Unlimited Blade Works of the Raging Dimension

The speed was already incredibly fast. At a normal marching pace, it would take about a month to travel from the border to the imperial capital, and that was for elite cavalry. However, with Keith's speed, Shirou only needed three months, even with rest periods. In just a few days, the imperial capital was already in sight.

The thousand-year-old capital, glittering with gold and jewels, gradually revealed its majestic appearance to Shirou. The connotations of the thousand-year-old empire were laid bare in this ancient city, but now the ancient capital had become a den of the darkness of human nature. It seemed to reflect the precarious situation of the empire, and that the imperial capital could no longer maintain its superficial peace. According to the information Shirou had received, many hidden forces lurked within the imperial capital, making this already dark place even more chaotic.

"Alright, Shirou, the target doesn't seem to be in the imperial capital itself but rather on the outskirts. What are you going to do?"

"For now, we'd better not head straight into the imperial capital. We need to locate the target first. At the very least, we should confirm who the person is before making any plans."

It had to be said that the speed of high-level dangerous species was quite fast, not to mention Keith was a dangerous species with wind-controlling abilities. Its speed was almost comparable to a supersonic aircraft. Of course, this was only when it was at full power. This situation naturally wouldn't last long; its normal speed was probably closer to that of a regular passenger plane.

"That's it. Let's go and see where the light source is. If possible, it would be best to obtain it on the spot. If not, I'll still need to determine its location."

"Got it. You're much more stable than I thought. But you still need to be careful. According to the current information, there are many powerful and dangerous species living in the outskirts around the imperial capital. Don't let anything go wrong."

"You don't need to worry about that. I'm still quite cautious."

Shirou steered Keith and flew toward the light source.

As Keith flew swiftly, the destination grew closer, and the surrounding environment gradually became steeper. Relying on Shirou's exceptional vision, he could see groups of dangerous species appearing in the forest from time to time.

At that very moment, a yellow figure caught his attention.

"Hm?" Shirou stared at the figure, a slightly surprised expression appearing on his face. The figure was clearly a woman, and she was a cat-eared girl.

That's right, she was a cat-eared girl!

Two cat ears stood atop her head amidst golden hair, a golden tail extended from her firm buttocks, and she had yellow claws on both hands, along with a great figure and revealing clothing.

If this were in the previous world, this woman might have been mistaken for the owner of a uniquely themed café or a cosplay enthusiast, but Shirou would never have such an impression now.

Because this seemingly cute creature was effortlessly handling the encirclement of a group of dangerous species. No, it couldn't even be called an encirclement—it was more accurate to say she was hunting. The woman was hunting dangerous species, and although their level wasn't high, they were pack creatures. When they appeared in groups, they became a force to be reckoned with. Yet, the woman easily defeated the group of dangerous species.

At this moment, Shirou suddenly remembered the identity of this woman, and a look of understanding and contemplation appeared on his face. Like Esdeath, this woman had also appeared in the memories of the time traveler.

Leone, a member of Night Raid, was a brave and unrestrained girl. She grew up in the slums of the imperial capital and bought the Imperial Arm she used at a cheap price on the black market. She killed all the nobles because she couldn't stand their cruel games of riding horses and trampling children to death. Later, she joined Night Raid. She loved drinking and enjoyed crushing her enemies. She would transform into a beast during battle, liked to overkill her opponents, and treated her enemies mercilessly.

She possessed The King of Beasts Transformation: Lionelle, a belt-type Imperial Arm that transformed the user into a beast and drastically enhanced physical abilities. Her sense of smell was also heightened, allowing her to track enemies. She also had strong regenerative abilities. Even if her arms and legs were severed or her eyes were blinded, she could stop the bleeding and reattach her limbs.

'Since she's here, the Night Raid headquarters shouldn't be far away.'

As Shirou recalled the information in his memory, he realized he needed to make some preparations. Leone's appearance here meant the Night Raid headquarters was also nearby. From the light source in Esdeath's body earlier, it could be inferred that the light source might reside in the bodies of famous individuals from the memories. If so, then the location of the light source could also be explained.

If Shirou wanted to obtain the light source, he might have to enter the Night Raid headquarters. When a stranger enters the headquarters of assassins, everyone would expect a major battle to break out. And he would have to face more than a few Imperial Arm users, so he needed to prepare in advance.

As Shirou was thinking, Leone, who was on the ground, also noticed his figure. Her Imperial Arm not only gave her physical fitness and strong regenerative abilities but also granted her a beast-like aura. With her sharp perception, she had vaguely sensed Shirou's gaze earlier, but Leone didn't have abnormal vision, so she could only vaguely make out a figure.

Leone was startled. Someone who could tame a dangerous species as a mount was no ordinary person. Although she didn't know the strength of the person above, she felt a slight fear just from looking at him.

How could the enemy's strength be weak, and the direction the person in the air was heading was exactly where the Night Raid base was located. Even if the enemy was just passing by, the base couldn't remain hidden if observed from the air. And if the base of an assassination organization was exposed, the consequences could be imagined.

Thinking this, Leone left the dangerous species she had hunted and rushed toward the base with all her strength.

'Oh? Have I been spotted?'

Just as Leone left the battlefield, Shirou had already noticed, which surprised him slightly. It seemed he had underestimated the other party's perception abilities.

'But so what if they know? I never planned to hide it from an assassination organization.'

Shirou curled his lips in disgust, ignored Leone who had already left, and headed straight for his destination.

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Although Leone was slightly worried, her steps weren't chaotic. She took a shaded path through the trees to prevent the person in the air from following her trail to the base.

'I hope that person is just wandering around out of boredom.' Leone thought, but she didn't even believe this reason herself.

The environment here was sparsely populated. Who would come here unless they had a clear purpose?

Still, Leone wasn't too worried about the base's safety. After all, there were no missions currently, and everyone in the base was present except for her. With a lineup of five Imperial Arm users, if it was just one enemy, it would be difficult for them to lose unless it was the strongest in the empire. As for the enemy's aerial advantage, although it was a bit troublesome, Night Raid also had long-range attack capabilities. The main concern was preventing the enemy from leaking information.

Thinking this, Leone quickened her pace.

'Almost there, just 300 meters left.'

At that moment, the sound of clashing swords came from afar, accompanied by the explosion of gunfire.

Leone was suddenly startled, "Have they already made contact...?"