Elle wakes after the war mage attack, while system messages confirm War Chief Stalwart’s death and award the Bone Clan’s assets to Team Retribution because the War Mage Rebellion is not an active team. Elle reports that the war mage stole the Gate from her, and Carl helps her recover while burning debris from King’s Point rains around them.

Carl collects the dead war mage bodies before their heads can explode, though Stalwart’s remains are gone except for scattered magical items. Victory explains that the War Mage Rebellion has somehow appeared as a new “non-team entity,” something the rules did not previously allow, leaving Carl unsure whether the war mages are enemies, allies, or another faction manipulating the board.

The battlefield widens into confusion as Meatus warns Eris to stay out of the conflict, and Eris’s new pilot panics inside the goddess’s body. Rosetta identifies the pilot as Nami, a sponsor who modified herself to resemble and sound like Hekla. Meanwhile, Florin reports lava, demons, and NPC-controlled forces creating uncertainty about whether Team Retribution should be fighting its supposed allies.

Justice Light panics over the stolen Gate and says he needs it, which makes Carl realize that multiple allies may be running secret plans that depend on him without telling him. Victory then reports that Drick has called a foul: the war mages apparently broke their conscription to the Skull Empire, used Pull spells to kill Stalwart, and then teleported to Juice Box and Ferdinand. Victory leaves for a full quorum hearing to determine whether the Gate theft and war mage intervention violated the rules.

More battlefield updates arrive. Edgar spots Epitome Tagg fleeing near the Dream castle with a decoy, and Donut asks Sledge to fire missiles at him. Tran has taken losses, the FUPA is under heavy fighting and demon eviction, Louis has returned the children to Area 52 and is repairing Party Planner for another bomb run, and Boomer begins the raid on the Reaver castle.

Elle regains enough focus to continue the mission and prepares to recast Subterfuge before she and Carl use the still-open portal to the woods above the Madness castle. Carl warns Samantha to stay nearby but clear of the imminent feral god release when the portal expires. As Carl and Elle step through, Samantha looks into the smoky sky and identifies something overhead as a dragon.