Recaps

Russell’s detachment survived an encounter with Snow Demons, and Russell later led Little Dream Dragon to devour a Snow Demon and gain two Ice Soul Beads in the Dark Dreamscape. At Glimmering Market, he reunited with Baron Roman and Roland, met Aunt Michelle, and told his father that he had become a Great Knight.

• After the battle, Rosen and the other knights discussed the Snow Demon Legion’s advance and the territory’s defenses, while Rosen and Lord Ertlas kept the two Ice Soul Beads for Baron Roman.
• That night, Russell directed Little Dream Dragon east-southeast, where it devoured five groups of Snow Ghosts and then swallowed a Snow Demon, producing two Ice Soul Beads.
• The next morning, Baron Roman’s Knight Order reached Glimmering Market, where Baron Roman ordered everyone to rest before departing for Fire Ant Swamp the following day.
• Russell followed Baron Roman and Roland to their courtyard and met Aunt Michelle, whom Baron Roman introduced as Russell’s aunt.
• Baron Roman asked Russell about the march and his training, and Russell said he was a Great Knight and was working to form a Battle Qi Chain and contract Polly.

Russell learned that Redcastle was preparing for war against Snow Giant Da and that the Shadowflame Dragon might receive aid from the Scorching Torrent Kingdom. Baron Roman told Russell he would have to join the campaign, leaving Roland to guard the family’s territory.

• Russell discussed contracting the Glow Scorpion with Baron Roman and suggested his calm Great Knight follower might try to bond with it.
• Roland explained that Snow Giant Da had awakened near Fire Ant Swamp and was summoning the Snow Demon Legion, prompting the Grand Duke to awaken the Shadowflame Dragon.
• Russell learned that the Grand Duke had requested a dragon from the Scorching Torrent Kingdom to aid the Shadowflame Dragon, though Roman warned that dragons’ territorial boundaries could complicate the conflict.
• Russell wondered whether he and Little Dream Dragon were secretly drawing on the Shadowflame Dragon’s power and resolved to repay the Grand Duchy’s protection if necessary.
• Baron Roman told Russell that the family would join the war and that he was most worried about Russell, while Roland would remain to guard their territory.

Russell traveled with the Guangguang River Valley Knight Order toward the war front while preparing to become a Phantom Beast Knight. In Cloud Marsh Province, he successfully formed a contract with Unicorn Polly and gained primordial breath.

• Russell told Polly that he was close to mastering the Battle Qi Chain and would soon form a contract with her.
• Baron Roman gave Russell his stored Magic Potions and asked him to become a Phantom Beast Knight and stay alive.
• The Guangguang River Valley Knight Order crossed Thousand Lakes Province and Mountain Province before entering Cloud Marsh Province.
• Russell rode Polly into a grove with Eric standing guard and began the contract ritual using the Battle Qi Chain and his blood.
• Russell and Polly synchronized their thoughts, transformed their powers into primordial breath, and became a Phantom Beast Knight and his contracted beast.

After advancing to Phantom Beast Knight, Russell tested Unicorn Polly’s innate spells and discovered that Little Dream Dragon’s source dragonflame had transformed her Dream Walk. Russell and Polly left the chapter flying through the forest with their new Dream Escape Technique.

• Russell rode Polly through the swamp forest and learned to use Wind Walk, eventually flying beside her.
• Russell and Polly entered Dream Walk, becoming invisible to animals as they explored the woods.
• Russell discussed Little Dream Dragon, whose source dragonflame began flowing from the M-shaped Mark into him and Polly.
• Polly absorbed the dragonflame, which fused with her Dream Walk and allowed her to fly while remaining in the Dream Walk state.
• Russell named Polly’s new ability Escape into the Dark Dreamscape, or the Dream Escape Technique.

Russell advanced to Phantom Beast Knight and shared the news with Baron Roman, who urged him to keep a low profile before the war. In the Dark Dreamscape, Little Dream Dragon brought Polly into the spirit realm, welcoming her as a new member of their growing family.

• Russell told Eric that he would leave command of the support unit to him because he lacked experience with life-or-death battles.
• Russell told Baron Roman he had advanced to Phantom Beast Knight, and Baron Roman advised him to keep the news quiet and protect the family’s interests during the war.
• Russell met Little Dream Dragon in the Dark Dreamscape and noticed its horns had grown three tines.
• Little Dream Dragon brought Polly into the Dark Dreamscape in spirit form, where Russell explained the realm and its abilities to her.
• Russell welcomed Polly into the Dark Dreamscape family alongside Little Dream Dragon, Sword Butterfly, and Thorn.

Russell and the Knight Order crossed onto the snowy frontier, where Baron Roman introduced him to protected Goose-like Dragons and discussed Pseudo-Dragon Offspring. That night, Russell and Little Dream Dragon hunted Snow Ghosts, while Polly worried that she could not help them and wondered why she had been brought into the Dark Dreamscape.

• Russell reasoned that the Dark Dreamscape was shaped by Mental Power and that Polly could enter it through her connection with him.
• Russell trained with Polly while traveling with the Knight Order, then crossed the border caverns into the snowfields.
• At Reed Green Wave Cold Spring Point, Baron Roman showed Russell the protected Goose-like Dragons, and Russell explained what he had read about Phantom Beast Pseudo-Dragon Offspring.
• Baron Roman said he might still advance to Tier 4, and Russell encouraged him before the Knight Order continued to its next camp.
• Russell and Little Dream Dragon hunted Snow Ghosts through the night but found no Snow Demons, while Polly felt useless and wondered why Little Dream Dragon had brought her into the Dark Dreamscape.

The Guangguang River Valley Knight Order arrived at Swan Castle in Fire Ant Swamp as nobles gathered to prepare for the coming Snow Demon Legion. Russell greeted Baron Kunbiv Shadowflame and the other lords, then learned that his cousin Mel had become a Phantom Beast Knight.

• Baron Roman and the Guangguang River Valley Knight Order traveled from the snowfield to Swan Castle, where an envoy reported that several provincial lords had arrived and Red Castle had sent four Wyvern Knights to monitor the Snow Demon Legion.
• Baron Kunbiv Shadowflame welcomed Baron Roman and said the front lines remained in a standoff while Snow Giant Da gathered his forces.
• Russell greeted Kunbiv, his uncle Meijie, cousin Mel, Baron Gevidas, and Kunteang Sunflower at the castle.
• After the banquet, Mel showed Russell his new partner, Mora the Iron Feather Grey Crane, and revealed that he had become a Phantom Beast Knight after giving up on Lord Medicarren.

Russell introduced his newly contracted Unicorn Polly to Cousin Mel, who regretted that she was no longer available to trade for. As war approached, Russell trained while Mel explained he would soon return home, and that night Russell admired the Wyverns gathered at Swan Castle while wondering when Little Dream Dragon would grow into a true dragon.

• Cousin Mel visited Russell at the Phantom Beasts' camp to show off Mora and his progress with Battle Qi Sword Control.
• Unicorn Polly arrived, and Russell told Mel that he had contracted her a few days earlier in a snowy forest.
• Mel worried that Russell's contract might cost him Lord Medicarren's recognition as a Wyvern Knight, but Russell said he would prioritize gaining strength before the coming war.
• Russell trained with Polly while Mel said his grandfather had sent him to see the front lines and would soon send him back to Sancha River Mouth.
• Russell warned Mel about the danger of seeing Snow Giant Da, and the cousins later returned to Swan Castle to rest.
• That night, Russell toured Swan Castle with Little Dream Dragon, Sword Butterfly, and Thorn, admired several Wyverns, and wondered when Little Dream Dragon would grow into a true dragon.

As Knight Orders gathered at Fire Ant Swamp, Russell welcomed relatives Baron Curis Zi Cao and Baron Davis Golden Mushroom before joining the campaign against the Snow Demon Legion. The Shadowflame Dragon ordered an immediate offensive, and Russell entered the snowfields to hunt Snow Ghosts while Snow Giant Da waited at Lightning Rod Point.

• Baron Roman told Russell to visit his pregnant sister Rowena at Black Court Mountain after the war, and Russell promised to check on her and stand up for her.
• Baron Davis Golden Mushroom arrived on a Peat Dragon and invited Baron Roman and Russell to visit his family at Kingtop Castle.
• Russell reflected that Baron Davis had no male heir and noticed how useful the Peat Dragon could be for fuel and fertilizer.
• After Wyvern Knights reported that the Snow Demon Legion had formed, the nobles ended their banquets and moved their Knight Orders to the border caverns.
• On January 19, the Shadowflame Dragon ordered the Wyvern Knights and Knight Orders to exterminate the Snow Demon Legion while Snow Giant Da remained at Lightning Rod Point.
• Russell followed the support formation into battle, killed Snow Ghosts with his Green Ceramic Sword, and collected a Hail Bead.

Russell and the Knight Order fought through the Snow Demon Legion’s outer perimeter, killing Snow Ghosts and mounted Great Snow Ghosts while collecting Hail Beads. That night, Little Dream Dragon took Russell and Unicorn Polly into the dream snowfield, where Russell urged it to feast on the glowing Hail Beads.

• Russell, Unicorn Polly, and the Knight Order charged through the Snow Ghosts, while Kevin collected Hail Beads for James.
• Eric led the support formation in an Arrow Formation charge that killed a mounted Great Snow Ghost and its Ghost Beast, and James crushed their remains to find two Hail Beads.
• James dodged an ambush by a half-destroyed Snow Ghost, then Eric ordered the knights to clear the battlefield and rest.
• Russell recalled how much stronger he and Eric had become since their first battle at Wuyou Snake Manor and chose to avoid hunting Snow Demons for their valuable Ice Soul Beads.
• After a day of fighting, the Knight Order withdrew to underground caverns, and Little Dream Dragon brought Russell and Polly into the dream snowfield.
• Little Dream Dragon flew toward the blue-green lights, and Russell encouraged it to eat its fill.

Snow Ghosts, Ghost Beasts, and Snow Demons mysteriously crumbled across the snowfield while Little Dream Dragon feasted in the Dark Dreamscape. As the Knight Order awaited the approaching Shadowflame Dragon and Grand Duke, Russell prepared to welcome them.

• Snow Ghosts and Snow Demons vanished as their snow mounds collapsed, leaving a stretch of snowfield silent.
• Little Dream Dragon ate many Hail Beads and a Snow Demon's Ice Soul Bead before Russell woke the next morning.
• Cousin Mel left to guard his territory and asked Russell to tell him about Snow Giant Da and return safely.
• The Knight Order continued clearing the snowfield, then rested on January 22nd as the Shadowflame Dragon drew near.
• Knight Captain Kendall summoned Russell and Eric to the command tent, where Baron Roman told Russell to prepare to welcome the Shadowflame Dragon and the Grand Duke.

Russell and the gathered nobles welcomed the Shadowflame Dragon as it arrived at the underground front lines. Its Dragon's Might forced the knights and their beasts to kneel, and it left the ground molten when it landed before them.

• Russell listened as young knights discussed whether they had seen a dragon and hoped to receive the Shadowflame Dragon's Gaze.
• A messenger announced the Shadowflame Dragon's arrival, and Count Oscro led the nobles outside to welcome it.
• The Shadowflame Dragon appeared in the sky with Wyverns and birds, and its Dragon's Might pressed Russell, Polly, and the gathered forces to the ground.
• Russell studied the dragon as it descended, its heat melting the frozen ground and transforming the cold surroundings.
• The Shadowflame Dragon landed amid earthquakes, turning the ground beneath it into lava, then looked down indifferently at the kneeling knights.

Russell witnessed the Shadowflame Dragon arrive as the Grand Duchy prepared for war against Snow Giant Da. Grand Duke Kunsitan rallied the knights, but Count Merlin took charge of the battle plans, leaving the Knight Orders to organize and advance toward the snowfields.

• The Shadowflame Dragon arrived with Grand Duke Kunstan Shadowflame and the assembled nobles and knights, then fixed its attention on Snow Giant Da in the northwest.
• Grand Duke Kunsitan swore to kill Snow Giant Da and led the knights in a shared oath to fight, even at the cost of their lives.
• Count Merlin interrupted Kunsitan’s speech and took the lead in the command tent, outlining a plan to separate the Snow Demon Legion from Snow Giant Da and support the Shadowflame Dragon.
• Count Merlin learned that twenty Knight Orders had assembled and directed them to take their positions and drive back the Snow Demon Legion.
• Count Merlin distributed Rain Dragon Cigars invented by Russell and ordered the Knight Orders to be ready to charge after one cigar.
• Russell returned with Baron Roman to the Gloomlight River Valley Knight Order’s encampment to prepare to advance, while Count Merlin and Grand Duke Kunsitan remained alone in the command tent.

Count Merlin warned Grand Duke Kunsitan about the battle, but Kunsitan insisted on joining the Dragon Blood Knights to win Shadowflame's recognition. On the battlefield, Russell and the Gloomlight River Valley Knight Order used coordinated formations to break through the Snow Ghosts while the main teams engaged the Snow Demons.

• Count Merlin cautioned Grand Duke Kunsitan that the battle was too important to rely on their preparations alone, but Kunsitan refused to continue the argument.
• Grand Duke Kunsitan said he wanted to fight alongside the knights like his grandfather Quentin III Shadowflame, and Count Merlin reluctantly allowed him to go.
• Russell reassured Polly that their Dream Escape Technique could withstand Snow Giant Da and the Shadowflame Dragon, then joined the charge against the Snow Ghosts.
• The Knight Order split into two wings, cut the Snow Ghost horde into sections, and turned back in an Arrow Formation to attack again.
• Russell collected Hail Beads as Polly helped him move through the Snow Ghosts, then rejoined the support formation to keep scattered Snow Ghosts from disrupting the teams fighting the Snow Demons.

The Gloomlight River Valley Knight Order fought through the Snow Demon Legion, helping clear a battlefield for the Shadowflame Dragon and Snow Giant Da. Baron Roman’s unit rested after the battle and counted its dead and wounded.

• The knights surrounded and killed a Muscle-bound Snow Demon, then recovered two Ice Soul Beads from its body.
• Russell watched the Knight Order advance across the snowfield as its formations drove the Snow Demon Legion away from Snow Giant Da.
• A Wyvern relayed orders for Baron Roman to turn right and draw more Snow Demons away, helping create a broad battlefield by evening.
• Baron Roman ordered his knights to rest and count casualties; Russell reported no deaths and seven injured in the support formation.
• Uncle Rosen called the battle unprecedented, while Old Lord Sali lamented that twenty-one years had passed since the previous great battle.

As the Shadowflame Grand Duchy prepared for the Snow Demon Legion, Meryl worried over Roman and Russell while Roland proposed moving Russell’s sprites to safety. On the battlefield, the dragon and Snow Giant Da began a titanic fight near Lightning Rod Point, leaving Russell and the knights struggling to withstand their power and see the battle through the storm.

• Meryl and Laura prayed for Roman and Russell, and Roland reported on the territory before proposing to bring Russell’s sprites to Fluorite Castle for protection.
• Meryl accused Roland of trying to seize Russell’s sprites, but he insisted he only wanted to keep them safe; they reconciled after he explained why he could not join his father and brother on the battlefield.
• Princess Kunlaya worried about her brother and Lord Shadowflame, while Princess Anxia told her to eat and criticized her brother for relying on others.
• When the horns sounded, Roman led the Guangguang River Valley knights into battle and received orders to draw the Snow Demon Legion away from Lightning Rod Point.
• Russell felt the combined pressure of the Shadowflame Dragon’s and Snow Giant Da’s might, followed Roman’s orders to calm his Battle Aura, and watched the two giants clash through the storm.

The Knight Orders fought off the Snow Demons while Grand Duke Kunsitan and Count Merlin led the army supporting the Shadowflame Dragon's battle with Snow Giant Da. The giant and dragon remained locked in a brutal clash, and Snow Giant Da tore open the dragon's wing.

• The Knight Orders blocked the Snow Demons from reaching the battlefield, while the Wyvern Knights attacked Snow Giant Da with Dragon Breath.
• Grand Duke Kunsitan joined the fighting, rallied the knights, and cut a Great Snow Ghost in half; Count Merlin watched and reconsidered his judgment of his former student.
• Count Merlin directed the Knight Orders through the day and into the evening, then exchanged a brief glance with Russell as he flew over the Gloomlight River Valley Knight Order.
• Snow Giant Da struck a wyvern out of the sky, and the Shadowflame Dragon seized the opening to melt half the giant's neck with dragonfire.
• Snow Giant Da threw the Shadowflame Dragon down and tore open one of his wings, leaving it badly damaged.

Count Merlin and the Wyverns fought to save the wounded Shadowflame Dragon from Snow Giant Da while the Knight Orders battled through the snow. After a day of combat, the exhausted Gloomlight River Valley Knight Order heard an unfamiliar dragon roar from the dark horizon, and Baron Roman believed reinforcements from the Scorching Torrent Kingdom meant the battle was nearing its end.

• Count Merlin and Mercedes attacked Snow Giant Da’s eyes, giving the Shadowflame Dragon an opening to knock him down and attack his neck.
• Snow Giant Da stabbed the Shadowflame Dragon’s abdomen, reopening the dragon’s old injury, and the Wyverns joined Count Merlin in charging to its aid.
• Russell led the Gloomlight River Valley Knight Order through deep snow while Grand Duke Kunsitan advanced with the Dragon Blood Knights and rallied them to victory.
• After charging until midnight, the Knight Orders rested and received supplies, including valuable spirit potions from Red Castle.
• The Gloomlight River Valley Knight Order heard a powerful unfamiliar dragon roar, and Baron Roman told Russell that reinforcements had arrived and the battle seemed close to ending.

The Gloomlight River Valley Knight Order fought a Mounted Blue Skin while the other Knight Orders suffered surprise attacks across the battlefield. Grand Duke Kunsitan was killed when another Mounted Blue Skin burst from beneath the Ice Cap, leaving the Dragon Blood Knights charging toward certain death.

• A Torrent Dragon arrived to support the Shadowflame Grand Duchy, and Count Merlin ordered the Knight Orders to resume fighting.
• A Mounted Blue Skin riding a huge tiger-like Snow Beast emerged beneath the Ice Cap and blocked the Gloomlight River Valley Knight Order's advance.
• Baron Roman ordered Lord Ross to engage the Mounted Blue Skin, while Russell and the knights attacked and Polly fought off Snow Ghosts.
• Mounted Blue Skins ambushed Knight Orders across the battlefield, causing heavy losses and scattering a Knight Order from Mountain Province.
• Grand Duke Kunsitan rushed toward the battlefield's center to claim glory, but a Mounted Blue Skin pierced his warhorse and split him in two.
• The Dragon Blood Knights cried out for revenge and charged the Mounted Blue Skin without regard for their lives.

The Torrent Dragon arrived and drove Snow Giant Da from the battlefield, but the Shadowflame Dragon was too badly wounded to pursue. Count Merlin then learned that Grand Duke Kunsitan had been killed in an ambush, while the Shadowflame Dragon mourned his death in solitude.

• The Torrent Dragon emerged from the fog, and Snow Giant Da fled before it could join the battle.
• The Torrent Dragon pursued Snow Giant Da as the injured Shadowflame Dragon tried and failed to follow.
• Marquis Arno Lieyang told Count Merlin that the Torrent Dragon would handle Snow Giant Da and revealed he had come to aid the Shadowflame Grand Duchy.
• A Wyvern Knight reported that Grand Duke Kunsitan had been killed in a Riding Blue Skin ambush, and Count Merlin rushed to the Dragon Blood Knights.
• Left alone in the dark, the Shadowflame Dragon remembered three generations of Dragon Knights and wept for Kunsitan.

After the battle, Russell helped clear the snowfield and learned of the losses, including John and Grand Duke Kunsitan, while Torrent Dragon's attack left Snow Giant Da crippled. At camp, Russell approached the wounded Shadowflame Dragon, who suddenly opened his eyes and fixed his gaze on him.

• Torrent Dragon returned with news that Snow Giant Da had escaped, but had lost an arm and crucial power to the dragon.
• Russell ordered Eric to safeguard John's belongings and arrange compensation for his family, then rode to camp to pay his respects to Grand Duke Kunsitan.
• Russell struggled with the constant Phantom Beast Whispers and discussed them with Unicorn Polly as they crossed the snowfield.
• Russell reached camp and saw the wounded Shadowflame Dragon resting while the Knight Orders gathered to mourn Grand Duke Kunsitan.
• Lord Welch warned Russell not to disturb Shadowflame Dragon, but the dragon opened his eyes and stared directly at Russell.

Russell narrowly avoided provoking the Shadowflame Dragon, then learned that the Torrent Dragon’s intervention and Grand Duke Kunsitan’s death had left the Shadowflame Grand Duchy facing an uncertain future. He ended the chapter wondering who would succeed Kunsitan as Grand Duke.

• The Shadowflame Dragon scrutinized Russell, then roared at the Torrent Dragon before settling back to sleep, and Russell retreated from its presence.
• Russell overheard Swan Baron Kunbif and Marquis Arno discuss the Shadowflame Dragon’s lost hope and the Torrent Dragon’s actions, but he could not make sense of their remarks.
• Russell paid his respects to Grand Duke Kunsitan’s mutilated corpse and reflected on how easily he could have died in battle.
• Baron Roman told Russell that their Knight Order had suffered relatively few losses and warned him to focus on earning achievements as the Grand Duchy entered difficult times.
• Russell asked who would succeed Grand Duke Kunsitan, a question that concerned the nobles of the Shadowflame Grand Duchy.

After Grand Duke Kunsitan died in battle, the High Nobles debated who could succeed him while Princess Anxia and Princess Kunlaya came to mourn. The chapter left Russell reflecting on the dead and on the responsibilities he owed to his people.

• Count Oscro raised the succession crisis, and the High Nobles argued over how to choose a new grand duke.
• The High Nobles acknowledged that the Shadowflame Dragon's recognition would decide who could join the direct bloodline and inherit.
• Princess Anxia and Princess Kunlaya arrived at Grand Duke Kunsitan's coffin as snow fell over the assembled knights.
• Count Merlin knelt before Princess Anxia and blamed himself for failing her, while she grieved over her son's body.
• Princess Anxia stopped Princess Kunlaya from looking at her brother's remains and handed her to the maids.
• Russell remembered his retainer John and resolved to tell John's family of his death himself.

After Grand Duke Kunsitan’s remains were scattered, Princess Anxia swore revenge on Snow Giant Da and rallied the Shadowflame knights, only for the Shadowflame Dragon to say it wanted to sleep. Russell stayed behind on the snowy plain to wait for the dragon to recover, then left his tent at night to meet someone.

• Grand Duke Kunsitan’s coffin was burned to ashes, and Princess Anxia wept before rallying herself with support from her daughter and the nobles.
• Princess Anxia swore to behead Snow Giant Da, and the knights echoed her oath as the Shadowflame Dragon woke and looked at Russell.
• Lord Welch translated the dragon’s words: it wanted the knights to keep quiet and let it sleep, leaving them embarrassed and Princess Anxia resentful.
• Count Merlin pledged to follow Princess Anxia and avenge Snow Giant Da, then urged her to return after Kunsitan’s ashes were scattered.
• Russell remained on the snowy plain with Eric after Baron Roman returned to the territory, and Baron Roman encouraged him to build goodwill with the dragon.
• At night, Russell finished Eric’s coffee, left the tent, and told Eric he had an appointment.

Russell met the Shadowflame Dragon at night and learned that Snow Giant Da was still nearby, watching and planning to return. The dragon asked Russell and Snowy to grow under its protection and eventually help defeat Da, then gave Russell a dragon-blood-nurtured wyvern egg.

• Russell met the Shadowflame Dragon and used the M-shaped Mark to understand its magical dragon language.
• The Shadowflame Dragon said Torrent had taken its hope and was occupying its volcano, while Snow Giant Da remained nearby and intended to return.
• The Shadowflame Dragon asked Russell and Snowy to grow under its protection and eventually join it in killing Snow Giant Da and reclaiming its hope.
• Russell asked what the dragon meant by the hope of returning to ancient times, but the Shadowflame Dragon declined to explain further.
• The Shadowflame Dragon gave Russell a wyvern egg and told him to raise it with Hail Beads, then hatch it with dragonflame.