As another night passes after a few days in the ocean and morning once again arrives, Jackson alone goes to the canteen for the breakfast meal. Though it was nothing lavish nor even comparable to what he would have for months inside Alana’s mansion, it seemed to do the job and the close tight knit space gave way to lots of conversations and active movement.

  But oddly enough, in one of the tables, a lone lanky man with skin as pale as a tallow was staring at his metal plate and the food on it. Donning a General’s uniform, he had a monocle on him and even though he seemed to be in the middle teenage age, his white hair was showing through his visor cap. The black leather trench coat he has covering his medals and uniform. Though apprehensive at first, Jackson could see the table for Level 200s were full, with some of them noticing him and putting their metal cups up in celebration of his survival which he replies with a smile.

  Approaching the lone General on the table, he gave the young man a beaming smile. "May I sit next to you?" this person then changes his attention from his plate towards him. "Of course! As to one Strategist to another." Seeing his gold tinted monocle, Jackson is surprised at the youthful yet mature posh he was giving out effortlessly. "Thank you. Nice accent by the way. That's super elegant. The way my Vampiric Companions taught me is not even to that level."

  With a giggle, the teenager returns to look at his plate as Jackson got his plastic utensils and began eating. "Lady Alana and Elizabeth's accents are indeed quite exquisite. Hearing them shout out orders is quite an exhilarating experience." stopping as he chewed the soggy bread, he slowly looked at him. "Wait... what. Who are you?"

  "It is I, Sir Jackson. Former Demon Lord Barbatos." This made his eyes and mouth open wide, his teeth and the food inside his cheeks showing. "Barbatos?! You have a Human form?!" nodding, the Demon in a Human disguise audibly laughs. "This magic is elementary for High Class Demons. It's paramount we know this to infiltrate Mankind's society." swallowing his food, the Knight General scratches his head as he looks at the still untouched plate of Barbatos. “You uhhhh… unable to eat food?”

  Shrugging his head, the teenager just lifts the plate and showcases the beans and bread and butter on it with two pieces of bacon. “I never ate Human food. Ever since I was awakened by the Men of the Woods alongside Eligos. I’ve been tasked with commanding its Skeletal Forces. I am curious but in the Demon World, we have our sustenance through the souls of the dead that emit from our surroundings.”

  “Dang… just so you know, we kinda harvest that to make Black Steel.” the Demon nods as he picks up the bread and takes a bite. “Hm. Pretty good. So this is how it is to taste. You of Man really likes the Black Steel of my damned world, don’t you?” Jackson nods profusely. “It’s the coolest thing ever. My entire plate armor is made out of it. Bahamut and I worked so hard to get it to where it is now.”

  “Ah, yes. That armor of yours is truly a work of wonder. It has taken so much beating for the last few days yet it holds still.” clicking his tongue, Jackson’s eyes flare up as a memory comes to him. “Oh yeah. Do you have any Black Steel? I really need to get that thing repaired. I trust it to protect me but I’ve never used it to this extent continually and with a constant amount of heavy damage levied against it. I have this feeling on the back of my head it might just crack suddenly.”

  Barbatos then frowns as he sighs. “Sorry, General. but I am no longer within the ranks of the Demon Army. Just a Lord now, a hybrid of sorts. Hence, I cannot give you the keys to Pandemonium.” This made him lift his hands up his face and just breathed out in desperation. “Man… here I was thinking I could ask the Men of the Woods to get easy Black Steel… You know, I’ve always wanted to ask this question to a Demon.”

  “Former Demon. The Apostles of Sin would have me branded and tied in Pandemonium's balcony and have me burn in the purifying flames of Heaven if they were to see me now. Eligos though… for someone as higher ranked than me, he would’ve been experimented on.” With this new information, Jackson’s eyes squint as his free hand lifts up to his chin, rubbing it slowly. “If in the Lore book, it states that Demons can plan, think, retreat, and develop organizations and hierarchies with goals and achievements to attain, why not do good?”

  “What is good, General? I am surprised at your naivety, General Jackson. Do you even understand such concepts to us as alien as to you the language of the Gods?” With such a question, the answer came naturally to the Knight General. Giving a reply just as quick as the query was sent. “Good is doing something for the benefit of others and nothing of yours. Like helping for example. It takes nothing to help an old lady cross the street or return the wrong change. Doing good can also be as simple as smiling to someone, one smile can make others smile too.”

  “General, I still retain my Demonic side and I must tell you now, I will only help another Demon if it means to further the goals of cleansing the Mortal realm. A lowly mindless spawn of sin begging for its meaningless life as its bound to be reused again is not even worth a lift of my fingertip. This thing you call good. My Demon side does not understand it, but my Human one is grasping something from it.”

  Jackson though turns his head to look at Barbatos, his eyes still squinting hard. “But wait… You do at least still see that mindless spawn needs help as it lay wounded in battle. Doesn’t that mean you can do good? Or atleast can grasp that this creature needs help?”

  “General, I am only saying this thanks to the Human Empathy that I’ve been given. If I were still the Demon General Barbatos of the Legion of Conquer. I would not even bat an eye to such a creature. Such a thought wouldn’t even pass my mind. I am merely recounting a memory through my new lenses.”

  At that point, something clicked inside Jackson and for a long time, he felt true terror crawl up his spine. “... I… I… see…” Barbatos whose attention was on the food he could not eat slowly turned to look at him. “There is no good Demon for a reason, General. A creature like me is but a rare offshoot in what is billions or trillions of a species whose sole unifying goal is the destruction of the Mortal world and usher in an age where we can be stronger than ever.” Before he knew it, Barbatos had finished his plate completely.

  He proceeds to take the tin plate with both hands and stand up. “Having a Human side now has shown me just how great Humanity is. You know your selflessness and inherent kindness and compassion is an easy gateway for us Demons just as your lust for power and strength?” Jackson just turned his head around, his eyes flinching as he couldn’t look straight at Barbatos’ eyes. “I’ve always wondered why it was so easy for us to fool Men. Give them power, they fold like rats. Give them a good woman, they sink into the depths of depravity. Give them weapons, they murder and massacre for the name of unity and love… but I also saw the magnificence hidden deep within your flawed structure and soul.”

  As his body burns up, turning back into his skeletal form, he faces forward into the exit. “It is a Human Privilege to see good in things.” and walks away without turning back.

  Coming out of the hallway was Bahamut and the two Vampires. “I’ve understood now why the Dragons invaded Hell to protect Man from its ruinous powers.” Jackson’s eyes then frowned as he stood up. “What?! That’s never been stated in any lore book before…! Didn’t the Dragons invade Hell to conquer it and harness the infinite energy of punished souls?!” As he walks away, the Black Dragon in her Human form eyes Barbatos down, even growling a bit as the two Vampires pull her back. “Dragon! Why must you be of ire to us right now? The Countess and I would rather not pull your teeth off of this poor young child.”

  Jackson’s head just tilted a bit and his eyes blinked as Bahamut continued to growl as Barbatos left and they united with their man. “Bahamut, may I ask what is of that man that caught your attention? Her Majesty I know is curious.” The Dragon then looked at them both as they sat opposite of hers and Jackson. “That was that Demon Lord.” Alana and Elizabeth both just had a slight shock to their face, even the Knight General surprised at their rare expression.

  Sitting on their bench, the Knight General ate away at the last of his bread and bacon. “Demons need to be extinguished at all costs.” Coming out of nowhere, the two Vampires just had a silent stare while Bahamut was aggressively nodding her head. “Indeed, indeed. Master. I do heartily agree with that. When we return to Tur, we must cleanse the Underworld of all of its Evils.” With the stale milk carton from the two Vampires, the man drank it all down as if it was fine cuisine, though both Alana and Elizabeth looked apprehensive as they raised their utensils to look down properly on their meal though Bahamut on the other hand had already finished hers.

  It didn’t even take a second for the Dragon to eat it all up and with this, she promptly transformed back to her Dragon form and stretched on top of the table. Spreading her wings and other limbs, Bahamut proceeds to walk forward to the Countess and sink into her thighs.

  Resting on top of Alana’s thighs, the Dragon silently slept as Jackson raised his fork and pointed it at her. “If you get ticklish and want to pick up or move Bahamut, do it by her front legs, lift her up like a tiny baby or if you can, with your entire arm. Her belly is sitting on top of it.” As he looked at their finer meals, Elizabeth though had a dreary look on her as she took a bite of the spam. “If you don’t want it, just tell me. I am all ears.”

  Chewing the processed meat, the Queen just had a slight but unobservant frown on her pretty face. “My Lord, what is this meat made out of? I believe meat should not have such texture or… form…” the spam fell apart as it rested on her fork, the General just smiling and nodding. “It’s good though, that strong taste it has. Hm. This stuff can power a man for weeks, straight.” With such a positive review from her Lord, she tries to muster more energy to eat the spam as Jackson took small bits and pieces. “Uh huh…”

  “M’Lord, is there a big difference between a Dragon and Wyvern?” He drops the metal fork and with a spoon full of Elizabeth’s rice, he nods. “Kinda. Though the Dragons here in Threa are a bit different, like how their horns work and the fact that they have feathers, there’s no feathered Dragon in Tur. I do believe their anatomy should still be the same-ish.”

  He then puts the spoon in his mouth and swallows the rice as he uses it to point at the upper part of Black Dragon. “Wyverns, unlike True or Ancient Dragons like Bahamut, do not have a strong spine. Often enough, if they land on their back, it could kill them if it shatters through their armor.” Alana nods as she touches the black scale armor. “How do you even pat her back, M’Lord? I am often impressed at how you weave your fingers so softly on top of it.”

  With a cute but manly giggle and his hand extending out to her, he touches Bahamut. “You kinda get used to it. At first, it's gonna hurt alot and it's not really that effective as they don’t really feel much. What you're looking for is that scale that they have a nerve still attached to.” his fingers then crawl up and down the Dragons back till it lands on a certain spot and rubbing it, the little beast started to squirm and smile. “See? Women can do it better since they usually have smaller hands with longer and slender fingers.”

  “Also, with Wyverns, you have to watch out for the joints on their wings.” He then points at Bahamut’s shoulder joint, tucked and buried under thick armor. “Since they have wider wings, they have a tendency to have far weaker joints and it needs to be exposed.” He then gestures for her to turn Bahamut on the side which she does. The Dragon is just sleeping peacefully still. “Now this is one of the biggest weak spots of a Dragon, their belly.”

  With a single touch, Bahamut immediately reacted, but knowing the texture of the finger, she instead just smiled and began to slowly drool. “Though Bahamut has a thick leathery skin underneath, as she grows bigger, this is also covered with armor. Hence why I usually go for her chin when she’s larger than a van. Try it. Not your long nail though, but with your finger.” Alana then flows her hand under the Dragon, awakening it at the cold sensation.

  “Hm? Master, she needs to know Dragons don’t like cold things touching our belly.” The Countess immediately retracts her hands. “Oh, I apologize, Bahamut.” the Dragon though just licked her hand that was supporting her hand. “Will you look at that? Being licked by a Dragon is like being given the Great Mages nod of approval. You did well, Alana.” with a blush on her face, the young teenage Vampire uses magic to eat as her fingers return to stroking her belly.

  A sailor then walks in the canteen, stopping by the door. He scans around and turns to the table meant for the Submarine Warfare people. “Lion Two. The Rear Admiral has been ordered for you guys to join up with Aqua Four from Ridgeline.” One of them, a tall Elf wearing a flight suit, then drops his meal, looking up to the player. “Alright, why the visit though? Do we need to sortie now?” the sailor nodded and without wasting a moment, the players stood up and returned their metal plates.

  “Sir.” They gave Jackson and then Yamaoka quick salutes as they passed by the officers' tables and the General just turned around to look at them and walk into the maze of tunnels and bulkheads. Leaning back to check on Thomas who sat on another table, the man also shrugs his head.

  “What is it, M’Lord?”

  “It's odd that they're performing sorties this much and even involving the other Destroyers and their Submarine warfare helicopters for the past two days. I wonder… later, I’ll be at the bridge if you guys need me, alright?”

  “Of course. I’ll be in the main hangar, M'Lord, as a lot of things need to be organized for our landing. I hope Bahamut won’t mind.” He smiles and rests his elbow on her small shoulder. “You’ll do fine. A Dragon would let you know if it doesn’t want to be around you. She also probably knows I’ll just end up waking her up. I tend to scream or be loud at times.”

  Looking up to the ceiling, he sighs a bit before looking back down to her and then to the Queen. “We… lost a lot of people… those Reaper Wraiths also were… shocking to say the least.” he trembled a bit as he held his shoulders. “I hope that’ll be the last time we’ll face those things. The sound they make as they get closer to you is insane.” Alana though rubs Bahamut’s belly. “But our Dragon Goddess did an amazing job, didn’t she?” he nods, scratching the Dragon and then clasping her tail.

  “And you, Elizabeth? I guess you’ll be in your assassins again?” she nods, though the rice was completely gone, the spam and milk was left mostly untouched by her. “Yes, My Lord. I believe the inclusion of firearms within their training is a good way to prepare for the future of this world. It’s not inane to say that we are heading down the same line as yours.” He nods to her as he points to their left. “I think it’d also be good if you could visit the Magician’s Department. They might be able to provide you with some enchanted weapons to give to your Knives or even upgrade their stuff.” she elegantly bowed her head as he stood up, stretching his arms.

  “Ahem ahem.” with Elizabeth’s vocal nudge, Alana grabs Jackson’s uniform, making him stop and turn around. “Hm?” she then sighs and looks at him. “M’Lord. May you help us with something in our room before you go about your day's affairs?” as if something clicked on his head, he immediately got a serious face on and replied with a stoic and stern. “Of course.”

  Inside the Bridge, the Grand Admiral watches three submarines in full forward flank in a collision course with their pursuers. “Sir, the lone of her class Marcus Aurelius wants to speak.” he flicks his finger and patches them through. “Ringed City! We’ve arrived into the zone! Ohio Class Mana Nuclear Submarine! We have all tubes loaded with Mana nuclear tipped Torpedoes and the Slavs from Rostock have their Oscar-II loaded with larger caliber ones.”

  “Alright, when you get a solution done, wait for my signal and keep your eyes on the central fish. Knowing anything from this world, size can be deceiving.” a sailor with his radio out then walks up to the bridge and salutes. “Sir!” the Admiral just raises his hand. “General Jackson is requesting a Mage with Animal Control.” This made the player stand straight up and squint his eyes. “Exactly why is this an affair that needs to be directed at me?”

  On the radio, commotion could be heard.

  “My Lord! Its over there!”

  “Where?! Geez, here I thought I was gonna get some fun time and instead, its looking for a stupid roach.”

  “M’Lord! It ran on top of the table and to the wardrobe!” This made the Grand Admiral nod. “I see, yeah. Send one down now before this gets out of hand and half the carrier is lost.”

  “AH HAH! I GOT IT!” A slap is then heard. “Mermaid Two, I think the situation is clear, the General seems to have killed it.” girly screams are then heard. “M’LORD! ON YOUR BACK!”

  “By the God of Blood, please save my beloved Human from this peril. He is of a good heart and friend of all Vampires.”

  “Elizabeth, are you praying for me…? And calm down Alana, it’s just on my back, wait.” the radio then got buzzed by Alana’s teenage voice screaming “EEEEEK! IT CAN FLY!” and then silence.

  “... Bahamut. Spit it out.” the Grand Admiral just sighs. “How is that even a problem? Dragons can eat rocks and even dirt to sustain themselves if they need to.” The sailor then raises the radio. “BAHAMUT! COME BACK HERE AND SPIT IT OUT! NO!” ruckus is then heard as the other sailor on the other side speaks. “Mermaid Two, this is Actual! I’m going in and helping the General! SEND REINFORCEMENTS!”

  Muffled sounds then came from the radio, the sailor just blinking with the Admiral as the rest of the bridge was far too busy tracking the submarines. Though still far from making proper contact and attack, their heads were planted on the radars. “And My Lord, how come you want to do it here? This room is far too small even for two people and there’s three of us-” Elizabeth’s seductive voice was then abruptly cut out by multiple soldiers coming in the room to help the General.

  “YEAH! KEEP HER DOWN LIKE THAT! SHE CAN’T ENLARGE! WE’RE IN A CLOSED AREA!” as sounds of tables and chairs being violently moved is transmitted, the sound of a monster opening its mouth was audible and Alana’s voice. “EEEEK! IT’S STILL ALIVE!”

  “ALANA! NO! NOT THE SWORD!” The Grand Admiral then walks to his station and picks up the phone. “Engineering? Send some men to Officer Country, ASAP. Thank you.” he then gestures for the sailor to shoo away and with a salute, the player retreats back to the main tower as he shrugs his head and turns to the radar.

  “Ringed City, seems like you guys got some interesting passengers.”

  “We’ll probably end up getting repaired by Yardbirds for the next five years if these bozos stay any longer.”

  “Hah!” Another transmission then comes, coming from the Rostock Oscar-II Class Cruise Missile Nuclear Submarine. “Comrade, can you tell your friends inside the Los Angeles Class to back off by thirty more feet? It is getting too close.” as the heavily accented man was about to speak even more, an alert came into his comms. “Контакт? За нами? Как?”

  “Omsk, what is happening there?” A quick reply was given. “Maybe faulty sonar. Как это возможно? We detected a large object behind us then disappeared. Marcus, Faustina. Did you both see anything?” both then replied with a No’s. Making the Slavic man scratch his head. “Check Mana Geigers. Probably unknown object.”

  On the Ringed City’s own sonar and tracking, a blip appeared and then disappeared right behind Marcus Aurelius. “SIR!” With this, he orders a handful of aircrafts with Anti Submarine Warfare equipment to deviate from their usual patrol routes and towards the three submarines.

  Heavy steps were heard as someone approached the bridge and Grand Admiral Antonius’ eyes just twitched.

  It’s the Captain of Marcus Aurelius with his higher staff. “We all died instantly.” A force live stream is then sent by Omsk and on the ceiling attached TVs on the bridge, they see in high definition the perspective periscope camera of the nuclear submarine.

  Large tentacles have completely embraced the Ohio Class Nuclear Submarine. Intertwining and penetrating its layers, the smaller Submarine, Faustina immediately performs a dive as Omsk slowed down with the other submarine going right ahead of them. The periscope camera then turns around to see a whale whose length was a bit larger than the one it had gripped.

  “It’s a leviathan of sorts, sir. It somehow managed to hide by our sonar… but it's a physical being though!” As Omsk has completely halted, letting the creature pass them, its tentacles protruding from its armored skin didn’t care for the second submarine as it then began to twist and then crush the hull of the Marcus Aurelius. Deafening cracks are heard even by the Ringed City and all of the sudden, a hull crush occurs right in front of them.

  With the Leviathan disappearing into the cloudy sea, the Omsk launches two Mana Nuclear tipped torpedoes as it performs an emergency blow as tentacles came out of the fog and the submarine began to chaotically rise upwards to the surface. Faustina though who was diving lower has its sonar began to pick up a creature larger than it is.

  Before it could even say anything to the Ringed City, it completely disappeared in the sonar and Omsk surfaces with debris floating around its vicinity. Its Cruise missile compartments on its sides open like a king cobra spreading its wings to bite.

  Going high up in the skies and looping around, they’d then open up midair, parachuting down depth charges and the camera on the periscope zooms in at where it lands, causing gigantic towers of water to explode upwards, covering the giant portal above the planet and the red tint its emitting as the Rostock Submarine plunges down.

  On its camera, tentacles had already penetrated its main full. The armored tendrils with sharpened sides drilled into Omsk with no effort as a meltdown was purposely started and the livestream was cut and a call came from the Spawn Room. “I know. Tell the men from Rostock to have a rest. Give them alcohol and some extra beef for later with the crew of Faustina and Marcus Aurelius.” he then turns to the Captain of the first submarine lost.

  “Your new task is to help run the ship, tell your boys to rest. They did what they could.” the Captain though, a High Elf player crosses his arms. “What about the submarine escort you requested though? Will Iron Mountain approve another with how few and rare they are?” he shrugs his head as he sits on his leather chair. “You dismissed for now Giuseppe. Rest as much as you can since I have this sense that we will need everyone ready soon.”

  After finishing his extermination and dealing with Bahamut, Jackson with the party went straight to the flight deck and to their respective duties for the day. The activity has tripled since then, with fighter jets and electronic warfare and radar aircraft taking off and landing by the moment. With the Black Knifes training area having to be moved to the hangar deck.

  Jackson himself even lifts an eyebrow at the odd amount of players in submarine uniform walking around the ship making him walk faster to the bridge.

  Without wasting any time, he returns to the Grand Admiral who was on the gallery balcony that overlooked the entire runway, from the arrestors to the catapults. “Be ready, Jackson.” surprised at how fast he was detected, the General stood next to the Elven man, looking out at the busy planes. “Why?”

  Removing his hat, Antonius gruffs a bit as he crosses his arms. “You know they went for the weakest Generals first right?” This made the Knight General turn his head to him. “When your right flank fell, they killed a General there and two of his companions. The rest though were able to escape but with an inch of their lives and their armies destroyed or tattered. That Super Yamato battleship came from the West, steaming to the center. You were lucky they arrived a day earlier and were getting replenished and helping you out there." He then reached for his binoculars and began scanning the open ocean.

  “Soon, there won’t be anymore Generals to take up the brunt of their attacks and whatever they’ll send at you, be ready. You know that there will be some world ending creatures or things.” This made Jackson chuckle and cross his arms. “I already have that idea in my head. It’s also why we’ve never truly encountered any of their more scarier units. They know the Dragon Gods would trash them before they’d reach the Heroes.” he then leaned into the railing, the man's eyes squinting as the red sky became lighter a bit with the foreign Sun on the horizon. “We’ll manage, we’ve always managed… So, about the new people on the ship.”

  “SIR! The sonar tracking was lost!” The Grand Admiral dropped his binoculars and rushed back to the bridge, looking at the Quartermasters sonar view. “What? Again?!” Jackson rubs his chin as he stands a step behind Antonius. “What is this? Something scary that I’ve not been told?”

  Antonius with his body still leaning on the console just sighs. “We… we don’t know. Just an hour ago, one of them sank three submarines. The livestream showed some sort of a mutated oversized sperm whale with an armored scaly skin and tentacles.” Jackson thought just shrugged his head. “You could’ve at least told me this, you know?”

  The Grand Admiral then stood straight up and turned around to face him. “As if I am gonna give a Supreme General faulty information. We don’t even know what this is. I need to make a full report first and examine what we are facing here.” shaking his head, the Knight General turned around and sat on the empty chair next to the door. “Call for Thomas, we’ll discuss this here and then.”

  With the arrival of Yamaoka, the trio got together as they observed the blips return, this time being a few more nautical miles behind their previously recorded position. Rubbing their chins and cheeks, they just stared at it as they awaited for any news from the control center.

  Mars just silently sat on her pocket that was on the front of Thomas’ uniform. “I am not feeling anything strange. For something that large, it should be emitting quite a lot of Mana radiation.” scratching his head, Jackson just lifts his hands. “Well, I guess we just gotta wait for it to come to us or something… unless you guys wanna torpedo it again…” This made the two other players look at him and then to the sonar screen. “Hmmm… Let’s not do that seeing as Antonius-sama has already lost three submarines.”

  “Yeahhh… but still, just what is it then? If this thing is larger than the biggest nuclear submarine on Earth, can’t it be a weapon? It surely can’t be seeing a metal airport on a tub as prey.” Antonius shrugs as he points at the large single blip surrounded by numerous smaller ones. “I have this fear that those are controlled by a being. A creature. It could be the largest one, but yet again. This supercarrier still dwarfs its size though.”

  “Admiral Antonius, if I may.” Looking at Thomas, the player tilts his head and squints a bit at the sonar as they traced the possible path it went through. As the five continued onwards, some sort of trickery was used as the sonar was fooled and went for the submarines. “Could this be a Demon creature? That’s smart.” This made the rest nod before returning to rubbing their chin.

  “If so… then why hasn't it attacked yet? We’re in the middle of the ocean right now and all support is busy on Schon. We’re right inbetween the area where it will take a day for reinforcement ships to arrive.” the Admiral tilts his head on the other side before looking straight up into the ocean. “I have a bad feeling about this… but I think they're waiting for us to reach a trench.” The two Generals then look at him as he walks towards an oceanographic map of Lord Loch.

  “We’re still a bit far from it, but fifty nautical miles ahead of us is what we call the Maw. About three kilometers wide, ten in some areas. We have no idea how deep this goes, even with magic, all exploration has yielded no concise data on its max depth.”

  “So what? They want to sink the fleet there? That doesn’t make sense though. It's not like we can retrieve these multi thousand ton ships even at normal depth unless we ask like the zero one percent of mage players.”

  “No, my reasoning lies in the fact that they could hide better there. If we engage them now, we can easily catch them even if they try to go to the ocean floor. Our Mark IIIM Enchanted Torpedoes and Self Moving Sea mines can easily get to them and reinforcements can catch up in no time." The Admiral then circles the area of the Maw in which they’ll cross. “There, they can go as deep as they can till the torpedoes self detonate and the ships coming to help won’t be able to do anything to harm them.”

  “Jackson, should we send our Dragons to investigate? If this is their reason, we must put a stop to this. Get to them first before us.”

  “Thomas, we don’t even know what those are. These things can easily be classed as Divine units if they are naturally huge like that massive arachnid we nuked in Schon.”

  “Lord Jackson, do not be afraid of what might happen to us. I’ve lived long enough to see Bahamut in her peak and weakest. She won’t easily die and pain to us is akin to breathing.” Turning his head, he is surprised to see Mars in her tight latex outfit and large red cape that accentuates her hair color nicely.

  “When Dragons are at war, no expense must be spared in the destruction of our enemies. Bahamut herself would cheer at this moment.” This made the General blink slowly and breathe an extremely long sigh. “I’ll go get her then.” Antonius then swivels his chair around and his head tilts as he had a confused expression on his face. “What? I’ll have one of my sailors tell Bahamut to come up here. As if you’ll be doing side quests with something this urgent on hand.”

  After a few minutes later, the bulkhead to the bridge had a knock and it was Countess Alana performing a curtsy with Bahamut on her shoulders. “Awwww, will you look at that? Bahamut is all comfy with you.” he then extends his hand to her and the Dragon leaps forward and jogs to his shoulder. “She has been quite a help in organizing things, M’Lord. I might need to borrow her more.”

  “Ehhhhh… she usually does good and then lets her urge take over and our food supply becomes low and we’ll have to buy more and I end up taking oddjobs.” With his hand brushing the Dragons chin, he turns around and with Mars standing on top of a console like a Red Dragon Figurine. If she stayed in her position, one would mistaken her for a mere fancy toy. “Alright. Now that both of you are here, I shall give you a breakdown on what me and your Humans discussed.’

  With a brief explanation given, Mars and Bahamut both just sat on top of the console looking at Antonius with a silent stare. “Sooo… Bahamut, are you good with the plan? Or nah? They might not even be there anymore as these blips are lies.”

  Looking at each other and then outside, the two Dragons closed their eyes and the Bridge just stayed silent. “They were last seen there, so you can maybe try your magic at it. Dragon Sonar should be able to work just as well underwater. Just keep it limited, Goddesses. Your Sonar can kill fishes ruthlessly. Believe me, we’ve tested that out.” Hearing the Grand Admiral’s words, they then opened their eyes and scanned forward to the ocean behind the carrier.

  The Destroyers and the Landing Ships carrying what’s left of their army divides, giving the two Dragons a perfect view of the wide ocean behind them at the bridge balcony.

  “Do you feel anything, Mars? The water is calm in that area. Though… there is an odd trace of Mana being used but it could easily be some magical aquatic creature using its magic to create an illusion… but how did they know about Chosen One technology to fool it?”

  “... Nay… Bahamut, it seems we need to check this out personally. That was a very concentrated use. This must be one smart fish… or Demon. It can artificially change the sizes of the Leviathans and this smell, this is the same smell from when there was that masked Demon Knight in black armor.”

  “Haaah… there goes my plans to sleep. Let us take flight, Mars. A great fight is seemingly ahead of us!”

  Spreading their wings in full, the two small Dragons jump off the edge of the console and into the door. Flying past Alana’s head as they fly straight up into the skies. “You know, Antonius. They have sent one person at us, though it was just to nudge the battle to their favor.” the Grand Admiral sat back on his chair and kept silent. “I also think since all of the Level Two Hundred Generals are in this ship, this can easily be a chance to behead the hydra. Whatever that is, it must be powerful enough to do that and even maybe harm the Dragon Gods.”

  “Nothing's gonna kill Bahamut… and for Mars. If she dies, I believe she’ll just rise to the land between the living and the dead and return.” Jackson shrugs his head as he walks past the Admiral and to the window. “No, I’m not afraid of them.” he turned his head to him, the General’s eyes were frozen and still. Unblinking like an android. “I’m afraid of what they have in store for us. They treat those Dragon Gods like moving unkillable objects, something to go around. A mere obstacle that chases them around. Ignore it and promptly gun it straight to your objectives.”

  Hearing such a thing from Jackson, Antonius quickly stood up from his chair, lifting his finger and pointing his hand at the Quartermaster. “ALERT ALL SHIPS, COMBAT STATIONS!” He then walks down to the armored box inside the Island where the Weapons Station was. “I want a Sonar and Camera to be plunged into the ocean near those things and another set next to us, avoid the wake.” tapping his shoes, Jackson and Yamaoka both stood behind him. “If what you said is true, I have this irking feeling they left the big one there and had the small ones to go after us.”

  This made Thomas squint his eyes. “Anata wa nani o shimashita ka? How could they go this near then? This ship has Mana Detection on it, yes?” the Grand Admiral nods and proceeds to order the ship. “Helmsman, Flank speed. Straight ahead.” With a calm demeanor as he gave out orders to the entire fleet as the Supercarrier sped up. “We have Radars for Mana, both Seen and Unseen. We could detect even ghosts if needed and none are spiking.”

  He then turns to the Quartermaster, the player in his seat just ready for the Grand Admiral’s orders. “We did check those right? The massive spikes we got when the End Times began didn’t cause damage to our sensors?”

  “Yes sir, a thorough check was done and no damage was done to our sensors.” This made the Grand Admiral scratch his head as a helicopter hovered beside the Nimitz, in direct view of the Bridge as it lowered a remote controlled thermal camera into the water.

  Its feed was then linked to the screens on the Bridge and the three high ranking officers stood in anticipation as it began to transmit.

  It showed a foggy reddish ocean and the camera slowly pans to the belly of the supercarrier and the feed showed nothing. “Well…” as the other pair of cameras was still being delivered, an eerie silence fell into the bridge. Everyone sat with eyes locked into the radars and sonars as their bodies stayed as hard as a rock. Unmoving and ready for action.

  At the other screen showing the Sonar, multiple blips then appeared but it was small and miniscule unlike before yet it was speeding right towards them. “Torpedoes?! Razer, point that camera down and behind us.” The helicopter crew pans the view below and bubbles begin to hit the glass. The Grand Admiral opens his hand and a Trident materializes.

  “Alana.” She walks to him and with a touch, he teleports in his armor while Thomas, with a single prayer, had his shining plate armor automatically on him. “BRACE FOR IMPACT!” The two Knight Generals quickly held onto the railing as the camera showed eight oversized sperm whales. “What?! There were only four smaller ones!”

  Opening its mouth reveals thousands of small extremely sharp teeths and their skin opening up to reveal numerous tentacles with mandibles. “Oh… this Carrier Battlegroup is fucked.” The Grand Admiral walked to the gallery before holding down and the sound of metal banging shifts the entire Ringed City nearly to its side as the Destroyer next to them is completely obliterated in half. The Levyathan Whale bleeding severely as the Super Yamato shifted its frontal and rear guns.

  200ft smaller than the Nimitz, the Levyathan Whales went for the biggest one in the battlegroup, aiming for the Supercarrier as one tried to ram the Battleship who began to perform zigzags, missing its aft by a few meters. “HIEEE!” screamed the Rear Admiral of the Keiji Fukada. Its two rear guns, with sets of three cannons each open fire, the gargantuan shell completely ripping its upper part open as its corpse crashes into the ocean water.

  Tentacles then began to rise from the water, encapsulating the Carrier as it crushed the fighter jets on the deck and the Nimitz began to slowly sink. The tentacles then drill into the main deck and the sides towards the hangars. “STOP THEM NOW! DON’T LET THEM TOUCH THE MUNITIONS STORAGES!”

  A bright flying golden ray in the shape of a blade then rips multiple tentacles into pieces, making the others rise up and strike down the Sailors and Marines firing their guns and magic. Alana and Elizabeth with her assassins were zipping about the flight deck, cutting one after one just for it to be replaced with more and then the surviving Level 200 players arose from inside the ship and the tentacles began to multiply even more as they got cut down in the dozens.

  Jackson, who was using the Rapier as intended, cutting through thick armored flesh like it was nothing, not even the tough teeth of these mandibles was enough to halt the power of the glass sword that drank the blood. “We need more people with high level swords here!” The Officers of the ship ran amok, with their spears, lances, and swords of varying types, all leveled and enchanted, had to take upon the role of cutting them whilst those players with his level were swiping the deck of the tentacles clean.

  Mages of such high status were capable of flying around and spamming late game magic like it was nothing and this caused massive damage to the Levyathans as they did not only target the tendrils but also the very source. Gigantic tips of magical energy to frozen icicles were sent plunging down to the depths below the supercarrier.

  As there numbers started ballooning with the powerful players clearing the deck, the runway and catapults was operational again and the first jets, a pair of F/A-18 Super Hornets loaded with Anti Submarine Warfare weaponry blasts off into the skies, and upon the clearing of the other two catapults, F-14B Tomcats with torpedoes zoom into ocean.

  With full afterburners, they sharply performed a bell curve and dropped Mana Crsytalized Warhead Torpedoes into the water and began to leave a trail of bubbles which then disappeared. “DUCK! DUCK EVERYONE!” The Rear Admiral’s scream made Jackson hit the deck as the water below them sank and was followed by multiple massive explosions.

  “Rear Admiral! We’re changing plans. I am turning this into a Battleship Battlegroup. These things see us as the biggest threat, let it be then!” With this order, the tall Rear Admiral in his white uniform salutes on the bridge of the Super Yamato.

  The Ringed City then began to rumble as one by one, the tentacles unlock and plop back into the ocean. Some of them, flipping back into the battleship and destroyers and violently back into the water as the Levyathan did not expect the broadside guns of Keiji.

  Immediately, the firefighters got to work in extinguishing the fire of multiple fully loaded fighter jets now ablaze after getting crushed and even still, planes were taking off in the chaos, bombs and missiles getting equipped and pilots jumping into their planes for war whilst high leveled players were helping in clearing rubble and debris.

  With many masters of magics and martial weapons, the clean up was quick and efficient, with the deck nearly back at full operational capacity within minutes.

  Bangs was heard again as the corpses of the disguised Levyathans floated on the water. “One… two… three, four… five, six…” the Grand Admiral then dashes forward into the corpse of one, jumping high up and ending into the water where he pops out donning a pair of light platinum plate armor.

  With a Trident and Greatsword, he hops on top of one. Looking at it, the skin was slipping and with his sharp fingered gauntlets, rips it open to reveal an exoskeleton that’s melted with armor that's akin to rubies. All he could do was exhaust a long hard sigh as the Destroyer that was cut in half was being helped by two others. Rescuing the players and whatever equipment that could be salvaged, the powerful player mages using magic to levitate them up to the deck while keeping their cut ship from sinking immediately. “Damnit…”

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  On the opposite side of the carrier, one of the Destroyers fires a missile from its tubes. On it was a rocket assisted torpedo. It left a blazing trail as it began to point down and the boosters cut off and disassembled. Leaving the torpedo to crash into the water and its propellers spurring as it tracked one of the wounded Levyathans swimming away from the Battlegroup.

  Fighter jets soon followed, air dropping torpedoes with drag parachutes into the water, multiplying the pursuers behind it to eight.

  Acting like sharks smelling blood, the torpedoes followed the trail of red and destroyed scales floating on top as explosions came. One by one by one but at the Destroyer that did this, tentacles grasped it and began to pull it down underwater. Its guns fired at what it could but players had to be left with what weapons they had onboard that could not damage their boat in the process.

  Suddenly, the sound of the sound barrier breaking and lightning struck a mere meter from the side of the ship and a painful roar screamed from below.

  Water then sprayed above them and it was the Grand Admiral, his trident dug into the armor of the Levyathan as he rode it like a cowboy. With his Greatsword on the other hand, he uses Ice Magic to make it ten feet longer and even more sharper and as the tentacles was about to strike him, it was shot by high caliber shells and bullets, mostly by the Skeleton Generals and their soldiers. “Taisho Antonius! Players! Keep it there!”

  Mages then kept the Levyathan stuck and unable to move fully as the guns of the huge battleship began to turn even with its maneuvers as it took to the center.

  As the process of changing formations into a Battleship Battle Group completed, Keiji Fukada was now the midst of the show and its guns trained at the Levyathan, ridden by the Grand Admiral and held stuck by the high level player mages.

  With one cannon firing a shell, it flies directly into its eye as another cannon fires one to its dorsal fin and one last from the most forward battery fires its last shell from its third cannon, completely crushing the armored head.

  Antonius then throws his trident into the flight deck of The Ringed City where he also appears, still holding the pole. “Now, where is the big one?!”

  As everyone was busy helping around the ship, Knights of Eldwood and Shine Guards ran around to distribute fire extinguishers while their magicians got busy stemming jet fuel flames that was started through an electric fire.

  Though the damage was not catastrophic thanks to the powerful players, the flight deck was in a mess, with net arrestors having to be deployed due to the holes left by the tentacle teeths and leftover sections had to be pushed off into the ocean. Some were even slipping from the blood and flesh while others were driving tow trucks and shifting more aircrafts from the main hangar and into the deck, all prepped for combat duty.

  Among the mess that was the flight deck, Elizabeth looked at the rear of the Supercarrier. Her eyes squinted and could see two sharp and spiky spines peeking out of the water, one red and another, black as a plane landed next to her.

  Standing completely still, unbothered by the blast of the jet engine, the Vampire opens her hand, the AutoMag V all chromed out as its etchings shine in the reddish sky.

  Pulling the trigger, an extremely loud ding echoes into the entire flight deck, making everyone stop what they were doing and curiously look at the magnificently beautiful blonde looking over the rear of the ship.

  With her large pistol still pointing at something, Jackson rushes to her and what he sees makes him stop and tremble.

  Following a gargantuan sea creature were the two Dragon Gods, but what caught his eye was the Humanoid person in black Knight armor with sharpened protrusions standing atop the water. Getting closer and closer to them. Its small circular shield and curved longsword of black and gold was doused in all sorts of vile symbology and lifting the sword, it points it at the Supercarrier.

  Fighter jets then boom past above it, dropping torpedoes which the Demon intercepts by throwing its shield at the oncoming explosives and with a single stare at the aircraft, it bursts it into a fiery flame, crashing into the ocean.

  A shiny Trident was then thrown at it which it precisely intercepts midair with its small circular shield, shooting it back at the Grand Admiral donning his shiny plate armor. “Tsk.” he stood there, looking at it as he used his Greatsword as a crutch. “Jackson, if two Dragon Gods couldn’t kill that thing, then it's going to be a problem.”

  “My Lord, there is a reason why I did not engage a Demon General in Zavalda. Those Beings are no normal creatures. They live in a world where even the scariest creatures that delve into the physical world are mere ants." This made Thomas and Paul crack their knuckles. “Is that so? Yeah, Bahamut already told me since she talked to one. About how scary they are. The fact that she bothered talking means the energy that will be used is not worth the victory.”

  Thomas looked at Jackson, tilting his head. “Wait what. Nani kore, you mean to tell me Bahamut backed off?” crossing his arms, the Eldwood Knight just chuckled. “Yeah but now, we have two. We just need to kill that annoying big thing and then focus on the Demon. Bahamut and Mars probably know they both can’t do this alone.” The high leveled players from the other theaters all assembled behind them, with their late and end game gear and weapon all gleaming in its shine and grandeur.

  “Jackson, may I remind you that Iron Mountain still needs this Battlegroup for future battles. I will not sacrifice all the ships of this formation for the defeat of that thing.” With the Demon General and the gargantuan sea creature now less than two kilometers, Jackson lowers his head, his eyes locked onto the oncoming enemy. “Alana, how many tons of explosives were you told we have in store? Can we transport the ones we carried on the train and into the landing ship here too?”

  “Hmmmm… M’Lord, why do that when you have a battleship?” as if an epiphany came to him, a big wide devilish grin appears on his face, hidden by his helmet as he requests for a radio. After a long conversation and some back and forth, he gives it back and screams. “Bahamut! Come back here!”

  Suddenly, the numerous black shiny spikes that were sticking out of the water stop and Bahamut turns back into her Human form. Returning to the back of The Ringed City, the Demon got a Lance out of thin air and threw it at her as she was going back. The Dragon catches it with her own hands and aims it below the water, straight at the creature. She hovered for a few seconds, looking at the Humanoid standing atop the armored skin of the gargantuan sea monster.

  With a smirk, she shoots it into the creature, penetrating into its other side and after a few seconds of purple blood spilling into the water does it stop and the Dragon returns to her Master.

  Bahamut’s Human form was different, with her vertical horns going around her crown and her spiky tail wagging under her gown. She leans into Jackson, sniffing his armor and hugging the man whilst she pushes her entire weight onto him. “Woah, are you fine, Bahamut? We can take care of this.” she shrugs as the creature was now only a kilometer and already, it looks to be extremely near the carrier. “No, me and Mars, we really tried, Master. But that things skin is tough! It stopped our beams and that stupid Demon Lord thing then kept getting in our way!”

  Brushing her hair, Jackson brings his arm over her waist and points at the battleship. The Grand Admiral though couldn’t help but mutter what he heard. “A Demon Lord…” Antonius quickly looked at it, his hands trembling knowing what it is now. “Leave it to all of us, we’ll focus on that Demon Lord. All you and Mars with the Level Two Hundred players have to do is kill that thing. That Battleship has a certain special shell that came from a melted weapon of the Primordial Gods. They won’t use it on some seasonal end game event game aquatic boss but that.” He points at the giant Livyathan.

  Trudging through the water as fast as the ships could allow, Elizabeth and Alana quickly jump from the back, aiming straight at the Demon Lord. With her guns, the Queen opened fire midway through as she raised Hellraiser and the Countess wielding her ancient family Vampire sword. It was enchanted metal from Tur and the gold crusted pommel and blood colored hilt made from Dwarven and Vampire smiths clashing to strike one enemy.

  A simple clang and some sparks was all Jackson, Yamaoka and Antonius and the high level players saw and when their eyes readjusted, the Demon Lord’s weapon had turned into a two ended spear. Stopping the two powerful swords and they began to rise up to reveal more of its body as the creature was now half a kilometer away.

  It’s form, an overstretched whale shark and its body, that of a long tailing snake that’s twice the length of the carrier itself. The Keiji Fukada immediately fires its rear cannons, making the creature scream as large dents were left under it. Its pectoral fins were thicker than the width of an entire Destroyer and it lifted high above them, casting a shadow over the entire Battlegroup.

  The two of the five Landing Ships that were tailing behind the fleet were then subsequently crushed and completely destroyed by its fins and once again it prepared itself to finish off another two.

  Mars then bites into its tail, bringing it to crash down back into the water as the Generals and the Grand Admiral watch the two Vampires trying to tag team the Demon Lord and it never moved its feet, its arms able to keep up with them and its upper torso was capable of reacting far faster than them. “Welp, let’s fucking go.” Jackson walks back a few meters and dashes into the top of the gargantuan creature with a small army of Level 200 players.

  With there blades of all manners and walks of life was up, they charge into the frey, right into the Demon Lord with its immensely tall stature and feminine contours with Antonius shooting his Trident into it which was blocked by its hands as Jackson went under, straight for the legs just to get kicked a few meters back and Thomas going for the neck and his Holy sword getting stopped by the pauldrons. “What the hell is that thing?!” Thomas screamed as he stood up once again. Sword ready for action whilst the other players were busy attempting to damage the Livyathan’s armor.

  Thomas and Antonius soon followed with Mars still biting on its tail as it kept moving forward still, squirming continually to the carrier as the Demon looked up which gave Alana the opening to strike it right under its chin which was stopped by the chainmail underneath. “No. Thomas! Help me!” Jackson then dugged into the skin of the creature with his sword, with Yamaoka helping him, they both were still unable to nudge it till multiple Level 200 players came to aid and with their hands all on the pommel, they ripped a section of its armor off. “ANTON!” seeing what they were planning, he takes his Trident and as they lift it up, he throws his weapon.

  Other players with their own divine swords then saw this and did their own, leaving gnashing scratches on the Livyathan’s armor as it's unable to move with Mars keeping it in place and the Demon Lord unable to fully kill Elizabeth or Alana. Though a single blow from its hand or shapeshifting weapons was enough to kill a Vampire fully, the two’s pureblood kept them from dying fully. Coming back always from absolute gore just to regenerate in one piece.

  Before Antonius was about to shoot off a beam into the sky. Elizabeth uses Hellraiser to burn the Demon Lord, the armor of the Demonic creature doesn't flinch and her blade’s energy beam bounces and flies straight above it, creating a massive explosion in the sky. Throwing everyone off the top as they caught their footing and Bahamut with her mouth completely open comes crashing into the water and bites into the slimmest part of the tail section with Mars.

  Biting as hard as she could, the Black Dragon then lets go of a cosmic beam, its fire steaming the water, boiling it so hard a hole was being left as she cut through the bones that were as thick as houses, players with their ancient spells then used their own magic lasers. Combining Bahamut’s color with green, blue, yellow, orange, and golden lasers. Leaving the creature unable to move and began sinking.

  Bahamut then looks at Mars whose eyes showed a slow blink. With a lift of her wings, she scoops up the players within the steamy clouds and heads back to the Battlegroup which was now a bit far from them. “YEAHH! GET ‘EM!” they cheered on as they watched from the talons of the Red Dragon God. “Do it, Dragon! Leave that disgusting vile fish to rot on the ocean bed!” Bahamut then takes off once again as it violently squirmed and for the first time, opened its mouth. Revealing extremely tall sharp teeths.

  Sucking in the water, it tried to stay afloat but was unable to keep itself up and its eight eyes just watched the Red Dragon leave it for dead.

  On top of Mars, the Demon Lord with its sword strikes her back, cutting through the Divine Dragon Scale Armor as she screams and loses all control. She focuses on the carrier’s deck, throwing them into it as she turns back into a Human form and they crash land on the flight deck.

  Jackson faceplants right onto the tarmac as Thomas crashes into a fighter jet while Antonius has his Trident which he throws and appears at the location where it landed, his hand holding it still while the rest of the players landed in various ways, some even crashing into the main bridge. “Who told you you can enter this ship?” facing the Demon Lord, the sailors and Knights just looked in awe of its black armor and feminine form, its multiple zigzagging horns facing upward into the sky.

  Lifting his Trident, albeit shaking, his eyes focus inside the slits of the helmet as Bahamut comes back down again, this time landing on the rear deck of Keiji Fukada. “Livyathan! Your scourge dies here!” tentacles then pop out of its armor and pierces into the surface and for the Destroyers and Landing Ships at the rear of the battlegroup and entangling them, using their flotation to keep itself from sinking even deeper but even there buoyancy wasn’t enough as one of the landing ships completely lists over and began to sink. The hundreds of transport trucks on its deck falling into the watery depths.

  Even then, it was still heavy enough that the 2 Destroyers also began sinking. Bahamut spreads her wings and with one flap, the downward force she created sank the Super Yamato’s rear under the water, with the six massive guns on the back fully submerged, its rear guns swiveled to the left and opened fire. The shell’s warhead, gleaming a sparkling golden color with five normal enchanted ones flew straight into its opened mouth as it continually panicked and wiggled in madness of what it was seeing slowly come to it.

  The 20.1 Inch guns in sets of 3 on 2 barbettes fired 6 humongous shells into the water where the Livyatan couldn’t dodge as its tentacles were far too much entangled on the Destroyers and its eight eyes just watched the multiple ton shells glide straight into its mouth and head. The golden one itself, made from the steel of an ancient Turian Hero’s sword is embedded into a hole created by the players before entering into the flesh itself and detonating.

  An explosion then racked The Ringed City, the water all around it sprouting up into the skies as the tentacles released one by one and the Destroyers were able to float upright after some violent swinging and the blown up corpse of the Livyathan surfaces. Its purple blood coloring that area of the ocean as panic ensues on the Supercarriers main deck.

  Bahamut immediately returns to the flight deck of the carrier where a very armed and angry crowd of high level players has gathered. “MARS!” Thomas though was running around screaming. Looking around, the Black Dragon still flying sees her colleague, her back slumped on the back of the island and her eyes widened and focused, flying straight to her. “Over here Yamaoka!” She lands and turns to her human form, kneeling and holding the hand of the Red Dragon. “These are some minor wounds, nothing a Dragon God couldn’t withstand, Mars. You’ve made Albion proud. The blood of the ruinous Demons scatter into the uncaring ocean.”

  Looking at her back, the sword slice was gone through her latex bodysuit and Bahamut just swallowed her saliva and blinked multiple times. “I’ll begin healing you now.” as she starts, Mars grabs her arm. “īe..!” looking at her as Thomas arrives, unstrapping his helmet and throwing it away as he fully panics. “Kill that thing for me, Onegaishimasu.” with a nod, the Black Dragon walked away as the Shine Guards General hugged Mars who irks out a painful grown. “N-not to tight!”

  Walking through the crowd, the large gathering of high level players felt the aura of the Dragon and gave her an aisle that shoots straight to the Demon Lord. Her view of it is blocked by Jackson and Antonius whilst behind it, the two Vampires and the Black Knifes all standing ready for action.

  She walks through to them, placing her hand on Jackson which lowers his head and steps aside as she raises her Primordial Claymore at it, on her other hand, her longsword Darkarth. “Are you prepared to meet your vile makers?” it then raises its weapon at her in defiance as it is surrounded.

  Jackson though looks at Bahamut’s head, her Dragon horns growing out of it as her tail wags out of her gown.

  A??????n????? ??????e????y???e???l?????e???????s????s????? ????a????b????o???m?????i?????n???????a??????t??????i?????o????n??? ????w????i?????t???h??????? ??????s?????e????v????e???n??? ?????m??????o???????u?????t?????h??????s?????.??? ??????S????e????v????e??????n??????? ????i??????m?????m????o?????r???????t???a?????l?????i???t????i?????e??????s???.????? ????T??????e?????l????l?????? ????m???????e????,??????? ??????c?????a????n???? ????y???o????u?????? ?????s????e?????e????? ?????t???h??????e???? ?????s??????k?????y???? ?????t??????u????r?????n???? ???????b????l???????u??????e??? ??????a?????g?????a???????i?????n??????????

  Hearing the feminine yet monstrous voice mixed with the tone of hundreds of souls struck fear into everyone, Jackson instinctively held Bahamut’s hand as he shook heavily in his place.

  “As long as men like Master, exist. The sky will always be blue. This tainting red is a mere setback that we will correct soon.”

  She then takes one step forward. Jackson and the players were all ready to strike, the Mages already with their Ancient Spells ready even if it's going to cost them their body’s function for the next few days.

  I??? ???w???o???n???'???t??? ???b???e??? ???t???h???e??? ???l???a???s???t???.??? ???A??? ???D???e???m???o???n??? ???G???e???n???e???r???a???l??? ???s???h???a???l???l??? ???a???v???e???n???g???e??? ???m???e???.??? ???Y???o???u???r??? ???b???e???l???o???v???e???d??? ???M???a???s???t???e???r??? ???w???i???l???l??? ???b???e??? ???t???o???r???n??? ???a???p???a???r???t???,??? ???h???i???s??? ???s???o???u???l??? ???s???e???n???t??? ???a???s???u???n???d???e???r??? ???i???n???t???o??? ???t???h???e??? ???C???o???s???m???i???c??? ???V???o???i???d???,??? ???l???o???s???t??? ???y???e???t??? ???f???l???e???e???t???i???n???g??? ???y???e???t???.???.???.??? ???a???l???i???v???e???.??? ???U???n???a???b???l???e??? ???t???o??? ???s???c???r???e???a???m???,??? ???u???n???a???b???l???e??? ???t???o??? ???l???a???u???g???h???,??? ???f???o???r???e???v???e???r??? ???l???o???s???t??? ???i???n??? ???p???l???a???c???e???.???

  With a grin, Bahamut then pushes her Claymore Core into its neck and the Demon swipes it away and Darkarth goes for its arm, slicing it clean as it jumps high up, its arm merely returning back as Elizabeth and Alana grabbed its sabatons, pushing it back down where the Black Dragon impales it with its primordial blade.

  Its body then began to steam and black tar dripped from the tiny crevices of its armor till only an empty black plate was left behind. Bahamut then unceremoniously pushes it out of her blade. “G-Good job killing it, Bahamut.” she shrugs her head. “No. It killed itself. What a sad creation. Probably meant to test us. Master.” She then turns around and looks at him. “With the lines all gone, the Demons must be planning on attacking us with all they got.”

  “She mentioned something about Demon Generals, right?” Bahamut nods as she kicks the plate armor into the ocean. “When faced with the ruinous powers of the Cosmic Unknown, show them your will, Master. Your spirit alone will turn into the light to brighten the dark space that encapsulates the world outside the planet.” With her words said, she returns back to the wall of the main tower island to help Mars while Elizabeth flickered her fingers to catch everyone’s attention.

  Her radiating golden beauty took everyone’s attention away from what horrific feeling that fleeted over there senses with her perfection and mature feminine form. “Boys and girls, let us return to our duties. Be at your toes for this victory is just one for many more to come.” One by one, each player turned around, not even happy nor celebrating as a lot needed to be done.

  Even in their expensive and exorbitant Super Rare armors, they’ve sheathed there weapons and staffs, now equipped with a brooms and mops, sweeping away the remains of the plate armor into a corner as the aircraft carrier becomes busy with cleaning up and fixing the damages caused by the battle with the gnashing marks left on the hull and deck signifying the metal tub’s resilience in the wake of such powers that dared go against its crew.

  The entire night was rife with construction lights and welding as planes took off and landed around the hour, the entire battlegroup now surrounded the Super Battleship which was just as ready for action. Its spotlights were in constant patrol as helicopters from the surviving Destroyers patrolled around the inner and outer vicinity of the Battlegroup.

  It was only a few minutes in the afternoon that they came into sight of Dragovh’s mainland and the Port City of Melandro, Kingdom of Meilurious. A few nautical miles from it, the fleet dropped anchor as the sailing ships in the oceanside settlement looked tiny even from afar.

  Jackson though took the semblance of peace as a moment to continue resting as Bahamut kept around the clock on tending to Mars, being the only creature at the entire fleet that could do something to her wounds that came from a weapon that’s been labeled as Cosmic Rarity and whatever information gained from it sent back to Iron Mountain by the Blacksmiths onboard.

  Its plate armor was soon recovered via helicopter and weapon and shield were also locked up inside the ship's main armory and the Internal Bureau Agents awaited on the Port where an exchange happened at night, the fleet gaining a new weapon while the Demon Lord Knight Set was turned in and some local trading occurs, with the players mingling with the citizens as they bought local delicacies, one of which Bahamut took great interest in. A pork meat stew with fish broth. The healthy and hearty meal named The Great Meil Stew by the sailors of the sailing ships became the rave as the tired players enjoyed fresh food.

  As they prepared to set sail, the Super Battleship Keiji Fukada had to exit out ahead of them as a massive Druisviking armada coming from Angea was heading towards the main continents. The bigger Yamato ship had to be recalled immediately to the naval blockade. With its Captain handing a Katana and Wakizashi to Jackson on the port before running to his ship and raising its anchors to steam ahead into the open ocean all alone.

  Once again, they set sail. Riding alongside the shoreline where after another day, they reached the Kingdom of James and stopped at one of their major port cities located directly at its center. Just like any of the other major settlements from the Holy Kingdom, this one also had its magnificent white walls and porcelain lining shone even under the red sky. With the harbour itself having statues of King James gallantly raising its swords to greet visitors and the Landing Ships unloaded Jackson’s army, or what remained of it.

  Its streets became busy with the sound of machines and equipment as helicopters also did supply runs, going back and forth from the local garrison to get grain and garlic and onion as players took the chance to buy turnips and peas at super low prices.

  One of the helicopters delivers a VIP party onto the harbour front the Port City from the Kingdom of James was miles in difference with those of Meilurious. Not only was the sewage far more organized and cleaner, but the roads and the sidewalks were so well maintained that not a single cobblestone was mismatched from the rest and crevices in between properly painted and cleaned.

  Even the sailing ships of the Kingdom were in perfect condition, not a single barnacle on them as the Seahawk landed at an open area where cargo for the ships was meant to be placed. Due to the lack of gantry cranes, the last two remaining Landing Ships had to get near to the shore and opened their ramps to let go of what handful of soldiers and players Jackson had left.

  Exiting out of the helicopter. Jackson hugs the land as Thomas kept a close eye on Mars who was lightly pushing him away but couldn’t say no to his kindness. Grand Admiral Antonius was also there, standing at the door of the helicopter as the two Generals turned around and gave him smiles.

  “It’s been a good cruise, Jackson. I couldn’t believe you got a Super Battleship to back you up.” he extends his hand and the Supreme General gladly accepts his gesture. “Of course. In the end, we saved your baby, didn’t we.” he chuckled and laughed a bit as the Grand Admiral gave him a slow and deliberate nod. “Jackson, I expect to see you on that Portal Fortress. Don’t do anything stupid. We will all get home.”

  Shrugging his head, the Knight General laid his hand on his shoulder as another was still gripping his hand. “Anton, do you really expect me to die easily after everything you’ve seen and heard firsthand?” hearing this made the Admiral laugh out loud. “Of course! Of course.” With another nod and a slap to the side of his arm, Antonius turns to Yamaoka and Mars. “I don’t know what to say. I’ve always respected the Shine Guards and their mission on our beloved Dark Continent. I am happy to know their commanders are as exemplary as their Knights.”

  Yamaoka bowed his head to Antonius who in return, saluted him. “We of the Shine Guards are not perfect, but that is why we shine. Our imperfections reflect the brightness of our souls as we aim to bring peace to the unending chaos.” As he looks up, with the sky still red and the Black Hole singing to them a cosmic tune, the General looks back down as more helicopters arrive alongside the sound of marching feet and trucks lining up in a convoy.

  “Even the fiercest sea serpent may be overcome by a swarm of sharks. Take good care of yourself, Sir Antonius and of your ships.” With a brief handshake, he and Mars walk away as Bahamut lands behind Jackson and rests her elbow on his shoulder. “Bahamut, the countless lore videos I’ve watched about you did not lie about your power and strength. My respect for Dragons was already high, I debate Pro-Lizardfolk people almost weekly in the public forums but seeing your kind act and battle. Truly, a wonderful show that I will remember till the day I die.”

  “Power and strength is one thing, to use it and wield it is another. You have a brave heart, Chosen One. A soul that trembles under the weight of an insane enemy yet still finds within itself to hold a weapon up in defiance of your nature is a sign of the quality your soul holds. I shall look forward to seeing it one day and how bright it may shine. Men may not all have the chance to do so, but those who do, they show why Man is such an indomitable and unmoving force just as us Dragons at times.”

  She then grabs Jackson’s arm, pulling him away as he waves goodbye to the Grand Admiral who salutes and tips his cap. Walking back to the Seahawk as it takes off.

  “Master, are we really returning to City Zero-One?”

  “Hm. Mars is stable, but it's best we don’t force anything on her. Castle Eldwood should also have proper Alchemical Apparatus to truly check her condition at the hospital there. The stats on that blade could’ve killed any of us players with one slice, regardless of level and armor type.” The Destroyers behind them then began to fire Tomahawk and Harpoon cruise missiles. “Jackson! This is The Ringed City, I suggest you get your men together and go! We are picking up hundreds of boats and ships sailing towards the shores. We won’t be able to stop them for long!”

  Seeing some members of the Kingdom’s troops. He walks to the grunts in his camouflage uniform. “Excuse me. May I have a word with your commander or anyone high up?” the man in a tabard and chainmail points down the road. “Over’re at the centa’. The Governor General’s busy w’th some thieves.” he nods and hails an MRAP that was just freshly unloaded.

  Driving through the Port town, with a larger city already on the horizon with its massive castle and fortress walls that sat atop a hill. The town was full of paintings and colourful walls and posts, with banners flying proudly of the family that rules the domain, two extravagant keys with the sword cross of the Holy See. Jackson was scanning the surroundings when they passed a square where a large crowd had gathered.

  On it was a lanky family that had ropes on their necks. “Stop the vehicle.” The two Vampires just smiled as Bahamut was fast asleep on her seat. Walking out, he goes to the edge of the crowd and looks at one of the serf. “May I ask what is happening here?”

  “Oy’ fer’ an Outworlda’ you speak the language’ fine.”

  “Yes, and may I ask about that family?”

  “Ah, dey the Vanheersens. Stole sum’ food from the cella’ aye.”

  “And they're being hanged?” with his eyebrow lift, the serf nods. “Tis’ a time of war, yea. Sir Vanheersen never been good folk. Man’s got a bad eye, aye.” blinking his eyes multiple times, Jackson felt a fire burn within him. A familiar feeling that he had long been acting on without any reservation.

  “Here me, the subjects of Ivnarna! Our beautiful Port City is under threat! We mustn’t allow our barbaric ways to return! Who are we then?! To let ourselves sink so low as to steal food from the masses! Food meant to feed us when the crops may longer be tended to as Demons pile onto our homes and streets! Are we going to let what the Elves say of us speak true?!”

  Walking through the crowd, the man with his Multicam uniform raises his hand up. “I’d like to buy their freedom!” hearing the deep manly voice coming from the masses, the Governor General started looking for who it was. “How much? I am willing to pay for them and even pay for the food they stole. At times of war, it's better to focus on getting things done than shows of authority.” standing up from his grand chair, he looked down and curiously stared at the foreigner.

  “And who are you to stand before the Ivnarna family?” Jackson quickly bowed as he was taught by the Vampires. “A foreign greeting too and a foreign weapon.” he then walks down from the balcony, the crowd watching the man in his pale skin and auburn hair that long flows down the extravagant white and yellow and silver robe he dons.

  Even the sharp shoes on his feet were lined with yellow color as he revealed his hand. Bowing, the two grunts standing guard beside him kept a close eye at the pommel of the sword on Jackson’s waist. “Do you even have ten gold coins?” the General flicked his finger. “Bahamut! I need you for a bit.” flying from the MRAP, a small Black Dragon lands on his shoulders, making the Governor General to bow in the presence of the four legged ancient creature.

  A pouch then spazzes out of thin air and into Jacksons palm. “Here, take fifty. I’d like to use the rest of the money to buy whatever provisions are needed for the family and even pay rent and whatever is due to their Lord." The Nobleman opens the pouch and is surprised by the gleaming gold coin. “I know how much Threan Gold is valued here, so I am far overpaying what you want.”

  Pocketing it, the Governor General raises his hand and shrugs his head. The grunts on the stand taking the ropes off of their necks. “Bahamut, tell the soldier driving to bring some food here. A truckload if possible.” This made the Black Dragon tilt her head. “We don’t need so much food. We don’t have the same number as we did before and we’ll be stopping at major city. We can have as much food as we need.” scratching her chin, the Dragon does as it's told and flies away.

  “Why do this, foreigner? For a family you aren’t even involved with?” the man just sighs as he looks back at the road. “I’ve seen what executions can do to a city under duress.” His eyes blinks, in his vision, he remembers a sight of a city in ruins, people getting shot by the wall and killed in public view and the insurgency that spurred afterwards. “It doesn’t help anyone and I’m sure you wouldn’t want to be remembered in such a way.” he turns back to look at the Governor General, standing taller than him. “I am doing what I can to give out as much empathy as I can, as at times like these, the best and worst qualities of men show. I’ve seen this before, and I saw and experienced the aftermath as I stood by watching on top of my tank like some schmuck.”

  With a nod, the Governor General stands up and looks at Jackson. “So it may be, but I cannot allow provisions to be stolen and have those who had done it to be left unpunished.” The General nods as he looks at the famine stricken family get off the main stage and the citizenry walking back to the streets. “They came from the countryside, where the Demon Army’s plague had been. As uncouth as it may be, even the poor I cannot give leniency. Every food we have is one more day, one more family that may live and breathe.”

  “I know… my colleagues also did things like these to control a starving populace from a war that destroyed logistics. Women and children being fed with a crumple of bread and peas everyday and those who work on clearing rubble can be given one slice of bacon. It's horrific.” the Governor sighs as he lifts his hand and his staff was given to him by one of his Knights. “I thank you for sharing your food with us, foreigners. But do know when the Demon army races to Dragovh, we will have to reject thousands or even hundreds of thousands from the safety of the City’s Church and the Cathedral’s cellars and sanctified underground halls.”

  “It’s not about saving everybody, it's saving at least one more.” the Governor lightly places his hand on his heart and bows. “May the dashing bright illuminate of the Sword Cross bless you, Outworlders. For your battle is ours to carry, yet you do it still without question.”

  A convoy of trucks soon arrived as Jackson in his MRAP drove off from the city where on the open fields. Just to be surprised that an army had already taken camp there, a tent city took up most of the space forcing him to go even further away where what remains of his armies collected themselves and another long convoy was formed.

  Driving through the night, they didn’t stop till they hit the Capital city of James, with its porcelain walls shining bright even under the red hue, outside of it was a gigantic army camp. Banners of many Noble families and their own grunts and Knights under their House from their respective regions were present, all donning one white and blue color coded tabard. The only difference was the colors of the flags and seals on their uniforms.

  Morning was already about to break when they arrived back at the familiar sight. “Everyone, we’ll take a break here. Buy whatever you need and we’ll make a break towards City Zero One.” The dirt road became muddy from the amount of wheels that was trudging through them and in one of the intersections, a Deacon from the Holy See redirected them to the open field next to the Army of James.

  After setting up their own camp, Jackson was soon invited by a Priest back to the intersection. Though he was busy chatting with Thomas and the Skeleton Generals, he had no choice as the request came from a Cardinal of the Holy See.

  On the muddy path, a clean white rug was placed and on top of it is a marble table and a chair made from rare wood. Looking around, his side was busy with maintaining their vehicles and weapons while on the other side, the tents were more numerous, colorful and alive as the smell of fresh meat being cooked was flying towards their side.

  A procession then walked from the deep recesses of the Native Army Camp. Walking in the center of it, after the Deacons and Altar boys had cleansed the air with their lamps was the Cardinal, with the Knights of the Holy See holding up a four pole umbrella which fit perfectly to shade the two of them as the old man sat down opposite of the Supreme General.

  Extending his hand, Jackson quickly took the gesture with both hands. “General Paul Jackson, Theater Commander of the Schon Campaign.” The Cardinal then stood up, bowing elegantly. “Halven Cover Ron the Seventeenth of the Cathedral of Saint Icarvus. Pleasure to meet you.” in a bit of a panic, he stood up and also elegantly bowed in return. “Please, do sit down, General. I am curious of what has happened to Schon.”

  “Of course, I am a bit surprised that a Cardinal is here. I guess you are giving prayer to all of the soldiers and Nobles?” the old man just chuckled. “No. I am their commander. This is my army.” This made Jackson’s eyes open wide. “You… you are a military commander too?” nodding, Halven looks behind him. “My family is known for their success in warfare. I have learned greatly from my Father and I intend to show that history in full here.” one of the Deacons bought in a cart that was full of porcelain plates and engraved metal utensils.

  A fancy teacup was then placed on the table as the old man gestured for Jackson to begin and after a long drawn report which lasted till the afternoon, many other Lords became present, sitting down on the grass or even on the road to listen in at the experiences of the General who then called for Thomas and the skeletons generals. Many of them didn’t show any fear, merely just a face prepared and ready for what’s to come while Jackson and his officers seemed to be ready to fold at any moment.

  “I see… so it's far worse than what we ever feared… I do hope the sanctification of the city walls is enough to prevent the Demons from entering.”

  “Yes, and the plague, the White Rider Plague. Has it still been contained?” seeing the concerned expression on him, the Cardinal smiles and nods. “Of course. The Holy See has some of the best doctors of the land and with hygienic means given by your civilization, it has not gotten any meaningful grasp in Dragovh. We didn’t even know you called with such a scary title.” breathing a sigh of relief, he nearly collapsed in his seat.

  “And news from the Heroes? Have they reached the ancient Angelic Elves?” He then starts rummaging around his sleeves. “Actually, I believe a scroll just came to me with the seal of the Pontiff. I believe it should mention something about them.” Reaching into his sleeves, the Cardinal brings out a fine piece of rolled paper, the bow sealed by the sigil of the Holy See’s Pontiff Office.

  With his magic, the seal burns up and the scroll unravels on itself. Taking a peek, he began rummaging through the finely written paragraphs. As if the person who did this wrote it all on a computer with how much accuracy there was.

  “Ah yes, it's a call for additional troops to the Elven Empire. A portal has opened on the Burial Labyrinth of Mount Harelm and multiple Demon Generals and their Legions have stormed it from the outside while the portals there are spawning Uberdemonuses and other powerful Cosmic Demonic entities..” Jackson and Thomas both had their eyes sink as Mars had to catch Yamaoka from completely falling. “No… No. I won’t lose hope. I know they're gonna win this.” Deep inside, Jackson was pouring all of his prayers there kicking ass as he knows how this will end if they actually get destroyed there. The Cardinal leaned his head down a bit as a grin appeared on his face.

  "General, do you remember your first kill? Human of course."

  "Yeah. Was looking through the thermals of my commander machine gun, saw this oblivious young eighteen something American shooting at a squad, clicked a button and two rounds of twelve point seven millimeter rounds went through his stomach and waist." Jackson just leered back at his chair, his arm hanging over the backrest. "I couldn't sleep for the next few days, all I could remember was how quick it was. I saw some plume and his body plopped down to the ground."

  "And now."

  "And now, I am in another world, doing the bidding of your Gods who dragged us from our homes and lives."

  "And we shall build statues and write stories of your achievements. Worry not too much about now. Nor the plague. It shall all be stopped and contained. Continue hoping, believing, and fighting. The end is nigh upon us and it shall usher in an Era of Men. Of One God, and a new Empire." he then gestures with his finger, one of the Deacons bringing a porcelain pitcher. “It will only end when the last man draws his breath… And such a day will never come for we will be victorious.”

  As tea is poured into the groups, a small portal opens behind them. Its divine colors then materialize an object. It caught the Cardinal’s attention who squinted as one of his Deacons went to fetch what was brought in. “Teleportation magic via the circle? Goodness, what urgency could this be?”

  Returning to them at the intersection was now a Priest with a small companion that is a flying stone gargoyle that’s as large as his head. “Cardinal! It’s of utmost importance that you must read this!” turning around, the old man takes the paper that’s not even sealed up. His eyes opened wide as he continued reading. “By Deus’ Holy Cross that parted seas and space, tis’ an invasion!” Jackson, confused as could be looked at by the Priest then to the Cardinal.

  “General, take as many provisions as you may need, the Kingdom of James is willing to impart what it has to its allies. Ivnarna is overrun by a vile cretin plague, White Rider you call it yes?” Jackson stands up, his eyes wide open. “It-it’s loose?!” the Cardinal slowly nodded. “Yes. They’ve sent sailing ships full of rotten bodies, festering with it. I believe it may even rot the air as you speak with what happened at Cape of Good Faith.” Turning to the direction of the shores, the wrinkled man strokes his long grey beard. “Nay, the travel to Ivnarna is a good week for an army of this size. Priest! Call for the Noble Houses and have them assembled at my tent immediately.”

  He then looked at the General. “What do you need? We can turn around and slow them down if you want.” the Cardinal smiled and shrugged his head. “Nay. You must not. Your men, there wrought with tire and in need of rest. I do not see nor feel the same killing vigor as of my fresh Knights and Grunts. Continue on to your destination, wherever it may be. Let us carry your burdens, you’ve already done so much for people who have no connections to this world.”

  “We’re headed to the Outworlder City that you onced invaded a year and a half ago under the orders of the Sword Saint. At the valley of Angrbroda where Lake Mannelieg is situated, in Meilurous. If you need a place to retreat, we’ll defend you there.” This made the Cardinal tilt his head and his eyes wide open as he gave the General a grin. “Ah, that place across the border. Yes, a sad battle it was. But I hold no grudge to enemies now allies as our problems are now the same and fear not, those Holy walls shall save us.” Jackson though looked to the direction they came from and his eyes squinted. “To think you didn’t even have her imprisoned for that.”

  “The Sword Saint answers to the Gods and Deus Vrax himself, they’ve done far more worse things before. We’re no stranger to the weird and unpredictable ways of living in a world with so many Divine Beings. This is why we advocate for a world ruled by One God.” he turns to the General, smiling. “Do not worry, our means is just through higher taxation to non believers. You may carry on, Lord General Jackson. May the God of Men bless your battles with victory! May he bless your sword and it may show its true shine!” Opening his hand, a staff made of pure gold and silver appears, on its top was an orb whose shine could blind even those far away.

  “Master… I just got blessed.” Mars then nods. “Hm. Even I was.”

  Standing fully up, the Cardinal began walking. His Holy Knights took the poles of the umbrella and dragged it along with him. Protecting the old man from the red tinted sun rays. “... Alright…” he turned to Thomas who just shrugged his shoulders. “Yeahh… let’s get some food and meat and hop off to City Zero One. It should only be a day or two’s drive away.” standing up, Jackson with Thomas walks back to their army camp as the Deacons took apart their meeting area.

  “Just how much did the Natives prepare? The size of this army and the amount of people in full plate armor and chainmail.”

  “I know, Thomas. It should give us a good few days too.”

  “Hm? Are we going to shore up City Zero One’s defenses?”

  “It should’ve been shored up already. I am just a bit scared that there might still be civilians there as I am sure the schedule is not being followed with how fast our lines fell. The Schon Campaign and the theaters all collapsed far faster than we all imagined.”

  “Eh? We can’t afford to have civilians in the battlezone.” Jackson stops and breathes a long hard sigh. “Yeah. But as soldiers, we have a duty to make sure those innocent won’t get caught up into this mess. Let’s go. The Natives should buy us a few days at least.”

  Soon after, the Outworlder Army began to move before the strike of night. The Cardinal is in awe of the large massive convoy driving into the darkness. A few hundred headlights lead a trail of light as it zigzags into the open plains and the forest far in the horizon. “That man… you felt it you didn’t you, High Priest?” the young silver haired priest with his gargoyle companion nods. “Yes, a God favors that man. A Dragon I believe.”

  “Not that God, another God, one more familiar to us…” as the Noble houses began organizing into a vanguard army, the Cardinal sigh to his clueless lower ranking member. “Regardless, The Outworlders have something up their sleeve. No wonder the Pagan Gods called for them. Let us go. A violent and brutal battle awaits us soon. Prioritize those innocent who did not make it to the Churches and Cathedrals of Ivnarna.”

  Upon the break of dawn, Jackson couldn’t believe what he was feeling. As if he came back home after a long arduous business trip, the familiar fog on the highlands and the pine trees that were as tall as buildings with their dark brown wood. Alana and Bahamut both seemed as if they’re about to come home again. “Oh, it’s your first time here, right, Elizabeth?”

  She nods, looking out of the cold highlands as their convoy drives through the area slowly due to the wet roads. “We were ambushed here, me and a player. The truck we were driving got attacked by a ghost. I still remember that as fresh as the day comes.” he then leaned into his passenger side window and smiled. “They became the first citizens of City Zero One. Huh, we’re actually coming through the direction of the airport.”

  It was late in the afternoon when a plane zoomed past above them, approaching the Eldwood Airport where a long line was still present. Soldiers of the UN were in active participation in the evacuation, the massive parking lot was turned into a refugee camp as a military convoy passed through the highway in front. “Hard to believe we were frozen in that terminal for a few months…” Looking through the driver side window, the chain linked fence showed a barely active refugee camp as most of the army tents were empty and some were already being dismantled.

  Busses filled both sides of the street as Jackson’s convoy crossed through the bridge into the heartland of the city, rolling through the concrete canal. “And that’s… that’s where Breznick and Libertus’ men escaped into.” Staring at a sewage entrance, he just smiles as he breathes in. “Ahhhh, to think we’re back here. Bahamut!” waking up, the Dragon’s head perks up, seeing the familiar city again. “Master! We’re back home!” he shrugs his head. “Not yet. Driver, take us through the other side of the city and follow the road up to the mountains.”

  Taking the radio, he tunes into the commander's frequency. “Thomas, Mars, and the two Skeleton Generals. Just a heads up. Me and my party will be returning to Castle Eldwood. Do you copy all that?” Thomas replies with a quick. “Copy that.” And he puts down the mic as they continue through the city.

  There were still civilians out and about, and the UN patrols filled every corner and alley as his army began to stop at the parks and squares. The streets were also empty, with what handful of vehicles were driving around are armored ones and buses driving from the overland terminal near the bridge that leads to the tunnel out of the city. Jackson just had a faint smile as he watched the city roll past his window. “It was a good run...” he breathes a long way out. “I can’t believe it. A decisive battle in our city, Bahamut.”

  Exiting out the otherside, the MRAP continued to drive into the forest as a steep climb began and soon, they reached a wall with a large wooden gate on it that’s already open.

  Rolling into the courtyard, there was a semi truck parked, with players from Eldwood collecting paintings and statues, boarding them into the trailer as he hops off and they immediately notice the face of the Death Knight General. “Sir!” seeing the happy faces, Jackson opens his arms and hugs them. “Good work, is my house also empty?” the sergeant nods. “Yes sir. Only some furniture is left there. All of your weapons and armor are already inside the Portal Fortress.” with a nod, he pats the two on their shoulders. “Good. Is anyone here right now?”

  “General Dennis was here yesterday to collect some documents. Now, it's General Carjacker in here.” he tilts his head, blinking a few times before nodding. “Asayama is here?” a tap comes from behind him and it's the head of ship production himself. “Paul-san! It’s a wonderful day we met here!” With a bear hug, the two men roughly patted each other's backs. “Ahhhh! Good man! What’re you doing here? Shouldn’t you be in the portal?” He backs off and presents Jackson a bunch of Drawing Tubes. “I have some of my assignments and personal stuff here. I had to fetch them.” Donning a long black robe with red symbols on the vestment, the player couldn’t be far from a Demon Priest himself.

  “Is that so? Well, I’m going to return to my home. Wanna get something?” the Death Knight shrugs his head. “I apologize, but I have to return to Woodstock. To our navy… what remains of it that is.” he gives the Drawing Tubes to the players who put it into a specialized crate for fragile objects. “I heard from the Grand Admiral that your group killed a Livyathan and a Demon Lord at the cost of one Destroyer and two Landing Ships. Very well done.”

  “At the cost of a huge chunk of my army’s equipment being sent to Davy Jones’ locker you mean.” Jackson turns to face the city’s skyline, peeking out of the stone castle walls. “We shouldn’t even be fighting. We lost our combat effectiveness at the Port of Good Faith. An army of this size needs to rest for a good ten to one year, just rearming and restocking all that was lost and then training new recruits." He looks at Asayama with eyes still full of hope and liveliness. “But we’ll manage, as always… I hope.”

  “Just be sure to return safely. Hassan-sama is looking forward to your return with Bahamut. The battle here will be heavy, I can already see it.” Jackson slightly nodded his head multiple times before squinting his eyes at the ground. “Yeah… I’ll be sure to do that… you know, the Demon Lord said they’ll be sending a Demon General at us." The truck then starts up, Asayama bowing to Jackson who was shaking a bit. He punches the man on the shoulder. “Why are you afraid now? You’ve lasted this long, good friend.” He then looks to his companions, the Vampires and Bahamut. “And you got back up.”

  “It’s not easy anywhere. Geraldia is facing a full frontal invasion right now. Aside from zombies and mutant creatures, they are also using our own technology against us. Everyone is tired, Paul-san and it's been barely a week and a half.” slapping Jackson’s shoulder once again, he smiles at the man and bows his head once again. “We’ll win. Teitoku Antonius survived the battle towards the open oceans. He is steaming back to Woodstock as we speak.”

  “That’s gonna take a very long time though, will he even make it?” Asayama shrugs as he walks towards the cab of the truck, opening the passenger side door. “Either Way, Woodstock won’t hold without an additional Carrier Battlegroup. Show the fine women what we’ve built, let them be the last to witness what Eldwood has done.” waving his hand, the truck leaves and the Castle is left for them. “Ladies, please follow me.”

  Walking through the front doors of the Castle, the marble tiles are still polished and clean, alongside the porcelain pillars that held up the massive lobby. The flags and banners of the 12 Death Knight Generals that used to fly on the balconies were gone, left was the flag of the Eldwood Guild on the space between the two Grand Staircases.

  The Skull Head with a Black Dragon behind it, unlike the extremely extravagant and luxurious Guild flags of Breznick or Libertus or the Shine Guards. It was a simple statement, with lots of empty space, it showed no grace nor elegance. Just what it wanted to convey and say.

  Slowly roaming the inside of the castle, with its wonderful gothic architecture, the banners of the 12 Legions stood at the hall, proudly brandishing the special logos of each of the Knight Generals and Jackson was silent the entire time, with his hand behind his back as most of the furniture and paintings were all removed, his head looking at every corner and inch of the fortress. Alana and Elizabeth unable to bring themselves to snap him out of his trance while Bahamut just hovered around them.

  Crossing a bridge upon reaching the second floor, it brought them to a walled off section of the castle where there was a small town built. On it were plastered three storey buildings and on the corner where there was a large barn in which Bahamut had already flown to, opening the doors with holes for her claws and walks inside where she immediately checked her bed.

  The two Vampires looked at themselves and made sure they were clean and proper as he took them down the wall and through the cobblestone streets with iron lamp posts.

  “M’Lord, you and your friends lived here? As I recall, you also had homes inside the city.”

  “Oh, yeah. The ones in the city were more so for show. This is the real deal. Sorry I never took you here. Me and Bahamut were both returning from an adventure when the entire thing happened.”

  “My Lord, do you have any house rules we must abide by?”

  “No shoes inside. Leave it at the door. Just that. Everything else, you can touch, destroy, modify or whatever. What’s mine is yours.”

  Resting inside her barn, Jackson just smiles at the large Black Dragon sitting inside her house, with her roommate, Junior not present. She had it all to herself and checking inside, all of the tools and peripheral for Dragon care had already been removed. All that was left was the hay and cotton.

  He then walks the two Vampires around his property, his backyard having a training area for swordsmanship and archery whilst another section was for guns and magic. A lone tool shed sat at the other corner and a hitch for his horse and even to that day, the wheel marks left by his wagon are still present and noticeable even from afar. “Oh, I hope that thing’s fine. Ugh, it’s a special order too.”

  Turning to his backdoor, he opened it and the two beauties removed their heeled shoes and walked on the wooden floor. “Welcome to my humble abode.” with two rooms opposite of each other, one being the living room and another, a large library with a reading chair and firepit.

  Most of the furniture was still there, with the vases and the empty weapon mounts on the walls were the ones empty. Jackson immediately walked to the living room and sat on his sofa. Melting into the cushion as he breathed a long sigh. “Help yourselves to the kitchen if you want. The cellar of this house is built with magical Elf wood with salts from a rare Dwarven Rock Salt. The stuff in there should be perfectly preserved.”