Faust spent the following hours searching for an exit.
However, the destruction was far worse than he had expected.
Every route leading toward the surface had collapsed.
Some passages were completely filled with rubble, while others ended at enormous gaps where entire sections of the facility had fallen into the depths.
Even after using Agony to clear the debris, he repeatedly found himself facing another blocked passage.
Eventually, he returned to a large chamber near his former office.
Faust looked at the cracked ceiling.
'Tch. This is getting ridiculous.'
He had already searched several possible routes.
None had led outside.
The facility was buried beneath an enormous amount of debris, and the damage appeared to extend far beyond the underground laboratory itself.
Agony's mouth emerged from his shoulder.
"Are we lost?"
Faust looked at it.
"We're underground."
"That does not answer my question."
"Then yes. We're lost."
Agony remained silent.
Faust examined the ceiling again.
'Maybe I should just make my own exit.'
He looked at the surrounding pillars.
Most were damaged, but a few still supported the remaining structure.
The ceiling above had several long cracks.
He could use them.
"Agony, four blades."
The fabric immediately responded.
Four long black blades extended from his clothing.
Their edges glinted faintly in the darkness.
Faust raised his head.
"Cut through there."
SWISH! SWISH!
The blades shot upward.
They pierced the damaged ceiling, digging deep into the concrete.
Faust guided them toward the largest cracks.
CRACK!
Several pieces fell to the floor.
He continued cutting.
The blades moved quickly, carving through the ceiling and the reinforcement bars hidden inside it.
Dust rained down around him.
Then he noticed something.
'Water?'
A thin stream began leaking through one of the cracks.
Faust stopped.
The water dripped onto the floor.
DRIP!
DRIP!
He looked up.
'There shouldn't be water there.'
The leak continued growing.
Within seconds, several more streams appeared.
Faust frowned.
'Don't tell me...'
Before he could finish the thought, a loud cracking sound echoed overhead.
CRAAAAACK!
The entire section of ceiling began shifting.
A powerful stream of water suddenly burst through the opening.
SPLASH!
Faust stepped backward.
The water struck the floor with enough force to scatter loose debris across the chamber.
Then the cracks widened.
CRAAAAASH!
An enormous section of the ceiling collapsed.
A tremendous volume of water poured into the underground facility.
BOOOOM!
The force of the flood pushed broken furniture and machinery across the floor.
Faust watched as the water rapidly spread through the chamber.
Within moments, it reached his ankles.
'So there's water above us?'
He looked toward the opening.
More water continued pouring through.
The pressure was enormous.
Several weakened walls began collapsing as the rising water forced its way through the surrounding corridors.
Old documents floated past him.
Broken pieces of furniture collided with the walls.
Shattered picture frames and damaged equipment were carried along by the current.
Faust remained standing in the rushing water.
He glanced toward the room behind him.
The remains of his office were being flooded.
'So much for this place.'
Just as he turned away, something floating among the debris caught his attention.
It was another photograph.
The picture had been partly torn, and its frame was missing.
Faust reached out and caught it before the current carried it away.
He looked down.
Then he recognized the image.
'Oh...'
It was an old photograph of himself.
He was standing on a stage, wearing a formal suit, with a medal hanging around his neck.
Several distinguished guests stood beside him.
The photograph had been taken on the day he received the Nobel Prize.
Faust stared at the image.
He still remembered the ceremony.
The people that congratulate him.
The prestigious award that get.
The reporters who surrounded him afterward.
Back then, he had been celebrated as one of the greatest scientists of his generation.
His research had earned him worldwide recognition.
Universities invited him to speak.
Governments sought his advice.
Countless people praised his intelligence and contributions to humanity.
Faust looked at his younger self in the photograph.
The man in the picture was smiling.
He seemed genuinely happy.
'How long ago was that?'
He could remember the day clearly.
Yet it now felt like a lifetime had passed.
He lowered his eyes.
All those awards.
All that praise.
And all the years he had spent pursuing scientific progress.
What had they amounted to?
In the end, the same world that celebrated his achievements had destroyed the people he loved.
And he had answered by destroying the world itself.
Faust let out a long sigh.
"It's all pointless now."
He looked at the photograph one last time.
Then he flicked his wrist.
The damaged picture landed on the water.
It floated for a moment before the current carried it away.
Faust watched it disappear among the debris.
He than looked toward the opening overhead.
'Time to leave.'
The water was already rising toward his waist.
He could feel the powerful current pulling at his legs.
Large pieces of debris continued falling from the damaged ceiling.
Faust looked at Agony.
"Can you lift me?"
"Yes."
"Good. Four arms."
The black fabric around his body began moving.
Four elongated limbs extended from his jacket, each ending in a sharp blade.
They resembled mechanical legs, although their surfaces were smooth and made entirely from the same black material.
Faust examined them briefly.
"That should work."
The limbs spread outward.
Two planted themselves against the floor, while the others pressed against the surrounding walls.
With a sudden movement, they lifted Faust above the rising water.
He looked toward the collapsed ceiling.
'The opening is still too narrow.'
Several large pieces of concrete remained around the edges.
However, there was enough space for him to pass if he could break through the weakened section above.
Faust raised his head.
"Agony, get ready."
The four limbs bent.
Their black surfaces tightened as the material gathered strength.
Faust looked at the opening.
"Now!"
The limbs contracted sharply.
Then they thrust downward.
BOOM!
The tremendous force launched Faust upward.
He shot through the chamber, moving straight toward the damaged ceiling.
CRAAAAASH!
His body broke through the weakened concrete.
Fragments scattered around him as Agony's blades cut through the remaining reinforcement bars.
A moment later, Faust passed through the opening.
However, instead of reaching the surface, he found himself surrounded by water.
'What?'
His upward movement slowed.
'I'm underwater?'
Before he could react, the fabric covering his neck began moving.
Black threads extended upward, wrapping around the lower half of his face.
They quickly formed a smooth mask covering his nose and mouth.
Faust felt a strange movement inside the material.
Then he realized he could breathe.
'Hmm?'
He cautiously inhaled.
Air entered his lungs.
Faust blinked.
'You can even do this?'
Agony's voice reached him through their connection.
"You can breathe."
"I noticed."
He touched the mask.
The material was firmly attached to his face, yet it did not restrict his breathing.
Faust looked around again.
'Just how many abilities do you have?'
Agony did not answer.
Instead, the four limbs slowly withdrew into his clothing, allowing him to move freely through the water.
Faust began swimming.
The surrounding water was almost completely dark.
There was no visible sunlight, and the enormous amount of debris floating through the water made it even harder to see.
Faust could barely make out anything beyond a few feet.
'How deep am I?'
He looked upward.
There was no sign of the surface.
He tried looking around again, but the darkness made it impossible to determine his location.
A faint amber glow appeared in his vision.
The darkness gradually became clearer.
'Oh?'
He looked toward his hands.
Even though there was almost no light, he could now see the details of his fingers.
He turned his head.
The surrounding water slowly came into view.
His amber eyes glowed faintly.
'Night vision?'
Faust examined the surroundings with renewed interest.
He could see much farther now.
Broken pieces of concrete floated through the water, while larger sections of the ruined facility lay scattered across the ground beneath him.
He looked toward the direction he had come from.
The laboratory was buried under an enormous mass of rubble.
Beyond it, the terrain continued stretching into the darkness.
'So the entire area is flooded.'
Faust began swimming forward.
As he moved farther away from the laboratory, the surrounding landscape gradually became visible.
And what he saw made him stop.
An entire forest stood beneath the water.
Faust stared at the strange sight.
The trees were still rooted in the ground, but their trunks were twisted and broken.
Most had lost their leaves, leaving only long, bare branches stretching upward.
Several had been uprooted, their enormous roots exposed.
Others leaned against one another, trapped beneath layers of mud and debris.
Faust slowly swam between them.
He recognized the shape of the terrain.
There were hills, valley…
Even the remains of what appeared to be a road, now partly buried beneath sediment.
Faust remained silent.
He had expected destruction.
After all, he was responsible for launching the nuclear missiles and releasing the substance that had spread across the planet.
He had also anticipated massive environmental changes.
But seeing an entire landscape submerged before his eyes was something different.
He looked toward the distant darkness.
'Just how much has the world changed?'
Faust slowly looked upward.
After several seconds, he finally spoke.
"Seems like this continent has been swept underwater now..."