Kill the Past (Part 1) (過去を斬る (前編), Kako o Kiru (Zenpen)) is chapter 62 of the Akame ga Kill! manga.
Summary[]
The chapter opens with the reveal of another one of Akame's targets slewn: a man called Warumo, who was found with his throat slit in his bed. His subordinates were left horrified, as they believed he was the man who would carry the future of the Empire on his back. After learning that Akame snuck in through the window to kill him, Warumo's subordinates swear revenge on the rebels.
In the present, Wave starts his fight with Akame by charging at him at full speed. She dodges his first punch and crouches below his kick before slashing his armor with her Teigu. Wave yells at her that her katana will never pierce his armor, which Akame recognizes. She dodges several punches from Wave and slashes him in the same place. Akame jumps back and Wave wonders why Akame isn't running away and is still fighting despite there being little chance of victory for her. He jumps into the air and uses his attack Grand Fall, but Akame dodges it and jumps into the air. Akame tells him it doesn't matter how large a radius his attack has if he insists on deliberately attacking while charging her head-on. Wave yells for her to not underestimate his ability as she gets close again and slashes in the same location again. As he wonders why she keeps doing that, it finally hits him what she is doing. Akame, who also knew he figured it out, reminds him that weapon is still a Teigu like his armor, and while it may take some time, she will attack the same place over and over until his armor cracks. She also adds that she lost a friend using the same method so she knows this method will work on him too. Akame also informs Wave that when they met in Kyoroch, he used Grand Fall on her and hit her, but she reveals the only reason it worked was because she was in a rush to get to the cathedral and wasn't paying attention to him. This time, however, she is completely devoted to fighting him now, so she won't have to worry about getting hit by him again. She tells him that his defeat is inevitable once she pierces his armor. Wave retorts that he won't let it play out like she wants it to.
Grand Chariot's Grand Fall.
Despite Akame's claim, there were only partial truths in her statement. The truth of matter was that Akame's main goal was to rattle Wave and get him emotional. While it was true Wave was able to hold back Akame, Mine and Lubbock by himself, his best interest was settling down and regaining his composure, because now that he is panicked and on tilt, his attacks are losing their edge. Akame, on the other hand, knew taking a single blow from him would be it for her, yet she remained calm, collected, and confident her slashes would hit their mark. Akame also realizes that the area behind his knees are much more vulnerable compared to the rest of the armor. And while she had been calculating the means to take him down, she also knew hitting that target would be easier said than done, so she decided to face him head on and go with the action that had the highest probability of success. As Wave continued chasing Akame, he acknowledges she is way out of his league as she is contiuously dodging his attacks despite throwing all his strength at her. When she stops on a branch and Wave looks in her eyes, he realizes how abnormal she is to maintain a feeling of calmness despite this life and death battle. He disregards the gap in their battle experience and charges her again, but sure enough, Akame finally pierces through his armor. Even so, Wave insists that he will land one hit on her, even if it cost him his life. To his surprise (and annoyance), Akame sheaths Murasame and says the match was decided when she breached his armor. She reminds him that she wanted to speak to him about something and asks again, revealing the subject to be about Kurome. Surpised to hear this, Wave decides to buy himself some time as he knew if he continued now he would be defeated, so Wave deactivates Grand Chariot.
Taking a breather, Wave asks Akame if she was holding back and Akame answers no, claiming she would have never broken through his armor if she was, but since he survived the blow, they will take an intermission. Wave acknowledges there was no mercy in her voice and admits he would have been severely irritated had she been holding back, though at least believing there would be something he could exploit later on. He admits to her he finds her formidable. Akame tells Wave she wants to meet Kurome face-to-face so she wants him to pass a message to her telling her to meet her outside the Imperial Capital. Wave angrily asks if she plans to kidnap her but Akame says she just wants to meet in a place where there are sure to be uninterrupted, which she also believes Kurome wants too. Wave says to Akame that no matter how this situation plays out in his head, he believes her goal is to kill Kurome, and even though they are enemies, they are still sisters, so why do the two of them try to avoid a situation where they have to kill one another. Akame says that the answer lies in the past.
Akame explains to Wave that she and Kurome were raised by the Empire to be assassins, and that she was trained almost exclusively in the mountains, which explains to Wave how she knew how to use the terrain to her advantage, like during their fight. Akame continues by explaining that Kurome went through a different process. She was instead subjected to various drugs to ehance her performance, and even now, she eats sweets laced with drugs, which Wave confirms she still is doing. Akame explains that the drugs were supposed to strengthen and support her muscles, but instead the shortened her lifespan and put a strain on her brain, and that it was only a matter of time the drugs would warp her mind and heart. Upon hearing this, he thinks back to when she killed Run with Yatsufusa to convert him into a corpse puppet and became sick at the thought of the side effects the drugs caused her. Akame tells him she tried to get her to stop taking them but her body became addicted to a point of no return; without them, she would suffer severe spasms and seizures. Wave yells that this is all the more reason why Akame should be there for her, and he asks why she betrayed the Empire. Akame confesses that when she observed the Empire from within during her time with the Elite Seven, she started having doubts about it and eventually concluded the Empire was causing the suffering of the people. After witnessing so many encounters and events firsthand, she became convicted to turn and withdrew. Wave asked if Akame asked Kurome to join her and she confirms this, with her revealing the existence of a place called God's Secret Hot Springs in the Borderlands. She says it is a place of healing filled with various therapeutic and medical hot springs and that she could care for Kurome there during her detox and hopefully extend her lifespan. As proof, she reveals that there were documented reports of people who were diagnosed with half a year to live from some disease and yet were able to live another five or more years from being there, so it was worth a try. But despite her pleading, Kurome refused, stating doing so would be a betrayal of their fallen comrades, and she didn't want to think about her current comrades becoming her enemies. She admitted she felt she needed to take her by force, but she lacked the spirit and resolve to do so and so she didn't.
Wave confesses to Akame that the person who saved his life was part of the Imperial Army, and he could never imagine fighting against him so changing sides was never an option for him, which he believes Kurome felt as well. He asks if she felt the same way herself, but she says many things happened that changed the way she felt and thought. She reveals to Wave that the reason she killed people for the Empire was to fan out the sparks of war before they turned into a flame, or at least, that was what she was constantly taught. In the end, she realized it was not for the people's happiness, but the Empire's own cruel agendas, and the only way to bring happiness to the people was as a saboteur against the Empire. Wave admits ever since he set foot in the Capital, and thinking back to his time with Seryu and his encounters with Wild Hunt, he has seen many awful things. Yet he insists changing it from the inside like he wanted was the path she should have taken initially. Akame responds that the Minister and his cabinet went to so many lengths to eradicate the people who stood against their ideologies with the amount of political power they had. She confirms this by revealing the people she was sent to assassinate for the Empire were people who opposed it, the revelation leaving Wave speechless. Akame explains that the reason why things are the way is because it is impossible to bring change from the inside.
Wave yells that he can't just sit around and do nothing and that he believes things have changed from back then, so he truly believes he can bring change from within, a decision Akame accepts. Wave asks her to finish what she is saying and Akame tells him that Kurome's reason for living were for her comrades and the sake of doing the Empire's bidding, which is all she has due to her suffering. Akame delcares as her sister, all she feels she can do is free her from her suffering by killing her. Wave finally yells that he has heard enough and while he would have been fine if she spoke of a way to save her, he won't listen to another word regarding her dying. He tells her that if she really believes killing Kurome is a way of 'saving' her, then she is crazy. He activates Grand Chariot and delcares he will crush the Revolutionary Army and then take Kurome to the hidden springs to heal her, effectively rejecting her help. As he flies off, he wonders if she will chase after him and is surprised when she doesn't. As he returns back to the Capital, he comments he never expected Akame was so powerful and no doubt Tatsumi will have gotten stronger since the execution platform, so he wants to get stronger himself. After seeing him off, Akame acknowledges the conversation took longer than she expected and headed back to the hideout with Kurome in her thoughts.
After returning to the Palace, Kurome greets him and explains that the Northern Tribes penetrated the Palace's defenses, causing Wave to wonder why they sent assassins at a time like this. He theorizes they were taking advantage of the falling state of the Empire, so they should deal with them soon while admiring their strength. All of a sudden, Wave finds himself stripped of his shirt by Kurome. When he asks what he is doing, Kurome explains that since some weapons can be coated in poison, she is checking to see if got scratched or grazed. Wave reminds her that he has Grand Chariot, so he should be fine, and Kurome realizes is true. She then takes a look at his body and comments it is more ripped than she thought as she touched it. Wave says it is because he grew up by the sea so he has a swimmer's body. Wave asks Kurome if fighting Akame is at the top of her priority list even though the deciding battle was drawing closer. She confirms this while smiling happily, stating that she wants to kill Akame before anyone else can while also accepting the idea of dying by her hands instead, because either way, the two will be together forever. The answer horrifies Wave, and decides to find another way to help her without bringing her to Akame.
At the hideout, Leone is giving Akame a massage while Najenda expresses gratefulness for her killing Nouken. Akame apologizes for being unable to get Kurome but Najenda thanks her anyway. She says that while Wave got away, not pursuing people who aren't targets is for the best so she doesn't get severly injured for no reason. Najenda concludes that thanks to her results, there will be less victims. As she thinks about a proper way to express her gratitude, Leone teasingly offers an erotic and sensual massage for her butt which Akame rejects. Nevertheless, Leone finishes and Akame thanks her for relieving her stress. Akame tells Najenda that will all the assassinations, there is no way the Empire will not retaliate, so they need to expect an attempt on all their lives from their Dark Squad.
That night, Akame heads out for her next assignment with Leone joining her as an escort since Tatsumi is exhausted and sleepy and her sense of smell is perfect for this assignment. Akame thanks Leone for her help. Najenda appears behind her and reminds Akame that she is fighting her former comrades and that she is not expendable. Akame grips Murasame and states that this is the life she has chosen, and awaits her enemies to face her.