The Labyrinth (Part 2)

Oliver stumbled alone through the dimly lit corridor. Just minutes ago, he had been screaming and running for his life, but now he couldn't run or scream anymore. This corridor was like a maze, and he couldn't see an exit. He began to think that having fallen into such a place, no amount of effort would let him escape.

"Hoo."

Oliver simply found a corner and sat down, looking around with a resigned expression. Hell? It was quite similar to what he had imagined. He, Anderson Oliver, barely in his early twenties, deserved such a fate. Had he really sinned too much in his life? If he had played with fewer girls, would he be in this predicament today?

"Ah, I really wish an angel would descend and save me from this fiery pit. I swear, I'll never chase women again in this life..."

Oliver silently made a vow in his heart, and in the next second, the wall he was leaning against collapsed. A tall, dark figure flew out backward, followed closely by a Silver Haired Beauty who looked like an angel.

"Did my prayer come true?"

Oliver rubbed his eyes, barely believing it. Then he realized it wasn't an angel at all, but his classmate Cecilia, whom he had been pestering relentlessly not long ago.

"Roar!"

A trembling roar emanated from beneath the tall Hell Guard's bone mask. With a swing of his double-bladed battle axe, glowing green ghost fire flared as it slashed towards Ling Ying. Several Shadow Thorns shot through the air, instantly pinning the battle axe in mid-air, rendering it immobile. Seizing the opportunity, Ling Ying stepped forward and plunged Doran's Blade into the Hell Guard's chest.

There was no scream, no extra struggle. The colossal body instantly dissolved, then transformed into a black mist that flowed into Ling Ying.

"Thanks for the meal."

Ling Ying smiled eerily, a faint black glow flashing in her eyes. Just as she had thought, shadows rarely counterattacked powers of the same origin. Perhaps for Shadow Creatures, there was no such thing as infighting. They were all pawns of a higher existence. And Ling Ying, a Void Creature who had mastered Shadow Power, was like a tiger entering a flock of sheep. After all, the void accepted all.

Ling Ying turned around and saw Oliver squatting in the corner, staring at her blankly.

"Wow! Classmate Cecilia! It's so good to see you..."

"Don't move!"

Ling Ying's sudden shout startled Oliver, almost making him retract his head into his neck. He immediately stood frozen in place, trembling, not daring to move. Ling Ying, sword in hand, slowly approached, her eyes alertly scanning her surroundings for any changes. However, there seemed to be no ambush this time. Ling Ying successfully approached Oliver, but she didn't lower her guard at all. The tip of her sword pointed at Oliver, and she said sternly.

"Read me the first paragraph of the first love letter you wrote to me."

"Huh?"

"Read it now! Or you die here!"

"Ahhh... I... I... Ah, no... it's you... Ah, Classmate Cecilia! You are like a ray of sunshine that dispels the gloom, illuminating my left atrium and warming my right atrium. You are also like a refreshing carbonated drink, making my every day bubble with happiness..."

"Enough, stop reading..."

Ling Ying waved her hand, suppressing the nausea that rose within her.

"I believe you now. Get up quickly. Don't be a grown man crying all the time."

"Classmate Cecilia, I... I... sob sob..."

Oliver, who had narrowly escaped death, looked like he could barely contain his excitement, his eyes welling up with tears in an instant. Recalling his previous appearance, it was truly indescribably comical.

"What are you crying about? Cry any more and I'll leave you here and not care."

"Ah... Don't... Don't! I won't... Ah!!"

Oliver's voice suddenly turned into a drawn-out scream. Ling Ying, however, didn't even turn her head. She thrust her long sword backward, and the shadow of a great axe instantly vanished above Ling Ying's head—another Hell Guard met the same fate as its companion, becoming Ling Ying's nourishment.

"Tch."

Ling Ying licked the corner of her mouth. Then she looked at Oliver in front of her.

"Hmm, you look more intact than I imagined. Did anything messy come looking for you?"

"Huh? No... No... After I was scared away by that... Three-Headed Dog, I just kept wandering around here. Nothing came chasing me."

As Oliver spoke, he swallowed hard. Clearly, the scene of Ling Ying devouring such a large creature just moments ago was too shocking.

"So, the main focus of the attack was concentrated on my side?"

Ling Ying's delicate eyebrows twitched slightly. If she were the Space Mage, even if not spreading the attacks evenly, she would at least strike both sides simultaneously. After all, space magic was a high-level magic, and mages capable of using it were all able to meticulously control their magical domains. If both of them were targets as he said, Oliver shouldn't be unharmed.

Ling Ying glanced at the wall she had just broken through. It remained in its damaged state. For a Space Mage, repairing such a small area should be a piece of cake. Or, from the very beginning, it could have prevented her from breaking that wall. But it didn't. Ling Ying not only easily destroyed the structure of this space, but the opponent didn't even have a way to repair it.

Ling Ying seemed to have suddenly thought of something. In the end, this so-called Space Mage had never attacked using this magical space itself from the beginning. Instead, it was Shadow Monsters, appearing from who knows where, that served as the main attackers. This was clearly abnormal. Unless... it actually had no way to control this space at all. Everything was just an Illusion to deceive her.

Illusion? Ling Ying suddenly understood. The Doran's Blade shifted, and she made a move as if to slash at the wall beside her. However, the blade stopped midway—Ling Ying quickly retracted her sword and then retreated into the black mist. Almost at the same time, a pair of giant Demon Claws descended from the ceiling, instantly crushing half of the corridor.

"Waaahhh!"

Oliver's scream came from the cracking ceiling. Ling Ying, however, had no intention of paying attention to his situation. Her gaze was fixed on a shadowy black figure standing on the giant claws. Perhaps "standing" wasn't the right word, as the entire lower half of that guy's body was completely fused with the giant claws.

"Couldn't wait, so you came out yourself?"

Ling Ying's tone was filled with sarcasm, while the black shadow on the giant claws was no longer as calm as before. It faced Ling Ying and said sternly.

"Why do you possess the power bestowed by the Master?!"

"Master?"

Ling Ying opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but the black shadow suddenly shook its head vigorously and ended the conversation with a monologue.

"Forget it! It doesn't matter, you are bound to die here today! You must die!"

The black shadow moved. The giant claw supporting it suddenly lifted and fiercely grabbed down towards Ling Ying. Ling Ying didn't dodge. Just as the giant claw was about to crush her, a black mist suddenly surged rapidly from beneath her feet and condensed into a tall Black Robe figure. With a swing of a scythe burning with dark purple flames, it easily blocked the giant claw, which was much larger than itself, preventing it from advancing even an inch.

"I have to say, your minions, although a bit weak, at least... gave me some inspiration."

As Ling Ying finished speaking, the Black Robe figure suddenly broke free from under the giant claw. Then, with agile movements unbefitting its body size, it transformed into a spinning whirlwind. The long scythe slashed continuously in the air, almost instantly severing three out of five of the giant claw's digits. The figure above the giant claw suddenly staggered as if losing its balance. Seizing this opportunity, the Black Robe person summoned by Ling Ying threw the long scythe in its hand. The sharp scythe blade cut straight across the opponent's neck, and a fine head flew into the sky. Along with wisps of black mist, it rolled down to a corner of the corridor where Ling Ying couldn't see.

"Very well."

The whisper came again, this time laced with a hint of gritted teeth.

"But you can't kill me..."

"Because this is your domain, isn't it?"

Ling Ying snatched the words, then wore a look of disdain.

"Don't fool yourself. Your Shadow Power might be genuine, but your so-called hell? It's just like the illusions you tried to use to numb us. It's nothing but an empty phantom. We never left the building, did we?"

"You!..."

The whisper was instantly rendered speechless, which only made Ling Ying more certain of her guess.

"How could you know! No, no..."

The whisper's voice grew somewhat hysterical, as if being exposed by Ling Ying's truth was unbearable. But then, it suddenly burst into maniacal laughter.

"So what if you saw through it? As long as this space continues to exist, you'll never be able to kill me. And if you can't kill me, you'll never get out of here!! Hahahahaha..."

"Not quite."

Ling Ying shook her head, then suddenly slammed her sword into the ground. A surge of roaring flames erupted, spreading rapidly in all directions, engulfing half the corridor in an instant.

"Illusions, no matter how clever, are still just illusions. They crumble before real flames."

"What do you want to do!?"

The whisper seemed to understand Ling Ying's intention, its tone carrying a hint of panic for the first time. Unlike it, Ling Ying calmly leaned on her sword, waiting, her vertical pupils reflecting the bright flames.

"Your shoddy illusion can't hold me. And I don't need your permission to leave. Come on, let's see. Can your illusionary realm swallow me?"

"No! Stop! You demon!"

The whisper was completely panicked now. Its incessant shrieking was ear-splitting. Ling Ying, however, remained unmoved, the scorching flames burning around her, raging. The vibrant purple tongues of fire licked every corner of this space. Several minutes later, the screaming abruptly stopped, and a gaunt figure fell from the air. Ling Ying decisively thrust her sword forward. The rapidly stabbing blade, accompanied by a piercing shriek that tore through the air, pierced the figure's chest.

"Sss..."

As Ling Ying's sword struck, the entire space trembled. Countless streaks of light pierced the dark corridor, making the whole space appear bizarre and distorted. The next moment, the entire illusionary space shattered into pieces. The real space it had concealed gradually reappeared in Ling Ying's sight. Just as Ling Ying had suspected, they had been walking in circles in the corridor of the Administration Building all along. It was all just an illusion.

Ling Ying turned her gaze to the figure impaled by her sword. It was a woman of exquisite beauty, truly a stunner. However, all her beauty was ruined by the terrifyingly ferocious expression on her face. And she was clearly, undeniably dead.

Ling Ying stared at the face for a moment, feeling a sense of familiarity. Oliver, however, crawled out from somewhere and looked at the girl, exclaiming in shock.

"Claire? No... how could it be..."

"Claire?"

Ling Ying frowned slightly, as if the name rang a faint bell. But before she could recall it, she shifted her attention back to the surging tide of flames she had unleashed, extinguishing it with a flick of her wrist.

"Looks like Caitlyn will have to handle this one," she muttered inwardly, gazing at the now molten corridor.

At the same time, atop the academy's Bell Tower, a slender figure in an academy uniform sat on the edge of the Clock, idly swinging her legs. Her waterfall-like black hair cascaded down her side, catching the last rays of the setting sun. She was, at least on the surface, a student of the academy. Currently, one of her Crimson eyes scanned the academy plaza below. Students, in small groups, were walking about after class. Suddenly, a flicker of fire from the distant Administration Building caught her attention. Her gaze shifted, and under her watch, the fire grew, quickly erupting into a raging inferno. This anomaly naturally drew the attention of those in the plaza, though most merely pointed from afar. Only a few Instructors and students, calling out to each other, rushed towards the building with fire extinguishers. Among them, three figures particularly caught her eye from her vantage point.

"Senior! Hurry! Cecilia is still trapped inside!" the Blonde Girl, running ahead, shouted breathlessly. Behind her, two boys followed closely, carrying strange equipment. They seemed intent on rushing into the inferno to rescue her. However, just as they approached, the flames and firelight abruptly extinguished. This bizarre turn of events clearly left everyone present bewildered. And the figure on the Bell Tower offered a knowing smile.

"Lost, as expected. Just a Wild Dog I found casually. Even with power granted, this is all they amount to," the girl said. She leaped from the edge of the Bell Tower, looked down at the dozen-story drop, leaned forward slightly, and spread her arms, plummeting towards the ground.

In an instant, the figure vanished mid-air. All that remained on the ground was a rose with jet-black petals. Unseen by anyone, the Black Rose dissolved and disappeared, just like the figure.

"Piltover is truly interesting," she mused.