Chapter Summaries

Rhode used the three Holy Swords to unleash False Divine Strike, devastating the Demon Race army and securing victory on the frontline battlefield. After the Allied Forces celebrated, Rhode and his companions quietly prepared to leave, having gained the Elf King and Dwarven King's promise to recognize a future Human Race nation.

• Rhode channeled the magic of more than a thousand mages through Orge, Atos, and Light of Ayr to unleash False Divine Strike against the Demon Race army.
• The attack vaporized nearly half the Monsters and Demon Race soldiers, split the plain with a ravine, and plunged the surviving Monsters into chaos.
• Serie praised Rhode's successful magic, and Rhode said the Allies could now head to the Land of Fallen Gods without fear of another immediate attack.
• The Allied Forces celebrated victory as the Dwarven King and Elf King praised Rhode and his companions.
• Rhode asked the kings to recognize a Human Race nation that would be established in ten or twenty years, and both agreed to attend its founding celebrations.

Rhode declined the Human King’s position and presented Norn as humanity’s future King while the leaders prepared to establish a human nation after the war. Rhode, Serie, and their companions left for the Land of Fallen Gods to destroy the False God, carrying the blessings and support of the allied leaders.

• Rhode told the Dwarven King and Elf King that Norn would become the Human King, and Norn accepted their scrutiny.
• Norn and the kings agreed that their immediate priority was stopping the Demon Race by traveling to the Land of Fallen Gods and killing its False God.
• The Dwarven King urged Rhode and his companions to attend the victory banquet, but Kraft arrived to thank Rhode for saving the Elves of the fallen Elf Forest.
• Kraft pledged to answer Rhode’s call, and Rhode accepted his gratitude while saying the fight was not over until the Demon Race’s god was eliminated.
• The Dwarven King and Elf King wished the group success and promised to hold back the remaining Demon Race army as Rhode, Serie, and the others departed west.

Rhode’s group traveled west through abandoned villages and a Monster-infested forest, where they fought off dozens of Monsters before reaching the ruins of a temple. Olivia explained that the Winged race had destroyed the temple and wiped out the Goddess of Fertility’s followers, leaving Erik stunned by her race’s past.

• Serie guided Rhode’s group west using an Elf map and warned that their route passed through Monster nests.
• The group camped in an abandoned Dwarven village, then entered a forest where Rhode’s Detection Magic revealed approaching Monsters.
• Rhode, Serie, Olivia, Norn, Erik, and Som defeated dozens of Monsters, and Serie said they needed magical methods to sever Monsters’ connection to the goddess.
• The group reached the ruins of the Temple of the Goddess of Fertility and saw the hole left by Divine Strike.
• Olivia said the Winged race had wiped out the temple’s followers and destroyed the temple, then told Erik that their strongest warrior’s head was displayed in the Winged Race Museum.

Olivia revealed that she planned to persuade the surviving Winged race to leave the world after the war, while she stayed alone in the Celestial Divine Kingdom to atone for their past sins and protect it. Rhode refused to accept her choice for now and promised to find her another path after the war, while Orge showed him fleeting images of the future.

• As Norn compiled humanity's first spellbook and Serie read a book from the Dwarven Ruins, Rhode told Olivia that the True and False Goddess shared the same origin.
• Olivia told Rhode that she would urge the remaining Winged race to leave the world after the war because they had lost most of their warriors and their past actions had helped cause destruction.
• Olivia said she would stay alone in the Celestial Divine Kingdom, preserve the link between it and the world, and use solitude to atone for the Winged race's sins.
• Rhode told Olivia he could not forgive the Winged race on behalf of those it had harmed, but promised to find her another path after the war.
• Orge glowed and showed Rhode brief images of a future battle, figures engulfed by Black Mud, a new journey, and someone praying alone in an empty hall.

Thirty years after the Mythical era war, Norn was crowned Saint King of Ayr Kingdom, the Human Race’s first nation. He vowed to protect humanity and fight the Demon Race while carrying on Rhode’s will, though Rhode remained missing.

• An old man told children about Rhode, the first Great Sage, and explained that Norn had given him the title of Saint.
• Norn’s coronation ceremony drew people from many races, including Dwarven King Du, Som, and the Elf King.
• An Elf recited the ancient coronation oath, and a golden crown appeared and settled on Norn’s head as the crowd celebrated Ayr Kingdom.
• Norn addressed the crowd, recalled how the city had grown into a home for more than ten thousand humans, and exchanged a knowing look with Som.
• Norn vowed to fight the Demon Race and preserve peace by inheriting Rhode’s will, prompting the crowd to cheer Rhode’s name.

At a celebration marking the Human Race’s progress, Norn and Som looked back on their old companions and wondered whether Rhode had perished with the goddess. Norn revealed that another friend had become Asmodeus, and resolved to carry the hopes of the departed forward.

• Norn greeted Durol, Lisha, and the other guests before joining Som at the edge of the viewing platform.
• Norn and Som recalled their past adventures and discussed how the Demon Race had been blamed for destroying the Dwarven Ruins.
• Som asked about Olivia, and Norn said she would not return to the world unless Rhode came back to persuade her.
• Norn and Som admitted they had found no trace of Rhode and wondered whether he had died with the goddess.
• Som asked about their other friend, and Norn revealed that he had become Asmodeus, the Demon King of the Demon Race.
• Norn asked Som to keep the truth secret, then raised a toast and reminded himself that the living must carry the hopes of the departed forward.

Serie watched Norn’s coronation from a hillside and reflected on Rhode’s disappearance after the final battle against the gods. As the celebration continued, her loneliness and grief overwhelmed her, and she silently mourned him beside the sword he had left her.

• Serie watched Norn’s coronation through a magic mirror and quietly congratulated him.
• Seeing Atos and hearing Norn mention the God-Slayer made Serie remember Rhode’s farewell and disappearance into the Black Mud Tide thirty years earlier.
• Serie recalled traveling across the continent in search of Rhode while refusing to accept that he might be dead.
• As she watched the celebration, Serie tried to suppress her growing grief by analyzing a spell but failed.
• Serie touched the worn sword tassel Rhode and Som had made, and a tear fell onto Atos’s scabbard.

After thirty years of searching, Serie left the hillside and decided she would eventually make Rhode a gravestone if she could not find him. Norn returned from his coronation celebration to find Rhode waiting in his room, but Rhode appeared dangerously frail and began explaining what had happened to him.

• Serie dispelled her magic, looked toward the Land of Fallen Gods, and left after deciding she would erect a gravestone for Rhode if he remained missing.
• Norn returned to his dark room after the celebration and discovered a cloaked figure waiting by the window.
• Rhode revealed himself, and Norn recognized his old friend and rushed to embrace him.
• Rhode stopped Norn from touching him and explained that his body was fragile because he had held the Authority of Life for too short a time to create a suitable one.
• Norn asked where Rhode had been, and Rhode began explaining the erosive power of the Goddess of Fertility and how it had taken over her body.

Rhode told Norn how the Goddess of Fertility's corruption forced him to destroy his body and spend thirty years reincarnating into a new one. After Rhode briefly wore Norn's crown, Norn welcomed him back and began recounting what had changed over the past thirty years.

• Rhode explained that the Goddess of Fertility's power had eroded his body and tainted his soul during their battle.
• Norn recalled that Rhode had protected the group with Serie's Barrier, but one of their companions had still been eroded and later became Asmodeus, the First Demon King.
• Rhode revealed that he had destroyed his body, created a new one with the Authority of Life, and spent thirty years reincarnating his soul into it.
• Norn expressed his sorrow over Rhode's suffering, and Rhode said seeing Norn again as king made it worthwhile.
• Norn offered Rhode his crown, and Rhode wore it briefly before returning it and acknowledging the burden Norn had borne.
• Norn told Rhode that everyone was still there but had changed, then began recounting the past thirty years.

Rhode learned what had become of his companions after the goddess fell, including that Erik had been corrupted by the Goddess of Fertility’s power and later emerged as the Demon King Asmodeus. The chapter left Rhode confronting the revelation that his former companion had become the first Demon King.

• Norn told Rhode that Serie had searched for him using a Teleportation Array in the southern Mystic Cave and still carried Atos.
• Norn explained that Olivia had confined herself to the Celestial Divine Kingdom, Som was expected to become the Dwarven King, and Olge had vanished with Rhode.
• Norn revealed that Erik had been exposed to the goddess’s divine power during the Black Mud Tide and gradually changed over the years.
• Norn said Erik disappeared fifteen years earlier, then resurfaced ten years later as a powerful Demon who united the remaining Demon Race.
• Rhode learned that Erik had taken the name Asmodeus and become the First Demon King.

Rhode used the Light of Ayr’s Faith Power to suppress the divine erosion in his body, but he told Norn that Erik’s corruption had destroyed his soul and could not be reversed. Norn accepted the truth without asking Rhode to kill Erik, while Rhode chose to delay seeing Serie until he could resolve his own erosion.

• Rhode drove the Light of Ayr into his arm and used its Faith Power to suppress the spreading divine erosion, then had Norn heal the wound.
• Norn asked whether Erik could be restored the same way, but Rhode explained that the Goddess of Fertility’s corruption had consumed Erik’s body and soul beyond recovery.
• Norn struggled with the news but accepted Rhode’s answer and did not ask what should be done with Erik.
• Rhode decided not to act against Erik unless Norn asked him to, and considered seeking help from an elf who owed him a promise.
• Norn asked whether Rhode would go find Serie, but Rhode chose to wait until he could resolve the erosion and continue his future with her.

Rhode stayed hidden in the Ayr Kingdom while using the Light of Ayr to suppress the contamination within him, keeping his survival secret from Serie. After a year, he had gained control of the erosion, but news that Serie might be heading toward the dangerous Land of Fallen Gods left him unsettled.

• Rhode told Norn not to tell Serie he was alive because the contamination within him could endanger her.
• Norn kept Rhode's survival secret and gave him a private underground chamber in the Ayr Kingdom to recover with the Light of Ayr.
• Over the next year, Rhode used the Light of Ayr's Faith Power to suppress the contamination and helped Norn govern the kingdom.
• Norn reported that a powerful Spatial Mana Fluctuation had appeared near Red Dragon Canyon and that Serie had likely continued westward.
• Rhode and Norn feared Serie might enter the Land of Fallen Gods, where Divine Black Mud could erode her, and Rhode's aura grew unsteady as he considered the news.

After recovering enough magic to travel, Rhode learned that Serie had been seen near the Land of Fallen Gods and set out to find her. He left Norn behind after offering to extend his life, while Norn remained resolved to live and die as a human and still faced a decision about Erik.

• Rhode recovered one-third of his former strength over the winter and offered Norn a way to extend his lifespan, warning that it would eventually erode his soul.
• Norn refused Rhode’s offer, saying he would rather die as a human than become obsessed with survival, and accepted Rhode’s help healing his hidden injuries.
• Norn told Rhode that Serie had been spotted in a forest near the Land of Fallen Gods, prompting Rhode to leave immediately to find her.
• Norn escorted Rhode out of Ayr City, and the two parted without a further farewell.
• After Rhode departed, Norn considered that he would eventually have to decide whether to grant Erik Peaceful Slumber.

After searching for Rhode for thirty years, Serie prepared tombstones for herself and Rhode before entering the deadly Black Mud to seek an answer. A travel-worn figure arrived moments later, realized Serie had just gone inside, and hurried after her.

• Serie returned to the Land of Fallen Gods and resolved to search the Black Mud for Rhode, who had vanished there.
• Serie carved tombstones for Rhode and herself, then entered the darkness with Atos.
• A travel-worn figure found the fresh tombstones and recognized that Serie had recently passed through.
• The figure ran into the Black Mud after Serie, calling for her to wait.

Serie struggled through the Sea of Darkness toward the old battlefield’s center, where the Black Mud shattered her Barrier. Olge appeared and Rhode returned after thirty years, clearing a path through the darkness and asking Serie to come home with him.

• Serie pressed onward through the Black Mud Tide, protecting herself with Atos as she searched for Rhode.
• The Black Mud broke through Serie’s Barrier and rushed toward her, leaving her with nowhere to escape.
• Olge’s golden light destroyed the encroaching Black Mud and carved a passage through the darkness.
• Serie recognized Olge and saw Rhode emerge from the passage after thirty years apart.
• Rhode grasped Olge, unleashed its power to purify the area, and asked Serie to come home with him.

Rhode reunited with Serie after thirty years, reassuring her that he had returned and would stay by her side. They left the Land of Fallen Gods together, with Serie asking him to adventure with her again.

• Serie feared Rhode was an illusion until he held her hand and confirmed he had returned.
• Rhode apologized for being gone, and he and Serie exchanged affectionate gestures while reaffirming their bond as dearest friends.
• Rhode promised Serie that he was not going anywhere, though he kept his deeper hopes to himself.
• Rhode warned that Orge could not purify the pollution for much longer, and Serie agreed to leave the Land of Fallen Gods.
• Rhode used Orge to cut a passage out, and Serie asked him to go on another adventure with her.
• Rhode promised Serie, calling her his elf lady, and they departed along the light-filled path.

Rhode and Serie escaped the Land of Fallen Gods, where Rhode used Orge’s power to repel the Black Mud Tide. He told Serie how he survived the past thirty years through reincarnation, and they decided to continue adventuring together.

• The Black Mud Tide surged toward Rhode and Serie, but Rhode used Orge’s holy power to drive it back and lead them out of danger.
• Rhode scolded Serie for entering the forbidden land to find him, then reassured her that Orge was fine.
• Serie asked where Rhode had been, and he explained that the darkness had corrupted his body during the final battle.
• Rhode told Serie that he had discarded his corrupted body, reshaped it with the authority of life, and spent thirty years adapting to his new one.
• Serie rejoiced that they could continue adventuring together, and Rhode invited her to choose their next destination.

Rhode teased Serie after discovering the gravestone she had made for him, and the two set out together on a new journey. Meanwhile, in the Extreme North, the corrupted Erik ruled the Demon Race as its Demon King while still retaining part of his mind.

• Serie led Rhode toward a northern ruin but tried to steer him away from the gravestone she had made for him.
• Rhode found the grave marked “Rhode's Tomb” and teased Serie about preparing it in advance.
• Serie enchanted the gravestone to make it last longer, then took Rhode's hand and continued their journey with him.
• The narration introduced the Demon Race's stronghold in the Extreme North, where Erik had become their Demon King after defeating the demons who attacked him.
• Erik sat in the grand hall, still retaining some of his mind despite his corruption.

Erik resisted the goddess's corruption while ruling the Demons, holding onto the hope that Rhode would come to save him. Exhausted and nearly overcome, he lost his remaining clarity and waited for Rhode to bring his redemption and destruction.

• Erik sat on the Demon throne as the goddess's corruption tormented him and urged him to surrender.
• Erik resisted the goddess's plan to use him to gather the Demons' faith and gain power for revenge.
• Erik unleashed a burst of dark energy that killed low-ranking Demons and crushed Monsters, prompting the goddess's corruption to intensify his pain.
• Erik remembered Rhode and insisted that Rhode would return with Orge to kill the goddess again.
• Erik called for Rhode to come before his clarity vanished and the goddess's corruption took control of his body once more.

Rhode told Serie that Erik had become the First Demon King, Asmodeus, after being corrupted by the goddess. He left Erik’s fate to Norn and planned for Kraft to face him, with Rhode intending to ensure Erik received a peaceful end.

• Serie told Rhode about the Demon King’s nation in the Extreme North and discussed their next adventure.
• Rhode told Serie that Erik, missing for fifteen years, was now the First Demon King Asmodeus, corrupted by the goddess’s power.
• Serie asked whether Rhode planned to find and kill Erik, and Rhode said Norn should decide because he was Erik’s closest friend.
• Rhode said Kraft would carry out Norn’s decision, while Rhode would analyze the Demon Race’s Teleportation Array and intervene at the Demon King’s Castle.
• Serie said the burden would be cruel for Kraft, and Rhode replied that he would not leave the task of granting Erik peaceful slumber to anyone else.