"Heh... hehe! Good! Kaede!" Esdeath laughed, looking at her slashed wrist. How long had it been! How long had it been since she was injured!
Excitement. She didn't want the title of the empires strongest because this title meant there was no one left for her to fight.
As for the other the empires strongest, General Budo, he was a serious and earnest person who would never act recklessly, let alone fight a match with Esdeath.
At this moment, Kaede was also a bit incredulous. She had actually injured Esdeath head-on! How was that possible?
However, there was no time left for disbelief. How could she miss this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!
Raising her blade, she pursued...
"Bang!" Esdeath was already excited. She casually blocked Kaede's sword strike, then raised her head, no longer suppressing the smile on her face.
"Come on! Kaede! Let's fight!" Without hesitation, Esdeath launched a fierce attack, strike after strike, hitting Kaede's sword quickly and precisely.
Before long, Kaede was forced into a position where she could only parry.
At this moment, dissatisfaction appeared on Esdeath's face. Although it was much better than before, this level definitely did not match the level of her first strike—the level that was able to injure her head-on!
"What's wrong? Is this all you've got? Can't you give me a bigger surprise?"
"Even if you say that..." A bitter smile appeared on Kaede's face. Sure enough, even if she had the upper hand for a moment, it was only for a moment; the situation was reversed almost instantly.
"Going to get beaten up again." Kaede knew the gap between herself and Esdeath, but wasn't that her original purpose?
Her eyes focused. Kaede possessed the strongest observation ability in the world; if she wanted to, she could see through anyone's attack!
However, seeing it clearly didn't mean she knew how to respond. Or rather, she didn't know the best way to respond given her own level.
Weakness Analysis also depends on the person. Just like how Yang Kaede looked at Esdeath now, there were almost no weaknesses.
Why didn't she know? Because at different stages, the best way to respond is different. For example, when one's strength is low, even if a certain spot on Esdeath is indeed the best place to attack, if you don't have enough strength, that same spot will be where you lose your life. Conversely, attacking other places might allow you to escape with your life.
Nothing is absolute. The only things you can rely on are experience, having enough strength to fear no one, and understanding the gap between yourself and the enemy.
Like when a strongman punches you; even if you know that if you can take that punch, you can win, do you dare to take it head-on? Anyone who dares to take it probably has strength not much different from that strongman, right?
However, in terms of Yang Kaede's physical body now, it was no longer inferior to Esdeath's, so the places she couldn't take before could now be taken.
Before, Kaede's thinking was not very clear, but now, Kaede felt as if she understood something.
Everything in this world has weaknesses; even everyone's sword swings are the same. Weaknesses don't just appear on people!
At this moment, Kaede's eyes seemed to be changing, flickering, and finally returning to calm. It seemed like something had changed, and yet it seemed nothing had changed.
However, Kaede could clearly feel that her vision had changed once again; she really saw the weakness on her sword.
Without any hesitation, Yang Kaede swung her blade.
The swiftness and directness of this blade, combined with that determination, surprised Esdeath a little once more. This sword strike was originally because she was a bit disappointed, so she had relaxed her hand a little.
"You mouse, how many more tricks do you have?" Esdeath thought, using her full strength once again, no longer holding back.
Thus, just when she was happy that she could finally see the weakness in Esdeath's sword swing, the next moment... well, astonishment flashed in Kaede's eyes.
Because she couldn't see it again! Damn it!
Moreover, this time, Esdeath did not give Kaede any more chances. Within a few moves, the Tachi in Kaede's hand was knocked away, and then Esdeath's sword stopped at Kaede's throat.
It could have pierced Kaede's snow-white neck if it had gone just a little further, leaving a mark of blood there.
"It seems you are only at this level." Esdeath withdrew her sword. This match was barely enough to satisfy her, so she spared Kaede this time.
"It's clearly because you're too much of a freak." Kaede rolled her eyes at Esdeath. She could say she had even broken through once during the fight, yet in the end, it still turned out like this, with no power to fight back.
"Hmph! You are still a weakling!" Esdeath said, then added in her heart, "At least in terms of head-on combat, you are still a weakling."
Esdeath understood that if Kaede were assassinating, the distance was already very close. If she were careless, or in a very bad state, combined with that first strike of Kaede's that even amazed her, it would be enough to put her in the most dangerous situation.
At this moment, the corners of Esdeath's mouth slowly curled up. This is why it's fun; that little assassin from back then had actually grown to this point.
If she were given more time to grow, then she would be qualified to become her opponent, whether in assassination or head-on combat.
Happy, very happy. Happy that she would finally have a good opponent in the future.
As for fearing that Kaede would surpass her? Sorry, the word "fear" did not exist in Esdeath's dictionary. Moreover, she believed in herself, believing that she was the strongest no matter what!
the empires strongest, since it had been obtained by her, there was no possibility of giving it up!
"I'll spare you this time," Esdeath said, "Also, your mission is complete."
"Eh?" Kaede widened her eyes, and finally, a bitter smile appeared at the corner of her mouth. This was also something imaginable; after all, she was the empires strongest, and the reputation was definitely well-deserved.
If it weren't for Esdeath worrying about the safety of her subordinates, she definitely wouldn't have needed anyone else's help; it would have been faster!
However, in that case, it seemed unlikely that Kaede would have met Esdeath, because without such a mission, how could they have met?
"You didn't really think you could keep stealing my targets, did you?" Esdeath smiled, a dangerous smile.
"Of course not." Kaede shrugged her shoulders, thinking that she wasn't too keen on missions now anyway. It was better that it was finished; she would have more time to arrange her plans, and she couldn't help but smile.
"Hmm, your smile is unexpectedly not bad~" Esdeath suddenly noticed something strange. Kaede's zombie-like face had actually changed. Hmm, Esdeath nodded. Sure enough, had she gotten used to killing?
From having a smile at the beginning, then killing until she couldn't smile, then killing until she was numb and had no feelings about it, and then being able to smile again.
Moreover, Esdeath also saw a style unique to her in Kaede's smile. Perhaps it was this uniqueness that made Esdeath feel unexpectedly good about it~
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