My youth story cannot be a knight war

Her gaze passed over the frightened and angry Makishima and the solemn Yukinoshita, and landed on the unconscious Akiyama Mio behind them. Staring at the unconscious girl, Baruba's gaze no longer held the depth and yearning it once had.

Those calm eyes now held only subtle disappointment, gloom, and loneliness. These emotions were normal for humans, but not for Gurongi, especially not for a Gurongi like Baruba.

[I don't know if it was an illusion, but Yukinoshita suddenly felt that the person standing before them at this moment was no longer a prominent figure among the Gurongi clan, humanity's mortal enemy, but just an ordinary human, a human who could cry and laugh.]

[At this moment, this "human" exudes an incomparable loneliness, sadness, and even sympathy.]

"I said this girl might be able to save Kuuga, and I kept my word."

"Whether Kuuga can survive depends on his strong will to live. It has nothing to do with me."

Feeling the power emanating from the light cocoon behind him, as well as the familiar aura of a soul, Baruba finally received the answer he'd sought, even at the cost of violating the rules. However, the last glimmer of hope within him was buried by boundless disappointment.

[——As expected, in this world, only similar people appear, but no identical person will be resurrected.]

Now that the answer was clear, there was no need for her to stay here any longer. She took one last glance at the light cocoon behind her, all her emotions buried deep in her eyes.

["...さようなら, Miou."]

[Three seconds later, she transformed back into the cold and ruthless Gurongi referee and walked towards the operating room door.]

“Where are you going?”

Holding Makishima in her arms, Yukinoshita looked at Baruba as he passed by and asked.

“I’m going to do what I’m supposed to do as a Kikiru referee.”

Baruba stopped walking, not looking towards Yukinoshita.

"If Kuuga wakes up, tell him to get ready... Daguba is waiting for him."

【“…”】

The tail end of the other person's last words faded into the red roses floating before her eyes. Looking down at the few petals left where Baruba had been, Yukinoshita fell silent.

Chiba Prefecture, Sobu High School, Service Club.

"The continuation of life..."

Hikigaya Hachiman looked at the thin figure in the light curtain that disappeared at the door of the operating room. After knowing her purpose, for some reason, he felt pity for Baruba for a moment.

"Xiaoqi, I always feel that B1... seems very sad?"

As a woman, Yuigahama Yui, who is always more sensitive than men in this regard, reached out and tugged at Hikigaya's sleeve with a hesitant expression, and whispered.

"You're not wrong. She's really sad and in pain."

"...I never thought these guys could be so human-like."

Hikigaya spoke silently. He had always been able to easily see through the true nature of others, and had rarely made a mistake so far. However, when he saw Gurongi, he even initially suspected that there was something wrong with his perception.

Because those guys were all the same, with no real distinction between fake and real. Hikigaya could only sense pure brutality and evil from them. So even though they looked exactly like humans when they weren't transformed, in Hikigaya's eyes, these Gurongi could never be equated with humans for even a moment.

Humans are multifaceted creatures, possessing both good and evil, and filled with contradictory elements. Although impure, this is what makes them human. These Gurongi are truly pure, their souls pure and devoid of any impurities.

That is pure and utter evil.

To some extent, these guys are actually the "real thing" that Hikigaya has always been pursuing, the absolute truth without any falsehood... But this is probably the worst "real thing" in the history of the world. When Hikigaya saw these guys, he realized that the "real thing" he pursued could sometimes make him despise and hate it.

But in the current Baruba, he felt the truth and falsehood that were no different from those of humans. Beneath this false and indifferent shell, there was real and endless sadness surging inside.

"Gurongi...will he feel sad for someone too?"

Recalling what Yukinoshita Yukino had just said and Baruba's muttering to herself, Hikigaya probably guessed her true purpose, but that was precisely why he found it unreasonable.

How could such inhumane demons like these actually yearn for their lost lives like humans do, even pinning their hopes on the now-probably-disproven theory of reincarnation? What kind of New Age joke is this?

Compared to what Hikigaya was focusing on, another person present was focusing on something else.

After seeing the scene on the light screen, the other person chose to leave and no longer had any attachment to this place.

Baruba and Miou came up with their own answers, and at the same time, they also came up with the answer that another person wanted, even though he already knew the answer in his heart.

——In this world, life can only be continued but cannot be reborn.

hum-

Faint, transparent ripples rippled across the glass of the service hall before vanishing. This process took less than a second, but it still caught the attention of others.

"..."

Frowning and looking at the window behind him, Hayato Hayama's eyes were a little hesitant at this moment.

Was that an illusion just now?

"I'm sorry, my willfulness has caused trouble for you, Mr. Zaimokuza."

Zaimokuza didn't know how much time had passed before Miou finally let go of the hand that was holding him. She was now kneeling on the ground (?) and speaking to him, her cheeks flushed just like her eyes.

Zaimokuza was also sitting cross-legged at this time. He looked at the smiling girl before him. Although he knew that she and Akiyama Mio were not the same person, he still felt an indescribable sense of strangeness when looking at that identical face.

“No, you shouldn’t say that to me. In fact, I should thank you. If you hadn’t healed my injury, I would probably be buried by now.”

【Zaimokuza scratched his hair and said with a smile.】

[“…No, Mr. Zaimokuza, your injuries haven’t fully recovered yet.”]

[However, Miou shook her head slightly, and the words she whispered made Zaimokuza's smile freeze.]

“Uh, you mean…”

"Listen to the end when someone is talking~"

A white finger flicked against Zaimokuza's forehead. Miou retracted her finger and smiled at his bewildered expression. Her smile was playful and cute.

"Your injuries this time were too severe. Even Yamadam was severely damaged. Even I could only barely repair the damage to the spirit stone."

"So what's happening now has nothing to do with me. Mr. Zaimokuza's injuries are being repaired by the Spiritual Stones within his body. This process will take approximately four hours."

"So, I have to stay like this for four hours? I have to be with you the whole time?"

Zaimokuza was stunned for a moment, then suddenly realized what was going on.

"What's wrong? Zaimokuza-san, don't you like being with me?"

Miou wrapped her arms around her legs, her chin resting on her knees, and tilted her head as she spoke. She wore a half-smile, a maliciously cute expression, but she deliberately gazed down at him with a pitiful gaze. Her body curved softly as she wrapped her arms around her knees, her close-fitting dress stretching to hug her curves. Her exposed white feet shone brightly in the surrounding light, each toe wiggling playfully.

【"Well……"】

[“Puff~”]

As a boy with no experience of either sex, Zaimokuza was completely overwhelmed by the sight before him, which could be fatal to those who were obsessed with girls or feet. His face immediately turned red, and he turned his head away, hesitating. This scene made Miou burst out laughing, and her eyelashes fluttered in her curved eyes.

[“Sure enough, they look alike…”]

Miou's voice was barely audible, and before Zaimokuza could come to his senses, she was the first to stand up.

"Actually, this is a dream opportunity for me. I've always wanted to have a face-to-face conversation with you, Mr. Zaimokuza."

Her expression turned serious, a stark contrast to Zaimokuza's previous attitude, which made him feel a little uncomfortable for a moment. However, Miou's next words captured his full attention.

"I'd like to take this opportunity to finally tell you, Mr. Zaimokuza, something you absolutely must know."

[Touching the jade pendant on his right wrist, Miou's eyes seemed so profound at this moment, like a mural illuminated by a torch, revealing the mystery and truth that had been buried for thousands of years.]

[“That’s the real story of what’s happening now, and…”]

[“The ‘Ultimate Darkness’ that the Gurongi Clan longed for…the entire truth.”]

【“!!!”】

Zaimokuza's pupils shrank, knowing that the real thing was finally coming. Through the memory that had appeared intermittently in his mind before, he had already clearly understood the true identity of the girl in front of him, also named Mio.

She is the only relative of the previous Kuuga user in this world, and a member of the ancient Gulindo tribe. Like the Gurongi who sleep within the seal, she is a true survivor from that era.

In other words, unlike the fragmentary accounts of the ancient times recorded on the stone tablets that Yukinoshita had translated, this person was a true ancient human who had lived through that era and witnessed everything that happened there firsthand. It's hard to imagine how much valuable information she possessed. For humans, who are still completely bewildered by the ancient times and the Gurongi, this information is a treasure beyond measure, even beyond all the wealth in the world.

Zaimokuza quickly stood up and listened intently to every word Miou said. He had a premonition that what he was about to hear would completely overturn his previous worldview.

"Mr. Zaimokuza, what do you think of our Rindo clan and the Gurongi clan?"

Miou immediately posed a question to Zaimokuza as soon as he opened his mouth. Zaimokuza thought for a moment and then spoke tentatively.

"You are two hostile races. The Gurongi are bloodthirsty and have always regarded you as prey, while you are a nomadic and peace-loving race?"

"...Very comprehensive and comprehensive, truly very much your style."

Miou was choked by his answer and it took a long time before she continued speaking.

"Let me ask you another question. What else do you know about the Gurongi clan?"

【“…”】

Zaimokuza fell silent in response to this question, his gaze downcast and dark, and he pursed his lips several times before answering hesitantly.

[“They…were once just like you, all Linduo, right?”]

This was the discovery that Kousaka Kyousuke had once relayed to him on behalf of Yukinoshita, and it was also the truth that Zaimokuza had been subconsciously trying to avoid. But now, after careful consideration, he had chosen to face this fact head-on.

"Yes, you are right. Gurongi was originally just like us, a Lindo."

"But there's one thing you don't know."

【Miou sighed, then spoke again.】

[“That is, we, Lindo and Gurongi, are originally descended from the same ancestor. The two groups actually belong to the same bloodline in the beginning.”]

「Wh, what???」

Zaimokuza was stunned by this answer and looked at Miou with disbelief, who had a somewhat gloomy expression.

"Are the Lindo and Gurongi clans descendants of the same Lindo family?"

"You can roughly understand it that way, but the truth is a little different from what you said, Mr. Zaimokuza... It's not just Gurongi, but also the Rindo of my time and the humans of this time. We all started from the same source."

[Shaking his head, Miou took a deep breath.]

As she inhaled, the surrounding scene suddenly began to change dramatically. The original light began to dissipate, and after the light faded, a strong whistling sound and cold water droplets came overwhelmingly.

[Illusory rain streamed down Zaimokuza and Miou's bodies. Zaimokuza stared at the scene before him, completely speechless with shock.]

[Because everything before him was a magnificent sight Zaimokuza had never witnessed before. Above him was a sky covered in crimson, stretching endlessly; below him were surging, roaring waves, the black water that drowned everything in sight continuously rolling towards the horizon, then dyed the sky the same color.]

A strong sense of terror welled up from deep within his heart, his heartbeat quickened by the uncontrollable palpitations. Zaimokuza was caught off guard and clutched his left chest.

This feeling had nothing to do with his own will, but rather was a spontaneous reaction of his body. A memory etched in his DNA was awakened by this sight, a primal fear long forgotten by modern humans now fully revived. The ultimate terror once felt along the path of his race's evolution awakened within Zaimokuza's body.

[“What the hell is this…!?”]

[“Next, I will tell you everything, the beginning of all this, and the truth.”]

While Zaimokuza was still reeling from the shock of what he saw and the fear within him, Miou slowly spread her arms to her sides. Her figure, against the backdrop of the surrounding sun, was imbued with an indescribable mystery, like the God in the Sistine Chapel ceiling frescoes imparting wisdom to humanity, possessing a religious sanctity and majesty.

[“This world once suffered a great disaster.”]

As Miou spoke, the apocalyptic scene that filled his entire field of vision suddenly became filled with countless pale spots, like a water-soaked ink painting, and then a new scene emerged from the blank space.

The blazing flames illuminated Zaimokuza's vision. All around him were cries of killing and a surging crowd of people in bizarre attire rushing forward. The blazing wreckage of buildings spread from before his eyes to the distance beyond his sight. Beneath the flames and ruins lay countless wreckage.

“Although the time we live in is so far away from that of Zaimokuza-san and his people that even history books cannot record it, we are not the origin of humanity.”

Miou's voice filled the entire space, overlapping and resounding like the harmonious chorus of a church choir.

“Before us, there was an era of immense prosperity. That was the true birth of the human race, and it was also the peak period of all life.”

"At that time, human existence pervaded every corner of this planet, whether in the sky, on the land, or in the ocean. Even in the forbidden zone of life that you now call the Abyss, there existed a prosperous civilization that you cannot comprehend."

Following Miou's words, countless scenes emerged one after another in this blank space. Zaimokuza saw a giant city stretching across the entire earth, a majestic palace suspended in the clouds, and an ancient city existing in the deep sea. And in all these incredible scenes, there were human figures.

[“This is… the first human?”]

Zaimokuza's eyes were filled with shock. What he saw completely surpassed his imagination. He could not imagine that such a prosperous civilization existed on this planet so long ago, and it was a human civilization.

Humans living in today's era, regardless of country or cultural region, all harbor a deep-seated arrogance toward history. This is because they subconsciously believe they are the most powerful race of life on this planet, and no other race can rival them.

Even within the same human civilization, compared to the humans recorded in past history, the people of this era have already reached the pinnacle. With the exception of the future, the humans of this era surpass all previous dynasties. Unprecedented technology has given people unparalleled confidence.

Even with such a brilliant modern civilization, there are still areas on this planet that cannot be conquered. The vast oceans that stretch across the entire planet are a prime example. Even reaching the very bottom of the ocean is nearly impossible, let alone establishing a civilization in such an absolute no-go zone for life. With today's human technology, that's simply a fantasy.

[But there is indeed a civilization that has achieved this, and it is also human, but it is not in the present or the future, but in the past so distant that time cannot be remembered.]

"This is the most prosperous era since humanity was born on this planet. There's no doubt about that. Powerful civilization and strength have given humanity confidence... but this ultimate confidence has ultimately bred extreme arrogance."

[Looking at these scenes that kept passing by, Miou's voice became low.]

[“And this arrogance… also brought an unprecedented disaster upon humanity.”]