Fate: Kill

Chapter 19

There was something different about Calla ever since the events of the Twilight Star a night prior. It was subtle, but there was a shift in the air that changed Calla from a passive stance, into an active one. For all the new immigrants of Calla, the phenomenon of the night prior might as well have been nothing more than a firework display, but for many of Calla's original inhabitants, it was anything but.
O

ne by one, each household in Calla began preparing. They packed clothes, tools, supplies, and weapons in preparation for swift departure. Those who had been waiting for this day were all too eager to let loose after numerous years of inactivity.
There was no official statement or announcement made by Shirou regarding his future plans, but it didn't matter when all the original residents of Calla understood Shirou's personality.
Although Shirou preferred peace, it didn't mean that he didn't possess the tenacity within him to act as his position dictated for the safety and wellbeing of all.
Now that a majority of Calla's original residents assumed that Shirou had resolved himself, as promised to their deceased former General, it was their turn to help ease the burden.
And so, the foundations laid down within Calla for decades were beginning to show its fruit.
The strongest fortress of any civilization was the spirit of the people, and it had long since taken root in Calla. So long as the spirit and will of the masses exist, a civilization could never be wiped out.
You want war? Then this war would last for a thousand years.
The sentiment was all that mattered.
For a world with no more lies.
The first official meeting with Night Raid in Calla began not with any prior knowledge, but abruptly and swiftly without a care for etiquette much like Leone's brash and boisterous personality. In the midst of Shirou's office in his house, an entire group of people trespassed and made themselves at home as if Elaine was not glaring daggers at them already. Selka was debating on whether or not she should attack, but was putting off the impulse due to the way a recovering Akame was trying to placate everyone.
Although not proficient in eloquence, Akame somehow managed to calm everything down by guilting everyone into cooperation by staring at them with pleading eyes.
Soon enough, Shirou's office was turned into an impromptu meeting room.
Shirou sat over a table with Elaine and Selka standing behind him. Seated opposite to him was Najenda, and the members of Night Raid standing behind her. Akame and Leone sat near the middle of the table across from each other.
Akame kept shifting her attention from Shirou to Najenda and back, feeling as if she should be standing by one of either side, but was unable to choose. Leone, so as not to make things awkward for Akame had chosen to sit near the center of the table as well.
Aside from Sheele, Lubbock was the only other member of Night Raid missing from the meeting, but Lubbock seemed to be a taboo subject for Najenda at the moment so no one vouched to wait for him.
The only other interaction in the room was a silent exchange between Selka and Leone. The relationship between the two had suddenly become a tad strained at the moment. Leone was residing as a guest in Selka's clan and in the midst of being trained to be a future Hunter of Calla. The reveal that she was part of Night Raid was jarring to Selka who felt like she'd been lied to, and she hated lies.
Leone had no excuses, but she did mouth to Selka that she'd enjoyed her stay with the people of Heiwa, and that she'd guarantee Selka's future happiness. In response, Selka became red-faced and gestured for Leone to talk with her later.
Back to the meeting over the table, Najenda knew that she shouldn't allow the silence to stretch further. It was Night Raid that had barged in, so it was her responsibility to at least explain themselves.
"I suppose this could have gone better," Najenda admitted with a hand pinched over the bridge of her nose. "But I wasn't expecting that what Leone said to be a suitable meeting space was, in fact, the office of the town Lord. My apologies."
Shirou had dealt with many similar situations before, the most extreme of which was when a certain blue spandex Lancer barged into his previous home in Fuyuki and tried to murder him for the second time.
"No offence taken," Shirou said curtly, earning a relieved sigh from Leone who'd been sitting ramrod straight from the silent chastisement she'd been given earlier.
"I told you he wouldn't mind," Leone said, but groaned when she noticed the disapproval on Najenda's expression. They would clearly be having words later, and if Lubbock's condition was anything to go by, Leone began contemplating a tactical retreat.
Leone began to inch closer towards Shirou's side of the table while shooting Akame pleading looks for bail in hopes that Akame would redirect Najenda's attention. She would get no help from her friend. Akame feigned ignorance, and Leone slumped her shoulders.
Suddenly, Elaine coughed into her hand, pushed up her glasses with her middle finger, and promptly scowled. "Putting aside the topic of whether Shirou cares about you all barging in or not, what intention does Night Raid have in coming here?"
Elaine did not wish for pleasantries and moved straight to the point. In her experience dealing with her brothers and family, the best way to get any straight answers was to be blunt and forceful. In any case, she was on the side of reason in regards to Night Raid's unannounced arrival.
Elaine's question caused everyone to grow solemn. Leone put aside her impending encounter with Najenda and resumed a professional disposition along with the rest of Night Raid.
Akame was nervous. While in the process of recovering from her injuries, she'd not been informed of the purpose of Night Raid's visit and had only been dragged along when Leone dropped by and hauled her off. As far as she knew, Night Raid was still a subsidy force of the Revolutionary Army, and Najenda as Night Raid's Head had certain obligations to fill. Moreover, Akame still couldn't wrap her head around the fact that Najenda's injuries had been healed.
All signs pointed to Shirou being the cause, but didn't that mean that he'd revealed his healing capabilities? The naïve fool! After she'd worked so hard to keep the knowledge secret in order to not attract attention from the Revolutionary Army!
Akame bit down on her lower lip, and tightly gripped onto the hem of her skirt, but nothing could prepare her mentally for what Najenda was about to say.
"Night Raid will defect from the Revolutionary Army and will henceforth be willing to act as separate espionage force for Calla."
What?
Akame took a moment to blink and process what she'd just heard, but couldn't stop her mouth from hanging open in her astonishment.
"W-Wait, what did you just say?" She asked to clarify. Was this actually real?
Akame glanced up to see Leone subtly grinning at her in reassurance while Mine grudgingly huffed with her arms crossed. Akame's gaze then turned to focus on Najenda.
"I don't wish to repeat myself," Najenda said with a sigh. "But if you're just asking for verification, then yes. My prior statement still stands."
Najenda shifted her attention away from Akame and towards Shirou where the two stared eye-to-eye from one leader to another. "Will you accept our allegiance while fully knowing the consequences of the Revolutionary Army's retaliation?" She asked.
Night Raid was in possession of a whole unit of Teigu Users which were both rare and coveted after the forging process of new Teigu was lost. There was no way the Revolutionary Army would take the defection of Night Raid lightly.
Najenda was not one to make an agreement with hidden barbs. If Shirou was willing to accept Night Raid, then he had to understand the dangers involved. If he still chose to accept them even then, then either he was fearless at the face of numerous enemy organizations, or he was insane.
"The enemy of an enemy is a friend," Shirou said in a heartbeat. "The Revolutionary Army was going to target Calla eventually, so there's no need to show it curtesy and decline your help."
For a sheltered town lord, Shirou had guts to spare.
Najenda began to laugh in earnest. "And that's why you're a fool, but perhaps that's exactly what this kind of hateful world needs as a leader. Speaking of which, I have but one final question."
Najenda abruptly hardened her gaze, the steel in her demeanor enough of to pierce through the facade of any mask and perceive truth from lie. "What is it that you see in those bronze coloured eyes that seem to stare beyond the present circumstance?"
What is the future that you're envisioning?
Danger and violence surrounded Calla at all sides, but the Lord of Calla himself never once doubted Calla's odds. What driving force was keeping him so confident and determined, and what did that mean for the situation within the Empire?
All kinds of speculations were packed into a single question, and despite it all, Shirou was still staring at Najenda with an unwavering resolve.
"I see hope," Shirou said slowly. "Beyond the corruption and lies of those in power in the Empire, Revolutionary Army, or Wakoku, it will be the people that matter in the end. The one concept that will always hold true is the pursuit to happiness, and all evil will one day meet justice regardless of present circumstances."
The Empire too would one day become an enemy to defeat in order to liberate the people within it.
This was the sole concept Najenda focused on for the time being. "I'll acknowledge your answer and be the first to say that I've underestimated you," she said heartily. "But at the same time, you're still too sheltered to the way the world works."
Elaine glowered, but didn't know whether to be angry that Shirou got insulted, or heartened that Shirou had been acknowledged by someone of such high capability. She chose neither of the two and followed after Selka's example and puffed up her chest in pride as if she was the one who'd been complimented.
Mine snorted at Elaine and Selka's behaviour, but Najenda quickly shot her a look that warned her to behave.
"Then from this moment, Night Raid will officially join Calla's forces," Najenda said after composing herself. "We're not a large group, but we have much that we can offer. As an example, I would like to propose a plan to deal with the threat of the allied army of Wakoku."
With Najenda's injuries healed, there was a new found confidence in her demeanor that allowed her to act bolder. However, the largest change came not from Najenda, but Shirou himself who remained unperturbed at Najenda's abrupt proposal.
He seemed thoughtful and game a customary smile as a sign for Najenda to elaborate.
If Akame noticed a difference in Shirou's bearings, she didn't voice it because she had no way of describing it. It was like something about him had faded, the easy-going nature of his smile that she used to know replaced by something wryer and more reserved.
His smile wasn't genuine then? Was that it? No, it couldn't be.
Akame skirted around the issue, and felt that it must have been nothing major. Shirou was still smiling so wasn't that enough? Regardless of Akame's thoughts, the conversation still went on.
"How do you cripple an organization?" Najenda asked Shirou leadingly.
Akame and many others in the room expected Shirou to struggle with the question due to the lack of danger in his upbringing, but Shirou was quick to answer much to everyone's surprise.
"If you want to stop the organization of an enemy, you must start at the head," Shirou spoke with certainty. There was a steel in his tone that denoted experience, and it came as a bit of a shock how simple he was treating the matter of killing the head of an organization to be.
And suddenly Akame felt distinctly uncomfortable. The feeling that something was off about Shirou only grew more pronounced like he'd become someone else, but it wasn't as if she could do anything about it.
With the same hands that had murdered thousands, could a monster like that still be deserving of a peaceful life?
The sword would no longer be sheathed: A blade to be directed at an enemy.
Akame glanced worriedly in Shirou's direction, but soon relaxed when she saw the same determined light in Shirou's eyes. His fire still burned strong with his ideals.
Concerned or not, Akame consoled herself on the fact that Shirou was still Shirou. The Hero she'd come to believe in.
Najenda blinked before grinning. "So, you do get it," she said approvingly. "As the leader of Night Raid, I propose silently dispatching the enemy's leaders, and any one of Night Raid's members should be able to accomplish the task."
Elaine raised a brow. "Alone? Even for an Assassination organization, it doesn't excuse you from the risk of danger."
Najenda seemed to be expecting doubts, and therefore prepared a solution in advance. "What do you think is the best method of assassination?" She asked openly.
"Sniping," Shirou said without any hesitation. Other forms of assassination could be good and all, but shooting from a distance always imposed minimal risk in the case of ample preparation.
Again, Najenda was beginning to realize that she may have to re-evaluate her initial assumption on Shirou. Either he was book smart, or his late father had taught him more about war and tactics then what Najenda could hope to assume.
"You are correct," Najenda didn't beat around the bush. "Mine, please step forward."
Mine stepped forward from behind Najenda's back and readily revealed her gun-type Teigu with a trump card that could enable it to be a giant beam sword. She'd been briefed by Najenda about what to do during the meeting long before the meeting actually took place.
"This is Pumpkin," Mine introduced proudly while laying Pumpkin on the table for all to see. "It's a long-range sniping Teigu that I will use to eliminate the required targets."
"Although we can't guarantee being able to eliminate every leader with just Mine alone, we'll be sure to eliminate the one's that count," Najenda assured.
"Does anyone else have a long-range Teigu in order to defeat all the leaders? Or barring that, a person in Night Raid with enough skill to snipe everyone?" Elaine inquired. "I was taught early that leaving loose-ends is a horrid practice."
At the question, Mine suddenly stiffened while Bulat, and the rest shook their heads and stared at Najenda.
Pumpkin was originally Najenda's Teigu and naturally it was the weapon she was most proficient with. If there was anyone who could pull off what Elaine had just asked, it was Najenda herself. However, she made no indication of trying to reclaim Pumpkin back. If she did so, Mine would have no form of attack, and as a leader, Najenda would not endanger her subordinates.
"I'm afraid not," Najenda said with a straight face. "We're currently lacking in such equipment since Pumpkin is the only long-range Teigu Night Raid currently has."
Elaine frowned in understanding. "I see, a pity then."
"It doesn't have to be," Shirou suddenly spoke up, garnering all attention towards him. He'd been keeping silent and listening to Najenda's proposal, but felt that he could not do so any longer.
Najenda was not only acting on Calla's behalf, but had officially become Calla's ally. If Shirou could help, he was going to help. Besides, he could see just from the way Akame worried over the rest of Night Raid's members that they weren't all bad people.
Genuine trust could never be fostered through lies and deceit.
This was the one universal concept of any world.
"I suppose I shouldn't hide my capabilities from allies," Shirou said slowly under the attention of all.
A breeze began to blow in the enclosed room, prompting Najenda and the others to furrow their brows. None of them could understand where the wind was coming from, and yet it was only growing stronger.
'Trace. On.'
In the recesses of Shirou's mind, he activated the magic of his craft. "If having only one Pumpkin is the problem," he opened his hand, palm facing upward as tendrils of magical energy converged overtop with the sound of static. "Then what if you had two?"
The air stilled, the buzz of unseen energy emanating outwards rapidly over the center of Shirou's palm. A ball of tangible teal-coloured light formed, writhing with wisps of lightning that zapped the area around.
Elaine grew startled, Selka opening her mouth in wonderment. None of them could understand what was going on, and that was when Akame leaned over and whispered a single phrase aloud. "He's a Wizard," she shared.
And what was the root of a Wizard's strength that was said to exist in the world, but has never been proved?
Magic.
Shirou's gaze focused entirely on Pumpkin, his free hand touching its surface and analyzing its build as the Danger Beast bones hidden beneath his clothes began to vanish.
"Judging the concepts of creation."
The familiar words of his youth in another world escaped Shirou's mouth as he fell back into old habit. The light over his palms grew denser and denser with each word.
"Hypothesizing the basic structure."
Circuit-like patterns formed over the surface of Pumpkin's metal exterior, enveloping it in its entirety before receding back into Shirou's hand much to the muted shock of the onlookers. What they were seeing, what they were experiencing, was something whose equivalent was lost through time.
"Duplicating the composition material."
The ball of light hovering over Shirou's right hand began to distort and bend, taking form within the air and shimmering from concentrated energy that singed the table.
"Imitating the skill of its making."
A humming noise began to fill the room, the clinking of metallic parts seamlessly converging together and creating the base outline of a weapon both Mine and Najenda knew all too well.
"Sympathizing with the experience of its growth."
Design and method, all was known, nothing lost. From a shapeless outline, the hard exterior of carefully crafted steel began to take shape down to the tiniest detail. To the trigger, to the grooves, and edges, it was perfect.
"Reproducing the accumulated years."
Age came next. Every scrape and dent, all the damage it had ever taken and experienced were part of a weapon's history of effectiveness.
"Excelling every manufacturing process."
The light exuded from the weapon forming over Shirou's palm became blinding, forcing all to momentarily turn away. When they all looked back, it was to see a sight that none of them could have ever had imagined.
"Weapon Class Teigu Pumpkin: Complete."
A second Pumpkin was hovering over Shirou's palm which he soon handed over to a stunned Najenda to inspect. How could she not be able to recognize her own weapon? Yet in this moment, Najenda could not differentiate the difference between the Pumpkin on the table, and the Pumpkin in her hands. They were identical down to the finest detail.
No one could speak, even Elaine who arguably knew Shirou the longest was left breathless.
Could it be that the lost art of Teigu forging had actually been inherited by the sibling family of the original Emperor? It was the only logical thought in Elaine's mind since all Teigu were said to have been created with Magic as a required component.
While the others remained in muted shock, Akame could not contain her surprise. She knew that Shirou could create Teigu, but she'd never thought that he could replicate them. Then what of her Murasame? Could he make that too?
The answer was something she already knew, but didn't wish to accept, as Murasame came with its own drawbacks that she didn't want Shirou to have to ever experience. She pursed her lips and prayed that he'd never have to resort to using her weapon.
Different from everyone else, Najenda saw the entire situation from a more militant perspective as a former general.
She was no longer looking at Shirou as just a sheltered Town Lord, but something that could alter the very nature of any battlefield.
A Walking Armoury.
Deep in the land around Calla's walls the leaders of a platoon of the allied Wakoku army preparing for battle weren't as inconspicuously hidden as they believed. It was the folly of arrogance and a lack of information.
The first mistake was overconfidence, the second mistake was camping on lower ground.
Shirou, Najenda, and Mine stood over a plateau overlooking a deep valley where the army leaders of Wakoku were convening for what must have been some sort of strategy meeting. The camp was divided into separate divisions clearly based on rank. Those of lower status such as the common soldiers were by far the largest group in camp and were separated by marked dividers to prevent their entry into the more lavish tents owned by those of higher status. Many camped on simple bed rolls and were eating dried rations for meals. Their armour was dirty and of poor quality, and many appeared malnourished from the long march from the lands of Wakoku to Calla.
"Idiots," Mine said derogatively with a sneer while setting up her Pumpkin for long-range sniping. She'd changed out of her pink overcoat and wore something closer to camouflage to prevent being seen on Najenda's instruction.
Shirou and Najenda were less vocal, but the wry smile on Najenda's face spoke of her unsaid sentiments. The stupider the enemy acted, the easier it would be to differentiate targets.
With the lowest ranking soldiers segregated away from the higher ranks, it was far too simple to spy the identities of those in command. They stayed in the most extravagant tents and often brought furniture along to war in order to seek comfort in the night.
"One, two, six," Najenda began counting off prominent leaders with narrowed eyes. She shared her information with Mine who simply nodded.
As for Shirou, neither of the two were really sure why Shirou had come at all. He clearly wasn't carrying any long-distance Teigu; however, Najenda and Mine didn't voice their thoughts aloud. How could they?
What Najenda and Mine had seen Shirou do the other day could not have been anything else but Magic, and Magic was something that was impossible to wrap their minds around. Perhaps he actually did have a method to help? Why else would he have come?
Realizing that she'd been staring curiously at Shirou for too long, Najenda turned her gaze away, but not before Shirou said something completely outrageous.
"I'll deal with the furthest group," Shirou said.
The furthest group? Did he not mean target? Both Mine and Najenda thought at the same time. Meanwhile, the two scoured through the enemy ranks ahead in search of what group Shirou was referring to before blanching.
"N-No way," Mine couldn't help the stutter that escaped her lips. Rather than continue searching for which group Shirou was referring to, she had instead followed Shirou's line of sight to see what he was staring at.
The Allied Army of Wakoku was not located in a single location. Alliances aside, but many clans in Wakoku were at odds with each other, and as such, would definitely not camp in the same area given the choice.
The 'group' Shirou was referring to was not a fucking group. It was an entirely different platoon over 3km away and obscured by dense forest!
Mine was beginning to feel her sanity stretching beyond her belief. She'd let Shirou get away with mistakenly calling a target a 'group,' but this was different. "Are you crazy? They're way to far!" She yelled in chastisement.
Shirou didn't answer. Actions spoke louder than words.
Najenda quieted Mine down. She could tell when a man was bluffing from the change in their expression, but Shirou's remained chillingly neutral. Was Magic really capable of such a feat, and what would happen if everyone learned to harness it?
Wouldn't the wars already fought reach a scale beyond recognition?
Even for someone as battle-hardened as Najenda, she shuddered at the thought.
"Mine, focus," Najenda said in order to collect her mind. "The mission always comes first."
Mine nodded, but the skepticism in her eyes remained.
The targets were over 3km away and obscured by dense forest. Even Najenda could not understand how Shirou was planning on pulling such a feat off.
Mine scoffed as she readied her weapon and awaited the signal to fire. Her and Najenda's targets were around a kilometer-and-a-half away which was just beyond Pumpkin's range, but due to the difference in elevation, the distance factor was mitigated substantially.
Meanwhile, Shirou sucked in a breath.
With one hand he saved, with the other, he reaped lives as easily as pulling out weeds.
He'd long since thought that he'd abandoned such a way of life, but there was simply no escape: Not when the world itself seemed to be structured in a way that could only beckon him to act in all its rife injustices.
A Hero was needed, not a strong one, or a valiant one, but one who could get the job done.
Even a Villain could be a Hero in this setting.
Shirou shut his eyes and reached deep within himself.
You are a hypocrite.
He was going to kill again.
Shirou opened his eyes, and all form of emotion just seemed to smother itself to the core of his being. The irony of the situation was that he'd once lectured a certain Saber about the mental burden of shutting herself off only for him to resort to the same method of coping.
What would someone as valiant and righteous as her say to him now?
"Keep walking forward. The ideals you carry, your passion, and your pain, are all something that I understand all too well. Your goals are noble, your heart in the right place, but some things are inevitable. You are not wrong."
He wasn't wrong. For the sake of saving others, even his own humanity was not something to be taken into consideration.
Shirou extended his hands outward, a bow forming in his left, and a spiraled sword in his right.
Indifference. Callousness. Najenda was all too familiar with the feeling as an Ex-General and Head of an Assassination unit, but she'd never expected to see such attributes in a sheltered town Lord. It almost caused her to shiver.
A heavy pressure descended, unseen, but felt by all. To Najenda and Mine, the world around them grew sluggish, the light exuding from Shirou's bow and sword revealing the colour of a violently swirling rainbow.
Shirou's concentration reached its peak, the resolve within him manifesting in the form of an attack that would guarantee the deaths of all targeted in his gaze.
-A Sword of a King who'd foregone his own right to the throne.
-A Hero that worked for his country not as its rightful ruler, but a hearty warrior of old who's revenge was never fulfilled.
Rage forth and bring about all destruction!
A show of fury and outrage.
The hill toppling sword of full-scale annihilation!
"Twist and bend," Shirou nocked the sword over his bow, dense magical energy manifesting at the sword's tip that began to shimmer the air itself. "My Core of madness."
The twang of a bow resounded as the grip of Shirou's fingers abruptly released and set forth the storm.
"Soar, Caladbolg."
A gale of wind forced Shirou to brace his legs, his feet digging crevices into the ground beneath him as his vision began to swim from the dip in magical energy. Unprepared, Najenda and Mine were forced to shield their eyes from the blowing branches and dirt uplifted into the air.
All the while, a drill of blue light reached the enemy campsite in an instant, moving at speeds no human could ever hope to react to.
And then…And then the world trembled.
Ashes, fire, and smoke created a mushroom cloud that sent shockwaves out in all directions. Pieces of splintered wood and debris began falling from the sky like rain, creating mass paranoia when charred remains carried in the wind pelted the neighboring campsite.
Najenda and Mine used the distraction to snipe their targets one by one when they rushed out of their tents to see what Shirou had done.
The mission was a success. There were no doubts about it, and the fact that Shirou had just eliminated an entire camp of enemies meant that there were less adversaries to worry about.
Calla would face less deaths because of Shirou's actions, and yet, for a brief moment, a trace of abject fear manifested in Mine's expression. She glanced down at her hands to see them trembling with a white-knuckled grip.
This wasn't a human; this was a monster.
Only Najenda maintained her composure. This wasn't the first time she'd worked with someone whose powers were beyond human imagination. She'd simply traded an Esdeath for a Shirou.
Hidden several meters away out of caution, a figure in the foliage of the trees shuddered in despair before hastily retreating.
This was all just too much.
Wandering within Calla's boundary enroute to a certain destination, a pale-faced individual couldn't stop herself from shaking. She wore a form-fitting fish-net armour with black tinted sleeves and leg bracers that concealed a set of kunai. She was the leader of the Ninjas of Jinsoku, Raiko, but right now, she just seemed like a young woman in over her head.
She didn't know what to do anymore. As the leader of Jinsoku, her stealth skills were the highest in the clan, and she'd decided to act pre-emptively after the delegation sent by the allied army of Wakoku was flatly rejected. Over the last few days, she'd been stalking around Calla in order to seek an opportunity to either cripple or kill with the main priority to single out an important hostage.
She chose Shirou, the Lord of Calla as her target. The tallest trees attracted the most attention and she felt that if she could capture him, the allied clans of Wakoku could end the entire conflict without bloodshed. However, the more she had tailed Shirou, the more despondent she became.
He wasn't human. What kind of human could wield such mystical power?
She couldn't understand it. No one could possibly understand it.
Raiko had heard talks from those close to Shirou when she'd dared venture near Shirou's family house. They spoke of a single word that never failed to repeat itself in in her mind.
Magic. Magic of all things.
How was anyone even supposed to guard against something they couldn't hope to comprehend?
Raiko couldn't help but grow fearful. She made a small gesture with her hands, her fingers crossing together and forming the shape of an arrowhead. The ring fingers were crossed over each other, and the tips of the middle finger were touching at a forty-degree angle.
It was a sign of prayer.
In the legends of Jinsoku, only those blessed by the Gods were said to be able to use the lost art of Magic and were to be revered. The fact that Shirou was able to use Magic meant that to Raiko and everyone in her clan, they were fighting against a 'Blessed Son.'
The omen of death that had taken the life of the Lord of Hageshi came to the forefront of Raiko's mind, causing her to grit her teeth and force back her trepidation.
To fight a Blessed Son was to go against the wishes of a God. What sort of Divine retribution would be enacted for her actions? The thought was crippling.
She'd heard that Shirou had younger siblings, and although they may be easier to capture, intuition warned her that they were probably the most well defended siblings in all of Calla. Worse, capturing them would set their elder brother's attention fully on her, and that risk was far too high to ignore.
Wallowing in the despair her situation placed her in, Raiko had come to a decision.
Even if it meant abandoning her principles.
Even if it meant disgracing her honour.
The prosperity of Jinsoku would always be her highest priority.
Raiko spied her target from her position high among the foliage of the trees behind Shirou's main house. It was late in the evening, and she'd noted that Shirou in particular always seemed to find the time to contemplate certain issues she was not privy to on his own. He'd sit on a wooden terrace in the forest he'd carved from wood, and sip quietly on a cup of warm tea while staring out at the moon.
This was the opportunity Raiko was waiting for. Without a second's hesitation, she planted her feet firmly into the bark of the tree she'd perched on, and hoped directly towards him. Her muscles slackened as the feeling of free-fall caused her gut to sink. She then curled her back in preparation to roll and mitigate the impact of her descent.
Rather than crash into the ground, Raiko landed without a sound as expected of a leader of her station. In the dark, she looked nothing more than a silhouette in the shadows. Obviously, Shirou took note of her, but rather than show weariness at her arrival, she noted that Shirou seemed all too accustomed to random visitors in the night.
Akame's initial entry into Calla had been no exception.
Shirou just looked at Raiko with a patience that bordered on saintly.
"The fact that you didn't try to kill me just now is already a good start from other people that I know," Shirou said offhandedly.
Raiko sweat dropped and actually felt a moment of pity for the man in front of her, but snapped back into attention at his question.
"Now, is there something you need from me?" Shirou asked while putting his cup of tea away.
Raiko raised her arms up in the air in a disarming gesture. "I want to offer a proposition of surrender from the Jinsoku clan," she said boldly. "In turn, the ninjas of Jinsoku will pledge allegiance to Calla."
"You're from Wakoku?" Shirou actually appeared surprised. He quickly calmed himself to the fact that an enemy had made it so deep into Calla's territory despite the capabilities of its inhabitants. "What makes you so sure Calla should accept your allegiance?"
Shirou contemplated confiding with Elaine before making a decision, but Raiko's answer caused him to reconsider.
"I can tell that you don't wish for a prolonged war," Raiko hit the nail on the head.
It was true. The longer the battles, the more deaths mounted on either side. This was why Shirou had foregone a neutral stance and had went with Najenda and Mine to launch a pre-emptive assault.
"What if the Ninjas of Jinsoku revealed a path into the heart of Wakoku? A location where all its Lords convene for political matters and not just army leaders?" Raiko pressed.
The conflict would end. The answer was as simple as that unless new leaders were elected and opted to continue battle. In the case of Wakoku where its citizens were all immigrating to Calla enmass in the first place, the odds were unlikely.
This was a golden opportunity. Shirou didn't have to be a strategist to understand how valuable Raiko's offer was.
"What is it that you want in exchange?" Shirou got right to the point.
Raiko only had one desire as the head of a clan known for its espionage and silent killing. There was only a single method that could turn the disgrace of being labeled a 'turncoat' into an honour.
A game of perspective.
"Unite the Warring Clans of Wakoku."
Only the winners may rewrite history.