Akame ga Kill: Starting with Dual Kamui

The young Emperor sincerely admitted his mistakes to his people.

This scene left everyone in shock—they could hardly believe that His Majesty would speak to them in such a way.

Naturally, his actions had a profound effect.

Not only did the young Emperor’s reputation improve, but Blayn’s name also spread like wildfire across the Imperial Capital, as the Emperor publicly credited him for his achievements.

Furthermore, the young Emperor announced a series of reforms aimed at benefiting the people, including tax reductions and aid for refugees.

Although the Empire had fallen into corruption and darkness under Prime Minister Honest’s rule, he had only been in power for less than three years. It hadn’t been long enough to bring about a complete financial collapse.

In reality, the Imperial Treasury was still quite wealthy. The problem was that nearly the entire court had been filled with corrupt officials who had fawned over Honest, siphoning away funds that should have gone to the people.

Now that Honest had fallen, Chouri, with the support of Blayn and Great General Budo, immediately launched a purge of these corrupt officials.

These officials had grown so brazen under Honest’s protection that evidence of their crimes was abundant, making it easy to seize their assets.

A massive sum of money was promptly confiscated and redistributed as subsidies to the people.

To be fair, while the young Emperor had nearly driven the Empire to ruin, its economy and military had not yet crumbled. In fact, they remained relatively stable.

At this, even Chongzhen, the last emperor of the Ming Dynasty who hanged himself as his empire fell, would have shed tears.

"I... did I really hear that right? His Majesty actually spoke to us like this?!"

"So it was Blayn who overthrew Prime Minister Honest? I remember he was the Captain of the Imperial Capital Security Force, and there were rumors that he was General Esdeath’s lover."

"Yeah, it’s definitely him! No wonder he caught General Esdeath’s attention—he actually managed to bring down Honest!"

"If what His Majesty says is true, could we finally be heading toward a golden age?"

...

Seeing the Emperor’s new stance, the people began to feel hope for the future.

...

After hearing about the young Emperor’s actions, Blayn felt that he truly wanted to atone for his past mistakes.

Blayn was quite satisfied with his efforts.

"The Empire’s internal affairs don’t need much attention for now. The next focus will be the Revolutionary Army and the foreign tribes. I’ve already sent Chelsea back to notify the Night Raid—they can begin their operation," Blayn said.

"So, we’re putting on a show of hostility with Night Raid? That means I won’t be able to fight them seriously," Esdeath remarked with a faint smile.

"That’s right. You’ll need to hold back a little—don’t go all out against them," Blayn said with a slightly awkward smile, reminding her.

His lineup was overwhelmingly powerful.

Aside from himself, Esdeath, and Great General Budo, there was also Seryu, Kurome, Akatsuki, the Jaegers, the Three Beasts, and the Four Rakshasa Demons.

If an actual battle broke out, Night Raid wouldn’t stand a chance—even if the entire Revolutionary Army charged in, it would be meaningless.

For now, Blayn just needed to wait for Najenda’s report. She had already gone to the Revolutionary Army’s headquarters for discussions—though, of course, the staged battle was not part of those talks.

At the moment, only Blayn’s group and Night Raid were in on the act.

…

Within two days, Najenda returned with news.

Most members of the Revolutionary Army supported taking a wait-and-see approach toward the Empire. If the Emperor and Prime Minister Chouri could govern the nation well, they were willing to step back from their efforts to overthrow the regime.

This group mainly consisted of lower-ranking revolutionaries or former Imperial officials like Najenda, who had defected to the Revolutionary Army.

On the other hand, those who opposed this idea were the Revolutionary Army’s leader, certain high-ranking officers, and their loyal followers.

Najenda gradually realized the truth—the leader had no intention of compromise because he wanted to overthrow the Empire and claim the throne for himself. If the Empire stabilized, his ambitions would be crushed.

"I have no intention of compromising either. When the time comes, Night Raid will stop at nothing to assassinate the Emperor," Najenda said, choosing her words carefully. "The Emperor has been traveling frequently, making it easy to find the right opportunity for an assassination. Once he is dead, the royal bloodline will be severed, and the Empire will be unable to sustain itself."

The people of this world, or rather this era, were still deeply entrenched in feudal beliefs. Legitimacy was of utmost importance—if a ruler lacked rightful succession, the people would never accept them.

If the young Emperor were to die now, the Empire would inevitably collapse. Someone else could take the throne, but that would effectively mean the end of the current dynasty.

Of course, Najenda was saying this purely to test the leader’s reaction.

"Very well. I’ll leave this difficult task to you," the Revolutionary Army’s leader, a middle-aged man, responded.

He spoke little, but in his mind, he was already planning how to use this opportunity to destroy the Imperial Army led by Blayn.

His strategy still hinged on allying with the foreign tribes. As long as he could seize ultimate power, what did it matter if he had to cede some territory?

Blayn’s unexpected presence had completely disrupted his original plans, giving him a major headache. No matter what, this time, he had to eliminate this threat.

The Emperor would never travel unprotected. But after Night Raid clashed with Blayn and his forces, they would undoubtedly suffer heavy losses. That would be the perfect moment to join forces with the foreign tribes and crush them completely.

The leader’s plan sounded good—if only he knew he had already fallen into Najenda’s trap.

"By the way, I heard you still don’t have a suitable Teigu. It just so happens that I have a Biological Teigu that I can give you," the leader said.

He even went so far as to strengthen Najenda’s power.

A moment later, a towering man with two horns on his head walked into the room.

"Let me introduce you—this is the Biological Teigu ‘The Speed of Lightning Susanoo.’ His abilities are formidable, and his secret technique allows him to absorb his master’s life force to enter a berserk state, greatly enhancing his strength."

With that, the leader handed over the humanoid Teigu to Najenda.

Najenda was slightly surprised—at such a critical juncture, Night Raid was gaining another member.

Still, it shouldn’t pose a problem. Biological Teigu were said to be completely loyal to their masters once bonded, so there was no risk of their plans with Blayn being exposed.

...

While Najenda was bringing Susanoo back to the Night Raid base, the Revolutionary Army’s leader secretly resumed negotiations with the foreign tribes.

The Northern Tribes had been nearly annihilated by Esdeath, and the Southern Tribes weren’t much better off—they had also been crushed by her.

Only the Western Tribes remained strong, keeping a watchful eye on the Empire’s western border.

The Revolutionary Army’s leader had to find a way to unite the remnants of the Northern and Southern Tribes while also negotiating terms with the powerful Western Tribes.

Previously, he had promised to return territories that originally belonged to the Western Tribes, but at the time, they had only agreed to launch an incursion into the Empire’s western border to create chaos. They had not agreed to fully cooperate in surrounding the Imperial Capital.

If he wanted them to commit more forces this time, he would have to offer them greater concessions.

The Western Tribes, seeing an opportunity, made exorbitant demands, seeking even more of the Empire’s territory. In his desperation to succeed, the Revolutionary Army’s leader reluctantly agreed.

However, he wasn’t planning to launch a direct siege on the Imperial Capital while Night Raid battled Blayn’s forces. Instead, his strategy was to erode the Empire’s strength gradually through an alliance with the foreign tribes.

He knew that Blayn was incredibly strong, but fortunately, the Emperor’s "Supreme Teigu" had been destroyed. That had been their biggest fear.

The Imperial Army’s soldiers were undisciplined and had long since fallen into complacency. The only real threats were Blayn, Esdeath, and Great General Budo. As long as he could rally enough foreign warriors and Teigu users, victory was only a matter of time.

For now, he would wait for the right moment to act. The key lay in how successful Night Raid’s operation would be...

...

As soon as Najenda returned to the Night Raid base, she gathered the entire team and headed to discuss matters with Blayn.

On the way, she had already spoken with Susanoo, explaining her true intentions. After confirming that once bonded, he would be absolutely loyal, she was reassured.

"So most of them agree, but the leader and the upper ranks oppose it? Now that's interesting," Blayn mused, nodding slowly. "We’ll proceed with our usual plan and see how things unfold."

"Oh, I just hope that when the time comes, Blayn, Esdeath, and General Budo go easy on us," Leone said with a grin.

"Don't worry, I won’t do anything that Blayn would disapprove of," Esdeath replied, surprisingly mild-mannered in her interactions with Night Raid.

...

Great General Budo remained silent, his expression stern as he looked at the Night Raid members.

To him, they were still rebels. However, out of respect for Blayn, he restrained himself from voicing his disapproval.

"Kurome, make sure to dodge my attacks when the time comes," Akame reminded her sister.

"Don't worry, Sis, I won’t go down that easily," Kurome replied with a bright smile, hugging Akame tightly.

Before the staged battle began, the Night Raid members stayed at the Akatsuki base.

That evening, dinner was prepared by Susanoo. Aside from his combat prowess, he was an incredibly skilled housekeeper, mastering over a thousand different dishes. He could tailor meals to everyone's preferences, making this the most extravagant dinner they'd had in a long time.

With so many people around, even Akame and Kurome lent a hand.

Not that they were looking for an excuse to sneak bites of food—definitely not.

...

While waiting for dinner, Najenda stepped outside for a smoke.

Just then, Esdeath happened to walk past behind her.

Najenda suddenly recalled something and remarked, "Esdeath... It's kind of unbelievable. Someone like you, who craves battle and bloodshed, actually fell in love with a man."

She had always found it surprising, but this was the first chance she had to say it directly.

"Isn’t that just a beast’s instinct? Nothing strange about it," Esdeath replied casually.

Najenda sighed. "Only you would compare yourself to a beast..."

"If I’m not mistaken, that green-haired kid seems to have feelings for you, doesn’t he?" Esdeath suddenly asked, cutting straight to the point.

After observing their interactions during both this meeting and the previous one, she had noticed that Lubbock—the green-haired boy—seemed to have a thing for Najenda.

Ever since coming to understand love herself, Esdeath had become surprisingly perceptive in such matters.

For instance, she had already picked up on the affections Kurome, Seryu, Chelsea, and Mine harbored for Blayn. That was why she had been so decisive in sealing the deal with Blayn before anyone else could.

"Cough!"

Najenda nearly choked on her own cigarette upon hearing Esdeath’s words.

She hadn't expected such a question.

Seeing her reaction, Esdeath smirked knowingly. "So you’re aware of his feelings. What, you’re not planning to do anything about it?"

Najenda's expression turned somewhat troubled. "What are you even saying? Now’s not the time for that. The Revolutionary Army, the foreign tribes—everything is still in chaos. At the very least, once all of that is settled, I might consider giving it a shot."

"...You’re still as naive as ever," Esdeath said with a small smile before turning away.

Their perspectives were clearly worlds apart. To Esdeath, there was no need to overthink things—if you wanted something, you simply took it.

Without another word, she walked off, leaving Najenda alone with her thoughts, quietly finishing her cigarette.

Even after Esdeath left, Najenda found herself thinking about Lubbock.

Esdeath was right—she had always known how he felt about her.

Lubbock had been a wealthy young man, living a privileged life. Yet he had abandoned it all to join the Revolutionary Army for her.

The reason she had never responded wasn’t just because the current situation was unstable.

It was also because she wasn’t emotionally prepared.

When it came to love, she was completely inexperienced...

Maybe Esdeath was right. Maybe she was a little naive.

Najenda couldn’t help but admire Esdeath—even when standing on opposite sides, she had been bold enough to openly pursue Blayn without hesitation.