Chapter Three: Storm the gate!

After meeting with everyone in the hall, Tatsumi decided to make his way back to bed since it was past midnight in the middle of the night. As he lay in his bed, staring at the ceiling and thinking about how happy he was to finally be among people who seemed to be at least partially cool when he suddenly felt himself waking up! Unsure of how long he had been asleep, Tatsumi glanced out the window only to see it was still pitch black outside.

I must only have been asleep for an hour or so.

Sighing as he swung himself out of bed once more, Tatsumi was about to go get a glass of water when he heard something from the main hall, straining to hear what it was from his room. Sadly, he could only hear something was happening, so he silently swung open the door and moved out into the hallway, his mind racing.

Did someone break in? No…too quiet for that. Is someone up, maybe talking to someone else? Maybe, I guess. Maybe Akame got hungry and decided to eat the entire refrigerator.

Almost laughing at the image of Akame devouring the refrigerator whole with that same stone face she always had, Tatsumi brought his giggles under control as he approached the main hall, about to walk in when he heard something that made him stop in his tracks, something in the voice of the woman with the metal arm speaking to someone he couldn't see.

"I know you might not like it…but we need that Teigu….the person inside can be replaced."

His mind racing a million miles an hour, Tatsumi refused to believe they were discussing him.

No way. No way, right? They must be discussing a late night contract, or something…

But it got worse as the girl with the pink hair's voice was heard.

"Hmph. Not that I care…boss is right. That Teigu the new kid has is actually strong enough to let someone break into the capital unchallenged, even by General Esdeath! We can't possibly let that go to waste on a newbie like him."

This time, it was bulat who spoke.

"No. NO. Absolutely not. I won't be a part of this! Killing our new recruit?! That's not what Night Raid does!"

Again, the woman with the metal Arm's voice, sadder than usual.

"I know…..I know. But…that armor is too valuable to waste, Bulat….tell me I'm wrong about it! Tell me we could break into the castle an easier way, tell me of another Teigu we have that would let us kill the minister that easily? Not even Budo or Esdeath can scratch that armor!"

This time, Leone spoke.

"I'm with Bro. This is wrong…but I can see why you think this is ok, Boss…..but I still don't like it."

Silence descended upon the room until Akame spoke up.

"I see no problems with this."

Then, a voice he hadn't heard before…..

I must not have met that one earlier.

"Personally…I don't care one way or another. The newbie may be a good kid I guess from what Leone Says…but that's irrelevant. If we're doing this, we should do it now….before we get attached."

The woman with the metal arm's voice again.

"I agree, Lubbock. Sheele, what do you think?"

A voice that was almost too quiet to hear was heard.

"I…..don't care."

As the woman with the metal hand clapped her hands, she spoke once more.

"Then it's decided…..let's do this."

Tatsumi's mind hardened, probably thanks to Pluto, and he felt his hands quaking with rage as he thought.

Those bastards. Letting me join only to try and take my Teigu…bunch of "fighters for the greater good" they are…..shit! Guess I'm gonna need to get out of here…..might as well crack a few heads on the way out.

As his heart hardened along with his heart, another part of his boyish and cocky self dying as he walked out into the main hall with fire in his heart, he sighed as he spoke, his voice full of deadly venom.

"Kill me, hmm? I'd like to see you weaklings try."

Tatsumi grinned internally as he thought about what he had just said.

Wow…that was pretty cool! Must be the armor talking.

As everyone stared at him as Pluto swirled around him like a black wind, solidifying into the demonic armor it was, the woman with the metal sighed.

"Shit. Guess we were too loud…Let's do this, then."

Cracking his shields together as his helmet formed around his face, Tatsumi's voice came from the helmet as he braced himself.

"Try me."

Watching as everyone but Bulat and Leone came at him, Tatsumi felt everyone's attacks bounce off his armor and laughed until a laser blast caught him full in the chest! Staggering back a step as he felt an actual impact, he glanced down and saw a smoking ring where the laser had hit him and felt the beast in the necklace raging as he grunted.

"Shit….Lasers."

As he locked his shields together and blocked another shot, he was stepping back in an attempt to leave when he heard panicked cries from in front of him! Peeking out of the corner of his shields, he saw Bro in his Incursio standing beside him, spear in hand and a gash on the pink haired woman's face as he spoke with a voice full of disdain.

"No….I can't allow this. I WON'T allow this! I joined Night Raid to destroy the corruption that has overtaken the empire….not kill boys like Tatsumi here because we want his Teigu! I WON'T ALLOW IT!"

For a moment, Tatsumi saw Bulat standing taller than him, standing up for what he believed in, even if that meant turning against the people he had called his friends!

"Bro…"

As he said that, Bulat held out his hand and spoke to Tatsumi as the rest of Night raid except Leone began to advance once more.

"Tatsumi…..we need to leave. They may be trying to kill you, and that's not right at all…but they hate the emperor and the minister just as much as we do."

Tatsumi figured he was right, and nodded as he felt another Laser blast drill into his shields.

"Okay. I'll cover you, so get out of here!"

Turning to him, Bro hesitated for a moment before laughing curtly and nodding as he stepped behind Tatsumi and backed up in the direction of the exit.

"Gotcha."

Pausing as he reached the exit, Bulat stopped and shouted back at Tatsumi as he intercepted a Laser blast meant for Bulat.

"And Tatsumi…don't die!"

As Bulat darted out the door, Tatsumi grinned under his helmet.

I won't, Bro. I'll be out there in a second.

As he continued to dart backwards, he heard Leone's voice from ahead of him as she apparently came a decision.

"Deserting us…that's just like him. Sorry Tatsumi….I've made up my mind."

A pained look on her face, Leone darted towards Tatsumi fasted than he could keep up with her, her claws raking over his armor as he felt her trying to remove his helmet from behind!

Just as felt her immense strength allowing her to barely lift his helmet up enough to fit a claw inside, he heard the sound of metal tearing flesh as he saw a Geyser of blood shoot past him, Leone's pained gurgles coming from behind him as everyone's attacks stops as they all turned and looked at Leone, Bulat's spear erupting from her chest! As he retrieved his spear and tossed her body across the room, Bulat spoke once more with a voice as cold as ice.

"You all are dead to me! You all may be able to dismiss this as just one step to killing the minister….but this is unacceptable, to attack him like this! Tell me, what wrong has he done other than have something you want? In any case…..we'll be leaving now."

As the two of them darted out the door, no one made a move until Najenda sighed angrily and slammed her fist into her chair as she spoke.

"Damn him! I figured he wouldn't like the idea….but deserting us..!"

As every scratched their heads as they waited for what they should do next, Leone stepped forward and spoke to everyone, the gash in her chest where bulat had stabbed her mostly healed now.

"Why didn't we just let him join and ask him to attack the palace with us? Did you guys want that Teigu of his so much?"

Strangely, not one of them could answer her until Najenda spoke up, her eyes narrowing as she gazed off into the distance.

"You don't get it, Leone….that Teigu, Pluto? I haven't heard the name before, but back whenever I was a general all the troops told stories that had been passed down the generations since the time of the first emperor, stories about the lost Teigus and such….Y'know, tales soldiers like to tell each other. One of them was of a man who served the first emperor as his right hand man, his top general…and the troops said that man wore armor that even a thousand men couldn't break, a man who could hold his own against thousands. I wasn't after the armor itself, Leone…..I was after the necklace around that boy's neck that holds it, because if that necklace could tell me the location of the corpse of the last user of that armor….we might be able to get more information about the lost Teigu, and even about the first emperor himself!"

As everyone fell silent, suddenly Lubbock spoke up.

"…..and maybe even find out how the Teigu were made!"

Najenda nodded.

"Yea….but it's a long shot, to be sure. And until he overheard us, I just wanted to take the necklace from him…I didn't want to murder the kid necessarily, so long as he handed over the necklace to us without a fight. But if he didn't…..finding even the tiniest clue of how to make Teigu or how to find more lost Teigu is worth more than the life of a boy…we need to think about our fight and the duty we have to the people of the empire to purify that disgusting minister!"

Everyone nodded in agreement to Najenda's words, but strangely, not one of them seemed to like that fact as Lubbock spoke.

"Man….this job sucks sometimes."

No one saw any reason to disagree.

Outside

As Tatsumi and Bulat came to a stop just outside the forest below Night Raid's base, Tatsumi turned to bro as they both let their armors go away, panting as he spoke.

"Bro….why did….you help me? Was turning against them like that really worth it to protect me?"

Bro only scratched his magnificent hair and sighed as he looked up at the sky.

"Tatsumi…Sometimes, a man just needs to stand up for what he believe in. I joined Night Raid because of the cruelty my former commander went through back when I was a soldier…among other reasons. But above all…."

Suddenly turning to Tatsumi and grinning, Tatsumi saw the air around him sparkle again as he held up his thumb!

"I swore I would take down that corrupt emperor and the minister if it was the last thing I did…..but I never said I'd do anything to accomplish that. Kill bastards who don't know that slavery and murder is wrong, sure. But I'll NEVER hurt an innocent kid like you for some reason as petty as wanting that necklace you got there…..so don't worry!"

As Bro put his hand on Tatsumi's head as he continued to sparkle, Tatsumi felt a shiver run up his spine.

Again with this?

After while though, Bulat sighed and looked out towards the horizon as he spoke.

"Say, Tatsumi…..got any idea where to head next?"

Before Tatsumi could even speak, both of them gasped as the necklace around Tatsumi's neck suddenly blinded them with light, sending both of them spiraling into unconsciousness…

Inside Pluto's necklace

As Tatsumi's eyes fluttered open and he rose up to find himself and Bulat standing in the sea of black metal that soon swirled around like a tornado to become Pluto the danger beast, Tatsumi blinked once as the beast instantly turned to Bulat and let a low rumble out of it's throat.

"Tyrant…..it's been a while."

As Bro seemed to be about to speak, the key he used to activate Incursio suddenly glowed as a massive danger beast shot forth into the sky, growling and bellowing in anger as it glared at Pluto! The two beasts looking tense for a moment, both of them suddenly seemed to relax as Pluto turned to Tatsumi and Bulat and began to speak.

"Forgive me….Tyrant and I were….acquainted…..when we were alive and free. Mortal enemies, you might say. Anyway….there is something you both must know pertaining to my last user."

Bulat seemed to perk up at this.

"Really? And what might that be?"

The beast eyed him and was silent for a moment before addressing them once more.

"That woman back at that base….she seemed to be after me. As such, I have decided that action is necessary to bring what was lost to the tides of time once again back into the light."

Again, Bulat spoke before Tatsumi had a chance to.

"What? Don't talk in riddles!"

The low rumble that seemed to escape Pluto's throat seemed like a chuckle as it spoke once more.

"It is not my place to discuss it, as it is knowledge my former user commanded me never to utter….for fear of bringing the world to chaos once more. Alas…..I have no choice but to enact his final plan. I apologize in advance for this."

And suddenly, Tatsumi and Bulat's vision went white as Pluto showed them a vision of its previous user's final moments of life so long ago, on the ancient battlefields of the civil war…

The two found themselves staring Arthur as he stood in the center of the battlefield Tatsumi had seen him fighting in at the end of his last vision, surrounded by the corpses of over five hundred thousand soldiers, his once-glossy and proud black armor now stained red with blood all over, his shields dangling on chains at his sides as he barely managed to keep from falling over. Blood seeped from his helmet as a cough was heard from inside, his voice coming out seconds later.

"Damn it all….Arthur 'Obsidian' Caldwell, the Proud Grand General of his highness' forces, reduced to a bleeding pile of rubbish about to die…..Hah. I suppose this bleeding pile of rubbish sent above half a million traitors to hell before him, though…"

More blood seeping from multiple points on his armor as he let his shields dissipate and began to stumble towards the forest not far away, he spoke once more.

"Suppose…I'd better hide myself. This armor…..was made for me, but….there may be more who could use it, if their wills be strong enough. Can't let….Pluto…be used against his highness…..so I'll hide myself where no one will find me."

As he trudged on silently for about five more minutes, finally entering the forest and managing to descend into a cave, he used the last of his strength to crash through the wall of the cave into another room beyond it and seal it behind him, slumping down against the wall and letting Pluto vanish as he spoke.

"Pluto, my old friend…..I have a request."

The necklace around his neck flashed gently as the beast's voice was heard.

"Request, you say? Hmph. I suppose when you look so pathetic I have no choice."

Arthur coughed again, flecks of blood flying out of his mouth and down his bloodied body as he sighed.

"Almost…..out of blood. Anyway, Pluto…..When the time comes and someone who can properly wield you as well as I can finds you….once you find out if they possesses the desire to protect that which they hold dear….show them here…..please. Don't tell them what I saw….just show them here. Oh….and if you find out that my son has continued my line….please give him my ring."

His massive muscles rippling as he managed to lift his finger and begin to write on the wall, the necklace glowed as the beast replied.

"You have my word. Arthur Caldwell…it has been a strange pleasure, being wielded by one such as you. You do my life proud. Go on into the abyss with pride, and let your shining soul blind all those who await you beyond….."

As Arthur finished writing something with his blood and finally let his hand slump to the ground, he sighed one last time, his last words rising from his lips as he died.

"Hah. You soft…old…..beast."

Seconds later, the vision ended, and Tatsumi and Bulat found themselves standing before Pluto once more, the beast strangely silent for some time before it spoke.

"Forgive me…..the past should stay where it belongs. In any case, make your way to that forest west of the capital, and find where Arthur died. There awaits a secret which he seems to have left to you there. Good luck, humans."

The landscape vanishing as Pluto vanished, Tatsumi and Bulat soon found themselves falling back into reality…..

Back in the real world

Soon enough, Tatsumi and Bulat found themselves laying on the ground right where they had fallen just outside the forest below Night Raid's base, both of them groaning as they sat up and glanced at each other.

"Ugh….my head. You okay, Tatsumi?"

Rubbing his head and nodding, Tatsumi nodded shakily as he took Bro's outstretched hand hauled himself up, dusting himself off as he glanced off to the west with narrow eyes, pausing as he spoke.

"Well…I suppose we should go find that cave then, huh?"

Bulat nodded as he glanced off towards the west as well, styling his hair as he did so and sighed.

"Might as well. Pluto made it sound like something super important was hidden there….and to be honest, I'm kinda of excited myself!"

As they began to walk, Tatsumi glanced over at Bulat and cocked an eyebrow as he spoke.

"Really…? It's just some dude from a long time ago, why are you so pumped, Bro?"

Bro turned to tatsumi with wild eyes as he spoke with a tone of excitement Tatsumi had never heard before.

"Think, Tatsumi! We're going to investigate the place where probably one of the greatest warriors this world has ever known died that hasn't been touched for more than 500 years…! And to top it all off, he was GRAND GENERAL of the armies of the first emperor! Just think of all the secrets about that time were lost to time!"

Tatsumi scratched his head and thought back to his first vision, wondering if he could have been wrong about the time scale when Arthur died. After a few minutes, he spoke out loud as he addressed the necklace.

"Pluto…..when did Arthur die? 500 years ago, right?"

The necklace glowed softly for a few minutes before a reply was heard.

"Did I ever say that, boy? No….he died approximately 948 years, 31 days, 20 hours, 5 minutes and 16 seconds ago…..make that 17 seconds…..why?"

Tatsumi and Bulat only glanced excitedly at each other as Bulat spoke up.

"So he knew the first emperor, right?!"

The necklace flashed briefly before the beast spoke again.

"Humph. Yes, he did….the two were almost brothers, I'd say. If Arthur hadn't died so early on in the rebellion, surely so many of my brethren would not have been lost…..to think, only half of our number remain. Pathetic, I say."

This time, Tatsumi spoke as he asked Pluto a question as he and Bulat continued to walk west.

"Wait….you know what the lost Teigu could do?! What did they do? Well?"

A feeling of arrogance washed over Tatsumi as the beast spoke.

"Wouldn't you like to know…..hmph. There were countless Teigu wielded by his highness's elite soldiers, such as Extase, Murasame, Even Hectatonkheires, that little rascal. But there were also ones that have not been found to this day…..like Myself, the deathless armor…..Infernus, Hellfire's grip,…..Terrax, rattler of heaven and earth…Iskandar, Conqueror's heart…..so many others…..all lost."

Their eyes going wide at the mention of so many (Presumably) lost Teigu that had never been found, Bulat looked up into the sky and asked a question.

"So which of those belonged to the first emperor? Probably the most awesome, badass one of all, am I right?"

Again, the necklace flashed.

"Hah! You are mistaken, human…the First Emperor always proclaimed that 'Any King who relies on the help of the Teigu to rule, as magnificent as they are, is naught but a fraud who deserves neither riches, land, nor the respect of his comrades and vassals'. He always fought all of his battles with nothing but plain steel at his side, the heart of a warrior burning in his chest all the while….he was a true warrior…..the best king ever known to you humans, I am sure."

Bulat actually laughed as he spoke once more.

"Wow…..too bad the emperor right not is nothing like that, huh? If he was…..we wouldn't be in this mess….and I'd still be serving under Liver as a soldier."

As they continued to walk along in relative silence, Bulat's leather jacket rippling gently in the wind and his hair cutting through it like a knife as he walked, the two wandering warriors soon found themselves on the edge of the forest they had seen in their dream, marveling as it seemed to stretch on for miles! Looking down, Jacob spoke to Pluto.

"Lead the way, Pluto."

The necklace merely glowed as they followed the trail of light it produced through the forest for about ten minutes before they arrived at a large pile of rocks that were piled up on the ground! Turning to Bro, Tatsumi brought Pluto out and equipped it as he spoke.

"Guess we need to move these rocks."

Nodding, Bulat equipped Incursio and helped Tatsumi move all the rocks for the better part of five minutes until they finally saw the walls of a musty cave below them, gleeful looks on their faces as they descended into the cave, smashed through the wall they had seen Arthur break through in their Vision and let their armors vanish as they came upon the ancient, fragile looking skeleton that sat propped up against a wall in front of them. Letting out his breath, Tatsumi spoke softly, as if speaking his armor as he gently laid his fingers on the Skeleton's head.

"Arthur….what did you leave for us?"

As if on cue, the necklace around Tatsumi's neck produced a super-bright light that lit up the cave and revealed an ancient message written in blood on the wall beside the Skeleton! Reading it aloud, Tatsumi began to speak.

"To those who might find this…Forgive me, but I must be brief as my time is short. Travel to the palace where the bloodline of his highness surely still reigns supreme, and bring his heir to the bottom of the palace….there you shall find….another room…..hidden in the floor. In that room…lies…..the birthplace of all Teigu…..the forge of the gods….the hallowed forge! Beware…..only those…with the bloodline….of his highness…may….open…it."

Tatsumi finished speaking neither him nor Bulat speaking for almost five minutes before Bro spoke beside him, voice completely excited!

"Tatsumi….we found it! After all this time….we found how the emperor made his Teigu! But wait…."

Bulat fell silent as he glanced at the message again, his brow furrowing as he spoke once more.

"Damn it…..the palace, huh? That's going to be a pain, for sure…we'd need to get all the way up to the throne room, nab the emperor after fighting past, in all likelihood, Esdeath, Budo, and any others we find on the way, and then make our way ALL the way down to the bottom floor of the palace, where we supposedly need to bust the floor open to find this secret room. Honestly, I'm not sure the two of us could pull it off."

As Bulat continued to stare at the message, he turned his head and looked at Tatsumi as he heard a loud CRACK beside him, turning to see Tatsumi grinning with his twin greatshields in hand as he slammed the together, a devilish grin on his face as he spoke.

"No worries, Bro….With the power of Incursio and Pluto, with your attack and my defenses….there's no way we could lose!"

Bulat looked at him for a moment, stunned, before grinning wildly and patting Tatsumi's head and nodding.

"Yea….I'm sure you're right."

But inside his head, Bulat's mind thought differently.

Until Esdeath and Budo show up, I'm sure we'll be fine. Then we'll be killed for sure.

As Tatsumi let Pluto vanish once more, he noticed something shiny on the bony finger of Arthur's skeleton, bending down and slipping it off as he examined it and spoke.

"What's this….?"

As if reacting to his touch, the ring began to glow in conjunction with the necklace around Tatsumi's neck, the beast inside of the necklace speaking!

"Ah…..I remember that. That ring was forged after the creating of the original forty eight Teigu, and Arthur always said that his majesty said he had forged it for him, and that 'it was a reminder of his duties.' As if I knew what that meant….pah. He never took it off, though."

On a whim, Tatsumi slipped it onto his finger and examined it casually before he felt a sharp pain shoot through his finger, turning his finger over and gasping as he saw a spike extending from the ring and into his finger! Before he could even cry out in pain however, he felt himself being forced into unconsciousness…

Location Unknown

As he opened his eyes, Tatsumi saw a man standing before him with spiky golden hair and a face that seemed intimidating, but somehow….Tatsumi knew he was an honorable man. As he noticed Tatsumi Rise up, he spoke with a voice that seemed fake and hollow.

"I welcome you to my domain, wielder of Pluto."

Looking the man over, Tatsumi's eyes narrowed as the man continued.

"I'm so incredibly happy you found my body and my Teigu, young warrior…..you seem just as strong as I was whenever I was growing up…Haha. In any case, my time is short. I am the memory fragment of Arthur Caldwell, and this ring was made by the first emperor for myself in honor of our friendship, and inside of this ring is every moment of my entire life, a reminder of what I was fighting for….Anyway, I called you here when you put this ring on to tell you to seek out my descendant and give this ring to him. I can tell that he needs my guidance."

Tatsumi, still confused as to what was going on, barely managed to speak.

"Wait….how do you know your descendant is still alive?"

The man chuckled.

"This teigu holds domain over memories, young warrior…..I can see yours, and upon examining your memories of being told of this "Great General Budo" and his description, I am certain he is my last surviving descendant. Not to mention, "Budo" is…..was…..my middle name. Please…..give him this ring so I may impart my legacy onto him, young warrior."

As the fog around him began to vanish, Tatsumi found himself falling back into the real world….

Back in the cave

As his eyes blinked open, Tatsumi saw the ring slip harmlessly from his finger like it was covered in oil, blinking again as he turned to Bulat and spoke.

"How long was I out for?"

Looking confused, Bulat thwacked Tatsumi on the head and laughed.

"What? You moron, what are you talking about…? You put on that ring, blinked, and it slipped off! Anyway, what is that thing?"

Shaking his head, Tatsumi sighed.

Guess that ring didn't knock me out.

"It….it had the memories of that dude inside of it. Apparently Great General Budo is his last descendant, and wants us to give it to him so his legacy can live on."

Bulat only blinked once, his face blank, before speaking in an incredulous voice.

"Ooookay. Well, I guess we have no choice now…we're heading for the capital."

Stopping Bulat as he made his way to the exit, Tatsumi asked him a question.

"Wait….how long can you go invisible for?"

Thinking for a moment, Bulat answered him.

"If I'm in peak condition, like now…? Probably five minutes, maybe ten if I push myself hard."

Tatsumi grinned as he rubbed his hands together and spoke.

"Oh man….this is going to be the greatest idea ever."

The next day, In front of the gates to the Imperial Palace

As they stood in an alleyway just outside where the gates to the palace were, Bulat cursed softly as Tatsumi finished explaining the plan once more, whipping out his comb and fixing his hair once more as he spoke.

"Geez….this is probably the stupidest idea I've ever heard."

Tatsumi chuckled and spoke.

"Just shut up and go with it. Unless you have a better plan?"

Bulat sighed once more and replied.

"No….but there's no way the guards of the gates would be stupid enough to fall for this. Plus, even if they do relying on that ring is probably the most risky thing ever."

Tatsumi laughed softly as he replied.

"So is your hairdo, bro….but I don't complain."

Bro seemed genuinely offended as he instinctively grabbed his hair and spoke.

"Hey…watch the hair comments, Tatsumi. You have no idea how much effort it takes to maintain this!"

Rolling his eyes sarcastically, Tatsumi made no reply as he strode out of the alley as Bulat followed behind him invisible as Tatsumi walked up to the two guards who were standing at the front of the gates. Looking up at the massive guard, Tatsumi put on the best 'I'm a helpless kid' voice he could and spoke.

"S-Sir….I was playing ball with my friends and the ball went over the wall and into the palace courtyard. Can I go get it?"

Pausing as he glanced up at the nearly mile tall walls behind him, the guard stared intently at Tatsumi for the longest time, almost Making Tatsumi break under the strain, before he sighed and spoke.

"You must have one hell of an arm, kid. Go ahead."

His mind racing that his plan actually worked, he took one step before he felt the guard smack him upside the head and laugh as he tossed Tatsumi back onto the street.

"Stupid kid! You think that'd actually work? HA!"

Tatsumi only stood up and nodded as he cracked his knuckles, then his neck as he spoke.

"Oh, I knew it wouldn't. I just wanted an excuse to break that big gate in half."

The guard's faces priceless as they saw Pluto swirl into existence around the boy in front of them, Tatsumi quickly knocked them out and stood in front of the door as he spoke to Bulat, still invisible beside him.

"Stay invisible as long as you can, Bro. Let me handle this."

Grinning under his helmet, Tatsumi raised his armored leg and roared with excitement as he spoke.

"KNOCK KNOCK!"

Slamming his one-ton armored foot into the gargantuan door into the palace, Tatsumi and Bro watched as the door shattered inward with the force of a bomb blast, thousands of splinters flying inwards as pained screams were heard from inside! Stepping over the ruined door and the bleeding soldiers within, Tatsumi paused for a moment and looked up at the top floor of the palace, noting the massive hole he had broken in the side of the wall was still unpatched, and continued on, summoning his shields as he spoke.

"Let's capture us an emperor."

The top floor of the palace

Walking along the palace hallways until she arrived in her personal room where that armored night raid assassin had jumped out of and destroyed her wall, Esdeath walked over to the hole that was still in her wall and happened to glance down at the gate to enter the palace on a whim and raised an eyebrow as she saw it blast inwards! Instantly on guard as she narrowed her eyes, her eyes widened considerably as she saw that Demonic-looking black armored boy striding into the courtyard as if he owned the place! The room around her suddenly frozen in ice, Esdeath curtly turned and strode back down the corridors as a cold grin crossed her lips.

The escaped assassin as returned to my grip…..this time, I'll make sure to break him before he gets away.