《Zone Step-in》


 Beginning of start

    Where did it all start? It doesn''t matter anymore. The only thing that matters most right now is in front of me. I''ve come this far because of all those people who were dear to me. So I can''t be "half-baked" anymore, whatever happens, whatever it takes for this time sure.I will not lose.A 3rd-year high school student named Ito Tatsuki" looking outside of the window.


    The class was over, and he straight headed toward the washroom.


    He hid in one of them and hoped the bell would ring soon, but some boys came over there and started calling out him-ito kun "where are you, we just want to talk with you some."


    One of them kicked the washroom door where Ito was hiding.


    "Do you think you can run from us?"


    "We hear ito how you complain to teacher about us smoking in the school because ofyour favour we were suspended for weekes."


    His voice was trembling, and his whole body was shaking in fear.


    The one who kicked the door, pulled ito out of there and gave a straight punch to the guts. Then, the three of them started beating him until he didn''t bleed.


    The guy named kuroya holds him up from hair and says "ito-kun from now on you will be our punching bag that the three of us will beat anytime we want."


    "If you try to tell anyone, this will only get worse for you."


    Then the three of them went from there laughing and the time ito realise all those kicks and punches had broken his finger bone and mouth was bleeding.


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    He tried to stand up, thinking, "They were not that strong, so


    why? I¡­didn''t fight back."Was I feeling scared?


    Then, he goes to the infirmary to treat his wounds.


    When he was asked about his injury, he was afraid of what they would say.


    So he decided not to tell anyone about this and lied about her wound, saying "he slipped when he was running," and he also hid her broken finger to not get suspicious.


    Afterwards, when school was over he was on his way back home.


    There was a girl named "Sakura" whom he was talking with for a long time and had a one-sided crush on . Walking home back talking to her was the only happy thintoto have and enjoy the small time being with her.


    "She asked her about his wounds?"


    Ito doesn''t want to involve Sakura in this at all.


    So he chose to lie again.


    After some talk, they parted ways for their home and for some seconds he forgot all the bad things that happened to him.


    "But today he was seen by worst person possible-kuroya."After that, every day was the same for him: getting beaten by three of them and going home with her, but today was different because he didn''t see Sakura on her way.


    Next day ito comes to her school to see if she is there and he also gets to see her.


    "But she ignored her like he was not even there!"


    He tries to ask him what and why.?


    Sakura answer her in a cold way, "I don''t want to talktoa person like you, so never try to meet me again."


    It was like he was "freeze up" there and (can''t together her "courage" to ask anything)"What happened ito-kun?"


    The instant Ito hears that voice, he knows who is behind her.


    The three of them were smiling and enjoying this.


    Kuroya says "yes we did that ito¡­.kun."


    ''A weakling like you thinks you can have a girl."What I said a few days ago will only get worse for you- hehehaha."


    "[The rain started) and three of them ran away from there."


    Ito started to walk slowly with the storm of all those emotions inside him.


    He kept walking on that way alone and asking himself.


    "Why¡­.why, why, why is this all happening to me?"


    "I did nothing wrong to anyone¡­.WHY"


    "Can''t bear this now. I want to run far away from this all."


    He closed his eyes, and then suddenly some electric sparks started to appear surrounding her.


    Ito didn''t see what happened.


    The moment he opened her eyes.


    The rain stopped and what he saw was a long field of grass with a pleasant view of sunset.

 New Step

    I walked for hours but didn''t see any humans yet.


    And this way keeps getting dark and creeper.


    "Where am I?"


    After going deeper, he saw some humans standing near a tree-shaped thing, but after calling out many times, they did not respond.


    He decided to go near them, and what he saw gave him cold feet.


    "N-No¡­.No, no, NOOOO! What is that?! AAAAH!"


    That tree-like thing gave off an evil smile and those humans were corpses that were controlled by branch-like whips.


    "Their eyes were fully dark and it was like there was nothing inside them, just empty!"


    Ito kept running, trying to escape from the darkness behind him.


    He spotted a light in front of him, but just before he could reach it, those whips grabbed his legs and pulled him back.


    Desperately, he reached out with his hands, trying to grab onto something that could stop himself from being dragged back inside, but it was no use.


    "So... this is how it ends? Am I going to die now?"


    A sound came from the side bushes. "Rustle! Crack!"


    "A girl comes out of there high in the air, and she throws a dagger that cuts that wipe."


    She instantly grabbed it in her arms and ran at a very fast speed before that thing could follow them.


    They safely escaped from there, but a strange black thing was spreading inside her body that made her unconscious.


    "After 38 hours ito wake up and open her eyes"


    He noticed his school uniform was changed to some casual clothes.


    "And a boy with yellow hair sleeping on the chair."


    The girl who saves Ito''s life comes inside the room and seeing him, he slowly remembers what happened with him.


    "I... I thought I was done for... but you¡ª you saved me. Thank you so much."


    Yellow hair boy (Rayan) woke up from that and both of them didn''t get what he was saying.


    "But the way he bowed down, they somewhat got what he was saying."


    Ito want to ask about where in the world he is and about the incident that happened with him before but again they don''t know each other''s language.


    He tries to tell them with hand signs.


    Seeing that, Rayan started to laugh.


    "The girl named Sara says to shut his mouth."


    "I-I''m sorry... I just... I just can''t help it! He was just so funny!"


    Rayan shows a thumbs up, trying to say he got it.


    Ito (he doesn''t get it)


    But Ryan also wants to know who this boy is and where he comes from.


    After getting some rest, Ito started to learn about this world from Rayan and with that.


    "A whole year has passed and now ito knows many things about this world and also can speak this world language."


    "I... I can''t believe it.


    An entire year... a whole year has passed since I came to this world."


    Sara sees Ito standing in the room alone


    "Seriously...? Are you talking to yourself again?"


    Sara asks about Rayan. Ito told her he was already gone for classes, but there was still some time for that.


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    Afterward, they both also get ready for Knights Academy, a place where they learn about Physical Science and Knight training.


    But with every year, fewer and fewer students are enrolling for knight training.


    Even though it gives more money and respect in society then any other field.


    Sara was one year ahead of ito and they both were in Knights training on the other hand rayan was in medical science.


    There were only six students in which there were two girls and four boys including ito and they were all good friends of his.


    The girl named Mary saw ito and Sara coming here together, so she asked if they were dating each other.


    "In boys two of them, say ''''you betray us, Ito-we promised to be single forever but ito denied it saying ''we just run into each other when we were coming, there is nothing like that."


    Teacher had come to class and they stopped talking about that but this reminded him about that past again that he is trying to forget and doesn''t want to face.


    After all classes end, those who are in knight''s training will have some extra classes of sparring match where they train themselves physically.


    "I know it''s going to hurt... but I refuse to lose."


    Ito is having a sparring match with one of his classmates named Zayden, who comes from an assassin family.


    He was trained for this from childhood, so winning against him was child''s play. He tried by throwing punches and kicks, but he dodged all of them.


    And before he knew it, Zayden and, as sharp as a blade, were on his neck.


    Ito was frustrated about his loss, but he also praised him.


    "You did also good ¡ª if you keep this up, one day... you''ll be even stronger than me."


    Ito also knows that without training, he can''t beat him because, in the previous world, he didn''t have any fighting experience.


    When those two were fighting, there was also a girls'' match going on where Sara beat five girls in a row with just her raw strength and athleticism. The teacher and all the students who were watching it were shocked.


    After all the sparring matches and training there was an announcement from the teacher.


    "Tomorrow, you all are going with squid three, where you all will get to see them fight against the Hollow Beast, and you can use that opportunity to get some experience."


    All the students were excited about tomorrow.


    After that near-death trauma, honestly, just by hearing the name.


    "His Heartbeat was getting fast, and his body was shakin.


    Still, he chose to see and face that thing again.


    When they were going home, Sara asked if he didn''t want to go she told the teacher in his place but ito refused saying.


    "Don''t worry... I''m okay now.


    "Tomorrow morning: Nine o''clock am."


    All students were in two Armored trucks and enjoying their time by singing and chatting. Afternoon, five o''clock pm:"


    Both classes were at a twelve km distance from (Dark Zone).


    Those Hollow beasts and that tree-like thing are located.


    The third squad vice captain, Hyman Shalter, and twenty soldiers were standing ready with their weapons.


    They were all fired up to see all those students come to see them fighting.


    And today, for some reason, all those hollow beasts were outside the dark zone.


    Because of that they were weaker than they usually are.


    So they were able to beat them without any problem, and seeing that, Ito and most of the students were impressed.


    "Everything was going fine but."


    "It was calm before the storm."


    Vice captain Hyman gets information that the dark zone size has grown three times more than before and now all those students are also in the dark zone.


    Before he can react, a blast happens where all the students are.


    "And a Black smoke started to emerge from the land."


    Those long whips started to attack all the soldiers.


    Before they could do something, their ten soldiers had already become puppets of that thing.


    Hyman decided to retreat and help those students.


    But between that path, their comrades were standing.


    On the other side, Ito and all the students were safe, Hopefully, no one is dead, but many of them are badly injured.


    Ito was lying on the lap of Sara, and then he slowly regained his consciousness.


    He asked her about the situation.


    Sara tells her all the things that have happened so far.


    He clenches his fist, and that pain to not being able to do anything again back.


    The teacher says Try to calm down, students by telling them.


    "Hold on! The knights are on their way ¡ª they''ll save us."


    But now they noticed there were three holes in the ground and three students were missing!


    After hearing this, Ito runs to help them but Sara stops him, saying ''do you really think you can help with that body shaking in fear?''


    But he also doesn''t want to sit back and watch his classmates die.


    Zayden also wants to help them.


    So Sara also agrees to help but on the condition that Ito will not move from his place, making a promise.


    He was not happy with that, but he also knew that Sara would be more helpful than he was.


    On the other side, Hyman says, "again, it''s nothing new to us."


    "Soldiers! Don''t be fooled ¡ª those before you aren''t your comrades.


    They''re nothing but mere puppets! Stand strong!"


    They all started to fight back, but it was no use.


    Didn''t matter how many times they were killed; they stood again.


    The vice captain charged straight to Hollow Tree to finish him from roots.


    He cut four whips out of nine, but before he can go any more near with remaining whips Hollow Tree Break his sword and hold him up from neck in air.


    "BANG! a gun fire"


    A bullet cut through that whip, and Zayden cut the remaining three.


    He asks the vice captain if he is ok.


    Sara sees the students who are missing and tries to take them out before he can regenerate.


    She almost reached it, but the Hollow Tree started to make a sound that gathered all the Hollow beasts to attack them.


    Hyman tells them to run away.


    Sara shot a bullet at one of the beasts, but it didn''t work because they were deep inside the Hollow zone.


    Making the situation worse, those whips also regenerate themselves.


    "C-Captain... p-please... help


    "You can rest now... I''m here.

 Hope and Despair

    "I was always empty from inside, easy to trust, and can be influenced by anyone. I am a coward who ran away from his problems, but right now. No one is influencing me; this feeling of helping someone is my own," Ito muttered.


    "Rushed footsteps echoed through the dense veil of black smoke."


    "Ito let out a deafening shout, drawing the hollow beasts'' attention away from Sara and the others."


    "Why are you here?! Run, Ito! They''ll kill you!'''' Sara saying


    Ito''s breath hitched, legs frozen as the beasts closed in ¡ª claws scraping dirt, fangs flashing in the dim light.


    A sudden blur slammed into him from behind. He crashed to the ground, rolling hard as a snarl tore through the air where he had just stood.


    Coughing through the dust, he looked up. A figure stood between him and the beasts.


    "T-The First Squad Captain Zeth...?" Hyman''s voice cracked, eyes wide with disbelief. "Those white hairs and crimson eyes, no doubt, but why is he here ?"


    The others stared in stunned silence, mouths half open as if words had been knocked clean out of them.


    Amid the awe and shock, a pained groan interrupted the tension.


    "Ugh... can someone tell the world to stop spinning?" Ito mumbled, still flat on the ground, arms splayed awkwardly as he blinked at the sky. "Or at least help me up?"


    "I didn''t see what happened¡­but the second hollow beast attacked the captain, his


    hand cut off," Zaydan muttered.


    What just happened, vice captain? Sara


    "I think¡­ it was probably the Zone Technique of captain Zeth." Hyman telling three of them.


    The beast attacked again with her other hand, but the result was the same: It was slowly being crushed by an invisible force.


    One by one, the beasts began to get crushed.


    They saw it as an opportunity to escape, but Ito stood up and started running toward the hollow tree to rescue the students. The wipes also began to move and tried to attack them again.


    "Expanding his lung... inhaling through his mouth," Zeth said, leaving them surprised. Zone¡ªkneel down, and what they saw next was a sudden burst in the sky, forming a layer that covered half of the planet.


    "What happened now?"


    All those beasts and hollow trees were crushed to the ground in seconds.


    "Hurry¡­.before that tree grows again."


    Now is the chance: I have to hurry.


    "What happened? Why are you just standing there? Hurry!"


    "Zaydan, they are already¡­."


    Already What: What are you trying to say ito.


    "They are already hollow."


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    A sudden silence fell on all of them. Ito started to clench his fist tightly with a turmoil voice "I''m sorry, this is all my fault: If¡­.If I just made it in time, if I was not this hopeless.


    "Stop blaming yourself; it was not your fault."


    Sara is right. We did what we could.


    But still, if I just tried harder


    "If you have time to regret, then run; that thing is growing again.


    Sara held Ito''s hand, and they all started to run.


    "Every time you try to grow, I will crush¡­. you empty piece of shit."


    Before getting crushed again, Tree charged his whip. Ito barely had any time to glance up before a sudden force pierced into his heart.


    Blood starts to flow out of Ito''s body: "What happened. I can''t hear what they are saying. Why is everything blurry? My body is feeling numb¡­.Am I¡­.going to¡­die?


    "KEHAHAHA! Where I''m right now, "KEHAHAHA! Who is laughing?.


    "Huh¡­Why am I so high up? What is this place? Am I dead? "KEHAHAHA!


    "KEHAHAHA! Hey, weird laugh, can you tell me where I''m right now?


    A sudden interrupt¡ª(Moshi Moshi) hello ¡ªHey, I just hear Captain Zeth''s voice But I can''t see anyone here? This whole place is blank!


    "KEHAHAHA! Are you just gonna laugh all day? "Weird, he is not responding and why? I couldn''t move my body.


    "Huh, why I''m falli¡­"At the same time, Ito opened eyes.


    Sound of chains "So you finally decided to wake up," Ito slowly lifting his eyelids."I haven''t introduced myself yet. My name is Velthorn Blake, and I''m the chief executive of the Supreme Knights of this kingdom, Yonor.


    Sir, are they all fine? "What a weird boy, worrying about others before himself."


    Are you talking about your friends? Sara and Zaydan both are good, and because of you kids bravery, there was not much battle causality, leaving three students who are all getting treatment and will be in good shape soon.


    Ito asks with fear in his voice, "Can you tell me those three names?"


    "What will you do?"


    Ito have no answer for that "very well, Those three was Marco Galdius, Barame Winton and your classmate Mary Elpar.


    Ito down his hade with a regretful expression on his face!


    "Are you feeling guilty for their death?"


    Ye¡­Yes!


    Velthorn''s voice was full of warmth and encouragement. " Listen, a knight must protect others; it''s his/her duty and responsibility. There will also a time come when you aren''t strong enough to protect others, but that does not mean everything ends there. As long as you live, there will always be despair and hope, people will come and go. If you want to keep protecting, then become strong and don''t let failure stop you. If there is no one, then become strong for yourself.


    Ito''s eyes were wide open like a cloud full of questions inside his brain was answered, but still there was one remaining.


    "Chief executive, sir."


    "Just call me Sir Velthorn."


    "Ok.'''' So, Sir Velthorn, why am I in prison and chained?


    "Oh, you didn''t notice yet." "What?" That black aura surrounding your body.


    "Which aura are you talking about, sir?"


    "Are you sure you can''t see it?" "Yes." "So he can''t see it yet, then how¡ª


    After asking, he was confused, as if something was not right. "I know it''s painful to remember, but do you recall what happened before you lost consciousness?"


    "Yes, I did remember something so fast pierce through my heart. It was feel like. I almost died."


    "Do you think a normal human could have survived that attack?"


    "That means you already died once, Ito."


    "Ah...!"


    Back in time, twenty-four hours after Ito''s death!


    "Can we do nothing, Vice Captain Hyman?"


    "Captain Zeth, can''t you do something with your zone power to save that kid?" With hope in their eyes, they stared at Zeth.


    "If I could, I would have done it already." He stopped breathing, meaning that healing could do nothing here.


    Suddenly, a black aura began to envelop his entire body.


    "Three of you, stand back! He''s going to become a Hollow!"


    "No, I will not," Sara protested.


    "This isn''t the time for an argument, girl¡ª" he interrupted. "Wait, if he''s becoming a Hollow, then why hasn''t that tree grown back yet? What is happening?"


    "Ba-dump... Ba-dump..." His heart started to beat again, accompanied by slow, steady breaths, and the black aura disappeared. All of them stood in shock at what they had just witnessed.


    To present.


    "So I died already, but I''m not feeling anything different from before."


    "Did you see something when you were unconscious or anything like that?"


    Ito tried to recall everything that had happened so far. "No¡ªnothing at all."


    "Well, there are many questions I want to ask you, but not now." "Wait, can you tell me one last thing?"


    "Yes."


    "Are you really from this world?"