Journey Across Universes

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- So, Night Raid is going on a mission tonight. According to the intelligence, monsters are appearing all around the outskirts of the capital, but they are most common in the east, we will split into three teams to cover more areas. - Najenda spoke after dinner.

- I dibs on my cute tiger. - Leone hugged me, cradling my head in her ample bosom, where I was drowning in my human form.

- You'll be teamed up with Shelly. You're a close-range fighter, she can fire from long range, you'll take the sector to the south of us. I've organised the remaining two groups in the same pattern. I'll go with Spear, she's a melee fighter, I can wield a whip and a revolver, she and I will explore the northern sector. Akame and Mein will be surveying the central sector, meaning their team will be in between our two. And since they have the weaker team, Gin will go with them just in case, so that he can go to the aid of the neighbouring teams in case of emergency. - told Najenda our plan.

- Why am I the weaker team with Akame? - A slightly offended Mein asked.

- Najenda is right, but we didn't get reinforcements from Gin, my Murasama is not very effective Teigu lately, if I can't hurt the enemy, it's just a regular sword, and your Callandor is inferior to Gin's weapon. To still match in power, you have to put yourself in great danger. - Akame replied.

- So, I plan to go hunting soon to get materials for your reinforcements. I need strong monsters for the Extract, and equally strong monsters to make new Teigu, so you'll be receiving gifts from me soon.

- And soon he'll be taking you to bed too. - said Chelsea, who would stay at the base, for she was a weak fighter, her speciality being espionage and silent assassinations.

- Chelsea, can you not interfere where you are not asked? - Najenda asked.

- I won't say a word, or you'll tie me up and your tiger will dishonour me. - replied Chelsea.

- If only there was something to dishonour. If the monsters are too strong, either call me or retreat, we have a chance to meet the Huntsmen, call me or retreat, and if you are unlucky enough to meet a crazy ice woman, retreat, and I will come and fight Esdeath. If the head of the Huntsmen is neutralised, their group will most likely be disbanded and the Empire will lose one of its strongest fighters. The bracelets should protect you, which is why I didn't mind this mission so much. - I said before the mission began. We left the base and went to the border of the capital, and before dividing into groups, I kissed Shelly, Najenda, Leone and Spear for good luck and went with Akame and Mein to look for monsters, which most often attack at night, but small groups of them can be found during the day.

We met the first freaks fifteen minutes later, and judging by their appearance, which was identical to Stileish's mutants, they were his test subjects who had escaped from the lab after the doctor's death. Apparently they were the very first specimens of his experiments, for although they had abilities far superior to those of humans, they were still dozens of times weaker than the mutants that Stileish had shown during the attack on our base.

Murasama's venom had little effect on them, and it sometimes took more than twenty seconds before they died from the poison, so Akama had to chop them up rather than poison them. That said, a severed head was not always a guarantee of a monster's death. Mein was better with her Callandor, but her cannon could either fire quickly and weakly, or powerfully but rarely, and after a few powerful shots it would overheat.

- Nevertheless, Teigu created a thousand years ago is clearly outdated, only the energy core, which strengthens the shot at the expense of emotions, remains actual there. - I said, fighting beside Mein. There were quite a lot of monsters, a hundred for sure, the other two groups were now also exterminating these mutants.

Earlier, when I used my sword to release a lot of energy sickles, or to create one very strong sickle, my hands would start to get damaged, the flesh could not withstand all the wounds and quickly heal, but now, the armour is levelling this deficiency, conducting energy through the wristbands, thus allowing me to shoot energy sickles as if from a machine gun.

- The last one. - Akame said as she cut off the mutant's head, cutting it into two halves just in case,' Murasama is not suitable for all enemies. - Akame said, seeing that the two halves of the monster were still moving, after about half a minute, the Murasama poison had taken effect on them.

- So, Leone and Shelly seem to have run into a group of Huntsmen. - I spoke after receiving a message from one of the groups, -This is Balls with Rubicante's flamethrower and Ran with Mastema's wings... well, Spear and Najenda were unlucky, Esdeath fell from the sky, girls, I'm going to them. - I said, looking at Akame and Mein.

- Then we'll go help Leona and Shelly, maybe I can meet my sister and kill... enslave her. - Akame and Mein nodded to me and they ran to help one group and I ran to help the other.

Esdeath and her Huntsmen were also looking for mutants to exterminate, but while surveying the area from a flying wyvern, Esdeath noticed something interesting, and decided to come down to the ground.

- Najenda, what an unexpected but pleasant meeting. You've grown an eye and an arm since the last meeting, so I'll be able to freeze them again today and destroy them while asking you for information. By the way, why don't you tell me where Gin is? Such a swarthy guy with silver hair, if you tell me where he is, I promise to kill you quickly and painlessly. - Esdeath said, looking at Najenda.

- Esdeath, you haven't changed since the last time we met, you're still a bloodthirsty bitch. I won't say anything to you, just try to avenge Lubbock and Bulat. - Najenda swung her whip, attacking Esdeath.

Esdeath created a wall of ice in front of her for defence, which the whip easily destroyed, but Esdeath just continued to create ice walls until the whip was stopped. The whip was destroying the ice, with its point always aimed at Esdeath's heart, Esdeath herself even had to jump back a few metres, continuing to create ice walls, for protection.

- Nice toy, Gin didn't make it, did he? - Esdeath asked when she was able to freeze the eight metre long whip completely in the ice, but Najenda hit the ice with her right hand, destroying it completely and releasing her weapon.

- Why are you picking on him, are you in love with him? - Najenda asked, pulling out her revolver and shooting Esdeath. Spear had been saving her strength and fighting mutants in her half-dragon form up until now, but now she had activated Incursio and was covered in black armour to fight Esdeath at full strength.

- So you do know him after all. - Esdeath said, defending herself with ice from the shots and also had to block the lunge of the spear of the new black armoured opponent, 'Great, so I can still find out where he is if I torture you to death. - Esdeath became serious, and stopped restraining her power, starting to lower the temperature around her and cover everything with ice.

- You don't understand, Esdeath, this time it will be different, and this time it will be you who will have to retreat. - Najenda said, putting more internal energy into her whip and unleashing an overhead attack on Esdeath. Esdeath realised that she couldn't defend herself with ice, so she just decided to dodge the attack by jumping as far away from Najenda as she could, which is exactly what Najenda wanted, firing her revolver at Esdeath when she was in the air and couldn't dodge.

Esdeath was still able to dodge, frosting her limbs with chunks of ice, she began to control them, and moved her body out of the trajectory of the shot, which made a huge tunnel in the nearest rock.

- Oh, Najenda, don't think about yourself too much, I haven't killed you yet just because I have to interrogate someone, I can get rid of the second annoying gnat. - Esdeath began to attack Spear, bombarding her with ice spears from the air, and then dropping more serious projectiles on her, literally burying Spear under a mountain of ice.

- Here comes the help. - I landed in front of the ice mountain, and released an energy wave that melted the ice under which Spear was unharmed, her armour protecting her as well as my bracelet, - Najenda, Spear, go to Leona and Shelly, they met the Huntsmen, and I'll deal with their commander.

- You're the guy in the armour that fought with me and survived, but your armour was different then. - Esdeath said, ignoring the fleeing Spear and Najenda.

- I had to improve it, and create weapons specifically against the ice monsters of the north. - I pulled out my sword, which Esdeath immediately recognised, because last time I fought her with it, but without armour.

- Gin, it's you, isn't it? You were the guy in the armour. I suspected it even in our last fight, you moved very similarly, but without armour you were obviously weaker and slower... Wait, so it was you who killed the Fallen, right? Well, they were weak, so I forgive you. - said a smiling Esdeath.

- I don't forgive you for killing my Ban tribe and exterminating the Guardians of Putra's Tomb who took me in. - I fired several energy sickles at Esdeath. Esdeath, as usual, created ice walls for protection, which my sickles vaporised in a flash, but Esdeath was physically strong too, so she just dodged them.

- If she slayed them, then they were weak, and weak men are not worthy of life, but you are another matter, when I defeat you in battle, I will make you my bridegroom. It's time I learnt the delights of love and I've chosen you. You are strong, but I am stronger and I will prove it by defeating you and making you love me even though you hate me. - Esdeath made up some nonsense.

- That's what happens when feelings are spoken by cruel monsters who know nothing of humanity. - I commented on her previous statement and attacked.

≪In fact, her tactics are quite workable, I've done that a few times with girls who were my enemies.≫

Now Esdeath couldn't use ice on me, any amount of it was quickly destroyed by ice spears or ice blocks, but even so she was quite confident against me using only her rapier and her body. When we had been fighting on equal terms for a couple of minutes, suddenly an image appeared under our feet, which lit up and transported us somewhere, before we were in the canyon, and now on the beach.

- Spatial Teigu Shambhala. It seems that the Prime Minister's son, who owns this Teigu, is involved in the mutants of Stailish. - I said, interrupting the fight with Esdeath and examining the spatial gate seal underneath us, which looked like a yin-yang sign, around which there were trigrams that denoted the sides of the world: north, south, west and east, and the trigrams were supposed to indicate the real location of the sides of the world. In general, the seal of this gate was a copy of the Korean flag, they used the same symbols in it.

≪Something like Fuinjutsu, but it works on Ki mixed with spatial energy, I think I can activate it, but there's not enough energy in this gate, it should recover in time. ≫

- Did you get something? - Esdeath asked, not stopping me from examining the seal.

- Yes, in twelve hours these gates will accumulate enough energy, and I will be able to activate them even without Teygu Shambala. So, I have to wait for the stars to see where I am, maybe I'll be able to get back on my own before then. - I tried to activate my bracelet, but it started to malfunction after teleporting.

≪I'll have it repaired in a couple of hours... although, the stars will be visible in a couple of hours, but it still needs to be repaired.≫

- HRAA! - There was a loud roar from the centre of the island, and soon a thirty-metre tall mutant Stailish appeared from behind the trees and headed straight for us.

- Those freaks again. - I decided to use the maximum power of armour and weapons on them. The energy from the thousands of captured souls imprisoned in the domain began to flow into the weapon and was released in a silver sickle that blew off the top half of the mutant... but a second one soon appeared.

- Now it was my turn to show off. Ice Comet! - Esdeath created a two-hundred-metre iceberg in mid-air, which collapsed on the mutant, burying it under millions of tonnes of ice.

- I doubt it will kill him. - I commented, and I was right, the monster broke the ice and got out from under the iceberg, while roaring loudly he headed towards us, - Moon Sickle! - I also decided to shout out the name of the technique, before using it again, and once again destroy the huge mutant with it.

- Gin, you're so strong, and you're winning my heart more and more. - said a blushing Esdeath.

- You don't have a heart, Esdeath, instead there is a piece of ice. - I answered coldly, looking towards the island. I could take down a couple more of these monsters with the Moon Sickle, but even though the armour was taking most of the strain, I was getting a little sore, and my arms were getting a little sore, even though the minor damage had regenerated. And I'm not even counting the ki it takes to create these attacks, each Lunar Sickle costs a dozen of my reserves taken from the domain.

- No, I still have a heart, you can put your hand on it to hear it beating. - Esdeath pulled back her uniform, almost exposing her breasts, -But you're right about something, my heart is cold and icy, but with you I can feel it beating faster, getting hotter and melting the ice in my chest. Here, touch it and see for yourself. - Esdeath came up to me with her jacket open.

- Esdeath, you're beautiful, and your looks are divine. - But your soul is like a demon's, and your love for me is just a demon's whim, people like you can't love. However, if you come to the side of the revolution, if you go against the Empire with me, then you can prove that your feelings mean something.

- Sadly, it looks like my first love will end up killing the one I love. Gin, I'm sorry. - Esdeath replied.

- Oh, don't lie, you're not sorry, demons can't feel pity, as well as love, they at most fake it, like you do. - I took up my sword again.

- Maybe you are right, love is not for me, so I will continue to support the Empire, which is constantly waging wars in which I can kill hundreds of thousands of weaklings... you, however, I still think not to kill, I will enslave you, break your spirit by torturing you to death, maybe even you will be lucky enough to see my soldiers raping the members of the Night Raid, whom I will also torture and kill. Yes, I will definitely have fun with you. - Esdeath smiled a sadistic cruel smile, anticipating the torment of her enemies.

- Oh, I'm not wrong about you, you're a demon hiding under the guise of a goddess. - I prepared myself to kill this bitch, even schizophrenia has swung to this moved, still I will not risk Najenda, Shelly, Leone and Spear for the sake of crazy Esdeath.

Esdeath and I started fighting again, and even though I'm now using armour and sword for my enhancement, Esdeath can still stand up to me. No matter how much I tried to wound her, she still dodged easily, and even counterattacked me successfully. But even though her rapier has been reshaped by me and is now able to hold its own against my sword, Esdeath can't break through my defence.

Three hours we fought without a break, during this time schizophrenia managed to fix my bracelet, and I now know that I am one and a half thousand kilometres from the capital. The stars in the sky showed that I was on an island south of the Empire. I couldn't detect Mein's and Akame's bracelets, so they had probably been teleported somewhere, but I didn't know where.

- Gin, how long can you use this armour? - Esdeath asked during the battle.

- Several days in a row. - I replied, trying to put that bitch on my sword and this time I was close enough.

- You may have been lying, but I can't beat you now anyway. As soon as I figure out a way to do it, we'll continue. Mahapadma! - A sphere appeared in Esdeath's hand, inside of which was the same sign as the tattoo on her chest.

This sphere grew and froze me... more precisely, it froze time around me, reinforcing my armour with energy I began to resist this effect and started to move a little bit. Esdeath was poking me with her rapier, trying to pierce my armour in different places, but she just ran away from me, I could even see her finding a wyvern on the island and riding it and flying away. The time freezing technique had a scope that I was able to slowly leave and free myself from its influence.

≪Could you freeze time? This is already a conceptual level of using Ice Magic. We've used up a lot of energy today, it'll take weeks to recover. ≫

- There's no point in chasing Esdeath now, I can't kill her anyway, but Mein and Akame might be in danger, and I need to find them soon. - I ran across the water to the mainland and once I reached it I ran to the base where Najenda, Shelly, Spear, Leone and Chelsea should be, first I'll tell them everything that happened and then I'll go looking for the missing girls, I'll need to find the teleportation gate they fell into.