Chapter Summaries

Xiao completed his awakening as a Holy-Demonic Asura, gaining the Ultimate Skills Holy-Demonic King and King of Slaughter and power that placed him among the world’s peak experts. He thanked Mo Li for his strength, while Mo Li looked on with satisfaction.

• Xiao’s Heart of Slaughter evolved into King of Slaughter, completing his awakening.
• Xiao’s appearance and aura changed, his magicule count rose to nearly five million, and he gained the strength to challenge Calamity-class beings.
• Veldora and Jiruo marveled at Xiao’s power, while Dino admitted he might not be able to defeat him.
• Ramiris admired Mo Li’s appearance and exchanged insults with Dino.
• Xiao thanked Mo Li for granting him his new strength, and Mo Li praised his awakening and felt proud of him.

Xiao completed his awakening and received Mo Li’s praise and warnings from Azhdaha and Veldora as he began to grasp his new power. Meanwhile, Rimuru arranged work for the revived Imperial soldiers, and Diablo summoned Guy, leaving Rimuru and the others shocked as Guy arrived.

• Mo Li praised Xiao’s persistence, confirmed that the King of Slaughter was a gift, and told him to master his new power.
• Azhdaha and Veldora congratulated Xiao, assessed his strength, and warned him not to grow arrogant.
• Karigulio concluded that the Empire had treated its soldiers as disposable and led them to seek submission to the Demon Country Federation.
• Rimuru accepted the revived soldiers and assigned Karigulio and the others to rebuild cities.
• Karigulio shared what he knew about the Empire’s Royal Guard Knights, Velgrend, and Emperor Rudra, whom Rimuru already knew about.
• Diablo summoned Guy without consulting Rimuru, shocking Rimuru and the others as Mo Li, Azhdaha, and the others detected Guy’s arrival.

Rimuru welcomed Guy and Velzard after Diablo summoned them, and reassured Velzard that Veldora had matured. Guy questioned why he had been called, learned that Rimuru already knew about his connection to the Empire and his wager with Rudra, and Diablo regretted summoning him without realizing Rimuru was informed.

• Brother Azhdaha and Mo Li sensed Guy and Velzard's arrival, while Veldora panicked at the thought of facing his eldest sister.
• Brother Azhdaha challenged Veldora to go with him to meet the guests, and Veldora agreed despite his fear.
• Rimuru welcomed Guy, Raine, Misari, and Velzard, then praised Veldora's growth and thanked Brother Azhdaha and Ari for helping him.
• Guy asked why Diablo had summoned him, and Rimuru explained that Diablo had acted without her permission after noticing Guy's connection to the Empire.
• Rimuru confirmed that Ari had told her about Guy and Rudra's wager, leaving Diablo shocked and remorseful for summoning Guy unnecessarily.

Rimuru discussed Guy's role as the world's Mediator and heard his proposal to defeat Rudra's chess pieces and win their wager. The chapter ended with Mo Li allowing Rimuru to agree as long as she could stay safe.

• Diablo regretted summoning Guy after learning Rimuru already understood the situation.
• Guy explained that he had formed the Demon Kings to help manage the world and admitted he wanted Mo Li to share his burden.
• Rimuru challenged Guy for treating the Demon Kings as chess pieces, and Guy insisted he would never dare manipulate Mo Li or the Demon Country Federation.
• Guy asked Rimuru to defeat Rudra's forces so he could win their wager, and Rimuru recognized that he was urging her to attack the Empire.
• Mo Li told Rimuru she could accept the proposal if she ensured her own safety.

Mo Li arrived after Xiao's awakening and agreed to let Rimuru join Guy's dangerous plan, intending to help her grow toward awakening Ciel and becoming a True Dragon. As Rimuru prepared to depart, Yeduo and Veldora arrived late, arguing about Velzard.

• Mo Li arrived with Xiao, who had completed his awakening, while Yeduo and Veldora were still absent.
• Rimuru greeted Mo Li, and Guy teased him until Rimuru angrily defended him.
• Diablo sensed Xiao's immense transformation and recognized that Xiao might now be strong enough to kill him.
• Mo Li approved Rimuru's decision to go, explaining that the Demon Country Federation could handle the Empire without her but that she needed the chance to grow.
• Rimuru declared that she would return in triumph, then Yeduo and Veldora's argument about meeting Velzard was heard outside.

Veldora was dragged into the reception room, where Velzard confronted him about insulting her and revealed how harshly she had disciplined him since birth. After Velzard took Veldora and Azhdaha away, Guy demanded an explanation for the Demon Country Federation’s sudden surge in True Demon Kings.

• Azhdaha forcibly dragged Veldora into the reception room, where Veldora nervously greeted everyone.
• Velzard confronted Veldora about calling her a female demon and a cruel woman, while Rimuru declined to interfere in their family dispute.
• Velzard described destroying Veldora and making him reincarnate when he misbehaved as a child, then took him and Azhdaha to another room.
• After discussing the plan to infiltrate the Empire, Guy asked why Diablo, Testarossa, Ultima, and many others had evolved into True Demon Kings.

Guy confronted Mo Li and Rimuru over the Demon Country Federation’s sudden rise in power, then learned that Mo Li had developed a way to induce awakenings. Mo Li denied plans to conquer the continent but agreed to help awaken Raine and Misari, leaving Guy shocked by the price.

• Guy demanded an explanation from Rimuru about the many new awakened beings, and Rimuru blamed her Ultimate Skill, King of Gluttony.
• Guy asked how Testarossa, Ultima, and Carrera had awakened, and Mo Li revealed that he had developed a method to induce awakenings with souls.
• Guy suspected Mo Li planned to conquer the continent, but Mo Li denied it and swore he had no such intention.
• Guy asked Mo Li to help Raine and Misari awaken, and Mo Li explained that being named by higher existences had cut off their evolutionary paths.
• Mo Li agreed to awaken Raine and Misari if Guy supplied the souls, then said he needed five hundred thousand souls for each, shocking everyone.

Mo Li charged Guy one million human souls to awaken Raine and Misari, then arranged for Diablo to keep Guy occupied while the ritual began. Raine and Misari fell asleep as their awakening started, leaving their evolution underway.

• Mo Li demanded five hundred thousand human souls per person to awaken Raine and Misari, and Guy reluctantly paid one million.
• Guy planned to stay and observe the awakening, but Mo Li and Rimuru left him to arrange his own food and lodging.
• Diablo stayed behind, seized Guy, and dragged him away to discuss Ultimate Skills.
• Mo Li welcomed Raine and Misari to a guest room, where Raine became infatuated with him and Misari apologized for her.
• Mo Li injected two hundred thousand human souls into Raine and Misari, beginning their evolution and putting them to sleep.

Mo Li completed Raine and Misari’s evolution ritual, then found Guy exhausted after Diablo had kept him occupied at the banquet. Velzard reflected on Veldora and Jirou’s growing strength and the dragons gathered beside the world’s most influential figures, while the story left their apparent connection to fate unresolved.

• Mo Li used two hundred thousand human souls to begin Raine and Misari’s awakening evolution, then left them asleep as the ritual proceeded.
• Mo Li discovered that Diablo was with Guy and realized Diablo had kept Guy from bothering him.
• At the victory banquet, an exhausted Guy took Mo Li’s tea, then asked whether Raine and Misari’s evolution had succeeded; Mo Li confirmed it had, and Guy thanked him.
• Velzard recalled fighting Veldora, who had grown strong enough to challenge her, before she entered her Second Form and beat him while Jirou stabilized the Great Underground Labyrinth.
• Velzard recognized Jirou’s immense strength and considered how Guy, Rudra, Rimuru, and Morax each had a powerful dragon beside them, as if fate had arranged it.

Velgrend and Rudra reconsidered their failed plan after the Eastern Empire’s army was defeated by the Demon Country Federation’s four Primordial Demons. They resolved to gamble everything while seeking talks with Rimuru or Morax, believing the Federation’s victory might give them an opening.

• Velgrend questioned whether Rudra could stop Morax and realized their plan to control Veldora and Azhdaha had little chance of success.
• Rudra told Velgrend that Testarossa had offered surrender and Misery had ended the battle with Nuke Magic, while Veldora, Azhdaha, and Morax had not fought.
• Velgrend and Rudra recognized that the Demon Country Federation’s strength exceeded their expectations, but Rudra refused to retreat and chose to risk everything.
• Velgrend vowed to stand by Rudra and suggested they speak with Rimuru or Morax before deciding their next move.
• Rudra believed the Federation might grow complacent after its victory and saw that as an opportunity to act against Guy’s expectations.

After Guy left, Rimuru planned to infiltrate the Empire while its elite legions were deployed and considered exploiting Yuuki’s possible coup. Her senior officials chose Benimaru, Diablo, and Testarossa to accompany her, but Xiao arrived at the end, sent by Mo Li to assist.

• Guy returned to the White Ice Palace, leaving Rimuru to begin planning the Federation’s response to the Empire.
• Rimuru reviewed the Empire’s attacks on the Holy Imperial Nation and the Dwarf Kingdom, and considered striking during Yuuki’s possible coup.
• Shuna noticed Rimuru’s unusual behavior and advised her to consult the Federation’s senior officials about whom to bring.
• Rimuru explained her infiltration plan, and the officials selected Benimaru, Diablo, and Testarossa as her companions.
• Xiao appeared in the meeting room and announced that Mo Li had sent him to assist Rimuru with the infiltration.

Rimuru finalized her infiltration team for the Eastern Empire with Benimaru, Diablo, Testarossa, and Xiao, while Mo Li secretly arranged further protection. In the Imperial Capital, Yuuki weighed whether to launch a coup after his plans failed and concluded that Damrada had likely betrayed him.

• Xiao arrived by Mo Li's order, and Rimuru agreed to bring him along on the infiltration mission.
• Rimuru and her companions discussed how to enter the Empire without turning the mission into an invasion.
• Misha reported the Imperial Army's crushing defeat and the failure to rescue Laplace and the others to Yuuki and his gathered allies.
• Yuuki and Misha debated whether to abandon the coup, while Yuuki worried that the remaining Royal Guard Knights could defeat his forces.
• Misha noticed Damrada was absent, and Yuuki said he suspected Damrada had betrayed them.

Kagurazaka Yuuki confronted Damrada over suspected betrayal and learned that the Empire had surrounded them. With no viable way to escape, Yuuki chose to launch the coup, though Damrada’s true intentions remained uncertain.

• Kagurazaka Yuuki suspected Damrada had betrayed them and connected his suspicions to Clayman’s strange behavior at the Demon Lord Banquet.
• Kagurazaka Yuuki suggested Clayman and possibly the others had been brainwashed, while Misha considered their options.
• Damrada entered and admitted he had sworn loyalty to the Emperor, but claimed he supported Yuuki’s coup to defeat Rudra and save him.
• Damrada refused to name who had manipulated Clayman, and Yuuki sensed powerful forces had surrounded the building.
• Kagurazaka Yuuki accepted Damrada’s explanation and chose to launch the coup because he saw no other way.

Kagurazaka Yuuki committed to a coup against Emperor Rudra, while Rimuru and her companions prepared to enter the Eastern Empire through a newly built teleportation array. As Rimuru’s team departed with Mo Li’s incarnation as backup, Damrada arrived to meet Yuuki, who sensed that something was wrong.

• Kagurazaka Yuuki accepted Damrada’s proposal to launch a coup and planned to use King of Greed to dominate Rudra rather than fight him directly.
• Yuuki ordered Misha to prepare for the coup and gathered thirty powerful subordinates in the Imperial Capital.
• Rimuru worked with King of Wisdom, Testarossa, and Gadra to construct an unstable teleportation array leading to the Empire’s Imperial Capital.
• Rimuru led her five-person team into the array, while Mo Li created an incarnation with nearly seventy percent of his combat strength to protect them.
• Yuuki worried that he had overlooked a danger, and Damrada entered the hall with a cold expression.

Kagurazaka Yuuki discovered that Damrada had been controlled, freed him with Ability Erasure, and then encountered Velgrend and Emperor Rudra. Meanwhile, Rimuru and his companions infiltrated the Imperial Capital, where King of Wisdom detected two immense energy fluctuations.

• Damrada revealed that Misha was dead and declared his loyalty to Emperor Rudra, then defeated two of Yuuki's followers who attacked him.
• Kagurazaka Yuuki sent Kagari and the others to retreat while he fought Damrada and used Ability Erasure to destroy the control core Tatsuya Kondo had implanted.
• Velgrend confronted Yuuki and Damrada, and Rudra arrived as Yuuki faced the Empire's ruler.
• Rimuru, Diablo, Testarossa, Xiao, and their companions emerged from a spatial teleportation formation in the Imperial Capital.
• King of Wisdom detected two enormous energy fluctuations, and Rimuru and the others looked toward their source.

Rimuru and her companions infiltrated the Eastern Empire’s capital and began ambushing lower-ranked Imperial Knights while Kagurazaka Yuuki’s coup collapsed. After Tatsuya Kondo reported the intruders to Rudra, Rudra chose to meet them himself.

• Rimuru sensed Rudra, Velgrend, and the gathered Imperial Knights, then ordered her group to target lower-ranked Knights and withdraw after a surprise attack.
• Rimuru, Diablo, Testarossa, Xiao, and Benimaru split up and began ambushing the Empire’s Sequence Knights.
• Rudra tried to recruit Kagurazaka Yuuki, but Yuuki refused and attacked him; Velgrend blocked the assault, and Rudra offered Yuuki a chance to survive by resisting his control.
• Kagurazaka Yuuki failed to withstand Rudra’s Imperial Hegemony Authority, ending his coup attempt.
• Tatsuya Kondo reported that uninvited guests had entered the Imperial Capital, and Rudra stopped Velgrend from hunting them down, saying he wanted to speak with them.

Rimuru and her companions completed the Hunting Plan by assassinating thirty-five Imperial Sequence Knights and gathered to begin the final phase of their infiltration. Rimuru led the group toward two powerful figures left behind in the Imperial Capital, believing they had a chance to strike them.

• Rudra told Velgrend that uninvited guests had arrived in the Imperial Capital, but said he wanted to speak with them instead of letting her hunt them down.
• Rimuru finished assassinating four Sequence Knights and headed to the designated meeting point for the plan’s final phase.
• Diablo, Testarossa, and Benimaru met at the gathering point and reported killing eight, seven, and five Sequence Knights, respectively.
• Xiao arrived and reported killing eleven Sequence Knights, leaving the others astonished by his tally.
• Rimuru arrived last and learned that she had killed fewer knights than the others, then counted their combined total of thirty-five.
• Rimuru sensed Rudra, Velgrend, and Yuuki elsewhere in the capital, noticed two powerful figures remained behind, and led the group to attack them.

Rimuru and her companions infiltrated the Empire to kill two Sequence Knights, but Marco and Tatsuya Kondo revealed that the mission was a trap. They were teleported to Rudra and Velgrend, where Rimuru faced the Empire’s ruler and marshal.

• Rimuru led Diablo, Testarossa, Xiao, and Benimaru to the site of Kagurazaka Yuuki’s failed coup to eliminate two Sequence Knights.
• Rimuru and Benimaru ambushed Marco, Sequence Eight, while Diablo, Testarossa, and Xiao went after the other target.
• Marco called out Tatsuya Kondo, and Rimuru realized the group had walked into a trap.
• Tatsuya activated a teleportation circle that transported Rimuru, Benimaru, Diablo, Testarossa, and Xiao to a grand hall.
• Rimuru recognized Rudra and Velgrend as the Emperor and Burning Dragon, while her companions drew their weapons to protect her.
• Rudra told Rimuru that he was surprised she had entered the Empire and said he looked forward to speaking with her.

Rudra met Rimuru and revealed that he intended to control her to force Ari into submission. When Xiao attacked Rudra, Velgrend blocked the strike but was wounded, leaving the standoff unresolved.

• Rudra explained that Rimuru's group had been exposed after killing a knight linked to Tatsuya Kondo, and said he had allowed them to kill the Sequence Knights as bait.
• Rudra tried to recruit Xiao, but Xiao refused and shattered Velgrend's pressure when she retaliated.
• Rimuru demanded Rudra's purpose, and he declared that he wanted to control her so he could break the deadlock with Ari.
• Dozens of knights, including Tatsuya Kondo and Damrada, surrounded Rimuru's group as Xiao lunged at Rudra.
• Velgrend intercepted Xiao's strike and gripped the Harp of Peace, but blood dripped from her right hand after Xiao broke free.

Xiao wounded Velgrend and fought off the Royal Guard Knights after rejecting Rudra’s offer to join him. When Rudra ordered Velgrend to capture Rimuru, Xiao intervened again and prepared to hold off the Empire’s forces so Rimuru could escape.

• Xiao’s strike was stopped by Velgrend, but it wounded her hand and astonished the assembled knights and Rimuru’s allies.
• Velgrend unleashed her fury and clashed auras with Xiao until Rudra told her to calm down.
• Rudra offered Xiao a dukedom in exchange for his allegiance, but Xiao refused and remained loyal to the Geo Archon.
• Rudra ordered Tatsuya Kondo and the Royal Guard Knights to capture Xiao, and Xiao fought them off despite being surrounded.
• Rudra commanded Velgrend to capture Rimuru, so Xiao drove back the knights, blocked Velgrend, and urged Rimuru to escape while he held them off.