Seventy-five years ago, the 11th generational Sentarii monarch stood alongside his seven marshals. To defend against one singular enemy, an enemy that got stronger and adapted as it ate the blades of its targets.
Even after preparing to counter its heinous ability, the 11th Monarch eventually found himself standing alone as the Sword Eater defeated his Seven Marshals. Leaving him to face the Monstrosity by himself. Eventually, with his own life, he managed an equal trade: his life for its life.
This left the Sentarii shaken for many years, as it was a struggle to rebuild and elect a new Sentarii Monarch. Till that fateful day when one of the previous Marshals who had been presumed dead. Had returned, a completely new person. His demeanor, his presence, his power. To this day no one knows what happened after he returned from death.
However, due to his return, he took his rightful place and currently resides as the 12th generational monarch... That is correct; the one who faced the Sword Eater and managed to evade death is none other than Roshin Tuskakushi, the current Sentarii Monarch!
"Tell me, Kairo Neru."
"Just call me Kairo; it makes me feel weird when you guys say my last name too." Kairo interjected.
"As you wish, Kairo... Tell me, do you feel anything when you eat the swords of someone you fight?" Takahari questioned
"I couldn't say; I've never used it on a living swordsman." Kairo answered.
"Then I guess one way you could prove you're not the Sword Eater would be to fight someone in one-on-one combat and eat their sword." Takahari commented.
"Right, because that'd get me out of this situation. Aren't you guys sentencing me to death because of Masako?" Kairo remarked
"Yeahhh, I don't know how to get you out of that one." Takahari chuckled as he leaned back against the wall with his hands behind his head.
"How can you be so relaxed about this? Aren't you going to die within three days as well?" Kairo questioned
"I believe someone will prove my innocence, after all why would I kill my sergeant." Takahari commented out loud.
"That's a great question. Why would you, the laziest person I know, murder someone who kept you focused from time to time?" A familiar voice questioned from outside the cell.
Takahari's eyes widen in disbelief as he turns his head to look out the cell door. Before rushing over to it.
"Awe, Yurino! Were you so worried about me that you came to see me?" Takahari teased.
"Stuff it, womanizer, I came to hear your side of the story as well." Yurino, she expressed as her eyes drifted over to Kairo for a moment before moving back to Takahari.
"So you do care about me! I'm so flattered, oh you know we should get a-!"
WHAM
Takahari instantly appeared on the ground from Yurino's furious punch to his head.
"Just listen, will you!" Yurino sighed as she looked back at Kairo for a moment.
"What the hell are you staring at?" Yurino bitterly expressed her face turned with disgust.
Kairo scoffed before looking down at Takahari.
Yurino's attention was pulled as slight irritation fueled up inside.
"You idiot, how could you go and get yourself in this mess?" Yurino expressed as she crouched down to the bottom of the cell door.
Takahari looked up as his face was bleeding from colliding with the ground. Yet he continued to smile at Yurino.
"Can't you take this seriously?" Yurino questioned as she waved another fist in the air.
"Yurino... Do you really believe I killed Yaba?" Takahari questioned his tone, which had drastically changed from moments ago.
"W-Well, that's why I came here. To figure out if you did or didn't!" Yurino stuttered as she began standing down.
"You were the last person I saw before I went back to the officer's headquarters. How would it have even been possible for me to kill Yaba?" Takahari explained as he pushed himself off the ground.
"But, even then! The timeline of events just doesn't make sense! It all leads to you and only you!" Yurino exclaimed,
"I've been a Marshal for damn near twenty years, besides my lazy work ethic I'm one of the most trusted Sentarii... Yet how does all of that fall when I'm framed for something I didn't do?" Takahari's relaxed exterior began to crack as anger started to bloom through.
"Takahari..." Yurino whispered with concern.
Kairo silently watched, feeling even more disgusted with the way Sentarii ran things.
"I promise, I'll do everything I can to get you out of this situation. Just hold on, okay..." Yurino pleaded as she stood up.
Glancing over at Kairo once more, watching as he rolled his eyes and shook his head as he looked away.
"I'm ready... Let's go." Yurino said to one of the guards who began escorting her away.
After a mere few moments, she was fully gone from the prison's hallway.
"Twenty years and they treat you like this... Talk about a messed-up place." Kairo remarked as he looked towards the cell window.
Takahari was sitting on his knees as he laid his head on the cell door.
"I know it looks ugly to an outsider, but we only do things to keep balance the best we can... Even if that means putting one of our own on trial for things he did or didn't do." Takahari explained as he just stared out the cell door.
"So guilty until proven innocent? Like that works at all... It's destructive; it takes away someone's respect and trust within others. It—!"
"Enough in there!" One of the guards shouted as he banged on the cell door.
"I'm tired of hearing you two speak. Another word and I'll personally come in there and shut you up myself!" The guard advised as he stared them down.
Both Kairo's and Takahari's eyes glowed in unison as they glared back at him. Causing him to shudder in fear and walk off murmuring insults.