Chapter 26

Carl, Donut, and Mongo storm the throne room to confront Empress D'Nadia of the Prism. They quickly overwhelm her defenses, strip away her shields, and Carl uses the Ring of Divine Suffering to mark her as a Warlord. As mercenaries approach and time runs short, Carl nearly loses control to rage but pulls back from the brink.

Carl's group enters the throne room after D'Nadia has cleared out the guards. Donut reveals D'Nadia's combat abilities: ice/water spells, a teleport ring, a tech shield, a crossbow, and a crown with water spells. Carl and Donut breach using a smoke curtain and banger spheres, quickly disarming D'Nadia's crossbow and stunning her with the tech shields. The room is surprisingly empty—no throne present. Carl unexpectedly encounters Nihit, the naga adjutant and reporter he previously stabbed with a pen, standing with the Prism's adjutant. D'Nadia attempts to fire a pulse weapon at Donut but misses. Carl bombards her with banger spheres, forcing her to drop a gun. Donut then commands the clockwork Mongos to attack, tearing through D'Nadia's three separate tech shields and revealing her true form: a green-tinged Saccathian with multiple tentacles. Carl heals her to full health, then uses the Ring of Divine Suffering to mark her as a Warlord. As the clockwork Mongos continue attacking, Louis reports mercenaries approaching outside. Carl becomes overwhelmed with rage when Donut mentions Tsarina Signet, whom D'Nadia had cruel to during the Butcher's Masquerade, but he forces himself to step back from the edge of his fury. Donut takes control as the mark fully forms and mercenaries enter the building.