After turning another mansion into a frozen wasteland and effortlessly transforming a certain individual into an ice sculpture before shattering them into pieces, Esdeath displayed a satisfied expression.
The Revolutionary Army's high-ranking members were far weaker than she had imagined. Even the elite soldiers of the Revolutionary Army were, in her eyes, nothing more than useless trash.
The few Imperial Arms wielders from the Revolutionary Army who had appeared earlier were also unremarkable characters in Esdeath's eyes.
However, just a moment ago, she finally obtained the information she needed from a recently killed Revolutionary Army officer: the exact location of the Revolutionary Army's headquarters.
Esdeath had been doing all this just to force out the Night Raid members, who were hiding like rats.
Unfortunately, even though she had already eliminated many of the Revolutionary Army's members, the Night Raid members continued to hide and did not show themselves.
Occasionally, a few Imperial Arms wielders would appear, but Esdeath regarded them as inconsequential.
"I don't believe this. Once I destroy the Revolutionary Army's headquarters, you all still won't come out!"
Since Esdeath began hunting the Revolutionary Army's high-ranking members, the Revolutionary Army had been closely monitoring her every move. When they noticed that she had wiped out a high-ranking officer's mansion and was now heading straight for the headquarters, the Revolutionary Army's leaders knew that their headquarters' location had likely been exposed.
"Damn it! I knew Phil was unreliable. He knew he was doomed and still couldn't even keep his mouth shut!"
"The information he leaked is going to drag the entire Revolutionary Army into damnation. That coward, even as he died, dragged everyone else down with him."
Esdeath's actions made it clear: she had learned the exact location of the Revolutionary Army's headquarters and was heading straight there.
The high-ranking members of the Revolutionary Army had hoped that their comrades would be true men, keeping secrets even when facing death. The list of high-ranking members held by the Empire was very limited, so if Esdeath eliminated everyone on the list without obtaining any useful information, the headquarters would be safe.
After all, as a group of rebels, the headquarters' location was extremely secretive. Without relevant personnel revealing it, finding the headquarters was not an easy task.
Even the Night Raid members, apart from Najenda, and the injured Bulat and Seryu who were resting, as well as Chelsey who had left, did not know the exact location of the headquarters.
As long as the headquarters' location was not exposed, Esdeath, after eliminating all the targets on her list, would eventually be left powerless.
Though the Revolutionary Army had been significantly weakened, they were not in an irreversible situation. Given a few more years of recovery, they still had a chance to overthrow the Empire.
Unfortunately, as often happens, things did not go as planned. The human condition was as unpredictable as ever.
No one could guarantee whether someone might betray them under extreme circumstances. Even one such individual could spoil everything, like a single rat ruining a pot of porridge.
"At this point, what's the use of blaming that guy? He's already dead, and he's been shattered into pieces."
"Now we should be considering how to save ourselves. Should we stay here and fight, or should we retreat?"
"Are you kidding? There's only one person on the other side, and we're supposed to retreat? How can we talk about overthrowing the Empire like this?"
"Even if we retreat, where can we go? We've been operating here for years. If we leave, what happens to our equipment, food supplies, and research technology? Are we supposed to let the Empire take everything?"
The Revolutionary Army's high-ranking members were divided on whether to stay and fight or retreat, each faction arguing their point.
However, in terms of numbers, the majority wanted to stay and fight. The Revolutionary Army had little room for retreat. If they abandoned their base, they might be able to save their army, but many strategic resources at the headquarters could not be moved.
Moreover, their army was so large that their daily consumption of food was absurd. They could survive for two or three days, but what would happen after that?
Even without the Empire's intervention, their large population could starve to death.
Given the situation, it might be better to go all out and fight for survival rather than retreat.
"Najenda, haven't the Night Raid members arrived yet?"
Najenda, being one of the Revolutionary Army's high-ranking members, naturally had a say in the meeting. She was also one of the proponents of fighting, especially since, as a former general of the Empire, she understood the consequences of abandoning their base.
As she was contemplating the situation, one of her comrades suddenly patted her on the shoulder and asked, and the eyes of everyone else immediately turned toward her.
The hopes of the majority of the pro-war faction rested on Night Raid arriving.
In the past, they had not been impressed by Night Raid's achievements, dismissing them as merely assassinating the fat, helpless nobles in the Imperial Capital.
However, after confronting Esdeath, they now realized just how formidable Night Raid was.
In facing a monster like Esdeath, Night Raid had repeatedly succeeded and caused setbacks.
The high-ranking members of the Revolutionary Army were well aware that Night Raid had faced Esdeath head-on multiple times and managed to escape unscathed. Meanwhile, the Revolutionary Army had lost every attempt to ambush Esdeath.
"Report! General Bulat has arrived with a group of people claiming to be his companions at the checkpoint. Should we let them through?"
Previously asking Najenda when Akame and the others would arrive, the Revolutionary Army member, hearing the soldier's report, immediately replied with a happy expression: "Let them through, let them through! They're our people. Get someone to lead them here."
The news of Night Raid members arriving at the Revolutionary Army's headquarters greatly relieved many of the Revolutionary Army's high-ranking members.
Night Raid's track record was impressive. Even if they couldn't defeat Esdeath, they should still be able to handle a confrontation with her.
The Revolutionary Army was not short on personnel, but what they lacked were powerful combatants. After all, numerical advantage meant nothing against true strength, something Esdeath had already proven.
"Thank you, Night Raid, for all your efforts to overthrow the corrupt Empire. If not for your hard work in the Imperial Capital, we wouldn't have gained this much advantage so quickly."
This was Tatsumi's first time arriving at the Revolutionary Army's headquarters, and it was also his first time seeing so many important figures. He was feeling quite nervous.
Although he had matured a lot from his experiences, he was still just a country boy at heart. The high-ranking Revolutionary Army members in front of him were, in the Empire, probably military ministers or generals. To be greeted so politely by them was something he hadn't expected.
Bulat and Seryu also felt strange about the attitude of the Revolutionary Army's high-ranking officials. When they had previously returned to the headquarters to recuperate, these people hadn't been so polite.
"The situation is worse than I informed you. Someone leaked the location of the headquarters to Esdeath, and now she's heading straight here. As of now, the Revolutionary Army has no forces that can resist her. We can only rely on you all," said Najenda.
These words clarified for Bulat why the Revolutionary Army's attitude had shifted so dramatically. It turned out that they had already been under attack, and now they finally realized just how difficult Night Raid's efforts had been.
"Why are only you few here? Where are Wood, Maim, and Chelsey? Didn't you say they were fine in your last report?"
Since the headquarters was attacked, Najenda had been worried. But the letter from Leona had put her mind at ease. All members of Night Raid, except for the self-destructive Susanoo, managed to escape the battle.
When Leona's letter confirmed that Wood and the others were safe, Najenda had breathed a sigh of relief. However, now that Night Raid had arrived at the headquarters, but Wood and the others were absent, she started to doubt whether Leona had lied to protect her.
"Rabac, tell me, what's going on with Wood? Don't try to deceive me, you know the consequences."
Since she was worried that Leona and Akame had kept things from her, Najenda turned to her loyal subordinate Rabac for answers.
"Boss, Leona really wasn't lying. Wood and the others are fine. They even assassinated a Jaeger member carrying the key to the Imperial tool. Wood should have already broken free from his restraints. But for some reason, Wood, Maim, and Chelsey have been acting separately and haven't planned to meet up with us. I think that guy's just caught up in women; he's probably enjoying himself with his harem and doesn't plan to work with us anymore."
Rabac first confirmed the truth of Leona's letter before, as usual, making fun of his friend Wood.
"If Wood doesn't come, then things will get troublesome..."
Knowing that Wood and the others were safe, Najenda felt relieved. However, the fact that Wood didn't join Tatsumi and the others at the headquarters made her a little disappointed.
She had previously calculated that to stop Esdeath, they would need 50,000 elite soldiers and ten true Imperial Arms wielders, including Akame. This was a conservative estimate, and whether it could actually succeed was uncertain.
With Akame still unable to use her final technique due to not having killed her beloved and closest friends, and Esdeath's actual strength surpassing her earlier estimates, Najenda couldn't be sure if Akame and the others could stop someone like Esdeath.
While the Revolutionary Army headquarters was crucial, Najenda didn't want to put Akame and the others in danger. If they were confident they could defeat Esdeath, then fine, but if not, what difference would it make if they went to their deaths?
"Boss, let us go deal with Esdeath. We have no other choice now."
Seeing Najenda hesitating, Leona and the others immediately volunteered. They had long prepared themselves for death when they chose this path.
Even if there was a chance to avoid battle, they were determined not to run away anymore.
To overthrow the corrupt Empire, Esdeath was always going to be a major obstacle. Now that she was alone, this was their chance.
Though Esdeath was incredibly strong, Night Raid was not weak either. Who would win in the end was not set in stone.
Since the Revolutionary Army's survival depended on it, the high-ranking officials generously allowed Night Raid to lead the charge.
Walking in front of a well-organized army, Tatsumi had a somewhat distant expression on his face.
He couldn't help but recall how he first left his village with two friends, aiming to join the Empire's army and, one day, return to his village as a general.
But he never imagined that he would not become an Imperial soldier but rather a rebel assassin. His two friends had been tragically killed.
In the end, Tatsumi did become a general, though not in the Empire's army, but as a general of the Revolutionary Army.
"Sayu, can you see? I've fulfilled our shared wish.
Now, what I must do is overthrow this decaying Empire, so that people like you will never have to suffer again!"
Night Raid arrived at the Revolutionary Army's headquarters with a full force of 100,000 elite soldiers, only to encounter Esdeath, who was heading toward the headquarters.
When the members of Night Raid and Esdeath saw each other, they both wore the same expression: one filled with intense battle intent.
Esdeath, raised in the borderlands, had the strength to hunt dangerous beasts from a young age. She could easily adapt to even the harshest environments.
Despite having wandered for days and experiencing several ambushes, her aura remained at its peak, in a state of full power.
Upon seeing the Night Raid members and the mass of 100,000 elite soldiers, she didn't show any sign of relaxation. Instead, she slowly drew her sword from her waist, licked her lips, and said with a fierce look, "Finally, some worthy opponents. I thought you'd keep hiding forever."