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

A/N: We've once again made our way to another new chapter! And boy what a chapter we've made our way to! After this chapter comes the final segment of the fic!

As always, thanks for reading and thanks for the reviews! I'd like to give a quick shoutout to a couple of reviewers:

To Kabrito , keep reading till the end. I have a suspicion you'll be satisfied with the way I end this fic and that's all I'm gonna say! ;)

To HankAKiller, thanks for the multiple reviews man as well as for checking into my other works. Much appreciated! Will definitely try to cut down of any of the seemingly extraneous material. Though I am a big advocate of chekov's gun, I will admit that not every single idea I've had at the time of expressing it has carried its way into later chapters via the form I intended. All in all though, I try and write in a fashion where everything 'connects', so to speak.

To any other guest reviewers I'm not able to respond to via private message, thanks for the review and thanks for reading!

And awwwwwwaaaaay we go!

Updated on 6/24/18 - Narrative edits in preparation for Akame ga Hunt

Episode 27: Kill the Paradigm Shift

It was the following morning and Tatsumi was dressed in his usual attire. He was stepping out the double doors of the capital's hospital, only to be greeted by an intrigued Esdeath. The Ice Queen had been patiently leaning up against the hospital's exterior wall.

"Well?", she asked, her eyes gleaming with curiosity. "Don't keep me waiting. What did the doctor tell you?"

"Uh . . . Dr. Rever said I was probably suffering from a rare neurological disorder; that my nightmare must've been so severe as to trigger temporary memory loss."

Esdeath had a sudden smirk of satisfaction on her lips; her expression screamed vindication. "See? Exactly as I told you. And for the record, the name of your condition is nachtmahripia and the symptoms are temporary at best. You should have let me diagnose you. I'm certain my understanding of human mind surpasses Dr. Quack's by far."

"Maybe when it comes to torturing people!", he responded in a passive aggressive demeanor.

"Are you still going on about that?", she replied with the raise of an eyebrow. "How many times must I tell you? It was all a bad dream. I'm not a mass murderer, you're not part of some group of assassins called Night Raid and things like these 'imperial arms' you've been telling me about most certainly don't exist. Even Dr. Quack can tell you that much."

"That's ridiculous. I've been assassinating people for the past year now! Are you telling me I just dreamt all of that up?!"

She shook her head patronizingly. "That's why they're called dreams, Tatsumi. Everyone has them. I once dreamed a colossal robot attacked the Capital. Since when has there been a rule saying dreams couldn't be ridiculous?"

"This has got to be all some sort of trick of hers. There's just no other explanation. I've gotta get out of here. Get back to Night Raid somehow."

While Tatsumi stood there pondering, he was oblivious to the Ice Queen stepping behind him and intimately wrapping her arms around his waist. She proceeded to seductively nibble on one of his ear lobes. Then, with a whisper, she said, "I can think of a couple of ways to put your mind at ease."

"Whoa whoa whoa", the Incursio wielder apprehensively exclaimed, slipping out of the Ice Queen's grasp and promptly turning around to face her. "Maybe you should think of a couple of ways that don't involve THAT."

"Such as?", she asked with a pouting sigh.

Tatsumi was about to mouth an answer, only to be interrupted by the sight of an elderly woman frantically screaming, "Help! Help! He stole my purse!"

The young man instinctively grabbed the hilt of the short sword on his back, swiftly pulling it out and mentally readying himself for combat. However, with but a single offhand glance at the blade, he paused, shocked to see what he was holding. It wasn't Incursio; it was an ordinary short sword much like the one he had when he first entered the Capital. "What's going on here?!"

As Tatsumi stood petrified, the purse snatcher ran right past him, clearly on the verge of making his getaway. He ran no more than a full fifty yards, only to stop dead in his tracks as a speedy figure appeared to the right of him.

It was Esdeath and she had her rapier out, the tip pressed gently against the thief's throat. "I believe you took something that doesn't belong to you. Hand it over."

The robber hurriedly complied, tossing the purse in Esdeath's free hand before reaching both of his hands into the sky. Two nearby guards subsequently ran to the scene, handcuffed the thief and took him into their custody, presumably intent upon taking him to the nearest jail. The Ice Queen then approached the old lady who had been robbed and handed her her purse.

"Thank you, General Esdeath! The Capital is blessed to have you!", she said, her demeanor being most gracious.

"All in a day's work, ma'am", she replied with a cheerful nod, placing her long rapier back into its sheath simultaneously.

Tatsumi, who had seen every detail of what had just transpired, rubbed his eyes to make certain he wasn't seeing things. As the old woman walked away, he walked up to his blue haired companion, dumbstruck. "Um . . . Esdeath, what are you doing?"

To which the Ice Queen smirked. "Protecting people of course!"

"But . . . what about all that stuff about survival of the fittest? Isn't that woman weak for not being able to stop the thief on her own?"

"Perhaps, but as the leader of the champions of justice, my job is to protect the weak."

"Champions of justice? Have you hit your head or something? The Esdeath I know doesn't talk like that."

"The Esdeath in your nightmare, right? That's why it was a nightmare, Tatsumi. Nothing more. As you can see, I'm real. Or would you prefer a demonstration?"

Tatsumi was suddenly reminded of that time he and Esdeath were on that southern island Syura had sent them to. Particularly what occurred when the subject of whether they were in a dream came up. "You mean like kissing me or something?"

"I was thinking more along the lines of hurting you to some extent by means of a pinch", she smiled.

"Oh, well make it quick-mmmmfff"

With no warning, she promptly captured his lips with her own, only to pull back after several moments of this sensation. "But this works too. Feels real to me."

Tatsumi found himself blushing, but promptly shook away the feeling, determined to concentrate on the matter at hand. "She's right. This does feel real. But there's just no way I dreamt up Night Raid and the Revolutionary Army."

"That did feel real, but we can't be too certain about whether your dream hypothesis has been refuted. I propose some more thorough demonstrations back in our chambers. To maximize the effectiveness of these demonstrations, I also propose we make use of some items that serve to concurrently induce pain and pleasure on your end."

Not even wanting to think about the underlying implications to this proposal, Tatsumi fretfully shook his head. "No, I think I'm convinced this is real."

To which the Ice Queen sighed and muttered under her breath. "Oh well. Was worth a try",

"So can you tell me a little more about our job as 'champions of justice'? Maybe if you explain some things around here, it'll help me get my . . . 'memories' back a bit faster."

She nodded her head. "Gladly. As you know, I am a general of the Grand Empire. However, I am also the leader of the three champions of justice. Contrary to what you've prattled on about in regards to a so-called 'Revolutionary Army', there is no rebellion going on at the moment, much less a war. As such, our job is merely to keep the peace by protecting the Capital from evildoers and danger beasts alike."

"But what about the Prime Minister? What about all of the corruption he has spread?"

"The Prime Minister? Corruption? Utter nonsense. In fact, children often confuse him with Santa Claus, both for his girth and his benevolence."

"This is just too unreal."

"Come", Esdeath said, resting an arm over Tatsumi's shoulder. "Let us join the other two champions of justice on their daily patrol. Perhaps that will help calm your mind."

[. . . . Familiar Faces . . . .]

The pair had departed from the capital on a pair of horses; Esdeath lead and Tatsumi followed. As they galloped along the countryside, they passed a small and nearby town. Tatsumi's eyes were wondering all across the scenery. The town was actually flourishing; no signs of famine or poverty whatsoever. In fact, there even appeared to be a carnival going at the outskirts, equipped with a tall Ferris wheel and everything. He had expected it to be in a state much like his own village had been prior to the generous arrangements the Esdeath had made, having grown accustomed to dismal state villages through the empire were in as a result of the Prime Minister's antics.

None of this appeared to be out of the ordinary to the Ice Queen, however. In fact, her eyes were narrowed on the road further ahead. "Tatsumi, look!"

He averted his gaze from the town and its carnival, noticing smoke emitting out of the fort like encampment beyond the lake over yonder. "Let me guess: Bandits."

"How'd you know?"

"You once brought me to one of the hills nearby so I could watch as you had the Jaegars take them out."

"The Jaegars? Why would I . . . oh, you're still talking about your nightmare. Needless to say, you are correct about the bandits. I've received word that they're holed up in that fort over there. Strange though. It looks as if someone else beat us to them."

"The other champions of justice maybe?"

"Perhaps. We can always see for ourselves."

With a firm nod of his head, he continued to gallop behind the Ice Queen as they circled the lake to reach the other side in a roundabout fashion. As they reached the entrance to the fort, they braced the horses and hopped off. Tatsumi noticed a readily familiar face leaning up against a tree nearby, smoking a cigarette with the utmost nonchalance. What's more, her prosthetic arm was no longer damaged; it was functioning just fine.

"Najenda!", Tatsumi exclaimed, running up to the woman he knew to be his commander. "I'm so glad you're here. It's as if everything and everyone has just changed overnight. Do you have an idea of what's going on?"

Of course, Najenda simply ignored him, opting to instead remove the cigarette from her mouth and blow a plume of smoke in his face.

Tatsumi coughed and coughed as she did this. "Hey, what's the big idea here?!"

Najenda then turned her attention to the Ice Queen, continuing to disregard the haired young man in front of her. "General Esdeath, Sir Tatsumi here should not partake in missions while inebriated. I'd advise disciplining him for his impudence, but we both know that's not going to happen."

To which the Ice Queen sighed, "Tatsumi is suffering a rare neurological condition that causes temporary amnesia. He thinks the Prime Minister is evil, that you and him are part of some league of assassins called Night Raid that are using magic weapons to try and take over the Grand Empire."

"Evil prime ministers? Assassins' leagues? Magic weapons? Plots to take over the country? Sounds like he's been reading Lubbock's manga collection again."

"I didn't come here to discuss Tatsumi's reading habits. I'd be more interested in finding out what you're doing here."

"The Jaegars and I were on our way back from a mission on the Ali Jinnah border. Broke up another slave trade. We were about to head into the Capital when we came across a mess you've yet to clean up. We figured we'd do the great General Esdeath a favor."

"That's kind of you", Esdeath replied, a hint of passive aggression in her voice. "But stomping out ruffians and highwaymen near the capital is my jurisdiction. You'd be wise to remember your place in the future, General Najenda."

But true to her character, Najenda remained overtly nonchalant, sticking her cigarette back in her mouth after saying, "You're welcome."

"Wait a minute", Tatsumi said, appearing as if a light bulb had suddenly gone off in his head. "Did you say the Jaegars? YOU lead the Jaegars?"

Much to the Incursio wielder's annoyance, Najenda blew yet another puff of smoke into his face rather than indulge him with an answer. As Tatsumi began coughing yet again, two additional familiar faces appeared on the scene, both departing from inside the fort. It was Lubbock and Leone. Neither appeared to have their imperial arms on them, a fact which Tatsumi didn't seem cognizant of.

"Far out! It's Tatsumi", Leone shouted, pointing her finger in his direction as she did.

The green haired assassin was similarly intrigued. "Tatsumi? What are you doing here?"

Sensing that their comradery was still present, he ran up to his two companions. "Leone! Lubbock! Am I glad to see you! Talk some sense into Najenda here. She doesn't remember Night Raid or anything!"

Lubbock suddenly had an incredulous look in his eyes. "What the hell is Night Raid?"

And Leone began to giggle, nudging her green haired companion with her elbow as he she did. "I think he's talking about that new club down on 27th street. If General Esdeath finds outs he's been going there, she is NOT going to be happy."

Too frustrated to bother continuing the conversation, Tatsumi ran right past them, dashing through the fort's entrance as he did. "Not them too!" He looked around frantically, hoping that his remaining comrade would remember everything.

But as he sprinted through a hallway, he stopped dead in his tracks, looking as if he had seen a ghost. Perhaps literally; both Chelsea and Mein were at the other end of hallway, tying up a group of unconscious bandits. Like Leone and Lubbock, neither had their imperial arms in their possession. Tatssumi, however, was more focused on the fact that they were . . . alive.

They both ceased what they were doing, having just noticed Tatsumi walk in. "Hey there", Chelsea said with the gracious wave of a hand.

Tatsumi didn't answer either of them, finding himself unable to utter any words. Instead, he ran right past them, keeping his eyes closed tightly as he continued to move. "Don't look! Don't look! It's gotta be a trick! An illusion! Someone must be using Spectator to mess with my mind again! But who? Zank is dead!"

Mein rolled her eyes with her usual sense of irritation as she watched him run away. "Here we do him and his team a favor by helping them out and can't even be bothered to say hello. "Unbelievable."

Because the Incursio wielder kept running with his eyes closed, he was unable to see where he was going. Shortly thereafter, this caused him to run into something. Or rather, someone. A tall muscular fellow. Tatsumi quickly and defensively opened his eyes, expecting to see a bandit, utterly disturbed at what he saw instead. "Bulat?!"

Indeed, it was his deceased comrade and mentor standing before him. "Whoa there, Tatsumi. You can't just come barging into enemy territory with your eyes closed. C'mon bro, this is basic. Mind your surroundings. Didn't I teach you that? And what's with that look on your face?"

Tatsumi slowly took several steps back, frantically shaking his head as he did. "This is NOT real!"

He took an additional step backwards, feeling the back of his neck rub up against a familiar bosom. He turned his head ever so slightly to see who he bumped into. "Sheele?!"

As expected of her, the purple haired assassin began to fret at the way Tatsumi reacted, believing it to be a result of her usual clumsiness. "Oh my. I'm so sorry! I should have said I was behind you. I didn't mean to startle you!"

He desperately looked around the room, frantically seeking to leave as soon as possible. That's when he noticed a staircase out of the corner of his eye. It led to the second floor of the fort. Being in a pure state of panic, he fled upstairs, sprinting his legs as fast as he could.

To which Bulat shouted, "Tatsumi, wait! The second floor is booby trapped!"

But the Incursio wielder didn't listen. He wanted nothing to do with these illusions haunting him. He continued to pay no attention to where he was going, his fear having taken full control over him. Said fear prevented him from even beginning to notice the floor button he had stepped on upon reaching the second floor.

At that moment, multiple cross bows mounted along the immediate second floor walls activated. Arrows subsequently came flying at him from several different directions. Still too frantic about his encounters with four people he had believed to be have been deceased, he didn't notice the danger he was in.

Luckily, a nearby individual was more than aware of said danger. Two individuals in fact. One skillfully cut down half of the flying arrows with a trusty woodcutting axe. The other shot the remaining arrows out of the air with multiple arrows of her own.

Suddenly realizing what had just occurred, Tatsumi turned his head towards this pair of individuals that had just saved his life, only to see a shocking sight again. His mouth was left hanging wide open. He didn't even bother to run or close his eyes, perhaps too mystified to bother this time. "Sayo. Ieyasu. Not you too."

"In the flesh", Ieyasu cheerfully said amidst casually slinging the handle of his axe over his right shoulder.

Unlike her axe-wielding companion, Sayo wasn't as carefree about what had just occurred. On the contrary, she looked as if she had lost her temper. "What the hell are you doing walking into obvious traps like that? Had we not been around, you would've been dead!"

"Cut him some slack", Ieyasu remarked with a big grin on his face. "Don't you remember what the commander told us while Tatsumi was at the hospital this morning? His bad dreams gave him amnesia."

But the feisty young woman would hear none of it. "Amnesia has to do with losing your memories, not your brain cells! What Tatsumi just did was just dumb, amnesia or not!"

Tatsumi reactively shook his head, pushing himself out of his daze. Determined to get away from what he believed to be a continued effort to mess with his mind, he turned away and started to make a run for it down the second floor hall.

Though as Tatsumi tried to peddle even ten feet, Ieyasu dropped his axe and leaped towards his childhood friend, promptly tackling him to the floor before he could escape. The assassin aggressively struggled to break free of his friend's hold, but Ieyasu held him firm. "Hey, what's the matter with you, Tatsumi?!"

"Cut him some slack. His bad dreams gave him amnesia", said Sayo, her words dripping with sarcasm.

"You're not real! Neither of you are real!", the Night Raid assassin growled while continuing to struggle.

Sayo walked closer to the struggling pair and crouched down next to them, her eyes focused on Tatsumi's. She sighed as her demeanor suddenly shifted from tempered to methodical. "Lets say you're right and we aren't real. That we really died and that you are part of some group of assassins called night raid. Care to explain what's happening right now?"

"Yeah!", Tatsumi muttered. "This is all an illusion. A while back, I met a guy whose imperial arm gave him the power to create illusions, so that has to be what's going on!"

"I see. And how long did that illusion last?"

"About . . . thirty seconds." Tatsumi suddenly had a dumbstruck look on his face. As if a thought had occurred to him, he began to question the possibility that he was experiencing some grand illusion.

Sayo wasn't finished with her line of questioning just yet. "Were you particularly important in that dream of yours? What does someone have to gain in trapping you in an illusion this long?"

Tatsumi remained dumbstruck. He recalled how Zanku had used his illusions to lure him away from Akame, but all this transpired over a relatively short amount of time. Even if someone else had obtained the imperial arm known as 'Spectator', he couldn't imagine anyone in the entire empire who could possibly have a reason to trap him in this sort of illusion for the amount of time he had been experiencing in. The more he thought about it, even the notion that Spectator had the ability to cast illusions as elaborate as this began to fall apart as Zanku surely would've made use of such powers during his duel with Akame. "Okay . . . maybe this isn't an illusion. But it could still be a dream!"

"No offense, Tatsumi", Ieyasu said, still keeping his childhood friend pinned to the ground. "But a world with magic weapons and secret leagues of assassins seems like the stuff dreams are made of."

Sayo nodded her head in agreement. "Think about it. Why did you never hear about the Revolutionary Army until you joined Night Raid? If things like imperial arms exist, why did you never hear of them until you joined this group called 'Night Raid? Don't you think everybody would know about these things?"

Tatsumi searched the depths of his mind for an answer, but couldn't think of one. Sayo's point was logical. The Revolutionary Army was a widespread movement, but he had never even heard of it until he had stepped foot in the Capital. And surely weapons as supernatural and powerful as imperial arms would be known throughout the entire empire; especially if these weapons were used to bring the country to prominence in the first place. Could it be, he wondered. Could all of his adventures with Night Raid merely have been a dream?

He pondered on the subject some more, but gradually grew more welcoming of Sayo's logic. Not just because it made sense, but in a way, he wanted it to make sense. After all, this world was astronomically preferable to the world he had grown accustomed to in what he was now believing to have been a bad dream.

Feeling no more struggle, Ieyasu promptly released Tatsumi from his grasp, helping him back onto his feet. Sayo stood back up as well. Both couldn't help but notice a sudden change in their childhood friend's demeanor. His confusion was gone; it was replaced by a pure sense of relief; he looked as if a life-long burden had been lifted off his shoulders. For one reason another, his doubts swiftly abandoned him. As if he were happy to learn that the last year of his life was a lie.

Unable to put what he was feeling into words, Tatsumi did the only thing he felt he could do. Shedding a tear, he threw both of his arms around both Sayo and Ieyasu, squeezing them both to the best of his ability.

"Hey, easy easy", Sayo remarked, noting the tightness of her friend's embrace.

Ieyasu chuckled. "I think it's safe to say he's back to normal."

After a what felt like a minute, Tatsumi loosened his arms and released the pair from his grasp. His emotions had settled down, but he was still gleeful nonetheless. To think that after all this time, his two childhood friends who may as well have been siblings did not in fact die. That their deaths were merely the product of a bad dream. "Sorry guys. I guess I got a little carried away."

"It's alright", Sayo responded, letting out a brief sigh. "As much as it pains me to admit it, either of us might have acted that way too if we were in your situation. I'm just glad you're back to normal. Your memories have returned, right?"

Tatsumi shook his head. "I still don't remember anything, but if it's as Esdeath said, I guess everything should come back to me by the end of the day."

"Champions of justice, front and center!", said a commanding voice making its way up the nearby stairway.

Both Sayo and Ieyasu reverently kneeled to the ground in the direction of the stairway, whereas Tatsumi appeared to be oblivious. He looked to see the Ice Queen making her way up the stairs, only to suddenly recall the Three Beasts as well as the extent to which they were loyal to Esdeath.

The Ice Queen seriously gazed upon both of her kneeling subordinates. "Have the bandits been taken care of?"

"They've been beaten", Sayo responded.

Ieyasu eagerly nodded his head. "They won't be troubling anyone any longer."

"Be that as it may, it was achieved as a result of the Jaegars meddling, leaving us with little else to do at the moment. I suppose we could go on another danger beast raid."

"Commander", Sayo prompted, sounding as if an idea had occurred to her. "Forgive me if I'm out of place, but if we do something less strenuous, perhaps it will help in helping Tatsumi recover from his condition."

"Are you suggesting hunting danger beasts is strenuous?", Esdeath inquired, looking as if she took some slight offense to her subordinate's comment.

"Umm no!", the bow wielding champion of justice nervously said in response, realizing she may have indirectly spoken ill of an activity the general was passionate about. "I'm simply suggesting that Tatsumi might be more receptive to something else."

"Such as the carnival!", Ieyasu shouted with excitement in his eyes.

Esdeath then shifted her eyes to Tatsumi, wishing to know what he thought of this idea. "Well Tatsumi, it's up to you. Go to the carnival or hunt danger beasts?"

Just the look on the Night Raid assassin's face alone was priceless. It was much like the look he had on his face the day he was announced as the winner of the combat tournament he had met Esdeath at. His look perhaps mirrored the look of a child whose parents had just told him he'd be going to the amusement park of a certain fictional mouse character. "Lets go to the carnival!"

To which the Ice Queen dreamily blushed at the sight of this, quickly regaining her composure. "How could I say no to that face?"

[. . . . Cogito, ergo sum . . . .]

Esdeath and her three champions of justice made their way over to the nearby town where the carnival was currently going on at. As they arrived, Tatsumi couldn't help but gape in awe at the lively atmosphere; the games, the rides, the food and the carnival background music; it was much to take in for the young assassin. The reason for his excitement made ample sense; as one who had grown up in a small village up in the mountains, he had never really been given the opportunity to enjoy himself in such a setting. All he had known after leaving his village was the corruption in the Capital and his work as an assassin.

There was a ticket booth at the entrance with a ticket vendor charging all guests a small fee for admission. Upon seeing Esdeath and the three champions of justice approach the booth, however, the vendor cheerfully said "Free of charge!" before handing each of them a ticket and letting them in.

They each walked through the carnival gates, Ieyasu immediately taking notice of the strongman competition a couple of yards forward. The carnival game was no different than the standard way this game was played: Use the mallet to hit the lever at the base of the tower hard enough to make the adjacent puck fly up and ding the bell at the top.

"Step right up!", said the carnival worker standing next to the device. "Ding the bell and win a prize!"

Ieyasu eagerly grabbed the mallet off the ground. "I've got this! This should be just about as easy as chopping wood." With a huff and puff, he swung the blunt instrument down to the lever below. Upon doing this, the puck leaped high up the tower. But to the axe-wielder's dismay, it only went half-way towards the top, well short of dinging the bell.

A sight Sayo found amusing. "I thought you said you had this!"

"Hey! That was just a warm up!"

But the carnival worker shook his head. "Everyone only gets one try, kid. Next!"

Tatsumi eagerly raised his hand. "Let me take a crack at that!" He grabbed the mallet from his fellow champion of justice, intent upon trying to succeed where the other young man had failed. "You were using sheer brute strength, but this game is more about technique." His eyes narrowly focused on the lever below him, Tatsumi diligently swung the mallet downwards in one swift motion, causing the puck to leap high up the tower once more. Though alas, he was immediately dismayed at the results of his efforts, for the puck only went half-way towards the top yet again, still well short of dinging the bell.

Not only did Sayo laugh at the sight of this, but Ieyasu as well, prompting him to even mockingly comment. "Some technique you've got there!"

"I'm not warmed up yet either!", Tatsumi fumed.

"Everyone only gets one shot, kid", the carnival worker said once again. "Next!"

Esdeath seized the mallet out of Tatsumi's hands and stood directly in front of the device. She lifted the blunt instrument into the air, it's head hovering over her back. Then, with the swiftness of a falling star, she smashed the mallet into the lever beneath her. The puck leapt high up the tower once more. But unlike the previous two efforts, a ding was immediately heard afterwards.

The carnival worker immediately proceeded to hand the general a large oversized air manta plush doll. With a victorious smirk on her lips, she handed the prize to Tatsumi, who appeared to be dumbfounded as to how she succeeded where both he and Ieyasu had failed. "How'd you do that?"

"You were right to point out the importance of technique, but if your techniques don't have the proper amount of strength behind them, there is little point in using them. It's not enough to have a strong body just as it's not enough to have a strong mind. A warrior must train both their mind and body to the limit. When the limit isn't enough, they must evolve and go beyond."

"She's just as combat savvy as the Esdeath I knew", Tatsumi thought, impressed with the general's insight.

They continued to tour the carnival, making sure to play every carnival game they crossed, most of which Esdeath proved herself to be skilled in. They also road just about every ride, from the bumper cars, to a high speed merry-go-round, to a mechanical pirate ship that steadily rotates back and forth until eventually moving in a 360 degree arc, to a drop tower that continually carries its riders up to the top of a large vertical structure only to let them continually free fall to the bottom before accelerating.

The minute they got off that last ride, Ieyasu was looking rather queasy. Something Sayo readily took notice of. "You two go on ahead", she said, her eyes directed towards Tatsumi and her commander. "I'll take care of this guy."

"N-no, I can go on, just give me a mom-uaaaaaaaaahhhhh." The axe-wielding champion of justice simply couldn't contain the contents of whatever he had eaten prior to getting on that last ride.

Sayo rolled her eyes, "Fried oysters on a stick covered in butter and barbeque sauce. Brilliant."

Tatsumi, who appeared to be in very high spirits, merely shrugged his shoulders. "Okay. We'll be back."

Having paid little attention to Ieyasu's plight, Esdeath opted to get some cotton candy, blue in color, on a stick from a nearby snack stand. Then, alongside Tatsumi, they walked towards that nearest ride they had yet to get on: The tall ferris wheel he had noticed while they had been galloping past the town earlier. As soon as they had made their way to the front of the line, they got inside their passenger pod and sat by one another side by side. Once they were secured in, the ride proceeded to start.

"Having fun?", the Ice Queen asked in-between nibbling on her cotton candy.

To which he cheerfully answered, "Are you kidding? This is the most fun I've ever had! Back in my village, I only heard stories about places like this."

"We can come to places like this a lot more often if you like."

"Won't that get in the way of our jobs as champions of justice?"

"The Grand Empire is so peaceful that I doubt it would make a difference if excursions like these were properly scheduled."

Tatsumi's cheerful expression steadily grew warmer; more understanding. "Are you having fun?"

"Seeing you so happy is more than enough to make me happy, Tatsumi."

"I know how much you like hunting danger beasts. We can also go hunt danger beasts during these excursions instead if you want."

"There's no need, Tatsumi. I know you aren't anywhere near as fond of hunting as I am."

"Yeah, but I guess . . .". A light blush began to appear on the young man's cheeks. "Seeing you so happy kind of makes me happy as well."

"Tatsumi . . ." The Ice Queen appeared to be taken aback; these were no doubt words she didn't expect to hear.

"To be honest, up until now, I never really understood what my feelings towards you were. In my dream, you had done so many bad things, you were so intimidating and you always came across as being larger than life. But seeing you like this, I think I finally get why despite all of that. . . I ended up falling in love with you."

Hearing these words, Esdeath dropped her cotton candy to the floor of the passenger pod they were in. Before Tatsumi even knew it, her lips were pressed against his and his head was cradled in her hands. A gesture the Night Raid assassin was perhaps uncomfortable with in the past, but was now more than welcoming, closing his eyes and passionately returning this display of affection upon realizing what was going on.

The two stayed in this position without regard to the Ferris wheel making its rotation, leading them both to miss out on the impeccable view that could be perceived from being at the very top. The carnival worker operating the ride took note of the two lovebirds, opting to allow them to remain on the ride for another rotation as opposed to telling them to get off.

For Tatsumi, nothing else seemed to matter at the moment. This blissful moment. Nothing at all. And yet as the moment continued, something blipped in the back of his mind. He took note of this brief blip, but didn't let it stop him from what he was doing. The blip occurred again, lasting slightly longer than the last, but Tatsumi promptly disregarded it, refocusing all of his attention on Esdeath. The blip occurred a third time, this time causing him to open his eyes in fret. The blip . . . it was the sight of Akame. The sight of one his closest friends on the verge of drowning at the bottom of a lake. Seeing this image in his mind, he promptly broke the kiss and pushed the Ice Queen away.

"What's wrong?", she asked, deeply concerned.

"You're not real", he responded, his tone of voice cross and certain.

She chuckled. "That again? Just give it some time. Once your memories have returned, you'll-"

"Cut the crap. Before I came to this fake world, I was at the bottom of a lake with Akame"

"A fake world? Didn't Sayo and Ieyasu go over that with you? Are you really saying this world sounds more fake than world with magic weapons and secret armies you never heard about in your village?"

"And yet I specifically did not encounter Akame at the bandit hideout earlier. Why do you think that is?"

Esdeath shrugged her shoulders. "You didn't encounter Susanoo either. You'll have to ask General Najenda why. Maybe they're out sick this week."

"Su was my friend, but he's also an imperial arm. I've seen no sight of imperial arms in this world and you're the first to mention Su. When you think about it, it makes sense. Imperial arms have helped caused most of the destruction throughout the empire and have made it much easier for the Prime Minister to do his dirty work. If they didn't exist, there might never have been a need for Night Raid. And a world without a need for Night Raid is a world I've wanted ever since becoming member. But it doesn't just stop there. I've wanted a lot of other things too, such as for all my friends to be alive, for the Capital to be free of corruption and for you to give up your murderous ways. It's almost as if this world were created just for me."

"That's absurd."

"But it does go to answer your question. A world where magic weapons and secret armies I've never heard about exist sounds a lot more likely than a world where everything works the way I'd want it to work."

"Assuming any of that is true, what does it have to do with your friend Akame?"

"When I last saw Akame, she and I were about to drown at the bottom of a lake. Being reminded of this would make it much easier for me to come to my senses and realize that this world was fake, wouldn't it?"

To which the Ice Queen sighed. "Let us suppose this world is in fact fake. What difference does it make? You're happy here, aren't you?"

"I won't ever abandon my friends, especially just so I can live in a world that isn't even real."

"Stop and think about this, Tatsumi. Have you any idea how many people have died throughout all of human history? What makes your friends so special? They will die eventually, one way or another. As will everyone in the Grand Empire. What difference does it really make? Here you are presented with an opportunity no other mortal is presented with; an opportunity others can only dream of having. The opportunity to live in a world where you are truly happy. You would give that up?"

"I would and I am!" The young assassin quickly hopped out of the passenger pod and descended to the ground. Fortunately for him, it happened to be hovering a mere 20 feet above the ground at the time. Determined to escape this world by any means possible, he began to make a run for it back towards the carnival's entrance.

But like an apparition, Esdeath suddenly manifested herself in front of him. "Then so be it."

Tatsumi felt a sudden shiver down his spine. He thought he had imagined it at first, but he couldn't help but notice that a masculine voice had been speaking in complete unison with the Ice Queen's just then; dual voices coming out of her mouth. What's more, he noticed the silhouette of a ravenous draconic danger beast behind her. The beast had no wings and possessed four glowing red eyes, each with cross shaped black pupils. The Night Raid assassin did feel traces of fear in the back of his mind, but quickly brushed it aside, intent upon standing his ground. "Are you the tyrant?"

"The Tyrant has been dead for over a thousand years. I am its essence; I am what you call "Incursio."

"Where are we?"

"We are deep within the depths of your subconscious. Here, time flows differently. Therefore, although you may think we've been in here for 14 hours, only 5.48 seconds have passed in the real world."

"Why are we here?"

"I brought you here because you are attempting to obtain what you humans call 'perfect sync.' The one you call Najenda wants you to take full control of my power, but she doesn't understand what this means."

"Yeah? And what does it mean?"

"Perfect sync is not merely a matter of you obtaining my power. It's a matter of your soul becoming bound to mine. Once this occurs, there is no going back. We shall forever be one being. You an imperial arm . . . and I, a human. Wherever your soul goes, mine will follow."

"Well if that's what it takes to defeat the Prime Minister, I'll do it."

"But I am not willing to make such a decision so hastily. To bind my soul to yours is a sacrifice of astronomical proportions. When you die, I shall die as well. To make a sacrifice of that magnitude, I require far more than basic compatibility."

"And what is it you require?"

"The only kind of soul I will allow to be bound with mine is one that possesses a comparable life-force. One that cannot be broken; one that can push through the winnowings of the world and always remain intact. That is what it means to evolve. That is what it means to be the Tyrant. A soul like that would have been able to see through the false reality I subjected you to."

"Then my soul is good enough, right?"

"No."

"What?", Tatsumi asked, knowing full well that he had indeed seen through Incursio's deceit.

"You were only able to realize the truth because of your wish to immediately save the one you call Akame. If not for that, you would have surely spent the remainder of your life within this false world by your own choice. You aren't the first to try and claim my power. Of the hundreds who have attempted this ritual over the past thousand years, every single one has failed. Not one soul was strong enough to evolve beyond the temptation of their own weak and pathetic desires."

"You're going to say I failed your little test because I wanted to save my friend? That's the whole reason I ended up in this situation in the first place. How is that fair?"

"You're face to face with death. You of all people should know death is by no means fair. If you can't even grasp that simple concept, you're by no means fit to have my power?"

"Fine!", he snarled. "Send me back to the real world. I'll find a way to save Akame without your help!"

"No. You were limited to two choices: Death or evolution. You failed to evolve and you'll certainly die should you return to the real world."

"I said let me out!" But Tatsumi received no answer to his demand. Instead, the tyrant silhouette let out a deafening roar and a strong gust of hurricane like winds blew the assassin hundreds of yards away like a ragdoll, sending him tumbling across the ground as if he were nothing more than children's plaything casually being discarded away.

Tatsumi had no intentions of giving up so easily however. Determined to escape this world, he hurriedly regained his footing. But just as he got back on his feet, the absolute unfathomable had occurred. Suddenly, he found himself at the outskirts of the capital, fully clad in his Incursio armor. What's more, he appeared to be standing in the middle of a battle between imperial forces and opposing forces bearing the Reispan insignia. "Another illusion?"

Before the young assassin knew it, his body began moving on its own. Fighting alongside imperial soldiers, he was using his trusty spear, Neuntone, to fight a large elephant sized beast with the head of a lion, the body of a goat and a snake for a tail; no doubt a chimera of sorts. Tatsumi tried his best efforts to cease fighting and flee the battlefield entirely, but for some reason, it was as if someone else were controlling his body and all he could do was sit back and watch. "What is this? I can't move!"

The beast proved to be formidable, ripping multiple men to pieces with its razor sharp teeth, frying a full platoon of soldiers with bolts of electricity being emitted out from its serpent tail's mouth and even delivering bone crushing blows to the Incursio wielder with its paws. And despite having no control over his body, Tatsumi felt every bit of pain from the concussive force these attacks had, causing him to try all the more desperately to gain control over himself.

Yet to his fortune, despite having no control over his actions, Tatsumi sighed with relief; after a long and tiresome battle, the one controlling his movements was victorious. the Incursio wielder was victorious, having plunged his trusty spear, Neuntone, right through the chimera's back and slaying it once and for all. Muscles aching and bones rattling, he began wondering what Incursio was playing at; he couldn't fathom what the it sought to accomplish by placing him in this scenario.

There was no further time to contemplate he situation however. For all of the sudden, the young assassin could feel every inch of his body - arms, legs, torso, head - cooking all over. He recalled having felt a similar sensation once before, but never do painful. He looked to see the cause of the pain he was suffering, only to notice blue sparks of electricity dancing all over his armor; a steady stream of sparks at that.

As if falling out of the pan and into fire, the cause of this pain was an even more shocking realization. Both he and the soldiers near him were surrounded by four additional chimera beast and the three of the beasts were exclusively using their serpent tails electrocute the Incursio wielder to death, the metal armor magnifying the effects of the voltage to levels that were surely lethal.

Tatsumi was now more desperate than ever to move, but his efforts were all to no avail. Feeling his skin boil from the blue stream of bolts, it was all the more agonizing that he couldn't even scream. All he could do was lie on the ground as his skin continued to simmer; lie on the ground as the imperial soldiers around him were savagely mowed down by the other chimera; lie on the ground as death's cold embrace. His life fading, the only thing he could think of was his friends. Najenda, Lubbock, Leone and Akame. They all put their faith in him - especially Akame. He had let them all down. Failed them. He was unable to evolve as he promised and this was his punishment. "Forgive me, everyone."

His pupils dilating and his conscious seemingly fading, he knew it was truly the end . . . only it wasn't. He suddenly found himself in a different location entirely; he was standing on the rooftop of a governor's mansion that was on fire. No doubt located some place in Reispan due to the insignia on a flag nearby. What's more, he was fully clad in his Incursio armor. And just like before, he found himself unable to move even a muscle.

"Nowhere left to run, Nat", said a male voice emanating from behind him."That armor is property of the Grand Empire! I'll be taking it back now!"

Again being but a mere spectator to the feeling of someone else controlling his body, the Incursio wielder involuntarily turned around only to see Grand Chariot charging right at him. Only the voice didn't sound like Wave's. And upon closer inspection, the build wasn't the same either as whoever was donned in this armor was at least 5 or 6 inches taller. What's more, this man appeared to be far more proficient than Wave, relentlessly raining down precise and thunderous blows so much to the point that the Incursio wielder felt as if he had stumbled upon a hornets' nest.

All Tatsumi could do was watch as the one controlling his movements could scarcely block the Grand Chariot wielder's fulled fledged flurry of strikes; strikes that seemed to be increasing their tempo every second. It got to the point to where the Incursio wielder was pacing back step by step, doing everything it could to avoid being overwhelmed. Desperately trying everything it could to avoid . . .

In nothing short of the blink of an eye, he began feeling a burning sensation in his chest; it felt almost as if someone had lit it on fire. Tatsumi involuntarily glanced down, only to realize that the sensation he was feeling was that of the Grand Chariot wielder's fist protruding right through his chest cavity and that he was standing in an increasingly growing pool of his own blood.

"Why?", he thought, unable wrap his mind around the rhyme or reason Incursio would show him not one, but two different bizarre scenarios of him meeting his untimely end. "What are you trying to do?"

Just as Tatsumi blinked, the gruesome scene before him was replaced by another scene. He was standing out under the moonlight sky in the sandy dunes of Ali Jinnah and was surrounded by three shinobi; one wielded a katana, one wielded a spear and the other one wielded a kusarigama. A closer glance upon the trio revealed that their weapons all appeared to have the same exact black metal tint that General's Budo's makeshift weapons had when Tatsumi had fought him in Bestimmung; there was no doubt that each of their weapons were forged from orichalchum.

Rages coursing through his mind, the young assassin had had just about enough of these visions. "Let me go!" But just like the previous two scenes, it was as if he had been tied down to a pair of railroad tracks; no matter how much he relented, all he could do was sit by and watch his oncoming death. And sure enough, that is precisely what he watched once more. Whatever was controlling him fought valiantly, even going as far as to succeed in killing two of the shinobi's engaging him. But thanks to their orichalcum enhanced weaponry, even that success didn't come without the cost of losing an arm and having his liver slashed wide open. And in the end, he found himself entering death's embrace once more as the remaining shinobi used his kusarigama to slash his throat wide open.

"So that's what you're trying to do", Tatsumi thought, appearing to have figured out what Incursio was aiming to accomplish by subjecting him to these scenarios. It wasn't enough to just kill him for failing to reach Perfect Sync. No. It appeared that Incursio had intended to torture him by making him experience death over and over and over again. To make him fail over and over and over again. "Why don't you just end it already?"

But Incursio intended to do no such thing. Quite the contrary, Tatsumi continued to experience this phenomena. It was one scene after another. Difference places, different people, different events, but all with the same outcome. Death. Again and again, Tatsumi experienced death over and over over. Crushed or impaled by enemies (usually those with orichalchalcum based weapons) capable of piercing Incursio's defenses, internal bleeding from foes who couldn't pierce the armor but were overwhelmingly strong nevertheless or electrocution or asphyxiation from foes with esoteric abilities. All the while, he found himself unable to do anything about it. To experience the sensation of death over and over again and be nothing more than a spectator was torture perhaps far worse than anything even Esdeath could come up.

After experiencing thousands upon thousands upon thousands of these scenarios, the assassin had fallen to his knees, screaming in agony in the center of what could only be described as a void; a dark abyss devoid of anything besides the scenes and images bombarding the young man's psyche. He pressed his hands against the sides of his head, desperately attempting to quell away a pain that could only be described as incorporeal. He thrashed desperately about, unable to calm this swirling torrent of desolation and despair.

Yet as he continued to thrash about, the sound of a familiar voice somehow pierced through all the madness and made its way towards the Night Raid assassin's ears. "After all you've been through, don't tell me you're going to let it end like this, lad."

Trying his absolute best to hold on to his lingering sanity, Tatsumi turned his head towards the direction this voice was coming from, surprised to see the interior of a bar several yards near him; there was a bar table and several barstools. Sitting on one of the barstools was . . . "Klaus?"

It was indeed the late Bestimmung ambassador and he was in his usual jovial spirits sipping on a mug of beer. "What are you doing yellin' like you got your balls cut off? I thought you were made of tougher stuff."

"K-klaus. Is that really you?", Tatsumi said, barely able to focus as his psyche was still being bombarded with various scenes. "Y-you're not just another one of Incursio's illusions, are you?"

The ambassador set his mug down upon the bar table and looked upon the young assassin directly. "When you saw Bulat that time you were in a rut with Budo, was that one of Incursio's illusions?"

"But y-you and Bulat are dead."

"We're still alive to you; your memories of us still live on in your subconscious. Just now, as you were thrashing about, you cried out for my help."

Feeling the sensation of guilt creep back up on him, Tatsumi averted his eyes away this man he had murdered in cold blood, "You're the last person I'd want to think about right now."

Ambassador Hartmann suddenly took on a more serious tone. "I know. But ever since you've left Bestimmung, you've been constantly thinking about me. Especially now that you know that I died for nothing."

"Klaus . . . I . . ."

"Lad, I know your thoughts. I know them well. You may have told Najenda that you were ready to do this and Akame that you would keep your promise to her, but no one has any idea what's really going on in your head. No one does. Your guilt. And now your self-loathing. The other night, you even caught yourself wishing that Sayo or Ieyasu had survived in your steed . . . as if to ease your pain."

"I didn't ask for this!", Tatsumi exclaimed, referring to all the troubles all the troubles life had brought him since venturing out to the Capital. "I didn't ask for any of it!"

"No, you didn't. You came to the capital for no reason other than to raise some money for your village. You had no idea you were going to lose your two closest friends. You had no idea you were going to lose even more friends. You had no idea about the wars or revolutions in the works. You had no idea you were going to become a murderer. And you had no idea you'd wind up in this MESS you're thrashing around in right now. All of this was thrown upon you while you were just a naïve lad. But no one ever asks for the parts of their life they don't like, Tatsumi.

"I didn't have a choice!"

"You've always had a choice, boy. You chose to come to the capital. You chose to become a member of Night Raid. You chose to become an assassin. You chose to kill me. And you chose to allow Akame to be placed in danger alongside you. You may not like it, but you've chosen a great deal a things."

"But I did all of those things believing they were for the greater good!"

"Aye, you did all those things with good intentions, but as they say, the path to hell is always a path paved with good intentions. One common theme I notice in all of your good intentions is that they are always the product of what someone else has told you. You came to the Capital alongside your closest friends because that's what your village elder told you to do."

"If we hadn't done anything, everyone would've eventually starved!"

"So why didn't he send the experienced warriors to go? Why did he send three naive children who knew nothing of the world outside the village?"

The young assassin's eyes grew even more distraught than they had already been. He looked as if he were recalling a repressed memory. "Because . . . Elder Choro believed the more experienced warriors were needed in the village."

Klaus took another swig out from his glass before setting it back down. "Or to put it another way, he believed three orphan children were expendable. You may not want to hear it, but that's the reality of the situation. You didn't question him at the time; you blindly went along with him, believing he knew what was best. Just as you blindly went along with Leone when she swindled you out of your money, despite her being a total stranger at the time. Just as you blindly went along with that Aria girl who turned out to be a mass murderer, despite knowing nothing about her. Just as you blindly went along with your mission to assassinate me, despite believing I was a good man. You blindly stopped Esdeath from seeking out the omega class danger beast, Hastur; an idea you knew to be full proof. You decided to delay her just so you could go get permission from Night Raid. Do you see the pattern here, Tatsumi? You almost always choose to blindly follow other people's lead even when it's to your detriment."

Hearing all of this laid out for him, the Incursio wielder was taken aback; he was at a loss of words. It was as if someone had opened his brain like a briefcase, only to pull a detailed list of all of his character flaws and read them aloud. Only he had never even considered his prior actions in this light. He had always focused on the consequences of his decisions, never having actually considered what lead him to make these decisions in the first place. "I . . . I get it. Nothing has changed since I've come to the Capital. I'm still the naïve child I was when I first stepped foot here."

"You think so?", Klaus rhetorically remarked before sipping his glass yet again. "Do you remember what I told you? Do you remember what I said to you right before you killed me?"

Tatsumi's eyes widened for a moment. He dreaded revisiting the moments that led up to the cold blooded murder of an innocent man, but the memory was sketched on the canvas that was his mind, as fresh as it was just after it had happened. "You told me to never get old."

"Tatsumi my boy, there's nothing wrong with being a child at heart! If you ask me, that's what makes you so strong in the first place!"

"What are you saying?!", the young assassin rebuffed. "You said it yourself. My childishness is the reason I'm in this mess in the first place."

"No, your refusal to take control of your life is what put you in your current predicament. Your childishness is what has allowed you to succeed despite that. Think back to all of your prior battles. Think back to all the times you've managed to hold your own against or even defeat opponents with far more experience than you. Didn't you ever notice something strange?"

Once more, Tatsumi searched his thoughts, recalling every noteworthy battle he had ever fought in since he came to the Capital. Akame. Captain Ogre. Zanku the Executioner. Daidara. Nyau. Wave. Dr. Stylish. The pirate captain who had possessed Adramelech. The Headless Hunter. General Budo. All terrifying opponents in their own right, yet Tatsumi had survived each and every encounter despite having very little formal training outside of the months he spent with Bulat.

"One advantage children have over adults is imagination. The openness to new ideas. The willingness to think of and accept limitless possibilities. What you think of as naivete is in reality a means to accomplish whatever you set your mind to. And when you think about, lad . . . that's why you've been able to improve so quickly as a warrior, that's why you have defied the odds in every one of the battles you've fought since coming to the capital, that's why Najenda accepted you into Night Raid, that's why Bulat believed you had to potential to surpass everyone, that's why you were able to defeat Budo and that's why Incursio is still giving you the chance to prove yourself worthy of Perfect Sync! Despite everything that's happened Tatsumi, it is that deepdown heartfelt desire to never give up that is keeping you alive even as we speak!"

Confronted with realization after realization, Tatsumi's eyes widened once more, this time to the point of speechlessness. Every hidden truth about him was reaching its way to the surface. Above all other realizations, however, was that last one Klaus mentioned.

"These scenes and images you keep seeing", Klaus said, rising out of his bar stool and then walking towards Tatsumi. "What do you think they are?"

Tatsumi narrowed his eyes introspectively, searching his thoughts for the right answer. "They are . . . illusions? No . . . this is . . . they are . . . the past."

"That's right", Klaus remarked before kneeling down next to the young assassin. "Incursio isn't torturing you! He's given you one last chance! What you've seen, what you're seeing are the memories of every one of Incursio's previous wielders. Like you, they were all warriors. All of them strong, skilled, determined and competent. Yet none of them could evolve. Their minds weren't open to the naive. The so-called impossible. Even Bulat, as accomplished of a warrior as he was, could never embrace what it truly meant to evolve. But you, lad. You're different. Deep within you is a spirit not unlike the Tyrant's. Follow your own lead, Tatsumi! Stop repressing your true self! Don't let others tell you to stop being naive! Embrace it! Be yourself! Evolve!"

At that moment, it was as if a jolt of energy had revitalized the Night Raid assassin. "I will.", he stammered. As if new life had been breathed into him. Suddenly, he began to resist the torrent of past memories Incursio was bombarding him with. Slowly but surely, he began to regain his footing. Pain and anguish be damned, he began to rise back to his feet. And within moments, he was standing yet again.

Still, something was lacking. Something Klaus quickly picked up upon, indicating as much by turning his attention away from Tatsumi and pointing to something nearby. "Then prove it!"

Tatsumi looked in the direction Klaus was pointing at, only to see the ambassador's obsidian bladed claymore embedded in the ground. As if instinctively knowing what to do, he walked towards, visibly showing strain from the memories he was being bombarded with. Determined nonetheless, he reached for the claymore's hilt with his right hand. As he pulled at it, it wouldn't come out; it was slow to budge.

To which Klaus exclaimed, "You were quick to believe in the false reality Incursio put you in because you didn't want to accept the unconscious truth. That all of your pain and suffering had been a result of your unwillingness to take charge of your life!"

Showing ample strain, the young assassin continued to pull at the blade, mustering it out of the ground centimeter by centimeter.

"It's not Elder Choro's life nor is it Night Raid's, my boy. It's yours! Don't forget what I told you at the campfire that time: What truly matters in life is how you choose to live it. So choose. No matter what anyone else tells you, start choosing for yourself!"

Showing ample strain, the young assassin continued to pull at the blade, mustering it out of the ground centimeter by centimeter.

"Take control and deal with life's burdens on your own terms!"

Tatsumi began to strenuously pull at the claymore's handle with both of his hands.

"Stop letting other people tell you what to do! Stop letting other people set your limitations! Stop repressing your true self!"

The sword began to budge out of the ground at a faster pace. Tatsumi all but had it.

"That sword there is your life! Your roaring soul! It is the source of your strength! It is who you really are! At long last, pull it out of the ground and take control! Its wielder is you and no one else! Use it!"

"I WILL!", Tatsumi cried out, thunderously ripping the blade out of the ground at long last and triumphantly hold it above his head.

"How does it feel?", Klaus asked, the look on his face much like that of a proud father's.

"It feels . . . heavier than what I'm used to", Tatsumi remarked, still holding the blade's hilt with both hands. His eyes curiously wondered over the blade portion, surveying every detail of the instrument that was said to be his life.

"Good. Now use it."

With a firm and resolved nod of the head, he clenched the blade's hilt ever so tightly before calmly closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. Then, in one transcendental moment, Tatsumi gazed upon every one of the memories Incursio exposed him to simultaneously. Every battle, skirmish and duel Incursio had ever been involved on, took them on as his own. Forcibly defying the past by making it his past; his memories; his experiences; his trials. But he didn't stop just there. Not only were these now his battles, but they all became his victories. Almost as if rewriting these memories, the outcome of each encounter that resulted in the wielder getting killed had been altered. Taking full command and inserting himself into these memories, Tatsumi overcame every defeat previous wielders had ever been given.

Most noteworthy was Bulat's climactic battle with General Liver. The outcome of which had long been etched into the young assassin's mind had already etched mind, right down to every drop of blood that was lost; a battle that he had continually reflected upon, constantly wondering on what he could have done to prevent the death of his comrade. Whereas Bulat had erred by being caught off guard by Black Marlin's poison infused trump card, Tatsumi evaded the poison infused blood bullets entirely and came out the battle unscathed.

Just as he had conquered these past memories, Tatsumi took careful note of his surroundings. They were changing once more; the swirling torrent was gone and the dark abyss was fading away much like the remaining snow in the first days of spring. Even Klaus and the bar table had vanished. Instead, Tatsumi once again found himself at the carnival grounds with Esdeath, or rather the form Incursio had manifested, still standing alongside the Tyrant silhouette, as if to patiently wait and see what Tatsumi intended to do next. One thing was clear, however. Tatsumi was no longer intimidated and Incursio knew it.

His eyes fixed on the Esdeath manifestation, fully intent on returning back to the real world once and for all, Tatsumi readily slipped into a striking stance; the young assassin had every intention of cutting down the sole remaining obstacle in his way. Even so, the Esdeath manifestation made no effort to defend itself; it stood patient, remaining content to see what the Night Raid assassin would do next.

With his heart and soul behind him, Tatsumi cleaved his blade towards its intended target, defining the next several moments purely by the sounds that accompanied them. It was at this point that the Esdeath manifestation could be heard asking a question. "I see. Is this your answer, Tatsumi? Is this how you intend to evolve?"

"Yes. From here on out, this is person I choose to be."

"Then this will do, Tatsumi; this will suffice."

[. . . . Asleep no more . . . .]

Back in the real world, Najenda, Leone and Lubbock were all still standing atop the cliff, waiting to see what would happen next. It had been a few minutes since both Tatsumi and Akame had fallen in.

Lubbock began removing his jacket and taking off his shirt. "That's it! I'm going in after them!"

But Najenda held her hand out, gesturing for her green haired subordinate to stop, noting a series of air bubbles rising up to the lake's surface. "Wait."

At the very next moment, it looked almost as if a rocket without any exhaust zipped right out of the water. Of course, the 'rocket' itself looked like a blur. The blur not only fired itself out of the water, but also scaled its way up the cliff, vertically zigzagging its way to the top before landing next to Najenda.

"Tatsumi?", Leone asked, surprised to see her companion having suddenly appeared in the fashion that he did. "Is Akame even that fast?"

The Incursio wielder was crouched down, with an unconscious Akame having been slung over his right shoulder. He had to have holding onto her while scaling up the cliff in the speedy fashion that he did. In what was a display that almost seemed angelic, he gently set her down before standing upright on his feet.

Lubbock observed his companion in awe, never having witnessed such a sight throughout his entire life. Perhaps more unnerving was that it was Tatsumi he was looking at. "Eerie cross-shaped black pupils and red eyes. Just as Chelsea described that one time. But it doesn't look like they're glowing and he's not wearing his armor."

Najenda walked up to Tatsumi, fearlessly looking at him eye to eye. "Hmph. You didn't die, so I can only assume you've evolved. Does that mean you're ready for the next phase of the mission?"

"No", Tatsumi replied, the tone of his voice ever so calm and certain.

Both Lubbock and Leone appeared shocked at their answer their comrade had just given, always having known him as always being ready to leap forward to any mission he was assigned. The usual Tatsumi would've most certainly given a spirited yes, but this Tatsumi was different somehow.

Nevertheless, Najenda maintained her composure, appearing unfazed by Tatsumi's startling answer. "I see. What is it you plan to do then?"

To which the Incursio wielder replied, the look in his eyes remaining calm and certain. "I'll go forward with the mission, but only on my terms."

[. . . . Prelude: Kill the End Game . . . .]

Five days had come and gone since Tatsumi emerged seemingly reborn from the bottom of the cliffside lake. The sun was on the verge of setting in the capital and business was as usual in the imperial throne room. The Prime Minister was nibbling on a plate full of cinnamon buns, Syura was standing on the opposite side of his father with his arms crossed and the emperor was blissfully sitting on his throne with his scepter, blissfully unaware of what was about to occur.

"Your majesty!", cried one of the imperial court's officials, running into the throne room with a rolled up parchment clenched in one of his hands. "We're under attack!"

"What are you babbling about?", Honest asked, his attention, as usual, divided by his overwhelming appetite. "The Revolutionary Army is finished. Who would be foolish enough to attack the capital?"

"Not too long ago, a guard . . . he found this flyer nailed onto the palace's front doors!"

"A flyer, eh?", the Prime Minister said, twirling his beard with curiosity. "Well don't just stand there. Read to us what it says."

The official fretfully nodded his head, unrolled the parchment he had been holding and began to read aloud, "Dear Emperor Makoto, please be advised that we will be raiding your palace tonight at 7:00 pm and that you personally will be targeted for assassination. If you do not wish to be targeted tonight, please deposit the severed head of Prime Minister Honest on the steps of your palace's front doors and all will be forgiven. Otherwise, we will be paying you a visit within the hour. Best regards, Night Raid."

A/N: Alright folks, that was the chapter I've been wanting to write since this fic started. I imagine there are ways it could've been better executed, but this chapter highlights one of the many problems I had with the original. Tatsumi never really had a meaningful character arc and his character flaws kind of just get glossed over at some point. Manga/Anime Tatsumi is more or less Ichigo from Bleach. I hate to say it, but he's two dimensional. Hence, I sought to flesh out our main character. I'm aware the author skirts around having to discuss any moral ambiguity regarding Night Raid and the Revolutionary Army in the original (we get some talk about them being murderers in the beginning, but it's all clear sailing afterwards), but I really think there ought've come a point where Tatsumi's willingness to throw aside his morals and join this organization was seriously discussed. I'm not saying joining Night Raid was the "wrong" decision to make, but it's such a missed opportunity in terms of what the author could've used to give his main character some actual character depth.

I've also changed a lot of things regarding Incursio, but I guess that won't be absolutely clear until the next chapter where things really really get interesting! ;)

Anyways, three more chapters to go! Love it? Hate it? Meh? Lemme know what you think! As always, I appreciate your thoughts, both constructive and positive! Trolling too, provided you're at least clever about it! ;) As always, thanks for reading!