Chapter 83: Rescue the Princess

“Mel, Mel.... wake up quickly, Mel.”

In her sleep, Mel felt as if someone was calling her name.

The voice was so gentle, as if the person wouldn't blame her even if she chose to linger in bed a little longer.

“Mel, now is not the time to be lazy. Miss Charlotte needs your help.”

Veronica’s voice sounded again.

Mel, who was sound asleep with her eyes lowered, frowned slightly, then struggled to open her eyes.

What came into view was the familiar figure and a pair of clear blue eyes that seemed to contain all the tenderness in the world.

“Sister.”

Mel slowly sat up from Veronica’s lap, then threw herself into her embrace, feeling Veronica’s presence like a spoiled child.

“I missed you so much... Sister....”

Veronica gently held Mel in her arms, softly stroking her long hair.

The two sisters nestled together, seemingly making up for all the time they had been apart.

“I missed you too, Mel,” Veronica said gently, her voice carrying a trace of an almost imperceptible choke.

Mel buried her face in the crook of Veronica’s neck, taking a deep breath, as if trying to etch her sister’s scent into her memory forever.

“I’m sorry for making you face so much alone....”

Veronica said softly, her fingers gently stroking Mel’s hair.

Mel shook her head, lifting her gaze to look into her sister's eyes.

The clear blue eyes were brimming with tears, yet they were as gentle as ever.

“It’s all my fault, Sister...”

Mel's voice trembled.

“It’s all because I was too selfish....”

“You did nothing wrong, Mel.”

Veronica smiled, gently wiping the tears from the corner of Mel’s eyes.

Her movements were so delicate, as if she feared shattering some precious treasure.

The two sisters quietly embraced like this, enjoying the warm moment of reunion after a long separation.

Veronica’s hand softly stroked Mel’s back, silently soothing the unrest in her sister's heart.

Mel felt her sister’s warmth, and the confusion and fear in her heart seemed to vanish in that moment.

She closed her eyes, allowing herself to completely immerse in this long-missed sense of security.

However, this brief tranquility was quickly broken.

Veronica gently pushed Mel away, holding her shoulders, her expression becoming serious.

“Mel, now is not the time for sentimentality. You need to wake up.”

Veronica said softly.

“Someone is waiting for your help.”

“My... help?”

Mel blinked, looking at Veronica confusedly.

“Do you remember Charlotte?”

Veronica said.

“She is currently facing the eldest son of the Michel family all by herself. She needs your help, Mel.”

Hearing this, Mel’s pupils trembled slightly.

She quickly got up, but suddenly remembered something.

“So... where exactly am I right now?”

“You are in a dream,” Veronica said.

“A dream within a dream.”

“Then if I wake up, won’t I never be able to....”

Mel was immediately filled with hesitation.

Seeing this, Veronica gently grasped Mel’s hands, and a resolute light flashed in her clear blue eyes.

“Mel, listen to me. Now is not the time for hesitation. Charlotte needs you, and you need her.”

“But... but I need you too, Ronnie,” Mel lowered her head, a hint of pain flashing in her eyes.

“If I wake up, will we never again...”

Veronica gently lifted Mel’s chin, making her look directly into her eyes.

“I am always in your heart, Mel. No matter where you are, no matter what you face, I will be by your side.”

Her voice was soft yet firm, as if it could pierce through the fog in Mel’s heart.

“Do you remember what I told you?”

Veronica whispered.

“On your future path, someone will always be accompanying you, so don't be sad about the separation that has yet to come—”

“—That is for a better reunion....”

Mel murmured softly, then took a deep breath, the confusion in her eyes gradually replaced by determination.

“I understand, Sister....”

Hearing this, Veronica smiled reassuringly, gently stroking Mel’s cheek.

“That’s right, just like that.”

She leaned down and gently kissed Mel's forehead.

“Go, my little knight. —Go rescue your princess.”

Mel suddenly awoke from her deep sleep.

The sight before her made it difficult to adjust at first.

Broken glass, bizarre metal clusters and an iron statue, and Helena’s corpse sitting in the wheelchair.

Everything silently told the story of what had just happened.

She shook her head, trying to clear the fog in her mind, recalling what Veronica had told her in the dream.

“Charlotte!”

Mel suddenly remembered and hurriedly stood up.

Her gaze swept around, finally landing on the door leading to the main hall.

Faint sounds of metal clashing came from there, along with muffled groans of pain.

Mel bit her lip, took a deep breath, and ran toward the main hall.

Meanwhile, inside the main hall, Charlotte lay on the ground, blood oozing from the corner of her mouth, appearing close to death.

Edward was slowly walking toward her, the fire tongs in his hand cutting a crimson arc through the air.

“I admit, you certainly surprised me,” Edward said coldly.

“But now, the game is over.”

The fire tongs cut a scorching arc through the air, whistling toward Charlotte’s head.

But just in the nick of time, a curved blade blocked in front of Charlotte.

“Get away—”

Flames seemed to burn in the girl’s pupils.

The New Moon hummed in her hand, responding to its master's fury.

“Get away!”

The New Moon swept across, slicing the glowing red fire tongs into two.

The crisp snap of metal breaking burst open amidst the smell of blood.

The severed tip of the fire tongs spun and embedded itself into the marble floor, the molten iron scarring the ground.

“It seems our knight has finally awakened.”

Edward said coldly.

“However, did you forget something?”

As soon as the words fell, Mel suddenly felt a surge of suffocation.

An invisible force tightly constricted her neck, making it almost impossible to breathe.

She instinctively reached up to grab her neck, but grasped nothing.

“Edict III: All forms of assistance are prohibited during the duel.”

Victoria’s voice came from the corner, cold and emotionless.

“Violators will be punished.”

Mel fell to her knees, her face turning crimson from lack of oxygen.

She struggled to breathe, but the invisible noose tightened further.

“Now... this duel is between me and you!”

Mel struggled to lift her head, looking directly at Edward.

“The edicts did not mention.... changing opponents during the duel is forbidden! Your opponent is me, Edward Michel!”

A flash of surprise crossed Edward’s eyes.

He then turned toward Victoria, raising an eyebrow and asking:

“Is she right?”

Victoria was silent for a moment, then slowly nodded: “Indeed, the edicts did not explicitly forbid changing opponents.”

The invisible noose vanished instantly.

Mel gasped for air, greedily inhaling fresh oxygen.

She shook slightly as she stood up, helping Charlotte to the side.

“Charlotte, you rest first.”

Mel gave Charlotte a smile, then turned around.

“The rest is up to me.”

The girl raised her hand, and red light flared intensely in her eyes.

All the books on the surrounding bookshelves flipped open.

Countless words seemed to respond to a summons, pouring toward Mel.

Then, they converged above her head, forming a crown folded from words and pages.

This was the most valuable spoil of war she had obtained when she pastored Jason: from his soul.

—Scepter Liberation【Vainglory Coronation】!

In an instant, Mel’s aura suddenly surged, crossing from the Development Phase to the rank of The Baptized.

Edward observed Mel with interest, then spoke scornfully:

“Just a bluff.”

He picked up the Sword cane from the ground, pointing it at Mel.

“Then let me see what qualifications you have!”

Before the words finished, Edward rushed toward Mel like a phantom.

His Sword cane was like a snake darting its tongue, aimed straight at Mel’s throat.

Mel’s pupils slightly contracted.

The afterimages of Edward’s movements, broken down, quickly swept across her retina.

As the Sword cane swept toward her face wrapped in a whistling sound, she vaulted diagonally, utilizing a void shuffle.

Her boot heel grazed past the opponent’s ear and struck the metal statue nailed to the wall.

The scattering sparks scorched her hair, but they couldn't extinguish the boiling hot blood in her neck.

【Void Walk】 activated.

Mel appeared at Edward’s side in the blink of an eye.

The New Moon cut a silver arc, aimed directly at Edward’s waist.

“Quick to dodge, I’ll give you that.”

Edward retracted his sword and turned.

The lingering sparks on the cane tip trailed a winding blood line on the floor.

"Clang!"

The New Moon’s diagonally sweeping blade precisely intercepted the trajectory of the third afterimage.

The sparks from the metal collision illuminated Edward’s startled face.

Mel’s 【True Vision】 captured Edward’s every subtle movement.

Her body seemed to react instinctively.

The New Moon was like a living creature in her hand; every swing precisely sealed Edward's line of attack.

Edward clenched his jaw, a flash of unwillingness in his eyes.

He swung his Sword cane backward, creating an afterimage.

The moment the blade and the curved knife collided, the attack suddenly shifted into a thrust.

The blue light in Mel’s pupil flared violently.

A new trajectory suddenly lit up among the several predicted by True Vision——The sword tip eerily bypassed The New Moon’s defense, drawing blood on her left shoulder.

The sharp pain made Mel even clearer-headed.

She used the backward momentum to activate 【Void Walk】, her figure leaving an afterimage in mid-air.

As Edward stabbed through the phantom, the true killing blow descended from above.

—Chop!