I am the Holy Poisoner, the Empress advised me to calm down

"Oh no! You're back so soon!" Mary said gritting her teeth.

Seeing the dire situation, Gavin reacted quickly: "Now is not the time to discuss these matters. The most urgent thing is to deal with the current trouble. Arya, can we start the plan you mentioned earlier?"

Faced with this unexpected turn of events, Arya seemed even calmer. "Alright, let's proceed as planned. Remember, the goal is to delay as much time as possible to disrupt the Dark Apostle. I will do my best to guide this power."

As her command was issued, the entire team immediately entered into a tense and organized battle mode. Thrall stood firm, steady and reliable like a boulder, blocking all frontal attacks. Meli cast spells to provide powerful assistance and support to the team. Gavin shuttled across the battlefield, searching for opportunities to break through. And Aiden, as the commander, flexibly mobilized every available resource to launch a precise counterattack.

-"Hey brothers, I didn't expect to see such a magnificent scene." A black-clad warrior watching the battle not far away couldn't help but sigh.

-"That's right, especially the moment when that little girl attacked, I was really scared to death." Another echoed.

At the same time, the black-clad leader who was watching all this happening not far away had an increasingly complex and unpredictable look on his face, and he was subtly wavering in his heart about whether to continue to stop this group of foreign visitors...

As the battle intensified to its climax, the cave resounded with roars and dazzling sparks of magical collision. Arya's hope of "creating a glimmer of hope" gradually showed results—the beast, once so imposing and destructive, was cleverly distracted and gradually began to show signs of exhaustion from its repeated powerful attacks.

"Now!" After sensing the arrival of the fighter plane, Aiden decisively seized the opportunity and shouted, "Everyone, concentrate your firepower! Take out this monster with one all-out attack!"

Just when everyone was about to launch a fatal attack to completely resolve the crisis at hand——

"Oh no, Captain! Another large number of unidentified people are coming this way, and it seems they have bad intentions!" The young man who had just been in charge of the guard work ran back breathlessly and reported.

At this moment, everyone present couldn't help but feel their hearts suddenly tighten, and they all turned to look in the direction of the sound. They saw a group of dark shadows approaching the cave entrance quickly...

"Damn it!" Aiden stomped his foot fiercely, a glint of determination flashing in his eyes. "No matter what, we must first get rid of this giant beast before making any plans. Are you ready, everyone?"

-"We are ready to follow your footsteps at any time, until the last moment." The team members said in unison.

With these words, a new battle, both unknown and fraught with suspense, began... The tension in the air instantly reached its peak. Aiden's sword gleamed, dazzling in the dim cavern. Meli's eyes closed, her lips trembling as she chanted a spell. Thrall held his shield steady before him, as if guaranteeing everyone's last line of defense. Arya's eyes gleamed with unprecedented determination. She took a deep breath, "Come on, then! Let those ignorant souls know we are not so easily defeated!"

As she gave the order, the entire team immediately became a tightly knit whole. Just as everyone concentrated on fighting the giant monster before them, the sound of heavy footsteps from afar gradually became clearer, signaling the imminent arrival of more enemies.

Just as the battle was about to enter the most critical moment, several black-clad warriors hiding in the corner began whispering to each other.

-"Brother, where do you think this group of people came from? It seems that they are quite powerful." said a short but extremely agile man.

-"Who knows? But that little girl named Arya is really powerful. She confused the giant beast with just one move. Didn't you see how ugly the boss's face was just now?" Another older and more ferocious-looking veteran responded in a low voice.

-"Really? I think that little girl is quite capable, but what surprised me the most was the guy with the sword (referring to Aiden). He is just a mortal, but he launched several waves of attacks in such a short time. Even our people almost couldn't withstand it..." The third person couldn't help but interrupt.

Meanwhile, Aiden, busy fighting the outsiders, remained vigilant. Even in the face of this new threat, his expression remained steely. "Ready!" he shouted in response to Arya's question. "Let's put an end to this!"

At this moment, the enemies who had originally formed a semicircle seemed to notice the new situation and began to exchange glances with each other. One of them hesitated for a moment, but finally mustered up the courage to speak:

-"Wait, wait... maybe we can consider a different way to solve the problem."

Upon hearing this, the atmosphere in the cave grew tense. Everyone paused and looked at the speaker—unbelievably a neutral member who had remained silent until then. Clearly, he was concerned about the current stalemate and hoped to find a more peaceful solution. "Since your purpose is so noble, why not put down your weapons and listen to both sides' arguments before making a decision?"

Everyone present was stunned for a moment by this proposal. Even the previously aloof and arrogant leader in black had a flicker of hesitation. In response, Arya nodded gently, "This is actually one of our goals—to avoid unnecessary bloodshed."

Seeing the other party relent, Aiden followed up, "But if anyone dares to stand in our way, no matter who they are, we will never give in easily."

As the two sides' positions gradually drew closer, the sound of increasingly loud footsteps in the distance finally reached them—a group of figures, also wearing black uniforms but clad in distinctly different attire from the original enemy group, emerged. "What's going on here? I'm the leader here. Tell me what's going on," a tall, commanding woman inquired from the front row, her sharp gaze sweeping across the room until she settled on the key figures, who remained standing in a defensive posture...

"It seems the story isn't over yet." The woman smiled, breaking the silence. "Let me introduce myself. My name is Carol, and I'm one of the true guardians of this underground maze. As for the 'Guardian Heritage'..." She paused, her eyes softening. "I think I know something that can help you."