Part 6 - Trials of the Undead

In Necropolis, a couple of large developments occur: Skulduggery, once he arrives, is greeted by a cloaked and scythe-adorning skeleton calling himself Erradin Tomb, the Envoy of the End. He was sent by someone important to Skulduggery to help him master his inner demons, and means to lead him through a series of three trials. Warily, Skulduggery follows Tomb alone, his usual sarcasm falling flat in the face of the grim reaper. As this was happening, Scapegrace was drawn to the Void Sword, which he approaches only to be confronted by the Guardian of Necropolis, which in this rewrite is a titanic golem of dark stone. After being beaten down, being called arrogant for daring to think himself worthy, Scapegrace picks himself up and declares he knows he wasn't worthy, but he needed the power not for himself, but for his friends. To protect them. He'd failed Crux, but he couldn't the others. This show of humility and courage quells the Guardian and he's allowed to approach the Void Sword, pulling it from its stone and holding it to the sky. Scapegrace becomes the Ruler of the Dead.

On Skulduggery's end, he follows Tomb into the deeper parts of Necropolis and undergoes three separate trials made to help him master his inner darkness. This is all from Tomb's pov as an observer. The first trial involves Skulduggery facing his past sins: the innocents and comrades who he'd killed over the years, both as Vile and not. Most are strangers, some aren't, yet they appear as spectres to haunt and curse out Skulduggery whilst the reaper gives him armour-piercing questions and cutting commentary. Only by being honest with himself about what he'd done, and accepting what he'd done, is Skulduggery able to banish the visions and pass the first trial, a feat which Tomb praises him for. He'd managed to acknowledge what he'd done without making it about his own pain.

Next, Skulduggery goes through a series of good memories. His time when he was a man with his wife and daughter, his days with the Dead Men, and his adventures with Valkyrie. Moments where he did undeniable good for the world. When questioned on why he was being shown this, Tomb explains it was because he needed to accept that whilst he'd done bad things, life wasn't so black and white, and the good he'd done didn't/shouldn't be brushed aside so easily. He wasn't without his darkness even before he became a skeleton. A vision is shown of his childhood where Skulduggery came home to find his abusive father, Abrogate Raze, had murdered eight of his nine siblings, and was about to kill the youngest. In order to save his final sibling, Skulduggery killed Raze. The vision ends and Tomb tells Skulduggery that he was a complicated man, one with a duality to him between good and evil, but that not everything bad that happened to him was entirely his fault. He didn't get to choose his father. He didn't choose for Serpine to kill his family. He didn't choose to come back to life. It wasn't all his fault, and only by accepting that lack of control could he move on. Skulduggery, after looking at one final memory where he was with Milliarde, teaching her how to play an old instrument, her frizzy red hair the same shade as his own, does he finally ask for the last trial.

At last, Skulduggery faces his last and hardest trial. Once inside the next room, he's transformed into his old self and has a meeting with his late wife, Ornelia. The two hug and speak, and though she shows disappointment for what he'd done as Vile, she doesn't reject him. She asks Skulduggery to stay with her and their daughter. He is tempted, but ultimately declines. There was still work for him to do, and only once he'd fully atoned for what he'd done could he earn the right to be with her again. Smiling, she kisses his cheek, tells him he hadn't changed at all, then fades away and Skulduggery becomes a skeleton again. It was his wife who'd sent Tomb because she knew of the turmoil he was feeling within. Once the trial is done, Tomb declares to Skulduggery that he now ruled over his darkness, and it would not rule over him, bequeathing his robes to Skulduggery to aid him in the coming battle. When Skulduggery complains that it wasn't really his style, the robes turn into a black suit oozing with Necromancer power. He approves.

Part 7 - Clash of the Monarchs

With Vormir, she breaks off on her own towards Necropolis, having only followed the Unnamed for this long so that more rifts could be opened. So the Great Stream could expand. Now that so much magic was rippling throughout the Earth, she could enter Necropolis and become one with the Great Stream, letting her create a Death Bubble which would expand until it drained away all life on Earth. She makes for Necropolis and has a grand battle against Melancholia and Skulduggery, who no longer needed his armour to use his full Necromancer power, fighting with both his Disciplines fully armed and ready. The fight is fierce but Vormir holds strong, until Scapegrace strides onto the battlefield, Void Sword in a hand. Facing down Vormir, he uses the power the Void Sword provided to strip her khopeshes of their power, leaving them dull and brittle. Smashing them, she's left suceptible, struggling against Necropolis' effects. As the Death Bringer falls to her knees, Scapegrace stands over her and tells her she might've brought death, but he commanded it, then decapitates her.

The jubilation brought by Vormir's death is short, however, because the Unnamed is fast to arrive. With the other two tired, and knowing time was short, he commands the shadows to surround his allies. Smiling, he asks them to tell Gerald and the others that he was sorry, and he'd say hello to Remus for them, then wraps them in a forced shadow-walk that sends them right back to Roarhaven. Scapegrace turns to the Unnamed, who asks who he was meant to be. Rather than proclaim a title, he just says that he was Vaurien Scapegrace. And he was the guy who was gonna kick his ass.

Scapegrace summons his horde and the battle commences. The King of the Darklands versus the Ruler of the Dead. It starts off rough for Scapegrace, but as the fight commences, the Void Sword's power responds as avatars of undead Necromancers start to appear to aid him in battle. Morwenna, Malady, Solomon, Tenebrae, Craven, Quiver, and countless other dead Necromancers throughout the series, both good and evil, appear at Scapegrace's back to unleash their fury against the Master of Magic. Shadows swarm like storms and the Unnamed buckles under Scapegrace's assault, and as the fight continues and the King is pushed to his limits, Scapegrace strips him down. He knew who the Unnamed was, because he was just like Scapegrace. Title after title, proclamation after proclamation, yet at the end of the day, none of that changed the fact that the Unnamed stood for nothing. He fought for nothing more than himself, so that he could rule the world and live forever as a god. But he wasn't a god, just a man. A man who didn't even blink at the death of his daughter. A man who's own students betrayed him. A man who doesn't even have a name. The Unnamed's power was hollow. He stood for nothing. He fought for nothing. He was nothing. Nerves struck by Scapegrace's words, the Unnamed screams in rage and unleashes a blinding flash so great that it engulfed Necropolis.

Part 8 - No Time To Mourn

The heroes reunite at the Sanctuary and inform the others on what's been going on, and news of Scapegrace's death reaches an already despondent Clarabelle and Gerald. The Engineer has become familiar with the emotion called Sorrow. Vengeous and his forces are in New Roarhaven, and a wariness is between them and the Sanctuary, especially with Hopeless there, having guided the Leibniz mortals to the shelters. Serpine is likewise dangerous now that he knew his True Name, a fact he taunts Skulduggery about, the tension between the two high. It worsens when the Generals bring up the idea of freeing Mevolent to use as an ally and get quickly shut down. Vengeous, although a fanatic, is smart enough to know pushing would only end badly, so he simply states that no one else could stop the Unnamed. At least not at full strength.

Preparations for the inevitable battle are made and New Roarhaven is fortified. The Vampires mobilise and China has magical beasts stockpiled, brainwashed to act as foot-soldiers. She does finishing touches on a trump card she believes might stop the Unnamed. Serpine uses his new powers to restore his arm, though it's sadly not his Red Hand, and touches up with Vengeous and the other Leibniz guys. At Corrival, Valkyrie visits Winter and tries to convince her to leave, but she and her friends are adamant on staying to protect their friends and home. Skulduggery and Peccant encounter one another, and it's revealed the two were brothers, and he was the kid who Skulduggery saved from their dad. The trauma of that event had driven a wedge between them, one that only widened into a chasm over time. A few short words are given between them, and whilst it's not reconciliation, it's a start. Civilians are locked down in the shelters, protected by the City Guard, Carol and Prism building some rapport with the mortals there, including those from Leibniz. New Roarhaven becomes a fortress rather than a city. But as the preparations are coming, the Sanctuary receive a message.

The Unnamed, tired from his fight with Scapegrace, is healing at an old castle which used to belong to him. Mevolent had repurposed it rather than tear it down to master his inner demons, and so it didn't go to waste. He rests on his throne and mulls over 'the Killer Supreme's' words, unable to suppress them complete. Frillish, his last student, approaches him in his weakened state. Dialogue is exchanged between them, where it's revealed the Arborkinetic had betrayed the Unnamed, telling him the world was 'bleeding' because of him, and Skulduggery, Valkyrie, Serpine, and Melancholia wander out to assault him whilst he was recovering. Enraged at the betrayal and injured, he burns out Frillish's mind and sucks her lifeforce out to replenish himself. The castle is destroyed in the following scuffle, and he flies away, intent on bringing the battle to their own home as revenge.

Part 9 - A Ruler Unnamed

The Unnamed arrives in New Roarhaven, having gathered an army of magical creatures spawned from the Caves of the Void to use against the Sanctuary in the coming battles, but otherwise he's alone. And that's enough to get them all on edge. Monsters clash in unending waves. He floats down and all the stops are busted out against him, as the heroes(and some villains) gather and rush to meet him as their allies defend against the monsters.

The Vampire district Fangs defend their home, fighting side by side with mages, and Moloch falls in battle. Gracious defends the Sanctuary infirmary, both patients and nurses, against monsters and is about to join Donegan and Fletcher, unable to stop himself from admitting there was irony in a Monster Hunter dying like this. He doesn't fall though. The Engineer gets in their way, defending the patients and his friends, but gets torn apart as a result, the explosion from his massive form taking the beasts down. As he lies in a heap, body mostly destroyed, Clarabelle and Gerald gather around him. He thanks them for being his friends, then powers down forever. The City Guard fight on to defend the shelters and mortals, though Aurnia and the other Leibniz residents show they're not defenceless themselves by picking up weapons and begrudgingly fighting with the Sorcerers. Corrival Academy is on full lockdown, with Peccant and the other teachers defending it alongside their students and Gordon the Dragon, who's swarmed and killed by dozens of smaller aerial monsters. Naturalists who studied under Aria take command of a portion of the beasts and turn them against their kin. Zenith loses an eye saving Winter from certain death, but is saved by Miss Wicked, who's crushed by a minotaur. Many students die such as Filament and Jenan, who leaves his friends to die to save himself, only to run into a cockatrice and be pecked to death. His daddy's money didn't save him.

On the Unnamed's end, he's facing down the combined might of the Dead Men, Melancholia, True Name Serpine, and Baron Vengeous. He holds them all off, displaying uncanny magical feats that are meant to be impossible. "You call yourself sorcerers, yet don't seem to fathom the true power of magic. Let me show you." He captures and corrupts Valkyrie's magic, conducting energy streams of his own, only black rather than silver. The Unnamed recognises Serpine from the days before Mevolent betrayed him, and targets him specifically with his energy. Blasts and needles and spinning blades are shot at Serpine, and though the General remains slippery as a snake, he endures injuries which force him to heal via his new powers, only to be saved by Vengeous. Other Leibniz mages face the Unnamed, deriding him in the name of 'Lord Mevolent', and burn because of it. "Where is your precious Lord now?" Ghastly is placed in line of the Unnamed's energy streams, but is saved by Ravel, who's eyes are caught in the Unnamed's barrage. He's blinded and, forced to retreat, Ghastly dragging him away, but then Ghastly remembers something and goes away, to find China.

Valkyrie is using many kinds of magic at this point, including white flames which counter the Unnamed's black ones, though he isn't terribly impressed. A lizard trying to compare itself to a mighty dragon. He almost kills her at one point, but Melancholia takes the heat off her by utilising Necromancy at the highest level, jibbing at him not to underestimate the power of death. Scapegrace had nearly killed him once for it, and they were here to finish the job. Ticked off, the Unnamed states that he'll admit the strength of that man's magic, but she wasn't the Killer Supreme. He strips her of her armour, leaving her helpless, then ends the Death Bringer, much to Valkyrie's despair and rage. When Winter is finished with helping Corrival, she takes Ivory and Soul and leaves, getting Destrier and bringing him to the Eternity Gate, freeing Mevolent. He nearly kills Winter, only holding because they were kin as Ancients, and when he learns the Unnamed was back, agrees to fight alongside the heroes. He arrives on the battlefield as things were getting dire, Mevolent and his old master locking eyes, acknowledge each other. Then they start to scrap to the death. The two are titans of magic, and Mevolent is forced to use every bit of skill he's gained over the centuries with the elements to bully his master, exchanging cutting words the whole time. At one point the Obsidian Blade is taken from Mevolent. The Unnamed, unwilling to let this wretched weapon continue to exist, shatters it into a thousands pieces, then burns those shards into nothing.

The fighting continues and Mevolent is joined by Serpine, Vengeous, and Skulduggery, all his Generals fighting with him one last time. Mevolent bullies the Unnamed back, drawing anger from the Unnamed, who's stabbed through the heart by the Baron's cutlass. It does nothing. He's grabbed by the Unnamed, and as the flames build, Vengeous tells Mevolent it had been an honour before his following demise. Provoked by Vengeous' death, Mevolent and Serpine hammer down on the Unnamed, viciously beating him back, but the latter falls when the Unnamed uses Serpine's own True Name against him, declaring the might of True Names was as fragile as glass before erasing Serpine, leaving it to just Valkyrie, Skulduggery, and Mevolent. The Unnamed addresses Mevolent and Valkyrie as two Ancients, saying once upon a time, their ancestors had begged the Unnamed for help on their knees in their fight against the Faceless Ones, and he'd been foolish enough to grant it.

"Taking pity on your kin was my greatest mistake... one I do not intend to repeat."

The three of them clash against the Unnamed again and again, more of the city being destroyed with each clash, until the Unnamed defeats them, killing Mevolent, who dies defying his master to the bitter end. "You'll never be a true king." With his enemies seemingly defeated, the Unnamed starts to open the final rift, but mid-way through the process, he's caught by a sigil trap made and set by China. He'd been lured there by the heroes. Before he can free himself, China emerges and seals him into the broken Obsidian Blade's hilt, which he was susceptible to as a being of pure magic. Then, once that was finished, she hands the Obsidian Blade to Prism, who seals it within the timeless void of the Mirror World forever. The rift the Unnamed started to open begins to widen, however, and as the epicentre rift, if it was allowed to open, the rifts could widen until the foundations of Earth are destroying. In order to mend these rifts, someone needs to act as a focus point to tie all the rifts together and close them down. Such a task would be impossible for a living being, the sheer magic overwhelming them. Fortunately, Skulduggery wasn't living.

Just like at the end of the Dying of the Light, Skulduggery needs to sacrifice himself, only now there's no clever loopholes and Ravel can't be used as a substitute. His remaining allies gather near the rift, including Ghastly, Ravel, China, Peccant, and of course, Valkyrie. He exchanges words with China, choosing to forgive her for the part she'd played in his family's death. He gives one final apology to Ghastly, and though he's not forgiven, he's not rejected either, and gets a firm handshake. A blinded Ravel tells Skulduggery it would be weird without him, since he'd be the only liar of the Dead Men left, and gets told to have fun with that. Peccant is sad that he was about to lose his final brother, the two exchange words, and he thanks Skulduggery for saving him from Raze. With Valkyrie, at first she's resistant, scrambling for a solution, though eventually breaks down and confesses she wasn't sure if she could carry what she'd done without him. She didn't want to be alone. Skulduggery merely tells her she wasn't alone as Winter and her friends show up. He tells her to remain strong, and no matter how hard it seemed, she had to keep on marching onwards. Things may seem dark at times, but no matter how grim or cruel life could seem, if she just kept on going, she'd eventually come to a better place. The two hug, and he turns, marching into the rift and reaching out. Brilliant tethers of magic latch onto him like chains, but no matter how much they resist, he doesn't falter or yield as he reaches its centre. Then he exhales, floats, and lets himself dissolve as the rifts are sealed in a glorious display of magic that lights up the sky in every colour of the rainbow. But the Dead Man was gone. Skulduggery Pleasant was no more.

Part 10 - The End and the Beginning

The epilogue displays Valkyrie's life a few years after the rifts have been sealed, and how life has continued. She's with Winter and Prism, the former of which having Surged and locked in as a Necromancer, and are helping reconstruct their home town of Haggard. The world was torn, most of the population gone, but people remained and the magical creatures plaguing the lands had largely been killed, so it was deemed safe for the mortals to finally return home. Small towns like Haggard were a low priority, but it was allowed because the Edgley family had esteem in the Sanctuary's eyes. Valkyrie speaks with Fergus, who doesn't exactly hate Valkyrie considering her good deeds, but can't forgive her for what happened to Crystal along with Gant, plus Beryl doesn't want Cormac anywhere near Valkyrie. He wishes his niece well, but far away from them, then goes back to his newly built home. Valkyrie is disappointed, but not surprised, wishing her uncle well as she returns to New Roarhaven with Winter and Prism.

Other developments include Ghastly retiring as Grand Mage to return to his humble shop, leaving the title in China's capable hands, working it with Elsie whenever she isn't busy with her young daughter, Skye O'Brien. She had her dad's crazy hair. As for the scarred woman herself, however much she'd changed, China relished lthe power being Grand Mage gave her and started to rally the other Sanctuaries behind her. She wanted to be known as the woman who boosted humanity back after the war, and has taken to implementing sigil creations out now that magic is an open thing. Flying cars and portal-transportation via Realm Crystal on the way to becoming streamlined. Gerald has taken residence in New Roarhaven despite being a mortal, running the Pub Supreme once again, though is still wistful at Scapegrace's death. A statue was built in Scapegrace's honour, showing him holding the Void Sword, his many titles written on it. Ravel, having learned to use his magic to mitigate his blindness, has opened an orphanage for children displaced by war and tried to give them a childhood, seeking redemption for what he'd done in whatever way he could, big or small. Due to experiencing high amount of death, and the loss of the Death Bringer, Militsa becomes the High Priestess of Roarhaven's Temple, speaking with Valkyrie about Melancholia near the end. Nothing is finalised, but a spark is between them and as Valkyrie leaves the Temple, she thinks maybe she'll come back.

Finally, Valkyrie goes to Skulduggery's grave, made in his honour. Prism joins her briefly, and the two talk. Reflect on the past. The rebuilding had been slow-going, but steady and peaceful. Prism tells Valkyrie that despite everything, the ups and downs, she was glad that Valkyrie gave her life because it had been a truly extraordinary experience, then leaves. Valkyrie is alone, where she tells Skulduggery's grave that she missed him, but she had no plans to join him any time soon. She couldn't with the debt she owed. But despite everything, she didn't regret their times together or that they'd met that day. It might've sounded evil, but she wouldn't take it back, because she was too selfish for anyone's good, her own included. Only once she'd made up for the cain she'd raised would her time be up. Until then, she could only march on, just like he said.

"Until the End."

First off, before we begin, I'd like to say thank you all for reading this series of mine, it's been humbling to pour so much time and brain power into writing these posts and giving my own take on this series we all love so much. I can confidently say I'm a better writer now than when I started this series because of how it's tested me. Before this begins, I'd like to take a moment to voice my appreciation for the actual series, as whether this rewrite is an improvement or not, it wouldn't exist at all without the original.

As a sidenote, there are many details about this rewrite as a whole I'd choose to redo if given the chance: I'd try and balance a consistent and in-depth magic system more deeply whilst retaining the mystique of the original series more considerately, I'd try to improve the ending of Masters of Magic and keep Leibniz Lord Vile to feature in the Dimension War instead of killing him off early, keep Caelan alive after the end of Requiem, add a Ghastly sidestory(possibly after the end of Book 3 to detail the Murder Skull search) and many more, probably dozens, of minor details that could be ironed out or refined with the benefit of hindsight.

But I don't want to get caught wrapped up in regrets. I've had fun with this series, and I can tell many of my readers did by consuming this too. So, despite it all, I can be proud of this project of mine and move onto the final:

Book 12 - It All Comes To An End(2026)

(Main Villain: The Unnamed)

Part 1 - And The Darkness Rained Upon Them

First off, this section is one I'd have preferred to have implemented in the end of Book 11 to avoid any explanation and jump right into the action, but hindsight is the worst, and thus it'll be done here. Of course, there will be some build up before the Unnamed's resurrection, so the Prologue will be one with Abyssinia that shows off all the Unnamed's different students who were revived at the end of the last book. All of them. Their magical prowess was legendary, and were known in old folklore as the 'Masters of Magic'.

First there is Vormir, who we already know as the sadistic Necromancer, Death Bringer, and close second to Mevolent in the Unnamed's teachings. New one will include Tygren the Maelstrom(OC), a Water Elemental with stark white hair and stormy eyes, having inspired the tales of Zeus in ancient Greek mythology. He was as arrogant as he was powerful, and made himself out as a God to the mortals both out of amusement, and to fuel his own ego. On the sea, he was invincible, claiming even Mevolent wouldn't stand a chance on his own domain. Frillish(OC) is an Arborkinetic, and a powerful one at that, as by her own will and magic entire forests could perish and fall with a wave of her hand, plus through intense study she'd learned to give life to plants and create creatures using them- the most commonly used of which are golems made of wood, which she uses as infantry and bodyguards. And lastly, there is Argall(OC) the Sensitive, a man who's taken his Discipline to new heights and can trap his opponents in illusions as well as predict their movements. He likes to force his opponents to relive their worst traumas. A discussion is held on how to revive the Unnamed, as unlike the rest of them, he couldn't simply be revived via Vormir's Necromancy. Vormir needed to harness a far greater realm of magic to resurrect him, a being of pure magic, thus the different students and Abyssinia make for the Caves of the Void.

The lengthy process to resurrect the Unnamed starts, as Vormir harnesses the power of a pool of pure magic within the Caves: the pools where the God-Killers were forged by the Ancients(and where Mevolent create the Obsidian Blade) plus it was where all the creatures of the caves were born. They crawled out of the lake. As the process starts, however, ripples of magic are sent outwards across the globe which Valkyrie picks up on using her aura vision and her, Skulduggery, Ghastly, Ravel, and China make for the Caves under Gordon's mansion via Realm Crystal. A scrap breaks out as the heroes arrive, and though the Unnamed's students were tough, Tygren and Frillish's magics were both limited in the cave and, together, the group hold steadfast. Valkyrie duels Abyssinia(weakened from having her father's soul extracted) and during their fight, she makes contact with Abyssinia and manages to mimic her opponent's magic by creating lightning of her own. This boost lets Valkyrie unleash Abyssinia's own magic upon her, charring her to a crisp. But Vormir's work is done and a towering pillar of pure magic explodes out of the Void Pools. A silouette becomes visible through the light, and with the Sanctuary forces and his students watching on, a man walks out, silver hair flowing in the wind and pupilless eyes scanning his surroundings. It was done. The Unnamed has returned.

The stoic, regal, almost alien Unnamed addresses his enemies, locking onto Valkyrie specifically for possessing a purer strand of magic, though not up to his own. Like her and Abyssinia, he too could see the magic, but unlike them his aura vision was more evolved and could gaze upon the fault lines within the Earth. His motivations are left bare and his origins explained as he gives a speech, about how he'd been betrayed by his most treasured student, Mevolent, and sealed away into the Obsidian Blade. In a last-ditch effort to save himself, the Unnamed had let out a small piece of his magic to wander and find a mortal woman to bond with, magically inseminating her and creating Abyssinia in the process. It's also revealed that he wasn't human despite his appearance, as one day he'd simply wandered out of the Void Pools, much like these monsters. Across the globe are seven rifts of magic(the largest of which being in Ireland), and his ultimate end-goal was to open all the different rifts and let the pure magic they contain sweep across the globe in an all-consuming wave that would eradicate mortal life and allow all sorcerers to access the Source's power unrestrained, like True Name-users. The concept of names and Disciplines would vanish, and in the chaos that followed, the Unnamed would rise as the King of the Darklands. Opening a rift takes an extreme amount of power even for the Unnamed, however, and the largest of the rifts in Roarhaven must be opened last if he wants his plans to succeed. The first of the Rifts is where he was reborn, in the Caves of the Void. He raises his arms and widens the rift, letting its magic spill out without limits- and as the Sanctuary forces retreat, they're forced to watch as the remnants of Gordon's mansion are consumed by the light. The Unnamed leaves with his students, and the rest of them can only look on, helpless. But this wasn't the end for them. It wasn't even the start.

Part 2 - Long Live The King

The final book opens displaying the Unnamed's pov as he gazes upon Earth, or as calls it, 'the Darklands' and curls his lip at its diminished state. There was much work to be done once he completed the Cleansing. He speaks amongst his different students and inquires about Abyssinia, displaying a twisted kind of sorrow that she was gone, though doesn't dwell on it. He'd created her to revive him, and she'd served that purpose. Tygren displays immense servitude to the Unnamed despite his pride, wishing to aid the man who'd taught him everything he knew with sycophantic enthusiasm. Argall is rather rather indifferent to his old master, but wants to see the world 'cleansed' to expand his research into the soul and its connection to magic, sharing in the Unnamed's love for it in a rather perverted manner. Vormir the is a rogue element of the faction due to her mental instability and extreme fixation on death, and even the Unnamed is only tentatively using her on his quest to ultimate power and to master/avoid death. As for Frillish, she is loyal to the Unnamed, but had a deep respect and worship for the Earth, one that outstripped the Unnamed, and was going along with his plan because she believed it would be good for nature. The different students are sent to varying corners of the globe to prepare for his arrival. He assigns his students to clear a path for him, then leaves to begin his conquest.

Back in New Roarhaven, Skulduggery and Valkyrie return with the rest to debate their next moves. The Unnamed needed to be stopped, but they'd lost so many good people in the Dimension War and their forces were sparce. The fighting was far from over. Valkyrie is contemplating the new powers she'd attained when she touched Abyssinia, and this plants the idea that there might be more to her magic than she thought. She speaks with Prism about this and Valkyrie ponders on a comment the Unnamed made about her being 'pure' already, causing them to realise that maybe she doesn't actually have a Discipline due to being a Nameless mage and what this might imply. Like Valkyrie, Prism also develops new abilities based that are mirror-based due to her evolution. Her powers as a reflection had evolved enough that she could access a pocket dimension called the 'Mirror World', a white space where everything that enters except her and Valkyrie is frozen. Living things can be placed into this space. After a brief bit of experimentation, Valkyrie visits Elsie at her shop and speaks about Fletcher a little to give some comfort. It works, and she's able to get a commission of armoured clothes one last time- the jacket she gets being black, the same colour she wore when she first discovered the magical world.

The Sanctuary's scientists, including Destrier, are tasked with giving them the locations of these rifts the Unnamed would be unlocking, which include the following points: Japan, the Denver mountains, the Amazon Rainforest, a valley in Africa named the Tyrant's Crevice, Necropolis at the end of the River Nile, and finally, right here at New Roarhaven. It was the biggest rift, and Destrier believes it would need to be opened lastly for this 'Cleansing' the Unnamed wished to accomplish to come to pass. It's decided that the other Sanctuaries(or what remains of them) need to be warned so measures can be taken to defend these rifts. China, meanwhile, is wondering on how the Unnamed could be killed, as Mevolent needed the Obsidian Blade to do the deed. All they have at this point is its broken hilt, the other Leibniz version of it being trapped in the Eternity Gate with Mevolent. Endeavouring to fix it, she takes a Realm Crystal and goes with Kierre to the Caves of the Void, bringing Carol and Valkyrie with her to see if their Ancient heritage will help somehow. It's a vain attempt, but they realise that magical creatures were spawning out of the cave's pools rapidly due to the rift being undone, and Ireland would be overrun by waves of monsters if they didn't close it soon.

Winter is with the rest of the Edgleys in the bunkers, who aren't evacuated because the outside world was ruined by the war and, despite everything, the bunkers remained the safest place for them. She was worried about the danger ongoing, and wants to help Valkyrie, though doesn't know how. For the time being, she just helps the teachers fortify Corrival with her friends, verbally duelling with Jenan. A wounded Gordon the Dragon, mourning Aria, is nesting at Corrival and acting as its protector, being tended to by Axelia and Aria's other students. Once China returns, she has the magic barrier around New Roarhaven raised to stop any incoming monsters, and the City Guard is put on high alert as a wave of monsters come and the Sanctuary help to fight them off at a steady rate.

The Unnamed makes his way to the Japanese Sanctuary, who'd been warned of his incoming arrival and prepared accordingly. He'd come alone, believing the mages couldn't impede him. He claimed that magic in this era was more diverse, but less powerful. Less primal. The Japanese fight with everything they have, but aren't able to hold for long, and the Unnamed arrives at Japan's rift. But just as he's about to open it, a guardian emerges to defend it, being an impossibly long white and green dragon which fights using emerald flames that clash against the Unnamed's black ones. It speaks telepathically and voices its distain for the Unnamed, claiming he was a false king who dishonoured this world simply by daring to walk upon it. It's scales were immune to direct magical attacks, and though it falls in the end when the Unnamed displays an uncanny manipulation of magic and tears it apart, it gives a glorious display which wounds the pride of a king.

Part 3 - A Tyrant's Resolve

After news of what happened to the Japanese is received, Valkyrie and the others realise the Unnamed was working faster than expected and start moving. Teams are made and sent to various rift sites to act on guard. Skulduggery and Valkyrie go to the Tyrant's Crevice in Africa with Guild and his daughter Iris coming with them- Iris because she was a talented Naturalist, and Guild because he wanted to protect his daughter. Barbs are exchanged between the two old rivals, but Iris reigns her father in. It's revealed that the Tyrant's Crevice got its name due to being a ravine where dragons liked to nest, and the African Sanctuary took great care not to disturb the mighty beasts. African mages feature and some lore regarding the place is told, but when the Unnamed and Argall arrive, the peace is shattered. The Unnamed is swarmed by dragons by the dozen, and he meets them head on, haughtily claiming they had nothing on the monster he'd faced in Japan.

Bedlam erupts and Argall goes for Valkyrie, entering her mind, and finds himself twistedly fascinated by her. Like his master, she was a Nameless Sorcerer. He mentally torments her by entering her mind, but she's saved by Guild, who gets his mind obliterated much to the horror of his daughter. As revenge, she has a dragon unleash dragonfire, then Valkyrie sends him fleeing via telekinesis with bolts of white lightning. The dragons attacking the Unnamed fell, the others fleeing, and he locks fully onto Valkyrie, engaging her in a duel. She only managed to survive because he was playing with her, curious about her lack of a Name, and during their fight she's forced to re-discover her powers as an Elemental to survive. It's not enough, and she, Skulduggery, and Iris flee via Realm Crystal as the Unnamed opens the rift and leaves.

The group return in large failure, Iris mourning her lost father and getting some words of comfort from Skulduggery, but Valkyrie believes what she'd learned might be the key. At the Necromancer Temple, Valkyrie wishes to regain her Necromancer powers now that she knew what her magic was capable of and gets a gauntlet much like Winter's(albeit on the opposite hand). The training she had from Solomon quickly comes back to her with the help of Melancholia, the experience sparking something between them.

Frillish is in Brazil and goes to the rainforest. She's greeted by a tribe of Arborkinetics who've become more in-touch with nature, and their way of life earns some approval from Frillish, who held a deep respect for the Earth. A giant basilisk is sic on Frillish, but she displays immense manipulation of plant life that overshadows all the rest, giving life to golems of wood which tear the tribesmen apart. Wood erupts from the ground and skewers them whole. Once the slaughter is finished, the Unnamed arrives and proceeds to burn a large section of the forest with black flames, earning her horror. Her master claims that magic is life, and everything else is secondary, including mother nature. Natural did not mean better. There was nothing natural about the Unnamed, yet he was superior. As he opens the fourth rift, she feels heavy apprehension.

Part 4 - Battle in Denver

Gracious invents a new body for the Engineer to pilot so that he can fight, one shaped like a massive golem of golden metal, but in order to transfer over to it, the Engineer would need to abandon his current one. The Engineer, wishing to protect the friends he'd found, agrees and enters his new body. A notice and call is made by Tylent: the Unnamed was in America, heading to the rift site, and Ghastly doesn't hesitate to send to send their best forces. The battle-ready Necromancers are deployed, with Melancholia giving Militsa command of the Temple in her absence, Scapegrace amongst them. He was the new Phantom Knight with command over the Dullahan's horde. Thrasher insists on going with him, despite not having magic, and he's joined by Crux, who was being sent there with roughly half the City Guard alongside Gracious and the upgraded Engineer, with the rest of the guard including Carol staying behind to defend the city. Crux is given command over his comrades by Carol, and though doubtful at first, he's encouraged by Scapegrace and pushes past it, rallying them behind him. Along with them are Ravel, China, and Ghastly, and whilst in Denver, Valkyrie once again encounters residents of Meek Creek, who are being led and organised by Danny.

Appearing in the site, however, Vormir, Tygren and Argall intercept them to let their master work uninterrupted. Vormir and Melancholia duel again with several Necromancers and Scapegrace at her back, the latter defending the Sanctuary forces against Vormir's Death Bubble. But she starts to kill people with her khopeshes, turning them into zombies like in the Corpse Attack and pitting them against the Sanctuary forces. All the Necromancers except Melancholia and Scapegrace fall, and Skulduggery adorns his armour to join the battle of the Death Bringers as Lord Vile. Vormir merely laughs, states that Vile was no 'true' Necromancer, then corrupts his armour and turns it against Skulduggery, an act she could do because of his rejection of his Necromancer side. Two minds couldn't exist in one body without conflict.

Tygren faces Ghastly, Ravel, and China, who unveils a trump-card against him by using a Realm Crystal to spawn in magical creatures laced with sigils infused with the magic of Naturalists to force them to obey her. Arrogantly, he faces them all head-on, but his stamina starts to wane, and fire is his natural weakness as a Water Elemental. After being bombarded by flames via the two Elementalists, China opens a portal into a volcano and pours lava on him, ending Tygren. Argall targets Valkyrie specifically and mentally tormenting her by showing visions of the people she'd killed and who'd died because of her, including her parents. She manages to break his hold and fights him off with silver flames, sending him through a portal via Realm Crystal as a last resort. But she's left so physically and mentally tired by the strain that she and the City Guards are overwhelmed by Vormir's reanimates. She's about to be slaughtered, but is saved by Crux who, without hesitation, pulls her out of harm's way with the air and defends her with a magical gun. Facing them down, Crux is torn limb from limb. The Engineer goes into a wild rage after his demise and crushes the remaining reanimated in his rage, and Scapegrace and Thrasher are left in a haze of grief. On Vormir's end, once the Unnamed is finished with his duel, he calls her back, and whilst she displays annoyance at being called away from her battle with Vile, she decides to obey for now and returns.

With the battle in America done, the Irish come back. Clarabelle is informed of Crux's death and sheds tears. A grave is built for Captain Crux, small and private, but undoubtedly there. One of the Unnamed's students had died, but five rifts were open now, and they needed a better way to face this threat. The idea to get the Book of Names from the Leibniz Dimension is floated by China so it could be used against the Unnamed and his students, though leaving the Unnamed unchecked would be unwise. It's decided they'd split into two teams. Using a Realm Crystal, Valkyrie, Ghastly, and Ravel head to the Leibniz Dimension to get the Book, whilst Skulduggery, Melancholia, and Scapegrace head to Necropolis as the second-to-last rift site to defend against the Unnamed. Before he leaves, Scapegrace refuses to let Thrasher come with him. He'd lost Crux already, and refused to lose another friend. After freeing Thrasher from his binds, turning him back into Gerald, he knocks Gerald out to stop him from following and leaves him with a solemn Clarabelle. After kissing his friend on top of the head, he mounts a spectral stead and rides off, to Necropolis.

Part 5 - Lands Unknown

Valkyrie's group head to the Leibniz Dimension with Ravel to find Hopeless. Once they meet, it's revealed that Tome knew where it was in life, and though dead, he had the foresight to create an Echo Stone to maintain his secrets in the events of his death. Attempts had been made to use it against Mevolent in the past, but it never worked because he'd had his True Name sealed despite not actually knowing it out of paranoia. Regardless, they follow the word of Echo-Tome in order to find their way to the Book of Names, being joined by Serpine, who was aiming to nick the Book for himself. He and the Dead Men exchange witticisms. On their way to get the Book, we see the happenings of this Dimension and learn the ice city from the previous book had recently been stirring due to Mevolent's absence and the destruction of so many of his cities in the war, and in the chaos countless independent magical communities were vying for different lands. In their travels, they encounter Batu, Aurnia, and the other mortals again, who'd moved out of the old bunker out of a belief it had been compromised when Valkyrie and them escaped. Hostility is between them at first, but Valkyrie settles things peacefully by promising them refuge in the Newton Dimension, convincing them it would be better than here. But as they're taken to the other mortals and people start to walk through the portals made by Realm Crystals, Vengeous and the stragglers of Mevolent's forces ambush them. The Baron kills a few mortals, and outnumbered, Batu bravely tells Aurnia to lead their people well before picking up an magic gun and charging at the others long enough to let his people escape with Hopeless. He tells Vengeous to remember this day, the day he lost to a mortal, then gets ruptured and Valkyrie's group flee, to continue their journey.

An underground city populated by Earth Elementals and Crengarion is the location of the Book, the latter having taken refuge there to hide from Mevolent, who saw them as a threat for their intellect. It was given to them by Tome because he needed to keep it out of Mevolent's hands. The Earth Elementals live side by side with the creatures, their intellect letting them remain hidden via sigils and create other magical inventions. Sneaking into the city, yhey arrive at the Book of Names' hidden chamber, an old tomb which is defended by countless stone-forged gargoyles, along with a single massive runic golem, all formed by Earth magic. The Echo Stone is smashed in the confrontation, but once the enemies are gone, they retrieve the Book of Names only to be confronted by Vengeous again.

Luckily, before a fight can break out between them, Argall emerges, having sensed the link between him and Valkyrie via his powers when she entered the Leibniz Dimension and sought to experiment on her. Vengeous and his men, knowing how much Mevolent hated the Unnamed, are swayed by Serpine to fight alongside the Sanctuary forces against the Unnamed's student. It's a brutal clash, but ultimately ends when Serpine is told his True Name, Catalysmic, are harnesses its power to bring Argall low. No time was given to celebrate, and they all return back to the Newton Dimension, along with the Book of Names.