Inside the C-17 Globemaster, Jackson sat down on an empty chair as the entire cargo hold was full of players sitting on the floor, their backs resting on their rucksacks as the Respawn Altar on the edge, standing next to the stairs to the pilots door was silent. The helmets of the players, from the blue of the UN, the green multicam of Zavalda to the arid colors donned by the Men of the Woods whilst the woodland of the Shine Guards and Men of the Woods mixed inside the rattling hold of the aircraft. Many, looking at Jackson whose armor and sword was gleaming so brightly the red tint was unable to invade their spaces.

  As he looked at himself, the Knight General couldn’t believe his new look, the brand new Dragon armor he is given is made from the scales of a Dragon God, sparkling and victorious in its style, the plate armor seemed as if it was meant to be used by an Event Boss rather than a player. Loud noises then came down the stairs from the cockpit and it's the Co Pilot, saluting to him. “Sir! We have an emergency message from Iron Mountain! Make a full retreat to the Portal Fortress! Woodstock has fallen and the Armada has been sunk!”

  His eyes open wide, leaning in, the man clenched his hand as he looked up to the player. “Mana Core explosion was also detected there. The Council of Guild Leaders from the UN has moved their operations base to the Portal Fortress’ bunker complex.” He looks to his left, Thomas also left without a word to say. “So… we’re no longer going to defend till the last part of Dragovh or the shores of Geraldia?” the Co Pilot shrugs. “Negative sir. Iron Mountain thinks it's better for the surviving combat effective armies to use its last strength at the defense while the Native Armies take two for us.”

  Squinting his eyes, Jackson stands up. Crossing his arms and not losing his balance at the rattling cargo hold. “What? Aren’t there supposed to be fresh troops still? Our job is literally to be grinded down to the last soldier in hopes of buying enough time for the Heroes.” Yamaoka then stands up too after making sure the resting Mars is properly strapped to her seat. “What’s the order this time? Iron Mountain has fallen, its Mana Core gone. All of that is now nonexistent and is just a flat plain of grass.”

  “Nothing, sir. It’s just to transport you to the Portal Fortress and await further tasking. We’ll soon deviate from the holding pattern from your Eldwood Air Base, sir.” This made Jackson and Yamaoka look at each other with confused stares as Bahamut opens the parachute door from the outside and hops in the plane all willy nilly. “Master! The buses have reached the airbase in the valley!” she walks to him, resting her elbow on his shoulder. “The teleporter circles there are still functioning and the last planes are also flying out. What’s the next thing now, Master?”

  “Looks like it's the Portal Fortress. Did the two Skeleton Generals also reach their designated planes?” she nods and Jackson sits back down on his chair. Elizabeth with her band of Assassins going to him alongside Alana just made him sigh in relief and clasp his fingers together. Smiling at them. “Well, looks like we survived that part. I only hope those who will never grow old can find peace in this world and its endless cosmic threats.”

  Soldiers that sat on the floor of the plane were mostly drowsy with silence as they sat there backs on their fellow soldiers, all squished up inside the cargo hold as the netted cargo would occasionally rattle and shake, making noise inside the quiet aircraft.

  One of the Sergeants though goes to his backpack and brings out his staff. He then summons forth a bunch of lights that begin to draw hills and mountains. “Sarnt’, is that your home?” the player nods. “Yup. Everyone from my squad, I don’t care what part of Asia you are from, you're all invited to my house and a wheel of cheese made by my Momma’ when we get back home.” laughter then fills a small part of the plane. “Sarge, didn’t you say you have a sister?” the higher ranking player then proceeds to make a middle finger with his magic as more laughter filled the cargo hold.

  With some smiles filling out the dread, Elizabeth looks towards Jackson, in all his new armor and the King’s sword on his belt, now gleaming in full. “My Lord, I am in awe of your humanity. To activate that sword and bring forth a God to bless it with its powers… Bahamut, that was… I did not even think such a thing was possible.”

  “M’Lord, you may not be a Vampire, but since you wield that sword, you are technically My King.”

  “Oh my, I’ve forgotten about that part, Countess. She’s absolutely right, My Lord. With that sword now on you, you could name yourself the King of Vampires if you so wish.”

  He chuckles, holding the handle of the sword. “I’ll be sure to return this to you, Elizabeth. I am Human after all.” She then kneels with one leg, bowing her head. “But My Lord, this sword is now yours, it's been blessed with power only by someone as worthy as you are. Only someone with your blood or your strength may be able to wield its true power again. If used by anyone else, it’s merely a very sharp and powerful magic blade.” This made him rub his chin, teleporting the Dragon Armor away and returning to his Multicam combat uniform. “That is a problem… but I think it's better for this sword to be left here though, where it's meant to be. My character in Dark World, this form of mine, it's not forever. Someday, the servers will shut down and this precious star sword might go with it.”

  Sighing, he takes a look at the scabbard, the thorny rose that embraces it as it traces down to the golden tip, even after all of the horrific fighting, it was still shiny, untouched and not a hint of embellishment. “Something with this much history and lore, it shouldn’t go to waste in some hardcore Full Dive VR game.” gripping the middle of the scabbard, the smile on his face made the two Vampires gleam in sheer pride of seeing the Vampiric blade glow in power.

  In Front of him, the pond of players all gathered in the center as the plane rumbled. “Sir… can we still even fight?” looking at the UN player, he smiled and nodded as the man sitting next to him, a Guild member of Zavalda tapped his shoulder and points into the ramp. “If you’ve seen the shit I’ve seen, you know we can still fight. Till the very breath.” Removing his helmet, made of basic steel coated in blue with the white coloured UN on its front, he just sighs, grabbing his FN FAL closely. “We thought you guys would still be in an Army size, not a Division… well Company sized now.”

  Jackson just shrugged his head as he leaned forward, his armor gleaming in its perfect shine. “It could be worse, you know? At Least it was the Skeletons that took the brunt of it all. You do not want to see a cargo plane loaded up with corpses take off from an airfield… I have and it's not something you will forget. The inhumanity of it all, stacking people like dirt inside a plane like they're just another crate of goods to be transported back home.” This made the UN player just grab his rifle closer to his face as the Knight General just sighed and put his back on the plane’s wall. “I hope the cape you repaired survived, Elizabeth. It’d be a shame to not wear it again.”

  Flying from Dragovh and into the heart of Geraldia, the grueling flight was rocky and turbulent, with the airspace turning more dangerous as foreign clouds striking red lightning became more and more common and upon crossing into the soil of Geraldia, Jackson who was in the cockpit watched the chaos down below.

  With a lower altitude due to the winds becoming extremely unstable. They had to be below the clouds as they glided through the ruined villages and towns. On some of them, flesh had already taken over the structures and blocked roads and on one occasion, the man witnessed a bright flash in the distance as another mushroom cloud appeared, towering over the forests and hills.

  What armies of the Natives that were still alive acted in small guerilla groups, regulated to sparking flames and forest fires, hold up in small outposts, with sanctified walls, the powers of the Cosmic Evil were unable to touch it as others culled the number of the Undead and Abominations through elaborate traps. The Knight General felt he just wanted to fly around forever as the situation down below grew increasingly untenable by the second with what remains of people being inside town and village Churches, everything else overrun and destroyed.

  Reaching the Portal Fortress airspace, its Air Traffic Control quickly spoke to them. “Aircraft, identify yourself.” the Pilot immediately replied without a hint of hesitation. “Phoenix from Woodstock Air Force Base, part of the Third Strategic Airlift Wing. We have multiple VIPs onboard, requesting priority.”

  “Do as you will Phoenix. Runway is cleared, we have no more aircrafts scheduled for landing. Wind is… around twenty to thirty? It’s jumping to fifty every random second and its direction has been shifting from East to North, West to North, Heavy clouds, expect major turbulence on approach.” The odd weather report made the two Pilots strap into their seats as Jackson quickly raced to the cargo hold where he made sure to extra tighten himself down.

  The two Vampires then stood up, offering their seats to some of the more less than mentally stable players from the UN, the three females standing straight up as the plane rattled and the sound of the hydraulics was heard.

  Outside, a gigantic flattened field sat in between an obvious man made valley. Full of all sorts of planes, it littered every corner of the hastily built airport, meant to house all of the Guilds civilian and military aircrafts. With multiple ATC Towers scattered a kilometer or two away and on the edge of the runway was the wall of the Portal Fortress, standing at fifty meters tall and made out of pure Adamantium and Composite steel. The well lit grey colored wall had a functioning railway on top of it as Watchtowers were scattered every hundred meters. A massive architectural achievement made in such a short amount of time as players can be seen on the top, running around on foot or trucks, delivering ammo and whatever weapon to stockpile for the last stand.

  Cranes were also visible on the roof, lifting crates of ammo, field guns, and armored vehicles into it as helicopters sling loading containers and boxes into their designated locations filled the air with a nonstop mechanical sound. Enough to irk anyone with a sensitive ear as a convoy of blacked out SUVs exit out the small roll up gate. Driving into the completely flat airport where they stopped before the C-17 Globemaster as it grinds to a halt on the center runway.

  Surrounded by Internal Bureau Agents. Jackson and his entire staff are taken into the Fortress without even a hint of a single word told to them. “Wa-Wait! Thomas isn’t here yet or my Skeleton Generals!” They ignored his pleas as they put him inside the Cadillac with the two Vampires and Bahamut who they just let inside, daring not to get close to the known Dragon.

  Entering inside the thick metal walls, there were multiple hardened checkpoints as the 5 black SUVs were given no questions at all and passed through all of them. On the other side, the entire Outer Layer is filled with the most tight squeezing housing possible. With the buildings all being armored and having windows that could turn into bulletproof walls with holes for shooting.

  Every street and block had numerous tanks and infantry fighting vehicles from all Guilds parked and sandbagged, turning them into makeshift fixed emplacements. Players were being given whatever weapon is left unused, no matter their level or skill, as long as they know how to use it, it would be given alongside heaps of armor ranging from your basic leather to padded and even plate armor as Battle Towers stood a few hundred meters apart from each other.

  Armed with Quad Vulcan Gatling Guns and rocket pods alongside a thermal camera with a Thermobaric Mortar behind its suite of weaponry, the Battle Towers stood as a menacing statue to the Outworlders hunger for violence. It stood static in its place as Jackson’s eyes couldn’t even begin to process the insanity the UN built. Every inch and every corner, death awaits those who think they can move freely in the place as exits and entrances to the first floor of the Bunker complex are scattered about the place. They drove for a good five kilometers before the party was driven into the Inner Layer.

  With an even thicker wall and more checkpoints on the asphalt road. The otherside was a military base surrounding the Portal itself. Seeing it for the first time, the man was in sheer awe to see it in full.

  It looked more of an ancient relic, one would merely skim pass than anything special. With its stone material and the foundation it stood on being cobblestone that’s long been taken over by nature. It stood proudly still even in its aged state. With consoles on scaffolding on its sides where Mages from the Association were busy performing their work on the portal. The convoy stops at the foot of a thick concrete building with flags of the UN by the doors.

  Breathing a long hard sigh. The passenger side door opens and Jackson steps out. The Agents opened the door to the building for him. “Alright, what is this about now? Taking me away when my men haven't even arrived!”

  Inside the Inner Layer of the Portal Fortress, with the Magic Barrier of the Mages Association returning the normal colors of the planet. Jackson stood atop a mound with two storey buildings scattered on top of them. Taking in the dull grey colors of the all armored Fortress but whatever color his eye could grasp, he’d smile at the sight. He even stares at Elizabeth and Alana, with their colorful gowns and white frilly laces.

  Whilst the building he is going to bare no flags and barricaded windows, just a number and it is 26. They seemed to be more of bunkers than living spaces as above him, Wizards from the Mages Association were effortlessly flying around. Using their magic to carry with them heavy objects as they went back and forth from the portal base and the outer layer.

  Taking a long hard gander at the gateway back to his world, its size is indomitable, large and wide enough for an airliner to pass through. It's made of brownish stone and the grey and overgrown cobblestone foundation it stood on has long seen better days and on a platform next to it were the Top Mages of the Association, all of them working with odd machines and apparatus as Bahamut just shrugged her head. Putting her hand on her hip. “Haaaah… Chosen Ones are really that hard headed. Master, did you listen when the Avatar of the Mother Tree said it won’t open till the Gods say so?” he just shakes his head as an entire container van floats above them and to the portal.

  On top of the thick enchanted metal walls were locomotives hauling freight to all of the districts, with most of the trains focusing on delivering expensive materials to the Inner Layer as work on the Portal shifts into full gear. “General, sir.” Hearing the Agent, he turns around and walks into the hardened concrete structure.

  Entering inside the thick concrete building. A familiar flag was on the wall, it was that of Eldwood and coming out of the door next to him was Trevor. “WOAH!” The two looked at each other and smiled. “PAUL! YOU'RE ALRIGHT!” hearing the voice, more heads peek out of the rooms. Jackson sees that it's the many members of Eldwood and of course, its Knight Generals. “GUYS!” Opening his arms, the man gets ravaged by the heavily armored men as they pat his head and shoulders, crushing him as the hallway is filled with laughs and smiles.

  Even the players on the very end of the hallway, who were busy with sharpening stones, using the rough and smooth sides to maintain their swords, stood up and looked behind them. Leaving their work to greet the General. John was also there with Treala and the other Eldwood Generals who gained companions for the long time they’ve been in the world.

  Left of the exit is a staircase to the 2nd floor and coming down on it was their leader, Hassan himself in his usual skeletal form. His presence was so silent not even Elizabeth and Alana detected him, only Bahamut who was leaning on the wall next to the stairs did she find him. “Knights.” hearing his very deep and olden voice, the building filled with silence as they turned to their leader.

  Walking down, the Knight Generals of Eldwood gave way as Hassan met with Jackson. Placing a hand on his shoulder, the skeleton with its blue piercing fiery eyes gave him a slight nod which made the man kneel and bow his head. Prompting Elizabeth and Alana to perform curtsies and maintaining their bows. “Everyone, bring your swords and come with me.”

  Outside, Hassan in his usual gothic plate armor adorned with skulls and sharp edges summons his absolutely massive dull greatsword. On the side of the Death Knight was the setting star and the foreign night sky walking over the limelight. “Today, lest we forget, shall be reminded of the unification of the Knights of Eldwood.” Lifting his blade, the others pulled theres out of their scabbards.

  Swords aloft upon the setting star, there many companions on the sidelines watching their men once again whole and together couldn’t help to widen their smiles. With Treala politely crossing through some of the new faces in the crowd and towards Alana and Elizabeth and Bahamut who was on the very edge of the large group of women and creatures. “Hello! May I ask if you saw any ghosts outside… or how is the state of the terrain.”

  “Bahamut! Come here and spare us the wisdom of an Ancient Dragon. The historic Kingmakers of Tur!” Everyone then looked at her, making the Dragon then turn her head to everyone and promptly sighing as she walked towards the circle of Knights with their swords pointed up to the skies and each other's blade tips.

  As she was in her usual gothic attire, the Dragon God lifts the veil over her face, showing her magnificently pale features, the sharp jawline and nose as it contours into a triangular angle that points to her long neck. She’s an absolute looker as she sways it to the back of her head. The black Dragon Crown on her sparkling like a gem.

  “The quality of Man once came to the Dragons when you were all but hairless monkeys. Banging stone and rock to create weapons as you formed clans and tribes.” Her elegant and sleepless motherly voice made even the Wizards flying above them stop and turn to look down on her. “Ugly, ignorant, and fallible. You feared us, revered us, and soon came under us in hopes of gaining our strength and size.”

  As she walked towards the circle, the Knights of Eldwood all stepped aside to create space for her in the center. “We taught you our language, culture and tradition in shortsighted hopes of making our strongest servants… yet…” she then eyes the Knights, looking at their faces, their expressions ranged from curious to amazed. “Your souls, when you believed in us, it made us stronger and stronger. Far more than when we would kill and make a pact with the soul to devour and in turn, enlarging ours.”

  Appearing from her hand was her other lantern, rather than burning a flame of blue, it burns a flame of red. “That was when we knew, the quality of Men is not below that of a Dragon. It’s equal. And then did we take on your far more malleable forms and you showed us something more than reverence… Love.” She then looked at Jackson, her pale finger touching his wide jaw. “Do not be afraid of what’s to come.” More and more players stopped doing their thing to listen to her.

  Even above the walls, players who were busy with cargo and logistics stopped and let their skeletons and four legged automatrons be as they sat on the edge with their harness attached to the railing as her voice seemingly began to echo through every person in the Fortress. “For the love of Man has not only bought it the favor of the Dragons, but also the drive to achieve better. We Dragons do not have a concept of love. Our nearest to it was our drive to conquer and take over. Multiplying is merely a means to achieve this and create better warriors. We do not love like Man.”

  Slowly retracting her hand from him, the Knights all just shake their heads in amazement of her divine beauty. The ethereal yet human aura she’s giving is next to none. “In the end, we attained something more than we needed from Men and that is love. So raise your swords high.” The Knights of Eldwood were then joined by the Wizards as one of them was using telepathy magic to stream it to screens and radios all throughout the Portal Fortress.

  This made even the players who were patrolling on the very edges of the territory of the Fortress to stop and squat in place. “Raise them high; as the sky's the limit for Men, your insatiable hunger has led you to Golden Ages, ages where we Dragons looked in glee. Helping and aiding you not as Masters, but as companions. Mars.” She steps forward from the crowd, shocking everyone at the sudden appearance of another Dragon God. “Tell me, as I slept in the Void, unable to accept the end of our rule, you stayed in Tur, though flightless, you still had your proxies with Men above that dungeon. Do you believe in Men as Men believe in themselves?”

  She takes a step forward, her crimson hair waving wildly as a helicopter passes by them and dropping from it was Thomas and the two Skeleton Generals as another chopper hovered around, inside were members of the UN’s Guild Leaders council.

  “I believe in Men more than Men believe in themselves.” The Knights all looked at each other with smiles and as the night sky dawns fully, the fog lights atop the edges of the walls turn on. “Every time something were to happen, be it from their own folly or of external forces. They always come out on top. Unlike us Dragons, when Albion fell, we never picked up the pieces of our fallen Empire. Yet for Men, their Empires come and go, but they’d always pick up where they left off and move forward.”

  Players of the Shine Guards walk towards them, mostly going to Yamaoka who had finally reunited with his main guild. With smiles and exchanges of pleasantries, he once again meets familiar faces, people he’d long been with, fought and bled with.

  “Ah… such is the folly of a species like us, Mars. Long is our lives, short is our time in the mortal realm.” reaching her hand out, the Red Dragon gladly takes Bahamut’s offer and the two hold their hands. “But, as we both stand here. The last remnants of our once great world. The last of the great ones.” Flying high above them was Thorbolt. The green dragon roars proudly as it circles them. “I, Bahamut solemnly speak of Man’s greatness. Here and now, I tell the Knights of Eldwood, the Age of Dragons has long gone. Our spark is not the same as it was before and it will never return and will probably fade into the senseless ocean that is history.”

  Jackson though lowers his sword and grabs Bahamut’s waist all of the sudden. “Then! I shall spark it again! Bahamut! Do not forget! We Humans love you as we love ourselves! Hell! We love Dragons more than we love other Humans!” This made the entire place laugh, Jackson to his surprise to see that most of the players were listening to them. But this only made him smile even more.

  “No matter when and where, I will light that fire in you, for believing in ME, in all of US. Not only us of Eldwood, but in every Human you’ve met, you’ve shown them respect and never dared to provoke.” Hassan then steps forward, showing his character’s human form. A wrinkled and malnourished bearded man. “Bahamut, Mars, and to all of the Dragons. Do not forget, Mankind befriends as much as we make enemies. Never shall you feel alone, we may not be as strong nor will never be like you. But as friends, lovers, and equals. Dragons shall never feel alone as long as we are here.”

  This made the Black Dragon shed a tear. Making Jackson touch it and smile at her. “Hm. You make a good speech. Where did you learn that?” she smiles back at him and lightly slaps his cheek. “Hm. As a leader, even when everything seems to be falling apart, you have to show strength.”

  “Knights of Eldwood! Let us carry forth! Into the abyss and into the depths of Hell! We stand here now in the precipice of this world’s history! No longer are we Plumbers, Drivers, Labourers, Helpers, Cooks, Office Workers or Janitors! Here we stand as Heroes! Warriors of the World!”

  Ramirez, who was holding his helmet, couldn't stand himself and threw it high above in excitement. “YEAH! LET’S GO! VAMOS! VAMOS!” The other Knights then looked at him and with a smile, threw their helmets high up as yellow and red hard hats came landing down on them. It was soon then Wizards brim hats and feathered berets.

  Looking at the walls, the thousands and thousands of players working and doing their duties were standing up clapping their hands, throwing their hats at them. The Knights of Eldwood couldn’t believe what they were experiencing as walking towards them from the Portal was a middle aged man donning a set of futuristic wizard's robe. With his staff made of ivory and meteor metal, he stops and bows to them.

  The Wizard and Sorcerer players, all knowing who he was, immediately lowered their heads. Jackson gestured to the two Vampires to be as respectful as possible with his eyes giving them the warning. “They will come at midnight.” he didn’t wear a crown nor any jewelry. He was just a mere man in fancy clothing. “Goddess, you may not know this, but your words of hope may be just what we needed.”

  Bahamut looked at the player and was impressed by what she saw in him. Though in the eyes of the outsiders, he seemed as if just a mere office worker or manager with his well combed hair and stoic and robotic disposition alongside his deadpan voice. “Underneath and around us right now are millions of players, all of them, hoping for a chance to go back home. Cramped inside hardened bunkers with three storey bunks and many more from the Portals on the first floor connecting to other fortresses.” Alarms blared as the massive thick steel gated tunnels facing the Portal began to lower. “As the Leader of the Mages Association, founder of the Ivory Tower of Magic and Sciences, I will be sure to name you as our Patron Dragon. The official Religion of the Association if we were to ever reach home.”

  In return, Bahamut bowed her head respectfully to him as he nodded and looked to the leader of Eldwood. “I shall leave you be. Sir Hassan, you have an eye for talent.” out of nowhere, he seemingly just disappears. Not even disturbing a single molecule as everyone got back to their duties. Jackson walked to their building as John and Trevor kept close to him, admiring his brandspanking new set of armor. “Is that real Dragon God scale?” and of course, his friends now with him, did their rowdiness appear. “I’ll let you have my kids if you give me that armor, Jackson!”

  He shrugs his head slowly, smiling at them. “Don’t scratch the paint. This thing is under a two year payment plan and the one who gave it to me is a Goddess!” they laugh as Bahamut pokes the armor's pauldron. “Master, you better take good care of this. That is made of my Dragon Scale.” inside the building, the trio's eyes open wide upon hearing this. “WHAT?! We… we were joking…” John’s voice was so loud everyone had to stop for a second to look at time. “Yes. So it should keep Master fine for the most part. This is real Dragon God scale plate armor. A specialty I personally make in Paradise for my Commanders and most loyal followers.”

  “Uhhh… I…” Jackson had no words to say as Bahamut just laid a finger on his mouth. “I know. Enjoy it. You can talk about how you love it later when time is not nigh.” She then walks past him, leaving him with the two Vampires. “My Lord, what’s this supposed to mean?” looking at the golden blonde, he sighs and crosses his arms, poking his forehead. “When a Dragon favors a Human, they usually would give them their Lightning. As some sort of uber weapon.”

  Thomas then taps John’s shoulders who gives way to him. “Being given a Dragon Scale armor from a Dragon means it has chosen you to be its warrior. Jackson, I believe Bahamut has moved past you being a Human entirely and sees you as something else.” This made him touch the pommel of the glass rapier. “I just realized, but since this sword is now fully powered, what can it do…?”

  “Well, My Lord. One thing of the Vampire Sword Style you haven’t really done that much is the stabbing and digging. That sword, My Lord is made of glass for a reason. It fills with the blood of your enemies and uses their essence to not only strengthen you, but also increase its overall sharpness and effectiveness… you can also use this blood as a weapon like I do.”

  “M’Lord, what Her Majesty thought of you was Bartley's sword style which focuses more on hitting vital parts to really let out as much blood, but as I’ve shown you in my Manor, M’Lord. The Minuit’s sword style also focuses on another style. Removing limbs so that they may bleed out more. We tend to use that to bloom our Blood Roses on.”

  “I see… then Elizabeth, with your Blood Magic. Can’t you-” he then gets cuts off by her. “Use it to feed your sword and create many flying blades of blood? Of course. I was just about to say that, My Lord. Worry not, tonight when they come through the lands, hunting for our blood and flesh will you know the true power of a King’s Sword.” she proceeds to look around the unimpressive and dull armored building.

  With white tiles that’s barely been polished at all, she shrugs at the state of the place as each of the twelve rooms on its first floor was small and tiny, having only a metal table and cabinet to help the Knight Generals with paper work. Generally only serving the most basic of functions as Jackson worms his way to his room with John leading and Trevor watching from his door that’s opposite of his.

  Since he was still in full Knight armor, he couldn’t fit through the door frame and had to return to his multicam uniform. With a swish of magic, he walks in and looks around the office. “Errrr… well, I guess it's meant to be temporary.” looking up, the single lamp on its ceiling was noisy, with the sound of the electric being fed through vividly echoing through the small room.

  Elizabeth and Alana walk in, and thanks to their slender and feminine frames, they manage to make out most of the available space while John and Jackson are in a sea of hulking sets of armors. Her Black Knife’s then peek through the frame, leaning to check inside and there is Queen who has her back against a metal filing cabinet with her arms crossed. “You know, My Lord, a tent would fare better than this den.”

  Looking at her then to the door where her Assassins proudly nodded with their darkened cowls hiding their faces, he sighs and sits down on the metal chair that didn’t have a cushion and his firm and muscular body had to squeeze in a bit to perfectly fit in. “I just hope the Heroes get their job done quickly.” with a sigh, John just makes a thumbs up as Elizabeth walks out, leaving Alana with him.

  Exiting the building, her twelve Assassins tailed her. With a flick of her finger, her crimson fan was handed to her as the night fell on the Fortress. “Ladies, wear your peasant outfits. Be sure to look your best. We shall walk amongst the people.” as a Eldwood Knight passes them, she grabs his arm, making the player visibly blush. “Have your Lord to bring to me my steamer trunk and the extra one. Make haste.” With a beet red face, the man nods and runs back into the building.

  After a while, their trunks were brought in via a cargo truck and the ladies went up to the second floor where a break room is located. Inside, Ramirez with Elmer and Francis were busy on the pool table with some of their officers as Elizabeth brazenly walked in on them. Making the players jump as a bunch of women enter the room. “May I politely ask to retain this expanse to become our changing room?”

  Elmer returns his pole on the mount on the wall and picks up his Admiralty hat. “Asayama-san might need me right now anyways.” Francis thought to himself as he took his enchanted bow and chuckled. “Yeah? You guys have no more ships. Gonna play Battleship in the non existent Navy room?” This made everyone laugh as they packed their stuff. “Miss Bartley, you may have the room.” with a wink to her, Ramirez walks to the door and stops. “Uhhh… is any of those assassin ladies of yours free for some tacos?”

  She turns around to look at her Knife’s. “Perhaps Clementine? Of all the Princess whom I took, she is the most tractable." He leans to look past her and though the Assassins varied in their heights, they were all above 6 '5 and his character, though being modeled after a Nordic Celebrity, is only at 6' 4’. “Which one?” she points at the one behind her, with a more meek attitude, she steps forward. “Though may I warn you, they’re all Princesses who lived extremely privileged and wealthy lives. Highly educated and elegant to the tee. They are not only bred to be beautiful and smart but also to be leaders.”

  He gulps at the magnificent yet awe inspiring aura the ladies were giving out before Trevor walks in and grabs him by the collar of his jacket. “Alright, that’s enough. We know you have a fetish for assassin girls but let’s not get ourselves killed by one.” Dragging him away, Elizabeth just giggled while the other Vampires followed through with their own elegant laughs.

  “Though, Clem. He looked nice didn’t he?” looking at the Black Knife in front of the group, she just turns around and crosses her arms. “Ada, I’d rather focus on our duty to aid our Queen.” As they began to change into their civilian outfits, the night came and the numerous floodlights on the top of the walls lit up the Inner and Outer Layers.

  With the metallic light poles, the city built for nothing else but violence had not much color to it. From the walls to the sidewalks, it's all steen with armor with the constant sound of engines and machines roving around the streets and the walls roof with the Rostock Guild unveiling its super weapon.

  Coming out of the forest railyard, fully assembled. A double tracked armored train pulling ten equally huge cars rides up the railway that leads to an elevated bridge. It parks atop the Eastern wall, the players below look in awe of the monstrous iron horse. Taking up two sets of tracks, its lead engine had a pikenose design meant to ram and push obstacles out of the way with a name “Queen Catherine The Vengeful Lady” etched into the side of the train while the car behind it houses sets of guns meant for small battleships or a cruisers main gun.

  A huge set of two 182mm cannons with pylons for unguided missiles on its sides, written with white paint on the side of the gun was “Tsar”, the same one on the last car is named “Commissar” while behind the artillery car is a more lightly armed one with only autocannons and miniguns as ontop it were cranes and elevators meant to store ammo for the artillery.

  Behind the Munitions car was 4 Battle Cars, equipped with 57 mm Autocannons on top with Kortik Dual Six-Barrel 30mm rotary cannons as Close-in Weapons System, every inch had a gunport for machine guns and rocket launchers and its smoke launchers, refitted to become Mortars loaded with incendiary shells with GRAD MLRS launchers on elevators that can be safely lowered inside the armored shell for reloading.

  Filled with LED lights and neon stripes on its sides and front, the giant armored train atop the wall seemed like its a bunker on rails and the thought of it falling and crushing entire city blocks was possible with how wide it is thanks to its composite armor screens on the sides, making it wider and taking up the entire width of the wall and trucks and vehicles having to park to the very wall railing to not get ran over by it.

  A gate then opens from the inner layer as a large semi truck from the military drives out hauling an empty flatbed trailer. But the players had to take a second look as the dust from the dirty vehicle settled down, the gleaming long blonde hair of Elizabeth brought some more colors to the empty grey and steel with just solid and bolded paint all around to mark specific areas and sections.

  Her Black Knife’s donned wonderful modern outfits, some in frilly dresses, others in tight jeans and yoga pants. The players all looked in peace as even the patrolling Guild soldiers had to stop and turn their heads to look. Their stoic and empty expressions returned some slight positivity as the beautiful Vampires walked down the hollow sidewalk.

  They walked like Nordic Supermodels on Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles. Ignoring the fact that their heels and shoes were not on concrete but hardened steel and the buildings aren’t the affluent structures of Hollywood but the barely liveable emplacements, with most having gated windows and doors with gunports underneath everyone of them.

  Coming out of a tunnel to the bunkers underneath the Portal Fortress, an Elven player in a lab coat screams at some skeletons who are pulling a cart out of the hole. “Come on! I need to study these by tonight! This Vile Fog has a weakness! I know of it!” Stopping, Elizabeth puts her hand on her hip as the player looks to his side and is surprised by the posse of beauties. “May I ask what is that crate for?” with a slouched back, the player with his hands rubbing together smiles.

  “O-Oh this…? It’s a sample of the flesh taking over the soil.” This made her tilt her head. “May you expand more? What have you learned Doctor Misso?” he blushes after hearing his name as he grabbed his Lab ID on his chest. “I… uhhh.. I specialize in Anatomy and Cell Biology. What we found so far with these samples and the ones taken in Zavalda is the difference with the quality of the flesh… and-and as a Necromancer myself, I know Undead magic when I see it!” He then poses like a Hero as he showcases the armored crate. “The Soil of the Earth is basically food for the trees and the leaves, what does this do? It eats them up and it starts by this cosmic magic infecting the very soil itself!”

  This made the Queen tilt her head as she lifted her hand up to her chin, staying quiet as the man continued to ramble on. “This is Necromancy taken up by ten levels! Hah-hah! They basically use their own version of Undead on the organic matter left on the ground! Then-then they’d use this to infect the trees, and then the trees will start spouting this vile infected fog and accelerated by the-” a officer passing by taps his shoulder. “Sir, all Scientists are ordered to bring their research materials to the Inner Layer.” he shrugs the player off as he turns to his crate.

  He then helps the skeletons and opens the crate, showing the soil being eaten and taken over slowly by the flesh. “It gives off this odd sulfuric smell, but that’s actually akin to its sweat glands as it works to eat up the organic material inside the very soil which it then converts into its own. Enlarging its size.” closing it once again, he sits atop of it and interlaces both of his hands as he fixes his reading glasses. “I believe this flesh is a type of parasite and virus in one that is an offspring of Necromancy Magic. A very dangerous and nearly impossible mix that can only be made by cosmic unknowns.”

  Standing up, he makes the two skeletons take it to an alley where a parked Humvee was. “The worst type is the ones outside. Ones that have eaten Humanoid organic material. Turning bones and skulls into weapons. Like using rib cages as its teeth while another type uses technology like in Woodstock and turns it into killing machines. It's adapting, rapidly.” putting his hands inside his coat pockets, the Elf shrugged his head. “A devious creation, a blasphemy on biology itself. But also a groundbreaking scientific advancement if we can find out how its molecules are able to do what it does." He then looks at the officer still standing by and bows. “I’d like to talk to you fine ladies even more and nerd out, but I have a lot of work to do. Thank you for your time.”

  Elizabeth and the Black Kinfe’s all perform curtsies even though they are not in gowns. Their Vampiric seduction was so strong even the Elf couldn’t help but give a stupid smile and blush. Walking off to the alleyway and into the Humvee as they continued to patrol around the Outer Layer.

  Most of the streets have been taken over by marching troops and the differing Multicam camouflage used by the many Guilds. Trucks carrying ammo constantly buzzed around, many heading to the Defense Towers where the Vulcans were being refitted with its last belts of ammo.

  Walking through the sidewalk of the center most block in which the street is enlarged with a four lane road. It had a portion of it that’s a helicopter base and on the street next to it were a bunch of players sitting on the metallic floor with their backs against its fence. “Don’t you not see it?! Our so-called fellow players larping as World Leaders and Generals have all doomed us!” with a hysterical voice, the Human male wearing green wizard robes was preaching on the sidewalk. “For more than a year and a half! They kept telling us the Portal is active! Yet look at us now! We are AWAITING OUR DEATHS IN THIS CAGE!”

  Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.

  Whilst as he continued to speak out, the players with their backs against the fence were mostly Adventurers given guns and whatever spare enchanted weapons were available. With dull faces, the men and women seemed out of it. “LOOK!” the wizard points at the wall that protects the Inner Layer. “THERE! They plan to leave us! I am sure of it! They have some plan to leave us all behind! They lied to us! If you’ve seen what I’ve seen! The EVIL and VILE creatures against us are gonna rip us from limb to limb and drink our vitality as our so-called leaders flee!”

  Most of the Guild Soldiers just ignored the man, far too busy with their tasks as night encapsulates the city as the Adventurers were mostly quiet. “Ahem. Sir, may you not disturb the peace?” Hearing the young voice, the wizard looks to his side where a Vampire with silvery drill twin tails stood wearing skimpy yoga pants. “Your voice is really crass and it would be a violation for our beautiful Queen to hear it.” seeing her made him blush as Elizabeth walked past behind the assassin and to the players all looking tired.

  “Wha-what? Who are you people?” looking at the golden blonde, his eyes suddenly opened wide. “Oh wait! I know you! You're that Vampire the National TV interviewed!” Elizabeth gave him a smile and a curtsy as she kneeled to look at an Adventurer. “I hope you know what happened to Woodstock! The damned armies of Hell and vile barbaric people from Angea came crashing from the ocean! They ripped apart so many! Those Druisvikings gave there souls to these Damned Forces and pillaged and raped there way to the mountains!”

  She ignores him as the assassin who was taller than him stepped in front of his view of the Queen. “May you please stop talking? I am Lady Ada, heir to a forgotten Kingdom. May you please not disturb the area?” he violently shrugged his head. “H-Have you seen what I’ve seen?! The EVIL! The disgust I have for those who are about to crash into these walls and the fact that what they did, wearing the skin of those poor players will also happen to me!?”

  Ada then leans down a bit and presses her forehead into the wizards. Closing her eyes, she finds herself inside a Blackhawk with the last of the citizens of Woodstock.

  Santa Menyon Pier was completely covered with ripped flesh, blood, and entrails as the extremely muscular and lean males of the Druisvikings with there winged feminine and attractive females was completely out of their minds, pulling captured players into the Pier just to go and rip them limb from limb. Eating their bodies while others playfully toyed with their bones, laughing as the players screamed in absolute horror as they were forced to watch their bodies get torn open as others bought the Respawn Altars to enclosed areas where they continued to murder and rape the players. It was happening so fast and so violently that their blood and body parts were staying behind.

  They were ripping them open so quickly and aggressive that even the very flesh of the Chosen Ones would remain in some parts, these would then either get eaten or throw away like useless dropped food as the once clear beachfront water which was mixed with oil and fuel from the overturned Destroyers and Supercarriers of the major Guilds became red with the blood of the players. Even the Demons didn’t bother to make contact with the Druisvikings. They already began to move out of the city in an organized manner alongside their Dark Wyverns and penal units.

  Others even defiled the corpses of their friends or the dead Demons and with the surviving players having to watch or even partake before snipers would take them out and as they’d turn into a sparkle of golden dust, their bodies would be used before turning into sparkling dust. The vile display of inhumanity was only ended when a flight of Su-35 Super Flankers loaded with guided FAB bombs destroyed the final Altars on the city, stopping the respawning players from getting captured and violently desecrated once again.

  “Good hits, Starfighter. Jupiter just reported to me the players are respawning on the new evacuation point. Woodstock is done. We’re the last flight out. Tell the Spec Ops guys to do it." As the Blackhawk gained altitude with the Wizard player looking out in horror, upon reaching five kilometers out of the city, its Mana Core went into meltdown and an atomic explosion soon followed.

  Lady Ada couldn’t believe what the player saw, even as someone like her who had been through situations many would consider traumatic even for the standards of a Vampire, the display given there even made her tingle in disgust. She merely hugs the wizard who began to bawl and cry. “I… I just want to go home… to my Mom and Dad… PLEEAAASSEEE! GOOOD!”

  Elizabeth though who was kneeling in front of a dejected player gave him a warm smile. “You seem fit for battle. Why the long face?” Although the young man blushed at the sight of the ethereal Vampire, he buries his face between his legs just for her to grab his chin and lifts it up. “Come on, this is a fight where one will be tested. Are you a man or a coward? You will go home, believe me.”

  “I am a coward. I’d rather go back to being an unemployed man with no direction in life than this… the… the… Kingdom I came from… the city I was in, the poor people there couldn’t respawn… I watched them get killed and torn open like they were being butchered for fun.” he begins to tremble heavily. “I… I am not a soldier. I am just some guy who likes to play Hero. The Chosen One. N-not this!”

  Lifting her hand and placing atop the player's head. She pats him slowly, the motherly aura she gave was so astonishing that it stopped his senses and gave him his first and much needed ease and a wave of calmness hits them all. “The only reason why this world is the way it is now because of the lack of good men.”

  She looks out to the skies, happy to see the stars without the red tint overwhelming her sights. “Heroes, they are so rare and far and few in between that the Gods have started to steal people from other dimensions to bring them here and serve us… I do not blame your cowardice, but you mustn't use it as an excuse to not fight.” looking back down on him, she pats his shoulders as her hand rests on his cheek. “All good and strong men must fall before they may rise to the skies and attain greatness. Don’t you think this is that chance for you?”

  He just sighs, Elizabeth patting his head as she stands up. “Ladies, if you are done. Let us continue on. The alleys in particular of this place are quite interesting.”

  As they walked through the center street of the Outer Layer, the buzz of the helicopters and jets was audible but drowned out by the countless diesel engines around them. Elizabeth kept her hands together as most of the Guilds outside were busy putting additional protections to certain intersections and buildings. Mounting sandbags and fences.

  Alarms then sound as orange beacons spun on the wall, multiple gates open up as the helicopter base behind them had their helicopters spool up as the sound of the huge hydraulic pumps began to work, pulling the gate and barrier of the Outer Wall up. “A man hopes, a man sacrifices, and a man dreams. But truly, what does a man get? Miss Vol?” The assassin with short shoulder length hair and a black ribbon to the side bows slowly. “Death, Your Majesty.”

  “And it is magnificent. For a man to die for something he believes in, what more can a woman want in a man? For us Vampires, such things are just an annoying obstacle.” The gates fully open and the spotlights of the helicopters illuminate a wagon convoy led by a Knight Order from Gareth marches with their dented armor and bloodstained shields and swords. Players rush through the streets and alleys, the sirens of ambulances rushing through the roads as gurneys were pushed out of their backdoors.

  Paramedics and Combat Medics came out in full force, dragging wounded Natives. Those far too damaged were taken to the vehicles and driven to main hospitals whilst the Healers used AoE magic on them, some were so high leveled even their armor was repaired and cleaned.

  Elizabeth with her assassins just looked at the extremely long convoy of wagons slowly marching through the street, almost all of them were filled to the brim with Natives, with the Kingdom Guilds having also the aid and support of the various Nations of Geraldia, in one of the groups were the Elves in their plastoid armor walking with the Paladin Order of the Holy See, both wounded and damaged as a Bishop stopped and looked at her.

  His eyes squinted at them, with clenched fists, he pushes through his Paladins and stops to look at them. The Queen with a hand on her hip just gave the Bishop, with his ruined face that has dried blood on it alongside a bloodshot left eye. His holy staff long lost its divine color as he audibly breathed. "Like a Wolf watching a flock of wounded Sheep cower in the wall of a mountain... Vampire, what says you?"

  She scoffs at him as she seductively leaned forward. "Nothing, Human. I might detest you and your religion, but I hold no ill-will nor harbor such thoughts as hard anymore. As I live and breathe, my existence is for him in which I will gladly sacrifice all for." she then sighs as she stands straight up and crosses her arms. “And… for all the Evils and Wrongs your God has done to my people… he did save the person I love the most in the world. I shall not engage with your hubris. Begone and know you are lucky.”

  The battleworn Bishop clutched his staff as the wagon convoy continued behind him like an endless tail of a cosmic snake whose end can never be seen. "You mean to tell me you're under a Vampire's Contract of Servitude? My, who could've guessed even one of your kind could fall to such heights. My eyes do not lie to me, your blood, its purity. Vampire Lords would kill and wipe entire Kingdoms for a taste of that sweetness."

  Elizabeth proceeds to look at her Black Knife’s who either just shrugged their arms or gave her a smile as she turned to face the old holy man. "You say that yet your Church has long fallen from its age of Science and Discovery. After this age, your Church will descend into splinters just as it happened with the Religions of the Gods." as if it punctured a hole into his veins, the man held his staff even tighter. “F-Fallen?! It is your kind that burned the Great Library! It is your kind who set us back by nearly two hundred years! Do you have any idea how many could’ve been saved if your vile species didn’t harm that library?! Wasn’t it enough you took over our Kingdoms! Enslaved our Men and Women and raped them for nearly a hundred years as glorified blood deposits!”

  The Queen didn’t reply. Merely standing in her place as she put her hands together as she lowered her head. “I… I apologize on behalf of my kin.” This made the Bishop stop his ramble as even the Paladins and Priests couldn’t believe what they just heard. “Wha… what did you just say, Vampire?” even her assassins had to take a look at her as she kept her head low. “I am Duchess Carmilla, a close aide to the King of the Vampires of that age and I truly apologize for what happened. I hope the future may entail peace between our kinds.”

  He lifts his staff, prepared to use it to bash the Queen's head and as her Knives come forward to defend her. She raised her hand and stopped them. "After this... if Man survives… We… we will…” the Bishop's hands started to tremble as he slowly retracts his staff. “We will go home… and sleep… no longer… will we be slaves… we will be conquerors… guided by God.” A Paladin Commander then rested his gauntlet into the shoulder of the Bishop. “Your Holiness, Cardinal Ventrauss did not make it.”

  Turning around, the old man just looked at the faces of the Paladins as the wagons continued on into the Inner Layer. “... …” Swallowing his saliva, the Bishop turned around to the Vampire who was still bowing her head. “Tsk. Assemble the surviving Commanders, have a Squire be sent to the Elven Diplomat and have them send us one of their own leaders. Establish a tent near the exterior wall and summon me an Outworlder Officer! I will have to bless these walls!”

  As the Paladin Commanders with their valiant wings that’s folded underneath their capes. The Bishop looked at Elizabeth and showed her his palms. “I… also apologize for my words. It is in the past, we people have such short lives yet we spend so much of it dwelling in a past that will never return.” The Queen then places her slender and pristine hand into his wrinkled skin. “By the grace of Deus Vrax, who has taken upon the sins of Man, with the burden of our imperfection rose to Godhood through it. I call upon the locked scripture of your Companion, Countess Victoria oh Deus Vrax.” One of the Squires who was with the Paladins presents the Bishop the scripture of Deus Vrax.

  “No. This one is not within the newer versions. I am citing the original. Only known by the Ecclesiarchy of Dragovh.” with a breath, he closed his eyes and the orb on top of his staff began to shine. “And she said to Deus Vrax. I will end the Kingdom that did this to my family but our Saviour in his eternal grace, tells his Vampire who has whom connected to his fate.” Hearing this, the Paladins just sneaked eyes away while the Squire was in amazement of what he was hearing. "Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, with all malice, and be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another. Those who have done wrong to you, will be given justice, but through kindness and understanding. Not wrath and anger for it is the doom of any creature to lower itself to its enemy.”

  “We cannot take in more people! The underground is full!” Jackson just stood with the other Generals, in full camouflage as the Guild Leaders conversed with each other. “Then what? We’re just gonna leave women and children to die to those disgusting brutes?! Do you know what type of army they have?! They mind controlled the populace and are using them as meat shields! They are marching to this Fortress as we speak!”

  Another player, with his sparkling golden robes stepped forward. “I say we let the people vote.” The Guild Leaders all turned to look at the man. He was basically bare bones with aged skin on top behind his golden robes. “Who are we to decide the fate of the people when we can’t even talk like proper men?” Everyone looked at him with their utmost respect, it didn’t matter what Guild or Species you came from. This rotting human in golden robes had the presence of a World Leader.

  Lifting his boney fingers, he points to the continent of Dragovh. “Marching… with the Demons are Chosen Ones. If you continue to bicker, we will all perish before that portal opens. I suggest you make haste with whatever childish rebate you have with one another and prepare for the beginning of the journey to our way home.”

  “Oh Golden King, what would you do?” looking at the Guild Leader in full Knight armor, he sighs and looks to the portal. “Let them in. For us, this is merely just another nightmare. A year long nightmare… but for them, it will be a suffering of generations and they must endure these horrific nights. This is the least we can do for them. They accepted us, and opened their Kingdoms and Nations to our Guilds. Rather than invading and pillaging us, they let us operate and cross their borders so freely.”

  Alana holds Jackson’s hand as President Grahame of the Men of the Woods gestures for the Control Towers and the tunnel gates lowers. “Premier General Nikolai Molotov, I will personally open my part of the underground sections for your people.” the man in his grey suit shrugs. “Nyet. I have taken in all of the people from the Slavic Nations. I still have space. A handful of thousands is a drop in the water to the space we have left.” as one by one, they start to offer their places. Some are even willing to stay outside with their respective Guilds and soon, translators were brought to the circle and representatives of the Natives were taken into the conversation.

  Jackson turns around and walks back to their concrete building. Bahamut leaning on the door as Ramirez pats her shoulder. “Mi amiga, I will see you later. Jackson! Don’t use the heater! The water is limited!” walking to the Dragon with Alana, he turns to look at his fellow Knight General who was now far away, walking down the mound they sat atop on and down to the metallic circular floor around it. Ramirez watches as the Natives go down and heads inside the 8 huge tunnel entrances.

  “Bahamut, what the hell was he saying?” she just shrugs. “Didn’t listen, Master. My eyes were on you.” he smiles as the man heads in. “Come on then, have you rested? It's about midnight. You and Mars with the other Dragons have a very bad battle ahead. Treat the Dragon Players well.”

  On the Air Traffic Control tower, the player standing on guard of the radar signature has his face painted with the glare of the screen. “Oh God…” he stands up, grabbing a pair of binoculars to look out of the magic barrier’s maximum range. Where the soil had decayed and the red tint was everywhere.

  Coming out of the low clouds were the Wyverns and Dragons of Breznick and Libertus. With the other Player Kingdoms now having only small contingents left that have joined up the two larger groups. Their battered Armies marched slowly as the Elven players from the Guild of Anthony quickly ran up the valleys that surrounded the last airport in the entire planet. “Holy shit… they made it back… those bitches are insane!”

  As he swiveled his head to the Elves, they were all screaming and pointing for him to look back. “Huh?” The player Kingdoms was fighting still, on a brutal fighting retreat, his eyes open wide at the sight. The Automated Knights, the massive thirty foot tall living plate armors, were working as a cover system for the tens of thousands of players retreating from the overwhelming Demon Army.

  Dark Wyverns, in the thousands, were rolling over the last able bodied troops of the Guilds as Dark Dragons with their breaths would melt through the Automated Knights. Leaving only half of their empty bodies standing.

  Running to his desk, he contacted army command and red alarms were sounded inside the Fortress city as gates opened to let out the last armies of the Modern Guilds. Tanks and Infantry fighting vehicles with APCs numbered in the thousands too. The rain of metal coming out of the last bulwark of Earth’s people.

  They quickly drove past the Player Kingdoms, charging straight ahead out of the magic barrier while others took position on the now massive aircraft graveyard, inside the protected trenches that sat before the magic barrier. Though the planes were still in pristine working order, their wings would never feel the airflow as they were shaken by the vehicles moving through the ocean of aircrafts.

  For what is above the metallic birds were tint of death and the brave helicopter pilots did not care, gallantly flying still knowing how absurdly outnumbered they were.

  Artillery began to fire airburst shells, sitting atop their own platforms on the wall. The mixture of 152mm and 155mm cannons started bumping down whatever coordinates they were being given and the first battle for the Portal Fortress had begun.

  Rostock’s Armored Train, with its 2 Artillery cars also aided, having bigger 183mm cannons, the explosive power was formidable till there 203mm Pions came out of the underground tunnel. Setting up around the Portal, the giant cannons on tracks began to shell the skies with proxy rounds as the Natives began to scatter and run as fast as they could, the players staying behind to protect the tail end of the Native Refugee convoy.

  As a Headquarters M113 APC parks in between two airliners. A Knight of Breznick dashes right towards them. “STOP! STOP THE SHELLING!” the Colonel stops as his boot touches the flattened soil. “Huh?” frantically waving his hands, the Officer grabs a pair of binoculars as the player reaches him. “The Demon Army! There- there using people!”

  Squinting, his eyes turned to the forest that was getting mowed by the flechette of the airburst shells scattered into the bark and wood. “STOP! You might already be killing them!” Hopping back inside the Headquarters APC, it closes its ramp and drives forward into the barrier where the last tanks of the Guilds had stopped just before the tips of their barrels hit the red tint of the outside world.

  Watching the massive Giant Knights of the Player Kingdoms march through them, their heavy plate armor all scratched up and its gallant colors tainted by the dried blackened blood of its enemies. The Tank Commander hears an audible engine sound that wasn’t the low idling whirl of the M1A2 Abrams or the T-80s and his eyes open wide at the marking on the side.

  Popping out of the roof hatch, the Colonel walks through to his tank and on top. “Are you using thermals?” the Tank Commander shrugged his head, pointing at the small fires starting at the forest. “Negative sir. The flames are too strong.” he leans into his hatch and takes the microphone of the radio. Changing the frequency to the Command Net. “Starfish to Lucina, I need water magic ASAP on the treeline.”

  “It shall be done.” With the pompous feminine voice, a player from the Mages Association’s subgroup walks into the red tint, away from the safety of the newly placed tent. Wearing a dashingly alluring gown of white and gold, she spreads her arms and materializing her Staff with a blue glistening orb on top of it creates water which spins around it till it begins to enlarge till a tornado of liquid is sent forth.

  It ravages to the forest, creating steam which gets sucked up clearing the sights as the Mage digs her heels into the soil and picks up the unexploded munitions and sends it to the Dark Wyverns.

  “HOLD FIRE! HOLD FIRE!” The guns suddenly went silent as the Colonel’s eyes became wet with what he was seeing. “CALL FOR MEDICS! AMBULANCES!”

  “No. Cancel that order.” a deep and crass voice replies to him. “This is King Breznick. Those Natives are brainwashed. They will just kill you. I suggest waiting for the Mages Association. They know the strongest people in the Guilds and should be able to do something.”

  A helicopter lands on the frontline that was already built up with tank traps and trenches. With the Guild Armies just filling the empty fighting holes and covered bunkers. Popping out the chopper were multiple Wizards of varying colored robes and entirely different logos and designs on their extravagant clothes. Representing many different Guilds, the one shade armband on their left shoulders signifying the logo of the Association.

  “Pwyll, I’ll handle the cleansing.” with a proud smile on the young man, the middle aged mage next to him started to float high up. “Dietfried, be sure to teleport them underground. I can already sense a few hundred thousand in my AoE.” as the other two spread out.

  Flying high and into the red tint, the color unable to dull his beautiful blue and bronze robe and vestment as he held no staff. Merely painting something in the air with his finger and a humongous Magic Circle began to be drawn. Thousands of arrows and balls of elemental magic began flying towards him as it got cancelled. A single light from the small wooden wand of the player destroys all of it, freeing the skies.

  It didn’t even take three seconds for the giant Magic Circle to complete and the Natives walking in front of the Demon Army got their bloodshot eyes healed and flames started to appear as the army behind them caught on fire. The Goblins in their chainmail panicked, dropping and rolling for their lives as the flames became even brighter and stronger.

  Running towards them were the Knights of Libertus and the Napoleonic Era Regency Guild with their muskets and rifles replaced by whatever extra assault rifles the modern Guilds had left around. The Knight Commander points his sword up, using his magic to light it up and become a beacon. “COME! THOSE WHO WON’T GET TELEPORTED! HERE!” Another Magic Circle then appears, this one colored gold as it makes the hundreds and hundreds of thousands of people disappear except for a certain few.

  Those kilometers away saw the gleaming white sword of the Knight Commander in the red color and began to run as Dragons flew above the people, going past the flames to fight the Demon Army head on.

  Players on the trenches, barricaded not with wood but concrete and steel with the network having bunkers for sleeping, resting, and medical care. The Giant Knights from the Player Kingdom turn around as their armor gets fixed and cleaned. New giant arrows on their backs as they crush the planes on the airport and entrench themselves.

  Others walked to the valley to defend the other gates. The Kingdom Guilds not even giving their soldiers a chance to rest as they sent them back out again. This time with guns and ammo. Many were taught right on the spot on how to use them as everyone buckled at the sight of the Top Mages crushing the Demon Army beyond their sight.

  Pwyll’s eyes opened wide alongside the other Mages who were floating at different altitudes. Retreating back to the barrier as a Cosmic Portal opens above them and giant tentacles begin to crawl out.

  More and more Portals appear on top of the Portal Fortress, the last functional Mana Cores being worked to their limits as the Physical and Metaphysical barriers become visible from the amount of power being rushed into them and the tentacles with its claws latching onto it just to get burned.

  But one portal opens, this one of a smaller size. Slowly coming out of it was a creature of bones and flesh, with wings of tentacles, its humanoid stature seemed nothing of the like, having eight arms and hands, its eyeless mass of a head looking at the barrier as the Mages immediately tried to kill it.

  Their attacks all get soaked up and dissipated into sparkles of gold as a True Dragon from one of the many player Guilds takes a bite off it just for its head to get removed within an instant. Thorbolt who was flying above it roars, calling for all of them to rally.

  “Nemausa has died! May his soul meet Albion and transcend to the cosmic heaven! Demon God and your foul vile form! You will die here! With the flames of the Dragons!” two giant Dragon heads then peek out of the Inner Walls, Red and Black. It looked right at it and a pair of huge lasers flew off into the horizon, hitting nothing as the creature disappeared and reappeared right at the barrier.

  Thorbolt, as giggly and happy as ever, gets called upon the horror. “Ahahaha! The Impossible Evil is trying to scare us! Dragons of Albion! Let us show our wingless friends what we can do!” Its tentacle then comes out, pushing into the barrier and a sound that sends shivers to the spine of even the strongest people echoes through the entire region.

  Crack. Crack. Crack. The Guild Leaders immediately realize it as the first layer shatters completely without effort. Sounding like a glass broken right next to one's ear, they donned their top level armors and weapons and charges to the front.

  Though some were wearing sets built for PVP, they did not care. Even President Grahame donning the ancient suit of armor the Men of the Woods once proudly brandished in a surprise to his members. “Well? What’re we waiting for? Rostock is already charging ahead.” the leader of the Rostock, donning a set of heavy plate armor with a fur coat lined with jewelry and gold heads on to the Outer Layer Gate and towards the frontlines.

  Wielding a comically large Greatsword, the man swung it around as if it was made of styrofoam hops off the back of the Ural truck and jumped. Sending just at the height of the Demon God and with the Mages behind him, they attacked all at once with the players below just watching the fireworks and laser show in pure amazement.

  More and more Guild Leaders then started to pour out of the Portal Fortress, some waiting by the wall as everyone tried to even damage the God.

  But their efforts were worthless as it disappeared and the sound of a hum filled the skies and the clouds tear open to reveal the eye of the portal was now right above them. The rainbow colored rings began to glow ever brighter as a pair of feet descended into the world. The Bishop with his Deacons who were holding a service inside a helicopter base looks up, his face instantly filled with dread and horror. “It’s… an Old One… Pray! Pray and begin sanctifying the walls!” he looks at the Officer representing the Earthlings. “DO YOU BELIEVE IN A GOD?! PEOPLE FROM ANOTHER WORLD!” the player nods as the thousands of native onlookers begin to get pushed to the tunnels.

  “PRAY! PRAY AND HOPE IT WILL LISTEN TO YOUR WOES! THE END IS NIGH! BUT THE FAITH OF MAN SHALL HOLD AGAINST THE EVIL OF THE UNKNOWN!” The artillery guns pointed up alongside the anti air available. The shells and bullets were unable to damage the soles as it landed right atop the portal fortress and began to slide. Its upper torso now visible as its stonelike skin lands on the soil, causing a horrific shaking that spurred landslides from the valleys.

  Boulders ran down to the airplanes parked brazenly outside the gates as the giant portal above them began to lift up and the clouds once again returned and the only thing becoming visible was its feet and half of its legs.

  Even Mars and Bahamut were both completely astonished by what just occurred, looking at each other with their eyes filled with confusion before their expressions changed towards a smile. “Finally, we may spread our wings true.”

  Taking off, they both summoned their primordial swords as they disappeared into the clouds while below, Jackson with the two Vampires and the Black Knife’s looked on ahead as the giant feet began to rise up and rushing through it was an incalculable number of Demons.

  Dark Wyverns supported by Reaper Wraiths in the thousands and thousands came asunder as the crushed minced meat corpses of Goblins got cursed by the Hell Priests, their green bodies conjoining and turning into thousands of Abomination that rushed out of the crater as the Player Kingdom’s Giant Knights fired there arrows causing explosions that’d crawl under the soil causing it collapse into holes.

  Jackson looked at the radio, with a sword on his hand and a gun on the other, he oddly didn’t feel fear nor the same amount of panic as he had before. Instead, his soul was filled with hope and a sense to fight. Though odd, the feeling was extremely good, knowing he could control his impulses to a tee. “OPEN FIRE!” In complete unison, the trench networks guarding the four gates to the Outer Layer open fire alongside those above the walls. A million or so players fought with all their might in the seconds that came by.

  Millions upon millions of tracers flew towards the Demon Army that had completely surrounded the Portal Fortress. Many more Legions marched past them and towards the Elven Empire whose borders were only a day's walk away.

  The Armored Train began its loop as it provided much needed critical supporting fire on the sectors of the wall. The players unbothered by the Old One’s feet once again pushing into the portal as it began to rain toxic blood.

  Whispers began to fill the air as players with Divine Weapons fought the Reaper Wraiths head on while the Dark Wyverns and Dragons took the momentarily flicker caused by the Old One’s strength to spew black fire into the trench lines.

  Even with all of their firepower combined, the corpses of the Demons piling through every inch of land they push. The enemy armies were still getting closer and closer. Jackson was atop his trench, wielding a machine gun. He just randomly fired in a general direction with Trevor who was carrying multiple disposable rocket launchers on his back.

  “You know, Jackson!” The man kept his finger on the trigger. His face inside the Dragon Scale Helm was one of absolute focus. “I always wondered why they aren’t sending many more of their Lords and shit! Could it be that they're actually a Grunt army?!” Elizabeth though who was standing with her pistols out inside the trench shrugged her head.

  “Sir Trevor, I believe the reason why we aren’t seeing more of their scarier people is due to the fact that they're trying to stop the Heroes at Mount Harelm. Let us hope it stays this way, as I do not see us surviving if they were to send multiple Demon Generals.” hearing this made Trevor silent as he pats Jackson on the shoulder. “I’ll be in Trench Charlie Four with Elmer. Good hunting.”

  As he ran out of bullets, the man turned around, Alana handing him another box which he gladly took. “Remember the plan, don’t worry about what they said. They won’t do it. These are people we are talking about. People with stakes and things they love. This Portal is all they got.” pulling the charging handle back. Jackson continued to rain down bullets as the powerful Mages in the back had finished many of their preparations.

  With interconnected magic circles, the players began to spam High Level spells like machine guns pushing the Demon Army back to the point that guns weren’t needed anymore. Though right above them, flesh has covered some parts of the Magic Barrier protecting the Portal Fortress.

  Some bits of it were large enough to crush entire city blocks as more fell alongside the blood. “CONTACT!” Looking down and forward once again, Jackson sees the Demon Knight Army has arrived and hundreds of thousands of them were on horseback. Though the magic spells were able to knock most of them off their mounts, some push and survive.

  “Elizabeth! Alana!” He drops his gun and double hands the glass rapier. Dashing forward into the red tint as the massive feet of the Old One above them prepares once again to kick the barrier, he still goes on towards the cavalry as some of the players who were donning high level gear joins him.

  On the airport gate, there were a few thousand which got cut down to hundreds but even still, their numbers were too high as artillery shells landing near them seemed of no effect and their mounts, going faster and faster to speeds not even his horse, Junior could reach. Going past the True Dragons guarding the midway point and across the field of dead.

  With a blazing trail of magic spells being casted below them in hopes of killing the survivors, the Knight General grips his sword as he slices one armored horse after the other. Alana flying around and beheading them while Elizabeth used her pistols to blow holes on their helmets.

  The Demon Knight Legions then stopped their march as they divided to make a path. Jackson looks at them with a stoic and steel body and a deafening scream and roar walks out of the red darkness and his eyes sink at the sight.

  Multiple malformed Dark Dragons charges on ahead as the True Dragons breathed fire against it just for there flames to be met of one of equal strength. Jackson though began to run towards one that was fighting Thorbolt and as he was about to swing his sword, the Dark Dragon’s head gets sliced clean.

  Landing softly was Rostock’s leader with his squadron of Top Tier players. “Return to the lines, Comrade General. Do not waste your energy here. Your time will come.” hearing him, Jackson nods as he begins running to the trench. Behind him, Rostock’s Guild Leader was jumping from one Dark Dragon to the other. Ruthlessly cutting their wings and slicing through their armored skin with his massive sword whose tip reaches the other side of a Dragon’s neck.

  All the while, the Guild Leader of the Men of the Woods, coming from the Northern Gate passes by in a helicopter, firing arrows into the soil as it continues to the Southern Gate. Some of the fighting was so violent that even through the peaks of the valleys, Jackson could see the flashes from the nonstop explosions and the skies were filled with the flames of magic and fire.

  Uberdemonus was then sent in, the True Dragons guarding the perimeter even becoming silent as the 40 foot tall giant in full black and red plate armor marched from the darkness and towards the sights of the Portal Fortress trenches. As if the collective view of it made the players swallow their saliva. The Uberdemonus raises its shield as an entire platoon of them begins to rush forward through the magic bombardment from the players.

  To Jackson’s eye, they were in a tightly knit arrow formation with their armored pauldrons rubbing off each other. The True Dragons breathing flame into them just for it to get ignored and the ones that tried to get into there way was bulldozed through. Elizabeth’s eyes squinted at what was happening as the turtle of Uberdemonus rushed past the Dragons.

  There sabatons soon hit the bright arrow from the leader of the Men of the Woods, causing a gigantic divine explosion that tore one's leg off and inside, Jackson sees that the Uberdemonus tucked in all of the Greatshields and plate armor was holding a big white orb.

  “What is that?! What is that?!” feeling the ambient Mana moving towards it, the man stands up from the trench and grips his sword. “My Lord!” as everything from the tanks to the infantry fighting vehicles took their aim to destroy the turtle formation of demons.

  “We need to stop them!” he dashes out of the barrier with Alana and Elizabeth. Even with the ground shaking violently from the full plated 10 foot tall Demons rushing towards their trenches that’s defended by the barrier. The APFSDS’ tungsten rods were bouncing and melting into the tower shield. The autocannons pinging off like arrows hitting a stone wall.

  Rushing towards them, Elizabeth and Alana were at his sides as the man raised his sword, the blade aimed vertically as Jackson’s glass rapier tears through the meter thick tower shield and cuts into their legs. Even this level of sharpness surprised himself as he made the entire right section collapse.

  The two Vampires took immediate opening, rushing in and kicking them out of there balance, shifting the defenses to look right at them, and open fire with all they got as the Uberdemonus with the Orb fully exposed, Elizabeth took this chance and with a single bullet, hits the shell, causing a gigantic explosion to follow afterward.

  Deep underneath the Outer Layer, a Mage from a Guild lifts his Staff on the bunkers, with a large atrium with three-bunk level beds numbering in the hundreds. The player uses his spell to scan for any wounds or infections amongst the Natives that were just teleported in. They were mostly silent, with only a handful talking, being mothers calming their children.

  Players from other Guilds who had taken upon the Humanitarian duty would then walk with armed guards, handing out food and rations while the steely eyed Mage kept on his duty. “If you ever feel any sort of sickness, please come forward. I am a Wizard, licensed by the Association. I’ve had over three years under my belt and if it matters, I’ve had formal Paramedic training on Earth.” The light of his Staff would highlight even the tiniest smudge of blood and scratches.

  If the center of it would hit you, it’d act as an X-Ray. The player takes a peek at the composition and state of their bones in real time.

  As he reached a person in a fetal position, the light of his Staff showed it being fully smeared with blood even though looking with his eyes, it's a normal serf with clean washed skin.

  With a squint of an eye, he forwards his Staff and his eyes are filled with fear as a gun is raised up, tucked between the torso and kneels of the serf. “N-!” Before he could speak, a bullet flew right between his eyes, gaining the attention of the Guards. “This is Atrium Delta Four, we have-” a pair of two other Serfs came behind them, taking their Combat Knife and slicing their necks clean. The female player used her throwing knives at them, dropping her box full of food just for her blades to be blocked with the corpses of the players.

  As the bodies disappear into a plume of golden sparkle, the pistol is already aimed at her and with a headshot, her lifeless body drops down to the ground to the shock of the Natives who keep quiet as the trio assemble by the door and escape to the hallways.

  Almost immediately, the patrolling soldiers noticed the Serfs, with their guns up they began to move towards them. “GET ON THE GROUND NOW! AHT TE UNVE GRU!” Their attempt to speak Common fails as the persons’ bodies begin to melt, their skin peeling off. Pulling their head off like a mask, the horned helmet of a Demon player appears. Its armor growing out of the disguise as the sound of the skin tearing off echo through the chamber.

  This instantly made the players stop and open fire in a controlled burst, their bullets already too late as the extremely hardened and top level players had been behind them the moment they pulled their triggers.

  Donning clean and unmarked sets of plate armors, the only identifier they had of their true kindling was the sharp demonic vertical horns on their helmets.

  Running deep down to the Bunker complex were the Shine Guards with their specialized Demon Hunting Squadron alongside a bunch of Mercenaries. Dashing through one corridor to another, running past the vehicle motor pools and munitions depots deep inside the bunker. The moment they reached Delta Atrium, their targets were already long gone. “SPREAD OUT! Command! What does the CCTV show?” with a quick reply given, the player stomps his sabatons on the concrete floor. “How?! Then switch to Mana sensors! These are Demons we are talking about, their presence alone sucks Mana albeit in a low manner.”

  His eyes just looked around as the players spreaded out to hunt their own fellow kin. “We should’ve all killed them when we had the chance.” Fast walking through the tunnels, they find a floors Command Room where they swifty destroy the Altar. A single touch of their hands, it rotted and its golden form melted into a sparkle of divine dust.

  With a sword to his neck, the Floor Commander just had his hands up, unable to reach for his rifle on his desk as the Shine Guards met with the floor guards who were rushing back to their headquarters. “What?!” the Knight Commander immediately goes to his radio. “Owl, we have a problem. They’ve infiltrated the Fourth Floor Headquarters. We just encountered the guards they killed. He said he died without even seeing anything.”

  “Copy that, yeah. These are the Demon players we are talking about. None of them are newbies, these are some of the scariest people you can encounter. Act carefully, we do not need a bigger incident inside the bunker complex.” With a panicked and hasty reply from the radio, the Knight shrugged his head as he continued to listen to the Bunkers control room. “I am personally recommending the preparation of the Mana Cores. We’re compromised, anyways but I’ll see if I can stop them… The elevators?”

  Sitting inside an elevator, the three Demon Players looked up to the CCTV camera, as if to taunt the players in the First Floor Control Room, the Generals in charge watched as they began to get close to the Mana Cores Room deep below the Portal itself. One of them calls for an all out siege of the Complex. Mobilizing most of the Reserves from the surface to go down as the rest observed and thinked in silence.

  Their elevator then stops at the 7th floor, the Demons walking out to armed Guards surrounding them. The lead Demon player slowly tilts his head, cracking his neck as if he was about to get into the ring and with immense speed, they grab the players rifles as everyone else opens fire. The Mages in the back are unable to use their offensive spells due to the tight corridor, only buffing the players toughness.

  Bullets flung off there armor as they grabbed the rifles and aimed it back at them, mowing down the guards, even with the buffs, the Demon players cut them down with ease, gunning it for the Mages in the back as a general alarm was raised, the bunker doors all closing as the staircases filled with camouflage soldiers in full gear running down to the 7th floor.

  The Demon Player just looks at the CCTV camera and shakes his head. “Huh?” Far from the bunker, on the wasteland surface that’s in the safety of the battlefield, an entire Legion of Demon Players, with banners of the Guilds raised high started committing suicide. Impaling themselves with spears and swords, others with Mana crystal grenades.

  In a sudden out of nowhere action, they began respawning on Altars inside the Portal Fortress where the slaughtering of the soldiers and adventuring players was initiated. Being some of the most experienced and toughest players of the Community due to the Demon Race only being unlocked after a certain criteria was met, the extremely small yet dangerously strong Legion became an instant nuisance to the player army.

  Guild Leaders who were standing in reserve turned around just for Demon Guild Leaders to appear.

  Donning some of the heaviest plate armors available to be worn due to the immense biological strength of the Demons Race alongside being made of the rarest materials, a seismic clash of Demigods began right inside the safety of the Magic Barrier.

  Reforming their bodies out of nothing, Elizabeth and Alana regenerate back to their normal forms, Jackson standing up to look at his Dragon Scale armor completely unscathed by the explosion. “SIR! WE’RE REQUESTING IMMEDIATE AID INSIDE THE CITY!” Looking up, the colossus feet was once again about to stomp the barrier, the contact sending dust and debris away from the Portal Fortress. “MULTIPLE DEMON GUILD BANNERS HAS APPEARED! A HELL VICAR IS ABOUT TO OPEN-”

  A red portal hovers on a block atop the Outer Layer, though the Mages Association’s Council members had been brought out from there duties in the Inner Layer and used there equally strong cosmic magic to push the portal to the outside, leaving behind a noticeable trail of distortion in real space.

  Coming out of it were thousands and thousands of Abominations, the Automatic Knights of the Player Kingdoms turning around to unsheath here swords and squash the seemingly unending amount of critters that had began to bite through there sabatons just for the Watch Towers Sentry Vulcans to open fire.

  The area around the wall was riddled with 30mm shells from the gatling cannons. The grenade launcher mounted behind it throwing 40mm high explosive grenades and stemming the tide as the Rostock Armored Train arrives. The players inside popped out of hatches to deploy Mortars and thanks to Jackson’s vastly improved eyesights, he could clearly see the Abominations weren’t able to get up the walls as they were killed right upon arrival.

  Though he felt uneasy at how some were able to climb it so easily, they were getting cut down faster. Making him re-engage his focus on the trench lines, returning to his original position as the Demon Army presses on forward, ruthlessly sending their units into the flames of the flame Dragon as the colossal one above them had stopped midway through its stomp.

  Flesh and skin has accumulated so much on top of the Magic Barrier of the Portal Fortress and it has casted a shadow over entire sections of the territory, some even falling on the battlefield and crushing Demon Knights and Abominations alike. The Dark Wyverns and Dragons with other flying units were able to dodge them but the toxic blood attached to it had no regency.

  Melting away regardless of anyone who was unfortunate enough to touch it and the Magic Barrier burns away the flesh albeit slowly as the Old One’s feet finally regains movement and stomps down on the barrier, Jackson even with his control over his emotion couldn’t help but jolt a bit as the giant’s leg didn’t move again.

  “Huh?” The upper legs then began to lose all muscle control and the colossus fell from the heavens. The clouds that once covered its upper body were severed in half as it fell on the Northern Gate Front. Crushing a few hundred thousand Demons as its massive head became impaled on the sharp peaks of the valley mountain far in the horizon. Seeing this, the players rejoice. Raising their guns out of the trenches as they mocked the Demon Army who was still pushing through the True Dragons.

  Thorbolt with the few seconds of respite he has looked at the head of the Old One. Its size even dwarfed Albion when he was alive. With a hairy skin and ape like features with the eyes of a Demon, its lifeless body lay dormant as it began to sparkle.

  “Trenunvu!” looking forward again after hearing the warning, an Uberdemonus in full plate armor grabs Thorbolt’s mouth. Pushing his chin down, the Uber Demon was far more stronger than he expected, even going as far as to lift him off the ground, forcing him to unfurl his wings and begin flapping.

  With the hole created, the Demon Army thrusts itself upon the Western Gate. Jackson pointed with his Rapier as the tanks and infantry fighting vehicles and artillery laid waste to the opening while Thorbolt crashed on the ground, violently wiggling and shaking his head as the Uberdemonus put a foot in his lower jaw while one hand kept the upper jaw open. Grabbing its Greatsword, the sound of the blade unsheathing made the Dragon burst out a great green flame.

  Even with its red hot plate armor, the Uberdemonus continued its movement and in the finality of swinging its blade straight into the cheek muscles and tendons of Thorbolt, a crash happens and a shadowy hand grabs it out of his mouth and proceeds to crush the 10 foot tall super weapon.

  “BAHAMUT! YEAAAHHH!” with the joyous scream of Jackson and the two Vampires clapping, the players all had smiles on their faces as more hope was regained. Though with his eyesight, he notices the same dark miasma from the Cosmic powers emanating out of her body and Mars soon returns to him. “Jackson, where is Thomas?” he points back to the Fortress. “He is with the Shine Guards right now, underground chasing some Demon Players.”

  She then turns her massive head to the Human in a gothic gown on the battlefield as the Demon Army begins an all out assault, no matter where, they’d push through it even if it means scaling the valleys that sat on the flanks of the trenchline and the massive aircraft parking lot. “Be Careful with her. Bahamut expended so much of her magic powers all of the sudden that she lost control. The Old One we killed has with it a primordial life force, Jackson. You must wait till she awakens again and takes hold of the bones she repurposed. She used up a lot of her Mana and then something happened out of the blue that took a massive amount from her.”

  He immediately turned forward and the Demon Army had ceased its assault on his Gate Front. “I must go and help Thomas. Do not worry, Bahamut would never let that Goddess take form if it meant hurting you and the ones you love.”

  Walking forward from the Demon Army was a Vicar of Pandemonium, with its big hat that had holes for its four large horns and vestments, written on it the most vile and evil sigils that ever seen the mortal land, looking at the humanoid creature in front of its army. “Is this truly you? Goddess Mors Letum? Tens of thousands of years ago, my Master has sworn you were slain by the Gods of this planet.”

  Opening her hand, a shadowy hand reaches out to the Vicar and pushes him towards her. “Where are they?!” hearing her deep angry voice, the Demonic Undead Bishop began to writhe in pain as its neck is cracked and another hand goes into its body and grabs its very essence. The Demon Knights all kneeling and bowing as the body of the Old One continued to convert into pure Mana behind. “Of course, they aren’t here. Pfft, those selfish useless putrid rats! How dare they leave me to die here!”

  Crossing her arms, her face is unseen, with Bahamut’s veil covering her features, but in contrast with the Dragon, she was taller and had a bustier chest. Lifting her hand, she conjures a dark portal to open. “I know some of you will crawl back to the Demon King either with one or two missing limbs, so be sure to tell him this. When he dies, he can tell the weakening Cosmic Gods that Mors Letum shall have her revenge! How dare they leave me to die here!”

  The Demon Knights stood up, unsheathing their swords while the Hell Priests and the Archbishop of Great Sin came forward. “Goddess! Please! You must calm down! You aren’t even speaking our tongue anymore! Has the Dragon’s soul influenced you this much?!” the Archbishop’s mouth suddenly disappears completely. “She didn’t need to influence anything. It is I who activated that Dungeon Portal and dragged her to my bones. This is my revenge and you shall all know fear for the first times of your worthless mechanical lives.”