Chapter Summaries

Chapter 610: “On the Verge of War” — Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• The Radiant Pope illuminates the entire Dark World with Holy Light, severely weakening Dark Creatures and forcing Dark Lords to the ground. The divine miracle gives the allied forces thirty seconds to enter the Dark World without being ambushed.
• Dawn City sends six Legends, twenty Epics, and ten Grandmaster Legions, joining the Temple of Light and other forces in establishing a forward outpost.
• The armies gather on a flattened mountaintop known as Flat-Top Mountain, surrounded by magma rivers and rich in rare metals. The location offers strong defensive advantages but is also likely to attract Flame Demons and other dangerous creatures.
• Under the direction of powerful Archmages and Legends, the allies rapidly construct a massive Steel Fortress. Diablo contributes enormous quantities of metal, while magic reinforces the mountain and fortifications.
• A Stabilized Defense Super Magic Array, powered by one hundred thousand Mana Crystals, is installed to merge the fortress with the mountain and protect it from direct destruction and shockwaves.
• The approaching Dark Army is revealed to be unimaginably vast, numbering in the millions or tens of millions. It includes Demons, Bone Dragons, Hell Giants, Death Knights, Skeleton armies, and numerous other Dark Creatures.
• Lava Giant Lizards emerge from the surrounding magma and launch the first assault. The fortress’s Mana Gatlings, Holy Light cannons, magic cannons, and allied defenders destroy or repel the initial wave.
• William and Diablo personally leave the walls to eliminate large numbers of the weaker Lava Giant Lizards, conserving the fortress’s artillery and allowing ordinary troops to remain prepared for the main attack.
• As the Dark Army reaches striking distance, it does not negotiate or issue a warning. A horn blast signals a simultaneous full-scale assault from every direction.

Character Developments

• William demonstrates calm battlefield judgment and strategic restraint. Rather than waste the fortress’s ammunition on minor enemies, he personally clears the initial attackers alongside Diablo and studies the surrounding terrain with his Eye of Thunder.
• Diablo proves both practically useful and combat-capable. He supplies the metal needed for the fortress and fights beside William against the Lava Giant Lizards.
• Meng Lu emerges as a forceful battlefield commander, aggressively organizing the defenses, demanding that artillery be deployed, and ordering the troops into proper formations.
• The Dawn City and Temple of Light commanders become increasingly frantic as the enemy approaches, adopting harsh, profane orders to force the soldiers into position.
• The ordinary soldiers display understandable fear when confronted with the enormous Dark Army, though they continue preparing for battle. Rangers, Shield Warriors, and other troops are assigned specialized defensive roles.

Significant Themes

• The overwhelming scale of war: The Dark Army’s vast numbers and monstrous forces emphasize that this is not a normal battle but a potentially civilization-defining conflict.
• Preparation versus chaos: The allied forces rely on organization, fortifications, magic formations, artillery, and logistics to survive the coming assault.
• Unity between factions: Dawn City and the Temple of Light cooperate closely, combining military technology, holy power, magic, and disciplined armies.
• The value of strategic resources: Powerful fighters avoid wasting energy, while artillery and defensive formations are preserved for the truly dangerous enemies.
• Courage under terror: Even though many soldiers are frightened, they remain at their posts as the enemy approaches.
• The hostile nature of the Dark World: Its poisonous air, corrosive creatures, and extreme environment make survival difficult even before the battle begins.

Character Interactions

• William and Diablo work together directly, coordinating their efforts to eliminate the Lava Giant Lizards outside the walls.
• Dawn City’s commanders loudly direct their soldiers, while Meng Lu specifically manages artillery placement and troop formations.
• The Temple of Light’s forces cooperate with Dawn City, supplying Holy Light weaponry and helping defend the fortress.
• Epic commanders and Legion Commanders coordinate Shield Warriors, Warriors, Rangers, quartermasters, and artillery crews into a layered defensive system.
• The allied forces collectively prepare for an attack from all four directions, while the Dark Army acts as a unified, overwhelming force.

Ending

The chapter ends as the Dark Army launches its full assault. Horns sound, the earth shakes, black clouds churn, and countless Dark Creatures surge toward the fortress, marking the beginning of the great battle.

Chapter Summary: “Slaying a Saint, Divine Descent”

Key Plot Points and Events

• The War of Light and Darkness reaches a major offensive stage. Ursula remains stationed at the Military Fortress as its defensive Saint, while William serves as the overall offensive commander of the ten Forward Outposts.
• The fortress launches a devastating opening barrage using thousands of Mana Cannons. Hundreds of thousands of Dark Creatures—including Dark Knights, Skeleton Soldiers, Dark Giants, Bone Dragons, and numerous Epic monsters—are killed or severely injured.
• The Dark Army continues its assault from the ground and air. Mana Gatlings, Mana Annihilation Rifles, magic, and Battle Aura Skills turn the battlefield into a massive, modern-style weapons engagement rather than a traditional fantasy battle.
• Dark Epic experts attempt to destroy the fortress’s artillery, but the defenders’ Rangers and Gunners eliminate or repel most of them with concentrated rifle and Gatling fire.
• The Dark Army’s Legendary commanders gather around Dark Lord Agares. They discuss the mysterious higher existence aiding the Surface Creatures, the benefits promised by their god, and whether Agares should personally attack the fortress.
• Agares decides to intensify the offensive against the southeastern walls and orders the killing of William, whom their god has identified as the “Son of Destiny.” More than thirty Legendary experts charge toward the fortress.
• Ursula prepares to respond, but William signals that he does not need assistance. Burning Ash, Diablo, Solimans, Wendis, Annie, and the Prince’s summoned Bean Soldiers confront the attackers.
• As the two sides clash, William’s body is possessed or empowered by a mysterious phantom. He strikes Agares with a single overwhelming punch, blasting him through the Dark Army and leaving him gravely wounded.
• William then crushes Agares beneath his foot and smashes his head, killing or incapacitating the powerful Dark Lord while devastating the surrounding battlefield.
• The Dark Army and both sides’ powerful observers are stunned by William’s victory. William mocks their disbelief, declaring that a Legendary killing a Saint is not something they should be surprised by.
• He orders Dawn City’s forces to counterattack. Ursula recognizes the phantom’s power as Divine Descent, suggesting that William’s strength comes from a divine or godlike intervention.

Character Developments

• William demonstrates that he is far more powerful and dangerous than the Dark Army expected. His ability to defeat Agares with one attack dramatically changes the balance of the battlefield and confirms his exceptional status as the “Son of Destiny.”
• Ursula continues to act as the fortress’s defensive anchor, trusting William enough to let him handle the incoming Legendary assault. His shock at William’s power deepens when he identifies the phenomenon as Divine Descent.
• Agares is shown to be cautious and politically calculating rather than reckless. Although tempted by the rewards promised by his god, he recognizes that Ursula’s apparent strength is suspicious and initially avoids confronting him directly. His confidence collapses when William defeats him effortlessly.
• The Dark Army’s Legendary experts shift from aggression to fear and confusion. Their assumptions about the fortress’s defenses and William’s strength are completely overturned.
• The defenders of Dawn City gain confidence from William’s victory and immediately launch a counterattack.

Significant Themes

• Offense versus defense: The chapter emphasizes the different responsibilities of Saints in war. Ursula protects the fortress, while William is expected to roam the battlefield and eliminate threats.
• Technological warfare in a fantasy world: Mana cannons, Gatlings, and rifles create a battlefield resembling a modern or interstellar war. The Dark Army is bewildered and frustrated by the defenders’ overwhelming firepower.
• Strength and unpredictability: Conventional rankings become unreliable. Agares is a Saint-level Dark Lord, yet William defeats him as though the difference in power were meaningless.
• Faith, divine power, and hidden identities: William’s mysterious phantom and Ursula’s recognition of Divine Descent suggest that greater divine forces are intervening in the war.
• Fear versus confidence: Agares’s forces initially believe they can overwhelm the fortress, but William’s sudden display of power causes the entire battlefield to freeze in terror.
• The brutal nature of war: There are no rules beyond victory. Both sides seek to kill as many enemies as possible and destroy the opponent’s ability to continue fighting.

Significant Character Interactions

• William and Ursula: Ursula is prepared to defend against the Legendary assault, but William gestures for him to remain uninvolved, asserting his ability to handle the crisis himself. Ursula later reacts with disbelief to William’s Divine Descent.
• Agares and his subordinates: Agares questions whether he should personally attack. His followers encourage him by praising his strength, but he privately understands the danger of confronting Ursula and chooses a more strategic target.
• William and Agares: William ambushes Agares with a devastating punch, physically dominates him, and taunts the Dark Army after defeating him.
• William and the Dawn City forces: After defeating Agares, William commands his allies to attack, transforming his personal victory into a wider counteroffensive.
• The Light and Dark forces: Their direct confrontation exposes the Dark Army’s mistaken belief that the fortress has only one Saint-level defender and reveals the defenders’ unusual combination of advanced weapons, summoned puppets, and divine power.

Chapter 612 Summary: “A Saint Falls, Blood Rain”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Ursula explains that Divine Descent normally devastates the host’s body and shortens their lifespan, making William’s apparently cost-free transformation deeply abnormal. His descent seems powerful enough to rival a Divine True Body.
• William, empowered by Odin’s Divine Descent, returns to the battlefield as a Blood-Red Thunder Saint. His lightning annihilates Dark Creatures across tens of thousands of meters.
• He activates the Thunder Saint Domain, covering a radius of roughly 100,000 meters. Within seconds, every Dark Creature below Legendary Rank is reduced to ash.
• In only thirty seconds, William kills approximately one million of Agares’s four-million-strong army, causing the Dark Army’s morale to collapse.
• Baimon, one of the Supreme Four Pillars and a High-Class Saint, intervenes. He battles William in a devastating clash that tears through mountains, opens spatial rifts, releases magma, and carves a massive ravine into the land.
• Though Baimon is stronger by roughly half a realm, William uses Odin’s combat experience and the Heaven-Subduing Blade to hold him to a temporary draw.
• Ursula finally reveals his full strength by unleashing Holy Light Illumination, weakening the surrounding Dark Army and allowing the defenders to counterattack.
• William’s allies and the fortress’s forces launch a large-scale massacre:
  • Diablo uses metal storms to shred Epic Demons.
  • Solimans, in his Time Dragon form, destroys a Bone Dragon and manipulates aging.
  • Lancelot becomes a gigantic Light Sword and cuts through the Dark Army.
  • Other Legendary and Epic professionals, heroic spirits, Mana Gatlings, and Magic Cannons overwhelm the enemy.
• Baimon deliberately allows millions of Dark Creatures to die. He absorbs their blood and concentrated Dark Element, using them as sacrifices to raise his strength from High-Class Saint Rank to Saint Rank Peak.
• William’s strongest attacks, including a Heaven-Suppressing Strike, fail to kill Baimon. He prepares to use Father’s Essence Blood, but Ursula intervenes first.
• Ursula manifests a colossal hand of Holy Light and repeatedly strikes Baimon into the earth. The attack causes blood rain to spread across a million kilometers, signifying the death of a Dark Lord.

Character Developments

• William demonstrates extraordinary power and control while using Odin’s Divine Descent. Unlike ordinary hosts, he suffers no visible backlash, raising questions about his relationship with Odin and the true nature of his transformation.
• He also proves capable of compensating for a lower realm through inherited combat experience, skill, and mastery of the Heaven-Subduing Blade.
• Baimon is revealed to be an exceptionally formidable physical fighter. He can withstand William’s blade despite being only a short distance from Saint Rank Peak, and he shows ruthless willingness to sacrifice his own army for power.
• Ursula stops concealing his strength. His overwhelming Holy Light attack establishes that he possesses power far beyond what he had previously displayed and can decisively kill a Saint-level Dark Lord.
• The fortress’s major heroes—Diablo, Solimans, Lancelot, and others—receive brief showcases of their abilities during the counteroffensive.

Significant Themes

• The cost of divine power: Divine Descent usually destroys its host, but William’s unusual transformation challenges the established rules and suggests a deeper connection between him and Odin.
• The gulf between Saints and ordinary beings: The destruction caused by William and Baimon shows that Saint-level battles can devastate continents and leave normal creatures powerless to survive nearby.
• Sacrifice and ruthless ambition: Baimon treats millions of Dark Creatures as expendable fuel, illustrating the brutal logic of pursuing absolute power.
• Light versus darkness: Ursula’s Holy Light not only weakens the Dark Army but ultimately kills a Dark Lord, reinforcing the destructive opposition between divine light and dark power.
• The instability of the battlefield: The chapter ends with the fall of a major Dark Lord and William wondering how many such deaths—and how much blood rain—will occur across the two worlds.

Important Character Interactions

• William and Ursula: Ursula closely observes William’s unexplained Divine Descent, while William later recognizes the terrifying scale of Ursula’s power after witnessing him kill Baimon.
• William and Baimon: Their battle is the chapter’s central confrontation. They exchange devastating physical and magical attacks, with William relying on technique and Odin’s experience against Baimon’s superior raw strength.
• Baimon and the Dark Army: Baimon effectively sacrifices his own forces, allowing their deaths to saturate the battlefield with blood and Dark Element so he can reach Saint Rank Peak.
• Ursula and Baimon: Ursula ends the confrontation with overwhelming force, crushing Baimon after William is unable to finish him.
• The fortress forces and Dark Army: Once Ursula weakens the enemy, the defenders—including Diablo, Solimans, Lancelot, and the heroic spirits—coordinate a decisive counterattack that turns the battle in their favor.

Chapter 613: Agelessness and Rebirth — Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• The vanguard assault on the Tenth Forward Outpost ends in a decisive victory. William’s forces kill two Dark Lords and capture Agares, whose mind and body are controlled through Soul Control. William considers either exploiting him for information or selling him to Saint-stage Demon Hunters.
• The broader campaign is far more disastrous elsewhere. Of the seventy Forward Outposts, thirteen are overwhelmed during the first wave. Approximately thirteen million warriors die, including hundreds of Epic and Legendary Professionals and eight Saints.
• One Frost Empire outpost is saved only through the sacrifice of Tree Ancestor, a Wood Element Saint. He self-detonates to create a temporary Small World filled with forests and protected by a powerful barrier, giving another Saint time to open a Spatial Gate and evacuate roughly one million survivors.
• The sacrifices of the Saints allow more than half of the professionals at the defeated outposts to survive. The chapter emphasizes that preserving experienced high-level combatants is necessary for civilization’s future, even when millions of ordinary warriors must be left behind.
• By the second day, thirty-two outposts remain locked in stalemates. Some have been defeated, some have achieved temporary victories, and one has avoided attack entirely and begun gathering resources.
• William learns from Ursula that thirteen Dark Lords have been killed and three captured, including Agares. In exchange, the Gods Continent has lost eight Saints, making the victory costly.
• Ursula explains the historical reasons for the Dark World’s growing strength: the Gods Continent has repeatedly suffered catastrophic wars during the Dragon Era, Elf Era, and other periods, causing enormous losses among potential Saints.
• William obtains a resource map covering the area around the Tenth Outpost. He returns to Dawn City’s war council and orders the systematic mining of Mithril, Fire Crystals, Orichalcum, Dark Crystals, Mana Crystals, Mana Gemstones, and other resources.
• He assigns Wendis to establish Portals connecting the mines to the outpost and Dawn City, orders Earth Mages and Archmages to support excavation, and instructs Water and Wood Element Mages to improve the fortress by planting trees, creating rivers, and maintaining clean air.
• The chapter closes with the grim realization that the million warriors stationed in the Dark World may never return. William reveals that the Ring of Reincarnation has already collected 180,000 souls and resolves to allow fallen soldiers to be reborn within the World Tree.

Character Developments

• William demonstrates both strategic pragmatism and compassion. He capitalizes on the victory over Agares, organizes resource exploitation, and prepares for future attacks, while also caring about the living conditions and eventual fate of his soldiers.
• Ursula acts as an informed strategic adviser. He provides William with valuable intelligence and explains the political and historical constraints preventing the Radiant Pope from directly destroying the Dark Lords.
• Tree Ancestor is portrayed as the embodiment of self-sacrifice, giving his life to save a million warriors and preserve the strength of civilization.
• The Saints are presented not as detached immortals but as leaders emotionally bound to their people. Their willingness to die reflects their responsibility as guardian figures.
• Wendis and the other commanders respond efficiently to William’s orders, showing their trust in his leadership and their ability to organize large-scale military logistics.
• William’s thoughts about rebirth reveal an increasingly protective and almost paternal attitude toward his troops.

Significant Themes

• The true cost of war: Military victory is measured not only by defeated enemies but also by the loss of Saints, soldiers, and future potential.
• Leadership and responsibility: Saints and commanders cannot simply preserve themselves; they are responsible for the people who follow them into battle.
• Civilization versus annihilation: The war is framed as a struggle to preserve entire races, cultures, and future generations rather than merely win territory.
• Sacrifice and legacy: Tree Ancestor’s death and the soldiers’ continued service show how individuals sustain civilization through personal sacrifice.
• Immortality and rebirth: The title’s ideas are reflected in the contrast between Saints’ long lives, the soldiers’ likely deaths, and William’s attempt to offer them another existence through the World Tree.
• Resource and logistical warfare: Survival depends not only on battlefield strength but also on mining, transportation, fortification, environmental management, and the steady replacement of troops.

Character Interactions

• William and Ursula discuss the casualty balance, the strength of the Dark Lords, the Radiant Pope’s limitations, and the long-term strategy behind occupying the Dark Continent.
• Their conversation includes light teasing: William jokes that the Pope should be more powerful and prevent Saints from dying, while Ursula dismisses the suggestion as unreasonable.
• William consults Dawn City’s commanders and Epic-Class Professionals, giving them detailed assignments for mining, transportation, exploration, and fortress development.
• His instructions to improve the outpost’s environment show his concern for the soldiers’ morale and quality of life, prompting approving reactions from those present.
• William’s relationship with his troops is deepened by his private decision to use reincarnation to preserve them even if they cannot survive the war.

Chapter Summary: “The Demon Hunters Guild, a Super-Faction!”

Key Plot Points and Events

• William returns to Dawn City through the portal while the city is defending against a massive sea-beast tide.
• He observes that Dawn City’s powerful military—especially its Mana Gatlings, Dawn Marines, Doglitt, Captain Jack, and Little Paul—easily holds the line. The attack reveals how far Dawn City has grown beyond ordinary factions.
• William visits the Rainbow Lake Forbidden Grounds and inspects the rapidly growing World Tree, now 3,500 meters tall. The World Tree creates several elegant treehouses for him and the elves.
• William gives the World Tree 180,000 powerful souls belonging to warriors who died under his command. The souls will be used to create new elves, potentially increasing production to 10,000–20,000 elves per month.
• He explores the World Tree’s expanding small world, where thousands of elves and rare Mythic Era creatures—including a Cyclops—live and develop.
• William speculates that the ancient Elves may have hidden much of their true strength inside the World Tree’s small world. He considers whether the World Tree from his previous life may also have been secretly taken and preserved by the Elves.
• Elf City now contains 14,000 elves, with second-generation elves soon to be born. The elves study, cultivate, and receive ideological instruction from William’s prescribed teachings.
• Two Epic-tier professionals are assigned to educate the elves. William compensates them heavily with Water of Life and Mana Source, while restricting them to the hidden world until they reach the Saint Realm.
• William contacts a Demon Hunter to sell the drained dark divine object Agares. Instead, seven Saint-stage Demon Hunters immediately respond, revealing that the guild possesses at least seven saints and operates as a highly connected, powerful faction.
• William realizes the Demon Hunters Guild may qualify as a super-faction, despite spending most of its time collecting and studying dark divine objects rather than openly fighting in the Dark World.

Character Developments

• William/Prince: Becomes increasingly aware of Dawn City’s overwhelming strength and his own faction’s strategic advantages. He also shows greater responsibility toward the elves, preserving the souls of fallen warriors by giving them new life. His suspicions about the hidden power of the Elves and other races deepen.
• The World Tree: Displays intelligence, personality, and a slightly possessive attitude toward William. It eagerly accepts the souls and proves capable of rapidly creating both treehouses and new elven bodies.
• The Elves: Continue developing quickly in their protected small world. Though physically mature at birth, they begin with blank minds and must be educated and guided. Their society is expanding through pregnancy and the birth of a second generation.
• The Epic instructors: Accept years of confinement and exhausting teaching duties because William offers extraordinary rewards and the possibility of eventual freedom after reaching sainthood.
• The Demon Hunters: Are revealed to be far more numerous and powerful than William expected. Their casual, coordinated response suggests a close-knit guild with unusual priorities and personalities.

Significant Themes

• Hidden power and strategic deception: William suspects that the Elves, Winged Folk, and other ancient races deliberately concealed their true strength and may possess extensive reserves of power.
• Growth and nation-building: Dawn City and the World Tree are developing into major powers, with large armies, expanding territories, new populations, and advanced cultivation systems.
• Rebirth and preservation: The fallen warriors’ souls are given another chance at life through the World Tree, presenting resurrection as both an act of loyalty and a means of strengthening William’s faction.
• Knowledge as control: Since newborn elves lack life experience, William emphasizes education and ideological guidance to shape their future beliefs and ensure their loyalty.
• Power disguised as eccentricity: The Demon Hunters appear strange and obsessed with dark artifacts, but beneath that behavior lies a faction with at least seven saints and immense influence.

Important Character Interactions

• William negotiates with the World Tree over the creation of new treehouses and the use of the 180,000 souls.
• The World Tree reacts jealously when William asks it to accommodate more people, but ultimately cooperates.
• William indirectly supports the two Epic instructors by offering them valuable resources and a path to greater strength.
• William’s attempted private deal with one Demon Hunter unexpectedly reaches all seven Saint-stage members, producing a chaotic and humorous exchange.
• The Demon Hunters’ comments about obtaining a “second little cutie” highlight their shared fascination with dark divine objects and their eccentric group dynamic.

Chapter Summary: “Auctioning a Dark Lord”

Key Plot Points and Events

• William travels to a major branch of the Demon Hunter Guild in the Pacification Empire to negotiate with its leaders. The guild is a massive, loosely organized institution devoted almost exclusively to hunting dark creatures.
• Upon entering the guild’s hidden headquarters, William is warned by a young girl about “devils” inside, but his appearance charms her instead.
• A cat-eared half-orc assassin named Melantha detects the Dark Lord’s aura clinging to William and mistakes him for an enemy. She raises the alarm, causing numerous high-level demon hunters to surround him.
• William reveals his identity as the Dawn City Lord and explains that he has captured a living Dark Lord whom the guild leadership wishes to purchase.
• Melantha becomes fascinated by William’s aura and willingly follows him, eventually transforming into a small purple kitten that he carries with him.
• William is escorted through a portal into the guild’s hidden Otherworld Space, where the environment is saturated with dark elements to sustain the guild’s resident dark creatures.
• He reunites with Jelorg, an old acquaintance and Saint Stage demon hunter, and meets the guild’s other Saint Stage leaders. They eagerly demand to see the captured Dark Lord and quickly bring William to a secret cabin to begin the promised auction.
• The chapter ends as William enters the cabin and is overwhelmed by what he sees, setting up the auction and the guild’s unusual treasures.

Character Developments

• William demonstrates confidence, resourcefulness, and his usual irreverent humor. He hides his identity at first, then reveals himself once the guild members confront him. His capture of a living Dark Lord greatly raises his standing and makes the guild leaders eager to cooperate.
• Melantha is introduced as a powerful but impulsive Epic-tier cat-eared assassin. Initially terrified of William’s aura, she quickly becomes attached to him after sensing the Dark Lord’s presence and enjoying his attention. She chooses to accompany him, suggesting the beginning of a close or comic relationship.
• Jelorg is shown to be a friendly ally among the Demon Hunter Guild’s Saint Stage members. His favorable attitude toward William stems partly from William’s acceptance of vampires and other dark creatures into Dawn City.
• The other demon hunters are portrayed as intensely focused on dark creatures, socially eccentric, and highly interested in acquiring the Dark Lord. Several are also comically dazzled by William’s appearance.

Significant Themes

• The Demon Hunter Guild’s unusual neutrality: Despite possessing enormous wealth and powerful members, the guild avoids territorial and political conflicts, concentrating solely on eliminating or studying dark creatures.
• The value of dark creatures: A living Dark Lord is treated as an extraordinary commodity, emphasizing the guild’s interest in rare and powerful beings rather than simple destruction.
• Acceptance and coexistence: William’s willingness to shelter vampires and other dark races contrasts with the guild’s traditional role as demon hunters, helping explain Jelorg’s loyalty and hinting at broader questions about whether dark creatures are inherently evil.
• Comedy through power imbalance and attraction: Characters who initially fear William quickly become impressed or infatuated with him. Melantha’s transformation from alarmed attacker to affectionate companion provides much of the chapter’s humor.
• Hidden worlds and unconventional communities: The guild’s remote headquarters and sealed Otherworld Space reveal a secret society where retired hunters, multiple races, and dark creatures coexist under unusual conditions.

Important Character Interactions

• A village girl warns William away from the guild but becomes instantly attracted to him, provoking jealousy from her childhood sweetheart.
• Melantha confronts William, sniffs out the Dark Lord’s aura, and attempts to alert the guild. William restrains her, then casually rubs her cat ears, turning her fear into fascination.
• Guild members initially threaten William for restraining Melantha, but their hostility disappears once he reveals himself as the Dawn City Lord.
• Melantha insists on following William and comfortably remains in his arms as a kitten.
• Jelorg welcomes William warmly, while the Saint Stage demon hunters crowd around him in anticipation of seeing and purchasing the captured Dark Lord.

Chapter Summary: “Soul Artifacts”

Key Plot Points and Events

• William enters the Demon Hunter Guild’s secret Mimi Hut with Jerrog and six other Saint-level Demon Hunters. Although tiny outside, the hut contains enormous internal spaces filled with thousands of living Dark Creatures sealed in jars.
• The collection includes Skeleton Soldiers, Knights, Dark Giants, Demons, and countless rare species. A sign reveals that 3,241 of the estimated 5,320 Dark Creature species are housed there.
• The Demon Hunters lead William to a hidden basement containing a heavily sealed Magic Gate. Behind it is a bizarre pink bedroom where they keep Lilith, a captured male Dark Lord who has been magically reduced, dressed in a pink outfit and white stockings, and psychologically broken through prolonged abuse.
• Jerrog asks William to produce his own captured Dark Lord. William brings out Agares, the second-ranked member of the Seventy-Two Demon Gods. Agares is bound, gagged, and sealed, but desperately tries to remain with William rather than fall into the Demon Hunters’ hands.
• William presents Agares as valuable “merchandise,” emphasizing his rank, appearance, Saint-level mental strength, and durability. The Demon Hunters enthusiastically discuss replacing Lilith with Agares and treating him as a personal possession.
• An auction begins. The Time Law Saint bids several Mithril, Orichalcum, Gold Essence, Mana Gemstone, and Mana Crystal veins, along with Legendary-class armor. Guild founder Wesermir raises the offer with even more resources and additional Legendary armor.
• Just as Wesermir appears likely to win, Jerrog interrupts and offers a mysterious treasure he created himself: a Saint-Grade Soul Artifact. The chapter ends with William and the other Saints shocked, since a Soul Artifact is effectively an additional life.

Character Developments

• William is disturbed by the Demon Hunters’ cruelty and bizarre behavior, nearly considering escape, but he ultimately adopts their language and treats Agares as auction merchandise to gain the greatest possible reward.
• Agares is reduced from a powerful Demon God to a helpless captive. Despite being bound by William, he clearly fears the Demon Hunters more and desperately tries to return to William for protection.
• Lilith, the captured Dark Lord, is revealed to have been psychologically shattered after centuries of captivity and torment. His passivity shows how thoroughly the Demon Hunters have broken him.
• Jerrog is portrayed as both powerful and disturbingly enthusiastic about collecting and “playing with” Dark Lords. His desire to own one personally drives the auction’s escalation.
• Wesermir, founder of the Demon Hunter Guild, demonstrates enormous wealth and a possessive attitude toward Lilith, whom he considers part of his private collection.
• The other Saints reveal themselves as wealthy, cruel, and fascinated by domination, treating living Dark Lords as toys rather than people.

Significant Themes

• Dehumanization and cruelty: The Demon Hunters regard living Dark Creatures as collectibles and entertainment, reversing the usual image of humans as victims of the Dark World.
• Powerlessness despite strength: Even Dark Lords and Demon Gods at the Saint level are helpless when faced with coordinated, exceptionally powerful opponents and specialized seals.
• Moral corruption and hypocrisy: The Demon Hunters are ostensibly defenders of humanity, yet their treatment of captives is portrayed as monstrous and sadistic.
• Value and commodification: Agares’ worth is measured through rank, durability, appearance, and usefulness, turning a major Demon God into an item for trade.
• Escalation and suspense: The auction shifts from material wealth to a legendary Soul Artifact, establishing a major cliffhanger and suggesting that the artifact may be worth more than any ordinary treasure.

Character Interactions

• Jerrog guides William through the guild’s collection and pressures him to reveal his own captive.
• William and Agares have a hostile but practical relationship: William restrains and exploits Agares, while Agares still sees him as safer than the Demon Hunters.
• Wesermir treats Lilith possessively and comforts him in a disturbing, patronizing manner.
• The Saints collectively evaluate Agares as though he were an object, discussing how he might be altered and enjoyed.
• William deliberately advertises Agares’ qualities to increase the auction price, while the Saints compete through increasingly extravagant bids.
• Jerrog’s final bid transforms the auction, offering a Saint-Grade Soul Artifact and leaving everyone stunned.

Chapter Summary: “Rescuing Old Man Caesar”

Key Plot Points and Events

• William explains the power and danger of Soul Artifacts, which can resurrect their user at full health when their soul is about to perish. They are extremely rare, difficult to create, and carry serious risks if a person possesses more than two.
• He receives Agares’s Soul Artifact in exchange for handing Agares over to the Demon Hunter Guild. William and the guild members are delighted with the bargain, though the Saints’ strange behavior makes William flee in fear.
• The Demon Hunter Guild reveals its grim history: most members became Demon Hunters because Dark Creatures destroyed their families, friends, and comrades. Their vengeance has sometimes become extreme and morally twisted.
• After escaping, William returns to the Imperial City with Melantha, who remains in cat form because the many Saint auras at the guild headquarters terrified her.
• William meets Caesar, the Second Prince, at the Nine-Story Tower. Caesar explains that one of his empire’s secret Forward Outposts is under siege and needs assistance.
• The outpost is in a strategically valuable area but is surrounded by three Dark Lords. Many of the Pacification Empire’s Saints are unavailable because they are guarding other outposts, protecting the empire, or assisting William’s father.
• Caesar asks William to personally reinforce the outpost, appealing to his reputation as a potential Near-Saint. William agrees to go within three days.
• In exchange for defeating or capturing a Dark Lord, William is promised thirty percent of the outpost’s surrounding resources.
• William considers capturing rather than killing a Dark Lord, since repeatedly killing Saints could provoke hostility from other Saint Seat powerhouses.
• Upon returning to Dawn City, William assigns Melantha to the intelligence department, disappointing her because she had expected to stay with him.
• Before leaving to rescue Caesar’s father, William begins refining another Soul Artifact. Thanks to his data-based abilities, he expects to finish it in only seven or eight days and plans to hide it within the World Tree as an additional life.

Character Developments

• William becomes more cautious and strategic. He recognizes the political danger of being labeled a Near-Saint and plans to avoid unnecessarily killing powerful enemies.
• He also demonstrates his usual opportunistic side by bargaining for a share of the outpost’s resources while maintaining the appearance of reluctance.
• Caesar is shown as increasingly influential and politically capable, controlling much of the empire’s support. However, he is under pressure because his family’s military outpost is in danger.
• Agares is reduced from a powerful opponent to a bargaining asset, handed over to the Demon Hunter Guild for their experiments and training.
• Melantha grows more comfortable with William’s affection but becomes emotionally attached to him. She is hurt and confused when he immediately sends her to work in Dawn City.
• The Demon Hunter Guild is characterized as powerful but socially distrusted, with its members’ hatred of Dark Creatures having warped some of their behavior.

Significant Themes

• The value and danger of resurrection: Soul Artifacts represent a second life, but their rarity and risks emphasize that survival always carries a cost.
• Pragmatism and political calculation: William treats alliances, enemies, and resources as matters of negotiation rather than pure loyalty.
• Reputation versus reality: William is celebrated as handsome and feared as a Saint-slayer, while he insists that the “Near-Saint” label exaggerates his true strength.
• Trauma and vengeance: The Demon Hunters’ hatred of Dark Creatures began with genuine suffering but has evolved into increasingly disturbing forms of revenge.
• Power and restraint: William worries that killing too many Saints could upset the balance of power, making capture a safer political solution than slaughter.
• Comedy amid danger: The chapter repeatedly undercuts its serious conflicts with humor, particularly William’s fear of the Demon Hunter Guild, his vanity, and Melantha’s reactions.

Character Interactions

• William and the Demon Hunter Saints exchange Agares for a Soul Artifact, forming a mutually profitable but absurdly uncomfortable deal.
• William’s fear of the guild’s suggestive behavior contrasts with the Saints’ admiration of his appearance and desire to attract future business from him.
• William and Caesar maintain a teasing, informal friendship, but their meal quickly becomes a serious political negotiation.
• Caesar flatters William by calling him a Near-Saint, while William rejects the title but agrees to help.
• William treats Melantha affectionately as a cat, yet functionally assigns her to intelligence work once they return to Dawn City, creating a humorous contrast between tenderness and practicality.

Chapter 618 Summary: “How About a Few Dozen Bottles of Water of Life?”

Key Plot Points and Events

• William arrives in the Pacification Empire’s Imperial City seven days later than promised, after organizing his Soul Artifacts. Second Prince Caesar quickly escorts him to the Empire’s secret Portal Hall.
• The Empire’s Forward Outpost in the Dark World is on the verge of collapse. Reinforcements continuously enter through Spatial Gates, while wounded soldiers and corpses are transported back so they can be returned to their homeland and prevented from becoming undead creatures.
• William reaches the embattled fortress and witnesses its desperate condition: cannon fire fills the sky, buildings and walls are collapsing, and Dark Creatures are attacking all four sides.
• He is taken to the Main Command Post, where Law Saint Gregory is seriously injured after battling three Dark Lords. The Pacification Empire’s other Saint, the Thunder Emperor Dailix, remains combat-capable but cannot overcome the enemy alone.
• The enemy forces include Vassago, a newly revealed High-Class Saint Seat, alongside a Mid-Class and a Low-Class Saint Seat. The Empire’s intelligence had underestimated them, leaving Gregory badly wounded and the fortress in danger.
• William produces a bottle containing two hundred drops of Water of Life. He negotiates with Gregory and Dailix, ultimately selling it for two and a half Mana Crystal Veins.
• After casually implying that he may possess “a few dozen bottles” of Water of Life, William sparks intense interest from the Saints. The chapter ends with both sides beginning further negotiations over this extremely valuable strategic resource.

Character Developments

• William demonstrates increasing confidence, strategic thinking, and commercial ruthlessness. Although he presents himself modestly, he openly exploits the Empire’s desperate situation to obtain enormous compensation.
• He also reveals that his financial and material resources are far greater than the Empire expected. His supply of Water of Life could potentially transform the course of the war.
• Law Saint Gregory is shown to be seriously injured, with damage to his origin that ordinary healing cannot repair. Despite his dignity as a Saint, he becomes visibly eager and opportunistic when William offers Water of Life.
• Thunder Emperor Dailix is portrayed as a powerful High-Class Saint Seat and a straightforward, battle-hardened warrior. He is initially skeptical of William’s unstable combat power but quickly recognizes the immense value of the Water of Life.
• Vassago is established as a dangerous and underestimated enemy who recently advanced to High-Class Saint Seat, explaining why the Empire’s original battle plan failed.
• The Empire’s military situation reveals the dangers faced by ordinary soldiers and high-level combatants alike, with entire Legions at risk of annihilation and Saints frequently falling in battle.

Significant Themes

• War as commerce and negotiation: Even while a fortress is collapsing, William treats aid as a business transaction. The chapter emphasizes that resources, healing items, and military assistance all have prices.
• The strategic value of rare resources: Water of Life is not merely a healing potion; it can restore injured Saints and allow them to return to battle quickly. Its value increases dramatically during prolonged, high-casualty wars.
• The consequences of faulty intelligence: The Empire’s failure to detect Vassago’s true strength places the entire Forward Outpost at risk and demonstrates how deception and traitors influence the larger war.
• The brutality of the Dark World: Soldiers face not only death but also the danger of their corpses becoming undead enemies. The chapter highlights the scale and horror of the conflict.
• Power, privilege, and opportunism: William’s access to immense resources through his family background gives him leverage, while his ability to exploit that advantage makes him both useful and dangerous to his supposed allies.

Character Interactions

• William and Caesar: Caesar urgently escorts William through the Portal Hall, emphasizing the Empire’s dependence on his assistance.
• William and Hank: Hank guides William through the battlefield and explains the condition of the Saints and the outpost.
• William and Gregory: Gregory asks William for Water of Life, while William refuses to give it away and forces him into a hard negotiation. Their exchange is formally cooperative but filled with mutual exploitation.
• William and Dailix: Dailix questions William’s strength and mocks his reputation indirectly, while William responds with carefully veiled boasting. Dailix becomes wary of William’s business instincts after realizing how much Water of Life he may possess.
• Gregory and Dailix: Dailix persuades Gregory to purchase the Water of Life on the Empire’s behalf, recognizing that Gregory’s recovery could be decisive.
• William and the Empire: Their alliance shifts from a simple request for military aid into a major commercial relationship, with William potentially becoming the Empire’s supplier of a war-changing resource.

Chapter Summary: Near-Saint Once Again!

Key Plot Points and Events

• William exchanges thirty bottles of Water of Life—six thousand drops total—with the Pacification Empire. In return, the empire provides Mana Gemstone and Mana Crystal veins, equipment, Combo Skills, and resources surrounding the Forward Outpost.
• The Water of Life is a strategic treasure capable of extending Legendary lifespans and restoring injured Saints, though much of it must be distributed among nobles, officials, and influential Saint and Legendary families to preserve political stability.
• The Dark Lord launches another massive assault on the Forward Outpost. The Pacification Empire’s cannons and Mana Gatlings bombard the sky while Aurelet assumes command of the fortress defenses.
• Aurelet embraces the opportunity to prove himself independently of his father, the Peerless War Saint, and leads the army against the Dark forces.
• The Thunder Emperor challenges Vassago and enters Saint-Rank Space to fight him. Meanwhile, two other Dark Lords attack Gregory, who is injured but determined to take one of them down with him.
• William goes to the East Wall, where he effortlessly defeats a High Legendary Berserker Demon. He uses the powerful Thunderclap Finger, killing the Demon and destroying a huge section of the battlefield while annihilating over a hundred thousand Dark Creatures.
• The Dark forces identify William as the Dawn City Lord and send multiple Legendary Peak experts to eliminate him. William counters with Bean Soldier Summoning, producing thirty Legendary Heroic Spirits.
• A large-scale battle erupts outside the city. William is surrounded by several powerful Demons but withstands hundreds of attacks through his enormous health and rapid regeneration.
• After counting hundreds of enemy strikes, William unleashes Heaven-Suppressing Strike, severely injuring five opponents and killing three.
• As Gregory’s position collapses and two Dark Lords move to finish him, the Empire’s Law Saint calls for William’s ultimate technique. William responds by activating Divine Descent, dramatically revealing or confirming his Near-Saint-level combat power.

Character Developments

• William demonstrates that his strength is far beyond ordinary Legendary rank. He defeats a High Legendary Demon with a single technique, endures a prolonged assault by multiple Legendary Peak enemies, and finally uses Divine Descent to reveal his true power.
• The Thunder Emperor has recovered much of his strength after consuming Water of Life and eagerly confronts Vassago, suggesting renewed confidence and combat ability.
• Gregory remains badly injured but refuses to retreat. His determination to fight until death highlights his courage and loyalty to the empire.
• Aurelet seeks to escape the reputation of being merely the Peerless War Saint’s son. Commanding the fortress gives him a chance to demonstrate his own military talent and earn glory.
• The Dark Lords and Legendary Demons begin treating William as a major strategic threat. Their initial underestimation changes into fear once they witness his durability, destructive power, and summoned forces.

Significant Themes

• Political compromise versus military necessity: Even a priceless resource like the Water of Life cannot be reserved exclusively for warriors; rulers must reward nobles, officials, and powerful families to maintain political unity.
• The burden of human relationships: The chapter emphasizes that empires are sustained by complicated personal and familial ties, even when those ties create waste and inefficiency.
• Proving oneself beyond inherited status: Aurelet’s struggle to escape his father’s shadow parallels William’s rise through his own achievements.
• Hidden strength and strategic deception: William allows others to view him as merely Legendary until the right moment, then reveals overwhelming abilities such as Thunderclap Finger and Divine Descent.
• Endurance and overwhelming force: William’s regeneration, stamina, and final counterattack show that victory can come not only from explosive power but also from surviving an opponent’s strongest assault.

Character Interactions

• William negotiates with the Thunder Emperor and Gregory, exchanging the Water of Life while warning that his supply is limited. The two Saints immediately consider obtaining more from him.
• The Thunder Emperor entrusts Aurelet with the fortress defense and threatens him with execution if the Forward Outpost falls, while Aurelet accepts the responsibility eagerly.
• The Thunder Emperor and Vassago resume their rivalry in Saint-Rank Space.
• Gregory confronts two Dark Lords and vows to kill one even if he dies in the process.
• William defeats the Berserker Demon that attacks him, shocking both the empire’s Legendary experts and the Dark forces.
• The summoned Legendary Heroic Spirits and the defending Legendary professionals support William when the Dark army surrounds him.
• The Empire’s Law Saint urges William to use his ultimate move after Gregory is defeated again, leading directly to William’s activation of Divine Descent and the chapter’s cliffhanger.

Chapter Summary: “High-Tier Saint!”

Key Plot Points and Events

• William activates Divine Descent, fusing with Odin’s power and temporarily reaching Mid-Class Saint Rank. Unlike ordinary Divine Descent users, he suffers no physical backlash because he summons Odin’s True Body rather than an Avatar or Incarnation.
• His overwhelming aura frightens the surrounding Legendary Demons. He casually knocks several aside and targets the Dark Lords.
• Gregory, the Pacification Empire’s chief Law Saint, uses the metal-rich battlefield to cast the Saint Seat Forbidden Spell: Heavenly Net. The massive metal cage traps Gregory, William, and two Dark Lords while also blocking spatial teleportation.
• The Dark Lords activate Transformation abilities and burn their Dark Origin, temporarily raising their strength—one approaching High-Class Saint power and the other reaching Mid-Class Saint Rank.
• Gregory struggles to fight after using most of the battlefield’s metal in the Heavenly Net. He admits that repeatedly burning his damaged Origin could kill him permanently.
• William battles the stronger Dark Lord but is initially outmatched. His shield is shattered, his armor and helmet are destroyed, and he is pierced through the chest by a poisoned spear. The poison reduces all his attributes by 20%.
• With the situation worsening, William activates Unrivaled, combining it with Divine Descent and his highest-level Peerless Sacred Thunder. His power surges to an unstable but unmistakable High-Class Saint Rank.
• William completely reverses the battle. He smashes the Dark Lord across the cage, beats him brutally, and throws the Heaven-Subduing Blade through the chest of the other Dark Lord.
• One Dark Lord escapes through a Spatial Scroll after retrieving William’s blade, but William uses a Giant Soul Hand to drag him back out of the spatial tunnel.
• William extinguishes both Dark Lords’ Origin Flames, cuts off their limbs, seals them with Thunder Chains and Runes, and stores them in his Otherworld Space as helpless captives.
• The battle leaves the Pacification Empire’s forces stunned. Gregory concludes that William is an extraordinarily powerful Near-Saint who could potentially reach Saint Rank Peak or even the Transcendent Saint realm.

Character Developments

• William demonstrates that his true combat potential is far beyond his apparent Legendary rank. By combining Odin’s Divine Descent with Unrivaled and Peerless Sacred Thunder, he briefly reaches High-Class Saint power.
• His experience and inherited memories from Odin are revealed to have given him advanced techniques for sealing and capturing Dark Lords, despite William claiming he has only captured three before.
• William’s confidence and ruthlessness increase throughout the battle. Even after being poisoned, impaled, and badly injured, he remains focused on finding a way to win.
• Gregory shifts from aggressive retaliation to desperation. His Heavenly Net is vital to trapping the Dark Lords, but using nearly all available metal leaves him vulnerable and unable to withstand their Origin-burning forms.
• The Dark Lords reveal their willingness to sacrifice their Origins to survive. Their confidence collapses when William suddenly rises from Mid-Class to High-Class Saint power, leaving one dead or captured and the other forced into a failed escape attempt.

Significant Themes

• Hidden power and deceptive appearances: William’s Legendary rank conceals strength capable of rivaling or surpassing Saint-level experts.
• The cost of power: Burning Origin grants immense temporary strength but risks complete annihilation of body and soul.
• Battlefield advantage and preparation: Gregory’s metal-based Forbidden Spell shows how an expert’s surroundings can dramatically increase their power.
• Momentum and fear: William’s victory establishes him as an unstoppable force, causing allies and enemies alike to reconsider whether he can safely be challenged.
• Legacy and inherited knowledge: Odin’s abilities and memories continue to influence William, giving him skills and combat instincts beyond his own experience.
• Capture versus destruction: William’s refined methods of sealing Dark Lords suggest that imprisoning powerful enemies may be more valuable than simply killing them.

Character Interactions

• William and Gregory cooperate uneasily: Gregory creates the Heavenly Net and asks William to hold back a Dark Lord, but William criticizes Gregory when his own spell leaves him without enough metal to defend himself.
• Gregory depends on William to counter the Dark Lords, while William relies on Gregory’s cage to prevent teleportation and contain the battlefield.
• The Dark Lords coordinate against them, assigning one opponent to Gregory and the other to William. Their cooperation breaks down once both are forced to burn their Origins and William overwhelms them.
• William humiliates the spear-wielding Dark Lord in close combat, eventually crushing him and sealing him after dragging him back from a spatial escape.
• Gregory is impressed and alarmed by William’s performance, joking bitterly about William “giving away” the Heaven-Subduing Blade while ultimately recognizing that William’s potential may be beyond even Saint Rank Peak.

Chapter Summary: “Crazy Backdoor Deal”

Key Plot Points and Events

• The battle at the Dark World Forward Outpost ends in humanity’s favor. Vassago is nearly killed by the Thunder Emperor, while William captures two Dark Lords alive. Gregory assists mainly through his Heavenly Net Forbidden Spell.
• William’s performance causes the wider world to recognize him as a genuine Near-Saint rather than an ordinary Legendary expert. His record of killing three Saints while still at Legendary Tier sparks comparisons to the powerful Near-Saints of the Second Era.
• The Forward Outpost crisis is resolved, with Dailix remaining to suppress the region and ensure safe resource extraction. William investigates the nearby resources and begins planning a connection between the outpost and the Tenth Forward Outpost.
• William returns to the Pacification Empire and calculates his rewards: two dark-element Holy Relics, two billion experience points, and future Legendary Degree from the Gods Continent. He plans to sell or distribute the dark equipment through the Dark Hall, possibly giving one item to Adolf.
• The Pacification Emperor receives William in the presence of Caesar and the Peerless War Saint. The Empire fulfills its original contract by giving William thirty Space Rings containing the agreed resources.
• The Pacification Emperor offers an additional reward for William’s extra capture: a military alliance, expanded trade, reduced commercial taxes, and support for Dawn City.
• William rejects a binding military alliance because Dawn City belongs to the Neutral Faction. He instead proposes a looser agreement in which both sides may choose whether to provide assistance during crises.
• After William leaves, the Pacification Emperor and Peerless War Saint discuss his independence, potential, and similarities to the War Saint’s younger days.
• The Emperor reveals that he intends for the Peerless War Saint to act against his son Peter when necessary, despite his reluctance to destroy his own child. Peter had secretly planned to ally with Saints from other continents to seize the throne.
• Caesar confirms that the succession is secure but admits Peter may die. William then leaves for the Demon Hunters Guild, intending to profit from the Guild’s interest in Dark Lords and force its Saints to pay heavily for future captures.

Character Developments

• William/Dawn City Lord: His reputation and political influence rise sharply. He demonstrates not only overwhelming combat ability but also caution and diplomatic independence, refusing to let Dawn City become politically subordinate to the Pacification Empire. He proves capable of negotiating with powerful figures without intimidation or greed.
• Pacification Emperor Rili Wanji: Revealed as a calculating ruler who tries to use generous political terms to bind Dawn City to the Empire. Though initially frustrated by William’s refusal, he ultimately respects William’s judgment and sees his immense potential.
• Caesar: Remains loyal to his father but is visibly uncomfortable during the tense negotiations. His position as future emperor appears secure, while his older brother Peter’s treasonous ambitions have doomed him.
• Peerless War Saint: Confirms that William’s independence resembles his own attitude as a Near-Saint. He recognizes William as an exceptional anomaly, especially because of his defensive and regenerative abilities, which rival those of Saints.
• Peter: His attempted alliance with foreign Saints to claim the throne marks him as a direct threat to the Empire. His likely execution becomes necessary for Caesar’s succession and the Empire’s stability.
• Gregory and the Thunder Emperor: Gregory’s support remains important despite his lesser role in the battle, while the Thunder Emperor is irritated by William’s growing reputation and the possibility that William may challenge his prestige.

Significant Themes

• Power and recognition: William’s victories force the major powers to acknowledge that he has surpassed the normal limits of a Legendary expert.
• Political independence: Dawn City’s Neutral Faction status is central. William understands that an alliance could bring protection but also drag his forces into wars that do not benefit him.
• Diplomacy as another form of combat: The negotiation between William and the Pacification Emperor resembles a contest of strategy, with both sides attempting to gain leverage without appearing to demand too much.
• Duty versus family: The Emperor’s willingness to sacrifice Peter for the Empire highlights the conflict between paternal affection and political responsibility.
• The burden of exceptional strength: Near-Saints possess enormous power and pride, making them difficult for empires to control. William’s growing strength allows him to negotiate as an equal with the greatest figures of the Human Race.

Important Character Interactions

• William and the Thunder Emperor: William lightly challenges the Emperor’s credibility and reputation, irritating him while acknowledging the vast gap between a temporary High-Class Saint-level transformation and a true High-Class Saint Seat.
• William and the Pacification Emperor: Their meeting becomes a subtle negotiation. The Emperor offers an attractive military alliance, but William counters with a limited, optional-support arrangement to preserve Dawn City’s neutrality.
• William and Caesar: Their private conversation confirms Caesar’s secure succession and Peter’s betrayal. William offers practical, unsentimental judgment rather than emotional reassurance.
• Pacification Emperor and Peerless War Saint: They discuss William’s character and the Emperor’s plan to eliminate Peter if necessary. The War Saint provides historical perspective and agrees to support the Emperor when his lifespan ends.
• William and the Demon Hunters Guild: Though their direct interaction occurs after the chapter’s main events, William’s decision to visit them sets up a future commercial confrontation: he intends to exploit their demand for Dark Lords and extract valuable compensation.

Chapter Summary: “Moxis Returns”

Key Plot Points and Events

• William completes a secret transaction at the Demon Hunter Guild, exchanging captured Dark Lords for payment. Although he had hoped to obtain Holy Relics or Divine Artifacts, the allied buyers deliberately restrain their bids, leaving him dissatisfied.
• He realizes that the Dark Lords’ shared dark-elemental nature makes them less valuable, especially since equipment forged from them would be difficult to sell.
• Caesar warns William that the Dark Lords may retaliate by forming an alliance and ambushing him in the Dark World, so William returns to Dawn City.
• After overhearing guards gossiping about him, William threatens to send them back to the battlefield. However, his joking remark that he would like people to praise him causes Dawn City’s soldiers to become enthusiastic bootlickers.
• William decides to combat the growing laziness among veteran soldiers and retirement departments by returning them to active training and rotating them with soldiers currently serving on the front lines.
• During three months of rest, William secretly travels across the continent, using his Insight ability to recruit more than one hundred thousand talented youths. He relocates them to Storm Island for training, greatly strengthening Dawn City’s future talent pool.
• Dawn City continues expanding. William approves a major increase in academy capacity: five hundred additional instructors for each academy and one hundred thousand more students per year.
• Lotner, exhausted from his duties as Deputy City Lord, is scolded by William for supposedly neglecting his responsibilities. William then gives him Water of Life to restore his hair and assigns him even more administrative work.
• William waits impatiently for Moxis to return. He has recently come of age as a Half-Elf and is preoccupied with testing whether his physical growth has affected his romantic abilities, though the relevant women in his life are absent.
• Moxis finally returns unexpectedly and reveals that she has successfully entered the Saint Realm. She spent one month breaking through and the following months visiting old acquaintances.
• Moxis tells William that several Goddesses know about him. The Goddesses of Fortune and Misfortune both want to meet him, primarily because of his past behavior, including smashing their statues, deceiving them, and making irreverent fantasies about them.
• William becomes terrified that the Goddesses intend to punish him, while Moxis teasingly refuses to protect him completely. The chapter ends with their flirtatious reunion and William tentatively testing Moxis’s tolerance.

Character Developments

• William: Remains clever, opportunistic, and irreverent, but also demonstrates strong leadership. He expands Dawn City, recruits talented youths, reforms its complacent military structure, and invests heavily in education. His confidence is undercut by his fear of powerful Goddesses and his dependence on Moxis’s protection.
• Moxis: Returns as a Saint and is now even stronger than William, having mastered both All-Element and melee laws. She acts teasingly possessive toward him, enjoys frightening him with stories about the Goddesses, and clearly has influence within the Goddess community.
• Lotner: Is shown as an overworked but capable administrator. William’s criticism makes him anxious about losing his position, while the gift of Water of Life reveals that William values him despite the harsh treatment.
• Dawn City’s soldiers and veterans: Their growing comfort and laziness become a concern. William’s reforms aim to restore their discipline and prevent the city’s prosperity from weakening its military strength.
• The Goddesses of Fortune and Misfortune: Though they do not appear directly, they become significant threats because they remember William’s past offenses and are interested in confronting him.

Significant Themes

• Power and value: William reflects on the declining value of captured Dark Lords compared with Holy Relics, emphasizing the difficulty of profiting from rare but specialized resources.
• Leadership and responsibility: Dawn City’s growth creates new administrative and military challenges. William must balance comfort and prosperity with discipline, education, and continued readiness for war.
• Ambition and expansion: The enlargement of Dawn City’s population, academies, and talent base shows William’s long-term effort to build a powerful independent faction.
• Consequences of past actions: William’s earlier mockery and manipulation of the Goddesses return to threaten him, reinforcing the idea that reckless behavior eventually produces consequences.
• Comedy through reversal: William, who normally exploits others and treats powerful beings irreverently, suddenly fears being captured, punished, or even “auctioned” himself.
• Romantic and interpersonal tension: The reunion between William and Moxis combines affection, teasing, jealousy, and power struggles, strengthening their intimate but combative relationship.

Character Interactions

• William and the Demon Hunter Guild buyers: William attempts to profit from the captured Dark Lords, but the buyers’ coordinated restraint frustrates him.
• William and the gate guards: He reprimands them for gossiping, accidentally encouraging them to praise him instead and creating a culture of exaggerated flattery in Dawn City.
• William and Lotner: Their exchange mixes threats, sarcasm, and familial familiarity. William pressures Lotner to work harder but also rewards him with Water of Life and entrusts him with major expansion plans.
• William and Moxis: Their reunion is the chapter’s central personal interaction. Moxis teases William about his maturity, threatens to sell him to wealthy Goddesses, and exposes the danger posed by Fortune and Misfortune. William responds with fear, pleading, and playful physical affection.
• William and the Goddesses: Although they do not meet directly, their past interactions—especially William’s destruction of statues and manipulation involving Fortune—drive the chapter’s main source of tension and foreshadow future confrontations.

Chapter Summary: “Saints’ Conference”

Key Plot Points and Events

• After seven exhausting days with Moxis, William is physically drained, visibly thinner, and covered in dark circles. He escapes Dawn City as soon as he receives an invitation to the first-ever Saints’ Conference.
• The conference, organized by the Radiant Pope, will gather nearly one hundred Saints from across the Seven Continents to discuss the growing threats posed by the Dark World, the Gods’ descent, and the possibility of maintaining peace between the races.
• William’s exceptional strength—despite being only a Near-Saint—earns him an invitation because he has defeated or captured three Dark Lords.
• At the Temple of Light, William is welcomed by Lancelot, who is shocked by his weakened condition and worries that William’s association with the Demon Hunters Guild is corrupting him.
• William meets privately with the Radiant Pope before the conference. They discuss whether the Saints’ gathering is intended to target all reincarnated Deities.
• The Pope clarifies that he does not intend to attack peaceful reincarnated Deities. Instead, after the conference, he plans to gather the reincarnated Main Gods and persuade them to choose a side in the coming conflict.
• The Pope also acknowledges William’s unusual background: his parents and wife are likely reincarnated Main Gods, while William himself possesses a powerful divine aura and can use Divine Descent, despite not being a reincarnated Deity.
• Unable to divine William’s true Destiny because it is concealed by powerful protections, the Pope chooses not to press him for answers.
• William remains at the Temple of Light to recover. Seven days later, the Saints’ Conference officially begins as Saints from across the continents arrive.

Character Developments

• William: His time with Moxis leaves him exhausted and physically weakened, but he remains strategically sharp and eager to escape Dawn City. He demonstrates political awareness by questioning whether the Pope’s plans could provoke peaceful reincarnated Deities. His mysterious identity and divine abilities remain unresolved.
• Moxis: She appears playful and affectionate but relentlessly pushes William beyond his limits. She is amused by his exhaustion and interprets his departure as an escape from their intense relationship.
• Lotner: Shows concern for William’s health but also teases him about his condition. He comically steals William’s bowl of rice mixed with Water of Life, claiming that William is too weak to handle the supplement.
• Lancelot: Remains earnest, protective, and morally serious. He worries that William’s dealings with the Demon Hunters Guild may expose him to their extreme methods.
• Radiant Pope: Reveals himself as pragmatic rather than blindly hostile. He intends to oppose dangerous Deities and protect the continent, but does not want to indiscriminately target reincarnated gods. He is also increasingly curious about William’s hidden divine nature.
• Blood Moon Little Witch: Is ordered by Moxis to return to the Tenth Forward Outpost and continue training until she reaches the Legendary Realm.

Significant Themes

• Political unity in the face of divine invasion: The Saints’ Conference represents an attempt to coordinate the continent’s strongest factions against the approaching descent of the Gods.
• Fear and distrust of Deities: Saints are threatened by the arrival of gods but hesitate to act because attacking one Deity may provoke the Main Gods behind them.
• Allegiances and neutrality: The Pope’s goal is not simply to destroy reincarnated Deities, but to force them to choose whether they will support the Saint Path and protect the continent.
• Hidden identity and destiny: William’s origins, divine aura, and concealed Destiny line remain mysterious. Even the Radiant Pope cannot determine what god—or what kind of being—William truly is.
• Comedy amid serious conflict: William’s exhaustion, Lotner’s teasing, and Lancelot’s misunderstandings provide comic relief alongside discussions of war, divine politics, and continental survival.

Character Interactions

• William and Moxis: Their relationship is playful, intimate, and physically exhausting for William. Moxis teases him about his endurance and easily manipulates him into continuing despite his attempts to rest.
• William and Lotner: Their uncle-nephew relationship combines concern with mockery. Lotner worries about William’s health but takes advantage of him by stealing his Water of Life.
• William and Lancelot: Their friendship is affectionate but contrasted by their personalities. William is evasive and irreverent, while Lancelot is sincere and cautious about the Demon Hunters Guild.
• William and the Radiant Pope: Their conversation is politically important and cautiously respectful. William seeks reassurance about the Pope’s intentions, while the Pope probes William’s identity but ultimately accepts that his loyalty to the continent matters more than his origins.
• Moxis and the Little Witch: Moxis dismisses the Little Witch’s confusion and sends her back to the front line, emphasizing her demanding expectations for those under her command.

Chapter Summary: “Master of the Gods Continent”

Key Plot Points and Events

• William spends seven days in the Radiant Pope’s courtyard, freely eating the magical white fish from the mana pond. He secretly stores the remaining fish tails in his Otherworld Space so he can raise them later.
• He attends the first Saints’ Conference in the Temple of Light. The hall is filled with powerful Saints, including:
  • The Peerless War Saint of the Pacification Empire
  • The Frost Witch of the Frost Empire
  • The Fallen Sun of Sunset Sanctum
  • Quills, the strongest warrior of the Middle-earth Continent
  • The Rune Mage, founder of the Rune Continent
  • Mijialuo, the God Angel of the Winged Folk
• The gathering demonstrates the Radiant Pope’s dramatically increased status. Although some Peak Saints refuse to attend personally, several of the world’s most powerful figures come, acknowledging the Pope as the first Transcendent Saint in generations.
• William tries to avoid attention because he is only a Legend-level powerhouse among overwhelming Saint-level experts. He is nevertheless noticed because of his distinctive appearance, attracting interest from several female Saints.
• Mijialuo arrives and briefly challenges the Radiant Pope’s authority. The Pope humiliates him effortlessly, forcing him back into his seat through invisible pressure. Even the Rune Mage cannot analyze or understand the Pope’s technique.
• William encounters Jerrog, who is attending on behalf of his guild master. Their conversation provides comic relief, especially when they discuss Agares, whom Jerrog treats as a “precious baby” and carries with him.
• The Radiant Pope outlines the three purposes of the conference:
  1. The impending Descent of the Gods
  2. The ongoing invasion of the Dark World
  3. The role of Reincarnated Deities
• He declares that most descending Gods are enemies of the mortal races.
• He explains that the coalition has established seventy-six forward outposts in the Dark World. These outposts provide resources and gradually increase the Gods Continent’s Fortune.
• The Pope reveals that Fortune can grow when powerful beings—such as Saints, Dark Lords, and Deities—die, because their accumulated Fortune returns to the continent. However, openly slaughtering Dark Lords now could provoke the Main Gods and cause the Gods’ descent to happen earlier.
• The proposed strategy is to win over the Reincarnated Deities and use them against the descending Gods. The coming conflict will not primarily be a racial war, but a struggle between the Saint Path and the Divine Path.
• The Pope warns that the Gods are still the original masters of the continent. Although mortals have grown powerful during the Gods’ absence, the Deities retain superior power, talents, and influence.

Character Developments

• William remains cautious and humble in the presence of the world’s greatest powerhouses. Despite possessing considerable strength and having captured three Dark Lords, he recognizes that he is far weaker than the Peak Saints gathered at the conference.
• William’s survival instincts and resourcefulness are emphasized through his efforts to preserve the magical fish and his desire to escape to the Dark World rather than return to Dawn City.
• The Radiant Pope is revealed as extraordinarily confident, politically dominant, and overwhelmingly powerful. He speaks bluntly, controls the conference without needing approval, and demonstrates perfect command of his strength by suppressing Mijialuo without affecting anyone else.
• Mijialuo is shown to be proud and unwilling to accept disrespect, but his attempt to test or challenge the Pope ends in humiliation.
• The Rune Mage, previously regarded as one of the strongest figures in existence, realizes that the gap between a Transcendent Saint and an ordinary Saint is far greater than expected.
• Jerrog appears carefree and irreverent, attending in place of his guild master and openly joking with William despite the dangerous setting.
• The major Peak Saints’ attendance shows that the Pope has gained unprecedented authority, even among figures who traditionally refuse to obey others.

Significant Themes

• The overwhelming gap between realms: The Pope’s effortless suppression of Mijialuo establishes that Transcendent Saints exist on an entirely different level from ordinary Saints.
• Power and authority: Attendance at the conference reflects shifting political power. Even independent Peak Saints must now acknowledge the Pope’s influence.
• Fortune and the balance of the world: The continent’s strength is tied to the Fortune accumulated by powerful beings. War, death, and territorial conquest can directly influence the future of all races.
• The coming divine crisis: The Descent of the Gods is presented as an approaching catastrophe that may surpass ordinary racial warfare.
• Saint Path versus Divine Path: The future struggle will center on whether mortal cultivators or ancient Deities will control the world.
• Survival over ideology: The Pope emphasizes that individual survival and alliances with Reincarnated Deities are more important than simplistic racial loyalty.
• Humor amid overwhelming danger: William’s nervousness, his interactions with Jerrog, and the Pope’s insulting exchange with Mijialuo lighten an otherwise tense political and military gathering.

Important Character Interactions

• William and the Saints: William attempts to remain unnoticed, but his unusual appearance and unique status as the only Legend in the hall draw attention.
• William and Jerrog: Their reunion gives William emotional relief. They joke about Jerrog’s absence from prior events and Agares’s suffering under Jerrog’s care.
• Radiant Pope and Mijialuo: Mijialuo questions the Pope’s confidence, but the Pope rebukes him as though he were an unruly child and physically forces him back into his seat.
• Radiant Pope and the assembly: The Pope dominates the meeting, presenting his strategy without inviting genuine debate. The other Saints listen because his strength makes opposition dangerous.
• Rune Mage and the Pope: The Rune Mage tries to understand the Pope’s power but fails, confirming that the Pope’s abilities operate at a level beyond ordinary Saint techniques.
• The Saints and the Reincarnated Deities: The conference establishes that future alliances with Reincarnated Deities may determine whether mortals can resist the Gods’ return.

Chapter Summary: “God of Men, God of Charm!”

Key Plot Points and Events

• The Radiant Pope ends the Saints’ Conference after presenting three arguments centered on the fundamental conflict between Saints and gods. Saints rise from mortal races and value their freedom, while gods depend on Faith to grow stronger, making peaceful coexistence unlikely.
• After the Pope leaves, the Saints remain to socialize and negotiate. William eagerly exchanges soul auras with as many Saints as possible so he can maintain future contact and business connections.
• William’s restored appearance and powerful Beauty God trait attract the attention of numerous female Saints. They surround him, flirt aggressively, and even discuss kidnapping him or marrying him into the Frost Empire.
• The Frost Witch openly proposes having a child with William so he could eventually become the Frost Empire’s Supreme Emperor. Frost Ranger Ashe has to drag her away while promising to help kidnap William later.
• William becomes the unwilling center of attention at the gathering. Female Saints harass and flirt with him while male Saints watch enviously but are too intimidated by his family background and combat achievements to interfere.
• After the conference, William returns to Lancelot exhausted, with his clothes nearly torn and lipstick covering his face. Lancelot jokingly gives him a crystal coffin “for collecting his corpse,” provoking William to draw his blade and chase him.
• William returns to Dawn City having gained valuable contacts, three points of Continent-Level Legendary Renown, and a powerful orange-quality title: God of Charisma.
• The title recognizes William as the most attractive and charismatic man in the Gods Continent. It greatly increases his attributes, charisma, favorability with intelligent beings, and ability to negotiate favorable transactions.

Character Developments

• William discovers that his charm has become far more powerful than he realized. His Beauty God trait affects even Saint-level women, making him both famous and vulnerable to unwanted attention.
• He becomes increasingly concerned that his charm will make him a public enemy or target for abduction, despite benefiting from the connections and reputation it creates.
• William also accepts that the new God of Charisma title is extremely useful, even though he would have preferred a more traditionally powerful title such as War God or Thunder God.
• The Frost Witch is portrayed as shameless, aggressive, and comically bold, openly pursuing William and proposing political marriage and reproduction.
• Frost Ranger Ashe acts as the responsible foil to the Frost Witch, attempting to control her while humorously entertaining the idea of kidnapping William.
• Lancelot remains William’s teasing but loyal friend, mocking William’s predicament with the crystal coffin and provoking a playful confrontation.

Significant Themes

• Conflict between gods and Saints: The chapter emphasizes that gods’ dependence on Faith inherently threatens the independence of Saints and mortal races.
• Power and charisma: William’s social influence becomes as significant as his combat strength. His appearance and charisma allow him to gain contacts, reputation, and better deals.
• The dangers of fame: William’s growing renown brings benefits but also attracts obsessive attention and threatens his personal freedom.
• Political and personal relationships: The Saints’ Conference serves as both a diplomatic gathering and a networking opportunity, with alliances, negotiations, and possible marriages treated as tools of power.
• Comedy through reversal: Powerful, dignified female Saints abandon their usual restraint around William, while male Saints become jealous spectators. William, despite his status, is reduced to helplessly trying to escape their advances.

Character Interactions

• The Radiant Pope confronts the Saints with the ideological incompatibility between their kind and the gods.
• William exchanges soul auras with many Saints, laying the groundwork for future cooperation and trade.
• The Frost Witch aggressively flirts with William and proposes using him to secure the Frost Empire’s succession.
• Ashe restrains the Frost Witch and jokes about helping abduct William later.
• Other female Saints crowd around William, while male Saints resent their behavior but fear intervening because of William’s formidable background.
• William and Lancelot end the chapter with their usual comedic banter, as Lancelot jokes about William’s death and William responds by drawing his weapon.

Chapter Summary: Saint-Seated Sea Monster of the Deep Sea Folk

Key Plot Points and Events

• William has spent two years living comfortably in Dawn City with Moxis, whose affection for him has reached its maximum. After revealing the secret of the World Tree, he encourages her to cultivate there and study its mysterious Origin Power.
• Moxis explains that World Treasures may be failed deities that transformed into treasures and each possess unique rule-based powers. This makes William wonder whether the World Tree might itself have once been a potential deity.
• During this period, Dawn City becomes a dominant naval power. Its fleets defend coastal nations from repeated Deep Sea Folk attacks, charging those nations large sums for protection.
• Andrew successfully develops three Legendary amphibious Warships. Each carries immense firepower, can transport thousands of soldiers, and possesses defenses capable of resisting Legendary-Class attacks. William plans to combine their technology with a Sky Fortress blueprint.
• The Deep Sea Folk suddenly launch a devastating, coordinated assault on the Grand Duchy of Grout/Karut. They destroy the region’s Portal Hall, wipe out three Dawn Fleets—approximately sixty thousand soldiers—and deploy Saint-Seated Sea Beasts alongside Legendary-Class forces.
• William and Doglitt travel to the devastated duchy, but arrive two hours after the attack. The coastal capital has been completely destroyed, with more than 1.8 million of its two million inhabitants apparently devoured. Nearby fishing villages and towns have also been reduced to ashes.
• Black Leaf Elves from the nearby forest help rescue survivors despite the historical hostility between humans and elves.
• William discovers that no souls remain—not only from Dawn City’s soldiers, but from nearly all the dead civilians as well. A traumatized survivor describes the attacker as a gigantic sea monster covered in countless eyes and mouths. When William attempts to revive the survivor’s soul for further questioning, he finds that it has vanished.

Character Developments

• William grows increasingly confident in Dawn City’s military and economic power, viewing its Legendary Warships as a means of deterring future enemies and protecting his people.
• His confidence is shaken when the Deep Sea Folk effortlessly destroy three fleets and annihilate an entire coastal duchy. He realizes that conventional military strength may be useless against a Saint-Class Sea Monster.
• William also becomes more suspicious and analytical after noticing the unexplained disappearance of countless souls. His investigation suggests the attack involved more than ordinary destruction.
• Moxis transitions from William’s passionate companion into a partner with a more settled, “old married couple” relationship. Her focus shifts toward studying the World Tree and improving her cultivation.
• Andrew gains William’s recognition for his achievements in constructing Legendary Warships and receives Water of Life as a reward.
• Doglitt acts as William’s cautious companion and travel partner, while the Black Leaf Elves display unexpected compassion by aiding human survivors.

Significant Themes

• Overconfidence versus overwhelming power: Dawn City appears nearly invincible, but the Deep Sea Folk reveal that superior technology and fleets cannot guarantee safety against ancient or Saint-level monsters.
• Escalation of conflict: The Deep Sea Folk’s attacks evolve from harassment and economic pressure into a coordinated campaign of mass slaughter, signaling a major turning point in the war.
• The cost of protection and power: Dawn City profits by defending other nations, but its fleets and soldiers are ultimately destroyed while attempting to maintain that influence.
• Humanity and compassion amid hatred: Despite longstanding human-elf hostility, the Black Leaf Elves help rescue humans after the catastrophe, showing that shared suffering can overcome old divisions.
• Mystery of souls and forbidden monsters: The disappearance of every soul points to an unnatural power possessed by the attacking creature. The imagery of countless eyes and mouths introduces a distinctly Lovecraftian, Cthulhu-like horror.

Important Character Interactions

• William and Moxis settle into a domestic relationship, though Moxis ultimately prioritizes cultivation and research over constant intimacy.
• Moxis explains the nature of World Treasures to William, prompting his speculation about the World Tree’s origins.
• William praises Andrew’s warship-building accomplishments and rewards him with Water of Life.
• William receives desperate emergency transmissions from his commanders as the fleets and Grand Duchy are destroyed, but communication abruptly ceases.
• William questions a rescued High-Class Professional about the attack. The survivor’s fear causes him to bleed from his eyes, nose, and mouth before collapsing, and his soul disappears when William attempts to revive him.
• William and Doglitt witness the aftermath together, ending the chapter with the realization that the Deep Sea Folk possess a monstrous weapon or creature capable of devouring souls.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• A survivor from Dawn City’s fleet is rescued from the ruins near Groot’s King City. William uses the Water of Life and Soul Magic to stabilize him.
• The survivor describes the attack:
  • Deep Sea Folk infiltrated the Portal Hall.
  • A gigantic Saint-tier Sea Monster, covered in eyes and mouths with enormous tentacles, destroyed three fleets.
  • The Deep Sea Folk created a sacrificial Magic Formation around the city.
  • The monster’s roar disrupted people’s minds, forcing them toward the sea, where they were consumed and sacrificed.
• William surveys the devastated King City and estimates the creature to be roughly fifty thousand meters long when its tentacles are included. He recognizes that fighting such a monster from inside would be extremely dangerous because of its grotesque anatomy and soul-affecting abilities.
• William salvages the remaining warship fragments for Dawn City.
• El Yunze, a Legendary Peak Warrior, and Karl, a newly advanced Death-element Law Saint, arrive with eighty thousand troops. They learn that the Deep Sea Folk sacrificed an entire vassal kingdom of the Sunset Empire.
• El Yunze explains that the Sea Monster is likely an Abyssal Creature. The Abyss World connects to the deepest part of the Endless Sea through dangerous spatial rifts, allowing powerful Abyssal Monsters to reach the ocean.
• William and the Sunset Empire agree to cooperate rather than formally hire one another. Their goal is to retaliate against the Deep Sea Folk and avenge Dawn City’s dead.
• Karl identifies the aura of death within William and realizes that William possesses the Soul Origin of Karl’s biological sister, the Goddess of Death.
• Karl reveals that the Goddess of Death had secretly infiltrated the Underworld God’s forces as a spy, deliberately becoming Karl’s apparent enemy. He demands that William release his control over her, but William refuses.
• Their argument nearly escalates into a duel until El Yunze reminds them that the Deep Sea Folk are the immediate threat.
• Karl proposes entering the Abyssal Trench, killing the Deep Sea Folk, and escaping. William enthusiastically joins him, amused by the advantages of having Karl fight while he retains control over the Goddess of Death.

Character Developments

• William/Prince: Shows his usual irreverent confidence but also genuine concern for Dawn City’s soldiers. His ability to preserve souls and resurrect the dead demonstrates his responsibility as a leader. He becomes determined to retaliate rather than allow the massacre to go unanswered.
• Karl: Revealed to be the reincarnation of the God of Death and the biological brother of the Goddess of Death. He is direct, ruthless, highly confident, and willing to personally attack the Deep Sea Folk. His relationship with his sister is more complicated than previously believed.
• El Yunze: Acts as the practical mediator and representative of the Sunset Empire. Though cautious about the danger of the Abyssal Trench, he agrees to cooperate with William.
• The Dawn Warrior Survivor: Provides crucial intelligence about the Deep Sea Folk’s methods and the Sea Monster’s terrifying abilities.

Significant Themes

• The horror of the deep and the unknown: The Sea Monster’s appearance, roar, and sacrificial powers invoke both physical disgust and psychological terror.
• The cost of war and responsibility: William’s concern for recovering the soldiers’ souls emphasizes his unwillingness to treat casualties as meaningless.
• Political retaliation and cooperation: The Sunset Empire must balance its pride with limited military resources, leading to an alliance with Dawn City.
• Hidden identities and secret loyalties: Karl’s revelation about the Goddess of Death reframes her past hostility as an undercover mission.
• Power versus danger: Even extremely powerful Saints must respect the massive health, supernatural abilities, and mental effects of Abyssal Sea Monsters.
• Family and conflict: Karl and the Goddess of Death are siblings despite appearing to be enemies, adding a personal dimension to the larger divine conflict.

Character Interactions

• William interrogates the rescued Dawn Warrior and uses Soul Magic to keep him alive.
• He consults Doglitt about the sacrificial formation and the Sea Monster’s abilities.
• William briefs El Yunze and Karl, then pushes the Sunset Empire toward retaliatory action.
• Karl senses the Goddess of Death’s Soul Origin within William, leading to a confrontation over William’s Soul Control.
• Their threatening exchange is interrupted by El Yunze, who redirects them toward planning an assault.
• William and Karl ultimately form an uneasy but effective partnership and prepare to invade the Abyssal Trench together.

Chapter Summary: “Abyssal Trench in Uproar”

Key Plot Points and Events

• William, Karl—the God of Death—and El Yunze travel deep beneath the ocean to find the Deep Sea Folk, who have attacked one of William’s allies.
• Karl leads them rapidly to the ocean floor, but admits he does not actually know where the Deep Sea Folk’s settlement is. They decide to remain together and follow the strongest concentration of deathly energy.
• During their descent, they encounter dangerous Legendary Sea Monsters and discover a dying Giant Whale covered by Deep Sea Folk, suggesting that the whale is being harvested as food.
• El Yunze explains the Deep Sea Folk’s history: they were once an amphibious race that fought the Murlocs and later the Elves. After attempting to ally with the Dark World and summon Abyssal Creatures against the Elves, they were defeated and driven progressively deeper into the ocean.
• The group reaches the Abyssal Trench at a depth of roughly 80,000 meters. They find a vast Deep Sea Folk settlement built along the trench walls, illuminated by Magic Lamps and inhabited by both Deep Sea Folk and enormous Abyssal Monsters.
• Karl secretly investigates the lower levels of the settlement. William disguises himself as an Abyssal Tentacle Monster and follows, while El Yunze hides in a hole and pretends to be dead.
• William discovers that the Deep Sea Folk coexist with—and apparently control or cooperate with—Abyssal Monsters. Their society is heavily dependent on these creatures, and the Deep Sea Folk even use their venom to coat weapons.
• At the deepest level, William disguises himself as a small fish and experiments with the settlement’s weaknesses. He learns that Abyssal Monsters will attack anything carrying an unfamiliar, non-Abyssal aura.
• He causes a Deep Sea Folk guard to acquire a human aura, leading an Abyssal Monster to devour him. William then spends eight hours planting hundreds of bubbles containing foreign auras throughout the settlement.
• When he detonates the bubbles, the Abyssal Monsters begin attacking the Deep Sea Folk in a massive frenzy, throwing the trench into chaos.
• At the same time, Karl becomes involved in a battle with a Saint-level Deep Sea Folk warrior. Taking advantage of the disorder, William decides to raid the Deep Sea Folk’s treasury.

Character Developments

• William: Demonstrates caution, tactical creativity, and powerful transformation abilities. Rather than directly attacking the entire settlement, he studies its ecology and exploits the relationship between the Deep Sea Folk and Abyssal Monsters. His knowledge of the Deep Sea Folk’s language and his ability to imitate Abyssal creatures allow him to infiltrate the settlement and initiate the uprising.
• Karl: Maintains his reckless, arrogant attitude but shows impressive mobility and stealth as black mist. Despite having only recently become a Saint, he is willing to confront a Saint-level Deep Sea Folk directly, relying on his status as the God of Death and presumed hidden survival abilities.
• El Yunze: Acts as the more cautious and anxious member of the group. He recognizes the danger of the mission and repeatedly suspects that William and Karl are using him as bait. Nevertheless, he follows them and contributes by hiding and remaining ready to support the operation.
• The Deep Sea Folk: Are portrayed as brutal, isolated, and dependent on Abyssal Monsters. Their historical resentment and survival in the trench have shaped a society that is hostile toward outsiders but closely integrated with the creatures around them.

Significant Themes

• Cunning versus brute force: William’s victory begins not with overwhelming strength but with observation, experimentation, disguise, and manipulation of the enemy’s environment.
• The dangers of arrogance and disorganization: Karl confidently launches the mission without knowing the settlement’s location, while the Deep Sea Folk’s own confidence in their control over Abyssal Monsters leaves them vulnerable to William’s strategy.
• Historical resentment and marginalization: The Deep Sea Folk’s violent history reflects how defeat, discrimination, and exile can drive a people into increasingly extreme behavior.
• Survival in hostile environments: The Abyssal Trench is presented as an ecosystem ruled by predation, adaptation, and uneasy cooperation.
• Identity and deception: William repeatedly changes form—from a human-like infiltrator to an Abyssal Tentacle Monster and finally a harmless fish—showing how appearances and aura determine whether creatures are treated as allies, prey, or enemies.
• The hidden legacy of the Elves: El Yunze’s history lesson reveals the former dominance of the Elves and prompts William to consider the danger of revealing his World Tree and growing Elven civilization.

Character Interactions

• William and Karl frequently exchange sarcastic remarks and criticize each other’s recklessness, though both continue to cooperate effectively.
• El Yunze openly complains that the other two are trying to get him killed, while William and Karl respond with dry humor and continue dragging him deeper into danger.
• El Yunze provides historical knowledge about the Deep Sea Folk, giving William a clearer understanding of their origins and motivations.
• William and Karl independently infiltrate the settlement, with William imitating a Tentacle Monster after Karl leaves to scout.
• William uses a Deep Sea Folk guard as an experiment, deliberately exposing him to a human aura and allowing an Abyssal Monster to consume him.
• Karl’s battle with a Saint-level Deep Sea Folk creates an additional distraction, which William uses to begin looting the treasury amid the chaos.

Chapter Summary: “Making Trouble in the Abyssal Trench”

Key Plot Points and Events

• William exploits the chaos caused by the rampaging Abyssal Tentacle Monsters by sneaking into the Deep Sea Folk’s Treasury. Using his treasure-sensing Eye of Thunder, he locates the Treasury with ease.
• While the Deep Sea Folk are distracted defending their city, William loots enormous quantities of wealth, including gold, Water Essence Stones, Mana Pearls, valuable coral, a Legendary multicolored pearl, and other deep-sea resources.
• The Treasury’s alarms are triggered, but the Deep Sea Folk mistakenly believe the attacking Abyssal Monsters are responsible. A Saint Stage Deep Sea Folk warrior engages the monster above the Treasury, unintentionally protecting William from discovery.
• Karl, the God of Death, battles several Saint Stage Deep Sea Folk. He reveals his true power by transforming into black mist and killing the Saint Stage warrior Yakeshi with a soul-rending attack. Karl absorbs Yakeshi’s Soul Power, though his strongest technique only severely injures—rather than kills—the powerful Saint-tier Abyssal Monster.
• William reaches the Treasury’s innermost Otherworld Space, where a Legendary Peak Abyssal Monster guards the entrance. He kills it using Divine Descent, Thunder-based attacks, and the Heaven-Subduing Blade.
• Inside, William discovers even greater treasures, including Dragon Saliva Wine, Crystal Pills, numerous Legendary materials, Holy Relics, and three Divine Artifacts. He takes everything he can.
• Fumushuangwang, a High-Class Saint of the Deep Sea Folk, finally arrives. He appears to kill William by impaling him, but the victim is only a substitute. The real William escapes while Fumushuangwang realizes he has been deceived.
• Karl crashes into William while fleeing, and both attempt to escape the ruined city. The Deep Sea Folk pursue them with numerous barriers and overwhelming numbers.
• William uses Odin’s power through Divine Descent and transforms into Holy Thunder Incarnation, allowing him to pass through the underwater barriers. Karl becomes black mist and also escapes.
• The destruction is catastrophic: more than one million Deep Sea Folk are dead, many of them powerful professionals, and the city is largely reduced to ruins. The Deep Sea Folk also lose several Abyssal Monsters.
• William eventually outpaces Karl. The pursuing Saints shift their attention toward Karl, who warns William that they are preparing a combined Forbidden Technique and demands that they cooperate.

Character Developments

• William demonstrates his usual opportunism and shameless resourcefulness. Rather than trying to prevent the city’s destruction, he decides to loot its treasures before the Abyssal Monsters destroy everything. His confidence grows as he defeats the Legendary Peak monster and obtains priceless artifacts.
• William also displays strong combat ability, especially through his use of Odin’s Divine Descent, Thunder transformations, and scientific understanding of electricity and water conductivity. His escape shows that he is not merely a thief but a highly capable Saint-level fighter.
• Karl, the God of Death, reveals a more serious and terrifying side. He abandons his earlier defensive fighting style and uses his Death Scythe and soul attacks to kill a Saint Stage opponent outright. However, he recognizes that Saint-tier Abyssal Monsters are exceptionally difficult to defeat.
• Karl is also shown to be pragmatic and somewhat cowardly under pressure: despite his arrogance during battle, he immediately prioritizes escape once the Deep Sea Folk’s full strength is mobilized.
• The Deep Sea Folk suffer a humiliating reversal. They initially believe they control the Abyssal Monsters, but the creatures’ intelligence and pride make them increasingly difficult to command. Their city’s defenses collapse, their treasury is robbed, and one of their Saints is killed.

Significant Themes

• Chaos as opportunity: William treats the city-wide disaster as a chance to acquire wealth, turning destruction into a personal “confiscation operation.”
• The danger of controlling monsters: The Deep Sea Folk’s relationship with the Abyssal Monsters is based on mutual benefit rather than true obedience. Once the situation changes, the monsters act according to their own instincts and pride.
• Strength and deception: Combat power is important, but William’s use of a substitute body and Karl’s mist-like form show that deception, mobility, and unconventional abilities can overcome superior numbers.
• The cost of arrogance: The Deep Sea Folk underestimate both Karl and William. Their mockery of Karl leads to the death of one of their Saints, while their confidence in the Treasury’s defenses fails completely.
• Destruction and moral indifference: The deaths of over a million people are treated with dark humor, particularly by William, emphasizing the chapter’s chaotic and morally irreverent tone.

Character Interactions

• William silently exploits the battle between the Deep Sea Folk and the Abyssal Monsters, benefiting from their mistaken assumptions.
• The Deep Sea Folk attempt to control the Saint-tier monsters, but the creatures resist them and pursue their own hunger-driven goals.
• Karl is taunted by the Deep Sea Folk, prompting him to reveal his true identity and unleash his soul-killing technique.
• Karl and William independently create openings for one another, though neither initially knows exactly how much the other has accomplished.
• Fumushuangwang confronts William at the Treasury, briefly believing he has killed him before discovering the body was only a substitute.
• During the escape, William and Karl become unwilling allies. Karl’s warning about the combined Forbidden Technique suggests that their survival now depends on cooperating against the pursuing Deep Sea Folk Saints.