Leo and his group hadn't gone far before they encountered the first batch of Red Worm Monstermen.
A dozen or so monsters, dark red all over with severed limbs, rushed out of the woods and lunged frantically at the trio.
Their movements were stiff yet rapid, completely disregarding their own safety; some with severed arms continued to charge, while others with their abdomens torn open and intestines trailing on the ground still kept attacking.
Sophia's brow furrowed tightly as she subconsciously took half a step back.
"What... what are these things?"
Leo's gaze remained calm, quickly scanning the movements and characteristics of those monsters.
His gaze finally landed on the small red worms on their foreheads—those worms were squirming incessantly, their tentacles piercing deep into the skin.
"Leave one alive," he said.
As his voice fell, the three of them struck simultaneously.
Sophia's figure blurred, appearing before the two leading monsters.
She struck out with both hands, one punch for each, directly shattering their skulls.
The monsters' bodies slumped down, and the red worms on their foreheads dissolved into pus the moment they lost their hosts.
Shizuku's vacuum cleaner swept across, cleanly breaking the legs of three monsters.
After falling, the monsters continued to crawl, using their remaining arms to frantically claw at the ground, trying to continue their attack.
Leo's movements were the most decisive.
He was like a white stream of light, weaving through the group of monsters.
With every strike, a monster fell.
In just five seconds, only one of the dozen monsters remained—all its limbs broken, lying on the ground bleeding incessantly, yet still struggling.
Leo walked up to it and crouched down.
He reached out, pinched the small red worm, and gently pulled it out.
The worm was removed.
The monster twitched violently and then became completely still.
Leo looked at the mass of rapidly shriveling red matter in his hand, his brow furrowing slightly.
This scene gave him a sense of deja vu.
Aistan Island.
Those Dragons infected by Kurt using the scepter.
The feeling was exactly the same.
Sophia walked over, looking at the corpse on the ground with a grave expression.
"Master, these people are being controlled. I suspect it's related to that experimental subject."
Leo nodded.
"Mm. I think so too."
He stood up and shook off the shriveled worm corpse from his hand.
"Continue forward."
Inside the Ruins.
Ian, Killian, Zachary, and Layard stood before a massive metal cage.
Even they, who had seen countless bloody scenes, were shocked by the sight before them.
The cage's surface was covered in cracks, and from every crack emerged countless thick red tentacles.
Those tentacles spread out like vines, piercing into the mountain of corpses piled around—beasts and humans alike, densely packed, at least five or six hundred of them.
Those corpses were shriveling at a slow pace.
And inside the cage, a massive dark shadow could be seen squirming, accompanied by a low, heartbeat-like pulsation.
Ian took a deep breath and pulled a palm-sized Red Crystal from his chest.
The crystal emitted a faint glow, resonating with the dark shadow inside the cage.
The surrounding Red Worm Monstermen all lowered their heads in submission the moment they saw the crystal.
The four men walked through the monsters to the cage door.
There was a complex mechanical lock on the door.
Ian brought the crystal close to the keyhole and began to turn it carefully.
"Click."
A crisp sound rang out.
The cage door slowly opened.
From behind the door, a massive figure stepped out.
It was a gorilla—or rather, it used to be a gorilla.
It stood over four meters tall, covered in blood-red skin, with dense patterns of blood vessels across its surface.
Most terrifyingly, its body was covered in tentacles—from its shoulders, back, and even its face, writhing red tentacles were everywhere.
Embedded in its forehead was a fist-sized red tumor, shaped like a curled-up worm.
"Bloodworm Demon Gorilla."
Ian softly spoke its code name.
The monster lowered its head, and upon seeing the Red Crystal in Ian's hand, a fierce glint flashed in its eyes.
And then—
It moved.
Not to attack Ian, but—
The tentacles on its body erupted simultaneously like countless venomous snakes, instantly piercing through all the surrounding corpses!
The piled-up corpses and the monsters controlled by the red worms were all impaled by the tentacles!
Blood surged wildly!
The corpses shriveled at a rate visible to the naked eye!
Those monsters didn't even have time to scream before they turned into empty husks!
Meanwhile, the Bloodworm Demon Gorilla was frantically absorbing this Life Energy.
Its body began to swell!
Four meters.
Five meters.
Six meters!
Its height rose to six meters, and its build was more than a size larger than before!
Those tentacles became even thicker and bloodier, dancing wildly in the air!
Zachary, Killian, and Layard all took two steps back, cold sweat dripping from their foreheads.
Killian swallowed hard and spoke with difficulty.
"Good... good thing we have that object. Otherwise, we really couldn't get near it. It's too dangerous..."
Zachary's face was also slightly pale, but he still spoke up.
"They're here. Just outside."
Ian looked up at the six-meter-tall blood-colored monster, a cold light flashing in his eyes.
He raised his hand and pointed toward the direction outside the Ruins.
"There's someone outside. Go, deal with him."
The Bloodworm Demon Gorilla lowered its head and stared at Ian.
In those blood-red eyes, there was no shred of reason, only pure killing intent.
It gave a low growl and reached out—grabbing for Ian!
Ian's expression changed, and he immediately channeled Nen into the Red Crystal in his hand!
The crystal instantly erupted with a blinding red light!
"Wuu—!"
The Bloodworm Demon Gorilla let out a pained grunt, its massive body crashing to its knees on the ground.
It held its head, its body twitching, and those tentacles slumped powerlessly.
Seconds later, the red light faded.
The Bloodworm Demon Gorilla slowly stood up; the fierce glint remained in its eyes, but it no longer resisted.
It turned and strode toward the exit of the Ruins.
Ian snorted coldly and put away the crystal.
"A beast is a beast. Still trying to resist."
Outside the Ruins.
Leo and his group had just finished clearing another batch of Red Worm Monstermen and were standing in a relatively open clearing.
Not far ahead, a massive stone building was faintly visible.
The architectural style was ancient, filled with the traces of time.
"We've arrived,"
Leo said.
"Everyone, be careful."
Sophia and Shizuku nodded, and the three were about to continue forward—
Suddenly, a dense swarm of black ants surged out from the surrounding woods!
They were everywhere—from behind trees, in the grass, and from underground!
Numbering in the thousands and tens of thousands, they converged into a black torrent, surrounding the three from all directions!
"This trick again, boring,"
Leo said softly.
Sophia and Shizuku stood back-to-back, preparing for battle.
"In five seconds, jump up,"
Leo suddenly said.
The ant swarm drew closer and closer.
Three seconds.
Two seconds.
One second.
The ant swarm was about to submerge the three—
Leo raised his right fist.
Nen gathered and compressed frantically toward his knuckles!
The light went from white to brilliant white, and finally turned into a blinding gold!
The light was so dazzling, it was as if a small sun was burning on his fist!
"Jump!"
Sophia and Shizuku crouched down at the same time, then jumped with all their might!