Parallel Memory

"Hah... Hah…"

Zero ran faster and faster.

He had recovered to a certain extent but he was not as strong as previously. Earlier, he didn't know what happened but it was like he was someone different with vast amounts of power.

As of now, he seems to be back to normal with Rank-F - speed and power. He ran as fast as possible to seek help.

He knew from the confrontation that he could be of no use to Lilith and only increase her burden. It was better for him to bring back an adult or someone capable of helping her quickly.

-TIK! -TIK!

*SNIFF!

He ran through the dark forest with tears dripping from his face. Ultimately, he was the one who survived and fled. Neither was he able to save any of them nor was he capable of taking revenge.

What he did was leave another one of his friends just to flee. Even when it was Lilith who told him to run away and he also knows that he was a burden but it didn't change the fact that it was his fault.

"We-endy!… John! …"

Everyone was dead.

Even Lilith might be!

*SHAKE!

He shook his head to stop thinking about that possibility. He knew he had to believe in Lilith and bring help from outside.

If Lilith also dies then he would really not be able to recover from the shock. Lilith stayed behind because of him and if she dies, it will be completely his fault.

" I need to get help as soon as possible!"

Even when he wasn't in the right state of mind, Zero knew how to prioritize things. First, he had to bring someone to help Lilith, and then he could cry as much as possible. It was still not time for him to be depressed.

Soon enough he was out of the forest. He frantically went out to look for someone. However, he felt exhausted as soon as he was out of the dark forest. He didn't know what happened but it felt like he had passed through something but he just thought of that as his illusion.

His body felt heavy and his leg was giving away. But he knew that he could not pass out right now. He searched for someone but the place he was in was isolated and he needed to go a little further to see some people.

As he was struggling to go further, he encountered a girl who looked like she was in high school, and more importantly was a student at Ace Academy. He felt somewhat relieved.

it was already good that he had found someone and that she came from the prestigious Ace Academy. Although he did not know the general strength or ranking of Ace Academy, he knew that it was where talented students gathered.

He wanted to shout for help but the sound just would not come out properly. After struggling to speak, some words came out of his mouth.

"...He-lp!..."

Though the girl was still far away, it looks like she noticed Zero. Moreover, Zero's condition was not good with all the blood and injuries. Anyone can see that something was wrong with him.

As long as it was someone who did not ignore others' suffering, they would immediately help. The same was the case for the Ace Academy girl who was walking. She immediately changed her direction to Zero.

-WHOOSH!

The girl was ridiculously fast. Even Zero who witnessed Sixtus and Lilith's speed was awestruck. The girl who he approached was possibly stronger than both Lilith and Sixtus. He also felt that she was stronger than most of the Shadow Genesis Explorers.

"...Help!"

Still, Zero has no time to admire the girl's strength and pleads for help. He wanted to tell more about the situation but he had no more strength. Even with the potions provided by Lilith, it could not heal the exhaustion of his mental strength.

Zero collapsed unconscious into that girl's arm.

*****

"What do I do?"

The Ace Academy girl thought.

She didn't know who the boy was but looking at the state he was in, she was sure that he had been attacked by someone. She could also tell that he was giving off Dark Energy which meant that it was probably a Devil or Devil Contractor.

As a third-year student, she had encountered many cases of people getting hit by Dark Energy and how their injuries looked.

She remembered the boy asking for help. Though she didn't know whether it was to help him or if there was someone in need of help. But considering the situation, she thought that he was probably referring to someone else.

She knew that this boy would not be able to compete against a Rank-F monster, much less a Devil or Devil Contractor. If he could escape, it probably means that someone is holding the enemy back.

While that situation was critical, taking the boy to the hospital was equally important as she found his injuries were serious.

"Mia, what are you doing?"

"Thank god you are here! Take him to the hospital!"

???

Mia Frostine quickly handed Zero to her friends. Her friends were confused by this sudden request.

"Who is he?"

She asked, however, Mia was already missing from her vision. She looked a little further to see that Mia was running.

"Hey, where are you going?"

She shouted but there was no reply. She quickly disappeared from her sight.

"Sheesh! Still doing whatever she wants."

She complained.

She was aware of Mia's personality which is quite unyielding. She will fight for any injustice and will be the first one to help someone. But considering her talent and background, many are scared of her and those with a good background consider her a hypocrite.

However, no one was stupid enough to get on her bad side. She was the strongest among all the students by a big margin. She was Rank-C + and the most likely one to win the Tournament of Academies in the upcoming fall.

Her friends knew about the real Mia and admired her. But doing things without any explanation sometimes gets on her nerves just like now.

She then looked at Zero who was in her arms. The injuries could already tell her that something serious had happened. Nonetheless, she believed that Mia would handle it or, to be more precise, she wouldn't be able to help if it was something that Mia couldn't handle.

Therefore, she took Zero to the hospital right away.

*****

-WHOOSH!

Mia ran as fast as she could. She didn't know whether there was someone in danger or not but she knew that time was of the essence if someone was in trouble.

-TRRR!

She suddenly came to a stop when she saw what was in front of her. It was the Dark Forest that Zero had escaped from but unlike them, Mia knew what it was.

"Dungeon!"

She was not deceived by the illusion that made the place look like a normal forest. She could see through the illusion and could see that there is a portal connecting the place Zero was in and the outside world.

It was just Zero and the other kids were weak and didn't have an experience like Mia. She immediately dialed the number of The Authority to inform of the newly unregistered dungeon and also to talk about the possibility of the Devil occupying it.

Mia Forestine's reputation was good in a situation like this as The Authority agents believed her instantly and sent in the reinforcement immediately. They also told her to wait because they don't want to lose someone as talented as her.

As Mia insisted on going, she warned that time was of the essence and that someone might be in danger. But the agents told her firmly that she might alert the devil, making the rescue more difficult.

Though they were just making excuses so that Mia would not act recklessly. However, it was true that Mia didn't have enough information to proceed further. It could be dangerous to both herself and the hostage if she went in.

Soon many Explorers and The Authority fighters were deployed, just as agents of The Authority promised. While the average rank was B, it was more than enough, especially considering the dungeon itself was just Rank-E.

They only sent those strong fighters because of the presence of the Devil and Devil Contractor. And also considering that there could be a hostage.

They tried to make Mia stay but because of her strong insistence, she was allowed to come in. She was protected by two Rank-B Explorers.

The two Rank-B explorers had no problem acting like a guard for Mia Frostine because Mia was the daughter of a Diamond-graded guild and also because of her talent which could be considered the best in the century.

It is a wise decision to maintain a good relationship with people like her.

-THUD! -THUD!

The group proceeded quietly, but with haste. They wanted to reach the area quickly but they also had to make sure that the enemies did not notice them.

They went further inside, but they encountered no one. Not even monsters which were weird considering that it was a dungeon.

-TAK!

However, soon enough they reached the area where Zero fought with Sixtus, and what they saw left them speechless. Mia was trembling with both anger and sadness.

"WHO? Who is this cruel?"

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