Past

"Well, I guess this means that any hopes of a clean assassination are now way out of the question." Yuu said drily.

"There wasn't much of a chance of that in the first place. Even if Borick ever left the cathedral or his residence, he would almost certainly be guarded by at least 2 Jaegers, 2 Rakshasa Demons, or Esdeath herself." Najenda noted.

They had just heard a report from Tatsumi and Mine that they had been ambushed by Seryu Ubiquitous of the Jaegers and Suzuka of the Rakshasa Demons outside the city and had subsequently defeated and killed both of them in very spectacular and attention-drawing ways.

This was only two weeks after Akame had been ambushed by Ibara at night, and Lubbock had been forced into a confrontation with Mez and Sten, all three of whom were the other members of the 4 Rakshasa Demons.

At least this battle hadn't been in the city, like Lubbock's had, or there would have been catastrophic levels of collateral damage.

With this, all 4 Rakshasa Demons were dead, along with 1 member of the Jaegers, which meant a drop in the enemies' combat prowess, not that meant much with Esdeath present, but also that security was going to be tightened to an all-time high until Borick assassinated the Lord.

There was basically no chance that they would be able to target him outside of the cathedral or his residence.

And a head on battle with Esdeath and the remaining Jaegers was now inevitable.

"No use crying over spilled milk. In fact, this may even be beneficial to us. Susanoo, Leone, how long until the tunnel is finished?"

"To avoid drawing suspicion, I'd say about 4 or 5 days." Leone estimated, turning to Susanoo, who nodded in agreement.

"4 or 5…according to our sources, Borick intends to assassinate the Lord on the anniversary of the Path of Peace's founding, about 3 weeks from now. Looks like we'll barely make it in time. Let's go over the plan again. If you see any potential flaws, don't hesitate to correct me." Najenda said as the atmosphere in the room immediately got heavier.

It had been almost a whole month since the bulk of Night Raid, led by Akame, had arrived in Kyoroch and immediately began reconnaissance, taking note of Borick's routine.

What they hadn't expected was that the Jaegers were already in town, and that even before them, the 4 Rakshasa Demons, the Prime Minister's personal squad of executioners, strong enough to match Teigu users without any of their own, had already been guarding Borick.

That definitely put a monkey wrench in their plans.

They had to be much more cautious when moving around the city, and going anywhere near the cathedral or Borick's residence was suicide.

From the limited surveillance they could perform, it appeared that Kurome still hadn't recovered from the damage that Chelsea's needle had done to her body.

They couldn't tell if she had managed to acquire new puppets or had stitched her old ones back together, but at the very least, Kurome herself appeared to be no threat.

Wave, on the other hand, was on the warpath, likely still pissed about Kurome's injuries, and agitated by Yuu's words.

It was hard to say whether his agitation would make him easier or harder to fight.

It was also there that Yuu managed to get his first glimpse of Esdeath.

Even though they were separated by a distance of more than a kilometer, it still felt like dozens of razor sharp blades were being pointed at him.

He couldn't even imagine what she was like up close and personal.

He could definitely see why she was considered the greatest threat to the Revolutionary Army.

Najenda, Susanoo and Chelsea had arrived a week later, the latter outfitted with new prosthetics, but just as they had expected, she could no longer function at her normal capacity, and they could not spare another Teigu for her to use.

And just as Yuu feared, she was taking it hard.

Especially since she was sidelined for anything other than simple surveillance.

Roughly a month had passed, and five of the enemy's numbers had fallen.

Hopefully, it would make things just slightly easier when the time came for the actual mission.

"We've decided to have the assassination take place at the cathedral. Borick's residence is riddled with traps, and with Esdeath's presence, it would be next to impossible for our limited numbers to take his life without most or all of us being killed in the process. On the other hand, the architecture of the cathedral's main hall and the large objects in it provides convenient covers for us. According to our intel, Borick will be holding his monthly night of prayer next week. It'll take up most of the evening, but the adherents should clear out by midnight. Borick returns to his residence about half an hour after that, so that 30-minute window will be when we strike. We'll need the tunnel to be ready by then."

"No prob. It's next week, right? Suu-san and I will be done by then." Leone declared with a broad grin.

"But, boss, wouldn't Esdeath of all people already be expecting an underground infiltration by now?"

"Of course. She may be a monster in human flesh, but she's also one of the Empire's greatest tacticians. If power was the only thing she had, she wouldn't be as feared as she is. Being an obvious route for assassins like us to take, she is doubtlessly expecting it while also accounting for every other possible route of entry. That's why we'll be splitting into two groups. The first group will enter through the tunnel and charge in head on to create a diversion and draw their attention towards us. That group will consist of Susanoo, Leone, Tatsumi and I."

"I see. Since we're the ones drawing enemy fire, all the members need to have either a strong defense or exceptional recovery."

"Exactly. Our attack will draw the attention of Esdeath and the Jaegers, but we won't be fighting them head on. We'll lead them on a wild goose chase. With them after us, the security around Borick will drop massively. That's where the second group comes in. They will infiltrate the cathedral from the sky using the Air Manta and assassinate Borick while he's vulnerable. Akame, Mine, Lubbock, that will be your task. Chelsea and Yuu, you two will accompany the second group, but your target won't be Borick. Instead, I want you two to stay hidden and observe Esdeath."

Yuu blinked.

"Esdeath?"

"Yes. Initially, the Revolutionary Army's plan to deal with Esdeath was to force her into a confrontation with an army of 100000 soldiers and an elite squad of at least 10 Teigu users, including Akame and her Murasame. The One Cut Killing Sword was meant to be our trump card against her, having been the only weapon we were sure would work on her. However, Esdeath is aware of the threat that Akame and Murasame present to her, and knowing her, she probably has at least 1 countermeasure ready. That's where you and your unique abilties come in."

Yuu nodded, understanding what she was planning.

"Right now, while Wave and Kurome would have reported your existence and the fact that you're wielding Balzac to her, they don't have any idea about your abilities. That will be our hidden trump card against Esdeath. While the diversion team is fighting her, I want you and Chelsea to suppress your presences and observe her. If she shows an opening, take advantage of it and use your other ability to kill her. But, only if she shows an opening. Once you've been exposed, your effectiveness against her will drop massively. Understand? You only have one shot at this. If she doesn't present any opportunities, you two retreat back here immediately. The rest of us will find another way out." Najenda said firmly, making it clear that there was no room for argument in this.

Yuu was reluctant, not at all comfortable with the thought of possibly having to leave his comrades behind with that monster in human flesh.

But, he acknowledged that this was the plan that presented the greatest chance of success, along with most, if not all of them getting out alive.

So, he nodded.

"Good. Then, prepare yourselves, everyone. One week from now, we will eliminate Borick."


"Thought I'd find you here." Yuu said as he stepped onto the roof of their temporary hideout in Kyoroch.

Night had fallen, and almost everyone had gone to sleep.

Akame, Tatsumi, Mine and Lubbock had turned in early to recuperate from the wounds they had received from their respective battles, with the former two's lighter than that of the latter two.

Leone had passed out drunk at some point after dinner, which was a fairly common occurrence unless a mission was coming up.

The only ones still awake were him, Najenda, who was still fine tuning the plan, Susanoo, who did not even require sleep to begin with, being a Teigu…

…And the person he was looking for.

Chelsea turned around, a forlorn expression visible on her face for a brief moment before she registered his presence and quickly covered it up with a wide smile.

Yuu didn't need to be a master of human psychology to tell that it was fake.

"Hey, what are you still doing up?" She asked with false cheer.

"I could ask you the same thing. I noticed that you've been coming up here almost every night since you got here. You want to talk about it?"

Her smile faltered slightly.

"Ah, was it that obvious?"

"Everyone could tell something was eating at you. So, what's going on?"

Though he had a pretty good guess as to what it was.

"…Have I ever told you the story of how I joined the Revolutionary Army?"

"…No, I don't believe you have."

"Well, I suppose now's a good time as any to tell you. My childhood…well, it was by all means normal. I grew up in an average household in the countryside, far removed from the corruption and decadence of the capital. When I was 16, I was sent to work in the local governmental office, since I had done well in my studies. My initial goal was simply to rise through the ranks, marry into a good family and have an easy life. But, those carefree thoughts of mine vanished within my first week of working. Bribes and blackmail were commonplace in the office, and even worse, the viceroy was a monster who made a hobby out of hunting other humans. Backroom dealings, human hunting…the longer I worked there, the more my disgust at them became directed at myself for becoming accustomed to the sight. And worst of all, I learned that this was only a taste of the corruption that had enveloped the Empire. I wanted so desperately to do something…but I knew that a single girl couldn't do anything. Disgust became despair, and then nihilism, slowly whittling away at my soul. And just when I was ready to give up completely, I stumbled upon Gaea Foundation in the viceroy's treasure room."

He blinked and stared at her.

One of the Empire's strongest weapons had just been sitting around in the treasure room of a small fry viceroy collecting dust?

"It had been given to the viceroy's predecessor as a sign of good faith from the Empire before the Prime Minister made a mess of it, but they couldn't find a compatible user for it, so they just stored it in the treasure room. I wasn't sure if the viceroy even knew it was there. But, I knew it the moment I saw it. It was calling out to me. I could wield it, and it wanted to be wielded. I bided my time and stole it when no one was paying attention, and using its transformation ability, I got close to the viceroy and assassinated him. The people rejoiced at the death of the tyrant, and the next viceroy who was elected governed the territory fairly and justly. Even if it was only a small difference, miniscule compared to the level of decadence that had overtaken the country, I had made a change. And like that, my rotting soul felt like it had been reinvigorated. If I had managed this tiny change by myself, then maybe with help, I would be able to change the Empire itself. That's why I joined the Revolutionary Army." She concluded.

Yuu nodded absentmindedly as he processed the story and reason behind her joining the revolution.

"Years passed, missions, targets, enemies and comrades of all sorts came and went, and now, we're finally on the verge of success. And yet…look at me…!" She hissed with no small amount of self-loathing as she held up her prosthetics.

The appendages severed by Kurome's puppets had been replaced by metal ones with reasonable likeness to the originals.

If skin was wrapped around them, no one would probably be able to tell the difference unless they were touched.

It was certainly a far cry from the bulky hunk of metal that Najenda sported, indicating that the Revolutionary Army's research into artificial body parts had advanced quite a bit since her defection.

Probably due to the rising need for them with Esdeath around.

But despite the advancements, Chelsea was not back to her 100%.

According to whoever worked on her, she should eventually regain 60% of her original capacity, an improvement over Najenda's 40%, though only marginally, and that wasn't even considering that Chelsea's original capacity was lower.

"My hands ended up like this, Gaea Foundation is gone, and I'm getting sidelined for every mission…How am I supposed to help change the Empire like this!?"

Yuu thought about telling her that she had already done enough, but dismissed the idea immediately.

That was no different than agreeing that she was useless as she was now, and that would not be helpful in the slightest.

He had no idea how to cheer her up.

This wasn't exactly his department.

If he had no words to offer her…then, maybe a gesture?

He awkwardly wrapped his arms around her, causing her to stiffen.

Then, she buried her head in his chest and screamed.

He wisely chose not to say anything when he felt his shirt getting damp, and simply focused on making her feel better.

Eventually, he didn't feel any more water running down his shirt, so he figured she was done and released her.

Her eyes were red and a little swollen, but the tightness in her features had vanished, an improvement over how she was just a few minutes ago.

"…Thanks."

"Don't mention it. And don't worry either. The revolution isn't over yet, and until it is, all of us still have our respective jobs to do, something only we can do. That includes you as well. So, you should rest and recover, so that you'll be ready when the time comes. And until then, I'll fight your share too."

"…Pfft. That sounds like something Tatsumi would say. You been taking lessons from him?"

"What, in smooth talk? We both know Tatsumi isn't that slick, or he would have already noticed how Mine's acting around him."

"Well, that's still new. Give him time. Maybe he'll learn."

"Hmph, sure, maybe if Mine hits him over the head with a giant signboard that says 'Notice Me'."

"…Yuu, really. Thanks."

"…Like I said, don't mention it."


"By now, the diversion team must be making a ruckus on the cathedral grounds. You ready, Mine? Once we reach the roof, blast a hole through it with Pumpkin, and Akame will move in for the kill."

"Yeah, I've only heard the plan about a dozen times tonight. I totally needed you to tell me again."

"Just making sure. This might be the most dangerous op we've had to pull off yet. One misstep and we'll find ourselves on the business end of Esdeath's icicles."

"You know, you're being a real downer right now."

"I think it's called 'being realistic'. It's you who's way too optimistic. Though, I guess with what you're going to say to Tatsumi after this, it's only natural."

"Buh!? You were eavesdropping on us!? Forget it! Forget everything you heard immediately!"

Yuu pinched the bridge of his nose as he watched Mine and Lubbock argue.

They were about to cross over into enemy territory and they were still being so carefree.

Weren't they supposed to be his seniors?

Their group of 5, known as the infiltration team for this operation, was currently soaring through the air above Kyoroch on the back of the Air Manta HQ had loaned them for this op.

The diversion team had gone in ahead of them to wreak as much havoc as they could to draw attention to themselves and away from Borick so that they could make their move.

The cathedral was already in sight.

The only thing left to do was execute the plan.

But as it was often said, no plan survives contact with the enemy.

Yuu's ability warned him of an immediate threat right behind them, confusing him for a moment.

They were in the air above the city at the moment.

Who could possibly be attacking at this altitu-

He whipped around in realization, catching sight of a white, winged figure in the distance, contrasting sharply with the almost pitch black sky, catching up to them with unnatural speed.

Ran of the Jaegers.

It couldn't be anyone else.

"Enemy rapidly approaching from behind!" He warned the rest.

Mine and Lubbock immediately stopped arguing and turned around, the former already in a firing stance with Pumpkin, but Ran flew right past them.

"Crap!"

"Just as we predicted, a second team coming in from the air. It appears that we were superior in strategy this time."

Mine, the only one capable of attacking him in the air, tried to get a lock on him, but he was zipping around them far too quickly for even her to follow.

"However, trying to launch an assault from the air even knowing that it was my territory…I suppose that would be an example of poor strategy."

A barrage of Mastema's feather projectiles slammed into the Air Manta's soft underbelly, killing it on the spot and causing it to fall out of the sky…with them still on it.

"I won't let this chance slip by."

Ran fired another barrage, this time aimed at them.

"And I won't let this pinch slip by either!" Mine roared as Pumpkin whirred loudly and unleashed a concentrated blast that incinerated the incoming feathers and sped towards the airborne Jaeger.

Ran stopped his pursuit and attempted to avoid the blast, but it still managed to graze his side.

And even though it was only a momentary exposure with a small part of the beam, it still left an ugly burn on his skin.

Pumpkin's specs increased proportionally to the level of danger its user was in.

Being attacked by another Teigu user while plummeting to her death was definitely high up the scale.

Ran, realizing how dangerous Pumpkin was, wisely chose not to continue pursuing them.

One part of the danger was averted, but they weren't out of the woods just yet.

"Everyone hold on tight, this is gonna be a rough landing!"

Lubbock spun an impressive length of thread, rapidly weaving it into a thick net around the Air Manta's carcass, acting as an extra cushion for the fall.

And not a moment too soon.

They hit the ground hard, but with both the net and the Air Manta's carcass absorbing the impact, they miraculously did not sustain any injuries.

But, they had hit a snag.

Ran had shot them down before they could reach the cathedral.

They were now behind schedule, which meant that the diversion team had to deal with Esdeath even longer.

"We have to hurry. The others won't be able to hold out for long."

"You're not going anywhere. Your opponent is me."

Before they could take a step in the direction of the cathedral, another figure appeared before them.

Wave, the only other Jaeger who had been unaccounted for, had arrived.

And he was not looking happy.

He seemed extremely agitated, and was glaring daggers at them.

Or more specifically, at him.

If looks could kill, Yuu would have been stabbed, flogged, crushed, burnt and electrocuted several times before finally being buried six feet under alive.

It looked like he had made a lasting impression, and not a particularly good one either.

"Grand Chariot!"

The black full body armor that was based off of Tatsumi's Incursio appeared and wrapped around Wave's body.

Yuu's ability immediately started analyzing it.

As expected of a later model, the materials it was made of was even more durable, and had far fewer structural flaws and weaknesses than Incursio did.

And the ones it did have would be hard to reach in a battle.

This was going to rough.

Mine opened fire on him, but with the heightened physical capabilities granted to him by his Teigu, he easily sidestepped it and charged at them.

Akame responded in kind, brandishing Murasame.

Before Yuu could stop her, she had already attacked, hitting Wave in the abdomen, one of the places on Grand Chariot that wasn't covered by thick metal plates.

However, even the seemingly defenseless suit underneath was tough, tough enough to take a full power blow from her without a scratch.

Wave lashed out with a fist, catching Akame in the stomach and sending her flying into a tree.

Immediately afterwards, wires wrapped around him, courtesy of Lubbock, binding his arms to his torso tightly enough that he should not have been able to move them at all.

But move them he did, forcibly loosening them with sheer physical strength.

Just as he was about to turn to Lubbock, Yuu dashed in, his short sword in hand, sliding in low and striking the back of Grand Chariot's knees with a full force swing.

This was one of the few weak spots that it shared with Incursio, and while he hadn't managed to cut through to the skin, the rubber-like material began to tear and fray at the spot he had struck.

The force of the impact caused Wave's knees to buckle, and while he was down, Yuu slammed the butt of his short sword into his helmet.

Being one of the armored parts of Grand Chariot, he didn't expect to deal any damage at all, but that should have rattled his brain and disoriented him.

And just as he thought, Wave dropped to the ground groggily, his sense of balance disrupted.

Yuu leapt back, giving Mine the opportunity to fire on him.

An explosion lit up the night, Wave's armored figure vanishing in a plume of flames, smoke and dirt.

But, with Grand Chariot protecting him, he highly doubted that Wave had taken any significant damage.

He prepared to continue fighting, but Akame placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Wait. We can't waste any more time here. By now, the diversion team must already be fighting Esdeath. Leave him to us. You and Chelsea should go support the others."

"Doesn't seem like he'll let me go so easily though."

Akame nodded.

"He seems fixated on you for whatever reason, so the moment he comes out, you two run for the cathedral. He'll go after you and leave himself open to the rest of us. We'll catch up to you after we deal with him."

"Got it."

He caught Chelsea's eye, and she returned a nod, getting the gist of the plan.

A sound told them that time was up.

Just as Wave emerged, unscathed from the blast, Yuu and Chelsea dashed right past him.

"Come back here!" The Jaeger roared as he came after them.

Or at least, he tried to.

However, he found himself stuck in place, once again bound by Cross Tail's threads, this time anchored to a tree.

"This again!? I'll just…!"

He strained against them like he did before, but this time, they didn't budge an inch.

"Sorry, but those are my best threads. I'd be pretty troubled if they were broken so easily." Lubbock said.

"Hnngh!?" Wave grunted as the wires began to tighten around him.

Cross Tail's Trump Card, Realm Severing Threads, was no joke.

Lubbock's ordinary threads, made from the various hairs of an Ultra Class draconic Danger Beast originating from the Eastern Territories' mountaintops, were already strong enough to resist almost any conventional weapon and cut through steel when used with enough force.

The Realm Severing Threads, created from its whiskers, were even stronger than that.

Even the power of another Teigu would not be able to break them so easily, especially not when they were wrapped so tightly.

Yuu had no doubt that Wave would break out eventually.

Lubbock did not have the physical strength to keep an armor-type Teigu restrained forever.

However, it would buy him more than enough time to get away.

"Dammit…!" Wave roared, a sound that grew fainter and fainter as Yuu got further and further away, towards the cathedral.

"Hey, who are you!?"

"Idiot, who else could it be!? It must be Night Raid, just like General Esdeath predicted!"

Four men, 3 wearing the uniform of the Imperial Army, and the one who appeared to be the leader dressed in a cheap suit, wearing sunglasses even though it was the dead of night and smoking a cigar, stepped in their path.

Borick's personal bodyguards, most likely.

While the former 3 were wielding ordinary weapons, as unusual as they looked, his ability told him that the folded scythe that the leader was holding was dangerous.

A Teigu?

Strange, they hadn't heard anything about a Teigu user among Borick's faction.

Had he been keeping it a secret even from the Prime Minister himself?

It didn't matter.

Using his ability to seek out the best method of killing all of them at once, Yuu easily cleaved right through the first three in a single fluid motion, forcibly disarming the leader when he reached him and ramming his blade through his throat before he could do anything.

The scythe wielder let out a gurgle before he dropped, the unknown Teigu falling to the ground with him.

"Nice work. You're getting better at this." Chelsea commented.

"…I'm confused. Is getting better at killing people a good thing or a bad thing in this scenario?"

"I guess that would depend on who you ask. I personally think it's a good thing. The better you are at killing, the higher your chances of killing Esdeath. Anyway, what about that?" She asked, pointing to the folded scythe.

He would have picked it up to examine it, but he recalled that attempting to use 2 Teigu at the same time was an absolute taboo, one that usually resulted in death when broken.

He had no idea if just picking it up would constitute as an attempt to use it, and he really wasn't eager to find out in the middle of Night Raid's most important operation to date.

Luckily, Chelsea solved the problem for him by doing it herself.

"This is a Teigu, right? It's definitely not one I recognize…is it one of the Teigu that was lost in the civil war 500 years ago?"

"Whatever the case, we should take it with us. It's better than leaving it around for the Empire to retrieve later."

"I agree. Who knows, it might even come in handy later. I am short of a Teigu right now."

"I…really don't think you should be messing around with a Teigu we know nothing about, but I guess if anyone can figure out how to use it, it would be you."

"Great! Now, let's get going. You can hear that, right?"

Yuu assumed that she was talking about the sounds of battle within the cathedral, audible through the walls.

They would have been attention grabbing to anyone else, but to Yuu, the overwhelming murderous intent radiating from inside the cathedral was far worse.

There was no doubt about it. Esdeath was inside.

It appeared that the commotion the diversion team had made wasn't enough to draw her out.

Which meant that they were likely also inside, engaging her.

"Let's head for the roof. We need a vantage point to observe the situation."

According to the blueprints they had obtained, there should be an access ladder on the side of the main building right…

"…There."

The two of them of them quickly ascended to the roof and found their footing just in time for the whole building to shake beneath them.

Whatever was going on inside, there was a lot of power being thrown around.

Suppressing their presence to avoid alerting their enemies, they moved towards the stained glass dome that was supposed to be directly over the main hall.

Thankfully, parts of it had already been shattered during the course of the battle inside, allowing them to look in without having to risk getting caught.

It was not a pretty sight.

The once immaculate hallowed hall of prayer now lay in ruins, having taken the brunt of the attacks that had missed their intended target.

On the raised platform at the end of the hall, Yuu spied their target, a middle-aged man with brown eyes, hair and beard, being guarded by Kurome, who was still looking worse for wear, and Natala, who had evidently been stitched back together by his mistress, though he could vaguely make out patches of his visible skin that appeared to be discolored, or slightly out of place on his body structure, indicating that some of him had been unsalvageable from the state that he had left him in.

If he recalled Akame's explanation of Yatsufusa's ability properly, the corpse puppets worked best when their bodies were as pristine as possible, and any damage would result in a drop in performance, since Yatsufusa could only make them imitate the way they acted when they were alive.

A damaged body or unfamiliar parts only hampered that.

So, it was safe to say that neither Kurome nor Natala were as strong as they were during their previous encounter.

His eyes combed the rest of the hall.

He twitched when he noticed Susanoo, frozen in a massive icicle, Najenda lying on the ground next to him, unconscious and covered in dirt and cuts.

Since the former was a biological Teigu, it probably wasn't doing anything other than keeping him from moving, and once Najenda regained consciousness, she could bust him out at any time by activating his Trump Card.

It was only that thought that prevented Yuu from panicking.

It was short-lived as his gaze reached the center of the hall.

Standing there, completely unscathed and smiling in a terrifyingly serene manner, was a tall, beautiful woman with ice blue hair and eyes, dressed in a white military uniform, holding a rapier in her hand.

Esdeath.

His survival instincts warred against his ability, the former telling him that this was an incredibly stupid undertaking, and the latter relishing the opportunity of being able to take on someone so strong.

He suppressed both of them, because what he needed was absolute focus, to find an opening.

His eyes trailed further down and froze.

Lying at Esdeath's feet, half-dead, was…

"Leone…!" He hissed quietly.

The older sister figure of Night Raid was flat on her back, lying in a pool of her own blood.

Lionelle was still activated, and it was only because of that that she had survived what Esdeath had done to her.

Her right arm, right breast, right toes, left foot and left eye had all been severed, and her cheek, left hand and tail had been stabbed multiple times.

The sheer vitality that Lionelle granted her was keeping her alive, even after the mutilation, but he could not even imagine how much pain she was in right now.

He had to stop himself from jumping in to save her.

Doing that would only result in both of their deaths.

Unfortunately, someone else didn't seem to get that memo.

Esdeath abruptly stepped to the side, avoiding an attack from Tatsumi as he broke his invisibility and confronted her.

"That reckless idiot…!" Yuu quietly cursed.

He definitely understood how Tatsumi must be feeling, but that was a monumentally stupid move.

If he had remained invisible, he could have eliminated Borick unseen, and then all of them could have focused on getting the fuck out alive.

"Well, if it isn't Incursio…I always wanted to try fighting you!" She proclaimed, brandishing her rapier at him as the ambient temperature began to drop.

The two faced each other down, neither moving an inch.

Tatsumi could not seem to find an opening in her stance.

And Esdeath…she looked…hesitant?

Why on earth would she be hesitating now of all times?

Using his ability, Yuu could see plenty of openings in Tatsumi's stance, and a battle maniac like her should have been able to too.

Did…she figure out who it was underneath the armor?

No…judging by the look on her face, she seemed just as confused.

She raised a hand to her chin, an expression of confused consideration on her face as she looked at Tatsumi.

"Magatama…2nd Manifestation!"

Najenda had roused, and had activated Susanoo's Trump Card.

An aura of white energy cloaked the biological Teigu trapped in the ice as his hair bleached out to snow white, his horns turned black and his clothes shredded themselves to reveal his armored body and his core.

"Najenda…? What is that?"

"You shouldn't have taken your eyes off of the rest of us. Every single one of us is tenacious to the extreme. Susanoo, eliminate the target!"

The ice shattered, and Susanoo shot forward towards Esdeath, swinging a heavy, energy-cloaked fist at her face.

The Empire's Strongest leaned backwards, allowing it to sail past her.

At that moment, Tatsumi joined in, working with Susanoo to press her.

However, even when fighting two of Night Raid's frontline fighters, Esdeath still looked completely relaxed, idly blocking and deflecting their blows.

Yuu knew for a fact that both Tatsumi and Susanoo had more than enough physical strength to pulverize the average human, but here she was, not a hint of any protection whatsoever on her person, catching their full power punches and kicks like they were children throwing tantrums.

He had heard horror stories about Esdeath and her absurd power, but he hadn't imagined that she was this powerful.

However, this also provided him with an opportunity.

She was completely focused on her two opponents, since Leone had lost consciousness from pain and/or blood loss, Najenda was on the verge of collapsing from the strain of activating Susanoo's Trump Card and the rest of Night Raid was nowhere in sight.

She would not expect another attack.

And best of all, her back was completely turned to him, meaning that she would not be able to detect him through sight.

It was only the barest of opportunities, and if the target were anyone else, he would not have taken it, opting to wait for a better one to show itself.

But, this was the Empire's Strongest.

The chances that they would be able to catch her off guard again were…exceedingly low.

He looked to Chelsea, who was supposed to be his spotter for this op.

She nodded grimly in agreement.

They could not let this chance slip by.

Yuu took a moment, and only a moment, to think of his approach.

Based on the way she was moving while blocking Tatsumi's and Susanoo's attacks, she would soon pass underneath the glass dome.

The hole in the glass was large enough for him to slip through unheard.

In that case, the best place to aim for a killing blow was…

…The back of her head.

Surely even Esdeath would not be able to survive a blade through her brain.

Yuu took a deep breath…and loosened the chains on the beast inside of him.

Ever since the battle against Bols and Kurome, he had a faint inkling on the identity of this unknown beast he harbored inside of him.

Most likely, it was simply a representation of his human-killing ability.

He could feel it even when he wasn't even battling.

If he didn't keep it under restraints, it would attempt to lash out at any human nearby.

Such was the depths of its enmity towards humanity.

Yuu had no idea of its origins, or why it hated humanity so much, but it did not change the fact that this was his greatest weapon.

A weapon capable of taking even Esdeath's life.

He knew it could do it.

It was practically salivating at the thought, just waiting to sink its fangs into her.

Yuu steeled his resolve as Esdeath slowly and steadily moved closer and closer.

…Now.

He dropped down through the hole, his presence completely concealed and his blade at the ready.

As soon as she was within range, Yuu stabbed forwards with all of his might.

The blade sailed through the air between them, the beast in him roaring with delight as it approached its prey.

And just as its fangs were about to reach her…

…She threw herself forward and ever so slightly to the side, causing his blade to sink into her shoulder rather than his intended mark.

"Wha-!?"

Esdeath swung around abruptly, causing him to lose his grip on his short sword and knocking Tatsumi and Susanoo aside.

"Well now, who might you be?" She crooned as she caught sight of him just as he landed on his feet.

Yuu shivered as a specter of impending death bore down on him.

He leapt backwards, just in time for Tatsumi to launch himself to the same position and grab him.

Tatsumi's larger frame enabled him to fully cover Yuu's smaller body, and after activating his invisibility Trump Card, both were hidden from sight.

They began to move out of their way, preparing for their next move.

But…

"Foolishness. Even if I can't see you, I can still sense you!" Esdeath declared as she thrust her rapier right at them.

Tatsumi's armor protected them from the worst of the damage, but the force still knocked both of them into a wall, and disrupted the invisibility.

It was no use.

Now that she was aware of his presence, hiding from her would be next to impossible.

Now what?


Najenda watched with anticipation as Yuu dropped from above, silently descending towards Esdeath, who remained none the wiser to his approach.

The timing was perfect, at least that was how it seemed to her.

Esdeath was completely absorbed in her battle with Tatsumi and Susanoo, she did not expect another fighter to appear, and her back was completely turned to Yuu's position.

Another opportunity like this was unlikely to arise.

She was so sure that she would witness the death of the Empire's Strongest, and the turning of the tides of this war.

But, that anticipation turned to shock and horror as Esdeath had once again pulled off the impossible and avoided the death blow.

Not completely, but that wound was nowhere near debilitating for her.

What the hell just happened?

Had the timing been off after all?

Did she see him coming?

"That's not it, Najenda. Those weren't the actions of someone who was aware of an incoming attack." Susanoo said as he landed next to her.

Her shock must have been evident on her face for him to guess what she was thinking.

"With her power, if she knew that attack was coming, she would have knocked the two of us aside and cut Yuu down before he reached her. But, she didn't. Instead, she just dove forward. That damn monster…her instincts are sharper than a beast's. The effectiveness of Yuu's ability worked against us on this occasion. It was precisely because it was so dangerous that her instincts were set off, warning her that there was an immediate threat to her life close by, and since she did not know where it was coming from, she just dove down instinctively, which just so happened to let her avoid a fatal injury." He said with a growl, his normally passive attitude doing a 180 and becoming aggressive when his Trump Card was active.

Najenda scowled.

She knew Esdeath would have become even stronger than she was back when she had just defected to the Revolutionary Army, but she hadn't expected the difference to be this great.

To think that she would be able to avoid an ability tailor made to kill humans…

No, what was she talking about?

This was Esdeath.

Doing the impossible was par for the course when it came to her.

"…It's fine. It's unfortunate that we failed to kill her on this occasion, but this doesn't change the original objective. Susanoo, keep the fight going, and the moment she shows an opening, go after Borick. After that, we can focus on escaping from Kyoroch."

"Understood."

Susanoo rejoined the battle, getting Esdeath off of Tatsumi's and Yuu's backs long enough for them to recover.

As she watched the battle, Najenda felt resignation nestle within her bosom.

Even if they managed to kill Borick here, their chances of getting out alive were abysmally low.

Now that she knew of Yuu, Esdeath would be taking this seriously.

Even if they managed to escape, it was almost a guarantee that at least 1 or 2 of them would die in the process.

And if it came to that…

Najenda resolved herself.

She was the one who had led them on this suicide mission.

And they were in this situation because she had grossly underestimated Esdeath's power.

At the very least, she had to make sure that they got away.

Even if it cost her life.


Susanoo rejoining the battle meant that the two of them finally had room to breathe as Esdeath's attention was pulled away to deal with the biological Teigu.

"Suu-san!"

Tatsumi made to go help, but Yuu held him back.

"Wait! Esdeath isn't an opponent we can attack carelessly. We have to think this through."

"We don't have time for that! Suu-san is…!"

"Suu-san would agree with me. Calm down and believe in him. He won't fall so easily."

"…Alright. What do you have in mind?"

"Listen carefully…"

As the battle between Esdeath and Susanoo raged on, Yuu whispered his plan into Tatsumi's ear.

Incursio's wielder nodded and grabbed him, making sure to cover him completely as he turned invisible once again.

They circled around Esdeath and Susanoo, making sure to suppress their presence as much as possible and stay out of the way of their attacks.

As he had expected, even Esdeath could not ignore the deep wound he had inflicted on her.

With the hole in her left shoulder and the blade that caused it still stuck firmly in place, she was noticeably favoring the right side of her body more than the left.

It still did not seem to be debilitating enough for Susanoo to overpower her, but as a result, the battle between them was now more even than it had been before.

An opening would surely come as long as they waited long enough.

Susanoo would make one for them.

Another exchange of savage blows pushed the two combatants away from each other, giving the humanoid Teigu the opportunity to summon his sword.

The absurdly long, transparent sword seemed deceptively fragile and unwieldy, but its cutting power was the real deal, being able to tear right through a Desta Ghoul, an Ultra-Class Danger Beast, like a hot knife through butter when swung with sufficient force.

That same sword arced through the air towards Esdeath, who immediately put up a multi-layered wall of ice to defend herself.

The entire cathedral shook to its foundation as an immense offensive power clashed with an equally impressive defense, rubble and dust falling around them.

The stalemate lasted all of a few seconds before Ame-no-Murakumo tore through the ice wall and cut all the way to the back of the cathedral.

However, it was all Esdeath needed to duck down, allowing the long blade to sail over her head as it broke through her defense.

"I see. Not bad for an impromptu defense."

"That physical strength of yours is impressive, but it certainly isn't enough to reach me, even with this wound." Esdeath declared with absolute certainty.

"I already knew that much. But, I think you're indulging in this battle just a little too much. You didn't even notice that I was aiming for the ones behind you." Susanoo said with a smirk as he pointed to the raised platform, obscured by clouds of dust, behind her.

Esdeath's smirk disappeared as her eyes widened.

"Kurome, are you alright!?" She called out as she whirled around.

Yuu hoped for a moment that she would not get a reply.

That Borick had been killed in that attack and that they could focus on running like hell in the opposite direction.

But, no such luck.

"We're fine!"

Natala emerged from the dust clouds, carrying Kurome and Borick under his arms.

The puppet had evidently taken the brunt of Susanoo's attack, judging by the damage to his corpse and the lack of injuries on Kurome's or Borick's persons.

He fell to pieces immediately after, Kurome's patchwork unable to keep his body together any longer, dropping his two wards unceremoniously.

"Tch…so, I can't even enjoy this battle…I swear, this is the last time I'll ever play bodyguard." Esdeath said as she clicked her tongue, a look of annoyance on her face.

At the same time, countless icicles had begun to converge behind her, forming an immaculate cluster floating in the air.

It was an amount of ice that was completely incomparable to what she had been using before.

"I won't bother capturing you anymore. I'll pulverize you down to your core!"

A hail of razor sharp icicles bore down on Susanoo's position.

Anyone else would have been torn to shreds on the spot by the sheer number raining down on them.

However, Susanoo had another trick up his sleeve.

"A powerful attack indeed. Experience it yourself!"

The metal discus floating in the air behind Susanoo shifted in front of him, white light gathering in the opening in the middle.

The shield of absolute projectile reflection, Yata-no-Kagami.

The icicles collided with it, vanishing into the light before they shot back out in Esdeath's direction with just as much force.

Caught off guard, Esdeath was struck by her own attack.

"Now…!"

Susanoo did not have the power to really make Esdeath go on the defensive, not even while his Trump Card was active.

That was how monstrously powerful she was.

But, what if that monstrous power was turned against her?

They couldn't have asked for a greater opening.

With Esdeath momentarily preoccupied with tanking her own attack, Susanoo activated his last ability, Yasakani-no-Magatama, cladding his body in a golden aura that temporarily increased his physical capabilities, and dashed past her.

The greatest obstacle had been momentarily halted, and Kurome was preoccupied with Natala's dismembered corpse.

There was no better time to deal with Borick.

And this was also his and Tatsumi's best opportunity.

Tatsumi immediately let go of him and undid his invisibility, shooting towards Esdeath with Neuntote materialized and his presence flared.

At the same time, Yuu kept himself low to the ground, another short sword phasing into existence in his hand, his presence suppressed and his ability activated.

This was their plan.

The moment Esdeath showed an opening, Tatsumi would charge straight at her while flaring his presence as much as possible to get and keep her attention on him.

His role was not to engage her, merely to distract her.

By keeping her focused on the obvious threat, Yuu could close in on her without being detected.

And once she was within range, he could go for the kill.

It was an exceedingly simple plan on paper, but executing it against Esdeath was all but impossible after he had been exposed to her.

If it weren't for Susanoo, they would not have been able to carry it out.

And now, the tip of his blade careened upwards, straight towards her jaw, the beast inside of him all too eager to sink its fangs into the prey that had eluded it once before.

It was ove-

"Everything shall freeze before me, Mahapadma!"


The world around her halted, hued in a shade of ice blue.

Esdeath pulled out the short sword stuck in her shoulder, allowing the unremarkable blade to fall to the ground with a clatter, and glanced towards the spear tip that was literally inches away from her eyes, and the blade, identical to the one that had drawn her blood, that was even closer to her jawline, and then at the ones holding those weapons.

She had to admit, it was a good plan.

Use an obvious threat to disguise the real one.

As hastily put together as it was, she had to acknowledge its effectiveness.

She hadn't even noticed Balzac's user until the world had already frozen around her.

If it weren't for the Trump Card she had completed just a few days ago, she might very well be dead on the floor right now.

Her Teigu, Demon's Extract, was unique in how it did not have a preset Trump Card of its own unlike other Teigu.

Possibly because the First Emperor had known just how powerful it was in the right, or perhaps wrong, hands and did not want it getting any stronger.

Esdeath did not particularly care.

She had defeated enough Teigu users by herself to prove that she did not need a Trump Card.

It wasn't even for combat purposes that she had initially conceived this Trump Card.

She had created it to ensure that Tatsumi would not be able to escape again once she found him.

So, she had to applaud Night Raid.

They had forced her to use the Trump Card she hadn't originally intended for battle.

But now that she had, they had no chance of winning.

Mahapadma, her own personal Trump Card, given a name that was completely out of place with the rest of Demon Extract's techniques as proof that this was something unique to her, completely froze the time and space of the area around her, and for a period of time, she was the only thing within the area that could move.

It had plenty of limitations though.

Even she did not have the power to freeze the time and space of the entire world, and could only affect the area around her.

The greater the area of effect, the shorter the duration became.

Furthermore, regardless of how long she actually kept this technique up or how wide the area of effect was, the minimum energy expenditure was such that she could only afford to use this once a day.

And for practical use, she could only maintain it for a few seconds to avoid spending so much energy that she would not be able to continue fighting afterwards.

However, even those scant few seconds was more than enough to turn the tides of a battle.

She looked once more at Balzac's user, and smiled.

She hadn't used her full power by any means, but he had still managed to corner her to this degree.

And most of all, he had wounded her.

A praiseworthy achievement indeed, something that no one else had been able to manage.

What was his name?

Yuu…was it?

She vaguely recalled him being addressed as such earlier.

She could sense that he still had plenty of room left to grow, and thus decided to spare him on this occasion.

The rest would not be so lucky.

Najenda was weaker than she was back when she had defected, the biological Teigu appeared to have reached the limit of its power and the Lionelle user did not seem to be capable of getting any stronger.

She would kill them in front of him, and his thirst for vengeance would ensure that his power would skyrocket by the next time they met.

And then, she would have a truly entertaining opponent on her hands.

The Incursio user…she could tell that he had yet to hit his full potential as well, but he had also been completely unable to keep up with her at all.

She wasn't sure whether he was worth sparing.

She supposed she could just flip a coin to decide later.

She moved behind them and struck them hard in the base of their necks.

Once time was unfrozen, the transmitted force would ensure that they would not be able to move for a while.

She walked over to where the biological Teigu was frozen in midair, about to attack her charge, and stabbed it from behind, the long blade of her rapier emerging from his chest, just beneath what she presumed was its core.

She supposed that she should deal with Najenda too, but she was weak enough that she could handle her at her leisure later.

The same went for the Lionelle user.

She ended Mahapadma's effects, and the world began to move once more.

Yuu and the Incursio user collapsed to the floor instantly, and ice began to rapidly creep up and encase the biological Teigu's body.

"Wha-!? Susanoo, get out of there!" Najenda shouted when she saw the predicament her Teigu was in.

"You won't escape!"

Esdeath lashed out with a powerful kick, shattering the cocoon of ice, and the biological Teigu along with it.

Her eyes traced the path of its core as it arced through the air and landed on the floor, where she promptly stomped on it and shattered it.

"Quite the impressive bunch you've managed to gather, Najenda. I honestly did not think I would have to resort to my Trump Card in this battle. It's a pity to have to eliminate such amusing foes, but wiping out Night Raid is the job I have been entrusted."

Though she did intend to spare at least one of them.

Movement at her feet caught her attention, and she looked down to see several of the biological Teigu's many pieces, still covered in layer of frost, inching towards her, as though still intending to fight even in its current state.

She looked over to the pile of shattered ice, spying movement from each piece.

"My my, to think it can still move even after its core was destroyed. That's quite the resilient Teigu you had, Najenda. But, it doesn't appear to have enough power left to regenerate. It's over. With this, there is no one left who can still fight."

She lost interest in Najenda, whose face had twisted into an expression of defeat, and glanced at Yuu.

She was curious what he looked like under Balzac, and she should commit his face to memory if she was going to end up meeting him in the future.

And while she was at it, she might as well take a look at whoever was using Incursio.

Judging by the fighting style, it didn't seem to be '100 Men Slayer' Bulat, and there had been rumors that the infamous deserter had died in the battle with her deceased subordinates, the Three Beasts.

She walked over to them, vaguely hearing and ignoring Borick gloating in the background, and grasped Balzac and Insurio's helm, preparing to remove both of them.

And then the ceiling's glass dome shattered.

She turned to see Night Raid's most infamous member, 'One Cut Killer' Akame, the origin of that moniker, Death in One Cut: Murasame, in her hands, and a pink-haired girl wielding Najenda's old Teigu, Roman Artillery: Pumpkin, descending amidst the shower of stained glass shards.

"Honestly, just like rats…!"

Esdeath waved a hand in the direction.

Immediately, a massive block of ice formed overhead and dropped towards them.

"Pumpkin!"

A blast of pure energy shot out of the firearm-type Teigu's barrel, colliding with the ice block and vaporizing it.

Meanwhile, Akame drew Murasame and dashed towards Borick, who had stepped off the platform at some point and was right next to the fallen Lionelle user.

Damn…!

"I won't let you…!"

Esdeath made to intercept her, but before she could take more than two steps, she felt strong murderous intent coming from behind.

She ducked down, allowing an armored leg to sail over her head.

The Incursio user had regained consciousness.

Had she misjudged the amount of force needed to keep him down?

She wouldn't make that mistake again.

She lashed out with a fist, intending to strike him in the throat, but it stopped unexpectedly.

Her hand had been caught in his grip.

It was literally by a hair's breadth, but he had successfully reacted to her attack in time.

She was about to break out of his grip when her instincts started screaming at her.

She looked down to see Yuu also awake, his short sword tearing towards her heart.

She wouldn't be able to dodge completely in time.

So she did the next best thing and put up a layer of ice between her body and the blade, causing the latter to glance off the frost.

But, doing so had wasted even more time.

"Gyaaah!"

She turned in response to Borick's strangled cry, and caught sight of blood spurting from the cut on his throat that Akame had made with Murasame.

She clicked her tongue and kicked her two attackers aside.

Not that she could do anything.

Already, she could see the black markings of the cursed blade's poison spreading over his uncovered skin.

It was too late for him.

"Mission failed, huh?"

That was certainly a first.

Her subordinates sometimes failed missions, which often necessitated her cleaning up their messes.

But not her.

She experienced setbacks, issues, hiccups and unexpected developments, but she always succeeded in the end.

That was precisely the reason why the Prime Minister entrusted her with important missions like this instead of exclusively having her mobilize to suppress rebel forces.

This was the very first time she had failed a mission.

And it was not a good feeling.

The Prime Minister was going to be very cross with her for this.

But, it mattered not.

Even if she had failed this temporary assignment, there was still her original mission.

To wipe out Night Raid.

And she had no intention of failing that too.

And there was no better timing than now to fulfill it.

Most of Night Raid's members appeared to have gathered.

She would kill them in one fell swoop.

Barring one, of course.

She raised a hand, preparing to call up the full might of her boreal powers, when a powerful presence made itself known behind her.

She turned to see the biological Teigu, fully regenerated, cloaked in white energy and floating in the air, staring down at her.

How was that possible?

She had shattered it into itty bitty pieces, including its core.

It shouldn't have had the power to regenerate…

…Unless.

She looked back at Najenda, to see that she was the source of the white energy around the Teigu, literally pouring everything she had into it.

"Najenda, you…!"

She cut herself off and quickly dropped an ice block between her and the fist coming at her at an alarming speed.

A loud thud echoed through the hall as the biological Teigu's fist collided with the ice, failing to break through the frozen block that Esdeath had purposely densified to increase its defensive capabilities.

However, Esdeath found herself being pushed back by her own ice, the whole structure being shifted by the attacker's power.

"Hm…its power increased again, huh?"

This biological Teigu was certainly the strongest opponent she had ever faced as far as physical strength went.

However…this was still nowhere near enough to reach her.

She absentmindedly adjusted her hat as the ambient temperature began to rapidly drop.

It was about time to clean up the trash.


Damn, his neck hurt like hell.

And he didn't know why.

One moment, he and Tatsumi were attacking Esdeath, and the next thing they knew, they were waking up on the floor, with her standing over them.

They had retained enough lucidity to stall Esdeath when Akame made her move on Borick, but he imagined Tatsumi was as confused as he was about what happened.

They did not have the luxury to standing around and figuring it out.

Borick was dead.

They had accomplished their main objective.

Now, they just had to get the hell out.

Tatsumi had already picked Leone and Najenda up.

Mine and Akame were falling back while stalling Kurome.

Chelsea had yet to be detected.

Lubbock had presumably already retreated.

The only one left was Susanoo…

*BAM*

Speak of the devil and he would appear.

Susanoo landed beside them, blown backwards by Esdeath's attack, looking worse for wear with holes gouged into his armored body.

Esdeath strolled almost casually towards them, with not even a scratch on her person.

Even with Susanoo's increase in power, he still couldn't manage a clean hit?

"You damn monster…!" Yuu internally growled.

And even worse than her unharmed state was the ice that was crawling across every surface within the hall.

It had already reached and covered both the hole in the ceiling and the doorway behind them.

Their only viable escape routes had been cut off.

And even if they weren't…

The sheer murderous intent emanating from Esdeath's entire being was…daunting, to say the least.

She obviously had no intention of allowing them to escape.

Was an all-out battle with her unavoidable now?

But…they couldn't afford it.

They lacked the sheer power needed to take her head on, and by now, enemy reinforcements would be converging on the chapel.

If they didn't get out now, they would die.

Their only hope was to incapacitate her and run while she was down.

But considering who their opponent was, it was a tall order indeed.

It was all but impossible for all of them to get out of this alive.

"Leave this to me. All of you, prepare to run. I will stay behind and create an opening for you." Susanoo declared as he brandished his sword solemnly.

"Susanoo…?" Najenda murmured tiredly, still worn out from exhausting her lifeforce earlier.

"W-What are you saying, Suu-san!? In order to fight Esdeath in the future, your power is needed…"

"As you just saw, even my power at its peak is unable to reach her. And as a Teigu, I do not possess the capacity to surpass my limits like you humans can. With all of my Trump Cards already revealed and rendered ineffective against her, my usefulness has run out. My role in Night Raid is at an end. However, yours is just beginning. You must survive. All of you do."

"Boss, talk some sense into him!" Tatsumi beseeched their leader, who he was carrying over his shoulder.

Najenda made eye contact with her Teigu, but did not say anything.

And yet it felt like hundreds of unspoken words were being conveyed to each other.

Najenda closed her eye, an expression of grief overtaking her features for a moment before hardening.

"…Everyone, prepare to retreat. Susanoo will stay behind to stall Esdeath."

"Are you serious!?"

"Don't forget why we're doing this. Our job is to ensure that the revolution succeeds. We can't do that if we're dead. We have to choose the option that allows for the most of us to survive. Even if it means having to leave someone behind." Najenda said firmly, even though it was clear that she wished it was her instead.

"It looks like you're all planning your escape, but…do you really think you can get away from me? I'm a little more motivated than usual at the moment." Esdeath said as her sheer power bore down on them, though her relaxed pace had yet to increase.

The room temperature continued to plummet, and if it continued that way, they would soon find themselves unable to move.

If they were going to act, they had to do it now.

But, Esdeath had a point.

Right now, she was exhibiting even more power than she had before.

Susanoo alone might not be able to stall her long enough for the others to escape.

The answer was obvious.

Another had to stay as well.

And it was obvious who it should be.

He had failed to kill Esdeath.

It was his fault they were in this mess to begin with.

At the very least, he had to make sure that the rest of them got out alive.

He brandished his short sword, preparing for a hopeless battle of endurance, when Susanoo raised an arm and stopped him.

The biological Teigu had a sad smile on his face as he shook his head.

"Your thoughts are written all over your face. It's not your time yet."

"What…? But, we need at least one more person to stall her-"

"That's where I come in."

Yuu turned to see Chelsea.

Right next to him, in the cathedral, with the rest of them and facing impending death.

Not hiding on the roof where she could retreat unnoticed.

"Why are you here!?" He hissed at her.

He paused when she smiled radiantly and turned to Susanoo.

"Looks like this is it for us, Suu-san."

"Are you sure about this?"

"Yeah. I've lost Gaia Foundation and a good deal of the functionality in my hands. Even this Teigu isn't enough to make up for that, since I haven't quite figured out how to use it yet. This is about it for me. In that case, all I am capable of now is making sure the rest gets out of this alive." She said in a casual manner, as though commenting on something as mundane as the weather rather than self-sacrifice.

Yuu paled considerably.

Was she doing this…because of what he had said to her on the rooftop that night?

He grabbed her shoulder, about to try and convince her not to throw her life away, when she suddenly took her headphones off, slapped them onto his head abruptly, grabbed him by his waist and pulled him into a kiss.

Not a chaste one, but a deep kiss, her tongue plundering the inside of his mouth ruthlessly before she let go and separated from him, both of them breathing heavily.

He didn't need a mirror to tell that he was blushing harder than she was.

The heat in his cheeks was all he needed.

"What the hell are you doing!?"

She winked at him.

"Just take it as something to remember me by, though I'd like to think that I've already made quite an impression on you." She said with a sultry grin.

Yet, the trace of melancholy in her voice and her words made it clear that she was fully prepared to sacrifice herself here.

"Take this as well."

Susanoo's hand reached up to where his core was embedded in his armored chest…and ripped out the magatama-shaped construct.

"Wha-!?"

"It's fine. I can still function without my core. I simply won't be able to regenerate if my body is destroyed again. Since I have already used up my bag of tricks, I really don't have any more use for it. However, you might be able to make use of it in some way. I'd be more than content if that was the case." The biological Teigu said as he dropped it into Yuu's open hand.

"Now, it's time for you to go. We will keep Esdeath occupied. My dear comrades, who have brought me more joy in our short time together than in the past 1000 years…this is farewell." Susanoo declared.

He charged at Esdeath, who simply held a hand up and created a swarm of icicles that rained down on the biological Teigu, prompting a swift response as he swung Ame-no-Murakumo to smash them.

Chelsea winked at them before she brandished the Teigu she had picked up earlier, causing the folded scythe to extend and ran to support Susanoo.

"…Mine, blast the door open." Najenda ordered.

"…Pumpkin!"

A laser slammed into the rime-covered doors, ripping them off their hinges and opening up their way out.

"Retreat."

Yuu was torn, his head telling him to obey Najenda's orders to turn around and run, and his gut telling him to stay behind to fight, to increase Susanoo's and Chelsea's chances of staying alive, even if only by a little.

Before, he had followed his gut, which had led to him saving Chelsea in time, but…

…The opponent this time was just too overwhelming.

And among all of Night Raid, he and Akame were the ones who stood the greatest chance of killing her.

Killing Esdeath would turn the tides of the war massively in their favor, and coupled with assassinating the Prime Minister, would all but ensure the success of the revolution.

He couldn't recklessly squander his life away.

They would have to wait to kill Esdeath under more favorable circumstances.

Like with the Revolutionary Army's main forces backing them.

And…he had to honor their wishes.

They were giving it all they had to ensure that the rest of them could live to fight another day.

Getting himself killed uselessly was as good as spitting on their conviction.

So, he hardened his heart, and left with the others.

And in that moment, he never hated himself more.


Even after getting out of the city walls, they didn't stop running until after sunset the next day.

That was the minimum distance they had to put between them and Esdeath that they were even remotely comfortable with, and even then, for a full week after that, their paranoia had achieved new heights, constantly on the lookout for either the Empire's Strongest or the other Jaegers.

They took a long detour just to throw them off their trail, travelling towards the southern region of the continent before heading for the capital rather than making the return trip through the same route they took to Kyoroch in the first place.

With Borick dead, it wouldn't take long for the Path of Peace to begin their uprising against the Empire, which would also incite rebellion among the oppressed citizens, and once that happened, the Western Tribes and the Revolutionary Army's main forces would mobilize as well.

In order to fight on all of these war fronts, the Empire would have to send out a minimum of three forces.

And as strong as Grand General Budo and his Imperial Guards reportedly were, even they could only fight on one front at a time.

With the Imperial Army, that was still only two.

Most likely, Esdeath and her corps would also have to be mobilized, which meant that she would have to get off their backs.

The detour also bought them the time they needed to heal up from the injuries they had sustained during the mission.

He, Tatsumi and Mine had gotten off with fairly light wounds, all things considered, only needing a week or two to fully recuperate, which was why they took turns taking care of the necessary heavy labor, like hunting for food.

Akame and Lubbock had suffered broken bones from their confrontation with Wave, and would need at least 4 months to properly set, which was about how long this detour would last before they started heading back to the capital.

Leone had been severely maimed by Esdeath, and even with Lionelle's vitality and Cross Tail's threads, it was going to take a few months for her to fully recover.

And the one in the worst condition was Najenda.

She had managed to avoid the worst case scenario of dying immediately after activating Susanoo's Trump Card for the 3rd time, but there was no doubt that her lifespan had been shortened.

Exactly by how much, they couldn't tell.

Susanoo and Chelsea…were killed in action.

They knew this even before the Revolutionary Army's spies had reported it to them.

But it didn't make the news any less painful, the last miniscule glimmer of hope that had been hidden beneath jaded realism snuffed out mercilessly.

Yuu sat alone in the tent he shared with Tatsumi and Lubbock, the former having gone out with Mine to hunt for food while the latter was outside, looking down at Susanoo's core in his hand.

Najenda had told them that even with it, reconstructing Susanoo was impossible.

All knowledge of Teigu creation was lost with the first generation of the Empire.

They wouldn't even be able to recreate a relatively simpler Teigu like Belvaac or Cross Tail, much less one that was sentient and as complex as Susanoo had been.

And even if they could…it wouldn't be the same Susanoo they knew.

What made him uniquely their comrade was already lost.

…It was his fault.

If he had just a bit faster, so that even Esdeath's monstrous instincts would not be able to react to him in time…or if he had the strength to break through her ice…

…It was too late for regrets.

Two of his comrades had paid the ultimate price for his weakness.

He couldn't let it happen again.

And the only way to ensure that was to get stronger.

He reached down and removed Balzac from where it was fastened to his belt.

Balzac…was not an inferior Teigu by any means.

Were it in the right hands, it would be just as terrifying as Murasame.

The problem lay with him.

He lacked the power to make it a truly effective weapon.

That mission had opened his eyes to just how great the disparity between his and Esdeath's power was.

It was a great gap that could not be closed by training alone, no matter how harsh it was.

Not in time for the revolution anyway.

In that case, what could he…?

His grip around the core tightened as frustration came to the forefront.

If only…he was as strong as Susanoo was…

If he had at least that level of strength combined with his ability, killing Esdeath would not be a mere distant dream.

If only…

…If only…

He paused, frustration flowing away as another possibility emerged in his mind.

He looked down at the core again.

As far as he knew, it had never been done before.

In fact, it might very well be impossible.

But, if it did succeed…

His mind made up, he rose to his feet, preparing to share his idea with the others.

And then another thought occurred to him.

If what he was about to suggest to the others actually succeeded, then there was a possibility he would not be able to wield Balzac anymore.

He had no idea what constituted 'wielding a Teigu', but he was not willing to risk it.

After all, the multiple Teigu taboo was one that not even a monster like Esdeath dared to break.

"It looks like this is farewell, my comrade. It pains me to have to part from you, but…I need to obtain an even greater power. However, I will remember you fondly. Thank you for everything." Yuu spoke softly to the mask-shaped Teigu as though it was alive.

A pulse radiated from Balzac, allowing him to gleam a faint sense of understanding and bittersweet sentiment from it.

He placed it back on his belt, without the intention of ever wielding it again, and walked outside towards the girls' tent, where Najenda, Akame and Leone were resting.

The trio looked up from whatever discussion they were having when he entered their tent.

"Yuu? Do you need something?" Najenda asked, her gaze alternating between him and the core he held in his hand.

"I'd like to suggest something."

The beast within smiled wickedly as another one of the chains binding it, preventing it from doing as it pleased, slackened.

It wasn't enough for it to regain its freedom, but that was fine.

The seeds of anger had been planted in the battle earlier, and were germinating most gloriously.

One more strong push was all that was needed, and this little crusade that its warden had joined would surely provide it.

It wouldn't be long now.


Present

Mitsuki twitched as her ride jerked under her.

Again.

She thought she would have gotten accustomed to that by now, but no, her hindquarters were as sore as ever.

And just when it had recovered too.

For 2 days since they returned from Wave's and Kurome's villa, they were left mostly to their own devices, though under scrutiny.

Most of them spent them catching up on the sleep they had lost on the two-way trip, though she heard that Firill had holed herself up in the library for most of the 2nd day, having her poor assigned guard translate book after book for her.

Then, on the 3rd day, the doctor came for them, informing that they would be departing that same day, for preparations were nearly complete, and they would be able to set sail by the time they reached the port on the eastern edge of the continent.

It had been 3 days since then, and from what the doctor said, they were 3 quarters of the way there, thankfully.

Mitsuki did not think that she would be able to take any more of this slow torture for much longer.

And just as they passed through a city, the doctor had his steed halt.

"Stop for a bit. We'll be meeting up with your escorts here."

"Here? Couldn't we have met them in the city back there?"

"Unfortunately not. It's a bit inconvenient for them to meet in such a crowded place."

"I…see. Exactly what are they like?"

She knew the names from Najenda's recount, but that didn't give her any insight into their personality.

But since they had been comrades in liberating the Empire from corruption, they couldn't be too bad, right?

"Oh, I'm sure you'll be surprised." The doctor smiled mysteriously.

And then he perked up.

"Ah, I think I can hear them now." He said as his gaze turned skywards.

Mitsuki blinked in confusion.

And then her ears started to faintly pick up something in the distance.

The sound of something massive moving rapidly through the air, much like a plane.

She looked in the same direction as the doctor…and almost fell off her horse in shock.

As did most of her classmates.

The thing tearing through the skies towards them was a blur with how fast it was moving, but the general shape was something horrifyingly similar to something else they knew.

It landed heavily a short distance away, digging into the grassy loam beneath it, allowing them to take a good look at it and confirming their fears.

A massive reptilian body, covered in black scales and silver armor-like plates, blade-like teeth, limbs ending in sharp claws, bat-like wings sprouting from its back and inhuman red eyes.

It was unmistakably a dragon.

Much like the 7 gargantuan monsters that terrorized humanity in their world.

She had no idea if this one posed as much of a threat as the 7 Dragons of Earth, but she wasn't willing to take the risk.

And by the looks of things, neither did the rest of Brynhildr Class.

All of them, including herself, had already formed their Fictional Armaments, preparing for a fight.

"Stop, stop, stop. That isn't an enemy." The doctor interjected, placing himself between them and the dragon to stop them.

His assurance did help her relax a little, but she tensed again as the dragon neared them, staring down at them with its disturbing eyes with cross-shaped pupils.

"SO THESE ARE THE ONES WE'RE SUPPOSED TO BE ESCORTING? QUITE THE UNFRIENDLY BUNCH, AREN'T THEY?"

A voice, if it could be called that, impossibly deep and infinitely terrifying, emitted from the dragon's maw.

Mitsuki recoiled in shock.

It could speak!?

"Maybe it's because of that ugly mug of yours."

A softer, feminine and definitely human sounding voice came from…behind the dragon?

A petite girl, who looked to be her age, perhaps younger, with long pink hair tied into twintails and pink eyes, with a rifle strapped to her back, hopped off the dragon.

"IN THAT CASE, IT'S FOR THE BEST, RIGHT? SAVES YOU THE TROUBLE OF HAVING TO WARN THEM OFF."

"Please, as if anyone else would be insane enough to get involved with you."

"SO WHAT DOES THAT SAY ABOUT YOU?"

"That I'm the only one in the world with enough patience to tolerate you for extended periods of time?"

"FAIR ENOUGH."

The doctor strode forward to greet them.

"Tatsumi, Mine, good to see you two. Thank you for coming on such short notice."

"No joke. Do you have any idea how hard it was to get a sitter for the kids?" Mine complained halfheartedly.

"Apologies for that, but it really couldn't be helped. Najenda has already told you what this is about, right?"

"Basically, yeah. It's quite a surprise though. A little sister we never heard of showing up out of nowhere. And from another world too."

"YOU SURE ABOUT THEIR STORY? I DON'T SEE ANYONE AMONG THEM WHO EVEN REMOTELY RESEMBLES YUU." The dragon said as he regarded them one by one.

And then its eyes fell on her.

"THOUGH, HIS SCENT IS CLINGING ONTO THAT ONE, FAINT AS IT IS."

"That would be the little sister in question. As for their story, the important parts seem to check out. Najenda seems to believe it."

"Well, if boss buys it, I guess that's good enough for us. Nice to meet you all, I suppose. I'm Mine." The girl greeted them.

"AND I'M HER HUSBAND, TATSUMI. NO NEED FOR INTRODUCTIONS ON YOUR SIDE. BOSS ALREADY FILLED US IN." The dragon continued.

Mitsuki felt her jaw unhinge and hang loosely.

"Wait, you're Tatsumi-san? But, from your name and what Najenda-san said, I thought…"

"THAT I WAS A HUMAN? I GET THAT A LOT. WELL, I GUESS I CAN'T FAULT YOU FOR THAT ERROR. NO ONE WOULD EXPECT A BEAST TO HAVE A HUMAN NAME." Tatsumi said, the corners of its wide open mouth curling upwards to form a horrifying, teeth-filled grin.

"There's a fairly simple explanation for it though. Tatsumi used to be a human." Mine said matter-of-factly.

"Used to be?"

"IT'S A LONG STORY, SO I WON'T BORE YOU WITH THE DETAILS, BUT LONG STORY SHORT, I LOST MY HUMANITY IN THE COURSE OF THE REVOLUTION. WELL, THAT'S JUST THE PRICE I ENDED UP PAYING FOR NOT DYING." Tatsumi said with a shrug of his boulder-like shoulders.

"Remember when Najenda and I mentioned Tatsumi's 'affliction'? This is what we were talking about. I've been looking into a way to restore his humanity, but I haven't made any headway."

"WELL, NOT LIKE IT'S A MAJOR PROBLEM. THIS BODY IS STABLE, AND I'VE GOTTEN USED TO IT."

"Though I imagine it puts a bit of a cramp on your sex life, among other things."

Mitsuki wondered if it was possible to simultaneously have your blood rush to and drain from your face, because that was how she felt at the moment.

Embarrassment on the casual conversation about sex, and horror at interspecies intercourse.

Both feelings grew when she noticed that both Tatsumi and Mine were avoiding the doctor's gaze.

The doctor seemed to realize that too.

"…Right?" He asked, though it sounded more like a desperate plea for them to agree with him than a genuine question.

"…LET'S JUST SAY HYPERADAPTABILITY HAS ITS PERKS."

"…You know what, let's just leave it at that. I really don't want to know."

"GOOD. I REALLY DIDN'T WANT TO HAVE TO GO INTO DETAIL EITHER."

"More importantly, shall we get going? I prefer not to stay anywhere near that damn city." Mine said, directing a look of distaste towards the city walls behind them.

"YEAH. DID WE REALLY HAVE TO MEET HERE OF ALL PLACES? THAT'S THE PLACE WE LOST TWO COMRADES." Tatsumi said, glaring in the same direction with such intensity that it felt as though everything within his field of vision might just spontaneously combust.

Their words did, however, draw her attention back to the city they had passed through.

That was where two members of Night Raid met their end?

The city where the citizens seemed to be in a constant festive mood?

"My apologies, but both the General and I are needed in the capital, so we can't escort them all the way to the port. This just happened to be the most convenient place to meet, considering how close it is to the capital."

"Hmph. In that case, shall we get moving? I'd rather not stay around here any longer than I have to."

"Ah, before that. Mine, this is for you."

The doctor untied a metal case that had been hanging from his horse's saddle and handed it to her.

"And what's this?" Mine asked as she accepted it.

"A weapon for you to use. I imagine that hunting rifle doesn't quite cut it."

She opened the case, revealing what appeared to be a dismantled firearm.

But, it certainly didn't look like any conventional firearm Mitsuki had ever seen.

Granted, she didn't know a lot about guns, but just by looking, she counted 3 different stocks and the same number of barrels, one of which looked like a blade.

"Pumpkin…? No, a replica?"

"Indeed. While its performance is obviously inferior to the original, the difference shouldn't be all that great."

"We'll see about that. Tatsumi?" Mine said as she removed various parts and assembled them with practiced ease.

"REALLY? GUESS I GOT NO CHOICE…" The former human grouched exasperatedly.

Mine grinned as she brandished her assembled firearm, which looked like an assault rifle combined with a blade.

"LET'S GET THIS OVER WITH ALREADY." Tatsumi grumbled, as he lowered his knees, bracing himself in the ground, and crossed his thick arms in front of his chest, as though to defend himself against an incoming attack.

That was about when Mitsuki realized their intention.

But before she could say anything, a laser shot out of the blade-like barrel and slammed into Tatsumi's braced arms.

The dragon grunted as the beam pressed against him for all of a second before dissipating, quickly followed by a second that ended the same.

"Hm…firing speed is about half of what it was before, and the recoil is substantially greater too…Tatsumi, how did you find the firepower?"

"I'D SAY IT'S ABOUT 60% OF THE ORIGINAL." He replied as he brushed his arms where the laser had made contact.

"Lower than what I would have liked, but all things considered, it's impressive you managed to make a replica that could come this close to the original, doctor."

"Well, it's only because Pumpkin wasn't that badly damaged when it was rendered unusable, so we were able to salvage a good number of the parts, including a part of the core. If it weren't for that, we wouldn't have gotten anywhere. In any case, I would advise you not to use its Trump Card as liberally as you did in the past. This replica isn't quite as durable as the original. I included a maintenance kit for you to use, but twice in a row is the limit before it breaks. Although I don't think you could go past that in your current condition."

"Current condition?" Mitsuki wondered to herself.

"I see. In any case, thanks for this, doctor." Mine said, not elaborating any further.

"No problem. Well then, I leave them in your capable hands. I will be returning to the capital. I wish all of you good luck."

"Thank you for all of your help, doctor." Haruka said with a bow, which the rest of Brynhildr Class quickly mimicked.

"I didn't really do much. If you want to thank me, you should wait until I find a way to send you all back to your world." The doctor shrugged as he took up the reins of his horse and rode it back towards the city.

"Well then, we should get going too. The port is a five day journey from here."

"WE CAN USE THAT TIME TO PROPERLY BRIEF YOU."

"Brief us? On what?"

"ON THE EASTERN TERRITORIES. WE BARELY KNEW ANYTHING ABOUT IT TWO YEARS AGO, BUT NOW, WE HAVE A FAIRLY CLEAR IDEA OF WHAT IT'S LIKE OVER THERE. THANKS TO YUU'S AND AKAME'S PERIODIC REPORTS."

"My brother…"

"WELL, THEY HAVE BEEN OVER THERE FOR 2 YEARS NOW. IT'S ONLY NATURAL THAT THEY'VE STUDIED THE LAY OF THE LAND. ANYWAY, THE NAME THAT THE NATIVES HAVE TO THE EASTERN TERRITORIES IS 'WAKOKU'."

"Wakoku…? That's the oldest recorded name that was given to my home country back in our world." Mitsuki noted.

"HM, THAT'S QUITE A COINCIDENCE. PERHAPS WAKOKU IS THIS WORLD'S EQUIVALENT OF YOUR WORLD'S COUNTRY?" Tatsumi guessed.

"Moving on, the southern part of Wakoku's continent is split into 24 smaller countries, each ruled by a different dictator. According to the locals, all 24 countries have been embroiled in a war to decide Wakoku's true ruler for the past century. At present time, there are only 5 countries remaining. The other 19 were wiped out over the course of the 100 year war."

"W-Wiped out!? Does that mean!?"

"No, no. Not in the literal sense. I mean they were defeated and conquered in the course of the war, and were assimilated into one of the remaining 5. The names of the remaining 5 nations are as follows: Soukai, Saryuu, Hakuya, Gekkou and Tenrou. And currently, the first 4 have formed an alliance to defeat Tenrou, which poses the greatest threat with its immense military power."

"Then, are my brother and Akame-san participating in this war too…?" Mitsuki asked with a growing sense of dread.

"ACTUALLY, NO. YUU AND AKAME HAVE CHOSEN TO ABSTAIN FROM THE WAR. TENROU, WHICH IS RULED BY A CRUEL AND VICIOUS DICTATOR, ASIDE, THE OTHER 4 ARE HEADED BY BENEVOLENT LORDS WHO SEEK TO DO RIGHT BY THE PEOPLE. AS OF RIGHT NOW, THEY'VE ALREADY PUSHED TENROU INTO A CORNER, AND ARE ON THE VERGE OF WINNING. AFTER THAT, IT'S LIKELY THEY WILL COME TO A COMPROMISE, SINCE THE LOSSES EACH OF THEM SUSTAINED ARE NOT INCONSIDERABLE. THE WAR IS ALREADY AS GOOD AS OVER."

Mitsuki silently heaved a sigh of relief.

"The language spoken there is a dialect of the unified language that we use here on this continent, so communication shouldn't be too difficult. And the port we'll be disembarking at is at the edge of Soukai's territory, so we shouldn't encounter any hostilities, but we should be careful just in case. Incidentally, do any of you have any actual experience in fighting humans?"

They looked at each other with uncomfortable expressions.

Of course they didn't.

All of the training they did was to prepare for battles against monstrosities, not fellow humans.

Other than Ariella, who appeared to have martial arts training, none of them even knew where to begin fighting another person.

"Well…"

The two former Night Raid members sighed.

"No, you don't have to say anything. We can tell just by looking. This…will be a little problematic."

"YEAH. LOOKS LIKE THE TWO OF US WON'T BE ABLE TO ACT CARELESSLY. WE'LL HAVE TO STICK CLOSELY TO THEM."

"W-What do you mean by that?"

"USUALLY, IN ESCORT MISSIONS LIKE THIS, THE BODYGUARDS OUTNUMBER THE CHARGES. WITH GREATER NUMBERS, IT'S EASIER TO PROTECT THE CLIENTS IN THE CASE THAT UNEXPECTED SITUATIONS OCCUR, LIKE AN ENEMY AMBUSH."

Mitsuki could vaguely understand what he meant.

If they were surrounded by enemy forces, the bodyguards could in turn surround their clients to protect them.

The more the better, since additional guards could move to directly engage the enemy.

But, in their case…

"WITH THAT WEAPON, MINE CAN DEFEAT A HUNDRED MEN BY HERSELF, AND THANKS TO THIS BODY, I'M CAPABLE OF CRUSHING ARMIES, BUT…WE'RE NOT ALL SEEING, MUCH LESS ALMIGHTY, SO THERE'S ALWAYS THE POSSIBILITY OF ONE OR TWO IDIOTS SLIPPING PAST US AND…WELL, YOU GET THE IDEA."

Mitsuki shivered.

"Well, it wouldn't be a problem if you knew how to fight, or at least tactically retreat…"

"Hm? Actually…we can fly." Miyako pointed out.

Tatsumi and Mine stared at them.

"…Fly?"

"Yeah. By transmuting Dark Matter, we can generate large volumes of air to lift ourselves off the ground and move around while airborne. The only ones who can't do it are Nee-san and Iris, and we can carry them."

"I SEE…AND THE LARGE VOLUME OF AIR AROUND YOU SHOULD ALSO INTERFERE WITH THE TRAJECTORY OF ANY ARROWS THAT ARE FIRED AT YOU…HOW LONG ARE YOU ALL CAPABLE OF FLYING? CAN YOU ALL DO IT FOR AT LEAST 5 MINUTES?"

Miyako grinned and flashed him a peace sign.

"No prob!"

"I SEE. WELL, I GUESS THAT'S ONE PROBLEM SOLVED."

"In the first place, the region we'll be disembarking in at supposed to be relatively peaceful. The warfronts are further inland. There shouldn't be any problem, except maybe bandits"

"BUT, WE DON'T KNOW HOW FAR INLAND WE'LL BE GOING, RIGHT? SINCE WE NEED TO TRACK THOSE TWO DOWN."

"Wait, you don't actually know where my brother and Akame-san are?"

"THOSE TWO SEND REPORTS DETAILING THEIR DISCOVERIES IN WAKOKU, AND THEIR LOCATION AT THE TIME IS USUALLY INCLUDED OR CAN BE INFERRED, BUT IT'S BEEN ALMOST A MONTH SINCE THE LAST REPORT, SO WE HAVE NO IDEA WHERE THEY ACTUALLY ARE RIGHT NOW, OR WHERE THEY'LL BE BY THE TIME WE GET THERE. BOSS SENT THEM A MESSAGE TELLING THEM ABOUT YOUR VISIT A WEEK AGO, BUT SHE HASN'T GOTTEN A REPLY YET. WELL, IT'S ACROSS THE OCEAN, SO WE PROBABLY CAN'T EXPECT A REPLY SO SOON EVEN IF THEY DO GET IT."

"No contact for a month? Shouldn't that be cause for worry?"

"NAH, IT'S NOT LIKE THEY HAVE A SET SCHEDULE FOR WHEN THEY SEND REPORTS ANYWAY. AND HONESTLY, I CAN'T IMAGINE ANYTHING IN THIS WORLD CAPABLE OF POSING A THREAT TO THOSE TWO. NOT SINCE ESDEATH DIED. I MEAN, WE ARE TALKING ABOUT A WOMAN WHO HAS AN INSTANT DEATH SWORD AND A MAN WHO HAS THE POWER TO FLATTEN ENTIRE CITIES IN MERE SECONDS."

An instant death sword and…the power to destroy cities?

Was he talking about the Teigu that Yuu and Akame had with them?

"Though, considering where they said they would be heading next, maybe a little bit of worry is warranted."

"What do you mean?"

"We said that the southern part of Wakoku is split into 24 countries, right? Since there's a southern part, there's also a northern part. And that's where they said they would be going. And therein lies our problem. Unlike the southern part of the continent, the northern part is completely unexplored territory that even the 24 countries don't dare to approach. Because bordering the two parts of the continent is a massive forest that spans all the way from the western edge to the eastern edge. And supposedly, no one who has entered it has ever returned alive. Apparently, entire armies have been sent in to explore, but not a single soldier made it out."

"A-And that's where they said they would be going!?"

"WELL, NO ONE EVER RETURNED ALIVE, BUT IN THOSE CASES, THEY WERE JUST ORDINARY HUMANS. YUU AND AKAME ARE BOTH STRONG, AND ARE ARMED WITH SOME OF THE GREATEST WEAPONS IN THE WORLD. I DOUBT THEY'LL MEET MUCH TROUBLE. ESPECIALLY NOT FROM A PLACE WITH SUCH A CORNY NAME."

"A…corny name?"

"YEAH, THANKS TO ALL THE DEATHS AND THE RUMORS SURROUNDING IT, THE NATIVES GAVE THE FOREST ONE SERIOUSLY LAME NAME: THE MAN-EATING FOREST."


Well, this is late as shit.

I have no excuses this time other than a combination of procrastination and Persona 5.

And in the time I took to write this, the first chapter of Akame Ga Kill's sequel, Hinowa Ga Crush, was released.

I was seriously surprised when I read it, because the depiction of the Eastern Territories was exactly how I had initially planned for it to be in this story, with the whole Feudal Japan theme, and that's why I decided to include it in the final draft after all.

Next chapter, Brynhildr Class finally meets up with Yuu and Akame.

However, I cannot say when it will be released.

My exam results have not exactly been stellar lately, and I find that I have been spending too much time on writing stories.

So, I have decided to take a break from writing for now.

If I don't show any improvement, I might have to give up on writing altogether.

I do have a life to live after all, and while I do like writing, I have my own future to think about.

I still have about a month of holidays left, so I will try to finish the next chapter, but no promises.

So, with that, I bid my readers farewell until next time.

As always, please read and review.