Chapter Summaries

Troluo City faced dwindling supplies and rising unrest as Earl Dawson Viller tried to rally its people against the monster army surrounding them. From the countryside, Battlefield Wheelchair Man and Steel Frenzy tested a makeshift cannon, whose first shot struck the moat and sent the refugees into panic.

• After seven days of siege, Troluo City’s residents grew desperate, and Dawson ordered suspected traitors executed as the city’s food and water dwindled.
• Dawson gathered the citizens and urged them to arm themselves, claiming courage and will could carry them through the crisis.
• Battlefield Wheelchair Man and Steel Frenzy prepared a makeshift cannon outside the city, using an Ogre to brace it.
• Battlefield Wheelchair Man fired at Dawson, but the shell landed in the moat and exploded near the walls, triggering panic among the refugees.

Steel Frenzy’s cannon killed Earl Dawson, plunging Troluo City into chaos and forcing its leaders to surrender to Ember Nest. Ember Nest’s army entered the city, where Viscount Berly welcomed Dolo.

• Steel Frenzy recalibrated the cannon, and Da Tou helped fire a shell that struck Earl Dawson at Troluo City’s gatehouse.
• Earl Dawson died in the blast, and the city’s soldiers and refugees fell into confusion as news of his death spread.
• Steel Frenzy learned that the cannon had earned him experience and faction contribution, then explained to Dolo that the prototype could fire only twice before its barrel burst.
• After unrest subsided, Dolo threatened to attack unless Troluo City surrendered, but the city gates opened and white flags appeared.
• Dolo led Ember Nest’s disciplined troops into the city, where Viscount Berly greeted him on behalf of Troluo’s citizens.

Keosius descended on Troluo City after the Hobgoblin army seized it, declaring that the city now belonged to Ember Nest and demanding submission. As the residents were forced to cheer his rule, he considered how to build an orderly empire and restrain the savagery of his Dragon Vein Kin.

• The Hobgoblin army seized Troluo City's key locations and suppressed resistance, then drove the residents to Central Square.
• Keosius arrived with a host of Wyverns and addressed the gathered residents, claiming Troluo City as his territory and warning that he would destroy anyone who defied him.
• Viscount Burton welcomed the Embers of the Burned King, and the monsters and residents were forced to join the cheer.
• Keosius recognized that his Dragon Vein Kin craved violence and that he needed more reliable followers and a way to suppress the savagery in Red Dragon blood.

After occupying Troluo City, Keosius gained Dictatorial Law and used it to ban theft within his territory. The law killed the notorious thief Black Night Poem, and Keosius concluded that players could be made to obey further regulations if he introduced them gradually.

• Keosius occupied a city of ten thousand people, gained the Lord achievement, and acquired Dictatorial Law.
• Keosius declared that theft was prohibited in his territory.
• Black Night Poem stole a ring from a player and broke into a mansion to steal valuables.
• The law triggered a failed Will check, and an invisible force crushed Black Night Poem's head.
• Players mocked Black Night Poem on the Player Forum, while Keosius judged the law's first use successful and planned to introduce stricter rules gradually.

After Ember Nest captured Mex City, Keosius learned that the Rackman descendants had gathered at North Wind Fortress for an Ascension Ritual that could make Vampires truly immortal. He ordered Ember Nest’s elite forces to prepare for a siege before Brad Lachmann could complete it.

• Dolo reported that Mex City had fallen, and Darena marked it as Ember Nest’s latest conquest on the duchy map.
• Keosius asked Lang Pu whether his forces had captured any Vampire Spawn in Mex City.
• Lang Pu said the Rackman descendants had vanished from their cities and were likely gathered at North Wind Fortress for the Ascension Ritual.
• Lang Pu explained that the ritual could free Vampires from sunlight and running water while granting them powerful Dark Erosion Power.
• Keosius ordered Lang Pu to gather Ember Nest’s elite forces and besiege North Wind Fortress before Brad Lachmann could ascend.

As North Wind Fortress descended into fear and the vampire duke prepared a great ascension, Lang Li Bai Tiao and Yeno hid from the city’s pursuers. Yeno fell under the duke’s influence and headed toward the castle, so Lang Li Bai Tiao followed while pretending to be controlled.

• North Wind Fortress residents feared Ember Nest’s advance and the Eagle Shields’ brutal searches for alleged traitors.
• Lang Li Bai Tiao and Yeno evaded pursuers, and Yeno warned that his father was turning captives into Blood Slaves to complete his great ascension.
• Lang Li Bai Tiao revealed the Rebellious Crest, but Yeno explained that its creator, Tris, had failed to resist the duke.
• Yeno’s eyes turned crimson as he became fanatically devoted to the ascension and walked toward the duke’s castle.
• Lang Li Bai Tiao noticed the crest resisting a powerful force, hid it, and followed Yeno while pretending to be controlled.

Ember Nest’s forces surrounded North Wind Fortress and spread surrender leaflets and stories that fueled suspicions about Duke Brad Lachmann’s Blood Slaves. Earl Brandon then roused the fortress’s citizens to resist by warning them of the Red Dragon’s alleged atrocities.

• Ember Nest’s Wyvern Knights scattered surrender leaflets while College of Lore bards exposed dark secrets about the Rackman Dynasty and were arrested or killed.
• Lonely as Snow shouted for Ember Nest as guards dragged him away and beheaded him, while fear and suspicions about Blood Slaves spread among the citizens.
• Earl Brandon gathered North Wind Fortress’s citizens at Eagle Square and told them the Red Dragon and its vassals had surrounded the city.
• Brandon described the Red Dragon as a threat to citizens’ families and urged them to defend their loved ones, prompting the crowd to shout their refusal to surrender.

Brandon rallied North Wind Fortress against the Red Dragon, but Keosius revealed the duke’s Blood Slaves and threatened to burn the city unless its gates opened before dusk. After Keosius departed, Brandon ordered his soldiers to kill anyone who defied him, while unrest spread throughout the city.

• Brandon gave a speech urging the people of North Wind Fortress to fight for their home and against the dragon.
• Wyverns descended over the fortress, and Keosius arrived, terrifying the crowd with his presence.
• Keosius accused Brandon of sending citizens to die for the duke and projected images of the duke’s Blood Slaves into the sky.
• Keosius demanded that the gates be opened and white flags raised before dusk, or he would burn the city, then withdrew his forces.
• Brandon dismissed Keosius’s warning and ordered his soldiers to kill anyone who caused trouble.
• People across the city hid, sought contacts at the walls, or took action against the Gray Robe Spies as unrest spread.

Dragon Vein Kin and rebel City Defense Army soldiers breached North Wind Fortress and fought the loyal defenders in a chaotic battle. Players joined the assault, and Monk player Dawei Tianlong killed several soldiers before arrows brought him down.

• Rebel soldiers led by John killed the western gate commander, opened the gate, and marked themselves with red bands as the Dragon Vein Kin charged into North Wind Fortress.
• Ogres and Hobgoblin rifle skirmishers fought the loyal City Guards while Rackman Dynasty spellcasters attacked the invading kin.
• Players joined the battle with spells and other attacks as both sides clashed inside the city.
• Dawei Tianlong used Haste Spell to charge into the City Defense Army and knocked down several soldiers with Gale Combo.
• Dawei Tianlong caught an arrow with Deflect Missiles and threw it back to kill an archer, then fell after arrows from multiple directions riddled him.

Players helped the Ember Nest forces overwhelm North Wind Fortress, while Charlotte and Holy Light Bro crushed Baron Alta and his guards in a surprise attack. Singo's squad received a special quest to stop Duke Brad Lachmann's Vampire King ascension and set out to find Mezhuolash and Alger.

• Monk players tried to copy Dawei Tianlong's charge, but many were killed by the City Defense Army.
• Charlotte enlarged Holy Light Bro in Owlbear form and dropped him onto Baron Alta and twenty elite soldiers, crushing them; Holy Light Bro earned 3,900 experience and 4,000 Faction Contribution.
• Charlotte spotted a special quest on his panel as the Ember Nest's forces advanced through North Wind Fortress toward the Hall of Governance.
• Singo's squad discovered a quest to stop Brad Lachmann from ascending into a Vampire King by sacrificing 1,674 Vampire Spawn.
• Xia Ye Qiuyu urged Singo, Born Battle Maniac, and Steam Bun's Dragon Face to find Mezhuolash and Alger before confronting Brad Lachmann.

Alger and Mezhuolash gathered elite players at the Sleeping Mermaid Tavern and led them toward Lachmann Castle to stop Brad Lachmann’s Ascension Ritual. In Twilight Garden, the group encountered a living forest that formed grotesque monsters, and Alger ordered everyone to prepare for battle.

• At the Sleeping Mermaid Tavern, Singo recognized professional players from the major guilds, while Born Battle Maniac glared at Overlord.
• Alger told Mezhuolash that he knew a hidden route into Lachmann Castle through the Dim Path in Lakman's Back Garden, and Mezhuolash agreed to lead the players against Brad Lachmann.
• Alger, Mezhuolash, and the players entered Twilight Garden, where Alger noticed that the forest had changed since he last saw it.
• Steamed Bun, Singo, and Xia Ye Qiuyu heard eerie voices and saw the forest’s vines and bushes shifting around them.
• Alger raised the Eternally Burning Greatsword, revealing ghostly figures formed from roots, branches, vines, thorns, and human remains.
• Alger shouted for the group to prepare for battle after realizing that the forest was alive.

Mezhuolash, Alger, and the players fought their way through a forest overrun by Blightspawn and reached Lachmann Castle. A Death Knight on a Bone Eagle appeared above them, and Alger recognized him as his former instructor, Old Ward.

• Mezhuolash identified the surrounding monsters as Blightspawn, and Alger warned that they caught fire easily.
• Steamed Bun, Singo, Xia Ye Qiuyu, Chenguang Xiwu, and Steel Frenzy used fire, radiance, and explosives to destroy the Blightspawn.
• The players crossed the burning forest and arrived at Lachmann Castle, where Alger said the vampire duke had changed it since he left.
• Alger warned everyone about an enemy in the sky, and a Death Knight riding a Bone Eagle swooped toward them.
• Alger recognized the Death Knight as Ward Chris, his former instructor, and vowed to let the old man rest.

Alger defeated Death Knight Ward and turned toward Lachmann Castle, where Duke Brad prepared to complete his Ascension using bound Vampire Spawn. Brad lamented that Todd had not returned.

• Old Ward attacked Alger and the players with undead forces, but Mezhuolash controlled the skeletons while the players destroyed them.
• Alger summoned Iger and fought Ward in the air, then used Dragon Roar Charge to stun him and killed him with Great Cleave.
• Alger buried Ward’s skull and vowed to kill the Old Vampire before heading for the gates of Lachmann Castle.
• Beneath the castle, Brad found Alexia and other Vampire Spawn bound to pillars around a ritual platform as they chanted about the coming Ascension.
• Brad declared that completing the Ascension would make him unstoppable, then noted that Todd had not returned.

Duke Brad sought a replacement for Todd in his Vampire Ascension Ritual and chose the captured Lang Li Bai Tiao, intending to remake him as Todd and cultivate a twisted love for him. As the ritual preparations continued, Duke Brad turned his attention toward Lang Li Bai Tiao with a disturbing new plan.

• Duke Brad decided he needed a spellcaster to replace Todd, whom Lang Pu had killed during experiments.
• Duke Brad chose Lang Li Bai Tiao as a candidate because of his affinity for dark power and looked forward to breaking his resistance.
• Lang Li Bai Tiao hid the Rebellious Crest beneath his tongue and pretended to be a mindless Blood Slave as Duke Brad entered the ritual chamber.
• Duke Brad carried Lang Li Bai Tiao to the stone platform, where Lang Li Bai Tiao saw Alexia Lakman and Yeno Lakman bound to pillars as ritual offerings.
• Duke Brad compelled Lang Li Bai Tiao to identify himself as Todd Lachman, his neglected and jealous youngest son.
• Duke Brad doubted that the false identity would make him love Lang Li Bai Tiao, then considered using carnal desire to create that emotion.

Lang Li Bai Tiao broke free from Duke Brad’s control by biting and drinking the vampire’s blood, but Brad overpowered him and bound him as the final sacrifice for his Ascension ritual. Hidden players watched and posted mocking videos and comments on the Player Forum while Lang Li Bai Tiao remained unaware.

• Duke Brad tried to make Lang Li Bai Tiao submit, but Lang Li Bai Tiao bit his neck and drank his blood, becoming a true Vampire.
• Duke Brad blasted Lang Li Bai Tiao away, restrained him with blood mist, and threatened him after Lang Li Bai Tiao insulted him.
• Duke Brad plugged Lang Li Bai Tiao’s mouth with a bat, carved runes into his back, and bound him to the Envy pillar as the final sacrifice.
• The hidden players watched Lang Li Bai Tiao’s humiliation and posted mocking videos and messages on the Player Forum.

Mezhuolash and the players attacked Duke Brad to stop his Ascension, but the Vampire evaded their assault and unleashed overwhelming blood-mist powers. As Brad slaughtered the players and grew stronger, Meshraf realized they had to stop him from drawing more power.

• Duke Brad sensed the intruders during the Ascension ritual, and Mezhuolash ordered the players to attack.
• Charlotte, Flying Guitar, Feng Yun, and other players used spells and weapons against Brad, but he scattered into blood mist and avoided their attacks.
• Brad re-formed above the platform, declared himself immortality and darkness, and crushed Steel Frenzy and his Guardian Mech with gigantic hands of blood mist.
• Brad hunted the players with the blood mist, killing more than a dozen as the survivors fled and struggled to fight back.
• Meshraf recognized that Brad was drawing power and becoming stronger, while Mezhuolash looked toward a shadowed corner with a strange light in his eyes.

Born Battle Maniac and the other players were overwhelmed by Duke Brad, while Mezhuolash and Alger pierced him with a holy-water-coated spear after trapping him with a spell. Brad revived by absorbing his Vampire Spawn sacrifices, gained new powers, and dominated Alger, leaving Mezhuolash wounded and waiting for his Master to arrive.

• Duke Brad killed Born Battle Maniac and drained Life Force from the players as blood mist, tentacles, bats, and rats attacked them.
• Duke Brad taunted Mezhuolash about the massacre of his Tiefling kin, but Mezhuolash revealed that he had prepared a Vampire-controlling spell sealed in his sword.
• Mezhuolash used Otto's Irresistible Dance to distract Duke Brad while Alger struck him through the heart with a holy-water-coated wooden spear.
• Traviv Lachmann and Lilani Lachmann exploded as sacrifices, and Brad Lachmann absorbed their bodies and powers before rising again as an undying monster.
• Duke Brad used Dominate Person to turn Alger against Mezhuolash, who dodged Alger's attacks while gripping a shattered crimson crystal and thinking that his Master would arrive soon.

Steamed Bun freed Lang Li Bai Tiao from his chains, but Lang escaped when Duke Brad attacked and Steamed Bun was killed. Keosius arrived in the dungeon and, realizing he was outmatched in his humanoid form, decided to transform into his true form.

• Steamed Bun sneaked past the battle and broke the chains holding Lang Li Bai Tiao, whose Vampire regeneration quickly healed his injuries.
• Duke Brad sensed that the Vampire Spawn representing envy was missing and unleashed an attack that swallowed Steamed Bun while Lang escaped as mist.
• Duke Brad pursued Lang Li Bai Tiao through the dungeon as his blood sea drove Mezhuolash toward the entrance passage.
• Keosius arrived through a Flame Teleportation Gate and assessed Duke Brad as too powerful to face in his humanoid form.
• Keosius decided to return to his true form.

Keosius transformed into a Red Dragon and fought Duke Brad, whose ascension depended on absorbing his Vampire Spawn children. After Keosius incinerated Eitri Lakman and ruined the ritual, Duke Brad attacked in a rage to protect Alexia.

• Keosius transformed into a Red Dragon, and his Leader Aura freed Alger from Duke Brad's Dominate Person spell.
• Duke Brad unleashed a flood of blood, bats, and shadow tentacles, but Keosius burned through them with dragonfire.
• Duke Brad dissolved into blood mist to evade Keosius's Maximized Flame Breath.
• Keosius attacked the bound Vampire Spawn and annihilated Eitri Lakman, causing Duke Brad's ascension to fail.
• Duke Brad re-formed, saw Keosius turn toward Alexia, and charged at the Red Dragon in fury.

Keosius killed Duke Brad Lachmann after Alexia perished, repeatedly crushing and burning the regenerating Vampire until his body exploded into black mist. Brad was finally slain, but the mist surged toward an unknown destination, leaving Keosius alarmed and in pursuit.

• Alexia died in the flames, and Duke Brad transformed into an undead monster and attacked Keosius.
• Keosius trapped Brad with a Spell Invalidation Barrier, seized him, and crushed him while Brad's Gluttony-fueled regeneration restored his body.
• Keosius released the barrier and burned Brad in a molten crater, but Brad continued regenerating and began gathering magical energy.
• Brad warned that they would all die, then exploded into black mist that drifted away instead of reforming.
• Keosius received 13,000 XP for slaying Brad Lachmann, sensed a dangerous fluctuation, and flew after the mist.