My youth story cannot be a knight war

[“I don’t know why, but I felt a little inexplicably anxious just now. I feel better now. Please don’t mind me! We will continue—”]

The sound of the breaking was subtle, but it interrupted what Akiyama Mio was about to say. The piece of piano she was holding suddenly broke in the middle, fell to the ground, and bounced onto her indoor shoes.

[This broken piece has a smiling rabbit pattern on it. Zaimokuza made it himself as a gift for them when they transferred to another school. Each one has a beautiful pattern he personally drew.]

[And now, the fragment that fell to the ground faced the girls who all bowed their heads. The rabbit on the pattern was still smiling, but it was completely severed from the neck, like a guillotine slashing through it.]

"Is this the clapper that Yoshiki-nii gave you, Mio? Why did it suddenly break?"

[Taizhong Ritsu squatted down to pick up the fragment, then stood up and examined it with confusion. Then he turned to the stunned Akiyama Mio and said something, even cracking a joke at the end.]

"It's only been a short time! Could it be that the ingredients Yoshiki-kun used were too low-quality? He seems to be barely able to eat enough. I remember once I went to see him and brought him a bento, and Yoshiki-kun didn't even use chopsticks to pick it up—"

Akiyama Mio stared at the broken coin in her hand, her eyes trembling slightly. She felt as if all the surrounding sounds had gradually faded away, leaving only the inexplicably rapid beat of her heart. An eerie, murmuring sound echoed in her ears, like fingernails scraping against glass. The sound made her feel anxious, but she couldn't pinpoint its source.

【“——!”】

A crisp crashing sound interrupted Akiyama Mio's contemplation and made everyone else turn their heads.

[There's a cabinet next to the window in the office, filled with various small items. A picture frame has fallen face-down, and the curtains are swaying slightly in the wind. The culprit is probably the wind blowing in from the window.]

“Oops! I forgot to close the window after opening it for fresh air this morning.”

"Ritsu-chan!"

"Ritsu-chan~ This photo is of us and Kousaka-san and Zaimokuza-san together! There's only one!"

"I'm sorry~ I'll take care of it right away."

Tainaka Ritsu's face suddenly turned bitter. Under the puffed-cheeked gazes of Kotobuki and Hirasawa Yui, she sullenly picked up the broom placed by the wall and swept up the scattered glass fragments. Then, she carefully picked up the picture frame and put it back in its place.

The protective glass of the photo frame shattered in half upon impact. This photo was a group photo of the Light Music Club and Zaimokuza from the academy festival. Many people in the photo had already perished in the Incident No. 33, and it was impossible to take another photo. Therefore, the Light Music Club members treasured this photo very much.

[And now, most of the glass in the photo frame has shattered in the fall, leaving a long, narrow crack running across the top of the photo, right where the heads of Zaimokuza and Kousaka, the tallest people in the photo at the time, would be.]

In the photo, Zaimokuza shows off his white, gleaming teeth as he gives a thumbs-up sign, while Kousaka beside him smiles reservedly. But the crack cuts through both of their smiling faces without distinction, and the broken gap reflects both of their smiles, making them appear equally broken.

【“……!”】

Looking at the shattered smiles of the two people in the photo, Akiyama Mio felt as if a heavy hammer had struck her chest. Her vision went dark, and a strong sense of suffocation surged from her chest to her throat. She staggered back several steps and collapsed onto the sofa behind her.

【“Mio!?”】

"Mio-chan, what's wrong with you?"

……

Close friends exclaimed in surprise, and one by one, they gathered around. Akiyama Mio simply placed a hand over her left chest, where her heart lay, lowered her head, and gasped softly. Her pupils, hidden by her bangs, involuntarily widened.

[She was shaken by the anxious Tainaka Ritsu, but no matter how hard he shook her, she couldn't come back to her senses. She remained dazed, feeling as if her whole body was empty.]

[What’s going on… Why am I like this…]

【“——”】

Suddenly, a sound like something far away echoed in her ears. Akiyama Mio's pupils shrank back to her senses, and she clutched her head tightly with both hands.

"Mio! What's wrong with you?! Don't scare me!"

[Taijutsu Tainaka was nearly in tears, her voice barely concealed. Her friend knew something was wrong, but she had no idea what was going on… This awakened memories that were like nightmares to her, instantly breaking down the tomboy's defenses.]

【“…”】

Akiyama Mio covered her head tightly and didn't respond to her childhood friend's words. She felt her mind was a mess, sometimes confused and sometimes clear.

As time passed, the sound gradually became clearer in my ears. The sound felt distant, yet it seemed to be ringing right next to my ears.

Akiyama Mio recognized the voice, but it only made her feel even more lost and helpless.

Because this is her own voice.

[…But why do I hear my own voice? And this voice keeps saying a name. But Akiyama Mio is certain that there is absolutely no one in her family who can be called by this name, because she is an only child.]

[This voice keeps calling out—]

【"elder brother."】

[In the boundless darkness, a voice kept whispering this name, carrying with it the sadness and longing that spanned thousands of years.]

10. The End of the Death Battle (6K)

Shiga Prefecture, Akiyama family.

"Ugh!?"

"Mio! What's wrong with you!?"

As the "Akiyama Mio" on the screen froze in shock, the Akiyama Mio outside the screen unexpectedly experienced the same reaction. The little girl covered her ears with her hands in fear, looking around the living room in panic, her large eyes revealing visible fear and uneasiness, like a young rabbit frightened by a thunderstorm on a rainy night, hiding in fear. Even the expression was so similar.

Tian Zhongli, who was sitting next to her, looked at her childhood sweetheart curled up on the sofa, and quickly reached out to hug her. Seeing her trembling friend, she began to feel uneasy in her heart.

The young tomboy had never seen her friend look so panicked. Although she had long known that Akiyama Mio was actually very timid and would even burst into tears after watching a horror movie, there had never been a time like now when the expression in the corners of her eyes and even every inch of her face showed a deep fear from the soul.

"Xiao, Xiao Lu..."

Mio Akiyama clutched Tianzhong Ritsu's collar tightly with both hands, tears welling in her eyes, and she spoke almost incoherently:

"Noise! ​​I heard a weird noise! ​​It was like—wooo!"

Before she could finish her words, the little girl shuddered again. This time, she buried her whole face in the arms of her childhood sweetheart like an ostrich. Her body trembled so violently that even the sofa began to shake slightly.

"Voice? Mio? Are you saying..."

Upon hearing this answer, Taichu Ritsu was stunned. Then, as if realizing something, her entire body began to tremble. She hugged her terrified childhood friend tightly and glanced anxiously around the living room, feeling as if a Kayako or Toshio might appear at any moment, like something out of "The Grudge."

Akiyama Mio, who was held in her arms, did not stop trembling at this time. Her eyes were wide open and she covered her ears with her hands, but she could still hear one call after another coming into her ears, ignoring the obstruction of her hands.

"Brother~Brother~Brother~"

Only she could hear this voice. Even the closest person, Ritsu Tainaka, didn't notice it at all. Akiyama Mio, who had been bombarded with all kinds of horror movies in the new era, suddenly imagined the plot of a ghost movie that started at 60 minutes long. Her face turned pale with fear.

"Who the hell are you? You're my only child! I don't have any older brothers!" The little girl trembled even more, and she complained in her heart with a tone of grievance that was almost like crying.

But for some reason, in addition to fear, Akiyama Mio also felt another emotion. That emotion was very unfamiliar, but she felt indescribably familiar.

That is, the longing for someone and the sadness.

The dust wave caused by the mountain collapse engulfed the entire wasteland, finally reaching the distant viaduct and stopping. The overwhelming ochre-colored dust flowed under the viaduct like a flowing river, creating a shocking visual impact.

A sharp explosion and shockwave shot up into the sky at the end of this river of dust, tearing the dust apart from the center like a stabbing blade. Looking down from above, the circular shockwave carved out a calm area within the dust, like the eye of a storm.

【“…”】

High-temperature white mist gushed out from both ends of the torn mouthparts. Kousaka maintained his fist-swinging posture, increasing the strength of his arms. The black bone blade extending from his right arm rubbed against the raised arm armor, producing fierce sparks, but it could no longer penetrate Zaimokuza's defenses as before.

Zaimokuza and Kousaka stared at each other, their eyes burning with crimson fire. Their golden scarves fluttered against their faces in the wind created by their clash.

[Kuga·Almighty Form·Spiritual Sublimation (Flame)·Level 2]

Of all the elements currently at his disposal, the fifth element's energy level is overwhelmingly stronger than the others, and its consumption is proportional to the energy level. Originally, Zaimokuza could only use it once a day, but just now, under the pressure of a life-or-death crisis, he actually broke through his limit for the first time, forcibly transforming into the second stage of his previously used all-powerful form.

Feeling the force transmitted through the bone blade connected to his arm armor, Zaimokuza had no doubt that Kousaka had truly intended to kill him, showing no mercy in his attack.

[This only proves that the other party has completely lost his mind and can no longer recognize who he is.]

"Mr. Kosaka! Wake up!"

The force on the arm blade continued to increase. Zaimokuza tried his best to resist, but the strange force still forced his arm towards his neck. Even before it touched the skin of his neck, the sharpness of the arm blade was so sharp that it could cut through hair. Zaimokuza struggled to maintain his defense, his other hand pinching Kousaka's shoulder, and shouted loudly, trying to wake him up.

[But now, Kousaka, completely berserk, obviously couldn't hear Zaimokuza's voice. Not only that, his call seemed to have the opposite effect.]

A ferocious, wolf-like roar erupted from deep within his throat, hitting Zaimokuza's face. Blurred in thought, Kousaka, relying on his long-held battle instincts, knew he couldn't break through Zaimokuza's defenses. He retracted his swung arm, then lifted his foot at an incredibly fast speed, kicking Zaimokuza in the chest.

[But Zaimokuza was no longer the same person as before. Entering his second stage, all of his bodily functions had undergone a quantum leap compared to before. His eyes accurately captured Kousaka's movements, and he immediately retracted his arms and crossed them across his chest, blocking Kousaka's kick.]

Like an unloaded cannonball, the transparent shockwave ripped a path through the dust behind Zaimokuza, sending him flying. His feet tore two dusty paths through the ground, and when he came to a stop, the mud had completely buried his soles.

[“…It seems you really can’t hear my voice now.”]

Zaimokuza lowered his hands, which were emitting white smoke, shook his aching arms, looked up at Kousaka Kyosuke who was dozens of meters away, and after a moment of silence, he spoke.

【“Mr. Kosaka.”】

【“——”】

Of course, Kosaka, already drowsy, couldn't hear Zaimokuza's words. His mind was now completely dominated by his battle instincts and desire for destruction. Seeing Zaimokuza straighten himself, Kosaka leaned down instead, digging his fingers into the ground and arching his back like a crouching cat. A rapid, low moan, like a beast trying to intimidate its enemies, accompanied by white mist rising from either side of his mouth. Even the air distorted slightly under the furnace-like heat of these two mists. It was hard to imagine the terrifying temperature inside Kosaka's body. A normal human would have lost consciousness from heatstroke in such temperatures.

[Kousaka is now a complete beast, only knowing how to kill and destroy. Apart from that, he is completely incapable of hearing anyone else's voice.]

"If that's the case, I'm afraid this is the only way."

At this point, Zaimokuza knew that there was no point in continuing. Feeling the rapid drain of his physical and mental strength following the activation of the second stage, he made a decisive decision.

He lowered his weight to his waist, assumed his usual fighting stance, and stared at Kousaka, who lay in wait, his heart momentarily dazed.

"Although we've been training together for a long time, I never imagined that one day I'd actually fight you, Mr. Kousaka... and on the battlefield."

Kosaka stretched out his palm, his waist bent like a heavy bow filled with power. Zaimokuza finally abandoned the last bit of hesitation in his heart and clenched his fist tightly.

“I don’t want this to happen, but…”

Zaimokuza's gaze was fixed on the G1 belt worn by Kousaka. The belt's display was flickering with a cold, crimson light, flickering like a beating heart. With his honed combat instincts, he immediately identified the reason for Kousaka's current state.

"If fighting is the only way to return you to your original Kousaka-san, then—"

[“Come on!!!”]

“Ahhhhhhh!!!!!!”

A roar far surpassing Zaimokuza's roar exploded in the sky. The second after Zaimokuza uttered these words, a column of dust erupted from the ground where Kousaka lay prone, and his entire figure vanished completely. Zaimokuza's body also leaned forward in the exploding earth beneath his feet, vanishing into thin air like an illusion.

The next moment, a violent explosion erupted midway between the two men. The transparent shockwave, like an invisible blade, sliced ​​through the still-still-deep dust curtain surrounding them, leaving them riddled with holes. The two arms that had collided reappeared in their previous positions the moment after the explosion. The speed of their clash was so great that the sound became disjointed, completely out of sync with the two men's figures.

The two arms, held against each other, simultaneously thrust backwards, and then, in tandem, a sideways kick struck the other's chest. They retreated again, creating distance, before colliding head-on once more.

What ensued was a battle of such magnitude that it was completely unimaginable to the human eye. Furthermore, in all of human history, there had likely never been such a magnificent conflict between two sides.

Though merely two individuals, the impact of their clash rivaled the clash of modern high-powered thermal weapons. Shockwaves lifted layer upon layer of earth from the ground, and a howling gale, like the sharpest blade in the world, shattered the dust until it was invisible to the naked eye. The entire wasteland bordering Itabashi District and Saitama Prefecture trembled continuously during the battle, like a small earthquake with its epicenter at the surface. The laws of physics in the real world wailed in the hands of these two monsters in human skin, completely at their mercy.

If someone were to stand on the distant overpass and watch the battle, they would find it impossible to discern Kousaka and Zaimokuza with the naked eye. All that could be seen were waves constantly exploding in the air and craters shattering on the ground. This scene didn't resemble a bare-handed clash, but rather a series of rare natural disasters erupting simultaneously. The dense dust was being sliced ​​and pressed down by the relentless eruptions of "kamaitachi" from the sky, only to be lifted up by the shockwaves of the "earthquakes." For a moment, it could only hover in mid-air, over three meters above the ground, unable to descend or rise. The surging dust surface resembled the strange stalactites lining a karst cave.

They leaped up simultaneously, tearing through the air. The turbulence caused by their mid-air fistfight was comparable to a rocket explosion. Then they fell again, their bodies smashing deep pits into the ground. Without even regaining their balance, they rushed out of the crash site again.

Zaimokuza ran at breakneck speed, his feet moving constantly, as if he were walking on flat ground. Behind him, Kosaka was chasing him. If this scene were on flat ground, it would be perfectly normal, but here, the cliff face was tilted at a vertical angle of over 90 degrees to the ground, and the jagged rocks jutting out from the cliff face only increased the angle. However, their running speed didn't decrease at all, and the distance between them didn't close at all. It was as if the constraints of Earth's gravity never existed for them.

Kosaka's prone figure leaped up from the mountain wall, "leaping" out at a horizontal angle, directly towards Zaimokuza's back, his sharp claws piercing his vest. However, Zaimokuza suddenly disappeared from the spot as he was pierced through. Kosaka's hands penetrated the mountain wall as easily as tofu.

A scorching roar echoed overhead, and Kousaka suddenly looked up. Zaimokuza's figure "fell" from the sky, his right fist, ablaze with fire, swinging towards his face!

Blazing flames blossomed like lotus petals on the cliff face. Countless rubble tumbled down from the mountain. Cracks invisible to the naked eye rapidly spread and snaked through the mountain's interior, splitting the cliff face in pieces. This single blow had directly shattered the mountain's foundation.

[Then, two figures, one in front and one behind, broke through the flames and rocks, and once again engaged in a fierce chase.]

"This……"

Looking at the battle on the screen, many people's expressions became dull. This battle was really beyond their imagination.

Although Zaimokuza Yoshiteru and Kousaka Kyosuke had both demonstrated abilities beyond human comprehension in battles with unidentified life forms, those were all extremely violent displays. What people truly remember are the powerful ultimate moves. Although the explosions were terrifying, they were understandable to humans.

But at this moment, they displayed a kind of violence with their flesh that was incomprehensible to humans. With just a punch or a kick, they caused a catastrophic destruction to the surrounding environment. They approached and even surpassed the firearms with their flesh bodies. This was a scene that no modern person who had been influenced by scientific knowledge could imagine. "Common sense" became a shackle imposed on their minds.

Today's Hollywood films are a prime example. Many superhero directors rely on their imagination to conjure up devastating clashes between good and evil. However, limited by their common sense education, they know that these fantasies can't occur in reality; the laws of physics alone directly prohibit many such scenes. Therefore, they subconsciously strive for "realistic" combat effects during filming. Furthermore, budget constraints also contribute to the fact that many characters capable of flying high in the sky and into the earth actually engage in combat that resembles a pair of ordinary kung fu masters countering each other's moves.

And now the two people fighting on the light screen told everyone a fact in the most intuitive way. In fact, fighting really does not have to abide by the laws of physics. As long as you are strong enough, the real physical laws are nothing more than a piece of clay that you can shape.

At the same time, many people finally realized one thing at this moment - although they had been subconsciously viewing these people as human beings due to their sense of immersion and intimacy in watching their stories, they were actually far away from the word "human beings".

Whether it is "Zaimokuza Yoshiteru" or "Kousaka Kyosuke", any one of them has the ability to easily destroy a city by himself - as long as they want.

This is something that humans alone cannot accomplish, so these two guardians of humanity have long ceased to be human in all realities, but they still chose to become "human" by their own will. And what made them choose to become human was never the powerful power they have today, but the even stronger will and belief.

"Damn it! How could this happen..."

Togashi Yuuta looked at the two people fighting on the light screen with a conflicted expression. Over time, both of these two people had already become idols in his heart. They were no longer just fantasies, but real heroes who appeared before his eyes in reality.

In the past, no matter who was fighting, he would always cheer for the other without hesitation. But now, watching the two heroes he supported kill each other, Togashi Yuuta was completely unhappy and didn't even know who to cheer for.

"Wake up! Mr. Kosaka!"

Feeling extremely tortured, Togashi Yuta clenched his fists and shouted at one of the figures in the light screen without being able to bear it any longer.

"You're a hero of humanity! How could you possibly lose to a mere G1 system?"