Hi, all. We meet again.

Just an info, I have updated the bestiary gallery linked in my profile. If any of you would like more visual on various things, it is available for you.

See you again in the afterword.


[X][X][X]


Lower Fire Month (9th Month), 4th Day, 23:04

[Aspect of The Devil – Hellfire Mantle]

A large pillar of flame erupted below and around Demiurge, burning all the unknown monsters around him. They were killed instantly, and their bodies disintegrated into red smoke.

[Aspect of The Devil – Archdemon's Wrist]

Demiurge's right arm became significantly enlarged and armored. He then used it as a bludgeon weapon against the unknown monsters. The smaller ones were killed in one hit, and the larger ones were quickly bludgeoned and crushed to death. His carnage with the enlarged arm lasted for half a minute, killing a lot of the monsters. The dead bodies of the monsters piled up around him as he advanced.

[Aspect of The Devil – Tentacle Wings]

Demiurge's arm returned to normal, and immediately a pair of large sinister wings sprouted from his back. Using the wings, he flew to a height and then he rained sharp feathers to the monsters below. Most of the monsters were punctured to death by the feathers. The streets were littered with the bodies of the monsters as the result.

Demiurge returned to the ground, putting his wings away and taking a deep breath.

It seems I have managed to clear this part of the area.

Indeed, there were no more of the unknown monsters alive around him. But he still could sense the heat of battle at further distance.

I should go there and kill some more... Wait...

Demiurge questioned his own thoughts. His objective was not exactly to kill the unknown monsters, but to find the mastermind behind this interruption and then kill that person.

Wait... No.

He questioned his own thoughts again. He never wanted to kill the mastermind. That would be too merciful. What he should do was to capture them and then kill...

No! That's not it.

It didn't take long until Demiurge realized that something was wrong with himself.

Why am I craving for killings? Don't tell me...!

Demiurge took another deep breath, trying to focus his mind. However, he still craved for more violence and killings, and that craving didn't subside at all. Instead, it gradually became worse.

Impossible! I'm getting mind controlled!?

Demiurge couldn't believe what was happening to him. He was supposed to be immune to any mind control effect, and unlike Shalltear, he had a World Item with him, so not even a World Item would be able to mind-control him. Even if somehow there was a method to pierce through all his defenses against mind-related magic, he should have been able to sense the traces of the magic, however small. But none of those things appeared at all.

Should I retreat to Nazarick?

Demiurge considered that option, but he decided to avoid that option. He couldn't rule out the possibility that this mind control was contagious, and even if it was not, going berserk inside Nazarick would cause unnecessary damage and maybe even casualties.

Should I kill myself before I completely lose myself?

That option was also a no go for Demiurge. If he died, he would drop all the items in his possession, including the World Item. That would be a great loss to Nazarick, and it still didn't include the cost of resurrecting him if Ainz was benevolent enough to give him mercy and second chance.

I can't... I must... kill... No!

[Aspect of The Devil – Hellfire Mantle]

Demiurge casted his flame pillar spell, burning the empty space around him and also the dead bodies of the unknown monsters around him. He had done that hoping that his action would vent out the craving and make it subside, even though he knew this would likely be futile.

And it somewhat worked, much to his surprise.

His cravings didn't subside, but the gradual worsening stopped. However, he was a little too late. At this point, his mind was already in limbo, drifting between being able to control his actions and becoming merely a voice in his own head.

Ainz-sama... I don't deserve mercy... But... Forgive me...

[Aspect of The Devil – Razor Sharp Claw]

Demiurge converted his hands into long claws again. His eyes were glowing red behind the mask and spectacles.


[X][X][X]


Lower Fire Month (9th Month), 4th Day, 23:05

"Are you sure about that?"

Ainz, while still being Momon and carried by Narberal, was shocked by the news, but he had already had enough things falling apart, that he couldn't feel that shocked anymore at this point.

"Ainz-sama, there is actually something strange, unlike how it happened to Shalltear"

"Explain"

"Right now I am looking a the name list, and Demiurge's name is flickering between grey and white"

What Albedo had just said was more shocking. He had not seen such event in person, even in his YGGDRASIL days. But he could deduce that the flickering name meant whatever was mind-controlling Demiurge was still in the process. If he could reach Demiurge in time, he might be able to prevent the mind control and save Demiurge.

Still, Ainz had a big question in his mind. Demiurge was supposed to be immune to mind control, and he also had a World Class Item, so there should be nothing able to do that to him. While the possibility was not zero, not even those who had mind-controlled Shalltear would dare entering this battlefield filled with demons and Darkers.

The most likely explanation was that Darkers had the capability of mind control, and with a method unlike anything in either YGGDRASIL or this world.

Oh wait! Don't tell me this is the effect of Darker essence Ryu had once told me!?

"Update me if the flickering shows any changes"

"As you command, Ainz-sama"

The [Message] spell ended.

"Nabe, get closer to Ryu's group"

Narberal slowed down a bit, allowing her and Ainz to be closer to Ryu's group following behind.

"Ryu, is there anything you haven't told us about Darkers? Like a weakpoint or a particular method to kill them?"

Ryu looked a little surprised upon hearing Ainz's question.

"Oh no, I forgot to tell Evileye back there"

"Nabe will use [Message] to tell her. So just tell us now"

"In short, you have to kill them with arcane magic or weapon heavily coated in damaging enchantment. The latter is not guaranteed"

"What happens if they are not killed correctly?"

"Their dead bodies will remain on the field and spread their essence like spores. Anyone infected by those will gradually go berserk"

That's it! I have screwed up!

Ainz had just realized his own fatal mistake. Ryu had actually told him about that piece of information. However, back then he had been too excited on learning the Photon Arts and Photon Techs, thus forgetting to distribute the information to all guardians. He had screwed up big time, and now Demiurge was in grave danger thanks to that mistake. Demiurge was indeed immune to mind control done through magic and item effect, but there was nothing defending him from actual parasitic infection which rewired the brain into constant cravings for violence.

"Everyone, we land now! I need a quick strategy meeting!"

Everyone then landed on the streets. The wall of flames was within a stone throw's distance from their position, and there were nobody around because the civilians had been evacuated.

"Ryu, if someone gets infected, can they still be cured?"

"Yes, but... they might die in the process"

"Explain the method as brief as you can"

"Beat the infected one into submission with photon energy to flush out the infection. Magic that deals damage should also work"

"So when you say dying in the process..."

"Yes, the infected one has to be strong enough to survive all the beatings involved"

Ainz went into deep thought. Ryu's answer meant that they probably would have to fight Demiurge. While not the strongest, Demiurge was still one of the Floor Guardians who should not be taken lightly. Among the group, only Ainz himself and maybe Ryu could fight him toe to toe.

Ainz didn't want to waste time because Demiurge was getting more and more infected as time passed. However, he also didn't want to rush things and risk making everything worse. He has had enough of making big mistakes out of ignorance.

"Ryu, is there something to prevent us from getting infected ourselves?"

Ryu then somehow produced some objects out of thin air. The objects were as big as tablet devices and shaped like such, but they had no screen. He then gave everyone one of those.

"Put it on your arm like this"

Ryu made a gesture, demonstrating on how to use the objects. Everyone did as instructed, and the object floated right on the back of their wrist, then disappeared. Ainz tried touching the spot the object was used to be, but there was nothing there. Ainz looked at Ryu, who somewhat looked relieved.

"What was that, Ryu?"

"Photon armor. They envelop you in energy shield which should repel the Darker particles"

"How do I take it off?"

"Pull it out from that spot, fully intending to remove it"

Ryu demonstrated the method as he spoke, and he pulled something from his own wrist. Ainz tried the same, and indeed the object came out from his wrist. At this point Ainz noticed that Ryu's armor device seemed more advanced and much better than the one Ainz had. Ryu put the device back on, and Ainz did the same.

"If there are Darker dead bodies there, can they be eliminated?"

"Yes, with the same method to kill them correctly"

"Alright, we need to be prepared. Jaldabaoth down there might be infected already, so we may need to fight him and hopefully cure him before we confront the Dark Falz. Let's define our roles"

Ainz cleared his throat and continued speaking.

"Nabe, you will use [Fly] to hover above us as we advance and keep your eyes open. Eradicate all Darkers on sight, dead bodies or living ones, with your magic. Also, relay the information we just got to Evileye"

"Yes, Momon-san"

Ainz then looked at Ryu while Narberal began contacting Evileye with [Message].

"Ryu, you're the most knowledgeable about Darkers among us. Inform us about each Darker we encounter, especially their weaknesses"

"Sure"

"My swords here are just normal swords, so I don't think I can kill Darkers properly. I have a magic weapon in store, but I need to save it to fight Jaldabaoth in the case he is really infected. Cover me until then"

"Right"

"Forgive me if I sound rude, but are you confident in the strength of your two partners against the enemies we are about to face?"

Ryu looked at his two partners, who nodded in response. He then looked at Ainz again.

"They are prepared for this"

"Alright then. We should not waste any more time. Let's go!"

Ainz then ran into the Flames of Gehenna. His running speed was very fast thanks to the increased physical abilities from [Perfect Warrior]. Ryu's group followed him by using [Fly] at low altitude, and Narberal was higher up as planned.

Right after going through the flames, what they all saw was a very unpleasant sight. Dead bodies of humans and demon minions were everywhere on the streets, as well as some monsters Ainz couldn't recognize, which were probably Darkers. The bodies of the humans and demon minions were at horrible conditions, as if they had been turned inside out. Any normal person would puke at the sight.

Narberal casted various arcane spells on the Darker bodies, and indeed the bodies disintegrated into smoke. The advance continued for a short moment, until Ainz noticed three large insect-like monsters ahead. He recognized them as the same kind which he had killed back then at Carne Village.

"El Ahda! Stomach core! Fire element!"

Ryu shouted. His words were concise, and indeed that was all Ainz needed.

"Hmph!"

Ainz slashed one closest El Ahda with his sword, cutting it into two and killing it instantly. The dead body didn't disintegrate, confirming that Ainz couldn't kill Darkers properly with only his swords. He wanted to slash the other two as well, but he stopped to observe how Ryu's group would handle the Darkers.

Ainz saw Lily approaching one El Ahda, running while wielding both her swords backhand.

"Symphonic Drive!"

She then did a jump, which transitioned into a diving kick using her left leg. The kick landed right at the El Ahda's stomach core, and then she followed up by launching herself away with a straight kick from her other leg. During the whole move, her legs were covered in blue energy which caused a small explosion with each hit. The El Ahda was killed with that move, and its dead body disintegrated.

Photon Art? So Ryu taught Lily too. That means...

Ainz looked at the remaining El Ahda. Alice had her eyes on that one, and Ainz's eyes were on Alice.

"Foie!"

A fireball came out from her staff weapon and struck the El Ahda, killing it in one hit and disintegrating the dead body.

Yup, he also gave some to Alice.

Still, there was one thing bugging Ainz's mind. The Darkers he had just faced were quite weaker than he had been expecting. Even with Photon Art and Photon Tech, someone in the level of Lily and Alice should not be able to one-shot a Darker if the Darkers were as strong as Ryu had been implying.

Before Ainz could think further, the dead body of the El Ahda next to him was struck by lightning from above. Narberal had just done it as instructed.

"Alright, let's continue the advance"

Ainz decided to save his questions for later when the situation would be less dire. Right now he was pressed on time, so stopping just to ask a curious question would be just a waste.


[X][X][X]


Ryu was pretty confused.

The three El Ahda slain just now had been merely Tier H which he could beat easily. But the Kuklonahda which he had seen before had been Tier VH. Normally all Darkers within an area would have the same tier of power, and Ryu had never seen any exception to that principle before today. He began wondering why it happened, and various possible cause for that to happen.

"Alright, let's continue the advance"

Ryu couldn't think further because Momon had just commanded everyone to continue advancing. So he decided to quickly give a word of warning.

"Momon-dono. Be careful. The power discrepancy between Darkers here is high. The three we just fought are a lot weaker than the one I saw before"

"Noted"

Momon nodded while saying that reply, and the group continued advancing in the same formation as before.

"Nabe! Have you located Demi-Jaldabaoth?"

Momon shouted to Nabe, who was flying at higher altitude.

"I detect a high magic energy straight ahead about 300 meters!"

"Darkers ahead!"

Ryu heard Lily's warning and quickly indentified the Darkers ahead which were another two El Ahda of Tier H, and along with them was a Krabahda, a crab-like Darker with the size of a juvenile elephant. Its weakpoint was the large core right in the center of its forehead. Ryu also could see through his interface that the Krabahda was Tier VH.

"Krabahda! Forehead core! Thunder element! It's much stronger than the two El Ahda! Be careful!"

"Then leave it to me!"

Momon immediately charged at the Krabahda and did a vertical slash at its forehead core. It was a hit, but the Krabahda was still alive. It then immediately cupped itself within its big pincers, effectively shielding its core. Right at this time, the two El Ahda were slain by Alice and Lily using the same method as before.

[Lightning]

Nabe casted a spell from above, hitting the Krabahda. The literal shock from the lightning element spell startled the Krabahda, causing it to flip over and twitch helplessly. Momon didn't miss the chance, going for a direct stab to the core. It was a direct hit and the Krabahda was slain. Its body didn't disintegrate, but Nabe immediately casted another [Lightning] on the dead body, and it disintegrated into smoke.

"Alright, we're almost there. Let's go!"

Momon said that, commanding everyone to resume advancing.

"Wait, Momon-san!"

However, Nabe shouted as she descended down to the ground.

"What is it, Nabe? We don't have much time. Dem-Jaldabaoth might get infected as we waste time"

"I detected a strange energy behind that corner"

Nabe pointed at an alleyway to the right not far ahead.

"An ambush? Ryu, do you know what it is?"

"I don't have visual, so no. I do detect something there, though"

"Let's approach carefully then"

However, before the group began their approach, something came out from the corner. It was a strange red vortex which was floating and moving straight towards the group. To be exact, towards Ryu.

"Oh no. Get away from me!"

Ryu knew what the vortex was, so he told everyone else to move away from him. But seemingly confused, nobody moved, and in that split second the vortex shot out tentacles of dark energy right at Ryu.

"Ryu-san! Look out!"

At the last moment, Lily jumped right in front of Ryu, shielding him from the attack. The tentacles grabbed Lily, and then they quickly pulled her into the vortex.

"Aaaah!"

"Lily! No!"

Both the vortex and Lily disappeared after that, leaving the group dumbfounded. Everyone else were surprised by what had just happened. Momon immediately looked at Ryu and spoke. Despite being fully covered in armor, anyone could tell that he was very flustered.

"Ryu! What was that? What has happened to Lily!? Tell me!"

"It was a Funji, a Darker device made to kidnap people"

"So where is Lily now!?"

"The Funji will bring the captive somewhere not too far from here, morph into a dome cage, and spawn Darkers inside to devour the captive"

Ryu tried to remain calm as he explained, but he was actually very panicked just like Momon. He had intended to get kidnapped himself to let the Funji vortex morph, break the dome cage from within, and rejoin the others. He knew he was strong enough to do that rather easily, but he had not had enough time to explain it, and as the result the situation had become really bad.


[X][X][X]


Ugh... Come on! What to do, what to do!?

Ainz was overwhelmed with all the things going on. Demiurge's location was already close, but now suddenly one member of the group got abducted by the enemy. Normally, when something like this happened he would continue his mission and regard the event as the victim's fault for not being careful. However, this time the victim was Lily, a fellow resident of Nazarick. Even though Lily was made merely out of necessity, the fact still remained that she was an NPC created by himself, and Ainz never went back on his words that Lily was one of his children.

"Momon-dono, go ahead without me. I will go rescue Lily"

Ryu said that before Ainz had any chance to think thoroughly. Therefore he made a quick decision based on the fact that Demiurge can still be resurrected although expensive, while Lily would be gone forever if she got killed, and like it or not, Ainz had to admit that he had begun to care for Lily more than he had been supposed to.

"No. We all go together with you. In this kind of battlefield splitting up is a bad idea"

"But aren't I going to delay the mission?"

"Look, Ryu. Dem-Jaldabaoth is strong. He won't get infected easily. And if he becomes hostile regardless, we need all the help we can get"

"Thank you, Momon-dono"

"Now, we need to locate the cage as fast as possible"

"It's two hundred meters that way"

Ryu said that while pointing to a direction, with some holographic interface floating near his other hand. This surprised Ainz.

"What? How did you know?"

"I have this... magic, which can track significant Darker objects. According to this, there is a something there with the same readings as the Funji we saw"

Another ARKS technology?

"I'm curious now, but we don't have time. Lead the way, Ryu"

Ryu then flew towards the direction he had pointed. Alice followed him, and finally Narberal while carrying Ainz. Ainz then spoke to Narberal in low voice.

"Contact Yuri and CZ and tell them to prepare for battle. Anyone else from Nazarick who are still around this area should retreat and remain on standby"

"Alright, Ai...Momon-san"

The main reason for choosing those two was because they were the only other Nazarick residents who had been taught Photon Arts, so they were the most suitable for fighting against Darkers and perhaps the Dark Falz as well. This would put them at risk, but Ainz believed that he couldn't always rely on Ryu to combat Darkers effectively. He also needed to test their strength against genuine Darker enemies.

My cover will be in jeopardy at this rate, but if it is only Alice and Lily I might still able to keep them in control.


[X][X][X]


WHOOSH!

THUD!

As quickly as they had grabbed her, the red tentacles let go of Lily, throwing her across the ground. Lily quickly stood up, and the first thing she saw was a group of monsters in the shape of round fish. In addition, she was trapped in some kind of dome cage of about six meters radius made of red vein-like energy. In short, she was trapped in a small area and surrounded by a bunch of monsters.

The monsters surrounding her were all the same, though only a few were as large as a horse. The rest were roughly half that size. Lily remembered what Ryu had said some time ago and concluded that these fish monsters were Dahgash and Dagacha, which are Darkers.

Lily unsheathed both her swords and held them backhand, preparing to use a Photon Art. She remembered that the weakpoint of these Darkers was their forehead, so she intended to strike that point.

"Symphonic Drive!"

Lily did the 2-step kick Photon Art, hitting a nearby Dagacha straight on its forehead. It staggered, but it was still alive.

HISSSS!

All other fish Darkers roared with strange voice. Lily suddenly felt something in her mind, a feeling of dread which instilled a great fear. The fish Darkers then began chomping wildly as they advanced towards Lily from all sides. At that moment her instinct screamed to get the hell out of there. But she couldn't because of the dome cage.

CHOMP! CHOMP!

The fishes chomped at the spot where Lily had been, but they were only chomping at thin air. Lily had jumped up and put a little distance from the group of chomping fishes. But the fact remained that she couldn't get far thanks to the dome cage. She leaned to the cage wall in hope of not getting attacked from behind.

Lily then decided to use a Photon Art which would cover an area.

"Bloody Sarabande!"

Lily did a slash with one sword which shot out an energy wave towards the Darkers, then she immediately followed up with a slash with the other sword which also shot out an energy wave, and finally she did a crossing slash with both swords, which shot out an 'X' shaped energy wave. All the energy waves hit the Darkers, staggering them. However, only one of the smaller ones died and disintegrated, probably the one Lily had attacked with Symphonic Drive.

HISSSS!

The fish Darkers roared again, and Lily was pretty much cornered.

"Lily!"

Suddenly Lily heard a very familiar voice.

"Ryu-san!"

"We will break the cage! Hold out until then!"

"Yes, Ryu-san!"

Lily could notice that the cage was being struck by various attacks from the outside. The others have come to rescue her, and knowing this has reinvigorated her morale.

CHOMP! CHOMP!

The Darker fishes began their chomping advance again to Lily. Once again, she jumped over them to evade.

CHOMP! CRACK!

Suddenly Lily felt a sharp shock on her left leg. She lost balance and fell down rolling on the ground. Right at this moment, she felt a significant loss of strength and a creeping pain. She then looked at her legs, and then she saw what had happened to her.

"AAAH!"

Her left leg had been bitten off right above the knee, and now it was hemorrhaging blood. Seeing the sight made her pale, and now that she was aware of the wound, she began to feel the pain, which sharply rose into a very bad pain. The pain made her leak tears from her eyes, and her view began to blur.

To make things worse, the fish darkers all stared at her, one of them seemed to be munching her bitten off leg, greaves and all. The rest were very apparent that they were prepared to chomp at her again.

Lily was prepared to muster her remaining strength to evade, even with only one leg. Suddenly, her body glowed green and the wound on her leg closed, along with the pain subsiding. She also regained her focus. She immediately realized that this was Ryu's healing spell.

Lily stood up, using her sword on her left hand as a crutch. Her right hand held the other sword at a ready stance. She was aware that her situation didn't improve that much. The fact still remained that she had lost one leg, and the fish Darkers roared again, telling that they were about to do the advancing chomp again. At this rate she wouldn't be able to evade unscathed.

The fish Darkers did the advancing chomp again, closing in to Lily. But suddenly they were all pulled away quickly towards one side of the cage wall. Lily was surprised, but she saw Ryu at the other side of the wall where the fish Darkers were piled up and realized that he had just used the spell which forcefully pulled the fish Darkers towards him.

"HA!"

SMASH!

Right behind her, Lily saw that Momon did a hard strike at the cage wall using a strange-looking sword, like a clawed hand made from ice. The cage wall then dissipated, and the whole cage disintegrated into smoke.

"Nazonde!"

Lily saw Ryu raising his weapon up, and a huge ball of lightning formed with him as the center. All the fish Darkers that had been pulled near him were fried by the lightning ball and disintegrated into smoke.

Meanwhile, Momon put the strange sword away and kneeled with one knee to Lily.

"Lily, are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine now. Thank you for saving me, Momon-dono"

Momon nodded, then he looked at Nabe as he stood up.

"Nabe, heal her leg back"

Nabe nodded and took a scroll from her bag.

[Heal]

The scroll disintegrated into flames, and at the same time Lily's left stump was covered in magic particles. Within a second, her left leg returned. Being quite surprised, Lily rubbed her restored leg with her hands.

"Wha-?"

She tried stepping with her restored leg, which was still barefoot because the sock and greaves had been eaten. Nothing felt wrong. It felt as if her leg had never been cut off at all. She then tried jumping lightly on the spot. Again, nothing felt weird.

"Woah! This feels great! Thank you so much, Momon-dono, Nabe-dono!"

"No problem. I'm glad it worked well"

Ryu approached the group in a hurry. Without saying anything, he kneeled with one knee right in front of Lily with a worried face.

"Lily! Are you hurt anywhere!?"

"Not anymore, Ryu-san. They healed me"

"Lily, I'm so sorry that you had to suffer through all that"

"It's all right, Ryu-san. If it is for you, I'm willing to suffer anything"

"No, listen to me. Next time that thing appear again, let me take the heat"

"But, Ryu-san..."

"I know you meant well, but you are not strong enough to take on that thing. So let me handle that next time, okay?"

"...Alright, Ryu-san"

Alice, who had been standing silent next to Momon and Nabe, approached Lily with a slightly upset face.

CLICK!

And she did a forehead flick on Lily.

"Ow! What's the big idea, Liz-san?"

"That's what you get for making me worried sick"

"Huh?"

"Those monsters, they were the same ones my former partners met their end from. I don't want to lose another by the same cause..."

Alice leaked a drop of tears as she said that. Lily began to realize the weight of her action from this.

"Liz-san... I'm sorry..."

"You better be..."

Before anyone else could say anything further, Momon spoke up.

"Pardon me for intruding the touching moment, but we need to get back to our mission. The more time we waste, the more likely Jaldabaoth is getting infected by the time we get to him"

"Ah, yes. Sorry"

Alice seemed to be a little embarrassed as she said it.

"Lily, can you still fight?"

"Yes, missing one greaves but I still can fight, Ryu-san"

Momon then spoke again.

"Let's fly straight to Jaldabaoth and ignore anything we see on the way"

Everyone else nodded, and the group flew up and straight to the location where Jaldabaoth was located. Lily felt a little strange not wearing any cover for her left leg now, and she also had a feeling of guilt, having lost one part of the gift given by her creator.

"I'm sorry, Papa, I lost your gift..."

Lily said it out, knowing that Papa-Ainz was not there to hear her apology. She fully intended to apologize when she met Papa-Ainz again someday.

"It's alright"

Lily was a little surprised hearing a reply, which sounded exactly like Papa-Ainz. She looked at the source of the voice, and instead what she saw was Momon, who was being carried by Nabe and flying next to her.

"What?"

Momon looked surprised for a bit as Lily asked the question. He then looked away, averting his sight from Lily.

"Nevermind what I said. It just.. came out suddenly"

Lily couldn't help thinking about what had just happened.

Come to think of it, Momon-dono's voice is very similar to Papa... Could it be that... Momon-dono is Papa?


[X][X][X]


Afterword:

I have nothing to say this time around. I will only tell one thing that I expect to finish this arc in the next chapter. Maybe two, with the second one acting as an 'arc epilogue' chapter to wrap things up.

See you again later.