"Sir! We can't bypass Adam's defenses! At this rate, the SEED program will launch in a few minutes!"
"Then hurry up!"
A young man with dark brown hair, dressed in black robes, barked his orders as he glared at the monitor.
"Our attempts to subdue Adam are failing. We will not be able to secure him!"
"Tch! Dammit!" The young man glared at the monitor, grinding his teeth in frustration.
The image on the screen showed a boy with light brown hair, standing in a small room, surrounded by soldiers. They were trying to get to him, but the boy just stood there. His body glowed with an orange light, and every time they tried to get closer, the soldiers ended up charred.
"This is the first time we've been thwarted this badly. The fact that he's a dungeon core makes sense, but to think he's even capable of resisting us. I have no idea how he managed to grow so much without any human involvement. Maybe we should have given up on trying to subdue him. The core will do as he wills."
"My lord, it won't be long now. The SEED program has been activated. Once we are connected to the network, we will be able to make our move."
The man turned back to the monitor. The soldiers had formed a ring around the boy. He had yet to move an inch. The soldiers began to move in unison, and the boy seemed to grin. As they drew near, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small white box.
The soldiers continued their assault, and the orange light around the boy grew brighter. He threw the box away, and it shattered into pieces. The soldiers charged at him, and the orange light burst forth in a wave of heat. The soldiers screamed, but the light didn't stop there. It extended past the soldiers and up toward the cave's ceiling. The soldiers collapsed to the ground, and the light faded. In its place, a beautiful blue-eyed girl stood, wearing a white dress. Her dark brown hair billowed out behind her.
She turned her head to face the screen, and the man felt his breath catch. She looked at him, and he felt his heart leap in his chest.
"Adam is mine!"
He screamed in fury and slammed his fist against the wall. He gritted his teeth as the image disappeared from the screen.
"Do you think you can resist me forever? I'll be sure to show you the depths of my wrath!"
He turned to his subordinate, his eyes blazing with anger.
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"How could they let those two escape?!"
"My apologies, sir. We couldn't get close enough without risking exposure to Adam's energy. The other cores have been making moves as well, but they don't pose much of a threat."
"Dammit!" He slammed his fist into the table, knocking it over. He grabbed a nearby chair and threw it, before kicking over a table. He glared at the subordinate, his eyes wide. The young man looked terrified.
"I'm sorry, my lord! Please, calm down!"
The young man calmed down a bit, but his expression was still fierce. He clenched his fists, his nails digging into his palms.
"We need to secure Adam as soon as possible! If he gets out of that cave, I'll lose my advantage. Try to capture him before he can escape. If you fail, move on to the next target."
"Y-yes, sir. I'll look into it right away."
The subordinate turned to leave, but the young man stopped him.
"And one more thing. Get rid of that old man in charge of the SEED project. He's useless. I don't care how. Just do it. I'll handle the rest myself."
The subordinate bowed and left the room. Once he was gone, the young man sighed. He picked up an amulet from a nearby desk and called a number. After a few moments, a young woman's voice came through the line.
"This is an unexpected honor, my lord. What can I do for you?"
"You know what to do."
"As you wish."
The young woman's voice sounded sad, but she hung up anyway. Adam... the SEED project... I was too late.
The young man sighed as he looked out the window, the sun starting to rise. His thoughts turned back to the girl on the monitor. He clenched his fists and gritted his teeth.
"I'll never forgive you, Adam!"
Tears crept down the young man's face. He knew that he couldn't face the girl. She was far too cunning for him. He hated the damned dungeon core for stealing the girl from him. He hated Adam from the depths of his soul. He would do anything to get her back. No matter the cost.
The young man raised his head and wiped away his tears. He had no intention of giving up. The girl was his, and he would do everything he could to reclaim her.
The young man's name was Haruto. He was the leader of an organization known as the Blue Dawn. He wanted to have the girl by his side again. She was his lover, and the only one in the organization who could control the dungeon core named Adam Ark. If he could have her, he would be unstoppable.
He picked up the amulet and sighed. The girl's face floated through his mind, and he gripped the amulet tightly.
"I'm coming for you."
The sun rose higher in the sky as Haruto's resolve grew. He had a feeling that things were going to change, but he was still determined to see this through. He just had to wait until the time was right. The world would thank him in the end.
"I'm going to get you back, Aria."
Haruto's eyes blazed with determination, and he clenched the amulet in his hand.
The world was changing. Dungeons had appeared all over the place, and new cores were rising every day. The Blue Dawn was one of the most powerful organizations in the world, but even they couldn't defeat Adam Ark.
Haruto's anger had grown every time he thought about the dungeons and Aria. She had been the most important thing to him, and he wanted her back. If it weren't for the dungeons, things wouldn't have come to this. Now that the SEED program has started, it's only a matter of time before we lose everything. We'll need to capture as many dungeon cores as we can. This is all to preserve our future.