Chapter 264: Go meet your creepy childhood shrine lady.

"We have Aevrienne herself helping us.

How can we even lose?

I don’t think anyone is this deep into the maze right now."

"Will you stop raising flags? As a novel reader, you should know better."

Naomi spoke with a flat look on her face.

"Meh, let them come."

Lucian laughed, and the very next instant, Naomi’s expression changed.

"Lucian, I am saying this right now, if we encounter anyone else, we surrender."

She spoke with a very serious look on her face, making it very clear that she would not back down.

But—

"No."

Lucian shook his head almost immediately.

"Lucian."

Naomi frowned.

"No."

Lucian shook his head again.

"You can barely move."

She countered, then she looked right into Lucian’s eyes and—

"If someone like Varek appears again, we’re surrendering."

She spoke with a very, very serious look on her face, and Lucian—

"Varek is gone."

He spoke directly, the smile on his face beginning to fade away.

"You need to understand, there aren’t many people in here who can push me as far as Varek did. He was one of the strongest candidates."

"What about Rhydan?"

Naomi spoke directly.

"Rhydan is a warrior. He won’t attack us when we are in this condition. It goes against his honour."

"If Aevrienne’s contract depends on it—"

"He won’t do it."

Lucian shook his head.

"I know."

He was very confident.

The Wolf would rather die than betray his honour.

Lucian was absolutely certain that if Rhydan found him floating through the maze in the condition he was in, he would be more likely to offer to protect him than attack him.

"And Silvian?"

Naomi asked.

And Lucian’s face changed.

He honestly wasn’t sure about the Vampire.

The Vampire was desperate enough to offer one favour just so he could avoid a battle. He might have done it to deal with Varek, but it was also clear that he wanted that Contract more desperately than most candidates did.

If it was him...

He might attack us.

"We will decide what we do if we do encounter him."

Lucian spoke.

In his mind, he was already planning to push himself and fight Silvian and the other Vampires while forcing Naomi to run.

He would use his True Form again if it came to it.

He was in no state to use it. His body might be ruined even more than it already was, but if that’s what was needed...

He would do it.

Though...

It was better not to say anything to Naomi, not when nothing had even happened yet.

"No, I need a clear an—"

"Naomi."

Lucian stared at her.

"We are much farther in than most people. It is highly unlikely we will encounter anyone, let alone the only person in the Trial who might be a threat to us."

"There are still many people here, Lucian."

Naomi did not back down, but Lucian—

"There are not."

He shook his head again.

"Other than Silvian and Rhydan, I can deal with the rest of the candidates just using energy alone. Don’t forget, most of my fight with Rhydan was me floating in the air."

Naomi turned silent.

Lucian knew it was working, so he pushed even more.

"I can still fight."

He spoke in a convincing tone.

And he wasn’t just saying it for the sake of it. He genuinely believed it. His body might be ruined, his mind might be slower than normal, exhausted even.

But he could still fight.

And win against most candidates here.

"What about Commander Alaric?"

Naomi asked another question. Lucian blinked at that.

"What about him?"

"What if his group finds us?"

Lucian looked confused by the question.

"Aren’t they Enclave Hunters?"

She asked.

"So?"

"I thought he was your superior."

"Not here."

The reply came almost instantly.

"You don’t need to worry about him."

Lucian shook his head.

Alaric and his team were no longer a threat.

And this wasn’t Lucian being arrogant. Alaric was strong, of course. Lucian respected his strength and the way he fought, but...

After fighting someone like Rhydan, then Varek, someone like Alaric could barely be considered a threat.

If they attacked, he would eliminate them.

And it would all happen so fast that most of them wouldn’t know what hit them.

"To dismiss your superior like that, you are a bad employee."

"Meh, I’ll make up for it."

Lucian smiled.

"You are being unreasonable."

"It’s called being confident."

"Arrogant."

"Experienced."

"Delusional."

"Handsome."

"That has nothing to do with anything."

Naomi spoke with a flat look on her face. Lucian did not care.

"I was just stating a fact."

Naomi rolled her eyes.

The two continued moving through corridor after corridor. For the next fifteen minutes, everything was smooth, but then suddenly—

Lucian frowned.

Naomi noticed that.

"What?"

She asked.

Lucian didn’t answer. His attention was on the energy around him, or more accurately, the flow of energy.

The flow was... slowing down.

"Evelyn is tired."

Lucian spoke with a solemn look on his face.

"What?"

Naomi’s expression changed.

"The Energy is being affected."

"How long do you think we have?"

Naomi asked.

"She is pushing herself. I do not know how long she will hold on. We need to hurry."

He spoke, then, without waiting, he increased their speed.

"Keep telling me where to go."

He commanded.

"Y-Yes!"

Naomi nodded.

At this point, she didn’t need to stop and understand her instincts. She could know the correct path with just a single glance, and it was working.

The two continued moving. Lucian accelerated even more.

A few minutes later, the Energy Flow weakened even further.

"There!"

Naomi pointed ahead.

They moved.

And about five minutes later, the weakened energy Lucian was receiving completely stopped.

Evelyn reached her limit.

Lucian’s face was not pleasant. He was more worried about Evelyn’s state.

He was hoping Evelyn had stopped willingly, but... something inside him told him that wasn’t the case.

For now, however, Lucian erased those thoughts and started using his own reserves. To reduce the amount of energy they were using, he removed the barriers. Naomi too started walking. Lucian only moved himself using Telekinesis, and they continued moving.

They passed through corridor after corridor until...

Lucian’s own energy started running out as well. His regeneration stopped. In the end, he saved the last bits of energy he needed to not lose his mind and become a mindless demon, and—

He dropped to the floor.

"Lucian! I can feel it! It’s just around that corner! We are here!"

Naomi screamed, stopping when she saw him drop.

"Go."

Lucian ordered, looking at her with exhausted eyes and a bleeding body that was no longer healing.

"What?"

Naomi froze.

"Lucian! Are you okay!?"

Her heartbeat increased.

"Go!"

"B-But—"

"Naomi, I only need a moment. I’ll follow you. But you need to go right now. Go meet your creepy childhood shrine lady."

"I will wait."

"GO!"

Lucian screamed.

Naomi flinched.

She remembered everything Lucian had done for all this to be possible, and in the end—

"A-Alright."

She nodded.

"Good."

Naomi stood up. She looked at him, then towards the end of the maze, and then she started moving.

Lucian watched her walk, and he smiled.

But just then—

A bright silver light appeared.

A light that started moving towards them, as if it were aiming for Naomi.

Or at least that’s what Lucian thought, but then—

The silver light moved past Naomi and—

It swallowed him.