Chapter Summaries

Kraun arrived at Hamers Mining Area’s No. 1 Mine, investigated the ancient Metal Coffin, and entered the mine to hunt the creatures inside. He killed the main monster and many of its offspring, but warned Cavendi and the others that more might remain.

• Cavendi and Lannister briefed Kraun on the mine, the Metal Coffin, and the monster they believed was still trapped inside.
• Kraun used Time Regression on the coffin and learned that the creature resembled a huge, red-eyed Vampire that could blend into darkness.
• Kraun entered the mine alone, laid Sunfire Liquid markers, and ambushed three monsters hiding at a tunnel fork.
• The monsters’ severed pieces remained alive, but Kraun pursued one and used Time Regression to discover how the Evil Creature corrupted hosts and reproduced.
• Kraun trapped the primary monster and destroyed it with Golden Light Domain and Solar Flame Art.
• Kraun returned to the surface and told Cavendi that he had killed the monster and the offspring he found, though the mine still needed a careful search.

After returning from the Mining Area, Kraun received a nomination to become the next Pope, which he dismissed as an unwanted burden. Meanwhile, King Arthur Saxon and his uncles plotted to block Kraun from becoming a Cardinal and threaten the Saxon Family’s bid to reclaim the Papacy.

• Kraun reported the Mining Area’s recovery to Fland, who gave him the Pope’s letter nominating him as a future Pope in exchange for the Silver Hearts he had sent.
• Kraun rejected the nomination as no real reward, accepted Fland’s map of the remaining evil Starry Creature sites, and returned home to train and raise his Golden Light Incantation proficiency.
• Arthur Saxon arrived at Hatfield Manor and summoned his uncles to discuss Osman’s letter confirming that Kraun was a Tier 5 Transcendentalist and a Papal candidate.
• Leirole and Sain proposed investigating Kraun’s lineage and winning over Cardinals to keep him from becoming Pope.
• Arthur and Leirole agreed to block Kraun’s appointment as a Cardinal by gathering opposition among the Cardinals and searching for misconduct in Kraun Moya’s background.

Audrey agreed to travel to Rhine City to negotiate a marriage between the McLean Family and Klaun, while Grenio instructed her to probe Klaun’s ambitions for the papacy. As Klaun prepared to leave after the campaign, Solo’s Kurud Tribe squad reached the edge of the Rhine City Diocese with a plan to unleash over a hundred Evil Beast Mothers.

• Grenio announced that Audrey had become the McLean Family’s fourth Silver Knight and that Klaun had advanced to Tier 5, prompting Audrey to volunteer to negotiate the marriage in Rhine City.
• Grenio told Audrey to discreetly assess whether Klaun intended to pursue the papacy and to explain that the McLean Family could not support him in a Faruk Kingdom struggle.
• Five days later, Klaun asked Fland for leave once the Cultist encampment was destroyed, collected his rewards, sold Flame Essence, and asked about buying a Spatial Ring.
• Solo led twenty-four Kurud Tribe warriors to a location near the Rhine City Diocese and outlined their plan to infiltrate enemy territory and release Mind Flayers and Evil Beasts.
• Solo revealed that the squad carried over a hundred Evil Beast Mothers, and a short Cultist questioned whether they could control the rapidly multiplying creatures.

Kraun tested his new blood-qi secret technique, Lushan Rising Dragon Strike, and discovered that Flame Breath and Savage Bone Breathing Technique might be combined through Life Qi. Meanwhile, Audrey arrived in Rhine City with the McLean Family to discuss arranging Eliza’s marriage to Kraun, as news of his fifth-rank strength drew visitors from many factions.

• Kraun unleashed Lushan Rising Dragon Strike and blasted a deep hole into his courtyard, while the shockwave injured Billy and damaged the house.
• Kraun realized the Life Source Streams from Flame Breath and Savage Bone Breathing Technique had briefly begun to merge, so he set off for the Holy Fire Cathedral to experiment in its protected training grounds.
• Audrey arrived in Rhine City and visited her uncle Fland with members of the McLean Family.
• At a family banquet, Audrey told Fland that the family head wanted Eliza and Kraun’s marriage arranged soon.
• Fland said Kraun’s rise to fifth rank had attracted factions to Rhine City, and Plinton remarked that Kraun’s power made a Cultist victory seem impossible.

Audrey and the McLean Family considered a marriage alliance between Eliza and Kraun after learning about Kraun’s extraordinary abilities, rapid advancement, and wealth. While Kraun planned how to use his Golden Light Dao Seeds, Fugin and Bastet hunted a flock of Gray-Feathered Owls in the Gray Fog.

• Audrey reviewed Kraun’s profile and learned that he had reached Tier 5, possessed many exceptional skills, and had lost most of his family to an Evil Spirit.
• Fland explained Kraun’s wealth and told Audrey that Tiffany wanted her brother to marry, so Audrey planned to present a proposal to her.
• Audrey urged Eliza to spend more time with Kraun, and Fland said she was already doing so.
• Kraun practiced the Golden Light Incantation, considered who should receive his remaining Golden Light Dao Seeds, and planned to guide Eliza to Tier 4 before giving her one.
• Fugin and Bastet spotted a flock of Gray-Feathered Owls in the Gray Fog and attacked, with Bastet consuming a soul and Fugin roasting an owl.

Solo’s scouts lost five owls to Fugin and Bastet, leaving him worried that the enemy might discover his force. Meanwhile, Audrey proposed a match between Eliza McLean and Kraun, who injured himself while training and was still unaware of the proposal.

• Solo learned that several Beast Tamers’ owls had died, then relaxed when the surviving scouts returned without being pursued.
• A Beast Tamer reported that a giant golden bird and an intelligent black cat had killed the owls, and Solo grew concerned that the enemy might find his group.
• Fugin and Bastet decided to return the next night to look for more owls, hoping to feast on them again.
• Audrey told Rodney and Tiffany that Eliza McLean wanted to marry Kraun, and Tiffany said she would ask Kraun before accepting the proposal.
• Kraun injured himself while attempting to merge two Breathing Techniques, then practiced Flame Breath to deepen his understanding.
• Fugin and Bastet returned to Kraun’s residence, where Bastet’s loud meow rang out in the night.

Kraun disciplined Fugin and Bastet, then discussed his engagement and wedding plans with his sister Tiffany. After advancing his training, he met Audrey of the McLean Family, who asked about the church’s unresolved conflict with the King’s faction.

• Kraun ordered Fugin and Bastet to visualize for at least eight hours a day after their prank caused an explosion.
• Tiffany visited Kraun with Rodney, Martin, and Julia, and Kraun agreed to let her handle his engagement and wedding arrangements with the McLean Family.
• Kraun set a tentative engagement after the war alert ended and a wedding after his Holy See meeting, offering Tiffany ten thousand Gold Spirit Coins for the preparations.
• Kraun trained through the night, saw his Golden Light Incantation and Flame Breath proficiency increase, and considered combining Flame Breath with the Savage Bone Breathing Technique.
• Two days later, Kraun met Audrey at Fland’s mansion, where she asked what he thought about the church’s historical disputes with the King’s faction.

Kraun traveled to Portu Province to confront the fifth-tier Starry Creature inside an Alienated Zone, while Solo’s forces saw his departure as a chance to move against the city. After preparing and entering the zone by day, Kraun encountered the creature as a multicolored face emerged from a sand pillar in his path.

• Audrey told Fland and Plinton that Kraun had refused to become involved in the Church’s power struggle, and Plinton accepted her advice to pay more attention to the political situation.
• Lannister departed Rhine City by airship, and Kraun promised Fland he would return in time for his engagement banquet before flying toward Portu Province.
• Solo learned that Kraun had left and ordered his troops to scout again before attempting to enter the city.
• Kraun traveled through the Gray Fog, reached the Alienated Zone after three days, and prepared to confront its fifth-tier Starry Creature.
• Kraun entered the zone in the morning with layered defenses and Bullet Time active, then a sand pillar rose before him with an alluring multicolored face.

Kraun defeated the Tier 5 Color Out of Space in the Alienated Zone and flew back toward Rhine City, while Andi escaped its influence. In the city, Rat revealed a strange treasure to Edwin and his men, and the gray eggs attacked them.

• Kraun entered the Alienated Zone, resisted the Color Out of Space’s attacks, and used Sun Essence to purify its Starry Water, forcing it to strike.
• Kraun escaped the creature’s attack with Void Rift, then used Time Stasis and Palm Thunder to destroy the Color Out of Space and its pond.
• Andi and other intelligence officers were drawn toward the Alienated Zone by the creature’s light, but Andi regained control after Kraun killed it.
• Kraun checked his increased proficiency, practiced his breathing techniques while flying, and headed for Rhine City.
• Rat presented two gray eggs to Edwin, the Stonemason Brotherhood’s president, and the eggs split open and sank into Edwin’s and his lackeys’ heads.

Edwin helped unleash Evil Beast embryos across the White Church District, prompting Fland to send Harry to investigate the growing monster threat. Meanwhile, Audrey discussed the McLean Family’s plans with Eliza and Freya, and Kraun celebrated his engagement before successfully combining two Breathing Techniques.

• Edwin used a black giant egg to summon an Evil Beast, then killed it after it emerged and drove the courtesans from the room.
• Evil Beasts spread through the White Church District, and by the next day hundreds of women had become pregnant as the monsters grew rapidly.
• Fland assigned Harry ten Tier 2 Transcendentals and a hundred Crusader Order soldiers to investigate the monsters, warning him that someone might have concealed the disaster.
• Audrey told Eliza and Freya that the McLean Family planned to establish a Rhine City branch, and Freya asked to join her there.
• Kraun celebrated his engagement with Eliza at 36 Baker Street and later began combining the Savage Bone Breathing Technique with Flame Breath.
• Kraun felt the two Breathing Techniques blend smoothly as golden light shone across the Silver Dragon around him.

Harry led Church forces into the tunnels beneath the White Church District, where a huge monster ambushed them. As the Church prepared for the Cultists’ advance from the Andes Mountains, Fland sent Cavendi to investigate Harry’s disappearance and assigned Kraun to defend Zack Town.

• Harry led his soldiers into the tunnels, where they found a cavern filled with monsters and a beast that might have reached Silver Rank; the monsters attacked as his force tried to retreat.
• Kraun recorded his progress merging Breathing Techniques, then visualized the Golden Light Incantation.
• Fland told Kraun that Cultists were moving out of the Andes Mountains, and a priest reported that Harry and his mission force had not returned.
• Fland held an emergency meeting and organized defenses, including airship monitoring and a guard camp in Zack Town.
• Fland sent Cavendi to investigate Harry’s disappearance and told Kraun to defend Zack Town; Kraun asked to bring Sir Nick.

Kraun repaid the Sith Family, prepared to leave for Zack Town, and trained beneath the moon while an Evil Beast brood grew in the White Church District. At Sinsaro Harbor, exhausted defenders discussed the worsening war and the unexpected news that someone in Faruk Kingdom had reached Tier 5.

• Kraun returned twenty thousand Gold Spirit Coins to Fanny and told her he would leave for Zack Town with Nick as his adjutant.
• The Evil Beast Queen implanted an embryo in a captive while newly born Evil Beasts devoured their mothers in the underground breeding ground.
• Kraun prepared his Spirit Familiars, practiced merging Breathing Techniques, and visualized the Golden Light Incantation beneath the moon.
• Eli Yas and Bradley Hayden discussed the mounting Fishmen attacks at Sinsaro Harbor and the lack of reinforcements from other countries.
• Eli told his companions that a Tier 5 Transcendentalist would help but could not turn the war, and they wondered why the first had emerged in Faruk Kingdom.

Somla learned that Solo had seeded a city’s poor districts with thousands of Evil Beasts and prepared the Kurud Tribe to exploit the ensuing chaos. In Zack Town, Kraun completed the Flame Dragon Breath technique and discovered its powerful dragon abilities.

• Somla welcomed Solo, who reported releasing Evil Beast Embryos and an Evil Beast Mother into crowded city districts inhabited by hundreds of thousands of people.
• Solo gave Somla an accurate map, and Somla ordered preparations to attack small outposts near the enemy city.
• Kraun returned to Zack Town, assigned Fugin and the Black Cat to scout, and left Nick in charge of the town’s unfinished defenses.
• Kraun trained throughout the day and completed the Flame Dragon Breath technique as its dragon roar shook Zack Town.
• Kraun summoned the Flame Dragon Soul and tested Dragon Breath, releasing a stream of red-and-gold fire.

Kraun tested the Dragon Soul and Flame Dragon Breath, then offered Nick a Golden Light Dao Seed to help him grow stronger. After discovering that the Sanctuary blocked Dragon Might and Dao Seed messages, Kraun arranged for Del to relay news while he stayed inside to train.

• Kraun tested his transformed Dragon Soul and frightened Nick with its aura before explaining that a Golden Light Dao Seed could grant secret techniques and help Nick advance to Silver Rank.
• Nick accepted the offer, swore to keep the Dao Seed secret, and asked whether Fanny could receive one too; Kraun agreed, though both would have to wait for more seeds.
• Kraun learned from Fugin and Bastet that they had found no major threats, but their messages revealed that his Dragon Might was scaring the soldiers away from the church.
• Kraun tested the Sanctuary and found that it blocked Dragon Might as well as messages through the Dao Seed, so he told Del to remain nearby and relay news while he stayed underground.
• Kraun resumed visualizing the Golden Light Incantation and recorded its proficiency at 85586/300000, expecting his new training routine to help him create another Dao Seed sooner.

Cavendi reported that the White Church District had become an underground maze swarming with powerful Evil Beasts, prompting Fland to summon reinforcements and plan to evacuate residents and study the monsters. Meanwhile, Rivigaz and Riviks headed to meet Kraun, who spent three days training before Del reported that Fugin had located the Cultists' main force near their base.

• Cavendi withdrew his exhausted troops from the underground passage and told Fland that the Evil Beasts were numerous, resistant, and difficult to fight in the tunnels.
• Fland arranged to hire Plinton and Audrey and recruit seven Tier 3 Transcendentalists, while Audrey proposed evacuating the White Church District’s residents and capturing monsters to find their weaknesses.
• Rivigaz told Riviks that they were traveling to meet Klaun Moya, and Riviks realized the blacksmith was the continent’s newly famous Tier 5 Transcendentalist.
• Kraun spent three days in the Sanctuary improving Flame Dragon Breath and Golden Light Incantation and strengthening his combat abilities.
• Del reported that Fugin had found the Cultists’ main force thirty kilometers from their base, and Nick called for an immediate battle briefing.

Kraun prepared Zack Town for the dangers of Full Moon Night while the Kurud Tribe planned an attack, believing the Red Moon would weaken him. Elsewhere, Fland withdrew White Church District’s forces and prepared to activate the Shelter Array, then planned a trip to the Spirit Ruins with Plinton and Audrey.

• Kraun told Nick to rest, gave him a Mind-Clearing Pendant, and ordered Fugin to watch the Cultists before shooting down four of their eagle scouts.
• Somla learned that Kraun had killed the tribe’s scouting beasts, but ordered the attack to proceed on Full Moon Night and told the Bronze Warriors not to rush in.
• Fland ordered the forces in White Church District to withdraw and activate the Shelter Array, leaving many people trapped as the Evil Beasts continued to grow.
• Plinton and Audrey discussed visiting Fland’s Spirit Ruins, and Fland said they could bring Eliza.

On Red Moon Night, Kraun and Zack Town’s defenders fought off a massive Cultist assault while Kraun hunted down enemies and encountered an illusion from the Evil God he had faced before. The Cultists eventually retreated, and Kraun checked the substantial gains he had made in his combat skills and Flight Thaumaturgy.

• Nick praised the Mind-Clearing Pendant, while Lia revealed she had advanced to Tier 3 and Melissa congratulated her.
• After Fugin spotted the approaching Cultists, Kraun armed himself and the Metal Avatar, and Del joined the defense with a rifle.
• Somla sounded an ancient horn to drive the Cultists into a frenzied charge, and Kraun and the defenders opened fire as enemies broke into Zack Town.
• Kraun flew into the enemy ranks to attack their leaders, but an illusion of a gigantic flesh-covered monster briefly trapped him before he broke free with his Golden Light abilities.
• Kraun slaughtered Cultists for more than two hours until Somla sounded the horn again and the survivors retreated.
• Kraun checked his Gold Wall and found that his Sword Secret Techniques and Flight Thaumaturgy had gained considerable proficiency.

A Hound of Tindalos escaped from the Spirit Realm and slaughtered Bishop Savas and the guards at the portal. Fland and Audrey identified the adult creature as a formidable new threat to Rhine City, and Fland informed the bishops as they gathered at the Holy Fire Cathedral.

• The Evil Beast Queen emerged beneath the Red Moon as Evil Beasts attacked people across the city.
• A Hound of Tindalos passed through the portal, killed Savas and the clergy guarding it, then vanished into the Material World.
• Fland found the bodies, brought the survivors together, and ordered Savas's body preserved while the others were cremated.
• Audrey and Fland identified the escaped monster as an adult Hound of Tindalos, while Eliza explained its powers to Freya.
• Fland reassured the McLean Family that Kraun could help defend against the threats, though the Hound remained the most troublesome.
• Fland told the bishops at the Holy Fire Cathedral that a Hound of Tindalos had escaped and killed Savas.

Dagon attacked Xinsaro Harbor, where Eli Yas made a final stand as black fog swallowed the city. After Zack Town repelled a Cultist attack, Kraun prepared for the enemy’s next move and brought Cross Sword to its limit.

• Eli Yas and Bradley Hayden watched a phantom octopus consume the city’s negative emotions before Dagon rose from the sea and approached Xinsaro Harbor.
• Eli Yas recognized Dagon, unleashed Lightning Hammer, and struck its face, but Dagon swallowed him as black fog covered the harbor.
• Kraun and the defenders celebrated repelling the Cultists from Zack Town, and Kraun ordered casualty reports, continued vigilance, and an aerial bombing request to Rhine City.
• Kraun sent Fugin to scout the enemy’s retreat, replenished the Fire Seed Cube with more than eighty Gold Spirit Coins, and restored his strength through meditation.
• Kraun practiced Cross Sword until it reached its limit, then tested its Cross Slash on the bluestone paving.

Somla withdrew the Cultists after learning the Evil Beast Queen had evolved, while Kraun discovered that visualizing beside him helped his companions progress faster. Days later, a message from Flandre McLean reported a crisis in Rhine City, and Kraun raced back to help.

• Somla ordered the Cultists to retreat and wait for the Evil Beasts in the enemy city to grow stronger.
• Kraun learned that Del and Melissa gained smoother, more insightful Golden Light Incantation visualizations when they practiced beside him, and he arranged for his companions to take turns joining him.
• After the airship raids had limited success, Kraun continued training with his companions while the forces in Rhine City prepared a final assault on the Evil Beasts.
• Flandre McLean sent word that two Silver Rank Evil Beasts had appeared, Cavendi had been killed, and Plinton and Flandre McLean had been seriously wounded.
• Kraun ordered his troops to return to Rhine City, then flew ahead in his Alloy Battle Armor and instructed Fugin to accompany Nick with Bastet.