The beast’s fur was dusty white, like snow and dirt mixed together. Its spines stabbed outward from its back, sharpened like needles, and horns curled out from its cranium, the perfect instrument for bashing through walls. It had two legs and four arms, all of which were adorned with claws large enough to rip through a battleship, and with every thunderous step Dead-Eyes took forward, the ground quaked as he towered over all who were in the corridor.

His hide was said to be impenetrable. His strength was unparalleled. Classified as Undead, not even the most powerful necromancers were able to put a scratch on him.

How was anyone supposed to defeat a creature like that? Was it possible?

Kenji and his party watched in horror from out of sight in a hallway, and in the Path of Weeping Skulls, which led straight to Dead-Eyes’ chamber, the beast unleashed warbling howls that practically broke their ears, and he slashed at the walls, the floor. And all the while, he proceeded further toward the exit leading straight into Duncaster.

“This cannot be good,” emphasized Amelia as she watched Dead-Eyes closely. “If he reaches the city, the death toll could rattle Kathra for millennia to come. Hundreds—maybe even thousands—will die.”

“Yeah, but what are we supposed to do?” Kenji asked.

He couldn’t forget the unholy look in the creature’s eyes. They were so empty, so cold like being lost in a frozen tundra with no hope of survival, and from just one look, they could freeze over the warmth in someone’s heart and turn people into shells—petrified, jarring glimmers of who they were before like flames dying out.

“Shouldn’t we run to Duncaster?” suggest Misumi. Dead-Eyes was distant at that point, though his vocalizations were just as loud. “The people should be warned, right?”

Kenji answered, “I think they already have been. His voice probably echoes over the entire city. I bet their evacuating now.”

“But what if they’re not?”

Even if they wanted, Kenji’s party couldn’t beat Dead-Eyes to the city. And if they somehow stumbled on a miracle and did get their first, they’d be unable to do much of anything. Nobody had been able to defeat Dead-Eyes, and over hundreds of years, thousands of Adventurers had died trying to kill the first floor’s boss.

“We may not be able to do much, but we can at least help the citizens,” he said. “C’mon. Let’s follow him. I’m sure the army will be waiting outside.”

And with curt nods, Misumi, Cleo, and Amelia were all in agreement. Their party entered the Path of Weeping Skulls, trailing behind Dead-Eyes as fast as they could, hoping to reach the city before too many people were harmed. But at the end of the day, they knew what everyone else soon would: death was on its way, and it would claim many lives if nobody was there to stop it.

******

An army of soldiers had crowded around the entrance to Dark Castle, bearing swords and magic alike, but as Unknown watched from the roof of an evacuated building, he knew they’d fall like flies. Everyone would. There wasn’t a single person in Duncaster that could stand toe to toe with Dead-Eyes, and even while hundreds of Adventurers were beginning to mass behind the soldiers, they’d be hard pressed to take him down now. His rage would consume all who came near.

But Kathra needed to move forward. It couldn’t be left to stagnate any longer. And after waking The Dreaming One, Unknown planned to finish what he started by putting an end to the Spire’s tyrant once and for all—and everyone would see him do it.

Blood magic was the key. Though it might be difficult, Dead-Eyes was weakened now that he was outside the Spire, and he could let loose in the window open spaces of the nearby market. That is, unless other Adventurers didn’t get in the way. Catapults were being rolled in, Sorcerers and Necromancers were amassing behind Warriors and Rangers, and every fighter the city could muster was coming together more rapidly than he expected. Entire guilds had shown up to defend their homes.

“This’ll be interesting,” he uttered, eyes on the entrance. A grin came together on his lips. “Let’s hope nobody gets killed.”

******

Kenji and the others darted after Dead-Eyes as fast as their legs would allow, but even so, it wasn’t enough to close the distance. He was too large, too quick. He barreled through the corridor at unrelenting speeds, causing much damage as he went. At certain points, massive footprints were left behind which Kenji and his friends had to carefully avoid. But as the minutes zoomed by, they came closer and closer to the exit, prepared for the fight of their lives.

What were they supposed to do once Dead-Eyes reached the city? How could they help stop him? There had to be soldiers and Adventurers ready for the impending disaster, but that meant so many innocent people were going to die. Like Floris, they’d be thrown out like yesterday’s garbage, torn from life before it was their time to go. Some of their friends from the guild might even be amongst the casualties.

“Do you think the army can stop him?” Misumi asked. “They have lots of Adventurers, don’t they?”

Cleo answered her, panting for breath as she ran, “They do. But if they were able to stop Dead-Eyes, they would have done it a long time ago.”

“Yeah, but there’s gotta be a way to contain him.”

Ahead of them, the massive beast was snarling, howling, roaring, lashing out like a bull in a china shop, and it showed no sign of halting its frenzy. Their ears were practically deaf from the monstrously loud echoes.

“There has to be a way,” Kenji insisted. “And if we don’t figure out what it is, then Duncaster won’t be a city for much longer.”

Those grim words brought them all to silence as they continued chasing Dead-Eyes, and it wasn’t long until the saw daylight at the tunnel’s end, meaning Duncaster was just ahead. The monster pierced through to open air, where it stood tall and bellowed its hair-raising cry to the heavens. If ever there was a more necessary moment for a miracle to occur, the city needed one right then and there; for if nothing happened, many good people would be slain.

“Shit!” Kenji hissed through his teeth. “He’s outside already!”

******

Finally.

Unknown and Dead-Eyes met again.

This time, however, there would be a clear victor, and one would drown in the sands of history while the other carried on to live even more valiant tales.

From a tiled rooftop, Unknown watched as the spiny, diabolical, undead monster tossed around soldiers like ragdolls, and crashed into buildings like a battering ram breaking through castle gates. The beast would collide with homes, reducing them to rubble. It would clutch boulders and hurl them deeper into the city, at one point damaging Duncaster’s clock tower with an explosion of dust and debris, and the shouts of Adventurers, of Warriors, Sorcerers, Rangers, and the like, all rose up from the market square as Dead-Eyes’ rampage continued. Right out of the gate, the battle was decided. The city just had to survive, for there wasn’t much hope of defeating the enemy before them.

Of course, Unknown didn’t feel that way.

He anticipated a slaughter. Mass destruction. Chaos. But he also expected victory in the end, which is what he had be building to all along. And somewhere out there, Allister would be watching, and she too would see his blood magic in action. Previews weren’t his cup of tea, but this time it couldn’t be helped.

Between the ape-like thrashes and banshee screams, Dead-Eyes had only grown angrier, more fearsome. He picked up a catapult and hurled it into a crowd of Adventurers, then slashed two more with his arms, obliterating the wooden constructs and hurling debris into nearby buildings. From there, Dead-Eyes flailed more, annihilating shops and houses alike. However, his behavior changed when the clock tower’s bell began to ring, a chime that resounded over the entire city, and the beast paused briefly. Then, he unleashed the most guttural and raspy holler his massive lungs would allow, and he charge in the tower’s direction, barreling deeper into Duncaster where citizens were surely still evacuating.

Unknown sighed, but breathed in as an autumn wind rolled over the rooftop. “Looks like the fun and games are over,” he said. “If these people need a savior, I’ll give them one.”

******

Utter destruction. Spinetingling cries. Burning fires and piles of rubble.

There was nothing but devastation in the wake of Dead-Eyes, and when Kenji’s party broke free of the Spire, they set foot in a world unrecognizable. What once was a beautiful city was now a ruined wasteland, with many people wounded or killed, and the shouting of soldiers, the screams of citizens far off, the stench of smoke all worked in tandem to shock Kenji into dead silence, for he hadn’t the slightest idea where to begin.

Hundreds of people had gathered, but Dead-Eyes tore straight through them. He had torn apart catapults and homes, left craters in the cobblestone market, destroyed other parties like they were ants in need of eradication. If that many people couldn’t stop him, who could? Duncaster didn’t have weapons of mass destruction. They couldn’t call in air support and have Dead-Eyes gunned down or torched. They had weapons and magic—none of which were strong enough to kill a creature that powerful.

Amidst the chaos of the market, which reeked of smoke and was filled with yells of the fallen, Kenji’s party was found none other than Flanigan, who had joined the ranks of those trying to stop Dead-Eyes. The whole guild had joined in. And it wasn’t long until Desmond and his party rendezvoused with them as well, covered in dirt, scrapes, cuts, and bruises from head to toe.

“Nice of ya to show up,” Sinopa grumbled. She was bleeding from her left arm, but thankfully it had been patched up already. Meanwhile, a bandage covered her left eye, and one of her ears was clipped and bleeding. “I may look rough, but I’m tough as nails. I could wrestle a herd of warthogs and have them run away squealin’ in two minutes flat.”

Sapphire scoffed and rolled her eyes. “No, you’re just an idiot. Let me heal you already!”

“No way! Save your mana for the serious wounds, lollipop. Help people who need it!”

“You need it!” screeched Sapphire, reaching for Sinopa in order to hold her down and force the healing spells upon her.

As they wrangled with each other, two opposites at war, Desmond and Flanigan tuned them out and went on explaining the situation. Dead-Eyes was headed toward the clock tower. And based on his speed, that meant there’d still be people there—good, innocent people who by no means signed up as Adventurers at the Cathedral. Soldiers had already dispatched toward the location, but they wouldn’t be enough, and based on the shallow trembling in Flanigan’s voice, he didn’t believe anything would be enough. Nobody had been able to kill Dead-Eyes in all of history, so why would it be any different now?

“The best we can hope for is containing him,” Desmond insisted with his eyes cast toward the clock tower. “And you four may be somewhat new, but Duncaster needs your support. Get to the clock tower and help the people evacuate. We’ll help the soldiers keep Dead-Eyes busy until the army can come up with a plan.” He glared at Kenji, who was still in a state of disbelief like the rest of his party. “Understand? That make sense to you guys?”

“Y-Yeah,” Kenji sputtered. “We’ll do whatever we can.”

In truth, he didn’t think even containing Dead-Eyes was possible, not after seeing the mass destruction of the market. But if the army could come up with something, they had to do everything they could to buy extra time. Every Adventurer did. For Duncaster now faced a threat that could shake the entire kingdom, and if they failed to capture Dead-Eyes, nobody would be able to live in that city again.