The Raven Dark Hero 47

Chapter 47 : The Regret, Anger, and Sadness

TL:SummerPeanut

“Ko-Kouki!!??”

“Ko…Kouki-san!!??”

Suddenly, Azusa and Haruka shouted, causing the Nature Stranger to look at the two girls to see what was going on. They were so distraught that it was obvious that they were upset.

“Why? …Eh? Kouki? …Kouki!?”

Azusa hugged Kouki, who had collapsed and was no longer moving.

“Why… Kouki-san…?”

Haruka was also shocked to learn that the mysterious man was actually Kouki.

Red remembered that Azusa and Haruka are acquaintances of Hiro, and asked Hiro about them.

"Hey, Private Sanada. Do you know each other?”

Hiro didn't show any reaction towards Red's question. He just stood there, stunned silly.

“Why?! Why are you always so! You've always been so reckless... why!?”

Azusa buried her face in Kouki's chest. Large grains of tears were spilling from her eyes.

"Hey, Private Sanada!?”

"...It’s a lie...why would Kouki......? It’s a lie… this is a lie!!”

Nature Green, who could not understand the situation, approached to check on Kouki's condition. However, Azusa resisted as if she was protecting Kouki.

"What do you want!? ...You're the one who did this to Kouki! Why are you pretending to be worried!?”

"...I didn't mean to... White, can you fix him?”

Green ignored Azusa and called out for White. However White, guessing from the fact that Kouki had already ceased any movements, shook her head.

“I'm taking him to my family’s hospital right now!”

Unable to stand it, Haruka took out her phone. Haruka's father is the director of a large hospital, so she tried to contact him directly.

"Hold on, young lady. He's a stray filth. Please entrust his corpse to us… Oof!?”

Yellow, who was about to stop Haruka, caught Azusa’s iron fist with his cheek.

“Kouki is a stray filth you say? You've got to be kidding me! Kouki was a non-gifted! That's right...his gift has just recently manifested.... That's why he didn't even have the gifted’s proof yet!”

It is said that gift can only be found manifesting until the age of 15. This is the reason why the other members of Nature Stranger, except Red, did not take Azusa's statement as anything more than nonsense.

“Ouch ouch… No, in the end, he didn't carry the proof of gifted, you know? Besides, it looked like he was trying to attack the new recruit there, so we can only assume that he was a stray, right?”

“No matter how you look at it, Kouki is not the enemy, I said we saw what happened, didn’t we!? He even denied it with all his might, didn’t he!?

Not to mention, Kouki was a non-gifted that until recently! All his life, Kouki had dreamed of joining the NDF since he was a kid! He always dreamed of being a hero! There's no way that Kouki would become something like filth! He just hadn't applied yet!

But to save Hiro... he stood up to the terrorists! And yet...You didn't even listen to him, you treated him like a stray filth... and then you even took his life...... Stop your bullshits!!”

Azusa hugged Kouki tightly. With much regret and apology….

"-rry. I'm really sorry...Kouki. When your gift didn't manifest, when it was the hardest time for you, I pushed you away... I'm sorry. It's fine even if you don't forgive me. But I'm really... sorry…”

“Me, too...I took Hiro-sama's words to heart, and pointed my hate to you... It's frustrating... why did I…”

Burying their faces in Kouki's chest, Azusa and Haruka repented to Kouki...

Hiro stood there dumbfounded, but when he saw the two of them repenting to Kouki, he regained his consciousness. At the same time, he had mixed feelings about the fact that Kouki had manifested his gift.

"…Oi, Azusa, Haruka. Kouki...he manifested his gift and hid it from us, didn’t he? He must have thought we were stupid! I'm sure he was mocking me again using the fact that he is now a gifted…?!”

A sound of wind cut across Hiro's cheeks.

"Hiro... If you open your mouth any further, I'll really hit you this time, okay?”

Azusa's fist grazed Hiro's cheek.

Azusa and Haruka were…, as if asking if it weren’t already enough for him, giving a look of both disdain and anger towards Hiro.

"What... What the hell, you two! You guys like me, right? Not Kouki!”

“...I must be dumb to be deceived by you. I really want to beat myself to death.... You're really a worthless bastard, just like Kouki said.”

“I suppose this what they mean that even a hundred years of love will turn cold…”

Hiro realized. Azusa and Haruka are completely disgusted with him. It tore the pride of Hiro to pieces. The pride from the harem he had built by taking Azusa and Haruka away from Kouki. And most of all, he was shocked to realize that he was inferior to Kouki after all.

“...Even if he was a stray filth, there’s no doubt that he fought to save Sanada. ...I'm really sorry for what I've done…

Anyway, we'll take his body to the NDF for now. We will not take him as a filth corpse but as a civilian casualty... no, a civilian who sacrificed himself to saved many, as a hero..."

Just as Red was about to approach Kouki, a man in scorching flames jumped down from above him and destroyed the ground.

“What!?”

Red held Azusa while Haruka with Blue retreated from their previous spots. Yellow, Green, White and Hiro also followed suit.

Magma spewed out from the ground destroyed by the flame-clad man, swallowing the body of Kouki....

“Koukii!?”

“Kouki-san!?”

Azusa and Haruka saw Kouki's body being swallowed by the magma and disappeared. Then, they let out an inaudible scream.

"You're... ‘Molten Flame’ Jiren, the second of Kuroyume’s Numbers!?”

"Long time no see, Red. Shall we settle who has the strongest flame-based gift now?”

The man clad in flames is Jiren of the Molten Flame, Kuroyume's number two after Kiryu. He is a thin, macho man with short, upswept hair, and wore a tank top.

"Jiren... Why is a man of your standing here?”

“I came here to pick up Skull and Joker. ......it looks like they've already retreated. Then there's nothing more to do here.”

Jiren tried to leave, but Red wouldn't let him.

"You think I'm going to let you get away with this? We can settle this as we wish, you know?”

"Hmm... think about the place. If you and I fight here, a lot of people will die, including the civilians who have yet to escape. Are you okay with that? Is that what you, the ally of justice, want?”

“Kuh..we'll settle this sooner or later!”

"Oh, I'll look forward to it. See you......... hmm?”

When Jiren was about to use the transfer stone, he noticed a jet-black human shadow that suddenly appeared and smiled bitterly.

"What the hell... you look like you’re still kicking well and alive…”

A jet-black figure landed in front of the Nature Stranger's group.

Everyone in the room was transfixed by the sudden appearance of the man….

"...I am the light within darkness, Bright. I am the one who will bury you all…”

Author’s Note:

God, the prelude was long... From here, it's finally Bright's turn!

<<Prev 

Next>> 

TL: Glad the author noticed the start of this arc is lengthy.