In the far northern regions outside the Empire, thousands of men in armor marched through a city, once robust and full of life, now a lifeless, bloodied wasteland.
They are the Imperial army, commanded by a single woman who carries a rapier. She wore the Imperial General's uniform and had long flowing light blue hair and blue eyes. There was a distinct mark on her chest, the mark of a Teigu.
General Esdeath, the strongest general in the Empire, the Ice Queen herself, was...dissapointed. Even more so, she was troubled.
Usually, the visage of a city of dead corpses never fazed her in the slightest, but this was different.
For one, this was not her doing. This city was already in ruins when she and her army arrived.
Someone, managed to wipe out an entire city which was essentially a fortress, before she could. The corpses were all civilians who lived here and soldiers who wore the seal of the northern tribes, which indicated that whatever forces they fought didn't suffer a single casualty.
That, or this was all the work of a single person. Another Teigu user.
The thought excited her. That meant there could be someone else who might be just as strong as she is. Someone worthy of being her opponent.
The corpse of the of the Hero of the North, Numa Seika, was found hanging from the wall of his castle on display for all to see, pierced in the mouth with his own spear. His limbs were also missing from his body. Whoever did this, certainly knew how to be creative.
"General Esdeath, we found one still alive." One of the soldiers informed her. A single surviving soldier of the northern tribe was dragged towards the General. He had several cuts and bruises, his clothes were in tatters, and his armor was completely broken. His eyes were soulless. His breaths were erratic and unstable.
Esdeath took a good look at the survivor, and kneeled down to eye level. Her question was simple, but deep. " Who did this?"
The soldier, merely stared at her for a long time. He opened his mouth to speak, but struggled with his words. "I-it...it was...it was j-j-just...one man...it...w-was..j-just one man...one...one man..." His words soon became indecipherable.
Esdeath briefly smiled. So her hunches were right, it was definitely another Teigu user. But what kind of Teigu could do so much damage? "Tell me more. What does he look like?"
The soldier's expression turned into one of shock. He started screaming and spouting words while rapidly shaking his head, as if going through a traumatic flashback. "NOOOO!!!! GET AWAY FROM ME!!! DEMON!!! They were all dead, they were ALL DEAD!!! Those eyes...those cursed YELLOW EYES!!!! You won't take me..no no no you can't take ME!!! YOU DAMNED YELLOW-EYED DEMON!!! I WON'T BE DAMNED!!!!"
The soldier proceeded to take one of the broken pieces of his armor, and sliced his own neck in front of the General. His body was twitching, red continously flowing out of the fresh wound, while drowning in his own blood, until the body finally went limb. The imperial soldiers were shocked by the display, but kept quiet. Esdeath merely wiped the blood off her face, and stood up, contemplating her thoughts. Even she was silenced by what happened.
Whatever the soldier has seen, was traumatic enough to break his mind. Yellow eyes. That's all she could gather before the soldier took his own life. Esdeath's mind was filled with curiosity, excitement even more so. A wide grin was plastered on her face. She couldn't wait to meet this "yellow-eyed demon", and engage in a battle against him. She could already imagine how epic such a fight would be. The corpses all showed slash wounds, and some of them were even missing heads and limbs, meaning the Teigu user could've been using some sort of melee Teigu. His skills must also be superb, being able to singlehandedly exterminate an entire city by himself.
She knew what must be done. Travel back into the capital to report the situation, and search for this "demon". Such a search could take a while, considering how big the Empire is, and there's a chance the "demon" had already left this country and gone to the western and southern countries, but it didn't matter. She could wait.
Far from the northern city
A lone man trekked across the snow, making his way south. He carried a sheathed sword in his back. He wore a dark blue trenchcoat with a brown buttoned vest and black long-sleeved shirt underneath, dark blue jeans, and black winter boots. A blue bandana was wrapped around his neck. His most notable feature, however, was his messy white hair, and yellow eyes.
He needed to find some lunch to fill his stomach after the little "exercise" he went through hours before. It wasn't his fault they decided to attack first, mistaking him for a spy from the Empire, whatever that was, when he only intended to ask for directions. And a question which he still couldn't get an answer for. The brat with the spear was quite annoying, but he was all bark and no bite.
He smiled. Even though he's not sure where he's going, he could feel that he's getting close to his goal.
The skies were getting dark. Lightning flashed across the clouds. Echoes of thunder could be heard across miles. But it did not bother him in the slightest. Although he could use a warm cup of tea right now.
_
He did it.
He killed her.
He got his revenge.
So why didn't if feel satisfying?
Tatsumi gritted his teeth in frustration. The bitch who tortured and killed his friends, was now nothing more than a bloodied, headless corpse sprawled on the ground. Yet, her cries of agony, when..he mercilessly took out her hands, eyes, and knees. What he did, was brutal. But she deserved it, right?
Leone stared at Tatsumi with a look of curiosity. 'He may have hated her now, but he still killed her without hesitation. Maybe, it's possible...' She thought. Her eyes then trailed off towards the mysterious stranger who was now laying beside a tree. Kai, that's what Tatsumi called him earlier, meaning that they have met each other before. The one who managed to repel all of Akame's attacks with ease.
Akame kept her eyes focused on the stranger, "Kai". Her hands were itching to draw out Murasame, waiting for any suspicious movements. Even though so far the stranger hadn't harbored any ill intents towards her, she couldn't help but feel on edge. His sword was a mystery, its design seems similar to her own Teigu, except it has a black hilt, black sheath and a crimson blade, curiously mimicking the colour of blood. She could've sworn the blade was flashing bright red earlier, but it was probably just a light trick.
The sound of vomiting blood coming from the warehouse caught the attention of a certain brown haired boy. "Ieyasu!" Tatsumi shouted while reaching for his friend who was now barely holding on to his life.
"It's the final stages of Lubora. The mother of the household enjoyed drugging her victims. She even wrote about the details in her diary. I'm sorry, but he cannot be saved." Akame's words stung. Tatsumi realized there was nothing he could do to save his best friend.
"Tatsumi...Sayo, she never gave in...to that bitch. Even to the end...she was so cool...so...Master Ieyasu...has to have a...cool end as well..." Ieyasu reached forward, grabbing the air while exhaling his final words, until the disease finally took him.
Tatsumi stared in horror, holding his now lifeless friend in his arms.
"He managed to survive that far, by sheer willpower alone." Akame's words had never been so true. Ieyasu had always been a strong-willed boy, never giving in to his hope. Tatsumi knew that. He held his friend close in sorrow, barely holding back the tears.
"What is going on in the capital?"
Meanwhile, a lone wanderer stood far behind, gazing at the stars. He held a blank look on his face, but he felt content. He knew what had to be done now.
If the capital was truly filled with monsters like her, than there was no more question. He will do what he had always done before.
He will slay and destroy, until it is finished.
Akame decided to walk back to regroup. Her job here is done. She told Leone to do the same, "Let's go."
"Hold on. Why don't we bring the boy with us?" Leone asked towards her partner, though she didn't wait for an answer. 'Eh?' A paw suddenly grabbed Tatsumi by the collar as he was dragged away by the blonde woman out of the warehouse. Dragging the brown haired boy easily, Leone tried to convince her partner about her decision. "Our secret base is always short-handed. The boy has luck, courage, and even skill! Don't you agree?" While the boy in question tried helplessly to break out of the woman's strong grip. "H-hey!! What are you doing!? Release me! I have to dig a grave for them!!!"
Surprisingly, he was answered by the woman. "Don't worry, we'll bring their corpses back to our base." "Huh!? L-let go!!" He continued to struggle while dragged on the dirt like a worthless sack, much to his dismay.
"Wait, Leone. What about..him?" Akame pointed towards the stranger they met earlier. Even Leone stopped in her tracks. Kai simply stared at them with his usual blank expression. Leone decided to break the silence.
"Hey! What about you? Wanna come with us?" Akame stared at her friend with disbelief at how nonchalantly she stated her question.
Kai's answer, was short and absolute. "No."
His answer surprised Leone, she was expecting him to say yes. Even Tatsumi stared in shock at Kai for his response. He knew Kai was skilled, considering what he's seen earlier, but he would be making all of Night Raid his potential enemy with his decision.
Leone contemplated her thoughts. Considering his skills, he could be a valuable addition for Night Raid. Even his sword looked like an unknown Teigu which would be an advantage for the Revolutionary Army. But if he refused, then she couldn't simply let him walk away. He had seen her face. It would lead to a disadvantage if such information were to leak to the Imperial Army. Not to mention the Imperial Army might also seek his prowess, thus making him a dangerous enemy for Night Raid.
"I'm afraid I can't take no for an answer. You have skills, I will admit that. You'll be a great addition to Night Raid. But we can't let you walk away like that, not since you already know our identities. Furthermore, I don't think you can handle all of us." Leone informed Kai about the consequences of his decision. Akame grabbed the hilt of Murasame, preparing for a battle.
What followed, was the sound of a gush of wind, the rustling of trees, and the stranger was no longer there. Akame widened her eyes. He was so fast, she couldn't track where he went. She glanced across her field of vision, and hopped to the trees, searching for the stranger. Leone clicked her tongue in annoyance. "Great, he's gone. Oh well, I guess I'm stuck with you then!" She winked towards Tatsumi, who was now confused as heck, thinking about how he got in this situation.
Later on, Leone reached the place where the other Night Raid members were waiting, while carrying Tatsumi in her arms, bridal style.
"You're late!!! Where were you? And what is that thing!?" The loud voice of a certain pink-haired girl reached her eardrums. She responded, "This is our new friend!!" That shocked Tatsumi, and his shock was audibly heard as well, "Huh? What!?"
"Oh didn't I tell you? From now on you are one of us! Welcome to Night Raid!!" Tatsumi, now on the floor, was jaw-dropped by Leone's remark. He couldn't believe this was happening to him.
"Hey, Leone. Where's Akame?" One of the Night Raid members, a green haired boy with red goggles on his head, asked Leone a legitimate question. Leone had a bit of trouble answering the question. "Oh, right. She...uh..."
Just then, said assassin came out of the trees and landed beside Leone, surprising everyone. "Akame! Where have you been?" The pink haired girl asked her. Akame answered without breaking her expression, although there was a hint of distress in her tone, "There was another one. I chased him down, but he managed to escape." Her answer created confusion and curiosity among her teammates. Leone finally explained, "There was one other boy that we met tonight during our mission. He was really good, he even managed to fend off Akame when she was getting serious. Although, sadly, he didn't accept my offer when I asked him to join us." Her last sentence was spoken with a hint if dissapointment. But it was her second sentence that sparked an interest among the rest.
"Wait, you're telling me, someone managed to best you in a fight? Was it another Teigu user?" The pink haired girl asked. Akame tried to answer, but she couldn't come up with one. That sword, it was definitely no ordinary sword, but she couldn't find anything else special about it other than its strange look.
Somehow, she felt like the stranger didn't give it his all during their short battle. Like he hid his own true strength on purpose. Like he wasn't taking her seriously. It was grating on her mind, but she kept quiet.
That stranger was all she could think about. He was fast, even faster than she expected. It made her wonder what kind of life he had led to reach such level of skill. She wanted to know more. She had a feeling that someday, they will both meet again. And hopefully, when that day comes, it wouldn't be as enemies.
Meanwhile...
Kai dashed through the thick forest, carefully finding his way back. He hoped he hasn't been gone for long.
Reaching his destination, Kai stopped to be greeted by the sight of...a young raven haired girl sleeping peacefully on a pile of leaves, near a campfire.
He sighed in relief. Naoki was still sleeping soundly. He had intention to join Night Raid intially,but he couldn't leave Naomi alone. She was his responsibility now, wether he liked it or not.
Thankfully there were no more Danger Beasts around the area, possibly because he had already slain all of them. Perhaps he should teach Naoki how to fight, so she could at least fend for herself in the wild. He knew he couldn't be there for her all the time. She needed to know how to defend herself. But he wasn't sure if he could be an acceptable teacher, since he never taught anyone before.
Lying near the fire for comfort, Kai gazed at the night sky. Looking at the stars, he felt...peaceful.
He contemplated in his thoughts.
He had achieved his goal, meeting Night Raid, and even clashed against one of them. She was powerful, but he had fought much worse. Unpleasant memories resurfaced, which he swiftly tried to dismiss from his mind. He knew that the next time he meet them, it'll be either as a friend, or an enemy. He'll have to play it right and hopefully, he won't have to cut his way through.
He stared at the sword in his hands. Shinku had shed enough blood for tonight. But he knew it wouldn't be the last.
It's going to be a long day tomorrow.