Chapter 218

【You killed Brand】

【Brand was a key plot character. You gained 3.6% of the World's Source. Current total: 8.3%.】

【Your talent "Soul Eater" has activated. Permanent +15 Mana. Current Mana: 517.】

……

"Big Brother Brand."

Tazmi cried out, stumbling to his feet and rushing toward Brand's corpse.

After only a few steps, Tazmi was blocked by someone.

"Calm down, Tazmi."

Chi Tong's voice was low; though a companion had died before her eyes, the enemy still stood. No matter how furious she felt, she had to stay calm.

"How am I supposed to stay calm?"

Tazmi struggled violently, his blood smearing across Chi Tong's sleeve.

"Calm down, Tazmi."

Chi Tong's voice turned stern—advancing now would only mean death.

Su Xiao picked up the key Brand had dropped. They bore no personal grudge. Brand, wounded, had injected stimulants solely to cover his comrades' escape. He was a worthy opponent. They were merely on opposing sides. If he didn't kill the other, the other would kill him.

The Empire and the Revolutionary Army were mortal enemies. This could not be resolved through negotiation or any such means.

Between killing and being killed, Su Xiao chose to kill. He was no saint. Any hostile creature that provoked him would meet his blade.

Brand was no weakling, so he dropped a blue treasure chest. Behind him, his pack held three Imperial Tools. Su Xiao took them all.

Once these Imperial Tools were in his hands, they were his final destination. He would never hand them over to the Empire—that was the act of a fool.

The battle still raged. Even if he wanted to leave, the Night Raid team would not allow it.

"Tazmi, are you calm now?"

Chi Tong supported Tazmi.

"Yes."

Tazmi's eyelids drooped. This was his first time experiencing a companion's death since joining Night Raid.

At this point, Tazmi was still naive, believing Night Raid fought for justice. But Night Raid was the Revolutionary Army's covert branch—dirty work, exhausting work—it all fell to them. How could no one die?

The Revolutionary Army was indeed good. But Night Raid was evil. Though every member carried justice in their hearts, they were still a covert unit.

The duty of a covert unit is to kill for the state. No matter how vile the target, it is still killing.

"Use this to contact the boss. Say we need backup—we've encountered someone as terrifying as Esdeath."

Chi Tong shoved the radio into Tazmi's hands. Tazmi nodded listlessly.

"It may sound naive, but I'm avenging my companion today."

Chi Tong stood facing Su Xiao, both hands gripping her blade.

"If you can kill me, go ahead. When I raise my blade against others, I've already accepted I might be cut down."

Su Xiao never considered himself good. He knew he was a villain. He could kill others—and others could kill him. It only depended on who was stronger.

Su Xiao and Chi Tong simultaneously stomped the ground and charged at each other.

Ding. Ding…

The clash of weapons rang continuously.

A long blade slashed silver threads through the air, sparks flying.

Su Xiao's strategy was aggressive offense—his mind razor-focused, hunting for any opening. Chi Tong defended passively, waiting for Su Xiao to slip, then striking with a single lethal cut.

For Chi Tong, even the tiniest mistake by an enemy was an opportunity to kill. That was the cruel advantage of Murasame.

Mairin, at a distance, stopped firing. She understood: keeping the enemy distracted was far more effective than random shots.

Murasame slashed straight at Su Xiao. He raised Dragon Flash horizontally before himself.

Ding.

The recoil traveled from hilt to palm. Su Xiao did not fully defend—he let the force of Chi Tong's strike guide his blade downward.

Chi Tong braced for the impact, muscles tensing—yet to her shock, her blade kept descending.

This sudden shift unbalanced her. Her stance collapsed. She stumbled forward a step.

This was the gap between masters of the blade. A hair's breadth of error could be fatal—let alone a forward stumble.

Su Xiao seized the moment precisely. He sidestepped, putting maximum distance between himself and Murasame—he refused to die from carelessness.

He held Dragon Flash horizontally to his left, guarding against any follow-up attack, then dropped low, sweeping his right leg at Chi Tong's outer calf.

Thud.

Instantly, Chi Tong felt a dull pain along her left calf. Her entire left leg went numb.

Su Xiao's attack didn't end there. He lunged forward, pressing his body against hers like lovers embracing.

But this gentleman was brutal—he drove his knee hard into Chi Tong's abdomen.

Thud.

Chi Tong's body bent uncontrollably. Acidic fluid spilled from her mouth. Darkness swam before her eyes.

At that moment, Chi Tong knew it was over. She would never get another chance to strike. She might die.

As she imagined, after her body bent forward, Su Xiao's free left arm rose. He gathered all his strength and slammed his elbow downward.

Boom.

His hard elbow struck her ribs. A dull thump echoed from her chest cavity. This time, what spilled from her mouth wasn't acid—it was bright red blood.

She felt her ribs break.

This brutal three-hit combo shattered her control. She collapsed with a thump.

A blade wasn't the only thing that could kill. Once in close, Su Xiao's entire body became a weapon.

Chi Tong fell. Su Xiao would not miss this opening. He never wasted words on a fallen enemy—he simply finished them. Words could be spoken to corpses.

Su Xiao targeted Chi Tong's pale neck. But Chi Tong was clever—she held Murasame horizontally behind her, blocking a beheading. This alone revealed how vast her combat experience was.

In less than a tenth of a second, Su Xiao switched from slash to thrust—stabbing straight for her skull.

Ding.

The long blade plunged deep into the ground. Dragon Flash sliced down beside her cheek, carving a gash along her skin.

In the instant of life and death, Chi Tong unleashed a staggering will to survive.

Time was running out. Su Xiao sensed Mairin's next attack coming.

He abandoned the head. His second thrust targeted the larger torso—where Chi Tong could not possibly dodge.

Pfft.

Dragon Flash pierced through Chi Tong's left chest, embedding itself into the ground. That was the heart's location. Su Xiao had killed many—he knew where to find the heart.

Though Chi Tong was beautiful, their fight's goal was simple: kill the other. Any method. No mercy.

Chi Tong's body twitched. The light in her eyes dimmed.

Su Xiao switched from one hand to two, twisting the blade sideways—cutting through her heart completely.

Pfft. Blood sprayed.

Tazmi and Mairin watched. Both froze. Their pupils shrank. They couldn't believe what they saw.

"This… how is this possible?"

Tazmi muttered numbly.

A searing orange laser shot toward Su Xiao's chest. With no choice, he dodged aside.

He was about to finish the second. Then only cleanup remained.

Mairin began firing wildly at Su Xiao. He dodged every shot. In his perception, none could hit him.

He flicked the blood from his blade, dodging as he waited for Chi Tong to die.

A pierced heart doesn't kill instantly. Movies lie. When the heart ruptures, circulation fails. Oxygen stops reaching the body. Death comes in seconds to minutes—depending on the wound's size.

Five seconds. Eight seconds. Ten seconds.

At ten seconds, Chi Tong stood up. Su Xiao's face twisted in shock. Was this Murasame's ability?

No—he'd studied Murasame in detail. It granted temporary power boosts, but never immunity to death.

Chi Tong pressed her hand to her chest wound, gasping for air—clearly regaining strength.

"Is this… her heart on the right side?"

Su Xiao couldn't believe it. Some people did have their hearts on the right. But the odds were one in millions—or even tens of millions. Smaller than winning the lottery.

Su Xiao had hit the jackpot. But he wasn't happy. The enemy wasn't dead.

Of course. These little-fated protagonists were never easy to kill. In the original story, every other Night Raid member died—or was near death. Only Chi Tong survived.

The world's background follows the Akame ga Kill! anime, since the manga and anime endings differ—and more people watch the anime.