Chapter Summaries

After years of researching the Abyss and preparing to leave Tydanore, Jose arranged for the Empire to function in his absence and forced Bianca into becoming his obedient guide. He learned about Bianca’s past in the Abyss and prepared to begin his expedition, though the chapter ended before he departed.

• Kashi’s victory at Pocket Fortress helped the Sussex Empire secure the potion market after a two-year war reshaped the Lian Duchy.
• Jose spent two years researching Abyssal Devils and gathering Devil Blood before deciding to leave Tydanore for at least half a year.
• Jose told his officials to consult Ergou and Prince Kashi during his absence and to conceal that he had left.
• Jose forced Bianca to swallow a Dragon Pact Blood Pearl, which altered her mind and made her obedient to him.
• Bianca revealed her demon true name and recounted her rise from a demon maggot to a legendary Marilith before the Githyanki queen captured her.

Jose arrived at Fire Rock Camp on Blackblood Plain to search for the Moon Elf King's hidden inheritance key and sought a detailed map to locate it. After meeting the demon warlock LeAnn, Jose learned that only the camp's founder, the demigod Beckleyton, might have a map of the entire plain, and he came to ask him for it.

• Jose and Bianca explored Fire Rock Camp, where the Dark Elf Gerry mistook Jose for a demon warlock and invited him to exchange insights.
• Jose agreed to speak with Gerry after he offered a Succubus, and the two exchanged useful knowledge about controlling demons.
• Jose learned that he needed a detailed map of all Blackblood Plain to match the Moon Elf King's map and locate the inheritance key.
• LeAnn said that Beckleyton might possess a complete map, so Jose went to the camp's central bunker and asked to see him.
• Beckleyton welcomed Jose and recognized him as a dragon spellcaster, then asked what he wanted.

Jose obtained a map of the Blackblood Plain and searched for one of six caves marked on the Moon Elf King's map. He found the hidden box in a cave occupied by a Berserker Demon and discovered the Elf King's journal, which hinted at the ancient tablet that began the inheritance story.

• Jose paid Beckleyton more than a hundred rubies for a detailed map of the Blackblood Plain and memorized the terrain.
• Jose and Bianca split up to investigate nearby suspected treasure sites, but the first two locations held no matching cave.
• Jose found a cave at the third location, killed the Legendary Berserker Demon living there, and searched beneath a stone at the cave's end.
• Jose uncovered the Moon Elf King's box, which contained a strange red crystal shard and the Elf King's adventure journal.
• Jose read that the Elf King had come to the Abyss seeking a breakthrough and learned that Ferroge had found an ancient stone tablet bearing Ancient Tymoshide Script.

Jose deciphered the Moon Elf King’s diary and learned that the inheritance would open on the Abyssal Null Day, so he settled in the Abyss to wait. After visiting Fire Rock Camp for supplies, he unknowingly drew the attention of its ruler, Beckleyton, who planned to join forces with two guests to kill him.

• Jose read the diary and learned that the inheritance key would reveal the entrance on the Abyssal Null Day, then decided to wait in the Abyss with Bianca.
• Jose and Bianca cleaned and settled into the cave, where they waited for five months until Jose ran out of food.
• Jose flew to Fire Rock Camp, bought meat, and left without realizing that his crystal chip had reacted to another key nearby.
• Beckleyton noticed Jose’s key and considered attacking him, but decided to wait until Jose left and recruit allies instead.
• Beckleyton told a red-haired mage and a muscular human about Jose and asked whether they would join him.

The Diamond-Eyed Strongman, Beckleyton, and the Red-Haired Mage lured Jose into a planned ambush, but Jose broke free using Elementalization and turned on the mage. Jose’s fire immunity nullified the mage’s desperate attack as his claw closed in.

• The Diamond-Eyed Strongman persuaded Beckleyton and the Red-Haired Mage to ambush Jose and divide the rewards for killing him.
• Jose sensed a Demigod approaching his cave, emerged to confront him, and tried to drive the Diamond-Eyed Strongman away.
• The Diamond-Eyed Strongman transformed into a Rhombus-Armored Ape and clamped onto Jose while Beckleyton and the Red-Haired Mage rushed to attack.
• Jose activated Elementalization, escaped the ape’s grip, and charged at the Red-Haired Mage instead of attacking the ape.
• The Red-Haired Mage fired a flaming black crystal spike, but Jose was immune to fire magic and continued swinging his claw at him.

Jose killed the Red-Haired Mage, forced the Rhombus-Armored Ape to serve him for a thousand years, and learned about the keys and trials of the Land of Inheritance. He and the ape went to Fire Rock Camp to confront Beckleyton, but found that the Lava Person had fled after destroying the camp.

• Jose used Dimensional Anchor and Taotie's Maw to break through the Red-Haired Mage's defenses and kill him, while Beckleyton fled and the wounded Rhombus-Armored Ape remained behind.
• Jose questioned the Rhombus-Armored Ape about the attack and learned that nearby inheritance keys resonated with one another, revealing that Jose possessed a key.
• Jose made the Rhombus-Armored Ape sign a Devil Contract to serve him for one thousand years in exchange for his life, then questioned him about the Land of Inheritance.
• The Rhombus-Armored Ape explained that thirty-six keys could grant entry, that the Land of Inheritance had opened many times, and that no one he knew had ever completed its trials.
• Jose searched the Red-Haired Mage's corpse, collected his belongings, and headed with the Rhombus-Armored Ape to Fire Rock Camp to find Beckleyton.
• Jose and the Rhombus-Armored Ape found that Beckleyton had fled after wrecking the camp, and Jose watched the adventurers descend into chaos as an idea came to him.

Jose took over Fire Rock Camp in the Abyss with Francey guarding it, then gave Francey a Land of Inheritance key when Abyssal Null Day began. They flew north toward the inheritance site, which would remain open for only half an hour, while Jose learned that raiders sometimes ambushed keyholders.

• Jose claimed Fire Rock Camp for Francey, brought Sorda Bloodtooth and loyal guards from Tydanore, and restored order and normal operations at the camp.
• Jose and Francey exposed and killed camp workers who had tried to exploit the change in ownership, then spent a week reassuring adventurers before reopening the teleportation platforms.
• Three months later, Jose noticed the blood sun dimming and recognized the start of Abyssal Null Day as his two Land of Inheritance keys began to glow.
• Jose gave one key to Francey, and the two set out north as the blood sun vanished, racing to reach the Land of Inheritance within half an hour.
• Francey warned Jose about raiders who ambushed keyholders, and explained that diviners could predict the inheritance site's location and that only eight demigods had entered during the previous opening.

Jose and Francey entered the Land of Inheritance after breaking through the defenses of Murphysack’s ally, Synklar, but the teleportation separated them. Jose chose to avoid the expected clash at Cloud Peak Temple for now and flew above the sea of clouds toward it while searching for treasures.

• Francey warned Jose that Murphysack regularly entered the Land of Inheritance and killed competitors, and they found demons guarding the route.
• Jose and Francey broke through the invisible barrier and demon defenses, then faced Synklar, who tried to stop them.
• Jose and the Rhombus-Armored Ape fought Synklar until the demon retreated, allowing them to continue toward the Land of Inheritance.
• The crimson shards transported Jose and the Rhombus-Armored Ape to separate locations, and Jose used his magic to locate his companion but could not reunite with him.
• Jose decided to delay going to Cloud Peak Temple until the powerful entrants had fought, then flew above the fire clouds and began scanning for treasures.

Jose reached Cloud Peak Temple after collecting vast quantities of rubies and learned to climb the Fire Elemental cloud peak by controlling its elementals. At the summit, he found the demigods still gathered around a portal and established himself as a force by devouring a Fire Elemental demigod projection.

• Jose filled all twenty Spatial Bags with rubies, then left the mineral-rich pit to continue toward Cloud Peak Temple.
• Jose climbed the cloud peak by using his spiritual power to make Fire Elementals support his limbs, and he saw Beckleyton's corpse fall past him.
• Jose reached the summit and found thirteen demigods in four factions surrounding a circular portal, with Francey among the seven-member alliance.
• A mage insulted Jose and sent his Fire Elemental demigod companion to attack him, but Jose swallowed the elemental in seconds.
• The demigods recognized Jose's strength and shifted their positions, making him a faction of his own around the portal.

Jose entered the Land of Inheritance’s Back Garden, where he had to survive among enormous and dangerous ancient creatures for a month. After a burning shadow increased the difficulty of his trial, Jose faced a demigod Purple-Patterned Azure Eagle and a golden bear at the same time.

• After waiting half a day, Jose and the other trial-takers entered individual black portals that appeared before them.
• Jose learned that he had to survive for a month in the Back Garden, where ancient creatures were dangerous to trial-takers despite being considered harmless by the land’s master.
• Jose found the garden’s oversized plants and animals were deadly, then chose to search for a cave rather than dig one himself.
• A burning shadow inspected the trial-takers, increased the difficulty for several of them, and made Jose tremble with a nightmare while Murphysack began to stir after it left.
• Jose fought a golden bear until a demigod Purple-Patterned Azure Eagle ambushed him, forcing him to activate Phoenix Heart and battle both creatures.
• As Jose’s flames surged, he noticed the surrounding space subtly changing under their heat.

Jose discovered that the Back Garden was a vast illusion and tried to escape by overloading its Magic Array. After waiting for an outside malfunction, he broke free alongside Murphysack and the flamboyant mage.

• Jose tested the illusion by setting the forest ablaze and casting World-Ending Fire Stream, causing the world to distort and confirming it was unreal.
• Jose evaded the Purple-Patterned Azure Eagle, hid in the burning forest, and summoned Honasde and other Fire Elementals to spread the fires.
• Jose waited for a malfunction in the outside world, then unleashed the Phoenix Heart and stored magic when the illusion began to fail.
• Jose awoke on a circular magic platform as Murphysack and the flamboyant mage also broke free of the illusion.

Jose explored the ruins of the Hashilai Empire in search of Emperor Hashilai’s inheritance after Murphysack’s sword killed the other demigods. He learned of the empire’s powerful founder, met Krananshi, and joined him in a cautious truce before an underground battle revealed the likely location of the inheritance.

• Murphysack attacked the sleeping demigods with his Executioner Greatsword, killing all but Francey, whom Jose shielded; Jose then collected the seven corpses and urged Francey to leave the trial.
• Jose entered the ruined complex, found inscriptions describing the Hashilai Empire’s founder and vast realm, and concluded that the inheritance was connected to Emperor Hashilai.
• Jose met Krananshi, who proposed that they cooperate against Murphysack; they instead swore not to attack each other while either fought the Balor.
• An earthquake shook the palace, and Jose, Krananshi, and Murphysack sensed two auras battling deep underground.

Jose, Murphysack, and Krananshi searched the central hall after a tremor led them to discover an indestructible metal layer and awaken its defenses. The Crownless Flame explained that the trial had gone off course and that restoring it required the other Authority Users, leaving the group waiting to hear why that would be difficult.

• Jose, Krananshi, and Murphysack found a silvery-white metal layer beneath the hall that Murphysack could not damage with the Executioner Greatsword.
• The palace’s Magic Golems emerged from pillars and attacked, but Jose and Krananshi captured some for study while Murphysack destroyed most of them.
• Four powerful golems surrounded the intruders, and Jose and Krananshi fought two while Murphysack faced the other pair.
• A burning fireball appeared, stopped the golems, and identified itself as the Crownless Flame—Kymilton, an Authority User overseeing the Land of Inheritance.
• Kymilton explained that an intruder had disrupted Emperor Hashilai’s trial and that the other Authority Users, Farashir and Keith Buck, would be needed to restore it.

Crownless Flame explained that the trial’s two other guardians, Steadfast Rock and Guardian Spirit, had been corrupted by Devil Grand Duke Kuk'dinni and could be cleansed by killing them to trigger their restorative time magic. Jose, Krananshi, and Murphysack entered the first guardian’s demiplane, where Farashir emerged and attacked them, shrugging off their initial assaults.

• Crownless Flame revealed that Kuk'dinni had corrupted Steadfast Rock, Farashir, and Guardian Spirit, Keith Buck, and said the trial-takers had to kill both guardians to restore them.
• Crownless Flame explained that Hashilai’s time magic would revive the guardians in their original, cleansed state, and said his contract prevented him from helping the trial-takers fight them.
• Jose and Krananshi agreed to cooperate until the final trial, while Murphysack refused to join them but agreed not to interfere.
• Crownless Flame teleported Jose, Krananshi, and Murphysack to Farashir’s demiplane, where the gigantic Steadfast Rock rose from the ground and attacked them with enormous stone spikes and a crushing hand.
• Jose teleported away from Farashir’s blow and struck him with a meteor spell, while Murphysack attacked with his greatsword, but neither attack meaningfully harmed Farashir.

Jose and his allies fought Steadfast Rock, an enormous alchemical guardian that drew limitless energy from the earth, while Jose investigated suspicious information from Crownless Flame. The chapter left Jose convinced Crownless Flame was withholding a plan involving Tenacious Rock’s brief death and the Devil Grand Duke Kuk'dinni, so the challengers needed to purify the guardian instead of killing him.

• Steadfast Rock battered Murphysack, Mage, and Jose with a storm of rocks, then rapidly restored his energy from the earth after each attack.
• Jose tried to reason with Farashir by invoking Emperor Hashilai’s trial, but Steadfast Rock called them demons and traitors and attacked them all.
• Jose suspected Crownless Flame had omitted crucial information and transformed into its likeness to test Tenacious Rock’s reaction.
• Tenacious Rock recognized Jose as Crownless Flame and furiously attacked him, while Mage helped Jose withstand the assault.
• Jose and Mage concluded that Crownless Flame wanted Tenacious Rock killed during the instant before the Time Dragon’s blessing resurrected him, likely to aid Kuk'dinni.
• Jose decided they needed to change their approach, cleanse the devilish filth from Tenacious Rock, and uncover Crownless Flame’s true purpose.

Jose and the Mage gained Tenacious Rock’s trust, purified his devilish corruption, and learned that Crownless Flame had let devils into the Land of Inheritance to free a Devil Grand Duke. The chapter ended with Jose and the Mage preparing to confront Crownless Flame, while the Balor Flame Demon remained missing.

• Crownless Flame—Kymilton watched Jose and the Mage discuss helping Tenacious Rock and decided he might have to take risks.
• Jose demonstrated his ability to absorb elemental energy, and the Mage revealed he was Krananshi, son of Crownrahil, and could use divine power to cleanse devilish corruption.
• Jose, the Mage, and the Balor Flame Demon staged a fight that convinced Tenacious Rock they were not allied with demons, and Tenacious Rock allowed the Mage to treat him.
• Tenacious Rock told Jose that Kymilton had let devils into the Land of Inheritance, and that he had sabotaged the trial to prevent the devils in the third trial from being released.
• Tenacious Rock explained that killing Kymilton would divide his authority between Keith Buck and himself, allowing them to restore the trial, and the Mage finished purifying him.
• The Mage drank a golden potion to recover, then joined Jose in setting out to confront Kymilton, while the Balor Flame Demon was nowhere to be found.

Jose and the Mage escaped Crownless Flame’s spatial seal with help from Keith Buck, then returned to find Crownless Flame and Murphysack attacking Tenacious Rock. Jose and the Mage joined the battle, and Jose began planning how to use the surrounding clash of divine and demonic power against Crownless Flame.

• Jose and the Mage found Crownless Flame’s spatial seal still blocking their escape, and Farashir used concentrated earth energy to break the space open so they could teleport away.
• Jose and the Mage returned to the central hall, where Crownless Flame trapped them again, then failed several times to break the seal on their own.
• Jose smashed the stone platform to alert Keith Buck, reminded the Guardian Spirit of its loyalty to Emperor Hashilai, and helped it break Crownless Flame’s seal.
• Jose and the Mage reached Tenacious Rock as Crownless Flame and Murphysack attacked him, then confronted their enemies despite Murphysack siding with Crownless Flame.
• Jose activated Phoenix Heart and attacked Crownless Flame while the Mage used Child of God form to fight Murphysack; Jose noticed the surrounding divine and demonic energies and formed a plan.

Jose helped coordinate the fight against Crownless Flame and the Balor Flame Demon Lord, Murphysack, while the Mage summoned a demigod Fire Elemental and Tenacious Rock joined the assault. After twenty minutes, Murphysack died in an Immolation Burst, leaving Jose and his allies to continue facing Crownless Flame.

• The Mage summoned the demigod Fire Elemental Puhaberd from the staff Love of Puhaberd, and it blocked Murphysack while the Mage cast spells.
• Jose intercepted Crownless Flame so Tenacious Rock could help the Mage attack Murphysack.
• Crownless Flame sent a Fire Elemental tide and more than a hundred clones at Jose, but Jose used his Burning Domain to stop them and turn their energy against him.
• After twenty minutes, Murphysack killed Puhaberd at the cost of a severed arm and crippled wings, then Tenacious Rock struck him into the ground.
• Murphysack triggered Immolation Burst and died, and Jose realized his death had avenged the Elf King and the Githyanki queen of the Wanderer.

Jose and Krananshi rescued the Guardian Spirit, Keith Buck, from the Devil Grand Duke's corruption and helped him recover enough to resist the intruder. Keith Buck explained that Crownless Flame's betrayal ended the trial stages, and that the true test awaited inside Emperor Hashilai's heritage.

• Crownless Flame escaped after the Balor Flame Demon Lord died, while Krananshi claimed the Executioner Greatsword and Jose learned that Keith Buck controlled the inheritance's security.
• Jose and Krananshi found Keith Buck pinned by a divine-artifact spike and corrupted by the Devil Grand Duke, Kuk'dinni.
• Krananshi spent two months purifying Keith Buck, and Jose pulled the spike from his chest.
• Keith Buck began repairing himself and said he would help resist the intruder while Jose and Krananshi pursued the Emperor's heritage.
• Keith Buck explained that Crownless Flame's betrayal made the remaining trial stages impossible, and the true test lay within the heritage itself.

Jose and Krananshi entered Emperor Hashilai’s lava-surrounded palace, where Keith Buck killed the imprisoned Devil Grand Duke, Kuk'dinni. After the inheritance failed to appear, Krananshi was caught in the palace’s rune chains while Jose left to investigate the gates and the flowing Fire Elemental energy.

• Keith Buck led Jose and Krananshi through a breach into the Land of Inheritance and summoned Tenacious Rock to guard against the Crownless Flame.
• The three entered the palace and found Kuk'dinni bound by rune chains; Keith Buck killed him with the Soul Severing Sword.
• Jose and Krananshi searched for the inheritance, but Keith Buck said they had bypassed the normal trial and left to confront the Crownless Flame.
• Jose warned Krananshi not to sit on the throne, but Krananshi’s attempt to test it with a Fire Elemental triggered the rune chains and trapped him.
• Jose scanned the hall, identified the substance outside as flowing Fire Elemental energy, and left through the gates after promising to return if he found the inheritance.
• Jose discovered Tymoshide Script engraved on the palace gates and began reading Emperor Hashilai’s words as Krananshi felt a chill inside the hall.