" ": You talking

' ': You thinking

* *: Narrator/Voice-off

3rd Person POV:

Zank: Good ! That's good ! The young are so upfront and honest ! I like you, kid ! Shall I add you to my head collection ? Happy, happy~... I think I've hurt you just about enough now.

Tatsumi: What... Was that... ?

Zank: I love hearing someone beg for their life with that sort of look on their face. So I was careful not to damage you too much. Now... Beg for your life ! You may even be able to buy enough time for your friends to show up.

Tatsumi: ... You gotta be fucking kidding me. YOU EXPECT ME TO GET ON MY KNEES AND BEG AN INCOMPETENT RAT WHO ONLY KNOWS HOW TO DECAPITATE PEOPLE FOR MY LIFE ?! THERE'S NO WAY IN HELL THAT'S EVER GOING TO HAPPEN !!

Tatsumi: 'If he can read my mind, then the answer is simple. I need to focus everything into this one attack !!'

Zank: Ohh ? Quite brave, aren't you ? I'm sure your wounds are hurting. Yet it's as if you want a master of decapitation like me to help you commit suicide

Tatsumi: BRING... IT... OOOOON !!

Tatsumi; Heh. Gotcha !

Zank: 'He surpassed my expectations with the speed of that attack. This kid...'

Tatsumi: And you... have the nerve to call yourself a "Master of decapitation", huh ? Doesn't this mean you failed to kill me ? You pathetic dirt bag, don't make me laugh.

Zank: SHUT UP !!

*Fwoooooooo*

Akame: Good job riling him up. Emotionally speaking, it's your victory, Tatsumi.

"Could you have gone any further than that, seriously ? I had enough trouble tracking you guys down."

Tatsumi: Akame... Tao... !

Akame: We barely found you in time, didn't we ? Now just wait there. I'll end this quickly, and then tend to your wounds.

"The cold wind is already blowing... he won't make it out of here."

Zank: Hmmm... The ill reputed Akame and demon sword Murasame. I've wanted to meet you. Happy happy~.

Akame: I've wanted to meet you as well. Taking your life is my current mission after all.

Zank: And you... Aren't you that rumored "Snow-cloaked death" I've started to hear about ? So you're being all buddy-buddy with Night Raid already.

"Glad to see my reputation is already starting to precede me. Now if you don't mind... I'll take that thing on your head from you. Your choice if you want to be alive or dead when I do so."

Zank: 'Then... Clear Sight ! ... I see. She doesn't have any hidden weapons. As for him...'

Tatsumi: Be careful... With that eye, he can read your thoughts !

"... Spectator, then. He sees through us like we're transparent."

Akame: I see. that's the power of his Teigu, huh... But, just because he can read my mind, doesn't mean he can keep up with my movements.

Zank: 'How masterful... She has a mountain of fighting experience. And it isn't just her sped, either. She has the arm strength to match ! And with a second one waiting for the slightest opening to jump in.'

Tatsumi: So... Fast... This is a real fight between Teigu users... !

"Welcome to the real world, Tatsumi."

Akame: 'Not only is he keeping up with me by reading my mind... He's still paying attention to him. If that's the case, then...'

Zank: Ohh ? To be without thought, huh ? Splendid ! But Spectator has the ability to see the future as well ! By seeing the smallest muscle movements... I can see what you plan to do next !

Tatsumi: An attack hit Akame... I've never seen that before.

"... You've never seen her fight before either..."

Zank: Seriously, I tell you. That sword there, it's almost unfair how I can't take even the tiniest scratch or I die, huh...

Akame: I could say the same to you, seeing as you know what I'm going to do before I do it.

Zank: Say... What do you guys do about the voices ?

"The voices ?"

Zank: Yes. The voices that never stop. The voices that drift up from hell... The moans of those who have been murdered ! The ones that bear a grudge, constantly calling for me to join them in hell.

Zank: Since my time as executioner, I've always heard them. But recently, they've been especially loud. I quiet them down by speaking. But how do you deal wi-

Akame: I don't hear anything. I've ever... Heard anything. No voices, nothing.

Zank: ... What ? I thought that assassins like you would share and understand this problem, but... How sad, it seems I was mistaken !!

"... You know what ? I think there's a way to silence them all. How about I show you ?"

Zank: You mean, with that little toy you're hiding ? I see it as clear as day.

Akame: ... Kurome ?

"... ... Oh..."

Tatsumi: H- Hey ! What's wrong ?! Guys !

Zank: Illusion sight. This ability finds the person most precious to you, and shows them before your eyes.

Tatsumi: 'So seeing Sayo back then was caused by this !' Guys ! What you're seeing is an illusion !! Don't be fooled by it !

Zank: It's useless, boy. For the one trapped in it, the illusion is absolute. Furthermore, no mater how skillful the person is, it's impossible for them to lay a hand on the one they love most... DIE WHILE GAZING AT THE ONES YOU LOVE MOST IN THE WORLD !!

"... Akame."

Akame: ... Yes.

Zank: Impossible... She... She's merciless ! HOW ?! YOU SHOULD HAVE BEEN SEEING THE PERSON YOU LOVE MOST IN THE WORLD !!

Akame: The one I love most in this world... Is the one I wish to kill most.

Zank: 'What is she...'

"This fight is almost over, isn't it ?"

*Krrrrrrrk*

Zank: 'Oh no... It's breaking !!'

"First the weapon. Then the Teigu. And finally... You'll atone taking that person's appearance... With your life."

Zank: Gh... NURAAAAAAHHH !! YOU THINK YOU CAN KILL ME ?!

Zank: 'I need to kill them first ! I can see their next moves, so I have the upper hand !! I need to kill them now ! But my blades are going to break before I can do that... !!'

*SCKLING*

Akame: Now. Your turn.

"With pleasure. Now... You asked my little toy ? Here it is. Retrieval !"

Zank: Gh-... Huh ?

"Weapon, then Teigu. And finally, life. Akame, if you may."

Akame: Eliminate.

Zank: GAAARGH !!

Tatsumi: You did it !! 'They... They saved me this time... But I'm also going to become stronger...'

"... So, did we help ? You can't hear these voices anymore, can you ?"

Zank: ... 'The voices... Have stopped...' Hah... Happy, happy~... I'm thankful to you... Akame... Snow-cloaked... Death...

Akame: What are you doing out here ? We have dinner to prepare. There are things even the wounded can do, you know.

"Okay, so I've skinned them alive, Drowned them, decapitated them... meaning, I washed, peeled and cut all that were to cut. Now move your mourning ass and come help !"

Tatsumi: ... Say, you two... back there, who was it that you saw in that illusion ?

Akame: ... If the time comes, I'll tell you.

Tatsumi: 'Akame... Something must have happened...'

Akame: Though I will tell you this. Right now, everyone in Night Raid is an important person to me. Of course, that includes you.

Tatsumi: Gah ?! Hey, wait up... !

Akame: let's go. Tonight we're coking meat.

"We already had meat yesterday. Also does that means I struggled with all the vegetables for nothing ?"

Tatsumi: You, uh... You still haven't answered... Who did you see ?

"... Probably the last person I'd expect to see here... And someone I had to leave behind for this mission."

Najenda: Tatsumi... Your wounds are pretty much healed, right ? The Teigu we took from Zank, I want you to try using it. Now, please.

"One Spectator, coming right up."

Tatsumi: Really ?! No one else wants it ?!

Bulat: It's one Teigu per person.

"Because it takes considerable mental and physical strength to control them. Some tried being greedy and take more for themselves... It never ended well for them."

Najenda: Teigus are peculiar things... Just like the one sent to collect them. Maybe you could do some explaining, don't you think ?

"Huh ?"

Najenda: Don't play dumb, you know what I mean. I read Akame's report on that mission. The fact only you were sent here was also something. After all, why would a lone person be tasked to scour the entire Empire ?

"Haaaaaah... Well, that was bound to happen at some point. After all, it wouldn't be fitting for the snow-cloaked death to miss his tool."

"Here ya go, I guess."

Tatsumi: Hey, that was... Didn't you use something like that... Like, you yelled "Retrieval", and ...

"... Scythe-type Teigu, Holy Retriever."

Lubbock: ... Never heard of it.

"Not exactly surprising, it's one of the Teigus that disappeared 500 years ago during the civil war. Well, not really disappeared, I guess... Let's just say, it lost its wielder during the war, and stayed asleep all this time on the Western outskirts of the Empire."

Bulat: And judging by the name... It's not exactly suited for battle, is it ?

"Waaaooow, how insightful. But yeah. It's completely useless when it comes to take lives, hence why I rarely use it. Instead... It reaps Teigus."

"Honestly, that makes me almost grateful to the first Emperor for his insight. He was a smart man, and knew the possibility of some Teigus to switch sides, being stolen and the such. So he made one... One Teigu, to rule them all. One Teigu to find them, One Teigu to bring them all, and in the Empire bind them"...

Leone: I feel like that was supposed to be a reference to something... Is it that strong ?

"How do you think I got myself half a dozen Teigus already ? But if you ask me... The part I like most about it, is how the people I target to kill are made to feel a breeze of ice-cold wind. Really adds to my character."

Najenda: I honestly would've preferred you being upfront about it... Your threats on the first day weren't just empty words, in the end.

"I never make empty threats. I just make promises. But enough about me, I think this is about Tatsumi and Spectator. So catch !"

Tatsumi: Hehehe. 'It may not look very cool, but this eye has some pretty cool abilities...'

Najenda: there was nothing about it in the intel we have, so i'm curious to see what it does...

"Let's see... Spectator... It can read your movements to see what you're about to do, act as a telescope... It can also read your mind, I think..."

Akame: Try reading me.

Tatsumi: You... Want to eat meat tonight.

Akame: Exactly, amazing !

Leone: No, he still hasn't activated it yet.

Mine: I don't want him to read my mind. If it really has different sight abilities, try one of the other ones.

Tatsumi: 'Damn. All she does is bitch. Okay then... one of the other unknown abilities... Activate !'

Mine: Well, do you see anything ?

Tatsumi: WHAT- !! WAWAWAWAWAWAWA !!

Mine: What's wrong ?

Tatsumi: 'What is this fantastical ability... ?! The Teigu are amazing...'

"... He looks star-struck..."

Bulat: Did something go wrong ?

Tatsumi: 'AAAAAAAAAAAAHHH !!'

*Skkkrt*

tatsumi: ... Huh... ? I suddenly feel tired. What's going on ?

"Hm. Looks like it's rejecting you. You better take it off."

Tatsumi: Rejecting... ?

"Do you remember all that about compatibility ? Looks like this Teigu isn't suited for you."

Mine: You were thinking about how uncool is looked or something, weren't you ? The user's first impression of the Teigu is important, you know ?

Najenda: Then, this will be sent to the revolutionary army HQ... You okay with that ?

"That was part of the deal. And honestly, overthrowing the empire is in my interest after all, like I said."

Akame: Guess that's where our interests meet. While we are an assassination team, collecting the lost Teigus is one of our sub-missions. When we run into enemies who possess a Teigu like Zank did, we take them. Even the weakest ones are invaluable...

Tatsumi: the more we haven the stronger the army becomes or something, right ? Speaking of, which Teigu is the strongest ?

"Hmmm... It's a bit tricky... But, even if there are a few competing for that title, if I had to pick a single one... The Ice-manipulation Teigu would probably come out on top, depending of compatibility. And the one using it... is just as terrifying."

Najenda: Luckily for us, she's currently busy conquering the northern tribes.

Lubbock: because the people of the north are very strong. They even have their own hero.

Tatsumi: Oh ! Even I know about him !

*Hero of the North, Numa Seika. Prince of the Northern tribes. With his spear in hand, he's never lost a battle. A brilliant tactical genius who the northern people have absolute faith in. Currently the Empire's greatest threat. His powerful army uses the country's most fortified city as a base of operations, and they've become strong enough to invade the empire. Therefore, in order to keep that from happening, the Empire dispatched an expeditionary force to subjugate the Northern tribes.*

Lubbock: But there's no reason to worry yet. Even with that woman, it'll take at least a year or two to take the North.

Najenda: ... Yeah...

Tatsumi: ... Fu. Fufufufu. The stronger the enemy, the better ! We're collecting more and more Teigus, after all.

"You... You're suddenly very cheerful about all of that. What happened ?"

Tatsumi: Well, the world is filled with Teigus that have unknown abilities, right ? The reason I'm so lively is this ! Having seen just these abilities... Maybe, just maybe... There may be a Teigu that has the ability to bring dead people back to life ! Right ?!

Everyone: ... ... ... ...

Tatsumi: And if there is, I may be able to bring Sayo and Ieyasu back ! That's why I'm going to do all I can to recover as many Teigus as po-

Bulat: You can't.

Tatsumi: ... Aniki... ?

Bulat: A Teigu that can resurrect the dead doesn't exist. In this world, you only get one life.

Tatsumi: ... How... How can you know that ?! You can't ! Not until we've found them, right ?!

"... Think about it a little. If such a Teigu existed, the first emperor would still be alive, wouldn't he ? In fact, it was exactly because he knew that he would die, that he created them in the first place."

Tatsumi: ... But...

Akame: Don't hang your hopes on that. If you do, an enemy will use that weakness of mind against you, and you will be killed.

Najenda: Where did Tatsumi go ?

"Still... Processing, I think. He's starting to hit the last stages of grief, so... And I think Sheele went to help him about that."

Najenda: I see...

"... ... We're never gonna have a whole year ahead of us, right ?"

Najenda: So you knew ?

"With how 'Convinced' you sounded at that... If just half of the rumors I've heard about that woman are true... "

Najenda: Oh, they are. Not just half of them, all of them are most likely true.

"... Oh..."

Soldier: The northerners were defeated in the blink of an eye. That's our general for you !

???: Their army, people and pride were so easily crushed, huh... And this is their supposed hero... ? How worthless. Die ! Dog !

???: Somewhere out there... is there an enemy that can satisfy me... ?

*Name: Esdeath. Personality: Sadist. Strength level: "The Empire's strongest".*