Chapter Summaries

Ymir and Ismir anticipated better hunting once autumn exposed more prey, while Roland’s supplies helped Lion Territory resume rebuilding and clear out beasts. Roland and his advisors judged that the Orc threat had receded after the deaths of Azog and Bolg, though Orc forces remained near the Nazgûl-controlled fortresses.

• Ymir explained to Ismir that autumn would make animals and magical beasts easier to find and hunt.
• Duke Apophis Breo thanked Roland for supplies, especially two hundred thousand arrows, which would help Lion Territory hunt beasts without risking its troops.
• Olaf described being bruised by a wild boar and planned to lead militia armed with hunting crossbows against the beasts.
• Apophis Breo decided to distribute grain as work relief and send citizens out to rebuild Lion Territory.
• Adolf Heinrich, Darian Nightblade, and Roland discussed the diminished Orc threat after Thorin and his companions killed the Misty Mountains Goblin King and Azog and Bolg were dead.
• Orcs who had been fighting Junlin Family soldiers west of Junlin Fortress disappeared after news of the Forbidden Spell War spread.

Caslo was summoned after Wes's dragon hatched and went berserk, wrecking part of Flowing City before Omsk and others contained it. Caldo explained that the dragon crystal had caused an imbalance in the hatchling's power, and Roland left the group to deal with the aftermath.

• Omsk woke Caslo and told him that Wes's dragon egg had hatched, then took him outside the city to find Wes.
• Caslo saw that the dragon's rampage had destroyed part of Flowing City's southeastern wall and ruined a nearby district.
• Caslo found Wes's dragon restrained by Adolf Heinrich and Yun Feng while Darian Nightblade guarded Roland.
• Caldo identified the dragon crystal as the cause of the hatchling's uncontrolled power and warned that the city's magic barrier could have made the damage far worse.
• Wes explained that the dragon had burst through a window after hatching, and Roland revealed that Dos had absorbed much of its leaked Dragon Power.

Wes received a Dragon Flute from Roland after Villy’s destructive outburst ended, and Caslo encouraged him to name the dragon. Villy and Wes began forming a bond, though Villy understood that the Slave Contract bound him to Wes while Wes believed they were friends.

• Dos explained that Villy had lost control after eating a Dragon Crystal and said he would recover once he had vented his Dragon Power.
• At dawn, Villy stopped releasing Dragon Power and collapsed from exhaustion, and Dos told Wes to have him learn control from a Storm Dragon.
• Roland gave Wes a Dragon Flute and warned him not to let Villy out around the kingdom unless necessary.
• After Roland and the others left, Caslo urged Wes to choose a name, and Wes named the dragon Villy.
• Villy asked whether Wes was his knight, and Wes promised to become a powerful Dragon Knight and said they should be friends.

Wes completed his contract with Villy using a Dragon Flute, while Roland’s astonishing supply of the supposedly rare flutes left Yun Feng questioning the Romanian royal family. Caslo planned to train Wes for the violence ahead, and Lidilias prepared for another human attack as Sernal watched him in silence.

• Villy and Wes linked their Dragon Power, and the Dragon Flute absorbed their contract and took effect.
• Yun Feng questioned Roland about his Dragon Flutes, and Roland revealed a handful and tossed one to him.
• Caslo told Wes he would need to learn to fight and witness blood, then offered to take him home while Villy rested in the Dragon Flute.
• Lidilias raged that humans had taken the dragon egg and accelerated the hatchling’s growth, then prepared the city for a possible attack.
• Sernal watched Lidilias with strangely flickering soul-fire in his eyes.

Khamûl ordered Lidilias and Sernal to lure out and assassinate the newly advanced Dragon Knight by sending equipped Wandering Orcs to raid the Lagrange Kingdom. Sernal privately wrestled with his loyalties before the chapter shifted to Ismir, where a Goblin Knight arrived with an urgent warning.

• Lidilias urged Khamûl to stop the Lagrange Kingdom from gaining another Dragon Knight, and Sernal warned that killing him would be difficult without more Nazgûl.
• Khamûl assigned Lidilias and Sernal to assassinate the new Dragon Knight, planning to use Wandering Orc raids to draw him out with limited protection.
• Khamûl ordered them to bring the Black Arrow, while Lidilias praised his plan and Sernal left in silence.
• Sernal looked at a worn insignia in Dol Guldur's watchtower and wondered whether to choose glory or duty before the last light vanished.
• A Goblin Knight rushed into Ismir's wooden castle with an urgent warning, and Ismir put down his black bread to find out what had happened.

After Goblin Knights killed two heavily equipped Orc scouts near Windhelm Town, Ismir raised the alarm and summoned help from Lulong Fortress. Anthony Dos identified the Orcs as likely soldiers from Dol Guldur and returned to report the threat to Reno.

• The Goblin Knights brought two slain Orc scouts to Ismir, who recognized their armor as equipment for elite Orc troops.
• Ismir ordered the beacon lit and the militia gathered, while Ymir warned that Windhelm Town could not face an Orc army alone.
• Anthony Dos flew from Lulong Fortress to Windhelm Town, examined the corpses, and learned the Goblin Knights had killed both scouts.
• Khamûl’s plan was revealed: he had scattered Orcs near the town to draw out the Lagrange Kingdom and lure its Dragon Knights beyond the fortress’s protection.
• Anthony Dos left to report to Reno, then told him the Orcs were likely soldiers from Dol Guldur.

After scouts confirmed that Mordor had reinforced Dol Guldur with an unfamiliar Orc regular army, Roland’s forces prepared to send the newly promoted Dragon Knight Wes against it. Wes accepted the dangerous mission and received defensive magic scrolls as safeguards.

• Anthony Dos brought a captured Orc scout’s body to General Reno, who identified the enemy as an unfamiliar force likely reinforced from Mordor.
• Reno proposed deploying Dragon Riders against the Orc army, with Anthony Dos and Caslo protecting Wes while Reno’s infantry restrained the Orcs.
• Caslo trained Wes in handling a dragon lance and corrected his unsteady technique.
• Roland briefed Caslo and Wes on the Orc threat and assigned Wes to gain battlefield experience with Caslo, Anthony Dos, and Reno supporting him.
• Yun Feng gave Wes three defensive magic scrolls and warned him not to rely on them instead of his own strength.

Roland and Adolf Heinrich questioned why an Orc army had advanced so close, while the kingdom sent General Reno to defend Ismir’s territory. Ymir’s Goblin Knights discovered that the supposedly regular Orcs were unusually easy to defeat and remained wary of a trap.

• Roland sent Wes with Caslo and reminded them to stay safe, then discussed the Orc army’s advance with Adolf Heinrich and Omsk.
• Roland rejected the idea that sixth-tier Orcs were leading the attack and decided to deal with the Orcs while trusting Reno’s preparations.
• Anthony Dos reassured Ismir that General Reno and regular troops were coming to defend Windhelm Town.
• Ismir ordered a signal sent to recall Ymir and the Goblin Knights, who had been delaying the Orcs outside town.
• Ymir and the Goblin Knights annihilated an Orc scouting party, and Ymir warned them to stay alert for a trap.

Ymir and the Goblin Knights wiped out a large Orc force while delaying its advance toward Windhelm Town. Ismir welcomed General Reno and the Kingdom’s reinforcements, who began fortifying the town as a temporary stronghold.

• Ymir held off the charging Orcs, and the Goblin Knights and Tutu Pigs joined him to destroy several hundred supposed elite Orcs.
• Ymir decided to search for other Orc units, but the agreed evacuation signal appeared, confirming that the Kingdom’s reinforcements had arrived.
• Ismir welcomed Reno, who brought three hundred Dorwinian Heavy Swordsmen and two hundred Bannaria Archers to support Windhelm Town.
• Reno ordered the archers to reinforce the town defenses and the swordsmen to dig trenches, explaining that his troops were not the battle’s main force.

Reno prepared Wes for his first battlefield assignment, where the young Dragon Knight was expected to fight the Orcs hidden in the forest. The chapter left Wes shaken after witnessing an execution, while the Orc commanders prepared a concealed ambush of their own.

• Reno told Ismir that Wes would be the star of the campaign and explained that the war would train the kingdom's young Dragon Knights.
• Lidilias and Sernal confirmed that the human reinforcements had stopped to fortify their position, while a hidden elite Orc force prepared to use a Black Arrow in an ambush.
• Sernal struggled with a painful inner conflict that briefly turned his soul-fire blue before he regained control.
• Caslo reassured nervous Wes as they flew to meet Reno, who assigned him to kill the Orcs concealed in the forest.
• Reno had an Orc executed in front of Wes, and Wes vomited at the sight before Caslo urged him to follow closely and remember his grandfather.

Wes joined the battle against the Wasteland Orcs but struggled to control Villy and summon Dragon Power as Caslo demonstrated a Dragon Knight’s devastating ground attack. As Caslo and the other Dragon Knights fought overhead, Lidilias and Sernal prepared an ambush with elite Orcs and Heavy Crossbows.

• Lidilias ordered the Orcs to leave the forest and charge Windhelm Town as Ymir stood ready on the walls.
• Caslo, Anthony Dos, and Wes flew out to fight, though Wes struggled to stay balanced on Villy.
• Caslo instructed Wes to guide Dragon Power into his Dragon Lance, then showed him how to dive and devastate Orcs with wind blades.
• Caslo urged Wes to try the attack himself while Reno covered him from the ground.
• Lidilias watched the Dragon Knights engage, then Sernal’s elite Orcs assembled Heavy Crossbows in the forest to begin luring them.

An ambush using Orc bait and hidden Black Arrows brought down Caslo and wounded his dragon, Caldo, while Dos Antony fought the Nazgûl and Reno rode out to help. Caslo revealed that the enemy had lured the Dragon Knights into the trap before collapsing on his saddle.

• Caslo and Dos Antony descended to attack the Orc heavy crossbows, then realized the first Black Arrows had been bait and tried to pull up.
• Hidden Black Arrows struck Caldo and pierced Caslo, sending the Storm Dragon crashing into the forest.
• Dos Antony unleashed Myriad Thunderbolts against the concealed Orcs, but Sernal blocked his path and another Black Arrow forced him to dodge.
• Reno left Windhelm Town to support Caslo and urged the defenders to hold the line and light the Beacon Tower.
• Caslo told Reno that the Orcs had been bait for a trap targeting the Dragon Knights, then revealed the Black Arrow wound through his abdomen and collapsed.

Reno healed the wounded Caslo and Caldo, then joined them against Lidilias while Dos Antony fought Sernal. Khamûl’s ambush turned the battle against the Lagrange Kingdom, and Reno signaled Windhelm Town to retreat.

• Reno pulled the Black Arrow from Caslo and healed him and Caldo, but Lidilias arrived before their injuries had fully healed.
• Reno and Caslo fought Lidilias alongside Caldo, whose wounded wings left him unable to fly.
• Dos Antony countered Sernal by destroying the Orc crossbowmen and exposed Heavy Crossbows, then attacked him with a Dragon Knight’s strike.
• Khamûl ambushed Reno, Caslo, and Caldo, helping Lidilias wound them and shift the fight in the Orcs’ favor.
• Reno fired a Magic Signal Flare to order everyone in Windhelm Town to retreat.

Windhelm Town's civilians evacuated as the Dorwinian Heavy Swordsmen held the Orcs back, but Lafitte Antony turned the retreat into a human victory by leading archers back to defend the town. The ground battle ended in a decisive human win, while the aerial fight worsened for the humans as the Nazgûl gained the upper hand and Wes was forced to intervene.

• Ymir carried Lord Ismir from Windhelm Town as its soldiers organized the civilians' evacuation and the Dorwinian Heavy Swordsmen held the walls against the Orcs.
• Wyvern Knights spotted Reno's retreat signal, and Lafitte Antony ordered boats prepared before leaving Lucmerk in command of Lulong Fortress and heading to support Reno.
• Lafitte Antony's archers slaughtered the Orcs pursuing the evacuees, then he sent the Wyvern Knights to escort the civilians across the river and led four hundred Bannaria Archers back to Windhelm Town.
• The Bannaria Archers fought the charging Orcs with armor and hammers, joined Windhelm Town's defenders, and helped Lafitte Antony rout the remaining Orcs.
• Sernal and Dos Antony fought evenly in the sky as Lidilias and Khamûl overwhelmed Caslo and Reno, prompting Wes to intervene after the Nazgûl revealed their strength.

Wes joined the battle after Khamûl and Lidilias exploited the wounded Dragon Knights, while Sernal nearly killed Dos Antony with Soul Wither but deliberately stopped short. The Nazgûl abandoned hopes of gaining another victory and resumed their assault, just as a black greatsword emerged from a rift and struck at Wes.

• Wes descended from the sky and attacked Khamûl and Lidilias with Villy's Draconic Magic.
• Khamûl and Lidilias regrouped against Wes, while the Dragon Knights below continued fighting.
• Sernal unleashed Soul Wither at Dos Antony and Kote, then stopped before finishing them, leaving both sides in a standoff.
• Khamûl and Lidilias decided to retreat, then charged Reno and Caslo as the Dragon Knights met them.
• A rift opened beside Wes, and a sharp black greatsword slashed toward him.

Reno fought to keep Caslo and Caldo alive after Lidilias and Khamûl gravely wounded them. As Uwasa’s spatial attack closed in on Wes and Villy, a mysterious black figure appeared and erased it.

• Lidilias struck Caslo, while Khamûl stabbed Caldo and knocked Reno back; Reno wounded both Nazgûl with Holy Sword Judgment.
• Reno sealed Caslo’s and Caldo’s wounds and healed himself, while Dos Antony searched for the vanished Sernal to keep him occupied.
• Uwasa pursued Wes and Villy through space, but Villy repeatedly sensed his attacks and dodged them.
• Uwasa unleashed Void Great Split Slash, which broke through Wes and Villy’s defenses as Wes despaired.
• A black figure appeared beside Wes and casually erased Uwasa’s Space Blade.

Sernal turned against the other Nazgûl to protect Wes, allowing Dos Antony and the injured Caslo and Reno to retreat. As the survivors reached Lulong Fortress, Sernal revealed his strength while fighting off the Nazgûl and told Wes to watch how a true knight fought.

• Sernal blocked Uwasa and stood between him and Wes, then clashed with Uwasa as Dos Antony and the others watched in disbelief.
• Reno withdrew with the wounded Caslo, and Dos Antony used lightning to drive back Khamûl and Lidilias before carrying them both toward safety.
• Dos Antony retreated to Lulong Fortress, while Lafitte Antony evacuated his troops from the west bank and brought the rearguard across the river.
• Sernal told Wes to leave, then faced the surrounding Nazgûl and instructed him to watch a true knight fight.
• Sernal smashed Lidilias into the ground, suppressed Khamûl with his Soul Power, and wounded Uwasa when he blocked his spatial severance.

Sernal regained his identity as a Holy knight and reclaimed his Knightly glory while defending Wes from the Nazgûl. He struck the One Ring with his reforged holy sword, leaving cracks in it.

• Sernal protected Wes with Soul Power and resisted the Nazgûl as they accused him of betraying their kind.
• Wes called Sernal by name, and Sernal’s Soul Fire turned deep blue as he realized he was a heroic spirit.
• Sernal shattered his Soul Scythe and recalled his past as a knight of Arnor, declaring that darkness had not erased his glory.
• Sernal invoked the Holy Light, which burned away his black cloak and armor and restored his silver-white armor and sacred Knight Sword.
• Sernal declared that evil would never conquer him and struck the One Ring with his holy sword, causing several cracks to appear.

Sernal regained his humanity, destroyed the One Ring, and turned on the Nazgûl with the power of the Holy Light. He sent Wes away and kept fighting as the Nazgûl struggled to survive and pleaded to leave.

• Sernal purified the One Ring with holy flames until it shattered, then blasted the three Nazgûl with his holy sword.
• Sernal declared judgment on the Nazgûl and used Holy Sword Judgment, burning Uwasa and Khamûl and driving them from the void.
• Sernal told Wes to flee and banished him through a spatial vortex while he stayed behind to fight.
• Sernal fought the wounded Nazgûl with his holy sword and shield, using his soul-form powers to damage them directly.
• Uwasa begged Sernal to stop attacking and let the Nazgûl leave.

Sernal fought Uwasa, Lidilias, and Khamûl after defecting from the Nazgûl, then sacrificed himself so he could die as a human rather than remain a puppet of the One Ring. The chapter ended with Sernal appearing behind the shaken Wes.

• Dos Antony slapped Caslo awake and told him that Wes had gone to look for Caslo’s father.
• Reno told Caslo that Sernal had turned against the other Nazgûl and nearly killed Uwasa.
• Roland received a system notice that Sernal had defected and ordered General Ajax to support General Caslo at Lulong Fortress.
• Sernal activated Sacrifice and overwhelmed Lidilias, while Uwasa and Khamûl escaped through a spatial gate with Lidilias.
• Sernal told a mysterious man that he could now die as a human, then vanished as his soul faded.
• Wes gasped for breath until Sernal’s voice sounded behind him.