A/N: Chapter 37 of One final breath. Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters except my own. Akame ga kill belongs to the rightful owner.
Special thanks to the reviewers and to the readers who Fav/Alert this story, I really appreciate it.
Chapter 37: Kill the skilled
Revolutionary Army Military-Shisuikan...
Preparations for the war against the Empire are underway as Najenda, Akame and Tatsumi trudged through the alleyways. All around them were either veterans, young soldiers or volunteers but all of them raised an arm of salute to their commander no matter what their occupation was.
"We now call a meeting of all the Imperial Arms users of the Revolutionary Army." Najenda spoke as she returned some of the salutes with either a salute of her own or a small smile. "We need to form a plan so that we're able to strike Esdese down with Murasame. We know it's unlikely any normal attack is capable of killing her so we must use the blade of instant death if we want to bring her down."
"Roger!" Akame replied with excitement as Tatsumi plodded next to her in silence, his expression neutral and focused. Since Leone was already deployed to some of the encampments belonging to the Army and I was somewhere else at the moment with Chelsea, Najenda decided that she would take the other two members to check up at the other locations. In another encampment not too far away, soldiers and other workers were quickly bustling around getting preparations ready for the fight against the Empire.
"Hrm?" One of the guards who was on look-out duty, looked up when he spotted a dust cloud approaching at fast speed. Suddenly it stopped and a dark figure stood there in silence. "Oi! It looks like something's headed this way!"
"Huh?" His buddy looked at him in confusion before glancing towards where the figure was, his eyes widened with fright as the enemy sprang forward. "Uwaaah! It's a Danger Beast!"
"Danger Beast assault!" The first guard raised his voice. "All men, counterattack formation!"
"We don't know if this Danger Beast is being controlled by an Imperial Arm or not!" The captain, noticing the cry for battle sprang into action and shouted out orders. "Rain down special anti-Danger Beast bullets upon it! Quickly!" Lining themselves up along the barred fences, all of the men with guns took aim and fired. The bullets sailed through the air straight towards the beast but were stopped mid-air, unable to reach the monster at all. Swiping with her claw-like arms, the beast chopped all of the bullets into bits before crouching down and jumped, leaping into the air and sailed over the fence.
"Grrrroooar...So...much...food..." Cosmina growled with happiness once she cleared the fence and landed in front of the men.
"Do not be afraid!"
"A lone enemy stands before you!"
"Kill it!" All around, the Revolutionary Army rushed forward at once, swiping at Cosmina with their swords. However they soon realized that their attacks were not dealing any damage and found their bodies being diced into pieces with in minutes. Opening her mouth wide, Cosmina started to chew on the minced bodies with the blood of her enemies dribbling down her chin. Swallowing quickly, she looked around to see that there were still an abundance of food left to be killed and devoured.
"This Danger Beast's strength is abnormal!"
"Is it a top-tier one?!"
"Fa...Fall baaaack!" Some of the men yelled over the cries of the injured and the frightened. Others who steeled their bravery continued to surge forward.
"Kousetsu..." Izou spoke calmly as he unsheathed his sword and advanced on the approaching forces. "It is...feeding time." By the time he was done and re-sheathed his sword, most of the soldiers failed to realize that they had been sliced until their blood sprayed like a fountain into the air.
"Heh...running like chickens with their heads cut off..." The samurai chuckled as he looked back at his handy work. "Such fragile, brittle creatures..."
"The shavings of the enemy make for an appetizing lunchtime." Izou looked up to see Dorothea sitting with a soldier in her arms, the poor fellow looked like a dried mummy's husk. The alchemist quickly wiped away any stray blood streaks with the back of her hand. "Go on, Cosmina! Dig in!"
"It's a wonder she's not attacking us, having undergone a complete transformation..." Izou mused as Cosmina continued to chew and swallow the broken and freshly killed corpses. "Perhaps she still has her old memories..."
"That woman's feelings towards her comrades were stronger than most realized." Dorothea commented with a smile. Having eaten her fill, Cosmina lumbered off back to the Empire with her comrades in tow, leaving the mound of uneaten bodies alone as a memento to the reinforcements who gagged at the scene.
"Mmm...that was such a lovely picnic!" Dorothea mused as she stretched her arms over her head, sitting snugly in her favorite chair after a long day of attacking the enemy camps. "Would you like to come along with me tomorrow?"
"I would love to but I'm acting as the cabinet minister's body guard, so I can't step away from the palace grounds..." Izou said from where he sat.
"Danger times are close at hand, aren't they?" The alchemist mused.
"So unyielding..." Not far from them sat Suzuka, the last remaining member of the Four Rakshasa Demons. The bottom half of her face was bandaged all the way to the base of her neck. "Even with that look in his eyes...It was a moment of pure ecstasy." She wrapped her arms around her own body in a loving manner as a huge blush appeared on her face. "At first glace, in that passing moment, not a single word needed to be exchanged...just killing! So very sadistic! It's like I'm climaxing with pleasure in a world of absolute lust!"
It seems like she's back to normal even after the Ice general smashed her face into the wall...Dorothea smiled at her comrade's exuberant energy.
"You attacked the army to try to lure Night Raid out, didn't you?" Suzuka asked. "I know you'll watch out for Akame, but you had best not underestimate Tatsumi or Sonya."
"It would simply be a waste if he were to die to poison." The alchemist replied. "That girl didn't even show up until the end of the fight but she didn't contribute much. I'm not too worried."
"I doubt Tatsumi's the type that would die to something like that." Suzuka said. "I have dealt with Sonya during our hand-to-hand fights and she is quite skilled while Tatsumi stood toe to toe against Budou and Esdese. Both of them...they're potential for growth is limitless. It would not be wise to allow opponents like them to continue living...I suggest you factor that into whatever plans you're planning."
"Hooooh..." Dorothea mused as she leaned back, crossing her arms behind her head. "That's some mighty praise for two kids coming from you...they should be flattered to get such high marks."
"In regards to your alchemy and the country that you're from...I know a little, but..." Suzuka hinted heavily that she was quite interested in learning more about her comrade's power. "Perhaps you could fill me in a bit...at least on some of the finer points?"
"Hmph...you're that interested?" Dorothea looked to the side for a minute, thinking about the proposal or whether she wants to tell all her secrets and knowledge from her travels.
"More or less..." Suzuka replied and seeing that there wasn't anything better to do for the night, the alchemist decided to satisfy the woman's curiosity and got down to business.
The next morning...
"Well then, how about we attack that encampment over there today?" Dorothea asked as she, Izou and Cosmina stood on a nearby plateau. Below them within the valley was a base belonging to the Army, a high fence created a large circle around multiple tents that housed a lot of soldiers, or to Cosmina's view point, food. Since he finished his duty as the cabinet minister's body guard quite early, Izou was able to accompany the alchemist on another day of her raid.
"Hmph...yet another banquet for us?" The samurai commented lazily. "We are truly living in luxury these days."
"Gii!?" Cosmina turned abruptly as a figure zoomed towards her from the nearby forest. Slashing downwards, the Danger Beast attempted to squash her enemy but ended up getting her arm cut.
"Was that Akame?!" The alchemist roared as cursed marks from Murasame crawled all along Cosmina's arm. Letting out a pained cry, the beast fell over presumably dead on the ground, her multiple legs curled up much like an insects. "Hrmph, so you've already figured out our movement patterns after just three assaults?"
"After attacking an encampment, you immediately withdraw." Akame said calmly, flicking some of the blood off of her sword. "There were only a few encampments that were convenient to retreat towards. All I did was assess which encampments I would choose if I were planning on assassinating soldiers in droves..."
"That makes sense, I guess..." Dorothea agreed, letting out a chuckle. "For a long-winded explanation anyway..." Soon multiple footsteps could be heard and Leone and Tatsumi appeared by Akame's side. Knowing that danger approached fast, Leone left the encampment early and hid within the forest until it was time to make her entrance.
"After thinking it over, this whole thing reeked of Wild Hunt..." Tatsumi commented.
"Which meant that some of you were still alive." Leone smiled with eagerness, getting into an attack position.
"Night Raid..." Dorothea said, thinking of a strategy on the spot. "All their key members, right in front of us...no...there's one missing. Tatsumi really did survive from the poison but I don't see the girl..." She shook her head and snapped her fingers. "Ah well...I've given Cosmina more than enough power to devour you all." With a roar, the Danger Beast rose back up on command.
"What the hell?! Didn' you just cut it with Murasame?!" Leone asked as the cursed mark on Cosmina's arm shattered.
"A body double...?!" Akame wondered as the smile on Dorothea's face grew even larger. With a roar, the beast swung her arms and smashed into the ground as the members of Night Raid evaded.
"The Philosopher's Stone." The alchemist explained as Cosmina continued to attack. "...Well, I suppose merely saying it won't allow you to full grasp all the implications...Just think of it as an ultimate, super item of sorts. It can even manipulate materials such as all your Imperial Arms..." She grinned. "It's incredibly valuable as there is only one in existence. In fact, just a single taste of Murasame will more than suffice..." Dashing forward, Akame ran towards the alchemist but found her path blocked by Izou.
I can take him! The red-eyed assassin thought confidently to herself and got into her battle stance.
"As a katana user such as myself...I shall be your opponent." Izou acknowledged her challenge.
"GWWWOOOAAARRRRR!" Cosmina let loose another giant roar, causing Tatsumi to raise his arm to avoid getting blown away just by her roar.
Just 4 times left...he reminded himself. An image of Mein's smiling face popped into his head and he felt a little doubt as well as growing anger. They're strong...don't falter now! "INCUUUURRRSIOOOOOOO!" He roared and donned his armor. With his spear in hand, he managed to counter-attack and block all of his opponent's attack, even pushing Cosmina back with just a swing of his spear. "Leave this to me!"
"Tatsumi!" Akame yelled at him.
"Looks like you got tons of gimmicks up your sleeve huh?" Tatsumi directed that to the alchemist. "Then let's see how you handle someone who confronts you head on!"
"Ohh..."
"So you've noticed?" A voice appeared behind Dorothea, causing her to look over her shoulder. "Looks like everyone's all paired up." Leone grinned as she prepared herself for her own one-on-one battle. "Wanna be my dancing partner?"
"...you didn't say please." Dorothea commented but got into position anyhow, knowing that her opponent may end up being an easy warm-up.
"So that's the Imperial Arms Murasame..." Izou said getting Akame's attention. "I see...such a treacherous, ominous beauty. But..." He grinned and gripped his own sword. "The brilliance of this kousetsu...is many degrees greater." After drawing his precious weapon out of its sheath, he pointed it at his opponent. "Allow me...to show you proof of that. Yes...I know, Kousetsu." He murmured to his sword in a sick, loving voice, "Apparently, the blood of Night Raid is a rare treat indeed...Kousetsu is telling me that he still desires to drink more of it."
"I consign you." Akame spoke after hearing such words, holding her Teigu with both hands.
Victory is mine...! Izou smirked as he envisioned the outcome of the battle, managing to block and follow all of Akame's movements before slicing her body in half. Of course it was only a vision, the battle had yet to be fought. Switching her grip, Akame rushed at him with blinding speed. Surprised by this, he quickly lunged forward and swung his sword down. Dodging to the side and appearing from behind, Akame switched her grip once more and slashed the man's unguarded back, watching his blood splatter onto the ground.
"GWAAAH!" He yelled, feeling the curse marks crawling from his wound. "For you to so suddenly turn the tables...on my prediction of your strike..." He spoke feebly, raising a trembling hand in her direction. "A...kame..." With a shudder, he gripped his sword tightly. "Take it...with your skill...Kousetsu will be able to drink to his hearts content..."
"..." Walking past him, she swung Murasame in a crescent arc, slashing behind his neck.
"Ghhh...how could you..." Now Izou was fighting to hold out so he could finish speaking. "...betray the last request of...a fellow katana user...?"
"I was never a swordsman." was Akame's reply. As she turned away from Izou's corpse, a bunch of new figures appeared before her. They looked like mutants, heads like a cockroach while having a human's body. There were four of them in total.
These guys...are they the ones who rampaged through the Imperial Capital earlier...? Akame looked at them in curiosity as well as in mild shock. No...something about them is...different...She narrowed her eyes and got ready for another round of fighting.
"Such a shame I ended up with you as my opponent." Dorothea said as she and Leone stared each other down. "Your blood probably reeks like an animal's."
"Yeah..." Leone said, totally enraged and pissed off by that comment. "Sucks to be you..." She cracked her knuckles as the savage beast within her demanded to go wild. "Looks like this little kid...needs to be taught some manners..."