And the train of successful deadlines continues!

Gonna have to back on the dealine. Sorry people. The chapter will be released in two days. On august 14!

The western incursion. Pt 2

The attack hit the western incursion in the dark of the night. A couple of hours before sunrise.

The invasion force had set camp in a valley between two steep hills. So large that they could almost be called small mountains. They had set up watchtowers a little bit away from the camp and had scouts covering the area around them. They were not ill-prepared.

But they simply did not have the ability to notice how one of their most dangerous opponents flew above their camp. Towards its other side. Ice attached to her wrists and ankles.

The attack came down a little while after she passed over them unnoticed.

It started as a small whistle of the wind. Silent and only audible for the most perceptive of the watchers. After that, it would turn into a loud chaos. The sound of screams, the breaking of wood and the loud thunder of the impacts filled the air as the bombardment began.

It began by three gargantuan balls of ice. Coming flying out of the darkness of the night. Bigger than a large manor. Only becoming visible in the light of the fires the instant before they struck down. They all fell down at the watchtowers that were stationed at the outskirts of the camp. Crushing them under their immense weight. They all fell down at different spots along the west side of the camp. All of them falling down with a second or two between them.

But the giant spheres had not been falling vertically down. They had been sent flying from the side. So after they had crushed the watchtowers, they kept rolling into the camp at a rather fast speed. Filling the camp with horrifying imagery as they crushed everything in their paths as they rolled towards the center of the camp. Crushing tents, wooden towers, carriages, horses and men. All that came in their path.

However, after a little while, they slowed down and finally stopped. Just before they had reached the middle of the camp. Leaving long trails after them. Filled with flattened wood and mashed flesh.

Only then did the war horns of the camp blow. Signaling that they were under attack. The destruction caused by the attack had happened so quickly that there hadn't been time to signaling the rest of the camp. And now the destruction had been so colossal that the entire camp was already wide awake.

People started to get up in the different parts of the camp. Getting out of their tents. Many of them moving towards the side of the camp that had been hit by the ice. The people that had not been rolled over by the ice started to get out of their own tents. Running towards where the damaged had been done. The few ones that had been damaged but survived the rolling globes were pretty badly off. Having had their limbs squashed thin as paper but them themselves still surviving.

Maybe a minute passed as people were running to that side of the camp before the next bombardment began.

This time, there was no warning from the wind. The camp already filled with too much screaming and commotion for anyone to pick up on such a small sound. But the second wave of the barrage was almost worse than the first one.

Thousands of sharp spears of ice came flying down through the night. All of them a meter or more long. Flying down at the camp without aim or targets. Just raining down in such quantity that such things became unnecessary. Striking down the people and structures on the western side without prejudice. Once again causing the screaming to heighten in volume.

The east side of the camp was so absorbed by the horrors of the west side they almost missed the army that was approaching them at breakneck speed. Only half a minute before they were hit, did the people in the watchtowers start screaming and ringing their bells.

"Incoming cavalry! Incoming cavalry!" they screamed at the top of their lungs. Bringing the attention of the people around them back to their side of the camp.

It was hard to see the enemy for the people in the camp when they turned their eyes to the east. The cavalry had not sounded any horns and had discarded all their lights and torches. Riding towards them in complete darkness. But the thunderous sound of the advance of thousands of horses could not be concealed. And now it was growing loud enough to overpower the noise from the chaos in the camp.

"Damn it!" the warlord known as Belwarck growled as he started to jog out of the camp. Towards the sound. The giant man emerging out of the crowd of people that were staring into the darkness. Running towards the watchtowers. "To mee! To MEEE!" he shouted to the men behind him. His own soldiers and those around them starting to follow him.

"Establish lines!" Belwarck bellowed. Looking at those behind him over his shoulder. "Burrow pikes! Establish lines!"

But when he turned his head back forward, he realized that they would net be able to establish any lines in time. The wave of riders emerging from the darkness in front of him. Riding into the light of watchtowers' fires at their highest speed. Less than twenty meters away.

"Ohh dammit!" he said and gritted his teeth. "SWORDS!"

Despite his command, Belwarck himself didn't manage to draw his weapon in time before the riders reached him. Having to take a step to the side to not be pierced upon one of their lances. But by sheer luck, he managed to survive the horse that came running towards him at full speed.

He reached down towards his sword as quickly as he could and for some reason, his movement scared the battle trained horse. Making it slow down its advance significantly.

"Arrgh!" Belwarck roared as he realized that he wouldn't be able to draw his weapon. He opened his arms and grabbed the big animal as it smashed into him. He grunted as his feet burrowed deep tracks in the ground as both him and the horse moved towards the camp. But after some seconds, their movement started to slow down. The horse's rider trying to slash at Belwarck's arms with his sword. The riders behind them forced to evade to the side in the last minute in order to not collide into them.

When they had come to a total stop, the horse rose on its hind legs in an attempt to get free of Belwarck. Pushing him away as it rose up. The giant man didn't hesitate for a second. He went down slightly and then threw himself against the creatures exposed rib cage. Smashing his shoulder into it as he went under the beast's dangerous front legs.

"NYAAAARRRGH!" he screamed as he put every ounce of his strength into the movement. And to his great surprise, the big animal slowly toppled over. "HAhaaa!" he shouted victoriously as he followed the creature down in its fall. Holding on to its body as the creature crashed down on its back. Its rider damaged under it. Then he immediately leaped away as soon as they had landed. In order to avoid a fatal kick from one of the legs of the horse.

"YEAAAAAAHH!" he screamed in pure disbelief over the fact that he had just body slammed a warhorse. "And there is more where that came from!" he shouted to no one in particular as he drew his sword.

Somehow, the charge of the cavalry seemed to have been stopped. At least to a little degree. He could still see some of his own soldiers around. Here and there. Even if they were greatly outnumbered. The cavalry all around them. Many of them just riding past them. Further into the camp behind them.

Belwarck stayed low as he ran between the fighting riders. Searching for someone whose horse he could easily steal. He needed to meet up with the other warlords and tribe leaders. They needed to make the camp retreat in unison. Otherwise, they would just be run down by the cavalry.

"HOLD THEM!" he shouted out to the few of his soldiers that could hear him. Grabbing an enemy soldier's arm from behind as he did. Pulling down from his saddle in single strong movement. "If we don't hold them here, everyone dies!"

He climbed up on the now empty horse. Immediately forced to deflect a swing from a sword as soon as he was sitting in the saddle. Smashing his mailed fist into the face of his assailant. Causing him to fall down from his own steed.

He looked around, trying to see in which direction the middle of the camp was, having already lost all sense of direction. "Hold them! HOLD THEM!"

Leone yawned heavily before she sank her teeth into the sandwich in her hands.

She was sitting alone at a table in a small rundown bistro in the slums of the capital. She had been on her way back towards their hideout when she had felt the smell from the bistro and decided that she could use some grub. She had been drinking all night in a bar a couple of streets back and had worked up a hunger.

Despite the very late hour, there were still a lot of people in the small establishment. All seemed to be varying degrees of poor. Some sat huddled together and talked silently and other were speaking loudly in languages she didn't understand. Some were drunkards that had gotten the same idea as her on the way back home.

At least the food was decent, she concluded as she chewed through the bread. These last two weeks had been pretty damn boring for her. When Esdese and Tatsumi left the capital, Night raid had decided to bring down as many higher-ups and leaders from the palace as possible in their absence. They may have abandoned the main part of their information network but they had kept almost all of the spies they had in the capital. They had a pretty good surveillance of the entire city.

Which had made the current situation much more baffling to them.

Since the day Tatsumi and Esdese left, and the procedure that had seemed them off had returned to the palace, not a single person of importance had left it. They were sure of this, since their people had been watching its many gates closely. But no one had left it for two weeks now.

There had been some people of political and military importance arriving to the city since Esdese's party had left but all of them had been immediately escorted to the palace. Not to be seen again after that. And they had heard nothing about what was going on inside the walls of the giant palace.

Something like this was almost unheard of. They didn't know what was going on. Neither did they know if this was something Esdese had planned. Isamu had suggested that they somehow were aware that there were assassins in the capital and therefore were staying locked up as a safety measure. Until the return of the great general. But neither Akame or Leone fully bought into that. The imperial government as a whole couldn't afford to slow down just because they were afraid of some assassins. Esdese wouldn't accept that.

But something was definitely going on in the palace. Something that required most of the imperial leaders stationed in the capital.

All of the Night raid members were well aware that they couldn't risk an assassination attempt within the palace. Not without some great diversion or some degrees of chaos. As it was now, they would just quickly be surrounded and overpowered. There were too many powerful people gathered inside those walls. They had always known this. They had never planned to take on the palace alone. They had always been waiting for opportunities when the different leaders were out in the city.

So since Esdese had left the capital, their days had consisted of waiting and watching. Waiting and watching. And it was starting to grate on Leone. Making her go out for some drinks and beer every now and then. Such as this evening. She knew the capital pretty well. She had spent a lot of time there. So she knew her way around.

Though these days, she had to cover herself up a bit. In order to conceal her appearance. Since wanted posters with different reimaginings of her face were spread out through the city and the nation. She had some robes and scarfs around her to cover up most of her appearance. Everything up to her nose hidden. Her hair forced back into a ponytail.

She had almost eaten half of her sandwich and was starting to get sleepy when she heard the voice of a little child. Walking around between the tables. Begging for change or a bit to eat.

She sighed. There were many of these children out on the streets these days. The numbers seemed to almost have doubled since the last time she was here. Leone was not surprised, though. The stream of refugees into the capital had been unprecedented and it was having consequences. Many of those arriving falling directly into poverty and starvation.

The fact that a child was running around and begging in a bar filled with drunk adults, way past midnight, was a sign of how bad things had gotten.

She tore off a large piece of her sandwich as she heard how the kid approached her from the side.

"Here you go." she said and reached to the child with the bigger part of her sandwich. Not looking down at the child. "I have spent all the money I had with me. But this sandwich was rather nice. It should keep you going through the night."

She felt a very small hand grab a hold of her wrist. Pulling at it as the child walked up very close to her side. "Leone of Night raid." a small voice whispered.

Leone immediately looked down at the child. It was a thin and feeble boy. Wearing a gray robe and a tattered beret that was way too big for his head. Almost falling down past his eyebrows. A few curls of gray hair sticking out from under it. Her gaze was met by large gray eyes. So vacant that it almost scared Leone. It felt like the kid wasn't even awake.

Or that he was looking right through her.

She turned her entire body around in her chair. As quickly as she could without drawing attention to herself. "What did you just say?" she asked in a hushed voice.

"You know what I just said." the boy answered in a monotone voice. "I have come to help you find one of those you seek."

Leone bent down towards the child. Almost whispering. "Who are you?"

"That is irrelevant." the small kid said in the same emotionless voice. "I want you to come with me. I can lead you to general Faye."

Leone's eyes widened further. "Has she left the palace?"

The gray child nodded. "She is just some blocks away from here. On a secret meeting. She left the palace just some hours ago."

"How do you know this?" Leone said. Skepticism setting in now that the initial shock of what the kid was saying had settled.

"That is irrelevant but it is the truth. Come with me. There isn't much time."

Suddenly, Leone wished that she hadn't had that last beer. She wanted to be at the top of her judgment now. If she could activate Lionelle, then the teigu would quickly clean out her blood and head. But she didn't dare to do it in this bar. With so many eyes around her.

"Leo-" the little child said but Leone covered up his mouth with her hand as he did.

"Better to not say that name out loud." she said with a strained smile. "Why should I trust you?" she said as she slowly brought her hand down from his face.

"I was right about who you are, right? So why wouldn't my other claim be correct?"

Leone scratched her chin. "Let's go and talk to my friends about this before we do anything."

The gray eyes widened slightly at that. The first reaction Leone had seen from the boy. "There is no time for that. We have to go now. They are already wrapping up their meeting. It will soon be too late!"

"How do you know all this?" Leone repeated.

But before the boy could answer, a large man walked up to their table. His clothes revealing him as the owner of the place. "Is this kid bothering you, ma'am?" he said in a deep voice.

Leone looked at him. "No, not at all. We are just chatting a little."

The big man grabbed the shoulder of the little boy in front of her. "We really don't want any beggars inside this bistro, either way. So scram, kiddo."

The gray eyes looked up at the man behind him and then back at Leone some seconds. After that, he turned around and started to leave. The bartender nodded and walked away.

Leone looked at the kid with half an open mouth. Unsure of what to do. A part of her wishing to seize this moment, another part of her telling herself to practice caution and ignore this strange encounter.

"Goddamit." she said when the child walked out of the bistro's door. She shoved the last of her sandwich into her mouth and rose up. Quickly walking after the kid. Leaving the bar and the lights behind.

"Where the fuck is their main force coming from?" the warlord Belwarck shouted as he entered through the opening of the tent. The other chiefs, warlords, and leaders already there. "We need to know which direction to flee in."

Outside of the tent people were running around in chaos. Loud blast and screams filling the air to such a high volume that those inside the tent had to shout to be heard. Now and then they heard the deep booms and rumble as one of the more colossal chunks of ice fell down upon their forces.

"We are being bombarded from all sides! It is almost impossible to tell." Ulrick shouted.

They had gathered here as a last resort. They all knew that they must find a solution quickly. The time they had could probably be counted in seconds.

"The bombarding is the ice queen's doing. It doesn't indicate where they are coming from." Ulrick's brother; Ulvik shouted. Sweat running down his temples. "We have to assume that their force is coming from the east. From the direction of the capital. They couldn't possibly have had time to move around us. We would have noticed that."

Lord Belwarck nodded. "Where is Tom-Tom? Didn't someone send a messenger to him?"

"We did." One of the other warlords said. "But his camp was in the back. They were struck hardest by the bombardment."

"Goddamit!" Lord Belwarck said. "We need to go and look for survivors."

"We don't have time for that!" Ulrick shouted. "We need to retreat to the west! All of us! Now!"

"And go through the bombardment again?!" another one of the warlords shouted.

Their yelling was interrupted by a large boom as one of the bombardments hit closer to their position. Strong winds from the blast causing the tent to sway. When the tent straightened up again, Belwarck dared to speak again.

"Everyone will do what they seem prudent. But I will take some of my men to Tom-Tom's camp and see if any of them have survived." he shouted. The adrenaline of the moment still keeping his voice loud. Even if their surroundings had grown silent. "We will meet up with the rest of you after that. I will-"

The big man stopped himself as he noticed that most eyes had moved to the entryway behind him. He immediately turned around. A hand on his sheathed sword.

But he stopped at the sight that met him. A young woman had entered the tent behind him. She was very tall. Almost reaching him up to his chest. Her eyes were sharp. Only slightly hinting at how exhilarated she was. Her smile both inviting and threatening. Her long blue hair swaying in the wind. It took Belwarck a moment to realize that she was wearing an imperial uniform. Only then did he realize that the blast they had felt had not come from a block of ice. It had been her.

"The ice queen herself, I presume?" he growled as he slowly drew his sword.

"That is what they call me." Esdese said and looked up at him. "I would ask for your name but I don't think it matters. I doubt that you lot will be impressive enough for me to remember you."

"Great general!" one of the men behind Belwarck shouted. "We are the leaders of this incursion. This is all our doing. Spare our men in return for our lives." he continued. Having already given in to despair.

Esdese didn't hesitate for the shadow of a moment. "I think not. They followed you here, didn't they? Your followers walked here with their own feet. It will be up to them to survive this battle best they can."

"Seems like your heart really is made of ice, just as they say." Belwarck said bitterly.

"Ohh I have a lot of passion in me. Though not a lot of mercy." she said and put her hand on her own sword.

"Demon!" Belwarck roared.

After that, everything happened quickly.

She killed Belwarck the warlord with a smile on her face. He was brave and charged her with sword in hand. His entire body was sliced in two before he could swing at her.

She killed Ulrick and his brother. One trying to fight her. Charging at her as Belwarck's remains hit the ground. She laughed as she jumped around him. Making him spin around to try and face her. After he had spun around himself a couple of times, her hand grabbed his neck. Smashing his head down into the ground. Flattening it to half its size with a sickening, crunching sound.

His brother she killed on his knees. Begging her for mercy. She grabbed his hair and brought his face up to hers. Staring him in the eyes as she slowly slid her sword into his stomach. Until it emerged on the other side of his body.

The few that were left after that realized that there would be no mercy. Facing her with weapons drawn. She killed the last one of them ten seconds after that. He was lying on the floor. Crying for his mother as he tried to keep his red intestines from escaping through his now open stomach. Esdese studied his struggle for some moments before she drew her sword through his chest.

After that, she turned around and took a deep breath as she looked out over the room. She had been so into it that she had even gotten blood on her white uniform. Something that was very unusual for her. She looked around the tent that was now filled with blood and gore. Few of the bodies left in one piece.

She sheathed her weapon behind her back. "Damn, I should have saved one to put on my banner when we move back." she said to herself. In her bloodlust, she had forgotten her plan to keep one alive. So that she had someone to make a show out off. And when she scanned the dead with her eyes, she couldn't see a trace of the only one she had actually been looking for.

Tom-Tom was monitoring the entire battle from a cliff, high up on one of the two hills that overlooked the battle. The forest spreading out behind them. His sad blue eyes following the bloodshed below. Leaning heavily on his staff. He had seen the ice queen head towards the center of the camp just some moments ago. He could guess what was transpiring.

He couldn't really call the fighting in the valley for a battle. It was closer to a slaughter.

The eastern side had now completely caved in to the cavalry. All defensive efforts had been given up. Everyone fleeing towards the middle of the camp. The thousands of riders now moving through the encampment. Destroying all the tents and wagons that were left behind. Mowing down the stragglers that weren't fast enough.

On the other side of the camp, things weren't looking much better. The last of the people of the west side of the camp had started to flee from the bombardment. The ice barrage that was shredding that side of the camp to pieces had not slowed down while Esdese moved towards the leaders of the incursion. It was still raining down with the same intensity.

Either as spear like projectiles. Moving down with the speed of bullets. Or in the form of large ice blocks. Bigger than a normal house. Rolling forward a bit after their initial impact. Crushing everything and everyone in their way.

The people on that side were now fleeing towards the middle of the camp as well. There they would be met by those fleeing from the cavalry from the other side. It was a grim scene and it didn't look like it was going to get better anytime soon.

Tom-Tom sighed. These were his countrymen, his comrades, his friends. And now they were dying in the thousands. He directed his sad and tired eyes towards the tent of the war leaders. He was too far away to make out anything of what was going on. But he was certain that all of his fellow chiefs, warlords and leaders were dead.

"I will be with you soon enough, my friends." he said silently. He sighed and steadied himself internally. He needed to look at the road ahead of him. He needed to keep his eyes on the goals.

He had hoped that they would have been able to buy some more time for Makeias with this incursion. Hoping that they could keep the imperial army chasing them for a little while longer. But now the jig was up. Esdese had encircled them by using the vast power of her teigu. She herself being able to hold up an entire front herself.

He turned around to his men. There were eight of them standing behind him. The other ones had already moved away. Leaving the camp and scattering as soon as they could detect the incoming attacks. Moving to regroup with Makeias again.

"Let's go." Tom-Tom said. "We need to let Makeias know what has happened. He must know that we didn't manage to buy more time than this."

"I'm afraid that you will have to postpone that meeting." Tatsumi said. Deactivating his invisibility as he walked out of the forest behind them. Wearing the evolved form of Incursio. Its large spear in his right hand.

He had been sent into the camp with his invisibility before the battle begun. His job to locate Tom-Tom before the battle started. In case that he and his men would disappear as soon as things started to go south. And so they had. And he had followed them. Even if it hadn't been an easy task. Their speed had been hard to keep up with. Especially since he needed to be as stealthy as possible. He knew that the instincts of his targets bordered on the supernatural. "I need some answers from you, Tom-Tom."

Before he had finished the first sentence, all of Tom-Tom's men had drawn their weapons. Sixteen long and thin swords all aiming at him. But Tatsumi still kept his slow approach. Walking towards them. His eyes glued on Tom-Tom.

"Is that you, Tatsumi the traitor?" Tom-Tom asked slowly. Looking at the armor. He had seen Incursio back in Garu but it had been from far away.

"The pot is still calling the kettle black, I see." Tatsumi said as he got closer. "Sorry, Tom-Tom but you won't be leaving anytime soon."

He was getting really close now. Tom-Tom straightened up a bit. "Go." he said without looking away from Tatsumi. "Get the message to Makeias. I will teach this kid a lesson."

Without a moment of hesitation, his men scattered in all directions. Disappearing into the night in just a couple of seconds. Leaving Tom-Tom and Tatsumi alone.

"Not sure how smart that was, old man." Tatsumi said when they had left.

"We will see." Tom-Tom said and lashed out at Tatsumi at his full speed.

Tatsumi could see the attack coming but was not fast enough to react in time. Tom-Tom superior speed making itself know. But it came at a cost.

Tom-Tom smashed Tatsumi's head with the side of his staff. Taking the few steps that remained between them in an instant. But when he hit Tatsumi, the strike barely made him recoil. Tatsumi's head moved to the side from the impact but that was it.

Not that the hit didn't cause some damage and pain for Tatsumi. His head was ringing slightly from it. But both of them realized something from the attack. Tom-Tom speed was far faster than Tatsumi. But he would have a really hard time dealing any real damage through the armor of Incursio.

They both stood still some moments after the hit. Looking at each other. Then they both darted off. Leaving the small clearing in an eyeblink. Their swift combat immediately taking the both of them out of it. Moving around each other. Trying to get into a better position.

Tom-Tom was moving in laps around Tatsumi. The young man struggling to keep up with his large and slim opponent. Taking hits from almost all the directions. But most of them didn't cause much damage. Tatsumi, on the other hand, didn't even get close to landing an attack. His opponent avoiding his attacks with ease. He knew that this would be over if he just managed to get a single attack to connect. It probably wouldn't matter if it was a punch, kick or his spear. But now he had started to doubt that he could even get a single hit to land on Tom-Tom.

They moved through the forest with enough speed to make the wind sing around them. Bouncing off of trees and stones. Jumping back and forth. After a little while, Tom-Tom managed to get entirely around Tatsumi and rammed the end of his staff into one of his knees from behind. Causing Tatsumi to fall down on one knee. Tatsumi swung around in his crouching position but Tom-tom was already gone. Jumping over him to then land a couple of meters away. Facing him.

"Scurry away now, little child. I think you must have realized that you will never be able to hit me." Tom-Tom said after some moments of silence. Fighting to conceal his own exhaustion.

"And you have realized that you can't hurt me with just your stick." Tatsumi said as he slowly rose up. Panting heavily. "So this seems like a game of endurance to me."

Tom-Tom shook his head. He knew that Tatsumi was right but he couldn't show it. He needed to scare him away. Because he was aware that he didn't have enough stamina to just make a break of it and run away from him. His age was making itself known. He was already exhausted.

"Maybe it would be smarter to fall back, Tatsumi. Remember who gave you your teigu back when Esdese took it from you."

Tatsumi chuckled. "Yeah, do you think I don't realize why Makeias ordered Jack to give it to me. He clearly wanted me to kill the prime minister and then die by Esdese's hand. Or somehow manage to kill her as well."

"I will admit that we didn't expect this outcome. We didn't think you had the heart to actually join the empire. For real this time. We always thought that you had your core values from your days in the rebellion left."

"I still do!" Tatsumi defended. Though even he could feel that the words rang a bit empty in the light of what had happened during the last months.

"Are you sure?"

Tom-Tom let silence follow those words for some seconds. After a little while, they could both hear a boom in the distance. In the direction from where they had come. The sound of it causing Tom-Tom some more stress. Not that he let any of it show through. But he needed to get away soon. Time was not on his side.

"Let's finish this!" Tatsumi said and raised his spear behind him.

"Run home to your master, little child." Tom-Tom said and grabbed both his hands around his staff.

Tatsumi launched himself at the older man, his spear behind him. Tom-Tom immediately moved to counter his movement. Darting off to the side. Tatsumi smashed a foot into the ground. More kicking it than anything else. Altering his flight towards where Tom-Tom was heading.

But to his surprise, Tom-Tom threw his staff at him. The long wooden stick flying at him as if it was a spear. It was heading straight for his face. In the single moment that the staff was flying towards him, Tatsumi debated just letting it hit him. Deflecting it would take some valuable time for him. He could just let it bounce off his head. But there was something inside him that wanted to deflect it. And when the staff was gone, Tom-Tom would have no weapon.

He swung his giant spear around and hit the staff on the side as it reached him. But to his surprise, the spear didn't just split in two as he hit it. Instead, he heard a metallic noise as their weapons collided. Before the staff then flew to the side. Tatsumi realized that he had made the right choice. There had been something hidden inside that wooden stick. His instincts might just have saved him. And now the road was free.

He flew towards Tom-Tom who had started to jump backward through the forest after he had thrown his staff.

"You're not getting away!" Tatsumi shouted. As he quickly came up towards Tom-Tom. When he was within range, he swung his weapon towards Tom-Tom's chest. It wasn't a specifically vicious attack. Tatsumi having no wish to kill the old man. Just to incapacitate him. So that he could be used to bring down the threat of Makeias. Once and for all.

But in the last moment, one of Tom-Tom's hands reached in under his robes at his hips and produced a sword. As black as the night. Blocking Tatsumi's spear with it as he drew it from its scabbard. Being able to stop Tatsumi's attack since he hadn't put his all into it.

They both stopped for a moment, Tatsumi staring down at the blade. It had been a long while since he last saw it but he still recognized it.

"Yatsufusa?" he said slowly. The black blade looked like a small sword in relation to Tom-Tom's giant body. Despite it being a rather large katana. As dark as the eyes of its previous owner.

Tom-Tom took a quick leap backward, leaving Tatsumi standing in place.

"Why do you have that teigu?" he asked in an empty voice. The empire or Tatsumi had never learned that Wave had joined Makeias. They thought that he was far out at sea with most of their fleet. Raiding and pirating.

Tom-Tom's expression was grim and bitter. He had not intended to draw the sword. His body had moved by instinct. The only reason he had it on him was for safekeeping. Keeping it with him between tests. Since Wave could never find out that Night raid hadn't taken it. But now that bridge was crossed. Not that he didn't have a slight idea of how to use it.

"Where is Kurome?" Tatsumi asked loudly.

Pain filled Tom-Tom's face. "Why don't I show you?" he said and activated the teigu. Lifting it up sideways in the air in front of him. The dark force unleashed from the blade. Bouncing back and forth against the ground like lightning as Tom-Tom summoned three of the blades most powerful puppets. Climbing out from the ground in front of him.

"The march of the dead, Yatsufusa." he said bitterly. As the figures stood up in front of him. Natala, the assassin wielding a spear, the lower part of his face covered. Ran from the jaegers, his teigu already activated. Its wings now black. And Kurome, wielding a replica of the sword that had summoned her.

"No." Tatsumi gasped at the sight of Kurome. Images of her smile, her subtle humor, and those few times that she had offered him candy were running through the back of his mind as he stared at her now vacant and empty eyes.

"Kurome." he said slowly. His voice filled with pain. He looked over at Tom-Tom. The older man seemed almost as stricken with sadness as he was over the appearance of the young girl. "Who killed her?"

"No one did."

"Who killed her?!" Tatsumi demanded. His voice growing louder.

"It was an accident." Tom-Tom answered. Raising his voice as well. "We didn't want to see her dead."

"And yet you couldn't even let her die with dignity! Making her into a fucking puppet for your own gain!" Tatsumi said. Almost shouting.

"How much of a kid are you, Tatsumi?" Tom-Tom shouted back in anger. Being swept up in the moment. "Do you not understand what war is? Do you not understand that these are its consequences? Are you so conceited that you will only react to the horrors of it when it affects one of your own? Are you that short sighted?"

Tatsumi pulled his spear down behind him and launched himself against the puppets. All of them moving up to stop him. Following Tom-Tom's will as he himself turned around and darted off into the forest.

In their prime, his three opponents could actually have proved a challenge for Tatsumi. But now they were only shadows of themselves. He made quick work of them. He cut through Natale's spear and body as the puppet tried to block his attack. He cut off one of Ran's arms as he tried to attack him from behind. Then kicking him in the stomach. Sending him flying away through the forest.

And then it was just him and Kurome. Or what had once been Kurome. They had sparred sometimes. As training long ago. Tatsumi quickly realized that this puppet was a shadow of what she once had been. By the fourth attack, he cut off her sword hand and shoved his spear through her chest. Pinning her body down to the ground. His giant blade going through her from navel to just under her throat. He followed her down. Going down on one knee. Looking deeply into her eyes. His teeth clenched so hard that his jaw almost cramped up.

He looked deep into those dead and empty eyes. "I'm sorry, Kurome. I am so sorry." he said. His voice unsteady. Her remaining hand was trying to grab the giant blade that was pinning her to the ground. "I will not let them defile you like this again."

Then he saw it.

Something deep in her eyes. Something that was not still and dead. Something that reacted to him. Something that was looking at him. The remains of what had once been his friend.

Tatsumi took a sharp breath in horror. He quickly spun around as he stood up from his crouching position. Bringing his weapon with him. Circling it around him. It's blade moving through Kurome's body as if it was nothing. Cleaving her entire head in two as it moved up from its original place. The girl's upper body cut in two. From navel to scalp.

Tatsumi ended his motion with his back against her. He couldn't look back at her. He didn't have the strength to look at her gruesome remains. He took some moments to steady himself. Taking control of his emotions. There would be a time for tears later. He still had to catch Tom-Tom.

He turned around and dashed off into the forest. In the direction Tom-Tom had disappeared in. Leaving the gruesome scene behind him without looking back. Leaving the remains of his friend there.

He didn't think that he had the slightest chance to catch Tom-Tom now but he knew that he had to try. And to his surprise, he found Tom-Tom just some moments later.

He hadn't come far. He was sitting on his knee in an opening, not far from where they had fought. Breathing heavily.

He noticed it when Tatsumi landed some meters behind him. He sighed. "I am too old to be playing around with this kind of tools." he said silently. Throwing Yatsufusa to the side. The blade landing softly on the grass.

Using it had damaged him and drained his energy.

Even if he was capable of using it, he did not have a good synchronization with it. It had taken almost all he had to activate it. And that combined with the fact that he had been fighting at full speed against Tatsumi for a long time before that, had left him with little to no energy left. He had collapsed in this clearing just some seconds after he had left the puppets and Tatsumi behind.

Tatsumi looked at the sword as he took some steps towards Tom-Tom's back. It had some ugly scratches on it. Probably caused by some sort of stone. It was clear to Tatsumi that Tom-Tom had tried to destroy it after he had realized that he wasn't getting away. But lacking the strength to do so.

"You are lucky that I am old. If I was young, I would have had the strength to keep going through all the night." Tom-Tom said with a tired and sad chuckle. He looked at Tatsumi over his shoulder. "Kurome?"

Tatsumi had to fight against the horrific image in his head. Forcing it out of his focus. "She will never be summoned again."

Tom-Tom's sad blue eyes looked at him for some moments. His voice raspy as he spoke. "Thank you, little Tatsumi."

Tatsumi walked up to him until he was standing behind the man. Even when Tom-Tom was on his knees, he was a bit taller than him. "Is Wave alive?"

Tom-Tom's head nodded. Not facing him.

"Where is he?"

"Far away from here." Tom-Tom answered silently.

"Does Wave know that you made a puppet out of her?"

Tom-Tom shook his head. "No. My tribe watched over her body after her death. Wave wanted her burned. So when the day came, we gave him another body. Wrapped up in cloth. I placed it upon the pyre myself. Wave thinks that we burned Kurome's remains that night. He must never learn the truth. He deserves better."

"Yet that didn't stop you from defiling her body like this." Tatsumi said bitterly.

"It was an act of panic. She was dying because of other injuries. Makeias tried to wrap her hands around the blade and then stab her with it. Hoping that she would be able to control her own body. But it didn't work. Makeias is unsure if he did something wrong. She was unconscious and he had a spear stuck through his heart as he was doing it. But she did become a puppet. That we know."

"Yeah. Since you didn't let Wave burn the body."

"What would you know of necessity, Tatsumi?!" Tom-Tom flared up. His voice growing a bit louder. "You only seem to go with the wind. To whatever end is easiest for you. We are outmanned and outgunned against an empire that seems to be set on destroying its own people. Your faction, I might add. We need all the tricks we can get! What do you know about sacrifi-" Tom-Tom halted himself in the middle of the sentence. Taking some moments to calm down. Taking some deep breaths. After a little while, he continued.

"Keeping Kurome as a puppet was an evil deed, I agree. All the teigus are evil. And Makeias will destroy them all."

"If he isn't stopped." Tatsumi said.

"Maybe." Tom-Tom said. "Maybe. Now then.." he said and started to turn around to Tatsumi. Still on his knees. Using his long and shaky arms to lift himself around. Stopping when he was facing him. "I am ready."

Tatsumi looked at him. "What do you mean?"

Tom-Tom smiled his usual sad smile. "You know what I mean. I am old and gods knows that I am tired. Let's end this now. Before my strength leaves me entirely."

"I don't want to kill you, old man." Tatsumi stated honestly.

"I know you don't, Tatsumi. I can feel it. But you have to."

"Why?"

"You know why. At least if you have any of those core morals that you spoke of left inside you. We both know what awaits me if I am taken alive by the empire. I have seen the torture the empire practices."

"There are other ways." Tatsumi tried.

"Like what?" Tom-Tom said with the same smile. "I am too tired to flee. And if you hid me away, they would find me. They will be searching extensively. If you try to help me flee, then they will just find us both. You know that this is the only way."

"I..." Tatsumi said. His voice trailing off. Lacking any argument against it.

"Unless you want to give me to Esdese. Then I will die. Long before my body stops working, I will have died. I am sure you have seen it happen to people before. Considering your position."

"I will not allow that." Tatsumi said determinately.

Tom-Tom nodded. "Then you know what to do."

When Tatsumi still didn't move, Tom-Tom spoke again in a much softer voice. "I know this is hard Tatsumi. But gather your courage. I have lived far longer than I should have. I have seen so many things that I love die. I have buried too many of those I have held dear. I have outlived and survived so many people and things that I shouldn't have. Believe me, Tatsumi. I might have a lot of regrets. But now it is my time. At long last."

Tatsumi looked at the old giant for a long time. Then he slowly moved his spear up and placed it against the side of his neck.

Tom-Tom nodded to him. "I hold you no grudge, little Tatsumi. I hope you still hold those old morals that you speak of. And I hope that you will keep acting on them in the future." With those words, Tom-Tom closed his eyes. Peace filling his expression.

Yet Tatsumi remained still. His blade at Tom-Tom's throat. He couldn't do it. There had to be another way. His hand was shaking and his expression pained under the helmet of Incursio. After a while has passed, Tom-Tom opened his eyes again. Looking at Tatsumi. His eyes filled with uncertainty.

"Do it, Tatsumi." he said. "Before my courage leaves me."

In the distance, they could hear a low rumble and some seconds after that they both felt a wave of power wash over them. Both of them understanding what it meant.

She was heading over to them. Searching her way through the forest. Not coming through the same way as they had. Letting her instincts guide her towards the power of Incursio. Able to feel it from so far away. She would soon be there and they could both feel it. Tom-Tom took a deep breath.

"Do it! There isn't much time." he urged and looked up at Tatsumi.

Tatsumi's hand was shaking so much that it was visible but Tom-Tom didn't seem to notice it. To caught up in his own panic. His courage starting to leave at the prospect of what was going to happen.

"Do you honestly want to hear me beg for my own death." he said and looked at Tatsumi. His lower lip trembling. "Do it! End me!"

"I.. I.." Tatsumi said. His mind racing. His insides in conflict. "I.. must.."

He was interrupted by a loud bang behind him. Tom-Tom's eyes shifted to someone behind Tatsumi and he knew that he had run out of time. Less than a second after that, he could feel the force of her presence wash over him. He brought his spear up and swung it down at Tom-Tom's neck with all the might he had.

But as he started to bring his spear down towards Tom-Tom, Esdese's sword intercepted his swing. Smashing his spear to the side with a loud metallic clang. Missing Tom-Tom by a meter. Tatsumi looked up and found her standing beside him. He clenched his teeth harder under the helmet. He had hesitated. And his moment of weakness had probably doomed Tom-Tom to a rather horrible fate.

"Calm down, Tatsumi." Esdese said. Even if her smile seemed to be inviting him to come at her. "He is defeated. There is no need to execute him on the spot. We can get a lot of important information from him."

Tatsumi looked at her and then down at Tom-Tom. The old man was looking at him with tired eyes. Tatsumi wanted to strike at him again. But he knew that Esdese would stop him.

"I defeated him. I should be the one to decide his fate."

"Normally I would have given you that honor. But this is a military operation, not your personal duel scene. Tom-Tom will be questioned properly. And that is an order."

"Listen, Esdese-"

"Are you disobeying a direct order from your superior?" Esdese said. Her smile widening slightly. Tatsumi realized just how on edge she was right now. She gave off that dangerous feeling at the moment. And he had never seen her get blood on her uniform before. Now she had plenty of blood splattered on her. The red clear against her white clothes. Like blood in snow.

He realized that if he said a word of defiance right now, she would hit him. And she would keep hitting him until he surrendered or she deemed the matter done with. Then to probably carry him back to their tent and bed. As soon as Tom-Tom had been taken care of.

This was the first real battle Esdese had been a part of for months. And Tatsumi now understood just how much she had let herself go during it. She had barely calmed down from the kicks, adrenaline, and thrills the battle had given her and her sadistic cravings. She was acting cool but she was a storm beneath. She wanted to fight him.

Yet he had a hard time submitting now. His mind quickly searching for a way to spare Tom-Tom from the suffering but he couldn't think of any. Meeting her gaze as his mind raced.

Esdese kept her smile. She very slowly took a step towards him. Now standing less than a meter away. Forcing Tatsumi to tilt his head upwards to keep eye contact. Raising the tension of the situation. Pressing him to act out. Challenging him by the mere invasion of his personal space.

They looked at each other for what felt like a long time. Then Tatsumi finally turned his head to the side. Looking away from her eyes. He could feel how Esdese intense gaze kept staring at him. So he deactivated Incursio fully. Now only standing in his usual clothes. Incursio now in the form of the sword in his right hand. His face bitter as he sighed. "There."

Yet Esdese still wasn't fully satisfied. Her free hand came up and grabbed his scalp. Running its fingers through his hair as she pushed him around a bit. Forcing his head to move around. When he didn't resist or say anything, she nodded with a victorious "Hmph!"

She turned around to Tom-Tom as she sheathed her own sword. Taking a few steps away from Tatsumi as she walked up to the old man. They were almost of the same height now. Due to the fact that Tom-Tom was on his knees and that his posture was so bent forward. Esdese was even a little bit higher than him.

"I don't think we have ever been introduced to each other Tom-Tom. But your appearance is hard to forget. But the last time we met must have been back in Garu."

"I had hoped that it would be the last time I had to be in your presence." Tom-Tom said. Not hiding his resentment.

"I imagine that you would." she said as she reached him. "If it is any consolation, I have been looking forward to a meeting with one of Makeias' higher aides. For quite some time now. And they tell me that there are none closer to him than you."

"You will be disappointed, ice queen. You will not learn much of Makeias from me." Tom-Tom said matter-of-factly. Meeting her happy gaze.

"Everybody says something like that in the beginning." Esdese said. "And when I was younger and more inexperienced, some of them were right. But it has been years since I was unable to prove one of them wrong."

Tom-Tom looked up at her. The sheer carefree and joyful excitement Esdese emitted scared him. His supreme instincts told him that to her, this entire situation was just fun. She felt nothing towards him. Neither sympathy or resentment. She was just looking forward to slowly destroying him. But he didn't let any of his fear show through. He refused to give her that gratification.

"I will not speak." he said with determination.

Esdese bent forwards slightly. Moving some of her hair away as her other hand came down and gently stroked the side of Tom-Tom's face. Her touch soft and gentle. "Before this is over, I will make you sing for me, old man."

Tatsumi looked at her back with ill-concealed concern. He had delivered Tom-Tom to Esdese. He had enabled his now grim fate. The torture to come was now his doing as well. He felt the despair grow inside of him. He tried to convince himself that he still held his old and good morals true to his heart. But no matter how much he tried, Tom-Tom's voice echoed in the back of his head. "Are you sure?"

Author's note:

I don't know if it ever translated to you, but to me, Tom-Tom was always the kind giant. The gentle soul forced into a hard situation. So it was actually a bit painful to set him upon this road. But it is all necessary for the sake of the story.

There will be another part of the "Western incursion" but that will be the last one. Now things are starting to ramp up for the finale. There will be little rest from here on out. Even if there is still a long way to go before the end. I am losing hope that I will be able to finish this before the manga.

A lot of people have written and asked me about my thoughts about the latest chapter of the manga. While I must say that I enjoy it greatly and think that it is artfully done, I still can't help but feel that we are still walking down the same road as the anime. Just a little bit altered. I hope that I am wrong. But I still suspect that we will soon see Tatsumi's death and then a final Akame vs Esdese showdown. Though god I hope that isn't the case.

As always, thanks a lot for reading. You are the fuel that puts these words on paper... Or rather, on the screen. Your comments/reviews and PMs is what feeds my enthusiasm. So thanks a lot.

Until next time, take care of each other.