Brainwashed Then Woke Up To Find My Childhood Friend a Hero

10. Are we executing the plan?!

I don’t fully grasp the situation, but I immediately spring into action. I call out to a nearby guard,

“Hey, guard!”

The guard, startled by my sudden call, turns around.

In that moment of distraction, I break through the bars.

“What the—!”

While the guard is still in shock, I use my body enhancement to envelop myself in a dark aura, then deliver a powerful blow to the guard’s stomach, knocking him out cold.

The commotion continues unabated. I dash toward Cell 1. The guards I pass, upon seeing me cloaked in dark aura, are taken aback, and a few start to approach, but they can’t match the enhanced speed of my legs. I evade the guards with a burst of momentum and kick down the door to the punishment room.

In the center, the pillar that drains magical energy still emits a purple glow, and the flow of purple light feels more intense than the last time I saw it.

“Is it absorbing more magic?”

Even while using body enhancement, I feel like I might lose my magic if I don’t concentrate hard enough.

I focus my energy and strain as I gaze at the pillar in the room.

“If magic is being transported from this pillar, then if I shatter it—!”

I concentrate my body enhancement and raise my fist above the pillar, bringing it down with a resounding crack! The pillar splits vertically. In that instant, the main flow of magic rushing toward the broken part and the powerful suction pulls me into the pillar.

“What the—! The Immutable Holy Wall!”

In the pitch-black void, I activated the Unyielding Holy Barrier to protect myself. Wrapped in a shroud of darkness, I collided with corners but was ultimately thrown into a vast space.

Whoosh!

I was ejected with considerable force, burying myself and the Holy Barrier into the ground, but I deactivated the skill, climbed up, and surveyed my surroundings.

I was left dumbfounded by the sight before me.

The space was dome-shaped, with numerous columns sprouting from the walls, and a purple light—likely magical energy—was being emitted toward the center.

And most strikingly, at the center stood a particularly large column, to which a girl was bound.

Her clothes were tattered, and she was restrained by several tubes.

I realized that the person I had heard about was indeed her.

I tried to rush over to rescue her, enhancing my body, but a dense layer of magical energy surged from all around, making it difficult to advance.

“Ugh… Where is all this magic coming from…?”

The magical energy directed toward her seemed to be absorbed by the massive column through her.

As I drew closer, her figure became clearer.

Purple hair, skin like white porcelain, and what caught my eye the most—

“Two horns…!”

From her appearance, I understood that she was a demon. However,

“To be captured in a place like this…”

It was clear that this was no ordinary situation.

I steeled myself.

“Body enhancement and skill [Holy Armor]!”

Dark armor enveloped my body, and a dark aura surged forth from me.

Confirming that the skill had fully activated, I sprinted with all my might. It was somewhat easier thanks to the skill, but the layer of magical energy grew denser as I approached the center.

But still,

“If I’ve decided to save her, I can’t afford to lose!”

I summoned all my perseverance and ran toward her.

Barely reaching the central column,

I summoned my last ounce of strength,

Tore away the tubes binding her, and caught the girl as she fell, now without support.

Perhaps I had overexerted myself, as I collapsed on the spot, my consciousness fading… and then I faintly heard a voice.

“Papa?”