A thousand years ago, the founding emperor of the empire had a worry: he wanted to protect the country forever, but human lifespan was ultimately limited. However, weapons and armor could be passed down indefinitely.
To ensure the empire's eternal existence, the emperor spared no effort and resources to craft weapons that embodied wisdom. Forged by artisans from around the world, using the flesh and blood of legendary super-dangerous species and the world's rarest metals, they created forty-eight divine weapons.
And these were known as Imperial Arms.
The abilities of the Imperial Arms were immense, playing a crucial role in the empire's perpetuation.
But five hundred years ago, during a sudden outbreak in the empire, half of the Imperial Arms vanished across the land.
The Imperial Arm wielded by Akame was Murasame, a demon sword. Wounds inflicted by this sword would become poisoned and rapidly fatal.
The Imperial Arm held by Leo was the Lion King Belt, which could transform the user into a beast, drastically enhancing their physical capabilities.
Mine's Imperial Arm was Pumpkin, a gun-type Imperial Arm that fired a shockwave of psychic energy. The more desperate the user's situation, the greater its destructive power.
Brother's Imperial Arm was Belva, an armor-type Imperial Arm boasting iron-like defense, which placed a heavy burden on its user; an ordinary person would die from wearing it.
The Imperial Arm used by Babo was Elias, a resilient, thread-like Imperial Arm. It could be formed into traps or crystals to sense enemies, possessing the ability to bind and sever.
The Imperial Arm held by Sheele was Cutlass, a large pair of scissors capable of cutting anything in the world. Due to its high hardness, it could also be used for defense.
And the target of this night raid was also an Imperial Arm user, the Executioner Jester, whose crime was wanton murder.
The Jester was originally an executioner in the empire's prison. Years of executing criminals daily meant he constantly killed, severing the heads of those begging for their lives.
Over the years, beheading became a habit for the Jester. Not only that, but he grew dissatisfied with executions within the prison and began killing people on the streets.
The mission this time was to find and eliminate the Jester hiding in the shadows.
As night fell, the entire Night Raid team was deployed to search for the Jester, with Tatsumi paired with Akame. However, unbeknownst to them, the Jester had already targeted Tatsumi through his Imperial Arm.
Meanwhile, Tatsumi, needing to relieve himself, found a secluded spot. Just as he finished, he turned around and saw his deceased friend, Susanoo. But Susanoo turned and ran, so Tatsumi chased after him.
Akame, waiting nearby and not seeing Tatsumi return, grew worried. She went down to the shore, but Tatsumi was no longer there. Akame immediately sensed something was wrong.
On the other side, Tatsumi finally caught up to Susanoo and embraced his friend. But in the next second, the object of his embrace turned into the Executioner Jester.
Tatsumi immediately distanced himself, drawing his sword, intending to buy time for his teammates to arrive. However, the Jester saw through Tatsumi's intentions at a glance. This was one of Jester's Imperial Arm abilities: the ability to discern the enemy's thoughts by observing their expressions, essentially possessing super-keen insight.
Tatsumi didn't waste time and lunged at the Jester, but his attack was easily dodged.
The Jester perfectly understood Tatsumi's thoughts, rendering his moves ineffective. The Jester grabbed Tatsumi by the waist and slashed him from behind. The intense pain brought Tatsumi to his knees. He was no match for this opponent.
The Jester declared he loved killing hot-blooded youths like Tatsumi. But Tatsumi was no coward who would easily surrender. He once again got into a fighting stance and charged at the Jester. A divine speed strike managed to wound the Jester.
The speed of the slash far exceeded the Jester's foresight, but Tatsumi was also wounded in the back by the Jester. Just as the Jester was about to finish Tatsumi, a demon sword descended from the sky, blocking his attack.
Akame landed gracefully soon after, intervening. Seeing the infamous Akame, the Jester immediately activated his clairvoyance to check for hidden weapons.
Akame learned from Tatsumi that the Jester possessed mind-reading abilities.
But even if one could see through one's heart, it meant nothing if one couldn't react to one's movements.
The two immediately clashed fiercely, their swords colliding with intense fury, locked in a stalemate.
However, the Jester's Imperial Arm possessed more than just mind-reading. It could also foresee the near future, predicting the opponent's next move by subtle muscle movements. Their duel began anew.
But this time, the Jester employed a hallucination, making Akame see her beloved loved ones and her younger sister, Kurome. Akame froze in place. While the hallucination could only affect one person, its impact was undeniable.
No matter how experienced, one couldn't bring themselves to attack their dearest loved ones.
But the Jester clearly underestimated Akame's resolve regarding her sister, Kurome. In the next second, Akame directly swung her sword at Kurome, shattering the illusion. The Jester was utterly terrified, wondering how Akame could strike down her own beloved kin.
Meanwhile, the Jester's hand blade also fractured. Akame charged again, and their fierce sword fight resumed. However, the Jester was clearly flustered. Although he could predict Akame's attack trajectory, his hand blade was nearing its breaking point.
With Akame's forceful thrust, the Jester's hand blade completely shattered. Akame then swiftly followed up with a backhand slash, severing the Jester's throat.
The duel ultimately concluded with Akame's victory. Although Tatsumi was saved, he clearly understood the need to strengthen his own power.