"How could you force us to run like that?" Lynx's voice, sharp as a blade, was loaded with disgust and accusation. Her green eyes flashed with fury as she pointed at Parabellum. "We could've fought! We could've done something! Instead, you let our comrades die like they were expendable pawns. Don't you feel any shame?"

Parabellum, wearing his ceremonial armor, replied as if nothing was wrong. "Aren't you grateful? Thanks to me, at least we survived. With the Prismatronic Core, I prevented us all from being wiped out. And I still kept the enemy from getting our most important artifact. The Prismatronic Core is here with me."

"Survived?" Lynx spat the word like it was poison. "You call this surviving? Look at us! We're reduced to hiding in the ruins like rats!"

"Lynx, Parabellum's right. BloodLust was too powerful. We had to retreat to have a second chance," Raven tried to keep calm, but the exhaustion and weight of the decisions made were visible on his face.

Marshmallow, hidden among the ruins, listened to what they were saying. The initial shock was turning into growing anger. They hadn't miraculously saved themselves; they had run away and abandoned everyone else, handing them over to the enemy. Disgust and disappointment choked his throat.

"I can't believe it..." Marshmallow muttered to himself, clenching his fists. "They ran like cowards. How could they?"

"We don't even know if Marshmallow is still alive. Maybe we were wrong to send him to Vesuvietna," Raven said with deep regret evident in his voice.

"Well, we should go look for him, right?" Lynx said, trying to lift spirits. "We certainly can't give up like this."

Marshmallow had had enough of their whining; he couldn't listen anymore. With a decisive move, he emerged from his hiding place in all the pride of his Primordial Dragon Armor. His gaze was full of fury and disappointment.

"You... cowards!" His voice boomed like thunder. "How could you abandon everyone else? How could you!"

"M-Marshmallow?" Lynx stammered, her eyes wide with shock.

"You're alive!" Raven exclaimed happily, but Marshmallow's expression was anything but happy. His eyes, now golden from merging with the Dragon Emperor, shone with obvious fury.

"Yeah, it's me. Surprised to see me alive? Certainly not thanks to you."

He stopped in front of them. "While you were running like cowards, I was in the Depths of Vesuvietna. I faced horrors you can't imagine. I went through the most hellish zone of the entire Survivor Game, fought against Balor the Immortal, defeated zombified A Rank Novgovians, faced creatures that would've driven anyone insane."

Then he turned to Raven with a look full of contempt. "And Serthar. I killed Serthar too."

Raven's eyes widened in disbelief. "Serthar? You really managed to-"

"Yes! I did it! I succeeded where you failed!" Marshmallow roared. "While you, our so-called 'leader', ran away with your tail between your legs!"

Then his voice lowered. "And when I came out victorious, you know what I found? The Overblown Castle reduced to a pile of smoking rubble. And the bodies of our comrades massacred. And you? I thought you had died fighting. That you had given your lives to defend our companions."

He laughed bitterly. "Instead, I find you here. Alive. Safe. While the others are all dead in horrible ways."

Raven stepped forward, his face twisted with pain and shame. "Marshmallow, please. You have to understand. BloodLust was-"

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"DON'T YOU DARE!" Marshmallow's shout made the air tremble. "Don't you dare make excuses! You were our leader, Raven! You said you'd take care of BloodLust if I couldn't. We all trusted you. You had him right in front of you. You could've faced him, you could've at least tried to stop him, to hurt him. You could've stood your ground, and instead you chose to run. Where's your soldier's pride gone?!"

Then he got closer to Raven, now their faces were just inches apart. "The last person I thought I'd find here was you. How could you abandon everyone like that? Now how do you plan to take responsibility?"

Raven stepped back, tears starting to stream down his face. "I... I don't know. I failed. I'm sorry."

Pathetic.

This was the only thing Marshmallow could think of him. The great warrior? The great commander who was supposed to lead the Wyolands to victory? All fucking bullshit. When a ship is sinking, the last to abandon ship is always the captain. And Raven, the captain of the ship, had decided to jump before it sank. And then what did they think they were going to do once they escaped? How could they have faced 168 Novgovians alone if Marshmallow had died in the Depths of Vesuvietna?

Marshmallow had been a soldier just like Raven. But apparently, now the only one left with a soldier's backbone was Marshmallow. Now everything was on his shoulders. A man like Raven could no longer be the leader of the Wyolands.

Marshmallow moved away from him. Now he turned to Parabellum. "And you, the great strategist. Your brilliant strategy was to use the Prismatronic Core to flee? And then what would you have done? Said a nice little prayer begging the Novgovians to collectively commit suicide?"

Parabellum lowered his gaze. "It was the only option I saw to save at least someone."

"Someone?" Marshmallow hissed. "And who gave you the right to decide who deserved to be saved and who didn't? You should have saved everyone, not just yourselves, who were at the top of the command chain."

Then he turned to Lynx, but with her, his voice softened slightly. "And you, Lynx. You've always shown a fire inside you. I thought you were braver than this, that you would've tried to do something. Why did you run away too?"

Lynx sobbed, tears now streaming down her face too. "Marshmallow, I... it's true that Parabellum took me into the portal, but I'm a damn hypocrite. I accused him of dragging me with him, but the truth is I was scared like everyone else. I fled too, and I'm deeply ashamed of it." She took a shaky breath before continuing. "If there's anything I can do to make amends, anything at all, I'll do it. I swear."

Marshmallow closed his eyes, breathing deeply. When he reopened them, his gaze was hard as steel. "I can't forgive you. Not now, maybe never. But we're the last Wyolanders left. And we have a mission to accomplish."

He turned to Raven. "You failed as a leader. From this moment on, I'm taking command, but your Negakinesis might still be useful."

Then he looked at Parabellum. "I don't recall knowing your Very Unique Skill. Tell me what it is."

"Pyrokinesis," Parabellum replied. "I can manipulate fire, create flames, throw fireballs, and generate explosions."

Marshmallow said, "Good, you'll certainly be useful. You'll be a great attack force. Prove that your escape wasn't in vain."

He turned to Lynx. "Your Xylkinesis will be useful too. You can create trees, roots, and plants. Don't let me down again." She nodded at Marshmallow.

Then he looked at all of them, one by one. "It won't be easy. Many of us will probably die, maybe all of us. But if we have to die, we'll die fighting. Like we should have done at Overblown Cast-"

But before he could continue, Marshmallow suddenly stiffened. His senses detected something. A dark and menacing energy was rapidly approaching.

"Do you feel that?" Marshmallow asked tensely. "We're not alone."

The others looked around confused, but soon they too sensed the imminent threat. On the horizon, a large airship was rapidly approaching.

"They're Novgovians," Lynx whispered. "And there are many of them."

As the Novgovians approached, Marshmallow felt a strange calm descend upon him. This was the chance for his companions to prove their worth, to redeem themselves and maybe earn his forgiveness.

"Guys," he called, without taking his eyes off the approaching army. "I could face them alone, but I want all of you to participate. Are you up for it?"

The trio, surprised by Marshmallow's almost conciliatory tone, quickly recovered. They nodded, now all ready to fight again. At that moment, Raven's leadership instinct took over. "We need to use the ruins to our advantage. Lynx, can you use your Xylkinesis to create barricades and obstacles?"

Lynx nodded, her eyes shining with determination. "I can do that. There are enough underground roots and hidden vegetation among the stones."

"Good," Raven continued. "Parabellum, you'll cover the left flank. I'll take the right. Marshmallow..."

He paused, looking at him with a mixture of respect and fear. The aura of power emanating from Marshmallow was palpable.

Marshmallow finished the sentence for him. "I'll be on the front line. I'll act as bait and the main strike force."

Raven nodded, grateful. "Exactly. Your new... armor looks incredibly powerful. You'll be able to withstand their initial assault while we prepare our defenses."