Chapter 7: Because I wanted to

Caius’ POV

The moment I planted the bomb on the control room door, I turned back into the emergency tunnel and started descending.

As I went down, a powerful explosion echoed behind me. I didn’t care whether everyone inside lived or died. What mattered was that the room was destroyed. They wouldn’t be able to tell what I was going to do next.

I moved at full speed toward the lowest level.The floor that housed the reactor... that place.

At last—after what felt like an eternity descending through the dark tunnel—I reached the end.

I stood before a door larger than all the others.Behind it lay the reactor’s core.

I turned the massive wheel. With a harsh screech, I forced the door open and stepped inside.

The instant my foot crossed the threshold, a strange sensation washed over me. It felt as if the essence in the air itself was losing control, behaving unnaturally.

There it was—right in front of me, at the center of a chamber made of reinforced metal—the reactor core.

It looked like a gigantic metallic sphere, suspended between two pillars: one descending from the ceiling, the other rising from the ground.

Inside it, the density of essence was so overwhelming it made my head spin.

I ignored the sensation and walked toward it.

I pulled out the last bomb I had left.It really had been a day full of explosions.

I calculated the time needed to reach the gate and deal with any obstacles along the way, then set the timer to forty minutes.

I attached it directly to the core, took a deep breath, and thought:

Now it really comes down to this... either I escape, or I evaporate along with this place.

I pressed the activation button and sprinted off once more.

Honestly... I’d run far too much today.

Near the Instant Transfer Gate

Mike and 02 stood waiting for Caius, while the others gathered along the corridors leading here.

02 leaned against the wall, her sword resting at her side, her thoughts far away.

What is he doing? Does he really intend to escape?

she wondered.

She closed her eyes and sank into her memories.

These memories were from several years after 01 had once given her food.

They had been taken out of that room—but that didn’t mean their lives improved, or that the pain lessened.

Every day became hell. They were subjected to brutal experiments and procedures that altered the very structure of their bodies.

They were forced to fight one another to the death. Anyone who refused to kill the loser was tortured for an entire week.

One day, it was her turn to fight 01. She fought with everything she had.

In the end, she lost miserably. Even now, the cold sensation of 01’s blade resting against her neck remained vivid in her mind.

Yet that time, he refused to kill her. What followed was his disappearance for an entire week... and it wasn’t the last time.

He wasn’t like the others. He didn’t kill most of his opponents. Out of ten battles, he would kill only two—then endure the torture calmly.

No one could understand his strange behavior.

One day, after another battle—this time against a beast rather than a human—02 sat beside him.

She remembered them sitting back to back, their shoulders pressed against the cold wall.

"Why are you like this?" she asked.

He raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean, ’like this’?"

She smiled faintly. "You’re kind, 01."

She received no answer. As usual, he ignored her.

Especially since they weren’t allowed to talk to each other or form relationships... not that they truly could, anyway.

...

02 opened her eyes and looked toward where the others were gathered.

Most of them lived because of him... but now they’ll die by his hand.

Then she heard the clash of metal against metal—the signal that the battle had begun.

30 Minutes Until Explosion

I kept track of the time in my head as I headed toward the gate. I had already reached the correct floor. Only a few corridors remained between me and my goal.

With the control room destroyed, they wouldn’t know I’d planted a bomb in the reactor core—ensuring the explosion wouldn’t fail.

As I ran, numerous familiar presences entered my sensory range. I recognized every single one of them.

To me, each soul was distinct from the others—like a code I could read instinctively.

These souls belonged to people I had spent years with here.

In the past, I hadn’t spared them out of mercy or goodwill. I simply didn’t care. Pain meant nothing to me anymore; I had grown accustomed to it long ago.

I drew my swords."Looks like I was only postponing their deaths."

I rounded a corner and saw them—eleven people, all around my age.

I stopped running and began walking toward them. They noticed me and drew their weapons.

I smiled."Won’t you step aside? I’ll consider this repayment for all your debts."

A tall, heavily built young man stepped forward, gripping a spear."You know that isn’t an option, 01."His voice held no emotion.

Most of them had lost that long ago, reduced to killing tools that carried out every order.

"You want to die?" I said calmly. "Then come to me."

I released my killing intent.

They hesitated... remaining where they stood.But I didn’t have time to wait.

"If you won’t come to me... then I’ll come to you."

Essence surged through my body, flooding every corner as I sharpened my senses to their limit—then I stepped forward.

In the next instant, I was right in front of the spear wielder. He didn’t freeze.

He twisted his body and thrust at me, fast and powerful.

I placed my blade in the path of the strike and tilted it slightly. Metal rang out as the spear was deflected, throwing him off balance.

They gave me no time. Two more attacked from both sides.

I smiled.

I leaned away from one sword, blocked the other with my second blade, then twisted my body and drove a kick into his ribs. I heard bones shatter before he flew several meters away.

I turned back to the one whose strike I’d avoided. He was already swinging again. This time, I didn’t dodge.

My left hand moved, my blade knocking his weapon aside for a split second—more than enough.

My right-hand sword swept across his neck. I felt flesh part before his head hit the ground.

It took only a moment.

Then the spear wielder and two others were on me again. Their advantage was that no more than three could attack me at once.

I weaved between them, my swords deflecting their blows...

The spear pierced my thigh, blood spilling freely—but in return?The spear wielder’s head rolled across the floor.

Through my senses, I felt something tear through the essence-filled air, racing toward me at terrifying speed—like an arrow.

I twisted and kicked the man attacking me, sending him directly into its path. The arrow pierced his back. It didn’t kill him—but my sword did.

Another body fell.

I felt an attack coming from behind. I tried to shift away, but failed. A blade tore across my side, opening another wound. It didn’t slow me down.

The fight continued.

Each time one fell, another took their place.

Until they stopped coming... and silence fell over the area.

The only sound left was my breathing.

I stood there, drenched in blood from head to toe—some of it mine, most of it theirs.

I looked at the corpses of those I had spent years with. I felt nothing. Not even a trace of pity.

After a moment, I ignored the grisly scene and moved on.

15 minutes remaining.

At last, I reached my destination.

A massive metallic frame shaped like a narrow arch stood before me. In its center shimmered a wall of distorted light—the instant transfer gate, my path out of this place.

But standing between me and freedom were two people.

One was a man radiating oppressive pressure.The other was a girl leaning against the wall.

I recognized her. It was 02.

The man stepped forward, passing her."01, this is where your advance ends. Come, 02."

He gestured for her to follow. She obeyed and lifted her sword.

I began circulating essence through my body, preparing for another fight—when something strange caught my attention.

She was smiling.

A smile I couldn’t describe. It looked both sad and happy at the same time.

02 walked closer to the man, then—in a single instant, before the chip could even react—

Her sword pierced his back and burst out through his chest.

Blood poured from his mouth."How...?"

That was his final word before he collapsed.

02 remained standing, looking at me with that same smile. Her face turned pale as blood dripped from her nose—the chip’s backlash.

I was in front of her in an instant, grabbing her by the collar.

"Why did you do that? Why didn’t you fight?" I shouted.

Our eyes met. She tilted her head slightly, her smile deepening.

"Because I wanted to."