Chapter Summaries

Duanmu Huai questioned the Resistance Organization after its members attacked a caravan, then heard the group’s plea to end the Sais Kingdom’s persecution of people who could not use magic. Though he hesitated over the diplomatic risk of helping them, Okegis urged him to stay, and he agreed to consider the request.

• Duanmu Huai accused the blonde girl and the Resistance Organization of acting like bandits, while she explained that they opposed the mages’ oppression in Sais.
• Mashio Shizuka and Kento Kaname confirmed that they had witnessed mistreatment in Sais and did not want to pursue the attack.
• The old doctor asked Duanmu Huai to help the oppressed people, but Duanmu Huai questioned the Resistance Organization’s goals and its ability to change the country.
• The blonde girl fell from her wheelchair and begged Duanmu Huai for help, but he warned that aiding the resistance could cause a diplomatic crisis with Sais.
• Okegis urged Duanmu Huai to stay, and he told the blonde girl he would think about helping.

Duanmu Huai investigated the Resistance Organization’s village and discovered that Chimqi ran an orphanage while offering herself to recruit fighters. He assigned his contracted Girl Monsters to help her and left to find out what the organization did.

• Duanmu Huai explored the village and met children gathered around Okegis, who entertained them with puppets.
• Chimqi welcomed Duanmu Huai into the former monastery, now an orphanage, and explained that she cared for children orphaned by the mages’ atrocities.
• Chimqi revealed that she offered herself to exhausted fighters to help the Resistance Organization recruit manpower, but Duanmu Huai refused her offer.
• Duanmu Huai summoned the maid and True Clever and assigned them to help care for the children and drive off troublesome men.
• Duanmu Huai stopped Okegis’s frightening puppet show and left to investigate what the Resistance Organization did every day.

Duanmu Huai and his companions investigated a string of murders in Italia’s Level 2 Citizens’ District and confronted the Sword Knight after finding him killing a resident. Duanmu Huai seized the armored killer from behind, leaving the fight about to begin.

• Uluze showed Duanmu Huai letters from exploited Level 2 Citizens and briefed him on the Sword Knight’s murders, then assigned Xun to guide the group.
• Duanmu Huai and the others traveled to the Level 2 Citizens’ District, where Mashio Shizuka learned that Duanmu Huai had made himself invisible using a Night Watch technique.
• A frightened resident warned the group about the Murder Demon and hurried away, but they soon heard his scream and found him hacked to pieces.
• Xun identified the armored killer as the Sword Knight, who claimed Level 2 Citizens were monsters and that killing them was no crime.
• Duanmu Huai appeared behind the Sword Knight and grabbed him by the head, lifting him into the air.

Duanmu Huai captured and killed the armored knight who had hunted Level 2 Citizens for fun, then explained to Uluze that the Sais Kingdom’s inequality stemmed from mages’ overwhelming power and the privileges tied to their military role. He left Uluze to consider what political goal could address that fundamental contradiction.

• Duanmu Huai seized the armored knight, who confessed that he and Amy had hunted Level 2 Citizens for entertainment and insisted that mages had the right to kill them.
• Duanmu Huai killed the knight and left to display his body in the Level 1 Citizens’ district as a warning.
• Xun and the others reported the incident to Uluze, and Duanmu Huai returned and discussed why powerful ruling classes oppressed those beneath them.
• Duanmu Huai explained that mages’ strength and role in defending Sais made equality difficult to achieve, then told Uluze to decide her own political goal.
• Uluze remained behind in silence, thinking over Duanmu Huai’s explanation.

King Ragnaroq Aku.Super.Gandhi considered Duanmu Huai’s insight into Sais’s divisions and hoped he could save the country, while Duanmu Huai weighed ways to resolve the conflict and agreed to teach Kaname Raven Guard techniques. After Hasamu.Clavin’s murder sparked a harsh crackdown on Level 2 Citizens, Duanmu Huai decided to pursue Amy despite the district lockdown.

• King Ragnaroq Aku.Super.Gandhi asked Xun whether Duanmu Huai was a Lisass spy, and she said she did not think so.
• Duanmu Huai agreed to teach Kaname Raven Guard techniques and considered possible solutions to the conflict between Level 1 and Level 2 Citizens.
• Hasamu.Clavin’s corpse was discovered in a park, and Zluki demanded that the government kill all Level 2 Citizens.
• Yamada Chizuko rejected Zluki’s demand, but the officials sealed off the Level 2 Citizen district and ordered house-to-house searches.
• Duanmu Huai told Uluze he intended to eliminate Amy as the instigator behind the Knife-Wielding Knight incidents and asked for her address.

Duanmu Huai explained that the Sais Kingdom’s class conflict stemmed from a system that made Level 1 Citizens support Level 2 Citizens while denying the latter work and obligations. His explanation gave Xun a sudden insight, and she hurried away to report it to the King.

• Amy remained isolated in her room, terrified that Saham’s death would expose her role in the Knife-Wielding Knight game.
• Uluze, Kento Kaname, Mashio Shizuka, Xun, and the old doctor listened as Duanmu Huai examined the conflict between Level 1 and Level 2 Citizens.
• Duanmu Huai argued that Level 1 Citizens’ taxes and labor supported Level 2 Citizens, who were barred from working, making the system a source of resentment on both sides.
• Duanmu Huai contrasted Zeth with other countries, where non-mages worked and their role in society forced the state to consider their interests.
• Xun became agitated after recognizing the cause of Zeth’s class conflict and hurried off to report her insight to the King.

After hearing Duanmu Huai’s analysis, Gandhi King realized that corrupt officials had undermined public education, creating the Sais Kingdom’s vast Level 2 Citizen population and worsening social conflict. He sought Duanmu Huai’s guidance, ending the chapter by asking him to show a path to save the country.

• Xun reported Duanmu Huai’s explanation of how easy education had weakened public schools and left most ordinary students unable to become Level 1 Citizens.
• Gandhi King concluded that nobles and officials had distorted magical education to protect their own status, and he recognized that repairing the system would take decades.
• Gandhi King decided to meet Duanmu Huai and ask him for guidance.
• Xun brought Duanmu Huai from the Resistance Organization’s base to a nearby woods, where Gandhi King was waiting.
• Gandhi King bowed to Duanmu Huai and asked him to show a path to save the country.

Duanmu Huai urged Gandhi King to reform Sais by exploiting divisions among powerful officials and confronting opponents, while Gandhi King unveiled a plan to build a fortress city in the kingdom’s heartland. The court accepted the proposal’s security rationale, and Gandhi King assigned Level 2 Citizens to build it.

• Duanmu Huai told Gandhi King to reform education, offer Level 2 Citizens new livelihoods, and replace officials who resisted, then learned that the king feared unrest because Sais had few powerful supporters.
• Gandhi King explained Sais’s power structure, and Duanmu Huai pointed out that Saham’s death could drive a wedge between Zluki and Radon because Amy had devised the game that killed him.
• At court, Zluki and Radon clashed after Zluki learned that Radon’s daughter Amy had devised the game in which Zluki’s son Saham died.
• Gandhi King warned the officials that demons could infiltrate Sais as they had Lisass and proposed building a fortress city in the kingdom’s heartland.
• Radon backed Gandhi King’s proposal and challenged Zluki, who raised concerns about funding and manpower.
• Gandhi King said he would send soldiers to oversee construction and have Level 2 Citizens build the fortress city.

Gandhi King used the demon threat to push through a military plan to build a Fortress City with Level 2 Citizens, offering exceptional workers promotion to Level 1 status. Hundreds of thousands registered, and Duanmu Huai left Uluze and Kagura Xun to manage the project as he went back to sleep.

• Gandhi King declared the Fortress City a military mission, secured its funding, and overruled officials who opposed recruiting Level 2 Citizens.
• Gandhi King ordered that exceptional Level 2 Citizens could become Level 1 Citizens and live in the Fortress City, then tasked Chizuko with carrying out the plan.
• The order spread across Sais Kingdom, and Level 2 Citizens rushed to register, with hundreds of thousands signing up in one day.
• Duanmu Huai recruited Uluze to represent the Level 2 Citizens, with Kagura Xun assisting her, and arranged for troops to keep order at the registration sites.
• Duanmu Huai left Uluze and Xun in charge of the project and returned to sleep.

Zeth's conservative officials and Pentagram both reacted to King Gandhi's order opening a path for Level 2 Citizens, and each planned to threaten the Maginot Line to halt Fortress New City's construction or seize the capital. Nielson named Pentagram's plot the Liberation of the Motherland.

• Education Minister Radon urged Zeth's officials to leak the locations of the Magic Amplification Devices so someone would threaten them and force King Gandhi to prioritize the Maginot Line.
• Nielson.Saba learned that Pentagram members were leaving as King Gandhi's order gave Level 2 Citizens a legitimate path forward, and he accused Uluze of betraying the movement by working for the government.
• Nielson revealed Pentagram's plan to damage the Magic Amplification Devices and trigger the First Priority Edict, which would force Level 1 Citizens to expend their magic power.
• Nielson said Pentagram would leave enough energy to keep the Maginot Line supplied, then seize the capital and overthrow mage rule, naming the plan Liberation of the Motherland.

After learning that Daisy House was a hidden facility where children were abused and sold, Duanmu Huai stormed inside and began killing those involved. He rescued a girl and sent the maid and True Clever to gather the children, then prepared to cause further mayhem.

• Duanmu Huai learned from Chimqi that Alufra had been abused at a rebuilt facility that sold children to wealthy clients.
• Duanmu Huai found Daisy House in an underground facility and killed the waiter and several Level 1 Citizens in the lobby.
• Duanmu Huai forced the receptionist to reveal that Teacher Mingjin was on the third floor, then continued inside.
• Duanmu Huai found a Level 1 Citizen abusing a little girl and killed him.
• Duanmu Huai summoned the maid and True Clever, ordered them to gather and care for the children, and announced that he would make a big fuss.

Duanmu Huai interrogated the orphanage director and learned that Lord Papaya Saba had ordered Level 2 Citizens sent to the Ammunition Depot Tower. Inside the tower, he discovered Papaya’s human experiments, put one of her victims out of her misery, and went to confront her.

• Duanmu Huai crushed the orphanage director’s hand and forced her to reveal that Lord Papaya Saba had ordered Level 2 Citizens sent to the Ammunition Depot Tower.
• Duanmu Huai took Papaya’s letter and sent his familiars to return the rescued children before heading to the tower.
• Duanmu Huai evaded the tower’s guards and broke through a wall after hearing a voice from a hidden room.
• Duanmu Huai fed a carrot to a living severed head, who told him Papaya had become obsessed with forbidden magic and human experiments after obtaining a Demonic Book.
• Duanmu Huai granted Papaya’s former assistant her request to end her suffering, then leaped toward the tower’s highest floor to confront Papaya.

Duanmu Huai killed Papaya at the Ammunition Depot Tower, unknowingly giving the Resistance Organization an opening to destroy the tower’s Magic Amplification Device. With devices at two other towers also destroyed, Sais’s Maginot Line lost most of its power, and Gandhi King ordered all Level 1 Citizens to supply magic.

• Duanmu Huai split Papaya’s White Destruction Ray, then killed her and destroyed her black grimoire at the Ammunition Depot Tower.
• Elizabeth learned that Papaya was missing and led the Resistance Organization’s attack on the tower, where they destroyed its Magic Amplification Device.
• Yamada Chizuko learned that Anise had destroyed the Sun Glory Tower’s device along with the invading Resistance Army.
• Resistance soldiers destroyed the King’s Tower device while Magica was away, leaving only the Leap Tower device intact.
• Yamada Chizuko reported that the Maginot Line’s magic supply had fallen to 34%, and Gandhi King ordered all Level 1 Citizens to provide magic power under Kingdom Fourth Order.

Gandhi King's order to supply magic triggered a nationwide Level 2 uprising in Zeth, while the Pentagram's liberation operation descended into chaos and demonic forces gathered at the Maginot Line. As Zeth faced collapse, Queen Lia prepared Lisass's legions to intervene and seize the opportunity to extend her kingdom's influence.

• Gandhi King's order sent Zeth's Level 1 Citizens to supply magic, leaving the country's security forces occupied as Nielson launched the Pentagram's second-stage uprising.
• Level 2 Citizens stormed the Magic Supply Depots and revolted across Zeth, prompting some Level 1 Citizens and security units to abandon their duties and fight back.
• Yamada Chizuko refused to divert forces from the Maginot Line, then learned that demonic forces were gathering near it.
• Nielson's uprising spiraled out of control as Level 2 Citizens looted the Royal Capital, killed Pentagram commanders, and disrupted the rebels' operations.
• Queen Lia ordered Lisass's legions to prepare to assemble and assist Zeth if the demons breached its defenses, intending to bring Zeth's territory under Lisass's control.

Duanmu Huai went to rescue Magica and the students trapped at Paris Academy as the Demonic Army overran the royal capital. After driving back the demons, he prepared to evacuate them aboard Sky City.

• Xun told Duanmu Huai that the royal capital was being abandoned and asked him to rescue Magica from Paris Academy.
• Magica and the students defended the academy against rioters, but the students were exhausted and cut off from help.
• The Demonic Army chased the rioters onto the academy grounds, and Magica used White Destruction Ray to destroy the first wave.
• Duanmu Huai arrived, defeated the Demon General, and sent dragons against the Demonic Army.
• Duanmu Huai told Magica to gather the students on the rooftop, where they saw Sky City appear above the academy.

After Duanmu Huai drove back the Demonic Army’s advance with Sky City and a host of dragons, Gandhi King suspected a traitor had leaked Sais’s secrets and worried that the weakened kingdom would fall under Lisass or Hermann’s influence. He considered tying Sais to Duanmu Huai through Magica, but Xun announced that two women claiming to be Duanmu Huai’s fiancées had arrived.

• Magica recognized Sky City as resembling the legendary God of Fighting City, while Duanmu Huai summoned it and more than a hundred dragons to frighten the Demonic Army and evacuate the capital’s people toward Fortress City.
• Gandhi King told Duanmu Huai that a mole had likely leaked information about the Magic Amplification Device to the Resistance Organization Pentagram, whose commander Nielson had died by suicide.
• Kaname reminded Duanmu Huai that Queen Lia wanted to marry him, and Duanmu Huai refused to agree to the wedding.
• Gandhi King saw Level 1 and Level 2 Citizens helping each other in Sky City’s refugee camp, then privately urged Magica to pursue Duanmu Huai as a potential protector for Sais.
• Magica objected that she was already dating Alex, and Xun interrupted to report that two women claiming to be Duanmu Huai’s fiancées had come to see him.

Ann and Gureiya visited Duanmu Huai in Sky City, where Gandhi King introduced them to Zeth’s leaders and considered whether Magica might win Duanmu Huai’s affection. The chapter ended with Zeth’s intelligence and military chiefs proposing that Gandhi King seize Sky City, leaving him stunned by their reckless suggestion.

• Ann and Gureiya arrived in Sky City, and Duanmu Huai explained to Ann how Zeth’s failures had created millions of refugees.
• Duanmu Huai introduced Ann and Gureiya as princesses from Manaria and Regnis, and Gandhi King and Magica learned that Ann’s kingdom was stronger than Zeth.
• Gandhi King privately worried that Magica could not compete with Ann, but took Duanmu Huai’s existing fiancées as a sign that his daughter still had a chance.
• Ann told Duanmu Huai that he seemed unusually attractive and reassuring, then grew flustered and weak while holding his arm before Gureiya called her back to herself.
• Zeth’s intelligence chief and military chief urged Gandhi King to seize Sky City, and Gandhi King was stunned by their proposal.

Gandhi King executed Sais officials who plotted to seize the Sky City, while Duanmu Huai arrived at the Fortress City and learned how Uluze had become a warrior. Uluze reported that the city was supplied and growing, but warned that Shizuka had left.

• Gandhi King restrained the Sais officials plotting to take the Sky City and ordered Yamada Chizuko to execute them.
• The Sky City reached the Fortress City, and Gandhi King ordered an orderly evacuation of its residents.
• Duanmu Huai met Uluze on the city wall, where she thanked him and reported that the Fortress City sheltered four million refugees.
• Uluze explained that she had left her wheelchair to defend the Fortress City against the Demon Race, while fearing an approaching force led by Camilla's Apostle.
• Duanmu Huai asked where Mashio Shizuka was, and Uluze said that Shizuka had left the Fortress City.

Duanmu Huai rushed to the Leap Tower to rescue Shizuka after learning she had entered occupied Zeth to find Lakaru. He caught her as she collapsed, and Shizuka revealed that Lakaru had killed her father and taken her mother, driving her to seek revenge.

• Uluze told Duanmu Huai that Shizuka had recently gone to the Leap Tower to find Lakaru, and Gandhi King identified Lakaru as a missing high-ranking Zeth official.
• Duanmu Huai left Ann and Gureiya to defend the city, took Okegis, and flew a Night Raven Black Star gunboat toward the Royal Capital.
• Shizuka fought her way through Demonic Soldiers inside the Leap Tower but collapsed from exhaustion as she climbed.
• Duanmu Huai caught Shizuka and demanded to know why she had come, and she insisted that she had to kill Lakaru herself.
• Shizuka told Duanmu Huai that Lakaru had killed her father, taken her mother, and caused her to be sold away, so she had come to Zeth to avenge her parents.

Duanmu Huai supported Shizuka as she recovered and continued toward Naji, where they learned that Naji was her younger half-sister and that Lakaru had been reduced to a living specimen. Naji separated Shizuka from Duanmu Huai and challenged her to fight in front of their father.

• Duanmu Huai urged Shizuka to rest and eat before pursuing revenge, then agreed to accompany her with Okegis.
• Shizuka, Duanmu Huai, and Okegis reached the tower's top and found Naji standing among piles of demon corpses.
• Naji revealed that Lakaru knew Shizuka was Mashio and Ansumaze's daughter and had wanted to adopt her after seeing her photograph.
• Naji explained that she had endured painful magical enhancements to earn Lakaru's love and became enraged when he favored Shizuka.
• Naji showed Shizuka that she had imprisoned Lakaru in a tank, then declared that she would kill Shizuka before him.
• Naji raised a barrier between Shizuka and Duanmu Huai and challenged Shizuka to a fight.