Chapter Thirty Five – Kill The Marshal
Akame: Allowed us to live? It was you who destroyed our hideout?!
Faide: I thought that maybe crushing you to death. Allowing you to be skewered by thousands of splinters, allowing you to have the life squeezed out of you by your own home, would be a more humane death than what Esdeath has planned for you. But, in reality I spared you all on a whim. Now, I won't be as gracious.
Akame: You'll wish you killed us!
Hands of the Deva: Divine Adamant!
Faide then outstretched a single hand, fingers spread apart. Then seemingly hundreds of rocks of various sizes rose from the ground and went flying with great speed!
The hundreds of rocks came flying at tremendous speeds! Kurome, Akame, [Name], and Wave managed to evade damage through various means.
Wave smashed through several, Akame and [Name] slashed more with their own respective blades. Kurome was missed entirely and went straight for the kill!
Faide quickly whipped out a short sabre of his own and deflected all of her attacks. He fell back on his defensive posture. Kurome slashed with a flurry of accurate sword slashes that nearly began to overwhelm her opponent.
Hands of the Deva: Heavenly Thrust! Times 2x
A sharp whistle sounded past Kurome's ears as a massive pull of gravity sucked her backwards and sent her smashing into several hard trees. She toppled the trees and they nearly crushed her with all their weight. Splinters, leaves, and dirt covered her body as she struggled to move.
Wave: Kurome! No!
Wave's anger flared! His seething rage began to surge and a blue energy began to emerge from his body. [Name] and Akame watched in awe as Wave's powers grew with each second. His immense powers sent vibrations throughout the air that seemed to ripple the air itself!
Blinding blue teigu energy sprang forth from Wave and he was covered in black. His sleek black armor covered him as his amazing power was sending everyone's hair flying backwards.
Carnage Incarnate: Grand Chariot!
The marshal was unphased by Wave's transformation into his imperial arms. Wave had begun to move with great momentum! He began to run toward the Marshal with blinding fury! With each stomp the boots beneath him cratered the dirt.
Faide: Take this.
Times 5x
He said calmly with a hand out stretched. The gravity behind wave seemed to try and yank him back. The trees which were several yards behind them was utterly destroyed, reduced to logs, and sent flying miles back! The attack did absolutely nothing to wave as his momentum wasn't halted even slightly.
Then he crouched and jumped up into the air with streams of blue energy emanating from him. The ground seemed like water to him as the dirt splashed everywhere as a hole was made by his jump. Wave being far into the air, aimed for Faide and came barreling down onto him like a speeding meteorite encased in a bright blue aura!
Grand Fall グランドフォール!
The attack was like a massive bomb as the boom sounded through the entire area. Blue flames emerged from the site and the ground buckled. The explosion sent scorched dirt onto Akame and [Name]'s arms as they defended themselves from the impact. The turquoise inferno flickered and licked at the dark sky before turning into embers and dying out.
[Name] was shocked at how much raw power Wave was able to exhibit. He took this time to think about what this could mean.
[Name]: After a display like that. . .I'm not all that sure I'd be able to survive an attack like that. Wave's clearly the one with the most strength here. An attack like that is far beyond the power of anything me or Akame can put out. Kurome too.
Wave was breathing extremely heavy. The flames around his boots began to die out as he then jumped out of the massive dirt crater that was in the fighting circle that they'd created.
The soot filled air cleared. And there the Marshal stood, relatively unphased. Each one of them let out a gasp of shock, the air being sucked from their lungs in dismay.
Faide: The force of that attack wasn't half bad.
The dirty smoke continued to clear. The marshal ran his fingers through his long, stringy, and styled black hair.
Wave: But. . .that was one of my strongest attacks. And, he just. . .
With that being one of Wave's most powerful attacks, everything after this will be weaker. The only way that this wouldn't be the case is to use his all-out attack that would likely kill him if he'd used it.
Faide: I would've been killed if it weren't for my imperial arms. I suppose I should be thankful. Well you've had your turn to attack.
Again, he outstretched a hand, fingers spread apart.
Gravitation's Pull!
Times x10
Once more the force exerted from Faide's imperial arms created a mass of gravity that pulled towards Faide this time. The tree's uprooted and flew into his direction and did so with a force far greater than before!
Wave's grand chariot resisted! He locked his body in place, but the dirt beneath him begun to give way. He lost his footing and then went flying forward.
Wave did everything within his power to not go but it did nothing. Wave's lifeless body couldn't even struggle as the incredible force of the gravity was too much!
He crashed into Faide's outstretched hand and Faide slammed downwards onto the ground with an immense force!
Compression of the Gods!
Times x100!
[Name]: WAVE!
As [Name] attempted to run towards his comrade, Akame extended an arm to prevent [Name] from helping.
Akame: WAIT!
The ground caved in several meters and the dirt splashed into the air! Wave's body was buried under mounds and mounds of the dirt scorched by the heat of Wave's speed being smashed into the hard ground beneath.
Wave stayed on the ground laying inside of a deep crater. The marshal increased the gravity moving downwards by a hundred times as soon as he slammed Wave, amplifying the effect of even just a simple slam.
Faide: That's another down. Now, for the two of you. You know I don't take too much pleasure in killing. However, killing revolutionaries and deserters are a different case.
"[Name]?"
Akame whispered as the two stood towards one another only stared forward.
[Name]: What is it?
Akame: I believe we're getting somewhere.
[Name]: Mhn?
Akame: If you fight him a little more then I'll be able to find his weakness. Once I do, then I'll relay it to you.
[Name]: Okay.
[Name] had almost forgotten that Akame was still extremely injured from what Faide had done only days prior. She'd also gone on to have a lengthy battle with her sister and now this.
"Akame must feel awful right now, her body is basically destroyed and she's still up and fighting."
[Name] thought. He stood ready and unsheathed his blade.
[Name]: I'll do it. Though, I can't guarantee that I'll make it for too long. If he gets me with that same technique he got Wave with then I'm finished.
Night - Imperial High Class District Hospital
Kasumi lied in her bed looking out at the stars beyond the capital. She wondered what will become of her friends Bet, Teg, and Viot. In the short time in which she's been able to know them, she's come to love them all dearly. Bet however, is a different case. She's gotten the vibe that he's liked her before, but him kissing her was a sure-fire way to let her know his feelings for her.
She likes him too. Although she's never had the opportunity to truly explore her feelings for love, she can feel that their connection is real. Both have suffered through horribly traumatic things and do anything they can to provide for themselves and still put others first. He's kind, funny, and capable. He can be mean sometimes, but everyone has their issues.
Among other things even though she knows that things seem dire; but they will meet again. As for [Name], her affectionate feelings for him haven't faded at all. She knows that he's going through a hard time too and she won't blame him for what's happened to her.
Regardless, she needs to leave. She simply refuses to sit by and allow her fellow orphans to suffer. She arose from her sheets but remembered that her clothes were gone, and she would have no clothing.
She however, called a nurse and insisted that they let her go. The nurse of course denied her request. Kasumi threw her hands up as she lied back in the bed. There was no way to escape.
Two knocks sounded through the room as someone sought to enter.
?: May I enter?
Kasumi: Yes. . .
She whined as her hands rested upon her face. Then shock ran through her body as she saw who this was. The person had white combat garbs, white heeled boots, pale skin, and flowing blue hair. It was the woman that she had met before!
Night – Gyou Forest
Kurome lied underneath broken wood and struggled to stay conscious. Wave was crushed by the intense gravity of Faide's imperial arms. Akame and [Name] were the last two standing for the time being and death could come at any moment.
Faide: Your striving is insignificant.
[Name]: Why? Because we won't just let you slaughter everyone?!
Faide: It's more so because I won't a revolution disrupt order in the empire. Not when I'm so close to being at its helm and seeing to it that things are changed for the betterment of everyone.
"Betterment of everyone?" [Name] thought. How could any of what he's supporting be good for anyone?
[Name]: You think that wiping out entire segments of your own population is doing anything for you?!
Purgatory's Invitation: Rubicante!
[Name] quickly shot out a flowing stream of searing flames from his mouth! The fire burned the air as the embers flew in every direction! The smell of the scorched air ran through Akame's nose as [Name]'s attack intensified. The raging inferno blasted the marshal with a fury of several thousand of degrees!
The fire seemed like a liquid as it seeped off the heap of body that is the marshal's visage. The fire spilled and splashed off the marshal. The marshal was completely unscathed. The grass and dirt beneath him was horribly singed but he was fine.
Akame: He must've used a very slight gravitational pull to create an aura around him to ensure that he repelled your attack. Knowing that he probably can't attack at the same time.
"Looks, Akame recognized it. That's a start but she's far from done analyzing."
[Name] mentally told himself.
[Name]: Good to know.
Faide, after emerging from the incredible pillar of flames answered [Name]'s question instead of attacking him or Akame.
Faide: The destruction of the district doesn't help me directly.
[Name]: Well, how does it help you at all?
He asked as he extended his blade and slowly circled the marshal.
Faide: I'll tell you, but first don't believe that I'm just some heartless monster, even though I can be. I too once grew up in the squalor district.
Flashback
Present Faide: My family and I hadn't had much at all. But we did what we could to make do.
Even though he grew up poor, Faide was a happy and carefree child. His life however, would take a radical change upon meeting the previous marshal of the empire. This marshal was also the previous wielder of Faide's future imperial arms.
The man had arrived at his house and spoke to his parents. Faide was soon delighted to hear his parents were moving them to a much nicer home in the middle-class district. It was something that had to do with aiding the poor, a political move used by the previous emperor or something along those lines.
Upon arriving to their new home, they relished in their new life. They had both hot and cold water, luxury items, fresh food, and separate rooms and was quite spacious.
On that same day the marshal had returned. After his parents had allowed him in, he'd begun to make his true intentions known.
Marshal: Are you liking your new home?
Faide's Mother: Yes, it's quite nice. It's everything we would've dreamed.
Father: Indeed, this'll do for us just fine.
Marshal: Now, as a new stipulation as per our agreement; your son is to come with me to enlist into the imperial army.
Confused, his mother questioned the stipulation.
Mother: But you hadn't told us this before.
Father: Sure, He'll go along with you.
Shocked, the very young Faide asked.
Faide: But don't I get a say too?
Marshal: Well of course you do. You can either come along and enlist or you and your family will be forced to move back to the squalor district. You don't want that do you?
The child shook his head no as fear boiled up within his heart. Not wanting his parents to be sad or even worse; mad at him.
Father: Then it's settled. Faide, you're going with the marshal.
Marshal: Good, it's a give and take. It's how this empire operates.
Faide: But daddy-
Father: Don't worry, we'll come to get you in a few weeks if you don't like it there.
Not caring that his son hadn't even hit puberty, he allowed him to enlist anyways. Faide then did as he was told and went with the marshal. He was prepared to live out his new life in the military to secure his family's new living situation. Even upon arriving to the camp, he still hadn't realized the sinister motives behind this "camp". This was a prime human trafficking location. The empire had used this same tactic on thousands of families in the past. Take poverty-stricken families and promise them luxury in exchange for one of their children. Some families didn't take the offer, but most did; it was an offer most couldn't pass up.
Being as young as he was, he hadn't understood what this was at first. But that didn't matter at all. He only realized after the torture and abuse began upon his arrival. Day in and day out he was rented out and abused in just about every way possible.
Although the torture was immense, he still did what he could to remain happy. He dreamed every night of his parents coming to carry him away from these awful conditions. It'd only last for a few more days and he couldn't be happier.
Days turned to weeks, and those weeks turned to months, and those months to years. They never came for him.
He was instead, left at the mercy of countless adults all far older than him. As time progressed, he eventually became the Marshal's favorite play thing to the point where he was off limits from being rented out to others like he so frequently was.
Present Faide: I knew that he'd lose interest in me as grew older. So, I had to find some-way to gain control with the time I had left. And since, he was the wielder of this imperial arms I wanted it.
Present
Faide: When the marshal let his guard down, I took advantage of and KILLED HIM! When I did I freed all the other children, none of them older than me. After that, I vowed to never let no one ever truly govern over those who never had a say in what happened to them in their own lives! That's why I changed, that's why I began to kill and started to enjoy it. I was forced to, I had to do it so often.
The marshal then looked like he'd hatched another idea.
Faide: That's why if you join me; we'll create change together. We can make it so that way kids are never forced into those positions ever again. We can make it so that there is no squalor district. Just a place where everyone can live together without corruption. With your potential and my might, we can make things the way we want them to be!
[Name] nor Akame said nothing at all. None of them had any idea that this man had such strong convictions about his cause to stop them. Akame's eyes widened at the offer and looked at [Name]. [Name] realized that Faide was forced into a terrible situation with no true way to escape other than to kill. Faide in that instance, was no different from Kasumi. An innocent child who was roped into a terrible situation because of the empire's doings and had their lives ruined.
[Name] looked down at his blade. As much as he detests Esdeath's methods. He's come to like her. Even realizing how horrible she is, he still somehow is infatuated with her. He's not going to betray Esdeath. Even through her callousness and her brutality, She, would never betray him. For Kasumi, for the Nightraid , and for Esdeath he won't join the Marshal.
[Name]: . . . I won't say that I know what you went through because I don't. But I will say that even if you wanted to do good then you'll know that no matter what, no one's life is expendable for any cause!
Faide then closed his eyes in defeat. With his offer declined, then he only has one option left; Killing them both.
Faide: Die or defeat me, either way the district is already finished.
[Name]'s veins went cold, his blood boiled, and a green aura surrounded his body. The life seal on the back of his neck glowed a bright green instead of its original blue and the color of his eyes changed to a dark neon green of sorts. Akame's eyes widened again in astonishment at [Name]'s transformation.
Teigu Form Mk II
[Name] then raises his blade in an on-guard position ready to attack!
[Name]: No matter what I have to do. I won't let that happen!