Mobile Legends: The Untold Story

Sorry for such a huge delay. It's been long since I've had the time to write.

And sorry for being kind of cruel to how I further made Moskov's death dramatic, like a Walking Dead character death. Okay, maybe not like The Walking Dead but you know what I'm trying to say.

I also didn't realize that by the time I finished rushing the whole chapter, I've written about 18,000 words there. 18,000 words. Like, bro. I was so into finishing the chapter not knowing that I nearly broke my 10,000 word record by writing a chapter with nearly twice the count.

But the file for the 5th day was super extensive, so it's somewhat reasonable…? Anyway, things have changed drastically ever since Moskov got… murdered? I doubt murdered would be the right term, seeing how Zhask, Vexana and Helcurt nearly made Texas Chainsaw Massacre a joke just by a single execution of a character.

Also, Zhao finally unlocked his powers. Niiiiiiiice. Well, it would probably make him go bananas as time goes by, but we shall see. The future isn't set, though I know what to write for the Readers who are still eagerly waiting for an update from me.

Oh, yeah, and there will be deaths, too.

And now, I land this update in haste…

But I think we can make at least 15,000 words here. Because crap really goes down… Hard. Like, really hard. Like, trying-to-figure-out-how-to-nerf-Harith hard.

Anyway, this chapter, along with the file it's referring to, starts with a dream.

Remember what I told you about dreams? 90% of the time, dreams are bad mojo in literature. It's like that 'Until Dawn' moment when you pick up a totem and it shows how a character will die if you don't do an unknown specific action or whatnot.

But the 10%? Usually neutral. And the good ones are like, 0.00000000000000001%. There's probably like, a higher chance of getting struck by lightning or winning the lottery.

And Alucard hit the 90%.

"The Spear… has defected. A bad sign."

"My Lord, we didn't know this would happen-"

The spirit turns towards Alice, its ethereal eyes glowing. "If it weren't for your carelessness, you would've dispatched him earlier! He has caused moderate damage to our forces alone, and none of the heroes have suffered tremendous injuries!"

"Then why not kill them yourself?" Helcurt questions. "Y-Y-You know how strong… they are! And they are b-b-beginning to read our t-tactics!"

"You doubt my plan, Shadowbringer?"

"N-N-N-Nooo… I am m-m-merely concerned!"

The Dark Lord scoffs. "I plan to kill them all myself. I am still considerably weak in this state. Their spirits have proven to be resilient. Absorbing their lives will strengthen me. For every kill, I grow stronger. Which is why I asked you to weaken them further! Look, even the fallen angel can fend off against the four of you! Just imagine the possibility of you falling beneath his feet as he returns to his real self!"

"My Lord-"

"Bah! Nevertheless, do what must be done." The spirit's anger ebbs. "Is the Leviathan ready?"

A loud, resounding growl resounded in the cave. Vexana replied, "Yes… Zhask has made it stronger."

"But the beast will fall by the hands of the virus that lives within it. Most likely, Estes will try and destroy its heart. Though, that is rather predictable. All I am worried about is the boy."

"Alucard?!" Zhask exclaims. "That nuisance has disrupted our momentum!"

"Well then… it's official. We disrupt theirs. One small tumble of a domino is all that is needed to break the chain." A deafening roar resonates around the cave, and the head of the Leviathan looms.

In the background, small bits and pieces of obsidian dust began to coalesce, forming miniscule fragments.

"And when the chain is broken will we shatter their will."

Alucard wakes up in a jolt, rubbing his hair. Ruby was sitting on the edge of the bed.

"Oh, hey, you're awake! Don't worry too much, the demons aren't around yet. If you were to ask, the others aren't awake, though a few of the foreigners are with Estes right now to discuss something."

He nods groggily and tries to sit up, crossing his legs. "I know what the Dark Lord is doing."

Ruby raises her eyebrows. "We all know what the Dark-"

"No, not that. I mean, why he hasn't attacked yet. I saw it in a dream."

"What do you mean?"

"He is not powerful enough. He was faking his strength. His spirit may have been too volatile in the first place, so lashing out at us immediately may backfire… But Ruby, he wants our souls. It's where his strength comes from, remember? If we die, the Dark Lord plans to be there by that instant to suck our energies out."

It took a while for Ruby to understand the logic. "So, that's why Vexana couldn't just transform us into zombies?"

"I mean, she can transform everyone else but not… us. We're reserved for the Dark Lord. That's it. He's more than confident that the Leviathan will destroy our defenses before tomorrow. I've seen its silhouette in my dream. It's enormous. I doubt Grock can even restrain it."

Ruby sighs, slightly touching her neck. "You know, I could barely think about that, now that Zhao is… in distress."

Alucard perks. "H-Hey, is he alright? Has he gotten over it? Ever since Moskov died, he hasn't been in the field. We're lucky there were only a few stray demons out there at that time, but we will need him in the upcoming hours. I don't want him to just sulk around a corner."

"I think he is doing the last thing you just said."

"Crap. Then we're toast," the Demon Hunter mutters. "I think it's wise for him to stay back, since his power… it's been unlocked. It's not just his anger or adrenaline fueling that transformation-"

"Lunox?"

"Yeah, that's what I was thinking. I'm growing afraid because nothing else is happening to me or you, or the others like Argus or Estes."

Ruby gives a look of sarcastic disbelief. "You think so? Look at your arm. The growth has now reached around your shoulder. Your body is next. The demons sure know what to do, don't they?"

"Sadly, that's the case. Though, I hope Miya can help Zhao out of his misery. All of this… it's starting to grow dreadful."

Suddenly, the door opens.

"Hey, you're awake?"

"Yeah, Chou, thanks for letting us stay here," Alucard answers. "The Hunters' camp is littered with injured and dead. Smells like a dirty morgue."

"I know, right? Jeez, I almost feel like I can smell it from here. Anyway, you need to get out right now. Estes is rounding us up."

The three said nothing as they bolted into action, preparing themselves for the next clash. Alucard grabs his greatsword with his demonic arm, and the weapon calmly glowed with red energy.

"Okay, have faith. We can do this. We can do this. I know we can. Give or take 40 more hours. I trust you."

The greatsword's energy turned from a deep scarlet to a serene light blue. Alucard was slightly puzzled by this phenomena, and kept the greatsword on his back.

He steps outside to see dozens of civilians out on the streets, grabbing weapons and fortifying their homes with everything, from makeshift wooden barricades to wards and holy sacramentals for luck. Alucard sees a kid learning how to reload a pistol, aiming at a dummy that resembled a Ravager. As he catches up towards Ruby and Chou, Alucard sees Fanny zoom above the infrastructure, passing by an unmanned Tesla tower. Two of Bane's sh.i.p.s, now fully repaired, begins to hover upwards to join the fleet. Johnson drove past the trio, delivering what seemed to be a large propeller.

"Yi Sun Shin thought of putting the turtle sh.i.p.s up in the sky," Chou informed. "Not a bad idea, since our worst enemy as of today is live and kicking in the air, though we haven't seen it yet."

"Who's with the Gem?" Ruby asks. "Is it Gord?"

"No," Chou shakes his head. "It's supposed to be Aurora, but for the meantime, it's Estes."

"Estes?" Alucard scrunches his eyebrows. "It means the going gets tough."

"Well, Gord is with the mages and the Archimedians to boost up their magic, the Sharpshooters are now applying poison in their ammo, and Hilda just got a new set of royal armor WHILE I HAVE NOTHING!"

"Don't you have nunchucks?" Ruby asked. "Wait… oh, you lost it in Eruditio."

"Yep. We're screwed."

Meanwhile…

"Any updates about the battlefield?" Estes asks Aurora. "Do things feel different?"

"Our shadows are often misplaced," Argus answers, clenching his hands. "Cast shadows are not accurate with the light ray vectors. It rained yesterday, but the ground is already dry. Not entirely barren, but dry. After an hour of thunderstorms, the sun suddenly appeared, brighter than usual, until slowly ebbing to its current intensity."

Aurora closes her eyes. "The winds move to and fro, both calm and frenzied. The dormant are nervous, the crazed are unrelenting. And the so called 'change' is starting to press further to the others. More enhanced versions of the demons are spawning, growing smarter and much more resilient. The relief, however, is that Alice and her companions will be delayed in their direct assault due to what they sustained yesterday."

"The poison of theirs… is growing painful!" Minotaur complains, pointing at his scars. "I will endure, but it will get to me eventually. Estes, are you sure about staying with the Gem?"

"Yes, since I cannot move unless the Leviathan is present. I expect the Dark Lord to make an indirect move against me and my attempts to kill it before it can breach the walls. But the fallout would be devastating nonetheless. The cyborgs have calculated the best-case scenario. It still leads to the loss of more than 70% of the army and with Grock severely injured. If I can minimize more casualties after I am done slaying the airborne threat, I will have to stay with the Gem again."

The siren blares, though its noise has slowly deteriorated. The constant use of the sound systems have degraded their performance, and since their discovery of demons often entering the whole kingdom proper and tampering infrastructure, the security has been doubled for every area.

"Beckoned once more," Estes mumbles. "Argus, you watch and review the battlefield before you join Lancelot and Odette, along with my select crew. Aurora, you join the others. Once the Leviathan appears, I will force you to recall back here and stay with the Gem. Do not leave until I return when the situation escalates in this manner."

Aurora nods in response, and enters Estes' conjured portal with Argus. Minotaur joins but Estes halts him. The portal disappears and the Royal Guard swiftly fixes their regular positions with coordinated execution.

"Minotaur, I uncovered something last night, regarding the labyrinth."

"What is it?" he asked. "There are secrets that I can disclose-"

"Apparently so." Estes slowly walks down the throne's steps towards Minotaur, concerned. "You weren't the only guardian back then, were you?"

Minotaur sighed. "You found out."

"What happened to them? Why were they wiped out? I held no official record about their disappearance."

"It is… difficult to explain."

"Oh, Minotaur. We have a fallen angel, a specter of a possibly hyperversal entity walking in the midst, and many other things, whether big or small, that have baffled us ever since we underwent these operations, and you call your past difficult to explain? I will understand, in some way or another, so elaborate."

"Estes, it wasn't just some plague or massacre, it was a phenomenon! Have you ever wondered how the Twilight Orb came into the labyrinth's possession?"

Estes stopped in his tracks. "How?"

"It didn't arrive delivered by the doorstep by some bystander, nor did we uncover it from a murky cave. No, the Orb itself manifested within the heart of the forsaken maze! Its energy has lashed out with ferocity as it forms, and the whole place shook! Walls began to crumble and the foliage burned. Blinding light and endless black, with fire melting and ice raging. Yes, you heard me. Fire melting and ice raging. It was incomprehensible chaos! That same chaos is the energy that has kept the universe into what it is. It has killed my brethren for its effect is spontaneous. They couldn't contain the force. I was able to make it out of the labyrinth alive, but I couldn't rescue them. It was too late. The other people, the other guardians… all lost… Except-"

"For Aldous."

"You know little about him, Estes, I assure you. He was one of the best human guardians before the event, and after. The energy, it didn't kill him. It fused with him. He grew a powerful arm that can obliterate opponents. I tried to reason with him, but he… He was losing sanity. He attempted to kill me. He was just too powerful. He stayed in the heart of the labyrinth, killing every intruder. There would be no escape. He would hear you as you enter. He proclaimed to be the 'steward of creation', because whatever he thought he was protecting breathed a new, destructive life into him. But there was one entity he mutually favored. Some creature named 'Belerick'. Apparently once a human… But Estes, many were after that Orb."

"I know, Minotaur. I haven't forgotten about Selena. Karina hasn't forgotten as well, though she has now lived with it. But do enlighten me. What went down there?"

Minotaur shook his head in disagreement. "Belerick stayed. He… He was Lunox' trusted friend. He lived, I do not know how, but he lived just so he can meet her or protect her, as long as it's for Lunox. Selena ambushed the labyrinth. Aldous and Belerick fought with all their might, but they were overwhelmed. To end it all, Aldous used all of his might to destroy Selena. All of his power built within his fist… It levelled the labyrinth, geographically. It killed everyone. But the heart of the maze, along with the Orb? Hmph. It still stood, unscathed, unscarred by malice or mistreatment. When I returned did I see the aftermath. I took pity for the two and I stayed. I said not a single word about them, until you and the others came did I think of disclosing the past to you, but I let you find out yourself."

The hybrid sits down on the steps, sighing. "Estes, Lunox is just… too much to handle. Trust me. Too many enemies, not just Selena. Countless others fell victim to the Twilight Orb's power. And remember, Alucard will merge with the Gem's power. If we fail-"

"We will not fail, Minotaur."

"But what if we do?!" he bellows. "No one knows for sure. The Lords of Order will-"

"We will not fail! Do you understand?!" Estes exclaims. "We will not, okay? We won't back away. There… There is still time. As long as one of us lives. As long as someone can carry a sword, we will endure."

Meanwhile…

"Don't forget your wand, Odette," Lancelot reminds.

"It's no wand, silly. It's the family scepter. Though, wand is alright. Hmm, where is the group Estes told us about?"

"They are outside. I've seen them work. They are quite skilled, not going to lie. They have thought of several backup plans. This is going to work. The explosives are set to detonate in the accurate time. Estes has seen the layout and framework of the Reservoir. Trust me and the others on this, and we can get away without a scratch."

A makeshift portal is conjured next to them, and Argus steps out with his bloody sword, apparently not glowing.

"Are you two ready?" the fallen angel asks. "Pardon the dripping blood. I had to rescue a couple of Balmond's orcs that were trapped by a few Reapers. Anyway, I have seen the battlefield. Many creatures are advancing towards the kingdom, though none have looked back."

"No demon is going to look for us?" Lancelot asks.

"We will be fine when we reach the Reservoir, but once we initiate the detonation sequences will we be surrounded. At this point, Estes cannot help. Despite our being incognito, I believe we are alright for now."

But beneath Argus' mind, a warning rang. He remembered what Rafaela told him last night.

"They may be family. They may be strong, but their hearts falter when one of them dies. What happens if the prophecy becomes true, that the two die before they can make it back here? Beware, Argus. We don't want any more mental breakdowns."

"Hey, Argus, are you okay?" Odette asks. "I was asking if you spoke with Freya."

"Freya? Was she looking for me?"

"Yup," Lancelot replies. "I'm pretty sure she's still inside the kingdom waiting for you before we leave. You can go look for her since we still have a lot of time."

Argus nods and turns around, exiting the compound. He looks around for the Valkyrie, and he spots her flying down towards him. She landed on her two feet.

The fallen angel notes Freya's new armor, courtesy of both the drastic 'change' Lunox' effect was giving out and also of Estes and the Royal Guard. It covered more of her body with gold and silver alloys, but she was still swift enough to ram through the enemy lines.

"H-Hey!" Freya said, panting. "Where were you? Estes said you were inspecting the whole area."

"I was. I checked up Lancelot and Odette before we leave. We still have an hour. Anyways… why did you look for me? Shouldn't you be with Hylos or Hayabusa or Yi Sun Shin? You're lucky the field is clear."

"I just wanted to talk to you before… Before hell breaks loose, again. I'm worried, Argus. I saw you last night, backed up against the wall. What happened?"

"Nothing happened," Argus denies. "Maybe you were-"

"I'm not hallucinating, Argus. I saw it myself. A Valkyrie's vision is never at fault. Tell me. Are you hurt?"

Argus couldn't say anything. Freya was another walking lie detector. What would he say? Straight up that his sword was already going against him?

"I'm tired, Freya. I'm trying what I can."

"You don't have to keep secrets from me, Argus. If there's one person you can still cling to, it's me. I know you. You almost killed me, remember?"

"Unintentionally," Argus added. "Not of my own will."

"But your own will is now the one that is killing you! Your sword is rejecting your thoughts and you're growing weaker. That's the only change happening to you, and nothing else! The Lords have said nothing concerning you, and the others are scared that… T-That… you won't…"

"Turn back?"

Freya shakes her head and suddenly embraces Argus in a tight hug, her arms wrapped around him. The angel was shocked by this action, but proceeded to follow.

"Argus… I know you're afraid you can't save the two. I know you're afraid that Tigreal or… or someone else would hate you if that happens. Just… Just promise me, that if you do fail, don't lose hope. Remember that you tried everything to get to them. Okay?"

"Freya-"

"Shut it. Just promise me. Try to bring them home, but if you can't, don't be afraid."

Freya pulls away and spreads her wings, proceeding to fly off into the field, accompanied by Saber. Argus grew confused as to what Freya really meant. He grips his blade, silently praying to himself that the mission would not fail.

"What did you tell Argus?" Saber asked.

"Nothing," Freya lied. "Just told him good luck."

"I see. Even with him accompanying the lovers, the mission has a low success rate. Though, I won't blame him if he comes back without them."

"Why?"

"Why? It's simple really. All… I care about… is their mission. My analysis confirms a 9.23% survival rate of Lancelot or Odette, and half the rate for both of them alive. What matters is that they succeed. They can live, but we must."

Meanwhile…

"Y'all see anything?" Franco asks Bane, who was looking at his periscope. "All the boys need to turn around when we see the thing."

"Not yet in sight," Bane sighs, capping one end of the periscope. "It is meant to feel dry, but it feels… moist, here, in the air. Do you feel it?"

"What? I'm just sweatin' over here!"

"Hmph. You haven't taken a bath yet," Bane points out.

"Says barnacle bear- Oh, fish sticks, what's that?"

The Pirate Lord was taken aback by Franco's sudden change of tone. He uncaps the periscope and peers into it, seeing a few Spitfires and Hellbats slowly grouping into an average swarm. They didn't move forward, all they did was seemingly hover in their place, flapping their bat-like wings. The Spitfires exhaled tongues of fire as they went around the Genesys Gem's protective bubble, as if they were mocking the army.

"That is unseen behavior," Yi Sun Shin says to Bane. "Bane, tell the sh.i.p.s and the men to come to their posts. We might need to veer off."

"Affirmative." Bane steps down the bow of the main ship they were in and commanded in a loud voice. "ALL Y'ALL SCALLYWAGS AND PISSPOTS, SPLIT FORMATION! I DON'T WANT ANY OFFICER NOR FLOOR SCRUBBER SLACKING OFF TODAY, SO GET TO WORK OR I'LL KICK YOUR GLUTES OFF THE PLANK!"

Everyone in every ship responded with a resounding "AYE, CAPTAIN!" before running to the ropes.

He looks back and sees Yi and Franco surprised by his wordings. "Sorry, it's the only way to motivate them. If we need to move, best be where you need to be."

"Grock wants to see big insect!" the stone titan began. "Smash it with my tower!"

Below Grock, the kingdom's second tier defenses kicked in, while the third tier remained on standby. If you're asking, the latter tier included not only Tesla towers, but also an experimental… Wait, hold up, the name is rather long.

Okay, so the name of this huge thing is the Kinetic Molecular Cohesion Disruptor, or the KMCD. Judging from the info within the files, it is, of course, an experimental weapon manufactured in Zerpyh Corps in Eruditio, and later reached prototype classification when handed to the Land of Dawn proper. It says here that it is… well, it's basically just one huge death ray. But to put the science behind it, it basically uses the excess energy of the Genesys Gem, sunlight, and even arcane magic and concentrates the volatile anti-matter in what is nicknamed as the 'mixer'. Only when fully charged will this weapon fire. What it does is, as its name suggests, destroys or deteriorates the links that render the molecules of a structure, object or person cohesive to each other, and either disintegrate it completely or vanish it from existence. However, the tests performed show inconsistent results, with the same target either being burnt to a crisp, frozen, and the like. Heck, it made a rubber tire electrically charged. Don't ask me how that happened.

Hence the term 'experimental'. It requires a passcode to activate, known only to Estes and two other people.

And now, meet Royce and Delsin, the two other people, who are also the pilots of the said death ray.

And also, what could be our comic relief duo.

"Hey, where's Royce? Royce! Oi, Royce!"

"Goddamnit, won't you wait for me, Delsin? I haven't eaten breakfast!" Royce complains. "You could've just told me they were serving peanut butter!"

"I didn't know you were allergic to that stuff! It tastes good, c'mon!"

"You want me to die so I can tell you how delicious that pile of-"

The doors suddenly opened, revealing Alpha, who was about to give the final orders.

"Are you two alright?" the cyborg asks.

"Yeah, yeah, don't mind," Royce sarcastically replied, glaring at Delsin. "Hey, what's going on down there? Heard that this 'Leviathan' thing is gonna come out of the clouds."

"True. That's why I'm here to inform you that the KMCD is going to come online as soon as the Genesys Gem turns down the bubble. That means your target is now visible. The weapon's integrity is solid, despite the unpolished look. The mages and the scientists of the demo team have stored up sufficient fuel for it to fire as many as three charges. Remember, the third charge is when the Leviathan becomes downed."

"How will we know that?" Delsin asks. "I mean, we don't know how it moves."

"As long as it's taking a nosedive, that's your signal for the third charge. Under no circ.u.mstances will you leave your post when the Leviathan is visible, and if you have additional charges. Oh, and Estes said that the passcode is to be changed. It's now 'heap of junk'. Just speak it in the built-in microphone in the c.o.c.kpit."

"Seriously, 'heap of junk'?" Royce asked, sighing. "Sounds like my first wife."

"Anyway, I hope you stay alive. With the bubble gone, more demons will pour in and try to attack this. Once you fire the first shot, you will be made known. Godspeed, the two of you. Oh, and Royce? There is bacon and eggs downstairs."

"Really?!"

Meanwhile…

As for the other remaining heroes, they were all in the battlefield. An addition to the main army was Aurora's Ice Knights, which Estes recalled in the 5th day after the tremendous clash. Aurora thought that extra manpower would come in handy since the sun would most surely be blotted out by the Leviathan's size, and that they wouldn't melt. Also, they serve as good soldiers against the Spitfires since they are weak against the cold.

The only downside is that if they do melt, and if Aurora has difficulty with the Gem when the Leviathan does appear, it's going to be wet in the battlefield. To keep it simple, it will be hard to wade through mud. Unless, of course, if the constant reality warping made by the Genesys Gem's volatile power prevents that, or amplifies it.

"There is a brewing storm," Eudora tells Karina, brushing a lock of her silver hair. "But no lightning, no thunder. A booming roar."

"Senses are tingling," Sun mutters, gripping his golden cudgel nervously. "Those flyers don't look good. It's as if they're preparing for some grand entrance."

In the front, most of the main heroes were at the frontline. Tigreal, Akai, Johnson, Gossen, Harley, Lolita, Clint-

Okay, let me just be real. Everyone is there. I mean, the files are being a total jerk to me now, so please understand.

Christ, writing this story is tedious. But I'd take this over writing a dissertation.

"The winds are picking up. Plant your feet to the ground," Johnson says, his radar blipping. "Winds of a tropical storm. The Spitfires and W.o.m.bats and the like are increasing in number. This is not good."

Tigreal replies, "The Gem's dome hasn't been removed yet. Who's with it?"

"Estes," Kagura answers. "He's trying to find an opening within the Leviathan. The surprise weapon is meant to create a large enough hole for them to get in, unless Estes can make a portal through the inside. Problem is, they need to see the inside, but the Leviathan's anatomy is just immense. They could be transported within the walls of the body."

"And no sign of the Nazar," Roger huffs, throwing his cigar. "The Lords probably warned them not to go here. We will be a sitting duck if we don't get support pronto."

Alucard, Ruby and Chou brush through the army and reach the front, seeing the Wretches and Reapers emerging from the other side of the battlefield, somewhat jeering at the army. The Bastions and Striders reinforce the spearhead formation with another layer, locking themselves shut. The Goblins appeared, laughing themselves off, constantly throwing rocks and pebbles, mocking the heroes.

"Can someone please let me shoot them down?" Clint asked, reloading his revolvers. "Cheeky bastards think they could laugh at us a few kilometers away?!"

Suddenly, a loud rumble echoed throughout the area, silencing everyone. As it stopped, the demons intensified their vocalizations, snarling and yelling at the army, pounding their c.h.e.s.ts. The Dark Lord's spirit came into view, fragments of obsidian hovering around him. He was far away, but he was clearly seen looking down from the crest of the elevation.

"His henchmen ain't there," Bruno notes. "And what are those shards around him?"

"That's his body," Alucard clarifies. "He's using it as armor to contain his energy. By tomorrow, he will fight us head on. I read his mind, he's just waiting for-"

He was interrupted by the deep snarl that boomed around the area. Cyclops shivered around his entire body. Aurora already generated multiple ice shards around her, awaiting for Estes' recall.

"My Queen… what was that?" Nexos asked. "That sound-"

"Yes, Nexos. We know. Round up your soldiers. I may be with the Gem in a few minutes. Estes wasn't there trying to help us. He was trying to give more energy to the Gem for me. He is well aware I can't stop it without external help."

The knight bows and runs, calling Aurora's cavalry, along with the humongous ice knights. The protodrake flew overhead, puffing out black smoke. It landed on Grock's shoulder, roaring and extending his wings, a trail of black flames coating the gloomy sky. Its sound was responded to by a resounding grunt, which startled the reptile. The protodrake peered with its head alongside Grock, trying to acknowledge the presence of the source of the grunt.

"Where is big insect?!" Grock began. "Grock will bash its head!"

Saber flies into the scene and was struggling from the sudden turbulence. "It is like a tropical storm, Alpha. I cannot get too close, it's dangerous. Status on the Sharpshooters?"

"They're all locked and loaded," Alpha replied, riding on Beta next to Saber. "Beta tells me her radar is choppy. The Leviathan's closing in."

Fanny latches onto the kingdom's primary walls. She spots what seems to be a large tentacle slowly writhing through the clouds. "Holy… that's larger than I thought."

Bane peers with his periscope, and in the far off distance, sees a large body slowly wriggling vertically, three large tentacles on either side. Two pairs of large, tattered wings parted the cloudy sky, and the Leviathan emerged.

Grock is around a hundred meters tall. This behemoth? Around five to six times longer than how Grock is tall. It beheld a maroon palette, the pieces of its carapace slowly clacking to the Leviathan's wriggling movement. Its winged gliders, though very slow in their flapping (1 flap per 10 seconds, to be exact), helped the monster hover around, accompanied by the Spitfires and Hellbats. The winds generated cause enough turbulence to disorient Bane and Yi Sun Shin's airborne sh.i.p.s. Its six glowing eyes were yellow, and the irises were a bright red. Its ivory tusks had deep battle scars engraved on it. The beast's large, serrated teeth were heavily discolored. Instead of one huge tail, the Leviathan sported three that forked from the end of its fat body. The tails had big club-like spikes on their ends, and they slowly shaked in an irregular pattern.

To make the long story short? This thing makes you piss your pants.

"Um, Bruno?" Chou asks, in shock. "You'll forgive me for swearing now, right?"

"Yeah," the Protector squeaked out. "What were you going to say?"

"Um… what the f.u.c.k is that?" Chou pointed towards the hulking mass.

Hylos walked in front, astounded. "That, Chou… is the Leviathan."

The monster reeled and let out an earpiercing roar that shook ground. It kept doing so for fifteen seconds, rattling the bones of the heroes and nearly disrupting the spearhead formation. As soon as it stopped, the demons roared and cheered. A calm, warping sound was heard, and the transparent barrier of the Genesys Gem slowly dissipated from the ground up, and by the dozen, the demons poured in.

A portal formed and Estes appeared in front of the heroes. "Aurora, you need to get to the Gem, now!"

"On my way," Aurora says as she ran through the portal. As soon as she entered, it disappeared. She touched the Genesys Gem and slowly harnessed its power, immediately creating rough, cold winds that started to suppress the Leviathan. The beast itself, however, remains unfazed, and continues unimpeded. It moved towards the Land of Dawn in a constant speed of 25 meters per minute. At this rate, it would breach the kingdom in two hours.

The heroes will need more than two hours.

The Demon Hunters, along with Victor and Yinsen, arrive, already prepped with their equipment.

"Victor, where is the heart located now?!" Estes asked around the commotion as the heroes already charged to fend off the smaller demons coming up front.

"Located in the center of the body!" Victor shouts. "Before, it was close to its head, but the Dark Lord has changed its anatomy!"

"Then we need it to veer to the side to get a close shot with the KMCD!"

Saber picks up the command and immediately flies towards Alpha.

"Alpha! Is Royce and Delsin inside the KMCD?!"

"Yes, I got Estes' words! I'll order them to fire when the Leviathan turns to its side!" Alpha immediately connects to the radio station inside the KMCD's holding facility. "Hey! Can anyone hear me?!"

Delsin, trembling, immediately picks up the signal and responds. "Y-Yes, Alpha, we can hear you loud and clear!"

"Listen, Estes needs a clear shot of the-… on- side!"

"W-What? Alpha, the signal is not clear!"

Royce, who finished breakfast, sped towards Delsin. "Hey, what's wro-"

"SHUT IT, I'M TRYING TO TALK! ALPHA, THE SIGNAL IS NOT CLEAR! OVER!"

"Delsin, tell Royce to keep watch on the KMCD! Hit-… SIDE! HIT ITS SIDE! HIT ITS-"

"Hello?! Damn it, we lost the signal! Royce! We need to hit the Leviathan's side! The side!"

Royce didn't respond as he was already configuring the KMCD, keeping watch on the 'Mixer'. The large amount of fluids and energy slowly began to coalesce. The timer in the large screen read:

Charging… 2%. ETA: 20 minutes.

"20 MINUTES?!" Delsin exclaimed.

Meanwhile, Saber has reached Bane's main ship and landed on the bow.

"Bane, listen up. We need you to try and distract the Leviathan. We need you to make it turn to its side for the weapon to fire. Estes needs an opening. If we don't do this, we won't be able to take it down.

"Consider it done!" Bane shouts. He turns to Yi Sun Shin. "Oi, Yi!"

"Yes, Bane?"

"How fast can your Turtle Sh.i.p.s go?"

The general grins. "As fast as we need it to run. I'll hitch a ride, Saber. I will command one of my sh.i.p.s to lure the Leviathan."

"No, not yet!" Saber warns. "The KMCD has a very lengthy charge time, we can't make you go too early!"

Suddenly, the cold force winds from Aurora's spells slowly pushed the sh.i.p.s into the fray. The crewmen struggled to keep them stationary. Mortar shells and missile flew past the sh.i.p.s, aimed at the Leviathan. They made 100% impact, but as the smoke cleared, the carapace barely received a dent, but the Leviathan was blinded and choked by the smoke. The tendrils on its side went into action, trying to extend towards the sh.i.p.s, but they couldn't reach it.

"Aurora is trying as hard as she can! We need to take out the small flyers first if we are to make progress! I'll tell you when to move, Yi!" Saber says before nosediving towards the ground.

The cyborg calculated the outcomes. He was nervous. How can they hope to kill it? It's almost as if the impossible hurdle was presented in front. They have no choice but to take the leap. But unlike the other human weapons before him… He had faith.

A concept the scientists who created him arrogantly overlooked.

And his faith grew stronger as he sliced through the battlefield in a frenzy, disorienting the Ravagers and Goblins in his way.

Meanwhile…

Argus, Lancelot, Odette, and the demolition team slowly creeped around the dark ground covered by the corruption. Due to Argus' presence, they were granted safe passage… for now. After a slow bend to the gloomy landscape, they reached their destination.

"Here it is… the Reservoir," the team captain said. He pointed at a large sand structure, choked by corruption all around, purple lightning streaking from above. The structure resembled a volcano… If a volcano did have steps circling around the body, reaching towards the top. In the vents and pockets of spaces on the base of the Reservoir, a plethora of demons began to emerge. Ravagers, Stalkers, Wretches, Goblins, you name it. A few Shadowbringers frantically exited the vents, clawing at each other. Spitfires and W.o.m.bats emerged from the top of the structure, immediately flying to the battlefield which was dozens of kilometers away from their current location. Luckily, their path was opposite to where the team was located.

"Okay, so, here is the plan," the captain said, creating a holographic projection of the interior of the structure. "The interior walls are lined with hundreds of eggs and such, serving as nesting and breeding areas of the demons. Due to the course of the events, we will have a lesser chance of being caught. The demons being bred and are released are rather rebellious and confused, since their hive minds have not yet been made active."

He then fishes out a small rectangular explosive charge, lines of blue energy pulsing on the casing. "This is our state-of-the-art Widowmaker depth charges. Well, they may be depth charges, but they will still work the same in here. They are resilient to the corruption, thanks to the Genesys Gem's excess energy, and has enough power to bust at least a 10 meter hole inside the 150 meter tall Reservoir. If you want more info, we would have to get inside the structure. Can't just explain here." The captain keeps the charge and pulls out his pulse rifle. He orders the other nine members of the team to move forward, as the demonic presence has now diminished.

Argus walks up to Lancelot and Odette. "Do you see the opening connected to the winding staircase? That is our entrance, and most likely our exit." He points towards a narrow set of steps (two men can walk side by side on it) snaking around the structure. The sand being the primary building component of the staircase gave it the illusion of being weak. A Ravager runs down it, but immediately trips, causing it to fall to the ground which was around 68 meters down. It hit the dirt with a THUMP, but it stood, shaking its head, as if it just received a mild concussion.

"I will go behind you," Argus says, letting Lancelot and Odette walk first. "I will warn if there is any demon nearby."

The team approaches the base of the staircase, but was interrupted by the loud rumble of the earth. A sharp howling noise from the other side of the Reservoir resonated throughout the landscape.

"The Leviathan is now there, and the demons are jeering," the assistant leader mutters. "We need to go now."

The team captain walks first, followed by the heavy gunner, lugging around a large RPG behind his back. The other soldiers, including the two medics, slowly start the ascent. Lancelot and Odette go last with Argus, and then they started climbing the narrow staircase, watching the sky, purple flashes of lightning often blinding them.

"Lance… I can't see the stars," Odette says to him quietly. "They… They're gone."

The fencer looked up. There was no pollution in Gaius. Barely any. If anything, this was one of the best places to be to observe the night sky. But now… there was none to view. Not even the brightest. Odette was filled with worry.

"Hey, hey. It's alright. By the time this is over, we will watch the night sky, okay?" Lancelot assures. "There will be a lot of them when the war is over. We just… We just need to push, my love."

"Lance… Remember w-what I told you?"

"About what?"

"About the stars?"

"The stars… they're so pretty. I wonder who they were… who they are. It's almost dreamy."

The two walked around the palace gardens, watching them twinkle. A meteor swiftly darted past their eyes.

"Tigreal… He once told me, that the bravest of warriors become stars, a reminder of the light that shone within them throughout their darkest hours."

"I want to be one with them… I don't want to fight. My innocence, that will be my proof, my sole reminder. And you, my Lance, you will be with me up there one day. Maybe you circle around me, or you be close. Either way, I am happy with you around. Can you promise me?"

"I promise you. We'll bring you up there one day," Lancelot says, smiling. "I always keep my promises."

Argus overheard them and slowly thought to himself.

"They have dreams that are nigh impossible to achieve. The Lords are never merciful. They do not see how they wish to be normal people with promises to fulfill, and people to cherish. Not all of them are fighters. This is wrong. I… I need to bring them back. I will. I won't let them die. I won't let the prophecy decide their fate."

"Hey, Argus?" Odette asks. "Is something wrong?"

Argus snapped out of his thoughts and noticed that he was ten steps behind the duo. "Sorry, I… I must be imagining things. Don't worry, I will catch up."

"Sure," Lancelot replied. The two carried on with the demolition team. Argus chose to fly around next to them. He circles the staircase, looking for any looming threat. He eyes a Morphling in the end of the stairs. To avoid being seen, he lowers to communicate with the captain.

"Captain, a Morphling is on the end of the staircase. You need to be discreet. I will warn for more threats."

The officer nods silently and signals the team to bring out their silenced pistols. They crept up closer to the end of the staircase. The captain eyes the sleeping Morphling on the corner of his eye. He stops.

"All of you, stay back. I will deal with the target." The captain aims carefully and pulls the trigger, shooting the Morphling right at the head. It dies without making a sound. Argus lands on the staircase and grabs the corpse and flies. He carves a hole adjacent to the end of the staircase and puts the Morphling inside. Argus then grabs the circular block and jams it back in place.

"No witnesses. The demons are smart. I won't let them see us," he mouthed. "Captain, proceed. I will be with Lancelot and Odette."

Meanwhile…

Charging… 71%. ETA: 8 minutes.

Saber receives the signal and immediately stops clashing with a Wretch. He turns around, making the Wretch chase him. Balmond arrives and takes Saber's place, landing the blade of his axe into its skull. The Wretch wheezes ad it tries to claw Balmond out, but another Bloodl.u.s.t Orc cuts off its lower jaw, killing it. Unfortunately, said orc was snatched by the jaws of another Wretch, which turned to face Balmond. Layla fired behind the Wretch, making it pay attention to her. Before it could charge, Hylos slams his scepter to the Wretch, causing it to get knocked down. Gossen dashes towards the beast and throws his daggers above it, piercing the Wretch five times. He recalls them, cutting the Wretch again, letting it bleed out.

Gossen lands on Johnson's roof. "You know, if I keep this up, I'll grow dizzy."

"Then stop doing it!" Johnson suggested, releasing a missile barrage at the Kastiyans that emerged. The carpet bombs left a crater of blue gore.

"Sorry, can't. This is our job, you know?" Gossen then throws a dagger at a Hellbat. He dashes towards it in the air and yanks at it, throwing it downwards towards Minotaur. The hybrid whacks it to God-knows-where with his hammer. Gossen throws another dagger and dashes throughout the air, forcing the demons to attack him.

"COME ON, CATCH ME! COME ON!" he taunted. A swarm of Spitfires began to follow him. He dashed towards the spearhead formation and jumps on one of the Bastion's shields. The Spitfires try to turn tail, but it was too late, as they were shish-kebabbed by the Striders and shot down by the Sharpshooters.

Saber safely made it into the ship, where Yi Sun Shin was slicing up a Hellbat with his glaive. "Hey, Yi. Time is now!"

Yi hears Saber and runs towards him, shooting down a W.o.m.bat ramming towards the cyborg. Saber transforms and carries Yi Sun Shin towards one of the smaller turtle sh.i.p.s. A Spitfire follows them, but Saber dislodges one of his mobile swords, slicing the Spitfire down. The cyborg throws Yi Sun Shin to the bow of the ship.

"You know what to do! I'll cover you!" Saber zoomed towards the Leviathan and hovered, releasing his twelve swords. They arranged a pattern above him, and the swords pulsed with orange energy. It caught the Leviathan's attention, like a bull to a red cape.

(For your information, bulls aren't angered by the red color. They are actually enticed by the movement of the cape, and as you can see here, it's not the orange color that attracted the Leviathan. It's the pulsing.)

Yi commands his crew to steer in front. Saber lands on the ship and makes the swords pulse harder. Meanwhile, on the KMCD, Delsin warns Royce of the countdown.

"How much time left?!" Royce asks, configuring the c.o.c.kpit controls.

"Four minutes!"

Royce exclaims. "That's too much time, that will risk-"

"JUST SHUT UP AND LET SABER GIVE YOU THE OPENING!"

"WAIT, WHAT'S THE PA.S.SWORD?!"

"WHAT PA.S.S- OH CRAP DON'T TELL ME YOU FORGOT IT!"

Fanny flies around and sees Saber and Yi charging straight towards the Leviathan. Bane's sh.i.p.s shoots more cannonballs, angering the monstrosity.

"C'mon, you sack of organs, c'mon!" Bane curses as the Leviathan's eyes held a glint of ferocity. It began to charge towards Yi's ship, but it was slow. The real threat was the tendrils on the Leviathan's sides, the turbulence in the air made by Aurora's winds, and the Spitfires and Hellbats throwing off and misleading the sh.i.p.s.

"Alpha, heads up. I'm bringing the party," Saber said. "We need the flyers off of our tail. The Leviathan can't catch us, only its tendrils can. We need the Teslas up and running, ASAP!"

The Tesla towers inside the kingdom slowly charged to life and were aimed at the mass of Spitfires and W.o.m.bats. Saber and Yi Sun Shin veers the ship they were on side to side, disorienting the Leviathan and slowing it down. The other sh.i.p.s behind them began creating irregular patterns that disoriented the Leviathan's focus.

"We still can't bring Grock here!" Yi Sun Shin says to Saber. "He will distract Estes and the hunters. We need him to focus on the ground!"

Fanny latches onto the ship and lands next to Saber. "Anything you need? That's a huge party you're lugging."

"Tell Grock to move away from the air. His presence will distract the Leviathan. Tell him to engage when clear."

"On it." Fanny leaps to the starboard side and latches to Grock's free arm, swinging around. She slices two Hellbats in the air before skyrocketing upward. Fanny latches on Grock's shoulders and plants her feet.

"Big guy!"

Grock peers over his shoulder. "Yes, little one?"

"Move off! Don't fight the Leviathan first! Kill the demons on the ground!"

"Grock hears command! Will now bash ants with tower!" Grock yells and stomps the ground, sending hundreds of demons flying. He slams one of his feet and crushes a few Wretches. He swings his tower and wipes a horde of Goblins that were about to ambush Alucard and Roger.

In the distance, the Dark Lord observed the chaos. "The Titan is remarkable. He is a main hindrance. But he will fall when the Leviathan draws near."

Helcurt crawls up to the malevolent spirit. "Liege… our ground troops are w-w-w-wiped! The next batch will a-arrive t-t-too late!"

"Hush. I am well aware. But the Leviathan is expending their resources. They cannot pierce its armor. And Estes… he may kill it, but it will weaken him. This is all according to the plan. Only the titan serves as our problem. Up until now… We shall see what my pet can do."

Saber pulses his swords again. "LISTEN UP, WHALE! DON'T MIND THEM, GET US!"

Yi waves around his arms. "OI, GET US, YOU FATSO! EAT US!"

"ROYCE! THE PA.S.SWORD!"

"WHAT ABOUT THE PA.S.SWORD?!"

Charging… 98%. ETA: 1 minute.

"WHAT'S THE PA.S.SWORD?!"

"I DON'T KNOW THAT'S WHY I'M ASKING YOU!"

The Leviathan grunts, confused. From afar, Royce begins to aim the KMCD. Estes and the other Demon Hunters watch as the lure begins to work.

"Hey, kid!" Victor calls to Alucard. The Demon Hunter speeds up to Victor.

"Good luck out there, Victor."

"Don't cry, kid. This will all be in a jiffy when we get there. We'll teach the sc.u.mbag how it's done."

"Wait… HEAP OF JUNK!"

"WHAT?!"

"HEAP. OF. JUNK! HEAP. OF. JUNK!"

The machine slowly whirred to life, multiple safety locks slowly dislodging.

"10 SECONDS!" Delsin yelled to Royce. The KMCD began to charge up, whirring. Royce aims to the Leviathan's exposed side. Saber stops projecting the lure as the Leviathan slowly recovers. "Yi, get out now!"

The sh.i.p.s rapidly descends downward as the KMCD holding facility sparks from afar.

"ALRIGHT!" Royce cheered, removing all safety locks. The weapon grew as bright as the sun. "NOW LET'S MAKE THIS BAD BOY LAND THE HEAT INTO THAT SCALY MOTHER-"

A large, white laser pierces through the sky and hits the Leviathan point blank on its right side. The monstrosity roars from the tremendous pain, arcing its back, causing its armored plates to click. The laser intensifies and begins to cut a large hole on it. The Hellbats and Spitfires try to fly off the laser, but the volatile photon energy easily incinerates them or freezes them, causing them to die as they fall. The Leviathan tries to cover the wound with its wings, but the KMCD easily cuts through it, forcing the beast to pull the wings up. A massive amount of blood bursts out of the cauterized wound. The laser dies out and the army uncovers their eyes by pulling out their arms.

The Leviathan whimpers in agony as the large wound begins to make it lose more blood. The wound slowly regenerated, but the sh.i.p.s began firing their artillery, forcing the hole to open. One of its tentacles suffered major damage, and was forced to retract.

"YES!" Royce says, pumping his fists into the air. "HOW DO YOU LIKE THAT NOW?! HOW DO YOU LIKE THAT NOW?!"

Charging… 1%. ETA: 30 minutes.

"Yes, Royce! The man!" Delsin says. "Hey, cool the 'Mixer' and inject the fluids back, I'll now shoot!"

"Good idea!" Royce jumps off of the c.o.c.kpit and runs to the main console, studying the meters. The energies are starting to cool. "The demons will be coming in here any minute!"

"If we pull this off, we gonna be stinkin' heroes, man!"

"YEAH, I KNOW JUST FOCUS! Oh, Lord, this thing better charge up fast or we will get pecked."

The Dark Lord was taken aback by the sudden retaliation maneuver in the field. He shouts in frustration.

Helcurt, worried, rushes to the spirit. "My Lord… that weapon…"

"ALL OF YOU, DESTROY THE WEAPON AT ALL COSTS! WITHOUT MY PET, WE WILL NOT PREVAIL!"

"Time to go!" Estes beckons, conjuring a portal towards the hole. "It won't be long before the Leviathan regenerates from its wounds!"

Estes enters the portal and gets transported inside the massive wound, stepping on what appears to be a layer of the Leviathan's skin. The hole was like a humongous sewage pipe. A lot of mucus and other foreign fluids were accompanied by the harmless corruption inside the Leviathan. Victor and Yinsen emerge from the portal, along with Pique and Tuk. Eight more members emerge from the portal before it disappears as the wound nearly regenerates completely. The rumbling sound of artillery echoed throughout the whole body.

"Still, it would leave a heck of a scar," Pique notes. "C'mon, the heart of the beast is this way."

Estes generates a few runes, giving them a bit of light. He notices the internal wound even recovering.

"The Leviathan is weak inside, but we still have a long ways to go. We need to hurry. Be glad that the other airborne threats didn't respond in time, or we would take longer to get there."

Meanwhile…

"Uranus! Uranus, where are you?!" Kaja calls out from the Angelic Plains. He lands on the clouds, trying to find Uranus.

"Kaja!" Uranus responds, approaching the Nazar king. "Have you seen what's happening?"

"The Leviathan, it has arrived. The heroes have been able to intrude its heart, but it won't be long before it wrecks the army completely. Uranus, we need to intervene now!"

"HAVE YOU GONE MAD?!" Uranus exclaims. "You need to stop and think! What do you think will happen if you go down there?"

"It doesn't matter if I will be exiled, what matters is I am doing the right thing!" Kaja fights back, pushing Uranus off. "Forget the Lords and their threats. I won't just stand here and watch them die out. I will round up my fellow Nazar."

"Kaja? For the love of the heavens, Kaja!" Uranus mumbles as Kaja disappears out of view as he tries to reach the Celestial Palace. "This is not going to end well."

Uranus peers down and sees Argus, Lancelot and Odette infiltrating the Reservoir. They have already entered the entrance atop the staircase. "W-What?! What are they… Oh no. They're desperate."

The titan looks away and tries to breathe. "Easy… They're trying to prevent more demons from coming in, but they can die out there! We can't help them there… Damn it! I need to follow Kaja! The chaos has to be resolved!"