Seryu: ugh...where...am...i?
Me: My house
Seryu: *snaps towards me* C-captain Yosif? What happened?
Me: You reacted poorly to the truth.
Seryu: What truth?
Me: That Ogre is a corrupted piece of shit that frames innocents for money.
Seryu: That's not possible! There's no way the empire can be evil.
Me: Fine, don't listen to me. But at least hear what they have to say.
Seryu: They?
Me: You can come in now, i'll leave you to it.
I knew that arguing with a fanatic like Seryu is pointless so i decide to take it up a notch with Sayo and Ieyasu telling her about their traumatic experiences. This should hopefully finally open her eyes before the dark side of the empire and she would actually see what 'justice' really is. I have also read up on the news regarding my endless elites. The people are terrified of them as expected but i also find a certain article interesting. "victims brutally beheaded by the monsters". It then occurred to me that i completely overlooked Zank. The bastard isn't much of a threat itself but his teigu could be used for a lot of useful things, besides it's not like the revolutionary is going to need it. Still though, i can't just up and take it. It'll look real suspicious if i send a whole squad to obtain it. I decide to pick out a random endless paladin and improve its abilities for the day by transferring knowledge of more advanced spells than just simple elemental control. Let's see who's the stronger 'executioner'.
[With Night Raid]
Najenda: I see...and it ran away?
Leone: Yeah, the angel of death simply fled instead of attempting a suicide bomb.
Najenda: This sheds a little light at the situation. From what i can tell, these monsters or whoever is controlling them hates us less than the empire. Furthermore, the fact that it retreated means they're conserving their numbers which indicate that their forces are limited.
Tatsumi: So if we can kill enough of them then they would be gone altogether?
Najenda: Perhaps but we don't know the full extent of their forces. Their assault on the empire has also aided us and as long as we can hide our troops from them then we're gaining a massive advantage in this war.
Mine: I wonder where their leader could be...
Akame: Judging by the reports, the area with the most reported cases is the capital itself, whoever they are they must be located in there.
Najenda: Regarding the capital, an urgent request has recently been sent about it too. At night, a lot of people has been beheaded by the executioners.
Bulat: Something about that doesn't add up.
Najenda: Indeed Bulat, all of the executioners' victims are mutilated and the angels' victims are incinerated and chopped up. Not to mention how there have never been a report of them attacking civilians. Which leads us to our prime suspect, Zank.
Tatsumi: uhhh...who's Zank?
Mine: Such a country bumpkin, you don't even know who Zank is?
Sheele: Actually i don't know him too.
Mine: Eh you probaly forgot Sheele.
Najenda: Zank was previously an executioner for the empire. Beheading people day by day drove him to insanity. One day, he couldn't take it anymore and stole the warden's teigu before disappearing. He has been a serial killer wanted by the imperial police ever since.
Lubbock: We don't know what the teigu is but regardless he's a very dangerous individual.
Najenda: Tatsumi, you and Akame are to hunt for Zank. Bulat use Incursio to tail them, i have a feeling the monsters will show up.
(Keep in mind that this Akame isn't as cold hearted as the original with less tragedies in her childhood. Gozuki willingly gave her Murasame before disappearing off to some village to retire when she told him about her decision of joining the revolutionary. The others don't have much against that except Gin but she was talked down by Remus. They agreed that if they face each other on the battlefield then they would only injure not kill each other and the loser will then become neutral not taking sides with both the empire and the revolutionary. So when Zank hit her with the illusion of Kurome, she didn't have the guts to attack.)
[During the fight with Zank]
Zank blindly charges at Akame as she stood there petrified by the illusion. Bulat thought that Akame could handle it but then Zank keeps getting closer and closer. Tatsumi was still too wounded to continue fighting and he was too far away to reach them. Bulat curses his overconfidence and prays that Akame would snap out of it at the last second. It all seems too late as Zank's blades edge towards her neck before he was suddenly blown back 10 feet by a fierce gust of wind. That was enough to snap Akame out of her trance as she tracks the source of the attack. An executioner has arrived. But this one was a tad different from the rest. What's odd is that the monster didn't even approach Zank. It plants its weapon into the ground and raises its hands now covered in glyphs at Zank. To everybody's shock, arrows of ice and flames materialized from around as they all head for Zank. To his credit, using Spectator Zank was able to predict most of the movements but it wasn't enough in the end as he was struck in abdomen with an ice arrow. Zank looks at where the attacker was only to find a hole in the ground. He barely dodges as the paladin bursts from the floor beneath him in a pillar of fire. Suddenly, Zank feels his arms being grabbed as vines rapidly grow from under the brick floor. He struggles against them but the vines held firm as the paladin gathers lightning in its palms. A single spear was all it take. The bolt flies straight through Zank's torso taking his heart with it as Zank's eyes roll back into his head and he falls down to the ground dead. Akame was in disbelief that she was saved by an executioner as Bulat finally reaches the scene helping Tatsumi up. The paladin approaches the corpse before ripping Spectator off and turning to leave. Bulat thought of stopping it but seeing how it conjured flames, ice and lightning not to mention nature, he decided that a single teigu wasn't worth risking it. Akame can still walk on her own but not Tatsumi so Bulat has to carry him back much to his dismay. (Bulat is gay so yeah...real uncomfortable for Tatsumi)
[Back at Night Raid's base]
Najenda: Ah you're back, where's Tatsumi?
Akame: He got injured during the fight so Sheele is tending to his wounds right now.
Najenda: And what of the mission?
Akame: Zank is dead but we failed to retrieve his teigu.
Najenda: Was it destroyed during the fight?
Akame: No...an executioner took it.
Najenda: Pardon?
Akame: I'm sorry boss, i hesitated. Zank's teigu Spectator has the ability to show the illusion of what you most hold dear and i couldn't do it when i saw Kurome. The executioner just appeared out of nowhere afterwards and killed Zank.
Najenda: Just like that? I know Spectator has more abilities so how did a single executioner defeated him?
Akame: This one wasn't a normal. It could control flames, wind, earth...and ice like Esdeath.
Lubbock: WHAT THE FUCK! AKAME THAT ISN'T FUNNY!
Akame: That was no joke Lubbock...
Leone: GAH! These things just keep getting absurdly stronger we need to stop them!
Mine: With what? Taking down an angel already requires the entire team, how much manpower do you think we need for this elite executioner?
Najenda: That's enough... There's an individual that could take care of this problem but i doubt that they would help.
Bulat: Esdeath?
Mine: Are you out of your mind Bulat?
Najenda: You guessed pretty close actually.
Lubbock: HUH?
Najenda: You see despite being ruthless on the battlefield and whatnot, that was just part of Esdeath's job but in reality she still has a sense of morals. The reason she didn't join the revolutionary is because of... her mentor.
Mine: M-m-mentor!
Najenda: It's true. While most people think that Esdeath has became powerful by herself, she actually told me that she was tutored by who she considered to be the strongest in the world. He apparently met her when she returned to her village after it got raided and took her under his wing. Though she didn't say much about who he is or what exactly can he do... Esdeath was serious when she claimed that he has surpassed the power of all teigus combined.
Akame: To think that she of all people has a master...
Najenda: If we can find ask for help from whoever he may be then this threat will be history. However, Esdeath also said that they have parted ways for a while now and she has no idea where he is.
Tatsumi: *walks in bandaged with Sheele* What did we miss?
Leone: Oh nothing much just the fact that the empire's strongest has a sensei.
Tatsumi: Oh cool.
Mine: Cool? Do you have any idea how strong Esdeath is?
Tatsumi: Not really? But if she's that strong then isn't it more logical that she has a sensei?
Leone: Huh...you actually have a point there.
Najenda: We shouldn't dwell on this longer, chances are Esdeath's mentor may have passed away due to old age for all we know. Leone, Tatsumi you are to head to the red light district and eliminate a cartel that has been distributing drugs. Sheele and Mine you are to eliminate a slave trader.
[With Yosif]
Hmmmmmm....HMMMMMMM....i got nothing. I've been looking at Spectator for 30 minutes now and i still have no fucking clue how it works. It's just a ball of jade as far as i'm concerned. Welp let's strap this thing on and see if it activates.... *click* oh? Spectator snaps open as my sight becomes a little clearer. Right, now i have to order it to work? If i recall correctly this thing has a total of 5 abilities being insight, farsight, clearsight, foresight and illusion sight. There's only that i can test being clearsight as nobody else is here for the others and i don't think it's bright to look out the window wearing a teigu at noon especially with patrols running around. I focus my vision onto a small trunk and slowly, the boards that made up trunk seems to disappear as i slowly see the content being spare clothes and a coin pouch. I reach out to the trunk and touch the part where i'm seeing through and the sight still remains the same. So this thing isn't automatic, it takes a clear shot of the object/target and i will continue to see that and if something within it change, i wouldn't know until i use clearsight on it again. Not much of a flaw but i should still remember that. Oh right i haven't check on Seryu. I put Spectator into my inventory as i walk into the now eerily quiet basement. Of course the paladins standing guard are still there but i can't feel at ease knowing how unpredictable Seryu's psychopathic tendency is. I slowly open the door to the room to where Seryu was with Sayo and Ieyasu...to see Ieyasu sitting in the corner with a massive bump on his head as Seryu braids Sayo's hair on the bed with Koro sleeping soundly by her feet. Huh, guess things turned out ok.
Me: So have you finally learned the errors in your way Seryu?
Seryu: Ah cap-mr Yosif, yes... i did.
Sayo: Seryu was just misguided and didn't have that much bloodlust. She killed all those people because she genuinely believed that it was right.
Me: Huh good to know, what happened to Ieyasu?
Seryu: That jerk made a lot of perverted jokes.
Ieyasu: Hey! It's not my fault that you don't like por- *Gets slammed into the floor by Sayo*.
Me: *sigh* How much of an idiot can you be to talk openly about something like that?
Seryu: I feel like i'm missing something...
Sayo: Hey wasn't there that one guy going around beheading people?
Seryu: *BIG GASPS* I FORGOT ABOUT ZANK! *violently shakes Koro* Koro wake up we have to put a stop to a madman's killing spree!
Me: Oh he's already dead, i have his teigu right here *shows Spectator*.
Seryu: Whaaaaattt? Such efficiency! Such is expected of captain Yosif!
Sayo: What's a teigu?
Seryu: Oh it's super weapons made by the old emperor several hundred years ago from ultra class danger beast parts. There's a total of 48 teigu and 8 shingus which were inferior teigus that was later made in an attempt to replicate the power of teigus. Like him, he's called Hekatonkheires but i just call him Koro for short, he's a biological teigu.
Me: Actually Seryu, you should go, it's getting late and people will start wondering where you went during your patrols.
Seryu: Oh right, come along Koro. Is it okay if i visit you again sometimes?
Me: Sure and remember, don't straight up kill someone without actually knowing what they did.
Seryu: I will *leaves the room*
Sayo: What an odd girl, energetic and cheerful but still... it's disturbing how she was before we talked to her.
Me: The world is more fucked up than you think and that was just a part of it. How's training going with Victor?
Sayo: The guy is relentless, i couldn't even hit a bullseye from 50m and he can hit 3 consecutive ones at 150m. Not to mention how he mops the floor with Ieyasu in less than 10 seconds. But overall he did give us some pointers here and there and we're slowly improving.
Me: That's good to hear, keep up the good work, i'll have some work for you later.
Sayo: Oh and mr Yosif?
Me: Yeah?
Sayo: Me and Ieyasu actually traveled with another friend of ours before the capital, Tatsumi. He's tougher than us so i'm sure he's out there somewhere, can you look for him please. He has brown hair, emerald eyes and this air of innocence around him, you'll know it when you see him.
Me: Sure, i'll try to find him.
As i leave to prepare for Sheele's death later, one question lingers in my mind. Since when did Victor talk?
Total inventory:
Grenade launcher
Venus Magnum
Ascended Wraith set
Primordial's wrath: Damascus
Almighty Five Sights: Spectator
Diadem of supreme arcane might
15 copper 53 silver 38998 gold
Current familiars:
- Sergei the Armor Demon
- Victor the Soul Of Cinder