City ​​of Witches 270

Chapter 270 – #60_배수터널(6)

#268

1.
The sword energy released by Elroa cleanly sliced through 45 meters of soil and bedrock like a cake.
Yet, the foundation didn’t collapse, and no rockfall occurred, which meant that the sword strike that cut through the ceiling was exceptionally precise.
Light streamed from the elongated V-shaped cut in the ceiling, forming a wall-like barrier.

On either side of this majestic wall of light stood Siwoo and the Red Knight, facing off.
A 1.8-meter man in black armor, gripping a sword.
A 2.5-meter monster in red armor, wielding a crimson spear.

Siwoo had faced many opponents with significant size differences when dealing with homunculi.
The shadow monster he first killed was the size of a city bus, and the mother dog monster he later fought was the size of a low-rise building.

But perhaps because the enemy before him was in human form, or maybe because 40 red eyes glared at him from under the helmet, the mere difference of two heads in height felt like an immeasurable gap.

“Siwoo, listen carefully.”

A subtle psychological battle where each side scrutinized the other’s weaknesses.
Elroa began to explain the Red Knight’s abilities to Siwoo.

“His power is greatly diminished. The fact that you succeeded in a surprise attack means his body has become slower and more sluggish. There should still be significant shock remaining in his body.”
“Yes, please tell me about the Red Branch as well.”

Siwoo slowly moved, never taking his eyes off the Red Knight.
The Red Knight mirrored his movements, starting to move in the same direction.
A man and a monster slowly circled each other, tracing the same orbit.

An item that can semi-permanently use the magic contained within.
Among these, items that are not one-time use are called artifacts.
However, when the magic embedded in an artifact is used not just as magic, but as a medium to assist self-magic, or when it manifests self-magic on its own, it is given the higher designation of a ‘precept.’

The precept that makes the Red Knight such a formidable enemy is the Red Branch.
Roughly classified, it has at least three effects.

“The Red Branch is a tricky precept. The first is a distortion field. It acts as a barrier that blocks magic and impact, and at the same time, it tries to transfer the distortion the moment it clashes with a weapon.
You might withstand it once or twice, but it will become unbearable if it continues. Never engage it head-on for long.”

No matter how great the magic, nothing in this world can be effective without a cost.
Not only the Red Knight but the Red Branch itself must be experiencing considerable consumption.
The fact that the Red Branch, which once reversed time to resurrect the White Knights infinitely, can no longer do so is proof of this.

“The Red Branch emits a barrier. Its speed isn’t fast, but its power is absolute. Pay particular attention to the trajectory of the spear blade.”
“Yes, I understand.”
“Lastly, believe in yourself. Are you ready?”

Siwoo slowly mulled over Elroa’s advice and nodded.
Elroa watched Siwoo’s back, wondering if this choice was the right one.

Siwoo had accurately assessed the situation.
The Red Knight and the White Knights were the highest forces possessed by the Cowardly Witch.
Elroa had poured all her remaining power into eliminating the White Knights and weakening the Red Knight.

If they retreated here, the Red Knight and the Cowardly Witch would hide again.
Sooah and Tiferet had been unable to locate Sochtl’s workshop for the past few months.
The fact that they could even raid the workshop like this was thanks to the information provided by the captured Della.

If the Red Knight, who was already skilled at hiding and escaping, went into hiding again, there was no guarantee they could find him again.
Then, someday, Sochtl, fully prepared, would bring disaster to the world.
The public persona of the Cowardly Witch would quickly devise a Plan B by any means necessary, and it was clear that many more victims would emerge in the process.

Even so, wasn’t there a better way?
No matter how much she trusted Siwoo, it was agonizing to sit idly by and watch him risk his life.

But Elroa’s thoughts didn’t last long.
The Red Knight, who had been glaring at Siwoo with his spear, began to move first.

-Thwack!

The speed was significantly slower compared to when his power was intact.
However, that was only a relative standard.
Siwoo could barely perceive the Red Knight, who had been a blur, suddenly appearing before him.

-Kwaaang!

The sword, belatedly swung in defense, collided with the Red Branch.
The shadow sword clashed with the diagonally swung spear blade.
And…

“Cough!”

Siwoo realized that Elroa’s advice not to engage head-on was correct.
Just the clash of swords felt like his internal organs were about to burst out of his mouth.
The shock of the distortion field, which spread through the sword tip, fingertips, and his entire body, made Siwoo’s sturdy armor ripple like waves.
The magical structure was disrupted by the extreme shock and pressure.

Siwoo barely managed to recalculate to prevent his armor from collapsing, but the second attack unfolded without giving him a moment to breathe.
The Red Knight, spinning his spear like a windmill, swung it at Siwoo, who was off balance.

A blow amplified by centrifugal force, followed by a red barrier that extended like tree roots, launching a delayed attack.
Siwoo’s only option was to retreat.

-Whoosh!

The spear blade grazed the edge of his helmet, shattering it like a cookie.
But the barrier that followed struck Siwoo’s chest.

“Kkyaaaak!!!”
“Siwoo!”

It was not safe to assume that the barrier was harmless just because its speed was slow and it didn’t contain much magic.
The barrier that the Red Branch unleashed with each attack was trying to distort Siwoo’s ‘very existence.’
For an ethereal body made of flesh, thoughts, and magic, ‘distortion’ was nothing less than a deadly poison.

Normally, that would have been the end.
It should have been Siwoo’s end, but he was still alive.
The Guardian’s contract had activated like an autonomous defense, holding onto Siwoo, who was on the verge of annihilation.
As soon as his blurred consciousness returned, Siwoo raised his sword again.

“What kind of monster is this…”

He hadn’t been optimistic that it would be an easy fight.
Siwoo’s left eye, which reflected the flow of magic, warned him that the Red Knight still had considerable power left.

The red spear slid from the Red Knight’s hand as if it were slipping.
Grasping the end of the spear, the Red Knight forcefully swung it down, as if to split the earth.
Siwoo retreated once more.
From the Red Branch that touched the ground, another root-like barrier sprouted, targeting Siwoo.

That’s the problem.
The Red Knight’s movements were clearly not normal.
They seemed unnatural and awkward, with enough openings to exploit.
If he stepped inside the spear when it made such large movements, it didn’t seem impossible to win.
However, the presence of the barrier, which seemed to assist the movements, was extremely bothersome.

There were many, and they were dense.
Judging by the power from before, they were not something he could ignore and push through.

In terms of pure physical strength, the Red Knight was superior.
Normally, it might be different, but at this point, where he couldn’t choose the option of ‘clashing weapons,’ he was at a disadvantage in terms of technique as well.
Then, where was the key to leading this fight to victory?

Magic.
The Red Branch employed various types of magic.
Ultimately, it was the presence of that magic that made the Red Knight so difficult to attack.
Then, if he could read the flow of magic and find a way to break it?

“Bloom!”

Siwoo, retreating from the Red Knight who was trying to continue his attacks without a break, amplified his magic.
Black shadow particles, like ink spreading in water, were released all at once, concealing Siwoo’s presence.
He had converted the amplified magic into shadow particles, using them as a smokescreen.

-Krrrr

The Red Knight seemed startled by the sudden appearance of the shadows.
But realizing that it was magic made up of tiny particles, he inflated the distortion field.
If the shadows did not have a solid physical form and had not yet solidified, the distortion field would act as an absolute counter.
The smokescreens were pushed out by the distortion field and disappeared cleanly, as if erased by an eraser.

-Swish! Swish! Swish! Swish!

In that fleeting gap, four ribbons, sharply twisted at the ends like morning glory buds, shot out like guided missiles weaving through cumulonimbus clouds.
For the Red Knight, whose vision was narrowed to less than 3 meters, it was an unexpected attack.
Nevertheless, he swung his spear, shattering and tearing apart all the ribbons.

Siwoo was watching this from within the shadows.
Spreading the shadows in the form of a smokescreen was not just to blind and escape.
It was used as a test to understand the characteristics of the distortion field.
Siwoo’s eyes were diligently interpreting and estimating the series of magical actions shown by the Red Branch.

He had already obtained one significant piece of information.

The Red Branch’s cheat-like nature was obvious at a glance.
In close combat, it transferred the distortion wave to the opponent, accumulating damage from the inside, and against external magic, it spread like a barrier, distorting the structure of the magic.

It was as if he was holding a cheat item given by a game company to create a boss monster that could not be cleared.
If it was no good up close and no good from afar, how was he supposed to fight it?

But with the test just now, Siwoo had discovered one thing.
That was the characteristic of the distortion field.

The distortion field was normally condensed inside the Red Branch like a deflated balloon.
By expanding it like an inflated balloon, it could block external magic, but as the surface area increased, the tensile strength decreased, and the intensity of the distortion itself weakened.

According to Siwoo’s hypothesis, if the distortion field was inflated to block the shadows, he could continue close combat while minimizing the impact.

To confirm this, Siwoo rushed at the Red Knight, taking advantage of the timing when the distortion field had not yet contracted.
The shadows that had billowed up were scattered by a gust of wind, and Siwoo’s sword was swung with a sharp sound.

-Kwaaang!

It was a surprise attack, executed after hiding his presence until the very end, but the Red Knight definitely reacted.
He raised the Red Branch and blocked the sword that was coming down diagonally.
Siwoo clenched his teeth, bracing for any possible impact.

-Patsutsutsu!

But the red barrier only sparked, and the pain that came back was not severe.
Just a momentary nausea, like seasickness, stirred his insides.
But this alone was not enough.
As long as that barrier was in the way, it was impossible to overpower the Red Knight by force, even without the distortion field.

“Bloom!”

Siwoo hid in the shadows again, while extracting magic through four repeated amplifications.
His left eye throbbed from the excessive magic amplification, but he converted it all into shadows, covering the entire tunnel densely.
It looked like a fire had broken out, with black smoke rising.

-KouzaK——!

The Red Knight let out a roar that sounded displeased, and swung his spear.
The distortion field easily pushed away the shadow smokescreen.

In fact, the shadows that Siwoo was creating now had no special effect.
Unless they stuck close to his body, it was difficult to maintain a form like armor or a sword, and even if he made them into ribbons, the number of ribbons Siwoo could control was limited to four.
The effect was, at best, to blind the enemy and slightly interfere with the magic.

So, was there no chance of winning?
Siwoo asked himself.

No.
There was still something he could do.