Villainess X Villain: They are obsessed with each other!

Chapter 224 - : 223 I escaped.

Only a minute earlier....

"Commander Cassian, hurry! The heretic is beneath the palace trying to escape through the transportation gate!"

Uriel’s voice rang sharply through the commander’s mind, carrying an urgency so absolute that Cassian did not hesitate for even a single heartbeat.

The Saint rarely gave direct orders...like that....but when he did....Cassian obeyed without question.

The instant the message ended, his feet exploded off the ground with terrifying force as he shot toward the Royal Palace like a cannonball released from its chains.

Wind howled violently around him while the white cape behind his armor snapped through the air.

The palace guards standing near the entrance barely had time to react.

Boom!

The enormous palace doors burst inward the moment Cassian crashed through them, the impact echoing across the entrance hall like thunder.

Fragments of wood scattered everywhere while several nearby guards were violently thrown backward from the shockwave of his charge.

"C-Commander—?!"

None of them received a response. Cassian did not even spare them a glance.

His expression had already turned frighteningly cold beneath the dim palace lights as he continued forward without slowing down in the slightest.

Heretic. The word repeated endlessly inside his head.

If the Saint himself had ordered immediate capture, then the crime committed by that man could not possibly be ordinary blasphemy. Uriel was merciful even toward sinners.

For him to sound that urgent....the situation had already crossed the line of forgiveness.

Cassian’s armored boots slammed heavily against the palace floors as he rushed deeper inside, maneuvering through hallways and sharp corners with overwhelming speed.

Servants and guards barely caught flashes of silver before he disappeared from sight again like a storm tearing through the corridors.

In only moments, he reached the massive underground passage hidden beneath the palace.

Without slowing down....Boom!

The reinforced gate exploded inward from the force of his dash as Cassian burst directly into the underground chamber.

Cold air mixed with dim lighting immediately flooded his vision while the long staircase leading downward stretched beneath him.

Instead of taking the stairs, Cassian launched himself forward.

His body flew directly above the steps as mana surged throughout his muscles, propelling him deeper underground at terrifying speed.

"Just wait, you filthy heretic..." Cassian growled through clenched teeth while his figure shot through the dim corridors like a streak of lightning.

He already knew the underground layout well from previous visits. The emergency transportation gate. That was the only possible escape route.

The moment the realization crossed his mind, blue mana suddenly erupted around his body in thin flowing streams before rapidly scattering outward across the underground tunnels.

A perception spell.

The mana spread through the corridors like rippling water searching for life itself, and almost instantly several presences entered Cassian’s senses.

Four.

There were four people ahead...however....One of the life signatures had already begun fading and distorting unnaturally.

Someone was entering the transportation stream. Cassian’s eyes widened sharply.

"No you won’t!"

His roar thundered throughout the underground as compressed mana exploded beneath his feet once more.

The stone floor cracked violently from the pressure while his speed increased to an almost monstrous level.

The surrounding walls became blurry streaks. Then...the large iron gate finally appeared before him.

Cassian lunged forward instantly and burst into the chamber. The first thing he saw was Crypian.

Or more specifically....Crypian’s back disappearing into the swirling blue transportation gate.

The portal distorted violently as waves of unstable mana spread across the underground chamber, and only a small portion of Crypian’s body still remained visible outside the gate.

"You won’t get away!!" Cassian roared furiously as he grabbed the sword hanging at his waist.

There was no time to close the distance.

No time to properly attack. So the commander made a decision instantly.

In one fluid motion, he unsheathed the massive blade and hurled it forward with all his strength.

The sword shot through the underground chamber like a launched spear.

The air itself trembled around the spinning blade.

Chik!

The sword pierced directly through Crypian’s back just before the portal fully consumed him. Yet the force behind the throw only pushed his body further forward.

Whosh!

The transportation gate rippled violently as Crypian vanished completely into the blue stream of mana.

And the chamber fell silent.

******

[Warning!]

[Warning!]

[Warning!]

One translucent message after another exploded before Crypian’s blurry vision the instant his body emerged from the transportation stream and crashed heavily against the cold ground.

[Unknown object has pierced through the host’s body.]

[Location of injury: Below the heart.]

[No immediate fatal risk detected.]

[Emergency skin blockage has been applied.]

[Host may lose consciousness within moments.]

A violent burning sensation spread throughout his body as the system forcefully pulled the sword from his back.

Chik!

The blood-covered blade slid free instantly before clattering across the stone floor nearby.

At the same time, faint strands of pale energy spread across the massive wound beneath Crypian’s chest, forcibly sealing the torn flesh to prevent further blood loss.

However, the damage had already been done. The force behind the commander’s throw had been horrifying.

Several ribs had shattered from the impact alone, and every breath now felt like broken glass grinding inside his chest.

"Ghh..."

A weak groan escaped Crypian’s throat as he collapsed sideways against the ground, his entire body trembling violently from pain and exhaustion.

His vision blurred heavily.

The edges of the world slowly darkened while waves of agony surged endlessly through his body like crashing tides.

Wh-where... am I...?

Crypian tried forcing his eyes open properly.

The world around him appeared distorted and unstable, but even through the haze, he could see figures rapidly rushing toward him from the distance.

People.....several people were approaching him.

Their appearances looked slightly different from those of the Holy Continent and the Northern Continent.

Their skin carried warmer tan shades, and their clothing possessed familiar patterns and designs he had seen too often.

The moment he realized that...his trembling lips moved weakly.

"Vahana... Continent..."His breathing grew rougher."...Thorne family estate..."

The surrounding voices became louder, though they still sounded distant and muffled beneath the ringing inside his ears.

"Young master?!"

Another voice followed immediately after, filled with complete shock.

"Young Master Crypian!"

More footsteps echoed rapidly around him.

"How is he injured like this?!"

"Quickly, call the physicians!"

"Hurry!"

The voices overlapped chaotically while several figures knelt beside him, but Crypian could barely process any of it anymore.

His consciousness had already begun sinking into darkness.

The pain, exhaustion and blood loss, everything finally crashed down onto him at once.

Yet despite that, a faint smile still appeared weakly across his pale face as his eyelids slowly closed.

’I...escaped.’