もののけ | monster | soshiro hoshina (Kaiju No. 8) (COMPLETE)

ごじゅういち | fifty one

もののけ | kaiju | monster

51

RAID ON TACHIKAWA BASE
(PART 2)

[A lengthy chapter ahead]

Kikoru

I RUN WITH ALL MY MIGHT, every muscle in my body coiled and ready, propelling me forward with a force that feels almost unstoppable. My eyes are locked straight ahead, narrowing on my target as I weave through the chaos around me. The world blurs at the edges, the sounds of battle fading into the background, leaving only the rhythmic pounding of my heart in my ears and the steady, almost hypnotic hum of my weapon in my hand.

This weapon... Numbers Weapon 4 it's not just any weapon. It's the fastest—in all the Defense Force's weapons. And it's mine. But it wasn't always. It once belonged to someone else—someone whose memory is etched into every curve of the blade, every imperfection in the hilt. Our mother's weapon.

When my sister first placed it in my hands, I could hardly believe it. I remember the weight of it, not just the physical weight, but the emotional one too. It was heavy with history, with responsibility, with the legacy of a woman who fought with everything she had. And now, it was mine to wield.

My sister told me everything I needed to know about it, about how to master it, about how to become one with it. She didn't have to say much, though—her words were few, but they were enough. The first night I held it, I couldn't sleep. I spent hours, long into the night, training with it.

I think about my sister, about the way she looked at me when she gave me this weapon. I can still see the pride in her eyes, the silent understanding that passed between us. She knew I was ready, even if I didn't. She trusted me with this, trusted that I could live up to our mother's legacy, that I could be the warrior our family needed me to be.

I can't let her down. I won't let her down.

My sister once told me something that both thrilled and haunted me in equal measure. As she handed me the weapon—Numbers Weapon 4, forged from the remnants of Kaiju No. 4—she said there was a high chance that I might see the ghost of its former user, our mother.

"Through the memories of Kaiju No. 4," she had said, her voice steady and sure, "you might find yourself glimpsing the movements, the techniques, the very essence of how our mother fought. It's more than just wielding her weapon, Kikoru. It's about becoming one with it, letting it guide you, letting her guide you..." I stared at the battle axe that our mom had used before in awe. "This is a gift, Kikoru. A positive upper hand that most soldiers could only dream of. With this weapon, with these memories, you can mimic our mother's movements. You can fight with her strength, her precision. You're already powerful, but with this, you'll be on a level that's almost unimaginable. You could be as strong as a Captain..."

She's right... It's like she's there with me, in the weapon, in the very air around me, watching, waiting, helping me grow stronger. I can almost hear her voice, soft yet firm, urging me to keep going, to never give up, to fight with everything I have because that's what she did. That's what she would expect of me.