The Dungeon was erupting, contorting, shifting.

Everywhere they turned started moving about whether they changed, exploded, or disappeared. Gabriel was about to fall into a newly born precipice twice in the fifteen minutes since they had left the Hole portion of the map. By the time a volcano that Gabriel was sure wasn't there before exploded, and lapilli started raining from the skies, they knew what to do.

Gabriel looked at the scene of the exploding mountain. The burst launched smoke and material all the way up to the Manashield, the following explosion turned the shield red, and the whole Dungeon tinted into a purple shade, which reminded him of an apocalypse genre high-budget movie. It was at that moment that Gabriel realized.

Alright. It's high time we got the shit out of here. I believe you agree with me, right, Liz?

Liz was mesmerized by the magma flowing out of the mountain and the lapilli reaching ever closer to their location. She did not listen, so Gabriel, with a cough, raised his voice.

"You know, I'm pretty confident that with your new Resilience, you could even resist magma…" Gabriel started. At which, Liz turned her head toward him, mouth open, frills involuntarily spreading, and gleaming eyes. Gabriel continued, "...for a couple more seconds at least.” Gabe let that hang in the air before continuing, “...before your legs start melting, your skins start evaporating, and even before dying from your body being turned to cinders, your system shuts down because of the lack of oxygen given your inhalation of the fumes of your own body burning away, oh, and the heat burning your lungs, of course, how could I forget that!."

"Still planning on admiring some more? Because I see that lapilli over there, kinda pointing at us. It seems it's coming to say hello."

Slowly, as he spoke, Liz's mouth started closing, her eyes turning into an expression of dread and her frill retracted. Once he finished, she shook her head vehemently and turned tail to run, quickly passing him by.

Gabriel smirked. Pretty sure she doesn't even really breathe. A compelling argument, though.

When the sound of the flaming mass of rock flying in the sky started closing in. Even Gabriel had to admit that he started feeling a little pressure. Think I'll speed up a little bit. That Alacrity Skill could have come in handy now…

Liz and Gabriel hurried a little more, and though the plains were vast, the changes had been… rather radical.

At some point, the plains ended, and a huge circular cavity made its appearance in the middle of it.

It was one massive rim. Gabriel was never good with judging distances, but he imagined that the ring spanned for at least two hundred yards in diameter. If they wanted to carry on then. They would have to circle it.

I bet this Dungeon is goona get one peculiar nickname because of this… he thought while judging it.

They got close and looking out with caution, where, once again here, Liz demonstrated the newly formed worry-free trait of her personality by sticking her head out first. They realized that the thing was deep.

Other than a blueish shimmer in the distance, there was nothing at all to see. Yet faint sounds echoed all the way up from there. Gabriel's Enhanced Senses capable of listening for some but not discerning them. At least not with the rumbles, quivering of the Dungeon.

"Would you shut up a little!? I'm trying to listen here." He said to the… well nobody in particular. And yet, the act seemed to work; because even if only for a little, the Dungeon grew quieter.

Chance, of course. You don't command Dungeons, dude... for now!? He said to himself. Nah!

Anyway, there was nothing at all, nothing that he could really gather from the sounds. Only faint sloshings, the sound of the sea…

The sound of the sea?

Gabriel got up, turning his head in the direction of the Lakeside of the Dungeon.

There was nothing there. Or at least, the lake was not there anymore. In its stead, there was a huge, massive temple. It seemed to be built with the figure of a crown. At its center stood a tower so big that it was as tall as a mountain. The whole side had been built into the rock-shield of the Dungeon.

That's definitely a monument to that massive dick, which was the mayor. Sure as hell, he deserves it.

"Alright, we'll circumnavigate it from the left. Let's go, you psychopath," he added, referring to the lizard who was shoving herself so far in the cliff that she seemed to be holding with only her nails.

She turned toward him, waving her new frills a couple of times as if to call for his attention.

"What?" he asked, "If you think I'm gonna do what you're doing, then you've definitely lost your lizardy mind."

She yapped sternly.

"No way! I'm not going there. You come here.!"

She shrilled, retracting herself from there and marching toward him, all serious.

Liz then stood, and with a menacing look, she pointed at him, then at the sides of her head, where her ears stood, and finally at the hole.

"But why? What is it that's getting you so…"

Gabriel felt something.

It was a low echo, someone, a girl maybe. It was crying- no. It was screaming.

"What is that I hear?"

Gabriel turned around, "Do you hear it, Liz? Where is it coming from?"

Liz, snorting, pointed at the rim, with emphasis.

Really?

"From there? And you've been there all that time because you heard that?" Why did I not?

But, Liz shook her head.

"No? Then why did you stand there like that?" She just shrugged.

The screams quickly grew in intensity in the meanwhile.

"Just what?"

It was at that point that one of the weirdest things he had ever seen happened.

From the precipice burst forth an impressive jet of water. It was big enough to look like a modestly sized waterfall, only, it's course was… inverted.

A screaming giant was being propelled in the sky on top of the stream: a giantess, a blond giantess.

Dustille?

It was indeed, Dustille. She was holding something in her arms, a figure, it was… colored in blood. The figure looked as if it had bathed itself in blood, and Dustille was holding onto her for dear life.

The jet of water started quickly diminishing in power, their ascent slowed down as well. Then suddenly, the energy propelling the water seemed to have been exhausted, and the two figures stopped. Then, of course, not having managed to move in mid-air. They started descending, once again. It would be a matter of seconds before they would once again tumble into the vast rim.

Gabriel looked at the thing, smiling stupidly. Not because he was a psycho, but for the surprise. The water had been shiny. It was definitely water-tainted Mana, like the waters of the Turtle Lake. Rising up into the sky, it continuously splashed lit-up particles of liquid Mana everywhere. They shone into a myriad of colors, especially given the peculiarly colored sky, which was still illuminated in orange, red, and purple shades.

Lizzy pulled on his leg, emitting a squealing sound, slow at first, then faster. She turned toward him, wide-eyed and pointing at the Giantess and her bloody bundle. They were about to fall back into it.

"Oh shit!" Gabriel understood and acted right in the nick of time.

Dropping his spear on the ground. He ran toward the rim and, empowering himself with the last bit of regenerated Energy, and Built to Fly, he jumped directly at them. His thought focused on a silent prayer for an invisible old man sitting on his throne judging from high above, to help him in his aim, but most of all, to not make him drop to the ground.

Maybe the old dude was listening to him, or perhaps it was just his overtrained instincts, honed over hundreds upon hundreds of battles. But he managed to tackle the Giantess, right on. She, caught by surprise, let out an extremely cute 'eek.'

Conserving the powerful momentum. Gabriel flew through the sky in a comical tackle of the much, much, much bigger but beautiful girl.

"Gabrieeeel?" She screamed during the whole time it took them to reach the opposite side of the hole.

But the man was not listening. He kept invoking at random, God, Wakan Tanka, Buddha, Odin, and whomever else came to his mind. His speed had been decreasing rapidly, and if he had made it, it would be only for a metaphorical hairbreadth.

When they reached the other side of the rim, though, he was surprised to notice that they made it with still quite a few yards of potential travel. Hitting the dirt, Gabriel let go of the Giantess, which rolled on the floor while keeping her bloody bundle up to shield it from ulterior damage. He instead rolled once and sprang up, ready for anything other unexpected events.

Gabriel turned back toward the other end of the ridge. He saw his lizard running on all four toward them, circling around the huge pothole in the ground. The spear held firm in her mouth.

Good lizard.

"So," Gabe said, turning toward Dustille, "how are things going?" he gave her a big smile. It was the first time in two perceived months since last he saw and talked to a real person. The mayor was a monster, and nobody will talk me out of my conviction.

"Gabriel… that's really you. Where have you been?" Dustille looked confused.

"I was getting tortured by a really mean Tyrant, anyway… you have no idea how angry I am! I haven't eaten anything in, like… two weeks! Or more, I've lost count. Oh, what I would do for even just a hamburger… or sushi! Oh, my God, how I miss sushi… eating! I miss eating! And drinking! Have you got a beer on you by any chance?" Gabriel kept rambling, and the Giantess seemed still dumbstruck by his reappearance until she broke him out of his oration.

"Gabriel! Please, heal her!" She said, putting the bundle forward.

"...and chee- "What? Oh, sure."

And there goes my last point of Mana.

As he cast Helping Hand on her, the girl shook. After a couple of seconds, she coughed, opening her eyes for a second, then they unfocused, and she fell asleep.

"It's gonna take a while, I guess. Helping Hand doesn't properly heal. It Enhances Regen, though, by quite a bit. So it's all on her now."

Dustille nodded.

Of course, she knows, she had studied the druids' Skills.

"So, what brings you here!? Who is she? And for the love of all that is sacred, what were you doing in there!?" He asked, eager to speak with somebody who didn't want to murder him.

"Gabriel… it's a long and, sincerely, confusing story. I don't even know if I understood it completely…"

"Well, I guess you'll figure it out? Anyway, shouldn't we leave?" He said, looking at a mountain crumble in the distance.

"I hope not everybody's left already. Or we will not be able to leave until the Dungeon shift has completed," she clarified.

"Dungeon shift?"

Dustille briefly and roughly explained to him what it was and how it worked.

A Dungeon shift was a period of adjustment a Dungeon went through when another boss took control of it.

Well, at least we didn't do it, right? He asked himself, turning toward his lizard. She, as he expected, shrugged.

After that, Dustille indirectly answered his previous question.

"Let's head toward the exits, where I found her. It was still populated. Maybe knowing that she's here, her father will come looking for her. Or maybe someone has been sent to recover her. Gaia Waterfront is definitely a name worth mobilizing an army over, after all."

"What?" Asked Gabriel, "Gaia Waterfront is here!?"

Liz had caught up with them as they talked, and waiting for an answer, Gabriel retrieved his spear from Lizzy's mouth.

"This one," Dustille said, pointing with her chin at the bloody mess. "She is Gaia Waterfront."

***

 

Four dragons. Four was the number of dragons, the Dungeon survivors' combined forces, and Kanceldom defenses managed to fall before the pressure from the enemy became too much for them to sustain.

Sigmund heaved from behind a destroyed building.

The city, painted in red, thanks to the red tint the night sky had taken because of the sudden Dungeon shift, reflecting the streets’ primary colors and mood, depicting the streets or the people's moods.

Four of eleven dragons, at whose head was this massive probably Paragon if not Legend Tier one.

Sigmund shook his head in disbelief. If it wasn't for the Fairy keeping the Dragon busy, they would have had no chance whatsoever to hit back.

The young Giant then put his head out of his as he heard the booming sound of Dragon Hunt.

The projectile, now bright, most probably because of the newest Skill Larry had unlocked after being the main culprit over the death of three of those dragons, shot through the sky, illuminating it as day.

Even though Larry couldn't express his emotions, his extremely conflictual feelings toward the dragons were clear.

The hit almost entirely burst through one of the Tier 5 dragons' shoulder wing bone, but the main damage did not come from that.

It came from the seal applied to their Recovery. The Dragon would no longer be able to heal its wound, as long as something or someone of at least Transcended Tier didn't lift the curse.

As it lost the use of its wing, the Dragon fell from the sky… directed to, most probably, his death.

If it had been another species, their kind would have helped him or her, but dragons were different. They were creatures of pride. They did not tolerate help, just as they barely accepted weakness.

A Dragon would never allow himself to receive somebody else's help, just as he would never lower himself to help a weakling.

Sigmund took another of the rifles they had stashed for Larry to use and passed it along the arms chain.

This elf that he had never seen before in the city, called Varcivald, had shown himself with a following of scientists, amid whom he had found his uncle, and had brought with him an expertise and a strategy that made his pale in comparison to what he had devised his party's future strategy would be.

Varcivald had put to use Theor and Nadiya's peculiar Skills together with those of aunt Kilda to buff Larry like a monster. From that moment on, the battle had started smiling in their favor.

Of course, though free of the dragons' incumbent terror, the same could not be said about that of the Priest of Lore.

They were demons, utter demons.

Among them was one red-eyed human. It made Sigmund's hairs stand on end.

The red-eyed beast had plowed through their defenses with pincer attack after pincer attack with the help of his angel and demon. Sigmund knew that if it hadn't been for the druid's Champion's timely appearance, they would have been slaughtered to their very last soul.

Lorad was… managing against the Priest.

 

Just what kind of beast is he? Sigmund thought as he looked at their fight.

It was clear, from Analyze but to his trained eyes too, used to judge Attributes, that the Priest was an entire Tier lower than Lorad, even more probably. And yet, his prowesses were unquestionable. His impeccable fighting style. His reading of the battle, majestic.

Lorad, though a great fighter and undoubtedly worthy of his title of Champion, had been constrained on the defensive. He had done nothing else but keep the other man focused on him and not on figuratively tearing bystanders to pieces.

The rest of the people in Kanceldom that hadn't escaped or been killed were fiercely fighting a battle against the remaining joined forces formed by priests and dragons.

There were fewer Priests than Sigmund imagined an attack of these proportions would need. So whether they were extremely confident or their numbers had been cut down. Though he could just guess, for some reason, Sigmund thought the elf was somehow responsible for that.

Every once in a while, the battle between the Fairy and the dragons' leader grew quiet enough for there to be a chance at hearing the discussion going back and forth among Lorad and the red-eyed.

"Carla! What are they saying now!?" Sigmund asked his good-eared friend, hiding near him.

Carla seemed to already be listening.

"A restaurant… they are talking about restaurants?" She said, confused.

Restaurants? Sigmund thought.

 

***

 

The man's mantle of darkness was aggressively pointing toward the other man with red-eyes. It shifted like a thick haze of darkness with a life of its own. It was almost alive.

"Let the kid be," Lorad said. His main objective was changing the man's idea. "He's like to even be alive... it was you, even without that title, you were a promise," Lorad added.

"I was, wasn't I?" The man grinned.

The red-eyed man's face was not visible at the moment. His face was covered by a skeletal mask of fire, with forking horns adorning it.

He had Lorad pinned into a triangle. The man stood in front of him, while at the side were his two summons. A Seraphim with a white blindfold around his face bounding his shoulder-length hair in place stood on the right. He had six wings on his back, a sword bathed in fire, and a shiny armor of marvelous features. While on his left was a sensual succubus, she had mind-boggling forms, entirely naked, with only tattoos hiding her private parts; she had a dark red complexion, long black hair adorned by a pair of horns, and black wings of a bat. Her only weapons were a fiery whip and her tail, almost just as long and that acted as one.

"Yes, you were." Continued Lorad, "But you couldn't help and delve inside of it, couldn't you? Now you've lost your Spirit, you've lost your place, you've lost your family, the girl, and, most importantly, yourself."

"Lorad, Lorad, Lorad. Why do you sound like all those things should affect me? I'm not sad! I'm a real Herald now! Who better than me?" The man raised his hands in the air, gesturing, "Look at us, I'm not even Tier 5 yet, and I've got you on the defensive. You!" He laughed.

"Tom. You will regret your choices, and you're not dumb. You've already figured it out. There is a price for everything. You will pay yours, and I will pay mine." Continued Lorad.

"Alright, old man. Enough with your speeches. Why don't you make me marvel like you did when I was a child. Because it's been years since you were capable of surprising me, maybe you're getting dull." Said the flaming man.

"While you never cease to surprise me, Tom." Lorad shook his head. He knew there was not in his heart nor in his abilities the power to surprise or bring down the boy he had known for so long. He would have his way, then escape, and Lorad would be powerless, as he always had been in front of him.

You were the son I always wanted and never got.

Lorad knew his Darte was a prodigy. He knew his daughter had the most strong and beautiful heart in any person he had ever known, like his Clairin. And yet, the man in front of him was something else. Steel and pure like, though in a different way, as Gaia, and insatiable and talented as Darte. No, even more. If only he had managed to teach him restraint, if only he had acted like his best friend, like the father Tom had lost, then maybe he would have not lost him too.

There is no 'righting mistakes' now. I just need to hope that Giant kills enough dragons for them to abandon and hope Jiao comes back. My powers are a horrible match against his. Vroel, we need to stall as much as possible, he said to his Bond Spirit, let's hunt!

At the command, the massive bear shot out of the man's body. With it, a huge black wave of darkness exploded everywhere, washing over the trio and beyond of it onto the battlefield.

In his peculiar fusion with his Bond Spirit, their joining was not meant to empower, on the opposite, to contain Lorad's. Now with his change, Lorad battle style switched from melee to ranged. His bear would act as a tank.

Lorad, now revealing his handsome feature, resembled those of his son in almost all aspects except the hair; his hair was short and clad in leather armor. With a wave of his hand a shield appeared for him to grab, and with a gesture of the other, appeared a black scepter.

The Champion's gaze sharply focused on Tom, whose expression was still unreadable, thanks to the mask, then with a wave of his scepter, shadows produced directly from inside of Lorad's body were sent in waves to wash over his enemy.

As Tom's Seraphim teleported right in front of him to absorb the attack, the two were catapulted away in the distance.

Things are just getting started.