Kapitel 83: #82 Putolu Tombs 5

"Anyway, this weapon and...a skirt? belongs to Tsukushi, right?" I asked while we were walking down the hallway that grasshopper came from.

I took a look at the content of the bag and only saw those things and some kind of bracelet...

"Yes...?! That's Cora's Crushing King!" Poney nodded to confirm it and when she saw me take out the bracelet she immediately exclaimed with a shocked expression while gritting her teeth.

When she mentioned it, I noticed a little crack on the bracelet which only confirmed it for me.

"...This is too hard to believe that they would be able to capture 2 people from our group. They must have really been alone. I understand why would Tsukushi get captured since she needs someone's support and this is a closed environment so she is at a disadvantage here but Cornelia? It must be a so-called boss" I muttered while examining the skirt for any blood but it was perfectly clean except for dust.

"Akashi...? What are you doing?" Poney asked me while looking weirdly at me while I was looking at the skirt.

"Tsukushi should be still alive, there is no blood on this skirt, as for Cornelia...can't say." I replied with a straight face.

"Oh, I see..." Poney nodded in understanding before looking down with a worried expression.

"If we will meet any stronger enemies, please don't fight, I don't want to keep treating you." I said with a serious expression.

"...Why? Can't I at least help? I haven't fully recovered but I can at least help a bit." She asked me with pleading eyes.

"No...Treating your wounds once already cost me a lot. You can take care of Gravekeepers with 3 skulls and below." I said with a decisive tone while glaring at her with stern eyes.

"...Alright, I am sorry." She was looking for a while into my eyes before she looked down with a guilty expression.

----Kurome's side----

Kurome, like almost everyone, was separated from her partner, Akame. But that didn't stop her from advancing into deeper levels of the tomb, she has met a fair amount of Gravekeepers with 4 skulls but none of them were able to stop her. From numerous fights she had, she only gained a few scratches due to being caught off guard but she was improving each fight and adapting to their transformations.

She kept advancing until she reached most likely one of the rearmost rooms.

"?!" She widened her eyes when she saw people shackled to the wall by chains, one of them was even Tsukushi. She immediately went inside the room to free them however when she was halfway to them she stopped and narrowed her eyes.

"Come out!" She said with a cold tone and turned her sharp glare to the other entrance.

"Oho! To think that you would feel my presence so easily, you must be really strong, unlike those girls. None of them are suitable to bear my child but you...you might be different." A tall muscular man with long black hair and beard came inside the room while praising Kurome.

She already readied herself.

"mm...?! Kurome!" Tsukushi who was until now unconscious, exclaimed with a surprised expression when she saw Kurome.

"Hm? So you are called Kurome, a nice name. My name is Weneg. So what do you say, will you become my wife and I might spare others." He suddenly asked while using his cane to support his body, however, it didn't look like he needed it at all.

"Heh, spare everyone? I admit that I can feel you are extremely strong but...once Nii-sama arrives here, you are all dead anyway" Kurome chuckled and said with a confident smile while pointing her katana at Weneg.

"Hm? Looks like you fancy someone else already or is it really your brother? If yes then I would like to meet my future brother-in-law, haha. But still, I have to test you a bit if you are worthy enough." He said and used his secret art. He grew 2 straight horns and fangs. His long black hair became slightly longer and the entire aura around him changed to completely ferocious and tyrannical.

"Don't disappoint me Kurome! I have high hopes for you!" He said and kicked off the ground, appearing near Kurome in the matter of second and slashed his cane at her.

"?!" She widened her eyes in front of his speed but she still managed to redirect his attack to the side with her katana while kicking him into the abdomen. Unfortunately, her kick didn't do him any damage, but it wasn't due to him being muscular and Kurome petite...She had much higher strength than one would have thought at first sight.

Weneg only smiled when he saw how her kick did no damage to him and quickly grabbed her by the ankle and threw her towards the wall.

Kurome was slightly surprised that her kick didn't push him a bit but she quickly recovered and regained her balance while in the air and landed with her legs on the wall before jumping back at him at an incredible speed while thrusting her katana at his heart with a composed expression.

"Oh?! You are much better than I thought! You will be the perfect wife! Strong and composed in the fight!" Weneg tried to dodge her attack but Kurome's katana still grazed his shoulder despite his enhanced speed.

"Whoa, she is really strong..." The people who were still in chains muttered with wide-open eyes.

"She isn't even using any dopings..." One blond-haired guy exclaimed while watching the fight in front of him in awe.

"Tch, who would ever want to become your wife, you barbarian!" Kurome clicked her tongue when she landed on the ground behind him and turned around with her black narrowed eyes while firmly holding her katana.

'I am already using most of my power despite Nii-sama's warning. However, I can't afford to hold back against someone like that...To be honest, I can only hold out until someone else comes in to help me because I don't think I can beat him.' Kurome calmly thought and even though she didn't have the confidence to contend with him, she was still calm and collected.

"My little bride, why are you calling me barbarian when your Empire was the first one to disturb our peace?" He asked with a "charming" smile.

"You liar! You stole from the Empire and even went as far as to go kill relatives of those who ventured near the tombs!" A silver-haired girl shackled to the wall with a completely torn shirt shouted at Weneg with an angered expression while her big boobs started to jiggle.

"Who the hell stole from your Empire? And what about us killing relatives of intruders? Those are our rules and there are even warnings, it's your own fault for ignoring them and disturbing the peace of our tombs. And...who let you speak, indecent woman?!" Weneg explained with an irritated expression while looking at Kurome before glancing at the girl who interrupted him with murderous eyes.

"Gah...*grr*" She got scared when she saw his eyes and even though she wanted to say more, she just started gritting her teeth while glaring at him with eyes filled with hatred.

"Anyway, enough of talking, let's resume our test...You are really strong but it seems that I will also have to tame you a bit. I wouldn't want you to think that you are almost as strong as me. Let's move to the second stage!" Weneg said while revealing his fangs with a wide smile and then he suddenly appeared in front of Kurome the moment she blinked.

"?!" She widened her eyes in shock and put her blade in front of her to block his incoming punch.

When she received the punch, she was immediately blown backward while both of her hands became numb.

'Tch, he is even stronger and faster than before!' Kurome thought while gritting her teeth and one closed eye from the pain.

"I am already behind you~" Suddenly Weneg's voice came from behind Kurome.

"Wha-?!" Despite not feeling her hands she still forced herself to slash her katana behind her.

Her katana was intercepted with Weneg's cane and then he punched Kurome into her abdomen but with less strength than his previous punch.

"Gah!" Despite him using less strength in that strike, she still coughed out saliva and was blown into the wall.

*Crack* The wall cracked when Kurome crashed into it and when she was about to fall on the ground, she struck her katana into the ground. supporting her body with it.

"Oh! You are able to even stand after all that? You are also tougher than most fragile humans despite having such a petite body, that's marvelous! You are truly worthy, I am more than pleased by your strength." Weneg exclaimed with a genuinely surprised expression.

"But...I am not!" Kurome who was supporting her body with her weapon while looking at the ground suddenly shouted with all her might and gripped the hilt of her katana and move out once again. This time at a much higher speed which was slightly above the speed Weneg displayed at first.

She quickly appeared in front of Weneg and performed slash with her katana in the diagonal arc.

'?! She is still able to move and even faster than before?!' Weneg was truly caught off guard this time and he quickly jumped backward but a small cut across his chest still appeared.

"...Looks like I will have to show you more of my power to make you fully submit." Weneg looked at his chest with cold eyes before raising his head and saying with a commanding tone.

"No matter what you will show me, you can forget about me submitting." Kurome replied with an extremely cold tone while reading herself to receive no matter how fast attack.

"Are you sure about that?" He asked with a sinister smile while strange black markings appeared near his cut on his chest.

"Of c-?!" Kurome wanted to reply but she stopped when she felt a stinging sensation in the area of her chest.

"?! Kurome?!" Tsukushi shouted when she noticed some blood coming from under Kurome's tattered clothes.

'...I can't win against someone like that...but I can at least tire him until Akashi Nii-sama arrives!' Kurome thought and started attacking Weneg inflicting small cuts on him but she was only causing herself more pain by doing so.

"*Hey, she said something about her brother...Will he be able to defeat someone like that?*" The silver-haired girl whispered to Tsukushi with a worried expression.

"*I don't know how exactly strong he is but he might be even stronger than our chief...*" Tsukushi replied with thoughtful expression while worryingly watching Kurome's fight.

"*...And would your chief be able to defeat him?*" She whispered back with furrowed brows.

"*...Definitely, he is the number one out of all of us.*" Tsukushi after a few seconds of thinking nodded her head with a confident expression.

*Huff* *Huff* *Huff* After a while, Kurome was covered in small cuts across her entire body and she was having a problem with standing straight while Weneg just stood in front of her with a confident smile and folded arms.

'...Akashi Nii-sama, big sis....' Kurome thought while doing her best to keep standing straight.