Two figures walked along the corridors of the B5 labyrinth. Before long, the air rippled once more as the deep blue barrier magic across the floor was triggered. Somewhere, the Poet of Great Love's phantom had materialized again, yet looking as far as the eye could see toward the end of the corridor, there was still no trace of her.
The warden knight's steps were firm, every stride brimming with the confidence of the strong.
There might be Tier 5 or Tier 6 phantoms along the way, but she was not afraid in the slightest.
The Poet of Great Love trailed behind, following closely like a secretary.
Leaving behind the warden's office near the entrance teleportation hall, the deeper they ventured into the labyrinth, the more B5 revealed its bewildering complexity. Fortunately, Warden Melissa knew its ever-shifting layout like the back of her hand; with her leading the way, it was far faster than Lanqi navigating the map alone earlier.
As their footsteps advanced, figure after figure appeared around the corners from time to time—phantoms of the floor's patrolling guards. They bore nearly lifelike appearances, yet a faint translucence hung over their forms, allowing one to recognize their illusory nature at a single glance.
The female knight did not hesitate for a second upon spotting the phantoms.
She drew the longsword at her waist, its blade glinting with a chilly gleam under the lights.
Before the phantom guards could even launch an attack, she had already anticipated their every move. Her body shifted nimbly through space, every swing of her sword flawlessly precise; wherever the blade swept, phantoms dissolved like smoke.
Her movements were fluid yet forceful, each spin and sidestep filled with power and grace.
Under her blade, the phantom guards could not close in at all, crumbling one after another.
From behind, the Poet of Great Love watched it all, finding no room to intervene.
Not only were the female knight's combat skills superb, but her battle intent was fierce. Beneath her calm motions lay clear-cut decisiveness, as if every second she hungered to fight and grow stronger.
Originally, as long as one carefully steered clear of these phantoms, they would not actively attack.
Yet Warden Melissa had swept away all those that should have been left for intern guards like them to clean up.
With the phantom guards dispersing one by one, quiet returned to the corridor.
However, due to the violent exertion, the bandages on Warden Melissa were visibly dyed red a bit more, her arms trembled slightly, and her condition had clearly deteriorated another notch.
"Are you alright?"
The Poet of Great Love stepped forward and asked, watching the female knight's back.
This warden was no different from those insane battle maniacs of the demon race, pushing her life to the absolute limit every single second.
While walking this extreme martial path might be her personal choice as a warrior, Lanqi really did not want such a precious talent of the Protos Empire to perish prematurely.
At the sound of the voice, Warden Melissa seemed unable to hold up any longer, dropping to one knee as though her earlier wounds had flared up again.
"..."
Head lowered, she drew deep breaths for several full seconds.
"I'm fine. No need to worry."
She sheathed her sword and struggled to her feet. Turning her eyes sideways, her gaze remained as coldly resolute as ever.
She gestured for the Poet of Great Love to keep moving forward.
Looking slightly puzzled, the Poet of Great Love followed along anyway.
He figured that as a Tier 7 physical class, Warden Melissa should possess formidable self-healing abilities.
Someone like Sigrid could recover on her own from injuries of this caliber in no time.
Unless Warden Melissa's Constitution stat was exceptionally low and she carried no self-healing or restorative spells and gear—but why build a deck like that?
The two pressed on through the labyrinthine corridors. Whenever Melissa spotted phantoms, she exhibited an intense bloodlust. In stark contrast to her cool exterior, her fighting style was utterly reckless, disregarding her own safety and frequently opting to take a hit or two if it meant instantly bursting down her opponent.
Under such perilous combat tactics, more wounds accumulated across Warden Melissa's body. Her breathing grew ragged, and her steps faltered frequently, requiring her to lean against the wall for a brief rest.
No matter whether the Poet of Great Love asked if she needed a little more time to recover, she would refuse, dragging her battered body forward once again.
Before long, after the female knight finished off a powerful Tier 6 phantom ahead, she took several hits herself and swayed precariously, barely keeping upright by gritting her teeth with all her might.
"If we keep going, we won't be able to call the prison medical staff. How about leaving me here? Truly, thank you so much."
The Poet of Great Love glanced down at the map on her wristband and said to Warden Melissa.
The emergency medical personnel dispatched in Herrom had distance restrictions on their operations as well. Especially on B4 through B6, they prioritized their own safety, keeping their operating radius strictly limited.
Their current location was already quite a distance away from safe areas like the warden's office and the entrance teleportation hall.
Although Lanqi had placed his magic cards on the Poet of Great Love today and could use them through her body, his healing effects were truly negligible. Not only would they fail to alleviate the warden's injuries, but they might also torture her beyond endurance.
Lanqi had never seen such a living saint before; he genuinely did not want to get this warden killed.
In his entire life, he had never done anything to lose karmic merit, but if he got a good person like this killed, his merit would definitely take a heavy hit.
"No..."
Hearing the Poet of Great Love's voice, Warden Melissa collapsed right then and there.
She propped herself up on the floor, panting heavily for several breaths before barely stabilizing herself.
"..."
Just as the Poet of Great Love thought the warden truly could not hold on this time, she struggled to her feet once more as if immortal.
"Keep moving. I won't die."
Suppressing the tremor in her voice, the female knight took a step forward and said.
"?"
At first, the Poet of Great Love had been amazed by Warden Melissa's unyielding fighting spirit, but gradually, a hint of strangeness began to creep in.
He could not quite understand what kind of state this warden's vitality was in.
As long as it did not outright kill her, Warden Melissa seemed determined to torment herself to death's door.
It had gone somewhat beyond mere martial obsession.
Yet looking at her upright, aloof expression, she did not seem to harbor any bizarre kinks either.
Suddenly, a suspicion formed in the mind of the black-haired, green-eyed figure.
"Hey."
The Poet of Great Love suddenly called out toward Warden Melissa's back.
*Thud!*
With a heavy impact, Warden Melissa, clad in her armored skirt, stumbled, lost her balance, and collapsed to the floor, her body trembling so violently that she could not stand up.
"...Does this really count as 'fine' to you?"
The Poet of Great Love looked at Warden Melissa and asked softly.
"I'm... fi—"
Lying flat on the ground, Warden Melissa trembled even harder upon hearing the Poet's question. This time, no matter how hard she tried to rise, it was as if all strength had been drained from her body and she could not straighten up, yet she still stubbornly and resolutely insisted on finishing her sentence.
Chapter 419