My youth story cannot be a knight war

[The moment the truck hit the rock wall, a huge explosion occurred from the front of the truck, and then the entire truck was caught in a series of explosions. The flames from the explosion engulfed the wreckage of the truck and Zain, who had not yet jumped out of the car.]

[“Ahem!!!”]

[After being thrown out of the truck, Kousaka Kyosuke subconsciously made a diving motion in mid-air, and then his whole body fell sideways and hit a rock hard, and his right shoulder collided head-on with the hard rock! ]

【Click.】

[Like an egg hitting a stone, Kousaka Kyosuke clearly heard the sound of his right shoulder bone cracking at this moment, and a severe pain that almost made him faint spread from his right shoulder to his entire right half of the body in an instant, completely paralyzing half of his body.]

[“Cough, cough, cough! Gu——Why, it’s this hand again——Ah!”]

[Kousaka Kyosuke covered his right shoulder, rolled on the ground in pain and kept coughing, cold sweat pouring out of his forehead like a faucet.]

[A huge resentment and anger rose from his heart. His arm and shoulder had been through so many disasters. It was broken by the third person, hit by the sixth person and hit against the car window, shot through by the fourteenth person with an arrow, and now it was thrown out by the twenty-second person and collided with a rock.]

[If this continues, he might just have to have his limbs amputated and apply for early retirement.]

[…assuming he can live to that time.]

【Snapped. 】

[A foot stepped out of the truck wreckage engulfed by thick smoke and flames, and a crisp sound of footsteps was heard on the ground.]

【"Well!???"】

[When Kousaka Kyosuke, who was panting painfully on the ground, heard the slight footsteps, he felt as if a thunderclap had passed by his ears, and the hairs on his body stood up as a chill ran down his cervical spine.]

[He turned around, and his wide black pupils reflected a long horn with a purple hue sticking out from the thick smoke. The next moment, his face was stiff, and his hand covered his face, revealing only one dark purple pupil that was staring at him viciously.]

【"snort!"】

Zain growled, then extended his fingers from the hand covering his right eye, inserted them into the eye socket, and pulled them out with force under Kousaka Kyousuke's horrified gaze.

[The eyeball was still attached to a lot of flesh and nerves, but Zain roared and shook his head vigorously, tearing these blood vessels and nerves directly apart.]

[The eyeball with the bullet in it fell to the ground. A large foot stepped on it, squashing the eyeball and the bullet inside into a blur of flesh.]

Zain suddenly raised his head, which had been lowered. Countless fleshy tentacles connected to his empty right eye socket, gradually reorganizing into another eyeball. His new, dark purple right eye, tinged with blood, stared at Kousaka Kyousuke, who was kicking the ground in the distance, trying to get away.

【Zu-Zain-Da·Reinforced Body·Strong Body.】

[At the last moment before being engulfed by the explosion, Zain decisively activated his enhanced form and transformed into this form. Relying on his superb defensive power, he completely withstood the damage of the explosion. Wrapped in flames, he now looked like a terrifying demon walking out of the abyss of a fiery hell, carrying an incomparable sense of oppression.]

[“——You’re dead, Linduo! I will use my horns to pierce your body bit by bit, and let you experience the ultimate pain!”]

[“Hmm…”]

Facing Zain, engulfed in flames and steadily approaching, Kousaka Kyosuke forced himself to step back, enduring the intense pain of his right shoulder bones cracking. He grabbed the revolver that had fallen beside him with his left hand and fired repeatedly into Zain's eyes.

[Bang bang bang bang bang——]

[Five consecutive gunshots rang out, and the bullets aimed precisely at Zain's eyes were completely blocked by his outstretched arms. The bullets bounced off the armored arms as they hit, leaving not even a white mark on the armored parts.]

[“Damn it, damn it!”]

【Bang.】

[Kousaka Kyosuke angrily threw the empty revolver at Zain as a weapon, but this time Zain didn't even bother to block it, letting the empty revolver hit his chest with a sound similar to a ping-pong ball and fell to the ground.]^

[I’m afraid I’m really going to die this time…]

Looking at Zain, who was already not far away from him, Kousaka Kyosuke couldn't help but curl up the corners of his mouth into a bitter arc.

But even so, he didn't intend to let the other party slaughter him. He clenched a handful of sand with his left hand on the ground and watched Zain extend his right hand towards him, ready to aim at the other party's eyes and throw the sand in his hand to buy a chance to escape.

【boom--】

The high-pitched roar caused Zain's right hand, which was about to grab Kousaka Kyosuke's neck, and his left hand, which was about to sprinkle sand, to stop moving. Then, they both turned their heads to look in the direction of the sound.

[The difference is that there is joy and relief in Kousaka Kyosuke's eyes, while there is vigilance and suspicion in Zain's eyes.]

[A motorcycle is speeding towards us from a distance, so fast that before the sound of the engine can reach us, its figure is already within reach.]

[“Taku!”]

Zaimokuza's pupils shrank as he looked at the burning truck wreckage in the distance, Kousaka Kyousuke lying on the ground, and Zain approaching him. He turned the handlebars again, speeding up his charge.

He gripped the handlebars and pushed upwards, lifting the front wheel of the Triangle Tracker 2000. It spun with such powerful potential energy that it struck Zain's chest armor at a speed that left an afterimage.

[“Hmm!?”]

A huge force erupted as the front wheel hit his chest. Amidst the flying sparks, Zain's tall body groaned as he was knocked back. His feet left two long trails of yellow sand on the ground. He retreated nearly twenty meters before stopping. His knees gave way and he half-knelt on the ground, one hand covering his chest as he gasped in pain.

[“Mr. Kosaka! Are you okay!?”]

【Zaimokuza immediately took off his helmet and asked Kousaka Kyousuke anxiously.】

[“You’re too slow! You bastard!”]

[When Kousaka Kyousuke saw Zaimokuza arrive, his whole body relaxed. ]

[He loosened the handful of sand in his left palm and lay on the ground weakly in a big letter position. He raised his head slightly and looked at him and said unhappily.]

[“Ahehehe…!”]

【After seeing the fallen Kousaka Kyosuke still having the energy to complain to him, Zaimokuza knew that he was basically fine, and he scratched his head and laughed a few times a little embarrassedly. 】

[“Thank you for your hard work. Now leave it to me!”]

After laughing, Zaimokuza immediately turned to look at Zain, who stood up and dusted off his chest not far away. His eyes became cold and stern, and he spoke in a serious voice.

[He parked the Triangle Tracker 2000 and got off the motorcycle. Facing the most powerful enemy he had ever fought, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath.]

【"drink!"】

【Om—】

[Zaimokuza clapped his hands on his waist, and a silver belt appeared with a buzzing sound.]

【call out.】

[What was different from the past was that this time, after the belt appeared, the red spirit stone in the center suddenly flickered, and then a faint flame rose from the entire belt.]

[But the strange thing is that this belt of burning flames did not ignite the windbreaker that Zaimokuza wore outside his clothes, but extended along the windbreaker and wrapped around Zaimokuza's body. His short white hair even had phosphorus powder similar to Mars floating around, like nectar spread around when a flower blooms.]

【"call……"】

[He placed his left hand flat on his waist, and stretched out his right hand to the left front, with his palms together, and slowly moved to the right.]

[As his right palm passed in front of him, a faint flame rose from the depths of Zaimokuza's black pupils, like the first torch rising in the endless black night, illuminating this dark world.]

[A stream of white air mixed with flames blew out of his open mouth, dissipating into countless red sparks under the sky that was about to turn dusk.]

【“Zaimokuza, you…!?”】

【Looking at the transformation prelude that was completely different from the past, Kousaka Kyousuke said in doubt while holding his shoulder.】

[In his right eye, which was dyed red by blood, Zaimokuza's entire body was glowing orange like a torch.]

【“——!”】

【Zaimokuza suddenly opened his eyes, and his left hand, which was placed flat on his waist, gradually moved to the left side of his waist, and his raised palm clenched into a fist.】

【"Super·Hen——shin!!!"】

[He shouted softly, his voice sweeping across the wilderness like thunder, and he spread his hands out in all directions.]

【Buzz——————】

[The spirit stone on the waist rotates at high speed, and countless flames burst out from the center of the spirit stone, surrounding Zaimokuza's body and completely enveloping him! ]

[The flames swept past, and a veil was cast over Zaimokuza's red eyes, which were now as hot as lava, but it could not hide the heat hidden underneath.]

……

[“Hey, Zaimokuza, do you know?”]

[“In ancient Rome, the thumbs up was a sacred gesture, an honor that could only be won by outstanding people recognized by everyone, and it was the highest honor.”]

[“People think——”]

[“——That’s the symbol of a hero or a brave man!”]

[Hiratsuka Shizuka raised her thumb and spoke to the non-existent person in front of her. ]

[This “non-existence” is only from the perspective of an outsider, but what she sees is a completely different scene.]

【"hero?"】

[In the past, during the torrential rain that washed over the world, the fat boy with white hair stood in the rain and said blankly, imitating Hiratsuka Shizuka's movements and raising his thumb awkwardly.]

[“Yes… This is an honor that can only be won by a recognized hero.”]

[Hiratsuka Shizuka's eyes are now slightly red, and she is speaking with a trembling voice.]

[“——And now, I give this honor to you.”]

【"……Why?"】

[Zaimokuza looked at the thumbs-up Hiratsuka Shizuka gave him and spoke in a stammering voice.]

[“Why, do you want to give me this honor? I don’t deserve it at all—”]

【“Zaimokuza!”】

Shizuka Hiratsuka growled softly, lowering her head to look at the picture book spread out on the podium in front of her. As she looked at the chibi-style portrait, tears began to fill her eyes.

[“Not every hero is…born to be a hero.”]

[She stroked the smiling face in the album with her palm, and her voice gradually became choked.]

[“So-called heroes are, after all, just human beings. At the beginning, they were just mortals like everyone else.”]

[“But what makes heroes different from ordinary people is that they learn to endure pain too early.”]

[“While other people of the same age grow up peacefully under the protection of their parents, heroes must learn to face the world on their own, experience the ups and downs of the world, endure the scouring of loneliness and helplessness, and use the sad past as nourishment to gradually grow up.”]

[“They learned to persevere in pain, to work hard in sadness, and to move forward in loneliness. They crossed the countless steps set by reality step by step, and then developed a willpower that surpassed that of ordinary people.”]

【“Just like you now.”】

[“Losing one’s parents is indeed a very painful thing, and it is only natural to cry and shed tears for it. Everyone is like this, and they will shed their own tears when they lose something they cherish.”]

[“But…heroes are different.”]

[“After they shed tears, they will wipe them away silently, then move forward into the future with a determined gaze, and continue to open up new paths with their own hands until their hopes and wishes are realized.”]

[“Teacher, I think the greatest heroes are those who are willing to protect the smiles of others after knowing the pain of crying.”]

[“Because I have experienced crying, I don’t want anyone to cry in front of me.”]

[“Because I know that pain, I pray that no one will ever have to endure that sorrow again.”]

[“When a mortal is aware of the tears but is still willing to protect everyone’s smile, he becomes a hero.”]

[In the rain, Shizuka Hiratsuka raised her head with tears in her eyes. In her vision blurred by tears, she saw the figure of the boy standing under the podium.]

[“Zaimokuza, I believe that you can become someone worthy of this honor because you have already understood tears.”]

[“I believe you can become a hero who protects everyone’s smiles, because I am by your side… to give you guidance.”]

[“So, make a promise with me! Zaimokuza Yoshiki!”]

[“From now on, you must work hard to grow and become someone who deserves the honor I give you today before the agreed time limit arrives.”]

"At that time, I will be at Sobu High School, in the Service Club, waiting for you, the hero, to come before me. I will truly grant you the honor you deserve, just as the Pope crowns a warrior who has accomplished great deeds under the witness of the throne—hehe, pretty cool, isn't it! I learned this line from Shonen Jump."

“Making a promise like this, keeping that oath, growing and transforming from a mortal into someone who protects everyone’s smile, don’t you think it’s romantic? I’ve always wanted to try to say it like that~”

【"so……"】

[Speaking of this, Hiratsuka Shizuka could no longer hold back and lowered her head. Tears as glittering as pearls dripped from her face onto the portrait of the smiling and crying head in the album, blurring the smiling face.]

"Smile! Smile! Stop crying."

[“Laugh out loud, at everyone and the world—woo.”]

[She bit her lips tightly, choking and unable to speak.]

[…It turns out there are really such fools in the world, who kept a joke-like promise in mind for so long, and even worked hard to fulfill it.]

[And that boy spent so many years waiting and growing up, just to come here again, hoping to get the affirmation from the teacher who had already given up to the world and was no longer worthy of giving him that honor.]

【What a complete...】

【Fool. 】

【"teacher……"】