Chapter Summaries

Gepard and the Silvermane Guards held the line while Bronya, An, and the Trailblazer's group confronted Cocolia Rand and the Stellaron. As the battle began, Bronya and An joined the fight, believing another version of their mother was still carrying out a hidden plan.

• Gepard ordered the Silvermane Guards to protect the civilians instead of pursuing the Great Guardian, and Silval refocused on holding her line.
• Cocolia Rand mistook the attacking mechs for preparations made by the Underworld and invited Bronya to join her in the new world.
• Bronya restrained An and kept her from revealing what they believed about the other version of Mother Cocolia.
• Seele and Stelle charged Cocolia Rand, and Dan Heng and March 7th prepared for battle.
• The Burning Legion opened fire on Cocolia Rand while Bronya told An to trust their mother's plan.
• Bronya and An drew their weapons and entered the battlefield side by side.

The Silvermane Guards endured another monster assault while Gepard and Silval reorganized the defense. At the Creation Engine, Welt and Ninti learned that Cocolia had spent years secretly preparing to defeat the Stellaron and intended to be sealed away with it.

• A blast wiped out the charging monsters, and Gepard reorganized the Silvermane Guards while Silval went to reinforce Sixth Squad.
• Svarog entered the Creation Engine and found that it urgently needed more energy to operate.
• Welt and Ninti met Cocolia, who explained how she had secretly prepared the Creation Engine and other measures to strike the Stellaron.
• Cocolia asked Welt and Ninti to strengthen the Creation Engine, then said she planned to be sealed away with the Stellaron.
• Cocolia vanished, leaving Ninti conflicted about her intended sacrifice.

Cocolia adapted to her new body and attacked the group with a blizzard, but Stelle was impaled while saving March 7th. As Stelle drifted unconscious, she met Cocolia in a cosmic space and was urged to answer the will of Preservation.

• Cocolia unleashed a blizzard to freeze the surviving burning mechs, and Stelle charged her despite March 7th and Dan Heng's warnings.
• Cocolia struck at Stelle with an ice spear, and the two exchanged blows before Stelle retreated.
• Cocolia targeted March 7th, and Stelle intercepted the spear, taking it through her chest as March 7th shattered it with an arrow.
• Stelle lost consciousness and awoke in a cosmic void where Cocolia identified it as the resting place of past Great Guardians' Preservation wills.
• Cocolia told Stelle she had the qualification to obtain Preservation's power, and Stelle felt the will's summons growing stronger.

Stelle, Dan Heng, and their allies fought Cocolia Rand as she drew on the Stellaron’s power and unleashed a devastating blast. Cocolia Anqi’s final strike defeated the Mother of Falsehood, but she sealed herself away with the Stellaron and said farewell to Bronya and An.

• Stelle and Dan Heng joined the others in an all-out assault while the remaining Burning Legion sacrificed itself in a suicide explosion.
• Cocolia Rand drew heavily on the Stellaron’s energy, triggering a massive detonation that devastated the platform and the surrounding region.
• Cocolia Rand survived the blast, but the Creation Engine and a Stellaron- and Preservation-powered version of herself struck her in tandem.
• Cocolia Anqi shattered the Mother of Falsehood and caught the Stellaron after its power subsided into a black sphere.
• Golden chains sealed the platform, preventing Bronya and An from reaching Cocolia Anqi as she took the Stellaron and called their farewell her mission.

Bronya and Seele watched Cocolia get sealed away after she entrusted Belobog to Bronya. As the seal was about to disappear, Ninti prepared to intervene with Welt’s encouragement, and a colossal dragon claw touched the golden chains.

• Bronya restrained An as Cocolia ordered her to knock An out, and Seele helped render An unconscious.
• Cocolia told Bronya to care for herself and An and placed Belobog in her hands before the chains sealed her and the Stellaron away.
• Ninti worried that intervening could have consequences, but Welt encouraged her to follow her heart on her first Trailblaze journey.
• A vast black-jade dragon claw pierced the sky and touched the golden chains just before the sealed space vanished.
• Dazzling light spread across the planet, overwhelming everyone’s sight and thoughts.

Violet declined Pom-Pom’s invitation to join the train, while Belobog began recovering after the victory over the Eternal Freeze. Bronya took over the Great Guardian’s duties, then learned that Cocolia had awakened and left, with a letter asking Bronya to look after herself.

• Violet told Pom-Pom she wanted to continue walking her Path, and Himeko offered help with her mechanical arm, which Violet politely declined.
• Sampo sensed Ninti’s power in the Underworld, feared she had seen through his identity, and decided to hide nearby until the Trailblaze Crew left.
• The Fragmentums receded after Belobog’s victory, sunlight began to warm the city, and residents set to work rebuilding while rumors spread that Cocolia might not survive.
• Bronya processed Kriper Castle’s mounting affairs and finally paused to rest after officials worried about her health.
• Dan Heng told Bronya that Cocolia had awakened and left, then handed her Cocolia’s letter; Bronya wept with relief that her mother was alive.

Silval discovered Cocolia’s coded message and rushed to meet her at the ruins, where she found Cocolia caring for a sleeping girl. Cocolia revealed that she planned to leave Belobog to fight its remaining threats, and Silval embraced her as they faced their unresolved past.

• Silval woke after sleeping for two days and decoded Cocolia’s message inviting her to meet at the frontline ruins.
• Silval hurried to the ruins and found Cocolia sitting with a sleeping girl resting on her lap.
• Silval noticed scales on Cocolia’s hand, and Cocolia explained they were a side effect of using the Stellar Core’s power.
• Cocolia told Silval she intended to leave Belobog to confront the ancient enemies frozen beneath the ice.
• Cocolia said she could no longer serve as Great Guardian because of the sacrifices she had caused, and Silval embraced her.

Cocolia passed the Great Guardian role to Bronya and explained why she needed to leave Belobog to answer for past sacrifices. Bronya accepted the succession through tears, while An and Seele ended the scene by fighting after Seele teased An.

• An pretended to sleep on Cocolia's lap, then scratched Seele when she tried to touch her.
• Cocolia praised Bronya's growth and declared that Bronya would become the next Great Guardian.
• Cocolia asked Seele whether she could still remain Great Guardian, and Seele said the suffering and deaths in the underworld could not simply be forgiven.
• Bronya realized Cocolia's departure would preserve the authority of the City Builders and tearfully worried that she could not lead alone.
• Cocolia reassured Bronya that the people around her would support her, and the two embraced as Silval watched emotionally.
• Seele teased An about being jealous of Cocolia, and An drew her sword and fought with her.

Bronya took office as Belobog’s Great Guardian and announced the Underworld’s liberation while the Anqi Faction reconsidered its plans after Aha’s appearance. In the Memory World, Violet answered Tingyun’s summons aboard a spacecraft under Antimatter Legion attack and shielded her from a devastating blast.

• Bronya read Cocolia’s letter to Belobog’s people and announced the Underworld’s official liberation.
• Ninti and the Anqi Faction paused their plans to expand into interstellar society after Aha’s appearance made them reconsider their haste.
• Violet continued through the Memory World as her crystal violet flowers grew popular among the stars.
• Tingyun crushed a Crystal Violet Flower to summon Violet and asked her to deliver a message to Lady Yukong of the Luofu Xianzhou.
• The Antimatter Legion destroyed Tingyun’s spacecraft, and Violet embraced her and took the force of the blast.

Violet protected Tingyun from the Antimatter Legion and Phantylia, the Lord of Ravage, but was badly injured while concealing Tingyun in the wreckage. As Tingyun was moved by Violet’s sacrifice, Amon volunteered to confront Phantylia on the Xianzhou.

• Violet sheltered the unresponsive Tingyun, then destroyed the Antimatter Legion attacking the spaceship.
• Phantylia appeared, attacked Violet with black flames, and left after seeing what she believed were Violet’s broken arms and Tingyun’s corpse.
• Tingyun awoke beside the injured Violet, who warned her not to move because Phantylia might still be nearby.
• Violet reassured Tingyun that protecting her mattered more than her own injuries, deepening Tingyun’s affection for her.
• Amon volunteered to seek out Phantylia on the Xianzhou, while Violet and others agreed to open the empathy link if anything unexpected happened.

Tingyun woke from a nightmare about the screams of the dead and the Great Extinguisher, and Violet comforted her. Tingyun realized Violet had just finished bathing and hurried to fetch her loungewear.

• Tingyun told Violet she had dreamed of the victims' screams and being caught by the Great Extinguisher.
• Violet reassured Tingyun that the Great Extinguisher had left and promised to protect her from further danger.
• Tingyun asked why Violet was so kind, and Violet said that saving someone needed no reason.
• Tingyun noticed Violet was naked after bathing, blushed, and hurried to fetch her loungewear.

Phantylia met Amon aboard a merchant ship and learned that the mysterious traveler had no apparent intention of confronting her, while the Luofu's leaders analyzed Phantylia's infiltration and likely plans. The secret meeting ended with Fu Xuan pointing to the Luofu's greatest internal danger as a possible target for Phantylia's schemes.

• Phantylia introduced herself to Amon and asked about their intentions toward the Xianzhou Luofu.
• Amon denied having plans against the Luofu, and the frozen scene resumed as Amon and the monocles vanished.
• Phantylia decided that cooperation might be possible and continued her journey while remaining wary of Amon.
• Jing Yuan, Fu Xuan, and Yukong held a secret meeting after Tingyun reported that her voyage was going smoothly and mentioned a surprise.
• Fu Xuan reasoned that Phantylia had taken Tingyun's identity to infiltrate the Luofu, likely to target the Jianmu or sow destruction.
• Fu Xuan warned that Phantylia would exploit the Luofu's greatest internal danger, but did not name it.

Fu Xuan led Qingque through several criminal hideouts to provoke the Medicine King Sect while making Qingque handle the fights. After Cheng Lingshuang saved Qingque from a surprise attack, Fu Xuan let Qingque go home and resolved to keep an eye on the mysterious sword master.

• Fu Xuan brought Qingque to a Medicine King Sect hideout, kicked her into the fight, and watched as Qingque defeated the aberrations with Emperor's Jade Tablets.
• Fu Xuan continued leading Qingque through criminal dens and refused her requests to call in Cloud Cavalry reinforcements or stop working.
• A fallen monster ignited itself and its companions in ghostly blue fire, but Cheng Lingshuang cut through the flames with a precise sword strike before Fu Xuan's rescue spell took effect.
• Qingque thanked Cheng Lingshuang and used the rescue as an opportunity to ask Fu Xuan to let her leave; Fu Xuan agreed and departed.
• Cheng Lingshuang declined Qingque's offer of a late-night snack and vanished, while Qingque decided Fu Xuan could investigate her and happily headed out to enjoy her time off.

Cheng Lingshuang pursued the Anqi Faction’s martial arts culmination while living quietly on the Xianzhou and testing her skills through chess. After losing for days to Jing Yuan, she won back her money, and Jing Yuan concluded she was unlikely to be an enemy of the Xianzhou.

• Cheng Lingshuang decided to refine the Anqi Faction’s accumulated martial arts into a perfect sword form, and the other avatars agreed to let Amon Anqi watch for a chance to test her against Phantylia.
• Cheng Lingshuang spent her afternoons strolling around the Xianzhou and lost repeatedly to a young chess player she called the Chess Saint.
• Jing Yuan began playing Cheng Lingshuang for milk tea money, and the Anqi Network helped her win back her stakes while she continued honing her chess.
• After seven days of games, Cheng Lingshuang sent the Chess Saint away and won Jing Yuan’s money before leaving for another appointment.
• Fu Xuan confronted Jing Yuan about his investigation, and he judged that Cheng Lingshuang was probably not an enemy of the Xianzhou.

Fu Xuan and Jing Yuan agreed that they needed to investigate the mysterious sword-path master, Cheng Lingshuang, whose past remained unclear. Fu Xuan left, and Jing Yuan considered stealing Yan Qing’s money pouch again to fund another chess game.

• Fu Xuan explained that divination depended on collecting enough information to calculate the future.
• Fu Xuan and Jing Yuan agreed that they could only see a general trend about Cheng Lingshuang because her past was unknown.
• Jing Yuan said he would investigate Cheng Lingshuang the next time they met.
• Fu Xuan left, and Jing Yuan considered stealing Yan Qing’s money pouch again to fund his chess games.

Phantylia questioned Amon about his intentions as they neared the Xianzhou, and he revealed that he was considering a scheme to provoke a clash between the Xianzhou and The Hunt for Aha’s amusement. Phantylia chose to gamble on cooperating with him while continuing her own plan to claim the Jianmu and obtain an immortal body.

• Phantylia warned that she would attack Amon if he would not clarify his stance on her Jianmu plot.
• Amon told Phantylia about Aha’s supposed exploits and said he was weighing whether it would be more entertaining to attack the Xianzhou with her or help the Xianzhou defeat a Great Extinguisher.
• Phantylia suggested that destroying the Xianzhou could draw The Hunt into the conflict, and the monocle-wearing Followers of Joy enthusiastically praised the idea.
• Phantylia decided to gamble on Amon’s plan and offered to help, but Amon said he would handle the tribute to Aha himself.
• Amon and the monocle-wearing Followers departed, while Phantylia continued toward the Xianzhou to pursue the Jianmu with the Medicine King Sect.

Qingque pleaded with Fu Xuan and Ling Shuang after imagining how cute Little Sparrow would look with a mournful expression. The chapter ended with her insisting that her past help should spare her.

• Qingque shuddered at the thought of Little Sparrow wearing a mournful expression.
• Qingque begged Fu Xuan to remember her service to the Divination Department.
• Qingque reminded Ling Shuang that she had arranged several business deals for her and called them allies.

Cheng Lingshuang effortlessly dismantled Yan Qing’s sword technique and criticized it as flashy and uninteresting. Jing Yuan questioned how her swordsmanship compared with Jingliu, then comforted Yan Qing after his defeat.

• Jing Yuan and Fu Xuan watched Yan Qing unleash his Myriad Swords Descend from Heaven technique against Cheng Lingshuang.
• Cheng Lingshuang’s sword qi slipped through Yan Qing’s flying swords, pierced his chest, and caused his technique to collapse.
• Cheng Lingshuang told Yan Qing that his swordsmanship was flashy and failed to master the basics, then walked away.
• Jing Yuan wondered whether Cheng Lingshuang’s swordsmanship surpassed Jingliu’s, while Fu Xuan defended Jing Yuan’s strength.
• Jing Yuan patted Yan Qing’s head and asked whether his Dao Heart was shattered, then told him it depended on his expectations of himself.

Ninti returned Stelle’s Stardust gift by magically multiplying it, while March 7th and Stelle crowded around her for more. Bronya and Seele later dragged An away to dress her up and invited the Nameless crew to dinner, leaving everyone wondering why they had come.

• Stelle gave Ninti Stardust, and Ninti multiplied one piece into a large pile as a return gift.
• Stelle asked Ninti for more, but Ninti told her that everything needed moderation.
• March 7th rushed over with snacks, and Ninti struggled to handle both girls’ attention.
• An burst into the hall while refusing to wear a pink dress, as Bronya urged her to try it and Seele watched for fun.
• Bronya and Seele cornered and restrained An, then announced that they were treating the Nameless crew to dinner.
• Bronya and Seele carried the protesting An away, leaving the crowd confused about their visit.

Bronya found comfort in sleeping beside An and Seele, while Stelle dreamed of Cocolia, learned Belobog was doing well, and received a mask linked to Cocolia’s new power. After Stelle woke, Silval joined Cocolia’s dream and began groping her too.

• Bronya held An around the waist and Seele’s hand as they drifted to sleep, drawing strength from their presence and thoughts of Cocolia.
• In a dream, Stelle told Cocolia that Bronya, An, and Belobog were doing well, then groped Cocolia while they talked.
• Cocolia gave Stelle a white actor’s mask and said she would appear to fight for Belobog’s friends if Stelle wore it in danger.
• Cocolia sent Stelle out of the dream, and Stelle fell into deep sleep while clutching her blanket.
• Silval entered Cocolia’s dream and began groping her, prompting the Anqi Network to keep what followed restricted.