Emerging into the Americaneon region, the group finds themselves before a large portal situated where Gluttony once resided. Above, the area’s ceiling appears to have retracted, revealing a massive, hanging wooden ring above, from which the purple bands and rule breakers dangle, bound and waiting. These unfortunate souls wait in line, tied to ropes, for their eventual fate – to be fed to Gluttony. But now, both the demons and Gluttony himself are conspicuously absent.

  Despite not knowing the exact location of the battle, the group easily follows the lingering stench to find where the fight unfolds.

  “No wonder they had to remove the ceiling and the tables. Gluttony is massive!” James says.

  “And very stinky too, Mister James,” Lisa adds.

  While Heaven and Hell souls clash around them, Athena and Demeter team up against the lone Gluttony. In defense, Gluttony opens concealed openings at the tips of his body flaps, unleashing streams of green, gooey liquid that spray in every direction. To move, the moderator must roll, making it nearly impossible for him to keep pace with the two deities.

  “Hey, David!” a soul calls out.

  Surviving Skill Tree and Neutral members join the group after clearing out the remaining Heaven souls and tending to the injured on the third level.

  “Gluttony is a water type, so we’ll need to pull Demeter’s attention away from him…and to stay as far as possible from the stench,” David says.

  “Is she riding a tortoise?” Wyn asks, but no one responds.

  “I can’t think of anything that starts with ‘D’…,” Mira ponders.

  “If you’re struggling, I’ve got a D right here for you,” James adds with a grin.

  After relocating to the back of Demeter and keeping her distance, Vivian shoots an arrow into the sky, which splits into four more, aligning in a horizontal line as they descend. But with a swing of her golden sickle, Demeter deflects all the arrows.

  An amplified fiery laser from Catutu follows, forcing Demeter to summon vines from the tortoise’s back to lift herself up. However, the tortoise is quickly obliterated under the intense heat of the laser. As Catutu moves her head to adjust, Demeter has no choice but to fall and take the hit. However, vines quickly sprawl around Catutu, wrapping her tightly and forcing her down onto her belly, halting the laser.

  Demeter quickly recovers, summoning vines from the ground to grab onto and lower herself back down.

  “Aunt Deo, let me handle the souls! You’re better suited to take down this abomination,” Athena calls out.

  Ignoring Athena’s advice, Demeter charges straight for Vivian, her expression fierce and unwavering.

  "Aunt Deo!" Athena shouts, distracted, before getting shot at by Gluttony.

  Demeter has a commanding presence, her tall, robust frame draped in a gown resembling layers of golden wheat interwoven with dark green vines. Her arms and neckline are adorned with intricate wreaths of leaves and grain. Her skin has an earthy tone, her eyes a rich, deep green, and her hair flows in wild, thick waves of auburn, intertwined with small blossoms and vines. Around her waist, she wears a golden girdle shaped like twisting vines, and in one hand, she grips a curved golden sickle.

  Dodging and blocking projectiles with vines, Demeter closes in on Vivian, who has retreated to the group. Suddenly, tall green grass emerges from the ground, with small trees scattering around. After summoning another tortoise made of intertwined vines, waves of vines crawl from its legs with every step it takes. On its back, Demeter shoots vines from her palms, immediately taking out any souls in the way.

  Obstructed by the tall grass and trees, Skill Tree and its allies struggle to dodge incoming attacks from Demeter and the tortoise, let alone get a clear shot. As Wyn attempts to regroup with his team, Charlotte dashes toward the tortoise’s foot and slams it with her flail mace at full force. The impact crushes the foot, and icicles immediately form around it, slowing its movement. Charlotte quickly rushes to the back leg and repeats the attack, causing the tortoise to come to a standstill.

  Vivian, now perched atop a tree with Heysoos, fires an arrow that splits into four, this time in a straight line, aiming for Demeter. She easily evades, letting the arrows strike the back of the tortoise instead. Quickly, Demeter summons more vines to repair the tortoise and continue her advance.

  Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

  Kai, reunited with Violet and Ruben, seizes the opportunity to strike from beneath the tortoise. He summons rock pillars while Violet conjures wind-boosted snow pillars. With Ruben’s wind gusts aiding them, they lift the vine creature high enough to halt it in its tracks, preventing it from taking another step. However, their plan backfires as vines sprout from the ground, ensnaring them just as they separate in a desperate attempt to evade. Meanwhile, Demeter desummons the tortoise and drops into the grass.

  Kai engulfs himself in fire to burn away the vines and quickly moves toward Violet, shouting her name. After freeing her, they search for Ruben. But before they can reach him, Demeter emerges from the tall grass, her golden sickle raised. She strikes Ruben, the initial blow lodging into his head. With a surge of power, Demeter envelops her arms in vines, forcing the sickle down toward Ruben’s neck. His agonized scream echoes in the air, prompting Kai and Violet to rush toward him.

  They arrive just in time to see Demeter standing over the lifeless Ruben. Before they can react, she shoots vines from her palm, but they are instantly burned to a crisp by David’s flaming shield, who leaps in front to protect them.

  “David, Ruben is…,” Violet says.

  “I know,” David replies, his voice is mixed with sorrow and anger.

  David summons fire pillars from beneath Demeter and around her, but she dashes right through them, charging toward him. Vines shoot from her palm, quickly surrounding the three of them. Kai and Violet work together to slice through the vines from the back, while David charges forward, his shield held high.

  Demeter strikes with her sickle, the sharp tip aimed downward, but David blocks the blow with his shield. Seizing the opportunity, David thrusts his blade forward, aiming for her stomach. However, Demeter swiftly repositions herself, and the blade strikes her golden girdle instead, causing less damage.

  A thunderstrike follows, hitting Demeter directly and setting her ablaze. As David moves in for another strike, vine serpents slither from the ground, leaping toward him to ensnare him. Their thorny fangs sink into his flesh.

  Kai acts swiftly, cutting through the serpents and freeing David, but Demeter has vanished from sight. Without hesitation, Kai shifts his focus to Violet, who is gently cradling Ruben’s lifeless body in her arms, watching as it slowly disintegrates. Meanwhile, David drops to his knee, thrusting his sword into the ground in frustration, letting out a loud scream of anger.

  “Was that David?” Mira asks.

  “Let’s move toward the scream. Hope everything is okay,” Wyn suggests, his voice shaken, fearing for the worst.

  Heysoos and Violet, having observed everything from their vantage point in the tree, call out to their team and Wyn’s to regroup beneath it. But as Wyn’s team makes their way over, another tortoise emerges, with Demeter standing on its back once again. This time, she holds the severed heads of other Hell souls in her hands, which she drops for the tortoise to crush beneath its massive feet.

  “Where are you, the one who cowardly shot me from the back?” Demeter announces.

  Suddenly, a set of daggers hurtles toward Demeter from the side, but she deftly deflects them with her sickle.

  “This is for Ruben!” Violet cries, then begins dashing through the tall grass to hide.

  Being on top of the tortoise gives Demeter a clear view of Violet’s position, but before she can ensnare her with vines, a fiery cyclone descends, carrying Mira’s whip. The cyclone erupts around Demeter, striking and burning the tortoise. Demeter quickly summons a shield made of vines from her palms to block the attack. The explosion shatters the vine shield, and Demeter’s hands catch on fire. However, with a swift shake of both hands, the flames are extinguished almost instantly.

  Lava streams surge from beneath the tortoise, tearing through its body and rushing toward Demeter, engulfing her in searing heat. Meanwhile, Wyn’s team gathers around the tree where Heysoos and Vivian are stationed. Catutu enlarges herself, preparing to launch an attack, but before she can act, thick vines erupt from the ground, wrapping around the tree’s base. Smaller trees are uprooted and hurled at Catutu, interrupting her focus, while the vines quickly extend to ensnare everyone nearby, binding them tightly.

  A thunderstrike aimed at Demeter follows, but she swiftly dashes away the moment Wyn’s cyclone fades, charging toward the group at the tree. Multiple Neutrals leap into her path, eager to take her down themselves. Demeter dodges the first few strikes with ease, then wraps the curved side of her sickle around one soul. Using vines to propel herself over the soul, she lands gracefully behind it. With a swift twist and pull of her sickle, she severs its head instantly. Without missing a beat, Demeter summons more vines, ensnaring the remaining souls in the group. One by one, she swiftly decapitates them with precision.

  Then Demeter punches through one soul’s head with devastating force, the impact sending vines spiraling from her fist. The vines continue their deadly path, piercing through the bodies of nearby souls, shredding through their flesh.

  “It’s a slaughterfield. She’s too strong. Stronger than Ares, I feel,” Heysoos mentions.

  “What do we do?” Vivian asks.

  “We wait for her to come here,” Wyn says.

  As Demeter continues her path toward the group at the tree, she fails to detect the cleared ground ahead of her – the tall grass having already been burned away by a lava field laid by Isabella. When Demeter steps onto the molten earth, her body is instantly engulfed by lava.

  David jumps from behind Demeter, his blade aimed at her head. Just as he’s about to strike, a shield slams into him from the side, sending him tumbling into the lava pool. The shield returns, its inner side flying to grab Demeter out of the lava field. Athena has come to aid her aunt.