Here is the seventh chapter in this story released when I wanted it to be released based of my release process for this series. Akame's intro arc is over but there is still one other main character from Akame ga Kill to be introduced in the Clover Kingdom so it is time for that to happen at last. That is all I have for the administrative stuff I have for y'all and there are no guest reviews that need a response or questions to answer so I will end this here. Do keep them coming as your support is the best motivation for me to keep producing chapters at this kind of rate. That is it for this pre-chapter note so it is time to sit back and enjoy the seventh chapter in Akame ga Clover.
Disclaimer: I own nothing related to these two great animes.
Chapter 7: Reunion
"Well, the time as come and now you are off Tatsumi, off to the Capital to become a Magic Knight, we couldn't be prouder." The mayor of the village that Tatsumi had grown up in said to him as he and the other elders who'd watched out for Tatsumi over the years and watched him grow stood at the entrance to the village while Tatsumi faced them ready to head to Kikka for the Magic Knights entrance exam. "Best of luck and we look forward to hearing of your many exploits as a Magic Knight in the years to come."
"I will do my best to pass it so that I can make a lot money for the village." Tatsumi said with a grin before he turned and waved as he began to walk away. "I promise."
At 16 Tatsumi was a year older than most who'd be taking the exam for the first time in a few months, but he didn't care, this was his plan, and he was more than willing to wait the year before he took it. After all, he needed to make sure that his magic and his body were both ready for the exam as he wanted to pass it on his first attempt and get accepted into a Magic Knight Squad, so he had to be ready for that. He was and he couldn't wait.
Tatsumi himself was a fair skinned teen of average height, if slightly shorter than average at 5 foot 5, with brown hair that fell just past his ears with a single uncontrollable cowlick at the top that stuck up no matter what he did and bangs that fell to either side and between his bright green eyes. He wore a simple high collared white shirt under a cream-colored sweater vest, near elbow length leather gloves and bracers, dark gray pants with his brown leather grimoire bag on his left hip, and brown boots that came to just below his knees.
However, the most striking thing was that he carried a short sword on his back. The sword, one that Tatsumi had forged himself the year before after many attempts, was a heavy, thick, blade of tempered steel with straight edges as sharp as Tatsumi could hone them and a triangular tip. The hilt curved up slightly from the black handle. The oddest things about it was that it had a chain link tassel and a red orb with a black crosshair that he'd placed in the center of the hilt. It was all carried in a leather sheath strapped to his back with a strap that came diagonally across his chest.
The people of the village had been confused by the final result, well they were confused by Tatsumi's desire to learn the sword to begin with and then make his own on top of that, but that was Tatsumi for them, he was a confusing boy who had always done things in his own way. All Tatsumi could say was that this was what the sword should look like, that it was the design he'd had in his mind for it and that it just felt right to him, so they left it at that.
The sword was just the tip of things like this for Tatsumi because ever since Tatsumi was old enough to be aware of things he'd been different. Born in the small, nameless, village as far from the capital of the Clover Kingdom as one could get while still being inside the borders of the Kingdom, and not too far south from the strong magic region that separated Clover from Spade, Tatsumi had had a decent upbringing.
Certainly, it wasn't one that was idyllic, growing up in one of the myriad of overlooked villages in the forsaken realm never was, but neither was it bad by any stretch of the imagination. It was just a simple life in a small forgotten village that the nobles didn't care about, if they even knew that it existed, so had to be self-sufficient.
Of course, because it was a forgotten village it did struggle a fair bit with money and resources, especially in the winter, but the village banded together to survive. This was done under the oversight of the village's mayor, their term for the leader of the village who they chose every 4 years, and the elders who made sure that they all helped each other out and every now and then the youngsters were sent out to make money for it.
Some returned with what money they could make, some who found gainful employment sent what they could to help out, and some were never heard from again, but such was their life. If they could get the nobles to notice and care about them and the other villages then things would be better but alas they couldn't and no one from the village had ever become a Magic Knight that they knew of, so they were basically stuck with what they could make and receive from those who'd been sent out to make a better living elsewhere in the kingdom.
That had been where Tatsumi had come in though, he was the first villager that was believed to have the potential to pass the exam. Even his birth was seen as a good omen, his parents had been trying for years to have a child but couldn't conceive until one and it looked like they wouldn't until day almost 17 years ago his mother became pregnant.
As such he was seen as a blessing to them and when he was born it doubly so as his mana levels were off the charts for a backwaters village child born to parents with average mana for someone living in the area. The mage of the village, an old man who kept the grimoire tower nearby in working order, said that Tatsumi's levels were on par with a noble and not a lesser noble at that.
As soon as that was known it was clear that Tatsumi would have a good future, at least that's what the village thought, and when his attribute became known it was more so as no one had ever heard of it which only added to their perception of him. Both his parents had attributes that had been derived from the earth branch of magic as they were metal based attributes which possibly explained it but still, Tatsumi had what was eventually dubbed Armor Magic. The rarity of it was not missed by anyone.
When you added in that Tatsumi was a bright, honest, hard-working boy who had a good heart and a strong sense of justice, even if he could be a little cold and harsh at times to those who wronged him or the village, and he was seen as the best chance the village had to produce a Magic Knight. That was why the village began to pin all their hopes on Tatsumi as he got older and older and the time for him to receive his grimoire neared.
Most would have buckled under this pressure and the expectations thrust upon him, but Tatsumi rose to it and even he couldn't explain why he was able to do so. He just felt that it was the right thing to do, that he would do all he could to help the village prosper and by going to the capital to become a Magic Knight that was the best way to achieve it. It drove him to get stronger in all aspects of life.
Even after his parents passed when he was young, an unfortunate part of life in a small village, Tatsumi didn't despair. He was upset but part of him felt that he'd been through similar and worse tragedies in his life so he could move on and become stronger by using their memories to ensure that other children of the village didn't experience that in the years to come. It was these strange feelings that fueled Tatsumi in his endeavors but try as he might, he couldn't explain why he had them.
All his life, for as long as he could remember, he'd always felt that part of him was missing or incomplete like as if it was there within him, but he couldn't reach it. While he couldn't find specifics of this phenomenon it manifested itself in feelings, feelings of a need to survive, get stronger, and do what was right for the nation and his village. Basically, it was telling him to be the best he could be no matter what.
It was these feelings that drove him to learn all the trades and skills that he could learn like cooking, hunting, gutting, cleaning, blacksmithing, and most of all weaponry especially swordsmanship and how to wield a staff like weapon. It was odd, especially to the village as few used weapons these days when there was magic, but they embraced it because they knew that Tatsumi would do great things for the village one day.
It was as he was training, especially with the sword which thankfully the village had a retired mercenary living in it who's magic lent itself to swordplay, that the deepest feeling that Tatsumi had came up. It was a feeling of warmth, of a deep love and commitment but one that was tinged with an even deeper regret and sense of abject failure that he couldn't explain at all.
It was as if Tatsumi had once made a promise to someone who was dear to him, someone he'd come to love with all his heart in all senses of the word, and who he'd failed in upholding that promise for that person to see. He knew that he didn't want to fail again so he tried even harder to be stronger this time even if he didn't understand the feelings themselves or where they came from.
All of this combined to make Tatsumi stay in the village for an extra year after he got his grimoire to finish his training and be in the best place possible to succeed. His grimoire was a thick book, the thickest the village had ever seen though that wasn't saying much, with a dark gray cover, lighter gray and black border with red circles in the corners that had a crosshair design in them just like he'd placed in the hilt of his sword and an unfamiliar helmet design in the center with a three-leaf clover for one eye.
Between his grimoire's size, the spells in it, and the strange nature of his magic Tatsumi knew that he needed more time than the few months between the Grimoire Acceptance Ceremony and the Magic Knights entrance exam that year. As such he took a full year to work on it and understand his magic now that he had a grimoire and boy had that year been worth it.
It was during that year that Tatsumi was able to fully understand what Armor Magic did. It was more than just creating a suit of armor for himself or on various parts of his body, which he could do, though his strongest and easiest spell was based around that concept, it was about protection. His magic, while offensive in some ways, was primarily defensive for himself and those he cast it on. It was to protect and in some cases hold people from danger, such was the nature of armor. It did give him strength and he could even create weapons that went with various suits of armor, but overall, it was defensive magic.
To Tatsumi that explained why he needed to learn how to wield a sword and a spear. He could create a spear like weapon but only if his need for it was great enough when he had his best spell active and the few specialty armor suits that he could create as well came with specific weapons that seemed to be go with them, so he had to master them as well, but that was it. Outside of those specific spells Tatsumi didn't really have much in the way of offensive magic short of a mana shot which was pretty standard and wouldn't do much against a skolled opponent.
As such, Tatsumi needed a way to fight offensively and well a knight in armor wielded a sword so that was how he explained it even though he knew that he was best with a sword for some reason. That was backed up but the fact that Tatsumi seemed to be naturally gifted in the use of a short sword, as well as hand to hand combat, and was remarkably agile. He couldn't explain it himself, so he just went with it and trained hard to master both a sword and a spear-like weapon.
Now, after many years training to get his grimoire and mastering other skills, and another year once he got his grimoire, Tatsumi was waving goodbye to his village and making his way to the capital to join the Magic Knights and help his village out, as well as the other forgotten places of the kingdom. There were a few months before the exam and while Tatsumi could fly there on a broom, he opted to walk instead.
Flying was easy but for some reason Tatsumi felt like he had to make the journey on foot, it just felt right, and it allowed him to help people and keep up his hunting and cooking skills along the way. The one thing he did know above all else though was to not trust anyone with his money.
He wasn't sure why he knew this; it was just a deep, visceral feeling that he should be on guard with it and so he was. For whatever reason his gut told him to be especially wary of any large breasted, scantily clad, blonde women for some reason despite him never having met one in his life, not that that ended up being an issue but still he was wary.
Other than that feeling, the journey itself was rather uneventful for Tatsumi. He enjoyed seeing more of the kingdom as he made his way south to Kikka, helping where he could, hunting for his meals, enjoying the mostly boar meat that he cooked and feeling like there was more to it, but again that was just those strange feelings he sometimes had, while getting in the mindset for what was to come. The exam wouldn't be easy and few commoners like him passed it, but he was going to do his best and he didn't care which squad took him, any that gave him the chance would get his all.
Finally, after a few months and with a few days to spare, Tatsumi came to the outskirts of Kikka, the castle town that hosted the exam, and really began to focus on what was to come. He spent those days before the exam just camping out doing last minute training before he walked into town the morning of the exam, got some meat skewers for breakfast as the smell was delicious, and went straight to the amphitheater there. There were many teens around his age already there, so he just joined a line and waited as it was processed.
As he waited Tatsumi took the time to look around and see what kind of people came to the exam. Turned out it was all kinds. There were nobles here who either didn't have the connections to join a squad without having to take the exam, lacked the power or control for it, or preferred this way for their own reasons be they pride or more likely a desire to join a different squad to where they had connections.
They were the easiest to spot in their fancy clothes with thick grimoires and arrogant attitudes while they looked down on the commoners who outnumbered them but were weaker and there many commoners here. Ever since commoners had been allowed to join the Magic Knights the Wizard King had set up the exam many tried out, but few made it.
Tatsumi swore he'd be one of them as he reached the sign-in spot and handed over his grimoire for it to be confirmed and registered by the bored attendant. His strange cover did get a slight eyebrow raise but strange magic and grimoire designs weren't that uncommon in the Clover Kingdom so the attendant didn't say much other than to confirm that he could take the test and give him an entrance number 104 and send him on through to the exam.
It was time and Tatsumi was ready as he headed out and onto the arena floor of the large amphitheater and got ready. As he did Tatsumi noted that there were a lot of anti-birds present though they all flew away from him as he made his way to stand and wait for the exam to start.
Anti-birds were a strange species that couldn't abide magic so the stronger you were the less they bothered you which in this scenario was actually a good initial gage of power. That was because the anti-birds were basically an indicator of those who had more magic than others and with Tatsumi having none near him it marked him out as pretty strong, which clearly riled some nobles present as he was a commoner.
One noblewoman in particular gave him a hard look when she noticed that he had no anti-birds near him while she had a few that were closer to her than she would have liked. As such she was really looking forward to the combat part to put that filthy commoner in his place, not that Tatsumi noticed the attention he was receiving at all.
No, Tatsumi was too focused on getting ready, so much so that he accidentally bumped into a larger mass as he looked around. It felt solid and he leapt away on instinct, already on guard as he looked up at the man he'd bumped into with his hand on the grip of his sword but not drawing it as the man looked down at him in annoyance.
"Watch where your going." The mountain of a man growled as Tatsumi released his grip on his sword to look up to meet the man's eyes.
The man was over half a foot taller than Tatsumi, around 6 feet and made of solid muscle that was clear to see under a white tank top. He had a strange sword at his side that Tatsumi recognized the design of but didn't know the name for and a black cape with a gold bull on it over one arm. A lit cigarette was in his mouth as he glared at Tatsumi who calmly met his gaze not flinching despite the sheer amount of magic he was feeling from this man that was making others around him slide away with unease as the stare down intensified.
The man before Tatsumi was clearly a Magic Knight and likely a Captain given the magic that Tatsumi was feeling coming from him, so he had to be careful at the moment. Tatsumi did note that the man wore a black robe over his right shoulder with a ragged edge that bore a black and gold bull's head crest while behind him a brown-haired man in a green shirt with a noble bearing and matching robe stood nervously. That told Tatsumi all he needed to know about the man before him even if he didn't know the squad as he didn't actually know what the squads were thanks to growing up in the sticks.
"Sorry." Tatsumi said not backing down as a full circle was formed between them as people kept edging away. "My bad."
Yami just grunted as he looked down at the teen he'd bumped into and exhaled some smoke from his cigarette. Unlike the other Captains who preferred a more flashy entrance, which he had to join in with, Yami liked to come through the crowd and see for himself what talent there was on the ground level.
If someone annoyed him like this boy he'd glare at that person to see what they were made of, and he had to admit the teen was made of some strong stuff as he didn't flinch or back down from Yami's glare. He could sense the magic from the boy, it was strong for a commoner, at a noble's level at least, and his ki gave off a determined, good, intent but with a streak of darkness in it that Yami could admire.
However what Yami noticed most was the boy's green eyes as they said a lot about the teen. He clearly had no fear for Yami in them despite Yami releasing more magic as they stared at each other which did cause others, and Finral, to back away even more from the sight and the anti-birds to flee from the arena because of the magic being given off..
Despite this the green eyes of the teen met Yami's dark ones with a calm, cool, bearing of someone who'd seen combat before and lived to speak of it. They were of someone who could do what was necessary when needed, even kill which was a little bit at odds with his more noble ki almost as if he had good intentions but knew that to achieve them you still had to get bloody in the process. Still, the look in them was one that Yami had seen before only harder and more intense because they were just like the look he'd seen when he'd first met Akame when she'd tried to kill him.
In fact, a lot about this boy reminded him of his newest member. Sure, Akame had opened up and gotten warmer with the squad, especially in the last few months now that the monsters who'd created her were either in prison or the ground, and she was really finding a home with the Black Bulls, but her past was still there and the hardness she had had gotten deeper recently for some reason.
Clearly this boy had it as well it seemed and his ki was almost the inverse of Akame's in a way, a protective one to her sharp one. It was interesting to say the least and Yami would have to keep an eye on him in the exam, if he proved competent then he might make a good Black Bull, he was already starting to like the boy after all simply because he'd stood up to Yami and not backed down.
Of course, Yami couldn't show it, so he just gave a Ch sound and walked on the tension vanishing as he left with Finral hurrying to catch up with him. After that little stare down Yami was more interested than ever in this exam. Hopefully it would be a good one.
Tatsumi just let out a breath of relief when it was over and watched the man, who he was certain was a Squad Captain, walk away. He was an interesting person to Tatsumi and for some reason he felt drawn to him, as if the man reminded him of someone else right down to the good but ruthless leadership and chain smoking but for the life of him Tatsumi couldn't think why that was the case as he was sure that he'd never met anyone like that man.
Whatever it may be, Tatsumi just pushed it to the back of his mind as he got back into the zone. He had to focus, he had to do his best and impress at least one captain in the upcoming exam so that he made it into a Magic Knight squad. It was almost time and as a hush began to descend on the crowd he knew that the Captains were incoming. That meant that the exam would start soon. Tatsumi was ready, it was time to become a Magic Knight.
All of the examinees looked up to a balcony that was above the amphitheater floor and began to murmur as the time drew near. They could sense the mana coming from the entrance and see the 9 chairs set up for the 9 captains with the one conducting the exam, the Captain of the best Magic Knight Squad in the kingdom and the likely next Wizard King, William Vangeance of the Golden Dawn, in the center. This was it; the doors were closed and the anticipation heavy, the Magic Knight entrance exam began now.
There wasn't much fanfare to the start of the exam, just a hush as the 9 Magic Knight Captains walked onto the balcony as a group and began to take their seats. Tatsumi didn't know much about them, but he heard the whispers and quickly deduced who they were from what he was hearing, including the man he'd bumped into.
That man turned out to be Yami Sukehiro, the captain of the Black Bulls, the worst squad of Magic Knights who did more damage than good and were a bunch of misfits with serious issues. Somehow none of that turned Tatsumi off them, that actually sounded pretty cool to him, almost comforting in a way he couldn't explain but with a reputation like that Tatsumi wasn't turned off by them at all.
The other lesser squads he was hearing were the Aqua Deer who few expected to be recruiting as the Captain was retiring soon apparently and as they were the Squad that the current Wizard King came from, back when they were the Grey Deer, they'd really fallen hard. The other undesirable squads were apparently the Coral Peacocks because their leader, a witch called Dorothy Unsworth was always asleep which she was now for some reason despite walking and sitting in the chair, the Green Praying Mantis because their leader, a commoner called Jack the Ripper, was a complete sadist, and the Purple Orcas because their leader Gueldre Poizot was a really shady noble.
That left the top squads that people really wanted to join so Tatsumi listened to them. Other than the Golden Dawn they were the two royal led squads in the Silver Eagles and Crimson Lion Kings, led by Nozel Silva and Fuegoleon Vermillion respectively, and the all-female Blue Rose Knights led by the beautiful Charlotte Roselei. She certainly was attractive even in her armor and with her blonde hair done up under her helmet, but she wasn't Tatsumi's type at all and he somehow knew what his type was even if he couldn't articulate it at the moment.
What Tatsumi did do was take a moment to study the other Squad Captain as he was trying to impress one of them. They were certainly an eclectic bunch from the serious royals and Charlotte to the sleeping Dorothy in her witch's hat, the large and imposing Yami and Gueldre, and the creepy looking Jack the Ripper. The Aqua Deer Captain just seemed to be rather bored with it all which if what Tatsumi was hearing about his impending retirement made sense.
Still, none of that had anything on the last man standing while the others had already taken their seats, that man was the leader of the Golden Dawn. If Tatsumi had seen him in the street he would have come off as unassuming with his slight build but that was the only unassuming thing about him. The man wore a white uniform with a double breasted, fancy tunic, under his gold-colored robe with a blue fur collar, red tassel thing over the chest and red cloak under it. it was all very formal and professional but none of that compared to his mask.
For some reason that Tatsumi didn't understand the man wore an elaborate gold mask with blue on one side with white markings around the eye and red on the other and a fur around it. It covered his entire upper face from his nose up and over the back of his head leaving only his lower cheeks, mouth and jaw visible. It was a striking look that would have been tacky on anyone else but somehow seemed fitting with the man's noble bearing and gold robe.
However, despite all this, Tatsumi felt something wasn't quite right with the man. He wasn't sure what it was, but a deep gut feeling told him that there was more to the Golden Dawn Captain than met the eye. Given what he was hearing it was likely that the man was a ruthless fighter with a powerful and unique magical attribute so that was likely it. Still, all that flash had to be hiding something to Tatsumi, as a village boy he didn't trust it, but it went deeper than that for him as it was a feeling that he couldn't place like so many others. Still, it was the best squad, so everyone was aiming for it.
"Attention examinees." William Vangeance said hushing the crowd at once with his calm, commanding voice and bringing all their attention to him. "Thank you all for waiting, I will be administering this year's entrance exam."
With that his grimoire floated up and began to open to a page for a spell as it glowed with a green colored magical aura. It was thick grimoire showing that the man had a lot of power, but Tatsumi was ready for whatever was to come as this was his moment to shine.
"World Tree Magic: Magic Trees Descend." Vangeance said and suddenly the sky was blacked out by clouds and a wind ran through the amphitheater causing several examinees to mutter at that.
Tatsumi braced himself as he looked up to see a green light in the on the center of the clouds that grew larger before a giant tree descended from the light with its roots first. It was a seriously impressive bit of magic and an attribute that Tatsumi had never heard of before. It then got even more impressive as the roots began to morph to create wooden brooms from it that were then handed to all the examinees.
He had to admit, it was an impressive display but subtle display of power to impress the examinees and Tatsumi took his broom without a word as many of the examinees gasped in awe at it. It made sense that this would be the first test and with a power like this the Golden Dawn Captain could easily provide enough for all the examinees thus smoothing the transition into the exam's first test.
"You've waited long enough." Vangeance said as he closed his grimoire and the tree shrunk back leaving just the brooms behind. "Let the entrance exam begin but first I will explain how this will go so that you all know what to expect from it."
This made sense to Tatsumi as they all looked up at the Golden Dawn Captain. They had to understand how this was going to go down if they were to give it their all to pass it and earn a spot on one of the 9 Magic Knight squads.
"There are going to be a series of tests that we will put you through." Vangeance explain. "The nine Magic Knight Captains will be serving as your judges and when the exam is complete we will choose the individuals that we want on out squads. If chosen you are in. If more than one squad chooses you, you will decide which you would like to join. However, if you are not selected by any squad that means that you have been deemed unqualified to join the Magic Knights and thus must go home. That is not the end though for you are always welcome to try again next year."
So that was how it would be, Tatsumi set his face and got ready to show off his skills to the judges before him. He would impress at least one of the nine and get in, he knew it.
"And now for your first test." Vangeance said. "You must use the brooms that you have been given to fly. A mage who is in control of his or her magic power can do it on instinct alone. It is our most basic way to get from one place to another after all. If you cannot fly on a broom then you are not worth our time but enough talk, now begin."
Tatsumi grinned as other began to murmur about the test and the bluntly harsh words from Captain Vangeance. This was part of why he'd trained so hard to control his magic and master it. He could fly with ease, and he quickly straddled his broom and let his magic take over.
Flying was easy to Tatsumi, somehow it almost felt instinctive as if he'd done it before without the broom but as with a lot of these feelings that he'd had it made no sense, and he quickly rose high into the air and flew around a bit. He wasn't trying to show off or rub it in, he was just enjoying it and proving that he could fly with ease.
He wasn't the only one that high, others were up on his level, and some were even in different positions on the broom, mostly side saddle for the girls in long skirts due to the practicality of it, but a few were crouched on it showing that they really knew what they were doing though none stood on them. It was a good gage and many who'd fail to make a squad showed it right off the bat by barely getting off the ground or managing it only to be thrown off.
That meant that already Tatsumi was ahead of most of the examinees as the Captains looked on. He was pleased with that, but this was just the first test, though, there were still a lot more to come. He didn't notice the noble girl that had been eying him earlier was riding side saddle nearby keeping a keen eye on him that now gleamed with malicious intent despite her innocent and pretty appearance.
After the flying tests, the remaining tests began to come thick and fast. First up was a magic power test were a series of stone walls were erected out of the ground and the examinees had to send a blast of magic at them in the form of mana bullets. Offensive magic like this wasn't Tatsumi's strong suit but he could fire off a blast of pure mana and was pleased when he was able to break through the wall and hit a column behind it with a blast impressing a few and causing the girl who now really eyeing him with hatred burning in her eyes as Tatsumi was one of the few who managed to break through the wall.
The third test was a hybrid of the first two in a magic power-control test where they had to hit paper targets that were in the air thus requiring more control to hit. This was a lot harder for Tatsumi but be managed to send a blast of raw mana at it and hit the target in the center though it wasn't a bullseye. He was better at up close fighting but if he concentrated his ranged skills weren't too bad.
The fourth test was one that Tatsumi knew he'd excel in, the magic creation test. Again, they weren't using their grimoires, this was about raw creation of something with their magic, so Tatsumi made a miniature suit of armor that he controlled with his mana as it flew in the air around him impressing those who saw it while also not giving away his attribute as many just thought it was a metal based one. It helped that others made humanoid figures with their magic, mainly those with earth, metals like steel and bronze, or other solid construct attributes like clay, crystal, and glass magic.
The fifth test was a little different as the examinees were given a seed and told to pour their mana into it in the magic evolution test. This would test the potency of their mana as the plant that grew would be combined with their attribute in some way, which in Tatsumi's case was a metallic one that looked like it was a plant growing with armor on its stem and leaves but still able to stand under the weight. He was glad that it had worked and was sure that the Captains had noticed. If not, well the final test was about to come and that would be the one where he really shined.
"Onto the next test, the final and most difficult of all the tests today." Vangeance said once the plants were disposed of as he looked down on the examinees from his seat. "A display of combat skill."
"Prepare to duel." A tall man with a main of fiery orange hair and what looked like red makeup around his eyes said leaping up and getting into it, his red robe made it clear that he was Fuegoleon Vermillion, the royal Captain of the Crimson Lion Kings. "You will break into pairs and fight each other. Use your grimoire to attack and defend until one of you is knocked out or concedes defeat."
This got more murmurings from the crowd as they all realized what this would entail. It was a test of how one used his or hers magic in a battle against an opponent so more than just raw power, but tactics and skill played a part in the duel as well. Losing was likely going to end in failure unless you'd had a decent showing in the other tests. Good thing that Tatsumi had no plan on doing that though because he knew that he'd win his duel.
"As Knights battle is our business." Fuegoleon continued. "We want to see everything that you are capable of."
"The test will end when one combatant either surrenders or is unable to continue." Vangeance added even though Fuegoleon had already mentioned that. "We have mages wielding recovery magic standing by for the injured but of course killing in this test is not allowed even though when we engage in battle it can sometimes be necessary to kill to win."
"So don't hold anything back." Fuegoleon said. "You have 10 minutes to find a partner before the test begins."
Instantly people began looking around trying to decide who was best to fight as Fuegoleon took his seat again. Some were talking with friends they were taking the test with some were singling out other lone examinees who they'd noticed for various reasons and others were just waiting to be challenged as they mentally prepared for their upcoming battle.
In Tatsumi's case he wasn't looking around, but he was thinking about who he should face. He knew that he'd had a decent showing so far but combat would be where he was going to really shine given his skills and attribute, so he wanted to face someone challenging to prove it. That meant his best bet was one of the noble examinees but who should he approach and would they even appreciate being approached by a commoner like him. Thankfully, that was taken out of his hands.
"Excuse me, would you like to be my partner for this test." A sweet, feminine voice said from behind Tatsumi, and he turned to see who was speaking.
The speaker was a pretty girl of about 15 or 16 standing behind Tatsumi. She had long blonde hair that fell in ringlets down to her elbows, milky white skin and deep blue eyes. She wore a simple long sleeved blue blouse under a knee length white dress with a blue rough and a black corset which really pushed up her modest bust thus accentuating it beyond it's natural size. To complete the look, she had blue boots with white laces, a white ball thing with blue tassels in her hair and a white bow at her throat.
Tatsumi was taken aback by her rather forward nature of approaching him. He was expecting a potential challenge, he wasn't holding back in the tests, and nobles could be a bit sticky about commoners showing them up, but he wasn't expecting a girl to come up to him and offer to be his partner as he was expecting masculine pride to be what caused a noble to challenge him.
That said, based on the quality of her dress, the thickness of the light blue grimoire at her hip, her accent, and the mana he was feeling from her she was a noble so Tatsumi's desire to battle one was met. There was no question in his mind that she would be a challenge, but something felt off about it all.
It took Tatsumi a moment to realize it but when he did he was instantly on edge almost as if he'd been in a similar situation before. The girl's smile was cute and sweet, almost inviting, but it didn't match her eyes. Tatsumi knew that eyes didn't lie, and this girl's eyes were dancing with malice and hatred that really unnerved him.
This was another one of those strange feelings Tatsumi had always growing up, a feeling to always be on edge with new people and not be naïve or trusting no matter what that person looked like. He couldn't say why he was like this because it felt like deep down he'd fallen for this shit before and it had cost him a lot, which of course made no sense as he grew up in a rural frontier village that until he left for the Magic Knights entrance exam he'd never been more than 10 miles away from, but still he trusted his gut. Something wasn't quite right about the gut, so he decided to accept the offer to find out what it was.
"It would be my pleasure miss." Tatsumi said with an easy smile of his own as he stepped forward, he was sure he'd find out if his suspicions were right or not soon enough and if not, well she was a noble so she'd probably have some strong magic so beating her would be a good sign. "I'm Tatsumi. Just Tatsumi."
"Venalia Highball of House Highball at your service." The girl said with a dainty and well-practiced curtsy that was likely meant to put Tatsumi at ease, but he knew he couldn't let his guard down around her. "A pleasure to meet you Tatsumi. I must say, it isn't often a commoner from the sticks comes to the big city with such promise."
"I am here to make my village proud and become a Magic Knight." Tatsumi said still smiling at her. "That way I can help them and others like them out."
"How quant and noble of you." Venalia said as the time to find a partner began to draw to an end. "What say we be the first bout, really show off and set the standard."
"Why not, first will stand out." Tatsumi said and almost as soon as he did an official said that they were ready for the battles to begin and requesting the first pair.
At that Venalia turned and walked to the center of the arena to volunteer, Tatsumi following her, and where the official was. The rest of the examinees quickly backed up and gave them space so that they could face each other in the center of the arena without worrying about hitting anyone. It was as they settled that Venalia turned and stepped up to Tatsumi before the fight started and got in his face as best she could.
"Listen up you filthy commoner." Venalia hissed in a venomous, foul voice that only Tatsumi could hear and send chills down his spine with the hatred pouring off it as a sadistic gleam came into her eyes that told him at once that she was no stranger to killing and wouldn't hesitate to do so if she could get away with it. "You don't deserve to be here; you are nothing more than livestock for people like me to do with as we see fit, trash that we can dispose of as we wish. That is the purpose of the Magic Knights, to keep those unworthy in line and those who are superior in their rightful places above them. I'm going to show everyone why trash like you don't belong here and make you suffer as much as I can in the process."
Tatsumi didn't say anything, he just let his face harden as he looked down at the girl. So, he was right, she had a screw lose or two. She was a rotten, corrupt, noble brat, who likely had never faced repercussions for her actions thus making her an utter sadist who treated those below her to be used for her own twisted enjoyment. She was the kind of person who only saw people like him as tools at best, disposable playthings at worse and he had a feeling this girl fell into the latter camp.
Well, Tatsumi wouldn't stand for that. He had always had a strong sense of right and wrong and he'd never hesitate to do what was right even if it meant killing. Naturally Tatsumi hadn't killed another human in his life, at least he was sure he hadn't, but for some reason he felt like he knew what it was like to take a life and that if it came to it he could kill if it came to it. He couldn't do that here but regardless what he was going to do wasn't going to look good to the Captains as the girl was still smiling sweetly but Tatsumi was beyond caring, he would show what a true Magic Knight was made of.
As such all he did was turn and walk away to put some distance between them knowing that the girl was doing the same. Then, he turned to face her where she was. She was still looking all sweet and cute, but her eyes blazed with a sadistic fury that told him that if she could she'd hurt him to within an inch of his life in this battle. That wasn't going to happen as Tatsumi got ready to put this brat in her place.
"Alright, now…" The official said as he raised his arm and then lowering it. "Begin."
"Show me what you've got." Venalia said as her grimoire flipped open with a pale blue glow, and she held out her hand. "Glass Creation Magic: Glass Minions."
"Glass, that shatters easily, looks all fine on the outside but when broken it's ugly so it is a fitting attribute for you." Tatsumi said as he drew his sword and slammed it into the ground in front of him, his grimoire floating up with a gray glow to it and opening to his side as several figures of light blue glass with various weapons appeared before Venalia and Tatsumi roared his spell for all to hear. "Armor Creation Magic: Incursio!"
This was his best spell and he grinned at the murmurs of what his magic was because it wasn't common, but they were in for something else as there was a roaring sound. Suddenly the earth behind Tatsumi exploded and an armored figure burst forth from it, it's arms wide and around Tatsumi's body, the shock causing all to gasp and Venalia to back up a look of fear on her face at the side effect that occasional happened when Tatsumi used this spell. It was still a good effect and Tatsumi didn't mind it as it showed off before it formed on his body and encased him in it.
The armor itself wasn't a full suit by any means, more a late chest plate that covered the upper chest, big shoulder guards, bracers, knee high and plates on the outer calves all in a dark grey with what looked like lighter gray canvas for the exposed parts and black stripes down the sides. It also ha a high grey metal collar with a white cape that fell from the shoulders. Finally, there was the helm, a full head covering with a face plate and wide brim that was the same as the helmet on the front of Tatsumi's grimoire. It was in short a full suit of unique armor created by Tatsumi's magic.
Why the spell was called Incursio Tatsumi had no idea. It didn't seem to mean anything to anyone but that was what the spell was called so he went with it. All his other spells were more simple, but he figured that because it was his strongest spell that it would have an odd name and boy was it strong.
The armor fully encased Tatsumi, which it did by enveloping him in front of everyone, kicking up a gust of wind for all to see before settling to reveal Tatsumi standing tall and proud in the armor though the sword was no longer visible. He'd put it away as it wasn't compatible with the armor, but he had to draw it to avoid issues with the transformation.
The strangest aspect though was that part of Tatsumi was visible, even his eyes were hidden by yellow glowing orbs under the brim of the help, and no spell or weapon that he knew of could penetrate his armor. Of course, he'd never tested it out against either a noble's magic or one of the more unique magics out there that might be able to pierce it.
Lastly, the armor also enhanced his speed, reflexes, and strength while wearing it like reinforcement magic did making him a beast to fight. So far it hadn't exhibited an aspect of his magic that some of his other spells did, but Tatsumi was sure that in time it would.
Tatsumi wasn't dumb enough to think that it was invincible, however. There would be magic out there that could defeat him, he would one day face it and then he was sure that the strange adaptability aspect of his magic would kick in, but he was sure that this little brat's glass minions weren't strong enough to beat him. He'd show that and his strength right now.
"Slice him to ribbons." Venalia yelled clearly recovering from the shock of Tatsumi's magic and how strong it was. "Nothing can withstand my glass minions."
Tatsumi just grinned inside the helmet as the humanoid minions of glass ran and then leapt up at him, his arms crossed over his chest. He held the pose for a moment before leaping up to meet them.
There were 5 glass minions, he took out the first two with punches to their faces causing them to shatter and fall do the ground in pieces. A second later he kicked the next two that were at his sides in the chests blasting them back and into pillars in the amphitheater where they shattered and grabbed the final one by the arm as it closed in on him. That one had brought a glass weapon to bear but it shattered on his armor as if it was nothing and Tatsumi spun in the air to toss it back at Venalia.
He landed in a crouch as the minion reached her, but she just dismissed it with a wave of her hand. She was now clearly furious but as her back was to the Captains they couldn't see the look of twisted rage on her pretty face.
"Glass Creation Magic: Glass Giant of Protection." Venalia yelled her arms out as her grimoire flipped to another page.
It took a few seconds but soon a giant glass figure appeared before her, made from the feet up. It looked like a large, potbellied, man with a giant club of glass and stood before the girl ready to protect her. It was an impressive feat of magic, and the top of its head was above the balcony where the captains sat but it wasn't a threat to Tatsumi hence why he let it be created. Well, that and it would look good to take this thing down.
He just held out his hand to the side and a spear with a large, red, arrow-like head, appeared from thin air next to Tatsumi. This was the weapon that he could make with Incursio but only if he was facing a foe that his raw strength couldn't best. He grabbed it out of the air as he turned sideways and drew his arm back before he tossed the weapon like a javelin at the giant glass beast.
The spear flew fast and true and buried itself in the center of its forehead before it could move or raise its club to block the spear. Tatsumi was already running towards it however, he was going to end this now, and he leapt up at the spear as the giant staggered and yanked it out, slicing through the beast in the process, and causing it to shatter from the damage he'd inflicted upon it. He was now directly above a wide eyed Venalia and turned sideways for his finishing move, the spear vanishing as he did.
"Glass Creation Magic: Glass Wall." Venalia said raising her hand above her head and a thick glass wall appeared as Tatsumi began to fall down towards her.
Tatsumi didn't hesitate as he spun his body to build up speed before holding out his left arm and shattering the glass wall with a blow from his forearm and passing through it as it shattered around him, his right arm cocking back in a fist. He didn't say anything as he punched down and his fist collided with the side of Venalia's jaw, shattering it and knocking out several teeth as he pushed through the punch and drove her face first into the ground with a boom that cratered the ground, the noble girl on her side clearly out cold and Tatsumi kneeling over her holding the pose with his fist still in her cheek.
He held it for a second to ensure that she was out, the no longer glowing grimoire that collapsed to her side was a good sign, before he slowly rose and looked down at her, Incursio melting off him in magical smoke to show the spell ending and his grimoire closed so that he could take it out of the air and put it in his grimoire bag again. Tatsumi did this as he stood there, a cold look on his face as he looked down at the unconscious girl before speaking loud enough for all to hear.
"You're wrong, I'm not the trash that doesn't deserve to be a Magic Knight, you are." Tatsumi said coldly surprising everyone. "You are a noble, born with privilege, money, and power but rather than use it to make things better for all like a noble should you're nothing more than a selfish, greedy, and sadistic little brat who is using your station and power only for your own personal gratification and gains. Beating you is why I want to be a Magic Knight, to route out corruption like you and make this kingdom better for all of those who call it home no matter their station in life because a Magic Knight serves the people not himself."
With that Tatsumi turned and walked away as a stretcher came out for the girl. She was no longer of any concern for him, he'd shown his power with just one spell, and he'd won his duel with ease. Hopefully one of the Captains realized that when the time came. For now, though, Tatsumi would just wait and watch the rest of the fights as he took a position to watch, a wide birth given to him by the other examinees who now had a very different opinion of the commoner with the strange, strong, magic.
Tatsumi was right, one of the Captains did notice what he'd done and was grinning with a cigarette between his teeth as he looked down at the end of the fight. Yami had been bored all day with this, the only promising candidate had been the boy he'd run into at the start, and he was already showing that he'd get recruited before the battles rolled around so he wasn't likely to choose the Black Bulls. The boy had power, control, and skill passing all the tests with ease and still not really showing off his attribute other than that it likely came from the metal family.
That was annoying to Yami as it meant that the others would have noticed this as well and were going to consider him for their squads. Sure, the high and mighty Nozel wouldn't take him as he was a commoner and goldie guts was likewise not one known to take a commoner, or entrants from this exam at all really, but the others were an issue. He felt that any of them might go for him, at least until the final test.
Only Yami could tell that the girl who'd come up to the boy was bad news because he could read ki. The girl was malice personified, she reeked of it, and it went beyond a simple hatred for commoners as it was something much more sinister than that, but she was also a noble who looked cute and sweet, so the others were likely taken in by that. She was clearly a candidate for the Blue Rose Knights, a strong female applicant always got the pricky princess's attention, but she was bad news and Yami knew it.
Apparently so did the boy as he finally showed off his magic and revealed that his attribute was armor. Yami knew was rare as he'd only heard of one other Armor Mage who was one of Fuegoleon's Knights which also meant that the king of seriousness would likely pass as well, which was good as Fuegoleon was the only Captain that Yami was actually worried about, and man was that a strong spell that the boy used. The armor suit it made was clearly powerful magic, they could all feel it on the balcony, and it looked like it could take a serious beating as if it was nothing.
Yami was sure that his Dark Magic and Jack's Severing Magic after he got all freaky and sadistic, well more so than usual, could cut through it, probably Akame's Blade Magic as well, but that was probably it from what Yami could tell. That was a seriously strong defense and it seemed to make him stronger as he showed that off with ease against the glass minions this just his fists and feet.
Then he showed weapon proficiency, he did carry a sword so Yami was sure he could handle it, but he'd let Akame test that as she was likely closer to his level of swordsmanship, but the spear he'd used to defeat the giant showed that the boy wasn't limited to a sword. Then he showed no mercy or hesitation in besting the girl and knocking her out with a punch, and Yami could tell that he was holding back with the blow.
There was no doubt in Yami's mind that a full punch in that armor was almost certainly fatal, and he didn't doubt that this boy could kill if necessary. He was truly a lot like Akame just with a stronger sense of justice, one he showed with his speech at the end.
Yup, this boy was a Black Bull and Yami planned on making it so. The coldness he'd shown in his win, along with a savage beating of a female opponent, would turn him off the others so he was all Yami's providing his theory that Fuegoleon would hold off due to the magic held out. It looked like the Black Bulls would be getting a new member today.
The rest of the battles passed without much fanfare. Tatsumi knew he'd put on a show at the start and was glad for it. Sure, it might have looked brutal but so long as one Captain knew that what he'd done was right than Tatsumi was sure he'd succeeded in making a Magic Knight squad. If not, well he'd probably roam the country doing good anyway for a year before trying again next year.
Finally, the battles came to an end. They had to wait for a few moments for the final healings to take place as there were some injuries in the last battles, but soon all the candidates were healed up and once again gathered in the center of the arena. As soon as they were there, Captain Vangeance stood up once more to address them one last time.
"That concludes the exam." Vangeance said as the sun began to set, and dusk fell over the amphitheater while he spoke. "When your number is called please step forward to learn your results."
"If a Captain wants you on his or her squad they will raise a hand." Charlotte Roselei said standing from her seat and speaking for the first time to give further details on the process. "That means that you are in that squad. If you do not wish to join a squad you may of course decline the offer we make. If you are admitted into more than one squad it is up to you to decide which, if any, you will join."
"However, if no squad wants you, you will not be a Magic Knight." Fuegoleon said not rising from his chair. "In that case try and figure out why you failed so that you can improve should you choose to try again next year."
"However, you must leave at once." The other royal Captain, Nozel Silva, said also not rising, his voice cold so it brokered no arguments. "That is all we have to say so let's start with the results."
"Examinee number 1, step forward." An attendant said at that and someone from the crowd stepped forward, waited for a few seconds as no hands were raised before declaring. "No hands."
The person turned and walked away dejected but clearly accepting it and so the process began. All Tatsumi could do was stand there and wait for his number as examinee after examinee went. It was hard to get into a squad and now that he saw the results it was clear just how few would manage it. In fact, it wasn't unto the 56th person that a hand was raised by the sleeping captain of the Coral Peacocks and the examinee was admitted to it.
From there it began to go a bit more as 4 more acceptances, one each for the Green Praying Mantis, Blue Rose Knights, Crimson Lion Kings, and surprisingly the Aqua Deer, before finally it came to Tatsumi's number. The person before him had no hands so he was nervous but ready to face his results.
"Number 104, step forward." The attendant said and Tatsumi stepped forward, looking up at the 9 captains with a serious look on his face.
The captains looked back but already many had decided not to choose him. It wasn't that he wasn't strong enough for the Magic Knights, he more than was, but most had reasons not to want him on their squads.
For Charlotte it was that he was a man and had beaten a woman badly, though she'd accepted that woman into her squad based on her potential, so she didn't want him. For Nozel it was that he was a commoner and not strong enough for him. For Dorothy she was just asleep. Jack already had a recruit, and he felt the guy was too defensive for his tastes though he did want to see how long it took for him to sever that armor as that looked fun. Gueldre saw him as too noble for the Purple Orcas, so he ignored the boy. The Aqua Deer Captain didn't care for him as he wouldn't be a good fit for Rill. Lastly, Vangeance didn't want him because Patry told him that the boy wasn't an elf host, but his soul was odd.
That left only Fuegoleon and Yami as the only Captains actually interested in him. Fuegoleon was considering the boy, he had potential and honor given the speech he made at the end, but he already had an Armor Mage in his squad and wasn't sure if they'd get along. Then there was the fact that his sister had a protégé she'd been training in the strong magic region for almost a decade now who would officially join the squad whenever Mereoleona decided to return to the Capital, and that girl had some really strange magic, so Fuegoleon was hesitant to take this boy.
The boy was worthy of a squad, but he felt that the Crimson Lion Kings wasn't the best fit, there was a better squad for that and a Captain perfect for molding this boy so Fuegoleon would only take him if who he thought would take the boy didn't. Thankfully he was right as the hand next to him rose after the boy stepped forward.
"The Black Bulls." The attendant said causing a bit of a stir given the reputation though Fuegoleon just nodded, he respected Yami and knew that the foreigner saw things that the others here didn't so this boy would be well served learning from a Captain of Yami Sukehiro's character.
Tatsumi just looked up at the announcement and at the man with his hand raised and met his eyes. It was the man he'd bumped into at the start, the one he'd felt reminded him of someone he'd once respected but couldn't place. This was the right fit for Tatsumi, he knew it. All he did was nod a confirmation of the offer to join the Black Bulls at the man before he stepped away smiling at passing the exam.
The rest of the results carried on with a few more acceptances though none by either the Silver Eagles or Golden Dawn, they'd take nobles who didn't need this test instead. The other squads ranged from one new recruit for the Black Bulls, and Aqua Deer, to four for the Purple Orcas. It was a total of 27 acceptances from 499 examinees, which was about standard.
Tatsumi just waited by the side until it was done, night had fallen by this point, and the candidates who'd passed waited for their new Captains to take them to their hideouts. He was the only new Black Bull and more than ready for it as he waited, the girl he'd beaten glaring at him with the other new Blue Rose Knight recruit, but he didn't care too much. Eventually she'd be discovered and when that was the case she'd be out of the Magic Knights at best and hopefully in prison where she belonged. Tatsumi was just ready for the next stage in his life and pushed off the wall as the big man and his subordinate came up to him.
"What's your name newbie." The man growled though it wasn't an unfriendly growl. "All I know is your number."
"Tatsumi sir." Tatsumi said simply.
"You're not a noble, I can tell." The man said. "If you didn't know already, I'm Yami Sukehiro, Captain of the Black Bulls and your new boss. You impressed me today, and not just with your magic. You knew that girl was no good didn't you. How'd you know?"
"Wait what?" The man beside him said. "A cutie like that?"
"Her eyes." Tatsumi said calmly ignoring the subordinate as he spoke to his new Captain. "They didn't match her smile when she spoke to me, and I had a gut feeling not to trust anything that she said to me, and I trust my gut. Then she revealed her true intentions when she spoke to me. She's bad news, really bad as in I am sure it's more than just a classist hatred, that girl is evil. I'm glad you could tell; I know I was heavy handed, but I had to be to make a point."
"Well, she's under Captain Charlotte now, she'll either shape up or be out on her ass." Yami said. "Charlotte may be a prickly princess but she's honorable and noble unlike that girl, it will just take time for Charlotte to see past her own gender biases and realize that that girl is no good just like you said. You did the right thing and didn't hesitate to beat her in a way that left no doubt, that's what I like to see in a squad member. As for how I could tell, you'll learn in time newbie, you've got a lot to learn but you interest me, and I recruit those who interest me. I assume you can use that sword."
"Yes, been training all my life with it." Tatsumi said with a nod. "It comes naturally to me."
"Good, we got a swordswoman on the squad, she'll assess you there." Yami said. "And your magic, pretty interesting. I've only heard of one other with Armor Magic."
"Thank you." Tatsumi said surprised that there was another with his attribute but not showing it. "It is rare from what I've heard but I will use it for good."
"As I expect, many of the squad has unusual magic so you'll fit in there plus we're all a bit mental which will also help seeing as you're not one who acts as expected." Yami said before looking to Finral. "Finral, portal, I brought you for that."
"Right." The other man, Finral apparently, said before opening his grimoire and holding out his hand. "One portal coming up."
A second later a portal made by spatial magic appeared. Tatsumi was impressed, spatial magic was rare magic and for the squad to have a mage with it, well it was pretty cool and damned useful. He didn't hesitate, he just walked through the portal followed by Yami and Finral.
Tatsumi was even more impressed with the Spatial Mage as he'd exited the portal in a forest facing a large building of crumbling stone with many windows and a completely haphazard style that had to be a long way from Kikka, so Finral had some good range on him. The building was unique, there was no way that it was naturally constructed like this, but somehow it felt fitting and Tatsumi smiled at it.
"Welcome to the base of the worst magic knight squad out there." Yami said as they walked to the door. "Go on, make yourself at home. It's time to introduce you to the rest of the Black Bulls, Tatsumi."
Tatsumi just nodded at that as he stepped up to the door and pushed them open to greet his new squad. At once he was hit by a cacophony of noise and had to sidestep a fireball that Finral used a portal to send away as Tatsumi gaped at the sight before him.
The common room was like the exterior, an eclectic mess with two floors, a wrap around balcony, a bar, a corner couch that didn't fit, a random chaise long, chairs, bottles, a few tables, and a lot of noise people. It was a lot to take in all at once, but Tatsumi did that as he looked around the room at the other Black Bulls, all of whom were wearing the squad robes in the same style as the one that Finral wore.
Tatsumi noted that there was a punk guy with glasses sending fireballs and a scar on his forehead going into his hair at a blond guy zapping around with lightning boots who was taunting the punk about a dessert of his that the blond guy at eaten. In one corner there was a brown-haired man was making a doll with a nose bleed and creepy grin on his face while a large, er man Tatsumi guessed, puffed out smoke on the sofa next to a pale dude with black lipstick and eyeshadow muttering to himself.
Off to the side there was a drunk pink haired woman in a maroon bra that barely contained her large breasts and matching panties lounged on the chaise. She was surrounded by empty wine bottles as she hiccupped and drunk from the bottle in her hand clearly unashamed by her body.
Through all of this were a series of anthropomorphic sheep made from cotton that were carrying trays of meat to a table with a tiny girl at it eating faster than was humanly possible and clearly more than her own body weight while a girl with black hair that fell to her knees had her back to the door as she collected something from one of the sheep. It appeared to be a large tray of meat, so Tatsumi passed over her as he tried to take it all in while Yami was getting more and more annoyed at them. They knew it was the exam today so they should be reasonable for once as they might have a new member to greet.
All Tatsumi did though was take it all in and somehow feel comforted by it as he looked around the room. He was mainly focused on the duel between the Fire and Lightning Mages that was going on despite the door opening, and explained the fireball when he opened the door, so he didn't notice the girl with the tray turn around and suddenly stop in the middle of the room.
That person was of course Akame who had been grabbing the latest delicacy that Charmy's sheep had whipped up for her and Charmy from Akame's latest kill that she was looking forward to eating in the various ways Charmy's sheep had cooked it and if there was any left sharing with a new member if they had one as Yami should be back by now. Akame hoped that they got one and he or she was a good person as then she'd no longer be the newbie and could begin her hunt for Tatsumi in earnest. Plus, she'd been good this year, so she'd likely get pardoned when her review came up in a few months.
The one thing that Akame wasn't expecting as she turned to face the door, she'd heard it open but she'd been getting her meat so she'd just kept it noted just in case as it was likely the return of her Captain, Finral, and a potential new member or members, was that her hunt would end before it even began. That was because standing in the doorway, looking around like an adorable idiot was a boy around her own age who was slightly taller than her with brown hair, green eyes, and wearing a cream sweeter over a white shirt, dark gray pants and brown boots, gloves and bracers. He even had a sword with a chain dangling from the grip on his back.
There was no doubt who it was and Akame stopped dead in her tracks, her eyes wide, her heart racing and her hands shaking slightly as she took him in. He was here, he'd been accepted by Yami as a Black Bull, and he was right before her. It was such a shock that she was completely overwhelmed by it. So much so that she did something she'd never do otherwise and let go of her tray of meat.
Suddenly the racket was silenced but not by Yami slamming a fist into the wall to destroy it as was normal but by a shattering sound and a loud, startled but clearly happy gasp that quieted everyone as they looked to the source. That was followed by a single shout that would change Tatsumi's life forever and answer many questions he'd long held in the process.
"Tatsumi!"
Ah a good old fashioned cliffhanger, I couldn't resist ending the chapter on this, it was just too tempting not to. Well, that and this chapter was getting too long so I had to end it somewhere and this was the best spot to do so. This is Tatsumi's intro tale, much shorter and simpler than Akame's as he had a pretty normal upbringing in the forsaken realm just like how his backstory in Akame ga Kill is much more basic compared to the others which is also why I opted for Tatsumi's recruitment to be normal and via the exam compared to Akame's unorthodox recruitment. Naturally like Akame he had these feelings that he didn't understand but soon will and that showed in his work such as replicating Incursio's key in his forged sword. At least one guest did guess correctly in that Tatsumi's attribute would be Armor and it makes sense given Incursio but like with Akame's Blade Magic it will be more than just that though we've only seen Incursio so far, but Tatsumi was always going to be a Black Bull as this story is focused on Akame and Tatsumi being Black Bulls and how they influence the events of the Black Clover story. The only other thing to really mention is that Tatsumi's opponent, Venalia Highball, is an OC I created based off Aria to represent that kind of thing that Tatsumi faced when he went to the Imperial Capital, and I'm not quite done with her yet. As for why I gave her Glass Magic, well the reason for that is the simple fact that glass can be really pretty to look at but when it shatters it is ugly, sharp, and dangerous just like how I felt Aria was shown in Akame ga Kill just as Tatsumi pointed out at the start of their duel. Anyway, that is all I really have for you, so I'll leave this chapter off here. 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