Outside the window, Iori was crouched at the edge of the eaves. He wasn't vile enough to spy on her, but his keen hearing still picked up the strange sounds coming from inside the room… He had never hated his excellent five senses as much as he did right now.
At this moment, Iori, who hadn't touched tobacco in either of his two lifetimes, suddenly had the urge to light up a cigarette and stare up at the sky…
If he showed himself now, it would definitely be awkward, right?
Maybe he should leave for a bit?
Just as Iori was hesitating and about to make up his mind to leave this awkward place, his expression suddenly changed, and he fell silent for a moment.
He glanced back, took a look at Akame, who still hadn't noticed anything, then turned around and silently dropped down.
Soon after, on the street fifty meters outside the inn's entrance, a masked bounty hunter stood openly in the middle of the road, drawing stares as pedestrians hurriedly avoided him.
Before long, the number of passersby dwindled rapidly, until only a dozen or so Empire lackeys in plain clothes and a small squad of armored soldiers surrounded Iori.
"We were originally here to hunt down a traitor. Never thought we'd run into the famous 'Faceless One' before that."
The man leading them clearly hadn't participated in previous hunts for Iori. Seeing that they had the numbers, he was full of confidence.
"Your value is far greater than that of some mere assassin… What, I hear the Faceless One comes and goes without a trace, best at stealth and concealment. Not planning to run this time?"
"You're very lucky. This time, I have a necessary reason to face you head-on."
Iori showed not the slightest tension despite being surrounded. "Besides, I've never run away, that was merely a tactical retreat.
As a true gentleman, I have a duty to protect beautiful things."
"You're not running?"
The leader looked stunned. "A gentleman… what exactly are you protecting?"
Iori drew his sword. A swift slash killed an assassin who had snuck up behind him to attempt a sneak attack. Blood droplets scattered into the wind, instantly adding a metallic stench to the air.
"A young girl's sense of modesty!"
The fine-quality steel sword cut through the cold air. Amid a sharp clang, it severed a spear, and the momentum carried through, slicing cleanly through the wielder's shoulder as well. Even solid bone couldn't stop that seemingly ordinary strike.
"Ah!"
Clang!
Another swing, he blocked a longsword coming from the side. Iori shifted his feet and vanished from where he stood. The man in front of him immediately lost balance. A bolt flew in, too late to dodge, and the swordsman was shot straight through the chest. His eyes went wide before he collapsed, lifeless.
The crossbowman who had accidentally killed his comrade didn't even have time to regret it. Iori appeared two meters to his right in the next instant. With a sharp turn and burst of speed, Iori leapt and kicked him flying.
"Everyone, don't panic! He can teleport, back to back!"
The leader was frantic. Less than ten seconds into the fight, he had already lost several men. Most encounters were decided within one or two moves. Their numerical advantage was completely useless, they were being led around by the nose by the Faceless One.
"Teleport?" Iori shook his head. "Shunpo isn't anything that fancy. I'm just a bit faster than you."
Before the words even finished leaving his mouth, Iori appeared on a rooftop thirty meters away. An assassin hidden there, rifle raised and ready to snipe, suddenly felt his whole body tense. He flattened himself against the roof and scuttled sideways like a spider for three meters, barely avoiding Iori's sudden arrival.
But he didn't get a second chance.
As he drew a short blade to defend himself, Iori had already flashed past him. A cold steel glint flickered, and the gunman's head tilted as life left his body.
"Hm? This is an Impe... oh, a Ministerial Tool."
Iori, who had been about to leave, stopped and picked up the strange silver-white sniper rifle, confirming his suspicion.
The technology tree in Akame ga Kill was wildly crooked. Firearms, artillery, lasers existed alongside armor, cavalry charges, and cold steel. Finding a rifle wasn't strange, but this one was oddly shaped. Its structure was unclear, as if forged in one piece. The long barrel was entirely silver-white, marked with scale-like lines.
Based on Iori's experience, weapons like this were usually either Imperial Arms or Ministerial Tools.
Imperial Arms were created a thousand years ago by the Empire's first emperor, who gathered the world's resources, using the rarest metals and the most powerful Danger Beasts, forged with unbelievable techniques.
There were only forty-eight in total. Each had unique and powerful abilities and could not be replicated. These were known as Imperial Arms.
Ministerial Tools, on the other hand, were later attempts at imitation, poor man's downgraded versions made with limited ability. Far less valuable, but still superior to ordinary weapons.
To Iori, both Imperial Arms and Ministerial Tools were among the few objects in this world that contained a large amount of spiritual particles. If there was a chance to obtain one, he wouldn't let it go.
Imperial Arms were rare and many were held by the Empire or major factions. Despite adventuring here for so long, Iori only had one. Ministerial Tools, however, he had collected three.
"With you, that makes four."
Behind the mask, Iori smiled faintly, then looked toward the enemies huddled together in the street, standing back to back.
They were clearly terrified by his ghostlike speed. No one dared to flee alone, afraid of becoming his prey. Instead, they clustered together, hoping to hold out until reinforcements arrived.
That judgment was correct. If they scattered, Iori could kill most of them easily. Forming up defensively would let them last longer, if Iori didn't happen to know Kido.
———
The people inside the inn had long since fled. When the black-haired, straight-haired girl finally stepped out into the deathly quiet building, the empty street was littered with more than a dozen corpses lying in all directions. The ground was smeared with chaotic bloodstains, along with scorch marks from flames. It looked like a brutally fierce battle had taken place.
Akame wasn't surprised. In fact, she had sensed the disturbance outside long ago. But given her "poor condition" and the unclear situation, she stayed inside to observe for a while. Only after confirming the battle had ended, and that the victor was someone she knew, did she step out at ease.
"Yo, long time no see~"
Seeing Akame emerge, Iori waved casually as a greeting and continued rummaging through the Empire lackeys' belongings with practiced ease.
"Iori…"
Akame called his name with a complicated expression, her gaze somewhat evasive.
She might be the only person who knew the Faceless One's real name, something Iori had left behind out of courtesy after their first fight.
Akame had always found this bounty hunter strange. He could have killed her but deliberately spared her, completely unlike the vicious monster described on the Empire's wanted posters.
After meeting several more times, they somehow ended up somewhere between "acquaintances" and "frenemies." Akame gradually realized that Iori wasn't a bounty hunter in the conventional sense, money alone clearly wasn't what drove him.
From Iori's actions, she could faintly sense an unwavering "will."
Only now, after deciding to defect from the Empire and join the Revolutionary Army, did she finally understand him a little, he was also changing this cruel world in his own way.
"Thank you… You've been protecting me this whole time, haven't you?"
"No. I was just spotted by someone, so I happened to get into a fight here."
"…Let's say that's the case."
Recalling what she'd been doing in the room earlier, Akame could more or less guess why Iori refused to admit it, he was probably sparing her dignity.
That made her cheeks warm slightly, a bit embarrassed. But as a trained assassin, she quickly regained composure. A trace of warmth flowed through her heart, and she sincerely thanked him, "Even so, thank you for helping me."
"If you feel bad about it, you can treat me to a meal sometime."
Iori stopped what he was doing, brushed off his clothes, and stood up. "I heard you changed jobs recently?"
"Changed jobs… that's not inaccurate."
Akame subconsciously gripped the katana at her waist, her tone heavy. "I can't point my blade at innocent people anymore… The Empire's darkness runs too deep. As long as it exists, the people will continue to suffer. I can't keep helping evil thrive."
Clap! Clap! Clap!
Iori applauded. "For a brainwashed tool assassin to awaken an independent will, truly impressive… But have you decided where you're going? Don't tell me it's the Revolutionary Army."
"It is the Revolutionary Army. I believe only they can overthrow the Empire… Do you have a different opinion?"
They went way back. Akame naturally picked up on the playful undertone in Iori's voice.
"Nothing much. I just want to confirm something, are you overthrowing the Empire simply for that goal itself, or to save the suffering people?"
"Of course it's for the people!" Akame answered without hesitation.
"I thought so."
Iori nodded, then changed the subject. "But what if the Revolutionary Army becomes 'another Empire' in the future? What would you do then?"
"…Another… Empire?" Akame froze.
"Yes."
Iori said leisurely, "The first emperor once pacified a chaotic era and brought long-lasting peace to the people, building a thousand-year Empire on that foundation."
"I don't believe the Empire was rotten and cruel from the beginning. It once prospered, harmonious and peaceful, no different from the future the Revolutionary Army promises. Time simply corrupted it."
"So, Akame, do you think the Revolutionary Army can resist the erosion of time?"
"..."
Akame frowned deeply, then relaxed her brows.
"Maybe it can't. But if we don't overthrow the Empire, nothing can even begin."
"Even if the Revolutionary Army deteriorates far in the future, if it gives the people fifty or a hundred years of happiness, I'm willing to fight for that!"
"…An admirable resolve."
Iori looked genuinely approving. "The Revolutionary Army might rot faster than you imagine… Of course, it might also correct itself and return to the right path. Who can say what the future holds?"
"I just want to remind you, the final result may not be what you truly wish for. One day, you may have to destroy with your own hands what you spent your life fighting for."
"Akame, may your blade remain just as sharp, even then…"
"Th-this… Iori, you…"
The black-haired, red-eyed assassin grew uneasy. "Do you know something? Tell me, what exactly happens in the future..."
"I'm not a prophet. The future is something no one can predict."
Iori smiled freely and turned to leave.
But then he suddenly remembered something and looked back curiously. "The way you looked at me earlier, you seemed evasive… or shy. Why?"
"Ugh!"
"What, did you think about me while having a lewd dream?"
Shing!
The cursed blade Murasame was drawn. Akame focused her eyes, only to find that Iori was already gone, just like every previous meeting.
"That jerk… Next time I see him, I'm definitely going to make him pay!"
The girl rarely showed such loss of composure. But thinking of Iori's question, and what had happened in the room earlier, an unnatural blush still flashed across her puffed-up cheeks…
Objectively speaking, Iori didn't like either the Empire or the Revolutionary Army.
In the original story, although the Revolutionary Army aimed to overthrow Imperial rule, it had also done things like trading land to win over non-human tribes and borrowing troops from them.
It wasn't that such tactics were impossible. History had plenty of cases where outside forces took over, but also cases where they were controlled successfully. Verbal agreements meant nothing. With strong armies and horses, reneging was always an option. In the end, it depended on whose political skill was superior.
Still, in Iori's eyes, the Revolutionary Army didn't seem like an organization with lofty ideals or clear governance principles. It had only one slogan, overthrow the Empire, and even that wasn't as catchy as the Great Sage's slogans…
"The world has suffered under the Empire for far too long!"
As a rebel force, the Revolutionary Army's ability to govern hadn't been tested yet. But the people, oppressed to the breaking point, couldn't wait anymore. They didn't really understand the Revolutionary Army, they simply hated the Empire and chose to support whoever opposed it.
So the Revolutionary Army's future, whether it would collapse quickly or rise against the tide, was truly unknown.
When conflict broke out between the two sides, Iori would still stand with the Revolutionary Army, or more precisely, against the Empire.
The Empire had ruled for a thousand years, surpassing any feudal dynasty. One could imagine how deeply rooted the people's awe of it was. Without overthrowing it, nothing could be discussed.
Moreover, from a self-interest standpoint, Iori also needed the Imperial Arms and other valuable resources controlled by the Empire.
'Let's wait and see.'
As a Shinigami, Iori had an extremely long lifespan. He had plenty of time to observe how this world developed.
In the end, though, he wasn't a god or creator. He didn't need to shoulder extra responsibility, he only needed to act according to his heart.
…After parting with Akame, Iori didn't leave immediately. Instead, he continued observing her pursuit battle with the Empire's assassins. Thanks to the convenience of being a spiritual body, neither side noticed his presence. Sometimes, he could even observe their expressions up close.
The only issue was that his spiritual pressure was slowly draining. Although scientific assistance slowed the loss compared to before, it still became hard to sustain over time.
If he returned to the Soul Society to recover, adjusting the time flow would already be troublesome enough. Worse, he'd need at least a full day to recover. Even with proportional time flow, when he returned to Akame ga Kill, at least a day and a half would have passed.
With such a long gap, finding Akame and the others again would be difficult. Judging by the current situation, the black-haired girl probably wouldn't be able to hold out much longer.
The final outcome would likely unfold within the next two days.