A.N. Well sorry for the long wait on this chapter, life is difficult and it is making working on anything lesiure like an absoulte impossibilty at the moment. For a few weeks I was planning on dropping this but I do love working on it so I will try my best to keep it up.

Review answers:

The Jade Fang Wolf King - I wanted to but I have something planned for those lovely little buggers later, So just wait and see ;). And I am glad you think so but it is getting a little over the top with the gap between chapters at this point.

To Arinst2305 - Here it is.

To Guest user - Well I understand what your saying and will try to work on that side of chelsie in the near future.

Now on with the story.

Chapter 23

The sand covered canyon haloed through the clearing as the Assassins of Night Raid faced the Hunters of the Jaegers.

Shanta grinned with madden glee as she stood upon the skeletal structure of an S class danger beast. Her teammates Seryu and Bols stood at either side of her monstrous summons. In front of them stood 6 figure, faces either covered, vacant or that of a beast.

"See how much stronger I am now!" Shanta screamed in delight as she stared at her dear childhood friends. Akame and Kurome stood side by side, akin to warrior statues standing against the tide. "I can control S class danger beasts!" her voice a roar of excitement like a lioness signaling the hunt.

The two Jaegers Seryu and Bols stood side of the danger beast. The masked pyro master took one look at the red armoured warrior standing among the assassins of Night Raid. Rage overcome Bols, he aimed his relic Rubricate at Tatsumi. "Burn betrayer of the empire.!" Bols screamed as he unleashed a torrent of flames towards Tatsumi and the rest of Night Raid.

The flames roared like the beasts of hell as the cascaded towards Night Raid. A torrent of burning death rapidly approached. Yet, none of the assassins moved a muscle bar from one. Tatsumi slowly raised his right hand and the flames parted around the assassins. He turned to his side angling his body raising his left arm over his head the fires begun to collect into a dense cloud of fury.

"Im…..im…..impossible?!" Bols voice died within his throat. This assassin took away his power with a simple gesture. It was impossible and breathtaking. The assassins of Night Raid didn't even move as their red armoured warrior completely took control of the power of the Bols.

Mine watched from afar atop one of the canyon walls. She sighed loudly. "Showing already idiot?" A small smile formed across her face.

"Danger Beast wipe them out!" Shanta roared as her beast unleashed a devastating blast at the Assassins. A Sapphire blast of energy scorched everything in its path as it screamed like a banshee towards the Assassins. Tatsumi raised his arms as the collected flame in front of them, forming back into a solid obsidian, crimson shield to protect them from the carnage that was unleashed.

Shanta atop her beast was stood perplexed. As the dust settled down, the crimson shield was still standing. Cracks and splinter shards littered the canyon floor but the assassins of Night Raid were perfectly protected from the fury of destaghoul. Shanta's confused grimace turned to one of rage as she ordered her minions into the fray. Seryu burst forward, a manic grin across her face as she chanted. "The scum of the empire deserve no mercy, only death awaits!" Her relic corro turning into the full size monster, its arms the size of two tree trunks tied together. Two of the dead puppets followed her, to give her support. The fight between champions of the empire and the champions of the Revolution began with a cry of war.

As the fight began it mostly broke up into three engagements. Bols supported with one of Shanta's dead warriors vs Akame and Leone. While Tatsumi was caught between two summons. A great ape like beast and a coaled individual wearing a tribal red mask. The next engagement was between Susanoo and the S class Danger Beast. While Najenda dealt with the summon of a former imperial general and close friend. The final engagement was Seryu and her relic corro supported with a blonde gunslinger vs Mine, Kurome and Sheele.

The stage was set as all the fights turned into all out brawls as power and skill were tested. The strength of the relic and the mettle of the wielder tested.

Akame and Leone had to work in unison against the pairing of Bols and the dead bodyguard. A giant of a man. Clad in a white long jacket and trousers. He was equipped with a riot shield and made sure to be the shield that Bols would need to fight against one of the more known and terrifying assassins of Night Raid, Akame.

While on the other side of the canyon Tatsumi was being pushed back. "Kid the ape is stronger so which your tactic. BE QUICKER YA IDIOT!" The dragon yelled as the great ape smashed it's mammoth like fists into Tatsumi's chest and the cloaked assassin tried to pierce the eyepiece of Tatsumi's armour to no avail, all the while murmuring the word "Failed" the sound similar to the last breath escaping the recently deceased. "Right!" Tatsumi roared as a torrent of flames surrounded him and replaced his armour for the slightly less bulky and far more movable armour.

In this state he was able to see the incoming attacks of both the summons and judge his reactions to each. He watched as the giant brute burst forward but to him it was almost in slow motion as he sidestepped and threw the beast across the rocky ground.

"Aww I love all these puppets but guess what? I also have one more and IT'S A SURPRISE!" Shanta said bouncing atop the canyon ledge, her immortal puppet standing beside her keeping her safe. Kurome was lost for words when she saw the white clad blonde warrior stand behind Shanta. "Natala….." Her voice a whisper of pure rage.

Susanoo stared at the great bone behoumouth, a spasm flared across his face like something caused him great pain. In his distracted gaze Destaghoul unleashed another one of it's goliath blasts. Su only just managed to dodge it while suffering a minor wound for a relic.

"This is difficult…." He muttered as his left arm completely regenerated in a heartbeat.

"Well it is a S class, are you having trouble?" Najenda asked as she landed on one of the canyon walls above him.

"It's strength is formidable but that's the problem!" He said while pointing his finger accusingly at the danger beasts right shoulder blade where a small piece of bone was jutting out completely breaking the symmetry of the beast.

"Honestly this OCD thing is gonna get you killed Su…." Najenda's voice sounded hopeless, as she sighed and observed the surrounding areas. 'If we can't shut down Shanta soon, we'll loose.' She murmured to herself. "Susanoo as your master I am giving you permission to use your full power. Use your Trump Card"

"What's this tingle down my spine?" Tatsumi thought as he kept being pushed back despite the added power and speed from his armour. Even though he was faster the Ape man and the Assassin were far too in sync for his heightened reflexes to keep up with the pace.

"Ahhhh…..the old familiar sting, Su is powering up my friend." Deagora responded he sounded almost intoxicated with the sensation.

Mine was being supported by Kurome and Sheele as the Mad beast and Justice warrior launched themselves at them.

"Devil kings justice Lance." Seryu screamed as she thrusted towards them yet a gust of silvery wind pushed her of course a Kurome unsheathed her relic and a pulse of energy flowed around her. The mad dog Corro and the puppet gunslinger advanced despite the allies folly.

"Leave the Gunslinger to me!" Mine shouted as she ran down the edge of the canyon to meet her quarry in battle.

"Well, that leaves the beast to me…." Sheele put her finger to her lips in an confused state as the beast descended upon her from above.

Despite everything Shanta threw at the assassin of Night Raid, her puppets were being pushed back. The puppet of the treasonous general had been wiped out completely in the wrath of her own destaghoul. Ape man and the Assassin had be destroyed by the fires of the that Flame Wielding User. Shanta rubbed her temples as she stood up, her body language showed an spoiled child who's fed up of people playing with her toys. "These Assassins are starting to piss me off!" She roared at the top her lungs atop the walls of the red canyon.

"Oooooho but what's this?" Her voice reinvigorated by the delectable sight she sees.

Tatsumi was sprinting as fast as his moured form allowed him, after fighting with the two puppets he was exhausted and if not for the assistance of Chelsie whom used her relic Gaia Foundation to disguise herself as one of the assassins long dead tribesman, this distraction gave Tatsumi the opening he needed to completely evaporate the body of the assassin leaving nothing but ash in its wake. All that was left was the Apeman whom he easily turned to cinders with torrents of his flames.

As Chelsie ran away from the sound of burning deverstation her heart ached. 'I have never done this stuff before, never been so reckless. Tatsumi...Gaaa...what is these feelings!' She screamed internally as she ran away.

He was ordered by Najenda to assist Sheele and her team with the Jaeger Seryu. He ran as fast as he could. Till he heard the sound of flesh bursting open, scent of fresh blood and the bone curdling scream that tore his heart open with grief.

"KUROME!"