Chapter Summaries

The Second Holy See’s advance party entered the underground lake and began searching for the place where Adelaide was sealed. Meanwhile, the four players traveling in the King of Fall Resistance, I Guess found the Antasia’s abandoned cargo and prepared to activate the fortress’s Machine Spirit.

• Howling Pothos, Elderly and Children Fly First, and Retreat Drum Player helped the exploration team silently descend into the cave on a woven vine net.
• The players formed up along the shore of Rotting Corpse Dark Lake and began searching for traces of Adelaide’s seal without entering the water.
• Good Times Don’t Last used Gray’s map to guide the King of Fall Resistance, I Guess across the Wilderness of Chaos toward the Antasia’s discarded cargo.
• Lion Hidden in the Eyes and Traditional Eccentric Wheel woke up and joined the others in the cab after the fortress reached a hill overlooking the cargo.
• The four recalled that their plan was to expose themselves to a suspected grand duke’s Psionic Energy fluctuations in hopes of activating the Machine Spirit.

Four players tried to find a way to frighten the sealed grand duke and decided to dig up his grave, but their fortress ran into a horde of Blood Corpses. As the pursuing horde pressed close, the overworked engine failed, and [Lion Hidden in the Eyes] jumped into the engine compartment to remove a broken-down Blood Corpse.

• [Traditional Eccentric Wheel] proposed that the players dig up the sealed grand duke's grave to frighten him.
• The four players drove the King of Fall Resistance, I Guess over a slope and nearly crashed into a vast gathering of Blood Corpses.
• [Shit Appraisal Master] steered the fortress away from the horde, while [Lion Hidden in the Eyes] apologized for nearly causing a crash.
• The players realized they could not escape the Blood Corpses long enough to dig up the grand duke's grave.
• A Blood Corpse broke down after nearly a hundred and twenty hours of heavy driving, and [Shit Appraisal Master] ordered the others to clear it from the engine compartment.
• [Lion Hidden in the Eyes] opened the floor trapdoor and jumped into the noisy engine compartment.

[Lion Hidden in the Eyes] found and discarded another failing Blood Corpse, worsening the mobile fortress’s power shortage as pursuers closed in. He proposed using vines and [Traditional Eccentric Wheel]’s transformed body to fish Blood Corpses from the pursuing horde, and the group began the operation.

• [Lion Hidden in the Eyes] inspected the engine compartment, removed a Blood Corpse with a broken shin from its station, and tossed it out of the fortress.
• [Traditional Eccentric Wheel] and [Good Times Don't Last] worried that the loss of Blood Corpses was slowing the fortress and letting the pursuers catch up.
• [Lion Hidden in the Eyes] suggested capturing Blood Corpses from behind the fortress and explained his plan by comparing it to a Bungee Zombie from Plants vs. Zombies.
• [Traditional Eccentric Wheel] transformed his upper body into a crane-like fishing rod while [Good Times Don't Last] secured vines around [Lion Hidden in the Eyes].
• [Shit Appraisal Master] kept the fortress steady as the group began Operation Bungee Zombie.

[Lion Hidden in the Eyes], [Traditional Eccentric Wheel], and [Good Times Don't Last] caught a Blood Corpse by lowering the Dragonborn into the horde on vines, but two more corpses grabbed on and had to be cut loose. After they hauled their catch onto the deck, [Good Times Don't Last] stopped [Shit Appraisal Master] from returning to his driving and insisted they catch two more.

• [Lion Hidden in the Eyes] swung down into the Blood Corpse horde while [Good Times Don't Last] controlled the vines and [Traditional Eccentric Wheel] anchored the fishing-rod-like setup.
• [Lion Hidden in the Eyes] grabbed a Blood Corpse, but two more Blood Corpses latched onto its legs, leaving all three men struggling to haul them up.
• [Traditional Eccentric Wheel] called for help, and [Shit Appraisal Master] ran from the control lever to assist.
• [Shit Appraisal Master] and [Lion Hidden in the Eyes] worked together to cut the two extra Blood Corpses loose without damaging their target.
• [Traditional Eccentric Wheel] tossed [Lion Hidden in the Eyes] and the captured Blood Corpse onto the deck, where the group subdued it.
• [Good Times Don't Last] stopped [Shit Appraisal Master] from returning to drive and told him they still needed to catch two more Blood Corpses.

The King of Fall Resistance, I Guess plunged into a pit, leaving the fortress stranded between Blood Corpses above and below. The four companions secured the intruding Blood Corpses and assessed their trapped situation.

• [Shit Appraisal Master] returned to the driver's seat, but the King of Fall Resistance, I Guess fell into a pit and slammed into the ground.
• [Traditional Eccentric Wheel], [Lion Hidden in the Eyes], and [Good Times Don't Last] were thrown onto the engine compartment floor, though the Blood Corpses there remained restrained.
• [Shit Appraisal Master] shut the rooftop doors as Blood Corpses followed them into the fortress, and [Lion Hidden in the Eyes] knocked down one that had crawled inside.
• [Traditional Eccentric Wheel], [Lion Hidden in the Eyes], and [Good Times Don't Last] confirmed that some connecting rods had broken but the chassis was undamaged.
• [Shit Appraisal Master] gathered the group to take stock, and [Lion Hidden in the Eyes] described their position as being trapped between Blood Corpses above and below.

Trapped aboard the fortress by Blood Corpses, the four players worried about losing their progress and having their Resurrection Tree spawn point camped when it matured. [Good Times Don't Last] began proposing a better solution after [Traditional Eccentric Wheel] suggested blocking the resurrection slots.

• [Traditional Eccentric Wheel] reminded the group that the Resurrection Tree on the rooftop deck would soon mature and could be camped by Blood Corpses.
• [Good Times Don't Last] and [Shit Appraisal Master] rejected posting about the danger or staying quiet, while [Lion Hidden in the Eyes] warned that curious players might find the teleport point and get infected.
• [Traditional Eccentric Wheel] proposed having one of the four players repeatedly occupy the Resurrection Tree's slot to keep others from being spawn-camped.
• [Good Times Don't Last] suggested he had a better plan and asked [Traditional Eccentric Wheel] whether soil had been placed between the fortress walls.

[Traditional Eccentric Wheel] devised the Snake Plan to move the Resurrection Tree into the cabin, build an excavation assembly, and help the King of Fall Resistance, I Guess escape. Meanwhile, [Howling Pothos] told [Easily Soluble in Water] that Adelaide Lineage Blood Corpses had become more numerous around the Rotting Corpse Dark Lake.

• [Good Times Don't Last] proposed moving the Resurrection Tree sapling into the cabin so newly arriving players would teleport there.
• [Traditional Eccentric Wheel] revealed a plan to build an excavation assembly and modify the King of Fall Resistance, I Guess so it could climb back to the surface.
• [Traditional Eccentric Wheel] produced blueprints, supplies, and food to answer the team's objections, and the group voted to begin the Snake Plan.
• The four players began eating Scarlet Millet to prepare for cutting planks from their bodies and moving the Resurrection Tree.
• After two days exploring the Rotting Corpse Dark Lake, [Easily Soluble in Water] complained about the expedition, and [Howling Pothos] pointed out that Adelaide Lineage Blood Corpses had grown more numerous.

Players searching the Rotting Corpse Dark Lake discovered enormous flashing runes that suggested Grand Duke Adelaide was sealed nearby, and they began tracking the seal’s center. At Valhalla, Knight Charlie told Ed that Eternal Domain intended to deal with every grand duke, not just Antos.

• [Howling Pothos] explained that Blood Corpses of the Antos and Adelaide Lineages differed in their blood and apparent vitality, and [Easily Soluble in Water] inferred that Adelaide’s sealing site might be nearby.
• [Zhongde] spotted a faint, regularly flashing light underwater, and the players recognized it as part of a massive sealing pattern.
• The players replenished their disguises with Blood Corpses, spread out, and searched the lake for runes to locate Adelaide’s seal.
• At Valhalla, Knight Charlie told Ed that the Twin Kings meant for Eternal Domain to confront every grand duke and take responsibility for stopping the Blood Corpses.

Ed questioned Charlie about the Twin Kings’ campaign against the grand dukes and negotiated for the Eternal Domain to let his people hunt them too. He then handed Silvis over to Charlie, who agreed to take the supposedly dead knight back to the Twilight Capital.

• Ed challenged Charlie to clarify whose order the Twin Kings intended to restore, then secured Charlie’s agreement that both sides could hunt the grand dukes independently.
• Ed asked whether Charlie’s immortality had prevented him from escaping quicksand, and Charlie explained that Eternal Domain knights could be trapped without dying.
• Ed revealed that Silvis was staying in Valhalla and asked Charlie to take him back to the Twilight Capital.
• Charlie recognized Silvis as a knight listed among the fallen whose son had inherited his title and lands, but agreed to bring him home under Eternal Domain rules.
• Ed released Silvis from his cell and brought him to Charlie, who asked the awakened knight why he was there.

Ed sent Silvis south with Charlie, then learned that Soul Returners had found what appeared to be Grand Duke Adelaide’s seal in Klaf City and prepared to gather a force to break it. In the Cold Wave Caverns, a knight’s squire encountered a Blood Corpse that watched him without attacking.

• Ed issued Charlie a travel permit, and Charlie invited Silvis to join his delegation; Silvis agreed and left with the group for the south.
• Ed wondered why the Twin Kings were spreading news of Antos’s death and suspected they intended to exploit the resulting chaos.
• [Do Some Farm Work] told Ed that Gray had taken Soul Returners to explore an unknown sealed area and that an advance party had found what might be Grand Duke Adelaide’s seal in Klaf City.
• After confirming the seal had not been broken, Ed announced that he would gather more Soul Returners to prepare to break it.
• In the Cold Wave Caverns, a knight’s squire marked a cave as a dead end, then spotted a Blood Corpse peering at him from behind a rock without attacking.

Xilǐ'er led the advance party through the caverns while following a suspicious Blood Corpse that seemed to be guiding them. It brought them to the Rotting Corpse Dark Lake, where the party encountered a vast horde and a figure who unexpectedly asked who they were.

• A squire warned Xilǐ'er that a Blood Corpse had dodged Tim's arrow, and Xilǐ'er agreed it was unusual.
• Xilǐ'er led the advance party after the Blood Corpse, warning everyone to watch for traps and ambushes.
• The Blood Corpse repeatedly stayed ahead of the party, and Xilǐ'er continued following it for more than a day despite seeing no attack.
• Xilǐ'er and the advance party heard water and discovered the Rotting Corpse Dark Lake, filled with countless Blood Corpses.
• A figure in the lake looked at Xilǐ'er in shock and asked who they were.

Xilǐ'er’s advance party encountered Second Holy See players disguised as Blood Corpses in Klaf City, and both groups argued over access to the area. The confrontation paused when the players said they would respect Xilǐ'er, who then revealed his identity.

• Xilǐ'er realized the apparent Blood Corpses were not actually Blood Corpses and identified their group as the Second Holy See’s Klaf City exploration team.
• The players gathered and told Xilǐ'er’s party to leave, saying they had claimed the area while searching for the sealed grand duke.
• Tim challenged [Retreat Drum Player], and the two nearly came to blows before Xilǐ'er intervened.
• Xilǐ'er explained that a rational Blood Corpse had led his party to the area, and [Retreat Drum Player] told them to leave but said he would respect Xilǐ'er.
• Xilǐ'er stunned the group by admitting that he was Xilǐ'er.

Adelaide recalled how he had endured his deteriorating seal and built a vast Blood Corpse army while waiting to escape. After sensing Antos being attacked and hearing him beg for help, Adelaide chose to pretend to be dead.

• Adelaide realized the seal was weakening from age, not because of his efforts, and patiently waited for it to break further.
• Adelaide recounted deceiving people into joining his bloodline and capturing Klaf City with his Blood Corpse army.
• Adelaide remembered the hatred he held for the Short-Eared Elves who had attacked a vampire alliance meeting.
• Adelaide sensed Antos nearby and later felt a powerful group heading for the city lord's residence.
• Adelaide heard Antos scream and beg him for help, then decided to play dead.

Adelaide realized two hostile groups had entered Klaf City and devised a plan to use their conflict to escape his seal and gather blood for his resurrection. Just as the groups met near his hiding place, he saw them lower their weapons and realized they knew each other.

• After Antos was taken away, Adelaide continued his resurrection plan while Blood Corpses and monsters roamed Klaf City.
• Adelaide identified one group as the Tree Worship Church Theocracy, whose members he blamed for killing his offspring Oliver Adelaide, and suspected the other group was connected to the Eternal Domain.
• As both groups searched Klaf City for him, Adelaide began controlling Blood Corpses and planned to exploit their hostility to break free and collect the blood of the dead.
• When the Tree Worship Church people headed toward his seal, Adelaide guided the Eternal Domain team there, and the groups came face to face.
• As Adelaide expected a fight to begin, Xilǐ'er announced herself, the groups lowered their weapons, and Adelaide realized they knew each other.

Xilǐ'er reunited with the players at Adelaide's sealing site and learned that the Second Holy See had already found the seal. He chose to return to the Eternal Domain to report the discovery, while [Retreat Drum Player] challenged him to race for the third sealed grand duke.

• The players confirmed that the armored man was Xilǐ'er after he removed his helmet and [Howling Pothos] verified details from their earlier encounter.
• [Howling Pothos] told Xilǐ'er that Adelaide was sealed beneath a stone pillar about a hundred meters away and explained why they had concealed the Second Holy See's combat methods.
• Xilǐ'er warned the Soul Returners not to underestimate a grand duke and decided to return to the Eternal Domain to assemble an expeditionary force.
• Xilǐ'er told Tim that the Second Holy See deserved the credit for finding Adelaide first, and Tim accepted the lesson about a knight's honor.
• [Retreat Drum Player] challenged Xilǐ'er to see who would find the third sealed grand duke first, and Xilǐ'er accepted before leading his group away.

Xilǐ'er and the Eternal Domain players faced two vampire dukes inside the tomb and prepared to hold them off while the Soul Returners activated a temporary Symbiotic Tree. The chapter ended with Howling Pothos using nearly fifty Soul Returner corpses to make the sapling grow rapidly.

• Adelaide ordered the Blood Corpses to keep the intruders in the tomb, and Cuiske appeared to block their retreat.
• Margaret revealed herself behind the players, leaving Xilǐ'er and the group facing two dukes.
• Xilǐ'er and the player captains formed a defensive circle and learned that activating the temporary Symbiotic Tree would take up to two minutes.
• Howling Pothos insisted he could grow the tree in one minute by using corpses, and Xilǐ'er agreed to buy him that time.
• Xilǐ'er mounted Radish and prepared to fight while Tim turned to coordinate defenses and saw the Soul Returners had become a pile of corpses beneath a rapidly growing sapling.

Xilǐ'er and Tim faced Cuiske and Duchess Margaret as the Twin Kings descended to aid their knights. The Immortal King took over Xilǐ'er’s body, while the other king’s power slowed Margaret and her attack to a halt.

• Margaret approached Tim on spider-like legs and taunted him, while Tim called her ugly and readied his sword.
• Cuiske attacked Xilǐ'er with root spikes, and Xilǐ'er asked Radish to dodge while he prayed to the Twin Kings.
• The Twin Kings answered the prayers and descended into the underground lake beneath Klaf City.
• Radish accidentally entered Cuiske’s trap, but the Immortal King took over Xilǐ'er and used his lance to break through Cuiske’s barriers.
• Cuiske dodged the lance and struck Radish, while Margaret’s web stopped in midair before the king-possessed knight, who remarked on her recovery.

Tim’s body, controlled by a powerful being, faced Margaret and her swarming Blood Corpses at Rotting Corpse Dark Lake. After Margaret’s abilities drew the horde toward him, he shattered his sword into a glowing, whip-like blade and prepared to strike.

• Tim’s attacker crumbled Margaret’s webbing and challenged her to use something living.
• Margaret revealed her spider body and used Mortal Enmity, weakening Tim while the ability destroyed one of her eyes.
• Margaret used The Whole World Is an Enemy, turning the Blood Corpses against Tim and sending them charging at him.
• Tim flooded his sword with psionic energy, shattered it into glowing fragments, and formed them into a whip-like blade over ten meters long.
• Tim leaped above the oncoming Blood Corpses and swung the fragmented blade.

Xilǐ'er fought Cuiske in the cavern, using Radish and a transformed lance to nearly destroy the apostate. Cuiske regenerated with willow branches and recognized that Xilǐ'er's time as the Progenitor of Domination was running out, leaving the duel poised to continue through the mist.

• Xilǐ'er deflected Cuiske's barrage of mutated plants and challenged him about serving Adelaide, while Cuiske taunted him over his hidden identity.
• Xilǐ'er threw a short spear to draw out Cuiske's defenses, then mounted the resurrected Radish and charged with his lance.
• Xilǐ'er struck Cuiske with the lance and nearly destroyed the right half of his body.
• Cuiske noticed the dwindling countdown on Xilǐ'er's chest and rebuilt his body with willow branches.
• Cuiske filled the cavern with mist and locked his gaze onto Xilǐ'er as the knight prepared to use another trump card.

Ed arrived at the Rotting Corpse Dark Lake and faced attacks from Cuiske and Margaret while the battles around him continued. He summoned a growing force of players, temporarily reached high-tier power, and began an assault on Cuiske.

• Ed emerged from a Cocoon as Xilǐ'er and Cuiske fought on one side of the lake and Golden Tim and Margaret fought on the other.
• Cuiske sent spindle darts at Ed while Margaret hurled corrosive venom at him, but Ed stopped the darts and deflected the venom onto the Blood Corpses.
• Ed activated the Teleportation Tree, which released nearly a hundred armed players and continued bringing more people into the cavern.
• Ed combined Duma's, Seraphina's, and Rosalind's powers to temporarily reach high-tier strength, then dismissed Cuiske's taunt about his pseudo tier.
• Ed grabbed Cuiske's morning glory, accelerated downward, and slashed through the air before calling out to Seraphina.