Chapter Summaries

Kashi led an aquatic army toward the Black Sea to destroy the Salvation Church while the Elves covered their movement and the church struggled with disrupted supply ships. The forces prepared to close in on the church’s island headquarters, where the logistics supervisor awaited a report.

• After the Red Fort council, Kashi led fishmen and aquatic drakes downstream toward the Black Sea to attack the Salvation Church.
• Kashi visited Olivia’s underground territory, saw her potion-making work, and spent five days with her before rejoining his forces.
• Kashi reached the coast, met Manien, and ordered a fishman messenger to coordinate with Chancellor Ergou and prepare teleportation coordinates for the assault.
• Kashi gathered five thousand elite fishmen and half the aquatic drakes, then led them beneath the sea toward the Salvation Church’s island headquarters.
• The Salvation Church’s supply ships were blocked by Elven warships, leaving its logistics supervisor concerned about replenishing fresh meat.

The Sussex Kingdom forces attacked the Salvation Church’s island, trapping its forces and confronting the High Priest and another Legendary Warrior. After the High Priest absorbed the Cursed Conches and became a monstrous creature, nine Legends defeated him, while the Mermaid Empress watched the battle through a Crystal Ball.

• The logistics supervisor learned that the island’s sentries had gone silent, then discovered the island surrounded by Legendary Experts, fishmen, and draconic beasts.
• Ergou and eight other Legends besieged the High Priest while Kashi led the forces sweeping the island; Kashi killed the Salvation Church’s newly advanced Legendary Warrior.
• Cornered, the High Priest absorbed the power of three Cursed Conches and transformed into a mindless monster that could steal souls with gray mist chains.
• Ergou transformed into a Red Dragon and joined Kashi and the elf Legends in fighting the monster.
• The nine Legends killed the monster, and Ergou burned its corpse, releasing the trapped souls as wisps of gray mist.
• The Mermaid Empress watched the battle’s conclusion through a Crystal Ball and remarked that it was interesting.

Jose secured an agreement with Yamom Frostwolf and prepared to lead the Sussex Kingdom against Red Nest, which was gathering forces near the border. As the kingdom's commanders assembled and border patrols faced increasingly aggressive incursions, a powerful figure from Oka City was expected to arrive with an army.

• Jose arranged a meeting at Stone Fish Rift, where he and Yamom Frostwolf signed a contract guaranteeing their cooperation.
• Jose returned to Red Fort, appointed Hogger Riverclaw commander-in-chief, Grem Stone Hammer vanguard, and Hasa Bloodclaw deputy for the campaign against Red Nest.
• Jose promised he would prevent Demigod-level enemies from interfering and hinted that successful followers might receive Essence Blood Contracts.
• Red Nest's forces drove Extraordinary Beasts toward the Sussex Kingdom, destroying traps and probing routes through the border buffer zone.
• Border patrol soldiers discussed a powerful visitor from Oka City who was reportedly bringing an army, and one Gnoll volunteered to fight Red Nest.

Hogg led the Sussex Kingdom army in a night assault on Red Nest’s border defenses, sending Sibel Bloodfeather’s Harpies to destroy watchtowers while Orcs and Ogres attacked Breach Number Three. The Harpies captured their three target peaks, but the ground assault remained underway as Sussex siege ladders began to reach the wall.

• Hogg ordered Sibel Bloodfeather and the Harpy elites to destroy Red Nest’s watchtowers, while Grem Stone Hammer’s Orcs and Ogres prepared to attack Breach Number Three and Hasa Bloodclaw’s Kobolds stood ready to build defenses.
• At night, Sibel received Hogg’s signal and led the Harpies in a surprise attack, destroying watchtowers, ballistae, and rolling stones across the mountaintops.
• Red Nest’s monsters sounded the alarm and fought back with bows and spells, but the Harpies focused on three adjacent peaks and seized them for the Sussex Kingdom.
• Ogre warriors charged the checkpoint with siege ladders as Orcs followed under arrow fire, and Red Nest sharpshooters inflicted some casualties.
• The first siege ladder hooked onto the wall, and Red Nest defenders failed to cut through the sturdy ladders before more reached the fortifications.

The Sussex Kingdom breached the Red Nest defenses and seized a foothold, while Jose received two young Red Dragon defectors and learned the Red Nest Matriarch had revived the Dragon Tooth Soldier method. Jose warned the siblings, secured their service with a Protection Contract, and alerted his followers to the new threat.

• Hogger Riverclaw’s hidden Advanced Stage Warrior planted an explosive that destroyed part of the Red Nest wall, allowing Sussex Kingdom troops to pour through the breach.
• Hogger Riverclaw ordered the Gnoll Wolf Cavalry into battle, and the three commanders watched as the Sussex Kingdom forces overwhelmed the Red Nest defenders and entered the city gate.
• Percysalina and Neermus asked Jose for protection, and Jose confronted Percysalina after discovering her connection to Taylor Cooper and the reason she had fled the Red Nest.
• Jose signed a Protection Contract with the two Red Dragons and gave them gold coins as a welcome gift.
• Percysalina told Jose that the Red Nest Matriarch had awakened the method for creating Dragon Tooth Soldiers and sent one to the Sussex Kingdom border, so Jose notified his followers invading the Red Nest.

Hogger and the Sussex Kingdom forces prepared for battle against the Red Nest, then fought their way to a decisive clash in the valley. Grem Stone Hammer faced the Legendary Dragonkin Ogre Hark and unleashed his Fire Warden ability as Hark transformed beneath his dragon scales.

• Jose warned Hogger Riverclaw, Grem Stone Hammer, and Hasa Bloodclaw that Dragon Tooth Soldiers were dangerous, and Hogger ordered his troops not to pursue the enemy too far.
• After the Sussex Kingdom defenses were reorganized, Hogger rallied his soldiers when enemy scouts appeared, and the armies fought fiercely over the following days.
• On the fifth day, the Sussex Kingdom and Red Nest armies met for a decisive battle, where Jose spotted a Legendary Dragonkin Ogre among the enemy leaders.
• The Sussex Kingdom gained the advantage as its better-trained soldiers exploited the Red Nest army's disorder, prompting the Dragonkin Ogre to enter the fight.
• Grem Stone Hammer confronted the Dragonkin Ogre Hark, defended himself with his legendary shield, and eventually activated his Fire Warden ability.
• Hark solidified the dragon-scale patterns across his body into scales and prepared to fight Grem in his transformed form.

Luna Starfeather and Grem Stone Hammer defeated Dragon Tooth Soldier Number Two, prompting the Red Nest Matriarch to arrive and confront Jose. As the two demigod dragons fought, the Matriarch summoned Wings of Havoc, and Jose prepared to respond to the unfair odds.

• Dragon Tooth Soldier Number Two disguised himself as a Gnoll and tried to ambush Grem Stone Hammer, but Luna Starfeather struck him with lightning and Grem broke his arm with his shield.
• Luna Starfeather and Grem Stone Hammer overwhelmed Dragon Tooth Soldier Number Two, leaving him unconscious and charred.
• The Red Nest Matriarch teleported to the battlefield in fury, but Jose countered her Dragon Might and challenged her as Hogg ordered the Sussex army to retreat.
• Jose and the Red Nest Matriarch battled with Burning Domain, while Jose defended and stalled to give his retainers time to escape.
• The Red Nest Matriarch called Wings of Havoc to join the fight, and Jose objected before preparing to respond.

Jose used his alliance with Queen Yugglace to bring the Githyanki Psionic Warship Wanderer to the Sussex Kingdom, forcing the Red Nest Matriarch to retreat and securing the Imperial Ceremony. At a banquet afterward, Queen Yugglace speculated that Tydanore’s unusually powerful demigods might be a sign that its Plane Will was preparing for an approaching crisis.

• Jose summoned the Wanderer, and Queen Yugglace warned the Red Nest Matriarch that she would stand by him.
• The Red Nest Matriarch withdrew, Wings of Havoc vanished, and the Red Nest army fled as Sussex’s forces celebrated victory.
• Jose welcomed Queen Yugglace and hosted the Githyanki in the Sussex Kingdom, while news of the warship prompted the Pompeii Emperor and Moorlin to cancel their operation.
• The Mermaid Empress and Silverson learned that the Wanderer had arrived in Tydanore and decided not to interfere.
• At Jose’s banquet, Queen Yugglace remarked on Tydanore’s many powerful demigods and suggested its Plane Will might be preparing for a crisis.

Jose learned from Queen Yugglace that the Four Elemental Gems could lead to godhood, though the gems were difficult to obtain and the Githyanki would not stay in Tydanore to pursue them. As the Imperial Ceremony approached, a professional thief’s robberies troubled Vik Town, where Xingge studied the thief’s calling cards and suspected an outsider with a good heart.

• Queen Yugglace explained the Four Elemental Gems’ power and the risks of becoming a god, while declining to keep the Githyanki in Tydanore for them.
• Jose noted that the Ocean Heart belonged to the Mermaid Empress and the Fire Heart had been given to Nodashan, making the remaining gems difficult to pursue.
• As Oka City filled with visitors ahead of the Imperial Ceremony, crime by professionals rose in the surrounding towns.
• Sheriff Cook gathered Vik Town’s officers to investigate a thief who had robbed three households and left a ghost-face drawing after each crime.
• Xingge examined the drawings and concluded that the thief was an outsider whose handwriting suggested mischief and arrogance, but no evil.

Xingge investigated the thefts by checking Vik Town’s gate records and found three possible Advanced Stage Rogues, then focused on Harris after finding his name in both gates’ records. Harris denied the thefts and revealed that his Adventurer Certificate had vanished and mysteriously returned a week earlier, suggesting someone had stolen his identity.

• Xingge proposed checking the town’s entry records for Thief-class outsiders, and Sheriff Cook sent him with Bula and a Harpy officer.
• Xingge and the others searched the main-gate records and narrowed the suspects to Du Yisi, Harris, and Aiden, then found another registration for Harris at the rear gate.
• Xingge sent the Harpy to report their discovery and went with Bula to search Vik Town’s taverns for Harris.
• Xingge and Bula found Harris drinking at the second tavern, questioned him, and verified his account with the tavern owner and other patrons.
• Harris revealed that his Adventurer Certificate had disappeared seven days earlier and returned to his pocket the next day.

Jose investigated reports of a mysterious rogue who stole belongings in Vik Town and returned them, then searched the town in disguise for the culprit. He found no trace of the rogue, but his stroll ended with a surprising sight in a child’s courtyard.

• After residents reported that stolen belongings had reappeared, Xingge and the other officers alerted Sheriff Cook, who reported the incidents to Oka City.
• Jose received word that a suspected Legendary Rogue was causing trouble in Vik Town and traveled there with a royal escort.
• Cook and Xingge told Jose that someone had impersonated the Halfling Rogue Harris, stolen items around town, and left ghostly face drawings before returning the property.
• Jose searched Vik Town with his psychic power, detected no Legendary presence, and disguised himself as a Gnoll to investigate the streets.
• Jose sent a Goblin selling fake medicine to the watch station and noticed a young Gnoll had awakened Qi Sensation unusually early.
• Jose recognized the Gnoll child training in a courtyard as one of the children who had just run past him.

Jose identified the mysterious being helping Lisa as a Starwish Sprite and lured it out with a town-wide fireworks display. He captured it and struck a deal for a Luck Spell, learning he was its third captor before deciding not to risk provoking it.

• Jose found Lisa safe among the children, detected an illusion of her at home, and learned from Lisa that her strange friend was a glowing, bodiless child.
• Jose recognized the being as a Starwish Sprite and ordered Sheriff Cook to buy every firework in Vik Town and set them off after dark.
• As the fireworks distracted the town, Jose scanned Vik Town and spotted the Starwish Sprite watching from Lisa's chimney.
• Jose used Dimensional Anchor and an enhanced Mage Hand to capture the Starwish Sprite, then demanded a permanent Luck Spell in exchange for its freedom.
• The Starwish Sprite agreed to Jose's deal for the sake of a bigger fireworks show and revealed he was its third captor; Jose decided not to spank it in case that brought disaster.

Jose received a one-time Greater Luck Spell from the Starwish Sprite, then proclaimed the founding of the Sussex Empire at a grand ceremony in Oka City. The celebration showcased the empire’s diverse citizens and mass-produced Dimensional Bags, leaving foreign envoys impressed as the ceremony continued.

• Jose chose the one-time Greater Luck Spell, and the Starwish Sprite placed its power within him.
• Six days later, crowds and guards from many races gathered in Oka City for the Sussex Kingdom’s Imperial Ceremony.
• Jose declared the Sussex Empire founded and named its people citizens of the empire as the crowd cheered.
• Jose’s retainers began the celebration with drumming, a military display, and a rain of flower petals produced by the Harpy Mage Corps.
• Queen Yugglace and other foreign guests saw the Sussex Empire’s many Dimensional Bags and recognized its growing magical and industrial strength.

During the Imperial Ceremony in Oka City, the Sussex Empire displayed its immense military strength, including the mysterious Howl of the Empire and disciplined formations of several races. The procession continued with carriages carrying huge jars of Life Potion, leaving the audience stunned by the scale of the empire’s production.

• Two Land Dragons pulled five purple-crystal weapons called Howl of the Empire through Oka City, and Woodgang Stonefang introduced them as powerful new weapons whose details could not be demonstrated.
• Jose told Queen Yugglace that Howl of the Empire was a new creation based on the Planet Destroyer Cannon, could unleash power comparable to Legendary Magic, and would be installed on Magic Towers for power.
• A disciplined formation of five hundred Ogre soldiers marched through the city, followed by Gnoll infantry and Wolf Cavalry, Kobold engineers, Minotaurs, Goblins, and other troops.
• The envoys observed that the soldiers were well trained, professionally equipped, and disciplined, revealing the Sussex Empire’s military strength.
• Three horse-drawn carriages and a continuing line of wagons entered carrying giant glass jars of pale green Life Potion, which astonished a potion-making mage.

At the Imperial Ceremony, Jose displayed the Sussex Empire’s mass-produced potions, allied peoples, and formidable draconic forces to the assembled guests. After declaring the ceremony’s first phase complete, he began the citywide carnival and used elemental power to ensure clear weather, leaving the powerful guests reminded of Oka City’s extraordinary nature.

• Woodgang Stonefang explained that non-mages had produced ten types of potions in factory-scale batches, promising cheaper supplies and transforming potion-making.
• Steelbeard Gray Dwarves, Centaurs, Lizardfolk, and the Fishman Clan marched through Oka City as Woodgang Stonefang introduced their roles in the Empire.
• Armored Land Dragons and Claw Dance Dragons paraded through the city, followed by hundreds of Wyverns flying over the audience.
• Woodgang Stonefang announced the end of the ceremony’s first phase, and Jose invited the citizens to celebrate at the carnival.
• Jose unleashed elemental power to clear the weather and brighten Oka City, prompting the crowd to cheer and the powerful guests to recognize the city’s wonder.

During the Imperial Ceremony, Sheriff Cook and officer Job guarded Oka City and reflected on how the Sussex Empire had protected its people. After the celebration, Jose rewarded the empire’s leading supporters and assigned them key responsibilities for its future development.

• Cook and Job patrolled Oka City, shared food, and discussed Job’s childhood hunger before the empire brought his tribe food and protection.
• Cook and Job intervened when a Goblin and an Orc argued over a stepped-on foot, and the celebration continued without disruption.
• After three days of festivities, Jose gathered the imperial officials in Red Fort’s Throne Hall and granted Kashi a prince’s title and Olivia a grand duke’s title, each with a 50,000-square-kilometer fief.
• Jose awarded titles and territories to other meritorious officials, establishing a noble hierarchy of one prince, two grand dukes, nine earls, thirty-two viscounts, and one hundred and twenty-one barons.
• Jose tasked Kashi with building the empire’s navy and told Olivia to expand potion production and pursue the continental market.

Jose responded to the Trade City-States’ ban on Sussex Empire potions by planning to smuggle them into the southern market. A Gnoll tribe helped One-Eyed Jack’s caravan evade an ambush, then set out to attack the Woodson Family as part of an Imperial mission.

• Jose rejected Ergou’s proposal to cut trade with the Trade City-States and ordered secret potion smuggling instead.
• Jose considered the risk of spies stealing the potion-making process and weighed the Empire’s economic and military options against the Trade City-States.
• One-Eyed Jack led a potion-smuggling caravan through the Gebusi Kingdom border wilderness, where Tony’s Gnolls warned him that the Woodson Family planned an ambush.
• One-Eyed Jack paid Tony to guide the caravan around the ambush and through a secret border passage.
• After the caravan crossed safely, Tony reported to an Imperial envoy and led the Gnolls to attack the Woodson Family.

Jose planned to use Sussex Empire weapons to help the Taylor Kingdom conquer the Lian Duchy and pressure nations that had rejected his potions. When the Red Dragon Brook arrived seeking allegiance and territory, Kashi defeated him, but Jose turned the loss into a draw and kept Brook in the Empire; news then arrived that Taylor and Lian had gone to war.

• Ergou reported that the Trade City-State had persuaded nations to reject Sussex Empire potions by offering their kings Longevity Potions, and Jose ordered weapons sold to the Taylor Kingdom to help it attack the Lian Duchy.
• Jose sensed the newly adult Red Dragon Brook approaching Oka City to pledge allegiance and agreed to consider granting him territory.
• Brook asked for land larger than Kashi's, so Jose offered him Kashi's territory and one hundred thousand gold coins if he could defeat Kashi.
• Kashi overwhelmingly defeated Brook, who had boasted that he could never lose to a White Dragon.
• Jose and Kashi called the fight a draw, and Brook accepted the explanation after admitting that Kashi was the strongest White Dragon he had seen.
• Jose received word that the Taylor Kingdom and the Lian Duchy had gone to war.

Jose sent Brook to aid the Taylor Kingdom against the Lian Duchy, but Brook was badly wounded by a Northern Witch Council mage at Pocket Fortress. Jose dispatched Luna Starfeather and Gauluki to kill the witch, while Kashi secretly arrived and watched their ensuing battle for signs of the witch’s supposed followers.

• Jose ordered Brook to help the Taylor Kingdom defeat the Lian Duchy, promising to decide on territory based on Brook’s battlefield performance.
• Brook attacked Pocket Fortress with Dragon Flame, but a mysterious mage pierced his scales with an Ice Arrow and left him gravely wounded.
• After learning that a Northern Witch Council member had injured Brook, Jose ordered Luna Starfeather and Gauluki to kill the witch.
• Kashi flew to Brook’s refuge, heard his account of the battle, and secretly followed the confrontation to investigate the witch’s alleged followers.
• Gauluki engaged the witch while Luna watched from the clouds, and Kashi observed from a concealed position, doubting that the newly advanced witch had Legendary followers.

White Dragon—Kashi used the Howl of the Empire to freeze a Northern Witch and joined Luna Starfeather and Gauluki in battling the Headhunter Legendary Squad and the witches. After the fight became a stalemate and the nonhuman legends began to tire, they revealed custom-made potions that restored their energy.

• Gauluki pursued the Legendary Witch into Pocket Town, where the Headhunter Legendary Squad ambushed him, and Luna Starfeather intervened when he was overwhelmed.
• Kashi fired the Howl of the Empire from a distant mountain, freezing the witch and covering much of Pocket Town in frost before flying to aid Luna Starfeather and Gauluki.
• Kashi rejected the Headhunter Legendary Squad's plea to leave and attacked, while reinforcements arrived, including Taelrica and two other witches.
• Kashi fought Taelrica and another witch, while Luna Starfeather and Gauluki battled the squad; Chancellor Ergou and the Emperor's warning kept nearby legends from interfering.
• After the battle dragged on for hours and the enemy witches used potions, Kashi, Luna Starfeather, and Gauluki crushed custom-made potions to replenish their energy.