Recaps

As Mordred grew stronger by consuming black aura and civilians, Ailin discovered that Pander Empire knights were feeding people to him. The Sword in the Stone flew from the King of Knights’ statue and chose Ailin as she confronted the black mist.

• Merlin stopped Caroso from rushing to Nimel and promised to stabilize her mind while Nimel and Sophia distracted the God of Wisdom.
• Mordred’s armor strengthened as the black mist healed him, and civilians who entered it became dried corpses that attacked the living.
• Ailin discovered Pander Empire soldiers were launching civilians and outsiders into the mist to feed Mordred, and she angrily charged toward the knights.
• In Lion City, the Sword in the Stone emerged from the King of Knights’ statue and flew away as Emmanuelle watched.
• A sword cleaved through the black mist, and Ailin caught the Sword in the Stone.

Ailin used the King of Knights' deck and the Sword in the Stone to break through the enemy forces and confront Benson, while Merlin prepared to unleash her combined powers. Messiah explained the strength and limits of the fighters gathering for the battle, which she said might go down in history.

• Ailin destroyed the catapults and the knights using civilians as ammunition with the King of Knights' Wrath, then charged toward the Duke's Mansion to find Benson.
• Ailin summoned and enlarged seven mermen to stop the civilians from being sent to their deaths, then forced her way into Laria despite its anti-magic formation.
• Merlin told Caroso that the Sword in the Stone had raised Ailin to the peak of the eighth tier and could permanently empower her if she earned its recognition.
• Merlin rose above the black mist and summoned holy and lightning magic, while Caroso learned from Messiah that Merlin's two souls could combine their powers to approach early ninth-tier strength.
• Messiah warned that Merlin still could not match Minette's innate power and said the battle might go down in history as the King of Knights' spirit, the Witch of the End, and the King of Dark Elves converged.

Mordred overwhelmed the churches’ forces as Nimel and Sophia absorbed his power, while Minette bargained with Homero for the Dark Elves’ freedom and joined the fight. Celica discovered that the black fog’s magic array was driving civilians to their deaths, and a mysterious voice reminded her that her strength was her own.

• Mordred used the God Card Boundary Sever to shatter the churches’ sealing array and destroy several ninth-tier items, then cleaved Norma’s Tree of Life and attacked Nimel and Sophia.
• Homero trapped Mordred briefly and negotiated with Minette, promising the Dark Elves land, national recognition, and Orthodox Church status in exchange for her help.
• Minette attacked Mordred to restrain him while Homero prepared the Goddess of Dawn Church’s Divine Punishment Array using Light Force.
• Messiah and the Goddess of Dawn discussed whether Mordred and his sister could withstand divine power after he used the card.
• Celica found Caroso and Krumen struggling to stop civilians controlled by the magic array from rushing toward their deaths, then resolved that Mordred had to be killed.
• A phantom appeared behind Celica and told her that her strength had not been bestowed by anyone.

Celica and Minette broke through to the ninth tier while fighting Mordred, and the Goddess of Dawn’s guidance awakened Celica’s sword power. As they struggled to hold Mordred back, Merlin summoned a simulated Holy Lance and prepared to unleash it.

• The Goddess of Dawn urged Celica to follow her own path and trust the power of her sword before her phantom faded.
• Celica broke through to the ninth tier and charged Mordred with the Sword of Dawn, while Minette also revealed that she had advanced to the ninth tier.
• Celica and Minette fought Mordred, but his strength damaged Celica’s ninth-tier Blade of Dawn and left them struggling to hold him back.
• Merlin transformed her Projection card into a simulated Rongomyniad, the lance the King of Knights had used to kill Mordred.
• Merlin chanted the lance’s invocation and declared, “Holy Lance, unanchor!”

Merlin, Celica, and Minette failed to stop Mordred while the Goddess of Dawn Church delayed its Divine Punishment Array. With Nimel threatened and the defenders close to defeat, Caroso summoned his future self through a God Card, whose power stunned everyone as the chapter ended.

• Merlin pierced Mordred with the spear, but he broke free and resumed attacking while Celica and Minette defended her.
• Homero admitted the Divine Punishment Array had not arrived, and Minette urged Caroso to retreat as Nimel heard the God of Wisdom urging her to surrender control of her body.
• Caroso confronted Merlin over bringing Nimel and Sophia into danger, but Krumen gave him a God Card that could summon his future self.
• Caroso activated the card, and a black ray from the bullet comment window joined its power as his future self emerged and absorbed deathly energy.
• Mordred paused before Caroso's blood-soaked future self, whose pressure frightened civilians, cardinals, and even Norma; Messiah and the Goddess of Dawn were surprised by his power.

Caroso’s shadow lent him the God Card Laevateinn (Shadow), transforming him into the Corrupted Card and allowing him to overpower Mordred. After Caroso killed a fleeing ninth-rank Death Knight, Minette explained that Caroso was wielding divine power, though the reason behind his sudden strength remained unclear.

• Caroso’s shadow gave him Laevateinn (Shadow) and guided him into battle, where he began suppressing Mordred.
• Caroso deployed the Field Magic Card Warrior’s Battlefield and continued fighting Mordred as a sword phantom killed the fleeing ninth-rank Death Knight.
• Celica and Minette noticed that Caroso’s power was unusual, while Norma used her natural power to heal Celica and Minette’s deathly-energy corruption.
• Minette explained that Caroso’s God Card let him borrow divine power, which was stronger than the mana used by other ninth-rank fighters.

Corrupted Card took control of Caroso and fought Mordred, restoring the god to full strength so Caroso could learn through a battle on the brink of death. The churches hailed the Blazing God of War’s descent as Caroso and Mordred resumed their fight.

• Corrupted Card severed Mordred’s left arm, then restored Mordred with faith so he could face him at full strength.
• Corrupted Card saw Caroso’s sealed memories and used Caroso’s body to teach him how to fight and understand laws.
• Celica and the Flame Pope concluded that a god was fighting through Caroso and led the crowd in welcoming the descent of the Blazing God of War.
• Mordred recovered and struck Caroso with Lion’s Grasp, freezing his wound and filling his body with deathly energy.
• Caroso recovered from Mordred’s attacks as Corrupted Card used his body to cycle through levels of magic power and send Mordred flying again.

Caroso drew on Nimel and Sophia’s power to defeat Mordred with Twilight of the Gods (Imitation). After smiling at Nimel, the Corrupted Caroso faded away, leaving the others behind.

• The Corrupted Card used his combat experience to guide Caroso as they fought Mordred and taught him a final skill.
• Nimel released her shackles and shared her divine power with Caroso, then drew on Sophia’s power as well.
• Caroso and Mordred exchanged attacks, and Mordred unleashed Rebellion Against My Beautiful Father while Caroso countered with Twilight of the Gods (Imitation).
• Caroso drained the borrowed power and burned Mordred to ash, severing the red lines across his body.
• The Corrupted Caroso smiled at Nimel before his shadow slowly faded and vanished.

After Caroso defeated Mordred with the Blazing God of War’s power and Celica broke through to the ninth tier, the Goddess of Dawn Church reconsidered its plans. The Pope canceled the order to use Light Force and prepared for the possibility that the gods were returning.

• Messiah recuperated at the Goddess of Dawn’s church after losing divine power while using her Great Prophecy on Caroso.
• Primont reported that Celica had broken through to the ninth tier alongside Minette and Merlin’s efforts to stop Mordred.
• Primont revealed that Caroso had summoned Laevateinn, defeated Mordred in a duel, and blasted him into scraps with a Spell Card.
• The Pope and the Senate discussed whether Celica’s breakthrough and Caroso’s divine possession signaled the gods’ return.
• The Pope canceled the use of Light Force and ordered investigations into Celica’s breakthrough, Caroso’s possession, and Nimel.

Caroso killed Mordred with the Corrupted Card and collapsed, while the others recovered and debated what had happened. The churches identified the event as divine descent and argued over who would take Lion’s Grasp and Mordred’s ashes.

• Caroso fainted after Mordred was reduced to ash, and Bai caught him as Nimel and Sophia collapsed from having their magic drained.
• Alita caught Nimel and Sophia while Merlin explained that Caroso had restored Mordred before killing him with overwhelming power.
• Bai, Celica, and the Flame Pope suspected that the Blazing God of War had descended upon Caroso, and the Flame Pope offered to make him a Holy Son.
• Celica picked up Lion’s Grasp, which shone brightly in her hands, and Homero insisted that the sword and Mordred’s ashes be taken to headquarters.
• The Flame Pope challenged the Goddess of Dawn Church over its limited role and demanded to know why it should control the sword and the god’s remains.

Ailin confronted Duke Benson at his mansion and demanded to know why he had corrupted the Pander Empire’s knights and civilians. Benson revealed that he had used criminal organizations to build power for revenge against those who killed the King of Knights, leaving Ailin to reject his justification as the two clashed.

• At the Church Alliance gathering, the churches blamed the Goddess of Dawn Church for withholding Light Force and argued over authority and spoils while Bai tried to leave with the unconscious Caroso.
• An unseen mechanical arm beckoned from the bullet-comment screen, and the divinity in the black ash entered it.
• Ailin fought through the soldiers surrounding Duke Benson’s Mansion, summoned a hundred Silver Mist Knights, and challenged Benson to appear.
• Benson came out and recognized the Sword in the Stone, but Ailin attacked him and forced him to one knee.
• Ailin accused Benson of betraying knightly ideals through exploitation and corruption, and Benson described how the country’s authorities colluded with criminal organizations.
• Benson revealed that he sought revenge for the King of Knights by building an army and creating a rebellious knight, while Ailin called his methods destructive and cowardly.

Ailin confronted Grand Duke Benson over his plan to sacrifice civilians, arguing that the Pander Empire could only prevail by restoring the knight's spirit and uniting its people. After learning Mordred had been killed, Benson accepted that his plan had failed and prepared to take the blame while urging Ailin to heed his counsel.

• Ailin accused Benson of hiding behind civilians and sacrificing them for revenge, while Benson defended their deaths as worthwhile.
• Ailin argued that the Empire should grow stronger and unite around the knight's spirit instead of relying on traitors and civilian sacrifices.
• A seventh-rank knight reported that Mordred had been killed by a young man after Cardinal Celica reached the ninth rank and the Blazing God of War descended with Laevateinn.
• Benson despaired over the failure of centuries of planning, and Ailin urged him to return to Lion City and face judgment.
• The King of Knights' voice spoke through the Sword in the Stone, telling Benson he could still return to the right path, and Benson wept.
• Benson seized the Sword in the Stone and told Ailin to listen to his counsel, while she demanded that he let go.

After Mordred's death ended the magic array, Merlin and Celica revealed Duke Benson and Cardinal Riccardo’s betrayal, and Celica led the awakened civilians and soldiers toward the Duke’s Mansion. They found Ailin emerging with Benson’s severed head, and she announced that the duke had been executed.

• The black mist and magic array vanished after Mordred died, waking the trapped civilians and professionals and revealing many dead victims.
• Merlin told the crowd that Benson had worked with a cult to create a Death Knight, while Celica declared that Benson and Riccardo had betrayed the faith and ordered the soldiers to surrender their weapons.
• The bereaved civilians demanded justice, and Celica led them and the surrendered soldiers toward the Duke’s Mansion.
• The procession found dead soldiers throughout Laria and discovered that no guards remained alive at the Duke’s Mansion.
• Ailin emerged from the mansion carrying Benson’s severed head and announced his execution in the name of Imperial Princess Ailin.

Ailin explained how she saved the people from Benson and killed him, then vowed to investigate his crimes and restore justice. In Lion City, Emmanuelle and the nobles agreed to cede two cities to foreign supervision, while Ailin’s possession of the Sword in the Stone left them fearing she could rally the people against them.

• Ailin told the survivors that Benson had sent people toward the black mist, and that she had used the Sword in the Stone to defeat him and protect them.
• The people praised Ailin as the rightful successor to the King of Knights and urged her to revive knight's spirit and investigate Benson and the Knight Tournament.
• Ailin promised to investigate every demand and punish anyone who broke the law.
• In Lion City, Emmanuelle declared Benson a traitor and proposed allowing other nations to station personnel in Siyuan City and Boshì City to prevent another scandal.
• The nobles reluctantly approved ceding the two cities, while Emmanuelle wondered whether the Empire’s leaders could withstand the scrutiny they had once welcomed.
• The nobles discussed Ailin’s victory and worried that the Sword in the Stone could help her rally the people and threaten their power.

Emmanuelle sent Ailin to Shieldwind Fortress with no supplies and only a knight order chosen from Benson’s forces, framing the dangerous assignment as punishment and training. After waking, Caroso learned that Nimel was safe and that he had become the Church of the Blazing God of War’s Holy Son; he met Ailin as she prepared to leave for Shieldwind Fortress.

• Emmanuelle ordered Ailin to resolve the slave revolt and threats from Zakal and the Fear Legion at Shieldwind Fortress, limiting her forces and withholding aid and supplies.
• Caroso woke after a day unconscious, and Alita told him the city was holding funerals while the churches and Empire dealt with the aftermath.
• Alita told Caroso that Nimel and Sophia were confined but safe, and that the Blazing God of War had made him the Church’s legitimate Holy Son.
• Caroso chose to see Ailin before informing his father, then met her as she announced her departure.
• Caroso learned Ailin was going to Shieldwind Fortress and worried that she could be killed there.

After the Knight Tournament ended in disaster, Ailin prepared to lead Benson’s soldiers toward Shieldwind Fortress, while Caroso arranged funding, supplies, and support for her through the Church of the Blazing God of War. Caroso then asked Grand Duke Osiris for troops to bring him home and leave an elite regiment behind, committing himself and Azure Wolf Province to a risky alliance with Ailin.

• Ailin told Caroso she would root out the Empire’s corruption and accepted his one-million-coin loan to fund her journey, agreeing to repay it within three years.
• Caroso asked Pope Krosh Mohan to help oversee Nimel’s identity as a god, establish a church presence near Shieldwind Fortress, and place elite troops there to support Ailin.
• Caroso offered to donate a church building in Azure Wolf Province, and Krosh agreed to provide an item to restore Caroso’s body.
• Caroso told Grand Duke Osiris that he had acted for Nimel and Ailin and wanted to establish a friendship with Ailin, not pursue a political marriage.
• Caroso asked Osiris for a division to escort him home and an elite regiment led by a seventh-rank professional to remain behind.

Caroso secured Osiris's support for an escort battalion and considered asking Teresa to help fund additional protection for Ailin. Teresa trained at the Presia palace, then heard Caroso describe his recovery after the Blazing God of War possessed him and offered him the Muchen Bead.

• Caroso asked Osiris to send a division to escort him home and leave an elite regiment behind, but Osiris refused and approved at most a battalion.
• Osiris suggested Caroso ask Teresa to provide a regiment, and Caroso understood that the two provinces could share the investment.
• Teresa defeated six fifth-rank warriors during training at the Imperial Palace and hurried to the communications room when she learned Caroso had called.
• Teresa teased Caroso about being possessed by the Blazing God of War, and Caroso said reaching the eighth rank should now be effortless once he recovered.
• Teresa offered Caroso her ninth-rank Muchen Bead, but Caroso declined and said the Church of the Blazing God of War was preparing to help him.

Caroso asked Teresa to arrange an escort division and an elite regiment to help Ailin reach Shieldwind Fortress, and Emperor Orsay approved the deployment. After making his arrangements, Caroso met Rio Corleone, who offered to supply Ailin’s expedition.

• Teresa questioned Caroso about his dangerous recent adventures, and he asked her to send a division to escort him home and secretly help Ailin establish herself in Shieldwind Fortress.
• Caroso explained Ailin’s situation to Teresa, who agreed to ask Emperor Orsay for permission to send troops.
• Emperor Orsay approved a division and an elite regiment, seeing the mission as a chance to build ties with Caroso and support a future King of Knights.
• After a day of preparations, Caroso received a visit from Rio Corleone, who proposed handling the supplies Ailin needed for the desert and forest.

Rio and Caroso agreed to pursue legitimate war-supply businesses, while the political fallout from Riccardo’s affair reshaped churches and nations around Caroso and Ailin. Four days later, Caroso attended Nimel and Sophia’s examination as Flame Holy Son, relieved to see representatives of the Church of the God of Wisdom there.

• Rio explained his plan to shift the Corleone Family toward weapons, military supplies, and a mercenary company, and Caroso agreed to discuss it with Ailin.
• The churches and Pander Empire settled on consequences for Riccardo’s actions, while Presia and Azure Wolf Province sent two divisions to bring Caroso home and the Church of the Blazing God of War named him Flame Holy Son.
• Pander’s investigators discovered that Caroso had lent Ailin one million Magic Crystal Coins, prompting speculation that Presia was backing her; Presia denied involvement and called the loan Caroso’s personal choice.
• The Goddess of Dawn Church dismissed three elders, promoted Celica with restricted authority, and assigned her to capture Minette.
• Caroso attended Nimel and Sophia’s examination alongside representatives of the major churches, professional associations, and various nations, and felt relieved when he saw the Church of the God of Wisdom’s representatives.

Sophia and Nimel underwent a Church appraisal to determine the nature of their divine power. Sophia was confirmed as a vessel for divine descent, while Nimel’s appraisal revealed the God of Wisdom, whose appearance ended with the Goddess of Dawn watching him from afar.

• Homero began Sophia’s appraisal before the assembled church leaders, and the magic circle showed that her body could contain pure divine power but held no divine spark.
• Krosh told Sophia to protect herself from evil gods, and she left the appraisal in a fluster.
• Nimel entered the magic circle, where her divine spark gathered her power as the Church’s magic circle tried to restrain it.
• The God of Wisdom appeared through Nimel, and the pope of his Church fell to his knees and pleaded for a divine revelation.
• The God of Wisdom’s power broke free of the magic circle and rejuvenated his pope before the deity turned toward the Goddess of Dawn’s phantom.

Nimel was recognized as the bearer of the God of Wisdom’s divine spark, and the pope invited her to the church in Winter City. That night, Caroso noticed a new support option on the barrage screen and wondered what it would do.

• The God of Wisdom’s phantom vanished, while the crowd’s memories of His appearance were altered to show only Nimel’s phantom.
• Homero declared that Nimel carried the God of Wisdom’s divine spark, and the influential figures bowed to her.
• The pope asked Nimel to return to the Church of the God of Wisdom, and Nimel agreed after asking to go home first.
• Caroso read barrage messages about players struggling against Boss Caro and wondered whether his BOSS card had come to his aid.
• Caroso noticed a new screen option labeled “[Support] Completion: 35%.”

Caroso told Nimel she would be sent to the Presia Empire for protection because her confirmed identity as a true goddess made her a target. They promised to grow stronger and reunite, and Nimel spent one last night with Caroso before their separation.

• Caroso noticed a new support option in his game, but its progress bar was not full enough to use.
• Nimel visited Caroso and asked how long she would have to stay at the church and whether he would abandon her.
• Caroso explained that Nimel would go to the Presia Empire because her goddess identity and the strained relationship with Perus made it unsafe for her to remain with him.
• Caroso promised to bring Nimel back once he was strong enough, and Nimel agreed they would grow stronger together.
• Nimel asked to sleep beside Caroso, and they spent the night together before the ship arrived the next day.

Caroso and Nimel left together after spending the night, and Bai checked that Nimel had recovered. At Laria harbor, Teresa arrived to bring Caroso back to Presia, reunited with him, and met Ailin as diplomats handled the official talks.

• Caroso took Nimel out the next morning, and Bai checked Nimel's condition and confirmed she had recovered well.
• Presian warships arrived at Laria harbor, where Teresa greeted Caroso and embraced him.
• Ailin watched Teresa and Caroso reunite while Nimel and Elena looked on with resentment.
• Teresa declined to speak with the Pander diplomat and directed the official discussions to her delegation.
• Caroso introduced Ailin to Teresa, who explained her diplomatic choice, and the two princesses shook hands.

Caroso reunited with Teresa and Ailin in Laria, where they discussed the growing threat of war and their ideals for improving life for commoners. He proposed gradually weakening noble privilege, and Teresa accepted that as a more practical first step than abolishing nobility outright.

• Teresa praised Ailin for wielding the Sword in the Stone, then invited her to drink with Caroso and Nimel.
• Red let Saya through to see Caroso, but Saya felt increasingly distant from him as he watched him leave with Teresa, Ailin, and Nimel.
• At the Moonlit Beauty tavern, Caroso recounted his adventures after the Free City Incident, including his voyage into the Sea of Taboo and his battle with Salazar.
• Caroso warned Teresa and Ailin that international tensions were rising and asked what ideals they hoped to pursue.
• Teresa and Ailin described their wish to improve commoners' lives, while Caroso proposed eliminating or weakening the noble class.
• Teresa warned that new privileged groups would replace the nobles, so Caroso suggested starting by weakening noble rights and making their abuses illegal.

Caroso, Ailin, and Teresa formed an alliance to improve ordinary people’s lives and weaken the power of nobles and the Church. Teresa and Caroso pledged troops and resources to support Ailin’s investigation of the Knight Tournament, leaving the three committed to changing the world together.

• Caroso proposed an alliance, and Teresa agreed on the condition that the alliance would not target her.
• Ailin pledged to investigate the Knight Tournament and eradicate the corruption of the Pander Empire.
• Caroso revealed that he had provided one million Magic Crystal Coins and an elite battalion from Azure Wolf Province to support Ailin.
• Teresa promised an elite regiment, and Caroso explained that Ailin would need manpower and support for the difficult road ahead.
• Ailin accepted their aid, and the three raised their cups and vowed to make their mark on history.