Beta read by Shigiya and Paragon of Awesomeness.
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(Present)
-Kyoroch-
While Tatsumi and Akame split ways and went about their side of the mission. The other half of the group went inside the somewhat bustling but mostly peaceful town where barely any people paid any attention to them.
"Not sure if you noticed, but the place feels kind of odd." The newest member of Night Raid added, observing her surroundings while sucking on her lollipop.
"I noticed. But it could be because of the war sending refugees flooding into this place; they will carry over their grief and sadness. So we can't expect this place to be all sunshines and rainbows."
"I suppose so," the brunette mentioned while continuing to follow her blonde colleague. The side street Leone and Chelsea ducked into was narrow and smelled of damp earth and unwashed bodies. Not the most welcoming of environments, but one both seemed to have gotten used to it and were completely unbothered.
A stark contrast to the main thoroughfare, a grimy artery feeding the town's underbelly. They moved quietly, blending into the crowds so as to not draw attention, their cloaks shielding them from the few listless glances they received and on top of that, Chelsea's Teigu helped to add another layer to the disguise. Leone led the way, until she stopped before a heavy, unassuming wooden door. A faded sign, depicting a foaming mug of ale, hung precariously from a single rusted hinge.
"This is the place." Leone said, pushing the door open and stepping inside. Chelsea followed, her senses immediately assaulted by the thick, stale air of the establishment.
"Not the best tavern I've seen, even if we only count those in slums and rundown villages... but passable, I guess." The lighting was dim, provided by a few sputtering oil lamps and the large, crackling fireplace in the back. The air itself proved to be a pungent cocktail of cheap ale, woodsmoke, and the sharp, salty aroma of roasted meat. A handful of patrons hunched over their drinks, their faces obscured by shadow or the hoods of their own worn cloaks.
"No wonder we didn't get any weird looks like in the capital. Everyone is doing it... neat."
Leone waved her hand, "Meh, we didn't even need the hood to be honest, I've travelled around plenty of times without anything covering my face with no problem. You just need to know the proper road and the kind of people that frequent these places. The Empire has plenty of people they want to kill aside from just us, so we tend to stick together."
"Neat."
Leone strode directly over to the long, scarred bar that dominated one side of the room. She leaned against it, the worn wood groaning slightly under her weight, and rapped her knuckles on the surface. The bartender, a portly man with a greasy apron and a face that looked like it had seen one too many brawls, ambled over.
"Two pints of beer," she said. "With a side of roasted nuts, don't forget the chef's special either, and make sure it's nice and spicy."
"Humph," The bartender grunted, his eyes flicking over them with practiced disinterest before he turned to fetch the order.
Chelsea, who had taken up a position beside her, leaned in closer, her voice barely a whisper. "Still, a rundown tavern. Really? I expected something a bit more... discreet for a meeting with an informant."
Leone let out a soft chuckle, leisurely stretching her arms over her head, the motion causing her cloak to shift and reveal the toned muscles of her midsection and the swell of her prominent breasts for a brief moment. "Rule one of information gathering, my dear junior. The best places to find it are where people are either trying to forget their troubles or brag about their successes. That means a brothel or a bar. This place just so happens to be owned by the man who's going to point us in the right direction. The 'chef's special' is just our way of asking for the daily gossip."
That made the girl next to her roll her eyes but did not comment on that last part. Instead, she hummed in understanding, her gaze sweeping across the room before landing back on Leone. A bored, almost dry expression touched her face. "So," she began, her tone shifting from laid-back to casually curious. "What kind of guy is this Archer, anyway? I have heard of his name while traveling around, a guy known to help people from Danger Beasts and very mysterious and elusive. Just never expected him to be Najenda's little brother of all people and much less someone with a weird Teigu that involved swords like that."
Leone gave her a side glance, her golden eyes narrowing slightly. It dawned on her that this woman still believed Emiya possessed a particular Teigu, which she could not blame her for that misunderstanding - even though she barely understood his abilities herself. Chelsea just met her gaze with a leisurely, unbothered grin, "what?"
"Just wondering if there is more to that question."
That made her raise both arms in mock defeat. "Relax, I'm not trying to flirt with him nor am I interested in him in that way; just curious. My first impression of the guy was him giving you a very... flirty look back then. And like I said, the whole mystery surrounding him."
A faint blush, barely visible in the dim light, crept up Leone's neck. She cleared her throat, turning her attention back to the bar. "I still feel like an idiot for that happening," she admitted, her voice a little tighter than before. "But fair enough, your question makes sense."
The bartender returned, setting down two heavy, frothy mugs of beer, a small bowl of nuts, and a chunk of bread on a wooden plate. Leone accepted the items, flicking a coin across the bar, a gold coin that landed with a heavy, audible clink that made the bartender's eyes widen for a fraction of a second before he quickly pocketed it and moved away.
Leone tipped back her mug, foam clinging to her upper lip as she lowered her voice to just above the tavern's ambient noise. "No point rehashing what you already know-the whole adoption story with Najenda and all that history. Ancient news that doesn't change anything now."
"Oh, I know," Chelsea chimed in, popping a nut into her mouth with a smirk. "They've got the same glare and faces. They might as well be actual siblings, are we sure they are not blood related after all? The old general could have had an affair and just used the story of the destroyed village as an excuse."
"Nah, I confirmed it myself. Plus his original hair colour used to be red and even his eye colour was different. Not sure why they changed."
"Maybe a side effect of overusing his Teigu?" Chelsea added, "It's not rare for people to experience physical change from overusing their weapons."
Leone considered it and just stored it in her mind as a 'Maybe', taking another sip of her drink. "To talk about him rather than his background, overall, he's a good guy," she said simply. "A bit of a worrywart if you stay around him long enough. It may not look like it at first, but he's one of those people who just can't help themselves, seeing someone in trouble. and he has to jump in to help, no matter the risk to himself. Heh, especially when dealing with Tatsumi, he's a bleeding heart when comes to that brat." She paused, a flicker of something complex in her eyes.
"I see. A bit boring but it does explain his actions throughout the years."
"It's admirable."
Chelsea's smirk softened as she leaned in, her voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper that was still loud enough to reach Leone's ears. "A bleeding heart who gives sensual back rubs and has enough stamina to go all night."
Leone's grip on her beer mug tightened as an awkward smile encroached itself on her face. "Ah, you heard that," she tried to laugh it off but just made it more awkward. "It was just both of us releasing some steam, that's about it."
"Uh-huh," Chelsea drawled, popping another nut into her mouth. "Not like it's my business to meddle in other's affairs, but usually romance does not end well in our profession. Getting attached to someone in this line of work usually ends with one of you burying the other, or both of you ending up on a slab."
"Pft-hah! That man, dying? That ain't happening any time soon, even though he seems to pick and choose when it's dangerous or not. As for me, well, this girl doesn't see herself kicking the bucket yet. Not until I get to punch that ice demon at least."
"General Esdeath?"
"Her and killing Honest too. It doesn't even have to be me, as long as I get to see it with my own eyes." Leone then stared into her mug, the foam slowly dissipating, taking another long swig, draining half of it in one go. She set it down with a heavy thud and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. "As for the romance part, well, I'm not searching for a happy ending. I ain't no ten year old kid anymore, I've lived long enough to know life can be a bitch. Right now, I'm working towards a life worth living. If it ends tomorrow, then so be it. I had a good run and dying wouldn't hold back the group from finishing their mission. But I'm not going to spend today being miserable just because tomorrow might not come."
"I can respect that." Chelsea showed no disappointment towards that speech.
"By the way, since you are still a newbie, I did not get to ask you this question but what made you join our group?" From the moment she appeared, Leone had been curious about their latest edition that served as a sort of replacement to Bulat. Clearly not meant for combat given the nature of her imperial arm, but one Najenda empathized to be just as - if not more - deadly during her assassination.
"Me? Well there is not much to talk about. To give you a summary that won't bore you out of your mind, I worked under a cruel viceroy, got hold of this Teigu and killed him. Left the place and ended up a scary old hag who taught me a lot before joining the Nightraid and then ended up getting recruited."
"Quite the explanation, I feel like a lot has been skipped over."
To that, Chelsea just shrugged. "No point in telling you my tear jerking tragic past given those kinds of stories are the norm for people like us."
"I suppose so. But given I'll be leaving my life in your hands in case we are attacked, getting to know my ally sounds like it's increase my chances of not dying."
Chelsea studied her for a moment, a flicker in her own expression before she nodded slowly. "Fair enough, I'll tell you more later then. So what constitutes a 'life worth living' for Leone of Nightraid?"
"Simple," she replied, a genuine grin finally breaking through her stoic facade. "You live every day like it's your last. You take the risks, you enjoy the moments of peace, you drink the good beer, and you never, ever back down from a fight that matters! Whether it be on the field or on the bed!" exclaimed the blonde as she tore off a large piece of the bread that had come with their order and shoved it into her mouth.
She chewed for a moment, her brow furrowing in concentration. Suddenly, she stopped, with a slight cough, she discreetly brought a hand to her lips and, with a subtle motion, plucked a small, tightly rolled piece of paper from her tongue. Palming it smoothly, her expression never changing as she finished chewing the rest of the bread.
Chelsea's eyes narrowed, her gaze flicking from Leone's face to her hand. "Let me guess," she whispered, a sly grin spreading across her face. "The 'chef's special' comes with a prize inside?"
"The daily gossip, as promised," Leone murmured back, her eyes scanning the note for a split second before she crumpled it in her fist. "Our contact has a new location for us. Time to go."
They both slid off their barstools, leaving the half-finished drinks behind. As they stepped out of the bar and into the cool night air of the town's seedier district, the sounds of debauchery fading behind them, Chelsea spoke again. "Wait, give me a moment."
Leone watched, intrigued, as Chelsea held a hand to her own face. Holding on to several makeup tools, foundations, brushes and lipsticks before waving her hand with her entire face and build changing in the blink of an eye. Turning into a woman around the same height as her and the more mature face.
"How's this?" the new Chelsea asked, her voice now a touch higher and more timid. She adjusted the simple brown cloak she wore, completing the transformation into just another faceless citizen.
"Was it really necessary or you're just showing off?," Leone asked while looking at Chelsea from several different angles with approval. "Damn, even your scent is different... This is scary good. Can you use it on me?"
"I can but not the way you think. At best, I can make your face a bit different but overall the changes are very limited. I can't change your shape, scent and other factors. It basically becomes no different to just instant makeup." She explained before using it on Leone, the latter looking at herself at a nearby window. Her blonde hair now styled differently and the overall shape of her face made her look different at a glance but still somewhat recognizable if someone looked very closely.
"Woah, this is awesome."
"Thank you~!"
After that, they navigated the winding streets, leaving the relative bustle behind for a much more desolate and barren part of the town. The buildings here were skeletal remains, their windows empty and their walls crumbling. They finally stopped before a derelict house that looked like it would collapse if a strong wind blew through. Leone stepped up to the rotting wooden door and knocked. It wasn't a simple knock, but a specific, rhythmic pattern: three quick taps, a pause, then two slow, deliberate knocks.
The door creaked open just wide enough for a pair of beady, nervous eyes to peer out. The man who opened it was a rat of a man, with a long, pointed nose that seemed to twitch constantly, and greasy, thinning brown hair that was plastered to his forehead. He was thin to the point of being gaunt, and his dirt-stained fingers drummed anxiously against the doorframe.
"Followed?" he asked, his voice a conspiratorial whisper.
Leone rolled her eyes, pushing the door open wider and stepping inside, forcing him to scurry back. "You should know my methods by now, 'Nezumi'. It's clear."
The man, Nezumi, flinched at the nickname but gestured for them to follow, used to her barbs. He led them through a dusty hallway and into what might have once been a living room. The air was thick with the smell of mildew and neglect. Chelsea wrinkled her nose.
"Charming decor," Leone remarked sarcastically, her voice echoing slightly in the empty space. "A real step up from your last hole."
Nezumi just brushed it off, too accustomed to her commentary to be offended. "So," he began, getting straight to business. "You're here for the information on the Path of Peace's new leader, and their recent workings?"
Leone crossed her arms. "That's right."
"Things have been... strange with them lately," Nezumi said, lowering his voice even further. "They've ramped up their efforts. Feeding people, helping them, offering shelter. It's a full-blown campaign."
Chelsea, now in her meeker disguise, tilted her head. "What's so strange about that? Isn't that a good thing?"
"That's the thing," Nezumi insisted, his eyes darting towards the boarded-up windows as if expecting spies. "This isn't the first wave of refugees the Empire has sent our way. Why the sudden surge of charity now? It doesn't add up."
Leone, who had been listening quietly with her eyes closed, finally spoke. "They're preparing for something."
Chelsea turned to her, letting out an audible, "Huh?" She looked genuinely confused. "What do you mean, preparing?"
"It's an open secret," Leone explained, her tone flat and analytical. "If you want help from the Path of Peace, some of your people are expected to become members. It's not forced, but the incentives are too good for desperate people to ignore. Most of the new recruits end up as soldiers or filling other positions under their flag."
Chelsea still looked lost. "Okay... but that doesn't sound so bad, does it? It's just recruitment."
"That's where I dug deeper," Nezumi interrupted, a greedy glint in his beady eyes. "The timing is too convenient. I found something... valuable."
Leone's eyes snapped open, her patience worn thin. "Spit it out."
Nezumi simply shook his head, a smug little smile on his lips. He held out a grubby hand and rubbed his thumb and index finger together in the universal gesture for payment. With an annoyed sigh, Leone reached into a small pouch on her belt and tossed him a small, heavy coin purse. He caught it deftly, weighed it in his hand with a satisfied jingle, and finally leaned in.
"A mutiny," he whispered, the word hanging in the dead air of the dilapidated house. "There's going to be a coup."
Leone clicked her tongue in annoyance, the sharp sound cutting through the dusty silence. "Tch. Figures," she muttered, eyes narrowing. "Peace was never going to last with vultures circling, waiting for their chance at getting the largest pieces of the corpse."
Chelsea sighed, crossing her arms. "Well, conspiracies like this are pretty common with these types of groups, both inside and outside the Empire. Someone always wants a bigger piece of the pie."
"Someone must have gotten quite irritated at how peaceful the Path of Peace has been lately," Leone said, her voice dripping with a thick layer of irony that neither she nor Chelsea missed.
Nezumi hesitated at first. "It sounds like your assassination was planned all along. Everything is pointing at Bolic possibly putting a target on the Lord and having the others do his dirty work for him. And another piece of information, Bolic has more to gain from this than anyone else. On top of that, there is proof of him having had connections with Honest in the past, before he joined the Path of Peace."
"But it's a good start," she continued, her tone shifting back to business. "It still doesn't clear up much. This doesn't explain why the Lord is potentially innocent. A coup doesn't automatically absolve him of anything since we still have no proof he is behind the case of human trafficking. It can also be that everyone is involved and the coup is just replacing one slaver with another."
"Though I will agree, it is kind of suspicious this is happening now," Chelsea countered, tapping a thoughtful finger against her chin.
Leone nodded in agreement. "Right." She turned back to the informant, ready to press for more details. "Nezumi, who's leading this-"
Bang!
A heavy fist slammed against the front door, the sound echoing like a gunshot in the quiet house. It was a single, violent impact, completely devoid of the rhythmic pattern they had used.
Nezumi's eyes widened in terror, his face paling. He shot a furious glare at the two women. "I thought you said you weren't followed!" he hissed, his voice a panicked whisper.
"We made sure of it!" Leone shot back, her own voice low and urgent. "There's no way."
The door shuddered again, this time the sound of splintering wood clearly audible from the frame. "Were you expecting any other guests?"
Nezumi shook his head vigorously. "T-There is a passageway underneath the rug, it will lead you away from here. Leave now, I don't want any trouble!"
Leone's eyes met Chelsea's across the room. A single, silent nod passed between them. In an instant, they moved with the former ripping it up, revealing a dark, narrow tunnel. Without a word, she and Chelsea dropped in, pulling the cover shut behind them just as a low, menacing voice spoke from the front room.
They moved into the passageway single file, Leone first. The tunnel was narrow enough that her shoulders brushed both walls when she didn't angle them, the packed earth damp against her sleeves. The boards overhead were old, spaced unevenly, and pale strips of moonlight fell through the gaps at intervals - enough to see by, barely, if she kept moving forward.
She counted her steps out of habit.
Chelsea's footfalls came soft behind her. The girl knew how to move quietly, at least. Leone had half-expected her to stumble on the uneven ground, but she kept pace without complaint.
Fifteen steps. Twenty.
"Something feels off," she whispered, her voice low but sounding very clear within the narrow space "That wasn't a random patrol. The timing is too convenient."
Chelsea didn't answer right away. Leone heard her shift her weight, a small adjustment on the dirt floor.
"Maybe, but I don't see how they could have kept track of us with all the precautions we took. Are you sure we can trust that guy?"
"Not so much anymore. Like I said, he has as much beef against these people and his brother went missing. I don't see him working for them that easily unless something changed recently." The blonde ducked under a low beam. A trickle of loose dirt fell from the ceiling where she'd grazed it, and she brushed it off her hair without slowing.
Another stretch of silence. The passage curved slightly to the left and Leone followed it, one hand trailing the wall.
"Do you know this route?" Chelsea asked.
"Nope, but it should be simple to figure out. After this, we need to move faster once we're out," Leone said. "We go straight to Akame and Tatsumi. No detours."
"Got it, hah... things really are never simple with your group I see."
"Heh, lately yeah, but we'll figure it out. For now, Bolic is the priority. Whatever else is happening tonight, that doesn't change."
"I know," Chelsea said.
The space ahead transformed into a wider cavity in the earth. They continued on without hesitating, into a passage that angled upward. The grade was gentle at first, then steeper. Her boots found better purchase in the dirt here - someone had cut rough footholds into the floor at some point, long ago.
She could see the outline of the trapdoor above, a faint rectangular seam of grey against the black of the ceiling. She slowed as she reached it, one hand pressed flat to the underside, and listened.
Nothing.
"Coast is clear."
Leone pressed upward. The trapdoor gave with a soft scrape of wood on wood, and she held it an inch open for three full seconds before pushing it the rest of the way.
She came up into darkness. The room around her had the particular blankness of a space stripped clean - no shadows cast by furniture, no shapes breaking the flat walls.
Leone's boots hit the wooden floor, "Humph, neat little pla-!?"
Her body stopped before her mind caught up with the reason.
"GET DOWN!"
She grabbed Chelsea by the collar and lunged sideways, throwing them both out of the way just as a massive shape came crashing down from above.
Crash!
The ceiling exploded in a shower of plaster and wood, the floor where they had just stood shattering under the impact. A man of towering height and mountainous muscles landed in the newly created crater, his sheer weight cracking the floorboards around him. He was bald, with thick, black sideburns and a simple black tunic that struggled to contain his colossal frame.
The giant let out a booming laugh that shook the very foundations of the house. "Heh heh heh! Greetings, members of Night Raid! I have been eager to confront you! Ah, can't forget to introduce myself this time, I am Sten of the Four Rakshasas!"
Aside from his sudden appearance, Leone did not even question how they got found out and how he appeared here for she already knew the answer. The woman clicked her tongue, her teeth grinding in frustration. "Tch. That damn rat sold us out. This was an ambush from the start."
Left with little options, she turned to Chelsea. "Head towards where Akame and Tatsumi are! Help them out and relay what we learned!"
Chelsea hesitated for a brief moment, her eyes darting between Sten and the escape route. "...Alright." Chelsea nodded and bolted for the door. She didn't even get to take three steps before Sten intervened.
"Where do you think you're running off to?"
His body blurred.
One moment he was in the crater, the next he was standing directly in front of Chelsea, his speed mind-blowing, catching even Leone by surprise. His massive fist, larger than Chelsea's entire head, was raised to crush her.
"-!"
Before it could fall, Leone was there. "Oof!" She had launched herself across the room, intercepting the punch, not even trying to block it head-on. Instead, she grabbed his thick wrist with both hands, pivoting on her back foot and using his own forward momentum against him. With a powerful grunt, Leone twisted and pulled, yanking him off balance and using her own enhanced strength to slam him face-first into the wooden floor. The entire house groaned from the impact.
"Go, I got this!" she yelled at Chelsea, who didn't need to be told twice. The smaller girl darted out the door and vanished into the dense forest.
Leone's moment of victory lasted less than a second. "Wonderful, now that was a perfectly executed move!" Before she could disengage, Sten's leg shot up in a vicious, lightning-fast kick.
"Gah!"
The sole of his boot connected squarely with her midsection. The force was immense, knocking the wind out of her and sending her flying upwards through the very hole in the ceiling he had created. She crashed onto the roof, rolled several times across the shingles, and then fell off the edge, landing hard in the dirt alley below.
"Hargh...!" she gasped, clutching her stomach. Having never felt a kick that powerful in her life. Gritting her teeth, she forced herself to her feet, her body aching. Just as she found her footing, Sten literally burst through the wooden wall of the house beside her, showering the alley with splinters. He was already mid-air, his massive fist aimed right at her face.
"Shit!"
She knew she couldn't block it. Instead, she ducked under the punch, the wind from his fist whipping her hair across her face. The fight exploded.
Sten was a whirlwind of destruction. His speed was his greatest asset; he moved like a blur, his massive fists and feet becoming a storm of lethal strikes. Leone was forced into a desperate retreat, dodging and backtracking as fast as she could. A punch shattered the wall where her head had been. A kick cratered the ground where she'd been standing a second before. She weaved and sidestepped, her senses screaming, but it was all she could do to keep up.
"Too slow!" Sten roared, his voice a deafening bellow. He disappeared from her front and reappeared behind her, swinging a haymaker that would have taken her head off. Leone threw herself forward, rolling under the attack and popping up to her feet several meters away.
"Is that all you've got, little kitty?" he taunted, stomping the ground and sending a shockwave that made her stumble.
"You ain't even seen half of it, brute." She couldn't waste too much time here. Akame and Tatsumi were counting on her. She needed to end this, fast. Leone smirked, wiping a trickle of blood from her lip. "You must feel quite proud of yourself, going after a single woman this hard. Even had to set up a little ambush to do it. What, those muscles of yours are just for show?"
Sten merely grinned. "I can recognize the scent of a warrior anywhere. I don't mind using dirty tricks to ensure a good hunt." He then charged back at her, his massive form a juggernaut of destruction.
Leone's own grin widened. "Fucking pervert. But I can't deny the last part." Instead of meeting him head-on, she leaped onto the roof of a nearby shed. "Dirty tricks are my specialty!" She jumped from the roof to a second-story balcony, then to the top of a wall, using the environment to her advantage. Sten followed, his powerful fists smashing through everything in his path. A wall crumbled where she had been a second before, a balcony railing was pulverized by a wild swing.
"Ugh!" She landed a kick to his side as he overextended, making him grunt in pain, but he retaliated with a backhanded swing that clipped her shoulder, sending a jarring shock through her body. She rolled with the blow, using the momentum to flip over a stack of crates and put more distance between them. She was holding her own, but he was relentless.
'His body feels like it's made of steel. This is ridiculous, I don't even think I'm doing any damage to him.'
Not to mention just how that much mass did not hinder his movements. It wasn't just fast; it was damn near instantaneous. One moment he was ten feet away, the next he was on her, his massive hand wrapping around her throat. Lifting her off the ground, her feet kicking uselessly. "I'm disappointed," he growled, his voice a low rumble. "I expected more from a member of Night Raid. This fight can barely be counted as a warm up!"
Her air cut off, Leone's eyes widened. 'This is bad.' In a desperate move, she kicked out with all her might, her foot connecting with a nearby wooden support pillar for the house's porch. The wood cracked and then, it shattered. "Wha-!" With a groan of stressed timber, the entire corner of the porch roof collapsed, a torrent of wood and shingles crashing down on top of them.
Sten roared in surprise as he was buried. Leone hit the ground hard, gasping for air.
For a moment, there was only silence and the settling of dust.
Crack!
Then, rubble began to move. A piece of roofing was thrown aside, and Sten emerged, his body a canvas of cuts and bruises, his eyes burning with pure rage. "Hahaha! Using an entire building against me won't help you! I'll crush you even if you break every bone in my body!"
But as he focused on his surroundings, a shadow moved at the corner of his eye. "You're still too slow!" he bellowed, lunging forward, his hands outstretched to grab her wrists.
He didn't get it.
A transformed Leone, her arms now covered in yellow fur and tipped with deadly claws, shot up and grabbed his hands first. The force of her grip stopped his momentum dead, her fingers clamping around his wrists like unbreakable shackles. "Huh?" Before he could process her sudden strength, her second hand, claws fully extended, shot out and brutally grabbed onto his throat. The sharp tips dug deep into his flesh, drawing beads of blood.
"And you get too easily tunnel-visioned," Leone said, her voice a cold whisper.
And then she squeezed. There was a sickening, wet crunching sound as his larynx collapsed under the inhuman force.
"Uurrghl...!"
A gargled sound left his mouth.
She let his body slump to the ground, a mess of blood and broken bones. Leone took a few moments, her chest heaving as she tried to catch her breath. "Phew, alright, hopefully I can catch up to her."
Now that the fight ended, she intended to get back to the Path of Peace headquarters and catch up to Chelsea. But she only took a few strides when her instincts screamed at her.
"Ah!"
She threw her arms up just in time.
The block was useless. An impact with the strength of a battering ram slammed into her guard. There was an audible snap as the bones in both her forearms broke, splintering under the force. She was sent flying backwards, crashing through two trees before finally hitting the ground in a heap of pain.
"Argh...!" she groaned, pushing herself up with her broken arms. She looked with disbelief as Sten was back on his feet. His throat was a mangled ruin, but he was standing, his eyes filled with an undying light - somehow still grinning like a monster. He couldn't speak, but his charge was a clear enough message.
"Fuck!" Leone cursed loudly, forcing her Lionel to work overtime, the pain already receding as her regeneration kicked in.
This time, the exchange was different. With Lionel fully active, Leone could keep up with him. Her speed matched his, her claws becoming a blur of steel. They clashed with their exchange sounding like a battle between swords, her smaller frame helping avoid the more deadly hits while the claws kept raking deep gashes across his chest and arms while his fists slammed into her, each blow a thunderous impact that she barely managed to roll with. He was a relentless force, but she was a blur of deadly precision.
"What the hell are you made of!?"
He threw a powerful knee strike aimed at her ribs. Leone's leg shot down and blocked it, the force of the impact making the ground beneath her crack. "Hn!"
But then, his beard moved. "What the hell!?" The thick, wiry hairs shot out like a volley of needles, aiming to pierce her face. Leone's hand shot out, faster than the bristles, and grabbed his beard by the root.
Sten's eyes widened in shock.
Leone smirked, even as blood dripped from her own wounds. "Alright, I don't know how that's even possible but I ain't letting this disgusting thing touch my face. Lionel grants me more than just strength and speed," she said, her voice tight with effort. "It also gives me regeneration too!" She yanked his beard down hard, pulling him off balance, and drove her knee squarely into his face with a sickening crunch. Before he could recover, she spun around his massive body, putting her back to his, and wrapped her arms around his thick neck in a chokehold.
"Aaa-aaah!"
Sten roared, a muffled, gurgling sound, and began to thrash. He was a bull in an antique shop, smashing her backward into the ground, the impact knocking the wind from her lungs.
He rolled, crushing her against rocks and trees, each impact sending fresh waves of agony through her body and opening new wounds. But Leone just gritted her teeth and held on, tightening her grip with every second. "Just fucking die!" For several long minutes, it was a brutal battle of attrition, his frantic struggles growing weaker and weaker until his movements slowed to a stop.
She let go, and he slumped forward. But she wasn't finished. She grabbed his entire head, her fingers digging into his skin, and with a guttural shout, twisted with all her enhanced strength. "Aaaaaaaah!" There was a horrific series of pops and snaps as his neck was broken, his head twisting at an impossible angle.
With there being absolutely no way a person could survive this. His muscles, nerves, spine, everything getting crushed and snapped.
"Hah... hah... hah... felt like I was fighting a Danger Beast... hah... hah..."
Thankfully, despite his absurd speed, it was not nearly as frustrating as her brief spar against Emiya. While not faster, his swords might as well move at impossible speeds with how he kept managing to bypass her defenses with several tricks.
Panting, visibly exhausted and covered in wounds, Leone stood over the corpse, taking a deep breath, the coppery scent of blood thick in the air.
That's when she heard it.
Boom!
A massive explosion in the distance. Her head snapped around, and she saw it: a plume of fire and smoke rising from the direction of the Path of Peace headquarters.
"The others!" she gasped, and broke into a limping run.
Whoosh!
She didn't get far.
Her path was suddenly blocked by a wall of ice that shot up from the ground, towering over her and sealing the alleyway completely.
Clap, clap, clap.
An eerie sound of clapping reached the blonde's ears. With her turning to find a figure walking closer and stopping near Sten's body.
"I had high hopes for him, but then again, no amount of enhancement will allow one to surpass a Teigu user. Honest remains as foolish as ever." Her air temperature dropped and a chill crept up Leone's body.
Blue eyes coldly stared back at wary golden ones with the former putting on a face of intrigue.
But the assassin felt anything but that, for she knew that at this moment... she had no chance against her.
"But I have to give it to Najenda, she sure knows how to choose a capable subordinate."
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The next 5 chapters of Snafu, and my other Fate fics (Fate Coiling Sword with 3 chapters, A Fake Familiar Reborn with 3 chapters, Steel Eyed Faker soon to be 3 chapters, Hound having 3 and To love a sword having 4 chapters) are already available on my P@treon. With 4 more Broly chapters at /NimtheWriter. Also, I post commissioned arts on each story, already posted a few on an Archer's Promise, Broly and Snafu.