The duel ended in a resounding victory for the heavily armored warriors. Five slaves were decapitated, and the head of one of them was displayed around the arena by the warriors, who hung it on their long swords.

Looking at the bloody scene before him, Todd thought of the so-called "tradition" of the North and remained silent for a long time.

Rachel nudged him with her elbow and pointed her gaze toward a massive iron gate at the far end of the arena: "Behind that iron gate is the prison where slave gladiators are held."

Using his 'eagle eye' and 'x-ray vision', Todd observed the structure of the arena, searching for a suitable infiltration route.

Rachel gazed at the center of the arena, where a group of corpse collectors, armed with shovels and rams, shoveled the scattered remains, along with the dirt, onto carts. Leaning to Todd, she said, "Boyle's gladiatorial combat is supposed to be tomorrow morning. The Kingdom of Ulster will definitely prepare the most brutal and desperate battle for this traitor. If you can't rescue him tonight, he'll surely die tomorrow."

Todd nodded, then lowered his cloak to cover his face.

Late that night, relying on his mutated monster body, Todd moved along the almost vertical wall as easily as a gecko.

With a push off the wall, his entire body sprang like a spring, leaping more than ten meters into the air and grabbing the edge of the arena platform below.

Night vision, eagle eye, and X-ray vision are all activated.

The layout of the entire building, including the distribution of people, staircases, corridors, and hidden doors, is presented clearly and in detail, just like a 3D vector graphic on a computer.

Carefully navigating numerous obstacles and avoiding patrolling guards, Todd, with his limbs sprawled on the rooftop, seized the opportunity to enter the slave prison.

A pungent, musty smell and a putrid stench permeated the entire underground prison.

Looking through the cells one by one, Todd finally found Boyle in the innermost room.

This strong and robust northern man, whom he remembered, was now tied to a wooden frame, his body covered in unblemished skin, so thin that you could almost see every rib.

Todd carefully lifted Boyle's head, making him look at him.

“You are… with Rachel…” Boyle’s cloudy eyes were filled with blood and impurities, but the moment he saw Todd, a sliver of clarity appeared in his pupils.

Todd untied the ropes binding his hands and feet and whispered to Boyle, "I'm here to save you."

Freed from his restraints, Boyle collapsed onto Todd's shoulder. His already scabbed wound reopened due to the sudden movement, and blood dripped onto the ground.

Seeing that the other person's injuries were too serious, Todd began to look for cloth in the room, intending to bandage Boyle's wounds first.

"My people..."

Lying on the ground, Boyle reached out to Todd and shouted hoarsely.

Todd frowned, walked over to Boyle, and shook his head, saying, "I can only save you; I can't help your people."

From who knows where the power came from, Boyle suddenly gripped Todd's wrist tightly and roared again, "My people!"

Todd closed his eyes, assessing the current situation and all possibilities, but after a while, with a helpless expression, he shook his head again.

Despite enduring all kinds of torture, Boyle, who had never yielded, now had tears streaming from his bloodshot eyes.

“Fried saved my life from the bear's claws…Minnie raised me on goat's milk…Evans always followed me…They are all my people…” Boyle looked at the ceiling of his cell, muttering unconsciously, “Abandon them and run away alone, I can’t do it…”

Todd was stunned; the scene before him was so similar to his own experience.

On the night before the Battle of Muxi, facing a three-pronged attack from the Silver Ring Alliance, the Northern Island pirates, and the barbarian tribes, he resolutely refused the idea of ​​seeking survival alone and stayed behind in Muxi Town to buy time for the people to evacuate.

With trembling hands, Boyle clutched Todd's clothes tightly, his eyes filled with helplessness and pleading: "My people... help me, help me!"

Before he could finish speaking, Boyle's hand suddenly fell limply to his side.

Todd was startled and quickly leaned down, pressing his ear against the other person's chest.

The sound of the other person's heartbeat slowly faded into silence.

Boyle... is dead...