Chapter Summaries

Brando fought Dark Kouhua in her domain and used the Heart of Calamity to restore her identity as Echisis’s eldest daughter, undoing her attempt to erase her own laws. Both lost their power within Milos’s domain, leaving them to face a fair fight.

• Brando confronted Dark Kouhua as she summoned Hydra’s offspring and an Ancestral God Beast to attack him.
• Brando used Demonization to hide his human aura, then endured Kouhua’s lightning strike and shattered her Law Lines with Crown of Thorns and Piercing Strike.
• Brando seized Kouhua and pressed Echisis’s Heart of Calamity to her forehead, invoking her memories and identity as the leader of the wolves.
• Milos’s laws rejected Kouhua’s altered rules, erasing her domain and throwing Brando and Kouhua apart.
• Brando realized the Heart of Calamity had restored Dark Kouhua, and both of them had lost their power within Milos’s domain.

Brando and Freya fought Dark Kouhua in Milos’s domain, where only mortals could kill her, and they defeated her before she could fully become a god. As time resumed, Aloz saved Brando’s allies from the Black Knights, while Brando recovered in Freya’s arms.

• Dark Kouhua explained that Brando could not kill her because he was divine, but Freya arrived and declared that she could choose the world’s future as a mortal from Buchi.
• Milos confirmed his agreement with the Crystal and allowed mortals the opportunity to choose, while Dark Kouhua prepared to face Brando and Freya.
• Brando and Freya attacked Dark Kouhua together, and Brando seized her and turned her into Freya’s Lionheart Sword, which pierced her heart.
• Dark Kouhua died, Milos’s laws receded, and Freya caught Brando as he weakened from his wound.
• Time resumed, and the Black Knights fired arrows toward Brando and Freya while Haruze warned them and the attackers froze under golden Law Lines.
• Aloz appeared as a giant dragon and stopped the Black Knights, who surrendered; Brando rested with his head on Freya’s thigh.

Qiao Shi survived the explosion that destroyed her farm, while Princess Griffine learned that Brando and Haruze were safe but still missing from Valdenburg. At Deldertar Harbor, Babain and Boimer found their delegation and revealed they were transporting Qian, trapped in crystal, alongside the silver halberd.

• Qiao Shi sensed the ground shaking, released the horses, and watched the explosion’s firestorm engulf her farm before she woke from the recurring nightmare weeks later.
• Qiao Shi asked Uncle Becher about the knights heading north, and he told her they seemed to be searching for someone.
• Princess Griffine grew uneasy over the Little Prince’s disappearance as reports confirmed the Dead Frost Forest had vanished and a dead-magic zone had appeared.
• Freya told Princess Griffine that Brando and Haruze were unharmed, and Griffine asked her to explain the explosion and what had happened.
• Boimer told Babain their delegation had arrived at Deldertar Harbor, and Babain uncovered Qian imprisoned in crystal and stared at the silver halberd she held.

Ouvina guided the badly wounded Qian through a battle against the Cruzian nobles, teaching her to perceive and exploit the laws governing attacks. Qian killed Ferroq and then Yuenong with Azure Spear, while the remaining nobles still faced her.

• Ouvina spoke to Qian through their sacred contract and told her to stand and fight despite her injuries.
• Babain tried to persuade Qian to surrender, but Ferroq attacked her after dismissing Babain's warning about Silver Dragon's Throat.
• Qian used an uncanny spear strike to kill Ferroq, shocking the nobles and revealing her newfound ability to alter the laws of space.
• Ouvina taught Qian to read her opponents' attack paths, and Qian evaded and countered Yuenong and Meishius as Babain sent two more nobles to help.
• Qian broke free of conventional attack patterns and thrust Azure Spear through Yuenong, killing him despite his successful-looking block.

Qian used the Azure Spear’s law-defying technique to slaughter the Cruzian nobles who tried to seize it, leaving Babain and a survivor alive after an explosion interrupted the fight. Aboard ship, Babain recounted the battle to Viscount Bernie, whose interest in the explosion tied it to the Empress’s concerns about Dead Frost Forest.

• Qian’s Azure Spear pierced Yonong despite his defense, and Ouvina explained that its technique followed the law of “Cause After Effect.”
• Babain and the Cruzian nobles recognized the Azure Spear and decided to attack Qian so they could take it and offer it to the Emperor.
• Qian, guided by Ouvina, used the Azure Spear to kill the attacking nobles, but an explosion interrupted the fight and spared Babain and another survivor.
• Aboard a ship, Babain told Viscount Bernie about the battle and said an explosion had left him and Boimer alive.
• Viscount Bernie connected the explosion to the incident in Dead Frost Forest and questioned Babain about what he had witnessed.

Brando reflected on Tonigell’s growth and Roman’s role in building its prosperity while dealing with Qian’s disappearance and Aloz’s impending confinement. Roman reminded him of her faith in his ambitions, then bluntly named his goal of marrying Princess Griffine and becoming Eluin’s king.

• Brando reassured Aloz that he did not blame her for Qian’s disappearance, and Aloz said she would face about three hundred years of confinement before escaping.
• Medisa left with Aloz and the white-haired dragon, while Brando agreed to meet Veronica at her request.
• Brando watched Fir City and considered how Antitina and Roman had helped transform Tonigell through trade and development.
• Roman admitted she missed Aunt Jenny, and Brando felt guilty for not searching harder for her.
• Roman told Brando that she believed in his ambitions, and Brando asked what she thought he wanted to do.
• Roman said Brando wanted to marry Princess Griffine and become the true King of Eluin.

Brando prepared to meet Veronica in Gris Port while missing Qian, then found Star secretly roasting prawns in Fir Castle and took the dragon with him. Star explained that Aloz had chosen to return to the dragon tribe, while he had stayed away because he valued food more than the dragons’ collecting traditions.

• Brando ordered a carriage to Gris Port, then realized Qian was no longer beside the corridor’s second pillar and missed her.
• Brando left to meet Veronica, reflecting on his wizard apprentices and the opportunities he had given Su.
• Brando caught Star secretly roasting prawns and frightened him by warning that Antitina might retaliate for his thefts.
• Star admitted the prawns came from Hypamira’s room and followed Brando toward the stables, claiming he had to protect him under their contract.
• Brando asked why the dragon tribe had not retrieved Star, and Star explained that Aloz had willingly returned while he preferred gathering food.

Brando traveled to Gris Port with Antitina and met with Veronica and the secretly arrived Cruzian marshal Mangrove. Mangrove’s concealed visit signaled an unexpected crisis in the Empire, leaving Brando uncertain how events matched what he knew of history.

• Antitina prepared Brando’s carriage and joined him on the journey to Gris Port after he invited her to come along.
• At Buchi's Shepherd, Shido praised Brando’s deeds, and Lainaret led him to Veronica’s room.
• Brando discovered that Mangrove had arrived secretly, even evading the Temple of Flames’ surveillance.
• Brando considered whether the Empire faced civil war or a crisis involving the Empress, but found the situation inexplicable.

Veronica asked Brando to hide Lainaret in Tonigell and make the world believe he was dead because she feared the Silver Queen intended to kill him. Brando learned that the Empress’s rejuvenation and the dragons’ influence threatened the succession, while Lainaret’s survival could preserve his claim to the throne.

• Veronica asked Brando to keep Lainaret in his territory and conceal that he was alive, and Mangrove praised Brando for his character.
• Veronica told Brando and Antitina that they suspected the Silver Queen wanted to kill her eldest son, Lainaret.
• Veronica explained the empire’s rival factions and said the Silver Queen was growing younger and might refuse to relinquish power.
• Veronica revealed that the dragons had once supported the Silver Queen and that she had promised to pass the throne to the first heir after fifteen years.
• Veronica said Prince Razel and his sister had disappeared, prompting Mangrove to take Lainaret out of the White Rose Garden under the pretext of training.
• Mangrove and Veronica explained that keeping Lainaret alive would prevent the Empress from openly rejecting her agreement and preserve his legitimacy as heir.

Brando learned that the Silver Queen had allied with the Deepscale Naga and likely ordered Shang to assassinate Prince Lainaret. He agreed to shelter Lainaret and the Broken Sword Knight Order in Tonigell, arranging for the knights to join his army while remaining loyal to both him and the prince.

• Mangrove and Veronica told Brando that the Silver Queen's envoy had come to confirm Lainaret's death and that Shang, a captured Lizardman Sword Saint, had been involved in the plot.
• Brando concluded that Shang had been sent by the Deepscale Naga to kill Lainaret and weighed the risks and political advantages of sheltering the prince.
• Veronica said Lainaret, Shido, and the Broken Sword Knight Order had to stay in Tonigell while she returned to the empire to accept responsibility.
• Brando agreed to discuss the details of protecting Lainaret and proposed that the Broken Sword knights join his army and swear loyalty to him and the prince.
• Veronica accepted Brando's proposal after he promised to protect the knights, and Mangrove praised his powers of persuasion.

Brando dealt with the political consequences of offering asylum to Prince Lainaret, and Griffine ultimately gave him permission to act as he wished for Eluin’s future. He then helped restore Princess Magdal with a Dragon Heart, but Floro left after mistaking his explanation about her lost earring for a refusal to marry her.

• Antitina warned Brando that his decision could damage public opinion and his relationship with Griffine, and advised him to explain his actions to the princess.
• Brando asked Sta about ways to restore youth, then asked Antitina to write to Griffine about the asylum offer.
• Griffine received Brando’s explanation, accepted his apology, and asked how he saw the future of Eluin, Haruze, and their relationship; Brando replied with her brooch and no words.
• Griffine told Brando to do as he wished and placed Eluin’s future, along with Haruze, in his hands.
• Floro implanted a Dragon Heart in Princess Magdal, whose breathing returned, then demanded her damaged earring from Brando.
• Brando tried to explain that he had lost Floro’s earring and that he had not understood its meaning, but Floro accused him of toying with her heart and left.

Viscount Bernie’s attempt to break the crystal holding the sleeping girl killed Babain, while Brando continued searching for the missing Qian and questioned the Kouhua Sisters about remaining in his territory. The chapter ended with Brando telling Dark Kouhua that she would have to work for him to repay what she had taken.

• Viscount Bernie, Babain, and Boimer prepared to remove the crystal from the ship after reaching Greywind Port.
• Babain fired Silver Dragon's Throat at the crystal, but the shot rebounded and killed him.
• Viscount Bernie ordered Boimer to move Babain’s body and told the sailors to arrange a large chest and claim the fleet had captured a gift for the Empress.
• Brando reviewed reports of military movements and the undead, considered recruiting Su for intelligence work, and lamented that Qian was still missing.
• Brando questioned the Kouhua Sisters about staying in his territory and told Dark Kouhua she would work for him to repay what she had taken.

Brando accepted Milos’s sacrifice as the price for ending the old order, then brought the powerless Dark Kouhua to Valhalla and demanded her help identifying ancient equipment. Dark Kouhua discovered that the Heart of Calamity inside her was Echisis’s key, though Good Kouhua warned that it would take a long time to mature.

• Brando argued that Dark Kouhua should answer for the deaths caused by her actions, while Milos insisted her crimes did not warrant death and took responsibility himself.
• Milos acknowledged Freya’s choice and vanished, ending the old divine order and freeing Dark Kouhua from his protection.
• In Valhalla, Brando told Dark Kouhua she would work for him and asked her to identify five ancient pieces of equipment.
• Dark Kouhua recognized Dragon’s Enigma among the items and angrily claimed the equipment as hers.
• Brando explained that the Heart of Calamity was inside Dark Kouhua, and she realized it was Echisis’s key to the world where Mother Herded Wolves beneath the Moon.
• Good Kouhua warned Dark Kouhua that the key would only become meaningful after a long process, and Dark Kouhua told her sister not to reveal that.

Brando learned the histories and powers of Dark Kouhua’s ancient equipment, including the divine artifact Will of the Mountains, and realized Hypamira might be able to wield it. A letter from Kowen announced Caglis’s arrival, and Brando prepared as the autumn war began.

• Dark Kouhua agreed to stay under Brando’s protection until she could defeat him, then explained that Ronia’s Rift could weaken law attacks and the Bow of Compensation required a soul with a seed of the laws.
• Dark Kouhua identified Realm of Fire as a Fire Spirit weapon and revealed that the stone scepter was the divine artifact Will of the Mountains.
• Brando recognized that Hypamira, a priestess of Himilud, might be able to use the scepter, whose power grew with blessings from the earth.
• A letter bearing a gray wolf emblem arrived, and Brando learned that Caglis had arrived; Kind Kouhua left, while Dark Kouhua dismissed her sister’s aversion to conflict as naïve.
• Brando read Kowen’s message and declared that the autumn war had begun.

Princess Griffine received Brando's warning that Madara had effectively unified and might attack, but most of her advisers dismissed his assessment and only agreed to pass along a cautious order. In the Golan-Elson Corridor, Walter initially believed Madara's assault was aimed elsewhere, until he saw an uncanny starlight rise across the sky.

• Griffine received Brando's letter warning that Madara's forces had changed and that its liches might pose an unprecedented threat.
• Oufwell questioned the intelligence, and Grand Duke Viero and the Highland Knights argued that Madara remained divided and that Brando might be mistaken.
• Freya suggested that Yarvite and Madara's Supreme One might be secretly cooperating, but she could not provide evidence; Griffine ordered the generals to prepare cautiously.
• Walter concentrated his cavalry around Owl Town as patrols vanished and reports arrived of undead activity near the Yusong Mountain Pass.
• Walter learned that undead troops were attacking the Vanmir defensive line, assumed the main assault was directed at Buchi, and then witnessed starlight rising across the sky.

Shannali and Rosa witnessed Madara’s surprise assault on Silman as fire arrows devastated the town and Skeleton Archers emerged across the valley. The White Wing Cavalry counterattacked, but its formations broke apart, and the charging cavalry reached the enemy without facing the expected magical attack.

• Evan stayed behind with the Guard Detachment while Loni fled toward Svenfano, and Shannali and Rosa rode to rejoin their unit.
• Madara’s fire arrows struck Owl Town, killing and burning residents as Evan took cover and saw a winged creature fly to the temple spire.
• Skeleton Archers rose from underground across Silman Valley, and the first White Wing Cavalry regiment fell into disorder after its commander Galin was killed.
• Walter ordered his two remaining cavalry regiments to attack the Skeleton Archers’ left flank, while the broken first regiment retreated toward Owl Town.
• Vance and the Second Cavalry Regiment charged toward the skeleton army under magical illumination and wind spells, but Madara’s expected magical attack never came.

Madara’s Skeleton Knights and Fear Spirits overwhelmed the White Wing Cavalry and devastated the town, leaving Evan and Shannali among the few survivors. They fled east toward the hills, hoping the bandits there would shelter them.

• Valerie recognized Madara’s new Skeleton Knights as the White Wing Cavalry turned to face them, while Fear Spirits swept over the battlefield.
• Evan and the Guard Detachment fought through the town, but a Fear Spirit killed Ma Dong and a Lich struck Evan down.
• Shannali found Evan alive among the dead and helped him escape the town after Rosa and the other defenders were killed.
• Valerie and Vance died as Madara’s forces destroyed the White Wing Cavalry and routed the remaining humans.
• Shannali led Evan east toward the hills and their bandits, and Evan chose them over the undead.

Blood Staff surveyed the undead victory at Silman Valley as Madara’s forces advanced toward Kurk Castle. Caglis’s White Lion Guard rescued Evan from pursuing Skeleton Knights, while Shannali’s fate remained unclear.

• Blood Staff discussed Eluin’s defeat and the strength of the Dark Lords from the Sea of Dead Moons as undead forces moved toward Kurk Castle.
• Caglis and his companions counted the fires across Silman Valley, then hid from seven unknown flying creatures searching the hills.
• Shannali told Evan to flee, charged the Skeleton Knights alone, and killed four before disappearing into the woods.
• Evan’s horse collapsed near the forest, leaving him with a broken leg as seven Skeleton Knights closed in.
• Caglis led the White Lion Guard out of the forest and attacked the Skeleton Knights to save Evan.

Four months later, Brando surveyed Valhalla’s growth and weighed its shortages, then joined a debate over the coming war with Madara and Count Jandernel. Nemesis privately asked whether he had left Dark Kouhua and Good Kouhua behind because of Echisis, and Brando began to answer that the future of this world was different from the game.

• Brando reviewed Valhalla’s expanding districts, its need for mana and more light spirits, and his plans to make the territory self-sufficient.
• Brando assessed the Broken Sword Knight Order’s place in Valhalla and resolved to use its officers to strengthen Eluin against Madara.
• Brando saw that the White Wing Knights had been defeated at Silman and considered the likely plans of the Blood Staff and Count Jandernel.
• Brando joined Nemesis over the terrain map, and she remarked that he had grown stronger since returning from the Dead Frost Forest.
• Nemesis asked Brando whether he had left Dark Kouhua and Good Kouhua behind because of Echisis, and he replied that the future of this world was different from the game.

Brando weighed the threat of an early holy war and considered how Tonigell would face Madara, while his officers debated their attack plans. The chapter left him with news that Valhalla’s latest effort had succeeded.

• Brando reviewed the altered course of history and feared that the holy war could begin ahead of schedule after the attacks on Toquenin, Wolez, and Osking.
• Nemesis predicted that the Golden Mane Lionmen would strike the Alston Region first and warned Brando to prepare for total war.
• Little Peiluo argued that attacking Magitan would not stop Count Jandernel from pursuing the road to Viero, while Brando recognized Madara as the true threat.
• Brando assessed Madara’s growing forces and the strength of Tonigell’s Wind Archers, White Lion Guard, and Broken Sword Knight Order.
• A light spirit flew to Brando and announced that the effort had worked.