Night Raid's HQ, outside the Imperial Capital...

The surviving members of Night Raid were gathers in they usual conference room: a well designed throne room with a table, fire place and a few chairs.

The various members of this covert ops group stood around the throne, of which their boss Najenda sat in. This silver haired woman was a former general of the Imperial Army as well as the leader of Night Raid.

"I have gathered you here to share some rather important news." Najenda said in her usual down to business tone.

"First, there's talk about Esdeath forming a new group of Imperial Arm users. No doubt this group's sole purpose is to confront us, and until we find out more about these members and their Imperial Arms I'd rather avoid any direct confrontation."

"Second, is the appearance of another faction within the Capital known as Clockwork. Two of their members made contact with Akame and Lubbock during our last mission." She looked in Tatsumi and Bulat's direction. "And while it has yet to be confirmed, two more members might have confronted Tatsumi and Bulat."

She returned her gaze to he subordinates as a whole.

"While it seems that their enemy is the Empire, we have no idea who they are or what their overall objective is. It is possible that they could be another covert group sent by the Revolutionary Army, but seeing as we have been kept in the dark about the existence of another group similar to ours operating in the Capital it is rather unlikely."

"Could be that they have some top secret mission that the higher ups couldn't tell just anyone about them." Lubbock replied.

"Which is why I've decided to go to the Revolutionary Army's HQ. We need to find out if this new group is one of ours."

Najenda looked at each of her subordinates before she continued.

"While I'm there I'll see if I can recruit some new members. We'll need them for our future battles, whether or not if Clockwork turns out to be our foe."

She smiled as she looked at the Akame.

"Akame, you're in charge until I return. Keep everyone training and lay low, understood?"

Akame nodded. "Sure, whatever."

"Can't you at least try to act serious?" Tatsumi added.

Bulat chuckled. "Don't sweat it Tatsumi, though she may act like that Akame will get the job done."

"Since I'm heading there, I'll be taking the three Imperial Arms of the Three Beast with me." Najenda continued. "No doubt that the Revolutionary Army has some suitable candidates for them."

Najenda sat up. "You're dismissed."

The members of Night Raid turned, and began moving towards the exit.

"Tatsumi, Bulat, you two stay for a moment."

The two turned back. The forward had his eyebrows raised while the latter held his usual look.

Their boss waited till the three were along before she spoke.

"I wanted to congratulate the two of you personally for a job well done. You defeated Esdeath's Three Beasts, key figures in the heart of the Empire's military might and saved countless revolutionaries who would have otherwise faced them."

Bulat smiled as he closed his eyes. "Oh come now boss, if you really felt the need to congratulate us you could have done so before."

The silver-haired woman nodded. "That's true, sharp as always Bulat." She closed her eyes, when she reopened them Najenda portrayed a more serious look.

"The real reason why I asked you two to stay, is to discuss the fact that you no longer wield an Imperial Arms."

Bulat placed a hand on his hip and smirk. "Figured it had something to do with that."

"I'm sorry." Tatsumi looked at the tiled floor before him. "While I'm grateful that you gave me Incursio Bro, I know how much of a burden that put on you too."

Bulat took a few steps over and slapped Tatsumi's back. "Don't beat yourself up over it Tatsumi!"

"He's right." Najenda added. "For Bulat to entrust you with his Imperial Arms is something you should be proud of."

She shifted her head to Bulat. "But that does put you in a rather vulnerable spot."

"Maybe, but I see it as a golden opportunity."

Najenda raised her eyebrow. "How so?"

"That guy Tatsumi and I meet, that Ban tribesmen Raryu, he was strong. Crazy strong and he didn't have an Imperial Arms!"

Bulat held his free arm up to chest level. "If someone can be that strong without an Imperial Arms, then who says that I can't do the same?"

Najenda smiled. "So you want to push yourself to new heights without relying on an Imperial Arms?"

Bulat grinned his teeth in a smile. "That's right."

"Interesting..." Najenda closed her one good eye. "If nothing else, it's worth the attempt."

She reopened her eye and smiled. "I look forward to your progress."

She shifted her gaze to Tatsumi. "As well as your growth Tatsumi. Do you best to live up to our expectations."

Tatsumi clenched his fist and nodded. "I won't let you down."


Elsewhere, inside the Capital...

Wave walked the streets of the Capital, with a bag of fish in his left hand and full of optimism. He was sure he would do fine on his first day with his new unit.

Originally, he was station within the Imperial Navy following the footsteps of an Imperial whom saved his life. Now, he had been promoted to the Special Police Force within the Capital. He was apart of a newly formed unit of Imperial Arms users that served within the Empire.

He wore one of the best jackets his town had to offer, hoping it would let him fit in with the locals. However, ever since he arrived Wave noticed everyone looking as he passed.

Maybe people in the city had different customs than the country side?

It didn't matter though, as long as he got along with his new comrades and proved his worth.

It took the better half of an hour for Wave to arrive at the Imperial Palace, then ten more minutes to find the room his new unit where suppose to meet.

Wave hesitated at the door, his hand hovering above its door handle. 'Alright Wave, first impressions are everything.'

He took a deep breath as the words of his town's elder echoed in his mind. 'Don't let them walk all over you! Show them you mean business!'

Wave smiled, then threw open the door with great enthusiasm.

"Greetings friends! My name is Wave and I come fro-"

As he spoke, the young man looked around the room. It was of a simple design and had a single long table with seven chairs. Otherwise, it was mostly empty.

Mostly.

The only other being in the room was a single shirtless man wearing a horrifying mask staring directly at him.

Wave paused for a moment, processing the information.

"I'm sorry." He said before quickly closing the door.

Wave slumped back against the closed door.

'Crap, I most have taken a wrong turn and ended up in the interrogation room.' He mentally concluded before pulling out the directions to the room he was suppose to go. He studied it for a moment, then looked up at the small frame above the door.

It read: CONFERENCE ROOM

'Wait a minute...' He looked back at the paper. 'This is the right room!'

Wave felt his heart skip a beat. 'You mean I'm working with that guy?!'

He slowly sat up, turned and reopened the door, much slower this time.

"Hello again..." He said rather depressing as he slowly walked over to the farthest chair from his scary looking teammate.

Wave sat down and felt a chill crawl down his spine. He looked up for a moment to see the masked man looking right at him.

'Oh crap. He's looking right at me.' Wave clenched onto his pants as he shook nervously. 'Why did I have to work with such a intimidating weirdo?'

A few silent moments passed before the door opened again. Wave and the masked man turned and saw a young girl armed with a single katana and dressed in a black school girl uniform.

Wave managed to settle down at the sight of a normal person. She sat down across from him, imminently pulling out a bag of cookies marked KUROME'S SNACKS and began to munch on them.

With renewed confidence, Wave sat up and paced over to his other teammate.

"Hi there," He said as he approached. "My name's Wav-"

Kurome wrapped her arms around her back and pulled them to her face. She looked at Wave with a pouty face.

"You can't have any." She said bluntly, causing Wave to conclude that she was a nutcase as well.

Wave slumped forward and slowly walked back to his seat. Disappointed that so far his teammates didn't live up to his expectations.

By the time he slumped back in his chair, the door open once again.

This time it was another young girl with orange hair tied up in a dark green ribbon, a green single piece and had mechanical arms, one of which was holding a bouquet of red roses. With her was a small almost cartoon like dog.

"Greetings comrades!" She said with great enthusiasm as she saluted the three before her. "I'm Seryu Ubiquitous of the Imperial Police Force, and this is Coro!"

Before anyone could respond to her animated introduction, she stepped to one side and threw the roses she had been carrying up till now. Their petals scattering over the doorway.

Seryu, along with the dog Coro, knelt down placing a hand on their chest while the other gestured outward at their side.

"If you would please grace us with your presence Dr. Stylish."

At her call, another man entered the room. He had mostly blue hair with a patch of grey along the left side. He wore a lab coat covering a light brown suit, tie and pants with a blue undershirt.

With every step he seemed to give off the impression that he was more of a feminist type, and the fact that he held his left hand on his face like a woman obsessed with her own beauty only added to that thought.

"First impressions are everything for someone befitting the word 'stylish'." He said as he walked into the room. "Someone like myself of course."

'Now there's another crazy one!' Wave screamed mental.

"Oh my," Dr. Stylish took a step towards Wave. "Well aren't you just a cute little country boy."

Wave felt a drop of sweat run down his face.

"If you want I could polish you up some sweet cheeks." The doctor said with a wink. "Don't be shy~"

Wave's jaw dropped. 'And he likes me!'

A few minutes passed before another person entered the room. It was another man, roughly around Wave's age.

He had blond mid-length hair and was rather good looking. He had a sort of choker on his neck and a feather accessory along the left side of his head.

He wore a black pants and a dull white rope held by a huge brown belt and black gauntlets.

"Hello," He said as he approached the table. "It looks like I'm the last one to arrive."

Wave picked his head up from the table. Up till now all his teammates proved to be weird or crazy, so why would this guy be any different?

Still, it was only right to introduce himself.

"Hey, what's up? I'm Wave."

"My names Run." He slightly tilted his head and smiled. "The pleasure's all mine."

Wave shot up from his chair and ran over to Run, he grasped the man's hand and smiled.

Finally! There was someone on his team that was actually normal!

Before Run or anyone else could say something on the awkward situation Wave unknowingly caused. The masked man, whom had sat up a bit before Run's arrival, approached the table holding a trey of tea cups.

"Um...Pardon me but the tea is ready. If anyone want's some."

A few seconds pasted for everyone to sit down and receive their tea.

The masked man looked at Wave. "I'm sorry I didn't speak before. You see, I'm what you call the...Shy type. Or uh...Bashful? I'm sorry."

Wave raised his eyebrow in awkward surprise, this man looked far from the shy type.

"Looks like I'm the oldest one here." The masked man continued. "I really need to get my act together hehe. Call me Bols from the Incendiary squad...Please..."

A few awkward moments past before Bols sat back in his chair.

'So this is my new team huh?' Wave thought to himself. 'A...rough group to say the least...I wonder what our commanding officer's like.'

The door opened, and new figure quickly walked in. It was a woman with winter blue haired dressed in a white military outfit. She had a mask covering her face.

"What the hell are all of you doing here?" She shouted at them.

Wave was the first to react. He sat up an approached the woman. "The hell's your deal? We were invite her-"

The masked woman grabbed Wave by the arm, spun around and flipped him onto the table. The other 5 jumped away as Wave crashed into the table, smashing it to pieces.

"You never know who is an assassin. Don't let your guard down!" The woman said before rushing at her next target.

Run managed to see the assailant coming, dodging or blocking her punches and kicks. The woman backed off, impressed by the boy's reflexes.

Seryu saw the opening and jumped up in the air along with her Imperial Arms Coro. The two closed in from behind, inches away from the assailant.

At the last moment, the masked woman spun around, dodging Seryu before delivering a single chop to the back of her neck. As the forward slumped down, the assailant grabbed onto the back of Seryu's dress as she held her free hand up, formed a block of ice and stopped Coro.

"How can you expect to attack someone from behind when your blood lust is so easily sensed?" She said before letting Seryu drop to the floor.

Kurome rushed at her, sword in hand and a cookie in her mouth. The assailant heard her approaching and quickly threw Coro aside.

Kurome jumped up, delivering a quick three slashes at the assailant's mask.

"I'm not gonna hold back," Kurome said in a muffled voice. "Even if it is just a game."

The masked woman took a step back, her mask crumbling to the floor.

"So that's the Imperial Arms Yutafusa." She said with a chuckle. "It's as sharp as expected."

Bols gasped as he recognized the face behind the mask. "Ge-general Esdeath!"

Seryu and Wave started to rise up as Bols spoke. The one who would lead their new unit was the assailant all along.

'Man, even our commanding officer is a nut case.' Wave though as he rose to his feet. 'This is gonna be fun...'

Esdeath looked at each of her new subordinates. "I hope that was rather entertaining than the usually dull meet and great."

"Na I'm used to a little roughhousing." Wave replied, even though being smashed threw a table was a new experience for him.

"And your advice was really helpful, thanks a lot!" Seryu added.

Esdeath smiled. "Good. Now follow me, we need to have you all dressed up nice to meet the Emperor. Afterwards, we'll have a little party."

Wave was taken aback. "Wait we're meeting the Emperor now?"

"That does seem like a loaded schedule for our first day." Run added.

"I like to get all the pointless and dull things over with first." Esdeath replied.

"Oh by the way," Dr. Stylish spoke. "Have you decided on a name for our stylish unit yet?"

Esdeath grinned her teeth in a smile. "But of course." She paused before continuing.

"We are an independent squad formed to hunt down and eliminate a particular band of assassins along with any other rebel elements within the Capital."

"As such, I find it fitting if we called ourselves: The Jeagers."


A few hours later...

Chairmen Fuyu leaned over over a balcony at the city below. His head resting on the palm of his hand as he scanned the active streets.

"Look at all those lost souls," He muttered. "They don't have a clue that war is about to begin."

He heard someone approaching, but didn't turn to see who. He had a fair idea of who it was.

"Enjoying the evening air Chairmen?" The deep voiced Prime Minister said as he drew closer.

"Simply enjoying the view." Fuyu replied.

He stopped alongside Fuyu and joined him at looking at the sights.

"My my, look at them. Scattering around like rats."

"It's sad isn't it? Of how ignorant this people are living their 'simple lives.'"

"Which is exactly how we want them to be." Honest smiled. "Ignorant masses are easy to manipulate after all."

Fuyu let out a chuckle. "Like how you control the Emperor?"

"I wouldn't say control, more like guiding him towards the actions that benefit me- I'm sorry benefit us."

Fuyu closed his eyes and smiled. This man was one of the most detestable human beings on the face of the Earth. And here he was trying to act all buddy buddy just to save his own skin.

There was no one Fuyu hated more than this clown.

For now though, he just have to keep acting. Until everything was in place that is.

"So I heard my sister has a new unit." He said.

"Ah yes, the Jeagers or some devil of a name like that." Honest pulled out a pack of raw meat and began to chew on it. "You know how she's like with those kinds of things. Installing fear into all who utter the name."

"You make it sound like it's a bad thing."

"Heavens no." Honest replied with a chuckle. "Fear holds the hearts of men and women. To control fear is to control humanity."

Fuyu replied with a simple humf.

The Prime Minister eyed the Chairmen. "You sound like you are of a different opinion."

Fuyu straightened his back. "While I agree that men can be controlled through fear, there is one thing greater that can control their hearts."

He turned towards the Minister. "Hope." He said bluntly. "As long as there's a single thread of hope, the masses will rally behind any goal."

"I can agree with that, which is why we must crush any hope before it can take root."

Fuyu let out a laugh before turning 90 degrees, facing his back to the Minister's. "That is an impossible task. All humans fear, and all humans hope. To deny hope is to deny fear or any other emotion for that matter."

Fuyu turned his head back to the Prime Minister. "One can only snuff the flames for so long, before it explodes into an uncontrollable wildfire."

Honest closed his eyes. "Perhaps..."

Fuyu turned his head around and began to walk away. He had enough mingling with this detestable man.

"Oh and one more thing." Honest called out. "It seems you sister is currently obsessed with -oh how should I say this- falling in love?"

That got Fuyu's attention.

He quickly turned around and looked at the Prime Minister.

"Hah?"


The next day...

Tatsumi walked the streets of the Capital. He was heading for a library Lubbock owned in town.

Since only he, Lubbock and Leone were the only members of Night Raid who can freely walk the streets of the Capital and not attract attention it was up to the three of them to collect intel.

In a few minutes, he seen Lubbock dressed in a clerk like outfit standing outside his library.

He walked towards him, waving as the latter noticed him.

"I have a customer." Lubbock said in a half-whisper as Tatsumi grew near. "This guy's a regular, so it'll be a few minutes."

Tatsumi nodded in acknowledgment. "So I'll just wait out here then."

"No, its cool. Besides I think you should meet him."

Tatsumi raised his eyebrow. "Yeah? Why's that?"

"This guy's a senator. One that dislikes the Prime Minister even more than Leone, and that's saying something."

The two entered the library; it was small but had many books. Like Lubbock said, only one other person was in with them. He was a tall male with long black hair. In a way, it reminded Tatsumi of Akame.

The man wore an white outfit befitting a noble. Aside from that one senator he saved the other day, Tatsumi never seen one up close. Their normal dress ware really stated that they were from the upper class.

The noble was looking over some books place on the shelf, turning only when he heard them approaching.

He had brown eyes, not the typical brown color but a golden brown. Kind of like caramel or something.

"Ah Lubbock, there you are." The noblemen took a step towards him. "I wanted your opinion on this book over here."

"One sec," Lubbock gestured towards Tatsumi. "First I wanna introduce you to my friend. This here's Tatsumi."

The noble's eyes seemed to widen for a brief moment. He looked at the young man. 'So this is Tatsumi.' He thought before extending his hand outward.

"My name is Jast. Jast Ritterlichkeit." He said with a smile. "It's a pleasure Tatsumi."

The latter grabbed his hand and shook. "Same here, Jast Ritterlich...Uh..."

Jast chuckled. "Ritterlichkeit. Don't worry, most people can't say it either." He withdrew his hand. "You can simply call me Jast Ritter if nothing else."

Lubbock let out a cough. "Now about that book."

"Ah yes, its this one." Jast turned around, taking a few moments to find the book. "Here. Legends of the 1st Age."

He pulled it out and handed it to Lubbock. "I have a friend who's interested in history and was wondering how this book's credibility is."

"Well I'm no historian so I can't say, but to me it seems believable if nothing else."

"Hmm...Alright. I'll see if he likes it." Jast and Lubbock moved over to the counter.

Lubbock scanned the book, then pressed a few buttons on his register. "Alright, that's gonna be 4.95."

Jast pulled out his wallet: A finely crafted white bag. It made you wonder how rich this guy was. (As well as what the hell the currency in this universe is.)

He gave Lubbock the requested fee and put his wallet away.

"Thank you," Lubbock snickered. "It always make me feel great that my taste in books are better than those in the Palace."

"Well the Minster put a ban on quite a number of books, including anything on the First Age." Jast shook his head. "Honestly, that man thinks that reading a few books will start a revolt or something."

"I've been meaning to ask." Tatsumi cut in. "What's you opinion on the Prime Minister?"

Jast frowned. Then grinned his teeth angrily. He turned to Tatsumi, the latter was taken aback by the sudden mood change as well as Jast's face.

"Tatsumi, that man is the source of this dying cesspool of decay we find ourselves in. I'm sure you've been in the Capital long enough to know exactly what I'm talking about."

He paused long enough for Tatsumi to nod in agreement.

"That man is the core of a rotten cancer slowly choking the life out of our Empire. He has full control over the young Emperor as well as the Senate, the Courts, and the Military through his many allies."

"They all need to be stopped if we hope to life our lives without killing ourselves so some bureaucrat can stuff his fat face with steak or drink imported wines while the people he's sworn to serve starve to death!"

Jast clenched his fist. "If I was stronger, I would gladly do it myself. But I'm no match for General Esdeath or Commander in Chief Budo."

He frowned. "All I can do is support those who rebel against the Minister."

Lubbock looked at Tatsumi. "Jast here provides information and funds for the Revolutionary Army."

Jast smiled. "Don't you mean I provide you're people information and funds?"

Tatsumi leaned towards Lubbock. "This guy knows you're in the Revolutionary Army?" He whispered.

"Yeah, but he doesn't know I'm with Night Raid."

Jast looked at Tatsumi. "We have a long history, me and Lubbock. My father often did business with his parents back when he-"

Lubbock flailed his arms froward. "Shhuushhh! I haven't told him about that!"

"Oh." Jast let out a laugh. "My apologies. Never mind then."

The Senator turned towards the exit. "I'll be seeing you Tatsumi. Till next time Lubbock."

The latter two said their goodbyes to the Senator.

They waited a few moments after he left before Lubbock walked to the door and locked it. Then, he guided Tatsumi to a secret staircase hidden behind a bookshelf.

"This place really does give off the whole secret hideout vibe." Tatsumi said as he began walking down the stairs.

"Yep, it's my pride and joy."

"You make it sound like you built the place yourself."

It took a few minutes for the two to reach the end of the staircase. Tatsumi followed Lubbock through a small hallway and into a small room.

Leone sat on a single purple couch. When she say the two, she threw her arms into the air and smiled.

"Welcome! To Night Raid's Secret Headquarters!"

"You're not being really secretive right now Sis." Tatsumi teased.

"Alright, so we're here to gather information on Esdeath's new Imperial Arms unit." Lubbock said, trying to get down to business.

"I've been meaning to ask, what's this General Esdeath like anyway?"

Lubbock stared at Tatsumi. "She's an extremely powerful warmonger who takes pleasure in torturing her enemies."

"A few years back, when Ms. Najenda was in the army, Esdeath and this guy called Fuyu were known as the 'Tyrant Duo.' Those two were an unstoppable force that decimated entire armies down to the last man."

"Sounds brutal."

"Brutal doesn't even begin to describe those two. It's more like genocidal."

Leone leaned back on the couch and let out a sigh. "It's a good thing I decided not to fight her by myself. She was giving of such crazy malice that drove shivers down my spine."

Lubbock reached into his back pocket and pulled out a flyer.

"If you want to check her out, she's hosting a tournament today."

Tatsumi grabbed the flyer and read it over. It was an advertisement for a fighting tournament hosted by General Esdeath. The winner of the tournament would be given a cash prize of 500,000.

"Plus it would be a great chance to earn money for your village." Lubbock continued. "Wanna go?"

Tatsumi lowered the flyer and nodded. "Show me where to sign up."


Elsewhere, in a nearby pub...

"Will you look at this!" Drake held up the flyer detailing Esdeath's tournament in his hand. "The fearsome General Esdeath is hosting a tournament!"

"And why should we care?" His partner Pyro replied. "You do know we are on standby."

"That don't mean we can't have some fun! Come on man, it'll be a grand time to show these guys up!"

"Shouldn't you be keeping a low profile since you're a deserter and all?"

"Hey, you owe me for the other day and I'm calling it in!" Drake hoped out of his seat.

"Besides, I erased all the records of me serving in the Imperial Army. The only thing I gotta worry about is if i use my Imperial Arms or if I run into someone who knows me. Fat chance of that since everyone that knew me dead or deserted too."

He moved towards the entrance. "Who knows? Maybe we can gain some intelligence on Esdeath's Jeager force when we're there?"

"Whatever." Pyro downed his drink before chasing after his partner.


Hours later...

Wave agreed to be the MC of Esdeath's tournament. He wanted to be of use, even if his superior was a nutcase. Though the tournament up till this this point was nothing but a snooze fest.

Sure plenty of people showed up and there were some decent fights, but no one here was even close to the one Esdeath sought.

The true purpose of this tournament was to find someone capable of wielding an Imperial Arms Seryu reclaimed from Night Raid a few months ago and have that person join the Jeagers.

Now they were at the final round, and while the two remaining contenders defeated their other opponents with skillfully Wave doubted that either was the one they sought.

The contender to his right was a brown haired young man around his own age. He wore a brown coat over top a black shirt and green pants. He held a unique grey sword with some sort of red jewel in the center. This man was fast, and quite strong for his age. He defeated every opponent before hand with ease.

The contender to his left was a blue haired older man, most likely in his late twenties. He wore a tight skinned black shirt that framed his abs and biceps along with green cargo pants. His only other notable feature was a wide scar across his nose. This guy was the only contestant who fought without a weapon, and managed to win every match until now.

"Here's the final match of the tournament!" Wave shouted into his microphone. "Tatsumi the Blacksmith vs Drake the Engineer!"

The crowd behind him erupted into a frenzy of cheers.

The two finalists stared each other down.

"I'm surprised such a young guy like you made it to the finals." Drake said with a smile.

"Don't underestimate me." Tatsumi replied with his own smile. "You're regret it."

"Same goes for you tough guy!" Drake began to slowly whirl his arms around, stretching them out. "I'm not like the other jokers you fought up till now."


Leone and Lubbock sat amongst the crowd, cheering Tatsumi on while keeping an eye on Esdeath, whom sat on a throne overlooking the arena.

"That guy's all talk." Leone said energetically. "Tatsumi will wipe the floor with him, don't you think so Lubbock?"

She waited for his reply, when it didn't come she looked at Lubbock.

"Hey, you listening?"

Lubbock had a hand on his chin, his mind deep in thought. The guy Tatsumi was fighting look familiar, but from where?

"I think I know that guy..." He said.

Leone raised her eyebrows, turning her head to Drake. "You sure? He doesn't look someone we know."

"Positive, but I can't put my finger on it." Lubbock let out a sigh, this was going to annoy him until he remembered where he meet this guy.

Unknown to the two members of Night Raid, Pyro of Clockwork sat amongst the crowed gathered in the arena.

He was utterly bored, Drake had defeated each of these so called fighters with as much ease as he claimed.

Now though, things where set to be interesting. His partner was set to fight Tatsumi, the only other contender that defeated these weaklings with ease but according to Serpentine's report, this young man was a member of Night Raid.

If the kid was half as talented at that parasite claimed, which so far seem to be so, then this was going to be a very entertaining fight.


Back at the ring, Wave glanced at each of the two finalists. They seemed ready, and eager, to get things underway.

He closed his eyes for a moment, holding his free hand up in the air. "Fighters ready?" He shouted, waiting a few moments before throwing his forward.

"Begin!"

Drake rushed Tatsumi with such speed that it almost caught the teen off guard. Tatsumi quickly stepped back, moving his sword arm towards his opponent.

Drake sneered, he jumped backwards, landed, then jumped even higher into the air.

"You're wide open!" Tatsumi charged at his air board opponent, not wanting to miss such a opening.

"Not quite boy!" Drake threw his left hand forward, extending his index finger towards Tatsumi.

"Electrocution!"

A bolt of lightning launched from Drake's index finger, rushing towards the latter.

Tatsumi stopped, but it was too late to dodged the bolt. Pain washed over the young member of Night Raid as he was electrocuted.

He took a step back, his black jacket smoking from the sudden charge.

By that time, Drake had already landed back on the tiled floor. He smiled as his opponent panted, wondering what the hell just happened.

Of course, Drake was more than happy to share his invention.

"You like that?" He said smugly. "That's a little static electricity created from my cloths, magnified 10 fold by a small device hidden in the the gap betwen my shoulders and focused through small metal pieces within my nails."

Drake let out a laugh. "They don't call me the engineer for nothing boy!"

'But this is nothing compared to my Imperial Arms.' He added subconsciously. 'If you were hit by an attack from that beauty, I doubt you'd be standing.'

"Did you use that trick on those other guys you beat?" Tatsumi asked.

Drake shrugged. "Some, yeah. Others were too weak to stand it so I beat them instead."

Tatsumi let out a laugh. "I think I figured out what kind of a person you are."

"Hey, hey, what's this supposta be a fight or a party to make new friends?"

Tatsumi lunged forward, bringing his sword down on Drake's face.

The latter, though caught by surprise, managed to catch the sword inches from his face.

"Who says it can't be both?" Tatsumi said with a smile.

"You bastard." Drake smirked. "Don't you get cocky boy!"

Drake shifted to his right, pulling the sword forward. He released his grip and kicked Tatsumi in his side, the latter rolled with the blow, but gained distance only provided Drake with the opportunity to use his electricity attack once again.

He extended right index finger this time, sending a bolt of electricity towards Tatsumi.

The latter smiled, he was prepared this time.

Tatsumi spun his sword upside-down and slammed it into the ground. As he hoped, the electrical bolt started to swift moving towards his sword.

The bolt made contact with the sword, expelling down harmlessly into the ground.

"Oh?" Drake placed his extended hand on his hips.

"Rather smart of you. Using your sword like a lightning rod." Drake smirked. "I can't use my electricity, but you can't use your sword either. So I guess we have to settle things the old fashioned way."

The scar-faced man ran at Tatsumi, swinging his legs at the latter's head.

Tatsumi dodged each blow, waiting for an opening.

Drake stopped his attack after a few more swings, creating Tatsumi's window.

He pounced forward, starting off with a left hook. Drake smacked it away and brought his hands forward, locking his hands and Tatsumi's together.

Drake smiled. "Bad move."

Suddenly, a wave of electricity surged through Tatsumi's body.

"I thought you said you couldn't use your electricity?!" He screamed, his voice distorted by the electrical current.

"Well for ranged attacks yeah." Drake replied with a smirk. "The device sends the current through my arms every time one of my shoulders touches one of the buttons on its sides."

Drake allowed Tatsumi to push his arms back further. The intensity of the electricity spiked a moment later.

"And right now, they're touching both of 'em."

One of Tatsumi's eyes started to close, this pain was starting to overwhelm him.

Sensing his victory near, Drake let out a laugh. "What you gonna do now boy?!"

Tatsumi grinned his teeth in a smile, tilting his head back as far as he could.

"The only thing I can do!"

BAAAANNNGGGG!

Tatsumi and Drake's heads collided, each of them seeming stars.

Their fingers lost each others grip as the two fighters fell to the arena's floor with a hard thump.

The crowd grew silent.

Wave's felt his jaw drop, hesitating for a few moments before remembering he had a job to do.

"Both contestant are down!" He yelled into the microphone. "Um...I'm not too sure how to call this."

"Its simple." Esdeath's voice boomed across the arena, drawing all attention to her. "The first contestant to stand shall be declared the winner."

Seconds passed with neither fighter showing any signs of moving.

More seconds passed before Drake's leg started to twitch.

It bent as the latter began to sit up.

"Yep, he got me alright." The former Imperial soldier said as he rubbed a part of his forehead. "Little crazy bastard."

Tatsumi rolled on one side, holding his head with both hands. "Ow, ow,ow! Man, nobody wins with a headbutt."

Drake let out a laugh. "Ain't that the truth." He bent one leg up, resting his arm upon it. "Gotta say, that fight was the most fun I had all week."

"I had fun too." Tatsumi rolled once more, pushing himself up to his knees. "You really are something Drake."

"You ain't bad yourself bo-" Drake cut himself off. He closed his eyes and smiled. "You ain't bad yourself Tatsumi."

He pushed off on one leg, straightening out the other before he fell right back down.

Drake cursed, about to try again when he saw a hand thrown in front of him. He looked up and seen Tatsumi smiling over him.

"Great match. Let's do it again sometime, but maybe without the electricity."

Drake looked at the teenager, then let out a hearty laugh before grabbing his hand. Tatsumi pulled, helping Drake rise to his feet.

The latter patted him on the back and chuckled. "Sure, anytime boy."

The lasting silence held by the crowd up till that point was shattered by a roar of cheers.

"And that's it!" Wave yelled into his microphone. "Tatsumi's the winner!"

"Wait what!?" Drake took a step back. "Wasn't it a tie!?"

"General Esdeath declared that the first contestant who would rise to their feet would be the victor." Wave answered the bewildered Drake. "Tatsumi was the first to stand, so he is the winner."

"You gotta be kidding me!"


"That idiot, losing on a technicality." Pyro said with a sigh. "Still, he deserved it."

A shadow moved in the corner of Pyro's eye. he looked towards it and saw a familiar face.

"Serpentine." He said with a smile. "I assume we have orders then?"

While the being behind Pyro was in fact Serpentine, it was a different host body then usual.

This host was a young man names Shi; a member of a clan of Shinobi the parasite took over some time ago. This host was dressed in black robes and had a mask covering his most of his face. Purple bits of hair dangled between the uncovered space between his similarly colored eyes.

"Yes. I was sent to find the two of you."

Pyro looked at his partner, the latter was yelling at the young MC, waving his fist in frustration as the blue haired teen tried to calm him down.

"This is about wrapped up, we'll be along shortly."


Tatsumi looked at the crowd, amazed that for that moment each one of those people were cheering for him.

It made him feel wonderful, more so than he did in a long time.

He smiled wide, grinning his teeth ear to ear.

Suddenly, the crowd unexpectedly died down.

Tatsumi raised his eyebrow, scanning the crowd as he tired to figure out why they grew still. When that seemed to go nowhere, he looked at Drake.

Drake held Wave by the neck, holding his fist up threatening to punch the young man, but didn't carry the action out. Instead the two held still, their eyes focusing on a single point behind Tatsumi.

The young member of Night Raid spun around, quickly realizing the reason behind the dreadful silence.

Descending down into the arena was General Esdeath herself.

'So this is her.' Tatsumi felt a lump in his neck.

Esdeath paced over to Tatsumi, stopping a good three feet or so from the young man.

"Tatsumi was it?" She asked with a smile. "Such a fine name."

"Um...Thank you." He replied nervously.

The two stared at each other in awkward silence for a few moments.

"You have preformed admirably during that last fight." Esdeath said as she reached into the gap between her chest. "Now for your reward."

She took a few steps closer, then before he knew what happened strapped a collar around Tatsumi's neck.

The latter blinked a few times, confused as the motion started to process.

"Starting today, you belong to me." Esdeath said before she started to pull Tatsumi forward, then stopped after a single step. She turned her head towards Drake.

"You have great potential as well, if you desire you can become a part of my army."

Drake released his grip on Wave. Honestly he didn't know how to respond to this offer, accepting or refusing had an untold amount of benefits and drawbacks. Especially considering his involvement with Clockwork.

But Clockwork was still relevantly new. No one exactly knew who or what they are aside from the 'traitors' executed a few weeks ago.

This gave him an idea. A very ingenious idea.

"Oh...uh...sure."


Pyro watched as Drake followed Esdeath out of the arena.

"What does that idiot think he's doing?" He sat up, about to make a move when he felt a hand hold him back.

"Wait, this is just what we need." Serpentine said Pyro looked at him.

The latter shook the hand off and spun around to face him.

"And what would that be?"

Serpentine closed his eyes, pausing a few moments before looking his fellow conspirator directly in his eyes.

"An agent inside the Jeagers."


Look at this, two entries within three day! Well now you get to see the similarities and differences with certain events that happen within the universe of Akame Ga Kill.

Now I'm not gonna do every single bloody scene, just the ones I find important or feel are changed in a certain way (Like the whole pep talk Najenda did for Tatsumi, the tournament, stuff like that.)

Needless to say, events to come will also be affected. By how much? Who knows, you just need to keep reading to find out.

Thanks again for reading everyone!