"Milady, you must believe in My Lord!"
Having just fished Aoba out of the water, Kamisato Ayaka heard these words and a helpless smile appeared on her face. She then said slowly.
"Aoba, I am fine. You should pay more attention to your own safety."
At this moment, Kamisato Ayaka also recalled the last moment before the crisis struck. Aoba, who clearly had no strength, had thrown himself forward without hesitation to take her to a safer place. Her cold heart could not help but warm a little.
"Aoba, don't do anything so dangerous again next time," Kamisato Ayaka said as she looked at Aoba seriously.
"My strength is much greater than yours. You just need to make sure you don't encounter any danger yourself!"
"Milady, as your retainer, protecting you is my duty," Aoba immediately retorted upon hearing this.
"I believe that in such a situation, Thoma would have made the same choice as I did."
"Although you are nominally my retainers, I have already considered you my friends."
"That doesn't change anything. Even as a friend, I would still do this."
Hearing Aoba's words, Kamisato Ayaka was deeply moved.
These words, spoken by someone with no strength at all, seemed exceptionally weighty.
"Thank you, Aoba."
Next time, I will be the one to protect you.
Kamisato Ayaka silently made the decision in her heart.
"Ayaka, you have finally calmed down."
Paimon breathed a sigh of relief to see Kamisato Ayaka pulling herself together.
Kamisato Ayaka felt a bit helpless. Of the three of them, she was the only one with any strength left. If she hadn't forced herself to stay conscious, they all might have been doomed.
At this moment, Kamisato Ayaka finally understood how Kamisato Ayato must have felt as the head of the family, forced to put on a brave face and become everyone's support even when she herself felt so fragile.
Kamisato Ayaka clenched her fist. Since her older brother was so powerful, he would definitely be fine. She would find him!
"Aoba, can you still find the locations of the underground shelters we dug out earlier?"
"Milady, I've kept track of the distance we were swept away by the seawater. Combining that with some landmarks, I should be able to identify our position without any problem."
After hearing Aoba's words, Kamisato Ayaka nodded, then lifted him out of the water.
"Milady!"
"Alright, don't move."
Only after calming down did Kamisato Ayaka notice that Aoba's body was already covered in wounds. Blood was continuously dripping from his clothes into the water. He must have been forcing himself to endure the entire way. She couldn't help but feel some self-reproach.
"I'll put you down when the current slows down a bit more. But for now, to prevent you from collapsing prematurely, just stay still."
"Aoba, you only need to point the way."
After hesitating for a moment, Aoba finally gave up struggling.
Just as Kamisato Ayaka said, his body was already at its limit.
If Kamisato Ayaka hadn't used her Elemental Power to block the impact of the seawater, he would have been gone long ago.
Aoba identified their location, calculated for a moment in his mind, and then raised his hand to point in a direction.
"Milady, this way."
Just as Kamisato Ayaka was about to set off, she saw Paimon fly in front of her a bit awkwardly.
"Um... Ayaka."
"I was so tired from flying earlier..."
Kamisato Ayaka:
After receiving Kamisato Ayaka's consent, Paimon happily stood on Kamisato Ayaka's shoulder.
Kamisato Ayaka felt she was bearing a bit much, but fortunately, this wasn't too heavy for her, so she walked steadily in the direction Aoba pointed.
After some time, Kamisato Ayaka finally brought Aoba and Paimon to the nearest underground shelter. However, when they opened the entrance and saw one body after another floating up from inside, they all fell silent.
Among those bodies were villagers, vassals, and samurai. No matter how strong they were in life, they all seemed so fragile in the face of such a disaster.
Kamisato Ayaka used her Cryo Elemental Power to freeze all the bodies, then placed them together in one spot and set up a barrier to prevent them from floating away with the current. Then she slowly spoke.
"Let's go, we're going to the next place."
-
After another half hour or so, the three finally arrived at another underground shelter. On the way, they encountered several fishermen who had miraculously survived the disaster. After rescuing them and settling them in a safe place, they continued their journey, which caused a slight delay.
Fortunately, this time there was no such tragic scene as before; everyone below was alive.
Although the survivors' faces were filled with relief, they could not hide the sorrow etched upon them.
After some questioning, they learned that because the underground shelter lacked enough space, many people had voluntarily given up their chance of survival to others, allowing themselves to be swept away by the terrifying waves.
Hearing this, a trace of sorrow also appeared on the faces of Kamisato Ayaka and her two companions.
Soon, after settling this group of people in a safe place, Kamisato Ayaka set out again.
This time, the burden on her shoulders was much lighter. Two samurai from the previous underground shelter had their strength intact and helped her share the task of exploring two other underground shelters.
Another half hour passed. Although the water level had dropped significantly, only reaching their ankles, Kamisato Ayaka still did not put Aoba down.
Aoba brought it up several times, but seeing that Kamisato Ayaka only shook her head, he finally stopped mentioning it.
A dull sound echoed, and suddenly the water surface in one spot dropped sharply, even forming a whirlpool.
Kamisato Ayaka and the other two looked over and noticed that it was the entrance to the underground shelter; it seemed the people here were also safe.
However, when the first figure emerged from the water, Kamisato Ayaka and her companions froze, then a surge of immense joy flooded their hearts.
"Brother!"
Kamisato Ayato wiped the water from his face. Hearing the familiar call in his ear, his face instantly lit up with joy.
But when Kamisato Ayato turned around and saw Kamisato Ayaka running toward him while carrying Aoba, the smile on his face immediately twisted.
Damn it, seeing this scene, I really can't hold back a little!
"Brother, thank goodness, you really are safe!"
Kamisato Ayaka wept with overwhelming emotion. Seeing this, Kamisato Ayato gently stroked Ayaka's head, his heart aching for her.
"Ayaka, I'm fine."
Hearing Kamisato Ayato's gentle words, Kamisato Ayaka could no longer hold back, and tears streamed down her face.
Seeing the heartwarming scene of the siblings' reunion, Aoba and Paimon also smiled, but they didn't speak to disturb the two.
After another moment, Kamisato Ayaka's emotions gradually stabilized. Looking at Kamisato Ayato, she spoke with immense guilt.
"I'm sorry, Brother. It's my fault you were put in danger."
Kamisato Ayato shook his head.
"Ayaka, don't think like that. How could I be in danger?"
"I even broke my own limits because of this. I can brag about those sword strikes for a lifetime!"
Kamisato Ayato spoke with feigned ease, but his pale face wasn't very convincing.
"Right, Ayaka, are you hurt anywhere? Let your brother take a look!"
As Kamisato Ayato asked with concern, he took the opportunity to lift Aoba out of Kamisato Ayaka's arms, placing one of Aoba's hands on his shoulder and helping him stand up again.
"I'm fine, I'm not hurt."
Hearing Kamisato Ayato's concern, a wave of warmth surged in Kamisato Ayaka's heart.
"Aoba, thank you for protecting Ayaka earlier. I'll take over from here!"
Kamisato Ayato emphasized with a smile.
"My Lord, are you sure you're okay?"
Aoba's lips twitched.
"Don't push yourself too hard."
"Hahaha, how could I not be fine... cough, cough, cough!"
A sudden chill from an unknown source caused Kamisato Ayato to cough weakly, instantly making the atmosphere a bit awkward.
"Brother, maybe I should take over."
"No, I can do it!"
Kamisato Ayato spoke stubbornly, firmly refusing to let Aoba take any more advantage of his sister. His evaluation was far from over!
What, he had already entrusted Ayaka to the man?
Who heard that? Is there any proof?!
Suddenly, Kamisato Ayato sneezed and scratched his head in confusion.
One sneeze means someone is thinking of you, two mean they're cursing you. Who could be thinking of him?
Achoo!
He just sneezed twice!
I get it. It must be his world's cutest little sister, whose longing for him is only now reaching him!
At this moment, one figure after another emerged from the underground shelter, greeting Kamisato Ayaka and her companions with pleasant surprise.
"Milady!"
"It's great that you're all safe!"
"Brother Aoba, we owe you so much for the underground shelter you designed. Otherwise, we'd definitely be finished this time!"
-
Suppressing her excitement, Kamisato Ayaka began to settle everyone down. Only after everything was handled did she return to Kamisato Ayato's side and ask him.
"Brother, what happened back then?"
"I think I saw you get swept away by the seawater."
Hearing Kamisato Ayaka's words, Kamisato Ayato sighed softly, then slowly began to speak.
"At that time, I was indeed swept into the seawater because my strength was exhausted, and the terrifying impact even caused me to lose consciousness."
"When I woke up again, I saw two samurai working together to briefly split the waves, then rescue me from the current and throw me toward the entrance of the underground shelter."
"I was caught by others and sent down, but they couldn't come back. In the end, before the seawater arrived, the entrance to the underground shelter also closed..."
Speaking to this point, Kamisato Ayato sighed again.
"It could be said that my life was saved by them, but I didn't even see their faces clearly."
After hearing these words, some relief and gratitude welled up in Kamisato Ayaka's heart, as well as a hint of apology.
"What about the others? They should have seen, right?"
"I also asked, they didn't seem to notice either."
"Judging by their attire, they should be the samurai we brought with us. However, I don't recall any two samurai being able to demonstrate such perfect teamwork and exquisite swordsmanship."
A look of confusion appeared on Kamisato Ayato's face, then he shook his head.
"Let's put this matter aside for now, Ayaka."
"Your strength is relatively well-preserved, so I want you to go and check on the casualties among the residents on Ritou."
If his body weren't so truly weak, Kamisato Ayato would never have entrusted this task to Kamisato Ayaka under any circumstances.
Although he cherished his sister immeasurably, saving people was the priority right now; he knew the urgency of the situation.
"As for the underground shelters in these areas, I will take people to search and rescue survivors."
Hearing these words, Kamisato Ayaka nodded seriously.
"Alright, I understand, older brother."
"Stay safe, Ayaka."
"Alright, I will be careful!"
Kamisato Ayato reluctantly withdrew his gaze, then looked at Paimon and asked.
"Paimon, have you seen the Traveler?"
Paimon shook her head.
"Not yet, Enjou went to look for her."
"But don't worry, Ayato, the Traveler is so strong now, she will definitely be fine."
Paimon spoke confidently, but it didn't put Kamisato Ayato much at ease.
"The Traveler seemed to unleash all her strength at the very end, and even the tide was half-devoured by her power. If it weren't for that, there would probably have been more casualties this time. I'm worried she pushed herself too hard and did something that harmed herself."
"Huh?!"
Hearing Kamisato Ayato's words, Paimon was a bit stunned, then spoke in a panic.
"Oh no, oh no, could the Power of Nihility inside the Traveler have gone out of control again?!"
"This is bad now, Traveler, don't die!"
Kamisato Ayato's lips twitched.
"It's not that serious of a consequence. I'm just worried the Traveler is severely injured right now, and we need to find her as soon as possible."
After all, many people were saved this time. Kamisato Ayato didn't think anything would happen to Lumine with her current strength.
However, Lumine and Paimon had not met, and she had not sent any signals. She had most likely lost consciousness or her power was severely depleted.
"If we calculate according to the direction of the water flow, the Traveler should appear in this area."
Aoba suddenly spoke up at this moment, then pointed to several directions.
"Aoba, you're really amazing!"
A look of pleasant surprise appeared on Paimon's face.
"It seems those are exactly the areas where the people of Ritou are taking refuge. Ayaka, you might have to look for them along the way."
Kamisato Ayato looked at those places, then slowly spoke.
After hearing this, Kamisato Ayaka nodded, then hurriedly left with Paimon.
At this moment, Lumine struggled to wake up, feeling as if her body had been hit by a mud truck, with no place that didn't hurt.
However, after moving a bit, there seemed to be no problems with her bones, so the injuries on her body probably wouldn't be too serious.
There seemed to be some sound in her ears, like some crying, and it was made by many people, which was a bit noisy.
Lumine forced her eyes open, and then she saw thousands of people standing about dozens of meters above her head, and they were standing upside down.
Physics, no longer existed!
Lumine's pupils suddenly constricted, she seemed to have seen this scene somewhere... Right, The Chasm!
She had actually been knocked all the way down to these broken ruins underground? And so many ancient people were living here?!
Lumine felt a faint chill from under her skirt, as if she were soaked in water, and after a moment of silence, she suddenly realized.
Oh, so she was the one who was upside down.