The volcano erupts much more violently than expected, sending Party Planner into a spinning climb and damaging one of its propellers. Louis regains partial control while Skarn protects Bonnie inside the cabin, and Carl warns Florin, Elle, and the others that the eruption and shockwave are worse than planned.

From the Nest, Donut begins firing amplified Magic Missiles with sniper-like precision. Carl reflects that the tower was built to synergize with Atrocity-class spells, including Donut’s dangerous spell War Crime, which Carl had hoped not to use. Louis reports that Party Planner can limp back to base for repairs, so Carl orders Skarn and Bonnie to return to the saferoom and prepares to jump toward Elle’s active portal.

Carl and Samantha leap from the damaged airship through smoke, falling rocks, and ash. During the descent, notifications reveal that Eris has been summoned, a demon eviction event has begun, Team Retribution is occupying both the Bone Clan and Dream throne rooms, and Sir Ferdinand’s emergency action item has changed ascendency rules so deity sponsors must pilot summoned gods. Carl lands near Elle and realizes that several major developments have gone off-plan at once.

Victory appears beside Carl and says the adjutants only just learned about the rule change and could not stop it. At the same time, Florin reports that Stalwart escaped the anti-teleport net, and Elle warns that Stalwart has appeared at her position. Carl rushes toward Elle, but Elle is thrown past him unconscious after being hit by a spell, and Carl tells Samantha to help her.

In the clearing, Carl finds Stalwart kneeling in agony among dead war mages, some of whom Donut had killed with Magic Missile before the teleport completed. Surviving war mages, now marked as members of a separate brown-orange force, surround Stalwart. Carl identifies their leader as Akuma, head of the War Mage Rebellion, and learns that war mages are dungeon-born magical beings whose corpses become dangerous after death.

The war mages chant together and tear Stalwart apart. Before dying, Stalwart says his sister was right. Akuma has stolen the Gate of the Feral Gods from Elle, notices Carl’s bare feet, insults him, and teleports away with the other surviving war mages.