-Vol 6: Dusk of An Era-

-The Old woman’s pride-

While walking through the streets of Tokyo, Kenshin had his head low as he thought about his own life, bout the way it was running now. The destruction, the blood splotches on the streets, nothing enter into his eyes. His mind was full of the matter regarding Yuki and the solution given by Tar’el. In the first place, he was surprised to find Yuki was involved in such a huge event, where her own life was cut short to a mere thirty percent.

Then there was the Elders’ council… just the mention of their names made Kenshin’s blood boil in anger. He was angry that they would do such things to his lover. Kenshin knew he was a hypocrite. He knew that if it’s someone else other than Yuki, he wouldn’t have given a rat’s ass about it. But so what? In his mind, he can be a hypocrite for his family, so what if others look down on him? He had already endured the bulk of them when he was growing up after his parent’s death.

For the greater good? Fuck greater good!! Calling it ‘for the greater good’ didn’t change the fact that it was still a crime. God had cleansed the world of evil once, but still, it didn’t change the fact that he had drowned to death more than billions of his beloved children.

“And we call satan a devil, pfft!!” Kenshin laughed at his own monologue. He didn’t know when his thoughts derailed to that side, it became a little funny for him. Shaking his head, he went towards the main road, where he wanted to book a taxi to his sister’s academy. He had called her before, although their call didn’t connect, with his connection with the DCB office he came to know that, nothing serious had happened to the academy. The students were evacuated to a highly secured underground place and were only allowed outside after the whole thing was calmed down.

“Damn, how can I find a cab in this half-destroyed city?” Kenshin questioned, seeing a city that didn’t have a fully standing building in-sight. After standing there for a while, he decided to not waste any more time and walked towards the academy.

“This city had seen better days…” Kenshin couldn’t help but comment, seeing the dilapidated situation the city was in. He had heard that four of those flying dragons attacked this city with a few bipedal ones, but he didn’t know the destruction was this serious.

“Didn’t Tokyo had at least a dozen of beyond 150 level hunters? How come they couldn’t take care of a few dragons?” Kenshin didn’t know he was saying it loudly, as a nearby person heard it and sighed, before giving out a response, “Its greed, child.”

Whipping his head, Kenshin found an elderly woman kneeling before a half-destroyed roadside chair, placing a few flowers on the pavement. Then she lightened a candle and a few incense sticks, before clapping her hands in a ritual. After that, she stood up, with the help of her walking stick she turned around facing Kenshin, “it’s the greed of those hunters… had they put aside their differences and worked together… we would have avoided many disasters. Sigh…”

“I see,” Kenshin said with a nod. He kinda understood what the lady meant when she said about putting aside their differences. Everyone loves publicity, and hunters loved them the most. They could lose their money but never their standing in society. And the things that happened before, it was like a golden opportunity for them to increase their publicity among locals and global scale. How can they allow others to steal their spotlights? Like how dogs fight for a single piece of bread, hunters, too, fight for publicity.

“You knew people there?” Kenshin asked, pointing towards the place where the lady paid her respect.

“Yeah, I do… my daughter died there, protecting a group of children.” The lady said it without a tremble in her voice, but it was Kenshin’s heart that thundered with the echo of what she just said. He looked towards the lady’s face… save for a few bags below her eyes, she didn’t look like someone greaving for her daughter.

“Heh,” the lady suddenly smiled, feeling the gaze of Kenshin on her face, “do you find it weird for me to not greave for my daughter? Do you think I am a heartless mother?”

Kenshin remained silent, he didn’t judge people, but he felt whatever he say now would sound like he was judging her.

“I am proud of my daughter. I am proud that she saved a bunch of children who are the future of our nation, and also took down one of those monsters. I am proud of her achievements… won’t I be disrespecting her if I grieved for her when she achieved so many things?” the lady smiled, before going separate way from Kenshin, “anyway, lad, I will be going that way. Take care,”

Seeing her retreating back, Kenshin couldn’t help but gave her a salute. She was a mother and yet… the mater with Yuki could be the same, but it wasn’t. She hadn’t done anything for the greater good, only, she was sacrificed for a bunch of people’s greed for more power.

He heard from Core that the monsters on earth were capped at 250 or somewhere closer, and without monsters of the power level present, a hunter couldn’t level up any further… unless they have a system like him. And the runes on Yuki’s body opens a gateway to higher dimensions, it's not difficult for someone like him to connect the dots. That’s why he couldn’t accept this outcome on any grounds.

Like this, he reached the gate of the Hunter’s Academy. The broken gates and charred ground filled with holes, made Kenshin realize the state of destruction Tokyo had to endure. Compared to this, their small city, Mito, was saved by a hair’s breadth. Although he was sure that had he not intervened in time, without a level 150 hunter holding the fort, Mito, too, would have been subjected to this scale of destruction.

“Hey, where do you think you are going? This is a government organization, common hillie-billies aren't allowed to enter.” Just as he was about to enter the premise, a few people dressed in black armored attire came running, holding a huge electric baton in their hands, looking as threatening as they come.

“Ah, yeah. I am not a commoner, I am Kenshin Muto and here is my ID, I work for government… well, if you can call DCB that.” Kenshin showed his ID, the one issued to him by the DCB office after he upgraded his level in the database. Currently, he didn’t have any official position on the DCB, compared to his previous Inspector Official, his authority had increased a lot. At least now, he had the authority to command around local police anytime, and military platoons during an emergency.

They are bound to obey him no matter what.

“I am sorry sir. We are just doing our duties. Not even a day passed since the disaster so, we are on high alert.” One of the armored security apologized as he returned Kenshin’s ID to him.

“It's alright. Can you tell me where I can find the school authorities? I have come here to meet my little sister and I don’t think I will find anyone here.” Kenshin asked with a disarming smile. These security guys are just too tense before him, as he could practically feel their nervousness.

Yet, another benefit of Dragon Sense he discovered recently.