My youth story cannot be a knight war

【bump!】

Mebio spun around at the critical moment to dodge the attack. The front wheel of the Triangle Tracker smashed through the window of the abandoned car, and the entire wheel got stuck inside.

[“Oh no!”]

【Zaimokuza felt something was wrong when he saw this scene. Just as he was about to pull out the front wheel of the bike, a pair of hands grabbed his left arm that was holding the handlebar.】

"Get off your horse! KUUGA!"

Mebio grinned, pulling Zaimokuza's arms straight. He then jumped up with his feet, clamping onto Zaimokuza's neck. He twisted his waist and body mid-air, and this neck-clamping, leg-wrapping flip lifted Zaimokuza from the Triangle Chaser 2000's seat, sending him flying.

[“Hmm——”]

Zaimokuza landed on his back after a somersault, feeling a tingling sensation throughout his body from the impact. However, the continuous high-intensity combat of the past few days had gradually acclimated him to the rhythm of battle. He immediately fought back the dizziness and pain and stood up. However, as he looked up, Mebio, who was charging towards him, kicked him. Zaimokuza, unable to dodge, was directly hit in the chest and pinned to the ground. He grabbed Mebio's ankles and struggled.

[“Go to hell!!!”]

Mebio's foot moved upwards, firmly pressing down on Zaimokuza's neck. Looking at Kuuga, Zaimokuza's transformation, struggling beneath his feet, his tone was filled with resentment and pleasure.

[Once upon a time, I too was stepped on by another KUUGA, unable to struggle, and sealed away in despair. The humiliation and hatred I felt at that time are still deeply engraved in my memory.]

[Now, I will pay it back a hundredfold! ]

At this moment, several police cars rushed into the abandoned building. The officers who got out of the cars saw Zaimokuza being trampled on the ground and Mebio trampling on him, and their expressions changed. Among them were Kyosuke Kousaka and Officer Sugita.

[“Are both here!?”]

[The stern-looking police officer Sakurai pulled out the pistol from his waist and aimed at Zaimokuza who was lying on the ground, intending to kill one of them while the two were "fighting".]

【"stop!"】

[One hand grasped the barrel of Officer Sakurai's pistol and pulled it open. He turned around in shock and anger and saw the serious expression on Kyosuke Kosaka's face. ]

[“Officer Kosaka!? Why are you——”]

【“Please wait a moment, Sakurai!”】

[Another hand was placed on his shoulder at this time. Officer Sakurai turned around in surprise and saw Officer Sugita, who was covered in blood, looking at him sincerely.]

[“Let’s take a look first. Maybe… Number 4 is not an enemy.”]

【Thinking of No. 5 who turned into a human and then turned back into a monster, and the human language with Chiba accent that No. 4 said when he saved him, Officer Sugita had a bold guess in his heart, and when he said this, he couldn't help but glanced at Kousaka Kyousuke obscurely. 】

[Kousaka Kyosuke also noticed his look and remained silent. This reaction further confirmed Sugita's thoughts.]

[“Gu…!”]

With his neck stepped on, Zaimokuza felt his breathing become severely restricted, his brain gradually becoming dizzy from lack of oxygen. He grabbed Mebio's ankle with one hand and kicked upward with his right foot, hitting Mebio's back and sending it flying.

Mebio was caught off guard by the kick and fell to a window. When Zaimokuza spun around and squatted, he jumped up with a somersault and rushed towards the squatting Zaimokuza with a roar.

【It's now! 】

[Looking at the enemy charging at him, a sharp light seemed to flash in Zaimokuza's red compound eyes. As this thought arose, the muscles in his right leg became hot again, just like the last time he fought No. 1, and flames rose and disappeared from the soles of his feet.]

【“Taku!”】1

He leaped up and rolled forward, arriving right in front of Mebio, who was about to run towards him. He used his right hand to support himself on the ground, and kicked the devil-like belt ornament on Mebio's waist with his right foot. At this moment, flames burst forth from the sole of his foot!

[“Hey!!!”]

Zaimokuza roared in anger as he struck Mebio hard, right at the waistband. Mebio's forward momentum froze abruptly at the impact, his neck stiff as he lowered his head to look at the kick that had struck him.

["KU——UGA——Ah!!!!!!"]

Mebio struggled to speak, but the red jewel on Zaimokuza's right ankle flashed a crimson glow at that moment, and a transparent shockwave pierced Mebio's body, shattering the glass window behind him. Mebio screamed and flew backwards through the shattered window.

[Red-gold totemic characters appeared on its belt, and golden cracks rapidly spread. While Mebio was still in mid-air, it disintegrated in a violent explosion, and its body fragments scattered everywhere.]

[“Hoo…Hoo…”]

[Zaimokuza, who was supporting himself with one hand, panted heavily, then slowly stood up, with thick white smoke rising from the sole of his right foot.]

[The sun shines into this abandoned building through the broken windows, casting long shadows behind Zaimokuza who has stood up.]

【"it's over."】

[Kousaka Kyosuke said softly. He looked at Zaimokuza who stood up straight and turned to look here. The surrounding police officers became nervous unconsciously because of this action. They thought that No. 4, who had solved the unconfirmed life form No. 5, was about to turn his target to them.]

[Then they saw Zaimokuza slowly stretch out his right hand, clench his fingers into a fist, and bend one of his fingers to make an aggressive gesture——]

[——Thumb? ]

[This action almost stunned all the police officers. A being that was completely non-human made a gesture full of praise to them? This almost shattered everyone's three views. ]

[Kousaka Kyosuke looked at this familiar gesture. The red warrior in front of him seemed to have turned back into the white-haired young man, smiling at him and silently saying "real man".]

【"……snort."】

【Kousaka Kyousuke snorted softly, turned his back to everyone, raised his right hand in front of Zaimokuza's thumb, and walked towards the exit of the building without hesitation, never looking back.】

[Under the sunlight shining through the glass windows of the building, two figures with completely different postures but similar hearts walked their own paths, and their shadows cast a human outline on the ground.]

“…So handsome.”

This farewell scene, which was like the finale of an idol drama, ignited the soul of a samurai in Nakano Miku. With sparkling eyes, she watched the two people on the living room TV who were walking their own ways but responding to each other. The little theater in her mind was replaying countless "king and general" plots, as well as some unspeakable forbidden love of samurai.

"It's okay! He looks pretty handsome."

Nakano Nino coughed, and her pretty face, which was as delicate as a baby's, turned a little red, especially when she saw Zaimokuza giving a thumbs up in his transformed state, the blush on her face became even brighter.

"But... he's really handsome."

【Zaimokuza watched Kousaka Kyosuke gradually walk away from his sight, slowly lowered his thumb, turned around and walked towards the Triangle Chaser 2000 whose front wheel was still stuck on the window. Officer Sakurai, who was not far away, saw the familiar-looking motorcycle, his eyes suddenly widened, and he turned to look at Officer Sugita standing next to him.】

[“Mr. Sugita, that’s not Officer Kosaka’s—”]

[“Shh… This has nothing to do with us. Our mission is just to destroy the unidentified life forms that are harming the citizens.”]

[Sugita stopped Sakurai from continuing to speak, and looked at Zaimokuza's back with a flickering look in his eyes, wondering what he was thinking.]

[Officer Sakurai opened his mouth, but finally closed it in silence.]

[Zaimokuza walks over to the motorcycle, grabs the handlebars with both hands and tries to pull it out—]

【——————————】

[It was as if a pair of cold and indifferent eyes were opened behind him, staring at his back. There was no human emotion in that gaze, but at the same time, there was a strange sense of curiosity.]

[——Just like a human observing worker ants carrying food in and out of an ant nest, or a butcher observing poultry that he is about to send to the slaughterhouse.]

【"Um!?"】

【Zaimokuza suddenly turned around and looked behind him, his muscles tensed, ready to attack.】

[Behind him, there was nothing except the window that Mebio had smashed and some piled wood.]

[In a trance, Zaimokuza felt as if cold sweat was flowing down his forehead after the transformation. Just now, he was like a frog being stared at by a poisonous snake, with a piercing chill rising from the coccyx to the cerebral cortex.]

【“……?”】

【Zaimokuza slowly loosened his tightly clenched hands. The feeling of being spied on was gone now. He looked at the broken window in doubt.】

[What on earth was going on with that feeling just now? ]

……

【In a tunnel somewhere in Tokyo. 】

【9.52 PM】

"Mebio was killed by Kuuga."

Baruba, with a white rose totem on his forehead, spoke expressionlessly to the darkness before him.

"Oh? Killing instead of sealing? It seems KUUGA is quite courageous this time, not as cowardly as before."

An amused male voice echoed from the darkness. There was no trace of sadness for his companion's death, but rather curiosity about how his companion could be killed by the cowardly Kuuga, whom he considered a coward.

[“It doesn’t matter. I’m just a loser who can’t participate in Kikiru.”]

[Another powerful male voice came from the darkness, his words were full of ruthlessness and cruelty.]

[“Kikiru is about to officially begin. Next, we will start the first game immediately after waiting for the arrival of another referee.”]

[“So soon? Is this what He meant?”]

[Another voice in the darkness asked curiously.]

【“Well, He can’t wait any longer.”】

Baruba nodded calmly and raised his hand, which bore the strange ring.

[“Be prepared. The ultimate darkness is about to begin.”]

[After these words fell, countless pairs of scarlet eyes lit up in the darkness, as if the demons sealed in the deepest part of hell had broken free and were about to wreak havoc on the world.]

20. Zaimokuza Yoshiki's life as a waiter (crossed out) (-word chapter)

"Kikiru who brought about the ultimate darkness?"

The sentence Baruba revealed in the video contained so much information that many viewers began to think about it based on the information revealed in this sentence.

Chiba Prefecture, Sobu High School.

"No, there is still too little information. Judging from the fact that it requires players, it should be a competition ceremony similar to a competition, but the purpose is impossible to analyze."

Yukinoshita Yukino pinched her delicate chin with her fingers and thought, but after a while she shook her head.

"Ultimate darkness? What exactly does that mean?"

"Think of it differently, Yukinoshita."

Hikigaya Hachiman, who had returned at some point, interrupted, his dead eyes rolling around as he thought about the information revealed in the video.

"That... Baruba? She mentioned a 'Him' in a previous conversation, saying that this 'Him' couldn't wait any longer and could speed up the process of this Kikiru. So, this 'Him' should be someone like the one who's hosting this ceremony. Who do you think it is?"

After being reminded by Hikigaya, Yukinoshita Yukino immediately remembered the black shadow that appeared at the beginning of the video.

"You mean - the first unidentified life form that actually appeared in the video before the first one? The shadow that the police called the unidentified life form zero."

Thinking of what No. 0 had done in the previous video, Yukinoshita Yukino's face turned very bad. If this video really showed the future, then when No. 0 woke up from the Kuroyama ruins in the future, he would directly kill her teacher and many classmates, and release countless sealed Gurongis, causing so many innocent people to be slaughtered. He was simply the source of all the disasters.

"That's right. Now all the Gurongi have been... awakened from their seals by Him. As the origin of everything, this so-called Kikiru is probably also related to Him."

Hikigaya frowned slightly, thinking back to what Baruba had said. An inexplicable feeling of unease spread from his heart, entwining his mind, and countless doubts bloomed from the vines.

"Incur... the ultimate darkness? That's a chilling statement just from the wording alone."

【Zaimokuza is a person who doesn’t dream much. 】

[But after wearing the belt a few days ago, he always had some strange dreams after falling asleep, and similar scenes were repeated countless times in the dreams.]

[It was a dark space, surrounded by countless black fogs. Only a few torches stuck in the ground were burning, illuminating a tiny bit of light.]

[A figure dressed in white cloth stood in the center of the burning torch. In the darkness spreading all around, the light was insignificant. But although the figure was tiny, it gave people the feeling of a towering peak, blocking all the darkness with its tiny body.]

[The figure turned around in the darkness, and the familiar silver belt appeared around his waist. After a flash of light, the red Kuuga replaced his figure. At the same time, countless ferocious black shadows rushed out of the darkness and rushed towards Kuuga who was in a fighting posture from all directions.]

[In the previous dream, the scene should have ended here, but this time the scene continued to extend, presenting new content in front of Zaimokuza.]

[The red Sora turned around in the endless darkness, facing the countless black shadows that rushed towards him, and repelled them with his fists and feet. Facing the countless enemies that rushed towards him, the red spirit stone on the silver belt around his waist underwent incredible changes. The red stone turned into blue, green, purple in turn with a buzzing sound, and finally turned into &%￥@￥＃@￥. ]

[For some reason, Zaimokuza could not see the final color of the spirit stone. It was always shrouded in a mist, as if the stone itself deliberately did not want him to know.]

[All he could see was that as the color of the stone changed, Kuuga's figure also changed differently.]

[The blue Kuuga holds a blue-gold long staff and swings it to knock down a thin black shadow.]

[The green figure held a green crossbow and shot a sharp arrow at a flying black shadow.]

[The purple figure held a purple sword and slashed a sturdy figure with a deep blow.]

"As expected, Kuuga can evolve just like an insect. The white form that Zaimokuza Yoshiki transformed into at the beginning was just the equivalent of a juvenile form."

Ayanokouji Kiyotaka watched the changes of Kuuga on the video, and a calm and rational look flashed in his seemingly listless eyes as he analyzed the various forms that appeared before his eyes.

"Sticks, swords, bows, fists, they can be transformed into different forms according to different situations. And it's probably not just the weapons that change. Each change in form should strengthen or weaken a certain aspect of the individual's ability, so as to adapt to different battlefields and deal with different enemies."

"…This is simply a perfect combat weapon."

[In this battle where the odds were at least one to hundreds, the one who won in the end was the one. The black shadows were all marked with a golden mark by the warriors’ attacks. They fell down amid the wailing and roaring, and their bodies were swallowed up by the black earth.]

【And at the very end, as Zaimokuza's eyes gradually widened, the black shadow that first woke up in the video and disappeared after slaughtering all the members of the investigation team howled like a midnight demon and rushed towards Kuuga, who had turned back to red. The twisted and terrifying figure was filled with a sense of oppression like a towering mountain, like a night curtain covering all the light in front of him, swallowing up all hope.】

[Faced with this terrifying enemy, the warrior was not afraid of danger. His red body jumped high and kicked the black shadow in the chest. The golden words flashed and disappeared, and the last darkness also fell asleep under the earth with a roar.]