Hello, my lovely readers.
I know it's been a long time since I updated. I apologize for that. I've been quite busy with my YouTube channel and other things in my life. I'm so glad to get back to this fanfiction. Now we can get to what we've been waiting for.
Just so some of you know, Cosmina is not dead. I stated this in a Q&A I made, but since that's deleted now, I thought I should answer that here
DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN ANY CARTOON SHOWS (YET!)
Now on with the chapter.
Chapter 38: Assault on the Imperial Palace pt 1
The Imperial guards were very forceful. Aria found that out at each moment they made her to keep moving. The chains on her ankles made clanking sounds at each step she took. Despite being chained at the wrists, she was beautiful dressed for her trial.
A noble in the empire had some benefits even in a trial. Unlike commoners who were tried at a court, nobles could plead their case to the emperor. Of course, Aria never made their plea to anyone. She knew any trial would be for formality, and that she was guilty no matter the cause.
So did she consider herself innocent? Not in the slightest.
Though the empire was corrupt, they were right to condemn her, even though she found it hypocritical. Remembering her past crimes, Aria made no attempt to get special treatment. The fact that she would be tried before the emperor meant the end for her. But if she was going to die, she was going to make sure it would be worth it.
At last, they made it to the huge front doors. Aria paused and gazed at it for a moment before she was pushed forward by one of the Imperial guards.
"Keep moving, scum!" She heard him say.
Guards posted at the doors opened it, and she took a deep breath. No doubt she'll be coming back from the place as a condemned human. She released a sigh and gained some of her confidence. Then she marched forward, and was greeted by the sight of the Jaegers, the emperor, Honest and other guards.
Ever since the incident involving Aria's capture, Night Raid was forced to relocate their hideout. Aria knew their location, thus if she gave the location away, the infamous group of assassins would be in danger. They hadn't even visited the empire since the incident, though there was one time Lubbock went there to see if every member of Night Raid had their faces on the wanted posters.
There was no update to the wanted list. Either Aria had remained silent, or the empire was trying to lure them in. Esdeath had met Ben before, but for some reason she hadn't made his identity out to the public. Then, suddenly, she and her Jaegers attacked the careless teen and his friends and captured one of them.
Night Raid, certainly, weren't going to jump into such a trap as well. And speaking of the hero, they haven't been in contact with him. Since Akame was in charge until Najenda returned, she cut off any communication with the teen and his new teammates and relocated the team without his notice.
Tatsumi was saddened by it, but understood the reason. Aria's arrest could've been prevented if Ben hadn't been so careless in the Capital. He shouldn't have been in the open. It didn't help him feel better, but he occupied himself by training.
At the moment, everyone was in the new kitchen, eating the food Akame and Tatsumi prepared, when suddenly Mine slammed her fists on the table.
"It's just not the same!" She yelled.
Leone, Akame, Lubbock and Tatsumi turned to her. Once she noticed their eyes on her, she looked away stubbornly, then stood up and walked out of the kitchen.
"What's her problem?" Tatsumi asked. He was a bit annoyed by the pink-haired girl's attitude.
Leone and Lubbock glanced at each other. Both of them knew the reason behind the girl's outburst. Akame was the one to answer.
"Sheele." She said. "Mine is still trying to get used to her absence."
"Makes sense." Lubbock said while standing up. "The both of them are best friends. The fact that she left us for Tennyson must've been hard on the both of them."
"But it was her choice, and we accepted it." Leone added.
Tatsumi frowned and glanced at the floor. He should've noticed the way everyone was acting. Though Lubbock, Akame and Leone didn't show it, their voices were clear. They missed having the purple-haired girl around. He and Akame had even shared a moment on that last night, but that was a story for another day.
"I don't get one thing, though." Tatsumi said. "Before I joined Night Raid, I was told that I couldn't leave. You guys even threatened to kill me if I did. But Sheele left, and everyone is cool with it. Would the boss even be fine with that?"
Leone huffed and smiled. She lay back on her chair and placed her arms behind her head. "No offense, Tatsumi, but you're still kind of new. Sheele may be an airhead at times, but she's loyal to the cause till the very end. Heck, if Ieyasu hadn't been there, she probably would've given her life for Mine without a second thought."
"That's just how Sheele is." Akame added her own thoughts. "Unlike Ben, we can count on her."
"Right…" Tatsumi muttered.
The relationship between Ben and the group would need some time to be mended. Before he could do anything about that though, something in his pocket began flashing green. Lubbock noticed it and pointed at his pocket.
"Hey, what's with your pocket?" He asked.
Tatsumi became alarmed and pulled out an unfamiliar object. He was hoping he wouldn't need to show them the thing Ben gave to him. As expected, Akame wasn't happy when she saw it.
"Is that thing from Ben?!" Akame yelled angrily. "Tatsumi, you shouldn't have brought that with you! We don't need Ben to be able to track us!"
"I know, but I –"
Leone snuck up to him and took it right out of his hand. She looked at it in her hand and tapped the face of the device with her finger, which in turn caused her to shriek a bit and accidentally let the device hit the floor.
Lubbock snickered and got a glare from the blonde. Before anything could happen, Ben's hologram appeared at the top of the device, in full color and height, and he spoke.
"When you see this, I should be getting ready to rescue Aria from the Imperial Palace with the team." He announced, much to the shock of everyone.
Mine barged right in, and shouted angrily. "Tennyson, what are you –"
She froze once she saw the hologram. None of them understood the state of the thing. It was a foreign object to them, which was obvious. Alien technology was non-existent until Ben had come along with the Omnitrix.
"Did he just say he's going to save Aria?" Lubbock asked. He was baffled. "He can't be serious, right?"
"Hey, Ben! What the hell are you thinking?!" Leone yelled at him and marched over to him.
Ben's gaze met with her, but there was something different about it. Besides the fact that he was a hologram, he seemed conflicted, even as Leone called out to him again. Akame seemed to notice the strangeness behind it.
"I don't think he's hearing you…That or this is some kind of message. He's probably on the move right now as we speak."
Hologram Ben continued. "So…uh, just so you know, this is a recording, so don't try to talk back."
"A recording?" Mine questioned.
He continued. "I know I messed things up with Night Raid. I should've expected Esdeath to ambush me since she kind of hinted it when we first met. But…I won't let that get to me anymore. I plan on correcting the mistake I made. That's why, Sheele, Spear, Eunice and I are going to assault the Imperial Palace and get Aria out of there."
"He can't be serious! That's crazy!" Mine shouted. "If it was that easy, the Revolutionary Army could've done it anyway!"
"I know it's crazy, and probably one of the dumbest things I've done!" Ben's hologram stated. "With Sunny there, we're likely entering a huge battle. But I'm not going to let Aria be executed! Eunice has a spy in the palace. I don't know who the person is, but from the information that person obtained, Aria is going to be on trial in front of the emperor! So it's either now or never since she'll likely be condemned to death!"
He sighed and looked away uneasily. "I'm...I thought I should tell you this just in case things don't go well. We've planned everything from our charge and to the escape. But…there might be something we've overlooked. If you're worried about Sheele, I promise…" He faced forward with a strong expression. "…Sheele won't be captured. I won't let her die. So take care of yourself, Tatsumi. And tell the others that I'm sorry."
The hologram shrunk and went back into the device. Everyone stood quiet while their minds registered the message they've received. Mine was the first to speak up.
"Well?! What are we waiting for?!" She exclaimed with determination. "Let's gear up and join him! This is our chance to assassinate the emperor and Honest!"
"I don't know about that…" Lubbock seemed doubtful. "True, Ben and his team might give us the cover to slip right in and take out those two, but…the Imperial Palace is known for having numerous traps. We don't know where or when the emperor and Honest will be vulnerable."
"And let's not forget that this was just a 'recording' or whatever that means." Leone added.
"But Ben's powerful!" Tatsumi spoke up strongly. "I know he messed up, but the boss wanted us to have an alliance with him when the revolution happens!"
"That's the problem, Tatsumi. The revolution hasn't come yet." Akame stated with a serious face. "Assuming we killed them both, what next? They'll be a power vacuum. We need the Revolutionary Army to occupy that vacuum."
"Damn…" Tatsumi gritted his teeth. 'Be careful out there, Ben, Sheele.'
In a few minutes, the trial would be in commencement, and Honest will get the information he needs. He was the one who made sure Aria would get a hearing, but with a good reason. He wanted to know everything about Ben Tennyson.
Sunny has been in the Imperial Palace for some time now. However, she has been uncooperative with the Prime Minister whenever he tried to speak with her. Either she had no idea, or she was playing with him, Honest couldn't figure her out. He knew there was evil in her, but since she was on their side, he found no reason to be concerned about her.
There was a suspicion he had with Aria and Night Raid. Though she obviously wasn't an assassin, he was suspicious of her connection with the assassins. An Imperial Arm had been confiscated from her. It belonged to one of Esdeath's 'dogs' who was documented to have 'bravely died in the line of battle against Night Raid'.
So was it really Night Raid that killed the Three Beast Warriors, or was there more to it than he knew? This was the reason Honest looked forward to the trial. All he had to do was put Aria in a position where she would have no other choice but to confess, and then he will be one step ahead of his enemies.
"Let the show be –"
"Sir, we have a special guest." Announced one of the Imperial guards. "She's requesting to meet the emperor personally."
Honest raised an eyebrow when he turned sideways to the guard. Just who could've dared to interrupt him in what should be his moment of close victory.
"Who is she?" He asked with a scary aura.
"She…" The guard was kind of scared. "She claims to be the daughter of the former Prime Minister, sir. As proof, she brought out the seal of the –"
"Send her to our precious waiting room!" Honest cut him off with a creepy smile. "I, the Prime Minister, will see her."
Protocols were made for possible events like these. Though Honest held the power, he couldn't carelessly ignore palace protocol that the emperor was even aware of. That's why he ensured that any visitor would be referred to him first. Some government officials have been bold enough to attempt to talk to the emperor personally and inform him about the corrupt Honest has caused over the years.
But, of course, those men were dealt with swiftly. Honest's grip on power was absolute, and there was no way he would let anyone get in his way.
He also found the meeting as a good thing. According to Esdeath, the Three Beast Warriors had fought Ben just prior to assassinating the former Prime Minister. Considering Spear survived the experience, he could use her to get more information about the teen and his whereabouts.
His hand was already on the doorknob before he opened it. The waiting room was beautiful made with well-made furniture, a professionally designed carpet, and curtains. Spear was sitting on one of the couches when he closed the door behind him.
"Spear, it has been so long. You've grown up."
Honest's eyes struggled for a second from looking at her chest. Last time he had seen the girl, she wasn't anything that could appease him sexually. Maybe if he had known how 'developed' she was, he would've ordered that she be brought to him than die next to her father.
"Prime Minister Honest." Spear humbly greeted him as she stood up. "I'm sorry, but I requested to see the young emperor."
'So…it doesn't seem like she's hostile. After all, it's common knowledge that the Three Beast Warriors serve the empire unless…' His grin showed and he took a few steps towards her. "You can drop the act. We both know you despise me. After all, I'm the reason your dear father is dead."
Spear's humble expression dropped to a scowl. Truth be told, she expected the prime minister to see right through her. Fortunately, it changed nothing about her goal. Honest seemed pleased with himself as he sat at a lone couch in front of her.
"So, now that the formalities are dealt with, tell me why you came here." He said.
"I demand to speak with the emperor." Spear stated with a glaring face. "What you've done to this empire has to come to an end! My father died because of your greedy life, and now that you're here, every fiber of my body is telling me to kill you right where you sit!"
"But you won't." Honest sounded confident. "There's a trial about to take place, but I've asked for it to be slightly delayed. I need to be there myself, so I can't stay here for long." With that, he stood up and walked over to her. "You're feisty, but you're not stupid like your father."
That comment stung, but surprisingly she kept herself from moving an inch. That composure motivated Honest, who then placed a hand on her shoulder and slowly moved to her waist. "You know, if you kill me here, it won't make the emperor want to listen to you. Worst case scenario, you'll be executed. But…I think we can come to agreement."
His hand inched over to her butt. Spear responded by swatting his arm away. Honest yelped and pulled his hand away. Though she was a woman, there was no doubt that she was strong. The Prime Minister winced until he glared at her and stood up straight.
"You must be begging to be executed, child! However, the emperor already believe you to have died in the hands of Night Raid! That is why…"
As he paused, a bunch of men came inside the room from two other doors. Spear's eyes shifted to each of them, and saw as they came to a stop. From the uniform they wore, it was obvious they were students from the Imperial Fist.
"…before you die, you should be a dear and entertain this young and sexually eager young men. You may've graduated from the school, but I know even you will find it difficult to fight your way through."
"Honest!" Spear shouted in anger
The Prime Minister sent an evil grin her way and left the room. He couldn't delay the trial any longer. Maybe after he has obtained the information, he would come back to Spear, who should be mentally broken by the time the men were through with her. Maybe then, she would give him want he want, both information and body wise.
After some minutes, the trial was in full session. Honest stood beside the young emperor, who was on his throne, with both of them looking down at Aria. The blonde was on her knees, with her chains weighing her down. Meanwhile, the Jaegers and their leaders observed from the sideline.
"Aria Goodricke, you've been brought here to answer to your crimes against the people of the empire." Emperor Makoto announced from his throne. "Your family, for years, have been known as a respectful nobility, who have done well for the empire – at least to what was known. After thorough investigation, it was found that your family is responsible for the death of hundreds of innocent men, women and child that came from the countryside. Since your parents are dead, you shall stand trial alone. Do you understand this?"
"Yes, Your Majesty." Aria answered.
"How do you plea?"
"I…" Aria paused, and changed her answer. "There's no denying what I'm guilty of. The Goodricke family is responsible for the deaths of those innocent lives. I shall not beg for forgiveness, nor do I ask for a lighter sentence, but…if this is the only chance I can speak to you directly, I would like that to be granted at least."
'Oh?' Honest questioned with a grin. 'Foolish girl, do you not know it's futile? Men bigger than you have tried and failed to sway the mind of the emperor. It won't be any different with me here.'
"You're being deceived, Your Majesty!" Aria stated with courage. "That monster next to you is the true reason people like my family were able to commit their atrocities for so long! Right now as we speak, hundreds of thousands of innocent people are suffering because of the corruption he has created under your reign! We were not the only noble to do this! Some children in the countryside are even sold off by their own villages because they can't meet up with the heavy taxes the prime minister has set up! Please, Your Majesty! All you have to do is step out of the palace and see the crisis your people are going through!"
Honest held back his mischievous grin. He needed to play the good guy next to the gullible emperor. As such, he made no attempt to defend himself right away. When His Majesty did look back at him, he remained unchanged.
"Do you hear what she says?" Emperor Makoto asked innocently.
"I do, Your Majesty, and I'm quite offended. For all we know, she might have someone outside the palace ready to assassinate you" Honest said while playing his act. "She must be holding a grudge against me since I am the one who ordered the investigation on her family. If you will, I wish to speak to her directly."
"You may speak." Emperor Makoto looked back at her.
Honest's act remained when he faced her. "Aria Goodricke, I remember meeting your father on several occasions. Quite the humble-looking man, he was. But that was a facade to get closer to the emperor. Justice would've caught up with him if not for those despicable and law-breaking group, Night Raid."
Seryu's lips shaped to a small snarl. Her hate for the assassins was always present. The fact that someone like Aria was getting the justice she deserved made her feel some relief. Never would she have thought that someone so highly regarded in society would turn out to be a monster.
"Which brings me to one question…" Honest's intention became clear. "By any chance are you in league with the assassins?"
Wave and Seryu gasped a bit. Dr. Stylist, Esdeath and Run showed peaked interest on their faces. The only one to remain unmoved was Kurome and Aria.
"No, I'm not." Aria said with a glare. "The fact you suggest such a thing is –"
"But it was Night Raid that attacked your family's home, no?" Honest asked with a raised eyebrow. "Here's what I think. Personally, even though evidence find you guilty, I have a theory you orchestrated the night in order to hide your family's past. Somehow you made contact with Night Raid, which is why you were in possession of a Teigu that belonged to one of the Three Beast Warriors."
'That can't be right…' Seryu thought. 'Evidence actually found that Tennyson was involved that night. There's no way she was in cahoots with Night Taid unless…he's trying to frame it that way. But that's impossible.'
Back at the trial, Aria answered his question. "I was able to possess the Teigu because Nyau allowed me. He and I were childhood friend. Though his loyalty remained with Esdeath to the end, I could still sense that friend from the past."
Honest's grin revealed itself. "Admirable, but…that only confirms our suspicion. You really do have some connections with Night Raid. The fact his corpse was found on the ship, with the Teigu gone proves it."
Aria couldn't believe her blunder. In her own sad monologue, she had given information that she shouldn't have. Honest must've relied on that, because he went on to speak.
"Then, I'm to assume that you know their location."
"I…" Aria tried to say, but found nothing to follow it up. Defeated, she bowed her head and said. "You won't find them. They would've relocated by now."
"Of course. But that's not to say we don't know their identities. Besides former imperial fighters, Akame and Bulat, and two other members, we're unaware of other members' identity. I think you should confess. At least, with that, maybe you can get off lightly without forcing us to use extreme torture."
"Hmph, like I'll yield." Aria replied with a stern face. "You may have the emperor in your fingertips, but not me. I'll rather die than to tell you anything."
"You can't be so sure of that. Trust me, guilty men with stronger wills than yours have made a better stand, only to end up squealing." Honest informed her. "But you are so young, and likely very naïve, which is why I have a proposition if His Majesty allows it."
"Go on." Emperor Makoto permitted.
"Tell us the location of Ben Tennyson and the identities of the remaining Night Raid members. In exchange, you won't face a public execution. A…lighter sentence would be placed on you, if the emperor agrees."
"I don't know, Prime Minister." Emperor Makoto said with doubt. "Can we really pardon someone that has caused such heinous acts? Many innocent people died because of her family."
"We cannot pardon her, hence why I suggested a lighter sentence." Honest replied. "But she is still a child, and I believe she was deceived by her family until that moment she used Night Raid to turn against them."
"This is too kind of you, though. But I understand." And so, with that, the emperor stood up and looked down at her determinedly. "Aria Goodricke, the Prime Minister has pleaded on your behalf. Since you are indeed a child, we're willing to just give you a life sentence in exchange for your cooperation. What do you say?"
"I stand by what I said, Your Majesty." Aria answered. "Honest is only 'pleading' for my case because it's just a tactic to make you think of him as merciful. But I won't fall in line with such a trap. So you might as well have me tortured and executed. This is my retribution."
Emperor Makoto's face shifted to anger. "Then, so be it." He replied. "Since you wish to be difficult, there won't be any mercy on you. You are hereby revoked of your nobility status. Take her away."
The Imperial Palace guards obeyed, with one of them lifting the blonde back on her feet. The guards then began to take her away.
"Wave, Run, Escort her." Esdeath ordered. "Ensure that she's kept in a cell until my arrival."
"Yes, ma'am." Both men replied and went with Aria.
Now was the time to strike. Their rescue plan was about to begin. After receiving confirmation from their spy, Eunice and Sheele made their presence known in the public by openly walking towards the huge front gate of the Imperial Palace.
No commoner could hide their fear at the sight of the two. Last time, the both of them had been in the Capital was prior to their actions that led them to be placed on wanted posters. But the time to rescue Aria had come, so there was no need to hold back. That wasn't to say that the Capital's police didn't rush at them.
"Hold it right there!" shouted one officer.
"Freeze!" shouted another.
Sheele went into action. She jumped high into the air, her Teigu above her head, before bringing it down on the charging men. The shockwave broke the ground and sent them flying. Since they were close to the Imperial Palace's first gate, some of the guards posted there began to charge at them.
It was Eunice turn. While Sheele was yet to stand straight, Eunice ran over to her and launched herself into the air by the purple-haired girl's back. She landed in the middle of the men and began punching them before they could respond.
They surrounded her by two-dozen and should've been able to overwhelm her. But despite not having any active power, Eunice was able to punch and throw many of them away. She dodged when bullets and swords were sent her way, and knocked the guards responsible for them with her elbows, fists and feet.
Sheele used that clearing Eunice made to charge straight at the guards posted directly in front of the gate. With her Teigu in her right hand, she launched it straight at a guard like it was a spear. The man was quick to move out of the way though, which caused the weapon to be stuck halfway inside the gate.
Of course, the throw was intentional. Sheele swiftly disposed of the guard by getting close to him and making a jump at his chin. Her knee landed at his chin, which knocked him to the ground unconscious, before she took hold of her weapon.
One guard came from behind to shoot her. He would've taken the shot if not that Eunice kicked him at the back, knocking him to the ground.
"Thank you." Sheele said and tightened her grip on her weapon. Truth be told, she was aware of the guard before he could've killed her. She just made no attempt to stop him since Eunice would take him down, which she did.
"You're welcome!" Eunice replied. "Reinforcements will be here soon! Take down the gate!"
"Yes!"
Just as she said that, Extase's body was coated with green lines. The Teigu has been upgraded with more alien technology by Eunice prior to the assault. With that, the green lines spread all over the gate in a second, and she cried out.
"EXTASE!"
In an instant, the huge metal gate was exploded into tiny debris and dust. Guards at the other side came to a halt upon seeing the explosion. There was nothing but a smoke cloud until Eunice leapt through it and landed a punch at one of the guard's face.
Placing her hands on the ground, she used them to do a backflip and hit two other guards with her shoe-covered feet. Some of the guards were about to respond, but abrupt that when Sheele came charging at them.
All bullets were sent flying her way in an instant. The only way she could avoid them was using her Teigu, which protected her once she used it as a shield. No matter what direction they shot, she was able to protect herself until she approached the men and swung her Teigu against them. Each one of them were sent flying while crying out in pain.
"Cannons!" Eunice warned.
First gate's walls were equipped with lookout posts with cannons. Though they hadn't fired prior to the first gate being taken down, they were about to do it at the same time as guards on the second well pointed their cannons at their way.
Sheele got into a defensively stance. Meanwhile, the ground men moved out of the way in order to avoid the collision. But there won't be a shot fired once he made it to the scene.
"JETRAY!"
Spotting a new look since the alien's last use a year ago, Jetray flew through the lookout posts, shooting the cannons posted on the walls. It happened so sudden, as the only thing heard were the screams of the guards who were thrown out of their posts as their weapons exploded. Jetray made sure to catch them before they reached the ground. He then dropped them off and flew past Eunice and Sheele.
"You're late!" Eunice remarked.
"You call it being late! I call it being making my debut!" Jetray shouted back.
Eunice chose not to think much about that. More ground guards charged at them, bearing swords, guns and swears. Jetray was precise to shoot their guns, thus leaving Eunice and Sheele to attack at close range and deal with the rest.
Jetray then made a straight line for the gate. With no guard stopping him, he slapped the device on his chest and was transformed into a certain twelve foot tall alien and began running.
"Humungousaur!"
But it didn't end there. He slapped the device again, which caused four spikes to form, and transform him into…
"ULTIMATE HUMUNGOUSAUR!"
With his speed and strength amplified, Ben punched the gate, which collapsed in an instant and allowed him to run uninterrupted until he skidded to a stop. He let out a small huff from his nostrils and glared at the structure in front of him.
"The Imperial Palace." Eunice said while walking towards Ultimate Humungousaur with Sheele by her side. With the guards dealt with, there was no one in their way for now "Looks so different from the last time we were here." She added.
"Yeah. Let's get Aria out of there" Ultimate Humungousaur said.
Sheele and Eunice nodded in assured unison. The Ultimatrix reverted Ben to normal, before the three of them walked over to the palace.
"What was that?!" Emperor Makoto asked, confused and concerned.
"It would seem we have guests, Your Majesty." Sunny answered. A grin formed on her face once she sensed the people responsible. "And it looks like it's of the Ben Tennyson kind."
"Ben Tennyson?!" Honest yelled in frustration. He still remembered the last time the hero had assaulted the Imperial Palace. "Get him and make sure he doesn't escape! What happened back then shall not be allowed to repeat itself!"
"I agree!" Makoto nodded and stretched his hand out to the Jaegers. "Go! Make sure he doesn't get away! Deal with him in any way you wish!"
"Yes, Your Majesty!" Esdeath bowed before in him. Her subordinates followed, and she added. "For your safety, you should have Kurome protect you. Tennyson is unpredictable when he wants to be."
"I permit it."
Unknown to them, however, there was a mole already at work.
Aria's escort was interrupted when the ground shook. Unaware that the second gate had been breached, the guards, Aria and the Teigu users were startled by it.
"What the hell was that?!" Wave asked while looking at Run.
Before the blonde could say, one of the Imperial guards turned to them. "That…is the signal." He said.
Run and Wave were alarmed by that comment, but it was too late. The Imperial guard transformed into a big red-brownish mud monster with pink eyes and tendrils. He suddenly slammed himself on the floor, which caused the entire hallway to be flooded by a pool of mud.
Everyone was hit by it, including Wave, Run and Aria. However, when the pool went back to him, everyone apart from Aria found themselves stuck to the wall by that same mud. The Imperial guard transformed into a blonde girl with a black dress.
"A spy?!" Wave shouted when he saw her.
"She must've infiltrated the palace." Run stated.
"No duh. That was pretty obvious, and according to our rescue plan." Lucy Mann mocked with a playful smile. She then ran for Aria and grabbed her wrist. "Come on, we're going. Ben should be at the front of the palace with Eunice and Sheele."
"But I –" Aria said, but was interrupted.
Lucy pulled her away and ran. "You can feel guilty after we get out of here! Last thing I want is that furnace executioner guy or ice general herself after me!"
"Hey! Get back here!" Wave struggled in the trapped mud. He couldn't reach his sword to activate Grand Chariot.
Run seemed frustrated as he stared at the retreating figures. It won't be long before they'll be free from the trap they were in.
The whole room was a mess. Besides the wounded men on the floor, the couches were overturned, cracks covered the walls, and the windows were broken.
Spear was seated on the only couch she hadn't overturned. After beating the men in a fight that barely lasted a minute, she had taken her time to wait for the signal that Ben told her about. It became obvious when she heard a something huge being knocked down.
"That must be the signal." She muttered and stood up.
Stretching her left hand to the broken window, she patiently waited for Mjolnir to arrive in her hand. In an instant, she was incase in Asgardian armor, before shooting blue lightning at the door, which destroyed it. She then stepped out of room and made her way to a specific direction.
"Don't worry, Makoto. I'm coming for you, old friend." She said with determination.
I'm going to stop this here for now. We're getting to the one of the biggest battles in this fanfiction. But, so I can feel free and unrestricted, I decided that should happen in the next chapter.
So it has come to my attention that one of my readers doesn't find the romance between Leone and Ben interesting. I've thought it over and decided to put up a poll about the pairing once again. Last time, there was only a handful of people who voted, so I hope you guys can go and vote in bigger numbers.
In order to vote, you should go to my bio (in computer mode) and scroll to the top. You'll see the poll, which has a question and three girls as the options. The options are Spear, Sheele and Leone. I decided not to add Eunice and Lucy since they're technically related to Ben (Eunice is by blood, while Lucy is related to him by a marriage in the Tennyson family). I also get the feeling that these two might end up be the top voted, hence why they're not included. Ben has to be with a girl from that world, not from his own world.
Just so you know, the YouTube channel is now active. I've uploaded two videos (Akame ga kill, and One Punch Man), with the latter having better quality. Check them out by searching these titles:
"Story of the Forgotten – Three Girls Sent to Slavery" and "A Critic on Wisecrack's One Punch Man: What Went Wrong?"
A third video will be out either before, on or after this coming weekend. You can be up to date with chapter and video releases by going on our Twitter account which is " FactsandF". We also have a account for anyone that wants to support us otherwise. All rewards also apply for fanfictions. You can check out by using Google's search with this exact words "FictionandFacts "
See you guys in the next chapter. Review, favorite and follow this fanfiction. I want to know your thoughts on this chapter. Your support gives me the motivation to continue. Bye.