Chapter Summaries

Farolynch was cornered by a vampire and a swarm of bats, while Mulan activated Dawn’s emblem through the Black Castle’s magic arrays. The resulting beam of light struck the vampire and saved Farolynch, who was left unharmed.

• Farolynch lured the bats into pursuing him, then threw the armed townspeople into chaos to escape their gunfire.
• A vampire in a white suit attacked Farolynch near the ancient oak, wounded him, and used magic-powered bats to tear at his body.
• Mulan activated Dawn’s emblem in the Golden Hall, channeling the Black Castle’s magic power through the ritual arrays.
• The emblem on the book in a distant cave glowed and sent a vast curtain of light through the forest toward Farolynch.
• Dawn’s light burned the bats and hurled the vampire toward the town, while Farolynch opened his eyes unharmed.

Farolynch discovered that the Book of Dawn had produced the light that burned the vampire, then fled the woods with the mother and her children. The vampire’s burning blood drove him to massacre the town, and a later vampire encountered the transformed survivor, who revealed that a previously unknown holy relic was in the hands of a strange supernatural being.

• Farolynch returned to the cave, learned from the boy that the Book of Dawn had lit up, and decided to take the family away.
• Farolynch carried the mother and her two children out of the forest at great speed.
• The wounded vampire’s blood ignited inside him, and he killed townspeople to keep himself alive.
• Two days later, another vampire found the town empty and encountered a grotesque monster that claimed a new holy relic had injured it.
• The monster attacked the vampire, who escaped after a prolonged fight to report the relic’s existence.

Mulan and Walton attended a royal council debating whether Dierjia should intervene in Kingsbia, where unrest led by the Life Divine Religion had engulfed the kingdom. After reports of a suspected holy relic emerged, Mulan urged the council to consider the religion’s organization and possible presence within the Empire, leaving intervention under debate as troops were moved toward the border.

• Walton discovered a report about Mulan’s Secret Realm Weaver research, then joined Mulan after the Queen summoned them to the palace.
• Menggeli reported that the Life Divine Religion had become Kingsbia’s state religion and that its followers, supported by the army, were driving unrest and attacks on Holy Temple believers.
• Nisheriel asked the council whether Dierjia should intervene, and the ministers argued over military readiness, costs, and the risk of war before agreeing to move troops to the border.
• Officials reported that a new holy relic might have appeared in Kingsbia, and Mulan suspected the described light and flame could be the Book of Dawn.
• Mulan warned the council that the Life Divine Religion’s rapid rise suggested a secretive, organized force and asked whether it had followers in Dierjia.

Mulan oversaw Dierjia’s response to the Life Divine Religion and was appointed commander of a corps heading to Kingsbia to secure a Holy Relic. Shire fled with a vampire after learning his identity was likely to be exposed, while Mulan quietly followed the clue he left behind and began assembling trusted former comrades.

• After the council agreed to investigate the Life Divine Religion, Mulan worried that vampires might be behind the wolf disaster in Shire.
• A vampire warned Shire that investigators would soon expose him and gave him ten minutes to leave for Kingsbia to help control a Holy Relic.
• Mulan arrived in Shire the next day and found Baron Shire missing, then secretly noticed and removed a marker pointing to Kingsbia.
• As reports revealed the Life Divine Religion’s reach and the deaths of investigators across Dierjia, Nisheriel ordered a corps formed and appointed Mulan its commander.
• Mulan received the command and began transferring trusted former comrades such as Majeri into the new force.

Mulan organized the Black Castle’s students and Supernatural Beings for the Special Advance Corps’s dangerous mission to Kingsbia. The force departed by train with nearly a hundred selected students, while a second train carried thirty Steam Tanks and trained troops, showing how heavily Dierjia had equipped the operation.

• Mulan posted an emergency notice inviting senior students to apply to accompany the army, and students gathered at Black Square the next morning.
• Mulan warned the applicants about the danger, then watched students scramble for forms until more than a hundred and twenty completed applications were collected.
• Sebastina volunteered to accompany the army, Haisen accepted Mulan’s invitation, and Walton revealed that he had been attending only through an illusion.
• The selected students received uniforms and equipment, then boarded a train with Mulan and departed southeast toward Kingsbia.
• The students spotted a second train carrying trained troops and thirty Steam Tanks, including Raging Wind models captured from Basman.

Kingsbia rejected Dierjia’s ultimatum and prepared for war, while Mulan’s Forward Legion crossed the border and overwhelmed the defenders with Steam Tanks. After capturing a town, Mulan showed his troops the victims of the Life Divine Religion and ordered the corpses burned as the invasion continued.

• Kingsbia’s officials and the Life Divine Religion’s Archbishop chose to resist Dierjia’s demands and prepare for war.
• Mulan and Barton repelled a nighttime bat attack on the Forward Legion’s camp, and Mulan told his soldiers the war had begun.
• At dawn, Mulan’s Steam Tanks crossed the border and crushed Kingsbia’s defenses at a nearby town.
• Dierjia’s troops entered the town, where some Black Castle students witnessed combat and deaths firsthand.
• Mulan and his companions found about a hundred mutilated, withered bodies in an assembly hall and ordered the soldiers to burn them before advancing.

Dierjia’s Forward Legion seized the Shallow River bridge through a covert operation led by Horus and Handel, allowing Mulan’s main force and its supplies to cross into Kingsbia. Mulan then ordered the legion to camp and prepare for a larger confrontation near Lorint, intending to draw in Kingsbian troops and cultists.

• Horus led Dierjia soldiers and Black Castle students across the Shallow River, where they captured the bridge outpost and forced its Kingsbian officers to cooperate.
• Kingsbian troops and civilians fled across the bridge as Handel told Horus that all the Black Castle students in the operation could use magic.
• A wounded Kingsbian officer urged the outpost defenders to flee, but Horus pretended they would hold the bridge and let the officer leave believing their resolve was real.
• Mulan arrived with the main force, praised Horus, and brought the legion across the bridge before convening his officers at the outpost.
• Mulan explained that he wanted Kingsbia to gather its troops and cultists near Lorint, then ordered the legion to fortify its camp and prepare Wolf Venom Neutralizer and the Holy Temple priests.

Mulan Jonester’s forces endured a coordinated Werewolf and bat assault, then activated a vast ritual array that trapped the dark creatures and turned the battle in the soldiers’ favor. Sebastina confronted two vampires who had watched from a distant hill.

• Black Castle students traced ritual-array lines across the camp while Sebastina linked and refined them with her magic.
• Werewolves and bats attacked the encampment at night, and Mulan bolstered the soldiers’ courage with Radiant Inspiration before ordering them to fire.
• The dark creatures broke through the outer defenses, but Steam Tanks and Black Castle students fought back amid heavy casualties.
• The ritual array activated beneath the attackers, pinning the bats and restraining the Werewolves so the soldiers could kill them.
• Two vampires watched the battle in shock, and Sebastina appeared beside them as white, snakelike strands crept around their feet.

The Forward Legion repelled the werewolves, and Mulan felt the soldiers’ victory and growing courage strengthen his power as a Radiant Knight. After casualties were counted and the wounded treated, Sebastina returned with a valuable Blood Heart for Mulan.

• The soldiers used gunfire, bayonets, and Steam Tanks to defeat the werewolves, while holy light struck down many fleeing creatures.
• The soldiers and Black Castle students celebrated their victory, and Mulan felt their courage and inspiration flow back to him.
• The casualty count showed just over six hundred dead and a little over two thousand severely wounded, with the Wolf Venom Neutralizing Agent saving many who might otherwise have died or transformed.
• Sebastina reported that one vampire had escaped and presented Mulan with the other vampire’s shriveled Blood Heart as spoils of battle.

Mulan confronted the Raven Queen again after being pulled into the Otherworld in a dream, where she tried to claim him as a vessel. He escaped with the Ring of Light’s help and arranged to sleep under the Holy Temple bishops’ blessings.

• Mulan studied how a commander’s victories might contribute to advancement as a Victory Knight while the Forward Legion rested.
• After hearing crows outside, Mulan fell asleep and woke in a deathly version of the camp in the Otherworld.
• The Raven Queen mistook Mulan for a powerful pure-blooded Quinas soul and tried to seize him with a hand formed from crows.
• Mulan summoned the Ring of Light and fired into the sky, disrupting the crows before killing himself to wake from the dream.
• Mulan explained that the Ring of Light’s own magic had helped free him, then asked a Holy Temple bishop to bless his rest.

Dilga’s Special Advance Corps advanced toward Lorint, rescuing Kingsbian civilians from a town terrorized by the Life Cult and the royal family. As the legion neared the city, a group of local rebels learned of its approach and resolved to help it free Lorint.

• Mulan inspected the recovered soldiers, praised their werewolf trophies, and led the reinforced corps onward with a hundred Steam Tanks.
• The corps found towns and villages deserted, with civilians displayed as corpses and evidence of deadly cult rituals throughout the streets.
• Handel and Upton discovered two frightened children, and Mulan ordered a safe passage for civilians fleeing the Life Cult.
• Several hundred Kingsbians emerged from hiding and joined the corps, spreading word that Dilga had come to protect them.
• In Lorint, a young rebel reported that Dilga was nearing the city and that its northern garrisons had been defeated.
• The rebels gathered in a warehouse and vowed to help the Dierjia People win the battle for Lorint.

Mulan used rumors and a devastating artillery advance to weaken Kingsbia’s defenses at Lorint, then unleashed an immensely powerful Light Spear that struck the city. The chapter left Lorint engulfed in radiance and Mulan’s allies stunned by the scale of his attack.

• Mulan let defeated Kingsbia soldiers spread frightening reports, while a Werewolf killed suspected spies and cowards in Lorint.
• Kingsbia commanders planned to wear down the Dierjia Forward Legion, continue rituals, and create more Werewolves as the Dierjia Special Advance Corps approached.
• Mulan ordered one hundred Steam Tanks and two hundred Towed Cannons to bombard Kingsbia’s defensive lines, while Airships identified enemy artillery positions for counterfire.
• Mulan gathered his magic power for over five minutes and formed a Light Spear with his Radiant Knight totem.
• Mulan fired the Ring of Light and launched the spear, shattering his right arm as the attack tore through Lorint’s defenses and struck the city.
• The Vampire in Lorint’s castle saw the approaching radiance, and Haisen and Sebastina stared in shock as the city was engulfed in white light.

The Forward Legion’s devastating attack shattered Kingsbia’s defenses outside Lorint, while rebels inside the city rose against the collapsing regime. Handel planted the Legion’s banner atop a watchtower and watched the enemy surrender as the battle became a rout.

• Mulan rallied the Forward Legion after the blast destroyed Kingsbia’s central castle, and the troops charged the enemy lines under Radiant Inspiration.
• Black Castle students and Dierjian soldiers cut through Kingsbia’s troops and Life Divine Religion fanatics, killing priests and driving defenders from the trenches.
• A Dierjian merchant led rebels in Lorint to attack defenders and burn an ammunition warehouse, triggering an explosion and uprisings throughout the city.
• Handel killed two Werewolves, climbed a watchtower, and planted the Forward Legion’s banner as the legion’s tanks broke the enemy into scattered groups.
• Kingsbia Army soldiers surrendered in growing numbers while Handel watched the battle collapse far more easily than he had expected.

Mulan’s Forward Legion captured Lorint and took more than a hundred thousand prisoners, while Mulan executed soldiers who had abused Kingsbians and apologized to their victims. The victory brought Dierjia’s forces north of Lorint under their control, but Kingsbia’s king and the Archbishop of the Life Divine Religion still hoped to resist.

• Mulan ordered rear troops to take custody of the prisoners as the Forward Legion advanced into Lorint.
• Mulan executed Mahe'er and the soldiers who had abused Kingsbians, then apologized to the victims and promised compensation.
• Dierjia soldiers finished securing Lorint and searched for survivors and dark creatures.
• A messenger reported to Nisheriel that Dierjia had won Lorint, captured 145,000 Kingsbian regulars and 32,000 fanatics, and controlled all territory north of the city.
• Kingsbia’s king raged over the defeat of his 200,000-strong army, while the Archbishop of the Life Divine Religion insisted that they still had a chance.

After the Battle of Lorint, Mulan experienced the rewards of victory and used his resonance with Abundance to teach the Black Castle students. He uncovered cursed crystals beneath the ruins, then marched the Dierjia Forward Legion toward Kingsbia’s Royal Capital as his reputation as Radiant Judge spread.

• Mulan sensed the rewards of the Battle of Lorint and crushed the gathered light before it could overwhelm the onlookers.
• Mulan taught the Black Castle students about resisting the void’s influence and recognizing their inner desires.
• Mulan ordered soldiers to search beneath the ruins, where Marlin, Charkus, and another student dismantled a ritual array and recovered a chest of crystals.
• Sebastina identified the crystals as containing cursed life force made by the Life Religion.
• Mulan ordered the Dierjia Forward Legion to march on Kingsbia’s Royal Capital and draw out the remaining armies.
• News of Mulan’s Holy Gun Light Spear strike spread, and people began calling him Radiant Judge Mulan Jonester.

Farolynch brought Xin Erwei and her children to Dover, where an innkeeper gave the exhausted fugitives food and a place to sleep. After the children fell asleep, Xin Erwei asked about Farolynch’s search for what would restore him to life and offered to help him discover what he was missing.

• Farolynch led Xin Erwei and her children into Dover and followed the boy to the Street Corner inn.
• Xin Erwei had only a few Kingsbia copper coins, so the innkeeper gave the family soup and bread for free.
• The innkeeper invited them to stay the night, closed the inn, and prepared hot water for them.
• Farolynch gave the bed to Xin Erwei and the children and kept watch by the door while they slept.
• Xin Erwei asked what Farolynch needed to return fully to life, and he said he might need a realization about humanity.
• Xin Erwei told Farolynch he already had the light of humanity and offered to help him try everything, then sat close to him.

Farolynch brought Xin Erwei and her children to Dover, where a kind innkeeper gave them food and shelter. As Farolynch struggled to understand what he needed to revive fully, Xin Erwei tried to help him, and signs of revival appeared.

• Farolynch led Xin Erwei and her children into Dover, where the crowded city eased his sense of danger.
• At the Street Corner inn, the innkeeper gave the exhausted family soup and bread without charge, then offered them a room for the night.
• After the children fell asleep, Xin Erwei asked Farolynch what he still needed to revive fully.
• Farolynch said he might need a realization to become more than an imitation of humanity, and Xin Erwei told him that humanity was already within him.
• Xin Erwei tried to help Farolynch, and clear signs of revival appeared as magic surged around them.

Farolynch discovered that he could walk in sunlight after achieving a perfect resurrection, then opened the Book of Dawn and learned of the Great Vortex. He chose to join Dawn and fight to protect the people and things he loved.

• Farolynch held Xin Erwei as he tested his hand in the evening sunlight and found that it no longer harmed him.
• Farolynch opened the Book of Dawn, and its revelation of the Great Vortex reached him while Mulan sensed the book opening from afar.
• After Xin Erwei urged him to eat, Farolynch reflected on Mulan’s cause and decided he could not turn away from the coming destruction.
• Farolynch swore to join Dawn and protect what he cherished, and the Book of Dawn branded its symbol onto his palm.

Farolynch hid with his family in Dover as the city filled with Werewolves, then discovered that his blood could reverse their transformation at a fatal cost. He confronted a Vampire with the Book of Dawn and launched him into the sunlight, leaving the fight’s outcome unresolved.

• Farolynch sensed dozens of Werewolves gathering around Dover and hid his family from their notice.
• Over several days, Farolynch moved his family between hiding places as the Werewolves multiplied and reports of murders spread.
• Farolynch used his blood to turn a Werewolf back into a human, but the man soon exploded, and another Werewolf fled in agony with the others following.
• A Vampire mistook the fleeing Werewolves’ behavior for a sign that Farolynch was nearby and waited for him in the city.
• Farolynch confronted the Vampire at dawn, used the Book of Dawn to blast him through a window, and struck him skyward into the sun.

Farolynch fought the vampire in the Otherworld to keep it from reaching the fleeing humans, while Shire chased Xin Erwei and the children and reached them with the Book of Dawn. Shire gathered them together, but rising river water and a forest of hanging corpses left the group surrounded by danger.

• Farolynch escaped the vampire's cloak and used Death Coil to tear it apart, then bound the vampire to himself and triggered a magical explosion.
• Shire fought the urge to turn back and kept chasing Xin Erwei and the children deeper into the Otherworld.
• Shire found the three beside the Book of Dawn, gathered them up, and showed them the Dawn Mark to prove he had come to help.
• Xin Erwei and the children calmed down, and Shire realized they might have spent far longer in the Otherworld than he thought.
• The group noticed the dark red river rising and saw corpses hanging from the branches high above the towering trees.