Seeing Sora, who had only said two words since appearing and then ignored him, Gozuki was momentarily stunned. However, when he regained his composure, this usually calm man felt an endless rage.
As one of the few top-tier powerhouses in the entire empire, when had he ever been so ignored!
Seeing Sora, who had turned her back to him and was looking around, a cold glint flashed in Gozuki's eyes. The thought that had been buried in his heart resurfaced, thinking that this person was here to steal the children he had painstakingly trained. Why not just…
Although the other party was known as the strongest in the empire, and his strength was undeniable, with his own strength and careful planning, it might just work!
Whether it was due to that long-suppressed anger or the unwillingness to hand over Akame and the others he had trained to Sora, the decisive and ruthless Gozuki made up his mind and calmly walked towards Sora.
However, the next moment, just as he took a step, Gozuki suddenly froze, feeling every hair on his body stand on end!
Even after experiencing countless battles and dangerous situations, his cold heart, which had long forgotten what fear was, suddenly throbbed. An overwhelming sense of terror instantly spread to every inch of his body, even to every cell!
"Hehehe… As expected of the strongest man standing in the darkness of the entire empire, cold-blooded, ruthless, decisive, and merciless! Gozuki, just your courage alone has already impressed me!"
A strange light flashed in Sora's pure black eyes as she stared at Gozuki, who, despite his inner terror, remained calm and composed. She smiled wickedly.
Even the current Esdeath and old man Bud might not have noticed Gozuki's fleeting, deeply hidden killing , but alas, he had encountered Sora!
"Haha, I feel extremely honored to receive the praise of the empire's strongest, General Sora."
Regaining his composure, Gozuki quickly adjusted his emotions. Whether it was out of the dignity of a strong man or his own nonchalance, since the other party had discovered his intentions, Gozuki didn't hide them and smiled faintly.
However, the surprise in his heart made Gozuki even more cautious.
This guy is strong!!!
Since he had already made his choice, Gozuki had no regrets, because the word "regret" never existed in the dictionary of an assassin living in the darkness!
"To be honest, General Sora, your strength sends chills down my spine. It's almost unbelievable that such a powerful human exists in this world!"
"Although I haven't witnessed it firsthand, I believe that even General Budo is no match for you!"
Gozuki was extremely confident in his intuition. The man before him was the strongest existence he had ever encountered, whether human or dangerous beast!
"Interesting! Since you already understand, are you still going to draw your sword against me?"
Sora also began to feel a bit of interest in this old man. Watching Gozuki slowly draw his Teigu, the one-hit kill sword [Murasame], she smiled.
"Ah! If it was just about little Akame and the others before, now it's about myself!"
"I've never felt so fired up before. Although it's very irrational for an assassin to have such emotions, if I don't fight you, I will definitely regret it for the rest of my life!"
At this point, Gozuki's sharp, eagle-like eyes were filled with fervor.
"It seems like Akame and the others still have some time before they start. I can play with you for a while."
"By the way, I'm also a bit interested in that sword of yours!"
Glancing at the young men and women below who were still heading towards their targets, Sora turned around and materialized her King's Sword, transforming it into a katana. Although he wasn't using the Demon Armor, he was still confident in dealing with Gozuki!
"It seems General Sora already knows about my Teigu's ability, so I don't need to explain it again."
This wasn't an assassination. If Sora didn't know, Gozuki would have reminded him. Such a rare opponent, he didn't want the other party to die carelessly due to a moment of carelessness, which would defeat the true meaning of this battle.
"Hurry up, I still want to see Akame and the others' performance!"
With a hint of impatience in his tone, Sora urged. If it weren't for wanting to witness the power of the famous sword [Murasame] from the original story, Sora really wouldn't have the mood to waste time with an old man.
Frowning, feeling a bit displeased, and seeing the other party's indifferent attitude as if it were just a game, a cold glint flashed in Gozuki's eyes.
Without further ado, the battle began!
Swish!!!
At an extreme speed, Gozuki, who was originally standing opposite, instantly appeared behind Sora. The katana Murasame was already unsheathed, slashing through the air with cold arcs aimed at Sora's vital points.
Clang!!!
Without even bothering to turn around, Sora directly swung his sword backward. Sparks flew, and the sharp sound of clashing swords echoed.
"Since you're a man of the darkness, you like to attack from behind? Fine, if that's what you like, I'll fight you like this!"
His words were filled with sarcasm. According to Sora's expectations, someone like Gozuki, who had strength and was extremely proud, would surely be enraged upon hearing this!
Sora didn't want to drag things out, letting the other party test her for half a day. Since it was a battle, he would go all out from the start!
Sure enough, upon hearing Sora's words, Gozuki's eyes instantly burned with endless rage. The thought of testing the other party first vanished, and a sharp, sword-like aura erupted from his entire body.
Fast! Extremely fast! His arm and the katana Murasame were almost reduced to faint afterimages, attacking Sora's back like a storm.
With a bloodthirsty and cruel smile on his lips, since the other party was so confident, let's see just how strong you are!
Sensing the storm-like attack from behind, Sora finally felt a flicker of interest. This was more like a real fight!
Just as he had said earlier, Sora did not turn around. He remained motionless, his back still facing Gozuki. Only his right hand, gripping the long sword, transformed into a blur as it continuously swung, blocking Gozuki's attacks.
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!
In the blink of an eye, their swords had clashed hundreds of times, sparks flying and shockwaves rippling out. Centered around the two, everything in the vicinity was torn to shreds by the chaotic air currents. If anyone else had been present, they would have been utterly horrified by this monstrous, inhuman battle!
"Gozuki, is this all you've got as the so-called strongest assassin? If this is all you can do, you won't be able to defeat me!"
Feeling that his opponent hadn't yet gone all out, Sora didn't mind adding fuel to the fire.
Gozuki's eyes burned with an intense fervor. This kind of exhilarating battle had even him, the usually composed assassin, unable to contain his excitement!
Without holding back any longer, Gozuki's left hand moved in addition to his sword-wielding right. His left arm stretched out in an eerily unnatural way, his five fingers transforming into sharp claws, attacking Sora's side with incredible speed.
Not only that, but hundreds of slender, flexible tentacles emerged from Gozuki's chest, sweeping toward Sora from all directions, seemingly aiming to bind his movements.
If an ordinary person were faced with such a bizarre and brutal attack, they would likely be scared to death, let alone fight back. However, Sora didn't seem particularly concerned. He merely pursed his lips and increased the speed of his sword swings.
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
The battle raged on.
Yet, no matter how hard Gozuki tried or how fast he moved, his attacks never got within an inch of Sora's body.
That short distance might as well have been the gap between heaven and earth!
"Hahaha… As expected of the former Four Rakshasa Demons, your body manipulation skills are far superior to my little girls, Suzuka and Mez!"
Feeling somewhat bored, Sora decided to chat with Gozuki. After all, the man was an elder, and Sora didn't want to bully him too much. He figured Gozuki would stop once he got tired.
However, Sora was slightly surprised when he noticed that Gozuki's attack hesitated for a brief moment the moment he mentioned "Mez."
Though it was just a fleeting pause, Sora caught it.
Curious, Sora wouldn't believe that Gozuki was already tired. He searched his memory and suddenly recalled an interesting piece of information…