At the square, David’s and Wyn’s teams, along with other elites, anxiously await further instructions. The only sound is the low hum of chatter among the crowd – until Dark Force and Pete emerge from portals onto the stage.

  “There isn’t much more for us to say than to thank you for your role in this war,” Pete announces. “For more information on Heaven, consult your wristbands. The nerds army will remain here, anxiously waiting to read your reports.”

  As he finishes, the glass dome begins to fade, followed by the shalmali tree base dissolving from the bottom up until it reaches the ceiling level of the third floor. Below it is a massive portal.

  “Before you go…,” Pete begins.

  Portals open, and out step the CATOTO family cats, minus Catato, accompanied by demons and nerds. They form a solemn path, guiding the elites toward the menacing portal. As the elites walk through, the cats hand out veils filled with their saliva. At the end of the path, the CATOTO cats leap forward, temporarily blocking the way.

  “We did our best to produce as much saliva as possible," Catito says, his voice trembling. "You each get three veils, so use them wisely to treat your wounds. We…,” He pauses, sniffling. “We wish we could go with you, to fight for Hell by your side, but we are not allowed. All we can do is wait and hope to see your triumphant return to us, to Hell.”

  As Catito finishes, the demons and nerds close in on the elites, offering heartfelt farewells. David’s team quickly finds themselves swarmed by an enthusiastic crowd of nerds, inadvertently pushing Wyn’s team aside to make room. Yet, none of this matters to Wyn’s team. Their focus is elsewhere – on the one they truly wish to see: Cateto.

  Right on cue, Cateto bounds into view, leaping effortlessly from head to head as he searches for them. The moment he spots Wyn’s team, he launches himself toward them, landing squarely on Wyn’s face. His tiny body shakes with emotion, his cries muffling any coherent words he tries to say. But his feelings are clear, a mix of love and sadness radiating from the little cat.

  “You must come back, all of you,” Cateto cries, his small voice trembling as tears soak his words.

  With the crowd pressing in, Cateto can’t simply enlarge himself to accommodate everyone. Instead, each team member takes turns giving him the firmest, most heartfelt hug they can muster. Mira is the last. She holds Cateto gently yet firmly in both hands, her gaze fixed on the “C&A” logo on his chest.

  “You’ll need more letters,” she says softly. “Grow some fur for us, yeah? We want all our initials on you. Remember, ‘W,’ ‘Y,’ ‘M,’ ‘J,’ and ‘L’.”

  Cateto nods vigorously, his tears glistening. “I will. I definitely will – Wyn, Yu, Mira, James, and Lisa.”

  Yu’s eyes widen with surprise. “You remembered all our names!” he exclaims, his voice a mix of awe and joy.

  “Hey, guys!” a familiar voice suddenly calls out.

  The team turns to see Marcus approaching, with Rex trailing just behind him.

  “Look at how far you two have come,” Marcus says, nodding toward Wyn and Yu. “From souls just hanging out on the Greed level to now being elites. Your team is in good hands, and I’ll be rooting for your safe return.”

  “Hope you find a new partner soon!” Wyn teases.

  Marcus chuckles. “We’ll see about that. Maybe one of you can be mine,” he quips.

  Rex abruptly pushes Marcus aside and steps forward. “I just wanted to wish you all the best,” he says, his tone quiet but sincere. “Come find me at the dock when you are back and tell me all about your adventures in Heaven.” Without waiting for a reply, he gives a small nod and turns to leave.

  “I am sorry to interrupt your moments, but it is time for you elites to march forward,” Catito announces, his deep, echoing voice sending a chill through Wyn as it evokes memories of hearing CATOTO speak for the first time.

  “With our numbers so thin, we will advance through Heaven one level at a time. Level zero is shared territory between Heaven and Hell,” Catito explains. “The wall you emerged from before entering Hell is the midpoint. This portal will take you to the other side of that wall. Please, be prepared.”

  Level zero – or floor zero, as it is known in Heaven – was originally intended as a neutral space for separated souls to reconnect. However, the initiative never materialized, and a dividing wall was erected, firmly marking the boundary between Heaven and Hell.

  The elites fall into formation as the demons and nerds step aside, clearing the path once more. The army is divided by faction, with David leading his at the front – placing Wyn’s team directly behind him. Steve’s faction follows next, with Wei’s bringing up the rear.

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  “Dang, I really thought we’d get to hang back and let everyone else do the fighting while we stay as safe as possible,” Wyn whispers to his team.

  Anxiety tightens in Wyn’s chest as he watches David’s team carefully descend into the large portal.

  “I wish I had a heart. I’d be feeling how it beats right now,” Mira murmurs, her voice laced with unease.

  In solidarity, Wyn’s team grips each other’s hands tightly. Together, they jump.

  With their usual luck, the entire team lands face-first on the floor, sliding out of the portal.

  “Get up quickly before other souls land on top of you!” Jesús shouts.

  “Wait, we’re in Heaven now, so the censorship shouldn’t apply anymore!” Fatima chimes in.

  “God, god, god, god, god! Jesús, Jesús, Jesús! You’re right, Fati!” Isabella exclaims in excitement.

  “Nice to finally get my name back!” Jesús remarks.

  While the last of the Hell army emerges from the wall, the three leaders adjust their stances, unsure whether to attack. In front of them stand two dogs, oddly dressed in angelic gowns with halos hovering above their heads. One of the dogs casually smokes, the cigarette dangling from its mouth with an air of indifference, while the other stands frozen in shock, its mouth agape as it stares at the elites.

  “They’re...they’re too cute for me to kill them,” Steve says.

  “We eat them where I came from, so ret me do it,” Wei adds.

  The greyhound, with its mouth still agape, immediately raises its hands, signaling a surrender. The borzoi beside it follows suit.

  "Woof, woof, woof, wooooooof," the greyhound woofs, its eyes wide with nervousness.

  “They can’t speak?” Steve wonders aloud.

  “They probably don’t have nerds like we do,” David adds.

  “Boss, the band. There’s a translator feature somehow,” Charlotte says.

  The band’s menu has drastically changed. While the essence count menu remains, the options now include: “Activate Barrier,” “Heaven,” “Woof Translator,” “Pitch Tent,” “Change Apparel,” “Report,” “Megaphone,” and “Summons,” with the last two option only accessible to the three leaders.

  “Can you woof again?” David asks, holding the virtual screen steady, his fingers poised over the controls, ready to process the dog’s input.

  The greyhound, startled by the screen, lets out a sharp yelp before peeing on the spot, its legs trembling. The borzoi sighs, clearly unimpressed by the reaction.

  “So, you’re finally here, Hell army. I was dying out of boredom,” the borzoi says, its cigarette impressively still in its mouth. The screen displays the translation as the words are spoken.

  “Why are there just the two of you here? Are you the angels? Can you get us to the gate?” David asks.

  "Chill. Are we angels? Hmm…forced to be, yes. And of course, I’ll take you to the gate – just don’t kill me,” the borzoi responds. Then, in a sing-song tone, it adds, “Let me do it for you.”

  “Why is it empty? Where are the souls entering Heaven?” Steve asks.

  “Your timing is impeccable. We just sent one group in and were about to accept the next batch.”

  “Hey! This is important! How many breeds of dogs are there here?” Wyn interjects.

  “All sorts.”

  Wyn squeals in excitement, but James quickly dampens his enthusiasm, reminding him that they might have to fight the dogs at some point.

  “Wait, I want to speak dog. Wan wan, wan wan,” Yu interrupts.

  “Let me try! Hong hong hong!” Wyn chimes in.

  “Did you just call me a whore and ask where I hide my mother’s body?” the borzoi responds, clearly unamused.

  “Ahem...what about the archangels?” Jesús cuts in, steering the conversation back on track.

  “Dunno. Probably sucking the Great Master’s dick,” the borzoi replies.

  The borzoi’s blunt response causes murmurs of confusion among those close enough to hear. Despite the odd answer, the leaders hold their patience, waiting for every Hell elite to arrive before they ask the dogs to lead them to the gate.

  Unlike Hell, the path to the gate is nothing short of grand. A golden gate swings open, revealing a vast field of clouds. Standing on a cloud guides the soul toward the actual gate. With only two thousand souls in the army, there are more than enough clouds to accommodate them all. As they slowly glide through the air, images of Light Force interacting with souls appear in the sky, accompanied by angelic music that praises him.

  “They look happy,” Lisa comments.

  “Could be propaganda, eh. You never know these days,” James replies.

  As the towering golden gate, similar to Hell’s, comes into view, David squints, trying to make out the flying figures hovering in front of it.

  “Why are you leading them here? You should be stopping them!” one of the figures calls out.

  “Two of us against thousands of them? We’re dogs, not idiots,” the borzoi retorts.

  With a final glance, the borzoi turns to the Hell champions. “Alright, we’ve done what we could for you. We’ll leave now.” In an instant, both dogs dash away on all fours, retreating from the gate.

  The figures stand poised, their stances ready for a clash. The leaders signal the army to prepare, activating the “Megaphone” feature from the band menu. As the clouds close in, it becomes clear that the winged figures – resembling a man, a lion, an ox, and an eagle – are the Living Creatures. Each of them has six wings extending gracefully from their forms, and their bodies are covered with countless eyes, glinting and unblinking as they survey the approaching army.

  “Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty. We will defend in Your honor!” the man figure declares.

  "Holy, holy, holy shit! Our first battle out of Hell’s pit!" Wyn exclaims.