My youth story cannot be a knight war

【New heroes will also write epic stories. 】

【And in the end, it reaches the end of this reincarnation. 】

……

Day 4, last three minutes.

Nagano Prefecture, Kurodake, the Ultimate Tower.

Over the past four days, the heavy snow has never stopped falling, so the accumulated snow has never receded. The endless falling snow has decorated this broken land with a silver blanket. As far as the eye can see, the pure white stretches to the end of the horizon.

But in this pure white, there is a color that stands out from the crowd. Its overwhelming presence completely reverses the priorities, as if the whole world is the backdrop of this color.

It was a giant black tower, standing tall on the boundless land. The fang-shaped guard towers around it, whose size was beyond the imagination of modern engineering, wound up along the main tower in a spiral trajectory. From a distance, it looked as if five long, twisted black claws were grasping the entire tower.

Looking at the past, present, and even the distant future, in the history of mankind since its birth, no building can compare to this giant tower except Noah's Ark, which once preserved the race's fire when the planet turned into hell.

It is synonymous with miracles. Its mere existence is a complete rebellion against the laws of nature. Only the power of God that transcends human capabilities can accomplish such a feat.

And at this moment, a being that possessed such divine power and truly had the name of "God" stood quietly at the top of this tall tower.

This is a height so high that it exceeds the clouds. There is no tower wall on the top of the tower, so the whole tower can be seen clearly in the distance. White clouds are surging at the edge like the sea, and above is the dark and uncovered sky. The two concepts of earth and sky are perfectly integrated, and the scenery is breathtakingly magnificent.

A boy dressed in white stood at the center of the top of the giant tower, looking up at the purple ring of fire at the end of the sky, which represented despair to the world, with the same ever-changing curve on the corner of his mouth.

But at a certain moment, the curve on the boy's face pulled up, and his clear black eyes saw the scene far below through the rolling sea of ​​clouds.

In the silent world of falling snow, there were two streaks of white light. The roar of the engine echoed on the snowy field. Two clearly visible wheel tracks extended all the way from the way they came, heading towards this tower that reached the sky and the earth.

"~?"

……

hum...

The roar of the locomotives gradually died down, and the two locomotives stopped one after the other on the endless snowfield, in front of the tall tower.

"..."

His smooth short white hair fell down as he took off his helmet. He looked up at the black tower in front of him, whose top was invisible until the end of the sky, and his eyes were a little dazed.

"This is……"

"This is it."

Kyosuke Kousaka's voice came from behind. He was still wearing the black windbreaker and suit, holding a watch-shaped silver detection device in his hand.

On the interface of this device, the red signal source emitted a red wave that spread across the entire screen as the frequency jumped. He walked to Zaimokuza's side and looked down at the signal source displayed on the detection radar. The red light illuminated the calm face.

After closing the watch case, Kousaka put the special device into his pocket. He and Zaimokuza looked up at this magnificent building, the most magnificent building they had ever seen in their lives, with solemn expressions.

"Number Zero's detection signal is at the top of this tower, and its position hasn't moved a single step since just now."

Zaimokuza nodded, hung his helmet on his goggles, and walked down, standing shoulder to shoulder with Kousaka.

"I can feel the presence of Daguba. In fact, he is watching us right now."

"...It seems He is indeed very content, but He can hardly wait any longer."

The mouth, stained with a layer of snow flakes, opened and closed, releasing a long breath. The breath became a hot white mist in the cold air, blurring and obscuring Kousaka's eyes at the moment.

He turned his head and looked at Zaimokuza who was taking off his gloves next to him and spoke softly.

"Then... it's up to you."

"Zaimokuza."

"Do not worry."

After taking off the pair of gloves that Akiyama Mio bought for him and placing them on the back seat, Zaimokuza rubbed his hands together, looked at Kousaka and said with a smile.

"Leave everything from now on to me, Mr. Kosaka."

"……Um."

Facing Zaimokuza's smile and words, Kousaka's eyes dimmed for a moment, and he nodded slightly.

"Then I'll go up."

Slowly retracting the smile on his face, Zaimokuza turned his head and looked directly at the giant tower. His sixth sense, which was now much better than before, could clearly see the truth of this building.

Every component of this tower is filled with extremely high-level energy. To put it simply, if any small brick and stone of this tower exploded, the destructive power it caused to the surrounding environment would be no less than that of "Little Boy" and "Fat Man" that once left their names in the history of human warfare.

The tower before him had been constructed from more than tens of thousands of bricks. A powerful force permeated this tower, reaching into the sky. Simultaneously, this energy merged into one, transforming it into an unimaginable super-fortress. Even if humanity's entire stockpile of nuclear weapons were to be detonated here, at most, the tower would only tremble slightly.

This building, created at the cost of an ultimate life form, is also the altar for the final ritual of "Kikiru". Its creation originally represented the arrival of "ultimate darkness" and marked the end of the current civilized world.

But this world is always full of unexpected surprises. This tower, which originally symbolized despair, has now become the only ray of hope for the world.

Because this tower is so indestructible, it is both an altar to darkness and an ideal battlefield.

As a being who had also reached the "Ultimate" realm, Zaimokuza was well aware of the terrifying power possessed by the Ultimate Life Form. It was an absolute violence that could ravage an entire planet at will, and he was qualified to contend with even an extraterrestrial crisis that was powerful enough to destroy the world.

A few days ago, the meteorite that fell towards Tokyo was no less large and powerful than the asteroid that wiped out the dinosaurs 65 million years ago. It could have literally sunk the entire Japan into the sea and turned it into another legendary Atlantis. However, it was stopped by Zaimokuza, which had just arrived at this level.

He knew very well that he was just hastily using the new power at that time, and he himself was still in an extremely weak state, with only one tenth of his full strength remaining. But even so, he shattered the meteorite that was massive enough to restart the ecosystem, and the price was just sleeping a little longer.

After recovering all his injuries and strength, even Zaimokuza himself felt terrified. Is this really the power that a living creature can possess?

The tower in front of him contained this level of power, and only the power of the same level as a carrier could withstand the battle between the two ultimate life forms. Otherwise, the aftermath of the battle alone would be enough to flatten the surface of the earth like a plowed by an ox.

Thinking of what Daguba said when he declared war, Zaimokuza couldn't help but be silent. This was indeed the best battlefield.

Also, the final battlefield.

This battle will determine the fate of the entire world.

Taking a deep breath, Zaimokuza took a determined step forward, heading towards the final battlefield.

"?"

But his step stopped before it even touched the ground. Zaimokuza turned his head to look at the hand pressing on his left shoulder. The knuckles of this hand were distinct, and the blue veins were throbbing on the pale skin on the back of the hand due to excessive pressure.

"……Feel sorry."

Without turning his head, he stretched out his hand and placed it on the shoulder of Zaimokuza who was about to pass by him. Kousaka lowered his head, his drooping black hair obscuring his expression. Only the soft whispers echoed in the vast and silent space between the two of them.

"Mr. Kousaka?"

"I'm truly sorry, Zaimokuza."

Slowly turning his head, Kousaka's dark eyes reflected Zaimokuza's slightly stunned expression. Unspeakable emotions flowed in the depths of his eyes, and the most prominent emotion among these was the almost overflowing guilt.

In Zaimokuza's memory, this was the first time since he met the man named Kousaka Kyosuke that the other party showed such a look and expression in front of him. The familiar rational and indifferent expression completely disappeared at this moment.

"You know what? In recent times, I have actually been thinking about one thing."

Looking at the white-haired young man, Kousaka said softly.

"I've been thinking lately, what would have happened if I'd been able to wear that belt before you when Number One invaded the police station... No, I should say, when we first met in the ruins..."

"Then, could it be me who is standing here today, ready to fight Number Zero? And could our fates be reversed?"

"……well?"

Hearing these words, Zaimokuza was stunned, staring blankly at Kousaka in front of him, listening to the true words he revealed at this time.

As if he hadn't expected a response to this sentence, Kousaka continued to speak to himself, his voice almost as ethereal as a dream.

"I once visited Ms. Yukinoshita, and she told me that the prerequisite for using the Kuuga Belt is to possess a warrior's mindset, determined to fight to protect humanity. If the information engraved on the ancient stone tablet is correct... then I must have been the most qualified person present to wield this belt."

Having said that, Kousaka raised his head and looked at Zaimokuza with complicated eyes.

"...But you happened to appear at that time. You were just an ordinary person back then, but you received the enlightenment from this belt."

It is indeed incredible if you think about it carefully. A once ordinary traveler was identified by this belt as having more warrior potential and mentality than another policeman who was present and had experienced many battles in the Shura Field. Reality is sometimes so bizarre that it is difficult to evaluate.

"Then you became Kuuga, and defeated those terrifying and powerful Gurongi along the way, step by step to this day, and stood before everyone, including me, taking on the last hope of this world... But even so, I still can't help but occasionally have such thoughts."

"If it was me who wore the belt that day, would you not have ended up like this today? Would you still be traveling and adventuring around the world without worries, away from all this bloody stuff?"

These were words that had been hidden deep in Kousaka's heart for a long time, but now he spoke them out one by one without any concealment, as naturally as if he had been called upon by the teacher to recite ancient poems in class. The emotions flowing in the sentences were also equally lonely, just like the ancestors who had written these poems.

"...It shouldn't have been you who had to face all this."

Slowly lowering his hand from Zaimokuza's shoulder, Kousaka spoke his last true words filled with guilt.

"But now, you, who originally had nothing to do with all of this, have to bear the responsibility, and I can't even accompany you like before, facing this most terrifying enemy in history together."

He raised his hand, which was strong and powerful, with distinct fingers.

This was a human hand, so there was a hint of bitterness in the depths of Kousaka's eyes.

For the first time, Kousaka hoped that his body still belonged to Gurongi's physique. Even though he would not live long at that time, at least he would have the strength to fight alongside Zaimokuza.

He has now been reborn and has regained his human body, but his former powerful strength has also been destroyed along with the breaking of the G1 belt. Even though he is still strong now, it is only strong enough for humans.

But now, the enemy they face is far superior to all the monsters in the past. It is a true god-level existence. In front of God, no matter how powerful a person is, he is no different from other tiny creatures.

So no matter how unwilling he was, Kousaka knew that he would never be able to intervene in the next battle. The only one who could fight against the terrifying Zero was Zaimokuza, who had also become the ultimate life form.

But understanding does not mean being able to accept it.

"I'm really... so sorry."

Under the snow, Kousaka's words echoed under the sky, and were then drowned out by the incoming wind and snow, leaving only the guilt behind.

"Do not."

A voice broke the lingering silence and made Kousaka raise his lowered head.

What caught my eye was that smiling face, just like before, and just like the beginning when the two of them were similar.

"You don't owe me anything, and you don't need to apologize to me. On the contrary, I should thank you."

"Mr. Kosaka."

26. Heartfelt Words, Start the Battle (5K)

"That's enough, Mr. Kousaka."

Slowly raising his head which had been lowered before, Zaimokuza's gaze was as clear as the reflection of the salt lake in Nepal, without any trace of haze or darkness.

"Mr. Kosaka, you are absolutely right. I prefer adventure and traveling around the world to fighting."

He looked at Kousaka Kyosuke who was looking at him because of his words and said with a smile.

"It's true that I don't like fighting. It's better to say that I have always hated fighting... But I have never regretted it. If I could go back to that day, I would still choose to wear this belt."

"Even if I knew all this beforehand, I would still make the same choice."

"……Why?"

After hearing Zaimokuza's answer, Kousaka was indeed stunned.

Kousaka was mentally prepared that Zaimokuza would open up to him and complain to him, make jokes, or even punch him to vent his pent-up emotions and adjust his pre-war mentality, but he had never imagined that he would give such an answer.

Therefore, Kousaka couldn't help but stare at Zaimokuza, and his already low voice became even lower and hoarse.

"If you really had the chance to go back in time and make the choice again, why would you choose to wear that belt?"

"Is protecting everyone's smiles so important to you that it surpasses everything else? And you have to do it yourself?"

"Eh? Why did we get to this topic?"

This time it was Zaimokuza who was stunned. He was stunned for a few seconds after hearing Kousaka's question, and then suddenly laughed out loud.

"No, no, that's not right. This has nothing to do with this matter. For me, as long as I can protect everyone's smiles, it's enough. But it doesn't necessarily have to be done through fighting."

"Honestly, I don't want to fight those Gurongis again. This experience was so painful. I felt like I was doomed several times."

Zaimokuza waved his palm lightly and said with a smile.

"But I've already said it. If I could go back to that day, I would still make the same choice knowing all this."

"If this is not the reason, then what is it for?"

Unable to help but frown slightly, Kousaka said with a puzzled expression.

“The reason why I do this is actually very simple~”

Zaimokuza shrugged, smiled, and said softly: