Chapter Summaries

At a military conference, Bai Xiaowen learned the dire scale of the Sinlands Remnant Coalition Army and why the leaders had concealed the danger to preserve morale. Prince Nicholas asked him to propose a strategy for resisting the coming invasion.

• Prince Nicholas introduced the military conference attendees, and Count Danton apologized to Bai Xiaowen for their disagreement at the ball.
• Count Danton explained that the leaders had hidden the war’s grim outlook to protect army morale and prevent nobles from fleeing Blackrock City.
• Archbishop Arlo arrived, and Prince Nicholas praised his forbidden spell, Light of Creation, for turning the battle around.
• Prince Nicholas reported that the Remnant Coalition had mobilized its entire population, including children, and matched the Human Allied Army in numbers.
• Prince Nicholas asked Bai Xiaowen, whose remarks at the ball showed he understood the enemy’s strength, how they should resist the Remnant army.

Bai Xiaowen persuaded Prince Nicholas and the Human Allied Army’s leaders to adopt an active-defense plan for Blackrock Fortress, then volunteered to command a scouting unit. After inspecting the fortress’s Merit Points exchange list and buying supplies, he left with Cecilia, who decided to join his mission.

• Bai Xiaowen proposed digging trenches, building mutually supporting arrow towers, and scouting for chances to disrupt the Remnant Allied Army’s supplies.
• Prince Nicholas adopted Bai Xiaowen’s plan, and the leaders of the Human Allied Army gained greater affection for him.
• Bai Xiaowen volunteered to lead a scouting unit, and Nicholas approved his request.
• Bai Xiaowen examined Blackrock Fortress’s exchange list, bought ale, and exchanged Merit Points for Return Scrolls.
• Cecilia asked why Bai Xiaowen had chosen the dangerous scouting mission, then said she would ask to accompany him.

Bai Xiaowen and his allies encountered a Troll cavalry squad in the Northern Frontier and fought its leader, Tedius, while Cecilia captured the surviving Trolls. The chapter ended with Cecilia asking Bai Xiaowen to use magic to question the prisoners.

• Bai Xiaowen, Cecilia, and Li Shuyi rode to the aid of a scouting party attacked by seven Troll cavalrymen mounted on Raptors.
• Tedius ordered his Trolls to capture Cecilia and Li Shuyi, while Bai Xiaowen identified him as a Level 6 Boss and took him on.
• Cecilia killed one Troll with a single Snipe, and Bai Xiaowen used Overawing Presence and Fatty's Meat Hook to disrupt Tedius's charge.
• Li Shuyi, supported by Bai Xiaowen's summons and the Shadow Assassin, dealt heavy damage to Tedius and killed him with Demonfire Dance.
• Cecilia captured the five surviving Trolls, and she asked Bai Xiaowen to try using magic to get information from them.

Bai Xiaowen used a confusion spell and telepathy to extract intelligence from captured Troll soldiers, learning the Remnant Tongue and confirming details with a final prisoner. He discovered that the Remnant Allied Army’s enormous main force was only a day’s march from the Blackrock Line and headed to report the threat to the prince.

• Bai Xiaowen failed to confuse the first three Troll prisoners, and Li Shuyi killed each of them.
• Bai Xiaowen successfully confused the fourth Troll and used telepathy to learn the Remnant Tongue and recover fragments about the enemy’s main force.
• Bai Xiaowen interrogated the fifth Troll in the Remnant Tongue and checked his answers against the fourth Troll’s memories.
• Bai Xiaowen marked enemy troop types and numbers on a map, revealing that the Remnant Allied Army outnumbered the humans by more than two to one and was one day from the Blackrock Line.
• Bai Xiaowen ordered the fifth Troll escorted back and rode toward Blackrock City to report the intelligence to the prince.

The Remnant Allied Army arrived at Blackrock Fortress and launched an assault after its commander, Absolon Herzlit, demanded the humans surrender. Prince Nicholas and the defenders held to their defensive strategy, waiting for news from Baron Dio as the battle continued.

• The Human Allied Army saw the Remnant Allied Army’s powerful forces approach Blackrock Fortress, including Orc Wolf Riders, Dark Elf warriors, Thunder Beasts, and Harpy Archers.
• Absolon Herzlit demanded that the humans surrender and become slaves, but Prince Nicholas refused.
• The Remnant Allied Army charged, and Half-Orc spearmen suffered heavy casualties attacking the walls through the trenches.
• Trolls and other elite troops attacked the arrow towers, while Remnant soldiers began hacking at the hastily built structures.
• Count Danton asked to lead a charge, but Prince Nicholas refused and said the defenders should wait for news from Baron Dio.

Bai Xiaowen led a cavalry raid on a Remnant supply depot and ordered the knights to kill its prisoners, arguing that survival and secrecy mattered in the war. As the Remnant Allied Army pressed its assault on Blackrock Fortress, the chapter also showed the Zombie Doctor watching the battle before Harvey sent him back to supervise production.

• Bai Xiaowen led a hundred riders to attack the first Remnant supply depot and ordered them to destroy its supplies.
• Tim, Marco, Phil, and Bonita objected when Bai Xiaowen ordered the elderly, women, and children prisoners killed, but he shot one prisoner and commanded the cavalry to kill them all.
• Bai Xiaowen ordered every fallen Remnant checked for survivors and the depot burned before the cavalry rode on.
• At Blackrock Fortress, Harpy Archers and Thunder Beasts damaged the defenses, while the Human Allied Army used archers and catapults to fight back.
• Absolon led the Remnant Allied Army in a charge toward damaged sections of the walls after the assault destroyed the outer arrow towers.
• The Zombie Doctor watched the battle at Blackrock Fortress on a projection screen, then returned to the factory after Harvey reminded him to resume supervising production.

Bai Xiaowen’s forces burned Remnant supply strongholds while Prince Nicholas fought Absolon’s army at Blackrock Fortress. The Remnant Allied Army retreated after clan chiefs reported attacks on their supplies, leaving Absolon furious as they argued over how to continue the siege.

• Bai Xiaowen warned that the Remnant Allied Army’s rear guard was protecting its supply strongholds, then led his knights toward the next one.
• Absolon battered Blackrock Fortress’s gates and fought Prince Nicholas, whose knights and healers helped hold him off.
• A retreat horn sounded after clan chiefs demanded withdrawal, and Absolon joined the retreat while Nicholas pursued only a short distance.
• Absolon learned that humans had attacked three supply strongholds and killed over a thousand logistics personnel.
• Kaerhan and other clan chiefs argued that they needed to protect their families and supplies before attempting another assault on Blackrock City.

Bai Xiaowen’s exhausted cavalry reached Blackrock City only to be confronted by Kaerhan and his elite Troll warriors, prompting him to challenge their leader and fight his way through. His random Divine Prism spell unexpectedly injured the undead Trolls instead of healing them, and the cavalry charged with renewed confidence.

• Bai Xiaowen’s cavalry destroyed eight Remnant Allied Army rear bases, completed the raid quest with an Excellent rating, and rode toward Blackrock City while anticipating pursuit by the Remnant main force.
• Bai Xiaowen halted his troops near the city and discovered Kaerhan and about fifty powerful Troll warriors blocking their way.
• Bai Xiaowen challenged Kaerhan to a duel, but Kaerhan refused and tried to stall until pursuing Remnant forces could catch up.
• Bai Xiaowen activated Whispering Grimoire’s Whispering skill on Kaerhan and randomly cast Divine Prism, whose holy energy badly damaged Kaerhan and the surrounding undead Trolls.
• Tim, Marco, Phil, and the other knights took the spell’s damage as a sign of Bai Xiaowen’s power and charged the Trolls.

Bai Xiaowen and Li Shuyi battled Bloodspear Warlord Kaerhan, preventing his soul-draining skill from healing him by claiming the fallen trolls’ souls first. After Kaerhan nearly killed Fatty with a powerful attack, Bai Xiaowen used the Strength gained from his Ring of Torment to help hold Kaerhan’s spear in place, leaving the struggle unresolved.

• Bai Xiaowen’s Divine Prism damaged Kaerhan, who retaliated with Death Mark and a lightning-fast spear assault before Intimidation gave the summoned creatures time to surround him.
• Li Shuyi and Bai Xiaowen’s summoned creatures battered Kaerhan while Bai Xiaowen secretly finished off wounded troll warriors so the Black Soul Stone could absorb their souls.
• Kaerhan activated Death Siphon to heal himself from nearby Plague Undead, but the stolen souls left him unable to recover any Life Value.
• Kaerhan targeted Li Shuyi with Shadow Strike, but Fatty knocked her out of its path and took the blow, then endured Kaerhan’s Blood Boiling attack while Bai Xiaowen shared the damage.
• Kaerhan tried to pull his spear free from Fatty, but Bai Xiaowen grabbed it and used the Strength gained from Agony Potential to help keep it trapped.

Bai Xiaowen and his allies defeated Deathstalker Kaerhan, but Kitz died protecting Bai Xiaowen, who ordered Delifa to preserve Kitz’s soul and consciousness. The survivors returned to Blackrock City in triumph, where Bai Xiaowen claimed his reward and Cecilia’s feelings for him deepened.

• Bai Xiaowen and Li Shuyi overwhelmed Kaerhan with a combination of spells and attacks, killing the Bloodspear Warlord and turning the battle in their favor.
• Kitz took three Bloodburst Assassination spears meant for Bai Xiaowen, and Bai Xiaowen asked Delifa to preserve Kitz’s soul after Kitz died.
• Bai Xiaowen led the surviving knights to Blackrock City before the Remnants’ pursuing forces arrived.
• Nicholas welcomed the returning heroes, and Bai Xiaowen received an Excellent rating for the Raid Behind Enemy Lines quest and chose a Broken Oath as his reward.
• Cecilia kissed Bai Xiaowen and reached Close Friend affection and In Love infatuation, but Bai Xiaowen returned to his quarters and fell asleep exhausted.

Bai Xiaowen used the Black Soul Stone to give Kitz a new life as a Vampire, then discovered a sealed order revealing that the Plague Lord planned to invade the Northern Frontier with Plague Undead armies. He and Li Shuyi prepared to take the intelligence to Prince Nicholas.

• Delifa restored Kitz's consciousness, and Kitz explained that he had sacrificed himself because Bai Xiaowen had helped him fulfill his dream of becoming a knight.
• Bai Xiaowen offered Kitz a choice between becoming a Vampire or a Skeleton Champion, and Kitz chose the Vampire so he could retain his sexual functions.
• Delifa merged Kitz's soul with the Vampire vessel, creating Vampire Kitz, who tested his new body and left with money from Bai Xiaowen.
• Bai Xiaowen examined Vampire Kitz's abilities and opened the Golden Treasure Chest dropped by Kaerhan, while Li Shuyi drew a Tribal Feather Cloak and a Bloodspear Horn.
• Bai Xiaowen read Kaerhan's sealed letter and learned that the Plague Lord had sent Plague Spreaders into the Northern Frontier and that Plague Undead armies were on their way.
• Bai Xiaowen and Li Shuyi set out to inform Prince Nicholas about the invasion intelligence.

Bai Xiaowen revealed that the Necrotic Plague was a Remnant weapon and proposed a drastic plan to defend Blackrock Fortress from the approaching Plague Undead. Nicholas withheld approval for now, then questioned whether Bai Xiaowen and Charlotte came from another world.

• Bai Xiaowen told the gathered leaders that the Remnants had unleashed the Necrotic Plague and that a Plague Undead army was advancing on Blackrock Fortress.
• The chief of staff and the magical adviser urged Nicholas to abandon the city, but Nicholas refused to surrender the Northern Frontier.
• Bai Xiaowen presented a secret plan to Nicholas and Archbishop Arlo, who both reacted with alarm, and said he had already prepared for it without putting it into action.
• Archbishop Arlo opposed the plan, but Nicholas decided not to initiate it yet and dismissed the meeting, keeping Bai Xiaowen and Li Shuyi behind.
• Bai Xiaowen described some of his preparations to Nicholas, who then asked whether Bai Xiaowen and Charlotte were from another world.

Bai Xiaowen and Li Shuyi learned that Prince Nicholas had uncovered their identities as travelers from another plane, but he accepted their help against the Remnants. Bai Xiaowen negotiated for Black Edge Knights' oaths and secured a reward tied to defending Blackrock Fortress.

• Nicholas explained that reports of Dio Skalboom's past and Bai Xiaowen and his sister's sudden abilities had led him to identify them as travelers from another plane.
• Bai Xiaowen said he was fighting for the human faction because he was Human Race, and Nicholas thanked him for his efforts.
• Bai Xiaowen asked Nicholas for the complete Oath of Black Edge, but Nicholas said the sole complete scroll was kept in the Imperial Capital.
• Bai Xiaowen requested incomplete oaths instead, and Nicholas promised him the three oaths in his keeping if he helped defend Blackrock Fortress until reinforcements arrived.
• The main quest, The Flames of Blackrock, updated its reward to three Broken Oaths.

Bai Xiaowen secured Prince Nicholas's approval for the Umbrella Plan, then put it into action when a vast Plague Undead army threatened Blackrock Fortress. The plan transformed the undead into zombies, and Bai Xiaowen began explaining its wider purpose as the siege continued.

• Prince Nicholas approved Bai Xiaowen's plan in principle but delayed its execution, while giving him special authority and a warrant to act freely.
• Bai Xiaowen shared the proposal with Cecilia, who accepted his origins as a visitor from another world and agreed to help; he also sent Kitz to Redleaf Fief on a secret mission.
• Over two days, the Human Allied Army failed to restore most of Blackrock Fortress's outer arrow towers as Remnant forces disrupted its repairs.
• On the seventh day, tens of thousands of Plague Undead surrounded the fortress and piled their bodies against its walls while human defenders struggled to stop them.
• As the undead threat overwhelmed the defenders, Prince Nicholas ordered Bai Xiaowen to activate the Umbrella Plan, and White Stone Army soldiers sprayed Ultimate Plague Bane over the attackers.
• The treated undead rose again as aggressive zombies, and Bai Xiaowen ordered catapults to spread the solution farther into the Plague Undead army.

Bai Xiaowen activated the Umbrella Plan, using the airborne Ultimate Plague Bane to turn plague-infected humans and Plague Undead into zombies and relieve the siege of Blackrock City. As Kitz arrived at the walls, Archbishop Arlo noticed that he was a dark creature, and Bai Xiaowen identified him as one of his knights.

• Bai Xiaowen explained that zombies spread the virus through bites and scratches, and Lord Julien and Archbishop Arlo questioned the danger to humans across the Northern Frontier.
• The zombies began turning Plague Undead into their own kind, easing the pressure on Blackrock City's walls, while Bai Xiaowen and Li Shuyi received notifications that their human-faction reputations had fallen.
• Bai Xiaowen contacted Zombie Doctor and Cecilia, learned that preparations were complete across the Northern Frontier, and told Cecilia to keep Redleaf City stable and isolate anyone who turned.
• Zombie Doctor revealed that he had made a new, imperfect invention and sent it with Kitz, while Bai Xiaowen officially ordered the Ultimate Plague Bane spread throughout the Northern Frontier within forty-eight hours.
• The zombies pushed back the Plague Undead, and airborne virus also turned undead Remnants into powerful zombies.
• Kitz landed on the city wall in human form, prompting Archbishop Arlo to recognize him as a dark creature, and Bai Xiaowen stopped Arlo from attacking him.

After Bai Xiaowen repelled the Remnant Allied Army with the Umbrella Plan, he and Li Shuyi left Blackrock City under cover of Zombie Doctor’s disguise fluid to pursue Great Chieftain Absolon Herzlit. At the Remnant camp, Absolon argued with the black-robed allies over the undead plague just as infiltrators triggered an outbreak that engulfed the camp’s outer perimeter.

• Kitz delivered Zombie Doctor’s induction and disguise fluids, and Bai Xiaowen confirmed that Kitz’s Bat Swarm Transformation consumed mental energy.
• Absolon organized an orderly retreat from Blackrock City, while Count Danton praised Bai Xiaowen for saving the city.
• Nicholas worried that the retreat was no real victory, and Bai Xiaowen proposed killing Absolon to remedy the situation.
• Bai Xiaowen tested the disguise fluid, left Blackrock City with Li Shuyi, and accepted the A-Tier quest to kill Absolon.
• At the Remnant camp, Absolon refused to retreat because his army lacked food and accused the black-robed figures’ Overlord of corrupting the tribes that accepted its blessing.
• Zombies suddenly attacked the camp, and the Remnant chieftains learned that their outer-perimeter warriors had transformed into monsters.

Bai Xiaowen and Li Shuyi unleashed Ultimate Plague Bane in the Remnant camp, creating a Zombie tide that trapped Absolon and his Giant Axe Tribe. As Absolon fought to gather his people, the horde wore him down and his wounded wolf mount fled.

• Absolon identified the Zombies' heads as their weakness, but the troll boss urged retreat because the other Remnant tribes had been infected.
• Bai Xiaowen and Li Shuyi threw barrels of Ultimate Plague Bane into the camp, accelerating the Remnants' transformation and spreading the Zombie tide.
• Absolon summoned his giant wolf and fought through the Zombies while trying to gather the still-uninfected Giant Axe Tribe.
• Bai Xiaowen used Insight to inspect Absolon, then watched from a nearby high position as Absolon displayed his powerful combat skills.
• Absolon's Giant Axe Orcs suffered heavy losses, and his wounded giant wolf fled after absorbing more than 400 damage for him.

Bai Xiaowen lured a vast zombie horde into Absolon’s escape route and waited until the Giant Axe Tribe chief was exhausted before killing him. Absolon’s death completed Bai Xiaowen’s quests, and Bai Xiaowen escaped with the Dark Gold Chest while zombies overwhelmed his summoned soldiers.

• Absolon led a small group of Giant Axe Tribe survivors north, but Kitz lured tens of thousands of zombies into their path.
• Absolon and his warriors fought the zombie horde through the night until every warrior died and Absolon neared exhaustion.
• Bai Xiaowen approached Absolon under cover of Disguise Fluid and shot him, but Absolon hurled his axes and charged at him.
• Bai Xiaowen sacrificed the Stitched Monster to evade Absolon’s attacks, then pinned him with Skeleton Sword-and-Shield Soldiers and shot him until his Life Value fell to one.
• Absolon died, completing Bai Xiaowen’s quests and granting him Revered reputation with the Human Allied Army and Hatred reputation with the Sinlands Coalition.
• Bai Xiaowen grabbed the Dark Gold Chest and slipped away as zombies surrounded his Skeleton Sword-and-Shield Soldiers.

Bai Xiaowen and Li Shuyi opened the Dark Gold Chest they received for Absolon’s death, and Bai Xiaowen explained that the Spirit Realm Rules had reduced his rewards because the zombies did most of the fighting. The chest yielded a mysterious Blood Essence Stone fragment and powerful Dark Gold shoulder guards that Bai Xiaowen could not equip, leaving him to consider asking the guild president whether they could be traded.

• Bai Xiaowen received a B+ rating and two guaranteed draws for killing Absolon, along with 19,568 Psionic Points, and explained that his contribution had been limited.
• Bai Xiaowen and Li Shuyi each selected a card from the Dark Gold Chest.
• Bai Xiaowen obtained Absolon’s Blood Essence Stone (Fragment), whose description said it contained a powerful will.
• Bai Xiaowen obtained Warlord’s Charge, Lord Tier Dark Gold shoulder equipment with attributes and a powerful charge skill.
• Bai Xiaowen realized he could not meet Warlord’s Charge’s Strength and Constitution requirements, and Li Shuyi suggested that Bind on Pickup equipment might still be tradable.
• Bai Xiaowen decided to ask the guild president about trading the equipment after they returned.

Bai Xiaowen turned in his quests, received the Oath of Black Edge and chose a permanent fief as his reward for the Anti-Plague quest. He then established an Elite Tier team with Li Shuyi, selecting bonuses that increased critical-hit rates and let members pull one another to safety.

• Bai Xiaowen submitted Absolon's head to Nicholas and received 10,000 Merit Points for completing the A-Tier quest.
• Bai Xiaowen submitted the main quest, exchanged seven Broken Oaths for the Oath of Black Edge, and learned that plague-infected undead had been transformed into Zombies.
• Nicholas offered Bai Xiaowen a private reward for the failed Anti-Plague quest, and Bai Xiaowen chose the White Stone Fief Permanent Enfeoffment Decree over Merit Points and Gold Equipment.
• Bai Xiaowen arranged to travel with Nicholas's army toward Redleaf City, then explained to Li Shuyi how Kane Plane contracts allowed loopholes to fulfill quest requirements.
• Bai Xiaowen used the Oath of Black Edge to create an Elite Tier team and chose Brutality and Tether as its bonus effects.