Chapter Summaries

Bismarck tested the Blood Emperor by making him endure the destruction and restoration of the world, then told him he had passed and gave him a badge that let him exchange wealth for Gifts and power. The Blood Emperor realized Gazef had received his strength through the same process and saw that his imperial wealth could help him grow stronger.

• Bismarck's display of overwhelming power and the world's reversal left the Blood Emperor shaken, while the surrounding guards remained unaware of what had happened.
• The Blood Emperor asked Bismarck whether he had passed, and she told him that lives had value regardless of strength and that he now ranked alongside Albedo and Gazef.
• The Blood Emperor inferred that Bismarck had bestowed Gazef's power and realized Gazef must have passed a similar assessment.
• Bismarck gave the Blood Emperor a golden badge that let him exchange wealth for Gifts and gain power.
• The Blood Emperor understood that Gazef's wealth had been used to acquire power and realized that, as emperor, he had money to spare.

Bismarck explained the Merchant Guild’s rules after demonstrating how Auditors could manipulate worlds, while Othinus discussed two candidates who had passed their audits. The five audits were complete, but the candidates’ fates remained unresolved, and Auditors were warned that approving someone tied them to that person’s future.

• The Blood Emperor returned to his bedchamber after Bismarck disappeared, eager for power that could stop Ainz Ooal Gown and the Magic Emperor.
• Bismarck told the members that even Senior Members had to follow the Guild’s rules, though they could restore victims and pay Points as punishment for breaking them.
• Orochi and other ambitious members became more eager to gain Auditor authority after seeing Bismarck manipulate a world.
• Othinus said she had approved Certain Death and another candidate, and explained that passed candidates were not yet full members or safe from death.
• Bismarck warned that approving a candidate connected an Auditor to that person’s future, bringing possible gains or losses and an ongoing responsibility.

Shen Mo and Othinus introduced five Auditees, including Certain Death and Calca Besseres, before the group gathered at the Blood Emperor’s meeting about Ainz Ooal Gown. Their first encounter turned tense as Albedo and Certain Death traded insults, while Gazef and Calca tried to redirect them to the crisis.

• Bismarck questioned Othinus’s decision to approve Calca Besseres, and Othinus explained that Calca had risked her life trying to save two people in a test.
• Othinus ordered the recording accelerated, showing the Auditees preparing to attend the Blood Emperor’s meeting about Ainz Ooal Gown.
• The five representatives gathered at the meeting, where the Blood Emperor noted their unexpected but unsurprising presence.
• Albedo called the others bugs, and Certain Death provoked her by mocking her for being a woman.
• Gazef urged everyone to focus on the meeting, and Calca supported him by asking them to avoid infighting.

The five Auditees gathered to discuss resisting fate and confronting Ainz Ooal Gown. Albedo revealed that she and the other beings from Nazarick had been created as fictional characters, leaving the group to consider the strength of the enemy they faced.

• Blood Emperor brought the five Auditees to a conference room and confirmed that they shared a goal.
• Certain Death challenged Blood Emperor's assumption, while Albedo and Certain Death traded insults before Saint Princess calmed them.
• Gazef said he needed to protect his kingdom and asked Albedo what she knew about Ainz Ooal Gown.
• Albedo revealed that she had once been an ordinary character created by Ainz Ooal Gown and the Supreme Ones, and said most of Nazarick's inhabitants could not be persuaded to rebel.
• Blood Emperor concluded that they had to face Ainz Ooal Gown and his subordinates, and Certain Death agreed.

Ainz Ooal Gown learned that his alteration of Albedo’s settings had caused her betrayal and resolved to bring her back. His decision earned him the qualification to become a member, though whether he could survive his new destiny remained uncertain.

• Certain Death and the others agreed to prepare for war rather than rush into a battle against Ainz Ooal Gown, and the human armies withdrew to ready their forces.
• The Floor Guardians urged Ainz Ooal Gown to punish Albedo for betraying Nazarick.
• Ainz Ooal Gown realized his alteration of Albedo’s settings might have caused the flaw in her emotions.
• Ainz Ooal Gown stopped the Guardians from condemning Albedo, accepted responsibility, and declared that he would bring her back.
• Bismarck and Othinus said Ainz Ooal Gown had gained the qualification to become a member, but his survival in a new destiny was still uncertain.

Ainz Ooal Gown traveled to the Bahas Empire to find Albedo and bring her back, while trying to avoid being recognized. After rejecting Lupusregina Beta’s risky diversion plan, he asked Demiurge to devise a safer way to enter the Imperial Palace; Demiurge accepted, misunderstanding Ainz’s concerns as a sign of his care for Nazarick.

• Ainz Ooal Gown entered the Bahas Empire disguised as an adventurer and reflected on how Albedo’s betrayal had ruined Momon’s reputation and his own plans.
• Lupusregina Beta reported that Albedo was living in the Imperial Palace and proposed creating a disturbance to distract the city guards.
• Ainz Ooal Gown refused to put Lupusregina Beta in danger and told her to investigate foreign visitors and find an identity that could enter the Imperial Palace.
• Ainz Ooal Gown asked Demiurge to plan a way for him to meet Albedo without being recognized.
• Demiurge agreed to devise the plan, believing Ainz feared his emotions might interfere with it.

Demiurge created a convincing identity for Ainz Ooal Gown so he could infiltrate the Empire and gather intelligence. After joining a reunited Steel-rank adventurer team, Ainz gained access to the imperial palace and learned he could meet Albedo alone that night.

• Demiurge advised Ainz Ooal Gown to avoid standing out and arranged a fabricated identity built around a lonely man who cherished friendship.
• Ainz Ooal Gown joined the supposedly long-disbanded adventurer team Earth Armor as Kyle, a powerful middle-aged man from a frontier town.
• Kyle felt anger and sorrow when his companions asked why he had never married, then withdrew emotionally when their response reminded him that they were not his former companions.
• Ainz Ooal Gown infiltrated the Empire's army with Earth Armor and received permission to enter the imperial palace.
• Demiurge told Ainz Ooal Gown that Albedo would be alone at her residence during the banquet, giving him a chance to speak with her.

Ainz Ooal Gown infiltrated the palace to meet Albedo, disguising himself as a human, and found himself unexpectedly drawn to her as she confronted him. Their exchange ended with Albedo realizing he was from the Great Tomb of Nazarick and had used an item to disguise himself.

• Ainz Ooal Gown attended the Blood Emperor’s banquet and noticed the powerful Saint Princess among the guests.
• Ainz Ooal Gown left the banquet and headed for Albedo’s residence, where she caught him and accused him of deliberately coming to see her.
• Albedo sensed Ainz Ooal Gown’s admiration and teased him, while he struggled to explain his feelings and was captivated by her unfamiliar demeanor.
• Albedo spoke of her former love for Lord Ainz and said he had deceived her, then warned Ainz Ooal Gown to leave.
• Ainz Ooal Gown asked whether Albedo preferred the past or the present, prompting her to recognize him as someone from the Great Tomb of Nazarick using a disguise item.

Ainz Ooal Gown infiltrated the Great Tomb of Nazarick to reach Albedo, but she exposed his disguise and learned who he was. He declared that his memories with Nazarick were real to him and vowed to bring her back, as the Blood Emperor and others prepared for a fight.

• Demiurge warned Ainz Ooal Gown that his plan had failed and that Gazef and the Blood Emperor were approaching, while Nazarick's Floor Guardians rushed to help.
• The Blood Emperor arrived and questioned how Ainz Ooal Gown had infiltrated them, while Albedo prepared to attack him.
• Albedo struck Ainz Ooal Gown, destroying his disguise and revealing his skeletal form to the Blood Emperor, Gazef, the Saint Princess, and Certain Death.
• Albedo recognized Ainz Ooal Gown and accused him of treating Nazarick's inhabitants as puppets, but he insisted that they were his companions.
• Ainz Ooal Gown said his memories of Nazarick were real to him and vowed to wager everything to bring Albedo back.

Albedo, Certain Death, and the Blood Emperor’s side fought Ainz Ooal Gown inside the imperial palace, using the emperor’s support ability to empower his allies and suppress Ainz. Ainz recognized that their lineup lacked enough burst damage to defeat him quickly, and Albedo sensed Nazarick’s Floor Guardians approaching.

• Albedo refused to return to Ainz’s control and attacked him, but Ainz used Protection to buy time to equip powerful gear.
• Albedo shared information about Ainz’s equipment and led Certain Death in a joint assault while the Blood Emperor prepared to support them.
• The Blood Emperor used Rebuild! My palace to create a magical imperial palace that strengthened Albedo and Certain Death while suppressing Ainz.
• The Saint Princess weakened Ainz with her spells, but he realized the enemy team had too little burst damage to defeat him quickly.
• Albedo sensed the approaching Floor Guardians and concluded that her group could not take Ainz down before they arrived.

Ainz Ooal Gown ended the confrontation without destroying the Blood Emperor and his allies, while Albedo explained that he had spared them to protect his subordinates. Othinus and Bismarck then approved every Auditee, bringing them into the Merchant Guild as the gate to the New World opened.

• The Blood Emperor ordered a retreat as attacks from outside weakened the palaces, and Ainz Ooal Gown escaped with Albedo and the other defenders standing aside.
• Ainz Ooal Gown left without attacking the Blood Emperor and his allies, while Albedo said he could not bear to see his subordinates harmed or sacrificed.
• The Blood Emperor and his companions returned to the palace and resolved to discuss their prospects and the power of the Jars.
• Othinus and Bismarck submitted their Badge permissions, and three suns appeared as the Auditees received information about the Merchant Guild, Beyonders, members, and Jars.
• Othinus announced that every Auditee had been approved and that Auditors were to select suitable members with potential for the Merchant Guild.

After the livestream, Shen Mo discussed the Merchant Guild’s next stage of development with Bismarck and Othinus. He decided to strengthen himself with Trading Points so he could create powerful intermediate and advanced members, while the guild continued recruiting genuine members.

• The livestream ended after Othinus summarized the powers and appeal of becoming an Auditor.
• Shen Mo considered holding an examination for junior Auditors, but Bismarck advised that the guild lacked enough genuine members and strength, so Shen Mo set the idea aside.
• Shen Mo convened a meeting with Bismarck, Othinus, Ikaros, and Hikari to discuss accelerating the Merchant Guild’s development and hiring actors.
• Shen Mo proposed using his own power to create intermediate and advanced members with memories and abilities, rather than purchasing powerful subordinates.
• Shen Mo explained that people he created could not make valid trades with him because the system required voluntary transactions and treated their wills as his own.
• Bismarck and Othinus supported Shen Mo’s plan to spend Trading Points strengthening himself, then recruit real powerful members to make the guild’s growth more convincing.

Shen Mo strengthened himself by acquiring the concepts of death and the Marvel Creator Gods, then chose a world to visit and recruit genuine intermediate and senior Merchant Guild members. He left alone to enter the world as his earlier Traveling Merchant self, planning to place its new members before Tsunade in the timeline.

• Shen Mo decided with Bismarck and Othinus to use the Merchant Guild's funds to recruit genuine members and create false ones to complete the Guild's system.
• Shen Mo purchased the concept of death and basic powers connected to Eternity, Infinity, Oblivion, and the Devourer, making himself immortal within his universe.
• Shen Mo selected a world containing a powerful just person and several potential intermediate members, while Othinus warned that he could not defeat its strongest figure.
• Shen Mo planned to enter as his pre-Tsunade Traveling Merchant self and insert the new members into the Guild's earlier timeline.
• Shen Mo teased Bismarck by rubbing her cheek, then disappeared to travel to the chosen world.

Shen Mo arrived in the world of One-Punch Man and watched as Metal Bat confronted Industrial Waste Liquid Man, a monster whose expanding, foul-smelling body resisted physical attacks. As the monster fired poison gas bombs at Shen Mo and Metal Bat, Shen Mo remained uninvolved and expected Tatsumaki to handle it.

• Shen Mo traveled to a modern city in the world of One-Punch Man with Hikari perched on his shoulder.
• Industrial Waste Liquid Man appeared on Twelfth Street in N City, and its stench incapacitated nearby civilians.
• Metal Bat arrived to fight the monster, but Shen Mo warned him that physical attacks would make the monster spread faster.
• The monster grew more dangerous, the threat level rose to Tiger, and the Hero Association sent Tatsumaki toward the scene.
• Metal Bat evacuated unconscious citizens while Shen Mo turned to leave, but Industrial Waste Liquid Man launched poison gas bombs at them.

Shen Mo effortlessly erased a monster’s poisonous gas and then made the giant monster disappear, leaving the Hero Association baffled. As the Association considered recruiting him, Tatsumaki arrived and asked whether he had taken down her target.

• Metal Bat rushed to protect Shen Mo, but could not move him, and the poisonous gas would not come near Shen Mo.
• Shen Mo stepped forward and made all the poisonous gas vanish, then turned away and caused the giant monster to disappear.
• The Hero Association’s command center confirmed the monster had vanished and discussed contacting Shen Mo about joining the heroes.
• A high-ranking official realized Tatsumaki was heading to the scene, but she arrived after the monster was already gone.
• Tatsumaki confronted Shen Mo and asked whether he had dealt with her target.

Shen Mo left Tatsumaki and the Hero Association stunned with his abilities, then continued searching for Saitama, whom he found after the young man’s first major battle against a Monster. Saitama had rescued a child and felt fulfilled, setting him at an important turning point three years before the story began.

• Tatsumaki demanded that Shen Mo explain himself, and he refused her offer to join the Hero Association, calling himself a passerby who would not interfere with their world.
• Shen Mo told Metal Bat that he still lacked experience and would meet him again after he faced a battle in which he was powerless.
• Tatsumaki tried to chase Shen Mo, but despite moving at great speed, she remained in place until he vanished from all cameras and detection devices.
• A senior Hero Association official urged the command center to find Shen Mo, believing his power could give people confidence.
• Shen Mo continued his search and found Saitama, who had just defeated a Monster and rescued a little boy, feeling a new sense of fulfillment.

Shen Mo gave Saitama a simple training routine, prompting him to pursue strength and become a hero. Shen Mo then traveled with Hikari three years into the future, where monster crises and battles between monsters and heroes had nearly become a war.

• Shen Mo approached Saitama after his battle and encouraged him to become a hero and keep fighting.
• Shen Mo handed Saitama a booklet titled “Peerless Martial Arts” and disappeared before Saitama could question him.
• Saitama discovered the booklet prescribed daily push-ups, sit-ups, squats, and a ten-kilometer run for three years, then decided to train anyway.
• Shen Mo watched Saitama leave and explained to Hikari that he wanted to form a connection with him while he was still weak.
• Shen Mo and Hikari traveled three years into the future, where monsters had grown more numerous and the fighting between monsters and heroes was nearing war.

Shen Mo reunited with Saitama after Saitama defeated Vaccine Man, and explained that Saitama’s hair loss was not the price he meant. The Hero Association identified Shen Mo as The Traveler as he and Saitama left the ruined area for a meal.

• Saitama defeated Vaccine Man with one punch, then lamented that he could not find a worthy fight.
• Shen Mo appeared, and Saitama confronted him for failing to explain the consequences of his training.
• Shen Mo told Saitama his hair could not normally grow back, but Saitama said he did not regret gaining his power.
• Shen Mo hinted that Saitama had paid another price, then offered to take him for premium lobster.
• The Hero Association recognized Shen Mo as The Traveler, whom it had searched for since he appeared three years earlier.

Shen Mo discussed Saitama’s fading emotions and suggested he find interests beyond fighting, then invited him to join a larger stage as a hero for fun. Saitama stayed focused on his love of hero work and food as they arrived at a seafood restaurant.

• The Hero Association recognized the returning Traveler and hurried to contact him while deciding not to alert Tatsumaki.
• Saitama told Shen Mo that being invincible had made battles boring and his emotions harder to feel.
• Shen Mo explained that excessive strength could make Saitama detached, then suggested exploring other interests.
• Saitama said he had chosen to be a hero for fun and would keep doing so despite his fading excitement.
• Shen Mo invited Saitama to a bigger stage where he might meet powerful enemies, then pointed out a seafood restaurant.

Shen Mo restored a ruined restaurant and treated Saitama and Hikari to extraordinary food while telling them about his travels. Inspired by the experience, Saitama decided to travel with Shen Mo, who asked whether he understood what following him meant.

• Shen Mo restored the destroyed restaurant and explained that its owner and chefs had been crushed beneath rubble.
• Shen Mo conjured a feast of delicacies and a giant lobster for Saitama and Hikari.
• Saitama and Hikari eagerly ate until they were sprawled across the table, full and satisfied.
• Shen Mo described how the food held memories of the chefs he had met during his travels.
• Saitama decided to travel with Shen Mo, and Shen Mo asked whether he had truly made up his mind.