West wing...

Najenda waited for the soldiers to finish the search and report. They had come into the Royal Wing of the palace and yet they saw no trace of the Emperor. After a few long minutes a soldier ran up to Najenda and saluted.

"Report."

"We found no signs of the Emperor. We did find some guards but they were dealt with quickly and with minimal losses thanks to Miss Chelsea." said the soldier breathing hard from running.

"No sings of the real Emperor whatsoever?" asked Najenda raising her eyebrows.

"We only found a small pool of blood in the Imperial bedchamber. I asked the soldiers and they said it doesn't belong to any of them nor does it belong to the enemy."

"Gather your soldiers, we are moving out!" said Najenda as she thought over what she heard. The Emperor wasn't in his chambers and there was no use in wasting time. She needed to go. She had to find and rendevous with the others becuase Najenda knew that something bad was about to happen. First she would find Seryu and Leone who should've been with Najenda alredy. Najenda cursed. The Emperor escaping was a bad thing. If the Emperor remained alive the Empire could still fight against the rebellion.


East wing...

Enshin was being attacked from every angle and although he couldn't attack he was still holding up far better than Esdeath dared to hope. Esdeath sighed as she jumped back and got ouf of reach for Enshin.

"I need to finish this. I really don't have time for filth like you even if you are amusing!" she yelled while laughing as she concetrated. She summoned a large ball of ice which was the size of a house. Enshin's eyes widened at the sight and he swung his sword in the air wildly, the whirlwinds which it created hitting the ice ball but not doing much damage.

"Hagelsprun!" she yelled and lauched the giant ball of ice at Enshin who didn't even try to dodge it. Instead he lifted his sword above his head and a strong wind started blowing from it. The wind slowly turned into a small tornado which held the giant ball of ice from reaching Enshin. Esdeath smilled a feral grin as she dashed forward to finish Enshin off.

She got through the strong winds and into the center of the tornado where there were no winds at all. She saw Enshin and grinned even more as she noted that he didn't notice her presence yet. Esdeath summoned icicles behind Enshin's back and dashed at him from the side. Esdeath knew that if he put his sword down and tried to defend himself with it the ice ball would crush him, if he tried to dodge he would be riddled with her icicles and if he did nothing she would impale him on her sword.

As Enshin saw her he first looked up at the giant ice ball which was suspended by his sword's power, then he looked behind him to dodge only to be greeted by icicles in his way. He again looked at Esdeath, the terror in his eyes obvious and Esdeath started laughing as her sword pierced his abdomen and buried itself deep in him before coming out from his back.

Esdeath waited until he stopped twitching before pulling her sword out and lying on the grass in the small garden they were in, the ice ball falling on one of the numerous guest houses. Then she heard footsteps behind her and turned around expecting more guards only to see Wave being carried by Bols and Kurome standing next to them. Esdeath just slumped back into the grass deciding not to pay them any mind.

Creating the huge wall all around the palace along with battling the guards and Enshin took its toll on her body. She closed her eyes only to remember that Tatsumi was counting on her. She opened them and slowly dragged herself up. Even though she was tired she smiled. She never before was pushed to the brink so much.

"THis will be interesting." she said.


Throne room...

Syura's voice was coming from the left one moment and the next from the right. Akame, Mine and Tatsumi were back to back and yet they couldn't see him anywhere. They all felt his aura though. It was so strong that it felt like they were suffocating from it. It was terrifing even for Tatsumi who had faced the Tyrant. He then thought of Danger Beast. Maybe it could help them.

"Hey, can you help us out here?" asked Tatsumi.

"I am trying! Give me some time!" said the Tyrant angrily. Tatsumi growled. Then the aura which until recently was almost everywhere at the same time had manifested in one place. Tatsumi didn't even need to see it because he could feel the raw power which almost matched the one from Tyrant. The red skined Syura, the demon stepped forward. He had his Teigu sword which was made of darkness, Maebure, dancing like a shadow in his right hand and in his left he clutched a pendant. Tatsumi then noticed that on a finger on his left hand he had a large ring with a black stone in it which glowed slightly.

As soon as Mine saw Syura she fired with Pumpkin and although the blast was large and powerful Syura dissapeared before it hit him. To Tatusmi there was something familiar in the way in which Syura dissapered. Then he rememered that he and Esdeath were teleported in a similiar way. That meant that Syura was the hodded figure which teleported them then.

"Be careful he can teleport anywhere." said Tatsumi to his teammates. Tatsumi raised his spear in defense looking around for Syura.

He felt a breeze to his left and when Tatsumi turned he was looking at Syura only a feet from him. Syura swung his sword at Tatsumi and Tatsumi used Neunote to stop the blow but the force was so great it sent him flying despite the Tyrant's strenght. Tatsumi hit the wall and it knocked the breaht out of his lungs.

"That bastard" said Tatsumi as he got up. He found Neunote on the floor and raised it up, still feeling a little dizzy from the force of the blow.

Tatsumi stumbled forward and tripped. He raised himself from the floor and looked at what he tripped on. It was a child's corpse, so butchered that it hardly looked human but Tatsumi somehow could tell. He thought about who it could be until he saw the crown on the child's head or what was elft of it. Syura used them again.

Tatusmi turned around angrier that ever. He looked at his teammates and saw that Akame could barely match Syura's speed as he attacked with Maebure. Tatsumi ran towards the battle to join in the frey until a shot flew past him and hit Syura in the back, where his deformed wings were connected with it to be precise. Syura turned around and grinned showing the fangs in his mouth around which the air shimmered from the heat of his breath and out of his mouth there was light coming out. The light of a burning fire. Tatsumi was too angry to be afraid though and so he attacked.


North wing...

"Can you smell him?" asked Seryu Leone who was behaving not like a cat or lion but more like a dog on a hunt sniffing to catch the scent of Dr. Stylish.

"Im'n ot a dog you know. But I think I have something." said Leone as she got to her feet and pointed to a nearby doorway. Seryu nodded taking Shinkou's Ball of Justice out of Koro. As Seryu and Leone crept towards the doorway Seryu felt her heart racing. They entered through the doorway and were greeted by Stylish looking at them from a comfortable chair drinking something from a fancy looking cup.

"Ohh, it's so nice to see you again, Seryu. You are looking as stylish as ever." he said and took a sip from his cup.

"Surrender, Dr. Stylish, you cannot escape." Seryu said. She wanted to kill him so bad that it almsot hurt.

"After all I have done for you, you repay me like this?" sighed Stylish. "I guess you leave me no choice but to kill you and your cat friend. Such a waste."

"Hey!" Leone protested but she stopped when she saw Stylish taking out an syringe with green liquid out and injecting it into his chest faster than even Seryu could see with her enhanced eyes. She forgot about Stylish's Teigu which increases the speed of the user's fingers. Then out of the small closet in the room came out a man with large ears.

"Get back." shouted Leone as Stylish's body started changing. His muscles tripled tearing his shirt and white coat to bits and his hair grew longer and white. Leone and Seryu gasped sa they saw that Stylish became a Danger Beast.

Stylish stopped twithcing and raised his head to look at them, a mad grin on his face. First he devoured the man with the large ears and then Stylish lunged forward, hoping to catch the two women by suprise but Kuro transformed and jumped forward. Kurom stopped Stylish as the two large muscled creatures wrestled each other. Seryu remembered the she ahd a flail in her hand and she jumped at Stylish from behind hitting him in the back with all of her remaining strenght but he barely noticed.

As soon as Seryu stepped back in cofusion as to why it didn't work Leone attacked, slashing through the air with her paws. The paws bit deep into the flesh on Stylish's back but no blood came out. Stylish wrestled Kuro off and threw him away before turning around and swiping Leone away. Leone landed on her feet before she hissed and jumped again at Stylish with Seryu at her side.


Throne room...

Akame slashed at Syura as he was turned towards Tatsumi but Syura teleported away before the poisoned blade could connect with his skin. Tatsumi turned one way then the other searching for Syura but he was nowhere to be seen. Then Tatsumi felt Syura's presence behind him and he turned around raising his spear in defense but it was not in time to block Maebure and the sword hit Tatsumi in the shoulder.

Tatsumi stumbled back feeling a sharp pain. He looked at his shoulder, Maebure cut through Incursio with ease although Incursio was said to be indestucrible. Tatsumi looked back at Syura who was deflecting both Akame's fast swings and Mine's shots at the same time with Maebure.

The ones which he didn't deflect he dodged thanks to his teleportation. Tatusmi wondered how it was possible for such a powerful Teigu to exist and that Syura used it along with a Shingu. Then realization hit Tatsumi. Syura also had a talisman in his hand which could be another Teigu, the one which Syura uses for teleportation but Tatsumi still didn't understand how it was possible for one man to use two Teigus along with a Shingu.

Tatsumi had no time to wonder about it though, as he jumped into the fight to help Akame who was backed agaisnt the wall with Syura on the attack. Akame's moves were faster than ever, she was sweating but Syura laughed as he attacked with a ferocity which seemed truly demonic.

"Let's see who the real demon is!" yelled Syura as he pressed the attack even more.

Tatusmi came at him from the side, Neunote first but Syura parried it with ease in one motion before returning to Akame. Tatsumi swung Neunote at Syura again but Syura instead of parrying teleported. Tatsumi looked at Akame who had a few shallow cuts and then he looked at Mine who was standing ready with Pumpkin. He then looked around for Syura and saw him appear behind Mine.

"Mine!" Tatsumi yelled as Syura raised his sword high and brought it down on Mine. Mine was ready though as she turned around and fired at Syura the biggest blast of energy possible. The blast was twice the size of the one which hit Tatsumi and broke ten of his bones. Mine was sent flying back from the force of the blast and Tatsumi caught her in his arms wincing at the pain in his shoulder.

Tatsumi looked down at Mine who looked really tired and then he saw Pumpkin smoking in her arms with cracks in it. He glanced at the spot where Syura was standing and which was covered by smoke so he couldn't see very well even with his night vision but Tatusmi felt something.

"Watch out!" yelled the Tyrant as something came out from the smoke with the speed comparable to lightning. It went straight for Tatsumi and Mine and if it wasn't for the Tyrant warning him Tatusmi would have never been able to avoid it. The thing which came out from the smoke stopped where Tatsumi and Mine were. The figure was coated in smoke so Tatusmi couldn't see it but he had a sinister feeling.

The feeling was confirmed as he saw the tips or horns appear and as the smoke cleared he knew he was right. Tatsumi looked down on Mine in his arms who had a look of sheer terror on her face and then he looked at Akame who had a look of determination on hers, but on her face was also a hint of fear.

Akame looked at Tatsumi and their eyes met before she cut her left hand with the cursed sword, Murasame, which poisoned anyone who it cut, even its owner. Then Akame fell to her knees and Tatsumi screamed her name at the top of his lungs, in vain. Akame let out a shriek which sounded more like a growl as a dark aura formed around her. The markings which Murasame usually leaves on its victims started spreading over her body.

"Marvelous." he heard the Tyrant say but he didn't understand.


West wing...

Stylish defended himself flawlessly although he was attacked from three sides. He blocked most of the attacks with his arms altough Seryu had her flail. Seryu decided it was time to finish the fight so she approached Koro and took from his mouth a giant missile. She knew that they would need to create some distance between her and Stylish for Seryu to survive.

Seryu patted Kuro on the head and whispered in his ear. "Kuro, I need you to use you trump card once again so we can win and justice can be satisfied." Kuro nodded before using Berserker and becoming large again. Seryu grinned. She was happy that she would finally do justice.

Kuro snarled and ran for Stylish who brought his hands up in defense but Kuro bit at them. Stylish then lowered his arms, letting Kuro bite at his face and head. Kuro kept on bitting but then Stylish lashed out for Kuro's head and riped it open in one movement, taking the core out. Seryu had forgotten that Stylish knew where Kuro's core was since he was working on both hers and Kuro's body. Stylish took the core into his hand and threw it, the core went right for the wall. It was about to be smashed to a thousad pieces.

Leone rescued Kuro, or rather his core, at the last moment, catching the core right as it was about to hit the wall. Seryu cursed her stupidity and returend her attention to Stylish. Stylish was alredy near her and she couldn't use the missile.

Stylish grabbed her by the neck and raised her until her feet weren't touching the ground anymore and she could barely breath.

"Why... did... betray... us?" she asked barely having any breath left. She wanted to know before she died.

"You can thank that brat, Tatsumi, and you dear general for that. Besides, Syura had a better offer anyway and he was so much more on my level than the Jaegers ever were." said Stylish nonchalantly like it was nothing.

Seryu was almost unconciuos, she knew it would end soon. Then the pressure of her neck stopped and she fell down to the floor beside the missile. She saw that Stylish was now strangling Leone and Seryu tried to stand up but she couldn't. Then Seryu heard shouting and tried to look to where Stylish was looking but she was too tired and she couldn't move at all. Stylish threw Leone and she hit a wall, flying through it. Then Stylish started walking to something which was behind Seryu, not paying the wounded Jaeger any mind and Seryu saw her chance. Leone was safe as was Kuro and Seryu was going to die anyway if she did nothing. What worried her were the ones who were behind her. Seryu judged by Stylish's behavior that they were hisenemies which made them her allies.

"Get... away!" Seryu yelled as loud as she could. She counted to four inside herself to give time to the people who were there to escape.

She then grabbed the missile and activated it as Stylish was passing by before she covered her face with her free hand. Seryu felt it was the right thing to do. That was the first time in her life that she was so sure of anything. Before Tatsumi showed her that she wsa wrong she thought that she was doing the right thing but it never felt like what she was doing now. The last thing she saw before everything went black was a blinding light. Then she felt a burning heat mixed with immense pain.