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"Esdeath's here?"
Najenda froze for a second. She was just about to say something when several chunks of ice suddenly shot through the air, crashing into the palace pillars.
Inside those chunks—frozen solid—were palace guards.
"So, you're the one called Minato?"
A tall woman with waist-length hair had just entered the palace with three people behind her.
She looked serious, her icy-blue eyes flashing with something unreadable.
"I heard you're the one who killed General Budo."
As she spoke, Esdeath's face lit up with a strange, flushed excitement.
A strong opponent like this... should be able to give her a good fight.
"Long time no see, Esdeath,"
Najenda took the initiative to greet her.
"Yeah, it really has been a while."
Esdeath nodded slightly and said calmly, "Looks like this time, you've found yourself a decent master."
Najenda didn't deny it. She just smiled and said, "I'm just happy to be on the same side as you again."
"We can talk about that later. Right now, I've got a fight to finish."
Esdeath turned her head. Her nearly flawless face was now full of open battle intent.
Jumping straight into a fight—yep, classic battle maniac.
Looking at Esdeath, Minato finally spoke:
"We can fight, but I have one condition."
Esdeath narrowed her eyes. "What kind of condition?"
Minato took a few steps forward and said:
"Become a demon. From now on, your life will belong to me. You'll serve me, for life."
Demon?
Serve?
Esdeath looked stunned, like she didn't quite catch what he was saying.
What did he mean by demon?
But the whole "serve me" thing...
She gave Minato a good look.
Hmm... he did match her aesthetic taste.
Plus, if he really was strong enough to kill Budo... this was her ideal type.
"The strong dominating the weak... that's just how the world works."
With that thought, Esdeath's lips curled into a smile. "Alright then—same goes for you. If you lose, you'll belong to me."
Nice taste.
Feeling Esdeath's sharp, predatory gaze, Minato grinned.
"Deal."
BOOM!
The moment those words left his mouth, Esdeath crushed the ground beneath her feet.
In just a blink, the two were face-to-face.
"Not bad!"
Minato's eyes lit up with praise.
Esdeath's strength was definitely above Budo's.
"You're still acting so relaxed in a fight with me?"
"One slip-up... and you're dead."
A flash of bloodlust flickered in Esdeath's eyes.
Even if he was her type...
When it came to fighting, she was dead serious.
CLANG!
Her military saber was out in a flash, slicing through the air with a cold gleam as it slashed toward Minato's neck.
BOOM!!
A thunderous crash rang out.
Fist and blade collided!
The shockwave blasted out visibly in all directions.
Even the Three Beasts in the distance flinched. Their ears rang, and their minds went blank from the sheer impact.
CRACK!
The saber shattered. Caught completely off guard, Esdeath was sent flying like a cannonball, crashing into the ground and leaving a three-meter-wide crater.
"What the hell?!"
The Three Beasts, still covering their ears, stared wide-eyed in disbelief.
Just one exchange...
Esdeath's saber was broken, and she got blown away.
In their memory, Esdeath had never looked this bad before.
Was this guy even human?
Could he be some kind of super-dangerous creature wearing human skin?
"You're strong... seriously strong."
Esdeath said with giddy excitement as she casually tossed aside the broken sword in her hand.
It had been years since she'd felt this kind of overwhelming power.
Quietly, without warning...
The ground around her began to freeze solid, thick ice spreading from her feet.
The whole palace's temperature plummeted.
Even though it was the middle of summer, it felt like they'd fallen into a frozen abyss.
"Step back!" Minato said without turning around, speaking to Akame and the others.
They quickly nodded and retreated a good distance.
Seeing that, the Three Beasts moved as well.
They knew what it meant when Esdeath went all out.
[Origin +10]
"So this is what demonic essence feels like?"
Feeling the icy energy building up, Minato smiled. "Come on then—show me what you've got."
"Don't worry—you'll see it."
Esdeath gave a cold, dazzling smile.
In the next moment—
She and Minato both charged in, meeting in the center.
The whole palace had turned into a frozen wasteland. With a wave of her hand, Esdeath unleashed a storm of ice spikes that came raining down on Minato like a barrage.
But to him?
It was like they didn't even exist.
He didn't dodge, didn't block—he just strolled through them like he was out for a walk. The ice shards that could pierce steel didn't even tear his clothes.
"That kind of defense... what kind of Teigu is this?"
Esdeath frowned, her mind racing. "If that's how it is, then..."
BOOM!!!
Outside the palace, Najenda and the others suddenly noticed the sky going dark.
They looked up—and their pupils shrank in horror.
A mountain-sized chunk of ice was falling from the sky like a meteor.
CRACK! CRASH!
The palace crumbled. The massive ice block looked like it could crush everything.
THUD!
A deep, muffled crash.
Esdeath's eyes narrowed.
That attack—one powerful enough to obliterate a giant Danger Beast—had been caught.
Minato stood tall, holding the ice in one hand without flinching.
It was like that massive iceberg meant nothing to him.
"Where's your Mahapadma? Go ahead, use it."
Minato clenched his fingers, and the ice began to crack all over before exploding into shards.
He knew—if he wanted to win someone like Esdeath over, he had to beat her completely, with everything she had. No holding back.
As for that whole time-freezing move of hers?
He wasn't worried.
Even the evolved demon curse couldn't fully restrain him—let alone something on a lower level like that.
"What are you talking about?"
Esdeath raised an eyebrow. "I don't know any move like that. Where'd you even hear it from?"
"Huh?"
Minato blinked, then suddenly realized—
Oh, right. At this point in time... Esdeath probably hadn't created that move yet.
"....."