Niwla, Uchronia, and the dazed Gus hurtled through the air straight toward the Crimson Gold Sect. Below them, they could witness the clash between cultivators and the feral forces of Tentative Camp.

Members of Alpha Wolves cleaved their way through the humans with their razor-sharp claws. Blood sprayed everywhere as they carved a path through robes and steel. The Battle Rams played a dastardly tune that wreaked havoc on the cultivators' eardrums. Once incapacitated, they rammed them with their horns, sending them launching. Meanwhile, the Caesar Salad's let loose a myriad of knives and daggers. Throwing, slicing, and dicing. It was a vegetable's worst nightmare come to life.

Commander Cooper charged through the horde. Cultivators flew left, right, and center upon coming into contact with those mighty muscles of his. As far as Niwla was aware, there were zero skills or spells involved there. It was just pure brawn by a Dad on a mission to save his child.

Gary Stew had disappeared back into the sect. So did the two young masters. Their high horses were no longer in sight. The only thing that could be seen was carnage and bloodshed as swords cut into hide and claws dug into flesh.

Gus was still incapacitated from the shock caused by Gary Stew's spice bottles. While Uchronia seemed to have recovered, barely. Her breathing had evened out, and her body no longer trembled with exertion. Now was a good time to get an explanation out of her.

"What happened? Why's Cooper Trooper here?" Niwla asked.

"Long story short. This was the only way to convince them to come. They would've never launched a rescue operation otherwise. I never expected the egg to get stolen again. I'm sorry," Uchronia said.

"It's okay. We got Cooper Trooper back once. We can do it again."

"Except now, it's deep within enemy territory. And I'm all out of Mana, I'm on the brink of Mana Exhaustion."

"What about Mana Pills? I'm sure you must've brought along plenty."

"I did. And I used them all. How else do you think I managed to outrun the Alpha Wolves? All I have left are some Healing Pills."

"Oh... Well, we still got Gus."

Both of them turned to face the FluffPaw. A look of bliss adorned his face, completely unaware that they were soaring through the air. The occasional whispers of 'Marshmallows' and 'Spicy Honey' escaping from his lips.

"He's about as useful as a rusty spoon. Last thing I want is for him to turn on us because of that chef… again," Uchronia said.

"Fair enough. But, I'd really like his help right now!" Niwla shouted.

They were about to cross the high pillars and enter the Crimson Gold Sect's territory. While they were one step closer to getting Cooper Trooper back again. They were also another step closer to being burned to a crisp or electrocuted beyond recognition by the defenses set up.

Flames rose high and lightning crackled toward the heavens. They needed to do something fast. Except, by they, Niwla meant himself, Winal, and Alwin. Gus was useless, and Uchronia was nearly out of Mana.

Niwla shot multiple Ice Arrows at the raging wall of fire. Only for them to melt before even reaching the flames. Its heat was too much even for the Ice Essence crafted Ice Arrows. This was not going well. No amount of Ice Arrows would do anything but waste Mana. He had a good run, but it was time to let someone else have a go at it.

A flash of light consumed Nilwa, and heat raged around him. Winal was here.

The Fire Soldier Ant had a good understanding of the situation. He had a solution in mind. Winal summoned out a myriad of Spirit Hands. At the same time, he shot out a torrent of Fire Blasts. Surrounded by hands and balls of fire, he Mixed them together. The product was numerous red translucent hands with fire raging within.

Flying out of the way was a potential solution, but not the fastest. The directive was a safe retrieval of Cooper Trooper—the sooner, the better.

As the blazing wall of fire approached, the Flaming Hands moved into position. They grabbed Winal, Uchronia, and Gus, shoving the three monsters as close together as possible. Next, they surrounded them in a protective sphere of Flaming Hands, directing the trio toward the towering inferno and away from the lightning.

While the temperature inside the sphere was comfortable for Winal, the same couldn't be said for Uchronia and Gus. The air was thick and stifling. Sweat poured down their bodies only to evaporate almost immediately. However, it was infinitely better than being burnt to a crisp. He would issue out apologies later.

While the hands offered some protection from the flames. It wasn't enough. Thus, he activated phase two of his plan. A second sphere of Flaming Hands surrounded the first, leaving an air gap in between. Those hands began to spew flames. As hot and as bright as possible. Fueled with Fire Essence, Winal's idea just might work.

The flames produced by the Crimson Gold Sect were many times hotter than what Winal could make. As long as those flames didn't touch them, it was considered a mission success. Thus, Winal was going to fight fire with fire.

By constantly shooting out flames within the gap between the two spheres, he could deprive the area of oxygen, a key component of fire. Additionally, with less air, it would be hard for heat to transfer. He was going to improvise a shield where the Crimson Gold Sect's flames would never touch them. Once there wasn't enough oxygen to sustain any fire, he could stop.

However, it was a high-risk gamble.

If the second protective Flaming Hands layer were unable to withstand the heat produced by the defensive enchantments, it would spell their doom. Fresh oxygen would come rushing in, creating a sudden explosion of heat and flames. The resulting backdraft would roast Uchronia and Gus alive. Potentially Winal as well, despite his natural resistance.

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Still, this was the only way.

With the air gap completely devoid of oxygen, the double Flaming Hands sphere entered the wall of flames. The outer layer of hands shuddered under the assault of the fiery defense. They were being rocked back and forth. For now, they were holding on.

Inside, the world was like an oven. The temperature was rising steadily. Droplets of sweat continued to roll down their faces, only to vaporize into steam almost immediately. Uchronia and Gus struggled to breathe in the oppressive atmosphere. The heat gnawed at them. It smothered and smouldered their lungs.

And just as the pressure reached a breaking point. They broke through.

The three of them were now within the Crimson Gold Sect's territory.

Winal undid the Flaming Spirit Hands. The outer layer had been charred black beyond recognition. They gave a thumbs up before disappearing. The moment the inner layer disappeared, gusts of cool air blew past them. Uchronia took in a large mouthful of that sweet, delicious nectar.

That was good. At least she was alive and hadn't succumbed to the heat. Gus was still snoring away, licking up the drops of sweat that brushed past his mouth.

While Winal had thought about getting through the wall, he didn't think about landing.

"Watch out!" Uchronia called out, pointing ahead with her leaf.

Winal turned. It was a building.

The trio crashed into it, with Winal smashing into it first, taking the brunt of the force. He could feel his exoskeleton crack in multiple places from the impact. They tumbled to the ground. Once again, Winal took the majority of the force as Uchronia, and Gus landed on him.

Finally, Gus woke up. Not because of the rough landing, but because he smelled something delicious cooking. His eyes fluttered open.

It was himself.

His fur was singed by the flames that surrounded Winal, and a soft trail of smoke rose into the air. As he stared at the smoldering patches, a look of despair crossed his face. Then, he shrugged and lapped up the rising smoke as a consolation prize.

Uchronia wasn't faring that much better. Cracks crawled up her bio-ceramic pot, and a single leaf had been charred black, flaking at the edges.

Winal offered a leg, only to immediately retract it. He would burn her. So, he offered her a Spirit Hand, which she graciously accepted.

"Thank you, but now's not the time," Uchronia said, after standing upright.

Winal gave her his normal blank stare before turning around to assess the situation. While they had successfully cleared the defensive wall, albeit barely, they had another issue. They had only just cleared the wall, the gate was in earshot and visible.

Stragglers from the Crimson Gold Sect who had failed to assemble in time were rushing out toward the gate. They only stopped the moment the trio performed a sudden crash landing.

The cultivators pointed their swords at them. It was another hurdle they had to overcome before they could safely retrieve Cooper Trooper.

However, Uchronia wasn't fully recovered, and he himself was injured. He wasn't faring that much better either. Cracked shell and a broken leg—the cut that Niwla sustained had been transferred over to him.

With effort, Winal pushed himself up and placed himself in front of Uchronia. No one would be hurting her. Not on his watch.

The cultivators charged at them. Flames and electricity pulsed through their swords.

The factory within their Core was running slower than normal, since Winal wasn't there managing it. Spells wouldn't be able to be prepared in time. Winal braced for impact.

A sword wreathed in fire was about to cleave its way through him. '

It disappeared. Bite marks surrounded the blade, and the sound of crunching metal could be heard.

"It's a bit burnt," Gus said, chewing through the flame-coated blade.

"Gus, get rid of all the cultivators here and I'll give you some treats!" Uchronia shouted.

"More treats for me?" Gus asked. His ears perked up. "But where's the ones you promised me when the big mean birdie and his friends were chasing you?"

"I'll give it to you later. I promise. Now, go!" Uchronia shouted.

"Yippee! I love treats!" Gus shouted with glee.

"Lightning Paw!"

In a crackle of electricity, Gus zipped over to the red-robed cultivator that had almost cut Winal in two. Sparks trailed behind him.

"Nom Nom Drive!"

His jaw snapped open and shut ten times a second. His teeth vibrated. His stomach growled like an engine.

Gus began to chow down on the human in front of him. Large chunks of flesh were ripped apart and sent straight into his gullet. Screams were swallowed whole. The red robes hid the blood splatters, but Gus' yellow fur didn't. His front half was soaked red, along with his teeth and tongue. Once the human had been devoured, Gus let out a loud burp.

"Whoops! Excuse me," he giggled.

He turned around to face the rest of the cultivators. A huge, innocent smile on his face as blood dripped down his chin. They were mortified by the scene in front of them. Still, they hardened their resolve and charged forward, screaming to rouse their morale.

Gus zoomed from person to person, devouring them in seconds until there was nothing but their shoes left. At the end of it all, the grass was dyed red, and only pairs of shoes and their feet remained. It was the only sign of their existence.

He zipped right to Winal and Uchronia's side and let out a big burp.

"Excuse me, again," he giggled. "Do I get a treat now?"

Despite being allies, even Uchronia was horrified. Out of all the monsters, Gus was the most monstrous of them all.

"Sure." She nodded.

Uchronia dug into her pot and produced a couple of red spheres. Those were Medium Healing Pills. Ones that she made herself. She tossed them at Gus, who jumped up into the air to catch every single red marble and swallowed it in one gulp.

"The only reason why I'm still feeding him these failed batches is because he doesn't seem to have any side effects, and it's an easy way to keep him on a leash," Uchronia whispered.

She then produced two more red spheres. One for her and one for Winal. These were Small Healing Pills. One's officially produced by certified Pill Refiners.

Winal accepted it and swallowed the pill. He could feel his leg beginning to repair itself and the cracks on his shell closing up. Uchronia's pot was healing as well. But the burns on her charred leaf remained. There was a limit to the Small Healing Pill's restorative properties.

"Let's go. We're getting the egg back before anything happens to it," Uchronia said as she dashed down the hallway.

"I want to try that nice man's spices again," Gus cheered. "It was so tasty."

The shock must've done a number on his brain because the spices never once entered his mouth.

Winal, in Winal fashion, nodded.

The rare few words escaped his mouth.

"Follow me."

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