Chapter 265 – #60_Drainage Tunnel
#263
1.
The vertical shaft, with its dark maw, was much closer than expected.
A construction site, less than 5km from the Gwanghwamun branch location point.
For some reason, construction had been halted, and the only thing left in the empty lot, surrounded by tall, rusty barriers, was a gaping hole.
Next to it was a maintenance vertical shaft with an elevator, but it was completely sealed with hardened cement.
The Cowardly Witch must have hidden the entrance using various physical and magical procedures to make it her stronghold.
Perhaps that was why there wasn’t a single soul in sight, making it a blank space in the bustling city of Seoul, with its constant flow of people.
Even though it was midday, the bottom was visible despite the depth.
The height was roughly between 40 to 50 meters.
If rainwater from the entire area were to fill this vertical shaft and ventilation shaft, the floodgates would open, storing the rainwater in the underground rain tunnel.
The collected rainwater would then flow through the 5km tunnel and be discharged into the Han River.
“…It’s deep.”
Shiwoo, wearing his armor, looked down into the tunnel.
He had only muttered softly, but the sound echoed back as a reverberation.
“I see.”
Eloa replied in a soulless voice.
Even after deciding to take Shiwoo with her, a thorn of unease remained in her heart.
She admired and respected his spirit and courage.
However, if a strong heart alone could solve everything, the world wouldn’t be filled with so much injustice.
While waiting for Su-a’s signal, Eloa repeatedly vowed to protect Shiwoo no matter what.
-Shooooom!
And the expected signal came.
The operation wasn’t that complicated.
Branch Manager Su-a would deploy a reverse barrier to prepare for the White Knight’s counterattack and guard the axis of the barrier.
Tiferet and Shiwoo would be the main force, defeating the Cowardly Witch and the Knight Commander hiding inside the stronghold.
Meanwhile, the Witch of Agriculture and the Witch of Glass would distract and lure the White Knights.
End.
In fact, it was an embarrassingly simple and straightforward strategy, hardly deserving of the grand name of an operation.
“Shiwoo, remember this. If it seems dangerous, you must retreat without hesitation.”
“I will keep that in mind.”
Eloa, using the vague term “retreat” instead of “escape,” looked up at the sky.
A massive reverse barrier covering the entire city of Seoul was slowly gathering in the sky.
The moment that barrier was completed would be the entry timing.
Shiwoo also tilted his helmet back and watched the barrier being formed on a large scale.
The moment the dome-shaped barrier, shining with a blue light like the East Sea, was completed, they jumped into the vertical shaft simultaneously.
2.
Shiwoo’s body had already surpassed human limits.
If he focused his power, he could reach subsonic speeds, and when he swung his weapons, the tips easily exceeded the speed of sound without any special effort.
Even without going that far, the combined weight of his current equipment easily exceeded that of a typical motorcycle.
However, even though he could use his shadow armor as an exoskeleton suit and enhance his body with magic, he sometimes got caught up in his “days as a complete human.”
For example, when he had to freefall down a vertical shaft that, if he was lucky, would leave him a paraplegic, or more likely, dead from the fall.
-Thud!
But contrary to Shiwoo’s worries, his knees easily absorbed the impact of the jump, and he landed successfully.
Although the cement floor, having been hit by a free-falling piece of metal, cracked and kicked up dust.
Next to him, Eloa descended with a light, weightless movement, her hair fluttering.
“Stay close to me, Shiwoo.”
“……”
There was no sign of any enemies in the tunnel that stretched wide to the east and west.
But Shiwoo quickly realized.
This place was ‘different’.
Like two sides of the same coin, the air clinging to his skin felt different, even though he had only descended the height of about 13 stories of an apartment building.
Was this what it felt like to step into the gates of hell?
The heavy, damp atmosphere, the musty smell of mold filling his lungs, and the faint scent of blood.
“We’ll need light.”
Originally, mercury lamps were lined up along the walls, but they were unlikely to work after being closed for over 20 years.
Eloa snapped her fingers, and several decorative lights shot into the tunnel like flares.
Thanks to that, they could see the inside of the tunnel in detail, even where the light from the vertical shaft didn’t reach.
“It’s bigger than I thought.”
10 meters in diameter.
It was wide and tall enough for two dump trucks to pass through comfortably.
The passage, which looked like a giant cylinder laid down at a gentle angle, was almost identical to a typical tunnel.
The slight difference was that, unlike typical tunnels that take a semi-circular shape to distribute the load, the passage of this drainage tunnel was almost a perfect circle.
The fact that the height and width were almost identical was also due to that.
“No, it’s very narrow.”
Eloa scanned her surroundings with sharp eyes, already in battle mode.
At first glance, it seemed wide, but it was too narrow for Eloa, who could show jet-level output with simple movements.
The White Knights would probably use this narrow tunnel to move in a way that made them seem to bounce off the walls.
“Which way should we go?”
“This way.”
Eloa turned towards the east tunnel.
She was already familiar with the terrain of the battlefield from Su-a’s briefing.
Cylindrical passages with diameters of 5 to 10 meters stretched like ant tunnels throughout the underground of Seoul.
There were vertical shafts about every 800 meters, and Eloa’s goal was the engine room, about 2km to the east.
The Cowardly Witch was said to have taken over the space that was originally the engine room and pump room, which controlled the system.
-Ooo—— O—- Oooo——-
Not long after the two started walking, a strange sound was heard.
No, it was too far away to be called a sound, and it was more like a faint vibration, as it was refracted in various directions by the complex tunnel walls.
His brow furrowed.
Looking to the side, Eloa had a similar expression.
“What is that sound?”
-O—- Oooo—— Ooooo——-
Stopping and listening carefully, the vibration became clearer.
If you were to scoop out a pitiful soul, melted and gooey from the fires of hell, with a large ladle, would it sound like this?
It was a chorus of screams that made your skin crawl and made you want to throw up just by listening to it.
As if the chorus was some kind of signal, sounds came from the curved tunnel in the distance.
-Clank! Clank! Clank!
The sound of metal boots hitting the dry floor.
The clanking of weapons.
“They’ve come to greet us already. It’s better than facing them all at once.”
“I’ll prepare.”
Eloa counted the number of enemies just by the echoes of their footsteps.
A total of 32 White Knights.
To take advantage of their numerical superiority, it would be wiser to attack all at once when they reached a wider area, such as a crossroads or a chamber, rather than in this tunnel.
This was probably a jab to gauge Eloa’s combat power.
“For now, step back. I need to gauge their strength.”
Eloa stretched out her arm, and her contract sword, responding to her call, appeared, tearing through space and revealing its magnificent form.
The six characters remaining on the blade shone, and a magenta magical reflection appeared in the corner of Eloa’s eye.
“I contract.”
Eloa strengthened her leg strength, back strength, and arm strength through a total of six contracts, two for each.
This was the maximum she could allocate to physical enhancement.
Her spirit body couldn’t handle any more strengthening.
There were still over 1000 enemies left.
The most important thing in this subjugation battle was how efficiently they could deal with the White Knights and face the Knight Commander and Sochitl.
Then, the White Knights appeared.
-Clankclankclankclank
Holding white spears in one hand, they kicked off the ground faster and faster as soon as they spotted Eloa.
Like a well-trained army, they moved in perfect unison, their white armor shining in the dim light as they charged.
“Watch closely.”
Eloa stood at an angle, turning her waist until the tip of her sword touched the ground on her right.
It looked more like she was about to swing a baseball bat than preparing for a sword strike.
“…Huuup…!”
Eloa inhaled.
The tip of the spear of the White Knight at the very front had already closed the distance and was flickering an inch in front of Eloa.
Even so, Eloa only had her eyes closed and didn’t make even the slightest movement.
She simply stopped the breath she had taken in, as if meditating.
Finally, when the tip of the White Knight’s spear was about to pierce Eloa’s forehead.
When Shiwoo was about to extend his ribbon.
Eloa opened her eyes.
Her stepping foot dug into the cement floor as if pushing it away…
——————!!!!
A roar like hundreds of tons of dynamite exploding erupted in the narrow tunnel.
It was a torrent of energy that felt too alien to have been created by a sword swing.
Based on Eloa’s changed posture, they could only guess that she had “swung her sword,” but what Shiwoo could actually see was just a flash of light that appeared and disappeared like a flashbang.
And…
-Kugugugugung!
Thirty-two White Knights, some flying in the air, some running along the tunnel ceiling, and some even throwing spears, had charged at Eloa.
The White Knights had made the first move, but Eloa’s attack, which was swung much later, was far faster.
The torrent of destruction, unable to keep up with the speed at which the sword was swung, surged like a storm.
A vertical wave spread out from Eloa, and all the White Knights began to distort.
As if crushed by an invisible press, their entire armor shattered, and pieces of metal scattered like fish scales.
About twenty White Knights, whose paths overlapped with the sword strike, were neatly separated.
The debris of destruction tumbled forward, making the sound of kicking empty cans.
Yet, as if concerned about collapse, there was no damage to the outer walls of the tunnel.
Only the non-woven fabric that had been attached to the side fell off in tatters.
This meant that she hadn’t just wielded her power indiscriminately, but had a firm grip on the very edge of her power.
“…Huu…”
Eloa lowered her sword and composed her breathing through the aftereffects.
Behind her, Shiwoo watched the scene from beginning to end with his mouth half-open.
He had expected Eloa, the 23rd-ranked witch, to be strong.
However, seeing her fight with all her heart for the first time, Shiwoo felt a vast difference in their levels.
An overwhelming force that seemed capable of breaking through any obstacle single-handedly.
“This is what it means to swing with all your might.”
Eloa looked at Shiwoo.
She opened her mouth, looking at her precious disciple whom she wanted to protect at all costs.
Shiwoo almost forgot the seriousness of the situation and clapped his hands.
“You’re amazing…”
“Don’t. It’s not the time to let your guard down.”
“Yes, I understand.”
Eloa hurriedly stopped Shiwoo.
It wasn’t for any practical reason, such as the enemy being able to pinpoint their location by hearing the sound, or activating a trap by triggering a device installed in the stronghold.
It was because her lips would curl up on their own when she heard Shiwoo’s praise.
She didn’t want to ruin the tension and the atmosphere of being in battle mode.
“Let’s go, we still have a long way to go.”
Watching Eloa, who had turned her back and started walking ahead, Shiwoo wondered if there would ever be a time for him to step in.
