Maximus watched in horror as it began. Beasts and monsters of all kinds spilled across the land like a rising tide. First came the infernal dungeons, then the celestials. His enchanted map showed every dungeon across the continent disgorging their hosts in earnest. Everything they had once held back for defense was now on the field. The tide of monsters moved in a single direction—toward Vitalmire.

  To his dismay, the mortal armies he had thought had abandoned their march on his lands began advancing behind the tides of beasts. They used the monsters as a breakwater, clearing the way through enemy territories in their wake.

  It took Maximus nearly two hours to carve out enough time to teleport to Mirehold. When he arrived, he walked as quickly as he could without causing panic.

  To his surprise, the growing city was even more alive than usual. It felt as though everyone had a task, yet no one looked panicked. The faces he saw ranged from happy to determined. The people moved with a focus he had seldom witnessed in a civilian population.

  Upon reaching the city gates, he found another surprise. A large banquet table had been set up. Seated there were people of authority from across the region. Lady Tarlaniel and Xalt held places of honor. Peter the Archdruid and Alycia sat nearby. Generals, guards, and influential figures from various guilds filled the remaining seats. They were grinning and feasting together.

  "Maximus, you’re late!" Matthias called out. "Grab a seat."

  "This is no time for this," Maximus challenged.

  Matthias rose and strode toward him. Standing a head taller, he looked down at the Emperor with kind eyes and a soft smile.

  "Now is the perfect time for this," Matthias assured him. He placed a hand on Maximus’ back and guided him toward an empty chair.

  "But your enemies are moving against you!" Maximus tried again as Matthias eased him into his seat.

  "And maybe I want that," Matthias replied. "I needed the mana to reach the next rarity anyway."

  "But the sheer number of monsters," Maximus insisted. "I have never seen so many. There are enough dragons to bathe your entire territory in dragonfire without pause."

  "I have an answer," Matthias assured him.

  "What of the innumerable beasts rushing along the ground?" Maximus pressed.

  Stolen story; please report.

  "I have plans for that as well," Matthias said calmly.

  "You can’t," Maximus argued. "There are more than forty dungeons bearing down on you."

  "And they will be found lacking," Matthias replied evenly.

  "Maximus, I think you will enjoy the show," Lady Tarlaniel added, raising her glass.

  "The show?" Maximus asked incredulously.

  "I have to let them reach me," Matthias sighed. "If I dispatched my own forces to meet them, they would grow cautious and begin maneuvering. I need them confident."

  "They have you encircled," Maximus pointed out.

  "But they are not organized into ranks," Matthias countered. "They are not holding their ranged minions in reserve. They are not preparing to bombard me from a distance. They simply charge like uncoordinated beasts."

  "That would still be enough to break most armies," Maximus argued as a fey maiden poured him a glass of wine. "Quantity has a quality all its own."

  Matthias gave him a gentle smile—the smile of a father quietly exasperated with a child.

  "Maximus," Matthias began, "how many dragons could Antionette defeat?"

  The question caught him off guard. Maximus sipped the wine as he considered it. It was mild and sweet. He found that he liked it.

  "Given time," Maximus said slowly, "all of them."

  "If one denizen of my dungeon can accomplish that," Matthias asked, "is it so implausible that I might have a plan?"

  Maximus deflated, letting some of his tension drain away.

  "You can’t simply force Antionette to carry the entire burden," he objected.

  "He is not," Lady Tarlaniel stated coolly.

  "We all have a part," Xalt admitted, an edge of excitement in his voice. "Well—everyone but you."

  "Why not me?" Maximus demanded.

  "You and your people have paid enough in blood," Matthias answered gently. "Right now, your people are our logistics. They are the backline. If they come to harm, then we have already lost."

  Maximus slumped further at that. "So what is the party for?" he asked.

  "We are celebrating the end of the world," Matthias replied.

  Maximus blinked. "That is… bleak."

  "Either I become a Legendary dungeon core," Matthias continued, "or this world dies."

  "The ancient working responsible for dungeons is gone," Xalt explained. "The gates of the heavens are welded shut."

  "It truly is the end of the world as we know it," Lady Tarlaniel sighed. "Either a new world order emerges, or the old one chokes out the future and we are doomed to a slow death."

  "This cannot be the end," Maximus insisted. "I have seen many orders and kingdoms rise and fall. What makes you think this is any different?"

  "If I die, the amount of food in the world plummets," Matthias began. "The world spirit will slowly be poisoned and fall asleep once more. The chaotic mana I have been suppressing will return with a vengeance. Then the celestial and infernal dungeons will tear each other apart, no longer restrained. Best case scenario, I win. The alternative is that you are left with a single dungeon in the world with no means of controlling it—because it will be the strongest—or a demon king who makes the last few look like children."

  "Ah," Maximus murmured. "So it truly is an all-in gambit. No alternatives. Victory or death."

  "Victory or death!" the rest of the table echoed, raising their glasses in a unified toast.

  This time, Maximus joined them. He lifted his glass and drank.

  He stopped resisting.

  If this was to be a celebration of the end of the world as he knew it, then he would meet it with dignity. He reached for the feast before him and began to eat, choosing—at least for tonight—to send the old world off with a smile.