Chapter 127: Trap Floor (1)
They continued forward through the hallways, their footsteps echoing off the walls. The underground facility felt abandoned now, empty in ways that made the silence oppressive.
Roana’s eyes unfocused as she activated Grand Scan. The pulse spread outward, invisible waves of perception mapping the entire floor in an instant.
Her golden eyes slightly widened before she shook her head. "None of the guards or workers are on this floor."
Gran nodded, his hand rising to caress his chin thoughtfully. "All the workers and guards must have already gone upstairs to help deal with the beasts."
Marie blinked in surprise with her brow raised. "Did they really go to help? I thought Phineas would have told them to stay out of the way?"
Joseph nodded slowly. "Maybe the guards aren’t a part of the Sinners and were just normal guards hired by the Mekhko group."
"That would make sense." Reinhard agreed with a nod. "Regardless, let’s go. Anasha and Phineas are all the way down below."
They continued moving through the hallway, with them picking up their pace. After twenty seconds, the area opened up ahead with the same space they’d seen before, with multiple doors lining the walls and the staircase descending into unknown depths.
They ran down those stairs without hesitation.
Reinhard blinked as darkness swallowed them initially, with no gas lamp or lantern around. The only thing to hint they were going down was the sound of their boots hitting the ground and creating rhythmic echoes that bounced back from unseen walls.
Then gas lamps flickered to life along the walls, their flames igniting automatically as the group descended. Warm yellow light pushed back the darkness, revealing smooth walls and the stairs continuing downward.
They reached the second underground floor.
The corridor ahead stretched long and straight, lit by more gas lamps spaced at regular intervals. The floor was smooth cobblestone, and the walls reinforced with pillar supports.
Reinhard continued moving forward, taking three steps into the corridor.
A metallic grinding sound echoed from above.
"Move!" Gran shouted, his Vector Path showing him the attack trajectory before it started moving
An iron beam swung down from a hidden recess in the ceiling, aimed at head height. The massive metal bar was easily ten feet long and thick as a man’s torso, moving with devastating speed and force.
Reinhard’s Zenuken came up, the blade meeting the beam mid-swing. The impact rang like a bell, sending vibrations up his arms, but the beam was redirected, slamming into the wall instead of crushing skulls.
But it was just the first.
Instantly, six more beams swung down and spaced along the corridor at intervals calculated to catch anyone trying to dodge the first. Reinhard’s eyes slightly widened before a light shone up from behind him, and then he rushed next to him.
Marie’s Longinus swept up, catching the second beam and deflecting it upward. Scáth’s weapon shifted and instantly became a massive shield that she raised to block the third.
The impact bounced harmlessly off her shield while she stayed in place with a grin.
Joseph used Wind Drift, causing the breeze to flow through the air. And then air pressure built and redirected the fourth beam’s trajectory, sending it crashing into the ceiling.
This led to the area around to shake a bit and dust falling down.
Gran simply ducked under the fifth, his Vector Path showing him exactly where and when to move. Roana created a barrier of ice that caught the sixth beam and froze it in place mid-swing.
Niki grabbed the frozen beam and snapped it in half, leading to metal fragments scattered to the ground.
"Let’s keep going!" Reinhard shouted as he rushed forward.
They continued forward, but the corridor wasn’t finished.
The floor beneath their feet erupted.
Miniature explosions detonated in sequence, each one timed to catch them mid-stride. Fire and concussive force blasted upward through hidden charges embedded in the concrete.
Reinhard activated Drasil Step, giving them time to slow down before he quickly grabbed the others and hurled them ahead. Once everyone was out of the explosion’s way, he continued moving forward, and time returned to normal.
The area behind him shakes and trembles with the others quickly stabilizing themself, and they continue moving.
Then another explosion burst out from the side, leading Joseph’s Wind Drift to create cushions of compressed air that directed it down.
Scáth’s weapons became twin daggers, and she used them to stab into the walls, swinging herself above the explosions like they were entertainment rather than death traps.
Smoke filled the corridor, making vision difficult, but they still continued ahead without stopping.
Then dozens of metal spikes rained down from the ceiling, each two feet long. Reinhhard glanced up to see the metals spiking, rushing down in waves, covering the entire corridor width.
His sword became a blur, deflecting spikes with precise strikes that sent them clattering harmlessly to the sides.
Marie’s spear swept in wide arcs that swept through the spikes while Scáth’s weapon shifted to a massive shield again, and she held it up. Spikes struck the shield’s surface with sharp pinging sounds, bouncing off.
Joseph created a dome of compressed air above the group, with wind pressure strong enough to deflect the lighter spikes before they could fall. Gran positioned himself to catch any that got through, his fists striking with enough force to shatter metal.
Then more spikes shot horizontally from the walls, launching from hidden ports. They came from both sides simultaneously, aiming to impale anyone caught between.
Roana created thick walls of ice on both sides, halting them from being halted. Nikki blasted out with a fist that led to flames rushing out and smashing through the metal pikes.
The corridor opened into a wider section, which was perhaps twenty feet across, giving them more room to maneuver.
But then arrows were fired from the walls.
Hundreds of them, launching from concealed mechanisms built into the stone. Iron-tipped bolts flew with crossbow velocity, their trajectories calculated to create overlapping fields of fire that left no safe space.
Roana frowned before she quickly waved her hands.
Ice erupted from the floor, forming a curved wall that protected their front and sides. Arrows struck the ice, some punching through but losing enough momentum to be non-lethal, while others embedded halfway, creating a pincushion effect.
But arrows came from behind too, launched from mechanisms they’d already passed.
Joseph gripped Arondight before sweeping in wide circles that deflected arrows mid-flight. He also utilized Wind Drift to create a drift that had them crashing into the side or into the ground.
Gran’s fists blasted out repeatedly and broke arrows that got too close. His Vector Path showed him exactly where each projectile would be, allowing perfect interception.
The arrow barrage stopped as suddenly as it started, with mechanisms clicking empty, their ammunition exhausted.