Slay the Falsehood IV: Akasha Awakens

Meanwhile back in the old throne room, Izunia rejoiced as he watched his creature of destruction bringing an end to Akasha's creation and the start of a new utopia where he'd be the one above all. Kimiko barely held onto life, the gaping wound inflicted upon her had been so harmful that not even she could heal from it; however, what truly pained her was the thought of losing one of her closest family members alongside the rest of the world.

"It's over. Finally I'm victorious over you Mother. No...you're not her, you're just her pathetic mortal incarnation," the mocking god continued to taunt the dying woman.

In Kimiko's mind however...she was lost in her thoughts.

"How long can I fight amidst this bloody vortex of a battlefield? How long, I wonder?

How long can I continue to protect what I love amidst this endless war? How long, I wonder?

How long can I continue to believe in a world laden with deceit and folly? How long, I wonder?

For how long can I hope for an ending where all live when I myself despair over the dark future that may await us? How long, I wonder?"

...

"I..."

[Must defeat]

"But...How?"

[Must defeat]

"...who are you?"

[You already know the answer to that question]

"I...you're right...I always knew who you...no...Who I was…"

…

"I must defeat The Architect here and now!" Kimiko spoke one last time before somehow forcing herself up on her feet even without a heart and a gaping hole in her chest.

"Face it Kimiko! You lost, the whole world has lost!"

Those were Izunia's last bragging words before his face froze and became blank, soon sweat made its way down his forehead. The world around Kimiko Hanate had darkened, a once large and expansive palace locked away in an alternate dimension by The Architect's power shattered apart in a mere instant and began to collapse.

"W-What are you...how are you doing this?!" Izunia desperately inquired as he caught glimpse of an almighty power that far surpassed his own. It manifested itself in the form of a mystic blue outline around Kimiko's body.

Rain burst through the shattered mosaic windows of the palace just as tornados and earthquakes began to eviscerate the dimensionless void Izunia and Kimiko found themselves in. The female's plan was simple, Akame was a Counter Guardian thus her body could easily recover from any injury; however, being locked away in the book of infinite pages was something no one could escape from. The Red-Eyed Killer would be gone for as long as that book existed, therefore destroying it was Kimiko's plan.

Needless to say The Architect found himself regretting his actions and taking several steps back in a clear sign of absolute fear. Kimiko on the other hand was no longer herself. The girl with beautiful crimson eyes had abandoned this war. Now all that remained in her place was a figure of pure and absolute power. Her eyes radiated a powerful shade of blue as she locked her godly gaze upon Izunia. Her expression became a clear and emotionless deadpan.

"Y-You're Aka...Akasha..." he mumbled to himself as his eyes widened in fear. At this point the evil and malicious grin he once held proudly was nothing but a distant memory in the back of his mind as he cowered in fear from the absolute creator of all that is.

Kimiko—or rather, Akasha—didn't even bother to move or even take a step; she merely observed her creation with those beautifully engrossing eyes. In her point of view all things were in one way or another connected by lines of glowing blue energy, lines only she could see. Now that Akasha had awakened within Kimiko she could witness things and had access to knowledge no mortal or god should ever be allowed to even remotely comprehend. Boundless, above absolutely everything including existence and nonexistence, possibility, causality, dualism and non-dualism, the concepts of life and death, and their analogues at any level, Kimiko Hanate was now simply transcendental of all that is. Yet this display of power was a fraction of Akasha's presence awakened. One could say the power Kimiko now possessed was not something that could ever be described in its entirety as mortal language simply lacked the words to do so.

"You're going to...you're going to kill me huh, Mother?!" Izunia's desperation began showing in his voice.

Without saying a word Akasha merely gazed upon the book of infinite pages used by her creation only to then on a whim caused its total and complete obliteration setting the existence of all locked within it free, Akame's soul included. Soon the Angel of Darkness found herself restored and given a new and improved physical form, though she was still far too unconscious to make use of it. Regardless, Akasha turned her attention towards The Architect without showing a trace of emotion. Creation began to unravel and undo itself, raindrops streamed down Akasha's face as her eyes began giving off an even more intimidating blue radiance. Izunia cowered on his knees, fear oozing out of him as he gave way to tears.

"H-How?! Even if you are Akasha...you…you shouldn't be so infinitely superior to me!" he shouted like a baby, his cowardice causing him to crawl up on a fetal position.

"Superior you say? Are you not aware that the tallest mountain started out as a stone? I used to be weak but through hardship I've grown," Kimiko spoke over her goddess incarnation for a moment as she took one step forward. At that moment all destruction was nullified, the crumbling palace under the endless storm and dimensionless void faded away into nonexistence. It's hard to put into words what happened but it was certainly as if existence restructured and restored itself out of respect for its creator who had now just given it the honor of being stepped on.

"Please Mother...spare me," The Architect begged for his life as his body slowly began to decay back to his old self now that all of his victims had been freed.

"Please, please, please!" he screamed on the top of his lungs like a child that was denied a toy. Akasha however, didn't show any perceivable emotion before separating her lips to speak.

"From thy whims you came, and by thy hand you return to nothingness," her echoed across eternity, endlessly through the infinity of existence and all of its levels. Upon hearing these words The Architect was immediately erased, his existence gone in a moment's notice like an insignificant passing wind. Simply "poof", gone. Anticlimactic but expected given his opponent.

"It's not over yet..." Akasha spoke once more as the old imperial palace returned to the remains of what was in the past a thriving and expanding cityscape.

Upon walking through the large metal gates, she saw her comrades. They were about to go down in battle again. Akaro was in his Boundless Zen state and more or less completely shirtless. His sleeveless assassin uniform had been all but completely destroyed being quite bloody and sweaty. The same could be said for Raizo, Adena, and Akame. Raizo in particular looked to be at his limits. Akasha was quite satisfied that they managed to hold out for so long against a Primordial Devil created to end an Omniverse—that being an uncommon verse definition in Akasha's creation that very few understand the true meaning of or just blatantly use the definition wrongfully. Regardless, the unrelenting efforts of those four were nonetheless quite awe inspiring.

"You four will make for quite the excellent candidates," the Goddess-Above-All subtly commented as she prepared to snap her fingers.

"Come to me! My Aspects!" she proclaimed with a mighty shout that split the heavens like cracked glass. From within the cracks four mighty figures made their swift descent—all of them landing on one knee in order to show their respect for their deity.

A 6'7" tall woman stood at the center of the group, her tanned skin and older complexion of a mature lady combined with her dark crimson irises, defined curvaceous build, and long flowing dark brown hair made the female quite the fearsome sight. Around her waist she wore part of a traditional samurai armor known as the kusazuri, it was quite an impressive piece as it possessed red, black, and golden plates. This contrasted well with her dark pants, boots, plain white shirt, and dark trench coat with red highlights whose left sleeve she kept rolled up revealing part of what appeared to be a black Chinese Dragon tattoo flowing up her arm.

"Akatsuki Tenbatsu...at your service once more, my queen," she calmly and respectively introduced herself with that husky voice all too iconic to herself, "My blade is yours to command."

"Long time no see, big boss," the woman to Akatsuki's left spoke up. She was a 6' 5", muscular woman with long, flowing black hair and reddish-brown eyes. She wore a rather stylish tattered gakuran with a cap and metal epaulets, a rope belt, and a pair of tengu-geta. She also wrapped her bosom in a sarashi, and her wrists with the bandages typical of open-hand fighters. All too familiar to those who know of the Pandora Crisis, this female was Adena's enigmatic older sister: The Fist of Calamity, Marayah Zao-Long, or Aria for short.

"Show some proper respect will ya?" the girl to Akatsuki's right voiced her dissatisfaction with her colleague. This one needed no introduction. Aqua blue eyes, short, dark blue hair, black priestess robes, white gloves, 6' 2", and a young adult's body with well-developed assets and curves hidden beneath all the clothing. Assana Demiyah was her name.

Lastly to Assana's side was a female that was the same height as the former party who wore a shallow cut black dress, five necklaces with an assortment of beads, a red girdle-belt, and a pair of matching gauntlets. She also wore fingerless gloves, an object that looked to be made from feathers hanged from the right side of her skirt. Furthermore she used detached black leggings with a red splatter pattern, and black leather boots beneath them. Her most distinctive feature was definitely a fearsome, full-face mask that resembled the face of a strange Danger Beast. The mask had four eye slits that further enhanced the character's inhuman appearance.

"Silence you two," she spoke. Rather ironically her voice was not nearly as serious or demonic as her appearance would lead one to believe; in fact it was quite young and almost juvenile, "Please Lady Akasha...what are your orders?"

"End that creature's life before things gets out of hand," Akasha ordered in a commanding tone causing all four females to immediately turn their attention to the monster that threatened Team AKARA and the world itself.

"Shall I?" Assana casually inquired.

"You can have your fun Miss Blue, just don't overkill it a'ight? We all wanna have a piece of that beast," Marayah put it in a joking manner before her and the other ladies charged into battle.

MEANWHILE…

"Okay...we could really use Kimiko and Aka-sensei here right about now!" Raizo's voice could be heard as he and the rest of the family made use of long-ranged attacks to keep the beast distracted for long enough to...well actually they didn't know what they were buying time for. All they knew was that Akaro had a plan and that it involved them getting beaten around till something happened. Yeah, not a great plan. Luckily Akaro had just enough juice left in him to keep everyone durable enough to take a few hits.

"Oh don't complain so much, at least you get a few sexy scars out of it for the ladies, and by ladies I mean me," Adena, of course, made her perfectly timed joke causing her favorite tsundere turn red with embarrassment.

"Not the best time you two!" Akame quickly shot the subject down just as she swiftly tackled Adena out of the way of the monster's world devouring mouth, thus saving the girl's life in the process. She sure was the mum of the group at this point.

"Thanks for the save," Adena remarked as she got back up on her feet. It was hard to keep up with this monster; it was gigantic but not slow. It had speed, power, all of that and more. It could distort space-time, it could cut through the concept of distance, and Adena had seen it utilize a plethora of abilities by now. Without the Red-Eyed Hero there to serve as the team's Primordial power battery they would've died a thousand times by now.

"Saved you and Raizo like twice today, you guys owe me a drink," the young Akame allowed herself to make an out of character comment in the midst of all this chaos and destruction.

"Heh it's a deal missy! I'll get you drunk as hell when we're done here," the enthusiastic redhead declared before sharing a fully powered fist bump with Akame.

"Anyway we're not getting anywhere with this, Akaro. What are we doing here exactly?" Akame questioned, now back to that iconic Red-Eyed Killer persona.

"Oh don't worry dear, we did what we had to do, the plan is right here," he responded before giving out a smirk. Almost at that the same instant, a crimson lightning bolt fell from the heavens hitting the beast head on and causing it to back away a few city blocks worth of distance. It was then that the four females known as the Aspects of Akasha appeared in front of Team AKARA in a similar bolt of bright energy.

"Hey little sis, I see you're still hanging out with this group of losers," the older of the Zao-Long siblings was the first to speak. Adena jumped up in surprise at the sight of her. Raizo, however, well his attention went straight to the blue haired girl.

"Assana..." he muttered out her name as all the memories, both good and bad, came rushing back.

"Hey Rai, long time no see," her words and her tone of voice were that of someone who was away from those she loved for a long time, an eternity even. She smiled happily before turning to face the Primordial Devil.

"Just watch my back, okay?"

Those were the last words she spoke before swiftly clearing the gap between herself and the monster as time quite literally stood still. The way she ever so elegantly carried herself without ever making a mistake in her posture clearly hinted at the training she received in life. In all but a single passing moment she reached forward with her right hand, a cold blue aura radiated around her wrist as she did so.

"Come forth...Fenrir!!" she boldly proclaimed the moment a pair of large metal gauntlets materialized on her arms, each forged to resemble a howling wolf's head with flames carved around them. They possessed quite the terrifying and ominous miasma that no doubt made its user appear all the more imposing. Onlookers couldn't tell much about them, but these impractical, bulky gauntlets did more than just increase the strength of its wielder when worn.

As Assana leaped in the direction of the monster's mouth, she swung her fist upwards in an uppercut motion. Fire erupted around the gauntlet she used, it swirled with immense heat as an ethereal image that reassembled the wolf shaped weapon quickly formed before relentlessly consuming the Primordial monster in a powerful blaze. Furthermore the force of her initial uppercut sent the creature high up in the air. As it howled in pain, its voice eviscerated the reality around itself causing the apocalyptic red skies to crack like glass.

"Come to me...Hati and Skoll!"

Following up on her first attack Assana summoned yet another set of divine weapons; however, this time her twin tools of choice weren't a pair of swords, scythes, not even another set of intricately designed gauntlets. Instead the armaments that appeared under her possession were two unique magnum revolvers with longer barrels than an average 21st century weapon of the same type. Though they were twins, each one was custom made to look different; Hati had an obsidian black coloring along with tribal white symbols along its build representing the Wolf of the Moon that gave it its namesake. Meanwhile Skoll possessed a color that mixed a fiery white and light orange color stripes representing the Wolf of the Sun. Regardless those were merely irrelevant details when compared to what Assana did next.

Pointing both of her revolvers at the Primordial Devil, she repeatedly opened fire, thus unleashing the force of those bullets that were infused with the powers of both of light and darkness. In less than mere moments, the wing of the monster broke; its body was made full of bullet wounds, blood sprayed down creating a crimson rain below the beast. From the perspective of the watchers seeing the so called unstoppable ender of creation being juggled in the air by those bullets was quite comical. It took absolutely everything Team AKARA had to barely push the demon back...but for Assana? She looked like she was having the time of her life.

"Your turn ladies...Extract-Edict Awaken! Marrok!" she proclaimed the name of her weapon once more just as she let go of her twin magnums, both of them stylishly disappeared.

Unbeknownst to others a new symbol appeared on Assana's back, this time it was a tattoo that represented the aforementioned Marrok, wolf of the seas, oceans, rivers, lakes, hurricanes, storms, and sea creatures. Ocean blue radiance outlined the female's body as she raised her hand and snapped her fingers. Water materialized around the creature. In an all but frozen moment of time the monster was encased in a planetoid of liquid and electrical energy that slowly but surely eviscerated its flesh and put it in a midair stasis.

"About damn time!" Marayah's voice echoed in the distance as she leapt through the air and right into Assana's planetoid. She unleashed her fist like a powerful missile, and in the end her strike broke through the wet structure causing it to instantaneously evaporate. The beast itself was propelled forward before crashing on all fours. Its crashing body made the Earth tremble, the ground broke, the heavens themselves shattered yet again...the power at display was simply on a whole other level.

"It's sad, Rias. Sad that you never accepted it," a husky voice spoke in the wind, "People die...but as long as someone remembers them, they'll never simply vanish into nothingness. Just like smoke how doesn't vanish the instant you extinguished the fire. What was it that the Scribe's favorite daughter used to say? Oh yes...As the survivors we carry the feelings of those who have passed away on our shoulders."

On the Primordial Devil's crash site, Akatsuki Tenbatsu waited for the dying creature to make one last effort to fight but it could barely afford to stand at this point. In fact its breathing was now that of a creature in pain. Akatsuki had an odachi in hand. It appeared to be a common blade, one would be forgiven if they dismissed it as nothing more than a simple tool for combat...but of course appearances are nothing more than a factor to take at face value.

"Is this what you wanted to become, Rias?" the lone swordswoman inquired, "You were a little girl who ended up being made into a victim by a world that was far too gone to be considered anything less than pure evil, but nevertheless when you were given freedom and power by Rin Hanate...what did you do? That's right Rias, you gave up. Instead of ever doing something for your own reasons, you became a slave to another's mindset.

Oh I'm sorry...I guess the word you'd have used is retainer, but guess what? Those terms become entirely interchangeable when you're so deep into your own shit that the ambitions of others become your one and only reason for living. The moment you gave up on having a voice Rias, was the moment you killed yourself," she thoroughly explained in an analytic tone akin to that of a disappointed teacher.

"Disappear from this world you wretched failure...behold...One Truth for All," Akatsuki spoke in a dismissive tone using that same smoker voice she always used before raising her blade above her head with one hand.

In the blink of an eye the enigmatic swordswoman brought her blade down upon the space between herself and the beast in a perfect vertical motion; for the onlookers who witnessed this battle her movements outpaced their perception. Even Akaro couldn't tell what she did, even at his full power all he saw was a blur. Realistically speaking the only ones who could keep up with Akatsuki and her unfathomable prowess were her three comrades. Regardless her attack cut through the wind creating a powerful gust, and in that moment...the Primordial Devil stopped moving entirely.

"Annnd...pop," Akatsuki's voice echoed in the wind. Soon everything went red, a radiance of crimson erupted from within the monster, its body quickly vanishing into a burst of quasar lights.

Akaro had been watching this situation unfold with a surprised expression for quite a while now. To him it was almost ridiculous that beings as overly powerful as these alleged Aspects of Akasha could exist in the same realm as Primordials. However, that was not what surprised him the most. When it came to Akatsuki and the masked woman in particular, the Red-Eyed Hero could feel not only the excessive vastness of their skill but also a deep sense of familiarity. Did he know them? Had he seen them somewhere during his many adventures? Or was this merely a false Deja vu? Not even he knew the answers to those questions.

"You haven't aged a day...Akaro," a juvenile voice caught Akaro by surprise. It was the ominous masked swordswoman speaking. Why reach out to him like this? He couldn't help but wonder.

"You guys know each other eh?" a curious Adena voiced her thoughts.

"I dunno really, that mask of hers is quite something...I can't see through it at all."

The masked woman's response to that was pure, untainted, and raw silence—one that was only broken a few seconds later with the arrival of Akatsuki followed by Marayah and Assana.

"Don't worry about her, she's the silent type," Akatsuki joked while addressing the Red-Eyed Hero and his group. A soft smile could be seen stamped across her lips, "You've definitely grown, Akaro."

"Oookay...what's up with everyone knowing me? Who are you even?"

"Heh where are my manners...name's Akatsuki Tenbatsu, pleasure to make your acquaintance," she calmly introduced herself making a formal bow.

"And again...you know me how?"

"That's classified," the lone swordswoman put it bluntly while a dense atmosphere began to rapidly form between herself and Akaro resulting in quite the ominous background. The Red-Eyed Hero could feel the mesmerizing miasma that existed around the Aspect of the goddess Akasha; her presence alone instilled both awe and fear at once thus creating a contradiction of emotions within oneself. Nonetheless that tense atmosphere still didn't stop Assana from walking pass the two and up to both Raizo and Adena.

"Hey Rai," she said, "You're hurt."

"Oh this? It's nothing," the Stormbringer calmly spoke while clutching his chest, a large wound left by a vertical cut from the battle he had endured could be seen through his tattered shirt, "It'll heal."

"Assana...how are you y'know alive?" Adena inquired full of curiosity as always. The blue haired female could only smile at the redhead's energetic personality.

"Well I'm sure you two will find out eventually," she remarked before her eyes wandered back to her partner in crime, Marayah Zao-Long, who by now merely did the job of observing the conversation from afar.

"Aren't you gonna say hi to your little sister?" she inquired. Aria raised an eyebrow in frustration before responding.

"The idiotic little sister who served under a ridiculous excuse for a revolutionary leader has no value or enough worth to receive my attention," Marayah bluntly remarked as she crossed her arms, "If anything clashing against the Red-Eyed Hero here would be a far better way to spend my time."

"That so?" Akaro said. Averting his gaze from Akatsuki for a moment, Akaro's eyes met with Marayah's stunningly brute stare. It was in no way exaggeration to say that the female was a warmonger built to be a true goddess of destruction. However, the Red Knight didn't shy away from her challenging look.

"I've heard the legends; your deeds are most certainly impressive. As the Fist of Calamity crushing you and the God Hunter would be yet another worthy victory for my repertoire of battles."

"Sorry lady, but I don't think that'll gonna happen today. Not like I could do anything against you anyway," he spouted out in an exhausted tone as his Boundless Zen form deactivated, thus returning his platinum colored hair to its original black color and his fiery gold irises to its standard crimson status.

"Besides...my ass belongs to your boss, so I wouldn't be trying to fight me if I were you," he concluded his cheeky taunt with a daring smirk. Seeing this, the masked swordswoman lowered her head as if reminiscing about something in the past. Akatsuki meanwhile just took a deep breath.

"Aspects of Akasha huh?" the young Akame murmured those words to herself, but nonetheless a few stares came her way, specifically those of Akatsuki, Marayah, and of the masked swordswoman. Red-Eyed Killer or not, she did find their glares to be quite bothersome.

"Was it something I said?" she cheekily questioned, Akaro's sarcastic influence clearly showing in her tone of voice and carefree attitude. For a fleeting moment Akatsuki allowed herself to chuckle with that husky tone of hers, those around her were left quite surprised.

"Move out," she then ordered, and as expected her squad promptly prepared to vanish in the wind. Neither the unstoppable Marayah Zao-Long nor the enigmatic masked swordswoman bothered to look back; instead they just walked up to Akatsuki giving their backs to Team AKARA. However when it came down to Assana, she took her time to say goodbye before leaving.

"Well looks like it's time to go again. Still, I'm happy for you two. I'm happy Addy finally broke free from Hestia's hive mind and I'm also happy that you two are now together and have a real family to call your own," Assana stopped for a moment as she brought her aqua blue gaze down onto Raizo causing the child of thunder to stiffen his posture a bit out of both anticipation and nervousness for what she might have to say.

"It fills me with joy to see you here standing amongst the greatest warriors this realm has to offer. Once upon a time I believed that your revenge for our clan would result in your death, thus I said I would wait for you, but little did I know how far you would go in such a short time. You suffered so much, betrayed and controlled by others, and you fought in battles that no doubt would challenge someone's sanity. Nonetheless you always survived."

"Assana I-..." the boy could barely speak.

"Do you remember the last time we met? You were at your lowest point, and things only got worse from there, but in the end you still stood back up and climbed out of the abyss. Through your quest for redemption you found a way to liberate yourself from your past sins," she declared before bringing her hand upon the youth's cheek, "The Blood Wolf Raizo Arashi is dead and buried at last...the man I see now is someone who'll never falter and will always protect his family no matter the circumstances. Go forth, Raizo Mercer...carry on Son of the God Hunter. Continue to make me proud forevermore."

Her heartwarming words echoed deeply within his mind as she dissolved into the wind alongside her comrades, thus leaving Raizo with far more questions than answers. That lingering sensation of her soft palm on his cheek, the throbbing of his heart, the butterflies in his stomach, Raizo did not know what being an Aspect of Akasha truly meant, but if it involved becoming part of the Goddess-Above-All then these sensations he felt made perfect sense to him. After all, he felt that same warmth vortex of emotions whenever he found himself around Kimiko.

"You're thinking about Kimi-nee aren't you?" Adena whispered into his ear out of the blue causing the youth to jump up slightly.

"I-I have no idea what you're talking about," he spouted out all flustered.

"Heheh shhhhh it's fine," the former jade princess remarked just as she hugged him from behind and placed her chin on his shoulder, "I know exactly how you feel about her. She saved me too after all."

Away from that little conversation between lovers, a lonesome girl watched from atop of a hill of rubble located in front of the gates to the ancient imperial palace. Kimiko Hanate, or rather Akasha as she was known now had decided to let her Aspects handle the situation with Rias and her monstrous form for the simple purpose of not directly engaging in a pointless conflict that she could end far too easily. However, that was not the only reason she decided to stay here.

"Ki..miko?" a voice coming from within the restored palace reached out to the Goddess causing her to turn in its general direction just in time to see her best friend's reemergence in a brand new physical body that just so happened to look just like the old one.

"Kimiko is that you?" she spoke in awe.

"Your chest..." she said as her eyes caught glimpse of the hole left in the center of Kimiko's upper clothing revealing quite a substantial amount of the goddess' cleavage. Akame rather quickly found herself staring at such unbounded, tantalizing beauty.

"I- err," she couldn't even speak properly.

"Oh this? The Architect grazed my clothes I suppose, no need to worry," the Goddess-Above-All casually put her friend's concern under the rug before extending her right arm and opening her hand. An orb of translucent blue energy could be seen floating above her palm, the souls of all that The Architect trapped now freely roamed the miniature Omniverse that resided within Akasha's grasp.

"The war that raged here today shook the very foundational pillars of this existence. It appears that my return ended up being inevitable after all. Nevertheless...it's time to undo the calamity brought upon by my wayward son's madness."

In complete sync with her smooth and motherly voice the world came to a halt. The broken crimson heavens reverted back to a clean, blue appearance. The shattered remains that once made up the capital reformed themselves piece by piece eventually rebuilding all of its many structures. Throughout all layers of true infinity Akasha's power brought new life into countless worlds. The stars once purged out by the relentless scourge were now rekindled with untainted light. In the totality of creation no civilization was left unchecked, in all places, whenever or wherever, the message radiated clearly...Akasha had returned.

"Be free as you're meant to be," she said as the souls of legendary warriors and heroic spirits alike contained in her translucent orb were finally given freedom once more. A song could be heard across all worlds as the souls became shooting stars in the heavens above. Akame had never witnessed anything like this. Akasha had features quite similar to that of Kimiko though her hair draped more towards her shoulders and her eyes had a mystical twilight pattern of blue and purple about them; seeing her for the first time under this beautiful sky made her tremble and at the same yearn for more of her presence.

"You're...beautiful," the Red-Eyed Killer spoke on a natural whim unbeknownst to her own mind.

"Thank you, Akame," the Goddess responded as the rest of Team AKARA looked towards the palace and Akasha herself; their eyes glistening with love for a figure they all simultaneously admired.

"There never was any doubt. You five are indeed the ones destined to carry on the torch," Akasha declared on a whim as she raised one hand.

The whims of the Goddess changed the world around Team AKARA once more. This time Akaro, the Akames, Adena, and Raizo found themselves in what appeared to be a void filled with an innumerable number of shooting stars and flaming meteors that crossed the vastness of this true infinity. The aforementioned individuals were made to be in the nude and now formed a horizontal line in front of the Goddess-Above-All. The Akames were located to the left end of the line, Akaro was in the center as usual, and lastly Raizo and Adena stood to the right. All of them appeared as if they desired to speak but didn't out of what they perceived as respect for Akasha. In truth however, they couldn't speak altogether.

"You five who endured countless hardships and embellished thyselves in the growth such events bring have earned the opportunity to become candidates," Akasha's words echoed across the eternal void as her image split into five identical replicas of herself. Each replica floated to the members of Team AKARA. Raizo was left quite flustered as always, Adena felt her heart jump, both Akames reluctantly felt their heartbeat increasing, and lastly Akaro had a smirk despite having the same feelings.

"Kimiko..." Akaro and the Akames echoed her name.

"Kimi-nee..." Adena and Raizo followed up with that same yearning tone.

"Relax...this process shall not harm you in any way," the five replicated images of the awe inspiring deity spoke in a sophisticated tone of voice. All of her split selves then pulled each and every one of the Team AKARA family for a simultaneous joining of lips.

Not one of them could voice any protests whatsoever as they immediately found themselves far too enthralled by the mesmerizing taste of that kiss. It was something beyond mortality—a tantalizing and life-changing sense of godly ascension that flowed throughout every layer of their bodies filling them with an absolute ecstasy reflected in their increasingly pleasured expressions that only grew with more and more yearning the moment their goddess pulled away leaving them desiring more of...something indescribable.

Their sensations had overcome their thought process so wholeheartedly that they didn't even feel a new mark being burnt into the center of their chests. This mark radiated brightly beneath their upper clothes revealing it to be shaped similarly to a blackened maple leave, but it appeared rather slender.

A few moments passed before Team AKARA had recovered enough to notice its presence, but by then the symbol began to all but completely fade away. Soon it was as if it wasn't even there; however, unbeknownst to its new bearers this mark meant far more than they could currently understand. Finally as the entire group found themselves back in the real world, they all dropped to their knees while breathing heavily.

"Congratulations, the five of you are now candidates," Akasha explained as her replicated selves vanished into thin air. In between heavy breaths, Raizo managed to spout out some words.

"Candidates o-of wh-what?" he inquired causing the goddess to let out a smile full of mild bemusement, though that soon vanished into a serious expression.

"Now that the Reckoning has been delivered and Liberation attained, a new epic shall unfold. A tale that'll bring us to the unrelenting Crimson Judgement of a god whose power has been with us all along. However, that'll in truth only be the beginning. Moreover challengers will emerge as time marches on, yet nonetheless you five will always prevail on the wings of tomorrow," she openly declared with the saddened and melancholic of a mother destined to watch her children fight in wars only she had foreseen.

"I-I don't understand," Raizo forced himself to say, "Please wait I have so many questions."

"Listen Raizo...when the world falls down around you and all hope is lost, when you find yourself alone amid a lightless place, look to the distance. Know that I am there, and that I watch over you always," she continued, "You five who carry the weight of the world, be ready for thy prophesied destinies...for all is finished when seven become one."

Those were the last words she spoke before her tantalizing blue eyes finally deactivated on the spot. Kimiko then began to fell over on her right side; her crimson eyes could now barely remain open. The last she saw was the older of the Akames rushing up to her only to then pick her up softly between her arms before she could hit the ground.

"Let's go home, Kimiko," she spoke while holding Kimi's unconscious body on her arms. By now the rest of Team AKARA had all managed to stand back up on their feet.

"Is Kimi-nee alright?" Adena made her voice known.

"She's just sleeping," the young Akame put it bluntly. Meanwhile her beloved and leader of the group had a tired smile stamped across his lips.

"It's finally over," he muttered under his breath.

The Second Great Primordial War had ended. Akasha had finally awakened from her longer slumber, and the madman who craved for her power was no more. The whole of existence heard...Kimiko Hanate was now ready to defend all worlds against any and all threats with her family there to help her at every turn. Of course new enemies would emerge in time...but for once, mankind and all living beings that inhabited the cosmos could witness how beautiful their worlds could be with Akasha's presence there to watch over them

*****

Year 1025, 25th of December

Time: 7:00 A.M.

"Chelsea...you might wanna take a look at this," the female appropriately nicknamed as the "Furry of Night Raid" spoke as she walked into the spacious office that once upon a time belonged to the now deceased Fujitora. Alone the leader of Night Raid sat upon the chair formerly used by the masked individual. Leone meanwhile looked quite distressed as she handed over a handwritten letter to the lollipop sucker; one quick glance at it was all it took for Chelsea to tense up.

"A resignation letter...this handwriting..."

"It's Akame's," Leone elaborated before letting out a sigh, "I knew this would happen..."

"Why would she do this," Chelsea muttered as she began to read parts of the letter:

"First and foremost I would like to thank my friends amongst the members of Night Raid and the Revolutionary Army for the wonderful opportunities given to me throughout my years of service. Without everything Najenda and the others did for me, I wouldn't be where I am today. Nevertheless I found a higher calling that far surpasses the scope of my former cause, and as the only one that can see it to the end, I must march onwards into my fated future and become who I am meant to be.

It's true that in the beginning I allowed myself to rely on Raizo's assistance, partly due to his outstanding power. In the end that dependence on someone stronger made me afraid when powerful foes such as the Sapphire Phoenix and Scarlet Cerberus came into play.

Fear held me back. But no more, I'm done being afraid."

Chelsea couldn't continue reading given how irritated Leone seemed at the thought of being abandoned yet again, this time by someone she thought of as her best friend. However, unlike Leone, Chelsea had a responsibility to remain composed even though her heart felt much the same way in regards to all of this.

"We haven't seen her ever since she left with Team AKARA and... all the destruction that happened afterwards sure did speak for itself," she calmly remarked whilst reaching out for one of the grape flavored lollipops she kept on her desk.

"Yeah...never thought I'd see the skies go red like that, but now it's like nothing ever happened. Hell, doesn't the world seem a little brighter to you?" Leone inquired in an attempt to ease up on the moody attitude.

"You have a point. There's no word on the Sapphire Phoenix or Team AKARA either huh? Curious," Chelsea muttered under her breath, "Heh it's funny...they never considered themselves of any importance but did you know the 'Church of AKAKA' is actually a thing now? Mortals worshipped as the new generation's deities...for god's sake statutes in their likenesses are being built in the capital's entrance."

"Does that bother you?" asked a tired Leone as she took a seat across Chelsea's position.

"Not really, I'm just impressed is all. In less than two months they not only got the general populous to see through Onest's facade, but they also brought an end to Rin Hanate's ambition, shifted the public perception of what is possible, and ultimately brightened the world that much more. To be perfectly honest...I'm kinda jealous."

"So what's next for us then? Ride on AKARA's coattails?"

"Not quite. First we must steel ourselves for the war that still looms over our heads, Hestia and Hikari are out there after all, and we stand no chance of victory as we are now," Chelsea concluded before putting her lollipop in her mouth.

Unbeknownst to the members of Night Raid, the members of Team AKARA now found themselves closer than expected. After the war against The Architect had concluded there was only a handful of places left for the team to reside in for any extended period of time; one of these just so happened to be the old headquarters once used by Night Raid before the arrival of Susanoo and Chelsea.

Resting within the confines of his simplistic bedroom, the boy known as Raizo Mercer prepared for the long day ahead, yet he couldn't help but be flustered over his current situation. Cuddling him on both sides of the bed were the pair of females the male shared an odd relationship with. Vesta rested on the left side of the bed grabbing onto the Child of Thunder as if he was a teddy bear whilst Adena hugged Raizo on the right side.

"W-why are you two here?!" he stumbled on his own words.

"We're dating so sharing a room is only natural, isn't it?" Adena spoke up before yawning.

"I needed a safe place to sleep in, so I decided to use this little mansion of yours as my new home, Raizo-san," the Rose-Eyed Stormbringer proudly declared as she cuddled the youth tighter. Adena meanwhile looked at the Godspeed with a raised eyebrow.

"Y'know he's mine right?"

"You say that but remember Adena, you and I were married in my universe; furthermore Raizo is effectively my equivalent in this universe. Therefore wouldn't it be more accurate to say that we're both yours hmmm?" Vesta teased with a devious smirk.

"Fine then...we'll settle it in a fight!"

"If you wish to be broken, feel free to make the first move," Vesta promptly countered Addy's proposition.

"Oi Adena...babe, I know you're confident and all, but eh...don't fight Vesta, she's not exactly someone you can defeat," Raizo also shot down the Scarlet Beast's enthusiasm.

"Geez thanks for the vote of confidence there Rai, really appreciate it," she remarked with a clear sense of sarcasm in her every word. However, before the Red-Eyed Stormbringer could come up with a proper response the wooden door to his room suddenly flung open. Soon after a female all too familiar to Raizo stepped into the room, though this time she wore entirely new attire. Her hair was now shorter however it retained its chestnut coloring. Her smooth, pale skin color remained as well and her crimson eyes that appeared like a clear void continued to ever so elegantly compliment that deadpan expression she usually sported. She now wore a blue kimono, laced-up boots, and a recently acquired red leather jacket. Both Raizo and his female companions were left awestruck by Kimiko's beauty and attire that created a juxtaposition of Eastern and Western concepts, or literally a homogenized compromise between the East and the West.

"Time to get up...you three, downstairs, now," she remarked in a commanding tone. Both Raizo and Vesta almost immediately rose from their bed making use of their astonishing speed to change out of their pajamas and into their regular attire. Adena then did the same, albeit significantly slower. Regardless the quartet soon found themselves walking down the room once used for Night Raid's strategy meetings.

"Well this is gonna be fun," Adena's voice echoed around the room as she reacted to the myriad of party decorations spread throughout all corners of the building. From delicious food to desserts and alcoholic beverages, the place seemed ready for intense celebration.

"Have you decided on what kind of gift you'll be giving him?" Kimiko elegantly spoke before she sat down upon the throne-like chair formerly used by Najenda. In the eyes of those present the Goddess-Above-All looked like a beacon of true beauty for all to behold.

"Yeah, just gotta wait for him to come home now," Raizo explained. He then walked over to the lonesome wall behind Kimiko's throne where Night's Raid old banner rested. Hidden behind the throne rested a sheathed blade that approximately had the length of an odachi. Oddly enough it was wrapped up in a thick crimson cloak; the Stormbringer picked it before walking back to his companions.

"So that's what your niece was working on, Raizo-san," Vesta broke her usual silence.

"Indeed...I hope it's to his liking."

"Don't stress about it love, I'm sure he'll dig it," Addy reassured him whilst making use of her overflowing charisma. It was at this moment that both Akames suddenly strolled into the room carrying what appeared to be paper bags full of what people in the 21st century would easily identify as Christmas decorations. Raizo however was still quite oblivious to such facts.

"What are those exactly?"

"Oh yeah you don't know...y'know what a holiday is right? Well in your father's world today not only marks Akaro's birthday but also a holiday where people spend time with their families and give each other all sorts of gifts. These here are decorations typical of the aforementioned holiday," the older of the two Akames explained.

"Where is Akaro anyway?" the younger Red-Eyed Killer inquired in that same philosophical tone of voice she was known for using. Kimiko was the first to provide answers to the girl's question.

"Mercer is keeping Akaro busy with training up in Elysium, that should provide plenty of time for us," she spoke. Though Kimiko herself was the one speaking, her voice still retained the traits of Akasha's heartwarming voice that filled the hearts of those present with an ever present sense of euphoria and admiration.

"Speaking of which...Rai, have you decided whether or not we're gonna invite Hestia and the others to this little celebration of ours?" Adena voiced yet another one of her burning question.

"Dad actually tried to do that."

"How did it go?"

"Well you see..."

---

-5 days ago-

-Sapphire Phoenix encampment-

Time: 12:00 P.M.

"I'm sorry...could you please repeat that?" Hestia's voice echoed in the wind, her voice stuck somewhere between bewilderment and irritation as she found herself reunited with her beloved. A massive pressure seeped from the individual causing the area surrounding the entrance to the Sapphire Phoenix encampment to shake just from Mercer's presence alone. As always he wore all black clothing and a trench coat with armor plating on the shoulder and numerous buckles and straps. His long, dark blue hair bound in a ponytail swayed behind him as his dark, yellow eyes continued shimmering with a quiet fury. Hestia felt her body tremble as the God Hunter opened his lips to speak; his voice was always calm yet stern and commanding at the same time.

"Again...this here is my wife...Lucy Grayson-Mercer. We're here to invite you to a celebration of our victory over The Architect in addition to Akaro's birthday festivities and also Christmas. I'm quite aware that you're busy preparing for your little crusade against this world's political systems, but nevertheless I think you should take this rare chance to spend time with our son and his family."

Hestia couldn't possibly react to Mercer's words; her eyes were too busy with the task of staring a hole through the woman who accompanied the King of Elysium. The girl in question was significantly shorter than the male wearing a blue sweat jacket that was zipped up to her chin with gold stripes along the sleeves and the linings of the pockets. She sported a dark blue scarf that had the same pattern details wrapped around her neck, black denim shorts that extended about midway towards her knee, knee-high black boots, and a black cap that covered her blonde hair bound in a ponytail. She had pale, cream colored skin that was quite a few shades lighter than Mercer's skin.

"Yo," Lucy said before giving a small nod. Hestia, however, had Triggered written all over her face; a fact that only made the blonde giggle under her breath as she casually stood by Mercer's side with her hands inside the pockets of her jacket.

"You must be jesting...I mean just look at her...this female has neither the stunning beauty nor the strength bestowed upon me. Why would you dare abandon the clearly superior female specimen for such an underdeveloped plebian?" her fury finally turned into spiteful words. Lucy on the other hand couldn't help but break into laughter, all eyes present soon gazed down on her including those of Hestia's retainers who promptly gathered around the gate to see what all the fuss was about.

"Wow that egotistical nature of yours is just fantastic, Bukkake-chan. Seriously girl, you would make Gilgamesh blush," the small female spoke before she posed placing her hands on her hips glaring at her Hestia with a teasing eye, "But aren't you being a little bit of a wannabe elitist here?"

"What are you trying to imply here?" the Gravity Queen promptly inquired in a challenging tone whilst the scarlet spears she kept in orbit descended from space cutting through the clouds and in a moment's notice began to spin around Hestia herself, "Challenge me and I'll show you what a woman worthy of Mercer's embrace can do."

To those words, Lucy had but one response.

"You can come at me with whichever attacks you may want to use, the results won't change," she spoke as a smug expression appeared on her face; however, she didn't pull out any weapons. All she had were her bare hands and a sassy attitude coupled with a daring smirk. By now crowds of soldiers had gathered around to witness this confrontation between a self-proclaimed member of royalty and someone who couldn't possibly care less about her social class.

"Hey look, Lady Hestia is gonna fight."

"Who's that girl? Can she even fight?

"Oh man, this is gonna be a blood bath," the crowds began to provide a seemingly never-ending stream of commentary in the Gravity Queen's favor. Lucy nevertheless still kept her hands in her pockets like this situation was little more than just a regular ol'day. Hestia's egotistical nature could be seem as a victorious smile took over her expression before she propelled two of her spears forward like missiles that surpassed the speed of light many times over.

"You still insist on doing this huh? You clearly have not been burdened by an overabundance of education," Lucy's intoxicating bemusement was voiced directly into the mind of her opponent. Time had all but taken a sudden halt freezing all in place except Mercer, Lucy, and Hestia herself even though her projectiles had been frozen. Furthermore the remainder of the spearwoman's arsenal had been frozen and rendered unusable.

"Time manipulation...?" Hestia pondered while looking at the wonders of a frozen space-time continuum. Her retainers were like motionless statues. The clouds above didn't move the air she attempted to breathe was rock hard making it so all she really had was the air in her lungs; even the laws of gravity imposed no effect on the seemingly dead world around her.

"It's funny isn't it? Throughout your entire life you've had a history with rejection. You wanted to rule the Blood Wolves and people no doubt respected that wish yet your gender deprived you of that dream, then in prison countless men took advantage of your body but never allowed themselves to go all the way, and more recently your own son rejects you wholeheartedly after seeing what became of you. Let's face it Hestia, you're like the top piece of bread. Everybody touches you, but nobody wants you."

Lucy's words resonated directly into Hestia's mind as she watched the seemingly non-threatening blonde walk over to her only to stop a few inches away. It was then that the powerful leader of the Sapphire Phoenix realized she was looking up at Lucy in a literal sense, something that made no sense considering she was much taller than the Goddess of Time. Looking down on herself, the white beauty finally noticed that...her body was now that of her child self.

"Wh-What did you do?!" she spoke, her voice now that of a prepubescent girl.

"Look at you loli Bukkake-chan...Even as a child you're one of those people who would be enormously improved by death. But then again, I can't really blame ya. After all, the best part of you probably ran down your mother's legs."

"S-shut up! Go kill yourself plebian!" the young Hestia responded with a statement akin to that of any eleven year old elitist.

"Hestia, please...If I wanted to kill myself, I'd climb up your ego and then jump down to your IQ," Lucy responded without a hint of mercy for this child before lowering herself to her level and whispering something into her ear.

"Do you even realize that people just tolerate you? You spout out the ever so pretentious intention of being a ruler-over-all and borderline put people into slavery...but do you know why you're still breathing unlike others who have come before the Oh-so-Great Gravity Queen?"

"I..."

"We pity you, Hestia. The only reason you're alive is because we respect Raizo's innermost desire to one day see to the fall of your crusade...hell I doubt that he even considers you his mother anymore. Besides, he has a real family, and real parents that put you to shame."

"S-Stop it..." Hestia began begging, tears streamed down her cheeks as she dropped to her knees unable to do as much as stop her heart from sinking into despair. Time then began to flow once more, Hestia was now an adult again yet she remained on the ground bawling like a baby whilst Lucy stood victorious overlooking the fallen queen. The Sapphire Phoenix members and soldiers alike were left dumbfounded by this sight. To them, it was as if Hestia had gone from attacking a foe to being utterly destroyed emotionally in less time than even the fastest fighters present could perceive.

"I want you to know that when this war is over and you're met with nothing but failure...I will treasure the time Mercer, Raizo, and I, don't spend with you. At the end of the day, you will be utterly forgotten," Lucy mercilessly spoke as she turned around giving her back to Hestia.

"I'd go ahead and slap you for the hell of it, but that would be animal abuse. Anyway, I hope your day is as pleasant as you are," she concluded only to then leisurely walk back to her husband as if nothing had happened.

"You just had to insult her to death didn't you?" Mercer commented whilst somewhere between amusement for his wife's attitude and a bit of pity for Hestia herself.

"I wasn't insulting her, I was describing her," she accurately remarked, "Nevertheless she's more than likely not going to our little celebration so let's not waste any more time here."

-Present Day-

-AKARA Headquarters (Former Night Raid base)-

Time: 7:25 am

"...So yeah apparently Hestia was not quite friendly to Mom because of her whole god complex and her falsehood was slayed by said Mom real quick," Raizo concluded his summarization of what had happened five days ago. Adena, Vesta, and both Akames were left awestruck by such events; meanwhile Kimiko had a blank, deadpan look all too iconic to herself.

"Alright everyone, you have the rest of the morning and afternoon to prepare. Akaro should be back by 8 P.M. so take all the time you need to get this place looking just right."

"Yes onee-sama," all of them spoke simultaneously in response to Kimiko's words. As he looked at her sitting on that simple throne, Raizo couldn't help but feel as if life had headed in quite the perfect direction. Much like his brother and father, he now had everything and everyone he could ever want within arm's reach.

Time went by fairly fast after that little conversation, soon those present found themselves out of time but regardless they still managed to get the party grounds set up in time. Just like Kimiko had predicted, the Red-Eyed Hero alongside the God Hunter, Lucy, Alexis, and Jibril descended from the heavenly realm of Elysium at the exact time she mentioned. Also as was evident the aforementioned Archangel had been given a proper royal dress that contrasted well with her long, dark, purple hair.

"Oi, anybody here?" Akaro spoke as he entered the household, all lights were of course turned off as unbeknownst to the hero those inside prepared to surprise him. In no time at all the lights flashed on and the Crimson Knight found himself blessed by the presence of his family and a plethora of birthday and Christmas decorations.

"Happy Birthday!" they all said in unison.

"You guys!" Akaro couldn't contain his excitement, "Whose birthday we celebrating?"

"S-Seriously l--love, you're so-oo goddamn dense! It's your birthday" the younger of the Akames declared while stumbling on her own feet, a cup full of alcoholic liquid was under her possession. Akaro immediately brought his gaze to Adena upon seeing this.

"You got her drunk?"

"I promised I'd do it heheh," she promptly answered with a cheeky smile. Both Lucy and Raizo chuckled before stepping up to the pair. The Red-Eyed Stormbringer in particular carried the weapon he and the others had put their heart and soul into crafting over the weeks that followed The Architect's downfall at the hands of Akasha.

"Happy birthday, Aniki. I want to you to think of this gift as our way of saying...thank you...for everything."

Raizo's voice echoed throughout the room as he pulled away the crimson cloak around the weapon, thus revealing its unique design. Thanks to both Adena Zao-Long and Jibril Blake, the blade received a mechanical gun-sheath that could shoot out the odachi and be used to catch the enemy off guard. The Red Knight's eyes were immediately engrossed by the weapon's crimson blade as he manually removed it from its scabbard only to notice it was forged using a mixture of Primordial power and metals only found in Elysium. Furthermore a custom black handle similar to Morana's came packed with this tool of war for maximum ease of use. However that was far from this entire large blade had to offer. A seemingly limitless amount of unstable electrical energy capable of quickly tearing a target asunder could be seen coursing around its length.

"This is...Svarog huh?" Akaro remarked as he felt the unique energy signatures of his comrades resonating throughout the Primordial Armament. Raizo's myriad of complex emotions that roared with the ever brilliant destiny that awaited him, Adena's burning soul that shined through any darkness, Akame's calm and unrelenting will, Kimiko's limitless potential, and Mercer's resolve to face any danger. It was all there amongst a pool of seemingly never-ending power. Alexis looked quite pleased with herself after witnessing the hero's reactions to his gift; the others all shared a collective smile with the exception of Raizo who separated his lips to speak.

"Thinking back on all that has happened over the ages, without you none of us would exist as we are now. We would be separate in our own worlds; perhaps some of us wouldn't even be alive. When I was imprisoned in the Capital and at one of my lowest moments you gave me hope, before that you saved countless lives in the Primordial War and even prior to such events you saved my dad's life. You also saved Kimiko from walking down the same path as her counterpart, Hikari, and you gave Akame a real purpose beyond Night Raid. Without you Aniki, Vesta, Adena, and everyone I hold dear would be dead, erased from history in the blink of an eye by forces we can still hardly fathom...and most amazing of all...you never once asked for anything in return despite always being there for us when most needed."

"Rai..."

"I'll never allow myself to falter like I did in the past ever again. I'm done being Raizo Arashi…a crybaby like him would never be able to repay everything that you did for me...for all of us. I promise, one day I'll stand by your side as an equal," Raizo concluded his speech before reaching out for a fist bump which his brother almost instinctively accepted.

"Don't just aim to be an equal; it's your job as the prime child of the next generation to go beyond those who preceded you. Strive to surpass my deeds and those of your father. I know you can do it," the hero spoke whilst feeling a sense of pride for his brother's newfound resolve. Smiles, laughter, celebration, the boy Raizo Mercer would lack the words required to describe the party that came after that display of gratitude and brotherhood. For hours the members of the AKARA and Mercer family continued to eat, drink, party, and celebrate away for hours. Highlights of the event of course included the interactions between Adena and Lucy.

"Dude...you made Hestia cry?"

"I sure did no regrets."

"Oi, Raizo, I like your new mum better."

"You bet girl," Lucy remarked before the duo shared what could be accurately described as Low Five due to the blonde's short stature. While that happened both Mercer and his son could be seen having a simultaneous sigh in the corner.

"Now then...grandkids when?!" the shorter female inquired immediately causing her flustered son to hide behind his father.

"Mom please I'm not even twenty! I'm too young for kids," Raizo tried to argue.

"You know he may be right," Mercer followed up on his son's statement.

""Quiet you,"" both the queen and future princess of Elysium responded simultaneously shutting father and son up. Meanwhile the man whose anniversary resulted in this celebration in the first place was having his own share of awkward events.

"Hey there Red-Eyed Hero...how about we go upstairs and have a private celebration," Jibril suggested slinging his body against the wall where Night Raid's banner was.

"You make Death herself scream in euphoria every night...would you kindly do the same to an Archangel?" she spoke while leaning her breasts against Akaro's chest. She trapped one of his feet under the gap of her heel. Seeing the lustful look in her eyes, the Red-Eyed Hero couldn't help but chuckle.

""What do you think you're doing, Jibril?"" Both Akames let their voices be known whilst placing the deadly side of her blades inches away from the Archangel's neck causing the sexual deviant to freeze up. The younger of the two Akames was still quite drunk making it so the situation could end up badly.

"Err...Akame-san, I was only joking of course...heheh," she tried to justify herself as she slowly backed away in absolute terror. From there on afterwards the rest of the night continued to play out much the same way with shenanigans between the various different members of AKARA and the Mercer family going on left and right. Hours soon came and went, by the time the clock hit midnight everyone was wasted after an excessive immersion in a microcosm of celebrating.

-The following morning-

Time: 11:30 A.M.

A pleasing breeze could be felt as the sun shined through the clouds. Down on ground level, the members of Team AKARA gathered just outside of their new headquarters in this world. The Mercers had already said their goodbyes by the time Raizo and the others gathered, nevertheless the seven members including Vesta looked to be in a good mood. On one hand Akaro looked rather satisfied with his new weapon safely attached to his back, something the Stormbringer was happy to see. On the other a sense of melancholy could now be felt in wake of the team having to go their separate ways once more.

"I had so much fun these past few weeks, nothing quite like spending time with you guys," Kimiko remarked in a tone full of reminiscence and nostalgia.

"Yeah but we can't stick around forever, otherwise I'm pretty sure we'd end all conflict here in a day or two," Akaro followed up on Kimi's sentiment with his own two cents.

"So what's next for you guys?" Addy questioned.

"I'll be traveling around the globe while honing my skills with the Bleeding Effect to the best of my abilities," the young Akame spoke.

"Much like her, I'll be visiting other continents in my world to provide reports about what exactly happened during our little war," Aka-sensei concluded.

"And you, Aniki?" Raizo curiously inquired as he turned to Akaro.

"I did consider retirement for a while there, but there are still a few things I have to do before that. Jeanne contacted me a while back, apparently the afterlife is still in a bit of disarray and different factions have begun to form amongst Heroic Spirits and Counter Guardians. If order doesn't return any time soon she fears some sort of civil war will take place eventually."

"So you'll be stopping that from happening?"

"Not really my problem since it'd be just a bunch of famous dead people fighting over their own agendas. So as long as they keep the fighting amongst themselves, it doesn't concern me; but I owe Jeanne an apology after what happened so the least I can do is help her out in whichever way."

"I see," Rai remarked before bringing his scarlet gaze to his female counterpart, "What about you, Vesta? You sticking around?"

"As a matter of fact, yes I am. I'll be doing things on my own during the daytime, like helping refugees to safety, or giving supplies to those in need; but I'll be using this place to sleep on a regular basis."

"That leaves you, Kimi-nee...what's next for the Goddess-Above-All?" Rai voiced his last question.

"Oi no need for such a title, too flattering. Anyway, I suppose a conversation with my other self in this world may be in order. After all, Hikari is a danger to more than just the summation of all kingdoms in this reality. We need to deal with her sooner or later. For now however, I shall be returning home. People in the imperial capital of my world will be in need of guidance now that a republic has been established."

In spite of the urge to ask her to stay, Raizo merely nodded to her words; however, deep down he knew that Kimi could read his feelings and those of his family like an open book given her status. Even then the child of thunder couldn't help but feel a bit of pain; he had quickly grown used to having those he cared for nearby. Regardless, he could still tell now more than ever that they'd forevermore remain by his side in the future.

"I suppose this is farewell for now," the young goddess remarked before closing her eyes, when she opened them again her irises sported the mystic blue coloring that symbolized Akasha. Raizo felt his heart skip a beat as he gazed into that endless void of never-ending wisdom. A motherly voice he knew all too well then echoed in the deepest reaches of his mind.

"Always retain it in your memory O' Great Stormbringer of the Seventh Cycle; forget the risk. Take the fall. If it's what you want, it's worth it."

Those were the last words the youth heard before witnessing the visage of his family fade in a bright flash of crimson—as always they knew how to make quite the awe inspiring exit. Raizo soon found himself alone with his female companions and the younger Red-Eyed Killer who also prepared to start her own journey.

"Red Kings...huh?" he spoke under his breath in a moment of remembrance, the words of his father now vividly played in his subconscious.

"I wasn't born a prince or a king. Through the fire and flames of the war between Heaven and Earth I ultimately brought down the original King of Elysium who went by the ever so pretentious title of One True God. Point is though; we're not really King and Prince, or anything of the sort. Those titles are just a little something people who looked up to our family gave us as a thank you for freeing this world of its corrupt ruler.

I'm more of a leader than a ruler as you can probably tell, and I don't consider myself royalty at all as such a position implies superiority. We're not superior to our common folk here, they can follow our path if they wish but I'm not about to force my will on anyone like your mother did in that...what did you call it again? Shatterpoint? Regardless I harbor hope that should anything happen to me...you'll rise up to take my place—not as king—but as a symbol that represents hope."

Raizo´s goal was forevermore set in his mind. The child of thunder once driven by vengeance henceforth has a promise to keep and a lifelong quest to pursue in a new era where judgment shall be dealt.