Chen Mo didn't speak.
He just stared at POH, his chest heaving violently, his body covered in wounds of all sizes, from which red data corruption light points continuously overflowed, like a porcelain vessel about to shatter.
POH was very satisfied with Chen Mo's reaction. He raised the "friend-slaying cleaver" in his hand.
That scarlet demonic weapon, born for the slaughter of companions, cut a grotesque arc through the air.
The blade's target was not Chen Mo.
It was the girl in the cage, immobilized by paralysis and utterly defenseless.
"Then, let's see..."
POH's voice was filled with morbid anticipation, every word like a viper's tongue.
"Will the so-called god of strategy shed a single drop of blood for his beloved?"
The knife fell.
The grotesque weapon rapidly enlarged in Argo's pupils. The shadow of death had never been so clear.
Chen Mo's brain issued no commands.
His body had already reacted.
Boom!
The stone floor beneath him exploded, spiderweb-like cracks spreading outwards.
He transformed into a black afterimage, tearing through the air, forcefully crossing the tens of meters at a speed that trampled system rules.
He abandoned all defense.
He abandoned all evasion.
He staked everything on this single charge.
Poof!
The dull, viscous sound of a blade piercing flesh echoed throughout the entire maze.
Time resumed its flow.
POH's wild grin froze.
Kirito, unable to move due to paralysis, was left with pure shock on his face.
Argo curled up in the cage, staring blankly at everything unfolding before her.
Chen Mo.
He stood in front of the iron cage.
The massive "friend-slaying cleaver" had entered through his back and exited through his chest.
From the tip of the blade, his warm "life" dripped.
He used his own flesh and blood to take this fatal blow for her.
His HP bar instantly turned red.
Only a sliver of health remained, flickering wildly like a candle in the wind amidst the flashing red alarm, teetering on the brink.
"Cough..."
Chen Mo coughed out fragmented data particles, his face as pale as paper.
But he smiled.
He looked at POH, who was close by and utterly bewildered, and showed a weak, yet relieved smile.
Before POH could react to this sudden turn of events, Chen Mo used his last ounce of strength to do two things.
He raised his blood-stained left hand and, with all his might, slammed his fist onto the iron cage's lock.
Bang!
The steel lock, under his terrifying and unreasonable strength, snapped!
At the same time, his right hand retrieved a purification crystal emitting a soft white glow from his ITEM slot and, with an irresistible force, pressed it into Argo's cold palm.
"Kill him."
He whispered in a breathy voice only they could hear.
After saying this, all strength drained from his body. He slid down the cold iron cage to the ground, his consciousness plunging into boundless darkness.
A white light flashed.
Argo's paralysis instantly lifted.
She felt her body regain sensation, felt the lingering warmth of his hand on the crystal in her grasp.
And she saw... Chen Mo, lying before her, the terrifying butcher knife still in his chest, his life force so weak it was almost gone.
In that instant.
Something shattered within Argo's heart.
Fear, helplessness, worry, self-reproach... all emotions, at this moment, converged into the most primal, purest — anger!
"Ah ah ah ah ah ah—!"
A scream, sharp and inhuman, erupted from deep within her throat.
Those nimble cat eyes, which always smiled like crescent moons, were now completely consumed by a Blood red hue.
She didn't go to help Chen Mo.
She didn't even look at him again.
She slowly stood up, flexed her recovered wrists, and then drew from her waist her most beloved, and most deadly, weapons — her claws.
"You..."
POH snapped out of his shock. He looked at the girl before him, whose aura had suddenly undergone a drastic change, and for the first time, a feeling called "unease" arose in his heart.
He wanted to pull the butcher knife out of Chen Mo.
Too late.
Argo's figure vanished.
An extremely fast afterimage, accompanied by a shriek that tore through the air, instantly closed in on him.
"A rat... dares to bite people?"
POH subconsciously wanted to retreat and raise his arm to block.
However, Argo's attack exceeded his comprehension.
It wasn't an ordinary claw strike.
It was a hidden continuous sword skill, unique to her, which she had never displayed before anyone!
How could an Information Broker who spent her days in the most dangerous depths of the maze not have a trump card for survival?
[Shadow Claw · Thirteen Star Combo]!
Puff puff puff puff puff—!
A series of airtight cutting sounds suddenly erupted!
Thirteen deep, bone-visible claw marks exploded in succession across POH's chest, abdomen, neck... every vital point on his body!
Each strike precisely evaporated a large chunk of his HP!
POH's expression, from bewilderment to terror, finally turned into complete disbelief.
He looked down at his instantly emptied HP bar, opened his mouth, as if to say something.
Ultimately, not a single word escaped him.
His body transformed into scattered light particles, dissipating into the air.
Only the "friend-slaying cleaver" remained, still embedded in Chen Mo, clanging as it fell to the ground.
The maze entrance was in dead silence.
Argo stood quietly in place, her chest heaving violently, her blood-red eyes sweeping over the last few remaining members of "Laughing Coffin" who were preparing to flee after their leader's demise.
Those individuals, caught by her gaze as if stared down by the Grim Reaper, screamed and crushed their teleportation crystals, disappearing in a frantic mess.
Until the entire space was devoid of a single enemy.
Only then did the blood-red color slowly recede from Argo's eyes.
She turned around and walked, step by step, to Chen Mo's side.
She knelt on the ground and carefully, gently, held him in her arms, as if cradling the world's most precious, fragile treasure.
"Idiot..."
"You... big idiot..."
Tears finally broke free, large drops falling onto Chen Mo's pale face.
Just then, Kirito's paralysis finally wore off. He stumbled forward, rushing over.
When he saw Chen Mo's tragic state and Argo sobbing as she held him, his entire body froze.
Argo ignored him. She just held the unconscious man tightly in her arms, pressing her forehead against his.
She raised her tear-stained face, looking in the direction where the remnants had vanished, and an unprecedented coldness and resolve flashed in her beautiful cat eyes.
All the playful banter of the past, at this moment, turned to naught.
"I promise..."
Her voice was very soft, yet carried a bone-deep chill.
"Laughing Coffin, not a single one will be left."]