Chapter 52: Guiding the Black Panther

Trying to remember what she knew from her previous life, Lydia searched through her memories for anything that might explain the situation.

Unfortunately, nothing useful came to mind. Why had she never heard about this before?

Wait a minute.

Lydia remembered hearing that only a handful of SSS-Rank Sentinels existed in the Adrestian Empire.

Apart from her father and Brother Sylvain, there were only a few others with the same rank.

She had never paid much attention to the details, though.

Back then, studying had taken up most of her time, and she had spent countless days cramming in her dorm instead of socializing with other students.

Still, there was one person she vaguely remembered.

There had only ever been one SSS-Rank Sentinel at Belfort University.

Reaching that rank while still a student was an extraordinary feat in itself. He eventually joined the Imperial Elite Sentinels, too.

According to what she had heard, that person had resigned from the force later on. Lydia had never learned much about them, only that they were her senior.

Could Senior Zach be that person?

Before Lydia could explore the possibility any further, the sight of Zachary brought her attention back to the present.

His condition was getting worse.

Zachary’s eyes had turned completely black, with no trace of green remaining. The space around him warped under the pressure of his unstable Resonance.

Ephraim’s loss of control at Belfort University had been frightening, but Zachary’s condition was far worse.

[Resonance Stress: 96%]

"Go away!" he shouted. "Please, don’t make me do this. Leave me alone!"

Zachary’s voice came out as a rough growl.

Several giant dark spheres began swirling around him. Each sphere pulsed with dangerous energy.

Even without touching them, Lydia could feel the immense pressure they released.

She dodged as several spheres shot past her and struck the tables and sofas in Room 302.

The furniture vanished on impact. Not shattered. Not reduced to rubble.

"Gone without a trace. Not even a speck of dust remained. Senior sure wasn’t joking about his power."

Loud wind howled around Zachary, carrying dark energy that twisted through the air like a violent storm.

Swirling darkness surrounded him as he floated in the middle of the room.

"I won’t let you become a Mindless, Senior. Ever." Lydia clenched her hands. "I’m not leaving!"

A powerful current swept through the area, forcing Lydia to brace herself against the invisible pressure.

"I will never give up on you."

The sharp air cut into Lydia’s arms and legs, leaving painful stings with every movement.

"Senior! Stop attacking me!"

Zachary didn’t answer. His eyes remained almost completely black, and the darkness surrounding him continued to grow.

Lydia threw herself aside to dodge another spheres, but their sharp force sliced across her skin, drawing thin lines of blood. She gritted her teeth and kept moving.

Before the second sphere could hit her, Lydia darted toward Zachary and pulled him into her embrace.

"Let me guide you, Senior. You aren’t alone."

His body stiffened in surprise, and for a moment, the dark energy around them seemed to falter.

"You have me, okay? I’m right here, and I’m not going anywhere."

Taking advantage of that brief opening, Lydia tiptoed and kissed him gently.

The kiss was gentle at first, but soon, it turned into a passionate one. Messy and sloppy kiss as Zachary reciprocate her.

Lydia held on to him, refusing to let the dangerous current push them apart.

Then everything changed.

The moment Lydia opened her eyes, the world around her was no longer the same.

The swirling darkness had vanished, along with the violent wind and the distorted air. Instead, an endless black space stretched in every direction.

Lydia couldn’t tell whether she was falling or floating. There was no ground beneath her feet, no sky above her head, and nothing around her but endless darkness.

What in the world was happening?

She tried to move, but the strange sensation continued until her feet finally touched a solid surface.

There was a huge black door framed with golden trim at the end of the hallway.

"This must be Senior Zach’s Spiritual Domain."

When she pushed it open, deafening cheers erupted from every direction.

Lydia flinched and turned toward the sound, only to discover that she was standing in the middle of a massive casino.

Bright lights flashed across the vast interior, illuminating rows of gaming machines and enormous digital displays.

Holographic cards floated above several tables, while colorful numbers and symbols changed across the screens.

Some machines spun with dazzling animations, and others displayed complicated betting interfaces Lydia had never seen before.

Countless figures crowded the gaming tables, laughing, cheering, and celebrating their apparent victories.

Some raised their hands triumphantly, while others leaned over the tables with intense concentration.

Their clothes varied from elegant suits to haute couture outfits decorated with glowing accessories.

There was just one problem.

Lydia couldn’t make out any of their faces.

Every person in the casino had a blurry, shadowed face, as though someone had deliberately erased their features.

Despite that, they behaved as if nothing was wrong. They continued gambling and celebrating, completely absorbed in their own activities.

Before Lydia could make sense of the strange sight, playing cards drifted past her face.

Then another.

Soon, cards began raining gently from above, fluttering through the air like pieces of paper caught in a soft breeze.

Some landed on the floor, while others spun lazily around the gaming tables. A few even settled on the shoulders of the faceless guests, who didn’t seem to notice them.

Lydia stared at the scene in disbelief.

"Why am I in a casino?" she muttered, turning in a slow circle. "This must be Senior Zach’s Spiritual Domain, isn’t it? Did I get it wrong?"

Of all the places she could have ended up, why a casino? Was this how Zachary saw the world?

Everything looked grand and luxurious, from the glowing tables to the golden decorations, yet the place felt cold and emotionless.

But then again, this was Zachary Ludenberg. The man could probably buy the entire Empire—and the planet, if he felt like it.

Perhaps she shouldn’t have been surprised.

Still, the cheering crowd and endless rows of gaming machines were a far cry from the violent darkness she had just escaped.

Lydia glanced at the cards drifting around her, then back at the enormous casino stretching into the distance.

"All right, Senior Zach," she whispered, a soft smile touching her lips. "Where are you, hm? Your Guide is here to take you home. So come out, my silly panther. Let me bring you back home."