Tower of Black Winds.
The sun was setting and Akame was returning to the Monastery with Felix. Despite him only agreeing to spend some time with her was so he could avoid his father, Akame had a pretty good time. Felix didn't speak a word more than he needed to, he was direct to the point and didn't beat around the bush. While this would make it hard to for most to keep up a conversation with him, Akame preferred it that way since it allowed them to move on to the next subject quickly. They entered the Academy grounds before they reached the cross road where both them would need to split up since they where sleeping in different places.
"Well this is it. My father should be long gone by now" Felix said.
"Felix... thank you, I had a good time" Akame said with a smile.
Felix shrugs "Don't mention it. It was a good way for me to avoid the old man".
Akame shook her head "Felix you misunderstand. I really did enjoy our time together, and I wouldn't mind doing it again sometime. Sparring with you is all good, but spending some calmer times with you and just talking... it felt nice, and I think you and I could learn to get a long more".
"Don't read to much in to this Akame. I am not looking for friends. I only spend time with you because you are a good training partner and you don't annoy me with fantasies and stupid beliefs" Felix said, but there was something in his eye that was not as cold as he was trying to be. Akame could tell Felix was just someone who had trouble letting people in and hid what he was truly feeling behind a rude and cold nature.
Akame took a step towards him "You sure that is the only reason?".
"What other reasons would I have?" Felix asked. This made Akame decide on a risky move that Dorothea would be proud of.
"I'll give you a hint" Akame said before giving Felix a quick kiss on the cheek, making him completely stunned, something that made Akame giggle a little "Goodnight Felix. See you around soon".
With that Akame calmly walked away. Felix was frozen in place for a bit until he suddenly realized what just happened "H-hey! You can't just walk away after that! Hey! Are you listening!" But Akame was already to far away for him to chase after her now "Damn... what is up with that girl? Why would she just... I swear if Sylvain saw that, I'll kill him!".
Still Felix for some reason couldn't say he hated it. Akame really makes him feel strange from time to for Akame she calmly returned to her and Byleth's room. Her older sister was reading a book, using a candle for light.
She looked up when she heard Akame enter "You were gone for a time. You know we're leaving for our mission tomorrow right?"
"I know, I was a little busy" Akame said.
"Spending time with Felix?" Byleth asked but it was clear she knew.
"How did you know?" Akame asked with a faint blush "Wait, did Dorothea tell you?".
Byleth nodded "She likes to gossip from time to time. Why didn't you tell me you had a boyfriend?".
Akame blushed more, making a mental note to give Dorothea a good kick to the butt the moment she gets a chance "He is not my boyfriend! I mean... it's complicated. Besides, I keep hearing you are getting awfully close with Esdeath. Who happens to be my professor".
Byleth blushed faintly "I'm neither confirming or denying that. But be calm Akame, I am not against the idea of you finding someone you love. I want you to be happy, Akame. I just hope you find the right person you can be happy with. I keep hearing Felix is not easy to approach and that he refuses to open up to anyone. If you have somehow managed to get this close to him, then maybe you two are meant to be".
"It's not like that... and besides he's made it fairly clear he is not searching for love" Akame said, looking away.
"Maybe that was true. But people can change, Akame. You and I should be good examples of that. Can't you see how much we have changed since coming here?" Byleth asked.
Akame was silent. Of course she had noticed. Even a blind person would notice the changes. Akame has noticed she is a lot more open than she used to be. She spends more and more time with other people, after she used to prefer the company of her sister and father only. But her class has made it impossible for her to keep up her limited life style. They became her friends and despite having known them for less than a year, she already feel that she can trust them and she wants to spend time with them.
Byleth closed her book "We can talk more about this some other time. For now, let's get some sleep before the mission".
Akame nods before stripping down to her underwear before getting in to bed, using Byleth's breasts as pillows. She always slept better on them. And Byleth did not mind.
The next day everyone got ready for the mission, Akame was on her way to meet with the others until she spotted Sylvain leaning against a wall. He seemed concerned about something, so Akame decided to speak to him.
"Is something troubling you Sylvain?" Akame asked.
"Akame! Glad I caught you, I need to speak to you about the mission you are going on" Sylvain answered.
"Make it quick, Esdeath will kill me if I'm late for something this important" Akame said.
"I'll make this quick. Miklan... he is my brother. I can't believe my own brother is the leader of the bandits. House Gautier is my true home…and his. He really is one of the worst people I've ever known, but we still… We share the same blood. We're still family" Sylvain said.
"I... I understand what you are saying Sylvain. But the crime he committed has all but destroyed any chances of him being spared. If you want me to convince the others not to kill him, I fear there is nothing I can do" Akame said.
"No, that is not what I wanted to ask of you. What I wanted to as is for you to allow me to come with you on this mission. I want to help take Miklan down" Sylvain said.
Akame looked surprised at that "Are you sure? He is your brother".
"All the more reason why I should be the one to take him down. He is disgracing our blood line with his crimes. Please Akame, this is one of the rare moments where I am serious. I need to do this" Sylvain declared.
Akame thinks about what Sylvain said before she sighed "It's not my call to make. But I will speak to my sister and professor. It will be up to them to decide if you can come along or not".
Sylvain nodded "I understand. Thank you Akame. I mean it, thank you".
Some time later, everyone arrived near the Conand Tower. Akame managed to convince Byleth and Esdeath to allow Sylvain to come with them. Didn't take too much convincing since all Esdeath needed to know was if Sylvain would have the guts to kill his own brother. Sylvain assured her he could, and with that they headed out. The tower did not look to friendly, and the storm was not helping.
"This weather is unfortunate. Those villagers were right when they said a storm was brewing. But they were more afraid of an attack than they were of the storm. Let's end this quickly" Edelgard said.
"Say, Teach. This must be the tower, don't you think? Even for a tower, it's pretty.. er, towering" Claude said.
"It looks more like a fortress than a tower. I can see why it would be an ideal place for the thieves to hold up in" Akame commented.
"Miklan must be more skilled than your average thief to have overtaken a place like that" Edelgard agreed.
"It's a remnant of ancient wars... These thieves certainly found themselves a great place to nest. I hear their leader, Miklan, is a former noble. It makes sense he would already know about this place" Claude said.
The a knight named Gilbert joins them "Several hundred years ago, this was an important stronghold for diffusing invasions from the north. Back then, this tower was built for both surveillance and defense. It will be difficult to seize it".
"Gilbert, isn't it? You hail from the Kingdom, right? No wonder you're so knowledgeable. While we're chatting so amicably... Do you mind if I ask some questions?" Claude asked.
"I don't mind. If I can answer them, I will" Gilbert answered.
"Have you ever seen the Lance of Ruin?" Claude asked.
"I have. A long time ago. It was an impressive, if not eerily ominous, weapon to behold. According to Margrave Gautier, Miklan has used the lance to turn the tables on his pursuers" Gilbert answered.
"Is that right? Then those without a Crest can use it as well... Interesting. As far as I knew, that wasn't possible. And then we have the mythical Sword of the Creator, which can't be used by anyone except Teach, Crest or no Crest. Maybe you're just that special, Teach. Or maybe there's something you're not telling us. Either way, I expect great things from you in this battle" Claude said.
"Don't think you can stay back and watch, Claude" Esdeath said as she walked up to the rest "This mission will be a fine chance for you and your house to show everyone what you can do. It's very rare for two houses to be sent on the same mission like this. We can't let an oppertunity like this slip away".
"Esdeath, please. We are here to subdue the bandits and recover the relic. This is not a competition between what house is strongest. You will have that chance at The Battle of Eagles and Lions" Gilbirt said sternly.
"You really know how to make even a life and death mission sound boring. Fine, we will focus on the mission. But don't expect me to just clear the way for you all, this is also a good chance to the students to get more experience" Esdeath said.
"We won't disappoint you, professor" Edelgard said.
"There is something else I want to know. What can you tell us about House Gautier?" Byleth asked.
Gilbert looked at her "House Gautier has always placed great importance on whether or not someone bears a Crest. Margrave Gautier has two sons. A Crest never manifested for his eldest. It's not hard to imagine why he left and wound up in this sort of life".
Edelgard shook her head "There's no reason that Crests should have the power to dictate someone's destiny. Don't you agree, Gilbert? He was just another victim of cruel fate. Forsaken by the goddess, who now demands his execution".
"Those are bold words Edelgard. Careful, someone might take your words the wrong way" Claude said.
"But she does bring up a good point. Crests shouldn't decide if someone is worthwhile or not. It sounds wrong, humans are not objects to be discarded because they lack a certain type of quality" Akame pointed out. Edelgard smiled at her, happy someone was siding with her on that front.
"Hey, I never said I didn't agree. But it's not something one can change over night" Claude said.
"Maybe not over night. But maybe one day, it can change" Edelgard said.
"Enough talking. The storm is not letting up and our enemies are not going to wait around doing nothing. We need to get moving now" Esdeath declared.
Everyone nodded in agreement and they headed inside the tower. It didn't take to long to reach the enemies' location. The place was very big, but there were no other ways out. The thieves were now cornered.
"The enemy is close by. We're almost to the top floor" Gilbert said.
"Phew, why did we have to climb so high before a battle? At least it's better than fighting in heavy rain" Claude said.
"They have nowhere left to flee, so the situation is in our favor. All we have to do is chase them down" Edelgard said.
"Don't hold back for my sake. My brother is going to pay for everything he's done" Sylvain declared.
"Sylvain, there is no need to act tough. It's clear as day that killing your brother is not easy for you. But hey, you got us, that's something at least" Leone said with a lion like grin.
Sylvain smiled at her "Thank you Leone. Let's do this".
"Alright, let's clear out these low lives and take back the relic!" Esdeath ordered.
With that the two houses moved through the path leading towards Milkan. The bandits were dangerous, but they were no match against two classes of trained fighters along with their two professors and a strong knight. The bandits where pushed back more and more. But they were not amateurs, they had a tap laid out and began moving in from behind.
"Here we go! Attack them from both sides!" One of the rogues said.
"It's an ambush!" Gilbert called out.
"Sneaking around from the back are they? They're going to pay for not playing fair" Leone declared.
"Don't you also enjoy ambush tactics?" Hilda asked.
"Yes I do like performing them myself. But I hate it when someone tries them on me!" Leone said before letting out a battle cry and charged at one of the bandits who tried to attack her, only for her armored fist to slam in to his chest, knocking the air out of him before Leone punched him in the head hard enough to crack it open "Come on! Who's next!".
"Leone can be a real animal when she fights" Caspar said in slight fear.
"She is the hunter. The enemy, the prey" Petra commented "Now, we need resume the hunt".
'That accent' Akame thought to herself, before cutting down another bandit as the continued to push forward.
Sylvain charged ahead and came face to face with his disowned brother, who at first looked surprised to see him before he glared "Why have you come, you Crest-bearing fool?".
Sylvain had a confident smile "I'm here for the Lance of Ruin, Miklan. Hand it over. I don't want to humiliate you, but I will".
"Hmph! Hurry up and die already. If not for you... If it hadn't been for you..." Miklan said with pure hatred in his tone.
Sylvain dropped his smile, replacing it with a glare of his own "Shut up! I'm so tired of hearing that. You've always blamed me for something that isn't my fault".
Leone walked up next to Sylvain "He's right. Blame your parents. They were the one who dissowned you for not having a crest".
"I lost everything because of him! But I will show them! I will show everyone that I don't need a crest to be strong! I'll kill you... I'll kill every last one of you!" Miklan shouts before he charged at his two enemies. One of them being his own brother.
With the others busy with fighting Miklan's men, Sylvain and Leone were left to deal with Miklan on their own. Sylvain readied his lance while Leone charged forward to meet Milkan head on. Miklan thrusted the relic lance forward and Leone dodged to the side before throwing a punch with her armored fist. Miklan blocked the blow with his shield, but had to quickly deflect a thrust from Sylvain's lance. Miklan spun around, striking out with both his spear and shield, making Sylvain and Leone jump back. Leone quickly charged back in and pummels against Miklan's shield, making him back up a bit.
Sylvain charged in with his lance, but Miklan expected this and quickly turned around and slammed his chield in to Sylvain's chest, knocking him down to the floor "Now die you Crest Bearing Bastard!".
"Not today!" Leone shouts as she grabbed Miklan's shield and moved it to the side before grabbing his spear arm before he could stab her.
They pushed against each other for a few moments before Leone leaned back and delivered a powerful headbutt to Miklan's face, causing him to stumble back several steps. He looked up and smirked.
"Not bad for your kind... A bunch of spoiled rotten children" He said, but then the Lance of Ruin's Crest Stone begins to glow with a red light. A black and red substance emerges from the stone. Miklan cries out and looks down to see the substance beginning to encircle his arm "What the hell?!".
Miklan tries to rip the substance away, but it quickly consumes his arms and body. He screams in panic and struggles as the rest of the bandits watch along with rest. The Crest Stone pulses. The substance consumes Miklan, even entering into his body through his eyes.
"What the!?" Leone said in horror from what she was seeing.
"Miklan!" Sylvain called out to his brother, but there was no use.
Akame couldn't belive what she was seeing. What kind of power did those relics contain!?
The bandits run away but now Miklan is has been completely engulfed in the black and red substance. Miklan's body grows and the substance is cast aside to reveal a large Black Beast. One of the bandits falls backwards and watches in horror as the beast advances.
"No!" He cried out in fear as The Black Beast grabs the him and kills him.
He throws the dead body aside and rampages towards the others, roaring. He raises up to his full height and howls "Graaaargh!".
"What the– Miklan?! Is that you?!" Sylvain asked in shock.
"Wh-what the hell is that form!?" Leone asked out loud, her confident face having been fully replaced by one of fear.
Akame felt herself trembling a little, she could feel the dark and evil power "Why... why did he turn in to that thing?".
"So this is what happens to those that try to use a hero's relic without a Crest. The weapon will consume them and turn them in to an abomination" Esdeath said with a serious look "Would've been interesting if it wasn't so tragic. All we can do now is put an end to him".
The Black Beast roars as it stalks towards the group. Everyone got ready but to their surprise Esdeath stopped them.
"My teacher?" Edelgard asked in confusion.
"I'm afraid this beast is beyond your current abilities. I will deal with it myself" Esdeath said.
Byleth looked at her in worry "Are you insane? You can't fight that thing alone".
"Ahhh, you're worried about me, that's so sweet of you. But trust me, I will not fall to this beast. You are going to get a taste of how powerful I am" Esdeath as she calmly walks towards the beast "When I fight human opponents, I prefer to only use my blade. But this beast is more powerful than any human opponent. Now, watch closely, and witness the power of Esdeath!".
The Beast roars as it charges up some energy in it's mouth and blasts it at Esdeath. But the warrior's eyes glowed a little before a large wall of ice appeared out of nowhere, blocking the blast. And while the wall was destroyed it allowed Esdeath to charge towards the beast before freezing the floor and made a small ice hill. She slid and jumped of the ice, stabbing the beast in the eye, making it real back in pain. The beast prepared to retaliate with a area attack, but Esdeath's ice magic grew stronger as she sent several large and hard ice shards at the beast, making it stumble back and stopping it's attack.
Suddenly the an small ice storm appeared around the beast, slowly freezing it's hard shell and making it crumble away. The Beast could feel ice shards piercing his hide from all sides, but he had no way of knowing where Esdeath was. He let out one more roar his neck was sliced open by Esdeath's blade, and several more ice shards shot in to his chest. He wobbled a little before collapsing on the floor, dead.
Sylvain watched as the beast turned back in to his now dead brother "Miklan...my brother...".
Leone put a hand on his shoulder "There was nothing you could've done".
"Such a pitiful waste... grab the Lance of Ruin's and we can leave" Esdeath said as she walked away.
"Such power... I had no idea Esdeath was that powerful" Akame muttered to herself.
"No one has ever seen her true power before... we really have a long way to go before we are even within the same league as her" Edelgard said.
Byleth watched Esdeath leave. She was indeed much more powerful than Byleth believed possible. She was holding back in their battle... Byleth would need to grow stronger herself if she was going to have any hope of closing such a massive power gap. And with the Sword of The Creator, maybe she had a chance.
But right now they needed to complete their mission, so Bayleth picked up the lance and they left the dead tower. There was nothing left in that place but death and pain. Sylvain would need time to recover from his brother's death.
Akame was still shaken up by what she saw. If people can be turned in to monsters just by trying to use those relics... then are the relics really meant for good? Or were they created by a much more sinister power?
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This chapter was made to give some spotlight to some other Akame Ga Kill characters that I felt really needed it. And also to show Esdeath is still the OP fighting goddess she is known for in canon. But don't worry, she will not overshadow everyone all the time.
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Tell me what you think.