Recaps

Lanchi left the Mafia’s underground headquarters with Talia after entrusting Barton with the captured Blood Race Viscount, then asked Barton to help him meet Abigail. Barton suggested they find Abigail at the Bulida Opera House, where she was directing Holy War Romance, and Lanchi realized Elsa’s unused tickets could let them attend that night.

• Lanchi entrusted Barton with the Blood Race Viscount and said Ifatia could interrogate him while Lanchi avoided the Bulida Mafia for now.
• Lanchi asked Barton to introduce him to Abigail, and Barton explained that she was difficult to meet but lived above the Bulida Opera House.
• Barton advised Lanchi and Talia to attend Abigail’s opera as ordinary guests and suggested they use an acquaintance’s introduction to speak with her privately.
• Lanchi remembered Elsa had bought tickets for that night’s performance of Holy War Romance, which she and Ursula would miss after returning to Saint Krui Di Monastery.
• Lanchi invited Talia to the opera, and she agreed to go with him.

Hughberlian and the Great Demon Race companions settled into a merchant-guild villa in Nistero, where Antanas and the Ice Witch urged Hughberlian to rest and blend in while the adults handled the mission. The group prepared to watch a live broadcast of the stage adaptation of “Holy War Romance,” leaving them gathered around the screen as the show was about to begin.

• Hughberlian and her companions arrived in Nistero and checked into a secluded villa arranged by Planai.
• Hughberlian worried about the mission and wanted to become stronger, but Antanas and the Ice Witch told her to relax and let the adults handle the allied forces’ work.
• The Ice Witch privately wondered whether Loren might be in Bulida, where she planned to investigate during their stay.
• Hughberlian found a broadcast preview for the stage adaptation of “Holy War Romance” and hid the embarrassing story about Talia from the Ice Witch.
• Antanas invited Sinora and Planai to join them for the broadcast, and the group prepared to watch while eating dinner.

Lanchi and Talia went to the Bulida Opera House to meet Abigail, hoping to discuss working with her, but she mistook them for emergency replacement actors. With the performance about to begin, they agreed to take the roles, leaving their original plan behind.

• Lanchi and Talia disguised themselves and hurried to the Bulida Opera House, where they searched the VIP section for Abigail.
• Talia spotted Abigail anxiously speaking through a Communication Magic Card, and Lanchi approached her as a friend introduced by Barton.
• Abigail eagerly led Lanchi and Talia backstage and had the makeup artists prepare them for the performance.
• Lanchi and Talia realized Abigail believed they were replacement actors, but they agreed to take the roles when she pressed them for an answer.

Lanchi and Talia struggled to memorize their lines while Abigail’s Cinderella opera unfolded onstage, where Cat Immortal’s failed transformation exposed their delay. Abigail finally forced Talia toward the stage, leaving Lanchi backstage still trying to learn his lines.

• Lanchi and Talia reviewed their scripts backstage, anxious about performing the roles of the governor and Gray Princess.
• The first Cinderella actress sang of her hardships, received a banquet invitation, and was forbidden by her stepmother and sisters from attending.
• Cat Immortal appeared to help Cinderella, but the planned actor change failed when the Gray Princess did not appear after his transformation spells.
• Lanchi and Talia kept memorizing backstage while Cat Immortal improvised onstage and the audience watched in silence.
• Abigail found Talia still backstage and shoved her toward the stage, while Lanchi stayed behind to memorize his lines.

Lanchi and Talia performed Cinderella at the Bulida Opera House, improvising through forgotten lines as the audience mistook their mishaps for compelling acting. Their increasingly intimate banquet scene left Hughberlian wondering whether the play reflected a romance between them.

• Talia forgot her lines as Cinderella and improvised excuses to delay going to the ball, while Lanchi kept the performance moving as Cat Immortal.
• Lanchi played the Demon Governor and spotted Talia eating desserts as Cinderella; their improvised dialogue led him to invite her to dance.
• Talia asked to finish eating first, and Lanchi improvised a way to keep the scene going while the actors and audience waited.
• When Talia struggled to eat under the audience's gaze, Lanchi fed her a piece of chocolate and turned the awkward pause into a crowd-pleasing moment.
• Watching the performance in Nistero City, Hughberlian noticed the actors resembled Lanchi and Talia, while Antanas teased her about becoming suspicious.

During the public performance of Holy War Romance, Lanchi and Talia improvised through their roles as the governor and Cinderella, while Abigail and the audience mistook their mishaps for deliberate acting. The show ended with Lanchi struck by Talia’s shoe, and Cat Boss remained the only one convinced that the performance had gone disastrously off-script.

• Abigail listened as the audience praised the improvised scene and dance between Lanchi and Talia, then watched them perform the banquet scene.
• Lanchi prompted Talia through forgotten lines and fed her desserts in character, while Talia became flustered and eventually fled the stage at midnight.
• Talia rushed backstage to read the script, and Abigail reminded her that Cinderella was supposed to leave a shoe behind.
• Lanchi searched the stage for a clue and prayed to the Goddess, so Talia threw her shoe toward him and knocked him down.
• The audience praised the shoe-throwing as a romantic change, while Cat Boss watched the broadcast and realized Lanchi and Talia might be the leads.

Talia and Lanchi starred in the chaotic but successful curtain call of the Public Release Version of Holy War Romance—Gray Princess Chapter, improvising through the play’s finale. After the performance, Abigail discovered that the actors her bishop had recruited were still on the road, leaving her to wonder who had played the leads.

• The opera followed Cinderella as her stepmother locked her in the attic, but Talia’s heartfelt performance drew the audience into the role.
• Lanchi’s governor rejected the stepmother’s daughters and recognized Cinderella when she arrived, then reunited with her and sentenced the stepmother’s family to prison despite Cinderella’s forgiveness.
• Lanchi and Talia continued the finale over breakfast, with Talia eating a Matcha Cheese Mochi onstage and their romantic exchange leaving the audience cheering.
• In Nistero City, Hughberlian watched the performance and reassured herself that her aunt and Lanchi could not secretly be together, while the Ice Witch wondered whether Ifatia could comfort her.
• The cast received a standing ovation as the play ended, and Abigail learned through her Communication Magic Card that the actors her bishop had found were still stuck on the road.

Lanchi and Talia met Abigail to ask for her help gaining influence in the Empire’s Magical Engineering community, but Abigail recognized Lanchi as an impostor and attacked them. She separated Talia from Lanchi and summoned her teacher to the opera house after concluding that Landry had been murdered.

• Lanchi revealed his identity as Professor Landry and asked Abigail to help draw the Imperial Army’s attention to him.
• Abigail questioned how Landry had developed his recent magical principles, then used a spatial device to isolate Talia and leave Lanchi alone with her.
• Abigail accused Lanchi of stealing her junior fellow apprentice Landry’s identity and murdering him.
• Lanchi denied killing Landry but could not explain who had done so without exposing the Allies.
• Abigail called her teacher and told him to come to the opera house because she had caught a big fish and confirmed that something was wrong with Landry.

Lanchi tried to explain himself to Abigail, but Dimensional Bishop Toliado arrived and demanded to learn the truth about Landry’s death. When Lanchi changed his appearance, Toliado recognized him as McCarthy.

• Abigail revealed that she was the Silver Moon Restoration Society’s Administrator of Truth and a disciple of Dimensional Bishop Toliado.
• Lanchi deduced that Abigail belonged to the Dimensional Branch and that her teacher was the Cardinal Bishop Toliado.
• Toliado arrived through a Dimensional Door, and Lanchi recognized him as Xiduo, an identity he had known before.
• Toliado and Abigail demanded to know what had happened to Landry, explaining that they wanted the truth rather than revenge.
• Lanchi used a Transformation Art card to change into a brown-haired, green-eyed man, and Toliado exclaimed that he was McCarthy.

Six months after the Protos Empire crisis, Lanchi reunited with Toliado at the Bulida Opera House and learned how Toliado had secretly influenced events in the north. Their conversation was interrupted when Talia burst into the room to protect Lanchi, and Toliado recognized her.

• Lanchi, disguised as Luo Qi McCarthy, met Toliado and Abigail at the Bulida Opera House, where Toliado was shocked to discover his identity.
• Toliado revealed that he had known Lanchi was connected to Ba Tian Sect and had helped him ally with Chloris against Askesang and Morodian.
• Lanchi and Toliado discussed Toliado's injuries, his role in drawing Morodian's attention away, and the dangers they had faced in Protos Empire.
• Toliado joked about defecting to the Goddess of Fate Church, while Abigail scolded him for creating trouble and leaving her to worry.
• Abigail's trapped guest broke through the separate space, and Talia emerged, rushed to Lanchi's side, and prepared to defend him.
• Toliado recognized the gray-haired, golden-eyed Talia and shouted her name.

Toliado reunited with Talia and Lanchi, revealed his plans to help them rescue Duke Migaiya, and agreed to support Lanchi's use of Landry's identity. After learning Ifatia was nearby, Toliado opened a portal to her hideout and startled her.

• Toliado revealed his demon identity to Talia, and they recognized each other as old companions from the Old Demon Realm.
• Lanchi explained how he and Talia had encountered Landry and how Landry's death was tied to the vampires' plot against Hughberlian and Elsa.
• Toliado said he would help rescue Duke Migaiya and deal with Somerset, while Abigail agreed to assist Lanchi as he built influence in the Empire.
• Talia told Toliado that Ifatia was hiding in the Mafia's underground palace, and Toliado opened a portal there.
• Ifatia dropped her potato chips in fright when she saw Toliado watching her through the portal.

Iftia reunited with General Yabo, now Cardinal Bishop Toliado, at Abigail’s opera house, where the group discussed the Silver Moon Restoration Society’s role in their plans against Blood Moon City. They identified Barton as Number Three and learned that Princess Alexia was Number Five, though she could only contact the society when it was safe.

• Iftia recognized Toliado as General Yabo and reunited with her sister Talia at Abigail’s opera house.
• Lanchi asked whether Toliado was Number One of the Silver Moon Restoration Society, and Toliado confirmed it while explaining Abigail’s communication magic.
• Iftia brought Barton through the spatial gate, and Barton confirmed that he was Number Three of the society.
• Talia asked about the society’s other members, and Abigail explained how Numbers Four through Nine had been assigned.
• Abigail revealed that Princess Alexia, the Third Princess of Krui Di, held the Number Five card, Struggle.

Lanchi learned that Princess Alexia was working to protect the Krui Di Empire from the Blood Race, while Barton identified several War Gods who might have been mentally controlled. Lanchi and Talia planned to enter a Shadow World the following week, leaving Toliado to arrange a fake fiancée for their infiltration mission.

• Lanchi recounted meeting Alexia in a Shadow World, and Toliado explained that he had donated Abigail's missing twenty thousand pounds to Iketerite Academy after learning Lanchi had tricked the Holy Son of Destruction to death.
• Barton explained Alexia's connection to the Ceros Spirit Sword and said she had detected blood-colored evil shadows near the imperial palace, while Lanchi suspected the sword might be a Red Legend device.
• Abigail said Alexia had stopped contacting the Silver Moon Restoration Society and remained in the imperial palace, where Barton believed her imperial protections kept her relatively safe.
• Barton named the Fourth, Fifth, Eighth, Ninth, and Twelfth War Gods as likely controlled by the Blood Race, and discussed the uncertain loyalty of the First War God Hycintos.
• Lanchi told the group he and Talia would enter a Shadow World next week, then asked Toliado to help with another matter; Toliado promised to find Lanchi a fiancée for the infiltration mission.
• Talia and Lanchi left the Bulida Opera House, and Toliado assured them he would arrange the fiancée before they returned.

Lanchi and Talia traveled to Saint Krui Di Monastery’s Void Gate to begin their Shadow World challenge while the Empire’s spy hunt and Mana Fission research continued around them. They entered the Blood Moon Ruined World’s final node, “Tear Rain Eternal World.”

• Lanchi discussed how his Mana Fission theory had spread and how Duke Dikes, Nikola, and Maquire were watching him amid the Imperial Special Operations Division’s spy hunt.
• Lanchi and Talia left for the Void Gate, and Talia reassured him that she would help him if his fiancée Unity refused his proposal.
• Talia explained that eighth-tier Shadow Worlds could last from less than a month to several months, while Ifatia waited for Lanchi to bring her an antidote.
• Lanchi passed the monastery’s security checks and approached the Void Gate with Cat Boss and Talia.
• Lanchi, Talia, and Cat Boss entered the Shadow World and arrived at the final node, “Tear Rain Eternal World.”

Twelve years after the war, Lanchi awakened in the Shadow World as the white-robed Pope Lan Keluos and reunited with Empress Kexiya, who feared for his failing health. The delayed Shadow World prompt revealed his objectives and hinted that his Mental Rift could distort what he saw as the new endgame began.

• Lanchi learned that the northern nations had defeated the Honing Empire and formed the Holy Plant United Religious Nation, with him serving as its masked Pope.
• Empress Kexiya met Lanchi at Shaleim Palace, spoke of his past as Lan Keluos, and promised to protect his secrets as he faced the end of his life.
• Lanchi left the palace and returned to Papal Hall, where Talia identified his Epic Mental Rift status as an aftereffect of battling Duke Raschal.
• The Shadow World prompt appeared, confirmed nine challengers, and listed objectives to read Kali Yella's letter, understand Lan Keluos's state of mind, and keep all challengers alive for 21 days.

In the peaceful Shadow World, Lanchi received Kali Yella’s farewell letter and relived the memory of her death at the hands of Raschal Duke. Her letter gave him a blessing and an invitation to Purgatory Corridor, and Lanchi decided to return to the Demon Realm, beginning by seeking out Sigrid.

• Lanchi met with High Judge Elm, received Kali Yella’s mysterious letter, and learned of an invitation to a peace anniversary in Seville Land.
• Lanchi read Kali Yella’s letter, which recalled her defeat by Raschal Duke, her final gift to Midnight Lord Esmod, and her hope that Lanchi would return to the Demon Realm.
• Lanchi briefly experienced Lan Keluos’s memory of Kali Yella’s death and realized that Raschal Duke had left him with a lingering mental condition.
• Kali Yella’s letter vanished after revealing an appointment as principal of Purgatory Corridor Academy and granting Lanchi the Final Gentle Land blessing.
• Lanchi decided to return to the Demon Realm and asked Elm to find Sigrid, who was staying at an orphanage outside Jerusalem.

Pope Lanchi traveled to a church outside Jerusalem to reunite with Sigrid, who had returned safely to the Plant Empire. Sigrid mistook Talia for Kali Yella and embraced her, while Lanchi and Talia realized she believed Kali Yella had died; the chapter left them reunited and seemingly at ease with one another.

• Lanchi learned from High Judge Elm that Sigrid had returned to the Plant Empire and set out to visit her at a church outside Jerusalem.
• Lanchi found Sigrid praying in the chapel, and she recognized him as Luo Qi and embraced him after their long separation.
• Talia appeared, and Sigrid released Lanchi to hug her, believing Talia was Kali Yella and joyfully declaring that she was glad Kali Yella was alive.
• Lanchi explained that Sigrid had likely mistaken Talia for Kali Yella because of their similar aura and appearance, and Talia discovered she had gained Kali Yella's Fallen Heavenly Kingdom Veil ability.
• Talia comforted Sigrid and let her embrace her, while Lanchi told Cat Boss that he had expected Sigrid and Talia to get along.

Lanchi asked Sigrid to guide him through the Land of Eternal Night to the Demon Realm, and she eagerly agreed. As they began their overnight journey with Talia and Cat Boss, Lanchi grew concerned that Sigrid was paying more attention to him than to the route.

• Lanchi asked Sigrid to take him through the Land of Eternal Night, and she agreed after boasting that she was a master at finding her way.
• Sigrid changed into traveling clothes, and she and Lanchi reminisced about their first journey together twelve years earlier.
• Sigrid drove Lanchi, Talia, and Cat Boss across the snowy plains toward Small Stone City while Lanchi checked their route on a map.
• Sigrid ignored Lanchi's warning that they were heading toward a cliff, so Lanchi offered to take over driving.
• Sigrid let Lanchi drive and privately imagined that the spendthrift young master might eventually have to marry into another family.

Lanchi drove Sigrid and Talia through the snowy plains toward Pasquale while Sigrid comforted Talia and grew closer to him. The journey continued as Sigrid realized she loved even the things she disliked about Lanchi, though she still hoped he would return her feelings.

• Sigrid offered Lanchi wine, but he refused to drink while driving the deer carriage.
• Lanchi set off again, while Talia woke and shared a blanket with Sigrid in the rear.
• Sigrid reassured Talia that she did not owe the Demon Realm anything and praised her appearance and worth.
• Lanchi proudly navigated a winding road beneath a cliff and talked about making a map for a directionally challenged person.
• Sigrid asked about the person Lanchi had wanted to make a map for, then blushed and wished he would tell her he loved her too.

Lanchi, Sigrid, and Talia returned to Small Stone City after twelve years, reminiscing about their past and settling in for a rest. As their carriage toured the rebuilt city, Lanchi and the others sensed that something about it felt strangely out of place.

• Lanchi, Sigrid, and Talia entered Small Stone City and left their deer and sleigh at the Post Station.
• Sigrid offered to buy local dishes, and Talia promised to cook for her and Lanchi while they rested.
• Sigrid recounted how she had predicted the vampires’ wartime strategy and revealed that she was wolfkin.
• Talia comforted Sigrid by promising to protect her from vampires, and Sigrid affectionately called her “my demon mother.”
• Lanchi, Talia, and Sigrid noticed an unexplained incongruity in the city before taking a carriage to the Snow Bear Hotel.

Lanchi and Talia arrived in Small Stone City and learned that the Bearmen had been exterminated six years earlier, prompting Lanchi to visit their cemetery. As he mourned their sacrifice, Talia worried that understanding Black Sun Lan Keluos might draw Lanchi toward becoming the Black Sun.

• Sigrid arranged an apartment-style suite at Snow Bear Palace Hotel and went to buy food while Lanchi and Talia stayed behind.
• Lanchi and Talia discovered that the Bearmen had gone extinct after the Honing Empire and Blood Race invaded Small Stone City six years earlier.
• The hotel clerk told Lanchi that the Bearmen's dead were buried in a cemetery where the Pope had carved gravestones for them.
• Lanchi hurried to Small Stone City Memorial Park and mourned the Bearmen, realizing their resistance had helped Black Sun Lord reach the Demon Realm for reinforcements.
• Talia noticed the mission objective to understand Black Sun Lan Keluos had progressed to 2.71% and feared Lanchi might become the Black Sun.
• Talia tried to comfort Lanchi, but he assured her he was all right.

Hughberlian awoke in Demon King City Nekaris twelve years after the war and learned that the blood races had surrendered, Kali Yella was gone, and Melo Gas had become regent. As Melo Gas threatened to keep Hughberlian under her control, the Shadow World assigned her a task to protect the little spark Kali Yella left behind and investigate Black Sun Lan Keluos.

• Hughberlian woke on the Demon King's throne with Antanas and the other Great Demon Races, but found Kali Yella, Midnight Lord, Mist Lord, and Lei Mingqing missing.
• Melo Gas told Hughberlian that the blood races had surrendered three years earlier and urged her to forget the past.
• The Shadow World revealed that the war had ended in victory for the Northern Nations, Kali Yella had died, and Hughberlian was the little spark she had left behind.
• Hughberlian learned her objectives were to protect Kali Yella's legacy, understand Black Sun Lan Keluos's state of mind, and keep all challengers alive for twenty-one days.
• Melo Gas declared herself the demons' regent, threatened Hughberlian for grieving Kali Yella, and demanded that she obey her as her aunt.

Hughberlian endured Melo Gas’s violent takeover announcement and returned to her room, where she found a wounded demon child disguised as a gray kitten. Recognizing Kali Yella’s power in the Little Grey Cat, she decided to take it somewhere safe, but it resisted her and guarded Kali Yella’s treasure.

• Melo Gas declared herself regent, condemned Kali Yella’s rule, and killed two demons who challenged or praised her while asserting control over the hall.
• Hughberlian concealed her anger and left the Throne Hall without seeking out Planai and Antanas, avoiding Melo Gas’s suspicion.
• In her bedroom, Hughberlian found a scarred gray kitten with a pendant bearing the name Tamisha and sensed Kali Yella’s power within it.
• Hughberlian tried to treat the kitten’s wounds, then decided to take it to the Demon Race Ancestral Land for safety.
• The Little Grey Cat rejected Hughberlian’s comfort, pushed her away, and refused to reveal its true form or surrender Kali Yella’s treasure.

Hughberlian escaped from the Demon King's Palace, and Melo Gas ordered a search while considering how to keep the Holy Plant Religious Nation hostile to the Honing Empire. Meanwhile, Planai and the other Great Demons stayed in Nekaris and pretended to support Melo Gas, leaving Hughberlian to travel alone.

• A spy told Melo Gas that Hughberlian had escaped with the Little Grey Cat, and Melo Gas ordered her found and the routes to Purgatory City and Pasquale searched.
• The spy reported that the Pope would attend a peace commemoration in one month, and Melo Gas agreed to attempt to invite him to meet a demonic envoy.
• Planai reassured Almirs that Hughberlian had a safe route and explained that the group would stay behind to avoid being treated as dangerous accomplices.
• Antanas and Planai said that appearing to support Melo Gas would help them stay close to the enemy and restrain the other Great Demons.
• Planai cited Luo Qi McCarthy's deception of Askesang as an example, prompting the Ice Witch to reflect on how much Planai, Antanas, and Sinora had changed.

Antanas, Sinora, Planai, and Almirs discussed their low-key approach to the Shadow World while Hughberlian traveled toward Purgatory City carrying Tamisha, Kali Yella’s Little Spark. Hughberlian continued toward the ancestral land, determined to reunite with Lanchi and help him.

• Antanas questioned Planai about Talia and the dangers Hughberlian might face, while Planai reassured the group and spoke cryptically about sisters.
• Antanas, Sinora, and Almirs agreed to rest in Nekaris and muddle through the Shadow World, while Planai noted that their group might only be involved in the third task.
• Hughberlian worried that understanding Black Sun Lan Keluos could draw Lanchi toward the Black Sun, but resolved to support him.
• Hughberlian stopped on the route to Purgatory City and tried to feed the wary Little Grey Cat, Tamisha, goat’s milk.
• After Tamisha ate and fell asleep against her chest, Hughberlian continued toward Purgatory City, hoping to bring Kali Yella’s Little Spark there and meet Lanchi.