CHAPTER 315: THEY ARRIVE [1]

The moment the elder stepped forward, Cassie moved in front of him, arms spread wide.

"Move," the elder said flatly, his tone cold.

"No," Cassie replied firmly.

"This is not the time for stubbornness," he retorted, his voice rough.

Cassie looked at all of them. Her shoulders were shaking, but her eyes didn’t back down.

"That’s Sophie," she said slowly. "She’s not just some random person. She’s our friend. She’s been with us from near the beginning. She fought with us. Bled with us. She kept us alive with her strategies."

Her voice cracked a bit, but she forced herself to continue. "You say we should kill her... but has she asked for that? Has Gabriel seen her? Has he given up? No. He would never give up without trying first. So I won’t either!"

"Cassie..."

"Even now, I can feel it," she continued, gripping her staff tightly. "Deep inside that crazy vampiric mess, there’s still the same Sophie. The one who always curses under her breath when things don’t go according to plan. The same kind and caring Sophie."

A vine slammed into the ceiling nearby, showering them with dust.

Sophie’s silhouette was now half-hidden behind a wriggling net of crimson vines. Her form flickered as she moved like a ghost between them.

She ripped another player’s shoulder open with her claws, then snarled as if angered by how little blood came out.

She was in full rampage mode.

The vines around her were now completely blood-colored. Some were even dripping liquid, like they were absorbing blood from the floor and sweating it out again.

"You... you said it yourself," Cassie insisted, turning back to Evelyn. "She told me to move away. That means she was still fighting it. She didn’t attack me first—she tried to protect me."

"That was earlier," Evelyn said, a frown on her face. "Now—"

"She’s still in there!" Cassie shouted.

Silence settled for half a second.

Then she took a deep breath.

"Everyone step back," she said.

"You’re insane," Ragnarok muttered.

"No, I’m not," Cassie said. "Or maybe I am. But I don’t care. Step back."

The Martial Palace elder frowned. "What do you intend to do?"

"Prove that she’s still Sophie," Cassie replied. Her voice was calm now.

Ragnarok grabbed her arm. "Cassie, this is not the time to LARP a drama scene. She’ll literally bite your head off."

She slowly pried his fingers off her arm.

"Did you not hear yourself earlier?" she said. "You said you didn’t want to kill Sir Gabriel’s future wife. That means you also believe she’s important. So trust me. Just this once."

Ragnarok opened his mouth, then closed it.

He clicked his tongue and stepped back.

"Everyone, widen the formation," Evelyn finally commanded. "Make space. Keep your distance. If she attacks Cassie, we move in—but don’t hit her unless it’s absolutely necessary."

The elder didn’t look pleased, but after a moment, he moved as well.

The rough semicircle shifted backward.

A lonely path now stretched through the middle of the blood-soaked corridor.

Cassie took that path.

"Cassie!! Stop, don’t go!" Bunny shouted behind her.

"Come back, idiot!!" Ragnarok added.

Even the usually calm Anna frowned deeply.

Cassie ignored all of them.

Her heart was pounding so fast it felt like it would burst out of her chest, but she kept walking forward. Each step felt heavier than the last.

Ahead, Sophie’s rampage suddenly slowed.

The blood vines stopped lashing randomly and instead wavered in the air, as if sniffing for something. Sophie’s head turned slightly, sensing Cassie’s approach.

The veil over her face was soaked with blood. Some of it was hers. Most of it wasn’t.

Her armor was stained red.

Her fingers were dripping.

Her entire presence felt wrong.

But Cassie forced herself to look straight at her.

One step.

Two steps.

Three steps.

She kept going until she was close enough to see Sophie’s eyes clearly through the gaps of the veil.

Bright blood red.

They glowed faintly, like embers in a furnace.

For a moment, they didn’t look crazed.

They just looked... lost.

"Sophie," Cassie said softly.

The others watched, barely breathing. The vines didn’t move. Sophie’s rampage had halted.

Her head tilted to the side, as if trying to understand why the prey in front of her wasn’t running away.

"Cassie..." Ragnarok whispered under his breath. Even he didn’t dare make a joke now.

Cassie took another small step.

She was now within arm’s reach. If Sophie lunged right now, there would be no time to use the Replica Mirror—no time for anyone to react.

But Cassie didn’t flinch. She lifted a hand slowly and placed it gently on Sophie’s free arm. The limb was tense, muscles coiled like a drawn bow.

"It’s me," Cassie whispered. "Sophie... stop it. Please."

Her voice echoed quietly in the corridor.

"You don’t want to hurt us. You don’t want to hurt me. Remember? I’m the one who stuck with you... even when your siblings ignored you."

Sophie’s fingers twitched. Her claws scraped against her own palm.

Cassie leaned a bit closer, ignoring the blood smell and the obvious danger.

"You’re Sophie," she said. "The same Sophie who left the castle to chase your lover. You’re not some monster the Tower can twist and turn however it wants. So... come back already."

For a moment—

It worked.

The red in Sophie’s eyes flickered. The veins on her neck pulsed slower. Her shoulders slumped a tiny bit.

The blood vines around them stopped writhing like snakes and instead drooped toward the ground, as if their energy had been cut off.

The others stared in disbelief.

"Is it... working?" Bunny whispered.

"I think so," Evelyn said quietly, hope flashing in her gaze.

Even the Martial Palace elder loosened his grip on his spear slightly.

Cassie exhaled, her eyes bright.

"See? I knew it," she said, voice shaking with relief. "You’re still in there. You can fight it. Just hold on until Gabriel—"

Suddenly, Sophie moved.

Her hand shot up in a blur, so fast that everyone present froze. Their eyes shrank to pinpoints.

Sophie didn’t move to hug her. Not to push her away. Her claws extended—she swiped straight at Cassie’s face.

Time seemed to slow down.

Cassie’s eyes widened.

’Ah... so this is it.’

She could clearly see the sharp tips of those claws. They were inches from her eyes, her throat—everything.

Her body refused to move. She had walked forward on her own. There was no one to save her. No one close enough to react.

She honestly thought this was the end.

However—before the claws could connect, something flashed through the air.

FWOOOSH!

A crimson rope wrapped tightly around Sophie’s wrist, stopping her arm mid-swing.

Sophie’s body jerked as the sudden force restrained her. The blood vines reacted instantly, lashing at the source of the rope.

Everyone’s eyes snapped toward the direction it came from.

At the entrance of the corridor, two figures stood calmly.

One was a familiar, tall, handsome young man with crimson hair and electric-blue eyes, a greatsword strapped casually to his back.

The other wore martial attire, qi swirling faintly around his fists like coiled dragons.

Gabriel and Liang had arrived.

***

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