Chapter Summaries

Rhode persuaded Serie to abandon the idea of prolonging the war, helping her consider Erik’s suffering and agree to free him. Later, the two shared a campfire meal, where Serie criticized Rhode’s badly cooked rabbit skewers and he reminisced about their first meeting.

• Serie suggested that letting Erik remain the Demon King would bring war and renewed magical development, but Rhode argued that the conflict would cause immense suffering.
• Rhode told Serie that Erik deserved rest and promised he would stay by her side; Serie agreed to follow Rhode’s plan to help Erik.
• Rhode and Serie sat by a campfire, where Rhode struggled to cook Grayhorn Rabbit skewers.
• Serie tasted a skewer and complained that it was tough, flavorless, and worse than Rhode’s cooking in the past.
• Rhode recalled that a grilled mushroom skewer had once brought him Miss Serie.

Rhode and Serie joked about the mushroom skewer that first brought them together, then continued their journey and Rhode repeatedly held Serie’s hand under flimsy excuses. Serie questioned his supposed hometown custom, while Rhode insisted that dear friends always walked hand in hand.

• Rhode proposed building a statue called “Fate’s Encounter” to commemorate how he and Serie first met over mushroom skewers.
• Serie denied that the skewers had attracted her, and Rhode teased her about secretly wanting to see the statue.
• Rhode offered Serie wild fruits, and she reflected that they would probably have met even without the mushroom skewers.
• Rhode took Serie’s hand as they set off again and claimed the road was slippery.
• Serie challenged Rhode’s claim that holding hands was a hometown custom, and he insisted that dear friends of any gender did it.

Rhode and Serie fought a group of flying Monsters while holding hands, discovering that their coordinated movements made them effective in battle. That evening, Serie questioned Rhode about his affectionate gestures, then let him keep holding her hand as they camped together.

• Serie accepted Rhode's explanation for holding hands and continued traveling with him.
• Rhode guided Serie through a coordinated battle against flying Monsters, and they defeated them together.
• Serie healed a small wound on Rhode's hand after the battle.
• At camp, Serie asked whether thumb-stroking was part of Rhode's hometown customs, and Rhode kissed her hand.
• Serie let Rhode continue holding her hand and admitted she could not shake off the troublesome fellow.

Thirty years ago, Rhode led his companions into the Land of Fallen Gods, secretly charging the Light of Ayr with Faith Power as they approached the Goddess of Fertility. He revealed that he had set up a network in the Elf Kingdom to intercept the elves’ prayers, leaving his companions stunned by his plan.

• Rhode led Serie, Olivia, Norn, Erik, and the others through the Black Mist under Atos’s Barrier, using Olge to guide them toward the goddess.
• Serie noticed Rhode secretly channeling power into the Light of Ayr, and Olivia questioned whether he meant to use Faith Power against the Goddess of Fertility.
• Rhode explained that his work on False Divine Strike in the Elf Kingdom had concealed another plan.
• Rhode revealed that he had secretly placed about thirty-seven Magic Circles across the Elf Kingdom to intercept Faith Power produced when elves prayed to the goddess.
• Serie and Olivia reacted with shock at Rhode’s ability to intercept the elves’ prayers.

Rhode revealed his plan to use the elves' Faith Power stored in Atos and the Light of Ayr to bind the Goddess of Fertility with God's Lock and prepare to slay her. He led his companions into the Black Mist to find the goddess's Consciousness Entity, leaving them to trust his mysterious scheme.

• Rhode planned to intercept the elves' Faith Power and turn it into God's Lock, a magic that could bind a god's power.
• Rhode explained that the Elf King would lead the elves in powerful prayers, while the Light of Ayr would carry the Faith Power needed for his plan.
• Olivia suspected that Atos contained the elves' accumulated Faith Power, and Som realized Rhode intended to use Faith Power against the goddess.
• Rhode told his companions that their first task was to find the Goddess of Fertility's Consciousness Entity at the end of the Black Mist.
• Serie reflected on Rhode's determination, while Som, Norn, Erik, and Olivia followed him onward through the darkness.

Rhode and his companions reached the heart of the Land of Fallen Gods, where the Goddess of Fertility was imprisoned, and uncovered the Goddess of Life’s cage and the two goddesses’ shared history. As the Goddess of Fertility prepared to descend and Rhode secretly signaled the Elf Kingdom, both sides readied themselves for battle.

• Serie explained that prolonged exposure to the Black Mist would erode and absorb anyone caught in it, and Norn suggested it came from the fallen Goddess of Fertility.
• Rhode and his companions crossed the Black Mist and entered a radiant void where the Goddess of Fertility was altering the space to support her true body.
• They found the Goddess of Fertility’s consciousness trapped in a Giant Cage woven from the Goddess of Life’s source power, with both goddesses’ wills speaking through the imprisoned figure.
• Rhode asked the Goddess of Fertility about her relationship with the Goddess of Life, and she claimed they once shared life’s authority until the Goddess of Life betrayed her.
• While both sides stalled for time before the fight, Rhode unfolded his magic and sent a prearranged signal to the distant Elf Kingdom.

The Elf Kingdom’s faith ritual sent a vast torrent of Faith Power to Rhode, who used it and Atos to strike at the Goddess of Fertility’s true body. The goddess realized that the elves’ faith had become a threat, while Rhode revealed that Atos had stored thousands of years of their Faith Power.

• The Elf King ordered the elves to pray, and a hidden Magic Circle redirected their Faith Power toward Rhode in the Land of Fallen Gods.
• The Goddess of Fertility began transforming the space so it could accommodate her divine power, and Rhode responded by summoning the Faith Torrent.
• The golden torrent tore through the Land of Fallen Gods and struck toward the Goddess of Fertility’s true body beyond the world’s laws.
• The Goddess of Fertility recognized Atos and demanded to know how Rhode had gained such power.
• Rhode revealed that Atos could gather and store the Elf race’s Faith Power, and that thousands of years of it had been waiting within the Holy Sword.

Rhode transformed Light of Ayr into God's Lock and used it to drag the corrupted Goddess of Fertility's true body into the Land of Fallen Gods, shrinking and suppressing her. With the goddess weakened, Rhode drew Orge and began the final battle.

• Rhode turned Light of Ayr into golden threads of Faith Power and formed them into God's Lock, while Norn watched and studied his magic.
• The Goddess of Fertility foresaw Rhode's plan and struggled to break free from her cage, but Rhode stopped Serie and the others from intervening too soon.
• Rhode, Serie, and the others pulled God's Lock until it breached the sky and dragged the Goddess of Fertility's true body into the world.
• God's Lock bound the goddess, compressed her from hundreds of meters tall to about three meters, and suppressed her divine power before vanishing.
• Rhode drew Orge and called for the attack as the final battle began.

Rhode and his companions attacked the weakened Goddess of Fertility while Heaven's Lock suppressed her power, but her steel vines repeatedly blocked them. The goddess turned an Energy Beam on Erik, and Rhode's Sword Qi failed to stop it.

• Rhode charged the bound Goddess of Fertility with Erik, while Serie used Light Lances and Frost Breath to support their assault.
• The goddess blocked Rhode and Erik with steel vines, and Som stopped the vines from reaching them.
• Olivia purified the vines, weakening them, while Norn and Som defended her from the goddess's counterattack.
• Erik threw bombs to distract the goddess, giving Olivia time to heal Norn and Som and continue her purification magic.
• The Goddess of Fertility targeted Erik with an Energy Beam, and Rhode's Sword Qi was swallowed by the beam.

The Goddess of Fertility attacked the group while God's Lock restrained her, forcing Olivia, Serie, Erik, and Rhode to defend themselves. Rhode and Norn worked together to land a Faith Power arrow in the goddess's eye, leaving her screaming in pain as the pressure on the group lifted.

• Olivia and Serie combined their barriers to block the goddess's Energy Beam, suffering severe backlash.
• The goddess sent shockwaves and a torrent of corrupted vines at the group, injuring Erik and Serie as Olivia and Som tried to hold them back.
• Rhode cut apart the vines threatening Serie and called for Norn to strike.
• Norn used Atos's Faith Power to fire a Light Arrow concealed among Rhode's arrows, piercing the goddess's right eye.
• The goddess screamed in agony as her face cracked, and the group seized the chance to escape danger.

The wounded Goddess of Fertility abandoned her remaining divinity and transformed into a more powerful being consumed by darkness, while her God's Lock began to fail. Rhode and the others attacked to stop her, but her Black Vines overwhelmed their defenses and injured Olivia.

• After the goddess was wounded, Rhode ordered everyone to attack while Olivia healed the group and Serie cast high-level magic.
• The goddess unleashed Dark Divine Power, cracked the God's Lock, and transformed into a monstrous dark form.
• Rhode warned that the group had to defeat the goddess before her restraints broke, and Norn and Atos prepared to fight with their remaining strength.
• The goddess attacked with powerful Black Vines that slowed the group's magic, while Serie's Light Lances were swallowed by a Black Mud Barrier.
• A vine pierced Olivia's wing, and Rhode helped her fend off the remaining attacks.

Rhode spotted the Goddess of Life’s surviving primordial power in the Goddess of Fertility’s chest, and Serie used the sunlight and Holy Light she had gathered to strike it. The attack purged much of the Black Mud and briefly restored the Goddess of Fertility’s clarity as God’s Lock bound her again.

• Rhode spotted the faint golden light at the Goddess of Fertility’s heart and told Serie to target it.
• Serie recognized the remnant of the Goddess of Life’s primordial power and asked Rhode and Olivia to buy her time.
• Serie drew in the sunlight and Holy Light while Rhode wielded Orge to draw the goddess’s attacks away from her.
• Serie compressed the gathered light into a Light Lance and hurled it into the goddess’s chest.
• The Lance’s power erupted inside the goddess, burning away Black Mud and destroying most of her vines.
• The Goddess of Fertility briefly regained clarity, and God’s Lock’s chains repaired themselves and bound her tightly.

Rhode used Olivia’s sacrifice to destroy the Goddess of Fertility, striking the imprisoned Goddess of Life’s power within her chest. The goddess’s body collapsed into Mana Black Mud that swept across the Land of Fallen Gods.

• The Goddess of Fertility attacked the fighters with a soul-shaking scream, disrupting Rhode’s strike.
• Olivia burned her life force to shield everyone from the goddess’s spiritual attack and strengthen Rhode.
• Rhode burned his own life force and shattered the goddess’s Dark Shield with the Golden Judgment Blade.
• Rhode pierced the Goddess of Fertility’s chest, freeing the Goddess of Life’s power to ravage her body.
• The Goddess of Fertility recalled her sister, then collapsed into Mana Black Mud that swept across the Land of Fallen Gods.

Rhode and Serie investigated a Demon Race member who had driven Dwarves from their mine and discovered he was Ratlan, one of seven so-called Four Heavenly Kings. Rhode persuaded Ratlan that the group should be called the Seven Collapse Sages, then attacked while Ratlan was distracted.

• Rhode and Serie reached a Dwarf Village, where a blacksmith told them a Demon Race member had occupied a nearby mine and petrified several Dwarf warriors.
• Rhode and Serie traveled to the mine, found signs of battle and lingering Demonic Energy, and prepared for a confrontation.
• Rhode called out the hidden Demon Race member, who introduced himself as Ratlan, one of the Four Heavenly Kings.
• Ratlan revealed there were seven Four Heavenly Kings, and Rhode convinced him that Seven Collapse Sages was a grander title.
• Rhode attacked Ratlan while he was contemplating the new name.

Rhode and Serie defeated Ratlan after he attacked them with Petrification Magic. Rhode spared Ratlan to carry a warning to the Demon King, declaring that the Demon King's former companions would eventually come for him.

• Rhode ambushed Ratlan with Light Arrows, but Ratlan counterattacked with Petrification Beams that partially turned Serie's legs to stone.
• Serie halted the petrification with Holy Magic while Rhode protected her from Ratlan's continued attacks.
• Rhode used a short-distance spatial teleportation to strike Ratlan with Orge as Serie froze Ratlan's lower body with Frost Magic.
• Rhode severed Ratlan's petrified arm and struck him in the chest, defeating him.
• Rhode pointed Orge at Ratlan's throat and ordered him to tell the Demon King that his former companions would come for him.

After defeating Ratlan, Rhode checked Serie’s recovered ankle and deliberately tickled her foot until she escaped his grip and kicked him. The chapter ended with Rhode pretending to be hurt while Serie glared at him in embarrassment and anger.

• Rhode spared Ratlan, suggested the name “Seven Collapse Sages,” and told her to deliver a message to Erik before she vanished.
• Rhode saw that Serie’s petrification marks had disappeared and insisted on checking her ankle.
• Rhode held Serie’s foot and tickled its sole while claiming he was testing her nerve reflexes.
• Serie freed herself with a burst of cold magic and kicked Rhode in the chest.
• Rhode pretended to be hurt on the ground as Serie glared at him.

After the battle, Rhode helped Serie put her boot back on and warned her to be more careful with unknown magic. They left without telling the Dwarves what had happened, while Rhode wondered how Goddess Erik would react to the Demon Race member he had sent back.

• Serie told Rhode to put her boot back on, and he carefully fastened it for her.
• Rhode warned Serie not to take unknown magic head-on, and she acknowledged his concern.
• Serie decided not to investigate the Demon Race member's motives or inform the Dwarves, and she led Rhode away from the village.
• Rhode joked that he had named the Demon Race's Seven Collapse Sages, then realized Ratlan had never learned their names.
• Rhode and Serie discussed the unusual Demonic Petrification Magic and the possibility that Goddess Erik had taught it.
• Rhode said he had let the Demon Race member return to see Erik's reaction and that he would eventually end Erik's suffering.

Rhode and Serie encountered Kraft in the north, where Rhode revealed that Demon King Asmodeus was Erik and asked Kraft to help bring him to his end. Kraft agreed to bear the world’s view of the deed while Rhode would deliver the final blow.

• Rhode and Serie met Kraft, who was investigating the Demon Race’s growing strength under the Elf King’s orders.
• Rhode told Kraft that Asmodeus was Erik and explained that Erik had been corrupted by darkness and suffered as Demon King.
• Rhode asked Kraft to travel the world as the one who would kill the Demon King and save him, while Rhode would deliver the final blow.
• Kraft struggled with the request because of his bond with Erik, but agreed that someone had to do it and accepted the burden.

Rhode gave Kraft a fragile, single-use teleportation disk as a secret backup for reaching Erik and delivering the final blow. He arranged for Kraft to travel with a powerful Priest, but left her identity unrevealed.

• Rhode gave Kraft a Rune-engraved disk and told him to activate it when he reached the Demon King's Castle or Erik.
• After Serie demanded an explanation, Rhode said the disk contained a one-use teleportation spell that would bring him to Kraft.
• Rhode confirmed that he intended to deliver Erik's final blow to fulfill their last promise.
• Kraft warned that the Demon King's Castle was filled with powerful Monsters and demons, so Rhode promised him a companion.
• Rhode said Kraft's companion was a powerful Priest and former Thirteen Council Member who could restrain demonic darkness, leaving Serie confused about who she was.

Rhode revealed to Serie that the mysterious Priest who would help Kraft was the weakened Goddess of Life, bound to repay him a favor. He then decided to return with Serie to see Norn before his life signal faded.

• Serie questioned how a former Thirteen Council Member could have returned, and Rhode said the Priest's identity had to remain secret.
• Kraft accepted Rhode's assurance that the Priest would meet him on the road to the Demon King's Castle and departed.
• Rhode showed Serie a Life Signal Magic circle and explained that Norn had little time left, so they would go back to see him.
• Rhode revealed that the Priest was the Goddess of Life, whose battered soul could project into the world through the Celestial Divine Kingdom.
• Rhode and Serie set out together to see their old friend off.