The Truth

“My name is Masao Suzuki. I was the winner of the last Sovereign’s Tourney.”

I was dumbstruck. Those were the last words I expected. Natsu, Anastasia and I stared with shock at the man before us. However, Riku, Chiyo and Mr Arakawa were still looking at him with a sharp glare.

“Do you guys know each other?” I asked Mr Arakawa. He looked the most furious and doubtful at Masao.

“He was my comrade in the last war. We had fought alongside each other since we were children,” Mr Arakawa replied, his voice deep and cold.

“Then why have you never spoken about him? And why did he say that he was the winner of the last Sovereign’s Tourney? Wasn’t Ashenfall’s black knight the winner?” It felt peculiar that such an important part of Aogiri’s past in the war was missing. Masao Suzuki was never mentioned in the records of the Sovereign’s Tourney. He was a living ghost.

“Because he was dead. At least he was supposed to be.” Mr Arakawa’s raspy voice contained sorrow.

I was confused. The answers to my questions left me with more questions.

“Mr Suzuki… Explain what’s going on, now,” Chiyo ordered with fury under her breath. This was the angriest I had ever seen her.

“Mr Suzuki was also our teacher alongside Mr Arakawa for a few years before the war. But Emperor Nobunaga told us he sacrificed himself to save as many people as he could during the Sovereign’s Tourney. Seeing him here in the flesh gives mixed emotions to say the least.” Riku tried to explain to me.

“Shu. Chiyo. I have a reason for everything. Just let me explain, please.” Masao’s exhausted voice sounded almost emotional. It was also the first time I heard someone call Mr Arakawa by his first name. Those two must have been very close back then.

The two nodded begrudgingly. Masao told us to take our seats. Once we were seated, he began his explanation.

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“I’m gonna start with the ending of the last Sovereign’s Tourney. Shu, you remember it clearly, don’t you?”

“I wouldn’t have been able to forget even if I tried. You must mean the black knight’s arrival, yes?”

“Right. One swing of that monster’s sword killed hundreds. Its prowess surpassed any living thing at the time.”

“Not anymore. Mr Kurokawa and I killed it with ease,” Chiyo interrupted with her usual haughtiness. I swore a nose grew longer from bragging.

“That’s the thing. It can be killed. Even we killed it back then.”

Wait. Did he say that he killed it back then? How could that be possible when it fought in this year’s Sovereign’s Tourney? It seemed Chiyo and Mr Kurokawa were thinking the same thing, judging from their dazed expression. The others, on the other hand, had no idea what we were talking about.

“A general from Aethelheim and I teamed up. Though we hated each other’s guts, the two of us knew that there was no other way to take him down. With our haphazard teamwork, we somehow were able to kill it.”

It amazed me that two generals from opposite sides were able to not just work together but even defeat that monster. Masao was stronger than I expected.

“Then explain how that man came back to life. Revival magic is a myth, so it can’t be because of that.” Mr Arakawa ordered. His remark on revival magic was interesting, though. Even if Aogiri’s magic prowess had evolved greatly over the years, there was still no method to revive someone from the dead.

“The black knight of Ashenfall is no man. It’s a spirit summon. Instead of summoning a creature from another world, the caster summons a being from the past of our world.”

Summoning someone from the past? That would explain why all of Ashenfall’s troops were undead zombies. Instead of fighting with people of their own time, they fought with soldiers from the past. Theoretically, it was easier and less time-consuming compared to training new soldiers.

“Cool. That explains the weird knight you guys were talking about. But what does this have to do with the truth of the Sovereign’s Tourney and stuff?” Anastasia impatiently asked, tapping her feet on the broken black floorboard.

“I’m getting there. Be patient, child,” Masao admonished, ignoring Anastasia’s adorable pout, “Look outside that window. Do you see any living thing?”

All of us peered through the window beside us. Everything was pitch black, except for the few small areas lit up by the stars or streetlamps. The roads were made of uneven cobblestone, sandwiched between two cracked pavements. Gaudy streetlamps with black railings and sharp edges lined the pavements. Buildings looked like they were taken from a 19th-century European history book with their sharp edges and gaudiness. In summary, it was typical dark Victorian architecture.

But something was off. It was quiet. Too quiet.

There was not a single soul walking on the pavement. Not even birds soaring through the sky were present. What was going on?

“Nobody’s on the streets. No animals either,” Natsu commented, contemplating what happened to this place.

“That’s because there isn’t anyone here. Ashenfall has always been a desolate place, ever since it was created.”

“That’s preposterous! How could that be?!” Riku was quick to snap back in disbelief.

“We’re in Ashenfall?! How did we even get here?” I asked as well. These revelations were deep frying my brain.

Misao raised both his hands and waved them down, motioning us to calm down.

“You’ll understand once I finish. Geez, all you kids are impatient. Were they always like this, Shu?” Misao asked Mr Arakawa. His way of explaining this situation was seriously starting to piss off all of us.

Mr Arakawa simply nodded. I reminded myself to reprimand him for this later.

“Anyways, back on topic, since there’s no one in Ashenfall to use a spirit summon, it can only be someone from Aogiri and Aethelheim. You can guess from there.”

It was obvious from his connotations. There was only 1 person from each nation who had the authority to use such a summons. But I refused to believe he, of all people, would do such a thing…

“You’re saying Emperor Nobunaga summoned our enemy?! There are only so many jokes you can pull out before I get mad, Mr Suzuki!” Riku rushed towards Misao. He grabbed his collar and raised him above the floor like a beast grabbing its prey. His eyes resembled a raging lion.

“I don’t believe you! There’s no way King Alucard would do something like that! He was the first one to see the good in me!” Anastasia wailed out, tears welling in her eyes.

Misao didn’t react to their retorts. He looked at both of them with the same depressed look as before. Instead, now it seemed as though he was looking at both of them with pity.

There must have been a reason for such an accusation. Misao was an esteemed soldier of the Aogiri army 10 years ago. He was Mr Arakawa’s best friend and a teacher to the current three generals of the same army. Someone like that wouldn’t betray their home country without reason.

“Misao. Continue,” I ordered him to continue.

“Do you really believe such blasphemous claims, Aki?! How could you?!” Riku felt betrayed.

“I don’t. All I want to know is the truth. Once he tells us everything, then I’ll decide for myself whether to believe him or not.”

It was no use getting emotional at this moment. They hindered critical thinking. Misao had no reason to save all of us from our battles. He needed us for something, which was why he was sharing this with us.

“I agree with Mr Kurokawa. Misao wouldn’t tell such blatant lies. I advise that we let him continue,” Mr Arakawa supported.

“As much as I don’t like this, it seems like the wisest choice to listen. Calm down and let him finish, Riku.” Chiyo advised seriously. Her palms gripped her knees tightly, holding back her anger. She understood what Riku was feeling the most, and so her advice hit Riku the most.

Riku let go of Misao’s collar. He fell with a thud, landing on his boots. Though it looked like he calmed down, Riku was still staring at Misao with daggers in his eyes.

“Please continue, Mr Suzuki,” Natsu asked calmly. Her expression was stoic. I could not read her thoughts, no matter how much I observed her.

“As you wish. So, as you all understood, Emperor Nobunaga and King Alucard summoned the black knight together. I know this because they arrived in No Man’s Land right after we killed it.”

For the first time in this entire conversation, Mr Arakawa was wide-eyed. He participated in the last Sovereign’s Tourney, yet he didn’t know of these events.

“They looked down at me and the Aethelheim general, who were collapsed on the floor due to exhaustion. All the soldiers around us had either died or run away. Only the four of us were left in the centre of No Man’s Land.”

Misao’s hands began shivering. This memory must have been traumatic for him. His willpower was admirable to share something so painful.

“Those two healed us to complete health and threw our weapons to us. They told us.. To kill each other. The last one standing would be the winner of the Sovereign’s Tourney. I had to kill the comrade I risked my life with my own hands. That wasn’t even the worst part…”

His whole body was convulsing. Tears rushed out of his bloodshot eyes. Scratch. Scratch. Scratch. Misao’s nails scratched the edges of his armour until they started bleeding.

“Whenever one of us was near death, they would heal us instantly and tell us to continue fighting. This farce kept on happening for hours on hours! Enough of our blood spilled on the floor to form a lake. But they kept smiling and laughing over and over until it was all we could hear! Yet, we didn’t stop because of our foolish pride in our country!”

“Then came my final slash, splitting her body into two. I waited and waited for them to heal her, but they never did. Those monsters were too busy chuckling at our despair! Grace.. Grace! I’m so sorry!”

The poor wailing of a traumatised veteran filled the entire room. His sorrow was injected into my heart as well. I would have never believed Emperor Nobunaga could be this cruel, especially to his own ally. It filled me with great disgust.

“After I came to my senses, I tried attacking both Emperor Nobunaga and King Alucard, but they effortlessly dodged them. Even then, they humiliated me. Once they had their fun, they used their magic and tortured me enough that I thought I was at death’s door. Through sheer willpower and hatred, however, I survived and crawled as far as possible, reaching here.”

Misao had finally calmed down. He gripped both his hands tightly, trying to control his emotions.

“From then, I’ve been planning my revenge. I ultimately decided to use the next Sovereign’s Tourney as the stage and all of you as my puppets to kill those two. That hasn’t changed.”

His eyes looked at everyone in the room. Those sharp eyes were still pitch black, but I could see some light in them, even if it was just a flicker.

“I plan to have a final confrontation with them once we regroup. An all-out battle with the two dictators to save both Aethelheim and Aogiri.”

“I beg everyone here! Please help me kill Emperor Nobunaga and King Alucard! Help me end the Sovereign’s Tourney once and for all!”

He got on his knees and placed his head on the ground. We were bewildered by his actions. The man who was our senior, except to Mr Arakawa, and showed no respect for us, was now begging at our feet. It spoke of his desperation for his cause.

There was one thing I had to confirm before I could decide.

“Show me where Yukino is. She’ll be the one to decide.”