South wing...

Kurome's puppets had problems with the samurai. He had alredy cut down all of them except the blonde girl dual wielding pistols and the man in white with the spear like weapon. Wave wanted to go and help her but he and Bols were kept busy by the guards which kept on pouring into the room like ants.

As Wave ducked under a guard's swing and sliced the man in half with his spear he looked at Kurome worried that she would get hurt. The two remaining puppets were really good and they kept dodging the man's lightning fast attacks but it was only a matter of time before the two got cut down too. Wave focused on the guards hoping to cut them down as fast as possible to go and help Kurome but they kept coming.

Wave killed numerous guards and after a while he turned around to check up on Kurome because he was getting worried about her. He saw that the girl with the pistols was cut to pieces and that Izou was running towards Kurome swinging his sword. He got to Kurome in no time and swung his sword downwards. Wave felt dizzy but he kept on looking stunned. As the sword came down the puppet in white intercepted it with his body and he was cut clean in half but Kurome was alive and had no protection against the samurai.

Wave gathered himself and forgeting about the guards he started running towards the black eyed assassin. He intercepted the blow which was meant to kill Kurome but not with his body but with his spear's hilt. He saw Izou's suprise as his sword bounced off of the hard material of the Grand Chariot spear. Wave rejoiced because he knew that the samurai was two times faster than Wave and Grand Chariot despite its reputation was not indestructible.

Wave jumped back as the samurai stared at his katana which had gotten a crack. While the samurai looked at his katana Wvae glanced at Kurome and saw her wide eyed and as the samurai still stared at his damaged sword Wave picked up Kurome and threw her away. Wave really hoped he didn't throw her too hard or too far away. looked back at the samurai who no longer looked laid back and calm but angry and pissed. His eyes were no longer closed.

"You hurt Kousetsu. You will pay for that!" the samurai said, the anger in his voice obvious. He raised the katana. "This sword will be your death. That I promise you."

Izou attacked now even faster than before slashing at Wave and Wave couldn't block in time, he couldn't dodge or do anything so he hoped that the sword would be deflected by his armor. It was but not without giving Wave's kindey a good dose of pain. Wave wondered what kind of sword that is if it could be swung so hard against his armor and not break when it alredy had a crack.

"Now that I am prepared Kousetsu will not get hurt again. But I will make sure you do." the smaurai said with a scowl.

Izou then retreated back and got into a pose from which he could both attack and defend himself easily. Wave looked at Bols who was almost overrun by guards and he knew that he needed to finish Izou off and fast. He needed to transform and he knew that even though Kurome would be scared of him she would be safe and that was all that mattered.


East wing...

"I think that that is the last of them." said Run as he slumped down on the ground exhasuted once sure that there were no guards. Esdeath would have done the same thing if it weren't for her pride, so instead of sitting down she remained standing. Then she felt something. She felt it before , during the fight but she wasn't sure then. Now she was. Someone wathcing and she cursed herself for not noticing him earlier. Esdeath held her rapier high. She recognized the aura of the person.

"Show yourself, filthy pirate." said Esdeath, Run clumsily jumped to his feet at that, his wings springing from his back. From the ceiling a man jumped down. He had his tonuge out.

"Excellent, as expected from a general of the Empire. Former general anyway. I shall enjoy raping you over and over again." he said with a sickening smile but Esdeath found it only amusing.

"Shut your tongue and show me if you are a opponent worthy of my time." she said in a mocking but stern voice and Enshin drew his sword and started swinging it in the air. At first Esdeath wondered what he was doing but when she saw the aerial blades coming towards her she understood. She ducked the first few then sliced the next one all the while trying to look like she was at full strenght. IF she let Enshin notice that she wasn't he would press the attack.

Enshin kept on creating the aerial blades not minding his surroundings and Esdeath summoned icicles behind Enshin and even saw Run getting ready to shoot his feathers but then suddenly the pirate turned around and sliced the icicles behind him in half. He took one of the icicles and sent it flying at Run who didn't see it coming until it buried itself in his left shoulder. Esdeath felt angry for RUn being hurt but she couldn't help herself. She burst out laughing.

"Finally something interesting." The Capital's strongest said and gave Enshin her predatory grin. The grin of someone who was going to enjoy a hunt for its prey.


West wing...

Cosmina turned towards the wounded soldiers to her right and started singing in her microphone. The soldiers started yelling out in pain before they went silent. Dead silent. She then returend her gaze towards Najenda who somehow got on her feet. Cosmina smiled at her.

"It is too bad I had to kill such young men, I wanted to have fun with them later. But what is done is done. Perhaps I should have fun wiht you instead?" said Cosmina and shrugged. Najenda was boiling with anger at Cosmina's casual demanor but before she could say anything back a group of Najenda's soldiers came through the destroyed doorway traping Cosmina between Najenda and her remaining soldiers on one side and the other group on the other. Najenda only hoped it was the group which she expected. A man from the group spoke up.

"We have the Emperor. Release our commader and we will not kill the Emperor right here and now." the soldier said as another one brought forth the Emperor, still a child. The Emperor was squirming and sobbing but the soldier put an knife to his neck regardless, waiting for Cosmina's response.

Najenda could see that Cosmina was thinking over her options. "Dammit, give the Emperor to me and I will give you your commander whore in exchange." she said.

"No, forget about me, kill the Emperor and then her!" yelled Najenda in protest but no one paid mind to her. She almost started laughing. If she didn't join the military she was sure that she would have become na actress.

"Alright, hand the commander over first." said the soldier still holding the knife to the Emperor's throat.

Cosmina hesited before she signaled Njaneda she could go. Najenda scrambled to her soldiers on her knees. As she got there one soldier helped her get up as the soldier who spoke released the Emperor and the Emperor went to Cosmina in a similiar fashion as Najenda did.

As the Emperor got there, Cosmina helped him up. But then the Emperor moved fast and put a needle through the back of Cosmina's neck. Cosmina looked at the Emperor in suprise as he smirked. The Emperor then turned into Chelsea and she laid down a dying Cosmina on the floor, looked at Najenda and Najenda nodded. It went just as planned. Their hostage tactic proved sucessful but she needed to know where the Emperor was.

"Where is the Emperor?" asked Najenda. She was hurt but their mission was more important.

"We couldn't find him, boss. Once we searched everything we returned here to see if you needed help and to report." said Chelsea.


South wing...

Seryu ducked under one of the slender man's swipes just as large man attacked her with Extase. Seryu barely blocked the blow with her mechanical arms but her arms got damaged in the process. She couldn't control them as well as before. She jumped back to get away from the men and looked back to where Leone left but she couldn't see her. Seryu cursed Leone and looked at Kuro who had just returned. She rejoiced. Now she could deliver justice.

"Kuro, Berserk!" Seryu yelled immediately as she saw him.

Kuro transformed from the cute small dog into a hulking brute, his fur becoming black. Kuro roared and the two men were stunned by it. Seryu fired at the smaller man fom her mouth as Kuro attacked the larger. Kuro and the large man grappled and wrestled, the man cutting through Kuro with Extase but thankfully never hitting Kuro's core. The slender man got hit in the shoulder by the bullet but he didn't even jerk back at impact, instead he came at Seryu with full speed.

Seryu fired a few more times at him but he dodged the bullets, closing the distance between them fast. He was in arms reach and Seryu thought she was going to die as the man raised his arm with a blade in it to cut deep into Seryu.

Seryu closed her eyes, ready for the final blow and she accepted her destiny but it never came. When Seryu opened her eyes she saw that the man was on the floor in front of her with an other man who looked unconcious on top of him. Seryu looked back and saw Leone who winked and smirked at her.

"I had to find the one who was hiding before we could continue the fight unless you didn't want us ambushed when we least expected it, sorry I left you all alone." she said as she went to help Kuro with the large men, leaving Seryu the man on the floor.

Seryu approached the man, looked down on him as he was struggling and she felt something she never felt before when she was about to kill someone. Regret.

"I am sorry." she said to the man as she fired the weapon in her mouth and he was dead in the next moment. Seryu turned back and saw Kuro devouring the large man and Leone holding Extase. Seryu approached Leone.

"I am sorry." Seryu said.

"What for?" asked Leone looking up form the Teigu scissors

"For that." Seryu said and nodded at the Teigu in Leone's arms. Leone looked at her for a good while.

"Sheele was always so nice to us. I miss her. I will never be able to forgive you but I hope that we can stay friends or whatever we are now." Leone said and smiled at Seryu. "Now, we need to find Stylish and kill him too. Let's go."


Tatsumi hit a wall next to him out of frustration. He had no idea where to go next and their time was running out.

"Maybe we should simply go find Najenda and ask her. It would take less time." said Tatsumi and for that he got angry glares from both Mine and Akame. He knew that he should have kept his mouth shut.

"Or go to the throne room." he added trying to save himself. He didn't know why he said it but he felt like something was there. Mine and Akame calmed down and nodded and so they went to the throne room.

Tatsumi walked behind Mine and Akame when he heard the Tyrant's voice in his head. "Tatsumi, do you love Esdeath, your mate?" he asked.

"Of course I do." answered Tatsumi careful not to say it out loud.

"Why? She is the opposite of you, is she not?"

"No, she is the same as me," said Tatsumi and a smile came to his face "and why I love her? I have abosuletly no idea, I just know that I do."

"What would you be ready to sacrifice for her?" asked the Tyrant.

"Everything, and more. But drop it. Now we are focusing on revenge. Something whihc you should know well about." Tatsumi finished the conversation with that just as they got to the gilded throne room doors.

As they entered, the room was gloomy so that you could barely see. It reminded Tatsumi of the night when he came there with the Jaegers ready to kill Prime Minister Honest. He hoped that this time it would turn out better than last time. As they entered the smell was the first thing that felt wrong. Describing the smell was not possible. To say it smelt like a death was the closest you could come. Tatsumi gripped Neunote in his armored fist and he saw Akame gripping her sword tight with Mine looking around carefully for any enemies. Tatsumi used his night vision and he looked at the throne.

Wierdly Tatsumi could see everthing except the throne. He focused hard but there was only darkness where he should have seen the throne. It made Tatusmi only more uneasy as he, Mine and Akame carefully approached. Tatsumi looked around a saw a dead body on his left, Tatsumi thought about going to see if the human was still alive but he didn't want to risk walking into a trap. As they stopped at the beggining of the stairs to the pedastal, the throne instead of becoming brighter it became only more engulfed in darkness. Tatsumi looked at Mine.

"Syura, come out! Mine, fire at the throne!" he said to her and she did. The blast was practically eaten by the darkness. Then the darkness was gone. Tatusmi turned around in a frenzy, searching for it like it was alive but he couldn't see it anywhere. As much as it scared him it maed him twice times more angry

They all heard laughter then and it would have chilled him to the bone if Tatsumi didn't put up with an even worse laughter everyday.

"You defeated the hounds and avoided my subordinates. Nicely done. Now it is my turn. Me, the great Syura!" the voice said and Tatsumi recognized it. Syura. Tatsumi half laughed half growled.

"Before we begin, you bastard. Tell me at least why! Why did you do all those things?" Tatsumi yelled. He needed to know.

"Isn't it obvious? Because it was fun and I was bored. My father thought of me as incompentant but I showed him!" said Syura and laughed. That was what drove Tatsumi over the edge.


South wing...

Wave felt himself grow and he opened his eyes. He was standing over Izou who was staring at him wide eyed. Wave raised his clawed hand and looked at it. His fingers were twice as long as they were before, talon-like and sharp as razors. He looked back at Izou an turned his head to look at Kurome. Wave was going to pay Izou back for trying to kill Kurome.

He let the chain in his right hand fall with a satisfying clink, the blade on its end scratching the cold stone tiles on the floor. Izou raised his sword in defence but Wave felt like laughing at it. To Wavea s he was now it was nothing more than a toothpick. He started swinging his chain in the air, the chain sounding like a whip while it cut through the air. Wave swung the lightning fast chain at Izou. He hoped it would be enough but Izou ducked under the devastating blow and the blade hit the wall at the far end of the room. Izou then started running towards Wave raising his sword for an attack but Wave brought his left hand down and Izou was forced to abandon the attack and jump out of Wave's arm reach.

Wave howled and dashed at Izou who still didn't land and couldn't defend himself in mid air. Wave brought the blade at the end of the chain back with a flick of his wrist and he faked an attack with his left hand as the chain and blade came towards Izou from behind. The samurai didn't notice the blade until it struck him into his back. It cut the samurai clena in half like he was made out of butter. The two halfs fell to the floor.

Wave looked at the upper half of Izou who was as if by miracle still alive and coughing blood. Wave almost felt mercy for the samurai but then he remembered that the smaurai wouldn't show any mercy to Kurome. Wave squashed the Izou under his foot. He then turned towards Bols and Kurome and saw that they were looking at him, the guards having decided to run away at seeing a monster.

Wave felt fear at what Bols and more importantly Kurome would say at his trump card. Wave transformed back into Grand Chariot's normal form and then Chariot disappered totally. Wave looked at Kurome who had a strange look at her face and Wave turned away not wanting to look at her anymore for he couldn't take her hating or fearing him. He felt a hand on his shoulder and he went for his cutlass but as he turned he saw Kurome.

Kurome kissed him on the cheek. Wave couldn't believe it. "Kurome… kissed… me?!" thought Wave as he slowly realized that it truly did happen. Wave felt happiness, then fear then he felt dizzy and then everything just went black as his unconcious body slumped to the floor.