My youth story cannot be a knight war

Baruba walked calmly through the corridor, not turning back to see the blocked entrance or the explosions behind him. Instead, he stared straight ahead at the brightly lit exit.

She could sense another familiar, powerful aura rapidly approaching from the direction beyond the exit. This aura was no less powerful than the two fighting behind her.

[“It seems like all this is really coming to an end.”]

[Feeling the familiarity and strangeness of this breath, Baruba's eyes flickered with a faint blur as he spoke softly.]

"But, by violating the precepts, we have already committed a grave sin that can never be undone..."

【"……Mother."】

……

【Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo. 】

"The flare's location has disappeared. Looks like they've discovered it."

[Kousaka Kyosuke was driving his motorcycle on the road. He watched the blue light disappear from the display screen in front of him, his eyelids slightly narrowed.]

"The last location shown is the Komazawa Central Gymnasium in Setagaya Ward. It's large and has secluded spaces, making it perfect for hiding."

[…No, those guys are probably fighting among themselves, just like Number Three did last time.]

[The voice of Ebinahime Sai came from the communicator on the front of the locomotive, but Kousaka rejected her words and spoke firmly.]

"How did you know that, Kousaka-kun?"

“Because I feel it.”

Kosaka raised his head and looked towards Setagaya. A tiny golden light danced in the depths of his eyes, like a golden koi carp swimming through a deep pool.

"In Setagaya, two extremely powerful forces are currently entwined and erupting. One belongs to B9, which is slowly weakening, while the other is... the power of Number ."

"It seems my speculation was correct. Since players will be punished for fouls, referees who fail to maintain the game will also be punished. They are truly fair in this respect."

"You...felt it?"

[Ignoring Kousaka's ironic last sentence, Ebina instead focused on the information revealed in his previous sentence.]

"It's not really a feeling, it's more like seeing."

Kosaka's gaze drifted towards Setagaya, and he saw something a normal person couldn't possibly see. The world in his eyes turned a dull gray, and within that gray, two rays of light, each of different colors, shone brightly in the direction he was staring at. From afar, it looked like colorful clouds falling onto the earth.

"I'm guessing you couldn't see it, Miss Ebina, but I saw it clearly. It was a truly spectacular sight, like a natural disaster... though I was almost there."

[Looking down at the faint black mist swirling around him, Kousaka scoffed and said, a hint of self-mockery in his tone.]

"...Even so, are you still going to fight?"

[With a silent sigh, Ebina, sitting at the table, glanced at the mirror to his left. The mirror reflected the table behind him, on which an open cabinet was placed.]

[Looking at the empty cabinet, Ebina's eyes were filled with complex emotions, and even his voice was tinged with them.]

"Do you know what will happen if you continue to transform?"

"Of course, isn't it just turning into a monster? But I think I'm almost one already."

[As if answering a question from someone irrelevant to him, rather than his own ending, Kousaka's voice was flat and even a little boring.]

"But there's nothing we can do about it, right? After all, Zaimokuza hasn't woken up yet, and I'm the only one left who can fight right now. I can't just stand by and watch Number 37 continue to cause trouble, can I?"

[Faced with Kousaka's pointed words, Ebina's expression stiffened for a moment, then he kneaded his brow and spoke.]

"It seems your abilities are truly beyond mine. I haven't told you what happened at the hospital yet, have I?"

"You mean the time B1 took Akiyama to the hospital, and then Yukinoshita-san and Makishima kept it a secret. Then, after doing something unknown, they left. And then, Makishima called you and told you not to tell me, right?"

"...Kousaka-kun, you really didn't install surveillance cameras in the hospital?"

"I told you, I was just 'watching,' but it really gave me a fright. I ran over immediately, but they left before I even got there, and no one was hurt. So, everyone's happy, right?"

[Faced with Kousaka's overly calm voice, cold sweat inexplicably seeped from his forehead, and Ebina chuckled dryly with a twitch of his eye.]

"Ah~ So what do you think about this? You're such a magnanimous person like Kosaka-kun, so you wouldn't be angry, right?"

"Honestly, I'm furious, especially since all of you decided to hide this from me after making such a dangerous choice."

"I'm so sorry!"

[Kousaka responded, and Ebina, sensing a faint hint of murderous intent in his words, immediately admitted his mistake. His acknowledgment was so sincere that it almost sounded like a dogeza on the other end of the line.]

"I'll settle this matter with you, Miss Ebina, later. And while I don't know B1's motive for doing this, thankfully Zaimokuza was saved, which is why I can speak to you so calmly now."

"But, we don't know how long it will take for him to wake up. And based on the current time... B9 can only hold out for about fifty minutes before B comes out to kill again."

"Is Number 37 really that strong?"

[After hearing the time given by Kousaka, Ebina's expression suddenly became serious.]

"It's definitely stronger than you think."

As Kousaka watched the blue-green light in his field of vision gradually being eroded by the dark red light, his voice also became heavy.

"That guy is completely different from the Gurongi who appeared before. Even Number Three in Gaiba Village can't compare to him... Honestly, even I think I've barely escaped death this time."

"I will do my best to defeat it, but if I cannot, I will try to buy time for Zaimokuza's awakening."

"...I advise you not to be too stubborn, Kousaka-kun."

Ebina looked up at the computer screen in front of him, which was showing the tests conducted here before Kousaka's attack.

"Your erosion level has reached 89%. After this use, it will definitely exceed 90%. For any disease, 90% is an extremely dangerous and unpredictable area."

"We can't predict whether your erosion rate will accelerate or slow down after reaching this value. The best case scenario is that you can maintain your sanity and survive this transformation, and the worst case scenario..."

"After this transformation, I'll immediately become a Gurongi and go berserk, right?"

【“…That’s right.”】

[In response to Kousaka's question, Ebina remained silent for a while before giving a positive answer.]

"Fortunately, this won't happen. Rather than becoming a monster and endangering the world, I'd rather be reduced to ashes."

[Kousaka glanced back at the trunk of his motorcycle and chuckled.]

"Ms. Ebina, isn't it to prevent this kind of situation that you installed a self-destruct device on the G1? I suppose that when my erosion rate exceeds 99%, I will disappear from this world along with the G1 system, right?"

"That's good. Miss Ebina, you've kept your promise to me. Now I can finally rest assured up there."

[…So you already knew I was lying to you about installing the control device.]

The hand holding the microphone trembled slightly, but Ebina continued to speak with a casual air.

"While this may seem questionable to me, Ms. Ebina, I understand this weapon you created better than you do. Therefore, I know that the G1 is completely uncontrollable."

"That's why I was so adamant last time that you would destroy all my data and my physical body after my death... Has this completed half of your job for me?"

"Not half, all."

Ebina glanced at an iron bucket not far away in the corner. Faint sparks were rising from it. The ashes of the burning paper were blown away by the exhaust fan, along with the top-secret information originally written on it.

"After you left the room, I burned all remaining paper materials related to the G1 system at the research institute. I watched the entire process unfold, until every last piece of paper was burned."

"So now, the G1 in your hand is scientifically out of print. It will never be possible to produce another one."

"...Is that so? Then I'm relieved."

[Exhaling deeply, the windshield of his helmet becoming hazy with his breath, Kousaka spoke sincerely.]

"Thank you, Miss Ebina. Now I don't have to worry about it anymore."

"Are you really not afraid of death?"

Even now, Ebina couldn't help but ask this question. She was well aware of the weight and irreversibility of life, having witnessed a disaster caused by it herself.

[But although Kousaka kept saying that he was afraid of death, he actually seemed to have no attachment to his own life, which made her really confused.]

"Are you afraid of death? Of course I am. If I die, many people will suffer... I know that very well."

As he gazed at the Setagaya Ward sign approaching, Kousaka's voice grew quiet and nostalgic.

“But I’ve always felt… maybe I’ve actually been waiting for this moment, this moment to sacrifice my life for something.”

"I didn't know you, Kousaka-kun, had such self-destructive tendencies."

"This isn't a self-destructive tendency. If I can survive, I certainly want to... but I'm also surprisingly not opposed to this ending."

"Maybe it's because I finally figured it out?"

The wheels gradually slowed, and his voice echoed through the communication device, echoing in Ebina's ears. The force and emotion contained in it were as if spoken directly before his eyes.

"I finally understand what Dad was feeling when he used his body to block those bullets."

"...So you want to emulate your father's self-sacrifice?"

Ebina had heard this story before, but he was only just now hearing it acknowledged by the person involved, so he wasn't surprised.

“No, I just understood. I understood why he did that.”

The wheels finally stopped turning at this moment, and Kousaka kicked off his foot, taking off his helmet while speaking.

“But precisely because of this, I want to see him again, to tell him in person what his choice meant to me.”

"But before that... I have to repeat what Dad did."

Kosaka looked at the massive gymnasium towering before him and slowly raised his head, his eyes connecting with another pair of eyes at that moment.

A cold and beautiful woman in a white dress stood at the highest point of the gymnasium, her skirt fluttering in the strong wind. She looked down at Kousaka, who was standing below and looking up at her, without saying a word.

After a few seconds, Baruba silently withdrew his gaze and turned to walk towards the open window behind him. His back disappeared into the darkness under Kousaka's increasingly sharp gaze.

“Dad made the choice to keep Kirino and I alive; and now…”

[Kousaka got off the motorcycle, opened the trunk, and took out a box.]

After opening the box, Kousaka saw the black floodlit screen, along with the gleaming dark golden crystal card beside it.

[Reaching out to pick up the G1, Kousaka placed the other crystal cards that were pinned to the recessed areas of the box onto the card holder one by one, and finally picked up the dark gold crystal card.]

[Looking at this brand new crystal card, Kousaka said softly:]

"It's my turn to sacrifice my life for others."

34. Curse (5K)

【not long ago. 】

The black-gold triangular forked sword slashed down, and the blue duckweed crutch slashed upward. The sparks that erupted from the collision between the sword blade and the crutch were beyond description, like a chainsaw slicing through tons of steel. The cascading sparks completely engulfed both figures at that moment.

Generally speaking, the nemesis of swords is clubs and hammers. Even if the materials of the two are comparable, the difference in quality determines the relationship between the weapons. The result of a head-on collision is often that the sword blade is directly broken.

The so-called "unbroken sword" is merely a kendo promotional gimmick, typically found only in science fiction films and staged photoshoots. Looking at the history of cold weapon combat, no sword or blade can escape shattering when faced with a steel club.

[However, this unchanging law of reality was completely destroyed at this moment by an absolute violence beyond human imagination.]

After only about three seconds of stalemate, the black-gold sword's edge severed the blue duckweed crutch in a sudden burst of flames. The broken piece, only a few centimeters in size, flew into the air in a spiral.

At the same time, the sword, unstoppable and unstoppable, struck the chest shrouded in black robes. The immense force exerted on the blade made it truly unstoppable, easily severing the skin, muscles, bones, and even organs beneath the clothing.

The thin figure was sent flying by the sword's aftermath, leaving a human-shaped dent in the already scarred gymnasium wall. The entire gymnasium seemed to shake for a moment.

[“Hmm…”]

The broken duckweed crutch fell to the ground, and Dorudo, who had been silent and cold until then, finally let out a labored gasp that broke his previous impression.

[Ra-Dorudo-Gu·Reinforced·Element Fusion (Wind, Water)]

"Too weak! Is this all Ra's strength is now?"

A cold voice came from the front. Gadoru sheathed his greatsword, his golden compound eyes fixed on Dorudo, who had been knocked into the wall, and spoke with a hint of disappointment.

【Go-Gadoru-Ba·Rigid Body·Second Order】

【“…”】

Facing its expressed disappointment, Dorudo silently freed himself from the wall, stumbling slightly as he bent down to pick up another fallen crutch. Gadoru, observing this, also suppressed his emotions, gripping the hilt of his greatsword with both hands, ready to bring this already decided battle to a close.

【“!?”】

But at this moment, Dorudo did something beyond Gadoru's expectations. After picking up the duckweed crutch, its slow speed suddenly changed. It quickly swung the duckweed crutch in its other hand and spun towards Gadoru's face.

Even though he was caught off guard, this level of attack couldn't possibly harm Gadoru. A stream of black light slashed at the oncoming duckweed crutch, and the next second, the crutch, split in two, struck the wall behind Gadoru. However, the weapon, even if it was as long as his arm, fired with the destructive force of a cannonball, and huge cracks spread across the entire wall at an extremely fast speed.