After a few minutes of running, Vicente and his group reached one of the natural underground tunnels in the area they were in.
With Torne's help, Vicente knew which way to go. They easily reached a tunnel large enough for all of them to run through.
The region where Long Bay Correctional Facility was located had very extreme terrain. Some places were more than 2,000 meters above sea level, while others were practically below sea level. Because of these differences, the underground of some areas led to the surface of others.
But traveling underground wasn't as easy as it might seem. Since such areas were virtually unknown and mysterious, all sorts of surprises could lie in wait.
As Vicente's group began to run through the tunnel in question, they saw large worms, one of the many types of creatures that existed in places like this, appear in their path.
These worms weren't much of a problem for them at first. Still, they signaled the possibility of encountering other beings on their escape route.
"How strange..." Nico muttered as Evan carried him since he was the only one who wasn't a Mage and, therefore, moved slower than everyone else.
"Why are there no defenses in this area? I mean, this tunnel already existed, so why didn't the royal forces put safety mechanisms here?"
The people in the group, worried about their escape route or the ten High-level Mages who were already closing in on them, remained focused on what they had to do while Vicente answered the question.
"First, you would have to get past the construction barriers that we made. Not many people have powers like mine and can open paths like that. Second, it's not that there was no defense. It's that I sabotaged the prison."
Before being transferred to level 2, Vicente had worked with the bureaucratic part of analyzing prisoners. When he finished that job, he passed through the prison's command center, where he left something near where the core of the prison's defensive formations were located.
When the riot began, the explosive device he left behind detonated, weakening the barriers of the entire prison, especially those that affected this underground area.
"Third, there are certainly problems in tunnels similar to this one in the area we're in. Before returning to the surface, we'll probably encounter some problems with beasts or plants. These are the natural defenses of this area!"
Nico understood why there was such a weakness underneath the prison.
Under normal circumstances, it would be impossible for even someone like Vicente to do anything. After all, the inmates had their powers sealed and couldn't do even 0.1% of what he did this morning. Only with an infiltration, something difficult and rare, could someone use this way to escape.
But even with all of Vicente's preparations, Shelby's studies, and her allies, none of it was easy to put into practice.
Even though the escape had gone well so far, it wasn't going perfectly, and certainly not the way Vicente had planned.
In his plans, the enemies would be distracted by the rebellion at Long Bay Correctional Facility while his group escaped. However, at that very moment, ten High-level Mages were following them, so close that one group could hear the voices of the other's members.
"Snow Claw!" One of the strongest High-level Mages in that group of soldiers shouted when he saw the purple-haired man on the run.
The other soldiers felt a bit shaken when they saw the prisoner free and with mana coursing through his body.
Considering what they knew about Snow Claw, they couldn't help but feel a little afraid.
But they were determined to pursue and stop these individuals, especially because Snow Claw was not in his best condition.
"You'd better stop, or you'll all die!" The leader of the soldiers shouted, looking especially at Vicente, as this young man was dressed in an army uniform. "Attempting to escape is expected of you, prisoners. Your punishment for this will not be too severe. Only traitors to the kingdom need worry. Snow Claw, Diamond Don, Wells the Rogue, Rober the Fang, you should give up while you still can. It won't do you any good".
The four highest-ranking fugitives heard the old soldier's voice but obviously didn't attend.
They had waited a long time for an opportunity to escape. Now that they were so close to freedom, they wouldn't give up!
"Old man, were you drinking before you came after us?" Diamond Don shouted as he revealed his magical form, creating a large crystal while sending his mana through it.
Seeing the enemy attack forming, the soldiers in pursuit moved to defend themselves, counterattack, or deflect the enemy attack, knowing that it would not be easy to fight one of these men head-on.
The strongest of the soldiers said as he grimaced. "So you're all going to die! That's especially true for you, Snow Claw! The Sovereigns of the realm are already in the area of the Wolfrider Forest! Either you go back to prison, or you'll lose your life before you even leave this area!"
"Sovereigns?" Snow Claw muttered as his face turned dark. "I won't spare the bastards who come after me this time. Forget about my past with the army. Even if Adrian gets in my way, I won't spare him this time!"
This stronger soldier knew more details about Snow Claw's capture than this man's record revealed. Knowing that Adrian, the Sovereign who had captured Jonah, was an old acquaintance of this man, the soldier in question understood that such a person would be a problem for the kingdom if he escaped.
"Then die here, you old devil!" The soldier shouted as he attacked Snow Claw, causing several ghostly figures to appear around him, looking in the direction of the purple-haired man.
Snow Claw looked at them and saw monstrous figures staring at him, trying to penetrate his mind and torment him.
The soldier's power was of a mental nature, capable of creating dream demons that could lull their targets into illusions and even degrade their consciousness to the point of taking the battle into the spiritual realm.
Snow Claw felt uncomfortable being watched by these imaginary demonic creatures while mana ghosts were attacking his body. But he stood firm as he fled.
He clenched his fists in anger as a huge arm of mana materialized around him.
This arm was about a meter in diameter at its thinnest point, glowing purple and as solid as the surrounding rocks.
"Let's see who dies!" Snow Claw said as he charged at the soldiers, scaring the men who were already being attacked by the other three High-level Mages who were fleeing with Vicente.
