Chapter Summaries

Keosius and Dumasong formed a temporary alliance against Gruumsh, but the Greater God overwhelmed them with his divine power and badly wounded the Red Dragon. Dumasong and Keosius struck back together, leaving Gruumsh injured as Keosius gathered immense power in his dragon crystal.

• Gruumsh tried to divide Keosius and Dumasong, but Dumasong declared his resolve by raising a Divine Power Domain and standing against the Orc God.
• Keosius explained that the dwarves and his forces shared Gruumsh as a greater threat, and Dumasong accepted a temporary alliance to stop Orc expansion.
• Gruumsh pierced Dumasong’s shield and pressed an attack toward his heart, but Keosius and Dumasong intervened with flames, a Lava Hammer, and a charge from behind.
• Gruumsh’s divine pressure left both opponents briefly dazed, and his battle axe cut deeply into Keosius’s shoulder.
• Dumasong struck Gruumsh’s head with his Lava Hammer while Keosius shattered the Orc God’s protective divine light, knocking him aside and dislodging his Blood Spear.
• Gruumsh attacked Keosius with a storm of Blood-colored Blade Lights as Dumasong shielded the dragon, who gathered his chaotic power into his glowing dragon crystal.

Keosius and Dumasong fought Gruumsh’s avatar, but could not destroy the Greater God’s manifestation before the dwarven counterattack forced Gruumsh to withdraw. Keosius seized the chance to devour the departing avatar’s remaining divine power, then returned to Avendell Dan as the orcs faced the apparent collapse of their future.

• Dumasong trapped Gruumsh briefly with stone pillars, giving Keosius time to attack with his full strength and the two to shatter Gruumsh’s divine power domain.
• Gruumsh survived their assault and began overpowering Keosius and Dumasong, but halted his attack when the dwarves advanced toward the Eternal Battlefield.
• As Gruumsh’s avatar withdrew toward the Outer Plane, Keosius pursued and used Plundering Breath to devour it, absorbing the remaining divine power.
• Dumasong returned to the pantheon war, while Keosius exchanged a guarded farewell with him.
• Keosius appeared above Avendell Dan, and the fighting between the imperial soldiers and orcs stopped as both sides reacted to his return.
• Soro recognized Keosius’s arrival and concluded that the future of the orcs of the Ugo Great Prairie was over.

After defeating the Orc God, Keosius used the Blood Spear to strip Great Chieftain Soro of his strength, and Garon killed the powerless chieftain and offered the Orcs’ submission. Keosius rejected the Orcs and unleashed divine power that killed every Orc caught in its light.

• Soro realized the Father God had abandoned the Orcs and, in a rage, leaped at Keosius with a spear.
• Keosius formed a bloodstained spear from the divine power he had taken and used it to drain Soro’s strength, leaving him a frail old Orc.
• Soro begged Keosius to restore his power and offered the Red Blood Tribe’s submission, but Garon pinned him down and killed him with Steel Claws.
• Garon and the green-skinned Orcs declared their loyalty to Keosius, while the Pure Blood Orcs remained silent.
• Keosius commanded the Orcs to heed him, then declared he would grant them complete death and killed those covered by the scarlet divine light.

Keosius used the divine power taken from Gruumsh to exterminate the orcs across Ugo Great Prairie and claim the land for the Embers of the Burned Empire. Gruumsh learned that his plans had been ruined, then went to confront Dumasong as the ancient war between the orc and dwarven pantheons continued.

• Keosius killed the orc legion, declared the orcs destined for total extermination, and drove hidden watchers away with his display of power.
• Keosius swept across Ugo Great Prairie, killing every orc he found, while an elderly orc mistook his divine aura for Father God's return.
• Lang Pu told Keosius that orcs across the multiverse had begun attacking Imperial caravans and expedition teams, and Keosius ordered Imperial citizens to kill orcs without restraint.
• Keosius ordered Lang Pu to develop Ugo Great Prairie as pasture and hunting ground, then declared all land north of Blackstone Mountain Imperial territory.
• Gruumsh realized that Keosius had destroyed his followers on Ugo Great Prairie and disrupted his plans, then set out to fight Dumasong after hearing of the dwarves' attack.

Keosius appeared over Stone Sword City and the northern nations, announcing that their lands would join the Embers of the Burned Empire and their people would become Imperial Citizens. After the Red Dragon left Stone Sword City with a final ultimatum, Ily Wilson chose unconditional surrender.

• Leien and Ailin feared the Empire’s advance and worried that their family could not escape Stone Sword City with Ellie.
• Ily Wilson learned that Thrace would not send aid and faced a choice between surrendering and fighting the Empire.
• Keosius appeared above Stone Sword City, terrifying Ily and its residents before declaring the Empire’s claim to the northern lands.
• Keosius issued the same final ultimatum to more than a dozen small nations and over a hundred cities as Imperial forces gathered to enforce it.
• After the guard captain told him Keosius had left, Ily recovered and immediately agreed to surrender unconditionally.

Wilhelm ordered Karel to lead Thrace's northern defenses while his Holy Crusaders advanced north, and the people of August City feared the kingdom's supposed angels. Meanwhile, Keosius kept the Chaos Evil Eye imprisoned, sought a way to create Orcs loyal to him, and prepared to confront the Three Great Kingdoms.

• Wilhelm raged over the panic caused by Keosius's magical image, then heard that Thrace's Holy Crusaders had driven Kassand's forces south of the Kassen Mountains.
• Wilhelm declared himself the only legitimate Emperor of Holy Fadlan and ordered Karel to take charge of the northern border defenses against the Imperial People.
• Hundreds of Holy Crusaders flew north from August City as residents watched with fear, while the city's horrific disappearances and violence remained uninvestigated.
• Keosius refused the Chaos Evil Eye's pleas for Gruumsh's divine power and asked Ivenis how to create an Orc subspecies loyal to him.
• Ivenis explained that Gruumsh's racial divine authority made all Orcs hate Keosius, so Keosius reinforced the seal around the Chaos Evil Eye and prepared to face the Three Great Kingdoms.

Keosius met with the deposed Hell Lord Bael, who sought the Empire’s help against Zariel and demanded souls to strengthen his forces. Keosius refused to sacrifice his citizens and agreed only to send thirty thousand Starfallers, while Bael proposed a plan to make Zariel vulnerable during the fall of the City of Sunrise.

• Lang Pu told Keosius that a former Hell Lord had come to Black Dragon City, where Smaug was hosting him.
• Bael warned Keosius that Zariel was growing stronger by absorbing souls and planned to drag the City of Sunrise into Hell.
• Keosius refused Bael’s request for the Empire’s citizens’ souls but offered thirty thousand Starfallers to fight in Hell.
• Bael threatened Keosius, but Keosius asserted the Empire’s dominance and reminded Bael that he depended on its support.
• Bael explained that Zariel would be vulnerable on the Day of Corruption and asked Keosius to attack the Thrace Kingdom to force Wilhelm to sacrifice the City of Sunrise.
• Keosius and Bael agreed to pursue the plan, with Keosius to occupy Thrace and Bael to reclaim Avernus if Zariel fell.

Lang Li Bai Tiao and three other devil-contracting players entered Avernus, killed the Barbazu guarding their gate, and escaped a Horned Devil while heading toward Zariel’s Bronze Fortress. Their mission to help Bael reclaim Avernus began with the team teleporting away under pursuit.

• Lang Li Bai Tiao disguised himself as a frightened mortal, then revealed his vampire form and drained two Barbazu at the Cursed Gate.
• Lucky Emperor, Born Battle Maniac, and Dark Night Wolf joined Lang Li Bai Tiao, and Bael ordered the four Contractors to fulfill their mission in Avernus.
• A Horned Devil searched the gate area, while Lang Li Bai Tiao used his concealment cloak to hide the team from its gaze.
• Dark Night Wolf identified the Bronze Fortress as their destination, and Born Battle Maniac led the team southwest through an ambush of lesser devils and a Spined Devil.
• The Horned Devil pursued the team, so Lucky Emperor used a teleportation scroll to transport all four away before it could catch them.

Lucky Emperor and the disguised outsiders infiltrated the Bronze Fortress, captured the imp Dick, and questioned him about their targets and a way into the inner rings. Dick led them to the Heart-Burning Casino, where he offered a richly dressed devil something he claimed would exceed expectations.

• A Chain Devil nearly threw Dick into the lava for avoiding the entrance toll, but Lucky Emperor paid ten Silver Coins to rescue him and led him into the city.
• Lucky Emperor trapped Dick in a rune-heated iron cage, revealing that she and her companions were outsiders disguised as a succubus, golem, and vampire bats.
• Dick gave the group vague information about the Auguste portal, Hellfire cannon blueprints, and General Alex Rives, then suggested he knew a way into the inner rings.
• Dick brought the outsiders to the Heart-Burning Casino and promised its richly dressed devil an offering that would surpass his expectations.

Uriel was lured by a clay jar filled with thousands of souls, then ambushed and captured by Bael’s followers. After torturing him, the players forced him to reveal a secret passage into the inner rings of the Bronze Fortress, while adventurers began appearing across the city.

• Dick presented Uriel with a clay jar whose souls clouded Uriel’s judgment, leading him to destroy his two Bone Devil Hook Scythe Soldiers.
• Uriel discovered Bael’s emblem on the jar, but a giant captured him before he could escape.
• Lang Li Bai Tiao and the other players beat and tortured Uriel until he agreed to submit to Bael and help them enter the inner rings.
• Uriel revealed that a secret passage in Modin Casino led to the Fourth Ring and identified Valerius Edwards as its important patron.
• The players accepted Uriel’s offer to guide them, then made him sign Bael’s trap-filled contract before setting out.
• Adventurers from the Material Plane began appearing throughout the Bronze Fortress and causing disturbances.

Uriel led Lang Li Bai Tiao and the other players through the River of Sin into Valerius's fortress, where they planned to attack the Pit Fiend with powerful equipment. The chapter ended as the Miniature Space Collapse Bomb detonated inside the castle and collapsed the space around it.

• Uriel escorted Lang Li Bai Tiao and the cloaked Petitioners through the River of Sin, explaining how they could pass the Bronze Fortress's isolation arrays.
• The group reached the fourth ring, where Born Battle Maniac sensed powerful enemies and Lang Li Bai Tiao revealed a Miniature Space Collapse Bomb; Lucky Emperor prepared a Flame Teleportation Scroll.
• Valerius ordered his Cornugon servant to eliminate Uriel and clean out Modin Casino after receiving the smuggled Petitioners and treasure.
• Uriel presented a clay jar to Valerius, and a golem pulled out the bomb and threw it at the Pit Fiend.
• The bomb exploded, twisting and collapsing the space occupied by Valerius's lava castle.

Lang Li Bai Tiao and the other players escaped the Bronze Fortress after their bomb killed Valerius, but Zariel discovered them and nearly trapped them before they were rescued. Keosius revealed that he had orchestrated the attack to disrupt Zariel’s ritual and ordered more players sent to Hell as he prepared for war with the Thrace Kingdom.

• Born Battle Maniac confirmed that Valerius had survived the initial blast, but the collapsing space tore the Pit Fiend apart and awarded the players experience.
• Zariel appeared over the Bronze Fortress, tried to bind and search the players, and pursued them with Hellish chains until their Six-Pointed Star Arrays scattered them away as ash.
• Zariel confronted the Red Dragon, who accused her of threatening the Material Plane and vowed to overthrow her; she then told her Legion Commanders to tighten security and revealed her plan to use mortal souls to fuel the Blood War.
• Keosius watched a recording of Zariel and explained that he had authorized the players’ bombing to disrupt her ritual and protect the City of Sunrise and the Thrace region.
• Keosius ordered Lang Pu to send more players into the Bronze Fortress and declared that the empire would begin mobilizing for war against the Thrace Kingdom in seven days.

Ailin, an exhausted factory worker in Hekto City, attended a military parade after an urgent bell summoned the citizens, while worrying about her dead husband and her son’s growing fascination with war. The chapter ended as the crowd welcomed Your Majesty Keosius, who was about to deliver a speech.

• Ailin worked a punishing ammunition-factory shift and was docked one Silver Ginar after a deformed bullet reached a crate.
• The factory director announced that the workers would get half a day off to gather at City Hall Square for an important announcement.
• Ailin brought Little Daniel to the square, where he asked when his dead father would return and said he wanted to become a soldier or make weapons.
• Twelve Steam Tanks, Wyvern Knights, and the Empire's airships passed over the square as the crowd celebrated the display of military power.
• Hohenzollern announced that Your Majesty Keosius would deliver a speech, and Ailin and Little Daniel joined the crowd in cheering.

Keosius delivered a fiery address across the Empire, stirring Imperial citizens and revealing the Empire’s advanced military forces as he declared war on the Thrace Kingdom. As the army marched south, Keosius resolved to seize the Fadlan Emperor’s legacy while preparing for the kingdom’s hidden powers and Zariel’s influence.

• Keosius appeared as a vast Red Dragon above Hetoke City, and Imperial citizens worshipped him as the embodiment of the Empire.
• Keosius accused the Thracians of breaking the peace and insulting the Empire, prompting crowds across the Empire to demand war.
• Keosius displayed the Empire’s airships, armored Wyverns, Steam Tanks, modified Terrestrial Dragon Beasts, and giant mechanical golems, while Ailin comforted Daniel with a story about his absent father.
• Keosius declared war on the Thrace Kingdom, and citizens and players across the Empire erupted in cheers as the Imperial army began advancing south.
• Keosius recognized the dangers posed by the Thrace Kingdom, its hidden demigods, and Zariel, and vowed to claim the Eternal Sun God Tower and the Fadlan Emperor’s legacy.

Count Hain Diaz and the defenders of Isengard prepared for war after the Embers of the Burned Empire declared war on Thrace. The Empire launched a surprise bombardment and air assault that shattered Isengard’s defenses, and Smaug joined the battle as the Angel Divine Descendants fought the Wyverns.

• Count Hain Diaz received word that the Embers of the Burned Empire had declared war and ordered Isengard’s forces to prepare.
• Hain rallied the soldiers and sent them to their battle stations as smoke and dust gathered over Elbert Valley.
• The Empire’s long-range shells struck Isengard, destroying many cannons and ballistas and killing thousands before the Radiant Discs raised a barrier.
• The Empire’s armored legion advanced and its airships bombarded the city, eventually breaking the magical barrier.
• Isengard’s Sacred Spear Defense System destroyed several airships, while Hain and other Angel Divine Descendants flew up to attack the invaders.
• Smaug emerged through a portal, killed one Angel Divine Descendant with dragonfire, and joined the Wyvern assault on the defenders.

The Crimson Scale Conquerors and the Empire’s advanced forces overwhelmed the Angel Divine Descendants and the defenders of Isengard. As Hein sacrificed himself to attack the airship fleet, an enormous dragon emerged from a rift and swallowed him, plunging the battlefield into darkness.

• Alger led the Crimson Scale Conquerors in a charge that killed several Angel Divine Descendants, then ordered his troops to surround Hein.
• Hein broke through the encirclement, but Imperial airships used freezing weapons to bring down his comrades and seal him inside a massive ice sphere.
• As Hein watched Isengard’s defenses collapse under Imperial tanks, infantry, mechs, and anti-magic weapons, he broke free from the ice and ignited his divine power core.
• Hein flew toward the Imperial airship fleet, inspiring the defenders of Isengard to renew their fight beneath his light.
• A huge dragon head emerged from a Space Rift and swallowed Hein, leaving Isengard in darkness and its soldiers stunned.

Keosius destroyed Isengard’s Angel Divine Descendants and breached its walls, then forced the city to surrender as Imperial forces occupied it. The invasion poured through Albert Pass into Thrace, and news of Isengard’s fall sent August City into panic as the full-scale war began.

• Keosius announced that the Embers of the Burned Empire had come to save the people from Thrace, claimed Wilhelm had betrayed the gods, and used his Sun God Power to sway Isengard’s people.
• Nine Angel Divine Descendants raised a Sun Disk to defend the city, but Keosius’s Sun Breath destroyed them and melted a large section of Isengard’s walls, killing or burying thousands.
• Keosius ordered Isengard’s soldiers to submit or die, and they surrendered as the Imperial banner replaced the banner of Sun and Wings.
• Imperial troops entered Isengard and secured important locations while the city’s frightened residents remained in their homes.
• Steam Tanks, Wyverns, and the Imperial army surged through Albert Pass into Thrace, beginning the full-scale war.
• In August City, news of Isengard’s fall spread panic as residents learned that a foreign army had invaded Fadlan.

The Imperial armies invaded Thrace with overwhelming artillery, aircraft, and mechanized forces, crushing the defenders at Highland 103 before Kane Irwin led a final counterattack and was killed. As Tar’s forces advanced toward Uriel City, the Thrace Kingdom’s hidden Holy Guard appeared overhead and ambushed the Imperial troops with devastating sacred flames.

• Duke Dror and Duke Arturo led the Imperial Eastern and Western Armies into Thrace while players and the Wyvern Legion joined the invasion.
• Kane Irwin ordered the Thracian artillery to return fire, but Imperial scouts located its positions and Da Tou’s guns destroyed it.
• Imperial artillery, rocket barrages, and Wyvern bombs devastated the Thracian defenses, though Kane survived the bombardment and attacked the advancing soldiers.
• Imperial troops used missiles, capture nets, and airship weapons to kill Kane after he slaughtered more than twenty soldiers.
• Tar’s unit reported capturing Highland 103 and advancing toward Uriel City, then received a warning about a powerful enemy force nearby.
• More than a hundred members of Wilhelm’s Holy Guard appeared in the sky and set Imperial airships, tanks, and soldiers ablaze as Tar called for anti-aircraft fire.

The Thrace Holy Guards annihilated the Empire’s Third Mixed Division with a devastating meteor attack, then escaped as Alger and Imperial reinforcements arrived. At Isaak Valley, Arturo accepted responsibility for the loss while Imperial officers debated how to change their strategy against Thrace.

• The Holy Guards blocked the Empire’s anti-aircraft shells and struck Tar’s division with meteors, destroying its defenses and killing the soldiers trapped inside.
• Alger arrived with airships and Wyverns, but the exhausted Holy Guards teleported away just before he could reach their leader.
• Alger examined the wreckage and suspected the attack’s power came from Hell rather than the Sun God.
• Imperial officers learned that all fifteen thousand members of the Third Mixed Division had been lost and argued over the cause.
• Arturo took responsibility, blamed the Empire’s divided advance and underestimated defenses, and proposed concentrating its forces against Auguste.
• The officers resumed debating their plans as Arturo stared at the map and focused on the Holy Guards.

Keosius learned that Thrace’s Holy Guard drew its power from Hell and that Wilhelm had sacrificed more than a hundred thousand souls, while the Empire’s army remained stalled at Saint Michael City. The chapter ended with the Blazing Sun Bulwark repelling another assault and Dror confronting an enemy the Empire could not easily overcome.

• Dolo reported the Western Army’s Third Mixed Division had been wiped out and the Eastern Army had failed to breach Saint Michael City’s defenses.
• Mezhuolash presented evidence that the Holy Guard used Hellfire and that Wilhelm had sacrificed Thrace’s people for an army.
• Keosius dismissed Olivia’s hope that other powers would act against Thrace and ordered Lang Pu to raise mission rewards for Starfallers heading there.
• Keosius declared that Auguste would decide the war as the Empire’s forces surrounded Saint Michael City.
• The Blazing Sun Bulwark shielded the city from the Empire’s bombardment and destroyed advancing Steam Tanks with its focused light attack.
• Dror watched the failed assault and angrily recognized that Saint Michael City was a formidable obstacle.