The Throne of the Devoured God

Breaking the Cage

The illusion of absolute power shatters the moment the ground opens to swallow the sky.

Lu Feng stood over the bleeding corpse of the arena champion. Ignoring the roaring slums, his vacant eyes locked on the royal box above.

"Did you enjoy the show?" Lu Feng shouted.

The jeweled noble leaned over the crimson railing, his face purple. "You think you are special, slave? You are nothing but dirt."

"Dirt buries everything," Lu Feng replied, wiping blood from his torn chest. "Even fat pigs in expensive silk."

"Guards!" the noble yelled. "Send fifty men. Chop this rat into pieces!"

"Your hounds will starve," Lu Feng said.

The lead overseer ran to the pit's edge. "You ruined the bets! I am going to execute you myself."

"You are going to burn," Lu Feng told him, turning his head. "Elder Mo. The stage is yours. Cut the lines."

Deep beneath the bloody floor, Elder Mo sat in the damp maintenance tunnels, smiling at a frantic dungeon guard.

"I am talking to the future," Mo rasped. "The prisoners should have been treated better. Three tons of conductive scrap iron against a high-pressure Titan energy vein creates a bridge. Spiritual energy hates absolute confinement. It violently expands."

The guard panicked, noticing jagged iron packed against a vibrating blue crystal pipe.

"Too late," Mo laughed, striking a small metal piece against the stone. A spark flew into the pile. "Burn."

The underground blast ripped upward, buckling the center of the arena floor and cracking the massive stone pillars.

"What is happening?" the noble shouted as his VIP box shook violently.

"The Titan veins are rupturing!" the overseer yelled, falling to his knees. "We have to evacuate!"

"I am not leaving until that boy is dead," the noble demanded.

"Then die here," the overseer cried, running for the exit.

A massive pillar of crackling purple Titan energy erupted through the sand, vaporizing the dead champion. The shockwave shattered the barriers protecting the VIP boxes, raining sharp shards of magic onto the screaming crowd.

Lu Feng used the blast to propel himself upward, kicking off a falling stone block to launch his lean body toward the balcony.

"Shoot him down!" the noble ordered, pulling out a glowing blue amulet.

Lu Feng spun in the air, dodging three crossbow bolts. His bare hands grabbed the crimson railing, and with a brutal pull, he vaulted into the royal box.

Two armored guards rushed forward with sharp spears.

"Too slow," Lu Feng said. He stepped inside their guard, driving his fist into the first man’s throat while kicking the second man’s knee backward. Both collapsed instantly.

"I will pay you!" the noble pleaded, backing into his velvet chair. "Unlimited gold! Lands in the north!"

"I want to know what you did to my brother," Lu Feng replied, his dark chest veins glowing fiercely through his torn shirt.

"I buy hundreds of slaves!" the noble stammered.

"You bought Wei Xuan," Lu Feng stated coldly. "You took him to the floating palaces."

The noble gasped, recognizing the features beneath the grime. "You are the defective twin. The priests said your core was completely rotten."

"They lied," Lu Feng said.

"You cannot touch me!" the noble raged, crushing the blue amulet. "I have the blood of beasts!"

A massive circle of blue light appeared on the floor, and a shadowy feline creature leaped out, bearing massive white fangs and glowing red eyes.

"Kill him!" the noble ordered.

The panther crouched to pounce, but Lu Feng didn't move. He stared into its red eyes as a suffocating dark aura flooded the balcony, wrapping around the shadow panther like an invisible chain.

The beast choked, letting out a high-pitched whine and stepping backward.

"Attack!" the noble shrieked, kicking the panther's flank.

The beast ignored him, collapsing onto its stomach in total submission.

"My magic is broken," the noble whispered.

"Your magic requires a living soul to intimidate," Lu Feng explained, stepping over the cowering beast. "I do not have one anymore."

"Please," the noble begged, dropping to his knees. "It was just a financial transaction. I can take you to the floating palaces right now. Just spare my life."

"I will find my own way up," Lu Feng said, grabbing the familiar silver coin dangling from the noble's neck.

"That belongs to me," the noble protested.

"Not anymore." Lu Feng yanked the chain, tearing it away. "You took my blood. Now I take your spine."

Lu Feng placed his bare hands firmly on the noble's neck and shoulder.

"Wait—" the noble screamed.

With a brutal twist, a sharp crack echoed over the falling rubble. The noble went completely limp.

Lu Feng turned around. Below, the arena was tearing itself apart. Glowing purple energy melted the iron cages, and hundreds of desperate prisoners poured out of the broken cells, fighting the remaining guards.

Standing on the edge of the balcony, Lu Feng held the silver coin tightly in his bloodied hand.

"Listen to me!" Lu Feng shouted, his voice amplified by the collapsing cavern. The fleeing prisoners stopped, looking up in awe. "The chains are broken! The upper district is blind, and the guards are running. This pit is our exit."

"Where do we go?" a scarred prisoner shouted back. "The main gates are crushed by rocks!"

"We follow the broken veins all the way to the surface," Lu Feng answered firmly, pointing toward the dark gaps in the crumbling walls.

"They will hunt us like animals," another gladiator yelled.

"Let them hunt," Lu Feng said, his empty eyes staring up at the distant, artificial sky. "By the time they realize what happened, we will be standing in their homes."

Lu Feng jumped down into the deep sand and walked straight toward the gaping hole in the eastern wall.

"Follow me," he commanded.

The prisoners roared in agreement, abandoning the burning pit to rush into the dark tunnels behind the boy who had just killed a lord.