While Adrian's group are wandering the labyrinth

The punitive force that the allied kingdoms of the central continent has already formed outside of the fallen capital of the empire. They are mainly consisted of players and some foot soldiers from each of the kingdoms in the central continent.

The allied kingdoms army pushed for the players or what they call cursed children to be the main force this time. The heads of the kingdoms are basically promising the players a reward despite not liking them. They may not like the players because of their constant revival but they hate the other races more for their prejudice.

The one who actually suggested to use the cursed children or players are the kings and nobles of each kingdom. They knew that the cursed children will be the perfect test subjects. The kings and nobles of each kingdom wanted to know how powerful this dark god could be.

The players are not alone though as there are some generals from each kingdom commanding them. The holy churches are also supporting the allied army as it is a dark god. Numerous holy churches dug deep on their archives in hopes of finding a clue on how to stop a dark god.

What the allied army and the players do not know is that even gods have ranks. The god ranks are as follows: Lesser God, Greater God and Pinnacle Gods. Lesser gods are basically gods that ascended into divinity from being mortal or born from necessity. Greater Gods are lesser gods who have gained total control of their attribute.

Pinnacle Gods are basically greater gods that gained full control of their attribute and gain power from worship that they can wield to strengthen themselves. In the hierarchy of the gods, there is a hidden rank and that is the Origin Gods. Unlike the other gods, the Origin Gods do not need power from worship as they are power themselves.

The dark god that descended on the imperial capital is actually a lesser god. Nyarlathotep, the dark god of a thousand faces, is actually a lesser god but it managed to easily bash a demigod. The allied army vanguard all knew what they were getting themselves into.

The players knew that they are being used as expendables, but they do not mind. They are looking into something more valuable than level and that is familiarity. The players could sacrifice one or two levels for the cause as long as the familiarity increases as that increases the reward and might even unlock a hidden quest.

The players unaffiliated with guilds do not mind but those with guilds do. Players in guilds are very competitive as it is very cutthroat. Still, they know that having information on the enemy is a sound battle strategy. The guilds plan to abandon the allied army if they are always treated as expendables rather than actual soldiers.

The allied army basically surrounded the imperial capital. The one leading the charge is none other than the Pope of the Church of War. The allied army is then supported by the Pope of the Church of Light as they found a magic formation that could weaken dark gods. The formation is actually written by an Asmodian and the key ingredient is the blood of one.

Asmodians will not bleed even if you force them to. They can only bleed if they want to bleed. This is the reason why the Asmodian hidden in Abelport is not bleeding despite being riddled by wounds. They are also nigh indestructible which is why they are difficult to kill.

The reason there is a vanguard force is due to the Pope of the Church of Light suggesting it. She tortured the Asmodian trapped in Abelport to cough up a magical formation that could weaken the dark gods. The Asmodian gladly gave him the magic formation and even the small drop of blood to activate it when it heard that a dark god descended.

The Asmodian knew that Pristina would not barge in and not torture him unless it is urgent. He managed to strike a deal to lessen the restrictions on his runic chains. Pristina did not want to but even she was desperate as Heaven could not assist her.

The Realm of Heaven is still locked, and demigod level angels could not escape from it. The one who locked it is none other than an Asmodian which is why the angels are furious with them. The angels are getting close to deciphering the magic that is restricting them. Once the magic is gone, they could ste out of Heaven without possessing a filthy mortal's body according to their logic.

The allied army that surrounded the imperial capital could see that it is inside a dome or a barrier. This barrier is what the Gods of Pandemonium conjured up using their collective powers. The allied army might have not seen what horror looks like but if they see the imperial capital then they would know.

Numerous grotesque monsters without features are roaming the imperial capital. These monsters are different from the faceless ones as they are quadrupeds while some have three feet. The one thing that separated them from the faceless ones is their hunger for human flesh. These monsters are basically feasting on the dead bodies in the imperial capital.

Some players that are not used to this sight became nauseated while some even puked. Although players like to hunt monsters, the monsters will usually become particles of light upon death. Even NPC deaths are like that but the scene at the imperial capital is different. It was a nightmare.

The players even doubted if they can even reach the dark god. The monsters surrounding the imperial capital looks as deadly as the giant dark god located at the center of the imperial capital. This dark god is even using the imperial castle as its own throne.

The dark god, Nyarlathotep, is basically biding its time. It needed more time for it to summon its domain in the mortal realm. The barrier it is trapped in also serves as a deterrent for it to fail in summoning its own domain in the mortal realm.