Akame Ga Kill - Split The Earth In Two, Quake

Chapter Forty: Kill the Alchemist

Off to the east of the Capital, in one of the Revolutionary Army's encampments, multiple soldiers are trying to relax after a long day of training. Multiple guards are posted on the outside of the camp, staying vigilant for any sign of Danger Beasts. One said soldier notices something in the distance and squints at it, trying to get a better look at what it might be. "What the hell?", he mutters under his breath, earning a raised eyebrow from his partner. "What is it?", his partner asks before he pulls out a pair of binoculars to see what exactly the ominous figure is off in the distance. "It looks like something's heading this way, get ready.", he replies as he turns to his partner. When he looks through the lenses, he sees the twisted and deformed Cosmina. Cosmina suddenly rushes toward them at a breathtaking speed, closing the large distance between them in only a moment. The two guards both scream in disbelief before one of them shouts, "It's a Danger Beast!!!! Danger Beast assault!!! All men, counter attack formation!!!!" Their commander storms out of his tent and a plethora of men rush to his side while he shouts, "We don't know if this Danger Beast's being controlled by an Imperial Arm or Not!! Be wary as you rain down special Anti-Danger Beast bullets upon it!!!" The gunmen all line up along the wooden barrier around the camp and aim their loaded rifles at the beast before unload their clips as quickly as possible into the enemy. Their shots never hit their target, however, as she slices through them with her bladed arms before they can have a chance to harm her. As they're left bewildered by her raw speed, Cosmina leaps over the barrier protecting the now helpless soldiers and as she sees how many there are, she says, in a twisted tone, "So...Much...FOOD..!" The men all go to retreat in order to reload, but are quickly scooped up into her mouth before being crushed like insects under her sword-like teeth. "Fall back!!! This Danger Beast is too dangerous!!! We need to reach the other camp or we'll all die!!!", the commander shouts as he rides his horse out of the camp, leading his men to safety. This safety only lasts for a moment though, as they run into Izou, who's waiting for a chance to spill even more blood. As he draws his Imperial Arm, he says, "Kousetsu, it is...feeding time." And with a single motion, he speeds past the platoon of soldiers, slicing them all into tiny bits. As Izou sheaths his sword, he lets out a slight chuckle before turning to see the mess he made of the enemy. "Running like chickens with their heads cut off... Such fragile, brittle creatures.", he says with a grin on his face as he admires his handiwork. Inside the camp, Cosmina is watching Dorothea suck the blood from one of the poor soldiers that didn't have time to run away. As Izou walks into the camp, Dorothea says, "These shavings make for an appetizing lunchtime, right Cosmina?" She then notices that Cosmina isn't eatting, causing her to pout like a child. "Go on, Cosmina. This is a picnic after all. Dig in!", Dorothea says to her, causing her to start devouring the remains of the enemy soldiers left behind. As Dorothea tosses the bloodless corpse to the side, she leaps down to Izou's side while saying, "Ahhhh, re-freshing~" Izou looks over at Cosmina and puts his right hand to his chin while saying, "It's a wonder she's not attacking us after undergoing a complete transformation such as this. Is it possible she still has her memories?" Dorothea lets out a slight snicker before saying, "That woman's feelings towards her comrades were stronger than most realized." Izou and Dorothea both stop talking as they hear the sound of something big heading their way. "Reinforcements? So soon?", Izou asks with a hint of disbelief as he places his hand on the grip of his sword. Dorothea simply says, "Well, I had my fun for the moment. Let's pull out while we're still ahead." This earns her a raised eyebrow from Izou, which she replies with, "If those Night Raiders are with them, then we'll be in a real bind. Cosmina isn't ready to take them head-on right now." Izou simply nods before Dorothea shouts to Cosmina, "Hey, Cosmina!! We're heading home~" Cosmina stops eating and turns her head to Dorothea before swallowing the remaining corpses in her mouth and saying, "Home..."

When the Revolutionary Army reinforcements arrive, they see the destroyed camp and pile of corpses in the middle. Their commander is disgusted by the sight, covering her mouth to prevent herself from throwing up. "T-this can't be...", she mutters under her breath, still in complete shock. "When we heard the gunshots, we thought it was a simple Danger Beast attack... B-but this isn't like any Danger Beast I've seen before. They don't pile corpses up like mountains!", she thinks to herself as she regains her composure. She turns to her men and shouts, "Send word out to all of our groups' watches to stand vigilant and hold their ground, Immediately!!" Her men quickly nod and as she turns back to the blood-soaked battlefield before her, she mutters, "This massacre...The atrocity of it... This had to be the work of the Empire...Was it their Black Forces? If that's the case, then we'll have to respond in kind, won't we?"