So here is my first attempt at a rebirth style crossover in the vein of those isekai animes where the main character dies and is reborn in a new world so do bear with me a little bit with it as it may be a little rough to start out with though I will explain more in the next chapter with how it will work. First though I should explain a few things here. This fic will be set in the wake of Akame ga Kill's ending in the anime and will use that lore for the most part. That means that I'll be using the term Imperial Arms not Teigu when I describe them and the filler stuff from the end when the anime caught up to the manga and then passed it will be what happened with two exceptions that I am sure y'all can tell from the bio; Mine will not be Tatsumi's love interest, rather it will be Akame. This will be explained at the start and basically just means that Mine's death is a little different in one regard but mostly the same. I do ship Akame and Tatsumi, it is one of 4 non canon ships I like more than the canon (though one requires specific AU circumstances) and that will be one of the ships of this story so if that is not your cup of tea no worries the beauty of this site is that there will be fics for all tastes. The other exception is of course that Akame has to die as well for this story to work. As for the Black Clover side, that will follow the full story, and I read the manga every week so I am fully up to date with it, though with be more from Akame and Tatsumi's perspective and the first part of the fic will be set about a year or so before the events of Black Clover before I integrate them into it. That said, the one thing from Black Clover that I do not know if I will address is the recent developments in the manga and those who follow it will know what I mean, this was planned before that revelation and as of right now I am not sure how, or even if, I will deal with that. As for Black Clover pairings, I am fully in the Asta x Noelle camp but that one will again be more in line with the anime and manga though we will see how it progresses as the story goes on. Anyway, that is all I have for this opening, more detailed, summary of what I am planning for this fic so I will leave this off here. Please sit back, enjoy, and if you like it follow, favorite, review or PM me (I try to respond to all I can) the first chapter in Akame ga Clover.
Disclaimer: I own nothing related to these two great animes.
Chapter 1: Death
Tatsumi knew what he had to do. He hated it because he knew what would come from it, but he had to do it, it was the right and frankly only thing he could do. He may be an assassin who'd killed countless people since he'd joined Night Raid and their cause to purge the Empire of the rot and corruption that had destroyed it so that something new, better, and fairer could be built but he was still deep down a good person.
As such he couldn't let the innocent people of the capital suffer anymore, they needed to be saved so that they could enjoy the bright future that would hopefully dawn in the wake of their final, all-out attack on the capital. It was just a shame that he would likely not see that new dawn, or anymore dawn for that matter, ever again.
It was the culmination of the revolution, their long-planned assault on the capital to kill Minister Honest and end his evil hold over the Empire. The Revolutionary Army and their allies had attacked the capital to allow for Night Raid, or what was left of them as the only fighting members left we Tatsumi, Akame, and Leone, to infiltrate the Palace and kill Minister Honest. Unfortunately, as with all plans, it hadn't survived first contact and this time the results had been worse than any could have seen coming.
Sure, the resistance they found, including the last member of the Jaegers still active in Run as Wave hadn't been seen since Tatsumi and Akame had let him carry away Kurome's body after Akame had killed her, was to be expected. It was what came during the assault that they hadn't expected seeing as there had been no records of something like what they faced ever existing.
From what Tatsumi and the others knew there were 48 Imperial Arms that had been made by the First Emperor, 48 weapons of unmatched power made by long forgotten means using pieces of S class Danger Beasts with such power that it was said that should two Imperial Arms wielders meet in battle then at least one would die. Tatsumi knew that this wasn't actually true all the time, but it wasn't uncommon over his time with Night Raid to see it play out as he'd fought several wielders and either recovered or destroyed their Imperial Arms in that time.
While Tatsumi hadn't seen all of the Imperial Arms, several were either destroyed or lost before his time, he had encountered about 20 of them and read about some of the others in the book Najenda had given him to study. However, nowhere had there been any reference to the Imperial Arms that was unleashed during their infiltration of the Palace.
The weapon was the Imperial Arms to end all Imperial arms, a massive humanoid giant standing 500 feet tall that burst out of the Palace at the summoning of the Emperor, destroying almost all of it in the process, to fight them off. It looked like a suit of armor with a helm and cape that blasted a red laser thing out of its mouth and from gauntlets on its arms that destroyed anything in its path. To make it all worse it was being commanded by the boy Emperor himself as this Imperial Arms could only be used by his bloodline, and he seemed to be losing it.
Tatsumi had known that he had to deal with it, so he'd left Akame to deal with the Imperial Guards while Leone had already stayed behind to handle Run and now the Minister as Akame had to focus on helping Tatsumi. That had been when Wave had returned and helped out having finally seen the Empire for what it was. Together they weakened it, but it was still too strong and batted Wave away and sent Tatsumi into the ground where Incursio, his Imperial Arms, was broken to the point that it fell away to heal itself.
Still, Tatsumi, despite being badly injured and covered in blood, wasn't going to give up and with a vision of Bulat he unleashed Incursio one more time with all his strength despite what it might cost him in the long run. He needed to sentient armor now more then ever and it responded by evolving into Tyrant, a fusion of the armor with the danger beast it was made from complete with wings, a darker appearance, and a final boost to Tatsumi's strength that he then unleashed on the giant Imperial Arms that he was facing.
Wave revealed that he wasn't dead as he called out to Tatsumi that he'd die but Tatsumi didn't care because he'd promised he's survive, he had to end this rampage and the slaughter that the Emperor was causing no matter what and had Wave make him the opening he needed to accomplish that. He used that subsequent opening to punch through a weak point in the front of the giant and destroyed it thus ending its destructive rampage. He'd been injured by the giant and even more so when he'd beaten it, but they were survivable wounds which meant that Tatsumi had kept his promise.
At least that was what he had planned to do until the now useless Imperial Arms began to fall to the ground and right onto innocent civilians who'd so far survived the carnage. That was what Tatsumi had to stop, what he knew that he had to do, and he flew down to intercept the giant and use all his strength that he got from this new form of Incursio to first slow it down and then stop its momentum when it did crash down so that the people wouldn't be killed by it.
It wasn't going to be easy, however, and as Tatsumi tried to push it up with his arms they strained against it before they broke and the veins in his arms were ruptured. Then he turned around, put his back to it, and his feet out as he hit the ground, yelling as he did and sliding across it pushing as hard as he could against the solid ground to bring it to a stop as the people fled away from it.
A lot was destroyed, his legs were basically gone, but in the end Tatsumi brought it to a stop, his actions ensuring many avoided death, but he knew that it had come at a terrible cost. He didn't need anyone to tell him that his wounds were fatal, and that his death was imminent.
However, he had brought the giant to a stop in a square saving countless lives at the cost of his own, but as he looked up to see her coming towards him. Tatsumi was still upright, held there by the slide, his arms spread and blood pouring from his numerous wounds. He only had moments left but he was glad that hers would be the last face he saw even if he hated seeing the pain in her blood red eyes.
Tatsumi's only regret as his life left his body was that he'd failed to keep his promise to Akame as she ran towards him. A shame as he'd hoped to tell her how he felt when this was over but oh well, he'd see her again in the afterlife and at least she'd see that new dawn they'd all fought so hard for.
When Tatsumi had first met Akame it had been on his second night in the Capital when Night Raid had come for the psychopathic family that had taken him in only to kill him in their own twisted ways just as they had his friends Sayo and Ieyasu from his village that he was about to learn about. Before he'd learned the truth of what was going on at that estate, however, he'd foolishly tried to fight Akame.
Thankfully, he'd been saved first by the idol in his shirt and then by Leone who saw promise in him and then showed him the truth. Tatsumi had then killed the sadistic brat who'd killed Sayo for no other reason than that she hated Sayo's hair and then held Ieyasu as he died in his arms as his friend's willpower to stay alive despite the fatal poisoning finally gave out now that Aria was dead. After that Tatsumi had been taken in by Night Raid.
After what he'd seen it hadn't taken much to convince him to join them and their crusade, well that and the fact that they would pay him so his village would survive, and he'd slowly been welcomed by the group. Akame hadn't been friendly to him at first but that had been out of caution and to make sure that he had what it took to be one of them. He showed that after his first kill which was a success and he kept his word that he'd come back without a scratch, even if that part had been embarrassing as Akame had stripped him to confirm it, she'd opened up to him and he saw her for who she was deep down.
Akame was more than just a deadly, unfeeling, assassin, she was a cute girl who was loyal to her friends, loved to eat an immoral amount of meat, and was true to her convictions. Those convictions, her heart, had led her to defecting from the Empire that had forged her into a killing machine through a horrific experience and joining Night Raid to stop them. Her convictions had even allowed her to kill her own sister in the end in order to save her. It was all part of what made Akame herself and why in the end Tatsumi had fallen in love with her.
Sure, he'd bonded with all of Night Raid, Sheele and Leone were like big sisters to him, and he'd been upset at the former's death early in his time with them, but it was the wake up he needed to know how dangerous their lives were. Bulat and Lubbock had been like brothers to him, one the stern but kind older one that taught him to be a man even if the occasional flirting was a bit much for Tatsumi, the other the lewd older brother who showed him more of the world while also trusting him with his own secret love.
Then there was the new members who had joined after Tatsumi had though both were more accomplished than he was in their own ways. Chelsea may not have been with them for long, but she was like that annoying twin you might have and the way she'd died with her head had been left on a spike in a town square as a warning to Night Raid had been tough to see. Even Susanoo despite being an Imperial Arms was like another brother to Tatsumi and he saw Su as human as the rest of them.
Lastly there was Mine. Perhaps if Akame wasn't there then Tatsumi may have fallen for her the way she did for him, a revelation she gave just before she died in his arms after she'd used too much power to kill Great General Bhutto following their rescue mission to save Tatsumi after he'd gotten captured on a mission with Lubbock that had cost the other boy his life. Mine had been happy when she confessed it even if he didn't return her feelings and died peacefully as he held her.
It had been hard for Tatsumi to hear that from the girl who'd been so hostile to him when they first met though admittedly Tatsumi had walked in on her in her underwear really early in his time with Night Raid. Still, Mine had been a sister to him, that bratty one that has her rebellious phase as a teen but in the end softens and opens up with her true feelings in the end which he was glad he saw before she passed like all but Leone and Akame had.
Now it was Tatsumi's turn to join the others. He'd promised Akame that he'd survive, that he'd live through the war, and he'd meant it. It hadn't been just kind words to say to Akame after Sheele's death, he'd fully intended to survive for her because Akame meant so much to him already.
Over time that meaning became deeper and more serious and thanks to his understanding of love being kinda forced on him by Esdeath and her disturbing obsession with him, Tatsumi had come to realize that he'd fallen hard for Akame. He had hoped that she'd feel the same way and he could tell her how he felt after the revolution was over but alas he would not get that chance.
Still, he had the strength for a little more as she stopped in front of him a look of such pain and sadness on her face that he wished he'd never seen. He'd made her cry once with his insensitivity over Sheele's death and he never wanted to do that again, looks like once again he'd failed as he let out a groan and used the last of his strength to say his dying words. They weren't what he wanted to say, he couldn't burden Akame with that, but he could give her an apology for his failures.
"I'm sorry." Tatsumi groaned out as his strength began to leave him, but he still managed a small smile as he spoke. "I guess I broke my promise to you, Akame."
As he spoke Akame rushed forward and Tatsumi forced his broken body to pitch forward from the giant, his arms out as he fell towards her, his eyes closed and releasing his last breath as he knew she'd catch his body, and the blackness of death welcome him into its sweet embrace. He was dead before the arms of the girl he loved caught him.
Akame had been with Tatsumi in the throne room of the Palace when the giant Imperial Arms had been summoned by the boy Emperor and begun its destructive rampage. As Tatsumi dealt with it, Akame fought off the Imperial Guards of the late Great General Budo and looked on at the fight knowing that she couldn't really help Tatsumi and Wave as she didn't have the Imperial Arms for this battle, but they did. That allowed her to keep her eyes open for her secondary mission, that of finding and killing Esdeath.
The sadistic general was Akame's final target in the war, if Esdeath didn't surrender or flee that is but neither were in keeping with that woman's mentality. Akame, with her skills, training, and the power of her own Imperial Arms, the one strike killer Murasame, was the only one who could best Esdeath hence why she was the one who had to face Esdeath.
That was simply because Esdeath was just too powerful for anyone else to face as both her extensive training and the power of her Imperial Arms, something which she'd developed to a level no one else seemed to be able to match, made her an army on her own. Add in Esdeath's complete lack of compunction when it came to killing and her survival of the fittest philosophy and she was up there with the Minister as a great threat to the revolution if not the greatest threat because of her power.
At least that had been what Akame had thought until the monstrous Imperial Arms rose from the Palace and began blasting the light around that destroyed all it touched. This Imperial Arms was unknown to all, it had been the one kept for such an emergency that only the Emperor could use and now he was using it to defeat them by himself. It didn't help that he was just a child, so he really didn't understand what he was doing or that he'd been thoroughly brainwashed by the Minister making him the way he was now.
Akame wanted to help but she knew that unless she could get inside that thing and slice the Emperor with Murasame she couldn't help out. Thankfully Tatsumi, who had been joined by Wave, took the fight to it but Akame was worried. This was a fight that would result in at least one death of an Imperial Arms wielder, and she hoped that it wasn't Tatsumi. He'd promised her that he'd survive, and she was going to hold him to that but there was a lot more to it for Akame as she'd finally come to terms with how she felt about Tatsumi.
No one could say that Akame had a normal childhood. Sold as a slave to the Empire with her sister and over 100 other children to be made into an elite assassination squadron that the empire could use to eradicate their enemies, she'd had to fight and survive while protecting Kurome the entire time. In the end they'd passed the test together and move on to the next stage of the training but the monsters who forged the sisters into the weapons they became separated them right after the test so that they wouldn't depend on each other going forward.
From there it was a life Akame wouldn't want any to have. She was made into one of the top assassins in the Empire while Kurome was experimented on and ultimately became a drug addict thanks to what they were giving her, an addiction that she had suffered from until Akame finally put her out of her misery. Over the years Akame eventually got her own Imperial Arms, Murasame, which made her even more deadly than she already was, but she'd always known that the Empire was wrong in her heart.
Finally, after being sent to kill the rebellious and defected General Najenda after Esdeath had failed to kill her, only badly maim her, Akame was able to defect herself. Rather than kill Najenda, Akame joined her and the Revolutionary Army becoming the first of the Night Raid group that would be the assassins for the revolution, paving the way in blood for the new nation they hoped to create once the Empire was overthrown. It was all Akame knew but at least now she was killing for a cause she believed in.
Over the time they added more to their group. Another Empire defector in Bulat, a freelance assassin in Sheele, an orphan with foreign blood in Mine, a wild and fun-loving girl with a dark streak in Leone, a pervy but devoutly loyal teen in Lubbock who'd followed Najenda in her defection, and finally a country boy with promise who they'd taken after he'd seen the truth of the corruption and rot in the Capital and lost his only friends in Tatsumi. Later both Chelsea and Susanoo would join them as well but at the moment the only one who was on Akame's mind was Tatsumi.
When they first met Akame had tried to kill him twice, though he held his own pretty well at first, but she'd failed to so, something she was very grateful for in hindsight. The first time was because of the idol he had on him the second because Leone had stopped him having seen the promise that Tatsumi had in him to be a good assassin and after showing him the truth taking him with them despite his protestations. He didn't have anywhere else to go and they could use another potential recruit, he just needed training and proof that he could survive.
Akame had seen so much death in her time, killed more people than she could count, and knew many who'd died on their first mission that she'd been reflexively cold to Tatsumi at first though. When he agreed to join them for his reasons, noble as they were, she trained him as instructed but didn't show him any friendship until he took care of his first mission and held up his word by coming back without a scratch.
The moment that happened Akame opened her heart to him and accepted Tatsumi as a friend, teammate, and fellow assassin. He'd shown his potential and defeated a tough foe right off the bat, with more training he could be one of the best they had. She watched with happiness as he really threw himself into his training after his first mission and knew that he'd do well even if he still had to fully move on from his friends' deaths.
He did shortly after Akame's defeat of Zank the Executioner thanks to Sheele's help. As such her death shortly afterwards had affected him deeply and while he'd been insensitive to Akame she'd understood why as he was new to this but when he realized his insensitivity he'd made his promise to her that he'd survive. She knew it was foolish but as she cried for Sheele in his arms she decided to believe him and hold him to it because it gave her strength, a strength she'd never felt before.
It had also warmed her heart in a way she didn't understand and over the time that warmth would grow whenever she saw Tatsumi. When he survived the fight with the Three Beasts that had claimed Bulat's life making Tatsumi the only survivor of that encounter and now the wielder of Incursio he was even more driven and Akame did her best to train him as much as possible. At the same time though she just wanted to spend time with him, see him and be in contact with him and she hadn't understood why.
Thanks to her childhood and hardships, the concept of love beyond her own twisted interpretation of it was foreign to Akame. Hell, a sign of how twisted it was for her was how she was driven to kill her own sister out of her own sense of love for Kurome, and she'd managed that in the end. However, the love forming for Tatsumi was different and Akame didn't understand it.
The first moment she began to notice that something was different was the first time he was kidnapped by Esdeath. She'd been at a loss for that and wanted to rescue him right away, but she knew it wasn't right and had held off going after him to plan and find a way to rescue him if the opportunity presented itself.
In the end Tatsumi showed his growing skills by escaping but she'd still managed to save him when death was almost there thus helping him keep his promise and making her heart beat faster in the process. She almost got to hold his hand as well, but Lubbock had stopped that though she did get to support him on the way back which she liked.
Then there had been the princess carry the next night when they defeated Dr. Stylish and met Chelsea and Susanoo right before fleeing from that base. That had felt nice and while it only happened once more during their fight with Kurome and Bols it was still nice to be held in Tatsumi's arms like that, especially the second time when he reminded her that she didn't have to face them alone.
Of course, before that came Tatsumi's second encounter with Esdeath and the whole being sent to a remote island with her by some strange man who turned out to be the Minister's son. That had affected her as well, but he'd once again managed to escape and rejoin them with more news on Esdeath though she'd not been happy about Leone pulling Tatsumi into her breasts. He'd then made the mistake of insulting Najenda when he asked her age and got beat up for making saying that he thought she was older than she was, but Akame had liked holding him until dinner was served, that had been more important.
Still, all the racing in her heart hadn't died down but only intensified and it wasn't until Tatsumi's third encounter with Esdeath when he was captured, and Lubbock was killed that she realized it. She had fallen for Tatsumi the way a woman fell for a man, and she'd fallen for him hard. She loved him, wanted to be with him, become his wife, have his children and grow old with him once the war was over the Empire reformed and all it took was his impending execution to make her realize that.
Tatsumi was one of them though, so Akame knew that they'd all go and rescue him which meant that there was still a chance she'd get to be with him if they managed to save him. It had been a dangerous mission, one in which they learned the true extent of Esdeath's powers and during which they lost Susanoo and Mine, but it was a mission that they had to undertake. The bonus was that Mine had killed the Great General Bhutto thus eliminating another high-profile and dangerous target even if she'd died from it in Tatsumi's arms, according to him afterwards.
After that, the only thing left had been for Akame and Kurome to finally have their duel to the death and in the end Akame put her sister to rest thus ending her suffering, suffering that had been made worse by the wound that Chelsea had inflicted upon her, and it was in part thanks to Tatsumi's intervention at the end. She'd let Wave take Kurome's body away and bury it while she cried into Tatsumi's chest as he held her in his arms once again and once more reiterated his promise to her. After she'd recovered they had returned to the base for the final assault, one that they'd win, and she'd tell Tatsumi how she felt afterwards.
At least that had been the plan until the giant Imperial Arms had shown up and everything had gone to shit in spectacular fashion. All Akame could do was watch as Tatsumi and Wave fought it and then, despite being badly wounded, he evolved Incursio and took out the giant thus securing them victory once Honest and Esdeath were dead, but the cost was terrible. Tatsumi was badly wounded, but Akame was sure that he would survive so long as he got medical attention right away, at least he would until the giant fell and he stopped it from crushing the civilians.
It was such a Tatsumi thing to do to get in the way of the giant, to save the citizens that they were overthrowing the Empire for, and to bring it to a stop. However, Akame knew that this time it was different, this time there was no coming back from it and she was already running towards the situation as the giant fell so that she was there when it finally came to a stop and the sight was revealed to her.
The giant Imperial Arms was no longer functional, Tatsumi had seen to that, but that wasn't the concern to Akame. No that was reserved for the sight that greeted her on the front of it. She'd seen many horrific sights in her life, a good portion of them having been caused by her own hand, but the sight of the boy she loved spread eagled on the front of the giant, his Imperial Arms broken around him and blood streaming from his arms, legs, face and chest was the worst she'd ever seen because of how she felt for him and the promise that he'd made to her.
Akame hurried forward until she was near, and she hear a guttural moan come from Tatsumi, and he looked up at her, his face visible from the broken helm of Incursio and covered in blood so that only the right side could be seen. He was still alive but not for much longer and she could see the light as it began to fade from his beautiful green eyes. The sheer fact that he was alive was a testament to his raw will.
"I'm sorry." Tatsumi groaned out as Akame looked at him showing that he still had a few words left in him and she rushed forward to reach him as managed a small smile and pitch forward, broken arms up as high as they'd go and extended towards her. "I guess I broke my promise to you, Akame."
He said the last bit as Akame reached him but before she could pull him into her arms she heard the rattling of his last breath and his eyes closed for the last time. He was dead before she caught him in her arms and supported his weight as his blood stained her skin and clothes.
"You gave me your word." Akame screamed at the boy she loved, tears running down her face as she held his still warm corpse in her arms. "You gave me your word, Tatsumi. Tatsumi, I, I love you, you can't leave me. Not like this, not right as we are about to win, not before I can tell you how I feel about you my love."
Akame held him there for a moment as the broken remains of Incursio fell away and vanished. Incursio's key, its sword, appeared in its place and shattered before it hit the ground showing that the Imperial Arms was no more. Tatsumi had destroyed it along with his body to stop the giant Imperial Arms. Akame didn't notice that as she cried for her lost love before she could tell him how she felt. That loss hurt more than his broken promise, she could live with that because of how he'd died but not being able to tell him after taking so long to come to terms with her own feelings was killing her.
She didn't know how long she held him but in the end Akame knew that she had to lay him down. Leone would be able to handle the Minister, in her beast form she'd easily find and end him unless he had a trick up his sleeve that they didn't know about, and with him gone and the Emperor defeated the Empire was no more. There was still one left to deal with, one who Akame alone had the skills to beat, but for the moment she just held Tatsumi's broken body and cried.
Finally, she laid him down on the ground, she'd give him a proper burial with his friends from when he first came to the Capital when this was all said and done but she had to ensure that the last of the threats was dealt with. If it wasn't for all the blood on him and his broken bones he would look peaceful on the ground in his usual white coat, sweater, and black shirt almost as if he was asleep. Alas it was a sleep that he'd never wake up from.
"So, it's true, Tatsumi is dead." A voice said softly and with unsure emotion weighing it down.
Akame turned to see her final opponent, the one she had to beat to end the war, had approached her as she'd held Tatsumi thus ensuring that Akame wouldn't have to go and find her in the city. However, Esdeath wasn't looking at her but rather the broken body of the boy she'd also fallen madly in love with from the moment she saw him win that fighting tournament, a love that had deepened ever since thanks to all of Tatsumi's actions, and it shook her to her core in a way that she'd never felt before when faced with death.
"If he died then he was weak but then why do a feel a pain in my chest at seeing him like this." Esdeath continued as she stared at Tatsumi's lifeless body. "Not even when my weak father died did I feel this way."
"Love." Akame said slowly standing, her hand on the hilt of Murasame finally understanding that the psychopathic general's feelings for Tatsumi were in fact genuine and probably as deep as her own feelings for Tatsumi were. "You love him just as I do and seeing him die, his body broken all because of the Empire and its corruption, you feel a grief you've never felt before. Even to me, a hardened assassin, I feel the pain at Tatsumi's loss. He was too pure for this line of work and yet he did it anyway, maybe that's why people like us fell for him."
"Perhaps but…" Esdeath began but just then Revolutionary Army soldiers saw her and charged knowing that she was the last remaining senior Empire official that had to die to end the Empire and in that moment Esdeath's grief at the loss of her love turned to an unbridled rage the likes of which she'd never felt before.
"No wait…" Akame began but it was too late.
Esdeath sent out a wave of ice all around her killing all the revolutionary soldiers and many of the civilians that Tatsumi had just saved by freezing them in ice as she roared in rage and pain. To Esdeath all were now weak, including the Empire, and so it had to be destroyed. There was just one person left who could stop her and Akame leapt at Esdeath. The general got her sword up to block the strike and grinned, it looked like this would be a good fight and Esdeath was ready for it, as was Akame. At last, their long-awaited duel, the last major engagement of the war, began.
The fight with Esdeath was the hardest in Akame's life. The older woman was more than a match for her with her own saber and the ice powers that she had thanks to her Imperial Arms, and it took all Akame had to hold on in the fight. She'd even managed to land a blow to Esdeath's left arm, but the woman sliced it off before the poison from Murasame's blade could reach her heart, which was how good and determined Esdeath was.
In the end, Akame knew that her only way to win was to give into her desire to kill Esdeath and activate Murasame's Trump Card, Little War Horn, to boost her speed and strength. The marking covered her body and he sclera went black as she upped her fight against Esdeath.
With her Trump Card active Akame had a plan, and it would use Esdeath's own self-created Trump Card that she used to kill Susanoo, her ability to briefly freeze time, against her in order to win. The way Akame did that was by attacking at such a speed that she created an after image, so Esdeath failed to kill her and thus when the freeze in time ended Akame had a brief advantage over the sadistic general.
That had been all Akame had needed, she was above Esdeath the entire time, as she fell with the added weight she now had thanks to using Little War Horn the moment that time resumed. That allowed her to slash the other woman across the chest from her left shoulder to the top of her right thigh.
The fully diagonal strike ensured that Esdeath would die from the poison this time as there was no way to stop it reaching her heart from so large a wound. Esdeath herself just looked surprised as she dropped her ice sword, her real one had been destroyed in the fight, and fell to one knee.
"How?" Esdeath asked as the black marking appeared on her body.
"I was waiting for it and then used your own lust for the hunt against you." Akame said as her own trump card ended though the markings on her body remained as scars. "Mission accomplished."
"If I'm weak enough to die, at least I'll make sure you are as well." Esdeath said and before Akame could move Esdeath struck.
Instantly and with the last of her strength Esdeath made a thin, razor sharp and pointed needle of ice in her right hand and thrust it up and into Akame as she rose. Akame had no chance to avoid it and just gasped in shock as the ice blade pierced her gut, went up through her body, and exploded out of her back in a spray of blood as Esdeath sent it flying away so as to not plug up the wound or freeze Akame's blood that might prevent the raven-haired girl from bleeding out. The ice blade had done extensive damage to Akame's intestines and pierced her left lung at least, if not nicking her heart, as it went through her body.
Akame coughed out a mouthful of blood right into Esdeath's face and knew at once that the wound had been fatal. It looked like she was going to be joining Tatsumi in the afterlife today after all.
"My one regret was that Tatsumi never returned my love for him." Esdeath said as she began to move and Akame knew what she was going to do and she wasn't going to let that happen, if anyone got to hold Tatsumi as she died it would be Akame. "But this way we'll be together forever."
"No, you won't get this peace either." Akame said as Murasame fell from her right hand to clatter to the ground, she didn't need it anymore, and she used what little strength she had left to backhand Esdeath across the face with her gauntlet as hard as she could. "I will die in his arms as it should be."
The added weight from Little Warn Horn was still there and that added to the blow that staggered Esdeath as it broke her jaw and sent her teeth flying out of her mouth in a spray of blood. Esdeath herself was knocked out cold as she collapsed to the ground on her side, the last of the marking covering her body and ensuring that she would never regain consciousness. Her body would be found soon enough, and the Revolutionary Army would be able to confirm that the last great threat was dead.
All that didn't matter to Akame as she turned and slowly walked towards Tatsumi's corpse. Despite all the fighting in the ice arena that Esdeath had made for them, she'd not once touched Tatsumi's body leaving it where it lay and for that Akame was gratefully as she willed her own dying body to reach Tatsumi's one. It was the last thing Akame was going to do, and she was sure as shit going to manage it.
Her body was heavy, but she forced it on, step by step as blood ran out of her wounds, flowed down her chin as it came out of her mouth, and filled her insides but she didn't care. All she cared about was reaching Tatsumi one last time. As she walked she took off her gauntlets and gloves because what she wanted was something she'd never had before and by the gods she was going to get it before she drew her last breath.
Finally, after what felt like an age but was only a few moments, she reached Tatsumi's body and fell to her knees besides it, the impact cracking the ground, but she didn't care. With the last of her strength, she slowly fell to her side and put her left shoulder under Tatsumi's right one and rested her head on his chest the way she'd always wanted.
"We've won my love; we can be together now." Akame coughed out as her strength waned. "I love you, in this life and the next Tatsumi. I'm coming to join you now."
His body wasn't warm anymore though that was in large part due to the ice that Esdeath had used but Akame didn't mind as she finished speaking because soon she'd be joining him. This was how it should be, Akame knew that, and she reached across his body for his left arm, grabbing it and pulling it up so that she could take his left hand in her right one, interlocking her fingers with his as she felt his skin on hers, and held it as she brought their hands to his chest.
At last, in the position that she wanted to be in, Akame closed her eyes, smiled, and let out one final guttural breath as she let death finally claim her from this mortal world. At last she was wrapped in her first and last embrace with the boy that she loved.
With her final thought as the blackness of death took over Akame knew that she and Tatsumi would together soon be it in the afterlife or the next life if that was how it worked because their love would endure, she knew it. With that, Akame, one of the greatest assassins the world had ever know, died as the revolution to overthrow the corrupt Empire ended.
It would take some time before the bodies of Tatsumi and Akame were found in their final embrace, along with Esdeath's body nearby and the Emperor taken alive from the giant Imperial Arms and thrown into a dungeon cell, but found they were and by Najenda herself. All she could do was look down at the bodies of two of her closest friends and followers and know that they were at peace and had helped bring in a new age for the Empire.
As for the final target, Minister Honest, he'd been killed by Leone, his skull crushed, but not before his own Imperial Arms, a ring he wore that destroyed Leone's Imperial Arms. That had allowed him to use his personal pistol to shoot her several times in the gut, wounds that she had no way to heal from now that Imperial Arms was no more. It wasn't enough to save him because Leone killed him a few seconds later by crushing his skull with her bare fists but he'd done enough to take her with him.
That was because wounds that Leone had were fatal but not immediately so. She had time to wrap them, see the boss and say goodbye to her, learn of Tatsumi and Akame's passing and smile knowing that she'd be joining them and all the others soon, turning down any offers of medical help from Najenda and leaving.
After that she made a few stops in her old neighborhood to see the survivors as they worked to rebuild the capital and celebrate the downfall of the Empire, though she turned down a drinks offer, and finally found her way to her favorite alley. There she lay down on her side, smiled and let herself bleed out as death claimed her too thus coming for all of Night Raid but their leader in the end.
As much as Najenda wanted to mourn all the losses she was now in charge of the transitional government that would implement the reforms they wanted and move the empire into a new age. The final thing to begin the healing was provided by the Emperor himself when he requested that they publicly execute him to end his line, punish him for his crimes, and officially start the new age for the nation.
It was a final act and his only good one and he walked up the steps to the guillotine that had been set up for him without hesitation or fear, only pausing to leave the Empire in Najenda's hands. Then he laid down on the bench and the blade fell taking his head from his shoulders and ending his bloodline and the Empire that had lasted 1000 years at last.
With that they were able to move the Empire into a bright, new future. Those who suffered were now being helped, including Tatsumi's village and the elders there were all looking forward to the return of Tatsumi, Ieyasu and Sayo to honor them for helping out the village not knowing that all 3 were dead. It was a new era, a new dawn but so much had to be done to ensure that it was a bright one.
Najenda coordinated that with the help of Run and Wave who'd both survived as well and had been pardoned on the condition they help in the rebuild. It had also been when Run had revealed his true goal to change the Empire from within due to their cruelty hence why he'd agreed to join the Jaegers, so he was a valuable asset. The only other thing that Najenda had needed to do was deal with the bodies of her friends.
Because of their work, the names of the members of Night Raid would be lost to history, but Najenda could honor them in her own way and did so as best she could. She had the bodies of Tatsumi, Akame, and Leone brought to the makeshift cemetery atop the cliff of their first hideout, thankfully it had not been destroyed by Dr. Stylish's attack and buried there alongside Tatsumi's friends from home and Bulat who'd been buried there when Tatsumi returned with his body from their mission.
In addition, Najenda had Mine's body exhumed from where it was buried and added to the cemetery so that all were there. Sheele, Chelsea, Lubbock, and Susanoo hadn't left bodies as they'd been eaten or destroyed but Najenda arranged for headstones for them as a memorial though she kept Lubbock's goggles. She knew how he felt about her, and she'd felt the same, but both had put duty first and in the end she'd never be able to hold him the way she'd wanted to. Seeing Akame and Tatsumi finally together but only in death had really reinforced that to her.
Najenda had at least ensured that the pair were buried together with a joint headstone that just bore their names, as did all the others, so that they would rest in peace together for ever. All that would be known to those who came here would be that this was some obscure graveyard with the names of those worn into the stone. No years, ages or accomplishments, just names of the brave assassins, and one organic Imperial Arms, who'd died so that countless others could live in a brighter future that they'd worked so hard to create.
And so ended the tale of Night Raid and their actions to overthrow a corrupt government and build a brighter future, one all but their leader gave their lives to ensure it came to be. Or so they thought…
Ah I can't resist a good old-fashioned cliffhanger to really start a story off strong. Don't worry, the next chapter will be up in a week's time with what is going to happen next as the story moves into the crossover part and all is explained so stay tuned for that. I'll explain more when the time comes but for now I think I'll leave it here and make this a short note. The only thing left to note is that while I do have about 10 chapters drafted for this story and next week's short chapter will be out then, after that I will be uploading when I have the time as I currently have several stories testing the waters that will be uploaded when I can manage it with the exception of my primary active story at the moment as that story is now at 110 chapters and 1 million words so just bear with me on this if you like any of my other new stories those as well. Anyway, if you liked it then please follow, favorite, review, PM, etc. it is all appreciated and helps me get better and stay motivated to keep producing more content and any questions asked I will do my best to answer both privately and at the start of the next chapter. Until next time.
Stringdog
