Being Overpowered in Akame ga Kill

"Haruki, enough with the talk. I'll tell you this—the old man might be afraid of you, but I, Lord Syura, am not. You'd best keep your nose out of this."

Syura growled back, his voice full of menace in response to Haruki's sharp mockery.

"Oh? Are you threatening me now?"

Haruki raised an eyebrow.

"Hmph! And what if I am? I don't know why the old man fears you so much, but let me make one thing clear—if you push me, I'll make sure you never leave here alive."

True to his arrogant nature, Syura wasn't about to back down. Haruki's taunting only made him double down on the threats.

"Hah! Still so full of yourself? Fine then—I'll show you exactly why that 'old man' of yours fears me."

Haruki couldn't help but laugh. This guy really didn't know his place. Was he still blind to the overwhelming gap between them? Or did he genuinely believe Haruki wouldn't dare kill him?

"Crack... crack..."

With that, Haruki tightened his grip. The sharp sound of bones shattering filled the air.

"Aaaaagh!"

Syura's scream tore through the room, shrill and agonizing—like a pig being slaughtered. Haruki had crushed the bones in both of his hands with brute force. The pain alone would have broken most men, not just physically, but mentally.

"Bang!"

Haruki looked down at the writhing Syura with disdain. The way he screamed—there was nothing about him that resembled a warrior.

With a swift motion, Haruki hoisted him off the ground and casually flung him across the room, sending him flying over the heads of the Wild Hunt before slamming into the opposite wall.

The impact left a deep dent. Syura hit the ground and rolled several times before finally coming to a stop.

But it wasn't over.

As soon as he landed, the Hell Butterflies—until then fluttering freely—suddenly gathered in formation. The same thing that had happened to Cosmina began again. Several streaks of light condensed into orbs and launched directly at Syura's crumpled body.

To his credit, Syura was tough. Though he had cried out before, he didn't lose consciousness. Even now, bloodied and broken, he managed to stay awake.

Seeing what was coming, he didn't hesitate. Ignoring the pain in his mangled arms, he dragged his limp limbs and flipped backward several times in a row, narrowly escaping the butterflies' strike as he tumbled back into the ranks of the Wild Hunt.

"Boom..."

"Cough... cough..."

The impact of the Hell Butterflies' blast kicked up a thick cloud of smoke, triggering a fit of coughing from the Wild Hunt.

But Haruki remained untouched.

As the smoke began to drift, the Hell Butterflies instinctively formed a shimmering wall in front of him, devouring all the dust and smoke that came near.

"Damn it... are those butterflies yours?!"

Once the smoke cleared, a massive crater was revealed where the blast had landed. Syura knew without a doubt—if he hadn't dodged in time, he would've ended up just like Cosmina.

He wasn't a fool. Staring at the butterflies in disbelief, he shouted at Haruki.

But what confused Syura even more was the fact that Haruki really seemed intent on killing him. Syura had assumed Haruki was just a political enemy of his father. Killing him would only give the Prime Minister a reason to retaliate. So why go this far?

Haruki didn't bother to answer with words. He let his actions speak.

He raised his right hand, and instantly, the Hell Butterflies—once filling the entire room—began to swarm toward him, just like baby swallows returning to the nest. What stunned everyone was that as the butterflies reached Haruki's hand, they simply vanished into thin air, as if his palm was a bottomless void.

The process was swift. In a matter of seconds, not only the room, but the entire Cartel estate was cleared of the butterflies—completely.

"Wah... Lord Haruki, were you sent by the heavens to save me?"

It had only taken a few words, but from the moment Haruki arrived, to when he crippled Syura and recalled the Hell Butterflies, it had all happened in an instant.

...

Snapping out of her daze, Lina rushed out from behind Cartel and threw herself into Haruki's arms, sobbing uncontrollably, as if releasing all the fear and suffering she had endured that day.

She had nearly lost all hope. Yet, just when she thought it was over, Haruki had appeared like a savior from the heavens. In that moment, to her, he was nothing less than an angel.

And then, she remembered the safety she'd felt when he held her on the Ryuusen—like nothing in the world could hurt her.

Maybe it was instinct—seeking protection in her moment of weakness. Maybe it was because Haruki's sudden appearance had amplified the admiration she already felt. Whatever the reason, Lina no longer cared about appearances.

She ran straight into Haruki's embrace.