Leonidas sprinted through the original chamber, the one where he had spent most of his time. The moment he had gotten near the collapsed door, it had gone back to its original state, as if by magic.

Pillars lifting and reforming, as if reversing in time, and soon enough, it was in pristine condition. He had stepped through without ceremony, and a wave of information had hit him. It wasn’t anything close to what he had felt when he had seen Art’s life.

The information had come gradually, in a stream rather than a wave. The feeling was surprisingly pleasant.

Leonidas had found out the name of the room—Chamber of Blue Fire—a fitting name. He did not know who had named it, but Leonidas liked their naming sense.

He chuckled, blue flames casting dancing shadows on his face. They drifted past his face like a line of brilliant light, disappearing the faster he ran.

Savior was right beside him, her steps light and silent despite her size. The door neared, and Leonidas gave it a mental command to open.

Instantly, a cold wind ran through the chamber, extinguishing the dancing flames. Leonidas’s clothes ruffled wildly, coat whipping like a drunk flag.

How long has it been since I went outside? A week?

He didn’t know the exact time, after all, he had blacked out for most of it, but Leonidas guessed it was around a week.

He glanced at Savior, his monolithic knight. How ironic it was that an aspiring knight had a knight who served him.

It’s like I’m a young master...

Well...it wasn’t exactly wrong, but he was exiled now, so it didn’t really matter. Shaking the useless thoughts from his mind, Leonidas spoke in a subdued tone.

"Be on guard, Savior. We don’t know what’s out there, and now that you’re the same rank as me... It’s highly unlikely we’ll be able to beat a Superus-ranked pilgrim."

Last time Savior had wiped the floor with that spikey bastard because she was the same rank, but the circumstances were different now.

How annoying.

Savior nodded at him and took out her onyx longsword. Leonidas did the same, Blush raised high, eyes focused. They stepped out of the Sanctum in tandem, and a devastating sight greeted him.

Massive craters spread in every direction, as if something massive had slammed into the earth. The surroundings were burned and charred, obsidian trees still on fire.

His gaze trailed over everything, taking in the details of the battle. Leonidas made a mental note of everything, but then he just...stopped.

His eyes were locked on an object lodged deep in the ground. The blood drained from his face, and his stomach sank, breath sucked from his lungs. Leonidas felt like his world had been turned upside down.

He walked forward, each step uncertain, dragging across the shattered battlefield. Savior seemed to have sensed his mood, as she quietly stood to the side.

How...you were supposed to be the best...how?

Leonidas felt disgusted, mostly at himself.

A dreadful sight lay bare before his eyes...he felt like vomiting, despite the fact that he had seen more than enough gore to last a lifetime.

He stepped into the crater, black sand slipping under his feet. Buried deep was a sword, black as the night sky.

Smooth Criminal...Willow’s blade.

But it wasn’t the blade that had given Leonidas pause; it was the thing lying beside it. A body...or rather half a body was splattered on the ground, blood painting everything crimson.

Willow was lying dead at his feet, her lower body vaporized, armor cracked and broken, stabbing into her body at odd angles.

Her eyes were rolled over, glassy and distant.

"Ahh.."

A strange sound left Leonidas’s mouth, something between a laugh and a scream. His chest constricted, sorrow seeping with every breath.

He kneeled beside Willow’s lifeless body, about to close her eyes, when he heard it...a rasp.

"Art...haha..."

The sound tore through her chest, foamy blood bubbling. She was in obvious pain, clinging to life with everything she had...alas, it wasn’t meant to be.

They both knew that she was about to die...nothing could save her. Which was exactly why Leonidas didn’t try scrambling over on solutions. The Sanctum was hostile to everything but him; bringing Willow there would only prolong her suffering.

He glanced at Savior, who stood far behind him, at the edge of the battlefield. His eyes glimmered with hope for a second before they were extinguished. Savior shook her head.

Dammit...is there nothing I can do?

"wh-why are...you..."

She coughed, nearly slipping into unconsciousness.

Leonidas grabbed her hand...the one that wasn’t eviscerated. Her skin was freezing, a terrifying contrast to the heat of the blood pooling beneath her. She tried to speak, but only a wet cough answered him. He closed his eyes, forcing himself to smile.

What was she going to say...Leonidas felt like he knew. Something dripped from his cheek, falling onto Willow’s ruined skin.

"..crying...it doesn’t suit..you."

Leonidas wanted to speak...he really did. To comfort her, to tell her everything was going to be okay...but whenever he tried...the words didn’t come out.

Another tear traced along his jaw, falling silently onto Willow’s forehead.

"I-I’m sorry. If only I were faster...if only I hadn’t hesitated."

He was breaking apart because of a woman whom he had only known for a few weeks. It was weird how connections worked...some took years to form, only for them to break under the slightest strain, while others formed in an instant, surviving the largest of hurdles.

His bond with Willow was a weird one. They had fought each other the instant they had met. Afterwards, they had a discussion on who was superior, fought again, insulted each other, fought a pilgrim, and then fought once more.

The memory was a fond one. Leonidas smiled, a bitter smile through and through.

"I guess...this is the end of our run...so much for eventual escape."

Willow smiled at that, her eyes dimming, the burning flames they once held snuffed out to an ember.

"...My apologies...but hey... don’t..."

Willow raised her hand and grasped Leonidas’s own. She closed her eyes, the strength leaving her hand.

"Don’t...cry because it’s over, smile... smile because it happened."

And just like that, Willow died; she died with a smile on her face.

Leonidas stayed still for a long moment, silent tears streaming down his face, falling onto Willow’s now lifeless body.

He would have probably stayed there for a long, long time had Savior not shaken him. Leonidas turned sharply, staring at his Manifest with a bitter expression on his face.

"What! This better be important." His voice was louder than intended, but if Savior was hurt, she didn’t let it show.

Instead, the infernal knight pointed towards the forest. Leonidas followed her fingers, and what he saw made him ignite in rage.

Hidden beneath the tangle of trees was a root. Tall as a skyscraper, thicker than Leonidas’s body, it towered over everything, piercing through the treetops.

The craters, the marks...they all match.

The size of the root was large enough to make the multitude of craters spread all over the place, and its body was long enough to carve the long, snake-like lines.

With shaky feet, Leonidas stood. All of a sudden, he held Blush, his eyes gleaming with murderous wrath.

"So it was you. You’re the one who killed her."

Leonidas grit his teeth; he knew very well that he would lose, but when the perpetrator of his friend’s death stood right before him, how could he let them go?

Would that not be a stain on Willow’s life? Would that not be a stain on his honor, his pride, his values?

No, I’ll never let you live.

He glanced at Willow.

...Besides, she was alone; I have Savior with me, and the Sanctum at my back. No matter what the Labyrinth calls me, I am, and will always be, the Prince of War.

For hell’s sake, his father was the modern-day War God!

Leonidas exhaled slowly, breath fogging around him. The air had turned chilly, completely in line with his mood.

His cerulean eyes swept over the battlefield one last time — the craters, the charred trees, the black sand soaked through with crimson. Willow’s sword was still buried in the earth, still standing upright, as if refusing to fall even now.

He committed it to memory. Every detail. Every scar the battle had left on the ground.

Leonidas glanced at Savior and nodded at her. No words were said, none were needed.

The next second, both of them disappeared. Leonidas shot forward, lunging at the root, while Savior jumped in size, a staggering ten meters.

His blade cut through the abomination with ease, carving gaping wounds in the tentacle. Savior’s blade did much more. Her sword was simply larger.

Leonidas made a giant flower and hurled it at the tentacle, but something strange happened. The root shrugged off the attack as if it hadn’t existed.

It shot forward, slamming into Savior, cracking her impenetrable armor. The next instant, it wrapped around Leonidas.

Just like that, Leonidas died for the first time.