My youth story cannot be a knight war

Watching this scene, Kousaka Kyosuke's expression remained stern, but his bandaged right palm clenched tightly into a fist. He ignored the pain in his right arm and watched the scene intently.

He was well aware of the destructive power of Zaimokuza's current form. As long as this move could hit Number Three, even if it couldn't be defeated, it would at least be able to—!!!???

【"What!"】

A red circular shockwave, mixed with flames, spread through the air, blowing Zaimokuza's scarf backwards and causing Kousaka Kyousuke to open his eyes wide and cry out in surprise.

[With one hand, holding it tightly, Gooma, still covering his forehead with the other, freed his other hand and stretched it forward, firmly blocking Zaimokuza's kick.]

The red fireball suddenly expanded as Gooma grasped it, but before it could engulf Zaimokuza, another powerful suction erupted from the point of contact between their bodies, creating a black hole between Gooma's palm and Zaimokuza's feet.

The powerful absorption force even stirred up a storm in the air, sucking up dead leaves and dirt from the ground. However, before they could get close, they were burned to ashes by the raging fire. All the free elements in the air were absorbed, naturally including the fire element burning on Zaimokuza's body. The scarf swayed and disintegrated into particles.

Finally, all the flames and elemental particles were completely absorbed, and a scorching white smoke rose from Gooma's charred arm that was holding Zaimokuza's foot. Zaimokuza watched everything happening before his eyes, and for a moment, he even forgot to make a sound.

[“…Quite capable, Linduo!”]

Gooma's hand slowly lowered, maintaining the position of holding Zaimokuza's feet and suspending him in mid-air. He turned his head to look in the direction of Kousaka Kyousuke, his voice unable to conceal the violence and murderous intent.

[“——But now, I won’t be defeated so easily by something like this!”]

【“!”】

【“!?”】

As soon as the words fell, a huge sonic roar erupted from Gooma's gaping mouth. The originally transparent sound waves now transformed into white columns in the air and exploded, directly blowing Zaimokuza, who was standing in front of it, away.

A pair of huge wings suddenly burst out from Gooma's back and closed around it, enveloping it.

The remaining sonic waves continued to sweep towards Kousaka Kyosuke in the same straight line. The sonic device beside him immediately exploded with dazzling sparks and white smoke, and then, along with the police car, it turned into a huge fireball.

Just a second before the police car exploded, Kousaka Kyosuke swiftly dove to the side, his body rolling a long way on the ground. Finally coming to a stop, he covered his ears with a pained expression, blood oozing from between his fingers.

[“Damn it, Zaimokuza…!?”]

His ears buzzed, and Kousaka Kyousuke, not caring about his own condition, quickly looked forward, wanting to check on Zaimokuza, who had been struck so closely.

Black wings spread out, casting a huge shadow in the flames, completely enveloping Kousaka Kyousuke and swallowing all the remaining words he had.

[Gooma's original humanoid form has disappeared, replaced by a giant dragon...or rather, a bat.]

This creature resembled a hybrid of a dragon and a bat. It had the unique wing structure of a bat, but its wings were covered in black scales. Its head was long and narrow, its ears were pointed, and its eyes, equally long and narrow, had no whites. Its entire body was a scarlet red without a trace of other colors, and it emitted a cold, evil light.

It suddenly flapped its wings, a powerful hurricane pushed everything around it away, and it raised its head to the sky and let out a hoarse roar.

Zu-Gooma-Gu Ultimate Form Original Form

The flames burned even more vigorously, illuminating the sky with a bright red glow, as if completely ablaze.

[But no matter how much the flames burn, they cannot illuminate the most vivid background of the night, which is pitch black.]

The long night seemed to stretch on endlessly, and the most terrifying enemy yet revealed its true form to Zaimokuza and Kousaka.

……

In a dark forest somewhere in Nagano Prefecture, a heavy gasp echoed. Amidst the spreading white mist, a dark figure with disheveled hair loomed in the air, slowly advancing.

At one point, the shadow suddenly stopped and raised its head forward. Its sight seemed to penetrate countless obstacles and it saw the village engulfed in flames.

A ghostly, ghostly voice echoed, its indescribable oppression silencing all other sounds in the forest. This sound carried a long way, like the resounding might of a mighty bell.

[“——KUUGA.”]

59. Horrifying Mutation (5K)

【"Damn!"】

Looking at the massive beast before him, cold sweat instantly poured down his back, soaking Kousaka Kyosuke's clothes. The bandaged wound on his body felt a stinging pain like a knife under the moist saline solution.

[But none of this could compare to the horror and resentment that surged within him at this moment. Kousaka Kyosuke gritted his teeth. The device really wasn't going to be of much use to Number Three right now!]

[Not only that, it seems to have had the opposite effect, as evidenced by the fact that the other party is now completely enraged.]

[Gooma opened its long, narrow mouth, and a sharp, hoarse howl erupted from it, its transparent sound waves stirring up the dust on the surrounding ground.]

Suddenly, it opened its mouth and pointed it in the direction of Kousaka Kyousuke. Red and green light particles swirled from the surrounding air and converged in front of its mouth. A ball of energy, glowing orange and yellow, quickly formed in its mouth.

【“!”】

A dangerous aura that made the hairs on his sixth sense stand on end coiled around the ends of his limbs. Seeing the opponent's attack ready to be launched, Kousaka Kyousuke no longer hesitated and acted on instinct.

With speed unmatched by the naked eye, he pulled a black belt from his windbreaker and buckled it around his waist. He then pulled out the purple-patterned crystal card from his card holder and placed his finger on the fingerprint reader.

As soon as the belt screen displayed the verification pass, but before a sound could be heard, Kousaka Kyosuke swiped the crystal card in his other hand across the swipe slot, and a purple "Earth" totem composed of matrix code quickly took shape on the display screen.

Titans, Awakening

Just as the belt made this sound, the orange-yellow ball of light suddenly exploded, transforming into a golden beam that shot straight towards Kousaka Kyousuke. The distance of dozens or hundreds of meters disappeared in an instant, and his figure was suddenly engulfed in the light filled with destructive energy.

"!"

Outside the light curtain, Kyosuke Kousaka himself looked at this scene with a fixed gaze, and his right hand tightly grasped the quilt beside him.

Before this, Kousaka Daisuke, who was far away at home, hugged his wife's face to his chest. His eyes were solemn, and there was a slight flash of nervousness.

"a……"

Wherever the light passed, violent explosions erupted and flames rose. Gooma tilted his head upward, and the angle of the beam of light also rose. The beam of light passed through the houses and trees along its path, its powerful energy sweeping everything up, and the dust that flew up formed a mushroom cloud-shaped "umbrella."

The next second, the umbrella was torn apart by the very beam of light that had caused all this. This beam of light shot diagonally upwards into the sky. The next second after it passed through the clouds, a vast, boundless void spread out from the middle of the clouds to either side, as if someone had erased everything in that straight line with an eraser.

As time passed, the light column slowly shrank in size, and Gooma's open mouth closed, leaving only a streak of light the size of a small stream of water, which then dissipated into the air. Golden light particles fell silently from the sky, like a long-awaited, silent snowfall in the south.

But the scene below couldn't compare to this beautiful scene. Thick smoke and flames enveloped everything along the way. From afar, a straight line filled with a fiery haze stretched from the center of Waichang Village to the end of the horizon. Even the surface of the farthest mountain was left with a dark trail of smoke.

[A single strike resulted in a scene reminiscent of a modern large-scale war. The area surrounding Waichang Village was nearly completely destroyed by Gooma.]

The dust gradually settled, revealing a pitch-black figure standing on this endless, "artificial" road. In front of it stood a large, purplish-black sword, its surface charred black. Its tip, thrust into the ground, resembled a sword-shaped shield.

【"cough……"】

After transforming, Kousaka Kyosuke's armor was covered in white smoke. His body was covered in heavy armor. He held the greatsword in front of him with both hands and stood up with gritted teeth.

Gulkiller One Titans Form

[G1 Titan Slayer]

He was filled with fear. If he hadn't reacted quickly enough to use his belt to transform into the strongest defensive form in G1, he would have been directly vaporized into ash by the incoming energy.

[“Damn it, Number Three…”]

Kousaka Kyosuke immediately looked in the direction of the attack, but was shocked to find that Gooma had disappeared without a trace. His massive body dissipated silently into the air like a wisp of smoke, causing his expression beneath his armor to change suddenly.

「Oh no! What the hell is this guy──! ! !」

A massive black shadow spread its wings, seemingly capable of obscuring the sky. Kousaka Kyosuke saw the shadow on the ground, enveloping him and the surrounding area. In that brief moment, he only had time to turn his head before a sharp black claw obscured everything in his sight.

A massive claw descended from the sky and latched onto Kousaka Kyousuke's back. Its sharp claws completely blocked any resistance he might offer and pinned him to the ground. Feeling the constant struggle beneath his claws, Gooma let out a low moan from deep within his mouth.

It suddenly flapped its wings, and the wind pressure generated by its massive body even created a tornado. Kousaka Kyosuke was like a hawk swooping down on the water to catch a fish. After a feeble struggle, he was caught and soared into the sky.

[“Ah!”]

The claws tightened their grip on his body, and one of the claws managed to pierce Kousaka Kyousuke's chest armor, leaving fine cracks on the surface of the armor and piercing his body.

This spot was exactly where Kousaka Kyousuke had been wounded by Baruba's arm. The wound, which hadn't fully healed yet, was torn open again. A mouthful of scalding blood spurted out from the gaping mouth on Kousaka Kyousuke's face. At the same time, he felt as if all the strength in his body seemed to flow out along with the blood from the chest wound, and his struggle suddenly weakened a lot.

But before Kousaka Kyosuke could dwell in the pain for too long, a sense of crisis far greater than before arose within him. He looked up suddenly, a cold flash rapidly approaching within his sight.

It was the top of an electricity tower. The sharp antenna on top of the tower was like a blade unsheathed, pointing upwards towards the sky, flashing a reflection that made the mere sight of it send a chill through the bones. Gooma was holding onto Kousaka Kyousuke and rapidly ascending in that direction.

[This guy, damn it! Immediately realizing the other party's sinister intentions, Kousaka Kyousuke ignored his worsening injuries and struggled vigorously.]

He understood completely. Gooma was obviously an expert at hunting and barbecuing. He wanted to make a dish of bone-in chicken wings with bamboo skewers.

The tower was the bamboo stick, and I was the chicken wing. Number Three wanted to grab me and drop me from mid-air toward the top of the tower, using gravity and inertia to fling me down. The blade-like antenna tip would then rip me apart through the shattered chest armor.

[And now his ability to move was completely restricted by these clenching claws, making it impossible to resist. There was no doubt that this was a premeditated and grand execution.]

It seemed his previous actions had indeed irritated the other party. He could have simply crushed him to death with his claws, but instead he had come up with this cruel method of execution. This made Kousaka Kyousuke couldn't help but smile bitterly in his heart.

[But he didn't intend to just sit there and wait for death. He tried his best to move his right hand holding the greatsword, trying to use the blade to cut the claws that bound him.]

But as Gooma flapped its wings again, soaring upwards with a standard cobra-like thrust, all of Kousaka Kyosuke's attempts at resistance were distorted by the powerful inertia suddenly exerted upon his body. His tightly grasped greatsword flew out of his hand, spinning and falling towards the open space below.

[It's over...Kousaka Kyosuke couldn't help but sigh, and then he was dragged downwards at a high speed.]

Gooma screamed as it fell toward the top of the tower. The scream was elongated and distorted by the strong wind. To Kousaka Kyosuke, it sounded like a flock of crows circling, announcing his death with the same hoarse and unpleasant bird calls.

The flying Gooma was only a few hundred meters away from the top of the tower, and its falling speed was comparable to that of a fighter jet, making this distance essentially nonexistent. Falling headfirst, Kousaka Kyosuke, relying on his G1-enhanced vision, could even see the reflection of the sharp blade at the top of the tower, his own silhouette gradually becoming clearer.

Time seemed to freeze at this moment. Kousaka Kyosuke watched the tower representing death getting closer and closer to him, but his heart was unusually calm.

He was already dying, and had long been mentally prepared to die on the battlefield. However, he hadn't expected this inevitable death to come so quickly and abruptly, without even a chance to say goodbye to his friends and family.

His only regret now is his family. This is perhaps the only fact that Kousaka Kyosuke is unwilling to face. He doesn't want to imagine whether his mother and sister can ever come out of the cruel reality of losing their loved ones again.

【And the other one...Kousaka Kyosuke sighed silently.】

[It seems that I can’t see you off as I promised before—]

【——"Mr. Kousaka!!!"]

A familiar roar interrupted Kousaka Kyosuke's thoughts. A huge impact suddenly came from the claws that were gripping his body, and blood spurted out again from the gaps in the claws that pierced his chest armor.

Just seconds before Kousaka Kyosuke fell from the top of the tower, a figure swathed in flames shot up from the ground, slamming into Gooma's massive body like a meteor. Its arms clasped tightly around its neck, and a roar of shock and anger echoed through the sky above the burning land.

[That was Zaimokuza, who interrupted the execution at the last moment and rescued Kousaka Kyousuke from the clutches of the god of death once again.]

He locked Gooma's throat tightly with his left hand, raised his right hand and formed it into a sword shape. Flames immediately swirled up, and then he slashed down!

A massive amount of blood spurted out, spraying upwards under the wind's pressure. With its right eye pierced, Gooma roared and shook its head, trying to break free from Zaimokuza's pierced hand. Its plummeting body yawped under the sudden, intense pain, and the three entangled beings flew over the edge of the tower and crashed into the surrounding dense forest.

The three claws that had been gripping his body loosened under the pain of his eyeballs being pierced. Kousaka Kyousuke endured the pain in his chest and took the opportunity to break free, swinging his arms and jumping to the ground below. Zaimokuza was also thrown away by Gooma's increased force, and the two fell down one after the other.

The two landed and tumbled a long way on the ground, their bodies covered in leaves and dust. Finally, they came to rest not far from each other. Gooma flew directly over them, its wings flapping like a bulldozer, slicing through every tree in its path, before finally crashing headfirst into a mountaintop.

"a!"

After seeing her brother finally escape danger, Kousaka Kirino's heart, which was almost on the verge of stopping, seemed to be injected with new energy. The heart rate exceeded any time in her life in a short moment. Her legs went weak and she almost fell to the ground.

"Kirino!"

Aragaki Ayase, who was beside her, hurriedly reached out to support her friend's body, and carefully helped Kousaka Kirino sit on the chair next to her. But the moment she sat down, this girl who she had always thought was strong and brave suddenly covered her mouth and cried, with crystal tears falling down her cheeks.

"Ayase, that's great, that's great..."

"… Kirino."

Ever since learning that her brother would soon die, Kousaka Kirino's emotions have been fluctuating greatly. Although Aragaki Ayase did not say anything about this, she chose to silently accompany her in her own way.

She gently held her friend in her arms, stroking her long golden hair. At the same time, she looked up at her own light screen and prayed silently in her heart.

Please do your best, Brother Kyosuke.

Although she had never actually met her best friend's brother in real life, after witnessing his future performance through the light screen, Aragaki Ayase could not help but be touched by everything about this man and gave him her heartfelt recognition.

"Xiao Jing, that's great..."

Outside the health room where Kyosuke Kosaka himself was, a short-haired girl wearing glasses clasped her hands in front of her chest. When she saw "Kyosuke Kosaka" on the light screen escape from danger, the arc of her plump chest rose and fell noticeably several times.

"Thank you, Zaimokuza-san."

Manami Tamura exhaled deeply the foul breath that had been suppressed in her chest, and a genuine smile appeared on her plain face behind the glasses. The light and shadow outside the window hit her plain face, and for a moment, there was a kind of touching charm that was inconsistent with her appearance.

【“Mr. Kosaka!”】

Zaimokuza struggled to get up from the ground, and the last trace of flames dissipated from his body, indicating that he had released his elemental form.

He glanced around, and when he saw the figure in the distance struggling to hold up his upper body amidst the fallen leaves, his heart tightened. He quickly ran over and helped Kousaka Kyousuke up.

"Mr. Kosaka, are you okay?!"

[Kousaka Kyosuke, who was helped up, gasped and covered his chest wound, which was still bleeding. He looked at Zaimokuza's face and spoke weakly.]

"Well... all in all, it's still okay - Zaimokuza!"

“Ugh!!!!!!”

[From the corner of his eye, he suddenly saw a golden light flashing behind Zaimokuza, and Kousaka Kyousuke's voice suddenly changed, but it was too late to convey his meaning.]

A golden light shot out from where Gooma had fallen, and dust swirled around the beam. Before Kousaka Kyousuke could finish his words, the attack had already struck Zaimokuza's back from behind, causing him to scream in pain.