Recaps

John placated Major General Tony by punishing the officer responsible for attacking Tony’s soldiers, while Tony accepted the gesture and revealed his imperialist views. John left the meeting resolved to proceed with his plan against Tony and called the 1st Battalion together for a combat meeting.

• Tony was surprised when John admitted fault and removed the offending captain from his post.
• Tony urged John to treat the Beastfolk as enemies and accepted his promise to control the 1st Battalion’s Mage Soldiers.
• John left the City Lord’s Manor and watched officers and soldiers loot shops and beat Centaur civilians without intervening.
• John arrived at the 1st Battalion’s camp, reassured Wendy, and called a combat meeting with Siegfried, Laiya, and the others.

Wendy, Laiya, and Siegfried captured Major General Tony in a nighttime raid and returned to camp. Meanwhile, John Maslow gathered the five regiment commanders for a midnight meeting and warned them to stay alert when answering his questions.

• Wendy and Laiya attacked Tony in his bedroom, and Siegfried's magical arrows pinned him to the wall before Wendy sedated him.
• Wendy bound Tony and stuffed him into a sack, then reassured Laiya after criticizing her risky strike.
• Wendy questioned Laiya about the five company commanders, but Laiya said she knew nothing about them.
• Samuel entered a meeting room and found the other four regiment commanders already gathered there.
• John Maslow descended with Barnabos and the five company commanders, then invited the regiment commanders to tea before the meeting.

John seized control of the meeting, using Igonila to violently incapacitate Colonel Max and frighten the other commanders into submission. He revealed that the Allied Forces' Seventh Legion was approaching and called on the commanders to state whether they supported reorganizing the 1st Division to fight it.

• Max Laila cursed John for taking Major General Tony's place, and John signaled Igonila to beat Max unconscious against the conference table.
• John claimed Max had suffered an accidental fall and announced that the 1st Regiment's command would remain vacant while Major General Tony received treatment from Wendy.
• Samuel drank his tea and sat down in support of John, and the other three commanders followed.
• John told the commanders that the Allied Forces' Seventh Legion had joined the Morning Star Clan's remnants and would reach Horseshoe City within seven days.
• John said Tony had chosen to retreat, then announced his plan to reorganize the 1st Division and asked the commanders whether they supported fighting the Seventh Legion.

John defended his decision to confront the Allied Forces’ Seventh Legion and outlined a plan to exploit its commander Leon Li’s assassination tactics and separation from the main force. He promised to take responsibility for defeat and share any victory with the officers, then called for a vote on his plan.

• Eli Mositon cautiously asked John how he planned to face the Seventh Legion’s superior numbers.
• John identified Leon Li’s Independent 4th Division as the enemy vanguard and explained that spies, prepared traps, and Leon’s separation from his reinforcements gave the Imperial Army three advantages.
• John argued that Imperial morale was a fourth advantage and said the officers would share the glory of victory.
• John pledged to bear responsibility alone if the attack failed and asked the officers to vote on his plan.

Samuel and the other colonels backed John's plan to seize command and fight the coming battle, and John appointed Samuel temporary commander of the 1st Division. After John left to choose a temporary commander for the 1st Regiment, Barnabos explained why the colonels were unlikely to betray the plan, while Miles reluctantly followed the others.

• Samuel objected to John taking sole responsibility, and the other three colonels echoed his support and pledged loyalty to John.
• John praised the colonels, discussed battle deployments with them, and recommended Samuel as temporary commander of the 1st Division.
• John left for the 1st Battalion camp to have Siegfried help select a temporary commander for the 1st Regiment.
• Miles worried that the officers would be treated as accomplices, but Barnabos explained that the colonels had practical reasons to stick with John's plan.
• Lunebo mocked Miles, while Marda and Igonila praised John as they carried the unconscious Colonel Max away in a sack.
• Miles abandoned his plan to cut ties and hurried after the others, fearing they would isolate him.

John stabilized the 1st Division, prepared camouflaged bunkers to ambush the 4th Independent Division, and set a plan to draw out Leon Li’s assassins. Five days later, an enemy spy transmitted bait intelligence before Laiya Binote killed him, and John confirmed the trap was underway.

• John appointed a non-Laila lieutenant colonel temporary commander of the 1st Regiment, promoted Maslow Quotations, and distributed confiscated wealth to the soldiers.
• John arranged defenses around Horseshoe City and sent Marda’s Engineering Company to camouflage fifteen bunkers along the border route.
• John praised Marda’s camouflage work, then returned to camp to prepare his trap for Leon Li’s forces.
• Five days later, a Shadow Forces spy in Horseshoe City sent intelligence through a Secret Message Worm.
• Laiya Binote killed the spy, then confirmed to Major John that the enemy had received the bait intelligence.

Leon learned that John Maslow had taken command of the Empire’s 1st Division and appeared to be looting Horseshoe City, so he encouraged Galil to attempt an assassination. Leon actually planned to exploit the resulting disruption to kill the division’s five regiment commanders and seize the city, while Galil led his forces toward a trap.

• Galil reported that John Maslow had plundered property and allowed soldiers to loot civilians in Horseshoe City.
• Leon proposed using the Shadow Orc Forces’ remaining funds as bait to draw John Maslow into an assassination attempt, then attacking the city with Damon’s troops.
• Galil accepted the mission and asked for the right to deal with John Maslow; Leon approved his request.
• After Galil left, Leon concluded that Maslow’s greedy behavior was a deliberate disguise and anticipated that he would trap the infiltrating Shadow Orc Forces.
• Leon revealed that his real target was the 1st Division’s five regiment commanders, whose deaths would weaken Maslow’s control and leave Horseshoe City open to attack.

John prepared to trap enemy agents in Horseshoe City while the 4th Independent Division’s movements raised doubts about his larger ambush. As Miles took on the role of bait, Galil sent the Orc Shadow Forces to attack, leaving the assassination attempt about to begin.

• John ordered Lunebo to arrest suspicious Centaurs, sent Barnabos and Igodala’s companies to the warehouses, and summoned Miles for a secret assignment.
• John considered whether Leon had detected his ambush after learning that the 4th Independent Division had not reached the planned bunker zone.
• John assigned Miles to impersonate him at the warehouses and draw the Blackfeather Assassination Unit’s fire, crushing Miles’s hopes of proving himself brave.
• Galil watched Imperial soldiers kill his Shadow Orc spies and carry away the seized property, then declared that his revenge was near.
• Galil commanded 320 Orc Shadow Forces elites to activate their spell formations, turn invisible, and move toward their target.

Galil waited with the Shadow Forces to ambush John Maslow, while Miles disguised himself as John to draw the assassins out. As Miles reached for the gold, a blade suddenly flew toward him.

• Galil hid the Shadow Forces around the warehouse courtyard and waited for John Maslow to arrive.
• Galil recognized Miles, disguised as John Maslow, but restrained his killing intent to avoid alerting the soldiers.
• Miles endured painful tree-resin contact lenses and approached the warehouse as the disguised Battalion Commander.
• Barnabos signaled Miles that the enemy was in position, and Miles refrained from scolding him.
• Miles pretended to be thrilled by the gold and bent to take some from a crate as a flash of cold steel rushed toward him.

The Empire forces ambushed the Shadow Orc assassins, but their leader Galil survived and pressed his attack on Miles. Just as Galil was about to kill Miles, Igonila intervened, and the two warriors began a fierce duel.

• Companies One and Two coordinated gunfire that killed most of the Shadow Orc assassins, while Galil deflected the bullets aimed at him.
• Miles used his Magic Eye to dodge a stray bullet and fired at Galil, but Galil cut through the shots with his Silver Moon scimitars.
• Galil transformed through his spells and charged Miles, determined to reclaim the Darkthorn Clan's glory.
• Igonila intercepted Galil's strike and took Miles's place, then clashed with Galil in the courtyard.

Leon Li waited outside Horseshoe City, confident his plan would remove the Star of Dawn, while Damon Morning Star demanded an immediate assault. Their dispute was interrupted by the appearance of three Imperial Air Force figures, whose central musician shocked Leon.

• Leon Li reflected that Colonel Galil had likely been defeated or captured and believed the sacrifice would help him overcome the Star of Dawn and claim the throne.
• Damon Morning Star confronted Leon Li over delaying the advance and insisted the Starchaser Cavalry Regiment should attack Horseshoe City.
• Damon declared he would lead the Starchaser Cavalry Regiment into the city alone if Leon continued waiting.
• A faint string melody drew Leon and Damon’s attention to three figures near the forest, less than eight hundred meters from the army.
• Lightning revealed the figures as two women and a man in Imperial Air Force uniforms, and Leon recoiled in shock at the man playing a morin khuur.

John used a risky Empty Fort Strategy by playing the erhu before Leon’s army, hoping to lure the 4th Independent Division into his prepared ambush. Leon chose to wait, then interpreted the music as a threat against the Morning Star Clan, while Damon struggled to contain his fear of John’s Mage Soldier.

• Wendy asked whether they should attack, and John told her to wait while he played the erhu piece Racing Horses for Leon.
• John watched Leon’s uncertainty and kept his escape plan ready in case the enemy fired on them.
• Leon decided to remain still until John finished playing and admired the tune’s galloping rhythm.
• Damon tried to charge John to avenge Kenny, but Leon warned him that he could share Kenny’s fate.
• Leon told Damon that John’s music carried killing intent toward the Morning Star Clan.

John Maslow and Leon interpreted John’s music as a declaration of confidence before their forces’ impending clash in Horseshoe City. As John waited for the assassination plan to unfold, Siegfried took position for the ambush, driven by his resolve to help overthrow the nobles.

• Leon took John’s music as a taunt and concluded that John trusted his subordinates to defeat the Blackfeather assassins.
• John worried that his stray notes might arouse Leon’s suspicions, then reasoned that his disguised troops had made the assassination plan highly likely to succeed.
• John calculated that after the assassins failed, he could order Samuel’s group to attack the Independent 4th Division and draw it into the final ambush.
• Siegfried reflected on his decision to act as an assassin for the cause of ending noble oppression and declared himself in position at Ambush Point No. 4.

Enzo Kleina led the Black Feather Special Forces into a building in Horseshoe City to assassinate five enemy regiment commanders, but the Black Eagle Special Forces silently eliminated his men. Enzo realized the Empire’s assassins were under John Maslow’s command and was killed by a green arrow as he tried to escape.

• Enzo Kleina felt uneasy about how smoothly his unit reached the building but ordered the mission to proceed after confirming the targets were inside.
• Enzo and his hundred Black Feather Special Forces members used the Ghost Feather Spell Formation to infiltrate the building and locate the five regiment commanders.
• Enzo noticed his deputy and then his other subordinates disappearing without a sound, while the five targets vanished from his spell formation’s senses.
• Enzo concluded that the Black Eagle Special Forces were responsible and tried to flee to warn Major General Leon that they served under John Maslow.
• A green-glowing arrow pierced Enzo’s heart as he rushed out of the room.

Leon Li’s retreat from Horseshoe City was repeatedly shaped by John Maslow’s apparent traps, and a minefield ambush badly damaged Leon’s forces. The chapter ended with Leon finding the same death warning on a signpost along his new route north.

• A telegram informed Leon Li that the Blackfeather Forces had been wiped out by the Empire’s Black Eagle Special Forces, and Leon reconsidered attacking John Maslow.
• Moonlight revealed shapes in the Blueflower Vine Woods that Leon mistook for a huge hidden army, so he ordered the Independent 4th Division to retreat northwest.
• Leon found a sign warning that he would die there, dismissed it as a provocation, and continued the retreat.
• Mines and a concealed Imperial unit ambushed Leon’s troops, killing or wounding more than half of the 1st Brigade before the attackers escaped.
• Leon changed the retreat direction to north, but after a kilometer he found another signpost bearing the same warning.

After repeated ambushes, Leon Li concluded that John Maslow had forced the Independent 4th Division toward the Bee Slope Belt and chose to gamble on breaking through the trap there. From above, Lunebo watched the division advance and alerted Marda and the five regimental commanders to prepare the final ambush.

• Leon Li sent mine-clearing teams ahead, but the Independent 4th Division was struck by Magic Cannon shells and suffered heavy casualties again.
• After finding the same taunting slogan on a tree, Leon realized John Maslow was steering his forces toward the Bee Slope Belt and ordered an immediate retreat west toward it.
• Damon recognized the Bee Slope Belt was likely a trap but followed Leon, believing a breakthrough offered their only chance of survival.
• Lunebo observed the division from the sky through his enhanced Magic Eye and praised the battalion commander's ambush plan.
• Lunebo warned Marda and the five regimental commanders of the 1st Division that the enemy was approaching the Bee Slope Belt.

Marda prepared the Bee Slope Belt ambush as Leon’s Independent 4th Division advanced under heavy artillery bombardment. The attack trapped the Star-Chasing Cavalry Brigade in a spreading fire ambush, and Damon realized his unit was finished.

• Marda completed the traps and coordinated the ambush using Lunebo’s calculations as enemy forces approached.
• Leon ordered a saturation bombardment that cleared the first minefield, then advanced with his troops toward the Bee Slope Belt.
• Damon led the Star-Chasing Cavalry Brigade at the front, wary of the ordinary-looking road and reflecting on the Saga Kingdom’s reliance on cold weapons.
• Black spheres coated the cavalry with foul-smelling oil, and hidden fire mages ignited it, setting the soldiers ablaze.
• Imperial troops appeared on the surrounding slopes as earthen mounds opened and gathered mana, and Damon realized the Star-Chasing Cavalry Brigade was finished.

After the 1st Division’s victory at Horseshoe City, John learned that the Seventh Legion was approaching and rallied his commanders to prepare for a much larger war. The commanders pledged to obey him as he declared that he would accept no defeat.

• Leon led the surviving Independent 4th Division out of the Bee Slope Belt after the Star-Chasing Cavalry Brigade broke through the encirclement, while the 1st Division returned to Horseshoe City.
• Samuel reported that the 1st Division had killed 9,854 enemy soldiers, captured 1,647, and suffered 1,678 casualties, with four Beam Magic Cannons damaged and five requiring repairs.
• John warned the five regimental commanders that the Seventh Legion’s 1st, 3rd, and 6th Divisions were approaching and that Horseshoe City would likely be their next target.
• John urged the commanders to reject retreat, declaring that he loved war and would never accept failure.
• The five regimental commanders knelt before John and pledged to follow his orders and bring victory to the Empire.

Leon Li struggled with the humiliation of defeat until Frank Francis convinced him he could still become a commander. Meanwhile, John Maslow manipulated Galil into believing the Shadow Orcs descended from the Drow and secured his pledge to aid the Empire, as Frank prepared the Seventh Legion to face John’s forces in heavy rain.

• Frank Francis opened Leon Li’s curtains, teased him about Centaur women, and offered to transfer him to the Kingdom Research Institute after his defeat.
• Leon Li asked whether he was still qualified to command, and Frank told him he could become an outstanding commander.
• John Maslow falsely told the captive Galil that the Shadow Orcs descended from the Drow, using their pointed ears and history to plant doubts about the Saga Kingdom.
• John promised to help remove the Shadow Orcs’ Corruption Curse, and Galil swore loyalty to him and the Empire if his claims proved true.
• John released Galil and directed him toward the Dark Elf ruins, then prepared for the coming battle with Igonila as the Seventh Legion advanced through the rain.
• Frank Francis assessed John’s likely guerrilla tactics from a temporary command post in Starmoon Town and prepared to confront them.

John used guerrilla harassment and carefully placed ambushes to strike the Seventh Legion, while Frank and his officers tried to lure John's armored force into a counter-ambush. John anticipated their traps and redirected his troops, leaving both commanders committed to a widening battle of deception and firepower.

• John ordered 180 guerrilla squads to harass the Seventh Legion while artillery and the reinforced armored regiment stood ready to exploit isolated enemy units.
• Barnabos followed John's plan at Spear Forest Peak, where explosive magic toppled mountains onto Sike Ben's Light Dragoon Regiment and Laiya's strike destroyed the hidden Anti-Magic Device Core.
• John's Reinforced Armored Regiment pierced through an isolated enemy medium armored regiment as he issued new orders across the battlefield.
• Frank revealed that the Light Dragoon Regiment and a heavy armored regiment had been bait for an ambush by two concealed mobile assault brigades.
• Andy led the two assault brigades into a barrage after Samuel repositioned the Imperial heavy artillery, then eleven Beam Mage Cannon Vehicles fired and engulfed the advancing Allied soldiers.

John led the Imperial forces east to Starry Coast, where he prepared a concealed defense and waited for the approaching Allied Forces. As the enemy reached Starfall Town, John received word that an outside force was arriving, and he anticipated victory in the coming battle.

• John ordered the Imperial troops to evacuate Horseshoe City and regroup, then revealed to Samuel that his goal was to annihilate the Allied force rather than merely defeat it.
• John continued east toward Starry Coast while Frank pursued and blocked the Imperial forces’ southern route, expecting to trap them at the coast.
• John’s troops occupied Starfall Town and forced its Centaur residents into the surrounding forest.
• John ordered artillery vehicles concealed in the town and had Marda’s Mage Soldiers and the Engineering Company rapidly construct trenches outside it.
• John confirmed that Wendy had completed a dam on the Source River and received notice that an outside force would arrive within twenty minutes.
• After the Allied Reconnaissance Company reported enemy forces two kilometers from Starfall Town, John ordered his army to follow the established plan.

John revealed that he had anticipated Frank’s maritime interception plan and had arranged to flood the Starry Coast, while allied warships moved to break the blockade. As the flood approached, the fleet crushed Dunerte’s amphibious convoy, leaving the battle’s promised reversal underway.

• John watched the Allied Forces bombard the trenches, knowing their losses would lure Frank into his planned encirclement.
• Marda’s surveillance showed Frank’s amphibious transport convoy using Camouflage Formula to establish a maritime interception line.
• Samuel nearly urged John to withdraw, but John reassured him and revealed that an assassination unit had destroyed the upstream dam and that the flood would arrive in ten minutes.
• John ordered Samuel to gather the troops at the coast, prepare to demolish Starfall Town as a flood channel, and rely on allied sea forces to break the blockade.
• Dunerte’s convoy encountered a fast-moving black tide, and he saw thirty-two giant Magic Whales towing enormous warships bear down on his vehicle.

Frank ordered the Seventh Legion to bombard Starfall Town, but realized too late that John Maslow had manipulated the Source River’s water level as part of his plan. A vast flood swept away Frank and the army, leaving John’s fate and the aftermath uncertain.

• Frank dismissed the possibility of a trap and ordered Fako to encircle Starfall Town and bombard it with heavy artillery.
• As the town remained silent under the bombardment, Frank noticed the Source River and ordered reconnaissance to check its water level.
• A scout reported that the river was about ten meters lower than before, and Frank realized John had prepared a flood.
• Hundreds of crimson magic circles struck the empty town, unleashing an enormous blast that destroyed it and disrupted magical communications.
• Frank understood that John’s plan would destroy the Seventh Legion, regretted that Leon might seek revenge, and accepted his impending death.
• A colossal flood swept over Frank, his soldiers, and the surrounding landscape, swallowing even the mountains.

After the Seventh Legion was annihilated, John met Marshal Bob aboard the battlecruiser Horst and concealed the truth about his seizure of command. Bob recognized John’s maneuver and asked him to explain his plans for the Faoken Front.

• The Third Navy and John’s troops burned the Seventh Legion’s corpses after the flood subsided.
• Bob praised John’s victory and reassured him that the Navy’s withdrawal from the Aiken Sea had been worthwhile.
• John tried to build rapport by claiming Dormammu was concerned about Bob, then awkwardly learned that the two had once competed for Lia’s affection.
• Bob asked about Tony and Max, and John falsely claimed the Allied Forces had captured them during an assassination attempt.
• Bob saw through John’s cover story but approved of his resourcefulness, then asked for John’s specific views on the Faoken Front.

John presented Bob with a plan for victory in Faoken, citing the secured naval supply route, allied divisions, and intelligence that could turn the Darkthorn Tribe against the Saga Kingdom. Bob praised John’s strategic ability and linked his intelligence to Tolovsky, while John reflected on the legendary mage’s power and its cost before asking about Ian.

• John explained that securing Horseshoe Territory gave the Third Navy a safe route to withdraw and resupply, improving the odds of victory on the Faoken Front.
• John outlined plans to reorganize his division, support the western front, and coordinate with Bob’s navy to trap enemy forces in the Crescent Strait.
• John said his captured Shadow Forces members and recruited spy could bring the Darkthorn Tribe over to their side and provide intelligence for future campaigns.
• John claimed that his own command ability accounted for the final chance of victory, and Bob praised his analysis and called him a genius.
• Bob guessed that John’s intelligence came from Tolovsky’s network, and John agreed while thinking about Tolovsky’s legendary magic and the agony caused by its power.
• John asked Bob how Ian was doing.