"Strike them and kill Numa Seika" Akame repeated. "Boss, can you explain yourself?"
"I planned to do so" Najenda smiled. "It's pretty simple. We've been read."
"Oh. Well, that explains everything" Esdeath mocked. "You hear that, y'all? Najenda has been read! End of the story!"
"Don't you never shut up?!"
"Not when I can make fun of you. So, you've been read."
Najenda gritted her teeth.
"What I want to tell you is our reactions since the start of this war have been read. Even my moves during the other night's battle. Because I'm acting logically, in order to win, I have been read."
She sighed.
"If it wasn't for you, I would probably do the same mistake again. But I learnt my lesson. The logical and easiest way to settle things right now would be to wait and asphyxiate them as I said. So, we'll do the opposite and attack to cut off the head of the snake."
"The one controlling the dead" Tatsumi declared.
"Precisely. Let me now expose the details of the operation. Our goal is to conduct an assassination. But first, we need a diversion, a decoy. A big decoy to draw out every Northerner of the camp…"
Akame and Tatsumi turned their heads towards Esdeath.
"You guessed right. Our diversion will be Esdeath, leading our army with me on the western flank of the enemy."
"If you want a powerful and loud diversion, it's the best choice indeed" Tatsumi approved.
Esdeath seemed to consider this as a compliment and smiled.
"It'll be weird for the men to have me leading them" she said. "But hey, times change."
"Indeed. With you and our army on the frontline, the Northerners will have no choice but to go all out. With you as an adversary, our enemy will probably send his best living-dead dolls against you."
"If we assume she still has…"
"I'm sure she does…she, since Tatsumi told us it's a she, looks like a prudent commander" Najenda declared.
She paused to lit a cigarette and resumed:
"Anyway. With you fighting and the dead and the Northerners, Tatsumi and Akame will be able to crave in the encampment and kill the one doing behind all this" Najenda achieved, waiting for the reactions of the trio.
Akame rumbled, Tatsumi reflected and Esdeath was caressing the latter.
"Sounds like a plan. But if our enemy is a prudent one, won't she suspect something? And what tells you she will be in the encampment and not on the battlefield?" Akame asked.
"Oh, I'm sure she will suspect something, but it will be Esdeath's role not to let her think about it" Najenda replied. "Besides, someone coward enough to send dead people to fight will certainly not take the risk of taking a loose bullet on the battlefield. I'm positive about it."
"Trust me. They wont even think of me as a distraction" Esdeath laughed. "But, but, I'll give them a quick and painless death, Tatsumi, I promise you" she added in a hurry upon seeing her lover's warning glare.
Tatsumi sighed and scratched his head.
"Nothing to be done about it, this is war after all… Alright, let's do this. When are we to depart?"
"In the afternoon, when our army is ready. We don't need to surprise them, we don't need stealth. For our plan to success, we need them to see us coming."
"Roger that" Esdeath nodded. "Well, we have some details to settle before. If I am to command besides you, I need the details of our army composition."
"I have a question" Tatsumi said. "If we assume we kill the one behind this, how will things go from here?"
"Even if the enemy throw everything they have against us, they won't stand against our military power and Esdeath. We'll force them to bow down… If possible I'd like to avoid to kill every one of them" Najenda declared.
"Fine by me then."
"We still have work. Let's get this done" Esdeath called out.
Settling all the details of the plan didn't take long, and they finished their meeting around noon. Najenda left the pavilion to prepare the army and the officers while the trio went back to their tent to have lunch with Ryuu and Nea.
Tatsumi thought the good timing to tell their daughters they were leaving again was the moment they would have their bellies full.
Sadly…
"No! We don't want Papa and Mamas to go!" Ryuu protested.
It appeared they had changed their mind.
"Why? Yesterday, you told us you were okay with this" Tatsumi asked, half complaining.
"…I don't remember. Do you, Nea?"
"…No, I don't."
"Your pause was too obvious!" Tatsumi pointed out. "Don't lie!"
"Ryuu. Nea."
Esdeath crouched down to speak to her daughters. They offered a strange scene, the girls and the woman clothed with the same uniform.
"Why is that?" she softly questioned. "Why are you so reluctant, today?"
Esdeath's tone was not threatening nor blaming at all. She was asking simply, honestly, trying to understand her daughters.
Confronted to that honesty, Ryuu felt slightly guilty and bowed her head.
"…we were so happy yesterday, doing family things, and now…now you'll go to war… even if we know Papa and Mamas are the strongest…we are scared…"
"If Papa or Mamas were to…die…" Nea whispered.
Unease and warmth invaded Esdeath, Akame and Tatsumi. They understood the concern of their daughters, were surprised they could think that far, and at the same, deeply touched by their empathy.
Tatsumi and Akame approached Ryuu, Nea and Esdeath too.
Akame crouched and laid his hand on Nea's shoulders.
"Nea. And Ryuu. We love you, both of you…more than anything. Do you believe me?"
"Yes, Mama…"
"Good. Now listen: we love you and we want to be with you. That's why we won't die. None of us. I promise never to make you grieve. Do you believe me?"
"…yes, Mama."
No longer able to hold it, Nea and Ryuu burst in tears and shoved themselves against their parents as they embraced them.
(I have four good reasons to come back alive, Akame thought. Tatsumi, Ryuu, Nea…and even Esdeath. Because we are a family.)
When they eventually separated, it was almost time for them to go. However, Tatsumi did not feel he could leave his daughters without saying anything.
"Nea. Ryuu."
"Papa?"
Tatsumi breathed in and out.
"We will come back, as we promised you. Don't forget that. And also, don't forget that we will always, always love you. You are more precious than anything to us. Even our lives do not matter in comparison."
Once again, he gently took them with his arms and embraced them, the eyes closed, enjoying their warmth, as they in return tightly held him.
As they left the tent, Ryuu bravely smiled.
"See you later, Papa, Mamas!"
Akame and Esdeath smiled in return and nodded.
Once outside, walking toward the rendezvous point, Akame poked Tatsumi's cheek.
"And us, Tatsumi? Do you love us?"
Esdeath showed her interest too.
"That's right, Tatsumi. What about us? We also want charming words before the battle. Especially me, since I won't be coming with you."
"You two are really insatiable…" he softly laughed.
He then made a serious face.
"Years ago, I had the time to reflect about my feelings about you both. I didn't quite know if it was right to love you… If I deserved you."
"Oh? And?" Esdeath asked.
"In the end, I realized none of my concerns really mattered. I didn't care. I just loved you both. That was all there was to it" Tatsumi simply declared.
He took their hands, caressing their fingers and especially the wedding rings he had gave them: an aquamarine set for Esdeath and a ruby for Akame.
"I came to that conclusion long ago: our love…is an eternal love. It surpasses everything. I love you, forever and always. And I don't even need to ask you if you feel the same because I know you do."
His declaration left Akame and Esdeath dumbfounded. Akame, her eyes widened, looked aghast. Esdeath, blushing, had to find something to say to dispel her unease.
"W-well, it seems you have a third eye!"
"I don't need a third eye to notice my love for you."
"Mouuu, stop this, it's embarrassing!"
"You asked me."
"…unfair… but…"
Esdeath's gaze was warm and tender.
"I love you too, Tatsumi. Now and always."
"So do I" added Akame, who had recovered.
"Shall we go now? We have a war to end" Tatsumi said.
"Going to battle with your words still floating in my mind…I could not hope for a better stimulation, Tatsumi."
Esdeath kissed him and waved at Akame.
"See you later."
"Don't die" Akame joked.
"There's 'death' in my name, so I'm not the one who should fear it."
The sun, high in the sky, was beginning its slow fall when the Kingdom's army reunited in front of the camp's doors.
Akame and Tatsumi had already departed in order to scout the area and to stand ready. Their orders were to wait for the battle to begin.
Esdeath and Najenda were standing in front of a sea of soldiers, silently waiting, and above all, somewhat petrified to see Esdeath wearing the same uniform as theirs.
Whispers could be heard among the ranks.
"She's…the Butcher, right?"
"What is she doing here…"
"Man, I'm not hallucinating, it's Esdeath?"
"Is this some kind of public execution?"
"To be honest, I would not mind being punished by her…"
And so on…
Najenda facepalmed.
"It was to be expected, I guess, given the terror you've inspired for years…"
"Terror and respect" Esdeath rectified.
"Whatever."
The high ranked officers were also looking at Esdeath with gloomy glares.
Najenda cleared her throat and spoke, loud and clear.
"I know what you all are thinking. Why is Esdeath, the Strongest of the former Empire, our deadliest foe, is standing at my side, wearing our colors. The reason is simple: she will fight with us."
The soldiers highly suspected that but hearing it did not make the things easier.
"Fighting alongside that monster?!" shouted a man. "Why should we trust her?!"
Other soldiers loudly approved him.
Esdeath did not say a word but had a light smile on her face.
"Esdeath deflected from the Empire" Najenda calmly told the soldiers. "Had she stayed, we would've been in trouble."
"SHE'S A DESERTER! SHE IS NOT TRUSTWORTHY!" claimed someone in the assistance.
"I ALSO AM A DESERTER!" Najenda flared.
Her burst of voice brought back silence instantly.
"I also am a deserter" she repeated. "I defected from the Empire too before joining the Revolutionary Army…and I am not alone. Most of you did the same! Esdeath did the same! So, don't accuse her of being untrustworthy when she caused the Empire to fall!"
Najenda's words were true. The soldiers and the officers did not have anything to say against.
"Esdeath will fight with us, and you'll come to appreciate her help. She will lead the vanguard while I'll supervise the operations from the center. Today, we will end the Northerners' threat once and for all. Remember, follow your squad leader's orders. Do not rush and protect the Teigu users. Now, let's move forward!"
To her relief, the soldiers, without a word, started to walk. It seemed they had realized and accepted Esdeath was not their enemy anymore.
"Nice speech" Esdeath commented.
"Thanks. But please, try not to kill any one of them by accident…"
"Huh, shit happens, you know? Like, collateral damages…" Esdeath snorted.
"Esdeath. Please."
"Just kidding. I'll do my best."
"And we'll be in your care…"
The Kingdom's army offered a great view as it was slowly advancing north to meet its enemy.
Because of winter, the plain where they were marching was quite snowy, but the weather wasn't. For the soldiers unused to this kind of climate and conditions, fighting in that snow would be quite a pain. At the contrary, the Northerners would be at ease.
(They have the climate with us, but we have the equipment, experience, discipline and Teigus. Oh, but they also have undead fellows) Najenda thought.
Esdeath, as planned, was commanding the vanguard and most of the melee fighters: soldiers in heavy armors with large shields, fit to withstand a charge.
Najenda had under her command most of their riflemen. Since she had a good overview of the battlefield, she would reinforce any point of their formation if needed.
(That's quite a sight), Esdeath thought with nostalgia, looking at the endless ranks of men walking at her side. (I can honestly say I missed war…oops, I hope Tatsumi did not hear me…well even if I'm only thinking it, I'm sure he'll read me. So, no negative thoughts!) she decided with a positive smile.
Little did she know, the soldiers around her gave her furtive and scared glares.
"What's with that happy face…"
"I'm sure she's pondering about how she'll butcher the Northerners…"
"I pity them…"
During the walk, Esdeath spotted several enemy scouts fleeing. They were to warn the Northerner camp, but she let them do so on purpose.
(Even if we are to wipe them, we have to play our role as a distraction.)
Minutes later, they heard horns resounding, followed by a rumble.
The Northerners were coming.
Akame and Tatsumi traveled through the snowy plain and approached the Northerners encampment as much as they dared to not to get spotted.
They were hiding behind some kind of frozen fern, waiting for the Northerners to leave their camp.
They had dug pits, elevated a log palisade reinforced with a dirt walkway. Because of this, Akame and Tatsumi did not see much; they didn't know what was waiting for them and how the encampment was organized.
All of sudden, Akame and Tatsumi saw several mounted scouts riding to the camp. Moments later, horn blew, sounding the alarm, and, in an absolute chaos, the Northerners' host assembled at the southern gate.
Even from afar, it was clear they didn't have the discipline of the professional Kingdom's army. The Northerners went silent suddenly when a tall, muscular man in black took the lead. It was clear as crystal he was not an average human.
As he and his host took the direction of the south, Tatsumi asked Akame:
"Do you see his face? Do we know him?"
"…no. I don't see him clearly…could be anyone. But this is not an issue. After all, Esdeath could beat anyone on Earth."
"You're right…so, shall we go?"
"Wait. They're not far enough yet. We'll dash in quickly when the fight begins…if we don't, some reinforcement may come back."
"Sure thing. I just hope Najenda and Esdeath will be okay…"
"I don't see why they wouldn't."
"Here they come!" shouted a man.
"Oh really? I didn't notice!" Esdeath responded with mockery.
Everyone on the front line was obviously seeing the Northerners marching right into them.
They did not appear to have organized corps like cavalry, infantry and riflemen. From what Esdeath saw, it looked like every man –or boy– in this 'army' had grabbed any weapon he found and went to fight…as Najenda had told her.
However, if their ranks were on the verge of dislocating, they did not disband and conserved a semblance of wedge formation.
(A wedge formation? Why would they do that?)Esdeath thought, sure that Najenda was asking the same question.
Such a formation would pierce through the lines of an enemy with a basic, single line formation. It was simple but efficient: concentrating manpower on one point to create a breach and disband the enemy.
(But it only works if the enemy maintains a single line of immobile defenders. Since we've spotted it, we'll counter it easily.)
Esdeath did not understand. Why would the enemy do that? They outnumbered them, they should've tried to flank and overcome them with sheer number.
She took a look behind her and saw Najenda had already given her orders. Almost all the riflemen took position in a semi-circle at the center of the formation; this way, they would crossfire the enemy wedge formation as soon as it would enter their range.
"Shields!" Esdeath shouted. "Provide protection for the riflemen! As soon as these Northerners arrive, back down and let our men fire at them! Then, encircle this rabble and terminate them!"
The heavy infantry Esdeath had under her command would have no trouble to contain the lightly equipped Northerners.
(If they stupidly charge us head on like this, we'll annihilate them. So, what will you do?)
To Esdeath's surprise, upon seeing the Kingdom's army maneuvers, the Northerners didn't change their formation at all and kept advancing as if nothing happened.
(Are they stupid or mad? Is this a despaired assault? Don't they realize they'll receive a fire of bullets and be crushed by armored soldiers?)
It wasn't logical at all. It was a death wish, a stupid move. Still, Esdeath did not buy it.
(They have a plan? But what kind of plan implies 'charge the enemy and perish like idiots'? Wait. Maybe they have soldiers coming from behind or our flanks…)
Leaving the front line, Esdeath created ice on her legs and arms to fly at low altitude, trying to spot anything unusual.
Esdeath surveyed their surroundings but saw nothing. No ambushed troops, no prepared traps on the terrain, nothing…
In the end, it didn't matter so much to Esdeath herself; she was strong enough to take on the entire army if needed too. However, if the Northerners were to tactically win the battle, the Kingdom's army would suffer severe losses.
At the same moment, the army collided.
(Too late, Esdeath thought from above. I'll watch how things go from here and interject if needed be.)
Najenda was as puzzled as Esdeath. However, she had no choice but to give the order as the Northers closed the distance.
"Fire!" she ordered.
"FIRE!" repeated the officers, transmitting the command.
The noise of three thousand rifles firing at the same time created a sound similar to a thunderclap.
Najenda blinked. None of the Northerners had collapsed, but they had stopped their charge.
(What is going on?)
She focused her sight and discerned some kind of curtain, as if thousands of particles were in suspension.
As her brain was trying to understand what was going on, she saw a man in black with his arms raised. When she recognized him, her eye widened and she understood that the particles in front of them were actually the bullets they had fired.
And if that man was capable of stopping them, he was unlikely able to…
(Reflect them…)
"GET DOWN!" she shouted, as loud as she could.
Unfortunately, her voice did not have the range to reach the thousands of men at the vanguard.
A second later, the bullets were sent back to senders, piercing bodies and armors alike, killing on the spots hundreds of soldiers.
Not letting passing this chance, the commander of the Northerners charged into the disorganized and confused soldiers followed by his wedge formation.
The Kingdom's heavy infantry tried to sustain the shock, and they would've succeeded if it wasn't for the man in black.
"ADRAMELECH!"
Upon his roar, the weather changed. Black, threatening clouds appeared out of nowhere, filled with electricity.
The man aimed at the heavy infantry ranks with two gauntlets terribly familiar to Najenda.
She immediately understood his intentions. However, he acted too fast for her to do anything.
"LIGHTNING CRASH!"
A thunderstorm raged and within an instant, electrocuted hundreds of soldiers, trapped in their armors that attracted and conducted electricity.
Taking advantage of this, the Northerners clashed with the soldiers of the Kingdom; since the armored ones acted as lighting rods, the Northerners were unhurt by the raging lightings.
Barely one minute passed since the man in black reflected the bullets fired at the Northerners, and this single minute brought chaos.
Najenda's army's formation was now broken to the core; the riflemen were almost terminated and the remaining ones could not shoot from that close; the armored soldiers were either dead, either surrounded by fierce Northerners.
The rest of the soldiers were trying to reform ranks, but the lighting man did not allow them to and smashed their attempts with lightning bolts.
"General Najenda…that's…" muttered a lieutenant.
"Yes" she replied. "That's Great General Budou, the wielder of Adramelech. He was supposed to be dead and his Teigu destroyed, but…looks like they are not."
"What are we to do, sir? Withdraw to reorganize?"
"No. We also have a monster within our ranks. I trust her decision."
Esdeath had witnessed the chaos Budou caused, taking the army by surprise.
(So, this was their plan. Feign to clumsily charge head on only to break our formation with Budou's power…and he hid among the men. The Budou I know would never do that. There's definitely some sort of spell forcing the resurrected ones to obey, eh?) Esdeath thought.
She landed in the middle of the battle and created an axe and a sword made of ice. She killed a few Northerners while observing the ongoing fighting.
(The soldiers are disorganized. I'll have to fix that first.)
Esdeath jumped and floated, supported by her ice. She scanned the battlefield with her super vision, created hundreds of ice needles, then separated in her mind the friends from the foes.
"Take this!" she shouted, releasing her stalactites.
Every one of her projectiles killed a Northerner with a single headshot; the greatness of her move was she had fired hundreds of shards at the same time, with absolutely no friendly casualty.
The soldiers who saw their enemies suddenly die in front of them blinked, not understanding on the spot what just happened.
However, Esdeath's intervention gave them a short rest, which she used to shout.
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE, YOU SITTING DUCKS? WAITING FOR THESE SHRIMPS TO CUT YOU DOWN?! REFORM RANKS, DRAW YOUR SWORDS AND FIGHT!"
All the soldiers who heard her scare jumped but regained composure. Najenda herself smiled, hearing her former fellow general shouting and relayed the order.
"You heard the lady? Form up and fight! Don't let them overcome us! Prevent any flanking movement!"
Esdeath had already dived into the melee, looking for Budou, since he was obviously the biggest threat.
Seeing some soldiers of the army hesitating, she clicked her tongue.
"Any man dies with a clean sword, I'll rape his fucking corpse!" she flared.
If not very orthodox, her inspiring words reanimated the inner fire of the soldiers who charged back at the Northerners.
The battlefield had become a bloody mess.
"Lightning? That big? It can't be…" Akame whispered.
"The dead are coming back to life, so is that really surprising?" Tatsumi said.
"…no, you're right. And I think Esdeath will deal with him, if it's really him. Let's go now, Tatsumi."
"Yes!"
The two former assassins left their fern to run in the direction of the camp. With their skill, they would have no trouble to climb the palisade.
However, as they were about to cross it, two silhouettes jumped over the wall and landed in front of them, preventing them from going any further.
Akame and Tatsumi put their guard up when the two foes appeared, but their determined look was soon replaced by amazement, horror and pain.
"No…" Akame let out.
"Big bro?! Mine?!" Tatsumi exclaimed.
Bulat, holding an axe, and Mine, a pistol in the hand, were standing in their way, their faces and bodies as clean as a newborn one, their features the same as when they were in Night Raid.
"Long time no see, Tatsumi" Bulat declared with a sad smile.
Her eyes catching a glimpse of light, Esdeath moved back, avoiding a lightning bolt from an inch.
She smirked and wiped the dust off her uniform.
"Here comes the man in black!" she exclaimed.
Slowly, heavily walking, wearing a black armor, his old face marked with scars, his golden hair becoming silver.
A hard look on the face, silex eyes, a tall and muscular stature. And above all, two black and golden gauntlets that could create and manipulate electricity.
Against him, a former psycho, now a loving and caring wife, who controlled ice and could even stop time.
The Great General Budou, back from the dead, versus Esdeath, said to be the Strongest of the Empire.
"I always wanted to fight you, old geezer" Esdeath said, taking a fighting stance.
Budou did not respond.
"A simple question, are you ignoring me, or did the one controlling you forbid you to answer?"
"ADRAMELECH! BRING FORTH THE THUNDER!"
"Marvelous."