"This tunnel sure is long," Juni commented, her voice betraying her boredom.
The magic of a hidden location was bound to fade after an entire hour. Even someone who is inclined toward exploration would get bored if they were forced to in a straight line for that long.
"Well, it's probably meant for vehicles," Simon said, his breathing having grown rougher once more. "Maybe we should've brought one with us instead of going in like this."
The tunnel was large enough to fit three semi-trucks side by side. The ceiling was arched and the only illumination available was the small red lamps placed at set intervals, adding to the eeriness of the underground structure.
"Well, that's too late now," Ingrid said. "Going back would be a pain."
Unlike the young gang leader and the reporter accompanying them, she seemed to be doing perfectly fine. Despite running the same distance as them, the alien girls didn't have a single drop of sweat on them.
"Can't you... can't you just teleport us to the end?" Sara asked. It was at moments like this that she got reminded of the terrible state her lungs were in thanks to all the smoking.
"And lead us straight into a trap? Forget about it."
Though she was equally as bored as her Valkyrie friend, Ingrid was doing her best to remain alert. Following their report, they got word from Nana informing them to remain vigilant. She said the Head General suspected that the kidnappers might be capable of a lot more than what they expect from a bunch of mundane humans.
"Let's... Let's take a break."
"It hadn't been ten minutes since we last stopped," Juni complained. "We won't get anywhere at this rate!"
"Sorry, but..." wheezing, Sara slowed down then came to a stop. "Not... not everyone... is an immortal alien... like you..."
Though she tried to persevere, the reporter found herself at the limit of her physical abilities. Regret started to creep in with everyone wondering if bringing the humans along was the right choice. It took a few minutes for Sara's breathing to settle down, though that didn't mean they could continue moving right away.
"Ah!" Juni gasped while checking her phone. "I think we lost reception. Does this mean we're getting close?"
"Maybe. I don't thi-"
A faint clack drew Ingrid's attention and she shifted her sight back to the path ahead. Her halo manifested the next instant and a translucent box formed around the four. Several projectiles collided with the barrier the next second, startling Sara and Simon.
"Juni."
"On it!"
Summoning her own halo, the Valkyrie conjured a blue baseball hat and bat. Resting the bat on her shoulder, she produced a fist-sized orb and tossed it in the air. The projectiles stopped at that moment and Ingrid dispelled her barrier. With nothing in the way, Juni grasped the handle of her bat and twisted her body.
"WATCH.IT.FLY!!!"
"No, I think he's on to something," Ingrid said. "Go on."
Simon glared at his fellow human then went on to explain what he thought.
"The people we're up against already know they have Valkyries coming after them so they should also know that normal weapons wouldn't work." Pausing, he glanced at the Valkyrie then returned his gaze to her Nephilim friend. "What if the point is to trick us into thinking they're using the same strategy when it's just a cover for what they're really planning?"
"Oooh!"
Juni was the only one impressed by the gangster's theory while Ingrid and Sara gave him disappointed looks. The drones seemed to run out of bullets just then, but when they retreated, new ones came to take their place, launching another salvo despite the first one not putting a dent in the Nephilim's translucent barrier.
"Well, he does wave a point," Ingrid said as she faced forward. "I can see it from here. They have some big cannon thing charging in the back."
Even with their special eyes, Freyja's Daughters couldn't see very far in such a dimly lit tunnel. Of course, things would be different if there was something glowing in the distance. The Nephilim could tell at first glance that the weapon aimed at them wasn't meant for humans, but that didn't really change what needed to be done.
"Alright, Juni. You can go handle them." Thinking for a moment, she then added. "Just put on something appropriate first."
The Valkyrie was a little confused by what her friend meant, looking down at her clothes and seeing no problem with them. Her eyes widened as if she figured something out and she summoned her halo again. A strange device appeared on the back of her left hand right after.
"HEN-" taking a strange pose, she raised the device and tapped it with her right hand. "SHIN!"
A bright light enveloped Juni's body and forced the others to avert their gazes. It faded after a couple of seconds and the Valkyrie emerged from it with a completely different appearance.
While making their way through the tunnel, Juni kept pestering her friend to teach her how she brought out the tail from her Super Robo without summoning the entire giant mechanical dinosaur. The Nephilim only gave her a hint but that was all she needed.
[Alright! How do I look!?]
Her hoodie and clothes were gone, replaced by blue and white armor. Most of it looked like a tight spandex with the more mechanical parts being concentrated around her arms, chest and legs. Her head was covered in a strangely designed helmet with a big black visor.
The three stared at her for a while, the two humans appearing quite confused.
"Is that... a Power Rangers costume?" Sara asked.
"Are you deaf?" Simon turned to her with a frown. "She said the word. She's clearly a Kamen Rider."
[I'm Super Juni!] The Valkyrie posed.
"Alright," Ingrid interjected, not bothering to ask what they were talking about. "Go take care of those things."
"Roger!"