Down a different branch

by ExNarutoFan

Ever catch yourself thinking this series had a lot of wasted potential? That it could've been something great if only the author put more effort into it? Imagine if Square Enix had recognized this, fired the Akame ga Kill anime writing staff during the production of episode 14 and decided to hire someone else to take over? Well you don't have to imagine! Read on boys and girls!

6. Kill the Diplomats - Part Three

Disclaimer: I do not own any rights to the Akame ga Kill franchise and this fanfiction has not been written for profit!

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A/N: Woot! After an entire month, I present you with a brand spanking new chapter! Sorry the delay. Could've probably had this one out two weeks ago, but practicing law is pretty time consuming at unpredictable intervals. Plus, this chapter ended up being twice as long as I initially intended, but I didn't see any other way to do the scenes in this chapter justice. Before we get started, just a few housekeeping matters to address:

(1) This chapter is long as hell, so I've taken the liberty of dividing and labeling each section so that you can stop, do something else and come back where you left off without having to painstakingly scroll through a massive wall of text.

(2) As always, thanks for the reviews, follows and favorites folks! Am very grateful.

Anyways, without further ado . . .

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Updated 1/18/17 - Fixed prose and grammatical errors.

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Episode 19: Kill the Diplomats – Part 3

Among a dozen other pairs of people, each dressed in tuxedos and gowns respectively, Tasumi found himself waltzing around the ballroom floor, maneuvering his feet and holding onto his dance partner with the utmost grace.

In full sync to the Victorian era composition that was being played, they twirled across the floor from left to right, forward and back, circling each other, never breaking their gaze. Moves that were crafted to such perfection that Chelsea could not help but smile. "I'll admit it; you've gotten a bit better. This morning, you couldn't even take three steps without stepping on my feet or tripping on the floor. Now look at you."

Tatsumi let out a light laugh. "It all seemed so complicated at first, but when you think about it, dancing and swordplay aren't all that different. It all comes down to balance and tranquility."

"Oh? Tranquility? That's not a usual word from you. Maybe I should have gotten to know you a little better before letting you take my hand in marriage."

"It's a word I picked up from Akame . . . who I guess is the closest thing you can call a sister-in-law."

"And such an extravagant wedding ring too. You sure know how to spoil a girl", she said, glancing at the diamond encrusted platinum ring on her right index finger.

He immediately shot her an annoyed look, rolling his eyes as he did. "Yeah . . . well you know me. It's not like I would ever STEAL a ring like that from one of the nobles in the lobby while she wasn't looking after getting blackmailed."

To which Chelsea gave a knowing smirk. "Yeah. And I'm SURE you would also never walk around a large crowd with your fly unzipped and get laughed at back in that nearby town either."

"It's so nice to know I married someone who is isn't so cold and manipulative!"

"And it's so nice to know I married someone who isn't a klutz and knows how to keep his mouth shut while we're being observed by an entire room of people."

"Point taken. So how are we supposed to get noticed?"

"When I visited the powder room earlier, I arranged for the band to play that song we practiced the most."

"Y-y-you mean . . ."

"You can't afford to be nervous. They detest weakness here. They'll sniff it out a mile away. Besides, you're doing fine as it is. It's like you said: balance and tranquility. Pull this off and we're that much closer to our goal."

Tatsumi took a deep breath and sighed. "Okay. I'm ready."

"Good. It'll be starting any minute now. Don't forget what I showed you."

As the two continued waltzing around the ballroom floor, the composition the band had been playing began to fade, prompting everyone on the floor to stop in nigh-complete synchronization.

The band's conductor briefly turned to face everyone in the ballroom. "This next piece goes out to the Schlaf Drachen family. Here representing them today are their two newlyweds, Tatsumi and Chelsea."

At that moment, the room darkened and grew to a deafening silence. A stagelight subsequently flashed upon both Night Raid members, signaling every other couple to leave the dance floor and promptly return to their tables.

Without pause, the conductor turned his attention back to the band. With a sharp thrust of his baton, mesmerizing sounds from several violins, a flute, a piano, a double bass, and at least two bandoneons could be heard.

As he heard the music starting, Tatsumi recalled what his companion had said to him earlier in the day when she was teaching him this dance, amidst repeat blunders on his part. "There's only one rule in the tango. Our bodies must be in continuous contact without a sliver of daylight in between us."

And so the two stood facing each other chest-to-chest in full body contacts, so much to the point that even their heads were touching one another. They made sure to stand offset from each other, such that each had their right foot in between the feet of the other. Thus so it went. They once again waltzed around the ballroom, except this time with much sharper movements, choreographing the music they were dancing to with much greater precision. It was quite the radiant display, many of moves causing the crowd to gasp; not a single person could turn their eyes away, mesmerized by Tatsumi and Chelsea's movements.

The dance went on for a full five minutes. And once the music reached a dramatic end, Tatsumi twirled his auburn haired companion around, only to then let her drop down until her back was but two feet from touching the floor. Of course, he didn't let her fall; he intimately held Chelsea up with his hands wrapped around her waist. True to the rules of the tango, he did this while still keeping his body in close symmetry with her's. The only part of his body that wasn't touching her during this pose was his face, which was but an inch from hers.

With that abrupt and precise end, the crowd erupted into standing applause. There didn't appear to be even a single person within the ballroom that wasn't awed and mystified by the two dancers' grand and elegant movements.

Amidst the roaring applause, Tatsumi, still in the same position, gazed down upon his partner, a bit bewildered. "Um Chelsea . . . are you blushing?"

"It's the heat from the spotlight. It's a bit too much for me."

He delicately lifted her up to her feet. "Well we better get you back to the table. Can't have you sweating at a time like this.

"You're really clueless sometimes, aren't you Tatsumi?"

He shrugged his shoulders, legitimately confused. "Something wrong?"

"No", she sighed. "Lets head back to the table."

As they walked off the floor, other couples proceeded to make their way back onto it, continuing to dance as the band went back to play its Victorian era composition.

Tatsumi and Chelsea meanwhile took their seats, the auburn haired assassin pleased with how things had progressed thus far. "Well, at very least, our dancing garnered the strong crowd pleasing reaction I was hoping for."

"So then now what?"

"Now we play the waiting the game."

Just as she had uttered these words, a servant approached their tables. "Ambassador Hartmann was most pleased with you two's performance just now. He would like for you both to join him at his table in the balcony."

"Speak of the devil", Chelsea smiled. "We would be delighted to join the ambassador's company."

And so the two Night Raid members arose from their seats and followed the ambassador's servant upstairs. There, they found a balcony overlooking the entire ballroom, particularly the dance floor.

At the balcony was a nice and round dinner table with a full assortment on dishes sitting on it, ranging from roasted lamb to mashed potatoes. A well-built muscular middle aged man with ducktail blue hair and a chinstrap blue beard sat at the table, dressed in formal attire, with his arms around two young vivacious attractive women sitting to his left and right. The two women adoringly rubbed up against this man, caressing his muscles and rubbing their hands across his chest. He appeared to be enjoying the attention these women were showing him, not having yet noticed the two Night Raid members standing before his table.

The servant loudly cleared his throat, immediately getting this man's attention. "As you requested your excellency, I present to you Tatsumi and Chelsea of the Schlaf Drachen family."

To which the ambassador responded respond with the utmost interest. "The dancing newlyweds! That was quiet a performance just now! To be frank, these events usually put me to sleep, but I found myself watching your moves and hanging onto every detail. Come, have a seat! Wilfred, fetch these two some of our finest wine!"

"As you wish your excellency", said the servant as he bowed before walking away.

As the two assassins took their seats at the table, the ambassador slapped his forehead, as if he had forgotten something. "Oh! Where are my manners? My name is Klaus Hartmann. I am the Bestimmung war council ambassador as well as the owner of this estate. Tell me, what feat did you perform to get an invitation to this ball? With moves likes the ones you showed on the floor, I'm guessing it was grand."

Tatsumi nodded. "We slayed a class one Ice Rhino. It's horn was too big to bring through the front door, so your servants agreed to place it inside your stables for now."

Hearing this made the ambassador laugh excitedly. "I'll have to see it for myself after the ball is over! And you two slayed such a beast by yourselves?"

Chelsea nodded as well. "Lets just say that dealing with beasts like that is routine for us."

Klaus looked to the two woman at his side. "You two can leave us. We'll finish our 'conversation' in my chambers later."

To which the two young strumpets responded by simply getting up from their seats and walking away, one taking the time to flirtatiously wink at Tatsumi before leaving, causing him to blush.

"Oh", said the ambassador, intrigued by Tatsumi's reaction. "My manners are greatly lacking tonight. If you'd like, I can arrange one of them to visit you later on as well. Just say the word."

Tatsumi was about to open his mouth, only to be elbowed by Chelsea. "I think my husband has better things to be doing tonight."

Hearing this made the ambassador chuckle. "I understand you loud and clear. He hasn't broken you in yet, has he? Far be it from me to prevent you from getting the first crack. Based on the way he was moving on the floor earlier, you're in for a hell of a night between the sheets."

Chelsea blushed for a few passing seconds as thoughts a little less crude crossed her mind. Even so, she quickly changed the subject. "I take it you've slain your own share of beasts."

"More than you'll ever know. Before my days as an ambassador, I would even work alongside the Partas Clan. Lots of people have forgotten, but this very city used to be the territory of an ultra-class Ice Bear at least 60 feet tall. The bastard had wiped out all of our men. It got down to the point where it was just Vater and I going up against it. It gave us quite a struggle, but we managed to slaughter the beast together."

"Who is Vater?", Tatsumi asked out of curiosity?"

"Who is Vater? It really has been a while, hasn't it? There was a time when everyone in this country knew his name, but I suppose getting killed is a good way to become forgotten. Vater is . . . or rather was the leader of the Partas Clan. Back before those Northern tribe bastards wiped him out. He was a damn fine warrior."

"The leader of the Partas Clan?", Tatsumi thought, memories of a conversation he had with Esdeath surging through his mind. "He's talking about Esdeath's father."

"But enough about me. I'd like to talk about something else."

"Sure. What's on your mind?", Tatsumi replied.

"Tomorrow, some of my men and I will be going on a Danger Beast hunting expedition. I would like for you and your wife to join us."

The two Night Raid members briefly glanced at one another before nodding their heads. Chelsea answered the ambassador's request. "We would be delighted to join you on your expedition."

Klaus laughed excitedly once more. "Good! Good! This is great! If you two slaughtered a class-one Ice Rino on your own, I can't wait to see how you fare in battle!"

Wilfred returned with a bottle of wine, making sure to fill up Tatsumi and Chelsea's glasses. He then turned his attention towards the ambassador. "Your excellency, your other guest just arrived here and will be joining you shortly."

Klaus laughed excitedly once more, this time pounding his fist into the table as he laughed. "Ah yes, my other guest. You two are in for a real treat. You're about to meet a very powerful general from the Grand Empire. The general will be joining us on our expedition tomorrow, but you don't have to worry. The good general is only interested in pursuing some assassins who are apparently after my life. We discussed it for a bit, but the general has sworn not to interfere with any of the beasts we hunt."

Needless to say, Tatsumi did his best not to reveal his thoughts towards this predicament. "SHIT! If Esdeath sees me here, this operation is blown. How did she even know we'd be going after the ambassador?"

Wilfred placed another glass at the table and filled it up with wine before heading back downstairs. The sounds of footsteps could subsequently be heard coming up the stairs, a bead of sweat simultaneously lingering down Tatsumi's forehead. Chelsea, on the other hand, appeared to be as nonchalant as usual.

Finally, a figure appeared from the stairway and approached the ambassador's table. Tatsumi hesitantly turned his head to see who it was, only to sigh in relief. This approaching figure was certainly not Esdeath, but rather a tall and statuesque blond headed man donning a dark gray suit of armor.

"Budo!", Klaus said, gazing excitedly at this approaching figure. "How good of you to join us!"

Budo took a seat at the table, his demeanor appearing to be indifferent as he sat down. "I trust your party has gone without any hitches, Ambassador Hartmann."

To which the ambassador replied. "Budo, there's no need to call me that here. It's a party. Relax. Klaus will do."

The burly general remained stern and composed. "Hmmph. Very well, Klaus. How has the party been thus far?"

"Between you and me: A complete snoozefest. That is, until these newlyweds got on the floor with the finest dance I've ever laid eyes upon. So much so that I've decided to have them accompany me on the hunt tomorrow."

Upon hearing this, Budo immediately turned his head towards both Night Raid members, glaring them both down thoroughly to the point of awkwardness. He subsequently focused his attention on Tatsumi, solely glaring him down until eventually . . .

"Is there something wrong?", Tatsumi asked in an effort to ascertain whether he had blown his cover.

"Haven't I seen you somewhere before?", the burly general responded.

"No. This is the first time I've met a general from the Grand Empire." A lie, but one Tatsumi had no intention of allowing to be exposed.

Budo rubbed his chin, pondering on the matter before turning his attention back to the ambassador. "How much do you know of these two newlyweds?"

To which Klaus responded. "They're from the Schlaf Drachen family, well known for their black smithing abilities. Hansel Schlaf Drachen himself, the current head of their estate, personally spoke of these two yesterday, telling me how happy his son had finally found someone worthy enough to extend the family tree. Before coming here, these two even killed a class-one Ice-Rino."

Budo nodded his head. "I suppose all of that checks out, but you can't be too careful, especially when assassins are pursuing your life."

Klaus laughed at the burly general's suggestion. "You worry too much my old friend! Don't forget that I can handle myself very well when I need to."

Sensing an opportunity to clear up any lingering doubts, Chelsea chimed in towards Budo, "My husband did once compete in a fencing competition held in the Grand Empire's capital. In the final round, he bested Jean Durellione himself. Majestically at that. Perhaps you attended the event."

The burly general continued rubbing his chin. "Hmm, it's possible. It's been a while though. I'd have to think about it."

Hearing this seemed to amuse the ambassador to no end. "Tatsumi you dog! Why didn't you tell me you bested one of the Durellione's brats. Now I just have to see you in battle."

"I'm looking forward to it!", Tatsumi said rather boastfully. He was heeding Chelsea's advice to not show any signs of weakness.

"That's the spirit!", enthusiastically said the ambassador as he took a sip of wine. "So, Budo. Tell me, how goes the war against that Revolutionary Army?"

"Hmmph. Putting down a bunch of rebels should never be confused with partaking in a war."

"But they have gotten increasingly powerful", Klaus replied, somewhat more composed than he had been up to this point. "I hear you even had to put down those Northern Tribe bastards or else they and the rebels would've posed a serious problem down the road."

"Don't be naïve, Klaus. A war is fought between nations. It takes much more than power alone to elevate a group of traitors to the level of a nation."

"Perhaps, but I'm still curious as to how you intend to deal with them. Regardless of what they are, I hear they are growing more and more powerful."

"Don't worry. We have our ideas. We'll deal with them when the time comes."

"General Budo", Tatsumi interjected. "It's true the Revolutionary Army are traitors, but what do you think of their cause? From what I hear, they believe they are just trying to get rid of the corruption in the Empire."

Chelsea shot her companion a glare of disapproval, but opted not to say anything; maintaining her facade was far too crucial. Budo on the other hand, instantly turned his attention back towards Tatsumi. "Then it seems you've heard nothing but foolish prattle and propaganda. If the Revolutionary Army has its way, it will attack the Capital and needlessly put innocent lives at risk all for its own gain."

"You don't believe there's any corruption in the Capital?"

"Only a fool would deny there was."

"Then why don't you intend to do anything about it?", Tatsumi asked before feeling his companion stomp on his foot beneath the table.

"Not an opinion I'd expect to hear from a Bestimung noble", The burly general said while skeptically narrowing his eyes. "As to your question, as soon as I have eliminated the rebel trash, I will be dealing with the source of the Grand Empire's corruption personally."

"You might be surprised, Budo. I can already tell this boy here isn't like most Bestimmung nobles. Just wait until you get a load of him tomorrow." Just the look on the ambassador's face made it obvious; his words were laced with pride.

Budo turned his attention back to the Bestimmung ambassador. "Klaus, about that other matter . . ."

To which Klaus responded, removing two tickets from his coat pocket and handing them both to Chelsea. "The good general and I will have some important business to discuss after we're done eating. Why don't you and your husband attend this show in my steed afterwards? I'm told it's quite the spectacle!"

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[. . . The spectacle . . .]

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The remainder of the ball went without incident. Both Tatsumi and Chelsea dined with Klaus and Budo before saying their goodbyes and giving their assurances that they'd be present at the planned hunting expedition the following morning. They left the ambassador's estate and proceeded to make their way to the local theater, Tatsumi being amazed by the cosmopolitan environment on every block as they headed there. The tall buildings composed of steel and concrete, the numerous tailor establishments, the aroma of high class cuisine constantly filling his nostrils, the busy streets with horse carriages constantly being drawn back and forth and every piece of road consisting of cobblestone. Despite the constant snow, the city of Herz was truly a metropolis.

After giving their tickets to the ticket master, they were guided to a dark and enormous room with thousands of seats all facing a red-curtained stage. Thanks to the ambassador's tickets, the two Night Raid members were guided to their own private balcony, seated in arguably the best seats in the house. They were clearly in for a popular show as it didn't take long for every seat in the theater to be filled.

The play was set to begin shortly and the two assassins were already in the midst of a detailed conversation.

Chelsea was glaring at her companion with disapproval in her eyes. "I know you're passionate about our cause, Tatsumi, but General Budo suspecting us of anything is the last thing we need right now."

"Sorry", Tatsumi said while rubbing the back of his head out of embarrassment. "I don't really know what came over me back there."

"Don't sweat it, but try to avoid that subject from here on out. Bestimmung nobles couldn't care less about the corruption in the Capital."

"But isn't that the reason we're here?"

"Technically, no. As of now, it's not public knowledge that their government has been aiding the Revolutionary Army. There are some suspicions here and there, but all of that has been disregarded as mere rumor by the general populace. And why wouldn't it be? This country has been historically neutral, generally concerning itself only with its own affairs."

A sentiment which Tatsumi found to be peculiar. "It doesn't really look like this country has that many affairs to be honest. Maybe it's just us being in a nice city, but everything seems so . . . refined."

"It's not just this city. Much of Bestimmung is exactly like this."

"If that's the case, this country really isn't all bad."

Chelsea gave a knowing yet ominious sigh upon hearing this. "You think so?"

Before Tatsumi could voice an answer, the room darkened completely and the red-curtains on the stage were raised up entirely, signifying the beginning of the play. The very first scene depicted two brothers, both young men; one addressed as Baldwin and the other as Erich. They were standing by at their bed ridden grandfather's side as he lay dying due to a terminal illness.

The grandfather let out several painful coughs. "It's looks like I'm not long for this world, so now is as good a time as any."

Both Baldwin and Erich leaned in closer as their grandfather motioned for them to do so. "Your wretched father is worthless, so I'm passing my estate onto one of you."

"Which one of us?", said Erich. It was just an actor giving his line, but the eagerness in his eyes was as plain as day.

The grandfather grabbed Erich's hand, gazed into his eyes and said "Whichever one of you is worthy."

Baldwin spoke up, bewildered by this comment. "What do you mean, grandfather?"

To which the grandfather replied, gazing into the other brother's eyes. "Know this, boy. There are many things in this world, but the only thing that means a damn is power. Without power, you're a useless wretch just waiting to be trampled upon. Your father once understood this. He was the finest doctor in all of Bestimmung; he had no equal and could have had anything he wanted. But then your worthless mother had to come down with an illness. The fool threw away his entire practice and spent all of his time trying to cure her. To cure a woman who has nothing of value to her own name. And now look where he is. Weak and forgotten; a shell of what he once was. Despite all of his efforts to cure a single worthless woman, she dies anyway by getting mauled by danger beasts out in the forest. Don't make his mistake."

With these final words, the grandfather laid his head down and peacefully closed his eyes.

Baldwin and Erich then turned their attention to each other, Erich being the first to speak. "So the old codger finally kicked the bucket. Took him long enough. But he is right about one thing. Our father ruined his own life. Had he spent his time on something more worthwhile like curing grandfather instead, he'd be the one receiving the inheritance and could have easily rebuilt his practice, perhaps even making it twice as impressive as it was before."

Baldwin steadfastly shook his head and grabbed his brother by his collar. "Something more worthwhile? You can't be serious, brother. That's our own mother you're talking about!"

Erich swiftly slapped his brother's hands away. "That's all in the past, buried and done with. We only have one more year until the academy's final exam. If you don't want to die, I suggest you start focusing on the present."

Baldwin eyes appeared to be full of resolve. "I won't die brother and neither will you. I'll see to it that we both survive the exam. Afterwards, let's work together. With your medical skills and my talents as a warrior, there's no limit to what we can accomplish."

Erich looked upon his brother with curiosity gleaming in his eyes. "What would you have in mind?"

"You can take the information father had gained in curing mother's illness, restore his practice and become just as good a doctor as he was. Whereas I can start a mercenary group, take to the fields and slay as many danger beasts possible, insuring that what happened to mother doesn't happen to anyone else."

"Those are lofty goals", Erich smirked.

Baldwin nodded. "They are, but with grandfather's inheritance and the two of us working together, we will succeed at them. I just know it, brother."

Erich reached his arm out towards Baldwin's and the two firmly shook hands.

Throughout this scene, Chelsea sat idly by in her seat, somewhat disinterested, sucking upon his signature lollipop. Tatsumi on the other hand watched every moment with baited breath. Usually, a play wasn't something he'd be interesting in viewing. For months on end, his entertainment had consisted of swinging weighted weapons relentlessly and helping Akame or Su prepare breakfast. But here, things were different. Above all else, something about this Baldwin character fascinated Tatsumi to no end.

Over the course of the following two hours, the play continued to captivate his attention with humor, action and drama. So much so that as the play was reaching its climax, Tatsumi found himself sitting on the edge of his seat, craving to see what would happen next.

Erich and Baldwin were in the middle of taking the academy exam they had talked about. Their exam evidently consisted of being sent out in an eight-man team to a small neighboring island. They were assigned to retrieve the skull of a relatively powerful danger beast and bring it back to the academy within one day.

The team made their way through the island until finally facing off against the beast they were pursuing. It was a long and intense battle, with most of the team perishing, save for Baldwin and Erich. Erich may well have perished, if not for him serving as the team's medic, Baldwin going out of his way to protect him and remaining on the sidelines. With one final attack, Baldwin used his spear to land the killing blow on the creature.

And thus the battle was won and an exhausted Baldwin was only able to hold himself up by clinging onto his spear. "We did it brother! We did it! At long last, we . . ."

But his victory came short, for before the noble warrior could utter another word, the tip of one of the swords used by one of the other warriors was protruding from his stomach. Baldwin turned his head, only to look as if he had seen a ghost. The one responsible for this treachery was none other than . . .

"Congratulations brother. You bested that danger beast just as I anticipated."

Baldwin looked upon his brother, hurt and betrayed. "But . . . why?"

"It's nothing personal. I'm simply doing what must be done. You've served your purpose, so now enjoy your reward of being able to rest in hell with mother where you belong. I, on the hand, will enjoy the notoriety father once had. No, it'll be beyond what he had. With grandfather's inheritance and me bringing back the skull of this danger beast on my own, there's no telling what kind of prestige I'll obtain. Cast those judgmental eyes away from me, for I am not to blame for your predicament. Rather, it's simply the way the world is, the way it has always been and the way it will always be. The strong live and the weak who die. In truth, brother, you have always just been a weakling waiting to be devoured by the strong."

Tatsumi quickly found himself filled with indignation. To say that he was disgusted by the conniving ways of Erich was an understatement. He gritted his teeth and clenched his hands as tight as he could. But then a thought occurred to the Incuriso wielder. This was just a play. A thought that caused him to sigh in relief as he was comforted by the fact that Erich was sure to receive his comeuppance. Indeed, what happened to Baldwin was tragic, but would not go unanswered. So he thought.

And so as the scene continued to play out, Tatsumi sat in his seat with anticipation waiting for this moment he was certain would come. He waited and waited over the next fifteen minutes as the play was reaching its conclusion. He watched with great eagerness as Erich brought the slain danger beast's skull back to the academy, received his grandfather's inheritance and opened up a highly successful medical practice.

But contrary to the Tatsumi's expectations, the final scene of the play was one depicting Erich sitting in a cushy chair at his personal medical office, sipping wine and smiling to himself in regards to his success. It was then that the red curtains fell and the theater room was lightened again.

Almost immediately, everyone in the room besides the two Night Raid members, stood up and gave a standing ovation. Chelsea continued to sit in her seat, indifferently sucking on her lollipop, but Tatsumi bewilderedly glanced left and right. "What is wrong with these people?!"

Not being able to stomach another moment of this depravity, Tatsumi immediately bolted out of the theater, disgusted with what the ambassador had described as being 'quite the spectacle.' Indeed, twas the first story he had ever seen end in such a fashion. He made his way to a nearby street corner, reflecting on what he had just watched. "What was I thinking? This country isn't all bad? It's got to be rotten to the core for people to enjoy something like that!"

Chelsea, having left the theater in much more nonchalant fashion, arrived by her companion's side shortly afterward. "I take it you won't be coming back to Bestimmung to see the sequel."

A quip which the boy didn't acknowledge. "That play . . . do the people here really think like that?"

Chelsea removed her lollipop from her mouth and tapped her head, pondering for a moment. "Hmm . . . no more so than we think like the characters in King Arthur."

"King who?"

"You're not very well read, are you Tatsumi?"

He smiled, rubbing the back of his head. "Sorry, but in my village, the most our school ever taught us was how to read, write and do math."

She sighed "At any rate, the point is that that play is no more accurate than the stories in our country. There's no one quite as good and courageous as King Arthur, but the average person in the Empire respect his ideals and wishes to live up to them. In the same way, Erich is no different. The people here respect his cunning, his ability to get ahead and his ability to get results. Baldwin may have slain that danger beast, but he's viewed as weak whereas Erich is viewed as strong."

"There's nothing strong about Erich. He killed his own brother for his own personal gain."

"And in the eyes of the Bestimmung people, that's what makes him so brilliant. The lengths he will go to attain power. Murdering a brother isn't quite the norm here, but you'd be surprised how many would-be Erichs there were even at that ball. Planning, plotting, scheming, gaining influence. It's all the same. Even the ambassador here is no doubt just wearing a mask to hide his true intentions. It's why sophistication is such a virtue here. Sure, one can be physically strong, but in my experience, the human mind is a far greater asset."

Tatsumi smirked. "I take it that's your greatest asset."

To which Chelsea swiftly looked away, making certain her comrade couldn't see her face, before replying. "It's getting a little too chilly out here. Let's head back to the inn."

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[. . . It's a promise . . .]

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It didn't take long for the two assassins to arrive at a luxury inn. One Chelsea had evidently booked for a room in advance. Even their luggage had already been taken care of, allowing Tatsumi and Chelsea to simply walk upstairs and enter their suite. Not just any suite, but a honeymoon suite suitable for newlyweds. One equipped with a foyer with a water fountain in the center, a living room with a loveseat couch and a thin wall sized fish tank, a bathroom with an inground bath tub that may as well have been a hot tub and a bedroom with an extravagant king sized bed with rose petals scattered all across it.

Tatsumi skeptically glanced at his companion upon seeing this. "You know, we probably could have saved money by just getting one of the normal rooms here or just going to a less expensive inn."

To which Chelsea responded. "The Schlaf Drachens are a wealthy family. The two of us occupying a hotel, much less a room, any less profligate then this may very well be cause for suspicion."

Tatsumi shrugged his shoulders. "Suspicion to who? In case you haven't noticed, it's just the two of us in here."

A point, though logical, didn't appear to concern the auburn haired assassin. "True, but suppose Budo or one of the ambassador's servants pops by here for whatever reason. It's not a possibility we can just ignore. Besides, this room is well within the budget."

"Why do I get the feeling you just wanted to stay in a nice room?"

"Now what would give you that idea?", she said with a playful wink.

He rolled his eyes. "Oh, I don't know. Just a hunch."

She giggled. "In that case, leave all the hunches to me and you just focus on being ready for tomorrow's expedition."

"Right", he nodded with the utmost confidence. "Speaking of hunches though, did you know General Budo was going to be here?"

"While I was . . . persuading the orchestra to play music suitable for our tango, I noticed him arriving outside from the corner of my eye through one of the ballroom windows."

Tatsumi appeared to be puzzled. "How did he know we're trying to assassinate Ambassador Hartmann?"

"I honestly have no idea. Very few people in or associated with the Revolutionary Army have advance notice of when and how an official mission is going to be carried out. Still, Budo doesn't appear to know that we're the ones who have been assigned to complete this mission, so it's possible he deduced that we'd be targeting Ambassador Hartmann through some other means."

"But if he's a general, that means he's in the same league as Esdeath."

"Yes, General Budo isn't as strong as Esdeath, but he is very powerful nonetheless and has thrown a bit of a wrench into our plans. Without him here, we probably could have assassinated the ambassador tonight in his bedroom, but with Budo here, we don't have a choice but to look for an opening elsewhere. This expedition is probably our best chance. It'll be out in the middle of nowhere, increasing our chances of separating the two."

"So then . . . I guess the only question at this point is . . . who gets the bed?", he said with a big grin.

Chelsea smiled. "You can have the bed Tatsumi."

"Really?"

"Sure, and while I'm at it, I can also see to it that you wake up next morning with your testicles in a ribbon bow tied box."

Beads of sweat manifested themselves on the young swordsman's face. "Uh . . . you know, I've always been a bigger fan of the couch anyway."

"Thought so", she smiled. "Now unless you'd like to wake up next morning with a nice ribbon bow tied box next to you, I suggest you not peep on me while I take a bath."

"Noted", he muttered fearfully.

With that, Tatsumi grabbed an extra blanket from the bedroom closet and proceeded to lie down on the couch in the living room. As he laid there gazing at the exotic marine life in the wall size fish tank, he began to recall the event which had occurred days ago; how the Lord, now known to him as the leader of the Revolutionary Army, had arrived at Night Raid's base of operations to personally assign to them what he referred to as their 'final mission.'

Najenda had been standing next to the Revolutionary Army leader, evidently having already discussed the details of the mission with him in advance. As soon as he had finished informing the group of their assassination targets, Najenda directed her attention to the team. "I've already assigned who will go after each target. Akame and Lubbock: You two will go to the city ofAyatollah in Ali-Jinnah and eliminate Shahin Abdullah. Leone and Mein: Both of you will go to the south eastern region of Reispan. We don't know Alicia Eduarda's exact location, but she's rumored to be visiting that area briefly. See to it that she doesn't make it out of there alive. Lastly, Tatsumi and Chelsea: You two will head to the city of Herz in Bestimmung; your objective is to assassinate Klaus Hartmann."

Tatsumi recalled himself looking at both Chelsea and his commander with confusion. "With all due respect boss, I'm not sure if Chelsea and I are compatible. We've never even been on a mission together."

But Najenda didn't appear concerned. "I've divided the teams because you all have skills that complement each other, making you all fit for direct and indirect battle as well as boldness and subtlety."

Chelsea had nudged the coffee haired assassin with her elbow. "Not to mention you've been partnered with the only person in this group who has any extensive background in high level espionage."

The Lord had seemed pleased with these arrangements, nodding his head to Najenda's decisions. "You each carry a very heavy burden as the outcome of this mission will determine whether our army can finally defeat the Grand Empire and restore order once and for all. To do that, these ambassadors must be removed at once. They are each corrupt pawns of the Prime Minister and the only ones that influentially stand in the way of Ali Jinnah, Reispan and Bestimmung finally supporting us out in the open. Once we have their support, we will have enough forces to overwhelm the Capital and prevent thousands of innocent people from getting caught in the crossfire."

Dwelling on that last sentence, Tatsumi finally dozed off. Nonetheless, for one reason or another, he found himself waking up several hours later in the middle of the night. It was the sound of someone else sleeping that alerted him. He rose up, only to notice Chelsea leaning against the right side of the couch, wearing nothing but a black sleeveless nightgown.

He quickly rolled his eyes. "I thought she wanted the bed."

A few mishaps here and there aside, Tatsumi was still a gentleman at heart. Without even giving it a second thought, he rose up, delicately scooped Chelsea up until she was in his arms and carried her back to the king sized bed in the bedroom. He then set her down and placed the covers over her.

He then began to walk away, almost making it back into the living room until he heard a sleepy voice say "I thought I told you what would happen if you ever tried peeping at me again."

Tatsumi quickly turned around, somewhat annoyed. "Oh c'mon, that's not even fair! You were sleeping next to the couch and would've caught a cold had I not carried you back to the bed."

"Hmm . . . sleeping next to a couch rather than lying a warm bed. It doesn't sound like something I'd do. I must've been sleep walking."

"Seriously?", he looked at her incredulously.

"Absolutely", she said, smirking and maintaining her usual nonchalant demeanor.

"Huh . . . well, goodnight." Tatsumi turned back around, once again preparing to head back to the couch, only to yet again be stopped upon hearing his fellow Night Raid member utter the words.

"Wait."

He turned around again, clearly annoyed. "Now what?" As he turned around, he could not help but notice a sincerer look in his fellow assassin's eyes. She looked . . . uncertain. "Is there something wrong?", he asked, concern in his voice.

"If I read your file correctly, you joined Night Raid because your village was suffering from prolonged poverty."

He nodded his head. "That's the reason."

"But a few weeks ago, you told us that Esdeath had arranged requisitions to routinely be sent to your village in order to fix just that."

"Correct."

"So then why are you still here? No matter who wins at this point, your village is safe."

"Because it's not just about me. I couldn't possibly sit by knowing my village is safe while rest of the Empire is not. No matter what, the Prime Minister must be stopped and I will not rest until he is beaten."

"No matter what? So you'll carry all of that weight on your shoulders, just like that?

He nodded his head. "I've lost too many people I care about because of his influence and I refuse to let their deaths be in vain."

"But you could die as well, you know."

"I won't."

"Don't be stupid. People die. That's the way it is. You're no different, Tatsumi."

"That's not true.", he said with a chuckle. "Unlike most people, I've got you watching my back."

"That's not funny."

"Maybe, but it's true. You watch my back and I'll watch yours. That way, we'll see to it that neither of us dies."

Chelsea widened her eyes for several moments, astonished at the simplicity of her companion's answer. She nonetheless could not help but let out an innocent laugh "You're really clueless sometimes, aren't you Tatsumi?"

"Hmm?"

"Okay", she said with a cheerful smile. "It's a promise. You'll watch my back and I'll watch yours. That's the way we'll do things from here on out."

Tatsumi returned her cheerful smile with a cheerful smile of his own before heading back to the couch.

---

[. . . Onto the expedition . . .]

---

The night had come to an end and it was yet again day. Or perhaps mid-morning to be more precise. Tatsumi and Chelsea rode together on horseback towards a location the ambassador had informed them about before they had left to attend the play. Tatsumi was dressed in the black winter coat he had worn when he had first left his village to head to the Capital all those months ago whereas Chelsea was dressed in similar appropriate winter clothing.

They entered a snowy forest miles away from Herz. Well within the forest was a small clearing where Ambassador Hartmann, General Budo and twenty armed Bestimmung soldiers were all waiting on horseback. The ambassador appeared to be dressed in brown leather armor and a black cape.

As he noticed the approaching pair, Klaus greetfully and enthusiastically waved his hand, "You made it!"

Tatsumi nodded his head. "So . . . what are we hunting?"

"Straight to business. I like this kid", the ambassador replied, jovial as always. "Unidentified danger beasts have been reported to be lurking in this region."

"Do you know what kind of beasts they are?", Chelsea asked.

To which the ambassador shrugged his shoulders. "Nope. Various patrol groups have been sent into this area to investigate, but none have come back alive. Not even any stragglers. Clearly, these beasts are mighty damn strong, but if I had to go by my own gut feeling, I'd say it's two beasts and they are both supreme-class."

"How will we find them?", Tatsumi asked.

To which the ambassador replied. "That's the best part. If we wonder around this area enough, they'll find us. After all, they slaughtered all of those patrol units. Surely they'll try the same with us."

Chelsea immediately realized what the ambassador was implying ."So we're basically walking bait."

"Ha! A blunt way to put it, but yes! Bait!", Klaus replied, before letting out a hearty laugh.

At that very moment, the howls of multiple wolves could be heard closing in nearby. Some of the Bestimmung soldiers, each equipped with hunting rifles, suddenly reached for their weapons, but Klaus motioned for them to stop. "Save your ammunition for the main course. Tatsumi and I will handle these vermin."

The Incursio wielder concurred, hopping off his horse and reaching for Incursio's key from the sheath on his back. Klaus hopped off his horse as well, interestingly also drawing a close range weapon; the ambassador sported a claymore, the blade being composed of pure obsidian.

A total of fourteen white wolves approached the clearing from multiple sides. But these clearly weren't ordinary wolves. Each was at least as big as a lion, each had much thicker teeth and each had glowing red eyes.

"Ah, just as I suspected", said the ambassador as he firmly gripped his blade and adopted a battle stance. "All class one Ice wolves. And we're in luck too! Seven for the both of us, eh Tatsumi?"

Tatsumi nodded his head while adopting a battle stance of his own. "They look tough and may have been the end of me had I run into them before I joined Night Raid. But now . . ."

One of the wolves leaped towards Tatsumi, attempting to pounce upon and sink its teeth into his neck. The wolf couldn't even see what came next however, as its head was already rolling on the ground.

Five wolves charged towards the ambassador from multiple directions, one at his front, two at his left and two at his right. A surprisingly coordinated and intelligent tactic for bloodthirsty beasts as they were moving in unison. A great deal of other warriors in this position would surely have met their end, but Ambassador Hartmann clearly wasn't like a great deal of other warriors. With masterful execution, he pivoted his left leg and swung his blade like a whirlwind, bisecting all five in one sweeping fashion. To the untrained eye, it would have appeared as if his sword was in several places at once.

The other wolves tried attacking everyone else, once again prompting the Bestimmung soldiers to reach for their weapons, but Budo spoke out. "Stop. It won't be necessary."

Tatsumi sliced and diced another four wolves like it was nothing, his body almost a blur as he cut them down. Chelsea appeared to be intrigued by his movements. "Unbelievable. He just keeps getting better and better and better."

Just as the female assassin was thinking this, two wolves leapt up behind her and the horse she was sitting on. She noticed this at the last second and instinctively removed several lethal needles from her coat pocket as they drew closer. But before they drew any closer, they were both instantly cut down by her fellow Night Raid assassin.

The two remaining wolves, growing increasingly aware of the fact that the other twelve members of their pack had been decimated, attempted to make a run for it, fleeing out of the clearing and back towards the forest. Upon noticing this, Tatsumi prepared to give chase. "Oh no you don't!"

But the ambassador stood in the way. "Stay back, Tatsumi. The deal was seven each, remember? I'll handle this."

Klaus firmly stood his ground and held the hilt of his blade with two hands while adopting a striking posture. Then, with one quick and powerful swing, a precise gust of air, almost invisible manifested itself in response and went flying after the two wolves, almost instantly cutting them down from a distance.

Tatsumi couldn't quite make out what had just happened. Nonetheless, as a swordsman himself, he was deeply impressed. Awed and mystified even. "That sword you have there: Is that an Imperial Arm?"

"An Imperial Arm? Fraid not", Klaus replied before sheathed his claymore and letting out another hearty laugh and patting Tatsumi on his shoulder. You'll only find those in the Grand Empire or on Budo here."

"Then how did you do that?"

"It's a sword technique of the highest level that very few are able to use, much less master. Your aura must be world-class to pull it off. I wouldn't worry too much about it though. It's not something just anyone can do with enough hard work."

"I would definitely at least like to try."

"That's the spirit, lad!"

Budo cleared his throat as if to draw attention to himself. "We should move on. The longer we dwell out here, the more opportunities assassins might have to come after you."

Tatsumi winced his eyes, immediately remembering why he came to Bestimmung in the first place. "That's right. I'm here to assassinate the ambassador. I can't lose focus of my goal."

Chelsea glanced in the brutish general's direction. "He's a bit too clever for his own good. Just how are we going to separate him from the ambassador long enough for pull this off?"

"Right you are, Budo!", Klaus said as he got back on his horse. "Lets move out!"

With that, the group began riding through the forest, fully intent upon luring out the beasts responsible for the deaths of the previous patrol units. They surveyed the area much like any patrol unit would, constantly increasing the chances of running into their quarry. They engaged several other types of beasts throughout this process, all class one. Ice-Bears, Ice-Vultures and even Ice-Elks. None proved to be a real challenge though for the likes Tatsumi or Klaus.

They continued this for hours until finally making their way towards another clearing, this time a large lake covered in ice.

Klaus peeled his eyes and looked around this clearing before making an observation. "There doesn't appear to be any other way to gain access to the rest of the forest. We'll have to cross it."

"Are you sure about that?", Tatsumi asked, turning his attention to the ambassador. "How do you know the ice is hard enough to support our weight? We could fall in"

To which the ambassador laughed. "Hey, did you hear that boys? Tatsumi here says we could fall into the lake!"

All of the soldiers joined in on the ambassador's laughter. Chelsea sighed and rubbed her face into her palm before whispering into her companion's ear. "When a lake in Bestimmung is frozen, it's frozen. A lake like this can support the weight of thousands of people easily. That's common knowledge here."

"Shit." Following cue, the Incursio wielder immediately began fake laughing in an effort to cover up his mistake.

"Good one!", Klaus said as he and the soldiers begin crossing the lake.

Sensing no danger in going forward, Tatsumi proceeded to move towards the ice on his horse, preparing to cross it with Chelsea, only for the burly general to acquire his attention. "You. Schlaf Drachen boy."

What is it?", Tatsumi asked, stopping and turning his head towards Budo.

To which the burly general replied, "Your wife isn't suited for this kind of combat."

Chelsea immediately shot Budo a dismissive glare upon hearing those words. "I'm right here you know."

To which Budo scowled his eyes. "And yet your husband doesn't seem to know that. I noticed the weapons you attempted to use on the Ice-wolves earlier. They're not suited for slaying the sort of beasts the ambassador is pursuing. Your husband is a fool to allow you out here in spite of that, but he wouldn't be the first person in this country to pay the price due to his own sense of foolish priorities."

Not wishing to raise any suspicion by picking another argument with the great general, Tatsumi simply smiled. "I'm touched that you're concerned, but Chelsea can handle herself just fine."

"It matters not to me what happens to your wife. I only find it fair to warn you."

Paying no further heed to Budo's warning, Tatsumi focused his attention back on the frozen lake, noticing that Klaus and the rest had already galloped their way to the center. He prepared to begin riding himself. But before his horse could take another step, four gigantic octopus like tentacles plunged themselves out from the ice, each tentacle being as thick as an oak tree and as tall as a ten story building.

Caught off guard by this dilemma, four of the Bestimmung soldiers and their horses were seized by the enormous tentacles and brutally dragged down beneath the ice and into the lake's depths.

Klaus unsheathed his sword and commandingly raised it into the air. "It's a spawn of Cyäegha! Quick, we must get to land!"

Ambassador Hartmann and the seventeen remaining Bestimmung soldiers present each galloped on their horses, racing towards the other side of the lake in an effort to avoid getting dragged down under like the others. But as they rushed to the other side, three additional tentacles plunged themselves into the air and came ramming down alongside the ice the men were running across. An impact which created a sizable hole. Klaus and his men, whose horses were about to run straight into this hole, attempted to come to a stop. Unfortunately, the ice was too slippery, causing six additional horses and soldiers to fall right into the lake.

The ambassador and the other soldiers immediately got off their horses and made the effort to help these men out of the water, only for their efforts to be for naught as another two tentacles shot straight out of the water, wrapping and squeezing themselves around all six of these men and their horses before viciously dragging them down below. The remaining horses on the ice caught sight of this and fearfully ran away in various directions despite the cries of the ten remaining soldiers.

Without even thinking about his mission or the danger he was putting himself in, Tatsumi leaped off his horse and sprinted onto the ice covered lake, wasting no time in joining the battle. Chelsea, on the other hand, remained on the horse, taciturn towards the scene playing out before her.

Budo appeared no different than the auburn haired woman next to him, but did his raise an eyebrow. "Not going to join your husband?"

Her eyes remained fixated on the battle on the lake. "In this case, you're right. I'm not suited for combat here."

"I'm not surprised. Your people's sense of self-preservation is ever so shameless."

Chelsea smirked. "Bold words for someone sitting here while the man he's in charge of protecting is in grave danger."

"Hmph. That man put himself in grave danger by his own foolish pride. He was willing to accept my help only under the condition that I would swear to intervene only if it regarded the assassins I am pursuing."

Thoughts of allowing Klaus to get killed did not even enter Tatsumi's mind as he sprinted onto the ice covered lake, rushing to Ambassador Hartmann's defense.

Klaus caught wind of the assassin's bold attempt at a rescue, seeing him run towards the group out of the corner of his eye. "No boy, it's a spawn of Cyäegha. Stay back!"

But the ambassador's warning fell on deaf ears as Tatsumi continued to run towards the battle. Subsequently, one tentacle popped out from the ice behind the Incursio weilder, hurling itself towards him. He unsheathed Incursio, dexterously spun around and used the momentum of his spin to slice into the monstrous appendage. Though the young man's slash hit dead on, there was no indication of it being effective. It was almost as if the tentacle had absorbed the blow with its rubbery skin, being too resilient for Tatsumi's attack to have any effect. Before he could even wrap his mind around this, the tentacle speedily wrapped itself around him, causing the young man to cough up blood as he felt the life being squeezed out of his body.

"Damnit Tatsumi!", Klaus cried, his claymore unsheathed as he rushed towards him. He inflicted the tentacle wrapped around Tatsumi with multiple deadly strikes, but none of them bore any fruit. Rather, the monstrous appendage remained too resilient. Attacks that had sliced through class one danger beasts like butter were nothing to the mighty beast before him.

With one quick pull, this tentacle submerged Tatsumi down below the icy water just as it had the rest of its prey. The Incursio wielder struggled and struggled to the best of his ability, but the appendage wrapped around him felt immovable. Even worse, he was underwater and could barely hold his breath. At that point, death more or less seemed like a foregone conclusion.

As he looked down to see where he was being dragged, he was startled by the sight of squid like head the size of a small house. It only had one eye, green and glowing. As Tatsumi looked closer, he noticed that it was currently feeding itself the horses that had attempted to run away from it earlier, gnawing and chewing on them in big chunks one by one.

"No choice", he thought as he watched this nightmarish sight. "I can only hope no one sees this."

With but a determined thought and a tighter grip of his short sword, Tatsumi's entire body was suddenly enveloped in an all too familiar set of grey and white full body armor. The squid like beast continued holding Tatsumi in place until it was finished with the horses in its possession. It then stuffed the armored assassin into its beak, releasing him from its tentacle grasp upon doing so.

"Big mistake", Tatsumi thought as the monster prepared to crush and devour him.

The Incursio wielder stood still inside the squid like beasts' mouth, it's beak having coming to a complete halt. Moreover, the tip of his spear, Neuntote, subsequently appeared out from the top of the monster's head.

Back on the frozen lake's surface, the tentacles that had been used seize so many Bestimmung soldiers and horses had suddenly fallen limp, utterly devoid of life and movement. Ambassador Hartmann, the remaining soldiers and even Budo appeared to be astonished by what they were seeing. Moments later, Tatsumi, now covered in blood and guts rather than his full body armor, came to the surface, gasping for air and grabbing onto ice for leverage.

"Help him out!", the ambassador commanded his soldiers.

Budo and Chelsea rode up towards the group on their horses, stopping upon getting within speaking range.

Klaus walked up to apparent hero of the battle, sheathing his claymore while doing so. "How in blazes did you survive?"

"Oh that?", Tatsumi asked, coughing up excess water. "Before it could eat me, I carved up whatever I could of its insides."

"Impressive. Even the strongest warriors don't usually survive an encounter with a spawn of Cyäegha without the right equipment, but you survived and slayed one on your own. And beat it with just a sword"

Tatsumi let out a weak laugh, hoping that no one would realize how you really killed the beast. "It was luck."

"Don't sell yourself short, lad. Running into a supreme-class beast like that out here is the very opposite of luck. Spawn of Cyäeghas are known for dwelling in the sea, rather than in the middle of some frozen lake. It's very odd."

Budo once again cleared his throat as if to gather all of the attention onto himself. "It was an impressive feat, but now's not the time to discuss it. We should proceed on with the expedition."

"But we're down to two horses now and half of our men are dead", Tatsumi interjected. "Won't this expedition take a lot longer now?"

"Which is why we don't have time for idle chitchat", Budo scoffed.

Klaus nodded his head in agreement with the great general. "Budo is correct. Let us proceed forward, but with greater caution. I don't want us to get caught with our guard down again. When it gets dark enough, we'll make camp."

---

[. . . The truth about Ambassador Hartmann . . .]

---

And so the group walked across the frozen lake, now known to have been the home of a powerful danger beast, to the other side of the icy forest. Tatsumi and Chelsea remained on their horse, Budo remained on his horse and everyone else, including Ambassador Hartmann walked alongside them. But without any additional horses, the group could not cover ground as quickly, making progress a slow and tiresome affair.

They went on like this for hours until it was deep in the night. At Klaus' discretion, they decided to stop and make camp. Traveling throughout the night was something every individual present was prepared to do, but perhaps not a risk worth taking if it meant engaging another danger beast like the spawn of Cyäegha they had encountered earlier.

Unfortunately, most of their supplies were destroyed during the battle, forcing all of the Bestimmung soldiers to rest near the campfires they managed to prepare based on what was available in the immediate environment. Budo had brought his own supplies and was thus able to prepare himself a tent, though he was insistent that the ambassador use it in his stead. Chelsea also had enough foresight to bring such supplies, though Tatsumi was the one to set them up.

Upon completion of this task, the female assassin approached her companion with a handwritten list of items on a sheet of paper. "I need each of these within an hour."

He pulled the list out of her hands, scanning over it with his eyes near a lantern. The list gave a physical description of several different kinds of mushrooms "What? An hour? I don't even know where to begin looking."

"That won't be a problem", she replied. "On our way to this camping spot, I noticed each of those within a 500-foot radius."

"You noticed mushrooms out here in this weather?"

Chelsea nodded her head. "Bestimmung's vegetation is a lot more resilient to cold weather than ours is back home."

An annoyed look appeared on Tatsumi's face. "And how is me wondering around the camp like an idiot on a scavenger hunt in the middle of the night not going to look suspicious? For that matter, why didn't you gather these mushrooms yourself?"

To which Chelsea gave yet another of her infamous knowing smirks. "Because you're the kind of idiot who would not think twice about helping his dear sweet wife prepare her famous stew for everyone at the camp! Now chop chop. I expect all of those ingredients back here within the hour."

"Fine", he said, letting out an exasperated sigh. It was obvious he was not going to win this one.

With that, Tatsumi grabbed a lantern and a basket and began what he described as a 'scavenger hunt.' He ran his eyes up and down the list, memorizing the descriptions of the mushrooms listed so that he would better be able to spot them. Sure enough, it didn't take him long to find two of these mushrooms listed. He had been in the process of looking for the third one, only to spot Ambassador Hartmann sitting at his lonesome on a rock at a campfire he made at the edge of camp. The ambassador was drinking directly from a bottle of wine, apparently one General Budo had packed away in his supplies. Tatsumi found this to be a tad bit uncharacteristic, having expected the ambassador to be in his usual jovial spirits. If he were going to drink, it would be in everyone else's company rather than just him on his own.

Seeking further inquiry, Tatsumu approached the ambassador from behind. "Klaus? What are you doing over here?"

To which the ambassador responded, still staring at the fire. "Giving my men their last respects."

"But your men are all fine over there. Why don't you go join them? I'm sure they'd enjoy . . ."

"No", the ambassador interrupted. "I'm talking about the men who lost their lives to that cursed spawn of Cyäegha. They are due their respect. It's the least I can offer them now."

Tatsumi ok a seat on a rock right next to the ambassador. "I didn't know. I'm sorry. These men must have been pretty close to you."

"Not particularly", Klaus said, taking another swig out of the bottle. "I've had thousands of soldiers under my employ over the years and can't honestly remember every single face. But that doesn't mean they are owed any less respect for their courage."

Recalling the play he had watched earlier and Chelsea's explanation in regards to how much the people of this country valued strength, Tatsumi skeptically narrowed his eyes. "But the soldiers here died. Doesn't that mean you think they're 'weak?"

Hearing this question caused Klaus to raise an eyebrow. As if he couldn't believe he had just been asked that question. He promptly took another swig. "Weak? Huh. For dying? You know, when I was your age, I used to go around thinking that. But now? That's the biggest load of horse shit I've ever heard."

That was the last answer Tatsumi expected. He thought for sure he was going to get a survival of the fittest rant as he would expect from Esdeath. But instead, he heard something that . . . he actually agreed with. After watching that play earlier and hearing people cheer on the villainous Erich, he felt disgusted with the people of this country. But something about the ambassador felt . . . different.

Klaus took another swig of wine before setting the bottle down next to his boots and continuing to glare at the fire. "There was a time when I had a son. Headstrong, talented and brave. Didn't give a damn about his position in society or how he compared to others. He simply lived his life the way he wanted to live it. We would attend expeditions like these on a monthly basis."

Hearing this made Tatsumi smile, "Your son sounds like he was a fine man."

"He was. That technique I showed you earlier? You saw what I did to those wolves. My son could've done that to a whale. I know it's not saying much, but he was a far better man than me. In fact, this matter of giving my respects to all of the dead? I was a stubborn bastard back then, but it took me losing him to that vile beast Hastur for me to start doing it."

"Hastur?", Tatsumi, unfamiliar with the name. "I'm sorry, but who is Hastur?"

"You don't know about Hastur? I'm not surprised. Having to admit to the existence of danger beasts too powerful for us to deal with is not something those lecturers at the academy would ever do willingly. It kind of makes their notions of strength and dominance pretty meaningless. What if I told you there were danger beasts out there even more powerful than Ultra-class?"

Tatsumi's eyes widened in shock. "Really?"

To which Klaus chuckled. "I kid you not. Ultra-class beasts may be rare, but there are still about a thousands of them still roaming the planet if I had to give a good estimate. But then there's an even rarer class of beasts referred to as the Omega-class. Based on the stories, there are only 6 of them in existence and no one has ever slain one."

"How do you know they exist?"

"I used to dismiss them as tall tales and nothing more. But on my last expedition with my son, we went out into the Arctic regions. My son was a mercenary by trade and took up a contract requiring him to investigate the disappearance of several Bestimmung trade vessels that had last been seen in that area. Northern Tribe vessels had also been seen in that area around that time, so I accompanied him, believing that it was the work of the Northern tribes causing more needless bloodshed. I was looking forward to paying them back for what they had done to Vater. How foolish I was in thinking it was so simple. We got to a glacier. An irregular one at that. It looked as if someone had carved out much of the insides and developed themselves a cavern. We saw the wreckage of many trade vessels floating around the glacier, thus decided to go inside. We were ready for a battle with Northern Tribesmen, bringing around 600 mercenaries with us, my son and I leading the charge."

"What happened?"

"When we had gotten deep into the cavern, what we found wasn't bastards from the Northern Tribes, but instead a danger beast unlike any I had ever seen. I'll never forget what it looked like. It was a man-like being wearing a tattered yellow cloak, a mask hiding its face and had tentacles for legs. Surrounding it were the ragged remains of human carcasses, all suited in Northern Tribe or Bestimmung memorabilia. My son walked up to it, a sword clenched in his hands, demanding to know if it was responsible. And then . . ."

"And then?"

Klaus immediately covered his face with one hand, doing his best to muffle the sounds of sobbing as well as hide the expression he had manifested all of the sudden.

Tatsumi could not help but feel pity for the ambassador. The last thing he ever expected to see was a man like this reduced to tears.

"I'm sorry Tatsumi. I've endured a lot of things over the years and have brushed with death enough times to be on speaking terms with it, but what happened there is just too painful for me to relive. That demon took my son and he took every other man present. By some miracle, I was the only one to survive."

Tatsumi frowned as he heard this, giving off a look of introspection. "I understand. I've lost people very close to me as well. I try not to dwell on it, but the pain never goes away."

"Then why don't you take this opportunity to give them your last respects?", Klaus replied, wiping his face and handing Tatsumi the wine bottle.

The Night Raid assassin looked at the bottle of wine, hesitated for a few moments, but then grabbed it out from the ambassador's hands and took a swig of it himself, before setting it down and gazing at the fire. He didn't quite understand this ritual, but he nonetheless felt some peace as thoughts of Sayo, Ieyasu, Sheele and Bulat came to mind.

Klaus continued to gaze at the fire. "If there's one thing I know, Tatsumi, it's that my son wasn't weak. Ever. So the idea of death proving your weakness is a load of shit. What matters. . . what truly matters in your life isn't how strong or weak you are, but how you choose to live it."

Hearing this sentiment spoken aloud caught Tatsumi's attention; his eyes widening and his head was yet again flushing with a myriad of thoughts.

"But that's enough serious talk for the night, lad!" Within a flash, the ambassador's usual lively spirit had returned. "Why don't you instead give me some details about your wedding night. She seems quick witted outside the bedroom, but how quick witted is she in the bedroom?"

"OH SHIT!" Tatsumi nervously jumped up from his sitting position and ran away, immediately recalling the reason he had been wandering around the camp in the first place. "Sorry, I've gotta go!"

With that, the Incursio wielder continued his search, desperately looking around the camp for the remaining mushrooms within the hour. It took some effort, but he eventually managed to get a hold of everything on the list. Upon bringing the ingredients back to Chelsea, she immediately got to work. True to her word, the female assassin promptly began preparing a stew, primarily using supplies she just so happened to bring with her, the mushrooms simply being added as if they were seasoning. She then placed it all in a pot and heated it over a fire. Within no time, the stew was ready and everyone in the camp except General Budo, got themselves a bowl. Chelsea grinned from ear to ear at the numerous compliments in regards to her cooking.

After everyone had eaten, most of the soldiers rested near the campfires, agreeing to take shifts for watch duty until the following morning. Budo remained still like a statue, leaning against a tree and resolutely watching the camp, waiting for the first sign of an attack from an assassin. Sensing that all was well, Tatsumi prepared to lie down next to a campfire and get some rests, only to hear his name being called.

"Tatsumi!", Chelsea said, motioning for her companion to follow her into her tent with her finger.

The ambassador and the soldiers laughed at the sight of this, the ambassador even saying "If I didn't know better Tatsumi, I'd say someone was interested in sloppy seconds!"

Chelsea merely rolled her eyes, before grabbing her companion by the arm and pulling him into the tent. "What do you think you're doing? We're supposed to be married."

He looked at his companion with a panicked look on his face. "You mean . . . you really think we need to . . ."

"Stop right there", she interrupted. "If the next words that come out of your mouth are what I think they are, you can rest assured that that stuff about a ribbon tied box is going to come to fruition."

"Okay okay", he said, beads of sweat pouring down his face. "So what is it?"

"We have to sleep in the same tent. That's all."

He looked at her incredulously. "You sure you won't mind? Last night, you wouldn't even consider the idea of me sleeping in the same bed."

"As long as you don't go all Lubbock on me, I'll manage. Remember, ribbon tied box."

"Yeah yeah, I'll remember."

---

[. . . Tatsumi's decision . . .]

---

It was a chilly night, but bearable for everyone at the camp. Everyone from Bestimmung was well used to the cold and had the aid of multiple campfires. Tatsumi and Chelsea had the comfort of their own tent. The ambassador slept in Budo's tent and Budo stood watch the entire night, a testament to his status as a general of the Grand Empire. Clearly not a title he possessed in name only. The following morning was nonetheless different. The great general found himself sweating profusely as well as within the grasps of sheer nausea. He could barely move.

Klaus helped the burly general to his tent. "Budo, I tried to warn you. Standing outside all night is not something a foreigner should ever consider doing."

"Standing outside all night is nothing to me", said the general as he coughed. "This illness had to come from something else. Assassins I bet."

"You're delirious Budo", Klaus responded. "Had assassins entered the camp, we would've seen it. You would've seen it."

"I intend to get to the bottom of this", said Budo, still coughing.

"Perhaps so, but for now, you need to rest. Stay in the tent and heal up while the rest of us move forward."

"What? Are you insane? If I'm not there, who is going to stop the assassins?"

"We can handle ourselves just fine, Budo. There isn't much else up ahead. As soon as we've finished scouting the area, we'll come back and we can all leave this forest together."

"You're a fool."

"Yes, I'm a fool", Klaus said, letting out another hearty laugh. "But I'm not the fool who let himself get sick."

Eager to finish the expedition, Klaus promptly stepped out of the tent, seeing Tatsumi, Chelsea and the rest upon stepping out. "He should be fine. Despite his sickly appearance, he's as strong as an ox. Still, I'd hate for him to be done in while he's in such a weakened state. Someone should stay behind to keep an eye on him."

Giving off another one of her infamous knowing smirks, Chelsea stepped forward. "I'll do it. If you all come across a beast like the one we ran into yesterday, I won't be of much use anyway. I should be able to handle an assassin or an Ice-wolf though."

Klaus proceeded to climb atop Budo's horse, sensing that the burly general would have any further use for it. "Then it's settled! Chelsea will stay behind and the rest of us will press onwards!"

Playing the part to the fullest, Chelsea then proceeded to run over to her fellow assassin and give him an amorous hug, reminding him of his usual encounters with Esdeath. "Oh Tatsumi! Last night was pure heaven! I can't wait until you get back!"

Much to Tatsumi's embarrassment, Klaus and the Bestimmung soldiers were deeply amused, all laughing out loud. Chelsea nonetheless took the opportunity to lean her head against Tatsumi's and whisper into his ear. "As soon as you get far enough away, kill every one of them. Don't worry. With Budo in his current state, I should have no problem taking care of him."

To which Tatsumi compliantly nodded his head before leaping up on his horse.

"Come on Tatsumi!", jovially said the ambassador "Lets be off!"

With that, they began riding away at a normal pace, Tatsumi and Klaus in front and the soldiers power-walking behind. They traveled for several miles, already being a considerable distance away from the camp.

The Incursio weilder did his best to maintain his composure, but found himself posturing back and forth, glaring at Klaus when he wasn't looking. Chelsea's words repeatedly rang through his head, but he nevertheless felt overwhelmed with hesitation.

The group kept pacing throughout the forest until finally making their way towards a large cave with an equally large entrance. Klaus got off his horse and kneeled down at the entrance. He had immediately noticed signs of a struggle on the inside; it appeared that multiple people had been dragged inside against their will. Further inspection of the sight revealed the tattered remains of various Bestimmung soldier uniforms. "I'd say we've cornered the piece of shit", the ambassador said while unsheathing his claymore.

Tatsumi got off his horse and simply stared at the ground, wondering what to do. "I could kill them right here. Their guard is wide open. So why . . . why am I hesitating?"

Oblivious to the younger man's inner conflict, Klaus let out another one of his trademark hearty laughs."This is no time for dawdling, Tatsumi! We've got ourselves a danger beast to kill!"

The group proceeded into the cavern, all the more fortunate that they had stopped for camp during the previous night as navigating through this cave at any time other than the day would've been highly difficult.

While everyone else was ever vigilant, Tatsumi continued to ponder. "It's not like I haven't killed anyone before. I killed that evil girl Aria, I killed that corrupt guard captain Ogre, I killed that psychopath Nyau and I've killed so many others up to this point. So how is he any different?" Getting further lost in thoughts of inner conflict, he recalled his conversation with the ambassador on the previous night. What he said about his son, what he said about strength and how he sobbed. "He's not evil at all, but no . . . I have to kill him. I have to do it. For the good of the Revolutionary Army. If I kill him, innocents won't get hurt, right? So why . . . why am I still hesitating?"

As they treaded further and further into this enigmatic hollow, they eventually stopped, gazing in awe at what appeared to be a large and spacious hall. The hall was also well lit, torches lined all along the walls. This area was even eerily clear of stalagmites, but contained a plethora of stalactites on the ceiling. And at the far end of the hall was a sight that instantly made the ambassador's blood boil. A humanoid figure sporting a tattered yellow cloak. It appeared to walking towards a large stone door, shaped and designed much like the doors to a cathedral.

Without sign nor warning, Klaus bolted towards this figure with his sword held out in a blind rage. "HAAAAAAASTURRRRRRR!"

The cloaked figure, however, didn't even seem to acknowledge Ambassador Hartmann's presence. Rather, it merely opened the cathedral like doors and went inside, the interior of wherever it was going being pitch black.

"YOU'RE NOT GETTING AWAY FROM ME YOU SON OF A BITCH!", the ambassador snarled while clenching the hilt of blade. Perhaps about three hundred feet from where the yellow cloaked figure had been standing, he slashed his claymore in that direction, creating another precise gust of air, much like the one he had launched against the wolves.

Though just as Klaus' air slash reached the yellow cloaked figure, the cathedral like doors had already closed behind it, causing them to be hit instead. The ambassador didn't appear to be deterred, however, running all the way up to the double door and doing everything he could to pry it open. But it was no use, the doors wouldn't budge even an inch. He slammed himself into it, kicked at it and slashed at the door repeatedly with his sword, but nothing appeared to open, much less move or damage them in any way. He then started banging on the door relentlessly. "OPEN UP! OPEN UP RIGHT NOW! OPEN UP RIGHT NOW YOU COWARD! COME OUT AND FACE ME! DO YOU HEAR ME? ARE YOU LISTENING? GIVE ME BACK MY SON! GIVE HIM BACK THIS INSTANT!"

Tatsumi and the Bestimmung soldiers promptly ran to the ambassador's aid.

"Your excellency", said one of the soldiers. "If you'll step to the side, we can open fire on the door."

"Well what are you waiting for?", Klaus responded, immediately moving out of the way. "Do it!"

And so all ten soldiers aimed their hunting rifles at the door and fired upon it. Not once, not twice, not even three times, but a total of two dozen rounds each. But despite their best efforts, the doors wouldn't budge. Even more surprising was that it didn't appear to have sustained any damage whatsoever; there wasn't even a single scratch on them.

Noticing this, Klaus, kicked the door again in frustration. "Damnit."

One of the soldiers spoke up. "With all due respect your excellency, Hastur is just a myth. At the academy, they taught us that . . ."

But the ambassador would here none of it, quickly holding his claymore at the dissenting soldier's neck. "Hastur is not a myth! You just saw him with your own eyes!"

The soldier reached his hands for the sky, not wanting to incur the wrath of his superior. "I meant no disrespect, Ambassador Hartmann."

To which the ambassador responded, nodding and sheathing his claymore back in its scabbard.

"What do we do now, your excellency?", another soldier asked.

"We'll have to postpone this expedition for now and come back with a much larger force as well as a team of engineers. There's got to be some way to open these blasted doors."

At that moment, footsteps could be heard near the entrance to the hall. Not just any footsteps, but footsteps that quite literally shook the ground with every pace. Tatsumi turned his head to see what was approaching the group only to notice a headless humanoid figure 20 feet in height, clad in a massive set of silver plated armor, also holding a massive tree chopping axe.

"A Headless Hunter", said Klaus as he observed this approaching figure. "I'm familiar with this breed. It's a supreme class, but could mature into an ultra class should it live for a few more decades. We'll see to it that it doesn't. Men, stay where you are. Fire when I give you the order."

Tatsumi reluctantly unsheathed his imperial arm, his eyes full of uncertainty. "No. What am I doing?"

Without pause, the headless danger beast began to rush towards the group, it's axe held out and its murderous intent clear. The ambassador met the monster head on, swung his blade upwards towards its sides upon getting within striking range. But The Headless Hunter parried Klaus' attack with the handle of its axe, simultaneously kicking the ambassador away into the air as if he were a children's play toy.

Not missing a beat, Tatsumi swiftly appeared next to the headless danger beast, leaping into the air and performing a downward slash. An attack, though powerful, was useless against this supreme class monster's might. It raised its left armor clad fist, blocking Tatsumi's strike entirely. Then, with its right hand, it swiped its axe at the young assassin while he was still airborne.

Sensing that he was about to be cut down, Tatsumi placed his shortsword in a defensive posture to block the incoming assault. And he managed to do just that at the last second; the axe's blade hit nothing but the broad side of Incursio. Even so, there was still a great deal of force behind the danger beast's attack. Just as Tatsumi intercepted the strike with his sword, he was sent flying backward with such force and ferocity to the other side of the hall, his back slamming into cave wall hard enough to develop sizable cracks behind him.

Though the Headless Hunter wasn't finished yet. Holding its axe with both hands, it walked towards a seemingly incapacitated Tatsumi. Klaus managed to regain his footing by this point, having recovered from the danger beast's powerful kick. He looked on with concern as it now ran towards the younger warrior.

But then a shot was fired at the beast from behind. The monster halted in its tracks and turned around. Despite not having a head, it appeared to be able to sense where the gunshot had come from. One of the soldiers had fired upon the Headless Hunter without the ambassador's permission. A move which caused the axe-wielding beast to lose interest in Tatsumi, instead now turning its attention to all ten soldiers.

The beast responded to the attack, now running in the direction of the soldiers. Panicking, all ten of these men began firing at the incoming beasts with their rifles.

A tactic which Klaus clearly didn't approve of. "No! You weren't supposed to fire yet!"

Still running, the supreme-class danger beast raised its axe-wielding hand. With one swift throw, the blade launched out its hand like a boomerang, spinning round and round while heading towards the Bestimmung soldiers. They all immediately ceased firing, instead attempting to move out of the way of the Headless Hunter's attack. But it was all for naught. Despite their efforts to move, the axe was too large, too strong and too fast for them to avoid. Like shooting fish in a barrel, all ten men were cut down within a flash, a fact made ever so obvious as the axe returned to the danger beast's right hand.

Tatsumi, having had the wind knocked out of him, did his best to recover, struggling to regain his footing. Not intent on allowing the young man to live even a minute longer, the axe-wielding monster ran towards him, once again clinging to its axe with both hands.

With no time to waste, Klaus pursued the beast from behind, running towards it with his claymore in an offensive posture. The ambassador had hoped to reach the beast before it could finish off Tatsumi, but despite being a faster sprinter, it become increasingly clear that he would not be able to intercept the Headless Hunter in time.

Still running towards the young Night Raid member, the supreme-class danger beast raised its axe, preparing to finish him off with one swift downward strike. Tatsumi, still reeling from the beasts' earlier attack, all of the sudden noticed the peril he was in and realized it was too late move out of the way. There was only one option remaining. . .

The terrifying might of beast' axe came crashing down. And the ambassador ran as fast as he could, but suddenly came to a screeching halt. What was a look of panic for the Tatsumi's safety became a look of confusion for he had suddenly heard the sound of metal smashing into metal as opposed to the cave wall or even human flesh. What's more, it appeared as if the Headless Hunter was in a bit of a standoff with something . . . or rather someone.

Klaus walked closer, only to see that the person clashing with the beast was doing so with the shaft of his spear and was also wearing grey and white full body armor. "Tatsumi . . . is that you?"

"Kind of busy right now!", the younger warrior responded, his voice full of strain.

"Is that . . . an imperial arm?"

"It's a long story."

"I'm sure you have your reasons", Klaus said before letting out another of his trademark hearty laughs. "We'll talk about it over drinks later. First, lets finish off this son of a bitch."

With one quick upper thrust of his claymore, Klaus stabbed the Headless Hunter clean through its right shoulder, causing the monster to let out a loud and pain filled roar despite having no head. It stepped out of its clash with the young Night Raid assassin, once again focusing its attention on the ambassador.

An opportunity which Tatsumi had no plans of passing up as he now thrusted his spear towards its chest, intending to finish the beast off in one blow. To his surprise, however, although his attack landed, it could not pierce the axe-wielding beast's breastplate."

It did, however, cause the beast to once again retaliate by taking a swipe at the Incursio weilder. Tatsumi effortlessly avoided the attack, leaping out of the way in the nick of time and regrouping with the ambassador.

Klaus found this to be amusing. "You don't have much experience against heavily armored opponent's, do you Tatsumi?"

"Not exactly."

He looked at the Night-Raid member with a knowing smile. "Well, the trick to fighting them is to focus on their chinks."

"Their chinks?"

"Aye lad. Even the strongest of us have chinks in our armor just waiting to be discovered. This beast is no exception. Follow my lead."

Klaus and Tatsumi ran towards the Headless Hunter in unison, Klaus at its right, Tatsumi at its left. Klaus yet again thrusted his claymore up towards the beast's right shoulder, evidently the location of one of the Hunter's chinks. The beast, however, appeared to be prepared this time, raising its axe to block the ambassador's weapon.

Subsequently, Tatsumi sliced his spear through the beast's right shoulder, Klaus' movements having clearly been designed to set up this opportunity. Unlike Klaus though, Tatsumi was using an Imperial Arm. Thus, with Tatsumi's attack, he managed to cleave the Headless Hunter's right arm clean off. The beast could yet again be heard roaring out in pain and purple blood could be seen pouring out from where its arm had previously been located.

Tatsumi capitalized on this, now focusing his attention on the beast's left arm, certain that a chink was present in this location. The Headless Hunter didn't appear to be willing to go down without a fight, however. It clenched its left fist and hurled it at its tenacious adversary. An attack which might've proved threatening earlier in the battle, but not with Tatsumi wearing his Incursio armor.

At the very moment Tatsumi dodged, Klaus leaped into the air, landing atop the headless danger beast. Then, using both hands, he thrusted into the Headless Hunter's open wound, pushing and wedging his sword until it had reached the beast's chest cavity. This attack made the beast roar loud enough to be heard throughout the entire cave and perhaps in the immediate area outside.

Sensing that the battle had reached its conclusion, Klaus jumped off the the Headless Hunter and watched as it fell to its knees and did its best to remove the weapon that had been lodged into it. As the beast removed the sword lodged within it, even more blood, gallons and gallons in quantity, begin pouring out from its insides. With one final roar of pain and agony, the Headless Hunter fell facedown and lied on the ground motionless, presumably slain.

Klaus watched the sight in a relaxed state, smiling and finally taking the time to catch his breath. He basked at the sight, knowing a job well done when he saw one and smiled as heard the Incursio weilder approaching him. "For the life of me, it's been ages since I've had to fight like that. Not since my days with Vater. Do me a favor Tatsumi: Never get old."

In what would've been the end to a chapter in any other heroes' story, perhaps there would be cause for celebration. But alas, the very next moment proved this not to be such a chapter. Suddenly, the ambassador's eyes widened, his face grew pale and he looked down towards his upper body, feeling a sudden burning sensation. As his eyes wandered, he could not believe what he was seeing. The tip of Neuntone's blade was protruding out from within his chest.

Ambassador Hartmann turned his head, refusing to believe what appeared to be occurring. But there it was; there was the undeniable truth. Out from the corner of his eye, he saw Tatsumi, still clad in his full body armor, behind him and holding his spear as blood trickled down the shaft.

His death now certain, Klaus' eyes started to dim, both from the mortal wound he had been inflicted and in coming to terms with the reality that had just occurred. Slowly, the light in his eyes began to vanish and so too did his eyelids begin to peel.

With his mission complete, the Night Raid assassin removed his spear from his target's back as he fell down on his face, his body noticeably limp. Whatever feelings Tatsumi had about this, there was no way to discern them for his full body armor covered everything, including his face. Tatsumi did not utter word or even sound. There was no telling what was currently going on in his head. One thing was clear though. By his own free will, he chose to murder the now late Ambassador Hartmann.

---

[. . . Unfinished business . . .]

---

Tatsumi stood there in silence for moments, only to hear footsteps near the entrance of the cavern hall. This time, the footsteps of something or someone the size of a human. The young man turned his head to gaze upon whatever or whomever was approaching, only to gasp.

It was the great general Budo with a chained up Chelsea slung over one of his shoulders. The burly general glanced around room, noticing the dead soldiers near the large cathedral-like doors as well as the slain supreme class danger beast lying on the floor. Lastly, he noticed a lifeless Ambassador Hartmann lying on the floor in a pool of his own blood while the wielder of Incursio stood next to his body, blood still dripping off his spear.

Having put two and two together, the burly general glared at the assassin in his midst. "So the rumors are true after all and the Hundred Man Slayer is no longer the one wearing that armor. Does that mean he is dead?"

Tatsumi returned the general's glare, but remained silent, more focused on Chelsea.

Budo continued to speak. "To think Ambassador Hartmann's death could've easily been avoided. I had warned that fool not to go on ahead without me, but he insisted on being stubborn, getting himself killed in the process."

"You no longer seem to be sick."

"Hmmph. In fairness, it wasn't a bad plan. Having your accomplice subtly poison every single person in the camp with undetectable fumes and then use the stew she prepared as an antidote. Suspecting that I'd be too cautious to eat the stew myself, she was assured that I'd be the only one too debilitated to continue on with the expedition, leaving her so-called husband the opportunity to assassinate the ambassador while she assassinates me. Like I said, not a bad plan. Your mistake was thinking a general of the Grand Empire could be done in so easily."

Having said that, Budo began to set the female assassin down on the ground next to him. At the very moment he took his eyes off of Tatsumi, however, the Incursio wielder bursted towards Budo like a bolt of lightning, thrusting his spear in one sharp and fluid movement, fully intent on ramming it blade through the general's head.

But, to Tatsumi's surprise, the tip of the spear came to a sudden halt upon getting within an inch of Budo's face. Tatsumi was stunned to see that his opponent had caught the end of his spear's shaft with his armored left hand while still having his eyes focused on setting Chelsea down. "Unfortunately for you, they don't let just anyone become a general of the Empire, kid."

He shifted his eyes back to Tatsumi. Still holding the shaft with his left hand, he balled up his right fist, clenched it as tight as he could and fired it off with the force of a torpedo straight into Tatsumi's armored face; the general's fist practically being buried into the boy's left cheek upon impact.

Like a missile, Tatsumi was almost instantly flung across the hall, smashing clean through multiple layers of cave wall on the other side upon impact. Despite wearing superhuman full body armor, Tatsumi could still feel ripples of agonizing pain throughout his body. Even worse, he felt the overwhelming urge to pass out. "Never been hit that hard before."

Still holding the Incursio wielder's spear, the burly general tossed it to the ground, more interested in the newly created hole on the other side of the room. He walked towards it, leaving Chelsea on the floor unmolested.

Having struggled to get back on his feet, Tatsumi emerged from the wall he had been smashed into, wobbling on his feet as he trudged out.

As he continued walking towards his adversary, Budo didn't appear even remotely astounded by his resilience. "I would expect nothing less from someone capable of wielding that armor."

Sensing the gravity of his situation, Tatsumi gazed upon the approaching general and weighed his options. "Okay Tatsumi. You're up against someone with the same rank as Esdeath. Just one of his punches nearly knocked you out just now. Fighting him is a horrible idea and you should focus on running away, but . . ." He glanced at the other end of the cavern, seeing his companion chained up and unconscious. "You don't have any other option."

Showing no hesitation, Tatsumi sprang towards the great general, firing off a ferocious flurry of punches and kicks, showcasing a level of skill that gave even Budo pause, if only for a brief instant as he blocked and dodged accordingly. "His fighting style . . . probably on par with a 10th level member of the Imperial Fist. He's good, however . . ."

As Tatsumi was in the middle of throwing another kick, this one aimed at the burly general's head, Budo bobbed his head back to avoid the blow, simultaneously catching the assassin's foot with his left hand.

"Not good enough!", Budo yelled before twirling around in a 360-degree arc and pitching the armor clad Night Raid member away, clearly intent on smashing him through another wall.

This time, however, Tatsumi rapidly decreased his momentum by rolling in the air, absorbing all of the remaining impact with his feet as he hit the wall. Though within a short instant afterwards, he leaped off the wall, soaring back towards Budo at breakneck speed. Hurled in mid air, Tatsumi threw another punch as he flew towards the great general, but the general readily avoided the blow by stepping to the side and raising up his right knee. A move which caused Tatsumi to suddenly feel a painful jolt in his stomach.

"Not good enough!", the general yelled once more, this time following up by elbowing his adversary in the back of his armored head, causing his face to smash into the ground.

Tatsumi felt his body trying to black out again; he felt his consciousness slipping. But even still, what his body did not understand, his mind was fully wrapped around. Giving up was not an option here.

Budo watched with increased interest as his opponent once again struggled to get back on his feet. Finishing off this assassin while he was down would be child's play, yet there was some part of the general that was fascinated. There weren't many alive who could continue to get up after several of his attacks and yet here this young man was repeatedly doing just that. The great general found himself wondering whether it was the armor that was making this boy so resilient or if there were something more to him entirely.

"Tell me, Schlaf Drachen . . . if that even is your real name, were you sincere in your beliefs about the Grand Empire the other night? Or was that all part of your deception?"

"I meant every word!", Tatsumi responded, finally having regained his footing.

"That's too bad. Were you a mere sell-sword, I would've taken you back to the Empire. With some psychological reconditioning administered by General Esdeath, I could turn you into a deadly weapon unlike any ever seen. But . . . if you're truly committed to revolting against the country I'm sworn to protect, then your sin is one I won't forgive. I will send you to hell where you belong."

As he uttered those last words, Budo clenched his hands once again and threw another punch with his right fist. Still reeling from the previous attacks, Tatsumi covered himself up in a cross-blocking posture, hoping to at least lessen the damage he was about to receive.

But before Budo's fist could reach its destination, the Incursio wielder's trusty spear, Neuntote appeared to be hurling within the vicinity, well on the path to hitting the back of Budo's neck. True to his rank, however, the great general instantly stopped in his tracks, clearly aware of what was occurring. He slipped his head to the side, dodging the spear with ease.

Tatsumi quickly caught his weapon from the air, simultaneously twirling it around much like Bulat would often do at the start of a battle before getting into a battle stance.

"I see", Budo remarked, still having his eyes set on his Tatsumi while clearly acknowledging someone else in the hall. "I can only assume you were only pretending to still be unconscious in order to seize an opportunity like this."

Tatsumi suddenly glanced in the direction his spear had been hurled on, only to see his comrade on her feet near where Budo had left her and no longer in chains. "Chelsea! How did you break free?"

"With my imperial arm, I can get out of just about any tight situation."

"That's a relief", Tatsumi replied.

"Listen Tatsumi, I'm going to need you to run away. Use that weapon of yours to defend yourself if you must, but you have to get out of here. As far as we're concerned, the mission is already complete."

"I would, but in case you haven't noticed, this guy is pretty tough and a lot faster than he looks. There's no way the both of us will get away."

Chelsea gave off another one of her trademark smirks. "Who said anything about the both of us getting away? I'll stay here and hold him off. You run and get as far away as you can."

"What? Are you insane? He'll kill you in a heartbeat."

"If he wanted to do that, he would've done it already. Instead, he wants to take me back to the capital and have me probed for information. It didn't take him long to realize he had captured the most high profile assassin in the Grand Empire."

"Hmmph. She's correct", Budo acknowledged. "Your best bet is try and leave her behind, although there's no guarantee I won't catch you regardless. This Chelsea, as you call her, has been on the Imperial Department of Investigation's most wanted list for ten years now. I was not aware she was using an imperial arm, but it explains how she can conduct so many assassination and reconnaissance missions without ever being traced or identified. The information she's collected over the years is sure to be invaluable. But rest assured, once we've ripped out every piece of useful data from her mind, I'll eliminate her myself. There is no forgiving you rebel scum."

"No, that's not going to happen", Tatsumi retorted, gripping the shaft to his spear ever tighter.

"This is no time to be stubborn, Tatsumi!", Chelsea yelled in frustration. "In case you haven't noticed, this man is a general of the empire. He is amongst the strongest they have. You don't stand a chance. This is the only way one of us will survive!"

"No, we will both survive!", he said before launching a flurry of thrusts with his spear, each aimed at Budo's head.

As usual, the great general displayed very little effort dodging the Incursio wielder's attacks. "How many times must I remind this brat." With the utmost clairvoyance, he predicted the very next place the spear would be, subtly moving his left hand into a position to catch it like before. "Not good enough!"

Budo swiftly reached to grabbed the shaft of his adversary's weapon. But his eyes widened at the very next instant as what he snatched away wasn't the handle of a spear, but pure air. Tatsumi stopped his last thrust mid-motion, banking on an opportunity like the one his opponent had unwittingly presented him; he immediately thrusted his spear again, intent on running his spear clean through the great general's head.

A move, which though unexpected, wasn't one Budo could not avoid. The general yet again swiftly avoided death by weaving his head to the side, though this time by an explicitly narrower margin. He gritted his teeth and returned fire with another swift and powerful straight right punch.

With equal speed and dexterity, Tatsumi intercepted the blow by holding out the shaft of his spear with both of his hands. This made the young assassin stagger back a few feet, but was definitely a step up from getting smashed through another wall. He readied himself, expecting Budo to continue attacking him, but was instead surprised to see the great general having yet to make another move.

Budo appeared to be examining a sliver of blood on his left hand. Upon closer inspection, it was clear that that last thrust with the spear had grazed his cheek, ever so slightly. A small cut could be seen on the general's neck. "Congratulations, brat. You've succeeded in pissing me off."

Chelsea, who had been watching the battle rather closely up until this point, looked on in disbelief. No more than a minute ago, it was readily apparent that her fellow Night Raid assassin was utterly no match for Budo. Giving the matter a little more thought, however, she immediately recalled the last conversation they had with one another in the hotel. Specifically, his words "You watch my back and I'll watch yours. That way, we'll see to it that neither of us dies."

At that moment, the ground around the great general began shaking. "Just for that, I'll start taking you seriously." Rocks, dirt and black dust began firing straight out of the ground, heaping streams of it all gravitating towards Budo, covering him from head to toe. This process drastically altered the general's appearance, donning him in some strange black rock like armor, even giving him a black rock like mask for his face that covered everything but his eyes.

Tatsumi remained in a combat stance, mentally readying himself for anything. "I take it this is your Imperial Arm."

"It is called Ourea", Budo responded, manifesting a black rock-like mace in his hand at least two feet in length. "I don't think I need to explain to you what it does."

"Can't be reckless. The last time I rushed in blindly, he nearly punched my head off."

The great general adopted a combat posture with his mace. "It's unwise to be too hasty against an opponent you know nothing about, but the same can be said about hesitation!" He immediately charged towards his adversary like a raging bull. But Tatsumi stood firm, hoping to counter the burly general's assault.

Holding the mace in his right hand, Budo swung down towards Tatsumi's head. An attack which the Incursio weilder quickly and barely blocked with the shaft of his spear, using both of his hands to do it.

"Shit", Tatsumi thought, realizing that he had made a mistake. Just as he had blocked his opponent's mace, Budo fired off his left hand, nailing the assassin with a clean left hook.

An attack which made the coffee-haired assassin brain rattle, staggering him to the side a bit despite having braced himself for the punch at the last second. The great general simultaneously followed up by viciously swinging his mace towards Tatsumi's left rib cage, causing the boy the cough up blood within his helmet immediately afterwards. Budo then threw another left punch, this time a straight.

With a great deal of strenuous effort, Tatsumi ducked the blow, using all of his might and consecutively thrusted his spear straight towards the general's chest. Beneath his rock-like helmet however, Budo smirked.

The spear hit his chest head on, but to Tatsumi and Chelsea's surprise, did nothing more than leave a scratch. A fact which Tatsumi was not presented with the luxury of pondering over as the the burly general then promptly hit his befuddled adversary with a front kick, knocking him back and hurling him multiple yards away.

Using his spear as support, Tatsumi painstakingly climbed back up to his feet, only to notice an excruciating sensation on his side. This prompted him to look down to his left rib cage. To his dismay, his armor there was cracked.

"The demon armor Incursio is said to be nearly indestructible", said Budo as he gazed upon his disoriented foe. "But like any other imperial arm, it's made out of orichalchum, the hardest metal in the world. I've synthesized every trace of the substance throughout the forest to forge orichalchum armor of far greater concentration. You have no chance of damaging it."

"Gotta ignore the pain. Gotta calm down. Focus. Focus just like you did against that pirate", Tatsumi thought, taking a deep breath and exhaling. "Every set of armor has a chink, right? Just need to find out what his is."

Budo raised an eyebrow, curious about his opponent's demeanor. "Interesting. He's no longer wobbling."

Both warriors clinging to the respective weapons in their hands, they suddenly dashed towards one another. Upon getting within sufficient range of the general, Tatsumi promptly fired off a wide assortment of thrusts and swipes, all aimed at different points of the body. However, each hit did nothing more than scratch the older man's armor.

Amidst this series of attacks, the great general maneuvered himself forward, using his mace to take a sideways swing towards Tatsumi's head. To which the Night Raid assassin responded to by swiftly stepping backward, avoiding the attack and simultaneously swiping his spear downwards towards Budo's left collarbone.

Rather than allow this swing to land like all the others, Budo quickly moved out of the way. A course of action which instantly caught Tatsumi's eyes. "There! That's gotta be where the chink is! I can do this. I CAN do this!"

Budo continued to swing at his opponent with a series of vicious strikes from his rock-like mace, left and right, but Tatsumi started to duck and dodge each maneuver, suddenly finding himself feeling more confident. Before Budo could swing his mace again, Tatsumi backflipped high into the air, landing several yards away from where his opponent was standing.

The burly general charged towards his adversary like a raging bull, but the Incursio weilder was unusually calm, narrowing his eyes as the general got within close proximity to him. "One-handed thrust."

Amazingly, Budo did just this upon getting in range, thrusting his mace towards the young man's head. A move which Tatsumi responded to by dexterously swaying his head of the way. "Next. A follow-up side-swipe aimed at the head."

Once again, Budo did exactly as the assassin predicted. A move which he avoided by swiftly ducking down into a semi-crouching position. "Then a straight vertical swing down."

Like clockwork, the great general immediately swung his mace down towards his young foe. "And here, I break his stance!"

In an incredible display of skill, Tatsumi parried Budo's strike with the tip end of his spear's shaft, effectively knocking the general's hand out of attack position. Fueled by the momentum from his own parry, Tatsumi subsequently swung his spear downward, once again fully intent on hitting his opponent's left collar bone.

However, the strangest thing occurred before the battle could go any further. Just as it looked like Tatsumi's attack was about to land, everything went black. What happened came so quickly and unexpectedly, that the young man did not know nor comprehend what happened. Chelsea, on the hand, being an observer of the battle, understood perfectly as she looked on in horror. At the last moment, Budo had manifested a second mace in his left hand and ambidextrously smashed it into Tatsumi's armored head. With that attack, Tatsumi fell on his back a few feet away from where he had been struck down. He was clearly not moving. Not even an inch.

Chelsea feared the worst. No longer able to sit by and watch any longer, she ran up to her companion, noticeably worried and fearful for his safety. She crouched down next to him, quickly noticing a sizable hole in the boy's helmet; half of his face could be seen. Blood was also flowing out from the temple region on his head "Tatsumi! Tatsumi!" she cried.

"It's pointless", Budo remarked before making his rock armor disperse. "If he isn't dead already, he'll be dead within the minute."

Tatsumi lied there motionless, defeated and perhaps . . .dead. Chelsea shook him left and right as tears flowed out of her eyes, but it was to no avail. "No, I can't! I can't . . . lose you as well. I won't. You have to get up. Please!"

"Didn't you hear me?", the general asked, expectedly stern and unsympathetic. "I told you it's useless. He's finished. And so are you."

Not wishing to waste any more time, Budo then gestured his left hand in a squeezing motion. Rock and soil flew out the ground around Chelsea, subsequently taking on the form of a mound of hard clay. The clay covered the female's assassin's entire body, save for her head. She found herself unable to move even a muscle. To her misfortunate, the clay mound also began to levitate into the air.

"That should hold you for now" Budo said before he turned around and began walking towards the rooms exit, the mound of clay hovering through the air and following him despite Chelsea's best efforts to break free. "Once I've found a more efficient means of keeping you restrained, I'll come back to retrieve the demon armor."

Struggle as she might, her efforts appeared to be hopeless. Regardless of what she wanted, the reality of the situation was one she could not ignore. She couldn't break free. She failed to keep her promise to watch her friend's back. Worst of all, her friend, if he wasn't dead already, was likely to die within the minute. "Tatsumi . . . please forgive me."

---

[. . . The end? . . .]

---

Still laying on his back, Tatsumi finally managed to open his eyes. But when he opened them, he was shocked to see that his fully body armor was missing and that he was no longer lying on the cave floor. Rather, he was lying on the ground within Night Raid's base. The old one to be precise; the one the group resided at prior to Dr. Stylish discovering it. Realizing his location, he promptly sat up and looked around, gazing in disbelief.

Nearby was the sound of someone exercising in the base's outdoor training area. This prompted the Night Raid assassin to rise to his feet and head to this location.

Upon seeing the person who was exercising, Tatsumi's mouth dropped, his face looking as if he had seen a ghost. And perhaps it was a ghost. For what he saw was the late Bulat in the middle of his shirtless morning routine; he was swinging around his wooden training spear, his movements both graceful and impeccable as always.

"Bro, is that you?"

Bulat immediately ceased his movements, instead opting to shift his attention to Tatsumi. "In the flesh."

"But . . . you're dead. Does that mean I'm dead as well?"

"Only one way to find out." The shirtless muscular assassin dropped his training spear and speedily and nostalgically punched Tatsumi in the face, causing him to stagger back a bit.

"What was that for?", the boy growled, rubbing the cheek that had been hit.

Bulat rubbed his chin, pondering on the results of his experiment. "Hmm, I guess you're not dead."

"Did you really need to hit me to find that out?!"

"Well if you want, we can also try that method Esdeath used", Bulat responded, giving a flirtatious wink.

"Um . . . no thanks. Hey wait a minute, how did you even know about that?"

Bulat suddenly took on a more serious demeanor. "Because this is all in your head and you're not dead . . . yet."

Tatsumi's eyes widened. "That's right. I was in a battle with General Budo and . . ."

"He knocked you on your ass with something you didn't see coming, right?"

"Yeah."

"You need to always remain aware of your surroundings. I've told you this before. If you can't even do that, you'll never beat Budo."

Tatsumi frowned upon hearing this. "Sorry bro, but I've tried everything I can. He's just too strong for-"

But Bulat wouldn't let his comrade utter another word, instead threateningly grabbing him by his collar and narrowing his eyes. "And you're not strong?! Don't give me that crap. I didn't leave Incursio to a wimp. If you're having doubts now, you can just forget about that promise you made to Chelsea."

"Chelsea", Tatsumi pronounced, his eyes signifying realization.

"You don't get the luxury of wallowing in self-doubt. Not now. This isn't just about you. If you don't do something, Budo is going to drag that girl back to the Capital, he's going to have her tortured for who knows how long and then he's going to kill her. You weren't able to save Ieyasu nor were you able to save Sayo. Is Chelsea just going to become someone else you couldn't save?! Is that it?!"

"No!"

"Then say it already."

"I will save her."

"Say it louder!"

"I will save her!"

"Say it with all of your heart and soul!"

"I WILL SAVE HER!

"Let your soul rage and roar!"

"I WILL SAVE HEEEEERRRRRRR!"

---

[. . . Yamato Damashi . . .]

---

Not much time had passed since the great general's apparent victory. Perhaps half a minute at most. He was just about to make his way out of the cave hall, only to be interrupted by a sound most peculiar. It was the sound a full grown dragon roaring. A sound which instantly caused Budo to stop dead in his tracks. Not only could the roar be heard throughout the entire cave, but a mighty gust of wind could be felt flowing throughout it as well.

With what little room she could muster, Chelsea turned her head, noticing something out of the corner of her eye. Something that instantly made her smile brighter than she had ever smiled before. So much so that she began to display tears of joy.

Budo openly gritted his teeth, visibly annoyed by what he suspected to be the cause of this uncanny prospect. He turned around just as soon as the wind and roaring came to a halt, his suspicions confirmed.

Tatsumi was in the exact spot he had previously been lying down at it, only now he was standing upright and wide awake, still in his Incursio armor and the shaft of his spear held ever tightly in his right hand. The right half of his face could still be seen due to the damage Budo inflicted. But his right eye glowed red and his right pupil was black and cross shaped. The eye-lenses on his left eye was still present, but it too glowed red and the pupil on that side presumably underwent the same metamorphosis.

It wasn't clear to Budo what had just happened nor how his adversary was still standing. But one thing was clear to him. Their fight was far from over.

---

A/N: Yep, like I said, long long chapter! But one step closer to eventually finishing this story. Sorry if I was a little skimpy on describing the dance scenes. I've never actually done any dancing , thus that was a little difficult for me to do. Also, although I've expanded the AKG lore a bit, for the purposes of this fic, I'm not deviating from the anime's plot. I will however throw in enough to leave room for a sequal should I ever get to it!

Easter egg time! Part of one of the fight scenes is a bit like one of the fight scenes from Rurouni Kenshin whereas the dance scene is similar to one of the scenes from Frasier. Bonus points to anyone who knows what I'm talking about!

Thoughts? Hate it? Love it? Meh? Feel free to favorite, follow or leave a review! Lemme know what you think of this fifth chapter in this Down a different branch AKG installment. Till next time! :D