Currently running through the dark filled streets of Kyoroch was Lubbock, with Mez and Sten hot on his tail. Using Cross Tail, he uses his wires to zip through the city, trying to make his escape from the two Rakshasas Demons behind him.

Lubbock: (thoughts) 'Shit! They jumped me! How did they sniff me out!?'

Mez: "Take that!"

The tanned skin girl was a Rakshasa Demon, so she displayed super inhumane strength, speed, endurance, and the like, along with a variety of skills to use. One of those skills was body manipulation, Mez able to extend her limbs forward. Her hand clenched into a fist as it struck Lubbock's back, causing him to cough up blood as he fell to the ground.

Skidding across the floor, he soon comes to a stop, not moving. Mez soon comes scraping by him, stopping next to his body as she nudges him with her foot. Lubbock didn't move a single muscle.

To confirm that he was dead, Mez crouched down and felt for a pulse. Nothing.

Mez: "His heart's already stopped. Weakling!"

---

On the outskirts of Kyoroch, Tatsumi and Mine had just left the city and entered a more rocky terrain, seemingly at the bottom of a canyon. Their gaze was set onto Kyoroch, the wind blowing through their hair.

Tatsumi: (scratches the back of head) "Phew! We walked everywhere."

Mine: "I gotta admit, this place is so diverse. It's intriguing. When all of this is over, I want to come shopping here too."

Tatsumi: (sigh) "You take so long shopping, it'd take days."

Mine: "Huh? That's usual. Completely normal." (smug grin) "A guy who can't let a woman shop... How narrow-minded."

Tatsumi: (visible tick mark) "And a girl so quick to call a guy 'narrow-minded' is narrow-minded herself."

Mine: "That does it! Let's hash out the pecking order right here and now! You are so cheeky, you know that!?"

Tatsumi: "We're supposed to be the same rank, so realize that just bringing up a 'pecking order' shows how wrong you are!"

???: "Please. Enough of this senseless arguing..."

Mine/Tatsumi: "...Huh?"

The two assassins pause and look to the new voice. It was the Path of Peace's leader, a kind smile on his face as he stood in front of them with many of his followers behind him.

Priest: "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be so forward and intrusive."

Mine: "Don't tell me... You're the Path of Peace's..."

Tatsumi: "Are you their priest?"

Priest: "Yes. I sometimes make my rounds to see how the city is doing. I even ran into a familiar face. It seems he's taken my advice to heart and found someone that has accepted him for what he is. Even if he views himself as a monster."

Tatsumi leaned over slightly to peer over towards the leader's group. Many of the followers had weapons for defense, but they didn't seem to be hostile. Not only that, his target wasn't to be seen within the crowd.

Tatsumi: (thoughts) 'Bolic's not with him... Though knowing him, he's probably cozied up in his stronghold...'

Priest: "I can see that you two are bound by a red thread. So rather than fight, just confess your feelings already."

Mine/Tatsumi: "...Huh?"

Priest: (smiles) "Once you become a couple, you'll come to see fights are not so bad every once and a while."

Mine/Tatsumi: (confused) "...Huh?"

---

Back at the graveyard, the two Revolutionary Army spies continued to hide behind the tree as Run began to fire many of his feathers like they were arrows upon the two assassins before him. However, thanks to their training as assassins with Gozuki in the past, their reflexes were heightened and quick, able to dodge the attacks with ease. 

Run sent a few more towards Akame's way, Akira soon catching up to her and pushing her out of the way, creating an ice barrier between them. Run noted that since he put a bit too much space between him and the two Night Raid members, his feathers wouldn't do as much force. He then descended down just a bit more and continued to launch his attacks, only to be frustrated as the two assassins only dodged them again and again, the two dodging them by just a hair. It was then Run's eyes had widened.

They were purposely dodging them by a hair in order to draw him in closer, making it to their advantage so they could take him down much easier. If he had drawn closer, he was certain that he could take out one of them with his Teigu's Trump Card, but then he'd have to deal with the other, making it a Teigu battle in turn.

So with no other options left, Run chose to turn around and retreat. He was a scout first and foremost, heading back to his base to report back to Esdeath of his finds. 

Akame: "So he fled..."

Akira: "Quite the diplomatic man."

???: (chuckle) "A killer who let's her enemy get away after she's seen him? What a fiasco! I feel bad for you, so I'll play with you instead. Akame-chan.~"

The two Night Raid assassins turned around, shocked. It was a familiar face they hadn't seen in a long time. Akira looks at Ibara with a seething venom in his eyes.

Akame: "Ibara! You came to Kyoroch!?"

Akira: (thoughts) 'Shit. We weren't expecting to take on the Rakshasa Demons until after the Minister's assassination. They just had to show up.'

Ibara: "Hehehe. A bad little girl who's turned her back on the Empire... Deserves a good spanking."

The Raksahasa Demon tosses two heads towards them, Akame recognizing it was the two spies they were just with. Getting in front of her, Akira grabs one of the heads and freezes it completely, the other bouncing past him. Akira then crushes the head in his hand, the head exploding into ice shards as he gives Ibara a death glare. 

Akira: "Hands off, asshole. You ain't touching that ass because that ass is mine and mine alone. So don't even think about it."

Akame: "E-Eh!?"

The red-eyed girl blushed a deep red as she looked at her boyfriend. Akira wasn't sure what had came over him, but just at the mention of it coming from another man's mouth had angered him. Ibara only giggled with excitement as he licked his lips with delight, knowing he riled up Akira real good.

Akira: "I'll kill you."

Ibara: "Just try it!"

Summoning Harvester into his hands, Akira dashes off with Ibara doing the same, his tongue hanging out as he laughed with glee. Akira spun in a circle, doing a buzzsaw like attack as he dashes forward. Ibara, however, was a master of body manipulation like the other Rakshasa Demons, extending his back backwards, avoiding Akira's various slashes with his scythe. He soon stops himself, jumping into the air as he extends his foot forward and kicks Ibara in the chest.

But he seemed have taken it, grabbing Akira's leg before throwing him elsewhere, the icy blue-eyed teen recovering in the air. Ibara simply grinned, putting his arms behind his head as he crouched down before he puffed his chest out. Hundreds of needles began to shoot out of his chest, going in all directions. Akira soon lands on the ground and stomps his foot to form an ice barrier in front of him, letting the needles strike it. Once they were all blocked, he uses his strength and kicks the ice barrier in front of him, the force of his strike breaking the ice into several chunks and sharp pieces as it makes it's way towards Ibara. However, Ibara simply extended his finger nails and cut them all down, looking at Ibara with a grin.

Ibara: "Along with our intense training, we of the four Rakshasa Demons were raised eating the broth of the lake kraken that lives in the mountains behind the temple. That's enabled us to manipulate our bodies at will. Which means I can evade the sinister scythe of yours. And I can do this too."

His arms then became elastic, launching a barrage of punches and attacks towards the black-haired teen. Akira then grits his teeth, raising his arms up for defense while he still kept hold of Harvester.

Ibara: "Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey!"

He clicked his tongue in annoyance as he was being pushed by the Rakshasa Demon, Ibara clasping his hands down on the middle handle bar of Harvester. Quickly letting it go, he then continued his previous onslaught.

Ibara: "Take this and this and this! How do you like that, Akira-kun!~"

Akira: "Piss off!"

His attacks kept grazing his legs and arms, Ibara's hands just grazing him as they ripped up some of his clothing. Akira then lets one of his hands free of the scythe's handle, thrusting it forward as a blade emerged from under his leather gauntlet. The small blade was attached to a small mechanism just under it, it being controlled by a finger. Just with a small movement of his left hand's ring finger, the blade would extend.

Just before the blade struck and made contact with Ibara's neck, the Rakshasa Demon grabbed Akira's arm. 

Ibara: "I told you, we've gone under intense training! Now, your Teigu is mine!"

He kicks Akira off of him, causing him to lose grip on Harvester's handle and he lets it go. Akira back flips off the ground before he lands next to Akame, who soon grasped his hand. As soon as Ibara held Harvester, his arm soon erupted into flames, him letting out a screeching pain as a green flame enveloped his whole entire arm.

Ibara: "Wh-What's with this damn scythe...!"

Akame then let's go of Akira's hand as he dashes off and roundhouse kicks Ibara in the face and follows up with another kick to his chest. Ibara falls onto his back and Akira catches Harvester in midair, then leaning it on his shoulder as he gazed down at the Rakshasa Demon with hate.

Ibara: "I can't believe...that's what you were planning from the start... You let go of your Teigu on purpose..."

Akira: "You called Harvester 'sinister', dumbass. It's anything but that. It's quite beautiful, if you ask me. But you calling it 'sinister' meant you weren't compatible to begin with. Shows how dumb you are."

Ibara: "How dare you... How dare yooouuu!"

Ibara quickly shot up from the ground and ran towards him in a fit of rage. But Akira simply smirked and side-stepped to the side, Akame dashing past him, cutting off Ibara's legs, arms, and cutting him in half. 

Akira: "Sorry, but Harvester didn't take a liking to you. It didn't see your soul as fit to be harvested."

Akame: "You should be happy you didn't have that much work to do... Ibara."

Ibara: "Heh... You're... Such a dangerous girl... I think I'm in love... Hehehe..."

And in another quick flash, Akira had dashed past Ibara's body and lopped his head off. His head then fell to the ground as Akira spit on Ibara's body with disgust.

Akira: "Don't talk that way to her, asshole."

Akame: "And what's this about my ass being 'yours', hmm?"

The icy blue-eyed teen shivered as he slowly turned around, Akame walking up to him with a close-eyed smile as she put her hands on her hips. It scared Akira quite a bit, clearing his throat as he awkwardly looked at her.

Akira: "O-Oh, that...? I didn't like the way he was talking... Especially with that he was declaring. I had to show him that you were mine somehow..."

Akame: "Well..."

The ravenette soon grabbed his arms and put them onto her rear, making Akira blush a bit. Akame then leaned upwards and she touched her nose with his, then whispering seductively.

Akame: "If you want this ass to be yours, then you'll have to earn it. Does that sound good to you, love?~"

Akira: "Y-Yeah... Right."

Akame simply smiled and giggled, making Akira smile as well. She soon grabbed his arm and began tugging him, leading him back to the city as they head back into the market area once more, to where Akira would then began to pay for more meat items. His wallet was truly hurting.

---

Somewhere else in the city, Lubbock was still seen on the ground. Sten was standing over him, standing guard as he was looking around. While Mez had confirmed that Lubbock had no pulse, he still wanted to be sure he was dead, closely watching him for any movements while keeping on the lookout for Mez. Speaking of which...

Sten: "Hmm... What's taking so long... Mez...?"

Lubbock: (thoughts) '...You can say that again, old man! I wish you'd hurry up and get lost too! How long do I gotta play dead? The armor of thread wrapped around my body protected me from her punch. My pulse was easy to take care of, I but Cross Tail in my body to bind my blood vessels. If this turns into a battle, it's likely the Jaegers will come. This isn't funny. Either way, I'll have to keep this up for as long as I can.'

Running footsteps could be heard as a woman could be seen running from Mez. Mez then looked up ahead and beamed Sten a smile.

Mez: "Hey, Shuten. She's heading your way. This prey's for you!"

The young girl let out a shriek has a glint of enjoyment lit up in Sten's eyes. She was then beginning to get surrounded by the two, the girl growing worried. However, Lubbock couldn't do anything. Should he make any sudden movement, his two enemies could immediately pick it up and potentially kill him. Or torture him for information, but killing is what the Rakshasa Demons do best.

Lubbock: (thoughts) 'That girl's one of the spies... These guys figure that just because this back street's empty, they can turn it into their personal hunting ground. Sorry, but I can't save you. You're a spy, so you should already be prepared for this.'

Sten: "You're a lost little child wandering in a great big world." (wide grin) "I'm going to liberate that soul of yours. So be happy."

The large man lunged his large arm forward and grasps the girl's neck. His hand snaked around her neck and he lifted her up, slowly applying pressure onto his grip as he began to choke her, the woman letting out a small groan for help.

Sten's grin only grew wider, but it soon dropped, him extending his other arm out to catch something. Catching something in between his fingers, Sten looked at it. It was a knife. The two Rakshasa Demons look to see where it came from, only to see Lubbock standing there. They were surprised.

Lubbock: "I knew it. It's no use. I just can't lie back and let a girl on my team die."

Sten: (drops girl) "You... Live."

Mez: "Wow, you really had us fooled! You're pretty dumb, though. You should've kept playing dead!"

Lubbock: (sigh) "The thing about me is, I consider my position... And I do everything I can do to avoid head-on conflict. But." (grins) "When it comes to a do-or-die fight... I give it everything I've got!"

He then got into a battle stance, allowing Cross Tail's threads to surround him. Mez and Sten begin to grin with excitement.

Lubbock: "Both of you... Come at me!"

Mez: "Tch! There's no need for us to come to you! You're attacking us by throwing out your threads!"

Lubbock: "I knew you'd have me figured out."

The green-haired assassin had let his threads flow out and used them to attack, but the two simply took a step back to dodge them. While the threads weren't as sharp as Extase and can't cut anything, they were well sharp and quite versatile, Lubbock able to manipulate his wires with his own will.

Seeing an opening, Sten lunged forward and appeared next to him, making Lubbock look at him, surprised.

Sten: "I'll liberate your soul too. Temple of the Imperial Fist: Hundred Burning Fists!"

Lubbock: "Listen up, old man! You don't get to talk to me!"

The two were now locked into a clash, Lubbock raising his wires away from Mez and raising it up against Sten. The buff Rakshasa Demon began to rapidly thrust his fists forward, all of it being blocked by Lubbock's wires while he kept gritting his teeth as he could feel the pressure and force from each strike of Sten's fists. He then quickly dodges Sten's last strike, coming to a halt as he was just a few feet away from them. Mez begins to crack her knuckles, preparing herself to join in on the fun.

Sten: "Well, well. The kid's clever... So those threads are a Teigu."

Mez: "This time, I'll crack your skull open... And make sure you're good and dead.~"

Lubbock: "I'd rather not be popular with girls like you."

The two Rakshasa Demons look to each other and nod, knowing they had to take him out quickly. So they rushed at him once more, making Lubbock grin, a plan formulating in his mind.

Lubbock: "Gather up my threads! And! Speed up, centrifugal force!"

Forming his threads into a axe, Lubbock had began to spin it in a circle over him. Mez halted herself before he aimed her arm and flicked it, sending a nail his way at high speeds.

Mez: "That move is leaving you way too open, don't you think?"

Lubbock: "Not really."

Mez's nail struck Lubbock's arm, revealing that he had some protection there, thanks to his wires. He then raises his axe over his head, putting the end of it on the ground and uses it to propel himself in the air. He then looms over Sten, preparing to bring the axe down.

Lubbock: "Here comes my super secret move! Wire Impact!"

Bringing the great axe down, Lubbock aims it for Sten's head, who only chuckled with unamusement. The buff man catches it in between his hands, a crater appearing under him, Sten noting that Lubbock had put in a considerable amount of force into his attack. But, it wasn't enough to bring him down.

Sten: "Feeble!"

Lubbock: "What!?"

Sten: "That's your secret move...? Don't make me laugh."

Lubbock: (kicks off of Sten) "Oh, really? But I've already accomplished my goal. Look behind you!"

The two turn around to see what he meant. The spy girl that was previously on the floor was no longer their. Their little battle with Lubbock had given her enough time to have her run away.

Mez: "Ah. That girl got away."

Sten: "Huh."

Lubbock: "Now it's time for me to say goodbye too!"

Turning the other way, the green-haired assassin quickly takes off as fast as he can, leaving but a dust cloud behind. Mez and Sten stare at his spot for a bit before the bigger man sighed and rubbed his temple.

Sten: "So he put on that big display to distract us from the girl and let her escape... He leaves me no choice now."

He crouched down and grinned, putting his two feet behind him before he blasted off, the stone road being destroyed in the process. Lubbock turned his head around, only to be screaming in terror of the thundering footsteps he heard behind him. Behind him was Sten, who was already beginning to catch up to him.

Sten: "I don't care if it's only yours... I will be liberating a soul today!"

Lubbock: (grin) "Are you sure you should be doing that? Charging at me with all that force?" (thoughts) 'The threads of Cross Tail are made from the hair of a super class Danger Beast said to live in the clouds in the east sea. The body hair that protected the more vital areas was the most bristly. And tough. The threads from those areas have a particularly sharp bite. They are called "boundary cutting threads."' "I saved the best thread for last. I doubt even you could cut it."

Seeing the thin line of thread, Sten comes to a halt, his feet scraping across the stone road. However, he wasn't fast enough in stopping, the wire coming into contact with his neck as it began to cut deep into his skin, making him cough up blood. Quickly taking this chance of his vulnerability, Lubbock formed a spear into his hands.

Lubbock: "Now, the finishing move!"

He then throws it, the spear flying through the air with great speed as it strikes and punctures Sten's chest. Sten had coughed up a little bit of blood, but it wasn't enough to kill him.

Sten: "You! You're too timid, boy. My body's endured too much training for this little scratch to do me in!"

Lubbock: (grin) "It doesn't matter how tough your body is. The moment Cross Tail stabbed your chest... It sent it's threads to your heart."

Hearing this come out of his mouth, Sten put both of his hands onto the spear in attempt to get it out. But it was already too late, the wires having wrapped around his heart. Lubbock simply clenched his hand together and the wires cut Sten's heart into bits and pieces, making Sten cough up numerous amounts of blood onto the floor.

His large body then falls backwards, Sten's body lying motionless. He had been reduced to nothing but a corpse.

Lubbock: "And there's no training that can help against that."

Mez: "Ooh! Well done! You actually took out Shuten!"

Turning his head around, Lubbock could see the other Rakshasa Demon, Mez, casually walking up to him. She whistled in acknowledgment of the fact that he was able to defeat Sten, who was considered one of the strongest opponents in the Empire.

Mez: "But the Minister won't be too happy about this."

Lubbock: "Actually, you won't have to worry about that." (spreads wires around) "Sorry, but... Now that you've seen my Teigu, I can't let you live to go back home."

Mez: (giggles) "That's okay. That's just how it is for killers like us."

The blonde-haired girl then lets something drop, which seemed to be metal horseshoes. She gripped her arms and shoulders a bit, moving them around to make sure they weren't stiff. Mez then stood still for a moment before liquid started to appear on her body, letting them fly as she shoots them away.

The strange liquid then spills all around him, Lubbock having to tuck in his feet and put them in a different area so the liquid didn't hit him. It then landed onto his threads, covering them as they began to drip slightly, the wires getting heavy.

Lubbock: (thoughts) 'What's with that strange goop...? Uh-oh... The weight of that sticky liquid's making my threads go slack. They're completely useless now!'

Mez: "It's called oil. It's actually my sweat. The Four Rakshasa Demons specialize in manipulating their bodies like this. That means your little defense barrier can't help you anymore!"

(A/N): You know... I was thinking of putting in the next picture, but now looking at it, it made it look like Mez had just went through a heat-filled session of "that." Like what happens in a hentai. ...Wait... Why the fuck am I thinking about that?

Kicking off the ground, Mez begins to jump all around the street's walls, zipping past him. Lubbock wasn't able to keep up with her, so he wasn't sure where he was going to strike. But he soon let out a grunt of pain and was sent flying, Mez appearing in front him and punching him in the gut.

Lubbock was sent skidding across the floor, breaking some of the stone tiles in the process. He soon came to a stop, unable to get up to defend himself.

Lubbock: (pants heavily) "I...I can't get up..." (thoughts) 'If I take another one of her attacks, I'll be dead meat for sure.'

He then sees her walking towards her. Fighting through the pain, he sat up slightly and through two knives at her, Mez giggling as she tilted her body to the side to dodge it.

Mez: "Don't put up a useless resistance. It's unbecoming."

Once she was close enough, Mez then lifted Lubbock up by the hem of his shirt. His gritted teeth soon softened up to a small grin as he looked down at her. Especially since she wasn't wearing much for a top.

Lubbock: "Shit... You're pretty cute. If we weren't enemies, I'd ask you out."

Mez: (laughs) "You're not so bad-looking yourself. I probably would've said yes. But... Oh well! We'll have to save that for the next life! Bye bye! ...Huh?"

The girl's eyes went wide as she felt something stab into her back. It was the same two knives Lubbock had sent towards her. He had attached his wires to it and was able to redirect them back to Mez, to which she was unaware. Mez falls face first whilst also letting go of Lubbock.

Lubbock: "I tied threads to my knives. So when I retracted my threads, the knives came with them... Bye bye."

He then plunges the knives into her back more, making sure Mez was surely killed. He then leaned down and closed her eyelids, then dusting himself off and heading in the other direction as the sun began to rise.

Lubbock: "I'd better hurry up and get out of here. ...Awww, what a waste... It feels like this is how it always goes for me."

The next day had arrived and the Jaegers had now upped their security, now that Run had informed them of Night Raid's presence in the city.

In the meantime, many of Night Raid's informants had been murdered, meaning their movements were now slowed. This lead them to have to go out and collect information themselves. The battle was only drawing closer.

Night Raid: 8

Jaegers: 5

Rakshasa Demons: 1