Chapter Summaries

Keosius unleashed the Primordial Breath against Jierlazarax, badly wounding the Abyssal Dragon and severing his left arm. The two dragons then clashed in mid-air, and Jierlazarax was driven backward despite his greater size.

• Keosius gathered power with his Divine Kingdom on Earth and fired the Primordial Breath at Jierlazarax.
• Jierlazarax countered with Chaos Fire, but Keosius's beam pierced the flames, burned through his shoulder, and severed his left arm.
• Jierlazarax regenerated the wound and charged Keosius, vowing to torment him once his power ran out.
• Keosius told Jierlazarax he had prepared for his arrival, then dived into a head-on collision with him.
• Keosius's momentum and Law Power sent the larger Jierlazarax flying backward, leaving him stunned by his defeat in strength.

Keosius used the Empire Domain to seal away Kareks’s divine power and overpower Jierlazarax, who finally abandoned his disguise and charged at him as a mindless embodiment of the Abyss. Keosius rose high into the sky and began a final, blazing dive toward the Abyssal Dragon.

• Keosius clung to Jierlazarax’s back and tore into his neck, forcing the Abyssal Dragon to unleash Kareks’s divine power.
• Jierlazarax healed his wounds and attacked Keosius with destructive winds, but Keosius withstood them within his Empire Domain.
• Keosius invoked Empire Domain: Sealing, suppressing Kareks’s power and leaving Jierlazarax vulnerable as he ripped through the Abyssal Dragon’s body.
• Jierlazarax revealed his chaotic Abyssal nature, raving that he would eat Keosius and charging at him.
• Keosius flew tens of thousands of meters into the sky, ignited his flames, and dove toward Jierlazarax like a Crimson Meteor.

Keosius overpowered Jierlazarax in the Empire Domain, and their battle brought down Tieri Peak. With both of Jierlazarax’s wings torn away and his revival sealed, Keosius promised to repay the Abyssal Dragon for what he had done.

• Keosius pinned Jierlazarax in midair and snapped one of the Abyssal Dragon’s wing bones.
• Keosius used Empire Domain: Sealing and increased gravity to drive both dragons into Tieri Peak.
• The impact shattered the mountainside and caused Tieri Peak to collapse.
• Keosius dodged Jierlazarax’s lunge and slashed deep wounds across his back.
• Keosius tore off Jierlazarax’s remaining wing, leaving him unable to revive under Sealing.
• Keosius stood over Jierlazarax and vowed to repay him for his past actions.

Keosius defeated Jierlazarax and discovered that a Balor had become fused with Kareks’s remains inside the Abyssal Dragon’s chest. Keosius destroyed the demon and captured Jierlazarax’s soul, leaving it to burn in his grasp.

• Keosius battered Jierlazarax until the Abyssal Dragon collapsed beneath the Red Dragon’s Empire Domain.
• Jierlazarax cursed Keosius and warned that the Abyss Will had marked him, but Keosius cut open Jierlazarax’s chest.
• Keosius found a Balor fused with Kareks’s remains, forming Jierlazarax’s true demonic heart.
• Keosius burned the Balor to ashes, then used his Empire Domain to prevent Jierlazarax’s soul from escaping.
• Keosius caught Jierlazarax’s soul and burned it with dragonfire as the demon begged for cooperation.

After Jierlazarax’s death brought daylight back to the world, Keosius raised Kareks’s remains into a mountain to keep the Progenitor Dragon’s power from being claimed or absorbed. He named the new peak Dragon Blood Mountain and declared it forbidden land belonging to the Embers of the Burned Empire.

• Jierlazarax’s death dispersed the chaos fog, restored daylight, and ended the shadow that had weighed on Keosius.
• Keosius considered the threat of the descending gods and the risk of Kareks’s remains carrying Jierlazarax’s curse, then chose to safeguard the corpse without absorbing it.
• Keosius used Empire Domain: Control to raise Kareks’s remains into the sky, astonishing the Celestial Beings, Metallic Dragons, and Empire Retinue.
• Kareks’s corpse transformed into a vast mountain whose peaks, ridges, rivers, and slopes retained the shape of the dragon.
• Keosius returned to his usual form, flew to the mountain’s summit, and declared the site forbidden land for the Embers of the Burned Empire, naming it Dragon Blood Mountain.

Keosius faced the avatars of Tyr, Ilmater, and Bahamut, who demanded that he surrender Kareks' Body for safekeeping. When Tyr tested him with an attack, Keosius defended himself with the Emperor's Scepter and warned the gods that his death could release the Empire's restrictions and send the corpse to the Abyss.

• Tyr descended upon the Anzeta Great Wasteland, accused Keosius of releasing Jierlazarax, and demanded Kareks' Body.
• Ilmater calmed the gathering armies and urged Tyr to recognize Keosius for killing an Abyss Lord.
• Bahamut arrived and advised Keosius to surrender Kareks' Body, but Keosius refused, arguing that the gods had failed to control it.
• Tyr attacked Keosius with his warhammer, and Keosius blocked the blow with the Emperor's Scepter and the power of the Empire Domain.
• Ilmater stopped the confrontation, and Keosius warned the gods that if he died outside the Prime Material Plane, the Empire's restrictions would fall and Kareks' corpse might be dragged into the Abyss.

After the gods withdrew, Keosius claimed rule over the Anzeta Great Wasteland and reviewed the Empire’s victory and losses from the Abyss invasion. Killing Jierlazarax granted him the Demon Slayer achievement and new powers, including an Orderly Breath that could eradicate chaos.

• Bahamut, Ilmater, and Tyr departed after the war, while Keosius stood firm against Tyr’s warning.
• Keosius proclaimed his rule over the Anzeta Great Wasteland as the gathered beings hailed him, and he received the Demon Slayer achievement for killing Jierlazarax.
• Celestial Beings and Metallic Dragons left Anzeta, while visitors sought audiences with Keosius and he ordered them to wait as he reviewed Lang Pu’s war report.
• Keosius assessed the Empire’s casualties alongside its gains in military strength, player levels, and industrial growth.
• The Demon Slayer achievement increased Keosius’s Constitution and Charisma and granted him Chaos Resistance Body and Orderly Breath.
• Keosius used his new Orderly Breath, releasing a silver pillar of dragonfire that restored its surroundings to absolute order.

Keosius purified Kareks' cursed blood with his Reordering Fire and discovered that it yielded Pure Progenitor Dragon Blood, which strengthened him when he swallowed it. After gaining a level and new abilities and spells, he turned his attention toward the ongoing war on the Feanso Continent and the Empire's arrival.

• Keosius drew tainted flesh from Kareks' corpse, and Jierlazarax's lingering curse formed a Cursed Pseudo Dragon that tried to invade his mind.
• Keosius destroyed the monster with his Reordering Fire, leaving behind Pure Progenitor Dragon Blood, which he purified and swallowed.
• Keosius felt the Progenitor Dragon Blood improve his strength, physique, and spellcasting, then concealed Dragon Blood Mountain in sulfurous mist.
• Keosius spent his experience to reach True Dragon Sorcerer level 18 and gained Progenitor Dragon Majesty.
• Keosius learned Steel Bones and Freedom Spell, then looked toward the war on the Feanso Continent and considered the Empire's arrival.

Keosius received Pablicheko, an Ancient Silver Dragon of the Melvord Clan, who sought to learn whether the Empire would intervene in the wars across Feanso. Keosius rejected the Clan’s attempt to influence him and demonstrated his Progenitor Dragon Majesty, leaving Pablicheko shaken as he insisted he sympathized with those suffering in war.

• While refining the Dragon Corpse’s flesh into Pure Progenitor Dragon Blood, Keosius heard that Pablicheko and the Melvord Silver Dragons were requesting an audience.
• Keosius tore open a Spatial Rift and appeared before the Silver Dragons, whose bodies were forced to the ground by his presence.
• Pablicheko congratulated Keosius on the Empire’s victory and asked whether it would become involved in the conflict across Feanso.
• Keosius showed Pablicheko images of civilians suffering in the war and rejected the Melvord Clan’s claim to preserve order or direct the Empire’s actions.
• Keosius unleashed Progenitor Dragon Majesty, making the Silver Dragons submit and controlling several of them so they spun in circles.
• Keosius assured the Silver Dragons that their alliance against demons remained in effect, then said he could not bear to see serfs and the people of Fadlan suffer in war.

The Imperial army returned to Istaria City to a day of public celebration after defeating the Abyssal invasion, and soldiers shared in the victory’s rewards. Over drinks, Grace confessed he wanted to leave the front for Anzeta, while George chose to join the Empire’s coming campaign in the South.

• Imperial citizens welcomed the returning army, including Bill and the Steam Tank Legion, while George reflected on the war and the Empire’s victory over the Abyssal Dragon.
• The victory celebrations continued across the Empire as soldiers, merchants, and military factories benefited from the postwar boom.
• George and Grace drank Song of Triumph in a tavern, where Grace praised George’s battlefield feats and growing dragon-blood power.
• Grace revealed that he feared losing his life and wanted to serve in Anzeta rather than fight in the South.
• George declared that he would campaign in the South to win territory for the Empire and rise to the peak of his ambition.

Catherine prepared to reclaim the Moonlight Holy Tree with Rhea’s help after the Fadlan Empire’s collapse, while Rhea recognized the Embers of the Burned Emperor as the wyrmling she had spared ten years earlier. In Thrace, Wilhelm considered an offer to buy the dragon’s cooperation until Dayev warned that the dragon was not as simple as Duke Sashisai claimed.

• Catherine welcomed Rhea back and resolved to overthrow the Council of Elders and restore her rule over Serenia.
• Catherine asked Rhea about the Embers of the Burned Emperor, and Rhea recognized him as the strange wyrmling she had released ten years earlier.
• Rhea concealed her discovery from Catherine and decided to face the consequences of her past choice herself.
• Wilhelm questioned his ministers about the dragon, and Duke Luton panicked before guards dragged him away.
• Duke Sashisai proposed paying the dragon to secure his cooperation and asked Wilhelm for ten million Gold Coin.
• Dayev interrupted Sashisai and warned Wilhelm that the dragon was not as simple as Sashisai claimed.

Dayev warned Wilhelm that Keosius was building a new civilization and seeking godhood, prompting the Thrace court to plan against the northern Empire while Wilhelm’s own body began to fracture under a hidden infernal debt. At Dragon Blood Mountain, Keosius reviewed the changing alliances and ordered preparations for a southern conquest.

• Dayev contradicted Duke Sashisai and described Keosius’s industrial Empire, warning that the Red Dragon aimed to create a new civilization and become a god in the hearts of its people.
• Wilhelm reacted furiously to the threat, while Sashisai proposed granting northern lands to rebellious Divine Descendants so they could serve as a buffer against Keosius.
• Herbert Favali offered to seek aid from Mount Paradise, and Wilhelm declared that Thrace would restore Holy Fadlan and defeat its enemies.
• After the ministers left, Wilhelm’s body cracked further as a voice warned that the Nine Hells would collect their payment if he failed to find the Fadlan Legacy.
• At Dragon Blood Mountain, Keosius reviewed reports of Thrace’s plans and Kassand’s offer of cooperation, then ordered his departments to prepare for the Empire’s conquest of the south.

After gaining the Divinely Granted Authority trait, Keosius used the Empire’s Awarding Ceremony to announce that meritorious citizens could wield Imperial authority as his agents. He left the ceremony poised to reward them, while Lang Pu and the Empire’s officials grappled with the power he had revealed.

• Keosius chose the Divinely Granted Authority faction trait to strengthen the Empire’s defenses by empowering followers.
• Hundreds of thousands gathered in Istaria for the Awarding Ceremony, where Lang Pu called for silence before Keosius arrived.
• Keosius appeared atop the Great Altar and addressed the crowd, praising the Empire’s soldiers, workers, and citizens for defeating the Abyssal Devils.
• Keosius announced that he would let meritorious citizens become his agents and wield the Empire’s authority in his stead.
• Lang Pu questioned the decision, but Keosius told him not to fear and instructed the scribe-official to bring the Empire’s meritorious citizens forward.

At the Empire’s Awarding Ceremony, Keosius recognized the old guard and promoted Alger, Anthony, and Misha to duke as citizens watched. Misha arrived on the altar and knelt before Keosius, while the ceremony continued with more new dukes still to be named.

• The Istaria Great Altar revealed six additional duke’s seats, and Lang Pu, Dolo, and Mezhuolash were honored as Special Dukes for their wartime leadership.
• The herald announced Alger’s promotion to duke for his victories against the Abyss Dragonkin, and Alger arrived on a Dragon Vein Giant Eagle to receive the honor.
• The herald named Anthony a duke for defending against demons and stopping a Balor, and Anthony rose to the altar with Lang Pu’s magic before taking his place.
• Keosius appointed Misha a duke for defeating high-ranking demons and a Balor, and Misha emerged from a Space Rift, flew to the altar, and knelt before him.

At the Empire’s Awarding Ceremony, Keosius elevated nobles and wartime leaders to new ranks, including Darena, Smaug, Tinia, and George. After the final titles were announced, Keosius rose to deliver the ceremony’s true bestowal.

• Misha greeted Lang Pu as the herald elevated Darena and Smaug to Imperial Duke.
• The herald named Tinia an Imperial Duke, and Keosius used a gale to stop her from crawling toward him during the ceremony.
• The Empire elevated Da Tou, Huo An Wilkerson, Serkan, and Steel Frenzy to Imperial Marquis, followed by other promotions for military and religious service.
• George was promoted from baron to count, and Keosius praised him for awakening a bloodline seed he had left behind.
• The herald announced the final promotions, and Keosius rose, declaring that the true bestowal was about to descend.

Keosius performed a Bloodline Gift ceremony in Istaria, transforming Abier and the other chosen people into Dragon Vein dependents. Li Cha resolved to stay undercover and find a way to free Abier, while Keosius prepared to test his newly acquired authority.

• Keosius took flight above the Istaria Great Altar as Li Cha watched Abier await the Emperor's gift and feared she would become his soul slave.
• Keosius declared destruction for the Empire's enemies, and falling meteors burned demons hidden in the crowd without harming anyone else.
• Keosius bestowed the Bloodline Gift on those gathered atop the altar, transforming Dolo, Lang Pu, Mezhuolash, Tinia, and the Dragon Blood Nobles.
• Abier became a Dragon Vein Elf and praised Keosius, leaving Li Cha despairing over the loss of their former life together.
• Li Cha decided to remain a double agent, protect Abier, and search for a way to lift the curse.
• Keosius tested his Divinely Granted Authority, releasing Law Power that shattered the invisible authority in his claw.

Keosius bestowed the Empire Domain’s Law Power on the Dragon Blood Nobles, greatly strengthening his retainers and inspiring the Empire’s citizens. As the celebration continued, Li Cha secretly watched Abier from the crowd and vowed to rescue her.

• Keosius’s authority filled the Istaria Great Altar, granting the Dragon Blood Nobles portions of the Empire Domain’s power.
• Lang Pu used his superior authority to subdue Dolo after the Hobgoblin lost control in a show of his new strength.
• Steamed Bun received powerful abilities that worked within the Empire’s core regions and decided his Imperial allegiance was a blessing.
• The Dragon Blood Nobles thanked Keosius, and he addressed the cheering citizens, promising wealth, power, and strength to those loyal to the Empire.
• Li Cha watched the draconic Abier from a dark alley, vowed to find a way to rescue her, and vanished into the shadows.

Keosius absorbed Progenitor Dragon Blood and sent two Dragon's Simulacrum clones toward Victoria Harbor and the Black Rock Mountains as he prepared to expand the Empire into Feanso. In Istaria, Abier reunited with her former lover Li Cha but rejected him as a loyal Dragon Blood Baron, despite having recovered her memories.

• Keosius studied the continent-wide strategies on his map, resolved to enter Feanso's conflicts, and sent dragon clones toward Victoria Harbor and the Black Rock Mountains.
• During a parade honoring the Dragon Blood Nobles, Abier recognized Li Cha in the crowd, but he disappeared before she could speak with him.
• Li Cha followed Abier to her home and tried to remind her of their past as members of the Harpers.
• Abier pointed a pistol at Li Cha, declared her loyalty to Keosius and the Empire, and ordered him to leave.
• After Li Cha vanished, Abier revealed to herself that she remembered their past but believed she could no longer be with him.

Newly promoted Dragon Blood Count George traveled to a military meeting expecting the Empire to launch a major southern campaign. Marshal Dolo announced a conquest of the Thrace Kingdom, and George joined the officers in shouting for war.

• George rode the Empire's special train to the military base, imagining that the Empire would expand into Feanso and give him a chance to rise in power.
• At the station, George reunited with Baron Grace, who told him that Imperial forces across the Empire and its colonies were mobilizing for war against the Thrace Kingdom.
• Governors and expeditionary officers arrived through magical portals, and George realized the meeting would concern a major military operation.
• Marshal Dolo addressed the gathered officers, declared the conquest of the Thrace Kingdom, and urged them to claim territory for the Empire.
• George joined the officers in chanting for conquest, eager to lead an army south and climb the Empire's ranks.

Arigon Everfrost, a Frost Giant slave in Istaria City, awakened the power of the Ancestor Totem and led a revolt against his Hobgoblin overseer. A passing player named Steamed Bun killed Arigon during the Empire’s response, ending his attempt to free the Frost Giants.

• Frost Giant slaves hauled military supplies under a Hobgoblin overseer’s whippings, while the Empire’s atonement-voucher policy offered them a false hope of freedom.
• Arigon told Kaya that he had hidden the power of the Ancestor Totem and planned to seek Koman in the Anstica Mountains to restore the Everfrost Tribe.
• When the overseer whipped Arigon, Arigon caught the whip and threatened him, prompting the overseer to activate the slaves’ electric shackles.
• Arigon awakened his totem power, broke his shackles and Kaya’s, and charged the overseer as nearby guards opened fire.
• A Wyvern Knight’s charge began as a greater force stripped away Arigon’s totem protection and ice armor, allowing Steamed Bun to pierce his chest with a lance.