Author's Note: Alrighty guys, once again as promised, here is Chapter 19 for your reading pleasure as we continue to move right along with this story. As always can't thank you guys for your continued support as we progress which I would guess at this point is nearing halfway it's completion, most likely. As always your continue suppot is much appreciated and please continue to address any concerns you may have, and the will be responded to immediately. I would now like to take this time to give a special thanks to 6ShadowWhoWalks9, Charbinx2109, Papa Popo, Slade575, jessica. hines .986, and romeroFan for having since beginning to favor my story, more special thanks to Trafford, Zero Vader Sparda Alucard, alekandrkozhanov2003 and ikunomii for having since beginning to follow my story and very special thanks to Beaner69, CaiusJuliusCaesar, CodyGryfor, Flugel123, Ghost iv, Machambaman, MechaniRider, ashishchauhan650, charlesparmenter5, sselluos, virtexrican and warlock kratos for having since beginning to both favor and follow my story. Now without further ado, here is Chapter 19, enjoy
Chapter 16: Burn Down the Pious Cult
Upon Lubbock's return to Night Raid's HQ from his mission with Tatsumi, he would then immediately explain to his teammates what Tatsumi had done as they had been gathered in the main hall when Najenda would then say,
"This isn't a very good idea at all, we were going to have him deceive Esdeath so that he could gain her trust and we could use that to our advantage. I do not think it is even possible to convince someone as strong willed as she is to even leave the empire, let alone join us, he was one of my best soldiers and I cannot have him going on suicide missions now", in a distraught tone with her hand on her forehead accordingly before Kyouta would then reply,
"Now hold on a second there Boss Lady, now I know Tatsu ain't the sharpest knife in the drawer, but he is not the type into suicide missions, if he really is with her by choice, then he must REALLY believe he can bring her on over to our side. That boy is like an animal, he really has a natural instinct for these kind of things, any time he's ever sensed something out of a situation and let us know about it, particularly the more deadly ones, it has ALWAYS turned out to be true. Hell it's even scary at times, he honestly knew that we were gonna be attacked by the empire back at home before any of us did, so we should trust him", before Najenda would then reply,
"Well then, since you Nandeya siblings arrived here, you all have been invaluable assets to us on the battlefield both physically and mentally. Neither your strength or judgement has failed us at any point since your arrivals here and I don't have any reason, other than what I used to know about Esdeath, to trust you, I just hope Tatsumi knows what he's doing here", before Kyouta would reply,
"And so do we, we may be confident in bro, but this sounds just as crazy to us as it does to y'all", before this would then cause each occupant of the room to then have a downtrodden look upon their faces before Matoko would then hold her hands in a prayer like style over her breasts before saying, "Ohh, please be careful, big brother"
The next morning, after Esdeath and Tatsumi had spent the entire day training with each other before spending the night with each other in Esdeath's personal barracks, Tatsumi would awake to find that Esdeath had left him alone in the bed before he would then smell food cooking as he then thought to himself,
"NO WAY, she's making me breakfast", before he would then rise from the bed, in just his boxers, wincing in pain as he had done so from him being sore from his day with Esdeath, before making his way into her personal kitchen, the source of the smell he had been following.
There he would find Esdeath, while still in her nightwear, cooking over a personal sized stove before he would then say,
"Oh really, kick my ass for a full day, then you put me down and now you making me breakfast", before a surprised Esdeath would then look up and turn towards him before saying,
"Oh my, I'm surprised you recovered so quickly from yesterday, I thought that you would still be sleeping that off for a little while longer, no matter, I'm almost finished anyway", she said while holding a wooden spoon full of hash to his mouth as she had also prepared scrambled dragon eggs, Razor Boar sausage and bacon, polenta and fry bread, before Tatsumi would then eat what she had held out for him.
After taking the bite he would then quickly find himself in a near euphoric state, finding her food to be delectable as he would then begin to feel weakness in his legs before he would regain his composure and say,
"GODDAMMIT WOMAN, WHERE did you learn to cook like that", before she would then furrow her brow and reply,
"I have been looking after myself since I was nearly twelve, I wouldn't have been able to survive for as long as I have if I weren't able to feed myself", in a defensive tone with her hands on her hips before Tatsumi would then reply,
"I didn't mean it THAT way, now as an assassin, I've probably been around the world twice over by now and our high asses have had the best food money can buy, and I can't remember the last time I had something THAT smackin", as he had now taken a seat at her breakfast table before a now blushing Esdeath would then reply,
"Oh, well first my grandfather taught me the basics of cooking and then Mrs. Yamamoto, who has been our Imperial Chef for well over sixty years, taught me advance skills", proudly as she would then take her seat at the table before Tatsumi would then reply,
"Oh yeah, that guy you told me basically took you in when you got here, y'know, I think I actually remember Grandpa talking, I think I remember him saying that he was actually one of the generals that he didn't hate", which would then cause Esdeath to then reply,
"Well that type of talk isn't surprising coming from a traitor", which would then cause Tatsumi to laugh before he'd then reply,
"Well cant much argue that one, so, when are you gonna introduce me to everybody", before she'd then reply,
"Ha, you have a GREAT deal of trust to gain before I'll even consider to allow you anywhere near the Prime Minister OR the Emperor and since you met all of my Jägers, all that would be left for you to meet would be General and Mrs. Yamamoto, hmmm, I could take you to see them today, would you like that", she asked before he'd then reply,
"Oh cool, I don't think I'd mind meeting the guy that trained you and the woman that raised you", before she'd then reply,
"Splendid, we'll go and visit them this afternoon, then", which would then caused Tatsumi to say,
"Alrighty", as the two of them would then finish their breakfast together.
Within another part of the Capital City, in a luxurious building located just outside the city would be one of the city's many prefectural landlords who would be observing several of his subject toiling away from the window of his comfortable personal suite when he'd then say,
"Swine, swine, ALL swine, it really is fun looking at their completely miserable faces knowing that their taxes keep my wine tasting soooo delicious, I think I'll even double their taxes starting next month", before he'd then take a slovenly drink of his wine as it spilled out of his mouth, as he had done so before, before one of his personal maids would then enter the room and say,
"Good afternoon Lord Gebaze sir, I'm here for your personal massage", in a cheerful tone before he would then reply,
"Ah yes, be sure to make today's extra dirty", as she would slowly approach him before she would then produce a long dagger like needle from her mouth before quickly and silently jamming it into his neck, killing him.
The landlord would then lifelessly slump over into his chair before the maid, who had now revealed herself to be Chelsea after reversing her transformation, would then say,
"And that's a job well done, but I don't think that's the type of dirty that you were expecting", before she would then hear commotion coming from outside of the room which would then cause her to quickly retrieve several items from her Imperial Arms as the door to the room would the burst open to reveal Wave and Kurome as Wave would then say,
"Lord Gebaze, we're the Jägers and we're here to protect you, we have reason to believe that there may be an attempt on your life soon, please allow us to...", as they approached him only for Kurome to then stop herself short as she'd realize that the landlord had already been killed before saying,
"Wave", to grab his attention and show him before he would then notice the dead body and say,
"DAMMIT, we're too late", in a distraught tone.
Later in the day, after Chelsea had returned to Night Raid Headquarters, she would relay to the remaining team members what had happened on her mission before she'd then say,
"The Jägers appeared literal seconds after I killed him, they HAD to have known I was coming then", before Mine would then reply,
"Well if they 'knew you were coming' then how could you have possibly made it out of that alive", before a now annoyed Chelsea would then reply,
"Well luckily for me he had a few pet cats that had been napping there that I was able to blend in with", with an angered expression directed toward Mine before she'd then reply,
"Well then I must say, that Imperial Arms of yours is pretty impressive, I don't even think that I could've pull that one off in any way", before Chelsea would then reply,
"Well duh, that's because everyone in the empire know what you look like, jobs like these are exactly why I'm here", which would then cause a surprised Mine to then say,
"Oh, well thanks then I guess, Chelsea", before Chelsea would then continue,
"Because YOUR best job is to stay here and watch the house just like the little guard puppy that you are", which would then cause Mine to become furious before she would then begin to angrily chase a laughing Chelsea around the room before Yoryu would then say,
"Funny you'd say that because that's the same type of shit she would say to us", before Akame would then say,
"But with this most recent revelation, it would seem as if the Jägers activities are growing closer and closer to home", before Leone would then say,
"Well, it look's like they've killed all those Danger Beasts we were hunting so we're probably the only other thing they're worried about right now, but since your brother is shacking up with their leader, they'll probably cut us some slack if you told them", in a joking manner before Kyouta would then reply,
"Well, that is the plan, isn't it", in slightly more serious tone before Lubbock would then reply,
"You damn Nandeyas, think you're SO damn perfect with your perfect golden skin, flowing sandy hair and dazzling aqua green eyes, women are practically all over you guys... and girls, good thing I'm not jealous of you guys", while being unable to help himself as tears began to fall from his eyes before Leone would then say,
"Geez, get ahold of yourself man", before Matoko would then say,
"I cant believe y'all are letting that cradle robbing dairy cow get her dirty hands on my big brother", in a pouting tone and expression before Najenda would then enter the room and say,
"This was Tatsumi's choice, no matter how foolish or ill advised, he must live with the consequences, and Esdeath is only slight younger than me, she's not TOO old for him", before a now surprised Kyouta would then say,
"WOW, Boss Lady, with all your wisdom and leadership experience, I would've thought you were much older than me, at least in your thirties, and just LOOKED young", before a now flattered Najenda would then say,
"Well thank you Kyouta, that was a nice way to turn an insult into a compliment", which would then cause a now incredulous Leone to then say,
"SAY WHAT, now if I hadda said something like that I'd have a concussion on top of a concussion", before Najenda would then ignore Leone and say,
"Now, after dinner there will be a very important team meeting so do not get yourselves too liquored up beforehand", before Susanoo would then walk from the kitchen area carrying a large mushroom like creature head prepared before saying,
"Dinner is served, everyone", which would then cause the team to surround the dinner table with Akame arriving first as Najenda would then continue,
"I think it would be a good time to discuss our strategy moving forward, with Tatsumi having joined Esdeath and us being this close to setting our plan to bring down this corrupt empire in motion", in a stern tone before Night Raid would then enjoy their dinner.
Meanwhile, just outside Capital City, Seryu would have three state prisoners kneeling before her as one of them, a gray haired man, would then say,
"You gotta believe us, we're not a part of Night Raid", in a desperate tone before another prisoner, another male with shorter black hair, would then say,
"I swear to you, Miss Seryu, we were only stealing that food to eat, we were never gonna hurt anybody", before an unmoved Seryu would then reply,
"So you confess to the crime of thievery then, therefore, once the seed of evil has been planted in you, there is only death, KORO, Chow Time", before Koro would the bite the upper torso from each of their bodies in one chomp before their terrified female companion would then say after yelping at the visceral display,
"No wait, PLEASE listen to me, they threatened to kill me if I didn't help them, I never wanted to steal anything you've got to believe me. I SWEAR to you I'm telling you the truth Miss Seryu, PLEASE allow me a fair trial, I BEG of you", before a still unmoved Seryu would then say,
"Yet you still helped them nevertheless and that is STILL a crime that I will not bother wasting my superiors' time with. I shall pass my own judgement upon the wicked right here and now", before having Koro bite down upon her right arm and thus producing a large blade from it before she would then say,
"Righteousness shall prevail", before coldly removing the girl's head.
Several moments later, a running Wave would then catch up to the now departing Seryu before saying,
"Oh, there you are Seryu, where are those thieves that you were telling me about", he asked while out of breath before she'd then reply,
"It's okay Wave, they wont be the empire's problem anymore", while walking past him nonchalantly before he would then notice blood dripping from Koro's mouth which would then cause him to place his hand upon Seryu's shoulder to stop her before saying,
"Wait..., stop..., you took it upon yourself to execute those people, didn't you? Look, I know we, as the Jägers, have our own set of rules from everyone else, but that doesn't give us the right to go around kill...", before Seryu would then place her hand upon his, interrupting him, before saying,
"Although they weren't part of Night Raid, they still confessed to being vile criminals so justice was served in the end, let us keep at this vigilante pace so that we may continue to cleanse our great empire of it's corruption", which would then put Wave at unease causing him to release her before she'd then continue about her way while saying,
"Let's go Koro", in a cheerful tone before a pitying Wave would then "say" to himself,
"Poor Seryu..., I always knew from the beginning that this job would force me to do things I wouldn't be proud of, but I had NO idea that the empire had this many problems internally. Even still, no matter how messed up the situation is, I MUST repay my debt of honor and fulfill my duties as a soldier to the empire", he thought resolutely as he then put his fist over his chest to reaffirm himself.
Some time later in the day, back at Night Raid Headquarters within their main meeting room, Najenda would still have the team gathered when she would then say,
"With the Revolutionary Army's mobilization nearing and Tatsumi's attempt at weakening the empire internally, I would now like to go over with you all our next assignment, now I'm sure you all have heard of the religious organization known as "The Path of Peace", before Chelsea would then say,
"They are the ones who believe that good deeds and overall altruism will lead them to a prosperous life in the end", before Kyouta wouid then reply,
"Oh, I know them, they starting preaching in Shinnoh not too long before we left, in fact, the day that we left, the chief gave us one of their idol figurines for protection that we don't need", before Najenda would then continue,
"Especially over the last ten years, the Way of Peace's number of followers has been increasing exponentially with it's strongest base being within the eastern region of the capital. We also have reason to believe that they have also began to arm themselves, meaning that a planned crusade is all but assured within the near future. Therefore, our current objective is to use this as best to our advantage, the very moment that the Way of Peace would begin their campaign against the empire, our allies along the western border will always begin theirs, forcing the empire to defend itself from assault from two different angles, but this wont be enough alone. In order to truly finish off the empire, when this happens, our allies in the Revolutionary Army will initiate an uprising from the southern border, from there, we will all then march upon the capital, crush it and seize it in the name of the people", she said before Yoryu would then reply,
"Ahh, a pincer attack, a tried and true strategy", before Najenda would then continue,
"The Empire has always had a habit of being greatly overconfident, especially now with them feeling that the revolution has forced all of their enemies into a common proximity from one another, they feel that momentum is now on their side. Now, the Revolutionary Army's Fortress is located in a remote region not far from the Imperial border, in order to advance upon the capital, they'll have to break through a number of Imperial gate fortresses and checkpoints along the way. However, several of the Viceroys in command of these fortresses are already in negotiations with us for our easy passage as something akin to vengeance in their minds as most of them had used to be employed within the Imperial Palace until they were slighted for one reason or another and sent to these checkpoints as punishment, this in turn will make it easy for our degenerate spies in place to spread the seeds of rebellion throughout. The would be quite the vision on that day, our armies breaching one stronghold after another without any resistance on it's march toward the capital, but still, the Empire WILL respond accordingly. At this point they'll most likely counter strike by sending Great General Budo and his Imperial Guard to intercept, but that would also mean that defenses at the Imperial Palace would be severely weakened during this", before Akame would then say,
"Which would then be the perfect time for us to move in on the Prime Minister and execute him", while holding up Murasame with a determined look upon her face, which would then immediately cause Yoryu to swoon before Lubbock would then say,
"That sounds good and all, but that Prime Minister is a REAL slime ball, I'm sure he try to find some way to sleaze his way out of this one", only for Leone to then quickly interject,
"NOT if I have anything to do with it, he's the one that created this shitty bed, I'll make for DAMN sure he'll take his final nap in it", which would then make Kyouta swoon before Najenda would then continue,
"Now, for their aide, the Western Tribes has asked that we return the lands currently under Man Empire occupation to them", before Yoryu would then say,
"Wait, return?", before Mine would then say,
"There have been tribes from all over that have been unlawfully stripped of their lands by the Empire, the Western Tribes are just one among the tribes that desperately wish to have their ancestral lands returned to them", she said in an almost somber tone and face before Yoryu would then think,
"Oh yeah, that IS right, Mine is a Western Tribal", before Najenda would then continue,
"Once the Empire officially collapses, and it's corrupt laws abolished, the growing frustrations amongst the people will gradually fade, as long as we make the utmost haste in our mission, we will keep the unnecessary spilling of innocent blood down to a minimum, does this sound satisfactory to you all", she asked before the entire team would then nod to her in agreeance before she continued,
"However, even though they are very essential allies for us, the Path of Peace does present a very obstructive predicament for us. There is a man within their organization by the name of Bolic and he serves as the Chief Assistant to the individual that The Path of Peace refers to as their High Lord, but in actuality...", she said...
Far east of the capital, within the Eastern Continent city of Kyoroku, lied a large ornately decorated temple that would be the current meeting place of a large crowd of people situated in front of a stage. On the stage, behind a podium, stood two elaborately dressed, in silken robes, men, one directly behind it wearing the skull of a large bovine like creature that had a red cross like motif and had another thinner broken cross within it at it's angles, and another, bearded man with mid length brown hair, behind him wearing a sophisticated hat with the same symbol upon it. As the two men stood on the stage above the crowd they would be continuously showered with adulation as the crowd would repeatedly chant,
"LORD BAELYSH, LORD BAELYSH, LORD BAELYSH...", in reference to their charismatic leader before he would then hold up his hand to quiet them so that he may speak as they obliged him before he then said,
"My Good People, this world has become filled with great sadness and desolation. Our people are being plagued by starvation, famine and poverty, but yet still, it is because of these conditions that we must not lose sight or stray away from the Path of Peace. We all must continue to strive and support those who are less fortunate than us, all good deeds will eventually be returned in greater quantity", he said while revealing his face, which would be the face of a young, nearly feminine looking man with crystal blue eyes and pastel hair and ornate eye decorations, before several members of the crowd would then say,
"But My Lord, what if we have already devoted our lives to benevolence and still meet a gruesome fate, doesn't that mean that all this would have been for nothing", before the Lord would then reply,
"Even if your life were to come to an end, that would only mean the end of your earthly journey, your everlasting soul will live on my children, those who walk the path of benevolence shall thus come to know eternal bliss within the grand kingdom of God. Why, it had been just yesterday that I had heard the story of a young man that would CERTAINLY walk within the kingdom of God after he had given his life rescuing his younger brother from a pack of wild Danger Beasts that had been pursuing them. That brave young man's name was Joachim and so long as the light of my soul shines, I will never forget that boy's courageousness, as I'm sure no soul within the kingdom of God would", he said to the collective fanfare of the crowd as one man amongst them then said,
"Oh, My Lord, you graciously remember my brother's name, WAAHHH", as he then wept heavily before the Lord would then continue,
"And, Racle, he was the 64,568th soul to find salvation with the Path of Peace under my guidance, he was a sturdy young man with skin of a golden brown and a most renowned fisherman of great generosity", before another female member of the crowd would then say,
"Oh, how gracious of you MY Lord, you even remember my dear husband's name, we are not worthy of your piety", as tears freely flowed down her face before the Lord continued,
"Because even though our mortal forms can be destroyed, as long as their are those who remembers our deeds, we will live everlasting here on this mortal plane as well as in the kingdom of God", he said before even more and louder fanfare as the crowd erupted into a chant of,
"LORD BAELYSH, LORD BAELYSH, LORD BAEYLSH", again
Back at the Night Raid Headquarters as Najenda had continued her directives,
"...Bolic is a spy sent in by the Prime Minister to infiltrate their organization internally. Honest's goal for him was to gain enough influence within their organization so that he could eventually assume leadership of it and prevent any uprisings from happening under his command. In order to execute this, he plans to kill their current Lord and install himself as their new High Lord and prevent any rebellion from the church against the Empire before Kyouta would then say,
"So, why can't we just send in word that he intends to betray them", before Najenda would then reply,
"Bolic has many followers with high ranking positions within their organization that are strictly loyal to him specifically, the empire has him fully backed in this endeavor", before Chelsea would then say,
"This is a large reason why Honest's has always been a particularly slippery indivual, he has always made the choice of trying to corrupt something internally versus outwardly attempting to bend them to his will through oppression", before Najenda would then continue,
"This is where you all would come into play, I'm going to have you guys infiltrate the Path of Peace and eliminate Bolic. In addition to all the corruption that he has been responsible for, he has also been having his main followers, especially the younger female ones, heavily put under the influence of hallucinogens via their food in small doses continuously, leaving them as drug addicts with soft minds. Our intel has also confirmed that several of their most devoted followers are already his personal pawns within the organization, he MUST be eliminated with the most haste", she stated before Lubbock would then say,
"So all these evil fucks get to do is hang around and corrupt impressionable chicks all day long", slightly under his breath in a furious tone before Susanoo would then say,
"Adding a hallucinogen in any form to ANY dish is a heinous offense of the highest grade", before Lubbock would then enthusiastically turn to him and say,
"They're GOING down", while Susanoo would say, just as enthusiastically,
"They MUST be brought to justice", with the two silently finding common ground before Najenda would then say,
"Although I appreciate you two's determination, I can't help but mentioned that it's, only slightly, a bit misguided", in a judgmental tone before Leone would then say,
"If we don't act quick, they'll soon have their entire organization addicted and under their control, we CAN'T afford to waste any time on this", as everyone nodded in agreeance before Najenda would then continue,
"Most importantly, we cannot afford to look past General Esdeath and her Jägers, now although Tatsumi is working to compromise them, we cannot count on avoiding open conflict with them so we MUST be prepared to do battle with them soon with or without Tatsumi's aide. We should use the fact that they are focused solely upon our demise to draw them away from the capital and eliminate them one after another", before Mine would then eagerly say,
"It's about damn time we'll finally have the chance to put those assholes down for good", before Kyouta couldn't help himself but to then think,
"And if Tatsu was here he'd totally say, 'WE'D be putting them down, you'd be sitting back somewhere trying not to get your useless ass killed", while silently chuckling to himself before Najenda would then say,
"As a request from the Revolutionary HQ, we've been asked to specifically target both Kurome and Bols of the Jägers ONLY if the opportunity should present itself, I would be correct in assuming that you all would be capable of doing this without any issues", before all of Night Raid would then affirmatively nod to her as Yoryu would then turn toward Akame and put a look of concern on his face as he noticed Akame's determined yet conflicted expression.
Several hours later, within the capital, Esdeath had brought Tatsumi to a large and luxurious mansion located on the outskirts of the city, as they were then greated upon their arrival, when the large double doors to the home had swung open and out came an elderly woman with long twisted greying black locks tied into a high bun, with a slightly tanned skin tone and a long black Victorian Gothic style dress, who then said,
"Esdeath, my darling, it has been FAR too long", while approaching her before she would then embrace her and place an affectionate kiss on each side of her face before Esdeath would then reply,
"Greetings Lady Yamamoto, I hope all has been well, now I've repeatedly told you that I do not like it when you greet me this way", she said welcoming yet sternly while blushing before "Lady Yamamoto" would then reply,
"And I keep telling you, Dear child, you are the closest thing I'll ever have to a daughter and it's the least that you can do for all that we've taught you to at least allow this jolly old lass to humor herself", before she would then release her and welcome her inside as Esdeath would then say while entering with Tatsumi,
"Very well, the reason for my visit today was to formally introduce you and General Yamamoto to my new lover, Tatsumi", while gesturing towards him as he entered the mansion before Lady Yamamoto would then say,
"My, my, he IS quite the handsome one, allow me to go and fetch that old husband of mine", as she would then lead them to their large study area before they would then be joined by the elder general, as both he and Esdeath would then salute each other before they would all then have a sit before Esdeath would then say,
"General and Lady Yamamoto, this is who is to be, from now on, my lifelong love, Tatsumi Nandeya, Tatsumi, these are the two individuals most responsible for both my training and education since arriving in the empire, General Jinpachi Yamamoto and his dutiful wife the Lady Izumi-Mito Hachijo Yamamoto", as Tatsumi would then bow to them in greeting before the elder general would then say,
"Nandeya, as in Ryujin Nandeya, the traitorous Pachean ex Great General who deserted his post after the death of our beloved Emperor Shinra", in disbelief before a nonchalant Tatsumi would then reply,
"Yeah, that'd be the one, I called him grandpa", before chuckling as the now furious elder general would then say,
"How dare you bring this traitorous offspring before me, he should be arrested immediately", before his personal guards would then readily place their hands on the hilts of their swords as Tatsumi had then jolted from his chair readying himself, only for Esdeath to then cast the soldiers a glare which would immediately stifle their actions before she would then turn to her elder and say,
"That won't be necessary General, Tatsumi is sworn to me now, any past transgressions he may or may not be guilty of are irrelevant, he is MY lover now", which would then cause the elder general to have a completely ruffled expression before he would then say,
"General Esdeath, surely you can't seriously mean to dedicate your life to this craven, his grandfather stole an Imperial Arms that rightfully belongs to the empire in addition to his family being rumored to be in possession of another that is rightfully the empire's", before Tatsumi would then say,
"Gosh, I have no earthly idear of what you're talking bout, buck", before Esdeath would then say,
"All of that is irrelevant now, Tatsumi and his Imperial Arms belong to me now evermore, he is no longer of the empire's concern", before General Yamamoto would then quickly reply,
"Imperial Arms!?, the same Imperial Arms that his grandfather illegally commandeered", he asked before Tatsumi would then answer,
"Nah, this is the one that's 'rumored to be in my family's possession', arrogantly while showing off his demon's mark", before General Yamamoto would then reply,
"Then we must report this to Prime Minister Honest immediately, this is something he might consider treason", in an almost worried tone before a now irritated General Esdeath would then say,
"General Yamamoto, SIR, you MUST have forgotten who you're talking to, of everyone under his command I AM the very last one capable of disloyalties of any kind. I had very much intended on informing the Prime Minister of my lover's identity upon my routine report to him but you are more than welcome to inform him beforehand, I am still enjoying my new lover", she said before the elder general, now temporarily defeated, would then say after long sigh,
"Very well then, I shall, however you certainly do seem determined about this, well then...", before he'd then turn to Tatsumi and continue,
"For whatever reason, the Gods have decided to bless you with the greatest soldier this empire has ever known, a prize that you are no doubt unworthy of, you should be grateful and repay that kindness in servitude to the empire", before Tatsumi would then reply,
"Fuck you, you snitching ass old fossil, if I wasn't ALREADY joining the Imperial Military, I'd damn near want to kill you here and now how much shit you talking", causing the general's wife to then put an excited look upon her face as she then said,
"Oh my Esdeath, he's a keeper this one", causing the general to become even more flustered as he then said,
"Where did you find this unruly reprobate", before Esdeath replied,
"It is THAT unruly beast that I'll have the utmost enjoyment breaking", with an excited smile on her face before Esdeath and Tatsumi's meeting would be interrupted by Run, who would then enter the room and say,
"A thousand apologies My General, I know that you wished not to be disturbed but there have been numerous reports that both Akame and Mine of Night Raid have been spotted in the area near Romari Highway to the east", this would then cause Esdeath to then put a disappointed look upon her before she would then stand and put her hat back upon her head before she'd then say,
"Oh well, looks like my little reprieve has come to an end, Run, have the Jägers assemble at my barracks forthwith", before bidding the general and his wife farewell and taking Tatsumi with her.
Several hours later into the evening, Esdeath, Tatsumi, Bols, Run, Kurome, Wave and Seryu with Kuro would all depart from her barracks on horseback, heading east, while they would unknowingly be spied upon be two scouts hidden in the nearby brush as one of them then said,
"Just as Najenda said, they're all heading eastward", before the other would then produce a large white raptor before he would then tie a scoll to it's foot and say,
"Alright, we're counting on you, Margian Falcon, to deliver this message safely to Najenda", before releasing it into the sky as he then thought to himself,
"Planning to murder one of the leaders of the Path of Peace and then taking the Jagers head on is gonna take them all that they have, maybe even more. We desperately need you to survive this Night Raid, you're the only ones strong enough to help us set this corrupt world right again", as the falcon would make it's way to Najenda through the air.
Several miles away, located just outside the empire, while perched at the top of a cliff overseeing a large valley, Najenda would receive the message intended for her from the falcon as she would then remove the scroll from it's ankle and think to herself, after reading it,
"So there are six of them, that's the whole team of Jagers, and considering how fast Esdeath moves and that they actually know where we are, they'll most likely be here by tomorrow", before sending the falcon away again before saying,
"Alright, just like we planned...", while standing and turning towards Mine and Akame, who had been situated on the same cliff behind her, and continuing,
"That was a confirmation from the revolution's spies, just like I told you, I want you both to deliberately draw as much attention to yourselves as you can today", before Akame would then reply with an,
"Understood", while Mine would reply with a,
"Roger", before both departing.
Meanwhile, located directly under the cliff, the rest of what remained of Night Raid would be enjoying themselves on the beach in the area before a lustful Lubbock would then say,
"Oh man, I can't believe I ACTUALLY get to sit here and watch the girls bounce around half naked all day", while standing next to Kyouta, Susanoo, Matoko and Yoryu as they watched Leone, Chelsea and Nayako frolic about in the water before Kyouta would then reply,
"My god, SERIOUSLY dude, we're supposed to be here on a mission, pick you damn jaw up from the ground", before a now angered Lubbock would then reply,
"Oh fuck you man, that's easy for you to say, you're shacking up with one of them", before Matoko would then say,
"Geez big brother, cut him some slack, this is a WONDERFUL view", as they would now notice Matoko watching them through a set of binoculars while enjoying a bag of popcorn before offering Kyouta some before he would then reply,
"KOKO!, you ought to be ashamed of yourself, we're on a mission", before she'd then reply while still looking his way,
"Don't mean I can't enjoy the show", while suggestively sticking her tongue out playfully before Leone, Chelsea and Nayako would then surprise her by suddenly approaching her before Leone would then say,
"Oh Kokooooo, we got a question for ya, so which one of us so you think looks the hottest in our bikinis", while wearing a very tight fitting and small orange and yellow vertically striped top and bottom while Chelsea would be wearing a frilly blue top with matching short bikini shorts while Nayako would be wearing a tight fitting one piece styled suit with her belly button and entire well toned back exposed with only straps holding it in place before Chelsea would then say,
"Oooh, I really wanna hear this one", In an excited tone before Nayako would then say,
"Yeah Koko, what DO you have to say about this one", in a jealous tone and matching face while also blushing before all three of them would then press closer to her and eagerly say,
"WELLL", before a nervously sweating and blushing Matoko would then reply,
"Well... uh, HEY, jeepers guys, how y'all gonna give me a question like that and you're all hot, if I said anything else one of you guys are gonna be mad at me", which would then make each of them then giggle from flattery before a now perturbed Lubbock would then say,
"Oh, you have GOT to be kidding me, this all it took to get THAT out of you guys, WHY didn't you ask me, I'd have given you a WAY better answer than that", before Leone would the answer,
"That's because having your perverted ass answering that question won't really mean a whole lot", before Chelsea would then add,
"Totally", before Susanoo would then lament with an,
"Ouch", in a pitying tone while Mine, who had been watching them from the cliffs above for some time would then say to Akame, who had been posted behind her,
"Oh fantastic, those bastards get to have a pool party just because the, 'enemies don't know their faces', while we're stuck acting as decoys, this is TOTAL bullshit", before she would then notice Akame's completely distracted expression and say,
"Hey, Akame, are you good girl", before Akame would then snap out of her thoughts and say,
"Oh, yeah", rather nonchalantly before Mine would then say,
"You were thinking about you're little sister again, weren't you", before Akame would then somberly reply,
"Uh-huh, I know she's going to be targeting me and my new family now so my thoughts are all over the place right now, I don't know what to think, she could even wind up killing Yoryu", while holding each side of her head as Mine had then sat next to her while placing her arms around her comforting before saying,
"Oh Akame, I can't imagine how difficult this is for you, I just want you to know that no matter what happens, we WILL get through this as a team", which would then offer Akame temporary comfort as she would then return Mine's hug.
The next day, during midday within the capital, Esdeath had Tatsumi and the Jägers gathered around her within the square while treating them to ice cream before she'd then say,
"So it appears that Najenda is making her way eastward while Akame looks to be headed south, there has been several witnesses that have corroborated seeing them arriving within Capital City together before splitting up upon their departure", as Koro attempted to take a bite out of Seryu's ice cream only for her to then pull it away before saying,
"Naughty puppy, Mommy'll give you your own snacks in a little", which would then slightly upset Koro before Bulat would then say,
"If east is the direction their headed in then they must be going toward the Path of Peace Headquarters located in Kyoroku, going south will put them in a region of the country that's is strongly allied with the Revolutionary Army, so either way it appears as if they're up to something big", before Tatsumi would then reply,
"No shit while y'all are sitting here playing heehaw and fucking around", before Wave would then say,
"Tatsumi's right, if we hurry up, we can probably stop whatever they're up to, let's go", before Esdeath would then say,
"No, settle down and think Wave, now why on earth would they allow themselves to be seen around the capital while being fully aware that they are among the most wanted criminals in the empire. In fact, we've only been able to track them because they were seen by our guards before splitting up, this MUST be some sort of ruse", before Tatsumi would then think,
"DAMMIT, she's smart, it probably is", before Run would then say,
"Yes, My General, I believe that it was their intention to be seen", before Seryu then said,
"Do you believe that they were trying to lure us out of the capital in order to defeat us", before Esdeath would then reply,
"That is absolutely the kind of underhanded tactic Najenda and her team of assassins would utilize in order to win, she fights deviously yet with a ferocious desire", before Wave would then reply,
"So that means that we shouldn't charge head first after them", before Tatsumi would then quickly think,
"FUCK NO Desi, ain't like that AT ALL", before Esdeath would then reply to Wave,
"Not at all, they WON'T escape me this time, after they've stayed hidden within the shadows for so long, Night Raid has finally showed themselves, we will break through whatever trap they have set up for us and obliterate them once and for all", which would cause Tatsumi to then immediately think,
"GOD, I LOVE her", as she then continued,
"Seryu, Run, we shall all search for Najenda, Tatsumi, I want you, Bols, Kurome and Wave to go after Akame and whoever's with her", which would then cause Kurome to silently chuckle to herself before their General would then continue,
"Be sure to constantly keep yourselves poised, If any of you should feel as if the enemies numbers are too overwhelming as you engage them, then your are free to retreat without fear of repercussions. I want you all to fight with all of your strength but avoid situations where your life is forfeit at ALL cost, you are the Empire's most elite unit, you're lives are NOT to be thrown away, understood", before all but Tatsumi would then reply with,
"YES, MA'AM", before she'd then continue,
"These assassins are the last pack of vermin plaguing the capital, you will force them into a corner and exterminate them once and for all", before all would then reply with,
"AYE"
Some time later, Tatsumi, Kurome, Wave and Bols would be riding at high speeds on horseback through a rocky canyon when Bols would then say,
"So we're about to charge head first into a battle against quite possibly the strongest adversaries this empire has ever had to face, do you think I can be considerably effective against them", he asked Wave, who would then reply with,
"Oh, absolutely, I've fought with Night Raid before and although it wasn't a true battle by any means, I could sense that there wasn't a large gap in between our abilities, I have no doubt we can win if we work together, plus, you have an Imperial Arms that excels in battles against multiple enemies at once, you'll be a great asset in this fight", before Bols would then reply,
"I'm counting on it", before Kurome would then say,
"Ha, even though you seem to have all the right things to say, you're probably the biggest liability on the team", before Tatsumi would then quickly think,
"OUCH", before wave would then reply,
"Say WHAT, are you saying that I'M the weakest link here", before she'd then reply,
"Not at all, you strike me as a TOTAL wuss when things would get down to it" before a now annoyed Wave would then say,
"WHAT!?, you wouldn't be saying that if you've EVER seen Grand Chariot in action", before she'd then reply,
"Well, why don't you show me then", before Wave would then say,
"Keep talking", with his anger rising before she'd then say,
"Ooooh, I'm SO scared", in a mocking tone before Tatsumi would then think,
"Well, you two are OBVIOUSLY in love with each other", before Bols would then quickly interject,
"Comon guys, no fighting", which would then earn him an annoyed look from Wave before Tatsumi would then notice an object in the distance before saying,
"Hey, what the hell is that up there", while directing their attention towards a human shaped stick figure made of straw with the words 'Free hugs' written across it's chest in the distance before Kurome would then say,
"Is that a scarecrow!?", which would cause Bols to then say,
"Doesn't get much more suspicious than this", while slowing before Tatsumi would then think,
"Who's goofy ass idea was this", while mentally laughing to himself with a smile on his face before Bols would then say,
"We should proceed with the utmost caution from here", while dismounting his horse before a slowing Wave would then say,
"Right, we should investigate this very carefully", while dismounting his horse before Tatsumi would then think to himself,
"OH MY GOD, you morons deserve to get murdered now", while also dismounting his horse as Kurome would do the same before, in the distance, it would be revealed that a prone Mine had the entire crew lined up in her scope as they scanned the area before she'd then say,
"The target's have been spotted and..., OOH, there's only three of them and they have Tatsumi with them, Esdeath must've split the Jägers up and couldn't help herself from going after the boss personally, we should be able to crush them, GREAT call boss", in an excited tone before she would then take notice of Kurome and then come to a sudden realization,
"Uh, oh my god, she looks JUST like Akame, that MUST be her sister...hmph", before she would then stand with a determined look on her face and continue,
"Which is exactly why I'M going to be the one to kill her right here and now so that Akame won't have to put herself through that kind of torment...", before taking aim and continuing,
"Just ONE shot", before firing a lightning fast shot before Kurome would then alertly dodge it just before it would've completely obliterated her head before Mine would then think,
"OHMYGOD, SHE DODGED THAT, THAT'S IMPOSSIBLE SPEED", before Tatsumi would then think,
"GODAMMIT Mine, you had ONE job", before the "scarecrow" would then burst open to reveal a hidden Susanoo who would then head directly for the still surprised Kurome as Wave would then shout,
"KUROME", before rushing to block Susanoo's club just before it would have struck Kurome.
Susanoo would then use his club to force the struggling Wave backward and launch him over the cliffs, with him wailing as he soared through the air causing a concerned Bols to then shout,
"WAVE", fearing for him before a now approaching Najenda would then say,
"Well, despite the fact that our sniper missed her mark, we've still managed to eliminate a big distraction from our main targets, poor guy", as she appeared there with Kyouta, Yoryu, Leone, Akame, Matoko, Nayako and Lubbock before a shocked Bols would then say,
"OH NO, it's Night Raid, and it looks like ALL of them, so them heading eastward was a complete ruse", before Najenda would then say,
"Bols and Kurome, you have been identified as prime assets from the Jägers and thus our targets, you will be executed immediately", before Bols would then reply,
"Targets!?...I have burned more people to death than I can count so I've ALWAYS known people will be hunting me down for the rest of my days, but..." as he would then think of his wife and daughter before continuing,
"...I CANNOT allow myself to be killed", before brandishing his Imperial Arms while Akame and Kurome would silently stand across from each other before Kurome would then suddenly break that silence, while saying,
"Oh, Big Sister", greeting her in a cheerful tone before Akame would then reply,
"Hello, Little Sister", in her usual stoic tone before Kurome would then continue while gleefully putting her hands together,
"This is fantastic, I've missed you so much, how have you been", in a ecstatic tone before she would then begin to unsheathe Yatsufusa, alerting Akame to do the same with Murasame, before saying in a now heartless tone,
"If I were able to kill you here and now then I would be able to add to you Yatsufusa's WONDEROUS collection, now wouldn't that just be ABSOLUTELY splendid", before then holding her Imperial Arms skyward to then cause black lightning to emit from it before scattering and showering back down upon the ground.
This would then cause the ground to shake beneath their feet as Matoko would then say,
"Is this a 'earthshake'", before several creatures would then sprout from the ground as another larger, several stories tall, skeletal draconian creature would sprout from the ground behind them before Kurome would then jump into it's massive hand and say,
"I've gotten SO much better big sister, that now I can control any corpse that I want, even if it's an S-Class Danger Beast like this Death Tagool here", as the creature would then tower over the canyon at it's full height, before Najenda wouild then think,
"I knew I was taking a big risk hoping if Esdeath would split up her forces, but now I see, with her having a weapon like Yatsufusa why she was so eager to charge into this even with it being an obvious trap", before an eager Kurome would then say,
"Ooh, an all out war between Imperial Arms user, how many will meet their end in this fight", in a gleeful tone"
Author's Note: Alrighty guys, as always, I hope you enjoy this chapter as much enjoy writing as it was a surprising pleasure to write. Again, any questions or concerns, please feel free, there isn't any FAIR criticism that I am not both willing to hear and answer to. As always I wlll 100% guarentee the next chapter, which again I've already started on, and beyond health willing. I would only ask that you keep the follows, favorites, reviews and messages coming, they mean everyhing to me, until then I wish you all the best and Happy Holidays to all.
TAWTH