Author Notes: The conclusion of the Kill the Doppleganger, and boy it does it raise the stakes!
Chapter 7: Kill! The Hero Falls
Miles the Roman-esque soldier was being overwhelmed by the enraged dragon Tatsumi's incredible strength and ferocity that surpassed his own. Mine stood and looked on, not from from fear- rather lamenting the fact that she had no weapon like her former Teigu, Roman Artillery: Pumpkin, to attack the assailant with due to her shared disgust for the man using Sheele's weapon so disgracefully.
What's going on?! I thought they would be traumatized from seeing someone use their fallen ally's weaponry against them? Why?! Why?!, thought the helmet wearing soldier frantically as he used Extase's Trump Card to generate a blinding flash of light in an attempt to obscure Tatsumi's vision so he would attempt a sneak attack while his guard was down. In spite of this, the large beast was able to pinpoint where he was using his other senses that had been developed over the many battles he had undergone during his time in Night Raid. As Miles tried to strike his neck from behind, Tatsumi used his front claw to grab the warrior and pin him to the ground with ease. Miles could only whimper in terror as Tatsumi angrily glared at him with his bestial expression.
"You're slightly more skilled at using it than one big asshole was, but that's the limit of your strength. You're not even in the same league as Sheele!," growled the red eyed monster as he pressured his grip on Miles' body, causing the man to wheeze and cough profusely.
"What should I tell- A dead man!," shouted Miles half angrily and half cowardly in response as the pentagram on his shield glowed green, which for some reason caused Tatsumi's body to freeze up for some reason. Mine looked confused at the sight and decided at the very least, to knock the shield away from him, but remembered that Busu needed to be safe in her care. Besides, something of this level wouldn't stop Tatsumi in the slightest.
While Miles smirked at first, he slowly became disturbed by the fact that Tatsumi was gradually becoming able to move in spite of what he had used on him. As he did this, a small speck in the sky began to grow larger as it propelled closer and closer to Tatsumi. Mine could only look in shock before this thing proceed to land directly behind Tatsumi.
"I-it's not possible!," Miles screamed at the top of his lungs as the grip became even tighter than before. Tatsumi's eyes narrowed in anger until he suddenly felt two strikes to his body.
One pierced his chest from behind hard enough to gouge out his heart. The second pierced through his head to shoot his brain outside his body. Normally both would kill most living creatures instantly, but Tatusmi had the fortitude to at least turn his head to see who had managed to kill him.
Tatsumi looked behind him in horror to see a blackish, aquatic looking dragon had killed him, one with a very vacant and bestial expression on its face. There was something oddly familiar about it, mainly how it was a large creature that had an uncanny resemblance to...
"Wave...what happened to you?," said the armored winged reptile to what was apparently a comrade that he made in the last battle they participated in. Somehow, he had become this creature, located him and decided to kill him. Before he could wonder how this happened, an answer came from the beast's mouth...except it wasn't Wave's own voice.
"What you need to know is that you will die now and will cease to be a hinderance to us. Bye, bye handsome young man turned into an ugly beast.," said the creature, but the voice was not his own- it was deep and flamboyant. It was like someone was speaking through him. Before Tatsumi could inquire about the identity of the voice, Wave's body began to glow a bright blue. The way it glowed made Tatsumi panic with intense worry as he looked at Mine and Busu. He realized in an instant what was going on- Wave had been turned into both a mindless monster and a bomb to kill them. A truly despicable tactic.
Before he could utter another word, it happened in a manner of seconds. A deafening sound proceeded by an eerie silence.
The entire forest were Tatsumi and Mine currently resided in was swallowed by the explosion generated from Wave's body. All was silent, aside from the maniacal laughter of Miles giving a lucid and terrifying grin.
"They're gone! The Teigu- they're gone from the world of men!," the warrior shouted as he gloated loudly. The ashy remains of Busu, Wave, Mine and Tatsumi floated into the wind.
What had began a small skirmish ended in an unexpected tragedy.
Western Continent
Akame was walking away from a compact house complex with a discouraged expression on her face. She had went inside for a cure for the markings on her body, noticing new ones that overlapped with the original ones after her confrontation with Shuirome. Worried that this was another stage of the curse, Akame went into the residence of a local doctor in hopes that he would provide a remedy, but he rejected her request almost immediately. The reasons for why he did this were completely unexpected.
Akame thought back to a few moments ago to their rather odd conversation...
Akame went inside the house and slowly walked upstairs. The house itself was plain and average with no noticeable features. Akame also noticed that only one person lived there, judging from the single table setting and chair from the glance of the kitchen she saw as she went up to the second floor.
So he's a loner, probably someone who either never had time for friends or lost something important that made him isolate from others. I also have to assume that he might be depraved and hiding a dark secret., Akame thought to herself as she stopped in front of the door leading into the doctor's office. Her expression became darker as she pondered on this matter.
No, its my work talking. I have to focus on getting a cure, a recommendation for another person that might be able to obtain one or a hint to what I need to do to heal myself- they're the three options I have right now., Akame corrects herself in her mind, knowing that right now, her assassin mindset had to be put away for something more important.
As the door opened, it revealed a clinical room with a medical bed, cabinet with medical tools/supplies and a single desk with a pile of papers on it. Sitting in the sturdy chair near the desk was a man in a doctor's uniform. His clothes seemed loose and tattered, his face heavily stubbled and his medium length black hair messy. His thick glasses obscured his eyes, making it hard to deem him benign or evil in nature at first glance. He writing his latest paper work with a muttering voice when he noticed Akame.
"Hello, you'r Dr. Regular-," Akame asked only to get an unexpected reaction. The man pushed himself out of his chair and bowed to Akame as if she were a deity to her confusion.
"Ok...I want to be straight, may you please-," Akame asked again, only to get a direct response in return. One that shattered her expectations of recovery.
"No, I cannot do that.," Dr. Regular replied in a vacant voice as his glasses glowed eerily. Akame's expression became sullen as her hopes fell flat from the words he spoke.
"...So it's incurable? Is there at least a way to delay the process-," Akame inquired, but was met with an answer that did not fit one from the medical profession, but rather a devout worshipper of some dark cult. Akame was unnerved by his dissonant response, having to share the same space of a man who was revealed quickly to be a lunatic.
"I'm in the presence of a Grim Reaper, a Mura-Yatsu ready to be born. How glorious! I'm in the presence of a Grim Reaper, Mura-Yatsu ready to be born How glorious! I'm...," Dr. Regular chanted repeatedly in a low voice, not even aware of Akame's presence at this point. Akame recalled what the one known as Shuirome had called himself. The words Dr. Regular made her check her markings again and noticed how similar they were to his. A dreadful notion came to her head...could she be the same kind of entity as he was...or more precisely, she was about to become one as well.
"Wait, what do you mean by-," Akame asked with more emphasis, but got the repeated chant in response to her chagrin.
"I'm in the presence of a Grim Reaper, a Mura-Yatsu ready to be born. How glorious! I'm in the presence of a Grim Reaper, a Mura-Yatsu ready to be born. How glorious!," Dr. Regular chanted dissonantly as he cackled. Akame looked at the man with dissatisfaction and left the room with dark thoughts running through her head.
Akame looked to the ground, dejected and began to wonder-
What did he mean by that? Does that I'm a-
Her thoughts stopped when she noticed a familiar brown haired boy, a pink haired girl with pigtails and a dark blue haired boy in front of her. It was Tatsumi, Mine and Wave who were all smiling at her with regretful looks for some reason. Akame then blinked her eyes and saw that they weren't there anymore. It was very unusual since the last time she saw Tatsumi, he looked very different.
What was that? Why did it feel like a goodbye?, Akame thought to herself as her eyes began to tear without her noticing. Something inside of her mind told her that something terrible had happened to her comrades and that darker times were ahead.
The Capital of the Empire
While walking through a corridor. Najenda experienced the same odd phenomena as Akame did several distances away- Mine, Wave and Tatsumi looking at her as if they were saying goodbye. She blinked twice and saw it was only the Lord and Gainen behind her. The Lord being concerned while Gainen was overall more quiet in spite of her loud introduction earlier.
"So they didn't even let them have a peaceful end to their lives- even after all they've been through.," Gainen said to herself as if she was aware of what Najenda saw. Her tone seemed sullen and regretful as if she had guessed what Najenda had experienced.
"What are you-?," Najenda asked Gainen as she inquired the indigo haired woman to explain what she meant by those words. It was as if they had experienced the same phenomena, but it was impossible as she hadn't met Wave, Mine or Tatsumi. It was impossible...right?
"Nothing, it's better that you focus on what you need to know- about the reasons the Empire was founded, the creation of Teigu and the Hell King.," Gainen replied in a mysterious, vague tone of voice as her glasses flashed to reveal her indigo iris eyes. Najenda was confused at the terms delivered to her, but at the same time knew subconsciously who this "Hell King" was for some reason.
Wave's Home
Kurome saw from her bed, four people- Wave, Mine, Tatsumi and Akame with the third being in his original state. Wave and Akame gave her reluctant smiles as they prepared to leave with the other two. This made the twin tail haired girl cry loudly into her pillow for some reason she couldn't explain.
It only got worse as the loud footsteps of a giant sea monster headed towards the house.
Next Chapter: Kill The Peace
