Chapter Summaries

Quint Will and Wang Yue joined the Federation House of Representatives, giving the Merrick Civilization greater access and influence. Meanwhile, Chen Shanqiang won the recruit camp’s monthly examination, and Colonel Lafei reunited with Lister while delivering special resources.

• Representative Teya met Berry and Quint, showed little interest in Quint, and praised Berry’s connection to Lister.
• Teya nominated Quint Will and Wang Yue for the House of Representatives, where they were elected and received expanded permissions and benefits for the Merrick Civilization.
• Wang Yue advised Quint to support Teya’s choices in votes before returning to the Merrick Civilization.
• Chen Shanqiang defeated his rivals, including Sariel, and won the monthly examination by using the Merrick Saber Technique against a mechanical-class opponent.
• Colonel Lafei delivered special resources to Lister and exchanged contact information with him, regretting that he had not built a stronger connection years earlier.

Chen Shanqiang reached S-rank after using a special resource, while Lister pursued a major general’s rank to strengthen the Merrick Civilization Army. After speaking with Admiral Boren and hearing from Kavin about the Church of Mechanical Truth’s move into a public galaxy, Lister asked Hoffman about the Galactic Federation Hegemons’ attitude toward Quasi-Hegemons.

• Chen Shanqiang emerged from the enhancement pod as the first player to reach S-rank, and Colonel Lafei congratulated him and exchanged contact information.
• Lister reviewed his progress recruiting officers for his advancement mission and continued seeking majors to fill its requirements.
• Admiral Boren questioned Lister about his request for promotion to major general; Lister said it would help strengthen the newly established Merrick Civilization Army, and Boren offered future assistance without promising a promotion.
• Lister learned from Kavin that the Church of Mechanical Truth had established a foothold in a public galaxy but might have to move if Hegemon Yatke claimed it.
• Lister asked Hoffman about the Galactic Federation Hegemons’ attitude toward Quasi-Hegemons, and Hoffman agreed that Lister had likely noticed something was wrong.

Lister discussed Hoffman’s suspicions about the Galactic Federation and learned that Hegemons might prey on one another. He was promoted to major general, completed his quest to establish the Merrick Civilization Army, and received a call-up from Admiral Boren that required him to lead an assignment for the Third Central Army.

• Hoffman told Lister that he had left the First Central Army after sensing Admiral Vidal’s hostility and that General Boren had tacitly approved his departure.
• Lister and Hoffman considered whether the Federation used Quasi-Hegemons as nourishment and whether established Hegemons might target newly advanced ones.
• Sariel joined the Merrick Civilization Army, was appointed captain of its Landing Operations Department’s First Battalion, and was invited to a senior officers’ meeting by Major Zahn.
• Lister received notice that he had been promoted to major general, appointed commander of the Merrick Civilization Army, and completed his exclusive quest.
• Lister learned that Admiral Boren had called up the Merrick Civilization Army for an assignment led by the Third Central Army, with Lister expected to serve as its main force.

Lister led the Merrick Civilization Army in a conscription mission to drive a force from the Maizhe Galaxy away from a valuable Tantalum Dark Alloy vein. After securing a promised share of the alloy for his army, he advanced on an occupied resource planet and began the attack.

• Lister docked Ship A01 at Planet RR237 and met Colonel Deka and Lieutenant Colonel Mika, who explained that the Maizhe Galaxy force had returned to mine rare metals.
• Deka put Lister in charge of the combat arrangements and revealed that the contested area contained Tantalum Dark Alloy across seven main resource planets.
• Lister accepted the mission's military merit terms and Admiral Boren's offer of an eight-percent share of the alloy if the Merrick Civilization Army completed the mission without reinforcements.
• Lister ordered preparations to secure the alloy deposits and led Ship A01 toward Planet RR411, where the enemy had occupied a resource planet.
• The enemy deployed warships and warriors to meet Ship A01, and Lister fired the neutron cannon as his landing forces prepared to deploy.

Lister’s forces fought the Sun Wheel Church over RR411, and the players’ ability to revive turned the battle in the Merrick Civilization Army’s favor. The enemy leader’s breakout was stopped by SE77 and Colonel Deka, who killed him.

• A01 destroyed the Sun Wheel Church’s warships, and Sariel led the landing forces onto RR411 as players received a battle quest.
• Lister learned from Zahn that fallen players were reviving aboard A01 and told the officers to keep their undead nature secret.
• The Sun Wheel Church realized the Merrick soldiers were undead, and the players’ repeated revivals shifted the battle until the church ordered a retreat.
• Lister sent A01 after the retreating warriors, and its weapons cut down their numbers before the survivors broke through the Undead Legion’s line.
• SE77, led by Lieutenant Colonel Mika, ambushed the fleeing survivors with a neutron cannon, and Colonel Deka killed their level-18 leader.

Lister led Ship A01 to the resource planet AA1171, where Bishop Shadow and the Sun Wheel Church forces tried to stop the fleet with undead warships and summoned skeletons. As the battle turned against his side, Lister entered the fight and killed Bishop Shadow with a single saber slash.

• Reck decrypted the enemy ship's database, and Lister ordered the fleet to head for asteroid AA1171.
• Players gathered to deploy at AA1171, while Chen Shanqiang and Boss Xie discussed military merit and rewards.
• Ship A01 destroyed an enemy warship, and Bishop Shadow summoned skeletal creatures that attacked the fleet.
• Players fought the undead creatures as nearly ten thousand enemy warriors joined the battle.
• Lister entered the battlefield, overwhelmed the Sun Wheel Church warriors with his killing intent, and slashed Bishop Shadow down.

Lister killed Bishop Shadow, then confronted Archbishop Sunflare and learned that the Galactic Federation was viewed by outsiders as an inexplicable power concentrated in one galaxy. As Sunflare’s fleet was reinforced, he began attacking Lister with a fire wheel that inflicted true damage.

• Lister’s slash killed Bishop Shadow and dozens of undead skeletons, shifting the battle in the players’ favor.
• Archbishop Sunflare arrived with a fleet, confronted Lister, and offered to share the region’s resources if Lister withdrew.
• Sunflare described the Galactic Federation as a deformed giant with nearly twenty Overlord Tier powerhouses concentrated in one galaxy, prompting Lister to recognize how unusual it was.
• Colonel Sannand warned Lister that another fleet was approaching, and Lister realized Sunflare had been stalling for time too.
• Sunflare activated Corona’s Embrace and attacked with a tracking fire wheel; Lister cut it in half, but it still inflicted true damage and began burning him.

Lister fought Archbishop Sunflare and Bishop Haila as the Sun Wheel Church's troops clashed with the players. Lister killed Haila with a single empowered strike, leaving Sunflare to realize that Lister was World Annihilation.

• Lister struck Archbishop Sunflare, then faced the archbishop and the newly arrived bishops Haila, Jig, and Thunder.
• Sunflare and Haila offered Lister a place in the Sun Wheel Church, but he refused and attacked Sunflare at close range.
• Sunflare's Wheel of Divine Punishment and Corona's Embrace killed many players and strengthened him by absorbing their energy.
• Lister used his bracers to boost his attributes, then broke through Haila's shields and annihilated her with a charged strike.
• Sunflare stared at Lister in disbelief and realized he was World Annihilation.

Lister defeated Archbishop Sunflare and wiped out the Sun Wheel Church force, completing the conscription mission. After reviewing the combat report, Colonel Deka approved Lister keeping the enemy warships, while the Federation asked him to guard the area for a few more days.

• Lister refused Sunflare's offer to join the Sun Wheel Church and endured the archbishop's health-burning forbidden technique.
• Lister's Battle Intent Eruption overwhelmed Sunflare, and the Merrick Saber Technique execution effect killed him after his attempted revival failed.
• Lister killed the two remaining bishops, and the Sun Wheel Church warriors lost the will to fight as the players finished the battle.
• Lieutenant Colonel Mika and Colonel Deka arrived at the battlefield and learned from Lister's report that he had defeated Sunflare, a fourth-evolution life-form with A-rank combat power.
• Colonel Deka confirmed that Lister had completed the conscription mission but asked him to remain on guard for a few days.
• Lister asked to keep the Sun Wheel Church's warships, and Colonel Deka agreed without requiring compensation.

Lister returned to the Merrick Civilization and strengthened its military and industrial development while building ties with the Leviathan Civilization and the Federation. After the Undead Legion drew attention across the Galactic Federation, Lister began arranging missions and recruiting officers, and Siegfried offered to bring Orion Civilization officers and a family junior to join the Merrick Civilization Army.

• Lister distributed most of the 3.77 million military merit from the conscription mission to his subordinates to help build a group of majors.
• Wang Yue decided to remain on Merrick Governing Planet, focus on improving her abilities, and oversee the recruitment of majors.
• Lister arranged for craftsmen to repair warships, ordered Quint to manage their apprenticeships, and secured a long-term supply of tantalum dark alloy from the Leviathan Civilization.
• The first craftsmen from the Meilong Civilization arrived, the Merrick Civilization First Military Factory opened, and players joined its work as news of the Undead Legion spread.
• Major General York confirmed the Merrick Civilization had an Undead Legion and offered to recommend it for missions, while Lister asked for referrals to joint missions.
• Lieutenant Colonel Siegfried offered to transfer Orion Civilization officers to the Merrick Civilization Army, and Lister agreed to give a family junior a Merrick Civilization slot.

Lister recruited Hunter Civilization officers, assigned their posts, and arranged for Lukana to join the Merrick Civilization Army after a period of adjustment. Two years later, the Merrick forces crushed a rebel fleet and earned military merits, and Lister began promoting officers at a ceremony that advanced his mission progress.

• Tim brought Colonel Lan Wanda and the Hunter Civilization officers to meet Lister, who assigned Lan Wanda as headquarters head of administration and placed the other officers according to their rank and strength.
• Lister arranged for Lukana, Siegfried's young relative, to gain Merrick Civilization affiliation, live on the governing planet for two years, and enlist when the next boot camp began.
• Lister checked that his colonel-rank requirement was complete and sought help recruiting more lieutenant-colonel- and major-rank officers.
• Two years later, Ship A01 and the Merrick forces destroyed the rebels during a joint mission, while the players fought aggressively for kills and experience.
• After the Heshan Civilization credited 240,000 military merits, Lister distributed the rewards and held a promotion ceremony for the designated officers.
• Lister recognized Chen Shanqiang from the closed beta, congratulated him on his promotion to major, and advanced his mission progress.

After Act Seven ended and the Undead Legion vanished into dormancy, Lister entered seclusion to complete his fourth advancement. He chose Soul Saber Grandmaster, endured a painful transformation, and emerged at level 200 with a powerful saber soul.

• Tim told Lister that the Undead Legion had vanished, and Lister said it had entered dormancy and ordered Merrick Civilization to pause joint missions and keep a low profile.
• Lister told Tim he would enter seclusion and put Wang Yue and Quint in charge of Federation Government matters while the castle's core area remained off-limits.
• Lister submitted his completed fourth advancement quest and chose Soul Saber Grandmaster over Soul Weaving Grandmaster and Saber Art Grandmaster.
• Lister endured a painful advancement that transformed half his soul into a scarlet saber and completed his evolution after several days of recovery.
• Lister spent his accumulated experience to raise his skills and reach level 200, gaining 6% increased passive strength and a 60% saber-technique boost during Battle Intent Eruption.

Lister completed his fourth evolution and became a Hegemon, qualifying the Merrick Civilization for advancement to level four. After receiving orders to travel to the Beta Civilization’s capital, he set out wary of Admiral Vidal, who had been assigned to deal with him.

• Lister emerged from seclusion, confirmed his Hegemon status in the Civilization Office’s strength test, and learned that the Federation had erased his test records under its confidentiality rules.
• The Federation notified Lister that the Merrick Civilization qualified for level-four advancement and summoned him to the Beta Civilization’s First Administrative Planet to discuss the matter.
• At a holographic conference, Sailuo Beta assigned Admiral Vidal to take responsibility for Lister, while Vidal recalled his long-awaited chance to finish him.
• Before leaving, Lister warned Wang Yue to memorize Kavin’s coordinates in case he did not return, then traveled through a spatial gate to the Beta Civilization’s administrative planet.

Lister was lured into a restricted zone by Admiral Vidal, who trapped him inside a Soul Barrier and revealed that the Federation had moved against the Merrick Civilization. Their battle began with Lister’s powerful counterattack, leaving Vidal shaken as he drew out the gray-mist sphere again.

• Lister discovered that Admiral Vidal had revoked his access to Beta Star and confronted him alone in the restricted zone.
• Vidal summoned Lister into the Soul Barrier, where spacetime was locked and the desolate wasteland transformed into a realm of gray mist and souls.
• The Seventh Army blockaded the Merrick Civilization, while the Galactic Federation suspended its advancement process and cut off its communications and teleportation routes.
• Wang Yue ordered Colonel Sannand to prepare the warships for battle, but her attempts to contact the outside world failed.
• Vidal attacked Lister with spatial manipulation, but Lister endured the blows and wounded Vidal with the Shadowless Blade, making Vidal realize he could not defeat Lister in a direct clash.

Lister resisted the soul barrier’s stripping effect and learned that the Federation’s special resource secretly marked and drained its users. He defeated Vidal by overcoming his abyssal attacks and executing him with the Merrick Saber Technique.

• Lister absorbed and then lost the barrier’s soul power without suffering harm, leaving Vidal shocked that the soul attack had failed.
• Vidal explained that the Federation’s Soul Crystal resource marked users so the soul barrier could strip away their gained energy, and Lister realized the game panel had purified his resource.
• Vidal summoned a giant hand from the Abyss, but Lister wounded it and resumed attacking Vidal as more chained hands emerged.
• Lister used Knee Strike to stun and knock back Vidal, then pierced him and the giant hands with the Shadowless Blade, leaving Vidal near death and linked to the Abyss.
• Vidal drew on abyssal energy to recover and fight back, but Lister’s Merrick Saber Technique execution check succeeded, and Vidal died as the energy withdrew.

After killing Vidal, Lister absorbed the Soul Barrier’s power and upgraded Flash to SS-rank before confronting five Hegemons outside the barrier. Boren Leviathan sided with Lister, negotiated with Zion, and took him away under an old agreement.

• Lister took Vidal’s single-use Soul Barrier key, absorbed the refined soul power, and raised his Saber Soul until Flash reached SS-rank.
• Lister deactivated the Soul Barrier and discovered five Hegemons waiting outside, including Sailuo Beta, Xi'an Kaierfu, and Zion.
• Sailuo attacked Lister, but Lister resisted his disorder effect and wounded him twice with the Shadowless Blade.
• Boren Leviathan arrived and stood beside Lister, challenging Sailuo’s claim that he had no right to interfere.
• Zion agreed to honor the old agreement, and Boren took responsibility for the Merrick Civilization’s advancement before taking Lister away.

Lister learned from Boren how the Galactic Federation’s veteran Hegemons exploited the Soul Barrier, and how Boren had won protection for the Leviathan Civilization through a catastrophic weapon and an agreement. After returning to the Merrick Civilization, Lister found Federation forces blockading it under Vidal’s orders and confronted Tolon Davis.

• Lister met Boren, learned that the Federation had thirteen Hegemons, and heard how the Soul Barrier let veterans harvest the souls of newer Hegemons.
• Boren explained that he had survived his own Soul Barrier duel using his mechanical army and a bound high-dimensional energy core that could devastate much of the Federation.
• Boren described the agreement that recognized the Leviathan Civilization and promised protection to any new Hegemon who escaped the Soul Barrier; he then showed Lister the enormous mechanical core.
• Lister returned to the Merrick Civilization and found its ascension awaiting approval from the other major civilizations.
• Lister received a notice that the Merrick Civilization was under a Federation blockade and ordered the Seventh Central Army Group to withdraw.
• Tolon Davis told Lister that he was enforcing General Vidal’s order to prevent anyone from entering or leaving the Merrick Civilization.

Lister returned to Merrick after destroying a Seventh Central Army warship, and the Federation lifted its blockade and officially promoted Merrick to a level four civilization. The chapter ended with Merrick’s emblem joining the Federation’s highest civilization council as Lister’s rise to Hegemon and a new admiral was announced.

• Lister overwhelmed the Seventh Army fleet with his killing intent and split a large ship in two with a single strike, forcing the fleet to let him pass.
• Lister entered Merrick’s star region, and the Seventh Army received orders to end its blockade and withdraw.
• Wang Yue and Merrick’s leaders learned that they could not independently restore communications, but Major Adrian announced that Lister had returned and the blockade was lifting.
• The Federation announced that Merrick had met the requirements for level four civilization status and that its army would take the Seventh Central Army’s designation, while the former Seventh became the Fifty-First.
• The Federation confirmed that Lister had ascended to Hegemon and granted Merrick level four status, resource and technology access, and control of its star domain.
• The Merrick emblem joined the symbols of the three oldest civilizations on the Pinnacle of Civilization and appeared in councils across the Federation.

Tim and Sariel mapped territory claimed by the Merrick Civilization while Lister used his new authority as a Galactic Federation deputy speaker to secure support and expand his influence. After half a year of rapid development, Lister strengthened his attributes and prepared the Seventh Central Army for independent service, giving it two years of outside support to build its strength.

• Tim told Sariel that their flight route would document Merrick territory and identify Chaotic Star Regions and unknown forces ahead of a future clearing mission.
• Lister received notice that he had become a deputy speaker of the Galactic Federation Senate and a rotating speaker, then agreed to transfer the Arcane Civilization’s affiliation and grant it two additional legislative seats.
• Six months later, Lister used Federation resources to raise all four attributes to 400 and reviewed the Merrick Civilization’s rapid development.
• Sannand reported that the Seventh Central Army had been reorganized with selected former Seventh Army officers, but worried it was too weak to handle missions without the Undead Legion.
• Lister told Sannand to recruit more officers, arranged support from the Arcane and Glimmer Civilizations for two years, and ordered the Seventh Army to become independent afterward.

Lister traveled from the Milky Way Galaxy to the Babylon Galaxy to help Kavin and the Church of Mechanical Truth secure territory before Hegemon Yatke’s planned invasion. After defeating a pirate who intercepted him, Lister reunited with Kavin and Hoffman, and the chapter ended with Hoffman questioning whether the newly ascended Hegemon could face Yatke.

• Lister piloted a small warship to the Babylon Galaxy and claimed he was gathering intelligence on Hegemon Yatke’s planned mobilization.
• A pirate captain intercepted Lister and attacked his ship, but Lister survived unharmed and destroyed the captain’s three accompanying warships.
• Lister spared the pirate captain, who escorted him to the Church of Mechanical Truth’s base in the BN Star Region.
• Kavin and Hoffman met Lister and recognized that he had reached the Hegemon level, while the pirate captain learned Lister’s true strength.
• Lister toured the Church of Mechanical Truth’s mechanical community and told Kavin he intended to help claim the Babylon Star Domain.
• Hoffman revealed that Yatke planned to attack in three months and asked whether Lister could defeat the Hegemon.