The day of the final battle had arrived.

Atop the great walls of the Capital, Esdeath had leaned forward, next to her was Suzuka, who was kneeling forward to get a better look at the lay of the land. Esdeath simply grinned, her hands on her hips as she could see the Revolutionary Army gathered in the far back, mobilizing themselves. She could see cannons lining the front, the soldiers loading them up with cannonballs.

Just below the two, at the base of the wall were Esdeath's ice cavalry.

Esdeath: "Enemies as far as the eye can see... How marvelous."

Suzuka: "They mean to surround us on all sides."

Esdeath: "Until my ice cavalry intercepts them."

Likewise, the cannons in the interior of the walls were being loaded up by Imperial soldiers. Seconds later, explosions and booming noises ring throughout the air, both sides firing their cannons, great zooming black balls of stone being launched and hurled to the opposing sides. Esdeath blushed in amusement, Suzuka looking at the icy general with a blush herself.

Esdeath: "Look! They've launched cannonballs at us by way of greeting!"

Suzuka: (thoughts) 'She looks so happy...'

Esdeath: "Now, then..." (snaps fingers) "How about some fireworks to kick off the battle!?"

After snapping her fingers, ice shards and flurry-like objects appear on her wrist. Using her ability to manipulate ice at will, Esdeath used this technique of hers to float in the air. To counter the cannonballs that hadn't struck the wall and were making their way towards her, Esdeath created multiple ice spikes, sending them all forward. They collided with the cannonballs, the shards of ice doing enough to stop them in their tracks as they exploded in midair.

Smoke and ice mist mixed together as they all kept on colliding. From the Revolutionary Army front, the soldiers' mouths were all agape, seeing as their weaponry were stopped by mere ice shards.

Revolutionary Army Soldier: (disbelief) "A-All of them... All the cannonballs were intercepted."

Najenda: "This is all according to plan. It's okay. Our aim is to get her to use up her energy."

Revolutionary Army Soldier: "Oh, I see!"

Najenda: (thoughts) '...Or so I say. I can't believe she blew threw every last cannonball out of the sky. I knew you'd be the last enemy to stand in our way. Esdeath!'

---

Imperial Capital, Highest Floor in the Palace...

Both Honest and the child Emperor were on the highest floor of the Imperial palace. Already, they could hear the battle raging outside their city walls, the roaring of the cannons and the yelling of the soldiers.

If it weren't obvious, the child Emperor was quite nervous. Not only would this be his first battle, but this would be the first time he'd be killing someone. Once he activates the Teigus of the royal family, he knew blood would be on his hands soon. He could only hope that the Prime Minister would be on his side and advise him over the battle. Little did he know, however, Honest was simply using the boy for his own personal gain. The child Emperor was simply oblivious to the fact that Honest didn't really care if he died or not, so long as the fat Minister still lived, he could still control the Empire from the shadows.

Honest: "My messenger says General Esdeath and her forces are doing a good job holding off the enemy."

Emperor: "Oooh! I knew I could count on the general...!"

Honest: "We mustn't let our guard down. So let's make as many preparations as we can."

Emperor: "R-Right." (looks down at staff) "The best I can do now is... Use the supreme Teigus."

Honest: "Indeed. Only someone of great Imperial blood can use that Teigu. No other human will do."

The young child nervously stared at his staff, which was the key that opened the door to one of the supreme Teigus. With a determined nod, he faced forward to the door.

Emperor: "Very well! Watch me in my first battle!"

Honest: "Wait just one moment, Your Highness. Take this."

The child Emperor turned around. In Honest's hand was a black ring with an inner gold lining, along with a blue gem as the distinct piece of the accessory. It was the other supreme Teigu that only the royal family could use. If any other human were to use it, they would be met with extreme consequences.

Hesitantly, the young Emperor took it from the Minister's hand, his own hand shaking and quivering.

Honest: "Only put it on when desperate measures are needed, Your Highness. I know your ancestors will grant you their assistance in your time of need."

Emperor: "R-Right. I hope that they grant me their blessing through this battle, watching my strength."

He then resumes his ascension up the steps to continue on to open the grand doors. Honest could be seen holding a teary-eyed smile. Some snot could be seen coming out of his nose as well.

Gross.

Honest: "Just as I always knew, Your Highness. Your courage is what makes you such a fine leader. The sight of you from behind calls to mind... Your father, the emperor before you."

Emperor: (appreciative smile) "I see. ...I'm glad to hear that."

Hearing those words from his advisor only served to fill his ego even more. Unknown to the boy, Honest let out low and evil chuckles.

It was in fact Honest who had killed the boy's father, slowly killing him by poisoning his meals. The child Emperor would wake up one day to find his father dead in his bed, Honest having a worried look that mirrored the boy's. Of course, Honest's worried expression was fake. But Honest thinks that he did nothing wrong, his reasoning being that the former Emperor had let himself get killed easily, saying that an Emperor that gullible is a problem. Yes, that much was true.

But it didn't change the fact that the former Emperor's blood is on his hands... And shows how much of a scumbag he really is.

Emperor: "My father was a great emperor. So great that my mother killed herself soon after he passed to follow him in death. As their child... I want to be an Emperor they wouldn't be ashamed of."

The child may think that their parents were proud of him. In some ways, possibly yes. But mostly, they'd be disappointed. Disappointed of the fact that a mere child is letting their great kingdom fall to ruin.

But it's not entirely his fault, it being mores o of Honest's. Again, though, the child was unware of Honest's continued evil laughs. It appeared that the wife of the Emperor had killed herself to follow him after death, but that was because Honest had ordered it to look like that. The fat man had given the woman poison, which killed her as well. Now ripe for the taking, the Minister groomed the young child to be the perfect puppet Emperor to be controlled, leaving him to control everything without being in plain sight to do so.

It honestly made things so much easier to control, the man thought, musing it in his head.

The fat man watched as the child Emperor walked on over to the door, which opened and led him into a decent-sized chamber. The child Emperor noticed an altar in the middle, going up the steps to examine it. He noticed that there was a keyhole there, the end of his staff matching it.

Seeing as he was supposed to enter it in, he does so, turning the staff as he unlocked the keyhole. The floor below him then began to morph, shake, and rumble. A bright light was emanating from the keyhole as a great amount of power could be felt from it. Honest looked at the child with an evil grin.

Honest: (thoughts) 'Your Highness. As long as you just do as I say, I'll take good care of you. So keep up the good work. Heh heh.'

---

Elsewhere within the Capital, the three Night Raid assassins were making quick work of their targets. More recently, the three encountered Youkan, who was in a high-class bedroom in the palace.

The man shook with fear as he screamed in terror, seeing that his bodyguards were completely annihilated by the three assassins. And to add to boot, his foot had been ripped off by the wolf companion of the Ice Cold Reaper, Fenrir now thrashing and biting at his leg as the corrupted man tried to escape. As he noticed the One-Cut Demon walking up to him, he tried to plead, only receiving Akame's usual stoic and emotionless stare whilst she stated that the target would "rest in pieces."

Seeing as there was no way out of it, he tried to offer his final words in the form of a lovely poem. As he began to say it, Akira noticed there were a bit of a few perveted comments mixed into it, particularly aimed toward his girlfriend. Of course, he reacted by lopping the man's head off while Akame giggled at the jealous nature.

Either way, another one down with a few more left. Had it just been Akame and Leone, Youkan probably would've been the first. However, with Akira and Fenrir in the mix, they were able to cover more ground, eliminating two in the beginning with Youkan being the third.

(A/N): Originally, I had planned for them to be alive and have it proceed as normal in the manga, but I ultimately decided that I would change this. There will be other changes (probably) in the upcoming fights during this arc.

As of right now, the three were in the Capital courtyard. As previously mentioned, the three of them, plus Fenrir, had taken out two beforehand, which were in fact Koukei and Douken. In fact, the corpses of the two targets were in the courtyard, having been presented by the personal guards of the two along with someone else. The man in question had a ragged and tattered shawl, a hat on his head with a mask shaped like a bird's beak. While also sporting a trench coat that reached all the way down to his ankles, the man also had a modified arm with a blade coming out of the forearm, a gun in the other free hand.

The two black-haired assassins could tell that the man in front of them held disdain and disgusted expression under his mask. Especially since his angered glare was more directed at them.

???: "You managed to slip through all my traps."

Akira: "So you're the one behind the traps that we had to get through when coming in here."

???: "Correct. I'm impressed that three of you, and a wolf, could make it this far... Especially when two of you are loathsome traitors."

Akira grunted whilst Akame kept her cool, her stoic glare remaining on her face. It appears that this mysterious man was aware of their past in the Empire as assassins.

The mysterious man once more flashes his weapons.

???: "I'll tear you two to bits and feed you to the Danger Beasts. That'll teach you two a lesson in killing them."

Leone: (grins) "Ooh.~ You two really riled him up."

Akame: "This guy that was protecting them must be a Teigu user who specializes in protecting the palace."

The two expected a remark from the reaper next to them, but were surprised when they heard nothing. When they looked, all they could see was a cold and hardened glare filled with nothing but rage. When they looked back to the mysterious man, they could see what angered the icy blue-eyed teen greatly.

Upon inspecting him once more, he held one more weapon. It was a blade that Akira held dearly. The large blade that extended down to the grass, the color of the blade was of pure black steel, having a sharpened silver edge. The familiar handle with some sort of ribbon flowing with the wind. They knew it what it was, the two assassins most notably knowing it.

Gin's blade.

The mysterious man put his gun away and grabbed the handle of the weapon, the magnetic clip on his back letting the metal go as he held the sword in front of him. Just seeing the weapon of one of his former deceased comrades made the boy feel sickened.

???: "You like it? I fancy this blade myself. I think I'll take your life using the weapon of one of your former comrade's, reaper."

Akira clicked his tongue in annoyance whilst he created an ice blade. He didn't need to use Harvester to take him down. He was quite confident in his skill, but he didn't see the man worthy of being killed by his scythe.

Akira: "Akame. Leone. Take the guards. This one's mine."

The two nodded with understanding, although Akame having a worried gaze to her face. Either way, she believed that her boyfriend could take him down with relative ease.

With the two dashing away to take on the guards, Akira began to slowly walk up to the mysterious man, dragging the tip of the ice blade across the ground. Fenrir growled and snarled while he paced with his master, getting low to the ground as it readied itself to pounce. The mysterious man chuckled as he readied his arm blade and Gin's sword.

???: "What's wrong? Mad that I'm holding it and you aren't?"

Akira: "I'll make you regret wielding it. That doesn't belong to you."

???: "Then come take it, you dirty reaper."

Akira: "...Gladly."

In surprising speed to the coated man, Akira had dashed forward. Fenrir circled the two, waiting for his chance to pounce on the man so he could lunge it's teeth in and thrash him around.

The masked man dodged a slash from the boy, the man humming as he pulled up his arm. There seemed to be some sort of band on it, containing various buttons and other gimmicks. He pressed a button on it and small orbs were suddenly launched toward the boy. Akira clicked his tongue as he slammed his foot onto the ground, creating an ice pillar underneath him to thrust himself into the air. The flying orbs that were around him struck the pillar, exploding as the block of ice collapsed and the courtyard was filled with a cold mist. Akira then rocketed himself downward, quickly landing on the ground before rushing toward the man again, aiming for a slash with his ice sword. However, due to the mysterious man's arm blade, he blocked it with ease, but could still feel the power from the boy's slash. His strength wasn't any slouch, so it was something he had to be wary of. One false move and his life would end.

He backed up again and pressed another button on his arm, this time, spike traps from the ground were being launched upward. Akira simply scoffed, seeing that this trap was something you could spot in an open book. These were a common type, that and these were ones he had commonly run into back during a mission when his task was to infiltrate the secret base of the Gravekeepers. So with ease, he dodged all of them, skidding next to his wolf, who had gotten out of the traps with ease as well.

The masked man whistled, amazed slightly.

???: "So you managed to avoid all of them. Aside from your Teigu and wolf, you're a strong one."

Akira: "Can't say that you're the same. You're not particularly strong, and you're using tricks that are some of the most obvious traps from a book. At least do something that'll surprise me."

???: "Hmm. Aside from being a brat, you have experience fighting battles on enemy territory riddled with traps."

Akira: "Got to be prepared somehow."

The man chuckled a bit before he turned to the other two assassins. Leone and Akame had already made quick work of the bodyguards, but the red-eyed girl was currently watching over Leone. She had suffered major damage when it came to his orb trap.

Had those two bodyguards lived longer and did their jobs properly, Dousen and Kouki probably would've lived longer and would be in hiding. But that wouldn't have stopped two of the assassins, or one of them, leaving them to his two biggest problems. Akame and Akira.

If he was going up against both of them, it was a death wish. Just going up against Akira or Akame alone was dangerous enough. The man would have to be tactical and plan accordingly if he wished to take either of them down. Either way, the man still thought he was confident. It was bad that the V.I.P.s he was protecting were dead, as that's what his assignment was. But it was also good as he didn't have to worry about what he was about to do next.

Pressing another button on his gauntlet Teigu, some slates in the wall behind the black-haired teen opened. Akira's eyes had slightly widened, but he should've expected this, since the man's Teigu were all about setting and unleashing traps. As the slates opened, small spears and projectiles shot out of them, Akira dissipating his blade and finally taking off Harvester's key, allowing it to transform into it's scythe as the reaper cut them down before they could hit him. Afterward, he slams the bladed tip into the ground, his usual cold glare on his face as the man in front of him hummed and clapped in amusement.

???: "So that's Harvester. The rumors were right. What an ominous scythe."

Akira: "Ah, now I remember. I've heard of a masked assassin with a wicked reputation that kills his target in one stroke."

???: "I thought you'd use some bizarre style of fighting, but your swordsmanship and the use of your scythe is surprisingly proper."

Akira: "I've had this thing not too long ago. Up until then, I fought battles like everyone else did. Swordsmanship and other forms of fighting are all I know."

He was lying when he said this. Akame knew this as well, considering that she would've said the same thing if she were fighting against him.

The more correct thing to say would be that swordsmanship is far easier to battle.

???: (thoughts) 'When it comes down to the wire, he's planning on using his usual scythe style or switching to his ice blade again to a more eccentric sword technique. Like Akame, he's probably the type to weave lies into his words for a more efficient kill.' (chuckles) "I see. So then you're very capable. Formidable. But! Even you can't defeat the Minister now that he has that Teigu, can you?"

Akira: "I won't need my Teigu to kill him."

???: "Very well. As a reward for having it made it this far, I'll give you a piece of advice!"

The boy sighed as he let his scythe dissipate and charged right forward. The man suddenly let out a surprised grunt as he wasn't expecting for Akira to dash straight for him. Unaware to him, Akira had sent a small hand gesture to Fenrir and Akame, the two getting the message as they charged forward simultaneously.

The masked assassin activated his arm blade, it coming out of his forearm as he blocked a slash from Akira's sword. The man went to grab Gin's blade off his back using his other hand but was surprised to see the wolf fly in and grab the handle with it's mouth. Fenrir quickly retaliated and came in, slicing the heels of the assassin as he fell to his knees, yelling in pain. In a last-ditch effort, he went to press another button on his gauntlet to activate another trap. He would've succeeded, if it weren't for the raven-haired girl coming and appearing in front of him, swiftly swinging Murasame on his chest.

Akame: "Rest in pieces."

He coughed blood, having been dealt a major blow. In an attempt to take them down with him, he tried to move his hand back to his arm to press the button. But Akira swiftly came in and cut his arms off, the man yelling in pain as he could see both of his hands land on the grass, spewing out small amounts of blood.

Looking up at them weakly, the black marks of Murasame appearing all over his exposed skin, he coughed up blood as he asked them how they knew his plan.

Akame: "You kept talking, trying to buy yourself time. Your baiting was so obvious."

Akira: "And even if the Minister had a Teigu, I doubt he'd even share it's abilities with just about anyone."

???: (thoughts) 'They were right about everything. They saw right... Through...me...'

Once the man dropped dead, Akira retrieved Gin's sword from Fenrir. The wolf barked in happiness as he watched his master hold the blade with a comforting grip, an look of relief within his eyes. He felt that a part of her had finally returned to her.

Now shaking his head, he grabbed the magnetic clip of the man's back and attached to his own. Flipping the blade over his head and attaching it to the magnetic clip, both himself and Akame ran off with Fenrir to look for Leone, who had already quickly recovered and went off to find the other two targets. The trap that the assassin had activated not only did it launch arrows, but it had also released a poison gas to fill the courtyard. Thankfully, the two had escaped before it could fill in completely. But even then, such a small dose of poison wouldn't even be enough to hinder or kill two people that had been raised on an assassination team.

---

Outside the Capital's walls, Esdeath had came down from the walls and entered the fray herself. Esdeath's ice cavalry were going head-to-toe with the grunts and army of the Revolutionary Army, along with a formed Teigu squad.

Esdeath would've engaged them if it weren't for Tatsumi, to who she's actually engaging right now. Clad in Incursio and holding the personal weapon, he rushed forward and unleashed a barrage of spear thrusts, Esdeath blocking and dodging with ease, albeit just narrowly, some of Tatsumi's strikes nearly grazing her. Tatsumi knew that if he were to go up against the Empire's Strongest and win, he'd need more power. He'd need more speed to outmatch her. While this kept occurring, the icy general looked down at her former love interest with an enjoyable, wide grin.

Esdeath: (thoughts) 'Every time we cross swords, he gets stronger...!' "Wonderful, Tatsumi!"

The blue-haired woman took her rapier and swiped it forward, Tatsumi doing a huge leap into the air to dodge. Esdeath then extended her arm upward, erupting a large ice spike from the ground to attack the armored teen. It then shattered easily, Esdeath's grin only widening as the brown-haired teen peered his head around. In such a short time, Esdeath had created another ice spike, which was now behind him. It then slammed him into the back, Tatsumi grunting in pain as he felt the full force of the ice structure pushing him down, the two colliding into the ground.

Esdeath: "I'm sure you can still keep going! Get up! Keep showing me a good time!"

As if he was listening to her and obeying the order, Tatsumi had destroyed the ice spike over him, getting up like it did nothing to him. This only furthered Esdeath's arousal.

She was about to charge once more, but soon both sides on the battlefield had halted. A loud sound rung through the air, two people atop the walls of the Capital. One of them was holding a mallet, slamming it against a metal gong as the vibrations of the instrument kept ringing throughout the air. It had caught everyone off guard, including Esdeath herself.

Esdeath: (surprised) "The signal for a temporary retreat!? Tch... The Capital's in real trouble."

Just over the walls, the town and city within it was about to become a city of flames. Smoke and fire had erupted near the upper levels and were slowly making their way down to the lower areas, the ones near the wall itself.

Esdeath could see that Tatsumi was a bit exhausted, and so was the Revolutionary Army. Here men were as well.

As much as she wished to continue the fight, her standing as a general of the Capital meant her primary objective right now were to stop the attackers within the city and defend the citizenry. With a grin, Esdeath retreated from the fight, hopping onto a horse and galloped away. But she sent one last final smile toward Tatsumi, knowing their next skirmish would be in the Capital itself.

Esdeath: "Good job holding me up, Tatsumi! Let's see each other again soon!"

With the Imperial Army retreating back within it's walls, cheers erupted all around. Revolutionary Army soldiers thrust their fists into the air as they celebrated the fact that they pushed the Imperial Army back.

Najenda, atop her horse, galloped up right next to Tatsumi.

Najenda: "Tatsumi, are you okay!?"

Tatsumi: (panting heavily) "...I'll manage... I always knew she was strong, but damn."

Najenda: "You did a good job keeping Esdeath busy. While we were fighting her, the backup we got from our Teigu user unit helped us break down the gate on the opposite side! Lubbock and Chelsea should have been able to infiltrate with the troops over there."

Tatsumi: (slight grin) "We did it. Haaah! Haaah! Laying my life on the line was worth it."

Najenda: "Tatsumi. Are you sure you can keep Incursio on?"

Tatsumi: "Yeah. In fact, it feels better keeping it on."

Najenda grunted, her mouth agape.

Najenda: (thoughts) 'It's a sign of how much he's fused with the dragon it was made from...!'

Tatsumi: "Somehow... I know... That my body will be worn out by the end of the fight. But... Once an age of peace is upon us, I won't have to fight anymore. And as long as I have the strength to protect Mine... That's enough for me." (determined stare) "Today, I'm going to until we give the victory cry!"

Najenda: (thoughts) 'Tatsumi...!'

The silver-haired general had hopefully smiled. In fact, she was struggling to keep tears in, seeing Tatsumi's will to see the battle through and ensure they win.

Wiping some away, she regained her composure.

Najenda: "Rest assured. This fight is already won. Even if they pull out to protect the Capital, it's too late..."

She then halted herself. With wide eyes, Najenda covered her mouth with her metal hand, having realized something. In fact, the way they retreated and how they won felt all too easy now that she thought about it.

Najenda: (thoughts) 'Esdeath must know that better than anyone. So why did she pull out...!?'

Revolutionary Army Soldier: (nervously pointing) "H-Hey. What's that? Something's off."

Everyone peered to where the soldier was pointing. Najenda's wide eyes had widened even more, the woman even shaking a little.

There wasn't a lot of things that could make Najenda shake, let alone quiver in fear. In fact, her entire face was written with fear due to what they were staring at. She didn't think that it actually existed.

Over near the palace, a large figure had arisen from it. It towered over everything, standing at five hundred meters tall, the large figure having armored pieces all over it and a kingly cloak around it, along with what looked like the emperor's hat on it's head. And on it's chest was a glowing object. It resembled the First Emperor of the Empire.

It was one of the supreme Teigus that only the royal family could wield.

Imperial Guardian: Shikoutazer.