In the teleportation hall of Basement Level 6, the scent of alcohol and a biting chill still lingered, mingled with the warden's intermittent, slumberous breathing.
Antanas and Sinora both watched their wristbands intently, waiting for the signal that the new king had completed the maintenance duties for the current level.
Only when the black crystal screen on the wristbands glowed faintly—indicating that they had completed all contents of this Herrom Prison guard internship assessment and could now unlock the duty point exchange function for the final level—did they immediately check the list of contractable prisoners.
Soon, a mini-map on the screen sketched out the intricate layout of corridors in deep purple lines, while a flashing red dot marked their objective's location.
The new king had evidently already paid the duty points. As prison guards in the same squad, they only needed to reach the cell of Pranay of Truth to open its heavy door at any time and step inside, sparing them any further harm from this level's Inverted Path of Rebirth.
Antanas slid her finger lightly across the screen, zooming in on the map's details and staring at the red dot.
Sinora leaned in for a closer look, her pupils reflecting a crystal sheen. She gave a quick nod to Antanas, signaling that she was ready.
"Second Princess, we're off to rescue Pranay. Just rest well here and stay safe."
Antanas looked back at Hyperion to bid her a brief farewell.
"Uh, okay."
Sitting on a chair, Hyperion nodded with a biscuit in hand. She couldn't shake the feeling that while everyone else was busy scrambling, she was the only one who got to idle away as an overseer.
When by all rights, this seemed like it should have been her mission as a priest of the Church of the Goddess of Fate.
Just how had things ended up like this...?
Was this the kind of treatment a demon princess received?
"Let's go."
Having briefed Hyperion, Antanas and Sinora exchanged a glance with hardly a moment's hesitation and immediately dashed down the frost-covered corridor leading deeper into the prison of Basement Level 6.
The corridor air hung thick with damp chill as two silhouettes whipped up a whistling, freezing gust.
Antanas led the way, swift and decisive, while Sinora followed closely behind, scanning her surroundings and ready to counter any danger that might arise at any moment.
Before their eyes, illusions constantly shifted shape—at times morphing into a purgatory threatening to devour them, at other times transforming into soul-beguiling paradises.
Yet the attacks from these illusions were not impossible to ward off with high-tier magic.
From time to time, pale blue light blossomed from Antanas's fingertips, erecting a transparent barrier that enveloped both her and Sinora, turning aside each illusionary catastrophe.
At first, whenever the illusions struck the barrier, they produced faint tremors, vanishing instantly like water droplets splashing onto a calm lake.
As the visions within the Inverted Path of Rebirth rapidly grew stronger, the barrier gradually felt like it was weathering a violent tempest, beginning to buckle until Sinora stepped in with complex disruption spells.
Chanting low incantations, Sinora precisely dampened the magical damage wrought by the illusions.
Antanas and Sinora coordinated seamlessly amidst the illusions. The corridor echoed with their resolute footsteps and the clash of magic until finally, after navigating a sequence of corridors and multiple turns, they arrived at the target cell marked on the map.
The two great demons pushed the cell door open together and dashed inside.
"Awesome!"
Antanas raised a hand for a high-five; neither had sustained anything more than minor scratches on their cheeks.
Sinora hesitated briefly, then pursed her lips and lifted her hand to return Antanas's celebratory high-five.
Just an hour ago, they had been prisoners. Now, they were partners tearing through the prison as they pleased, filled with an inexplicable sense of exhilaration and freedom.
More importantly, the new king had already obtained permission for them to return to the ground level. As long as they rescued Pranay of Truth and cleared that final hurdle with Warden Bakas, they could leave Herrom Prison behind and begin a bright new life in the Protos Empire!
"By the way, where is the King?"
Sinora looked back at the transparent light screen left across the doorway behind them. Its perimeter still featured the detestable sealing mechanism designed to ensure a seamless fit between the heavy metal door and its frame.
She recalled that when they had arrived, the door had not been opened in advance.
"Probably still a bit away."
Antanas didn't find it strange.
Though the King was stronger than either of them, every move he made had always been defined by grace and elegance.
From the looks of it, unlike the two of them who had scrambled headlong into this cell like frightened mice, the new king had just completed maintenance duties somewhere on Basement Level 6 and was bound to be strolling over at an unhurried, elegant pace. He would probably arrive a step later.
"I see."
Sinora let it go after a moment's thought, and stepped across the threshold into the cell's interior alongside Antanas.
Within the true chamber inside this cell, it was as if another world entirely existed. Deep-gray walls thick with frost swallowed nearly all light and echo. The frosted vaulted ceiling loomed heavy under the sparse illumination, like a forgotten abyss where not even a wisp of breath could be detected—only an oppressive stillness and a fathomless cold.
The special cell of Pranay of Truth was braced by several colossal pillars of anti-magic steel, rising like temple columns. They were covered in intricate runes that flickered in and out of view beneath the dim lighting, shimmering with eerie blue motes. Every pulse of light gave Antanas and Sinora the illusion of invisible eyes peeping from the shadows.
Sinora's gaze swept quickly across the unnerving chamber, which made her heart palpitate and left her with no desire to linger, before finally locking onto the center barricaded and shielded by the anti-magic steel.
Through the gaps between the anti-magic steel pillars, a solitary stone platform stood erect, densely covered in curse seals. Black ice-crystal chains coiled like venomous serpents and scorpions, binding a member of the demon race tightly in place.
The slender figure was wrapped tight in a heavy straitjacket, held rigidly from head to limb within a sealing barrier. Even the face was covered by a frigid mask, leaving only a few narrow slits—like a diver suffocating in the deep sea, barely able to cling to life through scarce trickles of oxygen.
Despite being shrouded beneath layer upon layer of barriers, the prisoner Pranay of Truth's eyes glared coldly and profoundly through the mask's slits, reflecting the silhouettes of the two visitors.
Without a moment's hesitation, even bound by layers of barriers and chains, Pranay's magic power had already begun to make the anti-magic steel shudder in resonance.
From the ground beneath Antanas and Sinora's feet, black sparks suddenly surged upward, turning into the jaws of hell—scorching and ferocious, seeking to swallow Sinora and Antanas whole in a single snap.
"Pranay, don't start attacking the second we meet!"
Antanas swiftly deployed a defensive barrier before her, shielding both herself and Sinora in an attempt to block the searing black flames.
Chapter 442