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At first, Akame couldn't make sense of what she was seeing.
But it didn't take long before it hit her.
The anime playing before them… was showing her future self.
And in that future—
She had joined the Revolutionary Army.
How was that even possible?
Akame wasn't the only one stunned. Beside her, Tsukushi's gaze turned sharp and wary.
As the story unfolded, everyone witnessed the Empire's rotting core laid bare.
The corrupt nobles and high officials trampling over ordinary citizens.The Minister manipulating the young Emperor like a puppet.Esdeath spreading war like a plague wherever she went.
Scene after scene shattered everything Akame believed in.
Even Tsukushi stood there, face blank, eyes unfocused.
What they were watching was the complete opposite of everything they had been taught since childhood.
The troupe members were furious as they watched. And when the Night Raid members began falling one by one, many of them broke down in tears.
Thankfully, in the end, there was hope.
Mine defeated General Budo.Tatsumi destroyed the Supreme Teigu.Akame struck down Esdeath.
The Revolutionary Army overthrew the Empire and founded a new nation.
The entire troupe cheered at that final scene.
Only Akame and Tsukushi remained silent.
When the main story ended, Alex calmly began playing the prequel.
And then Akame saw something that truly shook her to the core.
Longxi Village.The people there.The entire place.
It had all been a cage.
A fabricated prison created solely to brainwash and condition the Elite Seven.
This truth had once been forbidden to them, locked away. Yet Alex showed it to them without hesitation.
Both girls fell into a spiral of panic.
The man who had raised and trained them for eight years—their "father"—had been that kind of person?
"Martha… So she wasn't with the Revolutionary Army after all. She was just another pawn the Empire used to trick us." Akame let out a bitter laugh. "When you think about it, why would the Revolutionary Army call themselves rebels? There were always so many things that didn't add up."
"It's not too late to realize it now," Alex said with a faint smile.
The prequel continued.
After graduating, the Elite Seven began carrying out assassination missions.
More often than not, their targets were good people.
That included the Sabatini Troupe.
Then came the tragedy.
They encountered the Revolutionary Army's assassination unit for the first time—the Oberg Assassins.
Cornelia, the eldest sister figure of the Elite Seven, was killed first.
Mission after mission, the members of the Elite Seven were hunted down.
Until only Akame and Tsukushi remained.
Akame awakened to the Empire's darkness. She betrayed it and joined the Revolutionary Army.
She tried to bring Tsukushi with her.
But Tsukushi had been too deeply brainwashed. When Akame urged her to leave, she reported her instead.
In the end, she died in a duel against Akame.
When that scene played out, Tsukushi's eyes filled with fear as she looked at Akame.
In her future…
Akame had killed her?
After both the main story and the prequel finished, Alex dismissed the magical projection.
He looked at the two girls.
"Well? What do you think?"
Tsukushi bit her lip and said nothing.
But inside, more than half of her trust in Gozuki had already crumbled.
Akame spoke bluntly. "What proof do you have that any of this is real?"
Alex shrugged. "None. But I can send you back to the Imperial assassination unit. You can verify it yourself."
Both girls froze.
"You'd let us go?"
"I'll let Akame go. Not Tsukushi," Alex replied, shaking his head.
If Tsukushi went back, she would report everything to Gozuki without hesitation. That would only put Akame in danger.
So he would let Akame return alone and uncover the truth herself.
Besides, he couldn't take this version of Akame with him anyway. In the main timeline, there was already an Akame.
This Akame would stay in this world—overthrow the Empire and save it.
As for the talented figures who died in the prequel…
He had no intention of leaving them behind.
"Why can Akame go back but not me?" Tsukushi glared at Alex, anger momentarily overriding her fear.
He simply shook his head, too lazy to explain.
At that moment, the troupe leader stepped forward.
"Mr. Alex… are you a member of the Revolutionary Army?"
"No."
"Then why did you save us?"
"I saved them." Alex pointed at Natalia and Amulia. "You were just collateral."
The room stiffened instantly. Many assumed he had taken a liking to the two women's beauty.
Alex didn't bother clarifying.
"Natalia and Amulia stay. The rest of you can leave."
"Mr. Alex, that's too much!" Duncan snapped, fury written all over his face.
"Too much? I saved your lives, and you call that too much? Then go ahead and die."
He fired a shot.
Duncan's head exploded.
The sudden violence stunned the troupe. Even Akame and Tsukushi were shaken.
Only then did they realize—
Alex wasn't some benevolent savior.
He was a capricious demon king.
He acted entirely on his whims.
"You… how could you kill him?" Natalia cried, staring at Duncan's body in anguish.
"He was killed by Akame before," Alex said lightly. "I brought him back. Instead of thanking me, he complained. So I decided not to save him anymore. Letting him die—isn't that just restoring the original ending?"
The twisted logic made everyone frown deeply.
But no one dared argue.
Amulia suddenly stepped forward.
"Mr. Alex… please bring Duncan back again. If you do, Natalia and I will pledge ourselves to you."
Alex didn't answer right away. Instead, he looked at Natalia with an amused smile.
Natalia wiped away her tears and glared at him fiercely.
"That's right. Save Duncan… and I'm yours."
A satisfied smile spread across Alex's face.
He snapped his fingers.
Resurrection Magic — Dia·Ophiuchus.
"..."
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