Asahi, of course, was not dead. If he were truly to die, he would not have gone out in such a pathetic manner.
Initially, when Asahi was planning to return home, he heard a shrill whistle, followed by the appearance of numerous Imperial Guards. A few of them spotted him, and naturally, a small skirmish broke out. He knocked them all unconscious and tracked down the source of the whistle.
Although Asahi didn't know who the purple-haired girl was at the time, he had seen the pink-haired girl at Aria's mansion that night. Thus, he concluded that both of them must be members of Night Raid.
Having understood the nature of this assassin organization, Asahi felt at ease letting Tatsumi join them.
While Tatsumi was still quite green, Asahi acknowledged his will. Since they were Tatsumi's comrades, he figured helping them out a bit wouldn't hurt.
That led to what happened next: he saved Sheele and told the two of them to escape. The scene where he was swallowed was real, but he didn't die. It was all a ruse to ensure the two of them would leave without lingering.
The pink-haired girl was a sniper, but her arm was broken. A sniper with a broken arm loses eighty percent of their combat effectiveness, and she was already exhausted. The purple-haired girl was in an even more critical state; although the bullet hadn't hit a vital organ, the wound was dangerous, and she could still lose her life without timely treatment. If he hadn't "forced" them both to leave, they would have kept fighting, only increasing their risk of death.
Of course, Asahi could have tried to persuade them with words, but things were too frantic at that moment—the beast's jaws were practically on top of him. So, he conveniently put on an act to push the two of them away.
Asahi didn't know that because of his "death," Tatsumi would grow even more mature and gain a much clearer sense of purpose.
And here is how the battle unfolded after Mine and Sheele departed.
"You've been gnawing on me long enough."
An explosion of power tore the beast's mouth open. Within Seryu's terrified gaze, a figure appeared, clad in a suit of black armor that covered his entire body. Asahi lightly rolled his wrists, feeling power surging through every cell. He beckoned toward Coro.
"Come at me!"
"Coro, kill him!"
The beast roared, unleashing a flurry of punches. Asahi chose not to meet them head-on, instead parrying and dodging. He slipped close to its body, delivering a devastating kick to its ribs before launching a high kick that snapped the beast's jaw upward. As the two massive arms lunged for him, he ducked, causing Coro to miss. He performed a roll before using his hands to vault himself backward, both feet slamming into the beast and sending it flying.
Two deep footprints remained embedded in its chest, though they slowly began to recover. The arm Sheele had severed earlier had already long since regenerated.
Asahi was weaker than Coro in its Berserker state, but only slightly; the gap wasn't insurmountable.
The beast's strength relied primarily on its physical stature and regenerative abilities, but its attack patterns were far too monotonous. The reason it had been able to take down Mine and Sheele was that the terrain was disadvantageous for them, combined with being a hard counter to snipers and assassins. Unfortunately for it, Asahi was a high-endurance brawler.
Asahi lunged into a melee with Coro. While it seemed like a direct confrontation, its strikes were either blocked or dodged by him; he moved as light as a feather. No matter how powerful the punches were, he could simply flow past them, delivering constant counterattacks that disrupted the beast's combat rhythm.
Seryu could only watch helplessly as Coro's body began to steam. As its master, she knew the Berserker state was nearing its end. When that happened, the man before them would completely overwhelm them both.
Seryu was stubborn about "executing justice," but she was stubborn, not suicidal. She had defeated two members of Night Raid, only for this stranger to ruin everything.
"Dammit!!!"
Rumble!!!!
A sound as loud as an earthquake shook the ground. It was the sound of Asahi spinning through the air, delivering a hammer-like blow that sent Coro crashing into the stone pavement, creating a massive, cracked crater. A circular object resembling a core appeared before Asahi. But as he prepared to crush it, Seryu's scream interrupted him.
"Coro, run!!!"
Its form shifted rapidly as the core was immediately concealed. The beast swatted Asahi away, snatched up its master, and bolted, leaving a trail of heavy destruction in its wake.
He stabilized himself on the ground and watched the direction the duo fled—toward the Palace. Asahi frowned; he wanted to pursue them, but attacking that location right now was unwise.
If a Teigu user like Seryu Ubiquitous had appeared, there were bound to be others. Ever since learning about the strange power of Teigu, he had become more cautious when facing opponents. It was a blessing he hadn't decided to charge the Palace immediately upon arriving in this world. Otherwise, there was a high probability he would have been surrounded and killed by a group of Teigu users.
Furthermore, the purple-haired girl's scissors could glow, so those were likely a Teigu as well. Did everyone in Night Raid possess one?
Asahi surveyed the surrounding damage before running off. Today, he considered himself to have gotten the better deal.
It must be said, Seryu was not weak. It was simply that she hadn't truly enhanced herself and relied too heavily on her Teigu, Hecatoncheir—specifically that Berserker state. She was fully capable of coordinated combat, but instead, she just stood in one spot giving orders, which nearly allowed Sheele to kill her.
Thus, throughout the entire fight, Seryu, the master, merely stood by like a spectator, having no idea what to do other than issue simple commands. From start to finish, it was just Asahi against Coro.
How could a beast that only knew how to attack by instinct ever hope to defeat him? Especially since Asahi wasn't much weaker than it to begin with. Defeat was inevitable.
At a location quite far from the battlefield, Coro had now collapsed like a deflated balloon, though its body had yet to shrink back down. Seryu was repeatedly kicking a nearby wall to vent her rage.
"Dammit! Dammit! Dammit!"
A constant stream of furious words poured out of her, matching the downpour of rain. The soldiers could only surround her, not daring to approach. Even as the rain fell, they remained there, soaked to the bone.