My youth story cannot be a knight war

44. The Ominous Attack (4K)

High School of Idolization, boys' dormitory.

Facing the screen, "Zaimokuza Yoshiki minimized the impact of the aftermath of Zazaru's toxic fluids after the explosion on Tokyo, and achieved the glorious feat of completely defeating the enemy without taking any damage for the first time. Ayanokouji Kiyotaka, who had been silent until the end, finally uttered his first words:

"It's just stupid."

Without any due admiration for the hero or recognition of his abilities, Ling Xiaolu gave this derogatory evaluation expressionlessly, and there was no trace of sarcasm or contempt in his tone. He just objectively expressed his true thoughts.

Although from most people's point of view, Zaimokuza Yoshiteru's performance in this battle was impeccable and could be described as outstanding, but in Ayanokouji's opinion, the opponent was simply too stupid to be any more stupid.

"From a strategic perspective, this operation is a complete failure. Number 34 is completely unimportant. The real target that should be urgently addressed is number 3, yet you've wasted so much precious time dealing with it."

In chess, this is like exchanging a king for a knight, a move so bad that it is beyond description.

Although Ayanokouji was not sure about the purpose of Number Three rushing to the Kurodake ruins in Nagano Prefecture, according to the strategic rule of "do not leave the enemy with anything they want; give the enemy what they fear with all your strength", "Zaimokuza Yoshiteru" should have simply abandoned Zazaru who was holding his own game in Tokyo, and then the human side would have gathered all their living combat forces to go to Nagano Prefecture to snipe Number Three. This is the most correct approach at the moment.

If No. 34 were left alone, the worst result would be the death of another 1,800 people, and no more than 30,000 people; but No. 3's purpose of going to the ruins this time was obviously not simple, and the danger was completely unknown.

One consequence is the visible number of casualties, and the other is the completely unknown harm. "Zaimokuza Yoshiteru" will engage in a fierce psychological struggle over which side to stop first because of the concern for human lives, but if it were Ayanokouji, he would be able to make a choice without even a second of hesitation.

Because on the battlefield, there is no fear of sacrifice, what is truly feared is always the unknown.

In order to deal with No. 34, "Zaimokuza Yoshiki" even used the fifth element, which is the only trump card that can fight against No. 3 now. This is even more stupid.

Through previous observations, Ayanokouji knew very well that the current fifth element could only be used twice a day at most, but the Pegasus form was already extremely consuming, and continuing to use the fifth element to strengthen it on this basis would consume far more energy than usual. At least he couldn't think of using it a second time within twenty-four hours.

Now, No. 3 has evolved into the Ultimate Form, and can fuse an unprecedented three elements. Its combat power is difficult to predict. However, "Kousaka Kyosuke", who is an important combat force, is now seriously injured and has not fully recovered. In addition, "Zaimokuza Yoshiki" is unable to use the fifth element. This makes Ayanokouji unable to be optimistic about the outcome of their trip to Nagano Prefecture.

"After all, you still can't make the right choice... Especially you, Zaimokuza Yoshiki."

Looking at the figure riding the motorcycle in the light curtain, a cold light flashed in the depths of Ayanokouji's eyes, and even his voice was so cold.

"Wanting to save everyone is nothing but a ridiculous fantasy. Reality is never that rosy. When faced with a major decision, one must ultimately make trade-offs. The original Kousaka Kyousuke was capable of this, but now he's been changed by you, becoming just as naive and foolish."

"Sooner or later, this meaningless belief and persistence will become your epitaph, and you will pay a heavy price for it."

[Kousaka Kyosuke drove the police car with one hand, his eyes solemn as he sped along the highway.]

Because his right hand hasn't recovered yet, he can't use a faster special motorcycle. He can only travel to Nagano Prefecture this way, and he also wants to carry something.

He glanced at the machine strapped to the back seat of the car, his eyes filled with unwavering worry.

This machine is square, about half a meter in size, and entirely black. It has a large, speaker-like structure on the front, resembling the typical karaoke speakers. A police logo in the upper left corner indicates that it's Japanese property.

This device, developed based on the ultrasonic tracker previously developed by the Scientific Police Institute based on the characteristics of Type 3 bats, emits ultrasonic waves of a specific frequency. These waves are inaudible to the human ear, but can cause immense damage to any organisms that detect them.

[Ebina Hina had told him that during experiments using this device, which was only activated for about three seconds, several bats survived for less than a second before their heads exploded like popping watermelons. The remaining bats were bleeding from all seven orifices and, upon examination, were found to have completely lost their ability to survive. They were ultimately humanely euthanized by the researchers.]

In short, this device's lethality to creatures capable of ultrasonic waves is as terrifying as nuclear radiation to humans. It was developed by the police specifically to target Unit 3. However, since the incident with Unit 14, Unit 3 has never been seen in public again. Therefore, the device has been sealed in the institute's warehouse, and no one ever imagined it would ever see the light of day again.

[But can this thing really still work on Number Three now? Kousaka Kyosuke is very skeptical.]

Although he hadn't seen Number Three since the incident with Number Fourteen, according to the intelligence the police had obtained, although it was unclear how he had achieved this, Number Three's strength was undoubtedly much greater than before. So, could a weapon created based on his past data really be effective against the current Number Three?

[Kousaka Kyousuke didn't know, but even if it was just for psychological comfort, he still took the device. In the current situation, he had to use as much power as possible. After all...]

His eyes seemed somewhat dim as he glanced at the open drawer in front of the driver's seat, looking at the black belt inside.

[Now, every time he uses his strength, he gets closer to the end of his life. Therefore, he must no longer use G1 recklessly. He must carefully consider the timing of each use of strength.]

[This isn't because Kousaka Kyosuke is afraid of death, but rather because he's considering the overall situation. After all, even if he takes down Number Three this time, this series of events won't stop there. Only by surviving can he continue to do his best to share the pressure for Zaimokuza, and...]

[——"Rindo will become like us."]

[Thinking of what Baruba had said earlier, Kousaka Kyosuke couldn't help but grit his teeth and tighten his grip on the steering wheel.]

If the real purpose of the Gurongis in summoning the "Ultimate Darkness" is the same as he thinks—

[This truly is a crisis unprecedented in human history!]

【"Um?"】

Just as he was thinking this, the sound of an engine came from behind him, getting closer and closer. Kousaka Kyosuke looked through the rearview mirror and saw a familiar figure driving a motorcycle towards him.

"It seems to have been resolved."

He breathed a sigh of relief. Perhaps this was the only good news in this situation.

"The purpose of 'Ultimate Darkness'..."

In the student union room, Horihoku Xue raised his hand and pushed the square-framed glasses on his nose. His deep and wise eyes looked colder than ever before.

Unlike Ayanokouji Kiyotaka, who is an "artificial genius", Horikita Manabu, as a "natural genius", is almost as good as the former in all aspects, including thinking ability.

Therefore, he also deduced all the information and intelligence that Ayanokouji could infer, and the evidence was right on the table.

On the table in front of him was an open notebook, which was densely packed with data. If anyone had seen Ayanokouji's notebook, they would be surprised to find that the content written in Horikita Manabu's notebook was almost the same as his, the only difference being the sketch model.

Among them, there are even data derived from many formulas about Kuuga's various forms. Horikita Manabu actually deduced a lot of Kuuga's ability data based on visual observation and calculation.

This is his strongest ability. He can infer the essence hidden beneath the surface of many phenomena just by visual observation and calculation. This mathematical ability is completely beyond common sense and can no longer be described simply by the word "outstanding". This is one of the reasons why he is so respected by his younger sister Horikita Suzune.

Skipping the page on the left that records the relationship between Kuuga and Gurongi, the page on the right is almost blank, with only five capital Chinese characters on it.

"Ultimate Darkness"???

Looking at these words, Hori Kitaguri frowned tightly and loosened his fingers that were pressing on the nose pads of his glasses.

"Xuejun, have you thought of anything?"

A girl standing next to Horikita Manabu, with a bun hairstyle similar to Yuigahama Yui, immediately came over when she saw him put his fingers down from his face, and asked curiously.

She had a deep understanding of the man she had a crush on. She knew that whenever he put his hand on his nose pad, he was thinking, and when he put it down, it meant that his thinking was over. So she had not disturbed him before, and only came over to ask at this moment.

"Have you understood the purpose of those monsters?!"

"These are just some guesses. I can't say I understand them yet. Besides..."

Horikita Manabu glanced at the stack of documents in the other person's arms and sighed helplessly.

"Secretary Ju, if you continue to indulge in watching movies instead of processing the documents, we will not be able to report to the chairman when the time comes."

"Oh! Sorry, I'll take care of it right away!"

Reminded by him, Tachibana Akane hurriedly walked towards another table not far away with the documents in her arms. Because she turned around too quickly, she did not see the expression on Hori Kitano's face behind her that suddenly became as gloomy as water.

In fact, what he said just now was very tactful. What Tachibana Akane said was actually right. Horikita Manabu had indeed deduced the real purpose of these Gurongi, but that was why he chose to lie.

Although it was rude to say so, Horikita Manabu, who also knew Tachibana Akane very well, knew very well that once she knew about it, it would mean that the main people in all the classes in the entire school would know about it, including Nanyun Masa, whom he had always disliked.

And considering the behavior of those guys who nominally value strength but actually value morality, it is hard to imagine what kind of panic this news will cause in the school.

"Lin Duo will become like us..."

As he repeated what Baruba had said, a drop of cold sweat slid down his face from his temple. His hands, covered with calluses from years of studying kendo, clenched into fists, as if he was holding the hilt of a non-existent knife. This was a subconscious action he took when he sensed danger.

For the first time in his life, Hori Kitaguchi felt what true fear was, and felt as if his whole body was falling into an icy cave.

"Please, please stop those monsters. You are the only ones capable of doing this right now, Zaimokuza-kun, Kousaka-kun..."

"…for our world."

"Mr. Kosaka, are you okay?"

Zaimokuza drove his motorcycle to the side of the police car and looked at the bandages exposed on the parts of Kousaka Kyousuke's body not covered by his clothes, and asked with concern.

["Don't worry, this kind of injury is nothing to me."]

[Kousaka Kyosuke shook his head and spoke softly.]

"Really? That's good..."

After hearing his answer, Zaimokuza's eyes flickered for a moment, but when Kousaka Kyousuke turned his head, his expression returned to normal and he spoke with a smile.

"That's right, it's Mr. Kousaka after all!"

"Enough joking, we have to get to Nagano Prefecture right away."

There was not a trace of smile on Kousaka Kyosuke's face, and the lines of his profile were as cold and hard as a piece of freshly tempered steel.

"According to intelligence, Unit 3 has already defeated three waves of police firepower deployments. The death toll among police officers has exceeded 100, and the number of seriously injured has reached triple digits. We have no time to waste!"

“Is it already that serious?”

This number made Zaimokuza's heart tighten, and the smile on his face quickly disappeared, and his voice became extremely low.

"There's something more serious going on."

[Kousaka Kyousuke stared ahead, his voice even more subdued than Zaimokuza's, causing him to feel an indescribable sense of oppression.]

"Gogen just sent me a message telling me that another Gurongi massacre occurred in Annaka City and Minamimaki Village in Gunma Prefecture not long ago. Based on eyewitness information, the murderer is undoubtedly Zero."

"Zero strikes again? Wait... could this be the route?!"

Zaimokuza was stunned for a moment, then his expression changed drastically, and Kousaka Kyosuke nodded, confirming his thoughts.

"Indeed, No. 0 is also heading towards Nagano Prefecture, just like us. Their target is likely No. 3, just like us."

"This is the worst-case scenario. We might not only have to face No. 3, but also No. 0!"

"Surely—"

【Di-】

A quick, short beep interrupted Zaimokuza's words, and both of them turned their gazes to the direction of the sound. It was the police communication device in front of Kousaka Kyousuke's car.

A sense of foreboding suddenly welled up in his heart, and Kousaka Kyousuke quickly connected the call. Then, Gokou Ruri's anxious voice rang out from the other end.

"Oh no! Officer Kosaka!"

"What's going on? Five more."

[Kousaka Kyousuke asked calmly, but the news that Gokou Ruri revealed the next moment made him and Zaimokuza's expressions change completely in an instant.]

"Number Three has arrived at Kuroyama in Nagano Prefecture, and is currently on a killing spree in the village of Gaiba near Kuroyama! Whether it's the police or the villagers who live there, they're all in its sights!"

[“——And that’s exactly where the Ruins Investigation Team is taking refuge this time!”]

【“——”】

After hearing these last words, Zaimokuza's mind went blank.

45. A World of Upside Down (4K)

Chiba Prefecture, Sobu High School, Service Club.

"Oh no! Yukinoshita-san and Totsuka-san are in danger! Damn it! Could they have been killed by Number Three?"

Tobe Sho looked at "Zaimokuza Yoshiki" on the light curtain, whose expression became stiff in an instant after hearing the news said by "Gokou Ruri". The person outside the light curtain also couldn't help but widen his eyes and spoke in shock.

After he finished speaking, the atmosphere in the service department classroom suddenly became silent as if someone had pressed the pause button.

Even someone as slow-witted as Tobe Sho could sense something was amiss. His expression stiffened slightly, and he lowered his head and looked around. Several pairs of unfriendly eyes pierced him like sharp silver needles.

The teacher, Shizuka Hiratsuka, covered her face with her hands silently, sighed silently and said nothing; Miura Yumiko's mouth twitched; Yuigahama turned her head away with an embarrassed expression, and Yukinoshita Yukino, who was hugged by her friend's arms, looked at him quietly, even her voice was so quiet.

"Before your bad words take effect... have you forgotten that one of the parties involved in your words is sitting right here? Tobe-san."

"Uh, no! I, I..."

Feeling the air around him getting colder and colder just like Yukinoshita's eyes, Tobe Sho looked around for help, but everyone who caught his gaze turned their heads away. Zaimokuza, Hikigaya, and Ebina, who were sitting behind Yukinoshita, never turned back at all, as if they were completely unaware of the sudden change in the atmosphere behind them.

"Axiang, you..."

"Mr. Hubu, please consider the logic and order of your words next time."

Just as Miura Yumiko was about to speak helplessly, Yukinoshita's cold voice suppressed her, so cold that it seemed as if the blade of her words could kill Tobe Sho directly.

"One of the key differences between children and adults is whether they think before speaking. It's really because you speak so freely, Ebina-tong—"

"Xiang."

"Halabusa, Hayato?"

The words became more and more sharp. Just as Tobe Sho's face turned paler and paler in response to Yukinoshita's cold words, a hand suddenly patted his shoulder. Bewildered, he turned around and met his friend's solemn face.

"I--"

"I know you're worried about Yukinoshita-san and Totsuka-san, but they're not as fragile as you worry."