The instant the Spirit Hands selected 'Yes', Gary Stew's hand froze mid-swing.

Hong Jian and Huang Jian didn't hesitate. Blades already in hand, they dashed toward Winal.

"Quick, we must eliminate him. He has triggered a Tribulation. If we act fast, we may be able to cancel it before it triggers ours!" Huang Jian shouted.

Sparks crackled along the edges of his sword, crawling upward until the entire weapon surged with pure electricity. No metal could be seen. Huang Jian wielded a blade of lightning.

"Crimson Gold Sect: Advanced Technique: Lightning Attracting Sword!" Huang Jian yelled.

Beside him, fire erupted from Hong Jian's sword. It devoured the steel and replaced it with a roaring inferno in the shape of his weapon.

"Crimson Gold Sect Advanced Technique: Bright Blazing Blade!"

Behind them, their attendings joined the charge, shouting in unison.

"Crimson Gold Sect Basic Technique: Ember Coating!"

"Crimson Gold Sect Basic Technique: Jolt Layer!"

Their swords shimmered. One glowed with the faint aura of fire, the other danced with weak currents. Compared to the two young masters, the difference was like night and day.

Together, the four of them converged on Winal, blades swinging down on his head.

In response, he shot out multiple Fire Blasts.

Hong Jian cleaved through the attack, the fire enriching the Bright Blazing Blade as it burned stronger.

Huang Jian vaulted onto the countertop, avoiding the incoming blasts as they scorched past beneath him.

The two attendings weren't as skilled. They attempted to mimic their masters, slashing into the oncoming flaming sphere. The orbs exploded on impact. Screams cut through the air as they were thrown backwards. Their faces and hands were scorched as they crumpled to the floor, unconscious.

With no more Fire Blasts in their way, the young masters swung their blades at Winal.

He shut his eyes and prepared for the worst.

But it never came.

Winal wrenched his eyes open. Above him was Gary Stew. One hand was still clamped around Winal's head, the other held his frying pan.

Blade of flame and sword of lightning clashed against the black metal disc. With a single shove, Gary Stew pushed them back.

Huang Jian and Hong Jian were knocked away. They dug their swords into the ground as they slid to a stop. Two black trails marking their paths.

"Gary Stew!" Hong Jian shouted, levelling his flaming sword at the Monster Chef. "What is the meaning of this?"

"Oh, nothing. Just a little casual betrayal." He spun his frying pan in taunting circles and smirked.

"You impudent fool! Do you know what you are doing?" Huang Jian growled.

"Of course I do. This little bugger here started his Tribulation. You two have been holding back your own Tribulations. With how close you are, your own Tribulations are about to get kick-started."

"Exactly!" Hong Jian shouted. "We must end him before our Tribulations are triggered and we succumb to it, unprepared."

"I know you guys are a little slow, but that's exactly what I'm going for. I'll get my revenge and skedaddle on out of here. They won't even be able to blame me. It was all the big, nasty Tribulation's fault. Two birds, one stone. Or should I say, two buffoons, one ant. It's freedom, baby."

"After all that we've done for you?" Huang Jian snapped.

Gary Stew's smirk vanished. "You did nothing but force me to cook meals for you every day to pay off my 'debts'. Can we just skip the chit-chat and get on with the fighting?"

Right on cue, flames poured down from the ceiling onto Gary Stew. He held up his frying pan, using it to shield himself against the swathe of flames. Like an umbrella, it protected him from the brunt of the blaze. Patterns of ember fell around him, charring the floor with scorch marks.

"That's more like it," Gary Stew said. "Let's dance."

"But, I didn't do that," Hong Jian said. He turned to look at his gold-robed brother.

Huang Jian shook his head. "My prowess is in lightning, not flames."

All three of them then turned to look at Winal. He was still bound together, with his head being crushed by Gary Stew. Even so, he managed to shake his head.

Together, the quartet drifted upwards, toward the source of the attack. There, on the ceiling, was a System Screen with a glowing red fire symbol pulsing at its center.

A voice came from behind them, near Gary Stew's private storage area where Winal had been held captive just earlier that day.

"Interfering with the Tribulation will invoke divine retribution."

A humanoid creature no taller than a dool stood at the doorway. It was composed entirely out of flames. They danced and flickered, but their head burned the hottest of them all. Fire raging so violently that it distorted the air around it.

That was Fire. The creature that had interfered with Winal's very first Fire Tribulation.

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"Since I'm in a good mood, I will let you Cultivators off with a warning. Consider it a divine gift of mercy." Fire crossed its arms over its flickering chest. Its burning eyes swept over every one of them.

"If you choose to continue to interfere with this little monster's Tribulation, be warned, the Divine Retribution you receive will be far from merciful."

Hong Jian and Huang Jian glanced at each other. They communicated in a manner that only twins who had spent their whole lives together could. With a simple nod, they finished their conversation and came to an agreement.

They ran.

The flames and lightning surrounding their weapons dissipated in an instant, as they sprinted out of the kitchen. They didn't even spare a glance at their unconscious attendings. The moment they reached the threshold of the kitchen, something flew at them.

It was a frying pan.

The black metal disc spun through the air and struck Huang Jian in the back of his head. It ricocheted off his skull into Hong Jian before flying back to Gary Stew's waiting hand. Both brothers stumbled and fell onto their knees, their blades dropping by the wayside.

Hong Jian snapped his head around, eyes full of flame. "What is the meaning of this, Gary Stew? Do you mean to get us killed?"

"Exactly!" Huang Jian roared.

Gary Stew opened his mouth to answer, but Fire beat him to it.

"I take it this means you wish to interfere with the Tribulation. Very well."

"Wait! No!" Huang Jian and Hong Jian shouted in unison.

"Let's have some fun, shall we?" Fire said. "We have five interferers during this monster's second Fire Tribulation. Two of whom are primed for Tribulations themselves. What fun we are about to have!"

With a snap of his flaming fingers, multiple System Screens surrounded every inch of Gary Stew's kitchen. From the four corners to the ground and ceiling, they were all covered in screens. Even the countertops, cupboards, knives, and pans. A System Screen encompassed everything and anything.

At the same time, multiple screens encompassed Uchronia, Gus, and Cooper Trooper, forming a box of screens.

Winal began to struggle and panic even more in Gary Stew's grasp. Gus might be able to survive, since he would probably have the flames as a snack. But, there was no way that Uchronia, much less Cooper Trooper, would be able to pull through. Fire was a plant's worst nightmare, and Cooper Trooper hadn't even hatched yet.

Fire leaned in close, embers brushing against his ear as it whispered, "Don't worry. They are not part of your Tribulation. I have merely safeguarded them. Consider it another blessing by Mother Cor."

"No! No! No! I can feel it. My Tribulation is beginning!" Hong Jian shouted, staggering back.

"Mine too! I am not prepared for this!" Huang Jian shouted as well.

Dark clouds thundered into existence overhead, filling the kitchen. Streaks of lightning flashed within the clouds. At the same time, the air thickened and warped. Waves of airy distortions obscured everyone's vision as the temperature began to rise. Beads of sweat poured down everyone's face, all except Winal.

For now, he was okay. The heat was comfortable, even. And it wasn't caused by the System Screens. Not yet.

"Gary Stew! We must work together to overcome this Tribulation!" Hong Jian shouted.

"No, we don't. I have my ways." He grinned

"You fool! Even this would be too much for you!" Huang Jian shouted.

"And if it is, so be it. I had a good run." Gary Stew shrugged. "But, still. Let's have some fun!"

He pitched Winal through the air like a flaming baseball. The little Fire Soldier Ant flew through the air, hurtling straight toward the two young masters.

Instead of slicing him with their swords, Hong Jian folded his robes around his hands and caught him.

"Maybe this beast can help us," Hong Jian said, looking down at Winal and then his brother.

Huang Jian nodded and slashed away at the fabric that bound Winal. Finally, he was free.

However, with a cracked skull and literally no legs, he was in no shape to withstand the Tribulation. Even the two young masters had acknowledged this, as obtuse as they tend to be. But some help was better than no help.

They probably thought that Winal could buy them some time, maybe even a fraction of a second, but it was going to be the other way round. He was going to be using them. Sort of.

A sudden flash of light consumed the room. Huang Jian and Hong Jian squealed like a bunch of girls. They had their swords at the ready, heads flopping back and forth, looking for the Tribulation's challenge.

There was none. Not yet.

The flash was actually Winal.

To be more specific, it was now Alwin.

Alwin didn't have legs, so he didn't have to worry about the damage being transferred over. His whole head—or maybe body—was all jelly-like. The cracks in his head—or maybe body—were inconsequential to him. But that didn't mean it didn't hurt.

The moment the light faded and he gained control of the body, Alwin began screaming.

"Ow! Ow! Ow!" Alwin screamed. "It hurts! It hurts! Everything hurts! And why is it so hot!"

Huang Jian and Hong Jian froze and looked down in baffled silence at the sudden outburst.

"Is this part of the Tribulation?" Huang Jian asked.

"Did the Fire Beast die already?" Hong Jian followed up.

As if the heavens heard them, lightning began to strike down. Bolts struck the ground around them, leaving charred and smoking marks on the System Screen covered kitchen tiles.

"Stay behind me, brother!" Huang Jian shouted as he raised his sword up high.

"Crimson Gold Intermediate Technique: Lightning Net!"

His blade pulsated with electricity. A dome unfolded from its tip and surrounded the two of them. Wide gaps—big enough for a person to stick their hand through—spread out from the dome. It was truly as if they were caught in a net made out of lightning, with Huang Jian's blade holding it up.

Lightning from above honed in on the tallest thing in the room, Huang Jian's blade. It struck it causing electricity to flow down the net and into the ground. The net absorbed some of the power, causing it to grow just a smidge.

However, not all lightning was attracted to tall things. Some of them preferred others of a more diminutive stature.

Bolts rained down around Alwin, but he was too busy writhing in pain to notice or even care, for that matter. He jiggled and ran around the room, screaming his lungs out. Somehow dodging the bolts.

They did, however, strike the two unconscious attendings. It awoke them from their slumber, bodies jolting upright. Like Alwin, they screamed their lungs out in pain.

And then came the heat. It began to rise faster. System Screens everywhere glowed red. It was as if they were inside an oven.

Before anyone could even react, fireballs were launched out of the flaming symbol in every direction. From the ceiling to the ground and even from the frying pans themselves, fireballs spewed out everywhere.

"Brother!" Hong Jian shouted.

"Crimson Gold Intermediate Technique: Burning Basket!"

Hong Jian plunged his sword into the tiles. Flames poured out of it and spread around the floor surrounding the Lightning Net. Pillars of interwoven fire rose up around it, protecting them from the onslaught of fireballs. It only strengthened the Flaming Basket.

Alwin continued to run, dodging every fireball that came his way, whether intentional or not, even though he didn't know. He just kept running, jumping, and spinning around like a disco ball.

The two attendings weren't as fortunate. They were pelted left, right, and center. Not even their robes could protect them. It only hastened their downfall. Under the wrath of lightning and flame, the fabric combusted.

Their pained screams echoed through the kitchen. Skin blistered and melted from the scorching heat. In seconds, they were roasted to a crisp, and their bodies were burned black beyond recognition. Their robes had turned to ash and were scattered by Alwin's passing gust.

Throughout all that, Fire was watching them with a huge grin on his flaming face.

"This is fun."

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