I Reincarnated to Another World as a Woman-Chapter 188: Well?
The explosion surges through Rhaenas like a tsunami.
Even though they are safe inside Theo’s bubble barrier, they can still feel it shaking violently, as if it might shatter at any second.
"Thea!!" Arthur shouts, instinctively pulling her into a protective embrace.
But Theo refuses.
He sees it.
The explosion isn’t stopping inside the dungeon.
It’s heading for the gate.
"Shit!" Theo curses.
He whips around, thrusting one palm toward the gate, and erects multiple layers of barriers in rapid succession, stacking them one after another to block the surge from escaping.
But he’s a fraction too late.
A few waves of the explosion have already burst through.
They rip out of the dungeon gate and slam into the site outside like a bomb detonating in the open air.
The rest of Rhaenas realizes what has just happened.
But they don’t fully understand it.
"The explosion... it reached outside the dungeon?" Julian is the first to assess the situation correctly.
As the realization dawns on them, Theo dissipates the barriers. The moment he does, the rest of them rush out through the gate.
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Outside the gate, the scene has descended into pure chaos.
People are screaming. Rubble is everywhere.
Captain Chambers is on the ground, half-buried beneath a collapsed table. He groans and struggles to sit up.
"What happened?" he mutters, more to himself than anyone else.
Beside him, one of his subordinates stirs.
"God... my head. What the hell was that?"
Captain Chambers snaps fully back to his senses. He gets to his feet and immediately pulls his subordinate up with him, barking orders as he does.
"Find the casualties. Gather the rest of the unit. Call medics and ambulances. Move!"
He scans the area rapidly, searching for movement, for survivors.
Then he sees five figures running toward the site.
One of them is shouting in panic.
"Claudia! Dad!"
It’s Liam.
He runs past Captain Chambers and skids to a stop, frantically scanning the area.
Arthur freezes for a brief second, stunned by the aftermath.
Then he turns to his teammates.
"We need to help."
They all nod.
Without another word, they split up, each moving quickly to search for survivors and pull people from the rubble.
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Theo uses his magic very subtly to locate survivors. To others, it looks as if he’s simply exceptionally good at it, better than trained dogs, able to pinpoint where people are buried without hesitation.
Maeve notices this almost immediately and quietly asks for his guidance in whispers.
Soon, the two of them move together, working like human detectors.
After five minutes of searching, which feels like an eternity to Liam, he suddenly hears someone calling his name.
"Liam! LIAM!"
He spins toward the voice, catching only a blur of red hair before it crashes into his chest.
Claudia buries herself in his embrace, half sobbing, half laughing.
It takes Liam a second to register that it’s his sister. He hugs her back tightly, asking if she’s okay, even as his eyes continue scanning the area for their father.
"I’m okay," Claudia sobs. "Dad is okay too. He’s already calling for help. At the last second, he pulled me away from the tent and we hid behind his car."
She pulls back slightly, looking up at him.
"We need to thank Julian. Dad’s car is equipped with Aegis Ultra. It activated automatically at the last second."
Liam lets out a shaky chuckle and hugs her again.
"Okay, okay. I’ll clean his room for a month."
Claudia laughs through her tears.
"Oh, thank god you’re okay." Liam pulls back and ruffles her hair.
"Liam."
Linus approaches them.
"Dad, you’re okay." Liam steps forward and hugs his father as well.
Linus returns the embrace.
"I’m glad you’re okay, son."
The three of them share a brief, silent understanding.
Then, without lingering, they turn and continue helping the others.
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It takes about thirty minutes before calm and order return to the scene. By then, Rhaenas has more than proven themselves useful.
Theo and Maeve locate survivors faster than anyone else. Julian uses his gadgets to provide first aid to those who need it most. Arthur and Liam lift massive chunks of rubble with nothing but raw strength, without any machines, causing nearby citizens to witness firsthand the sheer physical prowess of Sentinels.
Captain Chambers has to admit it. Rhaenas pulls far more than their weight.
And he’s glad they were there.
Once city officers fully take over the site, Captain Chambers informs them that they may return to their residence, but they must be ready to report to his office later to give formal statements regarding the incident.
Arthur, as their leader, thanks him and promises they’ll come at a moment’s notice.
Rhaenas leaves the scene with their manager and Linus, riding in Linus’ car.
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After confirming that none of Rhaenas is injured or in need of medical attention, Linus agrees to take them back to their residence.
He has to admit, none of them looks tired. Or traumatized.
That, more than anything else, unsettles him.
Because of it, Linus asks if he can speak with them once they arrive. A proper conversation, somewhere quiet.
Rhaenas agrees without hesitation.
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At the Rhaenas living room, the atmosphere is surprisingly calm.
Liam, Arthur, Claudia, and Linus are all seated comfortably, drinks in hand. The earlier chaos feels distant now, as if it belongs to another day entirely.
Liam and Arthur have just finished recounting the dungeon incident to Linus. They explain it carefully, thoroughly, leaving nothing out except one very important thing. The magic.
They talk about positioning, timing, coordination. About terrain collapse, pressure, and the sudden instability of the dungeon itself. They speak like seasoned professionals, measured and composed.
Claudia listens in silence.
It’s killing her.
She can tell there are gaps. Places where the explanation smooths over something sharp and dangerous. But she keeps her mouth shut, only asking relevant, practical questions, the kind a manager should ask.
When they finish, Liam leans back, clearly pleased with himself.
"Well, Dad?" he asks, grinning.
"Rhaenas is good, right?"
Linus looks at his son for a long moment.
He knows they’re not lying to him. He can sense that much clearly. But he also knows they’re not telling him everything. And that doesn’t bother him as much as it probably should.
Every team has its own trade of secrets. Linus understands that better than most.
As long as those secrets keep his son alive, he doesn’t mind at all.
At Liam’s question, Linus leans back in his chair and takes a slow sip of his coffee. He lets the silence stretch just enough to make Liam fidget.
Then he sets the cup down.
A faint smile tugs at his lips.
"I have to admit," Linus says calmly,
"Rhaenas is impressive."
