Chapter 44: Execution! The Traitor of the Imperial Fist Temple!

The hall was brightly lit.

The group gathered without a word, standing quietly in place. An oppressive and murderous aura permeated the entire room.

"Is everyone here?"

Without any preamble upon seeing that everyone had arrived, Najenda directly tossed a character portrait onto the table.

"Leika, a traitor of the Imperial Fist Temple. According to intelligence provided by relevant sources, the thirty-three missing children aged thirteen and fourteen who recently vanished are all his doing."

"In other words, our next target is him?"

"It is him. Eradicate evil completely!"

"Understood!" xN

After issuing the mission, Najenda looked at Kobayashi and said, "You are coming along this time as well."

"Huh?"

Kobayashi looked slightly surprised.

Najenda smiled slyly. "It is time you witnessed the darkness of the Empire."

Words alone were not enough for true understanding; sometimes, only seeing with one's own eyes could reveal the meaning behind their actions—much like Tazumi when he had just joined.

"Aren't you worried I might run away halfway through after leaving the base?"

"It does not matter. Once you participate in this mission, whether you leave or stay will be entirely up to your own will. How about it?"

"I agree."

Seeing Kobayashi consent, Najenda nodded.

...

"Having said that, why is the entire Night Raid present?"

Kobayashi watched as the members of Night Raid surrounded him. While it looked like they were protecting him, in reality, it was more of a confinement to prevent him from escaping.

So much for not worrying about him running away!

Bubbly and bright, Leone flashed a hearty smile. "Don't be like that. Doing missions together adds a sense of ritual, doesn't it? Let's happily clean out the trash together."

I believe you, you mischievous muscle-head.

Kobayashi slandered inwardly, but out loud he agreed with a cheerful and expectant look, "Ah, yes, yes."

Come to think of it, this was his first time leaving the base with Night Raid, so he did indeed feel a little bit of anticipation.

The group moved at a swift pace.

As assassins, mobility was of the utmost importance.

Yet while running, Akame repeatedly glanced sideways. She simply could not understand why Kobayashi utilized such superb techniques yet behaved like a novice, and why those strongly contrasting movements nonetheless achieved the exact same result perfectly.

If Kobayashi knew what she was thinking, his only reply would be—

Don't ask; asking means magic, magic is number one in the world!

...

"We have arrived."

According to intelligence, Leika was hiding near the slums of the Imperial Capital, and this warehouse was his stronghold.

The group landed in the surrounding area and surrounded the warehouse.

With so many Teigu users here to send him off on his final journey, surely that traitor of the Imperial Fist Temple would be moved to tears, right?

Leone's eyes were dull as she curled her lips into a wicked smile. "Kobayashi, make sure you don't wet your pants from fear of the sights inside later."

...

"As if."

Kobayashi rolled his eyes at her.

Despite saying that, he still turned serious.

Leone always scouted ahead and gathered intelligence before every mission, so she definitely knew what was inside the warehouse. Saying that meant she was certainly not speaking without a foundation.

Creeeak————

The rusted warehouse door was slowly pushed open, the grating sound causing everyone to frown slightly.

A peculiar fragrance drifted over, smelling vaguely of some sort of spice.

How strange.

Based on what he had imagined, there should have been a pungent stench of decay and blood, so why a fragrance?

The dim warehouse doors swung open, and the bright moonlight shone into the gloomy space, revealing the tip of the iceberg of this world's darkness.

Spheres bound by ropes hung from the rafters of the warehouse, swaying back and forth in midair.

——They were heads.

Countless heads of teenagers in their early teens.

They hung in midair, each with a different expression on their face, yet all remarkably well-preserved.

There were tears, pain, anger, terror, fright, and resentment, but without exception, every expression was purely negative, and all of them lacked anything below the neck.

A cool, chilly breeze blew past, howling and rustling as if weeping for their tragic fates.

It was a truly spine-chilling scene.

"Welcome to your arrival!"

A frivolous yet crazed voice came from the very back, and a dark figure was sitting in a chair.

Bathed in the moonlight, Kobayashi could clearly see his appearance.

A middle-aged man of around thirty years old, with an ordinary, unmemorable face and a tattoo on his cheek.

He was an exact match for the target of the mission.

"Leika, your time is up!"

The hands gripping Pumpkin—[Roman Artillery: Pumpkin]—trembled violently. Mine had never imagined that the fiend before her could be so cruel.

"People always say that, but in the end, they all die, leaving not even their heads behind."

Leika spoke with absolute madness, but upon seeing Mine, he let out a whistle. "You're different, though. I'll turn you into my next collector's item."

"What did you say?!" Mine was furious.

Wasn't this treating her like a child?

She was already fifteen years old this year; she was an adult, and an assassin at that!

"Don't be so angry. It's a shame about that cute little face of yours."

Leika wore an expression of genuine pity.

Then, he posed a bizarre question.

"Tell me, at what age does a person display their talent the most?" Without waiting for an answer from the group, he answered his own question. "That's right, between thirteen and fifteen years old. This age is when talent and potential burst forth the fastest, which is why I want to preserve them."

With that, he picked up a collectible with an expression of infatuation.

It was the head of a little girl. On her uncorrupted, pretty face was an expression of terror verging on tears, yet mixed with a trace of elation; there was also a faint, grazed wound on her forehead.

Just like the ones before.

Lulu ran a step forward and said softly, "Lord Kobayashi..."

...

"Ah, I see it."

Kobayashi couldn't help but clench his fists tightly, and said to Leika, "Hey, do you know? The little girl you're holding actually had a bedridden mother and a frail younger brother. She was a timid girl who would willingly bump her head and bruise herself while begging for forgiveness, all so she could hurry back home to take care of her family."

"Oh? You know her? She's one of my favorite pieces."

Leika was slightly stunned.

Yet immediately afterward, he cradled the head aloft and bragged boastfully, "You know, she was so terrified back then, kneeling and frantically kowtowing to beg for mercy. That desperate plea for her mother and brother was so sacred. It gave me a jolt of electricity, and I felt like I had met my destined soulmate.

Then I told her, 'It's fine, I won't kill you.'

But just as she was about to leave, the fleeting moment of relief on her face...!

That's when I struck!

In the end, I obtained the perfect collectible!"

He was insane.

He had completely lost his mind.

He was no longer human; he was a demon wearing human skin!

The members of Night Raid gritted their teeth as they glared at him, wishing they could eliminate him right this instant.

At this moment, Kobayashi stepped forward.

"Sorry, even though I know this isn't allowed, could you perhaps leave him to me?"

He looked at Leika and spoke in a low voice, "I am... just a tiny bit angry."

"It's fine. As long as the mission is completed, anyone can strike."

Akame, who always strictly followed the rules of an assassin, did not refuse. Before setting out, Najenda had said that if Kobayashi requested it, the opportunity to complete the mission should be yielded to him.

She was simply following through on that now.

"No one else needs to move."

"Thank you."

Kobayashi whispered his thanks, then walked alone toward Leika.

"Oh ho? Are you underestimating me?"

Leika made no effort to conceal his look of contempt, seemingly brimming with confidence in his own strength.

"Hah, I advise you to be careful not to get wiped out in an instant." Leone's mocking retort was equally unyielding.

"Wiped out in an instant? What a joke, I am a master of the Imperial Fist Temple!"

Leika seemed to have heard some hilarious joke, grinning to display his might as he moved like the wind beneath his feet, lunging forward to smash a punch straight at Kobayashi.

His wrist was once again grasped, effortlessly and casually.

"Wiped out in an instant? That would be far too wasteful."

Kobayashi also grinned, revealing a flash of white teeth, his eyes carrying a biting chill.

"What?!"

Leika's eyes widened in disbelief.