Elite Seven's Hideout...

In a fairly concealed forest inside a house, the Elite Seven is currently using this as their current hideout. As of now, Poney lied down on a bed, their last skirmish was up against the Retribution Group.

Najasho had severely wounded her, making Poney unfit for combat at the moment. Akame was currently watching over her.

Akame: "It's okay, Poney. You're going to pull through."

Green: (thoughts) 'But she might never be able to fight again...dammit.'

Poney: (weakly) "...Najasho...Akira."

Akame: "Poney...it's okay now!"

Poney: "If I'm still alive...then the brainwashing they did on Najasho and Akira...must not be that strong. You saw it...right, Akame?"

Akame: (nods) "I did, Poney. I really did."

Poney: "...Because if he'd...or either of them...had come at me intending to kill me...I'd be dead right now..."

Akame: "Poney..."

Afterwards, both Green and Akame left the room and went in another, leaving Poney to rest. Akame was currently leaning up against the wall, Green in a thinking position.

Green: "I wish...we could break they're brainwashing."

Akame: "Yeah...there must be some way."

Green: "If we kill the puppeteer controlling them, I bet we can break the spell. He probably has to stay close to chief and Akira in order to maintain control over him. I wish we could hide and observe him, but the one pulling his strings is always around."

Akame: "So when his controller said chief and Akira would die if we just killed him, it was a bluff to keep himself from being attacked?"

Green: "I've never heard of a case where the death of the parasite necessarily kills the host. Though it is wishful thinking."

Akame: (determined look) "It's enough to go on. Let's put our bets on that."

Green: (grabs Akame's shoulders) "But don't get hung up on them. I don't want you to end up dead too!"

Akame: "Green..."

Green: "Y-You'd probably think it's cold of me to tell you not to get too attached, but..."

Akame: "No. You're being nice, Green. Thank you for worry about me."

Green: "Akame..."

Akame: "But I can't give up on them...I can't."

Green stood there, silently. He noted that once Akira had supposedly "died," she started wearing his necklace. Not only that, any topic that pertained to the icy blue-eyed teen, she'd listen intently. It made Green think, how much did Akame care about Akira as a person? He wondered back to what she told him, how she thought of Akira as a brother. For some reason, Green had doubts about that.

Mount Hakuba, Rebel Army Base...

Mashiro: "Is Lorris okay?"

Leaning up against a wooden beam, Mashiro had peered into the room over, seeing Lorris kneeling on the floor with a small low table in front of her. Another low table sat next to her with another one sitting in front of her. Mashiro could hear the young girl talking to herself, but she couldn't make out what she was saying. Mudi then looked to the scene.

Mudi: "She's using hallucinations to keep her mind from breaking completely so she can continue as normal...I think it shows what a pro she is. It's far better than getting so depressed that her battle performance suffers."

Mashiro: "When Lorris has had her revenge, I'll step in so she won't have to carry on like this."

Mudi: "Très bien! It's important to be kind to others. Possessing both love and fury is what makes us human, Mashiro-san."

Mashiro: (thoughts) 'If I want to move forward, I have to make peace with the past--and quick.'

Mudi then turns his head towards Akira and Najasho, the two leaning up against the wall near a dark corner. Sweat was pooling down their faces, Najasho gritting his teeth with Akira clenching his head. It was clear though, the two were in pain.

Mudi: "You look like you two are in pain. What is it?"

Najasho: "Ever since killing her, I've felt terrible for no apparent reason..."

Akira: "And something keeps telling me to not hurt her, to never make her cry. That girl. And every time I think of it, I start to remember, but I every time I try to remember what I see, everything...everything starts to hurt."

Mudi: "...Until Mashiro-san's healed, we will strengthen our defenses and rest. You two go and take a breather." (thoughts) 'You two are my enemy. It's none of my concern if the both of you are suffering. Once we've had our revenge, I'll murder you two myself. Suffer the pain...of losing your comrades.'

The days would soon pass, the Elite Seven and Retribution Group making preparations to what would be the final battle. And as this happened, Akira kept trying to remember his past.

Every time the red-eyed girl popped up in his mind, his head would start to get immense pain, him severely clutching his head. Others would pop up in his head as well. The first one being a girl about his age with golden blonde locks and beautiful blue eyes. He couldn't remember the girl's name, but the only thing he did know was that he would brighten up every time when seeing her. But this only furthered his questions.

Who was he really?

During this time, the Elite Seven had spent their time resting and training when they could. However, since Kurome's weapon had broke, she was to be supplied with a new weapon. Instead of a normal katana that she was previously issued, the Empire sought to issue her something more powerful. A Teigu. And so, Kurome had come into the possession of the Teigu, Yatsufusa. This Teigu took in the form of a katana, it's special ability being that it could raise the dead of the people and Danger Beasts it's killed.

And soon, the day of the raid had come. Currently, in the Rebel Base of Mount Hakuba, Lorris is currently leaning up against Mashiro. The young girl leaned her head back, staring at the silver-haired woman.

Lorris: "Hey, Mera-sama. Play with me! Come on! I don't care if it's hunting or what. I'm booored!"

Mashiro: (sigh) "I'm trying to meditate here. Pipe down." (thoughts) 'Ever since I started looking out for her, Lorris has begun super imposing her loved ones on me...I guess that's not so bad. We're both alone now. I'll be the one to protect her.'

As the two continue to lounge around, the two were suddenly startled by a loud noise. The sound of a gong was being rung throughout the stronghold.

Mashiro: "That's the signal that we're going to war."

Heading out of his personal quarters, Suzaku could be seeing putting on his trench coat, him preparing for war. Mudi sat in the meeting room, staring at the Rebel Army general.

Mudi: "Are you really going out there? That information was just a trap to lure you out!"

Suzaku: (clenches fist) "...I was originally a bandit, but after meeting the Revolutionary Army, my life changed. Now that I'm an officer with the Revolutionary Army, there are some things I cannot turn my back on! I'm going!"

Mudi: (thoughts) 'It's clear they took his disposition as a general into account when they thought up this operation.'

Mount Hakuba, Forest At The Foot Of The Mountain...

Gozuki: "The Rebel Army should be coming down the mountain soon. Our job is take out Commander Suzaku and those escorting him."

Green: "Our targets are associated those with the Rebel Army. Shouldn't we be taking on the rest of their troops too?"

Gozuki: "Leave them to Bill's assassins team behind us. That's why we have Kurome and her Teigu on loan."

Akame turned her head slightly to see Kurome heading off deeper in the forest with Bill's assassin team, the leader being a boy named Kairi. Kurome waved goodbye, her turning around as she heads off with Kairi and his team.

Akame: "...That Teigu...has an extraordinary ability, but..."

Gozuki: "What's the matter? You don't like the idea of playing puppeteer to a bunch of dead bodies? It's just moving around slabs of dead meat, see? It's not a big deal."

Green: "If she uses Yatsufusa's powers right, she can use corpses as a constant shield. Think of it as increasing the safety of our allies...and Kurome, Akame."

Akame: "...Yeah. ...Yeah, you're right." (looks to Gozuki) "How did you manage to draw the targets out of the mountains where they've been holed up all this time?"

Gozuki: "...That's not for you to know. Don't worry about it. Akame, use your speed to target Suzaku first and foremost. Green, you take care of the muscleheads. I'll detain the rest and whittle them down."

Meanwhile...

Heading down the mountain from their stronghold, Suzaku and his army were heading towards the village, seeing it was caught on fire. Mudi and the rest of the Retribution Group were accompanying him, Najasho and Lorris at the front, Mashiro to the side with Akira on the other, and Mudi riding a horse alongside Suzaku.

From the shadows of the forest, Kairi and his team, along with Kurome, awaited for the army to pass by and wait for the commander to show up. As soon as Suzaku and his entourage were about to pass, Kairi gives the signal to Kurome. The black-haired girl then stabs Yatsufusa into the ground many corpses of the people Kurome had killed rising from the ground. A skirmish then ensues, the Rebel Army battling Kurome's puppets. But despite the Rebel Army hacking away at Kurome's puppets, cutting off some of their limbs, they didn't stop, them being overwhelmed.

With no other choice, those at the front of the Rebel Army, they killed themselves by being suicide bombers. Their bodies exploded, causing the corpses of Yatsufusa to be blown off as limbs and blood were splattered every where. Due to the explosion, Suzaku was knocked off his horse. By the time the commander looked up, Gozuki and Green had leaped out of the trees, the older man letting his hair roam free as they attempt to wrap around the commander. However, Akira and Najasho were quick to react, smacking Gozuki's hair away with their blades. In Gozuki's blind spot, Mashiro had took out her revolver, taking aim and firing a few shots.

But Gozuki had enhanced senses, thanks to his training and modifications as a Rakshasa Demon. Twisting and bending his body with ease, Gozuki dodged the bullets, but he soon perks up, blocking a slash from Najasho. Gozuki let out an annoyed sound. Despite him being the trainer of the Elite Seven, Najasho was one of the few people able to defeat him, especially for one so young. Unable to have time to react, Gozuki grunted in pain as Akira had slashed him from the back, him jumping out of the way to make way for Najasho, the blonde teen kicking Gozuki in his chest that he was knocked back, crashing into a boulder.

Green: (worried) "Father!"

Gozuki: (thoughts) 'Tch. It's dangerous to take on those three by myself...'

Suzaku: "This isn't the usual number of assassins...!"

Mudi: "The Empire plans to make an example of this region."

Suzaku: "Not on my watch..."

The commander of the Rebel Army soon then felt a chill go down his spine, turning his behind him. Coming at high speeds was Akame, her deadly glare dead set on Suzaku. Suzaku's men then get in front of him, getting into defensive stances and positions. However, this proved to be futile as Akame parried each strike that was sent towards her, cutting down Suzaku's men with ease.

Suzaku: "What...!?"

Akame: "You're my target, Suzaku."

Suzaku: "And you must be the Empire's puppet."

Akame: "Wrong! I'm here on my own free will to prevent a war from breaking out!"

Suzaku: "How big a fool can you be!?"

Suzaku raises his blade up, preparing to slice down on Akame. The commander wasn't quick enough, Akame winning the battle as she slashes his stomach, killing him. With Suzaku's body falling limp, her glare was now dead set on Mudi, who was now sweating with fear.

Mudi: "If you kill me, those two friends of yours I'm controlling will die."

The former Gravekeeper thought his warning would make her hesitate, him grinning as he goes to his pocket to pull out a revolver. But Mudi's eyes soon widen as Akame had appeared in front of him, now cutting him up as she begins to slash him all over.

Akira had saw this, heading over to Mudi to save him, the parasite in him telling him to save him. But once Akame did the finishing blow, she faced Akira. Akira prepped to cut her down, but once Mudi died, a great pain began to surge in his left eye. Akira then holds his left eye with his left hand, him screaming out in pain as Akame looked at him with worriedness.

Akame: "Akira!"

Akira: "S-Stay back! Argh! I'll kill you!"

She tried to step forward, but she kept getting pushed back. Due to the immense pain in his left eye, Akira felt himself that he was in danger, deciding to slash the area around him while his left eye was currently inoperable. However, at the same time, he felt the need to escape. Akira weighed his options. If he stayed, he would most likely be killed, but something tells him he won't. If he fled, he would be able to live longer. Akira went with the latter, heading off into the forest as Akame went to give chase.

As this happened, Najasho had raised the Water Dragon Sword over his head, he himself preparing to end Gozuki's life. But once Mudi died, he as well began to feel intense pain in his left eye, causing him to hold it as he began to yell out in pain. Mashiro saw this, looking at him worriedly. Like Akira, Najasho fled off to the forest at high speeds, speeding out of the battlefield.

Mashiro: (thoughts) 'Did Mudi's defeat make him lose his mind!? Same thing must've happened with the other guy. In any case, I need to finish this guy off...'

However, Mashiro couldn't end Gozuki's life, turning around to find Akame heading straight for her. As much as Akame wanted to chase down Akira in order to help him, she put the mission first, her heading to Mashiro so she could kill her.

In response, the silver-haired woman pulled out her revolver once more, putting her finger on the trigger as she prepared to fire.