-Vol 5: A New Life-

-Chain Reactions(1)-

While Kenshin was going through his awakening, a severe change was occurring in Ekla’s Garden, the dungeon of Mito. Suddenly the monsters within started to go crazy, attacking each other or convulsing on the floor while their body gave off a sickly green aura. Many hunters spooked by this and immediately left the dungeon. A few who were courageous enough to stay were thrown out automatically by the dungeon after a certain interval of time passed. Within a few minutes, the dungeon threw everyone out.

At first, everyone thought another ‘Dungeon Break’ was gonna happen, but seeing the teleportation gate sealed, they took a breath of relief. Those who were here during the first dungeon break, already acquainted with the process, so they instantly recognized that it wasn’t a dungeon break after seeing the teleportation gate closed like that. This helped in calming the agitated public somewhat, who was behaving like a headless chicken after being thrown out of the dungeon.

Even the office of DCB wasn’t calm. Standing inside the observation and monitoring room, that would keep an eye on the dungeon 24/7, Suguro was wearing a frown on his face. The computers on the screen were showing data that it shouldn’t be showing.

“Sir, the radiation rate just surpassed the maximum allowed limit!” a man wearing thick glasses informed as he calculated a few numbers on the screen. He was looking very serious as his expression darkened every second as the numbers kept on rising.

Suguro had a stone-cold expression, but in his heart, he was recalling the tragedy of that night. He recalled just how unprepared they were for something like a dungeon break. Its only thanks to a certain someone who had reminded them again and again and they took some precautions. Although no civilian life was lost, the property damage was still huge, despite them barricading at least ten five kilometers around the dungeon.

‘Is something like that going to happen again?’ Suguro looked very serious and even a little angsty. The only reason he was freaking out was because what's happening now was a little different from what happened all those nights ago. That night, the gates certainly didn’t close like today.

“Somebody, alert the head office and put me in line with Mrs. Yuki,” Suguro ordered loudly.

“Yes sir,” a female officer affirmed and started to stamp some switches on her keyboard. Soon she signaled Suguro that the line had been connected. Nodding to her, Suguro lifted the receiver of the phone nearest to his.

“Hello!”

“Suguro, what happened? For you to call the office at this hour?” a lady’s voice came from the other side. She was definitely not Mrs. Yuki, Suguro had spoken with her before.

“Is Mrs. Yuki isn’t available?” Suguro asked.

“No, she had gone to her home already. What’s the problem?”

“Well, I am sending a few sets of data to your office database, kindly review it and tell me what to do. it's an emergency.” Suguro didn’t have time for useless chatter, so he came to the point instantly.

“Okay!”

A few minutes later…

“What the fucking shit is this? Are you kidding with me?” a few curse world flowed from the other side.

“You think I don’t have anything else to do than playing such sick pranks? It's an emergency, and this happened just now.” Suguro slammed his fist on the table, creating a dent on it.

“Wait, I am calling Mrs. Director.” The lady, on the other side, hung the call.

Placing the receiver on the table, Suguro started to look at the screen with a grave face, thinking about what going to happen this time.

…

Inside his hidden chamber, Core had a shit-eating grin plastered on his face. It was what he anticipated for the moment he made that contract with Kenshin. Now that Kenshin was going through his first awakening, he can undo what had been done to him. With the grin still on his face, he retrieved a normal-looking dagger from under his stone bed. Holding it in front of him, he had a smile on his face.

“Kenshin…oh, Kenshin…you are just too naïve. You didn’t even know what the real job of a dungeon guardian is… hmmm hahaha!! It's perfect… haha…” he smiled and revealed a very sinister expression. After that, he raised the dagger and with a resolute expression, stabbed it on his heart.

Golden light burst out of the wound before various runes came to life that was hidden throughout the chamber and his body. These runes started to wriggle like snakes, going around the whole room as well as his body. Soon a small crack formed, starting from Core’s stabbed chest. The crack soon extended all the way from the wound to the whole room and even beyond it.

“Yes…break…haha! Break… break… it has been millions of years… break for me… hahaha!!” Core shouted like a mad man looking at the roof of his room, which had huge cracks on it. Not only the roof, but even the surrounding walls also had huge cracks. The golden runes started to lose their luster, some even beginning to vanish into fine light particles.

This gradually escalated as the runes everywhere started to vanish. Sometimes later, the runes on the walls as well as on Core’s body vanished completely.

“Haha haha!! HAHA!!” Core suddenly started to laugh like a madman, widening his arms to his sides and looking at the sky with his sinister eyes. His hair started to grow long until they reach his midback, and its color changed to white. Even his eyebrows turned white. His small body instantly grew up to the point of touching the roof of the huge room, which was at least 15 meters.

White lights appeared in particles and surrounded his body, forming an armor of some glittering white metal, that gave off a dusty black aura. A huge spear appeared on his hands as he held it tightly. Core looked at the weapon and felt like crying.

“My Void-shattering Spear… how I missed holding you in my arms. Its already been many millenniums…” he gently caressed the tip of the spear-like it was his long lost lover’s cheeks. Then he looked at his surrounding, “Ugh! It's too cramped in here, let's make some room…” saying so, he moved his spear around with a bit of force. A black aura came from the tip of the spear, forming a huge shockwave as it traversed through the air.

Seven concentric shockwaves formed one after another, destroying the walls of everything around him. The whole hidden chamber, as well as the first floor to 4th floor, was instantly reduced to dust, leaving behind a huge wide hallway.

“Hmm! It looks I have become rusty in this past millennium. No worries, I will come to shape instantly I step out of here.” Core mumbled as he stepped into the wide hallway. Then he looked at the closed teleportation point and laughed loudly.

“Do you think it will be able to stop me, huh? Nothing can stop me, now that I have recovered my Void-shattering Spear. I will break out of this place, just you wait…hahaha!!” Core then laughed once more before swinging his spear once more. This time, a large spatial-tear appeared on the mid-air, with multiple colors could be seen from within.

Giving the destroyed dungeon one last look, Core stepped into the spatial crack and vanished from the place.

After he left the place, the dungeon started to shake violently, cracks filled its remaining walls as it started to break off. Soon, rocks and debris, filled everything as the dungeon broke bit by bit. Even cracks appeared on the midair like it was made from glass. These cracks spread throughout the space, then they broke off in the shape of shards. When the shards fell off, nothing except dark void could be seen.

Ekla’s Garden completely destroyed and vanished…