Getting up to his feet disoriented, Michael grabbed his second last Healing Potion and downed it.

Thanks to that stupidly loud lightning strike, his hearing was gone, and his sense of balance was effectively terminated. Unable to stand without wobbling, he sat back on the ground, waiting for the potion to work its magic.

'How fucking ridiculous... '

The sight in front of him was too exaggerated for words. Cerberus was sprawled on the ground, with a large round hole probably at least a meter in diameter, deader than dead.

Under the creature, a barely visible hole in the ground with edges similarly round was probably the path the lightning took after devastating the Boss.

After about five minutes of catching his breath, Donan stood up first and walked to an area behind the slain Cerberus. Michael also stood up groggily and joined him since he couldn't see beyond the disgustingly smelling charred dog.

There, he found Astaroth lying on the ground, unmoving, with Donan looming over him.

"Is he dead?"

[No. Just immobilized. It was the chains... I couldn't see it before, but Lilith... helped us.](Donan)

"Huh!?"

[I don't understand it either. Why would she do such a thing? But I am certain she did. The chains are proof of that.](Donan)

Michael's expression of incomprehension changed when he remembered the two thick chains connected to the three-headed dog created from Nafain's blood and lower body.

It was true that Astaroth held the chains in his hands and not once released them during their fight, but he didn't have the time to ponder the matter.

"Now that I think about it, it's odd. Astaroth, the Charred Duke, using this mutt to fight for him instead of using his own body? It makes no sense."

[Mhm. It was a medium. My boy... Yorin wasn't enough to manifest the devil's powers, so Lilith gave him this Amalgam of Hatred to stabilize him. Then, she used the chains as a conductor for most of the power in the soulstone. That way, Yorin would only have to endure the changed appearance, while the beast would receive most of the demonic energy.](Donan)

"Then Yorin..."

Seeing the man shake his head despondently, Michael kept quiet and didn't finish his question.

[Astaroth's ego would be enough to crush my soul if I were in Yorin's position. He... he didn't stand a chance. Airidah, Nafain... myself. We all failed him. Our pride and arrogance led to this conclusion. I thought bringing the Cathedral and depressing this devil would be enough, but I failed to foresee or adequately prepare for such a future. If I had tried to talk more with Airidah and Nafain and explain my choice to them... Yorin could've lived.](Donan)

"..."

[*Sigh* Astaroth is finished. I would've been eternally grateful to her if I hadn't lost some of my closest friends and son in exchange. How fate toys with us...](Donan)

"How did you finish him? Was the lightning you used?"

[No. While it might be my most potent spell, it's not enough to wound a Duke of Hell to such a degree. Furthermore, I targeted the chains and the beast, not Astaroth himself. Remember how we sealed him in this soulstone previously?](Donan)

"Yes."

[And you should know how the Burning Hells use the Dungeons by having devils imbue a portion of their souls in Elites and Boss-level monsters, right?](Donan)

"You mean..."

[Mhm. This was a similar case. With the chains as a conductor, Astaroth imbued more than 50% of his soul in this beast. Once I destroyed the chains, he couldn't retract it in time, and after killing his 'puppet,' he would lose his 'investment.' Now, he's in a weakened state.](Donan)

"So he's still not dead even after losing half of his soul?"

[Devils are not that easy to kill, Wanderer. However, this is good enough. With more than half of his soul lost and the other portion injured, I can use the soulstone and grind him into pieces. Slowly. And incredibly painfully.](Donan)

Looking at the Horadrim kneeling beside Astaroth's immobile body, Michael felt sorry for him. The losses he suffered... he didn't deserve such a fate.

The man's trembling hands reached the soulstone, and while grunting from the effort, he could finally pull it out. With the item storing the demonic entity removed, Astaroth's outer appearance crumbled like ash in the wind, revealing the body of Yorin beneath.

Dropping the soulstone to the ground, Donan embraced the dead body of his son, as soul-breaking sobs could be heard throughout the silent settlement.

[I'm sorry, my son. I'm sorry...](Donan)

"Donan, I... *sigh* ... I will leave you in peace."

Leaving the man behind to grieve, Michael returned to the entrance of Lower Cerrigar, where he found Celeste, Mira, and many other Wanderers waiting.

The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

Nodding at everyone, he looked at Celeste.

"It's finally over. The townsfolk can search for loved ones now. Most evacuated, but I'm sure others stayed behind. The demonic fire still rages, so it would be good to put it out first and save those who can be saved."

[*Sigh* A shame about Yorin. He was a promising youth. We'll take care of him and his father. Let's return to Upper Cerrigar.](Celeste)

Preparing to leave, Michael turned around and saw Donan store the body of his son away, then pick up the soulstone and teleport away.

After finishing his business in the city, he would visit the Firebreak Manor. After all, the Necromancer already knew the resting place Donan would choose for his son.

[ Main Quest complete - As the World Burns

Reward 1: 94,462 experience points

Reward 2: 10,600 gold coins

Reward 3: Charred Gauntlets (Rare gloves). ]

Quietly inspecting the gloves, Michael sighed and decided to store this item away along with all others that had a similar historical description.

They would serve as reminders about the people he met and the adventures he went through in the future.

[ Description: Seared through the flames of combat long ago during the Days of Ash, these gauntlets were forged in the demonic fires of Astaroth and quenched in the blood of heroes. ]

With the second Main Quest sequence completed, he only had one left to cover.

[ Main Quest issued - The Spreading Darkness (locked)

Objective: Meet with Lorath in Ked Bardu (locked)

Description: You should look for Lorath in Ked Bardu and see if he's picked up any leads on the Pale Man. Lorath will inform you when the time is right. ]

The Quest was temporarily locked since Lorath was still chasing Lilith's 'assistant' and hadn't requested his help yet.

He only had two other Side Quests to finish, which would probably help him reach Level 50.

[You seem lost in thought.](Mira)

"Sorry. I'm at 660,822/689,724 of my current level and close to 50. I was thinking about what to do next. I have a few quests, but I'm not sure they'll be enough to level up, and I am not in the mood for Dungeon diving right now."

[I see. How about searching through Cerrigar? After this mess, there are bound to be some easy Quests you can get.](Celeste)

Agreeing to the suggestion, the trio returned to Upper Cerrigar after leaving the other Wanderers to deal with the survivors and the flames.

As expected, the city was abuzz, especially after the older generation realized it was Astaroth.

[That thing was Astaroth, plain as stone. Donan swore it was dead!]

[That may be, but I saw him go and help. Just now, I heard from the guards that he lost everything trying to stop it, including his boy...]

Seeing two women talking near the walls, Michael shook his head at the speed with which gossip traveled. Sometimes, he even wondered if light wasn't the fastest moving thing in the universe but gossip instead.

Of course, not everyone was interested in gossip.

[Dad said if anything happened, we'd meet in the market. He'll be here; I know he will!]

A middle-aged man was pacing back and forth, worried about the well-being of his loved one.

While Celeste and Mira reacted admirably fast, it still wasn't enough to save everyone. There were bound to be casualties and loved ones who would suffer because of those losses.

After walking a bit further in, Chieftain Crannoch came forward and heavily patted Michael's shoulder.

[I saw what you and Donan did for us... what he had to do to his son. It's a cruel fate for an old warrior to see his legacy perish. *Sigh* He did not deserve it.](Crannoch)

"..."

[Thank you for risking your life to save so many of my people. The glenfolk will forever remember this favor. You will always have a friend in us.](Crannoch)

After parting with the Chieftain who left for Lower Cerrigar to deal with the mess, Michael followed the two women who kept asking different questions about his skills.

On their way, Celeste suddenly stopped with a strange smile, looking at a boy, probably around 11-12 years old.

The child was pulling a small cart, and the word 'Merchant' was written in five different languages on it. The Necromancer could understand the words because the boy had a Side Quest to offer.

"Hello. What are you selling, young merchant?"

[Kian... what are you up to again?](Celeste)

[Big sister! I have new goods to sell! I got day-old bread and these fun rocks I found. The bread's not so bad if you toast it. My best sellers were my carved charger tusks. If you carve the correct pattern, they're good luck. That's what Da told me.](Kian)

[That's true. I still have the one you sold me for 50 gold coins. Sneaky brat! Overcharging your customers from such a young age.](Celeste)

[You can't say that, big sister! I worked hard to inscribe the proper patterns on them. Ugh... that reminds me. I'm all out of tusks. And money... oh, but if you bring me some tusks, I'll cut you in on the profits!](Kian)

Smiling and accepting to help the boy, Michael got his third Side Quest.

[ Side Quest issued - The Fledgling Merchant

Objective: Collect Charger Tusks (0/10)

Description: A boy from Cerrigar wishes he had more charger tusks to sell. The beasts are common throughout the Emerald Chase. ]

Seeing the description, Michael accepted the brainless Quest as a welcomed novelty. Having to kill some animals, collect their tusks, and then bring them back to the boy.

No complex stuff, no hidden intrigue, no demons of Hell or Angels of Heaven he had to deal with.

The trio then stopped at the Inn, where Celeste asked Aerulf, the Innkeeper, about the situation.

[How are the people holding up?](Celeste)

[Well enough, as long as we don't stop movin'. We're not that brittle lass.](Aerulf)

[That's good to hear. Any word from the Cathedral yet?](Celeste)

[No. Last I heard, the bastards took a beatin' down at Eldhaime Keep. It seems the rest tucked tails and fled back south. Good riddance, I say.](Celeste)

The trio frowned. The implications wouldn't be minor if the church retracted all its stationed Knights. Many outposts would remain unguarded.

Since Michael didn't have Prava's 'contact details,' he couldn't reach her. Fortunately, Mira confirmed that only a portion of the wounded Knights surviving after Eldhaime Keep's siege returned to Kyovashad.

Furthermore, the Cathedral was sending reinforcements to all outposts in Scosglen, as well as supplies to help rebuild and strengthen the fortifications for the upcoming war.

Mira and Celeste looked unpleasant when the word 'war' was mentioned, making what Prava was planning obvious.

Trying to change the topic, Michael focused on the only strange 'addition' to the Inn.

"Huh? Where did the cat come from? You didn't have it the last time I was here."

[Little lady just wandered in covered in soot and made herself at home. Seems to like Ale well enough.](Aerulf)

The trio was speechless as they watched the man feed a cat a glass of Ale. What was stranger was the relish with which the cat enjoyed the drink.

Leaving the Innkeeper to his devices, they left and inspected the rest of the city. Nothing was burning, but Celeste worked hard to put out fires everywhere.

[No more cities! We're taking what the fires left and heading to the country - as far as we can get!]

[Where have the Knights gone? After all the promises they just... left us?]

Stopping to explain to everyone what happened and how the Knights are sending help as we speak, a tired Celeste returned to the Chieftain's Lodge, where even more wounded than before were being treated.

Seeing everyone moaning in pain, Michael felt pretty horrible.

[Don't look so grim, Wanderer! We're a sorry sight, but we're alive. Thanks to you, I hear.](Moira)

"Miss Moira. *Sigh* That's true. Staying alive is most important."

After parting ways with Mira, who returned to take over her own problems, Celeste thanked Michael again for the help and teleported away after delegating the significant issues to those she could trust.

Walking around Cerrigar toward the other two Side Quests he saw on the MAP, the Necromancer looked at the totem he saw before, now covered in new talismans.

[ New talismans cover this druidic totem, bearing the names of the dead alongside runes of hope and healing. ]