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"Good morning everyone," A slime with blonde hair greeted on a television screen, sobbing. "My name is Brooklyn, I am here as a replacement for our previous host, Beefton Blake. He-Um...excuse me...His body was found in the Void yesterday evening. Beefton Blake is dead."

A cow with headphones came to the table where Brooklyn was sitting and handed her a napkin to wipe away her tears.

"Thank you-" She sniffed. "Although we are not permitted to announce the murderer's name, we do know what sparked the death of our great friend here at Channel Bloxxx...and my-my husband. Here is the message Beefton recorded yesterday afternoon and posted on his website for all to see...R-Roll the clip, please."

The scene shifted from a studio to a small, dirty room. Inside the room was none other than Beefton Blake. He was wearing sunglasses and his black hair was full of gel.

"Hello," Beefton Blake began. "My name is Beefton. A lot of you probably know me as the newscaster for Channel Bloxxx. The other night I attended the Creeper Empire Ball and had an interview with Baxtroff Kolligar, as I do every year. I encouraged people to come to the ball, I revealed how fun it is, Baxtroff even explained to me how he was trying to show everyone he wasn't a vile dictator and that he just wants this world of Minecraftia to be a better place. I am here, to tell all of you, that the Creeper Empire and their King are NOTHING but evil and will only lead the world in a direction we only fear. I witnessed such a depression from the Spider Queen, Udelias, who, by the way, is in alliance with Baxtroff. She explained to me that this was because her Empire has been driven to RUIN because they were scared into giving everything they have to the Creeper King, because, get this, if they don't, they will be destroyed. I'm sure this is the same for the other empires too. The Creeper King is getting too powerful, ladies and gentlemen, and nobody is doing anything about it-except the hero known as Kaline Woolcraft. So, if you REALLY want a positive future for Minecraftia, a future where we're not slaves to a superior empire of green snakes, then rebel. Join Kaline Woolcraft and stop him. STOP HIM."

The broadcast ended.

"So there you have it..." Brooklyn spoke, the scene focusing on her once again. "The last words spoken by Beefton Blake. Follow them or don't, it's your decision. I-I think we're going to cut to a quick break now...G-Goodbye..."

A click was heard and the television screen went blank.

An enderman servant had been holding a remote, standing next to the vile Creeper King, who was sitting peacefully in his throne room snickering at the news he had just heard. Zane Helmframe stormed into the room shortly after, not amused.

"Baxtroff," He began. "What the heck do you think you're doing, man?"

The Creeper King didn't respond and remained silent.

"You killed Beefton Blake because of what he said about you in his little message? That is the dumbest decision you could possibly make! Do you know what has happened? The Pig Empire has declared war on you!" Zane yelled, pointing his finger at the Creeper King.

"Let them," The Creeper King replied with a chuckle.

"I don't think you're processing how threatening this is to you," Zane said, putting his palm to his face in annoyance. "They're allied with the Cow, Sheep, and Chicken Empire. So they're coming after you too."

"Are you daft, Zane? No, seriously, are you?" The Creeper King snapped, standing up from his throne.

"What?" Zane questioned, glaring at him.

"A bunch of farm animals aren't even going to put a DENT in our force," The Creeper King explained. "Besidessss, that so-called pig who I thought wasss an amazing newscaster did something foolish, and therefore had to pay the price. He said bad, yet true, thingsss about me. I can't allow people to be joining Kaline's little posse because of ssssaid things."

"Still has no reason to turn to thi-"

"Let me finish," The Creeper King said, interrupting Zane. "Recently, I was faced with a new game plan. I received a letter, a letter detailing specific coordinates to meet a fellow who had an interesting, and very, very, VERY, beneficial trade. He wasss some weird ocelot."

"Go on," Zane said curiously.

"He explained to me that he has a way that he can present me with all of the klouncine blocks, despite Kaline already mining them. All I have to do is present him with the Wither's head, which I locked up a while back." The Creeper King continued. "Don't you sssssee, Zane? All this time I have been worrying about destroying Kaline, when really, what I should've been doing in the first place was just let him do the work for me! It's the typical villain scheme! Now, back to the topic of Beefton Blake's murder, the reason behind it isssss so I could, yes, go to war with the Pig Empire. Once I defeat them I can take control of Fort Exclabraz, which I recently discovered is the location of the last klouncine block. Here, we will retrieve all of the klouncine blocks from the fool and The Climax portal will be constructed as I had originally hoped! Ha ha!"

"I suppose it works," Zane sighed. "But why does this fellow need the Wither's head?"

The Creeper King shrugged, "Let us jussst hope he keeps his side of the bargain. If he doesn't, well, I suppose the only other way is to kill Kaline like we've tried numerous times to do, but failed. That Dav character is scary, but for an elite skeleton assassin, he is a disgrace."

A creeper servant entered the throne room. The Creeper King and Zane turned to face him.

"Sir, the other empire leaders are here. They demand to talk to you."

One Hour Later...

All of the Empire leaders, including Baxtroff, sat at a table that stretched across a long, dim room. Prime, King of the endermen, teleported on top of the table and knocked on a bowl with a spoon in order to get the attention of everyone.

"Thank you all for coming," Prime spoke. "I think we all know why we're here."

Everyone nodded.

"Baxtroff," Prime said, staring at him. "Do you know why we have asked to speak to you?"

"No," The Creeper King replied with a frown. He had been staring straight at Udelias, the Spider Queen.

"We have gathered to discuss the recent event, or, to most, the recent tragedy, that you caused not too long ago," Prime explained. "You murdered someone for pretty much no reason at all. Yes, what he did was disrespectful and it could have been punishable, but that's up for the empire he resides in to decide, NOT YOU."

The Creeper King said nothing and continued to stare at Udelias.

"I'm dissapointed in you, Baxtroff," Prime continued, shaking his head. "That being said, your actions are getting out of hand. I had no trouble providing you with aid so that you could succeed with your Wither Colossus plan. I'm sure all of us are sickened by it, but nonetheless, we helped you, anyway"

"Zane Helmframe agrees with me..." The Creeper King mumbled.

"Zane is a zombie villager, Baxtroff!" The Blaze King snapped. "Once you become one, all you think about is death! No wonder he wants you to succeed."

"Silence," Prime commanded. "Anyway, with you now getting involved in war, I am afraid to tell you that I want no involvement in it. Therefore, I am ending our alliance.

"Agreed," The Zombie King chimed in. "You're on your own, Baxtroff. Like Beefton Blake addressed, we did this out of fear. We knew you would destroy us if we didn't help. I'm done being a slave, plus, i've realized you'll probably destroy us all anyway. Goodbye, old friend."

The Blaze King spit at The Creeper King. "Bye! Always wanted to do that, by the way. Ha ha!"

All of the leaders began leaving the room, then, The Creeper King finally spoke.

"Fine!" He hissed. "So be it, you fools! What good will you do by ending your alliance to me?! Nothing! You only dig your own graves! You have given me all the resources necessary! I have more than enough emeralds to power the Colossus, more than enough artillery, everything! I have come upon a solution and I will go through with it! So say i'm a fool all you want, but you have helped me gain my wish, a wish to make everyone feel the pain I felt when my dear family died! I cannot just let that pain go, it needs to be felt by everyone. EVERYONE! I'm not some sick fool! I wouldn't have killed Beefton Blake if it wasn't for...YOU!"

Udelias jumped in horror.

"I would've went to war with the Pig Empire regardless! But you had to tell Beefton Blake your misery- And look what happened! LOOK! THIS IS WHAT HAPPENED! My Alliances gone and an innocent life lost, a rather good one too! I don't need this...!!!" The Creeper King screamed. He then bent over and picked up a knife on his plate with his mouth, then charged to Udelias. However, Kullij, the skeleton king, stopped him.

"That's enough," Kullij said grimly. His bony hand was on Baxtroff's torso.

"K-Kullij..?" The Creeper King questioned in shock, barely able to speak.

Kullij shook his head in dissapointment. "You've demonstrated that you'll go through anything just to get your way, Baxtroff, just to make sure your plan is successful, even if it means killing people like Beefton, or even Udelias. The Baxtroff I knew, the Baxtroff who would never show violence to any living mob, HE is dissapointed. And you know what, I bet your father and brother are. I'm done, Baxtroff."

The Creeper King didn't speak. Kullij joined the rest of the empire leaders as they made their way out of the castle.

"Show any threat to our Empire," Prime spoke. "And we'll have to face you too, Baxtroff. Don't let that happen."

The large, wooden doors to the meeting room closed. Baxtroff was left alone.

"Kullij...Kullij...you're supposed to be on my side...y-you're my best friend..." The Creeper King sobbed. "KULLIJ! DON'T DO THIS! DON'T ABANDON ME!!"

He fell to the floor. There was not a sound throughout the entire castle.

Several Months have passed since the murder of Beefton Blake...

The Creeper King's frequent influence on Kaline Woolcraft and his crew's actions has mysteriously disappeared, with the hero becoming increasingly comfortable to the fact that his hated adversary has fallen under with the declaration of war on his empire.

Equipped with the enchanted book detailing the location of the klouncine blocks, and the guidance of Moral, the knowledgeable "bum" he met in the afterlife, the mining of the mystical blocks has unexpectedly become a typical procedure. With no tracking device since its destruction in the battle with Dav, and no power to eliminate Kaline's wooden house in Rush since provoking the Cow Empire, it seemed as though the Creeper King had no means of locating the blocks and thus no way of stopping the heroes.

With no hesitation and no fear, Kaline Woolcraft and his friends made their way to the location of the now thirteenth block - which laid in the hands of an old friend...

A swirling twister of dust and leaves appeared before Kaline, Crystal, Archie, and Vick's Mining Crew. It formed above the faded, solid mycelium-based ground of a mushroom island centered in the middle of the ocean. A bolt of lightning struck, and none other than Coroq (aka Steve) appeared before the heroes.

"I have returned!" Steve yelled into the heavens.

Everyone smiled happily, and Kaline shook Steve's hand in anticipation. They had not seen each other since the brief encounter at Coroq's Gates.

"It seems as though the Greyscale Judge took up his side of the bargain and ensured I got that smoking respawn. Bam!" Steve cheered, throwing his fist into the air. His happiness later disappeared, however, when he looked into the sun and was blinded. "Aw god...couldn't fix the ridiculous temperature on this island though. And I forgot, I'm without my villager servants..."

"Oh my gosh," Zerrel gasped, his jaw on the ground. "It's the legend himself...right in front of my eyes! Pierce! How are you not star struck by this??"

Zerrel looked over at Pierce who was in his typical careless mood.

"Pfft...it's not that big of a deal..." Pierce shrugged. Within the contents of his mind however, he was actually saying: "This is the greatest honor of my life..."

"Now, now..." Steve said smugly, shaking his hands at the group, "though it must be a dream come true seeing my fabulous self in the flesh, this day is really about the one and only Kaline Woolcraft."

Steve held one finger out to notion to the group he would be absent momentarily. He entered the confines of his luxurious quartz home and returned within moments with a mysterious block - a klouncine block.

"Kaline," he began. "For a while now, me and that fellow with the stupid name have watched you from the Blank Reality. We've seen you traverse the entire world in search of these special blocks, defeating many powerful villains along the way. While you did all that, you also secured the lives of all of these individuals with you today. l truly believe all of you have grown stronger. Vick would be proud.Kaline smiled, and looked at the many friends around him. Archie came up to him and put his giant hand on his shoulder. “Thanks Steve, that means a lot.”

Steve nodded and handed Kaline the thirteenth klouncine block. “Now that we’ve got that long, lengthy, boring speech out of way, I just wanted to let you know that I am immensely surprised that you made it this far! You sure showed me!”

“Kaline…” Crystal spoke softly, facing her husband. “You do know what this means, right?”

“Of course I do,” Kaline replied with enthusiasm, holding up the klouncine block. “It means that we only have to mine one more of these babies to reach The Climax and destroy the Wither Colossus forever.”

“More than that,” Archie chimed in, understanding what Crystal was trying to say. “You have to face him.”

“What?” Kaline questioned with confusion, raising his left eyebrow. “What are you talking about?”

“The last klouncine block is in Fort Exclabraz, which is in the heart of the Pig Empire.” Archie explained sternly. “From what we’ve been able to gather, The Pig Empire declared war on The Creeper Empire following the assassination of Beefton Blake. Though it is uncertain what has become of the Creeper King, it can be reasonably implied that he’s going to send whatever firepower he has left to that fortress.”

Kaline looked towards the ground, recounting the last encounter he had with the villainous king and how he was unable to finish him for good.

“We’ve been more fortunate than we could’ve hoped,” Archie grinned, looking down at Kaline. “But we can’t let our time of diminished threat make us cocky. Whether we like it or not, we’re going to face the Creeper King at Fort Exclabraz, maybe even Dav again, and they’re going to give it their all to eliminate us.”

“So be it!” Kaline cried.

Everyone listened intently.

“We’ve made it this far, I’m confident we’re going to make it to the end! We entered the Creeper King’s castle for crying out loud, surely we can enter Fort Exclabraz, especially since the pigs are on our side.”

“I’m in!” Zerrel said joyfully, his fellow crew members joining him in his reply.

“Before you guys dive into danger again,” Steve spoke over the cheers of Kaline and his group, “I feel it is necessary to let you know that there may be bigger threats to you other than the Creeper King.”

Kaline turned to face Steve again. “Like what?”

“Just watch your back.” Steve warned. “We haven’t seen any antics from him since your encounter with Dav at the wooden house, but Moral and I have reason to believe that my evil clone Herobrine may have interest in the Wither Colossus as well.”

“Herobrine…evil clone…”

“Indeed. He’s also a major jerk bag, but that might just be me. Just be careful…look out for someone who looks like me, but with no eyes…and not nearly as cool.”

“You’re just as comedic as when we first met you,” Kaline laughed, but quickly returned to a serious nature. “I’ll keep an eye out for him. Hopefully he’s nothing we can’t handle.”

Steve waved as the group gathered around the ZOOM teleportation device, with their desired location being Kaline’s wooden house in the village of Rush. Zerrel punched in the coordinates, and before long everyone was teleported to the location which lay peacefully under night skies.

Later in Vick’s Lab…

Kaline watched from a small couch as Forrest stored the recently obtained klouncine block in Vick’s iron vault along with the twelve that came before it.

“One more, huh…” Kaline thought to himself. “Has it really been that long? Have we really made it this far?”

Kaline looked around the gigantic laboratory of his fallen brother, observing the many appliances and machinery surrounding him. He was left alone; everyone having gone to the upper level to rest before the scheduled journey to the Pig Empire the following morning. He called for Forrest, but it seemed as though he had left too.

“When I first found this lab…” Kaline continued to think to himself. “Moral mentioned to me that he knew Vick…he even pulled out the same pickaxe he used during our mining trips. But…”

The sound of crickets could be heard chirping from the inside of the house.

“But…how is that possible? When during our first encounter he told me he didn’t even know who Vick was…Come to think of it…he didn’t show signs of knowing anything about me or my hardships. The Greyscale Judge even mentioned that nobody had been in the Waiting Room for a long, long time…”

A sound of cracking glass was heard from the top floor. This alerted Kaline, and he sat up from his position on the couch in. An apologetic whisper could be faintly heard, signaling that someone might have accidentally broke something.

Kaline laid back down.

“I’m overthinking…What I need to be thinking about is Fort Exclabraz and…and how I’m going to finish the Creeper King once and for all…”

Meanwhile at the Creeper Empire…

Explosions could be heard from outside of the stone castle. Every soldier still loyal to the Creeper King stormed outside and battled against soldiers of the Pig, Cow, and Chicken empires with full force.

The Creeper King looked at the battleground from his throne room, and noticed that the forces he had assembled at his castle were not going to reach the inevitable victory he had previously hoped. With many soldiers making their way to the location of the last klouncine block, there were not many to protect the castle – leaving the Creeper King an easy target for the empires he has greatly displeased over the years.

“Thissss isssss not possible!!!” The Creeper King hissed, stomping on the ground. “I can’t complete the remaining phasessss of my plan if I’m dead!”

“Baxtroff,” Zane called from the other end of the throne room, holding a small briefcase. “Not that I favor retreating, but it is clear that if we stay in the castle we will meet the same fate as the soldiers down there.”

The Creeper King looked at Zane, then quickly looked outside again in panic. A group of pigs equipped with bows and flaming arrows and black bandanas aimed towards his direction and fired. The Creeper King evaded, but multiple arrows entered the throne room, setting the antique carpeting ablaze.

“Kullij…” The Creeper King murmured sadly.

“Is no longer with us.” Zane interrupted, kneeling, and looking the green-skinned king in the face. “But it’s time to make a decision; stay here and perish, making your last actions as king those that ruined you, or live another day with a promise of redemption.”

“You’re right…” The Creeper King agreed darkly. “This isn’t over yet. I may have lost my army…my incoming resources…but…”

Zane looked at the Creeper King curiously.

“…But now I don’t have to force myself to give Kaline leeway just to cater to the other leaders. It seems as though being abandoned by my allies was the greatest gift I could receive.” The Creeper King explained, his devilish grin expanding with each word spit. “We still have the emeralds to operate the Wither Colossus, that mysterious Ocelot spy, and now I can kill Kaline with no hesitation!!”

“Not yet.” Zane remarked.

“Of course…the final request curse,” the Creeper King remembered with anger. “Time to eradicate the fool’s haunting soul from my own.”

“So we make haste to the Witch Empire, yes?”

“Of courssssee. Dar will cure the curssse and I will have the pleasure of killing Kaline myself. We’ll abandon the castle and set out – just you and I this time.”

An eerie black mist suddenly covered the entire room, and Dav, the skeleton assassin, appeared from the clearing. His glowing, red eye observed Creeper King and Zane intently. “

Dav! Oh, how great it is to sssee you!” The Creeper King cried. He then ran over to the bony figure and made a begging position at his feet.

Dav looked down at the king with a soulless expression.

“I need you in this grave time of need,” The Creeper King explained. “I need you to once again go after Kaline…but this time…I need you to kill his crew.”

Dav extended his skeletal hand and sharply grasped the Creeper King’s head, pulling him up to his face. “Kaline Woolcraft will die to my hands. Nobody else’s.”

The Creeper King squirmed helplessly as he was held above the ground. “P-Pleassee…Anything you desire I will present to you. A thousand diamonds? Done! Enchanted armor? Done! I p-promise…you’re not cheap! You deserve it!”

Dav threw the Creeper King to the ground. “You can’t pay me to disrupt the very assassin’s code I live by you desperate fool.”

The Creeper King stood up and glared at the now exiting Dav. The assassin prepared to disappear using the button on his bow, but the Creeper King stopped him.

“Aren’t you tired of him?” The Creeper King asked with a smile. “He’s the only one to EVER escape the great skeletal assassin, Dav! The same assassin who supposedly holds a clean record, never missing a target! The same person to do it…TWICE.”

Dav turned his head slightly to catch a glimpse of the Creeper King.

“If you kill one of Kaline’s precious friends, it will destroy him in ways not possibly imagined. It will destroy any sliver of hope he has left, and leave him vulnerable for us.” The Creeper King explained. “Don’t you want to have a target that you’re able to kill both physically and mentally?”

Dav turned his entire body and walked over to the Creeper King. “I’ll do it…free of charge.”

“Excellent!!” The Creeper King laughed devilishly. Dav joined him soon after.

Zane looked outside the window of the throne room with a sorrow expression.

A group of horses trotted over a lush hilltop. Atop their backs sat Kaline and his friends, who were making their expedition to Fort Exclabraz without the use of ZOOM in order to keep under the radar, expecting the Creeper Empire's vast military to be awaiting them. As their gaze lay on the presumed location of the fort, however, their expectations took an unexpected turn...and for the worse.

"This..." Archie spoke, dismounting and viewing the area in front of him intently. "This is not right."

The Pig Empire was a territory of beautiful grasslands; a perfect example of nature in its purest form that was left relatively untouched. Fort Exclabraz was the biggest, most secure structure amongst the Pigs and even it paled in comparison to even the Creeper Empire's living quarters. It was a five-story stone brick fortress with a surrounding moat that was believed to be in the center of a garden filled with gorgeous flowers and other vegetation.

What Kaline and his friends saw, however, was a land defaced with coal, nether rack, and flames. All sorts of debris indicating a great conflict - TNT, weapon fragments, and armor among other things - covered the ground below them. In the distance sat the great Fort Exclabraz, its foundation badly damaged.

"That vile monster," Pierce growled, kicking a stone with all his might. "He wiped the whole place off the map. Nothing is left!"

"I don't even see anyone," Zerrel gulped as he slithered on the ground, observing his surroundings with the rest of Vick's Mining Crew.

"Oh, Kaline..." Crystal sobbed, looking to her husband with great sorrow. Kaline had been clenching his fists, a look of anger resting on his face.

Rodona grabbed a glass bottle with a strange, grey substance inside of it and poured it on the coal-stained surface. She kneeled and sniffed the vapor that lifted into the air. "This battle...it wasn't long ago. I reckon that there might still be activity within the fortress...pig forces or not."

"T-This isn't over yet," Kaline stammered, grabbing his emerald sword and pointing it towards the stone brick structure. "We're going to avenge the fallen...and save any survivors."

Within Fort Exclabraz's walls...

The crew walked slowly down a dark hallway only illuminated by dim, Redstone torches. As they progressed, they began to witness the remains of fallen Pig soldiers, and tried to keep their composure.

"Please..." a quiet voice begged from down the hallway, instantly grabbing the attention of the group.

Kaline ran ahead and situated himself next to the fallen soldier. "Thank heavens, you're okay! What happened here? What can we do?"

"They came in...it was awful. Multiple c-colors...explosions, death...d-destruction...l-laughter..!" The injured Pig soldier squealed, clearly traumatized by everything he had experienced.

"The Creeper Empire?" Archie questioned, preparing to tend to the soldier's wounds.

"No!" The Pig soldier exclaimed. "J-just him...only him and a few others. They...everyone. They just came in...nobody stood a chance...NOBODY."

"Who?" Kaline asked fearfully, "WHO?"

Before the Pig soldier could reveal to Kaline who the trespassers were, an arrow pierced his body and set it ablaze, leaving no trace of him almost instantaneously. Kaline and his crew turned to view the source of the attack - it had come from the central room of the entire building.

It was Dav, who sat in a large chair of which the Pig Empire's General once sat.

"YOU!" Kaline yelled as everyone equipped themselves for battle. "All this...was it you?! Where's the Creeper King?!"

A skeletal grin formed across Dav's skull, and the orbs within the empty holes of his eyes boasted a red glimmer as he stood up, bow by his side.

"Oh please, Kaline. Don't pretend to be surprised that this primitive species fell so easily." Dav chuckled, outstretching his arms as he looked around the empty room with pride. "It was almost like fighting a wooden dummy. They just sort of stood there and took it. Quite disappointing...a waste of my talent. Alas, a weak race is no race at all."

"Why you...I'll..!" Kaline yelled with fury, beginning to charge.

"...But not like you, Kaline." Dav continued without fear, halting Kaline in his tracks. "No...In what I once believed was unfeasible, you have managed to remain a persistent opponent...staying alive...again and again..."

Dav stepped down from the chair and began to make his way towards Kaline and his crew.

"And I could not have asked for anything better!" Dav laughed devilishly. "Finally...someone to bring me to my full potential, a worthy opponent! For once I am fueled by vengeance...my own free will...not working for masters or for pay. My honor is at stake, and I will do anything in my power to maintain it..!"

"Looks like the Creeper King isn't the only one who's gone mad around here!" Kaline shouted, holding his sword with confidence. "What is wrong with you? All this? For honor?!You all lay down innocent lives like it's some kind of game..."

"Poor fool," Dav shook his head in disgust. "I should have known that even after our two battles you'd still be too naïve to understand. An assassin's pride is what my very soul rests upon...and you have disrupted it. Today, whether you like it or not, one of us will fall...and I will give it my all to ensure it is you!"

Dav pulled back an arrow on his bow and aimed at Kaline, who instantly prepared to defend. The result was a standoff between both parties, not a sound echoing throughout the entire fortress.

"All he cares about is that green fool of a King..." Dav thought to himself, watching for any movements from Kaline as he held his bow in place. "Time to make him view me as a true adversary...and let the real fight begin."

"Hidden beneath this fortress is the final Klouncine block...I assume that is why you are here." Dav began, glaring at the hero. "If you manage to best me, I'll make sure I disclose its location with my dying breathe."

"Sounds like a plan," Kaline nodded, his confidence greatly annoying Dav. The skeleton assassin was getting tired of not being taken seriously by the miner, he began to become filled with rage. He began to repeat two familiar words to himself: physically and mentally.

"You know, Kaline Woolcraft..." Dav smiled. "These friends of yours...they are unfamiliar to me. Save for the golem and girl...I don't quite recognize them, and they don't seem very strong..."

Kaline was puzzled for a second, and without notice an expression of fear stretched across his face, and his stance shifted.

An explosive sound echoed from Dav's bow, as he launched a shadow-like arrow towards Kaline's general direction. However, the arrow he shot with intent to kill was not directed towards Kaline...

...but towards his friends instead.

The arrow flew at such a blistering speed that Kaline could not stop it in time. It collided with the hero's friends directly, and with an explosive force a black mist swallowed the group, their cries for help breaking the silence of the chamber.

"NO!" Kaline screamed, running to the rescue of his friends. All of a sudden, the ground below him began to rumble and shake, and giant cracks formed from all directions.

"Hahahaha!!" Dav laughed, pressing a button on the top of his bow that allowed himself to levitate using his strange black mist.

The ground beneath Kaline collapsed and he fell down a gaping hole that was hidden beneath the chamber. As he fell, he reached his hands out towards his troubled friends, unsure of what to do...panicking...only desiring to help them and not at all worrying about himself. Thoughts and thoughts ran through his head, and his anxiety grew more and more as he fell deeper into the hole, until...nothing.

Kaline crashed into the bottom of the pit head first, and was knocked out. Dav floated gently downwards towards the bottom of the hole, with intent to dispose of his rival.

...

"KALINE!" a booming voice yelled.

Archie flailed his arms in the air, clearing the black mist. He had shielded the crew from the explosive power of the arrow, but had taken severe injuries. Even some of the smaller crew members like Lars and Zerrel obtained scratches and bruises, but were not in critical condition.

"That skeletal scum!" Pierce snapped. "Who was he? Seemed to be an assassin of the Skeleton Empire."

"Yes, exactly..." Archie confirmed, holding his arm in pain. "That was Dav. We fought him before at the entrance of Coroq Gates. However, my only guess is that he no longer works with Kullij and is now doing the Creeper King's dirty work...He's trouble."

"You don't think..." Pierce said, looking at Archie, who gave him a stern nod. "That must mean the king is here! We have to save Kaline!"

"Are you all done?" an old, grating voice sneered, interrupting the crew.

On the other side of the gaping hole in the floor where the chair stood, a new figure was situated - it was Dar, leader of the Witch Empire.

"Like I've said before," the old warlock explained, waving his hand in the air. "This world needs a universal leader - Baxtroff Kolligar of the Creeper Empire - to be at peace. Heed this warlock's words now children, do you not realize that all this effort to stop us is for nothing?"

"Dar! After everything that has happened, you still stand by the Creeper King's side?" Archie questioned, baffled by the warlock's presence. "Don't do this. I know that all you desire is the happiness of you and your empire. We can bring that to you if you just help us defeat him!"

"Do not throw your childish morals at me!" Dar retaliated with fury, sparks generating from the tips of his fingers. "Baxtroff is the only one who ever gave our poor swamp an ounce of attention. If you want to truly help the Witch Empire, than burn like the rest of-"

Before he could finish, Archie jumped across the hole and slammed his fists into the chest of the old warlock, sending him to the ground. He lay there for a few minutes, before coming to his senses once more.

"So this is how it must be..." Dar said grimly, spitting on the ground.

The old warlock slowly got himself up, and looked at Archie the Iron Golem. He began to make a few strange movements; stretching his limbs, which cracked, having been resting for eons. He gyrated his neck, and for the first time in years, the blind man's eyes shot open, emanating a magical but menacing glow. The room shook, and began to be embraced by the supernatural. A layer of diamond covered the hole, and a wall of fire blocked all entrances, making escape for the heroes futile.

"LET'S THROW DOWN, THEN!"

...

"Are you still conscious?" Dav asked at the bottom of the bit. He held Kaline's head up with his skeletal hand.

Kaline's eyes opened slowly. He was relatively weak from the impact of the fall.

"Good." Dav chuckled, throwing Kaline to the ground. "I must say I would've been quite disappointed if after all this you died from a simple fall."

"D-Dav...y-you monster..." Kaline weakly growled.

"Name calling? Seems a bit below you don't you think?" Dav snickered, walking around the injured Kaline, his ravaged cape flowing in the air. "Our first battle Kaline, I underestimated you - I figured that I could defeat you even at my lowest and that is how you got the upper hand. The second time I relied on strategy, and apparently you were too smart for that."

The skeleton assassin looked upwards into the darkness where, high above them, Kaline's friends were about to engage in a deadly battle with Dar.

"This time, however, I'm changing my tactics...giving it my all. And to make everything a whole lot sweeter, you get to hear your friends meet their demise while you meet yours."

Kaline, to the surprise of Dav, seemed to regain all of his strength despite the short duration of time that had passed between his head-first impact into the ground. He grabbed his sword, rage building inside of him.

He ran at Dav with incredible speed, and raised his sword. Dav had anticipated his attack, but Kaline faked him out, and slashed his chest, making a deep cut in his body.

"Yes..." Dav laughed as his newly acquired wound began to heal, causing him no damage. "Show me your skills as a warrior, Kaline Woolcraft! You're going to have to do better than that to defeat-"

"Ahhhhh!!" Kaline yelled, slashing Dav continuously with his Emerald-encrusted sword.

Dav's regeneration capabilities held up well against Kaline's attacks, but as more were made he began to grow fearful, and shot an exploding arrow in front of him in order to send Kaline away. As the smoke cleared, Kaline continued to run towards Dav and attack him. Eventually, Kaline made a striking blow and decapitated him.

Kaline smiled happily as the skeleton's body fell to the cold ground. Unbeknownst to him, however, a shadow moved behind the hero, and a sharp pain suddenly ran through his left arm. He had been shot with an arrow.

Dav sat in a black mist, hovering above the injured Kaline unharmed.

"You fool," Dav insulted. "Have you forgotten about my ability to summon minions?"

Dav clapped his hands together, and around him hundreds of iterations of bone-infused Kaline clones appeared from black smoke. With the command of his finger, they fell on top of Kaline, and began to beat him down. Kaline struggled, trying to destroy the clones one by one with the slash of his sword, but their numbers were too overwhelming, and he sank beneath their weight. Dav hovered above, laughing at the sight before him.

However, rays of light began to appear from the openings of the skeletal bodies on top of Kaline. All of a sudden, a gigantic explosion threw them into the air, incinerating them. Kaline rose above the rubble, holding what seemed to be a cylindrical contraption almost the size of his entire body. It was a Diamond Bazooka, a weapon he had found in Vick's laboratory and stored in his "On the go" chest.

"You and the Creeper Empire are done threatening the lives of the people of this world!" Kaline shouted. "You said that one of us was guaranteed to fall today? That someone is going to be YOU! And once I'm finished with you, I'm going to save my friends and we'll stop the Creeper King together. That is a promise!"

Dav loaded his bow with another arrow, gazing at Kaline with a dark expression. "Well..."

"Let's see if you're the hero destined to save this world..."

In Fort Exclabraz’s throne room above the intense fight between Kaline and Dav, Dar prepared to engage in combat with the hero’s friends. Archie charged fiercely at the oddly confident warlock, with Crystal and Vick’s Mining Crew following in his lead, each brandishing their signature weapons and abilities. They were all fueled by a burning desire to reunite with Kaline and ensure his safety.

Archie locked fists with the small, senile old man, his strength easily overwhelming his own – pushing him backwards and forcing his body to rest on his feeble knees.

“Just yield,” Archie insisted, his force causing Dar’s arms to tremble. “You don’t know what you’re doing; I don’t want to have to hurt you.”

Amidst his clear physical disadvantage, Dar let out a clear, blood-curdling laugh and looked his iron golem adversary dead in the eyes with a determined grin. “My boy, you simply do not know who you are dealing with.”

Within seconds, Dar began to stand up, and his stature and physicality increased drastically. Archie found his role in the situation completely reversed, with the warlock’s figure gradually dwarfing his own. His previously feeble arms expanded, pushing the now kneeling Archie into the ground with such might that it caused the diamond encrusted floor to crack. Suddenly, using only his left arm to hold Archie in place, he withdrew his right arm and used it to unleash a strong uppercut into the golem’s jaw, sending him flying into the stone wall.

“Archie!” Crystal cried, looking back at the now collapsed golem.

Vick’s Mining Crew instantly sprang into action: Pierce unloaded an emerald pistol from his back pocket and began firing, with Rodona using her magic to shoot elemental blasts from her palms in tandem with her leader. In response, Dar held out his arm and a cyclone of iron, gold, diamond, and emerald gems rotated around him at such a blistering speed that the projectiles were rendered useless. After Pierce and Rodona ceased fire, Dar yielded the cyclone and used his magic to break down the gems into lethal spikes, sending them straight at the heroes. Rodona quickly casted a shield around the team, but the sheer force of the attack sent them toppling backwards.

Crystal, who had managed to sneak behind Dar while he was distracted by Pierce and Rodona, laid down a powerful blow with her emerald sword on his back. He yelled in pain, knocking her down with his backhand. Unexpectedly, however, Zerrel latched himself on the villain’s face, blinding him. He had been hiding on the handle of Crystal’s sword.

“How about that?!” Zerrel teased as he slithered on the warlock’s head. Dar tried his hardest to grasp the tiny mob, but found difficulty in doing so. As he was preoccupied, Pierce and Crystal landed kicks towards his torso, and as his large body toppled backwards Forrest quickly ran behind and used himself to trip him onto the ground.

Dar crashed into the ground, his head facing up towards the ceiling. Adding to the number of unexpected blows he took from his opponents, Archie recovered and jumped into the air, landing on the warlock and using his elbow to send him further into the ground. Vick’s Mining Crew cheered and were prepared to finish the fight.

“Y-yo…you little punks…” Dar growled viciously, grinding the few teeth he had left to the point that they became chipped. He pounded his fists into the ground in anger, and suddenly grabbed Archie by the ankle with both hands; swinging him in circles to knock out his own comrades and finally throwing him aside. Dar’s pupils vanished in the sea of red that became his eyes.

Archie stood by, holding his arm and gasping for breath. He observed Crystal and the mining crew, who all survived Dar’s previous attack without any concerning injuries. All of a sudden, Archie captured Dar’s movements and looked to the floor in panic, which began to rumble.

“Look out!!” He cried.

One by one, spikes jutted from the diamond floor Dar had created before the fight even transpired. Without any time to react, Rodona screamed as she was grazed in the leg. A concerned Pierce grabbed her without any regard to his own safety, and quickly jumped atop of a window ledge on the stone wall that was free from any of the diamond covering. Zerrel jumped atop of the lightning fast Forrest, but their only escape from the floor was the narrow path of the entrance which was engulfed in flames. Crystal fell behind the rest of them, and as more and more spikes lined the diamond floor her situation appeared grim.

“Guys, I…I can’t..!” She cried, hopping from left to right as more and more thorns sprung up around her. Within a span of a second, she prepared to scream as she noticed one appear beneath her. “NO!”

The piercing sound of an object impaling flesh echoed the room. Crystal’s eyes were shut in horror, but as she opened them she realized that she was uninjured. Archie was holding her, with his arm held out in the direction of the lethal spike. He had used his own body to protect her, but the intensity of the attack went directly through his palm.

“Archie…” Crystal said, tears welling up in her eyes. She gently pounded on his side. “Why would you do that? You’re injured..!”

“It’s…” Archie groaned, grasping his wrist in pain. He looked at her amidst the pain and smiled, “it’s fine…don’t worry. I’ve been through worse.”

Dar looked curiously at his opponents in the aftermath of his deadly technique: Pierce tended to Rodona on the ledge, Forrest and Zerrel awaited further instruction from their leader, and a weakened Archie trembled as he slowly got back up to his feet, with Crystal continuing to weep by his side. Little did any of them know, however, that Dar’s primary motive was not simply getting rid of them. Rather, he was carefully deciding which of the heroes would be the easiest to eradicate and would have the biggest burden on Kaline Woolcraft.

“I really want to get rid of that embarrassment of a witch,” Dar thought to himself as he eyed Rodona. “However, that persistent golem has taken some serious damage. He took the full force of Dav’s explosive arrow, and I’ve been able to slowly break him down during this fight. He’s too simple-minded to realize that he can’t just jump in front of attacks all willy-nilly.”

So that’s it then. Don’t worry my witches, we will be on top again soon…

“I know you’re all good people.” Dar respectfully acknowledged. “But the Creeper Empire has promised my witches and I a chance at redemption and that is an offer I cannot refuse on any circumstance.”

Everyone looked at Dar, waiting to see what the intent was behind his speech.

“I haven’t fought another being in centuries,” Dar admitted, shaking his head. “So, as a fair trade, I will sacrifice my abilities in exchange for all of your lives…starting with you!”

Dar suddenly looked to the ceiling, and multi-colored aura traveled throughout all parts of his body into the space above him, forming a beautiful, but intimidating sphere. As the sphere grew larger, the powerful physique he had created earlier in the fight began to decay, and Dar began to appear more and more like a frail old man.

“The effect of this attack will ensure you never return to the living ever again!”

“He’s going to use every ounce of magic within him to completely wipe us from existence!” Rodona exclaimed. “At this proximity, we have no chance at survival. This entire room will be nothing!”

Archie removed the diamond thorn from his hand, leaving a gruesome wound. “We’ll be fine,” he reassured. Without any second thought and any time for his friends to stop him, Archie charged Dar head on, hoping to absorb the attack

completely.

“Archie, no!”
“Don’t do it!”

“Perfect…” Dar chuckled. He finished preparing his attack and launched it directly at the approaching golem.

“Archiiieeeeeeeeee!!” Zerrel suddenly cried. His reaction took everyone by surprise, for he had left Forrest’s side and managed to jump directly in front of Archie’s path, equipped with ZOOM.

“ZERREL, WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!” Archie yelled. He reached out and tried to grasp the tiny silverfish.

“It’s okay,” he squeaked, looking at Archie with tearful eyes. “This is what I was born to do.”

As the blast of energy came within a couple blocks of him, Zerrel pressed the button on his signature teleportation device and was whisked away to an unknown location with the entirety of the lethal attack.

Everyone became silent, gasping at what had just been the last time they would ever see their lovable, insect friend. Archie fell to the ground in disbelief, refusing to comprehend that it was truly the end of Zerrel.

On the other side of the chamber, Dar coughed and gasped for air. Though he was without powers and in a state of permanent disability, he had managed to accomplish his goal.

Zerrel was slain by Dar

“All that for the lousy silverfish?!” He shouted in utter disappointment. “What an absolutely despicable waste.”

Pierce clenched his fists furiously and was consumed by an undying rage. He glared at Dar with such malice that his humanity almost disappeared. “You piece of trash.”

He grasped the side of his pistol, which transformed into a sharp-sided boomerang. He threw it with all his might and decapitated the warlock instantly. The remains of his body then collapsed into a pile of sugar, which was subsequently blown away by the gentle breeze of the chamber.

Dar was slain by Pierce

Meanwhile in the Blank Reality…

“It’s time.” The Greyscale Judge announced, pointing his staff. His booming voice echoed the empty reality.

Moral stood atop the hill in the alternate version of Rush in front of Kaline’s wooden home. He lifted up his straw hat to reveal a serious expression.

“I’m coming.”