Kyoketsu no hikari [ English ]

The sun rose over the Empire...

But it was not the same sun the people had known before.

Half the city still lay buried beneath the ruins of the last war.

Collapsed walls.

Buildings burned until their stones had turned black.

Streets that had yet to be cleared of the remnants of battle.

And in scattered places...

Traces of blood still clung to the cracks in the earth.

The Emperor...

Was dead.

The strongest man in the world...

Had fallen into a coma.

The Defenders had lost countless members.

And the Supreme Commander of Gaya...

Had lost an arm.

The Empire had paid a price it had not known for centuries.

And yet...

That particular morning...

The city was anything but quiet.

People filled the streets.

The sound of horses.

The marching of soldiers.

The clatter of armor.

The whispers of civilians.

And the horns...

They announced only one of two things.

The passing of the Emperor...

Or an execution.

But there was no Emperor left to pass through the streets.

Which meant everyone knew why they had gathered.

They had come to see one person.

And hold him accountable.

Jinsu.

---

The hooves of the horses struck against the stone road.

Clack... clack... clack...

A black carriage moved through the center of the procession.

Surrounding it...

Was the Zero Division, forming an impenetrable wall around the carriage.

But that wasn't all.

Behind them marched groups of Defenders.

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Soldiers stood on both sides of the road.

Even several Division Commanders had come.

There was no place in the entire Empire safer than that carriage.

Not because the person inside was weak...

But because everyone knew exactly who he was.

They feared him.

Even while he was shackled.

Even while he was surrounded.

Even while he made no attempt to escape.

Inside the carriage...

Jinsu sat beside the window.

His hands were bound.

His back rested against the seat.

His head leaned against the glass.

He silently watched the streets pass by.

People on both sides stared at him.

Some whispered.

Some pointed.

Others looked at him with unmistakable fear.

As for Jinsu...

He didn't seem to care.

Or...

At least, that was how it appeared.

Tsukiro sat across from him.

He watched Jinsu for several moments.

Then finally spoke.

"Are you all right?"

Jinsu didn't answer.

He merely looked at him for a moment.

Then turned his eyes back toward the window.

Tsukiro remained silent.

Then he said,

"I'm sorry, Jinsu."

Jinsu's eyes remained fixed on the passing streets.

"But this is beyond my control."

He paused.

"I can't go against the Elders of the Council."

Jinsu laughed.

A short.

Cold laugh.

"The Elders of the Council?"

Tsukiro looked at him in confusion.

"Is something funny?"

Jinsu didn't answer.

He returned his gaze to the window.

But this time...

His eyes weren't completely empty.

There was something else there.

Something resembling mockery.

Or perhaps...

Pity.

---

The carriage continued forward.

Until they passed a group of civilians.

Then...

Jinsu's gaze stopped.

A child.

A little boy was being carried in his mother's arms.

He was staring at the horses with innocent curiosity.

Something inside Jinsu...

Stopped.

His eyes changed.

For the briefest moment...

He was no longer looking at that child.

He was looking at something else.

An old memory.

A little boy running through the streets.

A child who used to smile whenever he saw horses passing by.

Who would jump with excitement whenever he spotted a butterfly.

Who would run back to his mother with a wide smile on his face.

The same look.

The same curiosity.

The same innocence.

The corner of Jinsu's mouth lifted slightly.

A small smile.

Quiet.

Genuine.

But it didn't last.

Because the child's mother...

Saw Jinsu.

Her expression changed instantly.

Her eyes widened.

Then she pulled her child tightly against her chest.

Hiding him behind her.

The child didn't understand.

He looked at his mother in confusion.

Then at Jinsu.

But the moment he saw the fear in her eyes...

He became frightened too.

He buried his face against her chest.

Jinsu's smile disappeared.

Slowly.

His eyes lowered.

And he remained silent.

Tsukiro saw it.

And he didn't know why...

But the sight made his chest feel heavy.

"Jinsu?"

Jinsu raised his head.

That emptiness had returned to his eyes.

"Yes?"

Tsukiro hesitated.

He stared at him for a long moment.

Then thought to himself:

Was I imagining it?

No one answered.

The carriage continued down the road.

---

Minutes later...

The gates of the Imperial Court appeared before them.

They were enormous.

Towering.

Surrounded by hundreds of soldiers.

The horses came to a stop.

Then silence descended.

Ivo dismounted from his white horse.

His expression was calm.

But his eyes remained fixed on the carriage.

One of the soldiers opened the door.

Jinsu stepped out.

Chains bound his hands and feet.

Ivo approached.

He took hold of the chains.

Then shoved Jinsu forward.

"Move."

Jinsu didn't resist.

One step.

Then another.

He passed through the gates of the court.

---

The courtroom...

Was larger than he had expected.

Its ceiling rose so high that Jinsu instinctively lifted his head.

On both sides...

Were the seats of the commanders.

Behind them...

Were the seats reserved for nobles and the bourgeoisie.

Elevated.

Spacious.

Decorated with excessive extravagance.

As for the seats of ordinary citizens...

They were at the very bottom.

Narrow.

Cramped.

Even here...

The division between the classes was obvious without a single word being spoken.

Jinsu looked over it all.

Then gave a faint, mocking smile.

Even here...

Everything has its place.

The soldiers moved forward.

They seized him.

Then chained him in the center of the courtroom.

Jinsu stood there alone.

In the middle.

Everyone surrounding him.

Everyone watching him.

As though they hadn't come to judge a man...

But to watch a monster locked inside a cage.

The voices rose.

"That's him!"

"It's Jinsu!"

"He caused all of this!"

"He must pay!"

"The Emperor is dead!"

"How many people died because of him?!"

The voices grew louder.

Overlapping.

Until the courtroom became a storm of accusations.

Jinsu slowly raised his head.

He looked around.

He said nothing.

Tsukiro stood among the commanders.

And despite his efforts to maintain his composure...

His eyes betrayed something else.

Concern.

As for Ivo...

He stood beside Jinsu.

Expressionless.

Then...

The council's gavel struck the platform.

BANG!

No one stopped.

BANG!

The voices began to fade.

Then the hammer rose a third time.

BANG!

Silence.

A deep.

Heavy silence.

Hundreds of eyes were fixed on Jinsu.

The Council President stood.

He looked at the crowd.

Then at Jinsu.

"Silence."

No one moved.

Then he continued.

"From this day forward..."

He paused.

"The trial of Jinsu shall begin."

His eyes locked onto him.

"For the events that led to the fall of the Emperor..."

Then he added,

"For the emergence of Kaizen..."

A wave of murmurs spread through the courtroom.

"And for the catastrophe that has struck the Empire."

His gaze remained fixed on Jinsu.

"His responsibility..."

"And his fate..."

"Will now be determined."

Jinsu remained silent.

But something in his eyes changed.

Then the Council President spoke.

"Let the trial begin."

At that very moment...

The doors of the courtroom slammed shut behind Jinsu.

BOOM.

And for the first time since his return...

Jinsu felt it.

This time...

The enemy wasn't in front of him.

It was all around him.