Here is the fortieth-seventh chapter in this story released in accordance with the release schedule. The fight with Vetto the Despair in the Undersea Temple continues to rage on as now Noelle and Kahono step up to the plate and engage the Beast Mage. Can they succeed and build on what the others have done or will they fall as well? Well let's find out after a slight switch to get Yami's reaction to Tatsumi's evolution as 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 forty-seventh chapter in Akame ga Clover.
Disclaimer: I own nothing related to these two great animes.
Chapter 47: Growth
Yami was still trapped in the viewing room with the High Priest as they watched the battle with Vetto. They'd glanced at the other battles that were going on and noted that for the most part they were done. Vanessa was engaging one of them and holding her own in a drawn out battle while Gauche had also beaten his opponent and moved on though it had been a tough battle.
That had led Gauche to Grey, who mimicked him, and a confrontation with a third attacker who quickly got the upper hand on them. However, they were able to defeat him by using Grey's magic to transform a rock into an illusion of a hunch of meat and using the illusion to trick Charmy who was asleep nearby into thinking that the man was trying to steal her meat. He'd protested but to no avail and Charmy took him out with a single, surprisingly powerful, spell. Now those three were recovering so Yami wasn't paying attention to them and as a result he'd not seen the reveal of Grey's true form.
There was little reason to look at the other battles anyway, and even less with Finral who was the only one so fare to avoid any battle whatsoever though he was hiding relatively close to the main battle, as they were all either over or soon to be. The result was that so far two members of the Eye of the Midnight Sun knocked out and could be captured later, a third was still fighting Vanessa, and a fourth dead in multiple pieces.
That last one had been Tatsumi and Akame's doing and the result was stomach churning for Gifso though Yami had expected it given their abilities and how sharp Akame could make a blade. Yami had seen the brutality of war and on at least one occasion witnessed Akame's ruthlessness in lethal combat when they took out the assassin hideout that had trained her in this life so he wasn't surprised and just kept watching as the couple rushed to aid Magna and Luck in the main battle. Once Akame stepped into it, that had been the sole focus really and Yami had only checked the other fights to confirm they'd won them.
To say Yami had been impressed with the two reborn souls would be an understatement though he of course didn't show it beyond small vocal moments of support as Akame was the next one to step up and fight Vetto after Luck, Magna, and Gio had failed. Had it not been for the man's inhuman speed, something that Yami himself had fought against the last time they'd run into Vetto, he would have died right at the start. Instead he survived and forced Akame into a duel that pushed her to her limits and then some to keep up.
Naturally, that was just what Yami liked to see as she held her own against Vetto similar to how he'd fought the man in the cavern near Nean only with faster strikes and kept it up long enough to get help. Only Yami or Tatsumi could have fought with Akame then, her speed and swordsmanship was a cut above anything Yami had seen on this continent, right up there with the best the Land of the Sun had to offer, and so only someone familiar with her and able to read ki wouldn't get in her way. In time Asta too would reach that level, Yami knew it, but right now only Tatsumi was able to step up.
Of course he did so but not until after he knew the others were clear of the battle and had protection thanks to Noelle. As soon as they did, Tatsumi joined the battle and when he did it shifted once again as Vetto was pressed by two experienced assassins who had no hesitation in their strikes.
The Beast Mage had been forced onto the backfoot for once as he had to leap up to get clear but that only gave the couple an opening. Yami smiled as Akame used that opening to cut through his armor, something Gifso gasped at as it had withstood his son's magic, but Yami pointed out that this wasn't about breaking it, it was about slicing it which was a different focus, and there was only one person that Yami knew who could cut better than Akame could.
It was an impressive fight and Yami finally got to see the Mana Method that Akame could do, well the kicking off air part of it, for himself. He'd heard of her abilities in the wake of the Nean incident but that had been before he had arrived so to see it in action was something else. She was already an exceptionally mobile fighter but using the air only added to it. It was a tactic Yami himself would have to look into when he had the time but right now he had more pressing concerns at the moment and so just focused on his Squad, supporting them from where he was and never once giving into despair.
Alas all of this still wasn't enough to take down Vetto and the man showed thus by first neutralizing Tatsumi and knocking him back and then doing the same to Akame. True, Akame had surpassed her limits and learned a new spell with a nasty trick that would help over time as she'd not managed to inflict a major wound with it, and she'd managed to block the counter but still even she was struggling.
That meant that it was likely Asta's turn to step and Yami watched waiting for that to come. He was so focused on keeping an eye on Asta, even mentioning that it was the kid's turn, while Vetto stared down Akame as she knelt on the ground that he, like everyone else, didn't see the punch that hit Vetto in the face until it did.
"What just happened!" Gifso said the shock clear in his voice as Vetto was launched to the side and bounced over the ground a few times before righting himself. "What hit…ah! What's that!"
"That is pushing past your limits and then some." Yami said his eyes wide, cigarette loose in his mouth, as the screen shifted back to where Vetto was to show Tatsumi standing right where Vetto had been in his draconic, improved, armor. "Damn, Tatsumi. I knew your potential was high but this is something else."
"That's your Armor Mage?" Gifso asked stunned looking from Yami to the screen and back. "He didn't show that set before."
"I don't think he had it before." Yami said thinking on it and the more he thought the more he was sure that the appearance matched what he'd seen in Tatsumi's memories after they'd reported the news to Julius about his past and the whole situation with him and Akame though he didn't say any of this to Gifso. "That's his main armor only it's an evolved form of it. It's stronger, more durable, and faster."
"He never came off as that strong." Gifso said as Vetto charged but Tatsumi easily leapt up and avoided it before he remained hovering in the air showing that his new armor had some level of flight capabilities. "I know you said he's intermediate class with the skills of a senior class Magic Knight but he had this whole protector vibe. Even when he helped kill that invader it was more out of protection for the Temple than anything else. That's not the armor of a protector, that's something else, something bestial."
"No, that's what Tatsumi truly is, a warrior who will do whatever it takes to protect those who he holds close." Yami said seriously as Vetto leapt at Tatsumi and the fight took to the air. "He's easily senior class and as you saw he won't hesitate to kill. This is just him surpassing his limits and adapting to his opponent the way his magic can. Been wondering when something like this would happen."
"Well it's certainly happening now." Gifso said as Tatsumi once again evaded Vetto only this time with a partial block that he used to flip and then kicked Vetto into the ceiling. "And damn is it happening. That beast was barely moved by anyone and other than a few cuts here and there but now he's been moved twice."
"That's the raw power of Tatsumi's armor." Yami said as Tatsumi flew around the cavern getting faster and faster as he did confirming that he could do more than just hover with his armor. "This is what I mean by surpassing your limits. Tatsumi's done just that and now he's able to take that beast on one on one, at least until Akame can join it."
"What about the others?" Gifso asked as Tatsumi suddenly turned, kicked off the wall, and flew at a falling Vetto. "Shouldn't they assist? Your Squad is clearly a lot stronger than I anticipated and two of my strongest are still standing right now. My grandson can fight with swords and my granddaughter has strong support magic."
"If the support magic was targeted that could help, otherwise Asta might be able to keep up, Tatsumi's been the main one training him these days, but that's it." Yami mused as Tatsumi intercepted Vetto and they flew into one of the side walls with enough force to shake a portion of the Temple with the impact. "A little practice and that grandson of yours could as well, he's fluid in his movements so he could keep up and his sword skills to pair to Tatsumi, but at this level only Akame could. This is something even I'd struggle with though more due to unfamiliarity than anything else. If I was there I'd adapt quickly and be able to fight with Tatsumi but I can't while that bastard continues to trap us."
"I see, well it looks like their evenly matched." Gifso said as the dust cleared to reveal Tatsumi pushing against Vetto as he was pinned to the wall. "Right?"
"I'm not sure, I'm too far to sense ki so I'm only going on sight alone." Yami said. "But maybe, depends on what else happens. That Beast Mage isn't a major threat for nothing. Still, no one's despairing which is good. We will fight to the end and never give in."
Gifso just nodded at that as they continued to watch the battle unfold. It did seem like they were pretty even. Vetto was actually struggling a bit and Tatsumi was able to hold his own well until Vetto suddenly tapped into his strength and pushed them off the wall, sending them tumbling through the air and back into the center of the cavern.
From there Yami just watched the rest of the battle between Tatsumi and Vetto unfold. There really wasn't much more to say, Tatsumi was doing as Yami preached and pushing past his limits, he even managed to control the situation enough to headbutt Vetto. This got him tossed to the ground but clearly that was Tatsumi's plan and he used that to land and push off with a level of force that even Yami would struggle to manage.
"Yes, he's got it!" Gifso said hope in his voice as he cheered watching Tatsumi rocket up at Vetto. "This has to be…damn that…"
"It's a barrier to slow Tatsumi, not armor now." Yami said as Vetto formed his Rhinoceros Armor just before Tatsumi would had hit him in the gut with enough force to impale him. "That Beast Mage can match Tatsumi's new speed, that's the only reason he's still in it, but alas that's all he needs. He may look like a beast but he's not an idiot when it comes to battle. Even if this wasn't calculated, he would have known how to turn this to his advantage."
Yami was right as the Rhinoceros Armor took the blow and shattered from it. That said a lot of Tatsumi's power in this new armor as he was now able to break what no one else could, even Akame could only slice through, but it had done it's job and given Vetto the protection he needed so that the punch only winded him. As such he was able to recover enough to grab Tatsumi's arm and hoist him up by it, impressive as they were both in midair.
As soon as he had the upper hand Vetto didn't hesitate, he just formed his Bear Claw and stabbed it at Tatsumi as he'd tried to with Akame a few moments earlier. Unlike with Akame, Tatsumi couldn't break the grip as it was on his arm not a blade and all he could do was briefly block it with a shield that was shattered the way Tatsumi had shattered Vetto's Rhinoceros Armor before it hit his breastplate and impaled him. Only the shield and armor saved Tatsumi from being fully impaled but it was still bad and Vetto was clearly pleased as he pulled his arm out of Tatsumi's gut and tossed him into the wall.
"Well kid, it's definitely your turn now." Yami said as Vetto landed on the ground the same time that Tatsumi did though given Tatsumi's grimoire was still floating and not fading he wasn't dead or dying, yet. "Time to push past your limits."
"What are…oh." Gifso said, confused until Asta suddenly charged into the fight.
Asta's attack was blocked, noticeably by the hand with the magical wound that Akame had inflicted on him, which was subsequently nullified by Asta's sword, but he had a follow up one and landed a blow on Vetto. Yami was pleased that Asta managed that and now he was the one to carry on what the others had started. Vetto was a serious opponent but Yami's Squad were giving their all and he couldn't be prouder of them. It wasn't just the Black Bulls though as Gifso's grandson also stepped up and joined Asta in the fight.
"Kiato, be safe." Gifso said supporting his grandson as the boy stood with Asta and exchanged barbs with Vetto before the pair attacked the wounded but still strong Beast Mage while Akame made sure that Tatsumi was alright.
Again the battle played out as Yami watched only this was faster than the last few as Vetto quickly got the upper hand against the two duel wielders after the first exchange and sent the pair back into the wall. It wasn't nearly enough to stop Asta of course but Vetto was already prepared and used a physical object, in this case a massive boulder, to attack Asta at range exploiting two weaknesses of his.
Yami doubted that that would actually work and Asta showed that by avoiding and coming in close for another attack only Vetto was clearly onto his moves now and stopped Asta with ease, breaking his left arm in the process. He continued to taunt Asta but all Asta did was yell defiantly and bite down on Vetto's hand. It was a very Asta thing to do and Yami was about to make a comment about it when the blast of magic washed over them and Asta was dropped.
That got Yami's attention and the screen shifted to see who was the latest to step up and face Vetto. When Yami saw it he could help but note it.
"Noelle." Yami whispered as he looked at the magic bubble showing the cavern where his Squad were fighting Vetto. "Looks like it's now your turn to push past your limits."
"Kahono!" Gifso said worry in his voice.
"I can sense your worry old man." Yami said. "Trust your granddaughter and my Squad. They've got this."
"Yes, I can see." Gifso said noting the defiance on both girls' faces. "But I still worry."
Yami couldn't really argue with that so he just focused on the screen as Vetto taunted the girls. They were the next ones up and he really needed to find a way to help his Squad as they continued their long battle with Vetto the Despair.
"So you're the next ones to embrace despair." Vetto said as he turned fully to Noelle and Kahono while Tatsumi and Akame watched from where they were which also helped Tatsumi to slowly recover though with the wound in his gut he wouldn't be able to actively fight anymore. "Let's see if you can entertain me like the reborn brats did."
Kahono had no idea what that meant but she didn't really care. She was too focused on the fact that her father was out cold, her home under attack, her brother had just been injured and was laying on a pile of broken rock, and the Magic Knights that were helping defend were falling one by one.
Two of them were unconscious like her father was, one was badly wounded and she was shocked that the Armor Mage could still move but he must have done something to stabilize his injury to do so, and two more were hurt with Asta lying on his back near Vetto and Akame busy helping Tatsumi while dealing with her own wounds. At this point only she and Noelle had the strength to fight and fight they would.
Noelle was just as worried but it was more than that. She'd gotten here to see that Luck and Magna were unconscious and seriously wounded and had proceeded to watch Vetto shrug off multiple hits from first Akame and then a powered up Tatsumi as he proceed to seemingly take out three of her strongest squadmates.
While she wouldn't openly admit it, Noelle looked up to Akame. The older girl may be a little serious at times and her ability to kill without hesitation was unnerving and a little scary but she was loyal, dependable, and strong, traits Noelle wanted to develop in herself. She'd also seen Tatsumi's strength and coldness as well and yet both of them had been bested with Tatsumi being badly wounded in the process.
Finally Asta too had been beaten and that was the biggest blow to her as she drew a lot of strength from Asta. She'd watched it all and it had shaken her to her core because what kind of monster were they all facing that could best so many strong mages despite taking several hits of his own.
All Vetto did was chuckle as the girls stood there defiantly facing him. He was having a good time toying with these pitiful humans and taking them down one by one. That would heighten the despair they and now that the only real threats were taken care of he could enjoy this and bring out even more delicious despair as he slowly killed them one by one. After toying with them of course, that was a must after all.
"I'm not done yet!" Asta roared and he suddenly attacked, leaping off the ground with his normal sword in his good right hand. "I'll…"
"Be gone insect." Vetto said derisively as he slashed at Asta with his right arm, his Beast Magic coating it. "Know when you're beat. Lie there and await death."
Asta managed to get his sword up to block it in time, which nullified the Beast Magic on Vetto's arm but that didn't prevent him from being blasted back and away from Vetto and towards one of the cavern walls. It was a dismissive blow and showed how little Vetto thought of Asta at that moment.
"Asta!" Noelle cried as Asta was blasted away.
"Song Magic Rhythm Cushion!"
Kahono had acted as soon as she could and sent out a wave of Song Magic that formed into a large, light pink, cushion of magic behind Asta to catch him. It prevented a lot of damage though it was only because of the nature of Vetto's hit, the distance, and the fact that he was clearly a shade slower with all his wounds that Kahono had been able to manage the catch Asta in the first place. She'd not had the time or space for the others early in the fight.
"That could have been useful earlier but there wasn't time for it I think." Akame noted as she began to slowly help Tatsumi around while Noelle thanked Kahono, who proceeded to charge her 1000 yul for it which Noelle promised to increase 100 fold if they survived, her tone showing that she wasn't annoyed at the Temple Mage. "And whoever that girl is, she's close with Noelle."
"Yeah, I can feel it in her ki." Tatsumi said his voice weak but still there as they moved. "I think they're friends."
"Noelle made a friend?" Akame asked looking at the girls as they whispered to each other while Vetto just stood before them grinning at them clearly not in a rush to end things. "A female one who's her own age? Damn, she really has gotten better since joining. It took Mine longer to warm up to anyone other than Sheele though I did join after they did."
"True, I remember how Mine was when I joined." Tatsumi said. "Noelle's done well and that has a lot to do with Asta. It's…"
"Hey!" The Temple Mage girl, Kahono Noelle had called her, shouted her Song Magic amplifying her voice so that all could hear and it stopped Akame and Tatsumi in their tracks though that was fine as in his current state Tatsumi couldn't move that far without needing to take a break. "Big Brother! Why are you sleeping?! You've only taken one hit and we've got a promise to keep! Remember it?! We won't be famous on the surface if we let this beast man kill us today! Did you forget about our brother-sister song and dance act already!"
"No of course I didn't!"
The response came from the male Temple Mage who'd been fighting with Asta a moment earlier and blasted into the wall and he'd thankfully gotten his blade up in time to partially deflect it or else he'd have lost his head. That had resulted in him lying on a pile of rubble but Kahono's shout had snapped him out of his wounded daze and he'd gotten up to respond.
"Yeah definitely not Wave." Tatsumi said as he wiped some blood that had leaked out of his mouth while Kiato and the Kahono argued a bit confirming that they were siblings.
"Huh?" Akame asked.
"Well I just can't imagine Wave dancing." Tatsumi said with a chuckle that turned into a hacking cough that spewed blood and took a few seconds to get under control. "Damn, shouldn't imagine that. Laughing hurts."
"You can laugh which is a good sign." Akame said though there was a lot of worry in her voice. "That said, try not to. It's hard seeing you this hurt my love, especially after using that armor and last time."
"Yeah I know, sorry." Tatsumi said as he got himself under control and they resumed their slow movement using the lull in the battle that was caused by Kahono telling Vetto of her and her brother's dream to go ashore someday to move as much as they could before Tatsumi had to stop again. "I'll be fine, we just need to get to the others. It's going to take a bit but I can make it."
"I know you can." Akame said wondering why the Temple Mages just couldn't go ashore and already pursued their dream but deciding that it wasn't worth finding out while the siblings yelled defiantly at Vetto. "Let's…what is that?"
Again they stopped their slow movement along the wall. Almost right after the yell from the Temple mage siblings they heard the notes of a song and turned to see the girl singing, multicolored magic coming from her mouth as she sang. At the same time, her brother started dancing to it, his pair of real swords that were blue for some reason in his hands as he did. The tips of the swords were glowing with the same multicolored magic at the tips of his swords.
"Song Magic." Tatsumi said pointing out the obvious. "And it's working with his, er, dancing, to boost both of them. That's a support spell but it's a targeted support spell. I get the feeling that it would only affect him, at least as it is now."
"Yeah, their ki is stronger, almost one though his has become rather slippery and hard to pin down as if he's not actively thinking." Akame said as she focused on the actions of the siblings while Noelle noted that the mana was getting stronger as the siblings worked in unison and even Vetto grunted his grin falling at what they were doing. "It's odd, hard to predict, but impressive. I wonder…ah it's back."
"Yeah that means that this…" Tatsumi said but was cut off as the song ended and suddenly the purpose of everything was revealed.
"Combo Spell: Sea God's Slash!"
The spell was cried out by Kiato as he suddenly stopped dancing and leapt into the air, his hole body glowing with bright blue magic. He then fell to the ground and shot at Vetto with the combo spell, his swords out to his sides. Then, as he ran at the Beast Mage, he suddenly sent a blast of powerful magic from one of his swords right at Vetto the way that Akame and Yami could with their swords.
"A combo spell combining her Song Magic and whatever magic he uses as I'm not sure what his attribute is." Akame said as Vetto used his Beast Magic to form two large hands and crossed his arms to intercept the blow on them though part of it got through opening a small cut on his right shoulder which was impressive given the amount of mana that Vetto had. "It boosts his strength and power, he even managed to land a hit though it was a minor one."
"Yeah, their magics are in perfect harmony." Tatsumi said so distracted that he momentarily forget the pain he was in or the latest dribble of blood that started to run down his chin as he watched Kiato send out a few more blasts of magic at Vetto though these were just blocked. "This goes beyond the fact that their magics are clearly compatible or the fact that they're siblings so have a strong bond. This takes years of practice and hard work to pull off."
"True, it's impressive to say the least." Akame said as Kiato reached Vetto and slashed him with one of his swords but it was blocked though he kept it up charging past and slashing again only for it to be blocked again. "But it might not be enough."
"I agree so let's move." Tatsumi said the break helping but he needed to get going to get to the others so that he could properly rest. "I've recovered enough for another stint and we don't want to waste this distraction."
Akame nodded and they set off again as Kiato kept the pressure up on Vetto with a mix of ranged slashes of projected magic and close combat strikes that Vetto blocked. Noelle was watching closely while Gifso supported his grandson in the observation and noting that the hard work that they'd put into achieving their dream was going to pay off. Vetto meanwhile was noting that the singing sparrow and dancing mouse were stronger than he anticipated, though not as strong as the two reborn souls he'd already dealt with, and had some unique magic despite living in such a remote location.
It was in fact this location that created this kind of magic and through that, their years of training, and their dedication to their Sea God that Kahono and Kiato were able to do this. Through that bond, the history of the Undersea Temple, and the closeness they all had, they would prevail. All this culminated in a powerful double overhand strike from Kiato onto Vetto with both swords that was strong enough to crack the ground and kick up enough dust that both combatants were momentarily covered.
"That was good." Tatsumi muttered as the force of the blow was enough to bring the couple to another stop and look over to see though Tatsumi did need another brief respite. "But it wasn't enough. It didn't work."
"Yeah, he blocked it." Akame said sensing Vetto's ki and knowing that he was still standing and unaffected by the latest attack. "They're not strong enough to beat him."
"This isn't good." Tatsumi noted as Noelle's ki fluctuated at the failure and Kiato devolved into a frenzied but skillful close combat attack on Vetto who just stood there and easily blocked all the blows while grinning his sharp toothed grin at the Dance Mage. "He's not got the power to break through Vetto's defense."
"It's worse." Akame said as she sensed the malicious spike in the Beast Mage's ki the moment that Kiato fell back to attack from range for a moment. "He's got this planned out. Hey! Dancing guy! Re…"
Akame didn't get to finish her yell as she tried to shout across the cavern and warn Kiato but it was too late. Vetto had suddenly started to chuckle and sped forward at a speed that the eye couldn't follow, a speed that he'd not shown at all up to that point. Even with ki it was hard to follow his movements and before Akame could finish Vetto was on Kiato and with a slash of his magic coated arm he cut off Kiato's right leg below the knee.
The reaction was instantaneous as Kiato let out a scream of agony at the loss of his limb and fell back. Vetto didn't let up for even a second though as he moved to be behind Kiato as he fell back before he punched the Temple Mage squarely in the face with enough force, his punch amplified by Beast Magic, to blast Kiato into a wall. There was no doubt that Kiato was out of the fight, even if he was conscious without a leg he couldn't properly use his Dance Magic.
"Dreams and bonds what do you pitiful humans know of those?" Vetto roared as he charged Kahono using the chaos of his recent move to his advantage, that, and the only fighters he deemed competent were out of it as well so he had all the time he could want to kill everyone present so he may as well make them truly suffer. "Don't you dare speak such words to me girl! You have no right to them after what your kind did to mine!"
With a snarling roar Vetto reached Kahono as they all watched and thrust his right arm out and into her throat. Despite his clear anger and the rage in his words, the blow was precise, well controlled, and measured so that it crushed her throat without killing her. In fact, all it did was render her almost completely unable to speak, which as a Song Mage with aspirations of being a singing idol on the mainland was as crushing as what he'd done to Kiato. All that Kahono could do was gasp out blood as she knocked back but Vetto grabbed her by her ponytail and held her in the air by it.
"Kahono!" Noelle screamed while in the observation room Gifso wailed at what Vetto had done and even Yami tsked and clenched his jaw at what was going on.
This culminated in two Monster Toys created by Gifso's magic appeared behind Vetto but they were nothing more than a childish diversion to him and quickly he punched them back with blasts of raw Beast Magic from his right hand all the while still holding Kahono's ponytail. The Monster Toys fell back and vanished and as he did he moved so that Kahono was between him and Akame having sensed her magic flare up as well.
"Now, now, little assassin, as impressed as I am that you've still got a bit of fight left in you I'd stay out of this and just await your inevitable fate." Vetto said as he held Kahono there, Akame's grimoire open to the right page her right hand out as she'd been about to cast a spell in the distraction and try to skewer Vetto with a Dagger Swarm. "I know all your tricks and if you try them this girl will take them all. Do you think she can withstand them like I can."
"Akame can you do it!" Noelle shouted.
"No." Akame spat, literally as a bit of blood came up, before she lowered her arm and glared at Vetto while still supporting Tatsumi. "I don't have the focus the way I am right now and his mana skin is too tough to penetrate in my current state. Sorry."
"Good girl, stay there and despair on your failures before I kill you." Vetto said before he looked at Kahono who he was still holding up. "You know, we had those once ourselves, dreams and bonds that is. That was until you humans destroyed them because of your fear of us and greed at what we had. We, the Eye of the Midnight Sun had golden dreams and bonds of blood beyond what you could even imagine."
"There's something more, it's like in the cave." Akame muttered still annoyed that she couldn't act but accepting that for the moment she didn't have the strength to do so. "There has to be."
"Agreed but this is beyond that, it's cruelty closing in on the Empire's." Tatsumi said. "That monster didn't bother killing them despite having the chance to. Instead he toyed with them, took what they held most dear in their dancing and singing, and shattered their dreams in seconds. To have this kind of hatred, something heinous must have happened to his people."
"Agreed." Akame said as Vetto taunted Kahono about how there will be no more singing or dancing from them thanks to a few well timed strikes that crushed their dreams and rendered her a sparrow with no voice. "But we can deal with that later, let's move. This isn't over by a longshot."
"Yeah no way any of us despair." Tatsumi said as they began to move once again while Vetto noted that there was a scrap of defiance left in Kahono which both could sense in her ki though they couldn't see her glaring at Vetto, blood running down her chin from her mouth as he held her there. "Even the Temple Mages aren't which is a good sign. We just need to hold and I've almost recovered enough."
"You can't fight Tatsumi." Akame said a little alarmed at what she thought Tatsumi was implying as Vetto said he'd tear Kahono's wings off as a sparrow that couldn't sing didn't deserve to live. "Your wound is too serious."
"I know, just get me to the others though." Tatsumi said the reassurance in his weak voice and the deep bond between them ensuring that Akame would trust his words. "Then I'll…"
"Don't touch her!"
The yell came from the only one left without any wounds and the only one who'd not actively fought. Tatsumi and Akame had sensed the ki and knew it was coming so they didn't stop but did look over to Noelle as she held out her wand and glared at Vetto. Right now she was all they had left in the cavern and Vetto turned to her as if she was nothing more than an afterthought as he continued to hold Kahono there.
"Put her down right now!" Noelle ordered.
"Do you really think that I'll stop just because a little insect like you told me to?" Vetto asked condensation dripping from his voice. "You're nothing to me, an insignificant bug that I'll squash when I'm done with the others."
"She can do it." Akame muttered as she saw the wand shake in Noelle's hand. "I can sense it in her ki. This is what Noelle needs to grow her power."
"What do you mean?" Tatsumi asked as he looked over at his junior noting her strong, defiant ki but shaky nerves as well as she pointed her wand at Vetto. "That's not an easy shot."
"I'm sure of it." Akame said. "Call it a gut feeling but after all she's seen today, she'll push past her limits as well."
Akame was right, Noelle knew that she had to do it. Even with a glare from Vetto causing her to take a step back she kept her wand trained on him the entire time. The doubts were there in her mind, she couldn't deny that. She hadn't attacked earlier because of them and now she wasn't sure she could do anything anyway. She might hit Kahono and besides, the only attacks that had actually done anything had been Akame's blade, which was a little special given her magic and sword skills, and Tatsumi's evolved armor. Asta had landed a blow as well and not given up but still Noelle hesitated.
"If you're not going to attack me then just stand and watch your friend die while you do nothing." Vetto said his words really hitting home before he reached out and grabbed Kahono's shoulder. "Let me feel your despair as you stand impotently there."
At that Noelle set herself, the wince in Kahono's body getting to her. Everyone else had fought until they were too hurt or in Akame's case exhausted more than hurt to continue to fight. Hell, Akame and Tatsumi had learned new spells to fight, Tatsumi just so that he could fight Vetto on his level, and yet Noelle couldn't and tears were running down her face in a mix of frustration and shame at her failure to act.
That was when she heard it, Kahono's voice was talking to her in her head. It was no doubt an aspect of Kahono's Song Magic but it centered Noelle as she looked and saw that despite her situation Kahono had turned her head and smiled at Noelle. It was a calm and reassuring mile as Kahono told her that it was alright and that she could now handle the great power within her. She was fighting to protect what was precious to her, to win and keep them safe. She shouldn't doubt her power now. Kahono knew it because she was Noelle's friend.
That got to Noelle as she thought back on how she'd finally been able to control her magic on the beach and learned a new spell right when she needed to learn one. She did have people she wanted to protect, her Squad who were more of a family to her than her real family and who had accepted her for who she was, failures and all.
"Noelle!"
This shout wasn't in her head and it came from the only one in the room with enough movement left to put so much effort into such an act. Even through everything and supporting her love as she moved him to relative safety, Akame still had the strength to stand and support Noelle in this battle.
"You've got this! We believe in you!"
That was the final straw, the final bit of support form two friends she admired and Noelle's grimoire floated up next to her, flipping to a new blank page that was soon filled with another new spell. They were right, she could do this, she could surpass her limits and protect all those who were dear to her, all of those who filled her with so many happy memories. They'd been there for her and now it was her turn to do that for them.
With a flare, a brilliant blue magical aura covered Noelle, her pigtails shot up with it before settling to the sides as the fluttered with her power and she began to walk forward. Her vast magic was radiating off her and fully got Vetto's attention as he stared at her right before it shot off all around her, the force of her mana shaking the entire Temple and the whole undersea area around it with the sheer power coming off her.
"About time Noelle." Akame said with a smile unaware that Yami was saying the same thing in the observation room. "Show how much you've grown and end this bastard!"
"I won't say it again." Noelle said as water began to form around the tip of her wand were it proceeded to spin around it in five streams as the power kept coming off her, so much that even Vetto was shocked by it. "Release my friend at once or you'll regret it!"
Noelle put all her conviction into her words. She recalled what Fuegoleon had said to her back during the attack on the Capital about the shame of staying weak. That had been a long time ago to her and she'd grown so much since then but even then she'd not realized it, not until this moment when she had to protect her friends and take down this monster who'd hurt them. It was time to unleash her power.
"Just who are you?" Vetto asked, the insect had been so insignificant that he'd not paid her any attention until this moment but now she had it all and with the power that was pouring off her there was just one question that could answer it. "Are you royalty?"
"So what if I am? That's not what's important to me right now!" Noelle said as a ball of water formed and began to grow on the end of her wand. "I am Noelle Silva of the Black Bulls. I am done standing by as you hurt my friends and squadmates! They've given their all and now it's my turn to match their efforts with my own!"
"I see so you are a member of the humans' most corrupt and hateful class." Vetto said as he fully turned to Noelle and tossed Kahono to the side like the trash she was to him so that he could give this royal his undivided attention. "Good. I hadn't expected to find true vermin like you down here but I have. I'm going to really enjoy this as I make an example of you. Hit me with everything you've got you disgusting royal parasite!"
As he spoke Vetto raised his right arm and flared Beast Magic into it so that it grew and expanded. As it did Noelle's own magic was growing at the end of her wand so that it was now a throbbing ball of water.
"Don't worry that's my intention." Noelle said her voice clear and defiant as she stood up to Vetto. "You'll see the power of a royal parasite! Water Creation Magic: Sea Dragon's Roar!"
With that a roar emerged from the water at the end of Noelle's wand and on it a snarling sea dragon made of water shot out and tore across the cavern and right at Vetto. His expression fell in the face of the sheer magnitude and power of Noelle's spell and he yelled his own defiance at it as he met it with a Bear Claw.
Vetto held the sea dragon there for a few moments, roaring as he withstood the attack but Noelle was putting her all into it and yelling right back as she kept up the power. Slowly, Vetto began to slide back over the ground before finally his stance was broken and Noelle's spell overwhelmed him, the sea dragon pushing through the Bear Claw and taking Vetto in its mouth.
All Vetto could do at that point was grab onto the water teeth and try to hold on as the dragon undulated and tore around the cavern. It lifted him into the air before carving a groove into the wall as it slid along it until finally it hit one of the walls and slammed into and over Vetto there.
That wasn't all, though, as the power of spell caused the sea dragon to punch clean through the wall to burst out the side of the Temple and into the air above Undersea town. The people who had been there watching the battle on magical screens stared in shock and amazement wondering if it was the Sea God himself as the undulating sea dragon carried on through the air until it hit the barrier and went through it into the sea and the spell ended.
"I knew that Noelle had it in her." Akame said with a smile as she and Tatsumi finally reached where Luck, Magna, and Gio were slumped against the wall having used Noelle's attack as cover to reach their destination. "She just had to realize it herself."
"Yeah that's the power of a royal." Tatsumi said with a groan as Akame helped him sit down against the wall so that he was next to his squadmates, the whole process causing him to wince in pain but his wound was well stabilized by this point. "But it's still not enough. I can sense the ki, he's still standing."
Tatsumi was right. As the smoke began to clear and the only other sounds in the cavern were Noelle and Vetto's panting it was clear that Vetto wasn't out of the fight yet. That said, he also wasn't whole because as the smoke cleared it revealed that his entire right arm all the way to the shoulder was gone leaving just a bloody hole there. How it had been ripped off was anyone's guess but it clearly it had been done by Noelle's sea dragon right at the end and she was still glaring at him, wand out and panting as Vetto stared at the space where his right arm had been.
"Still, that's some serious power that Noelle has." Akame said as she lent against the wall and looked at the scene though she remained standing just in case she had to act even though her wounds would slow her down. "She pushed past her limits just like you did Tatsumi."
"I think she beat me there." Tatsumi said with a smile. "There's more to this than just improving, Noelle's transformed beyond that. She learned an attack spell and hit her target, that's a level of growth that goes well beyond magic."
"Yeah her mana levels have always been impressive but that power is something else." Akame said. "To think that she had this kind of attack in her, I can't wait to see how much stronger she becomes."
"Well that might have to wait because this isn't over." Tatsumi said as Vetto let out a scream of pain that went well beyond his missing arm and his ki shifted to something more sinister than anything that Tatsumi had felt before. "Because I think Noelle just broke something in him and we're going to see it come out."
"Yeah this isn't good." Akame said worry creeping into her voice as the ki washed over her and Vetto kept screaming. "I need to act. Blade Creation Magic: Murasame!"
"I'll kill you all!" Vetto roared tilting his upper body back and looking to the sky as Akame's grimoire opened and the hilt of her sword appeared from it.
As Akame drew it, the residue water left by Noelle's spell started to boil and evaporate and Vetto finished screaming, his body slumping forward as he panted. Then as he looked up his ki stabilizing into something new, something almost demonic in its malevolence and a third, vertical, eye was now in the center of his forehead as he grinned and laughed.
"Shit." Akame said as Noelle gasped at the sight.
"This really isn't good." Tatsumi said.
"You have my gratitude for summoning me here, human." Vetto said his voice a little different, his ears now pointy, and a dark reddish black magical aura surrounded him. "Thank you, without you I'd not have come out."
"That ki is more sinister than anything I've ever felt before." Akame said as Tatsumi grunted in agreement, the magic power feeling the same to Noelle as the ki was to them. "This, this can't be normal. It's as close to pure evil as I've come."
"Nothing in the Empire compared to this." Tatsumi agreed. "That was evil sure but the driving forces of it were things like corruption, greed, vice, and power. This, this is evil for evil's sake."
"Mythical Beast Magic: Noita Nejair."
The spell interrupted them but their assessment was right as they'd never heard of Mythical Beast Magic. There was no way that this could be normal and that was proven a second later as a pair of red magic circles, one inside the other with arcane writing in the rings formed around the hole where Vetto's arm had been. He then yelled as his arm grew back from the hole there, something that shouldn't be possible as there was no known magic could regrow limbs.
Noelle too saw and understood this as she looked at Vetto before her. He'd changed and whatever he had become he was significantly more evil now, there was no doubt it. He was just like the beings in the stories that her grandmother had told her as a little girl about a clan of malicious fiends who had once lived in and haunted their world. They wanted everything in it to be theirs, especially all magic, and they would do whatever they could to get it.
This culminated in the most formidable of them turning into a demon with dark and forbidden spells at his command that he then used to try and wipe out all humankind. Only through the actions of the one man who stood up to up to him was humanity saved from the fiends. That man would go on to become their first Wizard King. This was what Vetto had become, a greedy fiend like those in Noelle's grandmother's stories.
"Yeah this is beyond our comprehension." Tatsumi said as those who could see like them, Noelle, Gifso, and Yami, commented on what they were seeing. "No spell can do that, the best it could do was close the wound. That's part of why I cut of Seryu's arms. Well I was aiming for her head but still she's now without her arms from the bicep down. This isn't normal."
"It's beyond the natural laws even in a magical world." Akame agreed. "We need to survive and let the Wizard King know about this. This isn't just some run of the mill terrorist organization set on overthrowing the government that just so happens to be stronger than most, kinda like we were back then, they're much more than that."
"To have power like this, yeah there's a whole lot more going on with them and this is more than we can handle." Tatsumi said as they looked at the situation before he raised his voice despite the pain that it caused him. "Run Noelle! Not even my Indomitable Shield at full power can stop this!"
"Run?" Noelle asked as she panted and looked around.
She'd been surprised to hear the words coming from Tatsumi given his injuries but the he'd managed to get them out. Likely because he now sat slumped against the wall where he was now coughing blood from the effort of calling to her while the unconscious bodies of Luck, Magna, and Gio slumped next to him and Akame's blood stained form standing to his side her katana in her hand.
It wasn't just them, though. Asta was on his chest, sword in hand out cold nearby. Kahono was on her side back to Noelle and unmoving not too far from Asta, and Kiato was slumped on a different wall blood pooled around his severed leg and head down out cold. It was the right thing to do, Noelle knew it, but she just couldn't bring herself to do so.
"Not a chance!" Noelle said defiantly as she ignored the order from her superior. "I won't back down!"
"Damn it Noelle." Akame shouted. "Know your battles! This is one that you can't win at your current power level!"
"You have a lot of resolve, well for vermin that is." Vetto said as another pair of magic circles appeared before him and he held out his newly regrown right arm behind the circles. "And that's why you're going to die now. Should have listened to those two, they do know a thing or two about dying after all. Begone! Mythical Beast Magic: Epohlla Puevig!"
From the magic circles a snarling, reddish brown, beast burst forth with a roar and unleashed a purple flaming spell from it's mouth at Noelle. She was ready though and prepared to defend against the attack but as she began to cast her spell Noelle realized too late that her attack spell had drained all her power and couldn't get it off. There wasn't time to move out of the attack so she was a sitting duck.
Akame was about to move to put herself in Noelle's path and use Murasame to slice through the spell and hopefully part it around them though it would take all her magic with Mana Zone added to manage it but as she was about to leap she sensed the movement from closer to Noelle and stopped. That was better and unlike her plan it would actually work.
This was shown by the spell suddenly being deflected as it was about to reach Noelle and blasted off to the side where it punched another hole through the cavern and out of the Temple where it flew to the barrier and through it just like Noelle's spell. The impact was so fast and powerful that it filled the chamber with smoke that made it impossible for Yami and Gifso to see from the observation room and for Vetto to see the success of his spell though he fully expected it to have taken out the royal parasite before him.
This wasn't a problem for Akame and Tatsumi who were in the cavern and could thus sense the ki in the room so they already knew the outcome of the attack. As such they just grinned, in Tatsumi's case despite the blood that was again running down his chin, as the smoke cleared while Vetto chuckled as he stood at the end of a groove that his spell had cut in the ground on its way to killing Noelle.
Vetto's chuckle fell as the smoke faded and the panting could be heard from in front of him right before Asta was revealed to be standing there before Noelle, blood running down his mouth and body forward his standard sword in his right hand up and to the side having used it to deflect the attack away. Even Noelle was stunned as she stood behind Asta her wand still raised having expected to be hit by the sinister magic.
"Asta, you, you saved me." Noelle said as she processed it while Yami laughed and praised Asta from where he was watching the fight, his own resolve to join increased.
"That's how it's done." Tatsumi said smiling at his friends and squadmates. "Fight until the end."
"So Asta." Akame agreed. "He never gives up but then again that is his magic."
"Not yet." Asta panted from in front of Noelle. "It's not over. You haven't won. We haven't given up. We won't! We won't give into despair!"
"You're right it isn't over yet." Vetto said as his Mythical Beast Magic flared off him and he began to cackle. "The real despair starts now!"
"No it won't, Asta's right we will never give into despair." Tatsumi said quietly so that only Akame could hear while Vetto and Asta exchanged words again and he reached up his right hand and took Akame's left in it, Asta's words and defiance the last thing he needed to push past his limits one final time. "Akame, my love, kneel down. It's time, I've got enough power for one more spell and the raw mana to make a few protective shields afterwards."
"What do you mean Tatsumi." Akame said as she knelt down next to him while below them Vanessa finished off her own battle and began to make her way to them and Yami was busy trying to get out of the Spatial Spell that was trapping him so he could help his Squad out while the Spatial Mage taunted him. "You can't fight with that gut wound."
"No, I can't, it's too serious though I've got it stabilized so I shouldn't die providing we beat Vetto of course." Tatsumi said shaking his head as he placed his left hand over Akame's heart, the blood on her shirt from her chest wounds staining his hand but he didn't care as his grimoire floated up next to him. "But your wounds aren't serious and I can make it that they won't bother you. I've had this spell since I got my grimoire but never needed it until now. Use my power to return to the fight and aid Asta, Akame. If he can keep fighting then so can you my love."
"What are you…" Akame began but before she could Tatsumi cast his spell.
"Armor Creation Magic: Ally's Ideal Suit!"
Tatsumi's hand glowed with his gray colored magic before it faded into Akame's chest. A split second later there was a pulse in time with her heartbeat.
As soon as it did so a bright red chest plate formed over Akame's chest taking the form of a vest with bands of iron over black leather and a cotton cushion that both ensured comfort and helped staunch her wounds tightened around her. It was loose enough to allow Akame to move in the way she was used to but protective enough to resist attacks and keep the wounds on her chest from bothering her. Tatsumi's magic continued to flow and formed a series of black leather plates with iron over them that hung from the bottom to protect her waist and upper legs.
The glow stopped there but as it did, a set of rectangular leather shoulder pads with iron over them, again black and red, and a cotton pads between the leather and her skin formed on her upper arms but in a way that left her shoulders and elbows free while her gauntlets glowed and remained the same only they were now reinforced with Tatsumi's magic so they were a lot tougher and more resilient. Finally a pair of leather shin guards with cotton between them and her legs formed over her calves and shins under red iron plates to protect her lower legs.
"Guess that's your ideal suit of armor." Tatsumi said as the black and gold crest of the Black Bulls flared on Akame's chest plate while the black symbol of Night Raid from their past lives formed on her shoulder plates. "Kinda like one of my suits I've not needed yet but makes sense given the sword with it. How does it feel?"
"I, well, odd as I've never worn armor before other than my gauntlets but it's not bad." Akame said as Tatsumi let go of her hand and rose getting used to the sensation of the armor. "Like I know I can move as I normally do but this adds protection so that I can go all out and my wounds aren't bothering me. Plus I can tell that my speed and strength is boosted. This is what your normal armors are like?"
"Pretty much." Tatsumi said with a smile. "Incursio is a bit more because it's based off the actual Incursio and that evolved form is even more than that but that's probably on the same level as Hoplite."
"Works for me." Akame said grinning as she fully adjusted to her armor. "I'll use your power to help end this."
"I know and Akame." Tatsumi said as he reached down to his side and picked something up and handed it to her. "Take it, it's time you showed it. No holding back and trust our squadmates. Don't think, feel it like I know you can."
"I will." Akame said as she reached down and took what Tatsumi had offered her in her left hand. "Asta's inspired all of us, time to truly fight by his side."
With that Akame altered her katana to turn it into Kiriichimonji to ensure that any cuts she inflicted with it wouldn't heal and turned to see what had transpired while they were chatting. It was time to rejoin the battle and really show Vetto the Despair what the Black Bulls were truly made of.
Ah another cliffhanger, I just can't resist them and they work really well in this arc as they break up the chapters nicely even if it does drag it out a little. All that said, this should be the last one as I'm sure y'all know what is coming next as it's time for the climax of the battle only this time it will be with Akame as well and we can see how she affects it making it a four on one with two attackers. For those wondering, Akame's armor is roughly based off traditional samurai armor minus the helm as it fits her general look and use of a katana. The final thing to note here is it that with Vetto's Mythical Beast Magic, the spelling and term comes from the subtitles of the English dub that I was using to draft this episode as I do for any chapters that are adapted from canon like this one. I know that in the manga it's written to obscure it and all that and what he says is garbled and doesn't sound like what's written but this is easier for me to work with hence why I've done it. Also I like how some of them are done so that they're actual words spelled backwards such as 'give up all hope' for the spell he used on Noelle. That is all that I really have for this chapter, however, so I will leave it off here. As always, 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