Chapter Summaries

Unas managed the mines and led five hundred human soldiers to Rendaen’s siege of the Imperial Palace. The siege vehicles damaged the gates but stalled before they could break through, leaving Orphest’s technicians to repair them under fire.

• Unas left the management of the Black Furnace and three mines to Frank, emphasizing that securing their position and building ties with Dwarven merchant guilds mattered more than profit.
• Rendaen ordered Unas to bring the human army to the Imperial Palace, where twenty thousand troops gathered to attack the gates.
• Unas brought five hundred soldiers, who were placed at the rear of the army, and accepted their position as spectators.
• Rendaen’s three siege vehicles withstood the defenders’ attacks and repeatedly rammed the palace gates, cracking the granite.
• The siege vehicles stalled, and Orphest sent four Gnome technicians with repair equipment to fix them under the protection of Rendaen’s soldiers.

Rendaen’s attempt to recover the disabled siege engines turned into a costly battle when Geddon appeared as a towering Fire Elemental and devastated his troops. Angela’s Water Mist helped Boyle and the Boiling Water Elementals defeat Geddon, but both sides suffered heavy losses and Geddon escaped into the palace.

• Rendaen’s repair team failed to reach the buried siege engines, so he ordered a charge force to retrieve them instead.
• The enemy unleashed fire dragons that became Fire Elementals, and Geddon appeared as a giant fire monster, forcing Rendaen’s troops to retreat.
• Boyle and the Boiling Water Elementals attacked Geddon while Dwarves on both sides tried to influence the elemental battle.
• Rendaen asked Angela for help, and she cast Water Mist to strengthen Boyle and weaken Geddon.
• Boyle grappled with Geddon as the fire giant self-destructed, leaving both elementals badly injured and several Boiling Water Elementals unable to reassemble.

Angela helped the Dwarves breach the palace gate, but the assault stalled against the Ironrage Army’s defenses until the Mole Machine squads caused chaos inside. The Ironrage Army retreated to the second gate, where a Molten Giant appeared and blocked the pursuers.

• Angela maintained a fog spell that concealed the siege vehicles, and Boyle gave her a crystal that could summon his clone once.
• The siege vehicles broke through the palace gate, and Angela turned the fog into rain as Rendaen’s troops attacked through the breach.
• The assault stalled under heavy resistance, and repeated breakdowns left the siege vehicles useless.
• Mole Machine suicide squads broke into the palace, disrupting the Ironrage Army; Rendaen led his guards forward, forcing the enemy to retreat in formation.
• A Molten Giant appeared at the second gate and stopped the advancing Dwarves, while the Ironrage Army sent troops to hunt down the suicide squads.

Unas, Huoye, and Angela tried to stop the Molten Giant by overloading its damaged body with energy from the Crimson Diamond. As the giant shattered, its true self awakened as Bael'Gar, king of the Molten Giants, and Huoye realized the spell had gone wrong.

• Rendaen ordered his army to retreat from the Molten Giant and offered a reward to anyone who could kill it.
• Huoye proposed using the Crimson Diamond to flood the giant's damaged body with Fire Elemental energy, and Angela confirmed that the giant's condition supported his theory.
• Unas gave Huoye the gem, and Huoye channeled a powerful beam of energy into the giant while Rendaen rejected a mage's accusation that the group were spies.
• The Molten Giant's consciousness awakened and identified itself as Bael'Gar, king of the Molten Giants, as its restraints began to loosen.
• The giant's body cracked and broke apart, and Huoye shouted for help interrupting the spell when he realized something was wrong.

Bael'Gar awakened from the destroyed Molten Giant and revealed that he opposed Ragnaros, then agreed to fight alongside the Water Elementals. Rendaen ordered his army to attack the next gate, leaving the battle against Ragnaros’s servants about to begin.

• Bael'Gar emerged from the Molten Giant’s shattered body and leaped through the Dwarven army toward Huoye and the Crimson Diamond.
• Huoye explained the failed spell to Rendaen, and Unas apologized for acting without informing him.
• Bael'Gar told Boyle that Ragnaros had stripped him of his power and sealed his memories, and that the broken spell had restored his consciousness.
• Boyle demanded that Bael'Gar prove his allegiance by helping defeat the Firelord’s servants at the next gate, and Bael'Gar agreed.
• Rendaen ordered his troops to break through the gate within an hour.

Rendaen's forces breached the council chamber's defenses and pushed into the royal quarters, where Thaurissan's Fire Dwarves emerged as a desperate obstacle. Unas fought through the royal quarters and found a room packed with Fire Dwarves, suggesting an important location lay ahead.

• Rendaen's troops overran the Ironrage Army's last defense at the council chamber and found it empty.
• Rendaen learned that Thaurissan had transformed palace servants and guards into Fire Dwarves, but ordered his forces to keep advancing and sent Dark Iron Mages to locate the ritual.
• Unas and the other Paladins led squads into the royal quarters, where they encountered Fire Dwarves.
• Unas killed more than thirty Fire Dwarves while searching the rooms, but found no useful information from the elderly servants.
• Unas discovered a room packed with Fire Dwarves and attacked with Bladestorm, Hammer of Righteousness, and Crusader Strike.

Unas discovered that the Dwarves were transforming into fire creatures, while Thaurissan completed his own evolution into a flame avatar. Thaurissan then unleashed the transformation potion’s effects across the palace and sent Argelmach’s iron puppets to reclaim the kingdom.

• Unas reached level 40, chose Ardent Defender, and learned Fire Resistance Aura before finding a magic circle surrounded by palace servants.
• Unas’s group found the dead mage overseeing the circle, and Natasha used his spirit’s memories to learn that Thaurissan planned to transform the Dwarves into more powerful beings.
• The dead mage and the rescued servants suddenly began transforming into fire Dwarves, so Unas ordered his soldiers to kill them before the change was complete.
• Thaurissan revealed that the Seven Dark Iron Sages had sacrificed themselves to help him become a flame avatar, with the Firelord’s incarnation performing the ritual.
• Thaurissan activated a potion that transformed fallen soldiers, surrendered troops, and palace servants, then ordered Argelmach and his three hundred iron puppets to reclaim the kingdom.

Unas discovered that Thaurissan’s forces had turned the dead into Fire Dwarves and deployed a hidden army of lightning-wielding Iron Golems. He returned to Rendaen with warnings, while Huoye remained in Bael'Gar’s grasp and the battle outside continued.

• Unas and Natasha watched a dead Dark Iron Mage transform into a frenzied Fire Dwarf, which Unas quickly smashed.
• Unas learned that thousands of fallen soldiers and Bedchamber servants had become Fire Dwarves, and his group encountered Iron Golems that struck him with lightning and forced them to retreat.
• Unas warned allied groups about the golems while helping them fight Fire Dwarves, then met Darian and learned Bael'Gar had abducted Huoye.
• Unas and Darian’s group returned to the Council Hall, where Rendaen asked how many Iron Golems they had seen.
• Rendaen said they would have to delay the golems until their energy ran low and revealed that he had more than a hundred sets of Ground Dragon and Whelp hide armor to resist lightning.

Rendaen and the Dwarves used dragonhide armor to withstand the iron golems’ lightning and charged into battle. Unas joined the fight, destroyed several golems, and activated Invincible when a group prepared to strike him with lightning.

• Rendaen equipped his guards with dragonhide armor and led them toward the iron golems after learning the Fire Elemental army had attacked below the city.
• The dragonhide armor protected most of the Dwarves from the golems’ lightning, and Rendaen fought the golem commander in close combat.
• Unas charged into the battle line and destroyed a golem by shattering its energy core with Hammer of Righteousness.
• Unas disabled more golems by attacking their joints and used his dragonhide shield and hammer to interrupt another golem’s lightning attack.
• Surrounded by golems preparing a volley of lightning, Unas activated Invincible and switched to a dual-hammer stance.

Unas and Rendaen disabled the puppet commander and used its confused forces to lure the iron puppets into the council hall and destroy them. As Thaurissan realized the puppets were rapidly disappearing, he prepared to attack the rebels himself.

• Unas and Rendaen battered the puppet commander until it could no longer control the other puppets, then withdrew when the remaining machines stopped advancing.
• Unas and Rendaen devised a plan to lure the puppets one at a time by drawing them toward the council hall and breaking their line of sight.
• Rendaen's sharpshooters baited the puppets into the hall, where the Dwarves killed them with almost no further casualties.
• Rendaen ordered his forces to lure two or three puppets at a time because he feared Thaurissan would soon notice their losses.
• Thaurissan saw warnings that the puppet forces were dwindling, failed to reach their commander, and decided to attack the rebels personally.

Erigor and Angela rescued Huoye from Bael'Gar, but the Molten Core Monster revealed that his bodily fluids had entered Huoye and could make him explode. Bael'Gar escaped after demanding another energy infusion, leaving Erigor and Angela to wait for Huoye to wake.

• Bael'Gar tortured Huoye, then carried him through the bedchamber while absorbing energy from Fire Dwarves and growing stronger.
• Angela and Erigor cornered Bael'Gar, and Erigor freed Huoye from the monster's shoulder while their soldiers caught him.
• Bael'Gar used his bodily fluids inside Huoye as leverage, threatening to turn him into a living bomb unless Erigor agreed to infuse him with energy.
• Bael'Gar handed Erigor a black stone and fled, while Erigor chose not to pursue him.
• Angela said Huoye was not in immediate danger but warned that removing the rapidly moving droplets could damage his organs, so she and Erigor waited for him to wake.

Rendaen and Unas pursued the retreating Iron Golems, but Thaurissan’s Fire Dwarves blocked their advance until Angela and Erigor’s group joined the fight. After the allies regrouped with Huoye, Unas learned Huoye could use an ancient sorcery to try to enslave the Lava Monster, and they planned to weaken it before he cast the spell.

• Rendaen ordered the pursuit of the retreating golems, but Thaurissan’s Fire Dwarves covered their withdrawal and forced the Dwarves to fight through them.
• Thaurissan retreated after realizing most of his golems were destroyed and his transformed Fire Dwarves were running out of time, though he hoped the Fire Elemental army would win elsewhere.
• Angela cast a Blizzard on the Fire Dwarves, weakening them, while Erigor’s group attacked from another direction and helped Rendaen and Unas defeat them.
• Unas reunited with Erigor’s group and found Huoye being carried unconscious; Erigor explained that they had taken him by force but he remained in danger.
• Erigor told Unas that Huoye planned to use an ancient forbidden sorcery, using the Lava Monster’s bodily fluid as a medium to subjugate it.
• Unas agreed to have them beat the Lava Monster down before Huoye cast the sorcery, hoping that would increase the chance of success.

Rendaen pursued Thaurissan into his underground hall and accepted a traditional duel to end the battle quickly, revealing a bronze transformation that resisted fire. When Thaurissan trapped him in a Flame Cage, Unas intervened, breaking the duel oath and triggering a renewed clash between the armies.

• Rendaen's forces tracked the Iron Golems to Thaurissan's hall, where Thaurissan and his remaining allies prepared to fight.
• Rendaen accepted Thaurissan's challenge to a duel, and the two swore an oath against interference.
• Rendaen transformed into a bronze body that resisted Thaurissan's fire, then gained the advantage in their close combat.
• The Twilight missionaries interfered with corrosion spells, and Thaurissan refused to concede after Rendaen declared that the oath had made him lose.
• Thaurissan trapped Rendaen inside a Flame Cage, while Geddon tried to aid him by raising the hall's temperature and Angela countered with cold air.
• Unas hurled a spear at Thaurissan, striking his Molten Iron Barrier and disrupting his spell; Thaurissan sent his golems forward, and Unas called his side to attack.

Unas captured Fran and unleashed a devastating attack that crippled Thaurissan, but Rendaen remained motionless after escaping the Flame Cage, leaving the battle unresolved. Bael'Gar and the returning Twilight missionaries shifted the fight, and the chapter ended as the Twilight bishop launched corrosion arrows at Unas.

• Unas seized Fran, then drew enemy attacks while charging Reckoning and struck Geddon and Thaurissan with a fourfold Hammer of Righteousness, badly wounding both before collapsing.
• Ardent Defender saved Unas from the fall, while Rendaen rose from the Flame Cage but remained motionless as the opposing forces hesitated over whether to surrender or keep fighting.
• The Flamewaker ambassador tried to rally Thaurissan's supporters and heal the king, while Unas shielded Rendaen and waited for him to recover.
• Bael'Gar entered the hall, devoured the weakened Geddon, and turned toward the Flamewaker ambassador before six Twilight missionaries returned and restrained him with a spell.
• Unas interrupted the Flamewaker's healing of Thaurissan, but as Thaurissan began to stir, the Twilight bishop redirected his corrosion arrows toward Unas.

Rendaen defeated Thaurissan and the Flamewaker, but collapsed from his injuries, while Bael'Gar absorbed the fallen king's body and Huoye began a spell to subdue him. Unas began resurrecting Rendaen in secret, then stopped Moira from stabbing the fallen Dwarf lord.

• Angela struck Rendaen with a frost ray, waking him, and Rendaen killed the Flamewaker and Thaurissan with Storm Bolt before declaring victory.
• The Iron Golems powered down and the Dark Iron Dwarves surrendered, while Bael'Gar seized Thaurissan's corpse and formed a protective shell around himself.
• Unas and Erigor woke Huoye, who began chanting with Bael'Gar's black communication stone as the humans and Dwarves guarded him.
• Rendaen died from his wounds, and Unas persuaded the loyal Dwarves to let him attempt a secret resurrection.
• Unas began casting Redemption in Thaurissan's bedroom, but Moira emerged from a hidden passage and attacked Rendaen with a dagger.
• Unas used Divine Storm and Holy Wrath to knock Moira unconscious before she could interrupt the resurrection.

Unas resurrected Rendaen, whose return exposed and punished the traitors and rallied the Dwarves to continue fighting the Fire Elementals. As Huoye struggled to finish his spell against Bael'Gar, Unas and Darian prepared to share the damage with Hand of Sacrifice.

• Unas completed Redemption and revived Rendaen, then ordered the Dwarves to guard him and take Moira prisoner.
• Gude arrived with a physician, but Rendaen woke, learned of the treachery, and ordered Gude and the other traitor arrested.
• Rendaen thanked Unas, pledged to build a chapel to the Holy Light if he became king, and later ordered the traitors executed and rallied his troops against the Fire Elementals.
• Unas agreed to protect Fran and his son in exchange for Firekiss, then evaded Erigor's questions about scripture.
• Bael'Gar's stone cocoon began to heat and shake as Huoye's spell continued, and Darian proposed sharing Huoye's damage with Unas through Hand of Sacrifice.

Huoye completed his spell and took control of Bael'Gar, who fused with Thaurissan's corpse and evolved into a Molten Giant. Bael'Gar activated the Iron Golems, leaving Huoye and his allies with a powerful new force and the prisoners despairing over Thaurissan's defeat.

• Huoye used the Fire Dwarves' souls and help from Unas and Darian to overpower Bael'Gar's soul and seize control of the Molten Core Monster.
• Huoye discovered that Bael'Gar had absorbed the Iron Golems' terminal controller along with Thaurissan's corpse, and the group discussed whether they could claim the golems.
• Unas fed Bael'Gar energy from the Crimson Diamond, helping him complete his fusion and evolve into a Molten Giant.
• Huoye ordered Bael'Gar to control the Iron Golems, and Bael'Gar activated them through the controller in his chest.
• The prisoners and golem designers initially thought Thaurissan had returned, but they despaired when the golem commander pledged allegiance to Bael'Gar.

Unas reclaimed Firekiss and seized Fran’s weapons and supplies before joining Rendaen’s forces at the battle against the Fire Elementals. He traveled with Angela and Erigor to the front near Flamewaker Island, where he planned to gain experience while observing the fighting.

• Unas took Bael'Gar and the Iron Golems from Lieutenant Sadri and led his forces out of the underground hall.
• Unas searched Fran’s home, recovered Firekiss, and let his companions choose practical weapons from Fran’s collection.
• Unas joined the human forces and learned that Rendaen’s Dwarves had pushed the battle to Flamewaker Island.
• Unas, Angela, and Erigor traveled down the canal and saw the Water Elementals’ dam and pond supporting the advance.
• Unas declined Rendaen’s request to bring the golems forward and went to the front to observe the battle and gain experience.

Unas watched the battle until he leveled up and upgraded Divine Storm, then the Molten Giants arrived and threatened to break the Dwarven line. The group sought Huoye’s advice and learned that Bael'Gar might be able to rally the giants, but they still had to find a way to get him to the battlefield.

• Unas waited for enough battle experience to level up, gained twelve attribute points, and upgraded Divine Storm to Lv2.
• More than a hundred Molten Giants arrived, and their War Stomps began scattering the Dwarves and threatening the front line.
• Unas, Erigor, and Angela returned to the dam, where Rendaen mobilized the resting troops in response to the danger.
• Huoye said the Molten Giants had few weaknesses but revealed that Bael'Gar had once led them.
• Bael'Gar declared that the Molten Giants would recognize him as their king, and Unas suggested testing his claim by getting him to the battlefield.

Unas and the Water Elementals diverted the seawater long enough for Bael'Gar to reach the battle, where he challenged the Molten Giants' new leader, Magmus. As their duel began, Unas asked Huoye whether they could secretly strengthen Bael'Gar or weaken his opponent.

• Unas negotiated with Rendaen and the Water Elementals to divert the seawater, allowing Bael'Gar, the Iron Golem, and the human group to pass before the canal was restored.
• Bael'Gar reached the battlefield, where Huoye translated the Molten Giants' refusal to follow their former leader, and Bael'Gar challenged their new leader.
• Magmus accepted Bael'Gar's challenge, and the Water Elemental duke halted the fighting to give them room to duel on Flamewaker Island.
• Bael'Gar circled the much larger Magmus, while Unas worried that the drawn-out fight would not earn him respect from the watching giants.
• Unas gave Huoye the Crimson Diamond and asked whether there was a way to strengthen Bael'Gar or weaken Magmus.