The underground chamber no longer looked like a hidden facility beneath Hell University—it looked like the center of a disaster too powerful to stop, because the unstable core suspended in the middle of the collapsing structure had begun releasing violent waves of energy in every direction, tearing through walls, destroying steel support systems, and sending cracks racing through the entire foundation of the university above, while alarms screamed endlessly through the darkness and the floor beneath Zein Shoin and Ace Craige shook hard enough to make standing difficult.
Dust filled the air.
Lights flickered violently.
And somewhere far above them—
Students were screaming.
"…the collapse already started," Zein said quietly.
Ace looked toward the unstable core.
"…how long do we have?" he asked.
Zein hesitated.
"…not enough," she replied.
Another violent shockwave exploded through the chamber.
The walls cracked wider.
A support beam crashed behind them.
Ace immediately pulled Zein closer before debris could hit her.
"…careful," he said sharply.
Zein steadied herself quickly.
"I'm fine," she replied.
Ace looked at her coldly.
"That answer is getting irritating," he said.
Zein blinked slightly.
"…what?" she asked.
"You keep saying you're fine," he replied,"…while standing in the center of a disaster."
Zein opened her mouth—
Then stopped.
Because he wasn't wrong.
The core pulsed again—
Brighter this time.
Almost unstable enough to explode.
Zein looked toward it immediately.
"…it's getting worse," she whispered.
Ace followed her gaze.
"…then tell me exactly what happens now," he said.
Zein's expression tightened slightly.
"…the dual stabilization system reconnects both anchors to the core," she explained."…one absorbs the unstable output… the other seals it into containment."
Ace crossed his arms slightly.
"And the risk?" he asked.
Zein looked away briefly.
"…if synchronization fails," she said quietly,"…the energy tears both anchors apart."
Silence.
The chamber trembled violently again.
Ace stared at her for a long second.
"…you knew that already," he said.
Zein didn't answer.
"…you were going to do this alone," he continued.
"…yes," she admitted softly.
Ace's jaw tightened immediately.
"…unbelievable," he muttered.
Zein frowned slightly.
"…people would survive," she said.
Ace stepped closer instantly.
"And what about you?" he asked sharply.
Zein looked at him.
"…I wasn't the important part," she replied.
Ace laughed once—
Cold.
Frustrated.
"…you really believe that?" he asked.
Zein stayed silent.
Ace looked away for a second before speaking again.
"…you are seriously the most exhausting person I've ever met," he said quietly.
Despite everything—
Zein almost smiled.
Almost.
But another explosion shook the chamber hard enough to interrupt the moment completely.
The ceiling cracked loudly above them.
Large pieces of concrete crashed to the ground.
"…we're out of time," Zein said.
Ace looked at the unstable core again.
"…then tell me how to connect," he replied.
Zein froze slightly.
"…Ace—"
"No," he interrupted immediately,"…don't start arguing again."
"This could kill you," she said.
Ace's expression stayed calm.
"So could standing here," he replied.
"That's not the point," she argued.
"Then what is?" he asked.
Zein looked at him helplessly for the first time.
"…I can't lose control again," she whispered.
The honesty in her voice hit harder than the collapsing structure around them.
Ace's expression softened slightly—
Only slightly.
"…look at me," he said.
Zein slowly did.
"You're not alone this time," he said quietly.
Silence followed.
Not empty silence.
Heavy silence.
The kind that changes something.
The core suddenly pulsed violently again—
And this time—
Energy burst outward directly toward them.
Ace reacted instantly, pulling Zein down as the shockwave ripped across the chamber behind them.
The explosion shattered part of the wall completely.
Dust filled the air.
The ground shook harder than before.
Above them—
Hell University began collapsing floor by floor.
Students screamed in panic somewhere overhead.
"…Ace," Zein whispered.
"What?" he asked immediately.
Her voice lowered.
"…listen."
He went silent.
And then he heard it too.
Cracking.
Massive structural cracking.
Not underground—
Above them.
"…the main tower," Ace said instantly.
Zein's eyes widened slightly.
"…there are still people there," she said.
Ace looked toward the exit corridor.
"…damn it," he muttered.
Another violent tremor hit.
The core surged brighter.
Zein grabbed his wrist suddenly.
"If you leave now, the synchronization fails," she said.
Ace looked back at her immediately.
"And if I don't leave, people die," he replied.
"You can't stabilize the core alone," she said.
"And you can't hold the university together alone," he answered.
Both of them fell silent.
The impossible choice hung between them.
Save the people above—
Or stop the core below.
Both couldn't happen at the same time.
Zein's breathing slowed slightly.
"…Ace," she said quietly.
"No," he replied instantly.
"You don't even know what I was going to say," she argued.
"I know exactly what you were going to say," he said coldly."You were going to tell me to go."
Zein didn't answer.
Because he was right.
Ace exhaled sharply.
"…unbelievable," he muttered again.
The chamber shook violently.
A massive crack spread across the floor directly beneath the core.
The energy became unstable again instantly.
WARNING: CORE FAILURE IN 12 MINUTES.
The mechanical voice echoed around them.
Zein looked up immediately.
"…twelve minutes," she whispered.
Ace clenched his jaw.
"…that's not enough time."
"No," she replied quietly.
Another explosion rocked the structure.
Dust rained from above.
And then—
The lights suddenly shut off.
Darkness swallowed the chamber completely.
For one second—
Everything went silent.
Then the core lit the darkness blood-red.
And the entire underground structure began collapsing around them.
Darkness swallowed the underground chamber completely after the power failed, leaving only the violent red glow of the unstable core pulsing through the collapsing structure like the heartbeat of something alive, something furious, and as the ground beneath Zein Shoin and Ace Craige shook hard enough to split apart beneath their feet, the reality of the situation finally became unavoidable.
Hell University was dying.
Another explosion thundered above them.
Concrete crashed from the ceiling.
Dust filled the air so heavily it became difficult to breathe.
And somewhere far above—
Students were still trapped.
"…Ace," Zein said quietly.
"I know," he replied immediately.
The red light from the core flickered violently across his face as he looked toward the collapsing exit corridor.
"…if the tower falls completely…" Zein started.
"…they die," Ace finished coldly.
Silence.
Another violent tremor ripped through the chamber.
The core pulsed again—
Stronger.
WARNING: CORE FAILURE IN 10 MINUTES.
The mechanical voice echoed through the darkness.
Zein closed her eyes briefly.
"…we don't have enough time," she whispered.
Ace looked back at her sharply.
"No," he said firmly,"…don't start that."
Zein frowned slightly.
"Start what?" she asked.
"That look," he replied.
"What look?"
"The one where you decide to sacrifice yourself before asking anyone else."
Zein went silent.
Because again—
He was right.
Another explosion shook the structure.
The ceiling above them cracked loudly.
Large pieces of concrete smashed into the floor nearby.
Ace grabbed Zein's wrist immediately and pulled her back before debris could hit her.
"…careful," he said sharply.
"I said I'm fine," she replied automatically.
Ace looked genuinely irritated now.
"And I'm starting to hate that sentence," he snapped.
Zein blinked slightly.
"…Ace—"
"No," he interrupted again."You are standing in front of an unstable energy core while the entire university collapses around us."
Zein crossed her arms slightly.
"…when you say it like that, it sounds dramatic."
Ace stared at her in disbelief.
"…dramatic?" he repeated.
Zein looked away briefly.
"…okay, maybe a little bad."
"A little?" he asked flatly.
Despite everything—
He almost laughed.
Almost.
But then another violent tremor hit, stronger than before.
The chamber lurched sideways violently.
Zein lost balance for a second—
Ace caught her instantly.
His arm tightened around her before she could fall.
For one quiet second—
Neither of them moved.
The red glow from the core flickered across the dust-filled darkness around them.
Zein slowly looked up at him.
"…you keep doing that," she said softly.
Ace frowned slightly.
"Doing what?" he asked.
"Catching me."
His expression stayed unreadable.
"…someone has to," he replied.
Something about the answer made Zein's chest tighten unexpectedly.
But before she could respond—
A loud crash echoed from above.
Then screaming.
Both of them froze immediately.
"…the tower," Zein whispered.
Ace's expression hardened instantly.
Without another word, he activated the damaged monitor system built into the underground chamber wall.
The flickering screen barely worked—
But it was enough.
And what they saw made the silence worse.
The main tower of Hell University was collapsing floor by floor.
Students were trapped inside.
Smoke filled the upper levels.
Emergency exits had already failed.
"…damn it," Ace muttered.
Zein stepped closer to the screen.
"…they can't get out," she whispered.
Another explosion lit the screen white for a second.
The building shook violently again.
WARNING: CORE FAILURE IN 8 MINUTES.
Ace looked back toward the unstable core.
Then at the screen.
Then at Zein.
The impossible choice stood directly between them again.
Save the students—
Or stop the core.
One mistake meant everyone dies.
Zein slowly lowered her gaze.
"…go," she whispered.
Ace immediately looked at her.
"No."
"…Ace—"
"No," he repeated sharply.
"They need help," she argued.
"So do you," he shot back instantly.
Zein shook her head.
"I can stabilize the core alone for a few minutes," she said.
Ace stepped closer immediately.
"And after that?"
Zein didn't answer.
Ace's expression darkened.
"…exactly," he said quietly.
The silence between them became heavier than the destruction surrounding them.
Zein looked back at the collapsing screen again.
"…if nobody helps them, they die," she whispered.
Ace's jaw tightened visibly.
"And if I leave you here alone?" he asked.
Zein's voice dropped softer this time.
"…then maybe only one person dies instead of hundreds."
The answer hit like a punch.
Ace stared at her in complete silence for several seconds.
Then finally—
"…don't say things like that," he said quietly.
Zein blinked slightly.
"…what?"
"As if your life matters less."
The honesty in his voice stunned her completely.
The chamber trembled violently again.
The unstable core surged brighter.
Cracks spread rapidly through the floor beneath them.
WARNING: CORE FAILURE IN 7 MINUTES.
Zein exhaled slowly.
"…Ace," she whispered.
He looked at her immediately.
"…if this fails," she said carefully,"…promise me something."
His expression instantly hardened.
"No."
"You don't even know what I'm asking."
"I don't care," he replied coldly.
Zein almost smiled despite the situation.
"…you're impossible," she muttered.
"And you ask terrible questions," he answered.
Another explosion ripped through the chamber—
This time close enough to throw both of them sideways.
The monitor screen shattered instantly.
The lights flickered violently again.
The underground structure groaned loudly around them.
And then—
A massive crack tore directly beneath the unstable core.
The entire chamber froze.
Because now—
The core itself was beginning to fall.