"Haaa!!!"
Cornelia's roar echoed through the forest.
She charged towards Taeko through the ruins, and at a distance of less than a ter, she stomped the ground abruptly, her fist swirling with a fierce gale as she swung it toward her opponent.
...Wind pressure?!
Taeko couldn't help but feel shocked. How could such powerful wind pressure be generated from such a distance!
Moreover, at this range and angle, neither a draw-cut nor a diagonal slash could inflict damage—they would all be blocked or deflected by that annoying gauntlet!
There was no ti to dodge either.
And so, Taeko raised her longsword, intending to repeat her earlier tactic and brace against this swift and powerful strike.
Seeing this, Cornelia gritted her teeth, clenched her fist, tightened every muscle and joint in her body, and let out a roar-like bellow as she sank her energy into her dantian—
"Crush it for , Crushing King!!!"
At that mont, Cornelia's voice seed to transform into strength.
As if Crushing King had sensed her unwavering determination to win!
A cyan halo materialized around the striking surface of her fist!
Cornelia hesitated for only an instant before understanding.
So, Lord Yotsuba has been protecting all along...
A more confident smile slowly spread across her lips.
And with even greater strength and speed, she swung her fist forward.
"Haaaaaaah!!!!"
With all her might.
Exhausting every ounce of her brute courage!
Releasing it without reservation!!
This punch broke through the sound barrier, as if sparks burst forth from friction with the air, hurtling straight toward Taeko's blade!
The mont they made contact, under Taeko's disbelieving gaze.
The cyan light on the fist directly shattered her longsword!
No—wait, it wasn't shattered. It was more like it had been erased, for she felt no force transmitted from the blade at all. It was as if it had been pierced through like air, turning to dust in an instant!
Boom!!!
The very earth seed to tremble, erupting with a deafening explosive sound!
"Guh—"
Taeko was sent flying backward at an even faster speed, as if struck by a speeding train, her entire body slamd into the wall of a ruined building not far away!
Crash!
The weathered wall imdiately collapsed, burying her beneath the rubble.
"Cora-nee... won?"
"Yes, it's undoubtedly Cora-nee's victory."
Compared to Tsukushi's stunned disbelief, Aka's reaction was relatively calm, though her hand subtly tightened around the hilt of Murasa at her waist.
"Cora-nee has beco so strong..."
Kuro murmured in awe, but this was also what Aka felt in her heart.
That final strike was a power she had never seen before. From the might of that punch, she sensed Cornelia's conviction and the power of Lord Yotsuba.
Just as Lord Yotsuba had said.
Cornelia had transford and been reborn, surpassing and breaking through her limits.
How wonderful, Cora-nee...
Aka was genuinely happy for Cornelia from the bottom of her heart.
"Alright, you all, stop spacing out. Let's go over."
Mahiro snapped his fingers, instantly snapping the stunned girls out of their daze. They erged from the forest and walked toward Cornelia.
"Hah... Haaah... Hah..."
Cornelia was bent over, trembling arms propped on her knees, barely supporting her body.
Although she had broken through her current limits and reached a higher, stronger realm, it had drained all her strength...
Or so it should have been.
Until she saw Tsukushi and the others, until she saw the person following behind them.
"Lord Yotsuba!!"
Cornelia's face lit up with joy. Just a second ago, she had been so exhausted she could barely move a finger.
Yet the next mont, she sohow mustered a burst of energy, throwing herself into Mahiro's arms like a young swallow returning to its nest!
"Lord Yotsuba... Sob... I'm sorry, Cornelia has failed your trust. Even though you kept warning , I still fell for such a low-level trap..."
"There, there, it's all right now, isn't it? And you're already reflecting on it, right? That's enough."
Mahiro gently stroked the golden hair of the girl in his arms.
Her deanor was a far cry from the usual big sister figure she presented to everyone.
Instead, she was like a little girl, acting spoiled in Mahiro's embrace.
After all, she had found her pillar of support and no longer needed to put on a strong front as she usually did.
"But Cornelia still wants to thank you, Lord Yotsuba."
The girl slightly raised her head in his arms, eting his gaze, her face flushed as she spoke:
"At the very end, Cornelia felt your power, Lord Yotsuba. It made realize that you are always by my side. Thank you so much for everything you've done for Cornelia..."
In truth, at that final mont, Cornelia recalled many things.
The mories of the past few years flashed through her mind like a revolving lantern.
They had given her an invincible heart and the courage to defeat Taeko no matter what!
So she made a decision in her heart.
Starting tonight, she would serve Lord Yotsuba with even greater effort!
It would be best to bear Lord Yotsuba a child—how else could she repay such a great debt of gratitude?
Later, accompanied by Mahiro and the others, Cornelia arrived at the ruins.
"Cough... Cough..."
Blood continuously spilled from Taeko's lips, a crimson line trailing from the corner of her mouth and dripping onto the ground.
Though her body was buried under rubble, with only her head exposed, staring blankly at the sky, the amount of blood staining the ground scarlet made it clear.
She didn't have long to live.
That final punch hadn't just shattered her weapon—it had also broken the ribs in her chest, along with nearly every bone in her body.
It had torn open her chest, leaving her internal organs fully exposed.
Even if left alone, she had only minutes left to live.
Gazing at the azure sky, Taeko also recalled many things.
For instance, her instructor Babara had been teaching her how to kill since she could rember—how to take down an enemy with a single strike.
From childhood to adulthood, the number of people who had died by her hands was at least eight hundred, if not a thousand.
Each one was killed by her own hands, their lives personally taken away.
Until today, she finally faced her retribution.
"But this is fine... no, this is for the best..."
Taeko strained to shift her gaze toward the approaching Cornelia and the others, focusing on that familiar face and the golden hair cascading down, shimring in the sunlight. She slowly forced out a faint smile.
"Being able to die by your hand... truly is wonderful..."
"Cornelia, if we et again in the next life... I truly hope we can still be friends..."
Taeko genuinely regarded Cornelia, or rather, the girls of the elite group, as friends. It was the first ti in her life she had made so many friends.
Unfortunately, they belonged to opposing factions.
Even though she knew that Cornelia and the others were kind-hearted.
That's why, during the duel just now, she fought with all her might to kill them.
Because for her—or perhaps only she understood this clearly—death was the only path to liberation.
But unexpectedly, in the end, it was she herself who was set free...
"Yes, I will. If there is a next life... Taeko, let's be friends again."
Cornelia slowly knelt down, grasped Taeko's neck, and with a slight exertion of force under Taeko's relieved gaze—
Crack!
Taeko's life faded completely.
And Cornelia felt a sour, painful ache in her heart...
Tsukushi and Aka couldn't help but turn their heads away, unwilling to watch any longer.
Only Mahiro crouched down and gently patted Cornelia's shoulder, saying:
"You know? This is why I never wanted you to get too close to your targets. Emotions... are truly difficult for assassins to handle."
If they hadn't understood before, they could grasp it now.
But this hurdle was truly hard to overco, both for them and for Taeko, who had already passed away.
However, while sorrow weighed heavily on this side, the battle on the other side had been resolved swiftly and decisively.
The one Green referred to as the "wild vegetable–picking old woman" now lay in a pool of blood.
She slowly lifted her head, looking at Nahashu, who was flicking the blood off his sword, her eyes filled with shock and resentnt.
"...I never thought there would still be talent surpassing Taeko in this world..."
She was even more astonished that this exceptional talent could take her life!
After dominating the assassination world for so many years, she would die at the hands of a young brat. Had she truly grown old...?
"Hmph, the insight of trash is always this shallow."
Nahashu snorted disdainfully, calmly sheathing the Water Dragon Sword at his waist.
This wasn't mockery but the truth.
His own strength might seem impressive to outsiders, but he knew all too well—compared to that person, what did his ager abilities amount to?
Even the combat tactics he used were taught to him by that person.
During life-and-death combat with an enemy, it's common for both sides to start by testing each other. This creates the perfect opportunity to deliver an unexpected fatal blow.
So that's exactly what he did, taking advantage of the old woman nad Babara's carelessness.
Instantly unleashing the Water Dragon Sword!
Enhancing his combat power, then instantly killing his opponent.
This proved to be remarkably effective.
The deaths of Babara and her companions marked the conclusion of this mission, temporarily removing this major threat sent by Oarburgh.
Afterwards, Mahiro led the elite team on their journey back to the Imperial City.
Co to think of it, this mission had taken quite a long ti—half a year had passed in the blink of an eye. He wondered how Mine, Womyn, and Remus, those three girls, were doing...
Would they be crying their eyes out at ho every day?
Just as he was thinking this, Kuro, who was sitting in his lap while nibbling on snack cookies, suddenly pointed at a section of the city wall coming into view.
"Lord Yotsuba, we can see the Imperial City now."
"Hiss—"
This girl...
"Don't do that again next ti, understand?" Mahiro said sowhat helplessly.
But Kuro acted as if she hadn't heard, slightly shifting her small bottom to enjoy that subtle touch.
"Ahh, seriously, whether it's Sister Cora or Kuro, why are all of you so cunning..." complained the girl riding behind them, her large orange ponytail swaying back and forth.
The reason the situation had developed like this, leading to such a conversation, was mainly because Kuro sitting in his lap wasn't wearing anything under her black JK skirt.
As for how this situation ca about, we have to go back to the hot spring hotel incident...
During those last few days before departure, Mahiro had given his room to Nahashu and Green so they could enjoy the hot springs and a brief vacation.
As for him, he stayed in the girls' room—specifically Cornelia's room.
This led to strong protests from Aka, Tsukushi, and Kuro, who consequently squeezed into the sa room with him.
The incident occurred one particular morning.
Kuro-chan, who woke up first, crawled along the connected futons to Mahiro's bedding.
Originally intending to wake Mahiro using an intimate thod she'd read about in a book, she instead discovered Sister Cora naked, intimately monopolizing Lord Yotsuba's body!
This caused her to let out an involuntary gasp of surprise.
Her voice ended up waking all the other sleeping girls.
Seeing Mahiro's bulging futon, and noticing Cornelia and Kuro's empty spots, they imdiately understood what was happening. They lifted Mahiro's futon, revealing expressions nearly identical to Kuro's, staring dumbfounded at Mahiro and Cornelia's position.
So when Mahiro finally woke up...
The mont he opened his eyes, he found Kuro and the other girls kneeling around him, forming a circle as if watching a spectacle, their cute big eyes wide open as they observed him.
Mahiro looked down and realized Cornelia was still lying on top of him in the sa position as last night, their bodies closely connected.
Cornelia's cheeks were burning red, and though her eyes were closed, her breathing was noticeably growing heavier.
This girl was clearly awake but too embarrassed to open her eyes, so she continued pretending to sleep.
But the question was, could she really escape the judgnt of the other girls just by doing this?
Obviously, that was impossible.
"Ugh... How infuriating! Cora-nee actually hid it from us and is making a baby with Lord Yotsuba!" Poney loudly complained in dissatisfaction.
Though her words were sowhat childish, the others strongly agreed.
Even if they had already suspected sothing, they never imagined Sister Cora would be bold enough to monopolize Lord Yotsuba right in front of them!
And so, Kuro, being the closest, chose this willful thod to tease him and vent her inner frustration.
This really was...
Kuro was a bit younger than the other girls, younger even than Cornelia, and hadn't yet reached an age where she could be taken.
If not for his lack of certain preferences, he might have long since devoured this foolish girl completely.
"Hmph, it's all because Lord Yotsuba is so biased, only playing secretly with Cora-nee," Kuro replied softly, her fair, lovely face already gradually suffused with a blush.
See? Even now, this girl was still provoking him.
"But Lord Yotsuba, why must you bring Taeko's corpse back with us?"
At that mont, Aka rode her horse to his side and asked curiously.
Her eyes were fixed on the rear of Mahiro's horse, where a long object wrapped in leather cloth was hanging.
That was Taeko's corpse. Ever since Cornelia killed her that day, Mahiro had kept the body on a whim.
They had initially thought Mahiro intended to bury Taeko, but never expected him to carry it all this way.
Cornelia stood beside Aka, blinking as she looked at him. It was clear Aka was asking on her behalf.
However, Mahiro had no intention of hiding anything and stated plainly, "Well, I had to bring back so trophies. After all, Chelsea got away, and besides, you can gather a lot of information from the dead."
That's right—Chelsea had escaped.
When they returned to the hotel that day, Chelsea had already vanished without a trace, leaving only the intact ropes behind on the tatami.
It didn't take much thought to figure out that Chelsea must have used so thod with the Gaea Foundation to disguise herself as a small animal or sothing similar, allowing her to slip out of the ropes.
Mahiro wasn't particularly surprised by this.
It didn't matter if she ran. The world was only so big—where could she possibly go?
Sooner or later, they would et again.
As for the issue of the corpses decaying, there was no need to worry. The burial shroud was embedded with a magical activation formula. As long as he continuously supplied psionic waves, the bodies would remain frozen and wouldn't decay.
It was the sa principle as a refrigerated truck.
He had considered storing them in his ring but quickly dismissed the idea. After all, hiding corpses in a ring just felt unlucky.
At this, Aka turned and gave Cornelia a helpless look.
Cornelia understood that no matter what Lord Yotsuba had in mind, she had no way to refute it.
Returning to the Imperial City after a year and a half, Mahiro noticed significant changes.
It seed much more tightly guarded. The soldiers at the city gates were ticulously inspecting everyone entering, even carefully checking the carriages of so nobles.
And there was only one reason for this—
Forr Imperial General Najenda had been placed on the wanted list, with her portraits plastered everywhere.
The bounty was quite substantial too—10,000 gold coins, dead or alive.
Mahiro didn't pay much attention to this. He first brought Cornelia and the others back to the assassination departnt, then headed to the palace to report on his mission.
His safe return naturally brought mixed reactions—so were delighted, others dismayed.
Both the young emperor and General Budo were relieved to see him return unhard without losing a single soldier. Tales of his exploits had already spread throughout the palace.
As for those who were dismayed—that would naturally be Pri Minister Honest, who tore viciously at the steak in his hand with simring resentnt.
Despite his best efforts to leak information, both the Revolutionary Army and Oarburgh had proven utterly useless, failing to so much as scratch Mahiro.
This frustration had caused him to gain several pounds recently!
For his reward this ti, Mahiro chose to enter the imperial treasury and select two Teigu—
The March of the Dead: Yatsufusa, and the Teigu forrly used by Najenda's adjutant Power Surging: Balzac.
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