The Raven Dark Hero 99

Chapter 99 : Kirisame Ukyou

TL:SummerPeanut

Author’s Note:

To celebrate the release of the book, we would like to introduce some of the highlights of the book version with Takahiko as an interviewer in the afterword as a special bonus for the book release starting today.

※I find the excessive book-buying appeal annoying! If you're not a fan of this book, just go through the postscript!

He's been alone ever since he was born…….

He has no memory of his parents and was raised in an orphanage before he could remember.

He was usually quiet and expressionless. On top of that, he was bullied because he was smaller than other children his age. But he didn't think anything of it.

No matter how much he was beaten, how much he was abused, how much he was disgusted, he was emotionless. He was expressionless, mumbling to himself, talking to his shadow about the events he experienced.

He did not realize what it meant to be alive. Therefore, he was not interested in death either.

Another day is over. He was beaten. It hurt. But that's all. He told his shadow the day's report and tomorrow would come again after that. Every day was such repetition.

His expressionless face and lack of words gradually began to creep out the adults.

But he didn't care. He didn't think that it’s hard for him.

When he turned eight years old, a sudden turning point came.

As usual, he was playing with the children outside the orphanage...... no, to be accurate he was being abused. They encountered a dog-shaped phenom.

The orphanage was located a short distance from the city center so it was not unusual for phenoms to wander into the orphanage. It is the role of the National Defense Force and the police to take down such phenoms but there are times when they are unable to keep an eye on them. The annual death toll exceeds several thousand.

This time also, if this continues, several children will fall victim to the phenom.

But, that didn’t happen.

The children used him as bait to escape.

He was left alone in front of the phenom, but he felt no fear. He could imagine that if he was bitten, he would die, but he knew it would be just that. Yes, he’ll just simply die…

But the moment the phenom bit him on the arm, something popped inside him.

Fierce pain. A real pain that would lead directly to death, incomparable to the pain he had felt when he was abused, and it instilled in him the feeling of fear.

“He-, Help!”

They were the first words he had ever uttered out loud in his entire life and the first time he had ever asked anyone for help. It doesn’t matter whether it is an adult who was creeped out by him, children who looked down on him, or just anyone. As long as they extended their help to him.

……But, there was no one else around.

The canine-shaped phenom tormented him slowly as if it were tormenting prey. The expression on its face seemed to be smiling.

It’s scary. But more than anything, it’s frustrating……. That was the second emotion that grew in him after fear. Frustrating…… Frustrating…… A strong desire to kill this thing who treated him like a toy and was trying to kill him.

There was no one around him. But there was a presence that was always there for him to talk to. He shouted to that presence.

“Kill…… THAT!!”

In the next moment, the words rang in his brain.

『……Conditions have been met, “Shadow Memory” has evolved into ‘Shadow Deed”.』

Then it jumped out of his shadow……The shadow split into two human forms, one in the form of a man seized the phenom, and the other in the form of a woman thrust out a thick, thorn-like arm and skewered it…….

He realized who the figures were. Strangely enough, he understood immediately.

“……Father, mother?”

The figures didn't speak, only silently staring at him. However, although he didn’t know why, the shadows seemed to be smiling at him. Even though they were a shadow with no visible expression…….

Why did the shadows of his parents who he didn't even remember appear? He didn't know the answer at the time, but he realized that he wasn't alone.

Then the figure that seemed to be his father pointed at the fallen dog-shaped phenom.

Shadow Deed. The gift has the ability to place the dead under the user control as a shadow. The gift's rank is S.

But this time, the voice in his head told him that he had evolved from Shadow Memory to Shadow Deed. In other words, he had manifested his gift at an early age, which he didn't even remember happening, and he had awakened when he was in crisis.

Of course, he didn't know this but Shadow Memory is a gift that allows one to remember those who have died in front of the user and appear as his shadow; ranked at B. Up to three memories of the dead can be stored at one time and they possess the same abilities they had before they died. However, not just anyone can be turned into a shadow. Only if the target is favorable to the user. This meant that his parents died in front of him even though he didn't remember such.

However, the number of dead that can be memorized by a shadow deed increases with proficiency, and there are no conditions to do so. In other words, even hero-class dead people can be memorized by absorbing their shadows within a few minutes of their death, and when they were called upon, their combat power will be further increased.

He held out his hand to the phenom and activated his gift. Then a shadow was sucked out of the corpse of the phenom and into his palm. The Shadow Deed can remember not only humans but also phenoms.

“ ……KuhKuhKuh……AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHH! I'm not alone. I was never alone.”

10 days later…… When the orphanage was visited by someone who was suspicious of the lack of communication with the orphanage, countless corpses were found lying there with wounds as if they had been bitten by animals.

The dead numbered fifteen. All of them, adults and children, died with horror on their faces. The police determined that the phenom had wandered into the orphanage and attacked the orphanage, and it was never pursued after. However, there was no sign of him among the dead…….

――20 years later

“Boss, as per our information, three of the Numbers, including Bright, and also Kiryu are currently away from the headquarters in Kuroyume.”

In the mountains of the former Nagano Prefecture, in an area that is now off-limits to the public, lies the headquarters hideout of one of Japan's largest filth organizations, Kagerou, second only to Kuroyume.

The inside of the hideout is not as well maintained as Kuroyume's headquarters, and there are countless rooms in the cave. The ‘poisoner’, Kaburagi Takashi, the number two of the Kagerou, comes to the Kagerou boss's room in the innermost part of the cave to report on Kuroyume's situation.

“Hmm~, so we don’t have the nuisance Kiryu and the newcomer Bright in our way, huh……”

“Yes. For starters, we will raid the Tohoku branch of Kuroyume and launch a preemptive strike. Your permission, please.”

The boss of Kagerou, ‘Kirisame Ukyou’, nodded with a blank expression.

“Alright~. Then, I'll lend you 10 of my shadows. I'll include some of my favorite shadows, that’ll be enough right?”

“Thank you very much! Sendai is home to Kuroyume's number 5, the ‘Hydro’, and with this, we are sure to take him out.”

Hydro. He is the number five of the Kuroyume Numbers, and is second only to Bright and Jiren in terms of combat ability.

“Some of the filths left Kuroyume and drifted to Kagerou. Finally, the time has come for us, Kagerou, to rule the underworld on behalf of Kuroyume!”

“That’s right~. I don't know what's wrong with Kuroyume these days, but they're annoying. Filths should be filths and do what they want. Well then, I'll see you later.”

As Kaburagi bowed and left the room, Kirisame stood up. He wore a large robe, was not very tall, his voice sounded like it hadn't changed and a pretty face that would make one think he is a girl at first glance. However, he was a gifted that not even Kiryu could ignore.

Kirisame muttered as he stared at his shadow.

“Father, mother, watch over me. Finally, the world is about to change. So I'm going to become the king of the new world. You'll be happy to hear that, won't you? Fufufufufuh…… AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHH!!”

Two days later, the Sendai branch of Kuroyume was destroyed by Kagerou’s attack.

This was the start of an all-out war between Kuroyume and Kagero, and even the National Defense Force joined in, as the battle for the top of the filths was about to begin.

Author’s Note:

Kagerou has finally made its move. Kuroyume is forced to deal with the situation in the absence of his boss Kiryu and the number one Bright.

Next time: "The Beginning of a Long Day”

※↓Here is a special interview to commemorate the first edition of the book.

Takahiko: "Good evening. I'm everyone's idol, God-Eye, Takahiko Matoba. From this point on, I'd like to make excessive appeals by buying the official book to commemorate its publication!"

Kouki: "Don’t you think it’s quite pitiful to call yourself an idol?"

Takahiko: “……Well then, today, as the first guest, we have the main character and my partner, Suou Kouki aka Darkflash Bright! Yay!”

Kouki: “He completely ignored my point. Oh, good afternoon. ……Somehow I'm a little nervous.”

Takahiko: “I don't care if you're nervous or not. By the way, we started surrendering every day since the other day, and it looks like we won't be around for a while, starting today.”

Kouki: “Eh? Is it really okay if I don't appear? For this work.”

Takahiko: “Yup~, In the past, it seems that the reaction to episodes where Kouki-Bright didn't appear wasn't great, but it's a story that needs to be told, so it can't be helped, right? But it looks like many of the other members of the Numbers and new characters from the enemy organization are going to show up, so I hope people enjoy reading this.”

Kouki: “I’m a bit worried……. If there are too many characters, the readers may get confused……”

Takahiko: “Well, well, well! We don't have much time, so let’s start with the questions!”

Kouki: “That was very random……”

Takahiko: “First of all, how does it feel to have a novel about you published in book form?”

Kouki: “Eh? Er~well, At first I was embarrassed, but then I realized that being published in a book is something to be grateful for, and in turn, something to be proud of. So now I think there's nothing to be embarrassed about at all.”

Takahiko: “Yes, yes, I think you are speaking on behalf of the author as well. As expected of the protagonist! Next question! What are the differences and appeals of the publication version compared to the web version?”

Kouki: “Oh about that~. The first volume of the publication contains the second volume of the web version of the story, but it's been heavily revised. It’s to the point that I feel it’s a shame that the author started to add so much in the middle of the book.”

Takahiko: “I see, I see. What specific additions have been made?”

Kouki: “As far as revisions go, there are more fleshing out the overall description and re-explaining the various settings and such. Also, the change in Hiro's character a bit.”

Takahiko: “Hiro? Well, he is one of the most hated characters in the whole series.”

Kouki: “However, there are no major changes in the progress of the story, but it looks like they're adding some psychological descriptions for Hiro and revising it so that it won't be uncomfortable if they eventually become rivals. Also, as for the other additions……”

Takahiko: “Oh! I'm afraid it's time to go! As for the additions, you'll have to answer that tomorrow!”

Kouki: “Eh? Isn’t this a bit too short?”

Takahiko: “Idiot, You won't last ten days if you don't start small…… Okay, well then everyone, we'll see you all tomorrow!”

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