-This is made by Starrshard on Ao3 and Wattpad, please check them out. I have been given permission to upload this to, as they do not have an account on this website-
"What do you mean, you know who the killer is?" Mezou questioned, turning to fixate his eyes on Shouto, who'd spoken out. "And besides, the last theory you concocted was flat-out wrong."
"Well, this one may not be," Shouto shrugged. "I just remembered something odd about a certain object near Kyouka's body. It's a big clue. Yaomomo, you must recall, right?"
Why push it onto me? Yaomomo complained internally. I guess I'll have to do it... the clue Shouto speaks of... oh, that-
Select a Truth Bullet!
...
Blood pool - Kyouka : I got it!
"You must mean Kyouka's blood puddle. Fumikage's feather was in it, and I fell in it, right?"
"Remember the details of the feather," Shouto insisted. "If you think it through, it'll become clear."
If I think it through, it's clear..? What am I supposed to learn from a puddle and a feather?
I have to figure this out... for Kyouka's sake. Yes, I'd like to think about it that way.
Psyche Taxi : Start!
...
Question 1: What place in the blood was the feather?
Left: On the surface of the blood
Right: Buried in the blood
Right: Correct!
...
Question 2: What was the texture of the blood like at the start of investigation?
Left: Wet and fresh
Right: Sticky and dry
Right: Correct!
...
Question 3: When did the feather fall into the blood?
Left: Before investigation
Right: During investigation
Left: Correct!
Success!
Question 1: Buried in the blood
Question 2: Sticky and dry
Question 3: Before investigation
Break!
As she put the pieces together in her head, Yaomomo felt a lightbulb in her mind go off like a nuclear bomb, a revelation that was both heart-wrenching and groundbreaking at once. Her chest tightened, as if a knife had been driven into her heart. Why you, of all people..? "Oh... I get it now. It's all coming together... The killer... it really is you..."
Select someone!
...
Fumikage Tokoyami : You're the only one...
"F-Fumikage... it can't be..." Yaomomo stared at him in distress.
"Hmm?" Fumikage blinked back at her, feigning innocence, although the subtle ruffling of his feathers made it clear that she'd hit the jackpot.
"The feather... we know it's yours, that part is obvious. But since the body discovery, the blood has been dry. If your feather had fallen in the blood during investigation, it would've stuck to the top of the blood. But it's not. The fact the feather is buried in blood makes it clear that it'd fallen in while the blood was fresh," Yaomomo explained, her hands shaking. She was still disbelieving, despite the logical truth her words held.
"So therefore, he was present at Kyouka's body when she'd just died," Tamaki spoke up softly.
"You've got to be the killer, Fumikage. The feather doesn't lie," Shouto said cooly. "And besides, it's not like your alibi says anything in your defense either."
Fumikage merely sighed, keeping his cool. "Look. Following that logic, if I were the killer, how would I leave the gym?"
"Hey, stop trying to distract us," Eijirou snarled, rage overcoming his grief in the moment. He was obviously already becoming angry at the accused Nightwalker, realizing that he was Katsuki's murderer.
"Eijirou. He does have a point, you know. We do have to figure that out, regardless of who the Blackened is," Izuku said softly. Eijirou visibly sighed a little, but kept his mouth shut.
"So, how about it? How did the killer leave the gym?" Tamaki prompted.
"Well, they obviously left out the door," Mezou said bluntly.
"Yeah, that's the most plausible, but there's other ways out, too. Where there's blood, there's murder," Hitoshi said.
"And where there's a dead body, there's murder too," Eijirou muttered bitterly. Everyone opted to ignore him.
"Well, there could be any number of escape paths," Fumikage spoke up. "Shall we talk about it?"
"No."
"I beg your pardon?" Fumikage glanced, surprised, at Shouto's resilience to a discussion.
"No, there's one way out of the gym that would explain a crucial piece of evidence, something that would be unexplainable if the killer hadn't taken this one particular path," Shouto said. "You know what it is, right, Yaomomo? You were the one who investigated it yourself, after all."
A certain way out the gym, a way that explains an odd piece of evidence... I can see it now...
Hangman's Gambit 3.0 : Start!
How did the killer leave the gym?
? ﾟﾗﾆ? ﾟﾗﾆ? ﾟﾗﾆ? ? ﾟﾗﾆ? ? ﾟﾗﾆ? ﾟﾗﾆ
...
...
...
THROUGH THE VENT : I got it!
Break!
"That's it... the kil- Fumikage left through the vent," Yaomomo said, making sure to double back and use Fumikage's name in place of an anonymous nobody. "That would explain the bl-"
"I will not let this go on!"
Break!
"Hold up, hold up. You're saying the killer -who is, as of now, still inconclusive- went through the vent?! Are you serious?" Mezou asked coldly, a sizzling, volcanic rage boiling just under the frozen surface. "That's ridiculous! I won't let it go by!"
Rebuttal Showdown : Start!
Mezou Shouji : Momo Yaoyorozu
Truth Blades: Denki's Account, Mirio's Account, Fumikage's Account, Syringe, Javelin, Blood in Vent, Dart, Blood pool - Kyouka
"So, you claim the killer went through the vent? How ridiculous! Why would the killer go through the vent if the door's right there anyway?!" Mezou began.
"Well, Katsuki's body was blocking the door, so it wasn't 'right there' for someone to easily leave out of," Yaomomo replied smoothly.
"That's exactly my point! Who'd be there to move the body if the killer didn't leave through the door?!" Mezou retorted. "And besides, it's not like there's any more evidence of the killer actually going through the vent than a couple of blood smears."
"I will cut through your words!"
Mirio's Account : Cut!
"Actually, there is more evidence of someone travelling through the vents," Yaomomo said. She could feel a tightness in her chest, and tears behind her eyes. "Mirio. Could you explain to Mezou?"
"Sure! In the early hours of the morning, I heard a faint, muffled thumping sound pass by my room. It sounded as if it were coming from through the wall... or in the wall. I had heard someone passing by my dorm through the vents. It's unmistakable," Mirio elaborated.
"That's-" Mezou began to speak, but Nejire cut him off.
"Oh! And that explains the blood smears in the vent, too! Disemboweling two people must've gotten messy, and the blood got all over the killer's clothes. So when they crawled through the vent, they must've trailed it," the Beauty Pageant Star said.
"However, Mezou, your rant did bring up another good point," Tooru piped up. "If the killer left through the vents, how did Katsuki's body get moved?"
"Maybe the killer didn't move it. Maybe..." Shouto paused. "There was an accomplice."
An accomplice? A murmur spread throughout the trial room.
"Don't be ridiculous," Mezou growled. "An accomplice? There is next to no conclusive evidence of that."
"No, there is," Mashirao cut in. "Remember the Body Announcement rule. It only plays when three or more people, excluding the killer, have seen the body. To Mirio's word, when the Body Discovery for Kyouka played, only he and Yaomomo were present.
"Technically, if nobody had seen Kyouka's body before then spare for the killer, the announcement should not have played for the two of them. However, it did, which must mean another person had seen her corpse before them."
"He's completely right," Mirio confirmed.
"So... an accomplice," Yaomomo pondered slowly. That sure throws a wrench in the conclusion of Fumikage being the Blackened. "Going off of our justified conclusion from earlier, if Fumikage had been at Kyouka's body when she had just died, he could either be the killer or accomplice. But either way... his account is a lie."
"Was there someone else whose alibi lines up with his?" Nejire asked.
"No, not exactly," Izuku said. "But I think I have evidence that Fumikage is the... killer... and not the accomplice."
"Go on," Tooru implored.
"Well, a few days ago, Shouto and I were taking a walk at about midnight to walk off a nightmare. We passed by the gym. Mezou and Fumikage were there. They were making light conversation.
"Fumikage was at the javelins. His throwing was so accurate that every time, it landed on or in close range of the bulls-eye. Remember what he said earlier? How the wound looked like it'd been from a thrown knife?"
"Not only that, but... they have been getting awful close recently," Tsuyu noted.
"You say that like it's a negative!" Mezou accused. "And besides, what's wrong with us interacting? And what's so suspicious about that?"
"It means that, if Fumikage were an unplanned killer, then you could've very well accepted to being an unplanned accomplice," Mashirao said, his voice cold as frost.
"An unplanned accomplice? Me?!" Mezou was in a frenzy. "That's absurd! I'd never agree to that!"
"How do we know that?" Yaomomo questioned. "Remember during investigation... how Fumikage insisted on getting your account. If he is the killer, that'd make sense. You two came up with matching alibis that worked in your own favor, didn't you?
"And when it was time to leave the scene, you left through the door and shifted Katsuki's body to create a locked room, while Fumikage used the vents after disemboweling his victims. Isn't that right, Mezou?!" Her voice was chiseled, edged with anger. For Kyouka...
Fumikage was silent, his eyes closed and arms crossed. Mezou was glaring openly at every student in the room, his eyes darting from side to side. He was breaking out in a sweat. He's really lost it, hasn't he?
That just proves I'm right, though.
"Okay. Mezou, for one, calm down," Fumikage spoke. Mezou turned on his shorter friend, as if about to snap something in reply, but held back from doing so.
"And if you all truly believe this nonsense Yaomomo is spouting... let me ask you: If I were the killer, then why would I give you not one, but two honest autopsies? I noted there was no poison. I noted the destroyed organs. I told you the truth. Do you think I lied? I didn't, since my information has carried us through this trial with logic and truth." Fumikage fixed Yaomomo with his red eyes. "I'm right. Admit it."
Yaomomo stared at him for a moment. She was barely fazed by the intensity of his stare, meeting it with her own fiery eyes. "No. I won't."
"Mmh."
His indifference made her insides boil even more violently than before. The killer of Kyouka... he's standing right here, before me... "I'll force you to speak the truth, which I know you're hiding, Fumikage Tokoyami!"
Argument Armament : Start!
{Fumikage's Audio Clips Letters to Counter}
Phase 1
"Come on, Yaomomo." (W) (W) (A)
"Think it over again in that brain of yours." (D) (D) (D) (A) (S)
"I gave you evidence." (S) (S) (D)
"I gave you autopsies and the entire truth." (A) (A) (A) (D) (W)
"I would have no reason to reveal something only I can prove if it does not benefit me." (W-A-S-D)
Advance : Phase 2
"Why are you so stubborn today?" (S) (S) (A - Hold)
"Are you allowing your emotions to get the better of you?" (W-A-S-D)
"You know you can't do that." (W) (W) (S) (S)
"Because in this game..." (A) (A) (S - Hold)
"There is only the cold truth." (W-A-S-D)
"Why don't you pursue that instead of me, hm?" (W) (W) (A) (A) (D - Hold)
Advance : Phase 3
"Yaomomo, stop it!" (W) (W - Hold)
"Do I have to spell it out for you again?" (S) (S) (S) (D) (D)
"Why would I give you two correct autopsies..." (W) (W) (W) (A) (A) (A)
"Why would I give you evidence..." (W) (S) (S) (S)
"Why would I give you an account at all..." (D) (D) (D) (A) (A)
"If I were the killer?" (S) (S - Hold)
"It's remarkably unlikely for I to be the culprit." (W) (D) (A) (S) (W) (W) (W)
Final Blow!
W = Honest
A = Dis
S = Ulti
D = Mate
"Why did I give you honest autopsies if I were the killer themself?"
"This is why!"
A-W-S-D : DisHonestUltiMate : Break!
"Alright, first, you weren't exactly honest this time. You didn't reveal the syringe, which you must've found in your shuffling of Katsuki's organs during your autopsy. Even Eijirou, who wasn't even looking for evidence, saw it immediately," Yaomomo said. "And second, I think the question you should be asking is just how you even gave honest autopsies in the first place."
"What do you mean?" Fumikage asked, feigning innocence once more. Yaomomo could feel her insides boiling with contained rage. "I did because I could."
"How could you have given such autopsies from the start? How were you so comfortable with a dead body and extracting a needle from Rikidou's bloody throat from the start?" Yaomomo confronted. "Can you answer that?"
Fumikage hesitated, as if debating whether or not to speak out.
"Fine," he said slowly. "It's because I've dealt with death before." He opted to speak out.
"How?" Yaomomo pressed.
"Well, many things happen under the cover of the night, you know. I'm a nightwalker. You'd think I'd see some things that may not have been under the sun," Fumikage stated.
"I wouldn't believe that for a moment. Crime resulting in death doesn't happen that often with the night patrols of heroes, and besides, why and how would you interact with said dead bodies anyway?" Yaomomo paused for effect. "Maybe... because you were the one who killed them?"
"What are you getting at?" Fumikage's voice had become cold, and his eyes turned into hard lead.
"I'm saying, you're not the Ultimate Nightwalker," Yaomomo claimed. "You made that up, didn't you? To hide your true identity. Something darker... something along the lines of genocider or hitman, perhaps," she ventured. "And this idea of an Ultimate also explains how you'd have knives and a syringe on you in the first place, since you were an unplanned killer. You have so many pockets, too... it'd be easy to hide your little weapons. Isn't that right?"
Fumikage stared at her, his crimson eyes wide, feathers spiking in alarm. Then he sighed, deflating, as if accepting his fate. He sagged slightly, and for once Yaomomo saw him as a small, thin teen, the same age as her, regretful that his spur-of-the-moment choice to kill had been his demise.
It was only for a moment, though, before he shifted back into being the blood-stained murderer of her best friend.
"Fine. You're right. I give up." Fumikage's feathers were drooping. He looked up, his round red eyes meeting Yaomomo's. "Here."
"Wh- wait! Fumikage, no, you can't just- give up- Fumikage!" Mezou went haywire on his podium, eyes wide with urgency, hands gripping the wood railing hard enough to leave an indentation and cause splinters to erupt from the smooth oak. "Fumikage! No, listen- come on, keep trying-! Fumikage!"
"It's alright, Mezou." Fumikage paused, his hand in his inner jacket pocket, and turned to meet Mezou's wild eyes with calm, collected crimson orbs. "It's too late. I'll figure it out, okay? And as for you... keep living. Keep living, okay? Don't become like me."
Fumikage dipped his beak again and slipped two items out of his pocket. He opened his left hand first, revealing a small silver blade in its gloved palm. The knife had a black ivory handle, engraved with cryptic markings. "My weapon of choice. I used it to kill Kyouka and disembowel her and Katsuki. It's a signature of mine."
"A signature-? Oh god, no, Fumi-!" Tsuyu blurted out, her eyes widening as she realized the reality of his words.
"And my key. Take it." Fumikage threw the trinket in his right hand to Yaomomo. She caught it clumsily out of haste and adrenaline-fueled jolts of energy. She examined its top side.
It was a sleek, silver key with flecks of pink imbedded in it, as if mimicking blood splatters. On the enamel-ridged, dark indigo tag, it read 'Tokoyami, Fumikage' in ornate gold.
And when she flipped it over...
"The Ultimate Assassin." Yaomomo stared at the tag for a dark second, before raising her gaze to look to Fumikage. He was silent, his arms crossed and eyes closed. His beak dipped, as if waiting for everyone to react.
But nobody did.
It was silent in the trial room.
Silent as everyone merely gazed at Fumikage, wondering how they could've been ever so wrong about their friend.
Yaomomo herself felt disconnected as reality hit her. I was right. The various thoughts inside of her clashed like swords, her anger and betrayal and sorrow and grief mixing up into... whatever this was.
Monokuma was the one who broke that silence.
"Upupu! It seems you've all come to a decision! In that case, it's voting time!" Behind the artificial creature, Toga grinned and flashed her own knife, twirling it.
That blade in her deadly little hand seemed so insignificant compared to the one in Fumikage's, it made Yaomomo feel hollow all over.
Hollow as she realized what all this meant.
"W-Wait. Monokuma, please wait," she blurted out, the words sliding off of her stiff tongue.
"Hm? What is it, my dear Yaoyorozu?" The bear gave her a wicked grin.
"W-We have to do the... the closing argument. Go over it again. Make sure there's no inconsistencies in our case." She swallowed, waiting for Monokuma to object.
But he didn't. "Upupu! I guess it is a staple of class trials, so go right ahead!"
Alright. Alright then.
I just have to restate the facts, right? So don't get angry... don't get sad... just don't get anything.
Recount the case...
Closing Argument : Start!
"Late last night, the killer and Mezou were in the gym training, Mezou with weights, and the killer with javelins.
"Kyouka entered the gym. She had on her a flask of poison, which she'd gotten from the vending machine in the cafeteria. She had full intent to kill that night, but unbeknownst to her, it was she who was about to be killed.
"She headed straight to the darts station. She took a dart, dipped the tip in poison, and shot it at Mezou.
"However, she missed, alerting the killer of her misdeed. The killer attacked her in retaliation for trying to kill Mezou, their friend, using a knife. They threw it at her, which impaled itself in her heart.
"The killer approached Kyouka and proceeded to disembowel her corpse, reusing the same knife they'd used to kill her. However, as they did this, someone happened to walk in at just the wrong time. It was Katsuki, who had been coming to the gym for his daily midnight training. He realized that the killer had seen him and likely tried to run, but was caught immediately by the killer, who raced towards him as soon as they saw him.
"The killer attacked Katsuki, whipping out the syringe they had on them. They injected an empty tube of air into one of Katsuki's arteries or veins. The most likely and easiest to reach is his neck artery, but it's irrelevant to the case.
"This injection of air into his artery caused an air embolism, triggering a heart attack in turn. Katsuki swiftly died. The killer followed to disembowel his body as well. They hid the syringe -the murder weapon- among the organs before closing the door and leaving his corpse outside.
"They must've earlier asked Mezou to work as their unplanned accomplice, since Mezou then followed to move the body so that it propped against the door. This prevented the door from being opened from the outside, inconveniencing whoever was to discover Kyouka while creating a more complex case. Mezou left the scene after that, hasty to get back to him room unseen.
"Inside the gym, the killer was alone with Kyouka's body, which they'd disemboweled earlier. How were they so calm doing this? Because... their Ultimate talent... is the Ultimate Assassin. They have experience, which explains why they're carrying around weapons and have such a knowledge of the human body. Their signature in their murders was disembowelment.
"Disemboweling the two bodies must've gotten blood on their clothes, but they were unbothered. As they left the body and began their escape plan, they accidentally left behind a critical piece of evidence, though... a black feather in the pool of blood around Kyouka. It must've fallen out during the disembowelment process, as it was buried in blood. This was proof that this specific person was present while the blood was still fresh and flowing.
"The killer hid Kyouka's flask in the vent by the gym, leaving the dart on the floor- a fatal mistake. They kept the knife used for disembowelment on them, most likely in a pocket. They then began crawling through the vents. Most likely blindly, while also following a mental map of the school layout from hours of walking around it under the cover of night. They passed by some of the dorms, including Mirio's, before reaching their own, where they were safe in isolation.
"And the mastermind behind this case... was Fumikage Tokoyami... the Ultimate Assassin."
Break!
For a moment, all was quiet. Before Fumikage began to laugh.
It was a dull, sad, little chuckle. But it was enough to send another stab of emotion through Yaomomo's chest, clenching her lungs. What is that emotion? I'm not sure anymore. They all seem the same to me.
Is it sadness?
Or is it anger?
"You're so unbelievably correct that it makes me think you'd seen me yourself, Yaomomo. Come on, hurry it up with the voting."
The voting was silent. Everyone simply clicked their levers into place without hesitation; was it because they genuinely saw Fumikage as a natured murderer, or because they just wanted it to all be over already? Yaomomo wasn't sure.
The machine erupted in a cacophony of lights, coins, and ringing techno bells. Exactly as expected.
Class Trial : End!
"Upupupu! You were right! The blackened this time was Fumikage Tokoyami!" Monokuma laughed, his sharp, robotic teeth flashing in the eerie lighting of the trial room.
"No... Fumikage..." Tsuyu whispered shakily. "Tell me... tell me that isn't true..."
She's obviously sad, Yaomomo observed. That much is clear.
So what am I?
Do I have to choose? It seems like such a pain...
Fumikage was silent. His eyes were closed, his arms crossed across his chest.
It's all true. He's the Ultimate Assassin...
That means... That means he's a murderer, a murderer of dozens, dozens, maybe even a hundred, and that includes our two classmates, one of whom was my best friend and the other... the other a classmate.
He killed them, just like he killed all those nameless strangers that gave him the title of Ultimate Assassin.
"Fumikage..." Izuku spoke up. His voice trembled as he stared at his friend. "Why... why did you do it..?"
Fumikage sighed and raised his eyes to meet Izuku's. Yaomomo suddenly glimpsed, for a moment, Kyouka's crimson iris staring at her, observing her with its warm, yet sharp gaze. And then she blinked, and it was all gone; just Fumikage, and his eyes the color of dry blood.
And in that moment, she realized, in a passionate, violent burst of inspiration, that she hated those crimson irises more than death itself.
"I never wanted to kill them," he said. "I didn't want that fiery rival of yours to die, nor the Musician. They were my peers too, or have you forgotten?"
"Kyouka and Katsuki. They had names!" Yaomomo suddenly screamed, her words impulsively rushing over her tongue. Anger reached a boiling point in her chest, her sorrow trampled over by her rage. How dare he not even have the courage to utter their identities, as if it lightens the blow?!
"Or have you forgotten?" she continued, her voice laced with venom as she intended to burn him beyond repair with it. "How many people's lives have your fingers graced since the day you killed your first target in some shady back alley? How many innocent people have you killed? Do you count the number of lives you've cut short, and dreams you've snatched away? Is the number so high that taking your own friends' lives meant nothing more to you than another tally in the list?!"
"Yaomomo-"
"You killed my friend, my best friend Kyouka," Yaomomo spat, not allowing him to spew his rancid words at her. "And you also killed Katsuki. A murderer for a murderer. Fitting, huh?"
"Yaomomo. I do not go around killing as I please," Fumikage replied calmly. "Do you know of the murderer that goes by the alias Justice's Blade?"
"Why, yes, I do happen to know who that is," Yaomomo snapped.
"Yeah, we've all heard of Justice's Blade. He's infamous..." Nejire's voice trailed off. "Oh... no, you don't mean-"
"I am Justice's Blade," Fumikage continued. "I killed criminals to bring them to justice."
A stunned silence fell over the trial room. It was like the quiet before the storm, because it was at that moment that Yaomomo exploded.
"That's all you have to say in your defense?!" she wailed. "What did Kyouka ever do to fit your criteria of criminal?! Kyouka may have attempted to murder, but she wasn't in her right mind! Can't you forgive that? Katsuki... he- oh, forget him- regardless, you knew them and you were their friend, and you still killed them without hesitation."
"I had to tie up the loose ends. I hadn't intended to risk his account," Fumikage stated cooly, but Yaomomo ignored him, words spilling out her mouth like a relentless waterfall, polluted with anger and grief.
"Did you ever truly understand your countless criminal victims either? No! Did you know their reasons for crime? Did you know what horrible pasts they may have had to lead them to such actions?! You're not justice. Whatever you are, I know one thing for sure. You're a monster!"
Fumikage's shoulders tensed. Everyone in the trial room was silent, stunned, their eyes fixed on the arguing students. Yaomomo panted, her anger spent, but she had obviously struck a nerve. A burst of satisfaction flowed through her veins.
But suddenly, he relaxed, the sharp edges of his gaze softening. He sighed. Yaomomo held her glare. "I understand how you feel, Yaomomo. Because I often ask myself the same. Am I really happy doing this, killing people based off of their criminal record, without truly knowing them? How many have I ripped apart and left for the police to find?"
Yaomomo refused to let him through, into her heart. She refused to believe his twisted words when he was the murderer of Kyouka and Katsuki, and dozens more of strangers. She refused to believe that he wasn't a cold-blooded killer, through and through.
He laughed, but it was a bitter, sorrowful sound. "I suppose, what I mean to say is... I'm sorry."
Yaomomo chuckled bitterly. "Sorry? Sorry doesn't bring back the dead, Justice's Blade." She spat out the last words.
Fumikage stared at her, his crimson eyes unwavering. "I suppose you have a right to hate me. But what would you have done if Kyouka had killed Mezou? Then she'd be the monster in your story, right? A, oh, cold-blooded murderer of two, perhaps? She's quick and clever, I know that. She wouldn't have allowed Katsuki to live, either. So, please... have reason. Forgive me. Forgive me, Yaomomo."
Yaomomo couldn't speak. Emotion rolled through her again, conflicting and clashing painfully within her mind. He speaks of reason, I know.
I don't want to believe him, though...
...because he's right...
"Hey hey hey! Are we done here? 'Cause it's time for the execution!" Monokuma interrupted.
"Exe...cution..?" Yaomomo heard Tsuyu murmur. She herself had gone numb again, choosing to force down the emotions rioting within her to spare herself the choice.
"Executed? Fumikage... no..." Mezou gazed at his friend, for once emotional and rendered speechless. Tears were spilling down his face.
"Remember what I told you before. Keep living, Mezou. Forget all of this and just keep living. Get out of this hell for me, alright?" Fumikage smiled at his friend before turning to Toga and Monokuma. He took a deep breath. "I'm ready."
"No... No... Fumikage, wait! Listen to me!" Tsuyu cried. He paused and turned to face her. Is it just my twisted mind creating mirages, or is that a glimmer of sorrow in his eyes?
"It's okay, Tsuyu. I deserve this," he said bitterly. "The world will never forgive me, and I'll go down in history as Justice's Blade, the heartless murderer."
"No! I... I forgive you!" Tsuyu choked out. Yaomomo stiffened.
"Oh? You do?" Fumikage's icy expression softened. "Then please... remember me... as your friend, Fumikage Tokoyami."
Monokuma laughed mockingly, obviously amused by the little display he just witnessed between the two students. Yaomomo suddenly felt something flip in her stomach as she met the bear's relentless stare. Something slipped through her numb mask, sliding through the cracks as she faced the raw reality before her.
Fumikage is about to be executed. Executed for the murder of too many to count... But also executed for protecting his friend, even if his life were the cost.
What's to say I wouldn't have done the same?
Monokuma laughed. "Upupupu! Now then, I've prepared a veeeery special punishment for Fumikage Tokoyami, the Ultimate Assassin! Let's give it everything we've got! Iiiiit's PUNISHMENT TIIIME!"
Fumikage was dragged away by Monokuma, who chained him and began taking him down one of the tunnels branching out of the trial room. Tsuyu jumped up and attempted to chase after them, only for Toga to leap down from the throne, knife in hand.
"Follow me, beloved pets!" Toga sang, skipping down a different tunnel. The class had no choice but to follow the insane girl.
She led them into a large room with a massive screen on the wall. Toga bounced up to the control panel, hit a few buttons, and it now displayed the scene of execution.
GAME OVER
Fumikage Tokoyami has been found guilty. Time for the punishment!
Fumikage was standing in the center of a rock cavern. It was dim and rimmed with shadows, the only light source being the skylight high above, which revealed a bleak, white and gray sky. An endless expanse of steep rock walls bridged the distance between the cave and the rest of the world.
There was no escape. Only the concept of it flickered like a dying candle before Fumikage's eyes mockingly as he tipped his head up to gaze into the silver clouds overhead. His eyes were emotionless, blank canvases of red. I wonder what he's thinking, Tsuyu thought, her heartbeat quickening in her throat.
The Assassin lowered his raven head and scanned his surroundings, calculating his chances, perhaps. Suddenly, from behind him, a slow, creaking laugh emerged.
"Upupupu... Upupupupu!"
Four robot Monokumas dressed as soldiers leaped out of the inky black shadows. Fumikage whirled around, producing three daggers and a syringe from his jacket pockets. The small silver blades were securely clipped between his fingers on his right hand, while the syringe was gripped in his left.
Fumikage darted to the side, avoiding Monokuma One's sword. He whirled and unflinchingly drove a dagger with deadly accuracy into the robot's red, mechanical eye. Monokuma One screamed, the sound sending Tsuyu's heart jolting against her ribs while her ears rung with anxious energy. It crumpled and collapsed on the ground, deactivated.
Having found the robots' weak spot, Fumikage took on Monokumas Two and Three at once. The two leapt at him while Monokuma Four approached from behind, surrounding him. However, the experienced Assassin was prepared. He ducked and dove under the leaping beasts, causing them to run right into Monokuma Four, whose inertia caused him to overrun.
While the three beasts were confused and distracted with figuring out who to bite, Fumikage leaped onto Monokuma Two's back and plunged his syringe deep into its eye. Monokuma Two made a terrible screeching noise and stiffened, collapsing.
Now Monokumas Three and Four were focused entirely on Fumikage. He threw one dagger with deadly accuracy, the silver flicker in the air giving way to a blade sunk several inches into Monokuma Three's eye. It screamed and collapsed, just like the first.
Now Fumikage was armed with a single dagger against the final Monokuma. Isn't this a bit too easy? Tsuyu thought hopefully. He'll win, he'll definitely win. And he'll be freed, or he'll come back to us, alive...
But no, maybe that was too optimistic of a thought. One too happy and hope-filled for the villains to even consider being a possibility in their little game.
Monokuma Four parried Fumikage's dagger throw with its sword. It leaped at him. Fumikage attempted to dive under it to get behind it, but the beast's claws snagged on the collar of his jacket. The two of them tumbled into a pile of limbs, Monokuma having the Assassin pinned under its paws.
The creature bared its fangs and took a small syringe of bright green liquid out of some hidden compartment on it. It ripped away a section of Fumikage's sleeve and injected the liquid into his arm.
"A life sustaining drug!" The real Monokuma's voice boomed over the speaker system of the execution cavern, the audio ending up static-filled in the recording of it being broadcasted to the class. "It will remain in action for about five minutes, forcing the heart to beat and lungs to work, before it wears off and the body is left to its own defenses!"
Tsuyu wondered why they'd give such a thing to Fumikage if they only intended to execute him.
She was about to find out.
Fumikage Tokoyami's Execution: Loki's Punishment : Executed!
The robot Monokuma dragged Fumikage into the center of the cavern, so that he was bathed in the white light of the skylight. It took out a black blade and sank it into Fumikage's stomach. He gritted his teeth, trying to stifle a hiss of pain.
The robot followed to slice the blade down in one swift motion, ripping through clothes. Pink blood blossomed from the wound, soaking Fumikage's clothes. Now he couldn't help but cry out in agony. The sound sent a jolt down Tsuyu's spine and made her heart leap into her throat. No, no, no, please no... just end him instead of toying with him like prey!
The Monokuma tore away Fumikage's shredded jacket and shirt, revealing the deep, blossoming, red ravine it'd created. The image sent a hot, vile tang to rise in Tsuyu's throat, and her hands began to shake.
The Monokuma pulled open the gash, ripping and parting the skin, flesh, and muscle like curtains, causing blood to flood out. Fumikage screamed, the unholy sound violently torn out of his mouth in one dark cry. His eyes were wild with pain and terror, glistening with tears that bubbled over his feathers.
The gesture revealed all of his innards to the open air; shreds of muscle wracked by spasms, a stomach resembling a slime-slick balloon, a blood-streaked red liver, a glimpse of cages of ribs that framed his two bloody, balloon-like lungs patterned by pale bronchi lines.
It seemed that it had carefully made the cut so that it was deep enough to draw blood but not deep enough to rupture any organs, as none of them were damaged beyond being covered in blood and mucus. The beast then began to delicately extract- oh god. Oh god oh no why why why WHY WHY?!
The Monokuma was removing Fumikage's intestines. Swiftly yet carefully, the creature began to extract the bloody, slimy, horrible pink worm-like organ from the Blackened's abdomen. It then began to slice them into neat lengths, causing clear, mucus-like fluid to spew out of them and pool over its paws, mixing with the blood like water with paint, creating a generally disgusting scene.
Fumikage was openly screaming now; horrible, agonized wails, sobs of pain and terror, of possibly regret and most certainly of sorrow. Oh, and pain. The pain in his voice was so raw, ripped from his throat and pleading for death to take him and ease him of his atrocious suffering, to no avail.
His voice clawed at Tsuyu's every being, tearing away at her heart and soul and mind. She could barely bear it. She wanted to look away and cover her ears and eyes, she really did, but she just couldn't. Her eyes remained glued on the screen, watching her dear friend die.
The Monokuma then began tying Fumikage's wrists and ankles to four rocks using the pieces of intestines it had just sliced, the organ slick against his blood-splattered wrists. It had placed him in a spread-eagle pose. Then, from the shadows, another entity emerged.
A snake.
A slim, agile, dark green snake. Its red eyes glimmered with hatred for the world it was born into, its scales shimmering in the bleak light. The reptile hissed and slithered to Fumikage before rearing up, rising and seeming to "stand up", before slipping up onto a stalactite that pointed directly at the Assassin's face.
The snake coiled around it so that its slim nose was in line with Fumikage's wide, pain-filled eyes.
Oh no.
It opened its jaws, and its two long fangs emerged. White and gleaming, like ivory needles. The reptile flicked its upper jaw, tongue twirling within its mouth, and a translucent, green liquid dripped from its sharp white fangs.
The venom dripped down, droplets raining down upon Fumikage's eyes. He wailed in agony, poison sizzling across his skin, searing his face and eyeballs, revealing bloody, pink flesh and blood, oh, the blood. It flowed like a river, pooling, streaming, painting his feathers a rainbow of magenta hues.
It was terrible.
Tsuyu decided to count her own racing heartbeats instead, to count the seconds Fumikage was forced to endure and suffer.
One, two, three, four.
Venom seared his eyes and face, burning away feathers and down.
Five, six, seven, eight.
His screams continued, tearing away at Tsuyu's heartstrings.
Nine, ten, eleven, twelve.
Blood was pooling in a sea around him, drowning him, turning his body into a work of gruesome, gutspill art.
Thirteen, fourteen, fifteen, sixteen.
His screams were growing weaker, his throat raspy.
Seventeen, eighteen, nineteen, twenty.
He was still alive, but not for much longer.
...
He died after exactly fifty-eight seconds of suffering.
Fumikage was dead, framed in his own guts and blood, his eyes and face seared and gory with venom.
Tsuyu could only stare in horror at the screen, the camera frozen over the corpse, unable to comprehend the hellscape that she and her classmates were watching, the hellscape that they were all in.
Fumikage...
You once told me to not drown myself in grief and remembering, for it'd drag me into despair.
I swear I'll try to keep that in mind.
For your sake, I'll keep fighting for everyone who has passed.
Tenya, Rikidou, Ochako, Kouji, Mina, Hanta, Kyouka, Katsuki, and Fumikage...
I'll try to keep fighting for them.
Chapter 4: Justice Demands of JDs and tears : The End | Surviving Students : 14 | To Be Continued
Item obtained: Black Ivory Knife