Chapter Summaries

Shade and the others found a safe Revival Woodland region and rescued an exhausted team from Zaras Academy of Literature. After learning that these regions restored order and kept monsters away, the group rested beneath the giant tree while Shade approached its trunk.

• Bella tried to steady Shade's restless spirit, glimpsed the golden light in his soul, and advised him to use high-consumption techniques to vent his power.
• Shade's group entered a snowy woodland region where dead trees gave way to lush summer greenery, and the spacetime anomaly's effects eased.
• Miss Olanord and Sister Devlin confirmed that thirteen people beneath a hundred-meter-tall tree were safe; the group found two dead hunters and eleven injured survivors, including ten members of Zaras Academy of Literature.
• Professor Goodwin and Professor Siv identified the academy team, and Elderon found Mithril ore samples showing that the team had completed its mine-blasting mission.
• Professor Alberta explained that the team had lured Paradox Worms away from the city, lost its route amid the forest's changing spacetime, and retreated to the safe region after repeated battles.
• Shade's group chose to rest in the Revival Woodland, and Shade walked to the giant tree and placed his hand against its trunk.

Shade met Camille Pawo in the final Resurgent Woodland rest area, where she asked him what civilization depended on for development. After he answered, Shade asked what the Ancient One intended to do, leaving Camille's response unknown.

• Shade sensed that the Resurgent Woodland's trees stabilized spacetime, then led the group onward through more rest areas.
• The group reached what Shade believed was their final rest area, where everyone except Shade, Emilia, Miss Olanord, Vanessa, and the Nightmare Witch had been turned into babies.
• The group found a letter from Camille Pawo asking Shade to meet her in the western woodland, and Shade went alone to see her.
• Camille explained that the Truth Society was pursuing a major project and asked Shade to name three things civilization relied on to develop.
• Shade named desire, the pursuit of power and wealth, and reproduction, then asked Camille what the Ancient One wanted to do.

Shade and his allies reached the clearing where Professor Yuke Wood awaited them, and the Ancient One revealed that the great tree behind the thrones was his main body, born from the World Tree Remnants. Before their confrontation began, Yuke prepared to explain the woodland’s story and answer Shade’s questions.

• Miss Pawo told Shade that the Ancient One had remained sane across the ages and hinted that someone might eventually have to remain seated on the World Tree Throne.
• Shade returned to camp, where Emilia woke and claimed that the ancient Elf Kings had lent her knowledge and power, allowing her to reach a Thirteenth Ring state.
• Shade and the group continued through the woodland, carrying the World Tree branches and following a newly appeared path to the clearing with five thrones.
• Professor Yuke Wood greeted the group and explained that the trees behind the thrones were his self-seal and main body, while the World Tree Remnants lay beneath Vesta Woodland.
• Yuke praised Shade for defeating his allies and enemies, then offered to explain the story and answer questions before their confrontation began.

Professor Yuke Wood revealed that he had orchestrated events to gather the group and create the seed needed for Emilia Sinode to become the Chosen One of Time. He fused with the World Tree and began the final trial, summoning four monsters to the elemental thrones as a figure appeared on the central throne.

• Professor Yuke Wood explained that he had raised and replaced guardians for the Earth, Wind, Water, and Fire seats, and that Thomas Bennett had taken Bronte’s place as Water.
• Professor Yuke Wood gave Emilia the World Tree’s root, which fused with her leaf and branches to form a seed and spread a glowing mark across her arm.
• Professor Yuke Wood said Emilia had to defeat him and make the seed sprout to become the Chosen One of Time, then admitted he wanted to break free of his ancient seal.
• Professor Yuke Wood turned into light and merged with the giant tree, declaring a final trial in which the group had to defeat him to learn the woodland’s ultimate secret.
• The World Tree summoned the Fire Demon - Disaster, a black dragon beast, black Bug Men, and Thomas Bennett, and its roots bound them to the four elemental thrones.
• The powers of Earth, Wind, Water, and Fire gathered with the tree’s emerald light, and an aged figure appeared on the central throne.

Shade and the others battled the awakened Ancient One and its empowered Ancient Evil Spirit in Vesta Woodland. As reinforcements joined the fight, Shade summoned Doctor Schneider, whose sudden attack made the demon roar toward a new darkness in the forest.

• The Ancient One reached for the group, but Vanessa shifted them away, and their attacks failed to stop its hand.
• The Ancient One empowered the Demon of the Fire with World Tree material, and the demon sent a sea of flames and a great sword against the group.
• Elderon, Miss Brown, and Sister Devlin diverted the flames while Shade ran into the forest; Professor Miller Stewart arrived and helped hold off the demon.
• Shade summoned Doctor Schneider through a mirror, and Schneider agreed to fight the Ancient Evil Spirit.
• Doctor Schneider fired a crimson ray that destroyed nearly half the demon's left arm, causing it to roar toward the darkness south of the forest.

Thomas Bennett returned from the depths of time under the Ancient One’s control and attacked Emilia’s group, bringing an oceanic tide into Vesta Woodland. Sister Devlin used the Moon Mark, death, and First Fire to strip away his invulnerability, and the assembled Ring Arcanists joined the battle above the giant tree as the Ancient One watched.

• The Ancient Evil Spirit fled into the darkness, while the Ancient One’s applause raised Thomas Bennett and sent him toward Emilia as a controlled puppet.
• Bennett awakened amid a rising sea tide and advanced through the Ring Arcanists’ ineffective attacks and banishing spells.
• Sister Devlin used her Moon Mark, sword, and scythe to reveal Bennett’s lost soul and cut away the power that had made him untouchable.
• The Ancient One commanded Bennett to fight, and Sister Devlin’s attacks restrained him, allowing the Ring Arcanists to join her in battle above the treetops.
• Minsk Toddlers arrived with wounded Sun Church and Peace Church Ring Arcanists, who joined the assault on Bennett.
• The Ancient One praised Sister Devlin as the most unique Chosen One and remarked that the First Fire might make her the strongest once its scattered flames were gathered.

Shade and the others fought the Ancient One’s empowered forces as the Watcher summoned Paradox Worms and the dragon beast attacked. A Skeleton Angel’s horn wiped out the insect swarm, reinforcements joined the battle, and Shade summoned the Dragon of Light to confront the Ancient One.

• The empowered Watcher summoned Paradox Worms that emerged from White Fog cocoons as spellcasting Bug Men, while the Ring Arcanists struggled to stop them.
• Shade hurled a corpse planted with a glowing bone fragment at the Watcher, and it transformed into a winged Skeleton Angel that sounded the Doomsday Proclaiming Horn.
• The horn proclaimed the summoned bugs’ Termination and weakened the Watcher, which Illustrious Miss then blasted out of the sky with her ship.
• Maria and the arriving high-ring girls pursued the Watcher, while Crystal Lady and four other Dragons attacked the Ancient One’s dragon beast.
• Shade threw Blood of Sorrow into the sky, and its light transformed into the gigantic Dragon of Light.

Shade and the Chosen Ones launched a combined assault on the Ancient One, whose divine afterglow let him effortlessly withstand their attacks. As the battle continued and Paradox Worms swarmed the clearing, Flora swallowed the Corrupted Holy Acorn.

• Mr. Ptolemy Albert appeared as the Dragon of Light, drove away the wind dragon beast, and led the other five dragons in attacking the Ancient One.
• The Ancient One neutralized attacks from Butterfly Wings Girl, Sister Devlin, and the other fighters, while Shade recognized the glow around him as the afterglow of divinity.
• Shade struck with Moonlight Wheel: Fourth Form and Moonlight Slash, but the Ancient One deflected his attacks and dissolved the Great Sin Chains that briefly bound his arm.
• The Ancient One blasted the attackers away as Paradox Worms surged into the clearing, forcing the fighters to turn and battle the insects.
• Sylvia, Grandma Cassandra, and Flora joined the fighting, and Flora swallowed the Corrupted Holy Acorn.

Flora used the spoiled Acorn to regain her Eleventh-Rank power, but her Unicorn form was rejected from the witches’ attack on the Ancient One. Iluna Bayes arrived with a new lightning power, and the Chosen Ones combined their abilities to counter the Ancient One’s control of time as the battle continued.

• Flora transformed into a gray Unicorn after absorbing the Acorn’s power, regaining her strength and nearing the Twelfth Order.
• The witches tried to invoke the Chaos Witch’s power, but Flora was blown away because her registered identity was human; the Ancient One then froze the remaining witches and attacked them.
• Shade blocked the Ancient One’s beam, and an Earth Power Energy Cannon wounded him before Iluna Bayes emerged as a Sunlight Gun wrapped in Golden Thunder.
• Iluna hurled her spear and called on the Chosen Ones to restrict the Ancient One, while the Dragon of Light struck with a Sword of Light that his Time Stop could not affect.
• The Chosen Ones of Light, Balance, Death, and Space countered the Ancient One’s time powers, and Emilia rejoined the fight temporarily as a Thirteenth-Ring Warlock.

Luvia guided Flora toward breaking the Time Curse by embracing her understanding of death and using a Dragon Transformation Potion. As Shade prepared to summon the future Adele, Flora looked into Luvia’s eyes and saw herself in human form.

• Luvia freed Sylvia, Grandma Cassandra, and Bella from Time Stop, then assessed which Great Witches could join the battle.
• Luvia sent Miss Swift and the other young ladies to conceal Shade’s Destiny Ring while he prepared the Words of Sublimation to summon Adele.
• Luvia explained that Flora could break the Time Curse by reaching the threshold between life and death and embracing the dead soul’s gift.
• Flora recalled how a dragon beast’s farewell had taught her to accept death, and Luvia identified the Dragon Transformation Spell as the gift she needed to master.
• Grandma Cassandra produced the Dragon Transformation Potion, and Luvia gave it to Flora before telling her to look into her eyes.
• Flora saw her human form in Luvia’s Purple Eyes and became that self.

Flora’s transformation into an Undead Dragon broke her Time Curse, and Shade joined the witches and their allies in a combined attack on the Ancient One. The Ancient One stopped time across the world, leaving Shade alone able to move and confronting him as the battle reached a sudden standstill.

• Flora saw herself in the purple-eyed figure’s gaze, transformed into an Undead Dragon, and realized her Time Curse had vanished.
• Shade used the Words of Sublimation to summon a Demigod Witch, and “she” warned him that the Black Time Key would be unusable for a month.
• Shade and the witches regrouped as their allies fought the Ancient One, then Adele congratulated Vanessa on advancing to the Thirteenth Order.
• The Chosen Ones bound the Ancient One while the witches unleashed their Chaos Witch’s Sigh, Shade and Miss Olanord swung the Moonbeam Greatsword, and Emilia charged with Little Liana.
• The Ancient One stopped time throughout the world, freezing the attackers and leaving Shade alone able to move; Shade recognized that the Ancient One had stopped the world’s time and asked if he intended to negotiate.

The Ancient One used the World Tree’s miracle to send every living creature in Vesta Woodland twenty-four hours into the future, leaving Shade unaffected because of his Time Resistance. Shade discovered that Luvia remained in the present and followed her Fire Seal toward the hot spring at Moon Sanctuary.

• The Ancient One announced a Time Jump to twenty-four hours later, and Shade turned Miss Olanord into a doll before the miracle took effect.
• Shade awoke in an empty Vesta Woodland with Little Mia, and “Her” explained that everyone else in the woodland had been sent forward a day.
• Shade found the doll containing Miss Olanord and realized that Luvia’s Time Curse should have protected her from the jump.
• Shade sensed Luvia’s Fire Seal in the present and flew through the forest to find her.
• Shade followed the Fire Seal to the hot spring at Moon Sanctuary.

Shade reunited with Luvia in the Moon Sanctuary hot spring, where she revealed a divination outlining how they could defeat the Ancient One and gain the power Shade sought. Luvia exhausted her Soul Power to perform the divination and fell unconscious, leaving Shade to follow her plan.

• Shade reached the hot spring and Luvia pulled him through the curtain into the water while Little Mia settled down to sleep nearby.
• After the night passed and Sunday began, Luvia told Shade that the Time Jump could not be stopped and that Miss Olanord needed to become a demigod within twenty-four hours.
• Luvia’s divination instructed Shade to free the witch’s doll, bring Blaine Olanode, the Sorceress of the Red Moon, and Helena Carter together, and strike the Ancient One’s heart.
• Luvia revealed that the Ancient One’s heart held the great power Shade sought, then told him to advance to the ninth ring and use Words of Sublimation to summon Adele and finish the battle.
• Luvia fell unconscious after overusing her Soul Power, and “She” told Shade that the divination was highly credible and that he should follow it.

Shade and Blaine Olanode began a Hunting Ritual in Vesta Woodland while they waited for the effects of the Time Jump to end. The hunt continued across the snow-covered canopy, with Blaine pursuing Shade through a series of animal forms.

• Shade put the sleeping Luvia and Little Mia safely beside the hot spring, then restored Blaine Olanode from her doll form.
• Shade told Blaine what had happened, and she asked him to join her in a Hunting Ritual while they waited for the others to return.
• Blaine protected Luvia and Little Mia, gave Shade ten minutes to hide, and began hunting him in the forest.
• Shade hid as a Silver Cat, but Blaine transformed into a golden lioness and pounced on him.
• Shade escaped as Red Butterflies, then bound Blaine’s goldfinch form with silver light and ran across the snowy canopy as a Silver Wolf.
• Blaine pursued Shade again in the form of a leopard cat, and he heard her racing after him across the snow.

Shade and Blaine Olanode played a moonlit hunting game that ended with her catching him at the Moon Sanctuary hot spring. Their chase helped Blaine realize that Shade was the Moon she had to hunt on her path to becoming a Demigod, and she began tearing off his clothes.

• The Leopard Cat chased Shade's Silver Wolf form through the snow, and the two fought until Shade transformed into a Moonlight Dragon and Blaine caught him with a Rune Chain.
• Shade and Blaine crashed through the treetop snow canopy and fell into the Moon Sanctuary hot spring, where Blaine declared that she had caught him.
• Shade said their hunt had begun when they first met beside the bonfire in the Thousand Tree Forest, and Blaine recognized that she had been learning his habits ever since.
• Blaine realized that the Moon she must hunt on her Demigod Road had always been beside her, and she called Shade her Moon.
• Blaine tore off Shade's clothes, claiming that he was her prey because she had won.

Shade and Blaine Olanode confessed their feelings in the hot spring, and their union completed her Demigod Road. Blaine became Demigod Witch Blaney, and she and Shade remained together until their time in the past was nearly over.

• Blaine asked Shade what the Moon meant to him, and he told her she was his dream and that his love belonged only to the Moon.
• Blaine tricked Shade into looking away, revealed herself, and confessed that she had pursued and loved him since the Fifth Epoch.
• Blaine declared that claiming Shade would complete her hunt and her Demigod Road, then drew him into the water as moonlight and ancient rituals surrounded them.
• Blaine's spiritual power surged and settled, transforming Thirteenth Order Great Witch Olanord into Demigod Witch Blaney, Vesta Woodland's second Demigod Witch of the Sixth Epoch.
• Blaney asked Shade to stay with her longer, and he held her as they realized that only two hours remained before their twenty-four-hour visit ended.

Blaney became a demigod after an intimate ritual with Shade, who gained a major increase to his Spirit Rune and two Thaumaturgies. After nearly twenty hours in the hot spring, they prepared to leave and face the returning enemy, while Luvia remained asleep nearby.

• Blaney explained how the Yellow Moon, the hot spring, and Shade’s Spirit Rune had contributed to her advancement into a Demigod Witch.
• Shade realized he had gained greatly increased Spirit Rune capacity and recovery, along with the Miracle Technique Mist Moon Tide.
• Shade discovered the passive Miracle Technique Witch’s Delight, which could cause a witch to advance after intimacy beneath the moon, and decided to keep it secret.
• Shade and Blaney shared one last intimate moment before leaving the hot spring to prepare for the coming battle.
• Blaney helped Shade dress, and Shade checked on Luvia, who was still sleeping after exhausting her Spiritual Power.

Shade summoned Helena Carter with the Poems Card while Blaney watched, and prepared a way to give Helena a physical body. The chapter left Helena poised to use the Metamorphosis Ring, while Luvia and Miss Danist remained at the hot spring.

• Shade gave Blaney a Moon Mark and reassured her that they would meet again in the same spacetime.
• Shade used the Poems Card and the ritual prepared by the Black-Haired Lady to summon Helena Carter.
• Helena appeared above the hot spring and noticed that Blaney had advanced to demigodhood.
• Shade mixed the pink essence with Desire's crystal, activated the Metamorphosis Ring, and explained how it could give Helena a physical body.

Shade prepared to combine the Moon-aligned powers of Blaney and Mrs. Carter, while a Time Jump left Emilia alone before the Ancient One. After Emilia plunged into the Ancient One’s eyes, she emerged in a bleak desert and collapsed as her life force faded.

• Shade pulled the Sorceress from the hot spring, then turned away while she dressed after realizing the Metamorphosis Ring had not provided clothes.
• Shade asked Blaney and Mrs. Carter to entrust their strength to him, and the Demigod Witch offered to guide their combined power under the full Yellow Moon.
• The Time Jump made Shade, Miss Olanord, the Dragon of Light, and other allies vanish from the battlefield, leaving Emilia exposed to the Ancient One.
• Little Liana’s Golden Armor resisted the Ancient One’s mental attack, and Golden Thunder helped Emilia escape his grasp.
• Iluna fought the Ancient One while Emilia, unable to find a way to help, prepared to charge forward with Little Liana.
• The Ancient One’s gaze drew Emilia into a yellow desert, where she collapsed as dust scattered from her skin; a pale hand picked her up and carried her over its shoulder.

Emilia was projected into the Doomsday Era of the Past, where Adele Isabella explained the cycles of time and the Ancient One’s plan to make Emilia the Chosen One of Time. After Emilia shared the secret she had learned beneath Vesta City, Adele agreed to let her study and help gather information for Shade before sending her back.

• Adele Isabella found Emilia in Shade’s ruined home at 6 Saint Derain Square and explained that Emilia’s consciousness had been projected into the Doomsday Era of the Past.
• Adele told Emilia about the Sixth Epoch’s six restarts, and Emilia realized the Ancient One had arranged for her to learn the Truth of Time and receive the World Tree’s roots.
• Adele explained that Emilia’s travels through different eras were helping the World Tree’s seed sprout, then asked what secret Emilia knew about Vesta Woodland.
• Emilia revealed that she had obtained memories from ancient ruins beneath Vesta City and asked whether Shade was alive in his Doomsday Era; Adele told her he did not exist there.
• Adele offered to let Emilia study with her and help gather information about Doomsday Evil Beings and lost documents, and Emilia agreed to help Shade.