Chapter Summaries

Inanna used her Favor of the Elemental Spirit to lure the Storm Elemental Spirits away with an Illumination Art, briefly allowing the adjutant to rescue her. Meanwhile, Sigismund celebrated his opponent’s retreat into Dragon Roar Valley, until someone objected to him drinking their share of the fresh blood.

• The adjutant and the Puji Legion found Inanna surrounded by Storm Elemental Spirits, and Linden recognized that her Favor of the Elemental Spirit was affecting them.
• At Linden’s suggestion, Inanna cast an Illumination Art and hurled its light away, drawing the Storm Elemental Spirits after it.
• The adjutant seized the opening and ran with Inanna, but the Storm Elemental Spirits soon returned and surrounded her again.
• Northeast of the Red Stone City ruins, Sigismund learned that his opponent had retreated into Dragon Roar Valley and celebrated by drinking fresh blood.
• An unseen voice asked Sigismund why he had drunk their half too.

Sigismund explained how he had manipulated Alama into retreating to Dragon Roar Valley so he could kill his longtime enemy, then appeased his demanding roommate by promising the Book of Miracles and fresh blood. After Valerice arrived with the Troll troops and Sigismund prepared to attack, an intelligence report told him that an army of humans, Puji, and Storm Elemental Spirits was approaching.

• Sigismund had deliberately left an opening in his advance, drawing Alama's battered forces into Dragon Roar Valley so he could prioritize killing him before Three Mountains City fell.
• Sigismund had planned to capture Alama and make him watch Inanna suffer, but he decided to kill Alama instead because he feared consequences tied to his mysterious roommate.
• Sigismund had promised his roommate the Book of Miracles and the next batch of fresh blood, then sent a subordinate to carry a message requesting the book.
• Valerice had arrived with the Troll troops, while the recovering Eleanor remained at High Keep Fortress.
• Sigismund had offered to spare Alama's soldiers if Alama surrendered, but Alama had not taken him seriously.
• A bat had delivered Sigismund an intelligence scroll reporting that an army of humans, Puji, and Storm Elemental Spirits was heading toward them, leaving him puzzled.

Alama refused Lorenzo’s offer to retreat from Dragon Roar Valley, choosing to hold the pass despite the approaching Troll troops. Outside the valley, Sigismund dismissed a human-led force of Storm Elemental Spirits and Pujis, but their sudden charge forced him to commit his battalions and mages.

• Lorenzo confirmed that Alama’s Blood Poison had been purged but warned that his weakened army could not hold Dragon Roar Valley against the Troll troops for more than two days.
• Alama refused to flee, and Lorenzo chose to stay beside him as they waited for Sigismund’s attack.
• Sigismund surveyed the approaching force of Storm Elemental Spirits, human soldiers, and Pujis, then deployed Valerice to guard the valley mouth and arranged his main army for battle.
• An orange-yellow Illumination Art ball flew over the Demon Race formation, and the Storm Elemental Spirits surged forward with renewed wind and lightning.
• Sigismund ordered the Third and Fourth Battalions to advance and all mage formations to prepare support.

The Puji Masters and Sigismund's Demon Legion clashed while the Storm Elementals attacked both sides. After Sigismund's tactics pushed the Puji forces back, Linden unleashed elite Self-Destruct Pujis that devastated the Blood Knights, prompting Sigismund to commit more troops.

• Sigismund's Demon Legion met the Storm Elementals head-on as the Demon Casters bombarded them with magic, while the Puji Masters split into two wings to attack the demon army.
• Inanna stayed hidden inside a Heavy Armor Puji at Linden's request, while Linden sought to help her reach a stalemate without revealing his advantages to Sigismund.
• The Puji Masters overwhelmed a Demon Legion Detachment with their varied attacks, but Sigismund adapted by using arrow volleys and sending five hundred Blood Knights against their flank.
• Linden sent elite, accelerated Self-Destruct Pujis charging at the Blood Knights, and their explosions left fewer than half the cavalry able to retreat.
• Sigismund abandoned his contempt for the Puji Masters and ordered more formations into the battle.

Linden struggled to break through Sigismund’s disciplined Demon Race defenses until Louisa analyzed the battlefield and suggested precise attacks on vulnerable units. Her advice helped the Puji seize a fleeting opening, leaving Sigismund questioning how the Third Battalion had been ambushed.

• Sigismund suppressed the Puji’s attacks with steady troop redeployments, turning the battle into a war of attrition.
• Linden replenished his elite Puji from the Fungal Carpet but could not break Sigismund’s defensive line and sought Louisa’s advice.
• Louisa examined the battlefield images and identified a Demon Race unit weakened by fighting the Storm Elementals and retreating to rotate out.
• Louisa directed the Self-Destruct Pujis, Heavy Armor Pujis, and Turret Pujis to exploit the opening, then offered further tactical adjustments.
• Sigismund found that the Third Battalion had collapsed after being ambushed during its retreat and wondered how the Puji had seized the opening.

As Sigismund and Louisa’s forces fought across multiple fronts, Linden used stealth Self-Destruct Puji to break open the Demon Race’s defenses and help Alama’s troops reach Dragon Roar Valley. Sigismund admired the hidden commander’s skill but resolved to conquer the valley and demand their surrender.

• Sigismund and Louisa traded orders as their forces clashed, while Piggy’s Storm Elemental Spirits began collapsing from prolonged exposure outside their natural environment.
• Linden recognized that the Storm Elemental Spirits had bought him time, and Alama discovered the Puji Masters approaching Dragon Roar Valley.
• Linden sent stealth Self-Destruct Puji into Valerice’s disorganized formation, where they detonated and created a breach.
• Alama and Lorenzo forced their way through the breach, while Sigismund was distracted by the Storm Elemental Spirits and could not stop the Puji Masters from reaching the valley.
• Sigismund praised the opposing commander’s talent and said he would offer them a chance to submit after he conquered Dragon Roar Valley.

Inanna reunited with Alama after leading the Puji Masters to his rescue, but he angrily demanded she leave the dangerous valley. Linden reassured her that they could save Alama, and she began a strange dance that caused new Puji to sprout from the Fungal Carpet.

• Alama thanked the arriving Puji Masters before Inanna revealed herself as their commander and announced she had come to save him.
• A shapeshifter spy tried to contact someone, but a Knight Puji killed him and concealed his body.
• Alama scolded Inanna and urged Lorenzo to escort her back to Oath City, but Inanna refused and left with two Knight Puji.
• Inanna worried that the remaining forces could not survive, but Linden told her never to doubt the Boss and proposed repeating a past performance.
• Alama and Lorenzo emerged to find Inanna dancing before the gathered soldiers as new Puji rapidly sprouted beneath her feet.

Inanna’s strange dance rapidly produced pujis while Linden spread Mycelium around Dragon Roar Valley’s entrance to strengthen its defenses before Sigismund’s next attack. After Sigismund’s roommate warned him not to investigate his identity, Sigismund led the Demon Race army into the valley and found its entrance transformed by glowing Fungal Carpet and mushrooms.

• Inanna’s dance caused pujis to emerge rapidly, leaving Alama and Lorenzo baffled as the adjutant credited her hidden talents.
• Linden slowed puji production to avoid alarming the valley’s defenders while spreading Mycelium over the pass and nearby rock walls.
• Sigismund asked his roommate about his past as a Puji Master, and the roommate warned that anyone who learned his identity would die.
• Sigismund ordered the Demon Race army to enter Dragon Roar Valley after a day of regrouping.
• Sigismund’s vanguard found the valley mouth covered in Fungal Carpet and glowing Fluorescent Mushrooms, a sight that made him consider retreating.

The Demon Race army attacked the human defenses in a valley, where the rapidly growing Puji and their poisonous spores inflicted heavy losses and forced Sigismund to retreat. Sigismund then accepted his roommate’s advice to cut off the Fungal Carpet supplying the Puji, setting up the next attack.

• Newborn Puji fell from the Fungal Carpet and released Hallucinogenic Spores when it died, overwhelming the Demon Race soldiers in the valley.
• Sigismund ordered Valerice to send Dark Crawlers and Blood Clan warriors to clear the Puji, but the Dark Crawlers suffered heavy losses while human defenders targeted the Blood Clan.
• Valerice attacked the human plank paths and fought Lorenzo, but Sigismund ordered a retreat before the Demon Race could reach Alama’s main force.
• The human defenders cheered their survival and focused their gratitude on Inanna.
• Sigismund told Valerice he had a plan to deal with the Puji, then listened as his roommate advised cutting off the Fungal Carpet to deprive them of magic.

The Demon Race found that ordinary torches could kill the Fungal Carpet and used the discovery to cut off the valley’s Puji supply. Sigismund launched a prepared assault on the human position, beginning the battle that would decide the defenders’ survival.

• Demon Race soldiers discovered that ordinary torch flames killed the Fungal Carpet more effectively than magic or poison, and Linden realized the weakness would let them clear it.
• Warren told Alama and Lorenzo that clearing the Fungal Carpet could cut off the Puji’s magic supply, while Inanna estimated the remaining corpses could sustain the defense for at most half an hour.
• Sigismund’s army returned at night with area magic and disciplined ground troops, steadily advancing while suppressing the Puji emerging from the rocks.
• When the Puji supply dwindled after the expected half hour, Sigismund ordered a full assault on the human position and kept elite troops watching for renewed Puji production.

The human defenders struggled against the Demon Race as Sigismund weakened Alama and Valerice pressed Lorenzo. Inanna intervened with two hidden Knight Pujis, and the Roommate inside Sigismund suddenly urged him to seize the Puji she was holding.

• Sigismund drank a potion that made him immune to the Sun Stone's weakening effect, then fought Alama while Valerice attacked Lorenzo.
• Inanna sensed that the Sun Stone could help Puji, but Alama charged Sigismund without waiting to discuss it.
• Sigismund wounded Alama and accused him of betraying him, while Alama condemned Sigismund for killing innocent villagers.
• Alama unleashed the Sun Stone's intense light and lunged at Sigismund, but Sigismund severed his sword arm with a curved blade.
• Two transparent Knight Pujis blocked Sigismund's attack, and he spotted Inanna holding a watcher Puji.
• The Roommate inside Sigismund demanded that he take Inanna's Puji immediately and at any cost.

Inanna used the Sun Stone to transform her Knight Puji into a colossal Behemoth Puji, which drove back the Demon Race army with its regeneration and infrasonic attack. The Behemoth Puji then erupted with violent energy, leaving Sigismund braced for an explosion.

• Roommate urged Sigismund to capture a Puji in exchange for more time controlling his body, while Sigismund defeated the attacking Knight Puji with Blood Manipulation: Hundred Weapons.
• Inanna pressed the Sun Stone against her remaining Knight Puji, and Familiar Creator drew magic power and mycelium together to form a Behemoth Puji.
• The Behemoth Puji shielded Inanna, crushed a Troll, and advanced against the Demon Race army as Sigismund attacked it with blood weapons.
• The Behemoth Puji used Infrasonic Attack to devastate nearby soldiers and wound Sigismund, who ordered his troops to burn and corrode it.
• The Knight Puji escaped underground while the Behemoth Puji sat down, then violent energy surged inside it and Sigismund raised a blood shield.

After the Giant Puji’s explosion devastated the valley entrance, Sigismund escaped the rubble and ordered the surviving Demon Race troops back to High Keep Fortress. Inanna took charge of the battered human camp while her wounded father urged her to continue leading.

• Sigismund crawled out of the rubble, learned that the vanguard had been wiped out and the central army had suffered heavy losses, and ordered his forces to return to High Keep Fortress.
• Sigismund decided he needed to investigate the Storm Elementals, Puji, and Roommate while keeping his inquiry secret from Roommate.
• Inanna directed the camp’s response to its wounded, unstable surroundings, and dwindling supplies as Linden, Shou, and Spark advised her through the Mycelium Network.
• Inanna visited her gravely wounded father, Alama, who woke and told her he did not plan to become a Puji Master yet.
• Alama learned the Sun Stone was buried beneath the valley-mouth rubble, praised Inanna’s leadership, and asked her to manage matters while he recuperated.

Linden held a merit-reward assembly for Mushroom Garden’s core members, giving Eiding and Louisa S-Rank Magic Crystals and the Water of Life. The chapter ended with the team receiving their rewards while Old Dylan enjoyed a quiet evening at Puji House.

• A veteran told a young soldier that the Fungal Carpet had made travel easier by driving away giant rats, while the convoy camped nearby.
• Linden returned through the Underground Network with the Sun Stone and prepared to reward his people for their service.
• Norris announced Eiding’s reward, and Eiding cut open a Puji to reveal an enormous S-Rank Magic Crystal before receiving the Water of Life from Linden.
• Louisa accepted her reward eagerly, drank the Water of Life, and rose from LV54 to LV55.
• Linden gave diluted Water of Life to the assembled core members and noted that Ming, Little Black, and Pink Puji would receive separate treatment.
• Old Dylan relaxed at Puji House with medicinal tea Bianka had brewed for him.

Linden tested how well Puji could use technical combat skills and found that their effectiveness fell sharply without his direct guidance. Norris then followed a strange sound into an unexplored cave and encountered a huge, mutilated claw, as Linden warned him that wandering off was dangerous.

• Linden tested Elite Puji against Norris and found that they coordinated effectively under his will but fought rigidly in autopilot mode.
• Norris defeated the Elite Puji after Linden withdrew his will, exposing the limits of their technical skills without active control.
• Linden considered how the Puji’s need for direction could become a problem as his territory and forces expanded.
• Norris searched for his shed scales, heard groaning near an unexplored passage, and followed the sound.
• A huge, torn claw appeared around the corner, and Linden warned Norris that running around was dangerous.

Linden completed the Sun Stone by joining its final fragment, but its power seemed to weaken and its message about the soul and the Ark remained mysterious. A dormant Puji then emerged from its cocoon without Linden’s control and called him “Ma,” prompting him to strike it apart.

• Linden’s Giant Object experiment on a Lizardman failed, and mushrooms drained the prisoner’s life after he frightened Norris.
• Eiding brought the Sun Stone fragment to Linden’s hidden Deep Zone, where Knight Puji delivered it through the Mycelium Tunnel.
• Linden joined the Sun Stone’s pieces, completing the artifact and revealing the Panel message, “The soul is the cornerstone of the Ark.”
• Linden found that the complete Sun Stone produced less light, heat, and magical power than it had before.
• A dormant Puji pushed out of its cocoon without Linden’s control, said “Ma... ma...,” and was whipped apart by Knight Puji at Linden’s command.

Linden discovered that the complete Sun Stone could create controllable soul fragments that formed intelligent Pujis, and he began testing what they could do. Number One Puji was eaten by Little Black on its first outing, leaving Linden doubtful about the intelligence of his new creations.

• Linden found that a Puji left behind a cyan soul fragment peeled from his own soul, and he absorbed it to gain its memories.
• Linden used another Mycelium Cocoon to bring the soul fragment to life as a Puji, then turned to the final cocoon.
• Number One Puji explored the Mushroom Garden and confronted Norris after Norris accidentally kicked it and then picked it up.
• Number One Puji attacked Norris, but Little Black grabbed and ate it before Norris could stop her.
• Linden received Number One Puji's soul orb and questioned whether the intelligent Pujis he planned to produce would be any good in combat.

Norris watched Little Black eat several newly born Sentient Puji, while the Yellow Book became alarmed after sensing their independent souls. Linden explained that he was testing a small, controllable group of Puji, then turned his attention to the book’s urgent call.

• Number One Puji rallied the newly born Puji to attack Little Black, but Little Black ate Cave Four Ji and dragged Number One into her Mushroom House while the others fled.
• Norris saw the Yellow Book fill with frantic questions about the Puji’s independent souls and contacted Linden at its request.
• Linden had Number One Puji and Cave Four Ji reborn from their cocoons after Little Black ate them.
• Linden decided to limit the Sentient Puji to thirteen for now because each had a distinct personality that could make orders difficult to manage.
• Linden noticed the Yellow Book’s urgent call through Norris and wondered what the book wanted.

Linden pressured the Yellow Book to earn his trust by contributing to the Mushroom Garden, and the book immediately began organizing defenses with Norris. Meanwhile, three Demon Race warships carrying an Abyss Beast Energy Core sailed south before a sea beast attacked them.

• The Yellow Book asked Linden how the Sentient Pujis had gained independent souls, hoping to discover how to create a true soul for itself.
• Linden refused to grant the Yellow Book’s wish until it made major contributions to the Mushroom Garden, then sent it to Norris.
• The Yellow Book told Norris to obtain materials so it could reinforce the Fungal Fortress, and Norris went to find Shou.
• A Vampire Viscount revealed to two Half-Demons that the Demon Race ships were carrying an Abyss Beast Energy Core.
• A sea beast attacked the ships, and the mage operating their defensive Magic Array sounded the alarm.

Sophia spotted three Demon Race warships, including a powerful Siren Class, but noticed they were already under attack by sea creatures. Six-Clawed Monsters ambushed one ship before a giant tentacle and two Evil Eyes emerged from the sea, leaving the battle escalating.

• Sophia and Bella discussed their difficulty intercepting Demon Race ships and the Archipelago’s refusal to help.
• Sophia spotted three Demon Race warships and alerted Priest Samuel and the Captain of the Guard.
• Sophia realized the ships’ protective runes were flashing as if sea beasts were attacking them.
• Six-Claws killed a Half-Demon and revealed themselves aboard a Demon Race ship, prompting the Vampire Viscount to dispel their Refractive Shadow Body.
• The Demon Race soldiers fought back against the Six-Clawed Monsters until a huge tentacle and two Evil Eyes surfaced beside the ship.