Recaps

Kyle questioned Boke Ya and Bowen about Gadonf, the commander of the Twenty-sixth Legion, then offered Boke Ya a battalion command appointment that could bring him into conflict with Gadonf and the Church. Boke Ya was left torn between the opportunity and his promise.

• Kyle asked Boke Ya what he knew about Gadonf, and Boke Ya called in Bowen, who had investigated the commander.
• Bowen described Gadonf’s background and revealed that the commander barred officers with poor discipline or ambition from command and required them to lead from the front.
• Kyle ended the discussion and showed Boke Ya and Bowen an order removing Hurst Rocken and appointing Boke Ya as battalion commander.
• Kyle warned that accepting the appointment would draw the army’s attention and likely earn Gadonf’s dislike, leaving Boke Ya conflicted.

Kyle punished Boke Ya and Bowen for challenging his order but decided to test Boke Ya’s character before establishing the guard troops. Meanwhile, Velin inspected a Griffin Knight squad from the Saint Song Griffin Knight Order and asked Darian to examine his griffin.

• Boke Ya begged Kyle to rescind his order to remove General Hester, and Bowen offered to share his punishment.
• Kyle stripped Boke Ya and Bowen of their military posts and assigned them to guard duty, then told Lyanna he would wait to establish the guard troops and assess Boke Ya.
• Boke Ya and Bowen left the camp, and Boke Ya decided not to tell Hester because he considered the debt repaid.
• Velin inspected the Griffin Knight squad and learned from Ovia Silverwing that the Church had sent them to train the Ninth Legion.
• Velin asked Darian to examine his griffin, and Darian agreed.

Velin assigned Xing to Darian’s Griffin Knight squad for training and watched the squad face Ovia’s force in a simulated aerial battle. Afterward, Velin asked Ovia to identify the Ninth Legion’s best aerial-combat general by dawn, while Xing tried to bargain for less training, more food, and wine.

• Velin pulled Xing from his Demiplane, had Darian inspect him, and ordered Xing to train with Darian before teaching the combat techniques to his kin.
• Velin warned Xing not to misuse his name, gave him Glowing Wine, and told Darian to discipline him if necessary.
• Ovia reported that 123 Griffin Knights would oppose Darian’s 14 knights, and both sides used Hunting Ground Magic Identification Equipment in a simulated battle.
• The battle ended with both forces wiped out, and Velin praised their combat and command methods before asking Ovia to name the Ninth Legion’s strongest aerial-combat general by dawn.
• Darian assigned Dorna to care for Xing and announced that regular training would resume the next day.
• Darian warned Xing that training would be arduous, and Xing asked for less training, more food, and wine.

Velin met with Ovia to discuss her recommendations for an aerial forces commander, and learned that her father, Kvat Silverwing, was imprisoned in Southern Nether Province. Velin agreed to seek his release by requesting that the Church of Dawn conscript him as Velin’s adjutant, but told Ovia that the time-reversal artifact she offered was not enough payment.

• Darian cited military regulations to convince Xing to stop arguing and follow him to its nest, promising to train properly the next day.
• Velin reviewed candidates for the aerial forces command and marked Darian as a talent worth watching.
• After spending the night alone on a hillside, Velin met with Ovia and asked whom she recommended for the command.
• Ovia recommended Selina Krovtsna from within the legion and her imprisoned father, Kvat Silverwing, from outside it.
• After reviewing a memory orb Ovia provided, Velin offered to ask Great Priest Gerard to conscript Kvat for the Church of Dawn and appoint him as Velin’s adjutant.
• Ovia offered Velin an Epic Grade Astral Realm fragment with a time-reversal effect, but Velin said it was not enough payment.

Velin requested that Kvat Silverwing be transferred from Judgment Prison to serve as the Ninth Legion’s aerial-combat adjutant. Archbishop Gerard secured the Pope and Saint’s approval, and Gerrard gave him a mask that would sever Kvat’s ties to the Church of Dawn.

• Velin recalled Kvat Silverwing’s history and sent Archbishop Gerard a request to assign Kvat to the Ninth Legion.
• Gerard traveled to Shuguang Province and asked Pope Emicilia and Saint Gerrard to approve Kvat’s transfer.
• Emicilia and Gerrard agreed to release Kvat from Judgment Prison so he could serve Velin.
• Gerrard gave Gerard a mask for Kvat that would end his connection with the Church of Dawn.
• Emicilia insisted that Gerrard accompany her to their old homeland before he left, and he agreed.

Great Priest Gerard sent Muen to Judgment Prison to retrieve Kvat Silverwing, and the Pope approved the release. Muen left the prison with Kvat and the crystal key to his Soul Chain.

• Great Priest Gerard ordered Muen to travel to Southern You Province and bring Kvat Silverwing out of Judgment Prison.
• Aiselin verified Muen’s access and activated the Teleportation Array that sent him to the prison.
• Muen presented Gerard’s token to Warden Sephrin Katarn, who ordered Raen to bring Kvat from the prison’s thirteenth level.
• Sephrin told Kvat that Gerard had requested his release and the Pope had approved it.
• Muen received the purple crystal key to Kvat’s Soul Chain and left Judgment Prison with him.

Kvat Silverwing accepted the Silver Mask, became Ignis, and was assigned as adjutant to Velin Ex in the Ninth Legion. Velin met with Yalinauron Belfas at the Seventh Army Corps’ Eagle Mountain Camp to discuss the war against the Black Asia Orcs, and the gathering ended with a banquet.

• Archbishop Gerard gave Kvat Silverwing the Silver Mask, which severed his ties to the Church of Dawn and erased his former identity; Kvat took the name Ignis.
• Gerard ordered Moon to appoint Ignis as Velin Ex’s adjutant and to have Yalinauron Belfas launch a probing attack against the Black Asia Orcs.
• Velin traveled to Eagle Mountain Camp with three hundred Griffin Knights and Ovia Silverwing, where Yalinauron Belfas and the Seventh Army Corps’ generals welcomed him.
• Velin and Yalinauron discussed the frontline situation, the Black Asia Orc commander, and the enemy’s troop deployments.
• Yalinauron began a banquet after the meeting, while Xing ravenously ate magical beast meat and demanded more wine.

Velin courted Yalin Olon over a banquet and secured his promise to protect Krell, then offered him Purple Condensation Gel for a possible exchange. The chapter ends as Master Calista arrives to test the substance.

• Yalin Olon gave Velin a beautiful Red Armored Female Knight, whom Velin later learned was named Claire and had been a noble's illegitimate daughter.
• Velin met with Yalin Olon and asked him to protect his friend, appointed Deputy Army Commander of the Thirty-ninth Army, Nineteenth Army Corps.
• Velin presented Yalin Olon with ten units of Purple Condensation Gel made from High-Gold Gray creatures, explaining that it could strengthen Spellcasters.
• Yalin Olon summoned Master Calista to test the Purple Condensation Gel.

Velin brought Purple Condensation Gel to Yalin Olon, and Calista examined it and discovered that it could increase a Spellcaster’s Soul Power. After pricing three varieties, Calista distinguished the refined gel from the cruder types, leaving Velin considering how to recruit her and Yalin wary of provoking him.

• Yalin Olon introduced Calista to Velin, and Calista examined the Purple Condensation Gel with her Analysis Spirit before swallowing samples.
• Calista identified the gel’s ability to increase a Spellcaster’s Soul Power, and Velin explained its varieties and standard unit.
• Calista valued the lightest gel at two Intermediate Magic Crystals per unit, the darker gel at nine Intermediate Magic Crystals, and the original gel at three High-Grade Magic Crystals.
• Calista said the original gel showed the work of a master, while the other varieties were crudely made or mass-produced in a Magic Potion Workshop.
• Velin considered how to lure Calista to Qixing Territory, while Yalin Olon realized the gel’s mass production suggested a renewable Magic Crystal Mine and decided not to provoke Velin.

Velin negotiated a ten-year Purple Condensation Gel trade with Yalin Olon and returned to the Ninth Legion, where new military developments and arriving personnel awaited him. Yalin planned to investigate Velin, while Ignis joined the Ninth Legion after Velin welcomed him.

• Velin agreed to sell Yalin Olon Purple Condensation Gel under a confidential ten-year Trade Agreement worth three hundred and three million Gold Coins.
• Calista arranged to obtain Purple Condensation Gel through Yalin, while Velin considered ways to lure her to Qixing Territory with unknown treasures.
• Seven days later, Velin left Yalin's camp, and Yalin decided to send people to the Ilia Kingdom to investigate him.
• Leonas reported military discipline actions, upcoming improved Magic Energy Cannons, and plans to assign life priests to the Ninth Legion; Velin requested twice as many priests.
• Mu En and Ignis arrived as adjutants, and Velin recognized Ignis, welcomed him, and accepted his intention to serve the Ninth Legion.

Velin visited the Logistics Camp, where he explored ways to secure supplies and reunited with Xuemiyya. He learned that the Ninth Legion strictly tracked damaged equipment and employed eight hundred Inquisitor Knights, leaving him wondering whether the rules were designed to guard against him.

• After Velin assigned Ignis to Ovia, he met with Leonas and then headed to the Logistics Camp with the Red Armored Female Knight.
• Velin sampled a red honey brick, and an Inquisitor Knight recorded the tiny amount he took in meticulous detail under Leonas's supply-accounting rules.
• Velin found Xuemiyya working through documents, embraced her, and shared a brief private moment with her.
• Velin summoned the Red Armored Female Knight and assigned Claire to serve as Xuemiyya's attendant.
• Xuemiyya explained that damaged or lost equipment required increasingly senior officials' approval depending on its grade, and told Velin that the Logistics Department had eight hundred Inquisitor Knights.

Ignis met privately with his son Ovia, who commanded the First Griffin Knight Order, but insisted they treat each other as superiors and subordinates rather than father and son. Half a month later, Ignis prepared a large-scale simulated battle for the Ninth Legion, while Velin considered how to keep the Church's Legendary Magic War Sandbox.

• Velin left Xuemiyya and headed to the Twenty-fifth Legion, where Ignis recognized Griffin Knight Darian arguing with the griffin Xing.
• Ovia brought Ignis into his tent, shielded it with magic, and ordered the First Griffin Knight Order to assemble.
• Ignis rejected Ovia's attempts to speak to him as his father and asked him to use his name or military rank instead.
• Ovia formally saluted Ignis, then reported on the Griffin Knight Orders throughout the night before assembling the troops for inspection.
• Half a month later, thousands of knights and a Floating Fleet gathered north of Kixilin Main Camp, and Ignis began preparations for a large-scale simulated battle.
• Velin watched the Legendary Magic War Sandbox and considered how to keep it in the Ninth Legion.

Velin observed a three-hour trial battle between Ignis's aerial knights and the Floating Fleet, which ended in a decisive victory for the fleet. He assessed the forces' strengths and addressed the troops, declaring that the Ninth Legion would win the coming war.

• Ignis ordered the Dragon Riders and Griffin Knights to attack the Floating Fleet while Nolga Flax directed the fleet's defenses and counterfire.
• The Dragon Riders breached the fleet's defenses at heavy cost, and Ovia sent the Griffin Knights into the fight as aerial knights and ships fell on both sides.
• After three hours, the battle ended with the Floating Fleet victorious, while Ignis's remaining forces consisted of over six hundred Griffin Knights and fifty-three Dragon Riders.
• Velin concluded that aerial knights were best suited to fighting other aerial knights or isolated ships, though an experienced commander could use them against a small fleet.
• Velin awarded the Floating Fleet for its victory, praised the aerial knights' resolve, and assured the troops that the Ninth Legion would prevail in the coming war.

As the War of Faith spread across several fronts, Velin received orders to replace the Twelfth Legion and retake the lost cities of Lede Province. He prepared to mobilize the Ninth Legion while reluctantly accepting another thousand Inquisitor Knights.

• Major battles erupted across the Northern Plains, Belfas, and the Shia Beastman Kingdom, with heavy casualties on both sides.
• Velin received a message from Supreme Commander Cyrus Alcaus Raycroft, who granted him 400 Life Priests and assigned 1,000 Inquisitor Knights led by Deboraia to the Ninth Legion.
• Cyrus ordered Velin to replace the Twelfth Legion and retake the lost cities of Lede Province in the Kingdom of Belfas.
• Velin ordered a pre-war meeting in three days for all commanders of army commander rank and above.
• Velin accepted that he could not refuse the added Inquisitor Knights and began planning how to plunder the Black Asia Orcs.

Velin ordered the Ninth Legion to reclaim Province of Lede from the Black Asia Orcs and assigned forces to retake its fallen strongholds. He arranged support for the campaign and left the Legion Command Department alone after the meeting.

• Velin announced that the Ninth Legion would take over the Twelfth Legion’s defensive line and reclaim occupied regions of Province of Lede.
• Velin assigned the Twenty-fifth, Twenty-sixth, and Twenty-seventh Legions to attack Batoons Fortress, Ximoji Mining Fortress, Doken City, and South Lede City, while Ignis’s aerial forces would capture Celes Fortress.
• Selina Krovtsna reported that her two disguised assassin squads had infiltrated Celes Fortress and described the locations of roughly nine thousand captured Twelfth Legion soldiers.
• Velin told Ignis to prioritize capturing Celes Fortress and save the prisoners if possible, and Leonas agreed to transfer Inquisitor Knights to the Twenty-fifth and Twenty-sixth Legions.
• Velin directed Pragorn Mumus to borrow the Twelfth Legion’s spellcasters and ordered Selina Krovtsna to investigate possible spies in the Ninth Legion.
• After the others departed, Velin remained alone in the tent.

Kyle assigned the Fifteenth Legion’s commanders to deal with suspected Black Asia Orc forces near Batoons Fortress before the main attack. After the meeting, Velin arrived at Kyle’s tent as the legion prepared to set out.

• Kyle briefed Morlet, Ashborn, and Illictra on the defenses at Batoons Fortress and the possible Black Asia Orc forces beneath Anyu Town, including the Nacakit Camp.
• Morlet, Ashborn, and Illictra agreed that the force beneath Anyu Town should be eliminated before the fortress attack.
• Kyle assigned the Third Army to handle the force beneath Anyu Town, putting Illictra in charge.
• Kyle assigned the First Knight Order to handle the Meifeirui Hunting Group in Puerta City, with one battalion from Ashborn’s Second Army assisting.
• Velin arrived at Kyle’s tent after the commanders left and said he had come to see him before they set out.

Velin prepared the Ninth Legion for its campaign and watched its forces depart for Lede Province and the Shadow World. Back at Kixilin Main Camp, he met the Legends Nigellus and Zesop, whose chess match ended with Zesop winning a Time Dragon Scale while Velin slept.

• Velin gave Kyle the Ice Guardian Charm and promised to reinforce the Twenty-fifth and Twenty-sixth Legions with Soul Intent rank Inquisitor Knights.
• Velin arranged for Lyanna to stay with Xuemiyya while the campaign was underway.
• Half a month later, the Ninth Legion's three major legions set out through Fimode Province toward Lede Province.
• Seven days later, Ignis led the Floating Fleet and aerial knights through a passage into the Shadow World near Celes Fortress.
• Velin met Nigellus and Zesop at Kixilin Main Camp, ate their precious fruits, and fell asleep as they played chess.
• Zesop won their game and claimed a Time Dragon Scale from Nigellus before challenging him to another match.

Velin met with Nigellus and Zesop, who showed him a fortress in the Shadow World where Black Asia Orcs used captive shadow creatures to produce a substance that empowered their cubs. The fortress appeared to be protected by a Legendary shadow creature, and the church planned to wait for the right opportunity to act.

• Velin woke after eating an Iberhuana Fruit, and Nigellus and Zesop invited him to address them as Uncle Nigellus and Big Brother Zesop.
• Nigellus showed Velin a vision of a fortress in the Northern Desert Tribal Region where Black Asia Orcs killed captive shadow creatures and used the resulting purple liquid to strengthen their cubs.
• Velin learned that the fortress was producing the Shadow Warriors recently seen on the battlefield, though Zesop said the older Shadow Warriors had not carried the same corrupted aura.
• Nigellus showed Velin a Legendary shadow creature meeting with a Legendary Black Asia Orc, suggesting the creature protected or approved of the fortress.
• Nigellus told Velin that the church would wait for the right opportunity to act.

Velin received Transcendent Fruits and support from Nigellus and Zesop, then shared the fruits with his companions and guards while handling military work. At Melsa Fortress, Monrisa Zephnaya welcomed Moret’s army, which had arrived to station there for three days.

• Nigellus told Velin he could make his own preparations and gave him a large supply of Transcendent Fruits, while promising that he and Zesop would stay near Velin’s Legion Command Department.
• Velin gave half the fruits to Xuemiyya and Lyanna, shared most of the remainder with two guards, and then returned to his duties.
• Monrisa Zephnaya waited at Melsa Fortress with her officers, whose Third Army had suffered 4,533 deaths and 1,657 injuries in five months of war.
• Moret introduced himself as commander of the First Army of the Twenty-fifth Legion and said his army would be stationed at Melsa Fortress for three days.
• Monrisa confirmed that she had received orders and promised to meet Moret’s army’s needs during its stay.

Kyle questioned Monrisa about the Black Asia Orc assassin squad after taking control of Melsa Fortress. Monrisa recounted the squad’s attacks around Kataya City, while Kyle considered how the assassins might conceal their movements; he dismissed her and prepared to begin a meeting with his officers.

• Monrisa watched Kyle and the Twenty-fifth Legion’s troops enter Melsa Fortress, then followed them into the city.
• Kyle took over the City Lord’s Mansion and summoned Monrisa to question her report about the assassin squad.
• Monrisa objected when Kyle said Kataya City had fallen because one of her subordinates attacked the Mage Tower, but Kyle redirected her to the assassins.
• Monrisa described the killings and attacks that began at Kataya City’s northern outpost on January 11, 9773, and continued through the fall of Katoin Town.
• Kyle considered whether the assassins used magical concealment or traveled through the Shadow World, then dismissed Monrisa and turned to his officers.

Kyle ordered the Twenty-fifth Legion to destroy the enemy beneath Anyu Town and disarm the allied Thirty-fifth Legion Third Army in Melsa Fortress. By the end, all sixteen thousand soldiers had been imprisoned, while Morlet recovered an identity plaque from the bloodstained streets.

• Kyle tasked Illictra with wiping out the enemy beneath Anyu Town within five hours and promised to recommend him as Deputy Legion Commander if he succeeded.
• Kyle ordered Morlet to take control of Melsa Fortress and disarm the Thirty-fifth Legion Third Army, and told Ashborn to assemble three hundred faithful Silver-grade warriors.
• Monrisa learned that the Twenty-fifth Legion had sealed the fortress gates and aimed its cannons at her army’s camps and armories, then tried to confront Kyle.
• A Soul Intent Mid-Tier warrior blocked Monrisa from leaving her command department, and she ordered her guards to retreat after sensing Kyle’s pressure.
• The Twenty-fifth Legion disarmed and imprisoned all sixteen thousand members of the Thirty-fifth Legion Third Army.
• Morlet picked up a bloodied identity plaque bearing the name Alva from the street.

Kyle disguised three hundred Silver Warriors and sent them into the Shadow World to capture anyone near Melsa Fortress. Meanwhile, a nighttime incident exposed a suspected spy among the soldiers, and a Low-Gold Warrior ordered the people involved brought to the army commander.

• Morlet ordered an officer to clean and send the fallen soldier’s identification tag to military headquarters.
• Kyle cloaked three hundred Silver Warriors in a sinister aura and sent Ashborn to lead them into the Shadow World to capture people near Melsa Fortress.
• Shadow Assassins watched soldiers in a camp as several men woke and left their tents, including Captain Nars, who encountered an assassin near the latrine.
• Captain Nars accused the Shadow Assassin of being a Black Asia Orc spy, but a Low-Silver Tier Warrior and his nephew wounded him and exposed his black mist.
• A soldier urged the others to rebel, but troops from the First Army of the Twenty-fifth Legion surrounded them, and a Low-Gold Warrior captured the Shadow Assassin.
• The Low-Gold Warrior ordered the Low-Silver Tier Warrior to bring him the wounded officer and the assassin so they could report to the army commander.

Morlet brought two captured men to Kyle at the City Lord's Mansion, where Kyle questioned the middle-aged officer and uncovered the Kato organization’s army infiltrators. After killing and interrogating the officer’s soul, Kyle ordered Number 298 to continue the plan and Morlet to arrest thirty-seven people alive.

• Morlet led the two prisoners to the City Lord's Mansion, where Kyle asked how they had been captured.
• The middle-aged officer confessed that he belonged to the Kato organization and named his superior and thirteen subordinates.
• Kyle killed the middle-aged officer and tortured his soul to learn what he had seen, then burned the soul with holy flames.
• Kyle released the Shadow Assassin, identified as Number 298, and ordered him to tell Number 8 to continue the plan.
• Kyle gave Morlet a list of thirty-seven names and ordered him to arrest them alive.

Kyle rewarded Wo Yif and Ke Yis for capturing a Black Asia Orc spy, while Wo Yif promised his uncle he would avoid the mistakes that cost his father his life. At dawn, Illictra organized the Third Army’s assault on Anyu Town, ordering it taken before nightfall.

• Kyle promoted Ke Yis to squad leader in the Silver Armor Guard Camp and assigned Wo Yif to legion headquarters as a Camp Guard.
• Kyle awarded each warrior who helped capture the spy one merit, fifty Gold Coins, magical beast flesh and blood, Hong Dexi Fruits, and Yuesai Cloth.
• Ke Yis warned Wo Yif not to seek attention recklessly, then promised to stop holding back his nephew’s ambitions.
• Illictra planned to flood Anyu Town’s pits and assigned battalions to bombard the town and block escape routes.
• Illictra ordered the operation to begin in half an hour and instructed his forces to capture Anyu Town before nightfall.

Illictra destroyed a Black Asia Orc outpost and began diverting a river while Budak prepared the Starfina Tribe’s survivors to flee Anyu Town. After learning that Doken City had fallen, Budak sent Idaki south with two promising youths and resolved to cover the others’ escape himself.

• Illictra killed a Black Asia Orc at the Lake Sekos outpost, then used battle qi to dig a river channel.
• Butak ordered a withdrawal after Idaki reported that Doken City had fallen and more than thirty human soul intent tier soldiers had attacked it.
• Idaki persuaded Butak to let him take two Gold Low-tier Black Asia Orc youths to safety, then escaped south through the Shadow World as a three-legged Black-and-White Crow.
• A shadow bat witnessed Idaki's departure, while Budak decided to help more of his people escape and vowed to fight the humans if necessary.
• Budak ordered the older Dark Warriors to form the vanguard, arranged the others by age, and said he would bring up the rear.