A/N The man known as Arius Magress has finally made his appearance, and it has been revealed that there was actually a third armor crafted from the flesh of Tyrant named Unholy God Eater: Imperator. And to test the reputation it holds as being the "Trump Card" to both Grand Chariot and Tyrannus (Incursio), he challenges Tatsumi and Wave to a duel. Place your bets now ladies and gentlemen! Who will win? The Demon Dragon's Flesh and Carnage Incarnate or the Unholy God Eater? Leave a fav and review, and prepare your faces for a long ass chapter.


Chapter 27 - Confrontation

"I will end this fight here and now. Bear witness to Imperator's full power! Life Taker - Judecca Rising!" bellowed Magress, the dark aura surrounding him rapidly expanding outward and shooting up into the sky, Tatsumi stepping back and watching as the energy solidified and took on the form of someone he and everyone else observing them could recognize.

The silhouette of Tyrant appeared around Magress and held up its clawed hands around him on either side, the sky beginning to darken as blackish-grey clouds developed above the arena. The dragon's silhouette, instead of being a manifestation of the real thing like when Tatsumi or Wave would activated their armors, was pitch black and the only distinctive feature it had were its characteristic red eyes.

Seeing the dragon and the drastic increase in Magress' power and strength baffled Esdeath and the rest of the observers, while Excalibur only chuckled and crossed his arms.

"Why is he transforming again? Wasn't that earlier mode his Trump Card?" asked Leone, the mechanical Teigu shaking his head and glancing back at her.

"Unfortunately, no. I'm sorry but I lied when I stated that it was his Trump Card that he used earlier. This is Imperator's real Trump Card, "Like Taker - Judecca Rising", where the armor draws upon the anger, rage and very life force of its user to instigate a temporary evolution that drastically increases its abilities."

"A temporary evolution?" asked Esdeath.

"Yes. Similar to how Tyrannus can evolve and adapt overtime, Imperator's Trump Card allows the armor to instigate a temporary evolved state. I've never seen him use it, but he's told me that this Trump Card alone is how he received the nickname "One Man Army"."

Excalibur then turned his back on them once again and stared hard at the two fighters in the distance, the silhouette of Tyrant roaring. Tatsumi may have been able to survive the Guillotine Drop...but now that Magress has activated his Trump Card...there's no chance he'll be able to survive."

Esdeath's eyes widened and she returned her attention to Tatsumi, her heart and mind screaming at her to stop the fight and prevent her husband from dying if Magress was indeed becoming strong enough to do so.

Suddenly the manifestation of Tyrant behind Magress vanished, the aura that composed its body returning to his armor and finishing the transformation. Several new horns had grown out of the helmet and its gold colored portions had morphed into a dark purple, and grasped tightly in his right hand was an entirely new lance different from Leomurg and the one he had previously before they started their duel.

"Perish." said Magress in almost a whisper before he vanished, reappearing a split second later just a mere couple of inches away from Tatsumi and catching him completely off guard.

He smashed his kneecap into Tatsumi's gut and knocked the wind out of him, his free hand being used to knock him to the side with a vicious punch that broke apart a large portion of Tyrannus' helmet and revealed more of Tatsumi's face. Tatsumi growled and returned a powerful blow of his own that made his attacker stumble back a few feet, the strength he still held despite his broken rib cage and various other injuries throwing Magress for a loop.

"He still holds this much strength?! Impossible!" he thought in disbelief.

"I won't die that easily!" roared Tatsumi as he ripped off what remained of his helmet and spit out some blood, his eyes blazing with power as he reared back with Neuntote and launched the spear at Magress.

He was too slow to react and the spear punctured his left shoulder in a joint in his armor, Magress growling as he quickly removed it and tossed it aside. The distraction allowed Tatsumi to rush him and slam a foot into his side, knocking him off balance so he could use the tail his armor had grown during its last evolution to take his feet out from under him.

Tatsumi clenched both of his fists and raised them high above his head, several cracks echoing from his midsection as a result of his ribs, before he brought them down hard onto Magress and sent his body three feet deep into the ground. He was able to recover fast though and he lunged at Tatsumi with his lance, catching him in the side and slicing deep enough through Tyrannus to reach skin. He leaped back as Magress pulled himself out and gripped his side, cursing under his breath when he brought his hand back and saw blood on it.

"I can't keep this up for long...I feel like I'm gonna pass out any second!" he thought desperately when Magress attacked him again, using his lance to put Tatsumi on the defensive.

"Why won't you give up?!" demanded Magress, pronouncing each word after a swing and stab with his lance while Tatsumi dodged or blocked them.

"The same reason why you won't...I will not rest until the Empire becomes a better place! I have someone waiting for me!" he replied with a battle cry before batting aside the lance and rearing back for another punch.

Magress couldn't defend himself yet again and Tatsumi's knuckles rammed deep into his gut, the impact so great it created another spider web of cracks to lance out from from his fist and made Magress double over in pain. He coughed vigorously and sucked up the pain, his rage pushing him beyond his limits and enabling him to recover quickly yet again and return the blow. They traded punches and kicks, their powerful strikes causing bits and pieces of both Tyrannus and Imperator to break and fly off in every direction

"Who could be so important that you would risk your life to take down the most powerful nation in existence?!" questioned Magress after doubling back from a harsh kick to the rib cage, Tatsumi letting out a heavy breath and spitting some more blood to the side.

He fixated his tired gaze on him and smiled weakly, "You see that woman back there with the blue hair?"

Magress took a quick glance over his shoulder and spotted Esdeath based off of Tatsumi's description, replying back, "Yes. What about her?"

"She's my wife...and right now, in the Eastern Nation...our daughter is waiting for us." he said, the visible eye of Arius Magress widening in shock.

"Seven months earlier, we left the Empire...and seven months later she gave birth to her there, far out of the reach of Prime Minister Honest and the corrupt regime. I originally wanted to make the Empire a better place for all by killing Honest, but now...now that I have a daughter, that goal has changed. Now, I want to change the Empire so that she can grow up without suffering through what we all have gone through. That's the real reason...why I fight. I'm fighting for her."

After speaking his mind Tatsumi coughed again and collapsed to one knee, the pain coursing through his veins making it unbearable from him to stand up. He sucked in a breath and grunted as he forced himself to stand back up and make eye contact with Magress again, who was left speechless at his devotion and determination.

"I've fought against some of the strongest in the Empire...the old and new Great General, the Three Beasts...my own friends, the infamous assassins known as Night Raid, before we settled our differences, and even the very Danger Beast my armor was forged from when he attempted to take over my body. So try all you want to kill me...because I'm gonna keep on living for their sake, regardless of any danger thrown at me."

Magress opened his mouth to say something, but he closed it a second later when he couldn't think of anything *to say. He had devoted his entire life to avenging the death of his parents, but to see how far this man would go for the sake of creating a better world for his daughter and taking on even death itself...he couldn't compete with that.

"I see...very well then." he responded in a low voice, Tatsumi getting thrown for a loop when Imperator morphed back to its original appearance and the single wing on his back vanished. "I concede. You win."

At that moment Tatsumi's legs lost all feeling in them and he collapsed to his knees, Tyrannus deconstructing itself and revealing his injuries. Before he could fully hit the ground however, Magress himself caught him and helped him back to his feet by slinging his arm over his shoulder and walking him over to Wave.

"Did you win?" he asked, Tatsumi laughing weakly as Magress removed Leomurg from Wave's shoulder and dissipated the weapon alongside Carnificem and Impeius, which were strewn across the arena.

"Yes, and you should be able to get up now." stated Magress, Wave raising an eyebrow in confusion before he felt a surge of energy return to him and he stood up instantly, albeit wincing a little at his injury.

"What just happened?"

"It's Leomurg's hidden ability that sucks out the energy of the person it stabs." replied Magress before he looked over to where Excalibur was standing with the rest of Tatsumi and Wave's friends and motioned for him to come over.

In a matter of seconds his companion was at his side, Run and Lubbock picking up Tatsumi while Chelsea retrieved a bottle of Solomon's blood from the satchel he gave them and uncorked it. She gave it to Wave first and he took a small sip, cringing as the strange tasting liquid slipped down his throat and instantly repaired his injured shoulder. He handed it to Esdeath and she approached Tatsumi, who already had his mouth open and ready, so she could pour some of the bottle's contents down his own throat.

He shivered at its unnatural taste and he waved his hand for Run and Lubbock to stop supporting him, the two stepping back and allowing him to hunch over and allow the phoenix blood to heal him. A couple of minutes passed, Magress and Excalibur watching in awe as slowly Tatsumi was returned to his normal and healthy self thanks to the miracle healing ability of the blood.

"Whew...I feel much better now." he said with a sigh as he ran a hand through his hair and wiped the dried blood away from his lips.

"Are you sure you're okay?" asked Esdeath just to be sure, Tatsumi grinning and wrapping an arm around her to show her that he was back to feeling good as new.

"I'm fine. I don't plan on dying any time soon." he replied, Esdeath letting out a sigh of relief and returning his hug.

"I'm sorry for putting you in a situation like that." said Magress in a regretful tone, Tatsumi turning towards him and waving his hand through the air as if he was disregarding the whole thing.

"It's fine. It was actually really exciting, that fight."

Excalibur stared at Magress and gasped a little at the sight of one of his eyes and a lock of his hair, and after thinking about what had just occurred for a moment he placed a hand on his shoulder pauldron and motioned at him with his other hand.

"So, he was able to actually damage Imperator, eh?" he asked, his armored friend growling at him while everyone else looked at them and were astonished to discover that this fact was true.

What shocked them even more was that they could see his eye and hair, which only fueled their curiosity as to who this mysterious armored warrior was. When he noticed their stares Magress quickly turned away to hide the broken portion of his helmet and crossed his arms in order to hide the cracked chest piece, but instead of deterring them from prying any further it only made them want to know more.

"Y'know, what do you really look like under all that armor? I know I can't wear Grand Chariot for a long time without getting tired, so I'm assuming you deactivate it ever once in a while, right?" asked Wave while pointing at Imperator.

"That is correct...but I'd prefer to keep wearing it. I hardly grow tired from wearing it anyways." replied Magress.

That was when Excalibur glared at him and tapped his foot several times on the ground until Magress looked at him and raised an eyebrow. "What is it?"

"After challenging them right out of the blue and very nearly killing Esdeath's husband, I think they've earned the right to know who exactly was the one to do so…Maya."

An air of silence dropped like a hammer over the two groups, with Magress immediately tensing up and glaring at Excalibur with wide eyes. Tatsumi, Esdeath and everyone else was just as surprised, since the mechanical Teigu had just referred to him as "Maya" which wasn't even his name. Najenda however took the name and began to put the pieces of the puzzle together, and after a few moments she came to a realization about Magress' identity and gasped.

"What is it?" asked Run, the Night Raid leader looking at Magress and grinning slightly.

"Maya?" asked Excalibur expectantly, Magress growling under his breath before he dropped his arms and sighed.

"Fine."

A bright purple light engulfed his body as the armor dematerialized and took on the form of a long lance colored just like Imperator, this weapon obviously its key mode, and when the light vanished they were all left utterly speechless.

"Uh…" murmured Chelsea and Lubbock at the same time while Wave had to rub his eyes to make sure he was seeing clearly.

"You guys are seeing what I'm seeing, right?" asked Kurome, Akame and Leone slowly nodding.

The reason why they were so surprised was that underneath the six and a half foot tall set of armor known as Unhold God Eater: Imperator, Arius Magress wasn't some male warrior sporting battle scars or whatever other stereotypical markings of a true badass. No, the person underneath the cousin of Grand Chariot and Tyrannus wasn't that at all...the "he" they had assumed to be wearing it was actually a "she". And truth be told, she was quite beautiful.

The person known as Arius Magress was a beautiful and slender woman of average height, around 5'7", with waist length lavender hair, a blue right eye and a red left eye, and she was wearing a revealing sleeveless skin-tight, backless top with a teardrop shaped opening on the chest that showed the top portion of her cleavage, two lapels on the front and back, a mesh bottom and an obi around her waist. She also wore stockings that functioned as her shoes and a pair of lavender colored arm warmers that extended out over the back of her hand to wrap around the middle finger of each hand.

"Everyone, I'd like to introduce to you the woman behind the mask of Arius Magress. My trusted friend and companion, Maya Gleipnir." said Excalibur happily, Maya rolling her eyes at him and crossing her arms over her chest.

"Hey." she said with a stoic expression.

"Well, this is certainly interesting." remarked Esdeath with a slight grin, her eyes darting to Tatsumi before she elbowed him lightly in the side and laughed. "You almost got beat by a girl."

He glared at her and she winked, Maya sighing heavily and flipping back a strand of her hair before motioning over her shoulder towards the west. "You guys are heading towards the Western Nations, right?"

"Yes, why are you asking?" questioned Akame, Maya shrugging as she rested Imperator's key on her shoulder and put her other hand on her hip.

"I'm going with you guys. I've gotten bored dealing with normal Imperial Soldiers, and I've heard that an infamous division called the Hellraisers were sent to the Western Nations to keep order there."

- Fifteen Miles Away -

"Okay, this seems like a good spot to rest for a few and figure out our next move." said Dreivas after creating a small enclosure of plant roots and branches around them, offering them protection from the storm brewing above.

The Inquisitor set down Brahmastra's carrying case and leaned up against one of the plant hut's walls, letting out a sigh when the machines inside his body ceased their functions and gave him a moment's rest.

"For starters, we still have to find my Mistress and inform her of the discovery we have made." he replied, Dreivas glancing over at him and crossing his arms.

"I might actually have a way to cut down on the time for that." he said, the Inquisitor's uncovered eye cracking open half an inch.

"Oh?"

"Before leaving the Imperial Capital to join you I marked her by leaving behind a spore I had created. Right now, even from this far away I can clearly feel her presence and, with that, I can communicate with her." explained Dreivas as he sat down on the grass and crossed his legs over, the Inquisitor already intrigued by what kind of communication he was speaking of.

His questions were answered when various roots grew out of his legs and dug into the grass and earth around him, joining together to become an even larger root that coiled up and got ready to head to its destination.

"Put a hand on my head." ordered Dreivas, the Inquisitor saying nothing and walking over to do just that.

Once his hand was firmly planted on the top of the Teigu's helmet the root that had grown underneath his body lanced out at break-neck speeds, burrowing its way through the soft dirt just inches above the surface and racing towards the location of his spore.

- Eastern Lands of the Empire -

- Five Minutes Later -

"Great General, the forward army sent ahead of our current position was wiped out by the advancing Eastern Nation army. In three days time they'll be right on our doorstep." reported one of Jacqueline's officers, the Great General waving a hand to send him off while sighing heavily.

"What are you thinking of doing Jacqueline?" asked Kahfka from her chair inside the command tent, Jacqueline glancing over at her and smiling.

"The strength of the Eastern Nation's military is quite unprecedented, and since we are the most well-trained army in the Empire, if we were to fall in battle here...there would be no one to stop our enemies from attacking the Empire directly." she replied.

"So..are we going to pull back?"

"Yes, that is the best option right now. My duty as Great General ultimately comes to protecting the Emperor, and I can't do that job very well from here." stated Jacqueline after getting up out of her seat and stretching to get the soreness out of her limbs.

When she felt the ground shift slightly under her she looked down and jumped a little when a tree root pushed itself through the earth between her feet. Kahfka took notice of it too and they both felt the familiar vibe of a certain rude mechanical Teigu emanating from it, so they watched warily as it continued to grow in height until it stopped around the same plane as Jacqueline's shoulder.

She looked over at Kahfka for a few moments before reaching for the root and gingerly placing a hand on it. Instantly her mind was filled with the presence of both Dreivas and someone else she easily recognized as the Inquisitor.

"Jacqueline, can you hear me?" she heard him say into her mind as if he were right there next to her.

"Yes, and is Dreivas enabling you to do this?" she asked back.

"Of course."

"Well, what do you have to report?" asked Jacqueline nonchalantly, Kahfka staring at her with a confused expression since she hadn't spoken once since touching the vine.

"We've found him." replied the Inquisitor.

"Found who, exactly?"

"Arius Magress, the One Man Army. He and an ally of his wielding a long-sword interrupted our attack on the Jaegers and Night Raid."

At that Jacqueline's eyes widened in surprise and she looked at Kahfka, her lips curling up into a devious smile. Seems she wouldn't have to conduct her search for the infamous One Man Army at all, since her beloved subordinate had done it for her.

"Really? Have you two been tracking him?" she asked.

"It has been easy to do so since they joined the Jaegers and Night Raid."

She listened silently as the Inquisitor explained to her everything that they had discovered about Arius Magress after faking a retreat and watching from afar, and when five minutes passed by she concluded her conversation with him on a promise that she would arrive at their location soon.

"What was that all about?" asked Kahfka when Jacqueline took her hand off the root and chuckled.

"The Inquisitor and Dreivas have recently encountered our One Man Army that's been a problem for the Empire. And I am going to meet up with them, so I need you to remain here and lead my army back to the capital in my place as de-facto leader." she said while walking over to a nearby table and picking up the coiled Basilisk. "Can you do that for me?"

Kahfka brightened up at the opportunity presented to her to lead Jacqueline's army while she was away and she immediately took it, nodding her head up and down vigorously.

"Thank you, I appreciate it. I'll meet you back at the Capital, okay?"

"Yeah. Good luck." said Kahfka warmly before she stood up and shared a goodbye kiss with her, Jacqueline exiting the tent afterwards.

As soon as she left her army's camp she grabbed a horse and galloped off in the direction of the Inquisitor's presence, the devious smile on her face growing in volume as the excitement of the upcoming battle began to arise. Seven months prior when she had fought Esdeath and that other man, Tatsumi, had definitely been interesting, but fighting someone reputed as a "One Man Army" as well as the Jaegers and Night Raid was making her heart race.

"I've prepared for this too. I've tripled the density and strength of my bone structure since our last encounter, so much so that even Extase had difficulty cutting through them." she thought, the trees blowing past her a mere blur.

The horse she had gotten onto before leaving the camp was not the typical horse used by the Imperial Army, this one was special. It was a unique breed of Danger Beast that could run twice as fast as the fastest horse, so with it she was sure to reach the Inquisitor's location in under a day.

"I'm coming for you Esdeath, my old superior. And this time...I'll take you back with me and make you watch as I slowly and painfully kill your husband."

- Southwestern Lands of the Empire -

- 8:54 p.m -

The weary members of Night Raid and the Jaegers had finally gotten out of the large forest they had been in previously when they got attacked by agents from the Empire, undoubtedly sent to hunt them by Jacqueline, then subsequently saved by the infamous Arius Magress, who wasn't even a man at all and was in fact a beautiful woman.

However she hardly ever talked with them and always remained in the back behind the two groups, chatting quietly with Excalibur.

"So she decides to join us then hardly even speaks with us." muttered Leone under her breath after glancing back at Maya for the fourth time in ten minutes. "Hey Lubbock, what do you think?"

"Well, if I had to say...maybe she doesn't trust us yet. I mean, sure we're on the same side and all, but if my parents were executed by the very nation they served, then I would have some major trust issues too." he whispered back. Leone nodding in agreement.

"Just give her some time."

They jumped when Excalibur appeared in between them from out of nowhere, but instead of berating them about their discussion he placed a hand on their shoulders and sighed.

"If she told you about how her parents were executed, then you must know the whole story, right?" he asked in a low tone, Leone and Lubbock shaking their heads.

"Well…" began Excalibur before he noticed it wasn't just them two listening in, Tatsumi and Esdeath had turned their heads slightly towards him as did the rest of the large group.

"Oh don't mind us. Just pretend we aren't here." said Mine with a grin on her face, Excalibur sighing heavily again before he returned his attention to his primary listeners and began his story.

"It is indeed the truth that Maya's parents were executed. But...there's much more to it then that. Don't tell her that I told you all this, either. She's the only person to confide in me her past, so listen up, because this is the only time I'll be saying it."

- Imperial Capital -

- Seven Years Ago -

"Okay Mom, Dad, I'm heading out!" announced a much younger Maya, only 14 years old, as she headed towards the front door of her house.

"Good luck honey!" called back her mother from the kitchen while her father finished tying up his boots and stood at the door waiting for her.

"You think you can do it?" he asked with smile, Maya nodding her head a few times.

"Yeah. I've been working really really hard, and I think I can do it this time!" said Maya excitedly, her father laughing at her enthusiasm.

"Alright then, let's go."

She was on her way to be recruited into the Imperial Army, just like her father had, and what made her so excited was that overseeing the entire thing would be the Great General himself. Her dream was to join the Imperial Guard and serve under the legendary General, and so when her father dropped her off at the Imperial Training Grounds she mentally and physically prepared herself to give it her all.

- Office of the Great General, Imperial Training Grounds -

- Three Hours Later -

Great General Budo was busy sifting through the information sheets and medical reports of all the new recruits that had shown up that day, and he was mostly passing them on for further review by those under him until his eye caught something peculiar.

"Oh…? What do we have here?" he asked himself as he pulled out a pair of papers titles with the name "Maya Gleipnir" and looked them over for a brief moment.

His eyes widened and he read through the reports again, this time with a more steady gaze to ensure that what he was seeing was in fact the real thing. A tiny grin appeared on his face as he set down the paper on the side away from the others and called in an Imperial Guard who was outside his door.

A few minutes later after he had sent him off with his orders the guard returned and ushered in the girl Budo had seen in the reports, the Great General motioning for her to sit down in the chair before his desk.

"So, you're Maya Gleipnir, correct?" asked Budo, a grin still on his face.

"Y-Yes, sir." replied Maya nervously, Budo chuckling as he grabbed onto the report detailing her scores and other information for reference.

"You scored exceptionally well on everything, from marksmanship to hand-to-hand combat. Exactly how old are you?" asked Budo with the raise of an eyebrow, Maya shifting uncomfortably in her seat.

"Uh...fourteen, sir."

"Fourteen?! She was able to outperform grown men almost twice her age?" thought Budo in complete and utter shock, his expression hinting to Maya that her age had definitely caught him off guard.

"Is there something wrong, sir?" asked Maya with a concerned tone in her voice, the Great General shaking himself out of his trance and grinning again.

"Of course not. Normally, with your age, I would have to deny your enlistment into the Imperial Army and have you wait another two years. However, with scores like these...I have another idea." said Budo, Maya's expression morphing into one of confusion when he set down her information and leaned back in his chair.

Maya was a little hurt by the fact that she wouldn't be able to join the Imperial Army just because of her age, but judging by the look on Budo's face she assumes that whatever idea he had in mind was even better then that.

"How would you like the become the youngest member to ever join the ranks of the Imperial Guard?"

"W-What…?" asked Maya with a stutter, her heart skipping a few beats while her mind tries to process the words just spoken to her.

"I'm asking you if you want to be a member of the Imperial Guard." said Budo again, Maya's heart leaping out of her chest when her dream suddenly became very real.

Her answer was obvious, of course. Although instead of screaming it out to the heavens, she stayed professional and gave her reply like anyone would to the highest ranked officer in the Imperial Military.

"It would be an honor, sir." she said,Budo nodding his head once before standing up and walking towards the office door.

"Very well. As of now you are now my subordinate. Report back here tomorrow at 0800 hours for personal training."

"Personal training sir?"

"Indeed. You've performed better then any single person I've ever seen before, even better then some current Imperial Guards under my command. So, I will be the one to personally train you, and if you exceed my expectations...I see you becoming my second-in-command in the future."

Two years passed by in the blink of an eye, and Maya, under the tutelage and watchful eye of Budo, developed even further beyond her previous limits and was transformed into a devastating opponent and one of the most powerful and skilled Imperial Guards in service to the Empire. So much so that she was promoted to his second-in-command, just like he had promised.

"Now that my shift is over, I think I'll have enough time to go pay a visit to Mom and Dad." thought Maya as she left the barracks of the Imperial Palace and left the grounds to take the short way home.

When she was around halfway there though the density of people rapidly increased to the point she could barely get through without stepping on people's feet. As she neared an upcoming courtyard she overheard some people whispering about something to do with an execution and the people involved with it.

"Apparently they were traitors to the Empire...damn, it's a horrible way to go."

"No kidding, and of course they get put on display…"

"Just who are these people talking about?" thought Maya as she pushed herself through the crowd and finally arrived a clearing, and the first thing to hit her nose was the smell of blood.

She looked up and instantly she felt every ounce of her life and soul leave her body, her heart shattering into a million of bits and pieces and turning her into an empty shell. It everything just to keep herself from collapsing into her knees at the sight before her.

There were two large wooden crosses in the center of the courtyard, which has a reputation of being a place where the Empire would put these types of things on display. She had seen plenty of these and was always disgusted by them whenever she saw them, but today...it was different. The people crucified and put on display weren't just some random citizens she neither knew or cared about...it was her parents.

Tears began to stream down her face and her mind began to race at hundreds of thousands of miles per hour, trying to figure out why it was *her parents up there.

Before she could however a hand wrapped itself around her and she whipped her head back, the person the arm belonged to revealed to be Budo himself. She said nothing as he led her back through the crowd and away from the horrible sight, the Great General feeling her body shake and quiver in his light grasp.

Once they had gotten far enough he turned a corner and let go of her, Maya immediately breaking down and falling to her knees while Budo crossed his arms and waited for her to finish.

"W-Why? Why were my parents up there?!" she demanded with a croak, Budo sighing heavily.

"I only just found out, but apparently they had been tried, tortured and ordered to be executed by the Prime Minister earlier today." he said regretfully, his words like a burning hot stake that stabbed Maya and caused her to suffer even more. "Trust me, I know for a fact that your parents were good people. So for them to suddenly be executed like that...it doesn't make sense."

"What do you mean by that?" asked Maya through the tears, Budo leaning up against a nearby wall and glancing down the alley towards the main road.

"The Prime Minister has a lot of people wrapped around his finger, both political and military, and he does some highly...distasteful acts in the shadows. I'm one of the few people he can't persuade to be one of his puppets, and I despise the man for being who he is. I even promised myself that whenever I got the chance, I would remove him from his current permission and eliminate him." said Budo with a scowl, his gaze returning to Maya. "What I'm trying to say is the Prime Minister must've tried to turn your father over to his side, and when he refused...he and your mother payed with their lives."

At this point Maya had finally stopped shaking, but the tears had yet to cease and she had neither the strength nor the will to stand back up. Her life had all come crashing down, and according to Budo, it was all because of a corrupt politician's own agenda and how he didn't get what he wanted. Slowly her agony turned to rage and her fingers balled up into fists, and the Empire she had sworn to serve and protect began to turn into a monstrosity that needed to be dealt with.

"I can already tell what your planning on doing, and it's my duty as the Great General to ensure the Emperor and the Prime Minister are left unharmed...however, my own personal opinion is that the Emperor's life is more important then that man." he said, Budo pushing himself off the wall and kneeling down next to Maya with a small grin on his face.

He threw one of his arms around her and hugged her, his presence and touch calming Maya down enough to the point she stopped crying. "Whatever you do next, I will probably have to call upon the Imperial Guard to deal with it, but regardless of that I will support you."

"Thank you...thank you so, so much…"murmured Maya as she tightened her hold around Budo's neck, the Great General patting her on the back a few times before helping her to her feet and dusting her off.

"Now, I'm not allowed to tell you this, but...there's a building located near the Imperial Palace. It's heavily guarded by members of the Imperial Guard, and the reason for this is located deep underneath the building is a vault. Inside the vault are all of the unused Teigu that the Empire has possession of. I know you're strong enough so...try not to kill too many of my men."

Maya smiled and she wiped away the last remnants of the tears from earlier before walking towards the street with determination written all over her face. She looked back at Budo and winked, "Thank you again, sir. For everything."

He nod his head and she vanished around the corner, her hurried footfalls telling him she was already gone. He sighed again and began walking the other way, his arms still crossed. Seems his day was going to become a whole lot more interesting.

Meanwhile Maya had gone from sprinting through the streets to leaping from rooftop to rooftop, her house coming into a view a few minutes later. She dropped down onto the front lawn and hurried inside to get to her room and retrieve the back-up set of armor and weapons she had kept stored in her closet in case they were ever needed. She slipped on the shoulder pauldrons and chest piece, followed by the thigh guards, vambraces and boots, and when she came to the helmet she decided against it and reached over for her halberd and shield.

Before leaving, she stood absolutely still for a moment and thought again of the sight of her parents, their heavily mutilated bodies hanging from the crosses and the feeling of absolute despair that had spawned within her. Her fists shook intensely as anger and rage began to course through her veins, turning her once pure and luminescent soul into a black hole void of any other emotions except sorrow, pain...and rage. The Empire to her now was no longer a nation founded on righteousness and just principles...it was a nation filled with corruption and evil that had took her parents from her, and it all stemmed from the Prime Minister.

"I will have my revenge. I swear it." she told herself before leaving the room and making her way back outside.

Budo's words ran through her mind again and instantly she remembered what building Budo was talking about, its exact location popping into her brain. She was off, leaping back over the unsuspecting populace towards the Imperial Palace looming in the distance and the building she knew would be close by. Finally, after scanning around for a few moments she found her target and stood on a rooftop directly across from it, and just like Budo had said it was heavily fortified with Imperial Guards stationed at the front entrance and around its perimeter, with some more undoubtedly inside the building itself.

Her grip on her halberd and shield tightened and she steeled her senses in preparation for what was going to occur shortly, her anger rising to its boiling point.

"I'm sorry, Budo." she thought one last time before making her way back to street level and crossing the almost empty road towards the building's entrance.

"Greetings, ma'am! What brings you here?" asked one of the Imperial Guards standing next to the doors with a smile on his face.

Maya said nothing as she brought her arms around and sliced clean through the man's neck with her halberd, his blood shooting outward in all directions while his partner was left totally awestruck. Before he could react and call out for help Maya took her spear and slashed through his kneecaps, dropping him down a few feet and allowing her to jam the edge of her shield in between his helmet and chest piece right into his throat, the blow strong enough to crush his trachea.

His body crumpled to the ground and Maya approached the door, her face devoid of any emotion whatsoever as she reared her shield hand back and slammed it into the doors. They easily broke them and she stepped inside, her instincts telling her to swing to the side with her halberd. They were proven right when the leading edge of her spear plunged deep into chest of an Imperial Guard standing on the left side of the door, her hand letting go and providing extra force when she rammed her shield into the guard on the other side and knocked him up against the wall. While he was disorientated she returned her attention to the guard with her halberd embedded in his chest and slipped out a knife hanging from her hip, the blade getting stabbed into the man's jugular so she could retrieve her halberd with a slight tug.

The entire engagement lasted only a few seconds and she looked up with fire in her eyes, the Imperial Guards who were still alive inside that had witnessed the brutal attack just staring at her with mouths agape. Instead of waiting for them to respond she chucked her spear at the nearest guard and grinned when it punctured his armor right above the heart, the man falling onto his back and letting go of his weapons. When an Imperial Guard that recovered enough of his sense rushed her with his halberd and shield raised she easily sidestepped him and rammed her elbow into his jaw, her hand-to-hand combat training with Budo immediately coming into play. She dispatched the guards one after the other without obtaining a single scratch, her rampage only coming to an end when her enemies had either been killed or were on the ground bleeding and moaning in pain.

She snatched the spear of a fallen guard and approached a set of doors at the end of the entrance hall, her foot the key that opened them and allowed her to begin descending the spiral stone staircase down into the earth. She finally reached the bottom and came to a heavy iron door requiring her to turn a wheel built into its structure to open it, which she dutifully accomplished after a few minutes.

The door swung open and she stepped inside to a room consumed by darkness, so she thought to use the torch she had brought with her to examine every inch of it in search of a viable Teigu for her to use. She came across a strange looking axe and a ring, but quickly turned her attention to something else stored behind a cage built into the wall. It was a chalice marked with a unique symbol, and she could feel an ominous aura coming from within it, but whatever was inside got trumped when she felt an even darker presence come from another end of the room behind a seemingly normal wall.

It took a while but she finally found a switch barely noticeable to the naked eye and pressed it, a portion of the wall sliding open and revealing a completely different room separated from the main vault, where stored inside were things that resembled very tall human beings. Painted on the wall behind the five spots were the numbers two through six, and she noticed that spots four and five were missing their Teigu, spot three was currently occupied by a tall figure draped in a dark maroon and green trench coat, and resting before the number six was a unique looking lance colored black and purple.

"I wonder what it is…?" she thought to herself as she slowly approached the lance and reached out with a hand, completely unaware of the figure standing behind her.

"Halt. State your name."

She whirled around with her halberd and struck the blade of a long-sword wielded by a figure standing at least seven and a half feet tall, and judging from his style of dress she assumed him to be similar to the figure standing in the number three spot in the room, only his trench coat was white and blue.

"If you were sent her to stop me, I won't go down without a fight." she said with a growl.

"A fight? Oh heavens no, I merely want to know your name." replied the figure with a polite accent, Maya raising an eyebrow in confusion.

"Okay, um...my name is Maya. Maya Gleipnir." she said as she lowered her halberd, the white and blue man doing the same with his outrageously large longsword.

"It's a pleasure to meet you Maya. My given name was King of Kings: Excalibur, but you can call me Excalibur. I'm a Teigu and the guardian of this vault."

"You're a Teigu?!"

"Indeed. I'm what you call a "Mechanical-type", since my body is made entirely out of machines, yet like a Biological-type I can heal myself if injured. That fellow over there in the trench coat is just like me, only his rudeness is unbearable and is in general a bother to be around." stated Excalibur as he looked over Maya.

"What's wrong?" she asked when the Teigu crossed his arms and cocked his head to the right.

"I sense turmoil and despair inside of you. Tell me young one, what's the matter?"

"Nothing. I'm perfectly fine." she replied with a scoff, Excalibur tapping his foot on the ground a few times and glaring at her.

"Is that the truth, or are you lying to me?"

"Yes, I'm...I…" she started to say before the images of her parents came rushing back to her like a torrential river, her lower lip beginning to tremble and her eyes starting to tear up. "I-I'm fine…"

Excalibur leaned his long-sword up against the wall and, before Maya's legs could give out, he wrapped his arms around her and hugged her. The shock of the Teigu doing an action so human-like caused her to gasp a little, but that emotion soon faded when she started to cry again and burrowed her face into Excalibur's chest. He held her softly so as to not cause her discomfort, but just enough to let her know that he wasn't going to leave her alone by herself in this moment of need.

"Tell me...what happened?" he asked in almost a whisper, Maya sniffling and calming down enough to speak.

"M-My...my parents, they...they were executed. They were murdered just because my dad didn't side with the Prime Minister as one of his puppets."

Excalibur, due to not having a face to express emotions, was unable to show how appalled he was with the current state of the Empire. And this girl, her parents had been killed just because they didn't do what the Prime Minister wanted? It was preposterous.

"That's horrible...I'm deeply sorry that something like that could happen to a young woman such as yourself. The Empire I know would never let something like that happen."

"What do you mean…?" asked Maya.

"My role as a Teigu when I was first created was to act as the personal guard for the First Emperor himself, and I continued that job until the Imperial Guard was founded. I haven't been out of this vault in a while, and to think that this is how far the Empire I swore an oath to serve and protect has fallen, to execute a child's parents...it's unfathomable."

Excalibur let go of Maya and looked her in the eyes, past the sorrow and despair, and saw the raging inferno of hate and vengeance burning in her soul and clenched his fists. He had been made to act according to his own volition, and he was going to exercise that free will with this next decision.

"I can tell that you came down here to take a Teigu in order to get revenge, correct?" he asked, Maya slowly nodding her head. "Then once you do, let us be off. I will help you."

"You will? But don't you serve the Emperor?"

"Indeed, but I possess my own will and could act according to my own beliefs and volition. And right now, I see a young girl who needs assistance, and I cannot simply stand by and watch from the sidelines." said Excalibur, Maya smiling as she wiped away tears from the corners of her eyes and nodded in thanks.

"Thank you."

"The pleasure is mine. Now...I saw you were fixated on that lance. Do you know what it is?" asked Excalibur as he pointed at the purple and black lance, Maya turning to look at the weapon.

"No, not exactly." she said, Excalibur striding around her and coming to a stop next to the weapon.

"Its name is Unholy God Eater: Imperator, an armor-type Teigu that was constructed from the flesh of a Super-class Danger Beast known as Tyrant. It's exceptionally powerful, since it was created to counter its two cousins made from the same Danger Beast known as Incursio and Grand Chariot."

Maya barely heard what came after the first few words, because her mind was focused entirely on Imperator and the vibe it was giving off. It was dark and ominous just like earlier, and to be honest, it felt almost similar to her's. Tyrant, or whatever its name was...she could could feel it calling out to her.

"It...it wants me…" she murmured, her hand coming up with fingers outstretched.

She placed it gingerly on the handle, and in an instant, everything turned black.

A few minutes passed by and up on the surface the building had been completely surrounded by the Imperial Police and the Imperial Guard, Great General Budo himself overseeing the operation with his arms crossed and a heavy scowl on his face. He had seen the men Maya had brutally killed, and he wished that she had instead wounded them, but he didn't blame her.

"Prepare to breach the building." he ordered, an Imperial Guard beside him saluting before he ran off to deliver the General's word.

All of a sudden an explosion of dark purple energy shot out from the entrance of the building and billowed out into the street, sweeping through his men and sending chills up their spine. Been the aura reached Budo even he could feel the anger, rage, sorrow and grief contained within it.

"Stand fast!" he bellowed, his men and the Imperial Police steeling their nerves and losing their fear.

An agonizingly long few seconds passed by before they saw two dark shadows appear from within the black cloud, their forms growing more distinct as they neared the doorway. Budo's eyes widened when Maya was the first to appear from the cloud with strange looking black and purple lance in her grasp, and just by looking at it for a few seconds he guessed that she had managed to find a Teigu she connected with. Suddenly the other figure ducked underneath the doorway and appeared at her side with a huge long-sword over his shoulder. He recognized him almost immediately as the guardian of the vault, Excalibur, and if he was with Maya then that could only mean she had managed to persuade the Teigu to help her.

"Damn...I think I trained her too well." thought Budo with a slight grin as Maya glared at them with a dark stare.

Her gaze finally came to rest on Budo and they looked at one another in silence, the master and student each taking a moment to say their silent apologies. Budo felt a pain in his chest when a single tear rolled down Maya's left cheek, her cold dark exterior cracking for a moment to reveal her pained interior.

"I-I'm sorry…" she whispered before bringing up the lance and stabbing its tip into the ground. "Imperator!"

Upon declaring the name of the Teigu a gargantuan ring of purple fire sprang to life around her, blowing away all the wind in the immediate area and creating a shock wave that very nearly caused Budo to lose his balance. He brought an arm up in order to see better and he gasped when a from the flames emerged the manifestation of a dark dragon, it's sharpened teeth bared at its enemies and its wings spread so far out it dwarfed the building in size. He watched in total awe as the dragon brought its clawed hands down and around Maya, the purple flames beginning to climb up her legs and cover her in black and purple armor. After her legs had been completed, the chest piece came second with the shoulder pauldrons coming after that. Finally the helmet manifested over her head and face, fully completing the set of armor and finishing the transformation.

"Out of my way!" snarled Maya as she formed a lance in her hand from purple fire and stormed her way through Budo's men, their weapons unable to scratch Imperator and halt her advance

Soon enough it was just Budo left standing, with the entirety of the men the Great General had brought with him lying on the ground moaning in pain from their injuries. A quick glance told him however they were going to live, which he was thankful for.

He looked back at Maya with a hard glare as she slowly approached him with her lance by her side, Excalibur a few paces behind her. Neither Budo nor Maya said anything when she walked past him without either raising their weapons to do combat.

"Maya."

She stopped and turned her head slightly to the right, giving Budo her ear to listen. He glanced over his shoulder and grinned, "Good luck."

Maya blinked a few times before nodding once and continuing on her way with her companion, the two officially turning their back on the Empire for good.

- Present Day -

"From there she created the persona of "Arius Magress" and we began to strike at the Empire whenever we could." said Excalibur to finish his epic tale, Lubbock and Leone shaking their heads in utter disbelief.

"She was Budo's second-in-command? Damn...and that was when she didn't even have a Teigu…" murmured Lubbock.

Najenda looked away from the mechanical Teigu and scanned the mountain tops in the distance, looking for a specific shape that she had made sure to memorize. It didn't take her long and she pointed at a slightly smaller mountain, Tatsumi and Esdeath squinting to make it out among the rest while Najenda smirked victoriously.

"There. That's our resting point."

"What are we looking at, exactly?" asked Tatsumi. " All I see is a normal mountain range."

"It's not just some normal mountain range. This is the first of many secret bases the Revolutionary Army constructed in order to hide from the Empire, and since this base is among the farthest from the Empire we should find them still here." stated Najenda as she glanced at Run for confirmation, since the Jaeger had used Mastema to do an aerial reconnaissance of the surrounding area for any tracks leading away from the mountain.

"Yes, they should still be inside." he replied with an affirmative nod.

"Thank goodness. We might be finally able to get some decent rest." said Wave with a sigh of relief, the rest of the group following suite.

Far behind them, around five kilometers on a relatively tall plateau with his eye down range and his finger on the trigger of a drastically transformed and modified Brahmastra, was their worst nightmare. The Inquisitor had taken out the extra pieces for his Teigu from its carrying case and had attached them, increasing the weapon's power and range.

To help mitigate the recoil several braces had been added onto the butt of the gun, to increase its range the Inquisitor changed the scope extension, and to amplify its power there were several enhancer rings levitating in the air in front of the barrel about three feet apart from one another.

And for the past thirty seconds he had been holding down the trigger for Brahmastra, gathering and accumulating as much energy as he could to enact his Teigu's ultimate move...its Trump Card.

"Forgive me." he thought regretfully before letting go of the trigger. "Divine Judgement - Brahmashirsha Astra."

"Come on, let's hurry inside before we get noticed!" ordered Najenda as they picked up the pace a little in their horses, the entrance to the secret base coming into view and renewing their hopes.

Suddenly everything turned bright white when a massive beam of plasma, its diameter practically half a mile long, rocketed over their heads and struck the face of the mountain with such devastating power the first thirty feet of rock was instantly obliterated. They were all blinded by the enormous amount of light the beam was giving off, and only after a few seconds did it finally begin to face and show them the horror that awaited them.

The entire front face of the mountain had been eradicated as a result of the initial impact, and the heat wave generated from the beam had been so great that any plant life in the immediate area had been vaporized and turned to ash. What remained of the secret base, their salvation, was a gaping hole scorched pitch black as a result of the plasma beam with the surrounding area morphed into glass as a result of the extreme heat.

"No…" murmured Leone in utter despair as the dust clouds began to settle, their worst fears becoming a reality before their very Eyes.

"Dammit! We were so close!" cursed Lubbock angrily, Excalibur looking back at Maya and watching her activate Imperator in order to mask her appearance.

"Get ready. They're coming." she said without any emotion in her voice, Tatsumi and Wave hopping off their horses and donning their own armor.

The Inquisitor lowered Brahmastra and set the steaming rifle on the ground, his gloved hands unable to bear the heat of the overheated weapon, and looked back at the two people standing behind him.

"I won't be able to utilize Brahmastra again for a few since using its Trump Card uses so much energy. Good luck, Mistress. I will join the fight once my Teigu has cooled down."

"Thank you for your assistance, my Inquisitor." replied Jacqueline with a smile before she crossed her arms and motioned to Dreivas. "You may begin. Just leave Magress, Esdeath and her husband to me."

"Whatever. Stay out of my way and there won't be a problem." growled Dreivas as he brought a hand up and created a series of roots around himself to form a cocoon.

"Fair enough." said Jacqueline with a chuckle when a cocoon wrapped around her and pulled her into the ground, the two shooting off down through the rock and towards their targets like bullets through the air.

As they traveled through the ground Dreivas began to spread a web of tree roots through the ground around their targets, being sure to keep them low enough so as to not give away their position. When everything was set in place he gripped his staff tightly and laughed, the anticipation of battle growing inside of him like an infectious virus that threatened to take over.

"That beam must've originated from one of the two agents from the Empire you drove off, right Maya?" questioned Excalibur.

"Yes. And if he is here, then Dreivas should be as well." replied Maya, Tatsumi catching the name and wondering who they were referring to.

"Dreivas?" he asked.

"Nature's Wrath: Dreivas is the name of the Teigu that was manipulating those tree roots to attack you earlier. He's a Mechanical-type Teigu like me and has control over nature, which makes him a tricky and difficult opponent." explained Excalibur before removing his long-sword from his back and swinging the blade through the air. "I will handle him, since I know how he fights."

"There's another presence I'm sensing as well, it's...so dark and cold…" murmured Maya, her eyes narrowing.

Esdeath felt it alongside Tatsumi a second later and they both developed a scowl on their faces when they recognized their most hated enemy heading right towards them with this Dreivas character. Esdeath pulled her rapier from its sheath and she examined her surroundings, seeing a forest in the distance, the mountains behind them and then a canyon over to their right.

"It's her." snarled Tatsumi as Neutnote appeared in his hand, the other Jaegers tensing up with their Night Raid companions.

"Who?" asked Excalibur.

"The Great General we told you about, Jacqueline. She came here herself...dammit, I thought we could sneak past without getting noticed!" growled Wave after Akame drew Murasame and stood by his side with Kurome and Yatsufusa.

Before they could formulate a plan of action the ground a couple of meters behind them erupted and two large cocoons of roots shot out of the ground and into the air, their tips opening up like a flower to allow their occupants to leap out towards the ground.

"Scatter! Don't stop for anything! We'll meet up later!" bellowed Najenda before the entire group darted off in every direction possible that took them away from their pursuers.

Dreivas was about to take off after Run, Mine and Leone before a white blur shot up at him and swung at his head with a longsword. He brought his spear up just in time to deflect the blade and he gasped when he recognized its wielder with but a glance at his appearance.

"Long time no see, Dreivas!" said Excalibur excitedly as he hit the ground with both feet a few yards away from Dreivas.

"Excalibur…" growled Dreivas under his breath, the roots underneath his feet becoming agitated in response to his anger. "EXCALIBUR!"

He roared to the heavens as the ground cracked and split apart as a result of the tree roots exploding upwards to lash out at Excalibur with deadly force, the Teigu making exceptional use of his blade to hack and cut them apart with ease.

Meanwhile Jacqueline had followed her targets into the forest she had made note of earlier and unraveled Basilisk, the sword remaining flexible so she could fling it outwards and wrap it around a tree in order to fling herself up and over the trees. She came crashing through the brush and landed directly in front of Tatsumi, Esdeath and Maya, the three jumping back at her sudden and quick arrival.

She looked up at Tatsumi and Esdeath and winked at them, "Welcome back, you two. Congratulations on your baby daughter, by the way. I hope you got my gift."

"Oh we got your fucking gift, you bitch." snarled Esdeath, her newfound motherly instincts kicking into high gear alongside her already terrifying prowess as a fighter.

"It was the thought that counts. Now, for you…" said Jacqueline before moving her gaze to Maya. "I believe you are the one who's been a pain in the Empire's backside, correct? Arius Magress?"

"And you must be Great General Jacqueline. Tell me...do you know what fear is?" asked Maya as she brought up Leomurg after creating the lance and glared at Jacqueline, her grin beginning to piss her off.

"Oh yes. Even though I've never felt it myself, I'm very familiar with the feeling of fear. The look in my enemy's eyes as I cut them apart, the sight of those I torture as they lose all hope and succumb to the pain and agony...it's so delightful." replied Jacqueline with a giggle, Maya shivering under her armor.

"She's that far gone…and that killer intent of hers, it's nauseating. Compared to Budo...she's nightmarish."

"Well then, I guess it's time you learned. Awakening - God of Destruction!" roared Maya as she became consumed by purple fire, Tatsumi recognizing the fake Trump Card when the feathery wings sprouted from her back and blew back the wind surrounding her.

"Amazing! Such power and strength in one individual!" laughed Jacqueline in awe, her own heart starting to beat faster in excitement while Devil's Heart continued to beat steadily. "Show me why they call you the One Man Army!"

Maya clenched her free hand into a tight fist and growled, "With pleasure."

Her body seemed to flicker and in a split second she appeared right in front of Jacqueline with her arm reared back, the Great General caught off guard by the speed of her opponent and unable to defend herself. She took Maya's punch full-force in the jaw and she staggered back, Tatsumi cringing when a loud *snap was heard from Jacqueline's neck. With a single blow Maya had broken her neck and caused her head to rotate backwards almost a full one hundred and eighty degrees, the disfigured outline of her broken spinal cord poking through her skin and making even Esdeath tremble a little.

Maya waited for Jacqueline's lifeless body to drop to the ground, since the possibility of someone surviving a blow like that without armor such as her own or Tyrannus close to none. She was sorely mistaken when Jacqueline recovered her balance and stood absolutely still, her arms hanging limp at her side.

"You are certainly interesting…" said the Great General, Maya's eyes widening in shock when Jacqueline brought a hand up towards her head and grasped her chin tightly.

Tatsumi closed his eyes and looked away when Jacqueline reared her arm back and returned her head and neck to their original positions, the bones cracking as they realigned. She rolled her neck and shoulders around a few times to make sure everything was in the right spot before giggling again and flipping back her hair.

"But it was rude of you to attack so suddenly. I'm gonna have to teach you some proper manners!"

It was Maya's turn to get caught off guard when Jacqueline moved faster then her own finely tuned instincts and reactions could register and slammed her fist into her gut, Tatsumi and Esdeath gasping when shards of Imperator flew off this way and that after the impact and littered the ground around the two. Maya stumbled backwards and Jacqueline lashed out with Basilisk, the serrated teeth of the spine sword wrapping around Maya's left arm and hardening.

She pulled back and when Maya was flung right back at her she planted the palm of her other hand directly over her helmet and brought her down with such strength and power her body smashed through the dirt and ended up four feet under with a crater surrounding the two.

"That should teach y-" Jacqueline started before Tatsumi and Esdeath rushed her, the former slashing through her throat with Neuntote and spraying her blood across the ground.

When her hand flew to her throat Esdeath drove the her heel into her gut and knocked the wind out of her, the former General following up with two quick slashes of her rapier across her chest in an X-shaped fashion. Jacqueline grunted in pain, and yet she had no room to counterattack when Tatsumi came right up behind Esdeath and punched her once in the rib-cage to break some of her ribs, once in the jaw the disorient her, and then one final swing with Neuntote towards her waistline in order to cleave her half.

When the blade struck her spine, however, instead of cutting clean through like he was expecting, the blade stopped instantly and Tatsumi was left standing motionless right up against the bloody Great General with Neuntote stuck within her.

Before he could pull away she rapidly grasped onto one of the horns his armor's helmet possessed and slowly brought her head up in order to stare deep into his eyes.

"Close...but not close enough." she murmured with a smile, the gash in her neck closing up with a hiss.

Her fingers dug into Tyrannus and a spider web of cracks lanced down the horn and across the left side of Tatsumi's helmet before she pulled back, breaking off the entire left half of the helmet and revealing his shocked expression. She dropped Basilisk and pushed him back while she grasped Neuntote's shaft and ripped it out of her gut, a left step followed by a twirl sending the spear through the air and deep into Tatsumi's right shoulder pauldron. Thankfully it didn't cut deep enough to hit skin, so he leaped back to remove the spear while Esdeath filled his void and pressured Jacqueline again.

"Come on you bitch, I'm gonna cut off that head of yours for trying to hurt my daughter!" yelled Esdeath angrily as she formed a horn of ice a few feet in front of Jacqueline and forced her on the defensive, the Great General having to use Basilisk to block and deflect every swing of the rapier and frozen projectile sent her way from the enraged Ice Queen.

"Damn…Note to self, don't piss off the wife. She is scary when pissed off." thought Tatsumi as he ripped off the rest of his helmet since it was already broken, which is something he had been doing a lot recently. "I hope everyone else was able to get away safely."