The Illusionary world began to crumble the moment the Young Aurora defeated her heart demon.
Half a minute later, Lux found himself hugging a naked beauty in his arms, and the realization made his body stiffen.
To make matters worse, he also noticed that he was also naked, making his blood rush to his mid region.
Aurora, who also noticed the situation she was in, didn't react the same way as Lux.
In fact, she was quite calm despite being hugged by a naked man and even looked up at the Half-Elf with an innocent look on her face.
"Lux, something hard and hot is hitting my stomach," Aurora said. "Are you okay? Are you feeling sick?"
The Half-Elf wanted to facepalm so badly because his little brother chose the wrong time to say "hello" to the peerless beauty in front of him.
"I-I'm fine," Lux stuttered as he summoned a blanket from his storage ring, and wrapped it around Aurora's body. "Our clothes got destroyed when your body was covered with purple flames earlier. I'll get you some new ones."
Lux hurriedly took out some of the clothes that he had prepared for his fiance, Cai, just in case she returned to her old habit of not putting on clothes before transforming into her boar form.
"Thank you," Aurora said as she accepted the clothes given to her.
Lux turned around in order to put some clothes on as well. Only when Aurora said that she had finished donning her own clothes did he turn around to look at her.
Aurora wore a white one-piece dress that was snug at the waist, highlighting the curves of her body.
After she became a Ranker, her body had undergone a rebirth, and she no longer looked like a malnourished person.
In fact, she looked so energetic and lively that Lux was unable to keep his eyes off her.
Aurora then walked towards him and returned the blanket with a smile.
"Are you feeling better now?" Lux asked. "Do you feel any pain in your body?"
Truth be told, he didn't need to ask this question, but he still did.
Although he could sense that the burden she was carrying had disappeared from her body, he was still wondering if her ascension to become a Ranker had any lingering side effects.
"I feel great," Aurora replied. "I've never felt better before. In fact, I feel as if I can run for miles without stopping."
"That's good to hear," Lux nodded. "Well then, shall we leave this place? I feel like you are now able to do that."
Aurora looked at the barrier in the distance that had prevented her from escaping.
Because of what happened earlier, Lux wasn't able to tell her that she could teleport directly to his Guild Headquarters in order to escape her prison.
However, before he could explain this to her, Aurora walked towards the barrier with steady steps.
Her steps were filled with confidence as if nothing could stop her from doing what she wanted. A minute later, she successfully crossed the barrier, after which she turned around to look at Lux with a smug expression on her face.
'Congratulations, Aurora," Lux said as he, too, walked past the barrier. "You have taken your first step to regain your freedom."
"Thank you, Lux," Aurora said before holding his hand. "I wouldn't have been able to do it without your help."
The two then walked towards the stairs in order to leave the deepest part of the Inner Sanctum.
When they arrived at the middle layer, the two immediately heard a loud commotion.
All the monsters were attacking the Purple Barrier that locked them in place as if they had all gone crazy.
As Aurora was passing one of the monster cells, the monster that was locked up behind it suddenly roared, making the young lady jump back in surprise. However, as if she had stepped on a banana peel, she slid and nearly fell to the ground.
Fortunately, her hands managed to touch the barrier, using it as a support to prevent herself from falling.
Suddenly, a loud crack reverberated in the surroundings, making Lux feel a chill run down his spine.
Two golden eyes stared at Aurora, and a set of razor-sharp teeth gleamed in the darkness. The creature suddenly moved and smashed its fist against the crack of the barrier, making it expand.
The monster's attack created a shockwave, which pushed Aurora to the cage beside it.
The young lady was forced to use both of her hands to prevent her face from smashing into the barrier.
Just like what happened earlier, a crack appeared on the barrier of the second cage, breaking Lux out of his daze.
The Half-Elf immediately scooped Aurora into a princess carry and started to sprint toward the stairs in order to reach his friends, who were waiting for him at the entrance.
"Everyone run!" Lux shouted as soon as he exited the gates of the Inner Sanctum. "Two Calamity-Ranked Monsters are about to break free!"
Cethus' face turned pale after hearing the news. The Dragon Born immediately opened his wings and took to the sky in order to escape.
Lux and Gerhart flew into the sky as well, while Lilian used Air Steps to jump upwards.
The Saintess, who had followed them, had heard Lux's shout, but she didn't believe what the Half-Elf had said.
They had gone into the Inner Sanctum in the past and tried to free the monsters there using brute force and magic, but their attempts didn't work.
She refused to believe that the newcomers were able to do something that even they couldn't achieve, so she stayed for a bit to confirm if they were telling the truth or not.
It was at that moment when the land under her feet shook, almost making her lose her balance.
A moment later, two creatures emerged from the Gates of the Inner Sanctum, which made the Saintess feel as if all of her breath were taken away from her.
Even so, as someone who had managed to reach her Rank, she was able to recover right away and retreated as fast as she could.
She had to inform their King that two Calamity-Ranked Monsters had escaped their prison.
Monsters that were deemed to be too dangerous to be left wandering the lands of Agartha, due to how powerful, and destructive they were.
