Jatakem, Imperium.

3:41 p.m. 13th Zelyr 1092.

6 Days to World's End.

Whoosh!

Zuri swooped down through the clouds with Rider gliding just behind her. The little daeben flapped her wings as a beautiful garden came into view. She looked over her shoulder at Rider, who nodded.

Having received confirmation, Zuri folded her wings, and dived. She dropped like a cannon, but then unfurled her wings just before she hit the ground. Boom! Zuri hit the ground hard, and then dispelled her wings.

"Your landing could use some work." Rider softly landed by her side with a proud smile on his face. He then looked at the dozens of warriors and mages surrounding them with threatening glares. "Sayen, tell your men to stand down."

Sayen emerged from her temple with a mischievous smile. "You know flying's not allowed, Rider."

Rider raised a brow in ridicule. "Are you applying hume laws to me, right now?" He snorted, and then gestured at Zuri. "She's been practicing her flight. What do you think?"

Sayen chuckled as she looked at Zuri. "She is a natural. I very much adored her landing. Although the fish might have a different view." She chuckled and then waved her hands. "Disperse."

Whoosh!

"Not bad." Rider complimented the warriors who disappeared from view in an instant. He could sense their presence, but they were shielded from sight by some sort of cloak or formation. They would only make themselves known when a threat appeared in the vicinity.

"A little project to pass the time." Sayen remarked as she walked toward Rider. She then patted Zuri's head and praised, "Your project is coming along excellently, I see. Zuri is truly one-of-a-kind." She then said to Zuri. "I can't wait to see how you grow. Your future is bright." She then chuckled and looked at Rider. "I assume you have something for me?"

Rider took out the teleportation matrix scroll. However, he held onto it. "I think it'll be better if I do it in front of your Champion and his army."

"Oh? Is there a message you wish to pass on?"

"Yes. They need to know how this works."

Sayen nodded. "In that case, follow me."

Rider and Zuri obeyed. They walked behind Sayen as she led them out of the garden, through the main temple, and then out onto the hillside. Rider peeked at the trees around the hillside stairs. He sensed several of those shadowy figures silently following them. Hmm... So, these were Sayen's secret guards... Not that she needed them though.

Sayen, meanwhile, chatted with Zuri as they walked through Jatakem's streets. Many people, Summoned and Residents alike, stared in shock, but they did not dare approach the saintly fortune-teller.

Eventually, the trio (and their hidden entourage), exited the main city gates and came upon the vast grassland beyond. Unfortunately, it was difficult to see a single blade of grass because of the swarm of bodies that occupied the land. Thousands of warriors from all corners of Imperium, and even Markoth, occupied the once peaceful level 10 grazing ground.

No monster could be found within ten miles of Jatakem as they could not endure the collective pressure emitted by this impossible force!

"Listen! Like I said! We can't take everyone!"

Gentle Breeze shouted from atop a platform surrounded by the warriors. The young man sweated under the afternoon sun as he struggled to placate the enraged crowd. Who knew so many people would respond to their summons? The power of Razznik's name was frightening. To think that so many people were willing to risk their lives for the greater goo—

"Haha! Razznik's former base! Can you imagine the treasures!?"

Scratch that! These greedy fucks were just here for Razznik's treasures. Well, it was to be expected. Any Summoned who played King's Journey knew the legend of Oni Hill. Even back then, Razznik had a habit of leaving rewards for those who managed to clear each floor. Canonically, 1000 years had passed since then. How many new treasures had been placed in there!?

Summoned and Residents gathered from near and far, for a taste of this massive meatpie.

"It's Sayen-sama!"

The crowd parted, awe and shock in their eyes as she walked through. Those same eyes then regarded Rider and Zuri with suspicion. Not just anyone could walk alongside Sayen.

Sayen climbed the platform, and then smiled at Gentle Breeze. She turned to see Sonic chatting with four strong individuals. She recognized these four as Sayen's man generals. Unlike Gentle Breeze who handled most of the negotiations and administrative work, these four were the real muscle.

Tai Tai, a 23-years-old, bald, cerulian monk who fought primarily with his fists. Sendhelp was a 19-year old master healer. His skills as a healer was only outmatched by his all-white fashion sense. The 49th Claw Lord was a beautiful 25-years-old brunette. Clawlord, as her friends preferred to call her, used a pair of Wolverine-like, 1-meter-long claws attached to a pair of gloves. It was a strange weapon that often left her enemies confused, not knowing how they died.

Last, but certainly not least, was Sonic's left-hand man, Crow.

Sayen shivered as she looked at the bespectacled 19-year-old. The less she thought about him, the better! Sayen cleansed her mind, and then walked up to Sonic, who beamed with joy upon seeing her. "Sonic. I assume you recall Rider, and Zuri. They are here to speak with you."

Sonic tensed as he looked at Rider. "Is it time? Did you bring the teleportation matrix?"

Rider shook his head. "The time is yet to come. But yes, I did bring the matrix." He took out a scroll and handed it to Sayen. He then walked over to Gentle Breeze and tapped his shoulder. "Do you mind if I take it from here?"

Gentle Breeze happily raised his arm and gestured forward. "Go ahead, please. Lord knows they won't listen to me."

"Thank you." Rider placed his arms in his jacket pockets and then approached the platform's edge. He scanned the hundreds of thousands of warriors gathered.

"Who is that?" "Beats me." "That's some hardcore goth cosplay."

Rider brows furrowed in irritation as he listened to the murmuring crowd. "Silence." The murmurs grew louder in spite of his warning. "I Said Silence." Rider slightly raised his voice, but the murmurs only grew louder. Rider's brows furrowed even deeper.

"Oh no." Sayen looked at the crowd with pity. The clueless fools angered the one person they shouldn't have.

BOOM!

The collective sound of thousands of knees smashing into the ground rung out like a massive thunderclap. The warriors trembled in fear as they found themselves unable to rise as a result of the otherworldly pressure.

"Seems I finally have your attention." Rider's cold voice resounded in the ears of every warrior like he was right next to them. "Do not worry. I intend to make this as brief as possible for us all." The immortal hybrid's eyes narrowed. "First, if you cannot even stand, Scram! You won't even qualify as fodder."

The warriors' hearts trembled in fear. Rider's order was like a massive explosion. It shattered their preconceived notions of power. Many who considered themselves to be at the top of the world forcefully bowed their heads in shame as they found they couldn't move an inch.

Fortunately, treasure lay withing the mountains of trash.

"Nngh!" One by one, groups of men and women summoned all their strength and then slowly began to rise. The field was undulated with numerous bright lights as warriors used their secret weapons or abilities to boost their strength.

Rider coldly watched as roughly forty thousand men and women successfully rose to their feet. He waited a few more minutes, but then, when he was certain no one else could stand, he ordered, "[Scram]!"

Suddenly, hundreds of thousands of people found that they had lost control of their bodies. The rejected crowd paled as their bodies moved a mile away without their consent.

Rider ignored the rejected and then cast a powerful glare over the 'few' who passed. "Alright. You all barely meet the criteria. But I must warn you. If you found it hard to stand, then you will most likely lose your life in this battle. This is your last chance to stand back." Despite his warning, no one moved an inch. Rider sighed. "Dogs die for food. Humes die for money."

Rider decided to leave their fates in their hands. He had done his part to warn them. Having cleared his conscience, Rider gestured at the teleportation matrix in Sayen's hand. "This is a teleportation matrix. It is powerful enough to transfer 100,00o people to a single location. While doing so, it will mark those transferred with a unique signature." He then pulled out a second scroll. "This is a return, teleportation matrix. When activated, it will send anyone marked by the first matrix back to the point of origin."

Rider waved the return scroll as he warned, "The return scroll will be used only if the overall situation at Oni Hill becomes untenable. So, you cannot rely on it to save your individual lives. Understood? There will be no easy escape route from Oni Hill until the situation is either resolved, or devolved to the worst possible scenario. Once again, I warn you. There will be no turning back once the teleportation matrix is used." The hybrid paused and then asked, "Any Questions?"

"Yes." A famous guild leader raised his hand. "If the scroll can transport 100,000, why did you shrink us down so much? Surely, more numbers will be better, if only to serve as meat shields?"

"Hey! Fuck Your Mo—"

Louds jeers, boos and shouts screamed out from the rejected. Many wanted to rush forward and beat that guild leader's smug face in, but their bodies still refused to obey them.

Rider raised his hand. "Eno—" The shouts seized before he could finish the command. Rider nodded, pleased with their attitude. He looked at the guild leader who spoke, and said, "Oni Hill is at the centre of the Land of the Dead, lived in and ruled by undeads of all kinds. I would not be surprised if a lich or two lived among them. Unnecessary corpses might end up supplying the dead with ammunition."

"Ah. I see." The guild leader stepped back. Now he understood why the weak were not allowed to participate. They were a legitimate threat to their allies.

"If there are no more questions, I will be taking my leave." Rider looked at Sayen. "I'll leave their organisation to you." He then looked over her shoulder, to Sonic and his generals. "Prepare until the last second. This will be the greatest test you've faced since your Summoning."

Sonic sighed. "Sounds like it will be troublesome." The kafu the chuckled and revealed a lazy grin. "Do not worry. We will do our best."

"If you say so." Rider unfurled his wings, and then took to the skies, accompanied closely by Zuri.

Sonic's eyes narrowed as he watched Rider swiftly disappear into the horizon. That man's power... It was suffocating. Almost like he was the Lord of Creation, and disdained any who breathed in his presence.

Sonic pushed the thought to the back of his mind. There was no point standing in awe of a hybrid. Instead, Sonic turned his attention to Sayen. "We've got a lot of work to do."
Sayen in return, revealed a mischievous smile. "You've got a lot of work to do. I'm only here to offer emotional support."

"Hehe... I guess that works too." Sonic sighed, resigning to the momentous task ahead.

Ygg, Ederwood.

8:23 a.m. 14th Zelyr 1092.

6 Days to World's End.

Rider's cold gaze travelled over the forty thousand warriors. Intriguingly, there were about 3,000 orcs present. This was a significant number when one considered their small population. "...That is all. The Holy Mother will handle the rest."

Needless to say, Rider had just given an identical speech to the one at Jatakem. Having fulfilled his duty, he decided it was time to leave. He looked toward Zuri, who was chatting with Sophie at the side.

"Sophie's fighting too?"

"Yeah! I need to prove to the elders that I'm suitable to lead, or else Brilith will win over the entire Elders Council!" Sophie's brows were tightly knit. She did not realize just how far Brilith's connections went until Brilith started recruiting warriors. In fact, Sophie had a feeling she had only seen the tip of Brilith's reach in Ederwood.

Right now, Sophie felt like she was trapped by a man-eating tree. Its vines were slowly, but surely surrounding her from all sides. They would strangle her to death the moment she no longer had any escape routes.

Zuri looked at her friend with worry. She patted her chest with a determined gaze. "Zuri will protect Sophie!"

Sophie laughed when she saw Zuri's serious expression. Somehow, the innocence in the daeben's eyes released some of the burden in her heart. With a cheerful smile, she placed a hand on Zuri's shoulder. "We'll protect each other. Promise?"

Zuri grinned as she recalled Kashi's words. "Cross my heart, and hope to die."

"An interesting turn of phrase." Sophie chose not to pursue it though. She could guess the meaning from the context, and Summoned were famous for having very strange phrases and sayings.

"Zuri."

Zuri and Sophie quickly bade their goodbyes, and then the little daeben took to the sky. Within a few blinks, she and Rider had disappeared from sight.

Sophie took a deep breath and then turned to the woman who was in charge of this expedition.

Brilith felt a heavy gaze from the side. She looked in the direction of the glare, and then warmly smiled at Sophie. Well, it appeared warm on the outside, but there was a distinct sinister undertone that only the recipient received.

Brilith smiled at Sophie's pale complexion. 'Just wait. It will all be over soon...'