Inner Voice: All Heroines Hear My Inner Voice Chapter 1032: Pretending to be...

"Me? You don't need to know. But my business? Well, that's no secret." Eiji finally spoke, and he casually revealed his purpose for coming to that world. "Actually, I came to this world to change the tragic fates of certain women."

However, his words puzzled Gozuki.

Eiji spoke as if he didn't belong to any organization or region. But was he from another world?

Gozuki thought the young man in front of him was joking with him.

"And..." Eiji suddenly remembered something and continued, "I'm also thinking of making this world a better place. There are a lot of wicked people here, especially in the place called the imperial capital. Many of the people who live there or come from there are monsters in human form... I'm going to kill them—every last one of them."

Gozuki's fake smile faded; he was taken aback by Eiji's audacity to speak that way in front of him.

Although he hadn't introduced himself yet, this place was part of the Empire, and the question he'd asked should have made it clear to the young man that he was from the capital.

But he said it bluntly.

"Hahaha!" Gozuki laughed as he gripped the hilt of his sword; he no longer pretended to be friendly and glared sharply at Eiji. "Young man, your words could be considered treason against the Empire. Now, I truly have a reason to kill you and take that unknown technology."

He said that while glancing at the Astral Express.

Eiji was still smiling slightly; he was completely unfazed by the murderous intent radiating from Gozuki.

In his eyes, Gozuki was like an ant trying to intimidate a dragon. No, more accurately, a clown trying to entertain a god with his hostility.

Still, the sword at Gozuki's waist was quite intriguing. Eiji knew it was the weapon that would be used by the female protagonist whose name served as the title of the original work.

That sword was the weapon Akame would wield in the future.

"Oh, you can try it if you're capable, Gozuki, leader of the Empire's assassination squad."

Gozuki froze for a moment. "You know who I am?"

"Yes."

Like Vergil, Eiji was still standing there calmly. There was no fear or panic on his face.

"That composure and self-confidence... Young man, it's a shame—you're an enemy of the Empire. And yet, among the people of the Empire, you met me." Gozuki sighed as if he regretted Eiji's identity as an enemy, rather than an ally or a member of the Empire.

He believed he could kill him.

Gozuki was extremely arrogant, especially with a sword in his hand. He believed that there wasn't a single person he couldn't kill as long as they were wounded by his sword.

Without wasting any more time. In the blink of an eye, he darted forward at a speed impossible for the human eye to follow. His sword—specifically, a katana named Murasame, a Teigu also known as the One-Cut Killer—was drawn from its sheath, slicing through the night with a cold, silvery flash.

True to its name, Murasame possesses the power to kill its victim with a single slash. It releases a poison or curse that instantly stops the victim's heart.

*Swosh!*

Gozuki swung his sword toward the vital spot on Eiji's neck. In this world, blocking a direct strike from Murasame is impossible.

However—

*Ting!*

The clear clang of metal echoed through the forest. Gozuki's triumphant smile froze instantly.

Eiji stood in his original position without moving a single centimeter. He blocked the edge of Murasame's blade using only two bare fingers—and his expression was incredibly relaxed! Murasame's curse didn't spread to his hand either.

"H-How is that possible...?! You're holding back Murasame with your bare hands?!" Gozuki's eyes widened, his expression filled with shock.

Cold sweat began to trickle down his temples. His keen instincts as the Empire's number one assassin were sounding a danger alarm unlike anything he had ever felt in his life.

"Did you know? I've often heard remarks like that from people whose attacks I've also blocked with my bare hands."

"If I had to answer... Simply put, my skin is too thick and strong. So far, no weapon has been able to pierce it—your sword is no exception."

Eiji stopped pretending; he now released a little of his natural aura. Instantly, the animals—and even the Beast Disasters—in the forest fled in terror.

Gozuki realized that he didn't seem to be facing a human. The young man in front of him was a monster! He was a monster on par with—or perhaps even more dangerous than—a Super-Class Danger Beast!

He immediately leaped backward and kept his distance from him. Eiji didn't stop him; he released the blade from his grip.

But before Gozuki could take his next step, Eiji's figure suddenly vanished from his sight.

'Where is he!? Is he a Teigu user too? Not only is his defense absurd, but his speed is also incredibly...'

At that moment, Gozuki felt a chill down his spine.

Using sheer physical strength, Eiji appeared behind the middle-aged man with blond hair as if he had teleported.

As soon as Gozuki turned around, Eiji had already curled his middle finger in front of his forehead. With a very casual motion, he flicked his forehead.

*BLAAAM!*

That seemingly trivial flick of the finger generated a burst of air pressure that exploded outward. Gozuki's body was immediately hurled backward at high speed, like a bullet. He slid past the trees, knocking down large branches, until his body finally slammed into a giant boulder.

The massive boulder cracked like a spiderweb. Gozuki's body was embedded in the boulder, and he spat fresh blood from his mouth. His bones felt as if they were shattered, and his consciousness was nearly gone—all from a single flick of the forehead.

"Cough! Cough! Kugh… w-what kind of monster…" Gozuki coughed and groaned in pain; he tried to free himself from the rock's grip, but his body refused to move.

He wanted to use his body manipulation. As someone who had once been one of the Four Rakshasa Demons, Gozuki was able to freely manipulate his body in various unique ways to use it as a deadly weapon in battle, or to stretch and contort his body to avoid stabs and shots to his vital parts.

However, he was unable to do so now.

The flick of a finger on his forehead had severely injured all his internal organs; he couldn't move at all, and the excruciating pain in his head was also bringing him close to fainting.

Suddenly, the space in front of him twisted or distorted. Eiji emerged from the distortion like an Ōtsutsuki using spatial abilities to warp space.

To be precise, he was using Kamui.

He could have teleported there instantly, but he wanted to show off a little. His pair of blue eyes had also transformed into separate Rinne Sharingan and Mangekyō Sharingan.

Each pupil was blood-red and seemed to glow in the darkness. Seeing that, Gozuki felt such overwhelming fear that it made it hard for him to breathe.

He wondered if he had encountered a true demon?

And it seemed that demon wanted to destroy the Empire.

The Empire is in grave danger!

"Yo, you're more fragile than I thought, the Empire's number one assassin." Eiji said mockingly.

He stared at the dying Gozuki with an indifferent gaze. He slowly raised his right hand, pointing his index finger directly at Gozuki.

At that moment, particles of light gathered at the tip of his finger. The light was so bright that it illuminated the entire forest area and banished all the darkness of the night.

Night in the forest had turned into daytime.

By the way, it had been quite a while since the fusion of Prima's character cards had reached 100%.

Eiji wanted to test just how powerful a Primordial God's standard attack was.

"That power… Who are you, really!?" Gozuki asked with great difficulty, staring at the young man in front of him in horror

Eiji didn't bother to answer; he fired a beam of light from the tip of his finger. Instantly, the beam shot forward. The beam didn't produce a loud explosion, but rather a silent hum of energy that shook the atmosphere. The light was so blinding it left Gozuki blinded.

"W-Wait—!"

Gozuki's words vanished, swallowed up by the light. The golden-colored energy beam struck his body and the large rock in which he was embedded. No blood spurted out; no debris flew about. In a matter of milliseconds, the molecular structure of Gozuki's body, his clothes, and even the giant rock behind him instantly disintegrated and evaporated into ash at the atomic level.

As this happened, Eiji tilted his finger slightly upward. The attack pierced the sky in the distance and continued flying into the void of space.

The scene was, of course, witnessed by many people in the distance. They were all shocked, of course.

After the light at the tip of Eiji's finger vanished, the darkness of night once again enveloped the forest.

"Is that man dead?"

[Host, you're asking something that doesn't need to be asked.]

Miss System said flatly.

Who in this world could have survived her host's attack just now?

"Just kidding. Miss System, you're taking this too seriously."

[...]

Eiji shook his head before returning to his landing spot. He didn't forget to pick up Murasame, which Gozuki had dropped when he was flung away by a flick of the finger against his forehead.

Looking at the sword in his hand, Eiji couldn't help but let out a faint smile. "This sword will be one of my wedding gifts for Akame."

He didn't hesitate to add the sword to his inventory. His movements were as natural as those of a thief.

Miss System had some harsh thoughts about her host.

...

Seven figures rushed toward Eiji's location.

They were an assassination squad known as the Elite Seven. Realizing their leader hadn't returned yet, and witnessing the strange sight of the night sky suddenly turning to day for a few seconds as a golden light pierced the sky, they all rushed to the location to find out exactly what was happening.

In just a matter of minutes, seven agile silhouettes darted through the dense forest, moving in perfect combat formation, and appeared in the very spot where Gozuki had died.

They were all—including a young woman with long black hair and red eyes, Akame—stunned.

"The aftermath of this battle…!"

She exclaimed, her gaze fixed on the crater of unknown length created by Eiji's earlier attack.

"This… A battle has clearly taken place here." That analysis came from a young woman with light brown hair, Tsukishi.

"That's obvious! But who fought whom!? Was one of them Father?"

The 'father' mentioned by the young woman with long, reddish-brown hair tied in a ponytail and adorned with several hair clips—Poney—was Gozuki.

Gozuki wasn't just their leader—he was also their adoptive father. It was only natural for him to worry if something bad happened to her.

Gozuki didn't just train Poney and the other members of the Elite Seven from a very young age; he'd also brainwashed them to be loyal to him and the Empire.

"Whoever Father is facing... He must be very strong. If Father hadn't escaped, he might have..."

A young man with glasses and green eyes made them imagine the worst-case scenario.

His name was Green.

His words caused many of them—including a sexy young blonde woman named Cornelia and a muscular young man named Guy—to wear somber expressions.

"The fight didn't start here. Whoever fought Father—if he isn't dead... ...should also be somewhere nearby. We have to find that person, too."

"Everyone, follow me."

The person giving orders to the six members of the Elite Seven was a young man with blond hair and golden eyes. His name was Najasho; he was the leader of the group.

Realizing that Gozuki might be dead, his expression turned very cold. His gaze was now fixed on the shattered tree trunks, leading down to the foot of the mountain.

Akame and the others obeyed his command.

Before long, they finally reached the foot of the mountain. When they got there, they were stunned.

Why?

They didn't see a space train, the Astral Express like Gozuki. Instead, they only saw their 'father' sitting with a stylishly dressed young man with white hair.

With a campfire nearby, the two appeared to be eating grilled meat together. The aroma of spices from the meat made Akame unable to help but drool.

"What's going on? Father isn't dying or seriously injured—he's eating with someone!" Guy exclaimed with a look of surprise on his face.

"T-They also seem to be talking and laughing." Tsukishi said, confused.

As far as they could tell, 'Gozuki' was discussing something with Eiji, and he was laughing frequently.

Eiji responded to his every word casually; even though he looked young, Gozuki spoke to him warmly as if he were a friend.

The seven of them approached their location.

'Gozuki' noticed their arrival and was the first to say, "You've all finally made it here."

"Father... What exactly happened? We thought something bad had happened to you." Najasho asked.

For a moment, his gaze also swept over Eiji. The other members of the Elite Seven, including Akame, also glanced at him curiously.

Still, the women couldn't help but be captivated by his good looks for a moment.

"H-He's so handsome! He's even more handsome than Najasho..." Poney squeaked, a blush spreading across her cheeks.

Eiji, of course, heard that; he glanced at Poney and the other women with a faint smile.

"...." Akame, Cornelia, Poney, and Tsukishi immediately turned their faces away.

That smile was way too dangerous!

They couldn't help but feel embarrassed, so they didn't dare keep looking at his face.

Guy and Green's lips twitched.

'Who is this guy!?'

'Just with that smile, he made all the women in our group blush!?'

The two young men glared at Eiji.

"Something bad happened to me? Haha! That's not wrong—I almost died earlier." Gozuki laughed.

"!!!" Najasho and the other six members of the Elite Seven.

'Gozuki' continued, pointing at Eiji, "But this young man held back and didn't kill me."

"He's the enemy!?" Green, Poney, and Tsukishi said in unison.

Guy glared at Eiji, "Father, I'll avenge you!"

He was about to activate his weapon, but Cornelia immediately stopped him by shouting at him. "Guy, stop!"

"Cornelia, what do you mean? That man almost killed Father!"

Guy was both angry and jealous.

The woman he liked, Cornelia, suddenly defended a man who had clearly almost killed his father.

"I said stop! Father hasn't finished what he was saying! There must be a reason why he and Father are eating together right now. You're an idiot!"

Cornelia called Guy idiot.

The muscular young man immediately fell silent and felt sad. However, he eventually stopped, just as the woman had said.

Eiji watched the scene with amusement. Still, the young blonde woman seemed even more appealing to him. She also had a nice butt.

By the way, you're probably wondering why Gozuki is still alive. That's actually not true—he didn't bring him back to life.

To keep Akame and the women of the Elite Seven from turning against him, he obviously had to do something. He couldn't let them know that he had killed Gozuki.

So, he...

"Ahem!" Gozuki pretended to cough under Najasho's strange gaze, "Everyone, don't get the wrong idea. It's true that this young man almost killed me, but it all happened because of a misunderstanding on my part. I attacked him first, and once I found out who he was, I regretted it."

"Father, you regret it!?" Green shouted, disbelief evident in his voice.

'Gozuki,' with a serious expression, said, "Let me introduce him to all of you. This young man is Eiji; he is the one who will become the next Emperor. In other words, he is the heir to the imperial throne."

"!!!" The Elite Seven.

[Host, what are you up to?]

'As you heard, Miss System. Apparently, I'm the heir to the imperial throne.'

[Nonsense, you're clearly just fooling those people.]

'If one day I succeed the Emperor in the empire, I won't actually be deceiving them. It's also another way to avoid having to brainwash them.'

Miss System said nothing more.

Leme laughed.

[As the future Emperor of this world, you must gather many prospective wives and concubines, our king!]

'Leme, what you're saying makes sense!'

The members of the Elite Seven certainly didn't expect that the young man dining with his father was the heir to the imperial throne.

However, Najasho sensed something was off. "Doesn't the current Emperor have only one son? And I heard he's supposed to be very young."

To him, Eiji seemed to be the same age as them or even a few years older.

'Gozuki' casually replied, "You only know the general information. The Emperor has more than one wife; it's only natural that he has several unannounced heirs. This is a common tactic used to deceive the Empire's enemies, such as the Revolutionary Army."

"...." Najasho and the others fell silent.

Since that was what their 'father' had said, they no longer had any doubts and believed what he said.

Eiji almost laughed. 'Gozuki's' acting was better than he'd expected!