Perhaps the Poet of Great Love's phantom was particularly cautious, with no immediate intention of showing herself to ambush Lanqi.
Or perhaps the starting distance between them was relatively far, and she had simply not caught up to him yet.
"As expected of an exact replica of the Poet of Great Love—she copied the cowardice of never coming out unless victory is guaranteed, too."
Lanqi's eyes scanned every cell door and every marking on the walls, searching for clues on how to proceed.
Earlier on, there had been a period when the Poet of Great Love was terrified of Talia, so whenever Talia was present, the Poet had resolutely refused to appear.
Following the direction indicated by the map was not too difficult. Once he reached the agreed-upon exit teleportation hall, he could rendezvous with the others; it was just that the process might take some time.
The surrounding labyrinthine corridors were at times cold and rigid, at others exuding a bizarre beauty—runes wound and wove across the walls, the hallways seemed endless, and every corner revealed an unfamiliar sight.
The layout of the entire floor shifted randomly at regular intervals, but one thing remained constant: the positions of the entrance teleportation hall and the exit teleportation hall.
After walking alone for a while, Lanqi's gaze was drawn to a light ahead, revealing bright, warm lamplight from within a room.
He headed toward it. The coordinates corresponded precisely to the B5 warden's office marked on the map. The deep blue magical glow was completely absent from the surrounding perimeter, identical to the safe zone of the teleportation hall.
Before regrouping with the team, locating the B5 warden and obtaining passage clearance was a task that had to be done anyway.
As it turned out, he was currently the most suitable person in the group to take care of it.
Lanqi stopped before the office and gave the closed door a light knock.
He wasn't sure if the warden was inside.
Yet the light within was on, so the warden was likely in the office, or at least had not gone far.
The sound of his knocking echoed softly inside and outside the quiet office, quickly dispersing in the stillness.
Several seconds passed without an answer.
"Enter."
Just as Lanqi hesitated over whether to leave, a cool female voice came from within.
About to turn away, Lanqi paused and grasped the doorknob.
Pushing the door open, he was met with an orderly, tidy office that felt warm and comfortable.
Lanqi's gaze quickly landed on the room's sole occupant: a female knight in light armor seated on a chair beside the desk.
The female knight held herself upright, exuding a dignified, elegant grace even while seated.
She appeared to have recently finished her morning duties, newly bandaged her wounds, and donned her armor. Scattered across the desk were several rolls of opened bandages and a half-empty bottle of potion.
Even so, faint streaks of red blood could be seen seeping through the white bandages on her body.
Evidently, no guard with healing duties had come to treat her yet.
The female knight looked up, her gaze carrying both fatigue and cold resolve.
Even after returning from a grueling battle against her own phantom, her eyes remained vigilant.
Her slightly impatient gaze fell upon the Poet of Great Love.
Before the newly arrived intern guard could speak, she cut in.
"Once you clear the phantoms, I will naturally give you your evaluation."
The warden knight's voice was aloof yet firm, answering before the question could even be asked.
Curt and concise, she looked away from the Poet of Great Love's face, as if having finished assessing an outsider.
"Thank you, Warden Melissa," the Poet of Great Love replied gently in gratitude.
He had spotted the nameplate carved with her name, "Melissa."
Though she seemed somewhat aloof, she was clearly a pragmatic warden with no intention of making things difficult for them. She was already the easiest person to talk to that they had encountered in Herrom Prison.
Just as the Poet of Great Love prepared to conclude the exchange and turn to leave, Warden Melissa spoke up abruptly.
"Wait."
The Poet of Great Love turned back, not understanding why Warden Melissa had stopped her.
Melissa remained silent for a moment before slowly raising her eyes to look directly at the Poet of Great Love once more.
"Where are your companions? Did you get separated from all of them upon arriving on this floor?"
Melissa's demeanor remained distant as she sat there, scrutinizing the Poet of Great Love.
"I'm heading to the exit teleportation hall to meet up with them," the Poet of Great Love replied.
"You have virtually no combat capability. Being on your own makes you easy prey. If the phantoms of other guards happen to run into you, they might attack you as well. I'll clear a path and escort you to the exit teleportation hall."
As she spoke, Warden Melissa stood up with visible fatigue and walked toward the office door.
"Is your body really alright?"
Lanqi could tell that the warden had just survived a desperate battle to the death; the flame of her life force was flickering precariously.
"It doesn't matter. I have already eliminated my own phantom on this floor. Dealing with the phantoms of others is more than manageable."
Warden Melissa reached the doorway, her voice devoid of emotion, and stepped out of the office.
"...Thank you for your trouble, then," Lanqi said.
Although the warden had apparently won, it was clearly a pyrrhic victory. Just moving slightly caused the bloodstains on her white bandages to darken; it was as if she had barely escaped with her life.
It was hard to imagine what kind of martial fanatic would fight a duel to the death against their own phantom on this floor every single day.
In the Great Demon Trial, the "Hopeless Battle of Annihilation," usually only the craziest and most formidable demon battle maniacs would choose to fight to the death here to temper themselves.
The condition for obtaining the Mark of Hopelessness was to push one's fighting spirit to the utmost peak, confront a Tier 8 phantom stronger than oneself, and defeat it relying entirely on one's own power.
Only by achieving transcendence at the absolute limit during battle and surpassing one's former self was it possible to wager everything and vanquish a pinnacle phantom vastly stronger than oneself.
The three Tier 7 wardens of Herrom's inner levels were all rare talents of the Protos Empire. Appointed to pivotal posts, they had also likely found the ideal crucible for their own cultivation.
The Poet of Great Love followed Warden Melissa out of the office.
Lanqi found the B5 warden to be surprisingly reliable.
Though cold on the surface, she was actually quite caring toward an intern guard.
Lanqi had originally prepared himself to continue acting as a therapist in Herrom Prison, but it seemed Warden Melissa was psychologically very sound. Unlike Warden Selena on B4, she had no need whatsoever to talk through her feelings with him.
Lanqi had always been one to answer every request, but when there was no demand, he wouldn't meddle unnecessarily.
Back on B4, after Hyperion woke up and didn't see the warden, she had been anxious for half the day, terrified that Lanqi had swindled the warden and caused the Goddess to deduct merit points from both of them.
This time, Hyperion could certainly put her heart at ease.
Chapter 418