Chapter Summaries

Fang Li evaded Fariagani’s barrage, destroyed the attacking puppets, and struck at the Crimson King with a supersonic slash. Fariagani triggered an explosion with a glass rattle, and both fighters were blown backward, leaving their duel unresolved.

• Fariagani’s puppets bombarded the Minami River bank, but Fang Li dodged every explosion and emerged unharmed.
• Fariagani sent his puppets charging at Fang Li, who used Flash Sheath—Momentary Hell to cut the puppet army apart.
• Fang Li attacked Fariagani with Flash Sheath—Seven Nights, catching him too quickly to evade.
• Fariagani rang a glass rattle, causing the remaining puppets to explode in a blast that sent both fighters flying backward.

Fang Li faced Fariagani’s explosive puppets and Treasure Tools, then unleashed the full power of his Pure Star Imperial Armament. His giant white blade struck Fariagani, leaving the Crimson King cut down amid scattered flames.

• Fariagani explained that his Ring of Annealing protected him from fire and that his Treasure Tool Ball controlled and detonated prepared puppets.
• Fang Li refused to hand over the Reiji Maigo and challenged Fariagani to take it.
• Fariagani sent more explosive puppets after Fang Li, intending to overwhelm him with repeated blasts.
• Fang Li replaced his Moon Blade with a pure white Activation Body and poured his Star Pulse Energy into its blade.
• Fang Li expanded the blade into a giant sword and slashed through the puppets and Fariagani as the Crimson King screamed.

Fang Li unleashed Bō Xié and his Mystic Eyes of Death Perception, devastating the riverbank and Misaki Grand Bridge while mortally wounding Fariagani. Fariagani tried to revive Marian, but Fang Li told him her death was irreversible, leaving the Crimson King stunned.

• Fang Li’s attack with Bō Xié carved a ravine through the river and severed Misaki Grand Bridge.
• Marian appeared in front of Fariagani and took the sword strike, which cut her puppet body in half and sheared away part of Fariagani’s body.
• Fariagani crawled to Marian and tried to repair her with Power of Existence, but she did not recover.
• Fang Li told Fariagani that he had killed Marian with an irreversible death that could not be repaired.
• Fariagani fell into a daze as he realized Marian was dead.

Fang Li incapacitated Fariagani and stripped him of his Treasure Tools, then prepared to finish him. Shudenan arrived carrying a wounded, defeated Shana, and Fariagani ordered him to kill Fang Li and take Reiji Maigo.

• Fariagani tried to restore Marian by pouring his Power of Existence into her, draining himself until his body began to dissipate.
• Fariagani planned to replenish his strength by consuming people in the city, but Fang Li stabbed and pinned him down.
• Fang Li took Fariagani's Treasure Tools and taunted him before pulling Bō Xié from his body.
• Fariagani called for Shudenan, who attacked Fang Li with purple flames; Fang Li used Azure to protect himself.
• Shudenan appeared holding the injured Shana, and Fariagani ordered him to kill Fang Li and seize Reiji Maigo.

Fang Li killed Fariagani, but Shudenan took over the collapsing Sealed Heaven and attacked him while demanding Reiji Maigo. As Fang Li prepared to face Shudenan, Shana stopped him and insisted the battle was hers.

• Shudenan reacted to Fariagani's mention of Reiji Maigo with ecstatic relief, while Fang Li killed Fariagani.
• As Fariagani's Sealed Heaven began to collapse, Shudenan replaced it with his own and threw Shana toward Fang Li.
• Shudenan pursued Fang Li, who dodged his claws while carrying Shana, then was struck by a feinting tail attack.
• Shudenan demanded Reiji Maigo, and Fang Li set Shana down and prepared to fight him.
• Shana grabbed Fang Li's clothes and declared that the battle was hers and he was not allowed to interfere.

Shana recalled how she had been raised at Heavenly Dao Palace to become a Flame Haze Warrior and insisted on fighting Shudenan alone. Fang Li rejected her attempt to take over his battle and turned to face Shudenan himself.

• Shana remembered her childhood at Heavenly Dao Palace, where she trained to become Alastor’s contractor and fight for the world’s balance.
• Shana rose despite her injuries and told Fang Li that defeating Shudenan was her fight.
• Fang Li shoved Shana away and said that Reiji Maigo and the enemy targeting him made the fight his.
• Fang Li accused Shana of using her mission to justify interfering and told her the world and its mission did not belong to her alone.
• Shana was stunned as Fang Li turned toward Shudenan, icy-blue irises appearing in his eyes.

Fang Li fought Shudenan, using Bō Xié and Moon Blade to wound the Demon Lord and sever his horn. Shudenan trapped Fang Li with two pythons and demanded that he hand over Reiji Maigo.

• Fang Li charged Shudenan with Bō Xié and Moon Blade, and Shudenan deflected his first strike with his tail.
• Fang Li stabbed at Shudenan’s throat with Moon Blade, but Shudenan rammed him and sent him flying as Fang Li severed his horn.
• Shudenan found that his horn could not be restored, then rushed Fang Li and smashed the ground with his claws.
• Fang Li dodged Shudenan’s purple flames by cutting through them, but two pythons emerged from the flames and bit his arms.
• Shudenan held Fang Li in the pythons’ jaws, causing him to drop his daggers, and demanded that Fang Li hand over Reiji Maigo.

Fang Li fought Shudenan in a brutal hand-to-hand battle despite being badly wounded, refusing to surrender Reiji Maigo. Shana watched in shock as Fang Li continued to face the Crimson World Demon Lord without retreating.

• Fang Li broke free of Shudenan’s snakes with a powerful kick, then charged at him among the shattered boulders.
• Fang Li and Shudenan traded heavy blows as Fang Li struck Shudenan’s chest, while Shudenan bit into Fang Li’s shoulder.
• Fang Li struck Shudenan with a knee and a headbutt, then continued attacking despite his worsening injuries.
• Fang Li and Shudenan clashed in a savage exchange that cracked the ground and drenched them both in blood.
• Shana watched Fang Li fight on and wondered why a human would face a monster so desperately.

Fang Li and Shudenan fought until both were nearly exhausted, but Shudenan hesitated to risk an attack after Fang Li hinted at a hidden trump card. After Fang Li explained that he fought back because Shudenan had attacked him, Shudenan withdrew and vowed to return for the Reiji Maigo.

• Fang Li and Shudenan exchanged blows until both were badly wounded and close to exhausting their power.
• Shudenan said Fang Li could not defeat him as a human, while Fang Li hinted that Shudenan could not use his full strength and warned that he had a trump card.
• Shudenan hesitated to attack because he feared Fang Li could still turn the fight around and because he needed to take the Reiji Maigo.
• Shudenan asked Fang Li why he insisted on fighting, and Fang Li replied that he would not simply take a beating when someone came looking for a fight.
• Shudenan laughed, acknowledged Fang Li's right to fight back, and flew away after vowing to return for the Reiji Maigo.

After Shudenan fled, Shana stabilized Sealed Heaven and found Fang Li gravely wounded. She used a healing gemstone he had carried to restore most of his injuries, then decided to take him back.

• Shudenan flew away, and Shana maintained Sealed Heaven before it could release and make the battle's damage permanent.
• Shana found Fang Li collapsed and bleeding from severe wounds, and realized she did not want him to die.
• Alastor said that he and Shana had no healing Inherent Skills to save Fang Li.
• Fang Li weakly asked Shana for a pocket gemstone, which she found and pressed against him.
• The gemstone healed Shana and most of Fang Li's injuries, and Fang Li fell asleep as Shana decided to take him back.

After Fang Li fell asleep following the battle, Shana struggled to reconcile Wilhelmina’s advice to face everything alone with Fang Li’s insistence that she should not carry her mission alone. Alastor helped her see that she could become independent without ignoring those around her, and Shana looked toward Fang Li as she considered his words.

• Shana helped the exhausted Fang Li onto the bed and watched over him in the dark apartment.
• Shana told Alastor she did not know what to do because Wilhelmina had taught her to face everything alone, while Fang Li had urged her not to bear the mission alone.
• Shana admitted that she believed neither Wilhelmina nor Fang Li was wrong, which left her irritated and confused.
• Alastor explained that Shana should learn to stand independently without ignoring the people around her.
• Shana considered Alastor’s conclusion and gazed silently at the sleeping Fang Li.

Fang Li woke after Reiji Maigo and Ion Spark restored his depleted Star Pulse Energy, and learned that Shana had tended to his wounds while he slept. Alastor then asked Fang Li to hand over Reiji Maigo.

• At midnight, Reiji Maigo and Ion Spark fully restored Fang Li's Star Pulse Energy and drove away his fatigue.
• Fang Li woke in bed with his injuries bandaged and Shana asleep beside him.
• Alastor told Fang Li that Shana had struggled to bandage him and asked how he was recovering.
• Fang Li explained that the Healing Gem had treated his wounds and casually said he had bought it.
• Alastor asked Fang Li to hand over Reiji Maigo.

Alastor warned Fang Li that Shudenan’s pursuit of Reiji Maigo might be driven by Bal Masqué, a powerful Crimson Realm Denizen organization, and urged him to hand it over to the Flame Haze Warriors. Fang Li refused to destroy or surrender Reiji Maigo, accepted the risk of keeping it, and went to sleep beside the resting Shana.

• Alastor explained that Shudenan’s unusual interest in Reiji Maigo suggested a hidden motive beyond his own desire.
• Alastor revealed that Shudenan belonged to Bal Masqué as one of its Three Pillars and warned that the organization might target Reiji Maigo.
• Alastor proposed destroying Reiji Maigo as the safest way to end the threat, but Fang Li rejected the idea.
• Fang Li refused to give up Reiji Maigo and told Alastor to leave the city if he wanted to avoid being drawn into the conflict.
• Fang Li watched Shana sleep, then closed his eyes and went to sleep himself.

Shudenan, Belphegor, and Black Catty gathered as the Three Pillars of Bal Masqué, which they had governed since the Alliance Leader vanished. Shudenan revealed that he had found Reiji Maigo in Misaki City, and Black Catty ordered that Reiji Maigo be retrieved.

• Shudenan returned to the temple and tried to greet Black Catty, who continued praying without responding.
• Belphegor arrived and corrected Shudenan about her title as Chief of Staff.
• Shudenan explained that the three of them were Bal Masqué’s Three Pillars and said he had brought important intelligence.
• Shudenan revealed that he had found Reiji Maigo, prompting Black Catty to open her eyes and order that Reiji Maigo be retrieved.
• Black Catty asked where Reiji Maigo was, and Shudenan answered that he was in Misaki City.

Fang Li woke with his injuries beginning to heal, cleaned Bō Xié, and reflected on his battles with Fariagani and Shudenan. He examined the Treasure Tools he had taken from Fariagani, then got dressed and left his room.

• Fang Li woke at dawn and found Bō Xié and the Moon Blade beside his bed, though the girl who had slept there was gone.
• Bō Xié conveyed its dissatisfaction with being dirty, so Fang Li carefully wiped it clean despite his injured arms.
• Fang Li recalled killing Fariagani with Bō Xié and regretted losing his weapons during Shudenan's attack, resolving to settle the score next time.
• Fang Li appraised Fariagani's five Treasure Tools and noted how their powers could have made Fariagani formidable against Flame Haze Warriors.
• Fang Li put the Treasure Tools away, dressed, and walked out of the room.

Shana trained by the Minami River to awaken the power within her after losing to The Shaper. Fang Li guided her through Nietono no Shana, helping her sense the Crimson Karma Fire deep within herself.

• Shana practiced with Nietono no Shana and lamented that she still could not use the power dwelling within her.
• Alastor urged Shana not to rush, but Shana vowed she would not lose to The Shaper again.
• Fang Li approached Shana and claimed he was the one who would defeat The Shaper.
• Fang Li embraced Shana from behind, held Nietono no Shana with her, and guided her to follow his Star Pulse Energy.
• Shana focused on the power flowing through her and sensed Crimson Karma Fire deep within herself.

Fang Li helped Shana awaken the power that had always belonged to her and guide it into Nietono no Shana. Shana formed an enormous blade of flame over the Minami River as Fang Li continued directing her.

• Shana sensed the Crimson Lotus Flame within herself and reached toward its power.
• A voice challenged Shana to recognize that she was reclaiming her own power rather than yearning for it.
• Fang Li guided Shana as her body erupted in crimson flames and her hair transformed into flame.
• Shana followed Fang Li's Star Pulse Energy and channeled her flames through Nietono no Shana.
• Shana covered the Ōdachi in an enormous blade of flame, and Fang Li guided her to direct it onward.

Fang Li guided Shana through a full day of training to control her newly awakened flames, but she overused her power and had to stop. As night fell, Alastor warned her to conserve her strength while Fang Li continued teasing her.

• Fang Li helped Shana practice controlling her crimson flames until evening, and she realized she had spent the day in his arms.
• Shana turned and slashed at Fang Li, but he dodged and teased her about how she repaid his help.
• Shana raised Nietono no Shana to strike again, but her flames faded and exhaustion stopped her blade.
• Alastor explained that Shana had overused her Power of Existence and warned her to save strength in case Bal Masqué attacked.
• Shana agreed to rest, then shouted at Fang Li when he teased her again as night fell.

Fang Li explained to Shana and Alastor why Misaki City would become a battlefield, even without the Reiji Maigo. He chose to stay and prepare for the visitors drawn by the city's growing distortion.

• Shana decided she would not leave Misaki City because she had to protect the Reiji Maigo.
• Alastor warned Fang Li that staying would endanger the city's people by attracting Bal Masqué.
• Fang Li said Misaki City had long been a center of conflict, and that its distortion would draw Flame Haze Warriors and Crimson Realm Denizens even without him.
• Fang Li concluded that staying to prepare was better than leaving and predicted that many visitors would soon arrive.

Fang Li used the recovered Healing Gem to fully heal himself and Shana, while two newcomers arrived in Misaki City searching for the Bone Collector. The Flame Haze Margery Daw began preparing a people-searching Inherent Formula, and Alastor warned Fang Li and Shana that they had arrived.

• Fang Li used the Healing Gem to erase his wounds and replenish his Star Pulse Energy, confirming that he had fully recovered.
• Shana recognized the Healing Gem as a highly convenient Treasure Tool.
• Margery Daw and Machias reached Misaki Grand Bridge and noticed the many torches in Misaki City.
• Margery Daw declared her intent to find and kill the Bone Collector, and said she would deal with any Flame Haze Warrior who interfered.
• Margery Daw began forming a people-searching Inherent Formula, while Fang Li and Shana sensed the newcomers and heard Alastor announce their arrival.