Author Notes: I read some spoilers on the latest Akame Ga Kill Zero chapter- it was satisfying knowing a certain character is now dead.

More deviations from the original series

Chapter 19: Kill The Oarbughs 2

Gainen Journal Entry: Human/Akujin Mimicry

I have noticed that a certain tribe of Tomb keepers possess the ability to change partially into animals via skulls. The forms vary from user to user.

A similar technique has been passed down the hired assassination clan, the Oarburghs. The transformations are primarily based on insects.

The Teigu Incursio, Grand Chariot, Lionelle and a few others involve transformations into beasts.

While one could argue that the Teigu were influenced by the Tomb keepers and Oarburghs or visa versa. I suggest another hypothesis.

I have seen this before in a certain race- the Akujin.

When pushed into a corner, to drive a victim into further despair, to push the fight to next level, when finally deciding to get serious, etc; the Akujin activate a transformation called Incarnatio. By doing so, they become much stronger and their resemblance to the Danger Beast they are genetically based on becomes more prominent in both appearance and behavioral patterns.

This suggests a subconscious convergent evolutionary desire to develop similar methods due to sharing some environmental circumstances. Consciously, it is man's desire to mimic nature because he believes that he can master it.

Irony in that the more highly evolved man gains power by regressing to lesser evolutionary stages in order to gain strength.

I will write more once I get a sample of either tomb keeper and/or Oarburgh and apply a Teigu onto them. Testing what I hope will come next will be essential.

Taeko flew down towards her with both scythes raised.

Cornelia raised her Crushing King in order to guard against the blades. Taeko then went in for a kick, but Cornelia managed to catch it by launching her knee against the leg. The movement was slightly slower than her previous form.

Damn, I'm not used to this body. I should've waited until I understood all of its properties before going in., thought the lime eyed girl as she broke free of his enemy.

I don't know what else she has. Best not to drag this out any longer., thought Cornelia as she calmed down,

Taeko flew back as Cornelia prepared for another attack.

"Twisting Crusher!,"Cornelia declared as she jutted out her arm in a centrifugal movement, extended and spinning like a drill with the air restraining and pressuring Taeko's movements.

"Twi-," Taeko shouted, but was cut off by the Twisting Crusher, which propelled her unintentionally towards the front steps of the research department of the Empire. She then fell unconscious from the internal injuries suffered from the attack. The arm then retracted all the way back to Cornelia's body.

"I developed this by combining all of what I got from what Daddy taught me- my Trump Card.," Cornelia declared as she looked in the distance.

She then jumped off the broken roof and headed back where the rest of her team was staying.

I need to ask Daddy on what that technique was. Maybe, we can stop attacks like that in the future...I still feel bad on that girl...I felt like we could've been friends., thought Cornelia.

Chelsea got up, recovered from the last usage of her Teigu and Babara looked on she stretched.

"Alright. That's enough for now.," Chelsea said with a smirk.

Chelsea then used her item to become a little girl with pigtails.

"I don't sense Taeko and that crazy twister that went through the sky just now must mean that she was killed by the enemy. We need to complete the mission ourselves.," Babara explained.

"Roger.," the "little girl" replied with a salute.

"That power of yours is formidable, but telegraph it too many times and it will lead to your death. So try and keep it to a minimum while also mastering your physical body so you're not a dead weight.,"

"Come on.," the "little girl" complained.

"You don't want to die not knowing the new peaceful world those rebellious idealists desire right? Then you need to be strong, cunning and be able to stand on your feet without being burdened by the guilt of your comrades' deaths. As someone who was once young and beautiful, you need to be the best killer possible- ruthless and without flaw. If I die- leave me and tell the others on what you've learned.," Babara explained as she and the "little girl" headed towards the house of the Elite Seven's client.

"Oh, an old lady and her...grandchild are walking towards the house.," Akame said as she spotted the two people below.

"I don't think it's safe for them to be outside like that. We should let them in.," Green replied.

"But, it's kinda odd...," Akame said suspiciously as she looked on.

"Wait a sec...," Guy said as he activated his Shingu and lunged at her.

"Oi!," Green shouted as Guy threw a punch, which was blocked by the old woman's large knife that she unsheathed from her clothing.

"She's an assassin that wants to kill us really bad.," Guy reported as Akame and Green joined him.

"Damn. I got too excited. Being old means you sometimes forget what you've learned through most of your life.," Babara chided as she looked at the little girl.

The "little girl" then transformed into a bird that flew past the three youths and transformed again into a bug in order to sneak into the door on the rooftop.

"Damn. A shapeshifter. The old lady's the distraction.," Guy shouted as he narrowly dodged Babara's attack.

"Well, well. You're sharper than I expected.," Babara remarked.

"I can't believe an old lady's an assassin at her age!," Green said in disbelief.

"She's on a whole different caliber than the guys we're used to dealing with.," Guy replied as he saw the torrent of killing intent emerging from her body.

"You'd wish I had killed you while you believe me to a regular old woman and had killed you with your guards down. Now you face Babara, the Eyes of the Oarburgh Reaper. I will be the vanishing light that will be your guide to hell!," Babara boasted as she got into a fighting stance.

"I hope the others can protect our clients from that shapeshifter.," Akame said in concern.

"Oh, Cornelia. You done?," Poney asked as Cornelia walked up the stairs.

"There was this strange girl who could transform and came to kill either us or our client; maybe all of us. She might not be alone.," Cornelia explained.

"Wait, there's another assassin?," Tsukushi asked Cornelia nervously.

"There.," Najasho replied as he flicked a pebble in the direction of a bug that was suspiciously moving with deliberate, intelligent intent.

The "bug" then transformed into a pinkish-auburn haired girl as she shouted with alarm,

"Crap. You're too sharp for your own good. I don't have any killing intent, how?"

"We've been targeted by all kinds of assassins, so it doesn't come as a surprise that one uses transformations in order to infiltrate this building.," Najasho explained.

"Let me handle this one. She doesn't seem like the fighting type.," Poney said with a grin.

"Yipes!," Chelsea cried.

Najasho then sensed Babara's bloodlust and then turned to Cornelia.

"Cornelia. I'm heading out- the others likely are already fighting her and they'll need my help. That one's too tough for them to handle.," Najasho explained as he headed up the stairs. Cornelia nodded as she and Poney corned Chelsea.

Chelsea was forced to pull out her needles.

"She's mine!," Poney shouted as she rushed in with a raised knee.

"Aaahhh- Made you look.," Chelsea said initially with a shout, but then took a more mischievous look as she dodged Poney.

"You let your guard down.," Chelsea said as she thrusted her needles towards Poney's back.

Cornelia then stretched out her non-Shingu arm in order to punch Chelsa away.

"She's tricky that one. And I can't use my other arm due to how my Trump Card screws up my good arm badly.," Cornelia said.

"Thanks Cornelia.," Poney said shyly.

"Hyaa!," Babara shouted as she pushed Akame's Shingu sword against the opposite wall.

"She's a tough old hag.," Guy said with heavy breathes, which made Babara look angrily in his direction.

"No tact, Guy. Seriously.," Green remarked to Guy's chagrin.

Babara then noticed Najasho diving down in order to strike the old woman, causing the latter to disengage with the black haired girl.

"Chief Najasho!," Akame shouted.

"Chew me out later. You guys can't handle her.," Najasho rebuked.

"And you think you can?!," Babara shouted as she began to ricochet and bounce on the walls at blinding speeds.

Najasho then paused and raised his Shingu as a blue, aquatic aura began to surround him.

"We need to hold her off while Chief Najasho transforms!," Guy shouted.

"Like one of those books I read. What a cliche!," Green remarked as he swung his Shingu in order to hit or restrain her movements.

Najasho then grew out his hair until it was waist length and his pupils became slitlike. He exuded more power than he did previously, which Babara noticed.

"It used to be painful, but now with training- it seems like the only thing that remains is an irritation and me having to remain still. Whoever made this, must've liked the user of this weapon to suffer- sadistic nutjob.," Najasho muttered as he lunged at Babara.

The two clashed with their weapons as they landed on opposite rooftops.

"Tch. If only I had faced you youngsters 6 months ago...now my headgears' ruined.," Babara remarked as her turban tore apart to reveal more of her hair. Her weapon was also chipped.

"We can either capture you for questioning...or we can have our examiners study your corpse and later expose it to provoke your allies.," Najasho said coldly.

"Don't you realize how villainous that sounds?...Or how evil your client is?," Babara explained with a smirk to Najasho's confusion.

"Bluffing won't work.," Najasho said before noticing the vial that Babara had opened.

"I bet your technique is only temporary- 3 minutes tops, but I can't afford to play along with how I am now. Good thing, the clan leader gave me this. It really did come in handy.," the old woman remarked as dragonflies emerged from the vial and spat out thread, encasing her in a cocoon that broke immediately. She was now a human/Dragonfly hybrid with a long tail, two sets of transparent wings on her back and a dragonfly shaped helmet on her head with large purple compound eyes.

In an instant, Najasho was pushed back and propelled a great distance away by a flying object. It took a few moments for him to realize that Babara was now operating at a speed that faster than a human could react. He had positioned his Shingu as a blockade to avoid being impaled just before he was hit.

"You're wise to instinctively have your weapon act as a shield between you and me. No matter, I'll simply fly so high that I can simply have you drop to your death..., but you'd take that chance to kill me while I gloat about your death...So I'll kill you now that you're too preoccupied to do anything.," Babara remarked with a buzzing undertone, as her nose extended into proboscis in order to impale the boy.

Suddenly, long strands of hair extended from the ground below and constricted the bug woman; pinning her to the ground. She tried to attack again, but she was impaled by elongated fingernails, an extended tongue and a hidden weapon within the barrage of attacks.

Najasho then leapt away as Gozuki walked by. It was his doing that his body was elongating and restricting the Oarburgh. He then stretched his midsection to the side in order to avoid Babara's desperate stinger strike, which had elongated to hit her attack.

"Cornelia's studying this. The rest of your can learn it too if you try hard enough...and undergo the Rakshasa initiation ritual of course.," Gozuki explained to his ward.

"I just saw your display in the nick of time. You must've had the upper hand in terms of strength beforehand in order to corner her into using whatever that is. I heard rumors that the Oarburghs turn into the embodiments of pestilence, but this is ridiculous. Seriously ridiculous.," Gozuki added.

"I'm sorry to have troubled you Father.," Najasho apologized.

"I heard the reports on you being a former member of the Rakshasa Demons. Did Honest pay you well? Or were you around when his father, Truthful was still among the living?," Babara said in annoyance as she struggled to get free.

"Being strong isn't enough. In order to defeat the dangerous ones with cunning...You need to be cunning. Besides, the old need to retire in order for the next generation to blossom. If they stubbornly linger long enough, they get obsessed with trying to live out their youth and forget how experience is important to know how to trick your enemy.," Gozuki explained as he retracted his hair and his hair flung a sword into the air and landed in his hand.

"I did feel a sword impale me, but this body as it now, won't be done in so easily. And I'm normally immune to over 600 poisons.," Babara said as she struggled to get up. She then noticed black markings going up her body.

"This Teigu Murasame can kill even with the slightest graze. It's said to house the powers of death itself. No force of strength or immunity can hold it back.," Gozuki explained.

"Then I'd rather die on my own terms.," Babara replied as she clicked the back of her teeth. She then exploded in a fiery display of ash.

"She had a bomb planted in her, must've known that she would've revealed anything that could be traced back to her organization. She was a professional I give her that much.," Gozuki said as he looked on.

"A dangerous enemy.," Najasho said in agreement.

Chelsea was tied with a lump on her head, caused by Poney's kick, given her smug look.

"We captured her sir.," Tsukushi said with a salute before noticing the bugged eyed man's whip.

"You've come for me...because how I'm the spymaster that's keeping tallies on your rebel scum's operations. Does it dishearten you to know how much you failed so badly?," the man asked Chelsea, ignoring Tsukushi as he readied his whip.

"Right?!," he shouted as he whipped her face with brutal force. He smiled gleefully as he did so. It was enough to shock Cornelia, Poney and Tsukushi due to how unexpected it was.

He had been pompous and irritating, but this was a very different side to him that they hadn't seen from him or their other clients.

Akame, Guy and Green walked up the stairs while overhearing the harsh whipping noise.

"S&M?," Guy pondered.

Alarmed, Green and Akame raced up as they saw the man remorselessly whip Chelsea, causing her clothes to be torn and deep bloodied gashes to appear on her skin.

Poney, Tsukushi and Cornelia were horrified at the sight. They had been told the rebels were evil and the Empire was good...so why was the latter acting more vile?

"Come on! Come on! Scream! I'll stop eventually and let my associates have their way with you! For very long nights!," he gloated with his tongue slurping out.

The ropes had loosened enough due to the man's reckless act of sadistic stupidity as Chelsea then pulled out a lipstick item and used it to transform.

She became a bird and flew away, knowing that even if she had attacked, she would've been killed in action. And it was more important to report on the deaths of her colleagues, as regrettable as her mission's failure was going to be. She went through an open window as she flew with a limp due to the torture she suffered.

The man slowly turned his head to Akame and stomped towards her.

Aggressively, he slapped her and shouted furiously,

"You're supposed to keep those scum outside! I could've been danger!"

The Elite Seven were trained to obey the orders of their Empire superiors, but after that night- it was clear that there wasn't going to a mild tolerance. Rather, it was a repressed loathing for this man, who hopefully was a bad apple in the Empire. At least, this is what they still believed, not knowing the Empire's true nature.

Najasho and Gozuki arrived shortly after and went up the stairs.

Gozuki noticed how angry his students were and whispered in the man's ear,

"We'll move to our next client for your sake. Next time, do it more discreetly. It draws in more attention we don't need."

The bugged eyed man fearfully nodded, knowing that it was better to have someone else guard him, than the 6 out of 7 youths that either were too frightened to be around him or would leave him to die in the case of another break-in due to his actions tonight.

Were those rebels really bad if people like that live here? Could the Empire be wrong?, thought Tsukushi.

Research Center

Gainen looked on at a woman strapped to a table. Given how dark the room was, it was likely not sanctioned by the Empire and the others didn't know about.

The woman opened her lime iris eyes as she looked in confusion.

"You're up. Taeko of the Oarburghs correct?," Gainen asked.

"You're...why save me? You're with the Empire? Are you a fellow rebel that's infiltrated the ranks?," asked the young woman.

"I'm on humanity's side. And very soon. we'll be needing to get ready to face monsters worse than the Empire's most heinous. With any method, no matter how immoral.," Gainen explained as she looked at another table with a curved sword that radiated power- Moonlight Sword Dance: Shamshir.

"It's going to be a long procedure. So you need to rest comfortably as I operate.," Gainen said as she put a breathing mask onto Taeko.

The young woman then went to sleep as Gainen began her operation.

Next Chapter: Akame and the Others must aid Kurome's group in taking out a mysterious force attacking the Tomb Keepers.