"Look there! Do you all see that light?" Asked Chibi.
"It's coming from the direction of Exforia." Said Melody.
"How could we possibly see it all the way from here? Exforia is more than a thousand miles away from where we are." Said John.
"And what could that light be?" Asked Mental Quorum.
"That is the light of an awakening." Said King Osval.
"Awakening? You mean the achievement of a higher level?" Asked Libellus.
"That is correct. That is the same light we saw when Serbus achieved the Celestial Level." Said the Setran Emperor.
"So that means that they did it. They got to the Celestial Level." Said Joey.
"Or that Verkonis got to another level instead." Said Connor.
"Don't say that." Said Katie.
"Oh but he is right." Said a man.
Everyone turned around to see who the one who said that was. Fear struck them immediately. Verkonis was seated on a couch in the room they were in. The crew, as scared as they were, got in front of the royals in order to protect them.
"You lot never learn, do you?"
Verkonis then suddenly appeared in front of Connor.
"Hmm. As I thought, your genders are switched."
He then raised his hand at Connor's face. Everyone was too scared to move or say anything. He then snapped his fingers. Everyone closed their eyes thinking that he was going to kill Connor. A few seconds later, they opened them to receive an even greater shock. Their genders switched back to normal.
"There we go. That's much better, don't you think?"
He then disappeared and reappeared on the couch with a cup of tea in his hand. Everyone stood still. The crew still stayed in a full battle mode in between the royals and Verkonis. He took a sip from his tea and then looked at them. They all shivered as they looked at his red flaming eyes.
"Can you all relax? Have a seat." Said Verkonis as he motioned to them to sit down. At that moment, two dozen chairs appeared out of thin air. The royals and the crew were then dragged by a force and made to sit on the chairs facing Verkonis.
"Now that I have your full attention, I believe you have a few questions for me. Let's start with you there." Said Verkonis as he pointed to Connor.
Connor was too scared to speak. The rest looked at him and then at Verkonis.
"Oh don't be so scared. I won't bite. Here. Let me help you."
Verkonis then pointed his finger at Connor. A blue aura appeared around him.
"There you go. I took away part of your fear. Now this should help you talk."
Connor looked around him. He really did feel a bit braver.
"Where are our friends?" Asked Connor.
"Dead."
Everyone's eyes widened. Some of the crew members began to tear up.
"Next person. You there. You seem to want to ask me something." Said Verkonis as he pointed to Melody. "Oh and you, here's your fear back." The fear that was released in Connor's body was doubled because of the news they just got regarding their friends. Connor started sweating and shaking. Verkonis then took away some of Melody's fear.
"How could they die? Didn't they meet the Immortal Being?"
"They did. I lured them there on purpose. I wanted them to be there and witness my ascension to the next level. I wanted them to fall into despair as the last hope they had to stop me, would die along with them. Once I achieved the Universal Level, I disposed of them along with the Immortal Being."
"You monster!!! You will pay!!!" Shouted Melody with tears in her eyes as she launched herself at Verkonis.
"Now that won't do." He then cast a magic spell with his eyes that made her stop in midair. "I must have taken out too much fear. Take some time out, will you?"
"W-What did you do to her?" Asked the succubus queen.
"Nothing much. I just stopped her in time for a while. Now let's see. Who wants to ask me another question? You there. You're Osval, correct? King of Exforia. Your majesty, I am at your service."
"Why are you here?"
"Now that is the question I was waiting for. I am here to negotiate with you."
"Negotiate? What exactly do you mean?"
"Yes. You join me and I let you live. It's as simple as that."
"And if we don't?"
"I believe you already know the answer to that. By joining me, you will become my subordinates. You otherworlders will have your levels enhanced by me and put directly under the Fatalities. You shall be their subordinates. As for the royals, you shall continue to govern your lands as my governors. But you shall be supervised by my armies. You also shall respond to the Fatalities. If they deem you unfit to rule, you shall be publically executed along with your family and be replaced by anyone they choose."
"We refuse. Even if you take our lives, we will never negotiate with a monster like you."
The rest of the royals as well as the otherworlders all nodded in agreement.
"Hmm. I never expected this response." He then stood up from his seat and slowly walked towards them. "Gigguk served me well. You could have been like him. Even though he was a double agent, he did help me keep tabs on this world. So sad he had to die like that. But you. You don't even want to consider surrendering yourselves to me. You do not understand your position, do you? You think that someone will come to save you? Not even these so called heroes could save you. And the Alpha isn't coming either. Not while I am here." He walked over to where Melody was still stuck in time. "I could destroy this whole world with the snap of my finger. But I will not. I will give you all a chance. You have managed to survive for two whole months against the might of my armies. So I will allow you to fight for your puny and pathetic lives. I will not sully my hands any longer with insects like yourselves. My men will take care of you." He then turned to leave. "But in the off chance that you defeat my armies, I shall spare your lives and along with this planet. You have my word. You are all lucky, do you know? This planet would die in just a few weeks if not for me being here. You did lose your core after all." He began walking towards the window. "Let the war begin." He then snapped his fingers and disappeared.
"I will kill you!!!" Shouted Melody as she was released from the spell. She struck the couch that Verkonis previously sat on. The couch and the wall behind it were blown away.
Everyone fell silent. Nobody knew what to say or do. They all sat there in total silence for what felt like an eternity. They had countless questions and thoughts going through their minds. Mastar and Aki couldn't believe that Gigguk was dead and that he was a double agent. Everything was falling apart too fast. Suddenly, a soldier came running into the room.
"Your majesties! I have a report."
Everyone was instantly brought out of their trance and looked to the soldier.
"What is it?" Asked the Setran Emperor.
"Reports are coming from all the battlefields across the empire. The demon armies are pulling back."
They all looked at each other in shock.
"But reports are also coming in that the commanding officers of their armies, the Fatalities, under the orders of the Demon Lord, should retreat and give us one month to prepare for the final battle."
"So that is what he meant by letting his armies deal with us. Very well. We will not go down without a fight. Send word to all battlefields to withdraw and begin immediate preparations for the upcoming battle. And send word across the empire that we will address the nation tomorrow morning." Said the Setran Emperor.
"Yes your majesty."
"This is going to be an extremely hard battle. It might as well be our last." Said the Head Chief of the elves.
"It is far better than going down without a fight or to work for him for the rest of our lives." Said Jordan.
"I have one thing I keep worrying about." Said John.
"What is it?" Asked Gaby.
"He said this planet is dying. That we lost the core."
"What does he mean by that? Could he have messed with the planet's core?"
"That would be the only explanation. So he must be keeping this planet alive in the core's stead. But the question is why?" Asked John.
Nobody could answer that question.
"We can't worry about that right now. Verkonis is not leaving anytime soon. What we have to work towards is the upcoming battle. We need to win." Said King Osval.
"And if we win, what guarantee do we have that he won't end up killing us in the end?" Asked the Ogre King.
"All we have is his word and our hope that he sticks to it. It's not much, but it's all we have to work with." Said Poxal.
"Very well. Moe Crew, from here on out, work together with The Guardians and train our armies. You all are our strongest assets at the moment. Maybe there is still hope with you being alive. We are counting on you." Said King Osval.
"Yes your majesty."
"For now, everyone go and rest. It will be hard given all that happened today, but we all need to rest to some extent as work begins tomorrow at dawn. Everyone should be present tomorrow as we address the empire about the impending battle." Said the Setran Emperor.
Everyone went their separate ways and tried to sleep, but it was extremely hard. The new Moe Crew along with Melody were mourning their friends while Mastar was with Aki who was crying at the loss of Gigguk. It was a bad day for everyone, but they had to stay strong and hope that they will win this war.
****
The next day, the royals, the Moe Crew and the Guardians made their way to the throne room. With the help of Aki, they projected themselves all around the empire.
"Citizens of the world, by now you must have received the news that the demon armies have pulled back. This is all in preparation for the final battle. Demon Lord Verkonis appeared in the palace before us yesterday." Said the Setran Emperor. He then narrated everything that transpired in their "audience" with Verkonis. The people gasped and fear struck them at the news of the deaths of Gigguk and the Moe Crew. They also shuddered at the news of the world potentially dying to the loss of its core. "We cannot reassure you of anything anymore. We are in a do or die situation. All we can tell you is that we will fight. We will stand up against Verkonis till the very end. We royals shall also be on the front lines. We will not let you fight alone. And if it is the will of the Alpha, we will prevail." As scared as the people were, they cheered for their leaders. They were going to stand with their leaders to the very end.
That same day, preparations for the final battle have begun. The Moe Crew and the Guardians began training the troops and the adventurers. Civilian volunteers also joined the armies. And there were many. Millions of people across the empire came in to fight for their lives and their world. With each passing day, everyone became more nervous about the upcoming battle. Some would cry themselves to sleep thinking about their potential doom. But every single person who was part of the army, civilian, royal, adventurer or soldier, was dedicated to seeing this through and defeat Verkonis' armies.
One month went by fast. An army of five hundred million people were waiting on the Valley of the Abyss where the Abyss dungeon was found. Leading the army were all the royals, the Moe Crew and the Guardians. Everyone was afraid. They knew that this was going to be the toughest battle of their lives. As they got close to the Abyss Dungeon, they noticed that in the place where the dungeon was, was a giant crater. They realized that that was caused by Verkonis when he went after the Immortal Being.
"So you all came after all." Said Verkonis who appeared in front of them.
Everyone stopped immediately and got in a battle stance. His presence could be felt across the whole valley.
"Are you going to face us? You said we were to face your armies." Said Jack.
"Oh I am not the one who will face you. Just like I promised, my armies will face you. You amassed such a large army. It's not as big as mine though." Said Verkonis. He then raised his hand. As he did, the space around the World's Army began to change. The people's eyes widened and they began to sweat out of fear. A massive army as many as the stars appeared and surrounded the World's Army. The Fatalities then appeared next to Verkonis. Their overwhelming presence was so much smaller than Verkonis', but it was still terrifying.
"Are…are they also going to fight us?" Asked Rustage.
"But of course. They are my generals. They are part of my army after all." Said Verkonis with an evil laugh. He then turned to the ten. "Don't finish them off to fast. Let our soldiers have some fun. You can play with those elites up front."
"Yes master." Said the ten.
"Herios, you can have this." Said Verkonis as he made a golden sword appear. "This sword belonged to Serbus. You can have it. I prefer Gigguk's sword."
The royals and Guardians recognized the sword immediately. It was Excalibur. The Moe Crew, Guardians and royals all looked at each other.
"It was an honor to fight by your sides." Said King Osval.
The rest nodded. They then raised their swords signaling the beginning of the battle. Verkonis did the same. Both armies began charging at each other, but before they made contact, a dark giant could formed on the sky and giant lightning bolts began striking the ground in front of them. Both armies stopped in their tracks wondering what was going on. A great roar was heard in the sky. Suddenly, the lightning barrage stopped and ten flashes of light struck the ground in front of the royals and the others. A giant dragon flew over the World's Army and began to float above them. The dust began to clear. The crew looked up to see what landed and soon began to tear up.
"Looks like we made it just in time."
"Any minute later and we wouldn't have been able to pull off this superhero entrance."
"I guess we can call it a mission accomplished."
"Not yet Nuxy. We still have a few lose ends. Oh look. They're right there in front of us."
"How is this even possible?! I killed you all myself." Said Verkonis as he moved past the Fatalities.
"Tsk tsk tsk. Looks like you aren't that great after all Verky. Can't even dispose of some small fries like ourselves. Oh for shame." Said Hirito.
"We had a little help of course. And because of his help, we managed to survive." Said SOS.
"The Immortal Being." Said Verkonis as his eyes sparked with rage.
"Bingo." Said Evan.
"That won't change a thing. I am still a Universal. You are all still God Levels."
"Oh are you sure about that?" Asked Johnny.
"Come on guys. Let's show him what we really got." Said Dono.
"Altogether now." Said Recon.
"ARIUS ZECT!!!" Said the ten.