Chapter Summaries

Little Knife led a thirteen-man assault team toward Bolas Fortress to seize its drawbridge, but another group emerged as the bridge began to lower. The two forces faced each other across the road, and their identities remained unclear.

• Little Knife gathered nine armored players and arranged for three artillery-trained players to bring the Crouching Tiger Cannon.
• The thirteen-man assault team crawled for half an hour from five hundred meters away to a mound a hundred meters from Bolas Fortress without being spotted.
• Little Knife saw the drawbridge slowly coming down and shouted for his team to charge.
• A second group rose from the weeds across the road, leaving Little Knife and the other leader staring at each other.

Little Knife’s group and Carrot’s team fought Restoration Army soldiers while trying to seize the drawbridge to Bolas Fortress. Little Knife’s cannon stopped charging cavalry, and an explosion erupted behind the fortress.

• Little Knife’s players shot at Restoration Army soldiers and rushed toward the drawbridge instead of pursuing them.
• Carrot and four players fought guards at the gateway, killing two and taking their weapons as more enemies pressed in.
• Little Knife’s group encountered light cavalry and formed a line while the gun crew prepared the Crouching Tiger Cannon.
• The Crouching Tiger Cannon blasted the cavalry, while a huge explosion sent flames high behind Bolas Fortress.

Ajax set fire to kerosene-soaked rats in the Restoration Army camp, triggering an explosion that devastated the camp as Count Dirac prepared a supporting night raid. Count Dirac escaped by teleporting away and was left staring at the destruction, unsure what had happened.

• Ajax traded grain for rats, smuggled kerosene into the camp, and prepared to use the rats as a fire-based diversion.
• Count Dirac sent two hundred sword-and-shield infantry and fifty dismounted knights on a supporting night raid, ordering Baron Bowen to avoid risking the army's core forces.
• Baron Bowen noticed that the camp was on fire, and Count Dirac saw two burning rats charge toward a cart of explosive charges.
• Count Dirac crushed the object in his pendant and teleported a kilometer away just before the camp erupted in a massive explosion.
• Count Dirac watched the black-and-red mushroom cloud rise over his camp and roared in anger, demanding to know what had happened.

During a raid on the Minisians, Cool Guy broke into the laborers’ sheds to free the enslaved workers, but discovered they were too afraid to flee because the Minisians killed nine people for every escapee. As fighting raged outside, he resorted to threats and violence to force the workers to run toward the forest.

• After an explosion exposed the raiding players, Cool Guy broke away from the charge and reached the laborers’ sheds while the Minisians fought back.
• Cool Guy cut the ropes in one shed, but the laborers restrained a young man who tried to escape, so Cool Guy wounded and killed two of them before taking the young man outside.
• The young laborer told Cool Guy that the Minisians killed nine people whenever one person escaped, though he could not explain why they did not flee together.
• With the battle intensifying, Cool Guy gave the young man a dagger and ordered him to follow.
• Cool Guy and the young man freed workers in the other sheds, using threats and violence to make them flee toward the forest.

Carrot and Little Knife’s men fought to seize the outer fort of Bolas Fortress while another group battled unseen enemies across the drawbridge. Little Knife led the assault into the gateway, leaving Carrot to help hold the bridge as they tried to secure a foothold.

• Carrot held the gateway with two players, killing an enemy fighter with his halberd after a musketeer shot one of his companions.
• Two sword-and-shield fighters cornered Carrot by the drawbridge winch, but Little Knife arrived with a flintlock volley that drove the enemies back.
• Carrot rebuked Little Knife for arriving late, then learned that only twelve men had reached the gateway because the rest were fighting another group across the drawbridge.
• Gunfire from the drawbridge battle abruptly stopped, leaving Carrot and Little Knife unsure whether the other group had won or been wiped out.
• Little Knife led his men into the outer fort and left two men and a Crouching Tiger Cannon with Carrot to help hold the drawbridge.

Colonel Bernal learned that enemy forces had entered Bolas Fortress’s Outer Keep after the drawbridge was lowered, while Polka’s attack was driven back by the Players’ superior gunfire. Little Knife and his men took the Outer Keep and began clearing its floors, but fresh fighting broke out below as they moved to secure the stone bridge.

• Colonel Bernal saw flames near the Restoration Army’s camp and learned that enemies had entered the Outer Keep.
• Polka’s force exchanged fire with the Players, suffered heavy losses, and retreated after Polka ordered them to preserve their strength.
• Little Knife fought through the Outer Keep, killing a swordsman and a musketeer despite being struck by a shot that hit his breastplate.
• Little Knife split his men between clearing the second floor and seizing the stone bridge to the main castle.
• Little Knife heard Chris-Pattern Flintlock fire downstairs and hurried to finish clearing the floor so he could help.

Five Nukes and his companions fought off Minisian attackers at the stone bridge leading to the Outer Keep of Bolas Fortress. After the survivors retreated into the main keep, Five Nukes ordered his group back into the gateway passage to avoid the archers.

• Five Nukes and four players fired on Minisian soldiers crossing the bridge, killing two but failing to stop the charge.
• Five Nukes fixed his bayonet and charged a billhook wielder, deflecting the attack and killing him with a thrust through his leather armor.
• Five Nukes fought another billhook wielder, but a sword-and-shield fighter intervened and struck his helmet before a second player drove the swordsman back.
• Five Nukes and his companion held the narrow end of the bridge while the other players reloaded and shot an archer and a billhook wielder.
• The surviving Minisians retreated into the main keep, and Five Nukes called his companions back into the gateway passage to avoid the archers’ arrows.

Chris assembled the militia and hunters for a night battle against the Minisians and the Restoration Army. He warned them of the danger, promised fifty mu of land if they won, and ordered Isaac to lead the vanguard as they marched out.

• Chris watched the disciplined militia stand in formation while Mia and her instructors kept them from fidgeting.
• Chris told the militiamen they were going into battle, acknowledged that people could die, and promised land if they won.
• Chris advised the militia to flee, divide the food, and hide with their families if the battle was lost.
• Chris ordered the troops to move out and assigned Isaac to lead the vanguard.
• Bitton marched with Isaac's formation, eager to help Chris win and earn land.

Little Knife led players into Bolas Fortress, while Cool Guy stayed behind to rescue people amid the chaos. The players reached the main gate but discovered the passage was a deadly crossfire trap, forcing them to consider how to advance.

• Little Knife rallied the reinforcements and led them across the stone bridge toward Bolas Fortress.
• Cool Guy emerged from a work shed, saw a soldier beheaded by a player, and refused to join the assault because he wanted to save people.
• Players online and offline converged on the battlefield, routed the Minisian guards, and chased them up the slope toward Bolas Fortress.
• Little Knife led players into the passage by the main gate, where archers, crossbowmen, and musketeers killed several players with concentrated fire.
• The surviving players debated using shields to force their way through the passage or trying to capture the high walls on either side.

Lieutenant Clado Motley tried to hold the castle gate against a sudden assault by black-clad attackers using smoke pots, grenades, and a cannon. The cannon blasted the barricade as Motley lay behind it, with wounded men screaming nearby.

• Lieutenant Motley rallied his soldiers, ordered barricades brought to the passage, and assigned squads to defend the gate.
• A second lieutenant arrived with twenty crossbowmen, and Motley sent them to replace their rapiers with short spears and longswords.
• Black-clad attackers advanced through choking yellow smoke, and Sergeant Okafor's men were driven back by a grenade that killed Okafor and one attacker.
• Motley charged the attackers with two veterans, but enemy gunfire killed the veterans before the second lieutenant's crossbowmen arrived and forced the attackers back.
• The crossbowmen fled when they saw an enemy cannon behind the barricade, and Motley took cover as it fired, breaking the barricade and striking him with debris.

Little Knife’s force broke through the castle gate’s barricades, but a sudden attack from a third faction forced him to turn back and fight in the passage. The players held off the armored infantry for the moment, and Little Knife learned that the drawbridge had fallen to raiders suspected of belonging to the Restoration Army.

• Little Knife used smoke bombs, armor, and the Crouching Tiger Cannon to help his men smash through the barricades and drive away the crossbowmen.
• After hearing gunfire behind him, Little Knife took two armored players back to reinforce the retreating defenders.
• Little Knife and the players fought the gray-robed, armored infantry, then fell back into a narrow passage where four flintlock shots stopped the enemy’s advance.
• The players told Little Knife that raiders had crossed the drawbridge and killed Carrot before his force could stop them.
• Little Knife realized the Crouching Tiger Cannon was no longer guarding the drawbridge because he had brought it to the gate.

Colonel Bernal ordered the annihilation plan early as the gate defenses faltered, while Bolwen used a force-field spell to shield the count’s troops from a collapsing wall and help them face a surprise attack. As the two sides fought in the passage, Bolwen began casting another spell to aid the captain.

• Colonel Bernal saw that the gate was close to falling and signaled the knights to execute the annihilation plan.
• Bolwen watched the count’s troops struggle against the green-uniformed defenders, and the captain asked him to break their line with magic.
• Bolwen spotted danger at the stone bridge, ordered the captain to reinforce it and hold the Outer Keep, then cast a force-field wall to shield the troops from a collapsing stone wall.
• Gray-clad heavy infantry charged through the opening, and both forces clashed in the narrow hall.
• The captain knocked a dismounted knight down and stabbed at his armor, while Bolwen raised his wand and began casting another spell.

Little Knife discovered that a mage was slaughtering the fortress guards with magic arrows and retreated with most of the players to attack the gate. Polka’s magic broke the guards’ line, but his exhaustion forced the count’s remaining troops to abandon the fortress and retreat toward Stone Bridge.

• Little Knife spotted Polka firing powerful magic arrows that pierced and killed multiple foot knights, then feared the mage might target the players.
• Little Knife left ten players to hold the passage and led the others toward the gate to launch an attack.
• Polka killed eight foot knights with three Force Arrow spells, but his magic reserves were nearly depleted and his final arrow weakened.
• Polka warned the captain not to pursue the fleeing guards and urged him to recapture Stone Bridge as an escape route.
• The captain led his roughly forty surviving private soldiers back toward Stone Bridge, abandoning the attempt to take Bolas Fortress.

Chris led the exhausted militia to a hillside overlooking Bolas Fortress and the Restoration Army’s camp, where Players had opened the fortress gates and about two thousand enemy troops were assembling. He ordered the militia to armor up and prepare to attack as the Restoration Army began moving.

• Chris asked Isaac how many militiamen had fallen behind, and Isaac estimated that no more than twenty had straggled.
• Chris used his telescope to watch Players attack Bolas Fortress and saw two Players open the gates to let the others inside.
• Chris spotted about two thousand Restoration Army troops assembling near their camp and recognized that they were beginning to move.
• Chris ordered the militia to put on armor, collect reserve ammunition, and form ranks for battle.
• Bruno directed the auxiliary soldiers to unload the equipment and urged the militiamen to arm themselves while Isaac listened to Chris's instructions.

Chris sent Isaac and the Rangers to delay the Restoration Army until dawn while his forces fought for Bolas Fortress. The Rangers opened fire on Captain Rachel’s approaching company, and the battle was underway.

• Peddy and the militiamen put on their chain mail, formed ranks, and loaded their muskets on the slope beside Bolas Fortress.
• Chris ordered Isaac to lead the Rangers in a skirmish attack, use arcing fire to draw the Restoration Army toward the militia, and hold them up until dawn.
• Count Dirac recognized the armed men as Prince Chris’s Bagnia Defense Force and ordered Captain Becky Rachel to drive them away.
• Isaac led the Rangers toward Rachel’s torch-bearing company and stopped them at about five hundred meters.
• Isaac ordered the Rangers to aim at the firelight and fire, and their muskets cracked toward the approaching company.

Captain Rachel’s company advanced into musket range as Isaac’s chasseurs fired repeated volleys from beyond the longbowmen’s reach. The chapter ended with Jacques calmly firing a third shot while Rachel’s formation suffered casualties and fell into disorder.

• Captain Rachel realized the enemy’s first volley had fallen short, but his men would soon enter the muskets’ much greater range.
• Isaac ordered the chasseurs to reload, and Jacques struggled through his first reload while remembering the candy he hoped to earn.
• Isaac ordered the chasseurs to raise their guns and fire, and Jacques squeezed his eyes shut during his first shot.
• Captain Rachel’s company entered the area covered by the enemy’s second volley, which wounded and killed soldiers and disrupted the ranks.
• Captain Rachel urged his company to advance faster as Isaac ordered another reload.
• Jacques reloaded in twelve seconds, shouldered his musket, and fired with the chasseurs on Isaac’s command.

Chris’s forces repelled Captain Rachel’s attack and began harassing Count Dirac’s advance toward Bolas Fortress. Watching from the far side of the hill, Lin Ruoyu identified a possible target and prepared the Extreme Warriors to act when the cannons fired.

• Captain Rachel charged after Isaac’s Jaegers, but Chris’s Crouching Tiger Cannons and volleys from the Rangers and Militia broke Rachel’s Company, forcing him to retreat.
• Count Dirac sent an officer under a white flag to ask Chris’s intentions, and Chris declared that he wanted Bolas Fortress.
• Count Dirac split his army, sending roughly five hundred men toward Chris’s slope while the main force advanced toward the fortress.
• Chris ordered Isaac to harass the main force with his Jaegers, while his other troops held the slope and bombarded the enemy.
• Lin Ruoyu and the Extreme Warriors watched the battle and decided to act against an important-looking figure in the Restoration Army, using the cannon fire as their signal.

Count Dirac’s assault on Bolas Fortress was disrupted by Chris’s defenders and a surprise nighttime attack led by Lin Ruoyu. After the attackers withdrew, the Restoration Army retreated as well.

• Count Dirac’s troops broke under cannon and musket fire while trying to assault the hillside, and the flanking force was held back by Rangers.
• Count Dirac turned his attention to Bolas Fortress, but a cannon blast struck his flank and Foot Knights shielded him from the ensuing fire.
• Lin Ruoyu and the players attacked from the forest, firing muskets and throwing stick grenades into the Restoration Army’s formation.
• Little Ghost collapsed after being hit, while Lin Ruoyu and the other players withdrew after using their grenades.
• The Restoration Army held its position for more than ten minutes, then sounded the retreat and abandoned its advance toward Bolas Fortress.

Chris’s forces returned to the battlefield after the Restoration Army retreated, rescued wounded militia, and set up camp. As Rangers received medical checks and hearty rations, Chris considered introducing advanced machinery but worried about attracting the attention of those watching from above.

• Chris discovered that the Restoration Army had fled and learned from the Player Action Log that the Extreme Warriors had been concealed in the woods.
• Chris returned his force to the battlefield, set up camp, and sent Connie and the civilian laborers to search for wounded militia.
• Jacques and the Rangers arrived at camp, where medical workers examined them and stretcher teams carried off wounded men.
• Jacques received a cup of sweet water and a bowl of noodles with fatty meat, which the Rangers eagerly ate.
• Chris considered bringing advanced machinery to the area but worried that it might provoke those watching from above.

Chris woke after a few hours of sleep, learned that the Restoration Army had retaken Bolas Fortress, and prepared to meet Count Dirac Siso. The chapter ended with Dirac studying Chris and asking in surprise whether he really was Prince Chris.

• Bruno helped Chris to his feet after he woke beside the camp boulder.
• Chris ate with Mia and Aisha, then learned from Isaac that the Restoration Army had retaken Bolas Fortress and sent supplies, including a resurrection array, inside.
• Isaac told Chris that Connie had returned with a priest of the Earth Mother Goddess and the count's magical adviser as prisoners.
• Connie reported that Count Dirac Siso had requested a meeting with Chris on the battlefield.
• Chris met Dirac at a table set up on the battlefield, and Dirac recognized him with surprise.