There was no mana left inside Alric’s ring. Two of his friends were unconscious, and the creature’s circular maw left no room for them to slip through.

But then, the worm suddenly moved sending shockwaves towards their location. As if trying to let go of the tree, it shook repeatedly. A few moments later, a deafening screech came from it's throat.

Rachel and Alric lowered their bodies waiting for the creature to stop. However, it never did. Many minutes later, the monster was still shaking and wailing.

‘How much energy does this thing have?’ The noise was so bad Alric considered using bullets as earplugs.

Fortunately, although the youth was getting increasingly nauseous, he did see a small glimmer of hope. If the worm took long enough to set itself free, then perhaps enough mana would recover inside his ring to re-summon the shield. ‘If its jaws snap back without closing immediately, we have a chance.’

Suddenly, a burst of wind smacked into his shoulder. Alric moved aside and looked up to find a bald angel dressed in white was descending upon them.

‘Sheesh.’ Alric thought he was truly desperate if he started confusing the black winged pixies for angels. “How did you get here, Lucifer!?” he shouted over the guardian’s cries.

“Is that any way to welcome your savior?” Veronika huffed. “Where’s Tim?”

When the youth opened his jacket, she immediately flew over and searched for a pulse. “What did you do to him!?” Blades of winds began swirling around her body.

“We got eaten by a giant worm. I did nothing.”

“Then, what use are you?” growled the pixie. She averted her eyes and placed both palms on her comrade. Immediately, the area she touched started glowing and color returned to Timofey’s face.

“Report,” he muttered upon waking up.

“I’m here,” said Veronika. “You’re safe.” The girl kept pumping mana into him while ignoring his words.

“Stop… Save it for the shield.” Timofey pried her arms off. His wing was still broken, but at least, he was awake. “If Alric doesn’t make it to the next round, then neither do I,” the pixie explained to his obviously displeased comrade. “What’s the situation?”

That was something the youth also wanted to know. How did Veronika get inside the worm?

While the pixie was talking, he exchanged a questioning glance with Rachel. The girl pointed up. Above their heads, there was a tiny hole covered in white smoke.

‘Of course.’ This was a worm, just a pile of flesh without bones. The teeth were definitely unusual, but they were likely the only hard things inside it. ‘We can do this.’

“The other worms are currently eating this one,” blurted Veronika as if to throw rain on his parade. “Nym said they’re upset it damaged the tree. If we don’t do something, you’ll go from one creature’s maw to another one’s stomach.”

“Then, let’s get going,” said Rachel while shoving her knife into the monster's side. The girl was truly fast on the uptake. “Everyone needs to help. That includes you too Finn.”

Surprisingly, the boy had also awoken, though his eyes looked dead. Despite the giant teeth and the tremors, he just sat in his spot and stared towards the monster’s throat. Alric asked what had happened to him, but the only reply was a ‘later.’

Together, the two humans and the still able pixie started hacking their way through the monster. Fortunately, the cut pieces turned into smoke as did the blood which would have otherwise drenched them. It was difficult to breathe, and they had to take numerous breaks, but they somehow kept going at a decent pace.

“Almost there,” said Veronika after about an hour. The tremors had increased ever since they started digging, but there was nothing the worm could do so close to its maw.

Several cuts later, the pixie’s words were confirmed. After barely avoiding death and getting soaked in monster spit, everyone could finally have a breath of fresh air. Unfortunately, it was accompanied by more wailing, along with the gruesome sight of in-progress murder.