Chapter 234: Umbra core gate

A dagger suddenly shot toward Shaan and pierced his shoulder. Shaan groaned in pain. He ran as fast as he could, hiding among the rows of shelves.

"Argghh, damn it!"

He gritted his teeth as he looked at the dagger still lodged in his shoulder. His hand snapped the dagger shaft off, and he slowly leaned his body against a shelf.

’I need to find a way to distract him so I can strike back.’ Shaaan let out a long sigh, resting his body against the shelf. ’But... how?’

As Shaan wrestled with his thoughts, he heard the man’s footsteps again. Shaan fell silent instantly. He shut his mouth tight, then slowly peeked out from behind the shelf to see where the man was.

"I know you’re still hiding somewhere around here," the man called out, his voice echoing through the room. "Come out, coward!"

"..."

"So, you really intend to hide from me." The man’s mocking laughter rang through the room. "Fine. I’ll come find you myself. And when I do, I’ll kill you!"

Shaan’s heart rate raced. Cold sweat trickled down his face as he watched the man draw closer with every step. This was bad—He needed to act before the man discovered his hiding place.

’Come on, Shaan.’ He gently tapped his forehead. ’There has to be a way I can—’

Shaan’s eyes suddenly fell on a brown glass bottle lying a short distance away. An idea crossed his mind. He was pretty sure he could use it to distract the man so he could attack him. Without hesitation, Shaan reached for the bottle and rolled it toward the man.

’Thud’

The man’s footsteps stopped. He slowly bent down and picked up the bottle. "What is this?"

’Perfect. This is my chance.’

While the man examined the glass bottle, Shaan slowly crept up behind him. Step by step, he moved like a thief until the distance between them started to close. The man still hadn’t noticed him. Yet everything was still going according to plan.

’Now, it’s time to take down this damn guy.’

With all the strength he had left, Shaan raised his hand and launched an attack at the man. But the man suddenly spun around and blocked the strike just before it could reach him.

’Cling!’

"W-wait, but how is that possible?"

"Fool. Did you really think I hadn’t noticed you this whole time?" The man laughed and raised the bottle. Shaan’s reflection stared back at him from the glass. "I could see you perfectly well."

’Damn it. I never considered that.’

The man’s smile widened. "Now it’s my turn."

The man immediately landed a hard punch on Shaan, sending him flying. His body crashed into one of the shelves, and in an instant, all the shelves started falling one after another like dominoes.

"U-ugh..."

"There’s no point in fighting back. It won’t do you any good." The man approached Shaan, his footsteps steady and unhurried. "You’ll never escape from here."

’No... There has to be another way out.’ Shaan gritted his teeth. ’But how can I—’

"Crack!"

’That sound...’ Shaan fell silent. ’Don’t tell me it’s coming from...’

Shaan glanced down slowly, and his guess was right—the sound was coming from a crack in the floor right beneath his feet. At first, the crack was barely visible, but gradually it began to widen, quickly shattering the floor’s surface.

’This is it.’ Shaan caught sight of the man approaching again. ’I just need him to come a little closer.’

"Oh... looks like you’ve finally given up." The man smiled as he watched Shaan stand motionless. "Good. This is easier than I expected."

’Just a little more...’ Shaan kept his eyes on the man’s every movement. ’Come on... Just a few more steps.’

"Well then, it’s time for you to die!"

The man lunged at Shaan, completely unaware that the cracks beneath his feet had spread even farther. Shaan saw his opening. He quickly rolled to the side, narrowly avoiding the incoming strike.

"Argh!" The man stumbled forward, his face twisting with frustration. "Damn it! I’m not letting you get away with—"

’CRASH!’

In an instant, the floor beneath the man’s feet shattered, sending him tumbling down, disappearing in the blink of an eye. Shaan stared at the hole for a moment before letting the breath he’d been holding out finally escape. To be honest, he had absolutely no idea what he would have done if that plan hadn’t worked.

"I need to get out of here. Theo needs my help."

***

Shaan’s footsteps broke the silence as he slowly descended the staircase ahead. Only a few steps remained before he reached the bottom, yet Theo was nowhere in sight.

"I just hope he’s okay." Shaan shone his oil lamp ahead. "Hang in there, I’ll be with you soon."

When he reached the bottom, Shaan stopped. Something felt strange. For some reason, he could feel a gust of wind brush against his body. He slowly raised the lamp and saw a long stone passageway right in front of him.

’Where could this passage lead—’

"Finally... I’ve managed to obtain all the keys."

’W-Wait... that voice... Shaan froze. He recognized the Resistance leader’s voice echoing from the end of the hallway. ’Damn. I really need to stop him right away.’

Shaan immediately ran down the stone hallway as fast as he could until he finally reached an underground hall. The chamber looked almost identical in size to the one above, yet this place felt strangely empty. Only a portal stood at the center, surrounded by several pillars and massive chunks of stone.

’Oh my god... so this is...’ Shaan came to a halt as he stared at the portal before him. "This... this is the Umbra Core Gate."

He rubbed his eyes, his expression growing tense as he took in the sight. At first glance, the structure resembled the simulation portal he had used before.

This one, however, dwarfed anything he had seen above. Thick cables ran from the top of the portal and connected directly to a large monitor nearby.

’There he is.’ Shaan spotted the Resistance leader walking approaching the monitor. "But why haven’t I..."

He suddenly stopped. A flash of lightning flickered behind a cluster of rocks nearby.

’That has to be Theo.’

"I need to find him before he does something reckless."