Chapter Summaries

Ang and Dana fled a Lizardman Legend’s attack, then deliberately crashed their Magic Broom and stood to fight when they realized they could not escape. The Lizardman Legend overwhelmed them in their first exchange, leaving both injured and the fight unresolved.

• Ang sensed danger, grabbed Dana, and fled on a Magic Broom as the Lizardman Legend pursued them with bone spears.
• Ang dodged the spears and climbed into the clouds, but the broom neared its limit while the Lizardman Legend chased them and began hurling stone spikes.
• Ang and Dana chose to lure the pursuer toward the Empire’s legendary forces, accepting that they might be conscripted into the God-Demon Battlefield.
• Ang overloaded the broom, and he and Dana jumped clear before it exploded against a hillside.
• Ang and Dana readied Flame Punishment and Bone Crusher as the Lizardman Legend confronted them in Imperial language.
• The Lizardman Legend charged through Ang’s flames, struck Ang into a rock, and whipped Dana with its tail, but Dana rose and vowed to keep fighting.

Ang and Dana fought the Lizardman Legend, poisoned him, and escaped as Augustus and Tavia arrived and killed him. Ang returned to the underground camp, treated their injuries, and woke three days later to find Dana alive.

• Dana and Ang attacked the Lizardman Legend, but his red armor resisted their blows and he severely injured them both.
• Ang used Spatial Severance to expose an opening, threw a vial of poison into the Lizardman Legend's mouth, and escaped with Dana on the Magic Broom.
• The poison overwhelmed the Lizardman Legend, and Augustus and Tavia arrived, killed him, and recovered his magic crystal while warning nearby troops to stay away from the toxic remains.
• Ang brought Dana to the underground camp, stabilized his injuries, and treated his own shattered leg before collapsing from exhaustion.
• Three days later, Ang woke, checked Dana's steady breathing and pulse, and watched him open his eyes.

Ang and Dana recovered after escaping a Lizardman Legend, then decided to withdraw from the Volgograd Frontline because no reinforcements were coming. When they returned to the battlefield, they found evidence that someone else had killed the weakened Legend and realized they might have indirectly caused his death; they then found the surviving Screaming Snakes at the lake.

• Ang and Dana reached the underground camp, where Ang ordered Dana to recover on the ground by drawing Earth Power.
• Ang told Dana that he had poisoned the Lizardman Legend with Mandrake Wolf Root Poison, giving them a chance to escape.
• After recovering, Ang told the camp that they would return to Amnath City once Dana was well enough to travel, since the Empire had sent no reinforcements.
• Ang and Dana returned to the battlefield and found the Legend's armor, skull, and scales, concluding that the poison had weakened him before someone decapitated him.
• Ang and Dana decided to keep the discovery secret and found the surviving Screaming Snakes at the lake.

After confirming the Lizardman Legend’s death, Ang stayed in the region and arranged for the female warriors’ families to help claim and garrison the land while he continued into Lizardman territory. Meanwhile, Southern Frontline nobles hesitated to occupy the area, and a commander learned Ang’s unit had survived and ordered someone to contact him.

• Ang told Dana they would remain near Volgograd and claim land under their agreement with House Hall.
• Ang asked Maya, Janice, and Margherita to gather letters from the female warriors’ families, then sent them invitations to garrison the region.
• Ang told Margherita he had found the Mithril Ore vein promised to her younger brother Ward, then led his troops deeper into Lizardman territory.
• At the Southern Frontline command, Marquis Bordy urged the nobles to occupy the northern land, but they hesitated and left the meeting without a decision.
• A noble learned that Ang’s supposedly bait unit had survived and ordered an officer to contact him before others discovered their presence.
• The Southern Frontline command proposed informing central and western nobles about the Northern Frontline to create the appearance of a unified offensive.

Ang kept pressure on the retreating Lizardmen while securing reinforcements and concealing that he and Dana had become Level 2 Great Warriors. Dana eventually found the arriving noble forces, leaving the war effort poised to gain support.

• Ang and Dana led their troops in driving the Lizardmen north, killing more than a hundred thousand, while Ang told Slock not to speculate about Dana.
• Ang learned from Quintina that allied families had agreed to send troops, and he told her that he and Dana had secretly become Level 2 Great Warriors.
• At the Central Front Line headquarters, the marquis ordered a token advance, and more than twenty noble lords soon withdrew their forces without explanation.
• Ang sent Dana and two female warriors to search for reinforcements, and they found a force of ten thousand whose banners the women recognized.
• Dana and the two women landed among the troops, who cheered as they recognized the young lady and Baroness Gurney.

Dana escorted contingents from more than a hundred families to Ang’s frontline camp, where their arrival confirmed the families’ support for the coming war. A welcome feast brought the soldiers together, and the chapter ended with the once-fragmented force beginning to feel united.

• Dana reassured the two female warriors that their families’ small advance forces showed the support Ang wanted, then led the contingents on a three-day journey to the frontline camp.
• Ang welcomed the disciplined force of fewer than twenty thousand soldiers and recognized Janice’s brother, who had brought a thousand troops in place of their father.
• Ang hosted a welcome feast with roasted beef and Black Beer, where Dana urged the group to seize land along Volgograd’s western front and Ang said they could try.
• Ang invited the female warriors to sketch designs for family boundary markers, joking that they would have to cover the cost.
• The Flame Swordsmen and Enchanted Armament Knights unintentionally pressured the other soldiers with their auras, so Ang released his own aura to make them withdraw it.
• A Flame Swordsman restarted the drinking and laughter, and the families’ soldiers gradually accepted their place in the united force.

Ang defeated the lizardmen, secured the western lands of the Volgograd Frontline for himself and his allies, and arranged for families to claim territory and mithril resources. After a month of surveying and marking borders, a Military Department envoy ordered him to control all land west of Volgograd and announced that Marquis Peterson William would bring reinforcements.

• Ang led the army against the lizardmen, killed their Great Warriors, and pursued the survivors to the hills before erecting towering mounds of their heads as a warning.
• Ang distributed the captured magic crystals and oversaw the female warriors’ selection of land, claiming two difficult-to-defend regions for himself.
• Ang told Margherita to send Ward to take over a mithril vein, revealing that Puli’s team had destroyed the lizardmen eggs in its nest with magic bombs.
• Over the next month, the female warriors and their troops marked and surveyed their new territories west of Volgograd.
• A Military Department envoy ordered Ang to take control of all land west of Volgograd and said Marquis Peterson William would arrive with reinforcements.

Ang secured the territory west of Volgograd, oversaw the Rose Warband’s renaming, and built a massive defensive wall to block a possible lizardman retreat. As rival nobles rode out to claim newly cleared land, they realized Ang’s wall could leave them trapped and turned back.

• Ang learned that Marquis Peterson William had ordered him to hold back the lizardmen, then told the messenger that he had already taken the land west of Volgograd and driven the remaining lizardmen into the northern hills.
• Ang agreed to Janice and Maya’s proposal to rename the Enchanted Armament Women's Warband the Rose Warband, while Ward learned that Ang had destroyed most of the Lizardmen Ovary House Hall had hoped to use for breeding Black Scale Horses.
• Ang directed Earth Magicians to build a 300-kilometer Stone Wall across the central region, and Military Department and Territorial Administration representatives arrived to document his achievements.
• Peterson William learned that Ang had taken the western territory and angrily dismissed the messenger, while nobles on the Central Front Line organized to claim the cleared land.
• After finding no passage through Ang’s wall, the nobles recognized that it could block their retreat if the southern lizardmen advanced north and turned back.

Ang secured Volgograd's defenses by organizing a huge army under the Rose Warband's nominal command and turning recruits into soldiers. After two months of training and improved supplies, the army was taking shape and the female warriors had grown stronger.

• Ang declared Volgograd a self-developed territory, allocated part of it to the Rose Warband, and proposed recruiting a garrison under each warrior's name.
• The Rose Warband agreed, and Ang and Quintina arranged recruitment; notices brought in more than 250,000 soldiers within a month.
• Ang divided the recruits into 120 units, assigned Flame Swordsmen to train and discipline them, and welcomed noble relatives sent by the warriors' families.
• Dampier's harvest and Long-haired Black Bull meat supplied the army, while Magic Potions and regular training helped recruits improve and motivated them to drill.
• After two months, nearly all Rose Warband members had reached Mid Level 1, while Maya reached Late Level 1 and opened nearly 300 Qi force nodes.

Ang returned to Amnath City with Dana, reunited with Natiya and Linya, and appointed Linya to lead a new Archer Group. He then visited the Minotaur chieftain, discussed leaving the territory’s defense in his hands while he and Dana went to the God-Demon Battlefield, and gave him the weapon Sweeping.

• Ang summoned Dana from training and agreed to fly with him on the Screaming Serpent to Amnath City so Dana could show it to the chieftain and his son.
• After arriving in Amnath City, Ang met Natiya, Linya, and envoys from the Elf Forest at the Governor's Mansion.
• Ang learned Linya had reached Late Level 1 and appointed her to lead an Archer Group made up of skilled archers at Level 1 or above.
• Ang encouraged Linya to embrace her identity and consider inviting her half-elf friends to join her efforts.
• Ang visited the Minotaur settlement, gave Dana's son a rune-carved wooden axe, and asked the chieftain to defend the territory while he and Dana went to the God-Demon Battlefield.
• The chieftain agreed to protect the territory, and Ang presented him with the Exquisite Weapon, Sweeping.

Ang established the Archer Group and equipped it with Windwalker enchanted armor while Linya sought to recruit half-Elves and Natiya helped develop longbows. The chapter ended with Ang learning that the Military Department, under Peterson William’s seal, recognized his territory but denied him personal military merits, leaving his response uncertain.

• Dana gave the Minotaur chief a Crying Serpent, and the chief formed a Companion Pact with it before sparring with Dana and Ang.
• Ang and Linya selected seven hundred Level 1 Warriors for the Archer Group, and Ang produced the first Windwalker enchanted armament sets for their training.
• Linya sent letters and magic crystals to half-Elf friends, while Natiya explained to Ang that male Elves serving as Solitary Stars could not form unions with female Elves.
• Natiya told Ang that Elves were refining the longbow design, while Ang said Linya’s Archer Group was progressing through intensive training.
• Ang received a Military Department document that recognized his territory and his troops’ achievements but excluded his personal military merits, preventing a Noble Rank Advancement.
• Officers at the Central Front Line discussed the decision and its connection to Peterson William, while Peterson learned the document had reached Volgograd.

After his military merits were suppressed, Ang stayed focused on his work while rumors spread about how he would respond. He returned to North Wind Territory with Norma and Yus, where Aisha revealed that she was struggling to reach the Elemental Plane, and Ang began planning how to help her break through.

• The Rose Warband confronted Ang about the suppression of his military merits, but he reassured them and dismissed them before returning to oversee Windwalker Enchanted Armament production.
• Ang submitted a restrained appeal to the Military Department, while nobles debated whether he was cautious or preparing a counterattack.
• Natiya's elf companions crafted the Exquisite Grade longbow Windbreaker, which Ang tested and found capable of precise shots that carried Wind Element attacks.
• After a month, Ang received an earnest letter from Aisha and brought Norma and Yus back to North Wind Territory through the Magic Teleportation Array.
• Ang reunited Norma and Yus with their family, then met Aisha at the reservoir and learned she could sense the Elemental Plane but could not breach its barrier.
• Ang offered to adjust Aisha's meditation method and try to trigger a burst of spiritual power to help her cross the planar barrier.

Ang helped Aisha overcome the barrier to the Water Elemental Plane, where she formed a contract with a water Elemental Spirit named Eluvia and became a Rank 2 Archmage. Ang’s intervention left him gravely wounded, but Aisha healed him with Eluvia’s help.

• After Aisha’s meditation repeatedly failed, Ang brewed Instant Mind, a potion that could only be used once in a mage’s lifetime.
• Ang took Aisha to the Ula River, where she drank Instant Mind and used its surge of mental power to crack the barrier to the Water Elemental Plane.
• When Aisha could not win the water spirits’ trust and the plane began rejecting her, Ang forced the rift open and drew Aisha and one spirit into a pouch.
• Aisha promised to protect the spirit, which agreed to contract with her and gave its name as Eluvia; Ang let Eluvia consume some fleeing spirits’ elemental essence and directed the rest to Aisha.
• After the contract completed, Ang collapsed with severe injuries, and Aisha used Eluvia-enhanced Water Therapy to heal him before Ang congratulated her on becoming a Rank 2 Archmage.

Ang helped Aisha advance to Archmage and returned to Amnath City, where he discovered his Six-armed Momentum could draw power from the Water Elemental Plane. Natiya concluded he would need connections to all six Elemental Planes to complete his cultivation foundation.

• Ang gave Aisha a water-element Magic Staff and cultivation notes, while Eluvia made armor from five Elemental Gems and Aisha agreed to guard North Wind Territory.
• Ang returned to Amnath City and told Quintina and Natiya that Aisha had become an Archmage; they worried as he described entering the Water Elemental Plane to help her contract with Eluvia.
• Natiya summoned her wind Elemental Spirit, Sylphra, then asked Ang to manifest his Six-armed Momentum so she could check for problems.
• Ang used his water-and-ice elemental arm to reach the Water Elemental Plane and draw energy from it, greatly strengthening his water magic.
• Natiya explained that Ang would need to connect to all six major Elemental Planes, likely through channels created by other mages' contracts, and Ang teased Quintina and Natiya before kissing them.

After completing the Windwalkers, Ang prepared the Archer Group for combat in Volgograd and investigated reports of a Merman tribe near its coastline. When he asked Margherita about the Merfolk Race, her expression turned cold, leaving the conversation at a tense impasse.

• With Sylphra's help, Ang completed Windwalker equipment for the Archer Group and ordered Linya to train the group aboard an airship before taking them to Volgograd.
• Ang inspected Volgograd's defenses and learned from Janice that a Merman tribe lived near the coast and could be more dangerous than the Lizardmen.
• Ram told Ang that a friend involved in maritime trade had reported the tribe over a year earlier, prompting Ang to consider whether its old non-aggression pact with the Lizardmen still applied.
• Ang asked Maya and Margherita what they knew about Mermen, then kept Margherita behind because her engagement to His Highness Preston might give her insight into the Merfolk Race.
• When Ang asked Margherita about that knowledge, her expression turned cold and displeased.

Ang questioned Margherita about the merfolk, then wrote to Preston for intelligence and led his companions to inspect Volgograd’s coastline. The patrol found no danger, but Ang discovered that seafood eased the Flame Swordsmen’s fiery constitutions, leaving him considering a harvesting base while he waited for Gweny to eventually join his forces.

• Margherita left Ang’s command hall after directing him to ask Preston about the merfolk, and Maya teased her about her feelings for Ang.
• Ang sent a letter to Preston requesting information about the sirens and the merfolk, then set out with Flame Swordsmen, Margherita, Maya, and Gweny to inspect the coast.
• Ang took Maya on a Magic Broom patrol over the sea, but they found only reefs and seabirds before returning to camp.
• Ang caught seafood and prepared a feast, and the meal calmed the Flame Swordsmen’s fire elements and relieved their exhaustion.
• Ang spoke with Gweny about training and her progress, then decided not to recruit her yet and expected her to join once his forces grew.

Ang confirmed that seafood could benefit elves and water mages, then began planning a rail line to Volgograd. He attended a Military Department Celebration Ball with Dana, expecting to confront those who had shelved his military merits appeal.

• Ang searched the coast for merfolk and unusual magic while his scouts reported no abnormalities, then returned to Amnath City with his seafood haul.
• Ang served seafood to Natiya, Quintina, and the mages, confirming its benefits, and sent some ingredients to Aisha in North Wind Territory.
• Ang and Natiya agreed to build a rail line to Volgograd, and craftsmen and Earth Magic mages began construction.
• Ang received an invitation to the Celebration Ball and told Dana he planned to make those responsible for his shelved appeal pay; meanwhile, Linya led the Archer Group in airship combat training.
• Ang attended the ball with Dana and the Rose Warband, endured rumors and flirtatious attention, and accepted Hal’s repayment of 431 Black Magic Crystals.
• Hal warned Ang that the ball would probably be unsettled, and Ang said he was looking forward to it.

At the Celebration Ball, Ang and his allies received imperial honors, while Gweny’s family learned of her rapid advancement and praised Ang’s influence. The festivities turned tense when a high-ranking noble presented Ang with a box of baron’s emblems and silently confronted him before the watching crowd.

• The Military Department awarded the Rose Warband, the Flame Swordsmen, and the Enchanted Armament Knights the title of Imperial baron, and Ang told Dana they would not make a move yet.
• Dana and the other soldiers celebrated their new emblems, while Maya and Margherita asked Ang to dance later.
• Gweny’s father thanked Ang, learned that Gweny had reached Late Level 1, and urged her to stay close to Ang.
• Gweny told Ang how her father had trained and supported her, and Ang encouraged her to pursue her goals without putting too much pressure on herself.
• A high-ranking noble had an officer deliver a box of baron’s emblems to Ang, then remained to stare at him as the ballroom fell silent.

Ang confronted Marquis Peterson William at the banquet and exposed his role in abandoning Ang’s team in lizardman territory. After Peterson ordered his guards to seize Ang, Ang and Dana defeated the attackers, and Ang revealed Peterson was a Dark Knight before executing him.

• Ang refused to defer to Peterson William, and Dana, Gweny, and their allies stood with him as the confrontation escalated.
• Ang challenged Peterson over Dana’s imperial baron title and accused him of delaying reinforcements and sending their team into danger.
• Peterson ordered his guards to seize Ang, but Ang grabbed Peterson while Dana and the others fought off the officers and warriors.
• Ang restrained Peterson’s fighters with water magic as Dana battled a Great Warrior, while the Flame Swordsman, the Enchanted Armament Knights, and Gweny cleared the soldiers.
• Ang revealed Peterson was a Dark Knight and used holy light against him as Peterson summoned a nightmare beast that Ang’s Nightmare King defeated.
• Ang killed Peterson, whose body withered into a blackened mummy, then announced that Peterson had been a Dark Knight of the Black Magic Society and had been executed.

Ang defended his decision to kill Peterson William by revealing that the marquis was a Dark Knight, and a Mage Association investigator confirmed the corpse bore dark power and traces of Holy Light purification. The investigator then asked Ang to cleanse the darkness afflicting him, and Ang treated him with Holy Light.

• Dana stopped fighting after Ang defeated Peterson William, and Maya ran to check on Ang.
• Ang told the Military Department commander that Peterson William had been a Dark Knight, while the marquis's two Great Warriors insisted he might have been an impostor.
• Ang treated Dana and the injured Great Warrior with Holy Light and medicine, and Dana challenged his opponent to fight again after he reached Level 2.
• Ang explained that Dark Knights sacrificed thousands of people to gain power and said his Holy Light senses had exposed Peterson William's darkness.
• The Mage Association investigator confirmed that Peterson William's corpse had been purified by Holy Light and asked Ang to cleanse the dark power in his body.
• Ang bestowed Holy Light Blessing on the investigator, who felt much better afterward.