Kill the Three Beasts Part 1: Tatsumi 4(part 1)
Four days had passed since Sheele's incapacitation, and Night Raid's members were still recovering from the devastating loss of Extase. However, we were assassins, and we had a very important job to do. So even with one of our members in bed rest, life went on. Mine's right arm had been broken by Koro, which meant someone had to help her with most daily tasks. This also meant that she was banned from any training or strenuous activities until her arm was healed. Sayo had also been slightly traumatized by the events of the horrible night. It was the new assassin's first mission, and she already had to make a horrible and desperate decision. Najenda had ordered Sayo to take some time off to recuperate and come to terms with what she had done. But the silver-haired woman didn't like how upset Sayo looked, so she discretely ordered that one person monitor her at all times and stop her from doing anything rash.
"I can't believe that I managed to pull it off..." I thought, my emerald eyes were filled with sadness as I chopped fruit for lunch. "I know that dangers that come with this job...and that any of us can die at any moment...but I never thought anyone would actually come so close...Damn it!"
I released a heavy sigh when I heard Mine yell from behind me. The pinkette was trying to eat with her one good arm, but her dominant arm had been broken so it was difficult for her to hold her spoon steady. Every time Mine would try to eat her food, her hand would start to shake and she would drop whatever was in her spoon. "Why'd my right arm have to break!?"
"Here Mine." Akame said, scooping up some food and offering it to Mine.
"I don't need you to feed me, so just leave me alone." Mine said, as she let out an annoyed huff. "I'm not a child."
"I know you're not a child, but it's starting to get cold Mine...and Tatsumi made this just for you." Akame said in a sympathetic tone, once again offering Mine the spoonful of food. At the mention of my name, Mine glanced at me, then back at the food on her plate.
"Tatsumi did go out of his way to make me this...he even made everything just the way I like it." Mine thought, as she clenched her good fist. "I don't want to be rude...it's not like I'm happy that he made food just for me or anything..." Sighing in defeat, Mine leaned forward and opened her mouth. "Fine."
"Thank you." Akame said with a small smile, placing the spoonful of food into Mine's mouth.
"Even though Sheele was badly injured...Akame acts as cool and collected as before..." I thought, as I watched Akame feed Mine out of the corner of my eye. "But I know she's hurting on the inside...everyone is..." I suddenly stopped cutting and looked down at my hand in disgust, the same hand Seryu had held when she lead me through the slums. "That girl...I knew there was something off about her...I should have followed my gut and taken her out when I had the chance...Then maybe...No, I can't think like that. Sheele wouldn't want me blaming myself for what happened..." I grit my teeth and tightly balled my fist. "Now...I truly remember how dangerous this line of work is."
Imperial Palace:
"General Esdeath." The young emperor said, looking down at the woman before him. "I must commend you on your conquest of the North. As a reward, I'll offer you ten thousand gold pieces."
"Thank you very much, emperor." Esdeath said, smiling up at the young boy. "I will humbly accept your reward, and send it to my soldiers who I left behind to guard the North. They will be most pleased." Esdeath bowed her head once again. "My emperor, I've heard rumors about insurgents possessing Imperial Arms. The best way to fight Imperial Arms...is with Imperial Arms. Please gather six Imperial Arms users for me to lead. That is all that I will need." The emperor's eyes widened when Esdeath said this. "I will create a security squad of Imperial Arms users."
"But don't you already have three Imperial Arms users; your Three Beasts? You need six more on top of that?" The emperor asked, as he quirked an eyebrow.
"Your highness, there's no need to worry. Simply grant Esdeath any of her requests." The minster said, shoveling a greasy piece of meat into his mouth.
"Hmmm, if you say so then I won't worry." The emperor said, as he nodded his head.
"Excellent. I will make the necessary arrangements at once." The minister said, a sinister smirk spreading across his face. "Esdeath has no interest in political power. All she cares about is fighting and crushing her opponents. With me in charge, she can run as wild as she wants. She's my ultimate trump card in this game!"
"I don't think gold is enough for all of your efforts. I wish to reward you with something more." The emperor said, as he smiled at Esdeath. "Is there anything else you desire? A title? Land? Name anything you want, and I will do my best to obtain it for you."
"Well...if I had to choose something..." Esdeath said, a small smile on her face. "I'd like to find love."
"That makes sense!" The emperor exclaimed, pounding his fist into his palm. "You're at the marrying age, and you're still single."
"But don't you already have dozens of men falling at your feet?" The minister asked, as he gave Esdeath a skeptical look.
"Those are all merely...pets." Esdeath replied, chuckling under her breath.
"Well then, I'll have fun playing matchmaker!" The emperor said, as he gestured towards the Minister. "What about the minister here? He's a good man." The Minister nearly choked on the food he was eating when he heard this.
"That is true, but..." Esdeath said, trying to hide the amusement on her face. "The Minister has extremely high blood pressure. I fear he might not last much longer."
"How rude..." The Minister said, his voice full of irritation. "I'm in perfect health."
"I've prepared a list..." Esdeath said, pulling a piece of paper out from between her breasts. "It's full of my criteria for my ideal man. If find anyone who satisfies my standards, then let me know."
"Very well then." The emperor said, as a servant handed him Esdeath's list. "I'll look over this, and get to work immidiately."
Two Hours Later; Night Raid's Hidden Base:
"Damn it, I can't sleep." I muttered to myself, walking through the base's quiet hallways. I glanced out the window at the falling rain. I suddenly shivered as he wrapped a coat around myself. "*Sigh* Might as well get some water and head back to sleep." However, when I entered the kitchen, I was surprised find to someone else already there. "Akame?" I was also surprised to see that Akame was holding a plate of dango. "Getting a midnight snack?"
"No..." Akame replied solemnly, as she stared down at the sweets on her plate. "These...are Sheele's favorite...She's an airhead...but she's the kindest person of all of us."
"I know." I said, a sad smile spreading across my face. "You know Akame..." I said, noticing that the red-eyed assassin was trembling slightly. "There's no one else around...so you don't have to act calm and tough anymore...you can cry if you want to..." Akame's eyes widened momentarily before tears started to stream down her cheeks. The sound of Akame's plate shattering on the floor filled the kitchen, as she embraced me in tight hug. Akame latched onto me while she sobbed into my chest.
"I've seen so many people die..." Akame said in between sobs. I wrapped my arms around her head and held her close. "But...I almost lost one of my precious comrades! I'll never get used to this pain! It's so hard sometimes Tatsumi...I want to cry...I want to help Sheele more...but I can't let my feelings affect our next mission! So I have to put on a strong face! We work in the shadows! So if we can't handle losses like this then we're going to die!" Akame's voice suddenly dropped to a low whisper. "But if you died Tatsumi...I don't know what I'd do. I don't think I could go on if I had to bury you too."
"Akame..." I said, cupping Akame's cheeks so that she could look up at me. I smiled as I wiped the tears from her eyes. "It wouldn't be the first time."
"Tatsumi..." Akame breathed out.
"I revived a millennium from here; I became a captain for a Special Forces team. We actually saved the world from the fallen god himself, Shinnok; or, rather, I saved the world. It was thanks to a Green Halo I obtained from the Cage family; the power to fight gods, and win. I've earned a reward from the highest-powered entities; the Elder Gods, to bring you guys to the future with me." I pulled out the amulet the Elder Gods gave me when I arrived—I forgot to mention that every time I saved one of the people depicted on it, that picture flipped over—"This is the proof."
Akame, "Promise me, you won't die this time."
"I promise..."
The Next Morning; Night Raid's Hidden Base
"RAAAAGH!" I roared, as I charged towards Akame. Both of us clashed our practice swords, and began to push the other back. At first, it seemed like Akame had the advantage, but her eyes widened when I suddenly began to overpower her. With one last strong push, I sent Akame skidding backwards. I didn't give Akame time to recover, as I rushed in to finish her off. But Akame wouldn't be defeated so easily. The red-eyed assassin dug her feet into the ground to stop herself, and raced towards me. Once again, Akame and I crossed swords, and battled for dominance. However, this time Akame was prepared for my new strength. The battle was at a stalemate for a few moments, but Akame came out ahead when she kicked out one of my legs. I grunted as I fell down to one knee. When I looked up, Akame's sword was in my face.
"Impressive...very impressive." Akame said with a small smile on her face. "You almost had me there."
"Again..." I breathed out, standing up on weary legs. I was panting heavily and looked like I was on the verge of collapse. "One more time, Akame!"
"Tatsumi, you should really take a break." Akame said, as she lowered her weapon. The red-eyed assassin was worried I might actually faint, because I was pushing myself so hard. "I don't want you passing out from sheer exhaustion."
"I can't rest now." I said, wiping the sweat from his brow. "Don't worry about me Akame, I'm fine. I promised you, right? That you'd never have to mourn me? For me to keep that promise and to brighten our future, I need to become stronger. So please, come at me as if this were a real fight." I readied my practice sword and sprinted towards Akame. "Here I come!" However, I never saw a punch to my face that came out of nowhere. I looked up to see Bulat grinning at me. "What the hell, Bro?!"
"Nice reflexes Tatsumi." Bulat complimented in sarcasm, as he crossed his arms over his broad chest. "You said you wanted this to be like a real fight, so I thought I'd throw in obstacles to make sure you were paying attention to your surroundings. It's good to see that you were paying attention, because an enemy can come from anywhere at anytime." Bulat quirked an eyebrow as he watched me dust myself off. "You're way more into this than usual...what's up?"
"Nothing really..." I replied, stopping briefly to catch my breath. "I just want get stronger as fast as possible..." I turned to smile at Akame. "I did promise Akame that I'd survive not matter what, and that we'd welcome in the new empire together. And I intend to keep that promise."
"Tatsumi..." Akame thought, as her heart began to beat faster. The red-eyed assassin clutched a hand over her heart, a slight blush marking her cheeks.
"Now that is manly!" Bulat exclaimed, slapping me on the back hard enough to make me stumble forward. "You're really growing up, Tatsumi!" Bulat whipped me around so that I could look him in the eyes. "If you want to become stronger than team up with me!" Bulat smiled brightly and gestured to himself with his thumb. "I'll train you the right way!"
"Bro..." I breathed out, as I felt inspired by Bulat's words. I turned to Akame, wordlessly asking for her permission to go.
"*Sigh* Go on..." Akame said, a small smile spreading across her face. "I'm pretty beat anyways, so you can take over Bulat."
"Alright! Our first lesson starts right now!" Bulat yelled, as he grabbed a spear. "Now follow me, Tatsumi!"
"I'm right behind you, Bro!" I cheered, chasing after Bulat.
The Next Night; Night Raid's Hidden Base:
"Good, you're all here." Najenda said, as she took her usual seat in Night Raid's meeting room. "I have some bad news for your all, so brace yourselves." Najenda leaned forward and raised one finger. "The first, we've lost contact with our regional team."
"Regional team?" Sayo repeated with a confused look on her face.
"The empire is quite vast." Akame explained, crossing her arms underneath her chest. "We focus our efforts on the capital, but there's other assassin teams that work throughout the region."
"We're investigating it now, but it's most likely that they were all wiped out." Najenda said, a solemn look on everyone's face. "Prepare yourselves for that possibility."
"We should definitely bolster our bases defenses." Lubbock suggested, earning a quick nod from Najenda. "Okay, I'll expand the are of my threads." Lubbock then turned to grin at me. "You can help me too, put those skills I taught you to use."
"Alright, we can start after the meeting is over." I said, as I put my hands in my pockets. "I've been itching to make some traps of my own."
"Now that our enhanced defenses are settled, let's continue with our previous discussion." Najenda said, her eyes hardening. "Esdeath has finished squashing the resistance in the North...and has returned to the capital."
Ieysayu looked terrified, "Esdeath?! Who's Esdeath?!"
"Esdeath..." I thought, as I rubbed my chin. "How could I forget her?"
"That was much quicker than we anticipated." Akame said, releasing a light sigh. "That woman sure is troublesome."
"Yeah, she's always been a thorn in our side." Lubbock said, as he scratched the side of his head in irritation. "Every move we make she somehow hinders us."
"Fortunately it seems like most of Esdeath's men have stayed up North to keep order." Najenda said, resting her head on her fist.
"Then she won't be making her move to crush the rebel army any time soon." Bulat said, as he shrugged his shoulders.
"I have no clue what she's planning next, but I have a bad feeling that we're somehow involved." Najenda said, taking out a cigarette and placing it in her mouth. "Right now she's spends her days and nights in the torture chambers instructing the guards on her methods." Pulling out her lighter, Najenda turned to Leone. "You have a special job, Leone. Go to the capital and find out what Esdeath is planning."
"I got it!" Leone cheered, as she pumped her fist in the air. "I've always been curious as to what kind of person she is."
Me, "Careful what you wish for."
"She's an extremely dangerous enemy, who's guilty of mass murder on an epic scale." Najenda warned, slightly biting into the end of her cigarette. "So, please be careful."
"With Sheele and Mine in their current state, this won't be easy."
"I got it, I got it." Leone said, as she shook her head. "Heh heh, then that means...she's someone I can take out if the I have the chance. The despicable, sadistic general they call the 'empire's strongest.' She's just as worthy of death as the Minister!" Leone was shaken from her thoughts when she felt a sudden tug on her arm. She looked down to see me staring at her, worry in my eyes.
"The boss is right, Leone..." I whispered, my grip on the blonde's arm tightening slightly. "I have a bad feeling about Esdeath...so please be careful. If sense any danger don't hesitate to retreat."
"How can I say no to that face?" Leone said, as she held me close. "Don't worry Tatsumi, I'll be cautious and I will fall back if I sense anything wrong. I won't be dying any time soon, so you don't have anything to fear."
"Thank you, Leone." I said, smiling up at my blonde friend.
"The final thing is..." Najenda said, as she raised a third finger. "There have been a string of murders targeting civil servants in the capital. So far, four civil servants have been killed...along with over sixty of their guards and family members." Najenda reached into her shirt and pulled out a piece of paper with Night Raid's insignia on it. "The main problem is these fliers with 'Night Raid' written on them have been scattered around the crime scenes."
"They're so obviously imposters, it's quite laughable really." Bulat said, crossing his arms over his chest. "They must be trying to pin the murders on us."
"But people aren't stupid enough to fall for this, are they?" Ieysayu asked, as he glanced at the paper in Najenda's hand. "I mean, this totally isn't our style, taking credit for our work like that."
"It was like that at first." Najenda said, releasing a heavy sigh. "But now, more and more people are starting to believe the rumors. With each incident the strongest guards were all killed. The latest victim, former minister Chouri, lost almost thirty of his most powerful guards...and nearly his daughter, who was trained at the Temple of the Imperial Fist. People believe that we're the only ones who could possibly do this much damage and get away with it."
"So our opponents equal us in strength." Akame mused, as she rubbed her chin. "That must mean they possess Imperial Arms." Akame hung her head as she lost herself in thought. "Such powerful enemies...could it possibly be my sister Kurome?" As if on cue, Akame felt a strong hand squeeze her shoulder.
"It's not her." She looked up to see me smiling at her. My warm smile caused a wave of comfort and reassurance to wash over Akame.
"All of these victims were innocent men and women who simply didn't like the way the minister was running the empire. Which made them all people the minister would despise." Najenda explained, lighting her cigarette and taking a long drag. "Which means the minister had them killed...and is blaming us for it."
"They're trying to lure us in to a fight...not a bad strategy." Bulat said, as he nodded his head.
"None of the victims had any affiliation with the rebel army. They were all simply concerned for their country." Najenda said, tightly balling her fists. "All of them were the sort of civil servants we'd need in our new nation. We can't afford to lose anymore people like them. I think we need to find these imposters and grind them into dust! Let me hear your thoughts!"
"I...I don't know anything about politics but..." I said, as I clenched my fist; a look of fiery determination in my eyes. "Just the fact that they're abusing Night Raid's name for their dirty work...and disrespecting Sheele...it pisses me off!"
"Bingo!" Bulat cheered with a toothy grin. "You said it, Tatsumi!" Following my and Bulat's exclamations, the rest of Night Raid joined together in a cheer.
"Good, then everything is in order!" Najenda said, standing up from her seat. "We'll show these bastards what happens when you use an assassin's name without permission...and disgrace our fallen comrades!" Slinging on her jacket, Najenda turned to face her assassins. "There are five civil servants who are likely the next targets. But of those five, based on who is leaving the palace, we've managed to narrow it down to two choices. Team One will be Akame, Lubbock, and Sayo."
"You think I'm ready, boss?" Sayo asked sheepishly, as she nervously rubbed her arm.
"Yes, you're ready..." Najenda said, smiling softly at Sayo. "Plus, you'll have Akame and Lubbock with you...so there's no need to worry."
"Yes, boss!" Sayo exclaimed, as she saluted to Najenda.
"Alright, then Team Two will be Bulat and Tatsumi. Both teams will guard their respective target." Najenda said, taking one last puff of her cigarette before stomping it out.
"Where's our civil servant located?" I asked, as I quirked an eyebrow.
"A giant luxury passenger ship docked at the Grand Canal. The Dragon Ship."
"So, it's the three beasts."
The Next Day; Grand Canal:
"Damn, that is one huge ship." I muttered, walking up the gangway towards the towering ship. None of the other passengers and guests could see it, but Bulat was actually walking in front of me; the large man was invisible thanks to Incursio. I groaned in annoyance as I adjusted my tie. Because I was going undercover, I had to blend in with the partygoers that were attending the Dragon Ship's launch ceremony. Finally making my way onto the deck, I immidiately began to blend in with the large crowd. Carefully making my way through the crowd, I stopped when I saw a table full of drinks and food. "I am kinda nervous right now." As I observed the elegantly dressed partygoers one person stuck out to me, but I only managed to get a quick glimpse of the person. From what I saw, the person appeared to be a younger boy, but what struck me as odd was that the boy had a small devil's tail and horn, and was clutching a box close to his chest. "Hmm, that kid was Nyau." Releasing a light sigh, I took a sip of my drink. "Man this is actually a pretty ritzy party." I jumped slightly when I felt a hand suddenly pat my back, but when I turned around, no one was there.
"You're posing as the son of a wealthy landowner, so don't act so impressed by the capital's wealth." Bulat said quietly, still invisible with Incursio's help. "You have to act the part so you won't stick out."
"Yeah, you're right Bro." I muttered, as I rubbed the back of I head. "Just remember what Mine taught me. I have to blend in and not draw unwanted attention to myself."
By now the party was starting to make its way inside the ship. I lingered behind to give the capital once last look before the boat departed on its maiden journey. Glancing down, I spotted a large crowd had gathered around the docks to watch the ship as it set sail. Sighing, I turned around and leaned against the ship's railing.
"We're assuming that the Night Raid imposters might attack here...but this place is seriously packed." I said, glancing at the last of the guests that were pilling into ship's insides. "Plus the old man we're supposed to be protecting is surrounded by a small army of guards." Checking around to make sure no one was looking, I reached back and pulled out the pistol I had concealed in between my pants and shirt. Instead of my normal pistol, I had opted to take a larger caliber revolver on this particular mission. I had only fired this gun a handful of times, but I knew it packed a mean punch. The weapon's only downsides were its six round ammo capacity and its high recoil. But with my practice, I wasn't worried about the revolver's recoil anymore. Flicking open the chamber, I made sure the weapon was fully loaded. "I have to be careful with my shots, because I only have six. It's a shame I couldn't conceal any extra ammo, I'll just have to make these six shots count." Seeing that the revolver was loaded and ready, I closed the chamber with a flick of my wrist. I gave the chamber a quick spin, before I tucked the revolver back into my waistband. "I doubt those imposters could get to the old man here, I think we may have missed our mark on this one." Before I could say anymore, I quickly ducked underneath a sudden punch. I looked up to see that Bulat had partially uncloaked himself. "I knew you would do that."
"Looks like your reflexes and awareness are getting better." Bulat complimented, as he crossed his arms over his chest. "But don't let your guard down by making assumptions."
"I know, I know..." I said, placing my hands in my pockets. "I'm just saying we may have been wrong on this one, but I wasn't planning on letting my guard down at all."
"That's good to hear, but remember that I was able to sneak on the ship because of Incursio. So there's no knowing what tricks the enemy could have in store." Bulat said, as he patted me on the shoulder.
"I got it..." I said, my mind going back to the suspicious boy I had seen earlier. "Maybe I should try to find that kid." Deciding to investigate later, I looked up at Bulat. "That armor of yours is pretty amazing. It helped you get on the ship and has so many other amazing abilities."
"Yep!" Bulat cheered, as he slapped a hand to his chest. "Incursio allowed me to fight and survive on the frontlines against the tribes in the South. Incursio is like my very own partner. But...despite all my effort, I wasn't able to save General Liver. The general refused to send bribes to the minister and was taken prisoner. He planned to go to the capital and plead his innocence, but the men held a grudge against me and the general, so they framed us both as criminals. I did something truly cowardly back then...I ran off with my Imperial Arms before they could arrest me."
"That's messed up..." I muttered, tightly clenching my fists.
"Whoops." Bulat said, as portions of his armor began to fully reappear. "My invisibility is reaching its limit, so I'll have to take Incursio off for a little while."
"People know your face, right?" I asked, pushing off the ships railing. Looking back, I noticed that the ship had departed from the docks and was now gently cruising down the canal. "You can leave the top deck to me."
"Alright..." Bulat said, as he began to walk into the ship. "I'll check the lower levels."
"Well I better get to-" I was cut off when the sound of a flute began to fill the air. "Why the hell am I hearing a flute?"
Guest Cabins:
"Your tone is soothing as ever." Liver complimented, sitting across from Nyau. "It really does suit this ship."
"Scream; a flute Imperial Arms that can manipulate the emotions of those who hear it." Nyau said with a mischievous smirk. "It's usually used on the battlefield to boost a soldier's morale...but there are far more emotions that I can manipulate."
"Hmm, it looks like the ship has departed from the city and is out of sight now." Liver said, as he gazed out a nearby window. "You really timed this perfectly."
"I've been playing for quite a while, so everyone should be knocked out for some time." Nyau said, setting his flute down next to him.
"Don't let your guard down, because there may be some country folk on this ship that can't appreciate your flute's quality." Liver warned, as he rested his head on his hand.
"Don't worry, I won't." Nyau said, as he grabbed his flute once again. "Actually, I'll play a little more just to be safe."
Same Time; Top Deck:
"What the hell is going on?" I muttered, propping myself up with the ship's railing. I gazed around and saw several other passengers had passed out around me. I grit my teeth as I struggled to keep myself from collapsing. "Damn, I don't even have the strength to call for, Bro. It has to be that damn flute that's playing, it's the Imperial Arms, Scream, for sure. I can still hear that damn thing even if I cover my ears!"
"Aw shit!" A loud voice exclaimed from behind me. Spinning around, I saw a large man walking towards him. "I'm sick of hiding like a rat...OH! There's still a little shit who's holding out. The hypnosis will make you forget who I leave alive."
"So..." I breathed out, as I tightly balled my fists. "You're a part of those Night Raid imposters."
"Oh ho! So you think you're the real deal!" The large man cheered in an excited tone. Bending down towards a collapsed guard, the man tossed me his sword. "Take this."
"What are you doing?" I asked, catching the sword.
"I wanna gain experience through fighting..." The large man said, as a wicked grin spread across his face. "Because I, Daidara, wish to become the strongest. So, Night Raid..." Daidara reached onto his back and pulled out his double-bladed axe. "Come at me with all you've got. You won't have to worry about hitting any innocents, so there's no need to hold back."
"I see..." I said, slowly unsheathing the sword. As I unsheathed the blade, I also reached for my revolver as well. "Then I'll give you some great experience..." I suddenly shot forward, dual-wielding the revolver and sword. "When I bury you!"
"That's the stuff!" Daidara yelled, as he readied his axe. "That's the fighting spirit I'm looking for! You're definitely worth killing!"
Fight
Daidara reared back and prepared to attack me with an powerful overhead slash. But I raised my revolver and fired before he could attack. Daidara lowered his axe Imperial Arms, Belvaak, and to my amazement, deflected the shot. "Oh ho! Your reflexes haven't been slowed much because of the music. I like that!" Daidara grinned maniacally as he pulled his axe apart into two separate blades. "How about you try this on for size!" my eyes shot open when Daidara threw the axes toward me.
"Dammit!" I shouted, ducking underneath the whirling blades. However, I was shocked when the axes began to boomerang back towards me. "Shit!" Jumping backwards, I barely managed to dodge the spinning blades; one of them caught my shirt and cut a large hole in it. As I continued to dodge the flying blades, I recalled what I had read about Belvaak in the book about Imperial Arms, "This thing is going to keep coming after me until it kills me or he stops it! I have to do something quick!" I sidestepped the axe once again, just then, an idea came to me. Reaching into my jacket pocket, I pulled out several small spherical objects. "Alright Lubbock, time to put your training to use!"
Daidara quirked an eyebrow as he watched me begin run circles around him, all the while still dodging the flying axes. However, what Daidara didn't notice was that I was carefully dropping the small spherical objects as I ran around him. I was also carefully observing the axes flight patterns, and taking note of how long it took them to turn around and correct their course. Once I had all my devices in place, and had a decent grasp of the axes flying capabilities, I sprung my plan into action.
"I guess you're leaving me no choice!" I exclaimed, as he began to run towards Daidara; the axes flying after me. "I'll direct these damn things straight at you! You've dug your own grave!"
"He fell right into my trap." Daidara thought with an evil smirk. "It was fun kid, but it's time to end this little game."
Nearby Bulat was about to jump in and stop me from falling into Daidara's trap. But Bulat and Daidara were both surprised when they saw me stop much farther away then they had expected. Suddenly ducking, the axe blades flew over my head and headed straight towards Daidara. The large man expected his blades to immidiately correct themselves and fly back towards me, but his eyes widened when the axes hadn't changed course.
"Shit! He must have figured out how long it takes for Belvaak to fix it's flight path!" Daidara thought, grabbing the blades mid-flight. "I must say you're pretty smart to figure out how long it takes Belvaak to changes directions. But it doesn't matter..." Daidara smirked as he watched me pant from exhaustion. "All that running and dodging must have worn you out. So it'll be easy to kill you now."
"Figuring out your Imperial Arms' flight patterns wasn't the only thing I was doing." I revealed, as I reached into my pocket. Daidara quirked an eyebrow when he saw me pull out a small device with a red button on it. "All that running in circles and dodging I was doing...it was all to distract you while I planted some explosives." Daidara's eyes shot open as he now noticed almost a dozen small spherical objects scattered around him; all of them blinking red. "Those are homemade bombs curtesy of my friend Lubbock, who showed me how to make them. I'm glad I brought a few with me." I smirked as I put my thumb on the detonator.
Finish Him!
"It's time to bury you." I pressed the detonator and a large explosion engulfed Daidara. "Slice and dice, boys." The shockwave from the blast rocked the entire deck. When the smoke and debris cleared, all that remained of Daidara was a hole in the deck and several blood splatters. If the initial explosion hadn't killed him, then the shrapnel, intense flames, and fall to the deck below definitely had.
Tatsumi wins-Flawless Victory-Faction Kill
Sighing heavily, I collapsed onto the deck. "God damn, I'm exhausted." Looking over at where Daidara had been, I was surprised to see Belvaak lying on the ground. "Wow, that's one tough Imperial Arms. Looks like we'll have to take that back to base with us. Maybe I should give it to Ieysayu; he is skilled with an axe."
"Oh, I don't think you'll leaving this ship alive." I shot upright when a new voice spoke up. I quickly spotted a tall silver-haired man and the suspicious boy I had seen earlier standing in front of me. "I must say I'm quite impressed that you managed to kill Daidara, but now we must avenge our fallen comrade."
"So there 'were' more of you." I said, glaring at the other Night Raid imposters, especially the younger boy. "I knew you were shady the second I saw you."
"Whoa! I love the face you're making!" The boy cheered, as he pulled out a dagger. "I think I'll add it to my collection!"
"We have no to time to dawdle, Nyau. We'll kill him quickly, so we can get to our target." The silver-haired man chastised, a blade extending from his sleeve.
"You're no fun, Liver!" Nyau pouted, as he puffed out his cheeks. "Fine, we'll kill this nuisance and finish our target. But you owe me!"
"It's no good, I'm too tired." I thought, watching the two men stalk towards me. "I can't even muster the strength to raise my revolver."
"I'll take it from here, Tatsumi!" Bulat yelled, as he jumped into the fray; already having Incursio equipped. Both Liver and Nyau were caught off guard by Bulat's sudden arrival. Taking advantage of the confusion, Bulat attacked both men simultaneously. With two powerful punches Bulat sent Nyau flying across the deck into a stack of crates and Liver into a wall. "You did well back there, Tatsumi, I'm glad to see that you're okay."
"He drove both of them back in a second." I thought, staring at Bulat in awe. "I still have so much to learn from you, Bro." A grin spread across my face as I slowly got back onto my feet. "I knew you were strong, but seriously you're incredible!"
"You got that right!" Bulat exclaimed in a cheerful tone. "My nickname during my army days was 'One-Hundered-Killer Bulat,' did you know?"
"If you want to be more accurate..." Both Bulat and I turned around to see that Liver was back onto his feet. "You killed 128. We were busy taking on specialized spies back then. That Imperial Arms...and that incredible strength...it has to be you, Bulat!"
"So it's you, General Liver?" Bulat asked, as he turned to face his former commander.