Chapter Summaries

Major Qi reorganized the combat roles and discussed the mission with Lister, who realized the Silver Mutual Aid Society was wary of Route Three because of the Planetary Catalyst. Lieutenant Colonel Weiss planned to use Route Three for the final assault, leaving Ship A73 in danger as the enemy might move the catalyst.

• Major Qi assigned Ship A73 to long-range support, Ship D15 to landing operations, and warned Captain Isos to follow orders.
• Lister told Major Qi that Captain Boren and Ship D15’s crew had suffered under Captain Isos, and Major Qi encouraged Lister about his coming third evolution.
• Major Qi reported that Silver Mutual Aid Society defenses had increased along Route Three while its main warships and core members avoided direct engagements.
• Lister concluded that the enemy feared the missing Planetary Catalyst and had strengthened defenses to delay the fleet or provoke an early detonation.
• Major Qi said Lieutenant Colonel Weiss planned to launch the final attack through Route Three, bringing Ship A73 into the Central Army’s main fleet.
• Lister worried that the enemy might move the Planetary Catalyst once the main forces gathered, putting Ship A73 at risk.

Lister helped defeat the Silver Mutual Aid Society, then learned that seven nearby civilizations had issued warrants for him. The newest, a class A warrant from the Dawn Civilization, matched his sudden gain of 1,600 renown, and Kavin confirmed that the other civilizations were subordinate to Dawn and located nearby.

• Major Qi and Lister’s attacks threw the Silver Mutual Aid Society’s fighters into chaos and killed their battlefield leader.
• Lister gained military merit and received a sudden 1,600-point increase in renown.
• After the operation, Lister used Jiji to contact Kavin and asked him to search for information about Lister and the Merrick Civilization.
• Kavin sent Lister a file showing that seven civilizations had issued warrants for him, including a new class A warrant from the Dawn Civilization.
• Kavin told Lister that the civilizations that had issued warrants were nearby star regions and subordinate to the Dawn Civilization.

Lister contacted Wang Yue to ask why seven civilizations had issued warrants for him, then realized the warrants could help him gain reputation for his third advancement quest. He asked Wang Yue to arrange more warrants, including targeting the Thorn Civilization’s Deya Family, and she agreed.

• Lister asked Kavin to connect him with Wang Yue, and Kavin warned that the conversation would leave traces on his end.
• Wang Yue admitted she had used Lister’s face to kill political enemies, but said his Federation conscription would clear the warrants once officials verified his alibi.
• Lister learned how many subordinate civilizations the Delin and Dawn Civilizations oversaw and realized warrants could rapidly build his reputation.
• Wang Yue said she had no more enemies to target because she was running for a seat on the Dawn Civilization’s Senate Temporary Committee.
• Lister asked Wang Yue to arrange as many level-three civilization warrants as possible during his conscription mission, especially against the Thorn Civilization’s Deya Family, and she agreed.

Lister’s fame reached the third-class advancement requirement while the Federation’s offensive stalled in the core region. As Ship A73 and Ship D15 began a dangerous reconnaissance mission, Lister learned that the Deya Family had been wiped out and met the requirement.

• Lister’s fame rose sharply as more level-three civilizations issued wanted notices for him, but he remained over 4,000 points short after a week.
• Major Kaya challenged Major Qi’s plan to assign Ship D15 to reconnaissance and called A73 cannon fodder; Major Qi refused to yield command, and Captain Isos proposed that both ships scout together.
• Major Qi approved the joint reconnaissance, and A73 and D15 entered the core region as fighting intensified along Route Three.
• Lister received Wang Yue’s message that the Deya Family had been wiped out, including three wanted members who had been missing for over 1,300 years.
• Lister checked his player panel and saw his fame reach 50,031 points, meeting the mission requirement.

Lister completed his third class advancement and became a Soul Saber Battlemaster, gaining the Battle Intent Potential passive and a clearer instinct for combat. He spent nearly 33 billion experience to reach level 135, leaving 319,323,031 experience.

• Lister received three class advancement options and chose Soul Saber Battlemaster for its Battle Intent Potential passive.
• Lister endured the advancement's pain as battle memories and new combat insights surfaced in his mind.
• Lister completed the advancement, and the system confirmed his level had increased and Merrick Saber Technique had improved.
• Lister spent nearly 33 billion experience, reached level 135, and saw his updated skills and attributes.

After completing his third advancement, Lister reached the fourteenth tier and became a Quasi-Hegemon, but the A73 was driven deep into enemy territory and came under attack. When enemy troops boarded the damaged warship, Lister volunteered to deal with them.

• Lister awoke after his third advancement, gaining the ability to operate and fight comfortably in space while his overall assessment remained at Overlord Tier.
• Reck and Mila escorted Lister to the control room, where Captain Boren and the other officers congratulated him and recognized him as a Quasi-Hegemon.
• The A73 was struck by a neutron cannon, and Lister learned that two cruisers and a destroyer had forced it deep into the core region.
• Truman reported that enemy personnel had boarded through a hole in the stern and were fighting officers from the administration and Landing Operations departments.
• Lister assured Captain Boren that he would handle the boarding enemy.

Lister arrived at Ship A73's stern, turned a Mechanical Force dirty bomb back on the Silver Mutual Aid Society reinforcements, and then confronted committee member Bowen outside the ship. Bowen's robots detonated in a series of blasts that engulfed Lister, who endured the damage.

• Lister appeared over Ship A73 and struck the incoming Mechanical Force dirty bomb back toward the Silver Mutual Aid Society reinforcements, destroying most of them.
• Lister told Zahn to request temporary repairs and said he would hold off the enemy, then appeared outside the breached stern.
• Captain Cohen identified the approaching enemy as Bowen, a level-151 mechanical-class committee member of the Silver Mutual Aid Society.
• Bowen sent four self-destruct robots at Lister, whose attacks split them into an expanding swarm that soon numbered 32.
• Bowen infused the robots with Mechanical Force and detonated them in three successive blasts around Lister.
• Lister took tens of thousands of damage but remained able to withstand the explosions.

Lister tested his Battle Intent Eruption by defeating Silver Mutual Aid Society Committee Member Bowen with one slash, which also split three enemy warships. After the A73 crew witnessed his strength, Captain Boren ordered a retreat while Lister reflected on how much his combat ability had improved.

• Lister endured Bowen's robot explosions until Battle Intent Eruption activated and his combat power surged.
• Lister dodged Bowen's next robot explosions, killed him with a powerful slash, and recovered health from the attack.
• Lister's blade beam continued through the battlefield and split three Silver Mutual Aid Society warships in two.
• Captain Boren marveled that Lister had achieved such power at tier fourteen and ordered Brody not to pursue the fleeing enemy.
• Boren told Truman to contact Lister and urge him to avoid further fighting so the A73 could retreat.
• Lister decided not to attack the fleeing survivors and was satisfied with his improved strength, control, and combat instincts.

Lister sensed danger near Planet E09 and persuaded Captain Boren to cancel Ship A73's planned stop there and change course. At an emergency force-wide meeting, Lieutenant Colonel Weiss questioned Ship A73's lack of exploration reports, and Captain Isos mocked its slow progress.

• Lister felt an unexplained unease and learned Ship A73 planned to stop at the unusually large, weakly defended Planet E09.
• Suspecting the planet might contain a Planetary Catalyst, Lister warned Captain Boren, who immediately ordered Ship A73 to turn away and abandon the resupply plan.
• Captain Boren considered whether a Planetary Catalyst could explain why three warships had pursued Ship A73, then ordered the ship to head inward at idle speed.
• Lieutenant Colonel Weiss convened an emergency meeting and praised Captain Isos's report before asking Captain Boren for Ship A73's coordinates and progress.
• Captain Isos laughed at Ship A73's location between E09 and E15 and mocked the crew for exploring less than fifteen percent of the region in three days.

Captain Boren’s damaged Ship A73 was accused of fabricating its reconnaissance achievements, and Lieutenant Colonel Weiss ordered a later review of its combat report while assigning Captain Isos’s ship to scout as the vanguard. Lister advised Boren not to prove A73’s strength or warn the Central Army about Planet E09, leaving Boren confident that Lister could help complete the mission if needed.

• Captain Isos accused Captain Boren of inventing the encounter with three enemy ships and a Silver Mutual Aid Society committee member, and Lieutenant Colonel Weiss demanded a detailed report before deciding A73’s merits.
• Captain Isos learned that his ship would serve as the vanguard for the assault in two days and reluctantly accepted the dangerous assignment.
• After the meeting, Boren thanked Lister for discouraging him from trying to prove A73’s strength, and Lister explained that doing so might have earned them the vanguard role.
• Lister told Boren that A73 had no direct evidence of danger on Planet E09 and that he could fight through the mission if necessary.
• Boren accepted Lister’s confidence and ordered Cohen to delay submitting the combat report until the evening after tomorrow.

Ship D15 and a Central Army fleet arrived at Planet E09, where a hidden Planetary Catalyst triggered a catastrophic explosion. Ship D15 and most of the fleet were destroyed, while Ship A73 and SA199 survived near the rear with limited damage.

• Captain Isos reported that Planet E09 had few Silver Mutual Aid Society researchers and no apparent defenses, then received orders from Major Kaya to scout ahead after the fleet arrived.
• The fleet led by S27 reached Planet E09, and Ship D15 departed to scout Planet ES29.
• Planet E09 collapsed inward and exploded, consuming Ship D15, the escort ships, and much of the fleet.
• Lieutenant Colonel Weiss's three medium warships survived with severe damage, while Ship A73 and SA199 escaped with minor damage because they had stayed at the rear.
• Captain Boren sent Gwent to repair Ship A73's stern, and Lister recognized the blast as the effect of the Planetary Catalyst.

After Ship S27 suffered heavy losses in a trap, Lieutenant Colonel Weiss read Ship A73’s report and realized the fleet had ignored its warnings and evidence about the Silver Mutual Aid Society. As Marquez led an approaching force of warships, Weiss prepared to face the counterattack.

• Lieutenant Colonel Weiss questioned whether the Silver Mutual Aid Society had lured the fleet into a trap, while Major Kaya blamed Ship D15 and Ship A73 for failing to detect the danger.
• Lieutenant Colonel Weiss opened Ship A73’s report and learned that Captain Boren’s account of an attack by Committee Member Bowen and three ships had been supported by evidence.
• Lieutenant Colonel Weiss discovered that Lister had evolved into a Quasi-Hegemon and had defeated Bowen and three warships with one slash.
• Lieutenant Colonel Weiss read Ship A73’s warning about anomalies on Planet E09 and regretted that he had dismissed the report and distrusted the ship.
• Major Kaya reported that Marquez was leading a large group of warships toward the sector, and Lieutenant Colonel Weiss welcomed the approaching enemy.

Lieutenant Colonel Weiss used his Astrological Phase Array to turn the enemy fleet’s attacks against it and trap the surviving ships. The enemy commander Marquez then revealed an army of undead and a strength that was clearly S-grade, leaving Weiss and Lister facing a far more dangerous battle than expected.

• The enemy fleet attacked the three damaged medium warships, but Weiss deployed an Astrological Phase Array that redirected the neutron blasts into the attackers.
• Weiss used celestial energy and the array to devastate the enemy’s frigates and small ships, then confined the remaining fleet.
• The leading enemy warship opened its hatches and released a vast undead army, while undead sacrifices formed three bone dragons.
• Marquez emerged from the warship and awakened green soul flames in the undead, revealing that his strength was S-grade rather than the reported A-grade.

The Silver Mutual Aid Society’s undead army overwhelmed the Federation forces until Lister joined the battle and unleashed a killing-intent technique that extinguished hundreds of thousands of Starbone Warriors. Marquez discovered that Lister had destroyed their soul sources so completely that he could not revive them.

• Marquez summoned Starbone Warriors and elite undead, helping the Silver Mutual Aid Society gain the advantage over the soldiers and their robot armies.
• Lister, Major Qi, and the Federation forces at the rear entered the battle as the fighting threatened to reach them.
• Lister approached Lieutenant Colonel Weiss and the other officers, then drew the Shadowless Blade as his killing intent surged.
• Lister’s attack extinguished the green flames of hundreds of thousands of Starbone Warriors, leaving them as ordinary skeletons.
• Marquez tried to revive the fallen warriors with Undead Summoning but found their soul sources had been completely destroyed.

Lister used his soul-tier advantage to destroy Marquez’s undead forces and protect the Federation troops, while Lieutenant Colonel Weiss strengthened him with a blessing. As the battle turned against him, Marquez activated Undead True Body, drawing power from the battlefield’s dead and preparing to face Lister.

• Marquez discovered that Lister had extinguished the soul flames of his skeletal warriors and sent his army into a targeted assault.
• Lister’s Robust Soul negated the undead creatures’ soul attacks, and his forces fought the Silver Mutual Aid Society to a standstill.
• A bone dragon’s netherfire failed to harm Lister, while Lieutenant Colonel Weiss’s blessing increased Lister’s health and defense.
• Lister killed the bone dragon and two others with one strike, shifting the battle further in favor of the Federation Military District.
• Marquez activated Undead True Body, gathering soul energy from the dead and encasing himself in a gigantic skeleton that attacked Lister.
• Lister severed the skeleton’s energy sword and struck Marquez, whose Undead True Body gained strength from the lives lost in the battle.

Lister and Lieutenant Colonel Weiss confronted Marquez, but Weiss’s attack barely damaged the Undead True Body while Lister’s saber strikes proved devastating. Empowered by the Astrological Phase Array, Lister killed Marquez, and Major Qi’s forces wiped out the trapped Silver Mutual Aid Society members.

• Marquez attacked Lister, but Lieutenant Colonel Weiss intervened and told Lister to recover while he held Marquez back.
• Lieutenant Colonel Weiss’s energy beam inflicted little damage on the Undead True Body, while Lister severed its greatsword and right arm with two saber strikes.
• The Astrological Phase Array gave Lister multiple powerful blessings, and he used its spatial movement to strike Marquez down.
• Marquez’s death caused the Undead True Body and its barrier to dissipate, and the trapped Silver Mutual Aid Society members lost their will to fight.
• Major Qi and the other senior officers led the forces that wiped out the Silver Mutual Aid Society members.

After the battle, officers debated how much credit Lister deserved in the official report, but Lister accepted it and Lieutenant Colonel Weiss ordered a factual redraft. At the Tower of Truth, a mage recognized Lister from his past and was stunned by his transformation, while Lister asked whether Captain Martin was doing well.

• Major Kaya presented the final battle report, and Major Leo and other officers objected that it understated Lister's contributions.
• Lister said he had no objections, but Lieutenant Colonel Weiss ordered Major Kaya to redraft the report and record events as they happened.
• Three days later, Ship A73 returned to the Arcane Civilization's star region, and Lister accompanied Captain Boren to Truth Star.
• A female mage at the Tower of Truth recognized Lister from an earlier visit and stared at him in disbelief.
• Lister told the mage they had met and asked whether Captain Martin was doing well.

Lister visited the Arcane Civilization Army headquarters to receive his military merits and discuss his promotion to major. He was offered three positions, each signaling a different path for his future, and the chapter ended before he chose one.

• Lister met Lieutenant Colonel Kali at headquarters, where she welcomed him warmly and presented his military merits.
• Lister accepted his allocation of 182,392 military merit points without appealing it.
• Kali told Lister his promotion ceremony would be held the next day, and Major Falco arrived to discuss his position.
• Falco offered Lister three options: deputy captain of Ship A73, captain of an independent small ship with a long service contract, or head of the Operations Division at headquarters.
• Lister rejected the independent-ship option in his mind and recognized that his choice would reveal his intentions to the Arcane Civilization Army Group.

Lister chose to remain aboard Ship A73 and was promoted to major in a high-profile ceremony attended by the Arcane Civilization’s leaders. He agreed to pursue friendship and a future alliance between the Arcane and Merrick Civilizations, but revealed that Merrick could not yet advance because it lacked a government and enough third-advancement Class Holders.

• Lister reaffirmed that he wanted to stay aboard Ship A73, reassuring Lieutenant Colonel Kali and Major Falco.
• Lister toured the Arcane Army Group headquarters and saw how its officers respected him as a Quasi-Hegemon.
• Major General Nielsen promoted Lister to major at a ceremony in the Arcane Council center, attended by the Arcane Civilization’s military and government leaders.
• Archmage Luolin welcomed Lister to the Arcane Army and proposed friendship and a future alliance between the Arcane and Merrick Civilizations.
• Lister agreed to represent the Merrick Civilization but explained that it could not advance yet because it lacked enough third-advancement Class Holders and had not established a government.

After his commissioning, Lister explored the Galactic Federation’s databases and learned about the ranks and distribution of Quasi-Hegemons, as well as the steep costs of establishing a Civilization Army. The captain told him A73’s ships would need extensive repairs and proposed giving the crew a year’s leave, which Lister approved.

• Archmage Luolin advised Lister to return to Merrick after the mission and help establish its government so the civilization could seek representation in the Federation.
• Lister settled into a fully equipped residence on Truth Star and received access to the field-grade officer database and the Galactic Federation’s special database.
• Lister found himself listed as a fourteenth-tier Quasi-Hegemon among 411 entries and reviewed a separate list of 4,793 Hegemon prospects.
• Lister learned that establishing a Civilization Army required five million military merit points and checked the merit requirements for promotion to lieutenant colonel and colonel.
• The captain told Lister that repairs to A73’s cruiser would take at least nine months and a new medium cruiser would arrive within a year, then proposed a year’s leave for the crew; Lister agreed.