Arivaan's body rushed downward through the steep escape tunnel like a stone sliding down a mountain slope.
The metal surface beneath him was smooth and polished, clearly designed to allow a rapid descent during emergencies.
But it also meant he had no way to slow himself down.
"AAAAAH—!"
His voice echoed through the narrow tunnel as sparks flew beneath his boots.
The air roared past his ears while the fortress above continued shaking from the earlier explosions.
Behind him, he briefly heard the distant sound of Devika shouting something.
But within seconds, her voice disappeared as the tunnel twisted deeper underground.
Arivaan clenched his teeth.
If this tunnel leads outside… I might actually survive.
For the first time since the attack began, hope flickered in his chest.
The Kaal-Chhaya Sangh might be finished.
But that didn't mean he had to die with it.
The tunnel suddenly curved sharply.
Arivaan's shoulder slammed against the metal wall.
"Ugh!"
Pain shot through his arm, but he barely had time to react.
The tunnel continued descending rapidly.
Then—
The floor beneath him vanished.
"Wait—WHAT?!"
Before he could stop himself, Arivaan shot out of the tunnel opening.
His body dropped several meters through open air.
CRASH!
He slammed onto the hard stone floor below.
The impact knocked the breath from his lungs.
"Ugh…!"
For a moment he could only lie there, gasping for air.
Pain spread through his leg and back.
Something sharp pressed into his thigh.
Arivaan groaned and rolled onto his side.
"That… hurt…"
As he tried to sit up, he felt something inside his pocket grinding against his leg.
Then he remembered.
"The jewel…"
During the fall, the gem he had taken from the command chamber must have shattered.
He quickly reached into his pocket.
Several sharp fragments of glowing crystal spilled into his palm.
The once-perfect purple jewel had broken into multiple pieces.
Arivaan stared at them with a disappointed expression.
"…Great."
"So much for selling that."
The fragments continued glowing faintly.
But now the light pulsed strangely.
Almost like a heartbeat.
Arivaan frowned.
"Strange…"
Then a high-pitched sound suddenly filled the chamber.
Keeeeeeeeee—
The fragments began vibrating violently.
Arivaan flinched.
"What the—?!"
The sound grew louder.
A blinding light erupted from the crystal shards.
The entire underground chamber filled with glowing purple energy.
Arivaan instinctively raised his arms to shield his eyes.
The energy surged outward in a powerful wave.
At that exact moment—
A figure dropped down from the tunnel entrance above.
Devika Agnivarna landed lightly on the stone floor.
Her fiery aura flickered briefly as she looked around the chamber.
"What was that sound—"
Her sentence stopped abruptly as the glowing energy burst outward.
The purple light swallowed the entire room.
For a moment—
Everything disappeared.