Episode 01 - Kill the Crucible

Beta-Read by Salaeren

Eight Years Ago

By the time he reached the Capital, Tatsumi was already drenched in sweat from the scorching gaze of the sun above.

"Damn, it feels like an oven out here." He said to himself while making his way to the temporary Night Raid hideout the others were hold up in. His high-collar jacket and sweater combination certainly didn't help his predicament. He was still a few blocks away judging by the directions he was given.

"Fuck it." He pulled off his coat and wrapped it around one forearm, revealing the set of two weapons equipped along his backside. Upon receiving Bulat's Teigu, he kept his original sword holstered on the back as he'd always done. Incursio's Key, however, was sheathed sideways along the small of his back.

In this layout, he would have easy access to both for different situations, though a more personal reason was due to his desire of not wanting to discard the blade he'd crafted in his village a few years back.

A fair amount of passersby took notice of his weapons and made an effort to stay as far away as humanly possible on such a tight street. It was just as Tatsumi felt he was about to pass out (from what he thought to be dehydration) that he reached his destination - a bookstore.

The sign that hung from the side of it read 'Night' with a few fake books hanging below it.

"Couldn't they have chosen another name to make it look a little less conspicuous?" Tatsumi thought to himself with a sigh before noticing his green-haired friend hanging outside the doorway.

The wielder of Cross-Tail offered a wave as Tatsumi made his way over. "Looking fine, Lubbock."

His clothing was different from his usual. It lacked Lubbock's iconic green jacket and red goggles, and was replaced with a bookstore owner's garments in order to look the part.

"You sure look the part." Tatsumi remarked with a mischievous grin.

"Heh. It's a bit tight around the waist, but it suits me just fine. My awesome goggles would look great on this, but I can't risk the attention."

"I hear ya."

Lubbock gestured for his comrade to enter, and Tatsumi kindly went through the door and into the 'bookstore'. It did seem like a real one though, for there was plenty of literature organized along a good nine or ten shelves. There were also a few desks around, all unkempt and littered with incomplete documents. He decided to go on ahead and take a gander at a few books to the opposite end of the room as Lubbock locked the door behind them and promptly hung up a closed sign in the window.

"Do you even know how to read?" Tatsumi questioned with a hint of interest, to which Lubbock replied, "The only book I read was Akame's infamous cookbook, and I promised myself I'd never touch another piece of literature again because of it."

"Cookbooks aren't the only type of- wait...Akame wrote a cookbook?!" Lubbock crossed his arms, leaned against the wall, and shook his head up and down a few times with lidded eyes. His expression appeared to be that of comedic purpose and a genuine hint of disturbance at the thought of some of her recipes - ones that he couldn't hope to erase from his memory anytime soon.

"Yep. It's a collection of recipes made by her own hand from hunting down hundreds of Danger Beasts in the wilds due to her love of meat. There's only one in existence, and it's back at the hideout."

"I'm guessing all of them are meat-centric." Tatsumi remarked. Lubbock batted an eye at him and let out a chuckle.

"You're right about that...there was nothing but D.B. meat. Not even anything involving deer or frickin' bears, man! It was just straight up beast-meat!" He looked up at the ceiling and made a series of gestures as he thought up an example.

"I remember one time I politely asked if she could spice up the dishes a bit with something new and she put a layer of Wyvern blood all over the meal!"

"Wyvern...blood?"

"No, Tatsumi, you don't understand!" Lubbock comically jumped over to his friend, grabbing him by the shoulders and staring him straight in the eye, continuing with a tone almost like a whisper, "Wyvern Blood...it's like the flames of hell burning your insides to a crisp!"

He let go of Tatsumi and looked in the opposite direction, his arms bent at the elbows and his fingers curled as he shuddered. "I told her that's not what I had in mind and she glared at me with those eyes; the ones that stare into your soul like some empty cave. I devoured that meat in seconds."

"You could've died, Lubbock!"

"But I'd rather! If you don't eat her meals, Akame will stare into your soul...and I don't want to experience that kind of horror ever again!" Lubbock stood there entirely compromised as Tatsumi patted his back, understanding his woes.

"So...erm, where's Leone?"

"Oh, right. Follow me~!" Lubbock's mood changed instantly, and in a moment's notice, his hand was already pressed against a set of books on the shelf hidden from the view of the windows. Tatsumi watched with mouth agape as a small portion of the shelf receded down a set of hidden stairs and rotated into another room.

"Whoa! This really does feel like a secret base!" Tatsumi exclaimed.

"Right? It's my pride and joy!" Informed Lubbock.

"But you didn't make it or anything, did you?" Tatsumi questioned, looking back for a second as he went down the steps.

"Heheh, perhaps~!" Before Tatsumi could respond, he heard a familiar voice address their presence.

"Hey there!" Leone yelled with her arms stretched, as if waiting for either of them to accept the gesture and leap into her arms. "Welcome to the secret base of the Capital!"

"Sis! It's been a while!" Tatsumi didn't know what possessed him (possibly their lack of communication for nearly four days now), but he jumped over the table separating them and pushed her down into the back of the couch, his nose nuzzled beneath her chin as he wrapped his arms around the bare skin of her back.

"T-Tatsumi?!" Leone was bewildered; she was the one to initiate any kind of contact with the boy, so this certainly was an unexpected turn of events.

"Is he drunk?"

"Lubbock, is he drunk?" She questioned again, this time aloud.

"What? I don't know, he seems fine!" He answered with an unsure tone.

"I'm fine, I'm fine, I'm just happy to see you - it's been a while."

"I...oh...it has, hasn't it," Leone couldn't hide the pink hue decorating her cheeks, "I'm happy to see you too, Tatsumi."

He looked up to see her smile. It wasn't her usual playful expressions, but something very real, something affectionate and meaningful. He pushed himself off after a few more seconds and sat beside her on the couch, resting an arm on the side.

"Why can't people do this when they're happy to see me?!" Lubbock inquired, a humorous look on his face (you could almost see steam shooting out his ears).

"Are you implying you want to be hugged by a man, Lubbock?"

"W-what? No, 'Course not!" He defended himself while Tatsumi let out a chuckle.

"You're awfully snarky today." Leone observed, unable to prevent a giggle from Lubbock's reaction.

"I just want to keep the mood light-hearted, at least for now. I haven't seen you two in a while, so I figured I'd be a bit more vocal this time around."

"Still, you seem a bit...different." Tatsumi looked down at the floor when Leone stated this, and clasped his hands together.

"I've been visiting everyone's graves more...and, I've just grown a bit paranoid about how much danger we're in now. We've been getting deeper and deeper into the system, which means our own safety is wearing thin," Tatsumi paused for a moment, leaning forward with his chin resting on his hands, "I just want to have healthy interactions with everyone so if the time ever comes where we lose another-"

"Tatsumi." He felt the warm embrace of the woman beside him. She must've noticed how watery his eyes were getting; she knew it's been a rough journey for him these past few months - of course she would give him this comfort.

"Thanks." Tatsumi whispered quietly with a quick sniffle. Leone was always there for him, even if she did tease him a bit too much for his liking.

"Hey, dude." He looked up, seeing Lubbock with a reassuring smile and offering a hand. Tatsumi responded with a smirk and slapped his own onto Lubbock's, both grasping each other's hand while simultaneously closing it into a fist.

"Thanks, both of you. Heh, so much for keeping it light-hearted, right?"

"You're fine, Tatsumi." He turned his head to the left to see Leone wiping a few of her own tears away, earning a look of surprise from him.

"Leone…"

"I've been thinking about them a lot as well to be honest," She confessed, "I'm just glad we're all comfortable talking about it."

"Mm."

"They're in a better place now." Lubbock stated while pulling out something from his apron.

"What's that?" Tatsumi asked.

"Well, Mine's face appeared on the wanted signs," Lubbock presented a wanted poster with a rather humorous drawing of Mine sticking her tongue out, "so only us three can walk freely in the Capital."

"Also, the city's been clamoring about the new elite group of the Capital," Lubbock and Leone both took interest and looked at Tatsumi as he continued, "they call themselves the Jaegers."

"Considering Esdese is their leader, that's not surprising," Lubbock remarked with a sigh, "I get why it's a hot topic, since she's such a dangerous person."

"Dangerous is an understatement," Leone added whilst falling back onto the couch, "I'm glad I decided not to mess with her when I was alone!"

Leone stared up at the ceiling with eyes narrowed, resting her boots on Tatsumi's lap as she pondered aloud. "I wonder how many hundred upon thousands of kills it took for her to gain such an evil aura."

"She must be a monster for you to talk about her like that, Sis." Tatsumi remarked.

"More like a demon." She scoffed.

"If you're so curious, you should check her out for yourself." Lubbock advised, pulling out yet another document and presenting its contents to Tatsumi.

"Esdese is sponsoring a citywide Martial Arts Tournament tomorrow. The winner gets a cash reward...maybe you can earn that money and send it back to your hometown?"

Tatsumi studied the parchment for a moment. "Perfect. That reward is plenty for everyone back at the village!" He exclaimed raising his fist, now anticipating the event with high hopes of gaining its spoils.

"Glad you agree, it'll get us a closer look at the Empire's Strongest General."

"I look forward to seeing your training put to good use, Tatsumi." Leone sat back up with a smile.

"Thanks, me too."

"Right then, well I have a shop to run, so if you'll excuse me." Lubbock spun on his heel and began walking back up the stairs.

"Wait, this shop is real?" Lubbock paused at his friend's question and looked back at him.

"It's a rather productive way of getting money for Night Raid. A lot more people read in the Capital than you'd think - lot's of snot-nosed nobles 'round here."

"Wait, but how do you answer their questions on what book they're reading or something?"

Lubbock grinned. "I have my ways~!"

Tatsumi watched as Lubbock danced up the set of stairs, the bookcase rotating back on its original path and moving up behind him.

"So what, now we're trapped down here until tomorrow?"

"Mhmm!" Leone replied cheerfully, earning a glare from Tatsumi.

"W-what?!"

A few minutes passed while Tatsumi looked around the room to pass time. He searched through random documents scattered about on the table while Leone fixed the cloth holding back her breasts with a yawn.

"Hey, Leone?"

"Hm?" He saw those gold, piercing eyes meet with his and he couldn't help but stare back into them. "Tatsumi?"

"Oh, sorry...eerm, Akame told me a few stories about the other members of Night Raid...and I figured it wouldn't hurt to ask you a bit about you and Bro's relationship." Leone stood there, bewildered that Tatsumi would be even remotely interested in such things. She eventually let out a giggle.

"Sure, but only because you took the initiative this time around."

"E-eh?"

Leone chuckled to herself. "Well, I guess I'll start off by saying I thought Bulat was quite the hunk."

"No comment." Tatsumi said almost instantly.

"Relax, you're more my type." Tatsumi felt a surge of heat within his cheeks, but he held in any facial expression that would compromise him.

"Uhuh." He said blankly.

"Anyways, when he first joined Night Raid, I decided to introduce myself first because-"

"He was a hunk?"

"Shh, let me finish."

Tatsumi laughed to himself as she went on about their first meeting, and a few colorful adventures regarding training together and what she described as his magnificent hair.

"I'm telling you, his pompadour was the softest thing! I just wanted to wear it around my neck as a scarf."

"Y-you don't say." Tatsumi scratched the back of his head as Leone stood up on the table, acting out a scene as if Bulat was there, in the flesh, cutting off his pompadour in its entirety and gently wrapping it around Leone's bare neck.

"Just the thought of him doing that gives me butterflies in my stomach~" She slapped her hands onto either cheek and began wiggling around anxiously about the whole idea.

"S-sis, as you were saying?" She stopped.

"Oh, right, got a bit carried away sorry. So anyways, one day I actually invited him out to town outside the Capital. We got plenty drunk and spent lots of time exploring. Eventually, we got to this nice little spot beside the lake...heheh."

"What-" Tatsumi was suddenly pressed into the couch, a feisty Leone now sitting atop him with his arms helplessly imprisoned by her unmatched strength.

"And then I pushed him onto the ground and got on top like so," She licked her lips and gifted a sultry purr into the powerless boy's ear, "and then slowly trailed my tongue along the edge of his ear."

She did exactly as described, all to Tatsumi himself; her heated breath escaped from her mouth, though as soon as she started moving her tongue down to his jawline, he broke free and forced her to switch positions.

"Y'know, it's not that enticing to me when you're talking about doing it to another man."

"Hahaha!" Tatsumi loved to hear her laugh - so innocent, yet filled with a hint of mischievous quality that the other women of Night Raid lacked. "It's funny cuz' he pushed me off at the same time."

"I guess both him and I are able to resist the temptations of such an alluring lioness." At this, the young woman blushed and turned her head to the side.

"Since when did he get so bold with his words? Damn."

"Actually," Leone continued, "I looked up at him while he stood tall in the most stoic pose you could possibly imagine him doing, and he gazed at the moon with such a charming look in his eyes - a look of finality, along with a proud expression."

Leone began to cackle just thinking about what happened next, and Tatsumi urged her to continue on with the story. "Heehee, well, you see, he looked down at me with that proud expression of his and said, 'Leone? I'm gay'. There was no real build up to it, and he went about it in the most random way possible. He felt bad for stopping me, and did say he honestly appreciated that I was attracted to him in that way."

"Wait, so Bulat really was gay?"

"Yeah, does it bother you?"

"No, of course not. Everyone has a right to find love, regardless of how they find it or whom they find it in."

"I'm starting to respect you a lot more, young man."

"It's just part of human nature; you can't help who you love." Leone took a moment to think about his words, and felt lucky that Tatsumi didn't notice the unconscious biting of her lower lip.

"I actually tried to get Bulat to hit on Lubbock, but it didn't quite go as planned."

"Okay, now this I have to hear." Tatsumi leaned forward with undeniable interest as Leone continued for quite a long while on a new tangent of story. It eventually diverged into various other topics that led to the eventual nightfall, and their own tiredness. Tatsumi was already sprawled out on the couch while Leone shut the lights off.

"Hey, Leone?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks for today, you really helped with my mood, and those stories were a blast."

"Heh, anytime." Leone wanted to say more, and say that she was grateful for him thinking so highly of her tales, but he interjected with a few simple words.

"Night, Leone."

"...Good night, Tatsumi."

"So, this book is a collection of the Prime Minister's favorite dishes?"

"Yep. That's right!"

"But it's called The Misadventures of Shulk and the Drag Queens of Zanzabar?"

"Some books have weird names, paps! Now, you gonna buy it or not?"

"If it wasn't for such a provocative cover, then I may have considered it." He pointed towards the cover: a picture of what appeared to be a rather poorly-drawn man on top of an idol of sorts, with a bunch of men in rather revealing clothing surrounding him.

"Oh, relax. It's an art form; can't judge a book by it's cover, especially if it holds the secret recipes of the legendary meals crafted by the Minister himself!"

"T-true...I'll take it!"

The cash register sounded as Lubbock exchanged the book for the old man's money before watching him walk out noticeably cautious.

"His wife must have a thing against nudity or something. Seesh. Well, time to close up shop and hit the hay. Hope they left some room for me." Lubbock made sure all the curtains were down, the door was locked, and the lights were off before activating the bookshelf once more and descending down the steps to get, at least in his eyes, some well-deserved rest.

For the first time in a while, Leone felt cold. She'd grown used to the differing climates within and outside the Capital with her lack of appropriate clothing, and Lionelle certainly helped maintain her body temperature because of it. She didn't want to put her boots back on though, nor get covers that could easily be acquired by walking a few steps to the desk in the corner of the room. She wanted to feel the warmth of her comrade's embrace - Tatsumi's warmth.

She curled into a ball, holding herself in the position with her arms interlocked around her shins, and spent the next half hour debating whether or not to join the boy on his couch (which definitely didn't have enough room for the both of them). The cold hair caused goosebumps to adorn her form, and she began rubbing her feet together in an effort to keep them warm.

Normally she would just go for it, but this situation was different for her. This boy was something else...something special. She didn't love him - no, that was definitely not it, but rather, it was a form of bond between them that she didn't want to break. It was confusing to her; she always thought of him as a younger brother of sorts, but his unwavering demeanor of wanting to do the right thing, his selflessness for others, it gave her a different impression of him now, something greater.

The moment she marked him as her own, even if it was only playfully, she now couldn't suppress these newfound feelings. Again, it wasn't love, but it definitely did involve her wanting to jump off her own couch and enjoy sleeping against him until dawn. She didn't want to risk it though, this 'sibling' relationship they already had.

Her thoughts continued to end in contradiction. Here she was trying to hold back, when she deliberately forced him down and nearly had her way. This was child's play compared to what had occurred this afternoon! She could easily just hop on the couch and cuddle him; there was no risk in that, especially after already having tasted his ear and a few patches of his neck.

"I don't mind him thinking of me as a sister-figure...that's fine, I can live with that. It's better that way...right?"

It took another half an hour of seemingly endless pondering before she eventually decided she could give less of a shit, and enjoy the warmth of her desired partner. Leone was obviously taller, and curled over him like a blanket. His face was nestled comfortably against her breasts.

"What a spoiled brat." Leone whispered in a playful tone after pressing her lips on his temple, her lips as gentle as a feather against the warm skin.

"Well, they sure look comfortable." Lubbock commented with a hand on his hip, jealousy clearly resting upon his face. The two were already asleep at this point, so there was no reason for him to get in the way of their precious cuddling session. Instead, he opted for the open couch to his left.

"Well, at least now I've got plenty of room." Lubbock mumbled to himself, still rather irritated as he stared up at the ceiling. As he drifted off to sleep, Cross-Tail's young master smiled at the thought of the tournament, eager to see Tatsumi in action.

The sun enveloped the arena below, which held a massive crowd of spectators in equal distress by the stifling weather conditions. Still, they stayed attentive, eager to see gallons of blood spilled across the cracked, dirtied old tiles of the fighting ground floor.

They cheered for either opponent (a Samurai and a Gladiator of sorts), as they dueled in a seemingly decided battle - the Samurai already having the upper hand since the beginning.

The Creator and Judge of the event, General Esdese, watched precariously from her chair, somewhat bored of this fight, and wishing to herself that both of them would just strike each other down (if only to save her from having to actually reward money to such lackluster individuals).

"What do you think of them?" Asked the elegant, soothing voice of her subordinate, Run.

"Since they're boring subjects, the battle itself is boring as well," The General began, letting out a rather obnoxious yawn and supporting her head with a fist pressed against her cheek, "I guess it was asking too much to expect one capable of using a Teigu."

She'd been here since morning, and it was already only a few hours before the sun would start setting. Both her legs were asleep and some dried drool stuck noticeably beneath her lower lip - a blatant indicator of her near-unbearable boredom of having to watch such mindless apes do battle.

The Samurai landed the final blow. A series of tiles were now lathered with the sanguine liquid as a pair of forearms fell to the ground, the Gladiator screaming to the top of his lungs before the victor planted his foot on the back of the mutilated man.

"Oh, it seems they've chosen a winner." Run informed, though the General didn't even bother batting an eye at the victor.

"The winner is Nobunaga! The dry goods merchant!" The announcer, a Jaeger himself, apprised to the audience.

"I did it!" Nobunaga exclaimed, pointing his rather dull katana up in the air.

"He's lucky. That blade of his was about to snap in two." Run noticed. Esdese didn't bother to reply, but he could tell that she was rather annoyed with the Samurai's lack of respect for his weapon; he probably just dressed up the part judging by the way he treated his downed opponent.

"This next battle is the last match."

"On the east side, Kalbi the Butcher!" The announcer pointed at the massive humanoid for a few seconds, before doing the same on his opposite side.

"And on the west side, Tatsumi the Blacksmith!"

"That's an interesting cover! Does he know how to strike iron?" Leone asked, her hands grasping the edge of her seat in anticipation of Tatsumi's new skills being used in the arena.

"Not as well as I do," Lubbock admitted proudly while shoving fistfuls of popcorn into his mouth, "but he's pretty skilled."

"It looks like one of them is still a young man." Run observed.

Esdese eyed the boy a whole four feet smaller than the towering bull, though she found more interest in her new pedicure done just this morning.

"You're quite small, aren't you?" Kalbi teased with hands on his sides, trying hard to contain his laughter at what he considered to be a puny runt before him. "Guess I'll be taking that prize money! I may have been excommunicated, but I'm still a ninth-level master at Koukenji."

"What the hell is 'Koukenji'"? The bull formed fists with his hands, unable to hold in his anger at such a question - such an insult.

"How dare you?! I'll have you know that-" Tatsumi paid no attention to the behemoth's futile explanation; he just didn't care. In fact, he began thinking of how he woke up with a puddle of drool laying atop Leone's breast, which was about to fall out of her cloth since his chin had been pulling down on it the whole night.

Tatsumi had left his weapons back in the hideout; he didn't need them to fight this battle, and Leone would just give them back upon his victory. It would be easier this way since his lack of the infamous Incursio would hide his identity as a member of Night Raid. He would be forced to fight with his hand-to-hand skills, rather than use such a copout.

The thought of him winning by pure, human skill alone sent shivers down his spine. He forgot about the sweltering heat and his comrades watching him. He could hear the crowd talking behind him, wondering if he'd win this fight against such a gargantuan foe.

" I may have been intimidated in the past, but I'm calm now, aren't I? Compared to the Three, this is nothing."

Kalbi was interrupted by the announcer's hand rising up from his side. He was about to yell something at him, but the hand immediately swiped down to initiate the duel.

"Begin!"

The bull instantly blanked on his rant and charged at Tatsumi without hesitation, his knuckles just about ready to blow the boy's head into oblivion. "Have a full course of my explosive fist!"

"I don't need Incursio for this guy."

The bull landed his fist straight into the tiles, shattering them as if they were glass while clouds of dust sprung up from beneath. His target had managed to dodge the attack and leap up into the air, preparing to dropkick him. The bull blocked it, however, and began to send a volley of fists at his target.

Each hit, no matter how much effort was put behind it, missed its goal. "He's too fast!"

Balki stretched his arms out too much, leaving him wide open for even the most basic of attacks. Before he could realize this careless mistake, a powerful exertion of force collided with his abdomen; Tatsumi's fist had made its mark into the behemoth, a mixture of blood and spit flying from his mouth...but it didn't end there.

Tatsumi sent another into the same spot, hearing the satisfying sound of breaking bones and crushed organs from within his opponent's body. The bull made one last attempt to turn the tables, clasping both hands together to create a giant fist capable of sending this boy's head down into his own pelvis.

Before he could even bring his final attack down, however, Tatsumi lifted himself up on his hands and performed a spin kick into the bull's ankle, sending him off balance and onto the ground, but not before Tatsumi sprung up and delivered yet another bone-crushing kick into the beast's face and obliterating his head into a thousand shards of irreplaceable skull fragments.

Neither Leone nor Lubbock could hold back their amazement at how easily their friend disposed of his opponent, especially one of such strength.

"That young man is outstandingly talented." Run admired, rubbing the side of his chin with his index finger.

"Mm...I like this one." Esdese looked to the guard at her right, smiling devilishly. "Have all the winners fight him at once and promise them four times the reward! Let's see if we can't draw out even more of that boy's strength."

"Yes, General Esdese!" The guard ran towards the announcer to explain her request.

"I look forward to this battle, Run." The General sat up in her chair and offered her undivided attention to the final contender, oblivious to Run's own expression as he looked at her in wonder.

"That'll be all! The winner is Tatsu-...wait, what? Oh, I see, alright." Tatsumi raised an eyebrow to the blue-haired man in charge, caught off-guard by this sudden turn of events.

"General Esdese has decided she wants to see more of Tatsumi the Blacksmith's fighting style, and has offered any previous winner of their tournament bracket four times the original reward! However, this reward may only be claimed if he is beaten! Whoever lands the felling blow shall win the prize money!"

"What?!" Tatsumi looked over at the General in surprise and took notice of her attentive gaze as six of today's winners made their way onto the ring. He then made sense of the situation, and coming to terms with his rotten luck, mentally prepared himself for the next gruelling battle. "She wants to test me against multiple foes, now? That's not fair at all! Ahh...can't I just opt out?!"

Still, he couldn't waste this sudden chance. If the opportunity was there, then it was vital that he impress the Butcher of the North. If he won, there was no telling what events would transpire from this, but he would go along with whatever happened, regardless of whether or not it would separate him from his two friends.

The six combatants before him greatly varied both in their appearances and chosen weaponry. Two were at least eight feet tall, with horribly disfigured faces and an unreal amount of muscle on them. Their weapons were of opposing caliber, however; one of them carried a halberd, the other a massive stone hammer that could easily squash Tatsumi if he wasn't careful.

Another was a dark-skinned man with fiery red hair wielding a falchion. This was a devastating curved blade that, if in Tatsumi's hand, could be easily used to dispatch a majority of these foes. His hand-to-hand skills weren't as effective if faced with multiple opponents at once, so getting his hands on a blade such as this would improve his chances of winning considerably.

The fourth combatant was a woman who'd taken down her opponent in less than ten seconds just this morning. Tatsumi was in awe at her fighting ability, but since he was now facing her in what could only be described as a battle royale, he was quite thankful for having observed the way she finished her duel. Those pretty auburn eyes reflected her malicious intent - she definitely wanted that reward.

The fixth combatant was an aging man and wielded a set of chain-blades, which were mostly hidden by a loose-fitting robe that covered him head to toe. Judging by what Tatsumi could see involving the length of the chains, this one would be a devastating opponent if kept out of arm's reach. He decided to keep his distance from him for the time being, and hopefully deal with this chain-blade wielder sooner rather than later.

The sixth and final opponent was Nobunaga, though Tatsumi didn't even bother paying attention to the man. His fighting style was mediocre at best, and he didn't even use the katana right - he'd save this fake samurai for last.

The announcer brought his hand up as Tatsumi prepared himself for what was about to occur.

"I have to beat them...this General will accept nothing less."

"Begin!"

The first to attack came from the red-haired man, who swung his falchion at Tatsumi but missed by a mile. Before he could check his surroundings to see where the prey had gone, his throat was caved in by an unseen force, ending him before he even hit the ground. The killer casually walked over to his fallen foe and picked up the falchion just as the next opponent (one of the tall brutes) took his place.

"One down." Tatsumi ducked under his new attacker's halberd and swung the falchion effortlessly into his kneecap. He slid it out as the lumbering man screamed in agony, falling on his good knee and unable to move from the spot as Tatsumi struck him through the heart. Where before the crowd had been silent, now they appeared to embrace what was unfolding before them as the air practically vibrated with the force of their cheers.

"That's two."

Tatsumi, in less than a minute, had disposed of two combatants without breaking a sweat. He had no time to celebrate, however, for the woman with her unique martial arts style came at him then. She began to dazzle him as she closed in, her strikes flowing perfectly from one to the other. Though she appeared to move like water, the fear and hesitation in his heart told him each blow would be as deadly as the last. He managed to block a majority of her attacks by keeping on his toes, though one slipped through to his wrist and caused him to wince with pain. Unable to work through it for the time being, Tatsumi was forced to let go of the curved blade.

He redoubled his efforts to defend against her onslaught, but she came in too fast and the opening from before was too wide. The woman then landed a series of powerful kicks and punches that sent Tatsumi to the floor of the arena. She must have hit a few weak spots, because It felt like an arrow had struck his chest. She was about to give him a few kicks to the gut, but that's when Tatsumi heard the heavy footsteps of the other brute, his hammer held high above his head. He was quick to dodge the near-inescapable attack, at the cost of the woman's feet being replaced by a giant steel block, and an unrecognizable pastry of crimson ichor and powdered bone.

Tatsumi could taste his meal from this morning reaching up his tongue. He was clearly disturbed by the barbarous nature of his newest opponent, especially the damage dealt to the woman, who was now letting out a bloodcurdling scream. The crowd gasped again at the sight, and a few kids covered their ears or hid their faces in their parent's shirts. A few even left, if only to get away from those now puking their guts out at the grotesque scene.

Tatsumi took this chance to recover the falchion, and just as his enemy lifted the hammer, jabbed the blade through his mouth and out the nape. He fell backwards onto the ground with an exhausted sigh while the victim of his final attack went into shock.

"That's…three." Tatsumi studied the behemoth of a man for but a moment, before his gaze made contact with the broken woman along the floor. Her auburn eyes were glued to Tatsumi as he looked away, unable to hide his regret. "...Four, although she didn't really deserve that."

The robed man approached Tatsumi with chain-blades at the ready, his eyes wild and filled with murderous glee. Nobunaga could be seen cowering in the background, sweating bullets as he prayed that the green-eyed warrior would win the battle and spare him from fighting. Unfortunately for the samurai, Tatsumi couldn't allow it.

He prepared himself for the attacks to come. In all honesty, he was worried of this man. Having never faced this type of ranged style before, there was no telling how he'd be able to overcome it, but he would sure as hell try.

His opponent's chains sailed at Tatsumi almost instantly, and Tatsumi had little time to react.

"Too fast!" The blade at the end of the chain made its way through Tatsumi's shoulder. He could feel both flesh and muscle tearing apart as the blade lodged itself within, only to be retracted back to its owner seconds later. The force of the chain's pull brought Tatsumi forward, blood oozing out of the newly inflicted wound as his opponent cackled.

"This guy's speed is something else, how can I possibly defeat him like this?" His thinking was interrupted as the other chain made contact with his abdomen.

"Shit!" Tatsumi doubled over, hearing the crowd howl in distress at the sudden turn of events. The chain-blade now embedded in his gut was pulled back in an instant, and the wielder of these two devastating weapons now danced around the boy's kneeling form.

"I have to end this quickly," Tatsumi eyed his own blood pouring out like a gallon of spilled wine onto the floor, "I'm losing too much blood, I need to win this now!"

Tatsumi struggled to rise up, his opponent raising a brow. Seeing this boy able to get up after receiving such devastating wounds sent a shiver down his spin. He was a lot tougher than anticipated - he had to take this kid seriously and use extreme prejudice. The robed man readied his weapons, once again preparing to make multiple strikes into his target's body.

"What're you waiting for," Tatsumi spat a mouthful of his own blood out and readied himself for another attack. "hit me with your best!"

His adversary wasted no time in sending his chains flying at him with lightning speed. The assassin tried his best to evade them, even managing to duck and strafe away a few times, but his efforts were to no avail as the bloodied steel made its mark into both legs. He was sent back to his knees, the incessant burning within his wounds forcing the boy to let out a sharp cry.

"Tatsumi!" Leone cried out, her tight grip on the railing irritating her palms to such an extent that it felt as though they were burning.

"There's no way he can win at this point, he's sustained too many injuries." Run spoke, eliciting no reply from the icy woman at his side. "Perhaps the decision to have him fight six at once was a bit too much?"

"Look closely."

"What?"

"His eyes, Run. He's not done yet. Those are the eyes of a true beast, fully prepared to rip and tear at his foes. Particularly," she continued with a smile, "now that his back is against the wall."

"How can you be so sure, commander?"

"Because," Esdese grinned, never taking her eyes off of the seemingly defenseless boy below, "my father had eyes just like him. And I see those eyes every time I look in a mirror."

"I can't die here." The chains were sent at him once again, prepared to deal the final blow.

"I won't die here!" Tatsumi roared, rising from his knees to meet the attack head on. He didn't know what possessed him to do it; perhaps out of impulse, out of a sense to protect himself, or just to do something stupid in a hopeless effort to turn the tables, but he put his hands out. The tip of the blades went straight through his palms and out the other side, tearing apart the muscle fibers and fracturing his bone.

It felt as though the flames of hell itself were spreading through those awful wounds, but he didn't stop there. He couldn't.

Leone and Lubbock stared in disbelief at the spectacle before them. Tatsumi wrapped his shaking fingers around the chains and held them in a tight grip, blood oozing onto the blackened steel as he kept his hold firm. The audience roared, unable to avert their gaze at this astounding turn of events. Esdese leaned forward, her eyes filled with a sense of eagerness that she hadn't felt since her first hunt for Danger Beasts. She'd almost completely risen out of her seat at this point, so enthralled was she by this mystery contestant.

"I-impossible!" The owner of the chains declared, trying his damndest to pull the chains back to him. The grip on the other end was unbelievably powerful.

Tears welled up in Tatsumi's eyes, the burning sensation growing stronger with each passing moment. His heels dragged themselves against the ground as he began to pull the chains towards him with all his might. The blades dangled against his forearms while he struggled to bring his enemy to a closer, more personal distance.

Sweat poured down the robed man's face, unable to hide the fear forming his expression as he was involuntarily heaved towards his 'captor'. Tatsumi then used the remaining strength he possessed to bring forth the frightened figure only inches away from him. The look in his eyes was priceless to Tatsumi, and he couldn't help but grin as he bashed his forehead against the chain-blade user with all his might.

The now dazed man fell to his knees, unable to recover from the unexpected attack as Tatsumi sluggishly took the chains and wrapped them around the soon-to-be defeated man's neck. He stumbled a few feet away before pulling on the chains as hard as his muscles would allow, blood oozing out of his multiple wounds. The man's hood fell off, revealing his pale-white skin and brown eyes as the blood-soaked chain imprinted its tracings along his neck. Tatsumi tightened the chain's hold until he heard the rewarding sound of his throat being crushed by the excessive force. Tatsumi let the chains fall - his eyes narrowed at the final combatant.

"One more."

"Raaaaaaah!" Nobunaga appeared in the air with his katana held above his head about to slice down on his target. He was suddenly paused in midair, both him and the audience in awe at the scene before them. Tatsumi had caught the blade between his hands, and, with all the strength he could muster, sustained the light samurai and his weapon above the ground for a few more moments.

"Wrong move." The blade was already on the verge of shattering. All Tatsumi had to do was snap the blade to the side and break it, causing the samurai to fall towards him. He did just that, relying on the audience's unknowing of the blade's dullness for shock value, and as the samurai was a mere inches away, Tatsumi delivered the most powerful punch he could muster into the side of Nobunaga's face, sending him flying into the ground.

Before he could recover from the attack, the samurai was lifted by the hair. Tatsumi held Nobunaga in a headlock and looked the General straight into her eyes with a fiery gaze, a gaze filled with the desire to end this man.

The look in his eyes made her shudder. It was a feeling she'd never been given before by someone else, and it was just those eyes alone that brought these hidden emotions up from within.

Nobunaga frothed at the mouth, tears streaming down his cheeks and snot blowing out his nostrils. He grabbed hopelessly at Tatsumi's powerful grip whilst staring up at what he thought to be the most beautiful sky he'd ever seen...the last sky he'd ever see.

The savage victor twisted his arms, his eyes never leaving their entranced lock with the General's as he snapped his defenseless opponent's neck up and to the side. The crowd cheered at his victory, and Esdese had a grin that split from ear to ear.

The crowd continued to cheer and chant the name of the arena's latest champion, the new face that ended up single-handedly disposing of the six strongest opponents ever to bleed on that sand.

"Tats-u-mi! Tats-u-mi! Tats-u-mi! Tats-u-mi!" They cried, fists waving and food soaring into the air as they tossed it all upwards.

"Tat...sumi?" Leone was unable to suppress her shock at the scene.

"There's no way..." Lubbock was in disbelief, his popcorn scattered along benches, not even bothering to wipe the butter smeared on his face as Tatsumi let the lifeless man fall face-first into a pool of another opponent's blood.

"T-the w-winner is," the announcer stumbled on his words, "Tatsumi the Blacksmith!"

In an instant, the noise level reached impossible new heights, with many in the audience giving him a standing ovation. His two comrades, on the other hand, remained seated - weighed down by their incredulity. He understood their woes, and accepted the shame; he had done something so unlike him, so out of left field, that he couldn't help but look away from them and back towards his newest objective - General Esdese.

"I'm sorry, Leone."

"So, General," he called out to the woman a full staircase above him.

"I'm sorry, Lubbock."

"Have I proved myself worthy of your presence?" He offered her a confident smile and a pair of determined eyes, all too assured that he had most definitely earned it.

At that moment, Esdese could feel her entire essence melt. Her heartbeat was inhumanly fast, and her face felt as if it were the surface of the sun itself. An unfamiliar spark made its way in-between her legs, her nails dug into her palms, she bit her lip, and her thoughts went racing. She had more than enough air around her, but somehow, no amount of breathing could ever be enough to satisfy her frantic heart.

"We've found him." She was barely able to properly speak those words, her hands gripping the arms of her chair. This excitement was unlike anything she had ever felt before. No amount of torture, no number of slain foes could possibly hold a candle to this new feeling. What she wanted most of all had suddenly been delivered to her, wrapped up in a handsome face and sporting an incomparable smile.

One who could be her equal.

"A candidate for a Teigu user, I presume?" Run didn't notice his General's unease, instead observing the victor standing in the ring.

"That as well, but also…" Esdese rose up out of her chair and began her descent down the steps to what she now desired more than anything in the world.

"Commander?"

"Get a stretcher for this boy!"

"He hasn't fallen from his wounds yet."

"He will soon enough."

Tatsumi's vision had blurred a considerable amount since his victory, and, as the famed General approached down the steps, he could feel his ability to stay conscious wearing thin.

"Did you come down here to fight me yourself, General Esdese?" He inquired, panting with his hands on his knees.

"Tatsumi...that's your name, right? It's a nice name."

"Thanks." He straightened up immediately and remained alert, unsure of her intentions.

"So this is Esdese, the commander of the Three." Images of Bulat flashed in his head, and he was unable to refrain himself from looking down. "If she didn't exist, Bro would still be…"

"Your victory in both battles were extraordinary, Tatsumi. I haven't come down here to fight you, though the very idea of dueling a man of such skill is rather enticing."

"I bet."

Tatsumi was unable to hold himself up any longer and fell to his knees. His eyes were weary, and his whole body felt as though a block of steel fell upon it. He knew, with the injuries sustained on his palms and legs, he wouldn't be able to hold a weapon, let alone walk. A member of Night Raid, a powerful assassin, now reduced to a defenseless shell.

He had hoped to have a proper conversation with the General, but now, in his critical condition, there was no way that would happen. He could see it in her eyes as she looked down at him. Those eyes declared him weak, insignificant. Maybe if he had defeated all of them without trouble, without gaining such injuries, things would be different right now.

In a split second, her expression changed entirely. With a grin now plastered on her face, she approached the motionless boy.

The Butcher of the North knelt down and wrapped her arms around Tatsumi, her uniform now stained with his blood (though she couldn't care less). She whispered coldly into his ear, her breath of winter freezing his mind and paralyzing his body as he closed his eyes.

"Tatsumi, I will make you strong."

A/N: Took long enough, didn't it? You all have my sincerest apologies for the unexpected lateness of this chapter. It was initially at 10,200 words and had a few extra scenes in it. I also made Tatsumi a bit too overpowered by the end of it, and, since I'm backtracking through the eight year timeskip, it would only hinder the quality of the character progression and story itself, so I went on to fix it. My first iteration was rather lackluster, and I reworked a majority of the scenes which took forever (unfortunately). This resulted in some scenes being removed, though they will, perhaps, be used for later chapters.

I also had a lot of school work on my hands, and not enough free time to write. I realized I couldn't do this on my own, and I requested Salaeren, the writer of Follow the Wolves (A fantastic Esdese x Tatsumi story, I highly recommend taking the time to read it!), to beta-read my story and make sure the best quality possible was presented in this chapter.

That being said, I hope you'll forgive me for this long overdue update. I really hope it was worth the wait, haha!

Have a great day, or night, depending on where you reside in the world!

-Prima