Metal clicking sounds echoed as more rats entered the cage wrapped around An Lang’s body.

The fifth one was already entering through the mouth, pulling at the last piece of meat, while the ones behind it were also pressing forward with wet chittering sounds spreading through the air.

"Leon, An Lang." Liu Yan said and pointed a trembling finger after Leon had set her far from the liquid fire.

"I know. I will get him also." Leon said, brushed the strand of Liu Yan’s hair back, then turned.

He ran and covered the distance in seconds, then drove his boot into the mass of rats trying to enter the cage.

The force scattered the rats, throwing some into the liquid fire, while the ones that hit the wall squealed and came back.

"GET BACK!" Leon screamed when he saw the rats coming after he had ejected two from the cage.

The rats paused and watched as Leon slammed the flat surface of Wu Ze’s sword on the ground between them and the cage, which sent a loud banging sound echoing through the floor.

Leon grabbed the lock keeping the cage shut, then shifted his gaze to An Lang’s slowly dying face.

Leon shifted his gaze back to the lock, then slammed the sword on it, which sent sparks flying.

The first strike only scratched the lock but didn’t open it. The second caused some part of the sword’s blade to cramp inside.

And when the third strike landed, the lock snapped. Leon tore the top open and shoved the two rats that were trying to enter An Lang’s stomach out, then hurled them into the liquid fire. "FUCK!"

An Lang’s eyes were closing when Leon shifted his gaze back to his face. "Hey, hey, An Lang."

Leon smacked An Lang on the face until he saw the eyes blinking and opening.

An Lang looked at Leon for a moment but screamed when he felt something rip his intestines apart from the inside. "FUCK! It hurts."

Tears trailed down his eyes when he lowered his head and saw something rising up and down under his skin.

"Hey, hey," Leon smacked An Lang on the face again, drifting his eyes to him. "I’m here, okay. We will get out of here."

An Lang shut his eyes hard, while shaking his head slowly. When he cracked them open, he looked at Leon, then smiled.

When Leon tried to let him stand, An Lang grabbed Leon’s right arm hard, while taking a deep breath through his clenched teeth.

"Hey," he said in a voice that sounded wrong. "Did you save the food."

Leon threw a shocked glance at An Lang, then smiled faintly. "A lot of food is there. But right now we have to get out of here first before you can have them. Come on, force yourself to stand."

Leon pulled An Lang upright and got under his arm, then began to move toward where Liu Yan stood.

As soon as they stopped by Liu Yan, watery blood gushed out of the wound on An Lang’s stomach.

"Shit! Leon. It hurts." He screamed, placing his left palm on his stomach, trying to push whatever was inside out with a brutal force.

Leon pushed An Lang up when he collapsed on one leg. "Hey, hey. Look at me. We are getting out of here. You’ll be okay once we are out of here. You get me?"

Tears and sweat trailed thin lines on Leon’s face as the vapors of the liquid fire caught up with them.

Liu Yan pushed herself on her trembling legs and watched as Leon anchored An Lang to her side.

Her face shimmered with joy when she saw An Lang, but the joy died the moment she also saw something moving quickly beneath An Lang’s skin.

"Leon, An Lang," she said, pointing toward An Lang’s stomach, while covering her mouth with her left palm.

"I know," Leon said, helping An Lang lean against the wall. "But we can’t stay here to check what that is. We have to move now before"

Before Leon could finish his statement, moving shadows began appearing on the wall behind them, and at their front.

Leon handed the black dagger to Liu Yan, then placed a hand on her left shoulder. "Stay here, don’t move. And try to be quiet."

He stood up, placed slow steps forward then began walking toward the path he wanted them to take.

At that same time, footsteps began echoing louder while figures with horns on their heads also began appearing one after another.

When the first Syr appeared, Leon’s face turned pale. And just as he turned to signal Liu Yan and An Lang, his courage broke down seeing countless Syrs standing at their side.

"NO!" Leon screamed then charged against the five-foot Syr he saw coming toward him and chopped its head off with Wu Ze’s sword.

The head stayed on for a little longer before tilting and landing on the floor.

Liu Yan tried fighting the Syrs with the dagger but ended up losing it when Aurelian appeared from the back and slapped her on the face.

"Why are you so stubborn." He screamed at her, then gave her a second slap on the left cheek. "Instead of leaving everything aside and staying in the castle, you decided to chase after them."

Aurelian brushed a finger across Liu Yan’s face to her neck, then kicked her in the stomach. "This is what you get when you want to be in charge of your own way."

"AURELIAN!" Leon screamed and dashed toward him, raising the sword while his eyes blazed with pure rage. "I will kill you."

Aurelian sighed, then folded his arms on his chest, then moved slow steps forward.

Immediately Leon reached a few meters away from him, Aurelian stopped and kicked a burning rod from the liquid fire.

The reddened rod flew in the air, sending sparks around until it smacked on Leon’s face, causing him to fall on the ground.

"Look how weak you humans are." Aurelian said, then continued moving toward Leon. "You think you’re wise and strong, not knowing we the gods are the ones that gave you such knowledge and power."

Leon exhaled sharply and clenched his fist. "You are no god!"

Aurelian’s face shifted into a confused expression for half a second, then burst into laughter. "Really? Humans."

He walked back toward the Syrs, looked at An Lang’s dying face, then Liu Yan’s wet face.

Leon pushed himself up and dashed forward while Aurelian was looking at Liu Yan but ended up getting blocked by an invisible wall.

"Did you think you could sneak attack me?" Aurelian asked when he turned and saw Leon struggling to set himself free from the zero-gravity wall he had created.

Leon didn’t answer, but kept on slamming the sword, trying to break the wall he couldn’t even see, but could feel through his bones when the sword’s blade hit and bounced back.

"Despite all my gratitude for you guys, you planned on not staying and taking the very thing that gives us air? Who does that? Leon, tell me." Aurelian said and frowned.

He gestured at two Syrs who then moved forward and grabbed Liu Yan’s hands and dragged her away.

"HEY! BRING HER BACK! BRING HER BACK!" Leon screamed in a heartfelt cry but stopped when Liu Yan looked at him and closed her eyes before she was completely taken out.