan shielded Stylish, chunks of rubble embedded in his muscular chest.
Stylish remained spotless, his white lab coat still immaculate.
Adjusting his glasses, he chuckled.
"As expected of Night Raid. So, who is our next opponent?"
Just as the modified soldiers were preparing to regroup around him, Kurome spun around and shouted,
"He's here!"
Before her words had fully left her mouth, a thunderous crash rang out.
Sunlight filtered through the treetops, casting mottled patterns across Bulat's gray-white armor.
The gray-white figure flashed by.
The crimson spear in Bulat's hands swept through the air in a wide arc.
In the next instant, the three sensory-enhanced soldiers were cut cleanly in half at the waist.
Blood and organs erupted into a crimson rain.
Bulat's nearly two-meter-tall figure appeared before them.
Behind him fell a horrifying shower of blood, while golden light blazed from his helmet's eye slits.
A savage aura crashed over them.
Stylish's expression changed drastically as he hurried backward.
Bols' face hardened as he swung his flamethrower.
A torrent of flames roared forth.
The blood instantly vaporized into crimson mist, filling the air with a sickening metallic stench.
A red flash streaked through the inferno.
The dense wall of flames was torn apart.
Dragging his spear behind him, Bulat charged straight at Stylish.
Killing enemies was not their primary objective.
But if there was a chance to reduce the enemy's fighting strength, Bulat would never pass it up.
Jasan stepped in front of Stylish, massive axe in hand.
Before he could react, the gray-white armor was already upon him.
"Hah!"
Bulat roared as Incursio came crashing down.
With a wet slicing sound, Jasan and his giant axe were split cleanly in two.
Still, his death was not entirely in vain.
Stylish had already escaped Bulat's attack range.
Blood splattered across the white cape behind Bulat.
He grabbed one half of the severed axe.
With a powerful swing, he hurled it spinning toward Stylish.
Dothea, wearing a cowboy hat, fired her revolver.
Bang!
Two bullets raced toward Bulat.
The blond youth Natala extended his massive blade, the gleaming edge thrusting forward.
A storm of feathers tore through the air, sealing off Bulat's escape routes.
A barrage of flaming shells descended at the same time.
Attacks came from every direction.
Bulat remained calm.
With a twist of his wrist, his spear spun into an impenetrable circle.
Bullets were shredded into copper fragments the instant they touched the rotating blade.
Brilliant sparks flew.
The whirlwind generated by the spear sent shockwaves rippling outward.
Natala's extended blade and Ran's feather projectiles slammed against the shaft, metallic reverberations exploding continuously.
Flames, feathers, bullets.
An overwhelming bombardment.
Dust and shattered stone filled the air, obscuring everyone's vision.
Thunk!
The spinning axe buried itself deep into a tree.
A large section of Stylish's bangs had been sliced away.
The puppet Wall stood in front of him.
The shield-bearing left arm was nearly severed, blood pouring freely.
Stylish took several deep breaths.
A bead of cold sweat slid down his temple.
Bulat's strength was on an entirely different level from ordinary Teigu users.
That oppressive pressure.
Only Esdeath had ever made him feel the same way.
If Wall had not slightly altered the axe's trajectory at the last second, Stylish would have received an impromptu craniotomy.
And then he really would have lost his head.
"Night Raid actually has someone like this."
Kurome's expression was grave.
She had not summoned all eight of her puppets.
Against a powerful individual like Bulat, releasing her Danger Beast puppets would be ineffective.
It would only slow her down.
Even with Natala protecting her, she could easily be decapitated.
After attacking, Ran had immediately taken to the sky to avoid Bulat's pursuit.
As the dust slowly cleared, Bulat's figure suddenly vanished.
"What? He disappeared!"
Bols stared in shock, lowering his weapon slightly.
Everyone quickly gathered together, the atmosphere becoming extremely tense.
Bulat was now completely transparent.
Arms crossed, he leaned casually against a tree not far behind them.
Esdeath could return at any moment.
Uesugi Ryu was also on his way.
Bulat hesitated.
He was confident he could take down one more enemy.
But the risk was simply too great.
Kurome's full capabilities remained unknown, and only three of Yatsufusa's puppets had appeared so far.
If he got pinned down, he would absolutely die.
He also had no intention of revealing Incursio's invisibility.
After a moment's consideration, he quickly withdrew.
"Roar! Roar! Roar!"
A series of roars echoed out as Koro arrived, carrying Seryu and Uesugi Ryu.
As for Wave, he was running.
He had already equipped Grand Chariot, making him even faster than Koro.
However, to avoid being ambushed, the three had remained together.
"Mr. Uesugi!"
Seeing Uesugi Ryu arrive, both Kurome and Bols visibly relaxed.
Stylish also felt like he had narrowly escaped death.
After all, he was by far the weakest person present.
Though he still had his Danger Beast transformation as a trump card, against Bulat, he probably would not even have had time to inject the serum.
Seryu jumped down from Koro's back and hurried to Stylish.
"Doctor, are you alright?"
Though badly shaken, Stylish naturally did not want to appear weak in front of Seryu.
He brushed the severed strands of hair near his forehead aside.
"I'm fine."
Uesugi Ryu quickly surveyed the battlefield.
Someone capable of putting this much pressure on Kurome and the others could only be Bulat.
Observer activated.
He carefully examined the surrounding area.
Demon Armor could conceal one's form and erase one's presence, but movement still left traces.
Bulat clearly understood this and had undergone specific stealth training.
Unfortunately, before Observer, such efforts were ultimately useless.
"Remain here."
Before anyone could respond, Uesugi Ryu vanished.
"Mr. Uesugi?"
Wave had only just turned his head when all he saw was a blurry afterimage.
He wanted to follow, but had no idea which direction to pursue.
Sighing helplessly, he deactivated Grand Chariot.
Then he began discussing the situation with Kurome and the others.
"An armor-type Teigu. It must be Demon Armor."
"He disappeared suddenly. Some sort of stealth technique, perhaps?"
Wave pondered.
As a fellow armor-type Teigu user, he knew a little about Demon Armor.
Ran slowly descended from the sky.
"I think it's some kind of invisibility. I couldn't spot him even from above."
"He's fast, but not so fast that he should be invisible to the naked eye."
Seryu looked worried as she turned to Ran.
"Ran, you saw Mr. Uesugi's path, right?"
"Is it really alright to let him pursue alone?"
Ran smiled helplessly.
"I only caught the beginning of his route. Trying to follow now would be pointless."
"Oh."
Seryu lowered her head and sighed.
Twice now, Night Raid had slipped through her fingers.
She could not help feeling frustrated.
So much time had passed since her master's death, yet she had not even laid eyes on his killers.
"Squeak. Squeak."
Sensing his master's sadness, Koro walked over and gently rubbed his paw against Seryu's leg.
Feeling it, Seryu crouched down and stroked his head.
"Koro..."
Meanwhile, Uesugi Ryu relentlessly followed the trail Bulat had left behind.
As he darted through the forest, his pace suddenly slowed between two trees.
Four nearly invisible metal wires crisscrossed the space.
"What a pain."
Uesugi Ryu rubbed his forehead.
Not only did he need to track Bulat's traces, he also had to constantly watch for the metal threads hidden everywhere.
Running into them would not injure him.
But it would certainly alert the enemy.
After nearly two kilometers of pursuit, the trail suddenly became vague.
"It disappears here. I didn't see any flying Danger Beasts, so..."
He lowered his gaze.
Observer's X-ray vision activated.
X-ray vision and telescopic vision could not be used simultaneously.
To put it simply, telescopic vision increased the quantity of his perception.
X-ray vision improved its quality.
Perhaps compatibility played a role as well.
Regardless, Uesugi Ryu could not use both at once.
Otherwise, he would have been hunting people with combined X-ray and long-range vision long ago.
A vast network of underground tunnels appeared before his eyes.
He could not help laughing.
"So it's tunnel warfare. Clever."
"Without Observer, I really might not have found this."
Invisibility alone was troublesome enough.
Add tunnels hidden three meters underground, and it became even more irritating.
At this point, Uesugi Ryu abandoned the pursuit.
Crawling through tunnels held no appeal.
Besides, after all this time, they were probably long gone.
"Lubbock, Bulat, Mine. And one more. Most likely Akame."
"Not exactly an easy group to deal with."
Turning around, Uesugi Ryu prepared to rejoin the Jaegers.
Night Raid's objective was painfully obvious.
"They're heading to Jellalck, aren't they?"
His shoe stepped onto a branch.
Crack.
The branch snapped instantly.
With a flash, Uesugi Ryu disappeared.
A faint rustling of tightening wires sounded behind him before quickly fading away.