Chapter Summaries

On the eve of his wedding, Roland refused Gandalf’s appeal to help investigate Dol Guldur and angrily defended the Northern Territory’s decision not to aid the southern kingdoms again. After Gandalf left, Yun Feng urged Roland to focus on Lagrange and his wedding rather than feel responsible for Middle-earth.

• Roland rejected Gandalf’s request for help with Dol Guldur and directed him to seek Queen Galadriel’s support.
• Roland accused Gandalf of exploiting the Northern Territory and condemned Gondor and Rohan for failing to share the burden of fighting the darkness.
• Gandalf clarified that he only intended to investigate Dol Guldur, then left after congratulating Roland on his wedding.
• Yun Feng told Roland that, as King of Lagrange, he was responsible for his own kingdom rather than Gondor or Rohan.
• Yun Feng said he would keep an eye on Gandalf and reminded Roland to prepare for his wedding the next day.

On the night before his wedding, Roland worried over the preparations and the powerful crown he would place on Nyx, then overslept and hurried into his ceremonial dragon robe. Guests including Bard, Eowyn, Thorin, Bai Yi, and Thranduil arrived to celebrate, leaving Roland surprised by the Woodland Realm king’s presence.

• Roland checked the wedding preparations and admired the Blessing of the Ice Gale crown that Yun Feng had made for Nyx.
• Nyx went to bed, and Roland stayed up reviewing the records before finally falling asleep.
• Roland’s maid woke him late on his wedding day, and he quickly put on the Lagrange Dragon robe.
• Bard welcomed Roland and congratulated him on his wedding.
• Eowyn, Thorin, and Bai Yi arrived with greetings and blessings for Roland.
• Thranduil appeared with a gift, surprising Roland, who had invited him only as a formality.

Roland and Nyx prepared to marry as their guests and retainers gathered for the ceremony. Nyx gained confidence when the people welcomed her and her ducal knights, but Roland was shocked when he saw who would officiate the wedding.

• Thranduil shared fruit wine with Roland before magical fireworks announced that the wedding was about to begin.
• Roland invited the kings to witness the ceremony, and Gandalf teased him about being watched by his guards.
• Nyx arrived and joined Roland, greeting the assembled kings as the future queen.
• Lavien insisted on riding with the wedding carriage and raised the Bauhinia banner, while fifteen Knights of the Crimson Lily escorted Roland and Nyx through the cheering town.
• Roland and Nyx arrived at the prepared plaza, where Roland was stunned by the identity of the officiant.

Roland and Nyx married in a ceremony that Roland thought resembled an execution, and Nyx was crowned Queen of Lagrange. After the wedding feast, Roland returned to the castle drunk and exhausted, where Nyx changed his clothes and sent him to bed.

• Roland and Nyx walked to the wedding platform, where Yun Feng officiated despite Roland's misgivings about the venue.
• Roland and Nyx exchanged vows to stay together and shoulder the kingdom's fortunes side by side.
• Nyx swore to be faithful to Roland, loyal to the kingdom, and kind to its people, then Roland crowned her Queen of Lagrange.
• The guests celebrated the wedding with loud cheers, and Roland struggled to keep up with the Dwarves' drinking at the banquet.
• Nyx helped the drunken Roland change and refused his advances, leaving him alone to sleep.

Apophis Breo resolved to lead an expedition to the Old Pass in winter, and Roland reluctantly gave him the Imperial Outpost. After Apophis departed, Roland learned that the Junlin Family had powerful reserves, including at least one forbidden spell.

• Apophis Breo told Roland he would leave for the Old Pass and planned to secure the region with fortresses before rebuilding the Northern Border Great Wall.
• Roland warned Apophis about the exposed route and the kingdom’s inability to support him, but Apophis remained determined to go quickly.
• Roland gave Apophis the Imperial Outpost, and Apophis left to prepare for the expedition.
• Omsk objected to Apophis setting out amid heavy snow, while Yun Feng argued that the Junlin Family was strong enough to establish a bridgehead.
• Yun Feng revealed that Apophis carried an energy no weaker than a forbidden spell, and Omsk and Yun Feng explained that noble families had inherited forbidden spell scrolls, including protective ones.

Yun Feng emptied Roland’s treasury after being given permission to take what he needed, so Roland retaliated by assigning him government paperwork. Roland then considered his plans for northern expansion, but General Omsk warned that their limited forces made them difficult to carry out.

• Yun Feng persuaded Roland to let him choose supplies from the treasury, then took its minerals, plants, and other stored goods.
• Nyx learned Yun Feng had gone to the treasury, and Roland rushed there to find it nearly empty.
• Roland let Yun Feng keep the supplies but ordered that internal government documents be sent to him for review.
• Yun Feng cursed Roland after a knight delivered a sack of official papers and administrative orders.
• Roland studied a sand table and asked after Caslo and Reno while General Omsk warned that the army lacked the mobile forces and Sky Knights needed for northern expansion.

Caslo took Holyn and four other Griffon Knights for aerial combat training, teaching them attack maneuvers before choosing a dangerous beast as a live practice target. He left them to face an adult Mountain Claw Beast while promising to hold the line, though warning he might not be able to save them in time.

• Roland sent a guard to find Caslo, then learned that both Caslo and Ajax had gone missing.
• Caslo trained Holyn and the Griffon Knights in aerial combat, demonstrating the Hunter Sparrow Trajectory from Caldo’s back.
• After deciding the technique was too advanced for the rookies, Caslo found an adult Mountain Claw Beast for them to practice against.
• Caslo explained the beast’s strength and limited anti-air attacks, then instructed the knights to use hit-and-run tactics and maintain altitude.
• Holyn asked whether they could kill the beast, and Caslo encouraged the knights to trust their lances and griffons.

Holyn and the Griffon Knights fought a Mountain Claw Beast but could barely damage it, while Caslo and Caldo watched from above. Caslo called off the battle after learning the beast had been holding back a powerful skill and waiting for the Dragon Knight to make a move.

• Holyn arranged a flanking attack, but a Griffon Knight's lance bounced off the Mountain Claw Beast's armored back.
• Caslo told the Knights to target the beast's flanks and eyes, then learned they had little experience fighting magical beasts.
• After nearly three hours of attacks that barely scratched the beast, Caslo called the Knights back.
• Caldo explained that the Mountain Claw Beast had held back Mountain Spirit's Blessing and was guarding against Caslo and him.
• Caslo scolded Caldo for not revealing the beast's trump card sooner, while Caldo defended letting the rookies gain experience.

The newly trained Griffon Knights struggled against a Mountain Claw Beast during Caslo’s harsh field training, and Lavien challenged Caslo over the danger. After hearing Lavien’s account, Roland called for Caslo so he could question him about the incident.

• Caldo credited his strength to Wind Dragon blood essence, while Caslo ordered the Griffon Knights back to the nest after they failed to harm the Mountain Claw Beast.
• Holyn told Lavien he had felt powerless against the beast, and Lavien encouraged him to grow gradually and trust his own heart.
• Lavien confronted Caslo for taking the inexperienced Griffon Knights against a half-step Super Beast, but Caslo insisted the kingdom had no time for gentle training.
• Lavien reported Caslo’s training methods to Roland, who learned that the Mountain Claw Beast had not injured anyone and summoned Caslo for an explanation.

Roland worried that the Northern Territory lacked enough trained soldiers to match Sauron’s coming aerial and ground forces. Meanwhile, Apophis Breo led a slow-moving expedition through the Woodland Realm and prepared his troops for the harder journey ahead.

• Roland dismissed Caslo after their discussion, then considered how the Northern Territory could expand its Sky Knights or ground forces.
• Roland reviewed population records and lamented that hundreds of people with awakened Battle Qi could not become Knights without a Warrior’s Sanctuary and mentor.
• Apophis Breo ordered his weary infantry to rest during the expedition through the snowy Woodland Realm.
• Baron Olaf warned Apophis Breo that the army could not keep traveling at its current pace, and Apophis explained that he could not wait for spring or afford more horses.
• Apophis Breo told Olaf to make the most of their rest inside elven territory before the army crossed the border.

Apophis Breo and his company crossed into Mirkwood, where Woodland Elves challenged their presence before accepting his credentials and warning them about spiders on the abandoned Elven Path. As they traveled onward, Apophis Breo spotted a forest covered in webbing and ordered everyone to retreat quietly.

• Apophis Breo studied the map and realized the company was nearing the Magic Stream, then discovered Woodland Elves had surrounded them with drawn bows.
• Apophis Breo identified himself as Grand Duke Junlin and presented Roland's appointment letter and his noble documents to prove it.
• The Elf Ranger captain accepted Apophis Breo's lawful passage but warned him that the Elven Path was abandoned and infested with spiders.
• Olaf dismissed the danger of spiders as Apophis Breo explained their connection to Ungoliant and the threat posed by Dark Demon Spiders.
• Apophis Breo saw a stretch of forest covered in webbing, identified it as the work of Demon spiders, and ordered the company to back away quietly.

Apophis Breo and his force discovered they had entered a Dark Demon Spider nest and fought their way through an overwhelming swarm. After catching up with Olaf's group, Apophis heard soldiers screaming and rushed toward them, fearing his Valiant Warriors were in danger.

• Olaf spotted webs covering the canopy, and Apophis Breo realized the force had been walking beneath a Dark Demon Spider nest.
• When a supply sledge overturned and disturbed a web, Apophis Breo killed a Dark Demon Spider with his Battle Qi blade.
• A Junlin Knight's attack drew dozens of spiders, so Apophis Breo held the rear while Olaf led the Valiant Warriors onward.
• Apophis Breo and the Knights killed dozens of spiders, then withdrew to catch up with Olaf and left the spiders' magic crystals behind.
• Apophis Breo heard Olaf shouting and soldiers screaming ahead, and hurried toward them to find out what had happened.

Olaf and the Valiant Warriors struggled against a swarm of Dark Demon Spiders until Apophis Breo and his Knights unleashed the Junlin family’s Battle Qi. The charge summoned the heroic spirits of the Junlin Knight Orders, revealing that the Lions of Lagrange had never truly left.

• Olaf led the Valiant Warriors in a circular formation, but spiders attacking from both flanks broke through and overwhelmed the soldiers.
• Olaf fought off a Dark Demon Spider that pinned him down, then nearly fell to another before Apophis Breo killed it with his lance.
• Apophis Breo saw the wounded soldiers fighting to hold their ground and ordered his Knights to save them.
• Apophis Breo proclaimed that the Lions of Lagrange had never left and led his Knights in a charge against the spiders.
• The Knights’ Battle Qi summoned lion phantoms and the heroic spirits of the Junlin Knight Orders, which tore through the spiders.

Apophis Breo and the Junlin Knights witnessed the heroic spirits of their ancestors charge ahead, repeating “From the Wilderness.” The vision showed Grand Duke Junlin’s last stand as the Empire collapsed and his family was destroyed, ending with him ordering a final attack on the Northern Territory Orcs.

• Apophis Breo led the Junlin Knights through the Shadow Demon Spiders while phantom Knights continued charging ahead and clearing a path.
• Olaf recognized the phantoms as the Knight Order’s ancestors, and Apophis Breo wept as they spoke of coming from the wilderness.
• After the Imperial Capital fell, Grand Duke Junlin refused to abandon the Northern Territory and prepared to defend its border against the Orcs.
• Five years later, Junlin Fortress fell, and Grand Duke Junlin learned that nearly all his family had been wiped out.
• When the convoy carrying his descendants was attacked, Grand Duke Junlin accepted their deaths and ordered the army to launch a final attack against the allied Northern Territory Orcs.

Grand Duke Delanur Breo led the Junlin Knights in a suicidal charge against the Orc coalition as the Empire collapsed around them. After the Junlin Family perished, the young knight sealed Junlin Fortress, sent word of the family’s fall, and prepared to die defending it.

• Grand Duke Junlin summoned the Junlin Knights and explained that the Northern Border Great Wall had likely fallen and the enemy was attacking from both sides.
• Grand Duke Junlin acknowledged the Sword Shield Family’s part in the Empire’s collapse but honored their last stand before Lagrange City.
• Grand Duke Junlin ordered the young knight to seal Junlin Fortress, then led the Junlin Knights in a charge against the Orc army.
• The Junlin Knights activated Sacrifice and burned through the enemy, while the young knight watched their doomed charge and sealed the fortress.
• The young knight sent a carrier pigeon reporting Grand Duke Delanur Breo’s death and the Junlin Family’s fall, then set the room ablaze and went out armed.

Apophis Breo witnessed the Junlin Heroic Spirits appear and recognized their leader as Grand Duke Delanur Breo before collapsing unconscious. In Flowing City, Roland grew alarmed by Apophis’s status and sent Caslo to check on the expedition and bring supplies.

• The phantom Junlin Knights charged, and their leader met Apophis Breo’s gaze before identifying himself as Junlin and fading away.
• Apophis Breo vowed to survive and restore the Junlin Lion family’s glory, then collapsed unconscious as his companions rushed to him.
• Roland saw the Heroic Spirit Return status and the Junlin Heroic Spirits combination skill on Apophis Breo’s system page, and feared the expedition was in danger.
• Roland summoned Caslo and ordered him to follow Apophis Breo’s route, check on the group, replenish their supplies, and help them if needed.
• Caslo agreed to go, and Roland warned him that griffins in the Grey Mountains had been acting strangely.

Roland asked Adilai to teach him combat techniques after realizing his fighting skill was poor despite his rank. Adilai began training him at the Knight's Sanctuary grounds, where Roland learned how far behind his fundamentals were and was assigned daily training with heavy weights.

• Roland asked Adilai to train him, and Adilai offered to teach him Battle Techniques.
• Adilai showed Roland the expanded training ground and explained the kingdom's shortages of skilled archers and Warriors.
• Roland chose foot combat, but Adilai blocked his attack, struck him, and knocked him to the ground while exposing his weak fundamentals.
• Adilai told Roland he would need to start with the basics and fastened lead weights around his waist and legs.
• Adilai ordered Roland to wear the weights whenever he was moving, including during sword lessons, leaving Roland dismayed.

Roland endured Adilai’s punishing sword training as he worked toward the Emperor on Horseback title, while Apophis Breo’s spider battle left his party exhausted and blood-mad. Caslo arrived to find Apophis Breo’s group charging at him, only for the entire force to collapse asleep.

• Adilai advanced Roland to thrust-dodging practice, repeatedly knocking him down while Roland struggled through the training.
• Roland kept returning to train despite his bruises, hoping to unlock the Emperor on Horseback title.
• Apophis Breo’s party fought venom spiders whose paralysis took more than a dozen people out of action.
• Apophis Breo led his enraged, exhausted party west, burning through spiderwebs and attacking anything in their path.
• Caslo landed in front of the party, and their charge struck Storm Dragon Caldo’s wing before Apophis Breo attacked Caslo.
• Caslo kicked Apophis Breo down and tried to rouse him, but Apophis Breo fell asleep and the rest of the party soon collapsed snoring.

Apophis Breo explained that he had summoned the spirits of more than a thousand Junlin Knights, who had trampled a wide road now known as Heroes' Spirit Avenue. Caslo discovered that Apophis Breo carried the Grand Duke Junlin's Chapter of Glory, a holy badge that could protect him from evil forces, and learned that Roland had sent Caslo to check on him and deliver supplies.

• Caslo woke Apophis Breo and questioned him about the road left behind by the sleeping group.
• Apophis Breo revealed that he had summoned the spirits of the last Grand Duke and the final Junlin Iron Cavalry, and Caslo was shocked.
• Caslo asked Caldo to check Apophis Breo for wraith-type talent, but Caldo found only fire-element Battle Qi.
• Apophis Breo showed Caslo the Grand Duke Junlin's Chapter of Glory, and Caslo recognized its holy power and protective effect.
• Apophis Breo asked why Caslo had come, and Caslo explained that Roland had sent him to check on Apophis Breo and bring supplies.

Apophis Breo’s company rested in the Misty Mountains after receiving supplies and Storm Dragon blood from Caslo, then prepared defenses for the night. When an intruder triggered their barricade, the Knights rushed out and Apophis Breo ordered Olaf to calm the soldiers.

• Caslo delivered provisions and a vial of Storm Dragon blood to Apophis Breo before flying away.
• Apophis Breo had his soldiers eat, set up a camp, and arrange barricades and perimeter watches.
• Apophis Breo shared Olaf’s tent for the night and ordered everyone to rest before the next day’s march.
• An intruder slipped through the barricade, setting off a clatter that brought the Knights and soldiers rushing out.
• Apophis Breo told Olaf to calm the ordinary soldiers and help them settle down.