Hey guys, I'm back with another chapter! This will be the final chapter I post for this fic for a little while, I need to work on my Pokemon and Fairy Tail fics next. This chapter will start the battle between the Jaegers and Night Raid, and should be very action packed. I don't know if I'll finish the entire fight in this chapter, but I should be able to get a decent chunk finished. Well that's all I wanted to say, so let's get to the fic!

"Speech"

"Thoughts"

Teigu

"Incursio"

"Flashback"/Flashback

Disclaimer: I don't own Akame ga kill, or any of its characters.

(Two Hours Later: With Esdeath, Kurome, and Bols)

"So we're going up against the capital's strongest enemy, Night Raid..." Bols said, riding his horse in between Esdeath and Kurome. "I wonder if I even stand a chance..."

"You'll be fine." Esdeath said with a smile, as she patted Bols on the shoulder. "Just remember what I told you." Bols stared at Esdeath for several moments, before slowly nodding his head. "Good, then you have nothing to worry about."

"All the reports we've received, and attacks we've seen, show us that Night Raid's members are not to be messed with." Kurome said, staring blankly at the dirt road ahead on them. "We can't let our guards down at any moment. We'll likely have to work together to defeat them. But since both Bols and the general are here with me, I fell quite reassured."

"Heh, you flatter me too much. I'm not that dependable." Bols said in an embarrassed tone, as he rubbed the back of his head. After a few moments Bols turned his head away from Kurome, his grip on the reins tightening. "I'm sorry Kurome, but after today you won't be able to depend on me any longer. I'll put my faith in the general and leave this life behind with my family."

"Slow up you two." Esdeath ordered, raising her hand to signal everyone to stop. "There's something up ahead."

"Is that a...scarecrow?" Kurome asked in a confused tone, as she stared at the strange figure planted in the road ahead of them. "What the heck is that doing out here?"

"That's a good question." Bols said, gazing at the canyon walls surrounding them. "That's about as suspicious as you can get."

"It might be a trap." Esdeath said, as she hopped off her horse, Kurome and Bols following her lead. "So we must investigate very carefully." As the three Jaegers approached the odd scarecrow, they didn't notice the sniper scope following their every movement.

"Judging by their numbers, Esdeath must have split their forces..." Mine thought, lying prone at the edge of a cliff in the distance, as she aimed Pumpkin at the three Jaegers. Her pink brows furrowed in confusion when she spotted Esdeath leading the other two Jaegers. "But the boss predicted Esdeath to go after her...what the hell is that bitch planning? Did she see thought the boss' plan and is going to use this fight to make her escape? Well Esdeath and the boss used to fight together, it makes sense that they'd be able to read through each other's plans. Maybe the boss did see this coming..." Moving into a crouched position, Mine aimed her scope at the other two Jaegers. She focused on the masked Jaegers for just a few moments, before her sights landed on Kurome. "Just as anticipated...Kurome is among them." As Mine stared at Kurome, her heart started to pound faster in her chest. The pink-haired sniper couldn't help but notice the striking resemblance between Akame and Kurome. "They look exactly the same...they really are sisters..." Slowly Mine stood up, her sights trained on Kurome and her finger hovering over the trigger. For a brief moment Mine hesitated, but that quickly passed when she remembered the saddened expression on Akame's face at the thought of fighting her sister. "I have to do this...I can't let Akame go through with that...she'd never forgive herself if she killed her sister! I'll finish her job for her!" Taking a deep breath to calm her heart, Mine slowly began to pull back the trigger. "I'll make it quick and painless, with just one shot."

Steeling her determination, Mine gathered up her spiritual energy and fired a concentrated burst at Kurome, the shot echoing throughout the surrounding canyons. The beam Mine fired was small and precise, closing the distance in the blink of an eye. However, Mine's eyes shot open in shock when she saw Kurome dodge her shot at the last possible second, hitting her shirt sleeve.

"What the hell!?" Mine thought, not believing what she had seen. "Those reflexes and reaction time were inhuman!"

"Where's the sniper?!" Kurome exclaimed, as she skidded to a stop, her hand resting on the hilt of her sword. Before any of the Jaegers had a chance to assess the situation, the scarecrow in front of them exploded, with Susanoo bursting out of it. The humanoid teigu wasted no time charging towards Kurome with his weapon draw.

"Look out Kurome!" Esdeath called out, slamming both her palms onto the ground. A split second later, an ice clone of Esdeath appeared in front of Kurome and blocked Susanoo's attack. The ice copy held back the powerful strike for a few moments, before it exploded into pieces. "I may be working for the revolutionary army now, but these are still my men damn it!"

"So we weren't able to take her out with our sniper. But it looks like our teamwork still paid off." A new voice said from behind the Jaegers, a voice that Esdeath instantly recognized. Quickly turning around, Bols and Kurome were surprised to see Najenda and the rest of the Night Raid assassins standing behind them. Najenda quirked an eyebrow in intrigue when she spotted Esdeath. "Now isn't this surprising, I didn't think you'd be here Esdeath. I thought you'd be going after the group I was supposed to be in."

"Well I had a feeling you'd pull a trick like this." Esdeath said with a smirk, as she rested her hands on her hips. "So I decided to come face you personally."

"I see, it always was hard to trick you." Najenda said, starting to catch onto what Esdeath was planning. "Then this should be an quite the fight."

"Indeed." Esdeath added, as she locked eyes with Najenda, forming an unspoken understanding between them.

"It's all of Night Raid..." Bols said, his grip on Rubicante tightening. "So that movement to the east really was just a bluff..."

"Kurome and Bols..." Najenda said, as she pointed at both Jaegers. "You're our targets amongst the Jaegers. So say your prayers." However, as soon as Najenda said this, she spotted Esdeath subtlety gesturing towards a nearby cluster of large rocks. Seeing that Esdeath likely wished to speak in private, Najenda discreetly nodded her head.

"I've burned so many victims alive, that I've lost count..." Bols muttered, tightly balling his fists. "So, I'm not surprised that I'm being targeted by assassins...But..." Aiming Rubicante at the Night Raid assassins, Bols prepared to unleash a stream of scorching flames. "I can't die here!" Bols could feel his whole body trembling slightly, as he stared down his opponents. "I trust general Esdeath...I have to survive this fight and get my family out of the capital!"

"Big sister." Kurome said in a happy tone, as she smiled at Akame.

"Kurome." Akame said in a quite voice, hovering her hand over Murasame's hilt.

"I've missed you so much!" Kurome said cheerfully, her smile widening as she clapped her hands together. "This is just splendid!" Akame felt her body tense slightly, as she watched Kurome slowly unsheathe Yatsufusa. "If I kill you myself...I can add you to Yatsufusa's collection." Kurome's smile suddenly became evil and twisted, as she raised Yatsufusa above her head. The ground ground surrounding Kurome began to tremble, shadowy limbs bursting out of the dirt. Moments later, Kurome was surrounded by four of her undead puppets, as a massive skeletal hand lifted her into the air. "I'm different than I used to be big sister...I can make any and all corpses into my puppets now." The Night Raid assassins watched in stunned silence, as a giant skeletal dragon towered over them. "Even if it's a super-class danger beast...like this Death Tagool."

"Damn, I didn't expect Yatsufusa to be this powerful." Najenda thought, as she stared at the skeletal danger beast in shock. "A simple trap was never going to work."

"Now then..." Kurome said with a sadistic smile, as her Death Tagool let out a fearsome roar. "The battle between teigus begins...I wonder how many people will die?"

"I can't waste this opportunity!" Akame thought, sprinting towards Kurome without a second thought. Moving at an incredible speed, Akame quickly closed the distance and leaped into the air. Swinging Murasame, Akame clashed swords with Kurome, sparks flying off their blades. "With Kurome controlling this many puppets, her movement is going to be slowed!" Gritting her teeth, Akame put more power behind her blade, forcing Kurome to disengage and leap back towards the Death Tagool's shoulder. "I'm not letting you get away!"

Not wasting a second, Akame instantly followed after Kurome, once again charging towards her little sister at full speed. However, this time Kurome was prepared for Akame, and ended up deflecting her attack. Cursing underneath her breath, Akame quickly whipped around, just in time to dodge a downward swing from Yatsufusa. Coming to a skidding stop, Akame dug her feet into the ground, before springing towards back Kurome. Both sister's eyes locked, as Akame prepared to strike her younger sister down, Murasame poised to pierce Kurome's stomach. But a sudden movement to the right at the last moment caught Akame's attention. Instantly Akame adjusted her blade, managing to block a spear from an unseen enemy. When Akame got a good look at her new adversary, her eyes widened in shock.

"Natala!?" Akame exclaimed in surprise, her earlier shock quickly replaced by anger. A low growl rumbling in her throat, Akame unleashed a flurry of jabs, all of which Natala managed to dodge. "Put him back in the ground where he belongs, Kurome! He was your teammate growing up!" Akame grunted in exertion, as she simultaneously blocked an attack from Kurome, while kicking Natala away from her.

"What are you saying big sister?" Kurome asked, continuing to push back against Akame. "Yes, he was my teammate...that's exactly why I want to stay with him forever." Akame felt a chill run down her spine when she saw Kurome's eyes darken, a twisted smile on her face. "I'm going to add you to my collection as well. Then we can be together like the good old days."

"Don't even joke about something like that." Akame growled, as she began to force Kurome back. Just when Akame was about to overpower Kurome, the dark-haired Jaeger suddenly darted backwards. In a split second Natala appeared in front of Akame. Seeing no way to counterattack, Akame simply raised her arms to absorb some of Natala's attack. The red-eyed assassin grunted in pain, as she was hit with the butt of Natala's spear, sending her flying backwards into the canyon below. As Akame fell towards the ground, time seemed to slow around her. Almost immediately she noticed that the air around her was becoming extremely hot. Turning her head, Akame saw that Bol's was aiming Rubicante straight at her, a ball of condensed, white hot fire forming at the end of the barrel.

"Magma Drive!" Bols exclaimed, firing the sphere of fire at Akame.

"He can shoot flames over a distance too!?" Akame thought in a panic, as she watched the ball of fire rocket towards her. "Shit! I can't dodge it while falling like this!" Mere moments before the flames hit Akame, she felt a familiar pair of arms wrap around her back and legs, then she noticed that she was rising higher into the air. Looking up, Akame was surprised to see that it was Tatsumi that had saved her. However, when Tatsumi landed and set her down, Akame was surprised to see him staring at her angrily.

"Tatsumi what's-"

"Don't charge in on your own like that again!" Tatsumi exclaimed in a mix of anger and worry, punching his fist into the ground. "That's not like you Akame! I was seriously worried for a second there!" Akame stared up at Tatsumi in shock, not knowing what to say. Taking a deep breath to calm himself, Tatsumi gently cupped Akame's cheek. "Look Akame, I know you're probably all worked because your sister is here...and I know that you want to be the to...finish her...but don't let desire cause you to make rash decisions. I don't know what I'd do if I lost you...especially if you became one of those...'puppets' Kurome is controlling. I couldn't bear seeing you like that."

"Tatsumi..." Akame breathed out, as she felt tears sting her eyes. However, Akame quickly realized where they were, and that it wasn't the time for crying. Reaching up, Akame gave Tatsumi's hand a soft, yet reassuring squeeze. "I'm sorry Tatsumi...you're right, I let my emotions get the better of me there...it won't happen again."

"Good." Tatsumi said with a smile, helping Akame back onto her feet. "This won't be an easy opponent to take down, but I know that we can win this fight."

"Tch, I don't like how close he's getting to big sister." Kurome thought, as she glared at Tatsumi, before hopping from the Death Tagool to a nearby cliff that looked down into the canyon. "Big sister...you betrayed us to join these traitors...I can't forgive that..." With a violent swiping motion, Kurome gestured towards the Night Raid assassins. "Go...Death Tagool!" The skeletal danger beast let out a deafening roar, as it began to gather a large amount of energy. Once the massive amount of energy was gathered, the Death Tagool fired an incredibly beam at Night Raid. All the Night Raid assassins quickly dove for cover, using anything they could to shield themselves from the incoming blast. Tatsumi covered Akame with his body, using his cape to block any flying debris. When the beam finally began to die down, the Night Raid assassins stared in awe at the destruction it had caused. The Death Tagool's attack had cut clear through one of the canyon's walls, leaving a massive crater at its impact point.

"So this is one of the super-class danger beasts they used to make teigu..." Mine muttered, continuing to stare at the scarred earth before her. "This shit is crazy..."

"Ahahaha..." Kurome chuckled lightly, as she nibbled on a piece of candy. "He completely changed this area's topography...But I expected no less from Night Raid...they all managed to dodge it..."

(Same Time: With Lubbock)

"WAHH!" Lubbock exclaimed, falling from the branch he was hanging onto, before slamming back-first into the one below. "Fuck...me...that really hurt..." Groaning in pain, Lubbock got back up and once again began to climb. "Looks like the battle's really getting started over there." As Lubbock trudged even higher, he remembered the orders he had received from Najenda.

"I'm giving Chelsea orders to carry out guerrilla tactics during this mission." Najenda said, as she crossed her arms underneath her chest. "You're an expert in assassinations, but you're suited for direct combat. I'm also leaving you in charge of timing and other details as well."

"Yes ma'am!" Chelsea said with a grin, holding up a 'peace' sign. "I'll do my job efficiently."

"Lubbock, you act as her lookout." Najenda said, as she pointed at the green-haired assassin. "Set up a barrier of wires and watch the sky as well." Lubbock felt his entire face flush red when Najenda suddenly placed her hands on his shoulders. "Also, in the event that Esdeath's men get come here...stop them with Crawstail's trump card. This is an extremely important mission...we have a plan to stop the Jaeger's from getting here, but...we can't anticipate what the real battle will bring. I want to leave this to you because you're an adaptive thinker."

"Got it!" Lubbock exclaimed, his eyes lighting up in excitement. "You can definitely count on me!"

"Sayo, I'm tasking you with backing Lubbock up. If you two run into any sort of resistance, you'll be the main fighting force." Najenda ordered, which earned her a nod from the dark-haired assassin.

"Understood boss, I'll start prepping now." Sayo said, slinging her bow over her shoulder and grabbing Extase. With a grin, Sayo playfully punched Lubbock in the arm. "Try not to slow me down too much."

"Oi, I should be saying that to you!" Lubbock exclaimed in an irritated tone, as he shook his fist at Sayo. When Sayo left the room a soft smile spread across Lubbock's face. "Heh, she's really come a long way since she started."

"Hey snap out of it!" Sayo called out, nudging Lubbock with her elbow. "We've still got to climb higher! So stay focused, it's not that much farther now!"

"Huh, oh right!" Lubbock said, as he paused his climbing for a few moments to catch his breath. "I'll carry out my orders without fail. Najenda...when we get back from this trip...I think I'll finally tell her how I really feel. If I don't take action soon, she'll be swept away by Su-san...or even worse Tatsumi!" Violently shaking his head, Lubbock rid his mind of those thoughts and continued to climb, trailing slightly behind Sayo. "This isn't the time to be thinking about that! I need to focus on the mission!"

(Back with the Najenda)

"Susanoo..." Najenda whispered into the biological teigu's ear, before pulling him out of sight behind a pile of rubble. "Can I trust you to handle this situation on your own? I need to speak with Esdeath, so we're gonna break away from the fight for a bit."

"Of course, you can leave this to me." Susanoo said, as he gave Najenda a thumbs up. "I'll keep this beast at bay while you're gone."

"Good..." Najenda said, seconds before rolling out of her cover and charging towards Esdeath. Letting out a fierce battle cry, Najenda attempted to punch Esdeath with her metallic arm. But her attack was blocked by dull side of Esdeath's rapier. "Damn it, I thought I could get at least one shot in."

"Oho..." Esdeath said with a smirk, as she began to push Najenda back, much to the silver-haired woman's surprise. "I just wanted to talk, but if you wish to fight I'm happy to indulge."

"Well I have to make it convincing." Najenda said with a smirk of her own, leaning closer towards Esdeath. "We can't just disappear in the middle of the fight, it'll look suspicious. We have to make it look like we're still fighting when he get out of sight."

"No problem..." Esdeath said in a mischievous tone, as her smirk slightly widened. Before Najenda even had a chance to react, Esdeath suddenly ducked down. This caused Najenda to lose her balance and stumble forward. Sprinting back up, Esdeath hit Najenda in the stomach with a powerful kick, sending the silver-haired woman flying towards their intended meeting point. "I hope that was convincing enough..." With a sadistic chuckle, Esdeath made her way over to where Najenda was. When she reached the grouping of large rocks, Esdeath saw that Najenda was clutching her stomach in pain, trying to catch her breath.

"God...damn...don't you know how to hold back?" Najenda asked between breath, glaring at the blue-haired former general.

"Oh, but I did hold back, quite a bit actually." Esdeath said with a smile, as she crouched down next to Najenda. "If I wanted to, I could have seriously damaged some of your internal organs with that kick...or if I applied some pressure, my heel could have easily pierced your stomach."

"Alright, alright I get it..." Najenda said in an irritated tone, leaning up against one of the rocks. "So what did you want to discuss? It must be really important, because you looked pretty excited."

"Well I am, because I managed to convince one of my men to leave the Jaegers and escape the empire." Esdeath said with a smile, which caused Najenda's one good eye to widen in surprise. "I pulled it off shortly before we ran into your little ambush."

"That's great to hear!" Najenda said in an ecstatic tone, slowly getting back onto her feet. "Who did you manage to convince...and will they work for the revolutionary army?"

"I'm not sure if he'll fight for the revolutionary army, but who knows? He may end up changing his mind in the future." Esdeath replied, as she shrugged her shoulders. "As for who it is...well that's the main reason I wanted to talk with you...it's Bols."

"Bols..." Najenda muttered, clenching her fists. "Shit...now I know why you were so worked up...and our orders are to eliminate him in particular."

"That's why I need you to talk with your higher ups and call that off." Esdeath said, as she placed her hands on Najenda's shoulders. "I gave Bols my word that if he escaped the empire, that the revolutionary army wouldn't hurt him or his family. And when I give my men my word, I always deliver."

"I don't know..." Najenda said, turning her head to avoid Esdeath's gaze. "My superiors can be pretty stubborn...it won't be easy to change their minds."

"Please Najenda, I'm begging you." Esdeath pleaded, which caught the silver-haired woman completely off guard. "Bols isn't a bad man, he's just a soldier who was following his orders and was made to do some terrible things. But he was doing all of it to protect his wife and daughter, every awful thing he did was to keep them safe. He's wracked with so much guilt because of his actions, all he wants to do is get away from the capital with his family. Please Najenda...he doesn't deserve to die doing that bastard Honest's dirty work. If you have to tell your superiors that I won't work with them unless they ensure safety for Bols' and his family."

"Esdeath..." Najenda breathed, staring at the blue-haired woman in stunned silence for several moments. However, Najenda quickly recovered and a small smile spread across her face. "Alright, I'll speak with the higher ups as soon as possible. I'll do whatever I can to convince them, don't worry I'll make sure Bols and his family are safe."

"Thank you Najenda." Esdeath said with a smile, as she patted Najenda's shoulder. "That really means a lot to me."

"Heh, it's funny...I knew you cared about your men Esdeath...but I never thought you'd go so far for them." Najenda said with a slight smirk, staring at the blue-haired woman. "Maybe you spending so much time with Tatsumi is starting to change you...just a little bit."

"I have no idea what you're talking about." Esdeath said, as she turned her head away indignantly. "Now..." A sadistic smile suddenly spread across Esdeath's face, before she slapped Najenda in the stomach, causing her to bend over in pain. "We should head back soon, if we're gone too long it'll look suspicious." With a laugh, Esdeath leapt out from behind the rocks, making her way back towards the battlefield.

"I'm...gonna...need a minute..." Najenda struggled to say, trying to catch her breath as she clutched her aching stomach. "Fuck me...maybe she hasn't changed after all..."

(Back with Mine)

"There you are..." Mine thought, as her sights locked onto Kurome once again. "If I can just take Kurome out...this time I'll hit her for sure!" However, before Mine could pull the trigger, she noticed the man standing next to Kurome begin to move. The pink-haired sniper's eyes widened in surprise when the tip of man's spear suddenly launched towards her. Diving out of the way, Mine watched as the spearhead embedded in the trunk of the tree that was behind her. "Was that a teigu!?" Whipping back around, Mine was once again surprised to see a woman brandishing dual revolvers sprinting towards her along the spear's elongated shaft. A sudden grin spread across Mine's face, as she swapped Pumpkin into assault rifle mode. "So you want a gun fight? Fine by me, let's rock!"

(Same Time: With Tatsumi)

"Shit...where did this guy come from?" Tatsumi asked, staring at the large, ape-like danger beast that stood before him.

"It's most likely a danger beast that was also resurrected by Yatsufusa."

"Well this definitely isn't one I've seen before..." Tatsumi said, before he charged towards the danger beast. "It doesn't matter anyway. I have to take this thing out and go help everyone else!" Putting the hand-to-hand combat skills Leone had taught him to work, Tatsumi skillfully ducked underneath a punch from the danger beast. Cocking his fist back, Tatsumi hit the danger beast with a powerful punch to the gut. But when Tatsumi looked up, he was shocked to see that the danger beast appeared to be unfazed by his attack. Letting out a ferocious roar, the danger beast grabbed ahold of Tatsumi's arm and attempted to gnaw through the armor around his forearm. "Get the hell off me!" Tatsumi raised his free arm, slamming his elbow onto the top of the danger beast's skull. This seemed to momentarily daze the monster, allowing Tatsumi to put some distance between them. Looking down at his arm, Tatsumi was disgusted to see it coated in saliva, but was relieved to only see a few minor scratches. "Good, he didn't pierce my armor anywhere."

"You insult me parter, it would take a lot more than that to even put a dent in my armor."

"Heh, I know-" Tatsumi was cut off when he noticed a rapid movement from the corner of his eye. Quickly spinning around, Tatsumi barely managed to dodge a knife jab from a new masked assailant. "Two versus one, eh? Looks like I'll have to start getting serious." Holding out his arm, Neuntote instantly materialized in Tatsumi's hand. Lunging back forward, Tatsumi unleashed a furry of thrusts with Neuntote, but the new attacker managed to easily dodge every strike.

"Weak...so weak..." The masked enemy said, as he stood atop Tatsumi's spearhead, seemingly to mock the young assassin. "You're just a novice."

"Ah, shut the hell up!" Tatsumi exclaimed, quickly retracting his spear and kicking the masked enemy in the stomach, sending him flying towards the ape-like danger beast. "I'd like to use the Akuma Raifuru, but they're too close. I don't want to miss and waste your energy."

"If that's the case then I might have a solution to your little problem, partner."

"Really!? Did you manage to create a new weapon for me!?" Tatsumi thought, as his entire body filled with excitement. "What do you have for me?!"

"Well, I took into account the range limitations of the Akuma Raifuru, and noticed that aside from Neuntote, you don't have any close range firepower. So I took some inspiration from that shotgun you were using a little while ago. Oh, I also took recoil into consideration this time, so it shouldn't be nearly as bad."

"Whatever it is, I'm fucking ready!" Tatsumi thought with a grin on his face, watching as the ape-like danger beast charged towards him once again. Tatsumi sent Neuntote back, before holding out both his hands. Almost instantly, Tatsumi felt the new weapon begin to materialize in his hands. "Alright Incursio, let's give him hell!"

"You got it partner, get ready for one hell of a fireworks show!"

Letting out a fearsome roar, the ape-like danger beast leaped high into the air above Tatsumi, intending to crush the young assassin. However, when the danger beast was only a few feet away from Tatsumi, two rapid shots rang out and the beast's head and stomach suddenly burst in an explosion of blood and fire. The danger beast's limp body crashed to the ground in front of Tatsumi, the spots where it's head and stomach used to be singed and smoking.

"Holy fuck..." Tatsumi breathed out, as he stared at the carnage caused by his new weapon. "That was so fucking awesome!" Looking down, Tatsumi gazed at the gun in his hands, the weapon looking completely alien to him. The gun sported a short and sleek frame, with two barrels and a pump-action mechanism; the weapon also featured a foregrip, allowing for a quick and easy pump-action. The futuristic looking shotgun was mostly pitch black in color, with a few blood red accents along the barrels and stock that seemed to give off a faint glow. "Incursio...what the hell is this thing?"

"I call it the Doragon no kokyū. I must say, it's one of my finest creations. It fires two rapid incendiary flechette shells, before needing to be pumped. Those flechette rounds will shred through most armor, all the while dealing considerable fire damage to the target."

"Dragon's Breath...what an appropriate name." Tatsumi said with a smirk, turning to face his second opponent as he pumped his shotgun. "So...you wanna try my new toy out too"

(Same Time: With Akame and Leone)

"I can't let you assist your team with those flames!" Akame exclaimed, as she charged towards Bols, Murasame ready to strike. "I'll bury you!"

"She's charging straight towards me? What a crazy girl..." Bols said, aiming Rubicante at Akame and unleashing a stream of scorching flames. However, Bols was shocked to see a red and black blur suddenly dart behind him. Before Bols even had a chance to turn around, Akame was already slashing her sword.

"RAAGH!" Akame roared, as her blade slashed towards Bols' exposed backside. But, Akame was surprised when a new figure suddenly appeared in her path, taking the attack that was meant for Bols. Growling frustration, Akame backed away from her new opponent. "Damn it, Murasame doesn't work on corpse puppets. I have to-" Akame was pulled from her thoughts when she saw the new assailant's foot racing towards her. Forming an 'X' with her arms, Akame blocked the kick, but was still sent skidding back from the force.

"Akame!" Leone exclaimed, sprinting over to help her friend. However, Leone was stopped in her tracks when she felt something suddenly wrap around her ankle. The busty blonde assassin felt herself lifted off the ground, before being slammed into the canyon's wall. "Okay ya bastard..." With a feral grin, Leone pulled herself out of the wall, rolling her shoulders. "Now you've gone and pissed me off." As Leone stalked towards the corpse puppet, she watched as he once again prepared to attack her with his whip. "Heh, I can see right through your attacks." Leone's golden eyes soon widened in shock when the corpse puppet's whip began to move extremely fast, seemingly forming a sphere around him. "Shit, maybe not." Raising her arms, Leone attempted to shield her face from the flurry of attacks coming her way. "Even with my enhanced dynamic vision due to my transformation I can't keep up with his attacks...and this guy isn't even using a teigu!" Leone hissed in pain when a whip strike suddenly hit her shoulder. "You little...forget what I said earlier...now you're really fucking pissing me off!"

(Back with Kurome)

"Wow. It's turned into quite the battle royale." Kurome said with a smile, as she watched the various battles taking place throughout the canyon. "Things are starting to finally get interesting." Kurome's smile widened when she saw Akame and Leone struggle against her puppets. "See? My toys are quite strong. All my precious toys were tough to acquire, but it was well worth the effort. Especially you Natala! You always have my back!" However, Kurome's happy demeanor faded when she spotted the armored member of Night Raid take down one of her puppets. "There's something strange about that man. Even with Incursio's power, he shouldn't have been able to dispatch my ape so easily...besides there's no records of an Incursio user being able to summon any sort of ranged weapons." Kurome's narrowed slightly as she studied the Night Raid assassin's movements. "Whoever he is..." A twisted smile spread across Kurome's face. "I'd love to make him one of my puppets. I think it's almost time to unveil my last puppet."

(Same Time: With Leone)

"So mister..." Leone muttered, glaring at the corpse puppet that stood before her. "Apparently you were an imperial army general. Given how strong you are, I can't say that I'm surprised. But..." Lashing out, Leone grabbed the whip that was aiming for her head. "I'm a fast learner! Don't think the same trick will keep working on me!"

"Well done Leone!" A new voice called out from above the blonde assassin. Looking up, Leone was surprised to see Najenda racing towards the corpse puppet. Launching out her mechanical fist, Najenda hit the corpse puppet in the stomach, before landing on top of him and pinning him to the ground. "General Rokugou, it's been quite a long time. As a former colleague, I'll free you from this curse as soon as possible."

"It's...It's been a while since I saw the boss fight..." Leone muttered underneath her breath, as she sweatdropped. "I forgot how scary she could be." Shrugging her shoulders, Leone grinned and cracked her knuckles. "Might as well join in too. I can't let her have all the fun." As Leone approached Najenda, she didn't notice the small Jaeger silently dropping down from above her. Out of nowhere Leone felt something prick her right arm, before being replaced by intense pain. Almost in slow motion, Leone watched as Kurome dash passed her, followed by her right arm which had been severed from the shoulder down. Leone tightly bit her bottom to keep in her screams of pain, as she used her free hand to press down on the profusely bleeding wound. Lionel's healing abilities may have dulled the pain Leone was feeling, but that didn't mean she couldn't still pass out from blood loss. After a few more seconds, the throbbing pain had changed into more of a dull ache. Recovering from the shock of losing an arm, Leone fiercely glared at Kurome, her golden eyes full of fury. When the blonde assassin spoke next, her voice was low and feral, almost like a lion's growl. "Now that was really fucking dirty of you."

"Oh, did I make the little kitty angry. Heh heh, well that's what happens when you ignore me." Kurome said with a menacing smirk, turning to face Leone. "Once I see an opening I just have to go for it. And I'll keep going for it until you're all dead." Kurome's smirk widened slightly, as she flicked Leone's blood of Yatsufusa's blade. "My last puppet has now been sent after the enemy. This fight will be over sooner than I expected."

"Now you've really gone and done..." Leone snarled, as she stared down at her severed arm for several moments, before baring her fangs at Kurome. "RAAAAAGHHHHHH!" Leone roared, focusing all of her healing powers onto her right arm. Kurome watched in fascination as the wound began to close itself, stopping the blood that was gushing out.

"Ohhh!" Kurome said, clapping condescendingly at Leone's display, as she watched from a cliff overlooking the canyon. "You can stop the bleeding all by yourself, I'm quite impressed!"

"I'm going to wipe that fucking smile off your face." Leone growled, as she unleashed a violent wave of intense killing intent, her flowing golden hair standing on edge. "I'm going to personally show you...what happens when you piss off a lion!"

"Don't rush into a fight Leone!" Najenda called out, grabbing ahold of the blonde assassin's shoulder. "Kurome still has that bodyguard!" Najenda stepped in front of Leone, once again turning her attention to the puppet Rokugou. "Right now you need to go help Akame. After, you and I will take Kurome down together." Rolling her mechanical shoulder, Najenda advanced towards Rokugou. "We're both former generals...I can manage my own against an opponent without a teigu."

"All right..." Leone muttered, as she grit her teeth in frustration. Tightly balling her fist, Leone gave Kurome a murderous glare. "Just you wait, you bitch. I'm coming for your head next!"

"Oh my, aren't you one tough kitty?" Kurome asked in a mocking tone, resting her head on her hand. "I think I'll add you to my collection too, along with that nuisance in the fancy armor."

"What did you?!" Leone asked, as her eyes widened in a mixture of shock and fury. "I won't you lay a fucking finger on him!"

"We'll see about that." Kurome said with a smile, waving dismissively at Leone. "Now run along little kitty, my big sister could use your help right now."

"Oh, I'm going to enjoy killing you." Leone snarled, before she took off in the direction Akame was in.

As these two battles waged on, a third party was preparing for their mission in the woods near the canyon. Biting down into her sucker, Chelsea picked up her Gaia Foundation off the ground and began to make her way towards the ambush spot she had picked out.

"I guess there's one thing we have in common Kurome..." Chelsea thought with a smirk, popping another sucker into her mouth. "I'm also the type of girl who goes right for an opening when I see it."

(Same Time: With Akame)

"Damn it!" Akame thought, as she dove away from another spray of searing flames. "I can't get anywhere close to Bols because of that bodyguard...but I'm sure if I keep on moving I'll eventually find my opening! Time to put all that extra speed training with Tatsumi to work!" Leaning forward, Akame focused all her power into her legs and began to run circles around Bols, almost seeming to blur passed him.

"So she's trying to find a way in..." Bols thought, trying to keep up with the black and red blur as she zipped by. "Fine, then I'll give her a nice, wide opening." Bols aimed Rubicante into the path Akame had been taking. Firing of a ball of fire, Bols watched as Akame stopped on a dime, allowing the ball of fire to rocket passed her.

"Now's my chance!" Akame thought, as she dug her heels into the ground, before springing towards Bols at an incredible speed. The corpse puppet immediately stepped in front of Bols, ready to block Akame's attack once again. "Not this time!" Just before Akame reached the puppet, she used her momentum to slide on the ground, right between the bodyguard's wide defensive stance. Spinning on her palm to adjust her trajectory, Akame suddenly lunged towards Bols, Murasame at the ready. Stabbing at Bols with the cursed sword, Akame was caught of guard when she felt her blade strike metal instead of flesh. Looking closer, Akame was surprised to see that Bols had blocked her strike with a piece of armor over his palm. "He has even more armor...he's taken countermeasures against Murasame!" Akame's eyes widened when she suddenly came face-to-face with Rubicante's barrel. Seeing the flames forming within the barrel, Akame instantly buckled her knees and fell onto her back, the bright orange flames flying just over her head. Akame rolled on the ground several times, before darting away from Bols.

"My, those are some impressive evasion skills!" Bols genuinely complimented in a surprised tone, his bodyguard once again standing in front of him. "If I may ask you one question Akame...why did you join the revolutionary army? It would have been so reassuring to still have you on our side."

"..." Akame paused for several moments, as she remembered the countless lives she had taken while working for the empire, both innocent and corrupt. The red-eyed assassin then envisioned all her comrades in Night Raid, Tatsumi's smiling face the clearest thing her mind. Tightly balling her fist, Akame placed it over her heart, her blood red eyes full of passion and determination. "Because my heart decided that it was the right thing to do! I will walk the path that I believe in! And while I walk this down path, I will protect the things that I love, with my life if I have to!"

"I understand your response...I guess that's one thing we have in common...so thank you." Bols said, aiming Rubicante at Akame once again, flames liking the flamethrower's barrel. "But...I too have something I love that I must protect...so I absolutely must survive this fight! If that means burning down your conviction...then so be it!"

"Hold it right there!" A new voice exclaimed from above. Looking up, Akame was surprised to see Leone dropping down towards them. With a ground-shattering crash, Leone landed in front of Akame. "Let me in on this fight too! That'll make it a fair fight, two-on-two!"

"Uh Leone..." Akame said, as she stared wide-eyed at Leone's lack of a right arm. "Are you-"

"Your bitch sister did this..." Leone growled, before smiling and giving Akame a thumbs up. "But don't worry about it! Let's focus on the fight!"

"Alright." Akame said, as she nodded her head and turned attention back to Bols. "They're both strong, so be careful."

"Right!" Leone exclaimed, sliding into a fighting stance. "Let's take Bols out, then go after Kurome! That girl owes me a fucking arm!"

(Back With Najenda)

"Because of the injuries Esdeath gave me years ago, my strength is only at about forty percent right now...that kick to the gut earlier didn't help either." Najenda thought, as she an attack from Rokugou's whip. "But I can move faster than I originally thought." Watching as Rokugou slammed his whip into the ground, Najenda immediately recognized what move he was about to use. "Earth Shaker!" Najenda leaped high up into the air to dodge the attack, avoiding the shockwaves created by Rokugou's whip. "I've trained so hard in your techniques, that they've become ingrained into my mind!" Cocking her mechanical arm back, Najenda purposefully fired her metal fist into a rock next to Rokugou. The corpse puppet had expected the attack to hit him, so he jumped out of the way. "Reel Assault!" Pressing a small button on her mechanical arm, the cable connecting to her metal fist began to rapidly pull Najenda towards Rokugou. Closing the gap in an instant, Najenda hit Rokugou in the head with a powerful kick, so powerful that it knocked his head clean off. Rokugou's headless corpse took a few stumbling steps, before collapsing to the ground. However, when Najenda landed back onto the ground a few moments later, she was disgusted to see that Rokugou's corpse was still moving, despite not having a head. "What..." Najenda's anger flared, as she remembered the time she had spent with Rokugou back when he was alive. Seeing his body desecrated like this only infuriated her further. "What crime against humanity is this teigu!?" Wanting to end Rokugou's suffering, Najenda kicked his still moving corpse into the air. Najenda jumped up above Rokugou, gritting her teeth in anger as she slammed her mechanical fist into his stomach. Using the momentum behind her attack, Najenda used her fist to smash Rokugou's body into the ground. Standing back up, Najenda saw that Rokugou's body was no longer moving. "May your soul now find peace my friend."

Saying a quick prayer for her comrade, Najenda hurried over to where Susanoo was. When Najenda arrived, she saw that Susanoo had kept his word and was holding his own against the massive, skeletal danger beast.

"Looks like we're both pretty stubborn." Susanoo said with a smirk, noticing Najenda land behind him. "Good to see that you're alright master."

"Even though it's decaying, that thing is still a super class..." Najenda said, as she crossed her arms over her chest. "This bastard really is going to be a handful."

"You're not wrong, but..." Susanoo said, pointing towards the danger beast's left shoulder. which appeared to be slightly askew. "Something about that part of its body seems off to me...it's completely asymmetrical with the opposite side. I was distracted by it, that I was hit by one of this beast's attacks."

"I see..." Najenda muttered, as she stroked her chin. "If one of us doesn't reach Kurome soon, our casualties will surely rise. So here and now...Susanoo! As your master...I hereby give you permission to use your trump card!"

"Understood." Susanoo said in an extremely calm tone, a serious look spreading across his face.

(Same Time: With Tatsumi)

"Fuck me, this guys tough!" Tatsumi exclaimed, as he dodged another jab from the masked puppet's blades. Darting backwards, Tatsumi fired six rapid shots from his Doragon no kokyū, but the corpse puppet easily managed to evade each shot. "Fuck! He's almost as fast as Akame!" Pumping the demonic shotgun, Tatsumi took aim once again. However, he was caught of guard when the masked puppet suddenly appeared right in front of him. Tatsumi instantly recoiled back, using his improved reflexes to stop the puppet's blade between two of his fingers, mere inches away from his face. "I thought it'd be easier if it was just one of you, but you're proving to be one annoying bastard. That other guy was just a stupid monkey and was much easier to read."

"Weak...you're still so weak..." The puppet taunted, starting to push back against Tatsumi, the blade inching towards his face.

"You may say I'm weak...but you're really an idiot..." Tatsumi said with a smirk, as he used his free hand to aim his Doragon no kokyū at the masked puppet's stomach. "Shotguns are most effective at close range!" Pulling the trigger, Tatsumi unloaded a volley of flaming flechettes into the puppet's gut. The force behind the blast sent the corpse puppet flying back, crashing into a large rock. "HA! I finally got you!" But Tatsumi's celebration was cut short when he saw the puppet pull himself out of the rubble, a large, smoking hole where his stomach used to be. "*Sigh* Figures you wouldn't go down easy."

"Unacceptable!" The masked puppet roared, charging towards Tatsumi, his blades drawn. However, the corpse puppet spotted something out of the corner of his eye, which caused him to stop dead in his tracks. Appearing from behind a nearby rock was man wearing a mask, appearing to be from one of the outer tribes. The corpse puppet dropped his weapons and slowly approached the masked newcomer. Tatsumi was confused by the new development, but still kept his aim trained on the corpse puppet."Fr...Friend..." The masked newcomer placed his hand on the corpse puppets shoulder, before jamming a needle right through his forehead. The masked newcomer's body was suddenly enveloped in smoke, revealing that it had been Chelsea the entire time.

"Akame was right. The corpse puppets controlled by Yatsufusa don't have a will of their own and can't speak clearly. All that's left is ingrained habits and strong feelings." Chelsea said with a smile, as the masked corpse puppet collapsed onto his knees. "Unfortunately...I'm not one of your fallen comrades..." Stepping back, Chelsea turned to Tatsumi. "He's all yours." Tatsumi stared at Chelsea for several moments, before nodding his head. Kneeling in front of the masked corpse puppet, Tatsumi placed both barrels of his Doragon no kokyū under the corpse puppet's chin.

"You may have been an annoying bastard to fight...but you didn't deserve this..." Tatsumi said in a solemn tone, pulling the trigger and blowing apart the masked puppet's head.
The masked corpse puppet fell limp the ground, no longer showing any signs of movement. "I hope you find your friend on the other side."

"Nice one." Chelsea said, as she brushed a few strands of hair behind her ear. "It looks like he's down for the count."

"Thanks Chelsea, you really saved my ass back there." Tatsumi said, causing a slight blush to spread across the auburn-haired assassin's face.

"Well see ya! I have somewhere else I need to be, so I'll leave the rest to you!" Chelsea exclaimed, as she tried to run off and hide her embarrassed face. But she was surprised when she felt a strong hand grab her own, stopping her in her tracks.

"Chelsea...before you leave...will you listen to what I have to say?" Tatsumi asked, removing his helmet so that he could look Chelsea in the eyes.

"Tatsumi...I really need to go..." Chelsea said, as she kept her head turned away, not wanting to meet Tatsumi's eyes.

"Please..." Tatsumi pleaded, gently squeezing Chelsea's hand. "Just let me say this one thing."

"*Sigh* God damn it..." Chelsea cursed underneath her breath, before she turned to face Tatsumi. When Chelsea's eyes met Tatsumi's, she was stunned by the burning passion and determination she saw within them. Feeling her face heat up once again, Chelsea yanked her hand free and crossed her arms over her chest. "Fine...just make it quick."

"Thank you Chelsea..." Tatsumi said, breathing a sigh of relief. "I know it's our mission to kill Kurome and Bols...and you can handle Kurome however you want...but if you come across Bols...could you please consider sparing his life?"

"But Tastumi...we have orders-"

"Fuck our orders!" Tatsumi exclaimed in frustration, as he tightly balled his fists. Chelsea was completely taken aback by Tatsumi's sudden outburst. "Listen, when I was captured by Esdeath, I got to know some of the Jaegers better...and out of all of them...Bols was one of the nicest people I've ever met. He's only working for the Jaegers because he wants to protect his family. He's just a soldier who was given terrible job and had to follow orders to ensure his family's safety. I know...I know that doesn't excuse the things he's done, but at the very least he doesn't deserve to die serving that bastard Honest."

"Tatsumi...I don't know..." Chelsea said, breaking her eyes away from Tatsumi's, as she stared down at her feet. "We have our mission...and he's killed so many innocent people..."

"I'm just asking that you think about it...think about what might happen to his wife and daughter living in the capital once their protector is gone...please..." Tatsumi said, as he put his helmet back on. Tatsumi turned his back to Chelsea, before he spoke once again. "No matter what choice you make Chelsea...I'll never hate you...just do whatever you think is right and I'll support you." With those final words, Tatsumi grabbed the masked corpse puppet and headed back into the battle.

"God damn it...god damn it..." Chelsea said barely above a whisper, a few tears rolling down her cheeks. The auburn-haired assassin clutched a hand over racing heart, as she watched Tatsumi leave. Once Tastumi was out of sight, Chelsea quickly wiped away her tears and made her away towards her planned ambush spot. "Tatsumi...I swear...once this fight is over...I'll make you take responsibility for these feelings."

And done! Well things are really starting to heat up, aren't they!? Next chapter will finish off this fight between the Jaegers and Night Raid, and we'll finally learn if Bols survives this battle. This will be the final update for a little while, I have to work on my Pokemon fic next, then my Fairy Tail fic after that. But I'll have the next chapter out eventually. Just remember that I'm in college right now, so you'll have to bear with me. Remember to follow/favorite if you enjoyed, PLEASE REVIEW(I NEED YOUR FEEDBACK), check out my other profile and other fics if you haven't already, and PM me any ideas you might have for any of my fics. So until next time, I'm outta here!

P.S. If you're wondering what I based the design of Tatsumi's new shotgun off of, it's called the DP-12 Double Barrel Pump shotgun. Feel free to do a Google search if you'd like to get a better visual representation of what the weapon looks like. Also, if you don't know what flechette rounds are, they're basically a shotgun shell that releases small darts or nails instead of traditional buckshot. That'd be a another good thing to Google search, because they're seriously pretty nasty looking.