Chapter Summaries

Frederic led the Terra Kingdom’s fleet to seize Beast Slaying Island, despite his doubts about the campaign. Felicia and Roland’s forces confronted the landing party, and Felicia declared that the battle would be where Frederic died.

• Frederic learned that Roland’s First Fleet had appeared in the Azure Sea Region and ordered part of his fleet to hold it back while the rest attacked Beast Slaying Island.
• Frederic’s forces landed unopposed, and he sent the Imperial Guard Legion onto the island to capture it and prepare its defenses.
• More than thirty thousand Imperial Guard soldiers advanced inland before two thousand Earth Giants, human formations, and Saint Domain experts surrounded them.
• Frederic recognized that Felicia had mastered the Power of Law and tried to persuade her to ally with the Three Great Kingdoms.
• Felicia rejected his offer, said Roland respected her people, and declared that the Sea God Race would kill Frederic as the Saint Domain battle began.

Felicia and Frederic left the battlefield to fight above Beast Slaying Island while O'Neal led Roland's forces against the Terra Kingdom's Imperial Guard Legion. Roby kept feeding troops into the battle despite the island's defenders overwhelming his forces, leaving the conflict escalating with no retreat in sight.

• Felicia struck at Frederic with a massive wave, then pursued him away from the battlefield after entrusting the fighting to O'Neal.
• O'Neal ordered two thousand Earth Giants to charge the Imperial Guard Legion, breaking its shield wall and inflicting heavy casualties with their Flame Demon armor.
• Roby sent four Saint Domain Mages to aid the Imperial Guard Legion, but Roland's Water Tide and Mystic Fire Mage Regiments appeared and forced them to defend against the opposing mages.
• Roby ordered eight thousand Azure Horse Knights ashore, where more than ten thousand Hurricane Knights met them and drove them onto the defensive.
• Roby learned that Roland had secretly gathered a powerful force on Beast Slaying Island, but he continued sending troops into the battle rather than withdrawing.

Roland’s forces overwhelmed the invading Autran and Storm Kingdom armies, trapping Caius’s troops and driving them toward defeat. As Reff tried to force Caius to surrender, Andre betrayed Autran and attacked two of its Saint Domain experts, triggering a battle between the commanders’ champions.

• Roland’s forces outnumbered and pursued the retreating Autran and Storm Kingdom armies across the islands.
• Roland’s troops trapped Caius’s Autran fleet in ice and attacked it while the Storm Kingdom’s forces failed to come to its aid.
• Reff confronted Caius and demanded his surrender, but Caius refused and tried to negotiate an exit for Autran’s troops.
• Andre severely wounded two Saint Domain experts under Caius and revealed that he had turned against Autran over its broken promise to the Cavendish Family.
• Caius ordered his Saint Domain experts to kill Andre, and Reff intervened, starting a clash between more than twenty Saint Domain experts.

The arrival of Legendary Mage Raven Polk halted the battle between Roland’s forces and the Autran Kingdom, and Dylan Fikernando negotiated the kingdom’s withdrawal. Roland then met with the Storm Kingdom’s Legendary guardian, after which it also abandoned the coastal islands, leaving Terra as the only kingdom still there.

• Rondo, Reese, Rena, and Doris killed the two wounded Level 16 Saint Domain experts, leaving the Autran forces overwhelmed.
• Raven Polk arrived and called for the fighting to stop, but Caius demanded vengeance for Navi and Okan.
• Raven recognized Dylan Fikernando, who refused to return to the Autran Kingdom and demanded that its troops leave the islands.
• Dylan revealed a Dragon Scale belonging to Fire Dragon King Zarick, and Raven chose to meet Roland rather than fight.
• After meeting Roland at Olivia’s Mage Tower, Raven led more than two hundred thousand Autran troops off the coastal islands.
• Roland met with Axel, and the Storm Kingdom soon withdrew from the islands as well, leaving only Terra.

Frederic committed the Terra Kingdom’s forces to capturing Beast Slaying Island, believing Roland’s troops were weakened, but O’Neal sprang a trap after Autran and Storm withdrew from the war. The chapter ended with the Imperial Guard surrounded and Frederic realizing O’Neal had concealed his strongest forces.

• After the Imperial Guard suffered heavy casualties, Robi persuaded Frederic to keep fighting and seize Beast Slaying Island.
• O’Neal ordered the Earth Giants and Loyal Lion Legion to withdraw, drawing Frederic’s forces into an assault on the city.
• After two days of fighting, O’Neal scolded Chopper over the Loyal Lion Legion’s losses and ordered his hidden Dark Angel and Bulwark forces to attack as reinforcements landed behind the Terra army.
• Frederic learned that Autran and Storm had abandoned their island positions and ordered his forces to retreat from Beast Slaying Island.
• Frederic received reports that the Bulwark Legion, Dark Angels, and O’Neal’s fleet had cut off the Terra army’s escape, leaving him in despair.

On Beast Slaying Island, O'Neal’s forces crushed Terra’s attempted breakout and trapped Frederic, while Felicia blocked him from joining the fight. In Gram City, Phillips accepted his ministers’ advice to negotiate peace with Roland as Terra’s depleted forces and finances could no longer sustain the war.

• O'Neal surrounded Frederic’s army with elite troops and demanded its surrender, but Frederic refused and ordered a breakout toward the island’s south.
• Minos led the Dark Angels against the Azure Horse Knights and two Imperial Guard Legions, slaughtering their forces before O'Neal recalled the Dark Angels.
• Felicia confronted Frederic and several Terra Kingdom Saint Domain experts, then engulfed them in her domain and attacked with Saint Domain spells.
• In Gram City, Tobias reported that Reff’s troops were approaching Beast Slaying Island and warned Phillips that Terra lacked the strength to keep fighting.
• Tobias and Cameron urged Phillips to seek peace with Roland, and Phillips agreed to send negotiators.

After Roland’s forces defeated the Autran Kingdom’s army and surrounded Terra’s troops on Beast Slaying Island, Terra Prime Minister Cameron arrived to negotiate their release. Roland rejected Terra’s claims of authority over him and entered the talks from a position of strength, leaving Cameron’s appeal to join forces against the demons unanswered.

• Roland’s campaign drove Autran’s elite troops from the Sea of Ten Thousand Islands and surrounded Frederic’s two hundred thousand Terra soldiers on Beast Slaying Island.
• The Solomon Family sent its three-hundred-year-old Saint Domain Old Ancestor toward the Sea of Ten Thousand Islands after learning Roland could establish a kingdom.
• Cameron and Tobias arrived on Double Gate Island to negotiate as Frederic’s breakout attempts failed and Reff’s reinforcements approached Beast Slaying Island.
• Roland received the Terra delegation in a Mage Robe and reminded Cameron that Terra had repeatedly attacked his territory rather than helped him.
• Cameron proposed ending the war and joining forces against the demons, but Leslie mocked his appeal for help.

Roland rejected the Terra Kingdom’s demands and used its trapped army and depleted reserves to pressure its envoys into accepting reparations. The negotiations remained unresolved as Leslie proposed that the Kingdom cede four provinces in exchange for reducing compensation.

• Cameron offered to recognize Roland’s submission in exchange for Roland abandoning Beast Slaying Island and the Kingdom’s former territory, but Roland and Leslie mocked the proposal.
• Roland exposed the Terra Kingdom’s depleted military reserves and placed a golden-red Dragon Scale on the table to counter Cameron’s threat of a Legendary dragon.
• Leslie demanded the surrender of Frederic and his troops, an apology from King Phillips, compensation, recognition of Roland’s territory, and trade and knowledge concessions.
• When Cameron rejected the demands, Roland ordered an immediate final assault on the trapped Terra Kingdom forces, but Tobias persuaded him to return to negotiations.
• After prolonged bargaining, Leslie proposed that the Terra Kingdom cede Barix, Morando, Palau, and Arian in exchange for a sixty percent reduction in compensation.

Roland demanded that the Terra Kingdom cede four coastal provinces in exchange for the release of its 200,000 captured troops, while explaining that he wanted to limit expansion and preserve the kingdom as a buffer against the Beastkin Empire. As Roland focused on reforms at home, an envoy from the Human Alliance invited him to a conference and offered to mediate the war without firmly siding with the Terra Kingdom.

• Roland gave the Terra Kingdom ten days to accept his demand for the four eastern provinces, and Cameron agreed to report the terms to King Phillips for a decision.
• Roland told his officials to prepare to take over Barix, Morando, Palau, and Arian, then explained that he wanted to avoid overexpansion and keep the Terra Kingdom strong enough to resist the Beastkin Empire.
• Roland launched reforms to manage newcomers, strengthen oversight, and update the territory's laws, tax standards, and political system.
• Ailan Whitney arrived as the Human Alliance's envoy and invited Roland to its conference in the Flame Kingdom's capital on March twentieth.
• Leslie told Roland that the Human Alliance primarily wanted him to attend the conference and only asked him to moderate his demands in the war with the Terra Kingdom.

Roland accepted the Human Alliance’s terms to end the war with Terra Kingdom, taking the Eastern Four Provinces in exchange for releasing Frederic’s army. As demonic forces spread across the continent, O'Neal informed the trapped Frederic of the agreement and gave him three days to leave Beast Slaying Island.

• Roland agreed with Leslie to settle the war by taking Barix, Morando, Palau, and Arian Provinces in exchange for Frederic’s two hundred thousand elite troops.
• Two Demon Lords preserved permanent Spatial Rifts in the Brightwind Plains and the Elf Empire, bringing vast demonic forces to the continent and drawing the nations’ attention south.
• Frederic’s army remained trapped on Beast Slaying Island, cut off from supplies and contact with the Terra Kingdom by O'Neal’s forces.
• O'Neal and the other Saint Domain experts approached Frederic’s camp after most of their forces withdrew, and O'Neal told him the Terra Kingdom had ceded the Eastern Four Provinces to Roland.
• Frederic tried to attack O'Neal but his officers restrained him, and O'Neal gave the army three days to leave Beast Slaying Island.

After the Terra Kingdom ceded its Eastern Four Provinces, Roland’s officials celebrated their expansion, reviewed wartime losses, and planned the provinces’ handover. Roland refused to violate the agreement to stop the Terra Kingdom from relocating residents, set conditions for nobles who would remain, and learned that the Solomon Family had arrived.

• The Terra Kingdom announced that Barix, Morando, Palau, and Arian had been granted to Roland, and the delegation left Double Gate Island.
• Roland questioned Chopper about the Loyal Lion Legion’s heavy losses and warned the commanders not to underestimate continental armies.
• Leslie reported that the Terra Kingdom was relocating residents from the Eastern Four Provinces, and Roland rejected calls to send troops to stop it.
• Roland ordered the Oroko Family, the Harrison Family, and former Revenge Alliance nobles to exchange their territories and relocate to the Sea of Ten Thousand Islands under specified conditions.
• Elizabeth told Roland that the Solomon Family had arrived, leaving him bewildered by her calling them his poor relatives.

Roland returned to the continent with a formidable fleet and entourage, refusing his family’s demand that he reclaim the Solomon surname and preparing to resist pressure at the Human Alliance conference. On the way to Taimu Fortress, he rejected Storm Kingdom nobles’ attempts to obtain trade passage quotas from him, then continued upriver after officials cleared the blocked channel.

• Roland told Leslie that he would leave his inheritance to Caesar under the name Roland, despite the Solomon Family elders’ request that he return to the family.
• Leslie warned Roland that the two great empires would pressure nations to send soldiers against the demons, and Roland said he would refuse and offer supplies instead.
• Roland’s fleet reached Sandwich Port and sailed up the Trent River toward Taimu Fortress, where Storm Kingdom nobles blocked the channel to seek passage rights to the Sea of Ten Thousand Islands.
• Roland refused to grant the nobles quotas because he had already entrusted passage authority to the Storm Kingdom royal family.
• Emis Garrett and the Noble Council intervened to clear the river, and Roland ordered the fleet to continue at full speed toward Taimu Fortress.

Roland and Matthias arrived in the Flame Kingdom’s capital, where the kingdom’s royal family and senior ministers prepared to greet them. Before they reached the city gates, the Terra Kingdom’s Earth Dragon Knight Order appeared, leaving Roland wary of what was coming.

• Roland traveled with Matthias through the Storm Kingdom and reached the City of Flames on March 15, five days before the Human Alliance conference.
• Roland reflected on the Flame Kingdom’s strength and influence, built in part through the marriage alliances of its founder, Achilles Jenkin.
• Matthias invited Roland to stay at his palace, but Roland said he would lodge at an estate purchased by his Department of Diplomacy.
• Matthias led Roland toward the city gates, where the Flame Kingdom’s princes, princesses, and senior ministers had gathered.
• The Terra Kingdom’s Earth Dragon Knight Order approached the city, and Roland stopped to watch it arrive.

Roland and Phillips brought their forces to the City of Flames and nearly clashed until Archil Nolan intervened. Roland then blocked Phillips from entering ahead of Storm Kingdom, leaving Matthias pressured to defend his kingdom’s honor.

• Phillips's Earth Dragon riders charged Roland's convoy, and Roland ordered the Dark Angels to attack before Archil Nolan's Legendary pressure stopped both forces.
• Archil warned Phillips and Roland against causing trouble in the Flame Kingdom, while Roland taunted Phillips over the Eastern Four Provinces.
• Prime Minister Diamond Harvey questioned Foreign Minister Lawson about Terra Kingdom's unexpected arrival and sent word to the king.
• Phillips condemned Roland, then tried to leave, but Roland ordered the Dark Angels to block his way and insisted Storm Kingdom had the right to enter first.
• Phillips insulted Matthias by comparing him to a duke, and Matthias fell silent as Roland waited for him to choose a side.

Roland refused to enter the Flame Kingdom through any gate but the southern one, turning a dispute with Phillips into a public humiliation for the Terra Kingdom. He entered alongside Matthias while Phillips retreated, and Matthias introduced him to Princess Gloria.

• Diamond Harvey tried to prevent Roland, Phillips, and Matthias from clashing by arranging for them to enter through separate gates, but Roland insisted on using the southern gate or withdrawing from the Human Alliance conference.
• Achil challenged Roland, but Matthias supported him and declared that they would enter through the southern gate together.
• Roland called Phillips an idiot, and Achil ordered Phillips to leave after Phillips accused the Flame Kingdom of favoring Roland.
• Phillips refused to retreat until Cameron warned him against fighting the Flame Kingdom, then ordered his party to withdraw as Achil's magic threatened them.
• Matthias introduced Princess Gloria to Roland, and Gloria blushed as Roland greeted her with a knight's salute.

Roland arrived in the City of Flames for the Human Alliance conference, where Matthias’s public support complicated the Storm Kingdom’s plans regarding Roland and the Terra Kingdom. After settling into an eight-million-gold-coin manor, Roland reviewed his diplomatic schedule and prepared to attend a prestigious auction.

• Akman apologized to Roland and invited him to a banquet, while Matthias joined the invitation; after Roland left, Matthias complained that Phillips’s actions had forced him to publicly support Roland.
• Akman led Roland to a luxurious manor near the Flame Royal Palace, where Roland objected to its eight-million-gold-coin price and joked about reselling it.
• Fili outlined Roland’s upcoming diplomatic meetings and told him about the Human Alliance Auction, which Roland agreed to attend.
• Roland assigned visits among himself and his officials, then gave his companions permission to explore the city with expenses charged to the territory.
• Reff stayed behind to protect Roland as Elizabeth had instructed, and Roland promised to seek Saint Domain equipment for him at the auction.

Roland met Alix Medici and Jarvis, who came to the manor to discuss his mother, Gweniel. He learned that Alix had protected her and that she was alive and missed him, leaving Roland facing the realization that he had neglected to find her.

• Roland initially ordered the Medici visitors turned away, but Leslie persuaded him to meet them on the manor's eastern lawn.
• Alix and Jarvis arrived, and Roland asked Alix whether his mother was still alive.
• Jarvis told Roland that the Medici Family Elder Council had ordered the past assassination attempts, while Alix had threatened the family patriarchs and secretly helped protect Roland's mother.
• Jarvis scolded Roland for never trying to find Gweniel, and Roland realized he had pushed the matter aside while focusing on the Demon Disaster.
• Alix told Roland he had never blamed him for the past, and Roland dismissed the guards before inviting Alix to speak.

Roland met with Alix and Jarvis, learned that his mother Gweniel was alive but imprisoned and suffering, and heard Alix's plan to secure her release through Archmage Seraphim. Alix left after Roland agreed to consider the approach, while Roland remained wary of the Medici Family.

• Alix told Roland he resembled his mother, while Jarvis explained that the Elder Council had concealed Roland's existence and that Gweniel had been wounded and unconscious.
• Jarvis attacked Roland with his Saint Domain aura, but Dylan Fikernando emerged from black mist and effortlessly nullified it, causing Jarvis to back down.
• Alix told Roland that Gweniel had been imprisoned by the Elder Council, was in poor health, and had never stopped loving him.
• Roland offered to pay for Gweniel's release, but Alix warned that the Elder Council might exploit the deal to seize Roland's territory.
• Alix advised Roland to seek Archmage Seraphim's support, since even the Medici Family could not refuse Seraphim's orders.
• Alix apologized for failing to protect Gweniel and left after Roland told him to see his guests out.

Roland and his allies considered whether the Arcane Empire was trying to draw them into its camp, while Roland avoided committing to either empire during a day of diplomatic meetings. The next morning, he and his companions arrived at the Human Alliance auction in the City of Flames.

• Leslie warned Roland that Alix's visit might be an open scheme by the Arcane Empire to secure their allegiance, and Roland concluded Alix understood the empire's intentions and hoped they would join its camp.
• Alix told Jarvis that Roland would save his mother to avoid staining his future crown, whether or not he joined the Arcane Empire.
• Roland met with House Lancelot and House Germanic, then kept his stance toward the Holy Alliance vague while meeting Ailan Whitney.
• Princess Gloria showed Roland the City of Flames, and they attended Prince Akman's noble banquet before Roland returned to his manor at midnight.
• Roland, Leslie, Reff, O'Neal, and their companions traveled to the Royal Auction House, where Roland ordered their carriage to drive straight inside.

Roland arrived at the Royal Auction House and discussed the possibility of building a black-market auction house in Azure Tide City. When Du'an Miles challenged Roland’s kingdom-level reception, Roland confronted him as Du'an tried to withdraw.

• Roland’s carriage entered the Royal Auction House grounds, where nobles recognized him as the ruler of the Sea of Ten Thousand Islands and questioned his special treatment.
• Roland asked Leslie about establishing a major auction house in Azure Tide City, and Reff suggested that a remote location could suit an auction house for stolen goods.
• As Roland prepared to enter, a young man from the Miles Family challenged Minister Lawson over Roland receiving treatment equal to a kingdom.
• Lawson told Du'an Miles that the Two Great Empires had ordered Roland’s reception arrangements, and Du'an backed down.
• Roland mocked Du'an for provoking the dispute and then trying to retreat.