Carl and Donut head toward the church while the giant demon Amayon rages in the distance. Carl uses Find Crawler and discovers Sister Ines is not riding the serpent this time; she is inside the FOSCA building beneath it, several floors below the snake.

Carl messages Elle, Katia, Donut, Li Na, and Mordecai with the escape theory he and Prepotente developed: crawlers without keys must stop fighting, clear debris from stairwell chambers, demolish surrounding structures if possible, and tunnel underneath the rooms so they can be pulled upward when Amayon's portal activates. Carl asks Mordecai to sell Carl's satchel bombs to help others destroy obstacles, while Imani reports that the slug mercenaries are successfully provoking demons into portaling them away.

Carl tries to spread the plan through mass chat, but many crawlers doubt him or panic because the plan sounds improvised and dangerous. Prepotente supports the theory, citing prior evidence of stairwell structures breaking under extreme portal forces, but undercuts morale by repeatedly lowering his estimated chance of success. Donut defends Katia, and arguments flare as some crawlers begin breaking stairwell doors before keyholders can leave.

Carl then makes a direct emotional appeal, arguing that fighting over keys only leaves everyone weaker and that surviving together gives them a better chance on the next floor. Katia, Elle, Li Na, and many others agree to help, and the shift in group morale triggers a new regional quest, Where the Sidewalk Ends, with a two-hour timer.

The quest confirms that Amayon, a prince of Sheol, inhabits the body of the Madre de Aguas and is trying to cast a wide-area soul-sucking portal to return home. The quest offers three outcomes: do nothing and let the Cuba-area portal open, free Amayon from his shell and turn the event into a world quest, or kill him despite his invulnerability. Carl realizes Prepotente was right and that freeing Amayon may be the way to extend the escape chance beyond Cuba.

Afterward, Donut confronts Carl about the danger to their own escape. Carl admits that he may not have time to prepare a stairwell for himself because he needs to kill Sister Ines, free Amayon, strengthen him, and then somehow get underneath a stairwell chamber. Donut refuses to leave without Carl, affirming that the Princess Posse stays together, and they set out to kill the nun.