My youth story cannot be a knight war

[…70 years old, and in a few months, I will be 25.]

“Twenty-five?”

Makishima Saori looked at Kousaka Kyosuke with a forced smile, her eyes twitching violently, and then she burst into a curse.

"You lied about your age by at least fifty years!"

She picked up one of the data sheets on Kousaka Kyosuke's body and pointed at the values ​​recorded there.

"Here's your physical report. All your health indicators are perfectly normal! For someone over sixty, you're in very, very good health!"

"While people your age are suffering from age-related illnesses like rheumatism and glaucoma, and are bedridden all day, you, a seventy-five-year-old, can not only run and jump, but you can even transform and fight monsters! Your physical condition is truly remarkable! It completely belies your youthful appearance of around twenty years old. Those wealthy people who spend millions on precious medicinal herbs for their health will probably come to learn from you, Kousaka-kun, if they find out!"

"According to the legal retirement age, you should have been retired for five years. Why are you still in the intensive care unit after being injured on duty?"

Makishima Saori threw the report directly at Kousaka Kyosuke's face, then rushed over, grabbing his shoulders with both hands, and shouted, unable to suppress the tears in her voice any longer.

"Don't you want to retire? Just take this test report and apply now! Go ahead!"

"Now do you understand? You and Zaimokuza-san are completely different! Every time he uses that belt to transform and fight, he burns the limited time he has left as a human. But every time you use G1, you burn—"

"It's your own life, Kousaka-kun!!!"

【“…”】

Crystal clear tears fell from her face onto Kousaka Kyosuke's. Kousaka Kyosuke stared blankly at Makishima Saori, who had never shown such a vulnerable side in front of him before. His mouth opened, but he didn't know what to say.

Without waiting for his reply, Makishima Saori buried her face in Kousaka Kyosuke's chest. A feeling of wetness gradually spread from her bandaged chest, mixed with the muffled cries of the female doctor.

"You idiot! I promised Kirino I'd take good care of you. Now that you've become like this, how am I supposed to explain this to her? Why did you make me break my promise to the person I love, my sister..."

Listening to Makishima Saori's emotionally charged confession, Kousaka Kyosuke remained silent. He simply extended his left hand, which was still able to move, to cover the back of her head, which was tied in a long ponytail.

Feeling the vibrations coming from his palm, Kousaka Kyosuke quietly looked up at the familiar ceiling before him.

[In fact, before he first put on the belt, Kousaka Kyosuke already had a vague premonition in his heart - if he put on this belt, he might never be able to go back to the past.]

【It turned out that his premonition was correct.】

[Fate is so cruel. When you choose a path, all the other paths behind you disappear quietly. From then on, you can only go one way to the end.]

[Kousaka Kyosuke was very clear about his own physical condition, having known it the first time he went to see Ebina for a checkup.]

Every time he uses his G1 transformation to fight, his body, eroded by the belt's energy, grows reinforced nerves. This growth is different from Zaimokuza's stable growth method based on the Yamadam Reiji Stone; it grows entirely through the energy flowing throughout the body.

[And this transformation is crude and unrestrained.]

How the Yamadam Belt was able to transform while maintaining the host's physical condition remains unknown, but the G1 is different. As Ebina initially stated, it was a product created entirely by chance, designed solely to achieve the ultimate power sufficient to defeat the Gurongi. Therefore, the user's safety was not considered from the outset.

[And once you use it even once, there's no going back.]

[Once the initial enhanced nerves appear in the body, even if the G1 is no longer used, these enhanced nerves will continue to grow over time, at most the progress will be slower.]

[At the same time, this process will also place a huge burden on Kousaka Kyosuke's body. ]

These enhanced nerves are essentially growing wildly at the expense of Kousaka Kyousuke's body, but due to the nature of the enhanced nerves themselves, they in turn strengthen the damaged parts of the body. This cycle of destruction and strengthening continues within his body, making him both weaker and stronger.

[But the human body has its limits after all. No matter how strong the body is, there is a red line that cannot be crossed.]

Just like fitness training, proper exercise can strengthen muscles, but training that exceeds the body's natural limits will place an irreparable strain on the body. Just like those who are overweight but insist on running 10,000 meters every day, the result is usually leg muscle dissolution, and they will eventually become disabled and paralyzed in bed.

[Kousaka Kyosuke's physical fitness is very strong, basically reaching the limit of human beings - but he is still a human being after all.]

[Once humans exceed the limits of their physical bodies, death is inevitable.]

The strength of G1's enhancements has long surpassed his body's endurance. Even at this moment, it continues to damage and strengthen Kousaka Kyousuke's body, and the stimulation of external injuries will accelerate this process. The final result is the extreme overdraft of his physical potential and the rapid aging of his body.

[Five years. This is the number Kousaka Kyousuke heard from Ebina Hime a week ago. It is also an option.]

If he gave up using G1 now and recuperated adequately, Kousaka Kyosuke could still live for about five years—and his choice was obvious.

The current police force cannot do without his strength, and neither can Zaimokusaku. Without Kousaka Kyousuke, humanity would have to pay a far greater price than it has now in the face of the disaster brought about by the Gurongi.

[But every time he uses G1, Kousaka Kyosuke accelerates the train that pushes him towards death; if he stops using it, he can still live for a few more years, but countless people will die because of it... This is a completely unsolvable vicious cycle.]

[Given Kousaka Kyosuke's personality, he is destined to choose the path he continues to use. So although it seems that he has a choice, in fact, he has no choice at all.]

A person's character determines his destiny - therefore, Kousaka Kyosuke determines his own destiny.

[Kousaka Kyosuke didn't know if there was any other path to choose, but he knew at least one thing: he had no regrets.]

【that's enough.】

37. Third place 'N' (5K)

Chiba Prefecture, Chiba Benbun High School, health room.

"..."

Looking at the crying "Makishima Saori" and the silent "Kousaka Kyosuke" on the light curtain, Kyosaka Kyosuke outside the light curtain fell into a long silence.

In fact, the information revealed before the light curtain has already made it very clear in an intuitive way. The price that "Kyosuke Kosaka" paid for using G1 was very heavy, so heavy that he was not even willing to tell the people close to him.

But after it was officially revealed this time, the price still makes people feel suffocated.

Five years may not be as long as a medical student's college life, but it is all the time left in this man's life.

From the moment he decided to use that cursed belt, he had no future.

And this is still the best case scenario, because if he continues to use G1 to transform and fight, this time will be reduced at a very fast speed. But despite this, "Kousaka Kyosuke" will never stop because of this, because only in this way can he protect more people's lives from the clutches of those Gurongi, and he doesn't care whether he will die or not.

He is such a person who always regards other people's lives as important as Mount Tai, so he always regards his own life as light as a feather. Even if he knows that he is destined to have no tomorrow, he will still fight for the beliefs and justice he upholds until the last moment, and will not stop until he dies.

This man who once dreamed of becoming like his father eventually followed in his father's footsteps. Perhaps this is an inevitable fate. The story of a hero always ends in tragedy.

Is this the price to pay for justice? What kind of strong soul can choose such a path without hesitation?

But whether justice exists in this world remains in doubt. Is it really worth paying such a heavy price for something that we don’t even know whether it exists?

No one can answer this question unless they ask the person himself, not even Kyosuke Kousaka.

But Kyosuke Kousaka could feel that this man had no regrets in his heart at this moment, only calmness. He easily accepted his fate of having no future.

Once again, Kyosuke Kousaka understood a fact - the current Kyosuke Kousaka and the future "Kousaka Kyosuke" are actually two completely different people in soul.

Because Kyosuke Kousaka still has hesitation in his heart at this time, "Kousuke Kousaka" is no longer afraid. Even if the original source is the same individual, the time span between the two has made it impossible to see any traces of his present self in his future self.

The power of time is so strong. An ordinary high school student who is just living a life of idleness and waiting for death now will become such a brave and powerful hero in the future. If you didn’t see it with your own eyes, who would believe such an absurd thing?

"how come……"

Kousaka Kirino stared blankly at the truth revealed by "Makishima Saori" on the light curtain, and suddenly felt as if her heart was pierced by something sharp, and unprecedented pain came from her heart.

Her brother might one day leave her forever - since she was born, Kousaka Kirino has never had such an idea, not even a single thought like that has occurred to her.

Because this matter has no sense of reality at all, it sounds like a ridiculous joke. Since she was born, Kousaka Kirino has never been separated from her brother. Even though the two have been in a cold war in the past few years, she has always been able to feel deep in her heart that her brother has never been away from her.

But even though she knew it was in the future, someone had already told her one thing with a cruel fact - Kyosuke Kousaka was about to leave her, and even the date was marked with numbers.

Five years, and in fact it will be even shorter than that.

In the future, which may not be too far from now, my brother will leave me forever.

Since the day they were born, the hearts of the brother and sister have always been connected, just like when the family went camping when they were young, the brother took her to fly a kite.

At that time, Kousaka Kirino was leaning in Kousaka Kyosuke's arms, and the brother and sister held tightly to the kite that was connected to the kite flying into the sky. No matter how the kite swayed, as long as the string was still tightly held in the hands of the two, it would never fly away, and the kite string was the bond between the two.

But even though the kite string is still there, Kousaka Kirino feels that the other hand that was holding the kite with her has suddenly disappeared.

The scene on the light screen in front of him seemed to have changed in a way that only he could see. The light screen showed the back of Kyosuke Kousaka from a first-person perspective.

He walked quietly into the darkness, and as he moved forward, Kyosuke Kousaka's back changed at an extremely fast speed, and soon he became the "Kousaka Kyosuke" that the public is familiar with today.

As he got closer to darkness, his back began to have snow-like dust falling from the edges of his body, and finally his entire body gradually disappeared.

Her brother completely disappeared into the darkness.

In the future, this will become the most real reality.

Suddenly, there was a loud thunder outside, and then heavy rain suddenly fell, drowning out the sounds of the whole world.

In a world shrouded in heavy rain, the faint cry of a girl could be heard.

【not long ago. 】

The sudden downpour soaked the streets of the entire city. The accumulated rainwater then flowed down the drains on the road, mixing with dust and flowing underground.

Due to its geographical location, Tokyo has a massive drainage system beneath the city, almost as large as the entire city itself. In a sense, it can be said to be a city built underground.

Therefore, if someone wanted to hide here, finding them in such a vast place would be as difficult as turning Tokyo upside down. It would be like looking for a needle in a haystack.

“Uh… Ugh…!”

[Water from the surface flowed through pipes to a certain area of ​​this underground city. The sound of the rushing water pouring into the reservoir drowned out a faint groan.]

[Both fists slammed into the wall. The solid reinforced concrete wall actually swayed slightly under the blows of these flesh-and-blood fists. Spider-web-like cracks spread out from the fists that struck the wall to the surrounding walls.]

A figure kneeled before the wall, hunched over. Blue veins and nerves surged across the exposed skin beneath its black clothing, like venomous snakes crawling among white flowers, a terrifying sight.

The figure raised his head, and the little light left in the space shone on his raised face. A pale face appeared, and the nerves on his face were surging like a demon.

"Dagu...ba!"

A hoarse roar rang out from his throat. Gooma felt as if every nerve in his body was being sliced ​​by countless blades and then thrown into a boiling pot. Pain beyond words continuously bombarded his spirit.

Under such unbearable pain, Gooma felt that even his consciousness was gradually blurring, but his only remaining rationality was that he must not fall into a coma, otherwise he might never have the chance to open his eyes again.

[In order to stay awake, it kept repeating the name of the person it was most obsessed with, forcing itself to distract from the pain it was feeling.]

After escaping from Gadoru and escaping the police, it relied on its past memories to come to the place where Gurongi had once been hiding. After hiding its whereabouts, it endured the severe pain caused by the continuous changes in its body.

Tormented by the excruciating pain, even the concept of time was distorted. Gooma was aware only that his clothes were completely soaked with sweat, and his already hoarse voice now grated like a blade on a whetstone.

A violent wail suddenly replaced the name he had been repeating. Gooma collapsed to the ground, his right arm stretched out with a distorted expression.

Its right arm stretched out, crackling with a crisp sound. Then, its entire arm twisted in the opposite direction of its elbow structure, its fingers almost touching Gooma's own bloodshot eyeball.

The excruciating pain caused Gooma to roll on the ground, his right arm raised high. His body curled up into a ball, and sweat slid madly onto the concrete floor, even forming a small puddle, reflecting Gooma's face, which was distorted by the pain and looked like a demon.

In the reflection of the water, Gooma clearly saw his black hair gradually replaced by white, and his eyes flickered with golden light in the darkness.

Looking at this face that belonged to him, Gooma seemed to see his past life, which could only be described as a miserable failure.

[It has never been a powerful existence. In the entire Gurongi clan, Gooma has always been just a dispensable figure. Whether in the ancient times or the modern times, this fact has never changed.]

[But even so, it holds the same dream as the other Gurongis: to climb up from the "Kikiru" step by step through its own efforts, constantly improving its class, and finally becoming the player who, through the game, invites the "Ultimate Darkness."]

Unfortunately, this dream was shattered before it even began due to its own foolish actions. Upon waking from its seal, it was overwhelmed with hunger and, to satisfy its bloodlust, killed humans before the game officially began. This violated the rules and was immediately stripped of its right to perform its own "Kikiru."

There's no point regretting it now, so Gooma wants to make amends for his mistake and regain his right to play the game. To that end, he's willing to become Baruba's underling, diligently fulfilling his every command, like a hardworking and timid office worker.

【But all these efforts ultimately resulted in a cold reality.】

[——"All Gurongi who are unqualified to play will be eliminated."]

After overhearing these words from Baruba and Dorudo's conversation not long ago, Gooma, whose wish was shattered, fell into complete despair and subsequently became mad.

[Despair can drive people crazy, and naturally it can also make someone who everyone considers a coward do things beyond their expectations. Gooma is the best example.]

[It doesn't want to die, nor is it willing to die without accomplishing anything, because it still has its own dreams to fulfill.]

After realizing that it would be impossible to qualify for the game through normal means, Gooma chose to take a different approach. By stealing the power of the being it most wanted to kill, it finally gained the powerful strength that its past self could never possess.

[But this is far from enough. Now I can't even kill Daguba, even any Gurongi from the GO Group can suppress me.]

[Power, Gooma needs to be even stronger, stronger than all the current players in the GO Group, enough to challenge the power of the most powerful king who stands above all the Gurongis.]

This is the true spiritual pillar that has enabled it to endure all the pain and humiliation it has endured so far. Gooma wants to surpass Daguba and become the strongest of the clan!

"Daguba—I'm going to kill you!"

A thick bloody aura surged from the depths of his throat, accompanied by a roar. The golden light in Gooma's furious eyes was unprecedentedly destructive at this moment, his unwavering willpower overpowering the pain brought on by the evolution.

"I must kill you! I must become the fourth 'N'! Just like you once were, this time I will replace you and become the new 'N'!"

"—I will definitely bring about the 'Ultimate Darkness'!!!"

As the words fell, golden light spread from his eyes to his entire body. At this moment, the golden light illuminated this dim underground city, like the sun setting on the earth.

[In the light, a huge figure loomed, two huge membrane wings flapped, and a sudden hurricane erupted deep underground!]

“Becoming the fourth ‘N’???”