Chapter 111: The Decapitated Qi

"So, what does it feel like to have your head chopped off? Do tell me, will it hurt just a little?" The burly man wore a crazed grin once again.

"Eh?" The young girl could only manage this single query. The next instant, the man's right hand slashed through the air. While he still gripped her neck, her body beneath slumped to the ground, blood gushing forth like a fountain.

"Delightful, truly delightful! It’s simply addictive."

"That is a scene I can hardly bear to watch, Zank the Executioner."

"Who's there?" Zank the Executioner tossed the head aside and looked up toward the sky, for the voice had originated from above.

"The one who will kill you." Qi descended gracefully from the air. He had easily spotted his target from above, though unfortunately, he had arrived a step too late. He glanced at the two corpses on the ground—a man and a woman. Had they been sneaking out for a secret rendezvous?

The eye on Zank’s forehead turned toward the youth who had landed. "Hahahaha! You think you can kill me? Oh, you’re that member of the assassin group Night Raid. How delightful! A serial killer versus an assassin—this is truly wonderful!"

"You really are a madman," Qi said coldly.

"Hahaha! Let me see your psyche. I will torture you until you beg for mercy, and then I will hack off that twisted face of yours. Hahaha!"

The moment the words left his lips, Qi felt the burly man’s form blur. He watched him with vigilance, unsure of what tricks he might possess. Teigu functions varied wildly, and he had no idea what kind of Teigu this man wielded.

"Qi, it’s been a long time."

"This... wh-what? How is this possible?" Qi stared in shock at the person who had suddenly appeared before him.

She had beautiful, jet-black hair adorned with flowers on either side, wore a black gothic lolita dress, and possessed a distinct tear mole beneath her left eye.

"Kuroneko..." Qi fell silent, gazing blankly at the girl.

"Qi, why did you leave me? Why did you abandon me? Was our love really so shallow?" Kuroneko wore a sorrowful, miserable smile as she loudly questioned him.

"No, I had no choice, I..." Qi’s heart began to throb. In just a few days, it had ached many times, and his body began to tremble.

"I curse you! I curse the whole world! I will drag you down to hell with me, and even in hell, I will make you stay by my side forever!" Radiating an aura of black malice, Kuroneko slowly walked toward the youth.

Qi did not move. He did not stop to wonder why Kuroneko was here or why she seemed so strange. He was already drowning in his own agony, simply watching her walk toward him until she fell into his embrace.

A flash of red erupted, and the youth’s head soared into the sky. Even in mid-air, the expression on his face remained one of excruciating pain.

"Qi—!" A sharp cry and a shout reached the ears of the decapitated head flying through the air.

Akame, her face etched with pain, came sprinting over. Her long blade left its sheath, and with a single strike, she forced Kuroneko back. Her previously hollow eyes suddenly sharpened; that was no Kuroneko, just a disgusting, burly man.

"Hahahaha! Delightful! To think someone who calls himself the strongest in Night Raid could be killed so easily by a serial killer. Assassins have psychological vulnerabilities, too! As long as I make you see the person you cherish most, killing you is as easy as turning over one's hand! Hahahaha!" Zank the Executioner stood there, laughing maniacally.

"Zank the Executioner, you must die. Elimination." Akame gently laid the youth’s headless body on the ground and charged at the laughing madman with her blade raised.

"Haha, come! Let me see the expression of pain on your face, too." The strange eye on his forehead turned toward Akame.

After a momentary pause, Akame rushed forward, her murderous intent even more intense than before.

"Oh? You actually struck at someone you cherish? You are far more capable than that guy who claimed to be the strongest. Still, defeating me is impossible." Zank the Executioner shifted his feet slightly, narrowly dodging Akame’s strike, then leaned back to evade her follow-up.

It was as if he knew exactly where and how Akame was going to attack.

"That's right. My Teigu can see through your thoughts. No matter where you attack, I know it clearly. You can never hit me. Just surrender and let me chop off your head."

"I see. In that case, I just need to be fast enough that you cannot avoid it." Akame gathered her strength, and her speed surged. Her blade moved like a storm, raining down upon Zank from every direction.

"Oh, so you are the famous assassin Akame, wielding the Teigu 'One-Cut Killer: Murasame.' A cursed blade that kills with the slightest scratch—truly terrifying. But at this speed, it's not enough." Zank used the short blades in his hands to parry the relentless strikes of Murasame.

"Then I'll just shatter your blades first!" Akame increased the force of her attacks.

"I can see the future of your movements; I hold the greater advantage! How could I, Lord Zank, die here? I must kill you first!"

"Damn it, I can't hit you! Before I hack you into mincemeat, my blade will..." Zank the Executioner raved maniacally.

*Clang!* The sound of Zank’s blades shattering echoed out.

"Funeral." With eyes filled with cold, lethal intent, Akame swung Murasame once more.

*Thwack.* The blade swung at empty air, for Zank the Executioner had been kicked away by a youth. Murasame was caught in the youth's hand, which was now protected by diamond.

"Qi, you..." Akame looked at the youth before her with a mix of surprise and wonder.

"Hey, don't forget, I have an immortal body. But just now, my heart truly hurt like hell—even after replacing it, it still feels unbearable. So, Akame, let me vent a little on him," Qi said with a bright, sunny smile.

"Fine. Better finish it quickly; I don't know if Esdeath might show up here."

...

"Sheele, let's split up. Don't go too far, so we can provide backup if we run into danger," Mine said to Sheele.

"Sure. But be careful, Mine. Don't let any strangers get close to you," Sheele reminded her.

"Don't worry, I'm not a rookie like that pervert Qi or Tatsumi," Mine said confidently.

"Hmm, I wonder if the others have encountered Zank the Executioner yet," Sheele muttered to herself as she moved off in the other direction.