My youth story cannot be a knight war

[——At the edge of the field of vision, a deep blue light suddenly appeared.]

15. Gun in the Sky (4K)

【not long ago. 】

[Nearly one kilometer away from the beach where Kousaka Kyosuke and others were, which had become a battlefield, a small hilltop was glowing with a deep blue light.]

[The blue light spots mixed with gold appeared in the form of a tornado and gathered towards the one standing at the center of the mountain top. The golden totem extended to the surroundings under the other's feet. After passing over the land on the mountain, the totem was suspended in the air.]

[“It’s time.”]

[A pair of blue compound eyes flowing with watercolors saw the giant earthly python wrapped around the cruise ship from a distance, and when he noticed the water ball it opened, Zaimokuza said to himself.]

[Zizzizi——]

[He clenched the Qinglong Staff in his hand, and golden lightning began to emerge from the pearls and jade inlaid on his wrist armor and wrapped around his exclusive weapon.

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

[He saw Kousaka Kyosuke, who was on the deck of the cruise ship, secretly raised his left hand towards him and made a three-fingered gesture.]

[This was one of the secret codes that Kousaka Kyosuke had set up beforehand in order not to expose the connection between the two of them in front of his colleagues. It meant: It’s time to start.]

[Although the fact that "Officer Kosaka, the police's top fighter, has an affair with No. 4" is now known to everyone in the Unidentified Lifeform Investigation Headquarters, even to the inspectors who can only serve tea and water among the elites, there is a huge difference between "a consensus that everyone knows" and "conclusive facts". It is better not to do such things that give others handles and evidence in public. 】

[Especially now, when the police superiors have gradually become suspicious and unpredictable because of Zaimokuza's increasingly powerful strength in battles with unconfirmed life forms, it is best not to do anything that touches their nerves. ]

[The golden light representing the materialized spiritual element spun and rose from the totem at Zaimokuza's feet, lingering around his steps as if with consciousness, rising vertically, spreading towards his body, and finally converging in front of his chest, slowly condensing into the Lindo characters representing the element of "spirit".]

[When this totem appeared, Zaimokuza's body was steaming with a blue glow, and the awakening mode of the Azure Dragon form underwent further changes in the light flow. The cloak formed by the water flow rolled in the air, and gradually faded from the end. The transparent texture turned into real cloth with a blue background and gold edges.]

[Two sharp arcs of armor extended from his shoulders, and the blue-based flat armor on Zaimokuza's body began to fade in color. Golden veins spread from his waist to his entire body, adding dense golden stripes like lines to his body that had changed to the end.]

[Even the Qinglong stick in his hand was the same. The blue light gathered at one end of the stick, forming a sharp blue-gold spear head. The tip of the spear cut through the air with the rotation of his wrist, making a sharp tearing sound, as if the space was afraid of the sharpness of this weapon.]

[——Kuga·Blue Dragon Form·Spiritual Sublimation (Water)·Level 2.]

【"--drink!"】

[Zaimokuza raised the changed Qinglong Staff to his shoulder and assumed a professional javelin throwing posture. With a low shout, golden light gathered on the weapon, and the inscriptions engraved on both sides of the blue spear head lit up with a dazzling white light.]

[The gun blade has two sides, the upper side is engraved with:]

["The warrior who controls water, awaken the power of the soul."]

[The lower side is inscribed with;]

["When an evil thing appears, take control of the power of the soul and use the waves of water to purify the ominous shadow."]

【Om—】

[As the golden light streamed in without stopping, a layer of aqua blue light bloomed from the Qinglong stick, shaping a new gunshot sound towards both ends of the stick, and the texture continued to solidify, turning into a blue spear that was even longer than Zaimokuza himself, and the size was no less than a log. ]

[Blue Dragon Sublimation·Wave Embers Destroying Blade.]

[“——What the hell!!!”]

[Zaimokuza grasped the giant gun with both hands, and threw it with all his strength towards the distant battlefield amid a deafening roar! ]

【boom--! ! ! 】

[As the gun blade flew out of his hand, a white sound barrier wave burst out from the tip of the gun. The huge force caused it to break through the sound barrier the moment it was thrown out. Amid the whistling sound of the repelled air, it locked onto its target and flew through the sky at high speed.]

[As it continued to rub against the air, the entire gun gradually took on a molten golden sheen starting from the head. In the end, it was no longer possible to categorize it as a "gun" just by looking at its appearance. The burning flames and red light generated by the friction all over its body made this attack look like a golden meteor streaking across the sky!]

[At the same time as Zaimokuza fired his spear, Kousaka Kyosuke's roar resounded across the battlefield, and the might contained in it made the ripples on the sea surface seem to freeze for a moment.]

[——"Be prepared! Your Grim Reaper has pointed its blade at your forehead!"]

【“!!!”】

[An unprecedented sense of crisis surged from the bottom of his heart. Bemiu followed his instinct and quickly turned his head, redirecting the attack that was originally intended to bombard the cruise ship that Kousaka Kyosuke and others were on to the direction where the dangerous aura came from! ]

[And in the direction where the water ball was shot, the long spear thrown by Zaimokuza was cutting through the sky, and in this short period of time, it broke into the battlefield. ]

[The water ball and the spear collided with each other. ]

[——Then, the water ball was pierced directly by the spear.]

[There was no conflict, no confrontation, and no explosion as imagined. The water ball, which was as powerful as a torpedo and filled with high concentrations of elemental power, was like a fragile balloon filled with water in front of the spear with a higher power level. It collapsed at the touch of the sharp spear tip and exploded into water splashes reflecting rainbow shadows all over the sky.]

[Before Bemiu could react, the molten golden spear pierced through the escaping water flow, turned into a beam of red light, and came in front of it at lightning speed, and shot into its throat before Bemiu closed its fang-filled mouth.]

[The next moment, a beam of light shot out from the back of its head and shot towards the distant sky.]

【“——”】

[The expression in Bemiu's eyes suddenly froze, and he stared at the direction where the spear came from. Countless obstructions and buildings quickly retreated before his eyes until the scene at the end of his vision appeared.]

[Zaimokuza was still in the posture of throwing out his spear, and his large blue-gold eyes were also looking forward. Their sight lines crossed a distance of one kilometer and intersected with each other, staring at each other "face to face" in each other's field of vision.]

【KUU——GA——】

[Zaimokuza's figure was reflected in the snake's pupils. It was not until then that Bemiu remembered what he had forgotten - in the course of the clan's games so far, had this old enemy ever been absent even once? ]

【But it was too late. 】

[The stagnant thoughts only had time to say the other person's name in his mind, and then the next moment he fell into eternal darkness.]

【--boom!!!】

[At this time, the explosions that echoed throughout the entire area were heard from far away and near. The speed of the thrown spear was so fast that even the sound could not catch up with its figure. It was only now that it finally caught up with this scene.]

[The spear shot towards the sky penetrated into the clouds in the sky. The clouds suddenly expanded into a huge hole with the location of the spear as the center, revealing the blue sky and the scorching sun that were obscured behind.]

[The sun shines on the smoke-filled battlefield, illuminating Bemiu's huge, motionless snake body. It looks like a finely carved stone statue without any breath of life.]

[The next moment, a blue-green beam of light rose from Bemiu's body, piercing the sky. The elemental turbulence contained in it disturbed the balance of elements around it. The originally clear sky darkened in an instant, black clouds gathered above the sky, and a drizzle of rain began to fall.]

[In the rain, the huge snake gradually turned into blue and green light spots and dissipated. Countless light dusts filled the cruise ship. The scene was so beautiful that it took one's breath away.]

[Crack——]

[A small black-red stone fell from the sky onto the deck, rolled a few times, and then stopped when it touched an iron shoe, and then a hand picked it up.]

[“Unconfirmed life form No. 29, expelled successfully.”]

[Kousaka Kyosuke stared at the stone in his hand, reached out and smoothed his rain-soaked bangs back, and spoke calmly.]

[Standing beside him, Officer Sakurai still looked dazed, obviously still not recovered from the series of shocking events. It was not until he heard Kousaka Kyousuke's voice that he reacted. He then asked with a stuttering voice, biting his tongue several times because of the shock in his heart.]

[“Taka, Officer Kosaka! What happened just now? Why did No. 29 suddenly——???”]

[“Just as you saw.”]

[After inserting the stone into his armor from an angle that the other party could not see, Kousaka Kyosuke turned his head and looked at his colleague whose jaw was almost dislocated. He raised his eyelashes and stretched out his hand to manually close his jaw. ]

[“Number Four is here to help. It’s that simple.”]

Chiba Prefecture, Sobu High School, health room.

"How amazing! He actually killed that monstrous No. 29 in one move! Isn't this too strong!?"

Tobe Sho said in amazement. It was obvious that the power displayed by "Zaimokuza Yoshiki" in the light curtain this time really shocked him.

"So cool! My future self!"

Zaimokuza watched his future self display his might with sparkling eyes. In the final analysis, humans all admire the strong, especially when the person who possesses such great power is his future self, which makes people even more envious.

"Indeed, the future Zaimokuza-san is becoming more and more powerful... The power of the element representing the spirit, this element's increase in strength is obviously far beyond the four elements he possessed before."

Yukinoshita Yukino also nodded in agreement. Although her words and expression remained calm, she could not hide the amazement in her eyes.

"So far, the future Zaimokuza-san has shown the amplification of this element on three forms in the light curtain, namely the Titan representing earth, Pegasus representing wind, and now the Azure Dragon representing water. The only one that has not been shown yet is the almighty form representing fire."

"But even so, the power that Zaimokuza-san has shown right now is enough to give him an overwhelming advantage in the battle against these GO Group Gurongis. If the remaining GO Group players are at the same level as the Gurongis that have appeared now, then the day when these monsters are completely expelled from the human world will no longer be a fantasy, but can be said to be just around the corner."

“…Is it really that simple?”

Hikigaya Hachiman, who had been silent all this time, suddenly spoke up.

"You know, even if we get rid of all the Gurongi from the 'GO' group, there are still the two judges from the 'RA' group, and the still mysterious Zero... I don't think Zaimokuza can completely deal with those monsters with his current strength."

"Especially No. 0. Although he has only attacked a few times, the feeling he gives me... is probably far beyond all the Gurongi that have appeared so far."

"Xiaoqi, aren't you being too - worrying too much? After all, Zaimokuza-san is really strong now. Since he got the golden power, he has never lost to any Gurongi. Maybe he and Officer Kousaka can really maintain this state and win to the end?"

Yuigahama Yui, who was sitting next to him, said with an optimistic smile. Obviously in her eyes, it was only a matter of time before "Yoshiki Zaimokuza" and "Kousaka Kyosuke" won.

"I hope so...but I still think things are not that simple."

Hikigaya shook his head and said that although the situation of the human side in the light curtain can be said to be clear now, for some reason, he always has an unspeakable ominous premonition in his heart.

He felt that the Gurongi side still had some reservations, and the cards they were hiding were probably far beyond everyone's imagination.

Moreover, as the story progresses to this point, there are still many questions that have not been revealed. Can it really end so easily? Hikigaya feels very uncertain about this.

Whether it's the ultimate goal of the game that the Gurongi have always talked about, the so-called "ultimate darkness", or why Asahina, a person from the future, came to this era, and why there is such a huge deviation between the history she knows and the future in the light curtain... Will the answers to these puzzles really be buried in the darkness along with the demise of the Gurongi clan before they are revealed?

What concerned him most was the scene of "Kousaka Kyosuke" standing alone by the river that was shown when the light screen appeared. The loneliness in that back figure is still fresh in Hikigaya's memory.

At the end of this story, something must have happened, otherwise the man with a mind as strong as steel would not have shown such a decadent attitude.

Every time he thought of this, he couldn't help but look at Zaimokuza's back, with unspeakable worry in his eyes.

16. The Most Vicious Enemy (5K)

【Ibaraki Prefecture, Mito, Hitachi Seaside Park. 】

【03:43 P,M】

[“On behalf of all members of the Unidentified Lifeform Search Headquarters, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Miss Kotobuki for the assistance provided by the Kotobuki family to our police’s encirclement and suppression operation this time.”]

[Kousaka Kyosuke, who had taken off his armor and put on his usual suit and windbreaker, stood under a tree with his phone in his hand and spoke solemnly to the person on the other side of the screen.]

[“If it weren’t for your father’s generous donation to provide us with the ship, I’m afraid we wouldn’t be able to lure the 29th into the trap as planned. However, I am deeply sorry for the damage to the ship caused during the operation. Therefore, I will apply to my superiors in my personal name for compensation in accordance with the regulations for the economic losses suffered by the Kotobuki family during this operation. Please rest assured, Miss Kotobuki.”]

[“Please don’t mind it. It’s just a few cruise ships. Compared with Mr. Kosaka’s life-saving grace, it’s really not worth mentioning. You really don’t need to take it to heart!”]

[The person communicating with him on the other side of the screen, Kotobuki, saw Kousaka Kyosuke's serious look and waved his hands in panic, then asked with concern.]

[“Compared to this insignificant matter, are you okay, Mr. Kosaka? Are you injured in this operation?”]

[“Thank you for your concern, Miss Kotobuki. The wounds I received in this battle were only minor. I will recover naturally after a few days of rest.”]

[“Uh… I told you not to be so polite.”]

[Faced with Kousaka Kyosuke's formulaic answer, Kotobuki lowered his head dejectedly and muttered a few words, then raised his head and asked after hesitating for a few seconds.]

[“Um… Mr. Kosaka, do you have any free time recently?”]

[When she said this, her eyes wandered unconsciously, and her index fingers kept tapping, and a few suspicious blushes appeared on her fair face.]

[Kousaka Kyousuke's eyes twitched unnaturally when he saw Kotobuki's expression. Although he subconsciously wanted to answer that he was busy, he had to say it because he felt guilty for owing a favor to the other party after thinking about his assistance to the police in this operation.]

[“Although the investigation headquarters is busy, if you need my help, as long as it does not violate the law, I will do my best to help you.”]

[“Mo~ If you continue like this, I’ll really get angry!”]

[Kotobuki? Her cheeks puffed up like a pufferfish, and she said indignantly, angered by his stubborn attitude.]

【“…”】

[Kousaka Kyousuke rationally kept silent about her words, which were more like a spoiled child than a rebuke, and didn't dare to say a word more.]

[——Nothing can be done about it. He is grateful for what he has received. This sentence sums up his current situation.]

【“That’s it…”】

[The girl with long beige hair spoke hesitantly, her face getting redder with every word she spoke.]

[“Father, he wants to find time to invite you, Mr. Kosaka, and our whole family to have a meal together. He said that he wanted to thank you in person for saving our family from the hands of the unconfirmed life form last time. He wants to repay you for saving our lives…”]

[After hearing this, Kousaka Kyosuke felt his tense face suddenly start to shatter. This time, not only the corners of his eyes, but even half of his face began to twitch involuntarily.]

[Invite him alone to have a meal with the other party's family... In a sense, how is this different from meeting the parents? ]

[He admitted that Kotobuki is indeed a rare beauty, and a rich woman who can save a man a hundred lifetimes of hard work after marrying her. How many people would not want to eat the free rice handed to them by such a beautiful and rich woman with a spoon?]

[However, the age gap between the two meant that Kousaka Kyosuke could only regard her as an ordinary junior at best, and could not really regard her as a mature woman with whom he could get along. Moreover, his moral sense that he had cultivated over the years could not allow him to do such an act of being an old cow eating young grass and bringing shame to the reputation of the Kousaka family.]

[——If my father were still alive, he would probably break my legs with a stick without thinking twice after knowing this, right? ]

[Kousaka Kyousuke smiled bitterly in his heart, but it was difficult for him to directly refuse, so he could only continue to speak. 】