Recaps

Kang De used the Grewind Swarm and the Fire Thief's power to overpower Cuixisi and drain the river sustaining him, but a surge of mysterious Elements let Cuixisi escape downstream. After a Time Flashback revealed A Xing's connection to the river's origins and showed her disappearing at its end, Kang De followed the river to find her.

• Kang De summoned the Grewind Swarm, which formed armor and shields to block Cuixisi's attacks and helped him strike back with the Fire Thief's power.
• Kang De's swarm devoured Cuixisi's claw and burrowed into his body, while Cuixisi drew on the River of Origin to regenerate and keep fighting.
• Kang De opened the Phase Gate to drain the river into the White Mist World and trapped Cuixisi as the water and his power dwindled.
• A violent surge of mysterious Elements disrupted the battle, allowing Cuixisi to break free and flee downstream toward the Chamber of Ascension.
• Kang De experienced a Time Flashback that showed six ancients creating the river from the essence of Black Beasts and A Xing disappearing at its end.
• Kang De resolved to find A Xing and traveled downstream with the Grewind Swarm.

After Horus carried the injured Lily away from Kang De, they discovered that two corrupted dragon corpses had vanished, suggesting the mysterious substance could transform the dead. At the surface, Stella reported that four dragons had escaped the fortress and split up, leaving Lily and Horus to wonder where Kang De was and what the dragons intended.

• Horus refused Lily’s request to return to Kang De, explaining that he trusted Kang De’s judgment and had to take her to safety.
• Lily and Horus found the dragon corpse missing from the blue-zone crystal flowers and suspected it had taken human form.
• They searched the place where Aocheweier had fallen and found his corpse missing as well, confirming that the mysterious substance could transform dead dragons.
• Lily and Horus rushed to the underground entrance and emerged at the damaged steel fortress, where Stella met them with her forces.
• Stella told Lily that four dragons had broken through the fortress and fled, splitting up as they flew beyond Goth’s territorial waters.

After Kang De stayed underground to fight, Horus helped Stella regain her composure and plan how to protect Goth from the threat of the mutated dragons and approaching fleets. Lily and Horus set out to warn the dragon legion, while an urgent dispatch revealed that foreign fleets were heading toward Qilin Cape.

• Stella demanded to know where Kang De was, and Lily told her he was still fighting the enemy underground.
• Horus reassured Stella and repeated Kang De’s praise and apology, prompting her to take charge of Goth’s defense.
• Horus and Stella concluded that the apparently dead dragons might be trying to spread a conspiracy and draw outside forces into the underground world.
• Stella explained that fleets from the empire, the council, Twilight Moon, and other powers were approaching Goth, likely unaware of Kang De’s forbidden spell.
• Lily said the Dragon Emperor wanted evidence, so she and Horus prepared to show the dragon legion’s leader that the missing dragons were already dead.
• A messenger delivered an urgent report that the nations’ fleets were heading toward Qilin Cape.

Foreign powers fueled rumors to weaken Goth and test whether Kang De could return, and Tina rejected compromise in favor of a bloody crackdown. As Hong San pledged Kang De’s troops to her cause, events elsewhere worsened while Kang De reached the source of the Purple River underground.

• Foreign fleets and troops approached Goth as rumors accused Kang De of seeking Goth’s hidden treasure and abandoning the country.
• Hilmeria urged Tina to stall by distancing Goth from Kang De and promising to share the mysterious element, but Tina refused to betray him even as a pretense.
• Tina declared that the rumor-mongers should be killed, and Hong San arrived with Kang De’s forces, agreeing to carry out her orders.
• Stella mobilized troops in Azure Waves Province and sent warnings to the national fleets, while Lily and Horus were denied refuge by the Dragon Legion.
• Kang De followed the underground current to the source where the Purple River’s waters converged.

Kang De pursued Cuixisi through the River of Origin, torn between finding A Xing and protecting Goth as the Sound of Doomsday’s apparent fate forced him toward an impossible choice. While Hong San brutally suppressed unrest in Goth and foreign fleets closed in, Kang De and Cuixisi reached the river’s end.

• Kang De relentlessly attacked Cuixisi with the Grewind Swarm as both raced toward the Chamber of Ascension and Kang De searched for A Xing.
• Cuixisi revealed that the other dragons had revived and were spreading accusations against Kang De to destabilize Goth and draw powerful forces toward the River of Origin.
• Kang De rejected Cuixisi’s appeal to return to Goth, declaring that he would destroy everyone rather than accept the choices fate had set before him.
• Hong San mobilized Goth’s forces, suppressed suspected conspirators, and used lethal force against nobles and agents accused of treason.
• Foreign fleets entered Goth’s waters as its coastal defense fleet stood aside, and Kang De and Cuixisi reached the end of the River of Origin.

Kang De and Cuixisi were swept from the River of Origin into an unknown realm, where Kang De vowed to make it Cuixisi’s burial ground. In Goth, Tina defended her hardline course against a hostile audience, but Grand Duke Reknos arrived and apologized to her.

• Kang De and Cuixisi fought downstream through the River of Origin until it carried them into a strange realm among the stars.
• Kang De discovered he could no longer reach the White Mist World, and he attacked Cuixisi after declaring the realm his burial ground.
• Tina faced accusations in Maple Leaf Palace and argued that Goth had to stand on its own and prepare for conflict rather than submit to foreign demands.
• Tina ordered Hong San to record the name of a noble who accused her of serving Kang De, then condemned the audience for turning against Goth’s interests.
• Grand Duke Reknos entered the hall, ignored the calls for guidance, and apologized to Tina.

As the major powers pressured Goth to divide its interests while Kang De remained underground, the dragon Cuixisi manipulated the Holy Empire’s fleet and fought Kang De over the mysterious energy. Kang De reached a vast plaza and encountered A Xing, who began speaking to him as the final Space-Time Flashback unfolded.

• The joint fleets blockaded Distant Harbor while the major powers tried to force Goth into accepting a partition treaty before Kang De returned.
• The dragon Luzi recovered aboard the Black Pine Forest and urged the Imperials to attack Goth, while the dragon inside him seized control and ordered the captain to assault the city.
• Kang De pursued the aberrant Cuixisi through the world beneath Goth, and their battle carried them to a plaza containing an enormous metal sphere.
• Kang De saw A Xing near the sphere and ran toward her, but she spoke as though addressing him across time and space.
• A Xing told Kang De that the Light Bearers had made a final sacrifice, then began to explain what had brought them together.

Kang De heard the ancient Light Bearer explain how she and her people had used Akatum and the Paradox Engine to send their legacy back across time. Their exchange ended with her embracing him and passing on hope, leaving Kang De with new understanding of the mysterious element and a possibility beyond fate.

• The ancient Light Bearer told Kang De that his guidance had helped her people build their last city and face the end of their epoch with dignity.
• She explained that her final mission was to return their preserved spiritual legacy, including the Paradox Engine, to Kang De through a closed loop in time.
• Kang De realized that the purple river and mysterious element he had feared were the legacy the Light Bearer had promised to return.
• The Light Bearer said that she and her people believed fate could be changed, then reached out to touch Kang De despite being unable to see or feel him.
• She embraced Kang De and passed a profound power and understanding into him before saying how wonderful it would be if they could truly meet.

Kang De and Yasha completed the Paradox Engine’s time-spanning loop, and Yasha departed before A Xing awoke. When Cuixisi attacked, Kang De and A Xing stopped him with the Engine’s power, and Kang De revealed that seven dragons had been offered as sacrifices.

• Yasha told Kang De her name, then poured herself into the Paradox Engine and vanished as the Spark reignited.
• A Xing awoke in Kang De’s arms with no memory of the time-spanning encounter, and he reassured her as they reunited.
• Cuixisi attacked Kang De in a frenzy, insisting that the Dragon God’s ascension ritual and his own chosen destiny could not have been false.
• Kang De and A Xing joined hands and used the Paradox Engine to freeze Cuixisi and restrain the power within him.
• Kang De told Cuixisi that seven dragons had been offered as sacrifices.

Foreign agents stirred unrest in Distant Harbor while an Aberrant Dragon tried to make the imperial fleet attack Goth, but the elves’ warning halted the assault. Kang De defeated Cuixisi and activated the Paradox Engine, which opened a route out of the independent plane and left Kang De and A Xing needing a ship.

• Spies and traitors spread rumors blaming Kang De and the grand duke, provoking unrest and clashes between Goth People and Cathayans in Distant Harbor.
• An Aberrant Dragon-controlled captain ordered the imperial fleet to attack Goth, but the elven fleet issued an ultimatum that made the imperial sailors hesitate.
• Horus explained to Lily that they could only wait for Kang De, while the elves prepared to respond to the imperial fleet’s next move.
• Kang De defeated Cuixisi, whose accumulated power flowed into the Paradox Engine alongside Yasha’s power.
• Kang De and A Xing activated the Paradox Engine, opened a spatial gate, and realized they might need a ship to leave the plane.

The distorted dragon Luzi and other corrupted dragons attacked the Imperial and Arcane Council fleets, then turned toward Distant Harbor as the elven fleet withdrew. As Lily, Horus, and Stella prepared to defend the city, Kang De arrived through a Phase Gate aboard the steel warship Knight Astolfo and prepared to fight.

• Master Niola ordered the Azure Fleet to leave Goth's waters after detecting the Imperial fleet preparing to attack Distant Harbor, but Luzi transformed aboard the Hidden Friar and rammed the Spear of Frost.
• Distorted dragons attacked both the Council and Imperial fleets, while the elven commander ordered his fleet to withdraw and Lily and Horus flew toward Distant Harbor.
• When more corrupted dragons approached Distant Harbor, Lily and Horus moved to hold them off, and Stella refused to evacuate and ordered the defenders to battle.
• Kang De's Knight Astolfo emerged from a Phase Gate and opened fire on three twisted dragons threatening Lily.
• Kang De ordered the Knight Astolfo's weapons readied and its air-raid alarm sounded as its war platforms and turrets deployed over Distant Harbor.

Kang De arrived at Distant Harbor aboard the steel warship Knight Astolfo and tore into the aberrant dragons and corrupted fleets. As the warship entered the enemy formation, Kang De ordered every gun to fire on the Black Pine Forest at point-blank range.

• Master Niola recognized Kang De’s steel warship as it emerged from a Phase Gate and realized it was engaging the aberrant dragons.
• The Knight Astolfo’s air defenses shot down the diving dragons, astonishing the elven commander and the people watching from Distant Harbor.
• Kang De’s ship destroyed two corrupted warships with its 105 mm turret as the remaining enemy vessels turned to attack.
• Kang De used a Phase Gate to move the Knight Astolfo behind the aberrant fleet and charge between the ships.
• Kang De ordered the Knight Astolfo’s guns to blow the Black Pine Forest away at close range.

Kang De’s steel warship destroyed the six parasitized battleships of the Holy Empire’s Fourth Detachment and ordered the surviving fleets to surrender. When the aberrant dragons fled, Kang De launched missiles after them, leaving their pursuit underway.

• Kang De teleported his steel warship beside the Black Pine Forest and unleashed its guns, destroying the ship and the other five parasitized battleships.
• Kang De declared the surviving imperial sailors prisoners and ordered the remaining fleet vessels to withdraw and await surrender.
• Master Niola asked Kang De to save the crews aboard the corrupted ships, but Kang De rejected his request and ordered the uncorrupted vessels to surrender.
• Master Niola ordered his crews to abandon the parasitized ships, then warned Kang De as the aberrant dragons broke free and fled.
• Kang De activated the PAAMS System and launched eight Aster-30 missiles after the escaping dragons.

After the Battle of Distant Harbor, foreign officials recognized that Kang De’s warship and tactics threatened to reshape warfare, while Kang De treated the surviving dragons and took command of the surrendered fleets. He reunited with Stella, then returned to Danfeng Lucerne and learned that Tina had been placed under house arrest.

• Master Niola reported to the Arcane Council that Kang De’s steel warship had put its naval development far ahead of theirs.
• Commodore Kavilonsa warned Twilight Moon’s parliament that Kang De’s guided missiles and aerial tactics threatened its fleet and heralded a new age of warfare.
• The Holy Empire’s ministers heard confused accounts from surviving officers and comforted themselves that Kang De’s warship could not cross a land border.
• Lily reunited with Kang De aboard the Knight Afu and asked him to treat eight surviving, injured dragons; Kang De agreed to help them for free.
• Kang De ordered the invading fleets to remain in place, rescue the wounded, submit to treatment, and surrender, while warning that violators would be sunk; the fleet commanders agreed.
• Kang De met Stella outside Distant Harbor City Hall, then returned to Danfeng Lucerne and learned that Tina had been placed under house arrest.

Hong San used the threat of explosives and force to protect Kang De’s followers during a palace confrontation, while Tina chose to remain under house arrest in Maple Leaf Palace. As foreign pressure and unrest mounted, Hong San recognized the unexpected visitor at his window as his lord.

• Goth’s nobles and officials challenged Tina’s rule and demanded that Hong San and Kang De’s other followers be arrested, but Hong San threatened them with bombs and killed a noble who shouted at him.
• Hong San demanded that Kang De’s followers and Tina be allowed to leave Danfeng Lucerne, but Tina chose to remain in Maple Leaf Palace in exchange for their safety and freedom.
• Tina advised Hong San to take his forces to the Elf Expeditionary Force’s camp, but he instead moved them near the southern city gate and prepared a plan to bring the elves into the city if needed.
• Foreign powers and domestic factions intensified pressure on Goth, stirring citizens and officials to demand that Grand Duke Reknos share the mysterious substance beneath Azure Waves Province.
• As Hong San worried over the mounting crisis, someone blocked the sunlight at his window, and he smiled and told his lord to visit Tina first next time.

Kang De returned to Danfeng Lucerne and restored military deterrence, while Hong San explained that soaring grain prices had fueled protests outside Maple Leaf Palace. Kang De drove into the crowd and then entered the audience hall, where he confronted Count Cassat and ordered him to keep talking.

• Hong San described how Kang De's return and military victories had reassured him, then deduced that an infection and new weapons had weakened the enemy fleets.
• Hong San told Kang De that people had gathered outside Maple Leaf Palace because grain prices had risen eightfold, and reminded him that loyal supporters remained.
• Kang De decided to answer the protests with force and led a convoy through the crowd, which fell silent and parted when he ordered it to make way.
• Kang De and Hong San entered Maple Leaf Palace as Count Cassat argued for giving up the mysterious substance in exchange for peace.
• Kang De sat in the audience hall and told Count Cassat to keep talking.

Kang De confronted Goth’s nobles and foreign envoys, using evidence of his victories and forceful threats to dismantle their pressure campaign. After the envoys left, he turned his attention to the Goth People remaining in the audience hall.

• Kang De demanded that Count Cassat speak, and Cassat denounced him while claiming that Goth’s nobles and commoners opposed another war.
• Kang De challenged the silent assembly to disagree with Cassat, then threatened him with the consequences of accepting the proposed terms.
• Kang De showed the imperial envoy photographs of the Empire’s defeated fleet and ordered him to warn the emperor and prepare to negotiate.
• Hong San killed a Council envoy who shielded himself from the photographs, and Kang De told the surviving envoy that the Council’s fleet had also suffered losses and surrendered.
• Kang De declared that the Empire and the Council would repay Princess Tina-Taidariel’s war loans, then sent the debt collector away.
• Kang De noted that the foreign representatives had left and addressed the Goth People who remained.

After defeating the foreign powers’ pressure, Kang De confronted Goth’s nobles for betraying him and declared that he would dismantle their influence rather than accept their customary apologies. He left the audience hall to see Tina while Hong San prepared to deal with the foreign envoys.

• Kang De accused Goth’s nobles of turning against him during the crisis and demanded that those who had supported or defended him stand apart from the rest.
• He rejected the nobles’ expected offers of apologies and compensation, and threatened to purge the entrenched interests that had betrayed him.
• When Grand Duke Reknos tried to intervene, Kang De ordered him to stay silent or leave, and Reknos remained seated without replying.
• Kang De announced that Valentan and the Paradox Element beneath Azure Waves Province would be his, then warned the nobles he would settle accounts with them later.
• A messenger arrived with news that the nations’ fleets at Distant Harbor had been attacked by strange monsters, and Kang De left the hall with his armed followers.
• Kang De told Hong San to handle the envoys and went to see Tina, joking that he would be away for five hours.

Kang De reunited with Tina and reassured her that he wanted her as an independent partner in rebuilding Goth, easing her fears that he might leave. Their passionate embrace was interrupted when A Xing confronted them outside the window.

• Kang De passed frightened servants on his way to Tina's room and reflected on his break with Goth's nobles and his plans to transform the country.
• Kang De reunited with Tina, who confessed her fear of losing him and admitted that she had used harsh measures partly to win his affection.
• Kang De told Tina he wanted her to become a confident, independent partner who would share his ideals and help him build a better Goth.
• Tina accepted his request, and Kang De kissed her passionately by the window.
• A Xing appeared pressed against the outside of the window and shouted at them.

After A Xing interrupted Kang De and Tina, she confronted them about her jealousy and lingering feelings for Kang De. Hong San then briefed them on postwar negotiations, and Tina urged Kang De to pursue an alliance with Twilight Moon.

• A Xing's sudden arrival and outburst drew the grand duke and Goth officials, forcing Tina and Kang De to stop their intimacy and offer a perfunctory explanation.
• A Xing accused Kang De of choosing Tina over her, and her distress stirred Kang De's thoughts about Yasha's lingering influence on her.
• Tina challenged A Xing to win Kang De for herself, but Hong San's arrival interrupted their quarrel and drew everyone into a discussion of state affairs.
• Hong San explained that Goth needed inducements as well as deterrence to keep the Empire, Twilight Moon, and the Arcane Council from forming an alliance.
• Hong San outlined the advantages of dealing with each power, and Tina proposed choosing Twilight Moon, citing its fleet's protection of Distant Harbor and Kang De's ties to the elven royal family.

Kang De began building an independent power base and recruited Lily to help expand his influence among the dragons. As he planned to develop Valentan, the underground world, and Distant Harbor, Lily offered to seek help from the dwarves, and Tina arrived at sea.

• Kang De told Lily he planned to establish his own army, territory, political influence, and other institutions separate from the Taidariel Family.
• Kang De negotiated Lily's share in his venture, promising her one percent initially and more for contributions, including contacting the Dragon Emperor and raising her influence within Dragon Island Defense.
• Kang De explained his plan to develop Valentan, exploit the underground world's resources, and take control of Distant Harbor, while confronting a major shortage of workers and expertise.
• Lily offered to approach dwarves who had been helped by her mother and recruit their mining and smelting expertise in exchange for a small share.
• Horus announced that three mages had arrived from Distant Harbor, and Kang De recognized Tina among them.

Kang De went to Distant Harbor to establish his authority, learned Stella had left for Danfeng Lucerne after transferring command of the Survey Corps to him, and recruited the surviving dragons as a show of force. He ordered Distant Harbor’s rulers to prepare for the captured fleets and purge those who had stirred up riots, making clear that he intended the city to know his power.

• Kang De learned that Stella had left for Danfeng Lucerne and transferred full command of the Survey Corps to him without leaving a message.
• Kang De ordered the mages to tell Distant Harbor’s rulers to await him and directed the Survey Corps to rest and regroup.
• Kang De asked Lily to recruit the surviving dragons, promising to remove their Paradox Element in exchange for their service and an oath to obey him.
• Kang De explained to Horus that dragons’ weakness to Paradox Element might stem from their origins in the previous era and from Yasha and the others’ resentment toward them.
• The eight surviving dragons accepted Kang De’s terms, and three delivered his orders to the fleets of the Empire, the Council, and the elves.
• Kang De told Distant Harbor’s governor to prepare to house the captured fleet personnel and arrest and publicly execute those involved in the riots, warning that he could use the prisoners to compel cooperation.

Kang De asserted control over Distant Harbor by ordering its rulers to punish those behind the riots, then arranged for the surrendered fleets to help investigate the city in exchange for curing their crews. He left the commanders with orders to form the Traitor Suppression Society and admitted Lily’s advice had partly persuaded him to give some rioters a chance.

• Distant Harbor’s rulers agreed to Kang De’s demands after realizing he could use the three surrendered fleets to force them to comply.
• Kang De told Lily he would sentence instigators and paid agitators to death while making ignorant rioters repay their crimes through labor.
• Kang De questioned Commodore Kavisalong about his fleet’s refusal to fight the Aberrant Dragons, then promised to treat the elves first and assigned them a task in return.
• Kang De ordered Niola and the other commanders to organize a joint investigation of the riots, with suspects sorted by their roles and circumstances.
• Kang De named the joint force the Traitor Suppression Society and told Lily he would reclaim 0.1 percent of her shares for taking her suggestion into account.

Kang De treated infected sailors from the three nations and recruited elf mages to help arrest rioters in Distant Harbor by offering them bracers that boosted their magic with sealed Paradox Element. After the operation began, he planned to use the substance to build a larger information network across the world.

• Kang De removed Paradox Element from infected sailors aboard the Knight Astolfo and arranged for the elves to help hunt Distant Harbor's rioters in exchange for their freedom.
• Kang De gave the elf mages bracers containing sealed Paradox Element and explained that they enhanced spellcasting but had to be worn under his conditions.
• Minigelite tested a bracer and discovered that it greatly amplified his magic, prompting the elf mages to accept the equipment and Kang De's terms.
• Lily recognized that Kang De had recruited the elves by combining treatment, work, and the promise of stronger equipment, while Kang De said spies could be useful employees.
• Kang De discussed making Lily heavy combat armor equipped with a Paradox particle light cannon, then told her to summon the Council's people for treatment and recruitment.
• Horus reported that the warship's temporary data link was limited, and Kang De decided to use Paradox Element to build a wider information system.

Kang De's forces sealed Distant Harbor and began arresting the people behind its riots, using Horus's intelligence to coordinate raids and aerial bombardments. Firestorm Squad captured Cunning Fox Delisa, and Alset prepared to interrogate him as Kang De considered the mage for recruitment.

• Stella ordered the Survey Corps to seal Distant Harbor's land routes, while Kang De's forces hunted the riot's instigators across the city.
• An Inquisition hunter pressured Nien Toka into naming accomplices and bribers by threatening his family, then sent the resulting lead to Horus.
• Horus redirected Firestorm Squad to attack Cunning Fox Delisa's log warehouse, and Kang De approved a drone bombardment that destroyed its defenses.
• Firestorm Squad and its allies stormed the warehouse, and Alset captured Delisa after pursuing him into a nearby building.
• Kang De praised Alset and asked him to demonstrate his mental-magic skills, while Horus recommended keeping the mage under consideration for recruitment.
• Alset began using mental magic to make Delisa reveal what he feared most.