'What's wrong with me? How did I let all this happen?' Najenda was temporarily in shock. She looked at her green prosthetic arm and shook. 'I was temporarily knocked out in a single blow. I'm supposed to be tougher than that. And I'm supposed to be a strong leader…' she looked at the confident Esdeath. 'She's gotten a lot more powerful, it's beyond my jurisdiction.'

Esdeath smiled. "Sheele?" Esdeath called her out, Sheele turned her entire body to face Esdeath. "I want you to cut off Najenda's arms and legs. But keep her alive. I still have things to discuss with her." Esdeath ordered. Sheele slowly nodded and turned to her former superior.

Najenda gasped as Sheele slowly walked towards her with Extase in her clutches. 'Sheele. Chelsea. I'm sorry we didn't make it in time. Now look what Esdeath has done to you. Najenda thought, as was the only conscious person standing. She was stuck in a pickle, though. Reinforcements had not arrived, yet. What could she do? She pulled on all straws of hope, but couldn't think of a plan to where they could all escape alive. But this time, there was no plan. 'What should I do?'

And all of a sudden, it was nothing but a pitch-black room in Najenda's mind. Her mind went clear. "I know what to do now." She muttered as she took a deep breath and raised her green prosthetic hand towards Sheele. Her body was then glowing with golden aura. 'It's now or never!'

"Oh?" Esdeath was a little thrown off and Sheele stopped within her tracks.

"Magatama Manifistation!" Najenda shouted, as she transferred her life force to Susanoo, once more through a golden stream of aura. Susanoo's body begin to charge with electricity and life within the boulder of ice. He started to transform into his Trump Card state. The first time was in the canyon.

"What trickery is this, Najenda?" Esdeath asked.

"We Night Raid are alive and tenacious, and we don't stop until we get what we want. You should know that by now." Najenda smiled. Susanoo then broke out of the ice as if it was glass. "Now, eliminate Bolic, Susanoo."

Susanoo blitzed towards top speed and the desire to kill Esdeath. Their weapons clash with one another.

"So that is your Trump Card. In order for to activate this transformation, the user must transfer their energy to you, right Najenda?" Esdeath guessed.

"To be honest, yes." Najenda answered.

"I thought so." Esdeath jump back, dodging Susanoo's heavy swing and turned to Sheele. "Sheele. Forget about Najenda for right now and help me deal with-" Before Esdeath could finish her order, she turned her head and gasped, as she saw that Susanoo had already summoned his very long weapon.

"Ame no Murakumo!" Susanoo shouted, as he swung his long Murakumo.

Esdeath quickly placed her and on the floor and summoned ten layers of icy pillars to slow down the destructive swing. Both Sheele and Esdeath managed to jump back near the stage.

"You guarded yourself by summoning icy pillars in the air to slow down my attack." Susanoo noted.

"I am impressed by your strength and all, but it won't reach me from where I am." Esdeath said.

"You're right. It won't. But to tell you the truth, I was really aiming for them." Susanoo pointed at Kurome and Bolic.

"What?" Esdeath heard a crash behind her and turned her head to the stage. She saw a dust cloud in filling the stage. "Kurome! Are you alright?" By the dust cleared, she saw that Kurome and Bolic was saved by Natala.

"We're fine!" Kurome yelled.

'I just want to go home, now.' Bolic felt sick dealing with all of this.

"Eh?" Kurome watched Natala collapse head first. "Natala!"

'There's my opening!' Susanoo just watched Natala fall, and now has a chance to kill his target. He charged passed Esdeath and towards Bolic, who was frightened and scared for his life. Susanoo was about to land a deadly punch until…

"Mahapadma!" The tattoo on Esdeath's chest glowed dark blue aura. Next thing she knew, time had stopped. She turned her head to see everyone frozen. "I've frozen time and space." She murmured. She walked towards Susanoo, whom was a few centimeters close to Bolic. "I developed this technique, so I could assist my darling, Flare and dispose of any enemy within it." Esdeath stabbed Susanoo from behind, piercing his red tomoe core. Next thing you know, time and space was working again.

Susanoo gasped in shock.

"Susanoo! Get out of there!" Najenda yelled.

"Too little," Esdeath then froze Susanoo's body within another rock of ice. "Too late." Esdeath then gave a hard kick, shattering the rock of ice and Susanoo into pieces, leaving nothing but Susanoo's red tomoe core. It fell onto the ground, like a light mask.

'Susanoo's core…' Najenda thought.

"I commend you for forcing me to use my Trump Card. No one has ever made me do that before." Esdeath stood over Susanoo's core. "But you what they say," Esdeath then smashed the core with the white heel of her boot. "All good things must come to an end." She chuckled.

Najenda fell on her knees once more and fell into depression. She hung her head in grief and sorrow.

"You gathered an impressive group. Night Raid isn't an assassin organization for nothing. You never cease to amaze me." Esdeath pouted. "It's too bad that you became the leader of Night Raid. Now I can't let you live. I'll just have to finish you off, here." Esdeath took her time walking to the depressed leader of Night Raid, Najenda. "Huh?" As she took a step closer, she noted that pieces of Susanoo's core started to move, as if it was a vibrator. "It is still moving after the core was shattered?" she guessed.

Najenda was shocked after she saw this miracle. 'Susanoo… you continue to fight… even after your core was destroyed…'

Esdeath smirked, as she watched Susanoo's anatomy come together, like a magnet. "It looks like it can't regenerate anymore."

A stream of tears ran down Najenda's left eye. 'I'm sorry, Susanoo. I failed you.' She then glanced at her other subordinates in near defeat. 'Leone…' Leone loss consciousness from Esdeath's torture. 'Tatsumi…' Tatsu was cut down by Sheele, who was brainwashed. 'And Sheele… I let them do this to you… if I had known their were others like Esdeath back then, I would've called reinforcements…'

"Oh?" Esdeath turned and saw tears stream down Najenda's face. "Are you crying?" she smiled, as she never saw Najenda cry. Ever. Not even when she lost her arm and eye.

'There's no one who can fight now. Not even me. It's over.' Najenda pound her green prosthetic arm onto the floor.

"Aw, don't beat yourself up. We both know it's your fault you dragged these people into your mess. The least you could do is man up and take responsibility." Esdeath taunted. "Now with all that said…" she pointed her silver rapier towards Najenda's silver hair. "Let me take you to the torture chamber." Esdeath laughed.

All of a sudden, the glass from the church's sealing break. Two people had entered the church from the roof. The shards and pieces fell downwards. Everyone turned their attentions to the two people, who are Mine and Akame. Akame had been hurt in the midsection from the previous battle. The girls frunted as they landed.

Esdeath slowly started to get irritated from the intrusion. "More assassins? Really?"

Akame was shocked. In her mind, she observed her surroundings and asserted everything within a split second. Her friends were on the brink of death, Najenda broke down, Esdeath was on the verge of winning and a mysterious person had appeared as well. She then glared at Esdeath, holding back her rage, her expression.

"Eliminate." She wasted no time charging towards her real target, Bolic.

"Akame!" Bolic shrieked with fear.

Kurome intercepted Akame as their Imperial Arms clash with one another. "You're not getting a fast one on me, this time, big sis." Kurome smiled.

"Kurome!" Akame yelled, as she clashed swords with her sister for a minute. Akame grunted as she felt pain in her midsection from the previous battle. She tried to ignore it.

Kurome saw the wound and taunted. "I see that you met Wave, already. He's really ticked that you would do such horrible things." She smiled. Now he two sisters were fighting arguably and with swords.

Meanwhile, Sheele, whom was in a cloak tried to take Mine's head off with Extase. Mine was able to sense her in time. As Mine dodged and turned around, she aimed her Pumpkin at her.

"I don't know who you are, but you're as sure as hell is going dow-" Mine gasped in shock, as she saw Sheele's face. Shele did not respond, as she was currently brainwashed. Mine's body slightly shook as she faced her former best friend. She lowered her Pumpkin. "Sheele?" Her eyes hesitated. Her body started to shake. Sheele pointed the blade of her Extase towards her opponent. "Sheele? I don't get it, why are you…"

"No, Mine!" Najenda yelled to Mine. "That's not who you think she is!"

"But what do you mean? It's Sheele! She's right there! Who else could have that face!?" Mine argued.

"Mine, listen to me! That's not the kind Sheele you once knew! Right now, she's being controlled!" Najenda informed, as she tried to stand.

"What?"

"My name is Sheele. And my sole purpose is to eliminate Night Raid."

Mine gasped after hearing what Sheele just said. "Sheele, you wouldn't…" Mine started to flashback on the memories the two had. She even promised to rescue Sheele from the Revolutionary Army.

Without hesitation, Sheele begun her assault on Mine as she swung her Extase. All Mine could do was dodge. She tried to run, but Mine was getting emotional and clumsy by the minute. Her best friend is trying to kill her. "Sheele, stop!"

"I'm sorry, but you must die." Sheele responded coldly.

'It's no use, Mine won't fight back.' Najenda looked at Tatsumi's half-dead body then looked at Susanoo's remains. "I have no choice." Najenda took a deep breath.

Sheele had continued to chase mine, until she felt a green metal fist collide with her stomach. The punch had enough force to knock Sheele off her feet and pushed her back a to a wall. This left a bruise on her lower chest, as she got up with no reaction. Sheele struggled to get up, now that her stomach was hurting.

Mine stopped running as she looked back and saw that Najenda delivered Sheele a blow to the ribcage. "Huh? Boss? What re you-"

"Get it together, Mine! You can't let this eat you up inside." Najenda said while reeling in her green prosthetic fist like a fishing rod.

"But-"

"Look, I know how much you care about Sheele. Trust me. We all feel that way, too. That's why we're going to rescue her after we kill Bolic. Trust me, Mine. Have I ever lied to you?"

Mine shook her head. "No."

"Have faith, Mine. There will be a day when you and Sheele will reunite. But sadly, today isn't it. After we kill Esdeath, we'll take her to our doctors and remove that parasite from her brain. Just hang on for a little while, got it?"

It took her about five seconds for Mine to change her mood and get serious. "Roger that."

Najenda smiled. "Good. Now let's get back out there and—uh!" Najenda gasped in shock as she felt something metal pierce her. She looked down and saw that Esdeath stabbed Najenda through the chest from behind. Blood reushed from her mouth and dripped onto her bosom. Mine's eyes widened in horror. Akame stopped fighting Kurome for a moment and gasped when Esdeath pierced Najenda from behind. Leone had just gained consciousness and gasped, as her one golden eye had witnessed Najenda being pierced. Tatsumi was still unconscious, though. Esdeath simply smiled after she drove her rapier through Najenda.

'Esdeath, you…' Najenda's left eye and saw Esdeath from a corner.

"You should never let your guard down, remember that, Najenda?" Esdeath smiled, as she pulled her rapier from Najenda's chest.

Najenda grunted as the rapier was removed from her body. Her mind was in shock. She took a few slow steps forward without looking back. She fell on her knees, then landed on her face. Blood started to pour from her wound. Najenda blacked out from the looking to be fatal injury.


You can all guess what happens next.