Time was ticking down. Though the plot to destroy Hades was foiled, the reveal of Judge Nemo and his nefarious plans to annihilate humanity with the superweapon of legend known as Fear the Great still loomed over Daybreak Academy during the holiday season. Only weeks away from being fully charged, Daybreak's Seers, Hunters, Mages, and general staff worked tirelessly after Utultar's defeat to locate this ancient, fabled threat. Finally, a breakthrough came.

A distant part of the Outlands, far out of sight by most beings, supernatural or not. Hidden in the inky darkness so far away from the sun, lay a weapon of immense power, forged by some unknown force. All that was discovered about it was that it was a terrible force, powered by an equally dangerous source: Malice. Though the original target of this weapon was unknown, someone clearly forged it with intent to blow away entire worlds... with little regard for collateral damage. Daybreak researchers quickly determined should Fear the Great go off, it would not just merely take Earth with it: it could take parts of the Outlands in the blast too. Doubtlessly, a cost that did not concern the enigmatic and cruel Judge Nemo.

With all the intelligence they could gather Daybreak sent everything they could reasonably spare to deal with this threat. Emerging through magical portals, the Daybreak dropships arrived in a dark corner of the Outlands, to be met with a strange spire constructed of unknown stones and metals, billions of runes of long-forgotten languages glowing and pulsing a faint cyan. The whole place thrummed with power, and even setting foot on Fear the Great could fill one with a weak heart with overwhelming dread. As soon as the teams landed partway up the structure, what passed for a sky crackled with fel, red lightning, the top of the spire slowly turning blood red. It did not seem as though Fear the Great had yet been charged... but something, or likely, someone noticed their presence.

Getting to the top of the spire and cutting off Fear the Great's three primary power sources would be the first priority: the devices Nemo was using to process human souls, the magical energy from Hades itself, and the legendary daemon blade Yoshitsuna. But the way up is fraught... it seems Nemo will not allow himself to be so easily reached. Along the way the teams will be confronted with corrupted versions of the same foes they fought in Hades. Short of Celestial Hosts, all foes, including Androids, show their faces here... but all of them to a letter are made of a black mass with red highlights; they are not truly alive. All of them are constructs, made entirely from Malice. They are relentless, with no preservation instinct, and no personality. They cannot be reasoned with, and they will fight with all their might to prevent you from reaching the top. Radiance, however, will prove to be incredibly effective against them.

And up at the very top, the mastermind awaits...