Chapter 573: Advancing Through the Pitch-Black Underground

Advancing Through the Pitch-Black Underground

* * *

GOOOO, GOOOO, GOOOO…

A torrent of black water rushes through the lightless sewer.

Although most of this sewer is just a tunnel for water to flow through, there are some sections with walkways alongside it.

Maintenance passages, built during the imperial era.

And onto the stone pavement of such a passage, beside the sewer—

—From the water—Whoosh—

A jet-black tentacle, with sharp, claw-like things, shot out and pierced it.

And then, the claw-tentacle firmly gripped the stone pavement, becoming a support, and pulled the “main body” out of the water.

“Cough… Cough, cough…!”

…The “main body”, with tentacles, after coughing for a bit… stood up normally on two legs, despite having been tossed around in the rapids for more than ten minutes without taking a single breath.

Yes, the true identity of that “main body”… is Emi.

Although she was hit by Steel Index’s all-out attack and washed into the sewer, there’s no visible damage on her body.

Her sunglasses are gone, and the clothes she was wearing are tattered from repeatedly hitting the stone walls… but her sturdy body itself is completely unscathed.

“…………”

Emi, after standing up, first started tearing off her clothes.

They’re completely soaked, and tattered anyway.

What appeared from beneath those clothes wasn’t her pure white, naked body… but an outfit, like a diving suit, created by thinly transforming her jet-black 【Black Arms】 and wrapping them around her entire body.

Based on a terrifyingly jet-black color, accented by an occasional rusty red… it’s an incredibly eerie outfit, regardless of its form.

It completely covers Emi’s shapely body, who was gradually becoming a woman, creating a fashion that would make anyone look away.

Now, putting aside Emi’s outfit.

“…………”

Emi, ready to move, first stared into the darkness, trying to grasp the current situation.

But she immediately realized that it was futile.

Although she has excellent night vision, this is a sewer, completely devoid of light.

Since there’s no light, she can’t see anything.

“…………”

So Emi started extending “colorless threads”, created from mana, from her whole body.

It’s her mana-based surrounding perception ability… 【Mana Sensing Threads】.

The colorless threads… her vast mana, slowly filled the sewer.

Meanwhile, Emi—

Was trying to organize the situation with the resident in her head.

* * *

Hey!

Seriously, where are we!?

That’s not what’s important right now, Extra-sama!

I wonder if Akashiterika is okay…!

Ahh, this is so frustrating!

I should have just torn that terrorist to pieces and killed him!

This is so annoying, annoying, ANNOYING!

…………

How can you say that!?

…………n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

…Soothed by Extra-sama’s gentle voice, I somehow managed to suppress my irritation, killing intent, and destructive impulses… and continued to deploy my 【Mana Sensing Threads】.

“…………”

As a result, I found that one end of the passage I’m currently standing in is a dead end, so I started walking in the opposite direction.

Along the way, the passage turned at a right angle, becoming a tunnel separate from the sewer.

Listening to the fading sound of the rushing water—GOOOO, GOOOO—I continued walking, relying on my mana perception.

And I walked, and walked…

And after walking for a while.

“…………?”

My 【Mana Sensing Threads】… sensed a presence approaching me.

It’s walking beyond the corner, a little further ahead.

Its size, is that of a human.

And apparently, it’s carrying a portable magic lamp, or some kind of light magic… because the area around the corner is gradually getting brighter.

“WHO’S THERE!?”

I shouted.

Startled, it stopped, and after standing there for a while… it started running towards the corner.

And then, from around the corner—

Peek—a face appeared…

“I-I-I’m g-glad I found you! You were here, Emi-chan!”

A chubby man, with a big smile… holding a flashlight-like magic lamp in his left hand, his right hand in his pocket…

It’s Detective Munodes.