The pirate atop the firetruck stared down at the uninfected, the name Captain Arg floating over his head. “You are trapped and outnumbered. Accept your fate, and your turning will be painless. Resist, and I will make sure you suffer.”

The words were like that of every bully who had ever picked on Gameknight999. Memories of every beating and every public humiliation surged through his mind. Gameknight’s body tensed as he clenched his jaw. Anger and fear swirled together within Gameknight’s soul like black oil spilled into a whirlpool of water, each competing with the other, unwilling to mix. Gameknight glared up at the terrible monster.

“This is my world, and you are trespassing,” Valafar continued. “I say who lives and who dies. If you please me, I might let you continue to exist . . . for a while.”

Fury blazed up from the darkest part of Gameknight’s soul, burning away the layers of dread as he stared up at the bully with a pirate’s hat.

“You must be Valafar,” Gameknight said through clenched teeth. His words were flat, hissing like a deflating tire but with a razor-sharp edge of rage wrapped around each syllable. He set Kat on the ground, then shifted the dinosaur to his right hand as he wiped sweat from his forehead with his left.

Valafar glared down at Gameknight, a look of confusion on his face. “You’re a user, but I don’t see a server-ribbon. You’re the Other, the one I sensed in the Multiverse. What are you?”

Gameknight shrugged.

“Ahh . . . you’re the one I’ve heard so much about, the user who isn’t a user.”

“That was a name from another time,” Gameknight said, every muscle tense as anger surged through his veins. “You have infected these worlds with your vile touch and destroyed many lives.”

“Very true, but I should thank you for that, shouldn’t I?”

Gameknight didn’t reply. His heart pounded in his chest as sweat trickled down his face.

“All of you may not know it, but your pathetic little friend here is responsible for bringing me and my fellow demons into Roblox.” Valafar pointed at Gameknight999 with a clawed finger. “One of your little friends told me all about it after they became my follower. You opened a portal from the physical world to Roblox. When you came into the game, my demon brothers and sisters finally escaped the Void and came in with you.”

“What’s Captain Arg saying?” Pearl asked. “You did this?”

Gameknight didn’t answer. He kept his eyes glued to Valafar.

“If you care about those standing behind you, you’ll surrender and accept your fate.” Valafar reached out with his other hand, clawed fingers extended, then clenched them into a pointy fist. “If you refuse, I will crush you.”

Gameknight dragged the tip of the dinosaur bone across the ground. “You cross this line at your own peril.”

The NPCs, users, and pets behind Gameknight999 all stepped forward, gripping the weapons invented by Milo. Many looked to be the combination of different weapons, with tubes and springs connecting multiple parts together.

Valafar stared down at his enemy and laughed. Grabbing the gray water cannon at the front of the fire truck, he aimed it at the smallest and weakest of Gameknight’s forces, Kat.

“Say goodbye, losers.”

Valafar’s smile gave Gameknight chills.

The demon then unleashed thousands of gallons of water.

Gameknight dove to the side and grabbed Kat just as the stream of water struck him in the back. It shoved him backward, pushing him into other people. When he regained his feet, Gameknight handed Kat to a user. “Protect her,” he said, then turned to their enemy. “Everyone fire!”

Every defender with one of Milo’s inventions opened fire. Darts flew up at Valafar as golf balls bounced off the firetruck, streams of goo coating the red vehicle. One of the golf balls struck Valafar in the shoulder.  A stream of tennis balls hit the demon-pirate in the chest. A bee stinger-dart lodged itself into Valafar’s hat.

The demon jumped off the truck and hid at the back. “My Infected . . . attack!”

The huge mass of Infected surged across the dock and pushed their way into Adopt me.

Gameknight swung his dinosaur bone like a broadsword, striking knees and knocking Infected off their feet. A pair of blue NPCs tried to grab Gameknight’s arm, but a stream of green goo shot over his shoulder and coated their faces, making it impossible to see. Gameknight kicked one in the chest, sending it backward, crashing into a dinosaur while Pearl swept the legs out from under their companion. When the Infected landed on the ground. Pearl struck it in the head with the butt of her gun, knocking the NPC unconscious.

“Gameknight . . . look.” Pearl pointed down at the NPC—the infectious blue-black color was fading away, being replaced by their normal skin color.

Gameknight glanced down at the NPC, then grabbed their leg and slid them away from the fighting. A couple of users caught the healing NPC’s ankle and pulled them further from the battle.

More Infected charged forward, pushing Gameknight’s forces back.

Gameknight ducked under the claws of a gigantic adult bear, then drove the dinosaur bone into the animal’s stomach. The colossal pet doubled over, allowing Gameknight to strike it in the shoulder. The bear growled with pain and charged. Gameknight knelt, swinging the bone at the creature’s knees. His weapon hit with a loud crack, causing the bear to turn and flee.

Some of the people behind him cheered, but Gameknight knew the victory meant nothing.

A group of Pearl’s criminals stepped forward with Milo-modified machine guns and fired. Pepper pellets flew from the weapons and exploded in the air amidst the infected. Instantly, users and NPCs started sneezing, unable to fight.

“Hit them with goo!” Gameknight shouted.

Squirt guns and fire extinguishers unleashed a hurricane of pink, red, and green goo, the liquid making the ground slick. The defenders covered the ground under the Infected’s feet with the fluid until their weapons ran dry. When more Infected advanced, then slipped and fell, unable to fight.

“We stopped them!” Anna shouted.

Gameknight’s forces cheered and—

A yeti jumped up on top of the firetruck and pointed the water cannon on the ground. The frozen monster opened the nozzle and let hundreds of gallons of water wash the dock and the Infected clean. The fallen minions climbed to their feet, looks of overwhelming rage in their red eyes.

The Infected charged forward as one, pushing the defenders back.

“We can’t hold them,” Pearl said. “We must retreat, but where?”

A user fell to the ground. Infected grabbed them and pulled them into the sea of blue and black. In seconds, they were turned and now fought on Valafar’s side. A zombie buffalo knocked a pair of NPCs off their feet. Instantly, a group of Infected played dogpile and jumped on them, their blue-black bodies pinning the doomed NPCs to the ground. Valafar’s evil taint spread into the NPCs in seconds. When they stood, the two NPCs’ eyes glowed blood-red.

The defenders fell back a few steps. Valafar’s forces took more captives and turned them, reducing Gameknight’s army and growing their own.

Gameknight glanced over his shoulder and searched for an answer in Adopt Me.

“Maybe we can hold Adoption Island,” he whispered. “That’s our only hope.”

Grabbing Pearl, Gameknight pulled her close. “We need something to slow the Infected so we can withdraw.”

“I know just the thing.” Pearl smiled, then pulled out a yellow canister, a handle on the top. “Criminals, it’s time for some smoke!”

Her fellow criminals each pulled out smoke grenades, ready to throw.

Milo smiled. “These are my favorite,” he said.

“NOW!” Pearl pulled the handle and threw it at the Infected.

“Everyone, retreat!” Gameknight shouted.

The defenders backed up as the yellow canisters fell amongst the Infected. Before they could react, the smoke grenades exploded. Instead of smoke, a massive cloud of cotton candy shot out of each yellow cylinder, creating a wall of sticky, spun sugar. With cotton candy in their eyes, the Infected couldn’t see. Those at the front stopped in their tracks, their arms and legs immobilized by the candy. Infected at the rear pushed forward but also became entangled in the gluey mess.

“Quick, let’s run to the island at the center of Adopt Me.” Gameknight charged over the arching bridge leading to Adoption Island, a watery moat flowing underneath.

The water cannon on the firetruck went off again with a loud roar; they were washing away the cotton candy.

“We don’t have long,” Gameknight said as he scanned the island, looking for something, anything, to save them.

Four bridges led to the island, each relatively narrow, but they didn’t have enough forces to protect them all.

“How are we going to defend this island?” Winston asked. “We’re trapped, and the Infected will be here any minute.”

A swarm of bees came storming out of the coffee cup-shaped building, several NPCs running behind the insects. The yellow and black creatures flew onto the island, their stingers sparkling in the golden rays of the rising sun. More NPCs accompanied by a flock of gigantic ladybugs streamed from buildings and gathered at the center of the island. Scared faces peered at each other.

And then the last of the cotton candy was washed away. The Infected screamed with rage and charged into Adopt Me.

Gameknight glanced at Anna and sighed. This was the end.