City of Witches Chapter 193

No matter how bright the sunlight, jungles always have shadows.

In this regard, the city was like a jungle.

Even in the city center overflowing with CCTV and black boxes, shadowy places inevitably emerge.

The long, now-abandoned drainage tunnels running beneath the Seoul area were also one such place.

They once served as channels to collect rainwater from the area and send it to the Han River to prevent urban flooding due to typhoons and such, but they were built so long ago that new tunnels have been created, and they are no longer in use now.

Of course, these old drainage tunnels are also public facilities strictly under the management of the city government.

But with a little magical tampering, they could be turned into blind spots where no one would look, places whose very existence was forgotten.

-Tap tap

45 meters underground.

The massive concrete walls, well over 10 meters in diameter, reflected even the sound of shoe heels loudly.

Tattered non-woven fabric hung loosely on the walls, and a terrible fishy smell wafted throughout the tunnel filled with rainwater.

Della Redcliffe was walking inside, relying on a single ornamental flame.

-Gushhhhhhh!

A typhoon was raging above ground, so torrential rainwater was probably still pouring in from the drainage ditches that still functioned here and there.

As soon as Della turned a corner and entered a dark, vast cavern, she frowned at the loud sound of water echoing from far away.

No, it wasn't just the noise that made her frown.

"Haa...."

She flipped back her proud red hair and crossed her arms in displeasure.

It was because of the bloody smell that hit her nose, mixed with the already pungent stench.

As she added a few more ornamental flames, the entire cavern lit up brightly.

In the center of the cylindrical cavern was a large altar.

On it lay people, lined up, staring blankly at the ceiling as if their souls had been taken.

"This is why I didn't want to come... Still the same, Paola Sochtil."

Above them, a Witch was crouched, expressionlessly wielding a dagger.

With the precise skill of a seasoned surgeon, she was cutting open chests, severing ribs, and extracting hearts.

The Cowardly Witch, Paola Sochtil, with half her face crushed, silently raised her gaze to look at Della.

"....Long time no see, Della."

But only for a moment. Paola silently resumed moving her knife.

She extracted one heart, then the next, and then another in an instant.

It took less than ten minutes for the 32 men and women lying on the altar to meet their end.

Della waited without stopping her or saying a word.

Until Duke Keter created Gehenna and made a fuss, human sacrifice and experimentation were considered normal for Witches, and even among Exiles in the Mortal Realm, it wasn't an uncommon occurrence, unless they were from Gehenna.

"Are you still continuing your experiments?"

"It's all I have left."

As Paola gestured, the air tore open.

Parts of a Homunculus's body, hidden in a pocket dimension, jutted out and snatched away the remains left on the altar.

The sound of something being devoured greedily could be heard.

"So why did you call me to such a filthy place?"

"We're friends, can't we see each other after so long?"

"I know you wouldn't call me for that reason."

"Hah!"

Paola twisted the intact side of her face into a laugh.

It was a smile so bizarre it was hard to call it a laugh.

The laughter, gritty like sand, stopped, and Paola spread her arms to welcome her old friend.

"Welcome to my temporary workshop. Though there's no fancy dessert or fragrant tea."

Della's nose wrinkled.

"So what is it? You don't even reply when I contact you normally."

"To warn you."

"Warn me?"

As Della wondered at the cryptic words, Paola snapped her fingers.

Immediately, the space in the cavern tore open, and a Homunculus tightly bound in chains appeared.

-Grrrrrr....

A massive red armor over 2 meters tall.

A red spear that seemed easily 5 meters long.

Fifteen pairs of eyes.

The appearance of that Homunculus, writhing violently like a mantis trying to escape a spider's web, was something even Della had heard of.

"....The Enemy Knight?"

"Yes, as you can see, I haven't fully subdued it yet. An amazing child. Even in this weakened state, it doesn't even glance at the gift of 50 hearts."

As Paola snapped her fingers again, the space that had parted like a curtain closed.

Her Magnetic Magic was for controlling Homunculi.

Most Homunculi become unable to resist just by meeting Paola's gaze.

"Children who have lived a long time really have strong egos. They just won't calm down easily."

"This isn't why you called me, is it? It's just what you always do."

The behavior she had witnessed so far was too routine to warrant calling Della specifically for a 'warning.'

That fact made Della feel a certain unease.

"You saw the spear that child was holding, right?"

"The Red Branch, you mean?"

"Yes, using the 'distortion' contained in the Red Branch, perhaps one could twist causality and natural order. It's not a dream that miracles impossible with ordinary Magic could be performed."

"And so?"

Della first calmly listened to Paola's words.

"But with the methods so far, I can't tame this thing. Even if I forcibly take and wield that Red Branch, I probably couldn't handle it as well as that child does."

"I suppose that's likely."

As Della agreed, unable to hide her discomfort, Paola grinned in front of her.

A near-mad obsession flowed in her one eye, curved like a crescent moon.

"So I'm going to try something I haven't attempted until now. You could get caught up in it, so it's better for you to leave here and stay away for a while. That's my warning."

Della always felt uneasy when she saw her old friend.

Not simply because Paola was a public enemy.

No matter how much others pointed fingers, Della remembered Paola as someone who was kinder than anyone.

What she lacked was just a little bit of courage.

That was all that was missing.

Della hesitated, then opened her mouth.

"Isn't it time to stop now? It might be laughable for me to say this, but sometimes there comes a time when you have to give up."

Simultaneously, a murderous gaze flew and pierced her chest.

Paola, who had been laughing excitedly just moments before, was now glaring at Della with a terrifying expression, as if she had flipped her palm.

Even so, Della did not stop speaking.Even if it were already too late to turn back, watching a dear friend floundering in pain while seeking meaningless atonement is a torturous affair.

"Paola, there's no Magic that can bring the dead back to life. Not even the Witch of Creation could do it. Even if you utilize distortion, it would be the same."

"I don't need your honest advice. Shut your mouth if you don't want to die."

"I don't intend to fight. It's just... Haah... I'm sorry."

To Paola, who reacted as sharply as a blade, Della obediently apologized.

After all, she hadn't come here to quarrel with her.

When Della apologized, Paola no longer took issue with her remarks.

"Keep talking. Then what on earth are you trying to do?"

"That is..."

Paola's lips twitched.

Della, who was prepared not to be surprised by most things, slowly opened her mouth.

She looked at Paola with trembling eyes.

"If you do something like that... Duke Keter will move."

"That's fine too."

"It's not 'fine too.' If she moves, even you..."

Will die.

Della swallowed the rest of her words.

Paola must know it too.

Was she seeking a place to die?

Or was this the final struggle to put an end to over a century of painful atonement?

Della couldn't answer either.

"I won't stop you. But don't think I'll join you. I am, after all, a baroness of Gehenna for now."

"I'm just telling you to be careful not to get dragged in. Because we're friends."

The word 'friends' sinks heavily into her chest.

A brief thought.

Perhaps this might be the last image of Paola that Della would ever see.

Over the image of Paola, broken beyond repair, superimposed the memory of Paola from their days bickering together at Trinity Academy.

"Hoo..."

As Della tapped the ground with her heel, Relay Formulas spread out like vines along with the Hidden Boundary.

Paola watched the sight with vacant eyes.

As if she didn't know what Della was trying to do now.

Paola would know.

That Della couldn't use large-scale magic until the Relay Formula was fully spread.

But Paola considered Della a friend, and thus never imagined she would suddenly show hostility.

"So you're going to try it?"

-Grrrrr

-Creeeak... Creeeak...

Belatedly, space tore open behind Paola.

From within what seemed like at least a dozen pocket dimensions, the sounds of monstrous creatures straining to tear free and their clamoring could be heard.

It was a spectacle worthy of the name of a Witch who commands a thousand lives.

"If this is the end, then I'll at least finish it with my own hands."

What Paola intends to do is neither Magic Research nor anything of the sort.

It's merely a final desperate struggle to drag innocent humans along as companions in death.

If it were a sacrifice necessary for research, that would be one thing, but this is nothing but slaughter.

If she's going to be brutally killed by Duke Keter's hand anyway, then at least let me hold the funeral with these hands.

"........"

Having read Della's resolve, Paola looked both shocked and deeply somber.

"You still don't understand me, after all."

"It's because I understand that I'm doing this."

"I really don't want to hear it."

Paola bit her lip hard and turned around.

Simultaneously, the Homunculi she had tamed began crawling out one by one.

"Burn."

Della's hair fluttered as a red magic power reflection began dyeing the surroundings like lava.

Della was already in perfect condition.

Moreover, this narrow, confined space gave Della, who handles flames, a geographical advantage as well.

-Kyeeeeek!

-Kiiiiik!

Monsters resembling carrion beetles, octopuses, wild dogs, Siamese twins, and so on each tried to counter Della with various Magics, but it was futile.

A wave of crimson lotus flames exceeding tens of millions of degrees incinerated every enemy in its path into a handful of ash.

Having already perfectly activated her deployment formula, Della used large-scale magic repeatedly without even a hint of breathlessness.

In fact, she hadn't even expended a tenth of her magic power.

The flow of battle, the location of the battlefield, the compatibility between the two—everything was smiling upon Della.

Before long, the over dozen Homunculi had all burned or melted away.

Paola silently watched the sight without a trace of regret.

"Why are you only sending out these worthless chaff?"

Yet Della frowned.

From the start, there hadn't been a single one with over ten eyes.

No one knew better than Paola that no matter how enhanced they were, such low-level grunts couldn't hold Della back.

"I was waiting."

"For what?"

"For my toy soldiers to be completed."

Only then did Della realize.

The hearts she had just extracted and neatly placed on the altar were gone.

"You'll find it fun too."

Simultaneous with Paola's broken, seemingly despairing laugh, came the clanking sound of metal scraping against metal.

From within the twisted, opened space, armor-type Homunculi began walking out.

Excluding their entirely white bodies, the armors were exactly identical in appearance to the Enemy Knight.

Their number precisely matched the number of people Della had just used as offerings.

"The 'replication' of Homunculi was completed in my research not long ago. As you said, there's no need for chaff. If you keep just the single strongest one, you can offer sacrifices and replicate as many as you want."

Della didn't feel particularly threatened.

Replication?

What does that matter?

Whether she made 100 or 1000, she just had to burn them all.

"Burn."

With Della's indifferent gesture, flames surged once more, covering the armors.

If they think being made of metal means they can withstand it, they're mistaken.

There was no metal that Della's fire couldn't melt.

Or so she thought.

But even covered in fire like this, the White Knights didn't budge.

Holding large shields in one hand, they stood like well-trained soldiers, forming a wall that blocked the flames.

"What...?"

"The replicated children are much weaker than the original, but they still mimic the attributes of the Homunculus that served as the original. You know the Enemy Knight possesses the 'Guardian of Distortion' drawn from the Red Branch, right?"

As Paola said, Della's flames weren't even reaching the shields.

Like plasma trapped in a tokamak, they merely rippled in place, exhausting their magic power and vanishing.As Della's flames subsided, the White Knights pointed their spears at her in perfect unison.

"I'm sorry it's come to this, Della. I considered you a friend."

Paola turned her back, and the White Knights charged at Della all at once.