My youth story cannot be a knight war

"...Zamokuza?"

……

The handwritten postcard floated in the wind, rolled down from the sky, and landed in a simple refugee camp.

In today's Tokyo, such refugee camps are everywhere. It is foreseeable that such things will not disappear for a long time to come, and may become a deep memory engraved in the memory of a generation.

The postcard fell to the ground, and in front of it was a pair of children's sneakers.

"?"

A little boy who ran out from his lodgings to play looked at the postcard that had fallen to his feet, and curiously squatted down to pick it up. He looked at the paragraph written on the first page of the postcard, feeling a little confused.

Then he turned the postcard over and saw another line of handwriting in the center of the back of the postcard.

"I hope that one day I can become the sky that protects everyone's smile."

On the lower left corner of the back of the postcard, there is a signature:

The wood seat's righteousness? ?????? ? ? )?.

Final Chapter: A Story Disappearing in the Light

（BGM:dacapo）

Clank, clank, clank——

From time to time, the sound of the Shinkansen wheels turning and the repeated interlocking of the railway tracks could be heard outside the train window. The light of the setting sun shone through the tall buildings and then shone in through the train windows, dyeing the entire interior of the carriage an orange-red hue.

Zaimokuza Yoshiki sat at the seat next to the door of this carriage, turned his head and looked at the setting sun outside the window. The light shone into his eyes, creating a mixture of strange colors, and it was impossible to tell what emotions he was feeling at the moment.

"Are you surprised?"

A female voice with an indifferent tone suddenly broke the silence in the car. Zaimokuza silently turned his gaze from the window and stared at the woman who appeared in the seat opposite him.

"Before this, you should have considered whether the interior of 'Ultimate Darkness' is as literal as the name implies, an absolute abyss where not even a ray of light can be seen?"

The white palm held the bottom of the glass and raised it up. The red wine swirled in the glass, distorting the reflection of the wooden base in the glass.

Baruba, still wearing a white dress with floral patterns, crossed her long, fair legs, supported half of her face with one hand, raised a glass of red wine with the other hand, saluted Zaimokuza, and spoke calmly.

"But in fact, all this seems to be very different from what you expected."

"KUUGA."

"..."

Zaimokuza still didn't say anything, but just stared calmly at the cold and beautiful woman in front of him. His clear eyes were even more mysterious because of the reflection of the red wine.

"The so-called 'Ultimate Darkness' is actually just a name given by our Gurongi clan, but I believe you now have your own understanding of the true nature of this power, right?"

Baruba didn't seem to mind his silence. He brought the red wine to his lips, took a sip elegantly, and continued speaking.

"In fact, in the higher dimensional realm, darkness and light, these two concepts that are extremely important to you Lindo and us Gurongi, are completely meaningless. Power is just power. Whether it is good or evil depends on the existence that possesses and uses it."

"It was my mother who once determined this power to be 'darkness'."

The red wine in the glass, which was swirling rhythmically, stopped for a moment, and a faint wisp of wine foam splashed from the bottle mouth, reflecting a complex eye.

"The moment she sacrificed herself, my mother merged with this power, including her memories, her longing... and the hatred for this world that was born from love."

"It was a woman's love that initially created this fate, and you freed her from this overly heavy love."

Baruba raised the glass of red wine and drank it all in one gulp. He saluted Zaimokuza with the empty glass and spoke softly.

"So, I'm grateful to you."

"Damn it! Why would I…"

At this moment, another voice sounded from the corner of the carriage. Zaimokuza turned his gaze in the direction of the voice and saw a familiar gloomy man squatting in the corner, his hands wrapped around his knees, his head lowered, and constantly mumbling nervously.

"This power can connect everything, transcending time and space, good and evil, the world, and naturally includes life and death."

"And this is the result of this power. Anyone who has ever touched this power will return to it upon death... Of course, this is now in the past."

Glancing at Gooma squatting in the corner, Baruba spoke calmly, her tone lacking the disgust or annoyance shared by her tribe members towards those who violated the rules.

"Now, this power, along with everything connected to it, has left its original world. From now on, that world will no longer be interfered with by this power."

"That's what you wanted, isn't it?"

"Huh~ I never thought I'd have to be with you guys even after I die. This really makes me laugh."

Gamego rested one hand on the backrest of the carriage seat and tugged at the brim of his hat with the other. He turned his head to glance at Zaimokuza on the left and Baruba across from him, smacking his lips in annoyance.

"Not only KUUGA, even that stinky bat is here... It seems that this is what Linduo calls 'hell' in this era."

"It doesn't matter where it is~"

Zazaru, who was sitting next to Baruba, also lifted up a pair of plump legs wrapped in black tights, and painted his fingernails with a brush, saying with a bored expression.

"Anyway, there's no prey left to kill now, so it doesn't matter where we go. Ha~ How boring."

"I don't think so. At least I am very satisfied."

A majestic and cold male voice sounded, and a tall man in military uniform stood holding the railing on the left side of the woodblock, his back straight and solemn like a spear.

Gadoru glanced at Zaimokuza who was sitting with his head bowed on the seat beside him. It was obvious that the other party had killed him with his own hands, but there was not a trace of resentment or insatiable anger in his eyes. Instead, his tone was filled with a hint of appreciation and approval.

"It was a great fight. I've never had a fight in my life that was as emotional as this one."

"To die in such a battle is no disgrace to the soldier's honor."

"Hmm~ I'm also very satisfied~?"

A harmless voice echoed in the carriage. When this voice appeared, all other voices fell silent instantly. Even the color of the sunlight shining in the carriage became strangely darker.

A boy dressed in pure white jumped out of the sliding door at the end of the carriage with cheerful steps. Shadows and sunlight flashed repeatedly on his young face, and even the smile at the corner of his mouth flowed between darkness and light.

"It really is an exciting battle!"

"~Brother~brother!"

Daguba jumped over and sat down next to Zaimokuza, but Zaimokuza ignored his arrival and words, and still tilted his head to look at the bright orange scenery outside the window.

"Oh~ How cold."

The Destroyer, who looked no different from a junior high school boy, showed some dissatisfaction in his eyes because of Zaimokuza's attitude. Daguba turned his head to look at Baruba who was still holding a wine glass across from him, smiled and spoke.

"It seems like you guys are having a great time chatting, sister."

"…Maybe it was like that before you came."

Baruba said this with a calm expression, and her words immediately made Daguba's expression turn into a cat face, with his lips curled and he muttered.

"Ah~ Why do you hate talking to me... That's right!"

Daguba clapped his hands, turned his head to look at Zaimokuza beside him, and spoke with sparkling eyes:

"Hey, Kuuga, you're bored too, right? In that case, how about another fight? This time I'll definitely—Ah hey? Don't go!"

Zaimokuza ignored Daguba's words to him, stood up with a calm expression that was almost indifferent, and walked sideways to the other end of the carriage.

Kara.

He opened the sliding door of the carriage, walked in, and closed it. Daguba, who was sitting cross-legged on the seat, puffed up his face and looked at Zaimokuza's back that gradually disappeared behind the carriage door, then lowered his head dejectedly.

"Ah~ Does he really hate staying here and fighting with me? Fighting is such a fun thing."

As soon as he finished speaking, Baruba looked up and saw that the person who was sitting there had disappeared.

“Because there is no need for that anymore.”

Looking down at the red wine in his glass which had been filled with wine without him noticing when, and gazing at the face reflected in the wine which became more and more charming under the setting sun, Baruba muttered silently to himself.

"Those things, and those people... let them remain in the past forever."

The wine glass fell to the ground, and the red wine spilled all over the floor of the carriage, reflecting the sun that was about to sink into darkness.

……

Zaimokuza walked silently in the carriage, and as he took steps forward, the scenery around him changed inexplicably.

Rapidly growing weeds covered the laminate flooring in the car. The surrounding window glass and the entire interior wall of the car turned into foam from the edges and dissipated. The evening red light shone in from the gap in the dissipating roof.

Zaimokuza stopped, because in front of him was a pitch-black abyss with a diameter of more than 20 meters. The dense grass around him swayed in the scattered fireflies and the breeze. He looked up quietly at the setting sun in front of him that was about to sink to the end of the earth. The light reflected in his eyes gradually became weaker as the sunset sank.

"Thank you, Zaimokuza-san."

At this moment, a soft male voice came from behind Zaimokuza. Hearing the voice, he opened his eyes slightly and turned his head to look behind him.

A man wearing clothing similar to that of the Jomon period was standing not far behind Zaimokuza, his figure mostly hidden by dense weeds. He looked at Zaimokuza silently, a smile of mixed guilt and relief on his handsome face.

Although it was the first time the two met, Zaimokuza was able to confirm the man's identity in an instant due to the special sense he had gained from having both worn the Yamadaram belt.

"Mr. Rick?"

"Nice to meet you, Mr. Zaimokuza Yoshiteru."

Riku, the strongest warrior in the ancient times and the previous Yamadam-eligible person of the Gulindo clan, nodded slightly to Zaimokuza and spoke softly.

"Actually, I'm here to apologize to you this time."

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

Rick lowered his head and looked at his hands whose skin was rough from long-term farming, and said with a bitter expression.

"I'm deeply sorry. It was originally my responsibility to end this. This tragedy should have ended in our era... but due to my incompetence, this disaster has continued into your era, Mr. Zaimokuza."

"Although it sounds like an excuse, if I hadn't been so weak back then and had the courage to face the darkness in my heart like you, Zaimokuza-san... perhaps, you wouldn't have to make such a choice now, Zaimokuza-san."

"…This isn't Mr. Rick's fault."

After a long silence, Zaimokuza shook his head and spoke softly.

"You've tried your best. This...was destined from the very beginning."

Precisely because he sacrificed himself to merge into the "Ultimate Darkness", Zaimokuza was able to understand, more broadly than anyone else in the outside world, just how terrifying this power truly is.

Even the inevitable fate is merely a characteristic of the power itself, just as a flame distorts the air above it due to the high temperature, and the world is merely a painting that can be painted or modified at any time.

The result of "'Ultimate Darkness' Coming" was destined from the beginning. Without the intervention of a force of the same magnitude, no one could stop it. Even if the strongest warrior in the ancient times had killed all the Gurongi at the beginning, he could not change this outcome.

"...Thank you for your understanding."

Bending down and bowing slightly to Zaimokuza, Riku had a complicated smile on his face.

"Just like my sister said, Mr. Zaimokuza, you are truly a very gentle person."

A blade of grass was blown by the wind, brushing past Zaimokuza's sight. After a moment of obstruction, the figure in front of him disappeared.

He left. This strongest person in the ancient times left just as silently as he came.

At this moment, in the cliff area where Zaimokuza was standing, large plates were shaking in the sudden vibration, and then a dull cracking sound spread to the surroundings along with several cracks on the ground.

There was a feeling of falling air under his feet, and Zaimokuza was falling towards the abyss below amidst the crumbling cliff fragments.

Listening to the fierce whistling of the wind beside his ears, Zaimokuza's expression did not change as he continued to fall. He just stared at the cliff above that was shrinking, his eyes looking lost.

The incredible colors of the night sky began to spread from the surrounding abyss cliffs. The clear night sky was as beautiful as a painting, replacing the scene of the abyss.

Zaimokuza was falling from the high sky towards the earth below. Before his eyes were misty clouds flowing by at a high speed, and the sound of the strong wind in his ears was like a knife blade sliding across a blackboard thousands of times.

Looking at the bright starry sky above his head that was getting farther and farther away from him and dotted with thousands of stars, Zaimokuza closed his eyes, stretched out his hand, and smiled for the first time.

"...As expected, you're here."

"Yeah~ I'm always here."

A gentle voice sounded from above, and Zaimokuza felt a touch as soft as silk on his outstretched wrist.

He opened his eyes, and what he saw was not only the night sky, but also the long black hair that was lifted back by gravity, revealing a soft face.

The girl in the ancient white dress stretched out both hands and held Zaimokuza's hands, looking at him with joy in her large dark eyes.

"Hello again, Zaimokuza-san~!"

"Ah...Miou."

Zaimokuza held Miou's hand, feeling the warmth and touch in his palm, and smiled.

The speed of their descent suddenly became extremely slow, like a floating balloon. After a while, Zaimokuza let go of Miou's hand and stepped on an old tile.

Miou also gracefully covered her skirt and floated down. When she landed, she put her hands behind her back and looked at Zaimokuza in front of her with her head tilted, her expression full of curiosity.

"By the way, Zaimokuza-san, we finally meet, and you don't have any gifts for me—Wow!"