Chapter Summaries

Fiss led the Nolanka Mercenary Group toward Ilan City and activated Vian Nolanka’s war deployment system as the Ives Space System Mercenary Group breached the city gate. Kewei attacked the Red-Haired Man while missiles and reinforcements struck the attackers, and Mide received urgent news at the North City Command Center.

• The Red-Haired Man’s forces destroyed Ilan City’s outer gate, but City Defense Army troops charged out to resist them.
• Fiss rallied the Nolanka Mercenary Group, verified Vian Nolanka’s authorization, and activated war deployment mode, bringing missile support into the battle.
• The Red-Haired Man ordered Sky Behemoths to attack the gate, but Kewei burst through a Seraph Mech’s explosion and struck the Land Fortress.
• Missiles from Ilan City’s walls targeted the Sky Behemoths as Nolanka forces attacked the Ives Space System Mercenary Group from behind.
• He Ao continued reading in his office while Mide ordered his officers to hold position and wait.
• Mide answered a phone call and demanded to know where news from South City had come from.

The Bearded Man’s forces struggled to learn what was happening inside Ilan City while Mide prepared North City to face an imminent siege, relying on Lynn’s unchanged orders and arranging for Lynn’s escape if the city fell. The chapter ended with the Bearded Man watching footage of the battle in South City, where the Nolanka Group and the City Defense Army were overwhelming the Ives Space System forces.

• The Bearded Man learned that an inside contact had sent only the word “South City” through the wall lights, and that contact and Scott had not answered further inquiries.
• Mide explained that the Nolanka Group’s intervention in South City was likely the reinforcement Lynn had arranged, but it could not reach North City before the Kopes Mercenary Group attacked.
• Mide ordered the Wide-faced Military Officer to obey the order to wait, then told a young officer to lead a battalion and evacuate Lynn alive if North City fell into chaos.
• The Bearded Man received word that his reconnaissance team near South City had lost contact and ordered its last video played.
• The footage showed City of Stars and White Jasmine Flower forces surrounding Ives Space System soldiers as three burning Sky Behemoths fell from the sky.

Scott advanced toward North City while plotting to kill Lynn and claim the mayorship, as the Bearded Man recognized that Lynn had trapped the Kopes Mercenary Group in vulnerable terrain. The Kopes forces withdrew under rain and North City's guns, and Lynn calmly confirmed the retreat.

• Scott accelerated his forces toward North City, rejected cooperation with Lynn, and told Lunse that Lynn had to die before he could become the new mayor.
• The Bearded Man noticed the soft ground, gathering rain clouds, and the danger of the trumpet-shaped terrain, then ordered the Kopes Mercenary Group to withdraw.
• The Bearded Man learned that Ives Space System's forces were in trouble at South City and saw Lynn on North City's wall, reinforcing his decision to retreat.
• North City's guns opened their firing ports as torrential rain fell, and the Kopes forces abandoned equipment while retreating at full speed.
• Mide learned that the Kopes Mercenary Group had withdrawn, and Lynn calmly said he already knew.

He Ao prepared North City's defenses against Scott's approaching rebel army and uncovered a hidden missile base beneath an abandoned building. After rejecting Lunse's offer to surrender, He Ao ordered a Mecha and prepared to face Scott's forces.

• He Ao ordered Mide to assemble troops near the North City Command Center and activate the high wall's defenses.
• Scott advanced toward the city, ordered his army to prepare for combat, and refused to offer He Ao a chance to surrender.
• He Ao entered Scott's secret missile base, killed its guards, and brought its remaining missiles into launch-ready status.
• Lunse offered He Ao money, advancement, and a future for his daughter in exchange for surrender, but He Ao rejected him.
• Eve traced Lunse's call to a bar near the North City Command Center, while the young officer reported that Scott's army had reached the abandoned building district.
• He Ao requested a Mecha, and Scott ordered his forces to attack.

Mide rallied North City’s officers as Scott’s forces attacked, but He Ao’s counterattack destroyed Scott’s Floating Fighter and exposed Scott’s plot to seize power. Scott confronted He Ao amid the battle and prepared to fight him, while He Ao opened a pocket watch and challenged him.

• Mide urged North City’s officers to fight, and their forces battled Scott’s advancing army.
• Scott ordered a Mecha squad and fighters to destroy the Seraph Mech, but missiles descended from above and wiped out much of his air support.
• He Ao cut through the flames, split Scott’s Floating Fighter, and confronted Scott on the ground.
• He Ao explained how he had suspected Scott of orchestrating Lynn’s assassination and using Kewei’s rebellion to take control of the White Jasmine Palace.
• Scott admitted he had been forced onto a worse path and suggested He Ao would not learn whether the abyss had told him that Speaker Levi had left.
• He Ao opened a Crystal Pocket Watch and challenged Scott as Scott raised his Jade Long Spear.

He Ao fought Scott, who drew on power from the abyss and an invisible eye to overwhelm him. After Scott invoked a terrifying invitation that dragged He Ao toward a realm of madness, He Ao severed its hold and turned his sword on Scott.

• Scott attacked He Ao with his jade spear, then drew on abyssal power that raised his strength and summoned an invisible eye.
• He Ao used an Edict to disable Scott’s armed forces, then another to weaken the connection between Scott and the abyss.
• The eye’s power struck He Ao from behind, broke three of his ribs, and left him badly wounded.
• Scott used a blood-marked pattern to invite He Ao into a realm of eternal madness, but He Ao cut the invading coldness away with a sword drawn from his soul.
• As the eye’s power faded and Scott demanded to know how He Ao had escaped, He Ao raised his sword to Scott’s face.

He Ao defeated Scott, broke the abyss’s hold on his soul, and forced Scott’s troops to surrender. As the battle ended, a suited man in Wick District called Scott and encountered an unfamiliar visitor.

• He Ao disarmed Scott, fought through his desperate attack on the surrounding Mecha and fighters, and killed him with a sword thrust through his heart.
• He Ao shattered the cold power trying to claim Scott’s soul, then announced Scott’s death and demanded the troops surrender.
• The first Dragon Rider Fighter signaled surrender, the other war machines powered down, and He Ao issued the Decree Release.
• In Wick District, a suited man called Scott from an empty bar and heard an aged voice ask whether the seat opposite him was taken.

Kewei defeated Klosswei and secured the surrender of the Ives Space System Mercenary Group. In Wick District, He Ao obtained the Legislator formula, rejected Lunse’s offer to preserve corporate power, killed him with a decree, and ordered raids on Ives Space System and Kepesi Mining headquarters as a mysterious phantom appeared over the city.

• Kewei fought Klosswei one-on-one, killed him, and announced his death, prompting the Ives Space System Mercenary Group to surrender.
• He Ao learned the Legislator secret medicine formula and its promotion ritual from Lunse’s thoughts, including where the ingredients and corporate bribery records were kept.
• Lunse offered He Ao corporate support and political power, but He Ao demanded that Nord support his reforms against monopolization and financialization.
• Lunse drew a silver pistol, and He Ao used his golden cane to decree his death, causing Lunse’s arm to turn the gun on himself.
• He Ao walked past Lunse’s guards, whose gunfire turned on them, then saw a gigantic phantom in the night before it vanished.
• He Ao ordered Mide to surround Ives Space System and Kepesi Mining headquarters, seize their equipment, and connect their computers to the northern city’s intelligent system.

After defeating the forces attacking Ilan, Lynn prepared a public broadcast as false reports claimed he had fled and the city had fallen. He announced the victory to Ilan’s citizens, leaving them with the battle’s immediate danger overcome but the wider crisis unresolved.

• He Ao thanked Kewei and Fiss for their help, confirmed the Ives Space System Mercenary Group was disarming, and prepared to address the city beside the burning Sky Behemoth wreckage.
• Ilan Evening News falsely reported that Lynn had fled and that his forces were losing, while Inie and Liss set out to reach the battlefield and document the truth.
• A woman tried to correct the broadcast by reporting that Lynn was still in Ilan, and Little Girl showed her the Municipal Government livestream.
• Lynn appeared at the South City gate and announced that Ilan had defeated the Ives Space System Mercenary Group, forced Kepesi Mining’s mercenaries to withdraw, and brought the rebellious General to justice.
• Lynn told the people of Ilan they could sleep safely that night, then walked away as the broadcast revealed the burning wreckage behind him.

After Lynn’s victory ended the war, Inie and Liss planned to seek an interview with him while councilors and Ives Space System officials conspired to impeach him. He Ao recovered from his wounds and read a grateful message from residents who had returned home safely.

• Inie and Liss decided to continue north for firsthand information and considered arranging an exclusive interview with Lynn.
• White Shirt and Cigar Man planned to impeach Lynn at the next council meeting with the help of councilors bought by the conglomerates.
• An Ives Space System executive and his associate prepared to use their council contacts to surprise Lynn with an impeachment, but City Defense Army soldiers arrested them as terrorists.
• Des treated He Ao’s wounds and reported that Jielin’s mother had undergone a minor operation and was recovering.
• He Ao opened a resident’s email thanking Lynn because the family had returned home safely.

He Ao recovered from his injuries, absorbed the abyssal power in Scott’s Jade Long Spear into his golden sword, and set out for the City Council. As the people of North and South City celebrated his victory, they lined the street to high-five him as his car passed.

• He Ao read messages about the battlefield cleanup and evidence searches, arranged entry permits for the Nolanka Group’s grain shipment, and told Tucker to prepare to close the net on Ives Space System and Kepesi Mining.
• The Golden-Haired Chief of Staff showed He Ao the Jade Long Spear recovered from the battlefield, and he absorbed its power into his enhanced golden sword despite the abyssal figure’s attempts to contaminate him.
• The Golden-Haired Chief of Staff gave He Ao the book recovered from Scott’s study, and Sena told him that a crowd had gathered at the palace entrance.
• Cigar Man and White Shirt prepared to enter the City Council chamber, while He Ao chose to leave through the crowded front entrance.
• He Ao ordered the Mayor’s Guard to let the crowd approach, high-fived a young boy, and then greeted people along the street as the orderly crowd saw him off.

He Ao investigated the history of the ruin tied to Scott and Kewei, then arrived at the City Council as opponents prepared to impeach him and corporations threatened Ilan City’s supplies. The chapter ended with Tucker leading soldiers and police into the council chamber to arrest several council members before the meeting began.

• He Ao read Professor Sfite’s account of a ruined city-state, learning that an unknown visitor had broken its seal decades earlier and removed the dangerous power at its altar.
• He Ao considered the possible connection between Ilan City, Kewei, and Scott, then arrived at the City Council building and shared a high-five with Sena.
• Cigar Man persuaded White Shirt to support impeaching He Ao, while the two planned to block his proposed bills and feared the consequences of his growing power.
• The Golden-Haired Chief of Staff told He Ao that Ives Space System, Kepesi Mining, and neighboring cities were disrupting Ilan City’s trade; He Ao warned Aines that Ilan City would seek fairness itself if the Federation failed to act.
• Tucker entered the council chamber with City Defense Army soldiers and police officers, presented arrest warrants, and ordered them to arrest several council members.

Tucker oversaw the arrest of council members accused of aiding Ilan City's enemies, while He Ao investigated Levi's apartment and uncovered a hidden corridor filled with abyssal energy. He entered the corridor, whose darkness seemed to lead beyond reality.

• Tucker's officers arrested nearly half the council members, including White Shirt and Cigar Man, for conspiring with Ilan City's enemies.
• Tucker ordered the arrest of one council member's wife after learning the couple had been transferring assets and planned to flee to Dawn City.
• He Ao agreed to an afternoon interview with two reporters, then entered Levi's apartment with Levi's secretary.
• He Ao destroyed an abyssal monster guarding the apartment and learned that the secretary had never personally seen Levi leave.
• He Ao sensed abyssal energy behind a wall, forced open a hidden door, and found a dark corridor with an inactive defensive array.
• He Ao stepped into the corridor as its far end disappeared into darkness.

He Ao traversed a supernatural corridor, broke free of a vision of an abyssal ritual, and learned how the ritual and its anchor points worked. He escaped with evidence that Speaker Levi had helped him and left the apartment after confronting the distant gaze of the abyssal existence.

• He Ao followed the Brass Cane through the corridor and was pulled into visions of a ritual in which his apparent self summoned an abyssal power.
• He Ao seized control of the ritual body, destroyed its heart, and collapsed the vision before studying a book that revealed the ritual’s workings and the abyss’s limits.
• He Ao learned that the Jade Long Spear had been intended to form a precise anchor point and realized that he was now Ilan City’s only bearer of powerful abyssal power.
• He Ao found a black book containing fragments about talent sequences, angels, and eternal life, then followed a star-reflection’s directions to a hidden door and escaped the abyssal space.
• He Ao recognized a fading emblem as a sign of Speaker Levi’s aid and inferred that Levi had been dragged into the abyss.
• He Ao left the apartment, addressed the abyssal presence watching him, and walked through the closing doors.

As Ilan City faced a food blockade by Ives Space System and Kepesi Mining, He Ao revealed that Nolanka Group had already brought in food and would sell it at normal prices. He then headed into the City Council chamber to advance his plans, while Lant reflected on the old disagreements that had separated them.

• Inie and Liss worried that the blockade would cause famine, but learned their families had managed to buy some food.
• Lynn agreed to meet Inie that afternoon, leaving her and Liss excited and nervous.
• Captain Fiss told He Ao that Nolanka Group's first food shipment had reached Ilan City and that more caravans were on the way.
• He Ao introduced Fiss to Vice Mayor Lant and explained that Nolanka Group would sell food at normal prices and could take over industries left by the departing conglomerates.
• Lant thanked Fiss for Nolanka Group's support and realized He Ao had arranged a solution to the blockade in advance.
• He Ao told Lant that the remaining council members were not his enemies, then opened the City Council chamber doors.

He Ao addressed Ilan City’s council, urging members to pass reforms and unite against the corporations, then left as debate began on the Medical Security Act. At Ilan Morning News, Shan Nina quit after confronting her superior over fabricated reporting, while the Municipal Government’s food distribution announcement alarmed the company’s president.

• He Ao arrived at the council through its massive rear doors and challenged council members to help change Ilan City and defeat the corporations.
• He Ao finished his speech and left; the old speaker opened discussion of the Medical Security Act of Ilan City.
• Shan Nina confronted the man in the White Suit for publishing unverified reports, but he dismissed her concerns and threatened her pay.
• A wavy-haired employee reported that the Municipal Government had announced unlimited food supplies at dedicated sale points, and the man in the White Suit saw the many locations marked on the map.
• After the man in the White Suit threatened to cut her pay, Shan Nina quit, crushed out his cigarette, and left the office.

After resigning from the Ilan Morning News, Shan Nina joined Inie and Liss to prepare an exclusive interview with He Ao. As Ilan City challenged the Federation and debated anti-consortium laws, the chapter ended with He Ao arriving at the interview and reassuring Shan Nina.

• Shan Nina packed her belongings after resigning, then directed police officers toward the Ilan Morning News President's Office as they moved to arrest its leadership.
• Inie contacted Shan Nina to offer her a job, and Shan Nina accepted after learning she had already resigned.
• Daisy warned a Federation representative that Ilan's people would fight for survival, while the representative reacted angrily and called the President.
• Shan Nina prepared Inie and Liss for their interview with He Ao and assembled a temporary news team at White Jasmine Palace.
• Councilors debated the Ilan Anti-Consortium Monopoly Act, which would support local businesses and allow the Municipal Government to invest in livelihood industries.
• He Ao arrived at White Jasmine Palace, recognized Shan Nina, and gave her an encouraging thumbs-up before approaching Inie.

He Ao gave an interview about Ilan City's war and the people who defended it while the City Council passed all nine bills, including the Ilan Anti-Consortium Monopoly Act. The chapter ended with He Ao signing the bills into law as a councilmember warned that his growing power could threaten the city’s democratic government.

• Inie interviewed He Ao about the war, and he credited Ilan’s people and soldiers for the victory while recounting the heroes’ actions and the consortiums’ crimes.
• The City Council passed eight bills, then approved the newly proposed Ilan Anti-Consortium Monopoly Act as its ninth bill.
• Inie asked whether He Ao would seek reelection indefinitely, and he said he wanted to guide Ilan toward a better life and would do everything he could.
• The bearded councilmember explained that he feared He Ao’s expanding authority could eventually lead to dictatorship, but supported the bill because Ilan’s people needed unity during the crisis.
• The Golden-Haired Chief of Staff told He Ao that all nine bills had passed, and he signed them into law.

He Ao completed his promotion to B-rank as the abyss’s power neared, then spent his remaining Exchange Stars to contact the power behind the Saint card. He reached the Goddess of Life and proposed a deal.

• He Ao learned that the Kepesi Mining mercenaries were moving toward Ilan City, finished brewing his medicine, and drank it to promote to B-rank despite his injuries.
• A Red-Haired Girl traveled alone by airship to Ilan City to study and spoke with a concerned Plump Woman about the city’s danger and her family.
• He Ao repeatedly tested mystical symbols until he drew one that let him target a silent high-level existence.
• He Ao exchanged his seven remaining Exchange Stars for Saint and used the symbol to establish contact with the Goddess of Life.
• The Goddess of Life’s contamination began transforming He Ao, but he strengthened himself with Super Memory and addressed her: “Goddess of Life, let's make a deal.”

He Ao saw the Southern District’s reconstruction plans take shape and learned that the Federal Government was sending investigators to restore Ilan City’s trade routes. At Vels’s shop, He Ao entrusted the repair manual and business to Jielin, then sensed a giant humanoid presence growing clearer as Mide contacted him.

• News broadcasts reported that Mayor Lynn had signed the Old City Reconstruction Act, bringing low-rent housing and a major hospital to the Southern District.
• He Ao opened Vels’s shop, read the repair notebook, and learned that Vels had left the shop and its belongings to him.
• A boy named Jielin visited to ask after Vels and said he wanted to learn wristband repair; He Ao gave him the shop key and notebook and urged him to pursue his education.
• He Ao felt his cane grow lighter, transformed it into a sword, and found that it handled more smoothly while enhanced with divine sense.
• Mide contacted He Ao, who looked toward a huge humanoid outline becoming increasingly distinct in the city.