Here is the twentieth chapter in this story released when I wanted it to be released based of my release process for this series. The Black Bull Hideout is under attack from the Diamond Kingdom thanks to Zell so it's time to defend it while Akame goes after the mastermind of the attack but will it be as straightforward as expected or will the mastermind be someone who Akame can sympathize with? Well, time to find out how they handle this attack but before then I do have a clarification I have to make following last chapter and that's in regards to how I treat the source material. I am very deferential to canon and in this case with the isekai style I'm using it basically means that all Akame ga Kill canon from the anime (that is the prevailing one) and the prequel manga, is set in stone. As such, if it is canon then I will defer to it however I will not presume that something is canon if it is not explicitly there no matter how horrible the world of Akame ga Kill is. I hope that clears up any confusion for those who are confused over certain things that have occurred in this story or which might happen in the future. Anyway, 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 twentieth chapter in Akame ga Clover.
Disclaimer: I own nothing related to these two great animes.
Chapter 20: Defense
"Alright keep the attack up men." Galleo said into the communication device as a brown haired boy walked out as if it was nothing and suddenly several shields appeared around the hideout. "Shouldn't be long now before the deserter comes out."
"That is a strange spell." Mariella said as she looked at the hideout from their vantage point in a high tree a safe distance away as the boy moved the shields to intercept attacks. "What kind of magic creates actual shields? Steel? Metal? Iron?"
"That looks more complex." Galleo said as the boy took another moment to sort something out before he headed back inside the building with the shields now moving to intercept any attacks that might hit the building. "Probably Armor Magic. My men faced a ruthless mage from one of the Magic Knight Squads here a few years back with that magic and he could do something similar though not as adaptable as those appear to be. Regardless, it's nothing we can't handle. Any sighting on our target?"
"Not yet." Mariella said as she looked. "He went in but that's it so far."
Marielle continued to look at the dormitory looking building trying to get a gage on it. The black-haired Diamond Kingdom assassin had been captured a while back by Galleo and he'd spared her life in exchange for going after her former teacher turned deserter from the Diamond Kingdom Fanzell Kruger, the redhaired man who'd been captured by the Magic Knight Squad before them.
Mariella had been on his path for a while, almost had him once up north in the Clover Kingdom, but the attack had failed thanks to the old man and a boy called Asta who was with him at the time, and apparently a new student of Fanzell's, defense forcing her to retreat. Well, that was the official statement she'd given, the real reason was that the stubborn and annoying boy had said something that was both obnoxious and overbearing while at the same time was moving and kinda dashing that stuck with her. Those words were her true motivator for her actions.
It was simply really and Asta's words had been what Mariella needed to act on what she wanted. What she wanted was to be free of this life she currently lived because she couldn't do what she was asked to do anymore, she was tired, but she could live on the run either, so she was going to end it by turning herself over to the Clover Kingdom authorities and giving them everything she knew about the Diamond Kingdom organization that had made her into what she was today.
To properly do so, and exact some revenge of her own that would damage the organization, however, she needed to be free of Galleo and his henchmen hence this whole scheme. She'd been tracking old man Zell for a while and noticed him, naked of course because the man couldn't keep his clothes on for some inexplicable reason, ask that silver haired girl about her wand that had been made by Zell's fiancée Dominate Code.
The Diamond Kingdom already knew about Dominate and where she was, the plan was to use her as a hostage, well at least Galleo thought so, to get to Zell. As such, the moment that Zell appeared, and the troops went after him Mariella would take a spatial portal made by Galleo to where Domina was and 'capture' her. From there it should be easy, according to Galleo, to secure her old master's cooperation.
Of course, what Galleo didn't know was that Mariella had been playing and manipulating him the entire time. She was using this Magic Knight Squad, the Black Bulls apparently, to get rid of her Galleo problem, and then be free when she turned herself in once he had been captured. To add to it, it appeared that Asta, the boy who'd helped her see a light and find a path to some kind of atonement, she had too much blood on her hands to truly atone for what she'd done but wanted to do something to get there, was part of the Squad as she'd seen him go in to help Zell out, and save his manhood at the same time.
So far everything was looking good for Mariella's plan and to add to it she'd noted that some of these Black Bulls had strong magic that would easily take care of the men under Galleo's command. That shield guy who'd come out to defend the building for instance clearly knew what he was doing and then there were the other members of the Squad, all looked good for helping her achieve her goals.
Yup, things were looking good and continued to do so right up to the moment they went south in spectacular fashion. That moment came when part of the wall above the door was blasted out in with a boom that Mariella heard from her perch that kicked up a lot of dust, smoke, and traces of fire and lightning.
That alone wasn't a good sign and already Galleo was giving the command to move in now that the attack was coming for them, so they had to move in now. That was true but Mariella's experience and gut was telling her that this was not an attack on the men who'd sent spells at the building and that was confirmed almost instantly as something shot through the smoke fast enough to disperse it.
That was because the thing that shot out was coming straight for where they were and not going after the now charging men. The force of what was coming dispersed the dust and debris from the building and Mariella quickly saw that said thing was a girl a few years older than her with long black hair that was streaming behind her as she flew crouching on, of all thing, a long metal blade that should be on a sword and piercing red eyes. Her Black Bull robe fluttered with her as she approached as a speed that told Mariella that she had to get out right away.
"Who is that?" Galleo asked and Mariella knew at once who the woman was, she was the one who had threatened to geld the old man which meant that her magic was…
"I need that portal now!" Mariella yelled as the girl made a beeline for them.
"Huh, er sure." Galleo said a little taken aback by the force in Mariella's voice, so much so that he couldn't remind her of how she owed him and held out his hand to create a red portal for Mariella to leap through to where Domina was. "I…"
Unfortunately, it was too late as the approaching girl made a move with her hand that looked like a throwing motion and before Mariella or Galleo had time to reach something silver flashed through the air from the approaching girl and slammed into, and through, Galleo's outstretched forearm. The moment it hit he let out a howl of pain as blood burst from the wound and he brought his arm to his chest as it bled profusely while a second item slammed into his grimoire and sent it spinning away.
This time Mariella saw what it was, the girl had used her magic to create a metal blade without a hilt that she'd sent at them to stop Mariella from leaving. Now, the girl almost on them, her arms to her side and holding the handle of…
"We've got to get back." Mariella yelled as she leaped backwards off the tree branch as hard as she could as the girl's grip on the sword handle producing from her now open grimoire tightened. "That girl is using Blade Magic!"
"What, how…" Galleo began but that was the last thing he got out as the Black Bull reached him and slashed her weapon as she drew it from her grimoire, it was a katana of all things, before she blew past him heading right for Mariella as she fell back through the air.
Mariella was no stranger to blood and death but even she went wide eyed at the sight above her as the top of the tree she'd been on along with Galleo's head, shoulders, and upper chest slid to the side on a straight cut and fell away to the ground as the girl flew past him. The Diamond CO's body tumbled back as blood poured from it and the sounds of chaotic battle reached Mariella's ears.
It all hit her in that moment. The rest of the attacking force was being met by the Black Bulls but right now her careful plan had gone to utter shit and she was in a really bad position as a girl with the cold eyes of an assassin that dwarfed Mariella's own bore down on her.
Mariella had to get out of this and as she fell back she created ice daggers to send at the girl to slow her down, but the girl just slashed them away with her katana with clean cuts that destroyed Mariella's ice as she arched down and at Mariella. Mariella was desperate now and as she crashed through the trees she put both her hands in front of her and sent out a blast of Ice Magic, basically just raw mana, at her foe before turned and used her training and ice to leap down to the forest floor and try to figure out a way to salvage her plan.
Akame just saw the ice and slashed through it with a complex move of Murasame, she was glad she'd dismissed her spell before blasting out of the hideout as it made her initial attack easier, and burst down after the girl who was fleeing. The other girl was clearly good, she had the moves of a trained assassin as Akame had suspected, but clearly rattled. Besides, Akame was better, so she just created a blade with her raw mana and sent it flying at the girl as she reached the ground.
Mariella had just landed when she sensed the magic and turned just in time to see the flash of metal before the blade sliced her upper right arm at the top of her bicep, cutting away a portion of the black cape she wore as it cut a deep line into her arm. She hissed in pain as her blood welled up and ran down her arm but thanks to her turn she'd avoided taking the blade to the shoulder as had been the other girl's plan.
That was good, it showed that the girl was trying to capture Mariella not kill her so she could use that to her advantage as Mariella got her hands up and used her freezing spell to try and stop the girl as she backed up. Alas, it didn't stop her as the girl just leapt off her blade with a forward flip over the ice and at Mariella with an expert leap that closed the distance in seconds as she brought her katana to bear on Mariella. All Mariella could do was create a pair of her ice daggers in her hands, grab them in reverse grips, and get the right one up to block the strike for the katana as it was slashed down at her.
Mercifully the ice stopped the blade, the girl must have blunted her katana to stun Mariella hence the block and Mariella used that to freeze the blade in her ice as she brought her arm down to bring the Black Bull girl to the ground. The girl didn't fight that as she gracefully landed on the ground as Mariella held the katana fast so that she could she bring up her left hand ice dagger, spinning it into a normal grip, to stab the attacker in her side. However, the Black Bull girl just took her right arm off the handle of her katana and swiped it to the side to cause the ice to shatter on a red bracer she wore on her forearm.
"You've got some skill and plenty of brains but clearly you're more stealth based than direct combat." Akame said looking at Mariella as she returned her right hand to Murasame's handle and increased its sharpness to cut through the ice as she'd blunted it to take down the other assassin but now she was going to have to wound the girl to get her to surrender. "Pity for you that I'm a Black Bull and that you use Ice Magic. I've beaten an ice user the likes of which you can't even imagine, I know your element well."
With that, and before Mariella could react, Akame cut through the ice dagger as she brought Murasame back to her and angled it down in the process. The result was the tip of her blade slicing along Mariella's abdomen in a downwards slash that scored a clean line from right above her navel and just below her ample breasts to her waist with enough depth to scar but not kill her from blood loss or disembowel her. It was a clean, surgical strike that only a professional like Akame could pull off and Marielle let out a yell of pain from it as she took the blow.
Akame wasn't done though as she spun Murasame in her hands and lifted it above her head as if to the side while taking a step forward and planting her left foot as she raised her right. She then slammed her foot into the other assassin's chest so that her breasts took a good portion of them blow and avoided breaking any of her ribs. It was still a hard hit, and the girl was blasted back and into a tree with a gasp that caused her to spit out blood as Akame place her foot down and then pushed off the ground to close the distance in a heartbeat.
Mariella was stunned as she hit the tree and her head snapped back to slam into it as the girl launched herself at Mariella. She was a highly trained Diamond Kingdom, well soon to be former Diamond Kingdom but still, assassin and she'd just been soundly defeated in moments by a fellow assassin the likes of which she'd never seen before. Only one other had been able to best Mariella like this back in her training days and as far as she knew that assassin was dead and not on the level of this girl who reached her and thrust her katana point first at Mariella's throat as she held her head against the tree.
Akame was controlled and measured in her approach as she made her thrust and stopped it at the last minute so that it didn't touch Mariella but the force of it kicked up wind to show how much power was behind it and she held the thrust there, point at Mariella's throat and unquivering in a strong stance. The other girl knew it and looked her pink eyes at Akame and coughed out a little blood.
"Good, you're smart enough to know you're beaten." Akame said not wavering in her pose so that Mariella knew that she wasn't going to give her an opening, and boy did she know it. "And trust me, if you try anything you'll be dead before you can even start a spell."
"Yeah, you got me." Mariella said with another could as a little blood ran down her chin, her mind racing as she quickly deduced who'd trained the girl that now held Mariella's life in her hands. "I must say, you're something else. Let me guess, you were trained by that secret assassin school here."
"I'm not surprised you know about it." Akame said. "Some of the instructors were brought in from your own nation's program given the results that they produced in the Diamond Kingdom. Yes, I was one of the few who survived the strong magic region that was used to cull the weak long before I got my grimoire and now I'm the only assassin from that system who's still alive and free. I'm sure you know what that means."
"That you're in a class all your own." Mariella said as it sank in just how little of a chance she had though in her defense she had not expected to find someone like this girl here of all places. "And that you must be the one who betrayed them. I figured someone had to when we got word that some of our former instructors were dead or captured when the only one who survived made it back to the kingdom. Seems like you did what I want, got out of this life and now you're trying to atone for what you've done but people like us, we're drenched in blood, we can never truly atone."
"Speak for yourself, I know that I am doing right now, and I will kill to ensure that despite all the blood that I've shed in my life." Akame said. "But I figured you would have some ulterior motive as an attack like that on a Clover Kingdom Magic Knight hideout is to brazen for a deserter like that pervert. Well that and your ki is not malicious, possibly similar to mine in a way if I was to ask my boyfriend to check yours out, so why don't you tell me your true plan now. If I approve I may be able to help. I was once in a similar situation to you minus the cuts I gave you and that led to my way out of this life, so I'll hear you out."
"Thanks." Mariella said surprised but grateful as right now she was really at this girl's mercy and her own plan was absolutely shot, though at least Galleo was dead which was a plus even if she couldn't get to Domina and Master Fanzell now. "I'll admit, I was using you lot to achieve my own selfish goals. I want what you got, freedom from this life of blood and killing that I've lived for as long as I've known, and I want the chance to atone for what I've done as best I can. A while back someone once told me that we have to find our own hope, our own reason for living and it stuck with me."
"Let me guess, he was an obnoxious and overbearing loudmouth with no magic." Akame said. "But at the same time managed to inspire you as well."
"I see that you already know Asta's reputation." Mariella said as a slight blush graced her cheeks despite the situation and surprising Akame. "It was all that and also dashing in its own way."
"Tell Noelle that, I'm sure she'd agree that that is just who Asta is." Akame said. "But go on. I figured you used us to take out those troops and trust me, they're going to be annihilated by my Squad mates and some will be dead for sure. My boyfriend won't hold back when the rules of engagement allow for lethal force like they do now."
"I saw how you handled Galleo, the CO of that unit." Mariella said. "I don't doubt that your Squad is capable of killing to protect your hideout."
"Wait he was the CO?" Akame asked her eyes wide. "I just thought he was some protector and spotter for you and that you were the one running the show."
"Er yes he's in charge I was just manipulating him." Mariella said a little confused. "Why?"
"Well fuck, I don't think I was supposed to kill him." Akame said. "Looks like my probation won't be pardoned this year. Oh well, it was the right move at the time as you're a higher priority it seems so go on."
"Um, ok." Mariella said still confused but deciding to not question what the girl was saying given her current predicament. "Well, this whole plan is my revenge. I'm tired of this life, of this organization that made me into an assassin, and so I am leaving them. In the process I'm going to deal them a crippling blow before I helped Master Fanzell and Domina escape and then turn myself into the Clover Kingdom Magic Knights and provide all the evidence I can to help take down the Diamond Kingdom's assassination organization though I doubt it will fully do so. I know that they will come for me there but it's the best way for me. I'll take whatever punishment they may have for me to atone for my crimes."
"I see, that was how my plan to escape basically went when I got caught though I was willing to kill Captain Yami as part of it though thankfully he's stronger than me so ensured that I failed and allowed me to get free a lot sooner than I expected." Akame said. "So I certainly understand your desires and your ki is telling me that you're being honest, as are your eyes, I know that look well. You're lucky you ran into me."
"Maybe, maybe not." Mariella said. "Because thanks to you my ride to the Black Market got taken out so my own plan has been ruined. Galleo was a Spatial Mage you see."
"Oh, we've got one as well so that's fine, that deserter was already gone by the time I left the hideout, so you weren't going to find him here, just walk into your defeat at our hands." Akame said. "That said, it is probably best for you to sort things out with that lot in the Black Market so that we can get that intel and you can thank Asta for all his help, once they patch you up that is. I would apologize for this, but you sicked a bunch of Diamond bastards on us so consider this part of the payment for that along with your new scars when those wounds heal."
"Huh, what…" Mariella began but Akame had already dismissed Murasame before she closed in and punched Mariella in the face hard enough to knock her out.
As the girl's body pitched forward, Akame caught it and hauled it over her shoulder ignoring the blood that soaked the girl's top and got on her robe and dress. She then turned and headed back to the hideout at a quick pace.
It only took her a few moment to reach it, though by then she was well covered with Mariella's blood, not that she knew the other girl's name as she'd not asked for it, and was impressed by the sight that greeted her. Captain Yami was just finishing telling Knight's headquarters to come get the troublemakers who were rounded up and bound with robe in large groups in the clearing in front of the hideout. That said there were also a fair portion of dead bodies around, all Diamond Kingdom Mages of course, so it seemed like Tatsumi had been busy as he was the most likely to go straight for a kill in this situation.
"Captain, can you call Finral and have him send a portal here?" Akame asked and Yami turned to her. "I've got something I want to send to him."
He blinked at the sight of the former assassin. She no longer surprised him with her actions, but it was still odd to see her with blood on her that clearly wasn't hers while carrying an unconscious and bleeding girl over her shoulder. Still, it was only brief before Yami's usual indifference returned.
"Sure, why though?" Yami asked.
"This is that assassin who led the attack on us by manipulating her handler and his men into attacking us, but she needs to give some stuff to that pervert to help him get away." Akame said. "And then be taken to Magic Knights Headquarters for processing as she's offered to turn herself in. Don't worry, she's not a threat."
"Ok." Yami said as he pulled out his communicator and contacted Finral who appeared on it a second later. "Hey Finral, can you create a portal. Akame has to send something to you as apparently that Zell guy needs it."
"Yeah this Domina woman is asking about someone who should be there, in between punching and hugging Zell for various reasons." Finral said and the projection of him showed that he was using his magic and a portal appeared next to him. "Some girl called Mariella; she's defecting from the Diamond Kingdom to turn herself in once she's helped Domina…"
Before Finral could finish Akame had tossed Mariella, though this was the first time she'd heard her name, through the portal. Finral was clearly shocked and there was some commotion there in the background that the device just barely picked up.
"Captain, what happened to her?" Finral asked. "She was supposed to be sent here by her CO who she'd tricked into attacking, she told Domina the plan the other day by message and that when she showed up things should be sorted with the organization that attacked us. She's alive but unconscious and bleeding badly. Domina is saying she has something to help her, but it will be a moment and she'll live but this wound on her abdomen will scar."
"I did send Akame after her." Yami said. "Though we've still not found that CO, the men here that are still alive have confirmed he's not with them. That's not good news, he's the most valuable person to capture."
"He's a Spatial Mage, he was supposed to send this Mariella here so he's going to be tricky to capture." Finral said as he processed what Yami said to him. "Something went…wait did you say Akame went after her? As in the girl who's a trained assassin and once tried to kill you. You know, the one who won't hesitate to use lethal force when she fight."
"Yup, she was the best one to send and volunteered remember." Yami said looking at Akame who tried her best to look innocent as Tatsumi came over with Gauche as the last of the troublemakers were secured though Akame sucked at looking innocent especially with blood that wasn't hers on her. "Akame, please tell me you didn't kill the CO."
"In my defense I didn't know he was the CO." Akame said. "I thought he was just some grunt used by that Mariella girl to relay information, maybe protect her, and if necessary get her to safety, so I stopped him from using his magic and then cut past him. It was the most prudent thing to do at the time."
"How many parts?" Yami asked as Finral's projection winced.
"Just two, it was clean and swift as I passed him." Akame said. "Murasame was as sharp as possible for that part."
"Right, there's your answer Finral." Yami said with a sigh. "Sort that out on your end."
With that he ended the conversation and left Finral to sort out stuff with Mariella, which they would,. Once Mariella was patched up and conscious she would tell them all of her plan, what happened, what went wrong, and give them all the intel she had before she, Fanzell, and Domina left to make a new life for themselves. The others had to explain Akame as best they could to explain why Mariella had been delivered in that state but that was their responsibility as Yami looked at her.
"Akame, you realize that I have to report this." Yami said. "That was a good prisoner. I'm not sure if you're going to get pardoned this time around. Thankfully you've been good so it may just be a warning but if, so you'll be on thin ice for the rest of the year."
"Yeah I figured." Akame said with a sigh though she appreciated the inadvertent and unknown to Captain Yami ice pun. "But I would do it again."
"What did this Zell guy do to piss off so the Diamond Kingdom like this." Tatsumi said as he reached them and Akame looked around to note just how many there were, both the captured ones and the several corpses that littered the area. "These guys weren't an issue, but it is a lot of them for just one man who deserted from their kingdom."
"Mariella called him Fanzell." Akame said. "I guess that's his full name if that helps."
"That's right." Yami said as the full name jogged his memory as to who the man was. "That's who he is, Fanzell Kruger, I knew he looked familiar to me. I met him on the battlefield years ago back when he was the commander of the Diamond Kingdom's invading army during their attempted conquest of the Clover Kingdom. I heard he went from commanding the army to training the soldiers, but he must had deserted sometime later. That would certainly explain why everybody, and their mothers are after him. This is the kind of force you'd expect to bring in someone like him."
"I realize that this isn't my place to ask, Captain." Gauche began as Yami's words sunk in. "But am I right in saying that we just let a high-ranking member of our nation's greatest enemy escape? One who we really want to capture for that invasion he led."
"That seems about right." Yami said looking around as it hit him. "Gauche, Akame, Tatsumi, never speak of this again."
"My lips are sealed sir." Gauche said. "On an unrelated note, may I please have a week of Marie leave."
"Aren't you only supposed to see her once a month?" Yami asked.
"I'll watch her so carefully that nobody, especially not that old hag, will know that I am there for all 168 hours." Gauche said. "You have my word."
"You have some serious issues but sure." Yami said and Gauche turned to leave.
"I second that." Tatsumi said.
"Captain?" Akame asked.
"No, I can't not report that their commander was sliced in half by you especially because we will find that body with a cut that only a katana wielded by someone who knows how to wield one can inflict." Yami said. "That's going to be hard to cover up and you're basically the only one who can pull off that kind of move, well I could as well but I was here the entire time."
"Technically it wasn't in half." Akame said unhelpfully. "More I removed the upper quarter I'd say."
"Not helping." Yami said. "But it looks like I'm going to owe you, and Tatsumi for that matter, a favor. Right?"
"That would be correct sir." Tatsumi said. "Thank you and I have no idea who this Zell man was other than some exhibitionist pervert we found in the area."
"I was hoping to avoid it, but I'll take what I can get." Akame said. "Now Captain, may I be dismissed. I need a bath and would rather not deal with this fallout. I may have only killed one of them but, well, it was one of the few that I probably shouldn't have killed."
"Yeah you're both dismissed." Yami said with a sigh and Akame and Tatsumi began to head back to the hideout to bathe, separately of course, and relax just as a giant set of doors appeared next to Yami and then opened to let Cob, Marx, and several members of the enforcement unit out. "Ah Mushroom Head, welcome looks like we had a little incident here but nothing we couldn't handle, and we managed to get some valuable prisoners out of it. I'm sure that will be worth a few stars especially because we didn't rearrange the landscape this time."
"It would appear so." Marx said ignoring the name as he looked around while the arrested mages were hauled up and to Cob's portal for processing in the special prison back at Magic Knights Headquarters. "Diamond Mages from one of their assassin groups. Not bad at all. A lot of bodies though which will be annoying to deal with as we've got to send them back to the Diamond Kingdom due to them dying in an act of war. Akame's doing I take it."
"Tatsumi for the ones around the hideout." Yami said. "I sent Akame on a different mission to capture their leader."
"Er…" Marx said looking at Yami. "You sent her on a capture mission? Of all your knights you sent the one with the most lethal magic and highest kill count, that's not the smartest move Captain."
"She has staked this place out before." Yami pointed out. "She'd know where he or she would be."
"Ok that does make sense, is the leader alive at least?" Marx asked. "We can get a lot of valuable information out of him."
"Yeah about that." Yami said and Marx sighed. "Akame may or may not have thought he was just some grunt who was on observation duty and not the commanding officer that he actually was."
"So, he's dead." Marx said with a sigh. "That girl is nothing if not brutally efficient at what she does."
"His body is that way somewhere, he might have useful intel on him at least." Yami said deciding that it was best not to mention that girl and leave it to Finral and the others in the Black Market as she did seem young, and he trusted Akame's judgement there. "It won't be pretty though; she did bisect him."
"Which is why you're going to retrieve the corpse." Marx said. "I know that at times it's unavoidable, but this felt like it wasn't unavoidable so long as she had the time to wound and not kill. You know I'll have to report it and there's a high chance this will count against her and hurt her chances of a pardon though I don't think it will outright prevent it, so she still has a chance this year. She's done well but a high-ranking member of our enemy's assassin unit…"
"I know." Yami said. "Just break it to her yourself if she'd got to spend a third year on probation."
"I will." Marx said as he pulled out an envelope. "Also, Julius asked me to bring you this. He's requesting Asta personally report to him regarding dungeon raid and intends to invite him and anyone else you send to the Distinguished Service Ceremony tomorrow. Oh, and he wants Akame and Tatsumi in the Capital to see him in that tower at Headquarters beforehand though that I don't know why."
"Alright it will be done." Yami said taking the letter as the last of the prisoners were taken away. "Seems like you need to go to work though. Some of those might be useful."
"I'll wait for you to get that corpse." Marx said. "All of it."
Yami just grumbled but he turned and went to get the body that Akame had left as there might be some use to it. It had been an eventful day at least though they'd made mistakes and now Julius wanted Asta at that service so he'd send Noelle as well seeing as she was on that mission, and she would at least know how to properly behave in that situation. Well, it would be fun for them so they may as well go and have fun. After all, what was the worst that could happen in the Capital of the Clover Kingdom.
Well there it is, the hideout has been defended, the players who will be useful during the forest of witches arc are in place, and things went a little differently thanks to Akame's presence though in a straight fight an Ice Mage like Mariella had no hope against Akame. Thankfully they've got some similarities so Akame helped her out in the end and it will all work out. Next, though, it's time to go to the Capital for the Distinguished Service Ceremony, how could that possibly go wrong at all? All that and more still to come but that is all that I have for y'all so I'll leave this chapter off here. If you like my story 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