Akame Ga Kill: Uprising

Chapter 15: Kill the Misfortune

3rd Person POV

Capital

"Run, I have something very important to discuss with you," Esdeath said, gazing at an expanse of beautiful blue flowers as she knelt in the palace's main garden, Run standing behind her. "Based on the Minister's research, those Danger Beasts were once people."

"I knew it," Run murmured, arms crossed behind his back. "Their physiques did seem unusually human as I recall."

"Someone was turning them into monsters," Esdeath said, her eyes narrowing thoughtfully. "Only an Imperial Arms user could manage something like that."

"There's a distinct possibility that these new Danger Beasts could have been the Doctor's experiments," Run mused, stroking his chin thoughtfully. "It's probably not a coincidence they started wreaking havoc right about the same time the Doctor disappeared."

Esdeath glanced at him. "Is there more evidence?"

"When I went to investigate the laboratory, I remember noticing that the place seemed surprisingly empty," Run recalled. "Especially knowing he was almost always conducting experiments, I thought it rather odd."

Esdeath nodded slowly, considering the implications. "So that means he must have had another secret lab somewhere, right?"

"Yes, and whatever he was keeping locked up in there somehow found a way to escape after he was gone," Run affirmed. "It could also be that an unknown third party stole his Imperial Arms to make the monsters, but then again, the attacks seem so random... I guess it's possible the Doctor stumbled upon the enemy while he was out looking for Tatsumi. He found their hideout and tried to capture them and turn them into his test subjects, only to have the tables turned and be killed by them instead."

Esdeath bowed her head, sighing as she stood up. "I'm beginning to think that he may have been more insane than I ever thought he was."

"If the Doctor really was the one who created those Danger Beasts, then there should only be a limited number," Run pointed out. "Eventually, the problem should resolve itself."

Esdeath shook her head, turning to face him. "There's more to this than how many we're dealing with."

Run blinked. "Huh?"

"For starters, were those monsters truly capable of escaping on their own?" Esdeath asked, one hand on her hip. "Or should we assume that somebody wanted to set them free?"

Run's eyes widened, and he nodded. "Understood. I will continue to evaluate the situation as thoroughly as possible," he pledged.

Esdeath dipped her head. "I'm counting on you. We don't know exactly how serious this is yet."

"All that aside... it's unusual to see you stopping to admire the flowers like this," Run commented, nodding toward the garden.

"Hm? Oh, these?" Esdeath smiled, a malicious glint in her eyes. "Well, when you rub these particular flowers into an open wound, they cause excruciating pain. I use them in light torture."

Run smiled, laughing nervously. "I'll be sure to remember that."

"But my hobbies aside... do you recall the 'Kaiju' that Slattern lent us to attack the Ryusen?" Esdeath asked.

Run nodded.

"After its defeat, some of our scientists examined its body and the bay where it fell," Esdeath explained. "The entire environment was deteriorated, eaten away as if by acid, and not a single living thing was found. From the reports, the water of the bay had turned blue and phosphorescent. Sometime later, it was concluded that an unknown substance had infected the bay and had originated from the Kaiju. Some soldiers came into contact with the substance, and all have died as of several days ago."