Cross Gun: Chapter 131 – Repeat

Chapter 131: Repeat

「—and of course everyone’s disappeared.」

 

With clouded eyes and a clouded smile, Miyazaki Sora spoke cloudy words as her visage grew as cloudy as the cloud-filled sky.

Although she tried her best to muster up the conviction to rally her teammates into uniting as a coordinated force, in the end, everyone went their separate ways before she could even try and bring them together.

Hence, the reason why the blue-haired athlete was now staring listlessly towards the sky covered with a haze of grey.

 

「Hmph. Good riddance to that.」

 

Responding to the dull voice of the blue devil was a girl with honey-blonde hair and a short stature; the 『Queen』 of the current student council, Miura Kaede.

With her crimson blazer and white knee-socks, she gives off the impression of a polished amber, adorned in the centre of a royal crown.

Though in her current frame of mind, Sora was unable to truly appreciate the young girl’s charm.

For even though she was clearly out of it, the cogs in the athlete’s brain were spinning with full force.

 

「*sigh* You know, this is exactly the same as what happened last time, right?」

 

The girl spoke, her sharpened gaze turning towards the young 『Queen』 as she maintained a hardened countenance.

As Sora had indicated, the current turn of events was occurring in pretty much the exact same way as the last match.

Without care for each other’s actions, the members of Kaede’s faction scrambled about, searching for their enemies whilst sparing no thought on the group’s overall strategy.

And, while this wasn’t exactly a bad tactic considering each individual was plenty strong, it was apparent that none of them was mindful enough to keep an eye on the whole picture.

Though with that said, it usually isn’t the henchmen’s job to mind such a thing.

For the responsibility of analysing the situation and making judgements based on the circumstances lies with the leader.

—which is most likely why Miyazaki Sora had stayed behind and begun such a discussion with the 『Queen』.

 

「And? We won the last time, didn’t we? What’s wrong with using the same strategy?」

「………*sigh* Geez, I give up. Just do what you want.」

 

Seeing how Kaede scoffed in the face of her comment, Sora finally resigned herself, understanding that no matter what she said now, she wouldn’t be able to get through the blonde’s thick skull.

Yet, the moment that the athlete lamented her classmate’s shortsightedness–

 

*baaaaaaang*

 

–a blast of sound shook the earth, causing both of the teenagers to turn towards its origin.

And from said epicentre, a large amount of dust frothed into the atmosphere, as if denouncing that trouble was brewing in its wake.

 

「Hmph. Fools. They’ve given away their position.」

 

Kaede sneered, her eyes sparkling with the mad light of derision.

Although one might initially think that the smog signified the start of a battle, upon comparing the distance between their spawn point and the dust with the time taken to travel it, one could tell that it was impossible for any of the 『Queen’s』 pawns to be involved.

Thus, it was only natural to conclude that the quake was caused by the opposition.

And, needless to say, both of the girls were able to come to the same conclusion.

 

「………yeah, they did.」

 

Sora spoke hesitantly, her gaze locked onto the disaster which had occurred far into the distance.

However, despite the crumbling 8-story building causing excessive changes to the landscape, the athlete found herself concerned less with the destruction and more with the ones behind it.

 

(……but did they do it accidentally…or was it intentional?)

 

The blue devil murmured to herself, understanding that the latter was far more likely than the former.

For, after all, it would seem that they had used this exact same tactic before.

In order to lure out both Honda Takumi and Hashimoto Kiyoshi to their graves.

And with this band of simpletons, one couldn’t say that such a strategy wouldn’t work again.

Which meant that at this point in time-

 

「Things are turning out exactly the same as they were the last round.」

 

Indeed.

Although one could not predict how the fights this time would play out, it was painfully obvious that the two factions were taking up similar positions to the first round.

The same round where they almost lost to the 『Last Ranker』.

And, while it was apparent that Kaede continued to delude herself into thinking that she was victorious, Miyazaki Sora felt otherwise.

 

「…………I don’t like this.」

 

–for her clouded expression continued to grow darker, eclipsing the lackadaisical sky which governed the 『Queen’s』 chances of victory.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

—-looking back to a few minutes before the earthquake resounded throughout the concrete arena.

Isayama Masaru looked at his right fist, clenching it strongly as his thoughts lingered on the words that Junichi spoke to him during their strategy meeting.

And, while he wasn’t entirely sure of the entire plan, the boy understood his role.

He was to be the bait.

The decoy.

Just like last time, he would cause a ruckus and draw the enemy’s attention.

For what purpose? Masaru didn’t know.

However, he understood what needed to be done.

And because of this, his nails continued to dig into his palm as the delinquent stared at the building in front of him.

Although he chose one arbitrarily, the building he picked probably stood out to him due to the large red sign fitted near its roof.

Naturally, due to his inclination, Masaru had no idea as to the significance behind the tower which he had chosen.

Rather, if he had any idea, then he would have recognised the scene of the battlefield a long time ago.

Nevertheless, seeing how he needed a building to draw attention, the delinquent spared no time to think about such trifling matters.

For at the current time, his mind was filled with thoughts of hesitation.

 

(……c’mon, Masaru! Snap out of it!)

 

Smacking his cheeks, the boy shook his head, violently ridding himself from the doubts that plagued his mind.

—and then, he raised his fist.

 

『–you knuckleheads are a bunch of idiots who can only push forward with their fists clenched and heads held high.』

 

Strange words echoed in the back of Masaru’s mind.

While he had never liked the nickname given to him by the dark-haired youth, for some reason, he couldn’t bring himself to deny those words.

For when he concentrated—-when he blindly placed all of his strength into his heavy fists, the 『Lion』 felt like he could do anything.

And it was with this soaring feeling that 『Lion Mane Masaru』 thrust his arm forward, causing an almost unbelievable spectacle to occur before him.

Under the weight of his punch, a massive indentation formed in the wall, penetrating through the cement as a gust of wind billowed violently behind him.

Due to the friction caused by his fist and the air resistance, the shock wave which accompanied the swing closely resembled a 『Lion’s』 roar.

And in the wake of said roar, the red building shook violently as cracks rippled throughout its crimson exterior.

 

「Holy—」

 

Unable to comprehend exactly what had just happened, Isayama Masaru’s jaw dropped, his pupils contracted as he witnessed the aftermath of the fist he had thrown.

The earth trembled in fear of his awesome might.

The sky screeched in terror of his power.

And within minutes—nay. Within seconds, the entire 8-storey building collapsed before his very eyes, spitting out dust, debris, and fumes as evidence of his destructive strength.

 

【Bloody Impact】

 

Although it was the name of a skill that Li Qiu possessed, the concept behind it wasn’t exactly very different when compared to what Masaru had just performed.

A blow where one’s entire being is focused, concentrated, and compressed in an instant, allowing a tremendous amount of power and energy to explode.

To put it simply, it was a do-or-die technique which allowed the user to gamble their entire chances of victory in a single strike.

However—because of its strength, the recoil of such an attack should be equally intense.

Upon performing this attack, Wen Li Qiu often finds herself unable to exert any power into her legs, causing flesh and muscle to tear whilst causing her own blood to spill onto both her and her enemies.

Hence, an impact filled with “blood”.

In all honesty, it was a fool’s attack.

A simple head-on attack that cared not for tactics nor schemes.

An attack that was filled with sincere folly.

And it was because of its direct and absurd nature that it suited the 『Lion』 quite well.

Naturally, seeing how Masaru had yet to suffer any injuries, what he performed was merely a poor imitation.

Nevertheless, it was certain that it was his very own fist which had caused the collapse of the red tower which continued to deteriorate at a rapid pace.

For no one in the Rebellion’s forces possessed enough power to topple a skyscraper except for him.

–making it the perfect bait to draw out a certain, orange-haired shota.

 

 

 

 

 

「-?! This is…」

 

Upon seeing the scarlet spire sinking into the ground, Honda Takumi stopped in his tracks, staring off into the distance as his eyes grew sharp.

A fierce flame flickered within his pupils, accompanied by a savage grin and a dangerous glare.

And, while the young boy had momentarily turned silence upon bearing witness to the glorious sight of the tower’s collapse, this didn’t last for long as Takumi kicked the ground and launched his small frame towards the accumulated debris.

 

「Heh. I didn’t think I’d get to have my revenge so soon.」

 

As his lips moved, the 『Yakuza’s』 teeth gnashed together, brandishing a pair of vicious fangs that seemed to crave for the flesh of the strong.

His limbs moved him forward frantically, leaving behind his hesitation in the dust cloud generated by each step he took.

It was apparent that, after having been taken down once before, Takumi was no longer holding anything back.

Fueled by rage–a desire to defeat his former friend who he should’ve been able to demolish easily, the yo-yo wielding 『Yakuza』 was in a state of high tension.

With adrenaline pumping through his blood, the boy cared not for the fatigue accumulating in his muscles, nor the strain in which he was inducing on his body.

All he cared about was pulverising the young man who had knocked him out in one punch during the previous round.

—and it was in this state which Takumi stumbled upon the scene of Masaru’s rampage, just after the scarlet spire had crumbled completely.

 

「!!!!」

 

The moment Takumi saw the blond-haired delinquent standing in the midst of the destruction, he firmly stamped his foot against the gravel, causing the youth to turn towards his direction.

It was uncertain exactly what kind of expression the two delinquents wore as they faced each other on the battlefield built upon destruction.

Nevertheless, it was apparent that the tension in the surroundings had risen dramatically, causing sparks to fly amongst the dust sifting through the air.

 

「MASARU!!」「TAKUMI!」

 

*boom*

 

As the two’s spirits collided, another shockwave blazed through the arena, causing the concrete in the surrounds to scream in agony due to being incapable of dealing with the pressure induced by the students’ confrontation.

And, while their fists continued to push against each other, the delinquents growled fiercely, causing both of their features to distort into the visages of beasts.

Naturally, the blond-haired youth with the mane made from his stubble and sideburns resembled the animal of which his name was derived from, a 『Lion』.

As for the young boy with orange hair, his slanted eyes and small pupils made him look like a predatory fox, willing to tear into its prey no matter it took to do so.

Strangely enough, despite no longer being in a forest, the two delinquents grew even more animalistic as their hostility was sharpened more than ever.

Yet, despite their aggression towards each other-

 

「It’s time to settle this once and for all, Takumi!」

「You got that fucking straight, Masaru you bastard!」

 

-the two beasts could not escape the repeating cycle as they followed in the footsteps of the round before.

 

 

 

 

 

 

「Suuuuu………haaaaaa………suuuuuuuuuu………haaaaaaaaaaaa………」

 

Unbeknownst to the two wielders of violence who began to kick up a ruckus on the streets below, the sounds of heavy breathing echoed through a lone staircase.

That said, rather than panting in a desperate attempt to infuse oxygen into one’s blood, these breaths seemed more purposeful.

As if they were taken purposefully. For the sake of not the body, but the mind.

To clear one’s spirit of doubts. To engage one’s being in a state of total awareness.

And of course, the one who had submerged his consciousness with such sharp tranquillity was a boy currently dressed from head to toe in camouflage combat gear often worn by the military.

Naturally, wearing such an outfit in this cityscape was utterly pointless. Seeing how there was no foliage for the green camo to blend with, it was apparent that the practical nature of the uniform was not taken into consideration.

That said, for the wearer—for Hashimoto Kiyoshi, this outfit held an entirely different meaning.

It was a uniform tailored to mimic the military’s, one that had was infused with the spirit of solidarity and patriotism.

It was a uniform which perfectly reflected his current state of mind.

A lone 『Maniac』, fighting solo and sacrificing all in order to follow his path.

It wasn’t entirely far-fetched for one to call him a soldier, seeing how orderly and vigorously he began to march through the staircase.

With that said, it was obvious that such a description was lacklustre for the bespectacled youth with red hair.

 

「……………」

 

Two red beads glowed silently underneath the boy’s helmet, their intensity failing to fall even whilst being obscured by his glasses.

Upon his back, a large backpack stood tall, its contents threatening to burst at the seams as the baggage effectively doubled the man’s height and width.

From some of the open pockets, one could catch a glimpse of red candles and golden capsules, crammed in carelessly as they jingled constantly.

On his waist, mechanical limes could be seen lined up along his belt, dangling helplessly as they swayed every time Kiyoshi took a step.

Across his chest, a long strip of black was held firmly with both hands as it glowed ominously within the darkness.

Needless to say, the man called Hashimoto Kiyoshi was fully equipped with firepower well over the capacity that a single soldier could manage.

With one wrong move, he would be utterly incinerated from the chain reaction caused by the artillery which clung mercilessly to his tall frame.

It was to the extent that no regular person would even dare to fight him for fear of being caught up in the blast.

It was truly the armament of a 『Maniac』.

Even in spite of the fact that he and the two delinquents were adhering faithfully to the flow of events in the previous round, Hashimoto Kiyoshi had managed to find a way to break away against the repetition.

But then again, this was but a matter of course.

For seeing how he was fighting on his home ground–the city of Akihabara, there was no way that the 『Maniac』 would allow himself to repeat the shamefulness of the first round.

And thus, the bespectacled boy marches on.

Towards a repetitive battlefield that is slowly, but surely, changing.