NOVPUB
Chapter 113: 113. Floor four
In the evacuation chamber, a massive room far within the prison of Treachery, chaos ruled despite the order. Masked troops hastened, pulling crates and carts draped in white cloth towards a gigantic, glowing green portal that throbbed with mana, throwing eerie shadows.
Draven stood in front of it, his gray eyes shining with the portal’s light, his jaw tight with anger. His soldiers moved fast, pushing a cart full of experiment gear into the portal’s glow, heading to the cult’s fallback location.
Draven’s voice sliced through the noise, abrupt and irate. "Is everything transposed?"
A soldier hesitated, holding a trolley steady. "Yes, sir. All sensitive evidence, experiment results, and gear are done. But two operatives to extract a high-value subject have not come back."
Draven’s eyes tightened, annoyance sparking. "We’re closing the portal. Now." The soldier nodded, shoving the trolley into the green vortex.
Draven glanced at the chamber’s massive iron door, his voice a low mutter. "I’ll see you again, Ruler." His lips curled into a snarl. "Even if it’s over your corpse."
He stepped into the portal, and with a low hum, it collapsed behind him, leaving only silence.
On the fourth floor, prisoners clung to their cell bars, eyes wide with awe, hope, and fear. The narrow hallway was a mess, unlike anything they’d seen in this dark prison.
Erin Dranemount stood in the middle, like a grim reaper, leaving behind a trail of torn-up bodies—deep cuts, chopped-off arms, and heads scattered on the bloody stone. Cult soldiers yelled orders to catch her, their voices panicked, but none could stop her.
A group of soldiers rushed from both sides, swords raised. Erin moved like a flash, stabbing her green-tinted dagger deep into one soldier’s chest, killing him instantly. She held the body as a shield as another soldier, a mage, cast a Velsraun spell—a hot blast of dark mana.
The blast ripped through the corpse, leaving Erin unscratched. As the mage readied another spell, Erin pulled her dagger free and, with a burst of wind mana, threw it. The blade zoomed, hitting the mage’s face so hard that prisoners flinched at the speed and blood spray.
Another soldier sneaked behind her, swinging his sword. Erin yanked her second dagger from the dead soldier’s chest and stabbed it into the attacker’s heart, but she couldn’t pull it out in time. A third soldier swung a huge sword at her. Erin let go of the dagger and stepped back, dodging the blade by a hair.
The soldier swung again, but Erin was ready with the right time. She slammed her fist into his throat, making him stumble, gasping. With lightning mana in her palm, she hit his heart, the shock killing him instantly. His body dropped, dead. 𝔫𝔬𝖛𝖕𝔲𝖇.𝖈𝖔𝖒
The hallway went quiet, every soldier gone. Erin looked around for more enemies, sensing no one here. She stretched her arms, and her daggers flew back to her hands, disappearing as they’re her soul resonance.
Sighing as she ran her hand through her silver hair , she started walking. The prisoners, quiet until now, burst into desperate shouts, begging for freedom, hands reaching through the bars.
"Please, save us!"
"Let us out!"
Erin barely looked at them, her violet eyes cold. Her goal was to find Leonhardt, not to save everyone.
But a small, shaky voice broke through: "Please, miss, please save Lysa." Erin stopped, recognizing it. She turned, ran towards the cell where the voice came from.
Her eyes widened as she saw Vivien Caulem inside, her desperate eyes begging for someone else, tears streaming down her face. A slave collar choked her neck, and a boot mark bruised her chest. Erin had seen her once, months ago, but now she was in this awful prison. "Vivien?" Erin muttered in disbelief.
Vivien’s eyes brightened, hope cutting through her fear. "You... you know Lysa?" she whispered, voice breaking. "They took her... please, save her!"
On the other side, Leo stood at the entrance from the fifth floor, holding Lysa in his arms. Her weak body shook, clinging to him as cult soldiers ran through the hallway, yelling, "She’s in Block Two! Find her and kill her now!" None noticed Leo standing there, and his smirk turned to a frown.
At least Erin was causing trouble, like he planned, but he needed experience points to level up. Sighing, he gently set Lysa down against the wall. "Stay here, kid," he said, voice soft but strong.
He checked Elynn’s interface in his vision: [EXP Points: 9750/10000]. Just 250 points to level up.
Cracking his neck, he let out a loud whistle that echoed. "Hey! The Ruler’s escaped!" he shouted, voice mocking. Several soldiers turned, eyes wide, and rushed him, weapons up.
Leo’s smirk grew as he pulled two small hand axes from his item box, their black blades shining, light but deadly. "Let’s do this fast," he muttered, stepping into the hallway.
The first soldier swung a sword at Leo’s chest. Leo dodged, slashing an axe across the man’s arm, cutting it off. Blood sprayed, the soldier screaming as he stumbled. Leo spun, his second axe slicing through the man’s neck, stopping the noise. The head rolled, body falling.
Two soldiers attacked together, one with a big axe, the other stabbing a sword. Leo ducked the axe and blocked the sword with one axe, metal clanging. He slammed his second axe into the swordsman’s chest, breaking ribs. The man gasped, blood bubbling, and fell.
The axe-wielder yelled, swinging again, but Leo used Shadowstep, vanishing and appearing behind him. A quick slash across the man’s back dropped him, blood pooling as he twitched.
Another soldier swung a long sword at Leo’s head. Leo leaned back, the blade grazing his cheek, drawing a thin line of blood. He growled, pushing lightning mana into his axes. He threw one, the electric blade spinning, hitting the soldier’s throat. The man shook, sparks flying, and collapsed.
As Leo pulled his axe free, a flash of steel caught his eye—a knife, barely felt, flying at him. He twisted just in time, the blade cutting his shoulder, blood dripping.
His eyes locked on the source, it’s Sylo, standing at the hallway’s end, her eyes cold and deadly. "Time to die, Ruler," she muttered, voice full of hate.
Leo’s smirk came back, sharp and mocking. "You’re that guy’s chick, right? What’s his name—Draven?" He summoned the Blood Dragger, its red blade glowing. Sylo charged, a hidden knife sliding from her sleeve, its edge shining with mana.
She moved like a flash, fast and dangerous, aiming for Leo’s heart. He raised the Blood Dragger to block, their weapons about to hit.
Then a hand grabbed Sylo’s wrist mid-strike. Erin Dranemount stood there, violet eyes burning with anger. With a quick kick, she sent Sylo crashing into the wall, the stone cracking.
Erin turned to Leo, her face mixed with fury and relief. "Leo, you fuckin idiot!" she snapped, which Leo smirked.
