Chapter Summaries

Uchiha Madara and Belaque took shelter in a cave on the Great Snow Mountain after swarms of flying insects drove them inside. They rested with hot water and discussed staying there, while Madara planned to wait for the insects to leave.

• Uchiha Madara and Belaque hid in a cave after the insects chased them across the mountain.
• Belaque warned Madara not to explore deeper into the cave, but Madara said their brains would help them escape the insects.
• Madara predicted the insects would leave once they could no longer see their targets.
• Madara used Wood Style to create reclining chairs and heated water for himself and Belaque.
• Belaque suggested they live in the cave together, but Madara said he was too busy and might consider it after finishing his work.

Uchiha Madara and Belaque rested in a cave on the Great Snow Mountain and discussed their ideals, Madara’s concern that he might alter the Ezerlan Continent, and the dangers that could be lurking nearby. They considered whether animals once lived in the cave, but did not know if any remained inside.

• Belaque urged Uchiha Madara to enjoy life, while Madara said he needed to keep pursuing his goals and end the war in his world.
• Uchiha Madara worried that the snow demons and his golden flames could change the Ezerlan Continent, but Belaque said the diviner would handle any danger.
• Uchiha Madara and Belaque relaxed in wooden lounge chairs and discussed the darkness of the cave.
• Uchiha Madara said the cave might be an animal’s territory and suggested the animal corpses outside could have once lived there.

Uchiha Madara and Belaque rested in a warm cave on the Great Snow Mountain and weighed whether to search its depths for food. They planned to leave the next day, while worrying about their return and the influence Uchiha Madara was having on the Ezerlan Continent.

• Uchiha Madara and Belaque discussed whether the cave was inhabited and decided they had no food besides the glowing bugs outside, which Belaque refused to eat.
• Uchiha Madara suggested searching deeper in the cave for animals, but Belaque chose to stay near the entrance rather than risk encountering snow demons.
• Belaque said the Blue-Feathered Griffin could find its own food and that they could get a flying animal back in Winterfort.
• Uchiha Madara and Belaque noted that his golden flames could prevent the snow demons from hiding in the snow and might alter how they hunted.
• Uchiha Madara said he wanted to finish his task quickly to limit his influence on the Ezerlan Continent, and the two went to sleep planning to leave the next day.

Uchiha Madara and Belaque both sensed a sinister presence watching them in the cave and decided to move deeper inside rather than wait for it to approach. As Uchiha Madara led with a fireball, the cave grew colder, leaving them uncertain about what lay ahead.

• Uchiha Madara awoke from a dream of blood-red eyes and nearly attacked Belaque when she grabbed him.
• Belaque told Uchiha Madara that she had dreamed of the same pale face and blood-red eyes, and suggested they investigate the presence.
• Uchiha Madara and Belaque decided to head farther into the cave, with Uchiha Madara taking the lead.
• Uchiha Madara used a Fire Style spell to light their way as he and Belaque chatted about mages and physical training.
• Belaque noticed that the cave was growing colder the deeper they went.

Uchiha Madara and Belaque explored a freezing cave after deducing that something dangerous had driven the animals from the area. They heard a sound like a woman crying, which suddenly stopped, and Uchiha Madara suspected the creature was hiding or preparing to attack.

• Uchiha Madara reasoned that a greater danger had driven the animals to the cave, and Belaque agreed that something dangerous might have moved in.
• Uchiha Madara and Belaque traveled deeper into the unknown cave and discussed how they had stumbled upon it while heading toward Winterfort.
• Uchiha Madara and Belaque heard what sounded like a woman crying, though Uchiha Madara doubted it was human.
• Uchiha Madara and Belaque continued toward the sound until it abruptly vanished, and Uchiha Madara said the creature might be hiding or preparing to attack.

Uchiha Madara and Belaque illuminated the cave and found a snow-white, red-eyed woman whose presence seemed connected to a Magic Stone. They suspected she might be demonized, but remained unsure as she stood motionless before them.

• Belaque worried that the creature imitating a woman's voice might be watching them while they slept, and Uchiha Madara extinguished one of his fireballs to hide their light.
• Belaque asked Uchiha Madara to restore the light, and he revealed a humanoid woman standing in the cave.
• Uchiha Madara and Belaque examined the woman's snow-white skin and blood-red eyes, and Belaque said she felt familiar because she carried a Magic Stone.
• Uchiha Madara and Belaque debated whether the woman had been demonized, noting that demonized creatures they had met did not all behave alike.
• The woman stared wide-eyed at Uchiha Madara and Belaque without moving, like a soulless corpse.

Uchiha Madara and Belaque encountered a motionless woman corrupted by a Magic Stone and discussed how to retrieve the stone without being corrupted themselves. Madara prepared to fight her with his eyes closed, though neither he nor Belaque could sense her presence.

• Uchiha Madara and Belaque found that the pale-skinned, red-eyed woman remained still and did not attack them.
• Uchiha Madara and Belaque left the woman behind, reasoning that she feared their strength and would not follow.
• Belaque suggested removing the Magic Stone without looking at it, since people were believed to be corrupted by seeing one.
• Uchiha Madara decided to handle the fight with his eyes closed, while Belaque admitted he also could not sense the woman.

Uchiha Madara and Belaque confronted the corrupted woman, who followed them and repeatedly demanded clothes. They realized she might be the mother of the boy they had met near Mirror Lake, but she only continued asking for clothes.

• Belaque used her perception to reveal that the corrupted woman had followed them.
• Uchiha Madara and Belaque argued over who should face the woman, and Belaque stepped forward to help him.
• Belaque spread her sensory field and tried to understand the woman’s repeated demand for clothes.
• Uchiha Madara offered the woman their clothes in exchange for her Magic Stone, but she ignored him and stared at Belaque’s outfit.
• Uchiha Madara recognized Belaque’s clothes as the boy’s and suspected the corrupted woman was his mother.
• Belaque asked the woman about the boy and his father, but she only said, “Clothes.”

Uchiha Madara and Belaque struggled to escape a demonized woman whose icy field froze anyone who approached her, while insects blocked their retreat through the cave. With the woman closing in, Belaque resorted to a honey trap and discarded her clothes, but the woman instead approached the pile.

• Belaque rushed the demonized woman but had to retreat when ice spread across her arm.
• Belaque and Uchiha Madara reasoned that the woman froze anyone who entered the area around her without needing to move quickly.
• The pair retreated toward the cave entrance, trapped between the demonized woman and the insects outside.
• Belaque decided to use a honey trap and took off her clothes as the demonized woman walked toward them.
• The demonized woman approached Belaque's discarded clothes.

Uchiha Madara and Belaque opened the cave and watched the snow demons swarm toward the demonized mother instead of attacking them. Outside, they discovered the snow around the mountain had vanished, leaving them uncertain what had happened.

• Uchiha Madara learned that the demonized woman had resurrected her dead child with a Magic Stone, while Belaque warned that both mother and child would have to die.
• Uchiha Madara opened the cave entrance, and the snow demons rushed past him to attack the demonized woman.
• Belaque and Uchiha Madara wondered why the snow demons had changed targets, and Belaque refused to enter the cave to investigate.
• At Belaque's request, Uchiha Madara lit the area with a golden fireball and saw that all the snow around the mountain had disappeared.

Uchiha Madara used his Truth-Seeking Orb to gather and destroy the demonized snow demons blocking the cave. Belaque entered alone to retrieve the Magic Stone, leaving Madara outside to consider the dangers ahead on the Ezerlan Continent.

• Uchiha Madara and Belaque discussed the demonized bugs and the black flames burning on them.
• Uchiha Madara created a black sphere and used its attraction to draw the bugs together.
• Uchiha Madara made the sphere of bugs shrink and explode silently, destroying the snow demons.
• Belaque entered the cave to handle the Magic Stone while Uchiha Madara waited outside.

Belaque retrieved the Magic Stone from the cave while resisting its illusions, and Uchiha Madara sealed it in a scroll. Afterward, Belaque asked for Madara’s Truth-Seeking Orb in return for teaching him to see without opening his eyes, but learned it could only be inherited by a qualified person after his death.

• Belaque followed the Magic Stone’s call through the cave and found the skeleton of the mother who had been devoured by insects.
• Belaque cut her arm to resist the stone’s allure, picked it up, and walked toward the entrance without opening her eyes.
• Uchiha Madara prepared a sealing scroll, and Belaque placed the Magic Stone in its blank space, making it vanish.
• Uchiha Madara told Belaque she could open her eyes after he had sealed the stone.
• Belaque asked Uchiha Madara for his Truth-Seeking Orb and offered to teach him to see the road without opening his eyes.
• Uchiha Madara explained that the Truth-Seeking Orb could only pass to a qualified inheritor after his death.

Uchiha Madara and Belaque rested on the Great Snow Mountain, then resumed their journey toward Winterfort. They reached the summit and spotted what appeared to be the city in the distance.

• Belaque declined to take the Magic Stone for now and reminded Uchiha Madara that he owed her a favor.
• Uchiha Madara and Belaque discussed the destruction connected to the Magic Stone, then made beds and slept on the mountain.
• Belaque woke Uchiha Madara before dawn because the cold had become unbearable, and they set off toward Winterfort.
• Belaque said they would reach Winterfort's territory by climbing to the summit, though neither knew their exact direction.
• Uchiha Madara and Belaque reached the snow-swept summit, where Uchiha Madara spotted a gray city that he thought was Winterfort.

Belaque and Uchiha Madara spotted Winterfort and continued toward it, while Kaguolet returned to Eternal Sun Royal City and investigated cries for help coming from the eldest prince’s room. The chapter ended as Kaguolet released a crackling ring of electricity in front of the guards blocking his way.

• Belaque and Uchiha Madara saw Winterfort in the distance and discussed their journey, the Blue-Feathered Griffin, and their plans to reach the city.
• Kaguolet returned to Eternal Sun Royal City and headed to the castle to report what had happened in Red Rock City.
• Kaguolet heard a woman crying for help near the eldest prince’s room and followed the sound there.
• Two guards refused to let Kaguolet enter, explaining that guarding the room was their duty and that they feared the eldest prince’s punishment.
• Kaguolet said he would investigate without making the guards open the door, then released a visible, crackling semicircle of electricity.

Kaguolet confronted the eldest prince over his abuse of a woman and tried to take her away. As Kaguolet led her out, the furious prince attacked him with a sword.

• Kaguolet entered the eldest prince's room after hearing a woman cry for help and demanded that the prince release her.
• The eldest prince claimed the woman had agreed to their arrangement, but she begged Kaguolet to kill her when he uncovered her injuries.
• Kaguolet untied the woman and warned the eldest prince that he would report him to the City Lord if he repeated his behavior.
• The eldest prince refused to let the woman go and drew his sword when Kaguolet took her hand and walked out.
• The eldest prince slashed at Kaguolet as he left with the woman.

Kaguolet killed the First Prince after finding him abusing a young woman, then confronted the city lord, who admitted he knew of his son's behavior and ordered Kaguolet to teach him a lesson. When Kaguolet revealed he had killed the prince, the city lord's expression turned cold; meanwhile, Uchiha Madara and Belaque continued toward their destination and discussed the ancient monsters said to shape Ezerlan Continent.

• Kaguolet killed the First Prince to stop him from abusing a young woman, and the guards urged Kaguolet and the woman to flee.
• Kaguolet went to the main city, where the city lord warmly welcomed him and asked about the trip to Red Rock City.
• Kaguolet told the city lord about the First Prince's behavior, and the city lord admitted he had known about it and asked Kaguolet to discipline his son.
• Kaguolet revealed that he had killed the First Prince, and the city lord's expression turned cold.
• Uchiha Madara and Belaque neared their destination, and Belaque explained that Ezerlan Continent's four representative monsters were believed to be as old as the continent.

Uchiha Madara and Belaque traveled through the frozen forest toward Winterfort, discussing the Magic Stone and Belaque’s changing opinion of Madara. Meanwhile, Kaguolet was imprisoned in Eternal Sun Royal City, where Cien Yiwu visited the diviner.

• Madara asked Belaque about a dangerous site in the northern Valley of Wailing, then joked about Winterfort’s hardy plants and people as they walked through the cold forest.
• Belaque said Winterfort’s lord had recovered from illness there and suggested they ask him about the Magic Stone’s location.
• Belaque reflected that he had once considered Madara a threat but now wanted to help him.
• Madara and Belaque wondered whether Kaguolet’s Blue-Feathered Griffin had returned and agreed Kaguolet would not blame them for leaving him behind on the dangerous road.
• Kaguolet was imprisoned in Eternal Sun Royal City, where Cien Yiwu questioned the diviner about his sudden recovery.

Cien Yiwu warned the diviner that Kaguolet faced execution for killing the city lord’s son and urged him to intervene. Meanwhile, Uchiha Madara and Belaque encountered a white tiger in Winterfort’s forest, leaving Madara to discover why Belaque thought it would ruin his appetite.

• Cien Yiwu told the diviner that Kaguolet had been imprisoned and would soon be executed for killing the city lord’s favorite son.
• The diviner acknowledged Kaguolet’s cause was justified but said he would try to persuade the city lord, despite expecting his appeal to fail.
• Cien Yiwu reminded the diviner to stop his foolish behavior once his body had recovered, then vanished.
• Uchiha Madara and Belaque walked through Winterfort’s freezing forest and heard a tiger roar.
• Belaque warned Uchiha Madara that the tiger would make him lose his appetite, but Madara insisted he could eat it.
• A white figure appeared in their path, and Uchiha Madara understood Belaque’s warning.

Uchiha Madara and Belaque encountered an ice tiger on the road to Winterfort, and Madara subdued it so they could ride it there. They set off on the tiger, hoping to reach the city before nightfall and deliver their letter to the city lord.

• Belaque explained that the ice tiger's heart was valuable, but Uchiha Madara declined to kill it and suggested they spare it.
• The ice tiger blocked their path again after they tried to walk around it, and Belaque noted that it saw them as prey.
• Uchiha Madara proposed riding the tiger to Winterfort, and Belaque encouraged him to control it.
• When the ice tiger pounced, Uchiha Madara used his red, patterned eyes to subdue it, and it obeyed him.
• Belaque and Uchiha Madara climbed onto the ice tiger, which carried them toward Winterfort at speed.

Uchiha Madara and Belaque approached Winterfort while discussing the Hunter Association, their desires, and Madara’s wish for world peace. They arrived at the fortress and marveled at its massive, ancient construction.

• Belaque said he planned to ask the Hunter Association to leave letter-delivery missions to younger people, and Uchiha Madara asked what happened when someone failed a mission.
• Uchiha Madara and Belaque discussed whether their good days would last, their desires, and the Magic Stone’s response to wishes.
• Belaque said Xing En had no desires and doubted that Uchiha Madara would find a dwarf capable of forging a Wish Horn for his wish to return.
• Uchiha Madara and Belaque rode an ice tiger to Winterfort and examined its enormous, ancient walls.
• Belaque wondered who the castle had been built for, suggesting that it was a waste of manpower and resources.