Chapter Summaries

Hao Ren and his companions returned home after nearly two months away, settling back into their familiar household routine. Lily’s successful Dog Cannon and her novel about their adventures left Hao Ren with new reasons to worry about what she had been doing.

• Lily fired a Dog Cannon after practicing spitting water with Dodo, and Hao Ren decided she needed a full examination to check for side effects.
• Hao Ren told Lily it was time to go home, and she eagerly left Kolo with him and the others.
• The group returned to their South Suburbs house, where Nangong May cleaned with octopus tentacles and Hao Ren organized chores before turning on the lights.
• The household resumed its noisy routine, and Roll relaxed on the sofa while Lily inspected the house and returned to writing.
• Hao Ren discovered Lily was writing a novel based on their adventures, including a version where she defeated Lockmadon with one Dog Cannon.

After Lily’s writing startled the family, Hao Ren went to bed but dreamed of the Creation Goddess, the Seeds of Origin, and the Lord of Madness. He later spoke with Vivian outside, and her thoughts about the Goddess’s failed attempt to seal away memories helped ease his worries.

• Hao Ren accepted that Lily could keep writing stories about his adventures and went to bed without finishing his mission report.
• Hao Ren dreamed of the Seeds of Origin spreading life, then saw the Creation Goddess and a dark shadow consumed by an explosion.
• Dodo woke Hao Ren by splashing water on him and told him that he had been talking in his sleep.
• Hao Ren went outside after he could not return to sleep, where Vivian found him and asked about his strange dreams.
• Vivian suggested that the Creation Goddess’s hidden memories had influenced her plans and reassured Hao Ren that he did not face the burden alone.
• Hao Ren said he felt better, and Vivian offered to use “Kinetic hypnosis” to help him sleep.

Hao Ren reported his findings about Lockmadon and the Creation Goddess to Raven 12345, who discussed Vivian’s amnesia and arranged protection against chaotic power. Raven examined the World-Breaking Blade and discovered that its energy did not match the other God-slaying Sword.

• Hao Ren told Raven 12345 that Lockmadon had been the Creation Goddess’s first creation, and that her memories and the God-slaying War may have been tied to the Lord of Madness’s seal.
• Raven 12345 reasoned that Vivian’s amnesia was probably an accident in the original design but was now influenced by the Lord of Madness, and she promised to prepare a ritual to strengthen Vivian against chaotic power.
• Vivian reassured Hao Ren that she showed no signs of infection, while Lily misunderstood their concern as romance and joked about her unfinished Dog Cannon.
• Hao Ren presented the World-Breaking Blade, which had belonged to Lockmadon, and Raven 12345 suppressed its contaminating energy before examining it.
• Raven 12345 compared the blade’s lingering aura with the energy sample from the first God-slaying Sword and concluded that the two samples did not match.

Hao Ren and Raven 12345 investigated why the two End Blades had different energy signatures and concluded that the God Slayer Sword was likely altered by an unknown third party. After learning little from either sword, Hao Ren stored them and turned his attention to Lily’s Dog Cannon.

• Raven 12345 explained that the God Slayer Sword was more likely than the World-Breaking Blade to have been altered, and suggested the Ancient Ones might have had the power to do it.
• The God Slayer Sword said it remembered nothing from before the God-slaying race used it, while Raven 12345 explained that its Echo Wall nature made its memories dependent on conscious observers.
• Hao Ren suspected a third mastermind had modified the God Slayer Sword to influence people’s minds before giving it to the God-slaying race.
• The World-Breaking Blade spoke briefly, calling itself lazy, but said it remembered nothing important about its past.
• Raven 12345 said the End Blades could help Hao Ren because they held the Creation Goddess’s power, and Hao Ren put both swords away.
• Hao Ren asked Raven 12345 to examine Lily’s Dog Cannon.

Hao Ren and Raven 12345 investigated Lily’s new light cannon, which Raven identified as a divine art she could release instinctively. Raven suspected Lily’s soul, inherited from the King of Demon Hunters, was responsible, but the reason remained unknown.

• Hao Ren called Lily’s new move the “Dog Cannon,” and Lily demonstrated it by spitting a beam of light after drinking water.
• Lily described how she first unleashed the beam in beast form and explained that human form required water as a catalyst.
• Raven 12345 examined Lily’s ability and explained that she could actively turn traces of divinity into an attack, unlike the others around Hao Ren.
• Raven 12345 suspected Lily’s soul from the King of Demon Hunters let her release divine arts instinctively.
• Raven 12345 asked why a Demon Hunter’s soul had that innate effect.

Hao Ren and the others theorized that Demon Hunters might have an innate talent for divine arts, which could reveal that their creation was connected to the Creation Goddess after all. They decided to test the theory and began planning a carefully limited meeting between Earth’s Demon Hunters and Horleta’s Ancient Species.

• Vivian suggested that Lily’s divine-art talent might be a dormant Demon Hunter ability awakened by her rebirth and exposure to Goddess’s power.
• Raven 12345 explained that innate divine arts would mean the Demon Hunters’ creators had maintained a power connection with the Creation Goddess, contradicting the account that they were made through blasphemy.
• Raven 12345 said the theory needed to be tested on pureblood Demon Hunters, and Hao Ren proposed visiting Colperus and asking Marshal Ofra to help examine the Ancient Species in Horleta.
• Vivian proposed bringing the Demon Hunters from Colperus together with their compatriots in Horleta, and Hao Ren agreed that they could begin revealing history to the Dream Plane remnants on Earth.
• Raven 12345 approved a first trip through the Rift Nebula gate but limited the group to fewer than a hundred people because the passage could strain the Wall of Reality.

Hao Ren discussed investigating the Demon Hunters’ possible talent for divine power with Raven 12345 and planned a visit to their Arctic headquarters. He arrived at the Ice Fortress with Vivian, Lily, the Nangong siblings, and Roll, intending to begin the investigation and arrange a homecoming visit for Demon Hunters from Colperth.

• Hao Ren returned home with lunch from the Nangong Family’s restaurant and found Roll and the others waiting hungrily.
• Hao Ren told the group he planned to visit the Demon Hunters and arrange a survey of their population, along with a homecoming group for Demon Hunters from Colperth.
• Hao Ren explained that Raven 12345 had linked Lily’s Dog Cannon and the End Blades’ inconsistent energy samples to the possibility that Demon Hunters had an innate talent for divine power.
• Vivian said the survey required the purest Demon Hunters, while Nangong May worried the investigation sounded like human experimentation.
• Two days later, Hao Ren led Lily, Vivian, the Nangong siblings, and Roll to the Ice Fortress, where Bai Huo had signaled that the fortress was ready to receive them.

Hao Ren asked the Demon Hunters to help investigate their possible connection to divine arts and proposed a homecoming visit to the Dream Plane for them and open-minded otherworldly leaders. Grigoriwen and Hassu agreed to cooperate, while the trip’s purpose included easing old hostilities and testing for the Creation Goddess’s lingering mechanisms.

• Hao Ren explained the Demon Hunters’ possible divine-art talent and asked them to provide the earliest available bloodline samples, since the first-generation Demon Hunters had died.
• Grigoriwen and Hassu welcomed the proposed homecoming visit, and Vivian clarified that it would help ease tensions between Demon Hunters and otherworldly beings while testing the Creation Goddess’s remaining power.
• Hao Ren said he would bring a small group to the Dream Plane to see whether their return activated any divine contingencies left behind by the Creation Goddess.
• Hassu asked how Hao Ren would manage conflict during the trip, and Hao Ren joked that troublemakers would be beaten, bound, and transported anyway.
• Grigoriwen and Hassu promised the Demon Hunters would cooperate, reassured by Vivian’s offer to help keep order.

Hao Ren’s group traveled from the Demon Hunters’ settlement to Athens Sanctuary to confirm the Others’ delegation for the expedition to the Dream Plane. Vivian rejected the Shadow Council’s attempt to submit an unsuitable list and approved a revised one, while Roll lamented being dragged away from the fireplace.

• Hao Ren carried the sleepy Roll away from the fireplace and teleported with his group toward Athens after discussing the Demon Hunters’ selection process with Grigoriwen, Hassu, and Bai Huo.
• Hassu said he intended to join the Dream Plane visit, while Bai Huo said he would remain on Earth because he did not belong there and was concerned about the lack of Wi-Fi.
• At Athens Sanctuary, Hao Ren’s group confirmed plans for the Otherworld Expedition, and Vivian required the delegates to be moderates with influence who could withstand a beating.
• The Shadow Council first submitted an unsuitable list, so Vivian had Heiserana arrange for the families and sanctuaries to prepare a revised delegation.
• Vivian reprimanded the councilors for trying to mislead her, approved the revised list, and warned them not to attempt it again.

Hao Ren and Vivian informed the Shadow Council about the Dream Plane and the nonhuman races’ origins, while discussing plans to let some of them visit it. Heiserana then told Vivian about strange dreams of ancient events, as Raven 12345 observed the Evil Spirits’ growing resonance.

• Hao Ren explained that the Day of Return prophecy had partly been true and promised the council an official document about the Dream Plane, with Mimir’s approval.
• After the meeting, Vivian and Hesperis discussed why the nonhuman races had little interest in tracing their origins, while Hao Ren joked about forming a sightseeing group.
• Jean Lucas expressed interest in visiting the Dream Plane, and Hao Ren told Mimir that the gate in the Rift Nebula could let him return there temporarily.
• Heiserana asked Vivian whether she had been designed to dream, then described hazy visions of ancient wars, nonhuman races, and human sacrifices.
• Raven 12345 watched the Evil Spirits in the divine storage vault and noted that their resonance was becoming more frequent.

Heiserana’s strange dreams led Hao Ren and Vivian to examine her, but the tests found nothing wrong. During her visit, the little weakling briefly glowed and fell silent, prompting Hao Ren to keep a closer watch on her.

• Vivian suspected Heiserana had inherited memories from her and ruled out an illusion after examining their spiritual connection.
• Hao Ren took Heiserana home and examined her in a medical pod, which showed that she was healthy.
• The little weakling emerged from a mouse hole and attacked Heiserana and Izax with Shadow Arrows before Heiserana learned she was an Evil Spirit split from Vivian.
• The little weakling suddenly became quiet and glowed briefly, then returned to her usual babbling.
• Hao Ren decided to monitor the little weakling more closely and consult Raven 12345 if anything more serious happened.

Three years after the Beinz incident, Hao Ren, Lily, and Vivian returned to Horleta and heard how the events had become popular bardic tales. They went to visit Becky, but learned she had joined the Royal Knights' Order and was away on an escort mission until the next day.

• Hao Ren, Lily, and Vivian listened to a bard perform a version of the Beinz battle and discussed how Becky had become its celebrated heroine.
• Hao Ren and his companions left the tavern to surprise Becky at her manor outside the capital.
• The manor steward told them Becky was away in the Dark Mountain Range on a royal escort mission, serving as a high-ranking officer of the Royal Knights' Order.
• Hao Ren and his companions decided to stay at the manor and wait for Becky to return the next day.

Hao Ren and his companions reunited with Becky at her estate and learned about her new life as a Royal Knight commander. He explained that he needed her and Marshal Ofra’s help to secure Horleta’s cooperation in moving Dream Plane refugees through the Wall of Reality.

• Hao Ren asked Becky's butler about the Dark Mountain Range and the magical energy burst that had drawn royal mages there.
• Becky returned to her estate with the Royal Knights and greeted Hao Ren, Lily, and Vivian as old friends.
• Becky explained that she had joined the knight order to pursue a fief and because noble social life bored her, while admitting she admired Marshal Ofra.
• Hao Ren told Becky that he needed her and Marshal Ofra’s help with a plan to move Dream Plane refugees through the Wall of Reality.
• Hao Ren said the plan required cooperation from Horleta at the national level.

Hao Ren arranged for Horleta to receive a delegation of survivors from Earth and asked Marshal Ofra to help prepare for their visit and gather the Ancient Species. Becky then described strange disturbances in the Dark Mountain Range, and Hao Ren connected their first energy eruption to the day Lockmadon was destroyed and the Kolo World returned to the Material Universe.

• Hao Ren explained the survivors’ situation to Marshal Ofra, who asked how their possible return would affect Horleta.
• Hao Ren promised that any future return would be controlled and agreed upon, then outlined plans for Horleta to host a delegation and share its history and cultures.
• Marshal Ofra agreed to report the expedition to His Majesty Moron and gather her Ancient Species clansmen for Hao Ren.
• Becky described energy fluctuations and strange sightings in the Dark Mountain Range, where a Royal Mage Association team and guards were investigating.
• Hao Ren ruled out the Firstborn and realized the first eruption had occurred on the day Lockmadon was destroyed and the Kolo World returned to the Material Universe.

Hao Ren's group traveled to the Dark Mountain Range to investigate a surge of energy that had occurred on the day they opened Kolo Prison. They reached the Ancient Magic Empire's dangerous testing grounds, where the Data Terminal detected numerous active and dormant energy sources and Becky explained what remained of the old legends.

• Hao Ren connected the energy pulse in the Dark Mountain Range to the day they opened Kolo Prison, while Vivian warned that the coincidence might matter as they prepared to bring survivors through the Wall of Reality.
• Ofra approved Hao Ren's request to investigate the range, and Becky joined the expedition despite complaining that she wanted time to relax.
• Two days later, Hao Ren, Vivian, Lily, and Becky arrived at the Dark Mountain Range in Horleta's southeast.
• The Data Terminal detected more than thirty active energy points, hundreds of dormant reactions, and signs that the range's three peaks had been artificially modified.
• Becky explained that the range had been an Ancient Magic Empire testing ground and that the Wall of Lorisa had isolated its three peaks for ten thousand years.

Hao Ren and his companions crossed the Dark Mountain Range and reached the Horleta Royal Family’s observation camp near an ancient ruin. There, Archmage Haimo welcomed Hao Ren and began explaining his discoveries beneath the ruins.

• Becky explained how the Wall of Lorisa affected visitors and creatures inside the Dark Mountain Range as she guided the group into the mountains.
• Lily detected magical beasts, but her growl scared off a shadow in the trees, and she hid behind Hao Ren when Becky mentioned stronger creatures deeper inside.
• Hao Ren and his companions traveled through the outer region without being attacked and reached the investigation team’s camp among ancient ruins.
• The camp guards recognized Becky, opened the gates, and told the group that Archmage Haimo was waiting for them.
• Haimo greeted Hao Ren and revealed that he had helped with earlier work involving the Firstborn, Hodius Fortress, and Hao Ren’s crystal mine.
• At Becky’s request, Haimo explained that new energy fluctuations had appeared and that he was close to unlocking the second gate, behind which he had found perfectly preserved ancient facilities.

Hao Ren and Archmage Haimo explored an ancient Magic Empire ruin that appeared to have been preserved for ten thousand years. The Data Terminal confirmed that time had once been frozen there but had recently begun flowing again, possibly because an energy explosion damaged the structure.

• Archmage Haimo led Hao Ren and the others through the cave entrance the investigation team had uncovered.
• Haimo explained that an earthquake had opened a passage into the otherwise sealed ruins, and Vivian sent bats ahead to check that the area was safe.
• Hao Ren entered the ruins and examined the vast hall, its ancient doors, and a ceiling depicting a detailed star map.
• Haimo described signs that the laboratories had been active and their owners had left only moments before the team arrived.
• The Data Terminal measured a ten-thousand-year age difference between the hall and the outer cave, and concluded that time had recently resumed after an energy explosion damaged a Spacetime Structure.

Hao Ren and the others investigated the time-frozen ruin and discovered that its laboratories were prototypes for creating Perfect Creatures. A surviving note suggested that divine cells found after an explosion became the key to the project that created the Demon Hunters.

• Hao Ren confirmed with the Data Terminal that time inside the ruin had once stopped, and he and the others began searching for clues.
• Hao Ren found the ruin remarkably clean and saw equipment that had only recently stopped working, further supporting the theory that time had been frozen.
• Hao Ren and Vivian recognized the laboratory devices as prototypes resembling the Origin Holy Artifact, and Haimo described similar equipment in four other laboratories.
• Hao Ren concluded that the ruin was the Ancient Magic Empire's original testing ground for creating Perfect Creatures and the birthplace of the Demon Hunters.
• Hao Ren read a laboratory note describing failed experiments, an explosive subject, and the discovery of compatible divine cells that could advance the project.

Hao Ren and his companions discovered that the Creation Goddess may have ordered the Ancient Magic Empire to create the Demon Hunters, and concluded that the ruin was only an early experimental site. They opened the sealed second door, where Hao Ren sensed immediate danger.

• Hao Ren read notes suggesting the Demon Hunters were developed using divine cells under a revelation from the Creation Goddess.
• Lily reasoned that the ruin was an early experimental base and that the researchers had moved elsewhere to finish creating the first-generation Demon Hunters.
• Hao Ren and Haimo considered why the researchers had evacuated abruptly, and Lily suspected the cause lay behind the base’s second door.
• The Data Terminal decrypted the heavily sealed door after Haimo and his apprentices had failed to open it.
• Hao Ren had everyone step back as the door slid open, then felt an intense sense of danger.

Hao Ren, Vivian, and Lily fought a powerful Sacred Flame Incarnation that escaped from the experimental base, while Haimo’s barrier failed to contain her. The enemy vanished from sight, and Lily sensed that she was still inside the hall.

• Hao Ren dodged the Sacred Flame Incarnation’s opening blast, which injured one Spellcaster apprentice, and clashed with her using his spears and swords.
• Hao Ren recognized that the flame-wreathed woman resembled Bai Huo’s Sacred Flame Incarnation, then joined Vivian and Lily in attacking her.
• The Sacred Flame Incarnation teleported beside the apprentices, but Haimo trapped her in an elemental barrier until she broke free.
• Hao Ren warned that the enemy resisted binding magic and ordered Becky to guard the exit while the Incarnation disappeared from view.
• The god-slaying sword speculated that the Incarnation had escaped, but Lily declared that she could still feel her in the hall.