What's up, you beautiful people! I hope you've had a wonderful day! Here's a new story by the same author for Corruption, Murder and Redemption?
Now you may be asking, what's so different from this. Well if you've read Akame ga kill: An alternate timeline and the summary of this fanfic, you'll know that this one is based on Sayo as she takes Tatsumi's place in dealing with the evil of the empire. Also, just a headsup, this fanfiction will fix some of the dislikes the other fanfic I mentioned (Corruption, Murder and Redemption). That means Aria is dead. But before reading this fanfic, please read the Akame ga kill: An Alternate Timeline to understand this. It's just a one-shot, a continuity to this fanfiction.
With that done, now on to the chapter!
Chapter 1: A new beginning
Another day started when the sun rose over the horizon. People within the Capital could already be seen walking about to their own businesses, whether it was for good or for evil. But for a few, it was a time to rest, especially for a certain black haired girl sleeping on a bed.
A day had passed since the horrors in Aria's mansion had come to an end. Since then, Ben and Aria had taken Tatsumi and Ieyasu's belongings and buried the two teenagers in respect to them. Now it was just them against the world as they decided to pursue the dream their two late friends had held with them.
However, the moment wasn't right for anything. Ben could see that as he stood next to Sayo's bed, thinking as he looked at the sleeping girl.
'She's sleeping so well. I shouldn't wake her up.' He thought. 'With all that had happened last night, she deserves the rest.'
His decision was made that instant. Hence, he left her room without saying a word. Currently, the two were staying in a room in some small hotel. They still had the money from what the village chief had given them, but sooner or late they'll run out of it.
Fortunately, Ben was ahead of that. He knew Sayo needed a job in the Capital in order to send money back to the village. But there was a problem…
'…This world is just too messed up.' He thought solemnly. 'I don't think there's anyone we can trust. Anyone can act friendly with us just like Aria did. Man…I don't even want to recall those sickening things she did.'
Another thing then got his attention. It was the alien device on his wrist as he raised his arm up a bit to look at it. Ben was wearing a black coat just to hide the alien watch, but now that he glanced at a small peek of the thing, his mind wondered.
'The Ultimatrix…I never thought I'd get it back.' He thought.
A day ago the teen hero had the Omnitrix, but a visit from a certain time-traveller had changed all that. Ben could even recall it as he had a flashback.
FLASHBACK
Ben let out a yawn as he went into his room. He had gone around the Capital with Sayo to search for a good job until it was night. Hence, the two of them went back to the hotel and decided to rest for the next day. But he never would've thought he would get a visit.
Professor Paradox, a man with his own share of mysteries, was sitting on his bed with his familiar smile on his face.
"Welcome, Ben. I've been waiting for you." Paradox said.
"Paradox?" Ben was surprised. He paused for a moment to look out the door before then closing it behind him. Then he approached the man. "Wow…uh…this is a surprise. I didn't think you would show up now."
A thought then dawned on the teen hero. He became angry.
"I'm sorry, but where were you?! You never mentioned psychopaths like that girl and her family! My friends are dead now and Sayo is…alone."
At the last part, Ben's expression and voice became sad. Paradox could understand, as he had seen the scene for him. As such, he had only sympathy for the teen as he then patted his side for the teen.
"Sit with me, Ben. There's much you need to understand." He said.
Ben obliged. He didn't hate Paradox as he knew the time-traveller had his reasons. So he sat next to him as turned to the man as he spoke.
"When I informed you about this world, you never let me finished." Paradox said. "I cannot blame you for feeling angry though, nor do I hold you responsible for interrupting me at the time. Even now Azmuth is against your stay here, but I believe you can do so much. You already have."
"I…have?" Ben asked, confused.
Paradox looked forward and extended his hand. A hologram of a tree then appeared before he continued.
"Do you remember what I told you and no-watch Ben about the Multiverse?" Paradox questioned. He already knew Ben's response, so he continued. "Well the same applies to this universe. As you can guess, this universe is a branch of other universes, though most of them start the same but with different outcomes. Sadly in most of them…your friend Sayo dies."
Ben was taken aback. His eyes widened and he moved back. "Sayo…dies?"
"Regrettably…yes." Paradox revealed. "You see, Ben, just as there is a prime Ben, Tatsumi was the prime of his universe. But as the Multiverse expands, new seeds were laid and with one them involving Sayo. I can honestly tell you this…It's because of you that she lives."
"I…think I get it." Ben said. His mind was still trying to recover from what he was told. "But if you don't mind, what happened in those other timelines…I mean the ones with Tatsumi."
Paradox waved his hand and the hologram tree was gone. In its place were two leaves which expanded and made a circle window which displayed a 'video' of two scenarios.
"At the leaf at your left is a universe where you weren't in this universe. This universe had no dimensional intervention. It was basically a 'normal' universe, but with darker outcomes. Tatsumi was swindled by that blonde woman you and Sayo avoided and ended up going to Aria's mansion. There, he ran into Night Raid, an infamous group of assassins, and discovered Ieyasu and Sayo were dead. He killed Aria and ended up joining Night Raid until his death when he stopped the emperor."
Ben was silent as he took the information in. It was a surprise to him that Tatsumi joined Night Raid, whom he had heard and confirmed were a group of assassins. In fact, as Paradox was speaking, he could see the mentioned scenes and felt some dread.
Paradox made that leaf to disappear. It was time for the other timeline.
"This timeline was…different." He said. "You were involved, but you met up with Tatsumi after the four of you were separated. Sayo still died and Night Raid still struck the mansion just like the other timeline. However, you were able to save Ieyasu and Aria."
"Aria?" Ben questioned, surprised. Then his anger boiled and he stood up straight and pointed at the 'leaf' which showed an image of Aria. "You're saying I saved that?! She killed Tatsumi and Ieyasu!"
"That is true. I believe that version of yourself knew this." Paradox replied calmly. "But have you forgotten? You tried to save her back in the mansion."
"Uh…yes, but…" Ben said, but couldn't complete. He remembered that moment he had tried to save Aria until Sayo 'accidentally' killed her. But he felt frustrated as he then groaned and sat back on his bed. "Whatever! Just…Just tell me the rest."
"Well…there isn't much else." Paradox said, looking back at the 'leaf'. "Aria became a changed person who later did some good until her end. But in the long-run, you and Tatsumi and Ieyasu didn't see eye to eye until Ieyasu was killed by Seryu. Consider that a small warning to compensate for my absence at a time you needed me. If you meet that woman of the Imperial police, you must not get involved with her. Your alternate counterpart made that mistake and it led to Ieyasu's death."
"Seryu…I'll keep that name in mind. Thanks." Ben replied.
"You're welcome." Paradox said back and stood up. The hologram leaf disappeared before he turned to the teen hero. He then pulled out a small box from his coat. "Originally, my intention was to warn you about the state of the empire. But I expect you're already well-informed enough for the time being. So until we meet again, I give you this."
Ben was confused, but took the box Paradox handed him. From there, he opened the box and was surprised at what was inside.
"This is…"
"The Polymorphic crystal Albedo used, but a different type." Paradox revealed. "Azmuth didn't approve of its use, but I believe the situation calls for it. You will face great trials, especially as Alien X and Clockwork have been placed in a time-lock within the Omnitrix. Don't worry. When the time comes, you will recover both of them."
"I get it now." Ben said. His determination then took over before standing up. "Things aren't going to be like it was in Bellwood, but…I'm not going to give up! I'm going to set this universe right! Just you watch!"
Paradox smiled. "That's the spirit, Ben! I expect nothing less of you! Until next time!"
The time-traveller then disappeared in a flash of blue light. It didn't surprise Ben, of course, as he had gotten used to. Now it was just him in his room as he then lifted the Omnitrix to his eye-view.
"Omnitrix, you've been the best. Sure, you've turned me into the wrong aliens, but you've had my best interests in the end. But now we're probably going to go up against the worst, so we have to get better…or in your own place get an upgrade."
Ben then took out the crystal in the box and raised it above the Omnitrix. In a few seconds later, the Omnitrix would be reborn as the new Ultimatrix.
FLASHBACK END
'…and that's what happened.' Ben said. 'I don't want to mess things up. Sayo and her friends are counting on me, so I can't fail them. I haven't tried out the new Ultimatrix yet, but it's given me some new aliens and the Ultimates function. I can't wait to use them.'
Ben continued his walk. He had been lost in his thoughts so much that he was a bit surprised when he saw a small crowd at an open center in front of him.
'Huh…what's going on there?' The teen hero wondered.
Ever since being in the Capital, Ben hadn't gotten to know the place so well. This was because him and Sayo were careful of the places they would go to. But now that the teen was by himself, he went over to the crowd and got the shock of his life.
There were about six people pinned to a cross each. A few of them were missing a body part while the others seemed to be dead due to the loss of blood. Ben was so sick at the sight that he turned away and held back the urge to puke as he clutched his stomach.
'Just…Just what is wrong with this place?' He wondered in disgust.
"That's the Capital for you. Sick, isn't it?"
Ben turned back and saw a familiar face. It was Leone of Night Raid, though the teen hero didn't know about the young woman's assassin status, but he was still somewhat hostile towards her.
"You…" Ben said, recovering. "You're that con-artist."
"Yup, the onee-san from before!" Leone chirpily said.
However, the mood wasn't shared by Ben. The teen hero said nothing to her. Instead he began to walk passed her, which surprised the young woman and made her catch up to her.
"That was rude, kid. You should be careful with the way you react. There are…friends of the empire that watch out for those who they feel may threaten the order of things." She said.
"Oh, geez, thanks for the tip. Bye!"
With that, the teen hero continued to walk away. Leone watched him from behind, but said nothing to get his attention. A part of the reason was because of her sly smile as her other reason became ominous when she eyed the new Ultimatrix peeking from Ben's sleeve.
'That's his Teigu huh? Well, kid…we'll be seeing more of each other soon. I just know it.'
Ben made it to the hotel with no stress before heading to Sayo's room. The girl was likely awake by now, so the teen hero knocked at her door first. He received a response soon after and entered the room and just in time. Sayo was seated on her bed, wearing her boot as she already seemed ready to go.
"Ah, there you are. I was almost worried, you know." Sayo said with a stern look.
Ben smiled sheepishly. "Sorry about that. I came earlier and saw you were asleep. I didn't want to wake you up."
Sayo huffed and stomped her worn foot to the ground. She understood Ben's concern and so she stood up with her hands at her hips.
"Fine, I'll let you go this time." She said. "So, did you find anything interesting during your little stroll?"
"Uh…" Ben paused and recalled back. If he told Sayo about what he saw at the Capital's center, there was no telling how that would affect Sayo. So he lied. "Nope, nothing at all."
"You're lying." Sayo pointed out.
"Huh?! How did you –"
"It's obvious, Ben!" Sayo yelled. Surprisingly, she wasn't angered by the teen. But she let out another puff of air and turned from the teen with an annoyed look. "It's fine. I won't be surprised if there was something ugly in this Capital honestly."
'She can read minds now?' Ben mildly wondered.
Then another thought dawned on him. It was because of how Sayo pointed out his lie. But though the girl treated it mildly, Ben was feeling guilt.
'I lied to her again.' Ben thought to himself. 'Ever since I came to this world, I haven't told anyone my secret. Now Tatsumi and Ieyasu died believing what I told them…I...don't want the same to happen to Sayo.'
A realization then dawned on him. Hence, he moved back into position with a strong will. 'That's right! I have to tell her the truth! I won't let her die, but she deserves the truth! I just hope she doesn't hate me for it.'
"Uh…Ben?" Sayo called out. She was staring at the hero confused. "Are you okay?"
Ben snapped out of his mind and sheepishly smiled again. "Ye-Yeah, I'm good. Sorry about that."
"Okay!" Sayo smiled determinedly. "Alright! Let's get going! Maybe with luck, we can find a suitable job that'll have the money we need to help the folks back at home!"
"Right…!" Ben smiled. His expression soon changed, though, as he approached the girl. Sayo was confused until the teen placed his hand on her shoulder. "Sayo…there's something I've been meaning to tell you."
"Uh…sure. I'm all ears…I guess." Sayo said with uncertainty.
Ben went ahead, though, and did what he wanted. Hence, the next few minutes between the two was filled with emotional shifts and questions.
An hour later, Ben and Sayo could be seen walking on a street in the Capital. The place wasn't so crowded or too busy, but it was somewhat normal. The duo has been searching for a job that Sayo could take part in. Unfortunately, it wasn't working well.
'We've been at this for an hour now…' Sayo thought with an exhausted tone. 'But now that I've gotten a longer look of the Capital, is the situation here just…getting worse?'
Sayo's eyes looked to her side. She could see some people wearing drags or just pieces of clothes that barely covered them. There was also the fact that some of these people were skinny and just about looked hopeless.
'We've been at the Capital for two days and I think I get why those merchants that led us here was talking about. This city…is just terrible. Can't something be done about this?'
Her attention then went over to Ben. The teen hero didn't notice, as his attention seemed to be somewhere else. Sayo couldn't help but think over what had happened in her room with Ben.
'And then there's Ben…To think he's someone from another world. It's just…crazy and at the same time amazing.' Sayo thought. 'I know I should be mad at him for lying, but…I've gotten to know him well enough to know that he cares. I just wish Tatsumi and Ieyasu got to know.'
The black haired girl bit her lip. She was yet again reminded of her friends' death. She had tried to cope with it multiple times, but it would take more than a few days before she could come to terms with it. That is why she then stopped and looked over to a wall with Ben turning to her confused.
"Sayo?"
"I'm sorry, Ben…" Sayo apologized with a sad tone. "It's just…I'm worried. We've been here for a few days and haven't found a good enough job. I'm beginning to wonder if the dream Tatsumi, Ieyasu and I shared can ever be completed. This place…might just be what we've heard. 'A place of monsters in human skin'."
"Sayo…" Ben muttered with a frown.
Truth be told, the teen hero wanted to comfort her. He was basically all she had in this Capital. However, Sayo noticed a poster on the wall and touched it with a small look of intrigue.
"Akame…Night Raid." Sayo read.
The poster was no ordinary poster; it was a wanted poster. It had a square frame and a hand-drawn image of a girl likely in her teens. There were also other wanted posters Sayo noticed with a common name.
"Night Raid. Who are they?" Sayo wondered.
Ben felt troubled. He didn't know much about them, but he did get a brief about their line of work from Professor Paradox. However, he was beaten to say a word when a certain busty young woman approached them.
"You've got a good eye, huh kid."
Both Sayo and Ben were a bit taken aback when they turned to the direction of the voice. It was none other than Leone.
"Wait, you're that woman with the massive boobs!" Sayo exclaimed. Her cheeks then brightened red as she became embarrassed. Ben, at the same time, turned away just to get over how weird hearing Sayo say that.
Leone took no offense to it. She just happily giggled and put her arm around Sayo's neck, much to the girl's surprise.
"That's right! It's the onee-san from before! How you doing, kid?!" Leone expressed.
Ben didn't like it. He was quick to recollect himself and then force Leone's arm off an embarrass-felt Sayo.
"Are you following us now?!" Ben yelled angrily.
"Nope! I work these parts, and you should know!"
Ben just responded with a glare. 'Scammer!'
"Anyway…!" Leone continued. A sly smile then formed on her face. "You want to know about Night Raid, right?! I have good info, but only for the right price."
Both Ben and Sayo suddenly turned away. There was no way there were going to get scammed by the busty blonde. But Leone was surprised and called out to them.
"Hey! Hey! Wait, I change my mind!" She shouted.
A few minutes later and Leone, Ben and Sayo were in a dead-end alley. There was no one else except for the three, and for a good reason. Ben and Sayo didn't like it, though, especially for the teen hero who seemed cautious.
"If it weren't for the fact I want to know about those assassins, we wouldn't be here, you know." He said.
Sayo looked to him. "You know about them?"
"Uh…yeah. Do you remember that friend I mentioned? Yeah, he told me a little bit about them." Ben said.
Leone smiled slyly. "Oh, this is interesting. But don't worry. I respect secrets, especially the juicy ones."
'I don't think you can handle Ben's secret though.' Sayo thought with doubt.
"Just get on with it." Ben demanded.
"Right!" Leone replied. "You two are obviously country-pumpkins, so I'll add some extra information for you after this. Night Raid is made up of a bunch of assassins with weapons called Imperial Arms or Teigu. They operate in the night, like their name suggests. Most of their targets have been political figures, so it's not like they attack random people."
"That's awful." Sayo commented.
"Is it?" Leone questioned. Her tone dropped to a slight darker one. "Some of these political guys are just pigs, just so you know. They think so high of themselves and people like me from the slums as nothing but things to step on. I can't tell you how many of their types I've heard."
Sayo frowned. She hated to admit it, but Leone had a point. Aria and her family seemed to fit the description Leone had said. Ben was also in agreement at this point.
"So what are these…Imperial Arms?" Ben asked.
"Oh that?" Leone's attitude from earlier returned. "Yeah, Imperial Arms are weapons that were created from the remains of high classed Danger Beasts centuries ago. The first emperor wanted his empire to be secured, so he commissioned the creation of those weapons. But a civil war broke out somewhere down the line and some of the Imperial Arms got lost."
'Is that so?' Ben questioned in his mind. 'Paradox didn't get to explain that to me. But at least now I know what weapons this world has.'
"By the way…" Leone continued. "Have you heard about the raid on the Goodricke family? They say it's Night Raid, but some of the guards were left alive."
Both Ben and Sayo were taken aback by the sudden topic. It especially affected Sayo who was instantly reminded of what happened that night.
Leone noticed their reaction. In her mind, this meant as a good thing but she needed to be sure that the duo were the ones responsible for the incident. So she continued.
"Findings were already leaked out that the family had a storage filled with people from the countryside, tortured and dead. Sickening, and what makes it worse is that the daughter might have been involved in it."
Sayo grimaced in that moment. Her mind flashed back to the moment she saw Tatsumi and Ieyasu dead. It immediately became too much for her and she turned away. Fortunately, Ben placed his hand on her head and softly pushed her to his chest for comfort.
Now Leone was certain of their involvement. The way Sayo and Ben responded was beyond how ordinary people would respond to such news. Sure, they would be disgusted, but not to the point of the reacting the way Sayo did.
"Is she doing okay?" She asked. She was pretending to be confused.
"Yeah, she's fine. She just…ate something bad." Ben answered.
Leone could tell he was lying. She was an expert in it, as well as at deception. But she played along by saying nothing as Ben turned Sayo and himself from the woman.
"Thanks for the information. Don't follow us anymore." The teen hero said firmly.
With that, the both of them began to walk away. Leone didn't mind, as she just watched it. Then a smirk formed on her face.
'I was going to invite him and the girl to a more secluded place at night so I could recruit them over to our side. But this is good. That girl's expression just confirmed my suspicion. We'll meet again, lad. I just know it.'
Some minutes later and Ben and Sayo were back in the girl's room. There hadn't been much said between the two since the distance from the alley and the hotel wasn't that far. But the airy silence was there as Ben removed his coat and hanged it by a nail on the wall while Sayo silently sat at the edge of her bed.
"I'm…sorry about that, Ben." Sayo said with a sad tone.
"Nah, it's cool." Ben replied assuredly. He was able to keep a calming smile as he headed to the black haired girl. "That woman is really shady."
"No, not about that." Sayo replied.
Her response was enough to get Ben's curiosity as he sat next to her. She continued with that same tone, but without looking at him. "It's just that it's been days…but yet I haven't gotten over what happened to Tatsumi and Ieyasu. The fear…the horror…the pain the two of them and those other unfortunate people had to endure, it…it really scares like…what if I was there? What if I was the one hanging like Tatsumi there…? I know I should keep moving on and try to realize our dream, but with each day passing, it feels really different. The friends I used to see every day…are no more."
Ben was silent. Sayo was depressing and yet understandable. This was because Ben had known her friends long enough to see the good in them before their untimely death. Sayo decided then to wipe the tears at her eyes and put up a fake smile.
"I'm sorry…" Sayo said, standing up. "Let me go get some tea. I think that's what we –"
"Wait, Sayo!" Ben stopped her. He grabbed her hand, which surprised her. But it made sense when she looked down at him and met his eyes.
"Ben?" Sayo questioned, taken aback.
The teen hero then responded. "Listen, you don't have to hold this pain. Tatsumi and Ieyasu were good people, so I'm pretty much sure they'll understand what you're feeling. So if you need someone to talk to then let me help you. We're in this together, right?"
Sayo was astonished and at the same time comforted. Her heart felt at ease when she heard those words from Ben. Hence, she smiled and gripped the teen's hand in response.
"Right, like we promised." The girl said.
Sayo wasn't entirely over her friends' death, but she was taking the necessary steps to moving on. But right there the girl realized she was holding Ben's hand before quickly removing it. Ben was confused and oblivious to the sudden forcefulness. However, Sayo only turned away to hide the blush at her cheek and making a fake cough to divert her mind from what just happened.
"Um…anyway…" She said.
One of the many things about Sayo was her able to do was to change her emotions. It didn't make her bipolar, but it was amazing as she then pulled out a familiar poster from her dress. It was the poster of Akame.
"Let's become bounty hunters!" She exclaimed.
"Wait, what?!" Ben was shocked. He didn't like the idea as it made him to stand up. "Bounty hunters, really?! That's too risky, especially if you plan on going up against Night Raid!"
"I know that, dummy!" Sayo retorted. She was then quick to calm herself and explain. "Listen, we won't be going up against Night Raid! If you didn't notice, there were other criminals apart from them that were posted on that wall! Besides, with your watch and my skills, I don't think we'll have a problem!"
"Yeah, I guess…" Ben replied. He sounded uncertain as he looked away. "But bounty hunters? We don't know how dangerous they can be."
"You're probably right…" Sayo muttered. Her tone was declining from what it was. "It's just that…I thought it would be the best. We won't have to kill since most posters warrant them to be brought back either dead and alive…It was a nice idea I guess...especially with the money."
Ben felt guilt. He looked over to the black haired girl who just seemed to be staring at the poster sadly.
"Urgh!" Ben groaned. He didn't like what he was about to say. "I'm probably going to kick myself in the butt for this someday, but fine! Let's be bounty hunters!"
"Really?!" Sayo's face suddenly lightened up.
Ben was a bit taken aback. As such he acted a bit unease. "Y-Yeah." He said. "Back home my cousin and my best friend would track criminals down and hand them over to the police. We did it for free, but…I guess we could do things like that as bounty hunters."
"Yes! I'm glad you see it too!" Sayo exclaimed happily. The girl was so happy that she then embraced Ben in a hug, which surprised him. But then the scene became warming when Sayo spoke again.
"Thank you! Maybe now our dream of supporting everyone back home might actually see the light of day!"
"Yeah." Ben smiled and patted her on the head.
Somewhere outside the Capital, but in the woods, there was a secret hideout for the infamous group of assassins called Night Raid. The location was somewhere in which any person passing by would be treated as a trespasser and killed off. But right now the group was having a meeting with their returned leader, Najenda, former general of the empire, standing before them.
"First off, I would like to congratulate everyone on the extermination for the intruders last night." Najenda said with satisfaction. "Now then…how's the operation on dealing with the remnant guards of the Goodricke family?"
"Smoothly I'll say." Lubbock answered. "The empire has caught wind of our intention, though, and has tightened their security around these people. Luckily for us, it's just four of those guys left compared to their former numbers that was twenty."
"Hmm, impressive." Najenda was pleased. She lit a cigarette and held it close to her lips. "I was gone for quite some time. It's good to know you guys were able to handle each other."
"Yup, and it's all because of me!" Leone stated proudly.
Akame and Mine shot a glare at the busty blonde. In response, Leone retracted her claim with a sign of uneasiness. "Well…they helped…mostly Akame."
"Leone!" Mine shouted in offense.
However, any sign of a fight was broken when Najenda spoke up. By then she removed it from her mouth and let out a small puff of smoke.
"Is that so? Then I assume you're working on recruiting the two people responsible for hitting the Goodricke's mansion?" Najenda questioned. "To be frank, they haven't shown the qualities of being a true assassin. The only reason they intrigued me is because despite being from the countryside they were able to execute a good number of those guards and kill the family."
"Trust me, boss. They'll be useful to us." Leone said with confidence. "Findings from the scene mentioned arrows being used, and I doubt the lad is the one that used it. Besides, I got a little peek at his Teigu. I don't know what it is despite following them. But I'm sure that once I convince the lad, the girl will follow. She seems to be relying on him much."
"Hmph!" Mine snubbed rudely. "We don't need newbies! Besides, it's thanks to them that people point us as the cause of that raid."
"Is that a problem?" Najenda questioned. Her one eye turned over to Mine. "Whether the incident was of our doing is not important. As long as innocents are not caught in the crossfire, the public can speculate as much as they want."
The time had come. Night fall was upon them, meaning time for another strike. Najenda knew this well and as such stood up and waved her hand to her side.
"Now's the time! The selected teams should go and clean up what those two could not! If anyone stands in your way, deal with them accordingly!"
And so the respected teams which comprised of Akame and Lubbock as one team and Leone and Bulat as the other went off to the Capital.
Some places in the Capital were still populated at night. But by the time it was midnight, the number of people began to decrease. The same was even obvious at a district of the Capital which was deserted. Ben and Sayo walked through that area, though, as they were in search of someone. Sayo was equipped with her bow and arrow while Ben was wearing his green coat.
"How long till we get back to the hotel? That Teigu Mercenary is a no-show despite having a bounty on him." Sayo said with an exhausted tone.
For hours, the duo had been searching for a man named the Teigu Mercenary. Ben even had a wanted poster of the man as they were walking.
"Sorry about that, Sayo." Ben apologized. Even he was feeling tired. "The information we received from that guild said he's normally witnessed at night. But are you sure you want to face someone with one of those Teigu?"
"Well…the money on him is pretty high…and we're also almost out of funds, so it's not like we can refuse any offer." Sayo said with some hesitation. "Besides…I want to test out my strength. If I'm going to be a bounty hunter, I have to get stronger."
"I don't know." Ben said with uncertainty. "There's trying to get stronger and then there's rushing it. For now let's go back to the hotel and –"
"S-Somebody, save me! Night Raid's after after me! Night Raid!"
Someone was in trouble, and it sounded like he was coming close. In fact, the moment the cry was heard, the person responsible ran into Ben and bumped into him. Sayo was surprised, with the same for Ben as he and the man fell to the ground.
"Ow…Watch where you're going, dude." Ben winced
The man stuttered and fearfully got back up. Ben and Sayo didn't notice since the latter of the two of them helped Ben back to his feet. But then the man screamed at them with a look of terror.
"I-I recognize you both now! You're the ones who killed Aria-sama and her family!"
Ben and Sayo were surprised. They didn't exactly remember the man, but they had a feeling on his former occupation.
"You're one of Aria's guards!" Ben revealed.
Sayo immediately turned to Ben. "He is?! Wait, I thought you wiped his memory along with the others!"
"I didn't exactly wipe it! Pesky Dust –"
Ben was interrupted by a loud grunt was heard, followed by blood splattering on the ground. Ben and Sayo hadn't seen the cause of it until then turning to the man. Unfortunately, the scene wasn't for the weak-hearted.
The former guard of the Goodricke family had a blade pierce right through him from his back. Sayo and Ben could recognize the blade as being that of a katana. As for its owner, she revealed herself when she pulled her weapon out of the man's body, causing him to fall to the ground dead.
Sayo had to hold back from screaming. The blood coming out from the dead man was forming into a pool that even forced the both of them to step out. Fortunately, Ben was quick to respond as he looked at the face of the killer.
"You! What did you just do?!" Ben yelled angrily.
"I eliminated him." The girl replied. Her face held no emotional as she pulled her katana to her side.
Sayo immediately recognized the girl. "You…You're from the poster. You're Akame of Night Raid!"
Ben was surprised, but he was able to recognize her face easily. A word was about to be said, but Sayo noticed something. Her eyes noticed small light reflections in the air, which was odd. But sensing danger, she grabbed Ben's wrist and pulled him down with her.
"Get down!" She shouted.
Ben did as she told him. He didn't know the danger, but it made sense when they looked back above them and saw a bunch of wires join together. If they had stayed standing, they would've been cut into pieces.
However, the tension only began to increase. A whistle was heard, which made both teens to look up and see Lubbock standing by a rooftop.
"Good eye, girl! Even with the streetlights on, no one would've seen my threads coming until it were too late!" He said.
Sayo said nothing back. Instead she just gave him a glare as she and Ben got back on their feet, now completely aware of their situation.
"Looks like we got ourselves in a pinch with Night Raid anyway, but at least we're no longer sleepy." Sayo joked a bit.
"Eh, nice witty banter…It could use some work though." Ben commented. In response, Sayo glared at him.
However, there was no time for response. Akame suddenly attacked by jumping over the body of the man she killed and slashed her katana at the two. Fortunately, she missed when both of them leaped back and immediately got ready for a fight.
"That must be the one-cut-one-kill Murasame." Sayo analyzed. "Be careful, Ben. One cut from that thing releases a poison into your bloodstream."
"The blood stream huh?!" Ben questioned with a sense of intrigue. His hand peeled back the sleeve of his coat, revealing the Ultimatrix. "Then I guess someone with armor can take her down! Time for Water Hazard!"
The new Ultimatrix was different from its previous version. It was green and resembled half of a gauntlet. It also had the other side at the back of Ben's hand than just his entire wrist like the previous version. There were also four dots directed at Ben's fingers with a circle faceplate at the side of the Ultimatrix which was still on his wrist.
Ben was quick to press his hands on the faceplate. Then by selecting through the aliens on the a hologram cycle of his aliens' faces, he found the one he had in mind and removed his finger for the hourglass design of the watch to slide to their respective sides and reveal the Ultimatrix core.
"You guys are in trouble now! It's Hero Time!" Ben exclaimed. With that, he slammed his hand on the core, allowing the usual flash of green light to wash over him.
(CHAPTER END)
Wow! That sure was something huh?! I wanted to go on with this, but then it would mean I would cut the fight scene I have planned. The next chapter will deal with the fight. I can assure you that Sayo will show a side of her we never got to see.
On another note, there are some things I want to address. Just because I started this fanfiction does not mean I've given up on my other one. If you must know, Corruption, Murder and Redemption? is another fanfiction like I mentioned earlier. Professor Paradox even mentions what happened in that fanfiction, so if you're interested in it then head over there and give it a read. Also, the Teigu Mercenary is an OC which Ben faces in the other fanfiction.
The new Ultimatrix is based off from Albedo's Ultimatrix. If you want to get a better picture of Ben's new Ultimatrix then just google that Ultimatrix. As for anything relating to how it changed and how Ben met with Tatsumi and his two friends, it's already been addressed in my other fanfiction. But don't worry. I will still give some explanation on that meeting.
Thank you all for reading this! Please be sure to review, favorite and follow! And if you want, please check out the other fanfiction I mentioned! Bye!