Chapter 15:Kill The Chessmaster II
Central Continent
The figures solidified themselves from their shadowy outlines into defined forms as the Cadmus soldiers arrived. It was heavily implied to be his commanders.
The leader of the group was a tall muscular man with thick and wild, dark magenta-colored hair that reached to his neck. He was bare-chested with a pair of white pants with a segmented pattern white shoes and a white coat cape draped over it. He had pointed ears which designated him as not being human.
The second to arrive was a young boy with spiky blue hair patterned like a flower, a pair of glasses with lenses that resembled leaves, and a mischievous smile playing on his lips. He wore a short-sleeved white tunic with a white vest, and white boots, and had a small pack slung over his shoulder hiding weaponry, filled with seeds and vines that twisted and coiled as if alive. The flower reminded the Esdeath side of Murasaki of a certain kind of flower in the Imperial Palace's garden. If rubbed into an open wound, the flowers would cause the victim extreme pain, making them useful for light torture. From this alone, she could guess he was going to be a sadist.
The third one was a woman of average height, with short, pink flower petal hair that formed a flower at the top of her head, golden-colored eyes, and a slender, feminine build. She wore a white hanfu with two ribbons, a white robe underneath, a beaded necklace with a white amulet, a white hakama tied with a white obi, and white boots- all with a segmented pattern. Underneath her layer of clothing which was loosely worn to expose it, she wore a silk white bikini top.
The fourth commander to arrive was indeed a rafflesia humanoid. Its massive body was a deep shade of red, mottled with white spots that resembled the flesh of its namesake flower. It towered over the others, with thick, sturdy limbs that ended in hands and feet with long, pointed thorns. The creature had a wide, gaping mouth filled with sharp teeth, and two large, intelligent eyes that gleamed with a fiery orange light. The rafflesia's head was a grotesque caricature of the bloom itself, the edges of its 'face' curling into a perpetual snarl. Its skin was a tough, leathery texture that looked as though it could withstand any attack. It gave off the least intelligent vibe of the group.
The fifth commander was a breathtakingly bizarre sight to behold. She was a mesmerizing blend of creatures: having wolf legs in the front, dog legs in the middle, and leopard legs as the hindquarters with a mouse, a dog fur-covered chest with an opening for her bosom while exposing her muscular midriff, and tiger stripe, muscular arms. She had a witch-crone face protruding from the back of her while the front had an alluring seductress's face. Her hair was a flowing mane of dark gray, adorned with a delicate array of petals that fluttered with each movement she made. She wore a white bra with white short-shorts.
The sixth to arrive was unlike any of the others. He was a pitcher plant humanoid, his head and torso shaped like the infamous carnivorous plant, with a wide, gaping mouth that served as his face. His body was a deep, mottled green, with veins of a lighter shade pulsing visibly beneath the surface. The lid of his 'head' was fringed with a row of sharp teeth, and his arms and legs were long and slender, tipped with claw-like hands and feet. His white clothes were made of a material that resembled the slick interior of his namesake's leaves, allowing him to blend into the foliage when needed.
The seventh commander was a Venus flytrap. His entire body was one large, mobile flytrap, capable of stretching and contorting in ways that defied the natural order as he expanded and contracted. His 'face' was a mass of teeth and sticky glistening leaves, with a deep purple interior that seemed to pulse with life. His movements were swift and silent, a stark contrast to the lumbering grace of the rafflesia. As he opened his 'mouth' to speak, a forked tongue flicked out, tasting the air for any signs of danger or deceit. His clothes were a tapestry of white, made from the tough fibers of the very plants he could manipulate and control. His eyes, a pair of gleaming black orbs, darted around the room, assessing the situation with a cold, calculating gaze.
The eighth to join them was a short, stocky man, his tobacco plant-themed business attire and demeanor reminiscent of a gangster from a bygone era. He had a thick dark-green mustache, a white fedora tipped low over his eyes, and a cigar perpetually smoldering in his mouth, emitting clouds of smoke that clung to him like a second skin. His skin was a rich, tobacco brown, with a sheen that suggested a layer of fine dust covered him. Every few moments, he'd let out a hacking cough, a testament to the smoke that he exuded naturally. It was as if he was a walking, talking cigar, and the scent of tobacco hung heavy in the air around him. His suit was a tailored masterpiece of leafy whites, with a hint of gold thread woven through it, giving him an air of wealth and power. He had pointed ears to denote his inhumanity.
The ninth to arrive was a creature that sent chills down the spines of even the most battle-hardened among them. A deadly nightshade-themed monster, it was a black shadow with a neck collar comprised of nightshade leaves, its eyes two piercing red orbs that glowed like embers in the darkness. Its mouth was a jagged red maw, twisted into a permanent snarl, revealing rows of sharp, pointed teeth that dripped with a toxic venom. The creature's body was a twisted mass of thorny vines and leaves, each one coated in a glossy sheen that seemed to suck in the light around it. It moved with a sinister grace as if the very shadows themselves had come to life and taken the form of a living, breathing weapon.
The tenth was an unassuming Amanita muscaria mushroom humanoid with stubby legs, arms, and worried eyes that darted around nervously.
"To summon us like this? They must be super scary.," whined the mushroom.
Shroom- 10th Commander of the White Plant King.
"Did you see the Great One? He looks more intimidating than before. Makes us think we can't take him on and rule like kings like we used to.," said the blue-haired youth.
Agony- 9th Commander of the White Plant King
"Talking like that to the chief here is gonna get you punished.," said the pink-haired girl.
Sakura- 8th Commander of the White Plant King
"She looks tasty. Can't wait to swallow her up.," said the pitch plant with a lecherous lick.
Jug Pla- 7th Commander of the White Plant King.
"I got dibs.," said the Venus Flytrap.
Trap Pla- 6th Commander of the White Plant King.
"It better be worth (cough) it.," said the mafia-themed member.
Cigarillo- 5th Commander of the White Plant King
"Nininininininini.," said the nightshade menacingly.
Nightshroud- 4th Commander of the White Plant King.
"Nightshroud was fixed. Hope it doesn't happen to me.," noted the very odd chimera.
"With that attitude, it'll definitely happen!," screeched the hag head on the back of her skull.
Deathbane- 3rd Commander of the White Plant King.
"I'm not in cave...where is cave?," asked the rafflesia.
Raff- 2nd Commander of the White Plant King.
"You're outside. Moron.," said the leader.
Nerium- 1st Commander of the White Plant King.
"Sorry to call you her, but she's too much for me. Let's work together to stop this threat to our existence.," Sol-Flor declared.
More like your existence. Only I can have absolute power. Sacrifice yourselves for my sake so I can finish her off once she's tired out., thought the brown-haired man.
Nerium then noticed the Cadmus soldiers.
"You actually did it. So much for the Messiah.," the magenta-haired man noted as he began to grow roots.
"Yes. the Emperors' Teigu was the biggest hurdle for our conquest.," said Cigarillo.
"So who's Ms. Gorgeous?," asked Deathbane looking at Murasaki.
"Your enemy. She's too dangerous to be allowed to live. And I trust you guys to handle it.," the brown-haired man replied.
"Tch. I was hoping to have my way with her.," the woman remarked.
"Like a Christmas Cake such as you have a chance in hell-," the crone's face said before she punched.
"Ow. That's no way to respect your Superego!," shouted the hag head as the alluring face snapped.
Murasaki gave a deadpan look of annoyance.
He's relying on them? she thought.
She began bickering as Raff emitted a foul smell from his mouth.
"Too much thinking. Just kill her.," it said as the nearby flora began to dissolve.
Murasaki then refocused.
Whatever he said. It does not matter for us, just focus on our enemies., thought the fusion.
Murasaki's eyes narrowed as she sensed the shifts in the air around her. She felt the heat from Raff's breath as his saliva hit the ground, the sizzle of the plants dying around him, and the anticipation of his attack. With a swiftness that belied her size, she conjured an ice rapier from the palm of her hand. It grew before her eyes, shimmering in the light as if it had been crafted from the purest crystals. The sound of it extending was almost musical, a sweet note that sang through the air.
Before she could strike, however, Cigarillo was upon her. His cigar-laden breath coiled into a smoke fist that shot out with the speed of a bullet. The area grew hazy as the smoke thickened, obscuring her vision. She could see the outline of the rafflesia's massive form charging, but she had to deal with the more immediate threat. With a flick of her wrist, she sent the rapier hurtling towards the smoke, aiming for the heart of the cloud where she knew Cigarillo's real body lay hidden. The blade sliced through the smoke, leaving a trail of shimmering ice particles in its wake.
"We're not like the Black Faction. Unfairness is our game.," he said.
As she fell, the ten pounced on her, generating roots and morphing into demonic plant forms as they proceeded to insert their roots in her.
"Eden's Fall!," they declared as smoke, foul miasma, sakura leaves, venomous nectar, seeds, etc. entered her body, causing an extreme amount of pain. The Cadmus soldier aimed their mouth blasts in her direction.
"Can I cook this sucka?," asked Jug Pla.
"I like I know how to cook.," Sol-Flor admitted.
Like a certain someone..., thought the brown-haired monster.
1000 Years Ago
Susanoo and Sol-Flor were on opposite sides of the conflict, battered and brushed as the dead Evil Beings and fellow soldiers lay around them in the billowing flames. They had been enemies for millennia, with the former always trying to stop the latter. Sol-Flor reluctantly fights for his master out of self-preservation while Susanoo fights for the Humans even after he had been turned into a Teigu due to the future Emperor fearing his power.
He had entered into a state where his hair whitened, his horns turned black, and an ornate disc appeared on his back. His body was also more mechanical in this form. His silver-haired master stood on his right side.
"So you've truly become a tool. How appropriate.," he remarked as he began to transform.
Suddenly, news rang-
"The Prince of Darkness- Nefarious has been defeated!"
"So what now?," asked the silver-haired woman with long hair, resembling Najenda.
Sol-Flor disengaged his transformation.
"So what will you do with his mind?," he asked.
The woman looked to the right and said-
"It has nothing to do with you."
Susanoo readied his Magatama Manifestation, the red orb on his chest glowed as he summoned Ame no Murakumo- the very long, transparent sword from the energy stored in the Magatama.
Sol-Flor then smiled.
"I see.," as he phased into the ground before Susanoo could finish him off.
Susanoo knew that this was not the end, but he had to respect the temporary victory. The air was thick with the scent of burnt flesh and iron, and the once majestic battlefield was now a scarred wasteland. The cheers of victory were muted by the sorrow of loss, a stark reminder that even in triumph, the price was paid in blood.
20 Years Later...
He awoke to see to see an unnatural sight-
The brain of the now weakened Great One.
Susanoo was chained as he looked down at his master with a familiar face- Kong. His master had aged since he last saw her, becoming her partner after he saved her life and became a Teigu to not have a Good Being Hybrid break the rules of no-engagement without permission of the leader of the Good Beings.
"Why is that still here? I thought we'd destroyed it...What's with the blood?," he asked as he saw stains of blood on her coat. She turned away in shame.
"Basically...she wasn't happy with how things were run...so she went rebel and caused a coup d'etat to restructure the Empire into a new government. She had lingering doubts on how we won and how brutal things were getting. So my suggestions were easier on her. We managed to deal with the King while he slept and are now wiping out his heirs.," Kong said with a sinister grin, which served as a bastardization of the kind, simple youth Susanoo knew.
Susanoo realized the implications that this man was Sol-Flor deciding to side with the enemy to use them to get power.
"You know too much. So we're going to remove the memories of this time period...," he said.
"Sorry, but we need the brain to be able to know our enemies. And this power belongs to the people.," she said as Susanoo felt betrayed as "Kong" smirked.
Susanoo had a blinding flash before he closed his eyes.
520 Years Ago the Current Era
Susanoo awoke to see the interior of the Empire. Somehow, it seemed that whatever vague nightmare took place didn't happen.
"So basically, the 1st Emperor was planning to usurp God by destroying the brain that would halt the development of society?" asked a curious voice as he overheard familiar vocals yet more masculine.
"Yes. To think he had an heir raised in the boonies to take back from the noble rebels who took away the freedom of the people.," replied a feminine voice.
He looked at an auburn-haired woman who seemed oddly familiar and a silver-haired man.
"I'm sorry, but the current Emperor is forcing us on a wild goose chase to find imaginary monsters. We need to focus on the real monsters. Even if we have to break the one rule.," the young man said.
Without questioning it, Susanoo bowed.
It led to a 20-year conflict that saw 24 Teigu disappearing and some disappearing. And Susanoo's side doing something truly unspeakable to get the Evil Beings- entities that had been said not to be real beforehand to back off.
Susanoo had been fighting but noticed that his master had been fatally wounded. He went to her and cried before seeing the auburn-haired woman beginning to screech.
"NO! NO! NO! NO! You were supposed to be my fuck toy! I'm going to have to wait another 500 years till you're back. And the backup heir's coming in. At the very least, my plans to undermine the Empire can't be stopped now. It'll take half a millennia, but it'll come crashing down.," she yammered as she tore her face off to reveal a black demonic skull with a masculine voice.
Susanoo proceeded to close his eyes again.
Present
Murasaki was half-dead with glazed eyes as the ten finished the job. Sol-Flor not wanting to take chances, decided to use Luxuria, black lightning emitted from his right palm as it flew into the sky, causing it to rumble with electric sparks coming out of the sky ready to smite her. And on the ground, she saw that the Cadmus soldiers readied to fire.
"Almost 2000 years...Almost 2000 years...Finally, Finally. I will have my Kingdom of Heaven!," Sol-Flor shouted as he gave a nightmarish face with his demonic black skull piercing out as his white eyes gained interchanging black circles as he drooled from the mouth,
"Want to know...what our Teigu really are...?," Murasaki asked, which Sol-Flor noticed and caused him to grit his teeth in frustration.
"Just drop dead. I'll contact my associates in the other nations to finish you off.," Sol-Flor stated as he closed his eyes.
Remember our promise...Use them!, he telepathically communicated to whoever he was contacting.
Forest
Tatsumi landed the group near his village where the Elder saw Tatsumi back in his winged-hybrid form.
"I thought you were dead.," the elder noted.
"Sorry for Ieyasu and Sayo...and for faking my death.," Tatsumi apologized as he bowed.
"So they're...who are they?," asked the Elder as he looked at the friends he brought with him.
"They're...," he said before looking at sudden colored streaks in the sky.
"What's that?," asked Leone.
Najenda was adjusting to having a normal arm and eye again, but knew something was up. Kurome and Wave were concerned.
Wakoku
Hinowa had gathered the 24 nations for a meeting when she saw a mysterious humanoid giant of metallic material rise in the distance and fire.
"What's going on?," asked Tobari.
Rinzu went into a trance and it caused the giant to falter.
Berli
"Eh? Who activated it?," asked the bob-cut-haired woman as she shook a nearby soldier as she saw a monstrous mecha rise and fired. The bored Kaiser looked at it dispassionately.
Southern/Nothern Continents
Giant warriors also rose from their respective continents to fire in a certain direction.
Sol-Flor's Location
"I managed to set up back up in case the Evil Beings turned on me. Creating Meihou and whatever powers to create super weapons to fire on whoever my enemy is. You're the lucky first victim. I had planned for the fifth to be the Primus Imperator, but plans changed.," Solar-Flor gloated as the lights grew closer as the ten commanders flew away.
"You must be under the delusion that people always have the right beliefs. It's a lie, they'll believe whatever they want to satisfy their egos to make themselves feel better. I've prayed on that for eons to take advantage of the gullible! The sycophants and the saints! Only I will remain standing! As the sole god of this world! So much for justice, righteousness, and the power of the heart!" he gloated.
Murasaki accepted her demise.
Suddenly the first beam of pink caused the other three to bounce into the thermosphere and beyond.
He smiled for a few moments before being dumbfounded that the blast managed to
Lady Akame...I managed to do it., said the familiar voice of Rinzu.
"Lady Rinzu...," Murasaki said.
It's complicated, but there was this Meihou being powered by the deceased corpse of my mother that a certain country that had killed her had been working on. And my will was able to overpower it. Are you ok?, the voice spoke.
After a period of silence, Murasaki asked-
What does Hinowa say?
She says that you must've been facing the evils of the world even though the specifics aren't clear. Go and make them pay..., Rinzu's voice replied.
Murasaki then turned her attention back to Solar-Flor.
He had a very advanced vision as he saw the mecha- the secret projects he personally oversaw went back into hibernation after their power sources died. Angry veins appeared all over his body.
"You dare interrupt my grand finale! You know how hard it was to set everything up?!" he shouted.
"I get it. I get it. We'll just wait another century to-,"said Nerium before Murasaki glared at him.
"You've lived for a long time, but now everything you've done is going to be coming back to bite you. Serves you right for being short-sighted and sloppy.," she said. This made Solar-Flor angrier.
"Well, you're surrounded. What can you do now?" asked Jug Pla.
Murasaki slammed her swords into the ground as figures to began to rise.
"Murasame isn't a poison sword nor is Demon Extract just an ice power. It's the abilities of death and life. Now come- the fallen of the Empire!," she declared.
Next Chapter: Kill The Chessmaster III- Murasaki managed to turn things around in her favor
Author Notes: I gave a little cameo that mattered from Hinowa Ga Yuku in saving Murasaki as she's half-Akame.
Each of the Commanders is based on a dangerous or toxic plant.
The Leader- Nerium Oleander- is based on a poisonous flower of the same name. It is toxic from root to tip. It looks so soothing with white, magenta, and crimson colors, elegantly spreading its fragrance, but it is one of the most toxic, poisonous flowers in the world. From root to sap, every part of this plant is life-threatening if ingested.
The second is a callback to a pain-causing flower that Esdeath told Run was capable of extreme pain.
The Third is based on sakura blossoms, but it takes the short-lived aspect to lethal ends as this variant causes instant death to those who come into contact with the leaves.
The Fourth is a rafflesia, known for its foul stench and being the largest flower.
The Fifth is Aconitum, which is known as wolfsbane, mousebane, dogbane, leopard's bane, women's bane, tiger's bane, and witch's bane, which contributes to their very bizarre appearance.
The Sixth is a Pitcher Plant- a carnivorous plant that lures in prey to then catch it.
The Seventh is a Venus Fly Trap- the same as Pitch Plant, but more famous and has a deadlier design
The Eighth is Tobacco because smoking is bad in the long term
The Ninth is Nightshade which causes blindness and used to be used in beauty products.
And the Tenth is a mushroom with hallucinogenic properties.
It also further emphasizes how deeply rooted he is to the corruption of the Empire and how cathartic it is for him to finally be taken down.