“How interesting. Are you here to catch me? Heh heh heh, do you have any idea that you’re walking into your own grave? I’m telling you, I’m extremely powerful, an ordinary — ack!”
***
Villains often die because they talk too much, and Celeste was no exception.
Before she could finish her pre-battle trash talk, she was knocked unconscious by a single punch from that woman.
By the time she woke up again, she found herself inside a cell in Hela City’s prison.
It was dark, damp, and deathly silent.
Sitting up from the floor, Celeste ran her fingers through her hair and rubbed her head vigorously.
The spot where that woman had punched her still throbbed with intense pain.
‘Damn it, she has no sense of sportsmanship! If I had just one more chance, there’s no way I’d be knocked out so quickly!’
Standing up, she surveyed her surroundings.
She found that the dungeon had only an Iron Gate and a high window.
Judging by the moonlight filtering through the window, she knew it was currently night outside.
This was the perfect time for a prison break.
As for why she was in such a hurry to escape…
The Inquisition was the institution in Hela City responsible for capturing criminals; that woman was surely an Inquisitor from that organization.
Since she, a Witch, had been captured but not executed on the spot, they were definitely preparing to interrogate her to find the whereabouts of other Witches.
Therefore, the interrogation methods would undoubtedly be incredibly cruel!
In a dark interrogation room, the candlelight would be dim, a wooden horse would be swaying, and a barbed whip would lie beside cold shackles.
In a gloomy corner, many bizarre torture devices would be displayed…
Just thinking about such a scene made Celeste tremble uncontrollably.
‘Escape. I have to get out of here right now!’
The next moment, she fixed her eyes on the cell’s Iron Gate.
Her few remaining drops of Eros Energy began to surge, and before long, two lines of small text appeared in her vision.
**[Target for Conquest: Prison Iron Gate]**
**[An Iron Gate that no one cares about. Even though it can imprison the most heinous criminals from the outside world, it still receives no attention. Under the erosion of time, it has now become a broken shell.]**
Exactly!
This was the most incredible aspect of Eros Energy!
It could treat anything other than living beings as a target for conquest.
With the empowerment of Eros Energy, Celeste could directly skip the long progression of pursuit and confess her feelings on the spot!
Not only that, the success rate of the confession was 100%!
Once the confession was successful, she could unlock the target’s Special CG.
**[It hates the blacksmith who forged it; it hates the builders of the prison. Here, it has become a mere background, a habit. People’s neglect drives it more insane than hatred. It would rather be cursed or smashed than remain a lonely soul that no one cares about in this deathly silence.]**
“Don’t think like that.”
Celeste’s gentle voice suddenly rang out in the silent cell.
She walked slowly toward the Iron Gate, her eyes shimmering with compassion.
**[The Iron Gate is caught in a dilemma, unsure if you are speaking to it.]**
“How about now?”
Without hesitation, Celeste stepped forward and embraced the Iron Gate.
**[Feeling the warmth of a human body for the first time, the Iron Gate is stunned. It cannot understand why you would suddenly embrace it.]**
“Because I care about you.”
She let go of the gate.
The chill from the metal seeped through her dress, making Celeste’s complexion turn pale and causing her body to tremble involuntarily.
But she didn’t mind.
She covered her mouth with a smile and spoke to the Iron Gate.
“Look, from now on, you are no longer unnoticed. I see you, and I have felt your temperature. We’ve become friends, haven’t we?”
**[Friends? This title feels fresh to the Iron Gate. However, it soon hopes that you will stop looking at it, because it is no longer as bright and beautiful as it once was.]**
**[Rust has corroded its exterior and its soul, filling it with deep insecurity.]**
“Why wouldn’t you want me to keep looking at you? You should know that right now, you are at your most beautiful.”
Stroking the Iron Gate, Celeste’s voice became increasingly affectionate.
“This rust consists of the marks left by time upon your body, recording the silent contributions you have made, doesn’t it? Without you, this prison would be a mere joke, and Hela City would collapse into chaos because of the criminals. The one I like is exactly this version of you — unambitious and unassuming, yet silently guarding Hela City in the shadows. You shouldn’t feel insecure; you should be proud!”
**[No one has ever said such things to the Iron Gate. It is momentarily stunned, and an unspeakable emotion surges in its heart. If it could cry, it would likely be streaming tears right now.]**
**[In its eyes, you have become its one and only.]**
**[Affection +100. Special CG Unlocked.]**
Empowered by Eros Energy, Celeste only needed to say a few kind words to max out the target’s affection, skipping the long process of pursuit.
And next, it was time to enjoy the Special CG.
*Click —*
Accompanied by a slightly shy, feminine gasp from the keyhole, the Iron Gate’s delicate frame trembled.
Then, within Celeste’s vision, it took graceful, lotus-like steps toward the interior of the cell and rotated slowly.
*Creeeeak —*
Even though the accompaniment of the rusted hinges was incredibly piercing and noisy, it didn’t affect the gate.
The night breeze brushed past, and its skirt-like frame swayed gently; it was like an exceptionally elegant dancer spinning on tiptoes.
Amidst a burning heartbeat, it reached its ultimate destination.
The cell’s Iron Gate was open.
“If I get the chance, I’ll come back to see you.”
Celeste reached out to stroke the wide-open Iron Gate.
After leaving those final words, she dashed straight out of the cell and into the prison corridor.
*Wooooo — !*
At that very moment, the Alarm Magic rang out inside the prison.
Celeste narrowed her eyes and took a quick look around, discovering that she was on the first floor of the prison.
It was currently night, so the prison’s guard presence was thinner than during the day, as was their reaction speed. This gave her an excellent opportunity to escape.
Without any hesitation, she rushed toward the light at the end of the corridor.
At this rate, she would have escaped the prison before the guards could even react.
But if she really did run into a guard along the way… then they could only blame their own bad luck.
“Stop right there!”
*Thud!*
A punch was thrown.
Before the guard who encountered Celeste could even draw the weapon at his waist, he slammed heavily against the wall and fell unconscious.
Seeing that her punch still possessed such immense power, Celeste curled her lips into a confident smirk.
The power levels in this world were generally divided into four major ranks: Iron, Copper, Silver, and Gold. Each major rank was further divided into three stars.
These guards were, at best, at the 3-star Iron Rank.
As for Celeste, her strength had already surpassed the 3-star Iron Rank and entered the 1-star Copper Rank realm.
Being knocked out by that woman earlier was just because she had been careless.
If she were given another chance, she would let her know the true meaning of cruelty!
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