An actual blockade stops the team from their tracks. There's no choice but to run.
April 27, 2023, 6:21 am, Subway Between Daegu Bank Station and Beomeo Station, Daegu, South Korea.
Zeke, Jihyo, and the rest of the team assessed the part of the Daegu Metro Line 2 where they fell---and realized they were right smack into Erythos' territory.
The train tunnel was full of faintly glowing stalactites of all lengths and sizes, and it seems like the clusters of these icy pinpricks are more frequent due east of their location---signifying that Erythos may be in that direction.
And its not like they have any choice, anyway--- the path on the opposite side of the subway was completely blocked by concrete, steel, and huge chunks of asphalt.
"The truck is useless now. We have no choice but to abandon it and press forward." Hangyeol said.
"Ugh... All that fortification for that truck, wasted because we fell in some sort of sinkhole." Hangyeol said as he rubs his temples.
"I'm actually worried. How about the biomagnetic traps? Will we get pulled towards one if we enter it's range even underneath it?" Zeke asked.
"I doubt it. We are several feet under the avenue, and the iron around this subway should absorb the magnetic field emitted by those traps. We'll be fine."
"That's honestly good to know, because it looks like we are going to take this path. Let's get our goods and get on with it." Jihyo said as the team grabs whatever supplies they can from the dangling truck on the side of the collapsed avenue.
Meanwhile, among the buried rocks and rubble, Zeke sees the corpse of the Koul'in captain, and next to it, his huge bluish spear. He picks it up and observes it carefully.
The bluish, silver spear was nearly as tall as him. It glimmered in icy power, and alot of the insignias on it seemingly glow as well. The spear had a multi-bladed tip and a segmented body that almost resemble cylindrical, blue legos stacked on top of each other.
Zeke then walks Vanta, sitting on the edge of the a few debris on the side of the subway, bandages wrapping around his left arm, left shoulder, right leg, and, left rib--- parts of his body that were injured the most due to his clash with multiple Koul'ins.
"Hey. You good?" Zeke asked.
Vanta nods quietly.
Zeke suddenly hands the huge blue spear to Vanta, much to his surprise.
"I believe this is now yours. It does all sorts of things we probably wouldn't figure out, so..."
"I... I can't take this." Vanta said. "Only the ones who passed the Verum Gelida Trial can wield this high-class spear..."
"The what now?" Zeke asked.
"The Verum Gelida Trial is a deadly test of strength, like a championship. Those who pass and be worthy can wield this high ranking spear, and those who can't are sent back to the lowest rank---"
"Okay okay, I dont really give a rat's ass to whatever that is. I only have one question. Do you know how to use this?" Zeke asked.
"...Yes. I think I know how. I've seen it work." Vanta replied.
"Then it's enough. Just take it." Zeke said as he hands the spear to Vanta. "At this point you should care less about those stupid trials and shit like that. Those don't exist in our way of life. If you want to live in this world, take note of that. We aren't like you."
"Ah..." Vanta just sat there, speechless.
He soon slowly takes the huge, bluish spear as it radiated in misty, icy power.
"Oh. And by the way," Zeke suddenly added. "I didn't say that as a friend, but as a teammate. We aren't there yet."
"...I understand." Vanta replied.
Zeke then turns to the settlement team.
"Is everybody ready?"
Everyone nods, and proceeds into the dark underground subway with caution.
Zeke and Jihyo used their Manifests to illuminate the dark subway ahead. Jihyo positioned herself behind the team while Zeke went up front so that their Manifest's lights could light up more area around them.
The train tracks were suprisingly intact, but the whole area around the subway wasn't fairing as much. Chunks of steel beams and electronics were buried under frozen ice, snapped wires of different sizes dangle amongst the stalactites on the ceiling, and the pillars that acted as the foundation of the tunnel barely held the whole thing altogether.
Soon, they see an opening at the end of the tunnel: a wide, spacious area with broken safety doors ans an elevated platform on it. It must be the train station.
"Look. Over there. That seems to be Beomeo Station just up ahead." Hyungwon said as they continued.
They arrive at the Beomeo Station not long after, and one by one, they climbed onto the platform, get past the broken-in safety doors and assessed their surroundings.
There was nothing but snow and ice all over the once lovely train station. The tiles on the ground were either chipped off or broken. The lights were still surprisingly open, flickering on and off as if it was blinking in disbelief that the station was now just a shadow of its former self.
Several exits of the station were barely recognizable as they were blocked by huge amounts of ice and snow. Parts and scraps of what seemed to be cryostine bombs were half-buried all over, signifying that these frozen explosive cubes somehow landed and detonated somewhere inside the station.
There was nothing of utmost importance in this place. No clues about the Koul'in, no leads regarding Erythos. Just an empty, desolate train station that evokes some really sad feelings.
"This apocalypse feels surreal still, even after many months..." Hangyeol muttered. "To think this was once a place that was beaming with so much life, just mere months ago. Stores, people, and memories that you can see and feel everywhere in this station... Now it's just cold... and dead..."
The settlement team was just silent as they try to absorb the sight around them.
Vanta looks at the team trying to grapple on the reality of the situation once more. He feels empathic towards their suffering, and he wanted to give them some sort of verbal comfort.
But he restrained himself, and kept himself quiet, for he doesn't have the right to talk comforting words for them. He was part of the reason why this was happening, after all.
"...There isn't any use wallowing over what's lost." Hyungwon grunted. "If theres nothing here that's important to our objective... then we must press further on to the next station."
The team nods, and after a while, they were back on the train tracks.
It was only a few minutes of walking when they suddenly hear an echoing voice.
"It's a miracle you landed onto this place. I've placed hundreds of biomagnetic traps and assigned a lot of soldiers above ground to deter potential intruders. Yet, somehow, you managed to get in here. A miracle indeed..." The voice echoed from the distance.
The team looks around them for any enemy that might appear. Sana clings to Jihyo as the leader of TWICE places herself on guard.
"Erythos..." Jihyo muttered.
"Oh, you know me? Hmm... That means you're probably on the hunt to find me. But to spare you the trouble, I'm going to go ahead and say that I am not near you, nor do I have any intention of getting close to your location. I'm perfectly fine where I am right now---miles and miles away where you could never hope to reach me."
"We will get to you. Just wait for it." Zeke hissed.
"You can try," Erythos said. "But I'm just going to stop you right here and now."
The whole tunnel suddenly glows in a bluish hue, and it quivers. They then hear a defeaning, hellish roar that leaves the settlement team flinching.