Astronaut clapped his hands twice.

Three figures stepped out of the crowd of Adventurers.

Akumi's system filled her in on their details.

The first was a little, blonde cat girl wearing a tattered, black dress. This was Grimalkin, the Sorceress Supreme of the High Fantasy Universe. Her cat eyes were wide open. 'Players....' She grinned with pointed teeth. 'I thought they were extinct!'

The second was a boulder of a man wearing a woolly mammoth mask that looked like it was made out of the real thing. This was Mammoth, the Number One Slasher of the Slasher Universe. He flexed his muscles. 'Finally, a real challenge!'

The third was a snow white brunette in a cosmonaut space suit. This was Moon, the Assassin Queen of the Slipstream Universe. She smiled and waved. 'Hi, guys! I'm Moon! Spelt M-zero-zero-M on YouChan! The United Worlds just discovered my universe, so please treat me well!' She bowed.

These were the Renegades, former members of the League of Monsters who had turned traitor and joined the United Worlds.

Astronaut turned to General Mantis. 'What do you say, General? It would be a good idea to let the Renegades deal with these Players before they get out of control.'

General Mantis shook his head. 'Don't overstep your authority, Astronaut. We're all reasonable sentients here. I'm sure we can settle our differences diplo—'

Wizard raised his hand at General Mantis. 'I tire of this. Flamma.' A fireball shot out and exploded in General Mantis' face.

General Mantis collapsed to the ground.

Everyone gasped.

Hissing, Grimalkin rushed towards Wizard.

Wizard shot another fireball, which exploded on impact. When the smoke cleared, however, Grimalkin was covered in glowing green, skeletal armour.

'Pathetic.' She slashed Wizard across the chest with her skeletal claws. He leapt back, bleeding, and tried to fire another fireball, but all that came out were sparks.

Grimalkin tittered. 'You godling fool. My magic exoskeleton absorbs all magical attacks. It also absorbs the mana of my enemies if I cut them with the claws.' She scratched Wizard across the face, and blood gushed out.

Buddha! thought Akumi.

Roaring, Beast charged in to help his fellow Double Ranker, but Mammoth blocked him. 'Going somewhere special?'

'Out of my way!' Beast equipped a double-barrelled shotgun and let fire.

The buckshot bounced harmlessly off Mammoth's body like he was surrounded by a force field.

Beast skidded to a stop. 'What?!'

Mammoth laughed. 'My Zone protects me from anything a small fry like you can dish out! Now, my turn!' He equipped a spear the size of a lamp post and smashed it into Beast. sending him flying across the room and slamming into a wall. Beast's power armour burst open, and blood sprayed out. He slid down the wall.

'Surely, you can do better than that!' Mammoth leapt over the circle of Adventurers after his prey.

Ninja giggled. 'You guys are getting your asses kicked.' Instead of helping Wizard or Beast, though, he turned invisible and reappeared behind Moon with a high-frequency katana. He slashed her across the back, but the gash he made revealed the metal endoskeleton underneath. He frowned. 'An android?!'

Moon grabbed his wrist and gave a shit-eating grin. 'Nope! Automated Killing Machine! Mechanical body; human soul! I see you can do magic tricks! That's cool! So can I! Look, I can decrease my weight!' She floated up into the air, pulling Ninja up with her. 'And now I'll increase it!' She dropped down and slammed him to the floor, cracking the floorboards with his body. Ninja spat out blood. Moon laughed. 'Tada!' She slammed him down again and again.

The Players screamed at the sight.

'JESUS CHRIST!' said Jane. 'THE VIDEO GAME PEOPLE ARE TRYING TO KILL US! RUN, GAMERS! RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!'

All 100 Players panicked and rushed the circle of 1100 Adventurers around them. Caught up in the confusion, Akumi and her group did the same.

'Move it!' Michelle punched through a posse of space cowboys using her super strength, sending them flying.

The Players cascaded through the breach.

Akumi heard Venus' voice behind them. 'After them!'

The Players scattered throughout the many rooms of the Adventurers Guild Headquarters, the Adventurers hot on their heels. Pretty soon, Akumi, Emma, Michelle, and Jane as well as Saeko, Lee, and Chu had separated from the main group completely. Akumi searched for a way out of the building, but the medieval rooms seemed to go on forever. They passed through a living quarters, a blacksmith's forge, and an indoor garden before coming upon a giant dojo.

A Dungeon Gate appeared in front of them. The Good Guys stepped out: Jaguar, Astronaut, Komodo Kong, Fly, and Snake.

Jaguar pointed at them. 'This is as far as you go!'

'Bite me!' Michelle swung her boxing glove into Jaguar's chest, but he tanked the impact. Michelle looked shocked.

Jaguar laughed. 'That's quite a punch! But I'm the Number One Superhero of the Superhero Universe and the World Heavyweight Champion of the Professional Wrestling Universe! I'm used to taking hits!' He flipped Michelle upside down, placed her head between his thighs, and jumped up. 'BROOKLYN PILEDRIVEEER!' He smashed her head through the floorboards.

Akumi winced. Youch!

Scowling, Emma threw Astronaut through the ceiling using her telekinesis, but he slammed her down using his gravity manipulation, leaving a giant hand print on the floor around her unconscious body.

'GO TO HELL, YOU INTERDIMENSIONAL VAMPIRES!' Jane equipped a raygun and rapid-fired at Komodo Kong, but the green energy beams did nothing to the giant kaiju chimera. Komodo Kong grunted, picked Jane up by her foot, and held her upside down.

Jane flailed wildly. 'AAAH! HELP MEEE!'

Saeko turned to Akumi and grinned. 'Fuji! Let's double team him like in Dungeons & Drakes Online! I've aggro; you save!'

Akumi nodded. 'Got it!'

Still in her Hellhound Girl Warrior form, Saeko took a running jump and slashed open Komodo Kong's fingers with her burning claws. Komodo Kong roared in pain and let go of Jane.

Shit! That crazy bitch! Akumi ran in and caught the screaming girl before she hit the floor. Phew! Safe!

Jane equipped a shrink ray and shot Komodo Kong again. This time, the kaiju chimera shrank to the size of a hamster. Jane leapt out of Akumi's arms and kicked him across the giant dojo. 'AND STAY OUT!'

This gave the others in the group a second wind.

Chu equipped golden bat, summoned a lightning bolt through the ceiling, and batted it at Fly and his eyebots. 'Ora!'

The power armoured man and his machines lit up with electricity, incapacitating them.

Lee equipped a brain bug and threw it onto Snake's head. 'Submit!'

Now loyal to Lee, Snake turned around and used the Right Hand of Nyarlathotep to finger snap Jaguar and Astronaut together into one being. This new superhero-spaceman crashed around the room, unable to control his super strength and gravity manipulation at the same time. Snake attacked him with her axe guitar.

Footfall from behind. The Adventurers from the great hall were gaining on them.

Saeko hauled the unconscious Emma and Michelle over her shoulders. 'Nice job, Fuji! Let's go!'

They all ran out of the giant dojo together.

Eventually, the group reached a cul-de-sac ending in a balcony.

What Akumi saw beyond was incredible.

It was an infinite, horizontal and vertical maze of constantly moving medieval rooms. The Adventurers Guild Headquarters wasn't just a building; it was a pocket universe!

Then she realised—for those who didn't know the terrain, escape would be impossible.

A Dungeon Gate appeared behind them. The Renegades stepped out: Grimalkin, Mammoth, and Moon. The bloodied bodies of a dozen Players lay behind them.

'You don't scare me! Ura!' Chu summoned a lightning bolt through the ceiling and batted it at Moon. The girl was electrified and spasmed to the floor. Chu laughed. 'Dumb robot! You could never defeat an Electric Type Mon Man like me!'

Moon suddenly bolted upright. Her face was deranged. 'I AM NOT A ROBOT! I AM A HUMAN BEING! I HAVE A SOUL!' She powered through the electricity coursing through her body, sprinted at Chu, and tackled him off the balcony.

'JESUS CHRIST!' said Jane.

Lee threw a brain bug onto Mammoth's head. 'You're mine!'

Mammoth laughed. 'Brainwashing, eh? You think this will stop me? I've beaten every slasher in the Slasher Universe! This is nothing!' Mammoth tensed all the muscles on his boulder of body until the brain bug exploded.

Did...did he just tense the muscles in his brain?!

Mammoth shoulder charged Lee through a wall.

Grimalkin strolled towards Akumi, Saeko, and Jane, purring like a cat before three cornered mice. The girls glanced at each other nervously.

Akumi placed her hand on Jane's shoulder. 'Run. We'll hold her off.'

The 13-year-old nodded, summoned a miniature flying saucer around herself, and flew out of the cul-de-sac.

Saeko put down Emma and Michelle and slapped Akumi on the back. 'Heroic! Wanna tag team the cat girl?! I'm a hellhound girl, and you're a werewolf girl! By the Law of the Jungle, we can't lose!'

Akumi smiled and cracked her knuckles. 'Sure.'

They ran at Grimalkin together.

Grimalkin's eyes turned into black holes. 'Godling fools.' She clawed their chests open at the speed of lightning. 'When you oppose the United Worlds, you lose.'

Blood gushed out of their chests.

It was like torture.

Saeko fell to the floor.

Barely keeping conscious, Akumi limped away from Grimalkin.

A Dungeon Gate appeared in front of her. It was Monster Slayer and Bunny-Bear!

Thank the Buddha!

In all the excitement, she and Emma had forgotten all about their benevolent benefactors!

Akumi reached out her hand. 'Help!'

The pair said nothing.

Bunny-Bear equipped her repeating crossbow and fired a spiderpillar at Akumi. The critter chimera tied her up in webbing and made her fall to the cold, hard floor.

What was happening?

Monster Slayer stood over her, dark and ominous, his right eye blazing.

Akumi frowned. 'Guys?'

He punched her in the face with a mailed fist.

Then everything went black.