Chapter Summaries

Belserion ordered an interception of an enemy supply raid and received Arthur’s farewell before the goodwill delegation departed. Meanwhile, Yanimus’s group lured Ishgar’s forces into an ambush, where a surprise barrage struck and marked a turning point in the war.

• Belserion ordered the Tenth and Eleventh Squads to intercept the enemy unit raiding for food.
• Arthur asked to take the goodwill delegation home, and Belserion agreed to arrange their return with Sordil.
• Glaide, Talib, and Yanimus flew behind enemy lines to lure Ishgar’s forces into an ambush.
• Welsh and Gajil agreed that Gajil’s team would handle the killing while Welsh’s team kept watch.
• Glaide spotted the approaching Ishgar forces, and more than ten pillars of energy struck the group, creating a massive explosion.

Welsh and Gajil pursued a Western Continent unit into a prepared ambush, where the Tenth and Eleventh Squads fought to break out. As the Wise Dragon Lord sent reinforcements, Kelsu and Delsd remained hidden in earthen hills, waiting for a chance to act.

• Gajil led the Tenth and Eleventh Squads in pursuing the apparently fleeing Western Continent dragons, but Welsh realized their retreat was too orderly and warned that it was a trap.
• Glaide's forces ambushed Welsh and Gajil with Dragon Breath, then tried to persuade the surrounded Ishgar dragons to surrender.
• Welsh and Gajil rejected the offer and led their squads toward a weak point in the encirclement, while Glaide ordered his troops to capture them alive.
• After a patrol reported fighting at the border, the Wise Dragon Lord ordered Alsman to tell Hertz to bring the remaining Seventh Squadron to support Welsh and Gajil.
• Hidden in earthen hills, Kelsu told Delsd to be patient while they waited for the enemy's ultimate weapon to be used, then silenced him for shouting too loudly.

Hertz and the Seventh Squadron arrived as Welsh, Gajil, and the others were captured, and Hertz chose to hold off the enemy while sending a messenger to summon reinforcements. The chapter left Hertz and his squad charging toward several hundred Western Continent dragons.

• After Hertz and his group passed, Delsd nearly exposed the ambush, but Kelsu and Goodpes stopped him and reminded him that five hundred dragons were waiting nearby.
• Hertz reached the battlefield and saw Welsh, Gajil, and the others captured by the enemy.
• Hertz decided to send a communications soldier to the Wise Dragon for reinforcements while the squad delayed the enemy.
• Hertz rallied his subordinates, and the Seventh Squadron formed a line to cover the messenger's escape.
• After the communications soldier departed, Hertz ordered the Seventh Squadron to attack.

Kelsu and Goodpes’s baiting plan drew the enemy toward their position, while Belserion learned that Hertz’s group had been ambushed and organized a rescue. The chapter ended as Kelsu and Goodpes spotted at least a thousand approaching enemy soldiers and prepared to spring their trap.

• Kelsu subdued Delsd as a black shadow sped southeast, and Goodpes warned that their target was taking the bait.
• Belserion sensed danger in the northwest and learned from Medvedjev that Hertz’s group had been ambushed and captured alive by several hundred enemies.
• Belserion and Acnologia agreed to send Xizhalansa’s First Division to rescue Hertz, with Acnologia’s Second Division in support, and Medvedjev volunteered to lead them.
• Goodpes spotted at least a thousand enemies approaching in formation, and he and Kelsu realized it was time to spring their trap.

Delsd, Goodpes, and Kelsu ambushed the First Division and blocked the Second Division's advance, turning the battle into a stalemate. After reinforcements and prisoners arrived, Acnologia secretly prepared an elite unit, which launched a desperate escape charge from the rear.

• Delsd, Goodpes, and Kelsu planned to ambush the First Division, while Xizhalansa hurried his troops toward the battle.
• The three attackers trapped Xizhalansa's First Division in a sack-like encirclement and launched an attack from underground.
• Kelsu's forces blocked Acnologia and the Second Division with a wall of Dragon Breath, and the sides fought to a standstill.
• Delsd and Goodpes intensified their attacks as Xizhalansa ordered the First Division to break through and join the Second Division.
• Glaide, Talib, and Yanimus arrived with several hundred troops and bound dragons; Glaide and Talib harassed Acnologia's forces while Yanimus guarded the prisoners.
• Acnologia hid an elite unit at the rear of the Second Division, then used a charge to draw Kelsu and the others forward while the unit attempted to escape.

Acnologia’s forces regained a stalemate through desperation while Belserion prepared to rescue Aku, only to be stopped and reminded of another option. Meanwhile, Anna faced an interrogation about her romantic preferences after repeatedly skipping class, and Irene’s matchmaking plan began.

• Acnologia’s order and Kelsu’s mockery turned the First and Second Divisions’ shame into fury, letting them fight to a stalemate as Acnologia hoped his surprise force would succeed.
• Belserion organized the Ishgar camp’s defenses, then learned that thousands were fighting northwest of the camp and feared Aku was in danger.
• Alsman stopped Belserion from rushing to the battlefield, citing the subjects and Queen Irene, then reminded him of someone who could help rescue Aku.
• Belserion remembered the colorful figure and hurried toward the teleportation tent.
• Diphiya, Irene, and Grandiere questioned Anna about the kind of boy she liked as part of Sordil’s matchmaking plan.
• Anna’s repeated class-skipping began after she became absorbed in researching the Inter-dimensional Teleportation Array, and Sordil’s talks and punishment failed to change her habits.

Anna escaped the women’s matchmaking interrogation by delivering a battle report to Sordil, who rushed to the front and organized a rescue operation for Aku and the trapped soldiers. The chapter ended with Sordil sending reinforcements and assigning Dales to lead the rescue.

• Anna seized a newly arrived letter and escaped to the training grounds, where she gave Sordil the front-line battle report.
• Sordil left Anna in charge of teaching the new recruits and teleported to the Ishgar camp with an incomplete special operations squad.
• Sordil and Belserion struggled to speak over each other until Igneel and the others silenced them and made them take turns.
• Dales explained that Aku had sent reinforcements to request help, and Sordil learned the details of the battle and planned a rescue.
• Sordil ordered Igneel and Lindel to bring five hundred soldiers each, then told Belserion to guard the camp and launch a brief surprise attack.
• Sordil ordered Dales to lead the arriving soldiers to rescue Sacred Dragon and the trapped soldiers.

The Western Continent forces launched attacks on several fronts while Sordil’s rescue attempt for the First Division ran into a prepared ambush. Sordil and the Seventh Squadron joined Igneel’s group but were held back by Montedoss as Goodpes and Delsd continued targeting the First Division.

• The Western Continent camp came under a night attack and its defenders returned fire with Dragon Breath.
• At Yujite Canyon, Hadessta reminded Gilkunis and the others that their assault was meant to fulfill Sordil’s request, and the group resumed its charge.
• Belserion entered an empty enemy camp and realized the enemy had withdrawn and set a trap.
• Sordil and his allies freed the Seventh Squadron and tried to break through Goodpes’s encirclement of the First Division, but their attack failed.
• Sordil led the Seventh Squadron toward Igneel’s group, where they were ambushed by Dragon Breaths and then confronted by Montedoss.
• Goodpes and Delsd concentrated on defeating the First Division while Montedoss held Sordil’s force in battle.

Sordil broke through the enemy blockade and rescued part of the trapped First Division, but had to retreat when the Second Division could no longer hold its ground. After the battle, the victorious Western Continent forces prepared to negotiate a prisoner exchange, and wounded Montedoss volunteered to lead the talks.

• Montedoss pierced Sordil's spatial wall, but Sordil wounded him with Ghost Dragon's Roar before Zakro intervened and helped him retreat.
• Sordil reunited with Acnologia and led reinforcements to carve a corridor through Goodpes's forces for the First Division.
• Only two or three hundred First Division members escaped before Montedoss's and Glaide's forces formed another blockade.
• Yelibell warned Sordil that Acnologia's group could not hold Kelsu any longer, so Sordil joined the retreat with the survivors and the mixed northern and southern force.
• Kelsu and the others discussed exchanging prisoners for food, and Montedoss volunteered to negotiate with the Ishgar camp.

Sordil helped Belserion negotiate a prisoner exchange with the Western Continent, using Kaldiz's Ghost Dragon power to make the food they received a trap. After the exchange, both sides settled into their camps, leaving the war in a brief stalemate as a greater conflict loomed over Ishgar.

• Grandiere ignored Sordil, and when he tried to charm her into forgiving him, she knocked him unconscious with a punch.
• Vyseria, Scylladrum, and Metalicana carried Sordil to the main army tent, where Grandiere's fist mark gave them away.
• Montedoss arrived to negotiate the return of captured personnel in exchange for food, and Belserion agreed to discuss the terms.
• Sordil persuaded Belserion to offer food tainted with Kaldiz's Ghost Dragon power and guided him through bargaining Montedoss down to three hundred Junggwan.
• Five days later, Belserion exchanged the food for the prisoners, and both sides withdrew to their camps as the western border entered a brief stalemate.

Sordil investigated repeated Western Continent ambushes and suspected the goodwill delegation had revealed military information. He sent his companions to gather intelligence through three channels, but Phile’s attempt to flee ended when he ran into Mevajena.

• Sordil and Yelibell investigated the military for a traitor, found no insider, and turned their attention to the goodwill delegation.
• Sordil led Diphiya, Murellia, Mevajena, and Yelibell to Philiers to investigate the delegation’s whereabouts and purpose.
• Sordil divided the investigation into three groups: Mevajena and Murellia would question Black Robe, Yelibell and Sordil would question the chancellor, and Diphiya would seek information from the Queen and Belmod.
• A waiter warned Phile that the Silver Moon Society and Drunken Sky Snow were coming to attack the Wundest Guild, so Phile gathered valuables and escaped through a hidden passage.
• Phile emerged from the passage and found Mevajena blocking his way, then collapsed in terror.

Mevajena and Murellia captured Phile after he surrendered, while Sordil and Yelibell uncovered the condolence delegation’s secret purpose and went to seize evidence from the chancellor. The chapter ended with Sordil knocking out the chancellor and teleporting away with him and Yelibell.

• Mevajena revealed how she learned of Phile’s secret passage and waited with him until Murellia arrived, prompting Phile to surrender.
• Sordil took Yelibell to Cuiyi'aorshu’s royal palace after realizing his earlier plan could expose their whereabouts.
• Belmod hosted Diphiya and Gould for tea, while Sordil and Yelibell secretly listened to his thoughts and learned more about the condolence delegation.
• Diphiya received instructions through Mind Talk and returned to the ducal residence with Gould.
• Sordil explained that the chancellor could provide evidence of the delegation’s collusion with the enemy, then knocked him unconscious and teleported away with him and Yelibell.

Sordil kidnapped the Chancellor and demanded proof of the condolence delegation’s true purpose at the front lines. After the Chancellor revealed that the evidence was hidden in his study, Sordil forced him to sign a Master-Servant Contract, leaving him bound to serve the prince.

• The Chancellor woke bound in a dark place and recognized General Oddek, who revealed himself to be Prince Sordil of Fostadu.
• Sordil demanded proof of the condolence delegation’s true purpose, and the Chancellor claimed he had none before nearly being killed by a wind blade.
• The Chancellor admitted that the evidence was in his study and offered to take Sordil to retrieve it.
• Sordil explained the Master-Servant Contract and freed the Chancellor’s right hand with a wind blade.
• The Chancellor signed the contract with his real name and a mana signature.

Sordil bound the chancellor to a Master-Servant Contract, which rejuvenated him by sharing their lifespans, then brought him to the secret room where Mevajena was waiting. After Mevajena beat Sordil and Phile, Sordil healed Phile and forced him to sign a contract, leaving Phile's intentions unclear.

• Sordil explained that the contract had shared his lifespan with the chancellor, making the chancellor feel younger, and the chancellor pledged to serve him.
• Sordil freed the chancellor and teleported with him to the secret room at Vitus Restaurant, where Mevajena was furious about Sordil's delay.
• The chancellor called Mevajena “Mother Tyrant,” and Sordil blamed him before Mevajena beat them both.
• Sordil healed Phile after Murellia warned that he was near death, then ordered him to sign a Master-Servant Contract.
• The chancellor told Phile to sign with magic power, and Phile signed the contract with a meaningful smile.

Sordil forced Phile to reveal how he secretly contacted Belmod, then took Phile to confront the king and make him sign a Master-Servant Contract. With Belmod under his control, Sordil secured authority over Cuiyi'aorshu and left the kingdom ready to focus on the front.

• Sordil punished Phile until he pledged loyalty, then learned that Phile used a secret passage and Belmod’s token to report to the king.
• Sordil ordered Murellia to comfort Mevajena and take control of the Wundest Guild, while Red was to be sent home without anyone discovering he had left.
• Belmod waited in his bedchamber for Phile and instructed him to investigate the ties among Gould, Diphiya, and Oddek.
• Phile brought Sordil into the bedchamber, and Belmod recognized the silver-white figure and realized Sordil had come to confront him.
• Sordil claimed that dragons would be blamed for Belmod’s death and that Gould would take the throne, while Phile confirmed the plan.
• Belmod begged for his life and signed Sordil’s Master-Servant Contract, giving Sordil control of the king and securing Cuiyi'aorshu.

Sordil pressured Belmod into ending his support for the Western Continent and promising an explanation for the intelligence leak, while Leshia learned of the King's humiliation and concealed growing hatred. Elsewhere, Zeref remained lost in a forest, residents of Montes Sacretaa celebrated frequent food deliveries, and Glaide plotted to use Sordil against Goodpes and the others as Sordil began purging traitors.

• Sordil secured Belmod's promise to stop aiding the Western Continent and to provide a reasonable explanation for the leaked intelligence, implicitly demanding Arthur as a scapegoat.
• Leshia overheard what had happened between Belmod and Sordil, then comforted the King while hiding her resentment and hatred.
• Zeref wandered lost through a primeval forest in northwestern Ishgar, trying to find a route to the Cuyis Tree Sea.
• Residents of Montes Sacretaa joked about how often food had been distributed as the guard captain handed out more supplies.
• Glaide suspected Sordil was the black-mist assassin and planned to lure Goodpes and the others into Ishgar so Sordil would eliminate them.
• Sordil began a purge of traitors.

Arthur was publicly denounced as a traitor and handed over to Prince Sordil for trial and execution. The chapter ended with Arthur’s guilt confirmed and his beheading carried out, after which his head was displayed throughout the armies and allied duchies.

• A passerby told a traveler that King Belmod had accused Arthur of leaking information to the Western Continent’s dragons and arranged to hand him over to Sordil.
• Citizens threw eggs and tomatoes at Arthur as he was paraded through Philiers, and Captain Zhuo Bo quietly told him that the truth would eventually come to light.
• Zhuo Bo delivered Arthur to Sordil at the embassy, and Sordil carried him toward the front lines in the prison cage.
• The United Front Alliance tried Arthur on December 17, confirmed his guilt, and sentenced him to beheading on December 20.
• Sordil ordered Arthur’s head displayed to the armies and sent to every duchy of the United Front Alliance.

As the war between Ishgar and the Western Continent entered a tense new phase, stranded Western dragons received word of a coming decisive battle while their leaders sought a way to verify their informant. Meanwhile, a hidden figure ordered their allies into hiding, leaving the next move uncertain.

• Hit, Zodinger, and Boge worried when Old Friend's supplies failed to arrive, then received his message that Ishgar would soon fight Kelsu's forces in a decisive battle.
• Hit, Zodinger, and Boge read Old Friend's letter and decided they had to trust it as their only chance to return safely to the main camp.
• Kelsu, Goodpes, and Delsd discussed whether Old Friend could be trusted and realized they might verify his claims by contacting Hit and the other stranded dragons.
• Kelsu and Goodpes rushed out of the cave after Delsd's suggestion, leaving him confused about their plan.
• A black-clad subordinate reported to a hidden Master that their task was complete, and the Master ordered everyone to hide and await the right moment.

More than nine months after Arthur's trial, the leaders of the three armies gathered at Ishgar Camp, and Atlas Flame and the others tried to discover why Sordil had summoned them. Their attempt to question Xizhalansa ended in confusion under his Holy Aura, but Sordil arrived before they could try again.

• Masergrera, Livia, Burz, and Phil asked Atlas Flame why Sordil had summoned them, but Atlas Flame said he did not know.
• Atlas Flame persuaded the four to question Xizhalansa, whom they believed might know Sordil's plans through the Wise Dragon.
• The five approached Xizhalansa as he slept, and his Holy Aura made them bow respectfully and walk away without asking their question.
• After the Holy Aura wore off, the five recovered their memories and decided Livia should be the one to ask Xizhalansa.
• An announcement that Prince Sordil had arrived spared Livia from approaching Xizhalansa, and the group waited for Sordil to explain the gathering.

Sordil organized a strike force to destroy the Western Continent dragons’ grain convoy while the remaining troops defended the main camp. In the Western Continent, Olibuk and Shideweig learned from a secret bundle that they had to cooperate with Kelsu’s grain escorts, leaving the food transfer for the next day.

• Sordil warned the leaders that the enemy would recover once its autumn harvest supplies arrived, then assigned troops to intercept the grain convoy and protect the camp.
• Shideweig and Olibuk bickered and fought before learning that Kelsu’s grain officer had arrived with Montedoss, Feldroka, Zakro, and Glaide.
• Olibuk postponed the food transfer until the next day and sent the visitors to rest.
• Glaide secretly handed Olibuk a bundle, and Olibuk showed it to Shideweig after the visitors left.
• Olibuk and Shideweig concluded they could no longer stop the escorts and had to cooperate with them.