"It’s alright," Nina said gently. "Just make sure you protect yourself tomorrow. Stay safe."

Mona nodded, clutching the items tightly before hurrying off to prepare. 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

. . .

Inside the City Lord’s Residence — Barbarian City

The dungeon was cold, damp, and steeped in darkness.

Zena sat imprisoned within a shadowy stone cell when Yosan stepped inside.

"So," he said coldly, "Zena... I never expected you to betray your master."

His gaze was sharp, merciless.

"He granted you power—and this is how you repay him? Are you tired of living?"

Zena let out a quiet, humorless breath.

"He was never my master. We only made a deal."

She had long grown weary of living like this—trapped in a city, forced to do things she despised.

Perhaps death would be a release.

Only... it was a pity she might never see Nina one last time.

Not long after Nina had left, Yosan had surrounded her home.

She’d known then—she had been exposed.

She didn’t know how he had discovered her, but she had always been prepared for this day.

Fear had long since left her.

"Ungrateful," Yosan sneered. "Tell me—did Nina say anything to you before she left?"

"I already told you. She didn’t say anything," Zena replied, impatience flickering in her voice.

Yosan’s expression darkened.

"If you continue to refuse... then tomorrow, you’ll be taken as a sacrifice as well."

"I’ve already answered you," she said flatly. "Whether you believe me is your problem."

"Fine," Yosan said coldly. "Then don’t blame me for being ruthless."

"Tomorrow—you’ll be offered as well."

He turned and left her cell.

A short distance away, he stopped before another.

"City Lord Drago," he said, looking down at the figure seated in the corner, "have you made your decision?"

Drago glared up at him, fury blazing in his eyes.

"I will never hand over the Spirit Stones. Release me at once—or Spirit Stone City will not let Barbarian City off lightly."

Damned be Sen and Yosan! Not only had they refused to return the stones, but they had also imprisoned him!

If not for Yosan’s strange sorcery catching him off guard, he would never have been captured so easily.

"If you refuse, then I won’t release you," Yosan said coolly. "And I’m not afraid of your Spirit Stone City."

He stepped closer, voice lowering.

"You’d do well to cooperate. If my master comes personally... things won’t remain this simple."

Drago snorted. "Try and take them, then. I will never give them to you. If you dare push me—I’ll destroy the Spirit Stones myself."

"Very well," Yosan said, his expression turning dark. "Then I’ll take them by force."

One by one... all of them refused to yield.

Fine.

Then tomorrow, they would all be sacrificed.

With a final cold glance, he turned and left the dungeon.

***

The next day, Nina and her group stood ready, fully armed, advancing toward the east gate of the city lord’s residence.

"Stop! The city lord’s residence is off-limits!" the guards shouted.

Ridan let out a short scoff. "Try and stop us."

He struck first.

The guards rushed to respond—but they were no match.

Within moments, they were overwhelmed.

The gates were breached.

Some guards fled, rushing to report to Yosan and Sen.

Soon, Nina and the others reached a crossroads.

"Kith," Nina said, clasping his hand briefly, "you take your group to the dungeon. We’ll head to the underground altar."

Her gaze lingered on them. "Be careful."

Kith tightened his grip in return. "You too. If things go wrong—run. Nothing matters more than your safety."

"I will," she promised.

Then they split.

Nina, Odian, and the others headed toward the underground altar.

Kith’s group moved toward the dungeon.

***

At that very moment, Zena and Drago were being escorted... straight toward the underground sacrificial altar.

Mona followed Kith and the others toward the dungeon. As they moved through the corridors, she suddenly felt something—an instinctive pull.

She turned her head sharply toward the inner palace.

Just in time to catch a fleeting glimpse, a small figure blurred around the corner.

Her eyes widened.

Winny!

"It’s him!" she cried, rushing to Kith. "I just saw Winny—he went that way!"

She pointed toward the inner hall.

"Are you certain?" Kith asked.

"I would never mistake him," Mona said firmly. "It’s definitely Winny."

"How many did you see?"

"I only caught a glimpse of him at the end. I didn’t see the others."

Kith paused briefly, thinking.

"Finch—you take a few men and go with her. Rescue her child. Yanai and I will head to the dungeon."

He guessed Winny had likely just been transferred—probably toward the sacrificial altar.

"Understood."

Finch immediately led Mona toward the inner hall.

They caught up quickly.

Mei stepped forward, blocking their path, her brows knitting together. "I’ll hold them off. You—take the captives and move."

"Yes!"

The guards hurried away with the bound beastmen.

And Winny was among them.

The moment he saw Mona, he struggled desperately, crying out, "Mother!"

"Winny!" Mona’s voice broke.

A guard scooped the child up and ran.

Finch and his group tried to pursue, but Mei intercepted them.

The clash erupted instantly.

Taking advantage of the chaos, Mona dashed past them, ignoring everything else.

No one stopped her.

She chased after her child—straight into the inner palace.

***

Meanwhile, Nina and her group advanced rapidly. Any guard who tried to stop them was swiftly cut down. They carved a path forward, unstoppable.

Behind them, the route lay cleared.

Mona encountered almost no resistance as she ran.

***

Elsewhere, the guards who had fled from the east gate rushed before Yosan and Sen.

"Lord Sorcerer! Esteemed City Lord! A... a powerful female has broken in!"

Yosan narrowed his eyes.

"Nina..." A cold smile curved his lips. "We were just about to find you—and you’ve delivered yourself instead."

That serpent should be with her too.

Perfect. They could capture them all at once.

His gaze shifted to the altar. A dark red crystal floated there, pulsing faintly as it absorbed energy.

Almost complete.

Once he consumed the blood crystal, none of them would be able to stop him.

The sacrificial altar was a nightmare made real.

Rows upon rows of beastmen knelt upon the ground, eyes vacant, faces pale as death.

Their wrists had been cut.

Blood streamed down, tracing the carved patterns of the altar, flowing into the central pool.

At its heart, a mass of black energy writhed, greedily devouring the blood.

Zena and Drago were bound at the center.

"Sen," Yosan said, "go stall them. The blood crystal is nearly ready—and the ritual is close to completion."

All he needed was a little more time. Just a little longer.

Once the crystal was finished, he would absorb it; and with the next batch of sacrifices, the ritual would be complete.

Sen didn’t move.

"I’m not strong enough to face them," he said. "You should go."

Secretly, his eyes flicked toward the blood crystal. If Yosan left... He could seize it for himself.

Yosan saw through him instantly.

"Even if you absorb it, you won’t be their match," he said coldly. "Don’t ruin the master’s plan for your own greed."

His gaze sharpened. "If the master fails to break the seal because of you... think carefully about your fate."

Sen’s jaw tightened. "...Understood."

He knew the consequences.

Reluctantly, he moved to intercept.

"Gon, guard the entrance. Delay them as much as possible," Yosan ordered.

Sen alone wouldn’t be enough.

Gon nodded and took position outside.

Sen hadn’t gone far when he ran straight into Nina and her group.

"Stop them!" he shouted.

The guards surged forward, but Sen himself stayed back.

Ridan and the others met them head-on.

Steel clashed—power surged—and within moments, they tore through the formation.

A path opened.

Nina, Odian, and the rest charged forward—straight toward Sen.

He gritted his teeth and stepped up to block them.

Immediately, Sal and Mino closed in, surrounding him.