The battle was in full swing, and the cries of the fallen soldiers and the roaring of the Hive Queen created a symphony of chaos that filled the air. One of the two masterminds behind it all, Kouske, was elated as he watched his plan unfold. With glee, he sauntered around the golden cage containing the monstrous creature, shouting, "Level 300... Level 250... Level 225... Level 200... Level 175... Level 150... Keep going, don't stop!" He knew that his decision to invest in the cursed skill books had paid off in spades. Despite the hundreds of lives that had been sacrificed to achieve his goal, he felt no remorse. To him, the end justified the means. Watching such a powerful creature squirm in front of him like an ant made him feel euphoric. The chaos around him did not faze him in the slightest. The pandemonium did not unnerve him. Instead, he felt a rush of excitement at what was to come. This was merely another step on the path to ultimate power and domination. Just thinking about the mana core and the experience points he was going to gain after this fight was enough to make him drool. Only after that, the real domination was going to start. In reality, his excitement for his ultimate goal of world domination paled in comparison to his burning desire to find and hunt down a certain someone. "I am coming for you," he muttered under his breath as his mind raced with thoughts of revenge. Kouske could never bring himself to shake the singular focus on finding and hunting down this one person. After all, this man had stolen everything from him. It was time he made him answer for his sins and payback for everything. Once this war was over, he knew exactly where his sights would be set. And then… Kouske clenched his fist, reveling in his plans for the future. The grin on his face widened. As for the aftermath of this war… The various guilds might be cursing him right now, but he knew they would ultimately fall in line. When everything ends, these same guilds would inevitably shut their mouths, collect their rewards and return home with their pockets full. These same guilds would also once again send their men to battle if more rewards were promised for the next red zone. Human beings were like that. They were quick to forget the pain in the face of a little pleasure. They would even be grateful for it. Kouske was well aware of the ugliness of the world, the greed, and the selfishness of human nature. He was no stranger to people like this even before the apocalypse descended. That was why he had no qualms about sacrificing these pigs to achieve his goals. Apocalypse or not, this was a dog-eat-dog world where it was every man for himself. He had no obligation to change that reality, at least not yet. For now, he was content to use the current state of affairs to his advantage. Maybe later on… While Kouske was not kind, he did not consider himself to be an evil villain either. Perhaps when the dust settled, and the world entered some sort of order, he would also consider the naive ideal several other heroes probably would. He would also try to make this world a better place. However, all of that had to wait. First, he had to take care of these pesky insects without inflicting too much damage on the gathered guilds. "Is it done yet?" Kouske's eyes glinted with anticipation as he watched the insect inside the golden cage squirm in agony. Its level had dropped to the 100s, and he knew it wouldn't be long before it was completely drained of its power. The black mist was steadily sucking away its life force and spirit, and with every passing second, the insect was becoming weaker. While the rest of the elite troops continued clearing the isons as much as they could, Kouske's focus remained solely on his prey. As he had already discussed with the Oracle prior to this, this kill would be his to claim. He He. Chuckling to himself, Kouske thought back to Liam. It was thanks to him that Kouske had this opportunity to power up even more. All he had to do was remind the Oracle that Liam was a major threat and a hurdle in their path, and he was given free reign to eliminate him and even take this kill to prepare for that inevitable fight. Kouske couldn't understand why the Oracle always seemed to hold Liam in such high regard. In his eyes, the guy was nothing but a nuisance that needed to be dealt with. If not for him getting lucky and stealing the inheritance that should have belonged to him, right now, the bitch would be nothing but a nobody. Hmph. Kouske breathed angrily and decided not to think about the past anymore. He wondered if his men outside the nether dungeon had dealt with him by now. The moron had walked right into the trap he laid out for him. This itself showed that he didn't have any brain. Even when injured, he did not know how to lay low! The perfect example of over-confidence and narcissism. Just how much was he going to continue to underestimate him? Kouske sneered. It was fine. The more the guy underestimated him, the sweeter would be his victory. "Don't worry, Liam. The world will not forget you. I will make you my General. You will lead my army for years and years to come." Chuckling to himself, Kouske turned to face the Hive Queen, who was now finally ready for her afterlife. Naturally, he was not going to let go of this precious undead. Until Liam was ready, she was going to be his temporary General! The necromancer closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and focussed on centering the mana around him. He then signaled the Oracle to remove the golden cage. Hive Queen - now only Level 30. Kouske grinned in satisfaction at the pathetic condition of the Hive Queen. "Come to Daddy." He muttered as the golden cage lifted up, and he stepped forward to slaughter the ison. He raised his long sword that shone brilliantly even amidst the death and destruction which lingered in the battlefield, and as the Hive Queen screamed in denial, he brought down the sword. Crack! In a single hit, the hardened exoskeleton gave away, and the ison was actually cut down the middle, green blood splashing everywhere. The Hive Queen was dead. Immediately, the men around him rejoiced, and the remaining isons screamed in terror. The whole battleground erupted in chaos. This single act indicated that they had finally succeeded, and the Grand War was officially over! Humanity had taken the first step toward victory and reclaiming their world from these horrendous insects! From henceforth, no matter what enemy came, they wouldn't be so easily deterred. They would stand firm and fight, and Kouske would be at the top of this changed, new world. However, for some reason, this feeling did not seem to sink into the necromancer. Instead, he stood rooted to the spot, strangely staring at the dead queen's corpse.