Chapter 54

Carl faces Vinata and her guards in Khepri's temple as they attempt to flee. A massive explosion kills most combatants, and Carl—temporarily immortal but severely injured—is blasted out of the temple into Club Vanquisher, where he becomes entangled with Vinata, who has been driven mad by the Eye of the Bedlam Bride. The god Hellik appears, delivers cryptic warnings to Carl about his brother Emberus and a larger conspiracy, then departs. Vinata is ultimately killed by the sluggalo.

The chapter opens with Allister's commentary on immortality spells, explaining their benefits and limitations. When the freeze ends, Vinata's three guards open fire while taking Speed potions. Prepotente and Katia drink Invisibility and Black Nimbus potions, causing them to be ejected from the temple via teleportation. Carl summons Günter, a childlike creature, and drops The Waffle Maker, a thermobaric explosive device that detonates in the narrow temple space. The blast destroys the three guards and severely damages Carl despite his immortality, reducing him to a formless, burning mass. As his body reforms through agony, Carl realizes Vinata is also immortal and survives the explosion. Günter detonates a second time down the hall, presumably hitting the god Khepri. Carl is blasted out of the temple into Club Vanquisher, where he finds himself wrapped around by Vinata in a stranglehold. The larger snake crushes him, stabs him repeatedly with glowing daggers, and slams his head against the floor while screaming about lost freedom and a ruined escape plan. She has been driven mad by staring into the Eye of the Bedlam Bride on Carl's chest. As multiple gods pour from the portal and attack each other, Hellik—the god Carl is supposedly meant to kill—calmly sits beside them. He delivers a message for Emberus denying he killed Geyrun, warning of corruption in their family and the All Tree, mentioning Nekhebit's return, and requesting alliance. He then departs, marking Carl as a friend of his church. Vinata continues her assault until the sluggalo woman emerges from Carl's back and kills Vinata with a hatchet.