Disclaimer: I do not own Dark Souls or Akame ga Kiru
Soul of the Raging Mass
All Adrien could see was pitch darkness, his mind immediately reminded of how the world had looked immediately after the Firekeeper had finally snuffed out the first flame. He could hear the steady breathing of the emperor's now unconscious form underneath him, his breathing slow and surprisingly peaceful. He could feel much more though. Above and around him, the massive weight of the once operational imperial arms had been reduced to heaps of scrap, a rather solid portion now on his back, and attempting to crush both himself and the emperor. He pushed upwards in opposition, the weight above him shifting.
Upon removing the offending weight, Adrien stood up and walked out of the wreckage with the emperor over his shoulder, moving through the dusty darkness, Adrien tried to find the quickest way up, thankfully finding a maintenance stairway not too far away. As he walked up the metal stairs, the emperor began to stir, and soon the young boy was waking.
"What? What happened?" The emperor asked, looking around with a confused and tired look. Adrien kept walking upwards, the constant bouncing and somewhat shaking waking the emperor. Adrien waited a moment to answer, allowing the emperor to get his bearing somewhat.
"Your giant was destroyed, and it collapsed when Honest activated that ring of his. Now I'm brining you back to the surface." Adrien said, the emperor quickly growing quiet at the news. Adrien wondered what the emperor was thinking, but did not press. A few more moments passed before the reached the top, where a door separated the platform Adrien began on with the maintenance shaft. Before he opened it though, the emperor spoke.
"leave me here." The emperor's statement caused the undead to pause, looking at the boy on his shoulder. "Or kill me. One or the other. Without Shikoutazer, I have no power. The public already sees me as an incompetent ruler I'm sure, so whats the point? Everyone but you or perhaps General Budo is my enemy, or possibly my enemy. Whats the point anymore?" Adrien was surprised, and slightly perturbed that the emperor would give up so readily. Something that Adrien could understand, but would not tolderate.
"You wish to give in?" Adrien asked, keeping his voice neutral as he set the emperor down, allowing him to stand on his own.
"Well, what am I supposed to do now? I can't help, I'm not a fighter, and the people largely distrust me. And with Honest now trying to openly kill me..." The emperor paused, sniffling as it became harder for him to speak. "...Theres no hope." Adrien merely stood there, absorbing the words the emperor had just spoken.
"No." Adrien's simple statement caused the emperor to look at the knight in slight confusion.
"Knight Adrien, wha-"
"I said, no." Adrien's finality in his tone seemed to make the emperor become silent as they set their full attention on each other. "There is always hope, there is always a point, there is always a reason to keep going. To give up is to embrace death, and to embrace death without giving your all is to give the enemy victory. I do not intend to let Honest claim victory today, instead, I wish to complete my purpose in this age, and finally bring peace to it." The emperor seemed slightly confused by that last statement, but nodded nonetheless, understanding the general point of Adrien's words. "You must never give up, the people you rule, while they may not fully trust you yet, you have begun the path towards that, and I have personally witnessed your strength of character. I will not allow you to give up, and you too should not allow yourself to fall into despair."The child remained silent, pondering Adrien's words seriously, a conflicted expression on his face. A moment passed, but when the emperor did not respond, Adrien spoke up again.
"I apologize your majesty, but I must ask you to keep moving, because I will not stop again." He responded simply, moving for the metal door separating the staircase from the upper platform, trying his best not to think about the countless souls that were streaming into him throughout the city.
Syura grimaced as he leaned against a wall within an empty hallway of the palace, his energy nearly completely drained already. The maneuver he had just pulled with Budo had exhausted him after sending Adrien to Shambala's dimension. And how the hell did he fucking escape it anyway!? It's supposed to be inescapable! Syura grimaced, realizing that using his trump card had been a complete waste on Adrien, but then again, how was he supposed to know that!?
The tanned man stood up fully, as he began to walk down the hall, as this particular one he had fled to led to a very specific room. I have no idea where Adrien's little bitch went either, she's pretty sneaky for a blind chick. He thought, opening the large double doors at the end of the hall that led to arguably one of the most important rooms in the castle. The imperial arms storage room. Honest had this whole room dedicated to the captured and/or maintained imperial arms that were in the empire's hands. At least the ones that weren't being utilized. His mission here was simple, grab a majority of the imperial arms, flee to one of the imperial bases relatively close to the capital, find some compatible people, and then re-storm the capital when the dust had cleared. By that time, the Jaegers would have returned as well, and with them and Honest's leadership, the re-capture of the capital should be relatively easy.
"Heh, just one more trip, and I can rest." Syura said to himself with a smirk, looking at a large hap-sack that had already been placed in the room for him to use. He began to look for the most useful imperial arms he could find, ones that might actually stand a chance against what was left of Night Raid. A lot of it depended on the skill of the user, but that would be where the Jaegers would step in, just in case.
He honestly wondered just what the Jaegers would so, especially if Adrien got to them first, but that was why they had lured Night Raid here In the first place, to finish off Adrien for good, without Honest having to sacrifice valuable resources to do so. That was the plan at least. Syura personally wouldn't count on that working because Night Raid seems to have a very shaky, but still amiable relationship. Unfortunately Honest seemed to think that when Night Raid got cocky after capturing the capital, they would see it as an opportunity to get rid of Adrien. It wasn't like he could say anything to his father about it, but Syura wasn't too worried. At worst, he would have to flee again and hide out while the hostilities blew over, and then get back to what he knew he was good at: causing chaos.
Leone smirked as she bat away another attempted strike against her with relative ease, the attacker quickly receiving a powerful punch to the gut, the force behind it tearing his flesh and insides. Two others attempted to blindside her, but were greeted by a roundhouse kick, swiftly followed by a devastating haymaker. Both men were killed near instantly by the immense strength granted to Leone from her imperial arms, her instincts telling her of an attacker coming from behind, with which she backflipped behind the stunned guard before pulverizing his head with a hammer arm.
"Another squad down, a hundred more to go." Leone said with a sigh, looking around her in the small courtyard that interconnected several alleys. The battle had been going well with her and Sheele's assistance in stopping reinforcements, as well as Lubbock's and Lapp's efforts on the front lines. The imperials were beginning to lose morale, as their manpower was running low, and they had no imperial arms users on the front like the revolutionaries did. Leone suspected within the next hour or so that the imperials would break, and fall back to the palace, or attempt to flee the city.
A few rays of sunlight seemed to gently kiss the rooftops above her, almost serenely, even as the sounds of battle, death, and bloodshed rung out, echoing through the alleys surrounding her. She quickly climbed up onto one of the rooftops using loose bricks and window seals, and looked out at the sunrise, allowing herself to enjoy the view. Until she spotted something flying in the distance. Something that she distinctly recognized as 'not' a Manta-ray, she narrowed her eyes to try to tell what it was. The moment she did, and the moment a particular thought crossed her mind, some fear immediately took hold. She only knew of one person with a trained wyvern, or at least, one that would even be remotely interested in this conflict. She still wasn't sure due to the distance, but, it was better to assume the worst when it comes to dangerous enemies.
"Esdeath..." Leone muttered solely to herself, before she broke into an animalistic sprint, heading to find her companions.
Najenda narrowed her eyes as she saw the carnage before her, assassin types dressed all in black, and imperial guards that personally tended to the emperor all lined the halls they were traversing, signs of a rather intense struggle obvious.
"The guards were fleeing. Likely to keep the emperor safe." Akame stated, even if it was an obvious statement. Susanoo nodded, with Chelsea keeping point, her eyes darting quickly to see any threats. Najenda quickly ascertained what had happened, and furrowed her brow in slight frustration. Why would Honest want to kill the emperor though? If he tried to claim the throne for himself, I doubt much of the populous would see him as a legitimate ruler... Then again, he could spin it as if Night Raid, or even the revolutionaries as a whole had assassinated him, and then rally support to finally stomp us out. Najenda thought, the plan sounding like something that Honest would come up with.
"We should follow the bodies, try to find out if they actually managed to kill the emperor or not." Najenda said, walking forward down the hallway, the dried blood giving the halls a near makeover as they walked down them. Eventually Najneda and the others came to the throne room, an area in which she never saw herself returning to after escaping from the army. The sight that greeted her was grizzly, bodies, mostly of the royal guards, strewn about the room, the highest concentration being near the back of the large room, where the throne sat, where a last stand so to speak took place, and a hidden door there behind the throne.
No more words were needed as they filtered through the hidden passageway, noting the stark lack of blood or signs of battle. Once they entered the chamber beyond, Najenda looked around, a curious expression on her face. The hollowed out area seemed to have a metal platform that seemed to go all around it, and had several layers going upwards, but the center was completely barren. As if something was meant to be housed here, but wasn't there.
"What is this place?" Chelsea asked, exiting the entrance with a slight wonder in her eyes at the sight. Najenda herself wasn't quite sure, but she had an idea. Akame narrowed her eyes, looking around skeptically at the large area.
"Not entirely sure. Ive... never been to this part of the castle before, but it could be where the emperor kept his imperial arms." Najenda stated, walking further into the large room, a confused if somewhat cautious expression on her face. "And if it was here, it looks as though it was moved somehow."
Before any more words could be exchanged, the sound of a metal door opening greeted their ears, where Susanoo, Chelsea, Akame, and Najneda all pointed their weapons toward the sound. Where their eyes widened upon seeing Adrien, hand still on the inside of the door, looking their way, as if frozen by the sight. And there, right behind him, just barely visible behind Adrien's frame was the emperor, who seemed confused at first, before his expression turned fearful.
Esdeath approached the capital quickly, a grim expression on her face as she saw the smoke billowing upwards, the rest of the Jaegers spotting it easily enough. Whatever doubts about leaving their mission might have been, were immediately dashed as they closed in on the city, determination to stop the revolutionaries replacing most of their thoughts. As they finally passed over the city walls, Esdeath began to lay out their plan.
"Bols, Wave, get down to the front line and drive the revolutionaries back, I doubt that they're doing too well if Night Raid is somewhere down there." The two men nodded wordlessly. "Kurome, Seryu, go through the city, help any fighting in the more congested areas of the capital."
"Right." Seryu said, while Kurome hummed in affirmation. "General, what about you?" Seryu asked, Esdeath narrowing her eyes as she eyed the palace. As much as she might have wanted to go into the fray herself on the ground, she knew that the emperor's safety came first. Not only that, but Adrien was likely in there somewhere, given that the fighting on the ground seemed to be with the imperials on the losing end of it. Either Adrien is dead, which is very unlikely, or he's simply at the palace. And what of Budo, or Honest? Honest is probably trying to flee the city, and his Son is likely trying to get to the Firekeeper. Budo though... he should be there at the palace as well, if not on the front lines himself. Esdeath surmised, letting a sigh escape her lips.
"I'll be heading for the palace, I doubt Adrien is on the front lines, so he is probably protecting the emperor." Esdeath said, eyeing the city below, spotting several skirmishes taking place in the streets. "Do not stop until the revolutionaries are taken care of. Then, if I do not come to you first, return to the capital."
"Understood." The rest of the Jaegers responded, in near unison, as Esdeath positioned her reigns to turn the danger beast more toward the main street of the capital. The Jaegers all made their preparations as they got ready to drop. Seryu checked her weapons, making sure they were all loaded and ready as Koro sat on her shoulder, a rather grim expression on the dog's face. Kurome scanned the area below, a rather disinterested expression on her face, not seeing or 'sensing' her sister within the fray. Bols rechecked the large flamethrower imperial arms and made sure it was ready for battle. All while Wave activated Grand Chariot, the dark blue armor encasing him, a similarly colored trident appearing in his right hand.
Without a signal, they all disembarked from the wyvern when they were low enough, leaping down onto the rooftops of buildings, before spreading out to help the fight. Esdeath watched them for a few moments before turning her head towards the palace. However, only a few moments into flying directly towards the central structure, she felt a strong presence of murderous intent. Before she could react though, the long neck of her wyvern was suddenly sliced off, blood flying into the sky as Esdeath looked upwards, tracking the attacker. Sheele looked down at her with a determined expression, one that Esdeath met with slight annoyance at first, before her lips stretched into a sadistic grin.
Sheele moved first though, bringing the massive pair of scissors down towards Esdeath, intent on skewing her with them. Esdeath in kind, sent a massive pillar of ice upwards towards her, Sheele slicing into the pillar, slicing it in half easily, but the force behind the ice keeping her from getting to Esdeath. Then the force behind the ice seemed to stop, as Sheele jumped away from it, watching as Esdeath began to scale the very pillar she had created, smaller platforms emerging from the pillar with each step Esdeath took, Her rapier primed for striking. Sheele allowed herself to fall, meeting Esdeath with Extase, the imperial arms primed to bisect Esdeath. The general dodged the strike easily enough, and went to impale Sheele with her rapier, the assassin narrowly avoiding the strike, before landing on a nearby Rooftop.
Esdeath smirked as she landed not far from the purple-haired girl, both of them facing off, watching each others every movement.
"So, I suppose there is a particular reason you don't want me going to the palace?" Esdeath asked, still smirking rather smugly, to which Sheele responded by crouching down, a determined expression on her face. "Of course, Najenda is there, isn't she?" Sheele surged forward with a burst of speed, her weapon primed to strike. Esdeath dodged the strike easily by jumping upwards, bringing her foot down toward Sheele in an axe kick. The assassin brought Extase up to block, a solid clang emanating from the imperial arms as it took the force of the blow. Before Sheele could try to fight back, ice and frost suddenly began to form on her weapon, within seconds freezing it solid. Esdeath jumped off of the massive blade, Sheele swiping at her with the ice-covered weapon, Esdeath back-stepped the attack before rushing forward, creating a second rapier in her off-hand. Sheele brought Extase up high above her head before bringing it down where Esdeath was approaching. Esdeath stepped to the side, the ice that shattered from Extase doing nothing to slow the general down.
"Extase!" Sheele's yell was followed by the giant pair of scissors glowing with an immense light. Esdeath's smirk never wavered even as she was forced to close her eyes. Sheele brought the glowing imperial arms down on Esdeath, the general blind from the light. Even still, Esdeath managed to jump to the side at the last second before sending a volley of ice in Sheele's general direction. She tried to dodge the volley, but there were simply too many to dodge all at once. One of the ice shards imbedded itself in Sheele's right thigh, while another struck her left shoulder, but the rest she managed to avoid. She winced in pain at the same time as Extase returning to it's normal state. Esdeath peeked to see Sheele, satisfied with her work as the assassin bled from her shoulder and thigh.
"A clever trick, but not enough." Esdeath stated simply, the ice-formed rapier morphing into spear, the general hoisting it over her shoulder to throw like a javelin. Sheele was readying herself to block it, setting Extase between her and Esdeath as a wall, because with the injury to her leg, she wouldn't be able to move. Esdeath however, took one step closer, and with her foot tapping the flat roof they were on, froze the whole surface, and freezing Sheele's boots to it's surface. Extase too became frozen, the massive pair of scissors freezing up for the second time during their bout. "I'm afraid... thats all she wrote." Esdeath said, Sheele's ears picking up the crackling of ice from behind her, an indicator of some kind of attack from the ground.
The skilled assassin attempted to wrench herself free from the icy prison, but found Esdeath had made the ice too thick at this point, keeping her secure and not letting go. She heard what sounded like objects flying through the air before the familiar sound of breaking ice reached her ears. She turned her head around to see what had happened, seeing Leone suddenly there, a large amount of broken ice shards on the ground, before she spun around and kicked against Sheele herself, stopping as she struck the ice. The ice shattered near instantly, freeing Sheele without hurting her. The purple-haired woman freed her pair of scissors, and both of the Night Raid members stared down at Esdeath.
Esdeath merely smirked at the display, her confidence unwavering.
Lubbock sighed as another ten imperials lied dead by his feet, all of them sliced into varying sizes of gore. Lapp stood a short ways away, a similar bloodbath by his own feet as the two of them more or less led the charge for the revolutionary forces along the large main road. The morale of the army around them had only been increasing since their arrival, having been bolstered to keep pushing by the assassin's displays of martial prowess.
The explosion that tore through a good number of their ranks though seemed to send a hitch through their spirits. Lubbock and Lapp both looked around to see the source, quickly finding a massive canon situated on a far off rooftop, one that had not been there before. While hard to see, a small mess of orange red hair was visible behind the cannon.
"The Jaegers are here." Lapp said simply, watching as Seryu fired another round towards them. Lapp held his shield up while Lubbock jumped toward him to seek shelter. The round tore the ground up where the green-haired assassin had been, sending several soldiers around the area either flying or knocking them back.
"Damn it." Lubbock cursed to himself, wincing as he clutched his arm, a wild piece of debris striking his arm as he attempted to scramble away. It wasn't serious, but it had still hurt him. He was standing behind Lapp as the armored assassin kept his shield up.
"Appreciate the assistance Seryu!" A voice called from above them, watching as a man in dark blue armor began to descend towards them quickly. The woman in question seemed to get the idea, quickly having Koro swallow the canon before the two of them left to handle situations within the alleys and small streets within the city.
Wave landed right in front of the two members of Night Raid, his trident at his side, his helmet hiding the determined expression he had. A wave of fire erupted from behind the two members of Night Raid, Bols emerging from a building, letting lose with his imperial arms on the unsuspecting soldiers. Dozens of men fell in that one move, and even more being driven back by the intense flames.
"I guess we can't be that lucky." Lubbock said with a grimace, as he and Lapp now stood in between the two Jaegers. Lapp faced Wave, the two armored men squaring off, while Lapp glared at Bols, who stood impassively with his weapon. "Is this the part where you ask us to surrender?" Lubbock asked sarcastically, doing his best to ease his own nerves.
"I think it's a little late for that." Bols said, a grim finality in his tone. Nothing else was said between the four. Both the revolutionary and imperial armies gave the space, none of the soldiers wanting to be caught up in the incoming battle. Lapp acted first, running towards wave, with his shield up, charging at the Jaeger. Wave was a bit unprepared, not expecting the sudden assault, but managed to block the wide swing Lapp made with his splitleaf greatsword. Lubbock made to lash out with his hair-thin wires, but was forced to jump away from a large blast of flame coming for him.
Lapp shifted for another strike before Wave hooked the halberd-esk weapon with his trident, locking the weapon within his own as he attempted to twist it out of his opponent's reach. Only for his attempt to fall flat as when he twisted the weapon, he found that Lapp held onto it surprisingly well. The armored assassin wrenched his weapon free, making Wave stumble forward as Lapp slammed his massive shield into the younger man's side, causing him to be thrown back several feet. Wave staggered, but managed to recover in time to dodge Lapp's swing, the Jaeger jumping clear over the attack, and bringing down his trident from above. With a simple move, Lapp's shield was brought in the way of the attack, it's stone surface not even chipping as the trident impacted it with a mighty clang.
Lubbock felt the heat of the raging fire as it raced for him. He quickly lashed out with his threads, the ultra-thin weapons whipping so fast that a small gust was picked up, staving off the offending flames. Not for long, however, as Bols kept the heat up, the flames still approaching Lubbock. In response, Lubbock ran towards the nearest building, and began to climb up the side by using windowsills and outcropping to climb to the roof. As he did so, he was forced to jump to the neighboring building as a large ball of fire was sent hurtling towards him. Bols gritted his teeth as he used one of his weapon's secondary functions to launch balls of flame at the assassin, the arching flames being narrowly avoided by the assassin. He looked over to where Wave and Lapp were fighting, the two armored opponents seemingly evenly matched in strength and skill. The soldiers around them were now fighting each other on either side of the impromptu circle of people that had been formed where they were fighting. Lubbock knew they would need to do something drastic in order to change the tide of battle, as with the arrival of the Jaegers the imperials seemed to have gotten a renewed spirit, charging with vigor against the revolutionaries.
Wave pushed off of the shield and attempted to flank the armored warrior, but Lapp easily put the shield between himself and any attack the Jaeger could put forth. Wave stabbed his trident into a ground, and grabbed both sides of the shield and attempted to throw the whole thing away from his opponent. Lapp was caught off-guard by the maneuver, and while his shield remained on his arm, it was thrown to the side, allowing Wave to throw a solid haymaker into Lapp's chest-piece. The assassin was sent flying back several feet, being thrown onto his back. Before Lapp could recover, Wave was upon him, slamming his knee onto Lapp's chest and continually punching his helmet with all he had. The constant banging of armor resonating in the street, but never once did Lapp's armor even appear to dent. Wave was forced off as his opponent grabbed his left wrist to catch a punch, having dropped the splitleaf great-sword in favor of being able to fight in close-quarters.
Wave backed up, Lapp having let him go as the two of them readied again, not allowing the seeming lack of damage dissuade either of them. Lubbock himself was tempted to either switch opponents with Lapp or help take down Wave. Then he noticed that fire was not being pursed his way anymore, and with a quick glance, realized Bols had switched his focus to the revolutionaries themselves. The spewing flames swallowed whole squads as the army could do nothing to stop the imperial arms user. Being trapped between the line of soldiers behind you, and the roaring flames in front, many revolutionaries found themselves burnt to a crisp from Bols's onslaught. Lubbock clenched his fists in anger and frustration, but allowed himself to take time to create a spear from his threads, his counterattack now planned.
Najenda stared down Adrien as he did the same, him and the emperor staying stock still as Night Raid looked right at him, their temporary shock turning to caution, especially as they saw the emperor.
"Well, we found the emperor." Chelsea said with, attempting to break the ice somewhat in the tense situation, although that did nothing but make the air ripe with trepidation. Adrien seemed to tilt his head as he looked at them.
"What are you all doing here?" He asked, this time in genuine curiosity, apparently unknowing to what exactly was happening outside the palace. Najenda appraised him, but seeing him not draw any weapons just yet, she decided to answer, opening her mouth to do so.
"T-Thats Night Raid! W-What are they..." The emperor began, his eyes wide with terror, even with Adrien in between himself and them.
"We're here because the revolution is assaulting the capital, we're ending this war." Adrien seemed to tense somewhat while the emperor looked on the verge of tears. The day had been very rough for the young ruler, and this was only adding to his mounting stress.
"I suppose I should have expected this." Adrien said, a somewhat tired tone in his voice, before looking at the four figures in front of him. "So, do you intend to kill the emperor? Honest himself is someplace else, and he has already betrayed the emperor by attempting to take his life." Adrien stated, stepping forward, as if challenging them to get closer. Susanoo stepped forward as well, unafraid of the undead.
"The emperor is just as responsible as Honest is, everyone must be held accountable for their actions." Najenda stated, staring defiantly back at Adrien, who did not react to her statement. Chelsea put two fingers up t her headset while Akame put herself in a ready position.
"Then surly the emperor is the most innocent in all of this." Adrien's words made Night Raid freeze, even Najenda blinking in surprise at the claim. "When I came to him and asked him to look into everything that has been going on within the capital, he began to make changes for the better, and sought to make right what was wrong in the capital. Certainly, her is not perfect, but none of us are. More than that, he has been manipulated for years by a man that has now tried to kill him to secure his own rule." Adrien said firmly, the emperor looking up at the knight in shock, amazed at how calm he seemed even when faced against such odds. "I would ask you leave him be, for he could one day make a grand ruler." The room went silent, as Najenda considered the words.
"And if we don't?" Najenda's answer was made in the form of Adrien quickly reaching into his box, retrieving his Zweihander and shield. She gulped, honestly nervous as she saw Adrien pull out his weapons. The others around her tensing with the exception of Susanoo.
"Then I will defend him." Adrien said, his form still remaining eerily still, daring any of Night Raid to approach him. "If you choose to look somewhere else, and go after honest, then I will not pursue you." Najenda considered that option, and cursed herself for leaving Leone and Lapp back in the city. The only heavy hitter I have right now is Susanoo, Akame's poison has little to no effect, and I'm not even sure if Chelsea's imperial arms will have an effect on him. Najenda grit her teeth, but then sighed, relaxing, as the others did the same.
"Fine then. But when this is all over, there will be trial." Najenda said, glaring hard at the undead.
"And when the trial is finished, you will see his innocence, and that he is fit to rule if given proper council." Adrien said resolutely, making Najenda shake her head before she rushed off to the other side of the room, where Honest had fled, the rest of Night Raid soon following suit. Albeit somewhat cautiously as they made sure Adrien would not attempt to follow. A few moments of silence passed as Adrien and the emperor stood there, them making sure that Night Raid would not come back.
"Do you really think... that they would let me rule again?" The emperor's voice broke the silence between them, the undead looking down to him.
"I believe that at the very least, they should hear you out." Adrien stated, before he nodded and began to head in the direction where Night Raid came from, the emperor following wordlessly. As they passed by the bodies of the emperor's fallen guards, he couldn't help but whimper at the sight, his most loyal of guards, slaughtered to the last, and betrayed by the one that was meant to keep his best interest at heart. Adrien refused to stop however as they moved past the carnage, and found a large balcony where they could overlook the city, in all of it's battle-filled carnage.
"They really are-" The emperor looked on, almost unbelieving, and admittedly fearful of what would come of it all. Adrien sighed as he merely looked out at the battle, smoke rising up around the central battle, and near the center of it, even at a distance, he could tell that Night Raid was fighting. I wonder if the Jaegers will ever-. As Adrien thought this, a massive ice pillar seemed to suddenly materialize, reaching high into the sky before it came crashing down like a skyscraper in the direction of the main revolutionary army, Adrien's question being thoroughly answered.
Esdeath sighed, frost seemingly emanating from her very breath as the massive tower crushed hundreds of revolutionaries, almost guaranteeing their victory. She looked back I some amusement to see Leone and Sheele attempting to claw their way to her, but with Sheele's injuries, and Leone constantly being hindered by ice spikes impaling her limbs, there was nothing that they could have done.
"Damn you!" Leone yelled out, as three large ice spikes erupted from in front of her, aiming for her head. But half way to her, she caught them with a punch, shattering them. Sheele's whole lower half was covered by ice, threatening to encase her totally, her legs turning red as her body struggled to fight off the impending frostbite.
"Don't be like that, I'll come and finish with you and your friend soon, but the emperor would be rather cross if I had simply let all of this play out as it had been." Esdeath said in a rather causal manner, allowing some of her power to surge through the pillar she had just made, the ice shattering and being scattered to the wind like nothing. She smiled at her handiwork, the sounds of battle resuming with the imperials taking a clear advantage. "Now then... to finally get rid of you two." She said, slowly walking towards a struggling Leone, but before the lion-themed woman could react, her right arm was suddenly flung into the air, Esdeath's rapier having easily cut the appendage off. Leone gasped in pain, but fought through it long enough to break through her restraints again, throwing a kick with her left leg, but found Esdeath using a shield made of ice to block it.
The shield cracked and broke into shards, but her strike had already been stopped. Leone soon found herself yelling in pain as Esdeath's rapier found purchase in her chest, piercing her left lung. Leone coughed up blood, the coagulating fluid filling her lung before she was forced to jump away as Esdeath attempted to slice at her left arm. Before Esdeath could follow up, Leone kicked at the ice encompassing Sheele, and the purple-haired woman rushed Esdeath. The General merely smiled as she avoided swipe after swipe from the woman, her attacks slow from her freezing body. Despite this, she fought on, all the while Esdeath throwing her power around the area, but not directing it directly at Sheele.
"Extase!" Sheele yelled, the blinding light yet again blinding Esdeath, enough for Sheele to open her imperial arms up fully and catch Esdeath between them. The general realized this, and right before the massive pair of scissors closed, she jumped backwards. Not without injry though.
"Hmph, you almost had me." Esdeath teased, her rapier now cut in half due to it's position before, and her abdomen featuring a shallow cut that now had a rather thick layer of blue ice atop it. "Even my ice wouldn't have been able to stop that, but thankfully I now have you right where I want you." Sheele froze as she looked around, realizing A few dozen ice shards were now scattered around the rooftop, all pointed at her.
"Sheele!" Leone shout was followed by A large gust of icy wind hitting the blonde woman, ice quickly forming all over her body, completely incasing it. The ice began cracking from Leone struggling against it, but unfortunately for her, it was too late. Sheele rushed Esdeath one last time, thrusting her weapon out to the general as the first ice shard struck her side, piercing her intestines. Then a second struck her shoulder from the front, then a third struck her lower leg from behind. Again and again, the ice shards flew into the poor assassin, Sheele still attempting to move, but found her tendons destroyed, the ice that penetrated her being the only thing keeping her body from falling completely apart. Leone's icy prison cracked dangerously as Sheele closed her eyes for a moment before opening them to find Esdeath wielding a large rapier made of ice in her right hand, looking at Sheele with an amused smile.
"I'm surprised you're still alive. You look more like a pin-cushion than a person." Esdeath mocked, Sheele going to speak, but only found blood drooling out of her mouth, her lungs unable to even cough. "But I can recognize you as a formidable warrior. I'll grant you that at least." Esdeath said with a smirk. Maybe I am getting soft. Maybe Adrien has rubbed off on me more than I thought. Esdeath thought, as she raised her rapier. Leone's prison broke right as Esdeath sliced Sheele's neck, completely severing her head. Her head went rolling towards Leone as she could only stare in shock and horror at what had just been done.
Adrien found himself wondering if there had been anything he could have done to prevent all of this. He had done everything he could have thought of, and he still believed that the damage would have been worse had he taken Tatsumi's offer all those months ago. He and the emperor had found a suitable place for the child to wait out the ensuing storm, as the undead needed to find the firekeeper to make sure she would be safe. As he walked the halls of the palace however, he felt the familiar sensation of a powerful soul enter him.
Soul of the Kindhearted Assassin
"Sheele..." Adrien said aloud, quickly feeling for the soul, and allowing him to look upon it. It was gentle, almost forgiving, and cast a dull purple light on his palm as he watched it churn. He could feel the power within, and he knew that the weapons that could be produced from the soul would be powerful, but at the same time, perhaps he would hold onto this soul for himself.
Adrien found himself going down a hallway, where he could feel a familiar presence at the end, and once he was at the last door, he opened it up to reveal Lilith, hiding in a storage closet. He silently thanked the fact that she seemed to feel like a lit bonfire, else he likely would never have located her.
"Lilith, are you okay?" The Firekeeper seemed to smile in relief upon hearing Adrien's voice.
"Ah, Ashen One, yes, I believe I am." Adrien nodded as he approached, kneeling down, and presenting the lost souls within him, and Lilith approached, placing her hands over the white glowing mass of souls, as she began to allocate their power into Adrien. Several minutes passed as his form was slowly strengthened by the souls, and as the last of the souls were used, he stood up, only the greater, more powerful souls being left to reside within him. "Is there anything else you require Ashen One?" she asked, looking up to the undead, who then shook his head.
"I only ask that you stay safe. Please, if you will, the emperor is hiding, and I would hope you try to avoid any conflict as well." Adrien said, the firekeeper nodding in understanding.
"I will do as you say Ashen One." She stayed silent for a moment before speaking up again. "I met Night Raid earlier. They seemed troubled by your presence." Adrien stiffened as he heard that.
"Did they hurt you?"
"The one named Akame struck me, but I am unharmed." Lilith answered, to which Adrien froze somewhat before he clenched his gloved fists, a rising desire for retribution within him. That was until Lilith placed a hand on his own, a small smile on her lips. "Please, do not be vengeful Ashen One, they are merely frustrated. I do not hold it against her or them." Lilith's words seemed to ease the Ashen One, if only a little.
"I need to leave and find Honest. I will return soon when the deed is done." Adrien said, making Lilith nod as he left the closet and closed the door. Then, he all but bolted down the hallway back in the direction of the hidden room where the Emperor's imperial arms had been held. He reached into his bottomless box, the rings on his fingers changing slightly, as he seemed to speed up even more, speaking a promise, just to himself.
"And once he is defeated, I shall end this war once and for all."
Author's notes
Well, life is both a blessing and a curse. I've finally found myself satisfied with this chapter, but its still a little below the word count that I try to achieve. Either way, I tried my best with this chapter, and due to not updating for so long, I'll be posting this without editing it.
So, we're finally getting into the endgame, and with Sheele's death, it's all downhill(?) from here. Adrien is definitely kinda blaming himself for the massive battle taking place, but really, it was going to happen one way or another. I know people have complained that Adrien kinda refuses to 'pick a side', but he's not fighting for a particular side, but instead just trying to minimize damage. Unfortunately, he can't be everywhere at once, and it takes time to convince someone, even a child, that there is a lot wrong with what they think is right. Eventually the final confrontation will come, and then once it's over, I'll likely try to post a shorter epilogue chapter afterwards. But anyways, I hope you all enjoyed the chapter, and as always...
Thanks for reading!