After the gods and monsters vanish, the horribles in the stands silently stand and disappear as well. The system declares Carl and the others the winners, opens the way onward, and warns that Scolopendra is only defeated, not safely dead; if she dies or is abandoned, the final attacks will begin. Carl learns that collapse timers beyond the eleventh floor are suspended until the Ascendency has a winner, which makes him realize the danger has only changed form.

As the survivors assess the damage, Imani and Rosetta report injuries to Prepotente, Jurgen, and Tipid. Carl understands that keeping Scolopendra alive is now essential because losing the memorial crystal would also mean losing protection from her attacks. He then sees Lucia Mar leave through a stairwell portal carrying the unconscious Florin, accompanied by a small child Carl does not recognize, but Lucia ignores Carl's shout and disappears before he can stop her.

Big Shot Chicken pulls up, and Bigs reports on the wreckage and the surviving non-crawlers. Carl orders everyone to retreat to the safe room, salvage what they can, and abandon anything that cannot move. Surveying the battlefield, Carl counts only nineteen crawlers left alive, notices that the glowing marks on his hands have become scars labeled Mark of the Damned, and prepares to secure Scolopendra in a pet carrier.

While checking his inventory, Carl finds Emberus's memorial crystal in the dirt and discovers a tracking dart lodged in his leg labeled Tracking Tag, showing that the Kyryap has marked him. Penny announces that she must go to a safe room to receive a class, and Carl gently tells her she will likely be offered a deal and should consider accepting it. In the quiet wait that follows, Carl and Prepotente discuss the stolen crystal, Krakaren, and the danger posed by the gods; Carl responds by inviting every remaining crawler into a single party because he intends for them to face what comes together.

Carl reflects on the impossible fight ahead and decides that on the next floor he must prevent anyone from winning the Ascendency until more people can escape the dungeon. He believes keeping Scolopendra alive in his inventory could serve as both protection and leverage. But just as the transformed goo finishes reforming, Donut admits she made a serious inventory mistake: she used the wrong biscuit. Instead of becoming a pet, Scolopendra appears as a new level 1 crawler called Sexy Scolopendra, wraps herself around Carl, and calmly tells him they should enter the portal before the floor collapses.