Fate: Kill

Chapter 5

By the time Akame deposited Shirou within the wooden cottage he used as a proxy hospital, Shirou no longer had the means to interact with the soft-spoken assassin. She left as soon as they arrived. She didn't even stick around to observe him from the shadows of the room and simply left him alone without any regard for what he would do: This was despite the curiosity she had at his insistence of returning to the healing cottage rather than a warm bed which he could use to alleviate his exhaustion. Then again, she hadn't exactly been the same since the events of the forest.

In the midst of the journey back, Akame had been keeping silent. It wasn't something that was new when it concerned her quiet demeanor, but the meaning changed when her brows constantly furrowed.
She was clearly thinking about other important matters and couldn't come to a decision. Perhaps because he was influencing her somehow with his presence, she didn't hesitate to leave and acquire sometime to herself. Regardless, a part of him was already certain that she would be back by morning. If not in front of him, then somewhere she believed that he couldn't see.
Until then, he would utilize his time without constant surveillance.
Legs trembling, he gathered the strength to hoist himself off the floor where Akame had unceremoniously dropped him and staggered on his feet.
His vision was swimming, the furniture around him appearing to wobble before he shook his head and focused his vision.
The thing about magical exhaustion was that it had nothing to do with one's physical state, but more on their mentality. The concept itself is relatable to sleep deprivation where all movement becomes lethargic and the complexion of one's face begins to pale.
In Shirou's case, he was just tired as he didn't tap in too much of his personal reserves of magical energy stored within his twenty-seven magic circuits; twenty-seven nodes of the spirit that aligned with the body with the function of converting ambient mana in the air into usable energy for a magi's magecraft. However, with the lack of mana in the air due to the Danger Beasts, the most his Magic Circuits could accomplish was extract and store the magical energy rather than passively generate their own.
This was the true purpose of his insistence to return to the present cottage.
Staggering on his feet, he eventually made his way into the cottage's storage room by using the walls and furniture for support. Thereafter, he pulled out the same source of Danger Beasts remains he had been conserving for the past few years.
It was a pity that it was no longer possible to rely on them in the future.
Hands touching the cleaned bones, he fully extracted the magical energy found from within.
A storm-like gale of blue mana circulated around him before funneling into his body, the exhaustion clouding his mind gradually clearing to a comfortable state.
He released a breath, opening and clenching his hands as the mana diffused through his pours and into his magic circuits.
A feeling of fulfillment that he had not felt in numerous years caused his lips to curve upwards.
It had been too long.
In his attempts to preserve the magical energy stored within the remains of the Danger Beast he had on hand, he'd never allowed himself to charge up to full capacity. Not only did he feel stronger, but he felt far more enlivened than he ever had before, like a desert-stranded wanderer obtaining an oasis.
The only negative aspect was the result of his extraction.
The left-over bones of the Danger Beast cracked before fading into dust; the magical components depleted, the age of the bones caught up with them and reduced them to ash.
Shirou would no longer have a means to replenish the magical energy he could use henceforth until he could hunt more Danger Beasts.
Mood falling with the realization, he scratched his head in thought until he caught sight of the moonlight pooling in through a window. In his fatigued state, it had taken both him and Akame a substantial amount of time to trek back to the Border Town. In which case, the evening had long since arrived, and along with it, the general darkness of the forest.
There were no street lights in the world he was reborn in, and most certainly not in a border town at the edge of the Empire. Thus, the soft hue of orange flame flickering in the distance was further emphasized.
The people from Wakoku.
As he had sent them out in the direction of the Border Town earlier, it was certain that they had arrived much earlier than he had. With the town fully occupied as it was, the people of Heiwa must have set up camp nearby.
Shirou closed his eyes and peered into himself. The amount of magical energy at his disposal was substantial and he wouldn't have to use very much of it to heal several of the injured from Heiwa. Besides, it was a sign of good faith. If he had already taken the action to meddle and rescue them, he might as well help them thoroughly.
Following the glow of the flame outside, he stepped out of the healing cottage and was met with the soft blowing of a cold breeze and an exasperated face.
Shirou stiffened visibly, as if a deer caught in the headlights. "E-Elaine, what a surprise to see you here?"
Elaine rose a brow.
She had been leaning with her back against the wall of the cottage evidently waiting for him to come out. In which case, had she been there to see Akame carrying him in?
The question left Shirou in a cold sweat as he knew Elaine's personality. She was dutiful and upright, but sometimes she really was too persistent. Worse, with the amount of time they spent growing up around each other, she'd learned to detect it when he was lying or shying away from a topic.
This was one of those occasions.
She was staring at him without blinking, the light reflecting from her glasses seeming to see directly through him.
"Is it really a surprise?" She asked sceptically. "It's a bit unbelievable isn't it?"
Shirou didn't answer. It was a losing battle, yet still he found it within him to smile wryly at her and joke. "Almost as unbelievable as Anna and Artus leaving you alone. You ditched them on your brothers, didn't you?"
Elaine didn't answer, but the way she turned her head to the side and coughed in her hands was enough of a response. It also served to dissolve the 'cool' disposition she was attempting to emulate from her mother.
Her arms were crossed beneath her bosom, and the tinges of her cheeks were flushed red, but she composed herself quickly.
"Enough," she forced the words out in her embarrassment. "This isn't about me, but you. I'm not a fool Shirou. You went out of the town."
Shirou turned to look at Elaine and noticed the oddly serious expression on her face, her lips pursed and her forehead creased.
Don't get him wrong, Elaine was generally always serious, a type of 'cold beauty' like her mother, but today was different.
She moved to stand right across from him and placed her hands on her hips, pressing him for a response as her expression became neutral.
"Was it that obvious?" He decided to admit to his fault.
Elaine simply nodded. "It's not every day that people of Wakoku enter the borders of the Empire and into our town. More so when they began telling stories about a red-haired warrior killing off their rival pursuers. Anything to say about this matter?"
Shirou didn't respond. There was no way he could lie; therefore, the best method was to just remain silent.
Elaine payed him no mind before her eyes narrowed at the tall structures in the distance, entirely surrounding the border town. From afar, they appeared to be walls of some sort, but Elaine still recalled the peculiarity of their shape. They were almost entirely sword-like.
She glanced back at Shirou.
"How about those walls? Do you know anything about them? Some of the townsfolk and people from Heiwa are beginning to worship them as the creation of a God." Elaine furrowed her brows in thought. "You can't blame them though. Raiga sent out scouts to verify the composition of the walls to find a shocking discovery. Steel Shirou."
"Steel?" Shirou bowed his head, unable to meet Elaine's scrutiny.
"Yes Steel. The nearly fifteen-meter walls surrounding the Border Town are made out of refined steel." Elaine wiped the dust off from her glasses before putting them back on. "It's the kind of steel hardened for use in blades but made in such a scale that they couldn't have had been created by human hands. It's a real mystery."
"Oh, is that so," Shirou made to avoid the topic, and fortunately, Elaine relented. However, with the way Shirou was directing his gaze towards his feet, he missed the concern that flashed across Elaine's eyes.
Although she didn't say it, having seen Shirou's exhausted state as Akame carried him into the healing cottage, Elaine was highly suspicious as it was.
Something was going on that the Young Master was getting dragged into and she was completely unaware of it. It left her unsettled. More than that, the reason Shirou's father prevented Shirou from hunting Danger Beasts outside of the Border Town wasn't just because of the danger. It was because Shirou's father didn't want him to get dragged into the affairs of the Empire or its bordering nations. Now however, Elaine feared that it was already too late. The simple life-style that she and the others in the village enjoyed was bound to come to an end, but so what?
"I don't know what kind of trouble you got yourself involved in Shirou, but will you listen to a piece of advice from a friend and advisor?" The tone of Elaine's voice was oddly insistent, as if she wouldn't take no for an answer and it reflected in the way she blocked his path forward.
Shirou had no idea what Elaine was going to say, but it was clear that he didn't have much of a choice but to listen. Giving his consent, he inclined his head and gestured for Elaine to elaborate.
Elaine pushed up her glasses in relief before stepping forward and placing her hands on Shirou's shoulders. They were so close that he could smell the scent of raspberries from her breath and fresh mint from her hair.
"We're friends, aren't we?" She asked softly, smiling fondly while staring up at him with her clear eyes. "Therefore, even if you hold the responsibility of the town, please remember to rely on me and on the others. Don't just handle things on your own."
Elaine let go of Shirou, retreating back step by step until she was a meter in front of him before bowing politely.
Shirou opened his mouth to speak, but Elaine was already far ahead of him.
"You have somewhere you need to be, don't you?" She smiled wryly. "I won't take up anymore of your time, but please remember my words."
After all, not everyone in the Border Town was as they appeared to be.
It was a place of retired monsters and those seeking retribution, a shelter for a new start at life.
A home for the weary.
No one was simple.
Thus, was the Border Town at the edge of the Empire.
A place of transition and new beginnings.
The people of Heiwa had set up camp a short distance away from the perimeter of the town.
When they had first arrived, they had been apprehensive. Many of them were injured and the largest majority of the group consisted of women and children who lacked proper combat experience.
Despite Shirou's words to them, they had no way of verifying their authenticity until they actually arrived at the Border Town. To their surprise, other than staring for a moment or two, most of the townsfolk smiled knowingly before gesturing for a place for them to stay.
Selka, the current daughter of the Chief of Heiwa was still dumbfounded from the current sequence of events. There were no conspiracies, black-hearted profiting, or any ill will to be scene from anyone in the Border Town. Instead, they were welcomed with open arms as if their arrival was a common occurrence.
Selka, for all her intelligence still couldn't understand it. In the midst of Wakoku's internal wars, she had been taught to be weary of all outsiders. They were liars, crooks, and criminals hiding behind the guise of smiling faces.
And yet, what the hell was this place?
Selka's eyes widened in disbelief when she had first laid witness to the location that the townsfolk allowed them to set up camp.
It was a lush creek filled with growing vegetation perfectly suitable for the production of huts and outdoor necessities that the Heiwa were proficient in utilizing. The Heiwa were a neutral Nation of Wakoku that escaped the brunt of the Civil War due to their simpler life-style. They hunted for a living, using their superior physical constitutions to survive in the dense jungles away from all the fighting. Their finesse and physical capabilities reflected in the sleekness of their figures and the toned definition of their muscles.
All were generally of tan-skin and no one wore too much clothing as it hindered their movements deep in the underbrush.
They mystery that clouded Selka's mind however was the fact that the townsfolk of the Border Town seemed to identify them as Heiwa upon sight. How else would they have had been able to provide them such an ideal camp ground?
It didn't make any sense.
The Heiwa were secretive to begin with, and unless one was a local of Wakoku, no one in the Empire should have had heard of them.
Selka turned back to stare at the townsman that had led her group to their current location and grew stunned when she realized that the mam was gone.
Impossible.
She bit down on her lips.
The Heiwa had a unique system of Hunter and Caretaker in their society. Most women of Heiwa opted to be Caretakers, but Selka was different. She had always wanted to be a Hunter to provide for her village. As such she had trained since young under the guidance of her father and was fully confident in her abilities.
With the superior constitution of the people of Heiwa, Selka was unable to accept that a non-Heiwa resident had been able to escape her notice in the short time-frame she had been distracted.
Only one thought came to mind.
An Expert.
Speaking of experts, she couldn't help but recall the very youth who had saved them. More so because the red-haired youth appeared to be of similar age and was far more capable than her. It was vexing, but more than that, it was somewhat frightening.
What if…What if all of the people in the Border Town were of similar capability?
Selka shuddered just thinking about it, yet she couldn't allow the thought to distract her.
Her father who she was supporting from her shoulders needed rest.
It was with such thoughts that regardless of the numerous questions she had, she ordered the people of Heiwa to quickly build camp.
Despite most of the group consisting of women and children, they were by no means weak when compared to the average woman.
"Hey Selka, do you think we can use this for anything?"
The owner of the voice was a middle-aged woman carrying a tree she had cut down over her shoulders. Like many women of Heiwa, the woman was lithe, her naval region exposing flat-toned muscles that were just visible enough to see.
Selka only smiled in response. Most of the construction for the camp was near completed and the children were even helping by moving around boulders twice their size to aid the men who were busy masoning with their bare hands to build tools.
"Just put the tree with the rest. We'll use the wood later when the men are done chopping through the stones we're using for the tribal house," Selka gave a nod. "All of us can stay in there for the night and we'll work on the other shelters next morning."
"Understood," the middle-aged woman gave her acknowledgment before tossing the chopped tree onto a pile of others that resembled a stack of firewood.
Meanwhile, the tension Selka had been feeling from the pursuit of the people of Hageshi finally disappeared completely.
The words Shirou had said really were true.
Selka sat down next to where her father was resting in the newly constructed tribal building, wet a towel, and began cleaning off the grime that had accumulated over her father's body during the course of the journey. She herself was far from clean with smudges of dirt and mud on her skin, yet the first concept taught to all people of Heiwa was to be filial.
In that regard, the care Selka showed towards her father who became both a Hunter and a Caretaker for her in the absence of her mother, was immeasurable. In fact, if her father had truly died then she probably wouldn't have been able to take it. Far from being rational, she would have had abandoned her duties as the daughter of the Chief and swear vengeance until her death.
Yet in her despair, she and many had been saved.
This was a debt the Heiwa would not forget. One that Selka took to heart.
Continuing to wipe the dirt and blood she could see on her father's skin, she lost track of time.
Glancing up from where she had been meticulously cleaning, she smiled warmly.
The people of Heiwa that her father had gathered and that she had led to safety were sprawled out over the floor of the Tribal building. Many were hugging onto each other and openly snoring while others rolled overtop. It was a tangle of arms and legs and bodies, but to Selka, it gave her a feeling of home and the bond shared between the Heiwa.
This was what she wanted to protect.
She looked down over her lap and noticed that many of the children who'd lost their parents as a result of the attack from Hageshi were snuggling beside her for comfort.
She tenderly began patting their heads in regret as rage filled her heart.
It wasn't fair. Even now just thinking about what those of Hageshi had done left her with an unbridled rage.
The children around her were among many that she personally tutored as the representative of her father during his personal hunting trips.
The heavy realization that the children were now orphaned caused her grit her teeth as her eyes moistened.
Many of those who died could be considered her aunts and uncles. Those who took care of her and tolerated her antics as a child without a mother.
Dead.
All of them.
Selka suppressed the tears she felt were about to fall by force of will.
Hunters never cry. They take their enemies and make them suffer ten-fold- Nay, a Hundred-Fold!
In the midst of Selka's fury, a voice entered her ears from the direction of the fire left burning outside the hastily built tribal building.
"That's a lot of malice to be releasing around children, isn't it?" The voice asked. "Look at them, they won't be able to sleep like this. Worse, you could give them nightmares."
The words snapped Selka out of her rage. She stared down at the kids sleeping around her and noticed the way their faces were scrunching up fearfully. Some were visibly sweating, the sight dousing her like a splash of cold water.
Flustered, she hurriedly reined herself in and moved the children to sleep elsewhere, placing a blanket overtop of them as she stood up on her feet.
Afterwards, she stared towards Shirou who appeared at the entrance of the building and immediately recognized him for who he was.
Gently maneuvering her feet, she made her way over the sleeping bodies of her fellow people to stand outside where Shirou stood waiting patiently.
The cold breeze blew against her from the moment she exited the tribal building yet she didn't particularly mind despite her current attire. She wore wimple furs that only wrapped around her breasts and waist, and on her ankles, she wore leather bands decorated with long dangling feathers.
She was the prime example of a fit individual such that it was difficult for an average person to take their eyes off of her. Shirou was an exception as he was currently plagued by numerous problems.
From the moment Selka stepped out and arrived near Shirou, she bowed her head lowly in gratitude.
"Once again, you have my thanks for saving us," she spoke curtly before lifting her head.
Shirou acknowledged Selka's sentiments but grew uncomfortable in the following silence. He wanted to bring up the fact that he had come to help heal the injured, but from what he had seen in the tribal building, all of the people from Heiwa aside from Selka were already asleep.
Normally he would have just left, but he had already called out to Selka making it difficult to just up and leave.
Scratching his head for something to say, he finally came up with a suitable topic.
"What do you think of the Border Town?" He asked curiously. "The people here are all friendly and its relatively peaceful with no reports of violence of any sort."
A peaceful town?
Selka furrowed her brows, biting down on her lower lip in her incredulousness.
Why did that statement sound the furthest from the truth given the experts she had seen?
Selka put on a strained smile as she didn't want to appear rude.
"Yeah, it's a pleasant place," she forced out. "We'll be imposing here for a while, but we'll make sure to leave quickly." Selka balled her hands into fists. "There's a debt that must be repaid."
Shirou stared at the anger in Selka's expression and sighed.
"Revenge?" He shook his head. "Have you considered what happens after?"
"…" Selka didn't answer, but the warning glare she was sending towards Shirou seemed to be conveying only a single message. 'You don't know anything, back off.'
Tension filled the air, but as if oblivious to it, Shirou paid everything no mind, causing Selka's eyes to narrow and lips to thin.
"Many of you will die, and your regrets will only continue to pile," Shirou explained.
Selka forced herself to remain civil. She knew full well about the superior physical capabilities of the people of Heiwa and understood that a single punch had the potential to kill.
This was the man who saved her and the others.
The people of Heiwa do not repay gratitude with enmity.
"…Then you expect me to forget this rage burning within me?" She seethed as she forced out the words.
"No. Nothing of the sort." Shirou placed his hands by his side and turned his head to face her. "What I'm trying to say is to use that rage and vigour wisely."
Shirou's explanation took Selka aback, and she momentarily forgot her anger.
"You said that Heiwa was attacked? Have you ever considered where all of you will return to after your revenge?"
"…" Selka had no answer.
"What you need before any thoughts of retaliation is a place where you can call home."
Selka wasn't stupid. She could understand Shirou's underlying meaning, but it was hard for her to accept. People were evil, most of them liars who could condemn one another to death. She had already experienced it first hand.
There were no such things as Heroes. People who saved and helped others indiscriminately.
Only benefits and demerits.
That was how the shitty world worked.
Otherwise, if there really were Heroes, why hadn't one come sooner when her aunties and uncles were slaughtered in front of her eyes?
A lump formed in Selka's throat and she couldn't trust herself to speak immediately.
She sniffled before glaring.
"The people of Hageshi will come if you allow us from Heiwa to stay here in this Border Town." Selka seethed, grabbing the collar of Shirou's shirt and pulling his face close. She was searching for something in Shirou's eyes. A confirmation to reveal his true mentality. "You all will face their full assault, no holds barred."
Go on.
A voice spoke within Selka's mind, her inner thoughts.
Say it. Tell us to leave and reveal your true colours!
Shirou's expression remained neutral not an ounce of hesitation to be seen in his features. It terrified Selka who already understood that she had met an anomaly. An existence never before seen or heard of in this shitty world of violence and deceit.
Someone who cared for others.
Someone who could be so selfless.
A Hero.
No. NO. There's no way that such a person could actually exist! A Lie. It's a Lie!
"Then let them."
The confirmation of Shirou's words caused Selka to freeze as a shudder travelled down her back. The grip she had in her hands slackened before her shoulders visibly slumped. She quickly turned her gaze away lest he see the tears trickling down her cheeks.
Shirou pretended he didn't notice out of consideration for what Selka must have been through. Instead, he turned his back to her to allow her some semblance of privacy while looking up at the moonlit sky.
"I don't know what things you must have experienced, or what you think the world as, but," Shirou shifted his gaze to stare in a certain direction where he could see townsfolk silently leaving behind baskets of grain and bread for the Heiwa to consume in the morning. He smiled lightly. "You'll find that this Border Town is different than the Empire and the Nations of Wakoku."
Selka silently wiped away her tears, staring transfixed at the back of a youth she still couldn't believe actually existed.
"If the people of Hageshi come looking for trouble, then what they'll find here will be beyond their wildest imaginations."
For a moment, Selka could have sworn she had seen it. A lonely hill of swords and a wrought Iron Hero who stood upon it.
"I-It was you," Selka muttered softly, looking first towards Shirou, and then towards the wall of swords in the distance.
Shirou neither confirmed or denied Selka's statement. Instead, he turned to look towards her and smiled brightly. "Say," he asked. "What are your thoughts towards employment?"
Huh?
The sudden question left Selka dumbfounded.
Shirou had heard that the people of Heiwa were exceedingly strong from the idle chatter of the townsfolk in the Border Town.
With the understanding that the people of Hageshi would be attacking the Border Town, he had already been considering the formation of a town guard. Therefore, his sudden action of employing the people of Heiwa could be considered a strategic move while simultaneously preventing Selka from doing anything reckless.
If everything was all well and good, what was it that he had done to have Elaine glaring at him first thing in the following morning? If not for the fact that Artus and Anna once again took Elaine by surprise, then it was likely that he would have had been in for an ear-full.
It was times like these that he considered it a blessing to have younger siblings. He could use them as shields against the women in his life without worrying about harm coming to them.
Unfortunately, he dodged the bullet that was Elaine, for the sword that was Akame.
Exiting his house after the matter with the people of Heiwa was settled, Akame was the first to meet him.
Different from before, she didn't wear the cloak she generally wore to hide her features.
She was in a black sleeveless minidress with an accompanying red tie and white collar. Her sword was strapped to her waist and she looking at him blankly as if there was nothing wrong with her sudden appearance.
"Weren't you trying to hide yourself?" he couldn't help but question.
Akame shrugged. "Changed my mind," she said curtly. "I can observe you better like this."
What Akame didn't say was the fact that no one seemed to react to her appearance in the Border Town. As such, it was too much of a hinderance to constantly run surveillance in the shadows when no one seemed to care about her. Besides, a part of her had actually been swayed to believe that there was something different with Shirou and the quaint town at the border.
It was unprofessional, and Akame knew it, but there were things worth risking her livelihood for. Even the mission assigned to her regarding Edwin and the information she had learned in her investigation.
All that mattered now was seeing if a small spark could turn into a roaring blaze.
Without realizing it, she'd been staring at Shirou for too long, causing him to notice her behaviour and stare back.
She didn't want to admit that she was the one at fault so she inclined her head in a gesture for Shirou to move on.
He didn't waste much time on talking. His most pressing concern was what he could do to prepare for the eventual attack by the people of Hageshi.
He hadn't told anyone at the Border Town about the looming threat yet, but it was because he didn't want to cause a panic. As far as he was concerned, the townsfolk were all kind people who didn't deserve to be plunged into chaos due to his actions. Thus, he would do everything he could with the people directly involved.
The people of Heiwa were physically gifted, Selka explaining to him that many of them didn't bother using traditional weapons due to their weak durability.
Weapons. That was exactly what he was going to supply the Border Town's new guards with.
Striding through the town, Shirou took a detour from his regular routine of heading towards the healing cottage and instead moved towards a certain location. A place with a special meaning to him. The Forge.
'He was always alone, intoxicated with victory in a hill of swords.'
Memories of another life flittered through his mind. The hells he had walked and the ideals he had followed. In the time his father was still alive, Shirou had made a promise to remain in the border town to his father; partly out familial piety, and mostly because of the overwhelming desire his father had to shelter him and his siblings from all harm.
Yet now, now was different.
His father had already passed on in peace, and it was now once again time for the sheathed sword to draw itself.
'A life that had no meaning.'
Saving all without discrimination. That was who he was as a Hero of Justice.
The Nameless Hero.
He who withstood pain to create thousand of weapons. A blacksmith in all but name.
Once again, it was beginning. A never-ending path.
His path.
He stepped into the forge, his very temperament seeming to shift right before Akame's eyes such that she nearly gasped.
His eyes were tranquil, devoid of doubt like a blank slate, his hands picking up steel and iron.
The people of Heiwa would need weapons to help defend the Border Town. Not just any weapons, but weapons that could allow them to deter any number of enemies even without his aid.
Gaia's influence didn't exist in the new world, therefore, with half of the magical reserves he had at his disposal, he would forge them.
Mystic Codes.
"Trace, on," magical energy exuded from him in pulsating waves of mana that caught Akame completely by surprise.
He didn't care, his attention focused.
The steel and iron in his hands began to mend to his will, the forging process beginning as numerous lines of interface patterns crawled throughout the metal. He placed the product upon the anvil, picked up a hammer, and began hammering the pieces together. Showers of sparks pelted over the floor echoed by sizzling as Shirou rapidly heated and cooled the metal forming in his hands.
To imbue the properties of magic into the mundane.
Creating a perfect synergy and balance that would allow for the storing of magic within weapons.
The sword hanging on Akame's waist thrummed, Akame's eyes widening in disbelief as a blade gradually took form through Shirou's actions.
What Akame was seeing, it wasn't normal forging. It was something else entirely that caused her mind to snap as she witnessed everything first-hand.
"Y-You, what are you doing?" The words left her mouth before she could even register them. Even then, she hardly noticed as Shirou answered.
"Forging," he replied.
A sword formed in Shirou's hands out of a combination of metal, magic, and alteration. Tongues of flame circled around the shaft that formed the likeness of glowing magical symbols.
Runes.
"No, that's not what I meant," Akame's face was pale as her breathing hitched. 'No, it couldn't be!?' "That's a weapon isn't it?"
"Yes," he said simply, feeling slightly odd with the way Akame was staring at him as if she had just found a massive discovery. Something revolutionary.
Before, Shirou could even register it, Akame snatched the Mystic Code he had just created from out of his hands, her body trembling in agitation.
A forging method lost to the Empire and to the known world.
As Akame gripped the Mystic Code in her hands, she channeled within herself, the same energy she used to utilize Murasame. In an instant, the sword erupted with a column of fire that condensed around the sword's blade, producing a fiery red glow that even went as far as to create a thin shield of fire around her.
Akame's breath hitched before she looked at Shirou and said nothing.
Her test all but erased the doubts in her mind, entirely changing the way she viewed Shirou as a person and as a friend that stemmed from a misunderstanding.
Akame resolved herself.
She would have to report her finding to Najenda to decide on a course of action but regardless.
Shirou was someone that must be protected at all costs.
He was someone that both the Empire and the Revolutionary Army would stop at nothing to obtain.
For the weapon created in her hands was undoubtably a Teigu.
An Imperial Arm.
Worse, the person himself didn't seem to have a clue to what kind of political storm his actions would cause. She closed her eyes and thought long and hard about what was to be done.
Unfortunately, she just about fainted when she opened her eyes to see Shirou forging another Teigu in the air without much effort.
W-Was it really that easy?
For some reason, Akame actually began to pity the fools of Hageshi.
They were coming in for far more than what they could ever bargain for.