My youth story cannot be a knight war

So logically speaking, she should not be able to open her eyes again. How could she still be able to feel her own existence, and even have such clear consciousness and thoughts?

"——!?"

A dazzling light passed before her eyes, and Miou subconsciously raised her head to follow the light. The scene that came into her eyes made her slowly open her eyes, revealing an unconcealable shock in her eyes.

“What, what is this…!?”

What appeared before my eyes was a scene that was difficult to describe in words.

Above the sky of this pitch-black space, a huge ring hovered there, flashing with strange and bizarre colors.

...Moreover, this ring is unimaginably huge.

The outer edge of the circle was a deep purple, while the inner ring was a blood-red color. The circle slowly rotated counterclockwise, and inside the circle was a surging, rich black color, like a ball of solid ink surging in clear water.

This circle covered the entire upper field of vision in the space, and its edges emitted nine-colored lights as it rotated. Different light waves spread out into the void that was even deeper than this space.

It was an indescribable spectacle. The wonders created by mankind so far could not compare to the grandeur of this ring. The so-called Seven Wonders of the World were like ants' tiny nests built of sand and gravel compared to the roof of the world in front of this ring of light that covered the sky and the earth.

But what really shocked Miou was not the grandeur of the halo, but the aura it brought, which was so terrifying and full of extremely evil oppression.

She clenched her hands tightly against her chest, and the pupils of her eyes that reflected the halo trembled slightly.

"This power... could it be that this is—"

"finally found you."

A voice sounded from behind, the voice was so gentle and so familiar.

The moment he heard this voice, Miou's brain stopped working and his whole body stiffened.

"……well?"

How is it possible...Reason told Miou that she was hallucinating and the voice could not possibly belong to the person she was familiar with.

Because the other party has already...

The surging emotions washed over Miou's heart. The longing for thousands of years turned into a weight that directly crushed the threshold of rationality. She turned her head blankly, her eyes swaying in the evil light of the sky, and her clear pupils reflected thousands of colors and the person in front of her.

A young man in white linen clothes stood in the darkness and haze. Compared with his peers, he was very thin, and there was still some childishness on his face, making him look like a big boy.

The big boy quietly looked at Miou who turned his head, his clear black eyes were slightly red, with sadness flowing, but more of it was joy overflowing from his heart.

This person was really thin. According to the standards of humans in this era, he could almost be described as fragile... But in Miou's eyes, this figure was so majestic that nothing could surpass it.

From childhood to adulthood, in many days and nights filled with nightmares and fear, this figure has always stood in front of the frightened self. In the eyes of the young Miou at that time, the thin figure was so tall that it seemed to be able to block the entire world and prevent all the disasters and darkness that were coming.

"I've been waiting here for a long time, searching for a long time, and I haven't left yet... because I know you will definitely come here."

Looking at the girl in front of him, the young man's lips and voice trembled slightly as he uttered the name he had never forgotten.

"I finally found you...Miou."

"—"

There was no need to deceive herself with reason anymore. Tears flowed silently from her eyes. Miou walked towards the young man. The hem of her white skirt rose and fell, revealing her white ankles, just like when the two of them took off their shoes and ran by the river together when they were children.

Miou's figure also changed rapidly at this time. Her tall and beautiful figure turned into that little girl while running. She rushed into the arms of the boy in front of her with open arms, crying, and tightly grasped the clothes on his back with both hands.

"—Rick!"

boom--

The moment the two embraced, an even more dazzling, fiery red light erupted from the edge of the ring suspended in the sky above. The spreading light engulfed everything in the area...

……

The deep sleepiness is like a spring gushing out from the depths of the soul, then slowly spreading out and filling the empty body.

Kyosuke Kousaka felt as if he was suspended on a stream of warm water, but his limbs and bones immersed in it did not relax at all because of the warmth. Instead, he felt a fatigue and weakness that seemed to be engraved into the end of his body and mind.

He had never been so weak before. "Not even having the strength to move a finger" was not an exaggeration for Kousaka now, but just a simple statement.

But he still had the strength to open his eyelids, but what he saw in his lifeless eyes, which were barely open, was not normal at all.

In his narrowed vision, Kousaka could only see a vast expanse of darkness. The darkness was so pure and black that even a brief, hazy glance at it made him feel a terrifying fear.

If one stares at this darkness for a long time, it is enough to drive a normal person to the brink of mental collapse and turn him or her into a complete madman.

At the same time, Kosaka saw an even stranger sight.

In this darkness, there are ripples of various colors slowly spreading into the distance. These ripples have different colors. Basically, all the colors on the color spectrum defined by humans so far can be seen here. There are even many indescribable colors, which are hues that the human brain cannot recognize.

These ripples all spread from the same direction. Takasaka subconsciously wanted to move his eyes to follow them, wanting to see clearly from which direction these colors came.

His sight slowly shifted, and out of the corner of his right eye he caught a glimpse of brilliant red and purple. That was—

"Wake up!"

A steady and deep male voice resounded in the darkness. Kousaka felt something thick covering his right cheek, and he forced himself to turn his gaze back to its original direction.

He felt something rough and warm against his right cheek, and there were many round, hard bumps rubbing against his skin. Those should be... the calluses on his palm joints?

"Don't look that way! Wake up! You're already on the edge. If you keep sleeping here, you'll be dragged over!"

"You still have things to do, wake up, Kyousuke!"

Voices so familiar that they had almost faded from memory were now ringing in his ears one after another. Disbelief surged in his heart. Kousaka tried his best to open his eyes to see clearly, but he felt that he had no strength at all.

This sound…the feeling of that hand…no way…

"Ah...uh..."

"Tsk, I already said—"

Weak syllables escaped from his throat, as if he was angry at his powerless appearance. The calm male voice was filled with uncontrollable anger.

Kousaka suddenly felt a huge force coming from the front of his neck, which directly "dragged" him up.

Snapped!

A huge pain came from the left side of his face. This pain, which he had not felt for many years, suddenly awakened Kousaka's dormant physical memory and made him completely sober from his confusion.

At the same time, he also heard the last words that reached his ears.

"—Wake up from this damn place, stupid son!"

……

“Dad.”

Confused words rang out from his mouth, and he strained his sleepy eyes to open them. What met Kousaka's eyes... was a shattered ruin.

Like a modern city that had been bombed repeatedly by missiles, the place was littered with broken eaves and rubble. Not a single wall was taller than two meters. Flames licked at everything that remained, bringing with them an unbearable heat and burning stench.

Next to him were fallen chandeliers, also ablaze with flames. It was these iconic chandeliers that reminded Kosaka of where he was.

"Oh right, number 37 and I—Ugh!!!"

Kosaka's eyes widened, and he subconsciously tried to stand up. However, the resulting loss of balance and pain on his right side caused him to fall back onto the wrecked wall behind him, and he almost immediately went into shock and passed out.

[“Hmm…”]

Blood flowed from his eye sockets. Kousaka struggled to move his eyes to the right, only to see an even darker blood color.

The shoulder where his right hand had once been was gone, and boiling blood slowly flowed from the severed arm. The reason it was called "slowly" was because most of the wound had been scorched by the intense heat of the flames, which, by chance, helped Kousaka complete the bleeding.

[There was also a medium-sized gash on his right abdomen. Through the dangling shreds of clothing, one could even see the white, broken bones and flesh inside. The edges of the wound bore the marks of something gnawed by a gigantic beast, a hideous and ferocious sight.]

[With such horrific injuries, an average person would have died on the spot long ago, but fortunately, Kousaka is now far from the definition of "average." The enhanced nerves wriggling like octopus tentacles in the wound are the best proof of this.]

Even with the help of nerve strengthening, such a wound is not something that can be repaired in a short time. Any movement could cause secondary injury or even infection.

The blood that flowed down had accumulated into a pool in the ruins below Kousaka. Looking at the pale face reflected in the pool, Kousaka finally remembered how he had become like this.

[He lost the battle with the unidentified life form No. 37.]

Although he had anticipated this outcome, Kousaka had proven to have underestimated his opponent's strength. The normal form he had transformed into was like a child challenging a professional boxer; he was completely suppressed in every way. He finally understood what Zaimokuza had felt when he faced this monster that morning.

Skills were of little use in this kind of battle. It was a pure crushing advantage of higher stats over lower stats, the power disparity between the two comparable to that of a motorcycle and a dump truck. Finally, having been cornered several times, Kousaka was forced to use the black and gold crystal card once again.

[Kousaka, having returned to full power mode, finally matched or even surpassed Gadoru in output. Finally, seeking a quick victory, Kousaka used all his strength to unleash his ultimate move and collide with his opponent... The result was that he and his surroundings were left in the miserable state they are in now.]

[And Kousaka remembers that before he lost consciousness, Number 37 was attacked by his strongest attack. Now...]

【jump--】

A powerful explosion erupted from beneath a distant pile of rubble. The force of the impact lifted a large rock from its position above. The rock flew a short distance before crashing down five meters in front of Takasaka. The resulting dust and vibration perfectly reflected his state of mind at that moment.

【“…”】

[Wordlessly watching the tall golden figure rising from the ruins and flames in the distance, Kosaka held his breath, then spat out a single word through the blood oozing from the corner of his mouth.]

[“Fuck—cough cough cough!!!”]

This foul language triggered his injuries, and Kousaka lowered his head and began to cough violently, spitting out blood mixed with organ fragments. After spitting out, he leaned against the wall and gasped violently.

[…Quite capable.]

The deep voice made Kousaka cast his cold, weak gaze over. A disheveled Gadoru, one hand covering his chest and abdomen, slowly walked towards them.

[Rich blood flowed from the chest covered by the hand. Gadoru raised his head, and his pair of blue compound eyes reflected Kousaka's miserable appearance.]

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

Although he hadn't used his full strength, Gadoru truly felt the breath of death approaching at the end of the exchange. The energy contained in Kousaka's attack would have been enough to kill him if it had hit. It even felt more powerful than the final blow of his nemesis, whom he had defeated that morning.

So, facing Kousaka's attack, Gadoru once again used the same technique he used against Zaimokuza that morning, transforming part of his body into pure elements, thus avoiding this fatal blow.

However, this time, unlike the previous attack, the full force of the blow didn't reach Gadoru. At least three-tenths of the force still struck him, leaving a deep, distinct mark even after his body returned to its original form, causing intense pain.

[Fortunately, this level of injury isn't fatal, and the battle has already been decided.]

"You have not sullied your name, Daguber."

As he spoke, the gold and fur on Gadoru's body slowly faded, and the color of his eyes changed from bluish-gold to pure, vivid purple, signifying his exit from the second-order mode and transformation into a normal rigid body.

Gadoru, who had come to a short distance in front of Kousaka, looked down at him from above. Kousaka raised his head, his gaze meeting Gadoru's without wavering. The firmness and coldness in his eyes remained unwavering despite the impending death.

[Looking at this enemy who had given him such a great pleasure in battle, Gadoru held in his heart the highest respect and decided to reward him with a most dignified death.]

【Buzz.】

It plucked the magatama from its neck, and the black jade stretched and twisted between its palms, transforming into a pitch-black greatsword. Its crudely shaped blade gleamed with an icy light that even the finest steel in the world could not possess.

Gadoru slowly raised the greatsword, gripping the hilt with both hands. His deep voice echoed through the ruins, even the burning flames being temporarily suppressed.

"Farewell, warrior."

[“…I’ll give you this sentence as well.”]

Looking up at the blade about to strike down, Kousaka suddenly smiled. His open mouth revealed two rows of teeth half stained red with blood. The combination of white and crimson was as chilling as a wolf on the hunt.

“After you are defeated—someone will burn paper for those who died at your hands on this day next year!”

【boom--】

A wild animal-like roar echoed from behind, and a dazzling light shone on Gadoru's back, casting a shadow that obscured Kosaka in front of it, but it couldn't hide its piercing eyes.

[“Hmm!?”]

Gadoru suddenly turned around, and what caught his eye was the front of the car, raised high like a prancing horse. The spinning wheels struck its chest in the split second it took to escape, sending up fiery sparks!

The immense inertia and impact force poured into Gadoru's chest, sending his massive frame flying. He crashed through the wall beside Kousaka before landing on the ground, tumbling a long distance in a cloud of dust.

【“Mr. Kosaka!”】

Zaimokuza, wearing only a windbreaker over his bare upper body, took off his helmet. He looked at Kousaka, who was leaning against the wall in front of him and covered in blood, and couldn't help but be horrified. He quickly got out of the car and ran towards him.

“How did you—”

"Don't touch me if you don't want me to die!"

Kosaka's tone-deaf voice caused Zaimokuza's hand, about to touch his shoulder, to pause. Having narrowly escaped death from his allies, he looked at the bewildered Zaimokuza before him, his right eye twitching slightly.

"You always arrive at the critical moment... Never mind, I'm used to it."

"Uh... Looks like you're okay, Mr. Kousaka."

Feeling the resentment thick enough to materialize in Kousaka's words, Zaimokuza smiled awkwardly and scratched the hair at the back of his head with his outstretched hand.

[“KUUGA!?”]

But a deep voice from behind Kousaka instantly changed Zaimokuza's expression. His eyes were now even colder than Kousaka's, a bone-chilling chill filling his gaze.

【Crack.】

Zaimokuza stood up and looked at Gadoru who was standing in the distance. He clenched his right hand into a fist, and the bones in his fist made a crisp cracking sound from the excessive force.