At that moment, the principal was utterly shocked. He had just personally witnessed green-blue horns sprouting from Dan Feng's head and his clothes instantly shifting into an entirely different style—this left the principal stunned.
"Dan Feng, what in the world is going on with you?" The principal stared at Dan Feng, his face full of confusion.
"Whatever it is, we can talk about it later when I get back. Roxy is in danger right now!" Leaving those words behind, Dan Feng shot out through the window of the principal's office. In the blink of an eye, he vanished from the principal's sight.
The principal rose from his chair in astonishment, wanting to catch a clearer glimpse of the direction Dan Feng had gone, but all he saw was a streak of cyan light flashing across the sky like a meteor before disappearing without a trace.
This bizarre phenomenon naturally drew the attention of the students at Ranoa Magic University nearby. Everyone looked up, their faces showing surprise.
"Hey! Look! Why is there green in the sky?" One female student suddenly pointed upward and shouted loudly.
Her best friend quickly followed the direction of her finger and indeed saw the green afterimage streaking across the heavens at astonishing speed.
Right now, Dan Feng was high in the air, his body enveloped in a layer of cyan light—an effect produced by his powerful Imaginary energy.
Thanks to this power, Dan Feng could fly freely through the sky.
In the blink of an eye, he had already left the borders of the Ranoa Kingdom behind.
His expression was far from calm. After all, the person closest to him in this world was currently in mortal danger.
The mere thought made his heart feel as though a massive stone were pressing down on it—heavy and suffocating.
"I hope I can make it in time!" Dan Feng silently prayed in his heart. Then he took a deep breath, steadied himself, and began carefully scanning for the labyrinth's location.
From his vantage point in the air, he immediately spotted the Deadwood Forest the principal had mentioned and started searching for traces of the labyrinth.
Soon enough, he saw the entrance to the labyrinth surrounded by withered trees.
"Found it!"
...
Meanwhile, Roxy was continuously draining her own mana. Gritting her teeth, she fought while running, her body still pumping adrenaline—which was the only reason she hadn't collapsed from exhaustion after running for so long.
Whenever a skeleton rushed too close, she would immediately unleash magic to attack it.
Just as she was about to reach some kind of equilibrium, Roxy arrived at the end of the path.
She stared blankly at the stone wall blocking her way, her fear reaching its peak.
"How could this happen!" Roxy's voice trembled. Then, hearing the sounds behind her, she immediately turned around to face the horde of skeletons chasing after her. Despair filled her eyes.
She slowly raised the staff in her hand and began unleashing magic nonstop—this would be her final struggle.
Deep down, she knew one thing clearly: the little mana she had left could not possibly hold back this endless army of skeletons.
She had already reached her limit.
"[Fire Break]! [Rock Cannon]! [Ice Strike]!" At this point, Roxy no longer cared—she even used fire magic without hesitation.
Fire magic was extremely effective against these skeletons, but their sheer numbers made it barely scratch the surface for the horde.
She had lost count of how many spells she had cast; she only knew to keep releasing them.
Roxy pressed her back against the cold stone wall, her body trembling uncontrollably.
Her breathing had grown rapid and labored—each gasp felt as though it took every ounce of her strength.
Yet facing the tidal wave of skeletons surging toward her, she had no choice but to cast low-level magic again and again, trying to hold back their advance.
As time passed, Roxy's mana was gradually depleted completely.
A wave of dizziness hit her, and the world before her eyes began to blur.
Suddenly, everything went black. Her body lost all support and collapsed to the ground in an instant.
When she forced her eyes open again, she found herself lying on the floor, the skeleton army drawing ever closer.
She struggled to stand, but her legs felt as heavy as if they were filled with lead—she couldn't move them at all.
Tears welled up in Roxy's eyes. She knew this was the consequence of overexerting her mana.
So she could only use the strength of her arms to push herself up and lean back against the wall.
Then she desperately tried to summon the mana that had already run dry inside her body, but no matter how hard she tried, she felt not even the slightest response.
"No..." Roxy's voice was filled with despair and terror. Her tears fell in large drops like a broken dam.
She didn't want to die like this. There were still so many things she hadn't done.
Yet reality was so cruel—the skeleton army continued its merciless advance.
Her heart overflowed with hopelessness, and the staff in her hand trembled uncontrollably from fear.
"Someone... please save me... anyone, save me." Roxy closed her eyes, as if she had already accepted her fate.
She knew full well that in a place like this, no one could possibly come to her rescue.
But she still couldn't help silently praying in her heart, hoping for a miracle.
"Delve-hidden moon, world-cleansing dragon!"
Suddenly, in this environment filled with the grating sound of bones and joints rubbing together, a abrupt shout tore through the silence.
Immediately afterward, a colossal azure dragon formed entirely of water came roaring from the end of the path.
The raging torrent surged like an unstoppable force, instantly shattering the horde of skeletons into pieces.
A massive wave of water swept through, submerging every last skeleton within it.
When the water receded, a tall, cyan figure stood before Roxy.
He wore flowing white-and-cyan robes, descending like a deity.
"Thank goodness, I made it in time!" Dan Feng, in his Vidyadhara form, said softly, a trace of relief in his voice.
By now, not a single intact skeleton remained at the end of the path—only shattered bones and debris littered the ground.
Hearing that familiar voice, Roxy thought she was hallucinating in her final moments.
"Well... at least I got to hear Dan Feng's voice one last time before dying..." she thought to herself, the corners of her mouth lifting into a faint smile.
Dan Feng: ?
Roxy slowly removed the hat from her head and gently placed it against her chest.
Dan Feng hesitated for a moment before finally reaching out and grabbing the collar of her robe.
With a light tug, he easily pulled Roxy up from the ground and helped her stand steadily once more.
The moment she was pulled up, Roxy opened her eyes—and witnessed a scene she would never forget in her life.
Her lips trembled as she spoke in an incredulous tone: "Dan... Dan Feng!?"
"You idiot! Didn't I tell you to call me when you were going to conquer a labyrinth? Look at you—you almost died here!" Seeing Roxy like this, Dan Feng's anger flared up. For once, none of his usual calm remained.
Yet at that very moment, tears welled up in Roxy's eyes once again.
Without any regard for her appearance, she rushed straight toward Dan Feng and threw her arms around him tightly without hesitation.
This sudden embrace caught Dan Feng completely off guard.
He clearly hadn't expected Roxy to be so emotional, causing his body to stiffen slightly.
"Wuu... Dan Feng! Thank you... for coming to save me!" Roxy's voice choked with sobs, thick with tears.
Seeing this, Dan Feng let out a helpless sigh.
He understood just how much comfort someone who had just brushed against death needed right now.
So he extended his arms as well and gently wrapped them around Roxy, letting her release all her pent-up emotions in his embrace.
Just like that, Roxy cried in Dan Feng's arms for quite a while. Only after her emotions gradually calmed did she slowly loosen her hold on him.
Dan Feng then extended a single finger and lightly touched Roxy's cheek.
In an instant, a stream of clear water appeared and flowed straight toward her tear-streaked face.
"Wash up. You've cried yourself into a mess." Dan Feng's tone was calm, as though this were the most ordinary thing in the world.
Roxy obediently used the water Dan Feng had conjured to clean her face, feeling the cool stream glide across her skin.
This proved to her that she was truly still alive.
After she finished washing her face, she slowly lifted her head, her gaze meeting Dan Feng's.
At this moment, Dan Feng's eyes were no longer black—they were cyan-green.
Then Roxy's line of sight fixed directly on the pair of dragon horns atop his head.
"Dan Feng, what's with the horns on your head? They look so cool." Roxy gazed at the illusory dragon horns on Dan Feng's head with curious eyes.
"Hm... This should count as another form of mine, I suppose."