Kill the Newcomers:

We were riding the air manta to an unexplored region.

Me, "WOAAAH!" It was amazing. "This feels great!"

The new member, Chelsea, took notice. "Ahaha! You're so innocent that it's hard to believe you're a killer, Tatsumi. You're an interesting guy."

Leone, "This is more fun than I thought."

I took notice of Mine seemingly scared, so I went to comfort her.

Akame, "It's good!"

Before Mine could say anything against Akame, I put my hand on her shoulder, and smiled at her for reassurance. She had a light blush dusting across her cheeks.

Sheele, "It seems that Tatsumi has taken a liking to Mine."

Sayo, "You just noticed that, Sheele?"

Ieysayu, "What does he even see in that annoying brat?!"

Our stop: Margue Plateau. Eight hundred kilometers Southeast from the capital. It was dotted by tens of cut table mountains, thus creating a unique ecosystem, with high-level danger beasts. It wasn't safe for humans to live there...It was an "unexplored region.":

Najenda, "It's because it's unexplored, that it's perfect for hiding. Currently, in order to find us a fitting place for a new base, the revolutionary army's reconnaissance team is searching around the capital. Until then, we're going to level up here."

The air manta took off. Mine was confused by that. "H...huh? It left, is that okay? We left the gathered Imperial Arms on it."

Me, "It's nest must be in the revolutionary army's headquarters; that's probably where it's headed."

Chelsea, "It also becomes an automatic delivery that way. Wow, Mine, you don't even know that? Ahaha!"

The pinkette was clearly annoyed. "This chick pisses me off. God, I hate you already!"

Me, "Don't let her get to you, Mine."

Najenda, "Now, once again, I'll introduce the new members." She pointed to where Chelsea was once standing, only for a surprise. "First up is...huh?"

She was touching Akame's hair. "Akame's really cute when I take a look up close."

Akame, "...What're you doing out of nowhere?"

"I'm Chelsea. Let's all be friends, as fellow killers." She gave Akame a lollipop. "Here, I'll give you this."

"...I welcome you with open arms."

Ieysayu, "Aah! Akame just got fed something artificial...A lollipop?!"

Lubbock(Those guys are two peas in a pod), "She must've been REALLY hungry from the long trip!"

I asked Najenda, "So, how's her résumé, Boss?"

Ieysayu, "She looks even less like an assassin than Mine and the other girls."

"Looks can be deceiving; She's a person of remarkable talent who's gotten as many jobs done as Akame has."

Ieysayu had a deadpanned look on his face.

Me, "If she has that high of a body count, she's definitely gonna fit in just fine then. I just hope she doesn't get killed again."

Najenda pointed her hand at Susanoo, "As for this fellow; headquarters has entrusted him with me, as well. Everyone, meet Lightning-Fast: Susanoo; he's my new Imperial Arms. Organic-types are mostly autonomous, so he shouldn't be all that draining. Even with all my injuries, I can still use him."

I took a quick check to make sure my shirt was tucked in—the first time around he was alarmed by just the slightest corner peaking—and then walked up to shake hands. "Hi, I think we met earlier; I was the one wearing the suit-of-armor."

He took my hand, and shook it. "I know."

Ieysayu, "Sweet! A human Imperial Arms!"

He spotted that Ieysayu's shirt was poking out. "Hah!" He quickly tucked it in, much to Ieysayu's surprise. "Fixed."

Najenda, "I should warn you; he's a bit of a 'Neat Freak.'"

Sayo, "Yeah, no kidding. Well, now we know what he fixed my hair for."

Leone, "Okay, so what exactly is his primary ability? Does he only do hand-to-hand combat?"

Najenda scoffed, "Allow me to demonstrate that for you. Try to contain your excitement." She then gave Susanoo a command, "Susanoo! Proceed!"

"Understood." He chopped down trees, built the temporary base, washed clothes, and even prepared food; all in just two minutes.

Ieysayu and Lubbock were dumbfounded, "Okay, I admit; that does look impressive, but what is he doing?"

Ieysayu, "From where I'm standing, it looks like chores."

Najenda, "Wondeful, isn't he? Susanoo's original purpose was to protect royalty and others of status. Not only can he fight; he's equipped with a full range of cleaning and cooking skills, so he never has to leave his owner's side. He can do it all! And the best part is his menu includes a thousand different dishes."

Mine, "How is any of that gonna help us in a fight?!"

Me, "Well, he also has a Trump Card that grants him a massive power increase."

Susanoo, "Yeah."

I knew that they were going to be reliable.

Chelsea was teasing Mine, "Oh my goodness, you're as flat as a board!"

Mine, "SHUT UP!"

Lubbock was trying to smack-talk Susanoo, "Y'know, you may be all big, and handsome, and strong, and everything, but you're still just a glorified man-made!"

I still questioned the teamwork. "If we're all gonna pull this off, we need to put our differences aside."

Palace:

Esdeath was bored when Ran and Bols walked in through the door.

Ran, "We finished searching the Doctor's residence. However, we were unable to find any evidence to what caused his sudden disappearance."

Bols, "We did notice none of his valuable research materials or equipment went missing from the laboratory, though."

Esdeath, "If he hasn't deserted us..." She stood up out of her chair, "that means he must've been killed."

"And none of his enhanced soldiers were anywhere to be found, either. I can only assume, they were all killed as well."

"I understand. Poor Seryu's lost another person she looked up to."

Back at the temporary hideout; Later, at night:

We were gathered around the fireplace.

Najenda, "It looks like the empire's gradually beginning to build up its forces."

Akame, "And there's no way we can win as we are now. We hafta make ourselves stronger.

"Revolution day is almost here; let's use what little time we have left for training. I also wouldn't count on getting any more new fighters, if I were you. Please consider this the last time we receive reinforcements."

I stepped in, "If we work as a team, we can all survive to see the coming of the new world. It's about time you learned about this thing, called 'Mortal Kombat.'"

Sayo, "Are you serious, Tatsumi?!"

Ieysayu, "That's just hardcore!"

Chelsea, "What exactly is 'Mortal Kombat'?"

Sayo, "It's a tournament held every fifty years to determine the rights to invade another dimension. A fighting tournament to be exact."

Ieysayu, "A total of ten wins over a course of five-hundred years is required, before you're actually ALLOWED to invade. And the competition is RIDICULOUS! You're fighting against demons, sorcerers, even real-life gods!" He then started drinking his tea.

Akame, "Now that you mention it; Tatsumi did say he defeated a god named 'Shinnok.'"

Hearing that, Ieysayu did a spit-take, "WHAT?!"

Sayo, "Shinnok is the father of all evil, the master of Hell itself; He's not someone who can be defeated by just anyone!"

Chelsea blushed heavily, "Damn! You're even more impressive than I originally thought, Tatsumi."

I explained it to them, "It was because I managed to conjure up a 'green halo' passed down the generations by a Mediterranean war cult; specially bred as fighters, capable of fighting gods. I actually managed to do it twice; I don't know if I can do it again. It seems to only activate when the user sees a loved one about to get killed, and he or she jumps in to take the blow, which the halo simply absorbs."

Sheele, "That explains how he was able to break the speed of light. Now that I remember; you DID have a green aura surrounding you at the time."

"That part was a one-time thing, since I needed to be fast."

Najenda, "Still, it seems that you might be the one to teach about it."

Morning; A Month Later:

Akame and Susanoo were fishing for dinner at a nearby river; Akame thought it would grant her the power to use thunder by wearing a hat similar to the one Raiden wears, but I told her 'That's not how it works.' Still, she wore it at the time to keep the sun out of her eyes—at the same time, she was eating a rice ball. Then, something was tugging the line. "GOT ONE!"

Susanoo took a single grain of rice Akame had on her face off, while she reeled in a big one. "Much better." He then used is staff to clobber the fish.

"It's gonna be a huge feast, tonight! I can't wait!"

Later,

We finished eating; Ieysayu was working on a more creative technique on using Belvaak.

Leone, "Whew! Ah man, that was delicious, it hit the spot, Su! I think I can take on the world!"

Akame, "Thank you for all your help."

Me, holding a practice sword, "Hey Su, so ya' think we can train together, tomorrow?"

Najenda chuckled, "I knew you'd come around, once you saw how handy he can be."

Ieysayu, "It is pretty cool that the guys back at headquarters would let you borrow such an awesome weapon!"

"They said Susanoo had been in hibernation for some time. He felt my presence, and activated immediately."

Akame, "That's really cool!"

"Oh, it's easy to see why; my feminine charm, of course."

Su, "Actually, the general is like a spitting image of my previous master."

Leone, "That makes sense."

Najenda, "If she was anything like me, then she must've been a wonderful person."

Su, "Yeah; Not only a great leader, but he was also the greatest man in the world."

Najenda, "A man?!"

Leone and Ieysayu were laughing their asses off. "See Boss; you totally look like a dude!"

Ieysayu tried holding it in, but was failing, "Cut it out; if you make her mad, she's gonna freak out and kill us!"

I didn't think it was funny anymore—it was the second time I heard it—"Did you hafta say it like THAT, Su?"

The creaking of Najenda's fingers caused Leone and Ieysayu's laughter to turn into fear. "Oh, uh...yeah, sorry..."

Ieysayu, "Uh-oh!"

She hit them both on the head, leaving huge, red bumps.

I walked to where Lubbock and Mine were sitting; Mine was eating a piece of cake.

Lubbock, "Geez, I don't get why everybody's so quick to cozy up to that guy; I thought I was the Mr. Suave-Awesome around her."

Mine, "Don't worry, Lub; I'm pretty sure no one considered you suave in the first place."

The door opened, and in came what looked like a little kitten. "Mrow!"

"Oh wow, is that a baby panther cub?!"

"Mrooow!" The cub jumped onto the arm of the couch, much to Mine's surprise.

"Huh?"

Lubbock, "Surprisingly comfortable around humans, aren't they?"

"Mroow!" The kitten began rubbing on Mine.

"Hey, now! I'm not gonna share my food with you or anything, so..."

Me, "That's not really a panther cub; It's Chelsea."

The kitten leaped, and stole Mine's cake. "Mow." Chelsea then revealed herself, and giggled, "You almost got me, Tatsumi! Meow!"

Mine, "What?! It's you!"

"Told ya'."

Chelsea giggled, "Oh Mine; you just make it so easy, I can't help myself!"

"Chelsea, please stop teasing her, and focus more of your free time on homing skills with your Imperial Arms."

Lubbock, "That was your Imperial Arms?!"

"It sure was! I can instantly transform into anything I want! Pretty cool, right? Gaea Foundation; it's perfect for stealth operations. Which, I must say Mine, if you're not more careful, you'll be the next member to get killed on the battlefield."

That ticked me off, "I won't let that happen!" I regained my calm by taking a deep breath. "Listen, Chelsea, I don't want anyone else to die unnecessarilly. So we need to shape up, and dig deep!"

Next Day:

Leone and I just finished clearing away danger beasts.

Najenda, "Well done; you've proven you can easily kill the danger beasts in this area."

"I noticed some of the different types like to attack us out of nowhere, so we constantly have to be on our toes."

Leone took the matter lighter, "I like it; that makes it so much more interesting!"

Najenda, "The air is pretty thin up here; you've been training in such a harsh environment, I'm sure all of you have leveled up quite a bit."

Mine, "You're right, I can already feel a huge difference!"

I whispered to myself, "*sigh*But I still haven't reached my full potential."

Najenda turned to Chelsea, "Chelsea."

"Hm?"

"Tell me, what do you think of Night Raid, now that you've been with us for a month?"

"Hmn...You're all strong...in fact, I would say you're even stronger than anyone from my old team."

Everyone else was practically cheering. I, on the other hand, still had doubts.

"That said; just because you're strong, doesn't mean you'll survive. I took the liberty if looking through all your old reports; Bulat was killed in a recent battle. The issue at hand isn't whether or not he was a good person; it's that he was obviously incompetent."

Mine, "What?!"

"All I'm trying to say is if you don't get it together, then you're not going to last long enough to see this fight through to the end." Chelsea walked back inside.

"I swear, that girl pisses me off so much!"

Me, "Well, everyone here has a story."

Najenda, "That's Chelsea for you; she's as honest as they come."

Su, "We should eat something; let's go ahead and get a head start on cooking everything you hunted."

Akame, "Can't work on an empty stomach!"

Sayo, "There's something really wrong with you guys!"

Inside, Chelsea was thinking to herself, "Did Tatsumi really have that much doubt in himself?"

Later; Nightfall:

Mine, Lubbock, Ieysayu, and I were sitting around a campfire. "So, what did you wanna talk about, Mine?"

Mine, "You know it had to make you mad; I can't believe what she said about Bulat!"

Ieysayu, "Yeah, I understand; I don't like it when people disrespect him."

"We need to do something to her that'll really screw her up—something that'll scare the crap outta her, or at least make her look stupid!" Mine stood up, "Here it is! You get her off guard, really shake her up, and I'll deal the final blow! It's total genius!"

"Why do I feel like nothing good could possibly come from teaming up with you?"

"Whaddya mean? Don't you dare tell me that you're gonna take her side on this one! You know she deserves it!"

Me, "Okay, okay!"

Ieysayu, "Fine, whatever you want! But, wait, you never explained how you wanted us to surprise Chelsea."

Mine, "Well, you three will have to figure something out, won't you? I've got my own brilliant revenge to prepare..." She walked back inside, "So get busy; this mission should be completed tonight! And I better hear her scream too!"

Lubbock, "I don't think I like her tone!"

Me, "Urrgh! Something that'll make Chelsea scream. I think I'd better have a talk with her, instead."

Ieysayu, "I got nothin' over here!"

Lubbock, "If only we could use our Imperial Arms to startle people." Then, both he and Ieysayu had the same idea. When they confirmed it, Ieysayu nodded at Lubbock, allowing him to say it. "Ah! I think I just had an idea! And it was a good idea!"

Me, "*sigh*Of course you do."

Really,

Ieysayu, "I can't wait to see her body."

Lubbock, "Me neither. If he can get out of there unharmed, then we can stare at those tits without having to get our own asses handed to us."

Like I said before; They're two peas in a pod.

Hot Spring:

Chelsea was having a bath when I was wearing Incursio.

Me, "Psst, Chelsea."

"Hm? Who's there?"

"It's me, Tatsumi. Please put a towel on first."

She did just that. "Why are you here?" She giggled and teased. "Did you come to peep on me?"

"Nope; that would be Ieysayu and Lubbock. Mine wanted me to pull a prank on you as payback for what you said about Bulat...but I thought it'd be far more helpful if I did it diplomatically."

"Really?!"

"I know you knew you were gonna find me, first off."

"Yeah, you seriously need to work on your quelling that aura of yours, Tatsumi! Deception is my specialty, you know. To detect something like that, you'd need much more training! I'm sorry, does it get on your nerves when people tell you things like that?!"

"Not really."

"Hm?"

"I understand what you're saying, Chelsea; There's still so many things I need to improve. I'm not mad at you for what you said, I'm mad at myself because I couldn't save Bulat. I promise, I'll take your advice to heart."

She blushed again, "So, you're pretty mature, aren't you?"

"I wasn't always like that. I literally died once. I'm actually Half-Edenian, who are said to be descended from gods and are naturally long-lived; making me almost impossible to permanently kill. Keyword being 'Almost'...So, tell me, what's your story?"

"The truth is...not too long ago, I came back from a mission, only to discover that everyone on my team had been murdered while I was gone. I would be devastated if something like that were to happen to the people here."

"So, the reason you said all that stuff...was because you were concerned about us. I understand completely. You don't need to hide the fact that you're a good person Chelsea; everyone here has a reason to fight—a purpose. I knew the way you were was just that, when we first met."

She blushed again, even deeper than before, "By the way, I noticed that you whispered something to yourself, earlier today. What was it?"

"I still need to reach my fullest potential. Right now, I'm not as strong as can be." I got up and left.

Streets of the Capital; next day:

Esdeath and Ran were walking down the street, and the former couldn't get over me.

Ran, "Commander?"

She stopped and turned to him.

"Is there anything troubling you?"

"Whenever there's a large crowd, I find myself searching for Tatsumi."

"Actually, if I may, I've compiled a list of eligible bachelors, who all bear some resemblance to that boy. If it pleases you, I could set up some meetings."

"There's no need to trouble yourself, Ran; There can only be one Tatsumi, after all. No one else will ever come close."

"My humblest apologies." Esdeath walked ahead, "Argh! This complicates things; I knew she was sadistic and everything she's tasked with the minister's dirty work, but she's even more powerful and depraved than I imagined. It should prove rather entertaining to observe her up close for a little while."

She stopped again, "Why do I feel so anxious? Am I sensing that I'm about to see Tatsumi again? Or is it because...because the final battle against Night Raid is drawing near? But perhaps...it's something else, all together."

A mine in the vicinity of the capital:

Miners were digging for resources, when human-like danger beasts—a result of Dr. Stylish's many experiments—attacked, killed, and ate them. Their master was a hooded man, with a sinister grin. "Hehehehaha! Well now...It looks like I've found some interesting toys here!" He had—in his hand—any extremely powerful Support-Type Imperial Arms. "It's been a long time, capital. I'm going to have fun..."