My youth story cannot be a knight war

"Why are you in so much pain?"

But empathy is one thing, but this is perhaps the only thing that Zaimokuza doesn't understand.

He thought that although he did not like violence, when faced with a life form like the Gurongi that hunted humans for fun, if he could have the power of his future self now, he would definitely swing his fists without hesitation and drive out all those inhumane demons without mercy.

Zaimokuza would not have any psychological burden about using violence for this, because he knew very well that what he did was to eliminate harm for the people, and since justice and fairness were on his side, what had he done wrong?

I believe that the future "Zaimokuza Yoshiki" also absolutely understands this, but he still hates fighting so much, which is really a bit incomprehensible to Zaimokuza.

...No, in the final analysis, the future "Zaimokuza Yoshiki" is extremely averse to the use of violence, and his obsession and aversion to it is so abnormal that it can be called abnormal.

There must be some reason behind this abnormal paranoia, but Zaimokuza is still clueless about it.

【Tokyo, Shinjuku, a square under a bridge.】

[“Uhhhhhhh!!!!!!”]

[A man cried miserably, covered his neck with his hands in pain and fell to the ground, his feet kept kicking, his eyeballs almost popped out of their sockets, bloodshot covered the whites of his eyes.]

[On his throbbing neck, countless tiny black lines gradually climbed upwards. As the lines spread, the man's expression became more and more painful, and his originally high-pitched screams of pain gradually subsided until they became silent.]

【"--Well……"】

[Patter. 】

[The man's outstretched hand fell to the ground limply, his head tilted to one side, his pupils completely dilated, black blood flowed from the corner of his mouth, dripping onto the ground while white smoke rose up, accompanied by a strong stench.]

【“Rest in peace, number twenty-third?”】

[On the wall, the ferocious figure of the monster changed into a human form in the black and white light and shadow, and walked briskly in front of the man who died with his eyes open in white high heels.]

[Looking at the tragically dead man, Ginoga's lips curled up in a smile of pleasure, and he gently moved a magatama from the first row of the bracelet on his right hand.]

[“In this case, what’s left is——”]

[“Hey!”]

Before he could finish his words, an angry roar quickly approached from far away. Just as Ginoga turned around, a fist wrapped in red armor came into view.

【boom! 】

Zaimokuza's punch sent Ginoga flying, who was standing there without time to react. The figure in the white dress crashed into the security booth in the distance, and was buried beneath it amidst the loud crashing noise.

[“Hey! Are you okay? Wake up!”]

[With Graham’s arrival, Zaimokuza, who had leaped from the sky and thrown the punch, quickly retracted his fist without even looking at the collapsed pavilion in the distance, picked up the fallen man, and shook him anxiously, asking.]

[But no matter how he shook him, the man didn't react at all. His empty eyes reflected Zaimokuza's face, and his eyes without any spirit pierced his heart.]

[He arrived too late. The innocent man had already died, and died in extreme pain.]

【“……!”】

【Zaimokuza gritted his teeth, stretched out his fingers to cover the upper half of the man's face, and brushed down to close his eyes.】

【boom--】

[The roar of a motorcycle came from behind, and a blue figure riding a large motorcycle came quickly from afar. The motorcycle drew a graceful arc and stopped beside Zaimokuza who turned back.]

[“Zaimokuza——”]

[Kousaka Kyosuke stopped the car and was about to speak when he saw the dead man with his eyes closed in Zaimokuza's arms, and he swallowed the words he was about to say.]

[Seeing the victim, he also knew that he was late, and after a long silence, he changed the subject. ]

[“…Um, is this the enemy this time?”]

[The compound eyes on Kousaka Kyosuke's helmet stared at the figure that was slowly rising from the collapsed ruins and dust not far away, and his calm voice showed no emotion.]

【“Ah… Mr. Kousaka.”】

【Zaimokuza gently placed the man's body on the ground, stepped over the bones and walked to Kousaka Kyosuke who got off the motorcycle and fought alongside him, speaking in a dull voice.】

[“Do you know what its ability is?”]

[“I don’t know… I just arrived, so I’m a step late.”]

【"……Yeah?"】

【"Oh, oh, oh, you guys are finally here?"】

[While speaking joyfully, his dark feet crushed the debris on the ground. Ginoga, now in his Gurongi form, looked at the two standing side by side in front of him and laughed happily.]

【"KUUGA, and...GO."】

兊【It turned its head to stare at Kousaka Kyosuke, who had pulled the greatsword from his back, and spoke meaningfully in the language of Gurongi, while gently reaching out to wipe the purple blood flowing from the corner of its mouth, which had been severely injured by Zaimokuza's fist.】

"KUUGA's... 'fake'? The Rindo of this era is truly fascinating, able to create a 'warrior' like you."

[“As always, I can’t understand these guys’ language… but it doesn’t matter.”]

Kousaka Kyousuke didn't even bother to talk to it. He raised his Machine Exorcist and pointed it at Ginoga's head with the kendo "eye-to-eye" gesture, and whispered to Zaimokuza, who was also in a fighting stance next to him.

[“Zaimokuza, prepare for battle. Also… be careful.”]

[“This guy was able to remain calm after seeing the two of us. It’s obvious that there’s something wrong. I guess it’s also related to——Hmm!?”]

[“It seems there is no need to estimate, Mr. Kousaka.”]

【Om—】

His eyes fixed on the words that appeared on Ginoga's chest, Zaimokuza grabbed a nearby iron pillar with one hand. His figure became lean and powerful under the blue light of the spirit stone at his waist. The iron pillar in his hand also transformed into a blue-gold Qinglong staff after being brushed by transparent ripples.

[“This guy is also a strengthened body!”]

[“Since both of you, the main targets of ‘Kikiru’, have come together, let me use this power from ‘Him’ to give you a graceful death?”]

“Your corpses will become my first and most important step on the path to becoming a ‘GO.’ When you meet that Lindo, remember to tell him my name.”

"I will bring eternal death to my prey with a passionate kiss filled with love. I will eventually become the Me-Ginoga-De who will attract the Ultimate Darkness. Hahahaha?"

【Buzz——————】

Amidst Ginoga's cheerful laughter, the dark silver demon belt erupted with a fiery light never before seen in the Gurongi. Waves of red heat spread outward, carrying high temperatures. The concrete floor beneath his feet was scorched black by the shockwaves, and even began to melt!

[“Hmm!”]

[“This feeling——Is this the power of red!?”]

[Kousaka Kyosuke and Zaimokuza Yoshiki both felt extremely stuffy in the face of the heat wave and high temperature, and raised their weapons to block in front of them. Zaimokuza looked through the gap between his arms with difficulty at the figure in the center of the red light that was gradually disappearing and deforming, and said solemnly.]

[This familiar fire elemental power made his body subconsciously tense, and he immediately recalled the deep memories left by the previous No. 21 who also possessed this elemental power.]

[Zaimokuza still feels frightened when he thinks of that battle. Because he also possesses this power, no one knows better than him how horrible the destructive power of the fire element is. It is the most destructive of all the elements that have appeared.]

[Even though that battle awakened his Titan Elemental form, which has unrivaled defensive power, the fireball condensed by No. 21 at the end still made Zaimokuza feel a fatal threat. If he hadn't decisively taken the initiative to interrupt the opponent's power condensation process, it would still be unknown who would win the battle.]

【boom! 】

[The ball of red light suddenly spread again, this time directly erupting into a circle of substantial fire that radiated to the surroundings, igniting all the weeds and trees near the square, and the temperature in the air rose sharply.]

【“!”】

[Kousaka Kyosuke was startled by the waves of fire coming from the front, and when he subconsciously wanted to curl up his body, the blue figure had already blocked his way.]

[After many months, Zaimokuza encountered this kind of enemy again and immediately raised his inner vigilance to the highest level, and without hesitation, he also activated the elemental mode of the Blue Dragon form. ]

【call out--】

【Zaimokuza stepped in front of Kousaka Kyosuke, and the water element in the air quickly gathered behind him and in front of him. A blue circular water escape appeared in front of the two of them to block the incoming heat waves and fire currents.】

[The fire waves were separated by the water shield in front of them and dispersed to both sides. Looking down from above, it was like a stubborn reef separating the oncoming waves, or like Moses opening up a sea channel with one punch. The scene was spectacular and amazing.]

[Kuga·Blue Dragon Form·Elemental Awakening (Water).]

[“Mr. Kosaka! We must fight to the end quickly, otherwise the entire Shinjuku area may not be saved!”]

【"clear."】

【Looking at Zaimokuza turning back and the water in front of him emitting countless white smoke due to the evaporation of flames, Kousaka Kyousuke's expression under his helmet was extremely solemn. He naturally recognized which element this surging and fiery power belonged to.】

[After more than ten seconds, the spreading flames finally stopped, and the water shield in front of Zaimokuza was completely evaporated by the high temperature. Thick smoke and raging fire filled everything around, completely blocking the vision. Even the thermal vision sensor in Kousaka Kyosuke's helmet was completely ineffective.]

[Huhuhu——]

[A water-blue light flashed through the thick fog, blowing away the fog that covered the surrounding areas, and even the surrounding trees that were entangled in flames had their fire slightly suppressed.]

[“Now! Mr. Kousaka…”]

【"Varied--"】

[Zaimokuza, who had just wanted to speak after clearing away the thick fog in front of him with one move, was stopped in his throat by something that appeared in front of him. Kousaka Kyousuke, who was about to rush out, slowly put down the sword in his hand, and his eyes under the helmet trembled slightly.]

[The two of them raised their heads and looked forward, their minds falling into a blank caused by shock.]

【"What's this!?"】

……

[“Hey, hey, hey…what the hell is this?”]

[Hina Ebina, who was far away in the control room of the research institute, also saw the scene presented by the built-in camera that had been disabled by the high temperature before and returned to normal. She twitched her mouth and couldn't help laughing dryly. ]

[A drop of cold sweat slid down her forehead, onto her smooth face, and then to her chin, dripping from her pointed jaw.]

【Tick.】

[Sweat drops fall on the handle of the console, splashing a dark circle.]

[Hina Ebina looked at the completely darkened view of the camera. Her palm, which had always been calm, was trembling slightly. She had no choice but to hold it with her other hand to stop the shaking caused by the trembling of her heart.]

[“This unidentified life form that appeared this time is too outrageous!”]

……

【“——”】

[Kousaka Kyosuke and Zaimokuza Yoshiki raised their heads forward, and a huge shadow almost completely obscured their figures. ]

[Where Ginoga had been standing, the mushroom-like Gurongi was no longer visible.]

[——Instead, there was a large, alien plant that was more than ten meters tall and had a hideous and twisted appearance.]

[The plant that emerged from the bottom of the bridge looked like a mushroom, with its roots deeply embedded in the ground beneath its feet. Its round, raised head was large enough to completely cover a small building, and dozens of black branches were waving and wriggling.]

[Its total height has long surpassed the two overlapping bridges above its head. Its figure, facing away from the huge sunlight, is dark and oppressive, like a demon escaping from hell, showing the world a terrifying scene from an alien world.]

[“What on earth is this…?”]

【Zaimokuza's voice was almost inaudible. He looked up at the huge monster that blocked out the sun in front of him, and slowly put down the Qinglong stick in his hands.】

【“…”】

[Kousaka Kyosuke was speechless as he looked at the monster in front of him that was beyond his comprehension.]

[The huge contrast between the two figures and the huge plant makes them look like two mice challenging an elephant, which is funny and ridiculous.]

Under the equally dull gazes of the people outside the light curtain, a line of black text appeared below the horrible plant.

[Me-Ginoga-De·Enhanced·Evolved·Elemental Awakening (Flame·Mutation).]

……

"I never imagined that Ginoga's body would undergo such a peculiar transformation after fusing with 'Him's' power... This is something beyond our expectations, isn't it?"

"As expected, this situation is likely due to issues with its physique and adaptability. While it's essentially a counterfeit, it does possess some characteristics similar to GO."

In the distant high-rise, Baruba, dressed in a red dress, gazed calmly down at the massive, pitch-black plant rising from beneath the bridge, a smile of amusement slowly forming on her lips.

"Perfect! This can be considered a preview for you two, KUUGA...Gulkiller."

"If you can continue to defeat your opponents as before, this experience will become the most valuable combat experience for you when you face the players of the GO Group in the future."

[“Of course… the premise is that you can survive this time.”]

8. Ominous Light Penetrating the Sky (9-in- K)

Chiba Prefecture, Chiba Prefectural Chiba Benzun High School.

"Hey, hey, hey, no matter what, this is really too much..."

Staring at the huge creature in the light curtain that blocked the entire field of vision, Kousaka Kyosuke's face twitched and he laughed unnaturally. His voice was filled with the trembling of a human being who witnessed something he could not understand and the horror of the unknown engraved in his genes.

A drop of cold sweat slid down his forehead, and Kyosuke Kousaka's whole body trembled uncontrollably, like a coward who was frightened by a nightmare.