Глава 10

No, you're not giving the orders here. It cost us a lot to come this far––

Even more reason why we can't both die here!

Worry not. I'll execute both of you here, together.

You may take a moment to decide who goes first––

Nngh?!

He went down... without a struggle?

You... It's you.

He got too cocky.

No one can claim to master all shadows. Infinite possibilities lie where the eyes cannot perceive.

*cough*... *cough* *cough* *cough*...

Hurry, get out of here. If you want to live, return to the sunlight.

What about you?

I still have other things to do.

I'll have you know... Confessarii underlings aren't the only ones here.

What's that sound?

Commander, the metal structure behind us just fell––

That's not all...

He's here.

You feel it too?

Vina, I didn't hear anything except the sound of shelling.

The sound of his heartbeat disappeared.

What?

Run!!!

We've lost contact with the 12th––

They've all been sacrificed.

Yes...

Their voices completely vanished.

These... pitch-black pipes should amplify any and all sounds.

Breathing or footsteps, the clacking of a metal crab crawling through the pipe, or the rumble of machinery––

These pipes will record the vibrations of any signs of life.

And in an instant... all of those voices were devoured.

You mean to say, this darkness behind us––

Is all the life it has devoured.

Just like what happened at that banquet three months ago.

Engineering team, close the first safety lock!

Yes, Commander!

Miss Siege, you've... got sharp senses.

Are you familiar with Londinium's underground structure?

I remember Feist saying... you're from around these parts?

I've... only been here once.

But I've heard a lot of stories about these pipes.

A hundred years ago, a terrible fire ripped through the heart of Londinium. Only the royal family and a few nobles managed to escape the flames.

After that, a legend began to circulate that a magic circle was hidden beneath the palace that could allow the royal family to escape any disaster.

When I first heard that story, I couldn't help but wonder... would our royal family also use these very same pipes for their escape?

Hmm... The story I heard was very similar to your version.

The workers who built Londinium, the posh aristocrats and nobles, and the royal family itself–– are all forced to take the same route during times of crises.

That already is a story that writes itself.

Commander, the safety lock is starting to give!

This door cannot hold him back.

Are you serious? This door's thickness can withstand seven or eight salvos from an armored vehicle!

Retreat! Fall back!

With a sharp, earsplitting noise, a fissure appears in the middle of the metal door.

Under the tearing and folding of the tremendous force behind the door, the thick metal sheet seems thinner than paper. The fissure continues to grow, the dark void behind it like a monstrous, abyssal maw.

Close the second safety lock!

Understoo–– Arrrgh!!

The door slams shut with a heavy thud, but the person sealing the door suddenly slips. Before he has a chance to scream, something invisible drags him into the shadows behind the door.

A smudge of blood seeps through the door's crack.

But not even the pool of blood is allowed to escape. In an instant, the shadows lurch through the door and instantly devour half the passageway.

Another massive roar rings out, though it is unclear whether it came from overhead or behind.

The pipe shudders, and the shadow's edge blurs like a predator's mouthparts, extending to latch onto its prey's ankle.

I... I've also heard of another story.

During a battle two hundred years ago, the Victorian Army joined forces with two other nations to lay siege to a city called Kazdel.

One night, an entire army of heavily-armed troops disappeared in the valley where they were stationed.

The count who had dispatched the army sent men to investigate their whereabouts, but only saw the crimson of the setting sun reflected against the mountain walls.

And as everyone remembered, that day... the sun had not come out at all.

The third safety lock––

Is this... the last one?

Clovisia doesn't answer her.

Just like her answer... Devoured by the monster flooding through the pipes.