Ch. 381Modi Ye Lijin

Plot points and events

  • Modi, possessed by Archbishop Ye Lijin, kills General James by piercing his heart. James’s soldiers repeatedly try to reach him, but Ye Lijin kills more than thirty before the survivors retreat.
  • Ye Lijin begins to break down as he absorbs Modi’s soul. Modi’s guilt over killing his father strengthens his soul rather than weakening it, and the two souls fuse. The resulting Modi Ye Lijin cannot tell which identity is in control.
  • He leaves the dying James alive, uninterested in the convoy’s cargo. James’s officers give him emergency treatment, but he has lost the will to survive. Thinking of his younger children, he dies as the convoy continues toward Red Fortress.
  • Green arrives after the convoy has departed. He gathers the dead soldiers’ souls and uses Death Corruption to turn James’s soul into a Ghost. James instinctively pledges himself to Green.
  • Green plans to make James a Lich general, valuing his leadership more than his current combat strength. Since James’s body is still intact, he could regain his Legendary Rank without losing a level. Green decides to ask Cyrabelle for the body rather than steal it and risk damaging their partnership.

Character developments and interactions

  • Modi / Ye Lijin: Modi’s remorse prevents Ye Lijin from consuming him completely; their souls fuse, leaving their shared identity and control unresolved. Modi walks away from James without delivering a final blow.
  • General James: Faced with his son and the consequences of his past, James gives up on life after the attack, though his final thoughts are tenderly focused on his younger children. As a Ghost, he becomes loyal to Green.
  • Green: He sees James as a valuable commander who can organize his growing Undead Army. His choice to approach Cyrabelle openly shows that he values their ongoing trust over the convenience of taking James’s body.
  • James and his soldiers: Their devotion is demonstrated by their repeated, fatal attempts to rescue him. Their loyalty moves James, but he is powerless to stop them.

Significant themes

  • Guilt and family bonds: Killing James does not free Modi from his fixation; it replaces his old obsession with remorse.
  • Identity and divided selves: The fusion of Modi and Ye Lijin leaves the boundaries between their identities uncertain.
  • Loyalty and leadership: The soldiers’ sacrifice highlights James’s influence, while Green recognizes that a large army needs capable commanders, not just powerful fighters.
  • Trust and pragmatism: Green weighs an easy theft against the cost to his relationship with Cyrabelle and chooses negotiation.

Ch. 382Arrival at the Red Fortress

Key plot points and events

  • Cyrabelle learns that Modi killed his father, General James, and apparently wielded a power resembling the Holy Light Church’s Sword of Divine Judgment. She suspects an evil spirit has possessed him.
  • Exhausted by a worsening war, Cyrabelle reflects on Grand Duke Mora’s plan to abandon the Void World and preserve the royal Lineage. She still hopes to save the Kingdom, but recognizes that the Rebels facing the Red Fortress are now disciplined, professional-level fighters.
  • Unable to hold the fortress for her intended six months, Cyrabelle plans to let the Rebels enter and then detonate Enchanted Explosives to cripple their forces. James’s death while escorting the explosives has dealt a serious blow to that plan.
  • Green arrives at the fortress after secretly following the explosives convoy. He has surveyed the Rebel camp, detected two Legendary fighters assigned to counter Cyrabelle, and collected more than three thousand nearby souls.
  • Green assures Cyrabelle that the Royal Capital is being watched by Suzune, now his equal partner. He then asks for James’s body so he can raise him as a Lich general.
  • Cyrabelle leaves the decision to James’s wishes: she will provide his body if he wants to continue living as a Lich, but asks Green to release his soul if he does not. Green accepts and agrees that another willing officer could serve instead.

Character developments and interactions

  • Cyrabelle moves from confidence to weary self-doubt as she confronts the Kingdom’s decay and the Rebels’ strength. Despite her desperation, she shows loyalty and compassion by insisting that James’s wishes matter, even after his death.
  • Green remains focused on gathering souls and strengthening his Undead Legion, but respects Cyrabelle’s concern for James and avoids turning the matter into a conflict.
  • General James is revealed as a faithful servant whose death has both strategic consequences and emotional weight for Cyrabelle.
  • Modi emerges as a dangerous, transformed figure: once considered inept, he has apparently become powerful enough to kill James.
  • Cyrabelle and Green exchange news about Suzune and the Royal Capital. Their conversation shows mutual trust, though Cyrabelle carefully protects her former subordinate’s autonomy and James’s dignity.

Significant themes

  • Duty versus retreat: Cyrabelle wants to fight for the Kingdom, while Grand Duke Mora prioritizes preserving the royal Lineage.
  • The cost of war: James’s death disrupts military plans and forces questions about the fate of the dead.
  • Respect and loyalty: Cyrabelle’s treatment of James underscores the value she places on those who serve her.
  • Pragmatism and moral choice: Raising James as a Lich could offer continued life and military service, but Cyrabelle insists the choice belongs to him.

Ch. 383Ready

Chapter summary

Key plot points and events

  • Green summons General James’s Ghost at Cyrabelle’s request. Though James has regained most of his memories, undeath has changed him, and he cannot truly return to his former self.
  • Cyrabelle gives James a genuine choice: become a Lich and continue living, or accept final death. After thinking it over, he chooses to live.
  • Green turns James’s body undead and begins fusing it with his Ghost. Three hours later, the transformation succeeds: James awakens as a Lich and pledges himself to Green.
  • Cyrabelle appoints James commander of her Undead Legion. Although James once served her, he now stands behind Green and appears to have cut himself off from his past.
  • Meanwhile, Cyrabelle and Green prepare a covert withdrawal from Red Fortress. Green’s undead can secretly bury Enchanted Explosives beneath key supports and likely Rebel positions, then detonate them without putting Cyrabelle’s soldiers at risk.
  • As the Revolutionary Army intensifies its attacks, Cyrabelle makes the fortress’s defense appear increasingly desperate. She exploits officers secretly colluding with the enemy by sending their units to the walls, while quietly moving her Royal Guard to a field camp behind the fortress.
  • With the explosives in place and much of her reliable force withdrawn, Cyrabelle prepares to make the eventual abandonment of Red Fortress look like the natural result of a rout.

Character developments

  • General James chooses continued existence despite knowing that undeath has changed him. His transformation gives him a new identity and allegiance: he becomes Green’s loyal Lich general.
  • Cyrabelle shows a rare moment of grief and vulnerability as she confronts James’s death and considers that she or someone she loves may die next. She nevertheless respects his choice and remains a calculating commander.
  • Green becomes central to both the military plan and James’s new life. He carries out the transformation and sees the explosives operation as a possible source of enormous Psychic Energy.

Character interactions

  • Cyrabelle treats James’s decision as his own, neither pressuring nor judging him. After his transformation, she accepts that his loyalty now belongs to Green.
  • James instinctively shows Cyrabelle respect, but after becoming a Lich he follows Green’s orders and keeps his feelings about Cyrabelle unspoken.
  • Green accepts James’s pledge and assigns him command of the Undead Legion.
  • Cyrabelle and Green cooperate in the retreat plan: she manages troops and deception, while Green’s undead handle the explosives.

Significant themes

  • Choice and identity: James can choose whether to continue living, but undeath means survival does not restore the person he was.
  • Death, loss, and attachment: Cyrabelle’s reaction to James’s death reveals her awareness of how fragile life and loyalty are.
  • Power and loyalty: James’s transformation shifts his allegiance from Cyrabelle to Green, underscoring how new identities can overturn old bonds.
  • Deception and the cost of war: Cyrabelle stages weakness, manipulates disloyal officers, and plans a devastating trap to save her forces and retreat.

Ch. 384Everyone Wanted to Be a Noble

Key plot points and events

  • Revolutionary Army intelligence reports that twelve Red Fortress officers have been contacted and are ready to help the rebels. General Lukase orders the assault to begin at 3 p.m. and asks for information about Cyrabelle’s Royal Guard, which he plans to destroy after taking the fortress.
  • Lukase also has 15,000 rested reserve troops concealed near the fortress. His plan is to strike the Royal Guard as it retreats, leaving Cyrabelle unable to defend the Kingdom’s capital, Stinnard.
  • The chapter reveals the political ambitions behind the revolution: although the Rune Federation supports the Revolutionary Army, its powerful families hope the new regime will be a kingdom, allowing them to gain hereditary noble titles. The surviving Stinnard aristocrats would help these newcomers learn the traditions and etiquette of nobility.
  • At 3 p.m., the Revolutionary Army launches a sudden assault. Defectors leave several stretches of wall undefended and turn their weapons on fellow garrison soldiers, allowing the attackers to climb into the fortress. The betrayal makes the Red Fortress effectively impossible to hold.
  • Cyrabelle and most of her Royal Guard are absent from the fighting. The Guard withdraws in an orderly fashion, leading observers to suspect that Cyrabelle anticipated the betrayal and abandoned the fortress in advance.

Character developments

  • General Lukase is an ambitious, battle-hardened commander who claims to despise aristocratic affectation but is pleased by the prospect of becoming “Count Lukase.” He sees defeating Cyrabelle as both a military victory and a way to claim status.
  • Cyrabelle is not present, but her apparent foresight is emphasized: the coordinated, disciplined withdrawal suggests she recognized the garrison’s disloyalty and avoided being trapped.
  • The Revolutionary Army’s officers and soldiers are portrayed as increasingly professional, trained in discipline and military etiquette by Rune instructors—very different from the unruly rebels they once were.
  • The defecting garrison officers choose to betray the fortress, though they show some reluctance by avoiding fatal shots against their former comrades.

Significant themes

  • Revolution repeating the old order: A movement supposedly built on overturning hierarchy is poised to create a kingdom and a new aristocracy.
  • Power and self-interest: Federation elites support the revolution less for its ideals than for the chance to gain titles, status, and inherited influence.
  • Institutional survival: The old nobles may lose political control but retain wealth and power by adapting to the new regime.
  • Betrayal and preparation: The fortress’s defenses fail from within, while Cyrabelle’s absence suggests that anticipating betrayal can matter more than relying on walls or force.

Character interactions

  • Lukase receives intelligence and operational reports from his staff, directing them to coordinate with the inside contacts and prepare the hidden reserves.
  • The defectors’ attack pits former comrades against one another; some defenders mistakenly rush to reinforce the walls and are met by their own side’s weapons.
  • Lukase frames the planned victory as a personal triumph over Cyrabelle, imagining that taking her fortress will let him claim the same noble title she holds.

Ch. 385The Lure of Riches

Plot points

  • After Cyrabelle withdraws from the Red Fortress, the original garrison must choose whether to follow her or surrender to the Revolutionary Army. Of the roughly 30,000 remaining troops, about a third follow the Royal Guard; the rest surrender.
  • General Lukase orders the surrendered soldiers formed into a separate division and plans to pursue Cyrabelle after a short rest.
  • The plan collapses when Revolutionary Army soldiers discover hidden Gold Pounds and jewelry inside the fortress. Troops and even officers abandon their orders to search for treasure.
  • Lukase suspects Cyrabelle planted the valuables to delay the pursuit. Rather than force discipline and risk alienating his troops, he cancels the night march—and a planned attack by 15,000 men—deciding to wait until morning.
  • North of the fortress, Cyrabelle and Green watch its lights from a camp holding the Royal Guard and the garrison troops who followed them. Cyrabelle regrets that Lukase’s ambush force never attacked, since she had prepared ways to counter it.

Character developments and interactions

  • Lukase proves politically shrewd but increasingly constrained: he recognizes the likely trap and knows his troops cannot match Cyrabelle’s forces in a small engagement, yet fears losing their loyalty if he disciplines them. He explains his reasoning to a trusted colonel, who warns that indulging the soldiers may make them harder to control.
  • Cyrabelle demonstrates strategic foresight, using the treasure to buy time for her retreat and anticipating a flanking attack. Her exchange with Green reveals her disappointment that she could not spring her countermeasures.
  • The garrison soldiers make divergent choices under pressure: some remain loyal to Cyrabelle, while others surrender from sympathy, exhaustion, or self-preservation. The Revolutionary Army’s troops reveal their priorities when tempted by wealth.

Significant themes

  • Greed undermines discipline: Treasure turns a trained force into a disorderly crowd and derails its campaign.
  • Power depends on loyalty: Lukase sacrifices immediate military advantage to preserve his standing with the soldiers whose support sustains his ambitions.
  • Choices determine fate: The garrison’s split—and the Revolutionary Army’s choices—shape who remains in control and who gains time.
  • Cyrabelle’s strategic skill: Even in retreat, she manipulates her opponents’ weaknesses to protect her forces.

Ch. 386The Great Explosion

Key plot points and events

  • After withdrawing from the Red Fortress, Cyrabelle secretly prepares a counterattack. Her 50,000 remaining soldiers receive replacement weapons and gather near the fortress, believing they are about to retreat.
  • On Cyrabelle’s order, Glan uses the Soul Link to awaken 28 dormant Kobold Zombies beneath the fortress. They activate Magic Circles connected to fourteen buried caches of Enchanted Explosives.
  • Two High-Level Legendary defenders detect the Psychic Energy buildup and try to disable the explosives. Magical shields repeatedly block their careful attacks; they manage to destroy only four of the fourteen sites.
  • Ten sites detonate, devastating the Red Fortress and killing or injuring many inside. Cyrabelle’s army then charges toward the ruins, encouraged by the explosion and her morale-boosting magic.
  • General Lucas, camped nearby, witnesses the destruction and realizes Cyrabelle is likely to attack next. He orders his forces to form a defensive line.

Character developments and interactions

  • Cyrabelle reveals that her retreat was a calculated deception. Her goal is not primarily to kill the Revolutionary Army’s powerful defenders, but to cripple its forces and make rebellion seem perilous. She remains composed and confident as the plan unfolds.
  • Green watches the attack with Cyrabelle and regrets that the blast probably will not kill the enemy’s strongest fighters.
  • Glan carries out Cyrabelle’s plan by awakening the Kobold Zombies.
  • The two Legendary defenders recognize the danger and act together, but Cyrabelle’s safeguards limit their options and frustrate their efforts.
  • Lucas is initially stunned by the destruction, then quickly understands the danger and responds with defensive orders.
  • Cyrabelle’s soldiers move from uncertainty to renewed confidence, while some recognize that their earlier withdrawal was a ruse.

Significant themes

  • Deception and strategy: A retreat conceals a carefully prepared trap and counterattack.
  • The cost of rebellion and war: Cyrabelle uses mass destruction as both a military tactic and a warning to those who oppose the Kingdom.
  • Morale and leadership: Cyrabelle’s timing, speech, and magic transform the explosion into momentum for her troops.
  • Limits of power: Even elite fighters are constrained when they must act cautiously around a threat designed to exploit their hesitation.

Ch. 387Reversal

Chapter Summary: “Reversal”

Key plot points and events

  • After Red Fortress is devastated by a massive explosion, General Lukase orders fifteen thousand fresh troops to establish a defensive line north of the fortress. He also summons two High-Level Legendary fighters to help counter Cyrabelle.
  • The surviving Revolutionary Army troops are badly traumatized. More than twenty thousand gather outside the ruins, but fear and grief have shattered their discipline and morale.
  • Cyrabelle leads a fifty-thousand-strong Kingdom Army counterattack. Buffed to move rapidly, her troops reach Red Fortress in under an hour.
  • The hastily built defensive line is less than one-third complete. Cyrabelle summons the Goddess of War Colossus and cleaves through it, causing the defenders to break. The line falls within five minutes.
  • Cyrabelle confronts the two High-Level Legendary fighters while the Kingdom Army continues toward Red Fortress under Green’s command.
  • Green senses the enormous concentration of dead souls and Death Psychic Energy around the fortress, then begins summoning undead from the Graveyard. General James arrives and takes command of the Undead Army.
  • The Kingdom Army divides its forces: forty thousand troops sweep around to attack the shattered Revolutionary Army gathered south of the fortress, while Cyrabelle’s duel keeps the enemy’s strongest fighters occupied.

Character developments

  • General Lukase shifts from decisive commander to a man overwhelmed by the scale of the disaster. He recognizes that the explosion has broken his army’s spirit and fears both defeat and the personal consequences of failure.
  • Cyrabelle demonstrates overwhelming battlefield power and confidence. Rather than pause after breaking the defensive line, she personally holds off two powerful opponents so her army can press its advantage.
  • Green embraces the opportunity created by the mass casualties, summoning a large undead force. His cold, commanding manner underscores his role as a Necromancer and military leader.
  • General James formally joins Green’s side, with his former insignia replaced by symbols of the undead, and immediately assumes command of the summoned army.
  • The Revolutionary Army survivors are portrayed as psychologically broken: their terror and despair leave them unable to resist effectively, even when they still greatly outnumber the advancing force.

Significant themes

  • The fragility of morale: A sudden reversal can destroy an army’s effectiveness more thoroughly than battlefield losses alone.
  • Momentum and decisive action: Cyrabelle exploits the enemy’s confusion, striking before Lukase can reorganize.
  • Power and fear: The Goddess of War Colossus and the undead army represent forces so intimidating that they shape the battle before conventional fighting can decide it.
  • Victory’s cost: The fortress’s devastation gives Green the dead and Death Psychic Energy needed to strengthen his forces, turning catastrophe into a new military advantage.

Character interactions

  • Lukase gives orders to rally his troops and asks the two High-Level Legendary fighters to stop Cyrabelle.
  • The two fighters recognize Cyrabelle’s superiority but attack together because they feel duty-bound to protect the Revolutionary Army.
  • Cyrabelle tells Green she will handle the Legendary opponents and entrusts the main assault to him; Green accepts the responsibility.
  • Green hands command of his Undead Army to General James, who responds with formal loyalty.

Ch. 388Crushing Victory

Plot points and events

  • With the Revolutionary Army’s flanks collapsing, Green watches General James command the Undead Army with exceptional coordination and efficiency, confirming that his transformation into a Lich was worthwhile.
  • Green opens the Nightmare Kingdom above the Red Fortress, drawing in the souls of the dead. Tens of thousands re-form at the human Holy Sanctuary, where the Shadow Trade Association organizes them and prevents disorder. Most are too dazed and badly affected by the blast to resist.
  • He also opens a passage to the Graveyard and absorbs the enormous concentration of Death Psychic Energy left by the battlefield’s mass casualties. The energy forms a second vast vortex.
  • The display alarms the two Rune Federation High-Level Legendaries fighting Cyrabelle. They flee, recognizing that they cannot contend with Cyrabelle and Green together. Cyrabelle does not pursue; she suspects Green has an immense undead space, possibly sustained by a Necromancy Divine Artifact, and wonders whether the influx will help him reach Legendary Rank.
  • Kingdom Army soldiers overwhelm the surviving Revolutionary Army troops. Most of the survivors are killed, captured, or scattered, and fewer than one in ten who escaped the explosion are expected to live.
  • Revolutionary Army commander General Lukase and two Legendary generals try to flee. Frio and Aliotega intercept them and quickly kill the two generals, sending their souls to the Nightmare Kingdom. Lukase surrenders and is held under guard.
  • Green’s undead sweep the fortress ruins, killing the wounded and sending their souls into the Nightmare Kingdom.

Character developments and interactions

  • Green demonstrates the scale of his power and his ability to channel Death Psychic Energy elsewhere without being corrupted. He views the returning souls as a chance to begin again, though he also orders the wounded killed.
  • General James proves himself an effective battlefield commander, coordinating his troops so well that Green estimates they fight beyond their ordinary capacity.
  • Cyrabelle recognizes Green as a major ally rather than a threat. Although she is astonished by his power, she has no interest in claiming his presumed artifact and values his strength.
  • The Rune Federation commanders abandon their fight with Cyrabelle once Green’s power becomes clear.
  • Frio and Aliotega block the fleeing Revolutionary generals and swiftly defeat them; their actions leave Lukase with no realistic option but surrender.
  • The Shadow Trade Association manages the newly arrived dead, while the angel sisters’ progress is temporarily limited: Green wants the three still below Legendary strength to gain experience, but the enemy’s flight interrupts that opportunity.

Significant themes

  • Power and its consequences: The battlefield’s mass death becomes a source of power for Green, terrifying even Legendary fighters.
  • Death and renewal: The dead regain bodies and memories—though often damaged—inside the Nightmare Kingdom, framing death as a possible new beginning.
  • War’s brutality: The rout becomes a massacre, and Green’s forces kill even wounded survivors, presenting “mercy” and violence in uneasy tension.
  • Loyalty and trust: Cyrabelle’s reaction shows that she trusts Green and values his strength more than any artifact he may possess.

Ch. 389Aftermath of the Battle

Key plot points

  • The battle at the Red Fortress ends in a devastating defeat for the Revolutionary Army. Cyrabelle’s explosives and the nighttime assault by her forces—joined by Green’s Undead Army—nearly destroy the 200,000-strong army. Its commander, General Lukase, surrenders; two Legendary fighters flee.
  • Green gains enormous resources from the dead: the Nightmare Kingdom takes in more than 135,000 souls, and the Graveyard’s Psychic Energy reaches 650,000. He upgrades numerous buildings and troops, yet still has over 500,000 energy remaining.
  • The influx of Death Psychic Energy accelerates the Graveyard’s progress. Green expects to meet the requirements for a Town Hall upgrade within a week; because the Town Hall is fused with his Meditation Method, reaching level seven would make him Legendary.
  • Cyrabelle decides her forces cannot pursue the Rebels or repair the ruined fortress because of their losses and failing supply lines. They must return to the Royal Capital, despite the political opposition waiting there.
  • Green asks for Lukase, hoping to turn the capable general into an undead commander. Cyrabelle refuses, considering instead whether to send him back as a spy within the Rebel ranks.
  • In Stinnard, pro-Revolutionary nobles who had expected Cyrabelle’s defeat are stunned by the reversal. Marquis Carpson fears her return and regrets his exposed allegiance, though he still believes the Revolutionary cause will ultimately prevail against the decaying Kingdom.

Character developments and interactions

  • Green revels in his newfound wealth, but the scale of the slaughter still unsettles him. He recognizes Cyrabelle’s strategic and political predicament, asks about the army’s next move, and accepts her refusal to hand over Lukase.
  • Cyrabelle has won a remarkable victory but remains burdened by losses, unreliable logistics, and hostile allies at court. Her resentment toward the capital is clear, and she sees Lukase as a potential intelligence asset rather than a prisoner to discard.
  • Marquis Carpson shifts from confidence to fear after the battle report, worrying that Cyrabelle may punish him and his family. His misgivings do not change his underlying belief that the Kingdom is too corrupt to recover.
  • Green and Cyrabelle speak candidly about military choices and Lukase, while the nobles in Stinnard confront how little control they have over events.

Significant themes

  • Victory amid decay: A major battlefield triumph cannot fix the Kingdom’s failing institutions, supply system, or political divisions.
  • The costs and rewards of war: Green’s power grows through mass death, even as he feels the human significance of the slaughter.
  • Political self-interest and shifting fortunes: The nobles’ confidence and fear follow the changing balance of power, while Carpson’s loyalty remains rooted in calculation.
  • Power and patience: Green is close to Legendary Rank but must wait, despite his impatience and sudden abundance of resources.

Ch. 390Changing Banners on the City Walls

Key plot points

  • After the Revolutionary Army’s defeat at Red Fortress, Sebolutes and the marquises realize Cyrabelle will likely turn against them. They consider leaving the Royal Capital, since their presence near the Space-Time Gate makes them vulnerable.
  • A week later, Green returns to Stinnard after helping destroy the Revolutionary Army’s 200,000-strong force. Cyrabelle enters the capital, takes control of its defenses, and prepares for further conflict.
  • General Lukase escapes captivity with help from a Revolutionary Army spy, freeing thousands of prisoners. His escape is recast as a heroic feat, helping restore morale despite the army’s catastrophic defeat.
  • Following Cyrabelle’s plan, Lukase stays near Red Fortress and builds an independent power base while publicly retaining his Revolutionary Army identity. He takes two cities, rewards soldiers and poor residents with seized wealth, wins local elites’ support by selling them land and factories, and grows his force to nearly 30,000.
  • The Revolutionary Army leadership grows suspicious and cuts off his supplies. Lukase seeks support through his Rune Federation connections and arranges to remove his family; one son is to be sent as a hostage to study in the Main World. His rise creates a third force in the conflict.
  • Meanwhile, Green focuses on the Graveyard, where the Meditation Method reaches the completion threshold for another upgrade. Its clock hands nearly reach the marks for levels seven and twelve.

Character developments and interactions

  • Sebolutes, Belon, and Carpson shift from considering political maneuvering to recognizing that staying in Stinnard is dangerous; Belon is especially unsettled by Cyrabelle’s unexpected victory.
  • Cyrabelle consolidates control of the capital and uses Lukase’s survival and ambitions to shape a new political and military force.
  • Lukase changes from defeated commander into a pragmatic warlord. He preserves his public image as a revolutionary hero while pursuing independence and protecting his family.
  • Green remains detached from the political upheaval, concentrating on his Meditation Method and the Graveyard.
  • The Revolutionary Army leadership and public interact with Lukase’s story in contradictory ways: leaders suspect him, but the movement embraces his heroic image to rebuild morale.

Significant themes

  • Political image-making: Lukase’s defeat and escape are reshaped into a morale-building legend.
  • Power and survival: Lukase uses force, wealth, alliances, and family arrangements to secure his position.
  • Unstable loyalties: He remains a Revolutionary Army hero in public while building an independent domain, and outside factions may support him for their own interests.
  • Parallel transformation: As political forces reorganize, Green’s Meditation Method approaches its next stage.

Ch. 391Ascension to Legendary Rank

Key plot points and events

  • Green spends 10,000 Psychic Energy to upgrade the Graveyard’s Meditation Method from level six to level seven. The Town Center transforms into a much grander Town Hall, and its clock chimes seven times.
  • The upgrade triggers Green’s breakthrough in Landon City. His aura announces that he is crossing from Formal Rank into Early Legendary Rank, attracting attention across the city.
  • Mayor Woodskin abandons plans to limit Green and the Wilson Family’s influence. Doctor Wilkins refuses to sell his share in the Manufacturing Plant to Viscount Lonant, warning that Green’s new status changes the balance of power.
  • Nobles gather at Wilson Castle to pay their respects. Viscount Paul and Vincent recognize that Green’s rise could lift the family to unprecedented prominence.
  • After roughly three hours, Green completes his transformation. His combat power rises to 1,150, his Mental Power Limit reaches 10,000, and several magical skills—including Soul Summoning—improve.
  • Green realizes his expanded mental capacity could support an undead army numbering in the tens of thousands. He resists acting impulsively and considers his next steps carefully.
  • The Graveyard’s clock suggests that further advancement will be slow: reaching Mid Legendary Rank may take years. Beyond Legendary Rank lies the formidable bottleneck to Calamity Rank.

Character developments and interactions

  • Green achieves a major milestone but remains aware that he is only a beginner among Legendary Transcendents. His excitement about commanding a larger undead legion is balanced by discipline and caution.
  • Mayor Woodskin shifts from maneuvering to constrain Green to accepting that the Wilson Family is now too powerful to challenge safely.
  • Doctor Wilkins is gratified by Green’s success, having supported a friendly connection with him since his apprentice days. He uses Green’s new standing to end Lonant’s attempted business deal.
  • Viscount Lonant leaves disappointed—and relieved that the deal did not go through before Green’s breakthrough.
  • Viscount Paul and Vincent receive visiting nobles, who now treat them with greater deference. Their confidence in following Green’s lead grows.
  • Green’s breakthrough reshapes his relationships with local leaders, nobles, and business partners, even as he shuts out distractions to complete it.

Significant themes

  • Power reshapes political and social standing: Green’s single advancement overturns plans, negotiations, and local hierarchies.
  • Growth requires patience and discipline: Though stronger and eager to expand his army, Green avoids making decisions in the heat of excitement.
  • Ambition meets limits: Legendary Rank brings immense gains, but progress slows sharply, and the eventual leap to Calamity Rank remains an almost insurmountable challenge.

Ch. 392Undead Resurrection

Plot points and events

  • After reaching Legendary Rank, Green upgrades his skills and greatly expands his forces. He recruits thousands of Skeleton Soldiers, forms an elite unit of armored Construct Skeleton Soldiers, increases his cannon supply by taking weapons from Stinnard’s armory, and equips the limited number of Fallen Knights and Lich Mages with powerful gear.
  • His army now numbers nearly 40,000 when the Graveyard’s troops, Kobold Zombies, and Mist World vassals are counted. Green plans to expand further, first by capturing Fast City to obtain its Griffin-breeding method, then by attacking the Human City-State in the Mist World.
  • Green also turns to a long-standing goal: awakening a six-meter Skeleton Lord made from an Ancient Giant’s remains, possibly those of a Saint Spirit Rank hero. He needs the advanced spell Undead Resurrection to do it.
  • Though the spell is normally difficult for a newly advanced Legendary Necromancer to master, Green uses the Graveyard’s Mage Tower to bypass the usual study process. He previously obtained the spell scroll from Stinnard Royal Academy, taking it openly in front of the dean.

Character developments and interactions

  • Green grows from a powerful commander into an ambitious army-builder, investing heavily in equipment and troops while carefully avoiding excessive theft that might damage his standing with Cyrabelle.
  • He recognizes the scarcity and strategic value of mages, and adapts Heavy Enchanted Armor and Zombie Warhorses into an effective combination for his Lich Mages.
  • Green’s relationship with Cyrabelle remains a practical constraint: despite controlling Stinnard’s defenses, he limits how much he takes from its armory to avoid undermining her trust.
  • The academy dean fawns over Green as he claims the spell scroll, underscoring his authority and confidence.

Significant themes

  • Power through resources: Green’s wealth and Psychic Energy let him rapidly build strength and overcome obstacles that would normally require years of study or preparation.
  • Pragmatic adaptation: Green reshapes troops and equipment to maximize battlefield effectiveness, even when the results look unconventional.
  • Ambition and expansion: His new rank fuels plans to conquer territory and acquire rare assets such as Griffins.
  • The limits of power: Despite his resources, Green still faces constraints, including the slow production of elite troops and uncertainty about whether his future campaigns will succeed.

Ch. 393Awakening the Skeleton Lord

Key plot points

  • Green learns Undead Resurrection, but the skill appears at level 0 and cannot be used. Because he had counted on it to awaken a powerful Skeleton Lord, he urgently seeks an explanation.
  • Cyrabelle consults Professor Jinjila, a leading Necromancy scholar. Jinjila explains that Undead Resurrection depends on a strong foundation in Death Corruption.
  • Green raises Death Corruption to level 10, which automatically unlocks Undead Resurrection at level 1. Spending heavily, he upgrades the new spell to level 4.
  • To protect the Graveyard in case the awakening goes wrong, Green moves the Skeleton Lord’s remains to a remote clearing beyond Ceylan Valley. The Dragon Lich stands guard while Green prepares the spell.
  • The chapter ends as Green begins casting: five interlocking Spell Circles appear above the Death Angel’s gauntlets.

Character developments and interactions

  • Green responds to a major setback by seeking expert advice rather than relying on guesswork. His wealth lets him resolve the problem quickly once he knows what to do.
  • Cyrabelle acts as Green’s intermediary, contacting Professor Jinjila instead of Grand Duke Mora. Jinjila’s academic expertise supplies the crucial answer.
  • Green shows limited consideration for the kobolds living in Ceylan Valley, moving the remains farther from their camp. Yet the narration makes clear that he chiefly views the valley’s inhabitants as useful assets within his empire.
  • The Dragon Lich supports Green by transporting the remains and guarding the awakening site.

Significant themes

  • Knowledge and foundations: Advanced abilities depend on properly developed basic skills; theory helps Green understand a problem that effort alone could not quickly solve.
  • Power, resources, and risk: Green’s accumulated Psychic Energy allows him to overcome obstacles and pursue a dangerous awakening, but he takes precautions against losing control.
  • Order and exploitation: Green’s developing system of trade improves survival and population growth among the tribes, while also turning their labor, military service, and even their remains toward his ends.

Ch. 394Skeleton Lord

Plot points and events

  • Green begins resurrecting the Skeleton Lord with a high-level Undead Resurrection spell. The ritual drains his Magic Power too quickly, so he channels Psychic Energy from the Graveyard through a gold wire extending more than five hundred kilometers to Ceylan Valley.
  • After consuming roughly 150,000 Psychic Energy, the Skeleton Lord’s soul fire reignites and he awakens. His Calamity Rank presence immediately threatens Green, who is nearly forced to kneel.
  • Green uses Divine Power Blessing to raise the Death Angel’s combat value to the Legendary Rank limit and resists the Skeleton Lord’s pressure. Since the newly awakened giant refuses to submit, Green stops the resurrection spell and attacks.
  • The Death Angel wounds the Skeleton Lord, while the Dragon Lich assists with frost breath. The giant quickly breaks free of the ice, and the three-hour battle becomes costly and difficult.
  • Green ultimately exhausts two Divine Power Crystals and spends another 30,000 Psychic Energy to bring the weakened Skeleton Lord under control. The entire effort costs more than 200,000 Psychic Energy, but Green judges the price worthwhile.

Character developments and interactions

  • Green proves resourceful and prepared: he devised the long-distance Psychic Energy line and anticipated the Skeleton Lord might resist awakening. The danger and expense shake his confidence, but he persists and secures control.
  • The Skeleton Lord awakens disoriented and fiercely independent, rejecting Green’s authority and attacking rather than submitting. Though weakened by resurrection, he displays formidable strength and resilience.
  • The Death Angel becomes Green’s main defender, using Divine Power to withstand the Skeleton Lord and repeatedly striking at close range.
  • The Dragon Lich supports the Death Angel from the air, freezing the Skeleton Lord and drawing his attention, though it keeps its distance from his overwhelming presence.

Significant themes

  • Power has a price: Reviving and controlling a Calamity Rank being demands enormous stores of energy and rare Divine Power Crystals.
  • Preparation and ingenuity: Green’s gold transmission line and contingency for the Skeleton Lord’s resistance turn a potentially impossible task into a costly but successful one.
  • Control versus independence: Resurrection does not guarantee obedience; the Skeleton Lord’s first response is to resist his would-be master.
  • Calculated risk: Green’s victory depends on exploiting the Skeleton Lord’s temporary weakness before he can regain his full strength.

Ch. 395An Army of One Hundred Thousand

Plot and events

  • Green examines the Skeleton Lord, Sean Spartiel, and learns that its greatest strength is not dueling but supporting and raising skeletal forces. Its auras boost nearby undead, while its Resurrection Aura can turn corpses and Death-infused matter within a kilometer into Elite Skeleton Soldiers.
  • In the Main World, Cyrabelle’s enemies retreat or become harder to pursue. Sebolutes leaves the capital, and Marquis Carpson returns to his fief after sending Cyrabelle gifts and a badge from Grand Duke Mora. Mora’s cryptic message—that Carpson “has made contributions to the Kingdom”—leaves Cyrabelle unsure whether Carpson is a double agent or part of a larger plan. She postpones action against him and focuses instead on the Little King and Marquis Belon.
  • In the Mist World, Green divides nearly forty thousand troops among ten commanders and launches a rapid campaign of expansion. Dozens of tribes and towns submit or are destroyed; those who surrender are incorporated into Green’s centrally managed system, supplying labor and recruits in exchange for protection and necessities.
  • The Retainer Army grows to 65,000. Combined with Green’s undead and Kobold Zombies, his forces reach roughly 100,000, led by the Calamity Rank Skeleton Lord and six Legendary fighters. Many subjects revere Green as the “Great Undead King.”
  • The expansion meets serious resistance when Cristiano’s force discovers a powerful Human City-State. Cristiano cautiously probes its defenses, draws out a Legendary mage, and requests help rather than risking a direct assault. Green sends the Skeleton Lord, which teleports onto the battlefield and kills the mage immediately. The city’s two remaining Legendary fighters retreat behind its Defensive Magic Circle.

Character developments and interactions

  • Green becomes more confident and ambitious after recruiting the Skeleton Lord, using his strength to pursue large-scale conquest and organized rule.
  • The Skeleton Lord is revealed as a force multiplier and army-maker, not merely a powerful combatant. Though the Mist World weakens and rejects it outside the Graveyard, it remains strong enough to overwhelm Legendary opponents.
  • Cristiano shows disciplined, cautious leadership: he avoids repeating earlier reckless assaults and promptly calls for reinforcements when outmatched.
  • Cyrabelle is politically constrained by Grand Duke Mora’s authority. Her exchange with Carpson and Mora exposes uncertainty around loyalties and her father’s broader strategy.

Significant themes

  • Power through organization: Green’s strength comes from combining military conquest, recruitment, economic planning, and the Skeleton Lord’s undead-raising abilities.
  • Conquest and submission: Green offers protection and basic goods to surrendered communities, but their labor, production, and warriors are absorbed into his system.
  • Political ambiguity: Carpson’s unclear loyalties and Mora’s cryptic message show how personal ambition and hidden state plans complicate power struggles.
  • Limits of power: Even formidable beings such as the Skeleton Lord suffer when opposed by a world’s rejection, though the Graveyard offers it refuge.

Ch. 396The Balance of Calamity-Rank Deterrence

Summary

Plot and events

  • Green’s Undead Kingdom surrounds a large Human City-State, but its advance is halted when the city’s hidden guardian awakens: a Calamity Rank Lich. The Skeleton Lord confronts him, and their equal power creates a dangerous stalemate.
  • Rather than risk losing his only Calamity Rank fighter, Green orders a withdrawal. The city’s guardian likewise avoids pursuit, apparently weakened by the Mist World’s suppression of his power.
  • The two sides negotiate a border two hundred miles west of the city gates, agreeing to peace. Green ends his expansion to secure and administer his enormous new territory, which exceeds three million square kilometers but is thinly defended.
  • Back in Stinnard, Cyrabelle returns and Green’s tenure as acting Director ends. He becomes Deputy Director of the Anomalies Bureau and is promoted from colonel to major general.
  • At a Bureau meeting, Green encounters Major General Kebayifu, a powerful and hostile officer who has taken over General James’s position as Cyrabelle’s deputy.

Character developments

  • Green shows strategic restraint: despite his confidence and ambition, he prioritizes preserving the Skeleton Lord and consolidating territory over risking a battle with an equal opponent.
  • His promotion fulfills a childhood ambition, briefly bringing out genuine pride and happiness beneath his usually impassive demeanor.
  • Cyrabelle resumes leadership of the Bureau and formally recognizes Green’s service by promoting him.
  • Kebayifu is introduced as formidable but volatile and politically difficult, with a history of defying Cyrabelle.

Themes

  • Deterrence and balance of power: Equal Calamity Rank forces prevent either side from risking open conflict.
  • The limits of expansion: Conquest creates obligations; Green must pause to govern and defend what he has taken.
  • Ambition and achievement: Green reaches a long-held personal goal, even as his career continues to bring new responsibilities.
  • Power’s cost: Releasing Calamity Rank energy brings discomfort under the Mist World’s suppression, limiting even the strongest beings.

Character interactions

  • Green’s orders restrain the Skeleton Lord’s eagerness to fight, while the rival Lich’s presence forces both armies into caution.
  • General James represents Green in negotiations with Feilongduo, the city-state’s elder and a Legendary grand Knight, leading to a formal peace agreement.
  • Cyrabelle publicly awards Green his new insignia, then brings him into a leadership meeting where he must now work alongside—and potentially contend with—Kebayifu.

Ch. 397The Conference Room

  • Cyrabelle briefs the officers: With Stinnard’s defense presented as their last chance, Cyrabelle rallies the assembled leaders and assigns tasks. After the meeting, she asks Green and Kebayifu to remain, along with several additional officers she has summoned.
  • Kebayifu resents Green: Still angry that Green has risen above him in the chain of command, Kebayifu blames him for his own loss of status and considers challenging him. Though Kebayifu is Mid-Level Legendary and carries a powerful heirloom sword, Green’s unnerving gaze briefly unsettles him. Green, however, has already dismissed him and turns his attention to Cyrabelle.
  • Green’s priorities lie elsewhere: While waiting, Green appears to rest but actually returns his Main Consciousness to the Graveyard to study magic. His scientific, research-focused approach contrasts with the personal rivalry and political tensions in the room.
  • Ruston arrives: Captain Ruston, a talented commoner who volunteered for the dangerous Void World to escape a dead-end career, reports nervously to Cyrabelle. His performance at Red Fortress has earned her attention and may change his prospects. Kebayifu’s inherited contempt for commoners makes him regard Ruston with disdain, intensifying the young captain’s unease.
  • Hill Walsh joins them: Captain Hill Walsh, a confident young noblewoman, arrives and sits beside Ruston with ease. Her composure contrasts with his timidity.
  • Two more arrivals: Madam Rand, an elderly Anomalies Bureau officer whose presence carries a Necromancer’s chilling aura, enters with Sherotna, a tall young man with white wings and faint Angel ancestry. The chapter ends as they introduce themselves.
    Character and relationship notes: Kebayifu’s pride, class prejudice, and longstanding hostility toward Cyrabelle are revealed; she once physically taught him a lesson when they were children, explaining his wariness of her despite his noble rank. Ruston’s ambition and courage emerge beneath his nervous manner, while Hill appears socially assured. Green remains detached from the room’s rivalries.
    Themes: The chapter emphasizes rank and inherited privilege versus earned opportunity, the sacrifices required to rise in a rigid system, and the contrast between ego-driven conflict and disciplined pursuit of knowledge.

Ch. 398Kebayifu

Plot points and events

  • After returning from Edis Prison, Green is publicly praised by Director Cyrabelle for helping purge traitors and secure the Kingdom’s rear.
  • Cyrabelle calls a meeting to organize the next stage of the conflict: finding and eliminating or driving out the Rebel Intelligence Department’s Assassination Unit, which is hidden in Stinnard.
  • General Kebayifu objects, warning that the unit includes formidable opponents. Cyrabelle assures him that she will handle its leader, Sebolutes, and that Suzune has already left the Rebels.
  • Cyrabelle appoints Green to lead the operation and leaves before discussion can continue.
  • Kebayifu refuses to accept Green’s authority and heads for the door. Green stops him by summoning a passage to the Graveyard and allowing the Dragon Lich’s power to fill the room and surrounding district.
  • Confronted by the overwhelming aura, Kebayifu realizes Green’s rumored High-Level Legendary Dragon Lich is real. Green warns him that, as his subordinate, Kebayifu must obey unless he can get Cyrabelle to reassign him.

Character developments

  • Green moves from quiet attendee to appointed commander. He demonstrates confidence and political resolve, using the Dragon Lich’s presence to enforce his authority without directly attacking Kebayifu.
  • Kebayifu begins with disdain for Green and doubts that the group can handle the mission. His assumptions collapse when Green reveals the force behind him; he reassesses Green but remains resentful and wary.
  • Cyrabelle shows both recognition of Green’s achievement and firm control over the meeting. She anticipates his role in the operation and backs his authority by assigning him command.
  • The other attendees are intimidated by Green’s display, while Madam Rand, as a Legendary Transcendent, is less physically overwhelmed than the lower-ranked officers.

Significant themes

  • Authority and obedience: Cyrabelle’s appointment establishes Green’s command, while Kebayifu’s resistance tests whether rank will be respected.
  • Appearances and misjudgment: Kebayifu’s dismissal of Green as a favored subordinate proves badly mistaken.
  • Power as deterrence: Green uses the Dragon Lich’s aura to halt defiance without striking anyone.
  • Political and military necessity: The Kingdom must secure Stinnard before the next battle, even as the enemy’s hidden network remains dangerous.

Character interactions

  • Cyrabelle publicly praises Green, then entrusts him with the mission.
  • Kebayifu challenges Cyrabelle’s plan, then resents Green’s appointment and refuses to follow him.
  • Green confronts Kebayifu directly, using a controlled show of supernatural power to compel him to reconsider.
  • The room’s other officers watch the conflict in fear, leaving Green’s authority effectively unchallenged.

Ch. 399Purge Team

Key plot points and events

  • During the Purge Team’s first meeting, Kebayifu challenges Green after being threatened. Green calmly holds his ground while a Dragon Lich’s growing presence makes the danger unmistakable. After several tense minutes, Kebayifu backs down.
  • Green dismisses the summon and brings Captain Ruston, Hill Walsh, Madam Rand, and Sherotna to join him. He announces that Cyrabelle has given the six-person team considerable authority and expects them to deliver results.
  • The team begins hunting the Revolutionary Army’s Assassination Unit, led by Sebolutes. Since the unit has gone into hiding, Green assigns members to investigate locations identified through Anomalies Bureau intelligence without tipping off any targets.
  • The next afternoon, Ruston goes undercover as an ordinary office worker at a café on Rosket Street. He watches the room while trying to appear natural.
  • Ruston recognizes a tall young man, Mr. Loha, as a person of interest but hides his reaction. Loha waits for a friend; when a short, stocky man named Descartes arrives, Loha calls him over.

Character developments

  • Green demonstrates composure, strategic preparation, and intimidating authority. He anticipated Kebayifu’s reaction from the files he had studied and uses force selectively, ending the confrontation once Kebayifu yields.
  • Kebayifu is proud and furious at being threatened, but his instincts and judgment overcome his pride. His retreat suggests caution and self-preservation rather than cowardice.
  • Ruston is inexperienced in undercover work but prepared and observant. Though nervous about how to act, he maintains his cover and notices Loha’s arrival.

Character interactions

  • Green and Kebayifu’s silent standoff dominates the meeting: Green’s calm and the Dragon Lich’s pressure force Kebayifu to reconsider his defiance.
  • Ruston, Walsh, Rand, and Sherotna comply with Green’s direction and join the team. Their respect for Kebayifu remains intact, as they recognize the judgment involved in avoiding a reckless fight.
  • At the café, the waitress treats Loha with familiar warmth, while he responds politely and waits for Descartes. Ruston watches their exchange without revealing his interest.

Significant themes

  • Pride versus prudence: Kebayifu must choose between defending his dignity and avoiding a potentially fatal confrontation.
  • Power and restraint: Green’s threat is effective, but he does not press the conflict after securing compliance.
  • Preparation and intelligence: Green’s knowledge of the team and the Bureau’s leads shapes both the confrontation and the investigation.
  • Secrecy and observation: The team must find the hidden Assassination Unit without alerting it, making Ruston’s careful undercover work central to the mission.

Ch. 400The Fat Shut-In Descartes

Plot points and events

  • Descartes, a Revolutionary Army intelligence agent, meets fellow agent Loha at a café. He worries that Loha’s contact-point waitress may expose them and considers killing her, though she knows nothing of their work.
  • Ruston, an Anomalies Bureau operative, watches the meeting. He recognizes Descartes from the Bureau’s files and arranges for an informant to follow Loha, while he tails Descartes.
  • Descartes returns home, then slips out late at night to visit a nearby house. Ruston follows and discovers magical alarms guarding the room Descartes enters.
  • Using his ability to become ordinary water, Ruston bypasses the alarms and gets inside. The room is empty, suggesting a hidden chamber or passage.
  • Rather than investigate recklessly, Ruston withdraws and summons Deputy Director Green. Green arrives through a portal and hears Ruston’s report.

Character developments

  • Descartes is outwardly shy and harmless but is a committed, ruthless revolutionary, prepared to sacrifice an innocent person for the cause. His secret nighttime movements deepen the suspicion surrounding him.
  • Ruston demonstrates patience, analytical thinking, and caution rather than relying solely on his considerable power. He hopes that uncovering a lead will impress Green and advance his career.
  • Loha appears to be a lower-level agent whose exposed contact point has become a security risk.
  • Green responds to Ruston’s discovery by arriving in person, though his next move is not yet shown.

Character interactions

  • Descartes privately reprimands Loha for letting the waitress approach him; Loha explains that he has been unable to change the assigned contact point.
  • Descartes and Loha maintain a friendly appearance while dining together, concealing their likely intelligence exchange from Ruston.
  • Ruston coordinates with the newsboy informant to track Loha, then reports Descartes’s movements and the suspected hidden space to Green.

Significant themes

  • Revolution and moral compromise: Descartes’s willingness to kill an uninvolved waitress shows how noble political aims can be used to justify cruelty.
  • Surveillance and secrecy: Both sides rely on agents, coded procedures, alarms, and covert observation.
  • Intelligence over force: Ruston’s careful analysis and creative use of his ability let him uncover a lead without triggering the defenses.
  • Ambition and hierarchy: Ruston’s investigation is driven partly by a desire to earn Green’s favor and rise within the Bureau.
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