As the final tendrils of black mist dissipated, calm once again returned to the corridors of Herrom Prison's fifth basement level.
The battle felt like a fleeting nightmare. Now, only the Poet of Great Love remained standing alone in the vast, secluded corridor, surrounded as before by mute stone walls and the faint glow of spell-mark lamps.
He silently took stock of his newly acquired imprint.
With three imprints now gathered, a subtle transformation seemed to have taken place within his soul.
It felt somewhat similar to the side effects humans experienced from the overuse of Demon Magic Script.
As for the Mark of Hopelessness, it was arguably the most powerful among the three great demon marks he had obtained so far.
For a pure mage, it would be practically useless, but for a mage fond of summons, the benefits were tremendous.
All four of his Epic summons—Poet of Great Love, Radiant Virtue, Wonderful Notes, and Nuclear Fusion Wolf—had received buffs from the Mark of Hopelessness. Although the boost was modest, the Mark of Hopelessness occupied only a single tier of soul space, making it an extraordinarily potent imprint.
Sure enough, the demon race made it exceedingly easy to tell strength from weakness; a single glance at an imprint was enough to see whether a great demon was truly useful.
In the future, there was one particular imprint he absolutely must never take.
With the Great Demon Trial drawn to a close, Lanqi turned his gaze toward Warden Melissa, who lay completely unconscious on the ground.
Earlier, while making small talk with the Phantom Poet of Great Love, he had used his wristband to contact Herrom Prison's emergency medical team, and figured they should be arriving soon.
Herrom Prison's base levels housed a specialized emergency response unit, where dedicated medics and healing-class practitioners could be dispatched to any floor. However, they were forbidden from venturing too deep into the hazardous zones. Once beyond the safety perimeter, prison authorities assumed no responsibility for rescues.
Where Lanqi and Warden Melissa currently stood happened to be the absolute deepest point the emergency medical team could reach.
"Good thing I stopped her here earlier. Otherwise, with the Poet of Great Love's physical strength, dragging her back would've been out of the question."
The Poet of Great Love sighed.
He did not have to wait long. From the corridor behind him, leading back toward the entrance teleportation hall, hurried footsteps finally echoed.
Turning around, he saw staff from Herrom's emergency response unit rushing over, laden with rescue equipment.
After nodding in greeting to the Poet of Great Love, the rescue medics quickly hurried to Warden Melissa's side. Moving with practiced efficiency, they rapidly assessed her condition and smoothly lifted her onto an ambulance gurney.
By their assessment, the warden's vital signs showed no immediate danger.
Her state, however, was peculiar—somewhat difficult to look upon directly.
Out of duty, the captain leading the medical team decided to question the black-haired, green-eyed young woman who had summoned them.
"Thank you very much for your timely call for aid. May I ask if you know what exactly happened to Warden Melissa?"
"I believe her workload on this fifth basement level was simply too heavy. She must have accumulated psychological stress with no one to confide in, and in the end, it proved too much to bear."
The Poet of Great Love replied with a gentle smile.
Naturally, he wouldn't divulge Warden Melissa's private affairs to others.
"Understood."
The medical captain cupped his chin and nodded.
By their reckoning, Warden Melissa indeed appeared to have suffered some form of psychological shock.
They had never realized that Miss Melissa, typically seen as an unattainable flower atop a snowy peak, bore such immense suffering—so much so that a disaster had nearly unfolded.
"Additionally, once she's recovered, please tell her that if she wishes to seek psychological counseling, she can visit the Redmond Building at the Protos Royal Magic Academy. Appointments are available on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, from two to five in the afternoon. As for whether she wishes to come, that is entirely up to her."
The Poet of Great Love pondered for a moment before addressing the medical captain.
"No problem. We'll be sure to pass along the message."
The medical captain responded. The team then prepared to depart, carefully pushing the gurney carrying the knightswoman down the corridor.
The Poet of Great Love stood silently in place until their figures disappeared around the corner.
Turning lightly, he resumed walking toward his objective: the exit teleportation hall. For now, this level of the prison was nothing more than a somewhat lengthy labyrinth.
...
Half an hour later.
In the center of Level B5's exit teleportation hall, four trainee guards stood waiting in silence, their gazes sweeping across the labyrinth outside from time to time as they waited for their final companion.
Because the portals on the fourth basement level had scattered them, they had all come to this prearranged location to rendezvous.
The first to arrive at the exit teleportation hall had been Antanas, the great demon transformed into a human. As a defense-specialized mage, the phantoms posed little threat to her, allowing her to evade them all the way to the exit hall.
Hyperion was even more adept at evading pursuit; the phantoms couldn't keep up with her in the slightest.
After they had waited in the exit hall for some time, the two Domination priests arrived as well.
The Poet of Great Love had the poorest physical stamina and foot speed of them all, and her starting position had apparently been quite far away.
"Are you worried about her?"
Leaning against a nearby wall, Antanas appeared relatively relaxed. Having regained her freedom, she was once again an unstoppable Tier 8 powerhouse.
She watched Hyperion's expression, her tone tinged with concern.
In her eyes, the bond between the two sisters was remarkably close; the moment they were separated, neither could think of anything else.
"A little, yes. But..."
Hyperion's words trailed off. Even as she spoke, her gaze continually swept through the maze corridors beyond the hall, searching for any glimpse of that black-haired, green-eyed figure.
Though the surrounding hall was dimly lit, their voices sounded distinct in the quiet.
Not long ago, she had spotted a new notice on her wristband: due to sudden illness or injury suffered by the Level B5 warden, the trainee guard evaluation for the current level had been adjusted. Trainee guards were permitted to proceed directly from the fifth basement level to the sixth without completing the rest of the current level's assessment.
The eerie sense of déjà vu made Hyperion terrified that Lanqi had crossed paths with the warden, gotten into a spat, clashed with her, and ultimately brought utter ruin upon her.
Hyperion didn't dare make wild assumptions, but fear gripped her heart nonetheless.
After an anxious wait, a black-haired, green-eyed silhouette finally emerged into view along the corridor outside the teleportation hall.
The Poet of Great Love stepped unhurriedly into the hall. Catching sight of Hyperion, her emerald eyes, tinged with fatigue, visibly brightened—as if she had finally found a navigation guide and would no longer have to struggle to find the way herself.
"Now we can view the prisoner registry for this floor."
He walked over to Hyperion's side and said with a smile.
The others had surely been waiting for him for quite a while.
From here, their ultimate objective on the fifth basement level of Herrom Prison was to locate the second great demon imprisoned here.
Chapter 425