Chapter Summaries

Tang Qi spent the day studying at the Witch School and received an emergency summons from the Holy Eagle's Nest Society. At the meeting, he learned that York Sims had defected from the Church of Light and was being hunted, leaving Tang Qi shocked by the news.

• Tang Qi reviewed mysticism books in the Library Tower and told Anna that scholars needed to find their own ways of learning.
• Tang Qi read about a human hero defeating an evil god and concluded that gods were not invincible.
• Tang Qi received an emergency message requiring a vote from all members of the Holy Eagle's Nest Society and used the Mask of Existence to attend.
• The Rotating Chairman announced that York Sims had defected from the Church of Light, injured Light Knights, and helped the Second Head of Decay escape an encirclement.
• The Rotating Chairman proposed that the Society help the Church of Light find and hunt York Sims, and Tang Qi reacted with shock.

Tang Qi watched the Holy Eagle's Nest Society debate whether to hunt Thorn Sword Saint York Sims after his defection and the Church of Light's siege collapsed. The members rejected the proposed hunt, and the Rotating Chairman ended the meeting in anger.

• Tang Qi reasoned that York Sims's defection exposed Saint Penitent Martin Sims's long-running scheme and would put other ancient figures under Church surveillance.
• A Chairman showed footage of York defeating Holy Judgment Knight Lancelot and Ludwig crying out, "Who am I?" before Ludwig, the Second Head of Decay, and York vanished.
• Tang Qi realized major factions would likely hunt Ludwig while York and other powerful figures disrupted their efforts, drawing attention away from other conflicts for a time.
• The Rotating Chairman proposed a vote on hunting York, but another Chairman presented the footage before voting began.
• Most members rejected the hunt, Tang Qi abstained, and the Rotating Chairman adjourned the meeting.

Tang Qi assessed the ongoing hunt for the Second Head of Decay, then returned to his routine at the Witch School, where he stopped an accident in Selma’s Cultivation Room. New battle reports revealed that a disciple of Saint Craftsman Sam Negroli had helped the Second Head escape, prompting the Church of Light to end its partnership with the Saint Craftsman Society.

• Tang Qi concluded that the Holy Eagle's Nest Society opposed the Church of Light’s demand to hunt York Sims and that the Second Head of Decay would likely evade capture for now.
• A radio broadcast reported a weeks-long blizzard across the eastern Federation as Tang Qi entered meditation.
• Tang Qi stopped the contamination in Selma’s Cultivation Room, removed the Angel Fruit, and warned Selma that trying to grow angels again could be dangerous.
• Tang Qi reviewed battle reports describing the Church of Light’s attacks on supernatural organizations and its failure to capture the Second Head of Decay.
• A report said a disciple of Sam Negroli had blocked the Holy Blood Spear and helped the Second Head escape, after which the Church of Light ended its partnership with the Saint Craftsman Society.

Tang Qi read Madam Rowling’s findings about the Lords of Light and Thorns and the Master of the Furnace, then watched familiars begin emerging in the Dreamland. White Merlin and Fairy were born, but Fairy’s arrival brought a commanding will that made White Merlin and his unicorn start to fade.

• Tang Qi reviewed reports about Saints aiding Martin Sims and handled his school’s affairs as the Church of Light’s power grew ahead of the Festival of Light.
• Madam Rowling’s letter said the Lords of Light and Thorns had once ruled together, and that the Thorns might still be alive and able to restrain the Lord of Light.
• Madam Rowling reported that the Master of the Furnace was an ancient, low-intelligence ruler nearing destruction and might attempt a mad act of self-rescue; Tang Qi reconsidered his identity as a Furnace Witch.
• Tang Qi replied with a joke about Pedro’s romance, then checked the Dreamland and saw Amanda’s familiars fighting monsters while others struggled to emerge from their light spheres.
• White Merlin and his unicorn broke free first, and Fairy emerged second; when Fairy saw them, a commanding will descended and their figures began to fade from her sight.

Tang Qi had Merlin divine the timing and location of an impending upheaval, but the second question triggered deadly backlash and worsened the corruption in the Dreamland. The chapter ended with Pope Charles I and the Church of Light experiencing a terrifying vision of angels and destruction as the Apocalypse chapter was recited.

• Tang Qi summoned Merlin and a unicorn from the Dreamland and asked Merlin to divine when the upheaval would occur and where it would ultimately happen.
• Merlin gave Tang Qi a date, then suffered supernatural backlash while divining the location and sent him a blurred image before he and the unicorn vanished.
• Chaos Mushrooms spread corruption through the Dreamland, but the stone tablet of Order and Amanda's dependents contained the outbreak.
• Tang Qi revived Merlin and the unicorn in the Dreamland, calmed himself with the Furnace Meditation Method, and reflected that there was still time before the date he had learned.
• Pope Charles I appeared before the Church of Light, where the Apocalypse chapter was recited and the congregation saw a vision of armored angels bringing destruction.

McAuley brought his girlfriend Eliza to Mihuang City to meet Tang Qi, where she discovered how powerful Melada Special Education School's students had become. Tang Qi welcomed the couple after finishing the Ship of Fools Lantern, and his teasing about their relationship left them embarrassed but still holding hands.

• McAuley reassured Eliza that Tang Qi would accept her despite her Hoins Fiend bloodline and brought her through a Magic Portal into the Lake Island Secret Realm.
• McAuley and Eliza saw Item Forgers and mystic craftsmen working in the lake, then watched Witch School students return with monster corpses and sensed their formidable power.
• Noah greeted McAuley and Eliza, explained that Dennis had recently left the Quarantine Zone, and said the Combat Class students had been performing well.
• Tang Qi completed repairs on the Ship of Fools Lantern and welcomed McAuley and Eliza to the Library Tower.
• Tang Qi teased McAuley and Eliza about being a couple, making them blush while they continued to hold hands.

Tang Qi oversaw McAuley’s bonding with the Blood Angel Symbiote, which expelled the Rubber Secret Medicine and transformed McAuley into a powerful angel. The chapter ended with Tang Qi sending McAuley and Eliza to Green Dragon Ridge Lake with a mission to make its powerful intelligent anomalies sign contracts or leave within twenty-four hours.

• Eliza worried that McAuley was risking too much by taking the Blood Angel Symbiote, but Tang Qi reassured her and held her back as McAuley began the procedure.
• McAuley bonded with the red slime mold, which invaded his body and awakened as the Blood Angel Symbiote, threatening to choose another host.
• McAuley’s black, scorching power forced the Blood Angel to submit to him, and the symbiote expelled the Rubber Secret Medicine from his body.
• McAuley transformed into a powerful, many-winged Blood Angel and embraced Eliza, who celebrated his new form.
• Tang Qi sent McAuley and Eliza through a Magic Portal to White Sand Beach and gave McAuley twenty-four hours to make every powerful intelligent anomaly in Green Dragon Ridge Lake sign a contract or leave.

Tang Qi strengthened Melada Special Education School’s defenses and watched Noah and the others contain two dangerous Monster Children in the Recuperation Room. After the crisis was resolved, Tang Qi left through a Magic Portal while Eva watched him with suppressed emotion.

• Tang Qi reviewed McAuley’s expanded network of cooperative organizations and reflected that contracts offered more reliable protection than alliances.
• Tang Qi surveyed the Abnormalities guarding Dragonheart Castle and considered the school’s growing defenses against future threats.
• Tang Qi visited the Recuperation Room as agents brought in a boy whose Glutton bloodline made him swell uncontrollably and a girl possessed by the demon Miliska.
• Noah, Shirley, Austin, and Nydia stopped the boy’s Feeding Black Hole, while Lily and Luca expelled the demon from the girl and the Hannahs caught it.
• Tang Qi watched the students resolve both Level Five Danger Sources, then opened a Magic Portal and left as Eva held a baby and watched him go.

Tang Qi prepared to leave for a dangerous adventure and watched the Church of Light’s assault on Ludwig reach Carthage City. As Ludwig lay dying atop the Lord of Thorns statue, Charles I approached carrying an ancient Divine Contract.

• Tang Qi read reports that the Church of Light had declared a Holy Judgment against Martin Sims and Ludwig, while other supernatural organizations chose to stay neutral.
• Madam Rowling warned Tang Qi that finding a god’s reincarnation had no reliable method, and Tang Qi sent her a brief farewell message before his dangerous adventure.
• Tang Qi watched the Church’s army and angels surround Ludwig, whose life was nearly extinguished despite the Thorns Set.
• The Kingdom of Light descended upon Carthage City, and Ludwig fell atop the Lord of Thorns statue in Thorn Square.
• Charles I, wearing the Crown of Light and ceremonial robes, approached the statue with an ancient Divine Contract.

Pope Charles I used the ancient covenant to provoke a revelation from the Lord of Light, who declared Thorns a traitor and ordered the hunt for his reincarnation. The Church of Light marched on Mihuang City, while Tang Qi began writing as the attack arrived.

• Charles I recited the ancient covenant between Light and Thorns, causing the statue of the Lord of Thorns to crack and collapse.
• The Lord of Light sent a revelation into Charles I, who declared that Thorns had betrayed Him and ordered His followers to find and kill Thorns’ reincarnation.
• Charles I opened a gateway to Mihuang City and led the New Continent’s Army of Light through it, while the Old Continent’s Pope sent a second army’s support.
• Raphael received an urgent message that MH-046 would reveal secrets about the Great Cataclysm and the Lord of Thorns only to him, and an intense premonition drove him to go at once.
• Tang Qi watched the Army of Light arrive in Mihuang City, then sat down in Dragonheart Castle and began writing with the principal’s Quill Pen.

Charles I attacked Ludwig at Thorn Square, destroying the Sword of Repentance and killing him, but the Second Head of Decay revived Ludwig through a thorn connection. Charles I called on the Manor Bureau, where MH-046 unexpectedly initiated contact with Raphael and spoke of thorns and its Lord.

• The Army of Light entered Mihuang City through the Heaven and Earth Portal, contaminating its citizens as the supernatural factions feared Charles I might massacre them.
• Ludwig confronted Charles I with the Sword of Repentance, but Charles I destroyed the sword and pierced Ludwig's heart with a Holy Blood Spear.
• The Second Head of Decay regenerated through Charles I's holy light, mocked him, and was repeatedly struck down as Ludwig's Flame of Life reignited.
• Charles I called out to the Manor Bureau, prompting the William Family's crowned salamander phantom to stir and gather the Flame of Justice.
• Raphael entered the room containing MH-046, which initiated communication for the first time and declared, "Thorns! My Lord!"

Charles I revealed that Raphael was the reincarnation of the Lord of Thorns and ordered the Manor Bureau to kill him. As the Holy Prophet awakened Raphael’s buried memories beneath Colson Manor, the Army of Light attacked the manor, leaving William O'Neill gravely wounded and Jennifer in danger.

• Charles I used his Crown of Light to restrain the Second Head of Decay and Ludwig, then ordered the Manor Bureau to find and kill Raphael.
• Raphael recalled strange details from his past and asked the Elder who he was.
• Jerome revealed that he was the Holy Prophet and declared that destiny was beginning as Holy Thorns spread through Colson Manor.
• The Army of Light stormed Colson Manor, and William O'Neill used the Flame of Justice to burn more than a hundred Light Knights before Lancelot wounded him.
• Lancelot ordered the Army of Light to kill everyone in the Manor Bureau.

William O'Neill tried to summon the Goddess of Justice to stop the Church of Light’s assault on Colson Manor, but Lancelot nearly killed him before Raphael and the Elder intervened. The Elder’s Word of Truth stripped away the Army of Light’s false holiness and revealed his identity as the Holy Prophet Pillars, though Tang Qi wondered whether Jerome and Pillars were identities of the same being.

• William O'Neill sacrificed his life and invoked the Goddess of Justice as Lancelot ordered the Army of Light to destroy Colson Manor.
• William O'Neill’s invisible flames burned Lancelot and opened a rift through which the blindfolded Goddess of Justice began to appear.
• Lancelot advanced through the flames to kill William O'Neill, but Holy Thorns suddenly shielded the manor and overwhelmed the knight.
• Raphael and the Elder appeared, and the Elder used Word of Truth to disarm everyone, halt the citizens’ fanaticism, and declare that holy light must arise from the soul.
• The Elder’s words caused false holiness to collapse throughout the Army of Light, exposing corruption and provoking mockery from supernatural organizations.
• Tang Qi recognized the Elder as the Holy Prophet Pillars, known as the Manor Bureau’s Jerome, and questioned whether both were identities assumed by one being.

Charles I revealed his strength and attacked the Holy Prophet, who wounded him with the Word of Truth before Charles killed him with the Sword of Sin and Punishment. Charles then confronted Raphael, questioning the god about the covenant and the glory of the light.

• Charles I restored the Church army with his words, and Lancelot led the recovered soldiers in killing their still-incapacitated companions before marching on Colson Manor.
• Tang Qi opened Magic Portals to rescue the sleeping members of the Manor Bureau, then struck Lancelot and sent him flying.
• Charles I used the Sword of Sin and Punishment to overwhelm the Second Head of Decay and Ludwig, destroy Raphael’s Thorns, and descend into Colson Manor.
• The Holy Prophet used the Word of Truth to force Charles I to turn the sword on himself and poison him, but Charles recovered and stabbed the Prophet through the heart.
• Charles I questioned Raphael, declaring that he had made a covenant with his brother and that all glory belonged to the light.

Charles I questioned the Lord of Thorns as Raphael remained lost in thought, while Tang Qi observed the unfolding events from afar. As Charles I began his attempt at deification and beheaded the Holy Prophet, the prophet declared that the Flower of Truth would bloom among the thorns.

• Charles I challenged the reincarnation of the Lord of Thorns over the betrayal of their covenant, while Raphael stood silent atop the Holy Thorns.
• The Holy Thorns reenacted scenes from Thorns’ history, and Tang Qi watched the visions from the Library Tower as the Army of Light approached the Lake Island Secret Realm.
• Tang Qi used the Book of Nothingness to examine the dying Holy Prophet and learned that Jerome was about to undergo his final reincarnation.
• Tang Qi discovered that Charles I was undergoing deification and realized he might kill the Lord of Thorns before the reincarnation was complete.
• Charles I confessed that he would cut down the thorns, then struck off the Holy Prophet’s head after the prophet declared, “The Flower of Truth shall bloom among the thorns!”

Tang Qi watched Charles I execute the Holy Prophet and saw the Thorn Kingdom reveal the Great Cataclysm Battlefield, where corrupted gods fought without control. Raphael tried to return to the battlefield, but Charles I advanced to kill him while surrendering his humanity to the Lord of Light’s divinity.

• Tang Qi was restrained by the Holy Prophet’s Word of Truth as Charles I beheaded him, and the Holy Thorns erupted into a vast growth covered in Truth Symbols.
• The symbols opened a gateway to the Thorn Kingdom and exposed the Great Cataclysm Battlefield, where mutated gods and giants fought like Dark Dominators.
• Tang Qi suffered corruption from seeing the battlefield, but the Book of Nothingness drew the black vapor from his body and formed a Chaos Mushroom.
• Raphael regained clarity, declared that he had returned, and moved to enter the gateway; a corrupted Giant briefly began returning to normal when it saw him.
• Charles I charged toward Raphael with the Sword of Sin and Punishment, overcoming the Holy Thorns as his emotions and humanity disappeared into the Lord of Light’s divinity.

Charles I erased his own self to become a godlike vessel for the Lord of Light and advanced to kill Raphael, but Jensen summoned the long-hidden Saint Penitent, Martin Sims, who confronted him. The chapter left the two figures battling in a clash of light atop the Tower of Babel.

• Charles I became a Divinity Vessel, leaving Tang Qi unable to find any weakness in him.
• The Church of Light’s believers offered their souls to hasten the Lord of Light’s awakening as Charles I bound Raphael and climbed toward him.
• Jensen appeared beside Raphael and used the Harp of Stars to summon Martin Sims from his existence as a star.
• The Sword of Repentance reassembled and flew to Sims, who appeared in the Thorns Robe and Crown.
• Martin Sims faced Charles I, and the two began an earth-shattering battle atop the Tower of Babel.

Tristan Sophia led the Church of Light’s army to attack Lake Island Secret Realm, but Tang Qi stayed focused on the battle between Charles I and Martin Sims. The school’s defenses and students counterattacked the invasion, leaving the supposedly weak Melada Special Education School’s strength on full display.

• Tristan Sophia recognized the Manor Bureau’s defiance as blasphemy and attacked Lake Island Secret Realm, demanding that Tang Qi surrender the blasphemer allied with the traitor.
• Tristan shattered the secret realm’s damaged defenses and led the Army of Light toward Dragonheart Castle while Tang Qi watched the battle between Charles I and Martin Sims.
• The school’s defenders blocked the knights with a stone sword, bubble-producing fish, revived skeletons, sleeping fairies, and a blood-red spear that met the summoned angel’s giant sword.
• After the children reached the Safe House, Noah and the other Witch School students faced the invading knights and unleashed a barrage of magical attacks.

Tang Qi watched the Church of Light turn the battle around as the Lord’s holy light empowered its followers and defeated Martin Sims. When Charles I’s divine skin revealed a world of suffering faces, Tang Qi and the other observers realized the Lord of Light had been contaminated.

• Tang Qi saw holy light begin opening the Kingdom of Light across the Federation and concluded the Church had not yet shown its full strength.
• The Lord’s response awakened Tristan Sophia, who used a holy relic to summon a heroic spirit and drag the Decadent into a world of blood and suffering.
• Church followers across the Secret Realm summoned heroic spirits, overwhelmed their enemies, and began destroying the Holy Thorns.
• Charles I defeated Martin Sims and advanced toward the bound Raphael as the Lord’s incarnation appeared above the Thorn Skyscraper.
• A fragment of Charles I’s sword revealed tortured faces beneath his divine skin, causing Tang Qi and the other observers to suffer and recognize that the Lord of Light had been contaminated.

After Sims exposed the corruption beneath Charles I’s holy appearance, believers across Origin Star fell into chaos as Charles contaminated them and prepared a global catastrophe. Tang Qi waited for his chance while Raphael began to awaken as Thorns, and Tang Qi entered the Magic Portal as the Lake Island Secret Realm was rescued by an ancient tree.

• Sims’s strike tore open Charles I’s Light Human Skin, revealing the corruption beneath it and throwing Light believers into doubt and confusion.
• Stana stopped a corrupted knight from attacking his companion and called on the remaining clear-minded believers to stop the violence, while churches across Origin Star erupted into slaughter.
• Charles I spread a concentrated filthy radiance over believers worldwide, turning them into writhing, hostile creatures as the Mystic Side’s big shots prepared to intervene.
• Tang Qi resisted acting on his prophecy and focused on Raphael, while the dying Sims returned to the stars after calling out Raphael’s name.
• Raphael’s restraints broke as his radiance returned, but Charles I shed his holy skin and attacked him with the Sword of Sin and Punishment.
• Tang Qi entered the Magic Portal, and a Withered Branch on his workbench grew into an immense tree that descended upon the Lake Island Secret Realm.