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"You guys hear the news? Under Lord Minato's command, the Revolutionary Army has been completely wiped out."
"No way... Weren't they supposed to have a million soldiers? Didn't they just start their uprising a few days ago?"
"It's true. Their entire force collapsed, and a ton of high-ranking members have already been captured. Lord Minato is seriously incredible."
In the imperial palace, a few guards were gathered and chatting about the recent major event. When Minato's name came up, their eyes were full of awe and respect.
Just then, Minato and the others walked out of the palace.
Even though they were far away, none of them were ordinary people—so they clearly heard every word.
Najenda sighed, "Demon Lord, you're really winning people over fast."
A demon, being admired by the masses?
It sounded ridiculous... but it was true.
"Am I?" Minato shot her a look, half-smiling. "I wonder... have I won your heart too?"
"..."
Najenda was about to fire back, but the words just wouldn't come out.
Yeah... when you think about it, she was part of "the people" too.
She glanced at Minato, emotions swirling in her eyes as memories from the past few days surfaced.
Her lifelong dream had always been to build a country where everyone could live in peace and joy.
And now, with Minato's arrival, that dream was practically within reach.
She murmured, "Aren't Akame and the other two enough for you?"
Minato chuckled, his tone teasing, "Who said it's just those three?"
"..."
Najenda blinked in surprise and asked instinctively, "Then how many more?"
"You'll find out if you become one of my followers. So... you tempted?"
Hearing that, Najenda's face heated up as she recalled how Akame had become a demon.
Still, she didn't reject him outright. Instead, she said in a complicated tone, "My heart's kind of a mess right now. Let me think it over, okay?"
After all, she used to be Akame and the others' boss.
If she really became a demon now...
Wouldn't that mean she'd be competing with them for a man?
Just the thought of it made her feel weirdly embarrassed.
Minato looked at her deeply. "Don't worry, my door's always open for you."
What Najenda didn't realize was that the moment she said those words, her fate was sealed.
Then Minato turned to his group. "Leone, I'm taking Akame and Esdeath out for a bit. You stay and keep watch over the palace."
Leone nodded. "Don't worry, Master. I've got this."
Esdeath gave him a flirtatious smile. "Master, are we going on a date? But why're you bringing Akame along?"
Stare.
Akame said nothing, but her eyes bored into Esdeath like daggers.
For some reason...
This woman was seriously annoying.
Minato gave Esdeath a strange look.
He knew she became sweet after falling in love...
But this much of a personality shift? That was wild.
Still, it was kind of nice.
Far to the West!
Whoosh!
The three of them unfurled their demon wings, cutting through the sky like bullets and landing in the middle of a chain of active volcanoes.
The moment they touched down, waves of scorching heat and the pungent scent of sulfur hit them like a wall.
"This place is brutal," Esdeath said, eyes narrowing at the molten lava bubbling inside a nearby crater. "For a super-dangerous species to survive here... it really does deserve the title of 'King.'"
"Mhm." Minato nodded, a glint of cold light flashing in his eyes.
He could feel it—deep within the lava, there was a ridiculously powerful presence.
Powerful enough that he felt a twinge of danger.
Yeah... this king of danger beasts was no joke.
Minato stepped closer to the crater and looked down. "You two back up a bit."
The girls nodded and obediently moved back.
"You're still not coming out?" Minato spoke calmly, but the magic energy around him surged straight into the sky, making the lava violently bubble and even causing the whole volcanic range to tremble.
And then, deep within the lava...
A massive creature opened its eyes.
They glowed blood-red, like living fire.
As it stirred, waves the size of buildings rippled through the magma.
ROAR!
The next instant, a deafening roar exploded from the volcano.
The sound blasted across the land, warping the very air. Even Akame and Esdeath, standing far off, couldn't help but tense up.
Ever since becoming demons, their power had been growing by leaps and bounds.
But just that roar... was enough to shake them.
"So this is the King of Danger Beasts... insane power." Esdeath's eyes lit up, itching for a fight. If it weren't for Minato's orders, she probably would've already jumped in.
BOOM!
Right then, the crater exploded.
A massive beast soared into the sky—part dragon, part serpent, but like neither.
RUMBLE!
A tide of flames burst out from the beast's body, flooding out in all directions like a sea of fire.
The already blistering temperature spiked even higher.
"Tch." Esdeath snorted and stepped forward. Ice spread from beneath her feet in an instant.
But even with that, the heat was still oppressive.
"So hot..." Akame mumbled in her usual deadpan voice. "What a strong danger beast."
Still, she didn't make a move.
Master said wait, so she'd wait.
High above the beast's head, Minato's eyes sparkled with excitement.
"Not bad at all... A danger beast strong enough to rival even top-level demons? This world's got some serious surprises."
Across all the worlds he'd visited, there had never been a shortage of freakishly talented beings.
Just like Esdeath and Akame.
If their world hadn't been so resource-starved, they could've been even stronger.
And this danger beast was another one of those exceptions.
ROAR! ROAR!
The beast bellowed again and again at Minato, its eyes filled with savage rage.
But... it still didn't attack.
Some primal instinct told it that this tiny figure in front of it was incredibly dangerous.
Feeling its hostility, Minato's gaze cooled. "Yeah, you're strong. No one in this world could probably touch you."
"But too bad... you ran into me."
As he slowly descended, Minato's form blurred, and with a wave of his hand, a massive pale blue magic circle appeared in the sky above.
ROAR!
The danger beast's pupils shrank in terror.
The sense of danger it felt shot up like crazy the moment the magic circle appeared.
It couldn't speak, but it was easily as smart as a human.
Without any hesitation, it launched itself into the air.
Flames exploded outward, aiming to scorch the heavens, aiming to reduce Minato to ash.
But Minato just looked at it coldly, barely moving.
He flicked his hand, like waving away smoke.
CRACKLE!
A burst of lightning tore through the sky.
The raging fire froze in an instant—then shattered like glass.
Blinding thunder swallowed the danger beast whole, and an earth-shaking force exploded out, like the world itself was being ripped apart.
From Akame and Esdeath's vantage point, they watched as nearly half the volcano was reduced to rubble.
No one knew how much time had passed...
But eventually, the lightning faded.
With a final unwilling cry, the King of Danger Beasts plummeted to the ground like a falling star.
"Huh... That firepower wasn't normal. I wonder what kind of Teigu I could make from this one?"
Without thinking, Minato found himself recalling Esdeath's Demon Essence.
"....."