Chapter Summaries

Gray was sent toward Dragon Horn Fortress after Tanaka and Kiro diverted him from fleeing south, while Piggy and Marshal Puji attacked the fortress and damaged its defenses. Dean arrived just before the remaining defensive runes could be destroyed, but Dragon Horn Fortress had already suffered heavy damage.

• A mysterious gray-robed man told Gray to head south to survive or go to Dragon Horn Fortress to save the Demon Descendants, and Gray chose the fortress.
• Tanaka learned from Kiro that Eugene's and Dean's territories would inevitably fall, and they hurried toward Dragon Cliff Dungeon.
• Piggy ordered Cave Four and Cave Seven to attack Dragon Horn Fortress, where Feng Yi's defenders brought down Cave Seven and stopped Cave Four's tentacles.
• A Centipede Battle Puppet emerged from a Giant Puji and cracked nearly half of the fortress's defensive runes as Feng Yi's forces struggled to stop it.
• Marshal Puji and Piggy tried to pressure the defenders into surrendering, but Feng Yi killed the Voice Puji that delivered the offer.
• Dean destroyed the Centipede Battle Puppet, rescued three Demon Descendants, and arrived at the battered fortress, lamenting that he was still too late.

Dean recognized Marshal Puji as the Fungal Fortress’s true Boss and planned a gamble to reach him while Louisa’s forces were divided. He led a charge from Dragon Horn Fortress, leaving Feng Yi’s squad to attack Marshal Puji as he confronted Louisa and Piggy.

• Dean told Feng Yi that Louisa would split his forces to intercept the other half of the Demon Descendants’ main army, creating a chance to strike Marshal Puji.
• Dean identified the red-cloaked Marshal Puji as the Fungal Fortress’s Boss and persuaded Feng Yi to trust the clansmen who had surrendered to seek survival for their race.
• Louisa sent troops northeast under cover of a renewed assault on Dragon Horn Fortress, while Demon Descendant informants learned of the movement.
• Dean unleashed Flame Dragon Breath on the retreating Fungal Fortress troops, then Feng Yi led the elites through the open gates toward Marshal Puji.
• Marshal Puji sent pujis against Feng Yi’s Decapitation Squad as Louisa attacked Dean, and Piggy challenged Dean while Linden used Breeze Technique on the drooping cloak.

Dean and the Demon Descendants fought desperately against Piggy and Marshal Puji, whose regeneration and battlefield tricks kept turning the tide. Dean then unleashed a devastating azure-flame form and advanced on Marshal Puji, declaring that he would end the battle.

• Dean battered Piggy with Dragon Breath while she continually repaired her Blood Crystal Battle Armor with her own blood and charged him again.
• Feng Yi led the Demon Descendants through the Puji swarm and shot at Marshal Puji, but it escaped using a Magic Array and returned after being reassembled.
• Feng Yi created an opening by shooting Piggy, allowing Dean to rush Marshal Puji and disrupt its next teleportation array.
• Marshal Puji used its familiar-creating title to transform into a Giant Puji, while Louisa charged Dean from behind.
• Dean ignited azure flames that melted the ground and began burning his own body as he walked toward Marshal Puji to end the fight.

Dean fought Giant Marshal Puji with blue flames but was defeated when its Soul Touch left him unable to move. Feng Yi sent Dean’s Magic Core away before the Demon Descendants were overwhelmed, and Gray found it while hurrying toward Dragon Horn Fortress.

• Dean burned away half of Marshal Puji’s Mushroom Cap and destroyed its tentacles, but Louisa and Piggy interrupted his attack.
• Dean fought Marshal Puji again, but repeated touches from its Soul Touch caused him to lose control of his body.
• Marshal Puji offered to spare the Demon Descendants if they accepted mycelium, but Dean refused and sent his Magic Core skyward with Feng Yi’s help.
• The Pujis overwhelmed Feng Yi and the remaining Demon Descendant elites, captured Piggy, and ordered an assault on Dragon Horn Fortress.
• Dragon Horn Fortress fell, the army advanced south, and Gray found Dean’s Magic Core on his way to the fortress.

The Fungal Fortress army conquered Dragon Horn Fortress and took over the territories of two dukes as their forces fled south. Linden considered the challenge of absorbing the captured population while the Dwarves continued their advance.

• Dvalin learned that Dean had died, Dragon Horn Fortress had fallen, and the Fungal Fortress army was advancing south, so he ordered the Dwarves to press on.
• Linden and the others inspected the damaged Siege Battle Puppet and Dragon Horn Fortress's runes, and Linden increased the engineers' budget to build more city-breaking weapons.
• Piggy, Norris, and the others took over the dukes' remaining territories as nobles and Demon Descendants fled, leaving some cities empty.
• Linden judged that the Fungal Fortress needed to assimilate a huge population and that the fleeing residents reduced the burden.
• Norris surrounded a mine and asked its slaves why they were risking their lives for their Blood Clan owner, prompting them to kill him and his overseers.

After killing Count Rona, Xize visited Fungal Fortress, where joining the mycelium network revealed a lively society unlike the Empire’s rigid hierarchy. He watched captured imperial elites enter the city under public ridicule and bought the remaining Fat Worm Eggs to join in.

• Xize regretted killing Count Rona quickly, then withdrew his contribution points and ate at a restaurant where paper payment made him stand out.
• Xize underwent free mycelium symbiosis surgery and learned to communicate through the network.
• After connecting to the network, Xize saw Fungal Citizens discussing everyday matters and using Pujis and Regeneration Potion to live comfortably.
• Xize followed a crowd to watch imperial nobles, officers, and slave owners enter Fungal Fortress as Sinners under guard.
• Fungal Citizens pelted the Sinners with Fat Worm Eggs, and Xize bought the peddler’s remaining eggs.

Linden oversaw public trials that condemned the Empire’s nobles and helped Fungal Fortress consolidate its conquered territory. As other forces stalled at their borders, the looming power struggle in the Empire drew closer amid changes inside Dragon Cliff Dungeon.

• Spark read the charges against Forrest Reed, and Puji sentenced the Blood Clan Count to Eternal Sunlight while the crowd cheered.
• Linden accidentally condemned a young Blood Clan Viscount before Spark reminded him the man was innocent, and Linden ordered him released.
• Linden assessed how conquered nobles and Demon Descendants could be absorbed, while two new Mushroom Descendants gained cold and heat immunity and Piggy advanced her Sunlight Resistance.
• The Dwarves halted after advancing into Levi’s core territory, while Levi stayed cautious under the watch of a Fungal Fortress army.
• Alama withdrew from High Keep Fortress to the New Defense Line and found Dragon Roar Valley’s magical interference had worsened.
• The struggle between the Empire’s old and new rulers neared its climax as Dragon Cliff Dungeon changed.

Mortis recalled how he had risen to power and revealed his plan to seize the Demon King’s power to surpass the limits of the world. As dragons began emerging from Dragon Cliff Dungeon, he prepared to use the Empire’s fortress as a stepping stone.

• Rune sought a volunteer to find an unblocked sea route, and Mortis Dracone accepted in exchange for a chance at advancement.
• Mortis recalled that his three-year expedition ended empty-handed but let him become Rune’s trusted aide, after which he stole Rune’s blood and seized control of the Empire.
• Mortis reflected that he had improved the blood-stealing ritual to seize traits and now intended to take the Demon King’s power for himself.
• Mortis surveyed the fortress and assembled Imperial forces at Dragon Cliff Dungeon, determined to use the coming upheaval to gain greater power.
• A silver-white dragon and then other dragons flew out of Dragon Cliff Dungeon, and Mortis smiled as he declared that it had begun.

Mortis killed the two dragons that attacked the fortress, then found Dragon Cliff Dungeon sealed by Sylvia. Inside, the Great Dragon stayed with his dying mother, while Little Black reached level 70 and gained a new skill.

• Mortis and the Blood Guards killed the White Dragon and Red Dragon amid the fortress ruins.
• Mortis found the dungeon entrance trapped in a looping space and realized Sylvia was still alive.
• The freed Dragon Beasts roared until the Great Dragon’s Dragon Might silenced them.
• The Great Dragon joined Sylvia at the cliff top and chose to accompany her through her final moments rather than fight his competitors.
• Little Black reached level 70, and Linden examined her new Meteor Impact skill.

Linden used stolen Shinies to lure Little Black into the wilderness and discovered that dragons fighting each other could advance the Ancient Dragon Path. After a White Dragon killed a Black Dragon, Linden harvested the corpse and began planning how to help Little Black win future dragon battles.

• Little Black crashed into the ice with Meteor Impact, and Puji dug her out before Linden healed her injuries with Water of Life.
• Linden sent terrified D-Rank personnel into the snowy wilderness with assorted Shinies, promising a month of comfort to anyone who kept one for a full day.
• Linden showed Little Black images of the supposed thieves, and she flew out to chase them down.
• A White Dragon and a Black Dragon fought for three hours, and the White Dragon killed the Black Dragon before flying east.
• Linden spread his mycelium over the Black Dragon’s corpse and plundered Corrosive Dragon Breath, while Flight Mastery and Dragon Might increased.
• Linden saw the Ancient Dragon Path rise from 12% to 16% and decided to experiment with how much he could assist Little Black in future fights.

Woodworm flew over the north, avoided attacking the evacuating soldiers, and hunted Pujis while seeking weaker dragons to defeat. After swallowing a mana-rich Cyan Mushroom, he awoke bound by a Giant Puji and being pulled into its belly.

• The soldiers and Fungal Citizens evacuated Cold Bay Fortress as a Green Dragon flew overhead without attacking.
• Woodworm enjoyed frightening the soldiers with his Dragon Might and considered hunting weakened dragons to advance along the Ancient Dragon Path.
• Hungry, Woodworm ate Pujis on the ice plain and followed the rest into a Mushroom Forest.
• Woodworm swallowed a mana-rich Cyan Mushroom along with the surrounding mycelium and mud.
• The mushroom sent Woodworm into a memory of defeating and mocking his rival Swergis before he realized Giant Puji tentacles had bound him and were feeding him into its belly.

Linden captured Woodworm, the Green Dragon behind the thefts of Little Black’s shinies, and brought him to her. Little Black rejected the name Swergis, defeated Woodworm with [Meteor Collision], and raised her Ancient Dragon Path progress to 11%.

• Linden captured Woodworm and had the Giant Puji restrain him until he could be brought to the Fungal Fortress.
• Little Black mourned a shattered emerald and heard Linden claim he had found the chief culprit behind the thefts of her Shinies.
• Woodworm recognized Little Black as Swergis and mocked her past and her wish to become an Ancient Dragon.
• Little Black declared that her name was Little Black, then Linden showed her the Shinies hidden among Woodworm’s scales.
• Little Black struck Woodworm with [Meteor Collision], killing him and knocking herself unconscious; her Ancient Dragon Path progress rose to 11%.

Linden used the captured dragon to give his allies a Dragon Blood Bath and considered ways to advance Little Black’s Ancient Dragon Path through repeated battles. As the factions prepared for further dragon conflicts, a Blue Dragon was dragged beneath the sea and killed.

• Norris arrived at the Blood Lake and joined Louisa and other core members in soaking up its dragon-blood power.
• Linden salvaged the captured dragon’s blood, scales, claws, horn, and meat, while Little Black gained another 1% progress in Ancient Dragon Path.
• Linden planned to reinforce the Northern Territory’s Underground Ruins so Little Black could repeatedly fight a restrained giant dragon.
• Dragon attacks disrupted the Dwarves, humanity’s defenses, and the Empire’s politics as factions adjusted to the threat.
• Two Tentacle Beasts and three Evil Eyes weakened a Blue Dragon until it was dragged underwater and fell silent.

Lorenzo and Inanna arrived to help a city under attack by a White Dragon, and the battle revealed the extraordinary magical abilities of Number Ten and Inanna's allies. The White Dragon remained engaged with the Fire Elemental Lord and Number Ten as Lorenzo watched his niece take the fight outside the city walls.

• Lorenzo and Inanna rode to the besieged city after spotting the White Dragon attacking its defenses.
• Lorenzo struck the dragon with lightning, wounding its wing, but the White Dragon retaliated with Dragon Breath that overwhelmed the city's barrier.
• Number Ten cast a new shield around Lorenzo and the others, while Inanna stepped outside the barrier protected by a robe of flame.
• Inanna released the Fire Elemental Lord from her Binding Ring, and he charged the White Dragon.
• Number Ten joined the battle, while Sword Saint Puji watched and Lorenzo wondered whether he had fallen behind the times.

Number Ten explained why it could not teach Lorenzo the thunder sphere's true essence, while Fifteen and Number Nine left for Dragon Roar Valley to investigate powerful Monsters. Fifteen encountered a herd of Dragon Beasts and prepared to fight them using their Cave Four plan.

• Number Ten told Inanna that Lorenzo could not master the thunder sphere's power through description alone, and admitted it had not fully grasped the power itself.
• Number Nine and Fifteen arrived after the White Dragon had been defeated, greeted Inanna and Lorenzo, and headed toward Dragon Roar Valley.
• Fifteen and Number Nine traveled to investigate a Monster nest near Dragon Roar Valley, where Adventurers sent earlier had disappeared.
• Number Nine sensed a herd of Dragon Beasts approaching, hid inside Fifteen's canister, and helped him carry out their Cave Four plan.
• Fifteen put on his mask, drew both swords, and charged the Dragon Beasts.

After Number Nine and Fifteen rested near Dragon Roar Valley, Fifteen was pulled into a strange space filled with Dragon Beasts and nearly died fighting them. He woke back at camp to find Number Nine unconscious beside him.

• Number Nine and Fifteen rested for a day after their battle, and Number Nine kept watch while Fifteen slept.
• Number Nine briefly left to fetch water, and Fifteen vanished from the camp without leaving any trace.
• Fifteen awoke on a plain in Dragon Cliff Dungeon, where he found an adventurer's corpse and was forced to fight Dragon Beasts.
• A powerful Black Dragon appeared and vanished through what Fifteen recognized as overlapping space, but Fifteen could not escape and was overwhelmed by the Dragon Beasts.
• An unseen person offered to take the near-dead Fifteen out, while Number Nine tried to wake him and poured Healing Potions over him.
• Fifteen woke at the campsite and found Number Nine unconscious in the mud and blood beside him.

Fifteen returned from Dragon Cliff Dungeon and found that Number Nine had gone back to the Mushroom Garden to change its body, while Linden gave it a new body and enhanced it with the last of the Dragon Blood Pool. Meanwhile, Gray led Demon Descendant refugees to a city that rejected them, only to see it attacked by giant bats and suspect Prince Darean was behind the assault.

• Duke Lorenzo heard Fifteen's report, promised to prepare for the threat, and urged him to live well and become the Sword Saint.
• Fifteen found Number Nine's note saying it had gone to change its body, then noticed that the cold bathwater tasted like Number Nine's soup.
• Linden gave Number Nine a new mushroom body and enhanced it with the remaining dragon blood.
• Gray led Demon Descendant refugees carrying Dean's Magic Core to a city whose Blood Guard refused them entry and threatened them with execution.
• Gray's group camped outside the city, where giant bats later appeared and attacked it; Gray wondered if Prince Darean was responsible.

Darean attacked the Imperial Capital after learning the Demon King was returning, forcing Vesalius to intercept him and igniting a civil war. Meanwhile, the Demon King descended on the fortress outside Dragon Cliff Dungeon with a swarm of Slimes and confronted Mortis, who accused him of orchestrating earlier attacks.

• Darean led his Blood Scions and giant bats toward the Imperial Capital, but Vesalius stopped him before he reached Mortis.
• Darean revealed that he knew the true master of the empire was about to return and accused Vesalius and Mortis of keeping him out; the two Princes drew their weapons and began a civil war.
• A black cloud approached the fortress outside Dragon Cliff Dungeon, and the Mages attacked it, scattering Slimes across the stronghold.
• The Slimes poisoned soldiers and attacked Mages and Magic Towers, but the fortress's elite troops rallied and began clearing them.
• The Demon King descended on a giant serpent made of Slimes, and Mortis rose to meet him.
• Mortis accused the Demon King of orchestrating the Northern Territory's harassment and turning Darean against him, but the Demon King said he did not know what Mortis meant.

Mortis attacked the Demon King with the Empire’s forces and tried to strip away his magic, but the anti-magic array failed after Tanaka and Kiro dismantled it. Mortis then used Envy and his final trump card, leaving the Demon King’s body dimmed as lethal toxins destroyed his neural Nodes.

• Mortis accused the Demon King of turning Darean and using Blood Calamity to create controlled subordinates, while the Demon King condemned the Empire’s corruption.
• Mortis activated the great anti-magic array, but it failed to drain any magic power.
• Tanaka asked Kiro why he had come to dismantle the array, and Kiro explained that leaving it intact would have cost the Empire’s elites more than half their number.
• Mortis attacked the Demon King at close range, and Blood Spikes killed the Slime Giant Serpent’s Slime Cores.
• Mortis used Envy and his final trump card, while Mofulei’s name was called; his hand pierced the Demon King’s chest and lethal toxins began destroying the Demon King’s neural Nodes.

Mortis defeated the Demon King and tried to steal his power through the Stealing Ritual, but the Demon King survived through his Undying skill and turned the ritual against Mortis. At the ring fortress, Mofulei and the soldiers saw the Slime-folk emerge carrying the dead Vampire emperor.

• Mofulei's mental attack gave Mortis an opening to drain the Demon King's slime body, and the Empire's soldiers cheered for Mortis.
• Mortis took the Demon King's remains to his secret chamber and activated the Stealing Ritual, but it failed to grant him power.
• The Demon King appeared through Mortis's private teleportation array while his apparent corpse remained on the ritual platform.
• The Demon King's slime body revived, and he explained that his Undying skill had let him survive despite being dead.
• The Demon King subdued Mortis and used the ritual to drain him, killing him as Mortis cursed his usurper.
• The Slime-folk arrived at the ring fortress carrying the lifeless Vampire emperor, leaving Mofulei and the waiting soldiers stunned.