Chapter Summaries

Brando recovered several magical items from William’s corpse, including Flowing Fireflies and a fragment of Blade of Flames, and tested the bracelet’s ability to sense magic. Freya then reported that High Priest Wood had arrived to see him, leaving Brando wary that the fragment had already drawn trouble.

• Brando inspected Flowing Fireflies, accepted it from Nemesis, and discovered that it let him sense magic gathering before an enemy used a skill.
• Brando accidentally activated Flame Shield while sparring with Nemesis, burning her uniform; he gave her his cloak, and she asked whether he was truly Lord Darus’s descendant.
• Brando searched William’s corpse and found a Flame Pattern Cloak, a Gold Rank staff, and other equipment alongside the bracelet.
• Brando found a fragment of Odephys, Blade of Flames, and worried that the Cruzian people would fight to reclaim it.
• Freya arrived and told Brando that High Priest Wood wanted to see him.

Brando learned that the Society of the One Truth had seized the Flame Gates and connected them to the Sulfur River, threatening Eruin with a demon invasion. He agreed to stop pursuing the Conolia Fleet if Wood could bring the Northern Coalition into an alliance, while fearing for Roman’s safety.

• Brando met Wood and Mephisto, and Wood offered peace on behalf of the Flame Temple and proposed that the northern nobles withdraw from Ampersel.
• Wood revealed that Merros had likely been an infiltrator from the Society of the One Truth and that Princess Magdal had discovered a related secret.
• Brando realized the Flame Gates had been connected to the Sulfur River beneath Jorgen Tiagon, and feared Roman had gone to face the conspiracy alone.
• Wood offered to fight alongside Brando, and Brando agreed to abandon the pursuit of the Conolia Fleet if Wood persuaded the Northern Coalition to join them.

Brando negotiated a temporary peace with Wood, securing the return of prisoners and concessions from the Temple of Flames while preparing for the demons’ invasion. After scouting Ambersell with Princess Griffine and Count Odin, he discovered a vast force of demons and Harpies, including Jorgendigon troops, and admitted he had no way to stop it.

• Brando demanded the release of the princess’s prisoners, reparations, and technology agreements, while Wood threatened to abandon Eluin if he refused.
• Wood returned to negotiate, and Brando signed a temporary peace agreement and a secret accord recognizing the Kolkovan Royal Family’s right to punish northern nobles for treason.
• Brando agreed to return the Temple of Flames’ prisoners and adjusted the technology terms, secretly targeting advanced Hazel-based frigate designs.
• Brando arranged for the armies to remain separate, concealed the demons’ invasion from ordinary soldiers, and sent scouts toward Ambersell.
• Princess Griffine and Count Odin joined Brando on a scouting mission, where they saw a massive army and learned that Jorgendigon forces had appeared alongside the demons.
• Princess Griffine asked what they should do, and Brando admitted he had no solution and could not use Adversity Paradise again soon.

Brando and Princess Griffine’s party were discovered by Jorgendigon’s harpies and fought their way through the Black Pine Forest before an unknown ally’s darkness helped them escape. Charles then informed the gathered Royalists that Brando and the princess were still in danger, surrounded by the demonic army.

• Brando warned the group to hide their reflective armor as thousands of harpies approached, but a detection spell exposed a knight.
• After Princess Griffine urged him not to abandon their ideals, Brando charged out to rescue the knight and rallied the others to fight together.
• Brando led the group through the forest, using Wind Bullet, bows, and crossbows to repel the harpies as they advanced toward open ground.
• Brando’s attempted Misty Vapor spell summoned pitch-black storm clouds instead, and an unknown voice guided the group north until the harpies’ cries faded.
• Charles contacted Brando, then entered the Royalists’ shelter and announced that Brando and Princess Griffine had been discovered and were surrounded by Jorgendigon’s demonic army.

Sir Hawthorn witnessed the demons unleash Doomsday on the Northern Allied Army, forcing Macaro and Oufwell to reconsider their plans and seek an alliance with the Cruzian forces. Meanwhile, Brando led the princess and the surviving knights out of the black fog and encountered Babasha.

• Sir Hawthorn and his monk soldiers found the wreck of the Bull Shark and killed the adult Barbarian Demon Lord that had emerged from it.
• Sir Hawthorn saw meteors destroy the Perran and realized a demon lord had cast Doomsday on the Northern Allied Army.
• Macaro and Oufwell concluded that the Eluin and Cruzian forces had to support one another, despite Brando and the princess being surrounded by demons.
• Charles told High Priest Wood that Brando wanted the Cruzian people to cooperate with them, and Wood asked what plan Brando had in mind.
• Brando led Count Odin, the princess, and twelve Lantorilan Knights out of the black fog into a valley where their missing Anlek horses were grazing.
• Brando recognized the old woman who emerged from the forest as Babasha, the witch he had once met in Ridenburg.

Jorgendigon's forces took Ambersell as Medusa Leisimeca examined the captured Viscount Begning, while Roman and White Mist planned to investigate the Circle of Unity. Brando met the witch Babasha and learned she could guide a small group past the harpy blockade; he began considering how to use the Anchor Key to bring in the Elnian First Royal Fleet despite Griffine's concerns.

• Jorgendigon's army seized Ambersell, and Leisimeca marked the unconscious Viscount Begning while ordering the harpies to guard him until Lord Brucca arrived.
• Roman decided to investigate the suspicious people connected to the Circle of Unity, and White Mist pointed out that Roman could not track them safely.
• Babasha appeared before Brando and claimed that the witches of the Winter Kingdom would secretly support him as the Dark Dragon's heir.
• Brando questioned Babasha about the witches' strength and learned that she could guide no more than twenty people past Jorgendigon's surveillance.
• Brando asked Princess Griffine how much magical power the Anchor Key needed to establish an anchoring point for the Elnian First Royal Fleet, and Griffine warned him that the plan was too dangerous.

Brando considered using an ancient passage beneath Ambersell to evade Jorgendigon’s forces and reach the northern hills, while Princess Griffine weighed the risks. After agreeing to trust Brando’s plan, they realized the route to the passage might be blocked by enemy troops and Harpies, leaving them needing reinforcements.

• Brando demanded that Babasha and the witches swear by the Pillar Goddess Modesti never to betray him, and Babasha took the oath.
• Babasha revealed that an ancient hall beneath Ambersell contained a passage to the northern hills, and Brando recognized it as the waterlogged passage he knew about.
• Babasha explained that witches could open the passage’s sealed entrance with a ritual, though only twenty people could pass through at a time.
• Princess Griffine agreed to trust Brando and enter the passage despite the unknown dangers below.
• Count Odin warned that Jorgendigon’s forces might intercept them before they reached the entrance, and Brando and Griffine decided they needed reinforcements.

Freya mourned the child she could not save after rescuing her from demons, while the forces at Bu'no'an prepared for a desperate assault. Brando agreed to risk himself to destroy the Gates of Flames as the allied armies prepared to distract the demon army.

• Freya killed a hellhound and found a dying girl, who died in her arms despite Freya's efforts.
• Beth told Freya that Eluin needed to grow strong enough to escape the control of others, and Freya wondered whether its nobles could truly change anything.
• After the demons devastated the Bu'no'an position, Count Yanila Su prepared the fleet as the allied commanders gathered for a coordinated attack.
• Brando told High Priest Wood that he could not guarantee he would destroy the Gates of Flames, but agreed to try while the Cruzians and Eluin people drew the demons' attention.
• Princess Griffine objected to Brando's risky plan, but released his hand after he reminded her that she believed in him.
• High Priest Wood warned the commanders that the three portals could bring Eluin the same destruction as the demonic calamity of the Wilds of the Four Borders.

Freya led the assault on Bu'no'an Citadel, awakened the Valkyrie Battle Mark, and killed the Minotaur, encouraging the allied forces to press their attack. As the demons redirected the Jorgendigon army toward the front, Brando reached the Secret Gate with Babasha and the witches but found it concealed by Illusion Magic.

• The Eluin and Cruzian forces attacked near Bu'no'an Citadel while Freya and the Lantorilan knights stormed a breach in its walls.
• Freya charged the Demon Sorcerer and imps, then confronted a Minotaur that slaughtered the knights at the battlements.
• Freya awakened the Valkyrie Battle Mark and killed the Minotaur with the Lionheart Sword, rallying the knights to capture the citadel.
• The demons sent the Jorgendigon army from the rear toward the frontal battlefield after recognizing the humans' strength.
• Babasha returned to Brando with the secluded witches, who pledged their loyalty, and he led them north through the rain.
• Brando reached the Secret Gate's valley and learned from Babasha that witches had to undo the Illusion Magic hiding it.

Brando led Babasha, five witches, and twelve knights through an ancient underground passage toward the demons’ teleportation gate, but Princess Griffine secretly joined them. The group reached the Spider Mother’s lair, where Brando warned everyone to avoid the webs, and then heard an unfamiliar rustling sound.

• Brando ordered Babasha and five witches to enter the stone gate with him while Count Odin stayed behind to protect Princess Griffine.
• Brando discovered that Princess Griffine had followed him into the passage, and she insisted on sharing the danger; he agreed to protect her.
• Babasha led the group through an ancient Rune Dwarf tunnel, and Brando used Wind Wings to guide them down a cliff.
• Brando and the others found a riverbank covered in spiderwebs and eggs beneath a ceiling crowded with spiders.
• Brando warned the group not to look up or touch the webs, explained that the lair belonged to the Spider Mother Annalongus, and heard a rustling sound that did not seem to come from a spider.

Roman and White Mist entered the excavation beneath Hafemeili Fortress, where they found Crystal Clusters and a gigantic Titan Colossus statue. Elsewhere, Brando’s group encountered Crystal Clusters in the dungeon and prepared to fight.

• Stark oversaw Cave Dwellers digging beneath Hafemeili Fortress until Crystal Clusters attacked them, and Leisimeca tried to stop the creatures.
• Roman transformed into a Black Cat with White Mist’s help and slipped into the pit while the Cave Dwellers fled.
• Leisimeca shot two Crystal Clusters, while Roman and White Mist continued deeper into the excavation.
• Roman and White Mist found an ancient ruin and discovered a gigantic statue that White Mist identified as a Titan Colossus.
• Brando spotted Crystal Clusters approaching his group and readied the Sword of Earth as Her Highness the Princess ordered the knights to prepare for battle.

Brando led Princess Griffine, the knights, and the witches through the underground passages while Annalongus pursued them. Candy Jar briefly put the Spider Mother to sleep, allowing Brando and the others to escape, but Annalongus quickly woke and attacked again.

• Brando realized the crystalized sabertooth spiders were fleeing from a greater threat and led everyone toward a narrow crack in the cliff.
• Annalongus caught up and killed two knights and a witch, while Brando reached the crack and tried to hold her off with the Sword of Earth.
• Princess Griffine distracted Annalongus and helped Brando, but the Spider Mother wounded her and pinned him down.
• Candy Jar summoned the Contract Spirit Sleep God Solo, putting Annalongus to sleep long enough for Brando to free himself and help Princess Griffine.
• Candy Jar collapsed, Annalongus quickly woke with an enraged roar, and Brando heard her attack again as they tried to flee.

Brando rescued Princess Griffine and led the group away from the Spider Mother Annalongus into a fissure beneath Ambersell. As they searched for Babasha’s secret passage, they encountered Cave Dwellers and continued toward the hidden route.

• Brando deflected the Spider Mother’s attack, used her claw to reach the fissure, and was pulled to safety by the knights while Babasha helped Princess Griffine and Candy Jar inside.
• Brando distributed holy water to the injured, and Princess Griffine wondered about his secrets while recognizing how much she feared losing him.
• Brando asked Babasha for directions to the secret passage, and she said a Secret Gate lay not far to the north.
• Brando spotted Cave Dwellers crawling into a nearby crack and told the group to continue after they had passed.
• Brando led the group onward, hoping Babasha’s hidden passage would let them escape the underground.

Brando and the witches used Candy Jar’s blood to activate a teleportation array hidden in the Losom Hall of Meditation. The party arrived in an enormous hall beneath the ruins, where a legendary spear bearing Min’er writing hovered under the dome.

• Brando recognized the hall as the Losom Hall of Meditation and watched Babasha reveal that its fountain preserved information for creating a teleportation array.
• Babasha explained that Candy Jar’s bloodline was needed to draw the array, and Brando realized it was a Blood Refinement technique.
• Babasha and Candy Jar drew the formation, and the witches chanted to teleport Brando, Princess Griffine, and the others away.
• Brando realized he had forgotten to ask whether Babasha had visited their destination before the party appeared in an unfamiliar hall.
• Brando and the others saw a lightning-wreathed spear floating beneath the dome, inscribed with Min’er writing and a famous Cruzian proverb.

Brando and the others discovered the legendary Sacred Spear Azure in an ancient hall, but Brando decided they could not risk claiming it and ordered everyone to keep its existence secret. Elsewhere, Leisimeca welcomed Lord Mesika, who emerged through a fiery portal and asked about the preparations.

• Brando recognized the weapon in the hall as the Sacred Spear Azure, and Saint Osore confirmed that it could not have belonged to Odephys.
• Brando explained that claiming a divine artifact was dangerous and could take too long, so Princess Griffine agreed to leave the spear where it was.
• Babasha assured Brando that no one but their group could enter the place, and Brando ordered everyone to conceal what they had found.
• The group left the hall, while Brando wondered what the Azure Spear's appearance meant for Eluin's fate.
• Leisimeca greeted Lord Mesika as he emerged from a fiery portal, then told him the preparations were complete.

Brando surveyed the demon-infested outskirts of Port Ambersell and arranged a dangerous mission to reach the portals, gathering a small team from the besieged fleet. The chapter ended as Commander Reld volunteered to take the place of the fallen Unshakable Sword.

• Brando and Griffine watched demons gather around the portals outside Port Ambersell, while Babasha challenged Griffine's belief in justice.
• Brando contacted Wood and asked him to send selected people and Templar Knights to establish an anchor point near the portals.
• Wood assembled seven candidates, including Antitina, Charles, Dirfiel, Flame-haired Nicholas, and Curiosity Seeker Garlok, and Antitina agreed to help conserve mana during teleportation.
• Wood told Brando that Nigel had died in battle, and Commander Reld volunteered to take over his mission.

Brando led a small group toward the Gate of Flames to destroy its portals, while Antitina was tasked with analyzing them. After the hellhounds discovered the group, Brando charged for the nearest portal with Antitina as the Templar Knight and Nicholas blocked the demons’ fireballs.

• Brando explained that the group had to destroy all three portals and assigned Antitina to analyze them while the others protected her.
• Dirfiel told Brando she had chosen to risk her life to restore her family’s honor, and Brando showed her the Demon Armlet.
• Brando led the group through the forest and across the grassland toward the nearest portal, avoiding detection until they had covered nearly half the distance.
• A three-headed hellhound detected the group, and Brando called for Antitina before carrying her and sprinting toward the portal.
• Demon Sorcerers hurled fireballs at Brando’s group, but the Templar Knight and Nicholas used Law Lines to absorb them.

Brando and his forces fought the demons pouring through the portal, with Garlok and Charles helping hold back the swarms and hellhounds. Brando killed a three-headed hellhound, but the battle continued with the demon army surrounding them.

• Small demons poured from beside the portal and descended on Brando, Antitina, and the knights.
• Garlok pushed the first wave of demons back with a powerful spell, and Brando led the knights in a charge that tore through their ranks.
• Small demons overwhelmed a Lantorilan knight and his horse, while Brando protected Antitina and cut down attackers.
• Three-headed hellhounds charged through the demon swarm, and Charles killed several with Dragon Strike Technique.
• Brando dodged a three-headed hellhound's attack, knocked its fire breath back into its throat, and cut the beast in half with the Sword of Earth.

Brando and the surviving knights struggled to reach the teleportation gate as demons overwhelmed their group. With their path blocked, Brando persuaded Templar Knight Stephen to teach him Flash Sword, hoping to use it to cross the battlefield.

• Brando killed the second Hell Cerberus, while Nicholas and Stephen killed others, but Hell Hounds and imps inflicted heavy casualties on the knights.
• Brando realized the group could not advance to the teleportation gate and decided to keep Garlok's Space Magic in reserve.
• Brando asked Saint Osore about a displacement skill and recalled that Gilt's Flash Sword might carry him to the gate.
• Brando approached Stephen and asked him to teach Flash Sword amid the fighting.
• Stephen agreed to teach Brando, and Brando heard a notification.

Brando acquired Flash Sword and discovered that it could combine with the Wind Empress Nine Luminaries, giving him a way to cross the demon-filled battlefield toward the teleportation gate. He left Antitina with him and tore open a path through the enemies, promising to return with good news.

• Brando acquired the basic swordsmanship Flash Sword despite its conflict with Eluin Military Swordsmanship.
• Brando used Flash Sword to appear beside a distant hellhound and cut off its head, astonishing Stephen and the Wind Empress.
• Brando realized that Flash Sword could enhance the Wind Empress Nine Luminaries and began crossing the battlefield with Antitina.
• Brando's attacks created apparent afterimages that struck together, and his Piercing Strike devastated the demons and hellhounds in his path.