Devil May Cry: Blood For Peace
Chapter 3: The Shadow Slashers Of Night Raid
Location: The Imperial Capital:
Area; Razor's Edge Holding Cells:
Time; 12:00 Am Midnight. :
On the rooftop of the holding cells the west cell block. A large holding area with several cells, one hundred in each block was a guard stationed at every corner. All were heavily armed and had armor.
The Lights go out.
"What the hell!? Everyone keep your guard up!" Shouted the commanding guard. Each guard lit a gas lantern which lit up a small area per guard.
"Now's our chance! Let's do it!" Whispered Leone.
"Alright!" Akame replied. Jumping through the glass along with Vergil and Leone. Mid-air Akame slashed a guard in the neck spewing out blood as he fell to the ground. With her feet on the ground, Akame charged forward immediately with Vergil and Leone behind her. The three drove on forward. Vergil jumped up dodging a swing of a guards spear by shifting to the left and quickly countering with a fatal swing cutting that guard in two as he carried on.
Several guards pointed out at Vergil and all charged him single file, but Vergil's speed was overwhelming and he just dashed by swinging his blade several times as he dashed by, each strike a fatal slash to a vital spot leaving a trail of blood behind him.
Leone sped by and jumped at three guards twisted her body and gave them a thunderous kick which collapsed their chests due to her beastly strength, with them down she carried on.
Five guards ran at Akame, but she evaded each strike without even breaking a sweat, each dodge followed up with a slice through their throats spilling blood with her two other teammates as they pressed on.
"These losers are way too easy, I guess with their two leaders gone they're scrambling to focus. Suckers!" Leone excitedly exclaimed.
"No doubt, these guys are pushovers. But that just makes this operation all the more easier." Vergil replied.
"We're almost done here, there's only a few left." Akame added.
"Alright, let's waste em! If there's only three we can probably take em out together." Leone excitedly replied.
"Works for me." Replied Vergil.
"Alright then, let's eliminate them," Akame added. With that, the three assassins walked together and confronted the final three guards.
"S-Stop right there Night Raid, you're under arrest!" One of the guards nervously announced.
"No thanks, clammy cells like this are pretty damp." Replied Vergil. On cue, the three Assassin's took off into a sprint. Once in range, the three prepared for an individual final strike at the same time. Vergil cut his target right down the middle while Akame went for a slash right in the jugular vein while Leone drove her target's face right into the ground effectively crushing his head in a splatter of blood. The three Night Raid members stood there, blood on their clothes.
"Sick bastards! That's what ya get!" Leone commented.
"Good work guys, now let's finish this." Said Vergil as the three began to free the women and their little girls.
The three gave each villager one-thousand in gold which would help them out a great deal. After finally freeing the last group of prisoners they were hugged by the older women and her little girl.
"God bless you Night Raid, thank you so much."
"No need to thank us, just do your best to stay strong and move on from this." Vergil replied.
"Alright, I bet the others are done with the other two cell blocks, we should probably head to the rendezvous point and wait." Suggested Leone.
"You're right, let's go then." Replied Akame, the villagers would be fine since the guards stationed outside were already taken care of at the start of the operation. Vergil provided a map that was a route out of the Imperials Patrol Routes, so they would have a smooth escape when going to meet Bulat and Lubbock.
The meeting point was on a large hill that overlooked the Capital. Vergil, Leone, and Akame got there quickly so now they just had to wait.
Leone leaned her back against a tree and crossed her arms.
"Now that felt great, I'm glad those people are free now." Said Leone satisfied from today's raid.
"Mhmm, now it's up to Bulat and Lubbock to escort them to the revolutionary army safe houses." Replied Akame.
"I'm sure we can leave it to them, both are more than capable to hold their own, even Lubbock." Added Vergil.
Not long after, Sheele and Mine arrived at the meeting point.
"All taken care of?" Asked Vergil.
"Yup! Those losers didn't even know what hit em, me and Sheele kicked their asses pretty good." Replied Mine.
"You bet! And it felt really nice freeing those people, they don't deserve any of what they had planned to do." Said Sheele adding to the topic.
"Oh, by the way, Bulat and Lubbock said we could go back to base and they'd met us back there." Added the purplenet.
"Very well then, shall we head back?" Asked Vergil looking over at the other two.
Akame nodded. "Mhm."
"Yep! Let's blow this shithole!" Replied Leone leading everyone back to base.
Once the group returned to base, Najenda greeted everyone.
"Welcome back Night Raid, I just received word from Bulat that the villagers have been successfully escorted to the revolutionary army safe house, they are in good hands now." Said the boss.
"Understood." Replied Akame.
"Good work everyone, we can rest easy knowing that those poor people will have a safe place to stay and be taken care of so very well done." She praised her team for their successful mission.
"Good job acquiring his keys, thanks to that, we've freed innocent people from a very cruel fate."
"I'm glad we could save them too." Commented the half-devil.
A few minutes later, in walked Bulat and Lubbock who had returned from the escort.
"Hey guys! Mission accomplished. There were a few guards who tried getting In our way, half fell victim to Lubs traps while I took out the rest. I'd say it was a pretty eventful night alright." Said Bulat giving a thumbs up.
"Yep, we took them down pretty easily." Lubbock added.
"Good work you two, now we can leave the rest to the Revolutionary army. You are all dismissed for tonight." Najenda stood up and left the command room and went to change into her comfortable clothes. Vergil just took off his gauntlet and blue and black warrior vest hanging it up. But he still wore his leather armor but took off the leather straps on his right arm and glove.
With his gear off, Vergil left his Yamato in its sheath leaning against his nightstand.
Everyone seemed to enjoy meals whenever he and Akame cooked, so they were at it again.
Vergil cut some vegetables while Akame cooked the meat, this was always a good opportunity to get to know Akame better as well.
"So Akame, if I may ask, why did you join Night Raid?" He asked as he continued to cut veggies.
Akame was silent for a few moments before she answered.
"I was an Assassin for the Capital for a while, one night, my target was the boss. But after she explained her resolve to me, I thought about it. And in the end, I followed what my heart told me and I've been here ever since." She explained, it was brief, but answered his question.
"I see, so you just did what your heart told you." He replied.
Akame looked over at him.
"I know you just joined recently, but what is your reason for joining us?" She asked in return.
"Well, in the past I had no care for any of my actions. I just wanted more power, and I killed everyone that stood in my way, human or demon, I slaughtered them all. If they interfered in even the smallest way, I would kill them. That's why I said I walked a trail of blood. So I guess you can say, this is sort of my way of making up for all I've done, all the people I've cut down, if I can free this capital from corruption, then I can fully atone for the innocent blood I've spilled." He explained, his explanation was longer than hers, but to fully gain one's trust, Vergil needed to be completely honest.
"I see.." There was a brief pause between the two before Akame broke it.
"We've both killed a lot of people, so you don't walk a path of blood alone, I walk it as well. We may have different reasons for fighting, but we are still the same in that sense." Akame replied, giving him a soft smile with a thin layer of pink on her cheeks.
Vergil returned her smile, surprised by her response, but grateful to hear such words from her.
"I appreciate it Akame." He replied.
"Mhm!"
Her response was unexpected, but despite the small conversation, it had still brought him and Akame closer, one of the only members of Night Raid who was hard to read on a personal level.
Supper was prepared, tonight they were having chicken and pork stir-fry. Veggies were only included thanks to Vergil. If it wasn't for him, it would be all meat as Akame always liked it.
"Killer supper guys! Looks delicious." Exclaimed an excited Leone.
"It really does look wonderful." Sheele complimented.
"And the smell, it's amazing!" Lubbock added to the excitement.
"Yes, it really does look like a well-prepared meal, looks like the best swordsman in Night Raid are also the best cooks in Night Raid, now isn't that something." Najenda joked.
Everyone laughed.
"Who knew expert assassins could also be expert cooks too! Now that's a double life." Leone joked, everyone at the table laughed again.
"In any case, everyone let's eat, thanks for the food you two!" Said Najenda.
"Yeah, thanks!" Leone added.
"Thank you~" Said Sheele politely.
"Thanks guys!" Said Mine who was actually not poking at Vergil for a change.
"Thanks you two!" Lubbock added.
"This is delicious, thanks guys!" Added Bulat. Supper went by like a breeze and eventually it was time for everyone to turn in for the night.
Vergil couldn't fall asleep, so he decided to pass some time by reading a book for a bit under the glow of his gas lantern. Just before he could get fully enveloped in his book, Vergil hears a knock on his door.
"Vergil, it's Najenda. I don't mean to intrude but, if you're not too tired, could I talk to you for a moment?" She politely asked. Vergil was wearing a black sleeveless top and some loose but fit slacks. He wondered what the boss could possibly want to speak with him about. He opened the door not really caring about his hair being down.
"I wasn't sleeping so I don't mind." He said as he held his door open.
"Oh I'm glad, can you meet me in the command room?" She asked.
"Sure, I'll be there in a moment." He replied.
"Alright, see you there." Najenda returned back to her room for a few moments. Vergil made his way to the command room, as he entered, he saw Akame standing there in her pink pajama's.
"Oh, she asked you too?" Akame questioned.
He nodded. "Yeah, I wonder what this is about. If it was a mission wouldn't everyone be here though?"
"Thank you two for joining me. I apologize for the last minute meeting. But there was a favor I wanted to ask of you both." Said Najenda as she took her seat.
"A favor?" Uttered the both of them.
"Yes. Now, before I begin, everyone here in Night Raid is more than capable of killing as well as holding their own in a fight. And if we're talking in skill level, everyone passes. But you two, on the other hand, you two are the strongest and most skilled members I have, because of this there is a favor I would like to ask of you?" She explained.
Vergil and Akame met eye contact before they both glanced back at Najenda.
"Recently, I've been getting late night clients, sending in requests through messenger birds. And yes I've already confirmed that they are genuine clients." She went on.
"And all of them are stealth missions. The targets are usually high ranking members of the imperial army and even royalty. Normally I'd deploy the whole team, but due to the ungodly late hours I get them I was hoping I could send you two on these late night missions? Of course, you'll be paid extra if you do. But I understand if you refuse given how late."
Vergil and Akame looked at each other, and after a few seconds both smiled and nodded in sync then looked back at the boss.
"I have no problem, I accept." Said Vergil and Akame again ironically in sync.
"I knew I could count on you two, of course, there will be one to two day breaks since you'll need at least a couple days to catch up on sleep. If you can, there is one tonight for you two. I'll stay and wait up for you both. So what do you say?" She asked.
"I'm game."Replied Vergil
"Same, I'm in as well." Replied Akame.
"Excellent, then I'll see you two back in here for briefing in about five minutes." With that, the two went to their respective rooms and changed into their work clothes.
Since this was a special covert op mission, Vergil just wore his usual clothes as opposed to his new Night Raid uniform.
Throwing his blue jacket over his undervest, he exited his room and met Akame halfway to the command room. She was wearing her usual combat attire but threw on her long black coat over her mini dress and headed to the command room with him.
Once Vergil and Akame were present, Najenda sat down and began.
"Our client has told us about a royal guard known as Tatsumaki, she is the right-hand guard of a relative to the royal family. She has a huge background as a former Imperial Knight and is known throughout the capital for her extreme executions and lack of remorse for anything. She sends soldiers to purge every village, she used to be the captain of the incendiary squad. But after killing an entire rebel village, she was promoted to a royal knight and served a relative of the minister.
She has no care for any living beings and believes only the rich and powerful should survive while everyone else grovels. Our client lost his son to her and she's killed countless others, so this target is just another example of scum, she is usually guarded by her men when she's off duty. She gets off exactly in an hour. I need you two to eliminate her guards then kill her, any means necessary." Najenda explains.
Vergil and Akame nodded.
"Understood." With that said, the two headed out into the night. They would have to infiltrate the nobles district which would require maximum stealth, something they would have no problem doing. There they were, in front of the entrance to the nobles district.
Akame and Vergil heard the sound of steel greaves clanging hard on the ground.
"Those are guards, we should take cover." He suggested.
Akame nodded. "Right!" Her and Vergil took cover behind a building hidden in the shadows while the two watched patrol go by.
Once the coast was clear, Vergil took Akame's hand and teleported them both inside the nobles district on a rooftop.
"That's a handy ability to have." Said Akame since it was her first time being part of his teleportation.
"It is isn't it? It's one of my many abilities from my demonic side, I can do several things besides teleport. But I will get into it whenever we have more time." He replied.
Akame nodded.
She and Vergil looked downwards and saw all the guards in position. Some of them were close by to one another, while some covered an area on their own. Taking a total count, Vergil and Akame had seven in total to deal with.
"So, stealth huh? Guess we'd better be swift. Let's make sure we take out guards closer to each other at the same time, we can't afford to have them call reinforcements." Suggested Vergil.
"That's what I was thinking, a coordinated kill would be much better with guards who are in the same area." Akame mused.
"Alright then, I'll take the one at the far side, you get the one closer, when I give the signal, we'll take them out simultaneously." Explained Vergil.
"Got it." Replied Akame.
Vergil teleported to the shadowed area behind the far end guard while Akame silently got to the shadowed area behind the closer guard. Both assassins waited for a few seconds. Vergil raised his hand, and after a couple seconds, he rolled his fingers into a fist giving his partner the signal and she read it loud and clear.
Both reached out and pulled their guards into the shadows, then slit their throats at the same time and set the bodies down into the shadowy ground. They did the same to the other close-knit guards. All that was left was the final three who were in separate parts of their targets yard. The two nodded at each other then moved in.
Akame went to one and clamped his mouth with her palm then drove the tip of her blade through him before taking it out again.
Vergil simply dashed by and decapitated the guard without issue. Once both were down, there was just the final guard left. Vergil and Akame met up on the rooftop above their final guard.
"Ready Vergil?" She asked.
"You bet, let's do this!" He answered back. At exactly the same time, Akame and Vergil jumped down and let themselves drop quick, when both were above the guard, both Night Raid swordsmen raised their blades.
"Criss Cross Cut!" Said both Akame and Vergil, Akame swings her blade diagonally to the left, while Vergil swings his sword diagonally to the right, their blades cutting through the guard's armor and flesh, their cuts making an X shape. The guard spewed out blood in the shape of an X and the two had successfully cleared the area. Swinging the blood off their swords, Akame and Vergil would now have to put their eyes on the target. Tatsumaki would face a fate she deserved.
Vergil and Akame found a good vantage point from a tall tree and observed her windows for any clear opening.
After waiting for several minutes, the two spotted Tatsumaki making herself some tea.
"Now's our chance!" Said Vergil, Akame nodded, from their observations, she wasn't aware of them still so this was as good a chance as ever.
Akame nodded and the two prepared. Akame put a hand on Vergil's shoulder as he teleported the two of them inside, the target had a really high ceiling, so the chandelier they were on was a perfect spot. Once she walked by sipping her cup of tea, Vergil and Akame exchanged nods before they both jumped down from the chandelier the moment Tatsumaki's back was turned. Before she even had the chance to scream or even make a move, both Akame and Vergil's blades had pierced through her flesh cutting her in three. Akame taking out the upper half while Vergil took out the lower-mid half while they left her legs to lay out on the bloody floor.
Both shook the blood off of their swords with a swing.
"Target eliminated." Said Akame.
"Mission complete, let's head back." Added Vergil, the two sheathed their blades then made their exit together.
Out of Capital City limits and in the clear, Vergil and Akame slowed their pace as they took their time heading back since they were already nearing the base.
"You know, they say the best assassins learn about each other through their coordination, technique and swiftness so.." Akame stopped walking and paused for a moment triggering Vergil to stop moving as well.
She looked at him with a warm smile.
"Even if we didn't talk much, I learned a lot about you tonight."
Vergil nodded. "I agree, I learned a lot about you too."
Once they were back in the command room, Najenda praised them for their success and cooperation.
"You two did wonderfully, not only was it a smooth operation, but the teamwork between you two is outstanding. As of this moment, you two are my special squad that operates after dark. You two are the Shadow Slashers of Night Raid. Congratulations! I have the utmost confidence that you both will continue to excel. With your teamwork and matching Skill, I know you'll continue to complete these special missions. Thank you Akame, Vergil and well done tonight. You two are dismissed, go get the rest you very much deserve.
"Thank you Najenda, goodnight." Replied Vergil
"Well, I'm kind of tired now." Said Akame letting out a yawn.
"Me too."
"Vergil, I enjoyed that mission with you, I look forward to the next."
Vergil nodded. "The feeling is mutual Akame. Goodnight."
"Goodnight."
With that taken care of, Vergil and Akame changed back into their bedtime clothes and immediately went to sleep.
-End Of Chapter-
Hello again guys. I've seen the reviews and I'm super glad you like this story so far. I will be updating my other two stories as well when I get the chance. I look forward to hearing more from you guys when the plot begins to thicken a bit more. Happy New Year guys, and as always, Happy Reading.
~Darkslayer