Break Your Mind II (Shatterpoint Paradox Part 6)

THE FOLLOWING DAY

Year 1025, 12th of November

Time: ??:??

The life of a foreigner in Neveir was always quite odd. From the first moment one sets foot in this tyrannical kingdom, a challenge is all but immediately presented; survive by becoming yet another useful member of the Devil Queen's society who's always ready and able to abide to her will, or die trying to make a difference amongst people who lost all hope of ever growing into a free society.

Indoctrinated by their ruler's power into believing the idea of freewill is ultimately the root of all of mankind's evils, the citizens of Neveir have fully given themselves to the supposed higher-being known as the Devil Queen. They truly expect her to know what's best for all she rules over, even going as far as partaking in celebrations such as the bimonthly Twilight Ritual.

However it wasn't always like this, many once sought after new opportunities and freedom. This was the case for the man that now stood tall just ahead of the gates of a palace he was tasked to guard from any potential dangers. With his flaming gauntlet in hand, the soldier's eyes became dead set on the incoming female silhouette that slowly moved out of the dimly lit streets and towards the metal gates that led to Hikari's palace.

Behind him and the royal gates was a royal garden that subsequently led to a pathway into the ritual grounds where the so-called citizens of Neveir gathered in large crowds to celebrate yet another prestigious festival that would be presented by their beloved queen. All visitors had already made their way into the ceremony grounds, thus this female's arrival was much unexpected. Was she yet another participant of the Twilight Ritual or was she here to do business with one of the kingdom's representatives? Those questions floated around the armored guard's mind.

Despite his high ranking as one of Hikari's generals, the knight in white, full body armor felt his muscles tense up. The mere silhouette of this mysterious female was enough to trigger major alarms in someone's mind and at the same time instill them with an ever present sense of absolute terror. As sweat ran down the general's forehead, the knight knew something was wrong and that feeling only became truer as the mysterious figure covered in shadows finally stepped into the light.

Red eyes that shined under the light of a day that was now almost at its end; long, jet black hair that perfectly contrasted with her almost pale white skin; a sleeveless assassin uniform with a red tie and a short battle skirt that didn't restrain the female's movements at all. The armored general immediately recognized this figure. As reports had suggested this girl was the infamous Black Death, the Red-Eyed Reaper who's responsible for singlehandedly stopping Empress Hestia's incursions and almost all attacks directed at the faction known as the Phantom Siege.

Normally this armored individual wouldn't attack someone based on as little as appearance, but this was different. The Red-Eyed Reaper's fame was something akin to that of a well-known serial killer or that of an evil spirit; her presence was always taken as an absolute omen of death, a symbol of unstoppable terror. With such legends and mythos to back up her title, the armored general who guarded the gates to Hikari's sacred palace didn't feel like he could take this girl's arrival lightly.

Darting towards the female with his flaming armament activated, the powerful male dashed towards Akame as she quite casually watched the weapon wielded by her opponent morph into the form and shape of a flaming drill that covered his whole arm. Wasting no time, the still unnamed individual thrust his powerful weapon at the Red-Eyed Reaper. Before any contact was made his drill began to generate a powerful rotational movement.

The sheer energy being created by the faster than light rotation of his drill was inconceivable; it was more than enough to physically penetrate both time and space with its force alone. Quite the wonderful tool, it's all but immeasurable destructive potency soon became comparable to that of a planet shattering meteor. Even when compared to Imperial Arms this strange weapon was a completely different marvel to behold, yet it was somehow just as if not more powerful than the average teigu.

"You fall here rebel! Blazing Drill Break!" the general shouted, all but assured of his immediate victory. Unfortunately for him however, the Black Death was no ordinary foe; a fact that became more and more apparent as the man's drill made contact with her forehead.

Normally the head alongside the body of whatever this drill hit would be instantaneously pulverized and scattered into a million pieces, but somehow Akame quite effortlessly took the full force of his attack at almost point blank range without doing as much as blinking. Instead she merely remained still with her Murasame still contained within its custom red sheath.

The armored general could barely believe his own eyes.  One of his deadliest attacks tanked like it was little more than a light tap to the forehead? It was an unthinkable and impossible feat given the fact that his fearsome weapon ignored things such as the opponent's durability and even burned through their very existence. How was she doing this? He questioned in absolute disbelief within his most inner thoughts, extreme terror and fear now slowly taking over his better judgement. Akame on the other hand remained almost entirely quiet, only really smiling meekly at her opponent's reaction.

"Shit...looks like I'm really gonna need to go all out against this one," the courageous unyielding general remarked before backing away a few feet.

Finally removing his helmet, he revealed his previously concealed appearance. Messy brown hair, emerald green irises that now slowly filled up with the light of despair, a youthful expression that could only belong to someone in their teens. Extending his right arm and by extension the flaming drill upward, the youth once again morphed his shapeshifting flaming construct. This time around it became a burning katana. Holding it with both of his hands, the general assumed a serious battle stance by positioning himself almost like a samurai.

"I admit it Red-Eyed Reaper, you are just as strong as the legends say. Just so you know this powerful blade I now wield is the Destroyer of all Creation: Bios Delta.  You're the first opponent to ever force me into using it this early in battle," he spoke while trying to come across as brave as possible.

Meeting her opponent's words with a disinterested sigh, Akame finally drew out Murasame in order to at least demonstrate some level of respect towards the still unnamed knight of Neveir whose skills and abilities were in all fairness quite a bit more advanced than the many, many teigu users the Black Death fought in the past. This mere fact alone was quite shocking to Akame. Of course she didn't actually demonstrate it, but she was quite impressed with the youthful general's unique and varied array of powers that could no doubt match those of Hestia's renowned elite forces.

"Here I go...Delta-Dimension!" he shouted as loudly as humanly possible almost as if trying to pop his lungs out of his chest like a somewhat obnoxious anime protagonist.

His move was no joke though, and that quickly became very apparent as bright orange flames began to swirl around the emerald-eyed general's blade and also his body. That power soon expanded outward, consuming the nearby city block into a flash of light and briefly blinding the Red-Eyed Reaper.

Opening her eyes once more, Akame smiled in satisfaction as her hues were granted an entirely new macrocosm to behold. Its existence was composed of the general's undying, passionate soul. It was amazing, the floor was like a strange solid ocean of flames, the sky was literal fire, the clouds were fire, all aspects of this complex multiversal space was composed by one man's willpower and his strange morphing weapon. In a way this powerful master of flames that served the invincible Devil Queen did far more than just utilize elemental forces.

"Your fire doesn't burn, does it? These aren't really conventional flames huh...they are a physical manifestation of your soul," Akame finally broke her silence, catching her opponent by surprise with her emotionless tone.

"Yes...the Delta Extract-Prototype Shinki allows me to fully draw out my soul's potential to its utmost capacity in the form of these flames which I can freely command and reshape as I see fit. As you may already know, should I happen to overpower my foe in terms of willpower then my weapon will bring erasure to their existences," the armored general confidently remarked, "Before I strike you down, may I have your real name ma'am?"

"Oh? How chivalrous...the name's Akame."

"Heh well my name is—"

"Tatsumi, I know who you are," Akame immediately interrupted the young man mid-sentence, "Quite the fitting name for someone with the potential you have."

"H-How did you...-"

"Know who you are? Well to keep it simple, let's say you and I happened to be close friends in a past life," she calmly remarked.

"Very well then, I believe you. There's no reason to doubt the words of someone who embarked the path of the blade.  In the name of our lost friendship my friends, Sayo and Ieyasu whose sacrifice saved me from death at the early stages of our military venture, and my queen Hikari...I will prevail!" he exclaimed as mighty winds now surrounding him as his blade grew larger every passing second. Holding his flaming blade up high as his immense reality marble added to its power, Tatsumi's green eyes burned with intense power unlike any other.

Leaping high into the air with his monstrous blade aimed downwards, the boy's blade morphed once more. This time it was a spear capable of penetrating all the way into the fifth dimension, something that could pierce the most durable of objects. Two dragon-like wings made of his soul's fire then sprung from his back, symbolizing that Tatsumi was now using every last drop of his power. In doing so he had finally managed to impress the Red-Eyed Reaper and made her perfectly see that his potential was not something that could easily be measured.

"Bios Delta final configuration...Holy spear! Take this Akame! The thirteen fangs! Rhongomyniad!"

Descending down from the burning heavens and onto the boiling Earth, the final judgement of a lancer's divine weapon brought forth God's power in the form of a holy blast condensed around the absolute spear. The light emanated by this attack shined with a dream shared by all warriors in the past, the present, and the future. A dream held and mournfully exalted by all as their final moments approach. Carrying that dream of warriors and knights as his pride and honor, Tatsumi remained steadfast against the overwhelmingly powerful foe he now faced. The miracle he utilized as a weapon was a light that could only ever be matched by the sword of promised victory which, in his mind, would certainly lead him to glorious victory.

Akame was quick to analyze the unfolding situation. The Rhongomyniad spear configuration wasn't meant to be used as a weapon to strike down external invaders, it existed as the planet's anchor and it often ensured the World's stability by always remaining in direct contact to a pseudo-Counter Force of the Earth itself. As a "pillar of light" that weaves together the two sides of the World; reality and illusions itself, Rhongomyniad recognized Tatsumi as its "king" and thus allowed him to draw power from this planet and nearby celestial bodies and constellations linked to it in a way similar to what the woman named Zephyria Venta could potentially do with Rudra's Pandemonium.

Leaping towards the incoming spear, Akame was like an ant jumping at a projectile that dwarfed universes. Nonetheless, just as Tatsumi all but dropped his guard assured of his victory, the Red-Eyed Reaper took a simple swing at his spear in an attempt to deflect it. To the brunette's surprise, she actually did just that. With a single fluid horizontal motion, the fearsome female sent the spear flying away as if it was nothing more than a small nuisance.

"Wha-What the?!"

Left unable to defend himself while midair, Tatsumi gasped as he felt Akame's blade penetrate the armor on the left side of his chest. It was surprising; he couldn't even keep up with Akame's movements. In what felt like an attosecond she nullified his attack and struck his chest.

Propelled by the force of her strike, Tatsumi could do little more than be blasted up into the skies as his armored shattered entirely before falling back down to the ground; his reality marble soon followed the same fate. Both he and Akame returned to that same city they once stood on, time had barely passed. Now lying on the cold hard ground without any kind of weapons or armor to protect him, Tatsumi struggled for a while before standing back up on his feet.

A white shirt, brown pants, raggedy shoes, he didn't look like he had much of a chance now. Akame only stared at him, as if trying to decipher something about this situation.

"You're quite powerful Akame, almost as powerful as my queen," The boy commented, "I never expected someone this strong to exist really...here I was thinking I was at the top, but then you came along."

"How did you survive my Murasame? It's supposed to kill in one hit," she questioned.

"You may have broken the armor bestowed upon me by my queen, but the people of my village still protect me even now as all seems lost," he spoke before reaching to the spot where Akame's blade struck, slipping his hand under his shirt only to then pull out a small wooden statue.

"The elders of my village gave this to me as a way to wish me and my friends to have some good luck when we first left our homes to come here...now it saved my life."

Returning Murasame to its sheath, Akame took a moment to sigh out her disinterest for this whole endeavor.

"It was an honorable battle, Akame...thus I shall let you pass."

"You're quite talented I'll give you that much, but a killer bound by honor and the flawed reasoning of a knight will never stand a chance against the monster I have become," she coldly stated, "If you think that I'll be leaving as much as a single witness behind...then you're idiotic."

"No...no, wait! Wait just a minute-GAH!!!"

As brief as that moment was, Tatsumi managed to scream as if his life depended on it. Truth to be told, it was quite the gruesome sight.  First his fingers were slashed off and perfectly cut into small cubes of meat, and then Akame struck his arms and legs giving them the same treatment. What followed subsequently was a myriad of slashes aimed towards every major body part and organ.  All that remained in the end was a bifurcated bloody painting of meat, guts, bone, fat, and muscle. The only part that remained intact was the head, which Akame grabbed by the hair and casually held. A sinister smile could be seen stamped across the Red-Eyed Reaper's lips as she just stood there.

"Goodnight Tatsumi...sleep well my dear delusional friend."

Bringing his head between her hands, Akame pressed them together and after a while...it was crushed. Pieces of his brain, cranial structure, teeth, and even tongue were plastered all over the gates to Hikari's palace and the streets of Neveir flooding it all in red. The Black Death herself had her clothes covered in her foe's blood, as a result staining the assassin's black attire with a crimson coloring. In the end this was her true nature; the thrill of taking a life with her godly power was the only sensation that distinctly made her feel happy, accomplished, or even alive.

"You're next...Hikari," she ominously mumbled under her breath before moving onwards into the Devil Queen's domain.

---

TEN MINUTES LATER…

The Spiral Palace: Festival Grounds

Hundreds upon hundreds of individuals gathered in the back end of Neveir's most prominent spiral-like palace. They were all quite organized and disciplined for normal town's folk, without any guidance or elaborate instructions the citizens formed a large crowd divided in lines. Ahead of them was a large castle wall with an odd mix of architectural styles, pillars akin to those of an ornamented column structure supported quite the luxurious golden balcony overlooking the crowd whose cheers echoed all around the luscious green garden they stood on.

It truly was quite the odd gathering from the perspective of an outsider; the front row was specifically reserved for the elderly officers and retired or otherwise inactive generals who once served this empire and the myriad of rulers that existed before Hikari's rise to power. These elders were seen by their fellow citizens as national heroes whose wisdom and experience granted them the highest possible honor and the once in a lifetime chance of seeing the legendary Devil Queen up close. The second and third rows meanwhile were composed of Neveir's top families and those who could afford the expensive VIP spots that could anywhere from a hundred to two hundred thousand gold coins.

After that it became quite clear that the remaining lines in the crowd were very obviously separated based on the social status and riches of any one particular family. One could say this enslaved society acted quite similarly to that of the old empire that existed before Hestia and Raiden ultimately took over.  Even when compared to the kingdom led by the white queen, the only noticeable difference beyond the colder scenario was that those under Hikari's command were infinitely more loyal, almost unbelievably so.

As the Black Death made her way through, she passed the large archway that led into the ritual grounds.  She pondered whether or not Hikari really was such a devil. Sure the girl stripped away society and the world at large any and all reasonable semblance of freewill, but in many ways she gave those who served under her a safe haven where crime is severely punished and all but nonexistent, social classes see each other eye to eye.  Corruption and/or any type of plotting against the kingdom are swiftly dealt, and above all...she gave them the illusion of an ever-present divine figure to always believe in.

"Too bad I'm in a hurry here; it would've been quite the spectacle seeing you and your kingdom bringing an end to Hestia. While true that both you and her see yourselves as the ones who should rule the world Hikari, I can tell that you are on a completely different league compared to that boring wannabe goddess," Akame remarked as she mumbled her thoughts out under her breath before silently approaching the back of the crowd.

Joining the citizens, the Red-Eyed Reaper rested her gaze upon the golden balcony before looking down at what stood beneath it. Bloody and beaten, a tall, young man found himself crucified onto a rather large cross. It was quite the gruesome sight, from the large cuts all over his body to the badly tattered clothes, and the missing left eye. This strangely menacing man was now clearly somewhere between consciousness and subconscious, but the female who stood just ahead of him looked quite pleased with herself as she casted her vibrant amber gaze down on the crucified figure.

This female was quite the overly sexualized image to behold and certainly easy to engrave into one's memory. From the dangerously exposed amount of cleavage to the exposed legs, along with the dark and the all too recognizable grayish-brown hair, Zephyria looked quite well compared to the crucified Orion at the moment. Akame couldn't help but ultimately wonder what those two were doing here when supposedly their war threatened to bring forth the untimely destruction of  the whole continent of Alexandria.

"Is it true that Miss Venta joined our queen?"

"Rumors say our ruler made an offer she couldn't refuse before laying waste to the entirety of the Order of the White Tiger over the hour," one of the many young lads in the crowd remarked silently so only he and his blonde girlfriend would listen.

"Woah Hikari sure is strong isn't she?"

"Yeah she sure is, now let's keep ourselves quiet eh Charlotte? Wouldn't want to get into trouble with your cousin Mercy and your uncle Reinhardt again," the young boy with slightly sunken dark eyes remarked.

"Geez fine, but at least tell your little brother to behave," the girl spoke bringing attention to the younger boy besides her boyfriend who constantly jumped in place impatiently.

"I'm booored," the kid broke his silence. Noticing this, the slightly older brother—Akaizo Silver—lowered himself from his high stature to patiently speak to his sibling.

"Come on now, keep it together for the next thirty minutes and I promise I'll have old man John prepare us some delicious food."

"Deal!" the young boy shouted enthusiastically gathering unwanted attention from other members of the crowd. While watching the ongoing friendly banter between those three, Akame couldn't but chuckle a bit in the back of her head at the thought of having a chance to eat something delicious before the end the world would inevitably come. Black Death or not, Shatterpoint or not, nothing in the whole of creation could ever change Akame and her undying, unrelenting desire for a never-ending supply of all kinds of food.

"Huh...in the end all Hestia needed to do in order to get me to serve her was give me some delicious food, then she would've won the civil war in like two seconds...now that is the true tragedy of Shatterpoint," she spoke to herself quite sarcastically while inadvertently drawing in the mostly unnecessary attention of the lines of people both around and in front of herself. Right then and there her identity would've undoubtedly ended up exposed due to the public's knowledge of the dark deeds performed by the Red-Eyed Reaper, but fortunately enough for Akame the ceremony was about to begin.

"Citizens of Neveir! We have gathered here today to celebrate the results of our glorious conquest throughout the world!" Zephyria began as she subtly turned to face the crowd, "Alexandria has fallen to the might of our leader, and I, Zephyria Venta, am glad to offer my body and soul to her cause. As a captain of the royal guard I shall attend to our ruler's every desire or wish beginning with the public execution of one of our enemies—Orion Nebulous!"

Raising one of her arms up, Zephy took a deep breath before separating her lips to release a powerful shout to the crowd.

 "Hail Hanate!"

Her words echoed with force causing the crowd to meet her powerful attitude with the very same shout of loyalty.

"Hail Hanate! Hail Hanate! Hail Hanate!"

The crowd repeatedly cheered and shouted with unmatched strength in their vocal cords. Akame was of course the only odd one out as she merely ignored the crowd and patiently waited for the Devil Queen herself to show her face. Unsurprisingly, the equally as golden doors that led to the overlooking balcony finally opened thus a red-eyed 15 year old girl dressed in all black attire with a few red details scattered throughout its odds and ends stepped forth. She wore a militaristic set of boots and carried a devilishly looking katana-style weapon with cross guards that resembled the wings of a demon and a customized red sheath with a black decal circling its far end.

As the girl's gorgeously long, jet black hair danced in the wind alongside the royal crimson cloak she wore, Akame noticed the strange piece of clothing she wore on her head; it was something akin to a crown-top hat hybrid of sorts that fully displayed her status as royalty. A menacingly sly smile slowly began creeping across her lips as she walked over to the edge of the golden balcony to get an overlooking of all who loyally subjected themselves to her, the dark aura of murderous intent that surrounded her mere presence was something that could only be described as truly and utterly insurmountable.

"Be extremely subtle, even to the point of formlessness. Be extremely mysterious, even to the point of soundlessness. Thereby you can be the director of the opponent's fate," the Devil Queen began her speech, "These are the ways of life that brought me here, these are the rules your queen followed to the end, my creed."

"Over time all of you acknowledged that my ideals and goals are what should guide our world and not fakers such as the fool who can't do away with an insignificant civil war. The might of Neveir has brought an end to countless wars.  The continent of Mercury is all but ours, Alexandria is also under our command as of this day, and finally our spies will bring down the Ulrick Empire in a matter of minutes once I give the sixty sixth order of our crusade," she continued with that same sociopathic deadpan expression while at the same time maintaining a sly smile.

"The power of our grand order will soon end all who stand against me, no rebel force shall ever arise from the remaining ashes, no empire shall ever emerge from the dust...and once it's all said and done, we will erase every last remnant of the old world from history. This reality will no longer be a place where a child has to watch her family being slaughtered by those who ultimately believe themselves to be selfless heroes, or a place where kingdoms can fall overnight. All will be under the rule of Hikari Hanate and all will be Hikari Hanate."

Spreading her arms widely to receive the cheers and applause of her crowd, Hikari rejoiced within her thoughts and let out a full blown devilish smile.

"Now...I ask of you my brave children, what is thy name?"

"We are Hikari Hanate!" the crowd of hundreds, if not thousands of citizens answered.

"That's right...now let us bring an end to the life of yet another fool who dared to stand in our way," the powerful queen spoke before bringing her index and thumb together as if meaning to snap her fingers.

"Today we bring an end to the man known as Orion Nebulous, and at the same time we welcome Zephyria Venta into our army."

"It's an honor my queen," the dark skinned assassin respectfully spoke before going down on one knee; "My physical body and passionate soul are yours to command."

Slowly snapping her fingers, Hikari maniacally laughed as the unconscious man she had crucified contorted himself and screamed in pain as loud as he could. The crowd cheered, the people laughed, even the children stared with joy at such disgrace. All rejoiced in the pain felt by this young man before finally the pressure imposed by the Devil Queen's power proved too much.  His veins, his muscles, his bones, his heart, all that once composed Orion Nebulous popped. Exploding from the inside out, a river of blood, shattered bones, and other organs and bodily fluids were blasted at the crowd whose cheers and praises now roared louder and louder.

No last words or wishes were granted to the crucified individual, only untimely death and pain. This was the fate of all who dared to break the rules of Neveir or stand in the way of Hikari Hanate; she was the death of human individualism and the harbinger of fate that would bring forth a better world where all followed her impartial society, one that believed not in peace but absolute order. Watching this from afar Akame gathered the necessary information to engage her target.

Most couldn't see what had actually happened, but Akame's eyes quite clearly identified that the strange technique used by Hikari to destroy Orion was based on the movement of vectors. Every form of movement be it one's blood flow, one's brain functions, something as simple as the wind, or anything else, it all in some fashion creates a vector. Hikari could easily control such things, and by merely ordering the young man's standard blood flow to expand outwards...well the results speak for themselves.

With her attention back at the crowd, Hikari smirked proudly at her accomplishments here. Killing her enemies, gaining new allies, it was all going far too perfectly for the queen of Neveir. Reaching out with her hand for a glass of what appeared to be champagne located on the table to her side, the devilish girl sipped the delicious drink before looking up at the sky. As she expected, twilight had come, day and night once separate now all but weaved together for this unique celebration.

"Now my loyal children...embrace the past and look into your own future! This is my gift to you all, a gift for thy undying loyalty," Hikari spoke while finally showing some proper enthusiasm.

Embrace the past and look into your own future? Akame couldn't understand what she meant at first; she couldn't possibly be serious could she? There's no way a simple gathering of people at one specific location at this specific time could trigger some sort of vivid vision or connection between the past, the present, and the future. Such an idea was ludicrous even in a world like the one Akame inhabited, however as the large crowd ahead of her began falling victim of a very strange trance the Black Death understood that this was no joke.

"This is..." she mumbled under her breath, her vision now enveloped by a strange vision, a vortex that carried images of various places, various events, timelines, universes, even other multiverses...it was a powerful, bright, and ever-changing kaleidoscope of aqua blue visions.

As expected of someone like Akame, she remained entirely calm even as her mind was enveloped by this strange occurrence. Those in front and around the Red-Eyed Reaper found themselves hypnotized by this glimpse into the time vortex, engulfed by the varying possible futures that awaited them. Regardless of how powerful she was, regardless of her indomitable will, not even Akame could escape the premonition or preview bestowed upon her and the citizens of Neveir by Hikari. If asked directly, the term Akame would use to fully describe this peculiar situation would be something along the lines of "Collective Nightmare" as it more or less perfectly described what she was about to go through. In her mind now however...all that remained was a very specific date and a few select words.

"Year 2034~ The distant future of your universe...is the present era of the universe that now serves as the home of your beloved," a familiar feminine voice echoed in her head making her brain tremble in anticipation for what was about to happen next. No matter how much Akame tried to make sense of it all, she simply couldn't process the things unfolding before her very eyes.

It was then that the environment around the Red-Eyed Reaper shifted once more.  In a passing instant the world around the female morphed and transformed into another scene entirely. Now standing on what could be described as platinum coated streets, the girl looked around herself as if trying to analyze her surroundings. She saw large skyscrapers and some buildings, all made of an untainted, otherworldly gold material. What was this impossibly gorgeous golden city? It all just slapped every semblance of logic in the face.

"Elysium—the kingdom of the gods, an afterlife for those who possess worthy enough souls to be considered pure," the same mysterious, disembodied voice from before spoke once again leaving Akame with only more confusion to immerse herself in. That confusion however was all but immediately dwarfed due to the imminent arrival of a different yet familiar figure.

Falling like a meteor onto the streets of Elysium, a mysterious warrior emerged from a flash of translucent electrical energy. He possessed an iconic hairstyle that sported both white and black colors, his musculature and trained body was also clearly that of a blood wolf. He wore a mix of royal robes akin to that of a crown prince and a typical assassin's uniform with an insignia of his clan stamped on his back.  A strange ornamented white mask with almost demonic glowing red eyes covered his face giving him a fearsome presence. Regardless of the noteworthy differences in his appearance, Akame could easily identify this individual by his iconic looks alone.

"Raizo..." she stated the boy's name in disbelief; she just couldn't understand how an event such as this could ever be even remotely possible.

"Been a while eh kid?" Another familiar voice spoke confidently just before its owner stepped through Akame's body as if she was merely an invisible projection with no real presence there. Immediately widening her eyes in surprise, the generally emotionless girl began to display her deepest, most hidden emotions. Tears of both joy and sadness began to stream down her cheeks as she felt the weight of all the feelings she kept locked away fall on her shoulders. Going down to her knees, Akame smiled softly as she looked up at the back of the man she considered to be her one true love, the one she wanted to possess more than anything in the world—her beloved...the one and only Akaro.

He looked a few years older, not physically of course but the look in his eyes appeared more mature than usual; his red eyes carried a small but noticeably confident glow to them. He still wore that same outfit given to him by Hestia as a token of her gratitude.  It was a symbol of trust between the Red-Eyed Hero and the Sapphire Phoenix group, a reminder that he helped stop the Pandora Conflict alongside the other members of his group—Team AKARA—otherwise known as the Red Kings.

"The consequences of one's actions can go farther than you think, Akaro. You knew that all of this would happen, that I would remain stuck with this guilty crown while the other me lived on; you could've stopped me but you didn't. It's quite clear to me now that my undying pain is on your hands; it is all your fault," the Masked Stormbringer broke the silent atmosphere, his voice was muffled and warped by the mask he wore in addition to being almost entirely devoid of life.

"Oh c'mon how could I've predicted that Arayashiki would emerge and use you as one of her servants? You can't blame me for this," Akaro spoke right back at him. That name...Akame could still remember enough to associate it to the concept of the Collective Unconscious described by Rin. Arayashiki—the pool where everything is stored, the great wheel of human knowledge, a never-ending spiral of everything that composes us; such a concept was foreign to say the least, but nonetheless Akame couldn't really focus on it at the moment. Right now she was too caught up in the strange vision that unfolded before her

"Well it doesn't matter now does it? The future, the present, the past...it all comes to an end, the Counter Force will be destroyed and Elysium will go down with it," Raizo remarked as the red eyes of his mask began to glow.

"You know I can't let you do that," the Red-Eyed Hero spoke as his tattered crimson cape flowed in the wind.

"Then stop me brother...if you can...Edict, come forth! Fragarach!"

With those words stated, a ray of radiance emerged from Raizo's right hand. This light began to grow out and form the shape of a sword which the Stormbringer gripped. As the light faded, the blade materialized into reality revealing its approximate 5 foot by 6-inch dimensions.  The translucent white and solid blue blade glimmered with its mysterious luster that became evermore present by the wind as the iconic red feathers hung from the crystal "T"-shaped guard and black handle.

"So what do you think, brother? For once I have weapons that you can't render useless or simply copy.  This is just a taste of the mysterious power bestowed upon me, the Advent of the Conqueror," he spoke confidently, almost as if to challenge his older brother figure into taking him seriously.

"Mysterious? Pfff Oh I dunno about that little brother, just watch this neat little trick.  Trace Oververse: Fragarach," Akaro calmly remarked as he reached out with his hand. A radiance similar to the one emitted from Raizo's right hand began to shine in front of Akaro's open palm, and just like before the same complex blade materialized for its user. Gripping it, the Red Knight held the blade up as if to show how trivial summoning such an artifact was before letting it vanish back into nonexistence.

"See? Not that mysterious now is it, princess?"

"Just...how?" Raizo inquired with a stuck up expression hidden beneath his mask. Akaro on the other hand merely watched with that same classic picture perfect white smile he was known for stamped across his lips.

"What's wrong? Did you really believe something as simple as your family's projection magic would work against me of all people?"

"Projection magic?" the masked male continued with the stream of questions.

"From birth those of the Mercer bloodline have an immense potential when it comes to giving form to that which they envision; that's projection in a nutshell. Unsurprisingly the son of the God Hunter is not an exception to that ol'family talent.  Quite the shocker I know.  This latent potential has always been innately coded, programmed, and hardwired into your DNA, a fact that undoubtedly affected everything down to your fighting style," the older brother explained thoroughly.

"Think about it...electrical blades, constructs of varying complexities, even with just Indra's Judgment you've always been quite creative when it came to your arsenal. Without said teigu, something must've changed thus causing your inherited talent to appear."

"That still doesn't explain how you're able to use Advent of the Conqueror now does it?" Raizo followed up with another snarky observation.

"Would ya stop with that ridiculously made up fancy name? Did Adena come up with that? That girl sometimes," Akaro spoke with quite the unenthusiastic tone remaining focused on a singular subject was quite the challenge given how unthreatened he felt.

"Anyway if you must know, a long time ago I fought a bunch of Primordial Gods in some grand ol' war or whatever where I may or may not have decapitated some guy named Gil and in the end of it all...two out of the three Primordial Essences I got originally belonged to members of the Mercer family."

"That sounds like the plotline from a cheap novel," Raizo mocked.

"Ya don't say?"

"Aha...so you're nothing more than a thief who gained power that never really belonged to y---Gah!"

Interrupted in the middle of his sentence, blood burst out from the former crown prince's concealed mouth.  Having reappeared in front of the Stormbringer, the older brother swiftly delivered a blow to his opponent's stomach using only his right elbow. The upper part of Raizo's body was propelled forward on impact as his stomach and legs were pushed back by the force exerted upon them. To follow this up, the Red Knight immediately brought his fist upwards at an extraordinarily fast speed only to then uppercut his foe into the air.

"Nothing quite like an elbow to the stomach eh?" The Red-Eyed Hero remarked before bringing his hands together in a claw shape.  Yellowish orange energy began to gather only to then, in a matter of instances, become powerful enough to be released with its full might.

"Try not to swallow it all at once princess, Tiro Finale!"

Thrusting the energy he had gathered between his palms forward, Akaro unleashed his devastating trump card which had been a powerful beam of energy capable of eviscerating any and all in its way to little more than subatomic dust.  Now in this passing attosecond, the Masked Stormbringer found himself in the path of said technique.

Stabilizing himself midair, Raizo utilized the abilities of his very own Fragarach. A massive gust of wind brushed against the boy's body and sustained him in the air granting him flight; his rapid ascent towards the heavens had ended just in time for him to switch out his current blade for yet another one of his various Edicts.

"Edict, come forth! Durandal!" he proclaimed as his one to two handed buster class sword materialized in his possession. Famous for giving its user an unparalleled durability, Durandal was quite the powerhouse blade whose mere sight could intimidate most warriors as the myth of said blade classified the user worthy of being called a legend. Whatever the case may be, the inherited abilities Raizo had come to acquire allowed him to masterfully wield such legendary weaponry. He clearly intended on deflecting Akaro's continuous beam of energy, but as Raizo would soon find out...that was a mistake.

"Let me show you some more of your family's magical abilities that you have yet to fully comprehend kiddo...Time Hack: Triple Accel," the Red Knight spoke before vanishing from Raizo's perception in what felt like a billionth of an attosecond.

All the boy could do was attempt to desperately turn himself in a 360-degree angle while midair. However even with his best efforts, Akaro instantly reappeared behind the boy and grabbed him by his mask only to then end up descending onto the still incoming wave of energy known as the Tiro Finale. Like two comets clashing together, Raizo felt his back being hit by the energy of Akaro's first attack while he was forced down to the ground at speeds that dwarfed light itself.

What was the result of all of this? Well it turned into a large explosion that brought an end to all nearby buildings and skyscrapers, vaporizing them in all but a single instant of time. By the end of it, the once masked boy had his face revealed; his veil had been shattered into a million pieces. With his back against the heart of a medium sized crater, Raizo just remained there with a pained expression while his brother stood in front of him. Truth be told Akame was surprised the boy hadn't been completely disintegrated; perhaps this future version of the Stormbringer was stronger somehow? Well it didn't matter.

"Why are you looking up at me with those sad eyes while down on the ground like that? This isn't a date princess, c'mon get up! You can do better than that," Akaro mockingly spoke before walking out of the crater he had formed during his little scuffle with his younger brother.

Unlike many times in the past, the Crimson Knight didn't smile or even took what he was doing lightly. Not counting her memories of the final moments of the Pandora Crisis, this was the closest Akame had ever seen to a serious Akaro. He still pulled his punches and restrained himself from going all out, but it was very clear that this battle wasn't a simple training match. Regardless, tears began to slowly stream down the Red-Eyed Reaper's cheeks as she gazed at the conflict that unfolded in front of her.  It didn't matter if this was the future that awaited those involved or merely a vision of a possible outcome. Akame couldn't help but for once in a lifetime feel some small semblance of joy.

"Akaro...you're...real," she stumbled on her own words. It was one thing to see him in her memories, it was another thing entirely to confirm that her beloved existed, but seeing him in person? Such an event was enough to break through Akame's core. But the sad truth of her situation was that...a very important piece was still missing in this puzzle of time and space.

"Tell me Raizo, why did you join Arayashiki's side?" Akaro inquired as he looked over his shoulder in order to see the defeated Stormbringer rising up to his feet.

"Because why not? It's not like I actually had a choice!  Plus joining someone who was also abandoned by you under the pretense of her existence being an illusion from a False World Line sounded like a decent way to get on your nerves," he responded quite angrily.

At that moment Akame's heart dropped to her stomach, her expression went blank, and all the joy she bathed in a minute ago evaporated into a mist of doubt and regret. She didn't need a confirmation as to who Raizo was talking about; it all became far too clear to the girl who once thought that all of this might not be real. Right now as her legs gave in and she fell down to her knees, she came to the realization that deep down her mind had finally reached a shattering point.  Akaro's follow up statement would only make her feel worse.

"You and Akame, or Arayashiki as she calls herself now, both of you were supposed to disappear with the Shatterpoint universe but instead she choose to become a time remnant from a world that ultimately never existed; an illusion created by the selfishness of one man who once had a bad day."

His final words cut through Akame's heart like a sharp knife; she couldn't believe that in the end abandonment was her one true fate in this beautiful lie of a reality.

"I truly do want to love her; however, Arayashiki is not the same person I remember Akame being. As long as she continues to stand against all that I fought for and hurts those I care for, I can't ever truly accept her nor save her from this mad crusade she embarked on," the knight concluded as a deafening silence took over.

"You are my future, Akame..." the disembodied voice Akame had heard before spoke once again as the world around the Black Death transformed into a void of nothingness, a universe of pure darkness. Raising her head once more to see what was now in front of her, Akame saw...herself. But not as she is now, the person she saw was more elegantly dressed. She wore a gorgeous white dress, her red eyes shined with incomprehensible might and confidence.  Her hair was longer in length and more elegant; between her hands she held a projection of the Earth itself almost as if it was no more than one of her toys.

"You're..."

"I'm you Akame, I am what you will become once you accept that pain you feel right now. To your beloved you're an illusion. He denies you what you want, so in the end...you'll take revenge on him."

"He abandoned me...he left me to die," Akame cried out.

"Indeed...your identity as a person has been lost, the world at large wants you to disappear," the godly figure spoke, "Embrace that reality and acknowledge your new purpose, rise up and confront all who stand in your way."

Still on her knees, Akame held onto her own arms as she began to oddly enough...laugh. Opening her eyes once more back in the real world, the Black Death stood up with a dead look in her eyes and a sinister smile to accompany it. The crowd of citizens now free from the effects of the Twilight Ritual formed a circle around the female. They all recognized her straight away due to her fame, and so did the newly appointed General of Neveir—Zephyria Venta. Quickly moving to her location, Zephy stared down the laughing female as the Devil Queen watched from above in the safety of her royal balcony.

"So you're the legendary reaper of souls, the Black Death was it?" the dark skinned female inquired in a mocking tone, "You don't look that impressive now do ya?"

"...die..." Akame's voice echoed with hatred, and in the following instant...

"What are y...?" Zephy's eyes went blank as Akame stood up with her Murasame fully drawn and ready for battle. The entire crowd did so as well. They all stopped moving right then and there as a cold gust of wind gracefully blew past to still them. It was almost as if time had come to an unexpected halt for all but Akame and the Devil Queen. The crimson moonlight now shined above both females; this night would truly be one of bloodshed.

"...Ittou Rasetsu..." Akame silently uttered as the gusts of winds turned into a torrential storm of slashes created by the attacks she had calmly unleashed before anyone could even process. One instant they were all fine, but in the other, all perished as their bodies were cut up into tiny particles of subatomic raw meat thus leaving almost no trace of their existence behind. Soon afterwards the pillars that held Hikari's balcony in place also crumbled forcing the queen to gracefully jump down to ground level.

Casually landing on her feet, Hikari simply stood there with a deadpan look and a sly smirk. Akame still chuckled under her breath as a powerful and overwhelming sense of madness oozed from her mere presence. It was almost as if she had lost her sanity entirely.

"That figure who knows she cannot win, who knows it's all meaningless, yet who nonetheless remains defiant all the same.  In spite of all the pain and suffering, you never give up. Why Akame? Why waste your humanity here? Why die for a pointless cause?" the Devil Queen inquired as she looked at the bloody swordswoman who stood just ahead with her katana in hand.

"Waste my humanity? Don't be ridiculous Hikari.  One of the other versions of me believed that to achieve her true strength she would have to sacrifice her humanity. But the truth is a person can only murder another once. The act of murder is giving up the humanity that is within oneself. What's left is just emptiness. You cannot lose humanity if it is already lost. The act of murder turns into the act of slaughter. They are two different things," the Red-Eyed Reaper remarked with a quick chuckle at the end.

"As the survivors we carry the feelings of those who've passed away on our shoulders; the moment the being known as Akame decided to take on that burden was the moment her humanity perished in the fires of war."

Moving her blade closer to her own palm, Akame took a deep breath before slicing across her own flesh. Blood escaped her wound while the painful sensation brought upon by the Murasame's poison flowed into her veins then finally, the female fell to her knees. The sounds of a nefarious demon echoed alongside the female's painful screams.  Akame could feel the slaughters she had committed across an infinite number of timelines being burnt onto her flesh creating a myriad of symbols and tattoos. Opening her eyes once more, she felt as if her inner darkness now swirled around her body, this demonic form melted the snow around her with the mere heat generated by the dark flames that accompanied its presence.

"Through countless battles I forever wait alone on the hill of blades for a prince that will never come…

For Hell's hands to bear…

For Heaven's hands to temper…

Always yearning for salvation…

All I could see was the dream that was in my heart…

A dream that will never come true."

Her heartbeat now echoing alongside her demonic voice, Akame darted towards the Devil Queen with those ominous red and black eyes at full display.

"Akame Ga Kiru! Reborn," she proclaimed the name of her technique as a torrential blaze of darkness formed around herself, one that could threaten all life. The energy contained in her blade was quite powerful enough to bring erasure to one's existence and destroy an immeasurable number of realms. Hikari was not having any of that though.

"Sloppy..." she softly spoke as her image disappeared from Akame's sight shortly before the rear end of her sheathed blade collided with her foe's stomach,

"Have a nice flight, dear."

Propelled into the heavens, Akame flew upwards like a missile due to Hikari's sheer physical strength. Breaking through the speed of light in a few milliseconds, the Black Death quickly flew past the planet's orbit before ultimately crashing back first against the Earth's moon. The celestial body had part of its surface immediately broken and shattered into sizeable chunks; such an incredible event was fully visible in the Earth's night sky. That said, Hikari knew all too well this wouldn't be enough to kill her attacker.

Jumping back towards Earth, Akame shook the entirety of space and time as she rapidly cut through the vacuum she now flew in. Dark and ominous angelic wings sprung out of her back as the assassin's body became more demonic in nature.  Her skin became gray as her eyes glowed in the vastness that was the universe. This was the Murasame's furthest evolution, its perfect Kamui: the Angel of Darkness. By the time Akame was about to crash into Hikari like a piercing meteor, the Devil Queen couldn't help but admire such a satanic figure.

"I'm proud of you," she calmly remarked before meeting Akame's powerful thrusting strike with a slash of her own blade. The clash became a blast of kinetic force strong enough to create a deadly worldwide earthquake that likely killed millions. Both Hikari and Akame backed away from each other after that in order to prepare their next moves; a large crater had formed between them.

"Evidently you haven't realized it yet," the young queen remarked.

"Realized what?" Akame questioned.

"This...all of it, it was part of my plan all along. I've heard of you Black Death, or should I say Akame? You're a powerful asset and I needed you on my side in order to further my objectives," she began her explanation.

"The Kingdom Gate that prevents people from leaving Neveir also gives me all useful information about every single person who lives here. I learned about the Counter Force and of how it would erase this world, I learned lots of things from Rin Hanate's mind...and quite obviously I cannot allow myself to be erased by some divine force. I will leave this universe behind and return to the world that existed beforehand, I will help my counterpart in that reality become more powerful than she already is and in the end the old world will fall and a better one shall rise to take its place. So what do you say Akame? Now that you've seen that Akaro abandoned you to fate, join me in my quest for a better world and I can give you the revenge you seek."

Silence fell between the two as Akame pondered the proposal at hand. Vesta and Rin are likely already long gone since there's no way the Red-Eyed Phoenix would've wasted the opportunity to escape this hell. Akame was now alone and to make matters worse, there was no one to save her. Was there really no other way to save herself? Well she didn't really care right now. Revenge was the only clear thought in her mind.

"All you have to do is answer one question; Akame, what is thy name?" the Devil Queen questioned. She was clearly expecting the answer: I am Hikari Hanate, as all who served her were in her eyes part of herself and retainers of her will. However Akame was not going to break so easily; if she was going to serve someone it would on her own terms and with a new name to separate herself from who she once was.

"My name...is Arayashiki. I will join you, but as you know I have my own objectives to complete—kill all who abandoned me," she spoke as her eyes shined under the shattered moon. The world around the two females had finally begun to break apart and the sky was breaking like glass. All was about to end...the Counter Force had finally began to act. Jumping high up into the air, Hikari went pass the crater their battle had formed before landing in front of the person who had now oddly renamed herself as Arayashiki.

"It will be an honor having you on my side," Hikari said as she gracefully put her hands around the Black Death's waistline.

"I know it's hard to be abandoned. What puppets we humans are—What puppets! Born without permission, dying when it's neither pleasant nor convenient. We are made to march or crawl through life on the edge of a precipice from which at any moment we may be knocked over. And we're told we should believe the experience is a privilege! Don't worry about it though...we'll succeed in the end, I promise."

The Red-Eyed Reaper had no words for in the end, her enemy turned out to be her only hope. She didn't even mind the display of pseudo-affection and it didn't matter if she was right or wrong either, Hikari was Akame's only way out of this nightmare and into a better world.

"Yes...I am on your side, Devil Queen. One day, I'll have my revenge and you'll be there to forever guide my blade."

Those were the last words spoken by the female formerly known as Akame before vanishing alongside Hikari, the two had moved onwards towards their goals as the Shattered World began to destroy itself.