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"Why not just look at your future and see for yourself?"
Alex snapped his fingers lightly.
The little trick he'd used before—memory manifestation—activated again.
A small screen shimmered into existence in front of Taeko, scenes of the future flickering across it.
It wasn't just her fate.
She saw Akame and the others rise up against the Empire… and eventually bring it down.
When the images faded, Taeko couldn't speak for a long time.
She never would have imagined that the ones who would overthrow the Empire were the very elite assassins she'd once intended to kill.
Which meant… in the end, she really had a chance to become true friends with Cornelia.
That realization shook her to the core.
"It's too late," she murmured.
"It's already too late."
She turned her head toward Cornelia's body not far away. Regret clawed at her chest. The time they'd spent together had been real.
"As long as I'm here, it's never too late."
Alex walked toward Cornelia's corpse step by step.
All he needed now was to show a fraction of his power. That would be enough to make Taeko believe him completely.
The next moment, he raised his hand.
A soft green glow enveloped Cornelia's body.
Resurrection magic — Dia·Ophius.
It activated instantly.
The green light pulsed.
Seconds later, Cornelia's closed eyes fluttered open.
The fatal wound in her chest was gone. The poison that had seeped into her bloodstream had vanished as if it had never existed.
"W-What kind of ability is this?!" Taeko cried out in shock.
She was one hundred percent certain Cornelia had died. There was no doubt about it.
And yet now… someone who had been dead had come back to life.
At that moment, Taeko believed every word Alex had said.
"I… I'm alive again?"
Cornelia raised her hand and touched her chest where the blade had pierced her heart. Her face was blank with disbelief.
She would never forget the sensation of that strike.
"That's right. You're alive again, Cornelia."
Alex gestured for her to stand, then calmly repeated what he'd told Taeko.
After all, both of them were coming back to Orario with him.
"So Akame and Kurome are with you now?"
"No wonder she seemed strange after returning to the unit."
Cornelia exhaled slowly. All the doubts she'd harbored before were gone.
"Enough talking."
"I'll take you to meet up with Akame."
"When everything here is settled, I'll bring you away from this place."
"You'll see the Empire's downfall with your own eyes."
He lifted his hand, pulling the two girls into his Reality Marble. Then he stepped forward—
—and vanished in an instant.
With Taeko and Cornelia gone, and Akame missing as well, Gozuki would arrive soon enough.
Before today ended, Alex planned to settle everything here and then move on to the main timeline.
Once the ultimate mission was complete—
He would return to Orario.
Less than two minutes after Alex left, Guy and Green arrived at the scene.
"Looks like the fight's already over. We're late."
"But where's Cornelia?" Guy crouched down, rubbing blood-stained dirt between his fingers. "It hasn't dried yet."
"She should be nearby." Green adjusted his glasses. "We need to find her as soon as possible."
"Alive or dead."
Guy nodded, his voice low. "Before we move, I think we should inform Father."
"We don't know how many enemies there are."
"If the two of us rush in and something unexpected happens, we might not even get a chance to send word back."
Just as he finished speaking—
A tall figure approached from the distance.
The "Father" of the Empire's elite Seven Assassins—
Gozuki.
"Mobilize."
"Seal off the entire White Wolf Town and search every inch."
"Find Cornelia. Anyone who refuses to cooperate—kill them."
His voice was ice-cold.
He had a feeling.
Akame, who had suddenly left them, was here as well.
The banks of the White Wolf River were destined to run red today.
"Yes, Father!"
Guy and Green answered in unison before immediately turning to carry out the order.
Only after they left did Gozuki lower his gaze to the pool of blood in the distance.
"Cornelia… don't disappoint me."
He had trained her personally.
He knew her personality well.
But if she had truly disobeyed him—
Then he would have no choice but to kill her himself.
At the same time, in a room near the center of White Wolf Town—
Akame and Cornelia sat side by side on a bed.
Akame recounted everything she had discovered after returning to the elite division to investigate.
"I never thought Father was that kind of person…"
"So we've all been kept in the dark?"
"We have to find a way to tell the others."
Cornelia stood up immediately. They had grown up together. She couldn't bear the thought of leaving them trapped in ignorance.
"Relax." Alex set down his cup and spoke calmly. "The others will be fine."
"Only one person will die in White Wolf Town today."
"Gozuki."
He still had an ultimate mission to complete. There was no way he'd let the others die.
"Don't worry," Akame said gently, patting the back of Cornelia's hand. "With Alex here, none of us will be harmed."
Everything that had happened so far proved it.
He had shown no hostility, no killing intent.
He had come to save them.
Like the god of legend.
No—
Alex was a god.
"..."
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