Disclaimer: I do not own any rights to the Akame ga Kill franchise and this fanfiction has not been written for profit!
A/N: As always, thanks for the reviews, follows and favorites. Couldn't keep this fic going without my loyal readers! I apologize about the delay, but as I mentioned in another note, my schedule is hectic. Nonetheless, I do intend to get this fic done. So far, everything is going according to plan in terms of the story's overall structure. With that said and without further ado, onto the next chapter!
Update: 9/1/16: Going back and editing each chapter one by one. Not changing the story, just improving the quality of the writing and making alterations I ended up making in later chapters (such as the way I transition from scene to scene as well as a moderation of overused adjectives).
Episode 16: Kill the Interlude
East to the capital was an imposing mountain range spanning hundreds of miles. The terrain amidst the mountains was much too uneven to make it suitable for frequent travel or trade routes. It was nonetheless an ideal place for men wanted by the Grand Empire to hide.
"Are you sure this is a good idea?", Wave asked, nudging Run while walking alongside him.
To which Run smirked. "Of course. If the rebels really have been keeping a hidden outpost here, should we eliminate it, it'll more difficult for them to gather intel on the Capital, much less communicate with Night Raid."
Evidently, Run, Wave, Kurome and Seryu were currently on an expedition. They had received a tip about some suspicious activity in these mountains as of late, thus decided to investigate.
Wave smiled, rubbing the back of his head. "Yeah, but it probably would've been a better idea to wait for Esdeath to return . . . or at least wait for Bols to get back from his day off with his family."
"If we're just going up against more rebels, we alone should suffice", Kurome noted, half preoccupied with the candy bar in her hand.
"Besides", Seryu chimed in, half preoccupied with feeding her Imperial Arm strips of ham. "If Bols were here, he'd just incinerate all the rebels and there'd be nothing left for sweet little Koro here."
The group continued traveling, until they reached the top of the nearest mountain, a peak which was so high that it was above the clouds. There, they spotted an isolated log cabin sitting in the center. Aside from that, there certainly wasn't much land to walk on.
"Seryu" Run said, cautiously looking to his companion with auburn hair. "Check to see if there's anyone inside."
She nodded her head and looked to her imperial arm. "Koro . . . sniff."
The canine like creature took a large whiff of the immediate area, only to promptly shake its head.
Run then looked to the only other male comrade present. "Wave, check the interior."
Wave shrugged his shoulders, only to proceed walking inside the log cabin. "I dunno. All I'm saying is that this could be a . . . trap?"
At that precise moment, a ball of fire came hurling through the sky, instantly hitting the log cabin and incinerating it to flames.
Seryu, Run, and Kurome all stood behind Koro, who had transformed shortly before the blast. One which must've have been powerful, given that Koro was barely regenerating from the damage it had just sustained. And one that raised a hint of concern in Kurome's eyes as she looked around the burning remains of the log cabin for Wave.
Hearing a loud screech in the sky, the three looked upwards, seeing a massive fearsome flying danger beast. By appearance alone, it looked as if it literally came right out of the pages of European folklore; it was a classic dragon with a long neck, massive body, massive wings, red scales and well capable of breathing flames out of its mouth. Even stranger, though, was the fact that a man was riding on the dragon's back. Based on his clothing and insignia, the man was clearly a member of the Revolutionary Army.
With a psychotic smile, Seryu swiftly used the still recovering Koro to equip herself with a long ranged anti-tank rifle "Taste my number 7: Taizan's Cannon of Justice!" She fired multiple shots each with high destructive power. Each shot hit the beast, but its scales were so durable, that it remained relatively unphased by this barrage
As the dragon prepared to swoop by for another attack, Run snarled. "Damnit. He knew we wouldn't have much room to maneuver up here, practically making us sitting ducks."
The monster landed on the burnt remains of the log cabin decoy, in close proximity to the three present Jaeger members. Then, with a loud screech, it flapped its wings in the group's direction, creating a powerful gust of wind. With little room to maneuver, Run, Kurome, Seryu and Koro were all blown clean off the mountain, each falling down towards the depths below.
Wings instantly sprouted from Run's back as he motioned his two comrades to grab onto him. Kuro, having reverted to his normal form, had clung tightly to its master's leg.
The dragon and his rider, witnessing this entire exchange, once again took to the air, flying straight towards the three airborne Jaeger members with its mouth hungrily wide open and tongue and razor sharp exposed.
With his two female companions holding onto him, Run speedily soared higher into the air, high and directly above the mountain's peak, narrowly averting the danger beast' attempt to eat him alive. "If we can just take care of its master, we can end this battle immediately."
While giving chase to its prey, the danger beast let out another terrifying screech, flying up towards him with its mouth open, this time preparing to release another fireball.
Run, Kurome and Seryu briefly looked at each other, all giving a knowing glance on what to do next. Both girls promptly released their grip on Run, falling directly towards the incoming dragon. They fell closer and closer towards the dragon's mouth, looking like they were going to be incinerated by its fireball head on.
However, just as the dragon was about to blast them in midair, Seryu, with another psychotic look on her face, fired her Taizan's cannon of justice at the beast mouth point blank. Even with this, the beast' scales were still too tough to make this a damaging attack, but it was discombobulated; temporarily staggered from getting hit by an anti-tank weapon at such close range. With the explosiveness of Seryu's blast came a cloud a smoke covering the dragon's head. And out from the smoke came Kurome, sword unsheathed, running along the dragon's neck, charging directly towards its rider.
Seeing no other option, the rider leaped off his dragon before Kurome could slice him to pieces. While falling, he whistled at a high pitch. A pitch to which the dragon instantly responded to, twirling in the air to knock both Kurome and Seryu off of it, then swooping down towards its master in an attempt to catch him.
Just before the monster could reach its rider, however, Wave, fully clad in his grand chariot armor , seemingly coming out of nowhere, had leaped above the Revolutionary Army soldier. "Grand Fall!", he said while performing a drop kick.
With that, the danger beast' master crashed into the ground near the remains of the burnt log cabin. The dragon didn't appear to be pleased by this; it flew towards the armored Jaeger, fully intent on retaliating. Wasting no time, Wave landed on the ground and grabbed the dragon's master, miraculously still conscious despite the attack he had just endured. He placed the Revolutionary Army member into a headlock and bluntly spoke into his ear. "If you want to live, I suggest you call your beast off right now."
"What for?", the dragon's master responded. "I know how the Prime Minister works. You'll kill me anyway after you're done."
"You have my word. If you call off your danger beast, we'll still put you behind bars, but we will not harm a hair on your head."
The Revolutionary Army soldier looked surprise, not having expected someone from the Empire to make such a sincere proclamation. He nodded his head and whistled once more, this time with a different pitch than before.
In response, the dragon immediately ceased charging, instead landing atop the burnt remains of the log cabin it had destroyed. Sensing no immediate danger, Run, who had once again saved Kurome and Seryu from falling, landed next to Wave, his wings vanishing as he touched the ground. Seeing Wave in pristine condition brought some momentary relief to Kurome, but there were no doubt more important matters to attend to.
"So", Run said, turning his attention to the dragon's master. "I take it you're the one who started rumors about Revolutionary Army members residing here and that all of this was an attempt to lure us out here so that you could take us out the instant we came traipsing around these mountains."
The Revolutionary Army member was quick to speak up "Your friend here promised me that if I called my dragon off, no harm would come to me."
To which Run sighed, not surprised that Wave would make such a mercifully naïve suggestion. Even still, like Wave, he didn't have a single sadistic bone in his body. "Well, I'm not sure how well that'll go over with Commander Esdeath, but you did comply with us in the end, so I guess there wouldn't be any harm in using non-violent interrogation methods with you. Tell us: Will your danger beast attack us if we take a closer look at it?"
"Not unless I tell it to."
"Good", Run nodded. "Seryu, tie him up. Wave and Kurome, stay right next to me in case something happens. You don't see one's like these too often. Definitely a rarity even among Ultra Class."
Wave, now having released his armored state, accompanied Kurome and Run as they walked around the dragon which was now surprisingly docile despite the ferocity it had shown only a minute ago. They touched its scales, amazed that they were harder than even diamond. It was no wonder Seryu's weaponry couldn't do any damage.
Seeing that her three comrades were preoccupied, a murderous grin appeared on her face. One that sparked fear into the Revolutionary Army member's eyes.
The auburn haired girl pulled a dagger out of her back pocket and placed the blade against the man's neck. Making sure the others wouldn't hear her, she spoke at a low tone. "Where is Night Raid?"
Nervous beads of sweat rolled down the Revolutionary Army member's face. "I don't know."
Seryu hissed in an almost demonic manner and pressed the blade closer to the man's throat. "You're lying. Where are they?"
"I swear. I don't know where they are. Very few people in the army are permitted to have that information."
"Well then you know what?" The expression on Jaeger member's returned to its cheerful and pleasant appearance.
The dragon's master stopped sweating, sensing that his captor had calmed down. "What?"
"That makes you . . . EXPENDABLE!" With one sweep of her blade, she had slit the man's throat wide open. And with that one sweep, her devilish grin had returned as she watched the light fade out of the Revolutionary Army member's eyes. The dragon, having witnessed this entire ordeal, let out a violent screech unlike any other heard thus far.
Wave instantly spun around, expecting to learn that the dragon's master had gone back on his word. Instead, he looked on in horror as he saw his own comrade maniacally giggling at the sight of blood pouring out of the Revolutionary Army member's throat, making what had transpired very clear.
With rage coursing throughout it, it was clear that the dragon was about to release another fireball, this time point blank at all Jaeger members. Completely caught off guard by the beast' response, death seemed all but certain.
However, all of the sudden, the ferocious danger beast fell to its side. Kurome, Wave, Seryu and Run looked surprise, not fully comprehending what had just happened. Though as they further inspected the scene, they noticed another individual present. It was a tall muscular man with spiky blond hair and blue eyes. He wore a dark gray suit of armor, white pants and a red cloak. His shoulder guards were notably large and had yellow tomoe markings on them. Most fascinating of all, his right fist was buried in the beast' rid cage. Said fist was covered in uncanny ebony stones.
"General Budo!", the four Jaeger members exclaimed simultaneously.
The tall muscular man growled. "It's reckless for cubs like you to be coming out here on your own. Why isn't General Esdeath with you?"
Run cleared his throat. "General Budo, with all due respect, she's been gone for nearly two days and we couldn't afford to hold off on investigating the rumors about the rebels being encamped someplace out here."
"And yet look where your recklessness got you", Budo responded. "Had this beast' not been off guard, I would have not have been able to put it down so easily and it would've surely killed you all just then. Diligence in your duties doesn't just mean being zealous in our goal to put down the rebels, but also taking wise courses of action. Had you sent several scouts out here to conduct a preliminary investigation, you would've been able to see through the rebels' ruse. You're fortunate I happened to overhear your plans to come out here by yourselves."
Run bowed his head respectfully. "Of course. You have my apologies. I take full responsibility for this incident."
To which the general smirked. "I hear you used to be a teacher. Good. As punishment for this reckless course of action, over the course of the next six months, you will spending all of your spare time instructing my cadets about the basics in strategic infiltration."
To which Run sighed, but reluctantly agreed. "As you wish."
With that, the group of five prepared to climb back down the mountain. However, Kurome looked closely upon the defeated dragon, sensing that it was a still alive. An inquisitive smirk appeared on her face as she walked up to the only unprotected part of the dragon's body . . . it's eyes. Without hesitation, she stabbed the beast's left eye with her imperial arm, eventually piercing its brain.
[. . . A Dreadful Thing . . .]
Meanwhile, unbeknownst to the Jaegers, their commander had already returned. Well within the center of the Capital's Imperial throne room, the Empire's strongest general kneeled in front of the throne. The Emperor himself, a naïve young boy, was nonetheless enthusiastically engaged in listening to her report. As always, his most trusted adviser, the gluttonous Prime Minister, stood next to him, partially occupied by whatever scrumptious dish he was enjoying.
"I see", the Emperor nodded. "As a token for your recent victories in the north, you'd like to have annual tax-free requisitions and appropriations sent to this village, Impertinens I believe. But I'm still a little confused. Dare I ask the reason for this request?"
Esdeath looked upon the young boy with sincere eyes, not an ounce of noticeable deceit detected in them. "It's part of an operation I'm running for my own research into human social interactions. The data I collect will be invaluable towards advancing my skills in interrogation. Needless to say, what's valuable to me is valuable to the Empire."
"Well said", the Prime Minister mumbled, still half-occupied with the tasty morsel he was chewing.
Detecting no objections from his adviser, the Emperor responded. "Then consider it as good as done. The amount of requisitions and appropriations you requested shall be sent to this village at once and shall continue to be sent until you no longer need them!"
"Thank you your highness", Esdeath said before rising up and walking away. "That'll be all."
As the Ice Queen moved beyond an earshot away, the Emperor to the Prime Minister, somewhat concerned. "Are you sure its okay to honor her request? If she wants to conduct an experiment, why not here in the Capital?"
A concern which, though valid, didn't appear to unnerve the gluttonous official. "Who cares? She's the most valuable asset in the entire country. If these requests you occasionally grant her contribute to keeping her as useful as she's been, then it's really of no concern what she chooses to do with her free time."
Esdeath made her way out of the palace, finding herself instead roaming the Capital's streets. And so she did; aimlessly at that. Wandering from corner to corner with no real objective, she smiled to herself as she briefly recalled the first night she had spent with the object of her affections. How he had asked her to join the Revolutionary Army. How she had told him that she would not be changed; that she would be the one dominate. "Love . . . such a dreadful thing."
But the irony was not lost on her. "Here I explained all of that to him . . . and yet look at me. How many times now have I behaved uncharacteristically? Taking a stroll simply because I thought it was a nice evening, making permanent arrangements for a village I know nothing about. The former me would have at least made those arrangements contingent upon his obedience . . . and yet that option never even crossed my mind. Is this what it means to be smitten?"
She kept walking, spotting a couple sitting together on a bench, holding hands. "Love. There was a time when that sort of display repulsed me. What does it even accomplish? Being so distracted with each other, it wouldn't be hard for a thief to sneak up on them and place them at his mercy. But now . . . with every waking moment, I find myself longing to revel in such foolishness."
She walked up to a street merchant, purveying several hairdressing supplies. One of the items on the merchant's stand was a mirror. One she promptly gazed into. "Love. The cause of this heart-struck look on my face. An expression I couldn't fake even if I wanted to. A look of submission. Almost as if I'm the one to be dominated after all. Such a dreadful thing . . . such a dreadful thing."
[. . . Uncertainty thrives on . . .]
Elsewhere, at the Night Raid base of operations, it was late in the evening. Tatsumi, the second youngest member had just returned. Almost immediately, the team's leader, Najenda, called a meeting in the war room to discuss the boy's whereabouts for the past two days. The fact that he had been teleported to a distant location via the use of an imperial arm was understandable. The fact that it took him most of the day just to get back to the capital made plenty of sense. However, neither Najenda, Susanoo, Akame, Leone, Mein, Chelsea nor even Lubbock could make sense of one particular detail.
"You mean to tell me you had the chance to instantly get back here last night, but chose not to because you thought you could convince Esdeath to join us?!", Lubbock asked, mouth hanging wide open.
To which Tatsumi sincerely nodded. "That's right."
Just as soon as those words left his mouth, the room erupted into laughter, save Najenda, Susanoo and Akame, Chelsea and Tatsumi. Leone and Mein in particular mockingly pointing at him as they cackled.
Tatsumi looked slightly annoyed. "What's so funny? If she joined us, wouldn't the Revolutionary Army's job be that much easier?"
"Tatsumi!", Lubbock exclaimed, close to splitting his sides. "Did you forget all the things I told you about her?!"
Leone was literally rolling at the floor at this point. "Tatsumi, you'd have about as much luck convincing a wolf to stop eating meat!"
Chelsea rubbed her face with her palm and sighed. "As naive as ever."
The young swordsman shook his head. "Look, I know she's done a lot of horrible things, but over the past few days . . . I can't really explain it, but she seems . . . different. She even agreed to help my village."
Lubbock instantly ceased laughing, taking on a more nonchalant composure, walking up to Tatsumi and placing a hand on his shoulder. "I think I understand what you're getting at."
"You do?", Tatsumi asked.
"Yeah", Lubbock nodded . . . before instantly bursting into laughter once more. "When you're alone for two days on an island with someone who has a hot bod like that, all logic flies out the window! Tatsumi, you dog!"
He fiercely blushed. "Hey, it's not like that!"
Before Tatsumi knew it, Leone was playfully shoving his face into her chest. "Awe, poor Tatsumi! Cramped around that ice-hussy for two days straight. Your big sis is here to make up for lost time!"
Najenda finally spoke up, her words shattering all of the amusement in the room to a deafening silence. "Tatsumi has the right idea."
Words Mein instantly winced at upon hearing. "You can't be serious, boss."
"Deadly serious", she replied in a calculating demeanor. "No one here loathes Esdeath more than I do, but this sudden interest she's taken in Tatsumi here isn't without its advantages. If he can somehow convince her to join our cause or simply even defect from the Empire, then the probability of a successful assault on the capital will increase by at least 80%."
Tatsumi's eyes widened in surprise. "I know she's strong, but she's that valuable to the Empire?"
Lubbock nodded his head. "They don't call her the Empire's strongest general for nothing."
Even Akame offered some insight on the subject. "If she were any less powerful, we would've made plans to assassinate her long ago. She's practically an army unto herself"
Najenda looked in Tatsumi's direction. "In all the years I've known her, her showing this sort of attachment to anyone is a first. If you can convince her to leave the Empire, do so by all means. However, you should keep in mind that Esdeath is a master manipulator. It's also possible that she could just be trying to subtly control you. Whatever the case, be on your guard. And if it comes down to it, you'd best be prepared to end her life. At the end of the day, she is not your friend. She is your enemy. Keep in mind that this woman has been responsible for the rape and slaughter of thousands of innocents. It's because of her and the Empire she serves that Bulat and Sheele are no longer with us."
"I'll keep that in mind." Nevertheless, his verbal compliance was inconsistent with his heart. For in his heart, his leader's words reminded him of the embrace he had shared with the Ice Queen prior to parting ways. Despite all of the horrors he knew she was responsible for inflicting, he did not possess the desire to kill her as he had so many other foes. He didn't want to believe that she could not be changed. He didn't want to view her as an enemy. As long as there was some willingness on her part to do good, perhaps he wouldn't have to even contemplate facing her.
[. . . The Announcement . . .]
Night Raid was not the only group congregating with one another at that time in the evening. Back in the imperial palace, well within the Jaegers' quarters, their dining room specifically, Budo and every other general, several high ranking officials, Bol's wife and daughter, and each member of the Jaegers' was present. They had opted to partake in a celebratory meeting over Esdeath's return from nowhere. Such usually wouldn't be cause for a celebration, but the event was created upon the blue haired general's own insistence and due to an announcement she had planned to make.
Wave and Kurome stood in one of the corners, Wave holding a glass of water and Kurome holding a glass with a chocolate milkshake inside, sipping it with a bendy straw.
"This announcement that Esdeath has got planned . . .", Wave noted, attempting to have a conversation. "What do you think it is?"
Kurome indifferently shrugged her shoulders, continuing to sip her chocolate milkshake.
To which Wave sighed, slightly annoyed at his comrade's constant habit. "Say, where did you even get that?"
The black eyed girl simply turned away, keeping her glass out of Wave's reach. "You can't have any."
Holding a glass of his own, one filled with wine, Run approached the two. "If you ask me, the announcement is probably going to have something to do with Tatsumi . . . such as forcing him to marry her and the leader of the Path of Peace being forced to be the minister."
Wave smiled for a moment, but then took on a more serious look. "Run, about earlier. You know, while we were inspecting that danger beast . . ."
"What about it?", the former teacher responded
"We promised we wouldn't harm a hair on that man's head."
To which Run sighed. "Yes. It's unfortunate that he decided to double cross us."
"No, he didn't." Wave's words were suddenly laced with hints of anger. His fists were clenched and it was clear he was doing everything in his power to keep his composure. "Seryu murdered him in cold blood even after we promised him we wouldn't harm him."
"If I didn't know better, I'd say you were suggesting that Seryu nearly got us all killed. That's a serious accusation to be making about one of our comrades."
"It's not just that. We promised to spare that man's life, but she didn't hesitate to take it away."
Run placed a hand on Wave's shoulder and looked him directly in the eyes. "Lets say you're right. What do you plan do about it?"
Wave looked away with uncertainty. "I . . . don't know."
"Remember what General Budo told us. Zealously upholding your principles is great, but you have to be wise as well. Don't do anything foolish."
Instantly removing all the tension in the scene, Bols and his daughter approached the three Jaeger members, Bols' daughter holding a tray of dinner rolls.
Run, well used to dealing with children, kneeled down to the little girl's height and grabbed a roll for himself. "These look tasty. Did you make them all by yourself?
The little girl nodded her head and smiled. "Mommy taught me how to make them!"
Run took a bite. "Mmmm! These are delicious! We'll have to get you to make these more often"
The girl innocently giggled, taking the former school teacher's praise to heart.
Bols patted Run on the shoulder. "If you keep this up, she'll never want to leave."
On another side of the room, Esdeath was sitting at the head of the dining room table, in the midst of drawing something in her notebook, much to the dismay of an annoyed General Budo.
"Are you even listening to me? You can't just get up and leave the capital when you feel like it", the tall muscular man growled. "These Jaegers of yours need constant guidance!"
"Relax, old geezer", the Ice Queen nonchalantly replied, continuing to draw. "I didn't simply leave the capital. I was teleported out of it against my will. I spent all that time traveling back."
Budo looked astonished. "Teleported? How? And by whom?"
Still more focused on the contents of her notebook rather than the conversation she was having, Esdeath shrugged her shoulders.
Which only made Budo more angry. "What is so important about that notebook that you can't even be bothered to answer questions?!"
She cheerfully smiled, handing the fellow general her notebook. "I'm glad you asked."
Budo scratched his head, somewhat impressed by the Ice Queen's art skills, but unsure of why she was drawing a picture of some teenager. "Who is this?"
"That is Tatsumi. The man I have decided to eventually share the rest of my life with."
"Then I take it this is the announcement you plan to make?"
She shook her head "No . . . but I do suppose it's about time I reveal it."
With that, Esdeath stood up, held a wine glass in her hand and grabbed a spoon from the silverware in front of her. She then tapped the glass with the spoon several times to get everyone's attention. "Good evening, everyone. I'm glad you could all make it. I'm sure many of you are curious as to why I've gathered you all here tonight. The reason is simple. I've called you all here to announce the end of our war against the Revolutionary Army."
[. . . The Leader of the Revolutionary Army . . .]
It was very early in the morning; the crack of dawn to be precise. Two weeks had passed since Tatsumi had returned from his two day escapade with the Ice Queen. The sounds of an intense battle could be heard in the Night Raid base's dojo. The sounds of which quickly alerted Mein and Leone from their slumber.
The two women dashed into the dojo, only to find Tatsumi and Akame engaged in a fierce sparring session. Neither were using their imperial arms; both warriors were merely equipped with wooden swords. To the side lines were Susanoo and Lubbock, who appeared to have been watching the battle for some time.
"What's with the all this racket?!", Mein growled. "Can't you tell some of us are trying to sleep?"
To the self-proclaimed genius sniper's annoyance, however, neither Tatsumi nor Akame answered her. Both didn't even appear to acknowledge anyone else's presence in the room besides their own.
Lubbock sighed. "Don't bother. They've been like this for the better part of an hour now. Honestly, I'm surprised you two came when you did. Had this been another attack on our hideout, you would've been dead by now."
Leone halfheartedly chuckled, somewhat inhibited. "When you get hangovers like mine, you can sleep through an entire earthquake."
A carnal look manifested itself on the green haired man's face as he rubbed his chin. "That's good to know."
But Leone was quick to her comrade's implication. "Yeah, but don't let that fool you. If someone were to try and peep on me while I was sleeping, there's no telling how my animal reflexes would cause me to react. Though I'm guessing it'd at very least be pretty painful for whoever was dumb enough to try it." She punched the palm of her hand as she uttered the last five words.
Lubbock nervously grinned. "That's . . . also good to know."
Tatsumi and Akame were deep in the midst of battle. It was a steady stream of swipes, thrusts, blocks and parries, neither giving the other even an inch of breathing room. The duel thus far was in complete contrast to the bout they had during their first meeting.
Amidst the two sword wielding assassins' high paced exchanges, Akame almost instantly flipped over Tatsumi entire body, attempting to strike his head while in midair. The young wielder of Incursio intuitively responded, however, blocking the strike by firmly and horizontally holding his sword above his head. As Akame landed behind him, she speedily performing a half pirouette, using the momentum of her spin to strike Tatsumi from behind. Before he could be hit, Tatsumi spun around, narrowly parrying the strike at the last second.
Mein's mouth was hanging wide open. "Wow . . .was Tatsumi always this good?"
Tatsumi and Akame yet again charged at one another in a dazzling display of dexterity, locking swords as they came into contact. In a surprising show of strength, the red eyed assassin swiftly shoved her opponent out of the lock, making him stagger and effectively breaking his stance. Seizing the opportunity to end the battle, she launched a two handed thrust towards the boy's chest.
In a split instant, however, a smirk appeared on Tatsumi's face, causing Akame's eyes to widen; in a single instant, it had become clear that the boy had intentionally allowed himself to be shoved back in an effort to draw the girl into a false sense of security. It was within a single instant that Tatsumi avoided the thrust aimed at his chest, simultaneously landing a downward two handed slash on Akame's neck.
"Well I'll be . . .", said a befuddled Leone. "Never thought I'd see the day he'd beat her."
Susanoo, stoic and observant until now shook his head. "Look closer."
Closer examination of the two revealed a different picture entirely. Although Tatsumi's sword was brushed against Akame's neck, Akame's sword was firmly brushed against Tatsumi's neck as well.
"So it's a tie?", Lubbock asked.
Susanoo dismissively shook his head once more. What wasn't detected by the other observers was very much noticed by him. "Akame's sword landed a millisecond prior to Tatsumi's."
Mein shrugged her shoulders. "It's just as well. Akame definitely wasn't fighting at full speed."
Leone smirked proudly at the scene before her. "True, but Tatsumi wasn't using Incursio. Either way, the kid's come a long way!"
Tatsumi, still with his wooden sword at the red eyed assassin's neck, began panting. The nonstop duel left him exhausted. "That's too bad. I thought for sure I had you this time."
Akame, still in the same position, was panting as well. "In that last instance, you gave yourself away, making it easy for me to read the intent of your strike.
He dropped his sword, somewhat confused. "Read my intent?"
Akame dropped her sword to the floor, preparing to walk away. "Tatsumi, sometimes you need more than just your eyes and your ears to prevail in battle. Sometimes, you must be able to read what is in your opponent's heart. Once you've learned to do this, your abilities as a warrior will exponentially increase."
At that time, a carefree cheerful tall and slender man with markings on his forehead, long white hair and donned in priest like clothing entered the room. "Excellent insight young lady"
Everyone in the room, except for Lubbock almost instantly took on an aggressive posture towards this intrude. Seeing no other weapons available, Tatsumi picked up his wooden sword and pointed it at this trespasser. "Who are you and how did you get in here?"
But Lubbock placed a hand on Tatsumi's shoulder. "Relax. They call this guy 'The Lord.' He's the leader of the largest religious organization in the Empire: The Path of Peace. He wouldn't harm a fly."
This didn't appear to concern the team's genius sniper. Instead, she aimed her Imperial Arm at this interloper . . . finger on the trigger. "Yeah, well that still doesn't explain what he's doing here, much less how he found our base."
"I can answer that", Najenda said, entering the room alongside Chelsea. "Lubbock is correct. This man is the leader of the Empire's mainstream religion of pacifism. However, unbeknownst to all but a select few, he is also the leader of the Revolutionary Army."
Tatsumi, Akame, Leone, Mein and even Lubbock were completely and utterly shocked as the last few words registered in their minds."
The Lord suddenly took on a more serious composure, more fitting of one leading an army. "That's right. And I've come to you all today to personally issue out Night Raid's final mission."
A/N: Yep, as I suggested, we really are going down a different branch than the anime and manga! For anyone curious about Syura. Don't worry. I've got special plans for him. As always, reviews, favorites and follows are greatly appreciated! Till next time folks!