Chapter 73: Virgin Fox

It took only one deep breath for the colour of Raphael’s brown eyes to change.

The exhaustion that had weighed on his face moments ago vanished, replaced by a frightening stillness as his gaze locked onto Celestine. Before she could react, he suddenly lunged forward, moving so quickly that she barely had time to register his approach.

A deafening crash shook the entire dungeon.

"Miss Pei!"

The Sentinel who witnessed the scene shouted in shock, his voice carrying across the chaotic chamber.

Everyone turned toward the sound, including Lumi, who could only stare in disbelief at what had just happened.

For a moment, her mind went completely blank.

Then Darian’s earlier words suddenly resurfaced in her memory.

’His Guide died trying to Guide him...’

Lumi’s heart tightened as she looked toward the cloud of dust rising from the shattered ground.

Was this what had happened to Raphael’s previous Guide?

Was this why Esther had been so afraid when she learned that Celestine was Raphael’s Fated Guide?

The moment the dust cleared, Lumi could make out two figures standing in the middle of the destruction.

Celestine stood with both hands raised, a defensive barrier stretched in front of her. Cracks had already spread across its surface, and blood streamed heavily from the wound on her forehead, trickling down the side of her face. Her breathing was ragged, but she hadn’t stepped away.

And Raphael...

He stood directly in front of her, his brown eyes no longer their usual warm shade. His expression was frighteningly blank as he reached for her neck.

"Miss Pei!"

Raphael’s fingers closed around Celestine’s throat, and the cracked barrier shattered under the pressure. He didn’t hesitate, his grip tightening as though he intended to snap her neck right there.

Celestine’s face paled, but instead of struggling against him, she forced herself to lift her gaze. She had only one chance.

Her eyes met Raphael’s.

For a split second, everything seemed to stop.

Then, in the blink of an eye, a strange ripple spread through the air around them. It wasn’t the violent surge of Sentinel power that everyone had expected, nor was it the familiar shimmer of a defensive barrier.

It was Guiding energy.

A faint light enveloped Raphael and Celestine, spreading around them until a translucent barrier formed, completely isolating the two from the chaos outside.

Everyone gasped.

Even Evan, who had been watching from across the chamber, momentarily stilled.

Because this wasn’t a barrier meant to protect Celestine from Raphael.

She had entered his mental space.

At the very moment Raphael was about to kill her, Celestine had managed to establish a connection with her Fated Sentinel, reaching past his Rampage and into the depths of his consciousness.

Outside the barrier, Raphael’s body remained motionless, his hand still wrapped around Celestine’s neck.

But inside his mind, Celestine was no longer standing before a monster.

She was searching for the man she had been destined to reach.

Celestine took a deep breath and slowly walked through the pitch-black space, her eyes searching for any trace of Raphael’s memories that might reveal what had triggered his Rampage this time. She had no idea how much time she had before her Guiding energy could no longer sustain their connection, so she couldn’t afford to wander aimlessly.

Then, a voice suddenly echoed through the darkness.

"What can you do? You couldn’t even reach the top, and you even killed others?"

Celestine stopped walking.

The voice was cold and merciless, carrying the weight of contempt from someone who had long since decided that Raphael was worthless.

She turned toward the sound, but there was nothing in front of her except endless darkness.

"What a disappointment. All that power, yet you still can’t control it. How many more people have to die because of you?"

Celestine’s brows furrowed.

’Who is saying that to him?’

Another voice followed, weaker and trembling, as though someone were desperately trying to hold back their tears.

"Please... stop. He didn’t mean to..."

The first voice let out a contemptuous laugh.

"Didn’t mean to? Is that supposed to bring the dead back to life?"

Celestine’s heart sank.

She had heard about Raphael’s previous Rampage, the one that had cost his former Guide her life. But she had never known what he had experienced before losing control, nor had she understood how deeply the incident might have affected him.

As she continued forward, faint images began to emerge from the darkness.

A Chaos Dungeon.

Blood on the floor.

Someone lay motionless nearby while Raphael stood frozen, his hands trembling as he stared at the blood staining them. He looked almost exactly as Celestine remembered him, except his usual mischievous smile was nowhere to be seen, leaving only shock and horror on his face.

Celestine moved forward, trying to reach for the memories when a familiar voice suddenly reached her ears.

"Impressive..."

She turned to her right, only to find Raphael sitting on the ground with his knees drawn to his chest.

"You’re not just beautiful, I guess the rumours about you being capable are true too." He smirked, though his eyes held a mixture of gratitude and worry. "Congratulations on managing to escape death."

Celestine stared at him for a moment before letting out a quiet sigh. "Is that how you greet the person who just risked her life to enter your mental space?"

"Would you prefer a bouquet of flowers? I could arrange one after I stop trying to kill everyone around me."

"Raphael."

His smile faltered at the sound of his name.

Celestine took another step toward him, her expression turning serious as she looked at the darkness surrounding them.

"Come... let’s go out." She held out her hand, but Raphael merely stared at it with a blank expression.

Celestine understood.

If bringing a Sentinel out of Rampage were as simple as offering a hand, the entire Guide profession wouldn’t need years of training to begin with.

Instead of insisting, she crouched down in front of him, bringing herself to his eye level before offering him a small smile. "I heard you’re no different from Evan Caesar..."

"What do you mean?" Raphael asked, finally looking at her as one eyebrow lifted slightly.

"Virgin fox."

Silence.

Raphael stared at her. Then he slowly blinked. "What?"

Celestine tilted her head, maintaining her innocent smile. "Well, I heard that even though you’ve had a Guide before, you two never went that far, right?"

Raphael’s expression changed, "Who told you that?"

"Does it matter?"

"Of course it matters!"

Celestine shrugged. "Then I suppose the rumours are true."

"Wait a minute." Raphael narrowed his eyes at her. "Are you trying to provoke me while I’m in Rampage?"

"Is it working?" She smirked, thoroughly enjoying the opportunity to tease him.

He stared at her for several seconds before letting out a disbelieving laugh. "Then you want to Guide me using the fastest way?"

"Well... I don’t have much Guiding energy left..."

Celestine leaned forward and awkwardly shoved her lips onto Raphael’s.