Chapter 429: The Mighty Flood [Part 1]
All five of them, with the cover of the storm, made way behind Raven. After a long few minutes, they arrived at a side of the wall.
By this time, the tsunami of sand had crashed against the gate of the wall. Of course, it left no tangible effect. The gatemen, however, were just covered in sand.
Raven repeated what Jeci had done and after a moment, the entry point on the ground began to open.
Raven watched with patience, everything was unfolding the same way it had unfolded in her familiar's memory fed to her.
After losing one of them, this was the last one and she was really skeptical about letting it go. These familiars were the closest thing Raven had to family.
Because from childhood, a pair is given to every member of the family regardless of who they are. Of course, these familiars have even stronger types.
Raven frowned and cautiously led them into the bunker. They climbed down and soon started climbing back up.
However, the way up was sealed. Since Raven's familiar didn't follow her inside because she wanted to be careful, Raven didn't know exactly how she was going to open the door.
However, she didn't need to. She looked at the others in the darkness and made a speech.
"This is the juncture..." she said to them, "we are probably not going to be able to live with this decision, wrecking the livelihood of thousands of people because we want to go home. But we have no choice, I see no other way out of this place. I'm sorry if I am cruel," she bowed her head sincerely as she apologized.
The others groaned in silence.
John looked at her, a frown etched upon his face. He dismissed the frown and inquired, "So, what do we do now?"
Raven brought out the small bottle, "The water in this bottle and the force is powerful enough to shatter a person into smithereens. So, I'll need everyone to back out, while I open it."
Ryan, who had been around like he hadn't been around, suddenly grimaced at Raven.
"What are you thinking of doing, Lady Raven? If this thing is strong enough to shatter a person into smithereens, why should you be the one to stay with it?"
Raven turned her eyes to him, deadpanned. "Who else will do it, if I don't?"
Ryan slapped his chest, his eyes brimming with confidence, "I can! I'm sure I can cover myself with ice cones that would protect me from the force."
Raven shook her head, "The force generated will destroy this place in an instant, it will break into the entire city from the ground, the force is probably strong enough to even knock down their gate or at least leave it in a very wounded state. Ryan, I thank you for your concern but you can't do this. Your ice power is not enough."
"Then what about you?" The boy yelled, "You are going to kill yourself with this!!"
Raven smiled and cocked her head, "Yes, it will be painful but don't worry Ryan, I will not die."
Her words were genuine and soothing. Ryan heard them and his anger immediately dissipated.
Raven was one of the first few people he made friends with, she was the one that made him a less socially awkward person.
Before, all he used to do was hide in a hole or anywhere dark. He would step out in the night to find something to eat while hiding away in the day, until one faithful night he met Raven.
That night marked the beginning of their friendship, with Raven being endlessly persistent until he came out of his shell.
So to him, he owed her everything including his loyalty. The only reason why he joined Annette's faction was because he knew Raven had it in for Gilbert and he had a grudge against Sloria for what they did to her.
It was incredibly hard for him to let her go but her smile just now made it all easy.
He clenched his hands and stepped back on the stairs. The others also looked at Raven and nodded in understanding.
Helena looked at Raven with pity wafting across her face. She seemed to know something the others did not and was not going to say anything.
"Take care of yourself," she said to Raven and was the first one to turn away.
After she turned away, the others gave Raven a glance and also began to walk away.
Until Ryan was left.
Raven gave him a long gaze and said, "You should go now too, Ryan."
He clenched his teeth and turned away, "You better not die," he said and walked away, climbing the stairs out of the bunker.
Raven stared at their silhouettes till they were no more and murmured, "I can't escape death. But at least I won't stay dead."
She placed the bottle gently on the step above her, she gently pulled out the cover blocking it and stepped back quickly, allowing herself to fall down the stairs.
The bottle began to tremble, slightly at first, then soon heavily.
What followed was a powerful explosion that did not only shatter the bunker, but destroyed even the ground within a hundred meters. It was like an explosive bomb was planted underground, causing the entire surface to overturn.
All around, tremors began to run across the ground like mad dogs, everywhere began to tremble. Vibrations began to shake the colossal wall.
And suddenly, everyone could tell that something was not alright.
From a part of the wall, an enormous spring of water suddenly burst forth into the air, blasting forward into houses and carrying any and everything on its path.
Chaos erupted in the city as the flood tore through the streets.
Water surged with a ferocious speed, turning alleys into rivers and plazas into raging
whirlpools.
The sheer force uprooted trees, smashed through windows, and sent debris flying in all directions.
Screams filled the air as people scrambled for higher ground, desperately trying to escape the relentless surge.
The flood moved with a terrifying momentum, a living beast devouring everything in its path.
In moments, the once-bustling market square was submerged.
Stalls, carts, and goods were swept away, their remnants swirling in the churning waters.
The floodwaters carried away livestock, wagons, and even the heavy stone statues that once stood proudly as the city's sentinels.
Everything, before anyone could respond to the danger, was submerged in an overwhelming amount of water.