My youth story cannot be a knight war

but……

His eyes moved obscurely between Zaimokuza Yoshiteru and Hikigaya Hachiman in the front row. The doubts about the former had now been fully revealed, and logically he should be given the most attention. But for some reason, Ye Shan felt that the fog surrounding the latter was much thicker than that of the former.

Ye Shan did not forget what happened when the video was still there, whether it was Hikigaya's eyes at that time, or the illusion he saw... all these unusual things were telling him that in a place where no one could see, it seemed that some other changes were quietly happening, but no one except him could notice it.

However, this change made him feel far more disturbing and dangerous than what was happening right before his eyes.

And the source of this sense of danger was none other than Hikigaya Hachiman, who was sitting in front of him.

Staring at the thin figure with a somewhat conflicted look, Ye Shan hesitated, not knowing whether he should tell him what he had discovered, but he guessed no one would believe him.

Regardless of what was said before, now everyone in the world knows that this is "Hikigaya Hachiman", the former best friend of the hero "Zaimokuza Yoshiteru". Although he has never actually appeared in this "story" and the only time he appeared in the public eye was in the form of a memory, there are traces of him everywhere in this story.

He was a friend of Zaimokuza Yoshiteru, a figure who both left regrets in his memory and provided him with new support. He also appeared as a vision to Zaimokuza Yoshiteru on numerous occasions when he was in danger, helping him untie his knot and master the power of the fifth element. In the canonical novel setting, Hikigaya Hachiman is the kind of mentor and sage who departs before the story begins but constantly lives in the protagonist's heart, guiding their path.

And while the current online debate focuses on the future war between humanity and the Gurongi and the fate of the various characters, Hikigaya Hachiman, considered "dead" by many, has surprisingly enjoyed immense popularity. The promise made on a snowy night in a dream has instantly fascinated countless people worldwide, with men overwhelmingly favoring him. This has also solidified everyone's impression of Hikigaya Hachiman: a kind man who died after losing his sister, yet still cherished his friends, a friend who lives on in their hearts.

Such people can only make people feel sad and regretful, but they are definitely not "dangerous". According to the current abstract trend on the Internet, anyone who dares to question Hikigaya Hachiman will be branded as a "kid" and a "troll" by his fanatical fans, and will then be bombarded or even attacked with weapons.

——He's Zaimokuza Yoshiki's closest soul mate besides Kousaka Kyosuke. How could he be a dangerous person? You must be talking nonsense!

Although Hayama himself is still a popular figure in Sobu High School, he does not want to experience the feeling of a box weapon. Moreover, this identity is too insignificant compared to the above label that Hikigaya has now. If he says it out loud, he will only ask for trouble, and no one will stand on his side.

Ye Shan has always been a person who can read the atmosphere very well, so after thinking for a long time, he decided to bury his true feelings and discoveries deep in his heart and talk about them later.

Just as his thoughts were churning in his mind, the image on the light screen changed again. The police car moving forward in the endless stream of traffic on the highway dimmed with the shadow, and a line of text appeared on the light screen.

【A week later.】

【Itabashi Ward, Tokyo, bordering Kita Ward. 】

【 05:47 AM 】

It's still dark, the dawn still hasn't arrived. It's the darkest hour in the world. Even though Tokyo is always brightly lit year-round, the light has been compressed to a minimum.

[And on a bridge somewhere at the junction of Banqiao District and North District, something far darker than this night, and infinitely more terrifying, is happening.]

Dorudo, dressed like an ascetic, stood at the top of the bridge, his feet resting on a beam barely ten centimeters in diameter. His eyes, the only part of his face not entangled in cloth, gazed silently at the rising sun in the east, oblivious to the heights below, which would send acrophobes into shock.

“…Quite fast.”

【"ah."】

Dorudo suddenly spoke without turning around, and another steady voice responded from behind him. Then the sound of boot soles colliding with steel beams echoed across the silent bridge before dawn.

A man in military uniform, with a solemn and dignified expression, slowly emerged from the darkness behind him. Standing on the bridge, his slender figure towered like a mountain. The immense pressure swirling around him made the night fade slightly.

"Why are you here? Where's Baruba?"

Gazing at Dorudo's back, Gadoru glanced around, but couldn't see the familiar figure. His eyebrows, curved like swords and fiercely aggressive, furrowed slightly, and his questioning voice became a little more serious.

"She's doing something else, preparing for 'The White and Dark Game'."

“Really? That’s really good.”

Upon hearing this news, Gadoru's expression softened, and he nodded slightly in agreement.

"That's great! Looks like we can start the showdown with Daguba right after this round."

"Don't be too proud. The rules have changed. Even if you pass the 'Dark Game', you still need to defeat another advanced player in the 'White and Dark Game' to pass."

"But the prerequisite is that you must first survive the combined siege of KUUGA and Daguber to advance."

Dorudo turned to face Gadoru and raised his right hand. On his middle finger was the ring necessary for the ceremony, and between his palms was a wooden plaque.

[This wooden sign was the one Gadoru had given Baruba a week ago. It contained the rules of the game he had set for himself.]

"Target number... 200,000."

Looking at the words on the wooden plaque, Dorudo read out this number, which was far greater than the total number of players in all the Gurongi games ever combined. Even a person as cold and sober as him couldn't help but remain silent for a moment.

"Are you sure you want to set that number? And you only have three days?"

[“There is one additional condition—I will only attack the warriors of Lindo, and the number was originally supposed to be 300,000.”]

[At the end, it frowned in dissatisfaction, its eyes seemed to be filled with ice.]

"But Gooma went too far before. The number of warriors in this kingdom seems to have been greatly reduced in the massacre he caused. To ensure the game runs smoothly, I have no choice but to use this number."

Gadoru said coldly, considering himself a warrior and believing in the strength and dignity of pure bushido. Therefore, he never enthusiastically hunted unarmed civilians like his fellow tribesmen. To Gadoru, if the prey lacked any power to resist or fight, then the game was nothing but pure slaughter, meaningless.

[It can kill the weak, but will never attack civilians who are powerless to fight back. That would be an utter disgrace to Gadoru. He would rather fail the game and self-destruct than have his creed and dignity trampled upon.]

"I see. I understand."

Putting down the wooden sign, Dorudo walked towards Gadoru, extending his hand. The ring's striker shone with an eerie golden-green light. As Gadoru approached, his form shifted in an instant, replacing his human form with an armored Rhinoceros Beetle-like Gurongi. The ring's striker pierced the center of the devilish, jet-black Kibolon belt around his waist.

Golden energy flowed through his sturdy frame, centered around Kibolon. Feeling the powerful force filling his body, Gadoru turned and left without hesitation. The moment he took a step, his back disappeared from Dorudo's sight.

A few golden rays pierced the darkness, illuminating Dorudo's frail form. The sun had been shining for a while, but the night was not illuminated by it.

An even more terrifying darkness swept over, engulfing the city as the sun rose in the east. The light of dawn, red as blood, illuminated the plaque in front of the Metropolitan Police Department building.

"No way……"

Watching the two figures on the light screen disappear on the bridge one after another, Kyosuke Kousaka felt a piercing chill rising from the end of his tailbone, and his hands trembled involuntarily, not only because of fear, but also because of anger.

"These guys, could it be that the goal of this game is—!?"

"...Actually, they've set their sights on the police?"

Daisuke Kosaka took a deep drag on his cigarette, then put out the burning butt in the ashtray. His eyes were as sharp as an eagle in the swaying white mist of nicotine.

He knew that these monsters who would become his son's enemies in the future had always been lawless, but he had never expected that they could be so rampant and bold as to directly target the country's defense forces.

As someone within the system, Kousaka Daisuke knew Gadoru's goal from the moment he spoke. Japan's police force currently hovered around 300,000. Following the massacre caused by Number Three, the number of future police officers had been reduced to a few hundred thousand. His target was 200,000, essentially encompassing every police officer in Japan.

As is well known internationally, Japan's Self-Defense Forces are basically just a decorative facade, and the real military force has always been the Metropolitan Police Department. Gadoru's practice of listing all police officers as targets in the game can basically be regarded as an attempt to challenge Japan's entire national defense force on his own.

This is such a crazy thing to do. What's even more outrageous is that it wants to do all this within three days. Even the time it took to capture Paris by blitzkrieg should be added 50 to this number.

If it truly achieved this, Japan would forever become an international laughingstock, both within and without the veil, and the government's authority would plummet to its lowest point since the war. Even the most outrageous and exciting fiction wouldn't necessarily depict such a scene, forcing a single individual to overthrow the defenses of a modern nation.

As an active-duty police officer, Kousaka Daisuke was naturally outraged by this blatant contempt and provocation, but as a seasoned veteran, he wouldn't overreact. Father and son were identical in this respect, both adept at using reason to control emotion.

"Kyosuke, how are you going to deal with this time?"

Hugging his wife tightly, Daisuke Kousaka looked at the development on the screen with deep eyes. He thought of his son in the future. As a policeman, the opponent was undoubtedly also within Gurongi's target in this game.

What worries him even more is the physical condition of "Kyosuke Kosaka". When his wife learned that her son only had six months left to live, she fainted. Even now, after waking up, she still feels a little dazed.

Although he didn't show it, Kousaka Daisuke felt extremely heavy inside. Although he was a policeman, he was also a father... and how could a father want his son to go down such a dead end? Even in the future.

But he also knew that he could do nothing about it. That was something that would happen in the future, and even if he could travel through time directly to the future, he would not be able to change anything that happened.

So Daisuke Kousaka chose to continue watching. No matter what, he wanted to see the end of his son's future, even if that ending was completely unacceptable.

This is the only thing he can do for "Kousaka Kyosuke" as a father.

[The national highway that connects Katsushika Ward, Tokyo, and Chiba Prefecture.]

【 07:47 AM 】

[Kousaka Kyosuke drove a police car on the national highway heading to Chiba Prefecture. He had a cigarette in his mouth, but the white smoke from the burning cigarette butt could not hide his worried expression.]

Today happened to be the weekend, and since the unconfirmed life form hadn't appeared yet, Kousaka chose to take a day off. He wanted to go back to his hometown after a long absence.

This time, he went back not only to visit his family, but also to ask his mother for more details about the dream. Even though two days had passed, Kosaka still felt a heavy weight on his heart when he thought about it.

He had considered calling or texting to inquire, but Tokyo had been experiencing the same intermittent signal conditions for the past two days. The relevant personnel had been working frantically for two days without sleep, but still hadn't found the source of the anomaly.

Because even professional detection equipment was completely destroyed by the incident, the authorities had no choice but to resort to primitive methods to search. Nearly half of Tokyo had been searched thoroughly, but nothing had been found.

Thanks to this, all of Tokyo has been shut down for two days. Aside from a few appliances that don't require electricity, the city remains ablaze with lights, a constant presence for over a decade. It's like stepping back a hundred years. At night, the city is pitch black like a ghost town, and people can only keep themselves afloat by candlelight and moonlight.

[And at the airport, not a single plane has taken off in two days. No one dares to risk the wrath of the enemy by allowing a plane to take off. Even offering extra money is useless. Money can buy people off, but it can't buy off natural disasters.]

Tokyo is large enough to hold on for now, but if this situation continues for a few more days, there will definitely be a big problem.

Kosaka, who had seen everything, naturally understood this, but he couldn't do anything about it. He returned home with the idea of ​​out of sight, out of mind.

[He was also deeply concerned about the changes that had occurred to his family. Kosaka felt that there must be some terrible secret hidden in this matter, otherwise it would be impossible for such a strange thing as everyone he knew to dream of his long-deceased father.]

【Dad...what on earth do you want to tell me? 】

[Recalling his father's voice, appearance, and smile from the past, Kosaka's eyes became blurry and complicated, and his hands gripping the steering wheel couldn't help but tighten.]

【Di-】

[A rapid beeping interrupted Kousaka's thoughts. He looked at the communication device next to the driver's seat, which kept flashing red, and his eyes immediately froze.]

This communication device is different from ordinary equipment. It has undergone special processing and modification, and uses a terrestrial wave communication system. Compared with today's equipment, its communication method can be said to be completely outdated.

But old things do have their advantages. For example, in terms of durability, a Nokia can easily smash a hundred iPhones like a hammer against a walnut without any damage. With all communication systems in the Tokyo area nearing obsolescence, it's one of the few remaining viable means of communication.

[And Kousaka knew exactly what the red light on this instrument meant. In the current Metropolitan Police Department, this situation only corresponds to one specific event: the appearance of Gurongi.]

“Of course, at this very moment…!”

Kosaka's face was extremely grim. He quickly connected the communication. Gokou Ruri's anxious voice rang out from the inside, so loud that it almost broke the window of the police car.

"Mr. Kousaka! Unidentified Lifeform No. 36 has appeared! And the location where it appeared is—"

"Metropolitan Police Department!"

[Intense gunfire echoed from the other end of the line, accompanied by these words. Upon hearing this, Kousaka's expression changed drastically. This development was completely beyond his expectations.]

[This time, the enemy's target is the Metropolitan Police Department!? ]

[“Five more! What’s going on now?”]

Kosaka immediately slammed on the brakes. Without caring about anything else, he drove the wrong way back on the highway, cutting through cars along the way and drawing a barrage of curses from the drivers.

While nimbly steering around the oncoming vehicle, Kousaka asked hurriedly. On the other end of the line, Gokou Ruri seemed on the verge of tears, yet remained calm and answered his question.

"Five minutes ago, Number 36 appeared at the entrance of the Metropolitan Police Department, killed the guards, and stormed in. He's currently engaged in a battle with the officers inside! He killed every male officer who tried to stop him! None of the female officers survived!"

"The enemy has already broken through to the tenth floor! Number 36 is simply too powerful! Our firepower is simply incapable of stopping it!"

"Is the target of this game a male police officer?"

Kosaka immediately extracted useful information from Gokou Ruri's fragmented words and deduced the target range within seconds. He immediately gritted his teeth. How dare they include us in their hunt...

[“Aa ...

【"Five more!?"】

[At this moment, Gokou Ruri's sharp wail sounded on the other end of the line, and Kousaka hurriedly inquired.]

"What's wrong? What happened? Gogen!"

【“Daguber.”】

A cold and dignified voice sounded from the other end of the line. Upon hearing this, Kousaka's pupils suddenly shrank to the size of a needle tip. Number 36!?

"That voice is probably you, right? Just like your companions said, I'm currently at the gathering place for you Lindo warriors."

"Come here quickly—you and Kuuga are my real targets."

After finishing speaking, the voice disappeared from the other end of the communication. A few seconds later, Gokuri Ruri's trembling reply echoed through the deadly silence of the car.

"Mr. Takasaka! Number 36, it just—"

【"I see."】

[At this moment, the upper half of Kousaka's face was completely shrouded in a dark cloud, and even his voice was solemn and cold.]

"Five, immediately send a notification to all police officers in Tokyo. Have all male officers rush to the Metropolitan Police Department to lead Unit 36 ​​away. Target the Itabashi district, which is currently undergoing reconstruction. Then notify the workers there to evacuate."

"Finally, notify Zaimokuza to rush to the scene to fight. I'll be right there!"

22. Death Battle Begins (5K)

【Tokyo, Chiyoda-ku, Metropolitan Police Department. 】

【 08:25 AM 】

The red sirens echoed in vain in the entrance hall of the Metropolitan Police Department. The red light illuminated the blood flowing everywhere, as well as the piles of corpses and brass bullet casings on the ground, making those who saw it feel as if they had arrived at the battlefield of the war-torn Middle East.

Gadoru, seemingly unharmed, though covered in blood, stood in the center of the hall. His left hand clutched his black hair, while his right gripped a large sword with a ferocious curve. The iron-black blade reflected the pale faces and trembling bodies of several female police officers standing nearby.

At its feet lay the headless corpse of a man in a police uniform. Gadoru was most pleased with the man's behavior just now. After running out of ammunition, he didn't run away crying like his colleagues. Instead, he grabbed a chair and used it as a weapon, rushing forward to engage him in hand-to-hand combat.