Chapter Summaries

Gawain prepared to turn the southern nobles’ hostility into a decisive confrontation as the peace agreement between Ansu and Typhon was signed. After Francis II returned to Longwind Fortress, an attendant claiming to represent the End of All Things attacked him.

• Gawain explained that Cecil’s growing economic influence and acceptance of Other God Believers had made conflict with the southern nobles and Holy Light Church inevitable.
• Gawain sent Viscountess Gellan a warning and reflected that Cecil needed to secure the south before Ansu or other powers could intervene.
• The Intelligence Bureau’s 25th Production and Construction Brigade had spread rumors and false military information to push the southern nobles toward open opposition.
• Ansu and Typhon signed a peace agreement at Pact Fortress, and King Francis II and Emperor Rosetta Augustus departed safely after the ceremony.
• Francis II returned to Longwind Fortress, ended his life connection with Master Duke, and was confronted by an attendant who invoked the End of All Things before attacking him.

Sordelin’s expedition opened the Shadow Experiment Ground and found a vast, partially flooded cave with few signs of finished construction. Meanwhile, Francis II realized the people around him wanted him dead and escaped the regenerating monster by leaping through a window.

• Sordelin equipped the Iron Rangers with experimental portable Railguns and other specialized weapons before trying to open the Isolation Door.
• Amber slipped through the opened door, confirmed the interior was safe, and reported that the area was partly flooded.
• Sordelin, Amber, and Tir explored the cavernous Shadow Experiment Ground, where Amber found the equipment cleared out and signs the site might never have been completed.
• At Longwind Fortress, Francis II blocked and blasted a mutated monster after hearing the assassin say “End of All Things.”
• Francis II realized no guards had come to help and that those present wanted him dead, so he threw a fireball at the monster and leaped through a window.

Francis II used the Shadow Seal Ring to summon Shadow Creatures that destroyed the monster attacking him, while Amber followed a shadow gate that seemed connected to her parents. After Master Duke and Prince Edmund entered the room, the mage revealed himself as Mr. Clement and attacked the king.

• Francis II escaped the monster’s attack by using the Shadow Seal Ring to summon Shadow Creatures, which tore the monster apart before he sent them back.
• Amber entered the Shadow Realm and found a swirling gate as Shadow Dwellers gathered and passed through it.
• Amber recognized the gate’s symbol on her ring and wondered whether her parents were on the other side before stepping into the mist.
• Master Duke and Prince Edmund arrived after Edmund freed the mage from a mirror-space trap, and Francis II lowered his guard.
• Prince Edmund said Mr. Clement had created the monster, and the disguised mage pierced Francis II’s chest with a corrosive ray.

Amber stole the Shadow Seal Ring from Francis II and fled into the Shadow Realm with Clement chasing her. She returned to the shadow laboratory, where Sordelin’s Iron Rangers attacked Clement, but a creature in the pool seized him before the fight could continue.

• Clement watched Francis II die and moved to take the Shadow Seal Ring, but a shadowy figure snatched it first.
• Clement pursued Amber through the collapsing Shadow Rift, which vanished behind them as Edmund remained with Francis II’s corpse.
• Amber escaped into the Shadow Realm and dropped back into reality beside Sordelin and the Iron Rangers.
• Sordelin ordered the Iron Rangers to fire Heavy Explosive Grenades at Clement as he emerged from the laboratory’s circular depression.
• Clement survived the blast, attacked Sordelin with Wither, and drew the Iron Rangers’ weapons toward him.
• Tentacles erupted from the pool and wrapped around Clement as its occupant angrily demanded to know why they had fired a Grenade Launcher beside it.

Tir and the Iron Rangers captured Clement after he attacked them, and Amber realized he had assassinated the king. At Longwind Fortress, Edmund and Duke Silas prepared to blame the royal capital and set the fortress ablaze, while Rosetta Augustus chose not to intervene.

• Tir emerged from the pool in her sea-demon form and bound Clement, while her tentacles’ patterns left Sordelin and the Iron Rangers unnaturally elated.
• Amber told Tir that Clement had killed the king and hurried to report the news, leaving Sordelin to guard the captive.
• Edmund acknowledged his father Francis II’s death and told Duke Silas Loren to gather troops for a bloody campaign to remake Ansu.
• Duke Loren proposed setting Longwind Fortress on fire, and Edmund questioned his loyalty before accepting his assurances.
• Rosetta Augustus watched the Red Light rising over Longwind Fortress and ordered Andesha Wendell not to interfere in Ansu’s affairs.

Gawain learned that Francis II had been murdered by Prince Edmund and ordered Cecil forces to prepare for possible war as he hurried to the Shadow Experiment Ground. There, he found the captured regicide Clement barely alive and under Tir’s control.

• Gawain saw fires inside Longwind Fortress through his satellite and warned Heti, Byron, and Philip that Francis II might be in mortal danger.
• Amber returned from Longwind Fortress and reported that Prince Edmund had helped an old man kill the king, then revealed that Sordelin’s soldiers had captured the assassin, Clement.
• Gawain ordered Heti to prepare a wartime status roster, placed the First Combat Corps on maximum readiness, and told Philip to warn the Second Legion to watch for unusual movements in northern noble territories.
• Gawain told Heti that Rebecca should continue her work at the Magic Technology Research Institute rather than take on duties because of her family position.
• Gawain and Amber reached the Shadow Experiment Ground, where Tir kept the wounded Clement alive while Sordelin’s soldiers guarded the area.

Gawain interrogated Clement, an End of All Things cultist involved in King Francis II’s assassination, using Tir’s one-time method to force answers. Clement revealed that Prince Edmund and allies had engineered the killing and signed the border peace agreement to pursue true Royal Authority, while agents were also positioned beside the Typhon Emperor; Gawain concluded they wanted a second Ansu civil war.

• Gawain recognized Clement as a high-ranking member of The End of All Things, and Tir offered to force him to cooperate with a method that would kill him.
• Amber asked to question Clement first, and Tir’s tentacles overwhelmed his mind before Gawain began interrogating him.
• Clement confirmed that he had personally killed Francis II and that Prince Edmund had collaborated with The End of All Things.
• Clement revealed that Edmund sought the glory and Royal Authority of the First Dynasty, and that Silas Lauren was loyal to Edmund.
• Clement confirmed that the border peace agreement had been signed and that The End of All Things had agents beside the Typhon Emperor.
• Gawain concluded that Edmund and the cultists were aiming to provoke a second Ansu civil war, not a war between Ansu and Typhon.

Gawain learned that The End of All Things had helped ignite Ansu’s civil war to obtain materials for an unknown purpose, while Amber discovered that her ring was an ancient relic connected to the Shadow Realm. As the war became unavoidable, Gawain promised they would seek answers in the royal capital, and Clement died after a night of interrogation.

• Gawain questioned Clement, who revealed that The End of All Things wanted war for materials before a mental restriction erased part of his memories.
• Amber asked Clement about her Shadow Seal Ring and learned it was an ancient Gandor relic connected to the Shadow Realm.
• Amber explained that she had a matching broken ring from her foster father and believed her elf father might still be alive.
• Sordelin rejected the idea that Amber was King Francis II’s illegitimate daughter, and Gawain agreed to search for answers after taking the royal capital.
• Gawain concluded that Ansu’s civil war could no longer be prevented, and Tir’s control over Clement ended after the interrogation.
• Clement’s body collapsed and dissolved, leaving only his clothes and bones.

Gawain concluded that Francis II’s assassination had set Ansu’s second civil war in motion, while he and Amber investigated the Shadow Experiment Ground and discussed her mysterious origins. The next day, he told Cecil Territory’s department heads that the king had been killed and identified the forces behind the assassination.

• Gawain judged that Edmund, the Duke of the Eastern Region, Typhon, and possibly the Verde Family had all contributed to Francis II’s death, making civil war inevitable.
• Tir cleaned up Clement’s remains as Sordelin and his Iron Rangers installed lights in the Shadow Experiment Ground.
• Gawain and Amber examined the portal and discussed its connection to the Shadow Seal Ring, the Ancient Gandor Empire, and Amber’s unknown parents.
• Sordelin reported that the cavern’s lighting was in place, and Gawain ordered everyone to withdraw until a full exploration could be organized.
• At Cecil Territory’s prewar mobilization meeting, Gawain told the department heads that Francis II had been assassinated and blamed The End of All Things, Prince Edmund, and likely the Duke of the Eastern Region.

Gawain prepared Cecil Territory for the coming civil war and planned to provoke Count Hosman into attacking, giving Cecil a chance to consolidate control of the Southern Region. As Hosman gathered a massive force, Ropenni Gellan set out to assist Cecil, and Wright Aviken read a fiery newspaper report that stirred him toward the battlefield.

• Gawain told his commanders that Prince Edmund and the Eastern Frontier Army would soon announce the royal capital's occupation, and urged Cecil to seize control of the Southern Region before war reached it.
• Byron, Heti, Sordelin, and Amber reported on military preparations, propaganda, and Count Hosman's troop-gathering as Gawain assessed the likely routes of attack.
• Gawain ordered a reduction in alchemical potion supplies and staged explosions and rumors of internal unrest to make Cecil appear vulnerable and push Hosman toward war.
• Ropenni Gellan learned that Hosman had gathered seventy thousand men and sent her knights toward Carrol Territory to assist her neighbor as part of her gamble on Gawain.
• Wright Aviken picked up Cecil's extra-edition newspaper on the mechanical bridge and clenched his fists after reading its callout about the battlefield.

As Count Hosman and forty-three southern lords prepared to attack Cecil, Gawain considered Ansu’s civil war and allowed Priest Light to join the medical corps. After Hosman sent a formal declaration demanding Cecil submit, Gawain returned it with a single word as Cecil prepared for war.

• Gawain told Amber that Typhon would stay out of Ansu’s civil war until the kingdom had weakened, since an invasion would unite Ansu against it.
• Priest Light asked to join the war against Church clergy and knights, and Gawain assigned him to the medical corps while urging him to consider his faith.
• A messenger delivered Count Hosman’s letter, in which Hosman and forty-three southern lords accused Cecil of numerous offenses and threatened to use force.
• Gawain wrote “Read” on the letter and sent it back to Hosman through the messenger.
• Nicholas Egghead oversaw a Railgun shell being loaded, bearing the message, “Hello, opposing debater. This is our evidence.”

Viscount Andrew Leslie considered Count Hosman’s summons while watching Tanzan Town’s booming docks, then asked for information about Cecil Territory’s reforms. Count Hosman’s vast army assembled to march against Cecil, and he received Andrew’s one-word answer: “War.”

• Viscount Andrew Leslie watched Tanzan Town’s growth, asked whether Count Hosman or Duke Gawain Cecil would win, and requested Cecil newspapers and information on its reforms.
• Count Hosman’s fifty-thousand-man force gathered in a disorderly camp, and he boasted that it would overwhelm the Ancient Hero.
• Viscount Carrol blamed Cecil’s reforms for the destruction of its Alchemy Factory and joined Hosman’s camp after losing his potion trade.
• Count Hosman dismissed concerns about Andrew Leslie, confident Count Pepo’s twenty thousand soldiers could quickly take Tanzan Town.
• Count Hosman received Andrew’s reply, burned the letter, and announced that it said, “War.”

Count Hosman’s fifty-thousand-man army marched south toward Cecil while Philip prepared an artillery position at Windward Hill and Byron waited in ambush for Count Pepo’s force. The chapter ended with both Cecil forces confirming their targets’ routes and preparing to attack.

• Count Hosman led his chaotic army south, trusting his knights, mages, and priests more than the ordinary soldiers.
• Philip inspected the Windward Hill position and let Wald Perich explain to Margarita why the Konde Knights and Second Legion would observe rather than join the battle.
• A messenger reported that Count Hosman’s fifty thousand men would approach Gravel Ridge, and Philip ordered scouts and smoke warnings.
• Byron learned that Count Pepo’s twenty thousand men would pass his White Water River ambush point in two days and prepared to attack them.

Gawain monitored the invasion from the rear while Ropenni Gellan separated from the advancing forces, and Cecil artillery devastated Count Hosman’s army as it emerged from Gravel Ridge. The chapter ended with Hosman dying amid the bombardment and a metal fragment bearing the words, “This is our argument.”

• Amber reported that Hosman had split his forces and that Philip’s troops would meet the western force first; Gawain said Cecil’s artillery and defenses could handle it.
• Gawain explained that he stayed at headquarters to oversee commanders and guard against possible guests.
• Ropenni Gellan surveyed her troops, spoke of a day full of glory, then feigned dizziness and left the formation with fewer than a hundred guards.
• Count Hosman led his army out of Gravel Ridge and watched his forces attempt to organize on the open ground.
• Cecil’s Magic Crystal Cannonballs struck the exposed army, killing soldiers, mages, and Hosman.
• Hosman saw a scorched metal fragment marked “...This is our argument” before his vision went dark.

Cecil artillery annihilated the allied vanguard at Gravel Ridge, sending the army into a chaotic rout as Philip ordered a pursuit. Meanwhile, Count Franoning Pepo prepared to lead his fleet and twenty thousand troops toward Cecil, unaware of the northern army’s defeat.

• Cecil artillery devastated the allied vanguard, and panicked horses and soldiers turned the retreat into chaos across Gravel Ridge.
• Viscountess Ropini Gellan gathered fleeing soldiers and led Viscount Carrol and his followers northeast.
• A Cecil observer signaled the enemy’s rout, and Philip ordered the heavy artillery to stop after its allocation and the Second Battalion to pursue.
• Philip assigned Wald Perich and the Kond Knights to join the First Legion in chasing the retreating enemy.
• Count Franoning Pepo, unaware of the defeat, prepared to lead twenty thousand men and his family’s ships toward the White Water River and Cecil Territory.

Count Pepo’s allied fleet sailed toward Cecil Territory, where Knight Byron’s concealed artillery ambushed and devastated it on the White Water River. Pepo escaped toward Tanzan Town, only for its walls to reveal more guns and resume the attack.

• Count Pepo’s fleet passed Tanzan Town and entered the narrow White Water River near Frostwood Village.
• Knight Byron ordered the concealed artillery to fire, and the first volley destroyed two ships.
• The Cecilians continued bombarding the fleet while survivors who reached shore were captured; Viscount Loxval, Baron Korandov, and Viscount Kopani died.
• Count Pepo fled aboard a small boat with his attendant knight as the remaining ships struggled to escape.
• Count Pepo reached Tanzan Town and relaxed, but artillery appeared on its walls and opened fire.

Bishop Lamont and twelve Pontiff Knights openly approached Cecil City to pin down Gawain Cecil while allied armies advanced. Camil confronted them at the walls, and as the knights prepared to use force, he ordered the Rainbow Light Unit to ready the Overload Capacitor.

• Cecil’s residents heard artillery fire from the White Water River and trusted that their forces would defeat Count Hosman’s army.
• Bishop Lamont and twelve Pontiff Knights left the woods and headed openly toward Cecil City to keep Gawain Cecil occupied while the allied armies advanced.
• Lamont raised a beam of Holy Light and prepared to address the city, but Camil appeared atop the wall and ordered the intruders to stop.
• Lamont said he had come to judge the heretics sheltered by Cecil, while Camil declared them lawful citizens protected by Cecil law.
• Lamont chose to resort to force, and Camil ordered the Rainbow Light Unit to prepare the Overload Capacitor.

Camil used Cecil Territory’s magic network and prototype amplifiers to test the limits of his power against Bishop Lamont and the Pontiff Knights. After devastating the attackers, Lamont urged the surviving knights into a final charge and fled toward the Dark Mountains.

• Bishop Lamont sent twelve Pontiff Knights charging at the southern wall with a massive Spear of Light.
• Rebecca and the Technical Personnel activated the amplifiers, drawing power from the magic network and capacitors to strengthen Camil.
• Camil destroyed the knights’ spear with a gigantic Arcane Missile, killing three and injuring the survivors, then attacked again with an Arcane Ray.
• Rebecca asked Camil for more test data while Jenny Perot’s team monitored the equipment and recorded its energy readings.
• Bishop Lamont restored the wounded knights’ strength and drove them into a final charge before using Swift Zeal to flee toward the Dark Mountains.

Bishop Lamont fled the battle at Cecil City, then learned that Selina Gelvin of The Sleeper had manipulated his mind and intended to examine his altered faith. After Cecil's victory, Gawain learned that Sordelin's squad had found Lamont dead, removing the threat of the escaped bishop.

• Bishop Lamont fled through the Dark Mountains and realized an outside force had impaired his judgment during the battle.
• Selina Gelvin appeared to Lamont as an illusion and revealed that The Sleeper had planted Seeds among Holy Light Church bishops and had rescued him for his brain.
• Cecil's attack on the southern wall ended with the invading force eliminated, with only one enemy escaping and no casualties among Cecil's defenders.
• Heti questioned how Gawain had predicted the southern attack, and Gawain explained why the Dark Mountains were the likely route.
• Gawain revealed that Sordelin had been waiting in the Dark Mountains, and Sordelin reported that Lamont was dead.

Gawain identified the dead bishop Lamont’s death as a Holy Light backlash and suspected The Sleeper’s involvement. Though Cecil had won its battles, Gawain declared that the war to reunify the Southern Region would continue until its feudal system was dismantled, and the purge had begun.

• Sordelin brought Lamont’s corpse to Gawain, who found that the bishop had been killed by his own Holy Light and suspected The Sleeper had caused the loss of control.
• Gawain ordered Lamont and the other bodies burned, then explained that the Holy Light Church had effectively declared war on Cecil by demanding its civilians.
• Heti concluded that Lamont and his knights had likely meant to delay Gawain, while Gawain ordered a special edition blaming corrupt clergymen and Count Hosman for the attack.
• Gawain told Amber that Cecil would not negotiate ransoms or stop after its battlefield victories, but would dismantle the Southern Region’s feudal system and absorb its people into Cecil.
• Gawain watched the sunset and confirmed that the purge of the Southern Region had begun.