Ironically, the main reason for the Wurhen Family's downfall was their own greed.

Vaarh and the other worms would hardly have helped Kreyn, fearlessly sacrificing themselves, if they had not felt threatened by the Wurhen Family. If Kreyn lost now, Ardur would soon take control of the entire region to prevent similar uprisings in the future.

It was a war of all against one, and the Wurhen Family was completely alone.

Step. Step. Step.

Kreyn stepped forward, stepping on the back of the great worm, while his people were too scared to leave the shore.

"Come on!" Kreyn waved his hand. "After everything that's happened, you've decided to be afraid now? Don't be afraid, they won't bite you. Well, at least I hope so."

The people looked at each other. During two short but eventful days, they realized that they had to trust Kreyn. But walking on the backs of monsters, using them as a bridge?

"Agh, I always have to show by example." Daren shook his head as he followed Kreyn, then Azura, Valyra, and Groza did the same, along with Liam.

If the leader went ahead and dispelled all fears magically, the subordinates gained confidence that they had not had before.

'When the leader is a coward, his army is full of cowards.' Kreyn thought, stopping right in front of the shore. 'I wonder if Ardur understands this?'

As they crossed the bridge, Kreyn urged the prisoners to move faster. After all, there were more than a hundred of them. At the same time, he and Daren looked north.

A multitude of lights were approaching the prison. They dealt with the first obstacle in the form of worms, but hail from the crimson grenades killed dozens of guards. They remained lying on the field, and hardly anyone would take away the bodies torn apart by the explosion.

"You've prepared something else, right?" Daren asked, lighting a cigarette.

Kreyn crossed his arms over his chest.

"Of course. As much as I like explosions, I can't use them in Varthon, it will cause far more problems."

"Hmm? Aren't you going to destroy half the city and sacrifice hundreds of residents?"

Kreyn shrugged.

"The number may change depending on the situation. We need the right moment, you know?"

"I see... I hope this sacrifice is worth it." Daren stared at the prison. "Strangely enough, but I'm going to miss this place."

...

Thump. Thump. Thump.

With the pounding of horses' hooves, the guards reached the prison, the northern wall. Deep within their eyes, fear was visible, some were unable to look at their dead comrades, but the slain Arakta Worms and their leaders remained confident in their victory.

"Tsk, brother, now I understand why you couldn't deal with this on the first day." Ozdor shook his head before jumping off his horse.

Ardur nodded, staring at the wall in front of them.

"As much as I hate to admit it, but Kreyn, that prisoner, he's smart, very smart. If he had more time, the situation would be even worse for us, but we'll end it all here and now!"

Ozdor pointed at the wall.

"Do you want me to take care of this?"

Ardur just nodded as he looked at the troops.

"Everyone, get ready! There's an ambush waiting for us inside, so we have to act fast! Be prepared for the prisoners to attack us from all sides immediately. We will protect you on the first strike, then scatter throughout the prison and occupy every passageway! Kill everyone in your path! No mercy!"

The guards nodded deeply, their eyes filled with fire.

Thump!

Ozdor stepped forward, shaking the ground with his stomp as he swung his arm back. He clenched his fist, his muscles tensed, almost tearing his coat, and his teeth were clenched tightly.

"GRHH!" He growled, swinging his fist forward.

Crash!

The north wall collapsed, unable to withstand the pressure. Ozdor grinned and charged forward like a bull, ready to destroy everything in his path.

Cunning plans and traps were not his thing. He preferred to solve all problems with brute force, and more often than not, he succeeded.

"Forward!" Ardur exclaimed, running into the prison grounds after his brother.

It seemed like a stupid idea to go to the very center of the courtyard, but Ardur understood that they would be able to defend themselves and that there were many more of them.

Well... Even though he wasn't stupid and had experience, he wasn't prepared for everything.

"What...? What the hell is this?" The tall man, one of the servants, frowned.

The pale man frowned while his eyes scanned the empty prison windows.

"No one. It looks like they left the prison, waiting for us to come."

Scratch. Scratch. Scratch.

Ozdor scratched his cheek, puzzled.

"But, why? They just decided to run away? Where? To the swamps?"

Ardur was as puzzled as his allies and the guards. They were ready for a fierce battle, but found themselves in the middle of an empty prison.

"Something's not right here." Ardur frowned. "Why did they leave the prison? Where could they have—!"

Suddenly, his eyes widened as he turned toward the river. Realization hit him with the force of thunder.

"Father!" Liliane exclaimed as she pointed to a faint crimson orb hidden behind the wall. "Look!"

"Agh...?"

A multitude of thoughts filled Ardur's mind. He was truly confused, trying to understand where they had ended up.

His eyes caught sight of thin white lines running across the ground, but they were hidden by dust.

Soon, he realized that it was a web. The entire prison was covered in a web that connected hundreds of crimson grenades placed in corners, passageways, roofs, and even underground.

Ardur turned, following the thread that moved toward the Worm Mines, disappearing into the darkness, where six blue eyes appeared for a moment.

Twitch.

The thread twitched as Ardur's face paled. He spun around, waving his arm to shout something, but his voice was swallowed by a bright flash.

BLAST!

A deafening explosion rippled across the region as Kreyn watched the fiery stream rise high into the air.

Tremble! Tremble! Tremble!

The shockwave reached them with powerful gusts of wind, rippling the water in the river and forcing the prisoners to cover themselves with their hands.

Kreyn grinned as he watched the explosion spread.

'This reminds me of something. Hah, now only the strongest remain. And we haven't even started yet!'

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