Heya everyone.
So from here on, Geography is pretty important and it's hard to really form a clear map inside your heads. So I decided to make things a bit simpler and modified the Map from Akame ga kill to show geography, city locations, and countries. Hopefully, this will help.
You can find this map on my profile. It takes you to a twitter post and then to a picture posted on Imgur. This site is pretty strict on links so it's a bit more troublesome, but it's there if you want to see.
Chapter 15 - Missions
It was rather early in the morning, around the time when most normal working citizens would be on their way to their workplace. The sky was well lit but the air still held the typical morning chill. Tatsumi, having been raised by the rule of "sleep early, wake early", was finishing up his morning training in the training area of Night Raid's hidden base.
Tatsumi exerted strength into his left arm and his body, straight and nearly parallel with the sandy ground, rose up with the tips of his toes as the pivot. His breaths were deep and audible, his body was drenched with sweat, but he himself felt refreshed rather than tired. He swapped to his right arm, repeating his pushups at a slower pace, careful to not reopen the wound that had finally begun to mend. His daily workout continued in the refreshing morning air and beautiful sky. The birds living in the forest surrounding Night Raid's base sung with relish, glad to provide background music for Tatsumi's exercises.
That was until a loud but cute screamed scared them off. Tatsumi turned his head in the direction of the base and saw a blob of purple lying face-first on the wooden sidewalk. Tatsumi stopped his pushups and stood up, doing a few stretches and wiping off some sweat before heading over to the scene. What he discovered was a beautiful young woman waving her arms around, searching the ground while muttering "Glasses… glasses…". Her silky long hair was a rare dark purple color and she wore a slim Chinese dress. Her face was innocent and troubled, giving off an allure that tickled the protective instincts of anyone who saw her.
Tatsumi bent down and picked up the pair of half-rimmed spectacle lying a foot away from the fallen girl.
"Sheele… right? Here." Tatsumi said while handing over her glasses. She touched around his outstretched hand and picked up the undamaged frames.
"Ah, thank you very much." She thanked in a low voice while putting her glasses on. Her gaze finally focused on Tatsumi, who wasn't wearing a top since he just finished working out. "Tatsumi-san, thank you very much." She repeated with a small bow after standing up.
"You're welcome," Tatsumi replied, before heading over to the spot where he placed his towel and t-shirt. "Did you need me for something?" He asked while wiping himself off.
"Umm… I'm not sure?" Sheele answered with a short pause. Her head was tilted and her finger was on her chin. Tatsumi put on his shirt and looked at Sheele oddly. It didn't seem like she was joking around. Did the fall hit her that hard?
"I see… I'll go see Najenda just in case." Tatsumi picked up Fenrir that was leaning against a nearby post and headed inside, leaving Sheele outside. She stood still, a bit confused, before following Tatsumi back inside.
Despite being carved into the side of a cliff and without access to electricity, the halls of the base were well lit due to the large windows that are present everywhere. Candles were lit at night, but since every single member had decent night vision, it wasn't really necessary.
They found Najenda sitting in living room, smoking a cigarette and fiddling around with her prosthetic arm. The living room consisted of a large table in the center of the room, a series of large bookshelves at the back, some chairs, a few couches and coffee tables. The walls were decorated with a few paintings the banner of Night Raid as well as the Revolutionary army.
The prosthetic arm clicked and creaked as she moved it, the sound was creepy enough to give Tatsumi bad shivers. "Najenda-san, did you call?" She looked up and shook her head.
"No, why?" Tatsumi pointed behind him at Sheele who was following him. Najenda made an understanding face before she even heard Tatsumi explain. "Ah, Sheele is a bit of a ditz. But don't worry, she's a completely different person out on the field. Maybe Akame or Bulat asked Sheele to go fetch you, but she forgot."
Tatsumi's eyes widened and he turned to look at Sheele like he's looking at a rare species. I heard about them from Mother a long time ago. The tripping, the forgetfulness, the innocent look of confusion always present on her face. Without a doubt, she's an airhead!
"I-I see. I'll go see check if the others called."
As it turned out, Lubbock was trying to stop Akame from making a full course meat fest. Sadly, because Sheele forgot, it was already too late. After Lubbock had the lunch Tatsumi prepared, he opened up to him and was much more amicable. A wise man once said, 'The quickest way to a man's heart is through his stomach.' This wasn't Tatsumi's intention, but he couldn't complain.
As an apology, Tatsumi promised to make lunch. But since they were low on edible protein courtesy of Akame, he had to go get them himself. With his sword in hand, he headed out into the forest alone. At least, that was the plan.
Why did she follow me? Tatsumi thought before looking behind him. Since this morning, Sheele had been following him around. It was starting to make him uneasy. He did his best to ignore it and proceeded with his search for anything he knew was edible, be it regular animals or danger beasts. But after an hour, he was starting to reach his limits.
Every once in a while, Sheele would trip over a root or stumble into a bush while letting out a small scream. Rabbits and squirrels that rushed by distracted her and she would walk right into a tree. A danger beast attacked but she instantly cut it down with refined efficiency that further made Tatsumi wonder what the heck was wrong with the girl.
Worst of all, he could feel her gaze as she continued to stare at his back. Whenever he looked back, the light that unnaturally reflected off her glasses would send shivers down his spine. It was so distracting that Tatsumi couldn't focus at all on hunting.
"Sheele?" He called.
"Yes?" She responded normally! This girl! She definitely doesn't feel anything off about this situation! Tatsumi decided that throwing hints at her will only cause himself to fall flat on his face. Only unreasonableness can defeat unreasonableness! So he ignored normal etiquette and just asked her outright the question that had been bothering him.
"Why are you following me?" Sheele placed her index finger on her chin and tilted her head.
"Ummm… I'm not sure." Tatsumi sweatdropped. I don't know how to communicate with her… He scratched his head, trying to come up with something to talk about. The silence between them was killing him, and he doubted Sheele had noticed the awkward atmosphere between them. But the issue is, he knew nothing about her and they've never interacted properly over the past 3 days. They had nothing in common that Tatsumi knew about. He wracked his brain for something, anything, and just spat out the first thing.
"Uh... soo... how did you join Night Raid?" I just asked something incredible, didn't I? Tatsumi retorted to himself. 'Hey, how did you become a professional killer?' isn't something a normal person would ask right off the bat no matter what time period it was. Luckily, the other party isn't normal either.
"... It's a long story." She said, downcast. Her sudden change took Tatsumi by surprise. But after hearing her story, he could only think that it was only natural.
Sheele was born and raised in the lower district of the Capital. Her birth caused the death of her mother, a tragedy that nearly broke her father inside. He raised her strictly and she grew up without knowing what the word fun referred to. At the age of 4, her father opened a small restaurant at the edge of their district. They were by no means wealthy, so she was forced to work in that restaurant.
"It was around this time, my father and those around me, as well as myself, discovered my abnormality," Sheele said with a sorrowful smile.
The mind that she was born with was a curse that prohibited her from moving her body as she wanted to. Her leg would move against her mind, her hands would fail when she needed them. The number of times she shattered glassware while washing dishes, spilled food on her customers, and received terrible insults and even beatings were innumerable. Gradually, her father and everyone around her lost faith in her. And so did she.
"I couldn't find anything to love about myself. To me, I was a burden. A girl with a screw loose"
But as she fell down into the darkest depths, a single hand reached out and saved her. The only person that was willing to accept her and become friends with her. Sheele, who didn't know joy nor warmth, learned to love another. A small smile appeared on Sheele's lips. A beautiful smile that truly conveyed the joy that she felt even as she re-lived her memories.
"She accepted me. No matter how many times I tripped over my own feet, she would help me back up. When I accidentally spilled tea on her clothes, she laughed it off. It took me a month and a half just to remember her name, and yet, she never left me."
A ray of sunshine through the darkest of days. And just like that meager ray, it would soon be blocked out by the unending rain.
"One day, a man appeared at her door."
The man was that girl's ex-boyfriend. With his rage and inhibition released with the help of drugs, he assaulted her right before Sheele's eyes. His eyes bloodshot and his veins bulging. Sheele remembered the grunts of suffering coming from the girl as vividly as if it had happened yesterday. The man's hands were wrapped around her throat, slowly choking the air out of her. Her feet, dangling in mid-air, kicked and thrashed as she tried to escape his grip.
Sheele watched all this happen with a blank face. She pressure inside her chest wasn't fear, nor anger. It was more like a sense of obligation or maybe protective instinct.
I must save her.
With a small paring knife that was used to peel apples a few minutes ago, Sheele slit the man's throat. A simple slash at his jugular vein, one that ended his life in seconds. Sheele had no knowledge of a human's anatomy. Her deadly choice was one made purely by instinct.
By her fearsome talent.
When she saw the girl who was staring wide-eyed at the unmoving body, sitting and shivering in his pool of blood, Sheele knew already. She had lost the only joy in her life.
"The case was judged as self-defense and I was allowed to go without punishment, but I never saw her ever again. And then…"
One day, while walking home from grocery shopping, Sheele was stopped by a group of men. There were half a dozen of them there, each carrying weapons. Some had bats, others had swords. Apparently, the man that Sheele had killed was the second in command of a local gang that's been harassing the people living in the neighborhood for years, everyone knew about them.
"They wanted to take revenge on me. 'Your old bastard is already dead, and you are next.' They said. But I felt nothing as I listened to them. Just like when my friend was choking, my mind once again cleared."
All she had to do was kill them.
The first man who attacked her clumsily tried to stab her with his sword. She dodged and slipped the knife she carried for self-defense past his ribs and into his heart. Using the first man's corpse as a shield, she slashed the throat of the second man, blinded the third, split the fourth's head open and gutted the fifth. With both efficiency and brutality, their bodies laid before her feet. That was when she had an epiphany.
"I actually had a screw loose somewhere in my mind. And it made me a very talented killer."
Finally, she found something to make herself useful.
"Afterwards, I was scouted by the Revolutionary Army and when Night Raid was created, I was assigned here. Here, I once again found a group of people who were willing to accept who I am. I have people to love again." She said with a smile.
"This time, I won't lose them, no matter what." Tatsumi closed his eyes. He couldn't imagine what it'd be like being rejected by everyone. He who grew up with loving parents, and after he lost them, found a place to belong with Shishou. He felt pity for the girl who was born with a talent that destroyed her life, and respect for her strength that let her live through the pain.
"That girl. What was her name?" Without any delay, Sheele responded quietly.
"Yue." In a world with endless darkness, the bright moon that shone for Sheele.
Several days flew by and the week approached its end. Tatsumi's right shoulder was almost fully healed and he could use it without much issue. Since Tatsumi planned to stay only for a week, he was ready to leave whenever. He accomplished everything he wanted to over the week. He shared his Teigu's abilities and earned the trust of the assassins group, he spent most of his time speaking and spending time with the members.
Most of his training sessions were done with Bulat, who eventually discovered that the one who taught Tatsumi to fight was former general of the Empire, Arthur.
"Your teacher was General Arthur?!" Bulat exclaimed with wide eyes. Tatsumi lowered his sword and nodded.
"Yeah, you've met him?" Bulat shook his head and released a small sigh.
"No, I've never had the honor to meet him. But my superior, General Liver, whom I truly respected, sung endless praises for your teacher. There was not another man that he spoke with the same tone. I've always wondered what kind of man he was." Tatsumi smiled widely, hearing his Shishou being praised made him feel proud too.
"If you'd like, I more than willing to share some memories." Tatsumi shared many experiences he had adventuring with his companions and his Shishou, all of which he remembers vividly. Bulat listened and laughed along with him and their bond deepened rapidly.
Akame, who had taken on the responsibility of introducing Tatsumi to the various members, did not neglect her older sister figure. Leone was eager to find out more about the interesting character that had managed to convince Akame to defect and was deeply connected to the rebels. Tatsumi found Leone's friendliness to be entertaining and he often found himself messing around with her, competing against her in a drinking contest or physical competitions.
She tried many times to get Tatsumi drunk, or even seduce him, but Tatsumi wasn't that easy to defeat. His alcohol tolerance is incredible thanks to the poison resistance Arthur cultivated in him and he would only roll his eyes at Leone's attempts at sex appeal.
He spent time a ton of time trying to help Sheele do housework. But after a broken stove that mysteriously exploded, a hallway that got drenched in more water than what was available, and an incident that nearly caused Tatsumi to drown in a washing machine, he gave up with the renewed belief that some universal laws cannot be defied.
Lubbock introduced him to the wonderful pastime that is manga. After learning that Lubbock owned a bookstore in the Capital that also doubled as their hidden base, he asked Lubbock for some recommendation for reading material. Tatsumi wasn't much of a reader, but he did always carry a book or two around for when he's on the road or when feeling bored. Lubbock was rather fervent as he recruited Tatsumi into comradery under the banner of Manga.
When he wasn't with the others, he was spending time with Akame. He shared many stories of his adventures over the years with Akame, although he did make sure to hide his connection with Yoshiro since he didn't know if Yoshiro wanted Akame to know. They cooked all the meals together. Tatsumi's duty was to make sure Akame didn't go out of control.
It was an incredibly fun week, one of the most memorable weeks Tatsumi's had in years. And as the week approached its end, one last event occurred at an unexpected timing.
"We have a new request." Najenda announced after gathering everyone into the meeting room. The members of Night Raid stood scattered around the room and Tatsumi was standing by the door.
"The target this time is the second cousin of Prime Minister Honest, a merchant named Iwokaru. Using the Minister's name, he abducts girls from the capital and beats them to death. His five bodyguards are guilty of the same crime." Najenda explained. Tatsumi frowned and his eyes narrowed dangerously. He's come to terms with the Empire's corruption, so atrocities committed by the Prime Minister's relative wasn't particularly shocking, but hearing about it still destroyed his mood.
"Is the information reliable?" Bulat raised his concerns. As an assassins group for hire in the Empire, there is no shortage of attempts from the Empire to lead them into traps. None have been successful because they always make sure to investigate the target and the information provided extensively before taking action. Leone nodded in affirmative.
"Yeah, I was the one who conducted the investigation. It was really unpleasant." Leone grumbled. Having personally witnessed the stuff the fat bastard does to his slaves, Leone was tempted to barge in and kill him on the spot.
"The plan is simple. Iwokaru's mansion is in the forest at the edge of the Capital. We will have Mein snipe him as soon as he shows his face. The rest of the members will be on standby to intercept and kill the bodyguards who will surely attempt to catch the assassins who killed their employer." Najenda shared. Akame addressed the glaring issue.
"Mein's guard?" She asked simply. Najenda smiled.
"Tatsumi, mind giving us a hand?" All eyes turned to the door where Tatsumi was standing. The man in question smirked. If he wasn't asked to, he wouldn't have participated in the mission. It wasn't that he didn't want to kill Iwokaru, it was just that his help was unnecessary. But now that Najenda extended this offer, he had no reason to refuse.
"No hesitation in using our little alliance huh? Very well, I have to prove my worth anyways." Tatsumi replied with confidence. "I won't let anyone touch a single hair on her." Mein scoffed and rolled her eyes. Najenda nodded with a smirk.
"I'll leave her to you." Najenda returned her attention to the rest of the members. "The rest of us will deal with the bodyguards."
The five bodyguards hired by Iwokaru are all disciples of the Koukenji temple, the greatest martial arts school in the empire. The hand-to-hand combat style taught there, called the Imperial Style, had 10 levels of mastery. Very few reached the 10th level and, presently, there were only 5 people who could claim they've reached level 10.
Iwokaru's bodyguards were all level 8 practitioners, with one exception.
Mein would find a good sniping point while the others would wait halfway between Mein's position and the mansion to intercept the bodyguards after the target is dead.
After the briefing, they set off towards Iwokaru's mansion. By the time they reached the edge of the Capital, the sun was already below the horizon. The mansion was extremely grandiose, sitting proudly on top of a hill. The mansion itself was dyed red by the fires lit around the building, decorated with golden lion carvings and eastern style windows. The size was probably bigger than Night Raids secret base. Even within the Empire, there were only a handful of other buildings that could possibly rival the size of the mansion.
At the base was a large double doored gate. Between the gate and the front entrance of the mansion were 3 flights of stone stairs, each around 30 steps long with 2 flat rest areas in between. Iwokaru himself never needed to walk up those stairs, having servants carry him up those exhausting steps.
Mein was stationed around a good 2 and a half kilometers away from the mansion on top of a small cliff. She looked around the area and quickly picked the optimal spot. From there, even with her bare eyes, she could clearly see the entrance to the mansion. The other members of Night Raid were waiting half a kilometer away, between Mein and the mansion, ready to intercept anyone that comes from that direction.
Mein fiddled around with her beloved sniper rifle, Roman Artillery - Pumpkin. She peeked through the iron sight, adjusting it so that the muzzle was pointed directly at the entrance. She sat on the ground and shifted around, looking restless.
"Hey, get me something to lean on." Mein commanded rudely. Tatsumi was a bit surprised, but shrugged and swung his left arm. A large air blade sliced down a nearby tree, around 30 centimeters in diameter. Tatsumi slowly lowered the falling tree onto the ground, sliced off a small log and carried it over to Mein.
"Tch, I guess this is fine." Mein complained while looking at the mossy tree. She leaned her back against the log, sitting in a position where her right knee was propped up and her left leg was flat on the ground. She set the barrel of Pumpkin on her right knee, using it as a makeshift stand and watched the gate with her finger on the trigger.
They sat there for around half an hour, waiting in silence. The crickets rattling in the background the sound of wind blowing buy were the only things to entertain them as the moon crawled along the sky.
"He should be coming out soon." Tatsumi informed while looking at the mansion through the pair of binoculars he brought with him. According to the information Night Raid received and Leone's investigation, Iwokaru had a fairly consistent schedule for when he visits the slave market in the Capital. Based on that schedule, Najenda planned the assassination for tonight.
"I know." Was Mein's snap response.
Tatsumi heard her take a deep breath and glanced at her. Her left hand now gripped the handle extending from Pumpkin's left, locking the gun in place. Her left eye was shut and her right eye was looking through the scope. Her body was motionless as her breathing became slow and quiet.
She had entered a state of hyper-concentration, focusing every brain cell at what was at end of her line of sight. Tatsumi shivered slightly, remembering that he was the one who was in her scopes just under a week ago.
This was the girl that nearly killed me from 1 kilometer away. If only she concealed her killing intent, I would've died that night.
It was because of that near-death experience that made Tatsumi not as enthusiastic about speaking with her over the past few days. She was the only one that he didn't actively seek out, and she definitely did not enjoy his presence. She would always give him a small glare and make a 'hmph' sound before turning and walking away whenever she saw him. This time as well, she was not being particularly amicable and he was having a hard time trying to get her to open up.
"He appeared." Mein said simply. Tatsumi returned his attention to the mission and brought his binoculars up to his face. He watched as a chubby man in his early 30s, wearing small circular glasses, slowly appeared from the front entrance. He was surrounded by nearly a dozen woman, two of which he had wrapped around his arms. Tatsumi frowned. Those girls had nothing to do with the mission.
Knowing Najenda, the group she was in charge of definitely wasn't the type of group that is willing to kill innocents if it meant they could accomplish their mission. From 2.5 kilometers away, without a scope or a visionary tool, attempting to snipe a moving target with only a 10-centimeter leeway.
"Can you do it?" Mein narrowed her eye slightly.
"Hmph." An ear-piercing sound of a gunshot going off rang in the air and a beam of light exploded from Pumpkin. By the time Tatsumi felt the shockwave from Mein's shot, Iwokaru's body had already hit the floor. In the center of his forehead was a hole the size of a grown man's index finger. Tatsumi lowered his binoculars and turned to look at Mein. A wide, confident smirk was present on her face. She pushed herself up and tapped Pumpkin on her right shoulder.
"Of course I can. A shot like that is as easy as pulling the trigger." Tatsumi stared at her for a few seconds before chuckling. Mein sent a glare his way, thinking he was mocking her.
"What are you laughing at?" Tatsumi shook his head.
"No. You're as good as I suspected. I'm lucky to still be alive." He complimented.
Mein was a difficult character. She did not like strangers, and getting to know her well enough to not be considered a stranger is not a simple task. But there were a few things she was weak against. Hearing Tatsumi's prideless praise, she blushed and turned her face away from Tatsumi.
"W-well, of course! I am a genius sniper so that was nothing! B-but, you know... I-I'll give you some credit for being the first person to ever dodge my bullet." She stuttered while feeling hot in the face.
Her dislike of strangers was one reason, but there was an even bigger reason for her coldness towards Tatsumi. He was the first one to live to tell the tale after Mein aimed Pumpkin's muzzle at him. To Mein, this was a huge hit to her pride, so naturally, she was not happy when Akame brought him back to their base and even made him an ally. The more she watched as the others started getting friendly with him, the more she disliked the man.
But with that single sentence, he managed to wipe away the stain on her reputation. Mein forced the smile on her lips into her usual scowl and snapped her head in the direction of the forest.
"Let's go! My job is done here." Mein declared. Without waiting for Tatsumi's consent, she began walking back. Tatsumi shook his head and followed after her. They hiked through the forest, heading towards the only cherry blossom tree that stood at the edge of the forest.
"Kuh…" Halfway through, Mein let out a small grunt as she tried to climb up a small ledge. She was carrying pumpkin, which really limited her ability to jump properly. Tatsumi bent his knees, and with a small push, hopped up the ledge and extended a hand to her.
"Here." Mein stared at the hand for a few seconds before taking it. They continued on their way and Tatsumi decided to try and start a conversation.
"Do you think the others are done with the bodyguards by now?" He asked.
"The pursuers are monks trained at the Koukenji. Although they are no match for Akame and the others, they wouldn't go down without a fight." Mein replied. Then, out of nowhere, she clicked her tongue in annoyance. "Tch, a guy like that. Doing whatever he wants using someone else's authority. It pisses me off." She cursed under her breath. Tatsumi heard that clearly and decided to ask.
"Did… something happen?" His question was vague, but Mein understood his question. She glanced back and sighed.
"Seeing as everyone else probably already shared their past, I might as well. Listen up because I'm only going to say this once."
Mein's earliest memory was an unpleasant one. Out on the streets somewhere near the western border of the Empire, the ragged, torn bag that she wore did nothing to stop the stones that mercilessly struck her body. Her mother was a woman from the country directly west of the Empire while her father was a former soldier of the empire.
The history between the Empire and the country to the west was one filled with bloodshed. Ever since the creation of the Empire, the west has launched countless invasions against the Empire. The regions on the western border of the Empire suffered every single time. Their fields were trampled, homes burnt down. Even after the invasions stopped, their hatred continued to be passed down from generation to generation.
Mein, whose blood was dyed half foreign, held a social status lower than trash. Her father was stoned to death by the people who branded him a traitor, and her mother was sold to slavery. She was kept as the town's punching bag.
The only thing that kept her alive was her natural resilience and her hatred towards her own life. She hated the townsmen and swore revenge on them. She lived so that one day she could return the pain she received a dozen times over.
Luckily for them, she never got the chance.
One day, a group showed up in her town. They declared themselves as the ones that would overthrow the Empire. The revolutionary army. They stated that they wanted to establish friendly relationships with the western country. The townsmen threw them out, wanting to hear none of their nonsense, but Mein was different.
"If we were able to make alliances with nearby countries, then the divisions between nationalities and the hatred that haunted my childhood would disappear over time. And then, one day, there would no longer be kids who suffer from discrimination ever again. For that reason, I joined the Revolutionary army." Mein stopped walking and clenched her fists.
"The suffering I experienced… I will crush it with my own hands." She declared.
Tatsumi was surprised. Not because of her past, but her honorable reason for fighting against the Empire. He was fighting to destroy the injustice and corruption that plagued this country, so in a way, they had a similar reason for fighting. But one question lingered.
"Mein… do you still wish revenge on the townsmen that destroyed your childhood?" Tatsumi asked. Mein scoffed at his question and made an annoyed look.
"Hmph. Who cares about them? I have more important things to worry about. I will overthrow the Empire and become a millionaire off of the rewards! I will be the one to laugh to the end!" Mein exclaimed with a smirk and sparkling eyes.
The sound of her strangely annoying laughs echoed across the forest and into the distance. Tatsumi deadpanned and sighed as she completely ruined the mood her story had created.
"Well, I guess it's better this way." He mumbled under his breath and followed after her.
They trekked through the forest and finally reached the cherry blossom tree where they planned to rendezvous with the rest of Night Raid. Mein stepped into the clearing and stretched.
"Mission accomplished!" She exclaimed. Tatsumi watched with a smirk.
"Yeah, thanks for your hard work. Now let me do my part." Tatsumi said before he flew into action.
Tatsumi grabbed her arm and pulled her towards him. Her eyes widened as she crashed face first into Tatsumi's chest. She pushed herself off, her face bright red and she opened her mouth to scream at him only to be interrupted when the spot she was standing on exploded into a cloud of dust.
Tatsumi took a hop towards the cherry blossom tree while carrying Mein and released her when they landed at a safe distance. Mein's face was serious, having calmed down the moment to realized they were under attack.
"Mein, take a few steps back." Mein nodded and gave Tatsumi some room to move and he focused his attention on the assailant still hidden in the dust cloud.
A fist appeared from behind the smokescreen and with a swing of his arm, the dust cleared, revealing a man in his mid-twenties. His bangs were short and messy while the rest of his hair was grown out and tied up in a braided ponytail behind his head. He wore shoulder-pads made of black steel that extended down his arms and covered up to his wrists. Beneath it, he wore a light martial-arts uniform made specially with an extremely tough fabric.
He wore an annoying and arrogant smirk that transformed his handsome face into that of an asshole.
"Hoh? You managed to sense me, huh? This might be a bit more entertaining than I initially expected." He spouted condescendingly.
"Senji of the Iron Fist. That guy has been the assistant instructor at Koukenji for the past decade and level 9 practitioner of the Imperial Fist. He's strong." Mein informed gravely from a few feet back. Tatsumi narrowed his eyes but stayed silent.
"To think a brat like you managed to avoid my fist, I must be going senile." Senji chuckled to himself. Tatsumi's hand reached up to draw his sword, but a palm landed on his hand, forcing the sword back into its place.
Tatsumi raised his left hand to block the knee that would've smashed into his diaphragm. As soon as Kenji's foot hit the ground again, a lightning-fast right hook was swung at full force towards Tatsumi's head. Tatsumi leaned forward before grabbing the fist that had flown past his head and with a small shout, threw Kenji off of him.
The martial arts master landed on his feet with a small flip and bounced lightly, showing off his footwork. Tatsumi attempted to draw his sword again, but a flurry of fists stopped his attempt and forced him on the defensive. He dodged and parried the blows with his left hand while taking short hops back, gradually being forced towards the edge of the clearing.
As he reached the edge, he backstepped a right hook and grabbed Kenji's right wrist and began to draw his sword. Kenji's eyes narrowed and his pushed off the ground, flipping over Tatsumi and kicked at his right hand which was pulling the sword out of its sheath. Tatsumi's left hand released his wrist and Kenji flew away, landing and sliding on the ground.
"Hmph, to think this is all you've got." Mein scoffed. Kenji caught Mein's comment with his sharp hearing and began laughing. Tatsumi frowned.
"What are you laughing at?" Kenji stopped and grinned condescendingly,
"A weakling like you who can't even draw his sword has the audacity to stand before me? Did you hear that? Even your own companion, that little girl, is ridiculing you." A smirk appeared on Tatsumi's lips and Mein sighed.
"Tatsumi, could you please finish him already? I'm starting to get a headache listening to his ignorant bullshit." The smile vanished from Kenji's lips and he glared at Mein with anger. Mein, who was at the receiving end of the glare that would cause a bear to faint in fear, rolled her eyes. "Do you need me to spell it out?" Mein asked with an annoyed sigh. Her tone was cold and she was looking at him as if looking at a pile of garbage.
"I was scoffing at you."
Kenji roared in anger and disappeared from view. He dashed past Tatsumi, completely ignoring him. His eyes were tunneled on Mein, who was leaning against the trunk of the cherry blossom tree. Tatsumi, who couldn't even draw his sword, had no way of stopping him.
Tatsumi, who fought him to a standstill with his dominant hand behind his back the entire time, had no way of stopping him?
The world in Kenji's eyes did somersaults. The sky and the ground flipped and flipped until he felt the back of his head hit the ground. He was beyond confused. What just happened? What did the brat just do? Whose blood was dripping onto his face?
His head, severed from his body, was filled with these pointless last thoughts as he died.
"That took way too long." Mein complained as Tatsumi walked up to the base of the cherry blossom tree. Tatsumi wiped the blood off his sword with a piece of cloth he cut off Kenji's corpse.
"Well, my right shoulder that you shot a hole through still hasn't fully healed, so I thought I'd take it easy." Tatsumi replied. Mein blushed slightly and looked away. Tatsumi closed his eyes and confirmed his surroundings.
"There aren't any other threats nearby. The others are already on their way here. They'll be here in another 5 minutes." Tatsumi informed. He sheathed his blade and stretched. "Mission accomplished."
Night enveloped the Palace of the Empire, but inside a room somewhere in the millennial building, a scene even darker was taking place.
"Honorable Minister… I'm sorry to inform you, but your second cousin, Iwokaru, passed away last night." An officer said in a shaking voice. His voice was shaking not out of sadness, but out of pure fear. This began when he was first assigned the duty of delivering the news. His superior had sold him out, and Death was the buyer. Prime Minister Honest listened with his back towards the officer, a mouth full of roasted meat and a stack of plates on the dining table in front of him.
"W-what did you just say?" His chewing stopped and he asked that with a mouth full of food. The eyes of the officer widened and his trembling worsened. He prayed that at the very least, his death would be swift and painless. "Iwokaru? D-dead?" The meat in his mouth spilled out and back onto his plate as tears welled up in his eyes and he began writing in sorrow.
"NOOOOOOOOOOO!" Honest screamed as he held his head and wept. Tears streamed down his face and spit flew everywhere.
"Well, he's dead now so there's nothing we can do about it." Honest said a second later. The tears on his face disappeared and he went back to munching down on his delicious full course meal. With his cheeks stuffed to the brim, he stopped for a moment to think. "Though it seems the rebel army is becoming more of a nuisance than I initially suspected. Well, that woman should be back within the next few days..." Honest said to himself. A large, wide, disgusting grin appeared on his face.
"I'll have her crush the rebels as soon as possible." He returned to eating, stuffing his pig face full of the delicacies the royal chefs had created with fear of execution should they mess up even a little. After a few minutes, he heard a cough behind him and glanced behind. The officer was still there.
"Why are you still here?" He asked, feeling his appetite dampen a little. The officer shuddered and quickly apologized.
"I sincerely apologize, your honor! There is another matter I was ordered to inform you about! Rebel forces have crossed the Grand Canal and are heading straight for the city of Sakustein!" Honest stopped his mouth. Sakustein was a major city located 450 miles southwest of the Capital. The city was the 7th largest on the Grand Grasslands and it's industry was nothing special. Yet the Empire must stop the rebels at all costs.
Or else, for the first time in the last thousand years, a city within 500 miles of the glorious Empire would fall into enemy hands.
An unforgivable embarrassment that the Prime Minister would not tolerate.
"... Did you know? The wise Emperor that ruled our glorious empire 600 years ago once said… 'If those who bring bad news are removed, then naturally, there wouldn't be any bad news.' Those are wise words, don't you agree?" Tears of fear gathered at the edges of the Captain's eyes. Prime Minister Honest clapped his hands twice and four large soldiers threw the doors open. They immediately locked the arms of the captain behind his back. "Execute this harbinger of evil."
The screams that begged for forgiveness revived Honest's appetite and he returned to scarfing down food.
"Ah, right. You there, have General Ogre lead a group of his choosing to go deal with the rebels near Sakustein." He commanded through his stuffed mouth to the soldiers that had remained in the room. His eyes turned to them with a deadly look. "I hope I won't hear any more bad news. You understand?" The soldiers saluted and left with heavy steps.
The sound of bones crunching came through the gaps of the door as it slammed shut on the dining Minister.
Southwest of the Empire's Capital was a huge area of grasslands that spanned nearly over 1 million square miles, decorated with small hills and patches of forestry. The Empire's longest river, the Great Canal, nearly 2 kilometer wide and spanning thousands of kilometers from the ocean in the east to the country in the west, ran through the grassland, marking its southern border.
The Great Canal leads to Lake Aether, a large lake 800 kilometers south of the Capital, and then splits off into 2 separate smaller rivers. One traveled back to the ocean, the other leaked into the country in the west. On the southern side of the lake was the city of Asgard. The city was a metropolis that bloomed off its industry focused around directing trade by water and the rich natural resources that surrounded the area.
After the Revolutionary Army safely gathered their forces and established their main base in Heliyx, they began strategizing the steps to advance their revolution. To the Revolutionary Army, the Grand Canal was both an obstacle to cross and an invaluable barrier.
And so, they laid their eyes on the city, Asgard. By taking control of Asgard, they could control all trade and transportation that used the river. Not only that, since Asgard was located on the opposite shore from the Capital, Imperial troops had to cross the river to reach their city. The city was both offensively and defensively perfect against the Empire.
The revolutionary army focused their entire force, number over one hundred thousand men, on besieging the city. The thirty thousand soldiers and law enforcement within the city were unable to face the overwhelming numbers.
The last nail in the coffin was the internal rebellion that occurred during the siege, caused by rebel supporters. Attacked from both inside and out, the Imperial forces lost control within a day and the city fell into rebel hands.
And consequently, the southern quarter of the Empire fell into the hands of the rebels. From Asgard, the revolutionary army swept down south. They swept across the Nine Hills of Agenhart, an enormous area filled with forests and valleys but characterized by nine large, grassy hills that stood over 300 meters over the land, wiping out any and all Imperial forces that remained in the southern plateau.
Over the next two years, more and more of the southern Empire came under the protection of the Revolutionary army. At the time Prime Minister Honest heard about the rebel's march towards Sakustein, The western quarter of the Grand Grasslands, the entire southern peninsula, the land east of Crystal Lake and the land east of the Tomb of the First Emperor all belonged to the Rebels.
The news of Asgards fall two years prior should've been a more than sufficient reason for the Empire to mobilize its entire military to crush the rebellion, yet that did not happen. This was mainly due to the fact that more than two thirds of their forces were dispatched to fight the Northern Tribes and to conquer the country to the East - Archana.
Although many military officers and merchants called for the retrieval of troops in order to suppress the rising rebellion at home, the higher ups in the government adamantly refused due to their naive and avarice filled mindset.
We've already invested too much in those two wars and we will not lose on that profit. Once our army returns victorious, we can easily crush the rebels and take back our land.
And thanks to their negligence, the rebel's smoothly took the south and began marching towards Sakustein, aiming to be the first in the Empire's long history to set up a foothold within 500 miles of the Capital of the Empire.
In order to combat this threat, an army of ten thousand was sent to intercept the rebels and defend Sakustein. Within the army was an elite platoon under the direct command of General Ogre. With 48 members, they were one of the strongest groups within the entire army. The only ones who could top them were Esdeath and her three beasts, as well as the Shadow Guards.
The reason was that, amongst those 48 members, there were two Teigu users.
On the 9th day after their departure from the Capital, General Ogre's army clashed against rebel forces, numbering over eighteen thousand. The rebel forces largely consisted of archery and infantry units. In comparison, the Empire's Calvary should have a huge advantage, but when facing an army with nearly double their numbers, their small advantage was negligible.
General Ogre watched his troops fight the losing battle on his steed and frowned. On the grasslands, tactics can be easily defeated by the power of quantity.
"What do you think?" Ogre asked the girl beside him. The girl was on a horse right beside him. Her silky black hair swaying whenever a gust of wind blew across the plains. A cherry blossom ornament decorated her head.
"In order to obtain provisions, the rebels have to cross the river. If we can drag them away from the Great Canal, then it is possible to cut off both their supply line." The girl replied after a moment. Ogre nodded and then turned to the youth who was waiting on the opposite side of him.
The youth had short, black hair going in all directions. A white headband wrapped snugly around his forehead. He wore the Empire's uniform, although it was in a different color. On his back was a long spear blacker than the night.
"What about you?" The boy scratched his messy black hair and grinned sheepishly.
"There's no way I can come up with a better plan than Sayo." Ogre shook his head and sighed at the hopeless boy.
"If there's one thing that hasn't improved over the years, it's your intelligence. Go to the front lines and convey the plan. Slowly retreat northwest, bait the rebels away from the river." The boy saluted, his Lieutenant badge flashed under the sunlight and he charged forward on his horse towards the front lines.
"Ieyasu! Don't just go charging in!" Sayo shouted after him, but saw no response. She sighed in exhaustion and saluted Ogre before chasing after her Lieutenant. Ogre watched those two leave with a satisfied smile. They've become better tools than I would've ever imagined. It was worth putting that much effort towards raising them.
Sayo slowed to a stop in the middle of the troops, just a few hundred meters from where the Imperial soldiers are fighting desperately against the rebels. She lost sight of her childhood friend, so she quickly grabbed a random soldier.
"You there, where's Lieutenant Ieyasu?" She questioned. The soldier saluted and replied quickly to his superior's question.
"Captain Sayo! Lieutenant Ieyasu is currently fighting against the rebels!"
"Did he give out any orders?" The soldier shook his head. Sayo rolled her eyes. Despite being second in command in the army, her childhood friend really didn't have a single drop of dependability. If it wasn't for Sayo, who purposefully stayed one rank below Ieyasu so that she could support him, Ieyasu probably would've been demoted back to a foot soldier by now. It's lecture time after this battle. She then raised her voice.
"Attention all troops! Slowly retreat northeast! Bait the enemy to follow! Make it believable!" She ordered. Multiple soldiers saluted and the message quickly spread throughout the army. Their troops slowly backed away and after a few minutes of searching, Sayo finally found the brainless idiot.
His black spear seemingly absorbed all light that touched it as it slashed and pierced through the flesh of the rebels. His movements were quick and concise, each strike aiming for a vital. But even though the revolutionary army was slowly retreating, Ieyasu kept pushing forward, digging himself deeper into the enemy forces.
Soon, he found himself surrounded on all sides. Several spears and swords lunged towards Ieyasu, who could only defend himself from attacks in one direction. But just before those sharp edges skewered him, they were stopped by a wall of light. Only having to worry about the attacks right in front of him, Ieyasu spun his spear and smoothly deflected all the attacks.
"You idiot! Can't you see that we're retreating?!" Ieyasu turned his head and saw Sayo with her hand held out. A pair of gauntlets rested on her forearms. Two large half-shields were firmly attached to the gauntlets on the back of her forearm. They were glowing brightly, producing the same color as the wall that protected Ieyasu.
"Ah." He said when he noticed that he was very much separated from the rest of the army. "I'll be right there!" He shouted towards Sayo who was getting more and more impatient.
"Do you think we'll just let you leave? Don't get cocky, Imperial scum!" One of the rebels shouted. Ieyasu frowned and his eyes narrowed.
"I don't want to hear that from rebel trash. Now get out of my way." As he said this, the surface of his black spear melted down. Black sludge slipped out off his weapon, revealing a regular spear underneath. The moment the liquid touched the ground, it spread outwards at high speeds like a wave.
The surprised rebels were unable to escape as the sludge wrapped around their legs, rendering them completely immobile. Ieyasu lunged towards the dozen men that stood between him and Sayo. They all died without being able to resist. Their body fell limp onto the ground and was slowly absorbed into the black sludge.
Ieyasu dashed through the sludge without any effort and reached the spot where Sayo was waiting, several bodies lying around her feet. Their chests rose slowly, indicating they were alive. Ieyasu saw this and frowned.
"Sayo, you spared them again? This is war and they are enemies you know?" Sayo crossed her arms and gave Ieyasu a look that clearly said 'and what are you going to do about it?'.
"I can do whatever I want, now get on the horse and we are getting out of here. Don't forget to retrieve your Teigu." Ieyasu nodded and the black sludge returned to him, flowing along the ground like water and wrapping around his spear. It solidified instantly as soon as it settled. Ieyasu pointed to the guys on the ground.
"Aren't you going to finish them off?" Sayo was already seated on her horse. She pointed at the crowd of rebels that were closing in on them.
"Don't have time, let's go!" Ieyasu shrugged, his spear spun upside down and pierced through the heart of one rebel before he hopped onto Sayo's horse. They re-joined the rebel army and proceeded to retreat northwest into the Grand Grasslands.
Under the tutelage of Ogre, Sayo, Ieyasu, and Seryu rose through the ranks of the army. Two years after joining the army, the Empire held an Army-wide test for Teigu users. Sayo, Ieyasu, and Seryu all participated and discovered their own Teigus.
Seryu paired up with organic Teigu - Magical Beast Transformation - Hekatonkheires. A teigu organism that resembled a plushy modeled after a dog.
Sayo was perfectly compatible with the defensive Teigu - Shield of Heavenly Light - Bkulians. A pair of steel gauntlets with half-shields attached to the back. After a bit of experimenting, she discovered she could create impenetrable shields of light anywhere within her sight range. Though the max area she could cover was fixed to 30 square meters. The downside was that she had to endure the impact of whatever she was blocking as if she was physically defending against the attack.
Ieyasu found himself drawn towards a pool of black liquid, enough for a dozen people to swim in. It was pitch black, darker than anything he's ever seen before. The moment he touched it, the black liquid crawled up his hand and wrapped around his arms. He couldn't feel his arms at all, as if the black liquid was consuming his sense of touch, but soon his senses returned.
As if being sucked in, the rest of the black liquid wrapped around his arm continuously until the entire pool was drained dry. But oddly, his arm didn't feel heavy, nor did the thickness of the coating increase. Even Ieyasu thought it was weird. Afterward, the supervisors told him this.
"That used to be stored in a small cup. But every time someone failed to control it, it consumed them, and its volume grew accordingly." Ieyasu shivered slightly after realizing how close he was to death.
Drop of Shadows - Noire. A black liquid that he could manipulate like an extension of his body. It could change between solid, liquid and gas according to his will. He could control its size, making its volume small enough to put into his pocket, or large enough to coat the ground around him. The hardness of the solid was dependant on how much liquid there was. For example, if he hardened half of the liquid into a cube, it would be more brittle compared to a cube of the same size but all of the liquid was used.
The only limitation is that there was a fixed amount of substance. He couldn't create a tidal wave because there wasn't enough of the black liquid to do so. But he could increase the amount of substance by consuming the corpses of humans and animals.
Soon after they obtained their Teigus, Seryu left the army and joined the Capital's police force, while Sayo and Ieyasu worked directly under Ogre in his elite platoon. Ieyasu's skills were top-notch and his ability to creatively use Noire made him a fearsome opponent, but his recklessness and simple mindset was a glaring flaw that enemies were not afraid to take advantage of. But wherever Ieyasu was, Sayo was nearby. She devoted herself to defense, covering each and every opening Ieyasu showed.
The unstoppable spear and the unbreakable shield. Together, they were undefeatable.
Tatsumi yawned a little as he watched the hundreds of people walk by on the streets of the Capital. He raised his left hand, which held a small red box of edible sticks. He picked up one and absentmindedly chewed on it. It was crunchy and there was an odd coating on it that made it pretty sweet. He had been waiting for around ten minutes and he really hoped the other side would arrive soon.
In response to his thoughts, a person stepped into the alley. Yoshiro raised he left hand in greeting.
"Hey." Tatsumi smiled and pushed himself away from the wall he was leaning on.
"Fancy meeting you here, Yoshiro. So? What's so important you needed to see me face to face?" Yoshiro raised an eyebrow.
"Of course it's important, but there's really no particular reason I needed to meet you. Recently, I've been feeling pretty confident that the higher-ups no longer suspect me, so I decided to be a little bit bolder." He explained while extending his hand. Tatsumi passed him a stick and Yoshiro ate it. Although Yoshiro said 'pretty confident', Tatsumi knew that there was absolutely no chance Yoshiro's cover would be blown. There was no way he would take that risk.
"It's pretty good. What is this?" Yoshiro asked after taking a bite off the stick. Tatsumi shrugged and looked at the box.
"Pocky? What does that mean? Did they misspell pocket or something?" Tatsumi mumbled. Yoshiro made a face indicating he remembered something. Specifically, a certain black haired girl who has not touched her cookie pouch for a week, instead walking around nibbling on short sticks with a red box in her hands.
"Oh right! That's the thing Kurome's been addicted to lately." Tatsumi tilted his head.
"Kurome?" The name sounded vaguely familiar.
"She's Akame's little sister. Speaking of which..." Yoshiro's fist lashed out and punched Tatsumi in the arm. With Tatsumi's reaction times, if that punch held any malicious intent, he would've dodged it. But since it's more or a less a playful punch, his body didn't register the threat, and it landed splendidly.
"Ouch! What was that for?!" Tatsumi yelled while holding his arm. The impact wasn't hard enough to break anything, but it would definitely leave a bruise. Yoshiro crossed his arms and gave him a small glare.
"That's for not giving me a warning before stealing away Akame. I was sent on a suicide mission because they suspected me you know? It was horrible!" He complained. Tatsumi opened his mouth to protest. Helping Akame wasn't even part of the plan at the time. It was just a decision made on the spot after feeling Akame's doubt. But before he could say anything, Yoshiro lowered his head.
"Thank you. Thank you for saving Akame." Tatsumi swallowed his protest forcefully and scratched his head.
"The seeds of doubt had already been sown in her. All I had to do was give her a little push. Plus, she's still fighting, so there's no reason to thank me." He responded while hiding his embarrassment. Yoshiro sighed.
"Just quietly accept my gratitude." Tatsumi grumbled and picked out another stick of Pocky.
"That's right. I met Night Raid last week." Tatsumi said while crunching down on a stick. Yoshiro's eyes widened. The encounter between Tatsumi and Night Raid was fully expected to occur eventually, but this was a lot earlier than what Yoshiro had anticipated.
"And? What happened?" A freelance assassin meets the rebels' assassins for hire. Anyone with half a brain would expect something to occur from such an encounter. Tatsumi told Yoshiro about how they met and what he did with the assassins over the course of a week. He skipped the details on each and every one of their characters, but made sure to tell Yoshiro everything he needed to know.
"It's okay to work with them right?" Tatsumi asked. Yoshiro was the one with the most information regarding the current state of the rebels. The shadow guards have been the core of intelligence gathering for the Empire and Yoshiro, who stood at the top, would naturally receive every drop of that intel.
"Isn't it fine? The Revolutionary army already have the entire southern quarter of the Empire under their control. As long as they secure their hold on the Grand Canal and Lake Aether, there's no way for the Imperial Army to cross unless Esdeath freezes the entire width of the river." Yoshiro said after a bit of thinking.
Tatsumi shivered at the thought. What Yoshiro said about Esdeath sounded like a bad joke, but Tatsumi knew otherwise. He remembered his encounter with the ice general like it was yesterday. Her ability to spawn ice out of thin air and instantly freeze a one hundred meters tall cliff is truly fearsome. If it was her, then freezing a two-kilometer wide river seemed possible.
"In terms of feats, the Revolutionary army might be the first ever within the last thousand years to have taken over that large of an area. Though whether we should invest in them further depends on what happens next." Yoshiro said.
"I'm guessing this has something to do with why you decided to call me out here?" Tatsumi took a shot in the dark and struck bullseye. Yoshiro nodded.
"Yeah. With Asgard under the Revolutionary army's control, the Empire has officially recognized them as a threat and sent out an army under General Ogre. He's an experienced soldier and definitely not a weakling. The platoon under his direct command has two Teigu users, both of which are his disciples. He may become a bigger problem if we let him be, so I need you to go remove him from the equation."
Tatsumi listened with his eyes closed. When Yoshiro finished, he slowly opened his eyes and gave Yoshiro a deadpan stare. Yoshiro was a bit confused as to why he was getting that look.
"He's currently fighting against the Revolutionary army on the front lines right?" Yoshiro nodded. The latest intel states that Ogre's army was retreating inland.
"That means he's always with his army, and always on guard because he's in the middle of a war-zone right?" Yoshiro nodded again. Ogre was a cautious and diligent man, there's no way he would lower his guard while retreating.
"There are also at least two Teigu users under his direct command, meaning there's a high chance I'll have to confront them right?" Yoshiro sweatdropped. So that's why he's giving me that look...
"I get what you're saying. This isn't a suicide mission so calm down." Yoshiro reassured. Tatsumi crossed his arms and tapped his feet, waiting for the explanation. Tatsumi knew Yoshiro had a plan. He was just messing with him.
"The Imperial troops are currently at the southern part of the Grand Grasslands, retreating slowly northwest away from the river. I'm confident their plan is to bait the revolutionary army away from the river, then cut off their supply line by sending an elite force behind the rebels. That elite force will likely include their strongest fighters, while Ogre himself will have to stay with the main force as the commander." Yoshiro's deduction was spot on and Tatsumi saw no flaws.
"I see… As long as the two Teigu users are away, I can take advantage of the chaos on the battlefield to take down Ogre. I can strike him from the sky if need be." Tatsumi mumbled. If Ogre dies, then the Imperial army will fall into panic. The two Teigu user will be stranded behind the rebels. If it all goes well, the Empire will lose two teigus and hundreds of men.
"So?" Yoshiro inquired. Tatsumi smirked and nodded. It will be a walk in the park.
"Yeah. Leave it to me. How long do I have before the Imperial army takes action?" Yoshiro gave Tatsumi all the information he needed, from the current and predicted location of the Imperial Army, the date the battle will take place, and everything else Yoshiro could deduce from the information he received. Since he only had a few days before the battle, Tatsumi had to leave immediately. But before that, Tatsumi had one last thing to ask.
"Would you like to meet Akame?" Yoshiro smiled sadly and shook his head.
"No. It'd be better for her not to know. One more person that knows is one more end that could come loose. I'm also afraid how she'll react to the news. I don't want her to think the seven years we spent together were fabricated. Or that our friendship was a lie for the sake of my cover." Tatsumi frowned and opened his mouth to deny the possibility, but stopped himself.
"I see." He hadn't experienced what Yoshiro had. Out of the three of them, Yoshiro was the one that shouldered the most. "If you ever change your mind, tell me. In the meantime, I won't tell her about you." One day, those two would definitely meet. Tatsumi had this distinct feeling. And when that time comes, he will make sure they will walk away without regrets.
"Well, I'm off. I'll notify you as soon as I take care of Ogre." Tatsumi said after they left the alleyway.
"Whatever you do, just don't die." Tatsumi showed Yoshiro a thumbs up.
And they each walked their separate ways.
Five days later, 100 miles southwest of Lake Aether, the soldiers of the Imperial and Revolutionary armies met each other blade to blade. Behind the revolutionary army, a small platoon of 48 men laid in ambush. And high above them, so was Tatsumi.