Disclaimer: I do not own any rights to the Akame ga Kill franchise and this fanfiction has not been written for profit!


A/N: Yosh! We've once again made our way to another new chapter! Just as promised, the next chapter ladies and gentleman without another month passing.

#1. As always, thanks for all the reviews, favorites and follows. alanvaldez, your bribes are accepted! But seriously, thanks for the kind words. I'll do my best to try and not let any of you down.

#2. Seems the manga is hitting its final stretch. The last chapter was interesting I guess. It once again showed us Esdeath's human side, albeit briefly. I wonder what the author intends to do with the character. Doubt it's what I've got in mind! Seems he also intends to use the Emperor in the same fashion the anime did. A mistake I think, but we'll see!

#3. As always, don't make assumptions. Be patient. There's always a method to my madness!

Without further ado . . .


Updated 1/19/17 - Fixed prose and grammatical errors.


Episode 22: Kill the Turning Point

Many years ago, the Grand Empire was a very different place. There was no Revolutionary Army at that time; there wasn't a need for one. There was a different prime minister back then as well as a different emperor. A wise and diligent one who cared greatly for his people.

The culture was also different before the days of Prime Minister Honest. For example, the Path of Peace and its teachings held a much greater influence throughout the land. Although many didn't subscribe to the religion itself, most people unabashedly subscribed to its teachings about peace, love and honor. So much so that one of its cathedrals was readily welcomed in the Capital.

On one bright and pleasant day, the Path of Peace's leader, the Lord, had just finished giving a motivational sermon to a sizable group of people, nobles and common folk alike. They had all gotten up from their pews and headed out of the cathedral's front doors, many voicing their astonishment's with the Lord's wisdom as they walked out. The Lord had begun walking towards his office when a young girl, no older than eight, with short silver hair and purple eyes approached him. With a warm smile on his face, the religious leader affectionately patted the girl on the head. "How were your studies today, Najenda?"

"The professor wants me to move up another two grades!", she said, her smile full of innocence.

"Again?", the Lord replied, awed by the little girl's accomplishment. "If you keep this up, you'll be attending Manfred University by your birthday."

To which the little girl eagerly shook her head in disagreement. "I've decided I don't want to go there anymore!"

"Is this true, my child? But I thought you had your heart set on going there."

"Lieutenant General Budo stopped by my classroom today. He said he was impressed with my academic achievements and thinks I'd do extraordinarily well serving in the imperial military."

"Najenda, work in the military is fairly dangerous. What happened to wanting to become a minister?"

"I wanted to become a minister so that I could help you help people. But Lieutenant General Budo tells me I would be helping you and everyone in our country if I were to join the military."

The religious leader crouched down to the little girl's height, wrapping his arms around her as he did so. "Well, I can't say I'm thrilled with your decision, but if it makes you happy, I'll gladly support it. Just make sure to at least finish your studies first, alright?"

Najenda nodded her head, returning the Lord's embrace as she did so. "I will."

Seventeen years had passed since that day; those days of yesteryear were long forgotten. In the present, near the southern borders of the Grand Empire, was a large island shrouded by a thick cloud of mist. The island itself contained several unique structures. There were 4 towers, each 10 stories in height; they each sat on the island's four corners. In the center of the island sat a sizable castle-like fortress seven stories in height. Surrounding the fortress was a massive encampment, equipped with thousands of tents suitable for soldiers. Throughout the encampment walked thousands of battle-ready men, all donned in Revolutionary Army uniforms and armed with rifles.

Both Najenda and the Lord were present inside the fortress, roaming the hallways while conversing with one another. Susannoo walked behind them, keeping a close eye on his master at all times.

"Once our troops have converged with the supporting troops Bestimmung has agreed to lend us, they can immediately converge into the Northern Frontier lands and eliminate the forces General Esdeath left there", said the Lord, speaking in an uncharacteristically calculating demeanor. "That should open the capital up to a devastating flank from behind."

"Right", Najenda responded. "In theory, they'll be too focused on the attacks we intend to launch from the front, provided we already have our support from Reispan and Ali Jinnah accompanying our forces. It'll be an effective three-way assault."

The religious leader appeared to be visibly amused by the Night Raid leader's remark. "In theory? Has my prodigious child detected a flaw in my plans?"

Najenda rubbed her chin. "I wouldn't call it a flaw so much as I would raise it as a concern."

"And what concerns you?"

"I think you might be underestimating Esdeath a tad too much. You don't know her like I do. She practically lives for adverse situations like the one we intend to inflict upon the Capital. If we're not careful, she might be the one who catches us by surprise."

"I've heard tales of that woman's brilliance, but I think you're forgetting the fact that she is just one woman."

"She may be just one woman, but she's the sole reason we've had to resort to a strategy like this one in the first place. If it were just Budo, we wouldn't need to rely on the aid of the other countries. I won't feel safe about our chances of taking the Capital until she's a bloody corpse."

"Budo, eh? I'm still surprised that new Incursio user of yours actually bested him in combat. Certainly increases our chances against the Capital. If only I had known you had someone that talented under your wing much sooner."

"I knew he had talent, but I never would've imagined he'd be able to best Budo of all people in single combat at such a young age. If we could work with him for just a few more years, I'm sure he'd be a match for Esdeath."

"Unfortunately, with the Prime Minister ruling it, the Grand Empire corrodes more and more every day. We can't afford to spare even another year, much less several. Our attack must be swift and it must be soon."

"Indeed. I've already notified my subordinates to be present at tonight's strategy meeting in the war room. Everyone is here except Tatsumi."

"Where is he?"

"He had another matter to attend to, but Leone and Lubbock have told me that Tatsumi will be arriving here sometime this evening."

"Good. Tonight is not a night I'd want any of your subordinates to miss."

"That goes without saying", Najenda nonchalantly said before lighting a cigarette and placing the mouth end in her mouth.

A sight which made the Lord sigh. "You know that's bad for your lungs, right?"

She casually pulled the cylinder roll of tobacco out of her mouth, puffing smoke out as she did. "You know I'm 25 years old, right?

But the religious leader would have none of that; he snatched the cigarette out of her hand without another moment's notice.

"Hey!", Najenda exclaimed, a tad bit annoyed. "Have you forgotten your own teachings? What happened to "Often times, peace is best achieved by minding thine own's affairs?"

"Ah my child, but you overlook the words 'often times.' Those words are operative in construing the true meaning of that passage. The path of peace also teaches us that 'a daughter's comfort is often found in the watchful eyes of a loving father."

She rolled her eyes. "Comfort isn't a word I'd used to describe this moment."

To which the Lord chuckled. "You're stressed; I understand. It's still not too late to start looking for a husband. I just happen to know several strapping young lads amongst our recruits and-"

"Oh no you don't!", Najenda replied, dismissively waving her hand. "First, we're in the middle of a war. Love is the last thing that should be on any of our minds. Second, we've been down this road before. You always pick musclebound air heads incapable of even having a descent conversation."

"In regards to your first point, love is not some distraction that will cost us a battle; it is a strength that motivates us towards success, not to mention true peace with oneself. In regards to your second point, perhaps if you'd give any of your suitors a chance beyond a single glance at them, they might surprise you; looks can be deceiving after all."

"When the time comes, I'll find someone for myself. That time is clearly not today though!"


[. . . Undercover . . .]


Back in the capital, well within the Imperial Palace, the emperor was sitting on his throne, holding his golden scepter like usual. His most trusted adviser, Prime Minister Honest, stood next him while gnawing on a roasted turkey leg, only to be interrupted by the sight by one of the underling imperial court officials addressing the entire room.

"Your majesty!", said the official. "Great General Budo has returned!"

"So the stubborn bastard finally returned?", Honest muttered to himself, visibly indifferent to the general's well being.

The emperor, however, appeared to be overjoyed with the news. "Send him in at once!"

Without further delay, the great general entered the room, setting off a series of whispers and silent speculation amongst those present as to where he had been since his mission to Bestimmung two weeks ago. Budo nonetheless brushed such talk aside, instead walking towards the Emperor's throne with the usual aura of focus and solemnity that enveloped his demeanor. Just as he was within several feet of the young and naive emperor, he kneeled on one knee and bowed his head, uttering the words "I have returned, your majesty."

"When we didn't hear back from you, I must admit that I was rather worried", said the young ruler, graciously nodding his head. "It's good to see you're safe and sound."

On the other hand, Honest was a bit more skeptical, rubbing the whiskers on his beard as he observed the great general. "Yes, but the fact remains that we didn't hear back from you for over two weeks. That's not like you, Budo. Your actions have stirred about all sorts rumors. Nasty rumors at what. Tell us why we are just now hearing from you."

"Be careful, minister", the general responded, the aggression in his voice rather clear. "I won't have you questioning my loyalty to his majesty. Your attention is better suited towards the Revolutionary Army."

An answer which made the prime minister narrow his eyes. "Impudent bastard. Who does he think he's talking to? As soon as he's outlived his usefulness . . ."

Oblivious of Honest' distaste for the great general, the emperor continued to address him with the utmost politeness. "General Budo, speaking of the Revolutionary Army, has General Esdeath gotten you up to speed on the latest phase in her plans? You've been gone for a while, so I think you-"

"Now now, your highness, that's some top secret information", the Honest courteously interrupted. "Much too important to freely be speaking about it out in the open, even if we are in your throne room"

To which the emperor nodded his head, graciously happy that his most trusted adviser was present to keep him from making such a mistake. "Oh. Yes, you're right. But then how are we going to inform General Budo about it?"

"That shouldn't be a problem. General Budo was already briefed about the basics of General Esdeath's plan weeks ago when she revealed it. He simply doesn't know where it will be executed. I have already taken the liberty of ordering my son to rendezvous with Esdeath himself some time tonight. His imperial arm makes this a simple task. Budo here can simply go with him."

"That's an excellent idea!", the emperor expressed enthusiastically.

Budo rose to his feet, now gazing upon the emperor face to face "As you wish, your majesty. But where might I find the Prime Minister Honest's son?"

To which Honest replied "He's currently residing in the room at the end of the hallway on the south east royal wing upstairs. Just be certain to knock on the door loud enough for him to hear you. Knowing him, he'll probably be engaged in one of his 'hobbies'."

With that, the Budo turned away from the imperial throne and treaded out of the room. He made his way to an extravagant courtyard like area. Upon stepping within this vicinity, he looked around, attempting to determine whether anyone else was in sight. Sensing that he was alone, the great general poofed into a girl with auburn hair and pink eyes, revealing herself to be Night Raid's shapeshifting assassin in disguise.

"Looks like Najenda was right to have me stay behind after all. Whatever Esdeath has planned, it must be big if the Prime Minister won't even address it in the throne room. Better see what I can dig up on this first before paying his son a visit."


[. . . And so he goes . . .]


Elsewhere, thirty miles south east to the Shiranami mountains was a farm consisting of some crops, a small house, a barn and a windmill next to it. A farmer appeared to be plowing a garden nearby, only to stop as he noticed something speedily approaching him from the distance. It was an armored humanoid figure in the distance running towards him at inhuman speed.

Upon getting within multiple yards of the farmer, the armored figured came to screeching halt, planting its feet in the ground to cancel out its momentum.

"I'd recognize that armor anywhere", said the farmer as he gazed upon the figure. "You're the one of the assassin's with Night Raid; the one who uses Incursio."

To which the Incursio wielder nodded his head. "That's me."

"Good to meet you!", the farmer said, shaking the assassin's hand. "What brings you here today?"

"I need to get to the Revolutionary Army's main base and am in need of transportation."

"Yes sir!", the farmer answered. "All Night Raid assassins have level 10 clearance. I'll prepare an air manta immediately. Just give me one moment."

The farmer walked into the barn and came back out after several minutes with an air manta hovering behind him. "Due to a mental geis casted upon me, I am unable to speak of the location of our hidden base. I can, however, assure you that this one will get you there within eleven hours should you fly nonstop."

"Eleven hours, eh? What time is it right now? Do you know?"

To which the farmer responded after looking down at his wrist watch. "10:30 am."

"Then I don't have a lot of time. I'd better head out immediately!", said the young assassin as he hopped on the back of air manta that had been brought on for him. "Thanks!"

"Don't mention it! All for the revolution!"

Giving the farmer a wave goodbye, the Night Raid assassin bolted off into the sky with the air manta he had been given and began to fly south towards his destination. Seeing no further need to remain in his armored state, he reverted back to his regular form, his brown hair, green eyes, white high collar jack and yellow sweater vest yet again being visible. With nothing else to think about, he recalled the events that had transpired earlier in the morning just before he had left his village.

"Tatsumi, must you really leave so soon? Stay a little longer. At least another night", the village elder had to said to him as he was preparing to once again depart.

But Tatsumi had politely shaken his head. "No, I need to go."

"Why? You've already saved the village? What else do you need to do?"

"I . . . can't tell you right now, but it's extremely important you. As soon I've finished . . . as soon as it's all over, I'll come back and I swear I'll tell you everything."

"I see. Does it involve that Esdeath woman?"

Tatsumi gave a soft and immediate smile in response. "Sort of."

"It's the strangest thing. Yesterday, you seemed a bit uneasy about that woman. Something is different now though. Am I to assume that you have finally become a man?"

"Hey!", Tatsumi fired back incredulously, a blush on his face as he did. "What the hell kind of question is that?!"

Elder Choro had been taken aback by the young man's reaction. "I don't mean to offend you, but what else is one to assume when someone spends the night with a gorgeous woman like that?"

"How did you even know she spent the night at my cabin anyway?"

The village elder had then pointed to a skin blemish on the assassin's neck. "Where did this mark come from? It wasn't there when you were at the party last night? Back in my hey-day, we called this sort of marking a hickey."

Tatsumi had quickly reached the mark himself, rubbing it with his hand as he did so. "Dammnit. I told her not to go overboard with that!"

"It's sounds like you have your hands full in dealing with that woman", said the village elder amidst his own laughter.

The young assassin had sighed. "You don't know the half of it."

"I suppose I don't. Perhaps when you return, you both can fill me in on the remaining details."

Back in the present, Tatsumi continued to soar through the clouds, steadily holding onto his air manta as he did so. "The remaining details, huh? I'm not even sure I know them all yet."


[. . . Downtime . . .]


Within one of the many chambers in the Revolutionary Army's island fortress was a rest lounge of sorts. Although the décor in the room was medieval, it still had a number of comforting modern innovations. There were several polyester couches, one resting alongside each of the room's four walls. For entertainment purposes, a pool table was positioned in the center of the chamber. Last but not least, the room came equipped with a well-stocked mini bar. An innovation which Leone had already taken for granted.

Indeed, the feral assassin was occupying one of the room's couches to herself, lying on it while rubbing her head with one hand and holding a bottle of whiskey in the other. She appeared to be in a bleary state, muttering to herself in a daze.

Lubbock, meanwhile, was casually playing a one-man game of pool, delicately in the process of lining up his next shot. His attention, shifted away from the table, however, as he noticed Mein and Akame entering the room. "Back already?", he asked, evidently not having expected them to arrive at that moment.

"There's not a single shop on the entire island!", Mein said, a hint of irritation in her voice.

"What did you expect?", Lubbock replied, his attention slowly shifted back to his pool game. "This is more or less a military base. Why would there be any shops in the encampment?"

"It's called mercantile, genius! And with as many people as there are on this island, you'd think the Revolutionary Army would have enough sense to bring some along. A steady stream of wares available to the soldiers and a steady stream of income to the merchants. It's good business."

"Maybe in an ordinary military encampment, you'd have a point", Akame chimed in. "But the Revolutionary Army is different. I've heard the Lord has taken ample steps to insure that this island remains hidden from the Grand Empire, even going as far as inflicting some kind of mental geis on every single recruit. Thus I'd imagine he wouldn't even consider giving the location to mere merchants."

Just the look alone on Mein's face revealed that she didn't buy her comrade's explanation. "Then he should just get some trustworthy merchants! Or have them undergo whatever this 'mental geis' is. There's still no excuse! "

Lubbock swiftly fired one of the striped billiard balls into one of the corner pockets on the pool table, clearly not too invested in the conversation. "Look. We're all going to that 'strategy meeting' the Lord is having in a few hours. Feel free to complain to him about your shopping needs then. If you're lucky, he might tune you out after five seconds instead of two."

"What did you say?!", Mein growled.

Hearing all of the commotion, Leone began to tussle and turn as she remained on the couch. "Hey hey. Not so loud, Mein. Some of us are trying to sleep."

Not willing to clam up, the genius sniper averted her gaze to straight to Leone, a look of disapproval and incredulity in her eyes. "Trying to sleep?! It's 4:30 in the afternoon!"

"That early?", Leone responded, her voice quite groggy. "Wake me up in a few hours. That's when the party begins."

Mein walked up to her feral comrade, shaking her back and forth by the shoulders upon getting close "What the hell are you even talking about?!"

To which Lubbock responded, still focusing on lining up his shots. "Just leave her alone and let her sober up. That way, she doesn't embarrass the hell out of Miss Najenda by showing up to the strategy meeting stone drunk.

"Najenda Najenda Najenda" Leone groggily muttered out loud. "Why don't you just bend her over the counter and plough her already?"

"I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that", Lubbock said, trying as hard as he could to focus on the pool table.

Leone nonetheless continued "Tonight is the night, Lubbock! The night you give new meaning to the term ass-ass-in! The night you have your danger beast ransack her village! It's the night she rides your air manta! The night you cross-tail her tail! The night you show her your trump card! The night you prime her minister! The night she goes down on your different branch!"

Unwilling to even entertain any of her . . . colorful remarks, Lubbock merely sighed. "You done yet?"

"The night you Akame her kill!", Leone shouted, before seemingly passing out.

The green haired assassin fired another striped billiard ball into a corner pocket "As you can see, THAT's what I've been putting up with since you two went out shopping. You're welcome."

"What do you suppose that last one is supposed to mean?", Akame asked while scratching her head.

To which Mein shrugged her shoulders. "Whatever it is, it's only meant to make sense in her drunken mind."

"Trust me. She's got a million of 'em", Lubbock added.

Not willing to let this particular line of conversation die so easily, Mein crossed her arms and remarked, "She kind of has a point though. The boss isn't getting any younger and there's never any telling what's going to happen tomorrow in our profession."

Preferring to avoid this discussion though, Lubbock fired yet another billiard ball into one of the pool table's corner pockets. "I'm working on it. I just need to find the perfect moment."

"How about tonight?", Akame asked.

Lubbock shook his head in disapproval. "Tonight couldn't be any further from perfect. She's too focused on planning the ins and outs of the upcoming battle with the Capital."

"When is the boss NOT busy focusing on her job?", Mein asked. "It sounds like you're just scared of getting turned down."

An accusation which tLubbock didn't appear to be unnerved by. "You make it sound as if I'm being irrational. Who wouldn't be scared of getting turned down by someone they've had their eyes on their entire life?"

But Mein didn't buy that answer, quickly rolling her eyes in response. "You ARE being irrational, stupid. And it's not because you're scared, but because you can't see the big picture. If something happens to the boss, you'll never the get the chance to tell her how you feel. You'll have wasted your entire life pining after her for nothing."

With a swift and serious poke of his pool stick, Lubbock hit the billiard balls in such a way as to send every remaining ball into the table's pockets in one fell swoop. "You're the one who's dumb if you think I'd let that happen."

The genius sniper had no intention of taking such an insult lightly; it prompted her to walk up to her green haired companion and aggressively poke her index finger against his chest multiple times. "I'm dumb? In case you haven't noticed, moron, this place is crawling with men, bigger, stronger and better looking than you. The boss could have any one of them at any moment. In fact, Akame and I saw a few talking to her on our way back from the encampment. You could lose your chance with her regardless."

All of the sudden, a look of panic manifested itself on Lubbock's face. "OH SHIT!"

Hearing his reaction brought a cheeky and victorious smile on Mein's lips as she nudged Akame with her elbow."Now he gets it."


[. . . The art of espionage . . .]


The sun had just gone down and Chelsea was still wandering the halls of the imperial palace in the form of General Budo. She was currently walking around a hallway area in what had been referred to as the south east royal wing. It was an area several floors above the throne room and the interior was lavish to an excessive degree.

"Nothing. No documents, no records, no incompetent soldiers willing to spill the beans. Whatever Esdeath's plan is, she must have taken extreme efforts to insure that even someone with my skills wouldn't be able to learn of it. Looks like giving the prime minister's son a visit is my only option at this point."

With that, she kept walking until she reached one room near the end of the hallway, presumably Syura's personal chambers. Upon walking up to the door, she lightly knocked upon it four or five times, subsequently receiving no response. Recalling the prime minister's words, the shapeshifting assassin knocked once more, this time banging on the door in a loud and provoking fashion.

After a few additional moments, the door flew wide open, a noticeably irritated and shirtless Syura appearing on the other side. "This had better be damn important or I swear I am going to-"

Before uttering another word, however, he immediately recognized the person who was beckoning at his door. All of the sudden, his irritation vanished, being replaced by fearful reverence. "Uh . . . General Budo, what brings you here to my quarters?"

"Your father suggested I accompany you to your rendezvous with General Esdeath."

Syura enquiringly rubbed his chin. "Did he now?"

"It's important she have my counsel and assistance as she executes the latest phase of her plans."

"Esdeath doesn't seem the type to need help, but whatever. It's no skin off my nose. By the way, did you hear anything while you were knocking on the door?"

"No, not a sound. Why do you ask?"

To which Syura smirked. "Good to know. My father had these doors sound proofed with the best sound dampening materials you can find in the Grand Empire. A good thing too as not everyone is comfortable with my hobbies."

"Yes, your father spoke of that briefly. Just what kind of hobbies pique your interest?"

Just then, the voice of fearful young girl could be heard frantically screaming from within Syura's chambers. "Is someone else out there?! Please! You've got to help me! He's a monster! He's-"

"Excuse me for a moment, general", Syura said with a polite and courteous smile before closing the door and heading back into his room.

Chelsea waited there for a minute or two, making certain not to let her curiosity distract her from her mission. Syura then promptly opened the door yet again. This time, there were multiple blood splatters on his chest and multiple loose strands of hair in one of his hands. The prime minister's son nonetheless looked quite pleased with himself. "There. Sorry about that distraction. Allow me to change my clothes so we can talk someplace else. I would invite you into my room, but the guards will need to dispose of the garbage on my bed. It's an unpleasant site."

Chelsea turned around, walking away as she did. "We can meet when you're ready to meet up with General Esdeath. When you're ready to leave, I'll be waiting for you in the courtyard. I have one last errand to attend to, but for the time being, I'll fetch a guard to come take care of the 'mess' in your room."

"Understood, general", Syura responded, a hint of mock-politeness in his voice. "One last errand to attend to? Who does this geezer think he is? The nerve to make me wait!"

Just as soon as Syura went back into his room and closed the door behind him, Chelsea immediately stopped walking. She then took the opportunity to look around, making sure that no one else was watching her. There were two guards monitoring the other end of the hallway, but they were facing the hallway's exterior as opposed to its interior. Sensing no one's watchful eyes, she swiftly shapeshifted herself into the form of a male palace guard. The skilled assassin then walked back towards Syura's room, once again banging on the door.

And so Syura once again opened the door, this time wearing his standard white skintight shirt. He appeared to be surprised. "Well that was fast. Maybe the general isn't so bad after all."

"Sir, General Budo has informed me you need some 'room cleaning'", Chelsea said, giving a firm salute simultaneously.

"Room cleaning? Yes, I suppose you could call it that. It's on the bed. Dispose of it before it leaves an odor. And make sure to change the sheets too! Meanwhile, I guess I'll find something else to amuse me while I wait for Budo to finish whatever he's doing. Occupying the bingo parlor, I bet."

"Yes sir!"

With that, Syura walked away, causing Chelsea to smirk with satisfaction as he did so. "That was your mistake."

She walked into his room, closing the door behind her. It was a sizable room, complete with a desk to study at and a litany of bookshelves all filled to the brim with literature regarding the history of the Grand Empire, danger beasts and Imperial Arms. "Odd. He doesn't really strike me as being the scholarly type."

As Chelsea continued looking around the room, she immediately noticed the man's bed. It was a king sized bed with velvet sheets and on it laid a disgusting and abhorrent sight. It was the naked body a young blonde girl no older than 15. She had clearly been raped, cut up, beaten and battered for perhaps the entire day. And from the look of her neck, it was clear she had recently been strangled to death.

The shapeshifting assassin was deeply repulsed by the sight of this and her distaste for Syura surely grew a thousand fold in that one instant. She was nonetheless too much of a professional to allow even something like that to distract her from her mission. She thus wrapped a sheet around the deceased the body, giving it at least a modicum of dignity.

Chelsea then refocused her attention on gathering intel, searching every nook and cranny of the room at she did so. She checked the drawers in his desk, the books in his bookshelves and the space in his closet. All revealed nothing. She then opted to look in the most obvious place of all: Beneath the bed. There, she found a locked strongbox. "Jackpot."

She pulled the box out from beneath the bed. For anyone else, figuring out a way to open the box would naturally be the next step, but not for Chelsea. With the supernatural powers granted to her by her imperial arm, she shapeshifted her index finger into the form of a key. Then, after some additional manipulation and adjustments, she effortlessly unlocked the chest, curious to see its contents.

What the Night Raid assassin found was two items. The first was a thick research notebook of some sort. She flipped through the pages, noticing that contents of the notebook contained extensive information on all 48 imperial arms, going into far greater detail than she had ever been aware of. The text described each weapons strengths, weaknesses and secrets and a few additional concepts she had never heard of. "What is perfect sync?"

As she continued flipping through the pages, she further noticed something else out of the ordinary. "Impossible. If I'm reading the dates correctly, all of this was written 1000 years ago. But just how did Syura get his hands on something like this?"

"No no", Chelsea thought, setting the research notebook down. "Najenda and I can figure all of this stuff out later. Right now, I need to focus on my mission."

She picked up the other item in the strongbox. It was another book, but more along the lines of a diary. She flipped through the pages, immediately realizing that it belonged to Syura. Most of the pages appeared to describe the details of his perverse and depraved exploits. Why he would want to record these experiences, she had no idea.

But what truly frightened her was the latest entry. In precise and vivid detail, it summarized what he had planned to do the night he had been instructed to rendezvous with General Esdeath. Chelsea's eyes were glued to the page; the look on her face was one of sheer terror. "No. This can't be! I've got to do something! But there's no time. There's no way I can . . ."

And it was then that a lightbulb went off in the shapeshifting assassin's head. She immediately recalled her last conversation with Lubbock on the previous day and how he had given her the key to his bookstore. "No, there is one thing I can do", she resolutely thought to herself.


[. . . The meeting . . .]


With the passing of time, the sky was now considerably darker. Sitting on a couch in the Revolutionary Army fortress' lounging area, Lubbock looked up to the clock, noting that it was currently 8:25 pm. "I guess it's about time", he said to everyone else in the room.

"Don't be so antsy!", Leone chuckled while taking a seat next to him, slapping her green haired companion on the back as she did so. "The boss will come and get us when she's ready! And then you can go crazy on her!"

Mein stood on the other side of the room, a skeptical look in her eyes "So you're really gonna do it tonight?"

To which Lubbock passionately nodded his head. "Yep! Tonight is the night!"

"10 gold pieces says he chickens out!", Leone blurted out.

"Make it 30!", the genius sniper boasted.

"What?!", Lubbock exclaimed with in annoyed tone of voice. "You're really gonna bet against me? It was YOUR idea I do this."

To which Mein smirked. "Hey now, just because it was my idea doesn't mean I think you're gonna do it."

Looking for support, Lubbock turned his eyes to Akame "You gonna bet against me too?"

"No", the red eyed assassin bluntly replied.

Hearing this brought a boastful smile on Lubbock's face. "See? Even Akame's got my back!"

To which Akame shook her head. "Not exactly. I simply spent all of my money on salisbury steak before we got here."

"Oh c'mon! Not you too! If Tatsumi were here, he'd have my back."

Leone rubbed her chin, openly pondering on that last sentence. "Speaking of Tatsumi, it's about time for that strategy meeting and he still isn't here. You don't think he ran into any trouble, do you?"

"Doubt it", Lubbock responded, shaking his head. "If Esdeath wanted to kidnap him again, she would've already done so by now. It's just a long distance from here to his village. He'll make it here."

Mein indifferently shrugged her shoulders. "And it's not like we can't just tell him what happened at the meeting once he gets here."

"Yep!", the feral assassin said with a big smile on her face. "Then we just do our job like we always do, kick the imperial army's collective asses and then celebrate with the biggest party ever thrown! What we do after that is anyone's guess!"

The implications of the words 'after that' instantly caught everyone's attention, causing all four assassins present to openly contemplate. Indeed, they had been so focused on Night Raid and their missions that they seldom bothered to think about what would happen when it was time to leave that life behind. Nonetheless, they each had a different answer.

Mein went first. "I've decided that my 'after that' will be helping the people of Reispan against their oppressive government. We already helped everyone in the town of Sin Esperanza, but I want everyone in that country to get the same help. Once the Prime Minister is no longer ruling the Grand Empire, I figure we have a much better shot at getting Reispan to change its ways."

"You realize that changing the customs of an entire country isn't an easy task, right?", Lubbock noted. "You may very well end up having to start the kind of revolution we started here."

The genius sniper didn't appear to have any misgivings about this likelihood however, indicated by the resolute glare in her eyes. "I'm aware of the risk, but am prepared to do whatever it takes to save my people."

Hearing his pinked hair companions answer put a sincere smile on his face. "And we'll support you 100% of the way. As for my 'after that', assuming I don't get killed off anticlimactically at some point, I figure I'll write a book about all of our adventures and make tons of gold selling it to people throughout the world. After I marry Najenda of course."

"The boss in a wedding dress? I can't see it", Leone responded, shuddering at the mental image she just pictured. "As for my 'after that', we haven't yet reached the point in the story where you get to hear more about my personal motivations, so I'm gonna pass! You'll have to wait for the sequel should the author ever get around to it! Your turn, Akame!"

Unlike her companions, the red eyed assassin was not as cheerful or confident about what the future had in store; the look on her face was one of deep melancholy. "My 'after that'? I'm sorry, but I don't really know the answer to that myself."

"It's about Kurome, isn't it?", Leone asked, sympathetically walking up to Akame and resting a comforting hand on her shoulder. "It's okay. You don't have to think about your 'after that' right now. Just know that no matter what, we'll always be there for you."

Both Lubbock and Mein nodded with approval towards this sentiment.

"Thank you", Akame graciously answered.

Before the moment could continue, Najenda opened the lounge doors and entered the room with Susanno at her side like always. She shifted her attention to Leone. "And here I thought you wouldn't be sober for this occasion."

"A certain SOMEBODY in need of a SERIOUS ass kicking hid all of the remaining beverages in the mini-bar", Leone openly pouted.

The Night Raid leader looked around the room carefully before sighing with dissatisfaction. "I knew Chelsea wouldn't be able to make it, but I had hoped Tatsumi would at least be here. Oh well, we'll have to do without him. Is everyone ready?"

"Najenda!", Lubbock blurted out, walking up to his commander and cupping her left hand in both of his own hands. "Before we go, there's something I need to tell you."

"Can it wait? We've got to head down to the war room"

Not willing to let things go, Lubbock fiercely shook his head at the notion. "No, it can't wait! It's really important and something I've been meaning to reveal for a long time now!"

Najenda obviously had utterly no clue what he was talking about and didn't seem all that interested. "Fine. Just spit it out already."

"Najenda . . . I . . . um . . . uh . . . what I want to say is . . . uh . . ."

"Yes?"

"That . . . um . . . the thing is . . ."

"What are you trying to say Lubbock?"

"That . . . um . . . I was the one who hid all the beverages in the mini-bar!"

"Is that so?", she said with an approving smile. "Good thinking, Lubbock. The last thing we need is a certain member of Night Raid being drunk in front of the highly important members of the Revolutionary Army."

Leone snarled her teeth, her eyes full of burning rage "THAT WAS YOU?! YOU EVIL BASTARD! I SWEAR I AM GOING TO-"

"Save it, Leone", Najenda interrupted. Right now, we need to head downstairs."

"Not quite yet" another voice uttered nearby. It was the Lord standing outside the room. "Before we head to the meeting, I need to speak with you. Don't worry. I know how much you like being punctual. It won't take long."

"Very well", she said, her attention focused on her four underlings in the room. "Everyone, I'll be right back. Leone, try not to kill Lubbock."

With that, the Lord, accompanied by Najenda and Susanno walked away from the lounge, making their way towards a room upstairs.

Najenda curiously looked towards the door to the room they were apparently about to enter. "Is there a reason we're headed to your office?"

"Yes, my child. Before we proceed any further, I feel it's imperative I introduce you to a person I have the utmost respect and honor for."

Of course, Najenda appeared to be annoyed with such a gesture. "An introduction? Can't this wait until later? You of all people should know that we're at a pivotal point in this war. Surely ironing out the strategies to be used in our upcoming battles is more important."

But the Lord shook his head, unconcerned with the Night Raid commander's objection. "Surprisingly, no. This introduction is more important. It's best you meet with this person right now."

"Fine. Whatever it takes to get his over with."

Upon casually opening the door to his office, the Lord walked inside alongside his two guest. The office itself didn't appear to be anything out of the ordinary. File cabinets, bookshelves, Revolutionary Army insignia and a large window at the back of the room overlooking much of the island.

The focal point of the room, however, was the desk that sat at the center as well as the pristine leather office chair that accompanied it. Only the chair appeared to be spun around, facing the window. Upon closer inspection, it was clear that someone was currently sitting in the chair.

To Najenda's surprise, the Lord suddenly and reverently kneeled down on one knee, bowing his head as he did so. "As you've requested, I have brought Najenda here."

Just as these words were uttered, the chair slowly swiveled around 180 degrees, no longer facing the window at the back of the office, but instead the room's entrance. As it did so, Najenda's eye's widened in disbelief as to who was sitting in the Lord's chair. A surprise that shook her to her very core. "Esdeath?!"

Indeed, it was the infamous Ice Queen she had loathed and despised. And for one reason or another, she had a wicked but satisfied grin on her face. " Checkmate, Najenda."


A/N: And there you have it, folks! I won't say anything about the above twist. There's nothing that needs to be said really!

At any rate, another chapter out of the way! By my calculations, we've got 6 or 7 more chapters left in this series.

Thoughts? Hate it? Love it? Meh? Feel free to favorite, follow or leave a review! Lemme know what you think of this ninth chapter in this Down a different branch AKG installment. Till next time! :D