“They are moving to the Menace Zone. All patrols are headed back, and the King is guarded only by the five highest ranked knights,” Leo said. He and Won stood in front of their team, who were resting inside a large tent deep within the abandoned street. “We better move as soon as possible. I bet they wouldn’t suspect us moving this fast.”Won sat down beside Noah, drinking water from his flask. “The King has a daughter. Does anyone here know that?” Won asked, gulping with furrowed brows.“No,” Arnold said instantly, confused. “I don’t remember Silas ever saying that. Or,” he paused, turning to Julie, “Hey, Julie, have you heard of anything like this?”Julie shook her head, shrugging her shoulders. “No. I have stayed the longest

Thump!Thump!From deep within the massive chamber, a sound like a large tower bell rang out, vibrating through the very bones of the team. That single toll sent a painful wave of goosebumps across everyone’s skin. Every member of the squad snapped into position, forming a tight circle, weapons drawn, facing the gate.Then, with another large, grating thud, the immense black iron door began to grind open. A strong air passed through the gap, spreading a powerful odor of everything that could be rotten.Hiss!Hiss!The sound of snake hiss, thousands of them, slithering over stone, echoed from the darkness beyond the gate.“Stay tight! Don’t let them break the circle!” Ramiro roared. The gate fully opened, revealing a darkness so absolute it seemed to absorb light. Shkk-shkk-shkk!Innumerable eyes flashed in the gloom. The first wave of snakes poured out, nightmare creatures, coiled masses of muscle covered in cracked, bronze scales, moving with immense speed. They were low-ranked Fall

The acrid smoke and dust, left behind by the crumbling Titan Serpent, vanished instantly, sucked into the vast darkness of the chamber. In its place, the interior of the Deity’s lair was revealed.It wasn't a temple or a prison, but a massive, cavernous space where a single, oversized throne sat upon a raised platform. And on that throne, the Deity was seated. It looked exactly as the ancient texts had described: an unsettling hybrid of monster and man.Its body, from the belly down, was a colossal, coiled snake, with scales like black, polished iron. But its upper torso was humanoid, smooth-skinned, and deceptively graceful. Its human looking head was long and angular, its eyes slitted like a cat’s, and its tongue flickered constantly, like a viper’s.“The hell…” Orson whispered, looking at the creature.Mikasa stepped forward first, moving past Won and Noah. “We are here for it, aren’t we? So let’s get done with it.”She did not wait for anyone to react. She entered the massive cham

[Warning! Healing failure imminent! You need to…]The scream of his system was the last thing Won heard before the crushing pain subsided into a dull, terrifying numbness. He was lying beneath the wreckage of the throne platform, the air was full of dust and the stench of the Deity’s ichor.He wasn't dead. Yet.His automated healing ability kicked in immediately. He felt microscopic fissures in his core beginning to knit, his fractured ribs aligning themselves with sickening clicks. Slowly, agonizingly, Won pushed himself up from the debris. He was missing his sword, his body an open map of bruised flesh. But his eyes, when he finally focused them on the chaos above, were alight with pure, focused rage.“You are not dead, huh!” The Deity shrieked. The rest of the team was fighting back desperately. Ramiro and Orson were smashing their fists into the coiled tail, trying to disrupt its balance. Noah was launching furious commands, turning the Deity’s ancient mind into something else,