In that instance of impending doom, the battle came to a quick halt.
Whether they were part of the punitive expedition group, Assembly of Silent Night, or the goblin horde, everyone dropped their fight and fled in multiple directions.
However, Vaan’s sharp gaze couldn’t find an opening.
The collapsing ceiling wasn’t heading towards them in a straight line; it came in a huge spread formation that covered even the left and right sides.
It wasn’t farfetched to say that the entire sky of the pocket realm was collapsing on them.
There was nowhere to run.
Had they been near the start of the collapse, there would have been some safe zones for them to reach.
However, they were too far from the start of the great collapse.
“We need to leave right away!” Astoria urged.
She quickly moved toward Vaan with the intent of carrying him to safety, but her legs failed to respond well. Her weakened body dropped to the ground..
At the same time, Helia remained nearby, seemingly without the intention of fleeing.
“There’s nowhere to run. We can only hide in the ground if we want to survive!” Helia stated with a grave look.
Shortly after, she used Earth Magic to start burrowing a big hole in the ground for everyone to hide away from the falling debris.
“That’s suicide!” Astoria quickly objected and said, “The immense weight will immediately close any gap in the ground in an instant, crushing everyone inside!”
“I didn’t say it was a good idea! But it’s the only option we have!” Helia argued without stopping her work’s progress.
However, besides a few Senior Witches and Aura Grandmasters, who stayed and helped Helia burrow deeper into the earth, the rest had fled elsewhere in search of their own chances of survival.
That said, their chances were almost non-existent.
Even if they made it to the edges of the pocket realm and carved out a small cave for them to hide in, the collapse would have snuffed out most of the air from the region.
They would eventually suffocate to death before they could dig their way back to the surface.
“Lord Helia is right. Seeking cover underground is our best option. Pardon the offense, Headmaster Astoria,” Vaan said.
He picked Astoria up and handed her over to another person to take her through the burrowed path with the others.
At the same time, he summoned Topaz.
“Kyuu!”
“Make a solid pocket space for everyone to take shelter.”
Vaan gave Topaz his instruction, much to everyone’s surprise and astonishment.
Shortly after, he dashed to Aeliana’s side with his quickest speed to fetch her before returning with another burst of speed.
“Where are you going—”
Helia and Astoria panicked as Vaan left. But their questions were quickly cut short as they saw him returning with Aeliana in the next instance.
Nevertheless, in the few short breaths that he was away, Topaz had made a greater contribution to the underground shelter than the combined effort of Helia and the other Senior Witches.
There was only one Mid-stage Senior Witch among them with the earth-attribute specialty. But even her ability paled to a High-rank earth spirit.
The pocket space shelter located fifty feet deeper ground was already completed by the time Vaan returned with Aeliana.
Right after he entered the underground shelter with Aeliana, he sealed the path to reach it with Topaz, closing up all the excess gaps in the ground.
“If you don’t want to die, reinforce the ceiling with everything you have!” Helia shouted.
In that instance, Helia and the four Senior Witches used Earth Magic to the best of their knowledge to reinforce the underground shelter.
At the same time, the three Rank 3 Aura Grandmasters held up the ceiling with their hands, while Astoria used Light Fortification to add another layer of reinforcement to the shelter.
Finally, Vaan and Topaz used their Earth Manipulation to compress the earth, increasing the sturdiness of the walls and ceilings to the limit.
The distant tremor could be felt drawing closer at an alarming speed. The four Senior Witchs and three Aura Grandmasters all closed their eyes as it approached, silently praying for their safety.
Rumble…!
The powerful tremor eventually hit them, shaking the entire underground shelter like an earthquake.
Cracks appeared on the ceiling one after another, and dust repeatedly fell out of them.
Everyone endured the barrage of giant rocks and debris impacting the earth above them, stacking on top of each other.
Eventually, the tremor died down before people started to open their eyes.
“Haha… We’re still alive!” a Rank 3 Aura Grandmaster exclaimed joyfully.
The other Aura Grandmasters and Senior Witches all had their eyes brightened in celebration of their survival.
They had made the right call in sticking with Lord Helia and Headmaster Astoria.
However, the greatest surprise was undoubtedly Vaan and his earth spirit. Everyone’s attention turned to them, including Helia and Astoria.
“You’re a Spirit Contractor… and possibly a high-ranking one at that, Van Helsing—No, Vahn Cadieux? Or should I call you Vaan Raphna? I have many things I want to say. But for now, I want to thank you,” Helia expressed her gratitude.
Vaan’s contracted earth spirit had played a large part in their successful survival.
Even when they were already fifty feet into the earth, they still felt so much force from the great collapse above them.
The power of nature was not to be underestimated.
Fortunately, they all made it through the first hurdle in the end. That said, it was hard to say what the situation was like for everyone else outside.
Helia did not have much hope for them surviving.
“I apologize for tricking you, Lord Helia,” Vaan replied with a wry smile.
At the same time, his response was a silent admission of his identity—just like they suspected. Though, he didn’t seem to have any intention of removing his mask.
“I don’t mind it, Sir Vaan,” Helia shook her head.
“I have no intention of punishing you for tricking me, nor do I plan to destroy the friendly relationship we’ve established. I was partly to blame for jumping to conclusions.”
“Besides, I wouldn’t dare harm someone who has a High Witch’s favor,” Helia added, wryly glancing at Astoria, who stared at her carefully, like daggers stabbing into her back.
“Ahem,” Astoria weakly coughed before objectively stating, “We should quickly return to the surface before we suffocate down here.”