Disclaimer: I do not own Dark Souls or Akame ga Kiru
Soul of the Burdened
Sheele's outburst caught Adrien slightly off guard due to her previously rather silent or gentle demeanor. However his slight shock was quickly replaced by understanding as he saw her face, eyes red with tears and full of guilt and hate. He remained silent, thinking about how to approach her or what to say, unfortunately, Seryu took that as her turn to speak.
"Mr Adrien saved your life, and all of ours! If it wasn't for him you'd be-" Her voice was cut off as Adrien put a firm hand on her shoulder, and as she turned back, he merely shook his head.
"But he could have prevented it! Couldn't you? You could have stopped Tatsumi before he even touched that stuff!" She exclaimed, growing angrier as she took two steps away from the dragon's corpse, her fists balling up tightly. Adrien stepped forward and looked to Seryu, who's glare matched Sheele's in intensity. Despite her becoming a little more gentler and open, Seryu did not appreciate the assassin putting all of the blame on Adrien.
"What he did had a completely unpredictable outcome. I had no way of knowing that the armor would have absorbed it so well. I have seen others literally explode with such energy, including a dragon." Adrien said to Sheele, remaining outside of the crater, but standing in front of Seryu as to stop her in case her anger got the better of her.
"Then why didn't you stop him!?" Sheele's cry was full of grief and dread, begging Adrien for an explanation. I can't fight him, it would be no use... not after what I saw. But why? With that much power, why couldn't he save Tatsumi? Sheele thought despairingly, watching Adrien with tear-filled eyes.
"You had Seryu by her throat, and he threatened the good Lady. I dared not risk their lives to stop him." Adrien said calmly, Sheele's eyes widening significantly, as if she had only now realized that.
"B-But I wouldn't... not if he was..." Sheele began to say, but stopped, knowing full well her loyalty to Night Raid would have driven her to kill Seryu if Adrien had done anything against Tatsumi. Even if what he did was stupid, she would never just let him be killed. And after everything I had seen to that point, Eliminating Seryu would have gotten rid of an imperial arms user, and allowed myself and Tatsumi to take him on together... It would have been the logical choice if Adrien had acted. Sheele's realization made her fall to her knees, she had hoped that maybe he could have done something, but in her mind now, it was unavoidable the moment Tatsumi had enacted the plan. And I went along with it... like a fool.
"Sheele..." Adrien said carefully as he descended into the crater and approached the teen. Her eyes were wide, and full of shock, but tears still flowed from them. "There is nothing that I can say that will make this any easier, but I promise not to harm you until you leave the painting, if that is your wish." Sheele didn't respond, instead she just lowered her head, and sobbed quietly. Adrien took that as his sign to leave the crater and collect both Seryu and the Painting Lady.
"Boss? What's the plan here? Cause I'm really itchin' to punch that bitch in the face!" Leone exclaimed boldly, staring down Esdeath's unwavering smile. Najenda said nothing, but instead eyed the painting trapped in ice. I need to get that out of the ice and away from the Jaegers! The Night Raid leader thought desperately.
"Susanoo! The Painting! Lapp, Cover him!" Najenda's orders were heard clearly as Susanoo surged forward towards the painting. She brought out her recently reloaded revolver and fired several shots toward Kurome, but they were absorbed by Natala, her puppet. The undead servant was unaffected by the shots, and raised his extending spear to strike, but was blocked by Akame, the black-hired assassin glaring at her sister rather than the puppet itself. Leone rushed Bols, the man blasting off a torrent of flame at her, the flames hitting the wall as she dodged. The walls were charred and shaking a bit, the building becoming more unstable to no one's surprise.
Wave attempted to intercept Susanoo, but Lapp got between them, and knocked the armored Jaeger back a few feet. Wave engaged the assassin, blocking the halberd Lapp wielded with his trident. The naval weapon blocking the pole-arm rather effectively. Susanoo struck the ice prison with his weapon, and while he cracked it effectively, a thin ice pillar came out of the structure and struck Susanoo in the chest, the cracks on the ice quickly coming together again.
"Your attempts are foolish." Esdeath said, before she waved both of her hands upwards. Following her right hand, a large ice wall came up that blocked two hair-thinned wires, the ice holding strong despite their sharpness. Following her left hand, a large and burly pillar of ice formed from the ground where the wall had been demolished from Adrien's attack, before connecting to the roof of the temple. lightning-esk ice structures spread throughout the ceiling, filling in dangerous cracks. The structure stabilized somewhat from Esdeath's efforts, but it was merely a temporary fix.
Before Esdeath could act again, her own feet were suddenly encased in ice, veins of the crystalized water along the floor by her feet. She had not done that, and she wondered if she had done something wrong or forgotten that she planted herself for some reason, but those thoughts quickly died as the ice travelled up her legs rather quickly, forcing her to break free with her strength.
"Sorry I'm late Boss." The familiar sound of Esdeath's voice entered the area, only not coming from the general herself, but instead an exact copy that was standing behind Night Raid, a distinctly cocky, but not Esdeath-like smile on her face. Najenda was supremely confused, before realization struck her like a ton of bricks.
"Chelsea." Najenda said, relief flooding her briefly. The shape-shifter nodded before jumping up and in front of Najenda, her rapier positioned to strike. Chelsea noticed that Esdeath's previous smile had turned into a frown as the real general stared at the copycat.
"I see..." Esdeath said, dipping her head down, a much more serious tone to her voice. "Then I suppose it's time I stopped holding back." Despite the fact Chelsea wore the general's skin, and had similar powers, she also knew that they wouldn't be as strong, and that she couldn't stay in this form for long as her Imperial arms did have a time-limit. So when Esdeath said those words, Chelsea felt an uncomfortable chill run down her spine.
Adrien and Seryu waited patiently as they watched the Painting Lady complete her new painting, one that would send them back to their own world. Sheele was also waiting, but she was a few paces behind them, clutching Tatsumi's jacket fiercely, still conflicted, and still unable to do anything. They were stuck in an awkward silence, none of them able to think of anything appropriate or worth talking about. Not until Adrien realized something while watching the lady paint.
"This painting... is rotting. I saw it when I was fighting Tatsumi." Adrien said suddenly, causing Seryu and Sheele to look at him, but the Painting Lady merely paused briefly before continuing with a nod. "You should come with us then." Adrien offered, the Painting Lady stopping as she looked back to the undead with a mournful smile.
"I don't believe that will be possible Ashen One." Her voice was tired, and yet, still somewhat happy. "This painting was my creation, and was meant to be someone's home, but now... It rots, and not a soul has come in the many millennia I have kept it going." She paused before turning back to her painting. "No, I believe I will stay here. My last painting will get you through to the outside world, but I shall remain." Adrien was about to object, but Seryu beat him to it.
"What? You can't just give up like that!" Seryu said, raising her voice to show her absolute disagreement. "Why don't you come back with us? There are plenty of people that would love to meet you and you wouldn't be lonely anymore!" Seryu said, her voice growing happier as her lips curled into a welcoming smile. "Mr Adrien would keep you safe too. I mean, he came for me, and is helping me return home even though I'm sure everyone else thought it would be impossible." Seryu's words only made the painter continue with her work, only pausing momentarily when she had finished.
"If I did so..." The Painting Lady began, her strokes slowing down again as she thought. "I would hollow the moment I left." Seryu's smile and mood dropped instantly when she said that, and was about to say something else, her mind already bustling with reasons for her to go on living in the physical world. Before she could though, a hand landed on her shoulder.
"Let her work, Seryu." Adrien said gently. Seryu looked back at him, shock and disbelief in her eyes. "She would know better than any of us, and if this is her wish, I intend on respecting it." Adrien said firmly, Seryu's head dropping, but nodding nonetheless. Adrien glanced at Sheele to see the woman in purple was listening in, but chose not to say anything.
"Mr Adrien?" Seryu's voice caught him, and Adrien turned to see her looking at him with a questioning gaze. "You said the painting was rotting, but what does that mean?" She asked curiously, and Adrien sighed as he gazed off into the forest.
"This painting's world is, for all intents and purposes, rotting away like an old fruit... or a corpse." Adrien said, looking back at Seryu's widening eyes. "Beyond the reaches of the forest, the rest of the world is covered in a red-tinted corrosion that will eventually devour the rest of this existence. The only reason this forest is so pristine is most likely only due to the efforts of the Painting Lady." Adrien explained, making Seryu shiver at the thought.
"I'm glad our world isn't like that then." Seryu said with thanks, expecting the knight to share in her statement, but as she said that, a breeze shifted through the trees, making Adrien's red cape flap a bit. He did not move, nor did he speak. "Mr Adrien?" She asked with worry, but again, he did not respond, but instead looked down to his hands, the cracking of the ember still lingering on his body. Seryu noticed his gaze, and while confused, seemed to understand that this was not a pleasant topic for Adrien.
"Another time." Was Adrien's only response. Before Seryu could think further on his words, they were interrupted.
"Why are you fighting for the Empire." Sheele's sudden inclusion in their conversation made them turn around to see the young assassin as she leveled an accusatory glare at Adrien. Seryu shot her a similar look. "You both should have realized what they do on a regular basis by now, and yet you fight for them." Sheele said with an accusatory tone, an amount that made Seryu's gaze turn into a scowl.
"There are things you do not know Sheele. Things that I would be willing to tell you if you gave me the time to explain it." Sheele nodded hesitantly, still wary of Adrien and his true intentions. "I know the empire is corrupt, but I seek to change it from the inside, not the outside. The real reason I wish this is because of the potential emergence of the Abyss, a plague that could consume everything if left to emerge from the corruption." Adrien explained as quickly and as simply as he could with a topic as convoluted as the abyss and humanity. Sheele merely looked at him with the same gaze, expecting him to continue. "I wish to do this with as few deaths as possible... Admittedly, it might not work as I originally intended, but I am not going to give up." He said with determination, walking forward to stand in front of Sheele, the woman not budging from her spot. She was glaring at him still, but he held out his hand as if to lead her somewhere, and she looked at it curiously. "Come with us, I do not want to fight you or Night Raid anymore. I know it might be too late to make amends with some of your members but-" Adrien was cut off as Sheele slapped his hand away with a scowl, backing away from him. Her sudden attack made Adrien pause as he withdrew his hand, unsure of what he said wrong.
"Too late? You've already ensured that three of us wouldn't even have an option of being too late. You think we would just 'let it slide' because your fighting for the greater good?" Sheele questioned in an offended tone, with Seryu coming up to Adrien's side, ready to retort. "No. After everything... there's no going back. Even if I wanted to believe you, I can't, and I could never go with you. Night Raid gave me a purpose. To fight the empire and help those that are being abused and killed within! How could I ever join the likes of you!?" Her speech had grown more impassioned and emotional as she neared its end, her devotion to Night Raid still winning out in the end. Adrien knew she wasn't inherently talking about him specifically, but instead, her outburst seemed to be against the empire as a whole.
"I understand your sentiment..." Adrien said slowly, putting a hand on Seryu's shoulder to stop her from yelling back. "If that is your choice, then I will keep my word and make sure you get back to our world." Adrien said simply, dropping the issue as he stepped away from Sheele, walking back towards the Painting Lady, but Seryu stayed. "Don't fight." He said simply, allowing the girls to talk alone.
"You should show more respect to Mr. Adrien." Seryu insisted, her fist tight as she addressed the assassin. "He could kill you now and rid us of one more assassin, but he hasn't, and he won't." Seryu said with a glare. Sheele matched it with one of her own.
"Easy for you to say, you didn't have to find out your friends died by the hand of someone that saved your life." Sheele spat back, and Seryu remembered what Adrien had told her about him helping Sheele.
"Most of those situations were your own fault! Plus, Adrien told us of his encounter with Akame and the man known as Bulat. That Mine woman managed to kill him in battle."
"And yet he's here! Why!? Because he can't fucking die, can he!?" Sheele retorted angrily, her passive and soft-tempered self long forgotten as she confronted the Jaeger. Seryu stood for a few moments before looking towards Adrien as he conversed with the Painting Lady.
"Your right. He's not even human." Seryu admitted, making Sheele pause, her expression softening a bit as her enemy softened her tone. "And yet, even if he doesn't have to, even if he could most likely brute force his way to his objective... he chooses to try to cull the Abyss in a sensible and calm manner." She paused, thinking about her next words. "They say that when you give a man power you see his true colors. Adrien's true colors show at all times, and they're stunning to see." Seryu's poetic words made Sheele look away from her to Adrien, conflict entering her mind once again. "That's why I follow him, believe in him. If I could even be a fraction of the person he is, I would consider it an honor."
Adrien strode up to the painting Lady, her work looked nearly finished, content to watch her work in silence. His cape from the Abyss Watcher's armor fluttered in the gentle breeze, thoughts running through his head on what could be happening on the other side of the painting. They have most likely started fighting again, but with the state I left the temple in it would collapse if any of them... Esdeath could reinforce the structure with ice. If she hasn't killed a member of Night Raid already, she could be on the verge of doing so. Then again, Night Raid has Patches, Susanoo, and Akame on their side, fierce warriors in their own right. That's to say nothing of Lubbock's cunning or Leone's bravado. Adrien sat in the snow in a resting position, identical to how he would sit at a bonfire, his mind worrying for those he now called friends. I wonder how many puppets Kurome could call upon, or if any of Night Raid would allow her to do such a thing. Adrien was pulled from his thoughts as the Painting Lady put her instruments down with a small 'clack' on the easel, looking at him with a small smile.
"It is finished." She said, making Adrien stand upright to appreciate the new work of art. "You told me last time that you had no name, so I named this painting... Ash." She said, glancing round at the Evergreens and snow, a stronger breeze flowing through the air as if responding to it's spoken name. "I would ask you again, Ashen One, what would you like me to name the painting?" She asked, bring out a simple piece of thin charcoal, ready to name her final creation. Adrien paused for several moments as he looked at her, and then at the painting.
"Lilith."
"A fine name Ashen One. A fine name indeed." She said, writing out the one word name in a fanciful cursive, the whole artwork seemed to glow an ever so faint white before subsiding. Adrien stared at it for a long while, the two of them enjoying the silence between them before the Painting Lady broke the peace. "Ashen one, I have a request, if you would be so inclined." Adrien nodded after a moment, the woman smiling mournfully. "When you return to your would, please, destroy this painting, burn it with fire so that it may be freed from it's corruption." Adrien stood motionless.
"Is this your final wish?"
"It is."
"Then it shall be done." Adrien said with a determination in his voice to lay her to rest, and bring his old friend peace. She merely nodded as she hopped off the tall stool and moved aside so he had a clear view of the painting. He looked back at Seryu and Sheele to find them both silently staring at him, and he motioned them to come. Sheele was hesitant, but eventually they both found their way by his side, Koro sitting atop his master's head, ever loyal to her as they readied themselves to leave the painting. Seryu looked at the Painting Lady sadly, but she merely gave the girl a happy wave. Adrien grabbed their hands, and jumped in the painting, a familiar white light enveloping them all.
Esdeath ducked under a roundhouse kick from her imposter with masterful dexterity as nearly a dozen ice shards formed above her to strike at her twin. The fo-Esdeath managed to dodge as well, but was scraped by three of them, the cuts that remained though was proof that the imposter was not invincible, and very much could be taken down. Esdeath sprung back up and blocked an attack from her left as Susanoo attempted to catch her flank, being met instead with a large rapier that managed to block his weapon.
With the walls and ceiling of the temple reinforced with ice, the fighting had continued in earnest. Kurome had summoned two more of her puppets, one that wielded duel revolvers, and looked like an honest-to-god cowgirl, and had blonde hair. The other was a middle-aged man that had red-hair and purple eyes that was finely dressed and wielded a whip that seemed to shake the earth as he fought against Leone. Kurome herself seemed slightly weaker from summoning so many puppets, but was holding her own against Akame with the aid of Natala.
Wave was doing his best against Lapp as the two fought in a test of strength and will, although Lapp seemed to forgo using his shield. Their clashes were only the backdrop of Lubbock's fight against Bols, large swaths of flame erupting towards the nimble assassin, who managed to find cover in the form of the rubble from the roof. The flames swiftly began to melt the ice on the walls, but seemed to do little to the structural integrity from the short bursts.
Najenda, like Lubbock, was also forced into cover as one of Kurome's puppets shot at her with a pair of matching revolvers. She recognized both of the new puppets, one was Doya, the one currently trying to fill her full of holes, a former assassin from the northern tribes. While the second was Rokugoh, her former mentor. She shook her head of the nostalgic and mournful thoughts as two bullets impacted her cover, bouncing off the piece of stone. She glanced in the other direction, seeing Esdeath fight both Chelsea and Susanoo, while Wave fought against Lapp, both fights seemed surprisingly even. Najenda could still tell though that Esdeath wasn't giving it her all, despite her earlier claim. Her eyes glanced to the large piece of ice that still contained the painting, still largely untouched.
The Night Raid leader popped out from behind cover and got a quick shot off at Doya, but the puppet didn't even flinch from the impact to her shoulder, instead, she wordlessly retaliated, forcing Najenda back into cover with an empty revolver. I'm running out of ammo... This can't keep going like it is. Something needs to change. Najenda thought with a frustrated scowl, and that was when she heard a pained cry from Wave, the armored teen having been slammed in the side with a large boulder of ice thanks to Chelsea. Esdeath attempted to intervene, but Susanoo blocked her, dodging a powerful kick, but being stabbed with the general's rapier. He only grunted in annoyance before he swung his own weapon at her, the spinning blades lining it shredding some of her uniform, but otherwise the hit did not land.
"Chelsea!" Najenda called making the shapeshifter pause to look at her leader, who merely glanced at the painting within the ice, and nodded. Chelsea nodded back, as she forwent her earlier plan of assisting Lapp to grabbing the painting. The Ice broke apart easily by just her will, leaving the painting in a large pile of ice shards. Esdeath went to refreeze the painting and intercept her fake, but two ice walls were put between them, and Susanoo swung at her again, forcing her to dodge.
"I've had enough of you." She said angrily, rushing him, dodging another swing, getting right in his face, and placing a hand against his neck. "Freeze." With that one word, Susanoo's body froze completely, even the blades that had rapidly been spinning on his weapon came to a complete stop as the biological imperial arms was frozen in a solid block of ice. Esdeath sighed, as the ice she had used to make her opponents prison was exceptionally tough, requiring more of her energy to create it. She turned back to her imposter, and instead of willing the created walls to break, she instead broke through them with her fists, the walls easily shattering against her might.
"Not another step!" Her imposter roared, the tone she used strange sounding from Esdeath's mouth. She gripped the painting with both hands, and while the canvas was large, the way she was holding it meant she threatened to tear it in half. Esdeath stopped, a glare sent towards her imposter. Before that glare turned into an amused smile.
"Huh. I'm impressed. I didn't think any of you would have the guts to even threaten another one of your own in the name of getting rid of one of us... but perhaps I was wrong." Esdeath said as she relaxed her stance, the sounds of battle behind them. "But you won't do it. You'd doom two Jaegers true, but also two members of Night Raid as well. A fair trade, but not one where you come out on top." Esdeath teased cockily, frost quickly beginning to settle around them as the temperature continued to drop. "We have the empire that we can fall back on, with more imperial arms in our collection..." Esdeath said before her face suddenly became serious again. "You do not." Two ice spikes went for the imposter's back, but she was fast enough to dodge them, but to Esdeath's surprise, she had left the painting. Before Esdeath could cancel her attack, it was too late. With wide eyes she watched as the spikes perceived through the canvas with no resistance, leaving the painting to hang there, suspended by the ice.
"You're right." The imposter admitted, a slight quaking in her voice not befitting of the person she was using as a disguise. "I wouldn't doom them myself.. but thankfully I didn't have to." She said with a slightly triumphant smile as she looked to Esdeath, who was clenching her fists tightly. "I'm surprised you fell for that Esdeath, too bad you hadn't gone for Najenda's first plan." Esdeath responded by forming ice shards by the dozens around her, easily filling the air in her vicinity.
"Weisschnabel!" Esdeath proclaimed, sending ice shards out in nearly all directions, in between and in the middle of fights, many being directed at her imposter, but each Night Raid member was met with at least ten swiftly flying ice shards meant to impale them. The attack also completely ignored any Jaeger member, allowing them to attack as Night Raid was focused on the ice shards.
Akame dodged as swiftly as she could, but could not dodge every strike against her as Kurome put the pressure on, resulting in several shallow, but painful, cuts to her arms and legs. Lubbock couldn't bring his threads up swiftly or accurately enough to block every ice shard, and when choosing between being engulfed in flames and having a shard of ice in your shoulder, Lubbock chose the one he was most likely to survive. He yelled in pain as two shards of ice struck home, one in his shoulder, and the other just barely missing the center of his belly.
Leone had a similar fate as ice spikes pierced her legs, and Natala sliced at her left arm, but did only surface damage as she dodged the worst of the strike. Najenda would have most likely died from the attack if it had not been for Susanoo taking several ice shards from Esdeath, and many more bullets from Doya. Lapp was mostly unaffected thanks to his thick armor, but the force behind the strikes did cause him to fall on his back without his shield, allowing Wave to jump up and slam his foot down onto the fallen man with enough force to sink him into the floor by several inches. Chelsea managed to block or dodge most of the projectiles, but the effort had left her more worn than she had expected, the shards flying at such high speeds they often destroyed whatever ice walls or shields she made. Once the assault was over though, she looked down to see Esdeath, her eyes widening realizing the general was lightly panting from the exertion. She stopped though and allowed a determined look to cross her face as she looked up at Chelsea defiantly.
Esdeath was ready to continue though, despite the rigorous strain she had put on her Teigu and her body, she was willing to do anything that was necessary to claim victory after losing Adrien. That was when her eyes caught it, a now all too familiar white light. It seemed as though everyone else had caught it as well, as while the light itself was dim, against the darkness of the night, it was very visible.
"But how?" Najenda asked aloud, almost not believing the painting would still be active after being impaled. Esdeath could only smile with a sadistic glee, knowing that if anyone could leave the painting, it was her love. Thus when three forms jumped out of the painting, she was slightly confused. Adrien, Seryu, and Sheele all jumped out of the painting at the same time, landing well past the points of the ice spikes behind them. Esdeath's smile faltered when she noticed Sheele was very much alive and well, as well as sporting a new jacket, without wounds. Before anything else could happen or the new arrivals could say anything, an ice wall came up between Sheele and Adrien. Susanoo then rushed forward and grabbed the assassin, but a large rapier pinned him before he could go any further.
"I do hope you weren't expecting a welcome party." Esdeath said with dry humor, being forced to jump away as Susanoo attempted to counter attack. Adrien led Seryu away from Susanoo and noticed that there was a second Esdeath kneeling in a strike position, watching them from a distance. He was confused as to how there were two Esdeaths, but given the second one's intent stare, it must have been her that put up that barrier. The battle was clearly still going on, and the combat began in full again, this time with a clear edge to the Jaegers who were now bolstered not only by Esdeath's attack, but also by the return of Adrien.
Najenda cringed as a bullet grazed her arm, courtesy of Doya, but before a critical shot could connect, Doya was promptly beheaded by a large glaive, the puppet pausing, and stammering a bit due to the lack of weight, but somehow remained standing and began to fire upon Lapp, her recent beheader. Wave sat in a small crater nearby, having received a hell of a punch and then shield bash from his armored rival.
"The hell?" Leone exclaimed, alarmed that the puppet could still move, dodging a swing from Natala before retaliating with a punch to it's unfeeling gut, breaking several of his ribs in the process. Najenda watched as the battle quickly turned in the enemy's favor. It's too late now. Sheele might be with us, but Tatsumi isn't... I don't have time to ask her, for now we just need to get the hell out of here. We accomplished our objective. Surviving is the next step.
"Retreat!" Najenda yelled, grabbing a small grenade like object on her belt and throwing it at the Jaegers. Right as Wave got up, the object struck his face and exploded violently, erupting into a large smoke cloud. Lubbock managed to do the same despite his injuries, and a similar eruption took place where Akame was fighting. The entire temple was shrouded in smoke, the Jaegers not able to get a read on their opponents, shots from Doya were fired, and the sound of metal clashing as heard, Kurome's puppets being able to move more easily in the smoke.
"Run all you like sister, this merely proves that if our fight had carried on, I would have been victorious." Kurome said smugly, stepping outside of the smoke, more towards the back of the temple. Adrien watched all of this, keeping a keen eye on Seryu in case Lubbock tried to spring a trap on them or some other kind of sneak attack was attempted.
"Mr Adrien, you should help them. I'll be fine with Koro." Seryu said a bit sadly, Adrien looking down at her with concern. "I promise. Make sure they're okay." Adrien reluctantly left her, away from the smoke and conflict and ran into it himself. Upon breaking into the smoke, his vision was assaulted by the black cloud, but there was little he could do about it. If I used the dragon-slayer greataxe just to clear this smoke, or the Stormruler, I could wind up hitting someone I don't want to. Adrien burst through the main entrance to the temple and looked around outside seeing Wave, Esdeath, and Bols all engaged with Susanoo, Lapp, Najenda, and the imposter Esdeath, but the rest of Night Raid were nowhere to be seen.
"Kill them before the rest of them can escape." Esdeath said with venom, an attack with her rapier being intercepted by the imposter, but not expecting to be kneed in the gut by the imperial general. Bols sent a wave of fire at Lapp, who blocked it with his shield, the huge Curse Ward Greatsheild quickly turning orange from the flames. Wave engaged Susanoo, using his armor's flight to great use, keeping above the biological imperial arms, and striking with his trident, but to little effect. Adrien rushed towards Esdeath, the proverbial 'twins' seeing his approach, one's face growing into a smirk, while the other's quickly becoming a worried frown.
The imposter jumped away from Esdeath as Adrien came rushing in, able to tell the difference by the expressions on their faces. Although if the imposter were trying to imitate Esdeath's attitude, then I might not have been able to tell them apart. Adrien thought as he swung with his zweihander, the imposter jumping over the swing and roundhouse kicking Adrien's head, her foot impacting his pointed helmet with a loud clang. He responded by thrusting his sword towards her, but she arched her back to avoid the strike. This left her open though as Esdeath came at her full force with haymaker to the imposter's face, being sent over Adrien's still outstretched sword. She landed roughly on the ground, her face now swollen, and sporting a new black eye. She managed to get up, and got into a slightly more tired defensive stance.
Najenda shot Wave's armored head, the bullet reflecting off harmlessly, but somewhat stunning him as Susanoo managed to strike him with the spinning blades from his polearm, sparks flying as the weapon attempted to harm the man inside of the blue armor. Wave was knocked back, and considered if he could attack Najenda and somehow distract the biological imperial arms. Thats when he noticed Najenda shifting her attention.
Bols was literally laying on the heat with his flamethrower, but Lapp's shield was holding strong, but now even the man's armor was starting to change color from the intense flames. For Lapp, it was almost like he was fighting the Demon Princes again.
"You can't last like this." Bols said matter-of-factly. "In that armor, you're probably being cooked alive. I'm surprised you haven't given up yet." In response, his opponent began to push against the flames and moved forward. Bols toned up the pressure of the flames, stopping his progress after a moment or two more of struggling, the armor now becoming an angry orange. There's no way that armor isn't his imperial arms. No one would be able to handle armor that hot. Bols thought, refusing to stop his assault. However a gunshot rang through the clearing, a bullet ripping through his chest and stopping his assault cold. He had been so focused on his opponent, he had failed to see Najenda aim her revolver at him.
The flames stopped as Bols clutched his chest, the large man able to remain standing despite the 44. bullet that had struck near his collarbone, narrowly missing his lung.
"Bols!" Wave exclaimed, worry and anger spreading through him in equal measures. He rushed the Night Raid leader, Susanoo intercepting him, the two clashing heavily, Susanoo being driven back several feet by the force of the attack he blocked. Najenda glanced at the enraged Jaeger, and then back to the one she just downed, Lapp getting up, his armor glowing a scary shade of orange. He showed no signs of caring though, as he jogged toward the flamethrower wielding opponent, his halberd gripped tightly. He was upon Bols before the masked man could raise his weapon in defense, the halberd being driven into the man's abdomen roughly, Bols screaming out in pain as the hot, but not quite scorching, metal pierced his innards, blood pouring out and steaming against the halberd.
"Bas..." Bols was cut off by his own coughing, he could taste iron. Lapp stared down at the man with a bit of pity, but a force akin to twelve fully loaded wagons slammed into his side, sending him flying away from Bols as Adrien retaliated. Upon seeing his savior, Bols could only cough his apology. "...Sorry about this." Bols said weakly, a coughing fit soon following his apology. Adrien knelt down, looking over the grievous wound, one that would be fatal if not tended to soon. He picked him up as gently as he could, the scene rather odd as Adrien picked up a man easily twice as muscular as himself.
"Save your breath for when you meet your wife and child again." Adrien said plainly, making Bols nod, his hands still gripping his imperial arms defiantly. Esdeath continued to clash with her imposter as this went on, sparks flying as rapier met rapier, and the sounds of fists impacting palms or blocking arms filling the air. Neither one of them were performing at their maximum, but Esdeath had one thing her copy-cat clearly didn't. Experience.
Chelsea lost her breath as an ice covered fist found it's way past her defenses, planting itself firmly in her gut, Esdeath went for a jab to her face, making Chelsea raise her guard high, only for the attack to be a ruse, the general's other fist landing into one of her kidneys. Chelsea jumped away despite the pain, only for Esdeath to grab her ankle, quickly throwing her into the ground with a painful slam. Esdeath could only smile.
"So this is the true form of my impersonator." Esdeath's words brought Chelsea's world to a halt, realizing that with the extensive damage to her disguise, it had finally failed, her imperial arms in her right hand, laying against the ground with the rest of her body. She made to activate the 'emergency exit' trump card, only for a heeled boot to smash the precious imperial arms to bits,rendering it useless. The assassin stared on in shock, the pain from the attacks had made her movements sluggish and obvious, giving the general ample time to act.
"W-Why?" She asked, hope draining from her voice. "Why destroy it?" She asked, curiosity mixed in equally with despair. Esdeath only giggled sadistically.
"The perfect tool for an assassin is it not? While useful in the empire's hands, I'm sure the prime minister will forgive me for destroying it considering how much more harm it could do than good." Esdeath said, raising her rapier to deliver the final blow, only receiving a death glare in response. "Goodbye, coward."
"Magatama Manifestation!" Najenda cried out, a yellow light engulfing her now outstretched hand and surrounding a slightly stunned Susanoo. Esdeath frowned at being interrupted, Chelsea merely dropping her death gaze to one that seemed resigned, as if accepting her fate. "Yasakani no Magatama!"Before Esdeath could deliver the final blow, a golden blur rushed her, she managed to dodge a punch from a now golden glowing, and very different looking Susanoo. His hair was a stark white, and he had lost his jacket and shirt, revealing his muscled body, his red core in the center of his chest, being displayed rather proudly. His pants were now rather tron looking, and a solid black color. Although the most jarring addition to his appearance was the large floating metallic circle that was behind his back, being very intricate in design and having four metallic spear-tip like points on the outer rim. Overall, it was like he had become a completely different person.
Esdeath swiftly dodged three consecutive punches from Susanoo, and ducked under a following roundhouse kick. She retaliated by kicking sharply up, hitting his chin, making his head snap upwards. She followed with a solid punch to his gut, grabbing him, and throwing him away from her. He quickly righted himself, glaring at Esdeath intensely. Najenda grabbed Chelsea's battered form from the ground, slinging her over her shoulder. Lapp returned as well, stepping in front of the two of them defensively. The General looked to her right, and saw Wave in yet another crater. She shook here head in exasperation, wondering how often that boy had been merely slapped away.
"So? Four... no, two on one?" Esdeath asked the remaining assassins, giving them a challenging look. "Come now, two of your most powerful members against just me, why so hesitant?" Her teasing only made Najenda increase her guard more, Esdeath acting far too relaxed and confident for her liking. A sudden clang was heard as a metal shield rushed to the side of Esdeath, Wall, Kurome's puppet, looking over the modern blast shield. Natala soon joined him as Kurome stepped forward, looking around with a frown.
"So my Sister did flee." Kurome said simply, pointing her Katana at Susanoo. "Then maybe I'll make you my puppet instead." A sinister smile crossed her face, thoughts of turning a biological imperial arms into her puppet making her eager. In the next moment, they charged.
Adrien placed Bols against the temple, mercifully far from the combat. Bols coughed, the bottom of his mask now a deep crimson. Adrien reached into his box, taking out a whisking piece of darkness, the fragment of humanity dancing slightly in his hand, he gave it to Bols, who looked at the unknown substance with both trepidation and curiosity.
"Crush it, and you will become stable. But I must return to Esdeath." Bols nodded at Adrien's words, the undead leaving the large man to himself as he soon reunited with Esdeath and Kurome.
Lapp and Natala fought each other with their polearms, Natala staying safely out of reach due to his weapon's ability. Wall was staying between Kurome and Susanoo as she, the puppet, and Esdeath all took on the imperial arms together. Susanoo focused on Esdeath, engaging in close quarter combat, Esdeath skillfully avoiding each of his blows, while Kurome attacked from behind or his flanks to get a few quick swipes at him. But neither one of them were doing any significant damage, as Esdeath mostly tested him, seeing how well he fought. He missed another side-kick, but instead of allowing him to follow it up, Esdeath grabbed his leg and froze it, he retaliated with a punch towards her skull, but deflected it, grabbing his wrist and freezing his arm. With his right leg and left arm frozen, Susanoo was now vulnerable to Kurome driving her sword through the back of his neck, blood spewing onto the ground in front of him. Kurome kept the blade in, came around to his front, swinging the blade within his neck, swiftly decapitating him. Esdeath followed this up by stabbing his gut with her rapier before freezing his whole body, exerting more energy that should have been necessary. Finally, Kurome finished it by sending a powerful roundhouse at Susanoo's side, his whole body shattering into blue ice fragments with the exception of his red circular core, and the large circular disk on his back, both of which had been immune to the freezing effects. The fragments that used to be Susanoo's body scattered part of the field, his red core sitting in the middle, unmoving.
"Now, to make you mine." Kruome said as she calmly walked over to the red core, intent on skewering it with her sword. Najenda was starting to panic slightly. She knew that Ssuanoo was still alive, but with his body frozen and in pieces, it would take a moment or two for him to regenerate, long enough for Kurome to finish him off, and she was out of bullets. Plus Chelsea was still leaning on her, and was in no condition to fight herself without an imperial arms. Kurome was only a step or two away, her katana already positioned over his core when a yellow blur came speeding towards her, and before she could react, a pawed fist impacted the young girl's gut as she was sent sprawling back, a quickly forming bruise on her midsection courtesy of Leone.
"Leone! I told you to keep the rest safe!" Najenda yelled, frustrated at her subordinate for disobeying her previous orders, but also thankful for her timing. As if sensing it was somewhat safe, Susanoo's fragments began to thaw rapidly and move towards his core.
"Sorry Boss, but you know I couldn't let you guys have all the fun." Leone replied with a wild smile as she stared at Esdeath, the general finding more energy within herself as a new fight potentially emerged. Natala jumped away from Lapp as Kurome got up with a glare directed at the blonde assassin. Wall moved up to protect her again, with Kurome looking at the puppet with a tense glare, as he had failed to notice Leone.
Adrien stepped up behind Kurome and Esdeath, staring at Leone, the blond becoming noticeably more tense, her imperial arms once again providing her with the innate instinct to run away from him. Susanoo was beginning to properly reform, as most of his legs and chest had become properly solid. Lapp came up next to Leone as the two groups prepared for another fight.
"This seems to be the end of the line." Esdeath said, the rapier positioned towards her enemies. Wall took a step forward, his shield at bear. As they were about to clash, Susanoo finally reformed, but no longer glowing gold and Najenda had come to a conclusion.
"Susanoo! Hold them back!" Susanoo rushed in as Leone and Lapp looked at their leader in confusion. Susanoo met Wall first, a hidden lance being ejected from his shield, Susanoo managing to dodge it as Natala and Adrien both rushed at him. "Ame no Murakumo!" Susanoo seemed to begin to hold onto something, and in his hands, a long, nearly transparent sword with a purple edge manifested. He swung it at the two undead, the blade easily slicing them, Natala landing in two halves, while Adrien recoiled from the blow. Susanoo did not let up as he swung again, this time being blocked by Wall's shield, the sword embedding itself deeply in the black shield. Esdeath took his flank, slicing his arm before he could dodge.
"Boss!? Are you crazy!?" Leone asked incredulously. Najenda shook her head calmly, Leone recognized that Najenda had some kind of plan. "What's going on then?"
"You are going to get me and Chelsea out of here. Using Susanoo's trump card drains me of my strength." Leone nodded in understanding, Lapp looking at her curiously as well, if his head tilt was anything to go by.
"And what about me?" Lapp asked curiously. Najenda looked at him seriously.
"Can you use your trump card?" She asked, and for a moment, he remained quiet, before nodding.
"So you can do more than just take hits then?" Leone teased half-heartedly, Lapp only chuckling a bit in response.
"This trump card is one of a kind, so it's not one we want the enemy to really know about." Najenda said, answering Leone's question for Lapp. She nodded to the both and as Leone moved to her and Chelsea to pick them up, Lapp turned around to see his blue armored opponent.
"Oh give me a brea-" Lapp was cut off as Wave rushed him with blinding speed, getting behind him and kicking him harshly away before going for the three women. Leone moved to intercept, Wave thrusting with his trident, the half-lion grabbing it, managing to hold him back before he picked her up by flying and slammed her into the ground, forcing the trident out of her hands and into her chest.
"I won't let you get away. Not after what you did to Run." Wave said determinedly. Leone glared at the young Jaeger with hatred.
"And what? We're just supposed to ignore the fact that Adrien has killed three of ours now!?" She asked with venom, Wave suddenly realizing something. Wait? Does that mean that every Night Raid death so far has been by Adrien's hand? Man am I feeling useless right now. Wave's thoughts were interrupted by Lapp bear-hugging him from behind, trapping his arms, allowing Leone to leave with some difficulty.
"Damn it! Let me go!" Wave yelled, but Lapp only squeezed his prey harder, Grand Chariot groaning under the pressure. Leone grabbed Najenda and Chelsea over her shoulder before quickly making a run for it. "Wait... Adrien! Night Raid is getting away!"
Adrien heard Wave's cry as he and Susanoo clashed swords, now wielding his Zweihander with two hands for once, his shield on his back, as Esdeath ran her Rapier through the imperial arm's side, prompting Susanoo to swing his blade wide, but the attack was forecasted enough for both powerhouses to avoid the strike. Kurome had stored Natala back into her sword for treatment later, and was standing up, glaring determinedly at Susanoo. Wall's shield was now a cut and broken mess due to the beating and slashes Susanoo has given it, but the puppet himself has stayed mostly strong. Esdeath had attempted to freeze him on multiple occasions, but he was now allowing her to get close, obviously learning from his earlier mistake.
"Go. I'll take care of him." Adrien was about to give chase before he saw Lapp running at him, Wave still caught in his bearhug. Adrien ran to the side, and at an angle to go around, but Lapp followed his trajectory, not allowing the undead to avoid him. Lapp slammed into Adrien with Wave harshly, but Adrien caught him, setting him on his feet quickly before Lapp could take advantage. This was for naught as while Adrien adjusted his fellow Jaeger, Lapp side-kicked him, sending the Ashen One sprawling. He was going to follow up with Wave, but the Imperial arms user acted first, grabbing the man's helmet, and tossing him at Susanoo with enough force to create a large gust as Lapp slammed into Susanoo, the two landing in a pile on the ground.
"Teach you to take me so lightly." Wave said with offense, taking a glance at Adrien to see him standing up. Esdeath and Kurome took the flanks of Lapp and Susanoo, the two heavyweights of the assassin group getting up to meet their gazes. Wave and Adrien joined them to surround the assassins. Susanoo took a defensive stance while Lapp just shook his head. The armored man grabbed Susanoo's shoulder, making the biological imperial arms look at him with a questioning glance.
"Lets get out of here." Lapp said simply. Esdeath moved In on them right as a small 'crack' was heard from Lapp, and the two of them disappeared in a swirling white wind. Esdeath embedding her rapier into the ground where they once were. Wave looked around frantically, while Adrien lowered his sword and his head, Kurome grinding her teeth together in anger.
"What happened?" Wave suddenly asked. "Was that... a trump card?" Wave asked, becoming calmer, Esdeath standing slowly from her crouched position. She merely nodded, disappointment clearly on her face.
That was a homeward bone... but how? Adrien asked himself, recognizing the appearance of when a homeward bone was activated all too well. That would send him to the nearest bonfire... but it couldn't be Lilith could it? She is much too far away isn't she? Adrien racked his brain as to where the item would take them, but came up with two conclusions. Either they suddenly appeared within Lillith's room in the capital... or they are at some bonfire I do not know about...
"A teleport-style Trump card." Esdeath said, now becoming contemplative. "We will have to be more wary of that armored one..." She said aloud. It would be the perfect hit and run tactic. Teleport you and your enemy right into the middle of a trap and kill them with the odds stacked extremely in your favor... so there must be some restriction to it for them to use it so hesitantly. She looked up to see Adrien also deep in thought, while Wave was looking away, clearly downcast about something, while Kurome had begun to furiously consume her cookies. That changed when Adrien walked away, going back into the temple. Wave followed him wordlessly. She and Kurome soon did the same.
Adrien re-entered the temple to see Bols checking to see if any guards were alive, and helping the ones that were. Seryu was petting Koro in her lap, the two of them looking exhausted from their time in the painting. Blood and ice were everywhere, with the quickly melting ice supports only adding to the color of blood as diluted crimson pooled in parts of the floor. The section of the roof that had collapsed was, ironically enough, covered in burns and bullet-holes, evidence of Bols and Doya. The pews that once lined the temple were now broken and destroyed, with a good number of them sporting the dead bodies of guards. The back of temple was not spared the horror either, as a large portion of the alter has thin cutlines, and behind the alter, a large pool of blood had coalesced, evidence of Bolic's successful assassination.
Adrien walked to where the painting still hung, impaled by two large ice spikes, which were beginning to melt slightly, getting the precious painting wet.
"What are you going to do Mr. Adrien?" Seryu asked curiously, walking over to him as he approached the painting, the other Jaegers watching curiously. Adrien said nothing at first, staring at the painting with what Seryu assumed was sadness. Then his hand was engulfed in flame, his intention clear. "M-Mr. Adrien?" Adrien did not raise his hand, but no one stopped him. He merely stood there, contemplating.
"Honest wouldn't appreciate it if you destroyed that painting." Esdeath said plainly, her words indicating she wouldn't stop him, but he alone would face the consequences. Adrien did not care, instead he wondered if he had the strength to do it. A moment more, and he came to a decision.
"Bols." Adrien began, his tone the beginning of a request, the flames in his hand dissipating. "Would you... burn this painting?" His question was filled with a hint of begging, enough that Bols was shocked by the question. He sounds so... remorseful? But why? What's in that painting that he feels so conflicted about destroying it? Bols thought to himself, curiosity making him want to ask questions, but remembered his place. Adrien saved me, and he wanted me to see my family again... This is the least I can do. Bols nodded, deciding not to say anything.
Adrien stepped away, Bols taking center stage. His weapon charged up as the other looked on, and he discharged the flames, and the painting was engulfed, Adrien felt something he hadn't felt in a long time. True Pain.
Author's notes.
I'm back again! With another longer chapter, but mercifully not 10k words this time... only 9.3k. But you guys seem to enjoy longer chapters so yay! I do apologize that this one was so slow, and I don't really have an excuse for it other than writer's block. But yes, we are finally moving on from Kyoroach, and will be back in the capital when the next chapter begins.
Now, I know that, according to canon, Esdeath is actually super OP and can basically take on most of Night Raid on her own, but I wanted to give these fights a bit more tension, hence why Esdeath was actually getting tired out by the end there. I don't know how you guys feel about this, but Imma keep it because I kinda like it. I also felt that the painting being burned and freed from it's rot was the best way to end it, traditional bittersweet style. It might have been interesting to see the painter in the future of this story, and I've played with the idea a little in my head, but it ultimately would have had no impact on the rest of the story because of the way I intend to end it.
Hopefully the next chapter will come out sooner as I doubt it will be a very long one when all is said and done. Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed the chapter, and as always...
Thanks for reading!