As Buffy heads out to find someone to lead her to the Master, demons and vampires attack the high school again, injuring Cordelia. Buffy battles through the school, learning along the way that there is a bomb in the basement. Buffy disarms the bomb and faces Malik once more who transforms into sabertoothed animal. Buffy defeats and stakes Malik, but fails to kill him, something she fails to realize. As Malik attacks again, Spike suddenly kills him and saves Buffy. Spike offers an alliance to stop the Master and save Angel and Buffy reluctantly accepts. Spike explains to Buffy and her friends that an Old One named Lybach has a plan to build a bridge from his demon dimension to Earth in order to lead an army of demons to take over the world. He needed the Dreamers to warp reality to create the bridge and the Master's expertise in dimensional portals to make it work. Spike is only helping as Lybach is possessing Drusilla and threatens to destroy her mind if he doesn't. However, Spike doesn't like the plan and has had enough. He offers to lead the group to the Master and help save Angel in exchange for their help in saving Drusilla. The group reluctantly agrees and sets out for the foundry.