Chapter Summaries

Chapter 571: Invitation to the Land of Kings — Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Godslayer Hall’s failed assault on Dawn City results in the deaths of three Legendary-Class Professionals. The organization withdraws from the Legendary Continent, abandoning the Legendary Mercenary Group it had supported.
• With Godslayer Hall gone, the Legendary Mercenary Group loses its advantage. Legendary experts Alfred and Wendis surrender, ordering their troops to lay down their weapons in exchange for joining Dawn City.
• William welcomes their defection while publicly framing Dawn City as an embodiment of “light and justice,” reinforcing the faction’s carefully cultivated reputation as a force of the Light Faction.
• Paul Bain refuses to surrender at first and attempts to escape using a Spatial Teleportation Scroll. William blocks the teleportation, while Wendis uses her spatial magic to prevent Paul from fleeing.
• Paul launches a desperate attack, but William overwhelms him with his bare fists. After several minutes of punishment, Paul admits defeat. William spares him, binds him with Legendary-quality chains, and imprisons him in his portable Otherworld Space.
• The Mercenary War ends after only four days. The players receive credit for completing the SSS-Class quest, while William completes the related S-Plus-Class quest, Crisis of Dawn City, with a 120% completion rate.
• Dawn City gains renown, official recognition as a top faction, control over much of the surviving Legendary Mercenary Group, and 53 million EXP.
• William discovers a quest item called the Invitation to the Land of Kings, originally obtained by Paul Bain through Godslayer Hall. The invitation allows entry to a mysterious small world filled with opportunities—and dangers—for Legendary-Class Professionals seeking sainthood.
• The invitation is valid in sixty days, signaling Dawn City’s next major move toward the wider Gods Continent.

Character Developments

• William demonstrates overwhelming strength, political ambition, and strategic opportunism. Rather than merely defeating his enemies, he absorbs their organization, recruits its leaders, takes their soldiers, and captures Paul for future use.
• Alfred and Wendis abandon the losing side to preserve their lives, authority, and position on the Legendary Continent. Their surrender shows their pragmatic nature and willingness to adapt to changing political circumstances.
• Paul Bain suffers another humiliating defeat at William’s hands. His anger, jealousy, and sense of helplessness reveal that he increasingly views William as the source of his misfortune and as an enemy who continually blocks his path.
• Godslayer Hall is portrayed as an influential but cautious and aging organization. It abandons its failed operation rather than risk further losses, though its investment in Paul suggests it had intended to cultivate him into a saint or recruit him.
• Dawn City’s NPC forces expand significantly through the absorption of the Legendary Mercenary Group, though William intends to select only the most useful soldiers and leaders.

Significant Themes

• Power through assimilation: William’s victory is not limited to military destruction; he strengthens Dawn City by incorporating enemy leaders, troops, territory, and resources.
• Pragmatism versus loyalty: Alfred and Wendis surrender when the balance of power shifts, while Paul’s pride initially drives him to continue fighting despite having no realistic chance of victory.
• Propaganda and legitimacy: William’s rhetoric about light and justice, combined with Dawn City’s extensive propaganda, helps transform the faction from a neutral power into a publicly trusted “good” faction.
• Fate and rivalry: Paul believes William is his destined enemy, but William mocks the idea and treats Paul as an inferior opponent. Their rivalry is increasingly defined by Paul’s frustration and William’s complete dominance.
• Ambition and expansion: The conclusion marks Dawn City’s transition from a dominant mercenary faction into a major continental power preparing to enter a larger arena.
• Paths to sainthood: The Land of Kings represents a more favorable alternative to the brutal Desolation Continent, offering powerful Legendary Professionals a chance to grow or become saints without being forced into a life-or-death struggle.

Character Interactions

• William and Alfred/Wendis: William accepts their surrender but makes them prove it by ordering their troops to disarm. He rewards their decision and uses their defection to consolidate Dawn City’s victory.
• William and Paul: Their confrontation is openly antagonistic. Paul claims William is his destined enemy, while William ridicules him, defeats him physically, and captures him alive for future exploitation.
• Wendis and William: Despite having just surrendered, Wendis immediately helps William prevent Paul’s escape, earning his approval and a joking promise of extra food.
• William and the former mercenary soldiers: William gains their allegiance indirectly through the surrender of their leaders and plans to reorganize and selectively absorb them into Dawn City.
• William and Godslayer Hall: Though William dismisses the organization’s withdrawal, the invitation it gave Paul becomes a valuable asset and a gateway to the next stage of his plans.

Chapter Summary: “Reached the Ceiling of Dawn City”

1. Key Plot Points and Events

• Dawn City decisively defeats the Legendary Mercenary Group, destroying an army of over 800,000 while suffering approximately 18,000 casualties.
• William celebrates the victory by distributing promotions, medals, honors, and the Silver-Quality title “Dawn Guardian” to participating players. He also rewards players with experience and access to contribution-based equipment exchanges rather than directly giving away costly gear.
• Dawn City annexes the mercenary group’s territories, neutral towns, and mission resources, making the war a major strategic and financial gain.
• The surviving leaders and experts of the defeated faction are absorbed into Dawn City. A banquet is held for the city’s powerful figures, including fifty-five experts of Epic rank or higher.
• William introduces the surrendered members to Dawn City’s veteran forces, hoping to prevent old grudges from causing internal conflict.
• The victory becomes famous across the Legendary Continent. Bards glorify Dawn City, while players circulate battle footage of William defeating multiple Legendary opponents and humiliating Paul Bain.
• A Mercenary War Dungeon Crystal is released as a reward. Players can replay the war at several difficulties to obtain experience, Gold Coins, and equipment. The Hell difficulty allows players to control powerful Dawn City figures but is nearly impossible to survive.
• With the major conflict concluded, William enters a quieter period. Players continue completing smaller quests, while the larger future threats remain the national war and the coming War of Light and Darkness.

2. Character Developments

• William demonstrates both political cleverness and overwhelming combat ability. He uses inexpensive titles and rewards to strengthen player loyalty while personally benefiting from the war’s territorial and economic gains.
• William recognizes that Dawn City has reached the upper limit of what a neutral faction can achieve under current circumstances. He also understands that absorbing new groups may create factional tensions, but trusts his charisma, beauty, and influence to keep everyone loyal.
• Wendis becomes strongly attracted to William during the banquet, showing how effectively his charm and the Beauty God talent influence others.
• Limans warns Wendis that William is already connected to Moxis and advises her not to pursue him. He also reveals deep respect and fear of Moxis’s power.
• Burning Ash and Limans are portrayed as exceptionally powerful Legendary figures, yet both admit that Moxis surpasses them. Burning Ash recalls the disturbing experiments Moxis performed on him, while Limans has personally witnessed her mastery of Time Magic.
• Moxis does not appear directly, but her reputation grows. Other elite characters regard her as an overwhelmingly dangerous Multi-Element Grand Archmage who could defeat numerous Legendary experts.
• The defeated experts are reluctantly accepted into Dawn City, beginning their transition from enemies to subordinate members of William’s faction.

3. Significant Themes

• Leadership through rewards and spectacle: William combines symbolic honors, practical benefits, and public celebration to maintain loyalty among both NPCs and players.
• Power and political consolidation: Dawn City’s victory transforms it into a dominant neutral faction, but its expansion also creates the danger of internal factional conflict.
• Loyalty versus genuine friendship: William does not need former enemies to become true friends; he only needs their loyalty strong enough to prevent rebellion or sabotage.
• The player-NPC relationship: Players are motivated by titles, achievements, experience, and opportunities for entertainment as much as by material wealth. William exploits this understanding to strengthen his domain at minimal cost.
• The commodification of war: The battle becomes a replayable dungeon, turning a deadly historical conflict into a source of entertainment, rewards, and continued profit.
• The limits of peace: Though Dawn City enjoys a period of calm, the wider world remains unstable. The coming conflict between Light and Darkness represents not true peace, but a tense balance resembling “nuclear peace.”

4. Character Interactions

• William hosts and addresses the gathered experts, presenting the surrendered faction members to Dawn City’s veterans.
• Wendis repeatedly focuses on William and considers pursuing him romantically, but Limans cautions her that William is already involved with Moxis.
• Limans and Burning Ash exchange comments about Moxis’s terrifying strength, alarming the newly recruited experts.
• Alfred questions why Moxis did not participate in the war, prompting Burning Ash and Limans to explain that her presence was unnecessary because Dawn City had already secured victory.
• Players interact indirectly with William through the rewards and dungeons, enthusiastically discussing his fighting style, especially his powerful melee ranger build and spectacular battlefield performance.
• The chapter ends with Dawn City temporarily enjoying the fruits of victory while William, the NPCs, and the players prepare—knowingly or otherwise—for much larger conflicts ahead.

Chapter Summary: “Version 4.0, with Less and Less Time Remaining”

Key Plot Points and Events

• With less than three months remaining before Version 4.0 ends, players across the Seven Continents have entered the final stages of the main storyline. Battles and large-scale conflicts are intensifying, but players on the Legendary Continent are ahead because they completed most of their quests early.
• Huaxia players, especially those who began in Version 1.0, have reached advanced levels and are expected to enter the grandmaster tier in the next version. Since most of the Legendary Continent’s main quests are complete, many players have begun treating the game as a tourism and exploration experience.
• Dawn City’s growing power gives its players prestige and protection throughout the Legendary Continent. However, dark events continue to spread across human and neutral territories.
• Eternal Solitude and his team investigate an A-Plus Class Dark Event in a town where children have mysteriously disappeared. The townspeople seem strangely unaware of the absence, and no children under thirteen can be found.
• Players are increasingly hunting demons through the Demon Hunter Guild, taking on local contracts, clearing demon caverns, and earning experience and rewards. These activities are technically content intended for Version 5.0, but players on the Legendary Continent have reached it early because they finished their main quests.
• The spread of dark events signals that the third wave of invasion from the dark world is approaching. Thirty-two mass-slaughter incidents have already occurred during Version 4.0, killing approximately 1.4 million people.
• Chu Liuqiu’s squad, now highly ranked in the Demon Hunter Guild, visits the homes of demon hunter NPCs. They discover that some of these “comrades” are sadistic criminals who keep captured dark creatures in their basements for sexual exploitation. Horrified, the players flee.
• The chapter then shifts to William, who enters the World Tree’s small world in the Rainbow Lake Forbidden Grounds. He visits a city inhabited by 70,000 pure-blood firstborn elves.
• These elves worship William as their king and guardian. Their exceptional bloodlines, the World Tree’s mana supply, and its buffs allow them to cultivate at extraordinary speed. Within months, some have already reached the high-class professional stage.
• William realizes that the World Tree is giving him the foundation to create a powerful new elven civilization and potentially establish his own elf kingdom or empire.

Character Developments

• Eternal Solitude demonstrates both leadership and anxiety. He warns his squad about the danger of the dark event but is also worried about losing points in Prosperous Millennium’s performance system and being excluded from the World Championship.
• The professional players are shown balancing real danger with competitive pressure. Death costs them points, while insufficient damage output can also hurt their rankings, making even high-level quests personally risky.
• Chu Liuqiu’s squad becomes more experienced and influential through repeated demon-hunting missions. Their encounter with the depraved demon hunters, however, exposes them to the disturbing moral corruption hidden within the NPC world.
• Little Ayin reacts with disgust and moral outrage toward the demon hunters’ behavior, criticizing the game’s extreme realism.
• Changli Jiugu responds more ambiguously, appearing curious about the disturbing discoveries, creating a comedic contrast with Little Ayin’s condemnation.
• William grows increasingly ambitious. He views the firstborn elves not merely as subjects but as the foundation of a future military and political power. His confidence in eventually becoming the “Lord of Elves” expands alongside the World Tree’s influence.

Significant Themes

• The transition between game versions: Although Version 4.0 is nearing its conclusion, players on the Legendary Continent have already begun experiencing content associated with Version 5.0, showing how progress in the world can diverge from the intended game schedule.
• The benefits of faction strength: Dawn City’s prestige allows its players to travel safely, avoid harassment, and receive respect from weaker factions. The chapter emphasizes how political power affects everyday player experience.
• The approaching dark invasion: The numerous disappearances and mass killings indicate that the dark world’s next invasion is imminent. The seemingly isolated town incidents are part of a much larger catastrophe.
• Morality and realism: The disturbing demon hunter subplot explores the darker consequences of a highly realistic game world, where NPCs may be as depraved and exploitative as real-world criminals.
• Power, loyalty, and indoctrination: The firstborn elves possess absolute loyalty to William because the World Tree and William have shaped their beliefs from birth. This raises questions about whether their devotion is genuine or manufactured.
• Ambition and empire-building: William sees the World Tree and its elves as the means to recreate the greatness of ancient elven civilizations and build a power capable of influencing the entire Gods Continent.

Important Character Interactions

• Eternal Solitude and his squad: He warns the team about the demon threat while the others worry about survival, lost points, and their chances of entering the World Championship.
• Chu Liuqiu’s group and the demon hunter NPCs: The players initially regard the NPCs as fellow demon hunters, but their discovery of the basement transforms admiration into horror and suspicion.
• Little Ayin and Changli Jiugu: Little Ayin condemns the NPCs and Changli Jiugu’s apparent interest in them, while Changli Jiugu treats the situation with unsettling curiosity and humor.
• Chu Liuqiu’s group and Dawn City: The players realize that Dawn City may have sold a captured female vampire to one of the depraved demon hunters, suggesting that William’s commercial schemes extend even into morally dubious markets.
• William and the firstborn elves: William acts as their benevolent ruler, while the elves worship him as king, father, and protector. Their mutual relationship forms the emotional and political foundation of his planned elven empire.

Chapter Summary: “Heading to the Land of Kings”

Plot Points and Major Events

• Prince enjoys a peaceful life during the late 4.0 version, dividing his time between Goddess Momo and the Little Princess. He watches the stars, eats Momo’s dangerously poisoned cooking, and rides a unicorn with the Little Princess across Storm Island.
• Meanwhile, the Huaxia professional teams prepare for the fourth World Championship. Glory Team is under immense pressure after winning three consecutive championships and becoming the team everyone expects to defeat.
• A forum user named Little Dream launches a smear campaign against Glory captain Chu Liuqiu, accusing him of neglecting training because of his girlfriend and calling for his retirement. The controversy escalates when an assassin guild repeatedly hunts Chu’s girlfriend, causing her to lose three levels.
• During a Glory Team training match, Chu’s location is exposed through a Sound Transmission Scroll, costing them the match. His teammates worry about his mental state, but Chu remains focused on winning the upcoming championship and proving his critics wrong.
• The team suspects the hostile Freedom Alliance may be behind the harassment. Chu refuses to be distracted, while his teammates encourage him and tease one another about their competitive standings.
• William is unable to intervene in the professional players’ troubles because he is preparing to enter the Land of Kings, a dangerous realm said to contain extraordinary opportunities for Legendary-Class Professionals.
• He travels to the special portal hall and discovers that the other entrants are Alos, Klass, Thor, Acaro, and Hemera. Four of them are reincarnated deities, including three former Main Gods, making the expedition extremely dangerous.
• The group’s relationships are tense. Several members resent William for past conflicts, including his capture of Paul Bain and his opposition to First Prince Peter. Acaro is friendly toward him, but the others are openly hostile or distant.
• William learns indirectly that the other candidates were once attracted to Goddess Momo. He smugly reveals that Momo told him about the Land of Kings, embarrassing the others and exposing their lingering jealousy.

Character Development

• William/Prince: Remains carefree, arrogant, and confident, using humor and provocation to handle danger. Despite recognizing the Land of Kings as potentially deadly, he trusts his luck and enjoys provoking stronger opponents.
• Chu Liuqiu: Shows strong professional discipline and resilience. Although the harassment of his girlfriend affects him, he refuses to abandon training or let public opinion damage his focus. His determination centers on winning a fourth championship and silencing his critics.
• Little Ayin, Changli Jiugu, and Eternal Solitude: Support Chu in different ways. Little Ayin offers practical concern, Changli suspects outside interference, and Eternal Solitude uses teasing to lighten the atmosphere and motivate him.
• Acaro: Acts as William’s only clear ally among the Land of Kings entrants and maintains their friendly relationship.
• Thor, Alos, Klass, and Hemera: Their hostility toward William is revealed to stem from old grudges, political conflicts, rivalry, and resentment connected to Goddess Momo and First Prince Peter.

Significant Themes

• Pressure and public expectation: Glory Team’s success has transformed victory into an obligation. Their past championships make any defeat especially damaging.
• Trolling and manipulation: The attacks on Chu’s girlfriend are designed to destabilize him before the World Championship, showing how online rumors and harassment can become strategic weapons.
• Rivalry and survival: The Land of Kings is presented as a place where even elite professionals may become prey. Alliances are temporary because everyone seeks treasures and the chance to reach sainthood.
• Confidence versus danger: William’s humor and bravado contrast with the genuine threat posed by the Land of Kings and its powerful inhabitants.
• Romantic jealousy and past grudges: The tense reactions to William’s mention of Momo reveal that personal feelings and old rivalries continue to influence relationships among powerful figures.

Important Character Interactions

• Little Ayin urges Chu to comfort his persecuted girlfriend, while Chu insists that resolving the issue immediately would not help and advises the team to conceal their Sound Transmission Scrolls.
• Changli Jiugu suggests the Freedom Alliance may be behind the attacks; Chu dismisses them as insignificant and focuses on the championship.
• Eternal Solitude jokes that Prosperous Era could win if Glory fails, prompting Chu to kick at him and mock his repeated third-place finishes.
• William trades sarcastic remarks with Burning Ash before leaving, threatening to have him sacrificed if William dies.
• At the portal hall, William greets the other candidates, but only Acaro responds warmly. Thor, Alos, Klass, and Hemera remain suspicious or hostile.
• William provokes Thor by claiming that Goddess Momo explained the Land of Kings to him. The others’ uncomfortable reactions confirm that they all have a history of admiration or affection for her, allowing William to mock them as jealous “simps.”

Chapter Summary: The World of the Dead

Key Plot Points and Events

• William prepares to enter the mysterious Land of Kings, but learns that Moxis does not know its exact location. His information comes mainly from Acaro, Director Mo’s divination, and memories from his previous life.
• The Land of Kings is believed to be a remnant of the Mythic Era, filled with fallen deities, ancient ruins, magical beasts, and undead beings. It may also be connected to the Nether River and exists outside the normal flow of time.
• Gregory, the Pacification Empire’s Master of Gold, opens a portal using the Time Gem. William and the other chosen professionals travel through what appears to be a tunnel of light, only for William to realize that it is actually a dangerous time tunnel.
• Thirty-five legendary professionals and three ancient law saints gather at the entrance. The three saints maintain a massive spacetime rift leading to the Land of Kings.
• The Time Law Saint explains that the Land of Kings was likely forcibly removed from the River of Time by a Main God-level being. Those who live outside the River of Time for too long risk losing their sanity and becoming eternal monsters.
• Entrants are warned that they have only one time-year inside the Land of Kings. Time is disordered and cannot be naturally sensed, so they must mentally track it and return to the same entry point before the year ends.
• William enters and finds a massive, lightless world covered by a seemingly endless graveyard of corpses, bones, and tombs. The remains belong to humans, elves, dragons, angels, beasts, and other races from different eras.
• The corpses display abnormal temporal effects: some appear ancient, while others remain warm and seem to have died moments earlier.
• When an Epic-level undead awakens, countless corpses rise as well. The graveyard produces undead and other entities ranging from ordinary creatures to Legendary-level beings.
• William attempts to escape, but several spatial undead create an instinctive barrier that repeatedly returns him to his original location. He fights the creatures for an hour, only to discover that they regenerate after being destroyed.
• William concludes that this is not merely a land inhabited by undead, but a true Land of the Dead, where deathbound entities exist eternally and cannot be permanently killed.

Character Developments

• William demonstrates caution and intelligence by gathering information before entering, recognizing the danger of the time tunnel, and using his status panel to track time accurately.
• His usual confidence is challenged when he realizes that the creatures cannot truly die. This causes him to feel genuine fear and respect for the Land of Kings.
• Acaro proves knowledgeable and responsible, explaining the dangers of leaving the River of Time and earning the Time Law Saint’s approval. The saint believes Acaro has a strong chance of reaching the Saint Realm.
• Gregory appears somewhat careless or possibly deliberately deceptive by failing to warn the group about the dangers of the time tunnel.
• The ancient law saints are portrayed as detached guardians who have maintained the entrance for countless years, sacrificing their freedom to protect the spacetime rift.

Significant Themes

• The danger of timeless existence: Life outside the River of Time grants persistence but threatens sanity, identity, and free will.
• Death without finality: The Land of Kings presents a horrifying form of existence in which creatures can be destroyed but never truly die.
• The limits of knowledge and preparation: Even with extensive intelligence and past-life memories, William is still unprepared for the Land of Kings’ true nature.
• Time as a fundamental force: The chapter emphasizes that time is not merely a measurement but a structure necessary for memory, sanity, death, and reality itself.
• Exploration versus survival: The characters enter seeking fortune and ancient secrets, but the environment turns exploration into a struggle to remain alive and mentally intact.

Character Interactions

• William questions Acaro before departure, and Acaro openly shares what he knows.
• William jokingly asks Acaro for future admission tickets, contrasting his casual attitude with Acaro’s seriousness about the dangers.
• The Time Law Saint questions Acaro, recognizes him as the son of the Chaos City Lord, and encourages him to pursue the Saint Realm.
• The saint warns all the entrants about the distorted passage of time and the necessity of returning to their original location.
• After entering, William confronts the awakening undead alone. His attempted capture, escape, and eventual battle reveal the horrifying regenerative nature of the Land of Kings.

Chapter 576 Summary: Netherworld God’s Minor World

Key Plot Points and Events

• William struggles to escape the Mass Graveyard as the dead continue resurrecting. More than a dozen Legendary beings have revived, and some are gradually regaining intelligence.
• The undead of this world are fundamentally different from ordinary undead: they are immune to Holy Water and elemental counters, possess combat abilities and magic, and can regenerate completely about an hour after being destroyed.
• William activates the Power of Holy Soul and transforms into the Incarnation of Thunder, slaughtering and pulverizing numerous dead beings while attempting to break through the spatial barrier.
• He is confronted by an awakened Legendary undead warrior who possesses the same Indestructible Diamond Body talent as William. Their clash destroys the warrior’s weapon but fails to seriously injure him.
• Recognizing that neither side can easily defeat the other, the undead warrior permits William to leave, warning him never to disturb the dead again. He secretly orders a Spatial Grand Archmage to alert another powerful undead lord and intercept William elsewhere.
• The warrior reveals his horrifying intentions: he has previously eaten living Legendary beings and plans to capture William and consume him slowly, while avoiding killing his soul so the flesh remains edible.
• After leaving the graveyard, William explores a lifeless forest. He discovers that animals, trees, and even burned or stored remains regenerate after an hour. The world contains no true passage of time, yet physical bodies remain trapped in a cycle of restoration.
• William concludes that this is not the so-called Land of Kings but the Land of the Dead, a minor world separated from the River of Time.
• He theorizes that the world was created by the Underworld God, likely as a realm for cultivating an entirely new race of immortal dead beings through the power of the Nether River.
• Fearing that the Underworld God may still exist, William resolves to survive for one year and return home, though he remains worried that his poor luck will attract even greater dangers.

Character Developments

• William becomes increasingly cautious and alarmed. Although he confidently demonstrates his overwhelming combat power, he recognizes that the dead cannot be defeated permanently and that even stronger, intelligent beings may awaken over time.
• He shows greater strategic restraint, choosing to negotiate and retreat rather than fight an unwinnable battle.
• William’s understanding of the world expands dramatically. He realizes he may have entered the lair of a powerful deity and begins treating the entire realm as a potential trap rather than a place to seek treasure.
• The awakened Legendary undead warrior develops from a nearly mindless corpse into a calculating, self-aware ruler. He demonstrates restraint and intelligence by allowing William to leave, while simultaneously arranging an ambush elsewhere.
• The warrior’s predatory thoughts reveal that he retains human-like desires and memories, but these have been twisted into horrifying cannibalistic instincts.

Significant Themes

• Immortality versus consciousness: Physical bodies can regenerate endlessly, but minds and souls can weaken, collapse, or disappear. The chapter emphasizes that indestructible flesh does not guarantee eternal identity.
• The birth of a new race: The dead may gradually awaken after long periods of slumber, suggesting that this realm is producing an entirely new species rather than merely preserving corpses.
• The danger of unchecked creation: The Underworld God’s attempt to create an immortal world has produced a realm that is both fascinating and terrifying, where death has lost meaning but life is absent.
• Survival over conquest: William’s priorities shift from fighting and exploration to escaping alive. Power alone is insufficient in a world where enemies endlessly resurrect.
• Time and mortality: Although the realm is detached from the River of Time, its inhabitants remain affected by a different form of temporal decay, particularly the erosion of consciousness.

Character Interactions

• William and the awakened Legendary undead warrior engage in a tense confrontation. Their battle demonstrates mutual strength and mutual recognition, with neither willing to risk a decisive fight.
• The undead warrior warns William to leave and not return, while William responds provocatively but ultimately agrees to depart.
• The warrior orders the Spatial Grand Archmage to warn another undead ruler and coordinate an attack against William, showing that the apparent truce is only temporary.
• William mentally blames Paul Bain for triggering the events that brought him to this dangerous realm and considers relying on his connections to survive if he encounters the Underworld God.

Chapter Summary: Sword God Soderos

Key Plot Points and Events

• William learns that saints generally cannot enter the Underworld God’s minor world, likely because their overwhelming power would attract the Underworld God or excessively damage the world’s origin. As a result, William may be unable to summon Soderos’s full avatar or use certain trump cards, forcing him to rely mainly on Legendary-level strength.
• While exploring, William encounters a black-robed Legendary professional controlling thousands of deathbound as puppets, including three Legendary deathbound.
• The black-robed puppeteer becomes obsessed with William’s Bean Soldier Summoning technique, believing it to be a new form of puppetry that can help him become the Puppet God. He attempts to attack William.
• Before the battle can begin, Soderos arrives and kills the black-robed professional with a single massive sword strike. The attack also wounds William superficially and releases the puppets from their control.
• Soderos’s identity is revealed: he is the reincarnated Sword God, a former main god and supreme swordsman of the Rune Continent. He wields Eternal Annihilation, the second-ranked divine artifact in terms of lethality, vastly more destructive than William’s Heaven-Subduing Blade.
• Soderos recognizes William as the Lord of Dawn City and immediately becomes friendly toward him because William is opposed to Godslayer Hall. William decides to travel with him.
• The black-robed professional eventually regenerates, but the passage of time causes him to become a deathbound. He lies dormant, awaiting awakening and the return of his past-life memories.
• Soderos explains the history of the minor world:
  • The Nether River lies between the Dark World and the World of Gods and governs the movement and reincarnation of souls.
  • The Underworld God was born from the Nether River but cannot fully control it.
  • He created this minor world as a soul-transfer station to study souls and eventually gain control over the Nether River.
  • After suffering catastrophe, he pulled the world outside the River of Time, transforming it into an Eternal Land.
  • Its inhabitants and souls became trapped, gradually turning into deathbound unless they reach sainthood.
• Soderos reveals that killing awakened deathbound yields Origin Power, which can extend lifespan, rapidly increase cultivation, and potentially help someone enter a higher realm. The Underworld God’s temples, treasures, and divine artifacts may also be hidden throughout the world.
• William realizes that the Underworld God and his faction may still be present, although Legendary professionals are apparently not considered serious threats.
• Near the end of the chapter, William senses Thor the Thunder God. Soderos immediately attacks him, and the two clash violently, seemingly with deep personal hatred.

Character Developments

• William: Becomes more cautious after realizing his strongest abilities may be restricted in the minor world. He demonstrates confidence by confronting the puppeteer and agreeing to travel with Soderos despite recognizing the danger of dealing with a reincarnated main god. He also begins to understand the true purpose and risks of the Underworld God’s domain.
• Soderos: Is established as an exceptionally powerful and confident reincarnated deity. He casually reveals extensive knowledge about the Nether River and the minor world, while making suspicious claims about unnamed “friends.” He openly favors William because of William’s opposition to Godslayer Hall and behaves as though he is unconcerned about exposing his identity.
• The Black-Robed Puppeteer: His obsession with puppetry overrides his judgment. After being killed by Soderos, he regenerates as a deathbound, setting up the possibility that he will later awaken with his former memories.
• Thor the Thunder God: Reappears at the end of the chapter and immediately becomes involved in a fierce confrontation with Soderos, suggesting a major rivalry or unresolved grudge.

Significant Themes

• Power and limitation: Even powerful characters must obey the restrictions of the Underworld God’s world; William cannot freely use all of his abilities, and saints are barred from entering.
• The cycle of life, death, and reincarnation: The Nether River governs souls, while the minor world traps them in an unnatural state where living beings eventually become deathbound.
• Ambition and forbidden power: The Underworld God seeks control over the Nether River, while other professionals can steal Origin Power and obtain treasures by exploiting his creation.
• Hidden identities and unreliable explanations: Soderos disguises his knowledge behind implausible stories about “friends,” while his true history as a reincarnated god remains obvious to William.
• Rivalry among supreme powers: The chapter emphasizes the immense gap between Legendary professionals and reincarnated deities, culminating in Soderos’s effortless destruction of the puppeteer and his immediate battle with Thor.

Character Interactions

• William confronts the black-robed puppeteer, whose fascination with William’s summoning technique turns potential conflict into an unavoidable battle.
• Soderos intervenes, killing the puppeteer with one sword strike and indirectly saving William.
• Soderos and William establish a cooperative relationship based largely on their mutual opposition to Godslayer Hall. William remains skeptical of Soderos’s claims but accepts his guidance.
• Soderos provides William with crucial information about the minor world, the Underworld God, the Nether River, and Origin Power.
• The chapter ends with Soderos attacking Thor the Thunder God, beginning a seemingly personal and extremely destructive battle.

Chapter Summary: “The Great City Upon the Corpses”

Key Plot Points and Events

• William witnesses a brief but devastating clash between Sword God Soderos and Thor the Thunder God. Their attacks create destruction on a saint-like scale, but both restrain themselves because they are within the Underworld God’s territory.
• Their exchange reveals a bitter history: Thor lost his left hand, while Soderos’s Eternal Annihilation sword was weakened after a previous battle between them. Soderos nevertheless offers William protection, telling him to invoke his name if he encounters trouble on the Rune Continent.
• After the two gods depart, William assesses their strength and concludes that, while they are formidable, they are not beyond his own capabilities—especially because he still possesses his father’s essence blood as a trump card.
• William flies through the world, kills several awakened beings for experience, and discovers a huge city constructed over mountains of skeletons. The city is populated entirely by awakened dead, while countless ordinary skeletons sleep outside its walls.
• Near the city, William discovers a branch of the Nether River, which he avoids because of the dangerous presences within it. He disguises his living aura and enters the city to investigate.
• At the gates, city guards identify him as an unregistered legendary awakened one and escort him to the Identity Hall. William pretends to be a newly awakened dead being with confused memories, adopting the identity of “Caesar.”
• He receives identification and a portion of living flesh, which serves as valuable food for the dead. William conceals his disgust and pretends to crave it so that others will not suspect he is still alive.
• Over the next three days, William learns the horrifying history of the city and its inhabitants:
  • The dead were once believers of the Underworld God from numerous races.
  • When the minor world broke away from the River of Time, its inhabitants gained a form of eternal life but lost the normal flow of time.
  • The resulting torment drove many inhabitants insane and led powerful figures to initiate repeated wars as a means of seeking death.
  • Awakened dead grow stronger by consuming living flesh, absorbing the origin power of other awakened beings, or entering prolonged slumber.
• William discovers that the city contains an underground breeding farm where living humans, beasts, and magical creatures are kept alive as food. Even powerful legendary beings are repeatedly butchered and allowed to regenerate so they can provide endless nourishment.
• Horrified, William begins questioning the Underworld God’s true purpose. He theorizes that the deity may be using the awakened dead—or consuming their origin power—to restore his own strength.
• William considers investigating the Temple of the Blood God near the Nether River for answers and treasures. Before he can act, he realizes that numerous dead beings are staring at him as though he were food.

Character Developments

• William becomes more cautious and deceptive. Rather than relying on force, he disguises his living aura, adopts a false identity, manipulates conversations, and studies the customs of the dead.
• He also grows increasingly disturbed by the moral horror of the Netherworld. His curiosity about the world shifts into suspicion and revulsion as he learns how living beings are exploited.
• William’s confidence increases after comparing his strength with Soderos and Thor, though he remains aware that the Underworld God and the Nether River represent far greater dangers.
• Sword God Soderos is shown as proud, powerful, and still hostile toward Thor, but he demonstrates goodwill toward William by offering him protection.
• Thor the Thunder God remains irritable and prideful, especially concerning his severed hand and past defeat or damage inflicted on Soderos’s weapon. He warns William not to reveal too much about their conflict.
• The awakened dead are depicted as desperate, instinct-driven, and increasingly fanatic. Their fixation on living flesh exposes how their immortality has transformed them into predators.

Significant Themes

• Immortality as a curse: Eternal existence without the passage of time causes madness, psychological decay, and a longing for death.
• Death and rebirth: The awakened believe that only death and subsequent awakening can allow beings to adapt to the timeless world.
• The horror of survival: Living beings are preserved not for their own sake but as renewable food sources, turning survival into a form of torture.
• Hidden power and manipulation: William’s investigation suggests that the Underworld God may be exploiting the dead to recover strength or advance a larger plan.
• Civilization built on death: The city’s apparent order—registration, hierarchy, commerce, and social customs—rests on mass death and the systematic consumption of the living.
• Identity and deception: William must imitate the dead and suppress his true nature, showing how survival requires psychological and social disguise.

Character Interactions

• Soderos and Thor immediately clash, trading insults rooted in their old battle. William and the prince intervene indirectly by reminding them of the Underworld God’s territory.
• Soderos speaks directly to William before leaving, offering him future protection and implicitly acknowledging his potential.
• Thor warns William to remain silent about the two gods’ history, suggesting that political or personal consequences could follow if he reveals their secrets.
• The city guards question William about his awakening and past, forcing him to improvise a convincing story about memory loss and timeless existence.
• Identity Hall staff explain the value of living flesh and attempt to exploit William’s apparent indifference by encouraging him to trade it. William rejects their approach and maintains his arrogant false persona.
• William observes the dead citizens’ fanatic reaction to living flesh and later recognizes that they now view him—not as a fellow awakened being, but as potential food.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• William’s identity as a living outsider is exposed after he attracts the attention of a powerful Legendary Warrior who can track his aura.
• Thirty-two Legendary-Class Awakened Ones, including six at the Legendary Peak level, surround him in the City of the Dead. They threaten to torture and consume him unless he surrenders.
• Rather than fight them conventionally, William uses a massive explosive device made from 10,000 Mana Crystals. He detonates it along with hundreds of smaller explosives he had secretly planted throughout the city.
• The resulting blast destroys the entire City of the Dead, killing most of its nearly one million inhabitants and instantly annihilating roughly half of the surrounding Legendary experts. Only eighteen Legendary figures and a few Epic Awakened Ones survive, badly injured.
• William escapes during the chaos and hides near a temple. The massacre earns him more than three billion experience points, enough to reach approximately Level 210—making him a Low-Class Legend and placing him one-third of the way toward the Saint Realm.
• He reflects that the Land of the Dead functions as an extremely efficient “leveling zone,” since killing Awakened Ones grants Origin Power. Unlike other Legendary professionals, William’s status panel automatically converts this power into experience.
• Near the temple, William discovers Mana Metal and begins secretly prying pieces from the structure.
• He theorizes that the temple’s deities may be using the Awakened Ones as endlessly renewable sources of Origin Power. The Netherworld God’s Minor World may have been designed to produce and repeatedly harvest these deathbound beings.
• Convinced that the temple’s resident deity is either severely weakened or unable to intervene, William begins digging into the temple to investigate and steal resources.

Character Developments

• William demonstrates his increasingly ruthless and unconventional combat style. Rather than relying on his divine blade or personal strength, he uses advanced magical technology and explosives to defeat overwhelming numbers.
• His confidence grows as he recognizes the advantages provided by his durability, status panel, and technological resources from Dawn City.
• William becomes more calculating and opportunistic. He had spent several days preparing the city’s destruction, not merely to escape but to maximize his experience gains.
• His understanding of the Land of the Dead deepens. He realizes that its dangers are balanced by extraordinary opportunities for rapid advancement.
• William also begins developing a broader theory about the true purpose of the Netherworld God’s Minor World and the possible role of its deities.

Significant Themes

• Technology versus traditional power: The Legendary experts expect a conventional battle, but William’s Mana Crystal bomb demonstrates how magical technology can overwhelm even elite combatants.
• Exploitation and “harvesting”: The chapter repeatedly compares Awakened Ones to “wool” or renewable resources, suggesting that both mortals and gods exploit others to gain power.
• Power growth through violence: The Land of the Dead turns killing into a form of cultivation, transforming mass slaughter into rapid advancement.
• Changing eras: William mocks the ancient experts for relying on outdated assumptions, emphasizing that the Fourth Era’s technological development has changed the nature of warfare.
• Survival and pragmatism: William avoids honorable or direct combat when a more efficient method exists, prioritizing survival, experience, and material gain.
• Mystery and hidden systems: The temple and its inhabitants remain unexplained, while William begins uncovering the possibility that the entire Minor World operates according to a deliberate cycle of creation, death, resurrection, and harvesting.

Character Interactions

• The Legendary Awakened Ones surround and verbally threaten William, assuming their numbers guarantee victory.
• William responds with mockery rather than fear, using his bomb to reverse the power dynamic and destroy most of them.
• The surviving Awakened Ones are left traumatized and confused by a weapon unlike any skill or Forbidden Spell they have encountered.
• William’s relationship with the unseen temple deity is established as an indirect confrontation: he suspects the deity is exploiting the Awakened Ones and decides to exploit the deity’s weakened state in return by entering the temple and taking its resources.

Chapter Summary

1. Key Plot Points and Events

• William infiltrates the Goddess of Death’s temple, moving through it with surprising familiarity and finding no defensive measures.
• While searching for a legacy crystal, divine artifact, or valuable offering, he is ambushed by the Goddess of Death herself.
• The Goddess initially intends to imprison William permanently, eventually devouring him to absorb his origin power and heal her damaged condition.
• William realizes that her unstable mentality stems from years of damage, the loss of half her body to a skeleton-like state, and the effects of corrupted or excessive faith.
• Rather than flee, William adopts an arrogant and seductive attitude, pretending to dominate the situation and provoking her psychologically.
• When the Goddess becomes distracted, William uses the Main God’s Left Hand to tear out and seize her damaged divine core.
• The Goddess retaliates violently with death-element attacks, black energy arms, and a massive palm that repeatedly smashes William into the temple floor.
• William protects himself with the Peerless Sacred Thunder armor, destroys her attacks with lightning, and uses the Heaven-Subduing Blade to split the temple and damage her.
• Although William suffers severe injuries and loses much of his health, his Main God Bones withstand her assault. He ultimately retains control of her divine core.
• With the Goddess weakened and unable to access her full divine power, William threatens her life and repeatedly demands that she choose between dying and submitting.
• After being defeated, the Goddess generates 300 favorability points toward William and kneels before him, calling him “master” and declaring that she wants to live.
• William concludes that his Beauty God talent may possess an ability to bewitch or psychologically dominate women, especially after demonstrating overwhelming strength.

2. Character Developments

• William: Demonstrates confidence, cunning, physical resilience, and improvisational skill. He uses charm as a distraction, then combines deception, the Main God’s Left Hand, sacred thunder equipment, and the Heaven-Subduing Blade to overpower a deity. He also gains insight into the true potential of his Beauty God talent.
• Goddess of Death: Initially appears dominant, predatory, and mentally unstable, intending to consume William. Her confidence collapses once he seizes her divine core. Defeat transforms her hostility into submission and apparent admiration, suggesting a psychological fixation on being conquered by a stronger person.
• Relationship between them: Their interaction shifts rapidly from predator and intruder, to apparent seduction and manipulation, then to a violent battle, and finally to a master-servant dynamic. William intends to make her useful, while the Goddess develops genuine—or at least magically reinforced—attachment to him.

3. Significant Themes

• Power and submission: The chapter explores how control changes hands and how overwhelming strength determines loyalty and obedience.
• Beauty as power: William’s appearance is not merely cosmetic; his Beauty God talent may possess supernatural bewitching effects.
• Psychological instability and trauma: The Goddess’s damaged body, corrupted faith, and long isolation have left her emotionally unstable and vulnerable to domination.
• Divinity and vulnerability: Despite being a major deity, the Goddess depends completely on her divine core. Once separated from it, her status and strength sharply decline.
• Deception versus brute force: William wins through a combination of flirtation, psychological manipulation, surprise, powerful artifacts, and physical toughness.
• Survival and surrender: The Goddess’s final choice to submit rather than die reinforces the chapter’s central conflict between pride and the instinct to live.

4. Character Interactions

• William flatters the Goddess despite her half-skeletal appearance, claiming that true beauty comes from the soul.
• He theatrically reverses her threat to keep him prisoner, challenging her to become worthy of him instead.
• The Goddess becomes momentarily captivated by his confidence and attractiveness, but William uses that distraction to attack her divine core.
• Their conversation turns into a brutal confrontation, with the Goddess repeatedly attempting to kill him while William mocks, threatens, and physically dominates her.
• After breaking her resistance, William demands that she choose life or death. Her eventual submission earns her a new position as his apparent servant or slave, ending the chapter with William uncertain about how to handle his newly conquered deity.

Chapter Summary: Time Assassin, Ekko

Key Plot Points and Events

• William decides not to kill the Goddess of Death. Instead, he forces her to sacrifice part of her soul and accept his control brand, allowing him to safely return her Divine Core.
• After casting Soul Control roughly one hundred times over an hour, William successfully binds her. Surprisingly, her favorability toward him rises dramatically, revealing her apparent masochistic attraction to his domineering behavior.
• William interrogates her and learns the truth about the Small World:
  • Its deathbound inhabitants were once believers of several deities.
  • After the world was pulled from the River of Time, the inhabitants became trapped in a cycle of death and resurrection.
  • A branch of the Nether River continually uses its Origin Power to revive them.
  • The Underworld God, Goddess of Death, God of Slaughter, God of Brutality, and God of Despair repeatedly slaughter the resurrected people, harvesting their souls and extracting the Nether River’s power.
• The Nether River has been drastically weakened over time. If it disappears completely, the Underworld God and the other deities may fully recover their strength.
• William learns that the Underworld God is likely manipulating the other deities and may eventually devour them after using them to drain the Nether River.
• The Goddess of Death reveals the locations of the Cities of the Dead, treasure sites, and Secret Realms. William orders her to continue pretending to be loyal to the other gods and to conceal their arrangement.
• William leaves to hunt Awakened Ones in the territory of the God of Slaughter, planning to exploit the situation for his own benefit.
• Near his destination, he encounters two members of Godslayer Hall: Forbidden Technique Master and Ekko, a Purple Armor-ranked time assassin.
• Forbidden Technique Master identifies William as both an enemy and a potential recruit for Godslayer Hall, then agrees with Ekko to kill him. Ekko claims William’s rumored war saber as his reward.
• Forbidden Technique Master restrains William with hundreds of chains. Ekko uses a time-based assassination technique, landing a critical backstab that removes 55% of William’s HP.
• Ekko is shocked that William survives the attack with most of his vitality intact despite having no equipment or active shield.

Character Developments

• William: Becomes even more calculating and pragmatic. Rather than acting morally against the deities’ exploitation of the deathbound, he recognizes the hypocrisy of judging them while intending to harvest the Awakened Ones himself. He also gains a powerful hidden ally in the Goddess of Death and suspects the Underworld God’s broader conspiracy.
• Goddess of Death / Irina: Is completely placed under William’s control but develops an intense, submissive attachment to him. She also reveals that the accumulated faiths within her have formed negative personalities capable of influencing her.
• Forbidden Technique Master: His hostility toward William deepens. He fears William’s potential influence and worries that William could threaten his own position within Godslayer Hall.
• Ekko: Introduced as a confident and ruthless time-attribute assassin. He agrees to kill William for the war saber but is immediately surprised when his supposedly lethal attack fails to bring William close to death.

Significant Themes

• Power through control: William’s strategy is to dominate powerful local figures rather than simply kill them, turning enemies into tools and sources of information.
• Exploitation and hypocrisy: The deities repeatedly sacrifice their own former believers for power, while William acknowledges that he is prepared to exploit the Awakened Ones himself.
• Faith as corruption: The believers’ accumulated faith does not merely empower the gods; it forms destructive personalities that can distort and influence them.
• Manipulation and hidden conspiracies: The Underworld God’s apparent generosity toward the other deities may conceal a plan to consume them after extracting the Nether River’s Origin Power.
• Unexpected resilience: Ekko’s failed assassination emphasizes William’s abnormal durability and suggests that conventional calculations about his class and equipment are unreliable.

Character Interactions

• William dominates and interrogates Irina, while she increasingly responds with loyalty and infatuation.
• Irina provides William with intelligence about the Small World and its cities, while William orders her to maintain her public role and hide their alliance.
• William internally reflects on whether the other deities will eventually be betrayed by the Underworld God.
• Forbidden Technique Master recruits Ekko into an attack against William by framing him as both a personal enemy and a dangerous potential recruit.
• Ekko and Forbidden Technique Master divide the planned kill: Forbidden Technique Master immobilizes William, while Ekko delivers the fatal strike. The attack instead leaves Ekko stunned by William’s remarkable survival.

Chapter Summary: “The Power of the Saint Realm!”

Key Plot Points and Events

• William confronts a powerful duo: Ekko, a rare Time-Type Assassin, and a Forbidden Arts Master capable of sealing equipment and controlling a special domain.
• The Forbidden Arts Master traps William, Ekko, and himself inside the Forbidden Heaven Maze, an enormous three-dimensional domain made of regenerating black walls and chains.
• The domain suppresses William’s senses by 90%, constantly changes its structure, alters gravity and space, and attacks him with chains, spikes, and shifting walls. William cannot escape by brute force or by using his Thunder Domain.
• Ekko repeatedly ambushes William with temporal assassination techniques, including backstabs that reduce William’s HP by 30% and eventually 70%. William survives through his powerful regeneration and the Undying talent, though his equipment remains sealed.
• The enemies identify a cooldown limitation in William’s defensive ability and prepare a coordinated final attack. However, William activates his Soul Perception, allowing him to see through the maze and detect Ekko’s position despite the domain’s interference.
• William captures Ekko, smashes him through the maze, and kills him brutally. He then forcibly retrieves Ekko’s soul from the Nether River and stores it with the corpse.
• Terrified by William’s sudden reversal of the situation, the Forbidden Arts Master dispels the domain and retreats.
• Dozens of legendary awakened beings surrounding the battlefield attack William, believing his strength has fallen because of the side effects of his previous abilities.
• William responds by using essence blood and activating the Power of Holy Soul, entering the Saint Realm. His power rises to the Saint Rank Peak.
• With one punch, he destroys the attacking legends and obliterates the nearby City of the Dead. The God of Slaughter’s Temple is half-destroyed, though divine power protects the remainder.
• The God of Slaughter appears but retreats into his temple after sensing William’s terrifying and strangely familiar aura.

Character Developments

• William demonstrates exceptional endurance, tactical patience, and hidden strength. Though initially overwhelmed, he deliberately conceals his true abilities while studying the enemy’s methods and cooldowns.
• His development culminates in his entry into the Saint Realm, revealing a dramatic new level of power. His transformation shocks both the enemy and the observing legendary professionals.
• Ekko is established as a highly dangerous but fragile Time Assassin. His speed, temporal illusions, and backstab techniques severely injure William, but his low durability becomes fatal once William detects him.
• The Forbidden Arts Master is shown to be a brilliant controller and trap-maker, possessing confidence in his domain’s ability to defeat ordinary legendary professionals. However, William’s strength and perception exceed his calculations, forcing him to retreat.
• The surrounding legendary awakened ones shift from cautious observers to opportunistic attackers, but their confidence quickly turns to fear when William reaches the Saint Realm.
• The God of Slaughter is implied to recognize something in William’s aura. His retreat suggests either fear, uncertainty, or a deeper connection between William and an older power or identity.

Significant Themes

• Strength hidden beneath restraint: William intentionally withholds his full power, causing enemies to misjudge him until he reveals overwhelming force.
• Adaptation and tactical intelligence: Raw strength alone cannot overcome the Forbidden Heaven Maze. William succeeds by analyzing the domain, recognizing Ekko’s attack pattern, and using Soul Perception at the decisive moment.
• The danger of specialized abilities: The Time Assassin and Forbidden Arts Master complement each other effectively—one controls the battlefield while the other delivers lethal attacks.
• Power and fear: William’s rise into the Saint Realm completely changes the balance of power. Those who had considered attacking him suddenly realize they are insignificant.
• Hidden identity and destiny: The God of Slaughter’s reaction to William’s aura hints that William’s power may be connected to an ancient figure, force, or past identity.

Important Character Interactions

• William and Ekko engage in a prolonged battle of hunter and prey, with Ekko repeatedly exploiting the maze to ambush him.
• The Forbidden Arts Master controls the battlefield while directing Ekko’s attacks, treating William as a subject to be slowly weakened and tested.
• William’s capture and execution of Ekko reverses the power dynamic, humiliating both enemies and forcing the Forbidden Arts Master to abandon his domain.
• The legendary awakened ones collectively challenge William after the retreat, but their attack serves only to showcase his newly unlocked Saint-level power.
• William and the God of Slaughter exchange a silent confrontation. William’s aura visibly unsettles the deity, who chooses to withdraw rather than retaliate.

Chapter Summary: “Version Update”

Key Plot Points and Events

• William defeats a Legendary-tier Time Assassin and survives an encounter with a Forbidden Technique Master. Forced into a desperate situation, he uses a drop of his father’s Essence Blood to clear the battlefield.
• The released power destroys part of the God of Slaughter’s temple and grave mound. Surprisingly, the God of Slaughter merely glances at William and returns inside without confronting him, leaving William confused but relieved.
• While the Essence Blood’s power remains active, William continues hunting Awakened Ones throughout the Netherworld God’s Minor World, rapidly increasing his strength while avoiding major dangers.
• The Crystal Map given by the Goddess of Death proves invaluable. It allows William to avoid dangerous temples, hidden locations, and areas where Netherworld Gods may appear.
• During the 5.0 version update, William disappears for seven months. He misses the World League and the players’ departure, while Dawn City’s NPCs keep his whereabouts secret.
• The Glory Team wins the World League championship for the fourth consecutive time despite severe public-opinion attacks and pressure before the tournament. Their victory silences their critics.
• Captain Chu Liuqiu announces his retirement, handing leadership to the increasingly capable Changli Jiugu. His decision is praised as a courageous retirement at the height of his success.
• Version 5.0 is announced as the climax of the Infinite War. Over ten years, the Seven Continents will gradually draw closer together, setting the stage for a massive continental war and the Third Dark Invasion.
• William reaches level 230 after extensive hunting in the Minor World. Having exhausted most safe areas, he considers exploring one of the remaining Forbidden Lands.
• He chooses the Nether River Forbidden Land because the Goddess of Death did not specifically indicate that a Netherworld God would appear there. William also senses that the Nether River may benefit his secondary class and his connection to reincarnation and Holy Soul Magic.

Character Developments

• William becomes substantially stronger, rising from level 180 to level 230 through relentless hunting. He remains bold and opportunistic but is increasingly cautious around Netherworld Gods and other god-level beings.
• His use of his father’s Essence Blood demonstrates both the power available to him and the dangers of relying on it, as it could attract trouble or provoke powerful enemies.
• William’s growing interest in the Nether River suggests that he is becoming more focused on developing his secondary class and understanding the connection between reincarnation, resurrection, and the Netherworld.
• The God of Slaughter is portrayed as enigmatic and detached. His refusal to retaliate against William, despite the destruction of his temple, leaves his motives unclear.
• Chu Liuqiu displays maturity and self-awareness by retiring when he senses that he is no longer at his peak. He prioritizes Glory’s future and passes leadership to Changli Jiugu.
• Changli Jiugu is established as an emerging leader whose improving performance makes him a suitable successor to Chu Liuqiu.

Significant Themes

• Power and restraint: William possesses overwhelming temporary power but must carefully avoid provoking gods and other entities far beyond ordinary mortals.
• Risk versus reward: His exploration of the Netherworld is driven by greed for experience and resources, yet every profitable location may conceal a danger capable of killing even Saints.
• Victory as the ultimate proof: The Glory Team’s championship demonstrates that success can erase public criticism; “winners are kings, losers are outcasts.”
• The cost of war: Version 5.0 is framed as an era of unprecedented devastation, with more than 30 billion deaths and countless factions destroyed or elevated.
• Transition and succession: Chu Liuqiu’s retirement reflects the importance of recognizing one’s limits and entrusting the future to capable successors.
• Approaching catastrophe: The gradual convergence of the Seven Continents and the coming Third Dark Invasion establish the next major stage of the conflict.

Character Interactions

• William and the God of Slaughter have a tense but indirect encounter after William damages the god’s temple. The God of Slaughter’s silent dismissal prevents open conflict.
• William relies on the Goddess of Death’s Crystal Map, though she is not physically present. Her knowledge shapes his movements and helps him avoid deadly areas.
• Chu Liuqiu’s relationship with Glory is shown through his decision to retire and appoint Changli Jiugu as his successor, emphasizing trust and responsibility.
• The players’ absence affects the wider world: NPCs and Saints remain curious about the Chosen Ones, but no one can determine when they will return.

Chapter Summary: “Within the Nether River”

Key Plot Points and Events

• The chapter explains the Nether River’s role in the World of Gods. It governs death and reincarnation, drawing in the souls of beings whose lifespans have ended and sending them toward new births.
• The main Nether River exists between the World of Gods and the Dark World, while the river William enters is only a tributary within a small world. Although dangerous, this branch is weakened and cannot kill him easily.
• William tests the river by entering it. Its waters corrode his equipment and body, but his Battle Aura Shield and Thunder Heart allow him to withstand the damage.
• At roughly 300 meters below the surface, William discovers countless souls drifting passively through the river. Due to flaws in the River of Time, reincarnated souls may retain memories, instincts, and some of the Nether River’s origin power—equivalent to experience or energy in William’s understanding.
• William attempts to collect some river water, but discovers that it is not ordinary liquid. It is the materialized power of reincarnation and cannot be contained in a magical bottle.
• At the river’s bottom, William encounters intelligent red-skinned murlocs. They appear to maintain order in the Nether River by collecting defective, fragmented, or inert souls and placing them into containers.
• The murlocs possess surprisingly high strength: ordinary workers are High-Class Professionals, while their leaders are Master Tier. William secretly follows them to learn more about their society and function.
• The chapter ends with William speculating about the legendary possibility of a Saint Realm murloc and becoming excited at the prospect of fighting or killing one.

Character Developments

• William demonstrates his growing confidence and resilience. He knowingly enters a deadly supernatural environment, relying on his defensive abilities and rapid healing to survive.
• His curiosity becomes increasingly scientific and investigative. Rather than immediately attacking the murlocs or experimenting recklessly with souls, he observes them and tries to understand the Nether River’s rules.
• William also reveals his opportunistic and somewhat irreverent personality. He views the unusual murlocs not only as a mystery but potentially as easy targets, especially if one has reached the Saint Realm.
• His knowledge of the world’s history and mechanics expands as he reflects on reincarnation, the Underworld God Sifa Nether River, and the relationship between the Nether River and the River of Time.

Significant Themes

• Death and reincarnation: The Nether River is presented as a universal mechanism governing mortality, souls, and rebirth across multiple worlds.
• The limits of power: Even a tributary of the Nether River is normally beyond the reach of Legendary beings, emphasizing the river’s cosmic importance. William’s survival highlights his unusual abilities.
• Flawed cosmic laws: Errors involving the River of Time have disrupted reincarnation, allowing souls to retain memories and power instead of being completely reset.
• Hidden hierarchies: The supposedly lowly murlocs occupy an essential role within the Nether River and possess far greater strength and importance than their reputation suggests.
• Observation versus action: William chooses to investigate rather than interfere, recognizing that the true nature of the Nether River remains dangerous and poorly understood.
• Humor and subversion: The chapter contrasts the terrifying, sacred nature of the Nether River with William’s jokes about the Goddess of Death, murlocs, and the possibility of hunting a Saint Tier creature.

Character Interactions

• William has no direct conversation with other major characters in the chapter, but his thoughts refer to the Goddess of Death, the Underworld God Sifa Nether River, and Lancelot’s previous imprisonment in the main Nether River.
• He secretly observes the murloc workers as they sort and transport souls.
• A murloc captain eats a soul fragment in front of his subordinates, who are frightened and resentful but unwilling to challenge him. This establishes a harsh internal hierarchy among the murlocs.
• William remains hidden while following the murloc group, treating them as both subjects of study and possible future enemies.

Chapter Summary: Ring of Reincarnation

Key Plot Points and Events

• William investigates the Nether River and discovers the existence of blood-red Nether River Cave Murlocs, creatures born within the river that feed on shattered souls and are immune to time and river corrosion.
• Using soul control, he interrogates a Master-Tier murloc and learns about their tribes. The murlocs are organized into small, medium, and large settlements, with larger tribes usually led by Epic-Tier chieftains.
• William senses an unusual connection between the murloc souls and his holy spirit magic, increasing his interest in them and motivating him to search for a tribe containing a Saint-Seat-level treasure or creature.
• He eventually finds a massive tribe of tens of millions of murlocs living in the ruins of what appears to have once been a murloc empire. The tribe is ruled by a Legendary-Class murloc and possesses a powerful relic.
• Transforming into a loach with the Beast God Necklace, William infiltrates the tribe by attaching himself to a container of collected souls.
• His stealth is discovered, but he immediately activates Unrivaled, killing the Legendary Peak murloc leader instantly and stealing the tribe’s treasured Divine Artifact.
• The leader’s death causes the enormous tribe to collapse into chaos, with Epic-Tier murlocs breaking away and forming smaller tribes.
• After leaving the Nether River, William examines the artifact and identifies it as the Ring of Reincarnation, a World Treasure created by the Nether River.

Character Development

• William demonstrates increasing boldness, resourcefulness, and opportunism. Rather than confronting the murloc tribe directly, he uses disguise, stealth, soul manipulation, and overwhelming force to seize its treasure.
• His curiosity about the Nether River deepens as he realizes its creatures and rules may be connected to his own holy spirit abilities.
• After discovering the Ring’s capabilities, William becomes more cautious. He recognizes that the treasure would make him a target for dying Legendary-Class Professionals and powerful factions, so he decides to conceal it until he reaches the Saint Realm.
• He also shows greater strategic maturity by abandoning further exploration and choosing to enter secluded cultivation instead.

The Ring of Reincarnation

The Ring grants William complete protection from the Nether River’s dangers while worn. Its Soul Baptism skill can:

• Sublimate a person’s soul essence and potentially extend their lifespan.
• Awaken soul-related talents.
• Possibly grant the soul eternal life.
  Its second skill allows an undamaged soul to reincarnate without relying on the Nether River, preserving some Origin Power and most memories. However, reincarnation must occur through an unborn infant, and cross-racial reincarnation can produce unpredictable results. Excessive soul baptisms may also cause dangerous consequences.

Significant Themes

• The hidden power of forgotten civilizations: The ruined murloc city suggests that the murlocs once possessed a much more advanced and powerful empire, possibly ruled by Saint-Realm beings.
• Death, reincarnation, and immortality: The Ring embodies the possibility of extending life, preserving souls, and beginning new lives, while also emphasizing the dangers and uncertainty of defying natural limits.
• Opportunity within neglect: William obtains a world-shaking treasure because deities ignored the tributary and ordinary Legendary professionals could not safely explore it.
• Power and secrecy: The Ring’s value forces William to understand that possessing a treasure can be as dangerous as lacking one. Concealment becomes essential to survival.
• The Nether River as an active force: Rather than being merely a location, the river appears capable of creating life, shaping souls, preserving creatures from time, and even producing extraordinary treasures.

Character Interactions

• William controls and interrogates a Master-Tier murloc to gather information about the species and its tribal structure.
• He infiltrates the super-large tribe without directly interacting with its inhabitants, using his loach transformation and stealth abilities.
• His confrontation with the Legendary murloc leader is extremely brief: after being detected, William activates Unrivaled and kills the leader instantly.
• The murloc tribe’s surviving Epic-Tier members respond to the leader’s death by fighting among themselves and dividing the population into new tribes.
• William’s relationship with the Nether River becomes increasingly significant, as he senses that its souls and laws resonate with his own abilities.

Chapter Summary: “Time Fades Away”

Key Plot Points and Events

• William examines the Ring of Reincarnation, particularly its Holy Soul Baptism and Reincarnation abilities.
• Holy Soul Baptism is revealed to be far more valuable than ordinary lifespan-extending treasures such as the Water of Life. It purifies the soul, repairs hidden damage, removes impurities and useless memories, awakens soul talents, and extends the soul’s lifespan.
• William realizes that legendary professionals constantly consume their physical and soul lifespans through battle, injuries, healing, and the use of powerful abilities. This explains why many seek the Desolation Continent for a chance at survival and advancement.
• He considers turning the Ring’s abilities into a business, offering lifespan extension to powerful Legendary-Class Professionals in exchange for enormous rewards and political connections.
• William recognizes the danger of revealing the Ring. Powerful factions could force him to become a tool, so he decides to conceal it until he reaches the Saint Realm, while pretending its abilities are limited.
• The Ring’s Reincarnation skill can allow someone to retain their memories and innate talents after death, essentially granting them a second life. William considers using it to revive exceptionally talented subordinates and create an army of people who are difficult to permanently kill.
• William deduces that the Ring is a natural divine artifact born from the Nether River, suggesting that other similar artifacts may exist there. He becomes interested in exploring the river but feels safer because the Ring should protect him from its dangers.
• To avoid danger, William buries himself in a grave and pretends to be an inactive deathbound while time passes.
• Outside the Underworld God’s minor world, the merger of the Seven Continents accelerates, causing tsunamis and widespread anxiety among coastal factions.
• Dawn City begins rapidly expanding its naval strength. Its plans include constructing Legendary, Epic, Grandmaster, and mass-produced warships, both for military defense and for sale to players.
• At the Dawn Shipyard, Lotner inspects a massive warship capable of carrying 5,000 people, traveling by both water and air, and mounting roughly 600 weapons. The ship’s firepower, especially when equipped with Mana Gatlings, could threaten even Epic-Class Professionals.

Character Developments

• William becomes more cautious and politically calculating. Although he sees enormous benefits in the Ring’s powers, he understands that openly displaying them would make him a target for powerful individuals and factions.
• He also shows increasing confidence in his ability to manipulate political and military circumstances, considering how to use the Ring to gain loyalty, influence, and powerful subordinates.
• William’s humorous personality remains evident through his exaggerated thoughts about the goddesses of luck and misfortune, but beneath the jokes he is genuinely concerned about provoking the Underworld God.
• Lotner continues acting as Dawn City’s chief administrator and military planner, overseeing the implementation of William’s naval strategy.
• Andrew, the Moonlight Elf and chief shipbuilder, has been forcibly advanced to the Epic Class through William’s potions. He takes great pride in the new warship and enthusiastically explains its capabilities.

Significant Themes

• The cost of power and longevity: Even legendary professionals gradually consume their physical and spiritual life force through combat, showing that strength comes at the expense of future lifespan.
• The rarity and value of the soul: Soul healing and purification are more precious than physical healing, emphasizing the soul as the true foundation of long-term existence.
• Power must be concealed until it can be protected: William understands that possessing an extraordinary artifact is dangerous if he lacks the strength to defend himself from those who want to exploit it.
• Preparation for impending catastrophe: The accelerating continental merger forces factions to prepare for future naval warfare, highlighting the importance of foresight, infrastructure, and military modernization.
• Technology and magical industrialization: Dawn City combines magic, engineering, and player-created designs to produce increasingly powerful weapons and warships.
• Death and reincarnation: The Ring challenges the finality of death by allowing memories and talents to survive through reincarnation, potentially changing warfare and loyalty.

Character Interactions

• William mainly engages in internal planning, weighing the advantages and dangers of revealing the Ring to legendary professionals.
• He compares the Ring’s potential political value with Caesar’s imperial ambitions, deciding that helping Caesar become emperor may yield greater benefits than immediately selling lifespan extension.
• Lotner consults Andrew at the shipyard about the new vessel’s launch schedule, capacity, and weaponry.
• Their exchange demonstrates the growing cooperation between Dawn City’s administration and its magical-industrial specialists, while also emphasizing how dangerous the city’s new military technology has become.

Chapter 587 Summary:

Magic Sanctum Taken Over

Key Plot Points and Events

• One year after entering the Netherworld God’s Minor World, the survivors return to the blank space. Of the original thirty-five participants, only sixteen come back; the rest are presumed dead or captured as food.
• Among the notable casualties is Hemera, the reincarnated Daylight God. Thor appears concerned about her but ultimately chooses not to ask the Law Saints to delay their departure, effectively suppressing his attachment.
• The Time Law Saint explains that the Netherworld God’s Minor World is essentially a Divine Realm containing the Netherworld God and four subordinate deities. Their survival confirms that the God Descent Era is approaching.
• He warns the reincarnated deities that, despite retaining their former memories and powers, they are now connected to the mortal world through family, friendships, lovers, and comrades. He urges them to defend the current races if the descending gods attempt to enslave them.
• William returns safely to Dawn City and visits Moxis, the Goddess of Magic. She is visibly relieved but hides her concern behind irritation and teasing.
• Moxis reveals that the Gods Continent is gradually approaching the Legendary Continent and may merge within roughly ten years. At that time, the dark invasion, continent merger, and widespread descent of gods are expected to occur together.
• William learns that a newly advanced Law Saint from the Magic Divine Church intends to take control of the Magic Sanctum, whose original leader, the Spirit Saint, remains suppressed.
• The Magic Divine Church is an ancient, powerful faction devoted to the Lord of Magic. It possesses at least five Law Saints, operates secretly across multiple continents, and is regarded as a traitorous, deity-worshipping organization.
• William realizes that the Magic Sanctum itself originated from the Magic Divine Church, though the Spirit Saint’s version practiced its faith more discreetly.
• Moxis suggests that William cooperate with Godslayer Hall, the Magic Divine Church’s long-standing enemy, to oppose the takeover. William considers the idea but remains cautious because Godslayer Hall is dangerous and he recently killed one of its purple-armored members.

Character Developments

• William returns stronger, having moved closer to the Saint Realm. His experience in the Netherworld God’s Minor World reinforces his awareness of the coming global crisis.
• He becomes more openly protective of Moxis, treating her enemies as his own and considering how best to defend her influence over the Magic Sanctum.
• Moxis reveals genuine affection and anxiety over William’s disappearance, though she expresses it through sarcasm and threats. She also reassures him that she can protect him from the powerful figures who will soon reappear.
• Thor shows lingering concern for Hemera but chooses not to intervene, suggesting either emotional conflict or a deliberate attempt to move on.
• The Time Law Saint shifts from solemn warning to playful encouragement, especially when addressing Oligei, but his central message remains serious: even reincarnated gods should stand with the mortal races.

Significant Themes

• Approaching divine catastrophe: The chapter establishes that the God Descent Era, continental merger, and dark invasion are converging within the next decade.
• Identity and belonging: Reincarnated deities are reminded that their current lives, relationships, and mortal connections may matter more than their former divine identities.
• Political alliances and pragmatic cooperation: William considers working with Godslayer Hall despite their hostility and his personal history with them, emphasizing that shared enemies can override past conflicts.
• Loyalty and emotional attachment: William’s bond with Moxis influences his political decisions, while Thor’s reaction to Hemera illustrates the complications of old relationships.
• Faith versus human independence: The Magic Divine Church represents the danger of submitting to descending gods, while the current factions struggle to preserve autonomy.

Important Character Interactions

• The Time Law Saint addresses the reincarnated deities and urges them to defend their mortal companions and the current world.
• Moxis and William reunite in a teasing but affectionate exchange. She admits how worried she was, while William playfully comforts and flirts with her.
• Moxis promises to protect William from returning gods and old enemies, though her violent wording prompts him to jokingly criticize her for sounding like a villain.
• Moxis proposes using Godslayer Hall against the Magic Divine Church. William recognizes the strategic value of the plan but worries that cooperation with Godslayer Hall could be equally dangerous.

Chapter Summary: “Blood Armor Three? Seems Quite Familiar”

1. Key Plot Points and Events

• William returns from the magic tower after learning more about the accelerating merger of the seven continents and the disasters it is causing.
• Lotner reports that continental displacement has disrupted Dawn City’s surrounding seas:
  • Fish populations and fishing revenue have sharply declined.
  • Boats have been lost in maritime accidents.
  • Coastal areas have begun suffering attacks from oceanic beast tides.
• William orders a defensive strategy:
  • Temporarily prohibit ordinary citizens from fishing.
  • Link Dawn City’s warships together into a fortified maritime formation.
  • Have the naval legions train at sea and use incoming beast tides as combat practice.
  • Compensate fishermen so the economic losses do not cause unrest.
• William recalls that much larger threats may emerge, including deep-sea behemoths and the Deep Sea Folk.
• He explains that the Deep Sea Folk are an isolated, hostile sea race capable of controlling enormous numbers of sea monsters, including Saint-level beasts.
• William suspects the Deep Sea Folk may have already allied themselves with the Dark World, motivated by ancient persecution, resentment, and promises of power.
• He decides to consult Lancelot and the Temple of Light’s records, while also discussing the issue with Godslayer Hall.
• William contacts Blood Armor Three, an old companion from the Abyss World. She reveals that after William killed the Time Assassin Ekko, she was promoted to Purple Armor Two.
• Blood Armor Three agrees to come to Dawn City. When William returns home expecting her, Annie appears instead, ending the chapter on a humorous cliffhanger.

2. Character Development

• William: Demonstrates strategic leadership and foresight. Although concerned by the continental merger, he quickly develops practical military and economic responses to the maritime crisis. His knowledge from his previous life allows him to recognize the Deep Sea Folk as a potentially world-threatening faction.
• Lotner: Continues serving as Dawn City’s overworked deputy city lord, mixing complaints about his salary with serious reports about the city’s problems. Despite his humorous attitude, he remains responsible and deeply invested in Dawn City’s survival.
• Blood Armor Three: Reveals significant advancement in strength, having risen from Grandmaster-level status to Purple Armor Two. Her rapid promotion suggests that she is far more powerful and capable than William initially expected.
• Annie: Has reached the Legendary Realm during William’s absence, indicating major personal growth. Her angry arrival suggests she may be upset that William has not yet gone to see her.

3. Significant Themes

• The consequences of world-scale change: The merging of the continents causes ecological, economic, and military disruption rather than merely physical disasters.
• Preparation against hidden threats: William emphasizes anticipation and strategic planning, recognizing that the visible beast tides may only be precursors to much greater dangers.
• Historical resentment and corruption: The Deep Sea Folk’s possible alliance with the Dark World reflects how oppression, exile, and long-held hatred can drive races toward destructive powers.
• Leadership and responsibility: William balances military defense, economic protection, and civilian welfare instead of treating the crisis as purely a battlefield problem.
• Humor amid danger: Lotner’s complaints, William’s sarcastic thoughts, and the misunderstanding surrounding Blood Armor Three’s visit provide comic relief against the chapter’s increasingly ominous revelations.

4. Character Interactions

• William and Lotner: Their exchange combines teasing and genuine trust. Lotner complains about his workload and salary, while William mocks his self-important “uncle” persona, but he still relies on Lotner to manage Dawn City.
• William and the Deep Sea Folk: Though they do not meet directly, William analyzes their history, abilities, and likely motives, positioning them as an emerging enemy.
• William and Blood Armor Three: Their messages are playful and familiar, recalling their previous cooperation in the Abyss World. Blood Armor Three responds calmly to William’s teasing and agrees to visit him immediately.
• William and Annie: The chapter closes with Annie arriving angrily instead of Blood Armor Three. William attempts to placate her by praising her advancement to the Legendary Realm, setting up a likely confrontation or comedic misunderstanding.

Chapter 589 Summary: “Nuclear Energy Ahead!”

Key Plot Points and Events

• William returns home and is confronted by Annie, who is angry that he failed to visit or contact her after returning from his journey.
• Before another woman can arrive and create an awkward situation, William tries to pull Annie away and distract her with stories from the Netherworld God’s Minor World.
• Annie reveals that she is actually “Blood Armor Three,” the mysterious young woman William knew from Godslayer Hall. She mocks him for failing to recognize her despite having seen her combat abilities before.
• She explains that her frequent absences from Dawn City were due to her missions and training as a member of Godslayer Hall, not visits to her family.
• Annie also reveals that her grandfather, Karmoro, is the powerful Saint Armor Three of Godslayer Hall. He deliberately provided false information during the war involving Dawn City and the three legendary mercenary groups.
• William realizes that the entire conflict had been manipulated. Godslayer Hall never intended to seriously defeat Dawn City; instead, Karmoro engineered events so William could destroy and absorb the mercenary groups, strengthening Dawn City.
• Annie remains upset that William never questioned her whereabouts or recognized her identity, but William spends the entire day apologizing, pampering her, and trying to make her laugh.
• After reconciling, William takes Annie into the sky to “pluck down the moon” for her. They leave the Gods Continent, fly through space, and arrive at the Blue Moon.
• The Son of the Blue Moon welcomes Annie as the Moonlight Elf’s Princess. Privately, he reminds William that he still expects compensation for the earlier incident in which William stripped him, though he maintains a polite public demeanor.

Character Developments

• William is exposed as oblivious and romantically careless, having failed to recognize Annie’s true identity or investigate her repeated absences. However, he is affectionate and willing to humble himself to regain her favor.
• Annie reveals herself as a highly powerful fighter and a key member of Godslayer Hall. Beneath her anger and teasing, she clearly loves William deeply and enjoys being treated affectionately by him.
• Karmoro is revealed to have secretly supported William. His manipulation of the war shows him to be calculating, politically strategic, and protective of Annie and Dawn City’s interests.
• The Son of the Blue Moon acts gracious toward Annie while privately demanding money from William, showing the difference between his diplomatic public image and his personal resentment.

Significant Themes

• Hidden identities and misunderstandings: Annie’s true identity and role in Godslayer Hall had been concealed from William, while he completely misunderstood the motives behind the war.
• Political manipulation: The apparent conflict between Dawn City and Godslayer Hall was largely staged or engineered to benefit William and accelerate Dawn City’s rise.
• Romantic reconciliation: The chapter emphasizes jealousy, emotional neglect, teasing, and the lengths William will go to in order to comfort Annie.
• Power and affection: Despite their immense strength, the characters’ personal relationships remain driven by ordinary emotions such as insecurity, anger, and the desire to be cherished.
• Public image versus private motives: Godslayer Hall, Karmoro, and the Blue Mooners all present one face publicly while pursuing different private goals.

Character Interactions

• Annie repeatedly presses William’s forehead and confronts him about ignoring her, his other female companions, and his failure to recognize her as Blood Armor Three.
• William apologizes and massages Annie’s shoulders for hours until she finally relaxes and laughs.
• Their relationship becomes affectionate again when William carries Annie into the sky and promises to show her the moon every night.
• On the Blue Moon, Annie adopts a dignified princess persona while William privately negotiates with the Son of the Blue Moon over past grievances and compensation.

Summary: “The Two Factions of the Godslayer Hall”

Key Plot Points and Events

• After returning to Dawn City from an extravagant trip on the Blue Moon, William asks Annie about the Godslayer Hall’s attitude toward deities.
• Annie explains that the Hall has split into two major factions:
  • Anti-deity extremists, who want to kill every deity and reincarnated deity.
  • Deity-friendly members, who seek cooperation with reincarnated deities and oppose the still-active gods hiding in the Divine Realm.
• Annie reveals that her grandfather, Karmoro, is Saint Armor Three and one of the leaders of the deity-friendly faction. He has secretly protected many reincarnated deities, including Moxis, the reincarnation of the Goddess of Magic.
• The Hall’s other known leaders are divided similarly:
  • Saint Armor One, Four, and Five are committed anti-god ideologues.
  • Saint Armor Two, Three, and Six support cooperation with reincarnated deities.
• Karmoro also protected Quills Thor Thunder Domain, the reincarnation of the Thunder God, by preventing higher-ranked Godslayer Hall members from assassinating him.
• Annie assures William that Dawn City can cooperate with Karmoro’s faction without immediately provoking the entire Godslayer Hall. Such cooperation could also prevent Karmoro from being punished for past intelligence failures connected to the Legendary Mercenary Group.
• William learns that the Godslayer Hall enforces strict internal rules, even against Saints. Karmoro’s mistakes could damage the reputation of the deity-friendly faction.
• Annie describes Saint Armor One, the Hall’s founder, as an extremely powerful peak-Saint who may be close to entering the Transcendent Saint realm. Saint Armor Two, another peak-Saint, reportedly considers himself inferior to him.
• William meets Karmoro in the new Moonlight Forest. They discuss cooperation against the Magic Sanctum, which Dawn City and the Godslayer Hall both oppose because of its connection to the growing Magic Divine Church.
• William offers Dawn City’s forces and personal combat strength, but says he can initially handle only half of the Magic Sanctum’s Legendary-level professionals unless paid a much higher price.
• Karmoro refuses to involve Moxis in the conflict and promises to find someone else to deal with the remaining enemies.
• When William asks about the rival Law Saint, Karmoro casually states that a full Saint War should be avoided, but humiliating or suppressing him would be easy.

Character Developments

• William gains a clearer understanding of the Godslayer Hall and realizes that it is not a unified anti-deity organization. He becomes more willing to establish a pragmatic relationship with Karmoro’s faction, while remaining cautious about the Hall’s potential hostility.
• He also recognizes that Karmoro is far more influential and powerful than he previously understood, treating him with increased respect.
• Annie provides crucial political and historical information about the Godslayer Hall. Her loyalty to both Karmoro and Moxis is evident, and she tries to reassure William about the safety of his allies.
• Karmoro is revealed as a powerful, calculating protector who has quietly shielded reincarnated deities for thousands of years while maintaining his official position within the Godslayer Hall.
• Moxis’s survival is given additional explanation: Karmoro’s influence prevented the Hall from investigating and assassinating her despite her identity being potentially discoverable.
• Saint Armor One is established as a major future threat because of his overwhelming influence and possible advancement into the Transcendent Saint realm.

Significant Themes

• Political factionalism and pragmatism: The Godslayer Hall is divided not by simple good-versus-evil ideology, but by competing strategies for dealing with deities and reincarnations.
• Hidden identities and secret alliances: Many powerful figures conceal their true origins, and organizations operate through covert protection, misinformation, and political maneuvering.
• Ideology versus survival: The anti-god faction seeks absolute extermination, while the deity-friendly faction believes cooperation is necessary to oppose gods who still seek domination.
• Power and hierarchy: The chapter emphasizes the enormous influence of peak Saints and the danger posed by someone capable of transcending the Saint realm.
• Pragmatic cooperation: William and Karmoro do not form a formal alliance; they negotiate a limited partnership based on shared interests against the Magic Sanctum.
• Trust and caution: William respects Karmoro but remains wary of the Godslayer Hall, especially its unpredictable internal factions and strict rules.

Character Interactions

• William and Annie have an informative but familiar conversation, with Annie teasing him while explaining the Hall’s internal structure.
• Annie’s revelation about Karmoro’s role deepens William’s appreciation of her grandfather and reassures him about Moxis.
• William and Karmoro interact cordially during their tea meeting, combining respectful diplomacy with playful banter.
• Karmoro acknowledges William’s difficult rise despite his disadvantaged half-elf background, showing genuine recognition of his achievements.
• Their negotiation remains guarded: William refuses to call it an alliance, while Karmoro accepts the term “cooperation” and sets strict conditions.
• William defers to Karmoro’s superior strength, humorously offering him tea and acknowledging that even his powerful avatar would not dare act arrogantly before him.