Villainess X Villain: They are obsessed with each other!

Chapter 132 -: 131 The Love Guardian’s hypocrisy.[1]

As Julius and Rosalina finished putting on their black robes and creepy smiling masks, Crypian and Alia stood together on the 10th floor.

They were facing a raised stone platform.

On top of the platform sat a tall knight wearing full red armor that covered every inch of his body.

The knight sat completely still on a large throne made of dark stone.

In front of the throne, a huge red sword lay flat on the ground.

Both the knight and the sword looked frozen, as if they had not moved for hundreds of years.

Crypian stared at the motionless knight with a worried look on his face.

He tried once again to open his system.

"Status window..." he whispered quietly.

Nothing appeared.

No blue screen, no glowing letters, no familiar voice in his head. The space in front of him stayed empty.

He let out a long, tired sigh and kept staring at the empty air. His heart felt heavy.

Without the system, he felt blind. All his growth, all his advantages, everything could disappear.

He would go back to being just an ordinary person, the same weak boy from his previous life who was used and thrown away by everyone.

The thought made his chest tight with fear.

"Crypian," Alia said softly.

Her voice gently pulled him out of his dark thoughts. He turned his head toward her.

Alia stood close beside him.

She slowly tucked a strand of her long brown hair behind her ear.

A soft pink blush colored her cheeks.

The blush had many reasons, the long, dangerous journey, the life-threatening battles they had faced together, and the way their feelings for each other had grown stronger with every challenge they overcame.

Crypian looked at her from the corner of his eye.

Throughout this entire tower climb, Alia had stayed right by his side.

She never complained. She never became a burden.

Instead, her quick and sharp mind had helped them escape many deadly situations.

A warm, grateful smile slowly appeared on Crypian’s face as he watched her.

"Yeah," he answered with a small nod.

He took one step forward toward the raised platform.

Alia also stepped forward and stood right next to him.

They both knew what this trial was.

The mysterious voice that spoke on every floor had already explained the rules clearly.

They looked at each other again. Nervous energy filled the air between them.

Their hearts beat faster than usual.

They took a slow, deep breath together.

Then, in one voice, they called out clearly toward the motionless red knight:

"Love Guardian, wake up!"

Crypian and Alia raised their hands at the same time and gently placed them on the cold stone platform.

"We have come here to take on the trial!" they said together.

This trial was known as the Love Trial.

Once someone started it, the knight called the Love Guardian would wake up.

He would ask several questions about their feelings.

If they answered correctly and proved their love was strong and true, the knight would accept them as his new masters.

This was also why Julius felt so confident about clearing this floor.

Even though Crypian and Alia already had the key to move to the 11th floor, they still chose to take the trial.

They both knew how powerful this red knight was, and they did not want to leave any risks behind.

"I, Crypian Thorne, and my partner, Alia Ruth, are here to take on the trial," Crypian spoke clearly, his voice steady.

"Please proceed with the trial!"

The moment he finished speaking, a bright red light burst out from the platform.

It filled the entire area with a warm, glowing shine.

Rumble! Rumble! Rumble! Rumble!

Heavy rumbling sounds echoed across the 10th floor.

The large red sword lying on the ground began to shake and slowly lift into the air.

Then, the knight’s armored hands started to move with a loud metallic clink.

"Welcome!"

A deep, powerful voice came from inside the red armor.

The Love Guardian slowly stood up from his throne.

His heavy armor made loud clinking sounds as he rose.

He reached down, grabbed the huge red sword with both hands, and stabbed it firmly into the stone ground in front of him.

"This is the Love Trial!" the knight continued in his strong, deep voice.

"Once you clear all the conditions, you will be accepted as my masters. However..."

He paused for a moment. A bright red glint flashed in his eyes.

"If love even more pure than yours appears, I will abandon you!"

Crypian and Alia flinched at those words. They quickly exchanged nervous glances.

Their hearts beat faster, but after a second, they both nodded to each other.

They had complete faith in their feelings for one another.

"We accept!" both of them said at the same time, their voices clear and determined.

"Very well then!" the Love Guardian spoke in his deep, powerful voice.

He looked at Crypian and Alia for a long moment, his red eyes glowing faintly inside the helmet.

Then he raised his huge red sword high above his head and slammed it hard onto the stone ground.

Boom!

A loud explosion echoed through the 10th floor.

At the same time, a huge red magic circle appeared on the ground.

The circle quickly grew bigger and spread out until it completely covered the area around Crypian and Alia.

"Do not lie!" the Love Guardian said firmly. "If you lie, the trial shall end immediately."

Crypian and Alia looked around at the glowing red circle, then nodded to each other.

"We shall not lie about what we feel!" they both said at the same time, their voices steady.

"Very well..." the Love Guardian nodded slowly.

He loosened his tight grip on the handle of the sword and let it rest point-down on the ground.

"I shall ask you 5 questions," the Love Guardian continued.

"Once you answer them all correctly, you shall proceed to the next floor, and I shall become your guardian for life."

"We understand!" Crypian said. He took a deep breath and glanced at Alia.

"We can do this," Alia spoke with strong conviction shining in her eyes.

Seeing her confident and determined expression, a warm, reassuring feeling filled Crypian’s heart.

He turned back toward the knight and said clearly, "You may ask the questions!"

The Love Guardian nodded.

He looked at the two of them with a satisfied gaze, then spoke in a serious tone.

"Here is the first question."

The moment he said those words, everything around them became completely quiet. The air felt heavy.

"Thump... Thump... Thump... Thump..."

Crypian and Alia’s hearts started beating louder and faster.

Sweat began to form on Crypian’s forehead as they waited nervously.

Drip!

One drop of sweat fell from Crypian’s face and hit the ground. In the silence, the Love Guardian’s deep voice finally echoed:

"What is love?"