Chapter 37 - Status Processing... (II)

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Don't forget to give me a comment, reply, or power stone! They give me motivation!

Thank you!

-SR_2027.

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Yes, she saw those letters. 

Yes, she saw the corrupted nobles.

But what if...

It was all staged?

Her mind was struck by a thunder as she thought of that possibility. With dull eyes, she looked back at Esdeath and asked, "General Esdeath... Is what you said true?"

"Yes.", Esdeath looked back at her and replied to her emotionlessly. But she was happy. For she had gotten one of her subordinates back, and also got herself an ally for the fight. Now this was not 1 person fighting three, it was two people against two.

It won't make a huge difference with her condition. But with Seryuu on her side, she was confident that she could take down Zero Two while Seryuu held off Wave. 

"Seryuu. I am giving you a chance to prove to me that you are not another traitor. Prove it to me by bringing her their dead bodies."

'Grand Fall!'

*Bang*

Esdeath quickly moved to her side and used her sword to block the durbish falling toward her from Wave's drop-kick attack. "I am disappointed Wave. I can see that you know more about the 'Shadow Garden', but you kept it a secret from our poor Seryuu..."

*Shiu* *Bang* *Bang* *Bang* *Bang*

Wave ignored her taunt as he instantly used his speed advantage to his gain and instantly rushed toward Esdeath and used his fist to attack her. Each attack caused the air to tremble while creating a crater wherever it either landed or below the ground where Esdeath stood when she blocked his attack.

Tilting her head, Esdeath finally narrowed her eyes. She was thinking if she should kill Wave or not. 

As their fight was reaching its climax point, Seryuu finally screamed, "Is what she saying true... Wave?", her body was still trembling as shadow covered her eyes.

Her voice resounded throughout the battlefield, making Wave almost stop in his pursuit. For an instant, Wave thought about screaming that Ryo was actually the illegitimate son of the Emperor even if he was thought of as a liar.

But just as he was about to say anything, he saw an opening in Esdeath's guard, causing him to instantly punch Esdeath's left shoulder. 

*Bang*

This caused Esdeath to smirk while she used the attack to spin and deliver another kick to him. 'That was a good tactic. Wave is hiding something and would have said it out just now. Although he didn't say it out because of the opening I showed him.'

 'Now that he ignored Seryuu...', A smirk covered Esdeath's face as she asked out, "See this Seryuu! He ignored you. He knew that Shadow was lying to you from the very start!", Despite smirking, her condition had worsened.

Her left shoulder was numb. 

Just then her eyes fell on something, and she instantly leaped and carried Seryuu by her stomach and helped her dodge an attack.

Zero Two's tail sweeped by the place where Seryuu's head was located.

As Esdeath looked back, her eyes met Zero Two's trembling eyes.

A smirk formed across her face, it stretched across her whole face as she narrowed her eyes toward her. 'Got you!'

Zero Two was getting impatient. She could feel that her babies were safe, but she was afraid for the first time in a long while. She had already lost her 'Darling', she couldn't lose anything more.

She would go crazy.

Yes, she wanted Esdeath and Seryuu so much at that point, but she couldn't. Her mind was screaming: <Hide >.

Hide away from any danger. Your babies are more precious than the useless revenge, at least not till your babies hatch. 

Each second was a nightmare to her. Zero Two didn't know why even when she knew she could win, her body and mind were urgently asking her to run away and hide away her children from any danger.

To hide away and...

Protect Ryo's...

[Precious Gifts]

... Her children.

Finally, she couldn't control herself as she gritted her teeth and shouted, "Wave! I have to urgently retreat! I know that I am being unreasonable, but I will be supporting you!", Saying so, Zero Two didn't wait for Wave's response and ran away.

*Shiu~*

A cloud of dust was left where Zero Two was standing. 

Her decision confused not only Wave but also Esdeath, who frowned and sighed. "Looks like your comrade ran away~ Leaving behind a soldier to fight for himself.", Making Wave's mind go into a state of confusion.

*Thiu* *Thiu* *Thiu* *Tlank* *Tlank* *Crack*

Before he could make any move, three bullets flew out of Seryuu's transformed arms and a small crack formed over his armor. This was a modified power arm installed in Seryuu's body by Ryo.

As Seryuu didn't have her original Teigu, [Hekatonkheires]; to increase her firepower, Ryo had modified her bullet.

Esdeath smirked at Wave looking at him being surprised as he instantly returned to his right mind. As soon as they prepared to attack each other, the ground trembled as hundreds of Klaxosaurs started to pop out of the ground.

"Wave... This is the final chance... Are you willing to surrender?", Esdeath asked for the final time. But looking at Wave rushing toward her, she could only sigh, "So be it. But to pay respect to your bravery, I will not dismember you or do anything unworthy to your dead body."

"For the sake of your service in the previous life... Please die peacefully, Wave."

"..."

-

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---[Time: Ryo Died]---

--[Location: Shadow Garden Base]--

In the depth of the Shadow Garden base, the metallic wall trembled as the members of 'Jaegers' which consisted of Bols, Kurome, Dr. Stylist and Run fought on the surface with the Klaxosaurs.

In the start, Klaxosaur were giving the Jaegers a pretty good fight and were pushing them back, until finally Kurome decided to use her trump card, summoning not only the army of undead skeleton, but her body also became sharper and faster.

This turned the tide of the war.

*Shiu~!*

Just when the victory was in sight for the Jaegers, a bullet passed by Dr. Stylist's body. The laser-like trajectory almost pierced his body, but just as it was about to, Run's instincts flared as he instantly used <Mastema >, his Teigu, in the form of wings to cover up Dr. Stylist's to help him dodge to his side.

This made Mine, who fired the bullet from her Teigu, <Pumpkin > click her tongue. 

For a sniper to miss her target even when ambushing her target was nothing more but a form of disgrace to her skills.

"My~ My~ Mine. To think that you of all people would miss her target. Man, now I think let me stand in front of your muzzle, maybe I might survive as well. Phuhahaha!", A cheerful sound rang behind her, making a vein pop on Mine's head.

Ignoring Leone who was chuckling, she packed her Teigu and rushed to another location to ambush. 

This made Leone roll her eyes as she also turned serious. With that, she decided to rush to the battlefield.

With that, the whole Night Raid which consisted of Akame, Bulat, Leone, Lubbock, Mine, and Sheele had entered the battlefield.

This was nothing more than a scene of an unfair fight where the Night Raid which consisted of 6 main attacking units, were facing Jaegers who only had 4 members in its party, and not to consider the Klaxosaurs.

*Bang* *Bang* *Bang* *Bang* *Bang* *Bang*

With that, a one-sided battle formed. Akame decided to fight Kurome, while each of the Jaegers was left to fend off against one or two members of the opposing team.

With each second ticking by, Dr. Stylist decided to use one of his trump cards, causing the majority of the Night Raid to become paralyzed.

But before they could enjoy the newfound 'victory', an event took place on the other battlefield. An invisible wave of 'news' flashed across the Klaxosaurs, making them pause for an instant until...

**Screech---!**

*Boooom!*

Suddenly a sense of dread flashed over the battlefield. 

Klaxosaurs went berserk, destroying everything in their path, no matter if it was allies, enemies, living things, or non-animate objects.

Multiple Klaxosaurs began to merge as they formed "Super Lehmann-class" Klaxosaurs, creating several mountain-sized Klaxosaurs.

"...", Looking at the 'mountains' moving towards them, only one word sounded across both Night Raid and Jaegers. 'Death.'

*Boooooooooom!*

-

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In the underground base, Franxx looked at the screen showing the live feed from the Klaxosaurs. At first, it was going fine until the wave of 'information' passed by him as well.

As soon as he learned about it...

Something broke inside his brain. Not metamorphically, but literally. Franxx felt 'something' skin in his skin as his body shuddered. An uncontrollable amount of pleasure spread across his body.

All the while, he felt 'it' moving from his body, injecting something in his brain stem, and traveling from his head to his stomach. 

At that moment he felt...

[Full].

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*Huff* *Huff* *Huff* *Huff* *Huff*

Clenching her stomach, Zero Two huffed a deep breath. Not because she was tired, but because her instincts were flaring to the maximum. 

The four appendages that extended from her back helped her move at several times the speed of sound. But even with that speed, her mind was clear. Her body trembled because of the sense of insecurity.

With that, she finally returned to the base, the 'Shadow Garden' base that "they" created together. As she reached the base, she saw the Klaxosaurs fight the three people who were still alive from the two sides of Night Raid and Jaegers.

Ignoring Kurome, Leone, and Bulat who were still fighting the Klaxosaurs and were trying to retreat, Zero Two quickly entered the base and rushed past the security as a passage opened for her.

The base was after all a Klaxosaur.

As soon as she rushed in, she quickly commanded the 'sleeping' Klaxosaur to finally wake up. 

*Crack~!* *Bang!*

*Screech*

The ground cracked as the Klaxosaur started to transform into a dragon-like creature. Its scream caused the air to vibrate and caused all the living creatures to feel a sense of oppression.

As soon as the Klaxosaur woke up, a wing formed over its body, and its body started to change. The original long tunnels started to transform smaller, as the cuboid body slowly started to transform into that of a reptile.

*Flap* *Flap* *Flap*

As soon as it started to flap its wings, the surrounding Klaxosaur suddenly ceased their offensive. They slowly started to transform and disappear into the sky, leaving behind Kurome, Leone, and Bulat in fear and anger.

They could only watch the 'creatures' disappear into the cloud.

With that, Leone and Bulat's eyes finally fell on Kurome. They were ready to kill her, but they were also not in the best of condition to care. Just as they were about to engage, they saw a faint outline of two people walking toward the battlefield.

As soon as Najenda learned about the people walking toward the remaining Night Raid, her eyes became heavy as she quickly calculated the probability of winning. '30 to 40%.', With that thought she decided that all the sides had suffered too much damage.

Fighting against Esdeath and the additional ally of Jeagers, who have no injury, was nothing more than a gamble. 

With a heavy heart, Najenda sighed and ordered Mine to let Leone and Bulat retreat while retrieving the Teigu left over at the battlefield.

"...", As soon as both of them received the order, they silently picked up their commemorate's Teigus and left. They were not dumb enough to continue fighting a match that could result in another death. And they were tired, both mentally and physically.

This, but was not the main reason. It was because they knew two people were walking toward them. If they fight now, they may be confident in winning the battle, but it could result in the death of any of them.

Looking at them retreating, Kurome also didn't chase back after them. Her eyes slowly wandered off to the red tie left on the battlefield. "...", With weak legs, she reached her sister's mashed body.

*Bam*

Her knees gave out as she kneeled in front of what remained of her sister's body. Clutching the red tie in her hands, she looked at it with dull eyes. Memories began to play in her mind. Her childhood, how Akame took care of her, how they joined the Empire, how Akame betrayed the Empire and escaped.

Her body began to tremble as she clutched her chest. 

Her symptoms began to show themselves. Unlike her sister's talent, her body was not comparable at all. The only reason she survived was her Teigu, which allowed her to use other people's bodies as a form of necromancy.

But even with that. Even with the dead bodies she used to supplement her inferiority, Akame was just... Better.

This caused her to take drugs to strengthen herself. 

*Huff* *Huff* *Huff* *Huff* *Huff*

Her body started to tremble at an alarming rate as her hollow eyes held the red tie of her sister. 

Her mind began to grow foggy and blank. It was overwhelmingly excessive for her body. Her eyes began to grow heavier as the sight began to grow darker.

"Take a nap, Kurome.", A voice sounded as she finally decided to close her eyes. At the floating moment, she saw a woman with blue hair looking down toward her. "Rest assured that I have avenged your commemorates..."

-

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"Father, what you mean I have to disband my group 'Wild Hunt'? Father, can you at least tell me why?", With a confused face, Syura asked back at his father, the prime minister of the Empire, the one who held the highest political power, Honest.

Syura was a bulky young man with tan skin, green eyes, and pale white. He had a noticeable X-shaped scar on his face and a crown-like headgear similar to his father's.

He was wearing a white, skintight shirt that revealed his stomach and white pants. 

"Syura, oh Syura... It's an order from General Esdeath.", With a small smile, Honest stated. He looked at his son and placed both of his hands on his shoulders as he continued, "This may be the chance for you!"

Removing his hand, he walked up to the table, grabbed a fruit, and started to eat it as he looked out of the window, at the sunset from his fancy room. "The 'Three Beasts' were here. They told me that General Esdeath was interested in meeting you."

"This is great. If you get into the Jaegers, you can not only gain publicity and strength, but you will also get more experience without any real risk. Although it also means I will have to find someone else to do the dirty work, you should prepare for what Esdeath had ordered for you."

"Remember son, do not piss off Esdeath.", Finally looking back at Syura, Honest's smile turned into a sharp one, without any emotions. "General Esdeath sent the 'Three Beasts' just to fetch you to meet her? This is more of a political move. HAHAHA! To think our General is also knowledgeable about politics..."

"...", Syura stayed silent throughout the whole conversation.

"No! She will not do something so useless. Just a few hours ago, she left with Jaegers to fight off both Shadow Garden and Night Raid. We can expect some good news soon. But she knew that she needed someone to put checks and make sure the Empire was safe, so she left the 'Three Beasts' in the Empire."

"But them coming specially to fetch you? Ha! This was to make sure your little gang won't cause any problems when she's away. Now, just do what I told you. Stop all your dirty work, disband your group, enjoy your stay at her place, and enroll in her team."

"I will handle you little gang till you return. General Esdeath won't kill you or suppress you. You will get to fight on the battlefield, gain experience carefree, become my successor, and then take over my title."

A kind and carefree smile returned to his face as he looked at his son. All the while, his mind was thinking about how to either stop Esdeath from taking away his son or do something to gain more political power and expand the Empire.

But for some unknown reason, his eyebrows were twitching as if something was about to go down. As if something big and bad was about to take place.

-

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--[Esdeath Mansion]--

A small carriage passed by the gates of the Mansion as it finally reached the entrance. As soon as the carriage reached the gates, three people flashed in front of the carriage and kneeled in front of it.

"Welcome back general Esdeath. Sir Syura is waiting in the guest room. We stayed within the Empire in case Night Raid or Shadow Garden tried to attack the capital. We will soon begin our mission to hunt the previous prime minister as soon as you order." 

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[3030]

Have exams and am super busy. Might release the next chapter in mid-August.

Note: As Seryuu doesn't have [Hekatonkheires], she does not have any wish to damage Wave's body. Along with her psychology of how Wave acted around her, and Esdeath's 'warrior' mentality for her own soldiers; Wave's body was left unscratched, albeit frozen in an ice block.

Through, even if they decide to damage Wave's body, it won't affect the plot much.

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Faction Status:

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Shadow Garden: 

Ryo Otsuki (Shadow): Dead(?)

Zero Two: Alive 

Wave: Dead

Seryuu: Alive (Betrayed Shadow Garden)

Franxx: Alive (Unknown Additional Status)

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Night Raid:

Najenda: Alive

Bulat: Alive (Injured)

Leone: Alive (Injured)

Mine: Alive

Lubbock: Dead

Akame: Dead

Sheele: Dead

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Jeagers:

Esdeath: Alive (Heavily Injured)

Run: Dead

Kurome: Alive (Injured, Mentally Unstable)

Dr. Stylish: Dead

Bols: Dead 

Tatsumi: Alive 

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Wild Hunt <Disbanded >:

Syura: Alive

Champ: Alive 

Cosmina: Alive 

Dorothea: Alive 

Enshin: Alive

Izou: Alive 

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Don't forget to give me a comment, reply, or power stone! They give me motivation!

Thank you!

-SR_2027.

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