Chapter Summaries

Tianyang and Raven Squad cleared a group of Wanderers, but more approached before the Train could restart. Chen Liu arrived with fifth-generation Three-Dimensional Armaments and took over the fight as their battle was broadcast to Fortress Military Command.

• Cang Du, Old Xu, Ji Yu, and Tianyang killed the Wanderers, with Tianyang using his Assaulter Rifle to destroy their will cages.
• Ji Yu spotted more Wanderers approaching, and Han Shu learned that the Train needed five to eight minutes to restart.
• A fifth-generation General-Purpose Shooting Armament rushed in and tore through the Wanderers with its Rail Rifle.
• Chen Liu arrived with a fifth-generation General-Purpose Heavy Armament and offered to handle the fight, which Han Shu accepted.
• Chen Liu ordered the Mecha pilots to kill the remaining Wanderers while a live transmission showed the battle at Fortress Military Command Center.

At a Military Command meeting, Wade presented footage comparing Ascenders’ combat performance and cost with fifth-generation Three-Dimensional Armaments. He proposed reducing investment in Ascenders, leaving Chu Yan and the other commanders to consider a contentious shift in military funding.

• Cheng Xin watched as Wade, Fei Mei, Chu Yan, and Cao Gang gathered in the command hall for an important meeting.
• Wade showed footage of Raven Squad fighting Wanderers and a fifth-generation armament quickly destroying a larger group.
• Wade compared the armament’s performance and cost with the resources spent training Ascenders, noting that only about 10.5 awakened each year.
• Wade proposed slightly reducing investment in Ascenders and redirecting the resources, while Cheng Xin hesitated to record his words.

Chu Yan and the others opposed Old Wade’s plan to cut benefits for low-ranking Ascenders, while Wade hoped public protests would sway the City Lord. Tianyang arrived at Lighthouse Outpost Base with Raven Squad and visited the Armory, where the quartermaster recognized him and learned he had awakened.

• Old Wade proposed halving compensation for low-ranking Ascenders, but Chu Yan refused and stormed out of the meeting.
• Cao Gang argued that Ascenders remained essential against the Children of Darkness, while Fei Mei and Cao Gang left the meeting.
• Old Wade planned to use more battles and public protests to persuade the City Lord to consider cutting Ascender funding.
• Tianyang woke as Raven Squad arrived at Lighthouse Outpost Base and Han Shu dismissed the squad for three hours.
• Tianyang went to the Armory for spare rifle magazines, and the quartermaster recognized him and heard that he had awakened after finding a Star Marrow Pillar.

Tianyang intervened when Zhou Wang tried to force himself on Xun, then learned Zhou Wang was part of the Gray Pigeon Squad. Tianyang joined the Raven Squad and other teams for his first official operation as an Ascender, and the convoy reached the Inverse Realm city [Metropolis].

• Tianyang stopped Zhou Wang from striking Xun and threatened him with a Particle Warblade until he backed down.
• Tianyang apologized to Xun for the previous day's incident, and she thanked him before leaving to answer Luo Shan's call.
• Tianyang spotted Zhou Wang among the teams gathering for a joint operation and learned from Old Xu that he was the Gray Pigeon Squad's fire support specialist.
• Han Shu led the squads out in a Falcon High-Speed Assault Vehicle, and three days later the convoy reached [Metropolis].

As the convoy crossed Metropolis, Tianyang learned that the city’s original inhabitants may have become the Children of Darkness. A distress signal then forced the squad leaders to debate whether to divert from their Star Marrow Pillar mission to rescue the trapped personnel.

• Old Xu and Han Shu discussed Metropolis’s size, peaceful past, and advanced transportation as the convoy drove through the city.
• Tianyang asked where Metropolis’s inhabitants had gone, and Han Shu suggested they had transformed into the Children of Darkness.
• Old Xu explained that Skyvault researchers believed the Children of Darkness could reproduce and that the Inverse Realms might share a common origin.
• Ji Yu received a distress signal from a nearby trapped squad, and Han Shu proposed asking Lighthouse Base to send a rescue team while Raven Squad continued its mission.
• Chen Liu objected, arguing that the squad should rescue the trapped personnel immediately instead of prioritizing the Star Marrow Pillar.

Han Shu redirected his convoy to rescue the people sending distress signals despite suspecting a trap, while Chen Liu and Highland Eagle entered a ruined complex to investigate. The rescue team reached the signal’s source and found a person crouched beside a cabinet, repeating a plea for help.

• Chen Liu dismissed Han Shu’s warnings and set out to rescue the distress callers, prompting Han Shu to turn his convoy toward their coordinates.
• Han Shu’s convoy stopped beside a vast ruined complex, while Chen Liu and Highland Eagle advanced inside with a Fifth-Generation Armament.
• Tianyang and Old Xu watched the live footage and identified the spherical building as a likely arena.
• Liang Sen received another distress signal and led Highland Eagle toward its location.
• Liang Sen’s team entered a room lined with seats and lockers, where they found someone repeating a distress message.

Liang Sen’s squad killed a Child of Darkness that had lured them into a trap, then became trapped among Wanderers. As Han Shu rushed to help, Captain Lida organized the remaining forces, and Tianyang joined the front line against an approaching pack of Mad Dogs.

• Liang Sen approached a strange figure transmitting a distress call, and it revealed itself as a Child of Darkness with a human face inside its gaping torso.
• Liang Sen and his squad shot the monster, then he destroyed its will cage and ended its life.
• Wanderers emerged from the corridor and a ventilation shaft, forcing Liang Sen’s squad to retreat into a room while Han Shu led the Raven Squad to help.
• After the Raven Squad departed, Captain Lida formed a defensive perimeter around the convoy and positioned the heavy armament.
• A sentry reported at least a hundred Mad Dogs approaching, and Tianyang joined the War God Class Ascenders at the front of the defensive line.

The convoy's defenders fought off several packs of Mad Dogs, while Tianyang showed surprising speed and rescued Xun during an attack from behind the line. Lida spotted a mutated Mad Dog directing the coordinated assault and ordered the Fifth-Generation Armament to fire at it.

• The Fifth-Generation Armament destroyed an initial pack of Mad Dogs, and Lida directed the convoy to engage new packs approaching from several sides.
• Tianyang fought off a Mad Dog that broke through the defensive fire, and another Ascender showed him how to kill the creatures by destroying the cages beneath their skulls.
• Mad Dogs attacked the plaza behind the defensive line, injuring Recovery Team members and throwing the Recovery Team and Medical Team into chaos.
• Tianyang rescued Xun from a charging Mad Dog and then rushed toward another target, startling Lida with his speed.
• Lida realized the packs were coordinating their attacks, spotted their mutated leader through binoculars, and ordered the Fifth-Generation Armament to fire at it.

Lida sent Tianyang to assassinate the Demon Hound leader after the convoy’s weapons failed to kill it. Tianyang discovered its will cage and killed it with a precise strike as the Mad Dogs attacked the defensive line.

• A pilot fired a shell at the Demon Hound, but a dozen Mad Dogs intercepted it and the leader survived the blast.
• Lida asked about other weapons, then assigned Tianyang to assassinate the Demon Hound.
• Tianyang stealthily approached the leader using a spray that disguised his scent from the Mad Dogs.
• Tianyang saw the Demon Hound’s will cage inside its abdomen and waited for its guards to leave for the assault.
• Tianyang used his stealth ability to strike between the Demon Hound’s ribs and destroy its will cage, killing it.

After killing the Demon Hound, Tianyang withdrew toward the defensive line and was nearly killed when Zhou Wang deliberately interfered with his escape from a pack of Mad Dogs. Back at the square, Han Shu showed concern for Tianyang and warned Lida to keep his background private.

• Tianyang found that killing the Demon Hound raised his ascension progress by only four percent, then collected its eyes and began withdrawing along Lida’s route.
• A pack of Mad Dogs surrounded Tianyang, and star essence arrows helped him break free before the monsters resumed their chase.
• Zhou Wang fired an elemental spear past Tianyang and claimed it had been an accident, then a Falcon vehicle destroyed the pursuing Mad Dogs.
• Lida questioned Zhou Wang’s claim, warned him not to let it happen again, and Tianyang returned to the square without confronting him.
• Han Shu scolded Tianyang for taking the mission, sent him for a medical examination, and told Lida not to discuss the boy’s background.

Ling Feng discussed Tianyang’s unusual abilities and the political stakes surrounding the Ascenders with Lin Yang. After his medical examination, Tianyang learned why Xun had chosen dangerous work rather than an easier way to earn money, and left reflecting on her independence.

• Ling Feng told Lin Yang that Tianyang’s speed and precision suggested he was an Assassin, and said the City Lord already knew about his new class.
• Ling Feng and Lin Yang discussed Minister Wade’s effort to cut resources for Ascenders and how Tianyang’s abilities might obstruct his plans.
• Tianyang encountered the injured Strategic Department official Chen Liu before entering the field medical vehicle’s examination room.
• Xun examined Tianyang and found only minor muscle strains, then explained that she worked in the Inverse Realm medical service to earn contribution points for her ill father.
• Tianyang realized Xun had rejected easier ways to support herself because she wanted to preserve her freedom.

After the convoy returned to the Star Marrow Pillar, Han Shu pushed through Chen Liu’s objections and arranged for the team to touch it. In the tunnel, Zhou Wang provoked Tianyang by threatening Xun, leaving Tianyang facing a personal conflict.

• The convoy traveled back to the Star Marrow Pillar without encountering any Wanderers, and Tianyang wondered where they had gone.
• Han Shu arranged for everyone involved in the recovery to touch the Star Pillar, while Chen Liu objected and threatened to report the Nightwalkers’ tradition.
• Tianyang explored the tunnel and encountered Zhou Wang, who blocked his way and claimed his earlier shot had been accidental.
• Zhou Wang threatened to have his way with Xun after they returned, and Tianyang listened as he walked away.

Tianyang confronted Zhou Wang over his intentions toward Xun, but their clash was interrupted before it turned violent. Xun awakened the rare Radiance Class and became Luo Shan’s student, leaving Zhou Wang furious that Tianyang had thwarted his plans.

• Tianyang warned Zhou Wang that he would have to face Tianyang’s blade if he tried to touch Xun, and the two nearly fought before a Gray Dove recruit interrupted them.
• Xun touched the Star Pillar, which blazed with silver light and surrounded her with streams of starlight.
• Xun revealed that she had awakened the Radiance Class, astonishing the team and delighting Han Shu and Chen Liu.
• Luo Shan embraced Xun, declared her student, and promised to give her private lessons.
• Zhou Wang blamed Tianyang for ruining his chance to gain power through Xun and angrily wished he could attack him.

Tianyang and Han Shu’s group escaped the collapsing tunnel, only for a Ghost Car—a grotesque monster fused with train carriages—to burst from the rubble and charge them. As the convoy prepared to fight, Tianyang realized his Weakness Sense might reveal the creature’s hidden Will Cage.

• After the Star Marrow Pillar recovery, Tianyang noticed wind in the tunnel, and Han Shu ordered everyone to leave as the tunnel began to collapse.
• Tianyang saw what looked like train headlights in the darkness before the tunnel and nearby road caved in.
• A huge creature burst from the rubble and crashed into a building, prompting Han Shu to ready the convoy’s weapons and defenses.
• The Ghost Car emerged, revealing a body fused with train carriages and human corpses, and Old Xu identified it as a dangerous underground Child of Darkness.
• Han Shu explained that previous Nightwalkers had failed to locate the Ghost Car’s Will Cage, while Tianyang considered using Weakness Sense to find it.
• The Ghost Car lit up its fleshy growths and charged the defensive formation.

Ghost Car shrugged off the convoy’s heavy bombardment with a deflection force field and devoured Chen Liu as he tried to flee. Han Shu then led the War God Class in a charge to cripple the monster’s arms, with Tianyang joining the assault.

• Han Shu ordered everyone to scatter as Ghost Car charged through the convoy and destroyed a Falcon combat vehicle.
• The convoy’s Ascenders, vehicles, and Three-Dimensional Armaments unleashed a massive barrage, but Ghost Car survived behind a deflection force field.
• Chen Liu fled in a car, but Ghost Car smashed through a shopping mall and swallowed him and the vehicle.
• Han Shu told the convoy that Chen Liu had drawn Ghost Car away, then ordered the War God Class to target its arms while the others provided covering fire.
• Han Shu led Cang Du, Old Xu, Tianyang, and the other War God Class Ascenders toward Ghost Car and activated Vortex Force Field.

Han Shu and the Ascenders crippled Ghost Car, but the monster transformed, unleashed fire, and spawned a host of Wanderers from the black sludge it vomited. Tianyang realized the Wanderers they had fought earlier had come from Ghost Car.

• Han Shu drilled through Ghost Car's arm, and a squad captain severed another arm as the Ascenders attacked.
• Tianyang tried to use [Weakness Sense] on Ghost Car but could not see beyond its skin, while Han Shu warned everyone to duck as the monster swept its tail overhead and killed an Ascender.
• The Ascenders destroyed several more arms, but Ghost Car's fleshy growths turned red and erupted in flames, burning two Ascenders as the others retreated.
• Ghost Car's arms burned away, insectlike legs emerged, and the monster vomited black water before shrinking and freeing its tail from the Train carriages.
• Wanderers climbed from the black sludge and formed a barrier between the Ascenders and Ghost Car, and Tianyang recognized them as the Wanderers who had disappeared earlier.

Ghost Car broke free of Lida’s frost attack and continued attacking the Ascenders, leaving them unsure how to stop it. Tianyang spotted a possible location for its will cage, and Han Shu ordered the Shooter Model’s pilot to target it with the Falling Star sniper cannon.

• Ghost Car attacked the Ascenders and destroyed the Heavy-Armored Model and two Falcon combat vehicles, while the pilot who ejected from the armament was killed by its scythe-like forelimb.
• Lida used Withering to freeze Ghost Car, but the monster melted the ice, broke free, and cut her combat vehicle in half.
• Tianyang noticed that Ghost Car could no longer use its deflection force field and saw a faint red glow above its mouthparts, which he believed marked its will cage.
• Han Shu told the Shooter Model’s pilot where Tianyang thought the will cage was and urged him to fire the Falling Star sniper cannon.

Tianyang volunteered to enter Ghost Car’s body cavity and destroy its will cage after the monster resisted the team’s attacks. With Lida preparing to use Withering to open a brief window, the Ascenders began distracting Ghost Car while Tianyang waited for her signal.

• The Shooter Model Armament’s sniper cannon failed to penetrate Ghost Car’s heat field, and the monster damaged the cannon before the Ascenders drove it away.
• Captain Yellow Dragon identified a gap in Ghost Car’s heat field and suggested attacking from inside its body cavity.
• Han Shu offered to enter the monster, but Lida warned that the heat would kill him; Tianyang volunteered instead, and Ling Feng approved the attempt.
• Lida agreed to use Withering to let Tianyang enter, though the heat field would return inside the monster in about five seconds.
• Han Shu directed the Ascenders and combat vehicles to lure Ghost Car away from the Recovery Team and Medical Team while Lida prepared her ability.
• Lida unleashed Withering as Ghost Car destroyed another combat vehicle.

Tianyang destroyed the Will Cage inside Ghost Car, killing the monster but suffering severe burns. After recovering enough to leave intensive care, he learned that a funeral was about to begin, though he did not know whose funeral it was.

• Lida froze Ghost Car long enough for Tianyang to enter its body cavity and locate the Will Cage.
• Tianyang slashed the Will Cage with his Particle Warblade, and Ghost Car's body burned from within as he escaped.
• Lida extinguished the flames on Tianyang, and he collapsed after seeing Ghost Car dissolve.
• Tianyang woke in the field medical vehicle's intensive care unit, where Xun and Luo Shan treated him and Han Shu visited.
• After three days of healing, Tianyang left intensive care and Cang Du told him to come to the funeral.

After the convoy mourned the soldiers and Ascenders killed by Ghost Car, Han Shu told Tianyang that his actions had saved lives and promised to seek materials for a replacement weapon. The convoy then returned to Lighthouse Outpost Base, and Tianyang boarded a train for the Fortress, where he unexpectedly shared a carriage with Luo Shan, Xun, and Zhou Wang.

• Tianyang attended the Nightwalkers’ funeral for those killed in the battle with Ghost Car and grieved at Shattered Star’s grave.
• Han Shu spoke with Tianyang after the funeral, thanked him for saving lives, and offered to seek Ghost Car materials for a Material Weapon.
• Two days later, the convoy left Metropolis for Lighthouse Outpost Base, where Han Shu received another assignment and Tianyang boarded a train for the Fortress.
• Tianyang discovered that Luo Shan and Xun were on the same train, while Zhou Wang sat between him and Xun and spoiled his mood.