Let's Train Heroine - Chapter 346

Chapter 346: Heroine’s Companion Virnda II
Vrinda stepped into the chamber at the end of the glowing path, her breath catching at the sight before her. In the center of the vast room was the Fake Heart of the Verdant Labyrinth, glowing with an otherworldly green light and pulsating like a living thing.

“I finally found it!” she exclaimed, a grin spreading across her face. Have to act, she didn’t want whoever watching her to know that she could even tell difference between fake and real.

But her fake excitement was short-lived.

As she approached, a figure leaped down from the shadows above, landing with an exaggerated bow. The being looked like a clown out of a nightmare, with a painted white face, a wide, crooked grin, and wild green hair that seemed to writhe like vines. He wore a patchwork suit of leaves and thorns, and his elongated fingers were tipped with thorn-like claws.

“Welcome, dear intruder!” the guardian said, his voice a mix of mockery and glee. “I am the Guardian of the Heart, and I must say, you’re the first guest in centuries. Shall we dance?”

Vrinda groaned, “A dancing clown? Really? This just gets weirder by the minute.”

The guardian cackled. “Oh, I’m much more than a clown, darling. I’m your worst nightmare!” With a dramatic twirl, he summoned a writhing wall of vines that shot toward her.

Vrinda jumped back, narrowly avoiding the vine assault. “Worst nightmare? Please. I’ve met worse babysitters.” She conjured a barrage of light arrows, aiming for the guardian, but the vines intercepted them, disintegrating the magic.

“Nice try, sweetheart,” the guardian teased, his grin widening. “But you’ll need more than party tricks to beat me!”

He flicked his wrist, and the vines shot forward again, this time wrapping around Vrinda’s legs. She gasped as they tightened, pulling her toward him.

“Oh no, you don’t!” Vrinda growled. She summoned a burst of magic, creating an illusion of herself breaking free and running to the other side of the chamber.

The guardian tilted his head, confused. “Oh? A twin? How delightful!” He lashed out at the illusion, only for his vines to pass through it.

“Gotcha!” Vrinda shouted, using the distraction to conjure a blade of light and slice through the vines holding her.

The guardian clapped his hands, his laughter echoing in the chamber. “Illusions, huh? I like your style. But let’s see how real your tricks are!”

Vrinda smirked. “Oh, they’re very real.”

She created an illusion of the chamber shrinking, the walls closing in on the guardian. He looked around, his grin faltering for a moment.

“Clever girl,” he muttered, before summoning a massive, thorn-covered whip from his vines and striking at the walls. The illusion shattered, and Vrinda cursed under her breath.

“Let’s make this more fun!” the guardian declared, summoning a rain of thorny vines that filled the air like a deadly storm.

Vrinda dodged and weaved, using her illusions to create decoys of herself, which the vines targeted instead. But the sheer volume of attacks left little room for her to counter.

“Is that all you’ve got?” the guardian taunted, swinging his vine whip again.

Vrinda gritted her teeth, an idea forming in her mind. “You want real? Fine. Let’s get real.”

Vrinda summoned a new illusion, this time creating a massive, roaring dragon made entirely of flame. The dragon lunged at the guardian, its fiery breath engulfing him.

The guardian screamed, flailing as the fire consumed him. But just as Vrinda thought she had won, his laughter echoed through the flames.

“Hot, hot, hot!” he said, stepping out of the fire completely unscathed. “But not hot enough!”

Vrinda frowned. “You’re really starting to annoy me.”

“Good! That means I’m doing my job!”

She conjured another illusion, this time creating a duplicate of herself armed with a massive hammer. The duplicate charged at the guardian, swinging the hammer with enough force to shake the ground.

The guardian dodged, but Vrinda used the distraction to summon a real weapon—a glowing spear of light. She hurled it at him, striking his shoulder and causing him to stagger.

“Ha! Got you!” she said, triumphantly.

The guardian winced, but his grin remained. “Oh, you’re good. But I’m better!”

The guardian raised his arms, and the entire chamber came alive with vines. They shot out from every direction, forming a massive, writhing beast. The guardian climbed onto its back, laughing maniacally.

“Meet my little friend!” he said, gesturing to the vine monster. “I call him Mr. Thorny.”

Vrinda rolled her eyes. “Of course you do.”

The vine beast lunged at her, and she narrowly avoided its massive claws. Summoning her magic, Vrinda created an illusion of a giant knight made of stone, which charged at the beast.

While the illusion fought the vine monster, Vrinda focused her energy on her final move. She created a massive illusion of the Heart of the Labyrinth, placing it behind the guardian.

“Hey, clown boy!” she shouted. “Look what I’ve got!”

The guardian’s eyes widened as he saw the glowing heart. “What?! How did you—?”

As he lunged toward the illusion, Vrinda struck. She summoned a massive wave of light magic, channeling it through the real spear and hurling it at the guardian’s chest.

This time, it hit him squarely, sending him crashing to the ground.

The vines receded, and the chamber fell silent. Vrinda approached the fallen guardian cautiously, her spear still glowing in her hand.

The guardian groaned, sitting up and rubbing his head. “Well, that was fun,” he said, his grin smaller but still present.

“Fun? You tried to kill me!” Vrinda snapped.

The guardian chuckled. “Details, details. You’ve proven yourself worthy, little magician. The Heart is yours.”

With a wave of his hand, the fake Heart of the Labyrinth floated toward her, glowing brighter than ever.

Vrinda hesitated, then took it, feeling its power course through her.

“Congratulations,” the guardian said, standing up and dusting himself off. “But next time, bring snacks. It gets boring down here.”

Vrinda shook her head, laughing despite herself. “You’re insane.”

“Thank you! Let’s meet again.” he said with a bow.

“No, I don’t want,” she said and left the chamber, Heart in hand.

—

“A power to turn illusion into reality, she is powerful,” The elder said.

“Yes she is but what is that Joker doing here?” Aurelia asked.

“He just wanted to watch how’s your world’s people doing,” The elder said.

“I hope I don’t meet this annoying guy,” Aurelia crossed her arms and said.