Chapter Summaries

Igneel and the Young Master's forces attacked a Western Continent camp, rescued its captives, and withdrew while Sordil continued fighting before eventually calling off pursuit. Meanwhile, Goodpes led troops toward the Central Camp, and a master in a cave punished his subordinate for questioning an alliance with the Western forces.

• Igneel's forces struck the camp from the front, flanks, and air, throwing its defenders into chaos and rescuing the captives.
• Igneel sent a signal to Sordil, who kept fighting despite the rescue and later ordered his troops to withdraw.
• Goodpes and Delsd led a group of supposed defeated troops toward the Central Camp, while Delsd voiced his unease about their plan.
• A black figure reported to his Master that the Western allies were fighting Old Friend because Old Friend had robbed them and burned their home.
• The Master struck the black figure for warning him about the Western allies, then ordered him to investigate another matter and treat his wounds.

After the war, Sordil returned to Dragunov, where Yelibell warned him that Xizhalansa and his soldiers seemed suspicious. Meanwhile, Western Continent commanders secretly set a plan in motion, and Belserion was awakened by news of a disaster.

• Sordil brought his forces back to Central Camp, helped restore its defenses, returned borrowed troops, and then led the Special Operations Unit back to Dragunov.
• Igneel’s brothers teased him in the royal palace courtyard until Yelibell pulled Sordil away to report to Irene.
• Yelibell warned Sordil that Xizhalansa and his soldiers seemed off, and Sordil planned to alert Belserion and the others at Central Camp.
• Kelsu, Goodpes, and Delsd agreed to act on a secret plan within fifteen minutes before Old Friend discovered it.
• Belserion was awakened at Ishgar Camp by an injured, frantic man reporting that something terrible had happened.

The Sage Dragon’s central camp came under attack after traitors helped the enemy breach its defenses, forcing Belserion and Acunologiya to divide their efforts between holding the line and reporting the crisis. At a victory banquet in Dragunov, Irene delivered the urgent report to Sordil, who realized the situation demanded an immediate response and regretted that it was already too late to undo what had happened.

• Alsman told Belserion that enemy forces had infiltrated the central camp with help from traitors, and an attack soon destroyed their tent as the enemy advanced.
• Belserion refused to retreat because abandoning the central battlefield could expose the South and North Camps, then agreed to send a report to Prince Sordil while the defenders held their ground.
• Belserion and Acunologiya each led subordinates to different parts of the camp, with Acunologiya agreeing to inform Sordil and Belserion staying to defend the line.
• At Dragunov’s victory banquet, Irene received urgent military intelligence and brought it to Sordil.
• Sordil read the report about the front-line crisis and recognized that he needed to devise a response immediately.

Sordil organized a retreat and relief plan after learning that Western Continent dragons had invaded the Central Camp. At the camp, Kelsu learned the Ishgar forces were defending a Teleportation Array and ordered his troops to seize it.

• Sordil reassured Irene, then gathered the special operations squad and reported that traitors had helped the Western Continent dragons break into the Central Camp.
• Sordil ordered Igneel and the Five Kings to move the North Camp troops to Norman City, sent Diphiya, Lindel, and Murellia to withdraw the South Camp troops to Asia City, and assigned Kaldiz, Yesveta, Mevajena, and Yelibell to join him in supporting the Sage Dragon.
• Sordil arranged for the groups to slip away through the kitchen, using illusions to conceal their departures, and began the operation with Igneel and the others.
• At the Central Camp, Kelsu questioned Hertz and learned the Ishgar forces were defending a tent containing a Teleportation Array that could reach Dragunov.
• Hertz explained that operating the array required Space Magic and that Sordil had personally transported large numbers of troops and supplies, prompting Kelsu to order a full assault on the tent.

Sordil’s forces escaped the encirclement, but the Yellow Springs destroyed their Teleportation Array and devastated the enemy camp. At Peterburg City, Sordil learned his allies could not send aid and wrestled with whether to use his dangerous Dragon Slayer Magic experiment.

• Sage Dragon and his troops prepared to face the enemy until Sordil’s group used the Yellow Springs to pull them into the tent and cover their retreat.
• The Yellow Springs swept through Kelsu’s camp, destroying the Teleportation Array and killing many of the encircling forces as Kelsu ordered a retreat.
• Sordil and his survivors reached Peterburg City, where fewer than two hundred had escaped and the city’s defenses offered little confidence.
• Sordil received letters saying Igneel’s forces had suffered devastating losses and could neither support his position nor retake the defensive line.
• Sordil hesitated to use his dangerous trump card, and Yelibell urged him to trust his own judgment after discovering his thoughts through Mind Talk.

After envisioning Irene and places tied to his past, Sordil woke and said he had a plan, then returned to Dragunov. Meanwhile, hidden forces plotted against Old Friend and Sordil as Kelsu’s commanders regrouped outside Peterburg City.

• Sordil woke after Wise Dragon shook him and said he had devised a solution that required returning to Dragunov.
• Sordil left the Western Continent dragons in Wise Dragon and Holy Dragon’s care and vanished in a silvery-white glow.
• A mysterious master learned that Old Friend had escaped to Peterburg City and ordered Shadow to investigate his whereabouts.
• Kelsu told Delsd and Goodpes that Fusion Magic had devastated his forces, and the commanders agreed to hold position and ask Old Friend to investigate.
• A hidden force failed to contact Sordil’s group and its boss ordered a subordinate to keep trying, warning that the outcome remained uncertain.

Sordil received a battle report warning that the war might be lost, and he rushed to tell Irene that humans could not fight dragons without Dragon Slayer Magic. Irene revealed she had devised a way to use the magic, while Sordil warned that it could transform its users and endanger both dragons and humans; they decided to form a Dragon Slayer Mage Corps, though Irene seemed to have plans of her own.

• Sordil argued with his inner Angel and Devil selves about whether to flee, then received a letter from the Teleportation Array and hurried to the council hall.
• Irene left her meeting with the kings and rushed to the council hall, where Sordil embraced her and warned that they might lose the war.
• Irene said she had devised a solution and planned to send humans into battle, but Sordil warned that Dragon Slayer Magic could cause severe side effects and transform its users into dragons.
• Sordil explained that Dragon Slayer Magic could lead humans to persecute dragons and transformed Dragon Slayers after the war, and Irene broke down in tears.
• Sordil and Irene agreed to select members for a Dragon Slayer Mage Corps, though Irene appeared to be considering a plan of her own.

Sordil explained to Irene the limits of Dragon Slayer Magic and reassured her that his dragon contracts could still produce human Dragon Slayer Mages. Meanwhile, Shadow’s master learned of their plans and moved to exploit them, leaving the enemy’s new allies under surveillance.

• Irene confronted Sordil about why he had formed a Dragon Slayer corps while still asking her to establish a division, and he explained that dragons were needed to implant Dragon Seeds.
• Sordil revealed that he had created just over a thousand Dragon Slayer Mages and that each dragon could contract with only one human, though dragons contracted to him could also contract with humans.
• Irene worried that their forces could not match the enemy’s reinforcements, but Sordil urged her not to give up; after she fought off his advance, she left to prepare for Dragon Slayer Magic while he remained tied up.
• Shadow reported to her master that western reinforcements had arrived and that Sordil was absent from Peterburg City, prompting the master to say Sordil had returned to Dragunov to meet Irene.
• Shadow’s master ordered her to select capable people in preparation for the planned humanoid Dragon Slayers and to monitor their new allies, who were trying to contact Sordil and the others.

Sordil received a letter from the Sage Dragon and sent a reply to Irene, then went to Fostadu to collect the Western Border Army. The chapter ended with him dragging Heradi away after overhearing him boast that he could beat the boss.

• Sordil received a letter from the Sage Dragon, welcomed its contents, and ordered an attendant to deliver his reply to Irene.
• At the Western Continent military conference, Shideweig urged the leaders to attack, but Delsd, Goodpes, and Kelsu warned him about their enemy and the danger of acting rashly.
• Sordil arrived in Fostadu to take the restless Western Border Army to the battlefield.
• Heradi boasted that he could pin the boss down and beat him, and Sordil appeared and dragged him into a dark room for a talk.

Sordil’s forces used a trap to capture dragon search parties, while Kelsu realized the humans sent to the front had concealed the operation. Kelsu ordered an attack on Asia City at dawn in retaliation.

• Old Suo ordered the Guard Brigade to gather on the mountaintop, and Sordil’s group followed with Heradi trapped in a doorframe.
• Sordil’s forces used a Magic Array and Quality Magic: Compression to incapacitate and capture a group of dragons searching for food outside Yujite Canyon.
• Sordil stopped beating Heradi and led the returning soldiers away through a Teleportation Array once the capture mission was complete.
• Yanimus told Kelsu that several thousand humans had arrived, but Kelsu dismissed the possibility that they could harm dragons and called them food.
• Kelsu learned that search parties sent by him, Goodpes, and Delsd had disappeared, then realized Sordil had lured them into losing nearly a thousand combatants.
• Kelsu ordered Yanimus to prepare an attack on Asia City at dawn.

Sordil completed a secret intelligence exchange with an unknown ally while Zeref traveled on foot through the Cuyis Tree Sea to find a Bandit. Meanwhile, a hidden Master ordered infiltrators in Peterburg City to wait for orders, and Sordil went to Norman City to meet the Five Dragon Kings.

• Sordil left his forces under Sage Dragon and Kaldiz's watch and secretly met an unnamed contact in a dark canyon to exchange intelligence.
• Zeref reached the Cuyis Tree Sea and began crossing it on foot to find a Bandit's lair because using magic risked unleashing the power inside him.
• In a mysterious cave, Shadow reported that their people had joined Old Friend's new army in Peterburg City, and the Master ordered them to await instructions.
• The Master explained that their Western Continent allies might become enemies after defeating Old Friend, so they needed other allies to survive.
• Sordil arrived in Norman City, where Igneel welcomed him, and asked Igneel to gather the Five Dragon Kings for an important discussion.

Sordil sent Igneel, Grandiere, and the other dragons to search Ishgar for Zeref Dragionil, then rushed back after learning Irene had secretly gone to the front lines. He launched a devastating counterattack against the Western Continent Army, but reinforcements arrived as Sordil collapsed from exhaustion.

• Sordil asked the dragons to find Zeref Dragionil in Ishgar and sent Anna with them to help communicate.
• After Anna told Sordil that Irene had secretly come to the front lines, he hurried back toward the battlefield to stop her from taking a dangerous step.
• Sordil abandoned his planned visit to Belserion and attacked the battle at the city wall when he saw the fighting intensify.
• Sordil ordered Ishgar's forces to withdraw, then used Great Que Plate to strike the Western Continent Army with a storm of Black Mist swords.
• Sordil ordered a full-scale counterattack after most enemy dragons fell, but a new group of dragons attacked with a barrage of dragon breath while he was too exhausted to respond.

After the battle, Sordil recovered in Peterburg City while Kelsu regrouped the Western Continent’s battered forces and explained their fear of Black Mist. Sordil discovered that Irene had secretly learned Dragon Slayer Magic, and his anger gave way to concern as he decided they needed an honest talk.

• Belserion ordered his troops to clear the battlefield and return to the city, where they found Sordil waiting on the wall; Sordil asked everyone to discuss matters back at the Lord Mayor’s residence.
• Kelsu told Shideweig that Black Mist had repeatedly weakened their soldiers and revealed that only two people could use it; he then set out with Shideweig to join Yanimus and the others at the Chigengster Plains.
• After meditating, Sordil noticed his magic power had improved and went to the conference hall, where he overheard Irene asking the others to conceal that she had secretly learned Dragon Slayer Magic.
• Sordil burst into the hall and confronted Irene, while Kaldiz, Sage Dragon, Sacred Dragon, and Lindel urged him to calm down.
• Sordil realized his anger came from fearing for Irene’s safety and decided it was time to speak honestly with his wife.

Sordil tried to dissuade Irene from using Dragon Slayer Magic, but she insisted on fighting beside him and trusted him to protect her. After catching the dragons eavesdropping, the story shifted to Anna proposing a new way to search for Zeref.

• Sordil asked everyone to leave so he could speak privately with Irene, while Diphiya teased him before Yelibell ushered the group out.
• Irene told Sordil she wanted Dragon Slayer Magic so she could fight at his side, and he warned that it would permanently turn her into a dragon.
• Sordil explained Dragon Slayer Magic’s painful side effects and asked Irene not to use it yet, but she said she trusted him to protect her.
• Sordil caught Sage Dragon and the others listening at the door, and Sage Dragon fainted when Sordil confronted them.
• In Northern Dragunov, Anna suggested searching the harbor town of the Principality of Babaronza for clues about Zeref, and the dragons agreed to go there.

Sordil ended the argument over the eavesdropping incident and told the meeting that a spy called Old Friend had caused the defeat at Kiginst. He proposed using a real military operation as bait to expose the spy, then asked the others to lead an interception at sea between the Eastern and Western Continents.

• Irene persuaded Sordil to forgive Diphiya and the others for eavesdropping, and Yelibell returned after missing their reprimand.
• Sordil revealed that Old Friend had supplied enemy intelligence and guided the Seventh Squadron's rebellion, though the spy's identity and location remained unknown.
• Sordil proposed a real operation to lure Old Friend out, explaining that their target would be the sea between the Eastern and Western Continents rather than Ishgar.
• Sordil said someone among them would need to lead an interception of forces expected from the Western Continent, and Sacred Dragon volunteered.

Sordil assigned Acnologia and Yelibell to intercept the Western Continent's reinforcements, capture them alive, and use them to create Dragon Slayer Mages. Meanwhile, Zeref reached Fostadu looking for Sordil, but Carl mistook him for an impostor and drove him away after revealing that Sordil and the others were fighting on the front lines.

• Acnologia accepted Sordil's mission, and Sordil sent Yelibell with him to help intercept the enemy reinforcements and bring them back alive.
• Irene and Yelibell explained that Sordil intended to use captured enemies to cultivate Dragon Slayer Mages, and Diphiya and the others laughed at his blunt scheme.
• After five or six days crossing the Cuiyisi Maze, Zeref reached Fostadu and told Carl he was looking for his friend Sordil Orn.
• Carl accused Zeref of lying and attacked him, insisting that Sordil was a dragon and that he was away fighting the Western Continent's evil dragons.
• Zeref realized he had missed the chance to reunite with Bandit, escaped into the bushes, and fled before Carl could catch him.

Sordil inspected the newly trained Dragon Slayer Mage Mixed Division at a parade in Peterburg City and explained that the soldiers had been trained because they could not follow orders. He issued their next assignments, leaving the division prepared for an operation beginning the following morning.

• Sage Dragon fell asleep during the parade preparations, smashed a crater into the reviewing platform, and became the target of everyone’s scolding.
• Sordil opened the parade, and ten formations of the Dragon Slayer Mage Mixed Division marched through Boshigolde Square before assembling in formation.
• Sordil identified himself as commander of the Fourth Division and told the soldiers that they were unqualified because they could not reliably obey orders.
• Kurelle ordered the First and Second Brigades to assemble at the west gate and the Third and Fourth Brigades to reinforce Peterburg City’s walls at three the next morning.

After discovering spies in the Third and Fourth Brigades, Sordil explained how their message to Old Friend would expose the traitors and assigned the group to monitor them. He pursued a message bird to Neva City, where it vanished underground, leaving him at the suspected intelligence relay station.

• Yelibell reported that inspections had uncovered six suspicious people in the Third and Fourth Brigades, though their loyalties were unknown.
• Sordil explained that the spies would contact Old Friend after receiving news, allowing the group to identify them, and shared the plan with everyone through Mind Talk.
• After the meeting, Sordil and Yelibell monitored the brigades while the others carried out their assigned tasks.
• Sordil and Sage Dragon caught two men sending a message by strange bird, and Sordil followed the bird while Sage Dragon stayed behind with the men.
• Sordil tracked the bird to a courtyard in Neva City, where the ground opened and swallowed it before he could approach its contact.

Sordil pursued an underground intelligence agent while the dragons prepared to intercept Olibuk’s forces at sea. Shadow learned of the planned ambush and relayed the news to her master, who ordered her to alert western allies and pass along a hidden item.

• Sordil used Rock Dragon Sword Armor to dig into the underground labyrinth, switching between Rock Dragon and Poison Dragon modes as he tracked the agent.
• Yelibell gave Irene her written report and received Sordil’s Space Magic Crystals before departing with Acunologiya and the forces headed to the sea.
• Irene asked Kaldiz to keep the captured spies safe, then led the others back toward the Lord Mayor’s residence.
• Shadow collided with a hooded woman carrying a rose scent, then hurried into the cavern and told her master that Acunologiya was leading forces to intercept Olibuk’s army.
• Shadow’s master ordered her to inform their western friends and new allies, and to give the item from Secret Cabinet Number Four to the western friends for delivery to Number Four.

Sordil caught Rat, an intelligence agent, and interrogated him about a report sent through a Communication Magic Crystal. After Rat led him to the secret room, Sordil traced the crystal’s magical signal through a rift, leaving Rat unconscious in the passage.

• Sordil ambushed Rat in the passage and used threats and magic to force him to answer questions.
• Rat revealed that he was codenamed Ice Blade, worked for Shadow, and had sent intelligence from Ice to Shadow, who forwarded it to their unknown master.
• Rat told Sordil that Shadow used the nickname Invisible Shadow Blade, but Rat did not know Shadow’s identity or location.
• Sordil made Rat guide him to the secret room, found the Communication Magic Crystal, and knocked Rat unconscious.
• Sordil sensed the crystal’s remaining magical fluctuations, opened a rift to their distant source, and stepped through it.