Hey guys, I'm back with the next chapter of this story! I'm glad to see that you all seemed to enjoy the last chapter, which started the rebel final battle against the empire. We're getting very closer to the end of this story, with only about a volume and half left of material for me to cover. If I had to guess, there are likely less than five chapters left for this story. So, let's keep having fun with the last few chapters we have left!

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Well, that's all I wanted to say, so let's get to the fic!

"Speech"

"Thoughts"

Teigu

"Incursio"

Disclaimer: I don't own Akame ga Kill or any of its characters.

(Outside the Capital's Walls)

"That's it! Come at me with everything you've got!" Esdeath cheered, laughing gleefully as an ice spear materialized in her hand. Cocking her arm back, Esdeath hurled the spear with incredible force, striking three mercenaries simultaneously. Ducking down, Esdeath narrowly avoided a wild axe swing from a mercenary that had managed to get behind her. However, before Esdeath could kill her would-be attacker, the mercenary was shot clean in the head, a gunshot following a split second later. Looking up, Esdeath frowned when she spotted an Air Manta soar by overhead. "Stop stealing my kills you pink-haired brat!"

"Looks like that pissed her off..." Mine muttered as she chuckled under her breath, continuing to scan the battlefield through the scope of her rifle. Spotting a group of imperial soldiers trying to set up a cannon atop the capital's walls, Mine took aim and quickly dispatched them, killing them all before they even know what hit them. After taking a moment to reload, the pink-haired sniper began to search for more targets. Looking across the battlefield, she quirked an eyebrow when she spotted Tatsumi and the other members of Night Raid moving toward the western flank. "Looks like Tatsumi and the others are moving to meet those flanking enemies. I'll give them some fire support."

"There they are!" Tatsumi exclaimed, raising Neuntote and pointing toward a large force of mercenaries approaching their position. Tatsumi ran in front of Sayo and Cosmina, taking charge of their attack. "Let's meet them head-on! Sayo, you hang back and use your bow! You have Extase in case any enemies get in close!"

"Got it!" Sayo yelled as she came to a skidding stop, grabbing her bow off her back. Reaching into her fully-stocked quiver, Sayo readied an arrow and took aim. With expert precision, Sayo rapidly fired five arrows, all of them hitting their intended targets. However, Sayo cursed as she watched the wave of mercenaries trample over their fallen allies without a second thought. "Shit, there are hundreds of them! Are the three of us going to be enough!?"

"Cosmina! Stay close and support me!" Tatsumi roared, before ramming Neuntote through the stomachs of two mercenaries. Showcasing his impressive strength, Tatsumi lifted both mercenaries into the air, before slamming Neuntote into the ground. With a grunt, Tatsumi pulled his spear free, already moving onto his next target. "Make sure none of these bastards get the jump on me!"

"Already on it!" Cosmina cheered with a wink as she spotted four mercenaries running up behind Tatsumi. Raising Heavy Pressure to her lips, Cosmina let out a light yell. The teigu unleashed a series of devastating soundwaves that assaulted the mercenaries. Screaming in pain, the four mercenaries collapsed to the ground, all of their limbs mangled and bloodied. "Keep your filthy hands off my man!"

"RAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!" Tatsumi bellowed, slashing another two mercenaries with Neuntote, blood spraying from their gaping wounds. Holding out his hand, Tatsumi swapped out Neuntote with Doragon no Kokyū. Charging forward, Tatsumi lowered his shoulder and tackled a mercenary to the ground. Shoving his shotgun into the mercenary's stomach, Tatsumi pulled the trigger. With a shower of flames and blood, a massive hole was blown clean through the mercenary's chest. Whipping around to find his next target, Tatsumi was caught off guard when he spotted over a dozen mercenaries running toward him. "Shit! That's a lot of them!"

However, before Tatsumi could worry about handling the situation, the mercenaries were swiftly killed in a barrage of bullets, arrows, and soundwaves. With dull thuds, their tattered and mangled bodies fell to the ground in twitching heaps. Looking overhead, Tatsumi spotted Mine sitting atop an Air Manta, clutching his father's rifle and waving at him. Turning his attention back to the battlefield, Tatsumi saw that Cosmina and Sayo were both advancing forward to support him.

"Thanks for the assist!" Tatsumi exclaimed as he spun back around and took aim with his Doragon no Kokyū, unleashing a torrent of shots. It sounded as if a dragon was roaring as Tatsumi unleashed shot after shot, unleashing flaming blasts of flechettes. "We need to keep pushing and take some pressure off Esdeath! She may be crazy strong, but she's still only one person!"

"Don't worry, Tatsumi, we've got your back!" Sayo yelled over the booming battlefield, grabbing three arrows from her quiver and nocked all of them simultaneously. Firing all three arrows at once, Sayo hit three different mercenaries. "Keep pushing forward!"

"You three!" Najenda called out as she rode up on a horse behind her subordinates. "Don't go too far ahead! We're bringing up a battering ram to knock down the northern gate! Make sure it gets there!"

"Got it, boss!" Cosmina cheered with a smirk, before unleashing a powerful soundwave that blasted away a group of mercenaries. "Tatsumi and I will clear a path!"

"Sayo! Cosmina! Form up on me! We need to push our way through these bastards!" Tatsumi exclaimed as he unleashed a barrage of shots from his Doragon no Kokyū, the sounds of screaming mercenaries filling the air as they were set ablaze. "We can do this!"

"Looks like it's time to put the arrows away and get my hands dirty." Sayo said, strapping her bow onto her back as she pulled out Extase. Letting out a ferocious yell, Sayo charged toward the nearest mercenary, slicing him vertically with the scissor-shaped teigu. Unleashing a torrent of blood, the mercenary collapsed to the ground in two separate pieces. Hearing another mercenary running up behind her, Sayo whipped around and lashed out with her mechanical leg. Her metallic foot kicked clean through the mercenary's chest. Pulling her bloodied foot free, Sayo kicked the mercenary once again, sending him flying backward. "There may be a lot of these guys, but they're pretty much pushovers."

"Hey, I'm not complaining." Cosmina said before she belted out another barrage of soundwaves, taking out several mercenaries. "The sooner we're done with the battle, the better!"

"Keep it up guys, they're starting to thin out!" Tatsumi announced, hitting a mercenary in the jaw with the butt of his shotgun, stunning the hired soldier. Taking aim, Tatsumi blew the mercenary's head off in a fiery spray of blood. Scanning the area, Tatsumi spotted the battering starting to advance toward their position. However, he also noticed a group of several mercenaries charging toward the rebel soldiers moving the ram. Tossing the Doragon no Kokyū up into the air, Tatsumi swapped it out for his Akuma Raifuru. Taking aim with the monstrous, demonic rifle, Tatsumi let loose several shots, their deafening bangs reverberating through the battlefield. The javelins Tatsumi's weapon fired hit their mark, impaling each of the mercenaries. Crouching down, Tatsumi lept toward the rebel soldiers, helping them push the battering ram. "Let's go! We need to get this thing moving before more of them show up!"

With Tatsumi's assistance, the battering ram began to move at a more brisk pace, drawing closer to the northern gate. While Tatsumi helped pushed the battering ram, Sayo and Cosmina continued to keep any approaching mercenaries off them, with Mine still soaring overhead and providing overwatch. In only a couple minutes, Tatsumi and rebel soldiers managed to reach the northern gates. Once the battering ram was in place and set up, it only took a few solid strikes before it completely demolished the gates.

"Oh shit!" Shizuka exclaimed as she watched the northern gates come crashing down, and a legion of rebel soldiers began to flood into the capital. "They've breached the northern gates! Esdeath is fighting our forces in the south, but it won't be long before she pushes through as well...even with the reinforcements the minister hired, we're still completely outnumbered and surrounded." Looking down into the streets below, Suzuka watched as rebel forces began to clash with the remaining imperial guards, with the rebels quickly overwhelming the imperial soldiers with their sheer numbers. "Damn it...the imperial guards are being slaughtered...I should report this to-"

Suzuka stopped mid-sentence when her breath suddenly hitched. Turning her attention back to the battlefield outside the capital's walls, Suzuka spotted an armor-clad rebel soldier killing swathes of mercenaries. Her face flushed bright red as her entire body started to heat up. After such a long time, Suzuka could possibly meet the man she had been dreaming of reuniting with.

"Tatsumi..." Suzuka thought, biting her bottom lip as she felt a pleasurable chill run through her body. "I finally get to see you again. And Esdeath is here as well, this is like a dream come true." Suzuka shuttered as she watched Tatsumi kill one of the mercenaries with his bare hands, snapping the man's neck. "I can't let this opportunity slip by...I have to meet him again!"

(Same Time: Within the Palace's Courtyard)

"WAAAAH!" Koukei screamed in a panic as he cowered on the ground, tears streaming down his cheeks. Right beside Koukei was Dousen, who was also paralyzed in fear. In front of Koukei and Dousen were two heavily armored imperial guards, ready to defend them. "Akame is here! What the hell is the enemy doing here!? I thought our defenses were impenetrable!?"

As Akame and Leone stared down their next targets, they were alerted to a newcomer walking into the courtyard. From a darkened hallway emerged a menacing figure wearing a plague doctor mask and cloak.

"You managed to slip past my traps. I'm impressed you two made it this far..." The cloaked figure said, staring directly at Akame as he walked protectively in front of Koukei. Holding out his arm, a large blade emerged from a gauntlet on the newcomer's arm. "Akame...you loathsome traitor. I'll slice you to bits and feed you to the danger beasts."

"We really lucked out." Leone said with a smirk as she glanced over at Akame. "Our next two targets were in the same place."

"This guy guarding them must be a teigu user specializing in protecting the palace." Akame said, her eyes narrowing slightly as she glared at the masked man. "We'll need to be careful."

"Koukei-sama! Dousen-sama! Find shelter back inside the palace!" One of the armored palace guards said as they began to usher Night Raid's final targets out of the courtyard.

"Leone, you go after our two targets!" Akame exclaimed as she charged toward the masked teigu user. "I'll handle the new guy!"

"On it!" Leone yelled, getting down onto all-fours before she launched herself toward their escaping targets. "You bastards aren't getting away!"

"Your positioning is just fantastic..." The masked man said when he noticed Leone enter the center of the courtyard. After dodging a slash from Murasame, the masked guard pressed a button on his gauntlet. "Let's see how you like a taste of my teigu."

Still mid-air, Leone's eyes widened in shock when she noticed dozens of large, metallic pellets burst out of the ground all around her. Before the blonde assassin could even react, the pellets shot toward her at an incredible speed. Unable to dodge, Leone howled in pain as she was bombarded by the pellets, most of them piercing her skin like bullets. The force behind the flying pellets sent Leone flying backward, crashing through a wall.

"Heh, that's one-" The masked guard was cut off by another attack from Akame. Unable the dodge this time, the masked guard raised his gauntlet and blocked Akame's slash. While it may not have cut him, the force behind the attack still made him wince in pain. However, Akame wasn't finished. Using her incredible speed, Akame began to unleash a flurry of attacks, forcing the masked guard to retreat and continue to block. "I didn't the rebel army had soldiers of this caliber. Akame...she's even deadlier than the rumors suggested." Leaping back again, the masked guard took notice of Akame's position. "That's it...just a bit closer."

Once Akame had taken a few more steps, the masked guard pressed a different button on his gauntlet. Having seen that the masked guard's teigu used traps, Akame prepared herself for anything. Then, in the blink of an idea, rows of spears sprang out of the ground all around Akame. However, with her seemingly inhuman flexibility and reaction time, Akame managed to avoid all of the spears, deftly dodging in between all of them. Once she was free of the spiked obstacle course, Akame let out a steady exhale as she stared down her target.

"So...you managed to avoid all of them..." The masked teigu user said, pointing at Akame. "Even without your teigu...you're quite strong. You have experience fighting battles on enemy territory littered with traps."

"Leone!" Akame exclaimed as she glanced in the direction the blonde assassin had been flung. "Are you okay?!"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. I managed to recover." Leone replied, coughing several times as she waved some dust and debris out of her face. Once she had hopped back into the courtyard, Leone growled and turned toward the direction their targets had fled. "Those bastards won't get away!"

"If she's just starting her pursuit now, then those two are probably in hiding by now..." The masked teigu user thought as he watched Leone run off after her targets. Turning slightly, the masked teigu user focused on Akame once again. "The main threat here is Akame...it'll be dangerous to take her on by myself." Raising his arm, the masked teigu pressed another button on his gauntlet. "It's a good thing the VIPs have left the courtyard."

Raising his arm, the masked teigu user pressed a new button on his gauntlet. Instantly, panels all across the courtyard's walls opened, unleashing a hailstorm of arrows aimed at Akame. Spinning in place, Akame slashed all of the arrows, cutting them all to pieces. The masked teigu user let out a low, impressed whistle, noticing that Akame had barely broken a sweat, a menacing aura radiating off her body.

"So...that's the infamous Murasame..." The masked teigu user said, his finger hovering over another button on his teigu. He felt a chill as he stared at Akame's blade, feeling the bloodlust radiating off it. "The rumors didn't do it justice...what an ominous sword. Even from here, I can tell even a nick from that blade will kill me." Fiddling with his gauntlet, the masked teigu user began to slowly walk toward Akame. "You're an assassin with a near-legendary reputation for killing her targets with a single stroke. I figured you'd use some strange fighting style, but your swordsmanship is quite proper."

"I haven't had Murasame for that long." Akame said as he raised her teigu, sliding into a fighting stance. "Up until I got it, I fought my battles like anyone else would. Proper swordsmanship is all I know."

"I know she's lying. Proper swordsmanship is simply easier for battle." The masked teigu user thought, his eyes narrowing slightly as he glared at Akame. "When it comes down to the wire, I'm sure she'll switch over to a more eccentric sword technique. She's the type to weave lies into her words for a more efficient kill. I see through your bluff, Akame."

"This guy..." Akame thought as her grip on Murasame's hilt tightened. "Why isn't he attacking?"

"I see...you're just very capable then...how formidable! But!" The masked teigu user exclaimed as he cocked his head slightly, continuing to fiddle with his gauntlet. "Even you can't defeat the minister now that he has that teigu, can you? As a reward for making it this far, I'll give you some advice."

"I knew it." Akame thought, taking a deep breath before charging toward the masked teigu user. Gasping in surprise, the masked man lept back and raised his gauntlet to block a slash from Murasame. Spinning on her heel, Akame hit the masked man in the stomach with a powerful kick. As the masked man hunched over in pain, Akame rushed forward and slashed him across the chest with Murasame. "Rest in pieces." With a flick of her wrist, Akame flung the blood off Murasame and sheathed her blade. "You kept blabbering on to buy yourself time as you prepped your traps. Your bait was far too obvious. And even if the minister had some secret teigu...I highly doubt he'd share that information with anybody."

"She was right about everything..." The masked teigu user thought as he collapsed to the ground, gasping in pain as Murasame's poison flooded his body. In mere seconds, Murasame's ruins had spread across most of the masked man's body, his vision starting to fade. "She saw right through me..."

"I need to hurry and catch up with Leone." Akame muttered, sprinting after her busty blonde comrade. Entering the palace once again, Akame quickly dashed through the halls, trying to pick up Leone's trail. However, it wasn't particularly hard to find as Akame just followed a trail of dead guards. Nearing another corner, Akame's blood-red eyes lit up when she finally spotted Leone. "I finally caught up with you! Are you okay, Leone!?"

"Oh, Akame! Me? Yeah, I'm totally fine! Seems like you finished off your target too!" Leone said with a grin as let out a low grunt, dragging something around the corner with her. With a huff, Leone tossed two bloody and mutilated bodies to the ground. The bodies' faces were so brutalized that Akame couldn't tell who they were. Exhaling through her nose, Leone smirked and crossed her arms underneath her bountiful chest. "These two are our targets that tried to run away. I took real good care of them."

"They were trying to hide right?" Akame asked, cocking her head slightly as she gazed at the mangled corpses. "Nice job finding them."

"Well, it wasn't too hard. I caught these two cowards trying to escape into a panic room." Leone said as she nudged one of the bodies with her foot. "These two were rotten down to their very souls, so they gave off a wicked scent. I found them pretty easily."

"I never doubted you, Leone." Akame said, brushing past the two bodies and continuing down the hall. "Now, let's keep going."

"Right!" Leone exclaimed with a toothy grin as she punched her fists together. "Just two more left."

(Back Outside the Capital's Walls)

"I need more power!" Tatsumi thought, letting out a fierce roar as he speared through four mercenaries with Neuntote. With a grunt, Tatsumi pulled his spear free, the four mercenaries collapsing to the ground in bloody heaps. Whipping around to find his next targets, Tatsumi's eyes widened when he spotted a group of mercenaries sneaking up behind Sayo. "I need more speed!"

Crouching down slightly, Tatsumi launched forward, the ground where he had just been standing partially caving in. Almost instantly, Tatsumi had covered almost fifty yards, cutting the mercenaries who were sneaking up on Sayo to pieces. Hearing the commotion, Sayo spun around and was shocked to see Tatsumi standing in the center of almost a dozen dead mercenaries less than ten feet away. Panting heavily, Tatsumi collapsed down onto one knee, clutching his chest as steam poured off his armor.

"Tatsumi!" Sayo yelled as she rushed over and kneeled down next to her best friend. "Are you okay?!"

"I-I'm...I'm fine..." Tatsumi replied, taking several deep breaths as he struggled to catch his breath. "I just need a minute..."

"Please don't push yourself, partner. You're only making your condition even worse when you force out more of my power."

"I hate to rush you, Tatsumi..." Cosmina said as she stood beside Tatsumi, pointing toward a large group of mercenaries approaching them. "But I don't think we have a minute."

"Don't worry...I can...keep going..." Tatsumi grunted, trying to stand back up, but he quickly fell back down onto his knees. However, before the mercenaries got too close, a series of gongs began to ring out. The mercenaries began to mutter and grumble amongst themselves before they began to retreat back within the capital's walls. "What the hell? Why are they falling back?"

"Tatsumi!? Are you okay?!" Najenda exclaimed as she rode up next to her subordinates on a horse. "You've really been going all out."

"I'll manage..." Tatsumi replied, using Neuntote to support himself. "These guys aren't that strong, but there's just so damn many of them. How's Esdeath doing?"

"Oh...uh...she's doing just fine...but, I think she's getting a little too into it. She's absolutely slaughtering those mercenaries...I almost feel bad for them." Najenda replied as she rubbed the back of her head. "You three have done an excellent job. Because of your backup, we managed to tear down the northern gate and get our forces inside the city."

"We're finally doing it..." Tatsumi said with a small smile, another burst of steam emanating from Incursio's armor. "Putting my life on the line was worth it..."

"Tatsumi..." Cosmina muttered in a concerned tone as she gazed at her lover. "Are you really sure you can keep Incursio on?"

"Yeah..." Tatsumi replied, reaching up and gripping his armored shoulder, almost as if he were hugging himself. "If I'm being honest...it feels better keeping it on."

"This isn't good..." Sayo thought as she reached over and gently gripped Tatsumi's arm. "This is a sign of how much he's fused with Incursio. I know Incursio said that he's looking for a way to undo the fusion, but I can't help but worry."

"The longer this fight drags on, I can feel my body getting more and more worn out." Tatsumi said, staring down at his hand as he clenched and unclenched his fist several times. "But it will all be worth it once we're in an age of peace...I won't have to fight anymore...I'll be able to travel the world...with the people I love most." With a grunt, Tatsumi slowly got back onto his feet. "So, as long as I have the strength to protect my loved ones...that's more than enough for me." With a bright smile, Tatsumi turned to face his friends. "Today...I'm going to fight until we let out cries of victory."

"Telling him to not push himself is pointless. My partner always gave his all to protect his loved ones, in this timeline, and in the one I originally came from. It's the thing I've admired the most about him...seeing that blazing fire burn passionately in his heart. I ensure you partner, I will give you all of my support and make sure we win this final battle. We will all let out a victory cry, together."

"Rest assured, this battle is all but over." Najenda said as she gazed at the plumes of black smoke billowing out of the capital. "Even if they pull back to defend the capital, it's too-" Najenda was cut off when the ground beneath began to rumble and quake. "W-What the hell is happening?"

"Hey! What's that!?" A rebel soldier exclaimed, pointing toward the capital. "Something feels wrong!"

Everyone turned their attention back toward the capital, and what they saw caused all of their eyes to widen in shock. Within the black smoke, a towering figure could be seen. Then, with a powerful gust of wind, the smoke was blown away, revealing a gigantic mechanical figure that loomed over the entire capital. All of the rebel soldiers gasped in fear, feeling chills run down their spines.

"What...the hell is that?" Najenda breathed out, her one good eye wide open in disbelief. Suddenly, a plate on the mechanical figure's chest moved, revealing a large orb. Seconds later, the orb began to glow brightly as it seemingly gathered energy. Then, the mechanical monster fired a monumental beam of energy from the orb on its chest. The beam hit a large section of the rebel army, killing thousands of rebel soldiers instantly, and reducing them to nothing but bones and ash. "My god..."

"PFFFFT! BWAHAHAHAHAHA! This is simply amazing!" Honest laughed heartily as he gazed at the sheer destruction the supreme teigu, aka National Defense Machine God: Qin Shi Huangzer, had caused with a single attack. "It just melted thousands of enemies in one blow! Did you see that!? Behold you rebel worms! This is the ace up the empire's sleeve! The pinnacle from the start...the supreme teigu! Even if you have Esdeath on your side, you won't be able to stand against us!"

From within the supreme teigu's head, the emperor floated within a bubble, wielding his staff as he commanded the monstrous teigu. With a wave of his staff, the armor on the supreme teigu's shoulders moved, revealing hundreds of missile pods. With a cacophony of thunderous bangs echoed out, hundreds of missiles flew out, raining down on the rebel army's forces. A massive portion of the battlefield was covered in explosions as swathes of rebels were obliterated.

"A general commands their soldiers to clash with the enemy and put the fate of the country on the line." Honest said, sitting and eating a large chunk of meat as he used a pair of binoculars to watch the devastation before him unfold. "But, that style of warfare is so outdated. This is how I fight a war! You just sit back somewhere safe and deliver the commands to fire from here! OH HOH! We can kill tons of people this way! We've probably killed nearly 10,000 of them already! This strategy just makes so much more sense! But...but...I must admit...the way we're blowing away so much of the rebel army..." An evil smile spread across Honest's face as he let out a bellowing laugh. "I just can't stop laughing! It's positively unfair!"

Down on the battlefield, Tatsumi witnessed firsthand the pure, unbridled carnage the supreme teigu had caused. He listened to the screams of cries of his fellow soldiers as they lay injured and dying on the battlefield. He witnessed the uninjured rebels trying to move their mutilated and bloodied comrades, most of them barely clinging to life. As Tatsumi gazed out at the utter waste of life, he felt a pure, raging fury bubble up inside him. Tightly balling his fists, Tatsumi grabbed Neuntote, a menacing aura of bloodlust radiating off his body.

"Incursio..." Tatsumi growled as he glared fiercely at the supreme teigu, gritting his teeth in frustration. "It's time to get back to work."

(Same Time: Within the Imperial Palace)

"That thing is seriously bad fucking news!" Leone exclaimed, gazing at the supreme teigu in shock as she watched it unleash another attack. "It's too damn big!"

"I hope everyone in Night Raid is safe..." Akame said as she tightly gripped Murasame's hilt. After taking a deep breath to calm herself, Akame took off running. "We can worry about that thing later! Finishing our mission takes priority! And if we kill our targets, it may be linked to stopping that thing!"

"Hold on, Akame!" Leone exclaimed, quickly following after her fellow assassin. "Where do you think that slimy bastard Saikyuu is hiding?"

"I'm pretty sure he's downstairs." Akame said as she came to a skidding stop in front of a large stairwell. "He's the one who devised the assassination units. I have a hunch about what he's up to."

"I see..." Leone muttered, turning her gaze toward the stairs leading up to the upper floors. Sniffing the air several times, Leone's nose wrinkled as she visibly looked nauseated. "I'm picking up a revolting scent coming from upstairs. It's probably the minister."

"We need to make sure that we complete our mission and kill our targets..." Akame said as she locked eyes with Leone. "We were told not to split up, but..."

"If we split up here we can kill our last two targets quicker..." Leone finished, keeping Akame's gaze for several moments before both assassins nodded at each other. Without another word, Akame began to sprint downstairs and Leone went upstairs. "We'll each get one kill, Akame!"

"Understood!" Akame exclaimed as lept down the last few steps, landing on the lower floor. "We'll complete our mission no matter what!"

(Back on the Battlefield Outside the Capital's Walls)

"What the hell is it this time!?" A rebel soldier screamed in terror, watching as the supreme teigu unleashed a barrage of unknown projectiles from its shoulders. The projectiles flew high into the air, nearly blocking out the Sun before they began to descend toward the battlefield. All of the rebels within the line of fire began to flee and panic, desperately trying to save themselves. "Move now! Something is falling down!"

However, seconds before the projectiles could land, several massive walls of ice erupted out of the ground. Explosions rang out as the projectiles slammed into the ice walls. The rebel soldiers breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that they were safe for now. But what shocked them the most was the person who had come to their aid.

"Everyone, get out of here! Fall back! Before that thing attacks again!" Esdeath ordered as she helped a terrified rebel soldier back onto his feet. Slamming her palms onto the ground, Esdeath grunted as she created several dozen ice soldiers. "Help move the wounded! Keep our soldiers safe!"

"T-Thank you..." The rebel soldier Esdeath had helped said, putting pressure on his bleeding arm. Starting to jog away from the frontline, the rebel briefly stopped and looked back at Esdeath. "I thought you were pure evil...I was wrong...you're actually-"

"Don't you dare say that I'm a good person because I most certainly am not." Esdeath said, adjusting her cap as she turned her back to the rebel soldier. "Now get out of here and find a medic, you'll bleed out soon without proper treatment."

"Thanks for the assist, Esdeath. You saved a lot of our men." Najenda said as she rode up on her horse, watching their beaten and battered forces try to reorganize. Esdeath said nothing, simply nodding her head a small smile on her face. Taking a deep breath, Najenda began to address her troops. "Stand steady! If we falter now, it's all over! We can overcome this!" Looking back at the capital, Najenda's one good eye narrowed when she spotted the supreme teigu towering over them. "I can't believe they were hiding an ace like this up their sleeve. They exceeded my expectations by a long shot...I see why those mercenaries and the imperial army pulled back, they would have been wiped out too."

"Hey, Najenda..." Esdeath said, gazing at the supreme teigu as well, a worried look in her eyes. "Do you know where Tatsumi is?"

"No, but I think we both have a pretty good idea..." Najenda said as she tightly gripped her horse's reins. "He's going after that weapon of mass destruction."

(Within the Capital)

"I came to the capital...lost Ieyasu...and almost lost Sayo too. I experienced firsthand the dark, twisted side of the empire. And I met a team...the people I cherish the most." Tatsumi thought, sprinting across the rooftops of the capital at an incredible speed as he made a beeline toward the supreme teigu. "So much time has passed since then. I've fought this whole time, believing that this country could change. I've lost friends...and drenched my hands in blood. But with this final battle, we're just one step away." Remembering the horrifying and disfigured remains of the rebels who had been hit by the supreme teigus attacks, Tatsumi snarled and grit his teeth in frustration. "That's no way for people to die!"

"Your highness!" Honest called out, leaning against a railing as he stood atop the palace's roof. "How does it feel!?"

"I'm good." The emperor said as he continued to man the supreme teigu, preparing to launch his next attack. "I'm having no trouble controlling it! Are my rear and the palace getting enough protection?"

"Don't you worry!" Honest replied, chuckling to himself as he stroked his beard. "I have the bulk of our forces assigned to that!"

"That's a relief." The emperor said as he took aim at another group of rebel soldiers, watching them attempt to retreat. "Now I can focus entirely on offense." Maneuvering his staff, the emperor frowned when spotted walls of ice stopping his bombardments from hitting his targets. "It's frustrating with that traitor Esdeath protecting those rebels. But I need to be careful not to hit my allies, so I can't go all out. Perhaps I should shift my aim and try to go for the enemy's commander. They seem to be moving him around constantly, so I can't get a lock on his position."

"Why is the emperor delaying? He should be unleashing hellfire! He's being too careful!" Honest thought, gritting his teeth in frustration as he tightly gripped the railing he was leaning against. "Your Highness! Just whittle away at the enemy! Please keep firing at will!"

"All right..." The emperor said as he waved his staff, preparing to launch a new attack. "I don't even think Esdeath will be able to stop-" The emperor was cut off"Yo when alarms began to blare around him as a lone figure appeared in the air above him. "What the?!"

"You're not firing anymore!" Tatsumi roared, Neuntote firmly in his grasp as he launched himself toward the supreme teigu. "We need to put a stop to this monster!"

"He's flinging himself at the emperor by himself?" Honest muttered before he laughed heartily, watching as Tatsumi drew closer to the supreme teigu. "What an idiot!"

As Tatsumi neared the supreme teigu, he saw that the orb on its chest began to glow as it began to gather energy. Seconds later, it fired a large ball of energy at Tatsumi. However, Tatsumi was undeterred, not straying from his path.

"I'm ready, partner! You have my full support!"

"Let's do this, partner!" Tatsumi roared as he met the orb of energy head-on with Neuntote. "This is..." Letting out a defiant yell, Tatsumi shocked the young emperor by flinging the ball of energy into the air, where it exploded with a blinding flash of light. "Nothing!"

"Impossible!" The emperor shouted, tightly balling his fists as he glared at Tatsumi. With a quick flick of his staff, the emperor tried to swat Tatsumi out of the air. "Why you!" However, Tatsumi easily avoided the slow, lumbering attack, landing atop the supreme teigu's arm. With a burst of speed, Tatsumi sprinted up the mecha's arm, toward the control center in its head. "Who are you!?"

"We're Night Raid!" Tatsumi roared as he leaped into the air, cocking his arm back and clenching his fist. With a thunderous crack, Tatsum's fist slammed into the supreme teigu's head, denting and cracking its armor with his bare hands. The tremendous force behind Tatsumi's punch reverberated throughout the supreme teigu, causing it to stumble backward. "And we're going to stop you!"

"What the!?" The emperor exclaimed in shock, completely stunned that a single managed to make the supreme teigu falter. With a grunt, the emperor managed to get the supreme teigu back under control, but not before crushing several buildings under its massive feet. With a snarl rumbling in his throat, the emperor turned to face Tatsumi. "The supreme teigu would never waver from one small fist!"

"Did you all see that!?" Najenda announced to her troops as she pointed at the supreme teigu, watching it reel back from another one of Tatsumi's attacks. "We can fight that weapon! We can beat it! If we run away in fear, we'll be doing exactly what the minister wants! We've come this far! This final battle is ours to win!" The rebel soldiers let out a roar of approval as they pumped their fists into the air, Najenda's speech reinvigorating their fight spirit. "Now, let's keep pushing forward!"

"That's my Tatsumi. Instead of running away from that monstrous firepower, you rose up and faced it head-on." Esdeath thought with a small smirk, watching as her lover continued to brawl against the supreme teigu. "It's thanks to your display of courage that our troops have found their will to fight once again. And now that the enemy's forces have pulled back, I can come help you, my love!"

"Damn it!" Honest thought as he grit his teeth in frustration, smashing a cup of tea he had been drinking. "Your Highness! How can you be struggling against a puny worm like that!? Hurry up and use your imperial beam to blow him away!" Lowering his head, Honest began to pant lightly. "Still, this is no time to be sitting comfy. The way the emperor has been fighting, it's possible he'll be forced to surrender before he can even fire his weapon...we'd better use Qin Shi Huangzer's secret weapon!" Suddenly, Honest was pulled from his thoughts when he heard a loud thud come from behind him. "What was that?"

"And now..." Leone said, standing over an imperial guard who had been beaten to a bloody pulp. "There's nobody left to protect you."

"A-A-Assassin!? How the hell did you manage to make it up here!?" Honest exclaimed in a panic as he stumbled backward, leaning against the railing behind him. "That means everyone besides Saikyuu has been killed!"

"Oh, how I've been waiting for this moment. Dreamed about it so many times." Leone said, bending down and picking up the dead guard's spear. Tightly clenching her fist, Leone cocked her arm back and hurled the spear at Honest at an incredible speed. "You will pay for your crimes, minister!"

"HYAAAAAAA! I'M SCAAAAAARED!" Honest screamed in terror before he shocked Leone by snatching the spear out of the air, inches before it slammed into his chest. "Ah, that was close."

"W-What the fuck!?" Leone exclaimed, her eyes widening in surprise as she watched Honest examine the spear. "There's no way!"

"Mmmmm, I was starting to get a pit peckish..." Honest said as he gazed at the spear hungrily, drool dripping down his chin. Leone watched in disgusted horror as Honest's mouth opened to inhuman degrees, before snapping the spear in two with his bare hands and shoving down his gullet. "Thanks for the grub!"

"I should have known...this snake has some kind of teigu!" Leone thought, gritting her teeth and tightly balling her fists. "I need to be on guard now."

"That really was quite unfulfilling..." Honest said as he pulled out a handkerchief and wiped his mouth. After tucking the cloth back into his pocket, Honest gazed at Leone with a wild and twisted look in his eyes, drool once again pouring from his mouth. "Now, I'm going to have to eat you to cleanse my palate. Young ladies really are so very tasty."

"Sorry, but the only one who will be eating is me..." Leone said, sliding into a fighting stance as she cracked her knuckles. "You're going down!"

"It was quite a long time ago...it was one of my men who advocated for the establishment of the assassination unit." Honest said as he tore off his jacket, revealing a set of surprisingly muscular arms. "I'm impressed you took advantage of the chaos to come here all alone. You, killers, are such a handful. I should have put Suzuka on guard duty."

"That's where you're wrong...I'm not here all alone." Leone said, before taking a deep breath to steel her nerves. "I'm here on behalf of everyone fighting to free this country from your evil!" Digging her feet into the ground, Leone launched herself toward the minister. "And it's for them that I'm gonna rip your fucking heart out!"

"Is that so?" Honest asked rhetorically as he raised an arm, shocking the busty blonde assassin when he blocked a devastating kick with ease. "Then I'll tear out your heart and eat it right before your eyes!"

A feral growl rumbled in Leone's throat as she spun away from the minister, before leaping back in and unleashing a flurry of powerful attacks. But, just like the previous kick, Honest effortlessly blocked or deflected every single attack. With every failed strike, Leone grew angrier as she began to get sloppy with her movements, trying to put more power behind every attack. After a particularly long wind-up, Leone was caught off guard when the minister dodged her attack instead of blocking. Skidding backward, the minister balled his fists and cocked his arms back.

"Temple of the Imperial Fist: Hundred Cutting Fists!" Leone was now on the defensive as Honest unleashed a blistering barrage of punches. Each strike was so quick and powerful that Leone couldn't possibly hope to avoid them all. Dozens of hits managed to connect, battering and bruising Leone's body. A particularly nasty punch to the jaw sent the blonde assassin crashing to the ground, blood spraying from her mouth.

"Your teigu is Lionel. It turns you into a beast." Honest said with a smug smirk, resting his hands on his hips. "Your wild instincts may have alerted you to our traps...but you still have a lot to learn in the ways of war. "

"What the hell..." Leone thought as she grit her teeth, struggling to get back onto her feet. An intense pain shot through her body every time she tried to move. "Is this guy just naturally this strong?"

"I see my physical strength caught you off guard..." Honest said, stroking his beard as looked down at Leone. "If one wishes to enjoy a long life, they'll need a strong body. I trained hard when I was younger." Licking his lips, Honest began to approach the busty blonde assassin. "And all that hard work made me pretty tough. Even if I eat a ton of rich foods, my body stays healthy and sound." Honest crouched down next to Leone, reaching toward her plump ass with a sick look in his eyes. "You also look like a tasty cut of meat."

"No one other than Tatsumi lays a hand on my ass!" Leone snared as she suddenly lashed out with her foot, hitting Honest in the stomach with an extremely powerful kick. Honest was sent skidding back several feet, all the air knocked from his lungs as blood dribbled out of his mouth. "Heh. Looks like you didn't know about Lionel's trump card: Instant Recovery."

"Ugh...you bitch..." Honest gasped, gripping his stomach as he coughed up another mouthful of blood. "How mean. Kicking me in the stomach like that."

"It's time for you to die!" Leone exclaimed as she rushed toward Honest, baring her razor-sharp claws. "Minister Honest!"

"I think I'll pass. You're within my range now." Honest said, the gem-like object on his forehead opening up. "It's over for you now assassin."

A split second later, the gem released a blinding flash of light and a burst of energy. Leone gasped as Lionel suddenly cracked, the teigu crumbling to pieces. Before Leone could truly process what was happening, a gunshot rang out. With a pained grunt, Leone fell onto her knees, blood pouring from a bullethole on her stomach. Wincing in pain, Leone raised her head and spotted Honest aiming a revolver at her.

"That's what you get for kicking me in the gut." Honest spat as he took a few laborious breaths, wiping the blood from his lips. "My dream is to live until at least 130 years old, eating all the finest food in the world and sleeping with beautiful women, killing anything I don't like. And my body is crucial for that. So, I get quite upset when it's attacked."

"Fuck...you..." Leone struggled to say, pressing a hand against her wound in an attempt to put some pressure on it. "Even if it's not me...you'll die here today..."

"Good grief, even as you're dying you continue to be so rebellious." Honest said as he released a heavy sigh, lowering his gun. "You even made me use the teigu I had been saving so carefully. Erastone is a teigu that destroys an opponent's teigu. It takes about a week for these crystals to regenerate and I can't use them during that time. So, in the end, I needed to rely on my handgun. Damn, I really hate fighting."

"Minister Honest!" A new voice suddenly called out. Turning around, both Honest and Leone were surprised to see that a heavily armored imperial guard had arrived. "I've finally found you."

"Oh come on!" Leone thought as she grit her teeth in frustration, feeling tears sting her eyes. "This isn't fair! First, he has that cheap teigu hidden up his sleeve, and now he has backup!? No...this can't be where it ends! I can't die here! Tatsumi will be heartbroken..."

"Oh my...I thought she had killed all of you on the way up here. But, I'm glad you've shown up." Honest said, breathing a sigh of relief as he turned back to face Leone. "I need to make my escape. So, why don't you finish this gutter rat off and I'll-"

Honest stopped mid-sentence when he suddenly felt some sharp prick in the back of his neck. Instantly, Honest collapsed to the ground, still able to hear and see, but unable to move any part of his body. As Honest lay motionless on the ground, the imperial guard who had randomly appeared walked in front of him. Then, Honest watched in shock as the soldier disappeared in a poof of smoke. In the soldier's place stood a young, auburn-haired girl with a sucker sticking out of her mouth.

"C-Chelsea!?" Leone gasped as a beaming smile spread across her face, a few tears falling down her cheeks. "What are you doing here?!"

"I couldn't just sit in HQ while you all were out here fighting. I just got this itch that something bad was going to happen, so I said screw the boss' orders and made my way here to help you and Akame. With Gaia Foundation it was pretty easy to slip past the guards and mercenaries." Chelsea explained, crouching down next to Leone and opening her teigu. Pulling out some medical supplies, Chelsea began to patch up Leone's injuries, which thankfully weren't life-threatening. Once Chelsea was sure Leone was stable, she made her way back over to Honest. Kneeling down, Chelsea pulled out a senbon needle and showed it to Honest. "You see this senbon? If I had stabbed this into your neck just a few millimeters to the left or right, you would be dead right now. But, instead, I simply paralyzed you, because you don't deserve such a quick and painless death." Standing back up, Chelsea stepped aside, revealing that Leone was back on her feet, her golden eyes blazing with bitter hatred. "No, she's going to be the one who kills you...and she's going make sure it fucking hurts. Because even though you're paralyzed, you can still feel every little thing that's going to happen to you."

"I guess you didn't expect this gutter rat to have friends..." Leone said, bending down and grabbing ahold of Honest's shirt. With a grunt, Leone hauled Honest's paralyzed body across the roof, before tossing it against the railing he had been leaning against earlier. After taking a moment to prop Honest upright, Leone crouched down in front of him. Reaching out, Leone grabbed Honest's right hand and lifted it up. Singling out Honest's index finger, Leone held it tightly in her grasp. "You said that you hate when your body is attacked, right? Well, I feel the same way. So, I don't particularly appreciate BEING FUCKING SHOT!"

With a sickening snap, Leone broke Honest's finger. Despite being unable to scream, the immense pain he was feeling was evident in Honest's eyes. Without any hesitation, Leone moved to the next finger and broke it as well. Before moving to the next finger. Then, the next. And then the next. Once all the fingers on Honest's right hand had been broken, Leone moved to the left and repeated the agonizingly slow process. Tears were now streaming down Honest's face as Leone released his broke, bloodied, and discolored hands. However, she wasn't finished yet, far from it.

Removing Honest's shoes and socks, Leone broke all of his toes next. Then, she moved on to breaking both of his arms and legs, leaving his body a mangled and battered mess. Now finished with Honest's limbs, Leone gripped his lower jaw, which he loved to shovel food through. With one powerful push and a grotesque snapping sound, Leone had completely destroyed Honest's jaw, which was now loosely hanging out of place. By now, Honest was barely conscious, overwhelming and constant pain causing him to go into shock. Seeing that Honest was on the verge of passing out, Leone roughly slapped him across the face, causing his eyes to snap back open.

"Well, I think it's about time we finished this..." Leone said as she placed a hand over Honest's chest, feeling his heart thundering. "I believe I promised that I'd rip your heart out." Honest's breath quickened as he watched Leone cock her arm back, his heart beating even faster. Then, with one violent thrust, Leone slammed her hand into Honest's chest, quickly finding what she was looking for. Gripping the beating organ, Leone quickly yanked her hand back, pulling Honest's heart clean out of his chest. Honest watched as Leone held his still-beating heart in her hand, seeing it continue to spurt blood with every pump. Gazing at Honest's huge heart, Leone scowled. "What a fat, ugly-looking thing."

Clenching her fist, Leone completely crushed Honest's heart, causing a small burst of blood. With a disgusted look, Leone dropped the destroyed organ at Honest's feet. After such violent and traumatic injuries, Honest didn't survive much longer. After a few more gasping breaths, the minister stopped breathing entirely, finally succumbing to his injuries.

"God damn, Leone..." Chelsea breathed out as she gazed down at Honest's mangled body, blood now pooling around him. "Well, at least this pig fuck is finally dead."

"The fucker deserved to suffer even more." Leone spat, leaning against the railing and watching Tatsumi continue to face off against the supreme teigu. "But you're right...he's dead...and that matters more than anything."

"So, what do we do now?" Chelsea asked as she stood next to Leone, watching the battle before her in a mix of awe and fear. "Should we help Tatsumi?"

"Can we even help Tatsumi?" Leone asked, turning and looking back at the destroyed remains of Lionel. "My teigu was destroyed...and even if it wasn't, I can't do anything against that monster. So, even if it pains me, I think we need to let Tatsumi handle this one on his own."

"Yeah, I think you're right." Chelsea said as she released a light sigh, tossing out her finished sucker before popping a fresh one into her mouth. "Well, we may not be able to fight that damn thing, but there are still tons of innocent people left in the capital. We can help them evacuate. Then, we can fall back to HQ and wait for this damn battle to be over."

"Sounds like a plan to me..." Leone said, pushing off the railing before stumbling slightly. Wincing in pain, Leone pressed a hand against her still-fresh bullet wound. "Can you help me walk for a bit? I think I pushed myself a little too hard when I was finishing off the minister."

"Sure thing, Leone. Let's get out of here." Chelsea said with a small smile as she let Leone lean against her. Slowly, both assassins began to make their way out of the palace. However, as they began to near the exit, Chelsea noticed something begin to drip onto her vest. Pressing her hand against the substance, she was surprised to see that it was blood. Looking over, Chelsea gasped when she realized what was happening. "Leone...your nose is bleeding."

"Huh?" Leone muttered in a confused tone, pressing a finger underneath her nose. Pulling her finger back, Leone was shocked to see it covered in blood. "Shit, you're right...I was...I was supposed to die back there..." Hissing in pain, Leone pressed a hand against her pounding head. Leaning against a wall, Leone vomited as she was overcome by intense nausea. Once the sickening sensation began to fade, Leone stood back up and wiped her mouth, panting lightly. "That bastard Honest...he was going to shoot me to death...but...you being there saved me, Chelsea." A small smile spread across Leone's face as she clutched a hand over her heart. "Because Tatsumi saved you...it led to me being saved as well."

"We'll have to thank him for that later..." Chelsea said as a large explosion rocked a nearby building. Letting Leone lean against her once again, both assassins continued to exit the palace. "But right now, we really need to get the hell out of here. Let's hope Akame kills her target fast, so we can focus all our forces on taking that damn super teigu down."

And done! Honest is finally dead and Leone has officially been saved! All that's left is for Tatsumi and the rebels to take down the supreme teigu and defeat the emperor! We're really in the endgame now! But unfortunately, you'll have to wait a bit for the final chapters of this story to come out because I'll be starting work on the newest chapter of my Spider-Man story next. Just please be patient and the chapters will be out soon enough. Remember, good things come to those who wait! Remember to follow/favorite if you enjoyed, PLEASE REVIEW (I NEED YOUR FEEDBACK), PLEASE CONSIDER SUPPORTING MY P ATREON (EVERY LITTLE BIT HELPS), check out my profile and other stories if you haven't already, and PM me any ideas you may have for my fics. So, until next time, I'm outta here!