'It's official,' Zenkichi thought, a blank look in his eyes, as he sliced apart a small mechanical bear in front of him with a katana he got a long time ago. He had already run out of bullets and opted to go with katana, as it felt more efficient to use it in a small narrow corridor. 'I fucking hate teddy bears.'
It had been an hour since they entered the first floor, saw Takachiho's dead body, and Zenkichi, Naze and Ryota were always getting swarmed by these mechanical teddy bears, known as Monokuma, every single moment that they were on the floor to the point that it seemed endless!
What was worse was that they were in the largest and most complicated floor of the whole Flask laboratory, the Labyrinth. Which was a good idea for a secret underground facility as a sort of defense, but still, why are all the floors so weird? This place is more like a dungeon than laboratories.
At first they weren't concerned since Naze and Ryota quite know about the floor, since they went through it numerous times to the point it was already instinctive on which direction of the exit and entrance was to them.
But Zenkichi would never believe that his luck wouldn't start to fuck with him with how quiet things were....and it did a few minutes later on. Because whoever was controlling the mechanisms of the floor, made its structures and routes to change every few minutes or so, making it impossible for them to navigate it without constantly getting lost.
Zenkichi gritted his teeth as he cut down more and more Monokuma, the repetitive movements starting to bore him, but he had to keep going. He couldn't allow them to get overwhelmed by these machines.
But finally, after what seemed like the last wave of Monokumas had been destroyed, Zenkichi could finally see a set of stairs leading up to the ground floor.
He couldn't but shed a tear at seeing such a magnificent sight.
"Phew," He let out a relieved sigh and turned back at a corner and yelled, "Okay guys! Everything looks clear and I see the way towards the ground floor."
"Really?!"
Right after Zenkichi said that, Ryota came into view, panting heavily with sweat dripping down his face. "Thank god, I thought we were gonna be stuck in this hellhole forever," he said, wiping his forehead with the back of his hand. His face was pale and had a depressed look.
Out of the three of them, he was the most miserable because he had zero combat ability with the exception of using a gun. But that option was out since he, like the rest of them, ran out of bullets and was just forced to dodge and weave the swarm of Monokumas constantly coming after them.
'I felt like I lost several years of my life and probably developed a PTSD on teddy bears and narrowed corridors,' He hugged his arms and shivered, quietly comforting himself. 'thank God we'll be getting out of here soon.'
Naze appeared right after him, her short dark purple hair disheveled and her clothing torn from the constant battles, showing the black skintight suit underneath. "About time we can get out of here," she groaned, stretching her arms to relieve the tension in her muscles. Her firm tits jiggled and bounce at her action.
Zenkichi briefly stared at her before averting his eyes, embarrassed. But a small voice in the back of his mind couldn't help but say,
'...They really do have similarities, in more ways than one.'
"Kuhum."
Zenkichi coughed into his fist, hiding his traitorous thoughts by storing the katana back in his inventory. He then nodded at them with an indifferent expression, "Yeah, let's go."
It took about 15 minutes for them to reach the ground floor of the Flask facility but...they still weren't able to get out just yet because they came across a large metallic gate standing before them and true freedom.
Zenkichi stared at the metallic gate warily and asked his two companions, "Okay, care to explain what the hell is that?"
"It's the Door of Rejection." Ryota said, looking slightly relieved at seeing the large metal gate. "It's basically the security gate of this place and its first level of defense against intruders."
"It's a door meant for only Abnormals and Ultimates, since we're not limited by circumstance and probability, we can go through this door easily every day. It can only be opened by a six digit code," Naze chimed in, walking up to the Door of Rejection in a relaxed manner, she started pressing her fingers on the tablet screen besides the metal door to check for traps.
"But once someone inputs a code, the code changes. The chance of entering the real code is 1:1,000,000. This was made to keep Normals and Specials out."
She paused in her movements for a moment, staring intently at the screen, before letting out a deep sigh of relief and said,
"All clear. Looks like they didn't mess with the Door of Rejection's systems and set up any more of those Monokumas on the other side and..." Her eyes narrowed, pressing more options on the before resignedly shaking her head. "it looks like those twins aren't there either."
"Oh no..." Ryota muttered, deep concern appeared on his face.
Zenkichi raised an eyebrow, confused. "Twins? What twins?"
"...It doesn't matter. We've already wasted too much time going through the labyrinth." Naze shook her head and began typing on the screen once more.
A brief moment passed by and the metallic gate slowly began to open, revealing a small pathway leading to the surface which was the Clocktower's ground floor. Zenkichi felt a surge of hope and relief wash over him as he stepped forward, ready to finally escape this nightmarish place.
But just as they were about to enjoy the sweet scent of freedom, a loud alarm blared through the air, causing the ground to tremble beneath them.
"What the hell is going on now?!" Zenkichi exclaimed, his heart racing.
Naze quickly turned to the tablet screen, her eyes widening in horror. "No, no! Why is she coming here!?" with lightning fast speed, she began typing all kinds of keys on the screen.
"Naze, what's going on?" Zenkichi asked, his voice filled with concern.
Naze froze for a moment, looking hesitant for a moment before shaking her head and said, "It's a very old friend of yours," her fingers flew across the screen, her expression tense.
"What?" Ryota was visibly confused at her words but Zenkichi instantly understood who she meant.
In an instant, he arrived by her side and stared at the flashing screen intently and grimaced at seeing a familiar figure walking aggressively towards their direction. Each step she made caused the camera feed to distort slightly, and her presence was filling Zenkichi with a mix of dread and apprehension.
"It's... Medaka?" Zenkichi whispered, his voice barely audible.
Naze nodded, her fingers still tapping away at the screen. "Yup. No wonder there wasn't anyone or anything stationed here, they were just useless compared to Kurokami Medaka. Arguably the most monstrous Abnormal in the entire school history."
Zenkichi's mind raced, trying to process what this meant. 'That's impossible. She? Influenced by that despair video? That can't, shouldn't, be possible no matter how you put it. Her psyche could not be affected, no matter how long she watches it! She's Medaka Kurokami for God's sake! I've known her since I was a kid and she's the most overpowered girl I've ever known.'
Although he couldn't fully comprehend what was happening, Zenkichi knew that they were in deep trouble. Medaka, under the influence of the despair video, was approaching them with a dangerous intent.
In any normal situation, with his new abilities and enhanced physical capabilities, Zenkichi would have the guts to take her on and possibly even subdue her so they can escape.
But that was until he saw her long crimson red spiky hair, like the mane of a lion, and blood swirling cold eyes staring at him from the darkness from the other side, as if it was like that saying;
If you gaze into the abyss, the abyss also gazes into you.
Every instinct in Zenkichi's mind screamed at him to either kill that or run as fast as he could.
Ryota, ignorant of who Medaka was, dumbly asked, "Who? Who the heck's Medaka?"
"Think of her as an op main character of a shonen manga or anime." Naze replied.
"Oh shit," Ryota, instantly understood what Naze said, paled in fear. "t-that's bad."
"Naze." Zenkichi said, Divine Reflection glowing more intensely than before as glowing blue lines appeared all across his body.
"I'm working on it!"
Naze finally managed to input the correct code and the metallic gate started to close immediately. But everyone wasn't certain that it'd be enough to keep Medaka out.
Zenkichi clenched his fists, feeling a surge of determination. "We can't let her get to us," he said firmly. "We have to find another way out."
Naze looked at him, her eyes filled with a mixture of worry and determination. "....There are a few pathways that can lead us to other parts of the school facilities," she said. "We can use one of them to escape. But it's going to take us a lot of time and is far riskier to use."
"I don't care," Zenkichi replied resolutely. "We have to take that risk. We can't let Medaka get to Ryota, we need to get out of here."
Ryota, who had been silently listening, nodded in agreement. "I trust you guys. Let's do it."
"Naze, where are those pathways located?" Zenkichi asked.
"They're–"
"Zenkichi...." A raspy voice suddenly sounded out eerily.
They stopped in their tracks, their eyes widened in shock and fear as they heard a voice coming from behind the closed metal door.
'Shit,' Zenkichi inwardly cursed, his face turned solemn as he faced back towards the gate. "Guys, get out of here. Head back towards the labyrinth and get to one of those pathways."
"Hitoyoshi-san..."
"Zenkichi, no."
Both instantly reacted respectively, with Ryota saddened and concerned whilst Naze showed stubbornness and determination. They refused to leave him behind.
"I can't just leave you here," Naze insisted, her voice unwavering.
Ryota nodded fervently, his eyes pleading. "We're a team, Zenkichi. We stick together."
Zenkichi's eyes softened as he looked at his companions. He knew that they cared about him, and he couldn't bear the thought of putting them in danger. But at the same time, he couldn't allow Medaka to catch up to them and potentially harm Ryota, the key of undoing this whole mess.
He took a deep breath, his mind racing. "Alright, listen," he said, his voice firm. "I'll buy you guys some time. I'll distract Medaka and lead her away from here. Once you're sure she's far enough, find one of those pathways and escape. I'll catch up to you."
"No way," Naze protested, her fists clenched. Koga's face flashed in her mind as she pleaded to him once more. "I-I'm not leaving you alone to face her. No."
She came close to him, tugging onto his sleeve, a rare look of anguish flickered in her teary eyes.
"I-I've already lost Koga-chan, I don't want to lose you..."
'Please.'
Zenkichi unconsciously read Naze's mind and went into a slight daze, not knowing what to do.
He shook his head and focused at the matter on hand. He'll deal with all that stuff later on.
"I'll be fine," Zenkichi reassured them, he even held Naze's hand with both his hands to comfort her. "Trust me. I can hold my own for a while. Besides, I've known Medaka for a long time. Maybe... maybe I can reach her somehow. Snap her out of that despair state."
Naze bit her lip, torn between worry and trust. Letting out a resigned sigh, she leaned her head on his chest. "Zenkichi..."
Zenkichi gently smiled, embracing her and softly rubbed her head, "I'll be fine, Naze. Even death wouldn't dare take me yet."
Naze's eyes widened, realizing something from his words but didn't say anything. Her eyes softened and relaxed in his embrace, relieved of something that only she knows.
Zenkichi then turned to place a hand on Ryota's shoulder, giving him a reassuring smile. "Trust me, Ryota. I'll be okay. Just focus on getting out of here."
Ryota sighed, reluctantly accepting his plan. "Fine. But don't you dare die on us, Hitoyoshi Zenkichi."
Zenkichi grinned, a fire sparking in his eyes. "No way man. I'm not going down that easily. Now go, both of you. Find that pathway and escape."
With a final nod, Ryota and Naze turned and hurried back towards the labyrinth, leaving Zenkichi behind.
Zenkichi watched them disappear into the distance before turning back towards the closed metal gate. It was now just him and the approaching figure of Medaka from the monitor. He didn't know what he would say or do, but he had to at least try to bring her back.
As everything became silent, Zenkichi took a step forward, ready to face whatever awaited him on the other side. He knew it wouldn't be easy, but he was determined to save his friend.
'Heh. Who knew I'll finally have that revenge battle against Medaka now,' Zenkichi chuckled and readied himself.
"I won't let despair claim you, Medaka," he whispered to himself. "I'll find a way to bring you back."
"Zenkichi..." Medaka's strained voice echoed once more only this time, it was accompanied with the surrounding trembling uncontrollably.
"I missed you... So this is where you were kidnapped? I'm sorry, I'm so sorry that it took so long. But don't worry, I'm here now."
Zenkichi had a cold look of concentration on his face as he held his right hand up, conjuring a blue Reishi sword construct.
"Yeah, don't worry. I'm here," He said in a low tone of voice, gripping his constructed sword's energy handle. "I'm right here..."
.....
❄️Shout-outs to the best Reincarnators of my patreon:
•terrence L mccall
•swift arrow
•Edward aguirre
•LowTierDood
❄️Shout out for the Ones Above All of my patreon, the goats:
•OBgaming7
•Juul T.F
Author here: Sorry for the late update. I thought I had already scheduled this to be released several hours ago, opps. I grinded too much for event materials on FGO that I started hallucinating...😅 And no, for anyone wondering, I was not lucky enough to get Oberon, Morgan, and Koyanskaya during their limited summoning.
And fuck morgan. Every time I pour my saint quartz into her limited summoning I would always get trash pulls. It's why I stopped writing that FGO system in Douluo Dalu fic, the disheartening trashes I always get as 90+ hard earned saint quartz disappear...
Not Oberon though. Although I wasn't able to get him, I actually managed to get Xiang Yu, Osakabehime, Baghast and three copies of Baobhan Sith in just 20 pulls.
ALL HAIL OBERON!!
As for Koyanskaya...eh, I already got a five star Assassin. I'm not gonna press my luck, plus I didn't have any saint quartz left after 60 of them went to Oberon.
But anyways, please consider supporting me through patreon, it helps out a ton and you can read ahead of the story as well as read other stories I have in patreon that I'm holding off from uploading until I reach a satisfactory amount of chapters stored.
patreon.com/FroztDouluo
That's all I can say for now, peace and stay frosty 🥶