8 Kill the Traitor

Year: 1024

Descending from the sky above, Akame landed in the midst of another clearing in the dense forestry far removed from her comrades. She hit the ground almost running as she had not so much as a single scratch on her body from the wild descent. In an instant, she attuned her focus to take in as much sensory information as she could. The other members of Night Raid were scattered across the wide area forced to run whilst facing off Imperial Platoons and other threats.

"They really are attempting a near full-scale invasion effort to get rid of us. But how were they able to mobilize such a concentrated force in so little time?" she thought to herself. It was then that she sensed something coming up from behind her.

"Well, well, well, if this isn't a pleasant surprise," a masculine voice echoed from the brush as a man with long silver hair along with three other individuals emerged. It was none other than the Silver Fox himself, Aquilo, accompanied by Wave with Grand Chariot active, Seryu, and Kurome.

"When I was briefed on Night Raid, I had a feeling you were the Ace of the entire group. Taking you out would deal a massive blow to not only them, but the major power structure of the Revolutionary Army. That's why we organized this little excursion. The platoons are nothing more than a distraction. With so many enemies patrolling the forests, it'd be virtually impossible for your group to rendezvous with one another. As a result, the plan has paid off; you're all on your lonesome. All we really need is a team of six Teigu users to take you on. Regardless of your prowess, not even you can manage that," Aquilo boasted with a long-winded explanation.

"Six, you say?" Akame pondered. More footsteps echoed in the distance as another combatant made his way onto the scene: Bols, carrying a large fuel tank on his back with a flamethrower attached. Then, the same individual that shot down the Air Manta appeared from the sky as Ran revealed himself as well.

Akame instinctively began to analyze her surroundings as well as the body types and builds of her opponents. She used as much data as she could recall about each of them to devise a proper strategy. Granted she only had the skirmish in the arena to go off of, but with her wealth of experience, that was more than enough.

"Allow me to ask you something, Akame. You are the fabled One-Cut Killer…so why did you not use your blade with killing intent back in the arena? You could have dealt a fatal blow in the command structure of the Imperial Military, but you didn't," Aquilo inquired.

"Taking your life is not my burden to bear, simple as that," the red-eyed killer remarked nonchalantly.

This agitated the Silver Fox ever so slightly. It was almost as if Akame was telling him that he was not worth killing in her eyes. Not due to his talent or potential as something greater, but as a means to an end. His life was unworthy of her sword. Given the nature of her combative skills, it was a subtle insult to his pride as a warrior. But he was willing to let it slide for the moment given his current agenda. Yet before he could act on it, another person of the group spoke up instead.

"Vermin of Night Raid! You are nothing but a traitor to the glorious Empire that my father so proudly served! In the name of justice, the Jaegers will end you once and for all, Akame!" Seryu screamed passionately, thus announcing her intent to attack.

She allowed Coro to chomp on her arm for a split second before pulling out a weapon labeled Number 6. A golden missile was engrafted onto her arm as she took aim at the lone assailant. In one decisive action, Seryu fired off the projectile. As it inched closer and closer to the girl, Akame merely bent backwards like she momentarily slowed the flow of time around her. Once the projectile passed her , the girl stood upright as the device exploded in the pack of trees behind her.

"HAHAHA! What a sight! Truly magnificent! The Elite Seven were bred to be the Empire's Ultimate Assassins…greater than even the Blood wolves. Your group were the perfect killers unbound by creed, those who answered only to the Minister. Yet you broke free, Akame…and that's precisely why you should join me! Together we can put an end to those corrupt politicians from the inside after the rebellion has fallen! You shall become my blade hidden in the shadows!" Aquilo expressed with awe and wonder. But the Red-Eyed Killer knew better and was thoroughly unimpressed.

"You are a fool, Aquilo. Any dissent towards the actions of the Prime Minister is met with the death sentence. I know that much because I was the one carrying out those assassinations. There is no healing for the Empire as it is. And besides, your views are inherently hypocritical. You did not hesitate to eradicate the Blood Wolves at the first sight of the clan abandoning what you perceived as its righteous roots. Now you are willing to give the Empire numerous chances after it has strayed away from its virtuous beginnings. The truth is…all you care about is absolute power and you're willing to cast everything aside to have it."

"So be it…then DIE LIKE THE TRAITOROUS SCUM YOU ARE!" The Silver Fox broke his debonair demeanor and allowed the full front of his frustration over the girl's actions to take over his senses. He, along with Wave and Seryu, rushed in towards the girl at full speed.

"I don't care who you are, a threat to the Empire is someone that cannot be allowed to live!" Wave added in with his fists balled up in his armor.

"You won't get away, you fiend!" Seryu tacked on as well.

As their simultaneous rush of attacks blazed towards Akame, the skilled assassin never once broke from her calm demeanor as she analyzed their movements. Wave's attacks were nothing more than glorified punches that added a subtle boost of strength. He held no technique with his strikes and was relying on the reinforcement from his armor to do all the work. For Akame, that was an easy fix of merely stepping back and weaving from side to side as he passed by.

Aquilo used a series of quick, precise thrusts with a spear that aimed solely at Akame's midsection. She surmised that he would break her stance by creating a vacuum to compress her movement and force her off-balance. It was a sound strategy, especially since a spear could be used effectively to alternate between close and mid-range attacks if wielded by a capable master. In fact, an amateur move would have been to focus one's midsection to weave around like pasta in an attempt to avoid the edge or double back to fully avoid the extended range; however, Akame knew better than this. Instead, she placed Murasame between herself and the spear's head to allow it to grind past before batting it away to lower her center of gravity. Just as she was going for that motion, she would find herself in another situation.

Seryu's Teigu–Coro–expanded in size and sought to blindside her from an attack via the left flank opposite of where she deflected Aquilo's spear. Having no choice but to evade, the girl rolled backward as the howling maw of the monstrosity soared past dodging a fatal blow that led to Sheele's demise. As soon as she did this, another assault followed.

Ran spread the wings of Mastema and called upon a hailstorm of descending feathers while Bols unleashed a swath of flames at her position simultaneously. Much to the dismay of the female, she had to give the enemy additional ground. The heat from the inferno pushed the girl to resort to a sizable leap away from the ground whilst deflecting the numerous feathers heading her way. However, the sheer number combined with their extreme velocity managed to slip past Akame's guard which caused various cuts to appear on her inner thighs and shoulders. The election to take to the skies created an opening that the enemy just could not resist.

"Got you now," murmured the Silver Fox as he channeled a great amount of aura from his Teigu. The demonic spear spewed green miasma around its golden grip as he mentally focused on Akame's position. He was readying himself to release Gungnir's Trump Card.

"Blood Hunter!" he screamed out as he took his stance and hurled the spear towards her.

The sheer force he released in that instant was all for the effort of delivering an absolute, fatal killshot to his target. That was just a taste of its nature. With the concentrated power in its body, the power generated from the weapon allowed the user to surpass the laws of cause and effect to deliver an unstoppable blow that always pierces its target.

"Meet your end, assassin!" he rejoiced as his fellow Jaegers looked in with hope and aspirations that the notorious Red-Eyed Killer would fall here. Yet, this is where experience would trump foolish ambitions.

"You will all rest in pieces…" Akame muttered to herself; something that only her sister, Kurome, could understand. That was the moment when the irises of her younger sister widened in that split second. That phrase was a trigger, a sign indicating Akame was flipping her switch to fully suppress her emotions and focus her skill to the maximum.

"FALL!" Akame delivered a mighty shout as the swiftness of her speed surpassed the conceptual spear. This allotted her to seemingly change direction almost instantaneously as Murasame was slammed down upon the edge of the deadly spear. The black aura of total resolve engulfed the assassin's body in that instant–the visual manifestation of her "fighting spirit" as well as the connection with the cursed blade growing stronger and stronger.

Flabbergasted, speechless, and lost in bewilderment were mere facets of what could describe the expressions upon the faces of the Jaegers. However, Aquilo held onto the notion that Akame would not be able to stop an attack.

"Even General Esdeath could not easily stop this attack…there's no way she could do it…" the Silver Fox noted.

What the Vice General failed to realize was that Akame was not trying to match the strength of the strike to stop it outright, but rather to change its course. As the silver-haired man read the method she elected to take to defeat the attack, he stumbled upon the answer of what her thinking was. The downward slash was angled in such a way that it managed to redirect the blow and force it down toward the ground where the flame executioner, Bols, was standing.

As the masked man attempted to run, the spear descended upon his position faster than he could fully clear the blast zone. As a result, Gungnir hit the Rubicante Flamethrower in its cylindrical back section where the fuel and full capacity of its hellish maw resided. Combined with the energy stored within the fabled spear, the resulting explosion delivered so much explosive potency that it heavily injured Bols, scorching parts of his skin, it also propelled Akame further into the air above the battleground.

The devastating impact made a large impression in the ground creating a massive crater. In the midst of the scorched surface, a massive skeletal entity that looked like an amalgamation of humanoid and reptilian appeared whilst covering the figures of Aquilo, Seryu and Kurome.

"Just barely managed to summon Death Tagool in time with Yatsufusa," gritted the teeth of Kurome as she called upon her Teigu's ability to reanimate the dead at the last possible second. Death Tagool was one of the few Super-Class Danger Beasts which was one of the most powerful weapons in Kurome's personal arsenal when it came to battle.

Wave had the Grand Chariot to thank for his survival. The armor allowed him to come out of that catastrophe mostly unharmed; however, the damage to his armor was so severe that he was essentially rendered useless for the duration of the battle. Chips in the metallic black surface appeared as it flaked away with sparks of light busting out from within its seams.

Ran elected to elevate his ascent in the air to escape the brutality of the mouth of flames. It was a clever idea given the majestic capabilities of Mastema; however, it did not prepare him for what would come next. A sudden blow from the back of his head robbed the man of his focus as he narrowly caught the glimpse of his assailant: Akame.

"But…how?" he stammered before losing consciousness.

The velocity that thrust the Red-Eyed Killer further into the air allowed her to seize this moment. She dialed back her killing intent to a point where she erased her presence completely while Ran was distracted with the thought of escape. At a certain point, she climbed to a height greater than his and went into free fall before delivering a dive kick to the aforementioned target. Then, she pressed her weight down on his body and seemingly surfed through the air until they plummeted to the depths of the crater. The speed combined with the distance of the fall equaled a tumultuous landing that crushed many bones in Ran's body while Akame stood on his back unscathed.

The Jaegers still elected to fight even with the damage done to them by the girl. They took up positions to attack once more, but the Red-Eyed Killer pointed the edge of her cursed blade down at the neck of her surfboard thus creating a hostage situation. Little did the elite force realize, the woman was buying time to catch her breath.

Kurome inhaled for a deep breath to steady herself as she deactivated Yatsufusa. The colossal skeleton body of Death Tagool dematerialized into a purple mist as its form disappeared from view.

"We should probably take this opportunity to retreat," the black-haired girl proposed.

"For what? We have Akame on the ropes! We can't just run now!" Wave pointed out, even with his armor in shambles.

"I agree, letting her go at this point is just a wasted opportunity," Aquilo said as he went over to pick up Gungnir nearby.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH I REFUSE TO ACCEPT THIS!" Seryu screamed out passionately, "SHE ALMOST KILLED BOLS!!"

"I know how my sister fights…and she's been holding back this entire time," Kurome exposed nonchalantly which caused the other Jaegers to cast a glance in her direction in disbelief.

"Think about it…this woman is known as the One-Cut Killer. Everyone knows about the infamous Murasame and its deadly effects which is why only a select few ever offer to challenge her in one-on-one combat. Run it through your heads. Recall how she fought when everyone attacked. Do you really think someone that wields a one-shot weapon that guarantees death upon a graze would really fight like a proper swordsman?

If Akame was even acting remotely serious with that sword, Seryu would have died after that reckless charge. Sure we have Wave's Grand Chariot and Coro on our side which are effective counters to Murasame, but at what cost? Two or more of us would be dead right now. We're getting off easy with Bols being injured. By the time we could find a way to push my sister in a corner, the battle would eventually draw in the other members of Night Raid," Kurome explained in greater detail.

Aquilo glanced at Kurome's facial features and saw that the girl was not lying. There was no exaggeration in her words or even embellishment just to deter them from fighting her sister. She was speaking truthfully for the sake of the group and the mission. This caused the Silver Fox to grit his teeth in further irritation.

"You win this round…Legendary Red-Eyed Killer of the Elite Seven…"

As those words passed in his mind, he felt his pride and mettle crack knowing that regardless of the odds…he lost. He didn't just lose the battle from a physical standpoint, he also lost in grit and determination against the woman.

"We have no choice then…" Aquilo said as he hinted toward the order. The Jaegers knew with that sentence, the fight had reached its conclusion. As a result, they collectively sheathed their weapons and stood down. Wave helped Bols over to where the other Jaegers were In response, Akame unapologetically kicked Ran's body over to them by sliding him across the dirt. A split second later, the odds changed.

Dropping in, Najenda, Susanoo, Leone, Lubbock, Mein, Chelsea, and Yuki appear on the scene to reinforce Akame's position. Now, the odds were definitely stacked against the Jaegers after having two fighters completely incapacitated.

"Dr. Stylish is dead along with every single member of his misfits. If you don't wish to join him in an unceremonious demise, then I suggest you all run back to the Capital and tell General Esdeath of your loss," Najenda flexed with a serious tone of voice.

"NOOOOO WHY?!" Seryu broke as she dropped to her knees sobbing uncontrollably.

"The Doctor…he gave me everything I needed…to enforce justice!"

The girl cried over his memory as she recalled the gifts he bestowed upon her by modifying her body with weaponry. Aquilo knew that Seryu was a very passionate and thereby emotional girl, so he merely reached down to pat her on the shoulder to give her some semblance of reassurance.

"Let's go…we've done all we could here," the Silver Fox remarked as he helped Seryu to her feet.

Wave reached down to pick up Ran as Kurome cast one last gaze toward her sister. Then without another word, the Jaegers retreated into the depths of the forest to head back to the Capital.

"Strange…why didn't Yuki react to Aquilo's presence? She's a member of the Blood Wolves as well," Akame thought to herself, casting a suspicious look from the corner of her eye to the archer.

"We do not have that much time left. The battalion of imps are still wandering around the forest so heading back to the hideout is definitely a lost cause at this rate," Lubbock stated.

"Raizo still isn't anywhere to be found. With the Jaegers in full retreat and the armies in confusion by the forest layout, he should have linked up with us by now," Mein analyzed.

"We don't have time to go searching for him. He's a well-trained assassin so finding us won't be a problem for him. For now, we just need to get out of here," Yuki surmised.

"Hmm…" Akame pondered again to herself. She felt her suspicions over the girl grow even more to a particular extent. No reaction to Aquilo's presence and a lack of care for Raizo's safety? It wasn't adding up for someone who was meant to join the Night Raid.

"We'll need to head somewhere that cannot be easily reached by the Empire, let alone someplace that would never think to search. I suggest we head to the Marg Highlands. It's 800 kilometers southeast of the Capital and it's an uncharted region filled with high-level Danger Beasts. Regular people won't be around and the Empire won't squander resources to go there," Najenda proposed.

"We should swing by HQ in the south to deliver Extase and acquire reasonable transportation and supplies for the journey to come," Chelsea suggested in that next instant.

"But what about Tatsumi?" Leone inquired.

"Yeah, that's another idiot we can't afford to leave behind," Mein added on.

"Tatsumi will be fine so long as he doesn't blow his cover," Akame noted.

"So it sounds like we have an agreement then; however, we should allocate some resources to finding Raizo at the very least. A small scouting party would be fine in this situation," the leader of the group expressed.

"I have the means to help with that," Chelsea said as she pulled out a small rectangular box from her person.

"Gaea Foundation, the perfect kit for every situation," she smiled before activating the mechanism which turned out to be her Teigu. In that instant, her body transformed into a giant eagle which took to the skies to provide an aerial point of view directed at finding the missing youth.

"Then I'll take the ground game," Akame acknowledged.

"If you guys are really gonna put forth the effort, then I'll tag along too. Besides, being a tracker is my specialty," Yuki sighed heavily as she joined forces with the Red-Eyed Killer.

With that, Night Raid was divided into two fronts. Najenda, Susanoo, Mein, Lubbock, and Leone began their march south toward the Revolutionary Army's Main Base while Chelsea, Akame, and Yuki went on a search for the missing Raizo Arashi.

*****

Akame broke away from the makeshift search party and headed in a different direction entirely. She came to the forefront of the old hideout that served as Night Raid's headquarters for as long as she could remember. It was home, one filled with memories that she shared with the various comrades that have come and gone with Night Raid over the years. To reach the day where its integrity of anonymity was compromised was a day she knew would eventually come; however, she was not truly prepared for it. The assassin was not one for sentimentality, yet she still felt a tinge of sadness grab at her heart as she gazed upon the stone foundation.

Pushing aside the oncoming feelings of reminiscence, the girl remained on guard. The area was silent. It seemed that the platoons of Imperial soldiers never made their way this far into the forest. Without the Jaegers to lead them, perhaps they could salvage personal belongings at a later date. Then again, now that this place's location has been marked, the likelihood of return was slim-to-none.

"Death" whispered a voice from behind as a projectile composed of pure blue energy flew towards Akame's back.

The Red-Eyed Killer heard the projectile penetrate the air as its hollow screech pierced the veil of silence surrounding the area. It barreled its way intent on robbing the life of its target in one shot; however, the assassin was able to casually turn on heel and tilt her head to the side as the arrow flew past thus evading it with grace. The arrow pierced the front door of the hideout to which Akame took note of and as it broke the threshold, the door began to crumble away.

"Woah! Those reflexes are something else, Akame-chan!" Yuki remarked as she apparently dropped onto the scene unannounced in the blink of an eye.

"I knew you were skilled, but to be able to evade one of the arrows shot from my Teigu…that's impressive!"

"I see, so my suspicions were right after all. Most unfortunate for her sake. If a Teigu user joins the Revolutionary Army, a demonstration of their weapon is required and Night Raid has access to all records of said events. Her Teigu is called Resplendent Will - a mystical bow that can project the wishes of the user into reality by focusing their life force into energy arrows. However, the wish will only take effect if the arrow hits the mark thus limiting the user's potential wishes.

Given her sudden appearance, I surmise that she used an arrow on herself to turn invisible; however, she lacks sufficient skill to suppress her killing intent. Yet she managed to instill the concept of immediate death into her arrow and made a valiant attempt to end me in one blow. That Teigu is a versatile threat…" Akame rapidly analyzed the situation.

"So you are finally showing your true colors, Yuki? I had an idea that there was something off about you; however, I did not think you would show your hand so soon," Akame called out to the girl.

"Given the situation, it was bound to happen sooner or later. After all, you're the most perceptive and observationally sound individual within Night Raid. I'm sure I would not have been able to keep my ruse up for long," shrugged the archer with a devious smile.

"Well you are not wrong. I immediately felt like something was amiss when Aquilo was standing right before our eyes and you did not elicit any form of emotional response. We both know how Raizo feels about the man, but what about you? Were you not a member of the Blood Wolves? Why do you not harbor any animosity towards the man who killed your clan?"

"Well, unlike the hot-blooded idiot, I accepted the loss of the Order. It would have happened eventually regardless of the betrayal. The Order of the Blood Wolves held too much influence. Even during the time of the Conclave, the Blood Wolves were regarded with the highest esteem. Regardless of the code of living in the shadows, someone in the political hierarchy of the Empire would have felt like the Order would become a potential threat. Aquilo just helped its demise come along faster. I mean…looking back at it, I encouraged him to follow through on what his heart believed in," Yuki explained.

"The loss of an insignificant few whose practices would eventually wither away to the ages of history is negligible compared to the future that is to come. That's why I believe in Aquilo's dream and I fully support his intention of creating a new order."

"I see…well it's a pity then," Akame said whilst drawing Murasame and pointing it at the girl.

"You won't live to see it come to light."

"That's what you think, Akame."

Yuki proceeded to knock another arrow and infused it with energy before releasing it in a fluid motion. The arrow was trained to hit Akame dead center in the forehead—yet the girl caught it between her two fingers and snapped it in two.

"I know your tricks, Yuki. Resplendent Will's wishes only work if you actually pierce the intended target."

"Tch…you bitch," Yuki gritted her teeth whilst hearing her opponent's words. That was something that she never really knew about herself when it came to the sacred bow. "I will not fall here, Akame! You will!"

"Think again, the moment you raised an arrow to me and declared your intent was the moment you sealed your fate!"

Akame was about to charge in and deliver the killing blow when Yuki readied another arrow. She filled the bolt with as much strength as she could muster to achieve one goal of settling this fight.

"Trying to fight you head-on is a fool's errand and killing you would be far too much trouble, but I can at least make sure that your memories of my true nature DISAPPEAR!"

A rapid shot that was performed in the blink of an eye was released by the girl as she discharged another arrow. Instead of targeting Akame directly, she instead aimed for the very ground that the assassin stood on. When she shouted out the word: disappear, she infused a new wish in the energy bolt. She wished for everyone in the area affected by the impact to have their memories of her secret to vanish. As a result, it manifested. A massive space tore open the earth beneath Akame's feet as an ocean of azure energy appeared. In that instant, the Red-Eyed Killer found herself perplexed about how to handle this phenomenon which was all the time that was needed for the desired outcome to take place. In a flash, Akame's memories regarding her distrust of Yuki and the girl's traitorous nature were taken away.

"Huh?" the Red-Eyed Killer reacted in confusion after the flashes of light subsided. It was as if she had just woken up from a dream.

"Come on now, Akame…we have to go find Raizo, remember?" Yuki smiled maliciously, unbothered by the deceitful role she would continue to play. Without further delay, the two vacated the area after Akame recalled their goal to find Raizo.

*****

"You won't answer me? So be it!" Raizo yelled out as he unleashed his first attack at the illusive Akaro.

Uncertain of his opponent's combat prowess, the youth played it safe for the moment by using the advantage of range. He tossed both scythes at the man's position as the blades spun with deadly intent tethered by the chains coiled around Raizo's wrists. As they barreled towards their target, the trajectory of the weapons was interrupted as something caught them in the web.

"What the hell?" the young wolf gasped as he tried to yank the blades back to him, yet their position was firmly fixed. In that following moment, the weapons were tangled up and ripped to pieces thus shattering like glass mid-air.

"Boundary Cutting Thread…your friend Lubbock's Teigu is the Cross Tail, remember? Its threads were made from a Super-Class Danger Beast that is said to live in the clouds of the east sea. The body hair that protects its most vital parts has a particularly sharp bite as you just saw, kid," jeered the unknown male with a somewhat mocking tone in his voice.

"Tch…" Raizo gritted his teeth as he unraveled the chains around his wrists and threw them to the side. There was no time to mourn the loss of the weapons that he felt most fond of since he was a child. In this situation, he had a pair of reliable, sturdy backups equipped.

Drawing out the twin blades from his sides, he rushed in and slashed through the air thus cutting through the veil of threads that protected Akaro's person. Capitalizing on a perceived opening, Raizo went in for the kill by swinging one of his blades aiming for a swift decapitation. However, the blade's path was stopped the moment it made contact with its target's neck. Upon closer inspection, Raizo saw that Akaro's skin around the point of impact changed into a metal-like material similar to Incursio.

["Boy…this one is different. The depths of this man's power far surpasses anything I have felt during my time as the God of Thunder."]

The words of Indra resonated deep within the confines of Raizo's subconscious, acting as a voice of reasoning. Even so, this was a battle that the boy had no choice but to continue. With his other blade, he went for a second strike but Akaro merely pointed at Raizo. A quick discharge in the form of a small beam of energy akin to Mein's Pumpkin was fired blasting Raizo back first into a tree trunk.

"Let's see how you handle this one," Akaro remarked as he pointed Murasame towards the youth's position. Droplets of water present on the leaves surrounding the area and from deep underground came together to entrap Raizo in a floating sphere of liquid thereby threatening to drown him. Simultaneously, arrows spawn around Akaro before firing at the captured boy.

Raizo flared up the raging storm within his body as a field of electricity burst from his vessel. With a resounding splash, the water prison was reduced to puddles scattered across the soil thus allowing the boy to evade the oncoming projectiles. However, it was not that easy. Much to the youth's dismay, the arrows seemingly redirected and chased after him as he attempted to evade again and again. As a result, he resorted to taking a full countermeasure.

Stabbing his blades in the dirt for a second, he gathered lighting bolts to his hands and thrust his arms forward thus hurling arcs of electricity at the projectiles. Instantly, the countless arrows that were intent on piercing his flesh evaporated into an abyss of nothingness allowing the boy to gather his swords and prepare for the next engagement. At that time, Raizo processed the events of the fight so far and was caught at a loss for words.

"How can he manage to manifest the abilities of multiple Teigu whimsically at the same time? That should not be possible…" he thought to himself. However, he had another set of questions that needed to be answered.

"Why are you pursuing Night Raid? And how did you get your hands on Murasame?!"

"Well Raichu, Night Raid is a fairly important part of this multiverse's infinite timelines so you're gonna have to forgive this little explorer for having a lil' peek. I just figured it'd be a little convenient to drop in and check on 'em while out on my duties. Gotta say though, you being a part of the group is very unique to this version of events," the mysterious man responded ambiguously.

"What the hell are you on about? First off…my name is Raizo…not that Raichu nonsense! Secondly, multiverse? What time of weird nonsensical bullshit is that?! You just showed up in that Imperial uniform, killed half of Aquilo's men to save some inconsequential village, and now you're spouting nonsense? Who the hell do you think you are?!" Raizo shouted out in frustration.

"Inconsequential huh?" Akaro paused whilst looking down at his hand for a quick second, "So you're saying I should have let those people die?"

"...The strong prey upon the weak. That is the natural order to this wretched world. If they were destined to be slaughtered, then that is the result of their weakness. That is what fate decided."

"Yet you fight alongside a group of strong individuals who use their power to protect the weak and inspire them to rise against oppression."

"That's just…my involvement is just a means to an end. I'm only here for the sake of my vengeance!"

"If that were true my brother, Akame would have killed you the moment you first crossed swords."

"....!"

Seeing that he had Raizo stumped over his argument—the Red-Eyed Hero pressed further.

"Don't you see the contradiction in your ways? You claim an oath to natural selection, yet you carry the burden of avenging your fallen brothers and sisters. By your own logic, wouldn't they be considered weak and worthless? Do you believe that? Do you believe their legacy and everything that they fought for, the mark they left upon this world, is worthless now that they are gone?"

"Tch…just shut up! You don't know a damn thing about me!"

Akaro smiled as his crimson scarf danced in the passing wind, "You're right, I don't know anything about you. But I do know a thing or two about life. You see kid, it's always easier to discard your human nature and give into the perceived natural order. The truth is that even when destined to never understand each other and to forever wander in the infinite darkness of this universe, humanity staggers onward carrying the weight of the world on their shoulders. From the suffering we experience throughout our lifetime, we mold ourselves into our ideal self."

"...." Raizo remained silent as the speech rang out in his ears. The man standing before him continued on in response.

"And once we have thrived to the point of overcoming our personal cycle of samsara, protecting the world that is our home and teaching others the virtuous path will give us reason to use every ounce of our true strength," Akaro concluded.

The aura emanating from the Red-Eyed Hero was completely different from everything Raizo ever experienced in his short life on the face of this world. His words carried confidence and trust wholly devoid of arrogance and falsehood. Despite having just met the youth for the first time, Raizo felt like everything he placed his trust in was a realm of lies. Opening before the boy was a path of light and virtue in a world that was saturated in sin.

He was awestruck at that moment. As warriors and human beings, there was a truly insurmountable chasm between them; one that could not ever be overcome with vengeance or passion. Raizo had come to understand that this battle was not a loss for him based on physical prowess or skill; it was a loss based on conviction and ideals.

"Perhaps…I need to reevaluate where I'm going in my life. But…what else do I have? I lost everything I've ever known. Can someone like me truly find his place in this world?" he thought to himself.

Raizo took a deep breath and glanced at the ground as he felt himself calm down. He gave a small smile that was unseen by the man before him. At that moment, Raizo realized that it was a great privilege to encounter an individual of his standing. In the back of his mind, he felt like there was a strong rattling of chains being loosened around his heart. The light was trying to shine through the darkness of his uncertainty as a massive storm swirled above his head.

"I think I see the error of my ways. For that, you have my gratitude, stranger. However," the boy said as he picked up his swords and aimed them toward the man again, "You never answered my question about Murasame, or why you have the powers of all of my friends' Teigu. You said they were important to this world…but you didn't give any context of your motives. Unfortunately, I can't let you go."

"Well look at that, he just referred to Night Raid as his friends. There just might be hope for this kid after all," Akaro smiled.

Raizo bathed in bolts of electricity that he summoned down upon himself to amp up his strength. The cascading arcs of pure energy fused themselves with his blades thereby fueling them with incredible strength.

"Come on Raichu, come at me!" the noble hero taunted.

"HAAAAAAAAAA!!!!" Raizo relinquished a mighty roar as he swung his blades in an X-formation that created a tornado similar to one he had used before. It dropped right on top of Akaro's position. To add further damaging effect, the youth brought a pillar of lightning down from the sky into the center of the vortex that sought to strike the man inside the unnatural disaster directly. Unfortunately, it was all for naught as the divine phenomena seemingly swirled around the man's position in rapid momentum without ever actually affecting him.

"Teigu Replica…On: Indra's Judgment!" Akaro proclaimed as he condensed all of the concentrated energy that Raizo unleashed into an orb of lightning on top of his palm. The energy spiraled with greater acceleration until it dyed itself in a crimson pigment.

The Red-Eyed Hero redirected the crimson lightning at Raizo faster than the boy could react, but the energy narrowly flowed past him and hit an imperial soldier that was emerging from the confines of the jungle.

Turning his head, the young wolf watched as the energy brushed past him and made contact with the new target. To his surprise, the crimson energy that hit the man bounced around inside of his body striking him on an atomic level only to then tear him apart until nothing remained. The emerging platoon that followed after the first one was hit by a reciprocating wave that spread among them like energy within a circuit. As a result, the group of enemies that was about to appear was erased in the blink of an eye alongside a significant portion of the forest itself. Raizo was left speechless as Akaro walked up beside him.

"As you can see, Imperial Arms…or Teigu, whatever you want to call them, just so happen to be something that falls under my jurisdiction. Someday I'll probably tell you everything you want to know, but right now I should be getting back to my actual job. And as for you, you should be getting back to your friends," he said with a gentle pat on the boy's shoulder.

"So…you can use the abilities of more than one Teigu at once…including my own? That's…a lot to process. Guess this is probably something tied to that multiverse thing you were talking about before?" Raizo remarked thus giving into the idea of the first crazy statement as an explanation for the craziness he just witnessed.

"Damn straight. I never laid a hand on Night Raid, that was never my intention from the start. As I said, I just needed to check on them and your existence got me curious so I needed to be a little vague for a time. Nevertheless, kiddo, don't forget what I told you," Akaro expressed. Around the same time, an eagle was flying overhead that made an audible screech drawing the gaze of both men.

"You take care of yourself out here, Raichu," Akaro said whilst patting the boy on his shoulder again before walking away.

"Wait, are we gonna see you again?" Raizo went to ask whilst turning on his heel to face the stranger, but by the time he did, the hero was long gone.

"Damn…the least he could have told me was his name…" the boy thought to himself as he recalled word for word what the individual said to him. He did not know why the man was there or where he came from, or how he possessed those crazy powers…but one thing was for sure: the man was an ally.

The eagle swooped down and revealed itself to be Chelsea, "There you are…been lookin' everywhere for you."

Raizo relinquished a wry smile as he tucked his blades back in their sheathes.

"Who was the hot guy with the scarf?" she asked with a raised eyebrow, but Raizo merely shrugged.

"I'm still trying to process everything that has happened today," the boy sighed heavily. Chelsea then reached into her pocket and pulled out a stick that she then uncovered to reveal a blue lollipop.

"Here, take this," she said as she stuck it out for him to grab with little room to refuse. Though skeptical at first, he shrugged and took her up on the offer, and proceeded to put the item in his mouth. The sudden taste of sugar mixed with tangy fruit and brief sourness threw his taste buds on a rollercoaster as the flavor supercharged his brain in that instant.

"Awawahwa?! What ish thisshh?" he slurred his speech whilst enjoying the little treat. It was the first time in his life that he ever experienced such a marvelous delicacy. Pleased with the cuteness of his reaction, Chelsea smiled and patted him on the head.

"Sweets make everything better," she mused.

"Yoohoo, hey guys," Yuki appeared from the thick forestry at that moment with an innocent smile on her face.

"It's good to see you well," Akame commented as she emerged from the thick forestry as well.

"Good work Chelsea, you found Raizo. We should hurry up and get to the others," Yuki noted.

As the sun began to rise giving way to a new day, the red-headed female pulled out Gaea Foundation to transform once more. This time, she became a giant air manta. With that Akame, Yuki and Raizo boarded the makeshift flight before taking off towards the south, not knowing of the events that transpired before between Akame and Yuki.