Akame ga Clover

by stringdog

Death is the end…or is it? Reborn in a new world where magic is everything by Fate itself to counter a threat that violated the laws of nature Akame and Tatsumi must first regain their memories of their past live and then fight to protect the Clover Kingdom from the threats that it will face but who will accept people like them? The Black Bulls of course.

3. Chapter 3: Defection

Here is the third chapter in this story released when I wanted it to be released based of my release process for this series. All that is needed for Akame and Tatsumi's past live and why they are being reborn is done so now it is time to move onto the main story of them in the Black Clover universe and how they affect it and what not. I've decided to start this at a specific point some 15 years or so after the rebirth to set the tone for the series to come and for the next few chapters we will deal with Akame's opening arc so she's the current focus for a few chapters over the coming weeks. After that it will be Tatsumi's turn to be the focus and all the events of the opening arcs will take place 1-2 years before the start of the events of Black Clover so at this moment in time Asta and Yuno are 13 years old so about 2 years before they get their grimoires and a little longer before we first see either of them but all in good time. That is all I have for the administrative stuff and as there were no questions in reviews or PMs or guest reviews to respond to I will leave this note off here but do keep them coming as your support is the best motivation for me to keep producing chapters at this kind of rate. Thereofore, that is it for this pre-chapter note so it is time to sit back and enjoy the third chapter in Akame ga Clover.

Disclaimer: I own nothing related to these two great animes.

Chapter 3: Defection

15 Years Later

Akame sat nestled in a tree deep in some unnamed and near uninhabited woods in the Common Region about a half or so hour flight from the village of Nean though Akame only knew this because the Spatial Mage that worked for the people who owned her had sent her to the outskirts of that village and told her the direction to go in. She'd made the journey on foot however so as to avoid detection and get into position to watch her target.

The structure itself hadn't been hard to find, it was the only building for miles around and was rather unique to look at. In the few days that Akame had been here it had subtly changed at least twice so she couldn't get an accurate read on it other than it had to once have been a normal house before it was drastically changed. Now it was some segmented, abstract, construct that looked like multiple structures thrown together in a hodgepodge that would offend a professional architect to create a multi-story dwelling with many windows, roofs, and chimneys in a clearing which helped it stand out even more.

If Akame had to guess, not that she would as that wasn't her job here, she'd have said that the structure was like this due to magic as nothing else could really explain such a creation or how it was able to change over time. Most likely it was the owner's magic but what kind was unclear to Akame. Frankly she didn't much care for an answer, it had just been what she'd used to occupy her mind as she watched and waited for the moment to strike her target down as she'd been ordered.

That was because Akame was an assassin sent here on a mission to kill one of the occupants of the building by her handler, a middle man for some unknown noble or group of nobles, and to not return until she'd done so. Failure would mean death at the hands of her target, she'd been told that he'd kill her if she didn't kill him, so she had to succeed. This was also her first major mission since receiving her grimoire and it was a big one as the target was deemed to be a hard one that only the best the Special Removal Squad, as it was known as, had could pull off. That best was Akame.

To Akame this was the only life that she'd ever really known. She had vague memories of her parents but as far as she was concerned they were nothing more than creators for her seeing as they'd sold her while still a child to the assassin squad which meant that they clearly didn't see Akame as anything more than a resource to exploit.

She vaguely recalled that they'd claimed to have done so because they were apparently too poor to raise her, but she knew the truth, she was to valuable to the shadowy assassin squad and her parents just wanted the large sum of money they got for selling her. Akame knew this because she'd learned over the years that she'd been born abnormally strong in terms of magic reserves, on par with a noble at least, and with a magical attribute that had never been seen before but was perfect for the assassin squad. That was why they'd paid top coin for Akame to be sold to them.

Akame's magical attribute was Blade Magic, a before unheard of attribute in the Clover Kingdom though one that had some history as Sword Magic was rumored to have existed in the distant past and she'd gotten a grimoire for it, so the grimoire tower she went to had to know of it in some way though she didn't know how those things worked. Her parents likely had metal or earth-based attributes to give her such a rare one, but she didn't really think on it too much. To Akame, he magic was perfect and felt natural to her, it also meant that she was valuable to the squad and as such was trained properly.

Of course, by properly it was still a hell of a training regime that was brutal, cruel, and unforgiving. The squad had bought over 100 kids with high magical potential, apparently it was based of some concept in the Diamond Kingdom to the east but with a different goal, and put them through a rigorous testing regime in a strong magic region. This not only increased their skills but weeded out the weak who wouldn't make it as assassins because it taught the kids to kill without hesitation, to fight to survive and those who did were the ones forged into assassins by the trainers while those who didn't simply died.

Akame was one of those kids who'd survived. Her magic, even without a grimoire, allowed her to create blades of metal of any sharpness or strength so she'd had an offensive ability which was vital to survive in the strong magic region but that wasn't all that had allowed her to survive such a brutal system that had been designed to produce the strongest, most ruthless, assassins for the backers of the group to use as they pleased.

No, what had allowed her to survive was her sheer will to, her desire to live and something else, something she couldn't understand herself but that kept her going no matter the odds that were stacked against her. It was a strange part of her as it was just a feeling, a feeling of warmth, familiarity, and desire deep in her heart that she'd had for years, and which told her to survive because one day she'd be free of this life and be made whole bot only so long as she survived.

That had been the driving force for Akame to survive but as she trained and fought she realized one thing; she was damned good at this, like unnaturally good at something she shouldn't be so good at. The trainers watching her during the survival period noted that she was a natural assassin. Agile, strong, and skilled without any hesitation or fear when it came to killing to survive, Akame seemed to be a born killer, a person made for this life almost as if she'd done it before but as a child she couldn't have.

All this put together was what allowed Akame to survive and be one of only 17 to survive the special training regime. From there it was more training in various areas to hone their skills to a fine edge to be used in killing their future targets.

First the survivors were each assessed based off how they'd survived to determine what they were best at and then trained in those arts. Some, mainly the girls other than Akame, were trained in seduction and subtler arts of killing like poison or precision puncture strikes, while the boys were more magic based. All were taught espionage and infiltration but for Akame the main focus was to do with her magic and her natural affinity for weapons so she was only taught the necessary stealth training she needed to get close enough to her targets to strike them down before they could realize that she was there.

This had been determined during her survival period and when it was over, the trainer assigned to her trained her to use anything with a bladed edge be they knives, swords, axes, polearms, daggers, or whatever else it might be. Basically, if it could be held on her hand, Akame was trained in it.

However, it soon became apparent that there was one blade in particular that she was gifted in above all others and one that was rather unexpected as it wasn't a weapon that was from the continent they were on making it rather expensive and strange that she could use it so well. For whatever reason, Akame was best with a long katana.

The katana was a single edged blade with a slight curve to it and a long handle made by hand in the Land of the Sun, a nation on another continent that didn't have any relations to the Clover Kingdom where Akame was from, that could take a lifetime to master but she could wield one without a problem. Hell, the only reason why people even knew about that land or had goods from it was because of third party sea traders who moved goods between the continents and the fact that, at the time of Akame's training a few years ago, a new Magic Knight Captain of all people was originally from that land.

Regardless, Akame was lethal with one in her hands as if she'd already been trained with it and spent a past lifetime wielding one. Akame herself couldn't explain why, as a thirteen-year-old girl at the time, she could wield one at the level of a sword master, but her trainer didn't really care as it just proved that their investment in her was more than worth it. This would make Akame lethal and if her grimoire could further aid that when she got it then all the better.

Therefore, she was trained hard in the ways of the sword to improve on her already strong skills as well as her magic and other fighting styles until it was finally time for her to get her grimoire. Only then would she be sent on missions for the anonymous backers of the assassin school though from what she'd managed to piece together over the years it was run by a bunch of middle tier nobles who weren't strong enough to influence the various Magic Knight Squads or the Wizard King due to their own selfish desires and lack of talent. As such they backed this school to take out undesirables and threats to their greed or power.

It was a corruption that Akame abhorred deep in her core. For some reason it felt familiar in a sense, like she'd once before been part of something like this only on a grander and actual institutional-grade scale and not just some secret group to better corrupt nobles. It was one of the strange feelings that Akame had, along with that warmth she had that drove her to survive and break free from this life one day and her unusually high natural sword and survival skills, that she didn't understand and couldn't act on. All she could do was focus on getting stronger until she got her grimoire and then go from there.

Finally, the day came a few months back and shortly after what was believed to be Akame's 15th birthday though that was only going off what her parents had said when they'd sold her and only because they needed it to know when she was old enough to get a grimoire, the time came. Akame, along with a few other soon to be assassins who'd survived to this point were taken to a grimoire tower to get their grimoires. It was done at night and not during the usual ceremony in March as these weren't normal kids.

For Akame it was what she'd been striving for, a chance to actually have spells that would add more power to her magic so that one day she could break free from this life and live for herself but only when she knew she'd not be killed or stopped from doing so. Now she had it and she loved her grimoire; it was perfect for her.

Akame's grimoire was black with a red border on the cover and back, a red three leaf clover in the center of it, and various bladed weapons in an artistic style all over the cover and back. However, the best part of it was the long, red handled, katana that was on the center of the cover in a diagonal slash as if it had been thrust upwards and through the center of the clover on the cover of the book. It was a fitting grimoire for Akame.

It was also a thick grimoire, as thick as one would expect a noble to get showing the depth of Akame's mana well and her overall magic potential. That was further shown when she opened it for the first time and realized that only about half of it was filled with spells so far, which meant that there was plenty of room to grow for new ones. In addition, all the spells were offensive Blade Magic spells that suited Akame but none more so than the first and strongest spell. That was her favorite spell and it always felt beautiful and comforting whenever she used it.

After receiving her grimoire, Akame trained even harder to master the spells in it and to be able to use a second spell while her first was active. It hadn't taken long, Akame was a quick learner and with her magic it all felt natural to her now, so soon she was ready for her first mission hence why she was now in a tree watching the strange building and feeing hungry, she loved her food especially meat, but she could deal with it for the mission. Succeed and she'd be one step closer to finding a way out of this life and then get revenge on those who made her like this but all in good time, the mission came first.

Her mission was a simple one even if it was a hard one, kill a Magic Knight Squad Captain. That alone was a tall task, the 9 captains were considered to be the 9 strongest Magic Knights in the Clover Kingdom below the Wizard King himself and it was almost a guarantee that from their ranks the next Wizard King would be selected so they were extremely powerful, but one Akame was ready for. This would show just how good she was.

The reason for this was that the backers hated that there was a Magic Knight Squad led by someone who wasn't a noble, in fact there were three that weren't so two other assassins were currently in position to kill the other non-noble Captains though their magics were considered better counters to Akame's than this Captain, so she was sent here.

It was all part of the deep classism that existed in the Clover Kingdom, something Akame hated deeper than she could explain, as well as xenophobia as the target Akame had been sent after was none other than the foreigner who'd become a Captain. She had been assigned to take out the leader of the Black Bulls, Yami Sukehiro.

Akame's job was simple, kill the foreigner and return to the extraction point where the Spatial Mage would take her back to the base as she'd not been told the location of it, and do so without being captured or killed. She was allowed to kill other squad members if they got in her way, the Black Bulls were deemed by the backer of this particular hit as failures because according to her handler they were nothing but a mix of commoner scum, witch trash, and noble failures and thus fair game to be purged from the kingdom. However, that was secondary to Yami, he was the main one and Akame's focus.

She knew that even with her skills and training, she couldn't take on a whole Magic Knight Squad on her own, it wasn't feasible or sensible, so she was going to focus solely on Yami. She'd wait for the right moment and then strike him down with a single quick, clean, blow before he realized what hit him. She even had a special magical item on her that hid her magical aura, so she'd not be spotted until it was too late. All she had to do was be patient and strike when the moment presented itself.

That moment would come today, she knew it. Today was payday for the Black Bulls and thus a day off for the squad. That would mean that the various members would be indisposed, either heading out to Nean or other places as Akame had noted from her observations that one of the squad members was a Spatial Mage, or otherwise be out of it due to food or drink. A day off was a day off and Akame knew that this was her chance to accomplish her mission.

She calmly waited, completely emotionless, as a spatial portal opened and Yami, the man was hard to miss as he was a mountain of a man made of pure muscle that stood 6 feet tall and was wearing a tank top, pants, boots and his Black Bulls robe as a cape that fell over his right shoulder while smoking a cigarette, stepped out with that month's pay. He was followed by the Spatial Mage, some average looking dude in a green shirt under his Black Bulls robe with brown hair, and into the hideout.

Akame just patiently waited and watched the hideout as the pay was given and soon the various members left, hopping on brooms or whatever that hideous monstrosity was that some Fire Mage street punk dude had, or using the Spatial Mage to leave. It may not be all of them, but it was most and Akame noted that Yami didn't leave which was good. Now all she needed was for him to come out and she'd have him.

It took a little more time, for whatever reason Yami seemed to do things at his own slow pace, but soon he emerged from the hideout, another cigarette in his mouth that oddly brought back a strange, comforting, feeling to Akame that she pushed down and stretched before he walked towards the woods. At his hip was a katana, shorter than the one Akame preferred but clear as day and she knew from the reports that he was skilled with it, even using it to boost his own rare magic.

That was the one thing Akame didn't want to face because Yami Sukihiro was a wielder of Dark Magic, a strong attribute that few had. Add that into his large magic reserves and unique fighting style that utilized a sword, something few did, and he was going to be a tough person to kill.

That was why Akame was going to kill him the moment he was in range, past her hiding spot and his back was to her as he walked into the woods. All it would take was on strike, her spell was ready and her grimoire open, to pull out the blade and attack. One hit and she'd bisect him from shoulder to hip and be running away before the two halves of his body hit the ground. She was ready for this and slowly shifted in the tree as he passed her and walked to do whatever he was going to do in the woods so that she was behind him. She had this but alas that was the moment that everything went to shit for her.

"You in the tree." Yami said calmly, not turning around but coming to a stop, one hand on the handle of his katana and the other on his cigarette to take a puff of it as if he wasn't talking to a hidden assassin. "I suggest you come down now before I strike. I'm giving you this one chance to surrender because I can sense your hostile intent and frankly I don't particularly want to fight today. I just got paid and want to enjoy it so please don't test me girl."

Akame had no idea how he'd noticed her when she had a magic item that hid her magic aura, or deduced her gender, but she couldn't focus on this right now. Instead, she had to strike while she had the opening and as Yami was finishing speaking she leapt at him, her grimoire now glowing with a blood red aura that was shot with black as it hovered and followed behind her, and the handle of a sword appeared out of the page.

"Blade Creation Magic: Murasame!" Akame yelled as she grabbed the handle of the long katana her first spell created and pulled it out of the grimoire and coming down on Yami with a powerful two-handed strike that would hit him before he could move.

At least that's what Akame thought but before she'd even managed to bring her blade down, Yami had already turned, drawn his katana, and raised it in one hand to block her, his muscles barley straining as the blades crashed together with a loud clang. Akame controlled the shock on her face as Yami grinned, cigarette somehow still in his mouth.

"Not bad, you got some skills and can hide your magical aura which few can do, shame I don't use that to locate people." Yami said as blackness shot along his blade. "Why don't you come quietly little lady, as I said, I'm not in the mood to fight today."

Akame just grimaced as she swung her legs forward to kick into Yami's powerful chest and then launch herself backwards in a flip as he pushed back with his katana, rolling with it and landing on the ground to slide back on the earth. As she'd flipped she'd slashed out at the branches of the trees with wide, smooth, moves that easily cutting them away as Murasame, the name of the spell that created this katana though she didn't know why that was the name of it, was razor sharp thanks to her magic allowing her to control its sharpness and easily trimmed a path for her.

At this Yami raised an eye as the girl rose to face him, an expressionless look on her face as she took an attack stance her body sideways to Yami, legs spread, knees bent, and sword up in a two-handed grip her dominant right hand at the back as she pointed it at him. Even in the situation Yami couldn't help but be impressed as this girl knew how to handle a katana, the first he'd met in the Clover Kingdom who could, and it was clearly sharp.

All that told Yami that she was a professional sent for him. Well, she was still just a teen so not much of a threat, though her age rose a lot of questions that Yami would annoyingly have to find answers to, but for now he'd fight her and show her the strength of a Magic Knight Captain.

That and now that he had a moment to study her he realized that he felt something off in her ki, something that didn't quite feel right, and it intrigued him as much as she did. This was going to be interesting and as Yami took a defensive stance he studied the girl opposite him who was already preparing a charge.

The girl couldn't be more than 16, likely 15, with long jet-black hair that cascaded down her back and fell all the way to her knees with choppy ends. That was just the back though, the front of her hair was cut in an odd, bob like style with uneven bangs including a long center part that reached her nose and a pair of bangs on the sides that framed her sharp but attractive face perfectly and fell to just past her surprisingly ample bosom. All this was in stark contrast to her blood red, hard eyes and pale white skin.

Then there was her outfit. The girl wore a simple sleeveless black dress that came to her upper thigh with a high white collar and of all things a red tie loose around her throat held in place with a gray stone that had to be the item masking her magical aura as it seemed a bit out of place compared to the rest of her outfit. Around her waist was a red belt with a red grimoire satchel on her left hip. She completed her look with simple black shoes, high socks, black gloves and red metal gauntlets over her hands and forearms.

This girl was certainly a killer, Yami could sense it in her ki and see it in her eyes as she stood there but she was more than that, she was a trained professional. Had she not moved to strike he'd have not noticed her and only his ability to read ki had allowed him to even know that she was there, anyone else would have probably been killed by her before they knew what had hit them.

Still, despite all this, Yami knew that something was off with her. The look in her eyes, her ki, it was all to show she was a killer without hesitation but at the same time this wasn't what she wanted to do, rather what she had to do because she had no other choice in the matter.

Well, Yami wasn't going to lose to her unless that sword she held had some nasty poison that could kill with a simple cut or other tricks to it, but he'd certainly test her first and if she was good enough, well who knows, it wasn't like he was known for his conventional recruitment methods. If she was as determined and skilled as he thought she could be a valuable team member, once the whole why she was here to kill him was sorted out that was.

"So, someone sent you here to kill me, can't say I'm surprise, I've pissed a lot of people off over the years not that I remember who they are as most didn't really rate on my radar." Yami said calmly as he puffed on his cigarette. "I'll admit, an assassin with ties to my homeland is a nice touch, never met another else who could wield a katana here, so this is going to be interesting."

"I'm not from the Land of the Sun." Akame said simply, her accent telling Yami that she was of common birth and a native to the Forsaken Realm of the Clover Kingdom which only confused him as to her choice of weapon. "But I know how to use this blade as well as any from your homeland. I'm not here to chat though, I'm here to complete my mission."

"Then so be it." Yami said as he grinned. "Been a while since I had a good scrap, let's see if you can give me that."

Akame didn't respond, she just tensed her legs and then launched herself at Yami, the ground cracking under her feet as she moved showing that she was using reinforcement magic to boost her strength. Impressive for sure but Yami was ready for it as she reached and thrust the blade at him with a swift, precision, strike.

He easily side stepped it, using his own katana to deflect the blade away, and as he moved away but that didn't deter the girl as she brought the blade around to him, pivoting in the air in a move that few could pull off. Again, Yami got his katana up and parried her attack as the girl landed and launched a flurry of strikes.

There was not doubting it, the girl was clearly skilled with the weapon and Yami was quickly forced on the defensive as he got his katana up and around to block all of her rapid strikes that he quickly realized were aimed at vital parts of his body even with the speed that they were moving at. They were moving at such a pace in fact that only his ability to read ki enabled him to know and block the strikes as he backed up under her onslaught.

It was impressive and Yami couldn't help but laugh at the thrill of the duel as this short girl rained down blows at him from all angles using her size, speed, and mobility to overcome her height and strength disadvantages against Yami. Finally, someone with the same weapon that he used was giving him a bit of a challenge with it and he was loving it as he easily parried and blocked all the attacks. Yami may not have wanted to fight but now that he was in one he couldn't help but enjoy the thrill of the challenge the girl posed him.

The one thing that did concern him though, not that he'd show it on his face, was the clear sharpness of her blade which he didn't doubt that she could control with her magic. Only the tempered and folded steel of his own one was blocking it, though there were plenty of new nicks in it now that he'd have to sort out after this fight, but the trees around them weren't as lucky.

Clearly the girl knew how sharp her blade was and never once hesitated in a swing even if a tree was in the way, instead she just carved through the tree as if it was butter leaving being a deep wound in the tree at best and felling it at worse which only added to the who fight raging around them. Still, that didn't deter her as she pressed forward looking for an opening, but Yami wasn't giving her one and as he was on the defensive he was losing less stamina then the girl. That and he was a grown male in peak physical fitness, he was naturally stronger than her even with her own high level of fitness.

He showed that when he tired of her onslaught and using her now slightly slower speed, not that a layman would have noticed the slight drop in the speed of her attack, to lock their blades and shoved her back with all his strength. Again, she just flipped back as she rolled with the move and landed several feet away, her arm out and Yami saw her grimoire flip a few pages. He grinned at that, time to see what kind of magic she had as he'd not really heard her clearly when she'd first attack him.

"You're stronger than her physically but she had ice to aid her." Akame said before she shook her head, where had that memory come from, she had never fought an Ice Mage before but somehow she felt like the last time she'd truly been challenged in a sword fight had been by one for some reason. "So, I'll have to use my own magic on you. Blade Creation Magic: Dagger Swarm!"

As she spoke, Akame raised Murasame in her hand to channel her magic through it for her next spell, that was how she kept the spell that created Murasame out so that she could use her other spells as well. Instantly all around and above her as literal swarm of daggers appeared out of thin air. They were of various sizes and styles from stilettos to standard daggers to ones Yami couldn't make out, but they were all there clear as day and all pointed at him.

"So, your magic is called Blade Magic, gotta admit I've never heard of that before but explains you use of a katana and the sharpness of it." Yami said as he set himself, darkness cloaking his katana as his presumption that she used her magic to control the sharpness of her katana was confirmed. "Seems like I should respond with a touch of my own."

"It won't save you." Akame said as she lowered her sword to level it at Yami and mentally commanded the daggers to shoot towards him. "Few can evade my blades when I use this spell."

"Who said anything about evading." Yami said with a grin as he wildly slashed with his katana, his own grimoire now open and glowing with a midnight purple color. "Dark Magic: Dark Cloaked Lightless Blade Storm."

Yami spoke his spell as he wildly slashed his katana sending out a patchwork of dark slashes at the girl and the daggers coming towards him. There was no order of finesse to the move, it was purely done to create a random web of darkness that couldn't be predicted short of reading his ki which the girl clearly couldn't do though if she was taught to then she'd really be something else Yami felt.

Regardless, the goal of Yami's spell was accomplished as it destroyed or deflected many of the daggers that were sent at him before it bore down on the girl who showed her dexterity and agility by leaping forward so that she passed between some of the blades of darkness that had been sent at her though the trees and ground around her were destroyed. She was still emotionless and for good reason as Yami's defense hadn't gotten all the blades.

Not that he cared as he cloaked his sword in darkness and slashed at the oncoming blades that had gotten through, easily parrying and deflecting away most though a few scored superficial hits leaving cuts on his shoulders, thighs and sides. He'd let those get through as they wouldn't impede him, but he was still an impressive display from girl as few of her age should be able to land a hit on him. She certainly had talent and skill and a lot of magic judging by the size of her grimoire.

"See, not going to work on me." Yami said as the attack ended, and the girl glared at him having easily landed on her feet though she did notice the trickles of blood running down from the wounds on his body. "You're skilled but when you failed in your sneak attack you were out classed."

"I won't fail." Akame said raising her sword to above her head and her grimoire flipped a few more pages. "Blade Creation Magic: Guillotine Rain!"

"Er…" Yami said as he looked up to see several heavy, angled, blades appear above him, he'd never seen anything like that before but, well, they were clearly bladed objects so presumably they well within what she could do with her magical attribute. "Well, that looks bad."

The blades looked too large for hand held combat to deal with and angled at about 45 degrees with a heavy base that would make them fall faster. It was a style that Yami was unfamiliar with but one that he didn't want to face. Add in that he'd sensed the girl's ki and looked to see that she was in an attack stance, katana in two hands at her waist and pointing behind her and he knew what she was up to. A wild, dangerous move but he had to give it to her, it was a clever one and as she controlled the raining blades it might just work. Well, it might against anyone else, but Yami wasn't going to let it work on him.

"Dark Magic: Black Hole." Yami said creating a small black hole to his side as he leapt back just as the guillotine blade things rained down on him and the girl again launched herself at him.

Akame had expected that Yami would be able to avoid her Guillotine Rain spell, all he had to do was leap back and the heavy blades would fall into the ground as most did, though a few that were within range of his spell sucked into and destroyed by the black hole that he'd created. However, that had been the purpose of it, to get him to leap back so that she could leap at him and bring the katana around to strike him and this time break through his defenses for sure.

She'd timed it such that the heavy guillotine blades thumped into the ground before she reacted them, so she flew over them and brought her sword round to bisect Yami. He was still leaping back but he got his own blade in the way with a clang as she put all her strength into the slash, but he held it there with ease, his muscled tensing before he pushed up to fling her off him with the force of his strike.

All Akame could do was flip forward and turn to land on the ground and skid back as Yami himself turned and landed on the ground to face her, sword to his side and grinning as Akame panted there as she began to reach the limits of her physical endurance. Yami was having a good time, it had been a while since he'd faced a foe like this, and he was really enjoying it, but it was clear that he'd win this fight.

All he needed was a little more time to see if she had anything else that could challenge or interest him. When that passed he'd beat her, restrain her and then question her before taking her to Julius as he'd know what to do and that magic loving geek would be fascinated by her Blade Magic as Yami wasn't sure even the Wizard King had heard of it.

"That all you got little girl." Yami said with a grin. "Or do you have more for me?"

"Plenty, I will defeat you." Akame said though she was starting to realize that she was outclassed in this fight and needed to flee though failure would mean severe punishment back at the squad, but it wasn't like she could flee at the moment, so she needed to distract and occupy Yami long enough to do it and her grimoire turned to the page of the spell she needed. "Blade Creation Magic: Spinning Blades!"

Again, bladed weapons appeared around Akame only this time there weren't as many, maybe a dozen at most, and they were all designed to spin. Some were perfectly spherical disks with a bladed edge, some looked like circular saw blades, some were S shaped blades spinning around a center while some had 3 curved blades spinning around it. Almost as soon as they were formed they began to spin rapidly and Akame leveled her katana at Yami her face still neutral.

"This is one of my strongest spells, you won't survive it." Akame said. "I will complete my mission."

As soon as she spoke the spinning blades shot at Yami. Unlike the daggers, the spinning blades didn't converge right to him, these ones spun and looped around the air and came at him from all angles. Yami grinned, this was going to be fun, and it gave him the opening he needed to close the distance and end this. He knew for certain that this girl had something off about her. She didn't really want to be here, to kill him but she had to and despite her conflict she'd see that through to the end regardless. Well, he was going to sort that out right now.

"You know, I'm a lot more than I seem because I'm not from here." Yami said as he began to deflect the blades with his katana no matter where they came from, sending some into the ground and others into the trees though a few were just knocked back where they looped around the girl before coming at Yami again. "I've been reading your ki this entire time and I know something isn't right with you. You don't want to be here; you don't want this life, but you've been forced to into it and accepted what you have to do. Well, you've impressed me, you're just the kinda person I'd recruit. Black, a misfit, tenacious, skilled, and committed to the very end. Why don't you give up and surrender, I swear I'll help."

"You can't help me." Akame said her anger coming up for the first time all fight. "No one can. They have too much power for me to leave them, I have to do as they say or else. Not until I'm stronger can I break free. The nobles who back them are too strong I believe that is why I have to do this and end a threat to their power."

"Ah corruption, good." Yami said as he ducked under some of the blades and charged forward to the girl, darkness coating his blade as he batted a few more spinning blades away, it was clear that she was rattled by what he'd said and couldn't fight while commanding the spinning blades at the same time. "I know a guy with the power to route it out, who will be committed to ending it and he's shown me, a foreigner, that I can trust him. If you surrender and tell him everything then we can help and you can become a Magic Knight, a Black Bull as only I'd accept you, and then you can serve the kingdom properly."

"I can never have that life." Akame said. "I…"

That was all she managed to get because by then it was too late. Yami had closed to where he needed and the spell was ready, all he had to do was flip his katana in his hand, slash down the last spinning disk blade into the ground and then he brought his katana across his body and slashed it diagonally across the air still a good few feet from the girl.

"Dark Magic: Dark Cloaked Lightless Blunt Strike." Yami said as he slashed his katana at the girl. "You're done."

Akame had been mid-sentence when the blunted line of dark magic shot at her and slammed into her upper chest just above her bust. It missed her sword entirely as she'd been using it to direct the blades as she spoke so she couldn't even block it.

All she could do was take the hit, the artifact in the knot of her tie shattering thus releasing the masking of her mana and showing Yami that the girl had a lot of mana, before she was thrown back like a rag doll to slam back first into a tree that took the hit with ease. To add to it Akame's head snapped back and into the tree dazing her and breaking her concentration and causing the katana to slip from her hand.

"Go Dark Restraints." Yami said as the girl slid to the ground still sitting as the katana vanished from her before it hit the ground showing that it had been created by magic.

A pair of dark tendrils rose out of Yami's grimoire and moved through the air to bind the girl with three rings of darkness, pinning her arms to her sides and ensuring that she couldn't move. With her now restrained, her grimoire stopped glowing and closed before falling to the ground next to her.

Yami casually sheathed his katana, his own grimoire closing and returning to his satchel, as he walked forward, lit a new cigarette and bent down to pick up the girl's grimoire from where it had fallen. It was an interesting looking one for sure.

"So, what now?" Akame asked as she looked up her head swimming but defiance in her eyes, she'd failed and been captured so it looked like it was death for her and for some reason she wasn't ready for that, she'd still not found that warmth that kept her moving forward on a path to freedom and she knew that she needed it. "You going to kill me?"

"Hardly, your captured and beaten, that would be murder." Yami said. "I only kill if there are no other options and during the heat of battle. No, I think it's time we had a little chat. My offer still stands, you're hardly the first recruit I've fought before recruiting them."

"Huh?" Akame asked as the large man sat cross legged on the grass in front of her now really confused.

She had no idea what was going on at the moment. She'd failed, lost because her surprise attack hadn't worked for some reason and her skills were vastly inferior to Yami's, she knew that, but she'd had to try, and now she was captured. The handler back at the squad had said that she'd be killed if he caught her because he was a murderous foreigner, not that Akame chalked it up to him being a foreigner, though he might torture her first for information though she couldn't give any seeing as she didn't know enough to give away those who'd trainer her.

It was just how it would be; she would be tortured and then executed on the spot when it was clear she didn't know enough to keep her alive. Besides, it wasn't like she'd be taken in alive as the handler had made it clear that in the unlikely circumstance that Yami didn't kill her then she'd just be killed when she was taken into custody in the capital to protect the nobles who backed them.

"I said I'd like to recruit you to my ragtag squad." Yami said simply interrupting her contemplations on her impending death. "We're basically just a bunch of misfits, I mean I'm a foreigner here after all, and we're the worst of the worst with a black reputation because we do more harm than good on average but that's more because of our eccentric members and destructive habits than anything else. The Wizard King himself made me the head of this Squad and I trust him just as he trusts me so why not join up. We could use your skills and magic and it's not like I haven't recruited a criminal or two before."

"But I tried to kill you." Akame pointed out.

"You were never going to manage that." Yami said bluntly. "Once I noticed your ki I had you the entire time. You're skilled, best swordsman, well swordswoman, I've faced here, not to mention that you can use the same blade as me and that magic of yours is powerful and unique but I'm not a Magic Knight Captain for nothing. I wasn't even going all out though you did get me to use some spells which is impressive."

"So, I was basically sent on this mission to either succeed or die." Akame said. "Figured that was the case, this just confirms it."

"Probably, most think differently of me because I'm not a native but you don't strike me as that kind of ignorant." Yami said with a shrug. "Likely they didn't think of who I was or learned how I fight or else they would have sent someone better. Likely they figured that you were skilled enough with that magic item and as their lapdog you'd either kill me or be killed by me, am I right?"

"I am a survivor." Akame said simply. "I just need to get away. I don't want to kill people like this or see those I know die for some corrupt noble's dream, though I will kill if I have to or to defend those who are my friends or if it is for a cause I believe in, but this mission was just to further my attempt to get away from them. As you put it, it was kill you or likely be killed by you or them when I get back for failing. Well, maybe not the last one but if you take me into custody I am sure they will have spies in the capital who will kill me there."

"Given what you've said that does make sense but there is a third way." Yami said knowing what he had to do to convince this girl to at least tell Julius her story so that this corruption ring could be brought down. "You could join me and be free. Do you really want to live this life forever? You can do good for the Clover Kingdom with the Black Bulls, and I'll take you directly to Julius right now, well once my damned ride gets back, and he'll know what to do with you. If I ask for privacy with him he'll agree without hesitation even without me telling him that it is for the sake of national security and his ears only."

"Julius?" Akame asked her eyes widening at that name. "As in…"

"The Wizard King, yes." Yami said with a nod. "He's the only noble I trust. If not for him I wouldn't know the language of this nation nor would I be where I am today. He showed me true kindness and acceptance when no one else did at the time. He cares not for birth or lineage, only that you are a good person, and I can sense in your ki that you want that but can't obtain it just yet. If I had to guess you're an orphan who was raised to be a weapon by some corrupt noble group, that's the very thing Julius abhors and has spent his career as Wizard King trying to end. He can help and he can bring them to justice because of his rank."

"You're not far off though I was sold to the group, I'm not an orphan." Akame said unsure why but something about this man made her want to give him the benefit of the doubt, he reminded her a lot of someone else who'd once helped her out of a similar situation, but it was a feeling more than a memory as she'd never been helped like this in her life as far as she could recall. "Otherwise, you're spot on. I can't confirm that the group is run by nobles, we don't know the backers, but those of us who survived their training are used as weapons for them and I certainly believe that it is run by nobles from what little I've uncovered. This was my first mission, one of three right now to kill the non-noble Squad Captains."

"Well good thing you got me, skinny bones is a super sadist, so the assassin sent after him is probably in little pieces right now, along with most of the surrounding area knowing him." Yami said thinking of Jack the Ripper, the Captain of the Green Praying Mantis Squad. "Though I don't know who the other non-noble Captain is."

"I don't know either, just that there was three and you were deemed the one my talents were best suited for." Akame said. "You fight with a katana and use Dark Magic which I could probably deal with though your ability to sense me without magic wasn't told to me hence why I failed in my initial attack. The other two are Severing and Dream Magic users so my talents weren't considered the right ones to take them down."

"Dream Magic, huh I didn't realize that that sleeping woman wasn't a noble." Yami said not realizing that Dorothy was from the Forest of Witches like Vanessa but then again he hadn't really realized what that forest was the one time he stumbled upon it and those women got mad at him for being there. "Well, what do you say? Will you help take down those who made you the way you are and join us?"

Akame thought for a moment and realized that she wouldn't get a better chance to break free from her currently life than this one. She could join this squad, put her faith in this Yami person and his assessment of the Wizard King and at least let them know of what was going on even if she couldn't help them take her handlers down in the end.

Even if they came after her, well she could handle herself and clearly Yami could as well. Besides, this felt right and oddly familiar as if she'd once before defected because she'd been convinced by a target she'd been sent to kill that she could do so but of course that was ludicrous, right?

"What do I have to lose?" Akame said though she was unable to shrug in her bindings. "I'll join but I think it might be best to not, um, show me off just yet."

"The squad is used to oddities but ok, I do have to send a message to Julius so here's what I'll do." Yami said as he rose and moved to hoist the still bound girl over his shoulder as if she weighed nothing before he turned back and began walking to the hideout. "There are cells under the hideout, I keep my pets there, so I'll put you in the one next to them though I'll be keeping a hold of your grimoire. That way I can say that I captured you and use that and your unique magic, trust me Julius is a freak when it comes to that kinda shit, to get a private audience with him. An attempt on a Magic Knight Captain is a serious offense so he'd want to see you personally to hear your story. Then we go to him and sort this out. Sound good?"

"Yes, that works for me." Akame said accepting her fate. "I'll do what I can to bring these people down even it means putting my trust in you and the Wizard King."

"Right, well than there is one more thing." Yami said as they reached the hideout. "What's your name?"

"Akame." Akame said as she was taken into the base and down to a cell. "Just Akame."

Yami nodded and took her to where she'd be held until he could take her to Julius. He had things to sort out, but she'd make a great addition to the team, he could feel it in his gut, well that and the need for another crap that battle had worked one up in him. He'd be going straight to the toilet once Akame was dumped off and from there he'd contact Mushroom Head about what had just happened and request a meeting with Julius right away.

For her part Akame was calm now as Yami opened a steel barred door, there were animal sounds next to them that had to be his pets and placed Akame in the cell. Once she was there and the doors closed on her, Yami released her bindings and left her there. All Akame could do know was take a seat on the hard wooden bench that was in the cell and wait but she smiled as she did.

She didn't know what it was, but this felt right, this felt like she was finally taking control of her life. She'd made the right choice to defect and soon the next chapter in her life would begin. Hopefully her final nagging questions that still plagued her were answered when Akame met the Wizard King.

I think that's a good place to end this chapter, a nice little tease of what is to come, and plenty more will be revealed when Akame meets Julius for the first time. As y'all can see, Akame's backstory is a little bit like the one she had in her previous life and if this story really takes off and does well then maybe I'll do an Akame ga Clover Zero story to tell the tale of her backstory but all in good time. As y'all can tell, Akame's magical attribute is Blade Magic which I went for due to her use of Murasame as it felt right and of course she can recreate a version of Murasame with her main spell. Naturally I won't reveal anything about Tatsumi just yet, y'all will have to wait for him to appear to learn of his magic, so for now y'all just have Akame and her magic. On the Murasame front it should be noted that it will not be the one hit killer it was in Akame ga Kill because, well, this one is made with Akame's Blade Magic in keeping with Black Clover lore, so it is not poisoned. I do have a plan for it to honor its roots as an Imperial Arms in time but y'all will have to wait for that and Akame herself isn't ready for it either. Anyway, that is all I really have to say about this chapter so I will leave it 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