Chapter 58: Monster

A/N: God, I have a rough time writing this chapter since this was the reason why I wanted to put it to mature on the rating. The intro part is inspired by a snippet on YouTube short for Lord of the Mysteries and 'I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream'. It's the final moment of the Ghar tribe before becoming human soup and aura batteries.

Be advised, It is graphic.

I patrol the perimeter of our camp.

I prayed before I went to sleep.

I tucked my daughter into bed.

I listen to the elders talk about destroying the dust mine beneath us.

I dance with my crush in our town square.

I decided to give him a chance.

I drink to another successful hunt with my comrades. The people dance around our next meal.

I picked some strange flowers for my wife. They seem to appear when that stranger passes by.

I put the finishing touches on the dress I've been weaving.

I lay in bed with my husband.

I prayed for better times before tucking myself into bed.

I debated with my colleagues about our isolation.

I guard the outsider as she talks to the chef.

I eavesdropped on the conversation in the shadows of the elder's tent.

I caught a boy eavesdropping on a diplomatic meeting and pulled him away.

I waited for the order to strike down this outsider.

I didn't want to kill a child but orders are absolute.

I can't believe the audacity of this lowly messenger. I discard the elders' debates and order my men to kill her.

I watch everyone besides our strongest warriors collapse.

I watch the candles burn out and dust lanterns explode.

I kept my eyes open but an icy spike impaled my back.

I came out of my tent only to feel my body lifted and a sickening snap. I live but can't feel my limbs.

Many of us fall into a deep slumber only to awaken to the nightmarish darkness. The few of us that don't fall soon after. They're the first and the unluckiest.

The skin is scraped off.

The blood is drained.

Excrements harvested.

Flesh reigned like a common butchery.

Nerves fried.

The organs were repurposed.

Bones snapped and pulverized.

The marrow was extracted.

Nothing was wasted nor left to rot.

The corpses are nonexistent until the true essence is finally found.

It was a barbaric experiment all for the effort to finally find the core. The human soul is in its purest form, encapsulated by a wall of green and a leathery shell.

When she first started with cartels and MIA agents, It took her a dozen tests to get it right, many of which died from shock. The souls were mercifully lost to the other side.

She now understood the process and made adjustments. Streamlining the next batch of subjects into photosynthetic prisons. The flesh, bones, and other excrement used to maintain and feed their prison. The maiden eventually added numbing agents to ease the process. The people of Ghar had it easy compared to those before.

A false reality and a living nightmare.

The trees of life are made by perverting death.

The sense of self fades.

They felt their skin flay. The taste of their blood in their throat, scorched from all the screams.

They felt exhausted and lightheaded. The veins bleed off all of its contents.

They died. Yet, they wonder why they could see their mangled corpse being dissolved or stripped of everything.

They felt oppressive vines wrapped around them(?).

They can't see because he has no eyes.

They can't hear because she has no ears.

They can't taste the blood and vomit in their mouth because their tongue is long gone.

They can't smell the earthy aroma of their new prison.

They can't resist because they have nothing left.

We have no mouths and must scream.

Vernal felt the plight of 170 test subjects. In a better negotiation, they would have been her first subjects. They are/were her loyalists, embittered by the kingdoms.

Unblind Justice is a semblance used against the guilty to relive the crime they committed against their victims. The perfect weapon for a draconic judge, jury, and executioner.

He loved Vernal but hated the monster she became. It has to be done to bring that girl to her senses. The sweetheart that wanted to see the ocean again. Even if it tried to kill her; it was also the last memory of a bygone family.

She agonized with them but after a while, she felt numb. Eventually, the numbness gives way to curiosity. Unblind Justice wasn't making her repent. It damaged her even further.

She made mental notes on how to improve this new field of research. A knowledge taken far above and beyond what the Crown were doing. It would be like comparing a baking soda volcano to a dust reactor.

She felt pity for the innocent lives lost but her reasoning still stands. Their bodies and souls accelerated her research by decades while Unblind Justice gave her hands-on experience. Vernal gives them meaning instead of leaving bodies behind for nature to take its course.

And than—

Another crime.

She'll take care of their children like her own. It is the best apology she can give to their parents, grandparents, and older siblings. The kids enjoyed the wonder of a dreamscape. She subtly conditioned them to view her as their savior.

She didn't want Akame to suddenly change her mind and have them executed. She would have if Umber weren't around. Vernal made sure they were fully loyal to her before releasing them from imaginary bliss. If only it was that easy.

Now, They're forced back into their pods.

Because some of them started questioning what happened to their family. She can't have that. She wants them to live. Enhanced with the last of the Ghar tribal souls in the hope she can turn those thirty into super soldiers.

She wants them to survive the cruel world.

If she listens closely, The wails of mothers and the roar of fathers still beat in her subconscious.

She started self-reflecting.

'He's right,' Veritas closed her eyes,' I killed many but I'll be different now. I make sure there is a purpose to all this senselessness.'

A landscape of blackened void filled the world around her. There was nothing, but she could make out the one hidden in the void. She looked up reflectively to see him—a horned, faceless man staring down at her. It couldn't speak, but she knew who it was.

The Dark God.

There was no word exchange because there wasn't a need to. She knows Akame has blessings given to her by him but she got none of it.

'Why isn't he talking to me? Why hasn't he responded? Do I have to throw myself at what he embodies for him to notice me? Why Akame? It can't just be physical prowess.'

The punishment came to an end abruptly.

'If Akame is Death then I'm…'

Thus, Vernal Easter was once again reborn while living.

Akame PoV

Isolated Meeting Room

It was barely a minute since I escorted Lisa and the cameraman to their escape Bullhead. Ozpin pulled me aside for a quick meeting to discuss our next move. I kept up my appearance in front of all the cameras and specialists. I can't appear too weak or tired.

I want to run.

I want to cry and rage.

I want to shred Salem until the concept of her doesn't exist.

That would have been the old me. Now I need to be careful with my next move before I end up with another resurgence. Yet, I can't fully put down my human emotions.

"Tell Peach to deactivate her damn semblance!" I held Ozpin by his collar.

He sent a text on his scroll and within seconds, I felt a change in my body. I checked my scroll to see my aura slowly ticking up.

It isn't recharging enough.

DAMN IT!

"I'll confirm that you forfeit your final match," He explained.

"Thank you," I huffed and let go of his collar.

"Wait. You can't fight in this condition," he said," For all your strength, You still have an upper limit."

"I'll manage," I kept walking," Try focusing on controlling your colleagues and I'll control mine."

"Salem is here. She will strike when you are at your weakest," He called out.

"She's your lover so thus your problem. You handle her and my men handle the city."

"This is your domain. Kurome, You won't make it in time even if you flew that bullhead at full throttle," He reasoned," Leaving this to your men may help her even more."

"Shut up!" I turned around," All this could have been prevented because you overreacted! You escalated the hunt! You force a war to happen! I thought you were passive when it comes to world peace."

I never felt so livid. He stood like a statue with an equally unmoved expression. I don't hate him as much as Salem but he—

—There it is again.

Kurome is affecting my mood.

The betrayal must have stung badly if she even influenced my behavior. It isn't too much of an effort to stamp down the hatred but it does sneak back in. Maybe it is the same as my instinctive hate of the God of Light and his creations.

"I can't stop you but your body will," He warned," Trust your people, Glynda, and Vernal to get out of this alive. Our next goal is to search for Salem and uncover what she's planning. I won't be able to do that if all the leadership of this kingdom are either gone or refuse to listen."

He has a point. I wasted 30 minutes fighting Winter and Akari. They're likely close to the ambush point or engaging the enemies.

"Meet up at the Academy and-," I check the time, it's almost seven in the afternoon," Postpone my ceremony until 9:30."

"I'll get in contact with Theodore. I already suggested for Ironwood to keep his forces on this ship and Malachite outside the city," He beckoned me to follow," You could tell your pilot to drop your PR manager in Shade. This is going to take us a while."

PR manager? Lisa?

"You don't trust them either?" I sighed," Salem is likely planning an attack, the magnitude, I don't know."

"I know my wi-former spouse's tactics. She'll target the weak points to send a message, whether it to one person or a whole kingdom," He noted.

"And we are at our most volatile," I crossed my arms and growled.

Atlas and Mistral are a given. The Vacuo government is still pissed that I leaked their bid for power. Vale and the Academies are still mixed unless they're from my home island. The Schwarz are reliable.

"Think about it, what is the most fragile link? The easiest to manipulate?"

Vernal would have been the answer but that's the General and Dictator scheme. Ozpin knows who or what it is and is waiting for me to realize it myself. I came up with nothing initially.

Until I looked at it from an outside perspective.

"The people," I answered, the frightening truth dawn on me.

"Precisely," He said grimly," She could muster another horde of Grimm but it would never be enough to break humanity back."

"Unless the main goal isn't to overwhelm but to divide," I took my scroll out but paused. How can I explain it without my people taking it too far?

I could tell them to double, triple, and even quadruple security measures. That could cause conflict with the other kingdoms and make me look paranoid.

It took me a moment to notice how much I was pacing back and forth. Ozpin gave me an almost smug look betraying the seriousness of the situation. It's not like the fate of world peace wasn't at stake.

"You-You know what's she planning? This whole time?"

"Pattern recognition and experience, Kurome. It's the same tactic from seven years ago," He tapped his cane.

"Seven years ago?"

"Say when was the last time you spoke with your nanny?"

"I-" It hit me like the weight of the ocean.

As tribal leader, I was eventually declassified on the happenings in South Anima. The guise of it was that Flaxen knocked out an Atlesian officer, took over the body, and gunned down a Faunus child. A region of the kingdom with the second highest Faunus population next to Menagerie and mix that with the boots of Atlas. It was a bloodbath.

It had been covered up and I immediately told Shay to never speak of it again.

I am disappointed and annoyed at my nanny. I suspect she's the traitor that aided in my mother's death. Qrow is accidental collateral.

And Ozpin wants me to admit it.

This sort of intel could jeopardize my relationship with supporters in Mistral despite it happening under the old leadership. The majority of them are dead. If this ever comes to light, I'll hunt down and execute Flaxen myself.

"Stop being mysterious and tell me before I commit to warmongering, Ozymandia," I raised my voice.

"Your nanny and her entire White Fang branch are rumored to be in Vacuo. There is a chance Salem and her are going to repeat the tragedy of the past," He revealed, the pieces clicking together.

"The major powers are in Vacuo, and all eyes are tuning in," I stopped mid-sentence. I felt chills run up my spine.

"To an event rivaling the Vytal Festival," He finished for me," I figured this out halfway through your fight."

"And you did nothing?!"

"I can't do anything beyond my cage, same for the rest of us foreign kingdoms, lest we antagonize the locals," He empathized by striking the floor with his cane. The room reverberated like a gilded prison.

I don't know who else is working for Salem. There were too many people coming into the kingdom to give a thorough check. She could have sent all of them to aid Vernal. It could also mean the opposite and Salem got a small army with a grudge against me.

"And the worst part is, It could be happening right now," I gritted my teeth," I'm heading down. I already notified Night Raid and the tribe to keep an eye out. I'll vouch for all of Vale but Atlas and Mistral need to stay segregated until we locate our enemies."

Yet, doing so would make it clear to the other half of the world that Vale and Vacuo are reentering its Great War alliance.

My greatest strength is being used against me. They will turn into a violent mob attacking the innocents of the other kingdoms. Vernal would have added fuel to the fire. Especially in my weakened state.

When Salem starts a small fire, even my voice would be drowned out by the wildfire that follows.

"What was your plan?" I asked the wizard. I'm curious what his vast experience would come up with. It should be better than his knee-jerk hunt. While appeasing 'Fiend, Arachnid, and Oylumpus' is a decent start. Instead of a full-blown war, It's now an arms race.

"We'll have strike teams scouting the city with local forces in the region keeping a close eye out for suspicious individuals," He planned," If Salem commits murder and frames another faction, We'll cover it up and do damage control. You need to keep the people calm., as unaware as possible."

That isn't enough. We need all hands on deck to catch someone as slippery and powerful as Salem. The cover-up and downplaying would collapse in the long term. The people would need a culprit.

I still have a powerful commodity; My reputation and the trust they have in me.

"That could work but there's another route," I nodded.

"I'm listening."

"We tell the world 'Salem' exists."

If Ozpin had a mug, he would have dropped it.

"Are you insane?" He scanned the room and found a chair to immediately collapse into.

"Yes, but only half the truth," I smiled," There is an unknown anarchist code name, Salem. She is scheming to destroy world peace with her cohorts. They believe it for my good but I won't allow it. So, I'll play nice. We don't have to say she's a Grimm Queen."

"That isn't going to work."

"It will because my words are the law here. I just rarely use it," I shrugged," And besides, Ms. Malachite knows what it's like to be on the receiving end of it."

I scrolled through a few wanted posters on my phone and showed them to Ozpin.

"I'll put out a public order for Tyrian Callows, Hazel Rainart, and this artistic rendition of Cinder Ella for questioning. Unless they turn hostile then fair game," I explained.

"They're not here."

"They're outside the city but Salem can no longer use them if they come back," I nodded," Anyone associated with them will be questioned."

"You're right. No, let's take it further. Kurome, We can use this as an opportunity to unite the kingdoms and have Ironwood, Theodore, and Malachite vouch that these 'anarchists' have no relations to them," He stood up and hurried to the door.

We were suddenly on the same wavelength.

"I'll delay your request to end the 4th match," he stood up," This is under a lot of assumptions. There may be bodies in Vacuo right now and the people are now pointing fingers."

"Or she's hoping I run myself ragged first," I hope our guesswork is right. I refresh the work messages on my scroll," No reports. She hasn't killed anyone, yet."

"How do you propose we get the word out promptly?" He opened the door for me.

"The bridge," I exclaimed and activated my semblance," I'll head there first and get the word out before Salem makes her first move."

If she didn't already…

I felt the surge of my semblance as my markings danced across my skin.

Before Ozpin could get the first syllable of 'Good Luck' out of his mouth, I was already gone.

A/N: Unblind Justice is similar to the Penance Stare from Ghost Rider. It isn't burning her soul but having Vernal be a part of the pain she committed. It is recoverable depending on the severity of the crimes.

A petty thief isn't going to be as affected as a murderer. In a similar context, A gunman headshotting someone is going to be almost unaffected compared to beating someone half to death. UJ works even if someone isn't killed. Despite it being a punishment semblance, it doesn't treat all crimes equally.

I'm going to start gushing about Ver now.

I'm keeping it ambiguous whether or not the God of Darkness hears her pleas or its delusions. Vernal is twisted. If she was ever isekai'd into the Akame ga Kill world she would become a formidable General.

She is an anti-villain. Yet, someone who will have your back no matter what. The issue is she hates betrayal so you always have to excuse her crime against humanity. The mirror opposite of Cinder's selfishness, backstabbing, and power-hungry personality.

These final chapters are the accumulation of everything. Akame is learning from the past and adapting it into her plans. Akame has become such a genius at this rate. In the show, Salem is typically hunting down her enemies. It's the opposite here.

She makes SALEM sounds like a rogue underling going against her wishes. I could make this way longer with her speech and the reaction of people, especially Salem but I think it's good enough.