The darkness inside the hidden tunnel was so absolute that one couldn't even see their own hand. Liu Feiyang slowly pushed himself up into a sitting position, a sharp pain from the severe wound on his chest flaring up, forcing him to grit his teeth tightly. A warm, sticky fluid seeped through the fingers he used to press down on the injury.
"Feiyang! How are you?!" Zhang Liyin's voice echoed through the dark before a dim light from her magic lantern item flickered to life. It revealed her panicked face and Feiyang's red dress, now heavily soaked in blood.
"Not dead yet," Feiyang replied curtly, pulling a low-grade recovery potion from his system inventory and downing it in one breath. The wound on his chest began to knit together and stopped bleeding, though a sharp, throbbing ache remained.
**[ Injury Treated: Life Point recovery rate slightly increased. ]**
**[ Your remaining Life Points: 68 points. ]**
"Thank goodness that stone door was thick enough..." Liyin muttered, looking back at the completely sealed threshold. Not even the scraping sounds of the monster outside managed to bleed through anymore.
Feiyang paid no attention to her anxiety. His gaze was locked onto the rugged path stretching out ahead. This subterranean stone corridor sloped deeply downward, seemingly connecting directly to the lowest, most sunken tier of the castle grounds.
"What time is it, Liyin?" Feiyang asked as he propped himself up, leading the way down the narrow tunnel.
"It's already 05:45 AM..." Liyin answered after checking her system window, her voice heavy with sheer despair. "There are only fifteen minutes left until six. Even if we escaped that monster, the moment we step out of this alcove, we'll either run into the black-armored knight or have to face the prince's execution square anyway."
"Who said anything about running?" Feiyang said, his tone carrying a chill that made his listener's skin crawl. "What the system and the prince want is the execution of Liu Feiyang at six o'clock to open the dimensional gate. But if the ritual conductor himself is destroyed... all time constraints become utterly meaningless."
As the two reached the very end of the stone path, the view ahead suddenly opened up wide. The layout of the secret tunnel hadn't led them back upstairs; instead, it broke through onto a natural stone balcony jutting out into midair over a sheer drop.
Directly below them was the exact subterranean ritual hall they had visited earlier.
From this high vantage point, Feiyang could clearly see Prince Edward standing before the altar, chanting an incantation. The pitch-black magic circle on the stone floor had expanded until it nearly filled the entire room. And from this angle... the prince's back was completely exposed, unprotected, separated only by a single drop from their stone ledge.
**[ Dark Royal Crest has expired. ]**
**[ Camouflage status has completely ended. ]**
The system screen flashed its final notification. Down below, Prince Edward suddenly froze mid-incantation, as if sensing the gaze from above. His sharp features slowly tilted upward, his golden eyes reflecting the torchlight as they locked directly onto the stone balcony where they stood.
"There is no running now, is there?" Edward called out in a flat voice, yet it echoed up to the stone balcony with absolute clarity. The corner of his mouth curved into a mocking smirk. "I told you, if dawn arrives and you are not kneeling upon the altar, I will hunt every single one of you down until nothing is left."
**[ Warning: Passive Skill 'Danger Sense' Active: Risk Level 100% ]**
A massive wave of pressure surged up from below, nearly forcing Liyin to her knees, but Feiyang remained motionless. His hand still pressed against his newly closed chest wound as his mind rapidly calculated the distance between the ledge and where the prince stood.
"Liyin, you said there's one other player left, right?" Feiyang asked without breaking eye contact with the floor below.
"Y-yes, not too far from us in the inner castle grounds, but their Life Points are critically low," Liyin replied through her whimpers.
"Good." Feiyang's lips split into a sharp smile, his eyes flashing with the intensity of a predator about to strike its prey. "I'm going to jump down and draw his attention. You... the moment I make my move, use a smoke bomb or whatever item you have. Run, regroup with that player, and find a way to open the castle gates."
"Are you insane?! Jumping from this height, and with your Life Points..."
"This is our only way out," Feiyang cut her off, his voice carrying an absolute finality that left no room for argument. "The prince thinks he's the protagonist of this game. But don't forget the system's conditions... I am the current head of the Liu family, and the sacred anchor suppressing this power wasn't made to surrender."
**[ Warning: Time 05:50 AM. Entering 'Ten Minutes Before Dawn' phase. ]**
**[ The Ritual Conductor's physical attack power has increased by 50%. ]**
Edward began to shift his stance. The longsword in his hand began to glow with an ominous, violet-black aura. He was preparing to leap up to the balcony to personally eliminate his stubborn pawn.
"Out of time," Feiyang muttered. He didn't wait for the prince to take the initiative. Stepping onto the edge of the natural stone ledge, his slender figure in the shredded red dress plunged straight down into the abyss, leaving Liyin's terrified scream echoing behind him.
The frigid underground air rushed past his face, numbing his skin. In Feiyang's hand, a poisoned dagger he had stashed away in his system inventory since the beginning of the game materialized, its tip gleaming under the torchlight. His sole target was the throat of the bloodthirsty man below.