Chapter 143 -: 142 Julius dying?
Crypian and Alia didn’t even wait to see what happened.
The second they finished shouting "lightbreak!" they spun around and sprinted straight for the big stone door like their butts were on fire.
They didn’t look back once. Not even a quick peek.
"Do you think they got hurt?" Alia asked, breathing hard.
Her voice shook with worry. She kept staring straight ahead, too scared to turn around.
"If the spell didn’t work... we’re dead meat!"
"Just run!" Crypian snapped. His face looked desperate now.
Sweat poured down his forehead.
He knew the truth.
If the spell failed, those two masked monsters would turn them into red paste in half a second.
No time to check. No time to be heroes.
The only smart move was to reach the gate to the 11th floor.
Once they got there, they could take the trial. Even if they failed the trial, at least they would get kicked out safely.
"I just hope that Love Guardian can finish at least one of them..." Crypian thought, still running.
Suddenly....
"NO!!!!"
A loud, painful scream ripped through the hall behind them.
It was the woman’s voice, Rosalina. She screamed like someone had just ripped her whole world apart.
Crypian and Alia slammed to a stop. Their feet skidded on the stone floor.
They looked at each other. Their faces froze.
A weird, complicated expression appeared on both of them, like they couldn’t decide if they should laugh, cry, or throw up.
Then slowly, very slowly, Crypian’s lips curled upward into a big, nasty smile.
"Bullseye!" he whispered. He snapped his fingers with a loud *click* and spun around.
The second he turned, his eyes went wide with pure ecstasy.
There it was.
The masked man, Julius, was on top of the woman, Rosalina. But he wasn’t hugging her.
The Love Guardian was still pinned to the ground with spears, but somehow he had managed to swing his huge sword.
The blade had sunk deep into Julius’s waist, stuck there like a machete buried halfway through a thick tree trunk.
It wasn’t coming out easily.
Blood was everywhere. It covered the floor in shiny red puddles.
It soaked Rosalina’s robe so much that the pretty fabric now looked like a wet, dark rag.
The wound on Julius’s side was deep, really deep. You could see how badly it had cut into him.
Crypian’s heart started beating like crazy. A greedy shine lit up his eyes.
’Should I kill him?’ he thought.
He took one eager step forward. His fingers twitched.
Just look at them, both wounded, distracted, weak.
This was the perfect moment. One good strike and he could end both of them.
The greed inside him burned hot. He could already imagine the sweet feeling of revenge.
But right then, Alia’s hand shot out and grabbed his wrist tight.
"Don’t be careless," she said. Her voice was firm this time, stronger than usual.
"They’re hurt, yes. But if they catch us... our end won’t be quick. It will be slow and ugly. We can’t bear that."
Crypian stared at the wounded couple again.
The greedy light in his eyes faded. Instead, a heavy wave of regret washed over his face.
And under that regret burned bright, hot anger, anger at himself.
"Damn it..." he muttered.
Only if he still had his system! If he had his old powers, he could have used the invincible spell plus his stealth skill.
He could have sneaked right up behind them like a ghost and finished the job.
But now? He was too weak. Too slow. Too useless.
Anger and regret mixed together in his chest until he wanted to scream.
"Fuck!" he cursed loudly. He turned away from the tempting scene with gritted teeth.
"I will pay them back for the disrespect they showed to our love!" he growled under his breath.
Then, without another word, he broke into a run again, heading straight for the gate to the 11th floor.
Alia followed right behind him, still glancing back nervously every few steps.
...
...
"No... no... no! This can’t happen!"
Rosalina’s voice cracked with pure panic.
She dropped to her knees beside Julius and grabbed the huge sword stuck in his waist with both hands.
With a desperate cry, she yanked it out in one hard pull.
"Shhhk!"
Fresh blood gushed out like a waterfall, splashing across the cold stone floor and soaking her hands.
It wouldn’t stop. It just kept pouring.
She quickly pulled off his mask with shaking fingers.
The moment the mask came away, Julius’s pale face appeared. His eyes were tightly closed.
Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth. His breathing was rough and heavy, each breath sounded like it hurt.
"Julius... Julius, wake up!" she whispered, her voice breaking.
"That’s... what you get..." the Love Guardian mocked from the ground.
He was still pinned down by the spears, but his voice dripped with hate and poison.
"You evil fiends... You two will die a horrible death for mocking true love!"
Rosalina didn’t even hear him. She didn’t care about his words.
Her whole world had shrunk to the man lying in her arms.
She pressed both hands over the deep wound on his waist. Blood kept leaking between her fingers.
"Ice Bind!" she shouted.
A cold blue light flashed.
Sharp ice formed over the wound, freezing the flesh and stopping the worst of the bleeding.
But it wasn’t enough. Julius’s breathing was getting slower with every second.
His chest rose and fell weakly. His body was turning cold under her touch.
"Please... please don’t die!" Tears streamed down her face.
She tried everything she could think of, pressing harder, whispering his name, shaking him gently.
But she didn’t know any real healing spells. Nothing strong enough to fix something this bad.
His skin felt colder now. His lips had lost their color.
"Julius... open your eyes... look at me..." she begged.
Her voice grew smaller and more broken.
"You promised we would be together."
She couldn’t hold it back anymore.
Rosalina buried her face in his chest and started to cry hard. Big, ugly sobs shook her whole body as she hugged him tightly.
"Please... don’t die on me... I can’t do this without you. You’re my everything. My idiot, my partner, my home... Please, Julius... stay with me..."
Her tears mixed with the blood on his clothes.
She kept hugging him, rocking slightly, whispering the same words again and again like a prayer.
"Wake... up... please..."
Rosalina’s tears fell without stopping.
They soaked into Julius’s robe, making dark wet patches.
That was all she could do right now. She had nothing else.
For the first time in her life, she felt very small and helpless.
Her Julius was dying right in front of her, and she could not do anything to save him.
"Please wake up..." she begged again and again.
She grabbed his collar with both hands and shook him gently. "What should I do? Tell me please..."
Her voice cracked. Fresh tears rolled down her cheeks.
She kept shaking him, hoping he would open his eyes.
But his body stayed limp. His breathing was getting weaker. His skin felt colder every second.
Her gaze suddenly shifted to the Love Guardian.
He was still stuck on the ground, pinned by the spears, but he kept cursing them with hate in his voice.
All the pride and anger she had held toward the Love Guardian melted away in an instant.
Nothing mattered now except saving Julius.
She dragged herself on her knees toward the pinned guardian, her hands still covered in blood.
"Please... please... save him..." she begged, her voice full of pain. "He is my everything... please..."
She knelt down in front of him, her head lowered.
Tears kept falling. Her shoulders shook. She had thrown away all her pride.
The strong, fierce Rosalina who loved to fight and tease was gone.
Only a scared woman begging for her loved one’s life remained.
"Hahahaha!" The Love Guardian burst into loud, cruel laughter.
His voice echoed through the ruined hall.
"You evil bitch!!! Die with him if he is your everything!!!"
Rosalina did not mind the harsh insults. She did not get angry.
She did not fight back. She just stayed on her knees, ready to beg even more.
"Please... I will do anything..." she started to say, her voice trembling. "Just save him....."
Right at that instant, a loud, fearful voice suddenly echoed through the hall.
"Oh my baby boy!!!"