Chapter 61

The mountain erupts unexpectedly, forcing Carl's airship Party Planner to crash-land. As the group evacuates through smoke and falling rocks, multiple catastrophic events unfold simultaneously: Team Retribution breaches two throne rooms, a deity summoning rule change forces ascendency players into mandatory god piloting, and Stalwart is killed by war mages who steal the Gate of the Feral Gods.

The volcanic eruption sends Party Planner spinning through the air. Louis manages to stabilize the damaged airship with reduced propellers while Donut fires powerful spells from the Nest tower. Carl orders Skarn and Bonnie to return to base and shelter in the saferoom. Louis informs Carl he must jump immediately to reach Elle's portal gate, which will close in twenty minutes. Carl uses a Controlled Feather Fall scroll and jumps with Samantha as Party Planner heads back to Area 52. While falling through smoke and debris, Carl receives urgent notifications: the Goddess Eris has been spontaneously summoned, demon eviction events have triggered across the battlefield, Team Retribution is occupying both the Throne Room of the Bone Clan and the Throne Room of the Dream with six-hour conquest timers, and an emergency action item from Sir Ferdinand has been partially approved, forcing ascendency players to pilot their sponsored deities without choice. Carl lands hard in the burning forest and heads toward Elle's position two hundred meters away. Victory appears and cryptically warns that the rule change was only learned about five minutes ago. Several enemy dots suddenly appear on Carl's map at Elle's location. Elle is knocked unconscious by a spell just as Carl arrives at the clearing. Carl discovers Stalwart on his knees surrounded by war mages, with four dead war mages already killed by Donut's enhanced Magic Missile. The remaining three war mages, under the command of Akuma (a powerful, centuries-old war mage leader), chant in unison and tear Stalwart's flesh apart, causing him to explode. Before teleporting away, Akuma reveals he has taken the Gate of the Feral Gods from Elle and taunts Carl about his shoes.