Chapter Summaries

Dieter arrived in Kane Valley, where Xue Yunfeng welcomed him and discussed Oaisis’s plans to challenge royal power. As the coastal war intensified and the Ismail Family reached the Upper Realm, Hill recognized that the young Ismails had escaped a dangerous situation but were now foolishly approaching his mountain.

• Dieter reunited with Linde and thanked Xue Yunfeng for welcoming him to Kane Valley, promising not to interfere in its affairs.
• Xue Yunfeng and Oaisis discussed Oaisis’s attempt to weaken absolute royal power, while Hill suspected he was preparing for a possible wider conflict.
• Triton intensified attacks along Damboro’s coast, but the Moon Clan could not bring in more forces because its world lacked enough game devices to distribute.
• Triton’s storms offered relief from the drought, prompting distant countries to offer help defending the lands behind the Undead.
• The Ismail Family arrived in the Upper Realm, sparing its young members from the coastal fighting and thwarting rival Mage Families’ schemes.
• The young Ismails spotted Hill’s misty mountain and tried to fly toward it.

Hill returned the Ismail sons to the Ring Crater after they blundered through his maze, while reflecting on the family’s lost luck and Ismael’s oath. In the desert, Mo Bi Chenxin struggled to help Lucia and her younger lover conceive Closter, and Rose appeared, promising he could wait and see the result.

• Hill observed that the Ismail sons repeatedly made unlucky choices in his maze, and two reached the dangerous Inner Ring.
• After Ismael apologized and pleaded for help, Hill used his Crystal Fan to send the trapped Ismails back to the Ring Crater, though one was badly injured.
• Hill considered how Ismael’s oath would leave the family without luck, then turned his giant screen to the desert channel.
• Mo Bi Chenxin described the Undead’s raids on the Moon Clan’s Oases and worried that Lucia’s younger lover had not awakened to romance.
• Mo Bi Chenxin asked Ruth for advice, and she told him to wait and see the result.
• After Ruth vanished, Mo Bi Chenxin messaged Xue Yunfeng to ask whether Zhu Meili was sure Rose had a solution.

Mo Bi Chenxin reflected on Xue Yunfeng’s strategy and decided to remain in the Heaven-Defying Alliance for now, while Hill tried to understand Rose’s hidden plan and anticipated renewed turmoil in Toril. The chapter left Rose’s true intentions uncertain as the Undead’s attention began shifting toward Toril.

• Mo Bi Chenxin discussed Rose’s influence over Lucia and examined the spy Eunuch Lu had placed near him.
• Mo Bi Chenxin recognized how Xue Yunfeng had positioned the Heaven-Defying Alliance to gain influence despite its apparent divisions, and chose to stay with the alliance while he learned.
• Hill reasoned that Rose had gained Aphrodite’s traits by devouring Gaia’s avatar and wondered what Rose intended to do with her new power.
• Hill speculated that Rose might target Selûne and that the Gods’ uneasy peace could soon collapse into turmoil.
• Hill expected the Undead’s focus to shift toward Toril, while residents watched the giant screen and celebrated that the mayor’s child had been safe.

Hill reflected on his mixed feelings about the past while asking Oaisis and William to show Lucia’s broadcast from outside the Oasis Palace. He mainly wanted to see whether Aphrodite Rose had absorbed divinity connected to navigation, which could threaten Aglaia and Hidden Town.

• Hill thought about Old Cat’s life among the cats in his territory and felt proud that he had chosen him as town mayor.
• Hill asked Oaisis to show Lucia’s live broadcast, and Oaisis explained that William’s contract restricted his ability to act independently.
• William agreed to put the exterior view of the Oasis Palace on the giant screen for Hill.
• Hill watched for signs that Aphrodite Rose had absorbed divinity tied to navigation and worried that she might reach into Aglaia.
• Hill considered how Halruaa had lost Mystra’s protection and how Toril’s Undead were enjoying the influx of thieves fleeing there.

Hill watched the Oaisis spectacle while examining the hidden watchers and Rose’s influence on the young Ismail. He discovered Zhu Meili’s butterfly and warned his correspondent not to tell Ismail the cost of swearing a Styx Oath.

• Hill reflected on why the Undead could remain in Toril and how Xue Yunfeng used a show of weakness to mislead people.
• Hill spotted Zhu Meili watching from inside a cactus as a night butterfly, a creature he had contracted back in Telashir.
• Hill noticed Rose’s hidden influence through a ring worn by the young Ismail and realized it might have been sent by his father.
• Hill reasoned that Ismail may have accepted a Styx Oath to resolve a personal concern without understanding its consequences.
• Hill urgently told his correspondent not to reveal that the oath would leave Ismail able to enter only the River Styx after death.

Hill considered Ismail's attempt to regain Oaisis's favor and worried that Hell and the Abyss would exploit the Greek gods in Telashir. As the desert couple completed their mission, Hill began preparing gifts for his return home.

• Hill realized Ismail might explain himself to Oaisis and worried that devils could target the Greek gods and Aoskar for their portfolios.
• Hill dismissed the idea of sending Aoskar to Asmodeus and reflected on his hostility toward the Greek Pantheon and his wariness of Hell and the Abyss.
• Gaia completed her mission with the Young Master, who later shut himself away in his bedchamber and survived on supplies he had stored.
• Rose planned to keep the Young Master under her control because he could influence Kronos, while Hill considered how divine laws had shaped the Greek gods' history.
• Hill pulled out oreichalkos steel plates and told Liszt he was making gifts because he missed Telashir.

Hill explained how Hell, the Abyss, and other powers could influence the Greek myth reenactment, and why Zeus might have entered Mount Celestia to escape a looming disaster. As the war spread across Damboro, Hill continued crafting Oreichalkos Steel cloaks for the bears and had finished two of them.

• Hill told Liszt that powerful beings were watching the Greek reenactment and that fate could be influenced by their actions.
• Hill said Asmodeus had not begun purging Hell because devouring Saffras had not made him powerful enough, and he might seek more power from Gaia and Kronos.
• Hill reasoned that Zeus had entered Mount Celestia despite the danger because he planned to sleep through a catastrophe, while Hermes had sought a slim chance to avert the disaster.
• Hill told Liszt he would use his full strength to make the bears' cloaks, since he no longer needed to conceal what he was.
• Oaisis and Triton continued their war across Damboro, with the Undead and Moon Clan as the main forces, while Hill finished two cloaks and planned to complete the third before the conflict ended.

Gaia realized the Undead might be watching Lucia and that they could discover her plan when Kronos was born. With no safe way to act openly, she made a final gamble to ensure Lucia could give birth.

• Hill saw the Heaven-Defying Alliance train against the Moon Clan while Cunlü and Nanfeng worked to undermine Gaia’s public standing.
• Rose withdrew her Mutant Silk Spiders from most cities after she failed to persuade the Undead to stop killing them for merit points.
• Gaia noticed the Undead were watching Lucia and feared they would recognize her goal when Kronos was born.
• Gaia weighed whether the Undead had discovered her plan, while Ivan’s hints about her past confirmed that Eden knew something of her history.
• Gaia blew up Ismail Manor and transferred all her divine power to Lucia as Lucia prepared to give birth.

Hill watched Gaia’s explosive birth and discovered that a Hellgate had opened onto the Rainbow Bridge, letting Kronos enter Oaises as he was born. Oaises said he had prepared for the arrival and its consequences, while Hill learned that Triton had been alerted by a message from Sigil.

• Gaia’s explosion destroyed the Ismail Family’s manor before their subordinates could recover its treasures, and Hill sympathized with their loss.
• Hill reflected on William and Shar’s relationship and wondered why the God of Space-Time had allowed it to continue.
• An infant’s cry announced a successful birth, and a Rainbow Bridge appeared on the giant screen, reaching into Gaia’s bedchamber.
• A Hellgate opened onto the Rainbow Bridge, and Hill urged Oaises to seal off the space before Kronos entered Oaises.
• Oaises explained that Xue Yunfeng had warned him Hell and the Abyss might both arrive with Kronos, and he accepted the cost of repairing the world.
• Oaises told Hill that Triton had learned of the birth through a message from his sister in Sigil, prompting Hill and Liszt to wonder who had sent it.

Hill explained Triton’s family history and urged Oaisis to claim oceanic divine authorities, while their exchange revealed their friendship and left Hill’s cloak ruined by Oaisis’s fireworks. In the desert, Oaisis’s isolation measures thwarted Asmodeus’s attempt to bring a powerful force through Hellgate, and Rose rushed to the rainbow oasis, where a trident blocked her attack.

• Hill explained that Amphitrite had secretly protected Poseidon’s children and that Triton wanted to avoid his father.
• Hill urged Oaisis to seize lesser oceanic divine authorities, and Oaisis realized Hill considered him a friend before accidentally covering Hill’s cloak with colorful fireworks.
• Oaisis’s isolation measures prevented Hellgate from connecting to the World Core, forcing Asmodeus to enter under the world’s rules as a level sixteen avatar.
• Asmodeus noticed Xue Yunfeng and hurried to enter before others could compete for him.
• Rose used Young Master Ismail’s accessory to reach the rainbow oasis, released Mutant Silk Spiders across the bridge, and charged upward as a descending trident appeared before her.

Hill watched Asmodeus battle Poseidon and Rose, realizing Triton was abandoning most of his ocean domains so he could escape with his core powers. The chapter ended with Poseidon charging Asmodeus amid waves gathered by Rose’s spider silk.

• Asmodeus mocked the gathered gods, but Poseidon misunderstood the insult and declared that Kronos belonged to him.
• Oaisis told Hill that Triton was giving up most of his ocean authority, and Hill urged Oaisis to seize what he could before Poseidon fled.
• Rose attacked Asmodeus with spider silk and called on Gaia to emerge, while Poseidon charged the Lord of Hell.
• Asmodeus defended himself with Hellfire, Energy Drain, Fire Storm, a Blade Barrier, and Hellcats as Hill studied his battle tactics.
• Hill noticed the Night Butterfly continuing to eat a cactus while its many eyes surveyed the scene.
• Poseidon lifted his trident and crashed toward Asmodeus as Rose’s spider silk gathered huge waves around him.

Poseidon, Rose, and Gaia confronted Asmodeus on the Rainbow Bridge, but Poseidon’s apparent charge ended when he vanished after Asmodeus struck him. Gaia then fought the Lord of Hell with a powerful scepter made from Typhon’s remains, leaving Hill disgusted and wary as the battle continued.

• Rose followed Poseidon into battle, restraining Asmodeus’s Hellcats with her webbing while Poseidon attacked the Lord of Hell.
• Asmodeus struck Poseidon with powerful spells, burning away part of his beard and tearing his armor before Poseidon dispersed into the wind.
• Gaia rushed from the palace and blocked Asmodeus’s Ruby Wand with a scepter wrapped in black feathers.
• Hill recognized the scepter’s feathers and suspected they came from Typhon, prompting disgust at Gaia’s treatment of her son.
• Oaisis asked Hill about Gaia’s weapon, and Hill warned that it might carry hatred toward her as Gaia continued fighting Asmodeus.

Gaia and Ellie joined forces against Asmodeus, while Rose hesitated and looked for a chance to escape. Ellie's summoning spell brought an Evil Orcs tribe into the oasis, where it immediately collided with the arriving Undead.

• Ellie confirmed that Gaia had promised to free her from control and leave her worldly property to her parents, then unleashed a hurricane by burning her soul.
• Hill explained Ellie's choice to Oaisis, then struck him into the sky with an Adamantine staff after Oaisis suggested they spend thousands of years together.
• Asmodeus protected himself with spells and sent the Hellcats after Gaia's three-year-old son, while Rose retreated toward the shadows.
• Ellie cast an Eighth-Circle mass Summon Monster spell and summoned an Evil Orcs tribe, whose leader reached the Rainbow Bridge as thousands of Orcs ran into the Undead.

Ellie summoned Evil Orcs who attacked the Undead despite her plans, while Hill recognized the danger and asked Xue Yunfeng to keep Ellie alive so the Orcs would remain until their seven-day summons ended. After Hill warned Xue Yunfeng against overthinking, Xue Yunfeng’s teasing prompted Susu to insist that nobody from the Demon Cult wanted to accompany him into danger.

• Ellie summoned Evil Orcs, who charged at the Undead on the Rainbow Bridge despite her apparent intentions.
• Hill concluded that the Orcs would fight for seven days and that Ellie’s survival would prevent them from disappearing early.
• Hill asked Xue Yunfeng to keep Ellie alive until the Orcs were dead, then warned him not to read too much into the request.
• Lily knocked Xue Yunfeng on the head after Hill ended their connection, and Xue Yunfeng wondered why Hill had scolded him.
• Perfect Baldhead told Xue Yunfeng that he had upset Hill, and Susu warned that nobody from the Demon Cult wanted to accompany him into danger.

Xue Yunfeng discussed the Alliance’s future and asked Lu Huayu not to obstruct Ink Pen and Black-and-White Road, while the battle between Asmodeus and Gaia continued on the giant screen. The chapter left the Orc chieftains’ motives unclear as Xue Yunfeng suspected Zhu Meili had set an unseen trap.

• Xue Yunfeng explained that factions could temporarily ignore one another but could not cooperate, and he messaged Black-and-White Road about the situation.
• Xue Yunfeng reflected on how the Alliance’s members and priorities had changed over the years, while Lu Huayu and Perfect Baldhead teased him.
• Lu Huayu said Umberlee sought to claim some of Triton’s divine authority but would not start a conflict over Oaises, and he agreed not to interfere with Ink Pen unless something major happened.
• Lu Huayu left after commenting on the Alliance’s unity, and Xue Yunfeng said he felt reassured that Lu Huayu was not yet planning a major move against him.
• Perfect Baldhead and Xue Yunfeng suspected Zhu Meili had made an unseen move as Battle Domain Thunder questioned why the Orc chieftains were not rescuing their people.
• Xue Yunfeng suggested Asmodeus had refrained from interfering because the black cat had threatened the child on the Rainbow Bridge.

Xue Yunfeng and the Undead discussed why Asmodeus and other gods were pursuing Edna and the child, and what Gaia’s scepter was made from. The group learned that Edna was watching the events in Aglaia, where Hill’s giant screen let guests observe without troubling Lynn.

• Xue Yunfeng explained that Gaia’s scepter contained remains of Typhon, whose nature made using those remains especially grotesque.
• Old School Striking King explained that evil gods sought to consume the child alive to gain access to the negative aspects of his divine authority.
• Xue Yunfeng and Old School Striking King discussed the gods’ motives, including Asmodeus’s plans, Rose’s intentions, and Poseidon’s fixation on Kronos.
• Old School Striking King said Set wanted only part of Gaia and would wait while Asmodeus remained involved.
• Xue Yunfeng asked how Edna had been; Old School Striking King said she was watching the show in Aglaia, where guests could view Hill’s screen without bothering Lynn.

Xue Yunfeng explained why Lynn was largely safe in Toril, then tried to rally the Undead for the coming battle while Battle Domain Thunder misunderstood the plans. After the others left, Xue Yunfeng resumed coordinating a search with someone who questioned his chosen island, and he barked in reply.

• Old School Striking King explained that Hill and Lynn's ties to Aglaia protected Lynn from most dangers, while Xue Yunfeng warned the Undead not to say anything careless.
• Battle Domain Thunder misunderstood the discussion and proposed riding to the desert, but Xue Yunfeng told him the Undead were staying for Eunuch Lu's challenge.
• Xue Yunfeng ordered the commanders to organize at least fifty thousand Undead for dawn, then asked Night Sleep Tayan to explain the plan to Thunder.
• The Black Rose Family joked about Thunder and Xue Yunfeng's plans, prompting Xue Yunfeng to yell at them as they left.
• Xue Yunfeng asked where the search would begin, and the other person questioned why he had selected an uninhabited island beside a volcano, prompting him to bark.

Hill helped Oaisis realize he could identify the dangerous volcanoes by sensing them, after Xue Yunfeng spent the night enduring Oaisis’s endless questions. As the Undead entered the final seven days of battle in Oaisis’s desert and ocean, the Orcs and sea monsters prepared for a desperate last stand.

• Xue Yunfeng spent the night answering Oaisis’s questions until Hill finally helped remove the World Lord.
• Hill told Oaisis to scan the volcanoes himself, and Oaisis used his perception to identify the active ones on the maps.
• Hill and Liszt compared Oaisis’s obliviousness to the Earth Pantheon’s habit of selectively listening.
• The Undead fought fiercely in Oaisis’s desert and ocean during the final seven days before the ending.
• The Orcs held on under their leaders’ orders, while the sea monsters launched a final frenzy without the Ocean Goddess or Gaia controlling them.

Hill let Oaisis vent his grief over the Undead’s imminent departure, while “Xue Yunfeng” endured him for two days before finally erupting. After Oaisis returned to their usual routine, Hill turned his attention to the battle’s destruction in the desert and noticed the Undead quietly protecting Zhu Meili’s cactus.

• Hill realized Oaisis was acting out because he knew the Undead, including “Xue Yunfeng,” would leave after the decisive battle.
• Hill let Oaisis run wild and planned to leave “Xue Yunfeng” to handle him, while Lily’s branches were positioned to catch the commander’s reaction.
• After tolerating Oaisis for two days, “Xue Yunfeng” unleashed a furious scolding that drew the attention of gods watching from Starry Sky.
• Oaisis disappeared for a while, returned the next day, and soon resumed his usual routine with “Xue Yunfeng.”
• Hill observed the fires consuming the Desert Palace and noticed Undead water and ice mages were secretly keeping Zhu Meili’s cactus safe.

Hill considered the cactus and the Night Butterfly while reflecting on Asmodeus's shifting hostility toward the Abyss and his possible alliance against Mount Celestia. After Liszt suggested Hill visit Abeir, Hill noticed the cactus move on the giant screen.

• Hill judged that the cactus was nearing evolution but remained vulnerable to the Night Butterfly and fire.
• Hill reasoned that Asmodeus had learned the truth about Combat Angels and was now willing to cooperate with the Abyss against Mount Celestia.
• Hill wondered whether he could learn from the Undead's unusual ways of approaching the world and complained about choosing another world to visit.
• Liszt suggested Abeir as a suitable destination for Hill, and Hill considered the danger of returning to Toril while Edna sat at the center of the Magic Weave.
• Hill abruptly asked whether the cactus had just moved.