Chapter 432: The Stranger [Part 1]
In the bunker where the flood had originated from lay a dismantled body. What could be made out of this body was mere chunks of flesh, spread blood, and ripped clothes.
Suddenly, the crimson pool of blood began to transition slowly, first becoming colorless like water, then slowly gaining a white ambiance to its nature.
In a matter of seconds, it was like a pool of snow, managing to keep its form despite being liquefied.
The pool of blood from a couple of minutes ago became a white sheet across the dark ground, softly sparkling.
Soon, this white sheet began to pull together. The movement was subtle but definitely visible.
Slowly, the chunks of flesh scattered across the ground were being drawn closer by the white liquid; it was as if light had been given a liquid form and was now acting as a magnetic pull of some sort.
A couple of seconds passed, and the chunks of flesh were closer than ever. Miraculously, every torn-out chunk of flesh fit together like pieces of a puzzle.
After a while, a naked feminine body was formed on the ground. There were several marks like a map where the chunks of flesh had puzzled into each other.
Those marks were traced by a shimmering white light, and soon everything began to heal. The marks disappeared, the scars-everything went away like it was never there.
Throughout the whole process, Raven's eyes were wide open; not once did her consciousness dwindle.
From the moment she was blasted into bits by the force of the flood until now, when she was whole once again, she had been very much alive and conscious.
Thus, she had lived with the excruciating pain of her body being separated and had to endure an even more hellish experience of it piecing itself back together.
Such a tremendous and horrific feeling of pain was more than enough to break a mortal's mind and turn them into nothing but crazed individuals.
However, as Raven stood up, her armor weaving into existence around her body, her eyes brimmed with unbridled determination.
Her eyes looked just as fierce as they did a couple of minutes ago before she "died."
Well, technically, she did not die; her body could not withstand the damage.
However, essentially speaking, Raven was an immortal being.
She carries scars of death more than anyone could ever imagine.
She shrugged off the pain like it was nothing and slowly walked out of the bunker.
The moment she reached the surface level, however, her face contorted with confusion. The water level had dropped below her knee and was still rapidly dropping.
She knitted a frown on her forehead as she walked forward, examining with keen curiosity what exactly had gone wrong.
After a couple of minutes of examination, she still couldn't find the reason why the flood had suddenly retreated.
But the damage had been done; the path to the harbor was straight in front of her, free of any buildings or obstacles.
Behind her, a large part of the wall had collapsed due to the force of the ocean, and she could see them from afar, marching toward the empire with blazing fury.
A small smile played on her lips as she turned swiftly and began to march gallantly toward the wrecked harbor.
Meanwhile...
The Tower Sage, the princes, and some prestigious Knight Commanders had managed to round everyone up to the Central Imperium.
They were all scattered in the large hall, mainly the important and high-ranking officials who had happened to be at the palace overnight.
There were special guests, such as merchants and nobles from other countries.
As gruesome as the disaster was, Luinngard Empire operated like every other country, no less so. Gathering prestige, tributes, and international relationships.
In a corner of the hall, beside the window, Lady Henai stood, worried about her son, who had somehow gotten lost in the crowd.
But Guillever had promised to bring her son back, so she was patiently waiting while everyone else freaked out.
Suddenly, she saw a red streak fly super fast across the sky.
She immediately gasped, "Brother."
Simultaneously, the two princes-one with ashen white hair and the other slightly whiter than the former-both grimaced and muttered at the same time.
"Father is out of solitary training."
"I can feel his energy too. It's even more powerful than before he left." Guilever was leading the princes to the noble district where the water was barricaded when, all of a sudden, the water started reducing.
Then the Emperor suddenly streaked across the sky, viciously impaling someone above the roof with a ground-shattering blow.
They watched as the individual flew across the air, crashing in and out of several distinguished buildings, before eventually not crashing out of a certain one.
"But who is he?" the prince with whiter hair, Prince Andre, asked. His voice was like it was cut out of a thin screech.
"I have no idea, but if Father came out, then it's not good," the older prince, Rhazakar, said. Meanwhile, Guillever stayed silent, thinking to himself...
'I felt a tremendous aura just now, something dark, vicious, and incredibly powerful. I'm sure the Emperor felt it too and was incredibly threatened by its existence, which is why he went for it straight away.'
He pressed his lips together. "I should find Lady Henai's son before this gets any messier."
He turned to the princes and announced to them, "I'm sorry, sires, but I need to find
someone."
Prince Rhazakar frowned. "Someone? Who?"
The Tower Sage bowed his head without responding and hastily left their presence.
Prince Andre gnarled at him as he briskly walked away and soon leaped.
"I can't stand that guy at all; the only thing that has kept him alive so far is Lady Henai and
Father."
"Look at you with the talk. Are you sure you can take him down? He might only be a Sage, but he has millennia of knowledge at his disposal. That by far outbalances the power scale between the two of you."
He frowned darkly at the sky. "Right now, let's find out who in the dark stars that person is."