The trip through the underground was a strange mix of boring and tense. For hours, all they could see were rock walls and the occasional branching tunnel.

Hilda passed out and woke up a few times, and the silver marks now covered three-quarters of her body. Elwen stayed close to her and whispered words of comfort that Greg wasn't sure the miner could even hear.

Lylia kept checking and rechecking her weapons, which was a nervous habit she had when she was a Royal Knight. Greg didn't think Veldway was sleeping because he was sitting perfectly still with his eyes closed.

It was more likely that he was doing math in his head, figuring out how to put the Resonance Hammer together, or thinking about the different things that could happen in the upcoming fight.

Greg attempted to contact Marina multiple times using his communication crystal, but the underground location hindered the signal. All he could hear were static and fragments of sound, which might have been voices or his own delusions. Not knowing what was going on above was a special kind of torture.

Finally, after what seemed like forever and no time at all, the tunnel started to go up. There was light ahead, not the phosphorescent glow of moss, but real daylight coming down from above.

As the incline got steeper, the cart started to slow down. Greg had to shield his eyes from the intense light when they eventually emerged.

They were in Meridian. Or what was left of it.

The cart had taken them up through a maintenance shaft in what looked like the trade district. The buildings surrounding them suffered various forms of damage, ranging from cracked walls to completely collapsed structures.

The streets were eerily quiet, which meant that the evacuation had worked, at least in this area. But the real horror was in the sky.

The Calamity.

It was even bigger than what the news said. It's now at least four hundred feet tall and is a horrible mix of thousands of weapons and the souls of people it has killed.

It moved through the air like a nightmare that was swimming, its body changing shape and moving all the time. Swords turned into spears, then axes, and finally things that had no name. Greg sensed the evil magic energy holding everything together, akin to static electricity before a lightning strike.

It was attacking the western part of the city with projectiles that it grew from its body and shot with deadly force. Every time something hit, it sent up clouds of debris and smoke.

Greg could see tiny people in the distance. They were defenders trying to fight back with what looked like siege weapons and magic. They might as well have been throwing rocks at a hurricane.

"Sweet merciful gods," Lylia said. "That's not a weapon anymore...! That's the end of the world!"

"It won't be the end if all of us are here," Greg said, making his voice sound strong. "Veldway, how long will it take to put the Resonance Hammer together?"

"Four hours, assuming no breaks."

"Three if I push and agree to a five percent margin of error. Two, if I use the Thought-forged technique a lot and risk getting mentally tired." Veldway was already getting out of the cart, his eyes fixed on the Calamity. "I will get it done in two and a half hours since it's so time-sensitive."

"A good balance between safety and speed."

Greg said, "We'll buy you that time. Anything that needs to be done!"

They began to walk through the damaged area, heading toward the place where Greg's communication crystal said the signals were strongest. His family was very close, and he just had to find them.

A voice that sounded familiar came from a broken building. "Greg?! Greg...! GREG!!!"

Marina came out from behind a wall that had fallen down, and Greg's heart almost stopped. She was still alive.

She was covered in dust and obviously tired, with her frying pan drawn and her armor dented, but she was still alive. She ran toward him, and when they met, they hugged so hard that they both lost their breath.

"You absolute idiot," Marina said into his shoulder, her voice full of emotion. "I thought you wouldn't make it."

Greg held her close and said, "I promised I'd come back, didn't I? So I did keep my word."

The rest of the Brotherhood came out of their hiding places. Bork with his hammer, looking serious. Felix tried to keep his usual excitement, but he was clearly shaken.

Seraphine was calm and calculating, but Greg could see that she was relieved. Mira was bouncing with happiness, even though things were awful. Donetta is as calm as ever. Tunner, who is big and scary, carries his new warhammer on his shoulder.

"Veldway," Tunner said, his deep voice showing that he was very surprised. "You came."

Veldway said, "You sound shocked. Did you think I would let you all die?"

Tunner said, "Kind of, yeah... you've been gone for three fucking years, you dumbass!"

"I've had a lot to do. And people keep interrupting my work with problems." Veldway moved on and shook Tunner's hand in the warrior's way, even though he said what he said. "It's nice to see you again, old friend."

"Nice to see you too. Even if things are really bad." Tunner looked at the things they had brought. "Is that for the fucking Calamity?"

"Yes, the Resonance Hammer. I need a safe place to work that has enough room. Somewhere with structural support in case of a major failure would be best."

Tunner suggested, "The old cathedral in the middle of town. The stone building, with a strong foundation, was mostly empty during the evacuation. It'll probably work."

"Then that's where we go." Veldway looked at the group that had gathered. "I'll need about two and a half hours of uninterrupted time to craft."

"The Calamity can't get to me during that time, or the weapon will fail, and we won't get another chance because this plan right here is a one-try thing. That's all we get."

Everyone looked at each other, and the heaviness of what had been said hung over them like a real thing. Marina then pulled out her frying pan. "Then we make sure you get that time. Everyone of us!"

"All of us!" Greg said, and the others nodded one by one.

Bork picked up his hammer. Felix cracked his knuckles, and his Infinite Luck System was probably doing math on their chances.

Seraphine started getting the parts ready for the spell. Lylia looked at her blade one last time. Elwen pulled Hammy out of her pocket, and the slime chirped with excited determination even though it had no idea what they were going to do.

Even Hilda, who was barely awake, was able to hold on to her pickaxe. "I can still... fight..."

Greg told her softly, "No, you've done enough. You need to rest."

"I need to help..." Hilda's eyes were unfocused, and the silver markings had spread to almost all of her body. "Please..."

Greg looked at her and all of them, the people who had become his family. He had repeatedly put them in danger.

People who believed in what he was trying to build followed him anyway. A world where people worked together to solve problems without violence whenever they could, but where they stood together when violence was necessary.

"Okay," he said. "We do this as a team... one last time!"

"We keep that thing busy while Veldway works, we protect the people who couldn't leave, and we don't let that monster destroy this city. Got it?"

"Got it," they all said.

"Okay... Now let's go!"

"Tunner, take Veldway to the cathedral! The rest of us are going to go annoy that fucking thing."

Veldway headed to the central district, accompanied by Tunner as his escort, while Greg guided his team toward the western district, where the Calamity was currently active. They moved toward the sounds of destruction and the cries of those who hadn't escaped in time. They approached what could be either their greatest victory or their final stand.

The Calamity seemed to know they were coming. Part of its giant body turned to face them, and Greg could swear he saw something like recognition in the way the weapons inside it lined up.

It seemed as if it remembered him. Remembered the blacksmith who wouldn't make weapons.

"Hey, ugly!" Felix yelled at it, and his voice carried clearly through the ruined street. "Do you remember us? We're here again! And this time we brought friends!"

"With the power of friendship we will—"

The Calamity's answer was to shoot a bunch of sharp projectiles that would have killed them all if Seraphine hadn't put up an ice wall just in time. The sounds of the hits against the magical ice were like a drum roll of doom.

"Fuck you! You didn't let me finish!"

Marina said, "These next two and a half hours are going to feel very long."

"Better make them count then," Greg said, raising his Guardian's Oath shield as the real fight began.

Veldway set up his things and picked up the Thought-forged Hammer in the old cathedral behind them. His mind cleared, and he focused on the task at hand with the single-minded intensity that had made him one of the best craftsmen of his time.

He had two and a half hours to make a weapon that could stop an apocalypse. The clock started now.

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