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.

27. Chapter 27: Mud

Here is the twenty-seventh chapter in this story released when I wanted it to be released based of my release process for this series. The abductors of the children have been defeated and their evil plan to drain the kids of their magic thwarted but a desperate plea and a deal with a mad woman has made the situation worse as now they have to deal with a monster made of magical mud. To add to it one of their number has fled it seems, how will the Black Bulls handle this situation? Surely it can't get worse than this, can it? Only time will tell but that is all that I have for the administrative stuff I have for y'all and there are no guest reviews that need a response, though I thank you for your support of my work, 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 twenty-seventh chapter in Akame ga Clover.

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

Chapter 27: Mud

"Die!"

That was what the mud monster said in response to Asta's roar of challenge surprising Akame as she got ready to face it herself and aid her squadmate in defeating it. She didn't realize that the thing, it certainly wasn't human anymore, could still talk after what had happened to it. That didn't matter though because it wasn't going to be killing any of them today but rather they'd be the ones ending it.

"All will die." The mud monster added showing it could form more than just one word which if you were into this kind of stuff from an academic perspective would be interesting but Akame wasn't as her grimoire flipped pages to the next spell she'd need as the monster turned to the other criminal who was still on the floor. "Die, die, die."

"What are you doing, you aren't yourself anymore, brother." The man, well more accurately teen in Akame's estimation, said looking at the monster the fear clear in his voice as the monster raised a hand to attack him. "You know me, I'm your brother so stop, please, you don't have to do this."

"No you don't!" Asta roared as he leapt forward and slashed the monster's hand off causing the mud to splatter to the ground now just normal mud as Asta severed it from its magical source. "Don't you dare touch him."

"So his Anti-Magic sword works." Akame said raising Murasame to point it above the mud monster's head as Asta told the teen he couldn't die because he had to pay for what he did to the kids of Nean. "Alright then, let's see how this works as well. Blade Creation Magic: Guillotine Rain."

Suddenly a series of heavy, angled, blades appeared above the monster and fell down, their weight adding to the force of their movement as gravity accelerated them through the air and into the monster below them. There was a splattering sound as the blades hit the mud monster in the arms, shoulders and head and sank into it but that was it, the mud was too thick and dense for the blades to cut through which added more problems for Akame as it basically ruled out any ranged creation attack she might have. That meant she'd have to join Asta in slicing it to pieces which was going to be tedious.

However, as Akame was about to act things managed to get worse as the hand that Asta had removed with his sword regrew and slapped down at Asta as he ran at it to cut it some more. That meant that the hope that cutting pieces off with Anti-Magic wouldn't regrow like how it reformed what Akame had cut away at the start wasn't going to happen. This was not going to be easy.

"Awe, your Anti-Magic may be the cutest thing I've ever seen and those blades are good and all but even combined it won't take down this creation that easily." Sally taunted from where she was behind the monster getting ready for her own desires that the monster she'd made would allow her to accomplish. "You saw that dark magic syringe I used; it drains the lifeforce of whoever I use it on while also making them overflow with magic power. Amazing, right? You can't beat it with simple attacks like that."

"She is a special breed of crazy." Asta said as Sally cackled at her invention.

"Meh, I've seen worse." Akame said with a shrug as she walked forward to stand next to Asta her katana at the ready in her right hand. "Be glad you don't know who Esdeath was and then there's the likes of Seyru and Dr. Stylish, those people redefined the word crazy given how tangentially they were acquainted with the word sanity. My old life had some characters for sure."

"You've mentioned them, the first was the one who, you know." Asta said. "Ensured you, well…"

"Yup but enough of that, to beat this thing looks like we're going to have to get up close and personal and just slice it to pieces." Akame said. "Been there before, at least this is just mud and not a person or else this would suck for it as we cut it up. Then again the guy I had to dismember to kill didn't feel any pain and was a monster made by a crazy scientist so this is pretty similar."

"Oh I like you and I get to bring you in alive." Sally called out. "It's going to be so much fun."

"Good thing I don't have to do the same." Akame said and suddenly she rushed the monster as it attacked. "Though for the sake of gathering intel on these assholes I will try not to kill her as we deal with this mud monster. Slice it and don't stop until it is down for the count, Asta."

"Got it." Asta said though before he could slice the mud monster Akame had already leapt up and sliced it's left arm off at the shoulder as she flipped over the mud monster causing the arm to crash to the ground and splatter only to regrow it again as it thrust its right arm at Asta but he slashed it away with his sword before hitting the regrown arm again on the backswing of his sword. "Damn it, this thing just keeps regrowing its arms."

"That's the point." Sally called out as Asta slashed and Akame twisted in the air, crating two small blades that she landed on to allow her to fly with more mobility than her usual long blade and noting Sally's movement by sensing the crazy chick's ki as she too flew with her magic, a glob of gel in her case, to get around to Asta. "Now hold still I've got a present for you. You're coming with me my pretty boy."

At that Sally sent out several tendrils of gel from her glob and at Asta as he was dealing with the mud monster that seemed to now be focused on him. It was an attack from two sides and as she'd moved around the mud monster to avoid the blade chick she wanted as well; Sally was sure that she'd land this hit. Well she was sure until the gel was blocked but several precise fireballs right before it would have grabbed Asta in their sticky clutches.

"Stop interrupting me, I just want to take Asta and the other girl with me I don't have time to deal with old ladies and their weak magic power." Sally said. "Go away and let…"

"Bitch, this is a battlefield, shit's going to happen that you can't expect, especially if you're ill equipped for it." Akame said as she sped around the monster on her blades and right at Sally for a midair confrontation now that Sally was distracted by trying to catch Asta. "You clearly have no place on one."

"What the hell, you can…gah." Sally said as she was forced to move out of the way as Akame reached her with a slash of Murasame that sliced through Sally's robe as the tip of the blade scored a deep line in her right side just above her hip causing her to bleed freely from it as the part of the robe that was cut away fell to the ground and Sally was forced to create some gel to put over the wound that would likely scar on her side but wasn't deep enough to do more than that. "Damn, that could have killed me."

"Your robe got in the way and threw off my slash as you moved, next time you won't be so lucky." Akame said as she banked around, Asta still dealing with the mud monster that was focused on him trusting Akame and Sister Theresa to have his back. "And if Murasame was what she's named after then you'd already be dead from that cut alone. Be grateful for that fact, though it does mean that taking you down is going to hurt a hell of a lot more than the quick death I used to be able to deliver."

"Brat." Sally hissed as she backed up and away from the raven haired girl. "You're a high priority target with that attribute of yours but this is annoying. Between you and that old woman this is starting to get frustrating for me."

"Watch that tone with me little lady." Sister Theresa called out from where she was protecting the children that were still escaping on her fire leopard. "Just because I'm older and thus produce less magic power because of that, that doesn't mean that I can't increase my ability to work with natural mana. I was once the teacher to a future Magic Knight Captain who may one day become the Wizard King so when it comes to technique I'm a master. You're youth can't compete with my experience so try me and see what I can really do."

"Damn, you've got some fire in you." Akame said as she arched around and faced Sally who had a pained look on her face but wasn't speaking at the moment as she fell back to rethink her strategy for dealing with the inconvenience in her way. "I can sense you're ki, it's as strong as anyone my age. Impressive but I heard who you used to teach so it makes sense."

"I don't know what this ki you speak of is." Sister Theresa said as Asta yelled at the mud monster as he continued to fight it. "But thank you. As for yourself, I sensed what you did for those blades you're on, you're more than I expected as few can do what I'm sure you can do dear. Where'd you train?"

"Wouldn't call it training, more forced survival in the Strong Magic Region between Clover and Spade." Akame said understanding what the woman was getting at as she gripped Murasame in two hands in front of her, her eyes surveying the battlefield and her senses on high alert as she read the ki all around her. "You adapt or die, especially without a grimoire. I'm a survivor, I learned what I had to in order to survive the shit that my childhood was. Now I use what I learned and my skills for the betterment of the Clover Kingdom."

"I see and can it help us now?" Sister Theresa asked deciding not to question the girl's past but with the magic she was sensing from the Black Bull she knew that this girl was strong, a sharp sword that would cut down anything or anyone who got in her way which was just what they needed right now. "What you learned in the past."

"Against that monster, no that mud is too thick for what I can do, cutting free moving, magical mud, isn't exactly easy." Akame said. "I need a proper projection spell of my magic and I've not learned one yet. Against the brat, sure I can manage it but there are still kids here and it will be messy. I may have lost my innocence long ago but they shouldn't have to."

"You two are annoying, you shouldn't get so worked up about things." Sally called out to them. "Especially the old lady, you'll die of a heart attack if you're not careful."

"I won't lose to a mouthy brat like you." Sister Theresa said as she turned her left hand to the mud monster and blasted it with several fireballs that staggered it back a few paces but didn't do more than annoy it and make her point to the crazy girl that had caused all of this. "Get that monster, leave the children to me."

"Yeah don't worry." Akame said as she sped towards the monster to reengage it in the wake of Sister Theresa's attack on it though keeping her senses alert to track the crazy girl through her ki. "Protect them and keep that brat away. My boyfriend should be here soon, he's the shield of our Squad, no one can protect like he can. We just need him or Gauche and we can do it though both would ensure it."

Sister Theresa nodded at that as she fell back to continue to cover the children's escape but she was cursing Gauche as she did. He was being a selfish idiot but she'd helped raise Marie right, if anyone could get through to him it would be her. Plus these were two of Gauche's Squad, one of whom was a boy Sister Lily spoke highly of and the other a girl who Sister Theresa was sure had a few more tricks up her nonexistent sleeves, they'd shame him if nothing else.

The one thing that Sister Theresa didn't know was who the girl's boyfriend was but she hoped that he was as good as she said he was so that she could aid in the fight as well because the mud monster just wasn't going down. They really needed aid to defeat it and right now all Sister Theresa could do was pray for that aid to come as the Black Bulls continued to engage the mud monster and she helped the kids escape.

-break-

"Hey, over here!"

Tatsumi turned after putting armor on the recent kids to make it out on the fire leopard, armor that was designed to keep them warm, so it wasn't metal based as the cold would cause issues with that, and would be useful, to see the redhead kid in Asta's robe calling out to the tunnel. Tatsumi had noticed the kid, Marco he said his name was, was wearing the robe when he'd arrived at the main tunnel entrance and got the story from him about Asta giving it to him for courage and how he went in to help out when he had arrived at the tunnel a short while before Tatsumi had.

Marco had noticed Tatsumi's robe was the same which helped get the kid to open up to him and once Tatsumi heard about Asta, he told Marco and the others with him that his girlfriend would already be there helping Asta, Gauche and Sister Theresa so the other kids would be fine. Still, it was cold out and the kids needed some security so Tatsumi set down his shield and began to help the few who were here out.

One of the perks of his attribute was that armor came in all types which was why Tatsumi could make things that weren't metal despite his attribute being technically a metal derivative attribute. So, providing that Tatsumi knew what the armor was like, he could make it out of any material that the armor was though due to his own limited knowledge of armors beyond Incursio, basically the suits he had in his grimoire, he could only make metal, leather, or canvas armor. That was fine with Tatsumi though as it allowed him to make some rudimentary protective suits to keep the kids from freezing.

Tatsumi had just finished sorting out the few kids outside when he arrived and was about to head into the cave to help out when that the first batch of kids came out of it with on the back of a fire leopard that rushed back in as soon as they were off so Tatsumi got an update about what was going on. What he learned wasn't good but Tatsumi knew that he couldn't go in just yet as the kids needed some aid as well so stayed out to help them and any more kids that came out of the cave.

As soon as they were all out, though, Tatsumi would go in and lend aid. However, right now all he could do was make sure those who got out were warm and safe by cladding them in canvas armor and sending the leopard back without any delay.

That was what he'd been doing when Marco called out and he looked up to see that the boy wasn't yelling at the exit the leopard had used but at the main one which meant that someone was coming out of that that Marco recognized as a friend. A moment later Tatsumi recognized the person as well as it was Gauche carrying a small blonde girl that had to be his sister Marie who was the person that Marco had recognized.

That instantly got Tatsumi's attention because Gauche should be helping the others out as a Magic Knight was supposed to not being a selfish asshole and focused solely on his sister like he usually did. He'd have to help set Gauche straight once this was over but thankfully he wasn't the only one as already Marie had begun to complain about the situation and that Gauche should go and help Asta, Sister Theresa and the black haired girl with the strange sword who was a little scary that could only be Akame.

It was a good thing that a little sister's shaming, especially someone with a complex like Gauche's, was one of the best motivators and Tatsumi planned to play on that himself as he straightened and headed over to his squadmate just as Gauche arrived and asked Marco where he got that robe. Before Marco could reply Tatsumi stepped in.

"Lay off Gauche, Asta gave it to him for courage when he arrived as he knows Marco." Tatsumi said getting Gauche's attention. "It's worked well and Marco's been a great asset keeping the kids here calm so don't get mad."

"Tatsumi, I figured once I saw your girlfriend that you'd be here as well." Gauche said his tone his normal annoyance though a small part of him was glad that the Black Bull who's magic literally created armor and shields was here as he could protect Marie if Gauche went to help out like she wanted him to though he'd only help out to make her like him again. "Not going in I see."

"The kids need help and they take priority when it comes to protecting people right now." Tatsumi said. "And I'm the best for that role."

"Big brother, I'm sure that now that I'm out here I'll be safe if I wait outside with Marco." Marie said and Tatsumi had to give it to her, she did have the cutest pleading voice that he was sure Gauche couldn't say no to. "You should go back and help the others in there. They need you; I know it."

"Don't worry, I promise that I won't let anything bad happen to Marie." Marco said confidently and Tatsumi smiled at that, Asta really had given the boy courage but of course the moment he said that Gauche grabbed his head causing Marco and Marie to sweat drop and Tatsumi to sigh and put his hand over his face at his squadmate's actions. "Er, sir?"

"You'd better not let any harm come to Marie, you're a sad excuse for a bodyguard." Gauche said seriously the threat clear in his voice. "But at least there's someone here who can do the job because if something bad happens to my Marie then something equally bad will happen to you, I swear on it."

"Er…" Marco said nervously.

"Big brother, don't do that." Marie said clearly annoyed at his behavior and her words got Gauche to let go of Marco. "Marco will keep me safe, don't worry."

"Gauche, drop it." Tatsumi said as the kids who'd gotten out called to Marie and she and Marco went to them as Gauche turned to Tatsumi. "She'll be safe here and you know it. The kids who've made it out have told me what is going on in there so I know that it's contained at least."

"Marie is away from that mud monster so that's all that matters." Gauche said as the kids relayed how they got out to Marie and how Asta and the slightly scary girl with the sword were fighting the mud monster as Sister Theresa helped them escape. "It can't be taken down by those there, it's too hyped up on magic thanks to that crazy chick."

"Nothing is insurmountable." Tatsumi said looking Gauche in the eyes, well the right eye as his left was always covered for some reason and Tatsumi still didn't know why as he'd never actually seen Gauche's left eye. "You know my tale, you know what I've taken down in the past, what Akame's taken down, and you've seen Asta. He's a kid without magic in world where magic is everything, if he can keep fighting then so can we."

"Don't worry about Asta, Sister, and that girl who joined them because my big brother's going to help them." Marie suddenly said to the other kids getting their attention. "He's in the same Magic Knight Squad as Asta and that slightly scary girl so they have to stick together."

"I don't disagree with that assessment of Akame." Gauche said as it seemed that Akame was now known to the kids of Nean as 'that slightly scary girl'. "She's slightly scary and you know it."

"Better than anyone else but I also love her and know how sweet she really is." Tatsumi said as the kids gasped and noted that if Gauche was in their Squad then he too must be super strong as well. "So we should help them."

"I've only ever looked out for Marie." Gauche admitted. "She is the world to me, she's all I have left in this world after what happened to our parents and family status."

"Trust me, I get that better than most do given what I've been through but don't forget that where squadmates Gauche." Tatsumi said seriously. "We are supposed to trust each other. Asta and Akame are trusting you to return and aid them, they're trusting me to come and help as well but these kids need to be safe before they return to Nean and no one is better at protection in our Squad than I am so I have to stay here and keep them safe until all are out and one their way back to Nean."

Tatsumi paused for a moment to let his words sink in as he looked at Gauche. When Gauche didn't respond he continued in the same serious tone to drive his point home to his squadmate.

"Trust Asta and Akame to do their job but they can't do it without your aid." Tatsumi continued. "So go and aid them, entrust Marie to me and I'll make sure that they are safe and once they're all out and heading back to Nean with one of my spells as an escort I'll come and help you lot out in there. They still need backup and for all we know that Mirror Magic of yours is the key to it all so don't let your Squad down, Gauche, and be a big brother who Marie will be proud of and tell great tales to all her friends about how strong and protective he is."

That seemed to really get to Gauche as the kids looked on and between that, what Marie had said earlier as Gauche was flying her, and her support of him, his mind was made up. He disliked this but if it made Marie happy and proud of him again then he could do it. Still he had one more thing to say to her as he knelt down in front of his sister and put a hand on her shoulder.

"Marie, make sure you keep yourself well hidden from the enemies." Gauche said to her before he rose as she confirmed it and stepped on his broom to look at Tatsumi. "And you'd better prove that you're the shield of the Squad, Tatsumi. I expect you to remain here and protect Marie, and all the children I guess, until they are all safely out and can get back without an issue. After that you'd better aid us, I know that despite your protection abilities you're as deadly as that girlfriend of yours so you'll be needed as well."

"You can count on me there." Tatsumi said and Gauche just nodded at that as he poured a little mana into his broom so that it rose and he flew off into the cave once more as the kids called out good luck to him.

Tatsumi just smiled as Gauche left to rejoin the fight. He'd learn now why Asta was so important and well liked in the Squad, why he was already turning them around and he'd see that others like Sister Theresa and Akame were still fighting that mud monster. This would be big for Gauche, Tatsumi knew it so he left it to the man and turned back to the new arrivals, including Marie, and began to get to work helping them out so that once all were clear he too could join the fight and bring these criminals to justice.

-break-

Gauche didn't like going back into the fray and he hated that it was another example of people praising Asta and having faith in him. The Captain did, the rest of the Squad did, his darling Marie did, but he didn't get it or see why Asta was that important. To Gauche everyone was selfish and would protect their own self-interests first because that was what he'd experienced as a kid so he fully expected the three to have fled when he got back to the cavern where the fight was going down.

That was why it took him by total surprise to see the fight still going on as he arrived with Asta and Akame slicing away at the monster, ineffectively Gauche noted, and the old hag defending the remaining children as they used her fire leopard to get to safety. He'd not expected to see this but here it was, three people behaving selflessly to protect the escaping children despite the challenge that they were facing.

Unfortunately it seemed like the fight wasn't going well as Asta thrust his large sword into the ground panting in exhaustion from all the effort he was putting in while the mud monster reformed what he'd cut off showing how little effect Asta was having. As that pit was reforming, Akame sliced at it once more but clearly she had a worse time of it as her sword couldn't nullify the magic which meant she was constantly cutting through magical mud, so even with her magic being designed to cut things that had to be tough.

"I'm not done!" Asta roared as he got up as Gauche came to a stop on his broom shocked at what he was seeing.

"That's it Asta, keep it up." Akame said as she recalled Tatsumi had bounced back against that giant Imperial Arms to end it though hopefully this time Asta wouldn't suffer the fate Tatsumi had that day. "We've got this, we'll find a way to take it down."

"You lot really don't give up." The crazy chick said in an annoyed and pained tone and for the first time Gauche noticed that she was injured as she floated back from the situation a patch of her own magic over her side and what looked like dried blood one her right leg that had run down there from the wound in her side. "Just forget about what you're doing and let me capture you two already, it will be so much easier and we'll have so much fun together. Well, I know I will."

"Forget about protecting the children?" Asta asked the anger clear in his voice as he got up and pulled his sword out of the ground clearly revitalized by what the chick was saying. "That's never going to happen, not while I still have breath in my body and strength in my muscles. I'll die before I give up."

Gauche was stunned at what he was seeing. He couldn't tell if this was bravery or stupidity or even insanity on Asta's part. To add to it Akame was still fighting just as strong and she'd been raised to be an assassin so surely she'd have quit by now as she should know when to retreat from a winless situation. He didn't get it at all, why were they still fighting this seemingly hopeless battle.

"I can't die before I become the Wizard King." Asta roared as he leapt at the monster once more and slashed through its hand as Akame shot in to slice the hand coming in from the right but it looked like she wasn't going to make it in time to stop it from hitting Asta as the old hag shouted out a warning. "That's my goal and nothing will stop me from achieving it!"

Gauche's body acted before he could think, he was in a better position to assist Asta in time so he shot in from where he was and kicked Asta away from the hand and to the ground as he shot past it. That allowed Akame to pass them and slice the hand off in what would be the mid forearm before she spun around surprised on the blades she was standing on to stare at what she'd seen.

"For someone constantly ranting about not dying in this battle you're not doing a good job at avoiding that outcome." Gauche said as he looked down at Asta on the ground. "Just ask the killer here, she should be able to tell."

"I had that you know." Akame said ignoring the Gauche's comment to focus on the fact that he was here at all. "But thanks for coming, I presume Tatsumi talked some sense into you."

"Yeah, you came back Gauche." Asta said. "I can't believe you ran away at first, though. Jerk."

"Shut up, I wasn't fleeing I just had to make sure that Marie was safe." Gauche said. "She is now and Tatsumi will ensure that so I'm back to help out and make Marie proud of her big brother."

"I see, Marie spoke some sense into that idiot to get him to come back, she's a good girl." Sister Theresa said with a small smile as more kids were taken to safety. "I've raised her well."

"Shut it, all of you, I'll finish this myself." Gauche said as he turned to face the mud monster. "Then I can return to my sweet Marie."

"You can't, that thing can't be bested by one of us alone." Sister Theresa almost shouted at Gauche. "Don't be a moron and try to face it without backup."

"This thing needs teamwork." Akame pointed out as Sally taunted them using her magic to create a gel salamander again. "We have to work as a Squad you idiot. It's shit like this that is why Magic Knights work in teams in the first place."

"I'll do it and then Marie will look up to me again." Gauche said as he used his Mirror Magic to create a double of himself and both spoke. "Go Real Double, Double Refrain!"

Akame had to fly away and leap off her blades with a backflip, the blades disappearing the moment she was off them, to land next to Asta as a series of blasts from the Mirror Magic shot out in straight lines bouncing off strategically placed mirrors that appeared in the air and slicing through the mud monster in several places. At the same time blasts of Mirror Magic also hit the gel salamander but the gel it was made of reflected the Mirror Magic so that it was harmlessly redirected out of its body which to Akame was pretty impressive magic, the crazy girl's gel did have a lot of uses it seemed.

The problem was that, as with before, the mud monster regenerated the missing parts of it so even with the attack doing a good bit of damage, it ultimately did nothing in the end. Akame let out a sigh of frustration and looked at Gauche.

"What part of teamwork do you not understand!" Akame yelled at him as Sally taunted them again and Gauche realized how hard it was to face this thing. "Every time we slice part of it off it just regenerates because the magic pours in and repairs it. I'm pretty sure that we need to overwhelm that thing to beat it."

Gauche was still focused on beating it alone so he didn't hear her. This was the worst matchup that he'd had since he first met the Captain and for the first time he was considering his trump card but even with it, he was sure that his magic wasn't going to work. It was as he was thinking this that he was knocked off the broom by the mud monster and hit the ground hard, his real double hitting it after him and vanishing from the damage it took.

"Asta, draw you second sword." Akame called out as she realized they were too far away for anything else so she put all her faith and trust in Asta hoping that she could trigger what Noelle had once triggered as the monster roared and thrust its hand at Gauche to deliver a killing blow to him as he lay on the ground. "Do so now!"

"Got it." Asta said dropping his big sword and pulling the shorter one out. "What…"

Before Asta could finish, and as the sword was still coming out of his grimoire, it suddenly glowed with a dark gray color, the same color that Akame's katana was and really lit up as magic power was drawn into it from their connection as allies. It was just like when Noelle infused it with her Water Magic back in the dungeon where Asta had found the sword, a story both he and Noelle had told the whole Squad, but now it was infused with Akame's Blade Magic instead.

"Slice it off!" Akame said but she didn't need to tell Asta twice as he slashed upwards with his smaller sword as the hand was closing in on Gauche.

The moment that Asta did a line of dark grey magic shot from the blade and look to be a curved arc of metal that looked almost like a blade and was razor sharp, which in essence it was as it was the pure concentrated mana of Blade Magic. As such it easily sliced through the hand at the wrist causing the mud to splatter harmless around Gauche as he stared in shock and Asta rushed after the attack to get in front of his friend and squadmate to protect him before the hand regrew.

"Why did you try to fight it alone after all we told you!" Asta yelled at Gauche not looking at him as he stood in front of the older teen. "We're all in this together, you, me, Akame, the Sister, Tatsumi outside, we're together. All of us but the Sister are squadmates so we're all friends, aren't we? So that means when we fight I protect you and you protect me and Akame protects both of us while we protect her. That way no one can take us down, that's a foolproof strategy in my mind."

As Asta was yelling he'd turned to Gauche causing the monster to attack again but Akame had already leapt up and created two more blades to stand on to fly at the monster and slashed at its hands again and again to protect Asta as he yelled at Gauche which pretty much proved Asta's point. That and Asta's words, which he turned and faced the mud monster once more once he was done, really got through to Gauche.

It was a sloppy strategy at best but it reminded Gauche of himself when he first met Yami and how Yami allowed him to join the Black Bulls despite the fact that he was an escaped prisoner at the time. That reminded Gauche of the words the Captain said to him that day as Gauche knelt on the ground in his prison jumpsuit before Yami having been beaten and as he recalled those words and watched his squadmates fight as those words played over and over in his mind.

It was as if Yami knew this day would come and it sparked the resolve in Gauche that he needed to get up and join the fight as Asta got distracted to ask the old hag how the escape was going revealing that most of the kids were know away. That meant that it was only a matter of time before they were all safe, which was good though of course there was still the mud monster to deal with.

"I have no choice; I get that now." Gauche said as he blasted away part of the mud monster's face the moment he could to keep it distracted from Asta as Akame continued to fly around it and slash it as best she could though it seemed like she was doing little more than annoy it at the moment. "I may not understand it but Marie would be heartbroken if I let you die here Asta, so I'll protect you as well, and Akame I guess as I'd rather not deal with a pissed off Tatsumi."

"Hey this isn't a favor, we're friends so helping each other is what we do." Asta said as he stopped fighting the mud monster to turn to Gauche as Sister Theresa questioned if the boy standing there really was Gauche or not. "What don't you understand about that?"

"Hey, watch the attitude, as your senior squadmate I will be treated with…" Gauche began but as he spoke Asta's smaller sword, he was dual wielding now, suddenly glowed again only this time with a bright pink, almost white light rather than the dark grey it had glowed a moment before. "Um, what's happening now?"

"Will you two just figure it out already and help me!" Akame yelled as Asta looked amazed at the sword that now had Gauche's mana in it and the mud monster roared at all of them. "This is fucking mud I'm dealing with, kinda hard to cut with a katana that has no magical properties other than being a sharp as I can make it. Slash that already and see what happens already."

"Right." Asta said as he did just that and this time he took off several fingers and staggered the thing as Akame flew around to get behind her squadmates noting that for the first time Sally actually seemed worried, until it reformed again causing Sally to return to her normal insane state. "Woah that worked but it's still not working."

"Cool, that was the second time you did it and with a different color so tell me what it is, tell me, tell me!" Sally yelled happy again as she popped her head out of her salamander. "Is it some Anti-Magic slash thing or what? I want to know."

"This isn't working." Gauche said ignoring the crazy enemy in the gel salamander as he got back on his broom and attacked with a mirror while Asta and Akame went back to slicing at it. "That looked better than most of the attacks so far but even that wasn't enough."

As Gauche spoke he was thinking hard on how to beat the mud monster but he couldn't figure out what they were missing. He knew that their best bet was that slash attack, it had the range and power to destroy parts of it but they didn't have enough of the attack to hit it hard enough, fast enough, and with enough simultaneous attacks to overwhelm its regeneration ability and end it at last.

To Gauche the only thing that would work would be his Mirror Magic but he couldn't do it with himself. The only way it would work would be if he did something he'd never done before, used his magic on someone else and not to hurt that person but to aid instead.

The moment he did this, the moment he finally put his trust in another, albeit to win back Marie's admiration for him, and accepted Asta and Akame's help in this matter it happened. It was just what he needed to learn a new spell that his grimoire inscribed on a blank page and right at the perfect moment because it was just the spell that he needed though he needed to recover his mana to pull it off.

"Hey, old hag, I need a few moments to regain some mana." Gauche said as he looked to the old woman who took care of his sister noting that only 4 children, one final group for the fire leopard to take out, remained. "Please, I need it and I'm not sure that those two alone can provide it, at least not without ranged support."

"You cad, you can't order an old lady like that." Sister Theresa said but she smiled at the request. "Very well, I'll buy you the time you need."

At that she blasted out several fireballs at the mud monster that were more distracting than anything else but it did keep the thing at bay for a moment. Sally was bored but this point and felt like the battle was almost over, making a note of it from her safe spot in her salamander where she intended on remaining until it was time to collect her subjects. That said she wanted to see the slash thing again but it seemed like Asta couldn't do whenever he wanted to which annoyed her. It looked like she'd just have to wait for them to exhaust themselves and then take her prizes back to master Licht.

However, the fireballs and a final few slashes from Akame before she too retreated but remained in the air, was enough time for what Gauche to recover what he needed. So, as Asta leapt back, he raised his left hand to his hair and pulled it up as he yelled at Asta to look at him revealing the Mirror Magic magical tool that he had in place of his left eye, the scaring around the socket showing that he'd willingly given up his eye to replace it with this item.

It was his trump card, a tool that stored his magic and as he'd not used it before it was full of Mirror Magic. Thus, with it and the last of his mana he was going to cast his new spell on Asta as Asta looked him in the eye, his artificial one.

"Mirror Magic: Mirage Brigade!" Gauche cast and lines of pink Mirror Magic shot out of a conjured mirror to form into mirror clones of Asta complete with his swords, the smaller of his swords now filled with Gauche's Mirror Magic in both the real and mirror clone ones. "Go, this will do it."

All the Astas roared at that and yelled 'Mirror Slash!' as they slashed out the magic all at once at both the mud monster and the gel salamander that was now before it as Sally had moved there in anticipation of her impending victory. There was no way for either entity to avoid the attack and to add to it all the Asta mirror clones that were carrying his larger sword, the clones of him had one or the other, leapt in for some close combat yelling 'not yet' over and over again as they followed up the Mirror Slash with slashes of their own that cut down the mud monster and the gel.

"I'm not done!" The real Asta roared as his final slash hit the mud monster in the head carving through it the way Akame had one of the Eye of the Midnight Sun members back during the attack on the Capital. "Not yet!"

"Nor am I!" Akame said as she shot out from behind the real Asta having waited for this moment and headed straight for Sally as her gel was also nullified exposing her in midair and thus leaving her wide open for Akame's attack. "I'll make sure you can't interfere anymore!"

At that Akame sliced her katana up from low to high striking Sally with it just above her right hit and cutting her clean across the girl's naked abdomen in an upwards, diagonal, slash that just missed the earlier wound in her side and barely missed the underside of her left breast. It did take out a line in her left bicep though as Akame finished the slash, blood arcing away from the blade, and the force of that combined with Asta's work sent a stunned and in shock Sally flying back to hit the ground hard on her back and slide over it for a few feet before she came to a rest on her back bruised and bleeding there but not dead.

That was because Akame had made sure not to deliver a fatal wound. Sure, Sally would end up with scars on her side, abdomen and bicep from Akame's katana but she'd live to face justice and divulge vital information to the Clover Kingdom regarding the Eye of the Midnight Sun. That was good enough and she should count herself lucky that Akame was going for mercy and not the kill because if she'd wanted to she could, and would, have bisected Sally.

She hadn't and now they had a prisoner as Akame dismissed the blades she was flying on and landed on the ground as debris filled the cavern and the mirror clones of Asta vanished as well. They'd done it and the boys let out a cheer at their victory as Akame gave them a small smile while Sister Theresa looked shocked at what she'd seen as she wasn't sure what it was, it looked like they'd combined their magics though Asta didn't have any so she was really confused. Regardless they'd finally beaten the monster and that was enough.

Akame knew that they had to make sure things were sorted though so she ignored the pale haired boy, the one who'd been the mud monster's brother and who they'd totally forgotten about during the fight, as he cried over the loss of his brother and picked up his coat, cursing the now unconscious Sally as he did for what she'd turned him into and himself for blindly following his brother. It was a sad moment and Akame didn't want to deal with it as the boy rose from the ground turned his attention to Asta and agreed to take responsibility for the things he'd done to atone for his crimes and those of his brother.

In classic Asta fashion he told the guy that they should be friends once he'd atoned for what he'd done. It was typical Asta, he was a merciful and kind guy, more so than she or Tatsumi could ever be, but perhaps that was just what the world needed. Asta would be the Wizard King, he'd be the light that shone in this nation and those like Akame and Tatsumi would be there to support him and do what he couldn't do because there'd always be…

Before Akame could finished her thought and just as she bent to make sure she'd not eviscerated the crazy chick or cut her so deep that she'd bleed out before she could get healed, and with Murasame still in her left hand, she sensed the sudden arrival of a new, very malicious and evil, source of ki accompanied by a not necessarily evil source of ki but clearly that of a follower indicating two people had suddenly arrived in the cavern.

She only had time to look up to see a dart of light magic in the back of the boy who'd just spoken to Asta as he fell forward a look of shock and pain on his face. This was followed almost instantly by two more darts basically appearing in Gauche's right shoulder and thigh, the latter going all the way through his leg, and causing him to fall back as well having not seen the attack coming.

The light was still blinding but what was worst was that the magic power that was creating the light was huge. Even focused on ki, Akame could feel it coming from the Light Mage as a bright light suddenly filled the chamber. Akame gulped fearing the worst as the attack came.

Ah another cliffhanger, I just couldn't resist and this arc is perfect for them as the situation that Akame, Asta, Gauche, and Sister Theresa are facing as just gotten worse with the sudden arrival and attack of a Light Mage. What will happen now? Well stay tuned to see as the next development in this arc and how the crossover effects its contents is coming but for now that is all that I have for this chapter so I will leave it 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.