My youth story cannot be a knight war

They also possess noble qualities. They do not blame others for their own suffering. They cry when their friends suffer misfortunes and pray for the happiness of others, as they deserve happiness themselves.

【But those unidentified life forms destroyed everything.】

[They destroyed everything, robbed these girls of their dazzling smiles, changed the trajectory of their lives, and stained their beautiful daily lives with an unbearable scarlet color.]

[They...are guilty of crimes that cannot be forgiven.]

Zaimokuza rested his chin on the girl's hair, and her soft white bangs fell down, blocking his eyes at that moment.

……

[“Woo——”]

[Outside, a patrol officer's dog, held by a leash, suddenly whimpered and huddled up in fear.]

"What's wrong, Abe?"

The officer thought the dog had discovered something and quickly asked, but the dog, unusually, didn't respond. It curled up in place, trembling non-stop, and seemed to be trying desperately to get away from the villa.

[Animals' sixth sense far exceeds that of humans. They can easily sense dangers that humans cannot and respond accordingly.]

At this moment, the police dog named Abe felt an unprecedented sense of danger sweeping out from the interior of the villa, like a huge black curtain, covering everything nearby.

[It was like a monster at the top of the food chain opened its eyes and looked at everything in this world.]

8. Momentum of all parties

【Tokyo, aquarium, basement.】

【 09:57 AM 】

A dark red light shone through the wire mesh into the gloomy basement, adding a gloomy and eerie atmosphere to the low, narrow space. The atmosphere was as dead silent as a place haunted by ghosts in a horror movie.

[And in this gloomy and desolate area, a female voice suddenly rang out.]

"Hey~ When will it be my turn to play?"

Go-Zazaru-Ba, dressed in a stylish office lady outfit, leaned against the wall, waving a small folding fan to cool herself down. Her heavily made-up face was filled with impatience, and her lips, covered in a strange purple lipstick, were pouting so tightly that a bottle could be hung on them.

"It's not time yet. This time, the players haven't finished their game phase yet."

A solemn and majestic male voice responded to its words. A stern, resolute face emerged from the darkness. Dressed in a neat military uniform, he felt an indescribable disconnect from the gloomy surroundings. A surging, mountainous, and steady aura emanated from his figure the moment he appeared. Everything around him seemed to suffocate under this aura, even the air itself stagnated.

"Hey, hey, hey, why isn't it over yet? It's been a few days, and Jaraji hasn't killed all those Lindo yet?"

Zazaru acted completely unfazed by the aura emanating from the man. After hearing his response, his expression suddenly fell. Bored, he squatted down and poked at ants walking across the tile floor with his fan, not caring at all that this position exposed the beauty beneath his office lady's skirt.

"Dorudo, where is Jaraji's game going now?"

Gadoru, dressed in military uniform, didn't care for the other party's rude attitude. As long as they didn't do anything out of line, he was always very tolerant of his group members. He ignored Zazaru's nagging and turned to ask questions in the darkness on the other side of the basement.

[…The objectives of the first phase have been fully completed. We are currently in the second phase of the game, but have encountered obstacles.]

Dorudo, dressed in his usual black robe and white scarf, emerged from the darkness. He raised the black stone corpse counting plate and moved the beads on it, speaking calmly.

"What's the problem?"

"The rules of the game have been deduced by Linduo's warriors. Now, the remaining six targets of the second phase have been brought to Fukushima Prefecture by Linduo, and the targets of the final phase have all been hidden by Linduo's warriors. Jaraji is now preparing to take action against the remaining targets of the second phase, but..."

[The fingers wrapped in leather gloves stopped moving the beads. A pair of brown eyes looked at Gadoru from between the black velvet hat and white scarf, and they met the majestic eyes.]

"Right now, Kuuga and Daguber are guarding those targets, waiting for Jaraji... Given the difference in combat power between the two, this game is probably over."

"Daguber... is he the Kagemusha chosen by Him?"

Gadoru was unmoved by the pessimistic news Dorudo had said. Instead, he was very concerned about the two names it mentioned, and was particularly interested in the last one.

"Interesting. The Lindo of this era are truly remarkable. They've managed to use what they call science to create warriors so similar to Yamadam and Kibolon. It's a bold move, truly worthy of praise."

"Even Daguba gave him a name... Is he intending to make that Lindo warrior his successor?"

[…I’m not sure about that, but Baruba told me before that it won’t take long.]

[Dorudo shook his head in confusion at Gadoru's question, and replied dully.]

"She said that if we wait a little longer, Daguber will be completely consumed by the power contained in the belt... So it's only a matter of time before he joins our side."

[…And as long as he continues to use that belt, this time will pass quickly.]

"Interesting! I'd really like to fight him someday... a warrior who inherited Daguba's form."

"Let me see if he's worthy of being called 'N'. But if his abilities are limited to what he's shown so far... hmph."

Gadoru chuckled coldly. Although he didn't say the last word explicitly, Dorudo, who knew him well, already knew what he was going to say.

As the leader of the "Go" group, Go-Gadoru-Ba is the purest warrior among the Gurongi. While he doesn't hold the same disdain for Rindo as the other Gurongi, nor does he harbor a passion for killing, he only recognizes true and genuine power, and everything else is but dust in his eyes.

[Gadoru's respect for others is based on their power, but if their power is not commensurate with their honor...]

Dorudo still remembers how Gadoru had defeated the previous leader of the "Go" Group with his own fists during the leadership change in the ancient times.

[And that former leader also had another identity: Gadoru's father. He could even wipe out his own blood relatives without hesitation. One can only imagine how cold-blooded Gadoru truly was. He was a steely warrior unmoved by anything other than strength.]

Even the two judges from the Ra Group could only treat Gadoru as equals. In the history of the Gurongi clan, there have only been three who he could respect, and now there is only one left.

"It doesn't matter what! Who cares who that Daguber is from Daguba? We'll kill him in the end anyway!"

After stabbing all the ants on the ground to death, Zazaru, already extremely bored and dissatisfied, bent the folding fan in his hand and shouted in frustration.

"Anyone's fine! Now hurry up and give me a Lindo to vent my anger! It's really annoying that I can't play the game—huh?"

Zazaru suddenly remembered something, his eyes lit up, and he spoke excitedly to the two people looking at him.

"Oh right! Where did that 'ZU' loser go? Since Chikiru has already entered the 'Dark Game', he should be useless now, right?"

"How about letting me kill it? That guy isn't Linduo anyway. He was eliminated before the game even started for breaking the rules. Just have Baruba find someone to run errands for him later."

Its tone was filled with anticipation and eagerness, as if the creature it was about to slaughter wasn't one of its own kind, but a fat pig that it could feast on tonight.

This sentence reveals just how cold and unethical the Gurongi race's thinking truly is. Bloodshed and brutality are ingrained in their genes and instincts. They destroy all the weak, regardless of whether they are of the same species or not.

"Gooma? Yeah, I really don't need it running errands anymore."

Gadoru suddenly realized something. After Zazaru's reminder, he also remembered a certain missing bat. It had indeed been a long time since he had appeared before the Gurongi. Because it usually had such a low presence, he almost forgot about it.

Gadoru, remembering his opponent, turned to Dorudo, who was silent, and asked.

"Where the hell did it go? I haven't seen it lately."

[…struggling to survive.]

[Dorudo said calmly, his eyes expressionless.]

[“Huh? Humph!”]

Gadoru was a bit surprised, but then he snorted in disdain.

"Did it really think it could escape? Anyone who breaks the rules should be killed from the start. The fact that it's still alive is a sign of Baruba's mercy, but..."

Now that the game of GO has begun, it's time to clear out the useless junk.

"Do you need me to fix it?"

"Hey! This was my suggestion first. Don't steal my prey!"

[Faced with the two people staring at him, Dorudo shook his head.]

"No need for that. 'He' will take care of them. After all, he's been patient for so long, he's probably eager to take action. This is a warm-up for 'The Game Between White and Dark'."

"The final reckoning has begun. Anyone not a participant will be completely eliminated from this game... No one will be exempted."

[“No matter who it is.”]

……

【Tokyo, Nerima-ku. 】

[Under a sparsely populated overpass, a figure wrapped in a black robe timidly walked out of a dark corner, leaning against the barbed wire and panting.]

The figure raised his head, revealing a pale, thin face beneath his cap. His eyes were rimmed with dark circles, and his eyeballs were deeply sunken. His pale, bloodless lips trembled like a bee.

This face, coupled with a dark aura and the already dim environment beneath the overpass, made it seem like anyone who saw it would not even consider it human. Instead, it looked more like a ghost from hell, seeking revenge in a horror movie.

【And this person is indeed not human. 】

Its name is Zu-Gooma-Gu, and the police designated it as Unidentified Lifeform Number Three. It was a Gurongi that briefly appeared at the beginning of the Unidentified Lifeform Incident, but has not been seen in public since.

Many people once thought it might be dead, but the latest sighting in Nagano Prefecture has changed people's minds. This Gurongi, one of the first to appear in the world, is still alive and well. Kousaka Kyousuke and Zaimokuza have even discussed privately whether the reappearance of the long-lost No. 3 indicates that the war between humans and Gurongi may usher in a new variable.

[In a way, their original idea was not wrong.]

[Because last time, in addition to going to Nagano Prefecture to inform the players of the "GO" group to rush to Tokyo to start a new stage of the game, Gooma actually brought back a terrifying thing from there.]

It was supposed to give this item to the referee, Baruba, for safekeeping, but due to some unspoken concerns, Gooma chose to boldly conceal the existence of this item.

【“——”】

Gooma reached into the lapel of his windbreaker with trembling hands, fumbling for a moment before pulling the object out from his arms. He clutched it tightly in his palm, brought it toward his eyes, and slowly released his fingers.

A golden, sharp horn-like object, resembling shattered gold, appeared in the center of its palm, reflecting into its eyes. Endless greed and desire gushed out of Gooma's eyes, almost becoming physical.

Even at this moment, Gooma could clearly sense the astonishing energy contained in the fragment he held in his palm. The intensity of this energy far surpassed any energy source discovered on Earth to date.

[It can be said that if the energy contained in this fragment suddenly erupts at this moment, the headline of tomorrow's world news will be "Japan Sinks," a movie of the same name that was once only seen in theaters.]

[And next, Gooma planned to do something extremely crazy—it wanted to swallow the fragments of this explosion, which far exceeded the energy of the Tsar Bomba, into its own body!]

Calling this behavior "crazy" is actually a compliment, because even a truly crazy person wouldn't do such a thing. After all, what human being would want to swallow a bomb larger than themselves when they see it?

Although Gooma isn't human, even for a Gurongi with extraordinary vitality, this behavior is no different from seeking death. If it can't withstand the power contained in this fragment, it will directly transform into a super bomb capable of blowing itself and the entire city of Tokyo into the sky - not metaphorically or exaggeratedly, but literally.

[Gooma, who is timid by nature, of course also knows this, so for some time before, he had been hesitating whether to do this.]

[But now, it has made up its mind. What helped Gooma make up his mind was something he found when he returned from Nagano Prefecture... a broken arm left in the woods for animals to gnaw on.]

This is very strange. After all, for the murderous Gurongi, even if countless corpses were piled up in front of them, let alone a mere arm, they would not feel the slightest fear. Even if Gooma was cowardly and incompetent, it was still a Gurongi after all.

But the real problem was never the arm itself, but the meaning it represented. When Gooma saw the tattoo on the elbow of the severed arm, an unprecedented fear swept over it.

[——That arm belongs to another Gurongi of its kind.]

The appearance of this Gurongi arm signifies the beginning of the final reckoning for the game. All Gurongi who are unqualified to participate will be purged with the utmost cruelty and ruthlessness. This is what truly terrifies Gooma.

[Because he is one of the Gurongis who are not qualified to participate in the game, which means that if he continues, he will inevitably be wiped out.]

[The moment Gooma realized this fact, he was completely driven crazy, and this also made him completely determined.]

[——No matter what the cost, I must survive to the end! Survive to the end of this game!]

[“I won’t let you kill me—”]

Gooma stared at the fragment in his hand with a distorted expression. His palms slowly clenched, his eyes filled with hysterical madness, like a vicious beast that had been forced to the edge of a cliff. The memories and pain of past bullying transformed into a blazing rage, burning his dark heart and igniting a mad desire to destroy everything.

【Wow——】

It suddenly yanked open its coat and resolutely raised the golden fragment. The eerie golden reflection illuminated the dim underpass for a moment.

[Gooma's eyes turned fierce as he thrust the fragment into his abdomen!]

【Zizi——】

[When the fragments touched Gooma's abdomen, a pure golden light burst out from the fragments, and its screams were heard at the same time.]

[“——Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!”]

A shrill wail rang out from his mouth, and the whites of his eyes instantly became bloodshot. Gooma reached out and grabbed the wire mesh behind him with both hands, his body shaking violently.

Unprecedented intense pain spread from the waist to the entire body. The fragmented energy that had penetrated the body transformed into golden lines on the surface and soon spread throughout its body. Its dark pupils turned golden at this moment.

[Crackling sound——]

[Not only that, a golden electric current erupted from Gooma's body, quickly spreading to the entire base of the overpass. The surging current overloaded and burned all the light bulbs at the base, causing them to explode. Exploding sounds echoed one after another.]

[Amidst the golden light and electric current, Gooma's screams gradually became fainter until there was no sound at all.]

……

【Nagano Prefecture.】

It was pouring rain here, and the dark sky was like a huge gray curtain hanging down, turning the whole world dim and cold.

A police car drove along the mountain road, the flashing lights on the roof providing the only light in the dim surroundings.

"I'm so sorry, Ms. Yukinoshita, for calling you all the way from Tokyo so suddenly, especially in this weather."

Patrolman Guishan sat in the driver's seat, steering the car. He spoke as he looked at the road ahead, his eyes filled with unspeakable worry.