[Demon Queen Naliell has finished gestating]

  This was the only warning every sapient being received.

  Naliell emerged from her dungeon like a volcanic eruption. The ground exploded as her eight-hundred-foot frame burst from the earth. So much dirt and dust rose into the sky that the falling rain turned to mud. Naliell possessed a female form with four arms. Her skin was craggy, appearing mostly elemental in nature, and deep red light glowed from the cracks in her hide. She held massive swords in her upper pair of arms, leaving her lower hands free. Both her hands and feet were tipped with vicious claws. Her mouth was filled with razor-sharp teeth, infernal light spilling from between them as embers poured out while she bellowed her birth cry to the heavens.

  Her four eyes glowed as she scanned the horizon. Her head was crowned with a ring of horns, and between them a cord had been carefully wrapped in the pattern of a dream catcher. Its effects were felt across the world, functioning as an immense anti-scrying ritual centered on her existence.

  Only a select few beings could obtain a clear view of her—and Matthias was one of them. His iron-sand map could still locate her through sheer mana concentration. Her presence carried the mana signature of roughly thirty ancient dragons, making her quite literally a walking mountain of power.

  Naliell paused for only a moment before locking her gaze in a single direction and beginning her march. She already had a target. As she strode across the land, demons spawned in her wake.

  "That is the direction of Ilvir," Lucy informed Matthias as they watched her advance.

  "So this is bad, right?" Matthias asked.

  "A demon queen or king is no longer a dungeon," Chloe explained. "They are avatars of infernal power. The trade-off is that they are driven entirely by their emotions."

  "I should deploy something," Matthias said.

  "That would reveal you have a way to see her," Chloe countered.

  "This is an absolute threat," Matthias argued. "There’s no time to hide my cards."

  "She will be immune to most forms of damage," Chloe continued. "What can you do against that?"

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  "The fey stand ready," Rey said. "We may only number a few thousand, but we can reach her far faster than most forces. We can even bring the war trolls."

  "The manticores can cross that distance fairly quickly," Lucy added. "They will arrive late, but late is better than never."

  Matthias immediately dispatched all of his manticores.

  "It will take them time," Matthias agreed. "But other forces are already assembling. Many are responding to this threat."

  Chloe studied the map, her brow furrowing before shock overtook her face. "The Legion marches," she whispered.

  "The Legion has not marched in nearly an age," Lucy said. "The last time they moved in such numbers, the balance of mortal power shifted drastically."

  "That’s nearly half a million troops," Chloe said. "The Legate is marching."

  "The Legate?" Matthias asked.

  "The Dragon Emperor of the Empire," Lucy answered. "One of the only dragons not bound to a dungeon. He is said to be a unique existence. As long as he lives, no one else can gain either of his classes."

  "Either class?" Matthias asked.

  "He holds two classes under the system," Chloe explained. "He wields the full power of both. He is also functionally immortal. Only Alycia is said to know his true age."

  "Rey," Matthias said, "deploy alongside the Legion. Offer our forces to the Legate. If he truly is that ancient and powerful, he should lead this battle."

  Rey placed her fist over her heart in salute before vanishing in a beam of light.

  "My lord, I wish to deploy as well," came a raspy voice.

  Matthias turned in surprise. Antionette strode into the garden, looking nothing like he remembered. He inspected her status and felt genuine shock.

  [Antionette, Queen of Swarms, The Many-Times Reborn]

  [Unique Existence, Elite, Immortal, Ever-Reborn, Inheritor, Healthy, Adaptive Physique…]

  Her passives continued far beyond that—an overwhelming block of modifiers so long it gave Matthias a headache simply to view them.

  She stood nearly seven feet tall, bipedal and unmistakably ant-like. Her chromatic crimson carapace gleamed in the light. Her fingers were long and multi-jointed, ending in sharp points. Her ant-like head bore multifaceted eyes that seemed to take in the entire room at once. Four insectile wings rested folded against her back.

  "Long time no see," Matthias said warmly. "It’s been a while, Antionette. What happened?"

  "I desired power," she admitted. "I failed you. You gave me a duty, and my efforts came to nothing."

  Matthias stepped forward and embraced her, careful of the spines on her carapace.

  "You did not fail me," he said gently. "Plans changed, and you adapted. You lived your life. That mattered more to me than obedience. I don’t know what you endured, but I thank you—for the sacrifice and the effort you put into becoming stronger."

  After a moment, Antionette returned the hug, resting her head against his shoulder.

  "I still wish to deploy," she said.

  "I am not a lord," Matthias replied.

  "Then I will call you father," she said instantly.

  He smiled. "I can accept that. Promise me you’ll return."

  "I promise," she said. "I will return, Father."

  "Then you have my permission to deploy," Matthias said.

  Antionette knelt. "I will bring you victory, Father."

  She rose, strode from the chamber, and vanished from Matthias’s perception.