The Blue Knight did not pause.
She flicked her rapier twice, shaking the remaining blood from the blade, then glanced toward the oncoming white fog.
"The Pipe Network Layer," she said.
Margaret sensed it too.
The pollution lurking beneath the white fog was pushing up from under their feet.
Something was pouring out from somewhere in the Pipe Network Layer. Its aura was thick and chaotic, far more dangerous than the ghouls they had just cleared out.
The Blue Knight had already changed direction.
She ignored the scattered ghouls still darting through the streets and headed straight for the nearest entrance to the Pipe Network Layer.
"Keep up," she tossed over her shoulder to Margaret.
The two hurried to the site of the pollution collapse, which now connected directly to the Pipe Network Layer below.
As they descended through the Collapse Pit, a stifling, dry odor rushed up at them, carrying the scent of scorching and burnt ash.
All the lights that had once illuminated the Pipe Network Layer had gone out. Only the remaining Bronze Patterns overhead gave off a faint glow.
The deeper they went, the denser the pollution became.
The Blue Knight moved quickly. The few threads of her cape that had just regrown swayed softly behind her.
A faint blue gleam flashed through her eyes as she stretched her senses to their limit.
After turning a corner, they saw people.
Several Night Watchers leaned against the tunnel walls. Most were crouching or kneeling. The nearest one clutched his head in both hands, his body trembling uncontrollably as he muttered something incoherent.
His eyes were wide open, and a layer of rotating patterns floated over his pupils, slowly twisting.
The Blue Knight recognized it at a glance. These people had been corroded by pollution.
They had not