The sudden appearance of the pink-haired loli, aside from Mine, could naturally not have been anyone else.
And seeing her appear with Jaegers' Run, it was clear that they had made some kind of agreement with Chelsea and the others, which is why they didn't continue the fight.
Being called "stubborn" by a tsundere loli, Wood was admittedly feeling quite frustrated inside. However, caught in the act, he really had no strength left to refute her.
Under the greenish glow enveloping Kurome, her complexion had started to gradually turn a healthier shade. However, at a certain moment, she suddenly seemed to suffer some kind of backlash, and her body, which had been lying down, suddenly vomited a large amount of blood again, staining her black sailor uniform red.
With this backlash, Kurome's condition worsened once more, and her life force weakened again.
"Mr. Wood, what's going on…?"
Seeing his sister's condition worsen, Wave couldn't help but panic, looking at Wood. He had just seen Kurome's condition improve, so why had such a thing happened?
"After years of relying on the Empire's drugs, her condition is even worse than I imagined!"
This world lacked magical energy, and with Wood's level of magic, while he could barely use low-level healing spells, it seemed that these healing spells were quite ineffective in this situation.
"Tch, this time I've really taken a huge loss. If I save this girl and she still refuses to recover, I won't be so nice next time!"
With a gust of wind bursting from Wood's body, the strong air pressure even pushed Mine and the others back. When they opened their eyes again against the force of the wind, they were shocked to see a row of silvery, mysterious runes glowing on Wood's chest.
The runes inscribed with Heart of God shone brightly, piercing through Wood's clothes, emitting a brilliant silver light.
At the same time, Wood's aura expanded geometrically in an instant!
Feeling Wood's surging aura, Wave finally realized that Wood had not been exaggerating earlier.
If he truly got serious, there would be no possibility of escaping from him, no matter what Wave did.
Seeing Wood use the power of Heart of God, some of the more excited people, like Mine and Chelsea, were also taken aback.
After Dr. Fashion and Seryu died, Mine learned that the "dead" Bulat wasn't actually dead and was saved by Wood.
After persistent questioning, Wood revealed the healing power he used to save Bulat and also claimed that Heart of God was an Imperial Arm.
While it had never been seen before in history for someone to wield two Imperial Arms, it didn't mean it was entirely impossible.
Considering Wood's monstrous genius, both Chelsea and Mine easily accepted this explanation.
According to Wood's earlier explanation, Heart of God was a simple yet brutal "Imperial Arm" that could directly multiply one's abilities or attributes.
Although the effect was simple, it was incredibly powerful, and such great power came with an equally enormous cost.
The cost of using this "Imperial Arm" was none other than one's life force!
Once the life force was exhausted, death would follow. This was also the reason Wood kept this "Imperial Arm" hidden and rarely used it.
Now, seeing Wood use Heart of God, Mine and Chelsea were naturally quite excited, as, in their view, it was a completely unnecessary thing to do.
"Wood, are you crazy?! You're wasting your life force like this!"
"Bulat I can understand, after all, he's an important comrade of ours, but this girl—though she's Akame's sister, she's also our enemy. If you can save her with normal methods, then do so. If you can't, just let it be. There's no need to use your life force to save her!"
Upon hearing Mine's shout, Run and Wave finally understood what kind of price Wood was paying to intervene and how much determination he had made.
Honestly, given their relationship, they should have tried to stop him from going this far, since they weren't in a position to let him do this.
But looking at the weak Kurome, Run and Wave couldn't bring themselves to tell him to stop.
After Heart of God empowered the healing magic, what was originally a weak healing spell was suddenly amplified many times over. The faint shadow of the Goddess of Light even appeared in the air, causing Mine and the others to feel as though they were witnessing a miracle.
Using Heart of God for healing consumed far more life force than using it in combat.
In battle, Wood could use Heart of God for a moment, such as when he slashed with a sword, without needing to maintain it for long periods.
But healing was different. To maintain high-intensity healing, the amplification of Heart of God had to stay active, and the life force consumed was far more than what it would be in battle.
As the enhanced healing magic continued to heal Kurome, her life force gradually stabilized. Even the lingering side effects of the Empire's drugs in her body were finally purified by Wood's Purification ability.
In exchange, Wood, who had exhausted much of his life force, now had hair completely turned silver-white, achieving the accomplishment of a prematurely graying head at a young age.
Kurome, having successfully recovered, slowly opened her eyes. When she saw Wood and Mine and the others, her body reflexively gripped Eight Rooms, taking a combat stance.
But before she could make a move, her hands were caught by her comrades, Run and Wave, who shook their heads at her.
The three-no girl tilted her head in confusion, but across from her, the pink-haired loli, seeing Kurome's actions, couldn't hold back her anger and immediately began her verbal assault.
"I've already told you, there's no need to pay such a huge price to save her. Even if she is Akame's sister, so what!"
"A fool who was used by the Empire, and still takes pride in it. A scum who wanted to kill her own sister—how could you expect her to show mercy to her savior?"
Upon hearing Akame's name from Mine's mouth, Kurome's face instantly darkened. She was about to act, but Wave quickly stopped her and explained what had just happened.
A few minutes later, the black-haired girl, who had no emotions, finally understood what had happened after she lost consciousness earlier.
Looking again at Wood, who had "aged prematurely," Kurome's eyes were filled with guilt. After bowing deeply in thanks to Wood, she raised her Eight Rooms high.
As if he had anticipated what the girl would do, Wood forcefully dragged his exhausted body and suddenly appeared in front of Kurome, grabbing her wrist with his hand.
"You want to end your life without asking my opinion? Do you know that to save you, I consumed most of my life force? It's not for just a simple bow of gratitude!"
Seeing the determined look in Kurome's eyes and her movement to draw the knife, Wood knew she intended to end her life.
The girl was clearly someone with integrity. Since she was saved by Wood, she obviously wouldn't repay kindness with enmity. But as an Imperial agent, betraying her country like her sister, Akame, was something she couldn't bring herself to do either.
"Although I'm grateful that you saved me, I am an Imperial soldier. I won't choose to betray my country..."
"I don't care whether you betray or not. I paid a huge price to pull you back from the edge of death. If you want to die, I won't stop you, but at least pay the treatment fee before you die. Don't think you can just get away with a bow. You at least owe me your most valuable thing."
Wood couldn't accept the idea of someone committing suicide after he spent so much of his life force to save them. This wasn't just a bad deal; it was one where he'd lose everything.
"Wood, you damned pervert!"
Hearing Wood demand that the girl pay with her most valuable possession, Mine, not knowing what she had thought, suddenly blushed and scolded him angrily.
Wave, on the other hand, was confused and silently wondered what Kurome's most valuable thing could be.
The three-no girl, after tilting her head and thinking for a brief moment, hesitated and pulled out a bag of snacks from her pocket. Her face was filled with struggle as she placed it into Wood's hand.
Wood: "(°_°), Your most valuable possession... is this bag of snacks?"
After a brief moment of surprise, Wood shrugged it off. Considering that she was Akame's sister, it seemed entirely normal for this to happen.
However, Wood clearly wasn't going to let Kurome off with just a bag of snacks. He handed it back to her and said, "What I want as payment for the treatment is your freedom. From now on, you will serve me!"
"But I've already told you, I'm Kurome from the Empire's assassination unit. I won't…" Upon hearing Wood's words, Kurome's face showed a stubborn expression as she tried to protest, but her words were interrupted by Wood.
"Don't get it wrong. The Kurome from the Empire's assassination unit already died earlier."
"Now, your second life was given to you by me. I even purged the drugs the Empire injected into you. Now, you have no ties to the Empire."
"To be loyal to the one who gave you a second chance at life—what's wrong with that?"
Upon hearing Wood's words, Kurome's body visibly trembled, and then she fell into a long silence.
Meanwhile, Mine and Chelsea, who had been nearby, finally understood why Wood had gone to such lengths. He wasn't just saving Akame's sister physically, but was also saving her emotionally and spiritually.
"Tch, Wood really treats Akame well. He's done all this just for her sister."
Realizing Wood's intentions, Mine felt a bit jealous. However, Chelsea, who had a more cynical side, couldn't resist throwing in a comment: "Maybe he's not just doing it for Akame."
"Look, Kurome is quite cute, right? Not only is she young, but she's also quite well-endowed. And she looks like the type who would obey orders."
"If this girl were to serve Wood, do you think he might give her some strange commands…?"
Upon hearing Chelsea's devilish whisper, Mine's mind began to wander, and her face turned a noticeable shade of red as she looked at Wood with an expression that seemed to view him as a scumbag.
Meanwhile, Wood, who had no idea that he had somehow become the perverse character in someone's fantasies, was still busy negotiating with the three-no girl.
"I might take a small loss, but if you agree to follow me, I'll provide you with high-end snacks every day, and once a week, I'll take you to a luxurious patisserie in the Imperial Capital's noble district where you can eat all you want."
"Idiot, who would accept such a condition?"
Black-hearted as ever, Mine was quick to show her disdain, thinking Kurome wouldn't possibly accept such a ridiculous offer. After all, it seemed laughable to her.
But soon, Mine was slapped in the face, and it was a big slap. To Mine's surprise, Kurome, without hesitation, extended her hand to Wood and high-fived him, saying, "Deal! You won't go back on your word, will you? The snacks and all-you-can-eat, right?"
"Of course. I, Wood, am a man of my word. From today, you're no longer part of the Empire. You're now exclusively my bodyguard."
A bag of snacks a day was hardly worth much. As for the patisserie, Wood could go to old Arthur's shop and eat for free without paying a dime.
As for Kurome's appetite, it wasn't Wood's concern, but rather old Arthur's. However, given that Wood had helped him out over the years, Arthur probably wouldn't mind.
When you calculate it this way, Wood was essentially using a daily snack as the price to get an elite fighter as powerful as Akame on his side. This deal was a massive win.
As for Mine, seeing Wood and Kurome high-fiving, her expression was one of pure shock. She had previously thought Kurome was loyal to the Empire, but now she saw the girl was willing to betray it for a pack of snacks.
Where did her loyalty and sense of duty go?
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