Chapter 25: Slay Your Peril
Year: 1025
Within the confines of a fortress in the northwest sat the compound of the Order of the Sapphire Phoenix. Among the main encampments were vast numbers of soldiers that hailed from the many different clans that compiled the coalition of elite warriors which had been moving in and out of the vicinity. As one may expect of a side weaving its way into a war, there were bands of individuals moving supplies and weapons to various divisions while mobilizing to redeploy based on the orders of one person.
At the heart of the camp was a large cabin that belonged to the leader of these forces. Hestia had been standing in a den area that she dubbed 'the War Room' in which many different maps and plans were spread out upon the wooden table for her and her most elite officers to discuss plans. Two weeks had passed since she began the newest phase in her plan which was to boldly make headway against the Capital and the Revolutionary Army in order to be recognized as a fully functional third force. Due to the insurmountable tasks that ensued after the initial mobilization, she had not had the chance to confer with her private team in regard to recent events. Standing within this room that was being dimly illuminated by the morning sun from a nearby window were her four trusted retainers—Adena, Zephyria, Genesis, and Orion.
"It's been a while since I have been able to speak with you like this. It's amazing how time flies isn't it?" asked Hestia in her kind, motherly tone.
"Well, we are trying to fight a war and all. Things happen that we can't control, unfortunately, am I right?" Adena spoke, rustling her strands of dark red hair.
"It's true. We were lucky to report in when we got back from our mission, and then we had responsibilities to the divisions that you assigned us, Lady Hestia," Zephyria added agreeing with her fiery partner.
"Indeed," said Orion while Genesis simply replied with a curt nod. Despite their more daring efforts and rather unique demeanors, the people in this room had times when they were like a family. This gave comfort to the white-haired beauty in the room though one with a perceptive sense could tell that deep within Hestia's primrose hues, her thoughts were elsewhere.
"I don't believe I have had time to go over the reports from everyone so why don't we start there?" she asked. The woman would then turn her direction toward Orion first since his assignment was solo. The male in the dark suit adjusted his collar before he began to speak.
"My mission in the Capital was a success though it did have some unexpected moments. I got into the palace with ease though I made my entrance a bit flashy of sorts. I killed some random guy who looked like he was caught between dressing like a priest and some weird tribal outfit of sorts. Judging from what I overheard while passively making my inside, he was some high-ranking official but also a member of that one group we used to hear about—The Jaegers. Anyways, I busted into the council's chambers by ripping his heart out then I gave my speech about how we were coming and whatnot. Well…that was after I had to deal with getting jumped by the other guys that were in there but man were they weak. I mean, seriously it was just one move and I put them on their asses. But I digress; Esdese wasn't too pleased but I said what I had to say and I left the parting gift of making three council members disintegrate right before their eyes and said ta-ta for now," explained the midnight-haired youth while shrugging his shoulders nonchalantly. Though he sounded like he was bragging, he was actually being casual with his report due to the fact that the assignment wasn't really challenging so for him, it was like a walk in the park.
"I see…did you see Aquilo?" inquired the boss lady.
"Yes, ma'am I did. In fact, I figured he was going to give me a lot more grief than I thought but he…was disappointing to say the least. It's hard to believe that such a worthless individual hailed from the same glorious clan as you milady. If it was in the avenue of my orders, I would have killed the fool right there for his foolery."
"Don't worry; his time will come soon enough. I appreciate your restraint in that regard, Orion," she nodded before turning her attention to the pair of females that stood across the table from the male she just finished listening to. Adena and Zephyria perked up in attention before looking at one another to see who would give the report. After a tiny game of rock-paper-scissors, Adena—who had the misfortune of losing—had no choice but to begin delivering her report on her and her partner's behalf.
"Well," the fiery girl began as she rustled through her deep crimson locks, "It's pretty straightforward of a report Lady Hestia. Zephyria and I got to the weapons facility and did exactly as you asked. We killed everyone there and destroyed the factory then left the banner as a sign of who did it. Nothing else really happened aside from just us doing our job."
Nodding at the conclusion of the brief report, Hestia held a satisfied look on her face. Everything was proceeding as planned now. Those she dubbed as her enemy were now fully aware of her presence as well as the threat that her order possessed. Now that the stage was set up, it was time to gather the actors and begin the play. The astounding beauty took this moment to smile relishing in these thoughts. Although it was her usual gentle smile, one could sense an ominous malice behind it that warranted extreme caution. The aura radiating from her was like that of a predator's eyes firmly fixated on its prey. Her little gloating moment would then be cut short as Genesis began to speak out of nowhere.
"Pardon the interruption milady but there is something I would like to report as well," he started. All eyes then turned to the taller man to see what he had to say. Genesis was one of those types that never really spoke unless he absolutely needed to. It wasn't because he was shy or for any mysterious reasons like that; he was just the type that liked to observe and take in everything that is said to him or around him so that he could better understand his surroundings as well as other people. Regardless of his silent demeanor, he was still a reliable comrade in arms for he would not hesitate to lay down his life to protect those closest to him. In addition, his loyalty was unflinching when it came to Hestia.
"You have the floor, Genesis. Go ahead and speak," the woman approved. Returning a curt nod of appreciation, the dusk-haired male extended his left arm forward. A black mist came forth from his hand as a shadowy portal began to form. Out from the pits came a small raven that flew forth and landed promptly on the male's shoulder; eyebrows were raised on the many faces within the corridor curious as to what was going on.
"While we were on our own mission making our presence known to the rebels, I took the liberty to scatter these raven spawns across the lands in various locations that we passed or noteworthy landmarks. I figured that it would be appropriate to do this because as long as my ravens are within the parameters of those locations, I can both observe the area as well as use the spawn as a medium for teleportation," explained the man as the pool of darkness then began to display different landmarks of interest that could serve as proper areas to mount a surprise attack on either the imperials or the rebels. Some of the areas seen were small villages while others were abandoned military bases that could still be used for reconnaissance purposes.
Among the places that were displayed in the darkness, one was a blend between a town as well as a small military encampment with a tall spire that was situated in the back of the area. Catching one of her primrose eyes, Hestia tapped Genesis' shoulder motioning him to stop in that particular area. Doing so, he worked his fingers to take direct control of that particular spawn to fly around the area so that immediate vicinity could be transmitted through the creature's eyesight. As the landmark came into view, Hestia immediately began to recognize the place for she had spent a bit of time gathering information about different places of interest important to the capital a long time ago.
"That's Old West Town," Hestia said in a small gasp. She stepped closer to the table and leaned in to see what was going on in the area. Judging by the sheer emptiness of the streets and lack of activity, it seemed that the town itself was abandoned. That didn't make sense to her. After all, that place was an offsite location for the storage of classified documents and historical intel that the Prime Minister himself kept up with to ensure he would always have dirt on someone so why would the capital willingly abandon it? Something wasn't right and she wanted to investigate. Just then, she noticed a group of individuals walking carefully onto the grounds of the area.
"Genesis, can you tell your raven to land in a nearby tree and observe who is coming into the town?" she inquired while standing directly over the portal.
"That's no problem at all milady," he replied manipulating the spawn through the immaterial phantasm which adhered to his influence by landing promptly on a limb while turning its gaze to the entrance.
As the creature sat perched, the silhouettes of four individuals came into its view. Witnessing this, the members of the Sapphire Phoenix crowded in toward the table so they could also watch. The four people were armed and appeared to be well-trained individuals. One had long, black hair and carried a sword; the next was a woman that appeared to be half-lion, the third one was an armored giant of sorts, and the last had black and white hair with red eyes. Hestia's eyes widened when she caught a glimpse of the last person in the group. She recognized those eyes and that hairstyle anywhere. After all, what kind of mother would she be if she didn't recognize her own son?
"Genesis," she called in a distant voice.
"Yes milady?" he answered calmly feeling like he knew exactly what she wanted to say.
"I need you to take us to Old West Town. I have to see my son…at least to let him know I'm alive even if we have to take on Night Raid in the process," she said. Her breathing accelerated as her chest sank heavily with each exhale of air she released after every careful inhale. Why was she feeling so nervous about this? It wasn't that long since she was almost within her son's presence when he unleashed hell upon 10,000 souls. Was it because she knew she would finally be able to meet him after so many years? Or was it because she wasn't sure of how he would react to her sudden appearance? There were too many unknown variables to factor in when it came to these things. Sensing her apprehension, Genesis used his free hand to rest upon the woman's shoulder.
"Why don't we go ahead first and take care of Night Raid while you take a moment to collect yourself and come through the portal when you are ready? I can fight and maintain the portal simultaneously if needed," Genesis suggested. Thinking about his offer, the queen could only nod.
"I'll leave it in your hands then. You four take care of Night Raid. Once they are no longer a problem, I'll come in to reunite with my son…"
The curtain began to rise on the next act of Hestia's play. The main actor she was seeking for so long was within her grasp and she would stop at nothing to make sure he was secured for his part. After all, her story would not be a good one without a small tidbit of conflict and tragedy before the happily ever after.
------
It was just another reconnaissance mission so why did it not feel like one? Raizo thought of this as he began to recall yesterday's events. Night Raid received orders during their little bit of a vacation that something was going on at a location that was very familiar to the former Blood Wolf.
"Old West Town has been abandoned? Why on earth would the Empire do that? That's a hub of information and classified files that the Prime Minister likes to keep away from the palace if I recall correctly," stated the confused male when Najenda relayed the orders to the team.
"It seems like our comrades back at headquarters want to know the exact same thing. Considering the fact that the scouts themselves are bringing us this mission, it must be urgent. In addition, I'm being called back to headquarters for a mission of my own," explained the eye-patched female taking a moment to collect her thoughts as to why HQ would summon her back now. It must have been of dire importance the way the message was worded. She peered down at the paper that had the P.S. at the bottom: Come back to base once your team heads out immediately. There is a matter that needs to be settled in which only you can deal with. She repeated the sentence over and over…just what in the hell could have happened? To make matters worse, one of the most well-known commanders had signed the document himself—Fujitora.
"Looks like we don't have a choice but to go ahead with the mission if we want some answers," added Akame as she had been ready for the day to go back out into the field.
"Yeah, but this time we'll have each other's backs so there won't be any need to worry about getting captured this time," affirmed a confident Leone with a smirk on her face.
"Alright then, it seems like I can leave you all in each other's hands. Chelsea and I will head back to headquarters while you all investigate what's going on in Old West Town. I expect everyone to make it back got it?"
""""Yes ma'am!"""" they all replied in unison. Just like that, Night Raid's day off came to an end and they went their separate ways.
Raizo's mind snapped back to the present as he and his team was slowly passing through the gates. As they peered around, all was quiet…too quiet. Tatsumi had donned his armor just in case there would be unexpected trouble while Leone was already transformed into Lionelle. Akame kept her hand over the hilt of Murasame while Raizo only charged up small circles of electricity around his body. Looking around the immediate vicinity, all of the town's shops and homes were empty. There was broken glass scattered about in the dirt roads while doors were left gaped open for the wind to gently tap against the various structures they were hinged to. Old West Town truly became a ghost town.
"This doesn't feel right at all. Let's go check out the archive building. I want to know if all the files are gone as well," spoke Raizo as he walked briskly toward the large towering structure in the distance. Flashes of the past then began to barrage him as he had inadvertently recalled the events of what happened the last time he came here. That damn vendetta of a mission he sought to take for the sake of finding his mother or at least getting a clue of her status led him to being caught in a trap set by Aquilo which led to Yuki's betrayal and later on—his imprisonment.
He chastised himself in quiet moments about that decision. If only he would have just left it alone, maybe then he could have snuffed out Yuki's betrayal. No, she would have waited for an opportunity regardless to betray him but if he had not had went; perhaps Rabac and Mein would still be alive. The young man shook his head back and forth to snap himself out of it. What's done is done; there is no sense in thinking of the past and what could have occurred if he chose differently. This was his path now and he would have to face it. Not going forward with his life was more of an offense to the memory of the fallen than just crying about it.
Raizo reached the doors of the spire and slowly pushed open the doors. The loud creaking noise that emerged from the threshold gave him a clue as to just how long it's been since someone last entered these chambers. The air was stale and musty from the apparent time constraint since any windows were opening or anything. Raizo coughed a bit and covered his mouth due to the fact that the stench combined with the dust was enough to make one have some sort of allergic reaction. The sun had been shining overhead of the area but this place was so buried deep in the forest due to the secrets it held that it almost felt like the sun was going down or something. What little bit of light Raizo did have showed to him that the shelves were indeed as empty as he had previously anticipated. There wasn't a shred of evidence or any other form of documentation left behind from when the army was based here.
Before Raizo could even have a chance to check around the area within the massive library, he suddenly heard a loud explosion that came from outside. Alerted by this, the youth immediately forsook any thoughts in regard to the building before rushing outside to see what in the hell just happened. Dust spread throughout the area as dark, billowing clouds of smoke rose to the sky. One of the huts that were used as old storage for gunpowder was set ablaze but by looking at the way the structure was warped, someone had been sent flying inside it. This could only mean one thing—someone had been waiting for Night Raid to show up for an ambush.
"Tatsumi!" cried out Akame as she rushed over to the structure. Leone could be seen rushing over with the long-haired girl as Raizo quickly followed. Good thing the other male decided to don his teigu, otherwise he would be a charred husk of flesh right now. After a few seconds, the armored individual came forth from the flames dusting the wood and soot off his steel plating.
"Son of a bitch, what the hell was that?" he cursed as he rejoined his fellow teammates.
"I don't know but before this thing blows again, we should get away from it," Raizo suggested but that sentiment was soon interrupted by maniacal laughter. Confused by the sudden noise, the members of Night Raid moved into a defensive formation taking a fighting pose to stand against imminent danger. It was then that the voice spoke.
"Man, that armor is one tough thing to crack. I thought a surprise blow into explosive barrels would be enough but I guess not," the person said before materializing on top of one of the roofs in front of a band of assassins. The individual brushed his hand through his midnight crop of hair as his soulless eyes cast their empty gaze over the quartet of fighters while a sickening smirk came upon his facial features. Behind him, a dark portal appeared and three more individuals emerged.
"Jeez Orion, you just had to get the first hit in?" spoke a bright, red-headed female as she lightly punched the first male in the arm.
"Of course I did Adena, I mean he was wide open so I had to take my chance," Orion jokes, shrugging his shoulders. A second female then came to light with dark skin shaking her head back and forth in annoyance.
"Orion, when are you going to stop being a show off?" she asked.
"As soon as you stop acting so closed-off and uncaring or whenever you decide to let me take you out on a date, Zephy," he winked flirting with the girl. The female rolled her amber-colored eyes in annoyance as she turned away in disgust.
"Stop messing around, we have a job to do, remember?" spoke the tallest man with an imposing demeanor. He was casting his gaze down upon Night Raid specifically eyeing Raizo as if he was trying to confirm something.
"Whoa Genesis, you're actually talking eh? Well then, I guess we should get to work then. How are we gonna do this?" Orion asked while cracking his knuckles. Night Raid looked at one another confused by what was going on but it was obvious that they had new opponents to deal with; however, since they did not know who they were or if they possessed teigu, they were at a disadvantage.
"Damn, this is really bad. It may be four against four but we have no idea who these guys are," Raizo sighed, gritting his teeth. He reached to his sides and drew his dual blades infusing them with electricity and preparing for battle. It was then that the unknown fighters focused their attention on him alongside the giant male. Wondering what the deal was, Night Raid also turned their attention to their comrade wondering what the new enemies were staring at.
"You're Raizo right?" asked Genesis.
"Who wants to know?" the male in question asked in contempt.
"The Order of the Sapphire Phoenix that's who," Orion chimed in but a small smack on the back of his head from Adena quickly shut him up. Raizo raised an eyebrow. That name seemed almost similar to that of his clan but it was not familiar to him. He knew that other orders existed that had been like subtrees of the Blood Wolves but he had never heard of one by the name of Sapphire Phoenix. Was this some kind of sick joke?
"Never heard of you but if you're just using that name to mock the Conclave that was with the Blood Wolves, you might as well say your prayers now. I won't tolerate anyone dishonoring their legacy."
"Foolish boy, it seems that you are poorly misinformed. If you haven't heard of us by now, then the Revolutionary Army doesn't trust Night Raid enough with information."
"You talk a good game stranger but the real question is—what the hell do you want with what's going on here?"
"Simple, we're here for you. There is someone that wants to see you so we've come to take you whether it is by your will or by force," the man spoke drawing a massive blade from his back and brandishing it with the intention to fight. Night Raid instantly tensed up ready to fight to ensure that their comrade doesn't get taken once again but little did they know; this match was going to be unlike any they have fought before.
"Then I guess you have come looking for a fight then. I'm sure as hell not going anywhere," he said. It was then that the redhead would speak.
"Years have passed but your stubbornness sure hasn't changed kid," she commented. Raizo fixated his gaze on her for a moment but soon turned away. He didn't grasp her words at all nor did she look familiar to him. Besides, he was too focused on this battle to come right now. Everyone began to take positions to face an opponent of their choice. Akame was facing the direction of Genesis, Leone to Adena, Tatsumi to Zephyria and Raizo stared down Orion. The other members of the Sapphire Phoenix took their fighting positions before charging forward.
A massive skirmish took place in the next instant: Night Raid vs. Sapphire Phoenix. Akame and Genesis were the first pair of fighters to collide. With Murasame in tow, the red-eyed killer began her lightning-fast assault of strikes with the dangerous blade swinging her weapon skillfully to immediately gain the upper hand over the broadsword user. She knew the dangers a person wielding such a massive weapon could be if allowed to get a single swing off and it connects. Such an impact from a weapon could easily cleave her in half so she would be sure not to give him the chance to go on the offensive no matter what.
She would begin her combos sweeping in from the right side with her right hand before alternating to the left for a reverse swing. Then she would tightly grasp the hilt of her blade to swing wildly in a series of blinding strikes that would make anyone nervous to even get close to her. However, Genesis was not intimidated at all by this onslaught. In fact, he effortlessly used one hand to grasp his massive blade and held it in such a way as to guard against Akame's volley of strikes. This confused the female but she did not waver. She had to keep up the offensive. It was then that Genesis would surprise her by grasping his blade with two hands and swinging it upward to break her offensive chain of attacks. The momentum nearly sent her blade flying but Akame had a tight grip though her stance was officially broken. Seizing the opportunity, Genesis brought down his blade upon her like he was trying to cleave her in half. The female just narrowly managed to escape by back-flipping before the weapon came forth.
They were at each other's throats once again as their blades struck one another radiating harmonious ringing out of chirping noises in the air. The sparks from their attacks blinked in the empty air like rapid strikes of lightning but from a distance, it was like a bundle of twinkling stars had clustered in one position. With every strike, the force from both sides had the capacity to wipe out stars one after the other. In fact, the cosmos would probably become a darker place if both warriors were colliding in space. The fierce struggle consumed the ground around them causing the earth to cave in casually as both opponents locked gazes with one another letting their instincts as swordsmen take over. It was an evenly matched fight that seemed to have the potential to keep going if one side didn't step up over the other. As such, the knight in black put an excessive amount of force swinging Akame away from him with a strong sweeping arc motion giving him space.
She's good, very good. Looks like I'll have to power up a bit.
Genesis thought to himself while cracking a smile. A dark aura began to embrace the man's body as he felt his body grow stronger. He brought the blade up and then rushed in toward his foe beginning to perform his own series of combo strikes that amazed Akame. He was swinging his weapon around at an accelerated rate than better like it did not have any weight to it at all. By witnessing this, Akame knew that getting into a deadlock with him would lead to her defeat. It takes great strength and endurance to be able to wield a weapon with such deadly precision but she felt that her speed could easily outmatch his power if she maneuvered herself skillfully. Genesis came in swinging at an unexpected pace. By looks, it appeared that his combos were almost on the same level of speed that Akame was at when she was on the offensive. This kept her on her toes as she had to duck and weave while occasionally bringing her teigu forward to deflect some of the strikes received. She felt each strike though, as if every swing of the dark blade was dividing the air before her; each time the steel clanged against steel, she could feel the vibrations throughout her skeletal system. This may have been the first time someone was able to nearly overwhelm her skills in a fight-to-the-death scenario. Lost in thought though, Genesis found an opening and delivered a devastating kick to the girl's side which caused her to go flying into a nearby shack.
"Akame!" shouted Tatsumi but before he could have a chance to rush to his comrade's side as she did for him, he saw a golden gauntlet come bursting through the air aiming straight for his face.
"Where the hell do you think you're looking?! Your opponent is me!" shouted Zephyria as she switched from a composed demeanor to a tense and somewhat enraged fighter. The hand-to-hand combat was better suited for Leone but Tatsumi was stuck having to face the dark-skin beauty. Tatsumi had a thought in his mind: Boy, if Rabac saw me fighting a girl that looked like her, he'd probably kick my ass for laying hands on her. However, admiring the girl's beauty would lead to him getting taken advantage of in a bad way if he wasn't careful. Tatsumi knew that Incursio would be able to absorb a lot of damage; however, there was something about these punches right now. It felt like each punch carried a great deal of air pressure behind them, therefore her strikes were amplified in damage. He could tell each time he narrowly dodged her blows because a rush of wind would immediately follow that was felt through the armor.
"Quit dodging and fight already," she chastised but Tatsumi wasn't trying to be baited. He knew he would have to try and strike but it was difficult trying to figure out her attack pattern so he could get an opening. Tatsumi backed off after her last right hook and pulled out his spear. He spun it around his body for a moment then charged forward. He thrust the weapon forward stabbing her general direction many times before swinging it around like a sword of sorts to try and cut her up. Zephyria simply sidestepped the male's attacks while blocking any sweeping strikes with her gauntlets. An exchange of blows ensued as Zephyria would close the distance to try and punch Tatsumi in a quick series of jabs before the male would counter with a combo of his own. The steel from his massive crimson blade collided against her golden fists until Tatsumi wound up stabbing the female directly in the abdomen.
"Eat this!" he shouted as he thrust the tip of his spear as much as he could into her body thus pinning her against the wall. Blood seeped from the mouth of the female as she tried to cope with what just happened. Her eyes widened from the shock of being impaled by the male but life soon faded from her eyes. Tatsumi pulled his weapon back and turned to run off but something wasn't right. He looked to see the female with a smirk on her face and heard a weird pouring noise like something was rustling in the leaves. Looking down, he could see his opponent's body had just dissolved into sand!
"What the hell?!" he shouted in surprise before backing away to look around. He didn't know where she went but it was obvious that she faked death. A rushing wind surrounded the male as dust soon picked up causing him to lose his sense of sight. Good thing he had a helmet on right now otherwise he would be stunned by the sand. He found himself standing guarded within the dirt vortex looking around to find his opponent. Suddenly, he was hit by a punch from the left and then the right; after those two punches, he could hear a burst of mocking laughter from the female signifying that she had the upper hand.
"Let me show you a taste of my teigu—Rudra's Pandemonium," the female gloated while racing around in the wind surrounding the Incursio user. Zephyria then took the opportunity to attack Tatsumi from every possible direction within the small tornado thus causing the youth to be defenseless and forced to take every attack that was thrown at him As he was losing ground, the winds were picking him up high into the air while Zephyria continued her merciless assault.
"Izuna drop!" she said as she wrapped the winds tightly around Tatsumi spinning him down like a drill and slamming him hard into the ground head first. It was fortunate that Incursio somehow managed to hold out through that assault, otherwise Tatsumi's neck would be completely broken. However; the male was stunned and slow to move as a result. Zephyria landed on the roof overlooking the area. Ironically, she dropped him just near the building where Genesis had kicked Akame into. That was two taken down.
While the other fights were going on, Adena and Leone had been going at it. Though the former used a staff as a weapon, she was taking on the feline with her bare hands entertained by the idea of another hand-to-hand fighter. Leone charged in without fail using her newfound light-speed reflexes to deliver a barrage of powerful blows with her fists intending to thoroughly destroy her enemy so that she can help her friends. She was connecting her fists to the red-headed meat shield with ease. In fact, she had such an advantage that she was wondering if the fight was even fair anymore. Leone dealt a hard thrust straight to the girl's abdomen which sent her hurdling back. The blonde cocked a smirk as she was seemingly winning.
"You can't tell me this is all you've got," Leone mocked confidently puffing her ample bosom out. Adena simply stood up and dusted off her black garments and cracked her neck then sighed as she stared at the lioness.
"I was just giving you a chance to entertain me a little but if this is all you can do then I'm afraid you won't even be able to scratch me. Sad, I was hoping to go all out for a change but I guess your punches just amount to dog shit…or would it be cat shit in this case?"
"Tch, aren't you just a cocky bitch?" Leone gritted her teeth in frustration, having to pause to catch her breath.
"Damn right. Let me show you just a taste of what you're up against," Adena sneered before rushing in toward her opponent, instantly striking the busty woman in her abdomen with an open-palmed strike. As Leone stumbled back, Adena continued to rush in delivering blow after blow to various places all over her foe's body. Her martial arts had taken direct prominence at this moment utterly dominating the catlike individual as she was stunned and beaten down. As Adena went to deliver a roundhouse kick to Leone but she reduced the speed of her attack just to see how she'd react. Unknowingly taking advantage of this, the lioness caught in her paw before wiping her mouth from the blood she coughed up a bit. The wounds on her body healed thanks to Lionelle.
"What's the name of your teigu if you don't mind me asking?" Leone asked spitting out the blood from her mouth to the side.
"Agni's Radiance," Adena answered, "I'll make sure you remember it by giving you a taste of what it's going to be like burning in Hell!"
Leone quickly let go of Adena's foot as it suddenly became hot like a fire. Shaking her paws, the woman found that her palms were burned a bit before the scars began to heal. She cast her gaze up to her opponent and saw that her opponent's feet were suddenly on fire burning a brilliant orange color.
"Firewalker," Adena said before skating on a trail of flames to attack her opponent. The two females were now engaged in a full-on martial arts fight of closed fists against open palms but one was greatly overpowering the other. Adena manipulated flames on her feet to propel her around Leone as if she had thrusters using fire as a way to accelerate her momentum unleashing a barrage of strikes that began to eclipse the abilities of the blond female.
Leone found herself being forced into exhaustion trying pitifully to keep up with Adena as the opponent was manipulating the flames on her feet. After that training she has done with Raizo since the events in the Capital, her senses sharpened exponentially to where she could keep up with her "lover" while he was in his 'Calm' state. However, that training was proving to be null and void against an opponent like this woman. Suddenly, Adena began to change up her attack pattern favoring a more direct assault. The redhead seemed to have created a circle of flames around Leone with her earlier assaults so now she was just using the flame circle to boost her speed even more by trapping the feline warrior.
"Hey now, try not to pass out just yet okay?" she chuckled. Instantly, Adena dissipated within the sea of flames. Leone couldn't exactly do anything because of the sweltering heat plus she had little room to breathe. The only place to go was up. The woman crouched down but before she could jump, Adena reached out and grabbed her tail pulling her towards the walls of fire before striking her in the back of the head.
"Damn, you're too obvious you know that? I guess I'm gonna have to give you the same treatment my girl gave to your armored friend," boasted Adena. Before Leone had a chance to even strike, the girl disappeared into the flames.
"You bitch, I swear when I get my hands on you—"
"Silly pussy, threats are for real fighters," Adena taunted while cutting Leone off. The flames within the area then surged stronger than before as the ring became almost like a cage made from pillars of fire. As Leone writhed in suffering from the pain of the scorching heat, Adena came down upon her like a plague changing up her martial art style from the open palm to the tiger style in which she deal bone-shattering blows to her enemy. Leone's healing could hardly keep up as the hits seemed to come in faster and faster. The suffocating atmosphere of the smoldering flames stole her oxygen, therefore that lack of fresh air ultimately led to her reaction speed drastically decreasing. As such, Adena picked up her pace of attacks before ultimately bursting from her flames and gathering fire directly to her fist before thrusting forward delivering a hardcore hit directly to Leone's upper abdomen. This impact immediately shattered 3 of the girl's ribs and some of the fragments punctured her lungs. Leone was sent spiraling into the general direction Akame and Tatsumi had landed passing by the immediate area where Raizo was facing Orion.
"Well that was anticlimactic," Adena sighed standing amidst her flame sea as her fight drew to a sad conclusion favoring the martial artist over the lioness.
"She'd look better as a trophy over a fire but that would just cramp my style."
Amidst all of the fighting that had ensued, Raizo and Orion were not exchanging any sort of physical contact at all. In fact, neither of them appeared to be hostile toward the other. Instead, they were staring each other down trying to read what the other was thinking. As the fighting escalated in the general vicinity, Orion warped out of nowhere to another building. Raizo used his speed to simply leap to that location.
"Oh? You're quite the agile one, aren't you? I guess what you did to those soldiers a few weeks ago wasn't for show after all," Orion commented. Raizo raised an eyebrow in suspicion of his 'opponent'. He didn't tell anyone where he was or what he did to the 10,000 soldiers that were a part of Esdese's personal army so how did this guy know about it?
"What the hell are you talking about?" he asked feigning ignorance to try and gauge this man's motive.
"Oh, you know exactly what I'm talking about. You single-handedly annihilated 10,000 of the Imperial Army's strongest soldiers in almost an instant. I saw it and so did my colleagues. I must say, your skill with your teigu is quite impressive. It's almost as if you're the living embodiment of it or of speed itself. Truly, you have mastered many of the capabilities found within Indra's Judgment."
"You know the name of my teigu and the extent of my abilities?" asked the tense young man feeling like there just wasn't something right about this guy. Aside from the fact that he seemed absolutely nuts, he seemed to know some important details about the blood wolf—things that shouldn't be too much common knowledge.
"I know a great deal about you thanks to our leader. We've been watching you for quite some time, Crimson Harbinger. After all, you are the main target at this point in time. Hence why I'm not fighting you," Orion chuckled, shrugging his shoulders.
"And just why the hell am I so interesting to you…or your leader rather?"
"You have an important role to play in our plans. In fact, we are here to take you away from the poison that is the Revolutionary Army. Don't you want to go back home? Wouldn't you like to be around the other members of the Conclave who would gladly accept you with open arms?"
"What the hell? How do you…goddamn it…WHO THE FUCK ARE YOU PEOPLE?" screamed the male drawing his blades out of a sudden adrenaline rush before lunging forward to attack. Orion smirked a bit at this entertainment before disappearing. Raizo was left standing there looking around wondering where the man had gone.
"Hey there!" Orion waved while standing atop a chimney, "Since I know the name of your teigu, I might as well tell you mine. It's Shiva's Maelstrom and as you can see, part of my ability allows me to teleport just about anywhere I want. You can witness more of my badassery if you join us!"
"I don't know who you are or anything in regards to this Sapphire Phoenix bullshit but joining you guys isn't in my interest at all!"
"I had a feeling you'd say that but soon you will change your mind. After all, look at how weak your friends are," Orion sighed while pointing down at the ground. Suddenly, Raizo's ears picked up three loud crashes. He turned his back to see Akame lying face down on the ground along with Tatsumi inside the armor of Incursio. Then he saw Leone's body flying through the sky, blood gushing from her lips. Raizo's eyes widened immediately as he sheathed his blades. Leone's body landed on the ground near the other Night Raid members as Raizo rushed over to their location.
The lioness had been badly wounded as the bruises and burns all over her suggested that her fight was perhaps the most intense. She kept coughing and coughing as more blood came up. Wheezing then ensued as she struggled to breathe. Her accelerated healing was doing its best to help her but she was hardly responsive. Raizo crouched down and kept her head elevated for a moment so that she wouldn't choke on her blood. Tatsumi struggled to his feet a bit. Incursio wasn't going to last that much longer so the only option right now was to retreat. He went over and gently picked up Akame sheathing Murasame for the currently knocked-out female, then limped slightly as he made his way to Raizo's side. As he crouched down beside his comrade, he looked over Leone's condition.
"Raizo, we have to get out of here. We have to get Leone attended to otherwise she will die," he advised.
"We're hundreds of miles away from the base and there is no telling where our allies are," he scowled in anger.
"I don't know but there is no sense in us dying by staying here."
"None of you are dying…not today. I'm sick and tired of the ones I care about dying on me. I'm not gonna lose another one of you guys due to my weakness," he grumbled as an aura began to gather around him. It was then that the skies above began to turn gray as the sun was gradually being blocked out. Raizo's body generated an electrical current slowly but surely. He looked at Leone in her half-dazed eyes touching the area where she was hit and pressed down shocking her gently.
"What are you doing?" Tatsumi asked.
"I'm trying to use my energy as a means to jumpstart her body's healing abilities. I've noticed that every time my powers activate, my body heals faster so if I can transfer some of that energy by electrifying her body in this state…"
"The accelerated healing will work faster!"
"Exactly…I hope it worked. I don't want to feed too much energy into her frail form," he spoke in concern. It was then that the four figures belonging to the Sapphire Phoenix began to converge on their location as if they were looking to finish what they started. Raizo's anger began to flare up once more while thunder echoed in the clouds above.
"Tatsumi…you think you can carry Leone and Akame?"
"Yeah, that's no problem at all with this version of Incursio, why?"
"I'm gonna hold them off. You get as far away from here as you can alright?"
"What? That's insane! You know what those guys did to us, so how can you take on the four of them at a time?!"
"Because I get the feeling they are like me…"
"How?!"
"Extract-type teigu users; they are all on or perhaps even above Esdese's level. I'm the only one who can stand a chance against them right now so just get the girls and go."
"But Raizo I—"
It was then that the blood wolf turned toward his armored compatriot while his eyes were glowing a brighter shade of red and his tears were turning to a crimson pattern.
"GO WHILE I STILL HAVE SOME SENSE OF REASON LEFT!" he yelled. The thunder in the skies above roared in tandem. Realizing how seriously pissed Raizo was about to get, Tatsumi took his friend's words and carried their injured comrades before leaving.
"You better come back alive, you got that? Leone will be pissed if you aren't there when she wakes up!" he shouted before running off. The quartet before him appeared to move like they were gonna go after him but Raizo stepped forward.
"Don't worry about them. Your opponent is me," he said. Electricity began to violently work its way around the body of the male as he was gradually transforming.
"You sure you want to try and take us all on? That's pretty damn cocky of you," Orion laughed as he pulled out a few daggers to use.
"Raizo, you're gonna lose you know," spoke Adena in familiarity with the boy.
"Don't act like you know me because I sure as hell don't know you. You guys picked the wrong group to fuck with and the wrong person to piss off."
"And we are supposed to be intimidated by you, why?" asked Zephyria in a sarcastic tone.
"You should," he ranted. It was then that dark energy spiraled around Raizo slowly consuming his being. His hair began to spike up as the white strands glowed. The whites of his eyes turned black and the tears on his face became blood-staining his cheeks. The aura around his body became pitch black with red lightning spiraling around him. In that instant, Raizo transformed into a state that was similar to Fury of the Storm but completely different; his emotions were in command.
[Boy, what are you doing?! This isn't my power at all. If you do this, I won't be able to help you!]
"RAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!!" A ravenous roar echoed loudly at the top of his lungs as the youth had begun sounding like a mad beast from the rage consuming him. A surge of negative energy burst forth from Raizo's body as violent strikes of lightning zig-zagged down from the blackened skies above hitting the male directly and charging him up like a battery. Beholding the indescribable sight before them, the quartet of fighters from the Sapphire Phoenix could only hold fast in their formation preparing for a fight that they had not counted on participating in.
"Well then, this is exciting," Orion had smirked maliciously, pulling two daggers from his sleeves as he crossed them ready for combat.
"This wasn't expected but I suppose we'll have to subdue him first. Try not to go overboard, understand?" ordered Genesis taking the leadership role when Hestia wasn't around. Adena pulled out a small red cylinder that extended into the Staff of Sun Wukong while Zephyria clanged the Scales of Fafnir together.
"Well, looks like this will have to be the first beating I give the kid so that he'll definitely remember me. Jeez, to think he doesn't know his own childhood…never mind," Adena rambled but thinking about her last words made her blush as she recalled a moment of the past and a promise that she had made too. Zephyria peered toward her general direction with a raised brow before turning her gaze upward.
"Shit, it's gonna rain at this rate. I'll be at a significant disadvantage. Are you going to be an okay partner?" she asked in deference to her redheaded companion.
"Yeah, I'll be good. Hey Genesis, Orion, looks like you two will have your time to shine so try not to fuck up 'kay?"
"Very funny little girl," the giant chastised in a condescending tone. Even though it was broad daylight, the current darkness was allowing the man to power up significantly.
Meanwhile, Raizo's hands were enveloped in dark crimson energy as massive claws composed of black and bright red energy compiled his hands, then he was gone in a flash. Tightening their formation, the four combatants stood back to back with their weapons in hand looking around to see where the first attack would come from. A shift in the air appeared behind them in the midst of the gap that was in their formation. Immediately, the quartet sensed it and turned around to guard but it was too late. Raizo crouched and spun around to deliver a kick to each one of the fighters thereby breaking their formation and sending them flying in different directions.
Instantly, the berserk male took the offensive edge by going after Genesis first. As the dusk-haired man tried to adjust his body's trajectory by dragging his massive claymore to the ground to reduce his aerial velocity, Raizo appeared before him. The eyes of the giant widened in surprise as he was met face to face with the eyes of the lightning demon that was Raizo. Before he had a chance to raise his blade, the Stormbringer lunged forth with his claws directly at Genesis' chest. Taking a sec to hold his breath, the opening strike passed through the phantasmal darkness that the man channeled from his own teigu—Kali's Retribution. In the back of his mind, he was thankful that the sun had disappeared for the more darkness there was in the surrounding area, the greater his abilities grew. While being in the shadows, part of his ability was one that allowed him to make his body illusionary for a brief period of time. Unfortunately, that brief moment would soon come to haunt him.
Raizo was faster than before so the darkness wouldn't keep Genesis free of being attacked forever. After all, while Genesis was in his spectral state, he would be unable to attack until he rematerialized in his solidified state. As such, he had to distance himself. Despite having lost his sense of reason, Raizo's instincts allowed him to pick up on the details of that feat so he backed off for what seemed like forever waiting for that opportunity. The moment Genesis' footsteps echoed in the boy's hearing, the male disappeared once again before popping up from under the man grabbing him by his neck, and throwing the taller male into a nearby storefront. Satisfied with his opening move against him, Raizo then went after his next target.
Lightning flared in the skies above and thunder crashed immediately after. Soon, rain began to trickle down on the village below which signified Zephyria's worst nightmare. With her teigu, Zephyria had influence over wind and sand. The latter element she could use to coat her body in armor as well as substitute clones of herself in battle. This allowed her to have a sort of pseudo-immortality while fighting because of the fact that the technique allowed her to be protected from harm; however, in extremely humid or wet environments, this technique lost its edge. Therefore, she has lost her main play of defense in this deadly fight and would have to rely on her agile abilities with wind and the ability to manipulate air pressure to keep her on edge. However, such a thing was easier said than done. Raizo was already many times faster than she could anticipate even if she can muster the ability to reach hypersonic speeds but using speed wasn't her specialty. Normally it would not be a problem but the lack of visibility as well as the narrow environment she had to deal with and other negative factors caused her to have to mitigate her plans.
Using the air around her body, she caught herself and recovered to land promptly before looking around. Over in the distance, she saw Raizo immediately going after Genesis. She hoped that she would be able to regroup with the others while the two males fought but a loud booming noise followed by a massive crashing sound of wood and glass soon dashed her hopes as Genesis had been taken down for the moment; such was the curse of holding back. Instantly, she guarded herself feeling like she was next. Before she could even blink, Raizo had appeared before she swung his right arm her way with his claws out. Reacting quickly, she deflected the oncoming strike with her forearms covered by the golden steel.
A loud ringing noise soon echoed from the impact as she was sent backward, her heels digging up the dirt as she withstood the strike. Raizo soon lunged in once again but he would be greeted by an air-fueled fist to his fist delivered by the woman. Stunning the man, Zephyria went in for a combo punching Raizo with two left jabs then a right before spin kicking him away from her. With each strike, she heard bones breaking from the force of each strike; however, that wasn't enough to stop him.
"What in the hell?" she gasped watching the phenomenon taking place before her eyes. Red energy spiraled around the areas where the boy was struck shifting his bones back into place and healing his injuries. A low, bellowing growl emerged from the man's parted lips through his gritted teeth like a beast trying to instill fear into his prey. Raizo lowered his shoulders swinging his body from left to right slowly like a pendulum before he lunged at the female once again but this time, Zephyria was prepared but not for what came next.
"Wake the fuck up!" a loud shout echoed as Adena blazed across the area with bright orange flames trailing from her feet like jets. She swung her staff downward while she descended rapidly from the air hitting Raizo on the head causing the madman to do a face-plant in the mud.
"Adena?" Zephyria asked in shock. The martial artist stood up giving her partner the thumbs-up motion.
"Got your back girl, now let's beat him back to his senses before the lady gets upset!" the female boasted spinning her staff around in circles before drawing into an attack stance. With her partner beside her, Zephyria got her second wind and was ready to fight regardless of her lack of sand armor.
Raizo gradually stood back up on his feet, his red and black aura still raging around his body. He cracked his neck and flexed his fingers ready to continue the battle. Out of nowhere, Orion popped from a dimensional rift and drop-kicked Raizo from the sides sending the youth flying. As he came through, he waved to the pair of girls with a sickening smile on his face.
"Can't let you have all the fun you know. After all, he was originally my opponent," the crazy bastard stated before turning his attention to the thunder beast. Adena and Zephyria soon mobilized with Orion as they stared down at their opponent. They knew they would be even more effective with Genesis on their side too but Raizo was blocking their path to the team leader at the moment. The only way to make sure they could take a true advantage is if the four of them worked together so they would have to fight off Raizo long enough to grab the dark knight before taking the full-on offensive. It seemed like a good strategy but Raizo wasn't going to have it.
A surge of black and red lightning discharged into a large web stretching forth from where the male had landed. Catching the trio off guard, they were struck by it which was only amplified by the moisture that covered them from the rains above. Zephy was momentarily stunned but Orion and Adena merely shrugged it off. Orion looked to Adena catching an idea of what was to come relinquishing the honors of the next attack to her. The female absorbed the heat from the attack which seemingly ignited her as a flaming aura appeared around her body. The orange glow became brighter and brighter as she smirked at the male. She rushed forward with her staff in hand and began to clash with Raizo head-on. The pair soon exchanged strikes between his claws and her staff as fire collided against thunder. While she was busy holding him off, Genesis casually recovered from the beating he was given and traversed the space by becoming a shadow and traveling along the ground to rejoin his comrades.
"You two all right?" he asked, materializing from the ground and crouching down to attend to the pair. Orion nodded casually while Zephyria clutched herself tightly.
"Yeah, I'm good. Zephy?" commented Orion looking at the dark-skinned female but she was not very responsive. Due to the fact that her body already lost its primary defense combined with the fact that she was soaking wet with metal gauntlets on her body, the girl was wounded badly. This was an unexpected turn of events for the group fending off a raging beast of unknown potential without trying to hurt him significantly.
"Listen, Genesis, you're gonna have to call in the cavalry at this rate," Orion spoke flexing his muscles while watching Adena and Raizo duke it out. The pair appeared to be evenly matched but that was only because the fiery girl absorbed the heat dealt from Raizo's attack and she was trying to hold back.
"I'll see if Lady Hestia is available to come. We severely underestimated this boy but what can we expect when our opponent is the leader's son?" Genesis judged. Orion shook his head slowly while gazing ahead from his soulless eyes.
"Well watching our hot-headed princess is kinda boring so let's see if she and I can stop this kiddo in his tracks. While I'm doing that, do you mind?"
"No need to ask, I'll watch Zephyria. You and Adena calm him down."
Nodding in agreement, Orion went ahead teleporting over to Adena's side after she was knocked back once again. He appeared beside the girl giving her an expression saying that they needed to team up. Despite being reluctant about the ordeal, Adena knew that it was the best course of action. Meanwhile, Genesis grabbed up Zephyria and retreated to the rooftop where they initially appeared to conjure his portal leading back to base and getting some much-needed assistance.
Orion and Adena stared down the Stormbringer. It was hard to believe that this man was still fighting as fervently as he was but that's what happens when all reason leaves your mind and you give in to your hatred. Thinking about it now, perhaps it wasn't such a good idea to attack the way they did and just go straight for Raizo from the beginning but what's done was done. There was no doubt about that. Without a second more to spare, Raizo charged in and began striking at both Adena and Orion. The youth's movements were wild, sporadic, and unpredictable as he seemingly came at them from every possible angle. One second, he was swinging from left to right at Adena trying to get around her Bo staff; the next instant, he was attacking Orion maneuvering skillfully around the man's daggers but he would teleport to Raizo's back to avoid him.
Adena and Orion worked in tandem to attack Raizo at the same time. Any injury they dealt to the boy simply regenerated moments later. Backing off for a second, they looked at each other knowing they would have to do something drastic. They would have to do a technique that was next level for both of them.
"Orion, we may need to take it up a notch," Adena said. Orion nodded in agreement. The teigu users of the Sapphire Phoenix all had signature moves. Typical users only went as far as a trump card or two but they were different. For starters, they were all extract types so they could play with their moves a bit more thereby creating an arsenal of techniques to use. These techniques were divided into different tiers, the first level being Bushido and the second level being Musou. This was mainly a system that Hestia developed to help address attack potency and destructive capabilities for them so that her fighters knew what to use and what to hold back on using while in the field.
"Alright, I'll go first to blind him then you come in and take him out. He should regenerate somewhat so Lady Hestia shouldn't be too pissed off," Orion stated. He would stick his daggers back up his sleeves and crouch for a moment before jumping up in the air. Adena shrunk her staff down to size and put it away before stretching out her arms to the sides, charging up her flame aura and channeling the energy to her palms. Raizo stopped in his tracks wondering just what they were doing.
High in the air, blue and indigo energy gathered in Orion's right hand. He drew back his arm and gathered as much power as he possibly could as it formed a large orb behind him. "Take this motherfucker, Stardust Cannon!"
In that instant, the massive orb about the size of a giant beach ball concentrated with dark matter lunged forth bearing down on Raizo's location. At the same time, two balls of fire that glowed red, green, and black gathered in Adena's palms. She was determined to launch her attack so that both sources of power would strike the youth at the same time.
"Sorry kid, but you had this one coming. Pyroclasm!" she exclaimed throwing both orbs at the same time. The three surges of energy barreled forward and hit Raizo's location at once creating a large explosion that brushed Orion and Adena and sent them flying away. The blue-eyed male teleported and grabbed his hot-headed friend before teleporting again over to where Genesis had been located. They watched as the pillar of fire and dark energy combined extended far into the sky causing the rain to stop and the thunder to fade away.
Smoke and debris littered the surrounding atmosphere as a result of the sheer destruction. The individuals that comprised the fighting force sat on the building structure wondering if they won. Slowly but surely, the dust cleared from the location where a small crater was left.
"Hopefully we didn't go too far," remarked Adena waiting to see what was left. Orion leaned forward trying to see as well while the haze began to settle down. It was then that an echo could be heard and a bellowing growl ensued. The dust scattered all at once as that same ominous blend of black and red energy dispersed the cloud. Amidst it stood an unscathed figure—Raizo.
"Well isn't that some nice regeneration perks ya got going on kiddo," Orion snidely expressed. The male began to walk forward from his location, his claws out as he thirsted for more blood. His walking soon turned to running as Orion and Adena stood ready for what was going to come next. Suddenly, the dark portal expanded and Genesis walked through followed by an unknown figure.
"As I feared, he's almost as strong as the girl I fought before," Genesis said whilst observing the scene before him when he saw the youth still standing there in full fury.
"Take care of them, I shall handle this now," she said. She was none other than the leader of the Sapphire Phoenix herself—Hestia Arashi. Descending gracefully from the building, she walked toward the charging youth. Seeing a new target, the lost mind of the boy raged forth ready to attack but before he could go for her throat…
"Be still," she said. A binding force held Raizo where he was; thus allowing the woman to walk forward. As her long white hair and primrose eyes came to light within the hateful eyes of the former Blood Wolf, it was then that the madness began to recede as he recognized her. The dark aura faded away and everything about his appearance went back to normal. As he calmed down, Hestia let him go which caused him to stumble forward carelessly right into her bosom. She smiled softly at him and patted his head.
"Hello, my son."
"Mother, is it really you?" Raizo asked in disbelief, thinking it was a trick. He hugged her for a moment but then backed away unsure of what to think or what to do. He hasn't seen this woman in six years, not knowing if she was alive or dead until Aquilo told him she was gone. Now, here she was in all of her glorious splendor. Though it should have been a happy reunion, Raizo shook his head.
"No…this…this isn't right…it can't be," he said. The woman could only smile warmly at him trying not to cry. As Raizo's eyes drifted up to where his enemies were and then back to her, he felt like it was a sick joke meant to throw him off. As such, Raizo's body radiated an aura of electricity but rather than fight…he took off running away from the scene and back home. Sensing that her team was going to give chase, she held out her hand.
"Don't follow him. He will come to us…to me soon enough. It's only a matter of time. Until then, we shall monitor this area. When he comes to find me, he'll wind up coming here a third time. For now, let's go home and get you all patched up."
Nodding in obedience, the slightly exhausted fighters then entered the portal leading back to base. Hestia soon followed behind taking one final look around the general direction of where Raizo was headed.
"Soon…you will come back to me…" she murmured.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone